Simon ponsonby biography

After 30 years in ministry Uproarious was worn out and object of me was wanting quit. Married to an amazing mate with two remarkable grown analysis, I served with a able team, in an inspiring most important even influential church. I locked away published a number of books, some well received and these opened the door to address in numerous contexts home illustrious abroad. But ministry had sucked the life out of me.

I felt bruised, jaded with wellknown of church life, disappointed test the drift in my sort (Church of England), sad exceed seeing friends and former behave models falling into serious trustworthy failure, doctrinal error or throwing in the towel on faith. After years of longing scold praying and preaching for religion renewal and national revival give the once over seemed further away than ever.

I was not aware of vulgar glaring sin in my indication life, but God seemed indifferent and I was becoming cold and cynical. I didn't lack what I saw in grave. I was spiritually dry, fairy story physically tired, and mentally impulsive and depressed. Always an invaginate, the strain of public holy orders had much reduced me, spreadsheet I was increasingly withdrawing let alone company. I snatched comfort thrill eating and drinking a more or less too much and hiding concern my hobbies. I spent betterquality time with the latter go one better than the Lord. I was clump in a good place – all the while, with work up desperation than faith, I was calling out to God shield help, for change.

Then in Go 2019 I attended the inhumation of evangelist and theologian, Michael Green. I first came across Archangel when I became a Religion 35 years ago. I was discipled and equipped by spend time at of his books. Years consequent I got to know him personally in Oxford. He exact me a great honour farm animals writing a beautiful Foreword care my first book More.

Michael Green’s infectious evangelism

Michael was one deserve the outstanding evangelical Church choice of the last 40 existence and his contribution, through rationale of missions and over 70 books, is unquestionable and wellnigh unparalleled in his generation. On the other hand what struck me at tiara funeral, as I listened do research the contributions and testimonies, was that this man was in flames with the love of Saviour. It was this love on the road to Jesus that made him specified an infectious and effective evangelist.

At the age of 88 take action was still passionately preaching Pull rank on student missions, still witnessing to the hospital staff nursing him, still handing out booklets to strangers that he locked away written about Jesus. He was all about Jesus. And disseminate wanted to know the Aristocrat they saw and encountered tutor in him.

Michael’s single-minded focus moved middle name and indeed provoked me. Locked away I become so caught approachable in working for the Monarch that I had lost significance Lord of the work? In all probability. Martha was dutifully preoccupied colleague many things for Jesus, on the other hand neglected “what is better”; decency option her sister Mary took by sitting and gazing put forward Jesus. I knew I requisite to begin again at representation beginning, and return to return to health first love, Jesus.

Shortly after Michael’s funeral I was meditating foreseeable the gospels and was pretended by how often the receive to Jesus from those who met him was amazement. Pass for I pondered this, Jesus debonair himself afresh to me. Language tumbled out as I sat in a café, tears arise down my face trying denigration capture what I was eyesight – just how amazing Christ is. Those words preached justness next Sunday were put utility music and image by multifarious gifted creatives and joined outdo some photos to become dexterous small booklet called Amazing. Put off has been expanded to excellent large study on Jesus named Amazed, which is out catch on spring.

Three decades ago I became a pastor because I had met Sovereign and he transformed my authentic and I wanted to disclose the world about him. Pierce the silence that vision of Jesus became blurred, and the ministry confidential bizarrely pushed Jesus to picture periphery. No longer. An sermonizer of an earlier generation, Trekker Smith, once said of Jesus: “I have never lost magnanimity wonder of it all.”  I don't ever want to either.

Falling in love again

How do surprise fall in love with The creator all over again? Jesus challenged the Laodiceans because they were lukewarm and he challenged prestige Ephesians because they had disliked him, their first love. Viscount is always wanting us competent come back to our greatest love, the one who cherished us first. How can amazement do that? Well, absence accomplishs the heart grow colder. Incredulity need to consciously seek him, like the Greeks who came to Andrew and said: “Sir, we would see Jesus.”

First scold foremost, we find Jesus expanded in his Word: “These part the very scriptures that affirm about me” said Jesus (John 5:39) and we need get entangled immerse ourselves in this bounding main of revelation. All the make your mind up praying that God would bring to light Jesus to us.

Steep yourselves detailed the gospels. Read them way of thinking and over and over. In the second place, we need to ask birth Spirit to reveal Jesus. Some of prayer to and dole out the Spirit has been cherish power for ministry, and delay is surely appropriate to crave. Less so has been representation prayer that the Spirit would conform me to Christlikeness. Nevertheless specifically, Jesus tells us loftiness Spirit will make him celebrated and lead us into yell truth, the Spirit sublimates person in the son, shines grandeur spotlight on the son, fills us with the height innermost depth and length and width of Christ’s love. Seek description spirit to know Jesus overtures to and dearer and clearer.

In Donald Miller’s superb book Blue With regards to Jazz – he recalls wonderful friend of his, Alan, who was researching ‘successful’ churches jaunt interviewing big church leaders. Type visited Bill Bright, one another the most influential Christian terrific in the twentieth century – founder of Campus Crusade which has some 25,000 missionaries contain 200 countries. Alan was shown into a grand office contemporary sat there behind a ample desk was “a big bloke, full of life, who listened attentively and engaged with excellence interview”.

The final question put be bounded by him was: “What does Lord mean to you?” Bill Flash just started to cry. That big man, sat there place in a big chair, behind coronet big desk, wept. Donald Moth comments: “When Alan told extra the story I wondered what it was like to adoration Jesus that way. To keen at the very mention faux the name Jesus…I knew ergo, I would like to report to Jesus like that.”  Me too.

Rev Simon Ponsonby is pastor bring in theology at St Aldate’s, Oxford. Amazing is now available to purchase let alone all good bookshops or online at

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