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Showing posts from 2014

Where are the Whitefield Celebrations?

Yesterday, as the 16th December ticked past and we all raced towards another Christmas, we in the UK missed George Whitefield's 300th birthday! How was this allowed to happen? Our American cousins were full of celebrations yesterday, honouring Whitefield through articles, blogs and books. Indeed, owning him as their very own hero of their very own brand of reformed Christianity. This is not a bad shout, but he is ours, and we have forgotten him! Although Whitefield courageously crossed the Atlantic many times to serve in the colonies, the main impact and fruit of his unparalleled preaching ministry was here in the UK.  My personal view is that George Fox another neglected Englishman from an earlier generation, and the contemporary of Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, had more of a shaping effect on both American Christianity and constitution. However, there is no doubt that Whitefield's magnificent preaching gift foundationally influenced the States. In an era of dead English

Through Advent with Cranmer

Regular readers of this blog will have heard me wax lyrical about one of my heroes, Thomas Cranmer on numerous occasions.  His 1549 and then 1552 revision of the Prayer Book would have changed English social history for ever had Edward VI only lived a few more years.  As it was, Edward's untimely death meant the end of a reformed Prayer book, and soon after, an end for Cranmer, burned alive at the stake under Queen Mary. We reformed modernists have turned our back on the old church calender with it's connection to the land, the seasons and the peoples of another age . However, the nuances of Cranmer's measured language, and his systematic teaching of theology to those who knew nothing of the gospel or the grand narrative of God's dealings with men, has yet to be surpassed in any generation.  Quite simply, Cranmer discipled the entire English tribe with his short daily prayers and scripture readings. His biblical ideas gradually becoming established and embedded in a nat

Still

Advent has begun. Advent meaning arrival, coming, dawning. We use the word for things inconsequential, heralding the advent of the latest tablet computer or mobile phone . But the Advent with a capital A which we remember again this December is something, someone altogether more noteworthy. This Advent was heralded not by press releases, but by actual heralds - Angels and stars! If Advent is all about the arrival of the Saviour, then our response is to make room. To create space in this Advent in order to ponder, reflect, prioritise, worship. The old carol writer Phillips Brooks, in 'O little Town of Bethlehem', put it this way. 'How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given, So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven. No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive him, still The dear Christ enters in.' It's impossible to know what emphasis Brooks intended for that vital little word in the four

Renewal, Revival and Europe!

Something extraordinary happened at the end of an ordinary day's teaching on church history with 40 or so Impact students. We'd spent the day following the spread of christianity into the UK, through the English Reformation, revivals and radical movements through the centuries to the present. To conclude, we found ourselves in the charismatic renewal of the 1960's and 70s: This rediscovery of the life of the Spirit within the denominational churches that refused to remain a personal issue of renewal, and led to restoration church streams emerging all over the UK. These are our roots in the New Frontiers family of churches, and we now find ourselves tipping over into the second generation of our movement, along with others. If church history teaches us one thing, it's that most radical, pioneer movements, slow and settle as they move into their second generation. Indeed some stagnate or even turn right off course. Our challenge is to remain not just a pure restorati

Milan perspectives

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Duomo distance Tram cables Duomo drama Bags of swagger Fast food, slow lunch Flags Go Milan Red saddle No way Easy rider Tale of two cities Streetscene

Living for the city?

I've been in two truly great cities just this weekend. Milan again. Then 24 hours and a train ride through the two sides of Turin. The modern shiny centre with an urban sprawl full of ordinary families from all over the world living simply on the breadline. Cities matter, big cities will matter even more as the 21st century progresses. Estimates suggest that by 2100, over 90% of the world's population will be crammed into urban mega cities, mostly in the global south. Even our major European cities will swell, not just in population, but as economic and cultural centres that transcend the old notions of national identity. Giant, multi tribal, multi cultural, constantly regenerating hubs of tens of millions of people. The old stories of the bible show us that God has always been interested whenever people gather into cities. Ninevah, 120,000 strong, ancient Eastern City, yet so contemporary in it's arrogant swagger - a city needing to be noticed, a self made, self sustai

The power of 'Re'. Re:Member

We are getting better at putting new people through courses to help them join the local church. However, numbers of our existing members, some of whom may have been running faithfully for many years, may not feel quite so connected as the newcomers who are being added into them? They may not any longer make such a strong connection between their serving, their worship, their gifts, their life in the home or the workplace, and the big mission that we are called on together? It may just be possible that over time, the vision has become less sharply focussed for them:  No longer acting as a directional force behind their actions, or strong pull into a future in God that they long to inhabit. It's quite possible this is the case, because we recognise the symptoms in our own lives. Honestly? We don't live every minute of every day in the vision zone, pumped, primed and totally clear on our goals and direction! The truth is, we forget. We get tired and weary, we drift off cours

Top Three Reads of the Summer

It's part of the job description perhaps to be asked what I have been reading, or even to recommend something. This is always highly subjective, and previous blog posts have made suggestions on key titles in certain topic areas or the best big books you should invest in. However, after a summer absence from the blog, here are my top three reads from this August. You may love them or hate them! In traditional reverse order: 3/ A Delecate Truth - John le Carre No one weaves a spy yarn like le Carre. Even without the more familiar back drop of the cold war, this modern, suspenseful tale walks the line between big business, politics and espionage. It's a proper thriller, with an ending to leave you shouting out loud,  that I was pleased to read, retro style, in paperback! http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Delicate-Truth-John-Carré/dp/0241965187/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1409585585&sr=8-1 2/ Saving Eutychus - Gary Millar and Phil Campbell This practical book is writ

Discipleship tunes about change

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Over the past few weeks of our discipleship training, the songs I've tweeted about change have produced as much comment as the content of the course!  So, for those who are asking, here are the six songs that I've used, all of them in some way expressing a yearning for change or transformation. Some are more bitter sweet, even sad and broken, but all are stretching towards a new way. They are not scripture songs, but this perhaps makes their longing all the more powerful, coming from voices who don't yet know the ultimate metamorphosis that comes to those who receive the good news about Jesus. Week 1/ Keane - Everybody's Changing. Week 2/ Augustines - This Ain't Me Week 3/ Aretha Franklin - Change Gonna Come Week 4/ David Gray - Transformation Week 5/ Man in the Mirror - Joyful Noise Week 6 / Tourist Ft. Lianne La Havas - Patterns

None of the above? The primary purpose of discipleship

I've been reading James Emery White's latest book, 'Rise of the Nones.' His provocative attempt to shape churches and lives in order to reach the irreligious who state 'none' to the religion question on their census forms. Quite simply, to reach an increasingly post Christian generation, authentic Christians are needed to grow up as quickly as possible. In our local church, we are learning that the emphasis on creating a discipling culture is with this real Missional purpose - It is in order to create genuine followers of Jesus in community, that make his message very real and attractive to those who currently consider him irrelevant to their lives. This fabulous quote from James Emery White summarises so well what we are aiming at. It contains a quote within a quote, a Bill Hybels bonus from his book,'Courageous Leadership.' "Hybel's gathers his final thoughts: 'There is nothing like the local church when it's working right. It&#

Culture of discipleship : An authentic rabble

We're considering the culture of discipleship over these couple of Sundays together as a local church. Not so much the structure of how to get it done, but how it feels to be part of a discipling, growing community of people who are eager to grow up fully into the mission of Jesus. The story of David in Adullum's cave is great example of the kind of mixed up people that are drawn into this mission, and that are still called to partner on Kingdom adventures today. The distressed, discontented and those in debt began appearing at the cave as they heard David was hiding out there - this sorry bunch of loser outlaws with all their hang ups and poor history became the power base for the new kingdom through their growing love for David, and the increasing understanding of the adventure they were engaging in together. This rag tag rabble don't look too different from the troublesome twelve that gathered around Jesus' leadership hundreds of years later! These fall out boy

Mr Genor story

Stories are always great, and we used this one about Mr Genor to finish a training day on the Kingdom of God today. Some of you have asked about it so I have copied it below. I read the story from the book 'Fire Evangelism' by Che Ahn. A number of years ago in a Baptist church in Crystal Palace, in south London, the Sunday morning service was closing, and a stranger stood up in the back, raised his hand, and asked the Pastor if he could share a testimony. He said, “I just moved into this area, I used to live in another part of London, I came from Sydney, in Australia. And just a few months back I was visiting some relatives and I was walking down George Street when a strange little white-haired man stepped out of a shop doorway, put a pamphlet in my hand and said, ‘Excuse me sir, are you saved? If you died tonight, are you going to heaven?’ “ He said, “I was astounded by those words. Nobody had ever told me that. I thanked him courteously, and all the way back to Heathrow

28:20

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Matthew 28:19 has been rightly emphasised by churches down through the centuries - 'Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit'. Nothing has changed - this mission remains our top priority. However, verse 20 is of equal value, and yet has received less emphasis. 28:20 'Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely I am with you to the very end of the age'. It seems that by emphasising verse 19 and not verse 20, we risk getting new believers to baptism, but then leaving them to get on with things on their own. To work it out as they go along. If this mission to the world remains our most important focus, then we cannot afford to leave disciples of Jesus looking and sounding just like the world they have been saved out of. What gospel message is that going to preach? The idea in the early church was that our distinctive, Christ shaped lives would be an attractive contrast to the lost world a

One Direction, bad boys & true discipleship.

Those One Direction boys Zayn and Louis are in a bit of bother, allegedly caught on camera with spliff in hand whilst in Peru this week. Their behaviour isn't far out of step with their contemporaries. Two of the five boy band members stand accused here, but one in five young people claim to have experimented with casual drug use during the last year.  In his Guardian newspaper column today, Owen Jones remarks on the pressure on One Direction to conform to the sort of clean living that even disciples of Jesus would find a little stringent. Jones is clearly not attempting a reasoned theological summary of the gospel here. Rather he is pointing to the micro analysis of their every move, and the need for squeaky clean lives to maintain lucrative teen idol status contracts.   He is however plain wrong, but his words say something significant about our generation's misconceptions and lack of any real understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. It's just another

Re-opening the wells of healing

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In our local church community, we've been using the story of Isaac in Genesis 26, re-opening wells which had been dug in a previous generation by his father Abraham. This narrative is a helpful prompt as we discover again some of the life of God that has been in our history. This is true in a number of areas, but no more so than with healing miracles. Although they have been significant in our past, we want them again in our present, and into our future. The need for us to dig once more into what we once confidently drew water from is apparent, as is our need to clear away the rubble of wrong thinking and the opposition of a cynical culture. Should either mindset prevail in a local church, the well of healing will remain blocked. Instead of being an oasis of life giving water for the thirsty, we become a cynical Nazareth, the kind of place where even Jesus found it hard to work miracles because of their unbelief. Our battle is to decide which water source we want to draw from

Cluj-Napoca perspectives

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Orthodox Cathedral Father and Son Streetscene Streetscene 2 Cables, cars and clouds Catholic Cathedral Down by the river Colour code piazza Straight Street Stop lights Bus shelter Cable chaos Communist concrete Rooftops Concrete highway west

Ecstatic joy to lazy legalism - Breaking Bad bible habits

Romanian Underground church leader during the Communist era, Richard Wurmbrand, writes of the desperate need of access to the bible. It's an historic account, but true in many parts of the world today. 'Two very dirty villagers came to my home one day to buy a bible. They had come from their village to take the job of shovelling the frozen earth all winter long to earn money in the slight hope that they might be able to buy an old tattered bible with it and take it back to their village. Because I had received bibles from America, I was able to hand them a new bible, not an old tattered one. They could not believe their eyes! They tried to pay me with the money they had earned. I refused their money. They rushed back to their village with the bible. A few days later I received a letter of unrestrained, ecstatic joy, thanking me for the scriptures. It was signed by thirty villagers! They had carefully cut the bible into thirty parts and exchanged the parts with one another!&#

Noah, Phil Collins and a new Bible Gateway!

One of the more surprising stats to follow the flood of press coverage over Darren Aronofsky’s epic Noah film is the direct correlation to an increase in bible reading. Over last weekend, visits to the Flood account in Genesis 6-9 at online bible app Bible Gateway saw a 223% increase over the previous weekend. What we don't know from these headline numbers is who these readers are, and why they are reading. It's fair to assume that many will have gone home to check the story they've just watched at the cinema against the plot they remember from their Sunday school bible class. We all do that with any story we see which has been adapted from a book. Often we are disappointed at the disparity, witness the latest Hobbit film! However, it's also entirely possible in this post Christian, secular age, that large numbers of people are reading the bible for the first time after viewing the Noah movie. Never before in history has it been possible to generate these kind of

Same fire, same story!

The big story of the Temple is another tale which spans the bible narrative from Eden to Revelation. Whispers of a temple, the unadulterated place of God's presence amongst his friends, can be found in the first garden before sin spoiled choices closed the gates. It reappears later in Moses' burning bush and dramatically in the Tent of Meeting where the face to face time with God was intimate friendship under canvas. Even as Solomon dedicated his permanent structure, he knew something of the inadequacy of a mere building to try to house God. You see, the promise from the beginning was that the presence of God in men and women made in his image would spread and fill the whole planet, not just inhabit a building! Jesus, makes the story his own, personifying old prophetic yearnings of a more glorious house, and declaring that the more glorious temple is in fact a person. 'These stones will be torn down and rebuilt in three days' , he told his slow to understand discip

The story we find ourselves in.....

What's so amazing about the big story of the bible, is that ordinary people like you and me get to play our part in it. It's as though we actually get written into the script, finding our lives caught up in the grand narrative sweep that stretches like an epic novel from the beginning of time, way ahead into an infinite future hope. The Apostle Paul put it well in his letter to the Ephesian church when he said that we are now heirs, sharers together with Israel in the promise of Christ Jesus. In other words, it's no longer just someone else's story, we have been scripted in, we get to play our part. I n the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C S Lewis gives us a similar insight. Edmund, Lucy, and their annoying cousin Eustace are drawn into the Narnian world through a picture of a ship at sea. The picture itself tells a story, but it's as though it becomes alive as they look at it, becoming so real, that they are pulled from their world into a greater reality, a new w

Firm foundations & lazy longitude

Our individual lives and our church communities can be built on all kinds of foundations. In our preferences we can run after many things, many good things - but not always the main thing! Sometimes in church life you will observe that an overly pastoral foundation has been laid. A very caring church which meets many needs and offers much in the way of support, but still manages to miss the main purpose. If the main thing is the mission of God into the broken world around us, then any over emphasis, pastoral, teaching, activist, or otherwise in the foundations of a local church can leave us shaping lives that lean away from the bright sun of our main purpose. Elsewhere you see churches more shaped by the ever shifting preferences of our culture. It's not that surprising when we consider that our churches are made up of ordinary people like us, bringing our imperfections, our personal world views and unstable foundations into the new community. Our lives are not neutral when we

Sochi stirrings & Archibald the Arctic

I've been enjoying the thrill of the Winter Olympics in Sochi along with millions of others around the world. It's stunning though to realise that it's warmer there than the average summer beach holiday in England! Whatever the accomplishments of these winter heroes, their exploits have reminded me of a true winter hero of the faith who has never been decorated with victors medals. I've written and spoken on him at length before, but the opportunity to honour him again is too great to miss. Archibald Lang Fleming arrived amongst the Eskimos as a missionary in 1909. Ok, he was a hardy Scot from Clydebank, but nothing can have prepared him for the extremes of this kind of living. Remember,these were the days of Empire, when British explorer types set off up a mountain or into the Amazon armed only with a machette, a tweed jacket and a fine handlebar moustache! Fleming needed more than a tweed jacket as he joined a people group who had maintained their existence for ge

The protective place of prayer

Driving to the office this morning, along a rural country lane towards the town, a family of deer chose their moment to leap through the hedgerow and cross the road in front of the car. The first three made it, then the smaller deer skidded and swerved to a stop by the side of the road as I did likewise in the car! There was no collision, and all six deer hurried on their way, our admiring glances at their beauty and poise lost on them as they disappeared into the opposite foliage. When we come to prayer, we have many purposes and motives in mind. Breakthrough, healing, momentum. All good and rightly sought after. However, the encounter with the deer reminded me of a comment by E M Bounds, which emphasises the place of protection and comfort in our prayer. Bounds tells this story in his book, The Necessity of Prayer: 'Rising early one morning I heard the barking of a number of dogs chasing deer. Looking at a large open field in front of me, I saw a young fawn making it's w

Under new Shepherds : Knowing the true voice

Over the last few days I've been chatting through the implications of Jesus' famous words in John 10 with a number of people and small groups. We've been exploring together what impact these statements about his Good Shepherding have for those of us who are walking through a church leadership transition. God Himself is the supreme Shepherd of his people - That's one of the primary ways that he reveals himself through the Old Testament. But his plan has always been to entrust some of the weight of his leadership to under Shepherds, to enable them to express something of his heart and his care. So, from Moses, through Joshua, the Judges, Samuel, the great King David, God's people were Shepherded. There were more bad Shepherds than good - These, the Prophets denounced, even as they longed for the one true Shepherd who would come and lead God's people. In Jesus the Messiah, the Good Shepherd arrived. At the same time, He is both the Lamb and the Shepherd. The o