Links to my most recent sermon...see other blog

I received this the day after delivering the 'more of my cup overflows' message of 1st October...see my Sermons blog.... then the item below it (Spurgeon) was received on 6th October. Both came by e-mail. Read them alongside the sermon. Mike

When I read the book of Acts, I see the church as an unstoppable force. Nothing could thwart what God was doing, just as Jesus foretold: “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The church was powerful and spreading like wildfire, not because of clever planning, but by a movement of the Spirit. Riots, torture, poverty, or any other type of persecution couldn’t stop it. Isn’t that the type of church movement we all long to be a part of?
So much of what we see today is anything but unstoppable. It can easily be derailed by the resignation of a pastor or an internal church disagreement or budget cuts. Churches we build only by our own efforts and not in the strength of the Spirit will quickly collapse when we don’t push and prod them along. I spent years asking God to be a part of whatever I was doing. When I read the book of Acts, I see people privileged to play a part in what God was doing.

Recently we held a discussion about how to solve some of the evident problems in our church. One of our pastors spoke up and said, “I think we’re trying too hard.” He went on to share of the supernatural things that had taken place through his prayer life. At that point, we decided to stop talking and thinking. The next hour was spent intensely in prayer. We never got “back to business” that day.

While there is a time to brainstorm and think and act well using the gifts God has given us, far too often we never get to prayer (much less start, end, and allow it to permeate all that we do). Let’s pray that God would build his church, an unstoppable force, empowered and sustained by the Holy Spirit.
Francis Chan

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall
never thirst."
-- John 4:14

He who is a believer in Jesus finds enough in his Lord to satisfy him
now, and to content him for evermore. The believer is not the man whose
days are weary for want of comfort, and whose nights are long from
absence of heart-cheering thought, for he finds in religion such a
spring of joy, such a fountain of consolation, that he is content and
happy. Put him in a dungeon and he will find good company; place him in
a barren wilderness, he will eat the bread of heaven; drive him away
from friendship, he will meet the "friend that sticketh closer than a
brother." Blast all his gourds, and he will find shadow beneath the
Rock of Ages; sap the foundation of his earthly hopes, but his heart
will still be fixed, trusting in the Lord. The heart is as insatiable
as the grave till Jesus enters it, and then it is a cup full to
overflowing. There is such a fulness in Christ that he alone is the
believer's all. The true saint is so completely satisfied with the
all-sufficiency of Jesus that he thirsts no more-except it be for
deeper draughts of the living fountain. In that sweet manner, believer,
shalt thou thirst; it shall not be a thirst of pain, but of loving
desire; thou wilt find it a sweet thing to be panting after a fuller
enjoyment of Jesus' love. One in days of yore said, "I have been
sinking my bucket down into the well full often, but now my thirst
after Jesus has become so insatiable, that I long to put the well
itself to my lips, and drink right on." Is this the feeling of thine
heart now, believer? Dost thou feel that all thy desires are satisfied
in Jesus, and that thou hast no want now, but to know more of him, and
to have closer fellowship with him? Then come continually to the
fountain, and take of the water of life freely. Jesus will never think
you take too much, but will ever welcome you, saying, "Drink, yea,
drink abundantly, O beloved."
Spurgeon

Brokenness

'The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.' PSALM 51:17"
A world that celebrates success doesn't see value in broken things. But God brings beauty out of brokenness. For a plant to rise from the soil the seed must be broken. For a baby chick to experience larger life the shell must be broken. Even a thoroughbred horse must be broken; it must learn to respond to the tug of the rein and the sound of the master's voice.
Getting the idea?
After a humbling encounter with Christ on the Damascus Road, Paul re-evaluates all the religious activity he once boasted about and calls it 'dung' (Philippians 3:8). And you don't brag about dung, you're repulsed by it.
Brokenness is the work of God by which He strips us of self-sufficiency so that the character of Christ may shine through us. Now don't misunderstand; being broken doesn't necessarily mean experiencing some tragedy. Many people suffer tragedy without drawing closer to God or even acknowledging Him. Indeed, the same sunshine that melts the butter hardens the clay. The issue in brokenness is not so much our circumstances, but our response. What is God trying to teach us? True brokenness is when He strips us of self-sufficiency to the extent that we've no strength left to fix ourselves. When God blocks every exit we try to take and we come to see that He alone is our answer, we make a life changing discovery. 'And what's that?' you ask. When God is all you have - God is all you need! Bottom line: God's power is reserved for those who have given up trying to do it in their own strength or to accomplish it for their own ends!
Paul writes: 'Now may...God...sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord' (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NAS).
This word 'sanctify' means to be 'set apart,' to be used exclusively for God's purposes. Paul describes it as 'the high calling of God' (Philippians 3:14). And it happens from the inside out! Notice, our fleshly body comes last in order of transformation for a very simple reason. The problem with a thief isn't his hands, it's in his mind or spirit, which tells him stealing is okay. His mind tells his hands what to do. So if you transform his spirit his hands will follow suit. Otherwise you can handcuff him and take him off to jail, but he's still a thief inside. Too many of us want to get victory over bodily sins without being truly transformed within. But God starts with our spirit because that's the part of our being that makes us conscious of God; that 'connects' with Him. When God sets us free in our spirit, then our emotions and our body begin to fall in line. If you're a parent you know how differently your children respond to discipline. One child will collapse in tears, whereas another will stand up and defy you. God will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to break us of our self-sufficiency so that the life of Jesus can be demonstrated through us. And we determine how long the process takes, by our submission or resistance. Paul prayed, 'Lord, what do You want me to do?' (Acts 9:6 NKJV). Today, make that your prayer!

Sometimes God allows us to hit the bottom in order to discover that He's the rock at the bottom. Gideon faced an army of 135,000 troops with just 32,000 men. And 22,000 of them left the battlefield and went home when he offered them the chance. Do the maths. Gideon's thinking, 'There's no way we can win!' Then God explains: 'The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, 'My own power has delivered me' (Judges 7:2 NAS). There it is again, the age-old battle of ego that we all fight daily. It's why the Lord's Prayer ends with: 'Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen' (Matthew 6:13). Where does our power come from? God! Who should the glory for our accomplishments go to? God! How long does this arrangement last? Forever! God had to break Jacob of self-sufficiency so the 'Israel' within him could come out. Sometimes God has to take you down before He can raise you up. Moses was called the meekest man on earth. But it took forty years of living as a shepherd in the wilderness to detoxify him of pride and get him submitted to God. Only then was he ready to stand before Pharaoh and perform miracles that demonstrated God's power - and vindicated Moses! Brokenness doesn't mean being a wimp, suffering from an inferiority complex or having a case of low self-esteem. No, brokenness means praying, 'Lord, if this job is going to get done, and done right, You're going to have to do it through me. So my trust is in You.'

We don't always know the reason for our trials, but God revealed to Paul the reason for his 'thorn in the flesh.' It was to keep him from being 'exalted' (See 2 Corinthians 12:7). Success can be intoxicating, and intoxicated people aren't known for being too bright or trustworthy! What happens when you get a thorn in your flesh? It hurts. And you'll let everything else go while you focus on removing it. Three times Paul prayed for God to remove the thorn, but God had another plan. You see, God is at His strongest in us when we are at our weakest. When Paul discovered that God's power in his life was tied to the thorn that afflicted him, he responded, 'I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities...For whenever I am weak, then I am strong' (2 Corinthians 12:10 NRS). In other words, 'If it's for my good, bring it on, Lord!' If you've a thorny person in your life from whom you've prayed to be delivered and it hasn't happened, maybe God wants you to experience His grace and power through dealing with that person. But you won't experience this until you move from pain to praise.
The Bible speaks about 'the sacrifice of praise to God' (Hebrews 13:15). A sacrifice means that something has to die on somebody's altar. So if you want to experience God's grace and power in your life, you must be willing to die to self-interest, ego, and independence.
There's nothing wrong with asking God to remove your thorn. But when your prayer for deliverance turns to praise, you're on your way to power, because God is giving you grace.
Word for Today © 2009: This devotional is produced by UCB, free of charge available for the UK and Republic of Ireland at UCB Operations Centre, Westport Road, Burslem, Stoke on Trent, ST6 4JF. .

The Power of Negative Thinking

Roger Johnson writes:

I remember that back in the 1970s, many Christians were reading Norman Vincent Peale’s book “The Power of Positive Thinking”. Vincent Peale claimed to be a Christian but some critics suggested his book was strong on motivational psychology but weak on theology. However, there was a real need in those days to find something positive to say and think about life. There were many books written about spiritual depression and it seemed as though some Christians were struggling to cope.

I don’t think the situation has changed much since then and it may even have got worse as we square up to the realities of life with global warming, the credit crunch and many other depressing issues in the world. But do we realise what a powerful and crippling force is contained within our minds when we are beset by negative thinking?

It is not only Christians who suffer from negative thinking. A whole church fellowship can adopt a negative disposition, especially when numbers are declining to the extent that the fellowship is no longer viable. But is the remedy simply to adopt a new positive mindset or is that too simplistic an approach?

The New Testament has much to say about positive thinking. Jesus made some incredible claims in Mark 11:23,24 when he said

"Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

We may not have too much experience of mountains cast into the sea and therefore may conclude that Jesus was speaking metaphorically. But the notion that the answer to prayer is there for the taking as long as negative thoughts don’t creep in is quite stunning. It does help, however to read the next few verses because Jesus goes on to talk about the need for forgiveness. Undoubtedly, a spirit of un-forgiveness, resentment or bitterness can cripple our souls and lead us to negative thinking.

St. Paul takes up the same theme in his letter to the Philippians. “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil 4:8). He then goes on to conclude that “I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13)

I believe we need to sit down quietly from time to time and analyse whether our thinking has become negative and, if so, why that is. Let’s look at the challenges which are ahead of us and ask ourselves whether we fear them or relish them – can we see the mountains standing in the way or do we see opportunities waiting to be grasped?

'my cup overflows' .....further thoughts

John Wesley in his Thoughts upon Methodism (1786): "I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist. However, I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of a religion without the power. That will undoubtedly be the case unless they holdfast to the doctrine, spirit and discipline with which they first set out."

We might have the 'doctrine', but what happened to the 'spirit' and 'discipline'?
I talked on Sunday about 'my cup overflows', Ps 23, and that we need to allow God to unblock the wells and release the flow of His Spirit once again in our lives, Church and society. This begins with allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal to us specific sins so that we may repent of them. (see link on right to my sermons)

These are the questions that you would be asked if you were in one of John Wesley’s Band groups:
What known sins have you committed since our last meeting?
What temptations have you met with?
How were you delivered?
What have you thought, said, or done, of which you doubt whether it be sin or not?
Have you nothing you desire to keep secret?
(Reference: John Wesley’s Class Meetings: a Model for Making Disciples, by D. Michael Henderson, Evangel Publishing House, 1997, pp. 118-9)

also:

John Wesley’s “Questions for Self Examination”
1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression
that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a
hypocrite?
2. Do I confidentially pass on to others what has been said to
me in confidence?
3. Can I be trusted?
4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habits?
5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
6. Did the Bible live in me today?
7. Do I give the Bible time to speak to me every day?
8. Am I enjoying prayer?
9. When did I last speak to someone else of my faith?
[ conversation starter questions ]
10. Do I pray about the money I spend?
11. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
12. Do I disobey God in anything?
13. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience
is uneasy?
14. Am I defeated in any part of my life?
15. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
16. How do I spend my spare time?
17. Am I proud?
18. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as
the Pharisees who despised the publican?
19. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a
resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about
it?
20. Do I grumble or complain constantly?
21. Is Christ real to me?

be sure your sins will find you out’

Roger Johnson writes:
We went last night to see J. B. Priestley’s excellent play, ‘An Inspector Calls’ at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham. For those who haven’t seen this, the play revolves around the shameful acts of a family being exposed by a bogus police inspector. Bit by bit the sordid tale of their seedy private lives is revealed leaving the family in a state of shock and shame. There is, of course, a nasty sting in the story’s tail as well as a sober warning to us all. I bumped into some old friends after the performance and wistfully mused, ‘be sure your sins will find you out’.

Afterwards I couldn’t help but think of the present turmoil in the House of Commons as some MPs are facing a similar agony over the way they have handled, or mis-handled, their expense claims. Today we will be casting our votes and no doubt many will be voting in reaction to what the Daily Telegraph has been exposing over the last few weeks. I have heard some MPs suggesting that what they do in their private lives has no relevance to their work as an MP. It seems now that we can all revert to pantomime mode and say emphatically, ‘OH YES IT DOES!’

But, is it true? Do our sins always ‘find us out’? The psalmist starts off by thinking not in Psalm 73:1-14. He (or she) was bemoaning the fact that he (or she) had lived a righteous life in vain. In contrast, when we read 1 Samuel 12:1-15 we find a man of some stature, King David, exposed by the prophet Nathan with regard to his adulterous affair with Bathsheba. Indeed David did suffer the consequence of his sin but had it not been for an Old Testament equivalent of the Daily Telegraph (Nathan), he may well have got away with it.

I suppose the current MPs expenses scandal raises serious questions about whether the Daily Telegraph has done us a service or disservice, bearing in mind the damage done to the country’s political reputation, but that’s for the historians to reflect upon. My hope and prayer is that those MPs who have embarked upon a political career for the right reasons will recover from this mess and that our democracy will be purified and strengthened as a result.

By this time tomorrow morning the news will tell us what effect this sorry mess has had upon our political life. We could end up with MEPs who are completely unrepresentative of the mainstream views of the British people, simply because they have filled the moral vacuum left by the traditional parties.

So let’s leave the last, and sobering word to the psalmist – “For lo, those who are far from thee shall perish; thou dost put an end to those who are false to thee” (Psalm 73:27). I wonder how much the psalmist was adding his (or her) own emotional veneer to these words.

Our Common(s) Lot

Thanks to Nigel Hopper of LICC for this well thought out view of the matter of MPs' expenses:

'I think it is a dreadful example of the House of Commons as a whole - which as a whole is responsible for the mess we are in - trying to scapegoat one man who was trying to represent what he thought were their views on what should be done.'

Frank Dobson certainly isn't alone in detecting a whiff of hypocrisy in this week's tumultuous and historic events at Westminster, which saw Michael Martin become the first Speaker of the House of Commons in more than 300 years to be effectively forced out of office.

There is, however, another scapegoat in the current crisis over MPs' expenses, one on which everyone seems eager to lay their hands: the system. The applause that greeted Speaker Martin's later (and longer) statement to the Commons last Tuesday, in which he outlined interim changes to the parliamentary expenses claims system, is indicative of the honourable members' conviction that the system needs to change.

There is now cross-party agreement that MPs should no longer be able to claim for, among other things: mortgages that don't exist, homes they do not live in, and houses in which their ducks do.

This is tragic.
It is tragic because such things shouldn't have to be spelt out. The system, designed to ensure MPs aren't left out of pocket for legitimate expenses incurred in the course of their work, isn't the problem. The creation of such a system is good, very good. The problem is the selfishness and greed of those who abuse the system in order to fill their pockets. Justifying their actions with reference to the letter of the law, they wilfully disregard the spirit of the law.

In other words, the real problem here is what the Bible calls sin.

To cast the present scandal in terms of the words of Jesus, it is from within, out of the heart, that greedy expenses claims come (Mark 7:20-23). Making a scapegoat of the system may be to join the Pharisees in cleaning 'the outside of the cup and dish', but inside remaining 'full of greed and self-indulgence' (Matthew 23:25). The system, like the Daily Telegraph, can expose sin, but it can't do anything about it. Only Christ can do that. Ultimately, there is no solution to the scandal of MPs' expenses apart from the scandal of the cross.

Not that we should sit in judgement. The current crisis begs the question of our own integrity. Be it in regard to our own work expenses, or anything else, we must all contend with the truth that our actions betray our allegiance. As we do so, we might find we have more in common with the Commons than we thought.

Learning from Football

Without wishing to turn off all those who detest football, I have to say that I think the church can learn a great deal from the way a successful football team operates. It is fascinating to watch the post-match analysis and to see how the losing team’s defense has been torn to shreds by a well organized, well disciplined, attacking team. Defenders are left stranded in no-man’s land as attackers run into yawning gaps in the penalty area and pounce on the ball, slotting it home with precision accuracy.

Well it’s not just football teams that operate like this. Any athlete has to be focused, disciplined and in top shape if they are going to compete with their rivals. But with a team game like football, the secret is that every player knows what job they are there to do, they have trained tirelessly to perfect their particular skill and are totally focused upon the game plan for the match.

It is just as St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12 where he likens the church to a body. Each member of the body has specific gifts and each member relies on the others. The eye and the ear have different functions, as do the hand and the foot and the body simply won’t operate as a body if that were not so. The likes of Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez could not achieve their high goal-scoring records if they didn’t receive good support from their midfielders. No team would win matches if their defense was consistently weak.

Knowing your strengths
So, what does this say to the church? Again, with reference to St. Paul’s teaching, everyone in the church needs to know their strengths. They need to know what part God has called them to play in the work of the kingdom. Too often Christians look with envy at other high-profile colleagues and say, “if only I could be like them”. Take time with God and close friends to discover your own special calling.

Relying on others
We also need to learn how to rely on one another more. Too many Christian leaders suffer from stress because they take too much onto their own shoulders instead of allowing others to share that load. There are many willing volunteers in our churches who, if asked to take on a small role, would gladly agree – and probably do it far better than expected.

Having a Game Plan
Every church needs to review its mission in this rapidly changing society in which we live. If the church simply turns up on a Sunday to do the same things as it did 50 years ago, it soon loses touch with the community around it. We need to regularly look afresh at the needs of our communities, investigate mission opportunities, and to re-evaluate our strengths in terms of the people who are part of the church. I notice that a number of Fresh Expressions of Church, both in this district and further a field, have re-invented themselves. They have learnt lessons from the early years, adapted to the changing situation as new people have joined and redefined their goals accordingly. If a church remains static, it can vegetate.

Training
Just like the top footballers, every Christian plays a specific role and needs to work hard to hone their particular skills. God has not assigned each one of us gifts on a random basis. But we will only operate at peak efficiency if we practice our skills and make the most of who we are. Ambition can be unhealthy if it is pursued at the cost of those around us. But if we are ambitious to fulfill God’s calling, then everyone profits.

So, where is your church in all of this? Are you languishing in the lower leagues, turning up on a Sunday just to play the game? Or are you always seeking to make the most of the opportunities around you and re-shaping your mission in order to meet the challenges before you?

Roger Johnson
District Evangelism Enabler
Nottingham & Derby District of the Methodist Church

I decided to do a 60 mile walk in 30 hours to raise money for Christian Aid! Click DONATE for more info... then sponsor us, please!

How I Caused the Credit Crunch

It was me. That's what a bright, young, Eton- and Oxford-educated former banker called Tetsuya Ishikawa, who spent seven years at the forefront of the credit markets, admits about himself. During a banking career within some of the world's major banks, he structured and sold subprime securities to global investors. Now he confesses all in the form of a novel that is taking the bestseller lists by storm.

The title of his book, How I Caused the Credit Crunch, is as intriguing as its contents. Too often during the current financial crisis the emphasis has been on technical problems of risk management, and on what technical fixes now need to be imposed. Ishikawa's book provides, in contrast, a vivid reminder that financial markets are not the workings of cold mechanical forces, but of warm flesh and blood. Reflecting human choices, they have innate moral dimensions.

What is true of financial markets holds true for the rest of the economy. The attempt to understand and to operate in markets through the suspension of moral judgement forces economics and business into a moral vacuum that eventually suffocates them. Because they are essentially about relationships, markets require sound morals to survive. The credit crunch is as much a wake up call to the destructiveness that can occur when morals go wrong as 9/11 was to the destructiveness that can occur when religion goes wrong.

But attempts to use bad morals as an excuse to eliminate moral responsibility from markets - whether through the imposition of secular worldviews or of mechanical fixes - will be as misguided and counterproductive as the attempt to use examples of bad religion as an excuse to banish religion from public. For most people in the world, religion is the magnetic field in which they set their moral compass. It is the context in which they perceive and pursue visions of the common good, stimulated by the sense of personal moral responsibility that religion tends to engender.

This is what inspired Mel Gibson to ask the camera crew of his blockbuster The Passion to film his hand as that of the centurion holding the nails that were driven through Jesus' wrists. Gibson's act reflects a mindset Ishikawa's book can help stimulate. For while his spotlight is on bankers, Ishikawa insists that 'we are all responsible in our small way' and that 'the arrogance of the [banking] industry has gone out. There is a greater sense of humility'. Were we all to embrace such humility, the green shoots of recovery would be sooner to appear.

Peter Heslam (LICC)

It was Good

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

Genesis 1:31

Good.
There can be no mistaking how God evaluates his creation. The affirmation comes six times - to make sure we don't miss it. The repetition makes it clear that each part is good, climaxing a seventh time with the statement that the sum of the parts is 'very good'. God doesn't just create the world; he creates the world good - very good.

That the word is applied to stars and seas and trees and turtles suggests that something more than moral good is in mind. Think good in the sense that Genesis 1 itself implies: a well-ordered, beneficial, fitting, beautiful, teeming-with-life, everything-in-its-place goodness - from the intricate parts to the immense parts - all of it good.

Nor is the goodness of creation to be limited to 'nature'. Human society and culture are also embraced, with the goodness of work and marriage affirmed as spheres in which we may serve God - the architect at her desk, the baker in his kitchen, the mother in her home, the teacher in his class, the husband and wife in their bed. All of it good.

Alas, things don't stay good. But the evil that comes later is not an inevitable or necessary part of the fabric of the world, or of human beings, and the Bible anticipates a time when evil will be removed. Meanwhile, we have a strong clue that salvation is not about being released from an evil body for a non-material existence. We may expect that the salvation Christ brings is not from the world but a salvation for which the world was made in the first place. A new creation no less.

For Christians, it is a reminder on the first page of the Bible that our faith is world-affirming, that we may delight in the goodness of God's created order. And it should come as no surprise when God wants to show up in areas of our lives from which he has sometimes been excluded - our careers, our friendships, our studies - since it has all been designed with our well-being in mind, as a place of blessing for us.

Much more than a claim about the process by which life came into being, a biblical perspective on creation involves a response of praise to the God on whom the whole of life depends, and who is the source of all things good.

Antony Billington(LICC)

Death and the Language of Life

Unusually for stiff-upper-lipped, euphemistic Britain, lately our nation has been ringing with discussions of death. From our coffee shops right up to the corridors of power, the normally unspeakable is being spoken of. And how could it not be when everywhere you turn, it seems, there are headlines or photographs diligently documenting the latest stage of Jade Goody’s tragic terminal decline? As she herself acknowledges: ‘I’ve lived in front of the cameras. And maybe I’ll die in front of them. And I know some people don’t like what I’m doing but at this point I don’t really care… it’s about what I want.’ Love her or loath her, you have to admire the candid way she has unmasked a cultural taboo, stared it straight in the eye and forced us to do the same.

The media’s reporting of Jade’s plight has been increasingly permeated with religious language – double-page spreads containing references to Jesus, angels, heaven, new stars in the night sky, and the like. At first glance this may look like the best advert Christianity’s had in years; but it’s also an indication of the extent to which biblical theology has been usurped by a kind of ‘folk theology’ in our culture. Such language is, of course, the vocabulary of people’s best intentions; but all too often it’s a wholly inaccurate translation of Christian belief. And unless we can sensitively articulate a corrective when the opportunity arises, misinformation and misunderstanding will perpetuate.

Being disciples of Christ and his gospel, we have a mandate to probe through the haze of sentimental ‘folk-theology’ as we respond to the questions it provokes from our children, our colleagues and our friends. If we are too quick to welcome the naming of God in the public arena without due consideration to the context, we can become complicit in his domestication as an impotent spectator to the human predicament – a far cry from the suffering servant and risen Lord and King revealed in Scripture.

We must be prepared to unpack the glorious good news about Jesus with tact and integrity, lest the News of the World be taken as the gospel truth. When it comes to expressing our Christian faith, we rightly speak of the need to ‘walk the talk’, but sometimes it’s important to ‘talk the talk’. It is therefore imperative that we know who and what we’re talking about, in order that our language reveal truth and not conceal it.

Naomi Skinner (LICC)

modern proverbs

“When your outgo exceeds your income, the upshot may be your downfall.” - American broadcasting legend Paul Harvey, who died at an Arizona hospital on Feb. 28, 2009

“Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.” - Coretta Scott King

“Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere.” - English proverb

Paul: Of Mice and Men

Since I have been longing for many years to see you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while passing through, and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. Romans 15:23-24

The best laid plans o’ Mice and Men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy
wrote Robert Burns. And most of us – although we might not know the exact meaning of the Scots word agley – know what he meant. In spite of believing in God’s providence and guidance, our best-laid plans frequently go agley. We might assume that Paul – that great man of God – had no such problems. But we’d be wrong.

The churches in Macedonia and Achaia had made generous gifts, which Paul was taking for the relief of the believers in Jerusalem. But thinking ahead to his next journey, he confidently planned to go to Rome and then on to Spain. Even as he travelled towards Jerusalem, however, the omens were not good. In every city, he told the Ephesians, the Spirit warned him of imprisonment and hardship (Eph.20:23), and prophetic voices reinforced these warnings. So it was hardly a surprise when, on reaching Jerusalem, he was arrested, and handed over into the custody of the Romans.

What, then, of his plans - plans, no doubt, made in faith and with prayer?

Paul did reach Rome – though not in the way he expected. As far as we know, he never got to Spain. But towards the end of his life he was able to claim that he had ‘finished the course’ (2 Tim.4:7).

How liberating it is to know that we can amply fulfil our calling even when things turn out differently from our hopes and expectations. Disappointment, failure, tragedy – everything from revolution to a broken ankle – may make our plans go agley, and sometimes change the whole course of our lives. But the Lord, who can see so far beyond our horizons, is constantly at work to achieve his purposes in other ways and through other people.

And even in redundancy and disability…(and I would add 'retirement'...Mike)no Christian is redundant in God’s economy, and no Christian is disabled from blessing others.

Helen Parry (LICC)

A timely word

(The Message)

But God's not finished. He's waiting around to be gracious to you.
He's gathering strength to show mercy to you.
God takes the time to do everything right—everything.
Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
Oh yes, people of Zion, citizens of Jerusalem, your time of tears is over. Cry for help and you'll find it's grace and more grace. The moment he hears, he'll answer. Just as the Master kept you alive during the hard times, he'll keep your teacher alive and present among you. Your teacher will be right there, local and on the job, urging you on whenever you wander left or right: "This is the right road. Walk down this road." You'll scrap your expensive and fashionable god-images. You'll throw them in the trash as so much garbage, saying, "Good riddance!"
God will provide rain for the seeds you sow. The grain that grows will be abundant. Isaiah 30: 18-23a (from 'The Message')

Honouring inheritance

Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12

Margaret Killingray (LICC) writes:

All the new discoveries in DNA and genetic inheritance* have given me some sense of the continuities from parents and grandparents right back to human origins, of genetic parameters within which we function as human beings. But our wider cultural and social inheritance comes from our wider social upbringing, and our parents whether linked to us genetically or not.

These thoughts have brought a new focus to the final clause of this command. The call to respect and esteem our parents is linked to long life, to land and place and therefore, by extension, to the inheritance of cultural and social patterns of behaviour and the handing down of these to children and children’s children. When the majority of sons and daughters in any society take the command seriously, then they are contributing to stable social structures that encourage human flourishing. Healthy relationships between the generations are a crucial source of stability, especially in a time of accelerating change.

My father and mother are long dead; the obligations have been discharged. Apart from still having a momentary flash on Mothering Sunday that I have forgotten to send her a card, I am at peace about them. I am grateful for a warm and easy-going pattern of upbringing, for security and affirmation, for support and for their letting go. It is only now that I have become fully conscious of that gratitude, realising that I have to some extent honoured them by incorporating what I learnt from them into my own patterns of parenting.

The word used is honour, not obey. Honouring doesn’t carry overtones of blind obedience. Honouring our inheritance involves assessing and reconsidering the patterns of living we have inherited before we pass them on. Sometimes it involves repudiating, and, indeed, seeking to redeem, destructive patterns of parenting and socialisation. We may honour our parents and yet act in different ways. We inherit a mixed bag – genes we can’t change (yet) – but we can seek the Spirit’s power to understand and transform, and, in the process, honour all that has been handed down to us.

contentment

On the theme of contentment....see my latest Sermon (link on the right)

An American consultant was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."
The American then asked, "Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?
The Mexican said, "Well, I catch enough to feed my family."
The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, senor."
The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard graduate and Icould help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?"
To which the American replied, "15-20 years."
"But what then, senor?"
The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."
"Millions, senor? Then what?"
The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

CEO Obama - Good to Great?

In 2001, Jim Collins wrote Good to Great, arguably the most influential business book of the decade, pored over in the offices of NGOs and charities, as well as in the gleaming HQs of multinationals. Collins analysed what turns good organisations into great organisations. One of his key findings was that the character of the CEO was vital. Two qualities distinguished the great leaders from the good, the bad and the mediocre. It wasn't their ability to cast a vision or their personal charisma or their soaring communication skills - all of which Obama has in brimming measure.

No, the two key characteristics of the truly greatest leaders were humility and iron focus. Humility - because the humble leader puts the needs of the organisation before personal preferences, ego needs or whims. Iron focus, because great leaders always retain crystal clarity about their long-term goal. The resonances with the character of the one who came to serve and give his life as a ransom for many are hardly surprising.

On Tuesday, Barack Obama made it abundantly clear what his goal is: to pass on the torch of the historic American understanding of freedom to the next generation, not as a spluttering wick but as a blazing beacon. It is this focus that has led to swift decisions about Guantanamo Bay, about torture and about transparency of government spending. It is this focus that has led him to reach out to Muslims and to choose his cabinet on merit rather than party affiliation.

But Barack Obama also seems to be a humble man. And that means he can have people around him who don't agree with him about everything. Obama chose Rick Warren to lead the Inauguration Prayers, effectively making him Billy Graham's successor as chaplain to the nation, but Rick Warren is against abortion and gay marriage - key issues for Democrats. Similarly, Obama's humility enables him to understand the way that America's reputation has been tarnished and to eschew the jingoistic, missile-rattling flexing of military might and offer an open hand to anyone who will uncurl their fist.

Humility and focus. Does Obama have anything to teach us in the pursuit and living out of our God-given gospel mission? You betcha. Will he prove to be a great President? Who knows? But he's made a great start. And he even knows how to party.

Mark Greene(LICC)

Name-calling

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Exodus 20:7 (NRSV)
Margaret Killingray (LICC) writes:
When I taught in East Africa in the 1960s I discovered that names meant a lot. Looking down the register, I could tell who were Gujarati speakers, who were local east coast Swahili speaking Muslims, or who were Catholic or Protestant. Sometimes you could spot when they were born, like the elderly man we knew whose middle name was Verdun. In the UK names have ceased to mean so much.

God's revelation of his name involves a revelation of his character and his heart. It is possible for us to know him - this one God, in Trinity, because he has told us who he is and what he is like. In revealing himself he has made himself vulnerable - vulnerable to misinterpretation, to blasphemy, to careless expletive, to endless representation in the art and literature of the world, to speculation and reinvention and to wayward imaginative reconstruction.

'Don't swear,' was the simple Sunday school version of this commandment, but it is not just about casual blasphemy by non-believers. It's the people of the covenant who are being addressed from Mount Sinai, who might misuse his name, distort the truth about him, and trivialise him: by corrupt or trivial worship; by judicial courtroom oaths before perjury; by the commercialisation of religious ideas and symbols; by using his name to pressurise the faithful to give money; by easy adaptation of God's truth to please more liberal ears.

We carry the name of the Lord; he makes us his children and we are called 'Christians'. If people know we are Christians and we deny his character in our lives, ignore him Monday to Friday, and trivialise both sin and its forgiveness, for example, then we misuse his name.

We need to take this commandment seriously and ask whether our lives, our evangelism, our communal worship, or simply our silent denial among irreligious colleagues, involves the misuse of his name. But if we are seeking to love him, with heart, mind and strength, he is always ready to forgive the stumbling lapses of our inadequate understanding of the name that is above all names.

labelling

Ron Willoughby suggests we have a break from 'labelling'.

I have a confession to make. I'm not normally inclined to confess to an audience I can't see, but confess I must. I'm a labeller. (My computer says it should have two l's, I think one would suffice.) No matter how you spell it, that's what I am. Well, actually, now that I think about it, that's not who I am, it's what I do. I label people. Maybe you know some labellers yourself.

Labellers live and operate as if everyone fits into nice, neat, definable, knowable categories. By assigning someone a label or labels it gives the assigner a sense of security, knowing, maybe even of power. We have Ian or George or Sybil all figured out once we can give them a label or two. 'Well that's George. He's a southerner after all.' 'Ian's an evangelical, would you expect any less from him?' 'Of course Sybil's a good student, she's Asian.' Then we all nod knowingly, as if that word, or those words, captures the essence or explains the behaviour of George or Ian or Sybil.

I remember when I pastored in the United States, people would come to see me and they'd begin their conversation with: 'Well Ron, my problem is that I'm your basic OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) . . .' or 'I think I might be a manic . . .' or 'I've had ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) my whole life.'

It used to blow my mind how we sum ourselves and others up. Who taught us to talk like that? And when did we become convinced that we could adequately synopsize the totality of our or another's existence by a label or two or ten?

It happened to me a few months ago. (Now don't tell anyone this, it's kind of embarrassing.) A buddy of mine from the States was over for a visit. We were chatting about whom I worked with and that sort of thing, when I get to telling him about this fellow I work with that I respect a good bit. I said something like 'Yeah, he's an Irish Evangelical Missiologist . . .' (I told you it was embarrassing.) I just paused and we both laughed. When did I start talking like that? When did I start talking about other people like they were brands of cereal or appliances or something other than living, breathing, complex, mysterious, human beings?

What I should have said about my colleague was something like: 'Yeah, he's originally from Ireland. Been through some stuff in his life. He came to Christ as a teenager, so he hasn't forgotten what it was like to be lost. He loves Jesus. He's an intelligent man who will challenge your worldview.' That's what I should have said.

Notice the difference? The former lacks a certain humility, don't you think? And I remember reading in the Bible somewhere that humility is a pretty good idea. Come to think of it, Jesus said something about those of us who follow Him should serve one another. Labelling and stereotyping doesn't strike me as terribly servant-like.

So, here's my proposal. I propose we go one week without labelling others. I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but I think we can do it. Just one week. We'll put words like conservative, liberal, traditional, modern, post-modern, charismatic, etc. all in our vocabularic closet. (I know vocabularic isn't really a word, but I'm a tutor so it's ok.) What do you think? Then we'll be free to get to know people and we won't have to pretend that we have them all sorted. And maybe, just maybe, along the way we'll discover that following Christ is easier without the use of labels.

It's just a thought.

Ron Willoughby - Tutor of Contemporary Christian Studies CLIFF COLLEGE

Paul: sweat-rags and miracles

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul. Handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. Acts 19:11-12

What are we to make of these verses? Are they true? Or is Luke describing the superstitions of a gullible people? And don't we immediately catch a whiff of the medieval faith in the relics of the martyrs?

This, Luke tells us, happened during the period when Paul was teaching daily for two years in Ephesus. Clearly the Holy Spirit was at work, drawing people from near and far to hear the word of the Lord, and imbuing that word with power.

And thus, it appears, the Spirit's power overflowed in extraordinary ways. The Spirit, we know, 'blows wherever he wills'. And at certain times, in Scripture (as in Luke 5:17) and history, he breaks out in remarkable ways.

Although the apostles didn't write much about it, it seems that manifestations of the Spirit in works of power were taken for granted in the early church. Indeed Luke's very use of the word 'extraordinary' implies that the church was familiar with 'ordinary' miracles.

I once heard a challenging sermon series entitled 'the naturally supernatural life': I prefer the phrase 'the supernaturally natural life'. The natural life - the life that we live here, on this earth, day by day, in our human relationships and duties. But supernatural in the sense that beyond the everyday - the world of politics, of commuting, of conceiving babies, of climbing mountains, of hiring and firing staff - is the power of a Holy Spirit whom we cannot predict or control. People are healed, people are set free and the good news is preached to the poor.

We mustn't allow our rationality to submerge our expectancy. In the US best-seller The Shack, the protagonist, Mack, reflects on his seminary education: 'It seemed that direct communication with God was something exclusively for the ancients and the uncivilized, while educated Westerners' access to God was mediated and controlled by the intelligentsia'. The more we expect, hope for and pray for, the more we are, in a sense, giving the Lord permission to work in the everyday in ways that we cannot understand.

To our faith and hope let us add expectancy, and ask the Lord to surprise us in 2009.

Helen Parry (LICC)

This year; persevere

Thanks to Word for Today* for this superb series on PERSEVERANCE, launching us into 2009:

"We will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9 NIV

1) Perseverance means succeeding because you're determined to, not because you're entitled to. Achievers don't sit back and wait for success because they think the world 'owes them.' No, if you're wise you'll ask God for direction, stand firm on the word He has given you, go forward and refuse to quit. You must adopt the attitude of the man who said, 'We are determined to win. We'll fight them until hell freezes over, and if we have to, we'll fight them on ice.' Recalling the trials he'd faced, Paul said: '"I started, and I'm going to finish. I've worked much harder, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at death's door...And that's not the half of it"' (2 Corinthians 11:23-28 TM). One word describes Paul; relentless.
2) Perseverance means recognizing that life is not one long race, but many short ones in succession. Each task has its own challenges and each day its own events. You have to get out of bed the next morning and run again, but it's never exactly the same race. To be successful you must keep plugging away. It's said that Columbus faced incredible difficulties while sailing west in search of a passage to Asia. He encountered storms, experienced hunger, deprivation and extreme discouragement. The crews of his three ships were near mutiny. But his account of the journey says the same thing over and over: "Today, we sailed on." And his perseverance paid off. He didn't discover a fast route to the spice-rich Indies; instead he found new continents. The scriptural key to success is running the race each day (Hebrews 12:1-2).
3) Perseverance is needed to win the prize . It's said that Walt Disney's request for a loan was rejected by 301 banks before he finally got "yes." But because he refused to quit, he built the world's most famous theme park. At a sales convention the manager said to 2000 of his firm's sales force, 'Did the Wright brothers ever quit?' 'No!' they responded. 'Did Charles Lindburg ever quit?' 'No!' they shouted. 'Did Lance Armstrong ever quit?' 'No!' they bellowed. 'Did Thorndike McKester ever quit?' There was a long, confused silence. Then a salesperson shouted, 'Who in the world is Thorndike McKester? Nobody's ever heard of him.' The sales manager snapped back, 'Of course you haven't; that's because he quit!' Quitters never win, and winners never quit.
4) Perseverance turns adversity into advancement. Paul writes, 'Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel' (Philippians 1:12 NIV). Paul didn't give up; he rose up! How did he do it? He found the benefit to him personally that comes from every trial. One Christian author writes: 'Today we're obsessed with speed, but God is more interested in strength and stability. We want the quick fix, the shortcut, the on-the-spot solution. We want a sermon, a seminar or an experience that will instantly resolve all problems, remove all temptation and release us from all growing pains. But real maturity is never the result of a single experience, no matter how powerful or moving.' Growth is gradual. The Bible says, 'Our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters...and we become like him' (2 Corinthians 3:18 TM).
5) Perseverance means stopping not because you're tired, but because the task is done. Diplomat Robert Strauss quipped, 'Success is like wrestling a 1000-pound gorilla. You don't quit when you are tired; you quit when the gorilla is tired.' When you're fresh, excited and energetic you work at a task with vigour. Only when you become weary do you need perseverance. The Apostle Paul recognised this: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Fatigue and discouragement are not reasons to quit, they're reasons to draw closer to God, rely on our character and keep going. We underestimate what it takes to succeed. When we haven't counted the cost we approach challenges with mere interest; what's required is total commitment!
6) Perseverance doesn't demand more than we have, but all that we have. Author Frank Tyger observed, "In every triumph, there is a lot of try." But perseverance means more than just trying or working hard. Perseverance is an investment. It's a willingness to bind yourself emotionally, intellectually, physically and spiritually to an idea, purpose or task until it has been completed. Perseverance demands a lot, but here's the good news: everything you give is an investment in yourself. Each time you do the right thing - seek God, work hard, treat others with respect, learn and grow - you invest in yourself. To do these things every day takes perseverance, but if you do them your success is guaranteed. As author Judy Wardell Halliday said, "Dreams only become reality, when we keep our commitments to them."

ENEMIES OF PERSEVERENCE

Perseverance is a trait that can be cultivated, and the initial step to cultivating it is to eliminate five of its greatest enemies. These are:

1) A lifestyle of giving up. A little boy was promised an ice cream cone if he was good while accompanying his grandfather on some errands. The longer they were gone the more difficult the boy was finding it to be good. 'How much longer will it be?' he asked. 'Not too long,' replied the grandfather, 'we've just got one more stop.' 'I don't know if I can make it, Grandpa,' the little boy said. 'I can be good. I just can't be good enough long enough.' As children we can get away with that, but not as mature people, and certainly not if we expect to succeed in what God's called us to do.

2) A wrong belief that life should be easy. Paul told Timothy he must 'endure hardness, as a good soldier' (2 Timothy 2:3). Having the right expectations is half the battle. Clinical psychologist John C Norcross found the great characteristic that distinguishes those who reach their goals from those who don't; expectation! Both types of people experience the same amount of failure during the first month they strive for their goals. Members of the successful group don't expect to succeed right away; they view their failures as a reason to re-commit and re-focus on their goals with more determination. Norcross says, 'Those who were unsuccessful say a relapse is evidence they can't do it. They are the ones who have a wrong belief that life should be easy.' Bottom line: 'We count them blessed who endure' (James 5:11 NKJV).

3) Lack of resiliency. Harvard professor George Vaillant identifies resiliency as a significant characteristic of people who navigate the different seasons of life from birth to old age. In his book Aging Well he writes, 'Resilient people are like a twig with a fresh, green, living core. When twisted out of shape the twig bends but it doesn't break; instead it springs back and continues growing.' That's an excellent description of perseverance. We must not become dry, brittle and inflexible. We must draw on God's grace and endeavour to bounce back no matter how we feel.

4) Lack of vision. Everything that's created is actually created twice. First it's created mentally, then it's created physically. And where does our creativity come from? God, our Creator, who made us in His likeness (Genesis 1:27). A God-given vision will keep you moving forward when nothing else will. The lack of one will stop you dead in your tracks.

5) Lack of purpose. Rich Demoss remarked, 'Persistence is stubbornness with a purpose.' It's very difficult to develop persistence when you lack a sense of purpose. Conversely, when you have a passionate sense of purpose, energy rises, obstacles become incidental and perseverance wins out. World champion boxer Mohammad Ali said, 'Champions aren't made in the gyms, they are made from something they have deep inside them; a desire, a dream, a vision. They have last-minute stamina. They have to be a little faster, and they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.'

This year; persevere

FROM Word For Today New Year 2009
The daily devotional Word For Today is available free of charge for the UK and Republic of Ireland from UCB, Broadcast Centre, Hanchurch Lane, Stoke on Trent, ST4 8RY. Tel: 01782 642000. Email: ucb@ucb.co.uk www.ucb.co.uk