Maybe you have heard that Maggie and I are flying to Nicaragua on August 8. We are going to visit Open Hearts Ministry, a faith based, non-profit Christian mission, whose primary ministry outreach is aimed towards helping and encouraging children through rescue homes, a local school, and various churches.
Chris Farrington graduated from seminary with me and, with his wife Krista went straight to join this ministry, founded by Krista’s family in 1997 and we have followed their work since them.
So why are we going? Ever since we received their first newsletter we have been struck by the wonderful work they are doing and thought how nice it would be to visit and see the work first hand. As New Life’s commitment to missions has (and still is!) taken shape we wondered if we might take a group at some time to play some part in the work going on there. Now seemed a good time to go and investigate in the hope that we might take a group in 2012.
Nicaragua is one of the second poorest country in the western hemisphere and for a while I have been seeking God as to how we might act in a way that reflects God’s heart for the poor. Since 2000, Open Hearts has been hosting church groups and so maybe this is one place we could make a small contribution to fighting the “pandemic of poverty.” So will you pray with us that God will make His plans clear and, if it is right for us to go, whether you might be one of those He wants to be part of the team.
The Body of Christ worldwide is mourning the loss of one of this century’s most influential followers of Jesus. Dr John R W Stott’s exposition of scripture was without equal and paralleled by a daily commitment to live all he preached. Everyone who met him , and I was privileged to be one of those, was first struck by his overwhelming gentleness and humility. He was one of those few remarkable people who made everyone who met them feel that they were, for that moment, the most important people in the world. While Rector of All Souls Langham Place his preaching was significantly influential in my family’s walk with Jesus and I am indebted to his ministry for the certainty of one of my sisters’ eternal destiny.
His books are essential for every pastor’s library. His amazing ability to explain the most complex of doctrine in comprehensible language lives on in the pages of such books as “Basic Christianity” and “The Cross of Christ.” If you know little of this amazing servant of God, you can read his biography “ Basic Christian” and visit the memorial website, you will not be disappointed!
The following says it all…
27th July 2011
As the Christian community around the world grieves the loss John Stott, one of the global church’s heroes, may we all embrace the truth of who Jesus Christ is and be refreshed to serve Him as did John Stott. Below, may the words of Christopher Wright (International Director of the Langham Partnership) and Frances Whitehead, John Stott’s “omni-competent” assistant (since 1956) bring you comfort and peace.
Benjamin Homan, President
John Stott Ministries
————————
Dear friend,
We are sure that you would wish to be among the first to know that today at 3.15pm (UK time), John Stott went to be with the Lord. Close family and friends were with him during the morning, and they listened together with him to selections from Handel’s Messiah, including “I know that my Redeemer liveth”, and read through 2 Timothy. He died very peacefully during the afternoon. He had become very weak and weary in recent months and we thank God for a merciful and peaceful ending to his earthly pilgrimage.
John Stott reached the great age of 90 in April this year. During his lifetime, he became known worldwide for the clarity, faithfulness and relevance of his writing and preaching, combined with extraordinary integrity and humility. A man of remarkable global vision and strategic insight, he was instrumental in the establishment of many thriving Christian agencies. Countless people around the world can testify to the personal encouragement they have received from ‘Uncle John’. His ministry took him to every corner of the globe, whilst all the time remaining pastor and eventually Rector Emeritus of just one church – All Souls, Langham Place, London.
As the Founder and Honorary President of the Langham Partnership International, he will be remembered as a tireless advocate and friend of the churches in the majority world, demonstrating his concern for their well-being through the provision of literature, the support of younger leaders, faculty development of evangelical seminaries, and the training of pastors and preachers.
In honour of his memory, a memorial web site has been set up in thankful recognition of all that John Stott did to serve the church and to further the cause of God’s Kingdom. The site contains many biographical details of John Stott’s life, ministry and writing, photographs, a remembrance book, and ways in which you can respond to the event. This website will also publish, in due course, details of memorial services in different parts of the world. We are sure you will appreciate visiting this site, www.johnstottmemorial.org.
Please join us in praying that the Lord, who has now called his good and faithful servant John home to his rest and reward, may continue to bless with increasing fruitfulness all the ministries that have sprung from his vision and leadership.
Thank you,
|
|
| Chris Wright |
Frances Whitehead |
The challenge of communication has been much on my mind lately. I realize these observations are specific to New Life Christian Fellowship, however I suspect that for every church, the principles are much the same. Recently I heard a couple of comments that really got me thinking. (Both are anecdotal and serve as illustrations not accusations!!) The first went something like this “ Why did I not know about …” the second “ why didn’t —— know about this?” Certainly, as the staff of your church it is our job to make sure that events and programs are publicized as well as possible and in a timely fashion. True as it is that personal invitations are often by far the most effective way of encouraging someone to come to something, I do not think it is reasonable to expect the staff and/or leaders to personally invite everyone individually to events.
As I thought about it this morning, I realized that if we are to make real progress the people to whom we communicate must take some responsibility. I have lost count of the number of times I have heard “Oh I don’t read the bulletin” when reminded that details of an event was published there. I feel sure that the same would be said at times of websites, facebook pages, text messages or any other communication methods used.
So if you come across either, an event you did not know about, or someone who did not hear about something, would you be so kind as to ask yourself;
- Did I read the bulletin?
- Have I visited the website/ face book page recently to check for upcoming events?
- Did I arrive at church early enough to read the announcements projected on the wall before the service starts?
- Have I shared upcoming events with anyone who I think might be interested?
We are well aware that we can improve the ways we share information and please rest assured that we will continue to try and do better. Any suggestions you can make of things that will help will be greatly appreciated. But can I ask that if you want to know about upcoming events, you help us by using the tools we have and please make it your task to encourage those you know to join you in participating in an activity…. Or am I being unreasonable?
The challenge of my response to the plight of the poor seems to have been a message that God has been sending me in a number of different ways.
In the course of preparing a recent sermon on the heroic behaviour of Boaz (the sermon series is entitled “Heroes”) my attention was caught by the process of gleaning. I wanted to know more so I read further in Leviticus 19:9-10. Here we see how God established this practice to provide for the poorest and most needy people in society. It seems He did not make it “a suggestion” He made part of the Law. His expectation that His people would make care of the poor a priority is established right from the earliest days. However He seems to expect that we would not do well!
In “Surprised by Hope” N T Wright suggests the problem of global debt that triggers so much of our worlds poverty is potentially a crime of heinous proportions.
“Sex matters enormously but global justice matters far far more. Whatever it take we must change this situation or stand condemned by subsequent history alongside those who supported slavery two centuries ago or those who supported the Nazi’s seventy years ago… every time we put it off one more day, several hundred children die. And thats just the start”
Mark Labberton in “The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor” put it this way
“ Systematic injustice, the absence of the rule of law, and the suffering of so many innocents at the hands of oppressors rely on the complicity and distraction of our ordinary hearts”
If indeed the Body of Christ is charged with working towards the New Earth that Jesus will redeem and restore how can we contemplate sitting by and watching while huge numbers of people wake up each morning to the challenge of finding a splash of clean water and any scrap of nourishment. They do this when in all probability that they will lie down at night having found neither.
“The world is to dangerous to live in- not because of the people who do evil but because of the people who sit and let it happen” Albert Einstein. I really don’t want to be one of those people but I fear that I often am. Just last week I was sent this trailer for a movie to be released in October produced by the live58 Project inspired by Isaiah 58….
“a pandemic”, that we have the resources to eliminate and we don’t. How dare we rationalize this situation but what can we do? It seems our feeling of helplessness is one of the evil one’s most effective tools in disabling us. Groups such as producer of the above trailer and Micah Challenge are offering us some help in feeling less inadequate and the ministries of Steve Sjogren and Dino Rizzo encourages us with ideas as to action we can take on our own doorstep
So the question I posed to our church family at the end of the sermon is what is the 21st century equivalent of “gleaning”? If God felt it was important enough to make a provision in the Law for the poorest and most needy people in society how can we reflect this in our actions, and of course when are we going to step out?
As I mentioned in my two previous blogs I am currently reading “ Surprised By Hope” by N T Wright and it continues to make me think deeply about my perspectives on our future hope. Right from the outset Dr Wright suggests that our thinking about what he calls “life after life after death” has, over time, become deeply flawed. The theology reflected in many of our hymns and songs, (for example the one I used in title of this article) does not reflect the teaching of scripture or the preaching of the early church. He says
Frankly what we have at the moment isn’t, as old liturgies used to say” the sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the dead” but a vague and fuzzy optimism that somehow things will work out in the end… If we are not careful, we will offer a “hope” that is no longer a surprise, no longer able to transform lives and communities in the present, no longer generated by the resurrection of Jesus himself and looking forward to the promised new heavens and new earth”
Wright suggests that scripture indicates that this world will indeed be our home for eternity. It will be a restored, renewed, and redeemed but that Gods commitment to the world He created and “saw that it was good” is unwavering and his plan culminates in its restoration not its destruction.
Why is this important? Because it adjusts our focus in everything we do. Everything we do becomes working for the kingdom that will come right here on earth. Our care of the planet, the art and music we produce, the people we reach out to, the kingdom starts now in a very real sense for those who follow Jesus. Wright puts it like this
“ The work we do at present, then, gains its full significance from the eventual design in which it was meant to belong. Applied to the mission of the church, this means that we must work in the present for the advance signs of that eventual state of affairs when God is “all in all”, when His kingdom has come and His will is “done on earth as it is in heaven.” This will of course be radically different form the kind of work we would engage in if our sole task was to save souls for a disembodied heaven or simply help people enjoy a fulfilling relationship with God as though it was the end of the matter”
I have become convinced that my thinking on our future hope has become what Wright describes as “vague and fuzzy”. As a consequence I run the risk of devaluing the significance to God’s Kingdom of every action we take here on earth. It becomes more and more apparent to me that to live and preach whole life transformation is imperative. Then and only then, as God transforms us, can we play a full part in intentionally accomplishing things that are significant for the kingdom that will come.
At the outset of the series we finished recently, Why Believe, we talked about principles that had followed us right the way through the series. First we saw that we all believe in some things that we cannot prove. That the sun will rise tomorrow and that we are loved are just two examples! Most if not all of the subjects we considered had aspects to believing them which could not be proved in the literal sense of the word. There is no (unarguable) proof for the existence of God or for that matter that He does not exist. Whereas there is clear historical support for the existence of a man called Jesus, no such evidence exists for the suggestion that he was the Son of God. However in those places where categorical proof does not exist we are not condemned to step out in blind faith checking our brains at the door. There is evidence and the evidence points us in certain directions and our task is to examine that evidence and follow its directions. Lee Strobel in his book The Case for Christ says “ Faith is a reasonable step along the path that the evidence points”
Returning to the realization that- we all believed something- we also noted that, if we are wise, we are willing, on occasions, to review those beliefs in the light of the information we receive. I discovered just this truth as I prepared to speak about heaven. It was not that I did not believe in heaven but I discovered I believed very little about it simply because I had not given it much thought. As I explained in my previous blog God turned my thinking upside down to see that the hope of a bodily resurrection and participation in the New Heaven and New Earth (Rev 21:1-5… Go on read it again and get excited about it!!) makes sense of everything. This is the foundation of the hope we can share with the world. It was a shock to identify how lame my belief was, but so exciting to recognize the need to make adjustments reflecting the teaching of scripture (with some help from the writing of N T Wright “Surprised by Hope”!)
So tell me, what beliefs have you reviewed lately and did you make and changes or adjustments?
PS If you missed any of the Why Believe series or just would like to do some more thinking about what you believe, The Starting Point groups are a wonderful way to examine or re-examine fundamental beliefs with a small group of others. Sign up here and we will be sure to tell you about the start of the next group.
When I was planning to complete the Why Believe series with yesterday’s sermon on heaven, I thought it was similar to the whipped cream and cherry on an ice cream sundae. It finishes it off and the dessert would not be complete without it, but the substance is in the ice cream. However, as I prepared, God showed me that I could not have been more wrong! In fact the message on heaven makes sense of it all! It is the fulfillment of God’s plan and the final glorious chapter in God’s story.
In my devotional time I have just begun to read N T Wright’s book “Surprised by Hope” and even though I have only read the introduction and first chapter (along with the section on Paradise as research for the sermon) he is able to express the things I have been thinking in a clear and coherent way which makes me want to say Yes! Yes! Yes! all the time I am reading !
He underlines the amazing ambivalence and confusion in most parts of our society about life after death. Street preachers are scorned for proclaiming hell fire and damnation and for selling what appears to be an “insurance policy” to avoid the flames. On the other hand, many of those who profess atheism, when it comes to the funeral of a loved one, reach for the thought that the one who has passed away is somehow watching over them in some alternate state of existence. Some Christians are secretly afraid that heaven will actually be boring as they become residents of the 112th cloud on the left and proficient harpists… for eternity?
So what can we know about heaven? Clearly I cannot do justice to this huge subject in this short missive, but there are a few things which seem to be clear from what scripture tells us. All the words used, both for heaven and hell, suggest that they are real locations. Whether they are up there, over there, or indeed down below is not clear, but they are spoken of as locations. Jesus made it clear that He was longing to return there, (if in doubt read John 17!) and that glory and the presence of the Father would be predominant factors. He also stated that he was going there to prepare a place for us! (John 14:2-3). Remember that in Genesis 1and 2 God prepared this magnificent garden (Gen 2:8) for man to live in and His presence was a daily reality for them. Adam and Eve had things to do (Gen 2:15) and a real relationship with God as they “ walked with Him in the cool of the day.” (Gen 3:8). If that was God’s original intention, it is likely that these elements will be present when the relationship is finally restored and we inhabit the “new heaven and new earth” (Rev 21). As a consequence, a residence among the clouds does not seem likely!
But why should we be excited when the information we have on heaven seems difficult to understand and sometimes rather scary (the Book of Revelation). Firstly if Jesus was so excited to return to His Father and to have us join Him it has to be immeasurably better than our present experience. It seems this world, with all its struggles and pain is merely a blip on the radar of eternity. As a result, our purpose need not be big retirement accounts, wonderful homes, and substantial bank accounts to pass on to our children. We can therefore lay aside so much of the striving and worry that come with that territory. We can enjoy our blessings so much more as a mere taste of what is to come rather than regret their brevity. In short we can stop pouring all our energy in something that will come to an end and instead invest in something that will last forever, life the way He intended. And of course, if we believe in and fix our eyes on the place Jesus has gone to prepare for us we have a real hope to share with our trouble stricken world. They too can know that sense of “eternity” planted in all our hearts (Ecc 3:11) was put there by the Creator and is a gift for them to accept
And what of those who cannot or do not choose to accept God’s offer; they will also get what they wanted all along, a world without God. I fear they will discover how different it is from a world where the hand of God is in control even if some of His actions (and inactions!) are painful and inexplicable. Suddenly it will become apparent how many times His unseen hand prevented and protected us from the full consequences of our human nature. So they will get what they campaigned for, an existence where they can never again be offended by references to God. And those who have trusted the unseen and sometimes frustrating Creator of the universe will get to enjoy eternity with Him in the New Heaven and New Earth.
So you see every one wins… sort of!
When I spoke last week in the sermon about our actions not backing up our words I got to thinking about places in my life where I am most vulnerable to this and my mind went to my prayer life. How often do I tell someone I will pray for them and allow the commitment to fade in the business of life? I never mean to let that happen, but in all honesty it does.
I have read a number of books on prayer in recent years so I thought I would share one or two of the ideas to help keep our intentions alive.
1 Write it down as soon as you have the chance. That is why we put a blank prayer list in our bulletins at New Life.
2 Stop and pray there and then. This can be done with the people themselves or you can find a quiet place. This is especially helpful on the telephone. If you have never prayed with someone on the phone try it!!
3 Remember that praying for someone does not mean we need to tell God their life story and instruct Him on what to do. Just remembering them before God is sufficient. He knows the situation much better than we do.
4 I have tried something new this year; I’ve saved all this year’s Christmas cards with photographs and I am using them as bookmarks. That means whenever I pick up that book, I remember that person or family before God. So if you sent us a card with your photo, chances are good that I will be praying for you very regularly sometime this year and if you happen to be in a big book that I take a long time to read…
This may not work for you but finding a creative reminder is always helpful. Attach your prayer list to the mirror in your bathroom, put a small sticky dot on your watch and cell phone as a reminder. Do you have some other ideas? I would love to hear about them.
One of the great joys of feeling better is that the desire and ability to read has returned. For the last year each time I would pick up a book it would be a signal for my eyes to close! I had a very dry year, spiritually. I never doubted the hand of God on my life and His control over all that was happening, however often the control room seemed a long way away. And such intellectual and physical energy I had was focused on asking the Father for weekly sermons and then preaching them, only to crawl into bed to accumulate the energy for the next Sunday
What a joy it was to get back my desire to read! I thought I would share with you the books I have read and am in the process of reading. I have completed four books so far this year; the first two focus on the development of my devotional life and the other two are works of fiction (it’s been a long time since I read any fiction!!!)
Opening to God by David Benner is a book I probably would not have seen if I had not been a member of the Intervarsity book club. It was delivered to me so I glanced at it and my interest was piqued. Focusing on prayer, it is a practical book that really helps the reader to experiment and cultivate a prayer life that draws them closer to God.
Whole Life Transformation by Keith Meyer another Intervarsity book the author of which was not known to me. The title caught my attention and it did not disappoint. The book is particularly aimed at pastors and the like and is based on the author’s experience in pastoral ministry. A question from his son caused him to rethink the foundations of his ministry. This is also a very practical book with many suggestions as to how to translate the content into a day to day reality
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Maggie gave me this for Christmas having read about it pamphlet. Immediately I picked the book up I remembered why I have not been reading fiction; when I get into a story, I can’t put it down. This a wonderfully written true story (so not technically fiction) about a service man captured by the Japanese. He somehow survives a horrendous selection of tortures to struggle with the return to civilian. A superb book, (Mark Batterson said it was the best book he read last year!) but not for the squeamish!
Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peritti This fictional work is the second of a pair of books that paints a picture of the relationship between the forces of evil and the Christian community. The story is gripping (as is the first by the way) and I found myself having to remind myself that it all comes from the fertile imagination of the author and is not the truth! However I believe it did somehow give me a fresh appreciation of the reality of evil. Once again I could not put it down and I think Maggie wonders if it was a good thing to encourage me to include fiction in the books I read
Right now I have my bookmarks in;
Small Faith Great God by NT Wright another Intervarsity offering. Wright is one of our most prolific and gifted Christian theologians and authors. So far the book is great and has given my yellow highlighter ample employment.
The Reason for God by Tim Keller. Keller is an amazing apologist and renders complicated theological ideas with incisive simplicity. This book is destined to become classic in apologetics alongside the work of Josh McDowell and Lee Strobel.
On Road with the Archangel by Fredrick Buechner. More fiction, a fascinating story set in Jerusalem, Antioch or Alexandria about 722 BC, If you have never read any Buechner, I recommend you do. His use of images and language is extraordinary.
Books “on deck”
The Lighthouse by PD James
So what are you reading? I would love to hear. If you are looking for something I have one or two books in my office that you can borrow if you wish!
Today like any other day comes round each year and every year; it’s my birthday!! I was encouraged to write some reminisces of what has been a remarkable year in so many ways. Last January I was writing as I began a year’s treatment for Melanoma, In fact my birthday was in the middle of the first month of very intense treatment.
During the year I have experienced all sorts of interesting side effects; a significant loss of balance, which included taking a fall at the bottom of an escalator in Atlanta airport. a variety of digestive disorders and, what appeared at least, to be a never-ending attack of flu. However God has been so faithful. I asked Him to let me continue to preach and He gave me the strength to achieve that goal in all but one week! (Actually (one and a half as I had to leave 2/3 of the way through one sermon!!) My year of treatment was to have finished on Dec 28th, but two weeks early the doctors decided my body had had enough and I stopped injecting interferon in the middle of December. Now I am waiting for the scans and tests to know what is next.
Over the past year I have seen a number of things that revealed the faithfulness of God I mentioned above. First I have the most incredible gift of a wife! Maggie has been to every doctor’s appointment with me. She has been a constant encouraging and supportive presence each day, helping me to remember my medications and insisting we go to the emergency room when I did not want to go. It sounds trite but I am not sure how I would have survived without her. Secondly I have an incredible family both sides of the ocean. My sons and stepdaughters and their partners have been remarkable, always willing to do anything to help. And of course my wonderful grandson Atticus, who has brought so much joy to my life.
We began the year with Emily and Jonathan living with us and now they are happily established in their home near Sacramento. Currently we have Katie, Courtney and Atticus with us as they transfer from San Diego as Katie has a wonderful job in the city. What a joy it has been to get to know and love them better.
Back in February I was almost given a heart attack, to go with everything else, when my precious sister Judith and niece Bethany (all the way from England) walked in the door and stayed for a week. What an amazing way to cheer me up (again Maggie had a significant part in arranging and keeping it secret!) I was also able to go the UK with Mags to celebrate my parents’ 60th anniversary and had one of the best vacations of our lives. (Thanks to the staff of Bowditch Middle School who have been so supportive and made it possible for her to come with me.)
Then there’s my incredible church family. I cannot begin to describe the encouragement and care I have had from every one of them; the meals, the prayers, putting up with my lack of energy and worrying whether I was going to fall over when preaching… I could go on, but just know that I love you all and it is such a privilege to be part of New Life.
On December 17th I stopped treatment and another amazing gift from God was in store. I felt better within days and after a couple of weeks with the exception of tiredness, I felt back to my old self. I could not really believe it! I am now enjoying food and preparation for Sundays has become a joy again.
If you are one of those who have prayed for me all over the world, I will never know how to thank you. It has been a constant amazement to hear of people who have been praying, many of whom I barely know. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
There is so much more and in time I am sure I will share it but for now just know that the last year have been living proof of this verse
Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never permit the righteous to be moved Psalm 55:22
From the Zebra Bag 