Just got off the phone with a minister in a small village in the north-west of England. He wanted to know what's coming up in future issues of Exploreâso he can take it into account in deciding his preaching series for next year.
Why? Because when he was an overseas missionary, he realised that the best way to encourage daily quiet times was for a church to do them together. By which he meant, fit the sermon series in with them. Encourage people to talk about them. Start eldership meetings with them. Get church workers to talk about what they found encouraging and challenging in them.
In other words: do quiet times, together.
I'd not thought of this before. It seems a great idea to me. Has anyone tried it in their church, or something similar? Can anyone think of drawbacks that I've not thought of? Why don't churches do it?
And if any church would like to know what's coming up in Explore, just let us know!
Just got back from a wonderful holiday with the family, which we have been planning for the last two years. It was a long road trip punctuated by several "mini-holidays" of a few days each - on a beach, in a city, by a lake.
We pondered how we might read the Bible together as a family, and came up with a cunning plan. Some older Christians I know are in the habit of reading a chapter of Proverbs every day - there are 31 chapters - one for each day of the month. So we took up this approach for our daily dose of God's Word.
We passed the Bible around the car (actually - the ESV on my iPhone) and looked at the chapter corresponding to the day of the month. Then each of us - me, my wife, my three daughters - chose the verse that particularly struck us. We encouraged each other to say why it was interesting, to illustrate it, and to apply it.
Result?
A refreshing change of approach to family Bible reading. Sometimes they chose a verse because the picture it painted was just funny:
"An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones." (12 v 4). (Prompting much hilarity and discussion about Mum and Dad's marriage - but also some insights for them about what to look for in a marriage partner).
Sometimes they chose a verse because it reflected a real situation they faced:
"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." (16 v 18). Much talk of teachers at school that they thought fitted this category.
One thing I did need to keep doing, was to bring us back to the source of true wisdom from 1v7 - "the fear of the Lord is the beginning (or source) of true wisdom." Sometimes it is easy to read the proverbs out of this, the central context of the book as a whole. It is not just worldly wisdom, but describes how we should live under the loving rule of a sovereign God.
Benefits?
Sometimes it was a bust - particularly, when one of us got distracted into inventing an increasingly preposterous story to illustrate the verse. But mostly it was enjoyable, and turned into a good conversation. And it marked a change. Before, our Bible times had mostly been about Mum or Dad teaching and explaining - or answering questions that were posed. Now we were loving the fact that our girls were cutting their teeth on preaching God's word to us - explaining, illustrating, applying - rolling the words of God around in our minds as the miles of tarmac rolled under us.
So youâre moving house. Off to college or uni. The time has come to join a new church family. Youâve been on the ânet and printed out a list of congregations and got some recommendations from trusted friends. But what next? Once youâre in a strange church building how do you discern whether it will be a good place to settle?
Here are eight quick questions to help:
Of course, thereâs no such thing as a perfect local church and it is unrealistic to expect that every congregation will do everything well. But if you answer most of the above with a âyesâ then the church is definitely one to visit again!
My church is small. In our under-18s work we have 6 children aged 1 to 14. One has special needs. And with our current resources we have no choice but to teach them together. Itâs not an uncommon scenario. Many churches do it. And if youâre in one of them youâll know how frustrating it is not to be able to teach in age-specific groups and how hard it is to help groups like this grow.
We tend to fall into some common traps:
But on our good days, we remember that there are better ways to teach multi-age groups. And here are 4 tips to help us:
We all want our churches to be places where people feel at home. But in the busy-ness of the average Sunday morning itâs all too easy to let newcomers wander in and out without any meaningful interaction taking place. So here are our top 5 tips to help you welcome visitors to your congregation:
Irrational bosses can be the bane of our lives: Their demands, unrealistic and their attitudes, abhorrent. Those of us who have to endure them all too often go home from work seething or depressed and, to our shame, end up indulging in a spot of revenge-fantasy. So itâs no surprise that the latest Hollywood offering, Horrible Bosses has found a certain resonance with many. Extreme it may be but thereâs something deeply appealing about its basic plot: wreaking revenge on those who make 9-6 an utter nightmare!
Now, before I go on, it would be wise to emphasise that my current bosses are absolutely wonderful! But many of us donât have that privilege. So how should Christians respond when we find ourselves working for horrible bosses?
According to 1 Peter 2:13-25, by respecting them!
Peter wasnât being a first century sadist. Rather he was someone who saw beyond the daily grind of the working week to the most important calling of any believer â the calling to be like Christ.
He reasons that suffering for doing wrong is getting what we deserve. Suffering at work when we donât deserve it â and enduring that suffering in ways that are mindful of Jesus, with no hint of retaliation â is something that both displays and develops godliness.
That is not to say that we should be doormats. We have more freedom than many 1st century servants and so if something in our workplace is seriously awry then it is right we use that freedom help solve those problems. But always in a framework of respect ⌠never out of a desire to see our boss âget what they deserveâ.
Respecting an unreasonable boss is not an easy path. There will certainly be days when we need the prayerful support and encouragement of wise friends ⌠But we are followers of a saviour who took the most difficult path. Becoming like him was never going to be easy!
Neither Christ alone as man nor the Father alone as God could be our substitute. Only God in Christ, God the Father's own and only Son made man, could take our place. âI donât want to be stuck in some library.ââHow is Greek going to help me?â âIsnât it a bit weird to turn my faith into an academic discipline?â
Most people in local churches acknowledge that getting to know God better is important. Some people actively take steps to deepen their understanding by attending home groups, conferences or reading books. Few, however, take the plunge and study theology. It has a bit of a bad press: boring, irrelevant and even a danger to our faith. But the reality is that studying theology, at a Bible-centred college, can be one of the most transforming and exciting experiences of our life!
1. Theology is relationship-deepening
Good theology never encourages us to know about God, it always inspires us to know God. The more we truly understand the living and active word of the Lord (Heb 4:12), the more we fall in love with the author and perfecter of life (Heb 12:2) and can spur one another on to good works (Heb 10:24)... learning from trusted teachers who think biblically and encourage us to do the same is a brilliant way to deepen our understanding and fuel our faith.
2. Theology is practical
Understanding Godâs nature and purposes are deeply practical pursuits because they effect how we think and act (Rom 12:2). And whatever our specific spiritual gifts â preaching, pastoral care or administration â studying theology can help develop them. Setting time aside to learn from people who have a proven track record at exercising their gifts humbly and faithfully inspires us to grow and serve passionately (1Cor 4:16).
3. Theology encourages wisdom
There are very few new heresies in the world â the old ones just keep popping up in new guises. Rigorously engaging with the past equips us to avoid being âtossed aboutâ in the present (Eph 4:14-16).
4. Theology is enjoyable
And doing all this with our brothers and sisters in Christ is just plain fun! We rejoice in what we learn (Ps 19:8) and meet lovely people who become valued partners in mission and prayerful companions in the good times and the bad...
So why not give it a go? Whether you opt for full-time, part-time or distance-learning, thereâs a course out there that might just change your life!
Recently I was given a âZero Intoleranceâ leaflet. Itâs a publication from the United Reformed Church â one that seeks to encourage congregations of all denominations to stamp out prejudice. Itâs a precursor to a poster campaign that may be hitting a church or a street near you in the not too distant future.
Its central thesis is that Jesus welcomed everyone but the church doesnât and that failure to love is a blot on our copybook, a reason why many have left local congregations and a reason why others donât join. Its call is to encourage churches to become âradically welcomingâ to the marginalised of society and to accept people of all backgrounds without issuing any call to change.
If nothing else, the campaign poses some interesting questions ...
â˘Do we need to repent of prejudice?
Quite possibly! I, for one, have been sinful since conception (Ps 51:5) and there is no part of my being that hasnât been tainted by sin. Unlike God, I donât always look at peopleâs hearts, I do sometimes look at outward appearances at least at first glance (1Sam 16:7) and that is something I do need to repent of. Maybe your church too...
â˘Does more need to be done to make our churches more welcoming?
Absolutely! There is much to commend the welcome of my church and I guess yours as well but weâre not perfect. James 2 makes it quite clear that churches down the ages have been guilty of the sin of partiality. We need to be passionate and intentional about doing all we can to change that.
â˘Is it our responsibility to accept people without calling them to change?
Not in a million years! The church isnât a place where people stay the same. We follow a saviour who loved those that others tossed aside but who also issued the call to lifestyle change (Jn 8:11). We are bearers of the Holy Spirit whose role it is to help us put off the âold selfâ and put on the new (Col 3). And that message must ring true to people of all backgrounds (including our own).
If you see a âZero Intoleranceâ poster later in 2011, why not think and pray about how you can start some conversations like this, using it as a spur to show love... and speak truth.
