After the recent riots a number of people amazingly sympathised with the rioters. They approved of the lawless element that had caused wanton destruction and misery to countless innocent victims. They seemed quite happy to stand in front of microphones, take the moral high ground and defend these outrageous acts. They appeared to have a distorted idea of what was right and what was wrong.
In the course of a ministry you meet many social misfits and hear their stories. If you check out the facts, these stories often turn out to be far from the truth. I hesitate to call it "lying" because often the misfit is simply totally confused. The boundaries between true and false, right and wrong, have become completely blurred. In his twisted mind, he may believe he is telling you the honest truth.
But the problem is not confined to those who are at the margins of society. I once had to bear the anger of a neighbouring couple, a respectable pair. They had done me a good turn. Somehow they believed that gave them the right to park their vehicle on my drive when my back was turned! Naturally I protested and asked for it to be removed. To my astonishment and frustration they took great offence.
The apostle Paul fearlessly exposes the process of untruth that sets in when humankind refuses to acknowledge God. "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. … therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts …" (Romans 1:21-24).
Keep close to God in Christ. This will help you see clearly how to distinguish between right and wrong.
Monday, 22 August 2011
Sunday, 14 August 2011
Trivial?
As the rioting situation began to develop in the capital, I was attending a local neighbourhood forum here in Lancashire. The subjects under discussion were a world away from what was happening in Tottenham: traveller camps, flower displays, pharmacy opening hours and so on.
Many would feel exasperated by time spent on such issues at the moment. Words like "narrow" and "parochial" would be bandied about. Yet are we right to get hot under the collar when small matters arouse big passions?
I attended a training college where there was a huge range of views among the students. Often there were discussions and debates and strong disagreements. There was a tactic which students would often resort to in order to put each other down. They would complain, "Why waste time on that? It's not important. The church should spend its time dealing with much more pressing matters."
Of course, it was frustrating to have that said to you, because to your way of thinking the truth you held was important. The other person was putting you down, making you seem petty and foolish.
But should we really stop caring about getting small things right? To my mind it would be very worrying if every time someone had a local concern they were silenced. "Compared to the riots, your concern is nothing, and you should simply live with it."
No! Decent citizens should be given a respectful hearing when something local upsets them. Jesus listened patiently to a woman by a well while she mused about the differences between Jews and Samaritans about worship. Finally He used her concern to lead her to the important point: "True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).
We may well be in a fight to save this country from social breakdown and its streets and people from loss and destruction. But if that means that our eyes are taken off the local, day to day, quality of life issues that concern our citizens, the rioters will have won.
Many would feel exasperated by time spent on such issues at the moment. Words like "narrow" and "parochial" would be bandied about. Yet are we right to get hot under the collar when small matters arouse big passions?
I attended a training college where there was a huge range of views among the students. Often there were discussions and debates and strong disagreements. There was a tactic which students would often resort to in order to put each other down. They would complain, "Why waste time on that? It's not important. The church should spend its time dealing with much more pressing matters."
Of course, it was frustrating to have that said to you, because to your way of thinking the truth you held was important. The other person was putting you down, making you seem petty and foolish.
But should we really stop caring about getting small things right? To my mind it would be very worrying if every time someone had a local concern they were silenced. "Compared to the riots, your concern is nothing, and you should simply live with it."
No! Decent citizens should be given a respectful hearing when something local upsets them. Jesus listened patiently to a woman by a well while she mused about the differences between Jews and Samaritans about worship. Finally He used her concern to lead her to the important point: "True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).
We may well be in a fight to save this country from social breakdown and its streets and people from loss and destruction. But if that means that our eyes are taken off the local, day to day, quality of life issues that concern our citizens, the rioters will have won.
Sunday, 31 July 2011
Finishing well
The march of time put a wonderful Christian lady to the test and she emerged triumphant.
It was around 1978 that I last saw Dr Helen Roseveare in action. She had been a missionary in the Congo. She had been captured by soldiers while there and had suffered outrageous treatment at their hands.
Yet there she was, the appointed speaker at a special Christian Union evening in Cambridge to encourage the students to consider missionary service. Her total dedication came across like a clear shining light. Whatever she had endured, she remained convinced that the great mission field of the world needed more people to go and reach out to the lost.
She spoke with love, power and passion. For all she knew, some she was persuading to go abroad might suffer the way she did, but it was all worth it because of Jesus' sacrifice for us.
Until a couple of weeks ago, I had not seen her again. Some kind friends from my new church offered to take me up to the Keswick Convention to hear her once more. She is now in her mid-eighties. It was a remarkable experience. Despite the passage of some 33 years, her enthusiasm for recruiting missionaries was undiminished. The audience, of mixed ages, took her into their hearts immediately. Keswick staff were surprised by the numbers coming forward to dedicate their lives wholly to God's service in response to her message. An appeal went out for more pastors and counsellors to help.
There is something very moving about a Christian worker still fighting the good fight in the eventide of life. I see Helen Roseveare as a role model. My long career in the ministry may not have been crowned with obvious success, and I have often felt discouraged. But it remains my ambition to keep going and, God helping me, simply to finish well.
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing" (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
It was around 1978 that I last saw Dr Helen Roseveare in action. She had been a missionary in the Congo. She had been captured by soldiers while there and had suffered outrageous treatment at their hands.
Yet there she was, the appointed speaker at a special Christian Union evening in Cambridge to encourage the students to consider missionary service. Her total dedication came across like a clear shining light. Whatever she had endured, she remained convinced that the great mission field of the world needed more people to go and reach out to the lost.
She spoke with love, power and passion. For all she knew, some she was persuading to go abroad might suffer the way she did, but it was all worth it because of Jesus' sacrifice for us.
Until a couple of weeks ago, I had not seen her again. Some kind friends from my new church offered to take me up to the Keswick Convention to hear her once more. She is now in her mid-eighties. It was a remarkable experience. Despite the passage of some 33 years, her enthusiasm for recruiting missionaries was undiminished. The audience, of mixed ages, took her into their hearts immediately. Keswick staff were surprised by the numbers coming forward to dedicate their lives wholly to God's service in response to her message. An appeal went out for more pastors and counsellors to help.
There is something very moving about a Christian worker still fighting the good fight in the eventide of life. I see Helen Roseveare as a role model. My long career in the ministry may not have been crowned with obvious success, and I have often felt discouraged. But it remains my ambition to keep going and, God helping me, simply to finish well.
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing" (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Tumbledown Landmarks
Owing to some blind spot I can't explain, I struggle to find my way anywhere. Even helpful maps or patient people giving directions don't ensure that I will head the right way, however simple the route is. And even if I succeed once in getting to my destination I may still get lost the next time ... and the next ... and the next. It is very frustrating. It is something I just have to live with.
One thing I find helpful is a landmark. If there is some outstanding feature along the road near where I am going, I home in on that, and it stops me overshooting and having to turn back. Even though the last couple of turns before I reach home are now familiar to me, the old red telephone box at the corner is a big help.
It was obviously a survivor from the days when they introduced the new style phone boxes. I remember the controversy that surrounded these. People in many towns and villages campaigned hard to keep the old red ones. They said they were a familiar sight and part of the English landscape and should not be changed. At the time I couldn't see what all the fuss was about. To me, it made sense to have the new type, as they blended in better where the red ones stuck out like sore thumbs.
Now, I'm glad of our cheery local red box. It reminds me of passages in the Bible which talk about landmarks. Deuteronomy 19:14 says, "Do not move your neighbour's boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess." Boundary markers were sacred because they defined the allotted portion belonging to God's people in God's land. If they were stolen or neglected or misused, a serious situation arose. Someone might no longer know where his God-given stretch of land ended and another's began.
I say our local box is red. In fact it has faded to a pink colour and looks much the worse for wear. If it continues to be neglected it may in the end no longer be of any use in pointing the way.
Jesus is the landmark for all those who want to know the way to the Father. In fact, He is the way to the Father (John 14:6). Beware of thinking you know the way so well you no longer need the landmark!
One thing I find helpful is a landmark. If there is some outstanding feature along the road near where I am going, I home in on that, and it stops me overshooting and having to turn back. Even though the last couple of turns before I reach home are now familiar to me, the old red telephone box at the corner is a big help.
It was obviously a survivor from the days when they introduced the new style phone boxes. I remember the controversy that surrounded these. People in many towns and villages campaigned hard to keep the old red ones. They said they were a familiar sight and part of the English landscape and should not be changed. At the time I couldn't see what all the fuss was about. To me, it made sense to have the new type, as they blended in better where the red ones stuck out like sore thumbs.
Now, I'm glad of our cheery local red box. It reminds me of passages in the Bible which talk about landmarks. Deuteronomy 19:14 says, "Do not move your neighbour's boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess." Boundary markers were sacred because they defined the allotted portion belonging to God's people in God's land. If they were stolen or neglected or misused, a serious situation arose. Someone might no longer know where his God-given stretch of land ended and another's began.
I say our local box is red. In fact it has faded to a pink colour and looks much the worse for wear. If it continues to be neglected it may in the end no longer be of any use in pointing the way.
Jesus is the landmark for all those who want to know the way to the Father. In fact, He is the way to the Father (John 14:6). Beware of thinking you know the way so well you no longer need the landmark!
Friday, 24 June 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, 11 June 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, 28 May 2011
New place, old dependence
Just when God's people seemed most settled, God made them live in temporary accommodation! This is the challenge of the Feast of Tabernacles.
The gathering in of the harvest in Old Testament times was marked by a seven-day festival. It was the glad celebration of the fact that the Israelites were now in the land God had promised them. No more wandering as nomads from place to place, pasture to pasture. They were now in their own land. They could till the ground to their heart's content and expect to be around to benefit from the crops it produced.
In the midst of this very celebration came God's instruction: "Live in booths for seven days … so that your descendants will know that I made the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God" (Leviticus 23:42-43).
This taught the Israelites always to remember that they were dependent on God – an important lesson for all of us to learn. I've learned it afresh as I have migrated from Worcester to Leigh to take up my role as pastor at Bethany. I have had to depend on a number of people for practical help. To my relief, and to their credit, they have given this readily and cheerfully.
People ask, "Are you beginning to feel settled?" The answer is, happily, yes – I am beginning to feel settled already. But I should never become too settled. I am a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus tells His disciples to follow Him – not stop with Him in one place, but follow where He leads. Typically, disciples would fall in behind their chosen rabbi as he moved from place to place, listening carefully, picking up the pearls of wisdom that he uttered.
Maybe the disciples were not always sure where Jesus was going, but they followed Him anyway: He had words of eternal life to share with them (John 6:68). In the end it became very clear that He was heading for Jerusalem, a scene of crisis where He would die and rise again. Still they followed. They would not regret it.
Thank you for your interest in my progress as I move to a new chapter in my life's heavenward journey. I look forward to it. Right now I have just one question for you:
Are you ready to follow?
The gathering in of the harvest in Old Testament times was marked by a seven-day festival. It was the glad celebration of the fact that the Israelites were now in the land God had promised them. No more wandering as nomads from place to place, pasture to pasture. They were now in their own land. They could till the ground to their heart's content and expect to be around to benefit from the crops it produced.
In the midst of this very celebration came God's instruction: "Live in booths for seven days … so that your descendants will know that I made the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God" (Leviticus 23:42-43).
This taught the Israelites always to remember that they were dependent on God – an important lesson for all of us to learn. I've learned it afresh as I have migrated from Worcester to Leigh to take up my role as pastor at Bethany. I have had to depend on a number of people for practical help. To my relief, and to their credit, they have given this readily and cheerfully.
People ask, "Are you beginning to feel settled?" The answer is, happily, yes – I am beginning to feel settled already. But I should never become too settled. I am a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus tells His disciples to follow Him – not stop with Him in one place, but follow where He leads. Typically, disciples would fall in behind their chosen rabbi as he moved from place to place, listening carefully, picking up the pearls of wisdom that he uttered.
Maybe the disciples were not always sure where Jesus was going, but they followed Him anyway: He had words of eternal life to share with them (John 6:68). In the end it became very clear that He was heading for Jerusalem, a scene of crisis where He would die and rise again. Still they followed. They would not regret it.
Thank you for your interest in my progress as I move to a new chapter in my life's heavenward journey. I look forward to it. Right now I have just one question for you:
Are you ready to follow?
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