Excuse me, are we related?

'Then He looked at those seated in a circle around Him and said, 'here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother'' (Mk. 3.34).

It's quite a scene which Mark records in his Gospel. Picture the cross, embarrassed family of Jesus. They can't believe that their boy, Jesus, is causing this stir, and drawing these excited crowds. Nor can the religious leaders, and their mood is hardly short of fury as Jesus defies their conventions, and exposes their heart-sins. Jesus is neither won over by excitement nor intimidated by religious hatred. His mission is to teach, heal and welcome people into God's true community. And then he speaks these staggering words, in v.34.

Jesus defines the church. We are who he declares us to be. We may well be church-y, and enjoy the activities of the church; but it's only if we meet Jesus' definition, in being people who do God's will, that we are His community, His family, the church.

This episode is truly astonishing. In a society in which loyalty to family was just about the highest virtue, Jesus redefines the key loyalty, and the highest virtue. According to Jesus, it is not to obey parents, or to do the will of your father, or to conform to the standards and expectations of siblings. The greatest loyalty is to Him. And the shared task - for us now as it was for Him then - it to obey God's will.

What does it mean to do God's will, then? The text points us to two certainties:

Firstly, we listen to Jesus. He is the Word of God, and in Him we therefore discover the will of God. Those sitting before Him in Mk. 3 were doing just that. Simple, isn't it? the true church spends plenty of time sitting, learning, discussing and enjoying the Word of God together.

Then, we do what He tells us to. Obedience is the only difference between a fake and an authentic faith. If we really trust Jesus, we will trust Him in doing what He tells us to do. His church is an active church, we are not hearers only, but doers of the word.

These twin realities transform any gathering of people into the authentic church of Jesus Christ.

On Sunday we were learning from The Heidelberg Catechism, which took us to the heart of what it means to be the church. Question 55 puts it like this:

Question: What do you understand by ‘the Communion of Saints’?

Answer: First, that believers one and all, as members of this community, share in Christ and in all His treasures and gifts. Second, that each member should consider it a duty to use these gifts readily and cheerfully for the service and enrichment of the other members.

Amen, may it be so.

No Ordinary Hero: Roy Leafe (1st December 1944 – 6th October 2010)

Below is a piece which is in this month's Evangelicals Now (slightly edited):

Last October over 200 people filled St James’ Church, Ryde, on the Isle of Wight for a service of thanksgiving for the life of Roy Leafe, the church’s Assistant Minister of six years. Roy lived the last two years of his life with the diagnosis of bowel cancer, a condition he bore with courage and without complaint.

Roy was one of the Kingdom’s footsoldiers, not one of its captains, or commandos. As a result he never got attention for his work, and certainly never sought it. But the thanksgiving at that service came from very full hearts. Together we really were celebrating the life and work of a man who used that life and the gifts God gave him to incredible effect. Roy looked like an ‘ordinary’ man. Truth is, he excelled in giving back to His Master all that he was entrusted with, and many, many were enriched by him.

The church is full of unsung heroes, who quietly plug away at what the Lord has given them to do. I knew Roy for thirteen years, half of them in spent in close partnership as I pastored Gunnersbury Baptist Church in West London with Roy as an Elder. His dedication to Christ shaped many of my own convictions. Uppermost amongst them is the belief that we don’t need more eye-catching preachers; we need many, many more Roys, men convinced of their own ‘ordinariness’, but whose commitment to the Lord and His work mark them out as giants. Meet a giant – and a hero!

Roy’s 35 year career in education was mostly in Maths teaching, but he also supported new teachers, worked as an advisor helping schools with their finances and was Deputy Headteacher at the secondary school where he served for many years Roy strongly believed in workplace callings, and gave heart and mind to the job, in spite of the pressure and stress which came with his work environment. He took advantage of early retirement in order to give himself more fully to his Eldership responsibilities, and was able to develop his preaching gifts through the Cornhill Training Course. Whilst there he went on mission to St James Church and a few years later he and Kathy responded to an invitation for Roy to serve at St James’s.

What were Roy’s qualities? In a word, many. Here are just a few:

Roy was a servant. Whilst in his twenties Roy was approached to join the Eldership at Gunnersbury, serving alongside Pastor John Caiger. He was still serving as an Elder over thirty years later. Throughout that time he was loved and respected throughout the whole church for his hard work. When he moved to serve alongside James Leggett at St James’ Church, Isle of Wight, he threw himself into ministry there, and he and Kathy shared their home and their lives with all. Roy led as an Elder, then as a co-Pastor, with a willing heart. He didn’t seek attention, or need to have a platform for his views. He was more than content to do backroom tasks, and excelled in doing apparently small jobs which others didn’t want to do, but which were essential to the life of the church. He did these best with his beloved Kathy. No one could organise like Team Leafe! They were masters of admin and arranging. Short of mending the roof, Roy must have done every conceivable job there is in the local church. Sure, he gave his energies to the ministry of the Word and prayer; but wherever there was a need, Roy sought to be there.

Roy was loyal. He was incredibly loyal to me as a fellow Elder. He was always so ready to take tasks off me, to lighten my load, even when that meant real inconvenience to himself. Roy was an excellent friend. I was in his prayers, I suspect every day, all through the Gunnersbury years, and he and Kathy continued to pray so faithfully for us once they moved away. The move to the Island was a huge one for them, especially because it meant leaving people they had shared their lives with in the Gospel for over three decades. And in no other marriage have I ever seen the depths of contentment and delight which Roy and Kathy found in each other.

Roy loved the Word. He loved good preaching; preaching that came clearly from the Word, and feeds God’s people through it, and this was always the focus of his own preaching. He was a great student of the Word, and a disciplined reader of it. Roy loved Christian conferences, and nothing gave him a buzz like learning from the Bible along with others. When he wasn’t preaching on Sundays, Roy would sit with rapt attention, Bible and notebook spread out, searching preacher and God’s Word together. He loved to enthuse about the Bible, and to get others enjoying it. This was clearly seen in his family life where everyday, from birth, his children were prayed with and taught from the Word of God. Whilst his children were still babies, Roy began what would be a lifelong habit of reading God’s Word to them. This established habits which to this day is bearing fruit in their lives. Roy took immense pride to see his children develop into committed, serving Christians.

Roy persevered. He was wisely mistrustful of the spectacular and the eyecatching in the Christian world. A Derbyshire man, he was far too full of common sense, and sanctified common sense at that, to be won over by mere appearances. Roy served at Gunnersbury for over thirty five years. He was Mr Standfast, and he did such an important job in guarding the Gospel and entrusting it to the church’s new generation. With the other Elders, he guided the church through an interregnum of over five and a half years. The strain on him was at times immense. Others in his role might have crumbled or made their excuses and left. But through his sticking to the task the church’s work was maintained, the members grew closer together, there were a number of conversions and baptisms, and Roy had the satisfaction of seeing God’s man for the next stage of the church called to the ministry.

Roy was an encourager. Roy excelled at being able to encourage the older folk in their Christian walk, as well as to spur on younger people. He moved naturally between the generations in the congregations of Gunnersbury and St James’s, because his genuine desire was to see all built up and focused on Christ. Roy was a shy man, but his efforts to help others in the Christian life made him overcome his shyness. Surely, this is a lesson for many of us?

Roy was generous. So generous! From our first meal together we knew that Roy and Kathy had a real gift for hospitality, and a transparent kindness. Over the years following we received numerous presents, offers, kind acts and the occasional cheque to go towards treats or holidays. Roy and Kathy were wise stewards of their money as well as their time, and so many were enriched through their almost proverbial generosity.

Looking back on the day of Roy’s thanksgiving service, I often ask myself, why were so many there to give God thanks for Roy? My answer is, because we saw and met Jesus Christ in Roy Leafe. This dear, unassuming man put Jesus first in everything. Roy was a follower of Jesus who was simply content to serve His Master, and to strive to be like Him. ‘I am among you as one who serves’, said the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 22.7). Roy deeply loved the Master who served Him, and grew, slowly, quietly, into a towering giant of Christian, a man well worthy of our consideration, and imitation.

By the Way

Last weekend we had an exceptional time away. Mick Lockwood bought us a terrific ministry, looking at love, joy and kindness from Galatians 5. The Lord was working, as we enjoyed getting to know one another better, and experiencing His grace through His Word. Some people on the weekend have been involved in the church for a matter of weeks, whilst others had known each other for over thirty years. The unity, sense of fun and openness to serving the Lord in our town were a blessing to all who came.

One of the great things about our core is the eagerness to be involved in Gospel work. Three guys sacrificed being with us on the Sunday morning because they felt compelled to serve elsewhere, one preaching locally and two others taking a nonchristian friend to church the other side of Bradford. When it’s the Gospel which binds us, and the Gospel which compels us to be elsewhere, we know that we’re onto a good thing!

On Sunday morning we celebrated the Lord’s Supper for the first time as a church. We wanted to do this once we we had formally covenanted as members; but the commitment to being away together, and the fact that this group has spent weeks praying and talking together about the shape and priorities of the church, made us sure that this was the right expression of the people of God we are seeking to be. In the coming weeks we look to confirm our foundational documents, covenant together as members, and recognise our leaders.

One of my favourite hymns asks, ‘Why, O Lord, such love to me?’ The hymn’s answer is simply (and wonderfully) that it is all and only due to God’s Sovereign Grace. This grace is at work in us at Hope Church. We’re all learning, all growing, and all convinced that the Lord is at work for His purposes in our town. To that end, we’ve begun a weekly prayer meeting for the town open to all believers. We meet from 6-7pm on Tuesdays at The Christian Bookshop, Byram Street.

I’ve got the joy of returning to the Westwood Centre this afternoon for 24 hours away with the guys from Huddersfield University CU. We’re looking at holiness over four sessions. Please pray with me for these busy and encouraging times!

Weekending

This weekend sees Hope Church away together for a precious time of ministry and fellowship at the beautiful Westwood Centre, just above Golcar, a couple of miles out of town, high in the Pennines. It's a place I use for prayer and study, and I'm excited to be going away with the saints. We're privileged to have Mick Lockwood of Hall Green Chapel, Haworth, preaching for us on the Saturday. Mick's looking at God's Sovereignty in our lives, particularly with an eye to our church planting in Huddersfield. I'll be preaching from 1 Corinthians on Friday and Sunday.

Sometimes in ministry it's essential to do nothing than just to stop and take stock; in our case, it's best to stop, stare and be stunned! We had our first public worship service as Hope Church on the 28th November 2010. Less than six months later we have a first church away weekend, with thirty something coming along. In a few weeks we may well be in a position to covenant together around a basis of faith, church rulebook, with a clear and agreed-upon vision for the next three years, and with members recognising Elders. What a cause for rejoicing, and what a reason for high hopes for the work of the Gospel in Huddersfield. We refuse to believe that the Lord has brought us into existence to be a little holy huddle. Our conviction is that we have been raised up to declare the Gospel in our words and actions in the town. Truly, the Lord is kind, and He is certainly at work.

Gentle Brickbats

Three kind and convicting statements from great servants of Jesus on Christian ministry:

'Like the Apostles, the faithful minister must labour to do good in every way. Though he cannot heal the sick, he must seek to alleviate sorrow, and to increase happiness among all with whom he has to do. He must strive to be known as the comforter, the counsellor, the peacemaker, the helper, and the friend of all. Men should know him not as one who rules and domineers, but as the one who is 'their servant for Jesus' sake.' (2 Cor 5.4)'

J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Mark, p.51.


‘The stairway to the ministry is not a grand staircase but a back stairwell that leads down to the servants’ quarters.’

Edmund Clowney, Called to the Ministry, p.43


‘If the heart is on fire with love for the Saviour, then it will burn its way into action.’

Archibald Brown

Who's for Heaven: Ballesteros or Bin Laden?

A friend made the observation at our Sunday evening meeting that over the last week the world has been reflecting on the deaths of two very different men, Seve Ballesteros and Osama Bin Laden. Each has now gone to stand before their Creator, Lord and Judge. Each will be judged according to how they have lived. In how they lived their lives, they could not be more different from each other. Now that they have died, what is their eternal destiny?

Both men were passionate about what they lived for. Ballesteros was born into a family of professional golfers. Golf was the family's religion, obsession, and consuming passion, and he made it his own, grabbing the attention of the world with his flair and charisma as a golfer. Bin Laden eschewed what he came to see as the decadence and compromise of his wealthy Saudi upbringing. He zealously embraced jihad, first against the Soviets in Afghanistan, and then by working for the downfall of Western democracies. He became arguably the most recognisable face on the planet at the time of his death. In the pursuit of their dreams neither men had the space for anything else in their lives.

Both were hugely popular among millions of people throughout the world. Ballesteros stormed the then US-dominated golfing world, and paved the way for a generation of European golfers. He was adored for doing so. Bin Laden changed forever the way both East and West relate to Islamic fundamentalism. His legacy will be long-debated. It will certainly be upheld by lives throughout the world.

Now both have finished their lives, and have discovered if their goals really were worthy of their efforts. Which will spend an eternity in heaven? One lived an extremist, Islamic dream, and had the blood of thousands to account for. For many Bin Laden is synonymous with evil, and his destruction is inevitable.

The other lived the Western materialist dream, gearing his life to fulfil his ambition for success, fame and wealth. He never took anyone's life. Surely the popularity he won, and the pleasure he gave millions, give him a better hope, and call for God's recognition of him?

Goodness is rarely in the eye of the beholder, except when God Himself is looking. God sees men's hearts. He knows that every human heart is corrupt, and that the sins of the heart alone are enough to damn us to hell. A life lived with bombs or golf clubs, if it is closed to the love of God in the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, will have a Christless eternity, and so will be spent in hell. Sportsmen and Jihadists stand side by side at God's Judgment.

But there is hope. There is a boundless, extravagant grace, extended to the most unlikely people, even in their last conscious moments. Will Seve or Osama be in heaven? Who knows? Certainly, their sins will bar them. But if the grace of Christ encountered them before death, then no life of twisted ambition can ever keep a man from the Presence of God. Heaven will have many surprises for us, not least, as has often been noted, who is and who isn't there. If a person has been cleansed by the blood of Christ, then that person can be sure of an eternity spent with the Saviour Of that, the Scripture says, we can sure.

Today we need to reckon afresh with God's towering saving grace, as well as with the seriousness of our personal command to repent and to believe the Good News. Religion doesn't save, and no manifesto of self-realisation will win us God's presence. Jesus is the Friend of sinners, for now and for eternity.