Hope for you

During advent, the four weeks that lead up to Christmas, we’ve been thinking about hope. 

They say that the greatest amount of false hope is generated in the first four hours of a diet. Fortunately the hope that comes through the story of the birth of Jesus generates not false hope, but real hope.

Hope for the whole world

In John 3 we read one of the greatest definitions of why Jesus was born.

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.

What could have been just another conversation between theological heavy-weights–in the blue corner, the well-taught, highly educated Pharisee and in the red corner the carpenter’s son from lowly Nazareth–became so much more. Instead of being drawn into a debate about the law, a discussion about the place of sacrifices or an exploration of who is the greater teacher, Jesus takes his visitor deep into the heart of God’s unfolding mystery.

For God so loved the world shifts the perspective away from a single nation with a single pattern of worship and religious practice. As Max Lucado might have put it:

Aren’t you glad that it doesn’t say: For God so loved the wealthy or the middle-class, the healthy or the beautiful, the intelligent or the Europeans...

He gave his one and only son tells us that it is no longer about us, about what we must do,  but about God and how he reached down into our world.

That whoever believes means that it’s no longer about being born in the right time with the right heritage, but anyone can access the resources of heaven. And it reminds us too that it isn’t about what we do but about what we believe, who we trust to solve our biggest problem to meet our deepest need.

Hope in the darkness

It’s one thing to talk about a hope that reaches out into the whole world, but does this hope truly penetrate my world, your world? How does this great hope reach into the darkness of the world in which we live. More than that, how does it reach down into the darkness of your life. Can this light truly truly penetrate those hidden places in your heart, the places where you keep all those secret fears and secret thoughts, the ones you’d never want anyone to know you have?

The thing about light and darkness is that darkness is not the opposite of light, it’s the absence of light. When you turn a light on, darkness doesn’t stand their defiantly demanding, “Is that the best you can do?” It is immediately driven back. It is forced to retreat to the shadowy corners, the places where the light doesn’t reach. 

The truth is this, if you will let the light of the hope of Jesus flood your life, then it will push our the darkness.

Darkness can never overcome light, but light will always defeat the darkness.

Hope for the future

The night Jesus came may have been just an ordinary night. Ordinary sheep, ordinary shepherds. Ordinary people in an ordinary town in an ordinary province of an ordinary empire. But where God is concerned, nothing is every ordinary. He takes the ordinary and invests it with the extraordinary. And do that night became a history making, history changing night. Angels sang to sheep and shepherds, calendars would change, kings would worry, wise men would make epic journeys. And the future was going to be different. It would no longer be defined by what might be, but would be defined by what God said it would be. 

And that’s your future too, if you want it.

You don’t have to face the future with uncertainty and fear, you can face the future with hope and faith. Even as Jesus faced death he promised this: I am going to prepare a place for you, and if I go, I will come back.

In the ancient near east, when a man got married, he would return to his father’s house and build a house or a room for himself and his new wife. When the father saw that it was ready, he would send the son to get his wife and he would bring her back to the new home that would be theirs.

This is what Jesus is promising, to prepare a place, to build you a home in heaven, if you want it. It’s there, waiting for you. 

All you have to do is say “yes”. Will you say yes? Or will you wait, will you dither? The offer won’t always be there. A day is coming when it might be too late. Wouldn’t it be the greatest tragedy to arrive at the gates of heaven only to discover that there’s a card waiting for you that says, “I called, but you didn’t answer.”

In the end it's a choice only you can make. Only you can decide if you want to face the future with or without the hope that God offers you through his son Jesus Christ. He came to bring you hope, will you accept his offer?

Hope in the darkness

Clive Calver once said you can’t blame the darkness for being dark, it’s its nature to be dark. The problem lies with the light.

What’s the background to Isaiah’s prophetic words in chapter 9?

In chapter 8 the people have rejected God. Because of this he is going to use the king of Assyria to bring abut judgement on the people. In the typically poetic style of Isaiah, the king of Assyria will sweep through the land like a raging river and no matter what plans the people make, they will not succeed because this is God’s doing.

In the end they will try anything to get a solution, they will even consult mediums and spiritists as Isaiah calls them, rather than enquire of God. The end result is that they will stumble around in the gloom and the darkness as they look in the wrong place for solutions. This is how chapter closes:

When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.

Isa.8:19-22

You can't blame the darkness for being dark.

Into this picture of darkness and gloom come the words of chapter 9:

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

Once again it is the grace of God that opens the way to a new beginning. It’s not the sudden change of heart of the people, it’s not some sudden realisation that they have been looking in the wrong place for the wrong answers to the wrong questions, but it’s all about the the grace and mercy of God as he reaches down into their situation to rescue them.

Light breaks into darkness, and everything changes.

What does light do to darkness?

§1 Exposes everything

It’s very difficult to keep anything hidden once the lights are on. Everything becomes visible.

Our problem of course is that we don’t like everything to be exposed. In John 3 we read the verdict:

Light has come into the world but men and women love darkness because their deeds are evil.

You probably don’t think of yourself as particularly evil. Why should you? We prefer to think in shades of grey instead of black and white, we prefer the gloom of half-light rather than the either the full glare of bright sunshine or thick darkness of the night.

But there is no kingdom of gloom only a kingdom of light and a a kingdom of darkness and you must choose between these two not theses three.

§2 Reveals truth

Your word is a light to my path, a lamp to my feet (Ps.119)

I cannot be the only person who sometimes chooses not to put the light on, even when it’s dark, because I know my way to the bathroom, even at night. I cannot be the only person who also discovers that if only I had put the light on, I would have seen the washing basket on the landing before I kicked it with my bare foot. I cannot be the only person who never seems to learn from this salutary experience of pain as a result of stumbling about in the darkness.

When God shed light into our lives, not only do we see the true us, we also get to see the true him. As the light dawns the way ahead becomes clear. 

Isn’t it good to know that we are not destined to wander around in darkness? Isn’t it good to know that God has a plan to bring light into our lives and into the lives of those around us?

Advent, Christmas, is a celebration of God’s gift of light.

While Matthew and Luke open up the story of the birth of Jesus and while Mark dives straight in to the ministry of Jesus, John takes deep into the the heart of God’s purposes as he declares:

In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

§3 Isaiah’s outcomes

The dawning of this great light brings with it some great outcomes. It brings:

Growth

Joy

Rejoicing

Lifting of burdens

End to oppression

End to battle

And all because:

A son is born

§4 Jesus the true light

This son to be born was Jesus, the true light as John describes him. He came into the world but the world didn’t recognise him. In fact the world rejected him. But he came anyway.

Having rejected him, the world crucified him, but still he came. Knowing that he would have to suffer as he did, he still came. 

He came so that you and I could experience life in the light.

Jesus said:

I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

§5 Our response

First step: repentance and faith

Our first response must be to accept God’s offer of a life in the light through Jesus. We must first move out of the darkness and gloom through confession of the dark parts of our lives. The sin of which we are so painfully aware. You might not know it as sin, you might not call it sin, but you know there are things that you have done that run counter to the light of God’s character. By  a simple prayer of confession you can take a step into the light. Second, by a step of faith, you can receive all the benefits of a life lived in the light. Freely God offers you not only the forgiveness you need, but a new life to live. By faith we receive this life.

If you have taken those steps then you are part of the body of Christ, the people of God’s kingdom of light, and we too have a response to make.

Second step: Live in the light

In Ephesians Paul tells us that:

You were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light.

To live as children of the light is to follow the example of Jesus. To become light for a dark world. We are not going to save the world, that’s God’s job, but we are called to live like light.

Third step: Engage in mission

It will be an uphill task. In 2 Corinthians Paul tells us:

The god of this age has blinded the eyes of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Jesus.

But it’s a challenge we must take up because the world has no one else to do it for them.

If the church is not committed to bringing the message of hope to the word by all means possible, then the church has nothing to say to world at all.

We cannot be a people without a message, we cannot be a people who are unconcerned abut the eternal destiny of the people who live in darkness. We cannot be a people to whom the lost simply don’t matter, for whom mission is an inconvenience.

We cannot go one blaming the darkness for being dark.

Jesus calls us to walk in the light, the question is are we willing to follow?

Food and idols

If the topic of the day is neither sex nor money, then it’s probably going to be diet! In Corinth they seem to have got themselves in a state over what to do about the meat they eat. Thankfully there doesn’t appear to have been a deity to whom they sacrificed vegetables, otherwise they’d really have been in trouble.

What Question are they asking?

Clearly from Paul’s response it has something to do with eating food that has been or may have been used in a sacrificial rite at the local temple. Having come to faith in the one true God they have come to see that all the gods of the Roman and Greek pantheon are not gods but idols. Any food, meat in particular, that comes from the temple of these gods must therefore fall into the category of food that has been offered to idols and the church in Jerusalem has written to the Gentile churches telling them to abstain from such food.

Most of the people most of time didn’t have access to meat. Typically the ordinary person only got meat at festival times when the temple handed it out. Only rich people got to eat meat more often than festivals, but this too might be sacrificial meat.

So the question is: What is the committed Christ-follower to do? If you can’t be sure where your meat has come from is it better to abstain for the sake of a clear conscience? 

On the other hand, since you know that idols are not gods and therefore are powerless, why shouldn’t simply enjoy the meat that’s available without worrying about where it comes from?

Are they free to eat meat whatever it’s origins, even going so far as to join their pagan friends in the feast at festival time, or are they in so doing, polluting themselves spiritually?

A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing

Before Paul answers their question he makes a simple observation:

We know we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up; but love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God.

Once again there’s appears to be  division between those who know and those who apparently do not. Those who know are wiser and more mature, at least in their own eyes. Their concern is for their right to act in accordance with their superior knowledge.

So Paul begins by pointing out that everybody knows something, but knowledge is not the key, the key is being known.

Perhaps he’s remembering life as a Pharisee. At that time he would have know a lot about God, a lot about the law, the implications of the law and a 101 ways of keeping the law. He would have been well taught in areas of theology and I’m guessing that he liked to have a good discussion about the finer points of theories about angels, the resurrection and a few other topics. But knowledge, Paul had discovered, was not the answer to the question. In contrast it was being known that was of significance.

Remember the Damascus Road encounter. What surprised Paul most? Was it being knocked of his horse? Was it being left blind for a time afterwards? Was it the act that God interrupted his journey and challenged him? Or was it that God called him by name?

In the end it was a combination of all of these factors, but here’s the thing: Paul was known to God. Personally known, known in detail, and that means more than any accumulated knowledge.

The problem with knowledge is that it over emphasises the human element.  Paul stresses the God element. Knowing a lot about God, Paul insists, is no match for loving him and being known by him.

Paul doesn’t reject what they know, in fact he agrees, what he questions is the way they are applying that knowledge and the damage they are doing because of that.

How does Paul answer their question?

The important thing about Paul’s answer is that whilst he addresses their basic question he actually raises an issue that goes well beyond the presenting question about food and idols. Later, in chapter 10, he talks about the dangers of idolatry, about how, although idols have no power it’s possible that a person involved in idol worship is opening the door to the forces of evil at work in the supernatural realm. But Paul’s primary focus is not on these things but on the issue of how a Christian should exercise the freedom they now have in Christ.

The structure of Paul’s argument

For the sake of others

Paul’s first point is both simple and yet the possibly the most significant and challenging when it comes to limiting one’s own freedom. His point is simply this: If the exercise of your freedom will adversely affect the spiritual life of those around you, then limit your freedom.

We’ll probably agree wholeheartedly with Paul, agree that is until it’s actually our freedom that comes under scrutiny. Let’s think of a few examples.

Drinking. 

If you knew that by having alcohol either in your house or the simple fact of having a drink whilst our with friends was causing a problem, would you stop? If another Christian came to you and told you that the reason they had started to drink and indeed get drunk on a regular basis was because they’d seen you drink and that must mean it’s okay to go out with their friends and drink to excess, would you stop for their sake?

Speaking to others. 

What about the way we talk to each other? Within close groups there is often a way of speaking that those outside the group might not understand. What if it lead someone to assume it was okay to insult people because they saw you doing that? Now you know that in your group it’s just part of the banter, but they don’t know this. 

Would you stop for their sake?

Harry Potter.

When I first arrived at Cotton End, Harry Potter was the topic of several conversations. Some people loved him others did not. Some felt it was okay to read the books, others were less sure.

But here’s the tough question: If you discovered that by reading the books another Christian had concluded that that must mean that dabbling in witchcraft was okay because Christians read Harry’s stories and knew they were just that, just stories and that there was no real power in witchcraft. Well would you stop reading the books?

In all these examples our choices are simple. We either choose to limit our freedom or we choose to invoke the principle of superior knowledge. 

The Corinthians wanted a rule: Was it better to avoid all meat just in case ( a total limit to freedom), or was it time for those who didn’t understand to stop bothering those who did and let everyone get on with living their lives according to their own conscience (no limits on freedom)? Paul of course doesn’t provide that kind of answer, instead he refocusses their attention on the grace of God. He says that the most Christ-like approach is to act out of grace.

For the sake of the gospel

A second reason to choose to limit our personal freedom is so that we can be the most effective we can be for the kingdom purposes of God.

Paul is an apostle and apostles have rights. But Paul chooses not to invoke those rights in order that the gospel might be proclaimed. 

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put u with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

Paul then makes this telling comment:

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone o win as many as possible... I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

For the sake of your own spiritual well-being

In chapter 10, as Paul returns to the question of food and idols, he again underlines the importance of limiting personal freedom for the good of others. 

Nobody should seek his or her own good, but the good of others.

It is his unmistakable cry. But there is another aspect to this challenge, the question of personal spiritual development. There is a danger, Paul says, that all this exercising of personal spiritual freedom is opening the door to spiritual forces that are not good for you. Are you really spiritually strong enough to do battle with these forces? That’s the kind of question he might ask. 

Idols may be nothing, and food may not bring us close to God, but even Christians recognise that there is spiritual value in the food symbols we use in worship. So for your own spiritual well-being, Paul says, be very careful how you exercise your freedom.

Finally he sums it all up like this:

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do [the books you read, the films you watch, the things you do], do it all to the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God—even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

10:31-11:1

What limits do you need to apply to your life for the sake of others, for the sake of the gospel, and for the sake of your own spiritual well-being?

Adding a calendar

I'm experimenting with adding a calendar to this blog using Google Calendar. I'm hoping to synchronise the calendar with ical on my Mac.

Please be patient while I investigate the possibilities.

The calendar might not always be accurate during this test phase.

Questions about marriage: 1 Cor.7

Chapter 7 begins the section of the letter that deals with all the questions raised by the member of the church in Corinth. It begins with the phrase: Now concerning the things you wrote about, followed by a quote from their correspondence. The more recent translations under the NIV banner have moved away from the rather misleading translation: It is better for a man not to marry. Such a translation of Paul's original phrase cannot be sustained, and worse still causes confusion about Paul's attitude towards marriage as a whole. Literally Paul says, or rather quotes what the Corinthians are saying as: It is better for a man not to touch a woman.
This is a Greek idiom that is better translated as: It is better for a man not to have sexual relationships with a woman.

Marriage is not the issue, sex is.

What's going on in Corinth?

From the context the first thing we should note is that this question is not about sex in general, but specifically about sexual intercourse in the context of marriage. Hence, the question being asked in Corinth is this: Now we are Christians, should married couples continue to have sex or is it better for them spiritually speaking to abstain?

Where does this come from?

"Spiritualised eschatology". In other words, they saw themselves as "above physical things" because they were now spiritual. Perhaps they even thought of themselves of as having already attained the resurrection (in 2 Tim.2 Paul refers to those who taught that resurrection had already happened) This may have led them to believe that they were already like the angels neither marrying nor giving in marriage (Were some Corinthian parents refusing their children the right to marry or rejecting marriage for themselves on the same basis?)

For others, the physical side of life was unimportant, an idea imported by some from Greek philosophy. This meant that they saw sex as something non-spiritual and therefore it simply didn't matter. Whether with your wife or a prostitute, sex did not affect you because your spirit and your body were two separate things. This might go some way to explaining the other issue of immorality among the congregation at the time.

There's also the possibility that they see marriage as a distraction. Certainly it's possible to draw that implication form what Paul has to say (26, 32). If he's their example then he is either single, or married and celibate for the kingdom.

And if they were married, then sex was either a distraction, or at worse a submitting to someone else's control and therefore working against their new found freedom in Christ. Consequently its possible that they are refusing to fulfil their marital duties as Paul describes it, in favour of a higher purpose and that's causing the knock on effect of immorality.

The human mind is a complex thing!

What is certainly true is that there was:

1. Pressure to not marry
2. Pressure to abstain from sex within marriage
3. Pressure to dissolve marriages, whether to a Christian or a non-Christian

Their spiritualised, sex-free marriages, rather than making them more spiritual had in fact had the opposite impact, and had even increased sexual immorality with prostitutes (6:16)

How does Paul answer them?

Overriding point is: Don't seek a change of status (v17)

The focus of his argument

Paul's background is Jewish. One of the basic texts on human relationships that Paul would have known is: "It is not good for man to be alone". (Gen.2:18) It's doubtful therefore that any prohibition of marriage (or rather a preference for singleness) from Paul comes from a viewpoint of what it means to be holy. Later Paul makes the point that singleness is preferred because of:

1. the ability to focus (32), a married person has responsibilities and ties and that limit his or her availability for ministry and mission.

2. the current crisis (26) [not identified]

Because of this, Paul states a preference for being single.But he's not saying become this, he's simply stating a preference.

Paul's' answers

1. Don't abstain except by mutual consent. This is a concession Paul is willing to make. Maybe he sees some value in terms of self-control and purpose, but I think he's just saying "if that's how you feel you can make progress as Christians, then do it, but it's not the best choice (but would Paul really think like that?)

2. Don't seek a change in status for the sake of change. In other words don't make getting married the focus of your attention and certainly don't make getting unmarried the ficus either.

3. Don't force yourself into a pattern of life for which you are not suited. Paul sees himself as suited for celibacy, he even sees it as a gift. Others are not like Paul and he recognises that, so he says, "Go get married, it's okay, it's not a sin."

4. Don't make rules for other people.

But what about a mixed marriage?

Again Paul says, "Stay as you are", but this time he adds a caveat: if the unbelieving partner is willing. Paul is talking to those who have come to faith whilst married to a partner who hasn't yet come to faith. He isn't addressing the thorny issue of whether a Christian should marry a non-Christian. The question that arises in this part of the argument is one of sanctification.

In this instance "sanctified" does not equate to "saved" in the way we understand it. No-one becomes a believer just by being married to a believer. Rom 11:16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy.

Paul's argument here is that the unbeliever is not saved but that the believer is not tarnished by having a physical relationship with their unbelieving spouse. Furthermore the children are not impacted either. It would seem that the Corinthians had got themselves into a position where contact, especially physical, with an unbeliever was a dangerous thing.

Conclusion

Paul's view of marriage is quite clear:

It's okay to marry.

There are reasons to not marry in the first place, but there are no reasons to dissolve a marriage because it's more spiritual to be single. Furthermore, if you are married, healthy sexual relationship is the norm, it's something you work out as a couple. The only concession Paul makes is that there may be short periods of time when you choose, mutually, to abstain for a spiritual reason, but it's only a concession, not a rule.

Singleness, as a way of life, can only be a blessing by grace, it's a gift says Paul, a gift not everyone has.

Perhaps Paul's overall point is simply this:

Don't over spiritualise yourselves, and don't seek to change your circumstances in order to become more spiritual, learn to be more spiritual in the situation in which you live day-to-day.

Living with your head up

The Bible opens with a simple, yet profound, statement of faith.

In the beginning God created…

It offers no logical explanation, no complex philosophical argument, no scientific thesis. It simply makes a statement of faith.

In the beginning God created…

It’s profound because it tells us that we are not the centre of the universe, but we are the focus of attention. God’s attention. God did the creating, we are the created, but that doesn’t mean that we are insignificant creatures n some vast expanding universe.

As the story unfolds we discover that everything God made was good. The sky was good, the oceans were good, the animals and plants were good and humanity was good too. God was pleased with what he made. And as for humanity, they were given the job of looking after everything else that God had made.

Now fast forward.

Sadly humanity has made mistakes, big mistakes. Taking destiny into their own hands they have broken the bond of relationship with God. They’ve gone solo and the world is suffering as a result. Selfishness and greed creep in and the environment begins to suffer because of humanity’s failures.

Fast forward to the time of the prophets. Men and women who’s job it is to call the people back into a relationship with the God who loves them, who created them, and cares for them.
Enter Micah, one of those prophets. A question gets asked:

With what shall I come before the Lord… shall I come with burnt offerings... with thousands of lambs… with rivers of oil?

This, after all, is what the people of Israel had been doing for years.

Here come the answer:

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with the Lord your God

Today is Micah Challenge Sunday. Picking up on these words, today is a day to focus on the challenge to meet the Millennium Development goals. A day to remind ourselves that we are not alone in the world and that we are not the centre of this universe in glorious isolation, but that we are part of a bigger family.

Fast forward to the days of Jesus. Cue the story of the rich man and his bigger barn.

Is Jesus saying that it’s wrong to be rich? I don’t think so. Is he saying that it’s wrong to look forward to a long and happy retirement? I sincerely hope not!

There are those here this morning who are wondering how long it would take me to mention the rugby. Well here’s the mention. Perhaps, just as Brain Ashton, the head coach of the victorious England team, talks about playing rugby with your head up, looking around and seeing the bigger picture, perhaps the failure of the rich man in Jesus’ story is his failure to live a “head’s up” life.

Fast forward to the early 21st century. Cue your story and my story.

Today as part of our celebration we’re also reminding ourselves that we are part of bigger family. Part of a family that deserves to enjoy creation’s provisions wherever the family finds itself.

Perhaps the challenge we face is learning to live a “heads up” life in our time.

There’s much about which we could be selfish. But the challenge that Jesus brings to us is a simple one. It’s often summed up in these words:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength, soul and mind. Love your neighbour as yourself.

In other words: Love God, love others like you want to be loved.

The truth is some people are good at one and not the other, but we’re called to be good at both.
You can love everyone around you, you can give everything you have to meet the needs o the poor, but unless you love God the eternal context is lost.

And you can love God wholeheartedly, but unless that spills over into your love for others, it’s an empty religious philosophy.

Love for others, according the Bible, arises best out of our relationship with God, won for us through the death of Jesus on the cross.

This then is the challenge:

Live a heads up life.

Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with the Lord your God.

Simply Love

Setting the scene

Paul's ongoing concern in 1 Corinthians is to underline the close connection that Christians should have with one another and to point out how the eagerness of the Corinthian Christians is in danger ofworking against that very principle.

In chapter 12 he explores the place of spiritual gifts in the context of being the body of Christ as the picture for the church. He finishes with a series of rhetorical questions, all of which demand the answer "no". After that he encourages the Corinthians in their eager desire to have spiritual gifts, a discussion he will pick up again in chapter 14, but for now there is a more important context for him to set for these gifts.

Paul steps aside from the debate about who has what gift, which gift is the best gift or how many gifts a person might have, to draw our attention to the lifestyle in which all gifts should operate. Notice this, love is not a gift, it’s a way of life, it is the context of life for the follower of Christ. This, for Paul, is the most excellent way of love.

Gifts without love are worthless

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angles, but do not have love, I am only a resounding going...

If you base your spirituality only on the gifts you have, then your spirituality is flawed. In Corinth it was or better or worse than anywhere else, but it was the subject of Paul's concerns. Their spirituality had become based on tongues, wisdom and knowledge. But look what it had done!

Their knowledge had lead to pride and a disregard for those who struggled over some issues. Their wisdom had produced seemingly endless arguments and quarrels over all sorts of things. Their tongues had neither edified the church nor opened the way for the unchurched to grasp the message and respond to it.

And the sad outcome of all this is that if you base your spirituality on any of these things, on this gift or that gift, this bit of knowledge or that bit of knowledge, this leader or that leader, then you are almost certainly destined to do so without love.

What is love?

RT Kendall defines the love described by Paul as:

#1 A demonstration in words

Not just any words, but Holy Spirit inspired words. As Paul lays out the essentials of love there is no room for sentimentality, there is only room for the love that lies at the heart of God. It’s his essential character.

When Paul talks of love that keeps no record of wrongs, he’s pointing us towards the grace of God. When love always protects, always hopes, always trusts, always perseveres, Paul points us to the consistency of God who is the same yesterday, today and forever. When Paul says that love never fails he points us to the eternal nature of God’s love for us: I have loved you with an everlasting love.

But words are not enough.

#2 A demonstration of works

Throughout history God has both spoken of his love and demonstrated it. Paul said that the ultimate demonstration of his love for us is seen in the sending of his Son, Jesus Christ, while we were still rebels.

Jesus lived out the love of God, and we are called as his followers to do the same.
If you live this way, this way of love demonstrated by Jesus, then you will dazzle the word. “Let your light shine before men,” not to impress them but so that they might “praise your Father in heaven.”

#3 A demonstration of wisdom

What Paul calls love, James calls wisdom. There were two important aspects to living a life that pleases God in the Old Testament.

1. Keep the covenant. Not to get God on your side, but to demonstrate your commitment to him.
2. Choose wisdom as a pattern for life. Without wisdom keeping the covenant becomes a blind act of religious obedience. It has no meaning further than rule keeping. Wisdom shapes a life to walk in the light of the covenant promises. Wisdom forces you to take responsibility.

#4 Demonstration of the will

If you wait until you feel like it, you probably won’t live a life of love that often. RT Kendall says:
We must never wait for a mood or a feeling to overwhelm us.

Our moods and feeling can mislead us. We don’t find some people easy to love. If we wait until our hearts towards them change before we love them, the truth is we may never love them. On the other hand if we chose to love them in obedience to God’s will, then maybe we’ll make room for the work of the Spirit in us as we learn to love them as Jesus has loved us.

How did Jesus love?

When Jesus spoke of love, he did not speak about something sentimental, he didn’t follow a Hollywood script. He spoke instead of the cost of love, the price that might have to be paid by those who live by the rule of love. He spoke also of love as the unmistakable mark of those who claimed to be his followers. This, he said, was how people would spot the difference. Not by the clothes you wear or the books you’ve read. Not primarily by the way you spend your money or your time, although these will be affected. Rather he said that it would the nature of our relationships with each other that would be the clearest sign of our commitment to live out the lifestyle of a follower of the one who lived for and died for others.

If you have love for one another, he said, then people will know you’ve been with me.

How did Jesus love?

#1 Unconditionally

He was known as the friend of sinners. There isn’t a single person in the whole of the gospels that Jesus encountered and didn’t love.

#2 Sacrificially

You don’t need me to remind you about the cross. A symbol of the most violent and cruellest forms of punishment ever devised by human beings. And yet the symbol of the church. The symbol of the unending love of God for the same human beings who devised its cruel use.
Is there a greater sacrifice that choosing to die for someone else? You might die for a righteous man the Bible says, but surely never for an unrighteous one. But that’s what Jesus did.
God could have wiped us out and started over again with a new universe. If he can create it, he can restart it. But he didn’t. He chose rescue over restart. He chose to pay the price of redemption rather than begin again.

#3 Courageously

Jesus believed you were worth the sacrifice. He believed you were worth all that pain and suffering, He believed it was worth his while to give you the choice of where to spend your eternity. But he left the choice to you.

#4 Bravely

Jesus loved bravely.

In Corinth there were issues, issues that needed a firm hand and clear line. But that doesn't happen outside of the context of love. The difference between self-righteous judging and discipline is surely love. When we seek to point each other towards a better way of following Jesus, towards a more godly way of making choices, then we do so in the context of love. James: If you see a brother (or sister) falling into sin, rescue them. This is “tough love”. It doesn’t shirk the responsibility to say what needs to be said, to challenge patterns of behaviour that need to be challenged.

The challenge to love

Jesus said that we were to love as he loved. Love becomes the practice of our lives. As you seek to practice the love of God, these three steps might help.

1. Put others before yourself.
2. Accept your part in his plan.
3. Be quick to applaud the success of others.

It’s remarkable to think that the creator of the universe is your greatest advocate. He’s your personal cheerleader in life. He was willing to be misunderstood, mistreated and misquoted in order to give the chance to shine for him.

When you step out to serve him, to do something in his name, to honour him, then Jesus shouts from heaven, “Way to go!” Of course if he’s more British, he’s more likely to say “Well done, nice try.” But then again, I suspect his enthusiasm for you will get the better of him and he’ll dance and sing and cheer with the best of them.

To love as Jesus loved will transform our relationships. It will transform our relationship both inside and outside the church. It will change the way we relate to each other and it will change the way we relate to the God who loved, who gave his Son for us, who came to die for us and who cheers for us in heaven.

Resurrection

Chapter 15 (of 1 Corinthians) opens with Paul defending his position and authority as an apostle. Crucial to his argument is his personal encounter with the risen Lord Jesus. Acknowledging the unusual nature of the circumstances, Paul nevertheless points out that he share a common authority with the other apostles because he too has seen the risen Jesus.

However this authority is meaningless if the resurrection didn't happen. The resurrection of Jesus is not only pivotal for Paul's apostleship, but it is also pivotal for the foundations of the faith of the Christians in Corinth and of course for the foundations of our faith too.

Resurrection and faith

The resurrection is crucial to Christian faith. As one writer puts it: The resurrection is God's Amen to Christ's statement that, "It is finished!"

Without the resurrection, none of the rest makes sense. So it is that while Paul asserts we preach (and know) nothing but Christ crucified, he is also determined that the early church in Corinth should understand the importance and significance of the resurrection to the faith.
That some were suggesting that whilst Christ had been raised that there was no general resurrection awaiting humanity, Paul defends the principle of the resurrection for all as central to faith alongside the cross.

#1 No resurrection; no faith

Without the resurrection, Christian faith crumbles and falls apart. We are to be pitied above all people. But it is true. And it's not just true because we say it is, it's true because the testimony of history tells us it is true.

a. The testimony of the early believers, what they saw and experienced. (Acts 1), 1 Cor.15:5ff Peter, the twelve, and then 500, then James, then Paul.

b. The implication of their changed attitude: Afraid and in hiding, boldly proclaiming the message on the streets.

c. Their willingness to die for it: Would you die for a lie? If the disciples had stolen the body as some have said, would they have died to perpetuate the lie?

d. the lack of evidence to the contrary. Where is the body of Jesus if he died?

e. The unusual lengths that the authorities went to to cover up what had happened.

#2 The importance of the resurrection

Therefore, the resurrection of Jesus is not some “add on” to a “more important” work on the cross. If the cross is the payment for our sins, the empty tomb is the receipt, showing that the perfect Son of God made perfect payment for our sins. The payment itself is of little good without the receipt! This is why the resurrection of Jesus was such a prominent theme in the evangelistic preaching of the early church (Acts 2:24, 3:15, 4:10, 13:30-39).

The importance of the resurrection is that, although Jesus "became sin for us" he did not succumb to the ultimate consequence of sin, death. In fact, because the "sinless one" died he fully dealt with sin, and the resurrection proves it.

When you know what rests on the resurrection, you know why if for this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

Five core beliefs that rest on the resurrection

One writer identifies the following five core beleifs that rest on the resurrection.

i. The divinity of Jesus rests on the resurrection of Jesus (Romans 1:4).
and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
ii. The sovereignty of Jesus rests on the resurrection of Jesus (Romans 14:9).
For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
iii. Our justification rests on the resurrection of Jesus (Romans 4:25).
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
iv. Our regeneration rests on the resurrection of Jesus (1 Peter 1:3).
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
v. Our ultimate resurrection rests on the resurrection of Jesus (Romans 8:11).
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

“The fact is, that the silver thread of resurrection runs through all the blessings, from regeneration onward to our eternal glory, and binds them together.” (Spurgeon)

The significance of the resurrection

a. Gives a reason and basis for a committed life. In other words, because we have a resurrection life to forward to, we have a reason to live out that resurrection life in the present.
Death is no longer the end, this life has implications for eternity.

b. We bear the likeness of Christ.

What does this mean?

A sacrificial life

An obedient life.

The resurrection encourages us to persevere. This life is not all there is, there is a life beyond it.

c. We have an inheritance (the Kingdom of God)

The resurrection body

1. 15:38 it is of divine origin.

In answer to the question "someone may ask": What kind of body? Paul answers:

God gives it [the seed] a body, just as he has determined.

2. 15:44 it is spiritual.

This does not mean a spirit in the way we tend to see the word used today, but spiritual in the sense that it is "animated and guided by the spirit". It is a physical body. Jesus had a physical body, he has a physical body in heaven.

The resurrection body of the believer is therefore a physical body subject to the perfected spirit of the believer.

3. 15:42-44 it won't perish.

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

So what does this mean for you and me? How do we live in the light of the resurrection that Jesus has experienced and in the light of the resurrection that is to come?

This life is not the only life.

If we live as if this life doesn’t matter, as if we can do exactly what we please, then we are denying the work of Jesus on the cross and the resurrection because we are living as if the future doesn’t exist.

That is Paul’s point.

You cannot life this life without reference to the future life to come. You cannot live this life as if there are no eternal consequences. To paraphrase Paul elsewhere, there are those who will get into heaven by the skin of their teeth.

We live life with hope

If we only lived our present lives in fear of what it might mean for the future, we’re as bad a place as those who live as if it doesn’t matter.

We’re in danger of being sucked into a pattern of life were we need always to do the exact right thing with no room for error. In the end we become bound by rules and regulations because we’re afraid that we’ll miss the mark if we don’t behave.

The flip side of this is that we give up trying to live a fully devoted life because it’s just to hard and we’ve messed up our eternity anyway through the last thing we did wrong!

But the resurrection brings hope into our present lives.

The hope that things will not always be this way, that this life won’t always set the agenda for our lives.

It’s a hope too that is rooted in the forgiveness won for us through the cross. Remember the resurrection as the amen to the finished work of the cross.

All of a sudden it’s worth the effort. It’s worth living a God-honouring life this side of eternity because it’s all going to be worth it in the end.

We’ll have a new body that is no longer torn apart by sickness, no longer driven by sinful desire, but a body that responds to our deepest desire to live for God.

One People

David Watson once described the Christian community as being like a group of porcupines huddling together for warmth. In other words, the closer they got to each other, the more likely they were to cause each other pain! He wasn't being cynical about the church, he was just trying to describe the reality that we're an imperfect people and that this causes problems from time to time.

John Stott of course is credited with the quote: "if you find the perfect church, don't join it, you will only spoil it." And then there is my favourite quote about the church from Bill Hybels: "There is nothing like the local church when it's working right..."

The church in Corinth was no different. In 1 Corinthians chapter 1, Paul dives straight into some of the issues that have surfaced in this multi-cultural, multi-dimensional expression of the local church. It seems that the church has become almost tribal, identifying allegiance to a particular leader as a defining characteristic of how to do things "the right way".

Later in the letter we discover that leadership is not the only basis for division in the church.

· Wealth and status is a factor
· Disagreements and law suits
· Different teaching methods, or teachers
· Arguments about marriage

Paul's call is simply this: I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you...

The question is: Is this ever possible?

What is Paul addressing:

When Paul talks about divisions, he is addressing the issue of the arguments that are raging within the community. The word translated division is translated elsewhere in the New Testament as tear, like a torn garment or wineskin. On the other hand the phrase perfectly united is about restoration (the same word is used in Mark's gospel to describe the process of repairing the fishing nets).

So these are tears, they’re not fatal unless they become too big. So they need attention now, and Paul’s solution is a reminder that we are called to become one people.

How do we become one people?

#1 Christ the centre

For Paul the answer to this question rests fairly and squarely on one principle: Christ is not divided. In other words, Jesus is the answer to the question of church unity. Or to put it another way: What unites us is Christ and the cross, and this is greater than anything that divides us. What makes the church "work" is Christ at the centre. What makes the church not work is when Christ is forced out of the centre of things.

The gospel is the reconciling work of God in our midst.

#2 Celebrate a common faith

One faith, one Lord, one baptism.

The problem, or rather the challenge is that we have a seemingly ever-increasing diversity of churches. Can they all be right? And if not, which one is wrong and which one is right?

These kinds of questions presuppose that our eternal destiny rests on choosing the right church! But we know it doesn't, and Paul knows that too. As we've already seen, his argument for unity is based upon the centrality of Christ and the work of the cross.

#3 Share a common vision, values and purpose

From local to national to international, we share some things in common. The more local we are, the more closely we need to share. But that does not mean that we have always to agree in every detail of the "how", but we will agree on the fundamental "what". In other words there is room for diversity, but no room for division.

Our common vision is expressed on the weekly newssheet as:

To build a church that honours and glorifies God; built on biblical principles; teaching biblical truth; influencing its community; where personal relationships are deep.

Our mission is: To know God and to make God known

Our values are:

• A clear commitment to Christ
• Authentic Christian lifestyle
• Commitment to one another
• Committed to our community
• The centrality of prayer and worship in everything we do

And our common purpose is: To love people into a deep and growing relationship with God through Jesus Christ

On the weekly newssheet we end with one last thing: a common heart.

It says this: We want to share God’s heart for the marginalized and play our part in fulfilling God’s call to preach good news to the poor and freedom to the oppressed.

None of this presupposes that we all do the same things in the same ways. In fact I would suggest that it would be impossible to do that. Instead we are united in these things as our core values, our core vision, our core purpose. But we fulfil them in a diversity of ways.

#4 One body

Diversity comes through form and function. Unity comes through purpose and authority (Christ is the head of the church)

#5 Live a common life

One of the characteristics of the early church was its common life. In Acts 2 we see the church sharing a common life through common worship, common commitment, common possessions.

So here’s a final question: What might a common life look like in the 21st century?

Answers on a postcard please...

The message of the cross

In 1968 an author by the name of Erich von Däniken published his first book The Chariots of the Gods. Since then he’s written 26 or so books, continuing to work out his theory that our planet was visited by extra-terrestrials in it’s ancient past.

Sound crazy to you?

Try a Google search for “crazy theories” and you’ll get almost 2 million hits. The world is full of conspiracy theories, alien visit theories and many more.

So imagine what it must have been like for the average intelligent person in the first century to hear, for the first time, the theory that God had become a human being, lived in almost total obscurity, never appeared to speak openly about who he was, did nothing to stop himself from being arrested, tried, convicted, abused, and eventually executed, only to come back to life and instead of raining down judgement, continued to teach a pattern of love and reconciliation through his followers.

Just imagine how crazy that probably sounded.

Surely, they might have said, “A real God would have nothing to do with crucifixion, let alone allow himself to suffer it.”

But, says Paul, this is the very heart of our message.

We preach Christ crucified

It is:

Foolish to those who don’t believe but the power of God to those who do.

The core of the message

In 1Cor.15, Paul sets out the core of the message:

Christ died for our sins (according to Scripture); He was buried; He was raised on the third day (according to Scripture); He appeared

In chapter 1, this is the gospel he preaches.

Faith versus human wisdom

In Corinth there was an issue with knowledge. There were those who thought they had access to some special, secret knowledge, that made them a better class of Christian. But Paul cleverly dismantles the notion of secret knowledge and does away with the importance of what we might know in contrast with the significance of what we do know.

It is the power of God, not human wisdom or secret knowledge that sets us free. And this freedom comes through faith not knowledge. We should not confuse at this point, knowledge and understanding. Paul is not saying that in order to believe, we should ditch any idea of ever understanding. In fact Paul says that the message of the cross is indeed a message of wisdom among the mature.

The nature of faith

Faith does not depend upon human wisdom but upon God’s power.

This means that faith is not rational, at least not in the conventional sense of the word. It cannot be worked out by careful thought and analysis alone. But neither is it irrational, because it depends on the external power of God. It is no blind leap. In other words faith bridges the world of the rational, of cause and effect, and the world of miracles, the seemingly irrational.

Responding to the gospel

Paul sets out three responses to the gospel.

#1 Scandalous

The first response is to be offended. Knowing his world as he does, Paul knows that best example of this is his own people, the Jews. He knows what the cross looks like through eyes of faithful followers of Judaism. He knows, because he’s been there.

The Old Testament curses anyone who hangs on a tree. He knows the stigma, the theological inconsistency of any argument that would suggest that not only would God take human form, but that he would put his life in the hands of Gentiles.

He knew that religious people, of all people, would be scandalised by such a notion.

#2 Foolishness

On the other hand, if you didn’t see the scandal in it, you most probably saw the foolishness. The almighty, all-powerful creator God, suffers the ignominy of crucifixion with barely a whimper.
But to those who will suspend human wisdom and judgement for a while, who are willing to think through the implications of God’s self revelation, it’s possible to see things differently.

Paul’s third response is:

#3 Power

Not our own power, but a realisation that this crazy theory of incarnation and sacrifice is the very work of God as he reaches into our world and rescues us from it.

The gospel that enriches

This gospel this good news, not only rescues from the sin that separates us from God, it not only reconciles us to God, a point Paul makes in his second letter to the Corinthians, but it also enriches our lives.

According to Paul, the grace of God enriches our lives in every way. In all our speaking, in all our knowledge. No longer do we need secret or special knowledge because have an enriched knowledge.

We are also enriched through spiritual gifts.

And as if that were not enough, this grace presents us strong and blameless before God himself. We are truly brought back to where we belong, in relationship with the God who loves us.

Conclusion

So, crazy and scandalous at it might be to the rest of the world, it remains the message of hope, faith and love that we find in Paul’s letters and throughout the Bible.

Out of Africa

Recently a member of our church family went to Africa as aprt of her nurising training. We intervied Jenny for the churhc magazine, here's the interview.

Why did you choose Africa?

I was at Spring Harvest a few years ago and Andy Flannagan was talking about looking deep in your heart and seeing where you were called to go and Africa came straight into my head. When I was doing my A-levels I decided I would apply to one university and if I didn’t get in I would take a year out and go to Africa. I was a bit disappointed when I got an interview at college but on the day found that we had an elective placement where we could go abroad, so I decided then I would go to Africa for mine.

Where did you go?

I chose Kenya because my Dad had lived there when he was little and thought it would be cool to see where he had lived. The company I was with placed me in a town called Naivasha which is about an hour from Nairobi.

What were your first impressions when you got there?

It was really cool, the air was so still and cool, it was really warm but just felt so peaceful! It was a really busy airport car park and dark, but looked beautiful!

What kind of things did you get involved in doing?

I worked in 2 different hospitals, 1 government funded and one private. Spent a lot of time questioning what they were doing and just tried to teach them better (and much safer) ways of doing things, I also went to 3 orphanages, did some teaching at one and played and led arts and crafts at the others.

What surprised you most?

The attitude of the nurses in the hospital, I wasn’t prepared for that, I thought the problem would be coping with no resources or money, but the hardest thing was witnessing the lack of compassion the nurses had for their patients.

What was the hardest thing about being in a different country?

The language barrier, I coped with the few words I managed to pick up but it was hard in the hospitals when the patients were trying to talk to me. Many of them had not been to school so had not learnt English, the children at the orphanages could speak English though so it wasn’t so hard there.

What made the most impact on you?

The children from the Catholic Church. There was one girl called Queen Elizabeth, around 8 or 9, she is a beautiful girl with an infectious personality. I found it so hard saying goodbye to her. She used to run up and meet me when we got there and would draw me pictures and write messages. I found out in the last week that she is HIV positive and that broke my heart to hear that. Another girl, Mercy, about 18 months had been abandoned on the church steps when she was a day old, we would try to play with her but she hated being picked up and didn’t know what it was like to have a cuddle, she would walk around by herself and if she fell over would sit and cry then pick herself up. By the end of the trip she had learnt my name and would say ‘ello jen’, and would come and sit on my lap for a cuddle. I fell in love with the children there.

What could we do we make an impact on Africa?

Pray for them, when I left they asked me to tell my friends and family about them and asked for you to pray for them, and let them know we are thinking of them. I have their address’s and will be sending letters and packages to them, if anybody would like to send anything or write a letter please come and speak to me. I will also be doing some fundraising for them, one of the orphanages wants to build a dining hall, and they both need money to buy food and clothes for the children, so please support me in this.

What difference has it made to you?

It’s hard to explain, it’s definitely changed me, I’m still me but with a bit more added, I feel like there is more depth to me now. I’ll never forget the people I met or the things I have seen and will do all I can to support them.

Would you go back?

Definitely, I’ve already sorted out a list of people to come with me! I’ll be there as soon as I have the money to go!

I’d also like to say thank you again to everybody who helped to support me to go on this trip, THANK YOU!

Jenny

New Strategy adopted

In July, the members of Cotton End Baptist Church adopted a strategy for 2007-2009. Here's a summary of this strategy:


Using the four big themes of The Jouney, the family, the community and the mission, we agreed these principles.

The Journey—We aim to:

Establish activities to connect with people at different stages of their journey.
Encourage everyone to help 3 people, not connected to church, take their next step.

The Community—We aim to:

Encourage more of our people to exercise influence for good in the community
Find ways to play our part in caring for the environment.

The Family—We aim to:

Establish a Pastoral Care Team.
We will encourage all to take part in house groups.
Help each person take One Step Forward in their spiritual journey.

The Mission—We aim to:

Develop a “whole church approach” to Spiritual Development and Discipleship.
Learn how to reach people in more ways, including Servant Evangelism.
Encourage everyone to be engaged in both Ministry and Mission
Build the new Porch at the front of the church building.
Spend proportionally more on Outreach in 2008 than in 2007
Explore employing additional staff.

Organising ourselves

In order to Bear Much Fruit we need to organise ourselves in new ways:

Through effective leadership.

We will organise all our activity within Ministries and Support Ministries for 2007/2008.
We will appoint a “Ministry Leader” to be responsible for each Ministry.
A Deacon or The Minister will be appointed to support each “Ministry Leader”.

Through clear structures and good planning.

Plan all our activities on the three school terms per year. (With regular holidays for all who work for the church.)
Establish written plans for all activities at least 1 term in advance
Combine planning and structure with creativity and dynamism.
Communicate our plans clearly, including renewing our website.

Through excellent communication.

We will clearly communicate what our structures are and who is responsible for what.
We will report summary financial information monthly.
We will coordinate all our communications (notices, magazine, posters, postcards and website).
Each term a Members Meeting will review how we actually performed against Plan, and review plans for the following term.

Making Life Work

The book of Proverbs sets out with a series of simple goals:
for attaining wisdom and discipline;
for understanding words of insight;
for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,
doing what is right and just and fair;
for giving prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young
Prov. 1:1-4

So, wisdom, discipline, understanding, discretion etc. all add up to a wise life. But where d o we begin?

Making Life Work: The Value of Wisdom

Foundations

1. True wisdom is built on the foundation of a relationship with God (1:7; 9:10)
2:6 tells us that The Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding

2. Wisdom is available to all of us. She cries out in the streets

3. Wisdom rescues us

Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, (2:12)

4. Nothing is of greater value than wisdom (8:11) (3:15 also)

Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. (4:7)

Outcomes of wisdom:

• Knowledge and discretion
• Understanding and power
• Riches and honour (but remember wisdom is of more value than gold, silver and rubies)
• Righteousness and justice
• Patience (19:11)
• Solid families
  By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established (24:3)
  More that just talking about bricks and mortar, there is also the sense of building a household, a family. (Ps.127: Unless the Lord builds the house)
• A future
  Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. (24:14)

Proverbs 3:1-8-Learning to trust God

At the heart of this portion of Proverbs are two verses that are beloved of those who encourage us to memorise scripture. They are of course verses 5 and 6.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Love, faithfulness, trusting God, honest self-evaluation (don’t be wise in your own eyes), honouring God, accepting God’s discipline, and of course wisdom are all characteristics of the life of those who want to follow God. You can almost hear Paul telling the Galatians that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. But core to these qualities is our decision to trust God. Without this, how are we going to make right choices? If we do not trust God, how are we going to follow him, how are we going to submit ourselves to his guidance, his discipline and his wisdom rather than ours?

When the author tells us to trust God so implicitly as he does in verses 5-6, it must simply mean that he believes God to be trustworthy. So, here’s a simple question: How do we know that God can be trusted?

Trusting God because

#1 Experience

If you’ve been a follower of Jesus for any length of time, you are almost certainly going to have a story to tell about God’s trustworthiness. Something of your personal experience will remind you that God answers prayers, that he intervenes in situation and that he makes a difference to your life. It may not be your current experience, it may not be your current situation, but somewhere there will be a story.

If you’re struggling at the moment, then search your history for that reminder of God’s trustworthiness.

But it’s not just about your experience, there’s the experience of others too.

So often when we listen to the stories of others, we think, “It will never happen for me.” It may not, but be careful that your self-assessment doesn’t become a denial of their experience.
Perhaps, when the going is tough, it’s helpful too to remember God’s trustworthiness to others.

One last thing about experience. It’s not always in what God does do for us that we see his trustworthiness demonstrated. Sometimes it’s in the things he doesn’t do. Confusing as it can be at the time, that God doesn’t do a thing for us is just as much evidence that he can be trusted than when he does. Why? How? Because, as Proverbs hints, our self-wisdom isn’t always that wise.

#2 His character

Our trust in God is not just about what he does for us or how he answers our prayers, it’s also about what we know of his character.

Here are eight characteristics of God that point us towards his trustworthiness:

• He knows it all

• He is always there

• He is in control

• He can laugh and cry (God does emotions)

• He is always gracious

• He is committed to you

• He always guides

• He never changes

If you want to read more about these, and other characteristics of God, then pick up Bill Hybels book The God you're looking for

#3 By faith

Knowing his character, remembering our history and the history of others, we choose, by faith, to trust him.

This trust is not only about our future, but it’s about our present too.

Learning to trust God now helps us to learn what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.

Where was June

I realise I haven't posted anything since May on this blog. To be honest, I haven't done much blogging through June at all.

I will try to catch up over the summer and post some thoughts and outlines.

Pentecost 2007

Pentecost marks a significant moment in the unfolding story of the Early Church. It marks the start of the fulfilment of the promise made by Jesus that his followers would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

It also marks a significant day in God’s unfold story, not just with respect to the church, but also in the context of his story of history. For the Jews, Pentecost had become a festival of celebration for the giving of the law. That amazing time when Moses went up the mountain to meet with God and God wrote the Ten Commandments on two blocks of stone and gave them to the people.

When we hear the phrase “the law” we think about rules and regulations, but from an OT perspective it’s all about teaching and guidance.

The purpose of the law was be a guide to life under the covenant of grace that God established with his people. As Paul puts it: the law was given to supervise and guide until Christ came (Gal.3).

Now, on the Day of Pentecost, a new teacher, a new guide, is given to the faithful followers of God’s purposes.

But, The “Day” is not the only “Pentecost” in Acts.

Four Times

Four occasions tell stories of the coming of the Holy Spirit in a special way.

The day of Pentecost: Tongues of fire, sound like a strong wind, spilling out on to the streets, speaking other languages.

Acts 8: the story of the Samaritan town. Philip had arrived there because of the scattering of the church after Stephen’s death. He preaches, they respond. The apostles come to visit and realise that something is missing? Why was it so? Perhaps God was working out his purposes is the best answer we can give.

Acts 10: Cornelius. The inclusion of the Gentiles.

Acts 19: Ephesus. Breaking geographical boundaries. Baptism of John is the core issue here.
Four questions

#1 What does this all mean?

Everyone in included.

The one thing that these four examples tell us is that no one falls outside of God’s reach. I everyone can be included in the promise of eternal life, if they choose to be included, then everyone who chooses to be included is also included in God’s promise of the Holy Spirit.
From Jew to Gentile, from resident of the Promised Land to non-resident, from college trained to life trained. We’re all included.

#2 Who is it for?

We've already said it, but it bears repeating: Everyone is included. And that's not all. This is not just about getting you into heaven. It’s also about who you will take with you. Yes, the Holy Spirit will guide you and comfort you, he will be there to pick you up when you fall, but don’t ever think that he’s only there to keep you from going backwards.

He’s there to empower you for both ministry and mission.

There’s a place for you in God’s big plan, a place that only you can fill and God’s Spirit is there to help you fill it.

#3 Why wait?

When you read the story of Cornelius you can’t help but notice God’s impatience. I don’t think he was bored with what Peter had to say, I think he was just bursting to show Cornelius how much he love him.

He just can’t wait, and he asks us a similar question: Why wait?

#4 Did you receive?

How straightforward can you get? No big theological discussion, no deep examination of motives and assessment of things. Just a simple question: Did you receive?

The power of everybody

If everyone is included, then what does that mean for the local church?

We might not like being separated into volunteers and paid-staff. We might prefer to think of ourselves as one team, all called, all gifted, all set apart for ministry and mission.

But the bottom line isn’t what’s your preferred title, it’s what are you doing to be a part of God’s plan to involve everybody?

So, are you playing your part?

God's Big Picture: The Mission

We began by recording on a flipchart what we think about when we hear the word “mission”.

You may have noticed a consistent theme over the last few weeks as we’ve explored together our four big themes of journey, family, community and now today’s theme of mission.

At some point in our exploring we’ve asked ourselves a similar question: What changes? What could we, what should we do differently? We’ve tried to see things differently, we’ve done things a little differently and we’ve tried to think a little differently.

So, when it comes to mission, what’s different?

Important as it is, (in fact crucial would be a better word to describe the overarching importance and significance of evangelism in mission), we know it’s not the complete answer to the question: What is mission?

#1 Influence

One church I came across recently describes its goals in terms of irresistible influence. Perhaps irresistible is not a word we’d want to use, perhaps it’s a little to controlling, dictatorial, for our liking, but we certainly want to be influential.

Think of the way yeast affects bread, or salt affects flavour. Their influence is unmistakable.
Think of the influence light has over darkness and remember that Paul calls us to shine like stars in a dark universe.

Our mission can shape our community. But it’s not easy.

Influencing, or being relevant to our community would be easy if we didn’t want to be biblical. If we didn’t want to honour God, then we could simply imitate the way the world does influence.
But we want to be biblical.

It’s easy to be biblical if we’re not worried about influencing our communities. We can detach from them, separate ourselves through the language we use and rules we employ.

But we want to be influential, we want to be both relevant and biblical.

The answer to becoming biblical and relevant simultaneously is not isolation or imitation, but incarnation. (Rick Warren)

Not just words, but a lived out gospel.

#2 What’s different?

New Attitudes

We see the world differently, we respond to needs and questions differently. Our communities are no longer dark and difficult places where we should not go for fear of contamination, but places where we can and want to bring the salt and light of God’s amazing grace and love to bear.

New Activities

Not only do we want to see things differently, but we’re prepared to do things differently too. We want our mission activity to have influence and we want it to respond to the needs of our communities.

New Associations

Whether through new friendships or new involvements, we want to build effective bridges with the people Jesus misses.

#3 The world deserves a better church

This little phrase may have passed you by last week. It just slipped out as I was talking about the community. This was something of a “God-moment” for me as I said it.

As I thought about our community, as I thought about what it meant to be the DNA of the community, to be influential in shaping it, I suddenly realised that if we wanted the community to change, then we needed to change too.

And I felt for a moment something of God’s heart for the world beyond my safe little world, and I felt his passion for them and I realised that the world deserves a better church.

Conclusion

So my challenge to you and to me is to seek to become more and more effective and influential in our mission.

I’m asking you pray like never before, to seek God’s heart and God’s impact in the lives of the people you love and the people you don’t!

I’m asking you to seek to live your lives in such a way that you inspire those around you to want to seek God’s involvement in their own lives. I’m asking you to choose to live an infectious Christian life.

I’m asking you to become the DNA where you live, where you work, where you learn where you spend any time at all.

I’m asking you to line up with these big themes and allow God to sear them into your heart.

I’m asking you to say, “Here I am Lord, use me.”

I’m asking you to let the love of God so overflow in your life that it spills into and onto everything and everyone with whom you come into contact.

I’m asking you, for the sake of the kingdom and for the sake of the lost and missing, will you do that?