(My next series of blogs constitute a message I delivered at GodFirst Church last Sunday. Due to technical problems the service wasn't streamed and the talk was not recorded. From the positive feedback I have received, I felt I should make its content available in this format. After that, I will be taking a four-week break from writing them.)

When I was unexpectedly asked to preach last Sunday on a topic of my own choosing, a number of things were buzzing in my head.

• That each of our normal Christian lives should include regular interaction with those outside our Christian community. (I bumped into the inspirational Pam Naraine on her power chair last week. She is over 80 now and has suffered severely from rheumatoid arthritis for many, many years. She was as bright as a button as she had a new prayer partner. One of the residents they had been praying for just happened to be in the lounge alone when she passed by later and Pam was able to have a great conversation with her. She is always connecting with non-Christians. What an example!)

• That "God wanting to take us to a higher level" as a church family could mean trusting him for signs and wonders that would result in the lost believing in Jesus.

• That radical discipleship is something that grows and develops throughout our entire lives. (There is no retirement for priests! Check out Zechariah in Luke 1:7-10.)

• That we should expect to see evidence of our growth to maturity and our being transformed into the image of Christ. (Each New Year's Eve in Guinea-Bissau, we were invited to testify as to what changes we knew God had brought about in our lives the previous year. What a challenge!)

• That our desire to see our church growing through people coming to Jesus is something we should all seek to be involved in.

• That our call to be "naturally supernatural" is something that needs to be seen not only when we are with fellow Christians but also in the wider community.

I know I’m certainly not there myself, but I want to be challenged to get there and I trust I am making at least some progress. Jesus has no desire to weigh anyone down with a sense of guilt. But he knows that such radical discipleship glorifies the Father and will bring us much joy.

All this led me to Acts 1:1-8 and John 14:1-14 and the "greater things" that those who believe in Jesus will be able to do.

Jim White, one of my heroes of the faith, who has seen Jesus do some remarkable things and is always hungry for more, had reluctantly agreed to share a few of them. I had to twist his arm because he prefers to avoid the limelight.

On one occasion Jim had seen a young man, who had been totally restricted to a wheelchair for years, get up and walk! He had been compelled to minister to him out of anger at his situation (see Luke 13:10-16). On another occasion he had witnessed God completely heal a young lady who had been stone deaf. On another he had seen a young musician who had suddenly collapsed on stage and died, raised from the dead! On another, when praying for a man he knew nothing about, God had given him a picture of a playpen with lots of toys in it, but no children. When he shared this, the man collapsed on the floor in floods of tears. His wife had just left him taking their twins with her. About two years later, and in a different location, Jim felt a tap on his should. Although Jim didn't at first recognize him, it was the man he had shared the picture with. His wife had returned to him with their twins and he was able to introduce Jim to them all!

Today in the hairdressers I was able to share all these stories with the young man who was cutting my hair. He was amazed.