Four seasons

As I was drinking today, I read an article on what to look out for in the garden this autumn.  What struck me were the words ‘it’s not all death and decay’ and I became distinctly aware that each season has a purpose.

• Autumn is when plants that thrived in the summer, begin to decay, the rotting flesh is consumed by bugs and detrivores and the nutrients returned to the soil. Other plants are pruned to endure the winter and be ready for spring growth.
• Winter is a resting period where little grows but where ground work and fertilizing prepares for planting in the spring
• Spring is a time of planting, watering, fertilizing, pruning and new growth.  Bed rotations and other plans are enacted in this period
• Summer is a time for watering, feeding and enjoying the fruits of labours undertaken throughout the year. It’s an attractive time.

It struck me that each season was essential to the health of the garden, and in the same way, the same seasons may be helpful for us.

• There is a time for preparation and rest (winter)
• There is a time for pruning and fertilizing (spring)
• There is a time for enjoying the growth and warmth (summer)
• There is a time for sowing into others and training new growth (Autumn)

Keener gardeners than I, or people that have experienced many more seasons than I may find this news all too familiar, and as I write this down it seems all so simple and totally knowable that I’m sure this is no great revelation to anyone…  but as I was thinking about it, I felt that we often attempt to skip seasons.   In the garden the seasons come and go, and there is nothing that the garden itself can do to affect the season. But the gardener can attempt to grow out of season by artificially creating an environment (like a greenhouse) to cocoon a part of the garden and initiate a warmer season (say) than it really is and promote growth before its normal growing time.  In the same way we expect when we shop that foods that are out of season for the UK are still available to us because the shop can bring them in from other countries…    But I noticed something in the garden this year….

For three years we’ve attempted to grow tomatoes.  We’ve tried them in summer in the raised beds, we’ve tried them in grow bags, we’ve tried them in the conservatory.. each year they have really not come to much.   This year I noticed something in the ‘fallow’ bed (we leave at least one bed fallow each year for it to rest)  there was one solitary tomato plant that grew of it’s own (left over no doubt from either the  compost or from a previous year plant). I left it to itself expecting it to die off like all the others have.  But this little plant, battered by the rain, the wind and left untended by me, actually grew to be a totally self supporting plant (no stakes) and has produced some lovely fruity tomatoes. 

What I’m fumbling around attempting to say is that we need the different seasons. And attempting to short cut them by leaving out the winter season (say) where we ‘seem’ unproductive or where nothing is growing, or a pruning season where we tidy up weeds or train growth or tie off decaying ends etc, may leave us distinctly worse off, and may produce weaker growth (and perhaps damaged growth) instead of hardy, resilient, fruit producing growth. 

In our modern 24/7 always on world, it’s too easy to stay up past natural bed times, cram activities that are too strenuous into timeframes that don’t allow recuperation for exertion, race around at full pelt ‘doing things’ and expecting to operate at the same intensity all the time.  But, like the yearly seasons, there are times in the day when we have to act differently.  Rest is as important as do, and needn’t be a passive activity.  Just like soaking a pan before washing or fertilizing ground before the spring you can’t see anything happen until you then do the activity that follows, where it is then generally easier to clean or grow respectively.  In the same way, if we do not rest sufficiently, if we do not prepare, if we do not prune, if we do not learn, if we do not sow into others we will continue to burn each other out, and may replicate damaged growth in others..   It is rare that we will go through the day without eating by choice or because we are too busy, but it is quite possible for us to go through the day without feeding on God’s word.  It is also rare that we will go through a day without speaking to someone else, yet it is quite possible that we will choose not to speak anything to the Lord. Though Christ is our head gardener, we are responsible for our own nourishment and weeds.  We need to tend the garden of our lives responsibly to enable us to grow. There are seasons where we might need to do more of one thing than another (even if that one thing is rest), but all must be done to make the garden healthy…

Things to ask yourself

• What season are you in right now?  How do you know?
• When was the last time you chose to rest?
• Do you regularly fertilize yourself by reading, meditating or discussing godly wisdom?
• Are there things in your schedule that you have become a slave to that may be unhelpful in maintaining your life garden? (such as overspending, eating out, gossiping (spreading weeds), always saying yes to things?)
• When you last examined the fruit of your activity were you really satisfied with the result? – What actions produced the good/poor result?

Transitions

“Constant change is here to stay”

I’m hearing the word transition a lot recently.  The Newfrontiers leadership conference used the word a lot as shorthand for Terry Virgo releasing new apostolic spheres (new people who will take responsibility for regions) and there’s transition in RCC in how we conduct our meetings, the shape of the leadership team, and our band structures. At work I’m transitioning from a hands on IT dude to a project manager, at home Francine is transitioning from stay-at-home mom to full time student,  So it seems it’s all change, everywhere… or is it?

Most big things, with the exception of redundancy or long term sickness, happen pretty much in our control. We determine where we live (or the spending habits which force us to be evicted) or where we work, who our friends are or what we do with our time. Where we shop, what we eat, what we wear and our mode of transportation.  We don’t live in perpetual fear, We don’t need to be restricted by draconian law, you can say pretty much what you like, and you are not barred from entry into any area of the country, except some places for your own safety or national security.  What I’m getting at is that what happens from the start to the end of your days is pretty much under your control and is a consequence most often of your direct choices.  Some consequences are immediate, and are over in an instance, some take longer to mature and can affect much of your life. But very little is thrust on you, or requires you to be deal with unexpected things, and even if you do, most of your life still remains constant whilst other things are changing.

Captain Janeway on the star ship ‘Voyager’  could have got home much faster than the 7 series it eventually took to get back to federation space and she certainly didn’t have to stop to interact with so many other people… but it would have been a pretty dull show if she didn’t. In the same way, our lives would be pretty dull if we kept ourselves out of contact with others and focussed our energies only on the destination.

Sometimes transitions feel unsettling, destabilising as we move from something known to something unknown but it’s rare that something happens that is so radically different that nothing is familiar. Sure a cataclysmic event may occur that wipes out your family, friends, house, job and way of life, but such changes are thankfully rare, and certainly very little you can do to prepare for them or prevent them by worrying. So discounting that, most other changes are going to be a move left here, or a step right there, someone entering your life or someone leaving it. New locations to explore or new jobs to get your teeth into, pretty much the rest of your life carries on around it.

So how do we deal with constant transition?

1. Do not worry:  Take a look at this link, far better than a pithy paragraph from me on it.
2. Look for the people: We will bump into people on our journey. Thank God for them, spend time with them, Love them. (see Voyager above)
3. See stability, not instability:  When things change it’s too easy to think you’re all at sea, but instead of looking at what is unstable. Focus on what is still stable. It’s too easy to let something that is changing dominate all your thoughts, but Paul encourages us to set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.
4. Enjoy the Journey: Don’t be in such a hurry to see Glory at your death, that you miss the Glory of the risen Christ in your life. See the beauty of his creation and marvel at His plans for you. 
5. Depend on the Unchanging Christ: Jesus is the same, Yesterday, Today and Forever.

“Transition is not so much a ‘temporary’ but a ‘constant’ word. We have not yet arrived at our terminus, we are no longer at our start point, we are somewhere in between the start and the end.” 

…. But change is here to stay.  

Thinking about the future: Credit Cards

For many people, ensuring that there is enough money at the end of the month to pay all the bills can be difficult to balance.

This can be more so when interest is added a large rates to credit card balances, so those of us who have been able to ‘service’ debt before may be struggling to do so now and making use of overdrafts and other things..  

For lots of reasons, how we manage our money may not be something we talk a lot about, but perhaps we need to think about being more open about it?

Here’s one reason to think about it….   in the future, Rugeley Community Church may want to expand the current building facility, move to a different location, support additional staff or undertake a project. To do this will require lump sum gifts, increases in monthly giving or both!

Each year I review what I’m giving and how I’m spending money. Sometimes despite my best plans, the situation I thought I was in, isn’t always the one I find when I’m looking at the cold hard figures… – this can be especially true with credit cards.  Credit cards work great for short term ‘cashflow’, but when the amount of money isn’t cleared each month the amount of interest that can be added in the month adds up very quickly.

This got me thinking.

Simply by changing my attitude to ‘credit’ and managing money better we might be able to free up money that would be going on paying off credit to use for kingdom purposes! In my case, on one card, interest each month is around £90. That’s £90 added every month to the balance, even if I make a payment (unless I clear the balance in full).. That would be over £1000 that could be given to something much more valuable!

It won’t happen overnight, but if I prioritise paying off the balance now instead of carrying the balance and living (albeit momentarily) above my means when we’re ready to take the next adventures of faith together my finances might be ready to respond as well as my heart?

Brighton Leaders Conference

The Main sessions and seminars from Brighton Together on a Mission conference 2010 are now online.

You can access them without a password here

It is NOT our job to love the world.

I think there is great confusion in the hearts and minds of Christians in the UK.

We have heard the great commandment and the great commission.

We have heard Pauls consideration to become all things to all men but forgotten to ‘reach them for Christ’!

But we have got lost IN the world that Jesus is trying to save.

We are familiar with the incomplete comprehension by many from the word “Church”.  We say, we’re going to Church. Do you know the church on the hill. We belong to such and such Church – all these terms are incomplete, because the Church is you and I, knitted together as living stones with Christ as the head. Not a building or an organisation but men and women, loving and serving the Lord in unity, Spirit and truth.

In the same way I think we have got confused with what the ‘world’ is, and we have assumed that because God loves the world (John 3:16) that it must mean that we also must love it.

But I contend to you, that the world in John 3:16 isn’t the fabric of the planet. It isn’t the trappings of life. But like the definition of Church, it is all about the people that populate this wondrous ‘God made’ globe.

When we love ‘the world’, we want to be like the people in it.

But we are called to be people who ‘set our mind on things above', not on earthly things. Our hearts should be towards PEOPLE, not STUFF.

1 John 2:15-17 (English Standard Version)

^15(A) Do not love the world or the things in the world.^(B) If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world—^(C) the desires of the flesh and^(D) the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷And^(E) the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

We are so easily swayed away from living simply and honestly to reach fellow man because we are consumed with ‘not falling behind’ in appearance. – we have, in fact, NO DESIRE to live differently. We still live in houses just like them, drive cars just like them, have TV’s just like them, fine clothes just like them, hobbies and holidays just like them. In fact we live just like them.

But doesn’t Jesus call us to live differently? Not interested in sustaining a life-style that leads to destruction, but instead a lifestyle that leads to Everlasting life with God?

Philippians 4:8-9 (English Standard Version)

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ⁹What you have learned and^(A) received and heard and seen^(B) in me—practice these things, and^(C) the God of peace will be with you.

If we are busy following the worlds pattern of behaviour, it’s way of doing life today in the UK, how on earth are people to see in us and hear from us the things that will lead them to God?

Friends, it should be obvious in all we do, all we say, what we put into practice that we are different.  Our motivation to live for God should make it evident to all that there is nothing familiar between the way we live our lives and the way the lost world lives theirs.

Now, this is not to suggest that technology isn’t useful, and not to say we shouldn’t live in houses etc,. indeed not that TV in itself is a sinful or unhelpful tool, rather the Christian life is so revolutionary because it IS different from the selfish living of the world. We are not to be people who pursue ‘gain’ now, rather our ‘gain’ is heaven. Our reward is life eternal with Christ in Glory.

If we have truly been found in Christ, If he truly is LORD as well as saviour, then we are compelled by his love to live differently. We cannot live to please ourselves any longer because our old selves are DEAD.

• If we really did love people as much as we love ourselves we could not drive past lost people without showing them the way to Christ. 
• If we really did want to serve Christ the decisions we take about what we wear, what we do, where we go, what we say, what’s important to us, what we do with our money etc would all be made with the aim of winning people to Christ at the forefront of the decision making process.

For sure, with practice it would become as easy to do or to think this way as a person who drives a car after many years, with barely a thought to what gear to select or how to manoeuvre the vehicle – but in the early days, when we are learning to drive, don’t we have to think about changing gear, and how to point the car in the direction of travel?

I think we have become complacent, not mature and experienced in living holy, Godly lives that SHOUT his praise, rather we have become reticent to speak for God (with the words he gives us) and we have attempted to ‘blend in’ to our surroundings.

We have forgotten that our primary purpose is to Love God, and Love others to reach them for His Kingdom. We have forgotten that WE ARE NO LONGER OURS, we have been bought through the blood of Christ and we are no longer slaves to Sin, but Slaves to Christ. – Our lives have never been our own yet we attempt to haul them back from Christ to live in any way we please, doing what ever seems good to us.

This is why the battle for the hearts and minds of our friends and neighbours is so easily lost. We don’t even turn up for the battle. We stand with them on the periphery of the battle field and look on wondering who will come to fight.

We’re like the Israelites facing Goliath for 40 days, knowing who they are in God, but fearful of the consequence of standing up for the faith we profess, unsure of ourselves and unsure of the God we serve. It’s pathetic.

And when a small boy comes along to show us the raging soft spot in the forehead of Goliath, we mock and scoff and get on with our ‘religious’ lives hoping no one will call us up to stand against the foe, content to have no impact and no ground won.

This MUST change.  If we are to be the Church of Christ, if we have ANY joy from knowing him, if we have any delight in being found in him and known as Christ’s sons and heirs WE MUST, without doubt, live as his Children. Not content simply to live holy-ish lives so we can feel smug about our own righteousness, but instead lives which impact our street, our towns and ultimately the nation and the world.

The disciples even in fear and trembling, selected their stones and with love in their hearts began to take the ground that was given to them in God. The message they proclaimed and lived with great suffering spread around the globe as a result. It’s time we played our part.

Suffering in itself is no indication of righteousness, but my friends I know so very few people in the UK who have suffered for the sake of Christ – why? because it is very difficult to distinguish those who live for Christ in any radical way, and those who live for themselves. – we look the same.

When I was a child I remember most days someone calling a name or highlighting something I did because I was a Christian living for God. – God boy, bishop, devil lumps all names that were used to ridicule me because I communicated the faith I professed. I wasn’t popular, and I had few friends outside of my church community – what now? Does anyone show me the same contempt?  No.

So you see I am speaking not just to you, but also to myself.  Some people see that I am different, but they do not know why. They think I am eccentric, but that is because I haven’t explained to them why I do what I do. And I rarely confront them with the reasons I live how I do (even accepting that there is more to change!) We must be people who live the life and explain why. Yes, Jesus should be evident in what we do, but people cannot understand why we are different unless we tell them.

It’s time we change.

When faith and hope matters

The most waged and bloody war is not on land, sea or air, but in the minds of those whose heart is set for Christ.  Not only do we need to contend with NOT worrying about material possessions, the plight of those we love, or the progress of our sporting heroes, but we need to concern ourselves with pressing on towards the goal of maturity in Christ.

This is no easy task.

The massive effort and the casualty to peace and contentment often encourage would be followers to abort their offensive into living in truth and settle for the quieter pastures of apathy, compromise, ambiguity and insecurity- at least (we reason) the only person we are hurting by this course of action is ourselves, and since we’re saved, the damage is momentary considering our final destination.

But if we were truly alive to the impact our lives can have for Christ NOW, perhaps we would see that the damage is far more widespread than the effect on the path of our existence. Those people who encounter us from a distance may not see Christ in our actions or conversation, those who know us well may judge us (and our faith and he that enables us) by our actions and prejudice and wavering resolve to do what all good Christians do. We may injure the attempt of those struggling to persevere by seemingly to flit through life without a care (when really we’re just hiding from reality) and we devalue the success those who have overcome and triumphed in their adversity and environment to stand for God (as if they were misguided, misinformed or mistakenly radicalised)

Some of us think that because God hasn’t perhaps called us for great things, it doesn’t matter if we don’t win the battle for our minds. It doesn’t matter if we never put in place the dedication to the word of God, or the dwelling of his spirit or the walking in the light or the speaking of the truth. We’re not called (we might say) to lead a movement, a church, a group or a family. all we have to be responsible for is our little corner of the world and does it really make all that difference if we don’t manage to make it. – besides – if I have to make it, isn’t that just an unbelievable pressure for someone who is supposed to be made righteous by the grace of God alone?

To which I would say. God knows.  He knows that he has made us righteous, and He knows what he calls us to be.

He knows that we are often weak and foolish. He knows what it is like to be tempted and to struggle. He knows what needs to be done to commune with God the father and follow his will. He knows when you are beaten by a struggle or beaten by your bed. He knows what you can accomplish if you would only attempt to live in the light of what you already know to be true (not worrying about what it is you don’t know). He knows that the secret sins you hide from the world sit as a cancour deep in your spirit, He knows that you hide him also from the world for fear, for embarrassment, for security, for no good reason. He knows that you can do more than you can ask or imagine, if only you will put your hope, trust and faith in Him.

Our perspective then is the problem. We see ourselves before we see Jesus. We see the problem not the solution. We see our failings not His success. We see difficulty and fear, yet Jesus brings hope and salvation and applies it through us.

We can make an excuse, we can cover ourselves with mitigation, we can hide in our circumstance, we can quake with fear – but those who God has called he also enables. Those whose names are written in the book of life are those who call Jesus ‘Saviour’ and LORD. If he is our lord, then aren’t we as loyal subjects to fight for his cause, and to give our life if that is what is required to bring glory to him?

You may think you might die in the struggle, – but most likely you will not. God calls very few to die for him (except to die to self – to which he calls each one of us). If only we will think less of ourselves and more of him. I’m sure if we could only see the immediate effect of our inaction and stamina on those around us and on the heart of Christ we would attend to our thoughts and actions with more vigour. But alas that too is in the mind for us to choose to look with the eyes of the spirit on the faces on those we profess to love and see the damage we cause them.

May God forgive us.

How to pick a new leader

• What do we look for in a lead elder?
• What marks a lead elder from one with elder ability?
• How do we confirm that a lead elder is God's man for now?

When a church looks for leadership it is tempting to evaluate candidates on such matters as personality, likeability, presentation and other subjective criteria. We can attempt to compare a new leaders credentials or character against another’s and resolve to understand what they might bring to enhance or be different from previous works, or we might look to ensure that a new leader works well with existing leadership teams and projects. But it seems to me this is no real way to determine who should lead.

God First:

King David was set apart by God when he was a shepherd boy. He was discounted by his Father Jesse who left David tending the sheep and was only brought forward at Samuel's request. God then instructed Samuel to anoint David with oil. 1 Samuel 16 We may look at fine candidates and determine their qualities, but what we need to hear is what does God want?

One man:

We are prone to think that like any job interview, having more than one prospective candidate to choose from is helpful as a comparison can be made. But it would seem that so often God has ONE MAN earmarked for leading in a season. (Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Saul, David, Joseph, Samson, Jonah etc etc etc )

I think this may be why New Frontiers model of church leadership is Lead Elder with plural eldership as it recognises one man who instigates and is responsible for the direction. 

It is important then that when looking for a lead elder, we find the one man that God has anointed for the job. If God has anointed a person then what role does the congregation have?

Leaders need followers

It is entirely possible to have every good leadership idea and be a useless ‘leader’ because no one follows you!  A congregations job then is to determine 2 things.

1. Has God set this man apart for leading us?
2. Will I follow?

All other considerations are secondary, even if they are important.  Change can be difficult, sometimes painful, but if we can see (even if we don’t understand) God’s anointing and clear direction then whatever reservation or concern, whatever joy or excitement we need to examine our heart and determine if we will work with God or against him.  No leader can lead if people won’t follow. It is the responsibility of the leader to ensure that they are the man for the job and that they know the direction to head. It is the job of those that recognise God’s anointing to follow the one man anointed for the task.

New Frontiers

Following last years Brighton Conference where Mark Driscoll carefully encouraged us to recognise that Terry Virgo ought to find the new ‘husband’ for New Frontiers (forgive me, I don’t have his actual words to hand) much discussion and prayer has been focussed on how New Frontiers should move forward and under what leadership structure.  New Frontiers is not quite like a denomination in that it does not issue edicts or policy which must be abided by from those who call themselves part of the family of Churches together on a mission. Rather it is built on relationships grounded on core values that are shared by all.  Though Terry brings apostolic leadership and direction to the movement, it is expressed on the ground, in local congregations in many different ways as the spirit leads. Each New Frontiers congregation then has similar values but can have a very different feel and core application according to local need and the Spirit.

Since the small beginnings the movement has grown to have relationships on many shores, and though relationships have grown to accommodate the growth, so too has the stature of those released to support the work in those nations.  It is easy to see how God has set apart one man in several places to lead the work and it would appear that New Frontiers will release those to be apostolic in their own right (like lead elders) to continue the work in those nations (including the UK).

It will be interesting to see if a new leader will be anointed by God for the task of moving New Frontiers on, or whether a council of elders might replace the input from Terry.  Certainly ‘succession’ is not the right language, even though what comes next ‘succeeds’ the former.

But it’s clear that what comes next must honour what comes before. For we must remember it’s God that appoints and directs (however we feel about it) and it is for God to vindicate or validate himself, not our opinion on the success or comparison with another leader.

VISION

So then, what one thing connects a leader (or leaders) of a movement with the leader of a local congregation? VISION.

As the proverb says’  ¹⁸Without guidance from God law and order disappear,  but God blesses everyone who obeys his Law.

It is essential then that any person who wishes to lead God’s people in any location (national, local or trans local) desires a good thing, and should be a man recognised worthy of respect according to 1 Tim 3, but that only qualifies him to stand. What identifies him as the man is God’s anointing. And God’s anointing comes with communicable vision that encourages the heart of the hearer to say YES and AMEN.

The Dry Season

To all spiritual lives there come seasons of dryness, when it seems that our spiritual growth is dormant and our desires for God grow stale. These arid times may be ushered in by grief, exhaustion, or pre-occupation with matters that distract us from our inner life. Sometimes a barrenness of spirit sets in for no apparent reason whatsoever.

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my souls pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God? (Psalm 42)

This personal devotion is created to help you to acknowledge your spiritual desert and be faithful to God in it. Furthermore, I encourage you to maintain the all-important practice that Christians throughout the centuries have advised for those in a dry season: just do it.

Even when we do not feel drawn to worship or prayer, it is a sheer act of faith to continue to do the things that nurture our spirituality--such as reading this devotion! After all, it is God who is at work to instil within us the desire and ability to do God's will (Philippians 2:13). The dry season is a time to trust that God is really at work in your life.

In this personal devotion, you will find both permission to be where you are spirituality and some practical advice to use the dry season as a significant aspect of your life with Jesus.

 

You’re not on your own

In case you are feeling alone in your dryness, bear in mind the countless number of faithful women and men who have gone through their own desert of the spirit. Remember Moses' burning bush? Recall Elijah's retreat from Jezebel after calling down fire from heaven to disprove her idol worship? Don't forget Naomi, whose bitterness of soul was so deep for a season that she even changed her name to "bitterness."

So, if the dry season is so common, why is it that we Christians seldom speak of it? Actually, some traditions do address it openly. For others, it seems to be a sign of weakness or failure to admit that one's experience of God has grown powdery.

Let's go further into the matter of faith and the dry season. Is it really a sign of faltering faith when we lose our enthusiasm?

"But, what will they do here who see that after many days there is nothing but dryness, distaste, vapidness, and very little desire to come to draw water?"

--Teresa of Avila

Teresa has much to teach us about living the faith life in the desert. After all, she lived her life in the Spanish Inquisition! She pictured spirituality as "fetching water from the well," with the prayer, "and please God that it may be found." There are times, she laments, that "the well is dry."

What can we do when the well is dry? We continue sending our buckets down into the well shaft and drawing them up, as faithful gardeners. In so doing, Teresa teaches, we embrace the cross. After all, doesn't it require more faith to continue our devotion to God during these dry spells than when we are full of good feelings and excitement? You may never know the pillars of spiritual strength that you encounter in everyday life, who are faithfully living out their love for God in ways that aren't so eye-catching and spectacular.

Dangers in the Desert

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil."

-- Matthew 4:1

While the dry season is by no means an indication that we are doing something wrong, it can be an occasion of intense temptation. It has its own special dangers.

1. The temptation to believe that God is far away. Without the feelings of enthusiasm we once experienced in our prayer and worship times, it may feel as though there is some huge gulf between God and us. We may wonder, "Does God still love me?"
   The reality may be that God is actually deepening our faith so that we do not base our faith on feelings, but on an inner assurance that God is faithful. Believe that God is at work behind the scenes!
2. The temptation to be swayed in our beliefs. Spiritual writers throughout the centuries have described this temptation in terms of confusion or irritability. We may become doubtful of doctrine--and easy prey to those who would draw us from our faith. We may become resentful of what we perceive as God's inaction.
3. The temptation to substitute physical experience for spiritual experience. With the dearth of spiritual vitality, it is common to find that our physical desires may compensate. The dry season is often a time when our desires increase in ways that reflect our own personal weaknesses.

"We hunger for satisfaction, for real fulfilment. Not finding it, we stuff ourselves with food, and stuff our houses with gadgets and furnishings. We thirst for intimacy, to offer ourselves to someone who will receive us, who will know us to our depths and delight in us. When this proves impossible, we turn to sex and pornography in the unconscious hope that they will meet the real need that we hardly even know how to acknowledge as yet."

--David Rensberger, Thirsty for God

Of course, the internet is full of merchants waiting to capitalize on our temptations!

Surviving the Dry Season

There are three things I can recommend you pursue during your dry season.

Continue your spiritual disciplines.

Even though it may seem that your prayers bounce off the ceiling or that your Bible reading is boring, it is now more important than ever to exercise your faith rather than basing your Christian walk on feelings.

This is not to say that you should continue in the same old patterns. It may be time to learn new ways of praying and to give up the compulsions that sometimes rob our spirituality of life. A dry spiritual season often marks a significant shift in our faith from a devotional life based on habit and compulsion to one based on authenticity and freedom.

Put the extra effort into connecting with your church family.

The fellowship of other believers can be a real source of encouragement and comfort. If your circle of spiritual friends has trouble accepting your dryness and novel attempts at devotional diversity, it may be time to enlarge the circle!

Seek out a spiritual companion.

It is during such dry seasons that many Christians turn to a trusted pastor, mature Christian or a counsellor who can help them listen for the movements of the Spirit in prayer.

Here are some reflection questions to guide you in thinking through your dry season experience:

1. In what ways are you losing enthusiasm in your spiritual life?
2. List the various persons who can be supportive of you during this time?
3. With which Biblical characters do you identify most, who also experienced a dry season?
4. What temptations are you struggling with?
5. What might your particular temptations be revealing to you about your unique spiritual gifts?
6. What spiritual practices would be most helpful for you now? Prayer? Bible reading? Silent meditation? Journaling? Attending worship services? Attending a spiritual growth group? Others?

Dark Night of the Soul or Depression?

Physical disease can have an effect on our emotional and spiritual well-being. While it is common for Christians to experience dry seasons in their spiritual life, depression is an illness that has many of the same characteristics.  Though God may allow dry seasons to occur for our spiritual growth, Scripture indicates that God also provides healing for our illnesses.

Dry seasons and depression can look very similar, but have different causes. Take a look at the lists below.

Dry Season

• Lack of spiritual enthusiasm
• Questioning and searching
• Struggles with temptations
• Sleep disturbance
• Neglect of faith community

Depression

• Lack of enthusiasm for all matters
• Negative self-talk
• Loss of appetite; over-eating
• Insomnia or over-sleeping
• Social withdrawal

If your observations and feelings match more with the second list you may be depressed and I would encourage you to contact a counsellor or Doctor. Depression is very treatable!

(This article is republished (with very minor edits) from Faithnet, without expressed permission and will be removed if they object)

Hearing in the middle of the storm

There’s a lot going on right now. It’s like a storm has been brewing and now is thrashing down on the ship that is my family. There is a mixture of emotion. Some are exhilarated, some worried, some frantically attempting to steady the ship, some hypertensive, some reflective, some mourning and some afraid all is lost.

Storms (in nature) and in our lives shake everything. What is not fastened down (and built upon) is often shook loose and lost or destroyed.  Many see storms as trials to be endured – and this can often be true - but I like to see storms as the power to make sweeping changes.  So often we can invest time and energy in ‘beautifying’ mess or rotten structures in the attempt to kid ourselves and others that all is ‘GREAT’. But the refiner’s fire will not leave anything untouched that is not holy. It will burn up the chaff, and destroy that which we have attempted to make holy in our lives, that should not be. It reduces the idols we have placed in our lives to ash.

But storms can be painful. When our emotions are attached to anything but God, when we invest in building OUR lives instead of building HIS KINGDOM the loss can be devastating. Even when we love and build correctly, it is very difficult to be truly ‘content’ when much of what you know is ripped away. It is easy to ask ‘how can this be the action of a loving God?’ Yet, we must remember that EVERYTHING is His. He gives and He takes away. (Job 1:21) It’s all His, how often we forget.

Some people seem to experience more storms than others. – Some people seem to weather storms better than others. I am not able to tell why. I know that there were seasons in my life that were very stormy, and I know that as I grew older and grew in maturity there were less. – but they haven’t disappeared. This current storm is a bigger one for some in my family than it is for me, but maybe that’s just because I’ve been through a storm like this before and ‘survived’?

Whatever the reasons, my job as head of my household is to focus everyone’s attention on Christ the Rock, who, rather than being the one thing you want to avoid in a storm when you’re in a ship, is the very thing we need to lash our family too. My job is to help each one of us to tether to Christ, sink our anchor deep into the rock so we cannot move. When the storm is over, my job is to arrange to rebuild holy buildings after shoring up foundations, providing Nehemiah-like leadership, building with one hand and defending with the other whilst the walls are rebuilt.

Storms have lasting effects. What was there is gone, and even if it is rebuilt exactly as before, it is still a different structure with different materials. The foundations have proved (or not proved!) to be strong, and one might be able to predict the likelihood of what will stand in the next storm. If anything then storms encourage us to build right. To speak life and strength to each other, to remind each other to work with the master builder to craft pure gold in our lives which cannot be destroyed by fire or storms, and to lay up our treasure in heaven which cannot be eaten by moth or decay.  It encourages us to keep our eyes on God, His Kingdom, and our place with him in heaven. It urges us to remember that everything here is temporary and easily lost.

Deal with hurts before they hurt you real bad

One of the challenges of Christian life, is the damage that we do to each other in church.
The following has a lot of common sense, and tells you what to do when hurt is inflicted on you by a brother or sister in Christ. – [Courtesy of George Verwer: No turning back pg 104]
1) Keep Calm
“Be still, and know that I am God.” – Rushing about trying to correct the injury usually causes greater damage.
2) Apply direct pressure of understanding to the wound
What caused the incident? Could you have prevented it? How does the offending party feel? What if things were reversed?
3) Wash the wound thoroughly with kindness
This removes all hardness and vindictiveness.
4) Coat liberally with the ointment of love.
This will protect from infections of resentment and bitterness
5) Bandage the injury with forgiveness
This will keep it out of sight until the wound is healed
6) Don’t take the scab off
Bringing up the subject will re-open the wound. Serious dangers from infection (see no4 above) still exist which could prove fatal spiritually.
7) Beware of painful and touchy self-pity
This is often referred to as withdrawal pains, as the symptom is withdrawing from others, especially the one inflicting the injury. The remedy- accept apologies.
8) Prescription.
Take a generous does of antibiotics from the word of God several times daily, using prayer each time. This has a soothing effect and is a good painkiller.
9) Stay in close contact with the great physician at all times.
Depend on his strength, joy and peace to help you during convalescence.
10) Recovery.
Full recovery is reached when the patient is restored to complete fellowship and harmony, especially with the offending party.

"Can Or Should Christians Judge One Another?"

 

This Bible study was written and submitted in April 2001 by: Joseph M. Willmouth, Pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Biloxi, Mississippi 39532. This contributed article is copyright protected, and the sole property of the contributing author. It may be freely copied and used provided the above credits are included. Document expiration: indefinite.

 

Today, one of the most quoted verses that we hear banded out by people is "Judge not, that ye be judged." Therefore meaning, "who are you to judge me?" "Don't you know that you are not supposed to judge people?" Usually this is what comes out of a person's mouth when confronted about their behavior, their personal beliefs, or for what they are teaching. Is this really what the New Testament teaches, or is this just a smoke screen to cover-up unbiblical behavior or teachings? Let's look at what the New Testament teaches concerning a Christian's position when it comes to making judgments.

Let's start with the most often quoted passage in Matthew 7:1-5 where is says, "¹Judge not, that ye be not judged. ²For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. ³And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? ⁴Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? ⁵Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."

If we stop with the first verse, as most people do, it would seem to teach that to judge anyone is totally wrong. The problem with this is that it pulls the verse out of the context in which it was written. By the time you get to verse 5, it is clear that Jesus is talking to hypocrites (i.e., the Jewish religious leaders) who are condemning others for not living up to their standards. The context for this section along with Luke 6:39-42 is the Sermon on the Mount, in which Christ was rejecting Phariseeism as a means by which a person could attain righteousness that would make them fit to enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Pharisees claimed to have the most authoritative voice in Israel in matters pertaining to Moses' law. Therefore they demanded explicit submission to their teachings (i.e., the oral traditions). Jesus Christ says this about the Pharisees in Matthew 5:20, "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Christ wasn't declaring that the Scribes and Pharisees were righteous, but was pointing out that their righteousness fell short because it was based upon the legalism of their oral traditions and not God's Word. So no one could enter the kingdom of heaven by trying to live up to their standards. People do the same thing today when they go beyond what God has declared and set their own standards, and then expect others to live up to their standards.

The fallacy of this is how can sinful man set higher standards than a totally holy and righteous God can? The nation of Israel and its leaders were blind to the God's truth, and Christ told them in this passage what they needed to do to remove their blindness in verse 5, "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." When we remove the beam of legalism from our eyes then we can begin to see what God expects of us, and then we are able to help others who are stumbling also.

The point of this whole passage was a warning about judging others based upon their own standards because they would be judged according to their own standards, which they themselves could not even live up to.

Jesus also reinforces this in John 7:24 where He tells the crowds not to judge according to mere appearances (their superficial understanding of Him healing a man on the Sabbath), but they were to use a righteous judgment. If this is not the case then Jesus Christ contradicted Himself in Luke 12:54-59, where he tells the people to judge for themselves what they were seeing and hearing from His ministry to see if it was right according to what was taught in the Scriptures concerning the Messiah. So it is clear from just a brief look at what Jesus taught in these few verses that He wasn't teaching that all judgment was wrong, but only when it is based upon human opinions and motives, and not God's Word. With this said, now lets turn our attention to what the Bible teaches about judging.

1. Areas that we should withhold judgment on.

a. When it comes to personal convictions or preferences (non-moral issues) on which the Bible has no clear teaching then we should not judge someone who makes those choices. Romans 14:1-23 speaks about not judging another believer because of their eating preferences (vv.1-4), or how they view the significance of special days (vv.5-8). But Paul does make it clear that our opinions or convictions on these matters should not become a stumbling block to other believers, then it would become a moral issue (vv.13-23).

b. We should not judge people just by their outward appearance (John 7:24; James 2:1-4). This is superficial judgment that is often based upon how someone looks or talks, and is not based upon what they are actually doing for the Lord. The problem with this type of judgment is that it usually has it roots in legalism and not Scripture.

c. We should withhold judgment upon another Christian's service (1 Corinthians 4:1-5). The context of this passage is dealing with divisions in the church a Corinth because of factions and false teachers who all calming superiority over the others. As a result some were criticizing Paul's ministry because they felt that he wasn't doing what they thought that he should be doing. The problem wasn't Paul's ministry or what he was teaching, but it was the attitude of some in the church. This doesn't mean that we are not to be discerning about a ministry, but that we are not supposed to condemn others because they are not doing what we think they should be doing. We need to keep in mind that some plant and some water, but ultimately it is God who causes the growth (1 Corinthians 3:1-9). An example of this would be when we start thinking that we could preach or write better sermons than the preacher, or we think that we could do a better job than what someone else is doing in another area of ministry. Or that we think that a person isn't doing something in a way that we think it should be done. When you do things like this, you are in a sense looking at individuals more like chess pieces and not people chosen by God to do the best they can with what God has given them.

d. This last area tends to build off of the other areas, and that is letting our tongues express our opinions about others (James 4:11-12). When we criticize others, we are placing ourselves in the position as judge and pronouncing judgment upon them when we may not know or understand all the details of why someone is doing what they are doing. Again, let me remind everyone that these passages are addressing non-moral issues. When it comes to sin, false teaching or ministries, the Bible clearly teaches that we are to be discerning which means we need to make an judgment based upon God's Word.

2. Areas that we should make judgments on.

a. Christians are to judge disputes between members of the local body of believers so they can settle these disputes (1 Corinthians 6:1-8). This is so that the problem doesn't spill over into the non-believing world, which discredits the church's witness to the lost.

b. The local church is to judge the unrepentant sins of its members, and to take the appropriate actions. Unconfessed sin needs to be publicly judged rightly and condemned (1 Corinthians 5:3-5). When we do this, it must be done according to God's Word (see Matt.18:15-20). The purpose of this judgment is not to condemn, but to restore the sinful believer into useful service (Galatians 6:1-5). If the sinful believer refuses to repent, then we are to break fellowship with them until they do repent (1 Corinthians 5:11-13; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; 3:6). Christ rebuked the church of Thyatira for not judging a woman who was a false teacher and prophetess, and who was sinning (Revelation 2:20-24).

c. We are to rightly judge the doctrinal teaching of preachers and teachers by God's Word (Matthew 7:15-20; Acts 17:10-11; 1 Corinthians 14:29; Titus 1:10-16; 3:10; Hebrews 13:7; 1 John 4:1; Revelation 2:20-24). Peter and John both told the Jewish leaders to judge what they were saying to see if it was true or not according to God's Word (Acts 4:19). Paul tells the Corinthians to judge what he was saying (1 Corinthians 10:15). It does need to be pointed out that we are not to listen to accusations against our pastor/leaders unless there are at least two or three witnesses (1 Timothy 5:19-20).

d. We are to rightly judge potential Elders/Pastors and Deacons to see if they measure up to the qualifications given in the Scripture (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9). The reason why many churches have the problems that they have is because they fail to obey God's Word and appoint people who are not qualified according to God's Word. This means that we have to discern or judge others by God's standards in order to be obedient to God's Word.

e. We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:14 to "admonish the unruly." In verse 15, we are told to "see to it that no one repays another with evil for evil." So it is clear that we as believers have to be discerning about other believers. This doesn't mean that we are to go around looking for every little speck or flaw, but that when we see people doing things that are clearly unbiblical then we are to speak up and say something.

f. We are to examine or scrutinize ourselves to see if our faith is real (2 Corinthians 13:5-7). This testing is to see if we are truly saved and if we are doing right in the sight of God. We are also told to judge (scrutinize) ourselves before we partake of the Lord's Supper to see if our spiritual condition is correct (1 Corinthians 11:31).

Conclusion. The principle reason so many Christians today think that they don't have a right to judge anyone is because they have been indoctrinated with the worldly teaching of "tolerance." To the world tolerance means that truth is subjective, and there is no absolute truth. This means no one has to right to tell someone else that they are wrong, because one person's opinion is just as good as someone else's. Therefore we hear such things as, "who are you to judge me, or to tell me if I am right or wrong?"

According to some statistics (The New Tolerance, by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler, pages 173-174) 50% of Christian youth do not believe that an objective standard of truth exists, while 53% of the adults do not believe in absolute truth; Two-thirds of the 70% of Americans who say it is important to follow the teachings of the Bible reject moral absolutes.

This is why many Christians today think that no one has the right to say anything to them, because that is judging them.

When you bring this attitude into the church you have to ignore the Scriptures, because they do teach that there are absolute truths. Scriptures plainly teaches that believers are not to walk around blindly, ignoring sinful behavior or false teaching; and if we do then we are in direct conflict with clear teaching of God's Word.

Christians need to take to heart the words of Peter and other apostles in Acts 5:29 when told that we are not to judge anyone, "...We ought to obey God rather than men." Christians, nor churches can afford to ignore God's Word and turn a blind eye to those who propagate the false teaching that no Christian has a right to judge another. To do so will only lead to confusion and division among the church body, and shows a contempt for God's Word.

But we must also acknowledge that when it comes to judging, we need to always check our motives before we say something to another believer. If what we are doing is not based squarely upon God's Word and a love for our brother or sister in Christ, then it is best to keep our mouths shut.

Wisdom is applying what you know.

I love a good argument. I love the thrust, the joust, the clever ducks and dives, the reasoned logic, the sucker punch, the tangents, the curveballs and I love to win.

Sometimes, those drives mean I forget that at the heart of every opponent is someone with a question, a belief, an understanding.. in short there is a person.

I find it very hard not to want to win any discussion I'm in. I want to be understood, validated, listened to. I want to know that I've understood sufficiently to convey a compelling argument to another. In all of this its possible that I want it so badly, that I don't see the affect my drive to convince can have on another.

I recently received a communication from a friend who felt pressurised to make a commitment to Christ. In my desire that no-one should perish, perhaps I forgot that there was a person with genuine concerns, questions and hesitations. It is easy for me to see how it could have happened, though I was oblivious to it (and still I am) as I recall the conversations. - Sure I was excited (new births are sooo exciting) - and I wonder if I really did listen as much as I talked? - Did I get carried away?

Whether I can see it or not, its clear I must have done. - How difficult it is! - Yet how pleased I am that they are saved!

I guess knowing when to speak and when to listen. When to respond and when to stay silent. When to answer and when to leave a question unanswered, is where maturity takes over.

We need to rely on God to do what he does best, reveal himself. Surely if we trusted God, then He would be able to do a much better job than we could do? - For sure he likes to use us, to include us, but he doesn't need us in the same way I need air. - He chooses to need us to fulfil his purpose, to include us in his plans.. - how marvellous that he should choose us at all!?

But its not just in conversation face to face that discipline is required. No, all of our communications should be considered ambassadorial appointments for our king. Every word, whether spoken, written or exemplified in action should be held captive till we are certain we are responding from the heart of God. - What a challenge! - More so for one that loves to explain and convince.

Perhaps the monastic life would have been perfect for me, all that silence! - perhaps in silence I could learn to appreciate the quiet things of God.

Yet God made me noisy!. He made me capable of assimilating information and regurgitating it 'at will'. He made me passionate about explanation of the deep things of life, to enquire about the reason for the hope we profess. - Surely our victorious God would want me to shout and declare the greatness of his works and majesty? Yet, perhaps it is those with humble heart. Pure motives that are best used to declare his Glory? - Those who are gentle in spirit? How much more have I to learn?

God would you grant me the grace to know when to speak and when to be silent. To choose stillness before you than effervescence and noise. Teach me to obey your prompting by the spirit, and help me to do what's required at 'just the right time'. Help me to hold what I know to be true, till the time it can best be used for your purpose and the patience to bite my tongue when I would prefer to argue, choosing to submit to your spirit than to push my heart's desire forward.

Your ways are higher than mine O God, your wisdom far greater.
Speak louder in my ear till I hear your voice stronger.

Sermon application

Sometimes we listen to sermons, and they nourish us at the time, but we don't necessarily recall them from one week to another.

So far this week, what seemed to be a very simple message (parent well and don't have favourites among your children, and in whatever circumstances you find yourself in serve diligently) has been an almost constant conversation with people within and outside of our church family.

On face value, the message seemed simple and obvious, yet it is suprising to me how the truth appears to have impacted some people afresh.

Perhaps its because people have an increased desire to focus on what's more important than the economy (or to escape from it!), or perhaps its because people have got to the stage that they are ready to hear that God wants us to live differently. To live as people with a purpose, to live for him in all we do.

Whatever the reasons, I'm glad for the conversations and glad that people all over the place are stepping up to the responsibility of being parents, and enjoying serving God in the lows as well as the highs.

Sermon Prep anyone?

Buzzing over to Soveriegn Grace Ministries (where CJ Mahaney resides) I found this interview with John Piper about sermon preparation.

It's short and very APT.

Take a look