‘Don’t You Know There’s a War On?' When it comes to war there’s no one more famous than Sir Winston Churchill. Churchill has been described as Britain’s greatest ever leader. Although he inspired many, he was far from perfect. He failed sometimes, yet he learnt not to give up. He once returned to his old school Harrow to speak and share his wisdom with the boys. He arose and said these words to the gathered assembly, “Young men; never give up, never give up, never give up.’ Then he sat down! No one present ever forgot his words. Well, that is the popular version of the story! Churchill did say those words but they were part of a longer speech. He actually finished his speech with these words: ’Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.’
‘Don’t You Know There’s a War On?’ This is the tile of Sunday’s online Service. The question arises from my reflections on the Lectionary reading of Mark 9 verses 38 to 50. I have been reminded that as Christians we are in a spiritual war. Paul wrote the following words to the church in Corinth at a time when they were struggling, feeling defeated and in the midst of the battle: ‘By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you…..For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight are not weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.’ As we press on and demolish strongholds, let’s do so with humility and gentleness. Further, let’s make use of the Christian's divine weapon of prayer and intercession. Please do join our 1st Priority Zoom Prayer meeting on Tuesday 28th September 7.30pm to 8pm. If you can’t make it on Zoom please set that half an hour aside for a prayer time. We’re praying for the future and for our Cedar Centre Church community. ‘Don’t You Know There’s a War On?’ Kia kaha and "Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."
Arohanui
Warren