As I have thought about the Easter message this year, it has become clear to me just how far Jesus’ expectations were shaped by the cross. In no way did it come to Him as a disappointment or a shock. He foresaw that the cross would not be a place of defeat; far from it. Instead it would become a massive magnet to draw people to Him.
“... I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” (John 12:32 ESV)
I discovered early in life the pull of the magnet. It has drawn me throughout my days. It started when I was six years old and saw a Gospel Hall being built at the bottom of our lane in Guernsey. I was drawn to that place and joined the Sunday school there. I never had a great attendance record. When I was 10 I left, questioning the existence of God.
My mother took seriously her promises, made when I was christened, to bring me up as a Christian. She sought out a church where she could take me, and attend herself, rather than just send me. There the magnet’s drawing power worked on me again. I can't say I was particularly thrilled by the style of this church – very urban, very social gospel – but nonetheless I wanted to belong. This was unusual for me because normally I wasn’t a joiner. None of the youth organisations that were available to me appealed to me at all and I was not very well adjusted socially. However, I enrolled in a membership class and became a member of the church on Easter Day 1967.
I wanted to serve – the magnet was now drawing me into service – and I taught Junior Church. At first I was a poor specimen of a teacher of Christian things. I was not a believer and indeed dismissed many of the essential doctrines. But somehow the attraction of the Lord Jesus Christ simply kept pulling me onwards. I became a committed Christian when I was eighteen. My parents and I then migrated to the UK. My desire to serve now took a different route. I trained as a local preacher and then as a minister.
But it would be wrong to say I had “arrived” at that point. I felt increasingly uneasy with the old denominations and their compromises with the world. Independency seemed the right place to be.
Many times, after making the move, I wondered what on earth had happened to me. In ministry in Independency I seemed to be permanently beating my head against a brick wall. But my sense of being called – and that magnet – never stopped drawing me forward. This late in my pastoral working life, I am delighted to have found a place in an Independent church which allows me space to breathe and to serve.
Why should this magnetic power have drawn me throughout the years while others simply have not felt it? I can offer no explanation for that. I suppose it is same as in the case of real magnets. They may come into contact with a variety of metals. Yet only certain sorts respond to the magnet. Others are immovable and unchanged. But if God has His sovereign hand upon a person, the magnet will unfailingly draw them.
I don’t know whether you feel the pull of the magnet, the drawing power of the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose again. Perhaps it is simply a matter of seeing for yourself how attractive His story really is. Other stories may look intriguing and draw you into them, but all eventually display their limits. The drawing power of Christ goes on for ever. I believe I will always be led by Him – to my dying day and beyond.
Sunday, 27 March 2016
Saturday, 12 March 2016
Neglected Mentors
As I write I am back in Wales, on one of my visits to do guest house ministry. Obviously, now I have been blessed with a pastorate, these episodes are fewer in number. Yet they bring with them happy memories of my continual journeying back and forth to the Principality last year. At that time, guest house ministry was a lifeline. Without it I would hardly have been involved in any meaningful Christian service.
As an icebreaker on this occasion, I asked the guests to say a few words about those who had been an inspiration to them (see my entry on "Role Models" from last December). Some said that different people fulfilled this role at different points in their lives. It almost seemed as though different angels visited them periodically, to minister to them specially at moments of crisis.
All this made my thoughts turn to the example of a young king of Israel called Joash, who was blessed with a mentor in time of need. A high priest called Jehoiada was his inspiration and guide when he first became king, following the violent overthrow of his usurping, grasping grandmother Athaliah. The old priest guided the new monarch wisely. Joash learned good things from him and became zealous for God and transparent in his dealings. Jehoida eventually died, however. Soon the king neglected what he had learned and his reign took a downward spiral. He even had Zechariah, Jehoiada’s son, killed because this man had spoken up against him (2 Chronicles 24). Joash was really bereft without his mentor and sadly there was no one to step in and fill Jehoiada's shoes.
Who is your inspiration? Sometimes, under God, we can be blessed with someone who does us good simply by being the person he or she is. Even if somebody like that is absent from our lives, we can always turn for inspiration to the Bible characters and especially to our Saviour Jesus who is our pattern for life.
The apostle Paul regarded Jesus as his hero and model and constantly invited others to do the same. He pondered long and hard in his devotions on the example Jesus set. Our Lord is thought to be the inspiration for Paul's great so-called love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 in the ESV.)
God may have sent someone to you to model Christ for you at just the moment you needed it. We neglect our God-given mentors at our peril.
As an icebreaker on this occasion, I asked the guests to say a few words about those who had been an inspiration to them (see my entry on "Role Models" from last December). Some said that different people fulfilled this role at different points in their lives. It almost seemed as though different angels visited them periodically, to minister to them specially at moments of crisis.
All this made my thoughts turn to the example of a young king of Israel called Joash, who was blessed with a mentor in time of need. A high priest called Jehoiada was his inspiration and guide when he first became king, following the violent overthrow of his usurping, grasping grandmother Athaliah. The old priest guided the new monarch wisely. Joash learned good things from him and became zealous for God and transparent in his dealings. Jehoida eventually died, however. Soon the king neglected what he had learned and his reign took a downward spiral. He even had Zechariah, Jehoiada’s son, killed because this man had spoken up against him (2 Chronicles 24). Joash was really bereft without his mentor and sadly there was no one to step in and fill Jehoiada's shoes.
Who is your inspiration? Sometimes, under God, we can be blessed with someone who does us good simply by being the person he or she is. Even if somebody like that is absent from our lives, we can always turn for inspiration to the Bible characters and especially to our Saviour Jesus who is our pattern for life.
The apostle Paul regarded Jesus as his hero and model and constantly invited others to do the same. He pondered long and hard in his devotions on the example Jesus set. Our Lord is thought to be the inspiration for Paul's great so-called love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 in the ESV.)
God may have sent someone to you to model Christ for you at just the moment you needed it. We neglect our God-given mentors at our peril.
Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Join our Club!
As I write, the campaign about the place of Britain in the European “club” is getting under way. Should the UK stay in the European Union, or should it leave? It will be up to the British people to decide in the referendum vote on 23 June.
The core of the argument to stay in is the same as in the Scottish independence referendum: it is wiser to be part of a group with some influence in the world than to become splendidly isolated - and vulnerable. On the other hand, the independence-seekers argue, an integrated club member may have little say over corporate decisions that are not in its best interests.
In the view of other countries, Britain can be a difficult partner and they should let her go if that is what she wants to do. Yet it is good to have a strong country with a major economy inside the grouping.
So much for nations. What about individual people? Youth organisation leaders used to have a word by which they measured the sociability of potential club members: “clubbable”. The question comes to each one of us: am I clubbable?
To the great disappointment of my parents and others, I showed no desire to join any youth organisation. Scouts, Boys’ Brigade, Junior Church, Youth Club - my response was always the same: I preferred my own company. I guess I lost a great deal by way of personal development as a result. The one exception I made was the church itself. I always felt drawn to join this, as if by a magnet.
We tend to think of the followers of Jesus as a “club” of twelve whom He called to be His disciples. We see this group as static, dependable, loyally with Jesus throughout except for a temporary wobble when all deserted Him at His arrest. After the resurrection most of them re-formed and made up the nucleus of the first church.
This picture fails to take account of the many people who came and went throughout Jesus’ ministry. Some didn’t like His challenging talk and drew back.
Perhaps the most thought-provoking story is that of the rich young man in Mark 10. He asked Jesus a question about the commandments. When Jesus answered, there was a most interesting exchange between them:
“And he said to him, ‘Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.’ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
“And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’” (Mark 10:20-23 ESV)
For some reason Jesus warmed to this man. He would have liked to see him in His band of followers. Yet he spotted that there was in this person a block, a sticking point. The man was simply too attached to his wealth. Jesus proposed a radical solution: the man should exchange all he had for treasure in heaven and come and follow Jesus.
At that point the man proved not to be clubbable. He went away sorrowful. Maybe he tried being spiritual on his own, cushioned from the disturbing challenges of Jesus and His followers.
Though I joined the church, I was slow to grow because I still wouldn’t take part in study and other groups that were available. In such activities, the rough edges can be knocked off you more quickly and you can progress further and faster.
Please don’t make the same mistake. The company of Christ may disturb and challenge, but none but He can satisfy.
The core of the argument to stay in is the same as in the Scottish independence referendum: it is wiser to be part of a group with some influence in the world than to become splendidly isolated - and vulnerable. On the other hand, the independence-seekers argue, an integrated club member may have little say over corporate decisions that are not in its best interests.
In the view of other countries, Britain can be a difficult partner and they should let her go if that is what she wants to do. Yet it is good to have a strong country with a major economy inside the grouping.
So much for nations. What about individual people? Youth organisation leaders used to have a word by which they measured the sociability of potential club members: “clubbable”. The question comes to each one of us: am I clubbable?
To the great disappointment of my parents and others, I showed no desire to join any youth organisation. Scouts, Boys’ Brigade, Junior Church, Youth Club - my response was always the same: I preferred my own company. I guess I lost a great deal by way of personal development as a result. The one exception I made was the church itself. I always felt drawn to join this, as if by a magnet.
We tend to think of the followers of Jesus as a “club” of twelve whom He called to be His disciples. We see this group as static, dependable, loyally with Jesus throughout except for a temporary wobble when all deserted Him at His arrest. After the resurrection most of them re-formed and made up the nucleus of the first church.
This picture fails to take account of the many people who came and went throughout Jesus’ ministry. Some didn’t like His challenging talk and drew back.
Perhaps the most thought-provoking story is that of the rich young man in Mark 10. He asked Jesus a question about the commandments. When Jesus answered, there was a most interesting exchange between them:
“And he said to him, ‘Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.’ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
“And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’” (Mark 10:20-23 ESV)
For some reason Jesus warmed to this man. He would have liked to see him in His band of followers. Yet he spotted that there was in this person a block, a sticking point. The man was simply too attached to his wealth. Jesus proposed a radical solution: the man should exchange all he had for treasure in heaven and come and follow Jesus.
At that point the man proved not to be clubbable. He went away sorrowful. Maybe he tried being spiritual on his own, cushioned from the disturbing challenges of Jesus and His followers.
Though I joined the church, I was slow to grow because I still wouldn’t take part in study and other groups that were available. In such activities, the rough edges can be knocked off you more quickly and you can progress further and faster.
Please don’t make the same mistake. The company of Christ may disturb and challenge, but none but He can satisfy.
Monday, 8 February 2016
A Double Inheritance
Along with taking up my new post as Pastor at Durrington Free Church, I have come into the occupation of the manse, or pastor's house, next door. There has not been a pastor at the manse for the past 31 years, so it is quite an honour to be here. It is also a most intriguing exercise to find my way round my new surroundings. Within a few weeks I knew most of the ins and outs of the bungalow which was my new home. But getting to know the quite sizeable garden which I have also inherited – now that is a different matter.
Gardens do not reveal themselves all in one go. A succession of plants will be coming up during the next few months, and I have no idea really what variety of plant life is available to me on this patch of land. It will be fascinating to see the plants gradually emerge as the season wears on, and to be able to identify them one by one, or get some plant expert in the congregation to do it for me.
Musing on this the other day I pondered the inheritance we have when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour. He is the Elder Brother of our new family. We are adopted into this new family under God and along with the other members of that family we receive an inheritance. This talk of “inheritance” does not mean, of course, that our God is going to write out His last will and testament as though He might die on us. It is simply that we come into ownership of all the blessings and all the riches of our new family in the kingdom where God rules.
It was breathtaking when I first came to see the blessings that are listed in Matthew chapter 5 in the light of our inheritance. Just look at these verses from that point of view:
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Look what's in your inheritance! You inherit the kingdom of heaven; you inherit comfort; you inherit the earth; you inherit fullness, mercy, the chance to look upon God, the status of son or daughter of God. What amazing riches!
We need to be tremendously glad and excited about our prospects as new members of God’s family. If you want to get on in life, this is certainly the family to belong to. And yet we do not join it simply because of what we are going to get out of it. We join it because we come to realise that our God wants us to be his people and He wants to be our God. He desires a relationship with us that is closer than any relationship we can have on Earth. It is a most beautiful thing to be wanted in this way.
And so I look forward to getting to know my garden, unravelling the mystery of what I have come into in this new place. I am delighted to be getting to know my church. It is a great privilege to have come into the pastorate of people who are willing to rise to a challenge and are full of good ideas. May I be a capable manager, under God, of the inheritance that I have received.
Gardens do not reveal themselves all in one go. A succession of plants will be coming up during the next few months, and I have no idea really what variety of plant life is available to me on this patch of land. It will be fascinating to see the plants gradually emerge as the season wears on, and to be able to identify them one by one, or get some plant expert in the congregation to do it for me.
Musing on this the other day I pondered the inheritance we have when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour. He is the Elder Brother of our new family. We are adopted into this new family under God and along with the other members of that family we receive an inheritance. This talk of “inheritance” does not mean, of course, that our God is going to write out His last will and testament as though He might die on us. It is simply that we come into ownership of all the blessings and all the riches of our new family in the kingdom where God rules.
It was breathtaking when I first came to see the blessings that are listed in Matthew chapter 5 in the light of our inheritance. Just look at these verses from that point of view:
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Look what's in your inheritance! You inherit the kingdom of heaven; you inherit comfort; you inherit the earth; you inherit fullness, mercy, the chance to look upon God, the status of son or daughter of God. What amazing riches!
We need to be tremendously glad and excited about our prospects as new members of God’s family. If you want to get on in life, this is certainly the family to belong to. And yet we do not join it simply because of what we are going to get out of it. We join it because we come to realise that our God wants us to be his people and He wants to be our God. He desires a relationship with us that is closer than any relationship we can have on Earth. It is a most beautiful thing to be wanted in this way.
And so I look forward to getting to know my garden, unravelling the mystery of what I have come into in this new place. I am delighted to be getting to know my church. It is a great privilege to have come into the pastorate of people who are willing to rise to a challenge and are full of good ideas. May I be a capable manager, under God, of the inheritance that I have received.
Wednesday, 27 January 2016
A Good Read
I am currently reading a really helpful book called “Did You Think to Pray”, by Dr R.T. Kendall (Hodder and Stoughton, 2008). As its title suggests, it stresses the importance of prayer in the Christian life.
The writer is passionate and engaging on his subject and gives priority to prayer in his own life. As I read it, I hear a lifetime’s experience talking and feel enthused as well as challenged about my own devotional life.
Guess where I picked up this gem! At a Christian bookshop? From a church bookstall? At a church jumble sale? Actually, no! I found it on the shelves of a local public library.
What a surprise! You always think that public institutions have to be extra cautious these days about what material they carry. Critics are always on the lookout for bias towards a particular religion. Some will even complain about any religious beliefs being promoted at all. Yet if any institution should be a bastion against creeping censorship of the thought life, it ought to be the public library.
Christians are sometimes encouraged to present books to their local library. The library service is often strapped for cash in these days of economising. Free gifts of good, reasonably sturdily bound new books may well be welcome.
Of course, undesirable cult literature may benefit from the same welcome you hope for. I remember once picking up in a library a cult-inspired work that denied the Trinity. As cults do, it de-throned my Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, from His proper status as fully part of the Godhead.
So what did I do? Of course I was not legally entitled to steal or deface the book. In the end I slipped a tract into the back cover which was a corrective. It stressed Jesus’ place as a full Person of the Trinity, forever one with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Then I simply returned the book, with the prayer that the next reader might discover the tract at the back and be led to consider the alternative viewpoint.
Thank God for those who are still producing and selling good Christian tracts, books and other materials. Christian bookshops often have a hard time surviving. They may have to diversify. This can take the form of running a café area or a craft shop or Fair Trade shop within their premises. But they fulfil a hugely valuable function.
Sometimes they are literally a “shop window” on the church. Those who staff them - often volunteers - may have time to spare in sharing the gospel with those who come, spiritually curious, through the doors. Many a person has become a Christian through entering a Christian bookshop. Patrick Johnstone of Operation World is quoted as stating,
“More than half of the born-again Christians in the world testify that literature played a part in their conversion …”
The discovery of a book can sometimes change not just an individual but also a whole people. In the book of Nehemiah we read that God’s people called for the scribe Ezra to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses and read it to them publicly. They listened with riveted attention. They were dumbfounded by the amount of the Law that they had neglected. They almost went into mourning there and then. But their leaders advised that feasting and rejoicing were more appropriate:
“Then Nehemiah the governor … said to them all, ’This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.’” (Nehemiah 8:9 NIV)
And why should they rejoice first? Mainly, because they had heard God’s intentions read - and had understood them.
The writer is passionate and engaging on his subject and gives priority to prayer in his own life. As I read it, I hear a lifetime’s experience talking and feel enthused as well as challenged about my own devotional life.
Guess where I picked up this gem! At a Christian bookshop? From a church bookstall? At a church jumble sale? Actually, no! I found it on the shelves of a local public library.
What a surprise! You always think that public institutions have to be extra cautious these days about what material they carry. Critics are always on the lookout for bias towards a particular religion. Some will even complain about any religious beliefs being promoted at all. Yet if any institution should be a bastion against creeping censorship of the thought life, it ought to be the public library.
Christians are sometimes encouraged to present books to their local library. The library service is often strapped for cash in these days of economising. Free gifts of good, reasonably sturdily bound new books may well be welcome.
Of course, undesirable cult literature may benefit from the same welcome you hope for. I remember once picking up in a library a cult-inspired work that denied the Trinity. As cults do, it de-throned my Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, from His proper status as fully part of the Godhead.
So what did I do? Of course I was not legally entitled to steal or deface the book. In the end I slipped a tract into the back cover which was a corrective. It stressed Jesus’ place as a full Person of the Trinity, forever one with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Then I simply returned the book, with the prayer that the next reader might discover the tract at the back and be led to consider the alternative viewpoint.
Thank God for those who are still producing and selling good Christian tracts, books and other materials. Christian bookshops often have a hard time surviving. They may have to diversify. This can take the form of running a café area or a craft shop or Fair Trade shop within their premises. But they fulfil a hugely valuable function.
Sometimes they are literally a “shop window” on the church. Those who staff them - often volunteers - may have time to spare in sharing the gospel with those who come, spiritually curious, through the doors. Many a person has become a Christian through entering a Christian bookshop. Patrick Johnstone of Operation World is quoted as stating,
“More than half of the born-again Christians in the world testify that literature played a part in their conversion …”
The discovery of a book can sometimes change not just an individual but also a whole people. In the book of Nehemiah we read that God’s people called for the scribe Ezra to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses and read it to them publicly. They listened with riveted attention. They were dumbfounded by the amount of the Law that they had neglected. They almost went into mourning there and then. But their leaders advised that feasting and rejoicing were more appropriate:
“Then Nehemiah the governor … said to them all, ’This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.’” (Nehemiah 8:9 NIV)
And why should they rejoice first? Mainly, because they had heard God’s intentions read - and had understood them.
Tuesday, 12 January 2016
Out of Season
Even the seasons seem unseasonable at the moment of writing. I have daisies growing in my lawn. Daffodils, in full flower, are to be seen in the roadside verges. We are all left wondering what on earth is happening to our climate. The question persistently goes up, “Is this the effect of global warming?” The repeated answer is that nobody can be quite sure. All we know is, Nature’s rhythms seem disrupted. Things happen out of season.
Recently there has been quite a trend in favour of eating food that is “in season”, as opposed to what has been brought in from distant countries with a different climate and seasons at variance with our own. The “Eat Seasonably” campaign claims that “Eating seasonably means better taste, better value and a better deal for the planet” (www.eatseasonably.co.uk, accessed 11 January 2016).
Our forebears in ancient times had to study the seasons far more closely than we do. It may surprise you to know that in July food stores in the barns were at their lowest point. The crops sown in spring had not yet matured. On the very eve of the August harvest the poor could find themselves starving.
The Bible has memorable things to say about there being a right time for everything. The most famous is a passage from a wise preacher, probably Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes:
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV)
But there is at least one thing that the Bible says should be done out of season.
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Timothy 4:2)
The question is: “out of season” - for whom? For some zealous souls this verse may seem to supply a licence to pester. At the drop of a hat they may challenge some unsuspecting stranger with the full diet of the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. They may do so in complete ignorance of the issues facing the person at that time. On the other hand, if someone is known to be complacent in his or her sin, that one may need a timely jolt.
But isn’t it equally likely that Paul, the writer of the verse, means “Preach the gospel even if it is out of season for you, the preacher”? Someone may long to hear the message of Jesus from you even when you don’t feel like giving it. Are you ready? After all, Christ died for our sins even when He felt He would like to steer clear of suffering.
Often great work is done for Christ because the time is just right. Just as much to be celebrated are the efforts faithful Christians make when they are tired, suffering and jaded. Thank God for them.
Recently there has been quite a trend in favour of eating food that is “in season”, as opposed to what has been brought in from distant countries with a different climate and seasons at variance with our own. The “Eat Seasonably” campaign claims that “Eating seasonably means better taste, better value and a better deal for the planet” (www.eatseasonably.co.uk, accessed 11 January 2016).
Our forebears in ancient times had to study the seasons far more closely than we do. It may surprise you to know that in July food stores in the barns were at their lowest point. The crops sown in spring had not yet matured. On the very eve of the August harvest the poor could find themselves starving.
The Bible has memorable things to say about there being a right time for everything. The most famous is a passage from a wise preacher, probably Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes:
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV)
But there is at least one thing that the Bible says should be done out of season.
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Timothy 4:2)
The question is: “out of season” - for whom? For some zealous souls this verse may seem to supply a licence to pester. At the drop of a hat they may challenge some unsuspecting stranger with the full diet of the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. They may do so in complete ignorance of the issues facing the person at that time. On the other hand, if someone is known to be complacent in his or her sin, that one may need a timely jolt.
But isn’t it equally likely that Paul, the writer of the verse, means “Preach the gospel even if it is out of season for you, the preacher”? Someone may long to hear the message of Jesus from you even when you don’t feel like giving it. Are you ready? After all, Christ died for our sins even when He felt He would like to steer clear of suffering.
Often great work is done for Christ because the time is just right. Just as much to be celebrated are the efforts faithful Christians make when they are tired, suffering and jaded. Thank God for them.
Thursday, 24 December 2015
Born to be family
I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth (1 Timothy 3:14-15 ESV).
Perhaps I am not the only one who feels uncomfortable when eulogies are given for someone who has just died that go through a list of all their relationships to others:
“He was a father, son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew …”
Doubtless when this catalogue is duly recited it gives solace to many who mourn. For me, though, it brings the awkward realisation that I am none of those things to anybody still living. I was once able to tick some of the boxes, but nearly all my blood relatives of any closeness have now died out. Does that mean I shall be a non-person when it is my turn to go and eulogies are spoken over me?
I am very fortunate to have an adopted family - as I’ve mentioned before in the pages of this blog. I’m not sure whether they adopted me or whether it was the other way round, but they are a very important part of my identity. They amply make up for the premature loss of blood relatives. I meet up with them at Christmas and other times of the year. They encourage me to contact them whenever I feel the need. They look for regular contact with me. There are also other households that have been kind enough to remark when I’ve visited,
“We regard you as part of the family, you know”.
I thank God for all of them.
A crucial part of the wonder of Christmas is the way the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to be part of human families - including our own, if we have been adopted by faith into the household of the Kingdom of God. A writer in Our Daily Bread puts it this way:
“The mystery of Christmas is that Jesus came to us as God in the flesh. Those who believe in Him are called the body of Christ, the church. Paul uses various metaphors to describe it. In 1 Timothy 3:15 he refers to the church as “God’s household.” He is saying that God is our Father, Christ is our brother (Hebrews 2:11-12), and we are God’s children (John 1:12; Galatians 3:26).”
But what is this for? What are its implications? Is it simply there to comfort us and reassure us that we have an identity somewhere? It is more than that. It binds us tightly to the truth of the Gospel which it is the Christian church’s role to contend for. The writer adds,
“Because our Father is the God of truth (John 3:33), because Jesus is the truth (14:6), and because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth (15:26), the church is “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).”
By trusting in Jesus as Saviour men, women and children are being adopted into a special family. It is special not simply because the family members can tick boxes to affirm that they have an identity on earth. It is special because it stands for eternal truths and has everlasting rewards. Have you established your relationships in this family?
Perhaps I am not the only one who feels uncomfortable when eulogies are given for someone who has just died that go through a list of all their relationships to others:
“He was a father, son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew …”
Doubtless when this catalogue is duly recited it gives solace to many who mourn. For me, though, it brings the awkward realisation that I am none of those things to anybody still living. I was once able to tick some of the boxes, but nearly all my blood relatives of any closeness have now died out. Does that mean I shall be a non-person when it is my turn to go and eulogies are spoken over me?
I am very fortunate to have an adopted family - as I’ve mentioned before in the pages of this blog. I’m not sure whether they adopted me or whether it was the other way round, but they are a very important part of my identity. They amply make up for the premature loss of blood relatives. I meet up with them at Christmas and other times of the year. They encourage me to contact them whenever I feel the need. They look for regular contact with me. There are also other households that have been kind enough to remark when I’ve visited,
“We regard you as part of the family, you know”.
I thank God for all of them.
A crucial part of the wonder of Christmas is the way the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to be part of human families - including our own, if we have been adopted by faith into the household of the Kingdom of God. A writer in Our Daily Bread puts it this way:
“The mystery of Christmas is that Jesus came to us as God in the flesh. Those who believe in Him are called the body of Christ, the church. Paul uses various metaphors to describe it. In 1 Timothy 3:15 he refers to the church as “God’s household.” He is saying that God is our Father, Christ is our brother (Hebrews 2:11-12), and we are God’s children (John 1:12; Galatians 3:26).”
But what is this for? What are its implications? Is it simply there to comfort us and reassure us that we have an identity somewhere? It is more than that. It binds us tightly to the truth of the Gospel which it is the Christian church’s role to contend for. The writer adds,
“Because our Father is the God of truth (John 3:33), because Jesus is the truth (14:6), and because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth (15:26), the church is “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).”
By trusting in Jesus as Saviour men, women and children are being adopted into a special family. It is special not simply because the family members can tick boxes to affirm that they have an identity on earth. It is special because it stands for eternal truths and has everlasting rewards. Have you established your relationships in this family?
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