Tag: birthday

Assuming another 70 years!!

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives

Another 70 years to come… of course I would be wildly in fantasy land to think I will have another 70 years. And I hear a groan – ‘no not another 70 years Lord, spare us’ – just to let you know that maybe prayer has three possible ‘God answers’ – yes, no and wait… so your prayers might just not avail!! 70 more years -I don’t think I will come close. One day – moons ago – when I was 66 (not 666!!!) I was running and suddenly I thought ‘I am probably more than half way through my life’ (2 x 66 = 132, so nowhere near 140). So not really assuming 132 or 140 but I do have today so what comes? One day at a time.

I hope the reflections have given you a smile or two, an agreement here and there, and probably a few disagreements too. As I hit the 70 mark I am content to acknowledge that there are huge gaps in my understanding (not an issue) and sadly huge gaps in my maturity (there lie the issues). One wrote of ‘the second half of life’ – I have gone way beyond that in calendar terms, but have not yet worked my way through the first half of life character wise (and the use of the word ‘work’ probably was a give away?).

I do try and sit in the space of creating space for those younger who should go way further than the likes of my generation. It will be great to compare notes when we all hang out in the future. So a bunch of final ramblings follow.

Final future when we all hang out (and of course it might not be the ‘final’ as we have the word ‘eschatos’ not ‘telos’ for that ‘end of the ages’). No more marriage – why? Cos marriage is intended to be a sign of covenant relationship – then we will be truly in covenant relationship with all. (And those whose marriage has ended in divorce – you too are a sign too not of personal failure but of the wider pain and suffering in our world. We need every aspect lived out in grace – the diversity is important.)

Who will be hanging out? I am not a Universalist, but suspect that God might just be. Those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes for sure; those who were proclaimed ‘born again’ – I suspect God will find a way to get most of them in; those who truly lived out the embrace of humanity – I am pretty sure we will hang out; and so on and so on – God knows. It is not my part to draw lines but to provoke people to find out who they truly are and where I have space to explain the hope that is within me and the story of Jesus.

I am always disappointed when people make some self-proclamations. There will be a proclamation on that great day. I live for that. Have I done well in these past 70 years? Who knows? You don’t and I don’t. So I wait and wait in faith because of the generosity of God.

Many factors took us to Spain but the undergirding reason was that of seeking to uncover what was the Pauline Gospel. Back in 2001 I was asked to take a session at a conference in Hannover and spoke of ‘re-digging the wells of revival’ (that was the era). At the end of that time I had a small number of those from Spain who said that they did not have a history of revival comparable to what I spoke of… I instantly replied without any pre-thought with ‘what other nation on this planet can on biblical authority claim that there are first century apostolic unanswered first-century prayers in the ground. You do not need any history of revival, go dig out those prayers’. I went away to realise that the prayers were those of Paul (and others). Have we (wider we) grasped the ‘Pauline Gospel’ – well I am encouraged to see major movements forward in the academic world on a deeper exploration of Paul and his gospel. But something beyond that is coming.

The ‘gospel of the kingdom’ or ‘the Pauline Gospel’ seems to centre on Jesus’ resurrection and the disarming of all hostile powers through the cross so that this world does not have to be subject to imperial powers but can move toward transformation. This I want to sow into… Sicily calls, Istanbul calls and the Far East. Maybe even a final setting of ‘Jerusalem’ the city where a great reconciliation should be manifest – hence all the conflict and demonic ethnic cleansing in that part of the world right now… for Paul said ‘in this way all Israel will be saved’ (that demands another post, the Greek is not ‘and then’ and it does not say ‘all Israelites’ nor ‘all Jews’ (Jews and Israel not being synonymous) but it references the ‘fullness of the Gentiles’… Another of Paul’s difficult to fathom passages and rich beyond measure).

I have no idea what is to take place before the ‘trumpet sounds’ but I am sure of the prayers that have to be prayed prior to that sound – let your kingdom come (here). I remain agnosticaly active.

I have hinted at a new context in some of these posts – such as the one with Michael Kolisang. If we see people healed (and ‘saved’) in a church construct setting let us rejoice, but having been on the island of Malta recently and reading that the sick were brought to a healing meeting (oops, got to read it again!!!) there is a provocation for the presence of God to be present. (Presence is something of a new paradigm rather than ‘power’.) A new context is challenging, but I think the grave was a challenge for it was there that ‘the last enemy’ was overcome.

I grew up with George Ladd’s theology of the New Testament and many times (past) have quoted his take on the church as the agent of the kingdom. Now I suggest it is not as simple as the church being the agent of the kingdom but the body of Christ taking responsibility to be a catalyst for agents of the kingdom to rise. We are here to hold space.

The most influential season in my life (21-46 years of age) was that of the New Church Movement – if you have come another path be grateful for the path for all of us is different, it is to be fruitful and to ever lead us into new vistas – in that movement we were ‘restorationists’: God was restoring the church on the foundation of the ‘five-fold ministry’. Once the church was ‘without spot or wrinkle’ the nations would flow to ‘Zion’. Not sure God is that concerned about the shape, structure of what we term ‘church’. I am deeply grateful for that background… but now I see God’s eschatological vision as the restoration of all things. The world is centre stage. Of course God loves the ‘church’ but that has to be embedded within ‘God so loved the kosmos‘.

I think when we read of Paul’s use of imperial language (‘Lord’, ‘Saviour’, ‘peace’, ‘gospel’, ‘kingdom’, ‘salvation’, etc) it is fully understandable that people thought he was proclaiming another lord other than Caesar… and for sure, for the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and Christ. Grateful for the past but not wanting to stand still. [I appreciate Paul’s langauge is alsoshaped by Israel’s Scriptures and perhaps there is with that the challenge of how we communicate the Jesus’ story within our culture, though given that there is a core continuing issue of imperial powers we have to connect the ‘gospel’ into that.]

I have for some time seen the year 2040 as a major cut off in this season, one that was marked early on by COVID. Just for a minute (but not for too long) imagine that I only just make it to that year. What will we see by then. Well I hope I will be faithful to run with the vision I have and countless others with theirs… otherwise – OOOF. One day I saw a major global catastrophe (probably a set of catastrophes) and the world population being decimated – possibly by more than 1 billion people. Not good news, but almost certainly avoidable.

I think this is the first season when I have tried to reflect back… oh and one final reflection. When I look back and see the 1 mistake (maybe the demons made me write ‘1’)… the many mistakes I have made I find myself praying ‘God forgive me’, then one day I heard – stop praying for forgiveness, forgive yourself. Hearing that I realised how immature I am, but thought maybe somebody reading these posts could benefit from that reflection. A God-gift to humanity is the ability to make mistakes. How we handle them is how much we image God and reflect his/her glory. Reflecting back has been good for me… and also ‘forgetting what lies behind’ is as good if not better. I plan to write a few more posts before I hit the 140 marker! Thanks for reading.

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Up and down… and beyond

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives

Reflecting back the years 1998-2008 were years when I thought ‘this is what I was born for’. 1990 we had a visit from a prophet from the USA and something was imparted. We were meeting in a school hall and there was an explosion of life. A literal ‘roar’ went up. 1994 came along and what became known as ‘the Toronto blessing’ impacted so many places in the UK… a little later and news of what was happening in Pensacola came through, then in our little pond ‘Marsham Street’ meetings began (1997) in Westminster. I remember the many responses to faith, baptisms where people were not simply drenched in water but in the Spirit and had to be dragged out of the pool. Heady days… expectations were simple, revival was here and would only grow.

A few years later Roger Mitchell read to me an email that he had received. In summary the contents were that this person knew Roger from years back and he wrote to outline how he had lost faith and lost his way but had now found his way back to the Lord. He wrote that he was not sure what he would do now with church as he observed ‘it was not public like it used to be’. At the close of the communication he said that he was living and working in Leatherhead, Surrey. The town where I lived and ‘church was not public like it used to be’. At that time one of the most prominent churches in the UK was meeting in Leatherhead, renting the largest building in the town. Inside that building one would regularly be experiencing ‘touching heaven, changing earth’ (to quote a song)… but outside?

I lived prior to Leatherhead in a town of some 11,000 people in a Christian community of around 600 people. A BIG percentage. Inside that community everything was awesome. No need to own a lawnmower – one person can ‘own’ it and numbers of us can use it… I walk past 5, 6 doors to the 7th where someone who was ‘in’ lived. Great testimony… but how was that seen by those in the previous 5 or households?

One of the most progressive (and large) churches meeting inside but not visible. And a further challenge – Mr. Scott lived at the same time in Leatherhead – so his faith was not visible?

Anyway that communication was toward the end of the 1998-2008 period, so back to that time.

In the midst of the Marsham Street season I strongly felt this needs to be taken to cities up and down the UK, and eventually one city opened her doors and over the next few years in the context of team we invested 12 weeks into the city of Leeds. I never requested an invite anywhere but numerous cities followed, at one time there were 3 teams running, I wrote two books, Germany, France, Sweden, West Coast of the USA, Brazil and other places also opened. As the Spanish say ‘I was in my salsa’.

I carried a simple approach – the church in the city / region should find that in their unity they were present for the sake of that locality; prayer at every level (and with a focus on how the effects of history can be undone) and lo and behold… well the overriding name will explain – ‘Sowing seeds for Revival’. It was in that period of time that I gained an understanding of ‘land’. With over 1200 references in Scripture not a minor theme, yet if one were to ask most Bible-oriented Christians what word they associate with ‘heaven’ they would answer with ‘hell’. Ask someone to read Scripture with no previous exposure and ask them the same question and the answer would be ‘earth’. The ‘big’ aspect of prayer as instructed by Jesus was ‘on earth as in heaven’. I began to understand how what has taken place in history is what shapes a place spiritually. After Jesus had encountered Jerusalem where he was not accepted (the place that had always rejected the prophets) we come to a few enlightening verses at the end of John 10:

He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptising earlier, and he remained there. Many came to him, and they were saying, “John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” And many believed in him there (emphases added).

So many references to geography with one verse indicating what had taken place there to make this a place of response – John had been baptising there. A lightbulb moment for me with the understanding that land has to be healed from previous wounds and bondages, and it also opened up the meaning of Jesus submitting to John’s baptism.

Thus years of ‘sowing seeds for revival’ began. Revival – in the USA used more to describe what happens inside a meeting context; in the UK with the history of Wesley /Whitfield and more recently ‘the Welsh revival’ or the ‘Hebridean revival’ the impact on the community with deep sorrowful confession of sin and resultant conversions, so that miners no longer swore and beat the donkeys in the mines, or harvests left unharvested as attendance at church overtook every other responsibility.

I am very grateful for meeting James Thwaites who was someone who helped me see that the church is beyond the congregation and is to be embedded in and through all of society. To borrow Eugene Peterson’s language the people of God have to move into ‘the neighbourhood’ to such a level that their glory can be seen – full of grace and truth. There is the deeper challenge. Glory is what we have fallen short of (the core definition of sin – ἁμαρτάνω – to miss the mark).

I perceive that this realisation concerning the transformation of our world is on the agenda of many who have had a similar journey to my own… sadly a model has come up that outlines the need to have believers rise into the top 3% of various spheres to bring about change. I perceive the kingdom of God is not of that order, indeed for some 20+ years I have sought to outline how ‘sharia law’ is but a mirror of that ‘top down’ view, and as I believe that there is no stronger body of people on earth than the body of Christ… thus what is within that body will produce a harvest – hence sharia law draws from the well of christendom.

Wales, Lewis – not as simple as bad people in the pubs and then convicted and then in the chapels. Sure there was that element, but visit, for example Wales, and a great number of chapels were built or enlarged in the 1890’s – to accommodate the children from previous revivals, but with the overriding Calvinist theology conversion was wholly a work of God so until conviction comes there can be no salvation (of course ‘salvation’ is a work of God, but like a drowning person to whom I throw a life-line that person has to grab it. Later that person would be foolish to say ‘I saved myself’ – their part would be simply – thank God someone saved me. Oh and in Acts we do have the phrase ‘save yourselves’!!!!).

We are in a different era. ‘Revival’ as defined by our history I suspect is history other than some further outbreaks, but the body of Christ (using that term rather than ‘church’ as often we use the word we all know and make a direct equivalence with what we know) engaging in the cultural mess of our world I see as the future.

I loved that era that I am reflecting on. I could give so many stories – hundreds of watches and clocks that restarted that were broken and had been put away – at one point in Brazil I asked that people went home dug them out and if they had restarted they should bring them the next evening and we would line the platform with them. I even had a story told me (from the UK) of a clock that had the pendulum removed as the ‘tick’ was intrusive to the room, it was taken down for redecoration and lo and behold the clock started again ‘tick, tock’ with no pendulum. Signs of the start of time, not the repetition of the past.

But as for all of us we project forward from where we are. Looking back is better (‘this is that’) but we do not have that luxury. Inevitably I still project forward – I hope I do it with a less strong viewpoint now than then.

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Prophecy and control

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives

Prophetic words and revelation that communicate can make an amazing difference to a life or a situation and probably in the next post will develop that side. However… and sadly I also have to touch on the levels of control that I have confronted – blatantly in the numerous years when I travelled to Brazil and perhaps not so blatant in other places.

I still respond to requests from certain situations to bring some prophetic revelation and always make sure that the person on the receiving end knows they are the ‘boss’. They have every right to reject what is being brought, and they are not about to receive something that is controlling or manipulative. Paul describes one of the ‘works of the flesh’ as witchcraft and anything that seeks to control, manipulate or dictate in the context of interpersonal relationships is indeed a work of the flesh. It might come in the form of a charismatic gift… in the form of prophecy, but nevertheless it is ‘false prophecy’. False prophecy is not that which is wrong, it is a spirit. If someone consistently gets it ‘wrong’ then they need help and probably need to take a step back for a season – but that in itself is not false prophecy.

[An aside: one of the theological errors I believe, and something that has been popularised in many charismatic / third wave circles is that the prophets of the Old Testament spoke the very words of God, and the apostles of the New Testament did likewise, whereas the New Testament prophets spoke relatively. This does not stand up to biblical examination and I am sure the original proponent of this was operating from a presupposition concerning the inerrancy of Scripture – similar to one of my earlier posts about my days in New Testament introduction classes and the ever-present drive to prove that each and every NT book was ‘apostolic’. The Bible does not need our help!!!]

‘We had a person through who to each person he gave out their social security number and then what followed was a prophetic word, but each word was manipulative – even some at the level of threat’… ‘if you do not receive this word then this will happen…’

The above was reported to me. Perhaps the person received the numbers from heaven (I question that) but irrespective of the source the response was not one of faith and freedom but bondage. In Brazil I always held one session on false prophecy and at the close always held a response time seeking to insist that if they had been subject to such an experience that we would pray. I tried to make the response very tight so excluded where they had received something that was not accurate, or they knew that whatever they had received did not have a hold on them. On average 25-35% of those present would respond. The biggest battle was getting people to the place where they verbally rejected what had been given as they had to confront the fear of ‘but if I reject this what will happen’. Following the renunciation I would always call for healing – and sometimes as many as 50-100 people would testify to healing – such as being able to move their arm, leg or body in a free way for the first time in a decade or more.

Prophecy is never about the person giving the ‘word’. As soon as that becomes the case a door is open to all sorts of problems. Peter was asked to ‘feed my sheep’. The ministry platform has opened up the reverse of that… those listening, listen with awe and are impressed (‘duped’) and the person (ego) being fed is the platform person.

I believe in prophetic gifts. We are in a new time, a new situation, and this requires new protocols and also (re-)new(ed) people. Being impressed by the superstar is not what will bring the kingdom of heaven into reach but will only serve to keep the body immature and the remainder of society bereft of heaven’s perspective.

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July 29 2004 – Feb 14 2025

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives

Dates. July 29th, 2004 the diagnosis for Sue is that she had cancer in her body. She is 49, her dad having died at age 50 from cancer. In her journal on 28th July she wrote – I do not want to face my worst fear. On 29th she wrote – I have faced my worst fear and it is not as bad as I thought. The diagnosis was given – I was devastated, she not. The first ‘major’ (excuse the inadequate adjective) healing I saw was of a Philipino woman in Tooting, London, who was in the final stages of cancer. She was present with family members who had come over for her final weeks. I prayed for her and the colour of her skin changed. Next day she drove her husband’s BMW car that he had bought while she was ill and had never been able to drive. She drove to a Catholic church to pray and give thanks. The priest asked her what was going on – he did not know how to respond! But now this was Sue.

In the fall a friend from Argentina came to me and said he had been praying for Sue and had seen the following. She was in a small private meeting in which there were words spoken that entered into the pit of her stomach and rose up into her chest area and exited at the top of her back just below the neck. He said that he and his wife, Sylvia, would come and pray if 1) she confirmed that happened exactly as he described and 2) that as soon as I shared this with her that her fist words would be ‘I will tell you exactly when that was’. I thought well there are no secrets so no chance and then when I repeated what Victor had said, so that he could check I had it accurately, I pointed to my chest area and was maybe 2 centimetres to the left of where he had indicated. He replied with if she says it was where you pointed then I am wrong and will not come to pray. I thought now double no chance!

[An aside – maybe we have witnessed (I overstate) where someone declares there is a man with a torn tendon in his right elbow… eventually a women with a dislocated left knee is healed!]

I went back home and Sue sat on one settee. I shared. Her first words were ‘I will tell you exactly when that was’. OOOOF.

Victor and Sylvia came and prayed. The improvement was incredible. In December we had the second scan and waited in the waiting room, and waited… They came eventually and explained the delay. They said they had received the results but knew that the results could not be from the woman they were looking at who looked as well as you or I. They said that the technicians had made a mistake and sent it back for another response. But that they said that in spite of treatment the situation was worse than before.

I learnt so much in those months. Worst time of my life – maybe also the best. Encounters with God in abundance. I remember unloading the dishwasher. Only I was in the house and as I bent down this hand came on my back – so strongly I jumped up, instantly without fear or concern. I knew somehow this was an angelic visitation. This strength flooded into my body. I walked to the hospice about 1km away with literal physical strength flowing through my body. I reached the hospice (Sue was by now in a coma) and there was an open Bible with a note that the person left saying ‘I read this for you today’.

Then this humanlike figure touched me again and gave me strength. He said, ‘Don’t be afraid, friend. Peace. Everything is going to be all right. Take courage. Be strong.’ (Dan 10:18-19).

OOOOFFFF.

Two days later (Feb 14th – the only Valentine card she never opened on the side) Sue was breathing with her lungs clearly filled with liquid so the breathing was heavily laboured. I said to her if you want me to I will release you (first time I ever said that or had contemplated saying that). And as clear as any voice could be immediately I heard,

No not now and if you ask I will send an angel to cleanse her lungs for you.’

My reply – if that is on offer I am asking.

Bizarrely I thought the liquid in the lungs would somehow be syphoned out and would enter the catheter bag (I am no medic!). I looked for the bag but as she had had received no liquid in days the bag was not hanging on the side of the bed but tucked under her thigh. I took it and hung it on the side of the bed, and 90 minutes later it was full. I called a nurse who looked at me sceptically but then quickly removed the bag and replaced it with another one. I called her again maybe another 90 minutes later and as she took at away in the corridor the nurse was asked by another nurse – where has that come from? When she said Sue Scott a discussion ensued as this was not considered possible.

Sue’s breathing was now perfect.

From July 29th to Feb 14th had been a long journey, but at last we were there. At 17:10 my phone went with a text message from someone with credible status. It read, ‘Last night I dreamt and Sue was present in a room and giving thanks to all those present from around the world who had been praying for her.’ I knew we were there – the timing was amazing. 12 minutes later she breathed her last breath.

Months later I realised that the Holy Spirit had said ‘cleanse her lungs for you‘. Not for Sue, for where she was headed she did not need lungs related to this earthly age to be cleansed – it was for me.

On that last morning a young woman who lived about an hour away woke and came downstairs to say that she had woken to Sue Scott’s voice (she had never met Sue) who said – My Jesus I am coming to you, tell my family I was not afraid, look after my family.

In the months before Sue died there was an evening when those somewhat younger than us came to pray for her. She said, ‘before you pray I do not want anyone to pray to stop me dying’ (I am somewhat shocked to hear this). She continued, ‘We are all dying. You are here to pray that I live. If you discern that I have purpose to live then you can pray’.

I thought about Moses’ words:

I set before you life and death, choose life so that you may live.

He did not say avoid death and you will live. Avoiding death is not living… becoming increasingly a life giving spirit is to live.

To say that I learnt so much would be an understatement.

Do I understand all that took place. No, but am forever grateful to God for the deep intimate companionship along the way.

Could the outcome have been different? Perhaps, but the ‘coulds and shoulds’ of life can stop us moving forward. Never easy but the companionship of heaven is deeply more life-giving than the understanding of all things.

In a personal post like this it would not be possible to thank everyone for the practical and prayerful support during and after those months. I am eternally grateful to the scores of people.

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In Jesus’ name

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives

I had a phase when I focused a lot on praying for those who were sick. I initially asked the Lord for one person per week and after a few weeks someone would come to my door, then I upped the request to 3 a week and the same began to happen, and then…

I still have a simplicity about healing… how would the historical Jesus of Nazareth respond to a request for healing – the one who is the same yesterday, today and will be consistently the same tomorrow. There might be many reasons why a person is not healed but I do not think it is a good idea to start with that!

I could recount many stories but – hopefully not being foolish but helping to raise realistic expectations – will throw in two here.

Back in the day of ‘healing meetings’… and in this new setting, a setting of life, we have to find a new way, but back in the day as these posts are reflections that maybe I can pull together the threads in days to come. Edith, in her early 60s came in sitting in a wheelchair and I immediately turned to my colleague and said – that woman will walk tonight. The story was written up in a national newspaper (The Daily Mail – not a paper I would recommend!). I later found out that for 19 years she had never walked unaided, 16 in a wheelchair and living in a home for those severely physically challenged. By the time I prayed for her she was in advanced stage of Multiple Sclerosis. Her eye sight had virtually all gone, her vocal cords destroyed. She walked and returned to ‘normal’ life, she soon left the care home and lived some 15 kilometres from where I lived. She had to be medically examined to have her driving license restored and the report was – other than your medical records we have to say there is no trace of any symptom in her body, no residual evidence that she had ever had MS!

I got to know her some and found out that she had been prayed for on numerous occasions over the previous decades with seemingly no result. Two options… someone comes along who knows what others before did not know, or (the reality) one more prayer tipped the scales. There the challenge remains. Persistence and certainly no hollow promises, and no action as if we know everything.

A mother brought her 8 year old daughter to me. I sat with them in an office. She had a rare disease and at its worst she had to be carried in a duvet from one place to another such was the pain to even touch her. I simply said – if Jesus were here physically, but it is me who is here so let’s see. I simply prayed ‘Lord Jesus it would be great if you touched this young girl today’… I held her hand and after a minute or so said, ‘many times when one is being healed there is a sensation that is experienced in the body – often heat or tingling or something similar’. The girl replied with – I have felt something happen in all my joints. My reply – you never know, let’s see.

I had a letter from the mother a few days later. When we left your office my daughter said she had never let this well in a long time. Next day she cycled 800 metres, not having been able to cycle in weeks. Then later she communicated that the clinic that she was under communicated that they could not explain the shift, but that their conclusion was that the cumulative effect of the different drugs they had prescribed had overnight somehow catalysed the healing. Maybe… probably not!

I could recount hundreds of similar situations, and maybe one last one in this post. In Brazil at the back to the auditorium there was a major commotion with people gathered all around. I said go find out what has happened. A woman born without fingerprints had received finger prints! Necessary? Probably not – but what a testimony to the restoration of identity.

I don’t know too much, have also prayed with people who have had no improvement; sadly lost Sue when she was only 50. But I remain a convinced charismatic, that there are gifts that God releases.

I doubt if I will know a lot more once I travel beyond the 70 mark, and I hope in recounting just 3 stories that I will not come out the other side to be more foolish than I am. My motivation – God is not one of us, but breaks in to our world over and over again. We rejoice with every testimony, we weep with those who do not experience something amazing (Heb. 11) knowing that as we walk together and make room for God there are all kinds of possibilities… ‘What if?’ possibilities.

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Charismatic Gifts

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives

Not ‘charismatic’ in the sense of larger than life personality, but charis-matic: charis being the word for grace, and Paul in Galatians expresses an expectation of the norm among them in a letter that is strong about ‘grace’:

Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law or by your believing what you heard? (Gal. 3:5).

Present tense and ongoing without Paul (an apostle) being present. I am an unrepentant ‘charismatic’ with a belief and desire to see the norm, but also acknowledge the abuse that has at times accompanied that which is popularly called ‘the supernatural’. And in these next few posts there is a backdrop that supernatural signs do not attest to the character of the person or any particular practice. There can be many theological debates about Scripture, but ortho-praxy is as high – at times higher – than orthodoxy.

I have hesitated about writing these particular posts and they will be highly selective as to what content they carry. I decided to write with regard to what is commonly termed ‘the supernatural’ as it part of my journey and I am and remain a convinced ‘charismatic’ with a passion to see the authentic miraculous increase.

Acts begins with – ‘of all that Jesus began to do and to teach’ which I consider is the straightforward and best translation, hence Acts is a record of Jesus continuing to do and to teach. The context moves from the Jewish world to the Graeco-Roman but the ‘doing’ continues while the ‘teaching’ finds a new context.

My hesitation in writing? There are clear records in Scripture of the miraculous but Paul felt forced to defend himself when he shared his journey to the third heaven and I think a fair reading of the passage is that he was still not convinced he did the right thing in sharing what he shared. It is too easy to get the ‘wow’ response. Also the testimony books gather together the stories and leave out the stories that don’t fit, leaving the author as the hero and the rest of us with false aspirations. So it is tricky to put this post together – but I will have a go with the hope it will provoke, and perhaps stir faith also.

Let me start by recounting with a question I asked Michael Kolisang (he was the first person that Reinhard Bonnke saw come to Christ when he came to Africa, and then Michael became the co-evangelist for some 18 years, and during those years he was the one who prayed for healings). Actually I will respond with two questions I asked him on two different occasions. First one I thought was superfluous – are healings ‘easier’ in Africa or in the UK? His response surprised me – I don’t know, he said, no-one has asked me to push night after night, only then could I tell as breaktrhoughs don’t come instantly. I think this bears with the historical records from people like George Jeffries – night after night and then… (Of course there is a further challenge for us, Michael’s context was meeting after meeting… ours has shifted.)

The second question was – in all your experience if you were to reduce it down to one piece of advice for those who wished to pray for those who were sick what would that be? He explained it this way:

Every time I lay my hands on someone I think – if God does not touch them they will not be healed but what if God were to touch them when I lay hands on them? Every time I lay my hands on them there is an amazing possibility that was not there before.

What if… that is something we need to live with in every situation. There is always a God opportunity in every situation.

The Sunday after I arrived home having asked him that question a woman came to me to ask if I would pray that she might conceive. I said sure… then she said you do need to know that I have had surgery and no longer have functioning reproductive organs. Instantly I remembered what Michael had said a few days earlier… ‘what if God were to touch you when I pray for you?’ Just under a year later she returned with photo of baby which I still have.

Another time Michael gave me another key. He explained it by overstating his experience. In a crusade, he said, we would hear a person shout out ‘I was blind and I have my sight back’ so we would pray for those who were confined to wheelchairs… none were healed. Next crusade someone would spontaneously walk, so we would pray for those who were blind… none were healed. Michael said never focus on what you consider God is not doing, focus on what God is doing and where he is involved, follow the finger of God.

Theology gets us so far. ‘What if’ gets us a lot further!

I will follow this post with another one on the same theme and hope not to be more foolish than I normally am!

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What keeps me up at night?

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives

I am not a depressive kind of person, and neither do I see myself as a ‘glass half-full person’ but as a ‘it is only half-full, now what do we need to do to get it fuller’. The ‘restoration / New Church movement’ fitted that well – get the church right and the world will change; the ‘sowing seeds or revival’ phase (more on that in a later post) fitted it well for the united church in prayer will see the cities transformed. And now? My aspirations have not changed but we are in serious trouble globally.

I will (I hope) still keep kicking to my last day – and I will post on why Spain for Gayle and me… and what might be the next step at some point in these rambles – but if one really understood what we are facing globally I am not sure one could be as optimistic as I am. (I honour Anne who often comments on my posts who knows more about the state of play than anyone else I know but is still sowing into the future.)

2020 saw a major global scene – COVID. It was meant to call for us to wake up and realise there has to be a global reset. Did we wake up? I see the years running up to 2040 as ever so key. After that? Will there be an after that? Well one day I saw a MAJOR decline in the global population, and for sure we cannot continue for ever on this trajectory.

Global warming. Climate imbalance, the Mediterranean hotter than ever; the oceans more acidic than ever due to the CO2 levels. Migrations due to war, poverty, and famine. The rich ever richer (and economic oppression was aligned in the OT prophets with blood-shed that polluted the land)… Yes I do despair and my last prayers of the day are normally for Gaza (if we can hold the Palestinian situation and not excuse genocide under some Zionist theology we can hope to see a new economic situation arise) and for Ukraine. And did I mention that the whole banking system is sustained through ‘money is debt’ (at a simple level just for a minute work out how much money is in your local bank, how many employees, and then work out how that is sustainable!, then go the global scene and realise how much debt is held by the big economic cultures). The current economic situation is aligned to Moloch – sacrifice the future (the first-born) to get a harvest today; Scripture endorses ‘seedtime and harvest’. Sow now for the future (Bible); not raid (rape) the future for now (Western dominant economic system).

More than enough to depress. If one has a hope for some to come to faith; even if one has the hope that the more to faith the more might happen there is no need for any depression.

So what about donkos like me?

I believe, against all the odds that the cross was the open display of all hostile powers to the kingdom of God and that a new way was opened up. In my life-time – probably not, but when I pass from this life I would like to see the Lord with my eyes open and amidst the wonderful assessment of ‘Martin, all the big things you did were not so big’ that at least I can offer a defence of ‘I did all I did with a passion and a belief and hope of sowing into the future of your world’. Of course it might not help my case!!

I am deeply distressed that on my watch there are those dying in the Mediterranean; that injustices do not seem to be decreasing but increasing. I do wake up at night… but (maybe naively) think we can make a difference. Waking up but not depressed. The cross stood in the first century as a sign to Rome and still stands as a sign to all manifestations of Babylon in our day.

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Second generation

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives

I am deeply grateful for those who, as a generation above me, pioneered many aspects that I have benefited from, and not only me but the wider church. All that is required of us is to be faithful (as we understand it) within our own context and generation. I am often asked to pray for individuals that are unknown to me and bring them anything I consider to be prophetic. This I do in a team of two and afterwards find out who they are and what they do. I am always amazed at what has been given as once I find out who they are I might not have been so positive! I assume most of my readers would not believe that Peter was the first pope and that consequently the Catholic structure is exactly what Jesus had in mind! However, let me also assume that one day there is the opportunity to pray over the pope who showed up incognito. I doubt the Lord would say ‘you are missing it totally, abandon your robes and…’ I assume he is following the Lord in the path that he believed was right for him. That is true for all of us, and although I am not from an institutional church background I am deeply appreciative of those who have taken that route.

Just before we moved to Spain (2009, Jan. 1st) I had breakfast twice with a first-generational apostolic leader. His secretary called me to ask for a breakfast and we worked out dates. I was somewhat guarded as I was no longer working inside a new church network. My guard quickly came down when he explained how he had moved house from what was somewhat detached and private into a neighbourhood and a regular ‘street’. He had made friends on the street many of whom referred to him as the priest. Then he went on to say that the church that he started (large and successful) was really good for those who were already part of it, but should any of his neighbours come to faith it would not work for them and he would not be bringing them to the church he had started and grown.

I was deeply impressed. We fool ourselves if we think we have the pattern (there is a small denomination in the UK called the ‘Bible-pattern church’… and there are many others who believe the name would be more applicable to them than to that denomination!!!). One size does not fit all, and if I push it further I am not sure that the structure and form of church disturbs Jesus very much. Attitudes and behaviour are discipleship issues – and it is important that we make the core issues the core issues! I am unlikely to swing incense (apologies for the unfair caricature) – why? I might think it is because of the question of ‘where is that in Scripture?’… but the main reason is my personality.

Unity as in one defined united body of believers? Don’t think that is a ‘goal’. But recognisable allegiance to Jesus and love for one another… and love for those who object to our existence – absolutely.

A while back I felt two phrases pop into my head:

  • The multiplicity of the small, and
  • the richness of diversity.

How small? Well I do read that Jesus seemed to favour the term ‘two or three’! Those two numbers are interesting for they can never become four, in the sense that 2+1 = 3; 3+1 = 2 groups of 2 that can in turn become a 3 but never a four. Those two ‘favourite’ numbers are the ones that grow through multiplication. I am not suggesting that the numbers are literal (we also read of 12, 70/72 (I prefer the latter MS) 120 etc..) but there is something about smallness where I am an important part and of a dynamism.

In my breakfast meetings the ‘first generation’ person also said that he took responsibility for his street, so much so that a neighbour phoned him while he was away on vacation to say they had received some bad news. The neighbour’s wife was diagnosed with serious cancer. My breakfast colleague said ‘I am cancelling the vacation, coming home, this is not to happen on my watch’. Thank God for someone who was not too big to be known and not too important to be inconvenienced, and someone connected enough to be called on. Small… there is such a hope for something big – the thousands flocking in. I suspect Jesus is looking for something small that is multiplied – Martin on his street taking responsibility for the well-being of his neighbours.

Multiply it – I was going to write ‘multiply it, Jesus’, but I think maybe Jesus is saying ‘how about you guys stop waiting for the big and look at where you are situated and bear my name there’… I’m sold on that as the future.

And then the second part where I think it cuts across our fantasy that one size, one shape can represent God… the richness that comes through diversity. Again the future and something to work toward.

Second generation – that is what I was and have to find my own way. And for many I am now first generation – I owe them something. I owe them my faithfulness and the willingness to still be flexible and allow them to do things differently to me.

Thank you for the breakfasts, DB.

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Sect, sectarian; cult, cultic?

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Prophetic Perspectives

So many aspects to blether on about (see even that word ‘blether’ I remember from my pre-adult years). BTW I have not yet reached 70 (but thanks for the congrats – I am of course in my 70th year so maybe that counts?)

These reflections will probably not be in chronological order but will splurge on to keyboard as my memory connects. Last post I mentioned Judith’s tease of me that she and Ben grew up in a cult so a few reflections. There are two terms that are often confused – that of sect and cult. A sect shares the same basic world-view as that of the larger definition that it is part of – so for example Judaism and Pharisee-ism. Pharisees were part of the Jewish faith but claimed that there tenets and practices were more faithful and therefore were ‘truer’. Many Christian denominations are like that and most fresh expressions are based on being more ‘true’ and in the case of the protestant side of things are more ‘biblical’. A cult on the other hand deviates from orthodoxy – Mormonism with practices, doctrines and writings that carry authority; Jehovah Witnesses (a re-incarnation of Arianism?) is deemed a cult with one of its central beliefs that Jesus is not the Second ‘Person’ of the Trinity but a created being – a ‘god’ with a small ‘g’.

So, Judith, you did not grow up in a cult!!!

Then there are two adjectives that are also validly applied in situations – ‘sectarian’ and ‘cultic’. They describe attitudes more than beliefs. The first one being descriptive of divisive behaviour often being aligned to derisive descriptions of anyone not considered ‘in’. Glasgow with the two Scottish football teams – one supposedly Catholic, the other supposedly Protestant; Northern Ireland with its Orange marches expressing the clear division between Protestantism and Catholicism. Cultic I consider is more about tendencies that are exhibited in cults and often centres around authoritarianism and ways of controlling behaviour. I have a friend who spent some time in the ‘Moonies’ and he describes the sleep deprivation and monitoring that he experienced – typical of many of the more controlling cults.

I don’t consider that we (House Church Movement, later termed ‘New Churches’) were sectarian though I think we – like many others – could have been termed sociologically a ‘sect’. Definitely not a cult… but cultic? Perhaps mildly so. There is a movement that had a very wide influence that has had a significant shock over this past year. I have worked with some from there but have always thought that a psychologist would be able to see very quickly who was in leadership and who was not. The ‘followers’ would in the main be those who were troubled by fear and anxiety with a focus on how antagonistic the world was to those of faith and how it was getting even more so in these ‘last days’… meanwhile the leaders could affirm the rightness of the antagonistic world but they know where it is all going and if followers stay within boundaries they will make it through together. In Enneagram language predominantly #6s (anxieties manifesting) and #8s – always strong. That kind of combination is set up for ‘cultic’ elements: strong leadership and followers who find a security in the authority framework. Pushing it further many charismatic setups are open to that outworking… and the New Church movement with the foundation of ‘apostles and prophets’ was no exception. Cultic? Not in my opinion but I am sure there were those who did well and those who did not within the movement(s), and the variety of how strong the discipling was (R1, R2 as per Andrew Walker and the many further distinctions) made an impact in different ways on different personalities.

I once heard John Barr say that we are to cover one another’s weaknesses but to confront sin and that sadly the church has often confronted weakness (in the ‘weak’, aka those who did not fit the system) and covered sin (in the leaders?).

I am deeply grateful for the most formative years of my Christian life being with the New Churches (and for me, Pioneer) in the UK: from 1977 – 2000 (or so). I was introduced to principles that seminary never taught, saw integrity, and still live with the passion to continue to explore new territory (another post: beyond ‘restoration of the church’ to the ‘restoration of God’s world’).

Gerald Coates’ radicalism has left an enduring mark on my life and I was deeply privileged to be asked to give the final eulogy at his funeral. I suggested that those present, should they like me acknowledge the deep impact he had made on our lives, should consider how we might play a part in ‘he though being dead still speaks’. In answering the ‘how’ of that I decided to tell his foundational story. He was brought up in the Plymouth Brethren and at the time he was starting to journey with the small group in his and Anona’s house he had a dream. That dream clearly marked his transition from his days in the Brethren to what might be coming. He dreamt he was driving a car down a narrow lane, the lane being lined by trees either side so there was no possibility of going left or right. Then the path ran out. He came to a beautiful manicured grass lawn in a country manor setting. On the grass were those having picnics, playing games – having a wonderful time. However, he continued to drive across the grass, disturbing all the activities and left behind two dirty tyre tracks that forever disturbed the beauty of the setting. He sent the dream to a brother in Canterbury who had a gift to interpret dreams. He wrote back along the lines that ‘you have been on a narrow path and one marked by boundaries set by men (‘men’ being appropriate in this setting) as Scripture says ‘I see men as trees’; that path has ended for you and you are now coming to disturbing flesh (‘all grass is flesh’) and the most beautiful flesh is religious flesh but it is still flesh…’

I gave that as the foundational story for Gerald, and suggested if we wanted to honour his life we should be guilty of leaving behind two tyre tracks wherever we confront religion. I hope I am guilty!

An aside: I was amazed how many came to me afterwards to say they had never heard the dream. From 1977 – early 1990’s I must have heard that dream recounted 100 times… We can move on from our foundational story, but I do think our lives need to pay attention to our foundational story.

A cult… no. Cultic – ouch I think no, but lessons to learn. Foundational story – stay true. On the edge – I hope so. Diversity… another post. OK all for now.

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Off to London

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives

I often meet people who regret the path they have travelled and I can understand that, and the majority of people would not repeat the past if they could have their life over again. The latter part of the above two perspectives I am sure I would relate to if I took enough time to reflect, but the former I find harder to resonate with. I am philosophically simple – I am where I am because of the journey I have taken so try to make the most of today, and I believe in a God who maximises every opportunity, a God who works in everything – including mistakes, wrong turns and what is simply wrong!

Anyway my journey took me off to London Bible College (now London School of Theology) in 1973. I had been strongly touched by the Holy Spirit when I was 16 and had a straight forward Pentecostal understanding of al things biblical!

I don’t remember every aspect of my travels but probably flew a small plane to Aberdeen or Edinburgh and than took the train to London the next day. I do remember being asked in Aberdeen / Edinburgh as to what station I would arrive at in London. I looked at them as if they were stupid – London station I replied! I had no idea that there were multiple stations in London and finally when I did get there had no understanding that I would have to catch a train that ran underground. (At least I came from Orkney where the nearest train station is in the norht of Scotland… if I was born in Shetland the nearest train station is Bergen, Norway.)

My room mate upon meeting asked me a question I did not understand how to answer. ‘How was your journey?’ I did understand the words, but the question… I had never encountered a question like that in my life. One, coming from an island such a question at a literal level would not mean very much – a journey of more than 5 minutes would be impossible and it took me months to work out that the question was not a question literally about my journey but a polite conversation opener. Cultural differences are subtle, but that interchange (or lack of cos I did not know how to reply) has helped me cross cultures.

Three years later I left with a degree and less than a year later married fellow-student, Sue Middlemiss. Immediately following LBC I joined YWAM (youth without any money?) for the Toronto Olympics outreach and then travelled across the USA. I am sure I wonderfully displayed all my lack of understanding in that period of four months, but very glad for the experience.

Back to College days… It was not the spiritual hot-house I anticipated; lectures were not so exciting and given my difficulties with comprehension of things written preparation for seminars was somewhat limited. Most professors / lecturers were either Reformed or modertely so and I was well able to engage a few in the lectures to push and press them, such were the inconsistencies that I perceived. Of course, as per all systems, provided nothing was adjusted the system would hold, but move one aspect and the system was vulnerable.

In the New Testament introduction I never understood the great pains that were gone to to ensure that each and every book was ‘apostolic’. Impossible to prove, and of course there was an underlying aspect that was ebing defended. Presuppositions based on a prior doctrine of the Bible is what rightly leaves such an approach open to criticism. In the 70s credible evangelical scholars were just beginning to enter the wider world of academia but the theology was just too defensive for its own soul’s sake. Thankfully that has changed a lot in the last 50(!!!!!!) years.

[‘Doctrine of the Bible’ will always be problematic and is normally filled with unproveable presuppositions. There was no ‘Jewish canon’ until after the NT era, and we still have different Christian canons… Jesus probably read or had access to books such as the book of Enoch – certainly NOT written by Enoch and yet quoted within our Bible as ‘Enoch the tenth from Adam said…’. And as for ‘all Cretans are liars… and this testimony is true’ does rather condemn anyone born in Crete! All the above pushes me to a narratival approach to the text with Jesus as the hermeneutical lens, blah, blah.]

Of all the subjects I enjoyed three the most – hisotrical theology, New Testament Greek and New Testament theology.

During those three years of study I visited YWAM on numerous occasions and sat through lectures there from Gordon Olson who had the largest library in the world on Charles Finney and Oberlin College (I was later to stay with him in Chicago in 1976). He was one of the earliest people in the modern era to embrace Open Theology – now in the popular world with people like Greg Boyd and the very articulate theologian Thomas Jay Oord who is yet more adventurous and I like that he uses the phrase ‘Open and relational theology’. Gordon Olson’s material was invaluable for me and I have leaned heavily in that direction ever since those sessions.

I think the professionalism and career aspects that I witnessed in those years… as well as coming to terms with what on earth does a 21 year old know about anything meant I now had ‘training’ (not!!) under my belt but could not with any integrity look for a post to exercise it. Thank God any form of church you care to mention was spared! And thank God it ended any concept I had of a ‘career’ in church ministry.

So a few months later – January 9th, 1977 – Sue and I moved to Cobham Surrey, south of London. Gerald and Anona Coates had initiated a small (with 5 others) in their home in the late 60s and this had now grown to around 60 people by the time we joined. It was like breathing fresh air – non-relgioius and with a passion for Jesus. Genuinely relational (not perfect… and daughter always teases me with ‘we grew up in a cult’)!!!

In a later post (also known as a ramble, and perhaps sometimes a ‘confused ramble’) I will get into life in Cobham Christian Fellowship, the Pioneer network and the wider New Church scene in the UK.

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