Hope on the Street

We had a short discussion on angels at each table and it was interesting to hear what people thought. Someone said that she did not consider herself to be religious and that angels probably exist because we need a way to explain the unexplainable- some things cannot be explained by science or rational explanation. Another person asked why angels had to have an identity or personal name, for her it was just nice to know that something was out there. One table had a couple who were engrossed in conversation about other things but when asked what they thought said, ‘how do we know that the experiences that were spoken about today at Hope Cafe were really angel experiences?

When I am on the market stall or running one of our community groups I meet people who are asking for spiritual answers. The world has thrown out so much that was important in its search for meaning in science and materialism. In the mid 20th century we were asked to believe that science would answer all of humanity’s needs, some philosophers proclaimed God as dead. Yet here we are today with so many realising that material things are not enough and the pursuit of wealth has left an emptiness (as well as damaging our environment and society). That is why there is such an interest in the spiritual today and particularly angels. There are many books on Angels on sale but one of the classics is Billy Graham’s called, Angels:God’s Secret Agents. Graham talks about the difference between the angels that many follow and angels as described by the Bible.

I met someone on the market once who said that they spoke with angels. These angels gave advice and instruction. I asked how she knew the angel who spoke was good or bad and she said it was how she felt. I asked how she could trust her feelings as if she was like me feelings change with circumstances and my physical state- she looked at me as if I were speaking a foreign language. ‘How would you test it then?’ Well I said I would look for someone or something that would give me an objective assessment of the situation. Having looked at the Bible I have found it to be an excellent tool to help me test what feelings I have and what stuff people tell me about angels and other spiritual phenomena.

What angels are not :

1. They are not gods and something to be worshipped or followed
2. They not part of us, some inner consciousness
3. They are not beings that do our bidding
4. They are not cuddly, fairy like things that float around leaving little signs to make us aware of their presence

What angels are:

1. Powerful beings, mighty warriors. Beings who can fight against the evil in the spiritual realms
2. These beings are created by God to be his servants. They number many thousand upon thousand.
3. They act as guardian angels, guides, messengers but also sometimes as God’s representative in judgement
4. We are given a picture of angels worshipping God around his heavenly throne.
5. Jacob in the Bible saw angels ascending and descending on a staircase between earth and heaven

What does this mean to us?

At the cafe today someone said, ‘so what, what difference does this make?’. I said it makes all the difference to me. When I go through difficult times I find it very helpful to know that there is a spiritual side to the problems and issues, and that God is helping me through his angels at that level is a great encouragement. Someone said to me once that we are spiritually so poor in this country. We are like the famine victims so often shown on our TV screens from  third world countries,those who are wasting away through lack of food. In England we are materially rich and have so much food that we can overeat, but in contrast the spiritual part of us is so often neglected and wastes away. The nutrition that feeds the spiritual heart that is in all of us includes prayer, meditation and the worship of God. Spiritual things are more than just going to church but include wider questions that we all ask from time to time- what is the point of it all, there must be more to life than this- these are the spiritual questions of life and questions about angels are part of this desire to know the spiritual side in us. We often question when things in life go wrong. Angels are described in the Bible as having a large part to play in times of crisis, helping encourage and help God’s people; bringing answers to prayer, fighting spiritual battles on our behalf etc.

Though we cannot see Angels normally, this should not surprise us as there are many things we cannot see but we know that they are there nevertheless. Billy Gram says, “our ability to sense reality is limited. The deer of the forest far surpass our human capacity in their keenness of smell. Bats possess a phenomenally sensitive built-in radar system. Some animals can see things in the dark that escape our attention…so why should we think it strange if men fail to perceive the evidence of angelic presence?”. The Bible presents many different angel encounters, none more strange than the one with Balaam and his donkey. Perhaps the donkey was given special ability to see an angel whereas Balaam could see nothing in front of him. For the full story see the Bible ( Numbers chapter 22, sentences 23 onwards).

Personally, the sense of the spiritual has been a great source of strength to me over the years. Knowing that there is something beyond this life, that I will have a place there and will see loved ones again gives me hope. Most importantly, angels indicate to me that there is a loving God who is concerned and involved in this world today. Belief in angels also points me to Jesus Christ. Some compare Jesus to the angels but Jesus said he could have commanded legions of angels to help him, and the Bible speaks of him as their commanded and far higher than any angel.

We will probably look at this topic again soon at Hope Cafe so look out for details.

At the next Hope Cafe on 19 June we are looking at, ‘ Why Bother with Honesty?’. Hope to see you there.

Every church is different but there are some similarities, especially in evangelical Bible based churches. I’ll concentrate on this type of church.

1. Many churches are informal and do not expect you to dress up for the occasion
2. Most churches will have services in the morning starting at 10.30 or 11 AM.
3. The services will include a time of singing hymns or modern Christian songs, this may be broken up with some prayers, notices and a children’s slot. After 30 minutes or so there will then be a talk and this may last 20-40 minutes. The service will usually finish with a song or hymn.
4. During the service there will be a collection but most churches will not expect visitors to contribute. The collection is for those who attend regularly
5. Often there is tea and coffee after the service and this is a great opportunity to meet people and make friends
6. A lot of churches are very friendly and accepting. They usually have a strong sense of community and are very good at supporting each other.
7. During the week most churches have mid week meetings in people’s homes. These are open to anyone to attend. Just ask when you go on the Sunday morning.

10 Truths to Tell Yourself

Hatters Tea meets monthly on a Wednesday at 2pm in Dunstable. A great way to make friends, enjoy home made cakes, show your knowledge(or lack of it) in our quiz, go home with a prize from our raffle. Hope you can come. We meet every month in someone’s home. For further information colin@hopeonthestreet.org

This a the monthly live music/quiz event we run in Costa Coffee, Leighton Buzzard. Everyone is welcome. The theme for this Sunday is Angels