We live in a world that is conflicted in the way it uses language, where we have to be very careful what we say in some circumstances and yet where outrageous claims are made in others (advertising).
As Christians we need to learn to be careful in the language we use of the church. What do you say when someone asks you where you were on Sunday? Or when your child asks where you are going this morning? I guess we say we are going "to church". Just to deconstruct that a little what is it saying church is? It says church is a place.
Maybe a better response would be to say we are going or we went to "be church". I wonder if using such language would also help us in the way we approach church even if it is subconsciously.
Friday, 30 January 2009
Thursday, 29 January 2009
The Gospel community
Sometimes God hammers home lessons by simply putting it across our path at every turn. Yesterday lunch time I was involved in an interesting discussion about community and how the gospel at work in church communities is attractive to the outsider. Then in the afternoon as we looked at passages we had prepared a number of times the theme of community came out again and again. It is there in Colossians 2:1-5 which I am preparing for Sunday as Paul struggles with all Christ's energy for the community of grace at Colossae and warns them of dangers they face.
Then yesterday evening in another meeting community was again the focus as we looked at Acts 20 and Paul's parting words to the Ephesian elders warning them to protect the community of grace and love and shepherd the flock. Then ended the day by reading Isaiah 65 where the picture is of a redeemed community, of the gospel community fully realised.
This morning I read the following on Tim Chester's blog about the rhythms of a missional church and what it looks like in practice for them:
"B. We bless - Each week we aspire to bless others in our Christian community and local neighbourhood in word, action or gift at least three times.
L. We listen - Each week we aspire to listen to God, looking for him to guide us through his word and Spirit. And we listen to people around us to understand their stories and the story of our culture.
E. We eat - Each week we aspire to eat or have a drink with people outside our immediate family at least three times, offering friendship and community.
S. We speak -Each week we aspire to tell people the story of Jesus and our story of Jesus, making Jesus a normal part of our conversations. And we speak to God through prayer, recognising our dependence on him in all things.
S. We sabbath - Each week we aspire to spend time in rest, praise, play, partying and creativity."
To say we live in a missional community as the church is to misunderstand and mis-speak. If we live in a missional community we only do so when we are in it. No, we are a missional community - whether we are gathered together corporately, on a small scale, or individually. But we need to be calling others to come and experience that community.
Next term we are going to try to hold at least one if not two or three 50:50 meals. Meals where we get friends together to share food and company, where we invite friends we love who know Jesus to spend time with friends we love who don't know Jesus. Why? Because as people see the gospel at work in our relationships they will see what a difference the cross makes and that we are not just odd and alone, but that Christ is the answer to every ones need.
Then yesterday evening in another meeting community was again the focus as we looked at Acts 20 and Paul's parting words to the Ephesian elders warning them to protect the community of grace and love and shepherd the flock. Then ended the day by reading Isaiah 65 where the picture is of a redeemed community, of the gospel community fully realised.
This morning I read the following on Tim Chester's blog about the rhythms of a missional church and what it looks like in practice for them:
"B. We bless - Each week we aspire to bless others in our Christian community and local neighbourhood in word, action or gift at least three times.
L. We listen - Each week we aspire to listen to God, looking for him to guide us through his word and Spirit. And we listen to people around us to understand their stories and the story of our culture.
E. We eat - Each week we aspire to eat or have a drink with people outside our immediate family at least three times, offering friendship and community.
S. We speak -Each week we aspire to tell people the story of Jesus and our story of Jesus, making Jesus a normal part of our conversations. And we speak to God through prayer, recognising our dependence on him in all things.
S. We sabbath - Each week we aspire to spend time in rest, praise, play, partying and creativity."
To say we live in a missional community as the church is to misunderstand and mis-speak. If we live in a missional community we only do so when we are in it. No, we are a missional community - whether we are gathered together corporately, on a small scale, or individually. But we need to be calling others to come and experience that community.
Next term we are going to try to hold at least one if not two or three 50:50 meals. Meals where we get friends together to share food and company, where we invite friends we love who know Jesus to spend time with friends we love who don't know Jesus. Why? Because as people see the gospel at work in our relationships they will see what a difference the cross makes and that we are not just odd and alone, but that Christ is the answer to every ones need.
"Normal" Christian living
Being a Christian involves ministry, the Christian cannot be passive or a spectator. How should that affect our careers and where we live. In February's briefing this order is suggested:
1. What's the best gospel work for me to be involved in?
2. Where do I need to live in order to share in that ministry?
3. What sort of job do I need to fund living in that place in order to do that ministry?
Tony Payne goes on to say: "...if you're making your decisions in reverse order then you haven't grasped the radical nature of the normal Christian life."
It is a provoking but helpful thought.
1. What's the best gospel work for me to be involved in?
2. Where do I need to live in order to share in that ministry?
3. What sort of job do I need to fund living in that place in order to do that ministry?
Tony Payne goes on to say: "...if you're making your decisions in reverse order then you haven't grasped the radical nature of the normal Christian life."
It is a provoking but helpful thought.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
What is a healthy church member
Thabiti's chapter on A healthy Church Member is Gospel Saturated is worth the price of the book on its own.
Here are some quotes to whet your appetite:
"The gospel is not only news for a perishing world, it is the message that forms, sustains and animates the church. Apart from the gospel the church has nothing to say..."
"The gospel is absolutely vital to a vibrant, joyous, persevering, hopeful, and healthy Christian and Christian church"
He goes on helpfully to talk about how we become gospel saturated members.
Here are some quotes to whet your appetite:
"The gospel is not only news for a perishing world, it is the message that forms, sustains and animates the church. Apart from the gospel the church has nothing to say..."
"The gospel is absolutely vital to a vibrant, joyous, persevering, hopeful, and healthy Christian and Christian church"
He goes on helpfully to talk about how we become gospel saturated members.
Monday, 26 January 2009
What's our goal?
What is my goal as a pastor teacher? What is your goal as a home group leader or a Sunday school teacher, or whatever service you perform in the church? What about as a member of church as you come along? What is our goal as a church when we meet together?
What is Paul’s goal in Colossians 1? To “present everyone fully mature in Christ.” Paul isn’t just interested in converts, in numbers signing a pledge card or praying a prayer. He labours to present mature Christians.
How? (28) “We proclaim him, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom…” He teaches them about Jesus, and he corrects wrong thinking and clears muddled thinking – that’s what admonishing means. And it is not just for the keenies or those who love big books, or reading, it is for everyone, that word appears 3 times in the verse.
In contrast to the false teaches in Colossae from whom Paul borrows the language ‘perfect’, ‘wisdom’ and ‘mystery’ that he uses in this passage, there are no secrets, no initiations, no rituals as the false teachers said to maturity and fullness, there is the sufficient Jesus Christ.
That must be what we teach, it must be what we continue in. We need to have our wrong thinking about Jesus and what he does clarified, we need his wisdom on how to live. If as a church we ever stop teaching that please bring it to our attention and if we do not repent and change find somewhere that does teach it and labour there, because we will have lost the gospel and connection with Jesus Christ.
But this is about more than just teaching from the front, do you see Paul’s concern here he doesn’t want numbers he wants disciples. We, I, need to repent of this idea that a growing church is one where more people are coming, where we grow from 60 now to 80 or 100. A growing church is one where its members are being taught and being helped to understand more about Jesus Christ, where they are living out what it means to follow him.
Every member ministry means that you are engaged in that, both as those listening to teaching and as those teaching others. As a church mature Christians must be our goal.
What is Paul’s goal in Colossians 1? To “present everyone fully mature in Christ.” Paul isn’t just interested in converts, in numbers signing a pledge card or praying a prayer. He labours to present mature Christians.
How? (28) “We proclaim him, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom…” He teaches them about Jesus, and he corrects wrong thinking and clears muddled thinking – that’s what admonishing means. And it is not just for the keenies or those who love big books, or reading, it is for everyone, that word appears 3 times in the verse.
In contrast to the false teaches in Colossae from whom Paul borrows the language ‘perfect’, ‘wisdom’ and ‘mystery’ that he uses in this passage, there are no secrets, no initiations, no rituals as the false teachers said to maturity and fullness, there is the sufficient Jesus Christ.
That must be what we teach, it must be what we continue in. We need to have our wrong thinking about Jesus and what he does clarified, we need his wisdom on how to live. If as a church we ever stop teaching that please bring it to our attention and if we do not repent and change find somewhere that does teach it and labour there, because we will have lost the gospel and connection with Jesus Christ.
But this is about more than just teaching from the front, do you see Paul’s concern here he doesn’t want numbers he wants disciples. We, I, need to repent of this idea that a growing church is one where more people are coming, where we grow from 60 now to 80 or 100. A growing church is one where its members are being taught and being helped to understand more about Jesus Christ, where they are living out what it means to follow him.
Every member ministry means that you are engaged in that, both as those listening to teaching and as those teaching others. As a church mature Christians must be our goal.
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Community of grace
Steve Timmis' interview over at 9 marks yesterday got me thinking about why it is that we don't introduce our friends outside of church to our friends in the church:
- Fear - we are afraid that someone will say something offensive, that they will so offend our friends that they will never speak to us again.
- Boundaries - we keep our world boxed off, there are friends at church, there are work colleagues, there are friends at the school gate, there are friends I relax with, there are the neighbours. And rarely (weddings and funerals) do they meet and when they do it can be uncomfortable.
- Time - We are very protective of our time with different people maybe because we rarely get quality time with them so when we do we want them to ourselves.
There are loads of other possibilities but I think analysing my heart they are the three biggest. But when you boil it down actually they are all a failure to love people and they are all intensely selfish and embarrassing and yet we harbour them.
God's new community, the grace filled church that he has placed me in is the community God has put in place to reach my friends with the gospel, to cause them to long for grace filled relationships. I need to be drawing those who need the gospel together with thsoe who model the gospel.
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
The Gospel proclaiming community
There is a great interview over at 9marks today with Steve Timmis about gospel and the church community. Here is the link http://blog.9marks.org/2009/01/interview-with-steve-timmis-the-final-installment-evangelism-and-missions.html
It should cause us to think about how we do relationships and how we engage people with the church community.
It should cause us to think about how we do relationships and how we engage people with the church community.
The Christian and the gospel
You are on a plane you’ve been told it will crash, there is nothing the pilot can do. You have 2 minutes to explain the gospel to the person next to you what do you say? That's how we started last night looking at the Christian and the gospel. It is a false scenario, but many people say that 2 minutes is about as long as people pay attention for, if you haven't got their attention by then its too late.
What is the gospel?
In Acts 20:25 Paul as he speaks to the Ephesian Elders sums it up as ‘the Kingdom’. It is the message of the Whole Bible – the king and his kingdom is coming. (C/f That's why Philip is able to use Isaiah 53 and go on from there to explain the gospel to the Ethiopian Eunuch – Acts 8) In 2 Cor 5:19 Paul writes “that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.” But he goes on to explain that it also brings with it responsibilities - we become God's ambassadors.
The Bible gives us helpful summaries of the gospel (e.g. Acts 16:30-33 and 1 Cor 15:1-3) but they are summaries not the whole gospel of the King and his kingdom. The gospel is the story o the Bible which sets Jesus forth as the true Israel, God’s king, the suffering servant and judge of the whole world.
The New Testament tells us that there are 3 ways to live (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)
There are 3 ways to live irreligion, religion and grace, we all live in one of these 3 ways.
Jesus is telling parables to answer Pharisees complaint. In the parable both sons have a broken relationship with Father. The younger represents irreligion as he leaves and goes, he doesn't want a relationship with the Father, in fact he wishes the Father was dead, just as irreligion wishes there was no God and lives as if he is dead.
The Older son represents religion he is the Pharisees against whom Jesus is speaking. The Prodigal son comes back to the Father reliant not on what he has done but on the Father’s grace (21-22). The older son doesn’t come back why? (29) Because he believes he has worked hard enough to earn it! He doesn't need grace and the parable ends with youngest son saved from irreligion by grace and enjoying the banquet and relationship and the older religious son outside.
How would the Pharisees have acted had they understood God's grace? They would have welcomed sinners just as Jesus did, as the tax collectors and sinners found salvation they would have been celebrating the goodness of God and the lost found. Instead they moan and grumble.
The Pharisees are our biggest danger, ‘religion is the default mode of the human heart’. We are prone to being elder sons - to losing sight of grace that is why the Christian must never move away from the gospel.
The way and the wrong way(Matt 5-7)
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus contrasts two ways of living. Not irreligious and religious, but irreligious and kingdom/gospel. 5v1 – he is teaching disciples these are standards of kingdom living. V20 – righteousness in kingdom must surpass Pharisees, how? by relying on Christ. At every step Jesus raises the bar to standard of (48). Can’t get there by religion, but he lives this for us and we are given it by grace.
For religion and the gospel complete the following:
I am accepted by God because…
Religious practitioner (RP): I am a good person, I help others, and I obey God’s law
Gospel practitioner (GP): grace
My motivation for godly living is…
RP: Is to earn salvation, or good things from God
GP: Grace and love – it is the only right response to what he has done for me.
When things go wrong I…
RP: I am angry at God, I deserve better/have earn’t better than this. Or am wracked by guilt.
GP: I struggle but remind myself I am saved by grace and am loved by God.
When things are going well I…
RP: I am proud because I deserve it. Tends to make me judgemental and unsympathetic.
GP: Praise God who gives. This helps me to be humble and sympathetic.
When I pray I…
RP: Ask for things attempting to control my life
GP: Praise God and seek to pray for what he desires.
When I am criticised…
RP: Am devastated because I rely on my being good, I therefore react defensively and quickly.
GP: I struggle but my identity is not based on my performance but on God’s love for me in Christ.
When I feel guilty I…
RP: Am crushed and fearful and redouble my efforts.
GP: I pray confessing my sin and remind myself it is paid for at the cross.
My view of myself is based on…
RP: How hard I work, how moral I am. I tend to feel superior to others.
GP: The one who died for his enemies, sheer grace. Frees me to love others.
The gospel is the answer (1 Peter 1:3-12)
It is grace that enables us to live, to face suffering, to gain our inheritance. Our hope and our future are secure because they are kept in heaven and they depend on what Jesus has done, is doing and will do, not my performance. It is what we are to focus on, if even the angels never get tired of looking into the gospel how can we.
“The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and snivelling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. Instead, I think of myself less. I don’t need to notice myself – how I’m doing, how I’m being regarded – so often.” (T Keller The Reason for God)
Do you agree with this? What are its implications for the way we live?
“If I was saved by my good works then there would be a limit of what God could ask of me or put me through. I would be like a taxpayer with ‘rights’ – I would have done my duty and now I would deserve a certain quality of life. But if I am a sinner saved by sheer grace – then there’s nothing he cannot ask of me.”
What is the gospel?
In Acts 20:25 Paul as he speaks to the Ephesian Elders sums it up as ‘the Kingdom’. It is the message of the Whole Bible – the king and his kingdom is coming. (C/f That's why Philip is able to use Isaiah 53 and go on from there to explain the gospel to the Ethiopian Eunuch – Acts 8) In 2 Cor 5:19 Paul writes “that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.” But he goes on to explain that it also brings with it responsibilities - we become God's ambassadors.
The Bible gives us helpful summaries of the gospel (e.g. Acts 16:30-33 and 1 Cor 15:1-3) but they are summaries not the whole gospel of the King and his kingdom. The gospel is the story o the Bible which sets Jesus forth as the true Israel, God’s king, the suffering servant and judge of the whole world.
The New Testament tells us that there are 3 ways to live (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)
There are 3 ways to live irreligion, religion and grace, we all live in one of these 3 ways.
Jesus is telling parables to answer Pharisees complaint. In the parable both sons have a broken relationship with Father. The younger represents irreligion as he leaves and goes, he doesn't want a relationship with the Father, in fact he wishes the Father was dead, just as irreligion wishes there was no God and lives as if he is dead.
The Older son represents religion he is the Pharisees against whom Jesus is speaking. The Prodigal son comes back to the Father reliant not on what he has done but on the Father’s grace (21-22). The older son doesn’t come back why? (29) Because he believes he has worked hard enough to earn it! He doesn't need grace and the parable ends with youngest son saved from irreligion by grace and enjoying the banquet and relationship and the older religious son outside.
How would the Pharisees have acted had they understood God's grace? They would have welcomed sinners just as Jesus did, as the tax collectors and sinners found salvation they would have been celebrating the goodness of God and the lost found. Instead they moan and grumble.
The Pharisees are our biggest danger, ‘religion is the default mode of the human heart’. We are prone to being elder sons - to losing sight of grace that is why the Christian must never move away from the gospel.
The way and the wrong way(Matt 5-7)
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus contrasts two ways of living. Not irreligious and religious, but irreligious and kingdom/gospel. 5v1 – he is teaching disciples these are standards of kingdom living. V20 – righteousness in kingdom must surpass Pharisees, how? by relying on Christ. At every step Jesus raises the bar to standard of (48). Can’t get there by religion, but he lives this for us and we are given it by grace.
For religion and the gospel complete the following:
I am accepted by God because…
Religious practitioner (RP): I am a good person, I help others, and I obey God’s law
Gospel practitioner (GP): grace
My motivation for godly living is…
RP: Is to earn salvation, or good things from God
GP: Grace and love – it is the only right response to what he has done for me.
When things go wrong I…
RP: I am angry at God, I deserve better/have earn’t better than this. Or am wracked by guilt.
GP: I struggle but remind myself I am saved by grace and am loved by God.
When things are going well I…
RP: I am proud because I deserve it. Tends to make me judgemental and unsympathetic.
GP: Praise God who gives. This helps me to be humble and sympathetic.
When I pray I…
RP: Ask for things attempting to control my life
GP: Praise God and seek to pray for what he desires.
When I am criticised…
RP: Am devastated because I rely on my being good, I therefore react defensively and quickly.
GP: I struggle but my identity is not based on my performance but on God’s love for me in Christ.
When I feel guilty I…
RP: Am crushed and fearful and redouble my efforts.
GP: I pray confessing my sin and remind myself it is paid for at the cross.
My view of myself is based on…
RP: How hard I work, how moral I am. I tend to feel superior to others.
GP: The one who died for his enemies, sheer grace. Frees me to love others.
The gospel is the answer (1 Peter 1:3-12)
It is grace that enables us to live, to face suffering, to gain our inheritance. Our hope and our future are secure because they are kept in heaven and they depend on what Jesus has done, is doing and will do, not my performance. It is what we are to focus on, if even the angels never get tired of looking into the gospel how can we.
“The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and snivelling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. Instead, I think of myself less. I don’t need to notice myself – how I’m doing, how I’m being regarded – so often.” (T Keller The Reason for God)
Do you agree with this? What are its implications for the way we live?
“If I was saved by my good works then there would be a limit of what God could ask of me or put me through. I would be like a taxpayer with ‘rights’ – I would have done my duty and now I would deserve a certain quality of life. But if I am a sinner saved by sheer grace – then there’s nothing he cannot ask of me.”
Monday, 19 January 2009
A tale of two worlds
A tale of two worlds at least that is how it seems when you read Hudson Taylor's biography and then look at Britain today. The church in Taylor's day was sending young men out to the mission field by the bucketful - though by 1900 even he began to note more women than men were responding to the call to preach the gospel to the lost.
The story is very different in Britain today. When you study British history I want to tentatively suggest one reason why that may be the case: We are too worldly. In the 1950's couples and the British in general aspired to a comfortable lifestyle after the austerity of the post war years. This aspiration has continued being the norm for the 1960s and 1970s. Indeed with relatively few glitches along the way it has been the defining characteristic of the last 50 years in Britain and has morphed from from an aspiration to comfort into a desire to be wealthy. Indeed what we now consider as comfortable our parents or grandparents in the 1950's would consider opulent and lavish.
Consumerism has gone through the roof, advertising has given birth to a rapacious desire, we now live in a competitive society based not on your skills or ability but on what you have or can purchase. We find this hard to see in ourselves but the place where it may be most easily discerned is in what we desire for our children, nieces, nephews or grandchildren. We want them to have a comfortable life, to pursue a career or degree, to be happy.
We do not want them to risk everything by going to the mission field to face danger and possibly death. We do not live life by faith dependent on God and we are not sure our nerves could take it if our children were to.
Yet the call of the cross is to live that way. The contrast with Hudson Taylor's day is striking and it should make us repentant before God. It must drive us to prayer that God would change us and the church around us.
Millions are lost and facing a Christ less and Godless eternity in hell yet we content ourselves with the baubles of the world, with working for next years eBay-ables. May God change my hard heart, give us a passion for the lost and help us nail this idol to the cross.
The story is very different in Britain today. When you study British history I want to tentatively suggest one reason why that may be the case: We are too worldly. In the 1950's couples and the British in general aspired to a comfortable lifestyle after the austerity of the post war years. This aspiration has continued being the norm for the 1960s and 1970s. Indeed with relatively few glitches along the way it has been the defining characteristic of the last 50 years in Britain and has morphed from from an aspiration to comfort into a desire to be wealthy. Indeed what we now consider as comfortable our parents or grandparents in the 1950's would consider opulent and lavish.
Consumerism has gone through the roof, advertising has given birth to a rapacious desire, we now live in a competitive society based not on your skills or ability but on what you have or can purchase. We find this hard to see in ourselves but the place where it may be most easily discerned is in what we desire for our children, nieces, nephews or grandchildren. We want them to have a comfortable life, to pursue a career or degree, to be happy.
We do not want them to risk everything by going to the mission field to face danger and possibly death. We do not live life by faith dependent on God and we are not sure our nerves could take it if our children were to.
Yet the call of the cross is to live that way. The contrast with Hudson Taylor's day is striking and it should make us repentant before God. It must drive us to prayer that God would change us and the church around us.
Millions are lost and facing a Christ less and Godless eternity in hell yet we content ourselves with the baubles of the world, with working for next years eBay-ables. May God change my hard heart, give us a passion for the lost and help us nail this idol to the cross.
Aisle, altar, hymn
There is the story told and re-told so many times that no one knows if it is true anymore of a young bride to be who is nervous about what to do on the day of her wedding. Her dad says to think of it like this - aisle, altar, hymn. You walk up the aisle, stand at the altar and sing the first hymn then the vicar takes over and you follow his lead.
Thus it is that as the bride walks up the aisle eyes fixed on her husband to be she is repeating over and over aisle altar hymn, aisle altar hymn, aisle altar hymn, I'll alter him.
It is amusing little story but actually it does shed light on what is often a problem in marriage. Everyone has little habits that we find off putting, maybe even annoying, perhaps even irritating. And often people go into marriage thinking they can change the other person.
But the Bible would tell us that it is only the gospel that changes people. Therefore what we need and our marriages need is gospel change. If we understand the gospel better and work it into our life and into our marriages more then we will have marriage as the best it can be.
Thus it is that as the bride walks up the aisle eyes fixed on her husband to be she is repeating over and over aisle altar hymn, aisle altar hymn, aisle altar hymn, I'll alter him.
It is amusing little story but actually it does shed light on what is often a problem in marriage. Everyone has little habits that we find off putting, maybe even annoying, perhaps even irritating. And often people go into marriage thinking they can change the other person.
But the Bible would tell us that it is only the gospel that changes people. Therefore what we need and our marriages need is gospel change. If we understand the gospel better and work it into our life and into our marriages more then we will have marriage as the best it can be.
Friday, 16 January 2009
Lessons in prayer
Reading about Hudson Taylor yesterday and I was struck by the directness of his prayer. CIM needed new missionaries he prayed read the Bible and felt compelled to call people to pray for 70 new missionaries to leave everything and go to inland China. He prayed and called others to pray with him and then prepared for the 70 that God would call in faith.
I wonder how such a prayer would be treated today? Would we think it a bit naive? Would we suggest to him to wait for God to answer before he started preparing for their outfitting?
Reading of Hudson Taylor is a humbling experience. I have much to learn of his faith, his prayer life, giving everything up for the gospel and his passion for the lost.
I wonder how such a prayer would be treated today? Would we think it a bit naive? Would we suggest to him to wait for God to answer before he started preparing for their outfitting?
Reading of Hudson Taylor is a humbling experience. I have much to learn of his faith, his prayer life, giving everything up for the gospel and his passion for the lost.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
The Christian and Social Involvement
Last night we held the first of our Where the Rubber Hits the Road series looking at The Christian and... Last night it was social involvement.
We began with 3 questions:
We began with 3 questions:
- Is social involvement something we should do as well as evangelism?
- Is it a means of doing evangelism?
- Or is it a distraction from the main task of making the gospel known?
The case for social involvement
We begin, as we must Biblically, with the character of God (Ps 146:7-9). God is a God of justice and therefore opposed to those who commit injustice. God expects his people to mirror his justice (Deut 10:18-19, Prov 31:8-9, Lev 19:9-18). In OT God condemns Israel for their indifference to the poor and injustice they tolerate (Is 58:3-7, Amos 8:4-6, Mal 3:5). In fact social involvement was to mark out the people of God (Deut 15:11, 24:17-22).
As we move into the New Testament the emphasis is the same (Matt 25:31-46, James 1:27, Gal 6:10, Acts 4:34-35, Mark 12:30-31, 1 John 3:16-17). The believers in the new community are called to social involvement as part of discipleship. To show God's love and stand for God's justice.
The case for evangelizing the poor
One of the key questions we must answer as Christians is what is peoples most pressing need?
(Matt 6:19-20, 7:12-14, 10:28, 12:13-21) The Bible says it is to be reconciled to God and escape his wrath. Our eternal fate is more important than what happens to us in this life.
This is also the greatest need of the poor. It is never enough just to address peoples felt needs. They are a good starting point but no one articulates God’s judgement as a felt need. Without an awareness of eternal need we will find ourselves focusing on temporal needs. So proclaiming the gospel must be central as we engage with peoples temporal needs.
WE must be those who love God, marvel at his grace to us and magnify him by reflecting his concerns and love for others. Both as we engage in Social Action among our communities and as we share and proclaim the gospel to people.
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Lessons to be learnt from Doncaster abuse cases
I was saddened to listen to the news yesterday and hear about the 7 tragic cases of deaths of children in Doncaster which are now being investigated to see if there were failures by social services. It is heart rending when any child dies but especially tragic when someone who should care for a child instead abuses them.
Inevitably already the question is being asked what lessons can be learnt. No doubt there are things that will be done, Doncaster Social workers will be extra vigilant, extra training and systems will be put in place. But eventually the same thing will happen again, because better systems aren't the answer.
The bigger question these cases raise is why do people abuse children. The only adequate answer is that given by the Bible - sin. We live in a broken world and we are broken people. The world is broken, we are broken and our relationships are broken. Putting new monitoring systems in place may help, training social workers may help but it will not solve the problem. the only solution is the good news of Jesus Christ that deals with sinners and changes them one life at a time.
We need to pray for all those involved in such cases, we need to pray for our society, we need to share the gospel with people and allow the radical life changing message of a crucified risen saviour to change people.
Inevitably already the question is being asked what lessons can be learnt. No doubt there are things that will be done, Doncaster Social workers will be extra vigilant, extra training and systems will be put in place. But eventually the same thing will happen again, because better systems aren't the answer.
The bigger question these cases raise is why do people abuse children. The only adequate answer is that given by the Bible - sin. We live in a broken world and we are broken people. The world is broken, we are broken and our relationships are broken. Putting new monitoring systems in place may help, training social workers may help but it will not solve the problem. the only solution is the good news of Jesus Christ that deals with sinners and changes them one life at a time.
We need to pray for all those involved in such cases, we need to pray for our society, we need to share the gospel with people and allow the radical life changing message of a crucified risen saviour to change people.
Lent
We were asked if we would do something on Lent at a school assembly and it got me thinking about the concept of Lent. It seems the idea behind Lent has gotten somewhat lost along the way.I wondered now if it would be better for us to take up something extra rather than giving something up. One of the most popular misconceptions about Christians is that they are dour and dull and that becoming a Christian would mean giving up on so much of life, on so much of what I enjoy.
My hunch is that Lent simply fuels such wrong beliefs as lots of people give up chocolate or sweet things. Instead why not use it to focus on Easter. Come up with a forty day reading programme and instead of giving up for Lent why not take up an (or an extra) quiet time for the forty days of Lent. In that time it would be easily possible to read all the gospel accounts of the passion week and some of the Old Testament background to them.
Or why not take up serving the community you live among. Think of something small you can do every day to share with those you work or live among the love of God that Easter is all about. Take cakes into work, offer to make the coffee, whatever, find a way to serve for Lent.
Easter is all about Jesus willing sacrifice for us, to save us from God's righteous anger and judgement and restore us to right relationship with our loving heavenly Father. The question is how at Lent am I going to show that to those around me, how am I going to prepare myself for remembering and celebrating his death and resurrection.
Monday, 12 January 2009
What do you see as the main strengths and weaknesses of British evangelicalism?
That's the question Evangelicals Now asked Tim Keller, his answer is interesting, I just wish it was a bit more detailed:
TK: "Could I pass on that one? I’d like to be invited back! I’ll mention just one difference between British/European Christianity and US Christianity that has to do with the theory/praxis spectrum. Americans are more pragmatic, more anti-intellectual and skeptical of ‘experts’, and less able to follow complicated arguments. British evangelicalism tends to be more biblically and theologically rigorous, they demand more close exegesis and value expository preaching. This is a great strength, I believe, and one which I have profited from for years. However, (to my eyes) British evangelicals also tend to stay locked in their theory without much of an idea of how to organise and put their theories into practice. A typical criticism of British evangelical preaching is that it is theoretical, not heart-engaging or life-changing."
Is Keller right?
TK: "Could I pass on that one? I’d like to be invited back! I’ll mention just one difference between British/European Christianity and US Christianity that has to do with the theory/praxis spectrum. Americans are more pragmatic, more anti-intellectual and skeptical of ‘experts’, and less able to follow complicated arguments. British evangelicalism tends to be more biblically and theologically rigorous, they demand more close exegesis and value expository preaching. This is a great strength, I believe, and one which I have profited from for years. However, (to my eyes) British evangelicals also tend to stay locked in their theory without much of an idea of how to organise and put their theories into practice. A typical criticism of British evangelical preaching is that it is theoretical, not heart-engaging or life-changing."
Is Keller right?
Lessons from the Past
I don't make New Years Resolutions largely because I can't keep them. However this year I am going to make a concerted effort to read more Christian biographies and autobiographies. I began on holiday by reading A Man in Christ a biography of Hudson Taylor. I have found it profoundly challenging on a number of levels.I think however that first and foremost it challenges the comfort in which we live and serve. For us it is a shock if someone dies young, when we send out missionaries we do not expect them or their family members to die as children or in their prime. But it was common place for Hudson Taylor and others. Their approach to such loss has also been a challenge - am I too wedded to this world. Upon the death of his beloved daughter Gracie aged 8 of Meningitis Taylor is able to praise God for taking her home. In fact that realisation of glory is what sustains the family in the midst of each of their losses, heaven is tangible for them.
Is it tangible for us? Am I too wedded to this world?
It has also been interesting to note the opposition Hudson Taylor faced often from within the church, and the godly way he dealt with it. As well as his desire to see others trained up and sent as missionaries, specifically looking for and training young men and women to go take the gospel to the Chinese. We need to look and learn from such a man in so many ways.
But I think what stands out most is his godliness, his concern for God's concerns namely the lost. May God give us something of his burden for the lost we rub shoulders with every day.
Rested and ready
Praise God for holidays. We had a great time and 3-4 inches of snow made it for the family. It is however often only when we are back from a rest that we appreciate how much we needed it, how tired we were before the break.But now we are back rested and ready for another term building up to Easter.
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