Colin: Called to High Places

“The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet and makes me walk on my high places” (Habakkuk 3:19).

This verse appeals to the fell walker in me! I love to walk in high places; the thrill of climbing a mountain, overcoming fatigue, dealing with extreme weather, finding a way and gaining a new perspective on the world. My good friend, Paul Wratten, and my brother Mark, share this passion and we’ve long dreamed of walking in the Himalayas together. Last month that dream became reality as we got to walk in the midst of the highest places on earth. We have many stories from our time in Nepal, many lessons learned and wondrous sights seen.

One lesson the Spirit taught me was that our Father gives us dreams, not to frustrate us, but to inspire us. We don’t need to make them happen, He wants those dreams fulfilled and we can trust Him to open a way for us to walk in the things He’s called us to. In pursuing our dreams, there are two extremes we do well to avoid. The first is to think that it all depends on us, that our choices will get us there and so we need to make it happen. The second is to believe that God will make it happen regardless of our choices.

At one stage, we were stuck in Kathmandu, frustrated by the weather closing down Lukla airport (a crazy little strip of tarmac on a mountainside!). We’d wasted a day trying to fly out and the second day wasn’t looking promising. I went to bed anxious that our dream would be frustrated. The next morning our guide told us that if we didn’t fly out that day, we should change our plans and head to a different region. Our flight wasn’t till the afternoon and it was normal for afternoon flights to be cancelled… my dream was disappearing. Then we met a man who offered us a helicopter flight for just £200 more each. One of my companions was up for paying the extra, and the other said they couldn’t afford it. As leader of the trip, I was given responsibility for making the decision. In that moment, I had clarity that I wasn’t to make the dream happen but to trust God. So I let go of my dream and said “no” to the helicopter flight. It didn’t feel good; I might not get another chance, but within two minutes there was a commotion at the check-in desk, we were suddenly booked on an earlier plane and flying within an hour. Lesson learned and the dream was back on!

This is one of the first lessons God taught humanity. He gave Abraham a dream that he would lead a new tribe unlike any other on earth, a tribe that would be a light to the world, that would exist to bless every other tribe. God told him to leave his homeland and showed him the land He would give to this tribe, a land of abundant blessing. He told Abraham to walk the length and breadth of it and know it would be his. Abraham was obedient and also worked to build an inheritance for his descendants. There was just one problem: he had no children and his wife was past child-bearing age. Abraham & Sarah did what many of us are tempted to, they tried to make God’s promise come true through their own efforts. Sarah gave Abraham her maid, Hagar, and she had a son called Ishmael. However, this caused family tension and the world has been living with the consequences ever since.

God has given River a dream that we are to be a resource church, a blessing to other churches and nations. We are called to walk into that destiny, to embrace it, but not to make it happen at any cost. So we celebrate the success of Ignite (that had a source in River) attracting over 300 students nationwide and we thank God for local churches linking with us, but we do not seek to promote ourselves or to build a name for ourselves. Rather we look to God to open a way for River to walk in all that He’s promised, and simply seek to enjoy serving churches and communities in whatever way we can.

What dreams has our Heavenly Father given you? What high places are you called to? Be still and know that He is God, embrace the dream, prepare for it, but know that He will open the way for those dreams to become reality.

Colin: Receiving Our Inheritance

Firstly, some network news. Thanks to The Journey and Vicky’s leadership, the Methodist Church in Virginia Water has asked us to partner with them. 

Bearing in mind Pioneer’s national partnership with the Methodists and our call to support it, this is a significant event! I visited them one Sunday and met their small congregation. Interestingly, my personal meditation on scripture that day was the same as theirs used in the service. It was the parable of the mustard seed and I felt the Spirit say not to look down on the smallness of that church but to expect it to grow and bless its community. It’s so important to know God is with us in every aspect of our lives, so please be watchful for these kinds of signs. More recently a few of us prayer-walked the area around the church with their leaders. It’s early days but we are seeking wisdom from the Lord to know how we might help them. If you are interested in helping us strengthen them, please contact me.

The Pastures Church in High Wycombe has joined Pioneer and is linking through River. The person who leads this church of about 80-100 folk is a chap called Trevor Lewis, a man of great faith and vision. They run an excellent range of children’s and youth clubs every Friday afternoon/evening and are looking to make their church the heart of their community. They are also currently looking to redevelop their site and build a café and conference facility that could seat up to 300 people. Trevor is keen to work closely with us and will be attending some of our Open Team meetings on Tuesday mornings at the Windsor Hall. Come along if you’d like to meet him.

Ignite starts this week and this year we are running two courses: a day time one 9am-5pm Mondays and an evening one 7-10pm Wednesdays. The aim is to help the students grow in their faith to bring heaven’s blessings to earth and so help them lead in their workplaces and communities. I’m so Receiving Our Inheritance pleased that this year we have been able to make the fantastic teaching and discipleship culture of Ignite available to those who have full time careers. We already have a good number signed up to both courses, including three from St Peters in Maidenhead making them the first church to partner with us locally in this exciting venture! The Spirit is clearly encouraging this work and it is growing; last year we were one of three centres across Pioneer running Ignite, this year there will be seven! Please pray for the teachers and students as I feel this is one of the ways the Lord is preparing His church for a revival in our land.

These are some of the firstfruits of River stepping into our calling and inheritance to be a network to serve churches in our region and to bless our nation. It’s not about building an empire but responding in obedience to what we believe the Lord has spoken to us.

This summer I have been inspired to dream bigger dreams because of the great inheritance we have in Christ. Reading Augustus (a novel by John Williams about the first Roman Emperor), I understood what adoption meant in the Apostle Paul’s day. To us, adoption is about belonging to a family, but to the Romans it was about inheritance. This was clear to all because the emperors of Rome were adopted into their roles! Tiberius was Augustus’ stepson and hence a part of his family for many years before he was adopted as his heir signifying he was to be the next emperor. The title, wealth and favour of the emperor went to his adopted son.

Most of us don’t really believe our lives are significant, and consequently we don’t dream big enough dreams. Knowing we are His adopted sons (Romans 8:15-17), receiving His name, His wealth and His favour changes what we expect and, therefore, the way we live.

Maybe we can change the world!

Andy: Interdependence Day

In our Western culture the goal of maturity has often been seen as being an independent person – standing on our own two feet, not needing input or support from anyone else, strong, making up our own mind. Sound familiar? So many of us have been brought up to believe that this is the way to be if we are to be successful and respected.

Then some of us get married and we discover that independence is suddenly not the only value. We promise – covenant – to give all that we are to the other person. So, at home we realise that we rely on one another. In successful marriages it isn’t a case of one way dependence on the part of one party to the other, but interdependence, recognising our separate strengths and weaknesses. In marriages that last, and last well, each partner recognises that they truly need the other.

But still there is that value of independence in society. It has often been the aspect that has been rewarded at work. Perhaps it is a more ‘male’ value – and that helps to explain the power structures that have often existed - still exist – in the workplace. In another sphere it is reflected in our model of adversarial politics, where it seems impossible for one party to acknowledge anything good in the policies and practice of another.

And yet… I believe there is something in the heart of men and women that longs for something else. Longs for a greater sense of community and sharing and less unhelpful competition with each other. And of course we shouldn’t be surprised by this!

Gen 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” God, who is in Himself community - Father, Son and Holy Spirit – says that humanity is made in that same image. As surely as we have His DNA permeating our very being, we are made for community. Jesus made His oneness with the Father (John 10) and dependence upon the Father (John 5) clear. He told us that the Spirit would come to teach us – and would glorify Him (John 16). He prayed that we would be caught up and included in on the relationship that He enjoyed within the Godhead (John 17). What a picture of mutual honour, respect and love! This is the image of God in us.

But of course, interdependence doesn’t just happen. It needs decisions and actions. Some of you will have heard me quote a saying in the Kikuyu language of Kenya – “Ndugu ni makinya’ – three words which literally mean “Friendship is steps”. Wrapped up in three simple words is a wealth of meaning. We cannot say that we are friends with people unless we actually take the time, effort and sacrifice of taking steps toward them – figurative, and at times literal, steps. Here is a whole theology of incarnation and mission, but let’s save that for another time! For now, let’s simply recognise the need for us to take steps to build friendship and interdependence. Those of us who have been married for more than a year (or shorter!) will know that this is true!

So finally, what does that mean for us here, now, in River Church, as several congregations united under a single apostolic vision? Will we rise up to the challenge of real interdependence, with servant hearts looking to see the best in each other, and make the best happen with our ‘steps’? What will that look like now? And what will that look like as we go on into the future, with new churches planted, added and adopted?

Colin: Welcome to RiverFest:14

I write this sitting in my office on a chilly but bright June morning. As you read it, many of you will be settling into your rooms, filled with excited anticipation for RiverFest:14!

I am praying we will all experience two things that are inextricably linked: the first is a fresh revelation of the Father’s love and the second is the joy of sharing life with friends old and new. If you’re reading this at home, you can experience these two things too by making some space in your life today. Set some time aside to be with the Father, to read the Bible or to walk and talk with Him in the garden like Adam did. As we meditate on His goodness and love towards us, thankfulness and joy fill our hearts. Make time for someone else too; take them a gift or invite them for a coffee, a meal or a walk. Loving someone in this way also brings joy.

How apt, then, that my reading this morning was 1 John 4, a favourite passage that speaks of us completing or perfecting the Father’s love by loving one another. He is wonderful! Doesn’t it make your heart glad when He leads you to the part of the Bible that’s just what you need for the day?

I was thinking about our theme for this RiverFest weekend: Face to Face. What does that really mean? How can we see God face to face when the Bible says that no-one can see God (1 Timothy 6:16)? We know that Moses talked face to face with God as a man talks to his friend, and his face shone as a result. Can we do that? Well yes, the Bible says we have a more dazzling encounter by the Holy Spirit. For Moses didn’t see God’s full glory (that’s why, after talking, he pleads with God to show him His glory); that honour has been reserved for us in Christ.

In two places, the apostle John tells us that although we cannot see God, His glory is revealed to us. The first is John 1:18 where it says that Jesus has ‘declared Him’ or made Him known. The second is 1 John 4:12 where he tells us that, though we cannot see Him, if we love one another, God lives in us, or among us, and we complete His love, making Him plain for all to see. So we see the glory of the invisible God through Jesus and in our midst, as we love one another. Wow!

At this point it’s good to remember that love is not a feeling, it’s a choice. Jesus said that we show the greatest love when we choose to lay down our lives for others. In other words, we love another when we choose to put their needs ahead of our own. As parents, we do that instinctively for our children, especially when they are helpless babes. If we are serious about loving everyone we meet, the challenge for us is to continually be putting the needs of others before our own. That sounds impossible, but the more we know the Father, the easier this becomes because we know He’s looking after us. As our confidence in His love grows, our fears for our own needs diminish because we know He cares for us. We are worth more to Him than the birds of the air or the beautiful flowers of the field. And when we stop worrying about our own needs, we are freed to think of the needs of others. This is the life of love we are called to.=

David says, “They looked to Him and were radiant!” (Psalm 34:5). Let’s remember Him, who lavishes us with love, and let us love one another. That’ll fill us with joy and make our faces shine. You might say we come face to face with God!

Colin: Living by Faith

Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who booked into RiverFest. When we started to plan this event my faith goal was for 320 people. I’m delighted to say that a little more than 320 of us are going away together for a wonder-filled weekend in July.

The God who loves to bless continues to pour out His blessing abundantly. I am already blessed in the planning. All those who go will be blessed through our love for one another and the powerful ministries of Dary Northrop and Carl Wills. The whole of River will be blessed as our churches are filled with the fresh inspiration and energy the weekend releases. And our communities will be blessed because we’ll love them more deeply and bring more of heaven to earth. Please pray for the final preparations and that the weekend will be filled with wonder as we all come face to face with the God who loves us.

The Holy Spirit keeps me meditating on Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him”. I feel His encouragement to step out in faith and to adventure with Him. Not to settle for past victories or to live safely within the bounds of previous experience. He is challenging me to fresh faith and I believe He is encouraging us all to grow in faith. It doesn’t matter how much faith we have, but is it exercised? Like Peter stepping out onto the water, are we stepping out into the unknown, trusting He has spoken?

When I first came to trust in Jesus, to pray aloud required fresh faith, to hold my hands up in worship felt uncomfortable, to tithe my income challenged me, to tell someone how wonderful Jesus is was awkward and to speak in tongues seemed an impossible dream. Later, saying yes to lead a small group required new levels of faith and trust in the Lord. But Living by Faith: Colin Barnes with each new step of faith, Father kept meeting me and encouraging me and the Spirit kept drawing me on. Now for me to pray spontaneously in tongues and to twirl about in worship is natural. Now I walk in the realm of faith required to lead the whole of River. My point is that each new step of faith is scary. It requires us to step over fear and into the uncertain, to trust we won’t sink and that His unseen hand will hold us up.

Another aspect of faith is that it requires us to do things that only make sense if there is a God who loves us and is asking us to do them. If we only do what good sense dictates or take the routes others expect, that is simply wisdom. Wisdom is good, but it is not faith. Sometimes, living by faith means doing something that wise people might think strange or foolish. On the other hand, some people think that faith normally requires us to act strangely, but always choosing the less wise option is not faith, it is foolishness! The question for each one of us is: What will I do today, whether wise or foolish, that I am only doing because I believe He has spoken? That is living by faith!

As a leadership we believe God has called us to become an apostolic resource centre. That’s why we’ve restructured ourselves around becoming a regional network and set a budget £20k greater than last year’s. The good news is that God is already meeting us in this step of faith and I have been weeping in gratitude at your generosity and His faithfulness. Firstly, The Pastures, a church in Wycombe, is seeking to join Pioneer linked through River. Secondly, we’ve had some incredibly generous gifts recently, giving us confidence we will meet this year’s budget and can look to employ a youth leader! 

He is faithful and will be glorified in us as we step out. So let’s continue to take steps of faith based upon His goodness and His upward call in Christ Jesus!

Jan: Don't Lose Heart!

<

Sometimes it is too easy to lose heart. When we look at the news from around the world, the violence, hatred, manipulation of nations, it is hard to keep hope alive that this world will become heaven on earth. There is still a way to go!

It is easy to lose heart when the things we have worked for and poured our hearts into are seemingly coming to nothing, when relationships break down, and health problems persist. Our hearts can even sink when our broadband is not as wide as we would like it or our waistband is wider than we’d like it!

Lately I have been thinking about 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For this momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Losing heart is not a good thing! It is such a dulling sensation of hopelessness. It has such wide ranging effects on those around us and robs us not only of the joy of who we are as beloved children of God, but also diverts us from the productivity of an abundant life. Losing heart tends us  towards dryness and barrenness with little overflow to bless the world.

It would be helpful to find the keys to “not losing heart”! Looking at the verse above there seems to be a clue. “Look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” Discouragements and disappointments, though very real, are not the whole picture. There is an “eternal weight of glory” being given to us!

Now choosing to look at the good things which are seen can be very encouraging and life-giving. We can receive a lot of inspiration from walking in nature (the seaside is good for me), watching children play, eating good food and watching You Tube clips of puppies! Hearing what the Lord is doing around the world lifts my heart: the news of our missionaries both home and away, the stories of sacrificial love and laughter that is present even in the darkest of situations. These restore my hope in goodness.

So how do we look at the things which are unseen? We shift our focus. I love the verse about prayer in Matt 6:6: “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” God is unseen to us and yet we are not unseen to Him! So a key is to look at our Father who understands and desires to reward.  

What is another key? We “fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:2-3 )

And to complete the trinity… we fill our hearts and minds with the Holy Spirit. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

There is a lot more going on in this world than we can see. As we live from the unseen, looking at God as Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, then we will not lose heart for our world but be filled with hope, and keep on loving the ones we do see. 

afterTHOUGHT (May '14)

Missionary position by Andy Oxley.  

Somehow, eons past, I managed to get through the 11 plus exam and found myself ensconced at Dr Challoners Grammar School in Amersham. In those days the masters wore academic gowns during lessons, and the headmaster a mortar board at assembly. It was somewhat of a culture shock for me, having been brought up in relative poverty and at that time living in a council-provided wartime pre-fab bungalow. Although that bungalow was amazingly well designed, I still remember ice forming on the insides of the windows in winter. It did have an early form of central heating though, which consisted of an open fire in the centre of the building. We soon upgraded to a pungent paraffin stove lit in the hallway during the night. Utter luxury. 

I well remember my first English lesson at that school. All of us, a sorry bunch of credulous urchins, were anxiously considering our fate at this renowned pillar of British education. The master did not disappoint. I sadly can't remember his name, but he flowed into the room with a long black cape billowing behind and stood directly at the front of the now silent class. We were faced by a being so ancient he had no right to live, with long lank and dirty white hair flowing down to his shoulders. There was a fascinating, slight brown, tinge beneath his dangly nostril hairs reminiscent of years of snuff sniffing. His encrusted brown teeth had, as yet, been untouched by recent fluoridisation. The final touch was a grubby Vicar's dog collar circling his scrawny neck. This man was religious! I had never met anyone properly religious before and although this man seemed to be a flawed version, he was still interesting if singularly unnerving. 

The weeks went by, accompanied by smacks with his ruler and his adept method of pulling a small boy to his feet by his sideburns. We listened in awe as he regaled the class with his life experiences. It turned out this man had been a missionary! A Christian missionary, no less, and had done his missionising(?) in Africa. My only knowledge of that mighty continent had been gained watching Tarzan movies. At that time, the furthest part of our planet I had travelled to was Felixstowe.

One missionary story remains in my memory above others; it was, the master said, a near-death experience. He had travelled with a few others deep into the jungle to evangelise a tribe known to be head-hunters, finally arriving to a warm welcome as the tribe was obviously having a family feast and was in the process of heating up a large cauldron. Now even I knew what head-hunters did with large cauldrons. Thankfully so did the missionaries who spent the next few hours sitting with their backs to a large wall and preventing anyone creeping behind them. It seem that these natives would only cook you if you had been prepared in the correct manner, which entailed a blow to the back of the head. An early form of food safety regulations, no doubt.

(I wondered at that time, being reluctant to think evil of the head-hunters, if they had misunderstood the word evangelisation. It’s a long word after all, and so similar to evisceration, that it may just be they had the wrong idea about the missionaries’ intentions. Hence their response in heating up that black pot. Just a thought…)

This early missionary experience inspired me. I had not been raised in a Christian home and therefore had no idea about such things, but I was sympathetic to the faith. I remember considering the sacrifice and dedication needed to become a missionary, the devotion and faith which would be sorely tested in ways I could not imagine. When, a few years later, I became a believer myself, I was so thankful that I did not receive the call. I probably did not listen out for it much, to be fair, but I do so love England.

Colin: Losing Our Religion?

I recently attended a lecture at my old university, Brunel, on the future of secularism and religion. The speaker was A.C. Grayling, a notorious atheist who has written a humanist bible he calls ‘The Good Book’, drawing upon the wisdom of atheists throughout history to show that men are capable of good thinking without the need for a supernatural being.

He maintains that people can do good things without a God watching over them, telling them what to do and standing over them to ensure they obey. He confidently predicted the continuing rise of secularism and atheism and the decline of religion. He’s quite dismissive of faith and people of faith, and that could unsettle us or make us angry. He even had a go at the so-called Golden Rule: Do to others as you’d have them do to you, saying that’s the last thing we should do since others probably don’t want what we want, and that we should treat people as individuals, approaching everyone differently. He says that one of the reasons atheists have become more vocal in recent years is because of 9/11 and the other acts of terrorism committed in the name of God. In short he sees religion as a negative thing that binds people up and he wants to set them free! 

I actually agree with some of what he says. People without faith are capable of good thinking, and performing acts of kindness and goodness. Men have committed terrible acts in the name of God, and religion can be used to oppress people. I also think that his understanding of faith is shallow and that he has a caricatured, or twisted, view of God, His word and His people. He doesn’t understand that our faith is all about love, and that is why his confident predictions will prove to be false. 

One area of misunderstanding is in conflating religion and faith (making them the same thing). Religion can be used in a positive and negative sense, so the Greeks had at least two words for it for that reason. There’s the outward observance of rules made by men and the inward respect for a higher authority that impacts the way we behave. It’s worth noting that religion is only mentioned 5 times in the New Testament and mostly in a negative sense. In River we have always acknowledged this and that is one of the reasons we are part of Pioneer, which exists to promote non-religious Christianity. We’re not interested in the outward forms of religion but want hearts to come alive with a joyful, peaceful and powerful faith in the God who is love. That is why when people, like Grayling, tell me they hate religion, I agree with them. This often confuses people, as they don’t expect a church leader to say that! And it opens a door to real discussion that would otherwise be closed. 

The arguments against religion are powerful and the word is still used more often in a negative sense, so we choose to distance ourselves from it. But Pioneer also champions the cause of women, standing for their equality with men. Not making men and women the same, but recognising that women have been oppressed even until recent times. We firmly believe there is no role that a woman should be prohibited from fulfilling. The important thing is, has she been called to it? Because when God calls, He empowers. Other core values of Pioneer churches are the importance of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts, and every member in ministry – each one of us uniquely called and empowered by Jesus to help build church that reflects His glory, to fulfil the great commission of making this world the love-filled planet it was created to be. 

Being part of this national network means we partner with people we love and respect in bringing life, not religion, to our nation!  

afterTHOUGHT (Mar '14)

Taking the tablet by Andy Oxley.  

I was excited last week … Jane had ordered something and arriving with it was a 'free' 7" tablet. I used to have one of my own but broke the glass and chucked it out, and ever since then I had been in mourning. I liked playing Scrabble and Angry Birds on it just like Jane does, ad infinitum, on her own unbroken one. I have spent hours sitting jealously watching her enjoy herself, but now, a new one was coming and I could once again try to form words with more than two letters.

The thing is, I can afford to buy a new tablet, but I am too tight. It comes from living an early life of abject poverty, where living in a gutter would have been a step up. So to get anything free or cheap is where my heart truly lies.

On the auspicious day of its arrival, I decided to open the box really slowly. To savour every moment of the un-boxing experience. Everything looked good, nicely packaged, a lovely shaped mains plug and charger (only a man would say that) and the tablet itself looked very much the same as my broken one. Except it was not broken. I was pleased as punch. A new tablet is one thing, but a free one, that is sublime. 

My little mind (only a man has one) began to gloat. I had a tablet... so what, so do many other people. But mine is free, gratis, cost zilch. Hey, that makes me better than you in a subtle but significant way. When I operate my touch screen, it hasn't cost me a penny, not many an Apple user can say that. 

Of course, material things are always ultimately disappointing. Even I know that; I should do, considering the number of cheap gadgets I have had. The fact is that this cheap tablet is precisely that: cheap. The word nasty also comes to mind. Far from being an object of desire it turned out to be a poor copy, a miserable clone, a fake, a counterfeit

Oh yes, it did work. It did everything it is supposed to - that's not the problem. The problem is how it did it. The screen is dull, fuzzy and unresponsive. The buttons don't feel right, and the whole thing is a bit heavy. Worse of all, its brain is slow. Ok, so it manages to keep up with my brain ok. But I prefer to have technology that makes me appear smarter. Appearances can be important - they are so effective at hiding the truth. 

I should have learned long ago not to expect much of cheap stuff. Surely I could have guessed this abomination which goes under the name of 7" Tablet, was going to be naff. Perhaps somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind I knew it would disappoint. The trouble is, my naively enthusiastic search for something for nothing always rules. 

Some of you (at least one of you reads these articles, and I know your name) are probably thinking that I am using the above in a metaphorical way, to illustrate a truth about faith. Well, as it happens that has just crossed my mind. Originally I was just having a moan, but what the heck, let’s be metaphorical, especially as I need to string it out to meet the word count.

If you think I am going to say that our faith is the one free thing that is of true value and does not disappoint, I'm not. There is some truth in that, but no. My point is that you only get what you pay for, and if you think about it, our faith has been at a great cost. The cost to Jesus is plain, but this faith also involves a great cost to us as individuals. Think about it, it's worth it

Vicky: What would Jesus do?

May 2014 be full of hope, joy and peace! 

In the ’90s if you were around the Christian world you may remember there was a craze that started: wristbands with the letters WWJD. What Would Jesus Do? It was big and in the end it became a cheesy sentiment. And yet it is so profound. 

After Jesus’ death and resurrection He hung out with His friends before ascending to heaven. His final words are important to us today. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus said “All authority has been given to me on heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 

So what is key in these verses?

1. Jesus, as a human, through the cross, took back the authority to steward the earth well, to be all that it was be, that we as humanity had given to the devil in the Garden of Eden. 
2. We are asked to be proactive, to Go! In the original Greek this means, “As you go”. Therefore as you are going about your day-to-day life, you should… 
3. make disciples. A disciple is a learner, a follower. Jesus is looking for learners and followers of Him. Where Jesus was at that time, the concept of disciple was part of the culture. Someone would learn from their teacher and put it into practice. 
4. We make these disciples in every people-group on earth. 
5. We baptise them into a Trinitarian God. 
6. We teach them to observe ALL that Jesus taught. 
7. Jesus is with us! 

When we consider this commission, WWJD is very relevant! But it’s not just what would Jesus do – it’s what would Jesus think, what were His ways? My biggest prayer is, “Lord, show me Your ways.” In Psalm 103:7 it says about God “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.” 

Moses had a close friendship with God. He took the time to build this closeness and didn’t observe God’s miracles from afar as the Israelites did. We all know many things about the Queen, but most of us do not know her personally. Therefore we don’t know what she thinks, what her motivations are, how she handles people. We don’t know the Queen’s ways! It is the same with God. We can be a follower of Jesus, and - just like the Israelites - know His acts but not His ways. 

Our God, who is love, wants us to know Him intimately. That is why Jesus came. Jesus not only went to the cross and enabled us to have a close personal relationship with God, but He became human, so we could relate to God. In the gospels we have stories of Jesus that are so precious in enabling us to know the ways of God, and lead us into greater friendship with Him, showing us how to live on earth. 

As Christians we may unintentionally add stuff to what it means to follow Jesus and be His disciple. I encourage us all in 2014 to determine to know Jesus and His ways. That in every interaction, every circumstance, every place, we ask ourselves the question – WWJD and WWJT (What Would Jesus Think?) and WWJF (What Would Jesus Feel?) until our friendship with Jesus and our intimate knowledge of Him becomes such that we don’t need to ask the question, we just know in our core how He would feel, what He would think and what He would do. And as lovers, friends and followers of Him we will say, “Ok Jesus, I’ll do that for you!”

afterTHOUGHT (Jan '14)

2014 by Andy Oxley.  

Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised but there seems to be more and more anti-Christian feeling around these days.

I often hear disparaging remarks, even on some of my favourite TV programmes, about the Bible or faith in general. These usually take the form of derision about recorded miracles or Biblical stories. Of course some well-known scientific figures have set themselves above any form of faith, espousing atheism as something desirable. 

Some may say the wider Church has only itself to blame, having been a poor witness. There are never ending scandals involving priests and child abuse, ministers proving corrupt in various ways and so on. Whilst this is true, the immense impact for good of Christianity in the world is usually ignored. A huge majority of the faithful go largely un-noticed.

None of this is new of course. The Romans tried to hush up the resurrection immediately after it happened, with little real success. Unscrupulous people have been attaching themselves to the Church ever since, with self motivations as varied as can be imagined. The Church has been persecuted with zeal and enthusiasm ever since. If you doubt that we are in a spiritual battle, perhaps you might think again?

I have been wondering what all the above has done to my faith; that's the thinking behind this article (see, there is some). I'm sure I'm not alone that over the years my faith has taken a big battering. I listen to all the gainsayers - and how can one help it as they are SO vocal? I cringe when various scandals involving Christians are revealed. I stoop under the battering of personal life events. The list of negatives is long.

I still believe though! I believe in the authenticity of the Bible, I not only believe in God, but in Jesus as His son and I believe in all the Biblical miracles and all the Biblical stories. I believe God created the whole THANG (thang is what young people say, innit?) Yes, I believe the whole shebang, and I don't care what anyone thinks about that, either. I have considered the negatives and the alternatives (hard not to, when they are rammed down one’s throat) but I still believe. Possibly I’m a bit thick?

Perhaps us Christians should learn to apologise for our obvious stupidity in holding onto belief in stuff which is patently daft. I have started to practice an apologetic look in the mirror, it's a sort of sideways look with downward pointing eyes and a slight stoop. I'm getting quite good at it but it's not genuine - probably because I don't feel apologetic about my faith. I'm actually rather proud of it, and even more proud of the person on which it is grounded. I call Him my father. Sorry, I really am (not).

Maybe Christians should begin a defence of our beliefs and faith. We could gather long lists of historical evidence, scientific theory, miraculous events, biographies of Christians, etc, to 'prove' we are not so stupid after all. But you know, speaking for myself, I really can't be bothered. I've got this (obviously distorted) view that my faith does not need to be defended. It's more than capable of defending itself.

If anyone needs to duck under the barricades of their defences it's actually the folk who choose not to believe. If you consider the energy and tirelessness with which some of them pursue their unbelief, it does seem very like defensive behaviour, after all. Why bother defending yourself against something or someone who does not exist? Surely that's daft. 

As for me, I believe as above. All of it, too.