How to tell if someone is a Christian?

I came across this video on YouTube, which features seven people who claim to be Christians in conversation.

The point is that only six are professing Christians and one is an atheist masquerading as a Christian. Through questions, the participants try to guess who is the imposter and vote them out. It is an interesting exercise.

Personally, I have some doubts about the credibility of some of the others who claim to be Christians as well, but that's beside the point.

Of more interest is to ask, how would we try to determine if somone claiming to be a Christian is genuine?

I don't think the questions asked in the video were very good. No one seemed to ask or talk about God at all. No one mentioned Jesus or the Holy Spirit. No one referred to prayer or Bible reading. At least not in the edited version we see in the video.

These are the kind of questions I would probably ask in this scenario:

• What led you to become a Christian?
• What kind of church do you attend?
• What Bible translation do you mostly read?
• What's your favourite Bible verse?
• What's your favourite hymn or worship song?
• Do you serve in any capacity at your church?

Of course, someone deliberately setting out to deceive could probably come up with answers to these, so who knows. In my experience, most Christians are very willing to accept someone's profession of faith as genuine.

More important than our personal "tests" is to see what the Bible says about what makes a Christian. Some relevant verses are the following:

• A Christian is someone who has been born again by the Holy Spirit. The phrase "born-again Christian" is a redundancy. See John 3:3-8.
• A Christian is someone who has faith in Jesus to save them. See Acts 16:30-31, John 3:16
  
• A Christian is someone who seeks to follow Jesus in obedience to his teachings. See 1 John 2:3-6.
• A Christian is someone who confesses that Jesus is Lord and believes that God raised him from the dead. See Romans 10:9
• A Christian is someone who seeks to turn away (repent) of their sins. See Matthew 3:2, Mark 1:15, Acts 2:38, 2 Peter 3:9.

The folk in this video seem to associate being a Christian with going to church and maybe having some kind of spiritual experience. I was quite shocked that none of them mentioned a personal relationship with Jesus or God the Father or the Holy Spirit.

Year's End

 

As we reach the end of 2023, many of us will reflect on the year gone by and look forward to the year ahead. This is a good time of year to consider your own walk with God. 

In my tradition, among other things, church membership vows include how we should give a "fitting proportion of time, talents and money" to the church's work in the world. At the end of 2023, maybe we should all take stock on how we did on this and how we might do better in 2024. For each one, this is a personal thing between them and God, but is always worth reviewing at least once a year and the start of a new year is a convenient time to do it.

We might also consider what sins we need to better "put to death" and what good works God is leading us to do.

All of us can surely do better. Almost all of us could use our time better to read God's word and pray for example. But maybe most important of all is to remember that we who believe in Him already have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Perhaps our biggest challenge is to live in that truth and let it guide us out of contentment and thanksgiving, not out of guilt.

We pray for a holy and blessed new year for all our readers in 2024.

What does it mean to be a Disciple of Jesus?

Christians—those who believe in Jesus Christ—are called not only to be believers but disciples of Jesus. Jesus commanded:"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19, NIV). We have a responsibility not only to reach out to others, but to be discipled ourselves. The question is: What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ?

To answer this, the first question is what is a "disciple"? A disciple who follows and lives by the teachings of another, a teacher. A disciple is someone who studies under another, who learns from another, and who seeks to live by the teachings of the one from whom they have learned. It should be emphasised that a disciple is more than a student who gains mental knowledge or insight. There is a practical element to being a disciple or follower. Our word "apprentice" is close to the meaning of disciple. Like an apprentice, the disciple seeks to learn in order to live according to the teacher's insights and wisdom. Yet beyond this, the disciple also has the aim of reaching a position where they can themselves pass on the teacher's knowledge and insights to others.

A Christian disciple, or follower of Jesus Christ, is therefore someone who seeks to get to know Jesus, learn from him, put his teaching into practice, and help spread his message others so that they too will become disciples.

The Bible teaches that this whole process is beyond the ability of human beings by nature. From beginning to end, becoming a Christian, obeying Christ, and spreading the good news about Christ is not something we can do for ourselves. Saving faith itself is a gift from God (Ephesisans 2:8-9) and every part of our lives as Christians depends on the Holy Spirit who comes to reside in us when we come to faith.

Yet the Bible also teaches that there are things God expects us to do as Christians and though we need the Holy Spirit to give us the power to do them, God does not do them for us. The tasks are still for us to do.

Some of the things expected of Christian disciples include the following, though a comprehensive list would require us to read the whole of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments (see Matthew 5:17-20, 2 Timothy 3:16).

1. Learning the truth about Jesus and His Work

We cannot be followers of Jesus Christ without getting to know the truth about who Jesus is and what he has accomplished for us.

2. Getting to Know Jesus

However, being a Christian is more than learning stuff about Jesus. It means getting to know Jesus personally for ourselves. We do this by reading the Bible, prayer, reflection on the Bible and meditation in which we spend time with Jesus.

3. Putting Jesus First—Jesus is Lord

A Christian confesses that Jesus is Lord, which means among other things, that Jesus comes first in life. The direction of our life is set with reference to Jesus Christ and the way he wants us to live.

4. Obeying Christ 

Jesus said to his disciples: "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). A key part of being a Christian disciple therefore consists in obeying Christ's teachings, living the way Jesus taught us to live. These teachings are found not only in the four Gospels of the New Testament, but in the letters of the New Testament where Christ's apostles continue Christ's teachings.

5. Doing Good

Christ calls on his disciples to do good works (see Ephesians 2:10), which he sometimes called "bearing good fruit" (John 15:5-8).

6. Being People of Love

Christ taught that the two greatest commandments are to love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. We are, above all, to be people of love.

7. Prayer and Worship

Jesus prayed all the time and expects those who follow him to also be people of prayer. He lived in close communion with God. Christians must therefore be people devoted to the worship of God.

8. Evangelism

As we have already seen, Christ commands us to go and make more disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). Therefore, as well as living as Christ's followers ourselves, we are also called to seek to reach others with Christ's message so that they too can be saved and become disciples themselves. 

Why our churches should have small groups (Part Three)

We have already looked, in the first and second parts, at the reasons for having small groups in church. In this third and final part of my series on small groups, I just wanted to share some of my personal reflections and experiences of small groups.

In the church where I grew up and worshipped for most of my life, there were no small groups at all. The congregation was around 90-100 people, mainly elderly, and there was a midweek Bible study and prayer meeting led by the minister where about about 6-10 people attended regularly. However this group met in a church hall, not in anyone's home, and to be honest there was little time given to fellowship and almost no sense that had to look after, pastor, or share our lives with each other. We studied the Bible in a question-and-answer format, we prayed together, we went home.

I have to say this left me initially sceptical about having small groups. I didn't really see the point of them and I was not enthusiastic about them in any way. I thought a small group would simply be the same as the church Bible study but transported into a living room with more comfortable seats! I think it's important to know that's the background to the rest of what I'm about to say.

When I started going out with Laura, I went along to the small group she belonged to in another church and though I found it strange to begin with, once I began to experience a small group I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of a meeting in the comfort of someone's living room (apart from anything else the chairs we used to sit on for my old church's Bible study were pretty uncomfortable).

Immediately I realised that most of my negative preconceptions about small groups were actually prejudices and I began a serious re-think about how small groups might actually be a blessing and a benefit in a church. I changed from being a sceptic to being convinced I wanted to be in a church that had small groups.

One of the biggest decisions we had to make after getting married was which church we would go to as a newly married couple. After a lot of discussion and prayerful reflection, we ended up both leaving our former churches and joining our present church, which although it didn't have many small groups, it did have a few and we have been going along to our group for about ten years now.

In that time our small group has really been important to me and Laura, not just for the warm fellowship, kindness and and support we've received, but for the excellent Bible studies and times of prayer we've had there. Most of the material I listed in the first two parts of this series is my reflections on the benefits I've felt by being in a small group for the past three years.

My experience during these years of being part of a small group has only re-enforced my enthusiasm for small groups being a significant vehicle for Bible study, prayer, fellowship and pastoral support.

I would warmly encourage all churches to at the very least explore the small group model, to try it out if there are currently no small groups in your church, and if there are small groups, to encourage, promote and work for their development and growth. In doing so, I am positive many churches would be the better for it.

Why our churches should have small groups (Part Two)

In Part One we tried to define Christian small groups and began to explore some of the reasons why small groups in our churches should be regarded as a positive benefit. In this second Part we continue by looking at a number of other good reasons for having small groups.

Reason 7: Building One Another Up

In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, the apostle Paul instructs Christians as follows: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

One of the benefits of close fellowship is that it gives more opportunities to get alongside one another to give that personal word of encouragement or support to build another Christian up in their faith and walk with Jesus.

In many churches very little time is spent actually talking with each other. How often do we rush into the church, take our seats, sit without engaging with anyone around us other than to say a quick "Good morning" or "Good evening" and then head off after maybe another brief chat with one or two people at the end.

Even when we do have a longer conversation, how often do we actually communicate at a serious personal level where encouragement can be given? Not very often in my experience, but then I may be as guilty as anyone of failing in this.

The point is that small groups create relationships which are close and relaxed enough to actually do what Paul calls on Christians to do with each other.

Reason 8: Conducive to Bible Study

Small groups are very conducive to Bible study and to grappling with the message and challenges of Scripture. One of the things about studying the Bible together in small groups is that it allows group Bible study in an interactive, discussion-based learning atmosphere.

Traditional teaching in the church in a sermon or large group Bible study is essentially a monologue, more-or-less a lecture-based format where one speaker talks and the group or congregation listens. Although some modern teaching takes this traditional approach in schools, colleges and universities, the truth is that many teachers realise that this approach is not the only way to teach, and for some people, a more effective method of learning consists in dialogue and discussion rather than handing down knowledge from the pulpit or lectern. Anyone under 40 years of age is probably more familiar with a dialogue based learning approach, and many people nowadays find it difficult to imbibe knowledge from a long monologue.

Jesus' approach to teaching encompassed both sermons addressed to large gatherings (Matthew 5-7) and more intimate and interactive teaching sessions with his disciples (John 13-16) as well as people who wanted to question him and hear his answers (Mark 12).

It seems to me that our approaches to learning God's Word at the very least can and in all probability should include all of these kinds of teaching in our churches and I believe the teaching is enriched by having all methods going on together and complementing each other.

Reason 9: Aiding Growth to Christian Maturity

Many of the particular benefits in having small groups within our churches can be summarised in the general benefit of aiding growth towards spiritual maturity in the Christian life. As our knowledge of the Bible, prayer life, fellowship and so forth develops through involvement in a small group, so the overall aim of the Christian life - to grow and mature in Christ - is increased.

So, small groups help facilitate church growth not only in terms of numbers in evangelistic aims but in discipleship terms regarding Christian maturity.

Reason 10: Development of Future Leaders

A very practical and realistic benefit of small groups is in the training up and development of future leaders. Leading a small group gives an excellent opportunity for participants to "try their hand" at leading a Bible study, praying aloud, and so forth. It also allows group leaders to develop their talents in leadership, organisation, service, working with people, pastoral work, etc. as well as teaching and praying.

A leader in a small group may then have a better grounding and preparation for other work in the church whether in the eldership, ministry, mission field or in some other teaching or pastoral role within a congregation.

Reason 11: Flexibility

Having a number of small groups within a church provides a range of different nights and locations for Bible study, prayer and fellowship. Where a congregation has one large scale midweek meeting, inevitably this may not suit every member of the church due to work, family, other commitments, or for other personal reasons. Having only one meeting and few or no small groups is a kind of "all or nothing" approach, where, if a person cannot attend there is little or no opportunity to engage in these activities at all with others in the congregation.

Small groups meeting on different nights maximises the opportunity for members to take part in midweek Christian worship, Bible study, prayer and fellowship.

Another kind of flexibility is that small groups allow the level of teaching to be tailored better to where the group members are at in their Christian walk if this is considered desirable in certain circumstances by the church leadership.

Reason 12: The Biblical Example

Our final reason for having small groups within our churches is simple: small groups are a biblical practice!

To begin with, as we have already noted, Jesus himself met with his disciples in a small group setting. Although he would teach to larger gatherings, many times in the Gospels we find Jesus meeting privately with his disciples or sometimes other groups for more focused teaching and times of prayer or fellowship.

Secondly, the fact is that the apostolic churches founded in the New Testament were all essentially composed of small groups meeting in people's homes. For example if we read Romans 16, it is clear that though Paul was writing to the church in Rome, that church was itself made up of a number of different house churches that met in various houses in the city.

It seems as if the building blocks of the early church were small groups meeting in people's houses. The early church grew bottom up from small groups. Rather than breaking up a larger congregation into small groups, it looks as if the base unit was the small group, which linked together to form larger congregations in the various towns and cities of the Roman Empire which had churches. After all, the opportunities for large gatherings where small groups would get together were probably few and far between in apostolic times, especially once the church began to be persecuted and had to go "underground" during the reigns of Roman emperors like Nero.

This alone is enough to at least admit the validity of small groups in our present day churches. But more than simply acknowledging the validity of small groups, I believe when we look at all the points in their favour, we will actually want to encourage their introduction or support their development in our churches.

And if you are not already involved in a small group, perhaps the Lord is calling you to consider joining one, forming one or even leading one?

(Part Three of this series will follow soon with some personal reflections on my experience of small groups)

Why our churches should have small groups (Part One)

What is a small group?

As I'm using the term, a "small group" is group of between around 5 and 15 church members (many experts say 8-12 members is the optimal number), which meets regularly (usually either weekly or fortnightly), normally in the home of one or more of the group (it is possible for a group to meet elsewhere). The purpose of a small group is to develop, grow and encourage Christian discipleship and fellowship in its members. Most small groups also aim to grow to the point where they can split into two groups when enough there are too many people for one group. For some groups this growth may be from within the body of disciples within a congregation while other small groups have an evangelistic aim, to draw people from outside the church into the group and the church as new believers and new disciples.

The core activities of the group are usually Bible study, discussion, prayer and fellowship, though group activities are often flexible enough to include social and recreational activities from time to time.

A typical small group meeting would last anywhere from approximately 2 to 3 hours and may take the following pattern (though this is very flexible):

• Welcome and catching-up with people
• Refreshments or a meal
• Bible study/discussion
• Prayer time
• Final chats and goodbyes

Some groups will sometimes vary the usual pattern to spend extra time on one or two of these activities (e.g. an evening mostly devoted to prayer).

Perhaps three to six times a year, groups sometimes vary this typical pattern or meet at a different time and may have more varied activities such as:

• Watching an edifying film, documentary, discussion programme or debate and then using this as a basis for group discussion.
• Games nights
• Going on group outings such as the cinema, a concert or the theatre, going for a country walk, visiting a museum, going out for a meal together, etc.
• An evening of practical service to the larger congregation or community. This could be anything from DIY, cleaning or maintenance, through to evangelistic activities.

Why should our churches have small groups?

This is a very important question. Some people would argue that there is no need to have small groups within a congregation. Perhaps a few would even argue that small groups cause problems and should be avoided. These objections are not completely off the mark. It is possible for small groups to "go wrong" and cause problems, perhaps exposing members to false teaching, or leading to the formation of inward-looking cliques, or channelling energy away from other meetings or programmes in the congregation. Yet these problems are hardly unique to churches with small groups. The very same criticisms could accurately be levelled at churches with no small group structure in place at all!

More importantly, it simply does not follow that because something can be abused or done badly that it should not be done at all. If that were so, many a church's activities would have to be curtailed.

It is more objective to consider the advantages small groups can bring when done well. There are a number of points in favour of encouraging small groups within a church congregation, particularly if the congregation is larger than say 100 members (though this is hardly a baseline figure - small groups could give many of the following advantages even in smaller congregations).

Reason 1: Closer Relationships

Small groups are one of the best ways to help build closer relationships between members of a congregation. In the early church, believers shared their lives with each other in close fellowship (e.g. Acts 2:42). In large, modern congregations this is often difficult to achieve. Too often our churches are large groups of people who gather to hear a sermon, sing hymns and pray together, as if this were all that Jesus requires of the people of the Kingdom. Small groups of 6-12 people, particularly when meeting in the comfortable and familiar setting of members' homes, immediately create a more intimate atmosphere, and as the group meets and becomes more relaxed with each other so the Christian ideal of the church as the family-community of shared lives with God and with each other is more apt to flourish.

In a large church of over 200 members it is almost impossible to get to know everyone, and it is easy to just be an anonymous churchgoer and consumer of Bible teaching.

It has been pointed out that the number of inter-relationships in a group of people grows exponentially with the size of the group. With four people, A, B, C and D, there are no less than six interpersonal relationships: A-B, B-C, C-D, D-A, A-C, B-D. If we merely double that to a group of eight people, there are then no less than 28 interpersonal relationships possible and needing to be maintained if there is to be a "family dynamic" in the group. It is immediately apparent that in a church congregation of 100, 200, 300 or more people, it is simply impractical to maintain a close relationship between everyone in the many thousands of possible relationships that could potentially exist. As human beings we can only manage a certain number of close family-like relationships. We need smaller units of people to relate to. That is where small groups offer a tremendous advantage for encouraging close Christian fellowship.

Reason 2: Approachable to Outsiders

The days when most people attend a church even occasionally, such as for weddings, funerals and maybe a Christmas service are rapidly disappearing into history. For many people, especially among the under 30s, the church is an alien environment where people do strange, unfamiliar things like sing together, sit quietly or listen to an extended monologue from a speaker, and where much that goes on is not explained and hard to understand.

As we seek to reach others with the gospel against this background, small groups offer a great setting to meet, welcome and introduce enquirers to the Faith. The homely environment of someone's living room is much less "threatening" for many people than a church building, and a conversational discussion about the Bible is easier for many people to process than a half-hour sermon.

Many churches have found that small groups are an invaluable evangelistic tool that has led to significant growth in the congregation.

Reason 3: Pastoral Care

The idea being small groups is that they are more than a home Bible study or prayer group though they certainly are no less than that. By sharing their lives together, the members of a small group get to know each other closely, and get to know each others needs. Small groups can offer mutual pastoral support for the members.

The biblical model of pastoral support is not the minister doing everything. Neither is it the church elders or deacons doing all the pastoral work. The biblical model involves all members giving and receiving help as they are able and require it.

Small groups provide an excellent framework to enable the joy and privilege of ministering to other believers in practical ways.

Reason 4: Living Out the Faith

Pastoral care is only one way in which small groups can help facilitate the practical living out of the Christian faith, but there are many others. Many small groups work together to do evangelism, or charity fundraising, or be of practical service to the church or the local community.

The small group can provide a focal point that brings Christians together to live out their faith in ways that are difficult when Christians operate only on "solo missions" or where only the church as an amorphous whole is working but many individual members can get left behind.

Reason 5: Encouraging Prayer

One of the most important benefits that flow from the increased intimacy of a small group and the closeness of trust and fellowship between the members is that small groups create a comfortable atmosphere for prayer. For many Christians a Sunday service or even a larger prayer meeting does not allow either the time, the opportunity or the right atmosphere to share personal information and seek prayer support. A small group is in many respects a more natural environment to discuss our innermost needs.

Small groups can also prove effective in developing the prayer life of Christians who are not confident enough to pray aloud in a larger setting.

As well as praying for each other in the group, a good group leader will also make sure there is an outward aspect to the group's prayer life, praying for the wider needs of the church, the community and the world and will encourage all the members to participate in prayer.

Reason 6: Open and Honest Communication

One of the perceptions many people have of Christians and churches, rightly or wrongly, is that they are at best uncomfortable with questions and expressions of doubt or uncertainty and at worst judgmental of anyone who does not conform to the "official" line (whatever that is in each particular congregation).

By comparison, one of the strengths of a small group environment, is that it allows the development between members of a level of trust, support and mutual acceptance so that everyone can be completely honest about what they think and how they feel. Rather than closing down communication, the small group fosters openness and honesty. This is not only more healthy on a human level than any kind of repression of the truth, it is also more in line with how the Bible presents the openness and honesty of many of the heroes of the faith in their relationship even with God himself.

One of the wonderful things about salvation by grace through faith alone is that our acceptance with God is not dependent on us getting everything right in our beliefs or in our conduct. As has been said by Tom Wright and others, we are justified by believing in Christ, we are not justified by believing in justification by faith. According to the apostle Paul, this truth gives us a liberty of tremendous value that we should never fritter away.

In my view, when a small group gets to the point where the members realise they are accepted for who they are, not just by God but by the people in the room, even if they make mistakes, even if they don't get all the doctrines 100% accurate, then they are actually beginning to embody the very foundational truth which Luther and Calvin recognised lay at the very heart of the good news and was the doctrine by which the church stands or falls - that our acceptance is not based on anything in us, not even our doctrinal purity, but only, only, only on Christ and his redeeming work.

If that doesn't encourage us to be open and honest with each other, nothing will. The small group merely provides one of the most appropriate and fitting settings for it to take place.

(The second part of this paper will follow soon)

What's So Amazing About Grace

What's So Amazing About Grace
Philip Yancey
Zondervan 1997

I loved this book. I really loved this book. I suppose I am very late arriving at the party as the book is more than 15 years old and is now considered something of a modern classic. I can only say the reputation is well-deserved. Reading it was like a spiritual breath of fresh air.

The first thing to say is that the book is very easy to read. It is targeted at the average Christian; in fact at the average reader. Although it deals with the some of the most important of Christian truths it does so using not only language but a way of communicating that is both easy to grasp and very engaging for any reader. Rather than detailed exegesis of biblical texts or complex theological arguments, which let's face it can be off putting for people who are not theology geeks, Yancey mostly makes his points by telling a number of stories and anedotes. But then teaching by using parables has an impeccable Christian pedigree, doesn't it?

The main point Yancey makes is that grace - that most precious and uncontaminated of Christian concepts - ought to be at the very heart of the lives of individual Christians and of churches, but too often is missing. Grace is unmerited favour. Grace is treating people better than what they deserve. It is the attitude that God shows to sinners when he offers a saving relationship with them, and it is the attitude that Christians ought to show to others inside and outside the church. Yet it is often not there. So often Christians come across as narrow-minded, judgmental, moralistic and legalistic. Yancey uses the umbrella term "ungrace" to cover these kinds of attitudes.

Every church needs to think about its atttitudes and how it actually treats people. Just throwing the word "grace" around isn't enough. Just knowing the theological technicalities of salvation by grace is not enough. What's needed is the embodiment, the very incarnation of grace in people's lives. That is how Jesus lived. His life was the ultimate life of grace. It is what his followers are called to copy.

I can't see how any Christian would fail to benefit from reading this book. Go and get yourself a copy and be prepared to be encouraged and challenged in equal measure.

Looking at Yourself

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. (James 1:22-24)

I took a good break from blogging over the summer, partly on purpose, partly by necessity. Overall I enjoyed the summer very much, especially the time I spent with my wife and son and other family members. I had a great holiday on the Isle of Bute. I also had a couple of bad chest infections that put me into my bed and onto courses of antibiotics and having to use inhalers.

As well as these things going on, I've also felt this was a significant summer in my spiritual life as a Christian. 

One of the hardest things a person can do is take an honest look at themselves, especially when you look at yourself in the mirror of God's Word. I've always like those verses in the Epistle of James that talk about God's Word as a mirror in which we see ourselves as we really are.

It's not a comfortable thing to do. And it's probably not something that the Bible encourages us to do too often. Our "natural" position should be looking to Jesus and to those around us rather than looking inward. But it is healthy, I would suggest, to have a look at how you are doing spiritually every so often. When I do this, I always find it sobering. Even more so when the process is prompted by something someone else has said that make me really think.

This summer I've had to learn a hard lesson that sometimes I'm not as good at communicating clearly with people around me as I would have liked to think I was. I've had to go re-think some things and try to change how I approach conversations.

It's a slow and difficult to task to turn away from ingrained habits and ways of doing things - sometimes habits of a lifetime. It sometimes feels like turning around an oil tanker with a rather small rudder. But that's what the Bible means by "repentance" - it means turning around and doing things differently, even if the turning around isn't an instant 180 degree spin, but rather a slow turn towards the right direction. The important thing is the desire to change direction, not the speed of turn.

As we enter September, and in many churches programmes of activities begin again after a summer break, this is good time to have a spiritual checkup. How is your walk with God? How are things going with your friends and family? How are things looking in your church or fellowship? Is there anything God is calling on you to change in the days, weeks or months ahead?

William Barclay on the Importance of Games and Sport to Church Life

"In the new world, in which the time after work matters so much, the church must become the centre of the community. Of course, a church is a place where men praise and pray, but a church should be far more than that; the church should be the place to which men turn to find the satisfaction of every honest need in life. It is one of the great truths that the better we know a person the more deeply and truly we can worship with him. We can pray best with the man with whom we have played best. The man beside us in church should not be a holy stranger but a living friend."

– William Barclay, Ethics in a Permissive Society (1970)

Discipleship - Part 7

Introduction

Jesus said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23)
 
We now reach the penultimate post in our series on Christian discipleship. We are using David Watson's book Discipleship as our starting off point and guide for our thoughts on this subject. Today we reach the tenth chapter of Watson's book which deals with the kind of lifestyle a Christian disciple is called to follow. Watson calls this the simple lifestyle.

Simple Lifestyle

Watson begins the chapter by highlighting the shocking inequalities that exist between the rich and the poor in our world. It is difficult for people who live in Western Europe or North America to really grasp how well-off the vast majority of us are. Even the poor in our societies are comparatively rich compared to billions of people who live in truly abject poverty in Africa, Asia and South America. Watson's point is that if Christians and the church appear to line up on the side of the rich, it is difficult for the poor to take us seriously. This leads him to question how we live and encourage us to live much more simply in our lifestyle. Watson wrote this in the early 1980s, just before environmental concerns became a major political and lifestyle issue. But if anything the need to life sustainably and simply has only increased in the 30 years since Watson wrote his book.

It is crucial that we get our relationship with material possessions and money right. So much of the Bible and Jesus' teaching in particular focuses on this that it cannot be ignored by any Christian seeking to be faithful to his or her Lord. While Watson balances what he says by pointing out that neither poverty nor riches are to become idols for us, and that Jesus does not call his followers to a life of poverty as such, he does call us to a life of simple living.

What does a simple lifestyle look like? Well first and foremost, it is a life based on faith in God. It means we trust God to provide for us as we follow and obey his commandments. This is not a "let go and let God" mentality. We cannot abandon earning a living and "trust" that God will provide! No, God usually provides by giving us a job to earn money! (Of course, not everyone can work, and this is a separate discussion.) Second, a simple life is a life of integrity. This means we live honestly, that we are trustworthy in business, transparent in our lifestyle, and so on. Third, we are called to identify with the poor and those in need. We need compassion and dedication to keep an eye on our spending habits and be challenged to help others as much as we can. Fourth, our life will be characterised as one of love, that is agape love that is focused on the well-being of others.

These four elements: faith, integrity, identification with the poor, and love, are like tools that we need to shape and mould our lives into how Christ would want them to be. They are tools to make us more Christlike. The raw materials the tools work on are our time, our talents, our possessions and our money. The result will be a simple life that satisfies us far more than gaining the whole world of material possessions, that is a better witness to others, and a life of obedience that pleases God for it seeks first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.

Next time, we reach the end of this series by looking at the cost of discipleship and the encouragement we have in Christ to keep going as disciples.

Discipleship - Part 1

Introduction

Jesus said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it starkly when he said, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die."

I've been very focused on some quite heavy doctrines for a while (foreknowledge, predestination, divine sovereignty and human freedom, etc.) and I thought it would be good to look at something more practical for a change, so this is the first in a series of posts on the subject of Christian discipleship.

As my guide I'm using the book Discipleship by David Watson. The book was written in the early 1980s but it is still very relevant for today. It contains a great deal of spiritual wisdom and is deservedly known as a "Christian classic" though I think it is now out of print. I will be quoting, referring or alluding to Watson's book throughout this series and using its structure through the series of posts.

The Call to Discipleship

Watson's first chapter is about the fact that being a Christian is about being called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. He makes a number of interesting points about this and breaks it down into a subheadings.

1. We are called by Jesus. In Bible times, people would choose the Rabbi they wanted to follow and be a disciple of themselves. But with Jesus it is different. He chooses his disciples. Christ chooses his followers himself. At one point he said this to the disciples explicitly: "You did not choose me, but I chose you." The early part of the Gospels shows Jesus choosing the Twelve disciples.

2. We are called to Jesus. Even more remarkable than Jesus reversing normal practice by choosing his own disciples is what he called them to - namely to himself. It was normal for a rabbi's disciples to follow his teaching or even imitate his lifestyle. Certainly we do this as Christians, but incredibly Jesus' primary call is not to his teaching or his way of life but to a living relationship with himself.

As Watson says: "Everything centres round him. Discipleship means knowing him, loving him, believing in him, being committed to him." (p.23)

3. We are called to obey. Following Christ means paying the closest attention to what he says. It means doing what he wants, going where he leads, and putting our loyalty to him above all else. It also means that we learn to accept that his plan and his will for our lives is always the best for us.

4. We are called to serve. One of the most important ways we can obey Jesus is by living a life of service to others. Just as Christ served others so he calls us and sends us to serve and help others too. This is one of the most important acts of obedience to Christ we can do. Yet serving others should never be seen as an alternative to worshipping and serving God. Rather it flows out of our relationship with God. The paradox is that the more truly God-centred we are, the more we are other-people focused as well.

5. We are called to a simple life. A radical commitment to Jesus will affect every aspect of our lives, not least how we use our money and our possessions. In this respect, Christ seems to call his disciples to "live lightly" and focus their attention not on earthly treasure but in heavenly treasure. This will mean that we will see our money as a tool to be used wisely, to help and support others and to advance God's kingdom, as well as to look after the needs of ourselves, our families and our friends.

6. We are called to suffer. To become a Christian is to enlist in an army at spiritual war with the world. It is a life where the world will oppose us, misunderstand us, ridicule us and possibly mistreat us. Persecution is not something that should be unexpected, but rather anticipated. Being a Christian disciple is no easy life. It is not something to be entered into lightly or flippantly. There are serious consequences to naming Christ as Lord and Saviour. It is not for nothing that Christ exhorts his followers to "take up their cross daily" when they follow him.

7. We are called irrespective of Qualifications. The normal practice among rabbis was to only allow people they could vouch were spiritually clean or righteous. Christ turned this practice upside down. He proclaimed his mission was not for "the righteous" but for "sinners" and justified this by saying that it was not the healthy but the sick who need a doctor. Christ invites and welcomes everyone without exception to be one of his followers. All he asks is that they trust and follow him.

In the next part we will look at how disciples are brought into the family of God and called to live in community with each other (which are the subjects of chapters two and three of Watson's book).

Facebook

I enjoy using Facebook. I find it a useful way of keeping in touch with people I know. But I thought this piece by Tim Chester was interesting and a call to "keep it real" with people: http://timchester.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/will-you-be-my-facebook-friend-part-3/

Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places

Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places
Eugene Peterson
Eerdmans/Hodder & Stoughton 2005

Eugene Peterson's book is difficult to categorise, but I found it very interesting, challenging and thought-provoking.

The book's subtitle is "A Conversation in Spiritual Theology" which captures some of the strengths and weaknesses of the book. It is a conversation. It meanders through its subjects and is light in places where more weight was needed in argument. In other places it sparkles and glints with biblical truth.

The title comes from one of the remarkable poems by the English Jesuit poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins: "Christ plays in ten thousand places / Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his / To the Father through the features of men's faces." I take this to mean that through and in our union with Christ as Christians, he acts through us and we act in him in all we do, so that when the Father looks on us, he sees Christ.

This sums up what I think Peterson was trying to achieve in this book. He wants us to realise that Christ is Lord of every part of life and as Christians living in union with him, all of life is transformed and made special. As we realise this, so our lives are energised, beautified and sanctified.

The main part of the books consists of three sections entitled: "Christ plays in Creation," "Christ plays in History" and "Christ plays in Community." In them, Peterson deals with creation, salvation and the resurrection and the church respectively.

The book follows an unusual method, and contains some aspects that could be disputed or rejected by many evangelical Christians, but there is much more that is profitable. Overall, the book is well worth reading.

Christian Giving According to Paul

Adapted from a Bible Study on 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
 
Background and Reasons for the Collection in Corinth

At the beginning of chapter 8 it is clear that Paul changes subject from what he’s been talking about before and now begins to talk about one of the main reasons for writing 2 Corinthians. It has to do with a collection of money the Corinthians were supposed to gather for the relief of poor Christians in Judea, especially the city of Jerusalem. We know this because the collection is mentioned in Paul’s earlier correspondence in 1 Corinthians 16:1-3.

This collection that Paul was involved in organising seems to have been designed with three purposes in mind.

Firstly, it was to help relieve the suffering of fellow Christians. And that’s a worthy end in itself. It doesn’t need any other reason than that. As God’s people we need to show love and care for each other, not just in words, but in actions, including how we use our money, and even how we give our money directly or indirectly to one another.
 
But secondly, it was also in Paul’s mind an example of how all barriers of race and class are broken down when people enter into union with Jesus Christ. Those in need were the Jewish Christians in and around Jerusalem. The home church of the whole Christian movement – the church in Jerusalem where it all started was a poor and a persecuted church at this time. And Paul’s collection was being gathered from the predominantly Gentile churches of Asia Minor and Europe. For Paul the collection was a practical manifestation of the fact that the enmity between Jew and Gentile had been destroyed in Christ as he discusses fully in Ephesians 2.
 
Thirdly, for Paul it is clear that how the churches use their money is a kind of spiritual barometer for where they are at in their walk with God. Paul uses the Corinthian attitude to the collection as a way of seeing where the Corinthian church is at spiritually.

Eight Principles of Christian Giving 

The problem that has prompted Paul to write 2 Corinthians 8-9 is that although the Corinthians were keen at the beginning to get involved in this collection, they have since reneged on their promises and seem to have stopped collecting money. As Paul writes to remind them about it and encourage them to carry on and complete the collection, he touches on a number of principles for Christian giving that remain very relevant for Christians today. In fact, I think I’ve found eight principles of Christian giving in this passage. Our time is short here tonight so we’ll speed through these principles quite quickly, but to get a rounded picture of Paul’s teaching on Christian giving, we need to keep all of these principles together and in some cases in balance with each other.
 
The first principle we find is the passage is that Christian giving is Generous Giving. In verses 1 to 3, it is obvious that Paul commends the giving of the Macedonian churches to the Corinthians. Being generous is a good thing. That much is very clear. Just in passing, if you’re wondering who these Macedonian churches were that Paul mentions, they would include Thessalonian and Philippian congregations that three of Paul’s other New Testament letters were addressed to. But Paul is clear that the Macedonians were very generous in their giving and Paul holds this generosity up as an example and an encouragement to the much wealthier Corinthians. He says of the Macedonians that their joy and their extreme poverty “welled up in rich generosity”. One commentator calls this strange mix of joy and poverty producing generosity as being like an acid and an alkali being mixed – two opposites – coming together in a chemical reaction to produce a new thing – salt. So our giving should be generous.

The second principle we find is that Christian giving is Sacrificial Giving. Again this is covered in the first four or five verses in the passage. Paul commends not only the generous spirit of the Macedonians, but a generosity that was sacrificial in nature. “Out of the most severe trial” they gave Paul says. Out of not just poverty, but out of “extreme poverty” they gave. They gave as much as they were able and beyond their ability. The Macedonians didn’t put what was easy money into the collection, they put money in that cost them a lot. They couldn’t afford it, but they did it anyway. That’s the kind of sacrificial giving Paul commends here.

How can Christians give in this generous and sacrificial way? The third principle begins to fill in the full-orbed picture Paul is painting here. Christian giving is Faithful Giving – it flows out of living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The kind of giving that the Macedonian churches had achieved was only possible because of their relationship with Christ. Paul’s clear about that in verse 5. “They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us” Paul writes. They had their priorities right. They were dedicated to the Lord’s service. And the fruit of this was their amazing giving to the Lord’s work.

The fourth principle is that Christian giving is Committed Giving. In verse 6, Paul is really only reminding the Corinthians to be committed to what they had already promised they were going to do. He points out to them that a year previously they were the first to get involved. And so calls on them to continue in that commitment. You’ve started well so “Now finish the work” he exhorts them in verse 11. It’s no accident that many charities encourage us to give a small amount every month rather than one-off donations. That’s because regular, committed giving that the charities can plan ahead with is more useful than not knowing if there’s going to funds there tomorrow or not, depending on ad hoc donations. Commitment in our giving to the Lord’s work is a sign of our commitment to the Lord.

The fifth principle is that Christian giving is Enthusiastic Giving. God wants everything we do for him to be done enthusiastically. As Paul writes in the next chapter – “God loves a cheerful giver”. Look at the attitude of the Macedonians that Paul mentions. In verse 4, their enthusiasm is evident. They “urgently pleaded” to get involved in giving to the collection. They counted giving not as a duty but as a privilege! They regarded it as a grace and not a burden to help their fellow Christians. When we give enthusiastically, not only does this give us a lift knowing we’re helping others, but it must give the recipients a lift too, knowing that what they received is not begrudged or given half-heartedly, but is a genuine love token.

The sixth principle is that Christian giving is to be Free and Loving Giving. Paul makes it very clear that he is not ordering the Corinthians to give, although he had apostolic authority to do that if he had felt that was the right thing to do. But he doesn’t do that. He says it plainly in verse 8 – “I am not commanding you.” Christian giving is not a new law that we have to obey out of fear of punishment. How could it be? There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, as Romans 8:1 says. We are not saved by our good works. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, but as Ephesians 2:10 says we are saved for good works. Our works, including our acts of generous giving, flow out of the solid salvation we have in Christ. So instead Paul encourages them to give freely, because they want to, not because they have to. There is no “must” but there should be a thankful “want to”. He encourages them to act not out of duty but out of love. In his great chapter on love in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul wrote: “Love is patient, love is kind...Love never fails.” Now here in verse 8 Paul regards giving as an obvious manifestation of love: “I want to test the sincerity of your love,” Paul says. Of course that doesn’t mean Paul won’t point out that they should want to do the right thing as Christians, but he leaves it up to them to make the right choice freely and in love.

The seventh principle is that Christian giving is Thankful and Christ-like Giving. Some of the other principles are about the attitude we might seek to have in our giving but this one is about the motivation for our giving. According to Paul we are to give to Christ and to others out of gratitude for what Christ has done for us. In verse 9, Paul says “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” Christ gave up everything for our benefit, by coming to earth and accepting his mission as God’s Messiah to save the world, a mission of obedience all the way to death on the cross for sinners. Paul’s saying to the Corinthians, since Christ has done so much for us, this should spur us on to do what by comparison is so little for our brothers and sisters in need. It’s also worth mentioning in passing here that this verse is a clear statement – among the clearest in Paul’s letters – that Paul regarded Jesus Christ as no less than God become a human being, God incarnate. There’s no other meaning for the phrase that Christ “became poor” that makes sense. When did Christ become poor in this life? He was born in a stable and lived as an ordinary working man his whole life. He was never rich from Bethlehem to Calvary. So Paul’s statement must mean that Christ has pre-existence before his birth. It must mean Christ is God. As the Christmas carol puts it: “He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all.”

The eighth and final principle is that Christian giving is to be Practical and Fair Giving. Paul makes it clear in verse 13 to 15 that he doesn’t expect the Corinthians to do the impossible or to act unwisely. And so although our giving is to be generous, sacrificial and enthusiastic, it is not to cross over the line and become foolish giving. It is not to be at the expense of being wise, realistic and proportionate giving. Our giving is to be proportionate, in line with what we have, but also with awareness of what others can also give. In verse 12, they are to give according to what they have and not according to what they don’t have. And in verse 13 Paul makes the point that the idea is not that the Corinthians give so much that they end up themselves in need from other people, or even that those they are helping end up better off than them. Instead, the ideal is equality between churches. They have to be wise about their giving in other words, so that everyone’s needs are met by each other.

Application
 
This passage surely challenges all of us. Each of us can look at his or her own attitude to giving and the principles shown in this passage and see where we stand in comparison to Paul’s picture of Christian giving. Ask yourself: Am I giving generously, sacrificially, out of my faith in Christ? Am I giving with commitment and enthusiasm, freely because I want to, and out of love for those my giving will help? Am I giving out of a thankful spirit for what Christ has done for me? And am I being practical and wise in my giving? Am I making sure that I’m not being so generous that I’m putting myself in debt or putting my family in need? Only each of us can answer these questions for ourselves. If the answer to each of these questions is “yes” then our giving will be a powerful witness and a useful tool as we work to advance God’s kingdom. And we will be able to say in the words of the hymn:

Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use
every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for Thee.

May it be so. Amen.

Complete in Christ

Complete in Christ: Rediscovering Jesus and Ourselves
Nigel M. de S. Cameron
Marshall & Pickering, 1989

This is a short book of only 113 pages. I've had it on my bookshelves for years but had never got round to reading it until now. I only wish I'd read it years ago because it is worth its weight in gold. I haven't read anything else that manages to excite about a doctrine that is under emphasised in evangelical circles - namely the humanity of Christ - and through that doctrine it corrects, comforts and challenges on what it means to be human and what it means to live life as a Christian.

If that sounds like a lot to pack into a short paperback, that's probably because it is. The treatments of the various subjects dealt with are short and pithy. It is more a theological sketch book than a finished theological tome. Relatively few biblical texts are dealt with in any detail and there is almost no interaction with other theologians.

However, what it lacks in size, it makes up for in power.

The introduction sets the tone. It is entitled: "Are Christians human?" This is by no means a foolish question. Cameron rightly points out that in evangelical churches, we have a tendency to so emphasise the deity of Christ - as we wage apologetic battles against liberal heresies - that we tend to downplay (albeit accidentally) the fact that he really was human with all that entails. In the process, as a by-product, we tend to have such a high view of what a Christian should be that we inadvertently expect Christians to be more superhuman than human. This leads to guilt, fatigue, failure and sometimes despair. Instead, Cameron pleads for "a fresh realism in our Christian living."

Cameron then goes on to address the implications of the fact that God became flesh in the incarnation in chapters 1 and 2. Here he criticises evangelical theology in general for the way that Jesus' humanity and his earthly life and ministry are under examined. Too often, he feels we reduce the incarnation to no more than providing a sinless candidate for the atonement, whereas the incarnation has much more significance than this (though it does also have that significance, Cameron is quick to point out). He accuses the evangelical church of an inadvertent Docetism.

Having cleared the ground that Jesus is fully human and pointing out it matters that he was, Cameron then moves on to discuss how this insight should affect the Christian life.

He deals in chapter 3 with the whole area of the mind and intellect in humanity. This passage was very powerful as Cameron points out that life is not just for doing so-called "religious things". Important though activities like worship and evangelism are, they are not the be all and end all of being a human being. Cameron looks at creation, and man's original role as steward of the world, and claims that redemption does not do away with God's original purpose, but rather gets that original purpose back on track as it were. This reminded me of some of N. T. Wright's insights. The Bible's story is not about getting sinners to heaven and out of this mess of a creation we're in. It is about redeeming the creation and renewing it, for sinners to populate and live full human lives in a new heaven and earth.

Cameron points out that the traditional division between the secular and the sacred in life that we tacitly buy into in the church is unbiblical. At one point he says that to be novelist is every bit as noble a calling for the Christian as it is to be doctor or a teacher or a missionary.

Chapter 4 is an interesting discussion of the will and how we are guided by God. And it is a necessary corrective to the idea that Christians should be largely passive when we make important decisions.

He then discusses the emotions in what is another fine chapter.

Towards the end of the book there is a discussion of just how human (with all that entails) the "heroes of the faith" in the Bible are. Cameron suggests that if we got rid of false ideas of what it is to be "a saint" our Christian lives would be far more useful and peaceful. I think he is on the money where he criticises evangelical churches for denying perfectionism in theory but practically making it a stick to beat one another up with in practice.

His conclusion is simple yet very powerful. He points out that it is precisely when we seek to rise above our humanity as Christians or as human beings - as Adam did when he ate from the tree of good and evil - that we fall below what we should be. Since we are created in the image of God, to be human is to be as high in dignity and worth as we can ever hope to be and it is a great privilege and joy just to be a human being. Being a Christian is not about making ourselves less human, if anything it is about being more human than we could otherwise be. He writes: "[The] high goal of the Christian life does not consist in the suppression of the mind, the will, the heart, the body."

This is a book worth getting hold of and carefully reading. Any Christian would profit from it I would suggest. I would certainly like to read it again, slowly and prayerfully, because there's scarcely a page that doesn't say something challenging, encouraging and interesting.

Keep in Step with the Spirit

Keep in Step with the Spirit
by James I. Packer
Inter-Varsity Press

Having just finished reading this book, I found out that there is a second edition that was published in 2005; however, this review is based on the original book written in 1984.

I have to say I think Keep in Step with the Spirit is one of the best books on the Holy Spirit and particularly the gifts of the Holy Spirit that I've read and I think it deserves to be as well-known as Packer's classic Knowing God.

Essentially, the book is an assessment of the charismatic movement from a Reformed perspective. But, unlike many treatments which are resolutely cessationist and scathing of charismatics, Packer is very fair about the movement's strengths as well as its weaknesses. Overall, I get the impression Packer thinks that charismatics are much more a force for good than ill in the churches and I certainly agree with this assessment, particularly as regards the more mainstream charismatic churches.

Packer mentions no less than 12 aspects of the charismatic movement for which the rest of the church should be grateful and should seek to learn. These include the charismatics' commitment to radical, all-person ministry, excitement and spontaneity in worship, their sense of joy, etc.

Packer also then mentions 10 aspects of the charismatic movement that might give us cause for concern including the tendency to focus on the Spirit's work sometimes to the extent that Christ and his work is overshadowed, the two-stage Christian life (conversion followed by subsequent baptism by the Holy Spirit), spiritual elitism, theological naivity, and approaches to the spiritual gifts that do not always tie in very well with what the New Testament actually says.

I found Packer's assessment of the charismatic gifts, both in the similarity and also it must be admitted in the important differences between what they are like now compared to what they were in New Testament times, to be very convincing while remaining balanced and most of all charitable, even to those who would disagree with him. So, to take one example, although Packer insists speaking in tongues as found in the New Testament is very different both in content and purpose to speaking in tongues as it is experienced today, he does not denounce those who speak in tongues today. He recognises the value of the gift in the spiritual life of many Christians and considers it as one way God can use to bring people into a very close fellowship of worship in love and joy. Of course it is not seen by Packer either as the only way or the best way, but he is much more open to the practice than many cessationists.

I would recommend Keeping in Step with the Spirit to all Christians, charismatic or non-charismatic alike. It may serve to curb some of the excesses of the former and cure some of the suspicion of the latter.

In Christ Alone

In Christ Alone
by Sinclair B. Ferguson
Reformation Trust Publishing

I am biased of course. I've read many books by Sinclair Ferguson before and have both enjoyed and profited from each one. And I have heard him preach in St George's Tron on quite a few occasions and on mp3 too.

For me, Sinclair Ferguson represents all that is best and warmly heart-felt in classic Reformed, Scottish Presbyterian theology and spirituality.

So, it will come as no surprise that I think this collection of short, pithy theological articles is great. Covering material mostly from Romans and Hebrews, Sinclair Ferguson takes us through the real nitty-gritty of the Christian life. Very practical, with that warm pastor's heart and keen sense of humour everyone who has heard Sinclair preaching will recognise. This book would make excellent 'devotional' reading at quiet times, but make no mistake, it is underpinned by rock-solid Reformed theology and Puritan spirituality.

Thoroughly recommended.

Television and Me

This article originally appeared as the editorial in the parish magazine for Spring 2009. Subsequent to publication, readers may be relieved to note that we now have purchased a television and a TV Licence.

Have you ever tried living without a television? It's interesting that since I got married in January, Laura and I have been living without a television in our flat. Before that, at home, we have televisions in the kitchen, the living room and I had one in my bedroom as well. I have to admit I haven't gone completely "cold turkey" as we do watch some TV using the BBC's iPlayer on the internet (and by the way, no you don't need a TV licence to watch programmes using iPlayer - we checked!).

We are planning to get a television (and licence!) in a few weeks, but this time without a TV helped me realise how much more time there is for other things when the "goggle box" isn't there, dominating our time. There's time for talking to each other, listening to music, reading books, playing games, writing, cooking, doing things around the house that need done, chatting to friends, and of course praying and reading the Bible.

I'm not against the television. I think it is a wonderful invention that we take for granted. There are so many different sights and experiences most of us simply would not have in life if it weren't for TV. A lot of what I've learned in terms of general knowledge and things has come to me through watching TV. It is a great educational and entertainment tool when used well. But we need to make sure the TV is only that - a tool - a servant and not our master.

When things on the TV come before more important things - like friends and family, our spiritual and physical health and wellbeing, not to mention God and our life as Christians, then we need to rethink our priorities, don't we?

Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:15-16: "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

We are to life careful lives - by which Paul doesn't mean cautious lives, but lives that aren't careless. We are to live deliberately, making the most of every opportunity. It means we should think about what we are doing, about how we are living and about what we spend our time doing. We have to use our time wisely, because Christ is Lord of all our lives and that includes how we spend or waste our time.

Again, Paul encourages us, this time in Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

I’ve always thought it a good idea to watch the programmes you want and then turn the TV off rather than “channel hopping” as it’s called – which basically means switching from one channel to another until you find one that has something on it you are prepared to watch. I wonder, if you didn’t know something was on and you come across it by accident, how much do you really want to watch it?

Everyone will have their own views on this subject of course and there are no right and wrong answers. I just wonder if it might do some good if we watched the telly a little bit less and did something else – almost anything else! – a little bit more?

The Cross Centred Life

The Cross Centred Life
by C. J. Mahaney
Multnomah Books, Colorado Springs 2002

The Cross Centred Life is a short book on a very important subject. C. J. Mahaney reminds us here that the gospel of Christ's saving work on the cross is not only the main thing we need to grasp when we become Christians; the cross is also the main thing we need to keep focused on in order to live as Christians.

In essence, the purpose of this book is to help readers think through what it means to live by the gospel, what difference the knowledge that Christ died for you makes to how we should live our lives.

In seven short chapters and under 90 pages, the author covers a range of important subjects including: why our lives should be centred on the cross, the dangers of legalism, how to overcome a life full of guilt and condemnation, and the problem of living only by our feelings. There are then chapters on daily life focused on the cross and a final chapter on how there is not "something else to move onto" beyond the cross in the Christian life, however much we grow through learning and experience.

The book is not heavy reading in any way and could be read by profit by new Christians from mid teenage upwards. It could also be used as the basis for devotional reading over a week or so for any Christian.

Though fairly basic, I found it refreshing and challenging to be reminded once again of the glory of the cross and my need to live a cross-centred life every day. I could imagine myself coming back to it from time to time when I need to remind myself again of these vital truths.

I totally agree with Mahaney's comment: you can put this book away on your shelf, but never put away the message of this book.

A Portrait of the Church

The following is a lightly-edited text of a Sermon preached on 1 Peter 1:22-2:12 (Good News Bible) at the Evening Service on 20 April 2008

These days people want to paint the church as a whole range of different things. In fact there almost enough portraits of the church to fill an art gallery. For some people the church is the guardian of morality in the nation. The church is there to tell us how to live. The church is there to make sure governments don’t get out of line in the laws they pass. For as many more the church is oppressive, telling people what to do and stopping them from living their lives freely as they choose to do. For other people the church is a living link with history, a kind of working museum that gives us a flavour of what life was like in a simpler, more certain, but definitely bygone era. Others see the church almost entirely in political and practical terms. The church is all about doing good works in the community and helping people in this world and never mind any thought of life in the world to come. Essentially the church is a charity that exists to pay for things like social work, health care and education. Still others see the church as a kind of social club where harmless entertainment is offered to slightly odd people who don’t have anything better to do on a Sunday.

Some of these views contain elements of truth about what the church is. But all of them, all of them, fall hopelessly short of the mark. We see that when we compare views like this with the portrait of the church we find in God’s Word.

I think there are three layers to this portrait that we need to look at tonight, and these are:

1. What the Church’s status is in God’s eyes
2. How Christians are meant to live as the church
3. How the church is supposed to look to those outside it

Or to put it another way:

1. What we are
2. How we are to live
3. How we should look to others

And we’ll spend a few moments looking at these three things tonight.

So the first layer of the portrait of the church we’re looking at is “What we are” according to the passage.

The first thing to notice is this: the church is made up of people who have been born again into new life and have been saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There are at least six phrases that point to this in the passage.

In verse 22, the church is made up of people who have “purified themselves”. The Good News Bible is slightly misleading in talking about “purifying yourselves” which could sound like this purifying is a do-it-yourself job. The verse is more accurately translated “purified your souls” rather than “purify yourselves”. We know from the verses prior to where our passage starts that Peter taught that the way the people of God “purify themselves” is by “believing in God” (v.21) and looking not to ourselves but looking to “the costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect or flaw” (v.19). In our passage, chapter 2, verse 7, Peter calls the church “you that believe”. So Christian’s are first and foremost people who have faith in God and Jesus Christ. They are also people who “have received God’s mercy” according to chapter 2, verse 10. The Church is people who have been saved.

When we say the Church is made up of people who have been purified from their sins, that’s not to say the church is made up of perfect people: none of us are perfect. But it is made up of people who have had their sins taken away and who have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus.

In verse 23, it says the church consists of people who have been “born again” and now have “an immortal parent”. God himself is our Father. Christians are people who have been “born again” and adopted into God’s family. When we become Christians we are changed from being people who are dead in sin to people who are alive with a new kind of life. The Holy Spirit comes upon us and gives us a new heart as the prophet Ezekiel talks about. We are “a new creation” as Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 5:17. Again this points towards the fact that Christians, Christ’s people the Church, are people for whom salvation is a reality, a living reality they know in their lives.

The church is also described as people who have really experienced God’s goodness in their lives. In chapter 2, v.3: “You have found out for yourselves how kind the Lord is.” Other translations have “how good the Lord is” here.

Christians are people who have experienced God’s goodness in their lives. This is not to say people in the church don’t have problems and struggles in their lives. Of course we do. Part of experiencing God’s goodness is knowing he is with us when we go through trouble rather than keeps us from all problems. Remember the whole point of Peter’s First Letter is to encourage Christians who are suffering for their faith. He certainly wasn’t saying God being good to his people meant they would have problem-free lives!

Then in verse 4, Christians are described as people have come to Jesus, the Living Stone, and who keep on coming to him. “Come to the Lord, the living stone” it says. Christ is the person we should be coming to all the time, and building our lives on. We need to share our lives with him as we would with our best friend. We should be coming to him when we’re happy and share our joy and our thanksgiving with him. We should be coming to him when we’re sad to share our sorrow with him. We should be coming to him when needing help, or guidance, or encouragement, or sometimes just to be in his company and share a time of quiet fellowship with our Lord in comfortable silence.

That’s half of “what we are” as taught in this passage. Peter then goes on, in a number of descriptions in the passage, to tell us how God thinks of his people in the Church. Let’s look briefly at these now.

Look at chapter 2, verse 5: “Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple.” The NIV is slightly more accurate and brings out Peter’s meaning better. It reads: “you also, like spiritual stones, are being built into a spiritual house.”

In other words, it’s not so much about us “letting ourselves be used” by God, but that God is building us into something bigger than each of us can be on our own. As the chorus puts it, “For I’m building a people of power and I’m making a people of praise.” That’s what this verse is talking about. God is building us into a spiritual house, a temple, where his presence dwells in a greater way than the presence of God dwelt in the Temple in Jerusalem. God dwells not in a temple made by human hands, but inside every Christian. He lives in us by the Holy Spirit who makes his home inside us, and builds us into a home fit for such a guest to stay. When we come to Christ, he takes us as we are, however rough and ready. But he doesn’t leave us that way. He builds us into something better. And he brings each person in his church together like building blocks to make something beautiful and special and dedicated to God’s worship and service. We are like stones that all come together to be built into a majestic temple of worship for God.

Peter then lists four things about the Church in verse 9 that are very significant. He says that the church is “the chosen race” (or “the chosen people”), “the King’s priests” (or more accurately, “a royal priesthood”), “the holy nation”, and “God’s own people”. Each of those phrases tell us something about the church. We are chosen by God. Sinners don’t just get up one day and decide that they’ll believe in Christ. They believe because God chose them for salvation. “You did not choose me, I chose you,” said Christ. The Bible says a lot about God’s choosing who would be saved. I’m not going into the doctrine of election in any detail tonight, but just in passing here we have that doctrine again. The church is a chosen people.

We are also a royal priesthood. Christ is the King and Head of the Church, and every Christian is a priest to the King. I’ve often wondered how ministers at Crathie church feel when they have to preach before the Queen when she’s at Balmoral. Do they get extra nervous? Are they more careful what they say? Do they feel privileged to be ministering to the British monarch? I’ll bet they do. Well each of us is a priest serving a greater king than any earthly monarch. We worship and serve the King of kings and Lord of lords.

And we are a holy nation. As well as being citizens of our country we are also citizens of another Kingdom: the Kingdom of heaven. And that nation consists of people from every tribe and nation and tongue on the earth. This is what Peter means, I think, in 2:11 where he talks about us as “strangers and refugees in this world”. We live here, but in a sense this world is not our home once we are Christians. We live in the world, but we are no longer of the world. We no longer share the world’s values. We no longer admire what this world admires. As the hymn puts it:

“Fading is the worldling’s pleasure,
All his boasted pomp and show.
Solid joys and lasting treasure,
None but Zion’s children know.”

And we are God’s own people. The Church is God’s own people, the people with whom he is in a special covenant relationship. He is our God, and we are his people. This is the covenant phrase that occurs dozens of times in the Old and New Testament. We are God’s people. We are God’s special treasured possession. We are dear to him, precious, loved, like jewels in a crown as the prophet Zechariah says.

And I think these four things in particular point us to a very important truth about the Church. All of the terms Peter uses here are used in the Old Testament to describe Israel. The truth I think Peter is highlighting here is that the Church is Israel, the Israel of God. And God never abandons that true Israel – his beloved children who trust and follow him. Some Christians think that the Church and the nation of Israel are two separate peoples and both are God’s chosen people, but I don’t think that’s correct. I think passages like this and several others in the New Testament, point to the fact that Israel is the Church in the Old Testament, and the Church is Israel in the New Testament.

What a wonderful picture of what the Church really is Peter paints here. So many wonderful ways he describes us. But that’s not all this passage contains. As well as describing what the Church is, Peter interweaves this with statements about how the church should be living. How each of us should be living. And while we may enjoy hearing all the great things God’s word says about what the church is, we may find it a little more challenging when we look at how our churches match up with how Peter says Christians should be living as the church.

Back in chapter 1, verse 22, Peter says that the Church should be obedient to the truth and should be a people of love: "Love one another earnestly with all your heart." These two things probably sum up a lot of what the Church should be like. The church should be a community of truth and love, of sound doctrine and compassionate care and concern. Neither one to the exclusion of the other. But so often churches do okay in one and neglect the other, or even worse fail to be either. When you see a church paying attention to both things, it’s a very rare and beautiful thing and such a church needs to be congratulated, encouraged and cared for.

Verse 23 tells us how we know the truth. It is through the living and eternal word of God. It is through the Bible. It is through that Word that remains or endures forever, as verse 25 says. So as Christians we should value the Bible and treat it seriously. We should want to hear the truths of the Bible preached. We should want to study the Bible whenever we can, and read it often. It is by the message of the Bible, Good News, the gospel that we are to live. And just as the Church should be a people who value God’s Word written, so we should be a people who value God’s word preached. Do we value what is proclaimed to us, what we hear when God’s word is preached? Do we see it as that message of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ to save us and which we have accepted in faith?

So we are to be people obedient to the truth, people who know what the truth is, people who feed on the truth – like babies feeding on spiritual milk as 2:2 says. And as we feed on God’s truth we grow as Christians.

The more we know and appreciate God’s truth, the more that truth should influence our lives. We are to people of love, and Peter spells out part of what that means in chapter 2:1:

“Rid yourselves then of all evil,” he says. “No more lying or hypocrisy or jealousy or insulting language.”

What’s Peter talking about here? What made him think there would ever be anything like that in churches? Hypocrisy? Jealousy? Insulting Language? Gossip? Rumour mongering? Nasty comments? Surely not! And of course we’ve never seen any of that in our church, have we?

Well maybe we have. But isn’t that a challenge to each one of us? If we dispense with the niceties, isn’t that what goes on in churches all the time?

How do we stop it? Well I think the way we stop it is by stopping doing it ourselves. Never mind anyone else. If I stop it, and you stop it, and everyone stops it, then wouldn’t our churches be transformed? That’s all it takes. Stop yourself. And if everyone does that – it’s ended...today. Simple as that. And if someone else does it, don’t encourage them. No need to get preachy with them. Just move the conversation onto something more positive, or end the conversation. Don’t feed these things with a listening ear. I think it’s as bad to listen and encourage these things as it is to do them.

We need to consider how we live and deliberately choose to do good and not do evil. If we live thoughtlessly, the default setting in our lives is often to do wrong. If we fly on autopilot, it’s easier to fall into bad habits and wrong actions. We need to concentrate to do good. In verse 11 Peter puts it like this:

“Do not give in to bodily passions, which are always at war against the soul.”

Instead we are to be people who live in God’s marvellous light (verse 9), people who have sincere love for others, people who know God’s goodness and mercy and so show goodness and mercy to others. In short, we are to live as people who act as if they know they are all those wonderful things God’s word says we are: a chosen people, a covenant people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and so forth. Live it out then, Peter says. Show people that you are what you claim to be.

And that leads me on to the third thing this passage says about the church: how the church should appear to outsiders.

What I think it really means for us is that the Church should always have a heart for mission, always be looking to fulfil Christ’s commission to go into the world and make disciples for him. We need to be working as a church to attract people to Christ and to bring people to Christ. And we need to work against things that put people off coming to Christ in our church.

Now, the passage is clear that there will be people who will stumble and cannot accept Christ. But let us make sure that we are not stumbling blocks to people coming to faith, or how we do things isn’t a stumbling block, just because we’ve “always done it that way”. If Christ himself is the stone they stumble over and reject, that will be a terrible thing for those who reject him. If we are the reason that someone was put off coming to Christ, that may be a terrible thing for us.

Christ is a stone or a rock. For those for whom that rock is precious, that rock is a shelter and support – a resting place upon which we are rely and trust and build our lives. But for those who reject that rock, the same rock that can support and save those who believe, will ultimately crush those who reject him. That’s why it is important to come to Christ as the sure foundation stone upon which you can build and be built up in your life.

But the passage is also clear that where the church is acting as God wants, the church will be a missionary, outreaching church. Indeed it will be a church on a positive mission to reach people and bring them in rather than simply standing by waiting for people to come in.

Verse 9 says that we are “chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God.” If that doesn’t mean that the church’s mission is to tell others about God, I don’t know what is! We are to tell people the Good News that we have received. We are to let them know what God’s word says, in language that they understand. Unless we speak in words that people who hear us can actually understand, it’s as if we are speaking to them in a foreign language, and in a sense we are not really speaking to them at all. We are speaking over them.

I’m very conscious that I have a tendency to drop into “church speak” sometimes. Theological terminology has its place. It is vital to carefully guard and define the truth, in our creeds and confessions, in our colleges and seminaries, yes even in our church Bible studies. We need it at that level, but we don’t need it on the front line when speaking to people outside the church. We need to translate the Bible into language that people understand. And that may be saying things like “God’s verdict on people who trust in Jesus is that they are not guilty” instead of “God justifies us through faith in Jesus” or saying things like “Jesus dying on the cross means God isn’t angry with you anymore if you believe in him” instead of “Jesus’ death was a propitiation for those who have faith in his blood.”

But as well as our words, Peter also says we should be a missionary, outreaching church by how we live. He just won’t let us separate our faith from our lives. Verse 12, “Your conduct among the heathen should be so good that when they accuse you of being evildoers, they will have to recognise your good deeds and so praise God on the Day of his coming.”

To outsiders, to those who are not Christians, the actions of church members do matter. We might prefer it if this wasn’t true, but the Bible says it is true. What people see us doing. What people hear us saying. If they see we are different from them, it does matter. Now, note that the passage doesn’t say, that if we are really really good in our lives, people will see that and all come running into church to find out how they can be like that too. Peter is realistic. He says that some people will see that and hate it. In fact God’s word is plain here that for some people, it is God’s will that they will not come to Christ and find salvation. Verse 8: “They did not believe in the word; such was God’s will for them.”

So some outsiders will call us evildoers and seek to persecute us, but even they will have to have some kind of grudging respect for us if we live out our faith. They will be forced to acknowledge our good deeds when they come before God, not to “praise” him as the Good News Bible says – but to glorify him on that day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Some will see our lives and hate it, but some will see our lives – if we are living as we should be – and will want to find out more. They will be more open to hearing what we say if they can see we live it out. And God can use our good deeds, our deeds of love and care, to bring people to the church and to Christ. He will use them to achieve his own ends. Our concern should be to live that way because it will please God and can be used by God. We are always witnesses to Christ in our lives. The question is, are we good witnesses or bad witnesses?

When I read a passage like this I am both filled with joy at how beautiful Christ’s bride really is, and I’m filled with sadness at how bruised and a bit grubby she is as she struggles with the wedding preparations. I think the Church is always faced with this tension between what she is underneath all the bruising and dirt and what she will be when the bruising and dirt are cleaned away for the last time and she is presented to Christ as the perfect bride ready for the consummation of her marriage to Christ at the end of time. And perhaps it is in looking forward to the wedding feast that we are able best to prepare the bride and make her ready for that day? Certainly if we take Peter’s message in this passage seriously, it can only be a step in the right direction.