Grace in the Community

What would Jesus say to Rupert Murdoch?

2012-01-27T08:13:00.000Z

When I mention the name Rupert Murdoch what immediately comes to mind? The phone hacking scandal with the News of the World. Rupert Murdoch is a global media tycoon, his empire spans newspapers, publishers, and TV channels as well as spanning continents Europe, America, Australasia and Asia. His influence cannot be overestimated. Forbes places him at number 24 on their list of the most influential people.

Murdoch is not a self-made man, he inherited his first two newspapers from his father but he has transformed that inheritance into a global force. He has not always enjoyed success in business or in his private life, having been married 3 times.

But what about his beliefs? His mother was from a Jewish family, his wife is catholic and Murdoch describes himself as a Christian. But that leads many to question that assertion because whilst his media empire includes Zondervan the Bible and Christian book publishers it also includes red tops which pride themselves of salacious storylines and soft pornography.

So what would Jesus say to Rupert Murdoch?

It’s not what you say it’s what you produce.
Turn to Luke 6:43-49. Jesus has been teaching the crowd who assume that they are in the kingdom because of their birthright and religious practices. He gives them two pictures to show the difference between claiming to be one of his people and really being his people.

The first is an image from the garden; a good tree produces good fruit and a bad tree produces bad fruit and he goes on to say that what comes out of our mouths reveals what is in our hearts(45).

In the second picture Jesus uses images from the building site as he describes two men, one builds on a solid foundation one doesn’t. Jesus words are the solid foundation to build life on and the difference between the two will one day be obvious.

I think the first thing Jesus would say to Rupert Murdoch would be to challenge him to examine the fruit in his life because it reveals where our hearts are. It’s not what you say you are you are but what you are you are and to encourage him to build wisely now for eternity by listening to his words.

The Gospel brings change
In many ways Rupert Murdoch reminds me of Zacchaeus, turn to Luke 19:1-10. Zacchaeus was not a popular man, in fact he has become something of a societal hate figure because of his work practices and the working practices of those who worked under him. But Jesus deliberately singles out and spends time with Zacchaeus even though money at the expense of morality is what has driven his living.

Jesus spends time with Zacchaeus because he knows the power of the gospel to bring change – even with someone like Zacchaeus. And the gospel does produce considerable change at considerable cost to Zacchaeus, it produces fruit as Zacchaeus gives back to those he has cheated and seeks practically to live in the light of the love he has been shown.

Jesus would welcome Rupert Murdoch and explain to him the scope and power of the gospel but that recognising that welcome, understanding that Jesus has given everything for you calls us to change, not to earn God’s favour but because we enjoy God’s favour.

Warning the watchers
Often in the gospels Jesus has more than one audience as he teaches and often he teaches more than one audience. Turn back to Luke 6, we see it here as Jesus is primarily teaching his disciples but he also warns the crowd. Similarly in speaking to Rupert Murdoch I think Jesus would also issue us with a warning similar to that found in v41-43.

Jesus warns us that often we find it easier to spot sin in others than we do in ourselves. Often we have a blind spot to our own sin. Jesus isn’t saying don’t help others see sin in their lives but be careful to examine yourself and invite others to examine your hearts and lives.

It is easy to sit here and question Rupert Murdoch - how can he produce papers like that and so on... But do we read them? Do we love the salacious gossip about celebrity love lives? Do we enjoy the pictures?

Be concerned about your fruitfulness and building your life as a response to who you know Jesus to be and what he has said. Help others but don’t judge always remembering your experience of grace and the power of the gospel to bring change.

The gospel has the power to bring change, to radically change us, to produce fruit.

Are our traditional modes of ministry sustainable?

2012-01-24T16:30:00.000Z

Britain is littered with church buildings, they are everywhere. Some may no longer be churches, they may be carpet shops or a mosques, or simply be boarded up or vacant. It was driving past some of those that got me thinking; if that is what is happening to the buildings what does it tell us about the church? What does it tell us about ministry in the UK? What challenges does it indicate for us in terms of changing our thinking about ministry?
Britain has a great tradition and history of faithful bible teaching, we live daily with the legacy of that and its influences on our society and we ought to praise God for it but it must not make us blind or complacent. There are big changes which have and are taking place in Britain which tradition might blind us to, and if we carry on with our traditional modes of ministry we will be in serious trouble.

One minister one church one location?
Traditionally many churches have had a minister - call it what you want; pastor, vicar, Father,.... But we are at a tipping point in terms of people entering the ministry. There are hundreds of churches across the UK looking for a minister, many of whom have been looking for some years. There are simply not enough ministers to go around, or enough being trained to meet the need. The traditional model of ministry is failing our churches, or rather it is failing some of our churches - the church is dividing into those who have and those who do not. And there is a geographical bias to this - it seems to be harder to get a pastor the further north you are.

How are we as churches and as ministers going to react to this? How can we help one another? In many other parts of the world pastors pastor more than one church with lay leaders co-leading the churches in a much more active way than they do in the UK. Could this work in the UK? It is not empire building it is kingdom focused.

Is planting churches a good thing?
As someone who has planted a church I feel this is a question I can ask; is church planting helping or hindering? Should we give as much time and effort to re-potting as we do to freshly planting? There is a desperate need for churches in communities where the Bible is not taught but is starting something afresh always the best way to do it? Would those resources be better served encouraging church renewal? It may be harder but would it serve the kingdom better?

Who are we training and where are we training them for?
Yes we want to be training up young leaders and the increasing proliferation of training course is a real encouragement to see BUT most of the young men and women being trained are found in university town/city churches and they stay in their university town/city churches as young professionals and enter ministry in their university town/city churches. Again haves and have nots. It means that we are growing larger university town/city based churches whilst many other churches out of university city/towns are short of young leaders. Our traditional model of training leaders is perhaps not as kingdom focused as we think it is or as it needs to be. How can we remedy this? How can we encourage each other to think about the unthinkable of giving people away?

The Kingdom and gospel of God is too precious for us not to examine our preconceptions and there are so many, these three suggestions just scratch the surface. As ministers is my model of ministry sustainable? Is it for us as churches? Is it for us as a church and for us as a nation?

2012 - Do we need to be ready for the end of the world?

2012-01-23T10:52:00.000Z

One of the big films of 2010 was 2012. It was a disaster movie that explored the idea that in 2012 the world ends in a whole series of cataclysmic events which destroy mankind. It is based on a series of prophecies some of which are being picked up in the media at the moment, as usually happens remember the fuss about the millennium and various other end of the world moments.

One of the big questions the film 2012 asks is this: ‘How would the governments of our planet prepare 6 billion people for the end of the world?’ It’s a great question, which the film explores as disaster after disaster hits the earth, Tsunami’s, earthquakes, meteor showers just keep on coming one after another. The question remains how would you save so many people? How could they be got ready for the end of the world?

Unsurprisingly as the film explores this idea we see society’s cynicism about governments is shared by the script writers and production team. Because their conclusion is very simple ‘How would the governments of our planet prepare 6 billion people for the end of the world?’ ‘They wouldn’t’

The Bible is concerned with answering a similar question but with some important differences: God is very different from the governments, and the problem is more immediate than in 2012. In 2012 it is imminent global catastrophe, and the Bible does says that one day the world will end, but it also says that more immediately we each face death as a consequence of leaving God out of our lives.

Luke 2v10-11 shows how God prepares everyone not just for the end of the world but for death. So that rather than dying facing God as someone we rejected we can face God as a child being welcomed home by our Father.

The answer is that he sends ‘a Saviour’ - a rescuer, someone who comes to deliver people from the greatest danger they face. But this isn’t just any rescuer, two other words are used to describe him and they mark Jesus out as a unique rescuer; “Christ” and “Lord”. Christ means anointed one – he is God’s chosen and appointed kingly rescuer, but he is also “Lord” – the sovereign ruler a title applied to God – this is the divine royal rescuer, God made man to save man.

In the film 2012 the governments of the world prepare arks for a select few to preserve the species, but everyone else is left unaware, and unprepared to die. God by contrast does everything he can to effect a rescue, in 2012 the government see people as faceless numbers who cannot be saved, by contrast Christmas tells us God is mindful of us, loves us, and will save us.

Jesus as he lies in the manger is God become human to represent us, to warn us and to secure our rescue, he does so by living a perfect life and please don’t take my word for that – Luke’s gospel is the result of years of interviewing eyewitnesses to Jesus life take this home and read it. And then despite his innocence he dies as someone who is guilty, judged not just by Pilate but by God and punished. But he is raised to life again by God so that we can be credited with, given, his perfect record if we trust him and accept him as Saviour, Christ and Lord.

How would you prepare yourself for the end of the world? It may not come in 2012 as the film portrays or as the prophecy predicts, but one thing is certain there will be an end of the world for each of us. 100% of the population dies and the question is are we ready for that be it because of a global catastrophe or because of old age and a wearing out of our bodies?

God in love sends his son to be the divine royal ruler, to be the kingly rescuer who prepares us to meet God and who restores our relationship with him, who comes to tell us how to be ready for the end of the world.

Our Identity in Christ; Sons. Galatians 4:4-7

2012-01-23T08:11:00.000Z

Who you think you are, rather than who you are, determines how you live. Is that true or not, and why?

How does how you think about yourself affect your Christian living?

That was the issue for the Church in Galatia, because they didn’t think of themselves rightly they were in danger of living wrongly. In fact Paul says the situation is so serious that they are in danger of abandoning the gospel altogether. Here’s a quick overview of how Paul talks about where their confusion about their identity in Christ has led them:
(1:6)“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no gospel at all.”
(3:1)“Who has bewitched you?”
(4:9)“how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces?”
(5:7)“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?”

You get a sense of the serious implications of their failure to understand their identity in Christ. It has led them to add to the gospel under the influence of Judaizers; they are being tempted to add circumcision, keeping religious feast days, keeping the law and so on. But Paul writes to warn them that to add to the gospel is to depart from the gospel, it is to deny the power of Christ to save and your identity.

In this letter Paul deconstructs this new legalism and in its place seeks to build a right understanding of their identity in Christ. 2:15-16 he reminds them that they are justified not by observing the law but by faith in Christ. In 2:20 he reminds them that believers have been crucified with Christ and now Christ lives in us and we live for him. That is our new identity.

In 3:23-29 he reminds them the law is like a custodian, like a chaperone who limits you and highlights your willingness to break the rules and only takes you to one place. The law makes you prisoners (23), it shows sins hold on you because you can’t keep it all. The law was designed “to lead us to Christ.” to direct us to him for life by showing us that otherwise we are destined for death.

And Paul calls on the Galatians to recognise the immense benefits and privileges that being in Christ brings, it is faith in Christ that makes us Abraham’s seed and heirs of the promises, full grown heirs. We aren’t just justified by faith, we aren’t just made holy by faith but in Christ we are adopted; made God’s sons with all the blessings that brings.

Now Paul turns to examine God’s purpose in redeeming a people for himself.

You are a Son
(4-5)**What does God do for us? Send his son to redeem us from under the law. It’s the image of the slave market, Jesus pays the price to buy our freedom from slavery, he redeems us, he purchases us for himself. Notice that it is not part payment, Jesus isn’t like a coupon that gives 10%, 20% or 99% off. 3:13 makes that clear “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us...” Jesus does it all for us, he pays all of the price to redeem us, we contribute nothing.

And he redeems us for a purpose, **what is it? “that we might receive adoption to sonship.” Before Jesus redeems us we are not sons but slaves, but in Christ we aren’t just redeemed for freedom from slavery but amazingly for adoption as sons of God, we become part of God’s family.

Knowing who are in Christ matters, we are made God’s sons, not slaves, not servants justified by our performance, but loved sons in relationship with their loving father, with all the rights privileges and responsibilities of sonship. We become part of the line of promise (3:14, 28-29), part of God’s plan of salvation history. Accepted, bought near, justified, included, secure.

And he goes on (6)to explore the relational reality of our Sonship(6) “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out ‘Abba, Father.’”

God having made us son’s legally by adopting us makes us sons relationally by sending the Spirit of his Son into our hearts so that we can live as sons.

As you read the gospels you are struck again and again by the closeness of the relationship between God the Father and Jesus his Son. God gives us the Holy Spirit to help us enjoy that same relationship. To assure us that we are God’s sons as we listen to him, respond to him and walk with him. And do you notice the words the Spirit causes us to echo are the very words Jesus used. We can relate to God as our father just as Jesus did because the same Spirit is at work in us, and he gives us his right standing as God’s perfect son. ‘Abba’ is a family word, it is a term that speaks of intimacy.

Imagine a couple who are adopting a child. **How would they feel when the adoption papers are signed and they have a legally adopted that child? They’d be thrilled. But imagine the difference when a few months later that child instinctively calls out ‘Mum’ or ‘Dad’ to them. Then it wouldn’t just be a legal relationship but a living, breathing, loving reality.

That is what God sends his Holy Spirit to do, to make our redemption and adoption a relational reality. So that we know our identity as sons, and increasingly to change us to look like and live out being sons. And that identity also brings a secure future as heirs of the promise, a promised inheritance that is kept in heaven for us by God.

We ought to be amazed at our Sonship, astounded at what Christ has done for us.

Who do you think you are?
But who you think you are, rather than who you are, determines how you live. If we think wrongly about our identity it leads us into danger just as it did with the Galatians. How might we think wrongly about how we are practically? How might we fail to live out our sonship? Here are some ways:

Not a Son but a Servant
Sometimes we can find ourselves thinking and living as a servant rather than a son, we judge our relationship with God based on how we have done. If I’ve read my bible, prayed and shared the gospel with someone today I have done ok and God is pleased with me. If not well I am uncertain how God feels about more or I am wracked with guilt. We start or end every day with a performance management review of our life. Guilt not grace determines our relationship with God and fear determines our living not love.

But that is not right, it mortgages our joy and makes every action a chore not a response to grace and the gospel. It is to fail to understand we are sons.

Not Praying but Paralysed
I think often our failure to understand our sonship can be seen in the way we pray. We are paralysed by focusing on the mechanics of praying; on saying the right thing, asking for the right thing or reporting that we have done the right thing or using the right terms rather than focusing on God.

**When you talk to someone what do you concentrate on? The person. You don’t concentrate on the means of communication or the nature of the words themselves. When I phone and speak to someone I don’t think about the mechanics of the phone line I listen to and concentrate on the person I am speaking to. It’s the same with prayer it is the medium through which we get to know God. Don’t concentrate on praying concentrate on God, your loving heavenly Father who wants to hear from you. That’s why the words the Spirit causes us to say are so important “Abba Father”, a child approaching their father and a child doesn’t focus on or filter their conversation they speak relationally.

Not Living it but Feeling it.
Sometimes we put too much weight on our feelings, maybe you say I don’t feel like God is my Father or that I am his Son.

I’ve got a challenge for you, ask my boys if they feel like I’m their dad. If you did they would look at you like you were mad. But if you watched them you will see that they instinctively relate to me as their dad; they ask for things, they share things, they talk about their fears and joys, they are disciplined by me, and so on. They don’t need to feel like I’m their dad, they just know it as a relational reality.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t make us feel like God is our Father and we are his Sons, he causes us to practically relate to God as our Father, as we instinctively pray and he encourages us, changes our attitudes and appetites, causes us to see needs and serve others, causes us to love others, leads us to forgive, highlights our sin, gives up as appetite for the bible and draws us back to the cross.

But too many people too readily judge their relationship with God on how they feel. It is just as well Jesus didn’t as you consider Gethsemane and Calvary. Only knowing our identity in Christ as sons gives us the freedom to live out our sonship.

Not Discipline but Punishment
How do you think of suffering? Often I think we fall into thinking of suffering as God zapping us for something we have done wrong. Like Job’s friends who exhort him to look at his life and identify the sin God is clearly punishing him for. But that is a misunderstanding of our relationship as sons to a loving Father.

Part of being a Son is being disciplined and Hebrews 12 tells us that God disciplines those he loves to change us, discipline is a result of love, it is training us, changing us, causing us to rely on God not ourselves. But if we have a wrong understanding of our identity in Christ, if we haven’t understood our Sonship we won’t see it as discipline but as punishment for doing wrong, and it will not train us just make us bitter.

Not Secure but Scared
Sonship should make us secure, not complacent but secure. Notice here the emphasis on being included in the promise. There is a sense in which we haven’t fully realised our sonship yet, turn to Romans 8:14-18, 23 using the image of sonship and adoption Paul writes that we eagerly wait for our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. We are adopted sons but we still live in a world which is sin sick, but our future is secure and it is glorious, we can be confident of it because it is secure in Christ.

Not Joyful but Dutiful
Does joy mark your life and your living for Christ? Joy flows from an appreciation of grace, a continually increasing amazement at what Christ has done for us, what he has made us, what he is making us and what he has in store for us. It is what fuels godliness.

That at root is the problem in Galatians, they mistakenly think that legalism is the way to please God, it is the way to be changed. It isn’t, it leads to a self righteous if joyless obedience. But knowing who you are in Christ liberates you to live by the Spirit for God’s glory. Understanding grace doesn’t lead to licence – whereby we do whatever we want – which seem to be the fear of the judaizers. Rather understanding grace and our identity as sons empowers us to live by the Spirit, to walk by the Spirit and to glorify God as we live out our sonship.

What would Jesus Say to Peter Kay?

2012-01-20T08:18:00.000Z

Peter Kay is the down to earth northern who shot to fame as a stand up comedian but is now one of the UK’s top entertainers, with voice over’s for children’s shows, song writing credits, and parts in Doctor Who, Coronation Street and other shows. His fame is such that having been the warm up act on Parkinson early in his career he was a guest on the final show. He has also written 3 books, the first of which, ‘The Sound of Laughter’, sold a million copies in its first 3 months. But what he remains famous for is his wit and distinctively different humour.

Peter Kay was born in Bolton and was an altar boy at the local Catholic Church and attended the local Catholic school. Here is what he wrote about it:

“It made me realise how dangerous Catholicism could be. When I was at school I was always told that if I was bad God would punish me and in the same breath I was told that God would forgive me for my sins whatever they were. It was a bit like being slapped one minute and getting a big cuddle the next. Catholicism sure knew how to mess with a child's head...

Over the years I've come to the conclusion that Catholicism is rife with hypocrisy and confusion. It's preyed on people like myself while people like myself were praying.”

Peter Kay isn’t alone in having that problem with the church. So what would Jesus say to Peter Kay?
It might surprise him and you but Jesus would agree about the repellent nature of hypocrisy. Turn to Matthew 23:1-12 where Jesus leads a stinging rebuke of the Pharisees because of their hypocrisy and the confusion they cause. Jesus problem with the religious authorities of his day is that they don’t do what they teach(3), they burden others(4) and they put on a good act(5). Not unlike many people’s experience of church today.

Jesus would, I think, then move on to show Peter Kay that he did not come to call people to religion, in fact he preached against religion, instead he came to call people to understand and live by grace. I think Jesus would want to clear up the confusion that Peter obviously has about what Jesus taught and who he was.

Answering the big question: How do you get right with God?
Is God a vengeful God who punishes wrong doing or is he a God who forgives no matter what your sin is? I think Jesus would want Peter to understand grace.

Look on a few verses to v37-39, it is a staggering statement from Jesus. As he surveys Jerusalem he almost reads out a charge sheet against it as a city “you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you...” What does such behaviour deserve? It deserves judgement.

But what does Jesus go on to say? How often I have longed to gather your children together...” Despite Israel’s repeated rejection of the messengers God sent, Jesus God’s Son expresses God’s heart desire to gather Israel, to love them, to forgive them. God is not a harsh petulant, changeable monster doling out punishment on a whim. He is gracious, he warns again and again and finally sends his son to warn again.

But Israel is not willing, Israel reject even Jesus. And if you reject God’s loving warning you will face judgement, in fact it is right that you do. God can forgive your sins no matter how bad they are but only if you are willing to accept and trust in Jesus.

And there lies another of Peter Kay’s problems, here’s what he says about Jesus:

"I also believe that a man called Jesus did walk the earth at one time but I don't think he was the superhero that the bible makes him out to be.... I think Jesus was just an ordinary person like me and you (well, I'm comparing you with myself in the hope you're not a mentalist). I believe that Jesus spoke about peace, he spoke about turning love into hate (sic), tears into laughter, war into peace... Jesus' teachings spread and quickly he built up a passionate following. People hung on to his every word, some would even walk for miles just to catch a glimpse of him... Ultimately Jesus' success bred contempt, people of power weren't fond of this hip and trendy preacher and before you could say 'Happy Days' Jesus was beaten, whipped, nailed to a cross and crucified. They didn't understand him, so they murdered him, in their ignorance and fear.

But Jesus had the last laugh. Apparently two days later on Easter Sunday he came back from the dead. Well, he'd have been daft not to with all those chocolate eggs knocking around."
Yet despite thinking Jesus is just an ordinary man he goes on to say life would be better if we lived it according to Jesus teachings.

You can't sit on the fence
What would Jesus say to that? You can’t sit on the fence. Either I did the things I did and I am who I say I am or I am not. Turn to Luke 5:17-26 – Jesus would want to show Peter that he can’t say his teaching is good but he was not God because of the claims he made about himself. That’s what Jesus shows the Pharisees as he heals this man – and as an aside all it takes for miracles to be possible is for God to exist. But Jesus claims are astonishing – he claims to be able to do what only God can do, forgive sin, if that isn’t true then he is either mad and his words should be ignored or bad in which case they should be destroyed.

Jesus would want Peter to focus not on religion but on deciding who he really is and what he came to do, to forgive sin.

Reading the Bible - some questions to ask

2012-01-17T14:12:00.000Z

How do you read the Bible? There is a danger that we read the Bible like we read a newspaper article or novel, skimming over it without stopping to interrogate the text or think about what it is teaching us. Whilst reading the Bible like that will still do us good, there is a better way; ask questions of the Bible. But what sort of questions? Here are some we gave out at church the Sunday before last as we prepared to read the Bible together:

What surprises you or haven’t you spotted before?
What don't you understand?
What is the big story of the passage?
What does it tell us about God?
What does it tell us about his plan of salvation?
What has just happened and is about to happen (context)?
So what difference should this make to us?

Its also helpful to have a notebook where you can scribble down your answers.

Every day every person ministry

2012-01-06T13:55:00.000Z

Acts charts the phenomenal spread of the gospel over 30 years from a provincial backwater to an Empire spanning faith, from 120 Jews to thousands reconciled from every tribe and tongue. It is quite simply a stunnung story of how the gospel changed the world one life at a time.

However, I think we often read Acts wrongly. We read it and think it was through Peter who is the focus of the first 12 chapters, and then Paul who is the focus for the rest, that the gospel is spread. Now they are hugely significant, but if we focus solely on them we miss the great encouragement for us in the normal spread of the gospel. Focusing on Peter and Paul leads us to have a sit and wait theology of evangelism – where we sit and wait for the really gifted person to come along, or run missions where they do all the gospel-ing.

But alongside the gifted preaching of Peter and Paul are the ordinary people; workers, shopkeepers, slaves, jailors, civil servants, mums, grandmas, and so on who take the gospel with them everywhere they go. In (2:47)it is the everyday life of the church that speaks so powerfully for the gospel, in Acts 6 it’s the practical service of the 7 alongside the Apostles teaching that sees phenomenal growth. When the early church is persecuted and spreads to Samaria and Judea (8:4) "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” In (8:39) the Ethiopian Eunuch is saved, baptised and heads home bursting to share this joyful news. Throughout Acts we see again and again ordinary people saved and serve as they live lives transformed by the gospel. Every believer is a minister, every believer lives out and declares the gospel as they live life transformed by the gospel and as part of a gospel community.

What would Jesus Say to Jeremy Clarkson?

2012-01-06T08:28:00.000Z

Even if you hate cars you will have heard of Jeremy Clarkson, presenter of Top Gear and probably as well known for his non-pc turn of phrase. Illustrated most recently when he commented about public sector workers who were on strike that they should all be shot, a comment which attracted over 21,000 complaints. It is not the first time he has managed to offend, he has been in trouble for his description of Gordon Brown, his comments about India, truck drivers, George Michael and Welsh.

Clarkson is a local Doncaster lad done good but he is definitely a Marmite man, you either love him and find his comments funny or you can’t stand him and find his opinionated comments offensive.

And Christianity, the church, God and Jesus have not escaped his opinions. In one episode he said he would like to consider Ferrari as a scaled down version of God, and in one episode he “took on God” in a race from Lands End to Penzance in the time it took from Sunset to Sunrise, a section which ended predictably with Jeremy winning and calling God a loser.

So what would Jesus say to Jeremy Clarkson?

A conversation over a meal.
You might expect Jesus to blank Jeremy, after all at times his comments have been racist, sexist and verged on blasphemous, but Jesus was notorious for spending time with just such people. He ate with the religious and irreligious, with those who loved others and those who did not. Popularity or unpopularity didn’t determine who Jesus spent time with, neither did what they had done in the past.

In the gospels we see Jesus spend time with people like Zacchaeus and Levi deeply unpopular because of their political views and morals. Those others found offensive Jesus spent time with, accepted, welcomed, and spoke to.

But what would Jesus say to him?
Perhaps Jesus would start by talking to him as he did to the man in the crowd concerned about money; Luke 12:13-21. I think he would remind him that riches, fast cars etc aren’t where real security lies. They are gifts from God to be enjoyed but there is a bigger question to answer; has he thought about God. Has he thought about life beyond this life, when the fast cars and money are gone. Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.

Jesus was always adept at knowing what people’s problems with the gospel were and here I think Jesus would want to talk to Jeremy about the nature of God, because Jeremy is like most of us our view of God is wrong and therefore how we relate to him is wrong.

I think Jesus would tell him a story from Daniel 4, King Nebuchadnezzar was King of Babylon and had a dream and in the dream he sees a tree large and strong which is chopped down and left as only a stump. Only Daniel can interpret the dream; it is a warning that God is the real King, he is more powerful than Nebuchadnezzar and he will not be mocked, that Nebuchadnezzar will be humbled, lose his kingdom and become like a wild man. But Nebuchadnezzar ignores the dream warning. And the words come true, read v28-37.

Nebuchadnezzar the most powerful king on the planet at the time realises he cannot take on God, that God is all powerful, and that the only right response is to humble himself and recognise that.

Jeremy like many of us has a wrong view of God. God is not weak, God isn’t distant, he’s not disinterested. God is all powerful and he rules and reigns and cares deeply about the world and about individuals. And as Jesus says in Luke one day we will stand before this Almighty God and have to give an account of ourselves. But just as Nebuchadnezzar is warned so are we; that warning is not in the form of a dream or a vision but in the form of his Son.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

Jesus would want Jeremy to understand the true nature of God and the wonder of what he has done, his plan of to save, and to know acceptance, a plan that is greater than any other the world has ever seen.

What do you think of me? Why do I care?

2012-01-05T14:18:00.000Z

This is the title of a new book by Ed Welch. In it he examines the peer pressure we all face but which is felt particularly by teenagers and young adults. In it he seeks to examine why we care and what that can lead to, as well as applying the bible's liberating truth to these everyday struggles. That freedom comes only when we understand who God is and who we are in relationship with him.

Reading the Bible together

2012-01-04T16:27:00.000Z

As a church we are trying to read more of the Bible together, it flows out of two things: 1. Conviction after preparing and preaching Acts 2 that we do not spend enough time reading the Bible together and 2. Reading in The Briefing the statistics that the average morning Bible reading is 15 verses which means you cover 2.5% of the bible in a year. Taking a staggering 40 years to read the whole Bible if you never repeat verses! Which means most ministers never do it in their ministry shelf life!

As a result we are going to be trying to read an overview of the Bible by reading a chapter a week. It has been quite difficult to whittle it down to 52 readings; we don't read Gen 2 which is so foundational to marriage, we miss out on Job and Proverbs altogether, the majestic Romans 8 and Philippians 2 are also missing. What I have tried to do in devising this is stick to the Bibles big storyline.

Wk	OT Reading	Wk	NT Reading
1	Genesis 1:1-2:3	27	John 1
2	Genesis 3	28	Matthew 4
3	Genesis 12	29	Matthew 5
4	Genesis 22	30	Mark 4
5	Exodus 12	31	Mark 8
6	Exodus 20	32	Luke 15
7	Numbers 14	33	John 11
8	Joshua 23	34	Luke 22
9	Judges 2	35	Matthew 27
10	1 Samuel 8	36	John 20
11	1 Samuel 16	37	Acts 1
12	2 Samuel 7	38	Acts 2
13	Psalm 2	39	Acts 10
14	Psalm 22	40	Acts 13
15	1 Kings 8	41	Acts 15
16	1 Kings 11	42	Romans 3
17	1 Kings 18	43	1 Corinthians 12-13
18	Isaiah 9	44	Galatians 2
19	Isaiah 53	45	1 Thessalonians 4
20	Jeremiah 25	46	James 1
21	Daniel 6	47	1 John 3-4
22	Ezekiel 34	48	Revelation 1
23	2 Chronicles 36	49	Revelation 4-5
24	Ezra 1	50	Revelation 7
25	Nehemiah 8	51	Revelation 21
26	Malachi 3-4	52	Revelation 22

Obviously each reading will need to be introduced and quickly set in its context, but I think the bigger challenge with this will be read it in a way that is engaging. That may mean using different people to play the role of different characters, it will certainly involve reading it more dynamically than we so often read the Bible. But it comes from the conviction that all scripture is God breathed and profitable. And I pray that as we read and get a bit more of God's word into our hearts and minds that God will be speaking to his expectant and reliant people.

E 100 Bible Readings

2012-01-03T09:43:00.001Z

I mentioned on Sunday morning the E 100 Bible reading Challenge and said I'd link to a downloadable version, here it is: http://e100.scriptureunion.org.uk/files/E100_planner.pdf

Is Reading the Bible a lost art?

2011-12-30T10:06:00.000Z

I'm thinking of having two readings in services this year, one being the passage we will look at in the bible talk and the other being part of a big overview of the bible which is simply read and not commented on. This is in part because of a conviction that we read relatively little of the bible in our services but it is the inspired and infallible bit in the service. Yet interestingly some people have reacted with a weary shrug of the shoulders to such an idea, I wonder if that's because we aren't very good at reading the bible out loud.

I've come across an article in the briefing which helps us think about reading the bible aloud and how to prepare to do so so that it is engaging and alive, there is also on on-line interview and example of the Bible being read: http://matthiasmedia.com/briefing/2011/10/how-to-read-the-bible-aloud/

Praying when you are suffering

2011-12-29T12:16:00.002Z

How do we pray when we are suffering? Here is a brilliant article from CCEF; http://www.ccef.org/blog/how-talk-god

Reading the Bible Differently

2011-12-29T11:10:00.000Z

The 1st of January is always an opportunity for us to think about reading the Bible, making a new resolution to get into God's word every day. In light of that this year I'm going to try listening to the bible as well as reading it. Here is a video showing what I'm going to be using to help me see and hear the bible afresh.

Loving a Challenge

2011-12-28T09:31:00.000Z

Shackleton's advert is often used in various talks about motivation or challenge, its fascinating to consider how many men signed up to take on such a task. I've just finished reading Steve Backshall's autobiography and he is one of the type to sign up to just such an undertaking - he loves challenge, the unknown, the risk, pushing himself.

Its interesting to look at the narrative of the Bible and identify just those sorts of characters, characters who were prepared to take a stand, to risk, to push themselves beyond their limits trusting God; Abram, Ruth, Elijah, Jacob, Joseph, Caleb, Joshua, David, Jonathan, Esther, Mary, Peter, Paul and so on...

I wonder if that advert above were reworded and posted in christian magazines how many would respond?

"People wanted for hazardous life, no monetary recompense, life lived as exiles among spiritual darkness, few resources, resentment from the locals, opposition and persecution highly likely, apathy a given. Honour and recognition in the form of hearing God's well done on that day."

I have to say that there are often times when it seems in talking to people about Doncaster that that is what I am asking people to sign up to. Yorkshire as a whole is spiritually bleak, there are few sizeable churches, it is so I am told the only county in England never to have experienced revival. And Doncaster is a typical Yorkshire town with all its great character, friendliness and blunt talking honesty, but also with its suspicion and hardness to the gospel. It is no different to a Rotherham, a Pontefract, or other Yorkshire towns. But alongside that God is no different, he is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask, he is a God who patiently waits for the gospel to be proclaimed and people to be won.

I do wonder what has happened to our trust in God, to our taking risks by faith. It especially makes me wonder when I hear of often young professionals who decide to stay living in their former student city but work in Doncaster because the churches in Doncaster are not like City churches in say Sheffield or Leeds. No these churches are not like city churches which have a good population of young twenties because those young twenties also commute in. They are also not like city churches in other ways, they often have small staff teams, often of 1, they do not have lavish resources, and they are often less polished and professional.

Yes, there are struggles with leaving a church you love where many of your friends have stayed after graduation, yes it may mean there is not the same twenties group around you. But having made that same leap myself at 25, leaving a church my wife and I loved as students and as a newly married couple, where we were serving in growing ministries to go to a church that was small and where we were the only couple our age, with a gap of about 10 years either way to serve, it is worth it.

How do we decide on where we live? Is it ease is it comfort it? What about loving a challenge? What about looking at the area around where you live with gospel goggles on? Asking not where am I comfortable but where can I serve? Not where are there people like me but where can I go which will be accessible to my work colleagues and friends?

Luke 2:1-20 – The King is in the Building

2011-12-23T09:07:00.000Z

If you had to come up with a slogan to sum up the society we live what would it be? Perhaps L’Oreal have come closest with ‘Because you’re worthy it!’ That sentiment; you deserve it, you matter, is actually behind most advertising.

I was listening to the radio when someone said they loved Christmas because it was the one time of the year when we think about others. It made me think – is that true? Is L’Oreal’s slogan turned on its head for a couple of weeks at Christmas? I have to say I’m not convinced about that.

There is a danger that we can carry the ‘because I’m worth it’ idea over into our reading of the Christmas story. Why did Jesus come – because I’m worth it! Actually yes Jesus is important but actually it’s all about us. But did you notice that in the readings we have had this morning humanity is almost missing. The real focus is on God.

We recently watched the Muppet Treasure Island and one of our boys groaned and said ‘Oh! Dad why do they have to keep singing!’ You could say that about Luke’s Christmas story. Just look at ch1 Mary bursts into praise, that’s followed by Zechariah, then in our reading you get the ultimate choir – no, not the winners of Last Choir Standing - but the angels – not cute little blonde girls in white dresses and tinsel but the heavenly armies of warriors of light, and that’s followed by the shepherds who go back to their fields praising. Who do they all praise? It is God, for what God is doing. Because actually that is what Christmas is all about, God being worshipped.

1. Wrong Worship
What would you say you worship? We all worship – we all have something that gives us significance and that matters intensely to us.

Luke gives us a picture of just that in Augustus Caesar (1). What is Caesar doing? He is carrying out a census of his empire. Why? Because he wants to know how great he is, in fact my hunch is that he wanted it recorded so that he made his mark in history. Do you see what gave Caesar significance it was his empire, how many lands he had conquered, who he ruled over, the extent of his power.

You see it again in Matthew with Herod – why does he kill all the infant boys in Bethlehem because his rule his reign mattered more than anything else.

How about us, what gives us significance? Maybe it’s a relationship, or family, or career, or money, or things. We may think they give us significance but ultimately each of those things will leave us dissatisfied – if we centre our life on relationships we will be jealous, emotionally dependent and manipulative, unable to take even perceived criticism. If we centre our life on family we will try to live our life through theirs and what happens when they grow up and leave? If we centre our life and identity on work and career we will be workaholics and what happens to our sense of worth if we lose our job, if we centre our life on money and possessions we’ll never be content and end up envious of others and bitter because you can’t take it with you. If you centre your life on religion and doing good you will end up judgemental and proud.

I wonder what you think sin is. Most people think sin is breaking the Ten Commandments, or any other commandments, it is doing bad things. But actually sin is more than that it is seeking to establish a sense of self by making something else more central to your significance, purpose and happiness than your relationship with God. In fact the 10 commandments start out with that very idea “You shall have no other gods before me’. Sin is failing to live rightly relating to God.

We all worship something – what do you worship?

2. Restored Worship
But the great news, the reason for all the singing in the nativity story is that God sends his son to call us back to restored worship and how he does so is amazing.

What do you think the cost of a state visit is? For George Bush’s 2003 state visit the policing bill alone was £4.1million. Then you have the cost of flights, his retinue and security service, the lavish banquets, clean up that goes on beforehand, the red carpet. I guess you wouldn’t get much, if any, change from £12mill.

But the astonishing thing here is the way God gets glory for himself. Besides the heavenly choir which appears on a hillside to shepherds, and a star which only travellers from the east saw it is very low key. The setting is a stable, there is no red carpet, and there isn’t even a cot. And yet what is happening is mind blowing. God becomes man, the one who created everything becomes part of his creation, and the one who has been worshipped for eternity by these warriors of light becomes a baby. He enters humanity as a single cell, he grows and develops in Mary’s womb, his heart starts beating, his legs and arms grow and finally he is born dependent. From all the splendour and glory of heaven to nursing at his teenage mother, from majesty to learning to crawl. It is absolutely astonishing.

And he comes to bring people back to worshipping God rightly. He comes to bring God glory by calling us to worship our creator as we were made to do.

Later in life Jesus told the Story of the Greedy Farmhands

"There was once a man, a wealthy farmer, who planted a vineyard. He fenced it, dug a winepress, put up a watchtower, then turned it over to the farmhands and went off on a trip. When it was time to harvest the grapes, he sent his servants back to collect his profits.”

**What does the wealthy farmer deserve? – he deserves his due, his share of the profits.

"The farmhands grabbed the first servant and beat him up. The next one they murdered. They threw stones at the third but he got away. The owner tried again, sending more servants. They got the same treatment. The owner was at the end of his rope. He decided to send his son. 'Surely,' he thought, 'they will respect my son.'

That is what Christmas is all about – God sends his son so that we will gives God his due. So that we will stop destructively centring our lives around the wrong thing and relate rightly to God.

"But when the farmhands saw the son arrive, they rubbed their hands in greed. 'This is the heir! Let's kill him and have it all for ourselves.' They grabbed him, threw him out, and killed him.”

"Now, when the owner of the vineyard arrives home from his trip, what do you think he will do to the farmhands?"

"He'll kill them—a rotten bunch, and good riddance," they answered. "Then he'll assign the vineyard to farmhands who will hand over the profits when it's time."

Christmas is not about us it is all about God. It is about God sending his son to turn us from our sin – from seeking to establish a sense of self by making something else more central to our significance, purpose and happiness than our relationship with God.

But it is about more than a warning. Jesus does it for us – that is God’s plan he stands in our place not just to show us what to do but to live that perfect life because we can’t do it. And as he dies he does so for our wrong worship, and by asking God for forgiveness for putting something else in his place and by trusting in what Jesus does for us we can have a relationship with God, we can like the shepherds learn to live echoing the angels praise.

Maybe you want to explore this a bit more why not pick up a book, a Bible or talk to a friend who invited you along this morning.

Maybe you have trusted in Jesus for a long time. It’s a great opportunity just to think about, to refresh, to ask God to help you by his Holy Spirit to live for his glory. To check nothing else has crept into the place of significance in your life that relationship with God should have.

God is great, that is what Christmas tells us and he wants us to know him and live our lives in relationship to him.

Receommended Book

2011-12-23T08:56:00.000Z

Whilst Lucy and I are together re-starting the E 100 Bible reading challenge, alongside that in the mornings I'm working my through 1 Samuel. It's one of my favourite historical books in the Old Testament but there are times when its easy to miss the Theological tune in the midst of battles, betrayals, and bad decisions. For that reason I am using a commentary by Dale Ralph Davis published by Christian Focus alongside my reading, and as usual his book is brilliant it is not dense of difficult but a joy to read and insightful, he also always has an eye to application.

It has to be one of the most readable and enjoyable commentaries, if not books, I've read in a long time. Well worth buying and reading.

An Impromptu Nativity

2011-12-20T08:47:00.000Z

We did this on Sunday as a fun alternative to a traditional nativity, the children and adults loved it and it was a lot less stressful in terms of preparation. We got some people to bring any props they had - sheep, wings, tinsel, tea towels, a baby and crib etc... We also had fun usually giving characters short bits to say but sometimes with adults testing them with long monologues! The audience participate as they play the role of the choir.

Characters:
Narrator - script
Angels – fairy wings, tinsel for heads (Badge for Gabriel) (Choose big strong men)
Shepherds – crooks and sheep, tea towels
Joseph – Toy hammer, saw, B&Q apron
Mary –
Herod – Crown
Wise men – crowns and gifts
Star – Cardboard star

[Get cast with props. Explain; you need to listen carefully and do what you are supposed to do and say any lines that your character says] Oh hang on a minute – there is no Wise men, or star, or Herod in the bibles nativity, they never arrive at the manger, they come later – so sorry you can sit down

Scene 1 – Amazing News
Mary was sat in her house in Galilee when suddenly the Angel Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you."

Mary was very upset because of his words she wondered what kind of greeting this could be. But the angel said, "Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is very pleased with you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. God will make him a king like his father David of long ago. He will rule forever over his people, who came from Jacob's family and His kingdom will never end."

"How can this happen?" Mary asked the angel.

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come to you. The power of the Most High God will cover you. So the holy one that is born will be called the Son of God. Nothing is impossible with God."

"I serve the Lord," Mary answered. "May it happen to me just as you say." Then the angel left her.

Scene 2 – A worried Joseph has a visitor
[Troubled Joseph paces in another house, before going to sleep]. Now Joseph was a good man and didn’t want to embarrass Mary in front of everyone. So he had decided to quietly call off the wedding. While he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, "Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

Joseph did what the angel had said.

Sing: Angels from the realms of glory

Scene 3 – Travelling to Bethlehem and Birth
Caesar Augustus made a law. It required that a list be made of everyone in the whole Roman world. Everyone went to their own towns to be listed.

So Joseph went from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem, the town of David with Mary because he belonged to the family line of David. [Get characters to enact going on a long journey]

While Joseph and Mary were there, the time came for the child to be born. She gave birth to her first baby. It was a boy. She wrapped him in large strips of cloth and placed him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.

Sing: Away in a Manger

Scene 3 – Shepherds worship
There were shepherds living in the fields nearby. It was night and they were looking after their sheep. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them. They were terrified.

But the angel said, "Don’t be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. Here is how you will know I am telling you the truth. You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a large group of angels from heaven also appeared. They were praising God. They sang [get angels to improvise a song],
"May glory be given to God in the highest heaven!
And may peace be given to those he is pleased with on earth!"

The angels left and went into heaven. Then the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem. Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off [shepherds head off through congregation] and found Mary and Joseph and the baby. The baby was lying in the manger. After the shepherds had seen him, they told everyone. They reported what the angel had said about this child and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. [Shepherds run back through the crowd shouting out the news]

But Mary kept all these things like a secret treasure in her heart. She thought about them over and over.

The shepherds returned giving glory and praise to God. Everything they had seen and heard was just as they had been told.

Sing: Once in Royal David’s City

Getting Ready for a New Year

2011-12-19T15:14:00.000Z

Last year I did the E 100 Bible Reading challenge http://www.e100challenge.org.uk/ and found it really helpful as a way of getting a bible overview and of doing 1-2-1's. Next year we are going to try it with the boys using the Big Bible Challenge which you can take a sneak peak at here: https://www.scriptureunion.org.uk/publications/books/bigbiblechallenge/index.html

Though amazon is the cheapest place to order it from at the moment, you can click to it through my sidebar.

The Edible Nativity

2011-12-15T13:00:00.000Z

This morning was the last assembly of term for me and it was the Christmas assembly, I always find it hard to come up with new ideas year on year, so thought I'd share this with others.

As background prep Lucy and I made and iced a biscuit nativity set with Stable, Star, Shepherds, Sheep, Wise Men, Camels, Baby Jesus in a manger, Mary and Joseph. (You can see a picture at http://twitgoo.com/539ugw)

We started the assembly by talking about What time of year is it? How many days to go?

Then began by asking what do you normally have as a background to the nativity? Stable - produce and set up stable. Who or what is in the stable? Mary, Joseph, Donkey, Baby Jesus, Star, Camels, Sheep, Shepherds, Wise men.

But actually not all of those were at the actual nativity scene - as you talk about them either eat them yourself or give them to a child or teacher to eat:

Stable – It wasn't a stable like we think of it but probably a cave in the rock, or a spare room (eat it)
The bible doesn’t tell us Mary rode on a donkey (eat it)
The wise men don’t visit when Jesus is born but some time later when they are living in a house (eat camels, wise men)
And we aren't told that the shepherd bought any sheep with them.

But the most amazing thing our nativity misses, is all the promises that were made about Jesus coming, here’s one: Isaiah 9v6-7 – he will bring peace, he will bring hope, he is God made man come to save us.

That is good news – its why we celebrate Christmas because Jesus is God’s gift to us a gift that brings peace. Our Christmas can be a bit crowded just like our nativity scene was and the danger is we look at the crowd not at Jesus. But the Bible tells us without Jesus - God made man come to save us there would be no Christmas, no great news, no happy celebration.

1 Samuel

2011-12-14T12:23:00.000Z

I'm doing some early background prep for next term when at LightHouse we will be looking at 1 Samuel 1-7. Its always interesting to pop the chapters into wordle and see what comes out. The bigger the word the more prominent in the text selected.

What to do when exhaustion strikes?

2011-12-13T16:38:00.001Z

Spiritual depression is a reality we can all face. There are times when we feel dry spiritually, when we feel as if we have lost our joy, when for a number of reasons we want to know closeness with God but simply don't.

It is not something which the bible leaves us on our own to feel guilty about. In fact Psalm 42-43 seem to describe David experiencing something similar:

Psalm 42
1 As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

Psalm 43
1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
deliver me!
2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
why have you rejected me?
Why do I go about mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 Send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling!
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

Isn't it encouraging that such a Psalm exists, that God by his Holy Spirit recorded it for his people to use so that we know we are not alone in feeling at times as if we are about to be swept off our feet and plunged into the deep. So that we know we are not the only ones who feel as if God is distant and as if we cannot approach, the only one who feel the press and pressure of enemies, or the only one who simply feels drained.

But this Psalm is not here to function as a pity party! Its worth us noticing in particular the refrain which the psalmist used through both of these turbulent Psalms: "Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." What is the Psalmist doing here? He is talking to himself, he is reminding himself of God his salvation and his hope. He does not castigate himself for how he feels, he does not engage in guilty arm twisting, he pours his heart out to God and takes his focus off himself and fixes his eyes, heart, and hope on God his Saviour.

We need to do likewise. This side of the cross we remind ourselves of the torn curtain that signifies that God is no longer distant and unapproachable but that the Almighty God of the universe is now someone we can call that most intimate of terms "Father", one whom we can approach just as the Psalmist did knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God. One to whom we can confess our failings, our sins, our anger, our inadequacies and know that we are forgiven and welcomed as loved sons in whom he is well pleased.

When we find ourselves spiritually exhausted and low, drained, tired, and joyless it is not just TLC or rest which we need, though there may be a need for some of that, it is ultimately to refresh ourselves in our understanding of the love of Christ, its depth, height, breadth, scope. We need (TAC) taking again to Calvary.

But feeling that spiritual exhaustion also provides a point at which to take stock. How have I reached this point? Have I been ministering to others in my own strength rather than in God's? Have I been open and honest with others asking for their prayers for my deepest needs? Have I allowed others to minister to me and serve me or have I withdrawn? Have I been ensuring I minister out of the overflow of God's grace and love which are in my heart rather than drawing on the ever dwindling reserves of our own ability to whip up love for others? How can I ensure I keep my eyes fixed on God's grace to me?

2 Timothy 4:19-22 Gospel Ministry is Team Ministry

2011-12-12T10:11:00.000Z

Here are my notes from last night:

1. What were Paul’s priorities?
2. Is Paul’s ministry a success and why?
3. How do you disciple someone?

Paul is now finishing off his final letter to Timothy, encouraging him to keep going in ministry and to come visit him quickly before he dies for his faith. All through the letter two themes, two passions, have shone through. Firstly, Jesus is his Saviour and the great news of the gospel must be proclaimed and believed. Secondly, his passion for people to be discipled and to serve Jesus Christ. I had a quick count and there are twenty five people identified by name as well as a household and other brothers and sisters.

Those two interwoven passions are what Paul exhorts Timothy to give himself to because that is what gospel ministry is; the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ his Saviour and the discipleship and love of people.

1. Loving the Gospel means Loving people
Gospel ministry cannot be separated from people. By its very nature preaching and teaching only takes place when someone is listening and learning, and discipleship requires someone to be a disciple.

This letter is littered with people that Paul knew personally, that he had spent time with, that he had preached to, partnered in the gospel with, and discipled. Some like Alexander are enemies of the gospel who have opposed and fought Paul, others like Demas, Phygelus and Hermogenes have deserted him. Some like Hymenaeus and Philetus have lost their way and are teaching false doctrine. But even then Paul knows each of their names, he feels their loss, their desertion or opposition, because he is passionate about people. And those bad experiences do not stop him loving others.

I want you to notice something about the way Paul talks about God’s people, **how does he refer to them? He names them as individuals or talks about them as a household or brothers and sisters. Paul doesn’t talk about the church as a nameless, faceless institution, he doesn’t love an institution he loves people, and that term brothers and sisters speaks of a relationship. The way he talks about God’s people reinforces his commitment to the relationship they have. I think that is something we need to think through. How do we think of church? The word ‘Church’ is not relational but almost cold and clinical, but they are our family in Christ, it is a group of people we love in the gospel, who we are committed to, who we will not lightly leave because we love them deeply. Loving the gospel means loving people.

There are those like Priscilla and Aquila who have engaged in ministry with Paul over years – serving God through their marriage, opening their home, and by their generosity. **There is Onesiphorus’ household, who is he? (1:16)He searched for Paul in prison and refreshed him. There is Erastus – a civil servant – who works hard for the gospel through his work. There’s Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia and the brothers and sisters; God’s people in Rome. All people Paul loves because he is reconciled to them in the gospel whether Jew or Gentile, whether like him or different from him.

Gospel ministry is loving people, not with a liquid love that is transient and changeable but with the same love God has for his people – committed, stable, reliable, active, lasting the test of time.

2. Loving the Gospel means Discipling Others
As Paul faces his death is his ministry successful or not? We know Paul was deeply concerned about the churches he had been involved in planting. He warns the Ephesian elders that savage wolves will come in and attack the flock, he writes to the Galatians rebuking them for turning from the gospel to embrace legalism, he writes to the Corinthians to tell them to stop welcoming immorality, and in 1 and 2 Timothy he warns Timothy to deal with false teachers in the church. The future doesn’t look too promising does it?

Paul preached to make disciples not just to win converts, he wanted to establish long lasting churches because what mattered was the gospels spread and peoples ongoing growth. And so we see in this letter that Paul isn’t just committed and passionate about people and ministry but about discipleship.

Paul disciples people who will disciple others, Paul disciples the next generation of preachers, teachers and pastors who will lead the church: Timothy, Titus, Luke, Crescens, Mark, Tychicus, and Trophimus all discipled by Paul, all trained as they partnered with Paul in mission. As they watched his life up close, as they heard his teaching first hand, and as they observed his love for people and for his Saviour who were then sent out on ministry themselves but always supported by Paul.

Paul loves all God’s people but he strategically seems to invest time in those who will be the next generation of church leaders. And it has been costly to Paul.

Demas has deserted and there is a rawness about that loss, but it hasn’t stopped him discipling others. Demas here is a warning to Timothy and us about not loving the world more than Jesus. But he is also here to say don’t let someone who you disciple going off the rails stop you discipling others.

Then there is Mark. **How is Mark described? “helpful to me in my ministry” yet there was a time (Acts 15:36-39) when Paul refused to take Mark on mission with him because he had deserted previously. But now he has been restored and failure is not final – it’s no wonder Paul tells Timothy to gently instruct opponents because look what God’s grace can do – it restores to service. Isn’t that an encouragement; failure isn’t final God’s grace restores us even if we fail. And isn’t it a great model of grace as Paul shows that same grace welcoming back one whose loss he had felt so keenly earlier.

I think discipleship has been missing from our vocabulary as God’s people. But we need to rediscovery it. Are we committed to discipling others? To laying our life open so others can see, so they hear the teaching, see the passions, see the areas where battles are fought and grace needed? To training others so that things don’t suddenly stop when we stop doing something but seamlessly transition, so that the next generation of youth workers, Sunday School Teachers, preachers, pastors etc is growing. Real Gospel ministry is one which multiplies ministers.

But how? How do you disciple someone?
· Help them think about how they have been disciple already.
· Show them what discipleship looks like in the bible (Luke 9:51f)
· Discipleship means sharing life with them (1 Thess 1)
· Time – spend time together
· Let them see you teach and ask you about how and why?

I want you to notice something else. Gospel Ministry is team ministry. Paul isn’t a one man band, Paul always engages in ministry with others, normally with a team of people. Remember how throughout the letter Paul has been encouraging Timothy to endure not desert because gospel ministry is hard, Paul knows that through bitter experience. It can involve persecution, opposition, confrontation, rejection, desertion. Gospel ministry needs to be team ministry, even here he writes to Timothy because he is not alone he is part of a team.

It is not just here but it seems to be a biblical pattern, gospel ministry is team ministry. As we stand for Christ in the workplace we need others with us, ideally physically with us but if not supporting us in prayer, Sunday school teachers, youth workers, pastors need others with them.

Gospel ministry is team ministry. We engage in ministry relying on God but needing the God given support of others.

3. Loving the Gospel means pointing to the Lord and Grace
Paul’s closing words are significant, he knows that he will die soon and as he prepares Timothy and the church for that eventuality he points them to two things which never die, two things he has pointed to throughout the letter and throughout his life.

(22a)”The Lord be with your spirit.” Even as Paul will be no longer with him Timothy is not alone. Paul prays he will know Jesus presence, a presence which enabled Paul to preach at his preliminary hearing strengthened by the Lord even when everyone else had deserted him. What an encouragement for Timothy. What an encouragement for us, God is with us.

In the final phrase the “you” is plural not singular, this is something Paul prays for the church not just for Timothy. “Grace be with you all”, grace that (1:9) “was given us in Christ Jesus...” revealed in his appearing which conquered death and brought life and light. The church needs God’s grace – it is what saves us, it is God’s power at work transforming us, enabling us to life liberated by and under the rule of Jesus.

It doesn’t matter that I won’t be with you, you don’t need me you need Jesus and grace says Paul and they will be with you.

Isn’t that liberating and humbling, the church doesn’t need one person, no matter how gifted or charismatic, it needs Jesus presence as Lord by his Spirit active through his word and his people and a working and growing understanding and appreciation of the wonder of grace. That’s why even as Paul faces death it will not be the end of the gospel because it is not Paul’s gospel but God’s, not Paul’s power but God’s, not Paul’s talent but God’s grace, not Paul’s word but God’s.

Are you ready for this week? Jesus goes with us into our week and Jesus grace covers us for this week.

Have I got itchy ears?

2011-12-09T08:44:00.000Z

One of 2 Timothy's most memorable phrases is this: "Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."

It is a damning indictment of people who will turn from sound doctrine which teaches, rebukes, corrects and trains to false teaching which simply confirms them in their beliefs and their lifestyle - which if you read the rest of 2 Timothy is clearly simply that of society around them.

But I wonder if there is another application, many of us do not find false teaching attractive, in fact we have twitchy heresy antennas. However, what about listening to the advice of others, do we listen to the advice of those who do not say what we want to hear searching instead for someone who will say what our ears want to hear because it agrees with our own desires.

For example - the young mum who finds church a bit of rush on Sunday who listens not to the two or three people who encourage her to come but to the one person who says well just make toddler group your church until the children are older. Or the person who is attracted to someone who does not share their faith who ignore the words of those who teach them what the bible says searching for someone who says what they want to hear.

They are obvious examples and ones which I think we would readily spot in others. But what is it for you and for me? Do I keep on searching until I find someone who will agree with me that what I want is right? I think we need to learn to be self aware - what is it I want, what do I want others to say, what will I do with dissenting voices? It may help us spot if we are looking for someone to just say what we want rather than genuinely searching for godly wisdom.

Questions for churches to ask themselves

2011-12-07T15:05:00.000Z

Just some further thoughts about how we think through the issue of church service timings, it may helpful to ask the following questions:

What days and times do people work?
When do non-Church goers like to go clubbing and partying?
What sports are big in the community? When are they on TV? And when do local professional, competitive, and fun sports leagues play?
What nights do teens, young children and students do their homework?
How many people can’t resist sleeping in?
Are there a lot of young children with early bedtimes?
What does the average schedule look like for the people we want to reach?
And how much ought we to fit in around these?

We also need to think about those who attend regularly what is best for them and why? Maybe multiplying services or congregations is a better way forward that the upheaval of moving an existing meeting time and losing some people who can't do a new one.

A church that is trying reach the parts other churches don't reach?

2011-12-07T14:41:00.000Z

I've been thinking about the unreached in our society, those that as churches we just don't reach. As I've thought about it 3 particular groups come to mind, one is single parents, another is co-habiting couples and the last is those who love playing football.

I wonder how much the times we meet at influence who we reach. We have growing boys who would love to play football but almost all the teams here play exclusively on Sunday mornings, its the same for men's teams. Therefore by meeting on Sunday mornings we are effectively saying church is not for those who love playing football, or we force them to choose. I wonder for how many boys growing up there is a resentment that parents made that choice for them?

Whilst not sure how that plays out for co-habiting couples, I wonder if there is a similar problem with when we meet for single parents. If we find it hard as couples to get up, get ready and get the tribe out imagine how much more difficult it is for a single parents with only one pair of hands. And evening church is out of the question because it is just too late and the children need to be in bed.

Interestingly when we first started we asked our non-church going friends when would be the best time for them to come to church, they overwhelmingly said it would be the morning. But I wonder if that is the case, would an afternoon at say 4pm be easier? Whilst it would feel odd for those of us used to Sunday mornings would it free us up to get involved in children's, men's or ladies football and have friends over to lunch before church, would it facilitate us building relationships with those that at the moment we do not reach?

In short how can we be a church that reaches the parts of the UK which other churches are not reaching? More thinking to be done and more posts to follow.

2 Timothy 4:9-18 Strength for Gospel Ministry

2011-11-28T08:26:00.000Z

Notes from last nights LightHouse:

Paul has been calling Timothy not to give up teaching and preaching God’s word even as he faces opposition and confronts false teaching. He’s also been calling him to live out the gospel message, to be changed by the word of God so that he doesn’t just proclaim it but people can see its power at work in his life.

Last week we saw from (4:1-8)Paul call Timothy to live out his kingdom context, to fulfil his commission to preach the word , to understand the threat to gospel ministry and to pick up the baton Paul was passing on and pass it one to others. Now Paul shows Timothy how those things are being worked out in his life even as he is in prison and awaiting his death.

Next week we are going to focus particularly on passing on the baton and the nature of gospel ministry as team ministry, but this week we are going to focus on the other elements.

1. Fulfilling his commission: Preach the word
Turn to Acts 9:15-16 we see there God explain to Ananias his plan for Paul, **what is it? “to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.” Paul has given his life to fulfilling that commission, he is aware of it himself, in 1 Tim 2:7 he writes “for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle... and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.”

I don’t know about you but if I ended up in prison for preaching the bible I think I might be tempted to take a break from doing so. To take it as an opportunity to rest. But did you notice the emphasis in this section on ongoing ministry and preaching. **So Paul wants Timothy to do what? “come to me quickly”, **why? (10)“for...” Demas has deserted, and Crescens, Titus and Tychicus have been sent elsewhere to preach the word. Paul is not totally alone he has Luke with him, but he wants Timothy to come and see him too.

But not just as a comforter and friend, **what does he want Timothy to bring with him? Mark, his scrolls and his parchments. Now it isn’t that Paul wants some holiday reading, he isn’t asking Timothy to bring his airport novels or the latest Dan Brown. These scrolls are most probably his copy of the Greek Old Testament. **And he wants Mark to come to him why? “because he is useful to me in my ministry.” Paul wants Timothy, his son in the faith, and useful in ministry Mark and his scrolls so that he can continue ministry even from within his prison cell.

Paul has not retired from gospel ministry, (2:9) he has already reminded Timothy that though he is chained “God’s word in not chained...” And knowing that he lives that out. Just as he exhorts Timothy to continue preaching the word in hard circumstances so he continues to preach the word. You never retire from gospel ministry.

Do you see the dimensions of Paul’s understanding of the power of the gospel unleashed as God’s word is taught. As he preaches it, and Timothy and Mark multiply ministry in Rome, God’s word, the only power that can, is unleashed to change the world one life at a time.

Do I share that conviction about the power of the bible as it is taught? Do I share in that passion to see people changed?

I think this also helps us see a great prayer to pray for our brothers and sisters who are in prison for their faith, for preaching the gospel. Pray that they would keep on preaching the gospel that they would not despair or give up but maintain their convictions and lives would be changed.

But it’s also a conviction we are increasingly going to need to have as in Britain there is a growing resentment of and opposition to public expressions of the Christian faith. If you can lose your job for wearing a cross imagine the reaction to explaining the truth about Jesus.

Some of you will know of the ‘Not Ashamed’ campaign which is encouraging Christians to sign a declaration of hope that we believe that Jesus Christ is good news for our nation. He is the only true and solid hope for our society. And calling on government, employers and other leaders in our country to protect the freedom of Christians to participate in public life without compromising biblical teaching and to promote in our society the values that are revealed through Jesus Christ and that have so shaped our nation, for the good of all.

How does Paul say we ought to act? We join such campaigns as we continue to preach the word even in the face of hostility and opposition.

2. Understand the threat to gospel Ministry
Timothy is facing opposition to preaching the word and Paul has been encouraging him to endure, to persevere, not to give up and desert but to devote himself to preaching the bible. And here we see that it isn’t just Timothy, that in fact opposition is part of gospel ministry. **Paul advises Timothy to be on his guard about who? “Alexander”. **Why? “because he did me great harm”, **how? “he strongly opposed our message.”

It’s important that we understand Alexander is an enemy of the gospel because he opposed the gospel, not because he has had a personality clash with Paul. We cannot identify this Alexander with any certainty but we know that he did everything he could to stop Paul preaching the word, in fact some commentators think he is the one whom informs on Paul so that he is arrested. And notice that he is not a priest or a church leader he is a metal worker, he is just an ordinary guy, but he does everything he can to undermine the preaching of the truth.

Notice how Paul says Timothy is to treat him, he is to “be on your guard against him”, or beware him. He does not say take some of the boys round and see to him, or fire bomb his house, or tell everyone what he has done. He says be wary of him. Paul entrusts the situation to the Lord who will repay him(15), the Lord who (1)will judge the living and the dead.

There are enemies of the gospel, be on your guard against them but entrust their judgement to God.

Can you think of someone who is an enemy of the gospel? Who does everything they can to stop you teaching the bible? Here is a model of how you treat them, you guard against them and you entrust them to God who will judge. Expect opposition some people will hate the gospel and so they will hate those who teach and preach the gospel.

3. Live life in your Kingdom Context(16-18)
The kingdom context is vital in determining how Paul lives, how he reacts to every situation he is in, be it prison, teaching Timothy or dealing with Alexander. **We saw last week how though in prison Paul sees himself as **simultaneously living where? “in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus.” Well here we see it again.

Outwardly things look bleak(16) outwardly he had no-one stand with him at his trial. Now we need to be clear about what he is saying here, he is not saying there are no believers with him, because Luke is there(11) and (21)we see that there are other believers in Rome who he sends greetings from. But there was no-one who would be his advocate or character witness at his preliminary hearing. Paul is too hot to handle, no-one will stand with him in court.

But notice the difference in his reaction to them, Alexander opposes the gospel and Paul prays handing him over to God for judgement, fellow believers are fearful of standing with him because of persecution and Paul prays for their forgiveness. They have not opposed the gospel, or rejected Paul just been scared of standing with him.

But notice how important his kingdom context is, there is no-one stood with him and he feels isolated and alone and bereft of support, is it worth it, am I doing the right things, can I make it through this may be how he felt as he looked at the situation with physical eyes. But (17) **how does his kingdom context change that? “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength”, the fear and failure of others highlights all the more the faithfulness and power of God.

The Lord himself enables Paul to carry out the commission he has called him to, proclaiming the gospel even at his trial. The Lord himself is his advocate and character witness – that is his kingdom perspective.

God enables and empowers him to stand as a New Testament Daniel, and yet again God shuts the lion’s mouth, some suggest here that is a physical rescue, but Paul remains on trial and will die, though he is rescued from death at his first trial. I think it’s a spiritual rescue, Satan is described elsewhere as a lion, and Paul is saying God empowered and enabled me to overcome the spiritual battle, the temptation to give up, the temptation to bitterness at being left alone, the temptation to choose ease over preaching the truth, the temptation to pull up lame, to throw in the towel instead of fighting the good fight. It is the kingdom context that enables Paul to withstand that attack and those that are coming and enables him to say with confidence “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will being me safely to ... **where? “His heavenly kingdom.”

We need to know the present reality of the kingdom which we are part of. Do you feel the temptation to give in, to give up the fight, to stop guarding, to stop running the race? When we find ourselves weary in doing good, drained in standing, tired of preaching we need to stand back and remember our kingdom context. The power to persevere is not something we have to whip up in ourselves it is given by God 2 Tim 1:7 “For the spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 1:12 “I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.” 2:11-13, 2:19, 3:17, 4:1 all remind Timothy that God enables us to endure, that he empowers by his Spirit.

We have everything we need to endure in Christ by the Spirit. We are not on our own, we are not summoning up our reserves of endurance, and perseverance but we are depending on God who promises us his resources. Remember your kingdom context and that all the resources of the Father are yours, you are safe in his hands and you fight the fight, as you run the race, as you keep the faith.

Isaiah 9:6 A Son is given

2011-11-27T15:01:00.000Z

One of my favourite films is Batman the Dark Knight, in that film Batman battles with the forces of evil and crime in Gotham City, seemingly alone against a vast array of enemies lined up against him. Harvey Dent at one point says to Bruce Wayne this “The night is darkest just before dawn”. As we turn and look and Isaiah 9v6 this morning you could apply that very modern saying to this situation. This morning we are going to simply look at this verse under those headings.

Darkness
(2)”The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; On those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned”

It is a bleak description of what life in like in Judah. Just glance up at the end of chapter 8 and you’ll see that it isn’t a throw away line, the words there are so bleak; distress, hungry, famished, darkness, fearful gloom, utter darkness. Israel is in pitch blackness.

Ch1-7 catalogue some of that blackness as God describes what he has seen in his people; meaningless offerings, rampant injustice, corrupt rulers, superstition, divination, idolatry, arrogance, parading of their sins, drunkenness and alcoholism, and a refusal to trust in God rather than trust in political alliances. And in the background lurk the superpower of the day, Assyria who look covetously at Judah, like a vulture just bidding their time.

It is a bleak hopeless picture. It is a thick darkness so dark that it’s as if you can feel it. There is no hope. As you read these opening chapters it is so depressing, it seems so hopeless. All is darkness.

But it is not an isolated description, in fact darkness is used throughout the bible to describe a world, or an individual who lives life without knowing God. Darkness comes into the world from the moment Adam and Eve decide that actually we can decide right and wrong for ourselves without reference to God, and it has continued that way ever since.

Perhaps you are sat here this morning and you are saying so you are saying I am in darkness? Yes, that is what the bible says. You may make good decisions but you don’t do so for good motives, often the motives are dark – they are self interested. Life lived without knowing God is life lived in darkness, without seeing the true picture of what life is really like or really about. Keep listening because in a minute we are going to talk about the light.

Maybe you are here this morning and you feel that darkness at the moment and it is sucking your hope. You see your faith mocked in the media, derided on TV, you face opposition at work and in your family. Darkness, and it feels so thick that sometimes you begin to lose your grip on your hope. Or maybe this morning it is bereavement or fear that is that darkness that threatens to overwhelm you, there was certainly lots of that around in Judah. Maybe Christmas will bring home the loss of a loved one or the fear that you may lose a loved one, and the darkness of the world we live in so infected with sin and all its attendant effects threatens your fear. You need to listen to this hope.

It is against this bleak, bleak background that Isaiah reveals the light.

Light
Notice how he describes the light, this is no flickering feeble candle, or single beam torch which doesn’t dispel the darkness but just makes you more aware of the small beams feebleness. It is a great light, it is like the sun rising at dawn as darkness flees before it, this is a light that drives away the thick cloying darkness.

And look at what this light brings with it (3-5) it brings joy to a nation that is now secure, it brings food to those who before were famished, it brings the defeat of their enemies and the threats they faced. This is a total rescue, this is not a temporary respite, this is a new kingdom, this is a hope to hold on to in the bleakness. It is a total reversal of the hopelessness, this is a hope to believe in.

What is this hope? How does (6) start? “For”, in other words all these things will happen because “to us a child is born, to us a son is given”

The hope for God’s people is not in a new superpower or alliance, it is not in the King suddenly coming to his senses the hope is in a child who is to be born. The hope is in Jesus God’s long promised King.

And notice that this is a child that is born, he is human born in the same way as other babies except that he is born of a virgin (c/f Ch7) in a stable in Bethlehem. Just as an aside some of you may be thinking how can anyone be born of a virgin? – all it takes for the virgin birth is for God to exist, if God exists and he is God by nature a virgin giving birth, though a miracle to us, is not a big deal to him.

Jesus is God’s long promised king he leaves all the splendour of heaven and steps down onto earth, he is born, he eats, he cries, he sleeps, he grows, he experiences all the darkness and all the struggles of living in the world we live in.

John 1v5-14. John picks up on Isaiah’s language of Son and Darkness, and says it is Jesus, and he gives us John the Baptist as a witness that Jesus is the light, he is this child, he is this Son.

Our hope is in the Son of God incarnate, it is in Jesus who is for us, who comes to earth because he is for us, who lives for us, and who dies for us, and is resurrected for us, and who now reigns at his father’s side and is for us. We could never get out of the darkness ourselves, we need a light to come.

But notice something else he comes born as a child, but he also is “a son is given.” He is the descendant of David, the ruler in the line of David who takes the throne of David and will rule for ever. But he is also given, God gives his Son to a world that is in darkness, that has rejected him and rebelled against him and forgotten him and deliberately turned its back on him. To such a world God gives his Son.

Christmas really is all about giving. That’s a hard thing to teach our children isn’t it, you tell them that and they think ‘Yeah Right! That’s just because you don’t get good presents!’ But Christmas is when we remember God giving his Son to a world utterly undeserving of such a gift, in fact deserving of exactly the opposite.

John picks this up again in 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but shall have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Do you see the love and grace and goodness of God? Christmas is about true giving!

How do you know how God feels about you? Do you listen to TV programmes like the Simpsons and others which say you can judge how God feels about you based on how life is going. If things are going badly then God is angry with you if you are being blessed then God loves you. Don’t listen to that, listen to Isaiah – God loves you so much he sends his son into the world for you not because you were good or nice, but because you are or were in darkness and he wants to save you.

We are more wicked than we ever realised – we are in darkness, but we are more loved by God than we have ever dreamed – he sends his Son to save us. In Jesus God offers his Son to us, just like any present you are offered the question is will you accept him? Will you put your trust in him? Do you recognise that you live in darkness and need the light, that you make decisions but can’t seem to see clearly how and why you are making them? This Christmas God says accept the greatest gift I give to you.

We need to realise again the nature of the good news of the gospel, in Jesus God breaks into the world and starts overturning, driving out the darkness one life at a time. Creating communities of hope, beacons of light in the darkness where the presence of Jesus lives on by his Holy Spirit, a community that is called to light up the darkness.

It is why as Christians we love Christmas, its why we celebrate, its why we can never be bah humbug about Christmas. It is a reminder of our hope, our light coming into darkness, of salvation gifted to us by God in Jesus. And it points us to a day when the light will not only be in our hearts but when the sun will rise and sin and darkness flee away never to be seen again.

God's strange sovereignty

2011-11-27T14:11:00.000Z

This morning was one of those mornings when you stand back afterwards and say I am so glad that preaching doesn't depend on me but on God. It started with an early morning text message saying the person who was due to preach was too ill, I promptly set to work with the bible and Isaiah 9v6 and some arrow prayers as I went, and was almost finished when my laptop decided to shut down, and yes, you guessed it for some reason auto-save hadn't worked. On boot up there was just a menacingly white screen and cursor blinking mockingly at me, taunting me. And so I started all over again at 9.20am, for a service starting at 10.30am.

This side of the tension I can say its good that God works as he did. It reminded me again that preaching is God speaking through man's (my) foolishness. That he was sovereign over every illness, every computer glitch and this was in his purpose, once I had that perspective it was less frustrating, exploring again what God wanted me to learn from the passage and from his divinely ordained circumstances. God is good, his word is powerful, I must trust him and his way even when it is not the way I would choose, and as one who preaches his word I am only ever reliant on him to open my eyes to see his truth, and open my lips to have anything worthwhile to say.

Not Ashamed

2011-11-25T10:29:00.000Z

Next Thursday is 'Not Ashamed Day'. You can find out more by following the link below. At the website you can also sign the declaration of Christian hope for our nation, saying that you believe that Jesus Christ is good news for our nation. He is the only true hope and solid foundation for our society. And call on government, employers and other leaders in our country to protect the freedom of Christians to participate in public life without compromising biblical teaching and to promote in our society the values that are revealed through Jesus Christ and that have so shaped our nation, for the good of all.

Follow this link: http://www.notashamed.org.uk/index.php.

You can also read stories there which will show why this is so important, and listen to video explaining what the aim is, and even by badges and wrist bands to show others that you are taking this stand and raise the issue.

Being Men in Christ Part 4 - Men in Christ as Disciples

2011-11-23T11:32:00.000Z

How do you think of church? I think often the way we think of church is unhelpful, even if we have got passed it being a building we think of it as a service, or an event. But at the heart of church are committed reconciled relationships, ones which aim to apply the truth of God's word to one another's lives, to expose our sin and to display the wonder of the gospel of grace.

Popular media has cottoned on to something about men, you think of 'manly' films - Saving Private Ryan, Fight Club, and TV shows like 'Band of Brothers', 'The Pacific' what do they all have in common? A group of guys committed to one another often taking on an epic task with just each another for support.

Men need other men, men need friendship, those friendships may look very different in the way they work but men are not solitary beings, they need a band of brothers. This is largely because we need challenge; we need other people who we know are committed to our gospel good who will challenge us about our lives and any gospel gap they see there. These relationships will not be the same for every man because all man are different, the bible reflects that - Peter is a very different character from David who is very different from Elijah, who is very different from the Apostle Paul and so on. Men are different from one another and the way they relate to one another will be different but men need other men.

Men also need courageous leaders, there is a pattern in scripture of men leading men. Think again of characters like Moses, David, Nehemiah, Peter, Paul and ultimately Jesus. All courageous leaders, all leaders who lived out their lives in view of others whose passion for God was clear and who took others with them, who called people to something greater than themselves. Men need courageous leaders who will disciple them by word and example and call them to kingdom greatness.

Men also need to wake up, as the music video I linked to yesterday so eloquently said, men need to man up and take a stand for the gospel. We need men to engage in evangelism because 93% of the time if a husband comes to Christ the family follow, and yet we struggle to reach men, why because I think in large part men follow men, men follow courageous leaders and they are not finding those leaders to follow. This must make us pray 'Father God, raise up a generation of men who will contend for your name.' and recognise that we may be part of the answer to our own prayer.

We need men to engage in discipleship of one another, to form lots of little bands of brothers, fight clubs where they fight sin, apply the gospel and challenge one another to live for Christ. Because it is only God's word at work in our lives which will lead us to have a heart that is passionate and on fire for Jesus.

We need to explode the 'quiet time' mode of personal bible study. For lots of men I speak to this is off putting. Why does it have to be quiet? Why can't it be noisy and exuberant? Does it have to be on our own, why when so many people find it easier in a small group setting? We need to study God's word, to understand more of his character and heart, to know more of the wonder of the gospel and how it remakes our identity, yes! But there is no one way of doing it, God has made each of us different use that individuality to find how and when and where is best for you to get to know God. Is it outside walking in the woods, is it reading the bible or listening to it, is it written prayers, out loud prayers, sung prayers?

We are men made in Christ's image, our identity is that we are in Christ with everything that means. Yet for many of us we live with a gospel gap, we know we have been saved and justified and we know that we have a secure and glorious future kept in heaven for us, but the gospel gap is now. What does being a man in Christ look like now?

Hopeful these posts have given some food for thought, but I still think we have a lot more thinking to do about this. Be men; passionately and courageously love Christ, take risks for the gospel, apply grace daily to your relationships, establish fight clubs with other men, study God's word, and call others to join you in serving Jesus.

2 Timothy 4:1-8 A Charge to Gospel Leaders

2011-11-22T16:36:00.000Z

Notes from Sunday Night

1. What does successful gospel ministry look like?

2. What makes ongoing gospel ministry hard?

This letter is Paul’s final charge to Timothy, in it as he faces death for his faith we see the passion and purpose of his life clearly displayed in how he calls Timothy to live.

I found it striking this week to think what would I write if I knew I did not have long left to my children? What convictions would I look to pass on? What advice? As we look at Paul’s final convictions its worth asking ourselves to what extent they are ours.

1. Live life in your Kingdom Context
**Where is Paul as he writes this letter to Timothy? in a Roman prison, our problem in thinking about prison is that we have a very 21st Century view of prison – comfortable, sanitary, TV channels, exercise, health care, etc... That is not prison as Paul knows it, Roman prisons were dirty, dark, damp, there were no rights, there was often torture and mistreatment, little food or water, and there was little hope.

**But how does Paul describe where he is in(1)? “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus...” Paul is not just a prisoner in a Roman jail awaiting his trial and inevitable death. That is not who he is or his defining reality. Paul is in the presence of God and of Jesus. Isn’t that a different take on his reality. Paul lives out his life in the presence of God, and he exhorts Timothy to remember that he too lives out his life and ministry in the presence of God. Does that change how you think of your reality? We live out our lives in the presence of God and of Jesus.

The kingdom of God is now, but it is also coming. This section is bookend by a focus on the coming of the kingdom when Jesus returns as judge, it’s here in v1 as he gives Timothy this solemn charge but also in(8) as Paul anticipates Christ’s coming and his reward.

The most important thing Timothy, is to realise that this world is not the most important thing, it’s not the enduring reality, it’s not even what determines how you live. Don’t live life for now live life in the light of Christ’s coming kingdom.

Don’t let your visible circumstances determine how you serve Christ but serve in light of his kingdom which is now – you live life in the presence of God and Jesus – and not yet – you have a glorious future when Christ will judge the living and the dead. That is the reality which determines how you live.

Timothy needs to know this because he is labouring in a church which false teaching is infecting, where people are not wanting the bible taught, where preaching the truth is becoming unacceptable and unwelcome, where its results may be slow growing, or look insignificant, where he will experience persecution.

But that isn’t the only reality, if you focus on that reality you will give up. Serve your saviour, live out your kingdom context.

We need to share that context as we engage in gospel ministry. Often church looks unimpressive, our evangelism looks insignificant, we feel weak, and are tempted to despair as we look at what we see. But remember your kingdom context, we are in the presence of God and Jesus and his kingdom and victory are certain, Jesus will judge.

2. Fulfil your Kingdom Commission
**What is the thing Paul tells Timothy to do? “preach the word”. Timothy, my dying charge to you is keep on preaching the bible, don’t give up on it, it is the most important thing you can do, give your life to it, die for it.

And Paul doesn’t just tell Timothy what to do but tells him how he is to do it;
a. Urgently – Timothy is to preach the bible when and wherever opportunity arises, when you feel like it and when you don’t, when you are on duty and when you are off duty, when people want to listen and when they don’t. There is an urgency to preaching the bible because (3:16-17)it is God’s word, it alone teaches us how we are saved, and it changes people.

b. Relevantly – **Paul uses three words what are they? “Correct, rebuke, encourage...” **Which of those do you naturally not want to hear? In our society we don’t like correcting or rebuking but we like encouragement. But preaching the bible exposes our sin both before we trust in Jesus and afterwards, it warns us of its consequences, and it comforts us not by saying ‘there, there’ but by pointing us to Jesus. Timothy preach the bible in a way that is relevant to your hearers as you point to Jesus, that corrects, rebukes and encourages in Christ as and when necessary.

c. Faithfully – Timothy also needs two characteristics as he preaches, “great patience and careful instruction”. There is a danger in preaching the bible – it is that you get frustrated when people don’t get it, or don’t change, or their hearts are not lit up by it. But Timothy preach the bible with great patience, in other words keep on preaching. Don’t give up and go somewhere else, don’t adapt what you teach, keep on preaching the bible. But he is also to preach carefully in terms of content, this is about what he teaches - teach sound doctrine, preach the bible.

Don’t we need this. Preach the bible, it is God’s word, it reveals salvation, it points to Jesus, it convicts, it changes us. Preach it and keep preaching it. In Sunday school, in youth groups, to our children as parents and as grandparents, in our churches, in our marriages, to one another, to ourselves, we need this conviction keep on preaching the bible.

3. Understand the threat to Preaching the Word(3-5)
**Why does Timothy need this exhortation? Because there is a time coming when people won’t want to hear the truth, they won’t want to hear sound teaching, but instead will find teachers willing to teach what they want to hear. There is no correction, no rebuking, no real comfort just teaching that suits their desires. The truth of the bible is substituted for myths. How is this seen today?

a. A desire to be entertained –One church in America tried to stop dwindling numbers by having church staff wrestling as part of their service! But it doesn’t have to be that extreme, it can simply be that jokes dominate instead of the bible.

b. A desire not be challenged – It can simply be not wanting to hear the bibles correction or rebuke or wanting false comfort not biblical comfort. Biblical comfort shows us our sin, warns us of its danger and comforts us by pointing to our salvation in Christ as the answer and calling us to live out our new identity in Christ. False comfort is as powerless as the ‘there, there’.

c. A desire not to be stretched – The bible taught properly will stretch us, it will require us to engage, to think about it, to weigh our hearts, thinking and motives. It is not like watching TV; it requires us to participate.

d. A pressure to be short – How long will you commit to listening to the bible for in a week? The pressure is on to be short, 20mins is thought to be a long time – our attention spans to some extent are moulded by TV. But teaching the bible takes time, to explain the text, to work it into our lives and to apply it.

How is Timothy, and how are we, to respond to this? (5)”But you...” Be countercultural, fight against the prevailing trends and desires. People will not want to listen to the truth so what is Timothy to do keep on preaching. He is to think clearly about these trends and keep teaching the bible, as he experiences opposition he is to keep teaching the bible, as people reject and confront him he is to do the work of an evangelist – that isn’t going door to door, or doing open are but it means to proclaim the truth of Jesus – in other words teach the bible, he is to complete the task – preach the bible.

4. Pass on the baton
Paul gives one final reason for Timothy to preach the word, to fulfil this commission. Paul has done it(6-7), he has laboured and sweated and endured in gospel ministry preaching and teaching, committed to his saviour and now he is excited about going home.

Notice how he speaks of his death(6), it is his departure, it is not the end, simply time to leave this sphere of service and hear his masters well done! Paul has lived for the kingdom, preaching the truth, he has fought the fight, finished the race, kept the faith and he considers it worth it. All of those words contain the idea of contenting, striving, battling towards a goal.

Timothy preach the word, pick up the baton I am passing to you because it is worth it. And remember Timothy is to pass this on to others (2:2), pass on what, to absolute necessity of preaching the bible.

We must share those convictions because we live in the day Paul says in coming, when people will no longer put up with sound teaching. How do we respond to living in such a day, we teach the truth and we encourage others to teach the truth.

1. Pray for your bible teachers. In 2 Tim 2v15 Paul tells Timothy to "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." We ought to pray this for our bible teachers.

2. Come ready. Nothing encourages a bible teacher like teaching people who are keen to learn, read the passage before you come, engage during the talk, and ask questions of others afterwards.

3. Resource your bible teacher. Churches must be resourcing their bibles teachers by providing them with the means to study well, to buy commentaries, to be taught and trained themselves. But we must also resource them time wise, not crowding out their preparation time with expectations to be at or doing other things (Acts 6 - provides a good model).

4. Question your bible teacher. On a personal note I love it when someone genuinely asks questions about the passage, or challenges something that was said, not because it builds my ego but because it is thrilling to be part of someone grappling with and seeking to understand more of the character, plan and power of God through his word.

5. Treat your bible teacher as a person. Don’t put your bible teacher on a pedestal, they are not infallible and it will not help them to be treated as such. Instead treat them as a person whom you trust and love in Christ and do the same for their family.

6. Remember ministry is not about the minister. Ministers prepare people to engage in ministry. The fruit of teaching the bible is changed lives among the congregation, it is the congregation increasingly teaching one another and becoming ministers themselves.

Men in Christ Part 3 - Men in Christ and sexuality

2011-11-22T10:54:00.000Z

There is an enormous gulf between the way the world thinks of sex and the way the church teaches on sex. It is easy for us to identify how the world degrades sex, in fact the very term itself has come to be cold and distant. I may be showing my age but I think there is something beautiful about the way the older translations describe it as "knowing" a husband or a wife. It is part of the intimacy and joy of marriage. The world makes sex cheap - it is used as an advertising gimmick, as a means of release, as a selfish right, as a power thing!

However, I think we also have to recognise that for too long the church has not helped us think rightly about sex and relationships. I wonder if we went too far the other way and just didn't talk about it - apart from the annual relationships talk in youth group. This I think has made us shy in talking about sex and in turn has meant we do not have a biblical view of intimacy. I want to try to correct that as well as call out some of the lies the world tells us about sex.

In Genesis as God makes man and woman and gives them to each other part of that good gift is sex. Sex is part of the creation that is very good, but it is very good because it is within God's given context. Lifelong monogamous marriage between a man and a woman is given for relationship and having children. It is also the only God given context for sexual intimacy. The world reads a sentence like that and concludes it is restrictive, but actually it is liberating, God wants us to enjoy sexual intimacy as he designed it to be.

Unlike us the Bible isn't shy about sex and intimacy, in fact it often speaks about it (Gen 2, Gen 26:8, Psalm 45:11, Ecclesiastes 9:9, Proverbs 5:18-19, 1 Corinthians 7 and so on). Perhaps the most glorious exploration of it is in the book Song of Songs. The Bible exhorts us that in order to build a godly marriage sex needs to be thought of in its God given way and enjoyed in its God given context.

The problem is that as with every part of the good creation sex is subject to the fall. That means what was a good gift pointing us to a glorious creator God can now become something tainted and which can even enslaves us unless we rediscover its original context in relationship to God.

There are three ways sin affects sex. 1. When it becomes what we worship, a rival to God, this happens when it becomes an ultimate thing rather than a good gift from our creator. 2. It becomes selfish rather than the act of intimacy it was intended to be. This can be for a number of reasons, though chief among them is the selfish need to feel attractive or valued. 3. It becomes damaging.

I think this is particularly seen in 3 areas in our culture.
1. Pornography
A recent study concluded that 90% of men have viewed pornography, 9 in 10, that is a staggering statistic. Pornography is innately selfish and goes against everything God designed sex to be, it tears apart God's design in pairing sex and love together. It is also addictive, it leads you to want more and more. It is also damaging in its consequences, it damages future marriages as you enter marriage with unrealistic images and unhealthy appetites, it can even make enjoying your future partner difficult for both of you. Furthermore it does not view others as made in the image of God, in fact lusting after another is part and parcel of viewing pornography, and so goes against the disciples mandate Jesus gives in Matt 5:27-30. It is a denial of who you are in Christ.

2. Masturbation
The Bible does not explicitly say masturbation is wrong but its teaching about the joy and wonder of marital intimacy shows how far short it falls and takes what God has designed and twists it. Masturbation is self-centred sex and that is far short of what God desires and designed for us to enjoy. Furthermore masturbation is usually accompanied by a lusting after someone, again Matt 5:27-30 tells us that this is a denial of who we are in Christ.

3. Asking the wrong questions
The most commonly asked question is this; 'How far can we go?' This question is striking in its Pharisee like nature. It is essentially asking how much can we get away with, where does holiness stop and sin begin. The bibles call is to radical holiness, read Ephesians 5 and Paul's exhortation to strive to present your wife holy and blameless that is what we are to aspire to in our relationships. Suddenly in that context that question is seen to miss the point.

We do not need rules we need to recognise our identity in Christ. In Christ we are justified and liberated from the hold sin has on us. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 lists all sorts of sexual sins among others but concludes "...that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." We can take out the your and substitute our names there as we feel our guilt and shame at our failure. That is not who I am I am washed, sanctified and justified. We are liberated sons not slaves to sin.

This means practically we need to be living out our identity in Christ. We are not slaves to these things anymore and when we feel the temptation to engage in them we must look at our identity in Christ. As Jesus teaches about radical righteousness it is to disciples he speaks because they have shown they are hungry for such things having trusted him. Practically we don't need rules we need to have our hearts captivated by the cross, we need to listen and respond to the Spirit's promptings within us and we need to utilise the God given gift of a church family around us to pray for us, hold us accountable and point us to the cross.

Man Up!

2011-11-22T10:05:00.002Z

Just came across this by 116 Clique, its called 'Man Up!'

The Christian and striking

2011-11-22T09:48:00.000Z

The NT has a lot to say about work and the Christian, if you take employment to be similar to the role of a slave in NT times. It exhorts us to work hard even when we are not being observed and to serve our boss as if we are serving Christ, not because we are being paid well but because Christ will reward us (Col 3:22-25). 1 Peter 2:18f seems to go further and specifically deals with where masters are harsh and unfair, Peter argues that we must still submit ourselves to those masters.

But what about when it comes to industrial action? Will the Christian go one strike? Over what issues? And how do we do so in a distinctly Christian way?

One of the key questions is what we as Christians will stand up for. The Bible again and again tells us that we must stand up for the oppressed and the poor and marginalised. We will fight for those who have no rights or cannot fight for their own, or be a voice for those who have no voice, we will fight for those in dangerous or unsafe working conditions. That means when considering industrial action we need to ask the following questions; Is it about greed or good? Is it contending for the rights of the impoverished or the destitute?

Another question we need to ask is what about contentment? 1 Tim 6 warns us against putting our hope in wealth but instead exhorts the believer to be content. It poses another helpful question for us to consider when it comes to industrial action, how is this showing that my contentment is found in Christ?

But what about if you decide to strike, can you strike in a way that is distinctly Christian?

As a Christian if you strike because you sincerely believe it is the right thing to do then you must be part of any picket or protest, you cannot simply take it as a day off. If you are convinced it is a cause that is worth fighting for then you must fight for it. Otherwise, if you just have a day off, you are going against 1 Peter 2:18f, and just having a day off without contending for an injustice against others or against yourself.

Striking is so often about discontentment rather than about justice, the challenge for us is to put it in its biblical context.

Being Men in Christ - Part 2 - Men in Christ and Family

2011-11-18T13:16:00.000Z

In the New Testament when it explores what it means to be family in Christ the focus returns to Genesis 1-3. Adam is placed in the garden to work and to guard it but there is something that is not good (18)"It is not good for the man to be alone." I think we naturally assume that means his problem is loneliness - we project the problem of our age back onto Adam. But Genesis 2 shows that the issue is to do, not with loneliness, but with the task God has given Adam; working and protecting the garden, mediating God's rule of his creation and when (18)God sees Adam is the only one, he is alone, and the task is vast, he needs help. Creation needs lots of worshippers working, guarding and mediating God's rule.

God's answer to the problem also reveals that the problem isn't loneliness, God helps Adam to see his need that's why the animals come to him and Adam realises his need after he has named them and realises there is no helper suitable for him. It is in that context God creates Eve as Adam's helper. God does not make a companion - which would be the answer to loneliness, but God creates a helper - someone who will enable him to worship God by fulfilling their God given task together. God creates Eve so together they can worship God as he intended and produce little worshippers to work, labour, guard and mediate God's rule as they worship him.

And Adam delights in Eve as God's answer. Gen 2:23-24 is the first love song, as Adams sees God's answer he acknowledges she is perfect, together they will be able to worship God as they should. We need this biblical view of marriage because marriage is about worshipping God, about serving God together. It helps us value what God has made our partners to be, they are for our good.

In Ephesians 5:21-33 Paul picks up this picture and shows the believers how it is fleshed out for those who are in Christ, it doesn't overturn the created order rather it is redeemed. Husband and wife now partner together to joyfully enable one another live life worshipping God. The model for marriage is gracious, loving servant leadership.

This is so necessary when marriage sees the clash of two kingdoms, his and hers, with each others competing expectations and goals and norms. In a marriage of two sinners in a sinful world grace and cross centred living is a must, in fact it is the only hope for marriage.

Being Men in Christ Part 1

2011-11-17T14:03:00.000Z

At the weekend I had the privilege of speaking to the men from Leeds Met CU House party on the topic Being Men in Christ. I'm going to blog through what we looked. So here's the first part:

Which of these questions do you think is most important and why?

What is biblical manliness?
What is success?
How do I deal with guilt feelings?
What is male sexuality and is purity possible?
What is Christian leadership and how is it developed?
What are the basic disciples of a Christian man?
What ministry skills need to be developed and how?
What is biblical business/study conduct?
What is integrity and how is it developed?

Many of these questions all flow from the question of integrity, what does it mean to be a biblical man who lives his life with integrity? 'How do we deal with pride?' is another question which we ought to ask and seek a biblical answer to.

Fundamental to answering all of these questions is understanding our identity, what it means to be men in Christ.

Ephesians 2:1-8
"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—"

Our identity is found not in what we were but in what we now are in Christ. We were dead in our sin and transgressions utterly unable to do anything to redeem or save ourselves until God in his great love made us alive with Christ. In Christ we are made alive and from this act of grace our identity is transformed. We are not just made alive but saved, raised and seated in the heavenly realms and we are given a kingdom purpose to live out our new identity displaying the riches of his grace. We are no longer what we werwe but we are something new!

Everything about us is transformed we are totally different, our identity is not in the world or in the worlds ideas of what manliness means but it is in Christ. This means that we do not look to the TV or films, media, or society for our definition of manhood and our identity but we look to the Bible to learn what it means to be in Christ. Our experience of God's grace and love in Christ now transforms us totally as it permeates every part of our being, thinking, responding and reacting.

We are going to look particularly at the transformation being in Christ makes to our understanding on family, sex and discipleship.

2 Timothy 3:10-17 Gospel Ministry Convictions

2011-11-16T19:22:00.000Z

My Notes from last weeks LightHouse with opening discussion questions.

1. What convinced you of the truth of the gospel?

2. A friend asks you why you read the Bible what would you say?

In the second half of this letter Paul has been exhorting Timothy to continue in ministry, specifically to do so in a way that is in sharp contrast to the living and teaching of the false teachers. From 2v14 onwards Paul compares and contrasts the false teachers and their behaviour with that of the gospel teacher that Timothy is to be.

Now he does so again having just described the false teachers he contrasts the way what Timothy is to teach and how he is to live with two “But, you” in v10, and 14. Timothy must have these two convictions as he faces up to false teachers and as he continues ministering the truth in this circumstance.

1. The Gospel is Caught (10-13).
**What is your reaction to(10-11)? Is Paul being arrogant, is he boasting? No, he is not; he is reminding Timothy of his character and the cost to him of preaching the truth of the gospel. Not because he wants a pat on the back but because Timothy needs the conviction that the gospel is worth contending for even as it brings suffering, opposition and persecution.

Paul reminds Timothy of what he knows what he has seen in Paul as he has followed him in his ministry learning from him and being discipled by him. Timothy has been Paul’s disciple; he has followed him around, seen him engage in ministry, and seen the highs and the lows. There are 9 things Timothy knows about Paul:

1. My teaching
2. My living
3. My purpose
4. My faith
5. My patience
6. My love,
7. My endurance,
8. My persecutions
9. My sufferings

In contrast to the false teachers Timothy knows the effect that Pauls’ teaching has on his living and his suffering. Paul was so convinced of the gospel that he lived it, it was his purpose, and he suffered and endured counting it worth the chance to teach the gospel. Whilst the false teachers love themselves Paul loves his Saviour, something blatantly obvious to Timothy. Whilst the false teachers adapt their message to what people want to hear Paul keeps preaching the gospel even when rejected, persecuted, stoned, left for dead and so on.

Timothy has observed the true nature of gospel ministry as he has spent time with Paul and he must remember that as he engages in gospel ministry.

(12)Paul is keen to point out that he is not extraordinary, but has just experienced the norm of godly living. The godly are persecuted whilst false teachers are not because they are doing the work of their Father the deceiver. In contrast Paul is a follower of Jesus, as Timothy is, and he follows where Jesus led (John 15:18f), persecution is the norm for those in Christ.

But I guess that poses a question what if I am not being persecuted? What does that say about me?

We live in a country whose laws are heavily influenced by biblical principles and that means the persecution we face will not normally be state sponsored as Paul experiences, though I think looking ahead that is coming. But not all persecution is physical or imprisonment. Jesus persecution was not just his death, but his betrayal, the desertion of the crowds, the opposition of religious leaders, and the mocking of his teaching.

Teaching the truth and the Bible applied to our lives will produce persecution and opposition. Be it the angry reaction when we contend for lifelong monogamous marriage, or God’s plan for man and woman as exclusively true, or when we stand firmly behind the truth that Jesus is the only way to God. Or when our commitment to godliness simply shows up someone-else’s immoral behaviour

However I also want to suggest two ways that we may subtly avoid persecution.
1. We live out our identity in Christ but we aren’t living in the world. We live our life in a little Christian bubble, like rabbits dashing from hole to hole all the world sees are the whites of our tails.

2. We are in the world but not living out our identity in Christ. **What is the amazing characteristic of a chameleon? It can blend into any background. There is a danger that we can be Christian chameleons, where we simply blend in; we look no different, either by being the same or by not standing up for what we believe. Staying silent instead of speaking out.

Instead we and Timothy are to live out our calling and identity to be godly in Christ, equipped to do so through our experience of grace and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

The gospel is not just caught it is taught. Paul can say to Timothy you know, you saw, you observed in me what true discipleship looks like. You don’t teach a disciple you train a disciple. And as Timothy entrusts the gospel to others who he is discipline they will catch the gospel and his convictions by watching. As we teach others, as we minister will they see these convictions and the gospel both taught and increasingly applied to our lives?

2. The Bible must be Taught
The second contrast Paul makes is in what is taught. Timothy you need to be utterly convinced about the power, ability and applicability of God’s word. (14)Don’t abandon it but maintain your conviction, remember what you have learned and the character of those who taught it to you.

Timothy will only teach the bible if he’s convinced it is both true and powerful. As he is surrounded by false teaching and the church begins to listen to it he will face calls to change what he teaches, to adapt it, to soften it, to make it more culturally relevant and so on. Only is he is utterly convinced that it is God’s word and powerful and effective will he do so and withstand the pressure.

And Paul is utterly convinced that what the church Timothy is in needs is the bible taught, taught and taught again. Look at 1:13 **Paul exhorts Timothy to do what? "Follow the pattern of sound words that you have heard from me...” In 2:2 as he turns to growing gospel leaders he tells Timothy "what you have heard from me... entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." As he exhorts Timothy to remember Jesus (2:8f) he reminds him that God's word is not bound, in 3:15 he exhorts Timothy to "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." In other words work hard at understanding and teaching the bible. In (2:24) he says that one of the marks of a gospel servant is the ability to teach, and now he reminds Timothy of the inspiration and effectiveness of teaching the word of God.

Paul doesn’t want Timothy to be distracted or put off teaching the word of God; he wants him to be utterly convinced of its power and its authority so that he continues to teach it even in the face of false teaching, opposition and suffering. So he reminds him of the power of God’s word.

It reveals salvation. (15)The bible, every scripture points us to Jesus as the only way to be saved.

It is God’s word – The bible is the inspired word of God. When we read the Bible we read what God the almighty creator of the universe reveals about himself, the world, us and where we stand before him. We read the very words God has breathed out, that he has spoken, and we read his diagnosis of us, our need and his plan to meet that need.

It is God’s means of changing us – in it God not only saves but changes us making us holy as he straightens out our muddled thinking, confronts us in our wrong living, and shows us what righteous living looks like. It shows us Jesus so that we can live like him, fighting sin and putting it to death.

It equips us to love and serve others – it is productive(17) and purposeful. It changes us so that we love as those who have been loved and serve as those who have been served.

This is what you need to teach Timothy, look at the wonder of God’s word. Be convinced of its power and teach it. Don’t be deflected or distracted from teaching it or dilute it, preach God’s word convinced of its power.

We need to ask ourselves do I share these convictions? Does this mark out our church? Does this mark out my ministry? Does it mark out our teaching of Gospel Groups and Sunday School?

There are all sorts of ministry, Sunday school, and pastoral care handbooks around, all sorts of programmes to try. But what we need to do as God's servants is use God's chosen method as we play our part in God's mission of building his kingdom for his glory - we are to preach his word.

When we face difficult pastoral situations people need to hear the word of God - contrary to many people’s thoughts they do not need wise words of advice from someone who has been through what they have been through, they need someone who can and will teach and apply the word of God to them.

When a couple start out on married life they need someone to show them what the bible teaches about marriage and how to study the bible together and apply grace to one another daily. When a marriage gets in trouble they need to learn again what God’s word says about them, marriage, his grace and his provision and purpose for them.

When someone faces terrible news they do not need sympathy and comfort alone but they need to know of the loving arms of their Father around them and their security as one of his blood bought children which they will find through hearing the bible taught and lovingly applied.

The convictions of gospel ministry: The Gospel is Caught and the Bible must be Taught. Because in the gospel alone is the power to change the world one life at a time and that powerful message has been entrusted to the church.

Loving Jesus means Loving People

2011-11-15T12:11:00.000Z

Yeah I've managed to grab a few minutes internet access (the copper cable has been stolen from our area meaning no internet or phone line for about a week!). Last night I had the opportunity to speak at Leed Met CU, here are my notes:

Following Jesus – Loving the Uni – Luke 7v36-50

How we think of the gospel determines what we do with the gospel. Here is Luke 7 we see Jesus engaging in mission, we see him connecting with people, convinced that no-one is beyond the gospels reach and loving people.

1. Connecting with people

**Where is Jesus? He is at Simon the Pharisees house having a meal. Jesus is spending time with people. This is not a one off. Jesus goes where people are and where they are comfortable to connect with people. He goes to the synagogues, he deliberately goes to see a demon possessed man, he goes into Simon Peter’s home, he gets into the fishermen’s boats, he goes from town to town, he goes to Levi’s work and then his house, he goes to a funeral, he goes from village to village and town to town and so on...

Jesus deliberately and intentionally goes where people are! He goes where they are comfortable be it the synagogue for religious people, the home for other people, the street for others. And Jesus doesn’t just give people a few minutes in his busy schedule he invests time in building relationships.

Meals play an enormous part in Jesus ministry in Luke, and meals weren’t a rushed fast-food grab a bite to eat type of affair. They were relaxed and relational. In Luke 5 we see Jesus eat in Peter’s house, then Levi’s house, we see it here, and when Jesus sends out the 12 and the 72 on mission eating with people is part of what he tells them to do. He feeds the 5,000, he eats with various Pharisees’ at least 3 times, he eats with Mary and Martha, with Zacchaeus, he eats with his disciples at Passover and then after his resurrection twice he eats with disciples.

Jesus connects with people, with all sorts of people, he takes time out to invest in relationships and goes where people are and shares a meal with them. And he expects both the 12 and the 72 to do the same when he sends them out.

Build relationships, connect with people, go out to them. And meals still provide a brilliant opportunity to do that. They provide an opportunity to get to know people, it shows people we care about them and want to get to know them, it helps us find out about their needs, their loves, the way they think so that we can serve them. They also provide an opportunity to connect your unbelieving friends with other people who know and love Jesus (50:50 meals).

2. Convinced that no-one is beyond the gospel’s reach

Another of Luke’s big themes in his gospel is that Jesus is for outsiders, and we see it here with this notoriously sinful woman. As she walks into the room all the Pharisees are trying not to get to close to her, they are shocked that she’d dare enter the house.

**By contrast how does Jesus react to her? Jesus isn’t embarrassed, he doesn’t recoil in horror even though he knows what the others in the room are thinking. Jesus welcomes her and explains her actions.

(47-48)**What’s the word that’s repeated 4 times in these verses? “forgiven”. Jesus says she has done this because she is forgiven; the Pharisees are shocked that Jesus forgives sin and Jesus reiterates that she is saved by faith.

To the Pharisees this woman was beyond hope. There was no way she could be saved. But Jesus is utterly convinced that no-one is beyond the power of the gospel to save.

But there is another theme in Luke that I think we sometimes miss; Jesus also comes to save religious people. He is in Simon the Pharisees home, Simon is a good guy, he’d be in the temple every week, he knows his bible, he never swears or blasphemes, he doesn’t get drunk, he gives to good causes. But Jesus is utterly convinced that Simon is not without need of or beyond the reach of the gospel either!

Simon thinks like the world does. He thinks of morality as a ladder [draw it out], and the cut off point for being saved is just under where he is, but this woman is no-where near it.

Jesus tells a brilliant story to show how wrong that is, (41-42). I need two volunteers. Just open the envelope, what’s in there? It’s a bill for £4195 – 2 months average wage, and £44052 – 500 days wages. But neither of you can pay it! Ok, I’ll cancel them – rip up bill. How do you feel!

That’s the picture Jesus gives of morality. We are all debtors and notice what he says; neither can pay back what they owe. We need the one we owe the debt to – God – to forgive the debt.

Simon needs to be forgiven just as much as the woman does, both owe an un-payable debt, the scale is irrelevant.

We need to be convinced that everyone has a debt that they cannot pay, and we also need to share Jesus conviction that the gospel alone can reach the very, very bad and the very, very good!

Do you see Jesus conviction – No-one is beyond the need of the gospel or the power of the gospel to save! The bad boys of campus, the hard drinking, sex addicted, party animals need to hear this because the gospel can, and is the only thing that can save them. And our religious friends need to hear this, the good hard working person on our floor, or in our flat or house needs to hear and respond to Jesus, because their being good will not pay off the debt of sin.

We need to share this conviction Jesus has that the gospel is the only power that can change the world one life at a time, that no-one is immune from needing to hear this. Because if we don’t we will not hold out the gospel, we will not serve those in need of the gospel.

3. Compelled by grace to love

Rather than avoiding talking about the woman and her actions Jesus uses her to teach a valuable lesson. What prompted the woman to do this? To enter this room of religious types who would look down their noses at her, to risk social rejection and the angry glares and mutterings? Love.

(47)”Her many sins have been forgiven – as her great love has shown.” She does what she does because she has experienced forgiveness, she knows that the great un-payable debt of her sin has been paid for her and she loves the one who has done that for her. The word forgiveness here is in the past tense, she is responding here and now in Luke 7 to what has already happened, not contributing to her salvation.

She knows she has been forgiven that she has experienced grace, and she loves the one who has shown her that grace a love that is seen in loving lavish service of Jesus her saviour.

What is it that drives our service of Jesus? It has to be understanding the grace of God in Jesus. Realising the extent and cosmic scale of our debt, that our sin and rebellion against God leaves us spiritually utterly bankrupt. But that Jesus Christ pays for every single one of our sins, and we are forgiven – justified! You can only respond to such love with love, to such grace with giving everything you have.

It is only loving others because we grasp how much we have been loved that enables us, empowers us to share the gospel, to serve others, to love them enough to meet their needs, and to love them so much that we will speak the gospel to them convinced of their ultimate universal need and the gospels ability to save them.

Do you see the convictions we need? Everyone on the campus needs Jesus and the gospel is so powerful it can change the world one life at a time. But we only love people as we understand how much we have been loved, the scale of the debt Christ has paid for us. That love is seen in building relationships, spending time with people, serving them but convinced that ultimately they need Jesus.

Review: Church Planting is for Wimps by Mike McKinley

2011-11-08T14:01:00.000Z

This book was strongly recommended to me by a friend so when I saw it on a www.10ofthose.com bookstall at SDCC I grabbed a copy. In it McKinley shares with us the lessons he has learnt from 4 years of revitalising a church in the US. McKinley is from the 9 Marks stable and much of what they did bears the imprint of that helpful organisation.

There are 9 chapters:
Intro: Justify your existence
1. Church Planting, slightly preferable to unemployment
2. So, how exactly does one plant a church?
3. One thing is necessary
4. Clearing out the sheaves
5. God always gets his way
6. How to ruin everything
7. No offense, but you're doing everything wrong
8. Redefine extraordinary

For those familiar with nine marks and some of the titles it produces and its emphasis on church membership, expositional bible teaching and so on some of those chapter titles will give you an early indication of what each chapter is about.

I found it to be engagingly written and disarmingly honest, this is not a 'how to' book this is someone sharing honestly and humbly their struggles and all account of plant/revitalising, realising they made mistakes and relaunching or adapting their thinking. Throughout there are some really helpful lessons which can save us making similar or the same mistakes and Mike's passion for teaching the bible comes across loud and clear. I just wish this book had come out in 2006 rather than 2010 so I could have had some of these insights before we planted.

So what were the highlights? The emphasis in the first chapter on not targeting one particular group to reach was in contrast to a lot of other material about planting/revitalising a church. But helpfully the strategy of focusing on preaching, reading, praying, and singing as being common cross culturally in worship was helpful.

Throughout the book the conviction Mike has that teaching the truth of God's word is the way to build the church stands out, and it needs to be said again and again, as we've discovered as we've gone through 2 Timothy. The warning he gives planters to give their best energy to preparing and preaching is also vital as so many other things compete for our time.

His honesty in revealing the pressure plant/revitalising placed upon his and Karen's marriage is also honest and humble and ought to serve as a warning for all pastors everywhere not just planters. The injunction to love your wife more than you love others opinions, and to prioritise her over your own successes needs to said and taken to heart again and again.

But there were two things in this book that I think resonated with me more than any other and which I found encouraging to hear that he had experienced. Firstly that in the early years he devoted too much time to bringing and welcoming new people into the church instead of in cultivating leaders who would do that work alongside him. This meant the church was too reliant on him and Karen(his wife). Instead he advises us to focus on growing a leadership team as the way to grow a healthy church.

Secondly the final chapter is pure gold, it is convicting but worth reading and re-reading. (I need to be honest here and say that I strongly share Mike's convictions in this area). He argues that we need to redefine extraordinary, too many planters fall into the trap of the obsession with church size and he says it is killing many planters. He also argues that we wrongly put pressure on ordinary pastors to do the extraordinary when all of us, bar a few, will do the ordinary faithfully as God calls us to do. I loved this line "God scatters unimpressive clusters of believers everywhere to extend his saving reign." He also argues here that a pastors ministry will become exponentially more effective the longer we stay in one place teaching and pastoring those God has given us. I agree with him that the pressure to be seen to have a "significant" ministry leads many pastors to view ministerial promotion as a necessity rather than committing to one place.

Having said all that I love about the book, I have a couple of reservations about it, but mainly they all flow from one thing. Mike, and the context he speaks of, is American and therefore the lessons in here need to be adapted to a UK context. In that great final chapter he talks about ordinary ministers who plant ordinary churches which don't grow above two hundred or so. That is not ordinary in the UK, especially not in the North of England, ordinary is more likely 50-70 adults rather than hundreds. Unless we contextualise it it has the potential to demotivate and leave UK planters and pastors feeling less than ordinary let alone extraordinary.

We also need to think about the different cultural factors which come into play in the UK which must impact how we apply these lessons. What are the implications for rural settings, specifically lots of small villages? How do we think about overcoming not just the language but the class barrier, the literacy barrier, the negative experiences people have of church and so on? I loved the idea of revitalising a dying church as a 2 for one deal - removing a bad witness and replacing it with a good gospel witness, but churches in the UK are closing faster than we would be able to revitalise them so how do we decide strategically which to revitalise?

Church Planting is for wimps is well worth a read for its honesty and insights into the joys, dangers and potential in plant/revitalising churches and for the way it makes us think about the task, the might of our God, the wonder of our salvation and the power of the gospel as it is taught.

Teach the Bible, teach the Bible, teach the Bible

2011-11-07T14:47:00.001Z

As a ministry idea it may not be up there with the snappy slogans of the latest guru on church growth dynamics, or come with the glossy cover or slick publicity material of some publications but it has one considerable advantage. It is God's strategy for growing his kingdom.

We have spent the evenings this term working our way through 2 Timothy as Paul gives his final charge to his son in the faith about gospel ministry and what keeps on being repeated is the need for Timothy to teach the bible, teach the bible, teach the bible. 1:13 Paul exhorts him to "Follow the pattern of sound words that you have heard from me..." in 2:2 as he turns to growing gospel leaders he tells Timothy "what you have heard from me... entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." As he exhorts Timothy to remember Jesus (2:8f) he reminds him that God's word is not bound, in 3:15 he exhorts Timothy to "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." (2:24)He says that one of the marks of a gospel servant is the ability to teach, and in 3:14-17 he reminds Timothy of the inspiration and effectiveness of teaching the word of God, as he charges him to preach in 4:2.

Paul does not want Timothy to be distracted or to be put off teaching the word of God, he wants him to be utterly convinced of its power and its authority so that he continues to teach it even in the face of false teaching and opposition and suffering.

Its fascinating how often this emphasis appears in the bible, here are just a couple of examples; Moses (Exodus 18)is advised by Jethro to scale back on his work as a judge so that he can pray and teach the people how to walk before God, or he and they will exhaust themselves. And in Acts 6 as the early church grows the Apostle have to reorganise because they are in danger of being distracted from preaching and praying.

There are all sorts of ministry, church planting and pastoral care handbooks around, all sorts of programmes to try for this or that. But what we need to do as Gospel leaders, as God's servants, is use God's chosen method as we play our part in God's mission of building his kingdom for his glory - we are to preach his word. When we face difficult pastoral situations people need to hear the word of God - contrary to many peoples thoughts they do not need wise words of advice from someone who has been through what they have been through, they need someone who can and will teach and apply the word of God to them. When a couple start out on married life they need someone to show them what the bible teaches about marriage and how to study the bible together and apply grace to one another. When someone faces terrible news they do not need sympathy and comfort alone but they need to know of the loving arms of their Father around them and their security as one of his blood bought children which they will find through hearing the bible taught and lovingly applied.

What is our ministry strategy? I'd suggest we can't go wrong if we place the emphasis where God places his emphasis - teach the bible.

Some thoughts on planting

2011-11-02T14:57:00.000Z

SDCC had its fourth birthday in September and it has given me the opportunity to stop, take stock and evaluate some of the lessons I have learned in that time.

1. We planted a church we weren't just church planting
Most of you will be thinking of course you were, and may conclude at this point not to read any more if that's as insightful as it is going to get. But just hear me out. As you plan and launch a church plant whether it is a pioneer plant, a core team plant or a revitalisation plant you focus on planting. Your time is given to putting in place all that needs to happen to reach new people in a new area with the good news of Jesus. What I don't think I thought enough about was the ordinary nuts and bolts of planting a church, and on day one, in our very first meeting together that is what we had done - we had planted a church. There were people there gathered together around the word of God, yes praise God there were new people, interested people, and dragged along for a one off people, but there were our people.

From day one we were a church with all that that entailed; rota's, PA and AV equipment to transport and set up, bills to pay, pastoral issues to deal with, children to provide for, and so on. Everything we had at our sending church was now being done by our smaller, fragile, slightly scared, but very committed core.

And our plant has never stopped being a planted church, as a church planter you are not an evangelist or some trailblazing pioneer you are a pastor of God's people looking to establish a beacon of gospel light in the darkness. That means it is vital to have a good committed godly team of leaders with you who can bear some of the load of pastoral care and teaching, and to be continually looking to grow and develop more leaders.

2. Grow God's kingdom not my kingdom
The pressure on church planters is in some ways unique, maybe its me but in the months and years since we have planted the question 'And how are things going?' always seemed to mean have you grown and if so how many by? Admittedly it may just be me, but I don't think so. That is why it is vital that we understand we are growing God's Kingdom not our kingdom, it is for his glory not our glory and it is to be done using his methods (prayer and his word) not ours (just as well because I'm not sure I have any!).

So we have simply tried to teach the bible. Our services are in no way glitzy or professional or even slick, indeed someone recently described them as being chaotically family like - that doesn't mean it is bedlam just that it feels like home but is not cool and professional (at least that's what I'm taking it to mean). We drink coffee and tea together with biscuits or cake, we sing songs together, we pray together and we teach the bible before having more food and drink and aiming to apply the bible to one another's lives.

Teaching the bible drives everything we do from Sunday morning, to LightHouse, to Gospel Groups, to our children's work. This is vital because it means we can stay focused on making God's word the main thing because his glory and his kingdom is the main thing.

3. Mission & Maturity
As a church plant it is tempting to focus on reach the lost but this must not be done at the exclusion of the maturity of the believers in your church. As a church plant is a planted church we ought to preach for believers and unbelievers as we would in any church. Discipling those who are following Jesus as well as engaging with the questions and heart motives of unbelievers as the passage exposes them.

It is not a case of preaching for mission or maturity, we must not fall into this trap but preaching for mission and maturity. It is something we have tried to replicate in our gospel groups, they are discipleship groups - aiming to disciple the not yet, the new and the mature believer at the same time, alongside one another and by means of the gifts of one another.

And as we have taught God's word to believers and engaging with unbelievers alike we have found believers coming and staying and growing in their understanding and maturity and we have seen unbelievers engage, understand and some come to faith and some reject the message and leave.

4. Network or Neighbourhood
Most of us live in networks but I think we naturally think of planting churches into a neighbourhood. We certainly did setting ourselves a church plant area that we would target, and yet by God's grace very little of our growth has come from that neighbourhood. Instead we have grown not just with people from outside our neighbourhood but outside our town. That means we have had to, and keep having to, be flexible in our thinking. If we are a network church rather than a neighbourhood church we need to have network hub points so that we support people in their existing networks in their varying neighbourhoods, rather than expect everyone to travel in centrally for everything.

I think we set out with one vision a neighbourhood church and God has given us a different reality a network church which causes us to be reliant on him and to rethink how we thought about how the church would go forward.

As I look back on just over 4 years God has been gracious and he builds his kingdom through his word.

The challenge of reading

2011-11-01T10:47:00.000Z

I love reading and always have, that's great but it can make it hard to relate to those for whom it is a chore and something they have very negative feelings about. I think that there is a educational or literacy divide in our churches.

Predominantly as churches we reach those who have a certain level of literacy and education. The bible after all is a book, or library of books which all tell one story of God's plan to save his people. The average church service be it with liturgy or without requires a certain level of literacy to be able to access it, as does a bible study or Christianity Explored, Alpha or Identity course. That is great for those who can read, yes they may not love it but they do not fear reading.

But what about for those for whom reading is a real struggle. What if the friend you are talking too is so fearful of their illiteracy that they don't send texts, or even complete a simple one line questionnaire? How do we share the gospel with such people? How do we lovingly share the good news of the word of God made flesh?

Many people at this point say just pick a bible with a lower reading age, but that is to miss the point. For many people with low literacy levels the issue is not readability but fear of reading which is teh result of bad experiences. They have always felt like failures throughout their school lives because reading has been hard, and their struggle with reading has made so many other things in education and life inaccessible. Often such people have a huge mental barrier to reading and have become experts at avoiding reading or masking their struggle with literacy so that it is not exposed.

Now imagine how much of a threat doing a bible study seems, or even reading the bible with a friend! Imagine how difficult coming to church service would be where you are given a bulletin and told information about the groups for the children is in it (to be read), where we sing songs (to be read), where a liturgy may be said (to be read), and the bible is publicly read aloud and we study the bible with constant reference back to the text (to be read and re-read). Suddenly we begin to see how alien and threatening such an environment may be.

I was chatting about this issue with someone some time ago who simply said well give them a children's bible. That is not the answer, as well as not helping them with their fear of reading it simply says you are not as able to understand this as everyone else, it will reinforce every fear they have had and every negative experience of school. It is too simplistic an answer and when you think about it is deeply uncaring.

I don't want to just pose questions, however, I am still thinking this through for myself and haven't reached any conclusions short of that we are inadequately resourced to reach those struggling with literacy, and we have not done much to understand their feelings and overcome their barriers. But I do want to suggest some possible starting points.

Interestingly the early church would have faced the same issue and they did not compromise on the need to understand the bible, but they used their oral tradition to teach. Is there some mileage in revisiting these roots? Take 1 Corinthian 15, so concise that it does not need to be read but can simply be learnt. Or 2 Timothy 2:11-13 which similarly seems to be an early church creed again so concise that it can be remembered and said together rather than read. Or similarly 2 Timothy 2:8 where Paul summarises the gospel in a brilliant concise two part phrase "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David," so easy to learn but so much to talk about and unpack in it.

I also think storying is key! So much of the bible is narrative; Genesis, large parts of Exodus, parts of Numbers and Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, half of Daniel, the 4 Gospels, Acts. They are essentially stories yet we sometimes we teach them as propositional truths rather than telling the stories and drawing out the truths as the narratives reveal them. People love stories hence the popularity of TV Soap operas and other programs which are visual stories and the Bible contains brilliant stories which are made to retell, it contains vivd imagery which is designed to be painted and to stick in the mind. Or take Psalms which are the jukebox of the Old Testament church designed to be sung and to get into your mind so you keep singing throughout your day and your week.

I haven't got much further in my thinking of this yet, but as I do so I'll blog more on it. So much great evangelistic work is done with those who are literate and I don't want to decry or devalue that, it is vital. But I wonder if we have even thought about those alienated by words and how we reach them with the gospel, the great news of Jesus Christ, what resources we need to do so, and how we do church and teach the bible in such a context.

False teaching, inadequate teaching and boring teaching

2011-10-31T10:58:00.000Z

As we have gone through 2 Timothy we have repeatedly seen Paul warn Timothy against false teachers. But what is a false teacher and how do we differentiate that from inadequate teaching, or just boring teaching. Is boring teaching bad teaching, is inadequate teaching false teaching? I just simply want to try and clarify what the difference is between the three and give some pointers on how we ought to respond to each one.

Boring Teaching
This is bible teaching that does not engage its listeners in the truth because it is either haphazard, poorly prepared, scatter gun in its approach, overly complex, lacking in application, lacking passion, or just plain dull in delivery. We have all heard bible talks like these (and all given them if we teach others).

How ought we to respond to this? Firstly we ought to examine our own hearts, how much of this is an issue with me? Secondly pray and ask God to help us engage with what we can, try taking notes, commit yourself to not bad mouthing the preacher, remember their sincere hold on the truth and love for the gospel. Above all pray for the preacher and yourself as the hearer.

Inadequate Teaching
This is in many ways in the hardest to categorise but I'll give it a shot. This is teaching that may miss the big point of a passage entirely and get entangled in a minor point, or it may import lots of other bits of the bible into this passage, or simply use the passge as s pring board to go all over the bible instead of dealing with the passage. It may look at a gospel but ignore the specific point of the author by implying he missed out a bit another gospel writer included. It may lack biblical balance, it may miss the place of the passage in the big salvation history sweep of the bible. We may be left thinking 'where did that come from?' In Acts 18v27f we see an example of this in Apollos who is teaching passionately what he knew "though he knew only the baptism of John", and he engaged in teaching it to the Ephesians. His motives are right his passion commendable but he understanding is lacking.

How ought we to respond? Again we need to remember that the person has a genuine love of the truth and of the gospel. Again we ought to examine our hearts and minds; did we exercise self discipline in listening or did we allow ourselves to zone out, did the baby wake up and we missed a key biblical step in the sermon? We also need to avoid developing a critical spirit, we are not sermon critiques, we are not playing the role of judge in an oratory competition rating each bible talk out of 10. We are listening to God's word.

But we also need to beware simply swallowing everything. I remember a friend of mine once saying that above the coat pegs at their church should be a sign which read, please leave your coat and brain on the hook and pick up your 'I'm ok' mask. It was tongue in cheek, but I wonder if there is a serious side to it, do we listen discerningly (notice that discerningly, not critically) to the teaching, searching scripture to discern the truth of what we are being taught or do we just swallow it?

If there is something we are not clear on or want further clarification on we ought to ask the preacher. We are not to do so in a way which is aiming to score points from the preacher, but to genuinely aid our understanding of the passage. Acts 18 is instructive for knowing how we ought to deal with such things, "Priscilla and Aquila heard him, took him and explained to him the way of God more accurately". The fruit of their loving teaching is seen in v28 "he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus". Inadequate teaching needs loving correction by those who will disciple and lead the teacher. I think in a local church context that responsibility falls to the church leadership.

False teaching
This is the sort of teaching which Paul has in the cross hairs in 1 and 2 Timothy. Helpfully we see there that it is marked by being in error about something that is fundamental and central to the Christian faith, so for example in 2 Timothy the resurrection. In 2 John 7 the heretical or false teaching is the denial that Jesus came in the flesh. It is not about something which is of secondary importance, e.g. the millennium, mode of baptism, church leadership.

The false teacher is also marked by an obstinate and determined hold on their false teaching even in the face of the plain teaching of the bible and the loving correction of other teachers who point out their error. This means the person who mis-teaches but when corrected and taught puts it right is not a false teacher.

By its very nature false teaching is also teaching others, a false teacher is not a false believer but a false teachers of others and the bible seems to make a clear distinction between the two, that means we ought to too.

Lastly false teaching is seen in that it does not lead to; godly living (2 Tim 3v1-9). Often false teaching may lead to legalism or licence but it does not produce spirit empowered, gospel hearted repentance and humble change. That means we must be able to see the lives of those who teach us the bible, and ought to detect in them a struggle with sin, a sense of battling with and putting to death pride, and a growing love of grace.

False teaching is in short persistently opposed to the truths of the gospel and seeking to lead others in the same error. Our response to false teaching and false teachers is to keep away from it! It is like gangrene (2 Tim 2), we are to call it what it is and not allow it to be taught in our churches but still lovingly seek to win back the false teacher.

On the flip side we can help our bible teachers avoid falling into any of these traps by encouraging them to preach the bible well. How?

Pray for your bible teachers. In 2 Tim 2v15 Paul tells Timothy to "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." We ought to pray this for our bible teachers.
Come ready. Nothing encourages a bible teacher like teaching people who are keen to learn, read the passage before you come, engage during the talk, and ask questions of others afterwards.
Resource your bible teacher. Churches must be resourcing their bibles teachers by providing them with the means to study well, to buy commentaries, to be taught and trained themselves. But we must also resource them time wise, not crowding out their preparation time with expectations to be at or doing other things (Acts 6 - provides a good model).
Question your bible teacher. On a personal note I love it when someone after a talk comes and genuinely asks questions about the passage, or challenges something that was said, not because it builds my ego but because it is thrilling to be part of someone grappling with and seeking to understand more of the character, plan and power of God through his word.
Treat your bible teachers as a person. Do not put your bible teacher on a pedestal, they are not infallible and it will not help them to be treated as such. Instead treat them as a person whom you trust and love in Christ and do the same for their family.

Lulled into contentment

2011-10-20T15:09:00.000+01:00

I'm always rebuked when I look at the emphasis the Bible places on believers seeking justice for the poor and marginalised in society, rebuked because I think our sense of comfort lulls us into inactivity. When the images come onto the TV screens what do you do? Do you reach for the remote to turn the TV channel? We can choose to shut out such images, we can choose comfort.

Where we live we are not often confronted with the startling reality of poverty in our nation or city or town. Because as a society we are good at hiding away the poor, destitute and homeless. We move them on. Why? Is it because they make us uncomfortable? Because they may us discontented?

Yet the Bible reminds us that as God's people our heart is to beat as God's does for the poor. In Exodus 23 as God establishes the Jubilee we see it is to provide for the poor. In Lev 19 we see that God provides for the poor in not harvesting a vineyard twice and not gleaning to the edge of a field (Lev 23), in Lev 25 God specifically provides help for the poor. Deuteronomy pleads for open handedness, or generosity to the poor. All to be done because God has made them and given them everything they are.

Similar as we move into the New Testament it is impossible to miss Jesus teaching about the need to love our neighbour rich and poor, religious or irreligious not because giving makes us good but because we are those who were poor and destitute before God spiritually, but whom he has made rich by his grace. As God's redeemed and dearly loved people we are liberated from possessions and living for now for living and loving as God has loved us.

Dear God save me from being lulled into contentment, give me eyes that see the needs of those around me and the resources you have lavished upon me to meet those needs I pray.

Spotting those in danger of not enduring

2011-10-18T15:30:00.000+01:00

At LightHouse on Sunday night I was asked how we spot those at risk of not enduring, or spot it in ourselves? Here are some suggestions:

1. A gradual drift away from God's people. This can be in terms of sporadic or decreasing attendance, not because attendance is mandatory but because meeting with God's people is one way of keeping our heart warm to the gospel. But this drift can be more subtle - it can be in terms of attendance at but increasing disengaging with God's people - someone can be at church (the event) but not be in church (committed and involved in gospelling and being gospelled). Hebrews 10v25 - this is one of the warnings that is given to this church.

2. A prioritising of other things. Idolatry is not just the replacement of God with something else but when we allow good things he has given us to rival him as the ultimate priority. This can begin in our hearts and subtly in our thinking, it can be pride or comfort or ease (e.g. its hard to deal with the children at church, or I'm so embarrassed by how they behave), or simply be that we would rather be doing something else we love. Our actions reveal our priorities and our real loves.

3. A gradual hardening of the heart. Outward symptoms are often discernible but if it is a slow freeze they can be hard to detect. I think the key one is a loss of joy and a gradual preoccupation with 'why me?' or 'if only...' thinking instead of remembering and rejoicing in what God has done and is doing. (Hebs 3:15)

3. A failure to thrive. As Christians we are not just meant to make it through, we are meant to thrive. Yes we are in battle, yes we will face hardship and persecution because of the suffering, yes the no suffering, no guts, not glory, yes Christ is our model, yes we carry our cross. But we do so not out of a grudging sense of duty, not out of joyless drudgery, or legalistic necessity but out of an ever growing awareness and wonder and rejoicing in the love of God revealed in Christ. Not only are we meant to thrive but we are equipped to thrive even in suffering - the Apostle Paul is not a freak in rejoicing in suffering, he can do so because he is aware of the wonder of his salvation and the call to live as God's ambassador empowered by the Spirit entrusted with the gospel.

Each of these is rarely an on/off thing. We don't wake up one morning and think I'm not thriving, or I've lost my joy. It is the gradual drip, drip, drip, the gradual slip of focus, the slow long term erosion of joy in the gospel. And that is why it is so dangerous because it can happen and we are unaware of it. What is the remedy? It is to grow in our understanding and amazement of what God has done for us in Christ as we see God's plan of salvation in its full biblical, eternal, cosmological scope and scale.

2Timothy 2v8-13

2011-10-17T09:33:00.000+01:00

Here are my notes from LightHouse last night looking at 2 Timothy 2v8-13:

Can you come up with a sentence which summarises what Paul has been teaching Timothy?

Paul has been reminding Timothy to continue, to contend, to keep going, to persevere both personally and in gospel ministry. Why does Timothy need this warning, because gospel ministry is hard, it is not easy and given that Timothy may well want to turn and run. Maybe he is feeling tempted to act like a coward, to run away – things are hard, there are those who oppose his ministry, there are those teaching that the resurrection has already happened and therefore Christians shouldn’t face suffering and Timothy wouldn’t be human if he didn’t think the grass might be greener somewhere else, why not just leave.

Or maybe it’s the temptation not to run away but to stay where he is but to compromise, instead of confronting these false teachers, or instead of teaching the challenge of the Gospel and discipleship to stay silent about the hard bits. To teach resurrection but not suffering.

Or maybe it’s the temptation to comfort, to just want an easy life. Paul is in prison because the government have put him there! Why not just settle down and give up not on the gospel but on gospel ministry. Why not just keep his faith private!

I don’t know about you but there are times I feel the temptation of those three; cowardice, compromise, and comfort. If I invite so and so to this, if I give them a question card for 1 big question what will they think? Will I be putting my friendship on the line? ‘Err God, I know the most loving thing I can do is to tell them the gospel and I’d love to but I think the time just isn’t right, I’ll just wait a little bit longer.’ Or we hear someone talking about God as a God of love who would never send anyone to hell, and we know what is coming if we contend for the truth – the compromise of silence, seems so appealing – though it is tacitly agreeing with them. And it can come from the most amazing places – I was doing a question panel day in a secondary school a couple of years ago. And the false teaching was coming not from any of the other members of the panel who I expected to be anti the bible but from the local vicar – who contended the bible wasn’t true, it was not meant to be taken literally.

Or it’s the desire for comfort where we do not interact with the world which is hostile to Christianity but withdraw into the Christian rabbit warren, or we live like the sleeper agent who looks no different from those around us.

Don’t you feel that pull – comfort, compromise, cowardice!

We are no different from Timothy, we need to understand what Paul wants Timothy to grasp. Gospel ministry is hard work, it involves contending for the truth and against error, it means laying out the challenge of the gospel, it means modelling the life of our Saviour. And it means doing so out of amazement and love at the gospel, in the strength God by his Holy Spirit provides and in the grace of Jesus Christ, with our eyes fixed on eternity.

Suffering is the norm of Christian ministry. And when the New Testament speaks about the need for the disciple to endure suffering it is not illness, or natural disasters but persecution caused by witnessing to Jesus. Paul is exhorting Timothy; contend for the gospel, engage in gospel ministry, endure hardship, train others to engage in this ministry with you, a ministry which models the gospel because it is based on Christ: suffering now glory to come.

1. The Pattern of Gospel Ministry seen in Jesus(8)
How does (8)begin? “Remember Jesus Christ”. Timothy don’t forget Jesus. What specifically does Paul want him to remember? “raised from the dead, descended from David”. I don’t think they are the two phrases we would use to sum up Jesus life and work.

But both phrases speak of Jesus sovereignty and his vindication, they encapsulate his incarnation, his coming as the Son of David who will rule forever, but that in order to reign in glory he came from glory, suffered and died. They remind Timothy that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the one who saves destroying death and bringing life to all who believe in him. Jesus is the good news and it is worth contending for and he is the template for gospel ministry. Humble service enduring suffering but ultimately and eternally vindicated by God.

It is in direct contrast to the false teachers (17-18)who are teaching that the resurrection has happened and therefore believers ought to be experiencing the kingdom rule now! Not suffering but victory, not opposition but rule and reign, not hardship but comfort! And unsurprisingly this is destroying the faith of some. Jesus is the pattern of gospel ministry Timothy – remember Jesus – suffering for the gospel leads to gospel glory.

Following Jesus means following Jesus, being his disciples means choosing to go the way of the master. Both in calling and entrusting others to engaging in gospel ministry as Jesus did but also in suffering for gospel ministry.

2. The Pattern of Gospel Ministry continued...(9-10)
It’s a pattern that Paul now shows Timothy is worked out in his life and ministry. Jesus Christ raised from the dead, descended from David is Paul’s gospel, not in terms of he made it, but in terms of he has been entrusted with it, it is his to discharge and make known, he has taken ownership of it and given his life to it. (9)And Paul’s experience is that following Jesus means following Jesus, where is he as he writes “I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal”. Jesus suffers, and Paul suffers, suffering is the norm in gospel ministry.

But as the servants of the gospel suffer and are chained God’s word is not chained. God works even through suffering – have you ever wondered what the Jewish leaders thought would happen when they crucified Jesus? They thought that would be the end of that. But what happened?

Or in Acts 8 as the persecution of believers begins what did Saul and others expect? The church to die out as its leaders and ministers were arrested and stoned. But what happened? It spread to Samaria and the world.

Or in modern day take China; massive oppression of Christians and the church, yet the church explodes and grows – God’s word is not chained. And in the ultimate irony when the Beijing Olympics were on, wanting to be like everyone else, every other games host, they realised they did not have Gideon’s bibles in the Athletes village like every other Olympic host had. So what did they do? They ordered bibles for every room in the Athletes village. God’s word is not chained.

(10)And God even uses suffering and Paul’s endurance in the gospel to strengthen the believers. If Paul can still contend so can I, if Paul endures this for the gospel it must be true, if he can carry on preaching it in prison I can preach this too.

Don’t despair Timothy, see the pattern of gospel ministry. Suffering is the norm and it does not undermine the gospel but confirms it and increases it because God’s word is not and will not be chained.

Endure Timothy, keep going, contend, guard, stand.

Gospel ministry demands endurance. You share the gospel with a friend and are rebuffed? How will you react, will you endure? You invite someone to a service and get a yes, but they never turn up or make a late excuse how will you react? You speak out in a conversation on sexuality or truth and are called a bigot, how will you react? A friend asks you to help them identify sin in their life, but when you do react angrily, what will you do? Gospel ministry is hard, it calls for endurance because the gospel saves and it is true!

3. The call to endure in Gospel Ministry
Paul now reminds Timothy of a portion of a creed or hymn in the early church, it contains both encouragement to endure in gospel ministry and a warning about the consequences of disowning Jesus.

The first two couplets provide the encouragement and motivation to continue in gospel ministry. To die with Christ means to die to self to comfort to ease, it picks up on Jesus call for disciples to carry the cross to give up their life, and the focus is on the reward for dying to self and living for Christ now, we will live with him for eternity. And if we endure we will reign with him, it’s that picture of the victors crown. Timothy lift your eyes up, get a glory perspective.

But the second pair of sayings provide a solemn warning about consequences of the alternative. If we disown Jesus Christ, he will disown us. Paul has not invented these words, they come direct from Jesus in Matthew 10:33, publically standing for the gospel brings Jesus recognition of us in heaven, but to disown him bring disownment. And the second phrase builds on that; “if we are faithless, he remains faithful, he cannot disown himself.” In other words if we deny him, if we lose our faith in Jesus, if we abandon him Jesus keeps his word. Jesus is faithful to both his promise of reward and recognition of those who stand for him and to his word of warning of judgement for those who disown him.

Jesus faithfulness to his word is a great comfort to us but also gives strength to his warnings. The nature of these warnings is borne out in this letter; Demas, Hermogenes, Phygelus disown gospel ministry and Jesus. Onesimus and others function as examples of those who endure and own Jesus despite suffering.

But we need to see that this disowning is not a temporary lapse, it isn’t a keeping quiet when we know we should speak out, or a momentary hesitation, it is a deliberate and determined decision to disown Jesus, a rejection of Jesus and the gospel. It is a warning against unrepentantly disowning Jesus.

Endure Timothy – fix your eyes on Jesus and your heart on his gospel and his word which is faithful both in its promised warnings and its rewards.

Gospel ministry is hard but it is worth it. Glory follows suffering.

Don’t give in to comfort, cowardice or compromise, but remember Jesus what he has done for you, the wonderful salvation he has secured for you by grace, and the pattern of living he calls you to. Don’t abandon Gospel ministry because of suffering because it is the norm, and he keeps his people and his word. Don’t abandon it because you have his Spirit who empowers and enables you in gospel ministry to feed on his grace and minister through grace. Don’t give up because your reward is glorious.

Endure!

One Big Question

2011-10-14T09:42:00.001+01:00

Galatians 4:4-7 - The Spirit of Sonship

2011-09-30T12:32:00.000+01:00

We were thinking in home group last night about prayer using these verses to explore our sonship and status as justified sons and therefroe justified pray-ers. Thought I'd repost this about what it mean sto be a Son of God in Christ indwelt with the Spirit.

Imagine you are sat having a coffee with a friend when there’s a pause, you sense that they are screwing up their courage to ask you something important. You wait and then they blurt out; ‘How am I supposed to relate to God? I try my best but I just keep on messing up and I feel so guilty about it. I try to read my Bible every day but then I get distracted and I miss a few days and then I feel bad. I try to live the best I can and some days I think I’ve done OK and that God will be pleased with me. Then others I mess it up and I think he just can’t love me, and I can’t really be a Christian!’ They look up from their coffee, waiting for your answer. I wonder, what would you say?

How do we relate to God? Is it about what we do? Is it performance related?

That is certainly an issue facing the Galatians. They are in danger of abandoning the gospel all together, that’s why Paul writes this letter. They are adding to the gospel circumcision and obedience to the law, and Paul’s says don’t. He reminds them that they are justified – made right with God – not by what they do but by what he has done, and of their status and the reality of their relationship with God.

It’s a letter that helps us deal with the question: how should I relate to God?

1. You are God’s redeemed and adopted child
What do you think of when you hear the word redeem? I guess it’s the 50p off a box of cereal, baby wipes or whatever it is, coupon. As you stand at the till you hand it over and the cashier deducts it as part payment off the total price.

But the Bibles idea of redemption, specifically that used here is very different. When it says “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law…” It is not the coupon idea of redemption, it is not part payment, or a contribution towards it. It is instead the image of the slave market. And that word redemption carries with it the idea of buying a slave and then setting it free. That is what it meant to redeem someone – you bore the total cost, not part of the cost, for their freedom.

(4-5)God sends his Son, Jesus, to redeem us, to buy us out of slavery and he meets the total cost himself.

You see there is a problem for the Galatians, and us, if we want to live, to approach God, by keeping the law. Just glance back into ch3:10“All who rely on observing the law are under a curse…Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” If we want to justify ourselves by the law we have to keep all of it. It’s not good enough just to keep the do not kill and steal bit and fail to keep the do not give false testimony, or don’t covet. We have to keep all of it all of the time.

And actually we all have a problem with the very first commandment “You shall have no other gods before me.” That means there must be nothing else that we ever put in the place of, or alongside, God. I guess most of us don’t have any idols or shrines at home but what about family, children, career? An idol is any good thing that we allow to become a rival to the ultimate thing, God. It is anything that stops us loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

Keeping the law can’t make us right before God, it highlights our guilt and leaves us facing God’s justice and judgement. But (13)“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…”

We are redeemed, bought back from slavery to the law, from being under the curse by Jesus, having kept the law perfectly suffering our punishment and death in our place and crediting us by faith with his perfect record.

And he redeems his people for a purpose, do you see it in(5)? “that we may receive adoption to sonship.” When we were under the curse, when we were rebelling against God we couldn’t be his children. Just think of Adam and Eve for a moment, what happened when they rebelled against God? They were under the curse and they were exiled from God’s presence. God cannot stand sin and rebellion, so as rebels we cannot be his children, but just as Israel by grace is adopted by God as his son so by faith in Christ are believers.

And as an adopted son we have the full rights of sons, just as in Roman society an adopted male heir had full inheritance rights.

How am I supposed to relate to God? As his redeemed and adopted children. That is what Paul is saying to the Galatians why on earth would you go back to being a slave when you can be God’s son. My standing before God is not based on my performance, it is not based on how well I am doing, it is not based on religion, there is nothing that I can contribute to it. It is based solely on what Jesus has done for you.

Maybe that is something you need to grasp. Maybe you live your life wracked by guilt because you fail, you can’t meet what you think of as God’s performance management targets for the Christian. See your status – you are God’s redeemed and adopted Son if you have put your faith in him.

But how does that work? Once we are saved by faith in Christ, redeemed and adopted what difference should it make?

2. You are to relate to God as a loved child to a loving Father
(6) “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’” Do you notice how the Holy Spirit is described? The Spirit of his Son – as we thought about last week from John is another like Jesus, and he is sent by God so that the adopted sons relate to God as Jesus the Son did.

In other words the Holy Spirit comes to make the believers new relationship with God a living breathing reality. As you read the gospels you can’t help but notice the relationship Jesus has with God. He listens to him, he takes time out to speak with him, he seeks to delight God; acting as God would act, loving as God would love, God’s priorities are his priorities.

What Paul is saying is amazing. The very Spirit who makes Jesus relationship with God a reality will do the same for us. He comes and lives in our hearts – the centre of our wills, intellects and feelings and he changes them, he transforms them; so that we relate to God as his children not as his enemies. Did you notice that the words that the Spirit calls out within us or through us are the very words Jesus used when addressing his Father.

We can relate to God as our father just as Jesus did because we have the same spirit at work in us. Abba is a word used in families, it is a term that speaks of a closeness, an intimacy, but not an over familiarity.

Just imagine for a minute a couple who are adopting a child. How would they feel when the adoption papers are all signed and sealed and they now have a legal relationship with that child? They would be thrilled. But imagine how much happier they are when a few months later that child instinctively calls out ‘Mum’ or ‘Dad’ to them. Then it wouldn’t just be a legal, formal relationship but a living, breathing, loving reality.

That is what God sends his Holy Spirit into our lives to do. He makes the believer’s redemption and adoption a relational reality, as he teaches us how we relate to God, as he opens the Bible to us, as he teaches us what displeases God and what he delights in, as he makes Jesus real to us. As he leads us to speak to God, to run to him in a crisis, to trust in him in difficulties, to thank him for his mercy and grace, to ask him for what we need, and to share his concerns, and to look and long for his coming.

Let’s just go back to our friend’s question again; ‘How am I supposed to relate to God?’ You explain all that to them and they say yes but I just don’t feel that God is my father.

My hunch is that if you go and ask my two boys if they feel like I am their dad that they would look at you like you had gone out, they wouldn’t have a clue what you were on about. But if you were to watch them you would see that they relate to me as their dad. They ask me things, they try to please me, they are disciplined by me, they come to me when they are upset, and so on.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t make you feel God is your Father, he causes us to practically relate to God as our Father. The Holy Spirits work in to make our new relationship with God a living breathing reality. What that looks like will differ for each one of us, and it will differ over time for each of us.

Don’t give up being a son to be a slave. Do you see our status before God in Christ – we are redeemed and lovingly adopted, we are made heirs and we have a right relationship with God. And the Holy Spirit is sent to live and work in us so we experience the reality of that relationship of having God as our loving heavenly father.

What will that relationship look like? How do we relate rightly to God? The Holy Spirit works to remind us of the wonder of the redemption and relationship we have with God, he helps us to approach and talk to God, he encourages and guides us as we serve God, in a crisis he drives us to cry out to God, he draws us to confess our failure to God and he goes with us and speaks through us as we call others to know God.

Don’t be a slave be a son?

Prayer

2011-09-29T10:21:00.000+01:00

I'm doing some thinking on prayer for Gospel Group tonight, the basis of prayer, how and why we pray, our misunderstandings about prayer and our need to understand the liberating relational nature of the bibles teaching on prayer. Here are 5 questions to use as a diagnostic tool on your thinking (assumptions) about prayer:

Which of these are true you:

a. When I think about prayer I focus on...

...what I am like as a praying Christian or ...on God what our heavenly Father is like

b. God hears my prayers because...

...because I am good and faithful or ...Jesus is faithful and acceptable on my behalf.

c. I am motivated to pray by...

...the power of prayer to move God to act or ...the power of God who allows his children to share in his reveal purposes

d. when you think about God bringing about his purposes do you mainly think about...

...what God has done, is doing, and will do or ...a remote future event

e. when struggling with prayer do you...

...take distractions, how overwhelmed you feel and the mess of life to your loving Father or ...struggle and give up because you just can’t pray as you should?

On your marks?

2011-09-28T12:24:00.000+01:00

Its isn't long to go until the Olympics start and we need to think about how we will use this as an opportunity to tell people about Jesus. The opening ceremony is 27th July, and the closing ceremony on 12th August.

Sport provides lots of ways to bring people together whether through participation or spectating. How can we be involved?

Here are some suggestions:

Sports quiz
Sport related Holiday Club
Family fun day with various sports
Sports coaching
Serving community by laying on a meal and community watch of sporting event

There are loads of other ways to be involved but it would be a real shame to let this opportunity pass us by.

Discipleship

2011-09-27T16:01:00.003+01:00

The Christian bookplace is beset with 'how to...' books, though interestingly I don't think that there are many on discipleship and the principles and practice of discipling others. And yet the Bible has lots of models of discipleship: Elijah with Elisha, Jesus and Disciples, Paul with Timothy and Titus. There are a few things that flavour my thinking and any training I do with people on discipleship, here are some of the big ones:

1. I think key to helping people disciple others is examining how they have been discipled and what was good about it or bad about it. We are all discipled by others we just don’t realise it, or think of it in those terms. For example if you were brought up in a Christian home you were being discipled by your parents or parent – what was that like? What was great about it? What was assumed? What was not so great? Those who are influential in us deciding to follow Jesus are also key to our discipleship. Our church leaders set us models of discipleship, our friends and so on. Often this leads us to have a set of assumptions about what discipleship looks like; some are good some are bad but all need calling out for what they are and examining in the light of what the bible says discipleship is and should be.

2. Biblical patterns: I think its helpful to explore the biblical patterns of discipleship and think about why they are as they are. For example older men train younger men, older women younger women. Why is this given as a command? What is prohibited? What is being commanded? Why practically is God giving us these instructions? How ought that to influence our discipleship? Or Jesus relationship with the disciples: what did this look like day to day? How does observation and question and answer play a part in this? How are mistakes used? How are praise, teaching, rebuke, training, and facilitating seen here? What is Jesus ultimate aim for his disciples and why? How does that practically influence their relationship?

3. Discipleship is sharing more than just the Bible ThessaloniansPaul makes much as he writes to the Thessalonians in chapter 1 and 2 of how he and the team lived among them – and we see him talking about discipling in terms of Mother and father relationships. We also see the goal of his discipleship. Its helpful to use this passage to explore the goals of discipleship. What is it I am seeking to achieve and why? What am I modelling? How accountably open will I be and will they be? How can we facilitate this? Given where they are where do we need to start (gospel outline, bible overview, learning about biblical leadership?)?

4. Time – discipleship only happens in the context of relationship, therefore key is spending time together doing things will build relationship. I think in general that looks different for lads and girls. Mission and ministry can accelerate this process but it can also retard it in significant ways taking certain things off the agenda.

5. Discipleship is pastoral care. Expect the unexpected and have a biblical focus to your relationship. I this area I think Crosstalk (see my amazon store to the right)is a brilliant resources at thinking about how we use the bible pastorally in discipleship.

2 Timothy 1:8-18 – The Call of Gospel Ministry

2011-09-26T11:15:00.000+01:00

Here are the notes from last nights LightHouse.

1. Why does Paul write to Timothy?

2. Why might we give up speaking the gospel to non believers?

3. Why might we give up speaking the gospel to believers?

Paul has reminded Timothy (6-7)of his faith, his gifting and his empowering by God for ministry, Paul doesn’t want Timothy to give up or throw in the towel, or even to retreat in fear. But he writes to encourage him to be bold because he has been given God’s Spirit to empower him to proclaim, to enable him to love and to equip him to act wisely keeping the big picture in mind. Now Paul encourages and exhorts Timothy not to be ashamed, but to press.
(8)There are two things which Timothy might be ashamed of, **what are they? His testimony about our Lord and Paul. Don’t, says Paul, don’t be ashamed of telling people who Jesus is and what it means, and don’t be ashamed of my imprisonment and suffering. The danger is real, this is a real warning Timothy may well be ashamed of the gospel because it brings conflict with the false teachers and those inside the church who accept their teaching. And it seems that those false teachers are maligning Paul because of his suffering as if suffering somehow discounted his message. And Paul wants Timothy to come to him, something he will not do if he is ashamed of him.

Paul reminds Timothy of the wonder of the gospel and the nature of gospel ministry.

1. Don’t be ashamed of the gospel because...
(9)God has saved us. The gospel is the message of salvation, something Timothy has known and believed from a young age. God always intended to save a people for himself from the nations through faith in Jesus Christ. Don’t be ashamed of the gospel because it saves, it is the message of salvation, of deliverance, of reconciliation with God.

(9)God calls us to a holy life. The call of the gospel is not just to be saved and hold on to a golden ticket, it is a call not be saved but to live saved, to be different, to be being transformed into the likeness of Jesus in what we love, what we take a stand for, how we think, act and react. The message of the gospel is not just of our need and God’s rescue but it is of a growing vibrant discipleship which treasures God above all. **And what is our salvation and holiness down to? it is all of grace(9), we don’t deserve it, but God in grace by his power and for his purposes saves us and call us to live as his people living to the beat of his drum.

(10)it is our hope of life. Jesus has destroyed death, the wages of sin are paid and therefore death has no claim over those who have trusted in Jesus, in its place we are given life and immortality. We don’t get what we do deserve but are given what we don’t deserve because of Jesus.

Timothy don’t be ashamed of the gospel but be amazed at it. In Christ God provides rescue for the lost, deliverance for the defeated, and life for the dead. Testify to Jesus through whom God saves us by grace, empowers us for holy living as he sets us apart and guarantees out hope so that we begin living eternally now. Don’t be ashamed but praise God!

Do we ever feel ashamed of the gospel, we need to look again and be amazed at what God has done for us, at his love and grace. So that we are not ashamed but amazed.

2. Don’t be ashamed of me because...
(8)My suffering is part of God’s plan. Paul is in prison in Rome but **how does he describe himself? “the [Lords] prisoner”. He is not there because of Nero’s power, he is not there because somehow he has screwed up. His suffering and imprisonment are not an aberration or a mistake. God is sovereign over his imprisonment and he is in prison for the gospel. Don’t be ashamed of me Timothy but (8)join with me in suffering for the gospel. **How can Timothy do that? “by the power of God.” Suffering does not nullify the gospel but verifies the gospel because God works through it empowering his people to testify to the wonder of his grace and to entrust themselves to him in certain hope of his well done.

(11-12)Suffering is the norm in gospel ministry. (11-12)make even clearer this link between gospel ministry and suffering. **Why does Paul say he is suffering? Because of his appointment, his calling to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

(12)I am convinced and trust God. (12)His imprisonment and impending death has not shattered Paul’s faith, it has not caused Paul to be ashamed because he is utterly confident in the character and faithfulness of the one he has entrusted his ministry and life to. God will guard the gospel and him until Christ returns.

Don’t be ashamed of the gospel or of me, the gospel is glorious and true and suffering is all part of the ministry of God’s gospel which he calls us to. Knowing the gospel and knowing the God of the gospel are the key to not being ashamed.

When we feel ashamed, when we feel the temptation to flee, or just keep quiet we don’t need to redouble our efforts, we don’t need emotional manipulation or blackmail we need to refresh ourselves in the gospel and the God of the gospel.

3. Don’t be ashamed but...
Now Paul turns to what it will mean, what it will look like for Timothy not to be ashamed. **What does he tell him to do(13)? Keep on teaching what you heard from me. Don’t compromise on what you teach, don’t adapt it to fit in with the false teachers, even if what they teach seems to be what some in the church members want to hear, hold to and teach the truth. The pattern means the model or standard of the gospel which he has learned from Paul and which is testified to by the other apostles.

Timothy you know what you ought to preach, you know the truth, don’t be pressured into accommodating false teachers, or cowed into silence. Be unashamed and teach the truth. And it is not just the words of his ministry that matter but the mode of his ministry, his teaching and life are to be marked by sincere belief and love as modelled in Christ.

Guard the gospel is his next instruction. **Why do you need to guard something? Because it is under threat, it will be attacked, or stolen or vandalised or damaged. Timothy the gospel is under threat, it is gospel will be under attack, and just as you would something precious guard the gospel entrusted to you, that is both in you, that I passed down to you and that you teach others. That might seem a bit of an overwhelming task, but he is not alone, "with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”

4. Don’t be ashamed like...instead...
Paul ends this call to Timothy not to be ashamed but to stand and faithfully declare the gospel and join Paul in suffering by giving him examples of some who have been ashamed and one who has not.

To be ashamed means to desert and that (15)is what happened in Asia, Paul’s imprisonment has led some to desert him, don’t be like them. Don’t hide away but come to me.

But Onesiphorus stands out as one who is not ashamed. **What did that look like? He goes to Rome – into the lion’s den – he searches for Paul, hard, and when he finds him encourages and refreshes him. He is not ashamed of Paul or of the gospel which has led to Paul’s imprisonment, be identifies with him and encourages him.

Paul wants Timothy to see the real danger – it is being ashamed of the gospel and of Paul. Instead of being ashamed and deserting he wants him to proclaim, to stand, to guard, to fight, to come to him.

Gospel ministry is hard; it is a calling to testify to Jesus and to suffer for that calling. It comes with the temptation to be ashamed whether that is by keeping quiet, or by compromising on the gospel, or by not identifying with those who suffer for the gospel.

What is the antidote it is to refresh yourself in the wonder of the gospel and the character and provision of God. To stand because you know the one who has saved you and are confident in the one who keeps you and who provides his spirit to enable you to stand!

These are the questions we then discussed in small groups afterwards as we sought to apply the passage to one another:
1. What parts of the gospel are we tempted to be ashamed of?

2. What parts of the gospel do we need to guard today?

3. What does it look like for us to follow Pauls’ instructions not to be ashamed?

4. What encouragement is there here to enable us to stand?

Britain's Theological Obesity

2011-09-20T11:12:00.000+01:00

Apparently I live in one of the most obese towns in Britain, something which across the country is beginning to put a growing strain on our health service because of the illnesses related to and which are a result of obesity.

But it isn't just physically that we are feeling the affects of obesity. I wonder if parts of the church in Britain are suffering from Theological obesity - in other words we gorge ourselves on teaching, teaching teaching, making the most of every opportunity, from church, to home group, from MP3's to conferences - and I am not against making the most of teaching. But actually Bible teaching is designed to lead to Bible living, and I wonder if what is happening with the availability of bible teaching is that we gorge on it but do not become active with it. So we listen to the Bible and take in what it says, we can repeat the ideas to others but do not convert that message into changed loves, thoughts, actions and reactions.

What is the antidote - well just as the antidote to physical obesity is exercise so it is to spiritual obesity. We need to hear the word of God and do something with it - discuss it, learn it, activate it, and engage in life as a result of it equipped to serve others - after all that is the purpose of Christ giving us apostles, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, (Ephesians 4:11).

If we find that we are not serving, we are not loving more, we are not bearing with, we are not reaching out to, we are not stirred in our hearts and souls to engage with one another in discipleship and with a lost world with sharing the gospel. Maybe we need to stand on the spiritual weighing scales!

An appetite to hear and listen to God's word is a great thing, but God's word is designed to produce service as we model ourselves on the one who served us motivated by his sheer grace which saves us and reconciles us with God and others.

2 Timothy 1v1-7 - Welcome to Gospel Ministry

2011-09-19T11:07:00.000+01:00

Here are my notes from last nights LightHouse.

1. What is Gospel Ministry?

2. What is false ministry and how would you spot it?

3. Who engages in gospel ministry?

2 Timothy is Paul’s farewell letter to Timothy, it is a very personal letter from an older gospel minister to the young gospel minister he has mentored and discipled. Paul warns, exhorts and encourages Timothy not to give up but to continue in gospel ministry despite its hardships because of the resources at his disposal and the prize he has in view.

As we study this letter we will see the nature of Gospel ministry, its realities, battles and hardships but also how it is not down to us but rather is facilitated enabled and dependent on God who is able. It’s tempting to think this is a letter for pastors and elders, and there is an application on that level, though it also helps us as a church see what we ought to be looking for, encouraging and praying for our leaders and in new leaders. But there is another sense in which this is Paul writing to someone he has discipled, and it helps us see how relational following Jesus is and the priorities and goals such relationships have.
1. Gospel Ministry is hard but full of hopeHow does Paul start his letter? (1)“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God...” He is chosen and appointed by God to be a witness to the life of Jesus. Paul, as he writes, is at the end of his life, we might expect him to write from a nice cosy home for retired ministers, but he is in prison. What’s worse is this isn’t like his imprisonment at the end of Acts. He was released from there and then engaged in more missionary work before being rearrested, but now he is not being held under house arrest and he is not free to move around.

(1:16)He is in chains and he feels isolated (4:9-13)and lonely, he has experienced opposition(4:14) and having had his preliminary hearing(4:16) death appears inevitable(4:6-8). In fact church history tells us that this second imprisonment was in the time of Nero and not long after writing this letter Paul is beheaded in Rome.

Gospel ministry is hard; it doesn’t bring earthly reward or comfort but opposition, hardship and struggle. But Paul isn’t down. How else does he describe himself? “in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.” Paul isn’t just given a task to do but the gospel that compels him to tell people about Jesus is the gospel that has won his heart and captured his vision with its hope. Even as he faces his death for the gospel his hope is secure; 4:8 “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day...” Paul isn’t facing death he is awaiting life, he longs to go and meet the righteous Judge having faced the corrupt judge.

Gospel ministry is hard but it is full of hope. Paul doesn’t hide either of those facets of gospel ministry in his letters. We need to know that gospel ministry is going to be hard or we will give up on it when it gets hard, when we face opposition. But we also need to know the hope we have so we see why we persevere, why enduring opposition is worth it.

2. Gospel ministry is people ministryI’m sure you’ve heard phrases like ‘My job would great if it wasn’t for the pupils/customers/clients.’ We may even have thought it ourselves. We even sometimes think it of church; ‘I love the church it’s just people I struggle with.’ A friend of mine once put it like this ‘It’s hard to soar like an eagle when you’re surrounded by turkeys.’ All those phrases get at the same thing – people are hard work. Life would be easier if it wasn’t for everyone else.

As we work through 2 Timothy its surprising in some ways that Paul doesn’t say something similar. (1:15)Phygelus and Hermogenes deserted him as did everyone else in Asia, (2:14-3:9)there are false teachers being accepted by people in the church, (4:9)Demas has deserted him, and Alexander has done him much harm. You could forgive Paul for saying Timothy don’t trust people, just get your head down in the office study the bible, teach it, but don’t invest too much in people they will only let you down and hurt you. But nowhere in his letter does Paul say that!

In fact he says the opposite; it is impossible to do gospel ministry without engaging with, committing to and loving people because gospel ministry is people ministry.

I wonder what struck you as we read these opening 7 verses, here’s what struck me, it’s the deeply committed relationship between Paul and Timothy. How does he described Timothy(2) “my dear son” and look how he continues “night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers... I long to see you...” You get a real sense of the deep relationship forged by their shared gospel ministry. Paul is Timothy’s spiritual mentor, he has disciple him in the faith for years, they have ministered alongside each other, Timothy is his child in the faith. And even as his ministry is about to end in glory Paul is concerned for Timothy; his endurance, struggles and the need for him to keep fighting the fight.

I wonder what you picture in your mind when you think about the ministry of the Apostle Paul? Is it big events, thousands packing venues to hear the gospel preached, is it of him as a big name speaker? But as you read Acts you see him in conversation with and discipling, Timothy, Lydia and the jailor in Philippi, Jason and others in Thesslaonica where he lives alongside them and so on. As we read Paul’s letters to Titus, Timothy, Philemon and the churches we see loads of discipling relationships – Aquila, Priscilla, Appollos, Luke, Mark, Onesimus, Crescus, Tychicus, Erastus, Trophimus and so on.

Gospel ministry for Paul is not impersonal, it is not hit and run, it is intensely relational, it is disciples discipling disciples. It is brothers and sisters in Christ committed to one another and working the gospel into the lives of one another.

As we go through this letter you can’t avoid it – Gospel ministry is relational ministry. You see it here in his longing to see Timothy, in his concerns and fears for Timothy, in his desire to see him not just come to sincere faith, but go on and grow, to use his gifts to their full potential to glorify God.

This is so counter cultural, not just in the world but in the church. We live in an age when bigger is better, when being too personal, too committed, too involved are all viewed negatively. We live in an age that highlights individualism at the expense of community, that encourages communication at the expense of conversation, that prizes detachment at the expense of commitment. We need to remind ourselves that the gospel is a message about a restored relationship which also restores relationships. That we don’t decide to become Christians but begin to live life alongside and committed to other disciples.

Gospel ministry is relational; that is what makes it hard but it is also what makes it joyful.

Paul’s life is overflowing with relationships, with disciples he is discipling, or others whose ministry he partners in or who partner in his. How about us?

Lifelong committed loving gospel centred relational discipleship is gospel ministry.

3. God calls and God enablesI think one of our big fears about engaging in gospel ministry through these relationships is getting burnt out. The statistics on ministry burnout are quite frightening... And maybe you have felt it yourself. I don’t thing gospel ministry is the problem, I think so often we do ministry not gospel ministry

The pressures of gospel ministry are not new – Paul writes to Timothy because Timothy feels them, and he is worried about Timothy giving up. He is worried about Timothy becoming just another statistic, another gospel minister who gives up his ministry.

What is his remedy? (6-7)He says recognise you are gifted by God, maximise the potential of your gift but do it in God’s power don’t rely on yourself! Its brilliant isn’t it – why would we burn out? Because we rely on ourselves, we minister to others out of our own strength not out of God’s strength, we minister to others thinking we have to save them rather than trusting God’s word to point them to Christ who saves them! We engage in ministry but not in gospel ministry!

Don’t think that this is let go and let God though because notice the reminder he gives Timothy; “I remind you fan into flame the gift of God...” Timothy God has given you a gift and your job is to keep it burning brightly, to utilise it, develop it, glorify God as much as you possibly can with it.

But (7)not because you can do it in your own strength but because of him who gives you his Spirit to enable you to do that. God gives his Spirit so that Timothy does not retreat like a coward from ministry – that is how that word timid was used, of someone who ran away from battle. Timothy, the Spirit God has given us isn’t a spirit of cowardice. Gospel ministry is hard, it’s relational, it’s a war but God gives his Spirit so that you don’t run away but glorify God. The Spirit is the one who enables ministry in three crucial areas.

Power – Luke 24:49 Jesus promises his disciples they will be clothed with power from on high, a promise reiterated in Acts 1:8 and fulfilled at Pentecost. The disciples who before cowered in a locked room are emboldened and empowered to proclaim the gospel and preach it from the rooftops in the middle of Jerusalem. It’s the power to proclaim Christ, demolish strongholds, fight sin, pursue godliness, endure suffering and run the race.

But for gospel ministry Timothy doesn’t just need power he needs love. Why? Because power alone leads to manipulative leadership, that is not the way of gospel ministry, so that Spirit will enable Timothy to love. Agape – active love modelled on God’s active love for his people. Gospel ministry is loving ministry, a love not based on feelings but grounded in the gospel.

And lastly Timothy is empowered with the Spirit who gives self-control – a discipline which gives wisdom in any and every situation, so that when everything around you is coming unglued, when chaos is everywhere you keep your focus on the gospel.

Gospel ministry whatever that looks like for us is destined to fail if we rely on our strength and our abilities. We do not have the capacity to serve in our own strength and why would we when God has given us his spirit so that we serve in his power, in his love and with his self discipline.

Have you been robbed of a valuable tool!

2011-09-13T14:58:00.000+01:00

There are somethings which the bible encourages us to do which we find easy, or mostly easy. But there are others which we do not, in fact which we make excuses to avoid doing. In preparing both 2 Timothy 1 for Sunday and Gospel Groups on our commitment to One Another two things have come up which I think are hard but are interelated; love and rebuke.

The world thinks of love as something nice, complementary and gentle and this has robbed us of the robust and really life changing capabilities of the love the bible talks about evidenced in the gospel and which is to be at work amonst believers. Our love for each other is not seen in saying nice things to each other but in saying what needs to be said to each other in love. Because we love each other we will help one another confront sin and fight sin pointing each other and leading one another back to the glorious freedom we find in grace.

Rebuke or warn are key terms in the New Testament, we see Paul doing this to both the churches he writes to and to the young pastors (Timothy and Titus) he leaves behind as a lasting gospel legacy. And, lest we think it is just Paul, he exhorts Timothy that he is to continue that same work. Elsewhere we see the whole church encouraged to love each other enough to help one another fight sin.

It poses the questions how much do I love my brothers and sisters in Christ, when did I last in love warn or rebuke someone? When was I last warned or rebuked? How did I accept that warning or rebuke?

Because it doesn't even take love to say something nice to someone but only real gospel love will give and accept rebuke knowing it is for our good, designed to drive us back to the cross and the liberating grace and freedom we find their in Christ our Saviour.

Muddled not modelled

2011-09-12T09:35:00.000+01:00

Last week I was re-reading the opening of 'Everyday Church' which has some alarming statistics about church attendance, or rather non-attendance, I then read an article in the current briefing about the church in the UK which contained yet more statistics charting the decline in UK discipleship.

One the interesting points that article focused on was that with fewer and fewer children having any exposure to church or the bible it is harder and takes longer for those people to understand the gospel when it is shared with later in life - in terms of connecting the dots of God's holiness, our rebellion in failing to love such a good, great and gracious creator, God's amazing rescue in sending Jesus, his overwhelming love in dying in our place, and our glorious victory over sin and death that we share with Christ at his resurrection and wait to experience fully.

But I think there is another hugely significant result of this that we are missing. We cannot assume that when someone comes to faith they have a biblical understanding of relationships, marriage, parenting, finances, care for parents, business conduct and so on. I grew up in a church where many of those things were assumed, you grew up with discipling parents and you learnt those things - but what if I hadn't had that?

If most of those who come to faith now have not experienced any of that we must incorporate those things into our discipleship or young disciples. How? I don't think classes are the best way to do it. In 1 Thessalonians Paul talks about how he and his team shared their lives with the Thessalonians as they discipled them to faith and then onto maturity. They lived life out right in their midst, they let them see what it meant to live following Jesus.

We need a huge shift in how we think about discipleship if we are not just to see people won for Christ but then floundering in terms of what that means for them. We dare not let people muddle through but we need to model it through for them.

It comes back to the key being gospel community, we need to be sharing our lives with one another enabled to do so because we understand the deep deep love of Jesus which liberates us from the tiny confines of 'my kingdom' to deeply love my brother in THE kingdom.

Spotting parallels in Exodus 2

2011-09-07T11:51:00.000+01:00

Exodus Two is a brilliant chapter and as I've studied it this week I've seen an amazing number of parallels with other bits of the Bible and with later chapters of Exodus.
1. "Ark" the Hebrew word translated basket in v3 and 5 is the word ark, it appears only 27 times in the Old Testament, 25 times in the story of Noah and twice in these verses. It gives us a glimpse of how God will rescue Moses through the water, as he will later do with the Israelites.

2. Moses rescue of the Israelites and Jethro's family has many parallels with God's. Moses sees the Israelites suffering as does God, he strikes an Egyptian as God strikes an Egyptian, and his rescue of Jethro's daughters is described as being rescued or saved and delivered just as God will describe his rescue/deliverance of the Israelites.

3. Like Joseph Moses is rejected by his brothers and sent into exile.

There are also the obvious parallels with Jesus birth, though Jesus is the Saviour whereas Moses is saved to mediate God's salvation.

What did you Expect?

2011-09-06T10:54:00.000+01:00

I'm on chapter 2 of this fantastic book on marriage and in that chapter Tripp really gets down to principles, his basic premise is that what enables and sustains a marriage of love, unity and understanding is daily worship of God as creator, sovereign and saviour. In fact it is only that which will lead us to value and praise God for what he has made our spouse to be, how he has blessed us by giving us a spouse who has a different way of looking at the world, and for the calling to be part of working the gospel of Jesus into one another's sinful lives.

Brilliant and so insightful when you reverse that. So often in our marriages we do the opposite, we wish our spouses were differently wired, or thought the same way as us about things, or did not struggle with that sin, or were as righteous as us (Pharisee alert!!!). But that means we are not worshipping God and praising him for our spouse but are questioning God's creation, his sovereignty and abdicating the grace-bearing aspect of our marriages.

God is faithful to his people through his people

2011-09-05T10:26:00.000+01:00

One of the things which really struck me as I studied and preached Exodus 1 was the naming of the two midwives. Verse 15 is written in such a way that the names could not be given and nothing would be missed, so you have to ask why are the names of these two ladies included. This is made even more apparent when you consider Pharaoh's name is not given just his title.

God remembers his faithful people, as Shiprah and Puah go about their job fearing God not Pharaoh, trusting God even with their lives as they disobey Pharaoh's mandate to kill baby boy Hebrews. God does not forget them and God does not want his people to forget them, hence the recording of their names. They are great examples of those who live by faith. And a great encouragement to us that God is faithful to his people through his people - he will eventually send Moses to deliver his people, called, anointed, set apart to be Israel's mediator. But he also works through the everyday faithfulness of his ordinary people to delivery his people. What an encouragement that is to us as we go into work or labour at home.

ESV for free on Kindle

2011-09-02T10:05:00.000+01:00

If you have a Kindle reader on your phone, computer, tablet, or a reader you can download the ESV bible for free from Amazon at the moment. Here's the link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bible-English-Standard-Version-ebook/dp/B001EOCFU4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314954144&sr=8-1

Gospel Groups

2011-09-01T14:43:00.000+01:00

This term we are relaunching Home Groups and renaming them as Gospel Groups. The idea is that these groups reflect our DNA as a church more than they currently do. Home groups is fine as a name except they don't naturally make us think of them as somewhere we might bring our interested, or hostile, friends to hear the gospel. So why gospel groups? It is an acrostic for:

Groups committed to...
One Another
Studying the Bible
Prayer
Evangelism
Loving our Community.

This term we will be studying this DNA and thinking about how practically we can impact the communities in which we meet.

That first morning buzz

2011-08-30T09:54:00.000+01:00

This morning is the first day back in the saddle after two really encouraging and stimulating weeks studying Ezekiel, and then two weeks holiday - during which our fourth son (Elijah Benjamin) was born. Sometimes you hear people talk about dreading going back to work after a break, but this morning it is with a real excitement that I'm starting work on the book of Exodus which we will be preaching through this term in the mornings.

In fact so excited am I by Exodus that its been hard giving other people chapters to preach because I just want to preach all of it because it is so rich in terms of the vision it gives us of God, his character, his grace and his sovereignty. I'd much rather have to work hard to give others bits to preach because I'd love to than be willingly giving them passages I want to avoid. Exodus is just such a great book because it reveals so much about our great God!

Here's how we are dividing the book up:

ch 1 - God's people in trouble
ch2 - How not to rescue God's People!
ch3:1-4:31 - A Great God and a Fearful Leader
ch 5:1-21 - Who is this God?
ch 5:22-7:7 - God will be know and Save
ch 7:8-10:29 - God Revealed
ch 11:1-13:16 - God Redeems his People
ch 13:17-14:31 - God Glorified
ch 15:1-21 - The Futility of Opposing God
ch 15:22-17:16 - God and a Whingeing people
ch 18 - A Mystery Worshipper

What did you Expect?

2011-08-12T12:09:00.000+01:00

Having just finished 'Everyday Church' by Timmis and Chester I'm now starting 'What did you Expect?' by Paul Tripp, I was lent this book recently and having read the first chapter decided it was so good I wanted a copy for reference purposes. Tripp's emphasis is the need for our marriages to be based on grace. The book is based around 6 commitments:

1. We will give ourselves to a regular lifestyle of confession and forgiveness
2. We will make growth and change our daily agenda
3. We will work together to build a sturdy bond of trust
4. We will commit to building a relationship of love
5. We will deal with our differences with appreciation and grace
6. We will work to protect our marriage

These things are important because we live out our marriage in the midst of a fallen world, because we are sinners married to a sinner, and because God is faithful, powerful,willing and delights to transform us by his grace.

Real church

2011-08-12T11:59:00.000+01:00

I had an interesting discussion with my two young boys last week on the difference between the way people talk about church. What is it that makes a church? Its not a building or stained glass windows or the quality of the service? It isn't even good preaching - indeed there is a danger of becoming a preaching centre where people come to be entertained.

A church is people living life together with gospel intentionality, applying the bible to one another's lives, spurring each other on in godliness and holiness, helping on another in our fight against sin. It means spending time together, the regulated times of meeting are part of it but only part of it. It is much more fluid, much more organic, much more attractive, much more messy.

Our problem with it is that it is not something you can organise, though you can put in place things to facilitate it. It is something which people must see, be attracted to and participate in.

God will not be boxed

2011-08-12T11:53:00.000+01:00

Its interesting how often we read the bible and find God doing something we may not have expected, or which we expect him not to do. Take Exodus 1 God works through the midwives who fear him rather than Pharaoh and blesses them for their faithfulness to him. Or Ezekiel ch 4-23 God keeps on reiterating that he is going to judge Jerusalem, something which neither the exiles or those living there expect yet God does. God will not be kept in a box, there is nothing he cannot do. God is God we ought to expect him to do the unexpected.

How do we make godly decisions?

2011-08-10T14:35:00.000+01:00

What makes a good decision? What makes a bad decision? What is a godly decision? Is it the same as a good decision? Will it have the same outcome? Will it be good for us, or might a godly decision be bad for us?

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

That doesn’t mean fear as in to be terrified of but the appropriate response we make to our creator and redeemer.  ‘LORD’ translates Yahweh – God’s name, God is our creator and redeemer yet reveals himself by name, he call us into relationship with him, in Jesus. Wisdom is living out that relationship.

Making godly decisions is not slavish obedience to a long list of do’s and don’ts, I’m not going to give you a 27 page list of godly decisions in different scenarios so you can tick them off as you come across them. Making godly decisions is not done on a cost benefit analysis of what will be good for me, but trusting that God is our loving heavenly father who longs for us to live out our gospel freedom for our best and his glory. 3 fundamental principles must influence and drive our thinking:

1. The Gospel causes us to love and pursue GodWe don’t obey God or make godly decision to earn his favour. In Luke 7:36-50 contrasts Simon and sinful woman.  Jesus tells a story that reveals their hearts, their motives.  (41-42) there are two men both are bankrput, one owes a vast debt, the other a smaller debt, both are amazingly forgiven their debts.  The key is the question Jesus poses (42)’Which one loved him more?’

The woman’s lavish loving worship is the result of her grasp of the magnitude of God’s outrageous love for her in forgiving her sin, she knows how much she has been forgiven so she loves so much.

If we want to make godly decisions we need to grasp this same truth, our love of God who loved us so much he sent his son must be our motivation.  Love for God prompts the desire to make godly decisions. A desire to make godly decisions flows from a right understanding of the magnitude of our sin and the salvation, and a desire to respond to it.

2. The gospel means we can know GodGodly decision making isn’t obedience to rules but a growing relational reality. As we come to know God we realise he does all things for our good and his purposes are best – we can do his will even when it runs contrary to ours.  We get to know God by reading his word, studying it with others, and by helping one another apply it to our lives.  We gain new insights into God’s love for us in Christ so that we desire/love him and want to please him. We see what God loves, hear his loving warnings, see his future, are encouraged in our struggles.

3. The Gospel redeems us to walk with GodWe are saved for a purpose; to glorify God by being holy - set apart.  The Epistles talk a lot about walking/living to please God, and they also talk about God equipping us to do so; Gal 5:16 “walk by the Spirit” idea is putting your footsteps where he puts his.  John 16 – In the Spirit we are taught, equipped and led, our hearts and desires are changed (John 3) because of the gospel. And God also gives us other Christians to encourage, equip, challenge us.

1 Peter describes us as exiles – foreigners living for God. 2:11-12 sums up how exiles live: Fight sin, do good, call sinners, then he fleshes that out. That is God's will for us.

God’s love seen in the gospel motivates, empowers and enables us to live to please God.

So how do we make godly decisions?

There is a trememndous liberty in the gospel to live out our gospel identity as God's holy people, loved by him and loving him in a community which loves and lives for him. Knowing who we are in Christ and the nature of our Father is key in motivating us and enabling us to make godly decisions.

Most of the decisions we make are not directly answered in the bible: what to wear, what to watch, where to go etc... But the principles above help us.

God’s will is that we lead holy lives, loving him and each other. Our top priority in our decision making is to love, serve and glorify God.

Some questions to ask of ourselves and with others as we make decisions:

1. What motives come into play as I think about this? Which of them are sinful? Which run counter to the gospel and who God has made me? Pray that God would show us our hearts.

2. Pray for God to give us wisdom. (James 1v5) Recognise he has as he gives us his word. So study God’s word to you, ask:

a. What does the bible say about this explicitly?
b. Are there any principles it gives which may be applicable?
c. Are there any examples not to follow or to follow?

3. How are we seeking God’s kingdom in this decision? How will it enable me to serve God? How is it for my building up or that of others?

4. What do my close Christian friends or family say about it?

Purpose

2011-08-02T16:00:00.000+01:00

What is the book of Ezekiel about? Why was it written? What was the purpose?

I spent some time this morning doing a word study having read through the book, trying to find key phrases and one in particular stood out: then you or they "will know that I am the LORD". That seems to encapsulate the message of Ezekiel - God is acting so that his people know he is the LORD, why? Because they have forgotten, hence their moral decline and their idolatry which has led them into exile and which will lead to Jerusalem's destruction.

But it is not just that God wants Israel to know that he is the LORD, the judgements on Tyre, Egpyt and the other surrounding nations also have that as their purpose. And in the prophecy of the future this purpose appears again. Because only when they recognise and entrust themselves to God his ways and his purposes will they live by faith.

God is God! It is frightening and sobering to think that his people have fogotten that after all that God has done for them and all the blessings he has given them. But then how different are we?

Plans

2011-08-01T15:58:00.000+01:00

For the next two weeks I've been freed up from the demands of preaching to take some study time. My plan is to try and get a grip on Ezekiel - a book I've never studied before - in the mornings. Then in the afternoon work through the Proclamation Trust Preaching and Teaching Old Testament DVD and workbook, before after a quick coffee break concluding by catching up on some general reading - starting with Everyday Church - and then trying to produce some outline plans for Exodus in the autumn term.

I started on Ezekiel this morning looking at the background and the history of Judah that leads them to Exile and Ezekiel to be commissioned to preach oracles of judgement against Judah leading up to the news of its final fall and utter destruction (ch24, and 33) before then declaring that God is not finished with his people yet and laying a new hope before them.

This afternoon I revisited some of the basics on preaching and teaching Old Testament narrative. Its always helpful to have a refresher course as well as receive new insights. I found it particularly helpful to be reminded to look for the crisis point or problem in narrative passages, then look for the resolution before finally seeing the outcome. It is a simple device but it is so helpful in helping us get a basic grip on Old Testament Narrative passages.

What makes us distinctive?

2011-07-29T09:23:00.000+01:00

Its that time of year when we begin to plan for the next year. What should we do? What did we do that went well and why did it go well? What didn't go so well and why? What opportunities did we miss? What new opportunities are there?

But there is a danger in that treadmill mentality we never look up and think big scale; what makes us as God's people distinctive?

It is not the quality of events we put on it is that we are God's people united by the gospel and given a message to live out and proclaim to a watching (often hostile) world around us.

So the question is not what events ought we to put on, but how can we enable people to best see what makes us distinctive? How can we show them the new community which is a result of reconciliation to God in Christ and to one another?

This doesn't mean that events are wrong, but it must influence what events we put on. Anything we do will not rival 'entertainment' available elsewhere, it will not be as slick as a music gig, or as epic in scale as a Hollywood blockbuster. Instead our events should enable people to see the wonder of the gospel and the new community it creates.

Hope for Living - 1 Thessalonians 4v13-18

2011-07-25T09:20:00.000+01:00

One day a hospital teacher received a call asking her to visit a boy. She took his name and room number and talked with his teacher. “We’re studying nouns and adverbs in his class now,” the teacher said, “and it would be great if you could help him understand them so he doesn’t fall too far behind.”

The hospital teacher went to see the boy that afternoon. No one had told to her that he’d been badly burned and was in a lot of pain. Upset at the sight of the boy, she stammered as she told him, “I’ve been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs.” When she left she felt she hadn’t accomplished much.

The next day as she went onto the ward, a nurse asked her, “What did you do to that boy?” The teacher worried she’d done something wrong and began to apologize. “No, no,” said the nurse. “You don’t know what I mean. We’ve been worried about him, but since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He’s fighting back, responding to treatment. It’s as though he’s decided to live.”

Two weeks later the boy explained that he had given up hope until the teacher arrived. Everything changed when he had a simple realization. He said: “They wouldn’t send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?”

Hope matters. And in this series we’ve seen the distinctiveness of Christian hope, hope not just in this life but of eternal life, hope not just in heaven for those who die but of Christ’s return and the renewed recreated creation marked by the glory of God. We’ve seen that Christ’s coming again and the promise of a new creation give us hope for living now with suffering and death in perspective. But what is our response to these truths, where does the rubber hit the road? That’s what we want to look at tonight, we’re going to begin by exploring this passage before looking at some others.

In Thessalonica there was a problem, **what was it? They were worried about those who had died before Christ’s return; will they be resurrected, have they missed out?

Paul writes to encourage them to think rightly about death, the resurrection and Christ’s return. It is a response that is counter cultural; a typical inscription on a grave in Thessalonica would read: I was not, I became, I am not, I care not. But Paul wants these believers to know the truth and to live out their hope because of the promises of God!

1. What we believe gives us hope.(14)Paul uses the phrase “We believe...” and then explains the implications of that belief. **What is it that Paul says we believe? “We believe that Jesus died and rose again...” Our hope is founded in the historical death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a death that pays the wages of sin for us, and a resurrection that guarantees we’re made right with God and death is conquered.

Paul is quoting an early church creed which summarised their beliefs, similar to that used in 1 Cor 15: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”

Christian hope is not a vague wish it’s an historical certainty, anchored in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And he goes on to point out the implication of that historical belief, because we believe that we also believe that he will come again, bringing with him those who have died in the mean time. Your friends haven’t missed out, those who die ‘in Christ” – believing and trusting in him are secure in him. They are in heaven now awaiting his return.
When Jesus returns the dead in Christ will come with him from heaven, their bodies will then rise – not as zombies but patterned after Christ resurrected physical body, the dead in Christ will be given their resurrection bodies(16), before the living are changed and united with our Saviour and them.

Again we see that it is Jesus presence that marks out these events, the dead are in Christ and with Christ, they return with him, and we are changed and caught up to be with the Lord, then and forever.

Paul reminds the Thessalonians of what the bible teaches about death, heaven, the last day and eternity. The dead are secure and with Christ now in heaven, and they w ill not miss out; they will return, and share in our ultimate hope in new physical resurrected bodies in a new creation with Christ for eternity. Doctrine matters! Knowing what the bible teaches matters because otherwise we’ll be like the Thessalonians uninformed, doubting and responding to death and living life wrongly.

2. Hope appliedPaul applies the doctrine he has reminded them of here – doctrine – truth is never the stuff of academia in the bible it is truth to set your living by. Here we see it in two main applications:

a. Grieve differently**How does the world grieve? Like all is lost, without certainty. But not you says Paul, believers grieve differently, why? Because we know what we believe and Christ’s historical resurrection means we know there is life beyond death, it means we trust God’s promises. Notice it does not say that we do not grieve – but that it is distinctly Christian grief, resurrection grief.

b. Encourage one anotherSecondly he says we encourage one another. **What is it we encourage one another with? (18)”these words”. The truths he has just reminded them of; not vague niceties about going to a better place but the concrete realities of the death and resurrection of Jesus our Saviour and its implications for those who trust in him. We remind each other of the basis of our hope and the certainty of Christ’s return, and the nature of death for the believer – they have “fallen asleep in him.”

We need to grasp that – we are never short of something to comfort and encourage those have lost a believing son, daughter, father, mother, sister, husband, wife or friend with.

I want to draw out some other implications of our hope which have to affect our living.

c. We wait faithfully(5:1-4)We saw in 2 Peter a few weeks ago and it is repeated again here that Christ is definitely returning though we do not know when. That certainty means we are to live faithfully, we live life now knowing that Jesus will come.

d. We live with a purpose (Philippians 3:12-21) Paul talks about straining towards what is ahead, pressing on to win the prize for which Christ has called us. We know Christ is coming and so our goal in life is to please him, as we eagerly wait for his return. Our hope gives us a reason to live differently, it does not make us of no earthly use, but spurs us on to live now pleasing Christ.

e. We endure suffering(Rom 5:3-5)It liberates us to glory in our sufferings(3), not because we are masochists, or because we can keep a stiff upper lip, but because we know that it is not pointless, that suffering is not hopeless. Suffering produces perseverance which produces character which produces hope. Suffering weans us from loving the world and putting our hope in the world and is used by God to enable us increasingly to boast in the hope of the glory of God. It makes us long for our glorious future where God rules and reigns, which will make our suffering seem like merely the dust on the scales. And as we fix our hopes less on the world our faith is proved and tested, and we are refined and fitted for our glorious future.

f. We are liberated from the fear of death (2 Cor 5:1-10) Our hope gives us confidence of live beyond death with means the fear of death does not paralyse us. In this life we will experience outward decay, persecution, hardship, trouble, illness and death, it is normal Christian experience because our hope isn’t in this world but the next. Instead it produces a people captured by the prospect of their glory so wonderfully secured by God’s grace in Jesus that they live out their hope even in the face of suffering and liberated from the fear of death!

g. We live assured by the Spirit (Eph 1:13-14)We hope and look forward to God’s glory not dependent on what we do but on what Christ has done and with his Spirit within us as a deposit guaranteeing our adoption. The Spirit is the first instalment of our new life and new relationship with God in all his glory. So we are not uncertain but assured and look forward to the future, cooperating with the Spirit now sealed in him for Christ return.

h. We hope in the glory of God (Rev 21)
Our hope is God in all his glory; an intimate, unalloyed, unbreakable relationship with the God of glory in all his splendour, holiness and majesty where every moment of every hour for eternity is bathed in his glory and we are transformed to perfectly reflect and irradiate his glory. That is our hope! It means now we will want to investigate, to dig into, to unearth, to mine the truths of God’s glory through his word so that we increasingly desire his coming, so that we pray “Come, Lord Jesus”, so that the joy of the gospel hope that is ours by grace inform our joyful living looking for our Saviours return.

How can you support your pastor?

2011-07-20T08:30:00.000+01:00

Christianity Today has a fascinating article about the role and pressures of being a pastor in the United States (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/julyweb-only/mostriskyprofession.html), whilst not everything the article says is true of, or applicable, to the pastorate in the UK, it is a thought provoking read and may be helpful in helping us think through how we support the pastors of our churches.

Faith and the family

2011-07-19T11:59:00.000+01:00

Its often said that our families are those who know us best, they are the ones who see our flaws and our faith up close and personal, for those of us who are parents I think that ought to cause us to stop and think about some of the dangers this poses in terms of our children and the gospel. The gospel is caught as well as taught, in fact I think primarily it is taught as it is caught - our children will see how the gospel impacts our lives and it will help determine their reaction to it.

Here are some of the dangers we face as parents:
1. Disconnect between public and private faith. If we are one thing with others and another at home our children will conclude that is OK, that it is normal. Or that the gospel can't change and is therefore irrelevant to them.

2. A failure to answer the whys. Our boys are always asking why questions - some just get silly, like why is a frog called a frog? Or repetitive when every answer is met by another why. But some of the whys need answering - why do we parent differently, why do we read the bible, why do we give, why do we give thanks to God for our food. And the answers we give must be honest and not legalistic - we don't pray, read, give because God says so, we do those things because we love our Father as his children love the things he loves - we want to bring God glory.

3. A personal love for the bible. We must not just read it with them (notice the assumption here!!!) but be reading it for ourselves and talk to them about what we read. Do we share with our children what is exciting us, challenging us, encouraging us at the moment from the very word of God?

4. A private love for prayer. As with bible reading we must not just pray with our children, but we must relate to God by talking to our heavenly father ourselves all the time, and our children should catch that it is just a natural response, and an immediate response not a delayed one.

5. Repentance in action. Often those we love and are closest to see us at our most sinful. Our children see us sin but do they see us repent? There are times we need to ask our children for their forgiveness and pray to God modelling the need to change and our love of our saviour and desire to please our Father.

6. Commitment to God's people. The church is an amazing and multi-splendoured thing but how do our children think we think about it? Ephesians 2 gives us an amazing picture of the price God paid to reconcile his people and create the church, if we do not hold God's people in the same regard God does and commit to them in the same way then our children will conclude the gospel cannot change us, it is not that important and is not worth committing to. Those real relationships are observed and speak volumes for the gospel.

7. Commitment to our children. What our children need is to see us as parents grappling with the gospel, continually rubbing grace into our lives, dealing with our sin, living out our reconciled relationships and loving God and pursuing his glory. What our children need is parents with our hearts on fire for God.

But we can't manufacture that, we can pray for it, we can increase our appetite for God by studying his word, and we can encourage others to pray that for us, as we understand the character and gospel of God we will by God's Spirit through his word see our hearts set aflame.

Revelation 21:1-18 Hope in a New Creation

2011-07-18T13:33:00.000+01:00

We were continuing our series on Christian Hope last night, here are the notes.

Revelation 21-22 comes as the climax of a book written to encourage churches to live faithfully in the midst of a hostile world, a world of false teachers and persecution. It is a call to view the world rightly and an encouragement to remember the significance of their being a part of God’s plan to remake a broken universe. In Rev 21-22 we see their and our final destination, earth is not their home or hope, heaven is not their home or their hope, but(1) their home and certain hope is a new heaven and a new earth. Heaven is a wonderful place because Jesus is there, but it is not what the bible calls us to hope in. We to live waiting for and hoping in Jesus return from heaven when he will bring our promised inheritance with him.

Our hope is not heaven it is Christ’s return and the new age it will usher in, when the first heaven and earth have passed away and the new heaven and new earth are established. The first heaven and earth are not destroyed as in obliterated but rather are transformed through judgement being purged, renewed and regenerated. Look at (5) “I am making everything new!” are the words from the throne, not I am making all new things, it is new in terms of nature and quality, but there is continuity, the labour pains of creation seen in its groaning lead to new birth not obliteration.

That matters because it means that things we experience now; the beauty of music, the thrill of sport and exercise, the enjoyment of food and different tastes, the wonder of creation will all be there though transformed and transcendent. There is no sense in which the new creation will disappoint us, there is no way in which we will think I wish this or that was here, or I miss this. But too often we focus on those features of the new creation, but actually that is not the stand out characteristic of the new creation and of our hope, in fact that is just a by-product of our hope realised. So what is our hope?
1. Our hope is the glory of God
As we read these verses its helpful to see what sits at the centre of them both literally and figuratively – it is God(3-4, 7) “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will be dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be their God.” Do you see the repetition of ideas to emphasise the point he is making, the stand out feature, the defining characteristic of the new creation is God with his people.

It is what marked out the early days of creation as Adam and Eve enjoyed an intimate relationship with God before sin drove man from God’s presence and forfeited God’s glory. From then on sin meant man could not dwell with God, could not be with the God of glory. It’s an idea that runs throughout the bible.

In Exodus 40:34-35 when Israel build the tabernacle and it is finally complete in all its God given detail and instruction, God fills the tabernacle – he dwells there – and **what happens? Everyone is driven out, even Moses cannot enter? **Why? “because... the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”

In 1 Kings 8:10-11 **when the temple is finished in all its glory and splendour what happens? The cloud fills the temple and the priests cannot serve in it because they cannot be in the presence of God’s glory. Sin separates man from the glory of God, from his presence.

That’s why at Pentecost it is so significant; as the Spirit of God comes it does not just rest on the disciples but it fills them (Acts2:4), not temporarily but as a permanent indwelling because Christ has given them new hearts. And the spirit is just the firstfruits of this new relationship with God, he is a divine empowering foretaste of what full unfettered, unhindered relationship with the God of glory will be like in the new creation saturated and suffused with his glory.

Our hope is God in all his glory – an intimate, unalloyed, unbreakable relationship with the God of glory in all his splendour, holiness and majesty where every moment of every hour for eternity is bathed in his glory and we are transformed to perfectly reflect and irradiate his glory. That is our hope!

If you turn to 22v1-5 you will see the same key facet of the new creation as it is described in terms of Eden Restored. **What marks it out is God’s throne where? In place at its centre and his servants seeing his face and bearing his name. God is our hope because he fills the new creation – his glory, his majesty, his presence and we will be so transformed that we bear his name, reflect his character and irradiate his likeness.

Do you see the defining feature of our hope, it is not the side effects, the by-products of God’s presence but it is the very presence and glory of God himself, Rom 5:2 “And we boast in the hope of glory of God.” Revelation gives us a glimpse of our hope realised.

2. A New Creation Saturated with God’s Glory
Everything else in these chapters is glorious and exciting but only because it reflects the glory of God in its fullness, it flows from that defining reality of God’s presence with his people realised. It is the glory of God manifest in a new creation stamped throughout with his glory seen in its goodness.

It is because of God’s presence that he will wipe every tear from our eyes – God’s presence in all his glory will make every moment of suffering worthwhile, every hardship and struggle seem fruitful.

Because the new creation is defined by God’s glory and his presence with his people there will be “no more death, or mourning, or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Because the new creation is defined by God’s glory and presence his people will be eternally safe and secure(6) and live forever in right relationship to their Father.

Because the new creation is defined by God’s glory and presence there is no rebellion or sin or any effects of the curse(8, 22:3).

The new creation is not just new version of this one only slightly better. It is not version 1.1 rather than 1.0, like some update on a computer programme designed to patch a glitch. It is utterly transformed so that it bears the hallmark, it is stamped throughout with God’s glory; every part, being, cell, molecule and atom will be transformed so that it declares the full glory of God and can sing its symphony of praise.

Do you see the importance of grasping that these things are the result of God’s glory which is our hope. The features of the new creation are not ultimately what we hope for. Death, mourning, crying, and pain ended are wonderful and we look forward to them because they are symptomatic of a sin sick world dislocated from God but they are not our hope, it is the glory of God which is our hope.

So what?
So what are the implications of understanding this? What should it change?

a. We can’t make this creation the new creation. Revelation 21-22 remind us that it takes the presence of God to eradicate sin and suffering, and that will only happen on Christ’s return when (ch20) all opposition and rebellion is dealt with. This means that there is no way we can bring it about in society now, any such attempt is arrogant folly, sin permeates our very fabric and that of the world around us. We can’t bring about the age to come, but we are to look forward longing to is, to hope for God’s glory.

b. The Church gives a glimpse of the new creation. But neither are we to withdraw from the world around us and simply wait fatalistically. The church reconciled in Christ to God and one another gives the world and beyond a glimpse of what it means to have God’s glory as its chief concern and at the centre of everything. It provides a glimpse of what a broken world reconciled to its creator and one another looks like, and it carries the power to change the world one life at a time as it holds out the truth of the gospel and the hope of the glory of God.

c. The new creation spurs us on to endure suffering. It reminds us that this world is not all there is and that one day we will reach our final destination. But between now and then Revelation paints a picture of a world at war with God and his people, we live amidst that war. But God is the alpha and omega whose word we can trust, and one day he will wipe every tear from our eye. It also reminds us we do not suffer alone but as part of God’s people with a common identity and destiny. We wait together, groaning together, hoping together, spurring one another on as we remind one another of our glorious hope; the glory of God.

d. We desire to know now what we will fully know then. Why is Revelation written? It is written (1:13-2:3)so that God’s people know their hope and live in the light of their future. It is written to whet our appetite to know and taste that the Lord is good. We long to know our hope in God’s glory realised, and so we put his word into action now, living for his glory, learning more of his glory, and praying for him to come in glory that out hope may be realised.

The danger of applying scripture

2011-07-14T15:08:00.000+01:00

In Galatians we see Paul clearly tackling the dangers of legalism. But what is so scary is that the desires behind legalistic practice are so often good ones, in fact they are ones we would share. It sees a biblical principle and wants to put it into practice, and so it suggests ways of practicing the principle. That is all well and good, the problem becomes when one practice becomes the perceived outworking of that principle above all others, or is simply the only one emphasized.

Lets take for example the call to husbands to love their wives in Ephesian 5, it is an amazing call which Paul makes on husbands but what does it look like? I want to suggest that it looks like lots of different practices as the principle is applied to different marriages. There is no one over riding way to apply this. To say it is taking time out of your week to have a date night is one possible practical application but does not fully explore the call to love. There are hundreds of ways we are to obey this call and put our principle of love into practice.

But we so often pick one and seek to apply it and our thinking goes so long as I'm doing that I am obeying the principle.

A principle is a clear teaching instruction or imperative from God’s Word to us. A practice is a specific action or decision that seeks to apply that principle to our living. It is right that we who teach the bible provide examples of scriptural principles translated into practice but it must never become the practice of the principle.

The Fruit of the Spirit

2011-07-14T14:26:00.000+01:00

“The Christian life, the fruit of the Spirit, is a constant reckoning of the flesh as dead and a constant relying on the present Spirit of Christ to produce love, joy, and peace within.”
John Piper

Dealing with anger

2011-07-14T11:07:00.000+01:00

Anger is one of those sins which we tend to justify in ourselves. They made me do it - is our basic response, whether it is the unreasonable demands of the boss, or the unwilling response of an employee, or the perceived thoughtlessness of a spouse, or the continual 'Why?' of a child.

How do we deal with anger? Our reactions under pressure give us a helpful gauge of our hearts - whilst it may not be explosive anger which is obvious to everyone. It can be an internal sigh, a growing sense of frustration, or a deepening sense of bitterness. Anger is sin, 'Ah but what about righteous anger?' we quickly say. I think if we look at our hearts we have to say we very rarely are righteously angry, most often our anger is prompted by our pride, or a sense of our rights being infringed, or just plain selfishness.

We need to call sin sin. Whilst we try to justify it or excuse it we will never confront it, see the need for change or repent of it.

It is impossible for us not to the be in situations which may cause us to respond with anger, but everyone of those situations is a God given opportunity for me to nail my sin to the cross once again. Sin is not my master I am to walk in the Spirit, that means anger is not my master, I am not incapable of responding differently, anger is no longer my default response.

But in order for that reality to bite we need to learn to talk to ourselves and correcting ourselves. When I am in a situation where I find myself responding with anger I need to tell myself over and over again that Christ has died to free me from the hold of anger, when I find myself rehearsing past wrongs I am to tell myself that I am a great sinner called to live and relate to others by grace and to forgive their little sins (that is a perspective we need to keep hold of - no matter what is done to us it is a tiny wrong compared to our assault on God's glory).

Ezekiel - a mission to remind the world that God is God

2011-07-11T11:56:00.000+01:00

One of the striking things in reading the first 26 or so chapters of Ezekiel is the judgements that Ezekiel is given by God to pronounce on God's people but also on the nations which surround Israel. And God's purpose in judging is that both his people and these other nations would know that "I am the LORD".

God wants his people to understand that their judgement is the result of their sin and so that they may know he is God and turn back to him. But he also does not want the nations around about to assume that he is not God or no better than their gods because Israel is taken into exile, but to realise that he is the only true God over not just his people but the whole world.

Our God is God over all.

Ezekiel - Man on a mission

2011-07-07T10:43:00.000+01:00

I have some study time coming up which will give me an opportunity to dive into a book which I have spent little time studying, and no time preaching or teaching short of referencing it when it comes up in the NT. Ezekiel is quite a daunting book, but as I've started doing some study on it for 20 minutes every morning I've been struck by its relevance and what it reveals about God and his messengers.

It is worth a read of chapter 1 just to experience the mindbending way in which he describes his vision and the glory of God. It is a real stretch for us to try to picture in our minds the image that Ezekiel is describing!

Evangelists Conference

2011-07-04T16:12:00.000+01:00

Revolutionising our view of church

2011-07-04T13:51:00.000+01:00

How do you think of church? Be honest, no one else can hear what you are thinking? Before you read any further stop and answer that question!

What was your answer; was it somewhere I go to get taught? Somewhere I meet my friends? Somewhere I go to sing? A building I visit? A place I have to go?

How we view church will determine how we approach it, what we expect from it, how we involve ourselves in it and what we get out of it! So answer that question, how you experience church for the rest of your life depends on it.

Sometimes you meet people who 'used' to go to church, and you find yourself wondering why did they 'used' to go and yet now go no longer? Rarely is it a lightening strike instant decision to stop going, it is more often a gradual altering of priorities as a response to changing pressures or desires. But I can't help wondering if behind those lurks the answer to that question.

For example if I view church as a consumer partaking of a product or a performance then when I am not hearing what I want to here, seeing what I want to see then I will find myself losing interest in it and gradually drifting away from it.

If I view church as something there to meet my needs then when I feel it is no longer meeting those needs it will be a logical decision to allow it to drift in my priorities.

But the bible never talks about church as performance or consumable or something their to meet our needs. It talks about church as a vibrant, organic, evolving, changing, transforming, interconnected, relational entity. It is not something you can observe it is something you have to involve yourself in. It is something God calls us to as disciples who disciple others and are discipled by others, it is the sphere in which we work out our faith, confront our sin, love one another against the odds, and spur one another on to be like Christ, it is where we take responsibility for one another, commit deeply to one another and are blessed by God with one another.

How do you think of church? How does that affect the way you approach your gospel family?