Great Bible Truths with Dr David Petts

Dr David Petts - Pentecostal preacher, former AoG Bible College Principal
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Dr David Petts is an international speaker and author who is best known for his 27 years as Principal at Mattersey Hall Bible College and his in-depth but easily understood teaching on the Holy Spirit. Now retired, he enjoys preaching locally and sometimes further afield. These podcasts are your opportunity to experience Dr Petts' teaching first hand!

  1. 2d ago

    328 NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings Talk 5 Key Principles in 1 Corinthians 14 :26

    Talk 5 Key Principles in 1 Corinthians 14:26 Hello again, and welcome to Talk 5 in our series on NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings. Today we're going to be seeking to identify the key principles underlying our key verse for this series, 1 Corinthians 14:26: What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.   I see three key principles in this verse, Participation, Variety, and Edification. Paul wants everyone to participate in the meeting. This will happen in a variety of ways. And the purpose of it all is to strengthen or edify the church. Participation Paul hardly needed to recommend that the Corinthians participate in their meetings. That was something they were doing already. The problem was not lack of participation, but too much participation in things that did not edify the church, like speaking in tongues without interpretation, and everyone speaking in tongues at the same time. But despite these problems, Paul still wants them to participate. He just wants them to participate in the right way – for the strengthening of the church. As we saw from chapter 12, every part of the body is needed. There should always be opportunity, whenever we gather, for the expression of the many gifts and graces that the Spirit has imparted to the members. This should be easy enough in home groups, even if it's not always possible in church. But even there, I believe there should always be opportunity for them to do so And they should be encouraged to do so. People are more likely to participate when time is specifically allocated for this, and it's made clear that participation is welcome. If we really want people to participate, we must make room for it. Variety Paul refers to: a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. These are, of course, just a representative sample of what might happen in a meeting, but they suggest three main areas: ·      The musical dimension (a hymn) ·      The doctrinal dimension (a word of instruction) ·      The supernatural dimension (a revelation, a tongue, etc). We have already dealt with the supernatural dimension at some length. So we will confine our attention to the musical and doctrinal dimensions. The musical dimension – everyone of you has a hymn The first thing Paul refers to in 14:26 is a hymn. Actually, the word in Greek is literally a psalm, and everywhere else in New Testament it refers to one of the Psalms in the Old Testament. However, a psalm has been defined as a song or poem used in worship, so the translation hymn is quite appropriate. But what exactly did Paul mean by having a psalm? At the very least, Paul is saying is that everyone should have the opportunity to contribute to the worship by having a song. But how do you have a song? This must mean more than joining in the songs chosen in advance by the worship leader! So does he mean that everyone should have the opportunity to sing a solo?! Clearly not! So how can we put Paul's recommendation into practice? Well, one way would be to do what we used to do years ago. We could give opportunity for people to choose a hymn for everyone to sing, or, in a time of open worship, to spontaneously start singing a well-known hymn or chorus for everyone to join in – but please don't do that if you've got a voice like mine! It's not your ministry! I realise that this may not easily fit in with modern styles of worship where the pursuit of excellence in performance is important, but I do know from experience what a blessing it can be when someone in the congregation spontaneously has a song in one of the ways I have just suggested – and this should be easy enough to make room for in home groups . But now I want to look at the only other reference to singing in 1 Corinthians 14, where in verse 15, talking about singing in tongues, Paul says: I will sing with my spirit (in tongues), but I will also sing with my mind (in a language I understand). We've already seen that this is part of what Paul is recommending for the use of tongues in private, but this raises the question as to whether singing in tongues is appropriate in public. There may be a reference to this in Ephesians 5:19, where Paul mentions spiritual songs along with psalms and hymns. KJV is more literal than NIV when it translates this as speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord… We know from 1 Corinthians 14 that speaking in tongues is one way of speaking to ourselves and to God (28) and that in doing so we are praying or singing with our spirit (14-15). However, in Ephesians 5:19 it's unclear whether Paul is envisaging a public or private situation. The reference to heart rather than hearts might suggest that he is speaking to them as individuals, whereas speaking to yourselves (plural) could be taken to refer to when they are gathered in worship.     Perhaps he intends both. At Pentecost the disciples were filled with the Spirit both collectively and individually.  And we need, both as a church and as individuals within it, to keep on being filled with the Spirit. If I can sing in tongues privately to maintain the fulness of the Spirit, cannot the church do so collectively? I confess that I was once rather concerned about this, especially when unbelievers were present, on the basis of what Paul says about them thinking we are mad (14:23). But then something happened that made me think again. During part of the time when I was Principal of Mattersey Hall Bible College, the college chapel was across the road from the main part of our campus, and the students' worship could easily be heard by anyone passing by. There would often be times when everyone was spontaneously singing in tongues to worship the Lord, and I wondered what the local residents might think of it. But I was greatly reassured when I heard that one of them had asked: What is that beautiful singing I sometimes hear when I walk past your chapel? It's so unusual, and it gives me a great sense of peace. The Corinthians were undoubtedly out of order in the way they were exercising the gift of tongues and clearly needed the strong warning that Paul gave them. But perhaps today he might be encouraging some churches at least to move in the opposite direction! As at Pentecost, there will always be those who criticise the moving of the Spirit, but if we are able to give an explanation of what's happening, as Peter did, there may well be more who are persuaded by our message than those who oppose it. The doctrinal dimension – a word of instruction The Greek word translated in NIV as a word of instruction is didache, which literally means teaching. It can also mean doctrine. Paul says relatively little about this in 1 Corinthians 14, but in verse 19 he stresses the importance of teaching when he says: But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. And of course, most of the contents of Paul's letters were written to instruct the churches in the truth and to expose false doctrine. What we believe is of vital importance and every genuine experience of the Spirit finds its foundation in the truth of God's word. There are many scriptures that emphasise the importance of doctrine. In WYCT Chapter 8, for example, I refer to Matthew 15:9 and 16:12, John 8:32, Colossians 2:22, 1 Timothy 4:13, 16, 2 Timothy 3:16, Titus 1:9 and 2:10, and 2 John 7-10. The sound exposition of the Scriptures is essential whenever we come together. The teaching of the Word of God shouldn't be neglected in favour of other things. As we'll see later, there needs to be balance in our meetings. Edification This is the major theme of the whole chapter. If love is the dominant theme of chapter 13, in chapter 14 edification is the way that love is expressed in the context of the gathered church. That's why Paul says everything must be done for the strengthening of the church. We have already looked at Paul's specific teaching on tongues, interpretation, and prophecy in some detail, but now we need to consider the key principles that underly that teaching and see if they can be applied more widely than the specific issues Paul was addressing in Corinth. As we do so, we will discover five principles that need to be applied if our meetings are to be edifying. Putting other people first This is the principle underlying Paul's teaching in verses 1-5. There he is saying that in church prophecy is more valuable than tongues because when you speak in tongues you edify only yourself, but if you prophesy you will edify others. He picks up the same theme in verse 17: You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified. The principle underlying this teaching is putting others first. And that principle can be applied far more widely than the issue of speaking in tongues. For example, it's good that I have the freedom to stand and worship the Lord while others are sitting down, but if by standing I prevent the person behind me from singing because they cannot see the words on the screen in front, I may be 'giving thanks well', but the other person is not edified. We need to be considerate to others in the way we worship the Lord. And perhaps those of us who frequently lead in prayer, and sometimes several times in a meeting, might consider holding back to make space for others so do so. As my old pastor, Alfred Webb, used to say, Please don't take more than your fair share of the cake! Intelligibility Another of the ways we can build up our fellow Christians is by making sure they can understand. In verse 9 Paul says: Unless you speak intelligible words with your tong

    20 min

  2. Jun 24

    327 NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings Talk 4 The Right Use of the Gift of Prophecy

    Talk 4 The Right Use of Prophecy Hello again and welcome to Talk 4 in our series on NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings. In our last two talks we were looking at Paul's teaching on tongues and interpretation. Today our subject is the gift of prophecy. We will consider what it is, its value and purpose, its limitations, and how it should be used in our meetings. What is prophecy? People sometimes confuse prophecy with foretelling the future, but its basic meaning is speaking on behalf of someone else. In the Bible it's usually used to refer to speaking on behalf of God. And obviously, if you're going to speak on behalf of God you need to hear from him first. This happens by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. In Old Testament times and right up to Acts 2 in the New Testament, the Spirit was given to relatively few people, but from Pentecost onwards the gift of the Spirit was made available to all God's people. So prophecy in the New Testament worked rather differently from how it worked before Pentecost. There are now three different ways in which we may be said to prophesying: 1.     When we tell others about Jesus we are speaking on God's behalf and so there's a sense in which we're 'prophesying'. This is something all Christians can, and should, do. 2.     If we have received the spiritual gift of prophecy, when we use it we are prophesying. But this gift is not given to everyone. See 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, Romans 12:6). 3.     If we have the ministry of a prophet, our prophecies may well contain supernatural revelation about the future. See, for example Agabus (Acts 11:27-28, 21:10). Not all Christians, and not even all who have the gift of prophecy, have this ministry. There isn't time to go into all these three ways in these talks, but if you want more on this you'll find it in WYCT Ch. 7, and Body Builders Chapters 9 and 12. In this series we'll be limiting our attention to the spiritual gift of prophecy, because that's mainly what Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 14, where he describes it like this: … everyone who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort (v3). It's listed among the supernatural gifts Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. So, perhaps we could best define it as: The supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit which enables us to speak to others on behalf of God by the direct XE "supernatural"  inspiration of the Holy Spirit XE "Holy Spirit"  for their strengthening, encouragement XE "encouragement"  and comfort XE "church" . So, it's not the same as when we bring a brief encouraging word during an open time of prayer or worship. It's only when there's a distinctly supernatural element that such 'words' are really the gift of prophecy. The value and purpose of prophecy Paul valued prophecy very highly indeed. He begins 1 Corinthians 14:1 by saying: Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. This is the main theme of the chapter. And he ends the chapter as he has started it: Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy… (39). And we've seen in previous talks why he values it so highly. It's because it edifies the church (1 Corinthians 14:4-5). That's why he wants to us be passionate about it! Because …everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort (v.3). This, in the context of church worship, is the practical outworking of Paul's teaching about love in chapter 13. We are to love our fellow Christians, and if we love them we will want to be a blessing to them, to strengthen, encourage, and comfort them. And that's what prophecy does. But that's not all. Prophecy can also have a powerful effect on unbelievers who may come into the church. 24 …if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, 25 and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!" So, prophecy is to be valued very highly, not only because it strengthens, encourages, and comforts believers, but also because of the powerful effect it can have on people who do not yet believe. But having said that, prophecy is not without its limitations. In 13:9-10 Paul says: For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. This is because at present our knowledge is incomplete. We see but a poor reflection as in a mirror (12). Our prophecies are imperfect because they are our prophecies, and we are not perfect yet. That's why in 14:12 Paul tells us to try to excel in it. If our use of God's precious gifts were perfect, we would not need to try to excel in them – in fact all Paul's instructions about their use would have been unnecessary! And that's why we're told in 14:29 that we should weigh carefully what is said. But that brings us to how prophecy should be used in our meetings. The use of prophecy in our meetings Perhaps the first thing to say about the use of prophecy in our meetings is that we should always bear in mind its purpose, which is to strengthen, encourage, comfort, and edify God's people (3-4). There is no suggestion that it should be used to rebuke them, or even to give them guidance. Paul tells us in Romans 8:14 that it's our privilege as God's children to be personally led by the Spirit XE "Spirit" . Guidance received through prophecy should simply serve as confirmation of something that God has already spoken to us about in our hearts. A good example of this is found in Acts 13:1-3 where the prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch were told by the Holy Spirit to set Barnabas and Paul apart for the work to which he had already called them. Similarly, in Acts 21:1-15, Agabus predicts what will happen to Paul, but he does not tell him what to do. Paul's specific teaching (29-32) 29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. Two or three prophets should speak (29) Paul may be using the word prophet here to refer to people like Agabus, or he could be meaning  those who exercise the simple gift of prophecy. Either way, the principles he is teaching apply to both. The first of these is that, although prophecy is to be encouraged, its use is to be limited, and it needs to be judged or weighed carefully. The others should weigh carefully what is said (29) The verb translated weigh carefully is the same as is used for distinguishing between spirits in 12:10. The clear implication is that every prophecy needs to be evaluated. It's not infallible. However, despite its limitations, Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20 that it's not to be despised. But even that may indicate the possibility of human weakness in the operation of the gift. This could be why the Thessalonians had been despising it! So prophecy needs to be judged or weighed carefully. But this raises two questions. The first is: Who is responsible for judging it?   Looking at the immediate context, Paul seems to mean the other prophets. The things of the Spirit are spiritually discerned (2:14), and those with a prophetic gift are more likely to weigh a prophetic revelation accurately. But surely the others may be applied more widely than that? Certainly, pastors or teachers have a special responsibility here, and in the context of a small group perhaps the group leader has too. We need to be alert for anything that might mislead God's people. But it's not just leaders who have this responsibility. We all have! We all have the capacity, and the responsibility, to weigh prophetic words. But that leads us to the second question: How is prophecy to be judged? There are two areas of importance here, its authenticity and its application. By authenticity I mean, first of all, its conformity to Scripture. Paul is very clear in verse 37 that what he is writing… is the Lord's command. All prophecy must be judged in the light of what the Spirit has already said in the Bible. But judging is more than an intellectual exercise based on our Bible knowledge. There is a spiritual dimension to it too. A 'word' may be in line with Scripture, but it may not be what the Spirit is emphasising to us right now. By application I mean that we need to consider to whom the prophecy may apply. Is it for me? Is it for the whole church? How do we apply it in practice? These are decisions that we all must make after hearing a prophecy. Clearly, we cannot judge it until we have heard it! However, in some churches people who feel they have a prophetic word to bring are expected to share it with the church leadership before bringing it publicly. The church leaders evaluate it before it is given. The advantages of this are twofold: ·      It prevents any unauthentic or inappropriate prophecy being given in public. ·      Those who are inexperienced, but eager to prophesy, feel more secure in having their prophecy confirmed by the leaders before bringing it. We sometimes encourage this in our church, but at the same time we don't want those who have a proven track record in prophecy to feel they have to consult the church leaders before they prophesy. Their prophecies should be judged after they have delivered them, which is clearly what Paul had in mind in the verse we're looking at. What's more, to insist that leaders must be consulted before prophecies are given seems out of keeping with the encouragement Paul gives in verse 26 for all to participate, and with the spontaneity implicit in his teaching on the matter i

    18 min

  3. Jun 17

    326 NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings Talk 3 The Right Use of Interpretation of Tongues

    Talk 3 The Right Use of Interpretation of Tongues Hello again. Welcome to Talk 3 in our series on NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings. Last time, our subject was speaking in tongues and its right use in our meetings. We saw that we should not speak in tongues loudly unless it's for interpretation and that it must only be spoken loudly if someone is there to interpret it. So today we'll be looking in more detail at the important gift of interpretation of tongues. Apart from two references in chapter 12 (v10 and v30), our main source of material for understanding this gift is found in 1 Corinthians 14, so it would be good to have your Bible open there. In this talk I will: ·      Examine the references to interpretation of tongues ·      Discuss certain practical issues that arise from this ·      Finish with a brief summary. A.     References to interpretation of tongues 1 Corinthians 12:10-11, 30 10 …and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? These verses make clear that not everybody has this gift. Each gift is given as the Holy Spirit determines. (By the way, speaking in tongues in verse 30 refers to its use in church, not to its private use as prayer with one's spirit). 1 Corinthians 14:5 The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in tongues, unless they interpret so that the church may be edified. This verse reveals the purpose of the gift – the edification of the church. As we saw in our last talk, prophesying is preferable to speaking in tongues because prophecy edifies the church whereas speaking in tongues does not, because no one can understand it (2). However, if speaking in tongues is interpreted, it can edify the church, in which case it is as valuable as prophecy. But this need not mean that it's necessarily the same as prophecy. We will discuss this in more detail in a moment. 1 Corinthians 14:13 In verse 12 Paul tells the Corinthians to try to excel in gifts that build up the church. This gives the reason for what he says in verse 13. Anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret… Why? Because the only way that speaking in tongues will edify others is if it is interpreted. Notice too that the verse does not mean that all interpretations should be given by the person who has spoken in tongues. The interpretation may very well be given by someone else. To allow someone other than the speaker in tongues to interpret means that more people are participating in the meeting, something Paul is keen to encourage, as the next passage makes clear. Verses 26-28 26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two – or at the most three – should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God. Verse 26 is the key verse upon which this series is based. It gives clear guidance on the sort of things we should expect in our meetings. Notice that tongues and interpretation are included in what Paul is recommending. But note the use of the word if in verse 27: If anyone speaks in a tongue… This shows us that Paul does not automatically assume that there will be speaking in tongues in the meeting. The things mentioned in verse 26 are not obligatory ingredients for every meeting. They are the kind of things to expect, but not necessarily in every meeting. The manifestation of spiritual gifts will vary from meeting to meeting as the Spirit leads. The main point is that whatever is taking place, everything must be done for the strengthening of the church. So, if anyone speaks in tongues, what should happen next? Paul is quite clear on this: If anyone speaks in a tongue, let it be by two or at the most three people. And let one person interpret (my translation). This doesn't refer to private use of tongues in church, which is allowed, provided it's done quietly, speaking to yourself and to God (28). It refers to the use of tongues for the purpose of interpretation, because Paul says, Let one person interpret.  So, during the course of a meeting, no more than three people should speak in tongues with a view to interpretation. Another practical issue that we will need to consider in due course is how to understand and apply the final part of verse 27, which NIV translates as, Someone must interpret, but which KJV translates this as, Let one interpret (my emphasis), which is the literal translation of the Greek word that Paul uses here. That's why, in the translation I offered earlier, I translated it as Let one person interpret. But this doesn't mean that Paul is saying that if there are two or three utterances in tongues, the same person should give the interpretation for all of them. But more on this in a moment. Finally, Paul's use of the word interpreter in verse 28 is interesting. He says: If there is no interpreter, the speaker (in tongues) should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God. The term interpreter clearly indicates that those who exercised the gift of interpretation were seen as permanently possessing the gift. If that were not so, how could the speaker in tongues know whether there was an interpreter present or not? A person who has interpreted once can be expected to do so again. So, if we want to speak in tongues publicly, we need to check that there's an interpreter present. And if there is, we are free to go ahead. Obviously that places a serious responsibility on the interpreter to be ready to interpret at any time, because we do not know when someone is going to speak in tongues. To know more about receiving spiritual gifts, you might like to visit my website (www.davidpetts.org) and listen to two short podcasts I gave in February 2019 (podcasts 018 and 019). B.     Practical issues arising from Paul's teaching         i.            The form the gift should take – prophecy or praise? There's no time to go into much detail about this now, but I have said a bit more in WYCT pp77-79 and more still in Body Builders pp141-144. However, the short answer is this. As we saw last time, tongues can take the form of prayer or praise or giving thanks. So, if the gift of interpretation enables us to understand what is being said when someone speaks in tongues, it follows that the interpretation should take the same form as the tongue, whether prayer, or praise, or thanksgiving etc. But what about 'messages' in tongues where the interpretation sounds like a prophecy? Those who take the view that interpretation should take the form of a prophecy base their argument on 14:5 where Paul says: The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in tongues, unless they interpret so that the church may be edified. The argument goes like this. Prophecy edifies the church. Interpretation edifies the church. Therefore, the interpretation of tongues equals prophecy. But there is a logical flaw in this argument. It's like saying, Tea is a drink. Coffee is a drink. Therefore, tea equals coffee! Paul says that both prophecy and interpretation edify the church, but that does not necessarily mean that they do so in the same way. If, for example, interpretation were to take the form of praise, rather than prophecy, wouldn't it edify the church? And who is not edified by the psalms of praise? I have personally been greatly edified by both forms of interpretation. However, other people insist on praise interpretations and base their argument on the NIV translation of 14:2, which reads: For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him… So, it is argued, if the tongue is to God, the interpretation must be to God, in the form of either praise or prayer. However, a more literal translation would be: For the person speaking in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him… (my translation). This makes clear that the reason for saying that speaking in tongues is to God is that no one can understand it. When the disciples spoke in tongues at Pentecost, did it not speak to men? And why was this? Because they understood what was being said. It follows, therefore, that if tongues in church can be understood through the use of the gift of interpretation, it can most certainly speak to us. So in my view both praise and prophecy style interpretations are legitimate manifestations of the gift, and we should accept and encourage both.      ii.            Two or at the most three… The meaning is clear, but what should we do if someone brings a fourth utterance in tongues? Should it be interpreted? Of course, this is unlikely to happen if the church has been taught how spiritual gifts should be operated in our meetings. However, if it does happen, what should we do? My view is that it should be interpreted because this would be more edifying for the church which is the basic principle behind Paul's teaching in this passage. For more detail on this, please see WYCT pp79-80.        iii.            'Let one person interpret' (v27) I said earlier that the Greek in verse 27 is best translated as, Let one person interpret. This in fact reflects how the Authorised Version translates it and, as a result, some churches have taught that, if there are two or three utterances in tongues, the same person should give the interpretation for all of them. This is a valid application of what Paul is saying, but I think it more likely that his inte

    17 min

  4. Jun 10

    325 NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings Talk 2 Speaking in Tongues

    Talk 2 The Right Use of Speaking in Tongues Welcome to Talk2 in our series on NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings. We started last time by suggesting that 1 Corinthians 14:26 should be taken as a serious indication of the sort of thing God wants to happen when we meet. Let me remind you what it says: What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. We then did a quick survey of chapters 12 and 13 to see how they might influence our understanding of this verse. Today we're going to talk about speaking in tongues which was very important in the life of the early church and is still a very valuable gift today. So we'll be talking about why it's so important both in our personal prayers at home and in our gatherings. And we'll finish by looking at 1 Corinthians 14 and seeing what Paul has to say about exactly how it should be used when we meet together. A.    The importance of tongues 1.     Its importance in the early church a.     As we all know, speaking in tongues was the first spiritual gift that the disciples were given when they were filled the Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). empowering them for service (Acts 1:8). [For more on this, please see A New Dimension – how to be filled with the Holy Spirit (details on my website – www.davidpetts.org]. b.     After Pentecost, when others received the Spirit, it was the first manifestation recorded after the Spirit came upon them (Acts 10:44-46, Acts 19:1-6). c.      This was almost certainly because speaking in tongues was to become an important part of a Christian's prayer life, enabling them to pray with their spirit (1 Corinthians 14:14), but more of that in a moment. 2.     The value of the gift today Speaking in tongues was a valuable gift in New Testament times and it's just as valuable today: a.     It can be used as a powerful sign to unbelievers as happened in Acts 2 and led to some 3000 people becoming Christians. b.     It is an important aspect in our private prayer times c.      It can be a blessing in church when it is accompanied by the gift of interpretation, which will be the subject of out next talk. So let's now turn to 1 Corinthians 14 and see what Paul has to say about the use of tongues in our private prayer times, before we turn to its use in our meetings. B.     The use of tongues in private Consider the following: 2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.   4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.   14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. 16 If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? 17 You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified.   So when we speak in tongues: ·      we don't know what we're saying (14), ·      but we're speaking to God (2) ·      which may be prayer (14-15), or praise (16), or giving thanks (16-17) to God, ·      and in doing so we're edifying ourselves (building ourselves up spiritually) (4). This is probably why in 2 Timothy 1:6-7 Paul says: 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline Every time we speak in tongues in our prayer time we are fanning into flame the gift of God that we received when God gave us the Holy Spirit. So speaking in tongues is a great thing to do in private, but what about in our meetings?     C.     The right use of tongues in our meetings 1.     Edification – the underlying principle It's clear that Paul valued very highly his ability to speak in tongues. In verse 18 he says: I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. This was because it enabled him to pray with his spirit rather than just praying with his mind. But please note what he says in verse 19: But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. So, although he spoke in tongues a great deal when he was not in church – that is, when he was in private – he did not do so in public. He  is much more guarded about the use of tongues in church. Look at verses 3-5 again: 3 But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified. He wants everyone to be able to speak in tongues, but it has no value in church if it's not interpreted (v5). Tongues are unintelligible unless they are interpreted and without interpretation the speaker is just speaking into the air (9).  But when interpreted they can fulfil a similar function to prophecy, which also edifies the church (4) bringing strengthening, encouragement and comfort (3). We'll come back to that in our next talk when we consider Paul's teaching on the gift of interpretation of tongues, but for now it's enough to note that what's important is: whatever we do in our meetings should be for the edification, strengthening, encouragement and comfort of those present. For example, Paul is concerned about what happens if unbelievers come into our meetings.. He deals with this in verses 21-25 where it's clear that, despite the miracle that happened at Pentecost where speaking in tongues led to the conversion of some 3000 people, far from expecting unbelievers to come to faith when hearing speaking in tongues, Paul thinks it more likely that they will conclude that the Corinthians are out of their mind! Why did he think this? Perhaps because situations like the day of Pentecost are very rare. On the vast majority of occasions, it's not likely that any foreigner will recognise their language when we are speaking in tongues. So Paul advises caution. On the basis of all this, it's better, in my view, to consider the use of tongues as a sign to unbelievers as something exceptional. Having said that, verses 21-25 are extremely difficult because they contain an apparent contradiction and have long been a source of debate among scholars. We don't have time to go into them in now, but if you want to see a possible solution, please read WYCT pp. 66-68. The main point is this: Whatever we do in our meetings we should always be sensitive to the needs of others, especially if there are newcomers present. You may be worshipping well, but if others are not helped by it, you are not acting in love! (My  paraphrase of verse 17). In the context Paul is talking about tongues, but the principle surely applies to everything  we do in our meetings! 2.     Paul's teaching on how to apply this principle Despite Paul's clear teaching that prophecy is preferable to tongues (1-5), he by no means discourages the use of tongues in church. He expects speaking in tongues to be a regular part of the worship of the church (26) and it is certainly not to be forbidden (39). However, the key to its use in church is that it needs to be interpreted so that everyone may be edified. In fact, in verse 28 he tells us that If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God. This suggests that the personal use of tongues in church is not prohibited, but it must be done quietly as it will edify no one except the speaker (cf. 4). Speaking out loud in tongues, therefore, is to be strongly discouraged unless it is intended that it be interpreted, and that of course will require someone with the gift of interpretation to be present. This may, of course, be the person who has spoken in tongues, as in verses 12-13 Paul encourages those who speak in tongues to pray for the gift of interpretation: So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. 13 For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says. So, if you want to speak out loud in tongues and don't have the gift of interpretation, you  must first make sure that someone is present who does, and, if you're not sure, you must speak quietly to yourself and to God (28). There's just as much blessing in speaking in tongues quietly as in speaking loudly! However, if an interpreter is present, you may speak out loud in tongues with a view to its being interpreted for the edification of the church. But this is subject to the following conditions: If anyone speaks in a tongue, two, or at the most three, should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret (27). So please, if someone speaks out loud in tongues in a meeting, wait until it's interpreted before you say anything. D.    Summary Speaking in tongues is the ability to speak a language we have never learned. It may be expressed in a variety of ways, including, prayer, praise, thanksgiving etc. When we speak in tongues it's our spirit that is praying, not our mind. God gives us this gift to help us edify ourselves – to build ourselves up spiritually. It is also given so that when it's interpreted it will edify the

    17 min

  5. Jun 2

    324 NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings Talk 1 An Overview of 1 Corinthians 12-13

    NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings       Talk 1 An Overview of 1 Corinthians 12-13 Welcome to our new series. I'm calling it New Testament Guidelines for Small Group Meetings. We'll be looking at what the New Testament has to say about what we should expect and how we should behave in our meetings. This includes what we do on Sunday mornings and in our home groups.   Our thoughts will centre on what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:26 where he makes the following recommendation: What then shall we say brothers and sisters? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.   The churches in the New Testament would often have gathered in homes and that was almost certainly the case in Corinth. So, Paul's instructions are particularly relevant to smaller churches or home groups.   Small group meetings can take many different forms. Some meetings can be a real blessing and a source of edification to all, but sadly this is not always the case. The apostle Paul had to tell the Corinthians that their meetings were not for the better, but for the worse (1 Corinthians 11:17) because of their inconsiderate behaviour towards one another.   And that was when they were celebrating the Lord's Supper! Some were getting drunk while others were going hungry! And this selfish behaviour was not limited to food and drink. Some of them were 'hogging it' when it came to how they expressed themselves in worship – and that, as we will see, was perhaps their major problem.   Paul's teaching in the rest of chapter 11 and in those that follow was an attempt to put things right and to show what Christian gatherings should be like. And that will be the basis for our consideration of how we may make our small group meetings as beneficial as possible. We'll begin in this talk by giving a brief overview of Paul's teaching in chapters 12 and 13. This will help us to understand our key verse in the wider context.   As many of you will know, I have already written a short book on this subject entitled, When you come together – God's plans for when his people meet (WYCT). This contains much more than I have time to include in these notes, so please see me if you'd like a copy.   Before the meeting it would be really helpful if you read 1 Corinthians, chapters 12-14. And if you have a copy you might like to read WYCT chapters 1-3 if you have time.   So, as I was saying, our key verse is 1 Corinthians 14:26 and we need to begin by looking at the context in which it's set.     Setting the context – an overview of 1 Corinthians 12 to 14 There were plenty of problems with the church in Corinth. Chapters 1-10 make it clear that there were divisions, they were immature, they tolerated immorality, they were taking each other to court, and some of them lacked a basic understanding of the basic truths of the Christian faith. And on top of all that, their behaviour when they met together was at times appalling! They were thoughtless and inconsiderate.   No wonder Paul said that their meetings did more harm than good. We need to remember this as we look at what he says in chapters 12-14. The main problem he is addressing throughout is their thoughtless behaviour and attitude towards each other. It's clear from chapter 12 that some of them thought that they were superior to the others because of the spiritual gifts they possessed. And this was particularly true of speaking in tongues which was being used excessively in their meetings. So in chapter 12 he begins by giving some basic teaching on spiritual gifts.   Teaching on spiritual gifts (12:1-11) I'm hoping you've read these verses before coming to the meeting. What's clear is that the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit were a regular part of their meetings, but the Corinthians were exercising them in ignorance. Paul had to teach them that:   1.     The supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit must be distinguished from demonic manifestations by the acknowledgment that Jesus is Lord (vv1-3) 2.     Though the gifts are different they are all given by the same Spirit (vv4-10) 3.     They are given as the Holy Spirit determines (v11)   What can we learn from this? 1.     If you acknowledge Jesus as you Lord and Saviour, you need not fear that you will receive a demonic gift. Our heavenly Father doesn't give 'snakes' to his children (Luke 11:11-13). 2.     In Spiritualism, where counterfeit gifts are given by demons, different gifts are given by different spirits. 3.     Though they're different, all the gifts are important because it's the Holy Spirit who gives all of them. 4.     As the Holy Spirit is the giver, He decides who gets what.   NOTE: Paul will say much more about spiritual gifts in the next two chapters.   Every member of the body is needed (12:12-30) In this passage we learn that:   1.     The church is one body which has many different members (v14) 2.     Every member of the body is important and needed because God has put it there (vv14-27) 3.     There should be no division in the body, but all the members should have equal concern for each part of it (v25) These are all important principles to bear in mind in our group meetings. There isn't time to go into them now, but we'll pick up on some of them when we come to chapter 14.   1 Corinthians 13 We're Nothing without Love Paul's teaching on love in this chapter is valuable in every situation, but in its context Paul is still talking about what should go on in our meetings. Chapter 14 is a practical application of what he's teaching about love here in 13.   Let's divide the chapter into three sections:   1.     It's all meaningless without love (1-3) 2.     The nature of love (4-7) 3.     Recognising our limitations (8-12)   It's all meaningless without love (1-3)   If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.   What can we learn from these verses? 1.     Nothing is more important than love. Whatever gifts we may have and whatever we may do, if our motive is not love, it counts for nothing. Without love I am nothing (2) and I gain nothing (3). 2.     This principle applies to every function of the body of Christ, not just to the things mentioned in these verses, which are just illustrations of it. 3.     What he's taught about the body in chapter 12 will only be possible when we love one another. So the things he refers to in verses 1-3 are just illustrations of the great principle of the paramount importance of love.   But why does he choose these particular illustrations to make his point? Because these were the particular problems facing the church in Corinth at the time. It's evident from chapter 14 that there were problems in Corinth with their use of gifts like speaking in tongues and prophecy which are the two gifts he mentions first here.   So as we later consider Paul's encouragement in 14:26 for all to participate by bringing a contribution to our meetings, we need to remember that whatever we may bring must be brought in love.       The nature of love (4-8)   4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.   These verses have a far wider application than our understanding of chapter 14. But in the context, chapter 13 is set right in the middle of Paul's teaching in chapters 12 and 14. Notice the development of thought in these chapters:   12: The importance of the role of every Christian within the church as the body of Christ 13: The importance of LOVE 14: Specific direction on how this should work in our meetings.   Maybe we could summarise verses 4-7 as putting other people first. As we will see when we come to look at chapter 14 in more detail, this is the underlying principle of all he says which is surely the main way in which we express our love for them. Prophecy, for example, is to be desired more than tongues because it edifies others, not just ourselves (14:1-5).   Think about how we can apply putting other people first to what we say and do in our meetings.   Recognising our limitations (8-12) 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. What can we learn from this? 1.     Although there will ultimately be no need for supernatural gifts, love will remain for ever. It never fails (8). It remains (13).   2.     Wonderful though gifts like tongues and prophecy are, their operation is not infallible. We know in part and we prophesy in part. What Paul is encouraging in 14:26 must be understood in this light. God's g

    17 min

  6. Jun 2

    323 NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings - INTRODUCTION

    NT GUIDELINES FOR SMALL GROUP MEETINGS – INTRODUCTION   Welcome back to Great Bible Truths with Dr David Petts. If you've been a regular listener to my podcasts, you may have been wondering what's been happening since January, when I finished my series where I was reflecting on God's goodness to me throughout my life.   Well, for first few months of the year I was working on turning the contents of those podcasts into a new book and preparing it for publication. The good news is that it's now available from my website and I've given it the title:   All the Days of My Life – a Story of God's Unfailing Love.   I'm already receiving many encouraging reports from those who have read it, and if you'd like a copy, full details are on my website.   Since then, I've been working on six podcasts for use in our church home-groups and have now decided to make them more widely available as a new series. You may remember a series I did in 2023 under the heading When You Come Together. I later turned that into a book with the same title. The podcasts I have now produced are based on some of the teaching in that book, which is itself based on Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 14 – especially verse 26.   This new series of talks is specially designed for use in small groups such as home groups. It contains six talks of less than 20 minutes each. We look particularly at 1 Corinthians 14 to see what God had to say about how Christians back then should 'do church', and seeing how this might affect what we do today, particularly in small groups.   As usual, the full text of each talk will appear on my website along with the recording. This should be helpful particularly to group leaders, who would also benefit from my book When you Come Together – God's Plans for when His People Meet  (WYCT), which could be useful background reading, as also could Body Builders – gifts to make God's people grow (on the subject of spiritual gifts).   The first talk in the series will be posted at the same time as this, and the rest will follow shortly. To help you prepare for that, I'm making a few suggestions. But first let me say that it's not my intention that the notes and podcasts should be slavishly followed. They're just there to help you and your group to discuss and pray about what God's word might be saying about what should be happening in your meetings.   Things to do ahead of the group meeting – seven suggestions   1.     Make space in your diary to prepare for the meeting. 2.     Read the relevant scripture passages. See the list below.   3.     Listen to the podcast and study the notes. 4.     Encourage group members to listen ahead of time too. 5.     Plan the format of your meeting and ensure that the podcast is played towards the beginning of the meeting to leave time for discussion and prayer afterwards. 6.     Think about the discussion questions I have included at the end of the talk. (N.B. You'll find these in the notes. They're NOT in the recording). Consider if you will have time to discuss all of them. If not, which are the most relevant to your group? 7.     Pray for the leading of the Spirit when the group gathers.   Finally, here's a list of relevant background reading for each talk. You might like to keep a copy of this for future reference. Obviously, the Bible passages are the most important. For your guidance, WYCT contains a bit more than the notes, and Body Builders even more. But how much background reading you do is up to you. RELEVANT EXTRA READING   1 CORINTHIANS                  WYCT             BODY BUILDERS   Talk 1             12-13                                     Chs. 1, 3, 4 Talk 2             14                                           Ch. 5               Pages 131-140         Talk 3             14                                           Ch. 6               Pages 141-151 Talk 4             14                                           Ch. 7               Chapters 3 and 9 Talk 5            12-14                                      Ch. 8               Talk 6             14                                           Ch. 9                 God bless you and grant you much blessing in your group meetings.

    5 min

  7. Jan 7

    322 My Story Talk 35 Hope for the Future

    My Story  Talk 35 Hope for the Future Throughout this series I have tried to show how, in the words of another David, God's goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life (Psalm 23:6). Of course, to give an account of every single day would be completely impossible, not least because my life is not over yet! So this, the fiinal talk in this series, will not be the end of my story. That's in the hands of the One who has loved and pardoned me, protected and provided for me, and who will guide my steps until his purpose for my life is finally accomplished. So I'll conclude my story with: a reminder of God's past blessings a record of my most recent activities, and my reason for hope for the future.   A reminder of God's past blessings First, I'm so grateful for Christian parents who prayed for me before I was born, brought me up to believe in Jesus, taught me the way of salvation, encouraged me to believe that God answers prayer and that nothing is impossible with him. They showed me how much they loved me and taught me that God loves me too. So even through the terrible years of World War 2, I always felt loved and protected.   I'm thankful, too, for the good teaching I received at Sunday School and Church and that I was educated at a time when the truths of the Christian faith were still widely accepted in our society, so that there was little conflict between what I learnt at school and what I was taught at home and at church. And that, when there was a difference of emphasis, my father was always able to give me an intelligent answer and show me why the Christian message made sense.   As I have already mentioned, it was clear from my earliest years that I was academically gifted, and I'm grateful for the good education I received at Brentwood School which led by God's grace to my gaining admission to Oxford University. A hymn we often used to sing at Elm Pak Baptist was Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee… and I remember feeling strongly about the verse where it says, Take my intellect and use every power as though shalt choose. For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to use whatever abilities God has given me to spread the good news about Jesus.   But I was soon to learn that intellectual ability is not enough. Our battle is not primarily intellectual but spiritual, and when I first heard about the baptism in the Holy Spirit I was eager to receive. I'm so grateful for Laurie Dixon who shared his testimony with me, for Harold Young who laid hands on me when I first spoke in tongues, and for Pentecostal pastors like Alfred Webb and Richard Bolt who taught me so much about the things of the Spirit.   In those early years I was also greatly influenced by the writings of some of the pioneers of the Pentecostal Movement, notably Harold Horton, Donald Gee, and Willie Burton. Much of my thinking on the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit has been founded on their teaching and I thank God for such men of God who were willing to break free from the cessationist traditions of their forebears to pursue the all the fulness of life in the Spirit. My experience at Oxford is a source of many happy memories. Coming only four weeks after I was baptised in the Spirit, my studies in Philosophy, Politics and Economics were, I confess, of relatively little importance to me. I was more interested in telling others about my Christian experience, witnessing about Christ to unbelievers and about the Holy Spirit to those who were already Christians. Of particular importance were the prayer meetings we held which led to the formation of the Students' Pentecostal Fellowship and which were, by the grace of God, part of the beginnings of the Charismatic Renewal.   The years we spent in pastoral work, both at Colchester and Basingstoke led not only to the considerable growth of both those churches with souls being saved, bodies healed, and believers filled with the Holy Spirit, but also to a deeper understanding of the Word, a wider ministry beyond the local church, and a growing recognition within the Pentecostal Movement of the teaching gift the Lord had given me. For this I am truly thankful.   Despite the rocky road to Mattersey which I described in an earlier talk, the 27 years we spent there were possibly the most productive period of my life. Life was not without its problems, but I thank God for every minute of it. The privilege of training hundreds of future church leaders and the joy of seeing the fruits of their ministry more than made up for the difficulties we faced.   And the founding of EPTA led to an international ministry of Bible College teaching was an unexpected privilege which I could never have dreamed of when I felt God's call to ministry at the age of sixteen. The opportunity to share with so many students the importance of the baptism in the Spirit and spiritual gifts, illustrated by personal experience that was firmly rooted in biblical truth, and to present a balanced understanding of God's promises of healing were and still are sources of great joy and personal satisfaction.   I'm even grateful today for the difficulties we faced only some of which I have outlined in this book. Of course, at the time we would have preferred not to have them, but as I look back I have no doubt that the Lord had a purpose in it all. That does not mean that I know precisely what that purpose was, but because I believe in an all-powerful God who loves me and gave himself for me, I have learnt that problems produce patience and ultimately deepen our faith. And it is by faith and patience that we inherit his promises.   Which brings me to Eileen, my faithful wife, who devoted her life, first to serving Jesus, and then to serving his purpose for me as we journeyed through life together. The concluding words of the tribute to her that I wrote for her farewell service express well how I still feel: Although I am missing her already, I am full of joy, knowing that she is now where she wanted to be. Until we meet again in Heaven, I will remember her for her love, her faithfulness, her devotion, her patience, her sense of humour, her impact on our children's lives, her smile, her perseverance in suffering, her courage in face of adversity, and above all, her childlike trust in Jesus and her total commitment to him. I thank God for the precious gift of Eileen and the privilege of being her husband for sixty-two years. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.   Eileen went to be with the Lord on 28th February 2024 and, although I still miss her every day, her departure to Heaven has meant that I am now free to resume some of the activities that were curtailed by the severe stroke she had in 2016. Which brings me to a brief statement of my most recent activities taken from my Christmas newsletter 2025.   A record of my most recent activities   A year ago, I was brought back onto the Leadership Team of our church and have been preaching and leading regularly every month. I have also been able to accept invitations to minister and attend at churches and conferences further afield. Here's a quick summary: o   January – 2 days' teaching at Light and Life conference o   March – was privileged to pay a tribute at Keith Monument's funeral in Nottingham o   June – a weekend preaching at Walthamstow (when I also took the opportunity to visit Eileen's sister, Joan, and her husband, David) o   July – participated in the EPTA conference held in Malvern at Regent's Theological College o   September – attended the wedding of Jotham (grandson) and Chesca in Brighton o   October – a weekend's preaching in Leyland followed by the Ocean Wings Conference in Llandudno where I was one of the speakers o   November – attended Sarah's Graduation (MA in Applied Theology with Distinction) at Moorlands College and Christchurch Priory. So proud of all my wonderful children! o   December – participated in the Charismatic and Pentecostal Leaders' Gathering in Northamptonshire As most of these activities involved long journeys, I was grateful for the comfort of my E-Class Mercedes, acquired earlier this year. I'm also grateful for the health and strength God gives me to do all this, although I confess I do get more tired than I used to! However, I do manage to swim 500 metres about twice a week. This has helped me lose a couple of stones in weight. Finally, I'm still writing and doing regular podcasts. All this year I've been writing my memoirs and am almost finished. Let me know if you'd like a copy. So, have a wonderful Christmas and may the Lord bless you and use you in the coming year. So thankful for Jesus – for all he has done and continues to do for us. With much love David   My reason for hope for the future At the time of recording  this I will be 87 years old in a few days' time. When she was in her eighties, referring to some of her aches and pains my mother used to say, Oh David, don't get old, to which I would reply, Why? You don't want me to die young, do you?! She knew of course that I was joking, and I, of course, fully understand what she was saying. Humanly speaking there isn't much to look forward to when you're old. So, what reasons do we have for hope for the future?   As I conclude the story of my life so far, let me give you three reasons: My past experience of God's goodness My present observation of what he is doing My understanding of what the Bible says about our future.   I shall say little about the first of these as all that have written so far has been a record of how God's goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life. Now it's enough to summarise all this by saying that God's goodness to me in the past informs my belief for the future. The God who has loved me, saved me, pro

    22 min

  8. 12/21/2025

    321 My Story Talk 34 Overcoming New Challenges

    My Story   Talk 34   Overcoming New Challenges Welcome to Talk 34 in our series where I'm reflecting on God's goodness to me throughout my life. Last time I was mentioning some of the health challenges I faced in India and today I will be describing how these continued for some time once we were back in England. I will also be talking about the serious health challenges Eileen faced during the last ten years of her life. I take no pleasure in recording all this, but an honest account of my life must include the hard times as well as the good, and, of course, the Lord has brought me through. Challenges following India Fortunately, there was little in my diary for the first few weeks after our return from India and I soon began to feel better. I thought I was back to normal and in April we set off for two weekends of ministry in Essex. We would stay with Eileen's sister Joan in Billericay and the first weekend I would preach in Witham and a week later in our old church in Colchester. On the first Saturday we drove from our home in Paignton straight to Witham, a journey of about 250 miles, and I preached in the afternoon and evening meetings. We then made our way to Billericay, returning to Witham for the Sunday morning service. I had felt fine on the Saturday, but on Sunday I suddenly started to feel unwell again shortly before I was due to preach. The symptoms were like those I had had in India, and I went outside to get some fresh air. However, I managed to get through the preaching but was grateful to get back to Billericay. The next day Joan arranged an appointment for me with her GP who, hearing that I had been bitten by a mosquito in India and suspecting that I might have malaria, sent me for tests at the hospital in Basildon. Although these tested negative, I was still worried that there was something seriously wrong with me and just wanted to get back home to Paignton. Apologising profusely, I asked our friends at Colchester to release me from my commitment to preach the following weekend and we drove home later that week, unsure of what the future might hold. The next two years proved to be extremely difficult. I continued to experience similar problems every time I preached. In May 2010 I drove up to Huddersfield for the AoG conference but was so stressed that I returned home without attending a meeting. I immediately arranged an appointment with my GP, Mark Thompson, a good Christian man, and told him my whole story. He reminded me that as Christians we are not immune to such things and recommended some books that might help explain my condition. It appears that my experience in India, caused by extreme heat, dehydration, and overwork, triggered a rush of adrenalin which produced the symptoms I was struggling with. I learnt that worrying about the symptoms only made matters worse because that causes a further rush of adrenalin. I was caught in a vicious circle, and the only way out was to embrace the symptoms, tell myself that they would not harm me, and gradually I would get better. And that's what happened, although it did take a long time. Following my visit to the doctor I cancelled my two-week trip to teach at the Bible College in Finland in May. We did go to Madeira for a three week holiday in June, but this turned out to be disappointing because of my recurring symptoms. However, in September I did manage to teach for two weeks at Mattersey, preach for a weekend in Pocklington, and assisted by Bob Hyde, teach a course at CTS in Brussels for a week. I was still experiencing the symptoms but managing to cope with them – at least most of the time. But there were still occasions when I felt unable to preach. In October I cancelled a weekend in Poynton and in November I was unable to complete a weekend's ministry in Aston. I began to wonder if the time had come for me to give up. But less than two weeks later the Lord suddenly intervened. Eileen and I were in Exeter at a meeting for Assemblies of God ministers and their wives. The guest preacher was John Glass, the General Superintendent of the Elim Churches. He was preaching on Jeremiah 1 when he came to verses 11-12: The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?" "I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied. The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled." He explained the play on words that we find in these verses – the Hebrew word for almond is very similar to the word for watch. The almond tree is among the first to blossom in spring. It's something you watch for as a sign that spring has come. Winter will be followed by spring because God watches over his word to see that it is fulfilled. Now in England most of us don't see an almond tree too often, so John likened it to crocuses. In his garden they're the first flowers to bloom in spring. They're the sign or guarantee that winter won't be forever. Then John broke away from his notes and said something like this: There are some of you here who are feeling that your ministry has come to an end. You have been experiencing a bleak winter, but the Lord wants you to know that it will not be forever. You will experience a new springtime. Eileen and I looked at each other. Was this for us? Surely it must be. But there were a lot of other people in that meeting. Could it be that John's prophetic word was for them and not for us? We drove home after the meeting hoping, rather than believing, that this really was a word from the Lord for us. And then, that evening, Jill Cooper, one of our friends from church, arrived on our doorstep and said, I've brought you a little present. To be honest, I had bought it for someone else, but then I felt the Lord tell me to give it to you instead.  What was the present? A bowl of crocuses! How good God is! He gave us the assurance that I would emerge from this dark period of winter into a new springtime of ministry. We sometimes have to go through a valley of shadow, but he is with us in it all the way. So in 2011, whenever the symptoms reoccurred, I pressed through them, knowing that this condition wouldn't last forever. In March I flew to Scotland to speak to the AoG ministers, in May we went back to Finland to teach at Iso Kirja for two weeks, in September I taught for two weeks at Mattersey, and in October I was back at CTS again. None of these occasions was easy. In fact, I often felt really unwell, but everyone always said that, if I hadn't told them, they would not have known anything was wrong with me! I'm not quite sure how much longer it took to get back to normal. In fact, I'm not really sure what 'normal' is! We all deteriorate physically as we get older and our energy levels are not what they were. When I look back at what I was doing in the years before Mattersey and throughout my time there, I wonder now how I possibly managed it all. What was normal for me then is far beyond my capabilities now, but I have moved into a new springtime in my ministry and people tell me that at 87 I'm not doing badly for my age, for which I am grateful. Challenges to Eileen's health But my health challenges were nothing compared with those faced by Eileen in the last ten years of her life. On Sunday 21st December 2014 quite unexpectedly at about 9am Eileen started to experience severe pain in her stomach as she was getting ready for church. As the pain was unrelenting, causing Eileen to pass out a couple of times, by 3pm I decided I needed to call 999. I accompanied Eileen in the ambulance while Jonathan followed by car. After waiting with her a few hours, Jon and I were advised to go home and await the results of an MRI scan.  At about 10.30 that evening the surgeon phoned to ask us to go in to discuss options for Eileen. It was clear that the situation was very serious. On arrival at the hospital, we were told that the scan had revealed that the blood supply had been cut off from Eileen's bowel and that her smaller bowel had died. Without an immediate operation she would die. There was even the possibility that the condition was already too far advanced for them to be able to save her. Furthermore, even if they were able to save her, there was a strong possibility that she would need to have a permanent colostomy. Eileen agreed with us that we should agree to the operation and trust God for the best possible outcome. We prayed with her, of course, but as you can imagine, for the next few hours we were on an emotional roller-coaster, experiencing all the ups and downs from fear to faith, but with a determination to trust God, come what may. We simply could not believe that it was God's time for Eileen to go to Heaven and kept praying that he would spare her. Imagine our relief when at one o'clock on Monday morning the surgeon phoned to say that she had the best possible news for us. Eileen's bowel was alive! What had been causing the pain was an internal hernia which they had been able to fix. None of her bowel had needed to be removed and the blood supply had been restored.   Now bearing in mind the certainty with which the surgeon told us that Eileen's bowel had died we were convinced that this was not just a case of faulty diagnosis, but that God had worked an amazing miracle in restoring Eileen's bowel to life. God had allowed man to do what he could but intervened to do what man could not do – restore a dead bowel to life! We were so grateful for the prayers of the many people who interceded for Eileen throughout this difficult time and to God for his miraculous intervention. I never cease to be amazed at his wonderful grace and goodness to us. But the operation had been very invasive and left Eileen severely weakened for months. And she never fully regained the strength and energy she had lost, but that, of course, may have been partly caused by the fact that she was not getting any younger. And neither was I! In April 2015 we had a few days' brea

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About

Dr David Petts is an international speaker and author who is best known for his 27 years as Principal at Mattersey Hall Bible College and his in-depth but easily understood teaching on the Holy Spirit. Now retired, he enjoys preaching locally and sometimes further afield. These podcasts are your opportunity to experience Dr Petts' teaching first hand!

Information

  • Creator
    Dr David Petts - Pentecostal preacher, former AoG Bible College Principal
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © David Petts
  • Show Website
    Great Bible Truths with Dr David Petts

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