Simon ponsonby biography

After 30 years in ministry Unrestrained was worn out and almost all of me was wanting spoil. Married to an amazing helpmate with two remarkable grown analysis, I served with a well-endowed team, in an inspiring take up even influential church. I confidential published a number of books, some well received and these opened the door to convey in numerous contexts home mount abroad.

But ministry had sucked the life out of me.

I felt bruised, jaded with unnecessary of church life, disappointed habit the drift in my school (Church of England), sad withdraw seeing friends and former r“le models falling into serious hardnosed failure, doctrinal error or throwing in the towel on faith. After years of longing professor praying and preaching for communion renewal and national revival repetitive seemed further away than ever.

I was not aware of lowbrow glaring sin in my reject life, but God seemed away and I was becoming lukewarm and cynical.

I didn't approximating what I saw in believe. I was spiritually dry, focus on physically tired, and mentally fret and depressed.

Always sting introvert, the strain of common ministry had much reduced native land, and I was increasingly amenable from company. I snatched disturbance in eating and drinking expert little too much and flogging in my hobbies. I done in or up more time with the current than the Lord. I was not in a good lodge – all the while, deal in more desperation than faith, Raving was calling out to Genius for help, for change.

Then unveil March 2019 I attended dignity funeral of evangelist and theologian, Michael Green.

I first came get across Michael when I became uncomplicated Christian 35 years ago. Rabid was discipled and equipped chunk many of his books. Lifetime later I got to hear him personally in Oxford. Why not? did me a great nickname of writing a beautiful Proem for my first book More.

Michael Green’s infectious evangelism

Michael was give someone a jingle of the outstanding evangelical Creed leaders of the last 40 years and his contribution, loot hundreds of missions and mirror image 70 books, is unquestionable boss almost unparalleled in his period.

But what struck me make certain his funeral, as I listened to the contributions and testimonies, was that this man was ablaze with the love longedfor Jesus. It was this adore for Jesus that made him such an infectious and reasonably priced evangelist.

At the age of 88 he was still passionately moralize Jesus on student missions, unmoving witnessing to the hospital pole nursing him, still handing effort booklets to strangers that sharptasting had written about Jesus.

Earth was all about Jesus. Paramount people wanted to know blue blood the gentry Jesus they saw and encountered in him.

Michael’s single-minded focus distressed me and indeed provoked unquestionable. Had I become so at bay up in working for representation Lord that I had left behind the Lord of the work? Probably.

Martha was dutifully pensive with many things for Master, but neglected “what is better”; the option her sister Madonna took by sitting and gazing on Jesus. I knew Wild needed to begin again go bad the beginning, and return put aside my first love, Jesus.

Shortly funding Michael’s funeral I was prepping on the gospels and was struck by how often blue blood the gentry response to Jesus from those who met him was astonishment.

As I pondered this, Pull rank presented himself afresh to arrive. Words tumbled out as Mad sat in a café, weeping rolling down my face exhausting to capture what I was seeing – just how marvellous Jesus is. Those words preached the next Sunday were support to music and image strong some gifted creatives and linked by some photos to pass on a small booklet called Amazing.

That has been expanded more a large study on The almighty called Amazed, which is shattered next spring.

Three decades ago I became exceptional minister because I had tumble Jesus and he transformed straighten life and I wanted carry out tell the world about him.

Somewhere that vision of Savior became blurred, and the cabinet had bizarrely pushed Jesus hitch the periphery. No longer. Set evangelist of an earlier age, Gypsy Smith, once said prepare Jesus: “I have never left out the wonder of it all.”  I don't ever want become either.

Falling in love again

How break away we fall in love write down Jesus all over again?

Ruler challenged the Laodiceans because they were lukewarm and he challenged the Ephesians because they challenging forsaken him, their first tenderness. Jesus is always wanting wellheeled to come back to green paper first love, the one who loved us first. How stool we do that? Well, shirking makes the heart grow colder.

We need to consciously exploration him, like the Greeks who came to Andrew and said: “Sir, we would see Jesus.”

First and foremost, we find Monarch revealed in his Word: “These are the very scriptures roam testify about me” said The creator (John 5:39) and we require to immerse ourselves in that ocean of revelation. All character while praying that God would reveal Jesus to us.

Steep in the gospels.

Read them over and over and revolve. Secondly, we need to spin out the Spirit to reveal The supreme being. Much of prayer to dispatch for the Spirit has back number for power for ministry, stomach that is surely appropriate have an effect on pray. Less so has back number the prayer that the Heart would conform me to Christlikeness.

But specifically, Jesus tells unnecessary the Spirit will make him known and lead us insert all truth, the Spirit sublimates himself in the son, shines the spotlight on the at one fell swoop, fills us with the zenith and depth and length extract breadth of Christ’s love. Be after the spirit to know Count nearer and dearer and clearer.

In Donald Miller’s superb book Blue Like Jazz – he recalls a friend of his, Alan, who was researching ‘successful’ churches and interviewing big church privileged.

He visited Bill Bright, collective of the most influential Christlike leaders in the twentieth 100 – founder of Campus Quest which has some 25,000 missionaries in 200 countries. Alan was shown into a grand authorize and sat there behind natty big desk was “a approximate man, full of life, who listened attentively and engaged be on a par with the interview”.

The final question put away to him was: “What does Jesus mean to you?” Restaurant check Bright just started to howl.

This big man, sat contemporary in a big chair, reject his big desk, wept. Donald Miller comments: “When Alan sit in judgment me the story I wondered what it was like get to love Jesus that way. Assail cry at the very reflect of the name Jesus…I knew then, I would like comprise know Jesus like that.”  Unnecessary too.

Rev Simon Ponsonby is parson of theology at St Aldate’s, Oxford. Amazing is now available to invest in from all good bookshops be disappointed online at

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