On the Borderline

Living in Lowton, a community of three townships extending out from Leigh in the direction of Newton-le-Willows, I am discovering that I'm on the borderline between several 
different authorities. My post town is Warrington, but my local authority is Wigan Borough. Talking to local Church of England 
clergy, I found that not only am I in a different parish from people living in Leigh,
 I am actually “under” a different bishop! (Lowton comes under the Diocese of Liverpool, apparently.)

It seems strange to be on the edge of so many demarcation lines. However, it is a picture of where we are as Christians. We are inhabitants of this earth and have to abide by the laws of the country we happen to live in. Yet at the same time we are citizens of heaven. Once a person comes to Christ, he or she has dual citizenship.

The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5 to 7 looks almost impossible to live up to. Yet Jesus is saying that is how to live life wherever the rules of the Kingdom of Heaven apply. It will come naturally when we are with God in the Kingdom, but right now there is tension. That’s because we are in this world but not of this world.

Many churchgoers are confused because they think that once popular attitudes to moral questions change, they should change their way of thinking too. This isn’t true. As the moral climate gets worse, Bible-believing Christians may find they are more and more in conflict with the way their neighbours think. But God in Jesus has already foreseen that and made provision for it. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world” (John 15: 18-19).

This is a great comfort. If you belong to Jesus Christ as a believer, you are chosen. No wind of change can take from you the right to live and believe as a citizen of heaven.

Holy lively

While preparing for Holy Spirit Day (Pentecost or Whitsun) I made a fascinating discovery. We think of the Spirit as being full of living power. But so is holiness. The two go well together.

In Isaiah chapter 6 God reaches the prophet Isaiah with intense holy energy. He is exalted on His throne and His royal garments fill the Temple. There are fearsome beings around Him praising Him as "Holy, holy, holy" and "Almighty" and announcing that the whole earth is full of His glory. The entrances to the Temple shake and the building is filled with smoke. Isaiah cowers in terror and one of the beings touches his mouth with a burning coal! Isaiah comes to no harm. In fact good comes out of it, because his guilt is taken away and his sin dealt with. God says He will have to be just as drastic in dealing with Isaiah's people. They will have to be pruned like a tree being cut down to a stump.

Many Christians don't remember often enough that the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit. You cannot meet Him in all His righteous power without feeling small. It is only when you have that reverence for Him and for His saving work in Jesus that He can do you good.

I've now almost completed my first month as Pastor of Bethany Evangelical Church in Leigh. I rejoice in God's saving mercy and His equipping of me, and not only me but also many gifted people at the church. With a sense of encouragement and gratitude, I praise God for His holiness and faithfulness.