Frafferz - Home

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will crush me

2008-08-19T16:47:00Z

A few years ago I was on a train, traveling home from London, when I observed a mother with her children as they got on the train. One of them was misbehaving. The mother raised her voice and told the child that unless she behaved, she would be left there - alone on the station. They then boarded the train and sat close to where I was in the carriage.

A few minutes later, I heard the same mother proudly telling her neighbour that she never smacked her children because she thought it was wrong. It taught them violence - and violence wasn't the answer. It was clear from her language that she thought anyone who did smack their children was morally deficient.

Which leaves me wondering: does a slap on the wrist - clearly linked by explanation with the child's disobedience - cause more or less psychological damage than believing that bad behaviour will cause your mother to abandon you in the midst of a strange and hostile world?

Complex and capricious - Dawkins refutes a God of his own creation

2008-07-18T17:00:00Z

I happened across Richard Dawkins' review of Richard Swinburne's Is The A God? in the Royal Institute of Philosophy's THINK magazine. It's short, accessible, and brilliantly lacklustre.

Brilliantly written - it would be well worth including in a textbook on the rhetoric of ridicule.

Lacklustre in its reasoning on two main points: he offers two substantial assertions (which would undermine Swinburne's hypothesis) but presents scant evidence for either.

Swinburne generously concedes that God cannot accomplish feats that are logically impossible, and one feels grateful for this forbearance. That said, there is no limit to the explanatory purposes to which God’s infinite power is put. Is science having a little difficulty explaining X? No problem. Don’t give X another glance. God’s infinite power is effortlessly wheeled in to explain X (along with everything else), and it is always a supremely simple explanation because, after all, there is only one God. What could be simpler than that?

Well, actually, almost everything. A God capable of continuously monitoring and controlling the individual status of every particle in the universe is not going to be simple. His existence is therefore going to need a modicum of explaining in its own right (it is often considered bad taste to bring that up, but Swinburne does rather ask for it by pinning his hopes on the virtues of simplicity). Worse (from the point of view of simplicity) other corners of God’s giant consciousness are simultaneously preoccupied with the doings and emotions and prayers of every single human being.

To take these assertions in reverse order:

Assertion 1: God is necessarily complex. Now the flying spaghetti monster is, it would seem, necessarily complex - at least in common depictions with pasta and meatballs. Any created (ie. material, occupant of the universe type) God would need to be exceedingly complex - if he/she/it was to influence/understand/respond to the universe in any conventional godlike sense. But the assertion that a God who is essentially different - ie not part of the created order, eternal, independent, indivisible etc - would have to be equally complex assumes that God has to be subject to the constraints of the material universe. The assertion of commensurability between the being of God and the being of the material universe is irrational and yet his argument for divine complexity crumbles without it.

Assertion 2: God is capricious. The first paragraph quoted above assumes an unreliable God. It is only if God cannot be relied upon that the mindless assertion of divine interference that Dawkins describes could occur. Yet this vision of a capricious God who becomes the universal solvent of scientific explanation again utterly unlike the God that Swinburne is describing: if God were unreliable or changeable or capricious then he/she/it would be the end of science as we know it. But the God who Swinburne describes, the designer/creator/lawgiver/sustainer of the natural universe, exhibits none of these characteristics; the God of scripture is a God who is consistent, reliable, immutable.

Yet despite it's manifest absurdities, the article is magnificently written. Read it. Enjoy it. Just don't be surprised to find the only thing Dawkins demonstrates is an ability to weave luxurious rhetoric.

Things I would never have guessed from reading the bible

2008-06-30T15:15:00Z

St Paul saw no need to seek to convert, but simply to make clear the origins and the dimensions of one's own faith.
Bishop Marc Andrus

Yes. We are talking about the guy who wrote:

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. (1 Cor 9:19-23 ESV).

The guy who wrote: "We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God"; declared that there was only one mediator between God and man: "the man Christ Jesus"; pronounced curses on anyone who preached another gospel; described those who do not follow Christ as "children of wrath," "dead in trespasses and sins," "sons of disobedience" and without "hope and without God in the world."

That guy.

And now we find that what he was really trying to say was: Come on guys - let's all be authentic and spiritual in whatever form we find most natural - and let's all be open about it.

John Owen: 5 things that Jesus, in his death, achieved for us

2008-06-27T15:52:00Z

Reconciliation - when we were God's enemies
Justification - when we were guilty according to God's law
Sanctification - when we were unfit to enter God's presence
Adoption - when we were estranged from God
Glory And Immortality - promised to frail and fallible men and women

(Source: The Death of Death in The Death of Christ)

Book Review: Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin

2008-06-26T16:06:00Z

I now have two books which carry the author's signature inside the front cover. The first in John Stott's "The Living Church: Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor." The second is "Worship Matters" by Bob Kauflin. He is the Director of Worship Development for Sovereign Grace Ministries. I'd probably get more pew-cred for that if Bob was better known in the UK. Never mind. At least Matt Redman knows who he is.

The teaching about worship began as I opened the book. Inside Bob had written: "Geoff - I pray this book encourages you as you seek to magnify God's glory in Christ. Bob Kauflin. Ps 145:1-3" (I was going to comment on his handwriting, but it sounded rude and ungracious).

My first thought as I read this? Bob Kauflin knows my name! He wrote my name in his book! How cool is that?!

My first lesson? My heart is an idol factory that instinctively worships all the wrong things: in that moment I was more happy that Bob Kauflin had written my name in the front cover of a paperback book than that the Eternal God had inscribed my name on the palms of his hands.

Although Bob makes it clear that worship is not just a technical term for singing spiritual songs on Sundays, this is a book about leading Christians to express their adoration of and devotion to God through song - and there are times when 'worship' is used as short-hand for this.

Structure

The book is divided into four sections, entitled The Leader, The Task, Healthy Tensions and Right Relationships.

The first section addresses the topic of being a lead worshipper, through godly devotion, healthy doctrine, musical dedication and personal example. The emphasis is (helpfully) on firstly being a whole-hearted worshipper. It is from this foundation that we are to lead others.

This is a section that is universally relevant to any worshipper (bar chapter 4 - tempting as it might be, we can't expect every member of a congregation to take singing lessons).

The second section is an exposition of Bob's definition of a worship leader:

A faithful worship leader
magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ
through the power of the Holy Spirit
by skilfully combing God's Word with music,
thereby motivating the gathered church
to proclaim the gospel,
to cherish God's presence,
and to live for God's glory.

It is a practical and humble explanation of the task a lead worshipper faces, littered with personal anecdotes and examples.

Whether you lead or follow, this section will give you a deeper understanding of what you are attempting to do. Knowing better why we sing and what we are attempting to do will benefit us as we sing.

The third section outlines the tensions we face - between addressing the head and engaging the heart, between encouraging believers and helping unbelievers, between the gathered event and the rest of the week etc.

The final section is about maintaining good relationships with your fellow musicians, church leaders and church members. Again, this section is replete with much sound, biblical and practical advice that is generally applicable to any relationship within the church.

The Good

Pretty much all of it. It is obviously the product of much wisdom and experience - and there is a helpful emphasis on music as our servant. In a time when the Christian music industry is big business - and there are even Christian bands so good that non-Christians don't mind listening to them(!) - it is helpful to be reminded that music is a means, a tool, and not an end.

It is biblical. Bob is far more concerned with what the bible has to say than his own opinions.

It is balanced. Bob clearly differentiates between what scripture demands and what he has found helpful/is suggesting.

It is practical. The theology is rich and lean - it runs the length of the book like a keel, giving it depth, keeping it on course and directed towards the goal: encouraging and equipping us to lead others to encounter the greatness of God in Christ as we praise him.

The Not So Good

Given the differences in circumstances (small church vs large church, little skill vs prodigious talent etc) there are aspects of this book that don't fit. Hopefully at some future point they will.

There are tensions in a small church that aren't felt in the same way in a congregation of the size that Bob is used to. He suggests that it is inappropriate to allow non-Christians to play - which makes sense if you are placing a small team in front of a large congregation and saying: follow while these guys lead. This doesn't fit so well with a small church situation where the pastor/preacher "leads" - the music team just play. Is it really worse to let a non-Christian seeker use their talent for the churches than to use MIDI files on a keyboard?

According to statistics quoted in the Christianity explored course, it takes an average of 18months for someone to go from hearing the gospel to actually becoming a Christian. Allowing a church hanger on or a rebellious teenager to take part in the music group can be a useful tool for maintaining relationships and continuing to share the gospel with someone - without ever giving someone the mistaken impression that they're a Christian when they're not. Likewise, in a small church where everyone knows everyone else personally, there is little danger of non-Christians (who have been welcomed as guests in the music group) being mistaken for pastor-approved role models.

On balance...

Buy it. Read it. Share it with your musicians and with your pastor. If you are a Christian and use any musical expression to give voice to your worship of God, you will benefit from this book.

LW08 - Evening 3 - The Dimensions of Christian Motivation

2008-06-25T15:27:00Z

2 Corinthians 5:10-21

After a brief welcome by convention chairman, Paul Moore (St Wilfrid's, Cowplain) Michael Herbert (Cosham Baptist) introduced as usual. We sang And Can It Be, How Deep the Father's Love, You Chose the Cross (Soul Survivor finally getting a look in!) and Above All Powers.

"Flattery is a bit like smoking - it does you no harm unless you inhale."

Jonathan described sitting in a service station and being unable to avoid overhearing a conversation between a couple of insurance salesmen. The older man was advising the younger on how to manipulate your way to a sale: from appropriate dress for the city vs in a village. Different approaches to take when selling to men and women. Physical posture - when to sit, when to stand. But it was all about manipulating people into notches on a balance sheet - not about serving or helping the customer. The motivation is entirely selfish.

Paul is facing critics who likewise have a warped value system. They are not preaching or working from pure motives. He explains 3 major motivations for mission.

1. We are loved by Jesus our Saviour 5v14

v13 Christ's love controls us. We are not driven primarily by a sense of need. Nor of guilt or a desire for fulfilment. It is love that compels us into action.

Paul's logic

Christ died for all

∴ all died - ie. death to our old life

I no longer live for myself - ie. the centre of gravity in his life has radically shifted. Unlike a t-shirt design "Today is all about me," for the Christian today is all about Christ.

I live for Christ - ie. his life is my life. We give everything because he gave everything.

Or as the NEB puts it: "the love of Christ leaves me no choice."

What does this look like? e.g. A young Christian guy with a degree from Oxford working in Yakutz in Russia. An area with permafrost - so all pipes are above ground. Temperatures reach -60°C in winter. Why? Working with young people to share the gospel. "It's worth it to see them come to know Christ."

2. We are responsible to Jesus our judge 5v10

On Sunday, June 25th, 1865, unable to bear the sight of a congregation of a thousand or more Christian people rejoicing in their own security, while millions were perishing for lack of knowledge, I wandered out on the sands alone, in great spiritual pain; and there the Lord conquered my unbelief, and I surrendered myself to God for this service. -- Hudson Taylor (Quoted from A Retrospect)

The judgement is not of our salvation but of our stewardship. Have we done well with what God entrusted to us?

Building for eternity. 1 Cor 3:10-15 - which is clearly talking about Christians, because Christ is the foundation. The message is clear: how we live now matters - the judgement is practical. How do we use the gifts, time, resources available to us?

Two parables Matthew 13 - Farmer finding treasure; Merchant finding pearl. In both cases joy at what they had found enabled the reckless pursuit of what mattered most.

During the time of the Rwandan genocide, a Christian leader and his family, who were working with and caring for refugees, were given the chance to escape - but he responded "If I cannot share my people's pain, I cannot share the gospel with them." He knew what it was to use what he had well.

2 Tim 4:7,8 - we are, like Luther, to be primarily concerned with two days: today & that day. Jesus is our judge & he's coming back - our lives should reflect our belief that that is true.

3. We are sent by Jesus the King 5v20

How do we see people? (v16) We are no longer seeking to judge people according the distinctions of the world around us, like skin colour, image, ethnicity, social status, wealth etc. We are to see people through the eyes of the gospel - men and women who need to be reconciled to God.

How do we explain the message? v17 New creation: It is not an addon, an appendage or a boost. The closest analogy that Paul could describe was not metamorphosis, nor birth but creation itself. It is a message of total, radical transformation.

v18,19,21 New status: we are reconciled, forgiven and made righteous.

How do we fulfil the mission? (v18) We are Christ's ambassadors - not in a lofty sense, but a humble one. There is a combination of authority (we speak on Christ's behalf as ambassadors) and urgency (we beg).

What we need more than anything is the right motivation. More than strategies, plans or programmes: our greatest need is the motivation that flows from a fresh vision of Jesus Christ.

Nothing is more important for the recovery of the church's mission (where it has been lost), or its development (where it is weak), than a fresh, clear and comprehensive vision of Jesus Christ. When he is demeaned, and specially when he is denied, in the foulness of his unique person and work, the church lacks motivation and direction, our morale crumbles and our mission disintegrates. But when we see Jesus, it is enough. We have all the inspiration, incentive, authority and power we need. -- John Stott

We are loved by Jesus our Saviour; we are responsible to Jesus our Judge; we are sent by Jesus our King. Let's go.

The meeting closed with us singing "Jesus: be the centre" and "Be thou my vision."

LW08 Followup

2008-06-20T14:05:00Z

I haven't yet had the time to write up my notes from the final session of Living Word - I hope to do so on Monday.

It was an excellent conference - clear, concise and challenging preaching. The MP3s will hopefully be available online in the next month or so.

UPDATE: Make that Wednesday

LW08 - Morning 3 - Standing Up for the Truth

2008-06-19T17:58:00Z

Jeremiah 36

The inestimable Don Churchman introduced this morning with two hymns: "Thou art the everlasting word" and "Master speak thy servant heareth."

Jonathan again began by mentioning the work of Langham Partnership - mentioning the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where there are churches which have 200+ people, but only 2 or 3 bibles. And of an event for training pastors where not even all the pastors that turned up had their own bibles. They are dealing with situations where they literally tear a bible in half and one pastor will preach from the old testament and other from the new.

G K Chesterton observed that when people stop believing in the truth, the result is not that they believe in nothing - but rather they believe in anything.

We live in a culture which tends to assume that our values, morality and religion, can be assembled in a lego-like fashion from which ever ideas take our fancy.

There is a growth of interest in Hinduism which, with it's more relaxed attitude to dogma, seems increasingly in tune with contemporary relativistic thought in Britain.

Jeremiah was a man who stood against the tide at a watershed moment in Israel's history.

v1-8 The challenge of truth

Jeremiah's prophecy is not fatalistic. It may be bleak, but it is offered on the basis that there is still time for repentance. Still an opportunity to find mercy.

Truth for critical times. Babylon was on the move - Nebuchadnezzar's army was now a threat to Jerusalem. For the first time it was beginning to look as though Jeremiah's prophecies of doom might actually turn out to be true.

The seriousness of the situation leads to a national fast being called. But there is a difference between fearing men (which makes us want to manipulate God into protecting us) and fearing God (and genuine repentance). Israel only want to repent of the consequences of their sin.

But the fast means an unusually large audience for Jeremiah as people make their way to Jerusalem for the fast.

It was the word of the Lord. v2,4,6 "The words I have spoken." An example of the dual authorship of scripture - it is more than "lovely literature." It is (cf 1 Thes 2:13) God's authoritative, powerful word. Jeremiah compares it to fire in his bones and to a hammer.

All the words I have spoken v2. God's wrath (v7), judgement (v3) and mercy (v3) are all part of the message. Jeremiah's faithfulness requires him to proclaim the entirety of God's message.

v9-26 Confrontation with the truth

How truth is rejected - in 3 short scenes.

Scene 1: It is read publically in the temple. Macaiah understands the significance of the prophecy and reports it to his father, an official.

Scene 2: It is read to the officials. The officials are disturbed as they hear the message - they become afraid and so they take it to the king.

Scene 3: It is read to the king. Jehoiakim openly rejects it. It is read in sections and as each section is finished, he cuts it off and carefully and deliberately drops it into the nearby fire. Not an angrily or impulsively, but slowly and deliberately and listening to the whole thing. Ignoring the pleas of his wiser officials. And with no apparent understanding of the significance of what he has just done.

But he sufficiently annoyed to order the arrest of Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch.

Truth is under attack today - in a variety of ways. Often it is relativised. Absolutes are denied.

A Christian girl was advised by her counselor to sleep with her boyfriend. When she objected to this prescription, her counselor said: "If it is functionally helpful, it is legitimate."

The reality is, however, that truth liberates. Freedom is only found in the environment for which we were intended. We need truth to survive, like a fish needs water. A fish finds freedom not in jumping out of a bowl into air, but in discovering a more water. We find freedom not in abandoning truth but in the embodiment of truth: Jesus.

v27-32 Truth stands forever.

It will be fulfilled. v30 The king who threw out God's word will himself be thrown out.

Isaiah 55:10-11 declares that God's word will accomplish its purpose. Every time.

Jonathan told of a friend of his who he had witnessed to at school over a period of years and seemed to get nowhere. They split up and went to different universities and, in the first week of Uni, this guy went to the Christian Union and was saved.

It will last v28,32 Jeremiah prepares another scroll.

Isaiah 40:6,8 "The word of our God stands forever."

This second scroll shows the pathetic futility of Jehoiakim's rejection of God's word. He merely sealed his own destruction.

No matter what opposition his word faces, God is sovereign.

We are, like Luther, to "throw the bible into the congregation." Expose them to the truth.

We finished by singing "Stand up, stand up for Jesus."

LW08 - Evening 2 - The Foundations of Christian Hope

2008-06-19T17:21:00Z

2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10

Michael Herbert (Cosham Baptist) introduced as usual, with a series of hymns: "Praise my soul the King of Heaven" (a modified, explicitly trinitarian version), "You're the word of God the Father," "Jesus, Hope of the Nations," "From the Breaking of the Dawn" and "Lord, I come before your Throne of Grace."

Jonathan kicked off with a chinese proverb: "To prophesy is extremely difficult - especially if you want to prophesy with regard to the future."

Most contemporary prophecy is pessimistic: commentators expect increasingly severe environmental and economic problems ahead.

Yet the more uncertain the times, the more we want to know the future. Recent article about young business people in Manhattan visiting a psychic. "Psychics are better than friends because they can tell you where you're going and give you hope for the future" one young businesswoman was quoted as saying.

Our generation is the first in over a hundred years to have lower hopes than our parents.

One common response is to fall into short-term hedonism - living for the weekend.

Hope shapes the present. Christian hope is not a fanciful hope as in "I hope I'll pass my exams" or "I hope the preacher won't go on to long this evening" - such hopes come with no guarantees of being true. It is based on what God has already done, which verifies and authenticates the promises he has made.

The more clearly we see the future, the more deliberately we can live now.

v16-18 Living in two worlds - 3 contrasts

v16 Outward decline and inward renewal. Living in this world while participating in the world to come. Our bodies inevitably decay, but our appreciation of the future should grow. We experience this world while anticipating the world to come.

v17 Present trouble and future glory. All our suffering is light and momentary when compared with weight of eternal glory.

Like climbing a mountain - struggling and wanting to give up - but knowing the vista at the top is worth effort.

We often speak of someone who has been ill as being a shadow of their former selves. We are now a shadow of our future selves.

v18 The seen and the unseen. Two ways to looking. Some believe that all religions are mocked by the hard white smile of the skull - that the immediately visible is all there is and therefore all that matters. Troubles, however, help us see the transient nature of this age.

The contrast here is not physical vs. spiritual - it is present vs. future.

At John Stott's 80th birthday party, someone quipped that is is hard to get someone a present at 80 because, by the time they are 80, most people have everything they need. Uncle John, on the other hand, has nothing. And we don't want to spoil that. He has invested in the age to come.

5:1-5 Anticipating the future

v1 What will it be like then? 'We know ... an eternal house in heaven.' v1 'Mortality swallowed up by life' v4.

Paul speaks as a tent maker who spent significant portions of his life travelling to spread the gospel. He looked forward to the day when he would pack his flimsy tent up for the last time and move into his the permanent house his Heavenly Father had prepared for him.

He has a robust vision of heaven - it's a solid house, not an ethereal experience wearing celestial negligee and hanging out on a cloud.

Death and decay will be overcome; life will consume them.

vv2,4 What do we feel now? We groan (cf Romans 8:19-23). We experience an inevitable restlessness and tension.

v5 How can we be sure? 1. God had this in mind all along. This is not a new plan, nor is it Plan B. God always intended it to end up this way.

2. God has given us a sign. The Holy Spirit is the first installment of what we will receive in the age to come. Like the way they used to serve coffee on British Rail trains in the dining car: the first waiter would give you the milk and sugar - an indication that the coffee was on its way.

Can be easy to talk glibly about this until it is staring us in the face. We must consider this deeply and soberly so that the experience does not catch us off guard.

v6-10 On our way home

Visions of the future are often given to those facing particular difficulty - like Jeremiah, Daniel, and the Apostle John on Patmos.

v7 We live by faith. We don't see Jesus, but we know his presence and we trust God more than we trust ourselves.

v9 We live to please him. This goal must reign supreme above every other ambition: we will see him. It is vital that we live in anticipation of that day.

We live in the light of eternity. We must see our life as it is: the prelude, the backstory, for eternity. Ironically, this actually makes life now more significant - it means our lives are more than a vapour that is forgotten. What we do now matters - our stewardship will be judged.

We should live with our eyes on the horizon and our boots on our feet.

The final hymn was "There is a higher throne."

LW08 - Minister's Talk - Integrity in Christian Ministry

2008-06-19T16:01:00Z

Paul Moore (St Wilfrid's) introduced briefly.

Jonathan spoke from the 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12.

He introduced the topic by describing the problems he has with their digital TV set. Apparently A/V sync is a relatively common problem: mouths flapping, but not corresponding to the words being heard. A lack of coherence that makes it hard to take someone seriously.

To lack coherence between what we say and what we do is to lack integrity. Just as buildings are inspected for structural integrity to ensure that all the parts are in good repair and fitting together well, so we need to examine our lives.

There is a consistent link in the NT between holiness & mission, between godliness & ministry.

So what do we do?

1. The Gospel must be embodied

1:5 Effective communication. We communicated more than just information - it came with conviction and power. They modeled what they preached.

God's word, accompanied by the power of the spirit and embodied by the minister makes for a powerful combination.

A prophet is not God's postman who simply delivers God's message - he must embody it.

2:6-8 Compassionate Identification. Paul not only shared the gospel message with the Thessalonians, but he shared his life as well. Sharing the gospel may be getting harder, but sacrificially sharing your life is harder still.

It is not from a pulpit but a cross that power-filled words are spoken: sermons need to be seen as well as heard.

2. The Preacher must be approved

2v4 Entrusted by God. Implies testing - a continual cycle of testing and further being entrusted. Just as Paul's passion for sharing the gospel flowed from a deep sense of his calling, so the burden of trust we have received should impel us.

2v4-6 Pleasing God. 'as you know' v5, 'God is our witness' v5, 'you are witnesses and so is God' v10. Our sole ambition is God's pleasure. Here criticism is our friend - because it reveals the true state of our hearts. Success in ministry to easily breeds pride as an artificial motivational-substitute.

[In its early stages] pride looks and feels like energetic commitment, sacrificial zeal, selfless devotion. -- Eugene Peterson

If our motivation for ministry is pride, we will be exhausted if we try to live two lives - we have a constant need for God's strength.

Ministry must be modeled

A godly example 2:10-12 Paul declares that his behaviour was holy, righteous and blameless among them. cf 2 Corinthians 6:3 - He did his utmost to ensure that nothing he did caused them harm; caused them to doubt the truth of the gospel.

Christian character is as much taught as caught.

Jonathan gave the example of a treasurer at the church he attended as a small boy who was found to have embezzeled significant amounts of money over a period of several years. It was shocking and extremely disturbing for the church. (He went on to discuss how it had been handled in a godly way, the man had repented and demonstrated his sincerity over many subsequent years in humble service).

Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity. (2 Tim 2:19). Paul's faithful conduct made the gospel seem more credible - and he pushed others to follow his example.

Richard Baxter, the puritan who wrote the Reformd Pastor, declared that we must study as hard to live well as to preach well.

He quoted a survey which indicated that the No.1 reason for boys abandoning church during their teenage years is seeing a disconnect between their father's conduct in church and conduct at home.

There is a ripple effect:

v5 the gospel came to you

v6 you welcomed the message

v8 it rang out from you everywhere

v6 you became imitators of us

v6 you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia

Reflection

Ministers need to:

Look out: Keep watch. Are we exhibiting signs of spiritual decline?

Find help: Support networks. How do we care for one another? How do we avoid isolation? How do we pursue accountability?

Keep learning: Stay humble. Keep seeking to understand the scriptures more deeply and clearly. How do we avoid acting as though we've reached a spiritual plateau?

LW08 Photos (Wednesday Evening)

2008-06-18T22:25:00Z

Michael Herbert introducing

Convention Chairman Paul Moore & Speaker Jonathan Lamb

The wednesday night band & stage area

The convention delegates

Jonathan Lamb preaching

Jonathan Lamb continuing to preach

LW08 - Morning 2 - Torn apart : faith and doubt

2008-06-18T17:27:00Z

Jeremiah 20:7-18

The wednesday morning session was introduced by Mark Seager (Paulsgrove Bapist). We sang "When we walk with the Lord" and then I read the scripture.

Jonathan introduced this difficult passage by telling us about a conversation a friend of his who is a pastor in London. This man had many years experience as a Christian - but had recently been involved pastoring a young couple whose 4 year old daughter had a serious illness which eventually proved fatal. And he described how this trauma brought in its wake a wave of doubt; questioning things he had been certain of for half a century.

Only blind faith is invulnerable to doubt. And there is no merit in blind faith. A schoolboy definition of faith goes: "faith is believing something you know aint true" - a similar definition is taken by the so-called "New Atheists."

He spoke of students who had tried assiduously to keep the studied discipline completely separate from their faith - lest their faith be threatened.

Biblical faith does not recognise these options. We are encouraged to ask impossible questions. To wrestle with them. Habakkuk starts his prophecy with questions and ends with worship. A christian who claims to have no doubts should be treated with the same degree of skepticism as a husband who claims never to have arguments with his wife.

If we try to live consistently and allow our faith to inform our lives there will inevitably come a seemingly inexplicable problem which confronts and threatens our faith. Nevertheless we should distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Only a believer can doubt - doubt is the questioning of an already held belief.

Jeremiah's doubt: Faith in two minds

v7,8,10 He felt isolated. "I am ridiculed all day long: everyone mocks me." He had just received a humiliating and painful punishment in the stocks. He was nicknamed "Terror on every side" - a phrase that often cropped up in his prophecies. He was somewhat paranoid fearing a whispering campaign against him.

Isolation is demoralising and often leads to doubt. And yet it's common. Being the only Christian in your workplace. Or in your family.

v7 He felt betrayed. God had given him prophecies but had yet to make good on them. Jeremiah was looking increasingly like a false prophet as the doom he predicted didn't take place. He felt as though he'd been sent out on false pretenses.

v14-18 He felt depressed. He ends the chapter despairing to the point of being suicidal. "I would rather have been aborted than live the life I have" is the essence of his message. The incredibly graphic language describes the way he feels, rather than being specific curses.

But he is not alone in this depression. Elijah, after the showdown with the prophets of Baal in which both he and God were vindicated, pleaded with God to take his life.

Battered emotions can produce a crop of doubt more devastating than an atheists hardest questions.

An then there was another prophet, alone crying out "My God! my God! Why have you forsaken me?" from a cross against a darkening sky...

Jeremiah's faith: talking straight with God

He was totally honest. "We need not attempt to bottle it up because God invites us to pour it out." -- John Goldingay

There is no point or room for pretense with God. "Unreality towards God is the wasting disease of much modern Christianity" -- Jim Packer

This honesty is not merely emotional catharsis: it is an adult and appropriate way to deal with issues in a trusting relationship.

v9 He felt compelled to speak. "His word is like a fire. I am weary of holding it in; I cannot." Going on is hard, but not going on is impossible. This works because true faith is not something we conjure up, but a gift of God. Irresistible grace. It is there - and in times of doubt we can experience the strength of God's grip on us as our grip on him seems to weaken.

v11-13 He was sure of God's presence and power. "The Lord is on my side like a mighty warrior." God was there and Jeremiah was confident of rescue.

When they are in Doubting Castle in Pilgrim's Progress, Hopeful reassures the doubting Pilgrim by reminding him of the great things that he was already seen accomplished.

We can look back at the cross and consider what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us on our behalf. We may not understand what we are experiencing and it may not fit neatly into a box, but the cross assures us that it is not God's indifference or abandonment.

"faith ... is the art of holding on to something your reason has once accepted in spite of your change of moods" -- C. S. Lewis

He spoke of a family he knows where the father is suffering from cancer. His latest prayer letter was characteristically upbeat - asking for prayer that they would not spend time looking inwards so much as upwards.

We need, as Martin Lloyd-Jones put it, to spend more time speaking to ourselves than listening to ourselves.

This is not false comfort, nor a cheap hallelujah - a dark night of the soul can be used to build a stronger, more adult, godliness.

It is not so much great faith we need as faith in a great God." -- Hudson Taylor.

We closed by singing "I know not why God's wondrous grace"

LW08 - Evening 1 - The Costs of Christian Service

2008-06-18T17:25:00Z

2 Corinthians 4:1-15

Michael Herbert (Cosham Baptist) is, as usual, introducing the evening sessions. Unless I missed a hymn as we were arriving, we started with “O for a thousand tongues” followed by “In Christ alone,” “How sweet the name of Jesus sounds” and “Oh to see the dawn (The Power of the cross).” Then the reading (2 Cor 4:1-15) and a final hymn (“Who is there like you?”). Where would we be without Church of Christ the King, Brighton?

Jonathan Lamb led off with a brief description of Langham Partnership International – describing how the global face of Christianity has changed in the last 50/60 years from being 75% in the northern hemisphere in 1950, to the opposite situation today where 75-80% of the world's Christians live in Africa, Asia or Latin America. Langham Partnership works in partnership with churches in these countries to help train leaders and equip the church. Jonathan is particularly involved in Langham Preaching – training bible teachers and preachers in universities, seminaries and churches.

Jonathan started by telling the story of a student he was interviewing with regard to a post working full time for a Christian ministry in Europe. Having determined that the student in question was a Christian, he asked him why he wanted the post. The students response was twofold: he wanted financial security and he wanted to travel Europe.

No-one reading Jeremiah or Paul would come to the conclusion that Christian ministry is pleasant, safe or fulfilling. The call of Christ is exceedingly costly. 20 churches closed in Algiers this year, due to persecution. Village in Indonesia attacked, 3 churches destroyed, 4 christians tortured and then murdered, 56 injured. Bishop murdered recently in Iraq. An apparent conspiracy of silence in Turkey meeting the team investigating the recent murder of 3 christians.

Paul's ministry is built upon a basic paradox: one which – humanly speaking – seems absurd, yet makes sense of both the gospel and of our service. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Just as God's power is seen in the apparent weakness of Jesus on the cross, so his power is displayed through our weakness in serving him: Christians are like teabags – their true strength is only drawn out in hot water.

v1-6 Ministry priorities

v1 Responsibility. We have this ministry by God's mercy. The perennial challenge faced by christians is discouragement; Paul served because he had been called. We serve not out of a subjective sense of our own ability, but because we have a God-appointed task to perform.

v2 Integrity. We renounce underhanded methods. Every aspect of ministry is to be above board - open & transparent. There is no spin; no manipulating the message to be different according to the audience. Our lives should help validate the message.

v3,4 Realism. We should not be under any illusions about the difficulty of the task: many people will simply ignore the message of the gospel. Paul was fully aware of the reality of spiritual warfare: he was neither obsessed by it, not arrogantly dismissive.

v5 Faithfulness. Ministry is not an ego trip - we proclaim Christ. We don't promote ourselves. Nothing is allowed to undermine this message: we lift up Christ because it is only through Christ that we know the glory of God. Faithlessness == fruitlessness - because the we rely on the power of God which operates through our weakness.

v7-12 Ministry experience

v7-9 Weakness & Power. Jars of clay could be a reference to an earthenware lamp where light shines through the cracks; might be a cheap container holding the spoils from a military campaign. Who knows? The significant point is the contrast between the relatively insignificant container and magnificent treasure within. The purpose: to emphasize the divine origin of the power.

v8-9 Series of greek word plays: cf. ice cream van slogan "Often licked, never beaten." Or "Hemmed in but not hamstrung."

Quote: Betsie Ten Boom in Ravensbrück Concentration Camp: "We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still"

v10-12 Union with Christ. A church is a community centred around Christ. A christian is a person united with Christ. We willingly identify with and carry the death of Jesus in our bodies in order that the life might show as well. Particular identification with Jesus on earth emphasised by the repeated use of his name.

We ought to be suspicious of any model of christianity which does not display this weakness.

Ministry implications

v13 It is worth preaching the gospel. cf Psalm 116, also written by someone who had apparently had a near death experience. The hardship and suffering makes preaching the gospel seem all the more important. We must continue to preach the gospel as long as we hope in the gospel.

v14 It is heading somewhere. Both our suffering and ministry has direction and purpose - just as Jesus who suffered & was raised. The hope of the resurrection is key.

v15 It is all for God's glory. All these struggles that Paul (and we face) are ok - because God's people benefit and God is glorified.

Ripple effect: God's grace impacts more people ... God's people rejoice in his victories ... God's glory is the eventual goal.

He closed by telling us of Graham Staines - a missionary in Northern India who was in his landrover with his two sons outside their church when they were attacked by a mob of hindu extremists who set the car on fire. All three died. Gladys, his widow, declared to press that gathered that she was deeply upset, but not angry, for Jesus taught us how to love our enemies. It was a message that the press relayed across India.

Seeing the way the gospel has spread in the years since that incident, it seems that the testimony of one middle-aged widow did more for the cause of the gospel of Christ than the millions of dollars worth of slick Christian television.

The meeting closed with the hymn: "When I survey."

LW08 - Morning 1 - Responding To God's Call

2008-06-17T17:59:00Z

Jeremiah 1

The Living Word Bible Convention is back for another year, with Jonathan Lamb as this year's speaker. The morning session was sparsely attended - like my father's hair it was almost all grey and thinly spread.

Paul Moore (of St Wilfrid's, Cowplain), the chairman, introduced the session. We sang "To God be the Glory," accompanied by Adrian on the Piano, and then Mark Seager (Paulsgrove Baptist read the scripture, Jeremiah 1).

Here are my notes:

Jonathan started by talking about a pastor he'd met recently named Josef Bondarenko, who he'd prayed for years earlier. Josef suffered under communist persecution of Christians and spent time labour camps in Siberia. (He also mentions Josef in "Integrity: Leading with God watching", p110). Yet despite substantial persecution, Josef remained passionate about serving God and spreading the gospel - much like Paul, much like Jeremiah. Jeremiah is the 2 Corinthians of the Old Testament - ministry under difficult circumstances.

v1-5 The Lord's Call

v1-3 Jeremiah outlines the prevailing crisis. The background is politically uncertain - balance of world power was shifting as the Assyrian empire began to totter. As v3 points out, it ends in captivity for God's people. Jeremiah mentions 4 of the 6 kings whose reigns intersected his ministry - all died in unusual circumstances. It was a time of moral and spiritual turmoil - a situation which resonates strongly with Britain today.

Josiah is mentioned - a good king whose best efforts were not enough to prevent the decay that had set in.

v4-5 God summons Jeremiah. It's a vital experience that colours his subsequent ministry. Not a romantic experience - it's a summons not an invitation. Magnificent and uplifting, but produces more panic than glee.

3 assurances given: 1. I knew you... I shaped you. "knew" implies more than just awareness - God was committed to using Jeremiah. It's the knowledge of relationship. God has designed Jeremiah for the task he is giving him.

2. I have set you apart, consecrated you. Jeremiah was specially chosen for his mission.

3. I have appointed you. He has been givein a global ministry that reflects God's sovereignty over the whole earth.

The greater the turmoil, the greater the need to hear God's word.

v6-9 The Lord's Response

v6 Call. God's call comes, typically, when it's not expected. Jeremiah assumes that God's made a mistake - Jeremiah doesn't have the requisite facial hair to be a prophet! He wishes for a prolonged period of childhood without carrying the burdens of his people on his shoulders. This sense of weakness/inadequacy is an essential pre-requisite for christian service.

v7-9 God's answer. I send you ... I command you ... I am with you.

v9 I will deliver you. This assurance stays with Jeremiah - and even though severe doubts plague him throughout his ministry, God ultimately proves faithful.

v9 I have put my words in your mouth. A promise of authority - an authority not in Jeremiah himself, but that is derived form the fact that Jeremiah proclaims God's words. (The locus of authority being in the word rather than the person is reassuring - the messenger can be killed, but the words cannot be unspoken). The centre of power - God - remains unchanged.

v10-16 The Lord's Message

v10 Strong message of judgment, combined with a message of hope.

Jeremiah has been described as the life and soul of the funeral.

2 mini visions:

v11-12 the almond branch - one of the first trees to blossom; a sign that spring is on it's way. God is ready, he will deliver on his promises.

v13 cauldron facing away from the north - God's judgment is delayed - but only for a limited period of time.

They may be God's people, but that doesn't mean they have diplomatic immunity.

Jeremiah faithfully relays this message of judgment - with tears and weeping. There is no place for smugness when warning of God's judgment.

v17-19 The Lord's Resources

Jeremiah has a similar message to Paul, who was told "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Jeremiah will be like a fortified city, an iron pillar, a bronze wall. He will face opposition. He will experience loneliness. But the attacks on him will ultimately fail.

The guarantee is not that God will stop the fighter, but that he will stand by the fighter. -- Derek Kidner

The defining factor in Jeremiah's "success" will be the faithfulness that is possible when God is present.

If we want to serve, we need to hear the promises God made to Jeremiah - that he will be alongside us in our weakness.

The session closed with the hymn: "I the Lord of sea and sky".

Living Word 2008 & 2007 MP3s

2008-06-17T11:47:00Z

The Living Word 2008 Bible Convention started today - the theme: "Reality Check", the speaker: Jonathan Lamb, Director of Langham Preaching.

I'll try to write up the sessions as they take place - but in the meantime, I noticed that they have MP3s from last year available on the convention website.