My Debt to David Pawson

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Jono Hall


UPDATE: This post was written in 2011 – On the morning of May 21st, 2020 David Pawson passed into Glory.

ORIGINAL POST:

After the great Wall Street Crash of 1929, the world entered one of the worst economic depressions it has seen. It affected not only the US but spread across the Atlantic to the shores of Great Britain. One of the young men that lived through the dark days of this depression was a soft-spoken Northumbrian in the North of England who would later run a very successful hill farm with sheep and cattle. In the midst of the economic depression a University Professor from the local town of Newcastle also saw a greater spiritual depression that needed solving in the midst of the young men and as a result started a young men’s discipleship group named The Dilston Road Young Men’s Group. The young Northumbrian lad called Tom Hall became a disciple of Jesus through this group and also largely as a result of the University Professor, a certain H. Cecil Pawson the young lad became a Methodist local preacher. Thomas Hall was my Grandfather and “the Prof” was the father of David Pawson.

David Pawson is now an 81 year Bible teacher nearing the end of his course and he recently came to Kansas City and taught 24 60-90 minute messages over the course of a week (quite a feat for someone in their 30s, let alone someone in their 82nd year) I have the greatest respect for this saint of God and since he left I have felt compelled to write a small piece outlining my debt to him.

Not only did David’s father have a great impact on my Grandfather’s life, but he also became somewhat of a mentor to my own father. Giving input regarding entering the Methodist ministry, first as a lay preacher, and then eventually to literally “sell the farm” and enter into full-time Christian work. Although my eldest brother Wesley was born on the farm, it was not a life that I was destined for and from my earliest days I can only remember Dad being in ministry. Sometime early in his ministry Dad was chatting with the Prof. about good Bible teachers in England. When talking about some of the finest teachers the Prof made a comment that shocked my Father – The Prof thought that although the men they were talking about were all fine teachers, he could think of no finer teacher than his own son David. My father had known David on and off growing up however it was not long after this that Dad started to listen regularly to the recorded talks of David coming from his church Millmead in the town of Guildford.

After the Prof died it was to David that my Father would travel for advice and biblical insight, for a brief period traveling together as part of Youth for Christ and helping launch a well-known camp in the UK called Spring Harvest. It was also in the early 80s when David suggested to my Father that a new church fellowship be planted in our hometown of Hexham. I believe around 60 people gathered in our crowded front room on that Saturday, and I remember spending some formative years as part of that fellowship. Hexham Community Church still exists http://www.hexhamcc.com.

It was only in my later teens and early twenties that the link with David began again. My parents (who had moved to several places around the UK) moved back to the North East of England and in particular to the West End of Newcastle, only a few houses away from David’s childhood home. I began to listen to David’s teaching., really for the first time as an “adult” I had since an early age known that the Lord has no grandchildren, only children. I needed to grow up and David’s teaching amongst others was most helpful in this “growing up” process. I remember a few times when he came to visit for a cup of tea being slightly in awe. Nevertheless, I was growing in my faith and for this I thank David.

It is only in recent years that I have begun to recognize a calling on my own life to teach that my respect for this teacher has again been heightened. A few years ago he came to teach in Kansas City and stayed with Shari and me for the visit. At the close of the visit he prayed with us a couple and gave us some sound advice. He said that he had noticed all the things I was doing and noted was too busy. He told me all the things I was doing were not of the Lord because the Lord was not a hard taskmaster. He, therefore, told me to write down all the responsibilities I had and to ask the Lord about each of them. I had to determine if I was doing something out of faith in the Lord or not – if the Lord had not led me and it wasn’t of faith it was sin… gulp.

I knew he was right. He had however highlighted something that was confirmed again and again by all the voices of spiritual authority in my life. The Lord had called me to teach. This is a frightening prospect in one respect as I recognize that the Lord holds teachers to a higher degree of judgment (James 3:1). However the other side of the coin is worse, if he calls me to teach and I disobey I am in a far worse situation.

This leads me to my final debt of gratitude to David. As I have begun to give myself to teaching more and feeling the pain of how this affects the rest of my life I have looked across the Body of Christ in the western world, in the UK and US and seen chronic Biblical illiteracy that alarms me. Many of the leaders in the Body of Christ are making claims that are simply not rooted in the Scriptures, this saddens me as I look around at the young men (and I highlight men, particularly as I, see far more spiritually mature women than men) and realize the teaching is not making true disciples of Jesus I am sad and see the urgent need for a remedy of lives that are given as true disciples. The reason I mention this is because there is one group that as I look across the Body that is truly genuine about their commitment to the scriptures and they would be the new Calvinists. People who I highly respect such as John Piper, Tim Keller, and my favorite Bible School teacher Sam Storms. I love these men for their commitment to the things of God found in the scriptures and truly making disciples of Jesus, however, the thing that I cannot accept as Biblical is the infection of Beza’s Calvinism and the five points of Calvinism outlined in the acronym TULIP. I do not wish to come down on ANY side in the Calvinist-Arminian debate, however, I do want to be true to scripture and as I read the scriptures I simply cannot find those five points in scripture. The reason that I mention David is because of all the theologians that I most respect David would be in the small minority who falls on the so-called “Arminian” side. He is by no means an Open Theist as many in the Reformed camp are so easy to call any who are not Reformed in their theology. But he is dedicated to preaching the scripture and not a human construct and for this I am grateful.

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Happy Birthday Josiah

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Jono Hall



What a difference four years makes

Today is Josiah’s birthday. He is four years old. Which means that it is four years since I was standing in an operation room in a Kansas City hospital welcoming a 1lb 12 oz little baby boy into the world. We were in the midst of planning to launch The Prayer Room on GOD TV and hiring the first media apprenticeship when Shari, who was coming to the end of her second trimester got sick; it got so bad that we decided to go into the ER to check out what was going on. A few moments after arriving the medics starting acting rather quickly trying to stabilize Shari and save the baby; Shari had pre-eclampsia, the only solution to this condition is to deliver the baby, and so after a few nerve racking days Josiah arrived at 11pm on 26th February.

The last four years have been quite a journey. Josiah spent three months in hospital. He had surgeries, Shari and I got a medical education. He nearly died a few times, we prayed, he survived, we were grateful. We were both prepared by the physicians for all manner of set backs and delays which normally accompany prematurity. The biggest challenge that we have experienced came several months after we were discharged from the NICU. While in hospital he was fed via feeding tube, out of hospital the vomiting and lack of oral intake meant that he was soon back on a feeding tube. Thus began our “feeding journey”, you can read about it more in depth earlier in the blog, the nightmare that was tube feeding did end for us and we managed to get enough calories into him orally, but that was not the end of the journey, we are still very much on the road to recovery with Josiah.

So how is Josiah doing? Well this last year has seen him start pre-school. He goes there four mornings a week (when it’s not snowing). I really think this has helped his social interaction. He loves his teachers, his therapists and his classmates. He has snack time at school, and I think the peer pressure helps him. Regarding his food, the therapy that we do with Josiah still takes a long time. We try to restrict his meal times to 40 minutes, but they often stretch out to an hour. This last year we have tried a new addition of pain killers which are supposed to deaden the “pain memories” in his digestive tract, which have led to the acid build up and reflux. This has meant that while vomiting hasn’t disappeared for us, it has significantly reduced. While he has still been getting the bulk of his calories through purees and formula, he is eating more and more table food. However all this has also meant that we do have a VERY regimented daily routine with only Shari or myself able to feed him. This has certainly been problematic at times and we look for the day when we can easily go out in an evening and leave Josiah with a baby sitter or take the boys with us and not have a trunk load of feeding paraphernalia.

The arrival of Josiah’s little brother Finn, this last year has been a blessing as well as lots of work. I am told the baby phase passes… It was unfortunate that largely due to the regimented feeding regime that we have that the whole family was not able to travel to England for my sister’s wedding in October, but this season will not last forever.

Despite the ongoing challenges, Josiah is growing (big) and learning all the time. He seems to have a very good memory for lots of things and is certainly learning how to be a mischievous little boy, who loves his little brother, his mommy and “Momma Bear” his constant soft toy companion.

I love Josiah – Happy Birthday Son

Posted in Personal Updates, Preemie Journey | Tagged | 1 Comment

Looking forward to Egypt’s Next Season

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Jono Hall

In light of the resignation of Hosni Mubarak, the victory of the protestors in Tahrir Square, Cairo and the outburst of joy from what seems to be the whole nation of Egypt, I wanted to write something in response to previous posts and thoughts looking forward to Egypt’s future.

During this past season of protest in Egypt I received several emails from different believers in Egypt so that we might join with them in prayer (obviously after the online restrictions were removed). Most of these messages were from individuals that I personally know. The email of the skewed Western media perspective was not from an individual I personally know, however I did receive it from a trusted friend, who verified the identity and credibility of the sender. A number of people have contacted me since then to say that this was essentially a pro Mubarak government communiqué and therefore of no credibility. After learning the identity of the source, I do not believe that it was a govt communique, and that is the reason I kept the post on my blog. I do think that certain details in that email were exaggerated and wrongly interpreted, however I think this is a more a mixture of wrong analysis and personal opinion rather than intent to deceive – again this is just an opinion.

The main reason I kept it on the blog however was that it spoke of another side to the protests, which was contrary to the mainline media and a side that we must be aware. The reason that Mubarak was able to stay in office so long with all of the attending corruption was that he was able to convince the US that he was a better alternative to anything or anyone else. In a nation where 90% of the population are Sunni Muslim and only 10% are either Coptic or Christian, and with some of the most developed Islamic training in the world, the delicate peace situation with Israel is something to be considered, as is the very real possibility of a Theocratic Islamic Government taking control in Egypt.

So what is the future for Egypt. It seems that everyone is now celebrating the departure of Mubarak and rightly they must, he came to exemplify the corruption of an evil regime. Corruption and greed are hard to eradicate as they are inherent in the fallen human state, but when they are deposed we must celebrate. The hardest challenge ahead for Egypt will be to replace a corrupt regime with another government that is not as corrupt. This will be a challenge, not because Egyptians are intrinsically worse than the rest of humanity, but when a society lives a certain way for a long time intrinsic change is hard. This is why the citizens of Cairo turned to the same hated Police tactics of searching and stopping suspected looters that had been so denounced.

The handover to the military is a decent interim solution that will please most, however there must be a process set in place for free and fair elections. But even with free and fair elections, the society that the social media democracy protestors envisaged will probably not come to pass, with the Muslim Brotherhood and El Bareidi being the only seeming alternatives at the moment the future for this great nation of Egypt really does hang in the balance. The election of Hamas in the Palestinian Territories was not unexpected due to the heady mixture of Islamic rhetoric, poverty and violence. The situation in Egypt is markedly different, but it is still unclear at the moment whether a secular political candidate would garner more support than a candidate from the Muslim Brotherhood.

We could speculate more – but now is probably just a time to celebrate the end of one corrupt regime and pray for future of Egypt and that this change might provide an open window for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to go forth in the land of Egypt.

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New Email from Situation in Egypt

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Jono Hall

These events (though costly ) will surely transition our Nation into a new era of Freedom (expression and beliefs ) , where corruption is exposed and convicted.

This generation of Young people arising , to say No to corruption and to ask for change and reforms, is truly an answer to prayer, we have been praying in a very focused way for 2 years for the raising up a FOTB generation in our Land, and though our prayers had a more deep and broad implication than the rising up of the thousands of young people in their peaceful demonstrations. Yet in a sense it is an answer to prayer. J

These sincere demonstrations for reforms, were tainted by other movements with hidden agendas (religious /political) – international and national forces trying to imprison this nation into an Islamic Tyranny – and national political forces trying to maintain the core of the corrupt regime under a change of name – thus abort the divine destiny of this Nation in this hour as a key nation in theMiddle East regarding the Lord’s plans.

We know that the Lord has given the church, to steer the events through prayer into the Divine Purposes and the Heavenly agenda in this hour. We remain empowered and strengthened in this hour (Thank You for praying J )

Nationally:

*The hidden Islamic agenda of Muslim Brethren to ride this wave of change – is exposed and convicted by multitudes- even Moslems

*The corruption of the previous cabinet is well exposed and is being investigated and will be judged- it is unbelievable the billions of Egyptian pounds in their bank accounts- that they gained while in office !! – this is unprecedented – coz The Egyptian people have been oppressed along decades and had broken spirits from being manipulated by the ruling regime – so to arise and call for such exposure and conviction of darkness is truly Divine .

*There is an open fruitful dialogue between the Vice President and Prime minister and many of the representatives of the people – politicians – thinkers- business men – poor- old- and many of the young people who with sincerity, desire change

*Change of many unjust aspects of the constitution that prohibited freedom of expression and beliefs – this will give more freedom for Christians and will allow the many converted Muslims coming into the kingdom to have freedom.

*Many Demonstrators still gather in Tahrir Square , and their one and sole request remains to have Mubarak down and now (although many of their primary requests – have been achieved) yet they see Mubarak as a representative of the old corrupt regime and blame him for not stopping it along all those past 30 years. And as more of the corruption is exposed daily – more people see Mubarak as the one responsible- and are More Adamant about wanting him to leave his office- so the numbers of Egyptians desiring him to step down from office in a dignified way is daily increasing – because he represents the corrupt regime.

*In a sense, he has actually delegated to his VP who is a well respected man , much of his responsibilities. And according to the constitution, many others see that by remaining in his office till the end of his term in September may be the best and safest way to transfer power>

*The curfew hours have decreased , now from 8pm till 6 am – so morning life is almost back to Normal in Cairo, people have returned to their work, banks opened , courts are back in function , etc… yet Tahrir square (down town Cairo) remains as a closed area where demonstrators are assembling.

* Thousands were injured and 300 were killed – this is horrible coz when thousands gather, mobs are implanted to stir violence and inflame rage … the Young people who first assembled are innocent of causing such riots nor violence (They were the ones attacked and killed)- and now , with more corruption exposed – it is evident that the police of the old regime played a role in killing some of those innocent demonstrators !! it is horrible !

*As the international media was not objective – the national media was NOT TRUTHFUL- it helped steer the wheel to more delusion of the Egyptian people – yet the camera does not lie- and pictures / videos taken confirm the horrible situation- innocent youth killed for saying No to corruption –

Church/ HOP:

*We still can’t get to our church building / coz it is down town and securities have this whole area surrounded by Military Tanks to try to keep order – the church building is safe J

*We gather in homes to pray – we cover the 24/7 prayer schedule each at his/her place.

*We are strengthened by the Holy Spirit, we see the Sovereign Hand of the Lord in control , and we are praying for the fulfillment of All His Divine Purposes in this hour for our Nation.

*Every church congregation is praying and this shaking has awakened ALL the Church in Egypt to Pray and Seek the Lord

Thank You for Faithfully standing with The Lord as His Friends , for the Fulfillment of His Purposes for our Land in this hour.

Much Love from all here in Cairo

 

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Thoughts on Egypt

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Jono Hall

– Photo from CNN
Watching the events that have unfolded in Egypt over the past week and then reading and listening to eyewitness accounts of what has gone on a few things strike me personally that I wanted to enumerate.
1) Mubarak is no different from most of the Old Men of Africa/Middle East – no better, but no worse.

 

Hosni Mubarak has been in power for 30 years, he has done things which would not have been accepted in “open” democratic nations. The corruption of many in government; the stifling of political opposition, the “virtual police state” are not to be lauded ever. One of the leaders at IHOP was detained for over 18 hours and finally not allowed in to Egypt last summer simply for his Christian message. These things are not good.
However Mubarak is not without support both within and outside of Egypt. Many inside Egypt look at the alternative to Mubarak , the Muslim Brotherhood and do not like what they see. The Islamization of any nation has never been a good thing. Afghanistan, Iran and Hamas are just a few recent examples. Mubarak is like many old men dictators, however he has adopted a non-aggressive stance toward Israel, he has seen trade with the west increase and seen Egypt become the leading Arabic nation during his tenure. If the Muslim Brotherhood gain power – despite their protestations of peaceful democracy, it is unlikely if they were in power that they would maintain these values. It is unlikely that Christian believers would have an easy time or even be allowed to exist under such a regime. Which leads to my second point
2) Democracy is an alien concept to many nations including most of the Middle East.

 

While the stated Foreign Policy of the US has been to promote democracy in every nation, in many nations this is simply too foreign to institute over night or even over a generation. This has been evidenced in Russia in the past 20 years. While the protests in Cairo began with peaceful Egyptians expressing their frustration at the current regime, it appears that these protests in Tahrir Square, the epicenter of this movement (and also interestingly where the House of Prayer is located in Cairo) have transitioned from a popular movement to a highly organized political grab for power. The general population have by and large accepted the replacement of the government and the appointment of Omar Suleiman, while looking towards a transition of power within the next six months. However in the square it appears many of the protestors are “plants” with exactly the same blankets, cell phones, and with strange dialects ie not locals. This would point towards a more organized grab for power by the Muslim Brotherhood who have everything to gain from Mubarak leaving office in the midst of protest and confusion and everything to lose with a more drawn out and orderly transition. It must be noted that revolutions and mob rule have never been the same as a democratic process, they are simply the actions of bullies.
3) What happened in Tunisia was a catalyzing spark for the whole of the Middle East, but what happens in Egypt is critical for the future direction of the whole of the Middle East.

 

Egypt is the leading Arabic nation, it has the largest military, has the largest funding (over $1billion pa) by the US (obviously these two facts are related) and arguably has the biggest influence on Arabic culture in the Middle East. Whoever eventually takes power over the next year will have an immense impact on the nation and therefore on the whole of the Middle East. Egypt’s peace with Israel has meant that the Middle East has been fairly stable for the past 25 years. (An Israeli may disagree with me on this point as they have been battling the Palestinian Intifada and their incursion into Lebanon), but war with Egypt is an entirely different proposition, especially with an unstable Iran who would love to join any party with an aim to “wipe Israel off the map”. An unstable Middle East is prophesied, but despite this we need to continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, as an unstable Middle East is not a good proposition.
So how should we pray?

 

1) Pray that the Lord would raise up a leader in Egypt, that the political grabs for power by men would be thwarted. Pray for Hosni Mubarak, Omar Sulieman and all those in power that they would encounter the Lord.
2) Pray for the House of Prayer and the believers in the Land of Egypt that they would be strengthened with might and the power of the Holy Spirit at this time. That in this time of uncertainty many would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus.
3) Pray for Safety of believers in Egypt.
4) Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem – that the unfolding events would not bring warfare to Israel, but peace and a reconciliation between Ishmael and Isaac.
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Interesting Email about Western News Bias in Egypt

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Jono Hall

Dear friends,

I am writing this to you as a witness to what is going on from the streets of Cairo over the last few days. We have been following the developments since January 25th, which started with a large group of Egyptian youth taking to Tahrir square in an anti-government protest with specific demands. I know some of these people who were in that group and I talked with them. What is happening now has nothing to do with this original protest! What is happening right now is a conspiracy to topple Mubarak from outside the country!! I am not a conspiracy theorist, but let me tell you what I have personnally witnessed on the streets of Cairo.

I want to share first what the LORD told me on Friday morning.

I went to the LORD in prayer on Thursday evening, praying like many others for protection and for the restoration of peace and security in my land. I told the LORD: “Father, answer my prayers with rain”, which He has several times before. I went to sleep. I woke up on Friday morning and went directly to prayer. Immediately, I sensed a strong urgency from the LORD saying: “As the people of Egypt presented their requests to Mubarak, I am calling on My people to rise up before me and present their requests to me for their nation”. I went on to hear the LORD: “Let the Holy Council assemble”. I didn’t understand who this Coucil was, but I knew in my heart that the LORD meant that there are people in my land that are called by the LORD to stand before him as His Holy Council with authority to make declaration over the land, to establish the Kingdom in the land. My demands to the LORD were not political ny nature. I prayed for “good news to the poor, freedom for the oppressed, healing for the brokenhearted, and the acceptable year of the LORD” as the Holy Spirit gave guidance. The LORD spoke to me the words “JUSTICE” and “TRUTH”. As I went to talk with Rania afterwards, she told me that she had been awake all through the night, and that IT RAINED around 12:45 am. It was very strong, but not for a very long time (a few minutes). I knew then that it was the LORD. The LORD spoke Psalm 97:1-2:

The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;
let the distant shores rejoice.
Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

Indeed, there had been unusual clouds and very thick fog in December over Cairo, unprecedented in frequency and intensity. Again, the words TRUTH (or righteousness in the English translation) and JUSTICE resounded.

As we followed the unfolding of events including the announced change in government and president Mubarak’s speech, we wondered why the international news media is focusing only on the thousands in Tahrir square who are escalating their demands and refusing dialogue. The news media is reporting this as “the people of Egypt” wanting Mubarak to leave immediately. Did they ask the “people of Egypt?”. For one, they did not ask me! Where are those, like myself, that want change and reform, but accept the changes that Mubarak is proposing, and want a peaceful transition through elections in September?

We decided to take to the streets to voice our opinion. On Tuesday February 1st we went to Mustafa Mahmoud square in Mohandessin. There were about one thousand people there around 3:30 pm. (yes, we broke the curfew). the crowd grew to about 2500 by 5:00 pm. People were calling their friends over the phone telling them to come. We left at about 6:30 pm and returned yesterday, Wednesday, starting at 11:00 am. The small group had swelled to TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE standing together with banners saying things like:

– yes to stability, yes to Mubarak

– give change a chance

– we are sorry Mr. president

– we accept dialogue, we trust you

– no to ElBaradei, no to the muslim brotherhood (many like this one)

– we are the Egyptians, where is Al-Jazeera, let them come and see

– no to corruption, no to vandalism

– we got what we asked the president for, so why are people still in Tahrir? Who are they? What do they want?

etc., etc., etc.

By 2:00 pm, the crowd had grown to SEVERAL HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, maybe up to a million, stretching from Sphinx square to Sudan street. We had a great sense of unity and victory. We met with people who were in the original protest in Tahrir square who decided to join us saying: we got what we asked for, and now we accept Mubarak’s changes and proposals”.

We left around 4:15 pm. The numbers had grown even more, POSSIBLY OVER A MILLION. As we drove home we saw the same slogans on banners all over the city, on cars, on walls, on shop windows. We learned that similar demonstrations are taking place ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, IN MAY DIFFERENT CITIES. THIS IS THE CRY OF THE PEOPLE OF EGYPT THAT IS BEING TOTALLY IGNORED BY THE INTERNATIONAL NEWS MEDIA. Is this on purpose??!!! I am perplexed!!! I am wondering: How come CNN, the BBC, and others are reporting ONLY the anti-government protests as the voice of the people? This is not JUSTICE, this is not TRUTH. There have been reports that these people are being paid by the government. NOT TRUE! I was there with many many others. I SAW THE STREETS.

Now to the situation in Tahrir square. Only a few people (hundreds?) are still there from the original protesters. They have been slowly replaced by other HIGHLY ORGANIZED GROUPS. They all have the same model of cell phones. They all have the same blankets (eye witnesses). THESE ARE NOT THE PEOPLE OF EGYPT. Some witnesses claim that they don’t look Egyptians, and don’t sound Egyptians (different accent, different dialect). THIS IS A BIG ORGANIZED COUP TO TRY TO CONVINCE THE WORLD THROUGH THE MEDIA THAT EGYPT WANTS MUBARAK TO GO, AND THE MEDIA IS PART OF THE DECEPTION. People in Tahrir square are escalating the situation on prupose to topple President Mubarak FOR THEIR OWN HIDDEN AGENDAS. This is TYPICAL OF THE MUSLIM BROTHERS, AND EVERYBODY IN THE STREETS OF CAIRO KNOWS THIS. We heard people on the streets saying that the plot to take over the country is now clear. THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW THIS. The escalation of violence in Tahrir square is because of this. Egyptians who love Egypt, the millions that took to the streets yesterday, want this to end. They fully understand that president Mubarak is between a rock and a hard place, that he cannot quench the unrest in Tahrir through the army, so the people want to go to Tahrir to disperse the crowds there by themselves. People in Tahrir are vastly outnumbered. If Egyptians go the Tahrir square to take control of the situation, more chaos will erupt, giving a chance to the international media to blame the President even more.

If Egypt falls, then neighbouring countries are going to fall one after the other. WE NEED PRAYER, WE ASK FOR TRUTH, WE ASK FOR JUSTICE, and above all LORD, in wrath, REMEMBER MERCY. Stand with us. The Lord calls Egypt “My people”. He is calling on His HOLY COUNCIL in the land of Egypt to stand before Him, to make declarations in the heavenlies to establish a new ‘constitution’ in the land based on the principles of the Word of God, to establish a ‘new foundation’ for His kingdom to come. Pray for the schemes of the enemy to be annulled and voided. Pray for deception to be exposed. We humble ourselves and pray. We seek the Face of the LORD. We turn from our wicked ways. LISTEN TO US LORD, FORGIVE US, HEAL OUR LAND. In the Name of Jesus.

In Him, standing for God’s purposes in Egypt,

Rafik

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Becoming a Media Messenger

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Jono Hall
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The Resurrection and the Age to Come

Posted on November 13, 2010 by Jono Hall

12But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. (1 Cor 15)

1 – Personal Journey in Understanding the Resurrection and the Age to Come

When I was growing up I would read the story of Jesus and the New Testament and would wonder at many things. One of the things that made me ponder was Jesus continual references to this age, the end of this age and the age to come. What did that mean? Was the world as I knew it somehow going to come to an end, and what would the new world look like?

I was also confused by the continual references to “the Resurrection” in the New Testament. I understood (at least in part) that Jesus had been put to death on a Roman implement of execution called the cross. He died for our sins, and then was raised to life on the third day; this was for me “the resurrection” – Jesus rising from the dead. Yet I could not help but ponder all the verses that referred to the resurrection, which didn’t really seem to be in the context of Jesus rising from the dead, this seemed to be a big point of contention between the Jewish sects of the Pharisees and the Sadducees; what was that all about? Nobody really taught about the resurrection in the churches that I went to; if it was taught on it was placed in the context of life after death. When someone died they would be resurrected somehow, but this answer didn’t seem to be quite right, the people who I knew that died didn’t come back to life like Jesus had, they didn’t have bodies. I guessed there must be a spiritual meaning that I couldn’t quite understand. But I did know it was important, after all Paul devoted a long chapter at the end of Corinthians to this very subject.

My confusion of these matters was only deepened as I grew in large part due to the general lack of interest and focus on these teachings of Jesus by the church at large. In terms of “eschatology” (the study of end times) the understanding that I received was muddled. The fact that Jesus was coming back was definitely part of my emerging theology; that part was easy to figure out. There was a vague thought picked up from some books and music from the US which led me to believe that Jesus could come at any moment, and I better be ready if I didn’t want to come home one day and find that my parents had been secretly “raptured”, while I had been “left behind”. I guess I knew there was “an age to come” but didn’t really know much about it.

The things that I learnt about the life of Jesus and the way to walk righteously were all excellent. The ministry of the Holy Spirit and the development of a prayer life and a worshipful heart were all good and needed. I knew if someone was to find eternal life they must be born again, and so we needed to obey the Great Commission of Jesus. Yet I always tried and still try to reconcile what I do in following Jesus with the intent of what Jesus meant when he asks us to follow him. If I am a true follower of Jesus, then I express my love by obedience to his teaching. If I deliberately don’t do what he asks how can I sing songs of love? And for me to know what he asks I need to devote my life to hearing his voice. This could be through prophecy or dreams and visions, but I would contend the main way is through his revealed word – everything else must be weighed against these scriptures.

So what does understanding some obscure verses about the end times and this thing called the resurrection have to do with following Jesus today? Is it needed? Well, actually no it is not, but you can be saved as if by fire and not understand lots of things, but it does mean that you will be at best a babe in the Kingdom. If you are a soldier in the battle do you really have to know the point of the war? Not really, your commander can just tell you, to shoot your gun when he commands – but it’s not really the best strategy. It would be much better for you to have some understanding of why you are fighting. In following Jesus it is much better that you have a little understanding of his plans and where he is going.

2 – What is the Resurrection?

Which brings us to the question what is the resurrection and the age to come. First let me lay out some common notions regarding life after death, which are built more on Greek philosophy than biblical thought and beliefs that the church in recent centuries has not been very helpful in disabusing us of. A common picture of evangelism (telling people about the Gospel of Jesus) in recent centuries has seen the eager preacher asking his audience if they know where they are going when they die, do they know their eternal destiny – Heaven or Hell? If a person says the sinner’s prayer they are headed to live forever in heaven and have their fire insurance, if a person does not then they are going to the “other place”. This becomes a particularly hard thought at the funerals of those who have not said the prayer. There is definitely some truth to this picture, but it is confused as we shall see. It is especially confused, because it is based on some common Greek philosophical assumptions that the physical body we have now is evil and the release to a spiritual body will be so much better.This has led many to think that the resurrection actually is the acquisition of a spiritual body (which after all what Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 15) in heaven, which will be better by far.

This view however would not have been a common assumption to the Jewish community of Jesus day. The very common view amongst that community was a belief that at the end of history everyone who had died would be raised to life, with new “resurrected” bodies. This was the event known as “the resurrection”. The age to come would be the age where everyone was resurrected. Since the time of Adam the corruption of the flesh was plain for all to see, and the death of the body was the ultimate fulfillment of the curse, death was and is the ultimate enemy. But what happens then? The belief that the flesh would die and disintegrate to dust, while the spirit of a man would remain intact, was and is a common and biblical belief – from “dust to dust” (see Gen 3:19 and also the Prayer Book) Yet this is generally viewed as a bad thing, for a human soul and spirit to be unclothed. There was a belief of a temporary holding area for spirits of the deceased called Sheol. The distinction between a good and a bad area – Paradise and Hades comes a little later, nevertheless it is a temporary residence for our unclothed spirits. Our ultimate destination is with a resurrected body which means that the message of the resurrection is NOT talking about heaven and the immortality of the Spirit, these are both true and part of our journey, but that is not what resurrection is about, the resurrection did not speak of life after death, the resurrection spoke of as NT Wright has coined the term “life after life after death.” This is the reason today on the Mt of Olives you will see lots of Jews buried, because they want to be near the temple when the resurrection happens. This was the reason Job spoke with confidence

25 I know that my Redeemer [a] lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet [c] in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:25-27)

Resurrection is not just limited to the righteous however, both the wicked will also be raised to life for their ultimate judgment to be thrown into the Lake of Fire for eternal conscious torment. This is a fairly strange view? It is not what is preached in many pulpits, yet it is completely biblical. Just two portions from the Hebrew Scriptures indicate a common understanding.

“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever”. (Dan 12:2-4)

It was such a common belief by the time of Jesus that even uneducated women such as Martha knew about this theology. Regarding her brother Lazarus she told Jesus

24Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” (John 11:24)

Evidences for belief in the event called “the resurrection” are numerous throughout the New Testament. It is the very thing that the Pharisees and the Sadducees argued about (the Pharisees believing in it and the Sadducees not) It was a belief which the other nations around Israel ridiculed the Jews for believing – Why? Because it was seen as so preposterous by the Greeks and the Romans (Acts 17 and other Greek writers, and yet this event called the Resurrection was and is the hope of the Jewish nation and also the hope of the Christian Gospel.

3 – What about Jesus’ Resurrection?

So what about Jesus? I have studiously avoided the fact that Jesus was resurrected up to this point. But the fact is that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and now lives with a resurrected body – seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. (Yes, this means Jesus has a real body made of flesh, with scars to prove it and is not in some ethereal spirit state.) Makes me ask why? Well, let me start by saying that Jesus is the only person in history that has been resurrected and is now living with a resurrected body (the only possible exception to this could be the other people who were raised to life when Jesus was). This is different to instances of revivification and resuscitation that had been seen throughout Israel’s history and in Jesus ministry as well. Lazarus and Jairus’s daughter are just two examples of people who were revived from death, but who would die again. I have personally met a number of men who have been brought back from death, yet only one man has been resurrected and he was resurrected long before the “event” of the resurrection.

Let me begin by saying that the Resurrection of Jesus is central to our belief in Jesus and salvation through him. If he had not been raised to life on the third day then we are as Paul says to “be pitied more than all men” for at the heart of what we believe is the death of the Christ Man being sacrificially given up for our sins, justifying our Spirits before God AND his rising to life, so that all those who live in him would be raised to newness of life through him thereafter – we now live IN CHRIST, because of his resurrection. The fact of the resurrection is the very thing that turned timid disciples into a glorious church and the reason for 2 billion people on the face of the earth who at least say that they are Christians.

However the fact that Jesus was resurrected IS also proof that resurrection happens, and as Paul said so well, He is the “first fruits” of the resurrection and when he comes again in an event in the Bible known as “The Day of the Lord”, then as he comes in the clouds we will be resurrected.

What does this look like? Well, the events of the day of the Lord ie the return of Jesus a many and we could spend a long time explaining them, however as it relates to the resurrection we are told in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 -17

“The Lord himself will descend from heaven (that is the return of Jesus) with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the sound of the trumpet of God (which means it will probably be quite a loud and conspicuous event – keeping in mind Paul is writing to people who think it has already happened and Paul is making the point – You aren’t going to miss this!). Now here is the part about the resurrection – And the dead in Christ will rise first (so a whole bunch of decomposed bodies/molecules reform to make bodies and join up with their disembodied spirits meeting Christ in the air) Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord. Which means that those alive on the earth at the time will join those who have been resurrected.

Paul talks about it this way in 1 Cor 15: 51-53

We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead shall be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

John adds this detail in 1 John 3:2 “We know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is”

This has many amazing implications – I highlight a few

1 – On that day our Salvation will be complete. Our Spirits were made right before God the day we repented and accepted his sacrifice for our sins – we were truly justified before God then. We were saved. However through faith we continue to work out our salvation, it is abundantly clear to many of us that we are not yet perfect and for that reason we are being saved daily through sanctification. Yet our salvation will only truly be complete when we have glorified bodies. Another name for the resurrection is the glorification.

2 – Our bodies will be like Jesus – Paul talks about different glories, and yet just like we were created in the image of Adam, so the new creation of the body is in the image of Jesus. This means there are differences – we cannot walk through walls presently, yet there will be continuity and we will be recognizable. Paul takes some time to outline what the resurrected body is like.

3 – Our bodies will be fitted for the age to come. Many would ask why do we even need bodies? Many have not given much thought to the return of Jesus and if they think a little more about it would conclude that he is coming simply to whisk us away to heaven, yet this is not what the scriptures state. The sciptures paint a picture of the Parousia of a Sovereign outside a city waiting for the welcoming committee to escort him back in. Which means once we acquire our newly resurrected bodies we are accompanying Jesus back down to earth where he will ultimately rule and reign from the city of Jerusalem. It was his purpose from ages past to bring heaven and earth together (Eph 1:….). That is why we need bodies – And this is what the age to come is all about – the fulfillment of the Messianic hopes that Israel has always had.This is the hope of Israel and the hope of all those who are grafted into the Olive Tree of Israel by the blood of Jesus.

4 – Why has the resurrection been a contentious issue and why has it been de-emphasized in modern times?

If the resurrection is the hope which the early church spoke of, it is helpful to understand why it seems so strange to modern ears and why it has been deemphasized.

Well, the de-emphasis is not a new phenomenon, St Augustine in the fourth century said “No doctrine of the Christian Faith is so vehemently and so obstinately opposed as the doctrine of the resurrection of the flesh” The reason for this is that all religions which were part of the Greco-Roman thought pattern saw the flesh as corrupt and the spirit as pure. Which led to things like the suicide of Socrates being seen as a good thing as he escaped the confines of his mortal body by drinking the hemlock. This Greek thinking infected both our worldly culture and indeed the culture of the church. One of the first heresies the church had to deal with was called Gnosticism and it was so permeated with this kind of thinking that they even believed Jesus only “seemed” to appear in the flesh. For him to be born of a woman was bad and for us to get our bodies back was even worse. For this reason the resurrection of the flesh and the millennial reign of Jesus upon the earth was in the second century the touchstone of orthodoxy.

And yet as time progressed and Constantine adopted Christianity, more and more Greek thought invaded Christianity, so that in the end it is seen that death is a time when your spirit ascends straight to heaven and that is your ultimate destiny.

Yet Jesus himself agreed with the Prophets of old

John 5:28-29 (New International Version)

28“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

And this is an amazing future or a horrific future – for there are two resurrections, not just for the righteous but also for those who will be condemned – to suffer forever in a place called the Lake of Fire. And this is why ultimately there are two destinations that everyone that you meet will find him or herself in.

5 – Is the Resurrection Your Hope?

So this brings us to our conclusion to ask the question of ourselves – is the resurrection your hope? The resurrection can only be your hope if you have entered into Christ through his blood shed for us. You have accepted his sacrifice in your place, you have risen to new life with him by the Power of the Holy Spirit and as part of his new covenant community live empowered by the same Holy Spirit – developing the fruit and operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. If this is true of you listen to Jesus words concerning you.

John 6:39-40 (New International Version)

39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

If it is not true I pray that you start on this journey. That the Hope in Jesus and in the final Resurrection of the Dead may be your hope is my prayer.

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Introducing Phineas (Finn) David Hall!!

Posted on June 27, 2010 by Jono Hall


Just thought I would share some photos of our newest addition for those who haven’t seen them yet. Finn was born on April 14, 2010. He is doing (and feeding) really well – thank you Jesus!




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Update on Josiah

Posted on November 22, 2009 by Jono Hall

So much has been happening lately that I really want to blog about three things. The first thing I want to write about is an update about Josiah’s eating situation. We went out to the feeding clinic four times last year and always typically have had the same result – an increase in the amounts Josiah was receiving orally in food from about 4oz of the puree – but then as time progressed the amounts would decrease and feeds would become harder. So we have been in a dilemma, do we get a G-Tube (something I have always been against) or do we go back to the clinic for another try. We have tried other therapists over the summer, none have helped at all. feeding has been quite problematic in recent months. Until a glimmer of hope a few weeks ago. Shari managed to get in touch with a good pediatric dietitian – who let us know about a good pediatric GI called Dr. Hyman who had previously practiced at KU Med but was currently practicing at the Children’s Hospital in New Orleans.

Shari emailed Dr. Hyman about Josiah’s condition. Dr. Hyman wrote back quickly saying that the problem was that the GIs at Children’s Mercy in KC didn’t know what they were talking about in trying to treat reflux. He said

“The GI docs you saw at Mercy misled you because they do not realize that ex-premees who have gone through mutiple pain experiences have pain memories and a sensory sensitivity that makes them want to empty their stomachs. “Reflux” is the end result of pain, as the kid pukes to relieve the discomfort assoc\iate with gastric filling. To get your child better, it is necessary to treat neuropathic, chronic pain for 8 weeks to allow desensitization of the hypersensitive pain nerves in the stomach.”

Interesting theory – in fact it would make sense why the “flooding” therapy at Los Altos was not altogether successful. Children’s Mercy had previously said there was nothing physiologically or anatomically wrong with Josiah, which was probably correct to the degree of their knowledge – but that was the problem – if Dr. Hyman is correct there were still some medical complications that could be dealt with. Dr. Hyman and the team at KU Med have a procedure they have done on 10 kids, whereby they put a J tube, bypassing the stomach and they desensitize the stomach for 8 weeks with a pain killer, then they administer a powerful appetite steroid called Megace for 6 weeks. All the kids they have done this on were 100% tube fed and they have had 95% success with 9 out of the 10 kids feeding orally at the end of the process. The 10th kid was getting half feeds from tube and half orally at the end (but also had Cerebral Palsy – so didn’t have the stamina to eat).

We went for a feeding evaluation this week at KU Med with Dr. Ann Davies. They considered us good candidates for the treatment – but with a proviso. All the other kids who have undergone this treatment were 100% G-Tube fed. Josiah is not – this is a little anomalous, thanks to Los Altos and our persistence we still get all of his calories in orally and he is not small (75-90th percentile height and 40-50th percentile weight). This means they are not advocating surgery to get a J-Tube – rather do the whole thing orally. We have an appointment with the GI at Children’s Mercy on December 9th to get the medication prescribed. So despite the fact the solids we are getting in at the moment have decreased to about 10g or less a feed there is some hope on the horizon.

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