Delight - or Die!

‘Such are the discouragements of genuine cross-bearing ministry, and so repugnant to the flesh are many of its duties, that nothing but true piety will hold a man up under the burden; he will sooner or later throw it off, and begin to seek his ease, or preach for ‘itching ears’, or phonographic reporters. It is an easy thing to go through a routine, to ‘do duty’, as the phrase of the Anglican establishment is; but it is hard to the flesh, to denounce error in high places, to preach unpopular doctrine, to labour every week in assemblies of a dozen or twenty, to spend weary hours among the diseased and dying, and to watch over the discipline of Christ’s house. Nothing but an inward enjoyment of divine truth, and a reference to the final award will stimulate a man to constancy in such labours.’

J.W. Alexander, Thoughts on Preaching, p.109

SixtyEightFive

Last night we were joined by Ian Williamson of  SixtyEightFive, who shared about his ministry in South Bank, Middlesbrough. I know Ian through The Christian Ministry Training Course where he’s a student, and his story and work are an amazing testimony to God’s power.

Poverty rates in South Bank are amongst the highest in Europe, nearly matched by the numbers of children growing up without fathers at home (61% of the current youth). All of the research shows the link of addiction and offending rates with growing up without a dad. Ian’s a testimony to these patterns. Ten years ago, though, he encountered Jesus Christ, and discovered a renewing power to deal with his own problems. Now his work through SixtyEightFive brings him alongside those struggling with addictions, crime, unemployment, and the crushing needs of living in poverty.

Ian shared with us about the opportunities he has in local prisons, schools and residential homes, as well as through contacts with the Police and Social Services, to get alongside people with the Gospel of Christ. The work is slow, and often heart-breaking. There are no quick fixes. Ian’s priority is not only to give people practical help and emotional support, but to show them the love of Christ which comes through repentance and faith.

Ian’s doing a great work. We were all deeply moved by what he brought to us. We had a passionate time of prayer afterwards, for Ian, South Bank, and for our own town (we also share some pretty gruesome crime and unemployment statistics). We also watched this. Ian would appreciate all prayer support you have, and I know that he would love to hear from you if you’re able to offer help in other ways. You can contact him through his website. 

Salternshake

A little something to stir up my church membership-averse Christian friends, from the Prince of Boy Preachers, Martin Salter.

Flavel-power!

‘How could I have postponed to this place dear John Flavel? Noone needs to be told how pious, how faithful, how tender, how rich, how full of unction are his works. In no other writer have the highest truths of religion been more remarkably brought down to the lowest capacity; yet with no sinking of the doctrine, and with a perpetual sparkle and zest, belonging to the most generous liquor. It has always been a wonder to me, how Flavel could maintain such simplicity and naiveté, and such childlike and almost frolicsome grace, amidst the multiform studies which he pursued. I can account for it only by his having been constantly among the people, in actual duty as a Pastor. Opening one of his volumes at random I find quotations, often in Greek and Latin, and in the order here annexed, from Cicero, Pope Adrian, Plato, Chrysostom, Horace, Ovid, Luther, Bernard, Claudian, Menander and Petronius. His residence at Dartmouth would afford a multitude of pastoral instances, if this were our present object.’

J.W.Alexander, Thoughts on Preaching (1864), p.141



The lessons are obvious for those of us who labour in pastoral ministry:


1.      We must bring deep, rich theology to our people. Flavel’s works have stood the test of time because they are saturated by true, captivating doctrine. Properly understood, carefully preached doctrine is never dull, and builds resilient, joyful believers.


2.      Don't preach to engage your congregation's superstars, but the super-ordinary. I used to preach to a married couple who were senior university academics, who would often sit next to two functionally illiterate adult brothers. I wanted to engage with each, but was far more thrilled when I saw the brothers connecting with and drinking in the Word. 


3.    Find time to read, even if you have to steal it. Flavel was widely read. That was a big factor in why his sermons are so varied in their range and depth. He knew how to feed his mind and heart, and what he received he served his people with. 


4.     Never hide in the study, and never hide behind the pulpit. Flavel knew and loved his people, and they knew and loved him. His ministry years read like a boys' own story, of courageous personal ministry to all sectors of society, continuing right through the years of fierce persecution. What he preached in the pulpit he urged on his people in their homes and workplaces. He was a friend of all.


5.    Read Flavel. It doesn't matter where you dive in, it's all excellent stuff. 

Archibald Alexander, father of J.W. quoted above, certainly passed on his love for Flavel to his son. He once confessed, ‘to John Flavel I certainly owe more than to any uninspired author.’ Get to know Flavel, and your ministry will discover its debt.

Get Rid...Love One Another Deeply

We finished our time in 1 Peter 1.22-2.3 on Sunday morning by looking at these two commands.  Get rid of the sins which offend God and harm others (and yourself), and commit to a life of authentic love.

Each command serves and is understood by the other one. You can’t love if you’re chock-full of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, and the other sins which Peter lists. You must get rid of them. And you must love the members of your Christian family deeply, from the depths of a heart which is being renewed by God’s Spirit. The way to battle with sin is (in part) to  engage in sin’s opposite, the life of other-personed, Christ-honouring love.  So, instead of nursing malicious thoughts about you, I’m going ot think about your needs in Christ, and express His love to you in a way which aims to serve your needs as I’m able. Our commitment to loving others is the perfect antidote to these poisonous, soul-shrivelling sins, and is the path to life and Christ-likeness.

Jim Packer has some great thoughts here on the place of prayer in the battle of dying to self and living for Christ.

And in and out of days

Last week the Allens were off for an extended family holiday to North Wales. It was an oasis of fun, with the usual Allen activities of swimming in the sea, tramping up mountains, fishing and general noise. An excellent time was had by all. This week the children are finishing school, and then they’re let loose in various locations – York, Whitby, North Wales again, and Brittany.

Next week I’m off to teach on the ever-excellent twice-yearly residential for The Christian Ministry Training Course.  We now have twenty students enrolled. With us there are Pastors, Elders and Deacons, Church Planters, Ministry Trainees and Assistants, and a great range of others who are wanting to deepen their biblical, theological and pastoral understanding in order to be equipped for fruitful Gospel ministry.  This is a first-rate ministry training scheme, and I’m delighted to have a small part in it. This time round I’ll be teaching on the Pastor and Prayer, and leading a session on Spurgeon’s preaching. Prayers are appreciated for all of us as we learn and fellowship together.

In the next couple of weeks I’ll be posting some thoughts on a couple of Christian classics: John Flavel’s ‘The character of a complete evangelical Pastor, as drawn by Christ’, and  John Calvin’s barn-storming ‘Letter to Sadolet’. Both of these brilliant pieces demand a readership today. Stay tuned!

Raise your Game

How can Andy Murray play with such brilliance? How could you bend it like Beckham? Why did it all click for Spain on Sunday night? And why are so many people fascinated with sporting brilliance, anyway?

We love sport because it's just a glimpse of what people are capable of. We love to see what others can do, knowing that they've trained and trained for the moments we're watching, perahps dedicated their whole lives to them. We're thrilled to see brilliance made to appear natural. And, just maybe, we watch because we're hungry for inspiration as to how we could play, or live, just a little better.

The truth is, of course, that what appears brilliant to us on the sports field is a good dose of natural skill, coupled with a huge amount of practice. Practice, practice, practice. And then practice. Repeated, unglamorous, and unnoticed practice. Put enough work in on the training pitch, and skills which are mastered there shine on matchday in - to our eyes - stunning and seemingly spontaneous brilliance.

On Sunday morning we were thinking about the Apostle Peter's call to be holy in all that we do (1 Peter 1.15). That is the great headline of all Christian discipleship. After that, as I said in the sermon, the rest is just the detail. All of the commands, encouragements and warnings about godly living in the Bible are all to be heard as aspects of this call to holiness. 

Peter is saying that we must recognise who we are in Christ, set apart in Him as holy. And then we must recognise what we are called to in Him, to live lives which please Him and reflect His holiness, For that we've been given nothing less than the empowering Holy Spirit. 

Holiness is life, not a game. But like playing sport to the best of your ability, holiness comes with practice. It really does. As Jim Packer once said, holiness means holy habits. In other words, by the power of the Holy Spirit we take steps to change the way we think, how we feel, what we desire, how we speak, what we do, and how we pray. We bring God's truth to our wrong, sinful patterns of responding to God and His Word, and pray for the Spirit's help in conforming to God's will for us. And then we put it into practice. We do it once, then twice, and then twenty times. We form habits which are holy, and 'habitually' respond to God's Word and World in God-honouring ways. We do it when it's difficult, inconvenient, and costly. We do it when we can see the results, and it feel right, even natural. Little by little, through training and practice, we learn to be holy. 

And then one day we realise that, in one particular area of life, holiness is 'natural.' We respond to situations in a God-honouring way without in that instance having thought through the appropriate feelings or words, or behaviour; it just 'happens'. Oh that doesn't mean that we won't still struggle against the old sinful nature within us. It doesn't mean that there won't be days, or months, when our game won't fall apart. And doesn't mean that we are not totally reliant upon the Holy Spirit. Christian living should never be confused with behaviourism! But we must be clear: Spirit-filled, God-honouring, joy-filled Christian living is a life of bringing more and more aspects of who we are under the control of the Holy Spirit, in line with the Word of God, in all of our habits. 

This happens slowly and steadily. Humble yourself before God's Word and take on its wisdom, pray it in, and then practice it day in, day out. Then when temptation or opportunity comes, lo and behold, you're living as a holy Christian. God gets the glory, you get the joy, the Spirit is honoured, you're living out your salvation. What more could you desire this side of eternity? Practice, and you'll see.

One hundred and sixty years ago Robert Murray M'Cheyne said "I often pray, Lord, make me as holy as a pardoned sinner can be." That prayer is simply stunning - and terrifying. Can I really trust God enough to ask Him to master all of me? Do  I really love Him so much, and long for heaven so much, that this is my consuming desire, and prayer. How about you? It's incredibly serious, but then so is our Saviour, and so is His Cross. And without holiness, noone will see the Lord (Hebrews 12.14).

Hope Deferred

Our old church website has been creaking and groaning for a long time, now. So one of our members has been beavering away putting together a new one. It should be live towards the end of this week at www.hopechurchhd.org.