Do you ever sit down and watch the news or read a paper and hear stories about what is going on in the world and think - surely as a Christian I am supposed to do something about this? How can I sit here on the sofa, in the dry and the warm, with a coffee in my hand and hear about the suffering of Syrian refugees, the struggles of many in Afghanistan, the poverty in North Korea...as well as stories of hunger and hopelessness from within the UK - and not feel the need to respond. But so often the scale of the need seems so great - what difference can I make?
On Tuesday I had the privilege of hearing more about the work of BMS World Mission. BMS look to work amongst the neediest communities on the planet bringing emergency aid in a crisis; helping communities through agriculture, education and health care; providing training and employment for those escaping the sex trade; engaging in justice ministries for the dispossessed; church planting and sharing the love of Jesus in many other different and creative ways.
When I hear about the work BMS is involved in it never ceases to inspire me, and it is great to be able to support them and therefore be part of what they do. God has not yet called me to go and be personally involved in medical work in Chad, or community and church work in Peru, or legal work in Uganda - but he has called his people to go and make disciples to the ends of the earth, and to show love and care and compassion where they encounter need and despair and hopelessness. None of us can be everywhere and do everything, we can't physically respond to every need, but together, in partnership with organisations like BMS World Mission we can be a part of helping those in need in places like Syria. That's why I support BMS World Mission.
Why BMS? from BMS World Mission on Vimeo.
Friday, 21 March 2014
Thursday, 20 March 2014
True Worship
Do you ever have those moments where people look at you in such a way that you're left thinking, 'what have I just said?' or 'what have I done?'
I was recently talking to someone about what 'things' had to happen on a Sunday morning to make church church - as opposed to it being a club. We were talking about 'worship' and to clarify that what we were actually talking about was the bit on a Sunday morning when we sing songs I was talking about 'sung worship'. Unfortunately what this person heard me saying was 'sun worship'. Anyway - it was a misunderstanding that was quickly cleared up without me losing my job.
Last time we started thinking about the story in John 4 where Jesus meets a Samaritan woman by a well and asks her for a drink - to see that post click here. We've also seen from chapter 2 that Jesus has already started talking about himself as replacing the temple - the place where we encounter God on earth - find that post here.
And now in his conversation with this Samaritan woman he tells her that the time has come when people will no longer have to go to this special holy place to worship God or to that special holy place - but instead true worshippers will worship God in Spirit and in truth (4:23-24).
What does that mean? Does it mean that spontaneous singing with eyes closed and hands in the air is what God wants as opposed to singing 300 year old hymns from a dusty old book with a wheezy organ as accompaniment? No - I don't think it does.
First we need to get away from this idea that worship is about singing. Worship is much wider than that. Worship is everything we do in response to what God has already done for us - and if we are looking to obey God all the time, then it follows that everything we do is worship. Coming to church and singing songs is a part of our worship - but it is only a part. We should be worshipping God in everything we do - because everything we do is done in obedience to God.
So true worship is about a Monday morning and Friday evening life that is consistent with what we sing and say in church on a Sunday.
But true worship is only possible with the Holy Spirit - Jesus will identify the picture of living water with the Holy Spirit in a few chapters' time. Jesus started talking with Nicodemus about the Spirit in chapter 3, about being born again - through believing that Jesus is who he claims to be. When we believe this, God gives us His Spirit to help us live out this genuine and authentic life as a disciple of Jesus.
I was recently talking to someone about what 'things' had to happen on a Sunday morning to make church church - as opposed to it being a club. We were talking about 'worship' and to clarify that what we were actually talking about was the bit on a Sunday morning when we sing songs I was talking about 'sung worship'. Unfortunately what this person heard me saying was 'sun worship'. Anyway - it was a misunderstanding that was quickly cleared up without me losing my job.
Last time we started thinking about the story in John 4 where Jesus meets a Samaritan woman by a well and asks her for a drink - to see that post click here. We've also seen from chapter 2 that Jesus has already started talking about himself as replacing the temple - the place where we encounter God on earth - find that post here.
And now in his conversation with this Samaritan woman he tells her that the time has come when people will no longer have to go to this special holy place to worship God or to that special holy place - but instead true worshippers will worship God in Spirit and in truth (4:23-24).
What does that mean? Does it mean that spontaneous singing with eyes closed and hands in the air is what God wants as opposed to singing 300 year old hymns from a dusty old book with a wheezy organ as accompaniment? No - I don't think it does.
First we need to get away from this idea that worship is about singing. Worship is much wider than that. Worship is everything we do in response to what God has already done for us - and if we are looking to obey God all the time, then it follows that everything we do is worship. Coming to church and singing songs is a part of our worship - but it is only a part. We should be worshipping God in everything we do - because everything we do is done in obedience to God.
So true worship is about a Monday morning and Friday evening life that is consistent with what we sing and say in church on a Sunday.
But true worship is only possible with the Holy Spirit - Jesus will identify the picture of living water with the Holy Spirit in a few chapters' time. Jesus started talking with Nicodemus about the Spirit in chapter 3, about being born again - through believing that Jesus is who he claims to be. When we believe this, God gives us His Spirit to help us live out this genuine and authentic life as a disciple of Jesus.
Monday, 17 March 2014
Time for a drink
Friendly rivalry and competition is a key part of sport.
Unfortunately sometimes the friendly rivalry starts to represent something that looks more like hatred.
The rivalry between the Jews and the Samaritans in the time of Jesus was much more outright hatred than anything friendly. Even though they shared part of their history and could be thought of as distant relatives these were two sets of relatives that would not be sitting down to share Christmas dinner together.
And so when Jesus decides to take the direct route from Jerusalem to Galilee - which is through Samaritan territory, he was doing so at a time when most religious Jews would have taken the longer route to the east that avoided Samaria. Contact with a Samaritan would impact your ritual purity. When you add to this that a Jewish man would not be seen talking in public with a woman - you start to get some idea of the shock that the story in John 4 would have created. Not only is Jesus talking with a Samaritan - this Samaritan is a woman - and this woman has a reputation. This was simply a conversation that should never have taken place, yet it does.
Jesus, by his actions, is continuing to dismantle the barriers that society has put in place - and to demonstrate that God's invitation to a new life is open to all. In chapter 3 it was a powerful, influential, (male) Jewish teacher. Now it is someone from the other end of the social spectrum.
Who are the people that we need to strike up a conversation with and what are the barriers that we need to be looking to break down this week?
Unfortunately sometimes the friendly rivalry starts to represent something that looks more like hatred.
The rivalry between the Jews and the Samaritans in the time of Jesus was much more outright hatred than anything friendly. Even though they shared part of their history and could be thought of as distant relatives these were two sets of relatives that would not be sitting down to share Christmas dinner together.
And so when Jesus decides to take the direct route from Jerusalem to Galilee - which is through Samaritan territory, he was doing so at a time when most religious Jews would have taken the longer route to the east that avoided Samaria. Contact with a Samaritan would impact your ritual purity. When you add to this that a Jewish man would not be seen talking in public with a woman - you start to get some idea of the shock that the story in John 4 would have created. Not only is Jesus talking with a Samaritan - this Samaritan is a woman - and this woman has a reputation. This was simply a conversation that should never have taken place, yet it does.
Jesus, by his actions, is continuing to dismantle the barriers that society has put in place - and to demonstrate that God's invitation to a new life is open to all. In chapter 3 it was a powerful, influential, (male) Jewish teacher. Now it is someone from the other end of the social spectrum.
Who are the people that we need to strike up a conversation with and what are the barriers that we need to be looking to break down this week?
Tuesday, 11 March 2014
The power of words
This is great. Enjoy.
Which is your favourite? Which do you need to say more often?
Feel free to comment below...
Which is your favourite? Which do you need to say more often?
Feel free to comment below...
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