We started our series at Church yesterday on the Christian and conscience. It's not an easy series to prepare or preach and I have a hunch that yesterday's first in the series will prove to be the easiest of the three. It very much laid the foundations: Our Conscience is God given so that we have an ability to weigh up and determine right and wrong, we should always listen to our conscience, yet our plasticine, malleable, conscience is affected by the fall in a number of ways so that it does not line up with God's will. Before finally we looked at the joy to be found in our conscience driving us to Calvary where as we confess and repent we find cleansing from guilt and the promise of the Spirit to change us.
This coming Sunday I'll be preaching on how as Christians we calibrate our conscience. So here's the challenge that I've been increasingly aware of as I've been doing the background preparation on this for the last month of so. We simply don't take the time to work God's word into our conscience in every area of life. We also underestimate the influence of our culture, family, education, peers and media in shaping our conscience in those very same areas of life almost without our realising it.
As I've been preparing this series I've been aware of the challenge of doing that personally. Have I allowed God's word to shape my conscience about; tattoo's? Burial or cremation? Sunday? Clothing? Relationships? Family? Care of ageing parents? Bank Accounts? The items in my shopping basket? What I watch, listen to, read? My friendships? and so on...
If I believe there is no square inch of my life over which Christ does not claim Lordship then I need to be giving myself over in community to working out what that Lordship means. In forming my conscience, recalibrating it, realigning it by the Spirit through his word.
Showing posts with label challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label challenge. Show all posts
Monday, 8 January 2018
Thursday, 3 September 2015
Is there a problem with the way we think of helping the poor?
I'm in the middle of reading Robert Lupton's 'Toxic Charity' and as read it I've found it full of challenges to my thinking and instinctive reactions but also lots of things which chime with our experience here at Grace Church. The area we serve is mixed, there are some affluent parts, but there are larger parts that are deprived (though that mix is changing thanks (?!?) to some new developments). As we've engaged in serving in this community it is striking how getting to know people challenges our preconceived notions of what such help will look like.
It is easy to come breezing in with an attitude that effectively looks to dish out help, advice, money, and support as if from someone who is sorted to someone in need. But the longer I spend with families in the community, the longer I look into the eyes of those we serve the more wrong our often glib view of what 'help' looks like seems.
As those who have gospel values; who believe that every ones greatest need is their eternal need and that they need to come to know Jesus, who value people as made in God's image, who want to love our neighbour, who believe we have been given much to give lavishly to the world, we want to serve others. But so often the way we do so is clumsy and can end up doing more harm than good. Lupton's book has solidified some of the things I've been seeing in and around our community as well as providing the stimulus to sit down and try and draw some conclusions about how we help those in need. Whilst these are preliminary and blurry around the edges, at best, I thought they'd be worth noting down here.
Too often we seem to switch into charity mode when we see those in need, be it a homeless man begging on the street, or a family in need - we have, they don't, therefore we give. But whilst the compassion behind it is right often our way of showing it is faulty. Charity emasculates people, it stripes them of their dignity, it undermines an often already battered self confidence or self esteem, it embarrasses them in front of their families and friends. What our deprived communities need are friends, people who will commit to knowing, loving, and staying. Friends who are committed to long term transformation not hit and run help or charity dispensed from a distance. We need to structure support in such a way that it enables people to change, to learn, to develop, teaching them to do for themselves so that they become thriving families and doing so in ways that reconnect community.
It has got me thinking about a few things and I'm aware I'm about to challenge some cherished ideas. One of our plans was to establish a food bank but I'm wondering now if that is the best, most grace filled use of resources. Would it not be better to establish some type of food cooperative where in return for a modest contribution we use the power of group buying to multiply the food we could then buy in bulk? Food banks are doing an amazing job, and tragically are necessary even in Britain in 2015. But they are also a symbol of having failed as a parent, of being unable to provide for your children. How much better if instead we can provide a system that multiplies the value of the little they do have enabling children to see parents providing and the value of community? Even better if we involve those in need in running such a scheme alongside church volunteers engendering a sense of community and pride.
Along similar lines I've been thinking about trying to establish a community allotment site. Where families can have an area of land to work to grow fresh fruit and vegetables. Giving them something to do together as a family project, but also enabling them to provide for their families much more cheaply than they can buy fresh produce. Again the community nature of such a scheme also has value and would enable us to buy seed, tools etc in bulk. The issue here for us is a piece of land on which to start such a scheme.
What we must avoid is charity which leaves the recipient unable to look us in the eye, or feeling indebted to us, or somehow lesser than the giver. That as far as I can see is far short of what the bible calls us to when it calls us to love our neighbour. There's loads more applications and implications of this and maybe I'll joy others down as thoughts and ideas solidify.
It is easy to come breezing in with an attitude that effectively looks to dish out help, advice, money, and support as if from someone who is sorted to someone in need. But the longer I spend with families in the community, the longer I look into the eyes of those we serve the more wrong our often glib view of what 'help' looks like seems.
As those who have gospel values; who believe that every ones greatest need is their eternal need and that they need to come to know Jesus, who value people as made in God's image, who want to love our neighbour, who believe we have been given much to give lavishly to the world, we want to serve others. But so often the way we do so is clumsy and can end up doing more harm than good. Lupton's book has solidified some of the things I've been seeing in and around our community as well as providing the stimulus to sit down and try and draw some conclusions about how we help those in need. Whilst these are preliminary and blurry around the edges, at best, I thought they'd be worth noting down here.
Too often we seem to switch into charity mode when we see those in need, be it a homeless man begging on the street, or a family in need - we have, they don't, therefore we give. But whilst the compassion behind it is right often our way of showing it is faulty. Charity emasculates people, it stripes them of their dignity, it undermines an often already battered self confidence or self esteem, it embarrasses them in front of their families and friends. What our deprived communities need are friends, people who will commit to knowing, loving, and staying. Friends who are committed to long term transformation not hit and run help or charity dispensed from a distance. We need to structure support in such a way that it enables people to change, to learn, to develop, teaching them to do for themselves so that they become thriving families and doing so in ways that reconnect community.
It has got me thinking about a few things and I'm aware I'm about to challenge some cherished ideas. One of our plans was to establish a food bank but I'm wondering now if that is the best, most grace filled use of resources. Would it not be better to establish some type of food cooperative where in return for a modest contribution we use the power of group buying to multiply the food we could then buy in bulk? Food banks are doing an amazing job, and tragically are necessary even in Britain in 2015. But they are also a symbol of having failed as a parent, of being unable to provide for your children. How much better if instead we can provide a system that multiplies the value of the little they do have enabling children to see parents providing and the value of community? Even better if we involve those in need in running such a scheme alongside church volunteers engendering a sense of community and pride.
Along similar lines I've been thinking about trying to establish a community allotment site. Where families can have an area of land to work to grow fresh fruit and vegetables. Giving them something to do together as a family project, but also enabling them to provide for their families much more cheaply than they can buy fresh produce. Again the community nature of such a scheme also has value and would enable us to buy seed, tools etc in bulk. The issue here for us is a piece of land on which to start such a scheme.
What we must avoid is charity which leaves the recipient unable to look us in the eye, or feeling indebted to us, or somehow lesser than the giver. That as far as I can see is far short of what the bible calls us to when it calls us to love our neighbour. There's loads more applications and implications of this and maybe I'll joy others down as thoughts and ideas solidify.
Monday, 8 December 2014
Challenges church growth poses
Most of us pray that our churches will grow, we long for it. We'd love to see more and more people coming to faith in Jesus from our community, families and friends and then joining with us in our church family. But is loving the idea the same as loving the reality.
We were looking yesterday at Acts 6v1-7 where we see the early church which has grown explosively from 120 to well over 5,000 facing the challenges growth brings. It is a fascinating and helpful passage for our churches. It helps us think about potential issues growth might bring and ways to plan for and resolve them. Because growth brings dangers. Acts 4-6 shows us the church under threat, in Acts 4 it is the threat of persecution as they are ordered by the Sanhedrin not to teach about Jesus any more. Then in Acts 5v1-11 it is the threat of internal corruption as Ananias and Sapphire fake a work of the Spirit, and try to counterfeit grace. Then in Acts 5 we see the threat of escalating persecution as the Apostles are arrested, divinely released and then rearrested and tried, and told not to teach anymore before being flogged and released. Now in each case the Apostles and the church are not cowed or distracted from preaching the gospel or gathering together.
Then as chapter 6 opens we see a new threat to the church, in many ways perhaps the most dangerous because it is unexpected. This threat has its genesis in the growth of the church. As the church grows it gathers those who now follow Jesus from different cultures, and a simple oversight - the badly managed distribution of food by the overstretched apostles - leads to grumbling which threatens to turn difference into division. The other danger that growth brings for the church is distraction for the Apostles from serving by preaching the word to serving by mercy ministry. Growth brings pressures, it has with it dangers as well as potential benefits. But this danger posed by growth also presents an opportunity to plan and re-imagine church so that growth continues.
God through Luke records for us their Spirit inspired way of resolving these pressure points brought about by growth. The Apostles acknowledge the danger of difference becoming division and resolve that they mustn't be distracted. The solution is re-imagine church and to appoint others to serve via mercy ministry whilst they focus on preaching and prayer. Why? Not because one is more important that the other, both must go hand in hand. But because preaching the gospel of grace fuels the church. It is the good news of Jesus taught and grace grasped that sees people won to follow Jesus and join the growing church. It is the good news of Jesus taught and applied to believers that leads to unity despite difference and prevents those differences widening into division. And it is the good news of Jesus taught and the growing awareness of God's amazingly gracious and generous love for us as needy people that fuels love and results in practical service of those in need.
What's the result? A church growing in maturity expressed in unity and service of others at cost to self, and others seeing this gospel fuelled community in action and hearing the gospel which has created this amazing community and responding to the call to follow Jesus and becoming disciples in numbers.
It is so helpful as we aim to be churches taking the gospel of Jesus to a needy world to be aware of the challenges growth will pose. To ask where are we facing these challenges? And to reaffirm our commitment to prayerfully teaching the gospel, to be looking to multiply ministers so we can serve others well and care as the gospel calls us to.
We were looking yesterday at Acts 6v1-7 where we see the early church which has grown explosively from 120 to well over 5,000 facing the challenges growth brings. It is a fascinating and helpful passage for our churches. It helps us think about potential issues growth might bring and ways to plan for and resolve them. Because growth brings dangers. Acts 4-6 shows us the church under threat, in Acts 4 it is the threat of persecution as they are ordered by the Sanhedrin not to teach about Jesus any more. Then in Acts 5v1-11 it is the threat of internal corruption as Ananias and Sapphire fake a work of the Spirit, and try to counterfeit grace. Then in Acts 5 we see the threat of escalating persecution as the Apostles are arrested, divinely released and then rearrested and tried, and told not to teach anymore before being flogged and released. Now in each case the Apostles and the church are not cowed or distracted from preaching the gospel or gathering together.
Then as chapter 6 opens we see a new threat to the church, in many ways perhaps the most dangerous because it is unexpected. This threat has its genesis in the growth of the church. As the church grows it gathers those who now follow Jesus from different cultures, and a simple oversight - the badly managed distribution of food by the overstretched apostles - leads to grumbling which threatens to turn difference into division. The other danger that growth brings for the church is distraction for the Apostles from serving by preaching the word to serving by mercy ministry. Growth brings pressures, it has with it dangers as well as potential benefits. But this danger posed by growth also presents an opportunity to plan and re-imagine church so that growth continues.
God through Luke records for us their Spirit inspired way of resolving these pressure points brought about by growth. The Apostles acknowledge the danger of difference becoming division and resolve that they mustn't be distracted. The solution is re-imagine church and to appoint others to serve via mercy ministry whilst they focus on preaching and prayer. Why? Not because one is more important that the other, both must go hand in hand. But because preaching the gospel of grace fuels the church. It is the good news of Jesus taught and grace grasped that sees people won to follow Jesus and join the growing church. It is the good news of Jesus taught and applied to believers that leads to unity despite difference and prevents those differences widening into division. And it is the good news of Jesus taught and the growing awareness of God's amazingly gracious and generous love for us as needy people that fuels love and results in practical service of those in need.
What's the result? A church growing in maturity expressed in unity and service of others at cost to self, and others seeing this gospel fuelled community in action and hearing the gospel which has created this amazing community and responding to the call to follow Jesus and becoming disciples in numbers.
It is so helpful as we aim to be churches taking the gospel of Jesus to a needy world to be aware of the challenges growth will pose. To ask where are we facing these challenges? And to reaffirm our commitment to prayerfully teaching the gospel, to be looking to multiply ministers so we can serve others well and care as the gospel calls us to.
Wednesday, 27 August 2014
Am I an eagle or a turkey?
A friend of mine once said "It's hard to soar like an eagle when you are surrounded by turkeys." It's a quote that comes to mind from time to time, particularly when I see someone who claims to trust, love and follow Jesus doing something which to my mind undermines the gospel. But then I have to take myself in hand because of the arrogance of that position, it assumes I'm the eagle and not Christmas dinner in waiting!
I can't help but wonder if often we think like this. We look at other Christians and sigh or wring our hands, or more likely, today, take to our keyboards and vent via keystrokes. We are quick to assume the worst of others, quick to pass on what sliver of information - however patchy or sparse - we have heard to others. Slow to think the best or reflect on what someone else's struggles reveal about our own hearts.
The internet simply makes that tendency worse. We are overloaded with information which we don't seem to filter in the same way, rumours and innuendo swirl unchecked and at the speed of fibre optic without sources being verified. We tend to read one side of a story or account without checking the other, and we tend to assume to worst. And then the internet cuts our response time; we don't have to take time to think about things or to find out more, we don't draft and redraft we simply comment or post or tweet a response, without editing or filtering or time given to sleep on it or consider it. What we wouldn't say in a group of 8 or 9 friends because it isn't fully thought through or we would say and they would help us think it through - challenging and questioning us - we say on-line because it feels more impersonal.
When we hear of someone else's struggles with sin, be it pride, a lack of humility, or a perceived harshness our first response ought to be to examine our own hearts for those self same things. I know when I hear of it in others often it is in my own heart whether I have recognised it or not. Secondly these things need to be dealt with in relationship, if I don't know the person I probably shouldn't comment but entrust it to others God has placed in their life to do that. I certainly want to take time to pray reflectively through what I am reading. I want to ask questions; why is this here? Who has posted it and why? What good does it serve? Is it advancing the gospel or weakening it?
And I want to pray.
Father, forgive me for my prideful tendency to assume the worst of others and blindly the best of myself.
Father, expose and reveal my sin and then help me hate it as you do.
Help me never get comfortable with it or become blind to it.
Thank you for using _______ to show me my need to repent and of grace again.
Thank you for continuing to work in me despite my sin as you remake me in the image of your son.
Amen
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
The Challenge - Sacrifice
Really struck by this quotation in an article I was reading this morning:
“Where are the young men and women of this generation who will hold their lives cheap and be faithful even unto death? Where are those who will lose their lives for Christ’s sake — flinging them away for love of him? Where are those who will live dangerously and be reckless in his service? Where are his lovers — those who love him and the souls of men more than their own reputations or comfort or very life?
Where are the men who say ‘no’ to self, who take up Christ’s cross to bear it after him, who are willing to be nailed to it in college or office, home or mission field, who are willing, if need be, to bleed, to suffer and to die on it?
Where are the adventurers, the explorers, the buccaneers for God, who count one human soul of far greater value than the rise or fall of an empire? Where are the men who are willing to pay the price of vision? Where are the men of prayer? Where are God’s men in this day of God’s power?”
Howard Guinness, Sacrifice.
His words have more of a ring when you realise he was just such a pioneer missionary going to Canada in the 1920s with a one way ticket, pioneering ministry planting before then going to Australia and New Zealand to do likewise.
“Where are the young men and women of this generation who will hold their lives cheap and be faithful even unto death? Where are those who will lose their lives for Christ’s sake — flinging them away for love of him? Where are those who will live dangerously and be reckless in his service? Where are his lovers — those who love him and the souls of men more than their own reputations or comfort or very life?
Where are the men who say ‘no’ to self, who take up Christ’s cross to bear it after him, who are willing to be nailed to it in college or office, home or mission field, who are willing, if need be, to bleed, to suffer and to die on it?
Where are the adventurers, the explorers, the buccaneers for God, who count one human soul of far greater value than the rise or fall of an empire? Where are the men who are willing to pay the price of vision? Where are the men of prayer? Where are God’s men in this day of God’s power?”
Howard Guinness, Sacrifice.
His words have more of a ring when you realise he was just such a pioneer missionary going to Canada in the 1920s with a one way ticket, pioneering ministry planting before then going to Australia and New Zealand to do likewise.
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
A Bible Overview - the Battle for Worship
This coming Sunday we are starting a new series, its a Bible overview on the theme of worship. I've preached one before on the theme of kingdom, and looked for myself at the theme of covenant, but I've never preached a Bible Overview using the theme of worship.
In part the series is based on something I did three years ago for a small group on Tuesday mornings, except this is much longer and is to be preached to a Sunday morning congregation. Here's how the series looks
1. Genesis 1-2 - Worship and Creation
2. Genesis 3-11 - The Battle for Worship Begins
3. Genesis 12-50 - Worship and the Promise
4. Exodus-Deuteronomy - A Nation of Worshippers?
5. Joshua-Ruth - The Battle for Worship in the Land
6. 1 Samuel-2 Chronicles - Worship with a King
7. Isaiah-Malachi - The Watchdogs of Worship
8. Matthew-John - Perfect Worship
9. Acts-Jude - Worship in God's New Community
10. Revelation - The Past, Present and Future of Worship
Why do a Bible overview? Because we consistently teach expositionally through Bible books and the danger is that we get the micro picture but miss the big sweep of Bible narrative. A Bible overview is a chance to stand back and be amazed at what God has done in history. Its also a great way to familiarize young Christians with the whole Bible.
Its a series which provides many challenges for those preaching in terms of preparation. Firstly their is the sheer amount to be covered in each session, finding a text or a couple of texts to hang things on which represent the story of the whole, there is also the challenge of picking the big themes, selection, editing, and finally application to the people God has given us to teach. And then preaching it rather than lecturing it.
But it is phenomenally exciting; just in beginning preparation on Genesis 1-2 I am reminded what a great God we worship, so great that he has been worshipped from eternity past, that the whole of creation sings his praises and that amazingly he creates man and places him in the midst of this worshipping creation to worship him. Then there is the mode of worship for man - it is in obeying the word of God and fulfilling the mandate God gives him (what a great antidote to the 'worship(singing/music) wars' and 'worship' pastors we see in churches today!!!). And then there is the place of marriage in worship, if Adam and Eve are made to worship God by their ruling over the earth as God's regents and Eve is given to Adam to help in that task - then marriage is about worshipping God - how phenomenally liberating and counter cultural even in our churches!!!
Now the challenge is to teach those things that God has graciously reminded and amazed me with on Sunday.
In part the series is based on something I did three years ago for a small group on Tuesday mornings, except this is much longer and is to be preached to a Sunday morning congregation. Here's how the series looks
1. Genesis 1-2 - Worship and Creation
2. Genesis 3-11 - The Battle for Worship Begins
3. Genesis 12-50 - Worship and the Promise
4. Exodus-Deuteronomy - A Nation of Worshippers?
5. Joshua-Ruth - The Battle for Worship in the Land
6. 1 Samuel-2 Chronicles - Worship with a King
7. Isaiah-Malachi - The Watchdogs of Worship
8. Matthew-John - Perfect Worship
9. Acts-Jude - Worship in God's New Community
10. Revelation - The Past, Present and Future of Worship
Why do a Bible overview? Because we consistently teach expositionally through Bible books and the danger is that we get the micro picture but miss the big sweep of Bible narrative. A Bible overview is a chance to stand back and be amazed at what God has done in history. Its also a great way to familiarize young Christians with the whole Bible.
Its a series which provides many challenges for those preaching in terms of preparation. Firstly their is the sheer amount to be covered in each session, finding a text or a couple of texts to hang things on which represent the story of the whole, there is also the challenge of picking the big themes, selection, editing, and finally application to the people God has given us to teach. And then preaching it rather than lecturing it.
But it is phenomenally exciting; just in beginning preparation on Genesis 1-2 I am reminded what a great God we worship, so great that he has been worshipped from eternity past, that the whole of creation sings his praises and that amazingly he creates man and places him in the midst of this worshipping creation to worship him. Then there is the mode of worship for man - it is in obeying the word of God and fulfilling the mandate God gives him (what a great antidote to the 'worship(singing/music) wars' and 'worship' pastors we see in churches today!!!). And then there is the place of marriage in worship, if Adam and Eve are made to worship God by their ruling over the earth as God's regents and Eve is given to Adam to help in that task - then marriage is about worshipping God - how phenomenally liberating and counter cultural even in our churches!!!
Now the challenge is to teach those things that God has graciously reminded and amazed me with on Sunday.
Thursday, 19 April 2007
Reaching men
I've just started reading Why men hate going to church and it has some disturbing statistics which I found alarming about the rate of men leaving the church and suggestions about why this is. Basically David Murrow's point is that we do church for women and it therefore doesn't appeal to men. So men love adventure, excitement, challenge and risk, women like security, safety and friendship. The church does the later but not much of the former. Women tend to be more academic men more practical. I could go on with other things that he points out as possible contributors as to why we struggle to reach men.
But actually what is more alarming is that besides men the other part of the populace which is abandoning church is women between the ages of 18 and 34. Maybe because they now share the desire for excitement, challenge, risk and the church is not providing this.
Yet Jesus called, challenged, confronted and risked and had no problem winning men. It has set me thinking about how would you do church that reaches men as well as ladies? Does it mean shorter services? Does it mean bacon butties before church? Is the need for discipleship, where men can challenge one another and spur one another on to take risks and to live out their faith?
In short how could we do church that men loved?
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