A Midweek Message: God's Involving Ways (Ruth 3)

In this message, based on chapter three of the Book of Ruth, we see how God involves imperfect people while bringing about His perfect plans.

The Mid-Week Message: No Truth Without Tenderness, No Tenderness without Truth (Matthew 10)

In this message, we explore the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 10, in which Jesus sends out his disciples to proclaim the message of the Kingdom.  He warns them of the opposition they will face, but also encourages them with the reminder that God is faithful and resourceful.  He advises them that they are to "be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves", ie. that they must have both truth and tenderness.

Church From Scratch: The Bible

As we approach the end of our series covering church basics, Roger Davies teaches about the importance that the Word of God has as part of church community life.

Some Words for Monday: Church from Scratch: Leadership

One of the elders from Newtown Evangelical Church, Tim Gill, came to speak about "The Church and Leadership" as part of our series looking at church basics.  In this overview, we consider the role and characteristics of church leaders - those who are referred to as "elders" in the New Testament.

Some Words for Monday: Church From Scratch - The Holy Spirit

In this message, we explore the person of the Holy Spirit and his role within the church community.

Some Words for Tuesday: Church From Scratch - A Spiritual Family

Through Christ, we are able to come into God's family and receive "the Spirit of adoption".  The local church community, therefore, is a spiritual family which should be united and recognisable.  We explore these truths in this message.

Some Words for Wednesday - A Picture of a Church Community (James 5)

We've reached the final part of the letter of James, and next week we'll be finishing the series with a summary of the letter's main themes.  In this final section of chapter 5, we are given a picture of what a church community should look like.

1) In a church community, people should be reliable.  James writes about swearing oaths (5v12), and we find a very similar passage in Matthew 5v33-37 where Jesus deals with the same issue.  Religious people appeared to think that if they swore an oath by a less important name than God's, it didn't matter so much if they then broke that promise.

But James says this isn't so.  Instead, Christians are to be reliable.  We're not to make vague promises that we don't really intend on keeping, but instead we're to keep our word - "yes" should mean "yes", and "no" should mean "no"; otherwise, James says we will be "condemned".

For example, you may know someone to whom you've lent something, and they didn't return it.  Then they borrowed something else, and they didn't return that either!  Eventually, they become "condemned" - you know that they cannot be relied on to return something.  So James writes, if you don't keep your word, you will be condemned in the sight of others.

In order to be reliable, though, you might need some practical help.  For example, I use Google Calendar to remind me to ring my parents each week!  You might also need to reconsider your limitations.  Being reliable doesn't mean always saying "yes" when someone asks for help; sometimes, people need more knowledgeable help than you're able to provide.

2)  In a church community, people should be expressive.  Suffering can be expressed in prayer, and joy can be expressed in song (5v13).  James clearly considers the sober prayer and the praise-filled song are both reverent ways of approaching God, and are not activities for a select few, but for all the church.  Whenever the church gathers, it is appropriate to provide opportunities for open prayer and corporate singing.

James then describes a process by which an ill person can receive prayer from the elders (5v14-15).  The individual is to call for the elders, and the elders are then to pray for God to heal.  They anoint the person with oil, a symbol of God's blessing which the disciples had used previously when healing (Mark 6v13).  There is also an opportunity for repentance and forgiveness (5v15).

What is "the prayer of faith" (5v15)?  It is a prayer that combines a conviction of God's ability to heal with submission to His will.  The only type of effective prayer is the prayer of faith - without faith, we should not expect to receive anything from the Lord (1v6-7) - and this faith in God is expressed through the words "if the Lord is willing" (4v15).

This private scene of healing and forgiveness is then developed further, as James instructs the church to confess their sins and pray for each other's healing (5v16).  Here is a good reason for church communities to meet in different contexts during the week, rather than only once on a Sunday morning.  Large public meetings aren't the easiest situations for people to be open about their struggles and to ask for prayer.  Smaller groups (especially in someone's home), where people have grown to know and trust each other, provide more appropriate and safer opportunities for confession and heartfelt prayer for healing.

James emphasizes the power of prayer (5V16-18).  He has already said that faith and works will be found together (2V17), and so I believe the "prayer of a righteous person" is the same as the "prayer of faith".  Faith and holiness will grow together.

3) In a church community, people should be gracious.  James closes his letter by highlighting the importance and blessing of bringing back believers who have wandered from the truth (5v19-20).  Jesus Christ is our greatest example of this, as he came to find the lost sheep and bring them home.  Just as he prayed for Peter (Luke 22v32), so he also prays today that his people will not fall.  When we see fellow believers begin to wander, rather than behaving as judges (5v9), we should behave as brothers and sisters, and seek to bring them back into the church family.

Some Words for Wednesday - A bother or a brother? Philemon pt.2

(Some notes from the message shared recently when we gathered as a church.)

Last week, we considered the first few verses of the letter to Philemon.  Using the example of the apostle Paul, we found a simple recipe for prayer:

1. Take some thanksgiving.

2. Add some petitions.

3. Mix them together in a caring Christian community.

This week we'll focus more on the purpose of Paul's letter.  He is writing to Philemon, who lives with his family in Colosse: Philemon's son, Archippus, and slave, Onesimus, are both mentioned in Paul's letter to the Colossians.  Onesimus had run away from Colosse to Rome, but was now returning.  How should Philemon react?

The first question we might ask is: Why doesn't Paul tell Philemon not to have slaves?  When we think of slavery, we probably link it to racism, kidnapping and human trafficking.  We know that none of these are acceptable, so why doesn't Paul condemn slavery in his letter to Philemon?

Well, slavery in Paul's day was very different to what we understand as slavery today.  Tim Keller, in his book "The Reason For God", writes:

"In the first-century Roman Empire, when the New Testament was written, there was not a great difference between slaves and the average free person.  Slaves were not distinguishable from others by race, speech or clothing.  They looked and lived like most everyone else, and were not segregated from the rest of society in any way.  

"From a financial standpoint, slaves made the same wages as free labourers, and therefore were not usually poor.  Also, slaves could accrue enough personal capital to buy themselves out.  Most important of all, very few slaves were slaves for life.  Most could reasonably hope to be manumitted within ten or fifteen years, or by their late thirties at the latest." (pg.110)

So, Paul doesn't condemn the kind of slavery he witnessed at that time - although elsewhere, he does advise that if someone can buy their freedom, they should do so (1 Cor.7v21).  Instead, he believes slaves and masters would be active members of the same churches, and both would be transformed by the gospel.

So what does Paul teach Philemon regarding how he should react to the return of Onesimus?

1) Paul sees sons instead of slaves.  This is clearly true of Onesimus (v10).  The slave had run away to Rome, and been converted under Paul's ministry.  Now the apostle felt fatherly concern for Onesimus.  We don't read of Paul having a family, but that doesn't stop him having a parental role within a church.

This is also how Paul views Philemon.  It's implied that Philemon was converted under Paul's ministry - he owes Paul his life (v19)!  Even though Paul has apostolic authority, he doesn't command Philemon - instead he appeals to him (v8-9).  As a spiritual father, he does not exercise the authority the role implies, but expresses the compassion the role demands.

The family dynamic of a church is not only expressed in this letter, but throughout the letters of the New Testament.  A good example is given in 1 Timothy: Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father.  Treat younger men like brothers, older women like mothers, younger women like sisters, in all purity." (5v1-2)

A person's position before God is more significant than their position at work.  Within our own churches, we must be careful we do not divide into cliques based on income or occupation.  No one is to think too highly of themselves, but we are to "associate with the lowly" (Rom. 12v16).

2)  Paul sees a brother instead of a bother.  Onesimus had become a believer since running away - but what does that change?  We might think it only changes the way a person lives, but it's far more than that.

a) There is a change of identity (v16).  Onesimus has entered the family of God, and is now a child of God.  He is able to see himself differently, and the church should also see him differently.

b) There is a change of expection.  Paul says Onesimus was useless, but is now useful (v11-13).  Paul has a different expectation of Onesimus now he is saved - he will be useful to the church.

The gospel makes useless people useful!  Have you learned that in your church?  Or, if the world has written someone off, do you just follow suit?  It's possible for a church to create a culture where believers with "complicated" lives are seen only as recipients of ministry.  The church has no expectation of grace, so the individual shows little evidence of it.  Ultimately, the church ends up seeing a believer as a bother instead of a brother.

But if someone has accepted Christ as their Saviour and Lord, it is wrong for us to see them as only recipients of ministry.  If they are in Christ, they have gifts to use for the benefit of the church: "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." (1 Cor. 12v7)  

There should be lots of opportunities for involvement in the life of a church community.  We are not to demand involvement as though someone's salvation depended on it, but we are to anticipate their involvement as though their salvation produces it.  We are then to enjoy their involvement - to be "glad" of their service (v13) - while they discover the joy of truly belonging to a spiritual family.  

3)  Paul expects Philemon to be inspired instead of insulted.  The gospel regularly challenges us, and it may be tempting to reject it because we feel insulted.  The problem for many people is that, although God accepts us just as we are, He won't leave us just as we are.  The gospel's aim is to make us more like Jesus - and for that to happen, we have to be willing to put everything that contributes to our identity on the altar.

Paul doesn't demand the obedience of Philemon, but he does anticipate it, because he anticipates the transforming power of the gospel.  This power will transform Philemon beyond what could be demanded, just as it was transforming Onesimus.

So our aim as members of a church community is to inspire and encourage one another, and to anticipate and enjoy the evidence of our faith.  We are challenged to not have favourites, but to treat all believers as active members of a spiritual family.

Some Words for Wednesday - An indwelling God will create an outreaching church

(Some notes from the message shared last Sunday when we gathered as a church.)

We're continuing our series in the book of Haggai.  Last week, we looked at chapter one and started to consider what a modern day temple should look like.   We recognised that the temple today consists of a gospel foundation with gospel-believing walls.  The foundation is Jesus Christ and his saving work, and the walls are the people who have trusted in him.  This community becomes a dwelling place for God.

So what does God's home look like?

1.) Gospel-centred, Spirit-filled and God-glorifying.

Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the church, and the teaching of the apostles and prophets (recorded for us in the New Testament) fills the rest of the foundation.  The foundation is the gospel and all its implications, and therefore the teaching of the church will centre on Jesus Christ and what he did to save God's people. The church will be gospel-centred, and the lives of believers will demonstrate their response to the gospel.

The church community will seek the help and direction of the Holy Spirit.  It is the work of the Spirit to make us gospel-centred.  When Jesus was speaking about the Holy Spirit, he said "he will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you" (John 16v14).

It's no surprise, then, that when the apostle Peter is "filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 4v8) he declares "this Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.  And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4v11-12).

When we are Spirit-filled, we become gospel-centred.

As Jesus approached the hour of his death, he declared that his aim was to glorify the Father (e.g. John 17v1).  When we are filled with the Spirit, we will glorify the Father by recognising Him as the source of all good things (Ephesians 5v18-20).  In other words, when a church is gospel-centred and Spirit-filled, it will be God-glorifying.  Informed by God the Spirit, our response to the gospel of God the Son will glorify God the Father (John 15v8).

2) Everyone will be involved, but not in the same way.

In Haggai 1v14, everyone is involved in the building work - but clearly not in the same way!  Within that diverse community, there would have been people with different strengths, knowledge, passions and abilities.  They would have taken different roles in the work.

In the church, God enables everyone to be involved, but we're not identical.  We are like different parts of the same body.  Everyone is able to contribute to the life of the church in different ways.

We must therefore learn to be patient and submit to one another, and recognise that people will respond differently to the same situation because they have different gifts.  I must learn not to be offended by other peoples' gifts because they aren't passionate about the same things as me.

We must also learn not be scared as the church changes.  If you're at home, and the walls start to move, it's right to be scared!  That's not meant to happen!  But that isn't the case with God's home.  In God's home, the walls are meant to move.

In other words, the structure of this temple is always meant to be developing, just as a body matures and develops.  The foundation should not change, but the structure is meant to change as individuals grow up in the Lord.  In fact, the more solid the foundation is, the more movement you'll see in the walls.

Finally, this temple isn't meant to exist only on a Sunday, and lie in ruins for the rest of the week.  As a church, we must be a dwelling place for God everyday, everywhere.  Whatever the setting, when we're with other members of our spiritual family, we should be ready to love and serve one another.  We must crucify our embarrassment, and replace it with encouragement.  For example, praying, singing, and sharing from the Scriptures are not activities reserved only for prearranged church meetings.  They are to be a part of the community life of the church.

But why focus so much on being a community, a spiritual family?  What about unbelievers?  Shouldn't we be focused on them instead?

3) An indwelling God creates an outreaching church, not the other way around

As I mentioned in the last blog post, it is tempting for churches to think that as long as they're busy, they're being a church.  E.g. As long as they're busy reaching out to the community through social events, then corporate prayer, Bible teaching and fellowship aren't that important.  Outreach makes them a church.

But that isn't the case.  We mustn't assume God dwells within our church community because we're too busy to notice Him.  He wants to be sought, acknowledged and enjoyed.  It is not the activity of sacrifice that draws Him, but the attitude of heart (Psalm 51v16-17).

God is then glorified as He dwells in the temple among His people (Haggai 1v8).  If we want unbelievers to see the glory of God - to hear the gospel and, by faith, see "the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4v6) - it doesn't begin with God working within their hearts; it begins with God working within our hearts.  God must dwell within us as a community rather than as individuals who happen to get together occasionally.

This doesn't mean we wait to begin outreach work.  But we're not to view our ministry to each other as being unrelated to our ministry to the lost.  How we share the gospel with each other as a spiritual family has an impact on how we share the gospel with unbelievers.

As you reach out with the gospel, recognise the importance of God dwelling within the church.  No matter what you do, a torch will not shine if the bulb has been removed.  God's glory will not shine if He is not dwelling within a church community.  

But it will shine wherever He makes His home.  An indwelling God will create an outreaching church.