Snow drops in frozen fields mean one thing to me: the Banner of Truth Conference at Leicester is not too far away. Brilliant! I've posted before on 'Leicester', as it's known by the Banner Fraternity, here, and here. For me, it's a commitment I try very hard to keep to. I love the way that the preaching, core convictions and fellowship of the Conference keep me rejoicing in grace, and longing to return to a ministry which is grace-filled to others.
Not all of my friends think that the Banner of Truth is brilliant. Too many of my brothers love the books Banner publishes, but have given up on the Minsters' Conference, or wouldn't try it. Even when I try to persuade them! I believe that this is a great shame. Especially as so many of my friends in Ministry are the hard-working, gifted men whose presence in Leicester would bring so much encouragement to others.
The Banner does not know the word fashion. There is nothing trendy, faddish, groovy about 300 men, many grey, the remainder bald, singing old hymns and psalms and listening to (mainly) old men. Few attendees can point to great Gospel prosperity in the communities they serve. Many struggle to get to grips with articulating the timeless Gospel in the bewildering mix of social problems around them (though who doesn't?) And yet, these men are servants who are faithful and committed to the Gospel. The Reformed truths which we share at this conference are vital to the spiritual future of the nation, just as they have been to its past. The more I go on in the Christian life, and grow in my theological understanding, the more I side with B.B. Warfield in his statement that 'The world should realize with increased clearness that Evangelicalism stands or falls with Calvinism.' I treasure the Evangelicalism which is resurgent in our day. But its highest and best expression, and most solid underpinning, are in the clear convictions of the Reformed Faith. Many more younger guys need to come to Leicester and learn how to ground their lives and ministries in this rich heritage.
This year I'm on the platform at Leicester, preaching twice. I'll prepare hard, think hard, and pray hard. My preaching will almost certainly disappoint me, probably a number of my hearers, too. It won't be brilliant. But if the Banner has taught me one thing, it's this: God will always have the Glory. I'm praying great things for this year's Conference. I would love to see either you or your Pastor there, too.
Conference details are here.
Monday, 21 February 2011
Friday, 18 February 2011
No Other Life
'For Christians cannot be distinguished from the rest of the human race by county or language or custom. They do not live in cities of their own; they do not use a peculiar form of speech; they do not follow an eccentric manner of life. This doctrine of theirs has not been discovered by the ingenuity and deep thought of inquisitive men, nor do they put forward a merely human teaching, as some people do … They busy themselves on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. They obey established laws, but in their own lives they go far beyond what the laws require. They love all men, and by all men are persecuted. They are unknown, and still they are condemned; they are put to death, and yet they are brought to life. They are poor, and yet they make many rich; they are completely destitute, and yet they enjoy complete abundance. They are dishonoured, and in their very dishonour are glorified; they are defamed, and are vindicated. They are reviled, and yet they bless; when they are affronted, they still pay due respect. When they do good, they are punished as evildoers; undergoing punishment, they rejoice because they are brought to life. They are treated by the Jews as foreigners and enemies, and are hunted down by the Greeks; and all the time those who hate them find it impossible to justify their enmity.'
'Letter to Diognetus', Anonymous, quoted in 'Above All Earthly Pow'rs', David F Wells, p.157
'Letter to Diognetus', Anonymous, quoted in 'Above All Earthly Pow'rs', David F Wells, p.157
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Train up an Adult...
For the last seven weeks I’ve been teaching the Heidelberg Catechism on Sunday mornings at Hope. I plan to follow the entire course of it and teach it through 2011. Its 52 sections follow the calendar year, after all. So why are we studying the Catechism, and how are we doing it?
I take a slot in the morning service just after the first prayer. We have the words on a screen and in our bulletin. I state the questions and we all affirm the answer. I’ll make comments or clarifying statements as we go along, to spell out the meaning for us all. Four minutes is the maximum I plan to give it each Sunday. The congregation is all-age, so I’m mindful of the children. There are times when the material might need more careful teaching with an illustration. So, on week 3 we learned about the Federal Headship of Adam and Christ, and how, in Adam, our nature is ‘poisoned’ (to use the Catechism’s phrase). How do you teach that in four minutes so that the kids keep up? Well, I bought two flowers (they looked like sunflowers which I couldn’t get because they were out of season). I explained to the children that the flower heads were like two families, each containing the seeds of everyone who would ever come from them. Then I told them that one had been sitting in bleach for two days; healthy as it might appear, it would in fact soon die. That, I said, is us in Adam. We can, though, through grace, be transferred out of Adam’s family into Christ’s. So, good news in the bleakest of catechetical statements!
The congregation is a mix of Christians and those who are exploring the Gospel. Does this make it a risky venture, getting nonchristians to recite technical theology which they don’t understand? Not at all. The Bible is full of stuff which all of us fail to understand to one degree or another. If the Catechism is full of rich, Biblical and therefore true material, I want us all to be exploring it. Done in the bitesize way we do it, there’s no likelihood of Christian or Nonchristian getting overloaded. As I’ve said to our people several times, there’s no way we can really digest this material through one exposure to it on a Sunday, so I encourage them to keep their bulletin to hand in the week, and to go back to their questions and answers we’ve looked at. And if they want to commit these words to heart then I’m delighted.
So why do we do it? Well, as I just said, the Catechism is full of truth. I want to show people how good theology serves and clarifies their Bible understanding, and also, to give them an appetite for going into heart-thrilling theology (and historical theology too, my own passion). As I say almost every week, the catechism serves as a map. It shows us how our beliefs fit together, and we learn how to understand the Bible and how to travel through it. To the best of my reckoning the people are really rating it, and in personal conversations a couple of people have either referred to, or even quoted bits of Heidelberg back to me.
Why the Heidelberg Catechism, given the range of other available material? I’m not a Presbyterian, but am part of that now deeply unfashionable breed, a Reformed Baptist. My own Confession, and the bedrock of our Church Plant, is the 1689 Confession of Faith. Why aren’t we using that, week by week? My answer is, all in good time. We’ve actually spent some midweeks looking at the 1689 and enjoying its riches. We have, God-willing, years ahead to study it. I chose Heidelberg because it’s rightly famous for its clear theology and its devotional atmosphere, the two essential ingredients of any truly edifying theology. I also want our people to see that we’re part of a large Reformed Community with a noble historical lineage in our beliefs about grace. Our Baptist convictions mean that I’ll not be following Heidelberg to the letter in one or two sections. My Presbyterian friends will berate me, but I can handle them!
As I began this series with occasional looks at G.I.Williamson’s ‘The Heidelberg Catechism’, and then came across Kevin DeYoung’s ‘The Good News we almost Forgot.’ The wording of the Catechism I take largely from the translation Kevin uses, but I sometimes go back to the Latin if I think that a phrase can be put more smoothly. Anyway, Kevin’s is an excellent book which I heartily recommend, and it’s worth its price just for the terrific essay on the place of theology in Christian living and growing, the substance of which is here.
So, this is one part of my modest efforts to train our congregation in the Gospel. How are they doing it at your church?
I take a slot in the morning service just after the first prayer. We have the words on a screen and in our bulletin. I state the questions and we all affirm the answer. I’ll make comments or clarifying statements as we go along, to spell out the meaning for us all. Four minutes is the maximum I plan to give it each Sunday. The congregation is all-age, so I’m mindful of the children. There are times when the material might need more careful teaching with an illustration. So, on week 3 we learned about the Federal Headship of Adam and Christ, and how, in Adam, our nature is ‘poisoned’ (to use the Catechism’s phrase). How do you teach that in four minutes so that the kids keep up? Well, I bought two flowers (they looked like sunflowers which I couldn’t get because they were out of season). I explained to the children that the flower heads were like two families, each containing the seeds of everyone who would ever come from them. Then I told them that one had been sitting in bleach for two days; healthy as it might appear, it would in fact soon die. That, I said, is us in Adam. We can, though, through grace, be transferred out of Adam’s family into Christ’s. So, good news in the bleakest of catechetical statements!
The congregation is a mix of Christians and those who are exploring the Gospel. Does this make it a risky venture, getting nonchristians to recite technical theology which they don’t understand? Not at all. The Bible is full of stuff which all of us fail to understand to one degree or another. If the Catechism is full of rich, Biblical and therefore true material, I want us all to be exploring it. Done in the bitesize way we do it, there’s no likelihood of Christian or Nonchristian getting overloaded. As I’ve said to our people several times, there’s no way we can really digest this material through one exposure to it on a Sunday, so I encourage them to keep their bulletin to hand in the week, and to go back to their questions and answers we’ve looked at. And if they want to commit these words to heart then I’m delighted.
So why do we do it? Well, as I just said, the Catechism is full of truth. I want to show people how good theology serves and clarifies their Bible understanding, and also, to give them an appetite for going into heart-thrilling theology (and historical theology too, my own passion). As I say almost every week, the catechism serves as a map. It shows us how our beliefs fit together, and we learn how to understand the Bible and how to travel through it. To the best of my reckoning the people are really rating it, and in personal conversations a couple of people have either referred to, or even quoted bits of Heidelberg back to me.
Why the Heidelberg Catechism, given the range of other available material? I’m not a Presbyterian, but am part of that now deeply unfashionable breed, a Reformed Baptist. My own Confession, and the bedrock of our Church Plant, is the 1689 Confession of Faith. Why aren’t we using that, week by week? My answer is, all in good time. We’ve actually spent some midweeks looking at the 1689 and enjoying its riches. We have, God-willing, years ahead to study it. I chose Heidelberg because it’s rightly famous for its clear theology and its devotional atmosphere, the two essential ingredients of any truly edifying theology. I also want our people to see that we’re part of a large Reformed Community with a noble historical lineage in our beliefs about grace. Our Baptist convictions mean that I’ll not be following Heidelberg to the letter in one or two sections. My Presbyterian friends will berate me, but I can handle them!
As I began this series with occasional looks at G.I.Williamson’s ‘The Heidelberg Catechism’, and then came across Kevin DeYoung’s ‘The Good News we almost Forgot.’ The wording of the Catechism I take largely from the translation Kevin uses, but I sometimes go back to the Latin if I think that a phrase can be put more smoothly. Anyway, Kevin’s is an excellent book which I heartily recommend, and it’s worth its price just for the terrific essay on the place of theology in Christian living and growing, the substance of which is here.
So, this is one part of my modest efforts to train our congregation in the Gospel. How are they doing it at your church?
Monday, 14 February 2011
Psalms in the Dark
Yesterday at Hope Church we saw in Jonah 2 how there was nothing 'original' in Jonah's whale prayer; Jonah didn't pray with his own words, but he prayed the Psalms, word for word. He took the worship, experience, prayers and promises of 10 different Psalms and wove them into his own prayer before the Lord. As Charles Spurgeon put it, before Jonah was in the whale's belly, God's Book was in him. And that is what we need. Before suffering comes along and swallows us whole, we need to be committed to knowing God's Word, and especially the Psalms. Then, when we meet those tough times, we have some real help at hand.
Do we, I wonder? Do we know God’s Book of Prayer and Praise, the Psalms, well enough for it to shape how we address God, and relate to Him? Would we go to the Psalms, and look at life as God sees it, and use the praise, the laments, the petitions of the Psalms, for our praying? When I was a young Christian, I learnt so much of my basic Christian beliefs from the prayers of those I heard around me. For me, it was in the prayer meeting of the local church, a group of experienced, godly Christians, who knew their Bibles, and knew their Psalms in particular. They knew how to pray, because they knew what to expect from life, and how to approach God.
The Book of Psalms is like music, as it covers the whole range of human emotions and experiences. Sometimes that's very loud and exuberant, whilst at other times it's very quiet, and mournful. Looking at my iTunes library, I notice that my Bach St Matthew Passion is right next to albums by The Waterboys and Megadeth. It's just so with the Psalms, all music is there.
But if the whole of the Psalms were like a kind of music, what would it be? It wouldn’t be Opera, or Prog. Rock, exciting, dramatic, unpredictable, since a lot of life is routine and boring. It wouldn’t be like light Classical, stirring but gently soothing, because life is often disturbing and uncomfortable. Nor would it be pop, fun, easy, take it or leave it, just have a good time. No, life is serious, and very often, sad. No, the Psalms would be the Blues. Full of lament, full of difficulty. Full of aches, sadness, minor chords, unresolved phrases. The Psalms sing life like it is, sweet often, but aching, nearly always.
Life is, for the most part, hard, this side of heaven. That’s what the blues notes of the Psalms teach us. They teach us to be realistic about life. And realistic with God. I’ve met so many disillusioned Christians through my years of ministry, believers who are spiritually dry, disappointed, angry with God, and angry with the church. One bitter root of their problem is that they’ve assumed that the Christian life would be all excitement, all novelty, all triumph. They’ve wanted rock opera, and all they’ve found was a wailing trumpet. They’ve expected that blessing was just about to fall, only to find themselves being felled by suffering. All the sermons they’ve heard, books they’ve read, and songs they’ve sung have left them totally unprepared. I've met numerous people in Huddersfield already who are struggling in the Christian life, because they've either been taught or have just assumed, a version of it which has little if anything to do with Biblical Christianity. Our call from the Spirit of God is to come back to His Word, and to learn how to hope, pray and persevere all within the kind and wise paths of life as the Psalms set it out.
If Jonah didn’t have the Psalms he would have cracked. If you don’t have the Psalms, and all of God’s Book, you will crack up. God wants you to be a realist. Full of hope, encouragement and hope, of course, but possessing those things as a realist. Otherwise, you won’t be able to handle the sufferings of life with any conviction in the loving sovereignty of God. If you’re suffering from a bad bout of spiritual dryness, spiritual stunted growth, then take the medicine of the Psalms. Learn again who God really is, what life is really like; and how you can approach Him and walk with Him as you pray. A Psalm a day is, to my mind, a minimum course of medicine. Or go one better, and like Jonah, linger over those Psalms, and commit them to memory. Who knows, one day they just be the light in the darkness you'll need.
Do we, I wonder? Do we know God’s Book of Prayer and Praise, the Psalms, well enough for it to shape how we address God, and relate to Him? Would we go to the Psalms, and look at life as God sees it, and use the praise, the laments, the petitions of the Psalms, for our praying? When I was a young Christian, I learnt so much of my basic Christian beliefs from the prayers of those I heard around me. For me, it was in the prayer meeting of the local church, a group of experienced, godly Christians, who knew their Bibles, and knew their Psalms in particular. They knew how to pray, because they knew what to expect from life, and how to approach God.
The Book of Psalms is like music, as it covers the whole range of human emotions and experiences. Sometimes that's very loud and exuberant, whilst at other times it's very quiet, and mournful. Looking at my iTunes library, I notice that my Bach St Matthew Passion is right next to albums by The Waterboys and Megadeth. It's just so with the Psalms, all music is there.
But if the whole of the Psalms were like a kind of music, what would it be? It wouldn’t be Opera, or Prog. Rock, exciting, dramatic, unpredictable, since a lot of life is routine and boring. It wouldn’t be like light Classical, stirring but gently soothing, because life is often disturbing and uncomfortable. Nor would it be pop, fun, easy, take it or leave it, just have a good time. No, life is serious, and very often, sad. No, the Psalms would be the Blues. Full of lament, full of difficulty. Full of aches, sadness, minor chords, unresolved phrases. The Psalms sing life like it is, sweet often, but aching, nearly always.
Life is, for the most part, hard, this side of heaven. That’s what the blues notes of the Psalms teach us. They teach us to be realistic about life. And realistic with God. I’ve met so many disillusioned Christians through my years of ministry, believers who are spiritually dry, disappointed, angry with God, and angry with the church. One bitter root of their problem is that they’ve assumed that the Christian life would be all excitement, all novelty, all triumph. They’ve wanted rock opera, and all they’ve found was a wailing trumpet. They’ve expected that blessing was just about to fall, only to find themselves being felled by suffering. All the sermons they’ve heard, books they’ve read, and songs they’ve sung have left them totally unprepared. I've met numerous people in Huddersfield already who are struggling in the Christian life, because they've either been taught or have just assumed, a version of it which has little if anything to do with Biblical Christianity. Our call from the Spirit of God is to come back to His Word, and to learn how to hope, pray and persevere all within the kind and wise paths of life as the Psalms set it out.
If Jonah didn’t have the Psalms he would have cracked. If you don’t have the Psalms, and all of God’s Book, you will crack up. God wants you to be a realist. Full of hope, encouragement and hope, of course, but possessing those things as a realist. Otherwise, you won’t be able to handle the sufferings of life with any conviction in the loving sovereignty of God. If you’re suffering from a bad bout of spiritual dryness, spiritual stunted growth, then take the medicine of the Psalms. Learn again who God really is, what life is really like; and how you can approach Him and walk with Him as you pray. A Psalm a day is, to my mind, a minimum course of medicine. Or go one better, and like Jonah, linger over those Psalms, and commit them to memory. Who knows, one day they just be the light in the darkness you'll need.
Saturday, 12 February 2011
Saturday night, Sunday morning
Saturday night in the preacher's week. The countdown. The growing sense of 'we're nearly there'. The anticipation, with its joy and its heart-crushing responsibility, of ministering God's Word to others. And the deep, deep sense of our personal weakness, matched with the infinite possibilities of the Spirit of God to be at work on the Lord's Day. Patrick Fairbairn has choice words on matching our desire for blessing with the seeking of the Spirit:
"There is a close connection between the measure in which the Spirit is given, and the degree of desire and faithfulness with which He is sought. And it is the soul which has experienced much personally, that will ever be the best prepared for seeking much believingly for others. He who has himself known only the small drops of divine grace and power, will hardly be in a condition to expect, or even earnestly to pray for, the richer showers of blessing on the field of his labours. And if there are to be Pentecostal times for the church, we must look for Pentecostal experiences going before in the hearts of the ministry. And these, I may add, manifesting themselves in an engrossing eagerness of desire and intensity of effort for the salvation of men."
Patrick Fairbairn, Pastoral Theology, p.89
"There is a close connection between the measure in which the Spirit is given, and the degree of desire and faithfulness with which He is sought. And it is the soul which has experienced much personally, that will ever be the best prepared for seeking much believingly for others. He who has himself known only the small drops of divine grace and power, will hardly be in a condition to expect, or even earnestly to pray for, the richer showers of blessing on the field of his labours. And if there are to be Pentecostal times for the church, we must look for Pentecostal experiences going before in the hearts of the ministry. And these, I may add, manifesting themselves in an engrossing eagerness of desire and intensity of effort for the salvation of men."
Patrick Fairbairn, Pastoral Theology, p.89
Thursday, 10 February 2011
An Outbreak of Sanity
It's great to see Chris Ash commending William Still's 'The Work of the Pastor' here. It is a classic, and an absolute must-read for those thinking about, or setting out on, pastoral ministry. Sure it's an idiosyncratic book, and reflects one man's particular journey and settled convictions resulting from it; but what ministry manual doesn't? It's full of sanity, and nonsense-exposing common sense. This book has saved countless ministries from burn-out and other disasters.
I've read the book 3 or 4 times, and went to my shelves the other day to get it for a ministry apprentice. It wasn't there! Obviously I'd lent it out to another ministry trainee. Time to get another copy, or better still, a few to have in and give away.
I've read the book 3 or 4 times, and went to my shelves the other day to get it for a ministry apprentice. It wasn't there! Obviously I'd lent it out to another ministry trainee. Time to get another copy, or better still, a few to have in and give away.
Life and Ministry - Life First!
On Monday I took a day away for prayer and planning. I love these days. I love the space to think, pray and read, and to get a fresh perspective on life and ministry.
I always vary the pattern of days away. Some things, though, are constants: always read a chunk of Scripture, take a least one book which speaks directly to my heart, write out a list of blessings and a list of sins, and spend time in praise and repentance. I give time to the needs of my own soul, spend extended time praying for my family, and then give time to praying through the church's needs, people, and Gospel development.
As to what else I do, that really depends on what's ahead of me in ministry. Yesterday it was planning for the preaching in the year ahead, praying and thinking through student ministry, and setting other priorities for 2011. A really useful day, and I'm praying that the fruits of communion with the Lord and plans made will bear fruit this year.
One of the books I took away was Patrick Fairbairn's Pastoral Theology. It is, if you don't' know it, a Pastor's manual. I love the 19th Century manuals on ministry. They have a depth, as well as a realism, which puts them way ahead so much of what it written today. Spurgeon's 'An All-round Ministry', Shedd's 'Homiletics and Pastoral Theology', and (best of all!) J.W. Alexander's 'Thoughts on Preaching' are all a real spur. Their writings are saturated with Reformed Orthodoxy, but full of wise reflection, and a willingness to give their own opinions or suggestions.
Oh, and just for the record, I did read some modern stuff, and went back to books I've enjoyed before by Aubrey Malphurs and Steve Timmis.
One paragraph stands out from Fairbairn which really needs to be written on the hearts of all us who are involved in Christian ministry:
"As the Christianity which should pervade and distinguish the membership of the church is emphatically a life, so the Christian ministry, in which it may be said to culminate, must be regarded as in the first instance a life, and secondarily as a work. It has to do primarily with a condition of being and a course of behaviour, and only afterwards with the ministrations of service. Not only must they two co-exist together, but they must stand related to each other in the manner now indicated; the life from the first takes precedence of the work, and throughout must hold the place of pre-eminent importance."
pp. 79-80
One last thing: if you take a day away, always take a notebook. Write down what the Lord is teaching you, and always, write down answers to prayer, and (in outline) prayers for the future. This habit sharpens your mind, feeds faith, and raises expectation of future blessing.
I always vary the pattern of days away. Some things, though, are constants: always read a chunk of Scripture, take a least one book which speaks directly to my heart, write out a list of blessings and a list of sins, and spend time in praise and repentance. I give time to the needs of my own soul, spend extended time praying for my family, and then give time to praying through the church's needs, people, and Gospel development.
As to what else I do, that really depends on what's ahead of me in ministry. Yesterday it was planning for the preaching in the year ahead, praying and thinking through student ministry, and setting other priorities for 2011. A really useful day, and I'm praying that the fruits of communion with the Lord and plans made will bear fruit this year.
One of the books I took away was Patrick Fairbairn's Pastoral Theology. It is, if you don't' know it, a Pastor's manual. I love the 19th Century manuals on ministry. They have a depth, as well as a realism, which puts them way ahead so much of what it written today. Spurgeon's 'An All-round Ministry', Shedd's 'Homiletics and Pastoral Theology', and (best of all!) J.W. Alexander's 'Thoughts on Preaching' are all a real spur. Their writings are saturated with Reformed Orthodoxy, but full of wise reflection, and a willingness to give their own opinions or suggestions.
Oh, and just for the record, I did read some modern stuff, and went back to books I've enjoyed before by Aubrey Malphurs and Steve Timmis.
One paragraph stands out from Fairbairn which really needs to be written on the hearts of all us who are involved in Christian ministry:
"As the Christianity which should pervade and distinguish the membership of the church is emphatically a life, so the Christian ministry, in which it may be said to culminate, must be regarded as in the first instance a life, and secondarily as a work. It has to do primarily with a condition of being and a course of behaviour, and only afterwards with the ministrations of service. Not only must they two co-exist together, but they must stand related to each other in the manner now indicated; the life from the first takes precedence of the work, and throughout must hold the place of pre-eminent importance."
pp. 79-80
One last thing: if you take a day away, always take a notebook. Write down what the Lord is teaching you, and always, write down answers to prayer, and (in outline) prayers for the future. This habit sharpens your mind, feeds faith, and raises expectation of future blessing.
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah
What is Providence? Briefly, when Christians speak of God’s Providence, they mean that the all-powerful God is working out the wisdom and kindness of His will for the good of all of His Creation. That’s broad – but Providence is a big doctrine! The classic statements of the doctrine want to safeguard the truths that a.) God works out His will for all of creation at every moment of its upholding, and b.) God is working especially for the good of His own, the church.
These are two profound and beautiful statements of Providence:
These are two profound and beautiful statements of Providence:
The 1689 Confession of Faith. Of Providence, it states: ‘God Who, in infinite power and wisdom, has created all things, upholds, directs, controls and governs them, both animate and inanimate, by a providence supremely wise and holy, and in accordance with His infallible foreknowledge and the free and unchangeable decisions of His will. He fulfils the purposes for which He created them, so that His wisdom, power and justice, together with His infinite goodness and mercy, might be praised and glorified.’
The Heidelberg Catechism, Day 10: ‘Providence is the Almighty and ever-present power of God by which He upholds , as with His hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and adversity – all things, in fact, come to us not by chance, but from His fatherly hand.’
On Sunday morning at Hope Church we looked at the astonishing Providence of God in the sending of the whale to Jonah. Yes, the sending of the whale: God appointed / provided (either translation captures the meaning of the original) a whale to rescue a rebellious man and to bring him back to God’s original purposes. God could have used a letter, a friend’s urging, or any number of seemingly more ordinary means of bringing his man back. But God used several tonnes of quivering fat, muscle and bones to do His bidding. That’s Providence! In those terrifying days in this heaving, sloshing prison, Jonah came to recognise God’s utter sovereignty, utter goodness, and the invincibility of His purposes. Jonah certainly had rebelled against God’s will, but not even that rebellion could take Jonah outside God’s will for him. God’s love and wisdom pursue us, and His plans will always be perfected in our lives, however much we try to run and hide from Him.
We desperately need the doctrine of Providence for our Christian lives. I mentioned in my sermon on Sunday how so many Christian friends of mine in recent weeks have been grieving, the loss of family members, of good health, and of material possessions. If for a moment they let themselves believe that these things are just terrible accidents, then they have no defence against bitterness and despair. If by grace, though, they can believe that God even ordains these dreadful times and events, and has purposes in them, then there is real hope for them, and solid confidence to be enjoyed in the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has ordained them. ‘All my times are in Your hand, all events at Your command.’ Praise Him, and trust Him.
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
What Yorkshire Needs
One of the real joys of our move North has been developing new relationships with a host of excellent Gospel workers. A fortnight ago I hosted 20 churchplanters from all around Yorkshire as we talked about churchplanting together and heard updates on various ministries. The godliness and commitment of those assembled, from seasoned campaigners to those just beginning in ministry, did us all much good.
Yesterday I was at the Yorkshire Evangelical Ministry Assembly at City Evangelical Church, Leeds. Again, the calibre of those gathered was simply outstanding. Many are plugging away in really tough situations, and are seeking no attention for what they're doing. Don Carson preached for us, and his ministry brought back so many treasured memories. Don had a year working at Tyndale House in Cambridge when Sarah and I were undergraduates. I well remember passing on a note from Sarah to Don, asking him if he might address Christian literature students on deconstructionism. He later referred to that talk as the spur to writing The Gagging of God! To hear him again in the flesh brought back clear memories of some electric preaching on 1 John which he gave to CICCU those many moons ago.
In the evening Don preached to perhaps upwards of 300 from Yorkshire churches (including a dozen from Hope) on Ephesians 1, and his doctrinal and well-applied sermon finished the day perfectly.
Doing a phenomenal job as ever was Jonathan Carswell from 10 of Those. His dad Roger has written a great little tract which explores Yorkshire identity and values, and moves skillfully towards a Gospel presentation. I bought a bundle to keep in our porch to give to callers, adn gave one to a local car mechanic yesterday. The Lord bless the Carswells.
These encouragements reflect well what the Lord is doing in the County; but they mustn't give a false impression that there is not a huge battle to face. Yorkshire's population is fully a 10th of that of the UK. Its population is larger than Scotland's, and twice the size of that of Wales. West Yorkshire's dense conurbations are in urgent need of church plants and planters. The harvest fields are crowded and ready. How about it?
Yesterday I was at the Yorkshire Evangelical Ministry Assembly at City Evangelical Church, Leeds. Again, the calibre of those gathered was simply outstanding. Many are plugging away in really tough situations, and are seeking no attention for what they're doing. Don Carson preached for us, and his ministry brought back so many treasured memories. Don had a year working at Tyndale House in Cambridge when Sarah and I were undergraduates. I well remember passing on a note from Sarah to Don, asking him if he might address Christian literature students on deconstructionism. He later referred to that talk as the spur to writing The Gagging of God! To hear him again in the flesh brought back clear memories of some electric preaching on 1 John which he gave to CICCU those many moons ago.
In the evening Don preached to perhaps upwards of 300 from Yorkshire churches (including a dozen from Hope) on Ephesians 1, and his doctrinal and well-applied sermon finished the day perfectly.
Doing a phenomenal job as ever was Jonathan Carswell from 10 of Those. His dad Roger has written a great little tract which explores Yorkshire identity and values, and moves skillfully towards a Gospel presentation. I bought a bundle to keep in our porch to give to callers, adn gave one to a local car mechanic yesterday. The Lord bless the Carswells.
These encouragements reflect well what the Lord is doing in the County; but they mustn't give a false impression that there is not a huge battle to face. Yorkshire's population is fully a 10th of that of the UK. Its population is larger than Scotland's, and twice the size of that of Wales. West Yorkshire's dense conurbations are in urgent need of church plants and planters. The harvest fields are crowded and ready. How about it?
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