Monday, May 29, 2006
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Thursday, May 25, 2006
My Food
A few weeks ago while my son David was attending a Science Open Day at Leeds University I spend a few hours on Ilkley Moor (with my hat!). The day was good apart from the fact that I succumbed to the familiar smell of Fish and Chips and indulged in some of this traditional northern fodder. While in my younger days this would have been a highlight of the day, it made me feel rather queasy and sharply reminded me that I am growing old. I need to be more selective about what I eat.
When Jesus' disciples came back with a takeaway from Sychar in Samaria he wasn't very interested. At one level Jesus sounds irritatingly pious when he says "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work" (John 4:34). However, since this is Jesus speaking and we are being called to be like him I want to say the same thing. I just don't have any appetite for anything that does not seem totally focussed on God's Kingdom.
More than that, I only want to do the things in God's Kingdom that he has specifically asked me to do. There are so many good things happening, but they are someonelse's calling, not mine.
Last week I was at the New Wine Leaders Conference. New Wine is doing a fantastic work. I am totally comfortable with the vision statement:
Our vision is to see the nation changed through Christians and churches being filled with the Spirit, alive with the joy of knowing and worshipping Jesus Christ, living out his Word, and doing the works of the Kingdom of God.
And yet I sense that I am called to do more than just lead a New Wine church. I have no appetite for "promotion" to a bigger New Wine church. That would (for me) feel like a worldly move, a desire for greater significance within a the New Wine Network driven by my old psychological and emotional wounds (which are nearly healed now).
I have a vision (or is it a dream?) that God wants the Good News of Jesus to reach the masses (the "Gentiles" mentioned in the title of this blog). New Wine churches are better at reaching middle class people than your average Church of England church, and this is good. Some churches like St. Mark's even reach some working class people, and this is good.
But good as these things are, I sense that their vision is not big enough. We need to infect the people outside the boxes with the Kingdom virus. They need to catch a proper, life transforming dose of the Holy Spirit, and they need to be helped to know how to live the life and pass on the Good News.
The Good News needs to be expressed without much reference to church as we know it, which has often been bad news to earlier generations of the Gentiles. The good news needs to be experienced in the form of better relationships where people know how to forgive and be reconciled, where parents know how to love their children and live unselfishly. The good news needs to be experienced as forgiveness and mercy and release from the guilt of a sinful past. The grace of God needs to be experienced as a present reality when faced with the temptation to meet present neds in sinful damaging ways. Healing of old wounds and the breaking of strongholds is essential so that tempations will lose their previous power.
Jesus seemed to believe that the masses want this Good News. "Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life..." (John 4:35-36).
So what are we waiting for? Let's get out there amongst the people with our spiritual eyes open to see where the wind is blowing, our spiritual ears tuned to his voice, and our feet fitted with the readiness to take us into the house of the person of peace.
People are hungry for spiritual reality. Let's take it to them. Let's teach them how to sustain it and pass it on. There is no need for these folk to come to church. They can just become the church. This new wine needs to live in new wineskins. Even New Wine churches will be too churchy and too institutional for real Gentiles.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Physician Heal Thyself
I am poorly, and it is so hard to pray for yourself when you are ill.
I started with an excruiating sore throat on Saturday, struggled through an awesome baptism service on Sunday and more teaching about the healing ministry on Sunday night. I had prayer from my wife Jane on Saturday, from many people before and after both services on Sunday. I hope they are not too discouraged.
Ironically the theme was our belief that the bible suggests that Jesus always wants to heal those who come to him for healing. He never refused anyone except the Syro-Phoenician "dog" - but the Father put him straight on that occasion and he healed the woman's child when she showed that she had faith (who would have thought that even Jesus was influenced by the prejudice of his day against the Gentiles!).
I do not know why I am not yet healed. I take some small comfort from the fact that John Wimber taught about healing for months before anyone was actually healed. Meanwhile, nothing is wasted. The devil's attack on my health is assisting with my character development in the areas of patience, humility and faith.
I believe that I could have learned these virtues through other means so I do not believe that I am afflicted by God. This is the work of the kingdom of darkness, not some dubious underhand work of God.
I started with an excruiating sore throat on Saturday, struggled through an awesome baptism service on Sunday and more teaching about the healing ministry on Sunday night. I had prayer from my wife Jane on Saturday, from many people before and after both services on Sunday. I hope they are not too discouraged.
Ironically the theme was our belief that the bible suggests that Jesus always wants to heal those who come to him for healing. He never refused anyone except the Syro-Phoenician "dog" - but the Father put him straight on that occasion and he healed the woman's child when she showed that she had faith (who would have thought that even Jesus was influenced by the prejudice of his day against the Gentiles!).
I do not know why I am not yet healed. I take some small comfort from the fact that John Wimber taught about healing for months before anyone was actually healed. Meanwhile, nothing is wasted. The devil's attack on my health is assisting with my character development in the areas of patience, humility and faith.
I believe that I could have learned these virtues through other means so I do not believe that I am afflicted by God. This is the work of the kingdom of darkness, not some dubious underhand work of God.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Pray for my sons!!
We were bemused this weekend by our teenage sons wanting to watch the Eurovision Song Contest!
It would appear that Lordi are now headlining the Rock Festival that my eldest son is going to in Germany this Summer.
Living in the Kingdom of God
Last week at the New Wine Leaders’ Conference Guy Chevreau reminded us that the Kingdom is about living by faith. It seems to be a Kingdom principle that we have to step out before he provides. Guy mentioned that the streets of the heavenly city are paved with gold, so God can give us a corner of a paving slab anytime we are in need.
I am not going to bellyache about the church finances any more. It is all in the hands of the Father. My role is to lead the people on an adventure of faith. I feel peaceful that all our needs are going to be provided as we do the work of the Kingdom.
Our main Kingdom activity as a church at present is the Youth outreach. I am praying that we can find the people of peace amongst the youngsters and their families and put some time in with them.
I am not going to bellyache about the church finances any more. It is all in the hands of the Father. My role is to lead the people on an adventure of faith. I feel peaceful that all our needs are going to be provided as we do the work of the Kingdom.
Our main Kingdom activity as a church at present is the Youth outreach. I am praying that we can find the people of peace amongst the youngsters and their families and put some time in with them.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
On the Streets with the Holy Spirit
Last Friday while I was at the cinema with my family the Eden bus team had an interesting evening. The generator on the bus broke down - which means that the games and the video etc wouldn't work. Several of the team went down to the precinct to meet the young people while the driver went to borrow the other Eden bus.
As they were waiting for the bus to arrive a gang of young people came along and asked the workers, "Is the man who heals here tonight?" Word is out. The lad who was healed a few weeks ago (see 30th March post) has been telling his story!
Just as well a few of the team had been at the training last Sunday evening and knew what to do.
Let your Kingdom come, Lord!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Heal the Sick
In Luke 10:9 Jesus tells his followers to "Heal the sick". It doesn't tell them how to do this, so we have to assume that they have already been taught by being with Jesus. In Luke 9:1-2 Jesus gave power and authority to the 12 to heal the sick and sent them out. They had recently (Luke 7)seen Jesus heal a dead boy, a dead girl, a sick woman and a man witha legion of demons. Presumably they were taking note of how Jesus healed.
We don't have the benefit of watching Jesus heal, so we are groping around in the dark a bit. However, twenty years ago John Wimber burst upon the english church with a method of praying for the sick which produced some good results. It was all supported by scripture and a theology of the Kingdom which most theologians agree with in theory even if they don't live it out in practice. This method of prayer for healing is still taught in New Wine churches including ours.
On Sunday evening we began a time of re-training for our Healing Prayer Team as it is about 4 years since we last trained people and there are too many people in the congregation who think that the use of spiritual gifts is "not for us". We are using John Coles' book "Developing a Healing Ministry: A Training Manual for Churches" as the basis of the teaching.
We started the evening with praise and finished with a time of corporate confession for the way we allow the secular scientific worldview to replace the worldview of Jesus. As we repented and asked for more power the Holy Spirit moved powerfully amongst us. We were encouraged by a testimony of healing from a woman who had been prayed for the previous week. Others were convicted by the Spirit of their need to read the scriptures more.
As this was a training evening I involved a couple of inexperienced Christians in praying for one of our ladies while I supervised. They all were filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit in a way that reminded me of Acts 2.
We are all looking forward to next week's training.
We don't have the benefit of watching Jesus heal, so we are groping around in the dark a bit. However, twenty years ago John Wimber burst upon the english church with a method of praying for the sick which produced some good results. It was all supported by scripture and a theology of the Kingdom which most theologians agree with in theory even if they don't live it out in practice. This method of prayer for healing is still taught in New Wine churches including ours.
On Sunday evening we began a time of re-training for our Healing Prayer Team as it is about 4 years since we last trained people and there are too many people in the congregation who think that the use of spiritual gifts is "not for us". We are using John Coles' book "Developing a Healing Ministry: A Training Manual for Churches" as the basis of the teaching.
We started the evening with praise and finished with a time of corporate confession for the way we allow the secular scientific worldview to replace the worldview of Jesus. As we repented and asked for more power the Holy Spirit moved powerfully amongst us. We were encouraged by a testimony of healing from a woman who had been prayed for the previous week. Others were convicted by the Spirit of their need to read the scriptures more.
As this was a training evening I involved a couple of inexperienced Christians in praying for one of our ladies while I supervised. They all were filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit in a way that reminded me of Acts 2.
We are all looking forward to next week's training.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Doubts and Struggles
Much as I am enjoying being a blogger, prayer has to come first, so for much of the last couple of weeks my thoughts have jumbled along unblogged.
I have also been hindered by a gnawing feeling of self-doubt. I don’t feel like a very good evangelist. I had spent very little time with the Gentiles. Am I deluding myself that I can facilitate the planting of churches whilst remaining in post as vicar of St. Mark’s? As usual I find my time disappears on church matters – the latest one being the need to find a house suitable for our new curate and his family to live in. Despite these doubts flying around my head I remain hopeful in my spirit that it will happen, and I wait for the word from the Lord for the next step.
Boozing with the Blues
My recent contact with some of the Gentiles has been interesting. Since August last year I have been a member of the Bredbury Blues – the local branch of the Manchester City Supporters Club. After the initial surprise they quickly welcomed me in as I went to the occasional match or sat in the club bar watching away games on the big screen. The amount of beer consumed by these people on match days is awesome.
The Bank holiday weekend saw the last Saturday home game of the season which I attended with my wife Jane thanks to the generosity of some members of our Churchwarden’s family who lent us their season tickets. The match was awful but we were able to spend some time in the pub with a few of the key members of the club before hand, and we were intending to socialize at the BBQ afterwards. Sadly by this stage of the afternoon I had a headache and was exhausted so we went home.
I felt like a real failure. My main opportunity to evangelise for weeks and I didn’t have the stamina. I almost slipped back into old habits of beating myself up, but instead I have to just conclude that my primary gifting is not evangelism. I am a pioneer and I do a lot of evangelism, but I am not an evangelist.
The Problem of Lone Ranger Evangelism
Further thinking on this subject came at the final game of season on Thursday evening. I travelled with the lads down to the game on the bus but I had to sit by myself during the match. This gave me the opportunity to reflect on the effectiveness of my evangelistic contact with the Bredbury Blues. I am a presence and a witness. I have had the occasional “pastoral chat”, but I have not yet really had a chance to share my faith.
I remembered that Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs. As a team it is easier to make an impact. It is easier to stay distinctive. It is easier to remember to pray. I need to find a fellow Christian who supports City and is willing to join me in befriending these Gentiles and praying with me that some of them will come to know Jesus.
I have also been hindered by a gnawing feeling of self-doubt. I don’t feel like a very good evangelist. I had spent very little time with the Gentiles. Am I deluding myself that I can facilitate the planting of churches whilst remaining in post as vicar of St. Mark’s? As usual I find my time disappears on church matters – the latest one being the need to find a house suitable for our new curate and his family to live in. Despite these doubts flying around my head I remain hopeful in my spirit that it will happen, and I wait for the word from the Lord for the next step.
Boozing with the Blues
My recent contact with some of the Gentiles has been interesting. Since August last year I have been a member of the Bredbury Blues – the local branch of the Manchester City Supporters Club. After the initial surprise they quickly welcomed me in as I went to the occasional match or sat in the club bar watching away games on the big screen. The amount of beer consumed by these people on match days is awesome.
The Bank holiday weekend saw the last Saturday home game of the season which I attended with my wife Jane thanks to the generosity of some members of our Churchwarden’s family who lent us their season tickets. The match was awful but we were able to spend some time in the pub with a few of the key members of the club before hand, and we were intending to socialize at the BBQ afterwards. Sadly by this stage of the afternoon I had a headache and was exhausted so we went home.
I felt like a real failure. My main opportunity to evangelise for weeks and I didn’t have the stamina. I almost slipped back into old habits of beating myself up, but instead I have to just conclude that my primary gifting is not evangelism. I am a pioneer and I do a lot of evangelism, but I am not an evangelist.
The Problem of Lone Ranger Evangelism
Further thinking on this subject came at the final game of season on Thursday evening. I travelled with the lads down to the game on the bus but I had to sit by myself during the match. This gave me the opportunity to reflect on the effectiveness of my evangelistic contact with the Bredbury Blues. I am a presence and a witness. I have had the occasional “pastoral chat”, but I have not yet really had a chance to share my faith.
I remembered that Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs. As a team it is easier to make an impact. It is easier to stay distinctive. It is easier to remember to pray. I need to find a fellow Christian who supports City and is willing to join me in befriending these Gentiles and praying with me that some of them will come to know Jesus.
Monday, May 01, 2006
The Gentiles are praying
Wayne Rooney's injury has sparked a wave of prayer amongst the Gentiles.
The Daily Mirror in particular says "cross your fingers and pray" and "we're all praying for Roo".
Keep the day job
Last week I had lunch with Phil Pawley in St.Helen’s. Phil is mission and church growth advisor for Liverpool Diocese and a member of St.Mark’s Haydock which is a leading Anglican Cell Church. I wanted to see Phil as he had been quite vocal at the Mission 21 conference about disciple-making.
Phil is discipling a couple of professional Rugby League players as part of his role as Chaplain to the “Saints”. He is meeting with these men for an hour or two a week to chat and pray and look at the scriptures. This is nitty-gritty stuff. The agenda is based on what is happening in their lives. Phil uses the Lifeshapes sometimes, but he is finding George Patterson’s “Seven Commands of Christ” increasingly helpful.
We are also using the Lifeshapes in our “coaching” or disciple-making opportunities. I find the first four (circle, semi-circle, triangle, square) to be the most useful at present. The pentagon (the five fold ministry) was helpful to me realising that I am more of a pioneer than an evangelist. Phil reckons that it is very easy to structure a coaching session with the Triangle: Up – how’s your relationship with God? In – how are you doing with your relationships? Out – are you bringing good news to others.
I looked up George Patterson on the web. He spent 20 years in Honduras planting churches that reproduced. The story is told in a paper called “The spontaneous multiplication of churches” which can be downloaded if you click on the link. I also got a copy of “The Shepherd’s Storybook” which looked like it might prove to be helpful.
The Seven Commands of Christ are :
1) Repent, believe, and receive the Holy Spirit (conversion, regeneration), Mark 1:15; John 3:16; 20:22
2) Be baptized and live the new life it initiates, initiating ongoing transformation, Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:1-14
3) Love God, neighbour, fellow disciples, the needy in a practical way and enemies (forgive), Matthew 22:36-40; John 13:34-35, Luke 10:25-37; Matthew 5:43-48
4) Break bread (Communion, related to all that we do to worship), Matthew 26:26-28; John 4:24
5) Pray (private and family devotions, intercession and spiritual warfare), John 16:24
6) Give (stewardship of our time, treasure and talents), Luke 6:38
7) Make disciples (witness for Christ, shepherd, apply the Word, train leaders, send missionaries), Matthew 28:18-20
Perhaps the most helpful comment that Phil made was during a discussion about the tension I am feeling between my role as Vicar of St. Mark’s and what I want to do in the way of church planting. He said that the church planters I want to train will nearly all have a day job, so the church planting that they do will have to be fitted in with the pressures of life. If we want to see a spontaneous movement of reproducing churches it has to be simple and it has to work for normal people who are earning a crust.
The upshot of this is a feeling that God is saying “keep the day job (being a vicar) and train church planters as your sideline”. This way I will be forced to keep it simple.
Phil is discipling a couple of professional Rugby League players as part of his role as Chaplain to the “Saints”. He is meeting with these men for an hour or two a week to chat and pray and look at the scriptures. This is nitty-gritty stuff. The agenda is based on what is happening in their lives. Phil uses the Lifeshapes sometimes, but he is finding George Patterson’s “Seven Commands of Christ” increasingly helpful.
We are also using the Lifeshapes in our “coaching” or disciple-making opportunities. I find the first four (circle, semi-circle, triangle, square) to be the most useful at present. The pentagon (the five fold ministry) was helpful to me realising that I am more of a pioneer than an evangelist. Phil reckons that it is very easy to structure a coaching session with the Triangle: Up – how’s your relationship with God? In – how are you doing with your relationships? Out – are you bringing good news to others.
I looked up George Patterson on the web. He spent 20 years in Honduras planting churches that reproduced. The story is told in a paper called “The spontaneous multiplication of churches” which can be downloaded if you click on the link. I also got a copy of “The Shepherd’s Storybook” which looked like it might prove to be helpful.
The Seven Commands of Christ are :
1) Repent, believe, and receive the Holy Spirit (conversion, regeneration), Mark 1:15; John 3:16; 20:22
2) Be baptized and live the new life it initiates, initiating ongoing transformation, Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:1-14
3) Love God, neighbour, fellow disciples, the needy in a practical way and enemies (forgive), Matthew 22:36-40; John 13:34-35, Luke 10:25-37; Matthew 5:43-48
4) Break bread (Communion, related to all that we do to worship), Matthew 26:26-28; John 4:24
5) Pray (private and family devotions, intercession and spiritual warfare), John 16:24
6) Give (stewardship of our time, treasure and talents), Luke 6:38
7) Make disciples (witness for Christ, shepherd, apply the Word, train leaders, send missionaries), Matthew 28:18-20
Perhaps the most helpful comment that Phil made was during a discussion about the tension I am feeling between my role as Vicar of St. Mark’s and what I want to do in the way of church planting. He said that the church planters I want to train will nearly all have a day job, so the church planting that they do will have to be fitted in with the pressures of life. If we want to see a spontaneous movement of reproducing churches it has to be simple and it has to work for normal people who are earning a crust.
The upshot of this is a feeling that God is saying “keep the day job (being a vicar) and train church planters as your sideline”. This way I will be forced to keep it simple.
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