Beacon Touchpaper #10: "Opportunity Knocks"

"(pray) ...also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel..." (Eph 6.19, ESV)

Don't you just love an evangelist? Charismatic, engaging, passionate, GIFTED. They seem to have the 'knack', and we can all be tempted to wish we were a little bit more like them at times. A touch more confident in our responses; a bit quicker in clever retorts; a tad more elaborate in how we express the gospel of our King Jesus. Then, after realising we probably never will be, we hunker down and get on with being just another one of the 'regular folks', while we let the evangelists roam around the country and see many people get saved simultaneously and respond en masse at altar calls. Or something like that.

Now, you and I know that's a bit of a caricature on both sides, but I'm sure most of us have probably experienced something similar in our thoughts over the years. In reality, evangelists are just as human as you or I: yes, they have a specific calling, but they aren't supermen either. I know for a fact that one guy some of you may have heard of has been highly praised for his gifting and the supernatural manifestation in his ministry - both in salvation and in healing. But truth be told, beforehand he's been terrified and scared it'll all go down like a lead balloon. Our God's bigger than that - hallelujah! - and thank God for that man's humility too.

The trouble is, there is also a danger that we could rest on our laurels and let these guys do all the 'fancy' work for us. Yes, they have a specific gifting, but we all have a part to play. We are all expected to participate in the sharing of the gospel. What does the apostle Paul tell us in Ephesians 4 about apostles, prophets, EVANGELISTS, pastors and teachers? That they're there to "do the important, heavy duty stuff" for us? Nope: it's "to equip the saints for the work of the ministry."

With our Front Edge weekend coming up, this is an opportunity for us all to scrum down and expect the unexpected. To pray, like Paul himself asks, "...that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel." Let's all pray that prayer like crazy - we can all do this; we can all expect that the God of the universe will give us the right words to say, will help us spot opportunities to invite folks to the service on Sunday 17th, and will let His Holy Spirit work through each one of us 'regular folks'. "On His mission, for His glory", as someone once said...
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Beacon Touchpaper #9: "Easter: How do you eat yours?"

"...because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved..." (Rom 10.9, ESV)

Easter in our country has traditionally become the time of year to celebrate:

(1) chocolate, (2) the multiplication abilities of cute rabbits, (3) "How do you eat yours?" Creme Egg adverts, and (4) the colour yellow. Regular polls in the national press have pointed out worrying numbers of children AND parents who struggle to recall exactly why we have a public holiday at this time each year. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised...

But also, perhaps, we should take the opportunity to recall what we believe too. Why do we as God's people celebrate Easter? And how seriously do we apply that?

Believing in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead is more than just accepting a fact. It is far more than "merely" looking at evidence, weighing up the pros and cons, and acknowledging a historical moment. Believing that God raised Him from the dead is having an absolute confidence in God's providence, His power, His love, His mercy, His grace, His justice... It's believing that God is completely for us. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all agreed long before time began to see this rescue plan through to completion, and have been and always will be committed to their choice to adopt you and me. That commitment is sealed in Christ's death and resurrection.

Without the core truth of Jesus's death and resurrection, applied to our everyday lives and our relationship with Jesus Himself, even the Christian Easter can be as hollow as a chocolate egg...

Easter: How do you eat yours?
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"Called into God's Family" - notes for sermon 22/02/09

Continuing our series that delves into our Purpose Statement – "Living life Jesus' way, by His Spirit, on His mission, for His glory" – we’ll now follow the theme of family:

Family has been the basis of humankind since the beginning, and has also been twisted and corrupted since the Fall. The 17m families in UK alone reflect that: every size, type, quality and degree of unity or brokenness we can possibly think of. With divorce and commitment-phobia ever on the increase, the step-family is the largest growing family type in our country. A recent Observer article listed 3 reasons NOT to have a baby (economically costly; inevitable polluters; potentially relationally harmful). Many images are used in the Bible to help explain God's intention for His people (body, temple, army); the primary metaphor used is that of family... God’s family. His alternative society.

Read Romans 8.12-17 & 1 John 2.28 - 3.10

a) How we are a part of His family:

• There is a reason why we can call God “Father”; it is not just some funky name made up for Him because we’re little and He’s big and lovely, it’s because He really is our heavenly Father.
• Jesus had every right to call Him Father, for obvious reasons, but when He taught us how to pray: “Our Father in heaven...”
• Our new birth is of a whole new heritage; a new, eternal heritage that means we may call the God of the universe “Father”.
• More than that, it’s not a mere title that indicates some tentative bond. Our new birth is final and complete through Christ and the Holy Spirit, so much so that we can call God “Abba” Father.
• READ Rom 8.15: Abba is the intimate version of “father” in Aramaic, used by children as an equivalent of our “Papa”, which contains intimacy, while retaining the dignity and respect of “Father”.
• As demonstrated here in Romans 8, but also by Paul elsewhere in Gal 4.6 and by Jesus Himself in Mk 14.36, the terms “Abba” and “Father” are used together – “Abba Father” – therein lies trust, confidence, submissiveness and respect all rolled into one beautiful name.

But how can this be? What gives us the right to call Him so?

Verse 15 again = “Spirit of adoption as sons”!!!

• ADOPTION = "To take into one's family through legal means and raise as one's own child"
• It means being CHOSEN, from a situation of unwant, or neglect, or abuse, or the simple inability of their birth-parent(s) to care for the child, into a stable, loving, deliberate environment that nurtures, nourishes and secures a future. It is a LEGAL, binding act.
• God’s plan was conceived way before creation. Our adoption has been His plan long before we came along; it is not a response to any characteristic about us sinful individuals that he likes (otherwise he wouldn’t have adopted us!), nor is it a knee-jerk reaction to Jesus saving us through His amazing death and resurrection (“Oh, you’ve saved them, have you? Guess I’d better adopt them to complete the package then.”)
• No, God is never, ever taken off guard. Ephesians 1.4-5 says, “...He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world... In love He predestined us for adoption...”
• God PLANNED that through His Son Jesus Christ, He would adopt every single selfish one of us that calls him Lord; billions around the world & through the ages.

Some friends of ours recently adopted a little boy after a lengthy, highly-regulated process and the final seal of the deal was when they got to change his surname to theirs. He is now theirs 100%, and they are his, and nothing will change that. He has gained their name, and their family heritage and all that comes with that. Our adoption also means that we too are heirs, as Paul says here in Rom 8.17: but heirs to what?

• Paul tells the church in Ephesus of their “glorious inheritance” (Eph 1.18b), and Peter (1 Pet 1.4) calls it “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading”. Sounds wonderful, but what are they actually talking about?
• We will be with God forever, we will live in new incorruptible bodies, living on a brand new earth; no more pain, suffering, death, and all the other, as yet unimaginable, privileges and blessings of heaven will be there waiting for us.
• Our adoption as fellow heirs with Christ (Rom 8.17) means we are members of the royal family of the universe, one day to finally participate in all He has prepared for us without hindrance, forever! Amazing!
  

So, we have discovered how we have been literally adopted as His children, and our glorious inheritance as the result, but what about this in-between stage, this bit we call life on earth?

In this world, the definition of family is becoming increasingly blurred. Let’s now look at the hallmarks of family as per the Bible =

b) Biblical hallmarks of family life:

1) An expression of God's love:

• Let's wind the clock right back for a moment, way back to when time didn't even exist and our clock wouldn't have meant anything. Back then, God was. Our God, the eternal Godhead, the Trinity as we call it, is made up of three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All have eternally existed and all will continue to do so in perfect unity. One or the other hasn't arrived later on, as some crazy beliefs made up, but all are uncreated and are equally God. Love, fellowship and glory existing in infinite measure for all time (John 17.5 = "And now, Father, glorify me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed") (Gen 1.1-2 & Col 1.16; Luke 3.21-22; Acts 7.55).
• The Trinity is a mystery, and one we'll never fully understand - our brains may have a hundred billion nerve cells, and be capable of having more ideas than the number of atoms in the universe (fact!), but they're still way too small to fully understand the Trinity, so don't even try. What it does mean is that God is bigger than us. Hallelujah!
• St Augustine, who spent 16 years of his life attempting to explain the Trinity, finally saw the light and gave up, saying: "Try to explain the Trinity and you will lose your mind; try to deny it and you will lose your soul." He understood the importance of accepting something that is clearly Scriptural and clearly beyond our grasp. Hallelujah! It is Truth, and a glorious mystery.
• Now, the reason I'm talking about the Trinity is this: within the Godhead, the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit have expressed love through relationship for all time. And in creating us, God has chosen to express that love to us too.
• God is wholly independent - He didn't need to create us, but He chose to. But it doesn't stop there, either. In the beginning, God made everything good – see it throughout Genesis chapter 1. But when was the first time declared something as "not good"? It was when He saw Adam was alone. Man was created in God's image, but was unable to demonstrate/participate in loving community as is found in the Trinity. Sure, Adam could commune with God, but God in His goodness knew Adam needed an equal to live beside and commune with, and without one, God's creation was not good. So He created Eve and thus the first human family was born. He instructed them to, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" (I wonder what went through their minds at that thought?).
• Wind the clock forward a little, and you hear God instructing Noah and his family to, again, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth"; not long after, He informed Abraham that his offspring would match the stars in number. God loves family. In a big way; He loves exponential growth that glorifies Him. He invented family and He intends for us to follow its original intentions.
• As God’s children, we are called - called from this fallen world to take a fresh hold of that baton He initially had in mind for mankind - to express that same love the Trinity has for each other and for us, made possible through our renewed relationship with Him in Christ and with each other.
  

2) Family Likeness:

• the family bears the likeness of the parent, both in DNA and in nurturing/discipline. The household tends to reflect the father: a poor father, a poor household; a rich father, a rich household; an immoral, deceitful father...; a loving, moral father, a loving, moral household. And so on.
• As sons & daughters of Adam, we are all born into this world with a sinful nature, and nothing WE can do can change that. But in God's amazing redemptive work through His Son, we are called as His children, reborn in the Spirit, reborn with a brand new DNA. The fruit of the Spirit = love, joy, peace, etc.. As His children, we all share the same Father, the same blood, the same DNA. Like Father, like sons/daughters...
  

3) Protection:

• Meeting together keeps us in check, keeps us safe; our elders keep a look out for us regarding our health as a church, or for parties that might be out to cause harm; or it could be each of us looking out for each other – “how are you doing? I’ve noticed you’ve been missing the past couple of weeks/things ok?”
• Discipline is also a factor: as a loving Father, God will ensure we grow up the right way; it’s not nice, and not easy, but we must accept that discipline is a Godly part of growing up. He is never vindictive, but always right.
• Our corporate meetings together should also give us a prod and help us realise that all we’ve worried about during the week, all our fears, or all our needless striving, is made naked before our sovereign God... it helps us realise what’s important, helps us check our hearts: it was said of William Wilberforce, who battled for decades to finally end slavery in this country, that “he was prone to seasons of preoccupation where things of ambition gripped his soul. But there was a disciplined check and balance to his life – Sunday brought the cure”. Thank God for our Sunday services and our Cell groups! (IF YOU’RE NOT IN ONE – YOU KNOW WHAT I’M GOING TO SAY NEXT...!)
  

4) Growth and maturity:

• There's that discipleship theme again... Matt 28 = Disciples, not converts!!!
• READ Heb 5.12-6.1: How do we grow and mature? By constant practice. How does a concert pianist play so flawlessly on stage? By constant practice. How does David Beckham curl those free kicks in so sweetly to score a goal? Hours and hours of practice. This is not a legalistic thing, but the more we consciously practice our faith – prayer, reading and meditating on the Bible, putting what you’ve learnt INTO PRACTICE, we will mature. And what’s the best way to ensure we achieve this as a family? By:
  

5) Encouragement:

• The writer to the Hebrews continues in 10.24 & 25; “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works... encouraging one another...” There is an onus on each one of us to keep an encouraging eye out for one another; as a protection, as we’ve just heard, but also in terms of ensuring we are all growing.
• We have a responsibility to be concerned about a brother or sister who isn’t growing, or is struggling spiritually. That’s not a patronising thing, but those of us that are doing okay should be looking out for those that aren’t. This is a good thing: I’m hoping that my brothers and sisters are keeping an eye on me too. It’s for my own well-being that my “homies” want to be sure I’m growing, that I’m doing okay...
• And thank God, as the writer to the Hebrews explains, that it’s not just a case of ensuring our inner knowledge is on the increase; no, this is a missional thing. We should be spurring one another on... TO LOVE AND GOOD WORKS. The fruit of these labours is a Gospel witness, whether works that bless our brothers and sisters, or bless the world around us. Either way, it’s a witness. Stirring one another up IS EVANGELISM. How cool is that? Hallelujah! “One another-ing” is a made-up verb (!) but it is wholly Biblical. It is the core of the new commandment that Christ gave us:
  

6) Mutual service:

• John 13.34-35: “love one another... by this all people will know that you are my disciples...”
• Our family life together, as God’s alternative society, should sing in so many different ways, in so many glorious harmonies, of our love for each other, of our love for our King. So much so, in fact, that people will know we’re His without us having to say a word.
  

Well, that’s all well and good, but we’re human and we don’t always show that. So, what can we do practically-speaking, to help matters?

c) The implications

One point to make before we look at practical application: Church family life should be about "being", rather than "doing". Let me explain...

Consider these 3 verses:
Rom 8.14: “All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God”
Rom 8.16: “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God”
1 Jn 3.9-10: “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God...”

• The fruit of our new birth, is outward evidence of the change inside. This is not to say that people can’t do the right thing without being saved, of course not, our behaviour shouldn’t be the only confirmation of our salvation. We should be certain, for our own souls’ sake, that we’re truly led by the Spirit (8.14), that the Spirit bears witness with our spirit (8.16).
• Be certain of why we behave the way we do: do we do good works because it’s the morally right or acceptable thing to do? Or because it’s expected of us? Or is it because of the new birth in us that has a hunger to please God, to bless and serve our brothers and sisters, to serve the world and tell them the Good News of Jesus Christ? Check yourself.
• Thus, Church family life should be about "being", rather than "doing". The doing is simply the fruit of what's at stake in the heart. So we ensure our hearts are right, and the demonstration of that will occur naturally.
  

1 Tim 5.1-2: “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.” Paul is not saying “do this” or “do that”, but treat each other as family. Our attitude to each other should be that we are family. Being, rather than doing.

Giftings are a practical aspect of our family life:

• Of the myriad spiritual gifts listed, the main gift that ensures protecting the value of true family life is that of hospitality. It involves opening our homes, which sends an undeniable message that you are interested in other people, even when you don’t want to! Someone once quipped, “Hospitality is making people feel at home, even though you wish they were”!
• But it doesn't stop there in our homes either: it also extends to our Sunday meetings, Cell groups, wherever.
• There's nothing worse than being invited round a friend's house, and the whole family are there doing their thing & ignoring you. You know you're an outsider, & you're made to feel like one. Imagine the difference if they went out of their way to speak to you, take your coat, make you a drink, ask you to stay for dinner, take an interest in you rather than their own private jokes and routines. If we all keep that attitude on a Sunday, for eg, "this is my home and these are my guests" then everything else falls into place.
• It's for all of us to play a part. Not everyone is an extrovert, but we all have a part to play, even if it’s in some small way. Make people feel at home.
• Hospitality is not just a gift for bringing the church closer together, it is a fundamental key to our evangelism as God’s family, especially these days where it’s harder for un-churched people to want to go anywhere near a formal meeting.
• Relationships, energised by great hospitality, feeds the Gospel.
  

Expression of commitment:

• Commitment = our Fellowship Meal!; Using the phone directory as a prayer list; Baptism: it doesn't make you a member of God's family, but it does SHOW you are a member...

IN CONCLUSION:
• Truly saved by and through Jesus Christ? Adopted as God’s child!
• a legal, binding, eternal covenant – there is complete security in that – and it brings a wealth of riches such as we could never dream.
• Our family life as His children should reflect His love, His likeness, offer the security of protection & encouragement, should demonstrate growth and mutual service... For ourselves and for our witness... for His glory...

Our corporate church family life is intended to be an example to world; it should convey an earth-shattering message...

(credos to P J Smythe's "Get Connected" booklet from GodFirst Church, Johannesburg for some of the above points...)
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Beacon Touchpaper #8: "Inflow and Outflow"

"...You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also..." (2 Timothy 2.1-2 ESV)

Towards the end of the 1990's, Disney Animation Studios witnessed a steady decline in both the quality of their output at the cinemas, and in the profits these features made. From about the same time, a little-known studio called Pixar began creating some computer-animated features the likes of which had never been seen before: “Toy Story”, “A Bug's Life”, ”Finding Nemo”, “The Incredibles”... The list goes on and on, and many of us have enjoyed their ingenuity, thrills and imagination. But what was the difference? How could such a massive organisation like Disney fail to compete with this far smaller, yet far more creative, company?

Well, Disney managed to buy Pixar in 2006 for a not-insignificant sum and the man so hugely responsible for Pixar's success came to run Disney's own animation fold. When he arrived, John Lasseter gave his new employees some simple wisdom which underlines the whole Pixar ethos in just a few words: "Continue to do your jobs, and also make sure you're continually learning and teaching at the same time (paraphrased)." In order to bring the best to the table, his people needed to be growing and passing it on.

The apostle Paul also understood the importance for growth in each one of us that we might fulfil our roles for God to the utmost: throughout his letters, he tells men and women to follow his example (1 Cor 4.16, 1 Cor 11.1 and Phil 3.17) - which speaks of a life of such remarkable integrity that that level of confidence is not arrogant, merely true - and to also become examples themselves (1 Tim 4.15-16, Titus 2.1-10). For a lake to remain fresh and not become stagnant, it needs two things: a decent inflow, and a decent outflow. There's that learning and teaching thing again...

...Who are you imitating? Who are you coming alongside and learning from? And is your life worthy of imitation? Are you modelling and teaching in your conduct, your speech, your knowledge, your passion? In and out, in and out...
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Beacon Touchpaper #7: "What on EARTH are you doing?!!"

What are we here for? What is the expectation upon us as Christians here on earth? Why does Beacon have "Living life Jesus' way, by His Spirit, on His mission, for His glory" as a purpose statement?

"Living life Jesus' way...": We as God's people are expected to live life the way Jesus created, modelled and commanded. A life of humility, of holiness, of transformation; a life that is different to the ways of the world. A life that stands out, a life that smells of LIFE, not of death.

"...by His Spirit...": That's all very well, but how on earth are we supposed be able to do such a thing? That bar's a bit high for me to reach, I have to be honest... Thank God, then, that THAT'S the point, and He has given us His Holy Spirit to be able to live life His way. It is the Holy Spirit's working in me that means I'm not a divorced guy who takes little responsibility for his daughter, who has had multiple partners, likes getting drunk, and is altogether not a nice person to boot. Because that's where I could well have been right now without Christ's salvation and work in me. It is HE Who helps us live the life He has designed for us. He's not an unreasonable God Who gives us a blueprint for something that we'd never be able to achieve and then gets the hump when we don't live up to it. He's a loving Father Who wants the best for His children and provides the means and mutual gifts for that to come to fruition.

"...on His mission...": What's the point? It's all very well living a holy life, but we could do that with Julie Andrews up a mountain (or similar...). The point is, of course, that Jesus has much more than 'just' personal change in mind, He has PURPOSE in mind, He has plans for His church, ones which give us the privilege of being on the very front-line of His military movements. He wants the likes of you and me (yes, even us!) to participate in His kingdom's advancement, to demonstrate that the Word of God is not a dusty book of historical moments and myths written by men with beards, but it's His living revelation; that He is alive and well and seated at the Father's side, interceding for us right now; that His blueprint for how life should be really lived IS applicable to today's society, and is able to transform it too! And He wants you and me to play a part in that! Hallelujah!

"...for His glory.": Why? Everything was created through Him and for Him. And it's gonna stay that way forever. He's the King of the universe, and He deserves every breath we breath and every ounce of our being to honour Him for that very reason. Our King is seated on the throne and it's to Him we live our lives...

"Living life Jesus' way, by His Spirit, on His mission, for His glory": thirteen simple words that can be sung about, written about, talked about and applied to our everyday lives for as long as we want and we'll never get to the bottom of what is really at stake here. But I'm up for the ride... wanna join me?
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Beacon Touchpaper #6: "Encouragement"

"...For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you - that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine." (Rom 1.11-12)

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. " (Heb 10.24-25)

The New Year is traditionally the season when we reflect on the past and consider what we would like to see accomplished throughout the next 12 months. Many make New Year's resolutions each time the occasion arises, and usually the same ones too: "no more cigarettes", "read my Bible every day", "get out of debt", "go to the gym twice a week", "learn something new". The trouble with these resolutions is, of course, that they can be forgotten by the time February arrives, can't they? Goals are far more practical, and far more achievable: for example, you could aim to read your Bible twice a week for January, then add a day in February, and so on every successive month until you're feasting daily by June. It's realistic and it's practical.
But how often do we consider these things in light of other people? Most resolutions and goals can tend to be rather self-centred, can't they? It's usually for good reason, and if you make a habit of this kind of practice, then keep going... But this January, have a thought for your fellow brothers and sisters. We all need building up, we all need spurring on, we all need encouragement. The apostle Paul himself knew he had weaknesses as well as strengths and certainly recognised his need for being built up by his Christian family.

In writing to his beloved brothers and sisters in Rome, he is hungry for mutual encouragement right from the very start of his letter. He understands the importance of encouragement itself, not just the obvious specific gifts of hospitality, prophecy and so on, nor the specific roles of evangelists, pastors or apostles, as a vital building block for the church. ALL these things are vital, but they should all be used, not just as an end in themselves, but in ENCOURAGEMENT to build Christ's glorious church. He was an apostle, called by Christ to plant and oversee churches over a massive region, and yet he still desired to see mutual encouragement between himself and his Roman church family who are gifted in so many other different ways. Whatever your gifting, you have a role to play in stirring up your brothers and sisters to love and good works (Heb 10.24). Who and how will you encourage? And how do you want to be encouraged?

Make a goal to speak to that person or group of people this coming week!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2009’s going to be a cracker!!

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Beacon Touchpaper #5: "Christmas - What's the Point?"

"...Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice..." (John 18.37)

One of the greatest Christmas texts comes, not from Jesus's birth, but from shortly before His death. When Jesus, under arrest and heading for the cross in just a few scant hours, explains his purpose here on Earth to Pilate, He is being far more provocative than Pilate realises. In uttering what can appear to be a rather elusive statement ("to bear witness to the truth", as opposed to "to show you I am King", or "to die that your sins might be forgiven"), Jesus is in fact prompting something far more fundamental. Pilate's response to that declaration follows immediately in verse 38: "What is truth?" This shows the Roman governor is missing the point entirely. The TRUTH was standing in front of Him all along: Jesus is the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life. And that's the Christmas message right there.

As we spend the next month preparing for and celebrating Christmas, spare a thought for those others who are also missing the point. There's more than a few: 125,000 tonnes of packaging will have been thrown away by January; 330,000 trees will be used to make Christmas cards; £20 billion will be spent in total (£900 million of those on decorations alone); only 1 in 4 children in the UK think Christmas is more about giving rather than receiving; a recent survey of 5,500 Christmas cards in our High Streets showed only 67 bore images of the Bible story; January the 8th is cited as the busiest day of the year for divorce lawyers, when up to 1 in 5 couples (!) will enquire about divorce after the pressures of Christmas. It's an epidemic...

How do we help get the real message of Christmas - "bearing witness to the TRUTH" - across? It can be in any number of ways. For many elderly or single parents, the only person they may see over the Christmas period will be their postman. For those who've suffered the loss of someone close to them, the thought of entering a new year without the person they loved can be a painful reminder of what they've lost. Many of these people will be our neighbours. Just a small gesture can make all the difference; it can be the first step in building bridges for further opportunities (from personal experience, having the neighbours round one evening for Christmas drinks can be a great success). One small leap for man, one giant leap for the Gospel...

So, how do we help get the real message of Christmas - bearing witness to the TRUTH - across? I guess I'll leave that up to you...
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Communion - A Meal With a View (notes for sermon 23/11/08)

1 Cor 11.17-34

Being able to worship freely is something we can take for granted in this country; 450 years ago, things weren't so different...

Over a period of 3 years (1555-1558), Queen Mary I – or Bloody Mary as she became known – rounded up 288 people – men, women, elderly, an archbishop, even 4 children – and burned them to death at the stake in big public shows. Farmers sold snacks to the crowds; some brought children with them to watch. The victims’ friends could pay to have a keg of gunpowder tied to their loved ones' neck or waist for less suffering; when the flames reached the keg, things progressed rather more quickly... NICE

• WHY?: “The principal reason why they were burned was because they refused one of the peculiar doctrines of the Catholic Church. On that doctrine, in almost every case, hinged their life or death. If they admitted it, they might live; if they refused it, they must die” (J.C.Ryle, 1890) The doctrine in question was Communion... was the real presence of the body and blood of Christ in the consecrated elements of bread and wine in the Lord's Supper? “Did they or did they not believe that the real body of Christ... was present on the so called altar so soon as the mystical words had passed the lips of the priest? Did they or did they not? That was the simple question. If they did not believe and admit it, they were burned.”

• THANK GOD WE DON’T HAVE TO BE BURNED FOR OUR BELIEFS... But then, do we take Communion seriously enough sometimes?
• This is both a subject and a practice that can either be belittled, or overly legalised, or handled irreverently for the sake of being ‘provocative’ or ‘different’. It is a trap we can easily fall into, "you're supposed to do it this way or that", and this tradition (or ordinance) can then become religion. THAT is not Christ's, nor Paul's, intention.
  

Concerning the Lord’s Supper, Paul has to reprimand the folks at Corinth because of division (that same old problem’s cropping up everywhere in this letter, isn’t it?) and now selfishness, greediness, lack of humility, and a complete lack of respect for their brethren and a lack of integrity as God’s people... Paul shows them and us that each time we share in the Lord’s Supper, it is a special place in time where we can stand still and acknowledge 4 spiritual scenic viewpoints:

1. Looking Back:

• WHY we do it - Christ's instructions and explanation – verses 23-26, the historical explanation - the Last Supper itself (just hours before His arrest, torture and death) was a Passover meal: Matt 26.17-25, Mark 14.12-21, Luke 22.7-23 – "DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME"
• it is not Christ's life and teachings that save us, it is His death and resurrection
• we need to remember HOW He died too: blood was shed +++!
• and in His resurrection, we are not merely participating in a 2000-year old event/memory but we are participating SPIRITUALLY in fellowship with our LIVING Saviour
  

2. Looking Around:

• this should be a demonstration of unity as Christ's body (and there wasn't much in Corinth at this time! Communion was currently a demonstration of their DIS-unity!)
• How is our church's unity? What does this really mean in practical terms? Is there a brother or sister we need to get right with? Someone we've sinned against or offended? Do we need to ask forgiveness? Or do we need to forgive someone?
• v17 - the church coming together is for the worse! COMPLACENCY IS A SIN.
• DIVERSITY is great – EMBRACE IT! Whether we feel like it or not, we're one big weird family; we don't always get it right - but DIVISION is WRONG.
  

3. Looking Within:

• v27-28, 31-32 - "in a worthy/unworthy manner" - not that we must be worthy (THAT'S THE POINT!) but that we must do it in a WORTHY MANNER. A worthy manner does not mean perfect! That’s the point of Christ’s sacrifice!
• v20-22 – the church in Corinth regularly shared a “love meal” or “agape feast” together as part of their corporate fellowship, this was a significant part of their meetings and would include the breaking of bread towards the end. However, some treated the Lord’s Supper as an excuse to chow down and be gluttonous, even ignoring those that were going without! AND SOME EVEN GOT DRUNK! The irreverence is perfectly clear but they didn’t see it. This despises the church (v22), let alone God Himself...
• PAUL WISHES THEM TO UNDERSTAND THIS EVEN FURTHER THOUGH: Even if they did relearn their table manners and share their food, to simply eat, drink and remember is STILL NOT ENOUGH... WE CANNOT JUST STAND HERE AT THIS AMAZING VIEWPOINT AND SIMPLY ADMIRE THE VIEW: A RESPONSE IN HEART AND MIND AND ACTION IS REQUIRED: 1 Cor 10.16, Paul states: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a *participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a *participation in the body of Christ?”
• *"koinonia" = "communion by intimate participation". This word is used frequently in the New Testament to describe the relationship within the early church as well as the act of breaking bread. We PARTICIPATE INTIMATELY in the body and blood of the LIVING LORD JESUS CHRIST. If the Corinthian church really “got” that, would their behaviour have been altered? YEP!
• Hence, in v27 Paul states that eating the bread or drinking the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of PROFANING THE BODY AND BLOOD OF THE LORD (profaning = being abusive, blasphemous, vulgar, FOUL...). Dare we even skirt close to such a state of heart before our most holy God? Examine yourself with complete reverence and fear...!
• v28 - examine YOURSELF - not your elders' job, nor your brothers' or sisters'. Sure, we talked about judgement within the church in serious cases a few weeks back (1 Cor 5)... but the buck starts with YOU.
• Because if you take communion without true repentance, it causes spiritual death, illness or physical death (see v30), it despises the church, it despises God's holiness.
• A temptation can be to think of the God of the New Testament as a big softie. BUT HE'S THE SAME GOD THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE; OLD TESTAMENT, NEW TESTAMENT, BEFORE GENESIS 1.1, LONG AFTER REV CHAPTER 22... HE IS HOLY, PERFECT, JEALOUS AND HE IS LOVE.
  

Some pictures depict a slim flowery hippy Jesus, like a bearded Angelina Jolie with skin that hasn't seen the sun for years, a lovely white dress and beautifully conditioned hair: not my Jesus!

When Jesus walked this Earth, He was a meaty, rough-handed, homeless guy Who carved wood and stone for the first 30 years of His life; the real Jesus is the Son of God, the KING OF KINGS, Who became a man, God in human form, fully God and fully man simultaneously; He lived the perfect life, and showed us how He fulfilled the Old Testament, not threw it away, and was arrested and tortured at the hands of the people He created because of what He declared about Himself.

What He stood for and said offended those He created – it still does - and when they had finished ripping the flesh from His body, they hung Him on a cross by giant nails driven into His wrists and feet...

He hung there for hours until He gasped His last breath and said, "It is finished!" Why? Because in that moment He had completed what was required of the ultimate sacrifice. In our sinful state, each one of us bears the stain of sin; since Adam and Eve's choice to place their desires before God's, to put themselves in God's place, all things were and are corrupted: animals, bacteria, flora, man... our thoughts, our bodies, sex, relationships...

The cross deals with 2 aspects:

• EXPIATION = SIN (BY US AND TO US)
• PROPITIATION(*Eph 2) = WRATH: despite the current allegations of "cosmic child abuse", Jesus DID deal with God's wrath that was due us by bearing the full brunt of it Himself. There's a whole wealth of sermons here alone... It's little surprise that darkness came over the land for 3 hours, demonstrating the power of that dark moment when God turned His face away from His Son Who bore our dirty sins. Without the dealing of that wrath, there is no Gospel.
  

Then His glorious Resurrection... on the 3rd day, Jesus rose from the grave, victorious over sin, over the devil, over death. FOREVER. Without the resurrection, there is no complete Gospel.

THUS, if you genuinely judge yourself (v31-32) - ie not just deciding what's right and what's wrong, but also deciding on the appropriate action - then we will not be judged - because if that's done right, then we will stand right before the Lord, the most Holy One...

• = examine our hearts
• = judge our sins
• = confession & appropriate response
  

4. Looking Forward:

• v26b - "till He comes"
• THIS IS CELEBRATION, AND NOT JUST BECAUSE OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED, BUT ALSO WHAT’S TO COME - FUTURE WEDDING FEAST!!! [John the Baptist describes Christ as the bridegroom; Christ uses a parable of a wedding ceremony to explain His return for us in the future; Rev 19.6-9 = the marriage of the Lamb]
• We’re heading home together, and Jesus is preparing us a place
• We may be remembering the death of Christ, but it is not a funeral wake. HE’S ALIVE FOR GOODNESS’ SAKE!!! It is absolute reason to rejoice, rather than to mourn
  

5. SO HOW SHOULD WE DO IT? AND WHAT, IF ANYTHING, DOES HAPPEN DURING COMMUNION?

• FOR BELIEVERS, NOT NON-BELIEVERS
• Different ways, but the substance is what matters...
• There is no specific instruction on the size or type of bread; nor on wine or grape juice (Christ speaks of not drinking of this “fruit of the vine” until His return). There’s no legalistic edge to the bread and the wine; however, handing around tortilla chips and Pepsi for the sake of being ‘culturally relevant’ and ‘lateral thinking for the Gospel’ would be irreverent and missing the point...
• Frequency? Again, weekly, monthly, that is not the concern...
• The bread and wine DO NOT become Christ’s body and blood. That is a Roman Catholic belief (TRANSUBSTANTIATION), and is also what those Marian martyrs died resisting; when Jesus said “this is my flesh; this is my blood” it is said in a context of symbolism; Jesus and His followers understood symbolism well enough to not have to explain it! When He said “I am the true vine” (John 15.1), he didn’t have grapes hanging from His ears, and “I am the door” (John 10.9) does not imply he has fancy hinges and a mahogany wood stain... “My body, my blood” infers they are SYMBOLS and should not be taken any other way. Nothing magical occurs with the food when we eat and drink these things. Besides, Hebrews 9 is perfectly clear that Christ died once and ONCE ONLY; there is no place for a repeated dead body and shed blood...
• What DOES happen, however, is that Communion literally FEEDS us spiritually as well as physically; it feeds our relationship with Christ through faith – AS WE REMEMBER WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR US, AS WE LOOK AROUND AND WITHIN AND AS WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT GREAT WEDDING DAY, WE NOURISH OUR SOULS
• What also happens is that we PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL (v26.) Communion is a WITNESS – it is CELEBRATION and PROCLAMATION.
• The world is watching us, asking is "Jesus really real?", and our conduct when taking communion speaks absolute volumes to any guests we may have.
• Also, the act itself remembers the cross AND the resurrection in that we do it UNTIL HE RETURNS
  

CONCLUSION:

• v33-34 - Paul's round-up of the sorry tale... He does not say STOP MEETING or STOP EATING, but SORT IT OUT...

1. Look back

• to CHRIST’S perfect sacrifice & resurrection

• 2. Look around

• Unity and fellowship; anyone we should be getting right with? Speak to them before partaking...

• 3. Look within

• Examine ourselves; is there any sin that needs dealing with? We must not participate in Christ’s body & blood in an unworthy manner...
• When we come together for Communion, what are we really thinking? Worrying about making a noise? About being asked to help pass the bread and wine around? About the injustice of whoever lost on "Strictly Come Dancing" last night? THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH WERE THINKING ABOUT THEIR BELLIES AND SOCIAL STATUS; WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THINKING ABOUT JESUS
  

• 4. Look forward

• To that great day when He returns for us, His people, healed by His broken and torn body, washed in His blood, sealed by the Spirit; IT’S A SURE THING
• it is a time, not for grief and sombreness (despite appropriate, sombre reflection of our own hearts to begin), BUT OF JOY AND CELEBRATION IN FELLOWSHIP WITH OUR LIVING LORD
• Jesus gave thanks, even though He was about to suffer and die... WE SHOULD DO TOO...
  

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