October 16, 2010

October 16, 2010 By

One aspect that we haven’t talked much about is this: Barnabas may well have single-handedly prevented a damaging split in the early church between Antioch and Jerusalem. If you go back and read it, you will see that he was the ‘go-between’ for Peter and Paul-between Antioch and Jerusalem. It wasn’t always easy in that relationship but Barnabas had a foot in both camps. He was a blessing and was described as the ‘chief-mediator’ between those two great centers of the early church by one commentator (Conzelmann) I read.

You have to ask, “Where would the church have been without Barnabas?” He is incidentally believed to have been martyred on Cyprus.

What can we conclude about his life today? When your heart is all for God, as I’ve already said, opportunities to serve Him are not far behind. Barnabas didn’t think “Well, I really don’t have a role here. I’ll just passively watch as others do the work.” He got stuck in to the work of encouraging.

He was secure in who he was in God, he wasn’t looking for position or praise from other people. He was easily led, a joy to lead. But sometimes he was too easily led. Don’t be like that.

He was equally happy in the background or serving in the foreground as the Lord led. Sometimes God will lead you into the foreground, other times He’ll lead you away from the foreground and into the background. The challenge is: will you serve? Some people say, “I only want to be in the background.” But if God puts His hand on you and pulls you to the front, it’s as much a sin to resist that as it is to be someone who yearns for it. We mustn’t be those who resist what God is calling us to do. We mustn’t be those who desire status and position and glory.

It seems Barnabas was also an example of someone who served God despite putting family first before the church and before his ministry opportunities. I think that’s quite liberating for us. I would urge you, and the leaders feel very strongly about this, we must get our priorities right in life. I think Barnabas is an example of a man who did just that.

There are four key elements of a balanced, godly life. First: your relationship with God. There seems no doubt to me that Barnabas was close to God. It did say he was full of the Spirit. It was that closeness to God that sustained him and that came first in his life. How else could he have been so effective and so faithful? I’m sure he put his relationship with God at the top of that list. It’s easy for us to sometimes let other things get in the way of God.

Some of you probably expect me to say, “And then he put church next.” I know many places it’s God first, then the church. Actually, no, he put his family next , his actions demonstrated that. He was prepared to risk his whole future in church ministry and church leadership over his cousin. I think God honored him for that. I think it’s right to put family above church. We serve our family because of our relationship with God. God calls us to our families first, to bless our families, to serve them. They’re your first church.

Actually, the best way to bless your family is to bring them to a godly church and so Barnabas did have a role in church and he saw that as very important.

Of course he knew something of how to order his finances, he had a field that he could sell. But we see by that act of selling, his work came in pretty poor fourth place. No one’s going to get to the end of their life and say they wish they’d spent more time at the office. It’s not going to happen. Work is important. But chances are, you’ll go through several jobs in your life. Hopefully, you’ll stick with one family. Hopefully you’ll be committed to one church for a long time. Sometimes you will move to a different church, that can be a godly thing to do. I am so thrilled to be in the church that I joined in 1995 and to see what God is doing here is a real joy and a delight.

Finally, it was Jesus who changed Barnabas’ life. It was Jesus that Barnabas had met. Jesus who made good all of Barnabas’ mistakes, who covered up for his disagreements. It was Jesus who helped Barnabas to be strong, robust and to be such an inspiration for others. It was Jesus that comforted Barnabas and encouraged Barnabas so that he could encourage others.

It says in the Scriptures: God is the God of all comfort and He comforts us so that we can comfort others. Brothers and Sisters, if you remember nothing else from this message, remember this: Jesus would say to you this morning, “Be encouraged!” And you, though you may never be a Paul (I don’t believe Barnabas was any less successful because he wasn’t Paul ). You may never be a Paul, I may never be a Paul, but we can all be a Barnabas.

October 15, 2010

October 15, 2010 By

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Barnabas is an encouragement to us in another way: Like so many heroes of the Bible, he wasn’t perfect. Don’t you find that encouraging? God is in the business of using servants who are not perfect, people who blow it, people who make mistakes. Maybe you’re sitting here this morning and you’ve mentally disqualified yourself from being used by God because of mistakes you’ve made in the past, sins you’ve committed in the past. I want to say to you, “There’s another chance for you!” We see in Galatians 2 that Barnabas makes a clear mistake. The context of this is about food. I believe eating together is very important. As I was thinking about this talk, I was thinking about all the people who have been like Barnabas in my life and there were many of them, some do stand out, people who really shaped my life. I could list them, but don’t really have the time to do that. One thing suddenly struck me about all of them, there is one thing they all have in common. All of them have eaten together with me. There’s something about eating together that communicates acceptance, love, and that builds trust, that gives people the right to sometimes even rebuke me. There’s a love that comes from that. That’s an interesting point; don’t underestimate the importance of eating together.

Barnabas and Peter were eating with the Gentiles, showing their acceptance of them. When some people came from Jerusalem, they were frightened of what they would say and Barnabas’s strength became his very weakness. He didn’t want to cause trouble, and it led to him being led astray by Peter. In this example, he was too easily led. We must remember that no leader can be relied upon to always get it right. So he withdrew.

Gal. 2:11-13 “And when Cephas(Peter) came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles, but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. ”

In the past, Paul had needed Barnabas to encourage him and help him. Now, Barnabas needed Paul to rebuke him. This really was an example of the right boot of fellowship. Sometimes the most encouraging thing someone can do for you is tell you off, say “Come on, sort it out!” Real encouragers tell you off. The truth is this, in the church, we all need each other to sometimes cover our weaknesses, to look out for each other and sometimes to rebuke us, to correct us, to develop us. That’s what teamwork’s all about. We don’t have all the answers. So, Barnabas blew it, but was that the end of his ministry? No! It wasn’t at all!

A big row over a good principle
Next we see another thing that’s often described as a mistake in Barnabas’ life. He had a disagreement with Paul, you probably know the story. I wonder whether Barnabas had learned from his mistake of being too easily led and this time decided, “No, I am not going to allow Paul to make this mistake. I am going to stand up to him, to challenge him.” This argument almost becomes an argument about people versus mission and you see that sometimes in the church. Some people say, “Church is all about the people, we must care for them, we must look after them, we must encourage them, we must develop them.” Other people say, “No, it’s about the mission. We must get out there and get others.” What had happened was that John Mark had let them down in the mission. He was a leadership casualty. For fear he ran away, you know the story. Paul says, “He can’t come again.” But Barnabas says, “No, I am not prepared to discharge John Mark to the scrap-heap yet.”

If you’re an ex-pastor here this morning, God does not want to leave you on the scrap-heap. If you’re someone who feels like you’ve messed up your Christian walk, God does not want to leave you on the scrap-heap. Barnabas stands by John Mark partly because he’s a member of his family, a cousin, and he says, “I will put my family before my ministry. I will sacrifice ministering with Paul because I want to encourage this leadership casualty.”

There’s another lesson in this: God sovereignly directs our paths. What happened as a result of this strong argument? As a result of the argument, a number of things happen.

First of all, another apostolic team gets planted. Suddenly, we have 2 apostolic teams. Barnabas begins to lead his own team. But Barnabas is honored by Paul. It’s not that Barnabas becomes suddenly independent . Later on, in one of the letters, Paul speaks very specifically about Barnabas and what a blessing he was. As we’ve often said over the summer, we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good. Even here in this instance, their disagreement, God works it around for good.

But what about the others involved in this? John Mark gets to write the first Gospel. He’s the author of the book of Mark. No doubt, his Gospel inspired Matthew and Luke to write, because we know they used his Gospel and it would seem he probably inspired John as well. Perhaps without Barnabas, we’d have no Gospels. John Mark is actually described as ‘useful’ by Paul later on.

Barnabas gets to lead. Some people think Barnabas disciples wrote a major chunk of the New Testament! Some even think he wrote the book of Hebrews- it certainly would be like him not to sign his name, but we don’t know that. That was an early tradition, but he might or might not have done that. And Paul gets to be Paul. What we see here is God sovereignly ordaining even a big disagreement and turning it around for His glory.

October 14, 2010

October 14, 2010 By

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The Gift of Encouragement from Jubilee Church on Vimeo.

In Acts 13 Barnabas himself was encouraged by others. Remember the purpose of prophecy is encouragement. Remember when we say encouragement, we’re not just talking about a warm fuzzy feeling. We’re talking about sometimes being thrust out, our passage begins “and in the church of Antioch, there were prophets and teachers.” (Barnabas is at the lead of this list, he seems to be the church leader there.) “Barnabas, Simeon, who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manean, a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. And while they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me, Barnabas and Saul, for the work which I have called them.’ And after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.“ (Acts 13:1-3)

So he was now on the receiving end of a prophecy. You must learn to receive and to give. I hate to say it, but there are some Christians who just like to receive all the time. How’s the worship leader doing this morning? Well, I’m not sure I like that keyboard player as much as the one we had last week. Hm, that preacher, I like him. Some people like to receive all the time and never give. But actually there are some who like to give all the time and never receive. The truth is this: God is calling you and me to be those who receive, so that we can give. Jesus said this: “Freely you have received, freely give.” Amen!

An encouragement here, in the form this prophecy, thrusts out Barnabas and Paul. It’s very interesting; they’re propelled now, into their next phase of ministry.

At this point neither of them are given a real title or an office as such. They’re not called apostles yet, they’re not even described as elders. I suppose they’re fulfilling that role, but it doesn’t say that in the Scriptures. They are fulfilling a function by now. Barnabas is a prophet or a teacher; remember as it said at the beginning of that verse “in the church there were prophets and teachers.” I’ve said that I suspect that he was a prophet, for all kinds of reasons, I think he has this functional role.

An apostolic ministry, interestingly, has an element of both the prophetic and the teaching coming together as well as obviously that kind of pioneering, overseeing type of role. Barnabas seems to be coming from the prophetic angle and it seems pretty clear that Paul was coming from the teaching angle. We know that Paul was the teacher “Par excellence” of the New Testament. We have so much of his teaching recorded for us. And so the two of them together formed this first apostolic team.

The apostles were doing things in Jerusalem. But here now, a team is being thrust out. The emphasis here is not on the title, the emphasis is not on whether they’ve got a ‘ministry’ or a ‘role’. The emphasis is on what they are doing. Now Barnabas moves on to another phase of his relationship with Paul. Up until this moment, he’s really led Paul. It’s been very clear, Barnabas was at the top of the list. Indeed, when they are sent out, it says “Barnabas and Saul”. He could have said later on, “Well, the Holy Spirit mentioned my name first.” But instead, he encouraged a leader who would then surpass him and he went through an amazing transition with Paul.

John Piper says this of this phase of Barnabas’ life: “With this strategic investment in Saul’s life and career, Barnabas secured forever his secondary status in church history and I love him for it.” It’s an interesting point isn’t it?

As Piper also puts it: “A Biblical leader is humble and self-effacing, he looks for people with greater gifts than his own and pushes them forward.”

So, Barnabas begins to fade into Paul’s shadow. It’s Barnabas and Saul at the beginning. Barnabas is even called Zeus, the king of the gods, he might have liked that, I don’t know, the powerful one. Pretty quickly, it becomes Paul and Barnabas. Even in this very chapter at one point it’s just Paul and his companions. What’s your heart like? Are you looking for position? Are you looking for a title? Would you rejoice if that baby Christian that you’ve been encouraging a little bit suddenly leapfrogs over you and becomes a small group leader before you do? Or perhaps you never do become a small group leader because that’s not what God is calling you to. Would you be disappointed? Would you be jealous? Or would you be thinking, “Go for it! I’m so proud of that young man and I’m so thrilled that I had a part to play in propelling him/her into the ministry that God called them to.”

Romans 12:3 says “But by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned to him.” What is your measure of faith? If you’re faithful in it, for sure, God may well increase it. But please don’t try to be something that God hasn’t gifted you to be. Sometimes in the world, people are promoted to the level of their incompetence. Have you heard that phrase? Someone who is a good deputy gets promoted to manager and you have to sometimes ask, even in the church, “Is it really all about Jesus?” I felt, as I was praying this morning, that there would be some here who would become a pastor. You’re an ex-pastor sitting here this morning because it didn’t work. Because actually God never wanted you to be out on your own in that way. He’s not finished with you, He’s got roles for you but you were never meant to do that and I would challenge you to please don’t hanker after position, don’t hanker after being like that person.

God doesn’t want you to be the next Terry Virgo or the next whoever. He just wants you to be you. You can fulfill a role that only you can fulfill. Barnabas was willing to be led as well as lead. Here at Jubilee, we have a need for many more leaders who will follow Barnabas’ example. We need many more leaders! People are coming to us; a crowd is being formed but that crowd must be shaped into a congregation, must be called to commitment, must be discipled, must be channeled into ministry. We need more leaders, brothers and sisters. We need leaders who will sign up first to be a follower. Who will be a servant and hence qualified to lead others? It’s about servant leadership, it’s not about self-fulfillment ‘I must have a role’. It’s about service of others, not about ‘my ministry’.

Interestingly, in the context of this switch that Barnabas has, finally he gets his title. He’s called an apostle in Acts 14. He does get his title but he doesn’t get to be the top dog. Barnabas is a real encouragement to us in this area. You and I can play a role without yearning for a position.

October 13, 2010

October 13, 2010 By

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Very soon, Barnabas’ encouragement finds another outlet, another opportunity. We see, in Acts 11, that Barnabas begins to encourage a baby church. A few people don’t wait for the apostles to send them or tell them what to do, they run because of persecution and when they arrive in Antioch they begin to share the Gospel. They don’t wait for headquarters to instruct them, they get on with it. Then, in verse 22 the apostles hear of what’s been happening, people are becoming Christians and a church is beginning to form:

“The reports of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God he was glad. He exhorted them to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose. . .” (That’s the definition of encouragement) ” . . .for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.” (Acts 11:22-24.)

Barnabas here still has no job title, no position; but he is described as a trustworthy man. He also happens to be of the same nature, the same birth as this new group of believers. So the Jerusalem Apostles sent him to be their representative and to encourage this new church. Notice how he is described here: He is not full of himself like some people are, but he’s full of the Spirit and the Faith. Are you full of yourself, or are you full of Jesus?

What can we learn from this whole story, this whole episode? Well, first of all, we can learn not to always rely on our leaders to take the initiative. Sometimes people say “The church should be doing this”; “The church should be doing that”. But actually the Spirit guided these people through circumstances, and they just gossiped the gospel. People became Christians.

But here’s another thing, don’t assume that just because God’s hand is on you -Maybe God has begun to bless you, maybe a few people are becoming Christians – or some sort of fruit is happening in your ministry, don’t therefore assume that you’ve got it all sorted, that you don’t need any help. Seek out the help and advice of leaders.

When Barnabas came he added something into the mix. Barnabas came into this church and more blessing came. It said that many people came to know Jesus as a result. And that wasn’t just because Barnabas came and preached, it was because Barnabas encouraged that new church. Just one person with the gift of encouragement can dramatically change a whole church. What do these people do- these encouragers? They look for the evidence of the grace of God and they blow on it. When he saw the grace of God, he wasn’t jealous, he wasn’t a killjoy, he just blew on it. He inspired them to be faithful to the Lord. That’s what we need, isn’t it? We each need that, actually. And the truth is this: You and I need encouragement, but we can also give encouragement.

In the very next verse, what do we see? We see that Barnabas realizes there is an opportunity to encourage somebody else. And what does he do? It says he went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. And for a whole year they met with the church and taught to a great many people. What does he do? He encourages an emerging leader. Why does he get Paul? For two reasons: One, because he wants to develop Paul, he can see the gift in him, he sees that he needs an opportunity to learn how to serve but also because Barnabas recognizes he needs some help. He can’t do this on his own. He doesn’t think, “Oh great, this is my opportunity, I’ve got my own church now.” He thinks, “I need some help.”

If we believe Barnabas was a prophet, and I think he was, we now see that prophets help release other leaders. And if you have a role in church, maybe I’m speaking to some small group leaders here, you should be looking for someone who can fill that role. So perhaps you can do something else so that more ministry can happen. Or maybe your role is to encourage someone who will be able to do something that you never will be able to do. John Piper said “Barnabas was a maker of leaders.” You may never be a great leader. But wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could encourage someone who perhaps will do more than you ever will.

Barnabas will in fact from now on in his life, from this time on, will forever be defined by his relationship with Paul. And we can learn a lot from this relationship. It’s a remarkable relationship. Many so-called prophetic people are proud of being loners. They don’t connect with anyone. They feel “I’m an oddball; I don’t fit in.”. Not this one. Barnabas was not a loner. And I would ask you this morning, if you’re listening, who do you relate to? Who are you getting help from? Dare I say it, who are you offering help to? I would urge you, get involved in small groups. Don’t just sit here on a Sunday morning, week in, week out, and receive all this teaching, and enjoy the worship. No, get stuck into your small group life. Get stuck into the mid-week services, come for the prayer meetings. Learn how to be encouraged and how to encourage others.

To be continued

October 12, 2010

October 12, 2010 By

 

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Here is the continuation of an edited transcript of the above sermon which began yesterday:

Who did Barnabas Encourage?

First of all, and it may seem like a slightly funny place to start, he encouraged his leaders. Have you ever thought about that, that leaders need encouragement too? I know one or two of you are sitting here this morning thinking: “I want to be a leader?” Are you so sure? Leadership can be a real challenge. People that you love turn on you; people that you help sometimes disappear. It’s not easy sometimes. It’s a great privilege and it’s a great blessing. Leaders need encouragement. It’s quite literally about putting courage back into them sometimes when it has drained away. Barnabas encouraged his leaders, in this case by bringing them the money. The important point is this, they were encouraged and that’s why the called him the “Son of Encouragement”. Hebrews 13:17 says: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Brothers and sisters it’s a real delight to be part of the leadership team here at Jubilee, and I know the four elders very well. I can tell you this; they don’t groan about their work here, they love their work here because you do respond to them so well. But be encouraged to keep doing that.

Barnabas was all in, he wasn’t on the fringes, he was comitted. He gave because he believed in the vision. His example still inspires people today just as it did then. It inspires people to genuine, sacrificial giving. Just as he gave his field to the purposes of God. Unfortunately sometimes, just like in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, it may encourage people to give out of wrong motives. ‘Show me’ giving or giving to impress others, or, giving to get something back from God. I don’t believe Barnabas gave in order to get back from God. He gave because he loved God. He loved the vision.

Encouraging the needy
Barnabas gave in a sense to encourage or strengthen the needy. Sometimes I think when we give money directly to the poor, it’s quite difficult. He wanted to do it via the apostles, he trusted the apostles to distribute. But he did know what the money was going to be used for. So he spent himself on behalf of those who could never repay him.

What do we learn from this episode? I think I already said, big people do not need a big role or big title or big office in order to make a big impact.

But also, when your heart is sold out for God, as we see Barnabas’ was and as we will see as we go through the story of his life, opportunities to serve God soon follow.

During this phase of his life John Piper says of Barnabas that “Barnabas earned a reputation for caring for the underdog.” Maybe you feel like an underdog this morning. Well, God cares for you and there are those of us here that can care for you and lift you. That’s what Barnabas did, he wanted to respect and lift and honor people rather than tread all over them.

Encouraging a new convert
In Acts 9, Saul the persecutor becomes a Christian. Barnabas’ attitude is very different from the rest of the believers. The rest are rejecting Paul, they want nothing to do with him. They think he is probably a spy and that he’s going to arrest them. Even if he’s not that, they see him as perhaps a brash young man. Paul caused trouble wherever he went. Barnabas’ attitude was very simple “if I have been accepted by God, why would I not accept somebody else?” Barnabas accepts him and advocates for him with the apostles as it says in Acts 9:27 “Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord who spoke to him and how at Damascus he preached boldly in the name of Jesus.” You have to ask “Where would Paul have been without this help, without this encouragement from Barnabas?”

To be continued…

October 11, 2010

October 11, 2010 By

I have not forgotten my series on Feelings and Faith and will be returning to it shortly. But in the meantime, I want to share with you a sermon I preached over the summer. Video is available to watch online here or you can download both video and audio.  But thanks to the work of Kristen Keating I can share an edited transcript with you over the next few days  http://kekeating.wordpress.com/

This sermon is one that meant a lot to me, and to a number of listeners. It addresses a very important concept for Christians today to get hold of.  In the days of large churches where you can easily hide, and in the day of many professing Christians rejecting church altogether, this truth must once more come to the fore.  You need biblical encouragement if you want to mature as a Christian.  You need to learn to dispense biblical encouragement to others if you want to be obedient to Jesus command to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.  I truly believe that Jesus will be much more interested in the deep lasting impact you have made in the lives of a few choice people that he gave you to care for and strengthen than in how big a crowd you managed to gather.

I encourage you to allow God to speak to you, challenge, and convict you through this message.

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A prophetic dream

The  Scripture tells us that young men will see visions and old men will dream dreams. I still like to think of myself as young although the beginnings of gray hairs tell me otherwise.  But I am the right side of 40 just, so I was a little disconcerted recently when God spoke to me in a dream.  But there you go, it’s happening.  It’s  a funny way to start a sermon, I know, but I would like to share this dream with you.  It was a very vivid dream.  I was sitting in a theatre a little bit like this, but instead of it being a cinema, there was a stage there and the curtain was down.  The curtain lifted and I saw a few people from our church on the stage.  We were meeting in this theatre (don’t worry, I’m not suggesting we are about to move,  we’re not).   But you’ll see the point of this dream in a minute.

The worship was just about to begin but then some more people started coming in from stage left and stage right.  And a few more people came, and a few more people came, and suddenly the stage was full.  I heard God say this: Aim for a church where there are more people on stage than watching.

It was a bit like Jubilee’s International Day.   Remember that?  When all the Nigerians flooded the stage?  Now we’re not going to have a big choir here but what I am saying is that everyone has a role, everyone has a job to do.  If you’re looking for your role one of the things you can do is go to the serving desk and sign up.  I believe that is one of the ways you may need to respond to this word this morning.

What is encouragement

In Acts 4 we see Barnabas’ first appearance in Scripture as an early disciple. We read from verse 36:  “Then Joseph who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”

Barnabas was a big man who didn’t need a big role to make a big difference. He came, he gave his money, and he was an encouragement.  He did not look for a position or a title before he began to play his part. The apostles named him “Son of Encouragement,” but interestingly that word Barnabas can also mean “Son of the Prophet”.  You might say “Why is that?”   We see that the purpose of prophecy, according to 1 Cor. 14, is to encourage, to comfort, to console, and to build up.  Sometimes true encouragement is actually an exhortation or rebuke.  It’s actually about purpose and mission.  It’s coming alongside someone “parakalesis” coming alongside someone to help them to a purpose, to a cause, to a mission.  It’s catching someone up in what God is doing.  Now Barnabas it seems was probably a prophet but we don’t see a single prophecy that Barnabas spoke recorded in Scripture.  But his character and his personality embodied these functions of the Holy Spirit.  Some people ask “Why are you so interested in the gifts of the Holy Spirit?   Why do you want prophecy amongst you?  Why do you want the Holy Spirit’s activity amongst you?”  The reason is very simple, we need encouragement we need strengthening, we need emboldening; we need to have courage put into us.  That’s really what encouragement means.  We need sometimes the right boot of fellowship, the provocation.  It’s not so much comforting and consoling as rousing, and causing to rise up.

Mark Driscoll says of this:  “The gift of encouragement involves motivating, encouraging and consoling others so that they mature in their walk with Christ.”  There’s a sort of encouragement that says “there, there, you’ll be alright” but there’s a sort of encouragement that leaves a person stronger, better, more robust, more able to follow Jesus and, dare I say it, more able to help others.

To be continued…

April 11, 2024

April 11, 2024 By
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Some Christians are still against remarriage following divorce  in most or all circumstances.  In this quote Piper holds a firm position, but explains how he believes that should be handled in a compassionate way, and what he feels a Christian who has been re-married should do.  I do really like the fact that he acknowledges also that there is a wide range of views on this matter among true Christians today.

Another helpful thing about this quote is his understanding of just how painful and difficult divorce is, stating that it is often more painful even than the death of a spouse.  Almost no Christian will choose to get divorced lightly and easily.  It really ought to be the last resort. Keller describes it like an amputation. , and most Christians are well aware of that when they decide to get divorced.

Finally Piper acknowledges that God can turn around situations that are less than ideal into a real blessing, which in itself brings hope, something which often is hard to come by in the aftermath of divorce.

Many of us might feel that Piper’s closing five arguments are actually mostly arguments justifying that divorce and remarriage should be acceptable in certain circumstances.  After all Moses allowed for divorce and presumably remarriage because of the weakness of humans, so wouldn’t grace require a similar approach? Piper sees it differently but holds up nonetheless an opportunity for redemption:

Did Jesus make provision for his disciples to divorce and remarry? Are there situations in which he would sanction this? There is no consensus on the answer to this question today among his followers. I want to say clearly from the beginning that I am aware that men more godly than I have taken different views than the one I will give here. I do not claim to have seen or said the last word on this issue, nor am I, I pray, above correction should I prove to be wrong. What follows is an attempt to show why I believe Jesus considered the marriage covenant breakable only by death and therefore forbade remarriage while a spouse is living.

I realize that simply saying this will feel devastating to some, adding more misery to the injury of what they did not want to happen. Divorce is painful. It is often more emotionally wrenching than the death of a spouse. It is often long years in coming and long years in the settlement and in the adjustment. The upheaval of life is immeasurable. The sense of failure and guilt and fear can torture the soul. Like the psalmist, night after night a spouse falls asleep with tears (Ps. 6:6). Work performance is hindered. People draw near or withdraw with uncertain feelings. Loneliness can be overwhelming. A sense of a devastated future can be all-consuming. Courtroom controversy compounds the personal misery.

And then there is often the agonizing place of children. Parents hope against hope that the scars will not cripple them or ruin their own marriages someday. Tensions over custody and financial support deepen the wounds. And then the awkward and artificial visitation rights can lengthen the tragedy over decades.

Because of these and many other factors, people with sensitive hearts weep with those who weep. They try not to increase the pain. And sometimes this care is confused with compromise. People think that loving care is incompatible with confrontation—that the tenderness of Jesus and the toughness of his demands cannot both be love. But surely this is not right . . .

What then would Jesus expect from one of his followers who has sinned and is divorced and remarried? He would expect us to acknowledge that the choice to remarry and the act of entering a second marriage was sin and to confess it as such and seek forgiveness. He would also expect that we not separate from our present spouse. I base this on at least five observations.

First, Jesus seemed to regard multiple marriages as wrong but real. He said to the woman at the well in John 4:18, “You have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband.” She is living with a man now, but there has been no marriage—no covenant-making. The others he calls “husbands,” but the one she is with now is not her husband.

Second, Jesus knew that Deuteronomy 24:4 spoke against going back to a first husband after marrying a second. He did not go out of his way to qualify this provision.

Third, covenant-keeping is crucial to Jesus . . . therefore, even though the current covenant is adulterous in the making, it is real and should be kept. Its beginning in sin does not have to mean that it is continuously sinful and without hope of purification.

Fourth, there are illustrations of God taking acts of disobedience and turning the result into God-ordained plans. One example . . . would be the sinful marriage of David to Bathsheba. The adultery with her, the murder of her husband, and the marriage “displeased the Lord” (2 Sam. 11:27). So the Lord took the life of the first child of this union (2 Sam. 12:15, 18). But the second child, Solomon, “the Lord loved” and chose him as ruler over his people (2 Sam. 12:24).

Fifth, through repentance and forgiveness on the basis of the blood of Jesus and through the sanctifying work of the promised Holy Spirit, a marriage that was entered sinfully can be consecrated to God, purified from sin, and become a means of grace. It remains less than ideal, but it is not a curse. It may become a great blessing.

Piper, J. (2006). What Jesus demands from the world (pp. 304–322). Crossway Books.

 

Piper also wrote a detailed position paper for Bethlehem Baptist church together with his other elders.  This states:

Divorce may be permitted when a spouse deserts the relationship, commits adultery, or is dangerously abusive (1 Cor. 7:15; Matthew 19:9; 1 Cor. 7:11)  . . . After serious efforts have been made toward reconciliation the aggrieved partners  . . .may, together with the leadership of the church, come to regard their marriages as irreparably broken. In such cases remarriage may be a legitimate step, if taken with serious reckoning that this cuts off all possibility of a reconciliation that God may yet be willing to produce.

This guideline is for some of us the hardest concession to make . . . while the spouse is still unmarried and alive reconciliation is still Biblically possible. This makes it very hard for some of us to condone a step that decisively cuts asunder what God meant to be permanent and which could yet be permanent (1 Corinthians 7:10-11).

Others of us believe that 1 Corinthians 7:15 (“If the unbelieving partner desires to separate, let it be so, in such a case the brother or sister is not bound.”) gives freedom to a Christian to remarry if abandoned. We also believe that denying remarriage puts an unwarranted strain on the chastity of the divorced person who may not believe he or she has the gift of celibacy (1 Corinthians 7:7).

But we all agree that serious efforts should be made at reconciliation, including the intervention of the church if necessary, before any aggrieved spouse is resigned to singleness or is free to remarry . . . Persons remarried after divorce will forego positions of official leadership at Bethlehem which correspond to the role of elders or deacons (1 Tim. 3:2, 12).

Bethelem Baptist Church Position Statement

 

What is interesting about Piper’s position is that he on the one hand personally does not believe remarriage should happen after divorce, but recognising the fact others have different views, he took a more relaxed view in his church. Considering the fact that this statement was written back in 1989, this was probably quite progressive at the time among conservative Evangelicals.

One of the other Bethlehem Baptist elders has published a detailed paper showing why he believes divorce and remarriage should be more broadly allowed. He says:

While it is a serious error to permit what God forbids, it is also wrong to forbid what God permits. To insist that (a) initiating a divorce is never legitimate or (b) remarriage after divorce is never legitimate or (c) a divorced/remarried man is automatically disqualified to be an elder is to forbid what God sometimes permits. READ MORE 

It is also appropriate to note that John Piper has a son Barnabas who has written and spoken publicly about his divorce, and subsequent remarriage.  Barnabas’ instagram post shows that his father attended his second marriage, and I am glad to see that whatever their differing views on this subject, they were able to joyfully share in the day together.  A long form YouTube video interview with Barnabas is also available on YouTube.

Piper’s church refuses to allow anyone remarried for any reason to become an elder or deacon, however.  This would surely have the effect of making anyone in that position feel like they are a second class citizen. I respect Piper hugely and am grateful for his efforts here to offer grace and hope, but the problem with this kind of half way house is surely it could lead to a half way restoration where someone who has remarried is allowed to be part of a church but not to exercise their God given ministry.

Piper’s statements does sound to me like a pause point along a journey which began with the Reformers, rather than a final destination.  But it does its best to hold views of different Christians in tension and mutual respect, which is admirable.

Piper is clear that once someone has entered into a second marriage they should stay in it and that God can redeem even a marriage wrongly entered into.  If God can restore us from any sin that definitely includes restoring any marriage even if sin was involved in starting it he explains this more elsewhere:

If you are divorced and remarried, keep your promise. Don’t break your word a second time . . .

If the marriage that you are in was entered wrongfully, you shouldn’t have entered it. Should you stay in it? That is the question. And my answer is: Yes. Repent honestly before God to each other and to him. Admit it should not have happened. Ask for forgiveness from each other and from God, perhaps from former spouses. And then keep your promises that you made to each other when you made your vows, rather than a second time breaking your word . . .  a vow you make to a person to be their husband or their wife till death do you part is not something to be taken lightly . . .

Jesus talked to the woman at the well in terms that suggest pretty strongly that he believed she had five genuine husbands and one non-genuine live-in . . . (John 4:16–18)

Now, think about that. What does that imply? … if Jesus is willing to call wrongfully entered relationships marriages, then it seems to me that we should hold people to the expectations of holiness and permanence implied in the word marriage, till death do us part.
READ MORE. 

 

 

Many years of sermons by John Piper  are available in Logos Bible Software, which is how I found this quote. You can also own sermons preached by John Stott    and  Tim Keller among others.  Sermons by great preachers are a great addition to your Logos library because using the Passage Guide you can easily find what they preached on a verse you are looking at. Perhaps the best of all is Spurgeon’s massive sermon collection – the best way to get those is as part of the Logos 10 Baptist Silver Collection or above.  

If you do not yet have this wonderful Bible Study tool or you are due an upgrade, readers of this blog get a 10% discount.  

Some of my other favourite resources for Logos include Lloyd-Jones outstanding books on Ephesians and on The Sermon on the Mount.  These are affiliate links.

 

READ MORE

How to Reduce Divorce Stigma in Church

Christian views on Divorce and Remarriage: A Spectrum

Tim Keller on Divorce and Remarriage

The Reformers on Divorce and Remarriage

Men and woman CAN be friends: retiring the Billy Graham rule

 

October 26, 2019

October 26, 2019 By

The most important Christian album ever. That’s what some are calling Kanye West’s Jesus is King which has erupted onto the internet this weekend.

I have recorded a vlog where I discuss the contents of this article:

You can also watch this on YouTube or listen to the audio on my podcast which is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

You can listen to clips of the album right here

Kanye_West_at_the_2009_Tribeca_Film_Festival.jpg: David Shankbonederivative work: Underdogger [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)]

Those of us who are oldies and out of touch with modern culture might not realise just how potentially impactful such a giga-celebrity conversion and album release might turn out to be.  Our youth are, however, much more aware of just how much of an impact Kanye West might make as a born again Christian and much of this post was inspired by a conversation I had with some of my own children.

We need to understand the context a bit. Our kids are growing up in a society where it really is NOT considered “OK” for them to be a Christian. Celebrities talk about environmentalism, veganism, and all kinds of other things. But faith is off-topic. Christianity specifically is seen as toxic, filled with hate, and a medieval relic. And that was before evangelicals threw their support behind Donald Trump.

The public square is increasingly being curated and controlled with the explicit goal of eradicating public conversation about faith. All this ironically is in the name of “tolerance” since some are offended by the mere mention of God. It sure doesn’t feel very tolerant towards Christians. In fact it often feels to Christian young people that the whole world has turned Christophobic. That may sound a strong word, but I think it reflects the reality.

With the launch of Jesus is King, as well as Kanye West’s announcement that he has converted to Christianity this year, suddenly the mainstream media are forced to talk about Jesus. Hundreds of millions of his fans are listening to this album portray a message very far removed from what they would have been used to hearing from the man who still describes himself as “the greatest artist in human history” and who still fully intends to become the president of the United States (both of these bold statements are quotes from his recent Zane Lowe interview).

Into this context the conversion of arguably the most famous celebrity performer has a huge impact. His public proclamation of the gospel in interviews and now music will make a big difference to the confidence our kids feel, and surely the gospel can never be proclaimed in any format without some people being saved as a result.

Some are even suggesting that Kanye could be used by God as the next Billy Graham. I do believe that God is at work in this very public conversion. And I do think that Kanye is already being an evangelist to a generation who have never even heard of Billy Graham. Although for those of us old enough to remember perhaps Kanye is not so much the next Graham as the next Clif Richard who was certainly very well known as the bad boy of pop before his own conversion. But perhaps we should just anticipate that Kanye West is not meant to be the next anybody, but to be the person God has made and intended him to be.

Certainly the lyrics of this new album are completely focussed on the gospel and Jesus, as are his public statements.

“I am no longer an entertainer. I am not here for anyone’s entertainment . . . My only mission and calling is to spread the gospel”  – Kanye West

But some Christians are cynical about Kanye West’s public conversion and proclamation of the gospel via music. Some point to his previous behaviour and even a song title which proclaimed “I am a god” as a reason to doubt that such a man could ever become a Christian. Whenever someone high profile gets converted seem to not only doubt the reality of the conversion, but almost will the new convert to fail and lose their faith down the road.  That ought not to be so!

The hostility from some Christians has not passed West by and lyrics from the song “Hands On” reflect this reality:

“Said I’m finna do a gospel album
What have you been hearin’ from the Christians?
They’ll be the first one to judge me
Make it feel like nobody love me . . .

Somebody pray for me”

This reluctance to accept a new convert reminds me of what happened in Acts when Saul the persecutor came back to Jerusalem claiming to now be a Christian. The Early Church had serious doubts and it took a Barnabas to accept him and (Acts 9:26-27). Shouldn’t we welcome anyone who claims to be a new believer?

One of the album songs declares Jesus as Lord openly in its very title. To make such. declaration and mean it is an indication that your heart is born again and your have been saved:

“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.” (Romans 10:9)

Shouldn’t we pray for him and give him the time to learn and grow? He has submitted himself to a pastor, who speaks warmly of his faith in a recent podcast:

“I am not a theologian I am a recent convert” – Kanye West

It might be tempting for some Christians to quote Scriptures about how talking humbly and dismiss West’s showmanship.

“Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.

Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—a stranger, not your own lips.” (Proverbs 27:1-2)

We might also be tempted to quote 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, NIV  to argue that God always uses unimpressive people to fulfil his purposes. After all, the argument goes, Billy Graham was a farm boy when he got saved.

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.

But, as someone once said the letter “m” is vital in that passage. It doesn’t say God never saved or used anyone who was rich or successful.  And in any case, we might miss the point of what has happened to Kayne West over the last few years.  He went from being at the very top of his profession, as an idol to millions, to complete humiliation. Handcuffed, and taken to a psychiatric hospital where he was treated for bipolar disorder and has been vilified in the press. One could almost argue he became one of the most hated people on the planet.

In fact this whole recent experience sounds rather like God allowing him to be stripped of many things so that he was precisely weak enough for Jesus to change his life around. In the recent Zane Lowe interview Kanye describes himself as something of a Nebuchadnezzar figure the quote is in the youtube video here:

Honestly, I think that we simply must rejoice that the gospel is currently going out to 100s of millions of people. We have no reason to doubt West’s sincerity at the moment, but even if we did we should, like Paul,

“In every way . . .Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.” (Phil 1:18)

Kanye is absolutely clear that he now feels he is in service of Jesus Christ as he explains in the clip below:

“When you are not serving God you are serving everyone else”  – Kanye West

Some of us may not personally prefer hip hop or rap music.  But as many previous generations have said before,

Why should the devil have all the good music?

 

An example of  one of Kanye’s Sunday Services

Read More

“Jesus Is King” Movie Review: Four Things Christians Should Know

Kanye West is Right: Jesus IS King – Go Tell the World

Kanye West says he is “in complete service to God”

Coming soon (God willing) : the rest of the series “Jesus Commands”

Jesus said that if you obey him your life will be established on a firm foundation when the storms come.

Adrian hopes God willing to be able to return to blogging more regularly soon.

Follow the link to read all the articles, or subscribe to our newsletter to be notified as they are published.

Complete the form in the top of the right hand column, or below if you are visiting on a mobile device.

September 22, 2018

September 22, 2018 By

Much of modern Evangelicalism and in particular its views on social justice would sound alien to Jesus.

Many Christians have moved a long way from Jesus and his view of the World.

Christians are followers of Jesus. Shouldn’t we behave like him? Shouldn’t our concerns mirror his? To follow Jesus we must know him. And we must reflect him. We are called to be his representatives in the World.  The whole point of my recent series on the commands of Jesus is simply a cry for us to come back to Him.  

When was the last time you read one of the Gospels?

We should focus on what JESUS said and did. We must learn to OBEY him.

Perhaps it is time to resurrect a slogan of my youth “WWJD?”  What Would Jesus Do?

I don’t believe that Jesus would sign the recent Social Justice Statement.

There has been much recent controversy in the church caused by John MacArthur’s Social Justice Statement. Some of the key paragraphs in the statement are as follows:

WE DENY that political or social activism should be viewed as integral components of the gospel or primary to the mission of the church. Though believers can and should utilize all lawful means that God has providentially established to have some effect on the laws of a society, we deny that these activities are either evidence of saving faith or constitute a central part of the church’s mission given to her by Jesus Christ, her head. We deny that laws or regulations possess any inherent power to change sinful hearts . . .

We reject any teaching that encourages racial groups to view themselves as privileged oppressors or entitled victims of oppression. While we are to weep with those who weep, we deny that a person’s feelings of offense or oppression necessarily prove that someone else is guilty of sinful behaviors, oppression, or prejudice.

This has all been portrayed by both proponents of the statement and its opponents as being new.

Yet it is surely reflects a much older debate. I remember as a child evangelicals speaking negatively about the ‘social gospel’ and using that as an excuse for inaction on injustice. This was declared to be out of a desire to stress that the real need of humans is not to be fed, given work, or liberated from oppression, but to get into a right relationship with God.

As a result of that viewpoint many Christians have rejected the centrality of social justice. Thier concern is that if we focus too much on caring for the poor and oppressed then we risk making that our main aim and hence deny the Gospel.

According to this view the emphasis of the church should be solely on preaching about individuals getting right with God. This view of the Gospel becomes so wedded to Western Individualism, that many claim Christians should not overly concern themselves with the suffering of the poor and oppressed.

If we find a poor and needy person and teach them to follow Jesus, so the argument goes, then they will be lifted out of their poverty as a natural byproduct.  Though few would go so far as to say this explicitly, there is an implicit assumption that poverty and its associated suffering is caused almost entirely by the victims own sin. In fact some would be uncomfortable even with calling the poor and oppressed victims at all, out of fear that would lead to the poor seeing themselves solely as the sinned against, rather than a sinner themselves.

But there has always been a differing view among many godly evangelicals. According to this view the gospel itself is an announcement of social justice. It is the declaration that the Righteous ruler of the universe has seen the suffering of this world and has entered into it to put things right. According to this view demonstrating the love and justice of God requires us to see the needs of the suffering and alleviate them, demonstrating the love of God in practical ways.

How can we claim that we are proclaiming the love of God without putting that love into action? Perhaps one of the greatest examples of this way of thinking was from Simon Pettit’s movement-changing message “Remember the Poor” in the early days of the family of churches I am a part of. This message focusses on the KEY thing that the original Apostles of Jesus required Paul to do, and if we want to be apostolic we must follow this command also:

“When James and Cephas and John,  who seemed to be apillars, perceived the  grace that was given to me, they cgave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me  . . . Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.” (Galatians 2:9-10)

As I will demonstrate in a moment this concern for the poor comes straight from Jesus. But it is a concept that comes from the Old Testament where God himself is portrayed as being VERY concerned about social justice for the poor, needy, and oppressed. Here are just two examples:

“Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, for the Lord will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.” Proverbs 22.22-23

“O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.” Psalms 10:17-18

The message of these verses and others is that GOD works for social justice and we must join him.

God himself is concerned about the oppressed.  He does not want humans to go about striking terror in others.

When JESUS announced HIS gospel it was all about social justice:

He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and fsat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture ihas been fulfilled in your hearing.”  (Luke 4:17-21)

Jesus was the child of an unmarried mother.

He came to a relatively poor obscure village.

He gathered to himself manual workers, not the educated elite. None of the twelve had a theological decree between them.

Tax collectors, Samaritans, women, and even a prostitute were welcomed by him.

His enemies were the kinds of religious scholars that today would be so embarrassed to read those words that they would try and over-spitualise them and explain away the notion that Jesus came to set things right for the oppressed.

And in case you think that this kind of action is for Jesus only, notice how Jesus describes the criteria for the final judgement:

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

The truth is we are ALL victims of sin AND perpetrators.

Many of us are beneficiaries of injustices that have gone before us.

If we are white we generally, not even in America, don’t worry that a simple traffic stop by a policeman could easily result in our death. It is therefore for this and many other reasons wrong for privileged white men to imply there is no such thing as racism today.

If we are a man, we generally don’t worry about being raped. It is wrong then for men to be dismissive of the concerns of the #meto movement, or to be unconcerned about reports of sexual abuse of all kinds being covered up and enabled in many sectors of society, including the church.

It is wrong for us to look down on others and judge them for the unfortunate situation they have found themselves in.

Even many of those we would like to label as “sinners” often didn’t have the opportunities that we did to learn how to live a ‘respectable’ life.

Throughout church history Christians have been known for ACTION on behalf of the poor, needy, and sick.

We have a glorious history of feeding the hungry, most recently through food banks, establishing hospitals, the hospice movement, early AIDS charities, debt advice, addiction counselling, and a myriad of other things. Why would we want to leave all that behind us?

How can we look a hungry man or woman in the eye and say “God loves you” but not feed them as a demonstration of this?

Many Christians have somehow lost their own sense of being needy. We think of OURSELVES as entitled rather than as recipients of amazing undeserved grace. We forget that WE were poor, and that Jesus has made us rich in him.  It is like we have forgotten that we are no more than beggars who are showing others where to find food.

Unfortunately perhaps because we are so blessed with health, comfort, nice homes, jobs, faithful spouses, churches where we are loved, we live a million miles away from true needs. Yet perhaps we are in danger because of our ease.  Some churches even struggle to support those who are suffering in some way in their own congregations.  If we have no difficulties that we face ourselves perhaps it is harder to show compassion towards others. Indeed in some churches those who are not experiencing perfect lives feel unwelcome, and if they are suffering difficulties of any kind can even feel embarrassed.

In that context we hear that the Apostle Paul pastored in a very different way, it is said of him that the went around “strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, “It is necessary to pass through many troubles on our way into the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22, HCSB

Christianity today, and especially Evangelicalism is perceived as being judging and rejecting of the needy and oppressed.  It is time for a new generation to rise up determined that as we have been loved by God, we will show that love to others. If we do not, then I fear, as Tim Keller puts it, perhaps we have never truly received grace for ourselves:

Don’t miss the series “Jesus Commands”

Jesus said that if you obey him your life will be established on a firm foundation when the storms come.

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June 2, 2014

June 2, 2014 By

Authentic Christianity

When I was just four I became a part of a family of churches that was subsequently called Newfrontiers. Terry Virgo was the founder of that group. One of our rallying calls was a call to “relational Christianity.” This call is as relevant now as it has ever been. A few days ago Terry posted a couple of tweets about this:

 

 

I immediately knew what he meant. But it struck me suddenly how this concept is something that I am in danger of taking for granted. It’s also something that is open for misunderstanding, and even for misapplication. So, I have started a stream of tweets about it. I’d love for you to suggest further additions in the comments section or on Twitter.

Here are my bite-size comments on relational Christianity:

  • You know you are experiencing relational Christianity when the “business” meeting isn’t just called a family meeting, but it FEELS like one.
  • Relational Christianity means that you have real friends at church even if you are one of the pastors. It values people over programmes.
  • Relational Christianity is not being a cosy pastoral group patting each other on the back, but a prophetic people prodding each other onward!
  • Relational Christianity means that pastors don’t feel they are alone at the top of a pyramid, but have people they can be really honest with.
  • Relational Christianity is not so much about applying to join a movement/ denomination but rather about joining hands in brotherly partnership with friends around the globe.
  • Relational Christianity is simply biblical Christianity where we follow the great commands to really love God and love each other.
  • Relational Christianity: involves fulfilling the Great Commission TOGETHER with others not building the empire of a denomination or group.
  • Relational Christianity means that you have church friends you could ring at 2am in an emergency and they’d take your call, and get up to help
  • Relational Christianity recognises that although creeds and statements of faith may have a place, godly & gifted PEOPLE ensure Church purity
  • Relational Christianity: I will never forget collapsing in a lecture, rushed to hospital, brain scan, then my pastor @colingeorge45 visited (a number of years ago).
  • Solo Christianity like solo sex is ultimately unsatisfying. We were built for authentic relationship, not business-like companionship.
  • Relational Christianity forms churches that love a pastor too much to bleed him dry, burn him out, and spit him out. They ALL learn to pastor.
  • Relational Christianity: If a member of “your” church will clearly be better served by a different church then you should encourage them to go in peace.
  • Relational Christianity would never dare to hate ANY part of the Church: the bride for which our Lord Jesus died to save and be betrothed to.
  • Relational Christianity is based on an exclusive relationship with the One who saved and loved us, but it leads to an inclusive love for ALL

 

See Also

  • Relational Christianity: If a church must part with a member of the pastoral team, it will be over-generous remembering the sacrifices that have been made.
  • Relational Christianity is about people not processes, trust not contracts, friendship not leadership, organic structure not org charts.
  • Relational Christianity is about forging a community, and allowing it to flourish not using business principles more astutely than others.
  • Relational Christianity does not see the other churches in your city as rivals, but as allies fighting in the same army against the same enemy.
  • Relational Christianity does NOT have to be small minded. It loves everybody and so wants them all to be saved. Growth is not bad!
  • Relational Christianity uses the language of the family not business. Father, son, beloved, brother, imitate vs boss, employee, client, obey.
  • Relational Christianity builds communities where grace is lived out and embodied not merely studied as a doctrine.
  • Relational Christianity doesn’t exist if before the service everyone sits in silent reverence, are passive during and after they all rush straight home
  • Relational Christianity: God designed us to need each other if we want to be sanctified E.G. marriage helps us realise we’re still selfish.
  • Relational Christianity gives honour to other Christians because we realise that only TOGETHER can we all reflect God’s multifaceted glory.
  • Relational Christianity is more interested in forging a culture and transmitting it to others than writing standard operating procedures.
  • Relational Christianity is sacred. The church corporately embodies the experience of the Trinity who eternally relate.
  • Relational Christianity probably doesn’t exist in your church if none ever eats meals with each other. Jesus ate a LOT of meals with people.
  • Relational Christianity is not friendships based on common interests but fellowship with a common Lord causing fellowship with each other.
  • No matter how good your church service, relational Christianity can never happen in 1 to 2 hours of passivity on a Sunday and nothing else.
  • The truth is the Work of the Spirit is required to forge the kind of relationships required in relational Christianity: supernatural bonding.
  • Many Christians know the joy of hearts being knit together in an instant as Jonathan and David were and friendships that survive separation over great distances and time.
  • Relational Christianity: Something is seriously wrong with your church if it contains only people you’d naturally have chosen to be with.
  • I would challenge anyone to show me how pursuing the “homogenous unit principle” and not diversity is compatible with relational Christianity.
  • An ideal local church reflects the make up of its local population in terms of race, gender, and socioeconomic status as God loves everyone.
  • If your church is not attracting local people of a certain race, gender, or socioeconomic group ask, “How are we we putting them off?”
  • If your town is 99% one racial group don’t beat yourself up if your church reflects that. But do seek ways to specifically love the 1%.
  • Relational Christianity is about being “brothers in arms,” together on a mission, not a social club together for the sake of being together.
  • Relational Christianity is really simply about loving God first and therefore loving your neighbour who is made in God’s image.
  • Relational Christianity: because of love the prophetic will always trump the pragmatic and the pastoral will always trump professionalism
  • Church should be God aware first and foremost so they may not seem “seeker friendly” but they must be “seeker aware” & not “seeker hostile!”
  • Relational Christianity: There should be no conflict between the missional purpose and the pastoral because our task IS the people

 

One of the delights of my life is being part of Jubilee Church that is seeking to embody these ideas.  We are an international family together for a purpose. And we have a lot of fun along the way.  This was well demonstrated in our recent International Day. I will close this post by embedding a video from that day, and you can see more here and here.

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