tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74833669910667307122024-03-11T03:21:55.935+00:00Key QuestionsThe Key Questions and also headline teaching points used at the Countess Free Church, ElyKarl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.comBlogger435125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-74056519107338129362023-07-16T12:30:00.103+01:002023-07-16T12:30:00.134+01:00God Restores - Job 42<p>Through this term we have been looking at Job, reaching the point where he is 'undone' before the magnitude of God, finding himself on the floor in repentance. From this point God restores Job (verse 10 onwards).</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>God restores in style. Job receives back twice as much - he has new possessions, new success, new children, and double-sized livestock inventory. We can take this restoration as a 'picture' of God's "Kingdom", the heavenly place that is promised in Scripture where God restores things at the end of all time. This is the place where all has come good, where wrongs are reversed and put right, injustices are resolved. It is the place where <b>finally</b> all things line up with how God would have it be, all is perfect.</p><p>When we talk of 'heavenly Kingdom' we typically do it as that <i>future</i> time and place where God restores all. Yet in the story of Job that restoration starts in his own physical lifetime, in other words in the <b>now</b>. That is a useful reminder for us as we follow and serve Jesus: God's restoration is not just <i>all in the future</i> - no, with Jesus we <i>pull aspects</i> of that restoration into <i>the now</i>. That is in fact what Jesus does in His ministry - when He heals people, releases people and restores them. And that is what we do as followers of Jesus, as church. That is why our church vision is '<i>to see Kingdom Life across the city</i>' - it is to pull God's restoring - His Kingdom - in the here and now for people all across the city of Ely. All the mission activities we do as church, be it parent n toddler, working with people with learning disabilities, or supporting the Foodbank, or the Ely CAP Debt Centre and so on ... are all tied to this principle: seeing aspects of the Kingdom <b>now</b>.</p><p>As followers of Jesus all of us have a role to play. Job's "friends" serve as an example to us: in verses 8 & 9 God tells them to show that they are sorry for their wrong ways/ thinking, and go to Job who will pray for them (acting as a mediator). Similarly in our Kingdom ministry we as followers of Jesus have a <i>priestly role</i> - mediating healing and the forgiving presence of God for those who are not able (for whatever reason) to receive God's presence directly themselves. Note that the principle we subscribe to as a church is that <b>all</b> of us as followers of Jesus can do that! You don't need a special qualification or standing - the only test is 'have you asked Jesus into your life and are making a reasonable attempt at following Him?'. It is not our cleverness, our skill or our abilities ... it is Jesus <i>through us</i>. That is the basis for God accepting our prayer on behalf of others.</p><p>So as followers of Jesus we can operate on the simple principle of: demonstrate the Kingdom of God; point people to Jesus; teach them to follow Jesus so that they can do the same.</p><p>For this we do need some resources. Of course there is the need for <i>spiritual</i> resources, which comes from having your own walk with Jesus and being a living conduit for Him. But for <i>physical</i> resources it is actually alot less than we might think. When cut down to the most basic essentials, the most basic physical resource you need is really just a table - a place you and others can gather around! It doesn't need lots of money, specialised training or even people with theology degrees. It just needs us to be an open spiritual conduit with our availability, which can start simply with us and others gathered around a table.</p><p>A final point can be made about seeing Kingdom life in the here and now based on the closing sentences in the story of Job. In verses 14 & 15 it is Job's daughters who are named, not the sons. They are also granted an inheritance along with the sons. These facts are of course unusual against a strongly patriarchal culture and the norm in the older part of the Bible which concentrated on male lineage and inheritance. We can take Job's example for ourselves as another Kingdom principle: in <i>Kingdom restoration</i> we might need to start operating with <b>different norms</b> to that which society has been used to. As we see Kingdom Life (God restoring), we should not expect it all to restore to exactly how <i>it was before</i>, because God's standards are different and better than our. His standards transcend society's norms and improve them.</p><p>It means that as followers of Jesus we must be <i>continually open</i> to what we expect being changed and improved by God - for it is His Kingdom Life, not our norms. Our norms can be broken and fallen. So we seek God through Jesus, to bring <i>Kingdom Life His way</i> - all of us playing our part in God's great restoration project.<br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-32061333126328748842023-07-09T12:00:00.061+01:002023-07-09T12:00:00.138+01:00God's Final Word - Job 39 - 41<p>After all of Job's words and discussions with his friends, Job gets his wish! God addresses him directly. Curiously God barely addresses the content of Job's complaints. Instead God gives Job a kind of IMAX cinema experience giving a cosmic tour of creation - the equivalent of a helicopter ride over mountain ranges, looking out towards space, and then from that high level view down to the intricacies of nature.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Through this God questions Job directly: 'Where were you when I did this? Have you given the orders for this provision? Do you know about this?'. It might seem harsh, but it was actually what Job had asked for (e.g. back in chapter 23). Among God's questions he effectively asks 'Would you discredit my justice to justify yourself?'. Here God is saying something like: 'Job - you are doing the classic thing that humans do: you attack someone else to justify or big-up yourself'. Through it all God is saying: 'Look: I have not only created ... but I also continuously hold creation. My justice runs at the same time as providing spring rains, governing night & day, looking after animals in the wild as they have their young and (much much more!)'.</p><p>So with all that God asks: "Would you put yourself above me?". God, in one of His earliest big revelations to a person allowed that person to ask God his name. God replied with the Hebrew word 'YAHWEH' which simply means 'I am' or 'I am who I am' - God who is beyond understanding and who holds things. Our best response to this is: "God - you are God ... which means I am <i>not</i>!". Recognise God and who we are in relation to Him!</p><p>In our human bodies we have circa 3 trillion cells. Every minute cells renew (old ones die, new are formed) ... to the tune of 300 million or so, which means millions every second! Yet not one of us, even if we concentrated really hard, could increase that renewal rate by 10% !! The whole thing happens by God's grace - we have no option but to trust God for it continuing. Consider a baby just a few weeks old - the tiny fingers, its soft breathing and yet steady heartbeat. In that small bundle there are again trillions of cells. What can our response be to such things? Surely it is <i>to worship</i>, to say: "God - this is amazing: you are God, I am not!".</p><p>When we are faced with this wonder, maybe there is jut one appropriate reaction: to bow down, to collapse, even to a heap on the floor in worship ... to be completely undone before God. Some of us will have literally had that experience. Others will have had that 'undone' experience though not necessarily a heap on the floor. For any who have not had that experience my prayer is for <i>revelation</i> - that you get a sense of God, and are open to that sense, that leads you to submit with your own 'wow God' moment.</p><p>I would urge you not to resist. For in resisting you are trying to say: "<b>I</b> am god ... He is <i>not</i>!", which is the wrong way round.</p><p>Job in chapter 42 finally submits to all this, saying: "Okay God, you are way bigger - I sit here in the dust". He gives up on his own logical explanations and arguing. He trades all those for simply <i>being held</i> by God. That is the same exchange we make when we become followers of Jesus. We say 'my logic isn't enough ... it's over to you God - I'll let you in, I will be held by you'. We choose to submit to Him ... to let God be God, and recognise that we are <i>not</i>!<br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-83746677152421516532023-07-02T13:00:00.125+01:002023-07-02T13:00:00.147+01:00True Fasting - Job 29<p>Job looks back on better days in his life, before the current tragedy and hardship he is now in. He remembers God's intimate friendship and blessing. He recalls how he commanded respect in the town amongst young and old, with people speaking well of him. This was because of the way he treated people - all people regardless of their status. He would rescue the poor crying for help, the orphans left stranded, befriend the dying, and stand by the widow left to her own devices. He remembers putting on righteousness as his clothing, justice as his robe - in other words the way he lived his life exhibited these qualities that are often hard to find in everyday society. This was not just handouts - but acting 'like a father' in showing deep and genuine concern for people. He would even take up the case of strangers, and actively come against the wicked. All this commanded him great respect.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p>For us at Countess Free Church we know this language that Job uses of helping those in need - we find it in Isaiah 58 which describes 'True Fasting': to loose the chains of injustice, untie cords that keep people bound, and set the oppressed free. As a church we rehearsed these theological foundations ten years ago, spending the year looking at the justice and mercy of God as the foundations with initiatives such as the <a href="https://www.countessely.co.uk/help/ely-foodbank/" target="_blank">Foodbank</a>, <a href="https://www.countessely.co.uk/help/christians-against-poverty/" target="_blank">CAP</a> and the <a href="https://www.countessely.co.uk/help/recovery-cafe/" target="_blank">Recovery Cafe</a> and so on. In Isaiah 59 God seems to ask 'who will do these things?', and our answer as church became 'Us!'. That same chapter then talks of God coming down wearing certain clothing: a breastplate of righteousness, a helmet of salvation and so on. We know that to be Jesus, and as we now try to walk as Jesus did we look to wear the same clothing and do the same thing.</p><p>Yet in those Isaiah chapters the call for 'true fasting' leads to a promise (see chapter 58 verse 11): the Lord will guide you always, he will satisfy your needs, and you will be like a well watered garden. That is a promise that Job clearly doesn't feel right now! He doesn't see it - in fact his experience is now the opposite. So how do we reconcile this? On one hand is a straight and clear promise, but for Job it doesn't stack up?</p><p>First we should remember that while Job <i>feels</i> isolated from God's presence, how we feel and the reality can be two different things. Our previous <a href="https://key-questions.blogspot.com/2023/06/in-can-we-keep-hold-of-truths-about-god.html">key question</a> asked about holding truths of God even when things are difficult. Sometimes we need others to hold those truths on our behalf, because at the moment we just can't feel it. That requires some skill for the other person - they must learn how to <i>declare and then be</i> - clearly yet gently declaring the truth of God (because that is solid), but recognising the pain and turmoil of your situation. There is a fine line between clearly declaring and persuading that becomes over-bearing ... so setting out what we know of God and then letting it just sit amidst the pain without further comment might be the best course of action.</p><p>Second we can look at how to take the promise of Isaiah 58 verse 11. For sure it can be taken <i>materially</i>, but we should also hold a <i>spiritual</i> interpretation - God will satisfy needs with spiritual resources. Job is certainly suffering physically and also materially, and yet he still sits in the spiritual resources of God. This creates a tension where again we need to be very careful. At one end sits the so-called 'prosperity gospel', which claims that if we truly follow God then we will certainly financially prosper. This is to be rejected because it doesn't fit the overall promises in scripture nor the way of Jesus. At the other end of the spectrum is a 'solely spiritual' view that tries to tell people 'you are not thinking spiritually enough - you shouldn't be worrying about your material suffering at all'. This extreme doesn't work either, because it advocates living <i>in denial</i> of real (and possibly acute) pain.</p><p>Instead we are called to walk with Jesus in a mysterious tension - learning to operate in God's resources which does not guarantee riches for us, but is not in denial of the reality (and perhaps the harshness) of our circumstances either. That is because the promise of Isaiah 58 is not a <i>slot machine contract</i>, where one puts in coins of 'true fasting' in order to get blessing out. Neither it is a <i>bargain</i> with God (I will do this if you do that). Instead it is a call to a deeper journey with God, into the struggle of His justice within which we can operate in His resources.</p><p>We can suggest seeing all the promises of Scripture like this, rather than simple exchanges or transactions. When Jesus started his ministry he preached 'on the mount' (see Matthew chapter 5). He used a series of 'Blessed are those ...' (or 'Happy are those ...') statements, which included struggle - those who are poor in spirit, who hunger & thirst for righteousness, are merciful etc., i.e. echoing the 'true fasting' of Isaiah 58 and the character of Job. It is in this struggle that Jesus is saying people can discover the spiritual resources of God, and so for our own lives of 'true fasting' we can expect struggle as well. In fact Jesus culminates the statements with 'Rejoice in persecution'! God's way can be hard - and people may turn against us ... yet this becomes a place of celebration!</p><p>Celebration because despite the hardship, struggle and setback it becomes the place where you maximally operate in God's resources. It is not easy ... but it is <b>the way</b> of Jesus.<br /></p><p></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-13671602602130127102023-07-02T12:00:00.001+01:002023-07-02T12:00:00.169+01:00[OUT] Where does our sense of justice align with God's desire for justice?<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <b>Challenge</b>: Take a step back to discern God's priorities</span></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-2534563499775472602023-06-18T12:30:00.061+01:002023-06-18T12:30:00.138+01:00Hints of Resurrection - Job 14 & 19<p>Job finds himself in a depressed and dark place - he sees the negative, the walls closing in, the outlook is bleak. So basically he wishes that he was dead. We have to be honest about this, because it resonates with feelings that a number of people will have - young people, older people, in fact across the age groups people today find themselves in a similar place.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Job looks at nature: trees can be felled and yet re-sprout, but he compares this with humans who once they die then that is the end. He feels that he just wants to skip to that 'dead' stage - does he have a reason to live? He doesn't think so. <b>And yet</b> he has this sense, a sense that there is life beyond death. In 14:13 to 17 he has a notion that God after death will have finally dealt with all that is bad in us, that we might now be with God and it will be OK. Is this just a gut feeling for Job? Is it speculation? Does he have any basis to have this hope?</p><p>Years later a man called Jesus lived, demonstrated and taught: he released people from the cages they were in - be it sickness, held low by other people's opinions or prejudices. He gave people a reason to live. In short he demonstrated the 'Kingdom of God', how things look when things start lining up with how God wants them to be. That is something we talk about here as a church - we too want to see aspects of the Kingdom of God, people finding the release they need.</p><p>Jesus said many things, but here are a couple of highlights said in his final days: 'I am going ahead of you, I will prepare a place for you with my heavenly Father', and 'I will send my Spirit - though I will be taken I will not leave you alone as orphans'. Now not everyone liked Jesus. He was taken, beaten up, killed by hanging to die on a Roman cross. For his followers that must have been devastating - their hopes dashed and the outlook plunged into bleak. But for them Jesus then appeared, within just a few days, standing in their room. This wasn't a ghost - they could talk with him, touch him, and he ate with them. What Jesus was showing them was that he had died, but is now risen! He showed them that death is not the end.</p><p>So the 'speculation' on the part of Job is now shown to be <b>a reality</b> for those first followers of Jesus - there is life beyond the grave. This is the basis on which we have faith. Ours is not just wishy washy feeling or 'nice positive thoughts'. No it is based on the reality - seen by his followers - that Jesus is alive today. Since we have hope in the risen Jesus, it gives us a reason to live right now.</p><p>In the Job 19 passage, in amongst his bleak sense of loneliness, he is able to say 'I know that my redeemer lives ... that after my skin has been destroyed <i>in my flesh</i> I will see God'. Somehow, even in his personal darkness, he knew that death wasn't the end, that there is a resurrection body to look forward to. We might go through incredibly bleak or dark times ourselves, but remember that Jesus rose again from the dead - he showed his followers his new resurrection skin! That fact can <i>shine as a light</i> into the darkness of our live, even into our darkest moments. It's a light that shows us a reason to live in the here and now.</p><p>It is a light that we can receive and allow to illuminate our lives in faith. We can choose to block it out, or we can allow it in - that is our own faith decision. We have people young and in their adulthood choosing to be baptised - that is them saying "I see this now, my life makes sense <i>in Jesus</i>, so faith-wise I want you all to know that I am now <i>all in!</i>". You too can make a similar choice. It may be very tentative at first, but you are open to more. Or you may now realise there is something about Jesus to discover, so you are 'yes' to discovering more. Or maybe His light shining you is finally convincing, and so you are 'YES' to all He is and all He has for you. Whatever your response, we would love to journey with you!<br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-40554753521520413342023-06-16T09:44:00.002+01:002023-06-16T09:44:08.568+01:00[IN] Can we keep hold of truths about God even when things have gone wrong?<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <b>Challenge</b>: Rehearse what you know of God's character</span></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-86558122720237900982023-05-14T13:00:00.115+01:002023-05-14T13:00:00.148+01:00Worship - Job 1<p>Job is introduced to us like in any other story - but it is hard for us to locate Uz geographically and in what time period he lived. Maybe that helps us. Perhaps it is better for us to read Job thinking 'this was just a guy in some place at some time'. What we do know is that he was well blessed - a lovely family with extensive wealth, livestock and servants. We are also told he was blameless and upright - he knew his place before God and he shunned evil. He had deliberate rituals to keep himself and his family right before God.<br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>We then have a sudden scene change: from the blessed family to a heavenly council. It is hard for us to imagine, and even harder is the concept of 'Satan' being free to join in. Satan means 'adversary' or 'accuser', but curiously he is allowed to roam and talk with God. Messing our heads even more is that God raises the subject of Job with Satan, pointing out how he is blameless. This prompts Satan to give a challenge: 'Job is blessed - but take that away and then see how he behaves!'. This is a classic challenge - people may worship when things are good, but what about when things are bad? Amazingly God agrees to the challenge and gives Satan freedom to bring doom onto Job.</p><p>This is hard to understand, but we can be clear on 2 things: A) God doesn't do the actual striking, that is done by Satan; B) God puts <i>limits</i> on Satan - so Satan is bounded and God remains in overall control.</p><p>So back on Job's estate all is well until a messenger runs up. A raiding party has taken the oxen and servants - only he survived. Before he had finished another comes - this time fire has destroyed sheep and servants. This report is barely complete when a third messenger comes with news of a different raid on the camels and other servants!</p><p>Notice how these come in quick succession from different directions: bam, bam, bam! Although so far these are all loss of property, it is the multiple random occurrences that are instructive. It is a phenomena my wife and myself recognise - when we are about to go into an intense mission time we have noticed different random things going wrong in quick succession. Some might have been trivial, others more troublesome ... but in their randomness they have all hit in the run up. We learnt to see these as 'meddling', and learnt to hold our nerve and keep our focus on God and the mission He has called us to in the days ahead. That is not to ignore or explain away the difficulties, but to not let them pre-occupy us.</p><p>For Job now a fourth messenger comes hot on the heals. The first three were all about property, but now this one is news of family: sons and daughters are all dead because of a freak wind. That has got to hurt - it is terrible news. Job responds accordingly by tearing his robe. He knew something was wrong - he shaved his head in mourning. And yet we are also told that <i>he worshipped</i>. Despite the acute pain, he chose to worship. Remember Satan's challenge - but look at Job's response. How would we react? Hence our key question:</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>[UP]</b> How do you feel about God when things get tough?<br /><b>Challenge</b>: Choose to worship God no matter what</span><br /></p><p>Job says that he arrived (born) with nothing, and that he will doubtless depart with nothing. He goes on: 'the Lord gives, the Lord takes away ... may the name of the Lord be praised'. In other words his worship is not dependent on what he gains or loses, but on God. That is his <u>choice</u>.</p><p>Let us understand that worship is a choice that we get to make. Remember it is way more than singing: it is making the decision to set your life in Him and His ways. It is choosing to live your life right with Him, living that out and declaring that out (it is in the declaring that the music and songs help us). Job patterned his life on worship: remember that when his sons & daughters partied he would sacrifice to God <i>just in case</i>, returning to God to set his life right with God.</p><p>As followers of Jesus we have one joint ritual where we do the same: our communion together. We remember that Jesus has died for us (so we don't need to do the animal sacrifice!), and so in communion we rehearse that in order to again set our lives right with God ... even just in case there is wrong in us we have not become aware of. And in communion we <i>commune</i> with God, choosing to be in Him and welcome Him to be with us.</p><p>Each day, as individuals, we can also do our own ritual to habitually set ourselves in Him and thus <i>choose</i> to worship. It might be using the <a href="https://www.countessely.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/celtic_prayers1.pdf">simple prayer cards resource</a> that I give to people exploring faith, perhaps starting the day with a simple waking prayer, for example. Remember that our choice to worship (or not) is a <i>spiritual decision</i>. By us worshipping, especially in the outward declaration, we are doing <i>spiritual battle</i>. Acts 16 with Paul & Silas slammed into jail is an example of this - they chose to worship and declare in song. It literally rocked the place they were in!</p><p>Our decision to worship: with our whole bodies, our whole lives ... habitually and purposefully, is important. The accuser will happily go around inflicting chaos and causing disruption, trying to draw attention away from God. But in the face of all that the true worshipper will say "No! God is God and His Name is blessed - this is my reality in which I am able and choose to live".<br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-16053879358557604422023-05-07T12:00:00.001+01:002023-05-07T12:00:00.142+01:00[UP] How do you feel about God when things get tough?<p> <span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Challenge</b>: Choose to worship God no matter what</span></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-18871147980090079102023-04-09T13:00:00.076+01:002023-04-09T13:00:00.181+01:00He is Risen! Mark 16<p>When looking at the Easter story it is worth giving a shout out to the women. They are the ones who tough it out at the crucifixion scene on Friday, watching Jesus die. They are the ones who are up early on Sunday (Easter) morning, coming to the tomb to finish the job of the proper burial of an important person. For on the Friday it was evening - already sabbath - by the time the body was put in the tomb. There was no time to properly treat the body, so that had to be left until Sunday morning.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>As the women went up to the tomb they faced a practical dilemma - a heavy stone closed the tomb and will need shifting. Somehow they expected to find someone on hand to help move it! What they did not expect was to find the tomb already open ... so they go up and peer in thinking someone must already be there ahead of them. They look in and see someone - or is it a person or an angel? Not surprisingly they were spooked!</p><p>The mysterious figure says "Don't be alarmed" and tries to get them to focus on what will be the most important set of words that any of us could ever hear:</p><p style="text-align: center;">'<b>You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. <u>He</u> <u>has</u> <u>risen</u>!</b>'</p><p>That is alot for anyone to process - but right there, in this confused, alarming, emotion-running-high moment is the world history turning deal: there is no body to anoint because Jesus has risen - He is alive!</p><p>The messenger/angel figure has more: 'Go and tell the others - tell them that Jesus is going ahead of you. You will see him .... it will be just as Jesus had told you'. The women are empowered to go and tell the news - the world history chaniging moment is to be first told be women! Remember that the word 'apostle' in its basic sense means 'sent with a message': the women are thus given an apostle-like call. At first the women struggle with it - they are still processing after all - so Mark 8 in the most common fragments says that they initially kept quiet, gripped with fear. But other fragments of Mark, as well as other gospels, make it clear that the women do go on to find the others and tell them.</p><p>The basic message given to them is very clear. Jesus was crucified - He was a real person, who was really killed, and really was dead. This is no fake, nor just a story. It involved an actual real human who had a life, but that life was taken. The message goes on that although the death was 100% real it was not final - they are told 'he is not here' because he is alive! That makes Jesus unique. No one else has done the same, and no other religion has God come down, live, die, and then show that death is not the end.</p><p>So that is why we have to make our mind up: are we going to let Him in and live by that same message the women were told to proclaim?</p><p>The final thing the angel figure said was 'You will see Him ...'. The first disciples got to physically see Him in the resurrection appearances. Those stopped, but that doesn't mean that He is now completely vanished. A few now do see Him - in dreams or visions - but there are also <i>many</i> who see Him through other ways. It could be through what He does, in how He affects lives, through people knowing (in their various senses or an inner feeling) that He is indeed alive. Any of these enable us to live the same proclamation: He was crucified, He is risen, You will see Him.</p><p>A challenge in our lives today is that they can easily be full to the brim with 'stuff' or 'activity'. We have to actively de-clutter and make space, hence this month's question:</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Soul Question</b>: What does Margin for Jesus look like for you?</span></p><p>Where do we deliberately make space in our lives and wait for the risen Jesus to lead? Are you going to keep your life filled up with stuff or activity, or will you make space where you hand over to Jesus for Him to take the lead. This term we have told stories in Mark. Any of us could just carry on, leaving them as <i>just stories</i>. Yet the instruction for us is to allow space for Jesus to work, to realise He is going ahead of us. If we make the space and learn to follow, we will see Him continuing to bring the Kingdom of God around us: we will see Him ... just as He told you.<br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-3016918754859597462023-03-26T12:30:00.071+01:002023-03-26T12:30:00.176+01:00Deadly Prediction - Mark 9<p>Many of us pray for revival - hoping for fresh waves of God that enable many to turn to Jesus. They will be great days ... but we shouldn't forget that revival coming does not mean that there is no cost: it will require people to lay down their lives, be prepared to be disrupted, all to join in with what God is doing.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>In this episode in Mark 9 his closest followers are talking about greatness and power - who will have the best seats when Jesus kicks out the Romans and re-establishes the Kingdom? Surely it will be Peter - he has all the bravado! No - it will be John for his quiet wisdom. Or maybe a less obvious choice among the others ...</p><p>Yet Jesus is trying to remind them what will happen. Taking them aside he says 'You need to know that I will be taken from you, they will kill me, but don't worry because within 3 days I will rise again'. Peter, James, John and the others cannot compute this message! They were born into the Jewish people who had a collective history that involved 'Up', 'Down' and the 'Promise of back up'. The 'Up' was when God marvellously formed them as a people, leading them out of slavery to become His people Israel. The 'Down' was the result of the people losing that focus and relationship with God, being taken off to exile and so on ... and yet with the promise of God one day restoring them.</p><p>That restoration was still 'work in progress' in the time of Jesus and His followers. They were occupied by the Romans, and many thought that if they could 'just get' themselves right in their standing with God then at last He would send his promised anointed leader to declare the Kingdom, remove the Romans and restore them all to 'Up'! In Jesus Peter and the others could now see that the anointed leader was among them, and so they were excited that the big 'Freedom Day' was going to happen <i>real soon now</i>. Surely there would soon be the uprising that would restore all things. With that, being the closest people to Jesus, they naturally had thoughts of 'in that day, who among us will get the top jobs?'.</p><p>But Jesus was talking a different language: He was talking of His <i>life being taken</i>, of dying - the exact opposite to their thinking! So He says to the disciples: 'I know what you are thinking, but you have got to turn it upside down! I will be taken from you and die - you have got to learn to become servants, not lords'. He went on: 'Check out these little children - those with the least status in our society - welcoming them is like welcoming me ... the total opposite of your power play thinking!'.</p><p>The point is that with Jesus 'revival', that 'promise of Up' was indeed possible, but it wasn't 'just get ...', but rather 'lay life down'. Jesus had to die ... and <i><b>something in us has to die</b></i>. The 'just get ...' mentality has to go too.</p><p>Over the years, as a church leader, I've had many a good mature Christian come to me saying things like: 'If people would <i>just get</i> their lives more pure (removing bad) then we would see more of the Lord moving among us ...', or 'If people would <i>just get</i> themselves more into the Word, then God would move among us ...', or 'If people would <i>just get</i> themselves more to our prayer times, then the spiritual tempo would be raised ...' and so on. They mean well of course, but they can be characterised as a 'just get' syndrome that is not as helpful as it seems.<br /></p><p>Let us be clear: it absolutely would be better for all of us to let God pinpoint stuff in our lives that we need to get rid of / stop / leave behind. It definitely would be better if we formed deeper habits of engaging with Scripture individually and together. For sure things will move up a gear if people were more actively engaging in our church prayer times. To all these we want to say 'YES'!</p><p>However, the 'just get ...' logic will let us down. Rich and good all the above are, the truth is that something <b>in each of us</b> <u>needs to die</u> - it is for us to be <i>abandoned</i> to Jesus and His way, to completely drop any pretence of self-importance, to <i>give up</i> thinking 'If I can <i>just get</i> this or <i>sort that</i>' to enable progress. Instead base every opinion, every hope, every aspiration in Him who predicted that 'he is going to be delivered into the hands of men, they will kill him, and after 3 days he will rise again'.</p><p>Remember that for us to grasp at stuff, to grab at solutions ... is exactly the same as the Genesis story where Eve (with Adam alongside) reached up and grasped the fruit of the the one tree God said should be off-limits - it is us thinking 'we can be like God - we've got this ...'. <b>No!</b> That has to die - let it go down with Jesus on the cross.</p><p>All of us should live in the hope that revival is for sure possible - it is absolutely in the resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of His Spirit ... but it is <i>not without cost</i>. For some (not all) it is the cost of relocation to speak Jesus elsewhere, for some (not all) it is the cost of opposition or persecution, for others it will be costs in other ways.</p><p>But <b>for all</b> it is the cost of <i>abandonment</i> to Jesus in every department: lives surrendered to Him.<br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-2829216931248136232023-03-12T13:00:00.003+00:002023-03-12T13:00:00.170+00:00Extravagant Heart, Costly Action - Mark 14<p>In Mark 14 Jesus is at a meal, but it is interrupted by a woman coming in and performing an extravagant act. She pours a whole bottle of expensive perfume over Jesus - causing surprise to all present.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>The perfume is estimated to cost over a year's wages. For the woman this was <i>her worship</i> - her pouring herself out for Jesus, putting her best at Jesus' disposal. Against the muttering that follows Jesus says two very interesting things. First he says 'she did what she could' - he affirms that the perfume pouring thing is her own way of expressing her worship. Our way might be different - we might not have a super expensive bottle of perfume to pour out! But what <u>do we have</u> to pour out? How might we extravagantly put our best at Jesus' disposal?</p><p>The second interesting thing that Jesus says is: 'she has poured this perfume to prepare for my burial'. This is because that Jesus knows that for Him, His extravagant worship, His doing what He could, His putting <i>his best</i> for Father God ... was to <i>put his life on the line</i>. It was to lay down His life for those around Him, for you, for me, and for the whole world. That is the ultimate that any human can do ... but laying down for the <i>whole world</i> was actually something that only Jesus could do. It is worth pausing for a moment to think what our own response is to this.</p><p>Our service today includes a baptism - someone will go down into the water completely, and then we will bring them back up. In doing so they are making an important statement. They are saying 'thank you Jesus for laying down life for me - I owe my life to <u>you</u>, so I now give and sink my life into yours'. They go down into the water - the old self gone. They come back up to new life in Jesus - living for Jesus, to now extravagantly give of themselves for Jesus.</p><p>The baptism is really just a starting marker - having been baptised it is to then work out what it means to live the rest of their lives extravagantly for Jesus. Hence our key question and challenge:</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>[OUT]</b> Where is God calling you to lose life in order to gain it?<br /><b>Challenge</b>: Put yourself on the line for His cause</span><br /></p><p>What might we put at Jesus' disposal - maybe in the area of our income, our career hopes, our family expectations, the riches of our lives. How might we lay that down or pour it out as an extravagant offering for Jesus.</p><p>In the story others saw the action of the woman and were not happy. "What a waste", they said. Some were plotting to kill Jesus, and this episode triggers one to form a betrayal plot. The fact is that not everyone out there thinks that Jesus laying down His life is a good thing. In fact some are actively hostile to it. So none of us gets baptised to be <i>popular</i>, to win friends out there. No, like Jesus, it is about <i>laying it all down</i>, to give our best, our all ... to God.<br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-45394387258099920392023-03-11T12:00:00.001+00:002023-03-11T12:00:00.184+00:00[OUT] Where is God calling you to lose life in order to gain it?<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <b>Challenge</b>: Put yourself on the line for His cause</span></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-41337753079091880542023-02-26T12:30:00.085+00:002023-02-26T12:30:00.174+00:00Feeding the Many - Mark 8<p>In both this and the Mark 6 feeding miracle it is like the ultimate Foodbank! People need food ... and it gets provided. The actual Ely Foodbank has been like it (albeit food provided by donations!) - the donations have kept coming to the tune of 584 tonnes over the 10 year lifetime, with just 2% being purchased. Even with the recent 60% increase in demand only certain items have run dry for short periods. This is God's economy of abundance!</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Jesus operated with two clear principles. First was the very real need (verse 1 'they have nothing to eat'). Second was His compassion (v2 'I have compassion') - Jesus had a basic God-in-human compassion for what he saw. With these two principles together He wanted to do something ... which demonstrated the Kingdom of God.</p><p>The disciples were perplexed about how they were going to achieve the task of feeding the crowd - even though they had achieved it with the larger crowd back in Mark 6! They asked the practical, logical and reasonable question of 'Where can we get food here?'. But Jesus was operating at a different level: it was not how they <i>humanly</i> meet the need, but with God's compassion how they <i>supernaturally</i> meet it. Jesus demonstrated a simple model:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Give thanks for what you have</li><li>Put it at God's disposal</li><li>Get started ...</li></ul><p>There are examples of this working down the age, some are literal feeding miracles (e.g. in orphanages). When we are operating in God's grace-compassion, what we have <i>now</i> is <b>enough</b> to get started! Often Christians hold back, with 'if only we had ...' or 'wait until we get ...' in their heads. Yet the model of Jesus urges to start now, whatever you have now is <i>enough</i> to get going. Of course it is reasonable to assess what resources you have and to consider the needs, to inform your prayers for resources. Yet beware of holding back when the grace-compassion urges you to start moving.</p><p>Another detail in the story is that Jesus tells the crowd to sit down (presumably over an area the size of a football pitch). In the Mark 6 account they were sat in groups of 100s or 50s, for the disciples to then distribute. This shows another principle: the disciples had to spread out, taking the multiplying grace-compassion of God with them.</p><p>That is the principle we have been advocating for us as Countess Free Church. We don't need to bring people to <i>our building</i>, or even to our Sunday gatherings to let God's compassion flow. No, we can go out ... taking God's grace-compassion with us. We go out with the <u>same source</u> (akin to the few loathes & fish) - it is a spiritual resource, which we give thanks for, put at God's disposal, and then get on with it. At the Queen's jubilee we deliberately didn't do a central event, but instead scattered small events. We advocate the same this year for the King's coronation. We also challenge ourselves this Easter to each invite 1 or 2 people round - to have coffee, cake, easter egg hunt or whatever, but within that time to say 'can I share why Easter is important to me as a Christian?'. In each case our preparation has been <b>Pray - listen - act!</b> That's us tuning into God's grace-compassion resource, looking for the particular people He is directing us to. Naturally you might worry 'do people want to hear me?'. The answer, statistically, is 'Yes!' - the <a href="https://talkingjesus.org/research/">Talking Jesus research</a> shows that 75% of non-Christians felt comfortable with their Christian friends sharing with them, and 33% of them wanted to know more about Jesus from such a conversation.</p><p>In John's account (John 6), they feed the 5,000 and then go off. Yet the crowd catch up and Jesus says "you have come because you had your fill of food ... but be open to <i>spiritual food</i>". If we meet physical needs, then of course people will come back - but we must learn to give out <b>spiritual food</b>. Let us look for those who are ready to receive such food, and know that <b>you</b> can feed them without having to be an expert. You might ask how you do that. The answer is to follow that simple model of Jesus: give thanks for what you do have (your story of God in your life), put it at God's disposal, and get started on sharing. We can scatter out and do this in diverse places.</p><p>One final thought. The Pharisees catch up with Jesus and want a sign. Hopefully you are thinking "He's just feed 4,000 people - duh!". Jesus answers "Why ask for a sign ... there will be no sign" (even though He has been doing lot's of signs!). The deal is that if hearts are hard, then there is <i>no sign</i> that will ever fit the criteria we set - hardness will always over-rule. Yet if hearts are <i>soft</i> to God and God working through Jesus, then spiritual food can and will flow.</p><p>Pray - listen - act ... look for those whose hearts are softening. Maintain a soft heart yourself, not just looking at physical, not locked in human calculations of resource, but open to the supernatural, saying "so we <i>do</i> have ...". You can give thanks for that which you do have, give it to God, and get started. In other words, operate in God's economy of abundance, scattering out to distribute the infinite resources of God's grace-compassion.<br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-26422317462709082952023-02-05T12:30:00.092+00:002023-02-05T12:30:00.179+00:00Sabbath People - Mark 2 & 3<p>In some countries if you think and act in certain ways, you can land in serious trouble. Various regimes clamp down on people for daring to question or think different. The police who crack down become known as the 'thought police', because you get arrested for what you think. In the time of Jesus the Pharisees seemed to be the same - calling out people who thought or acted in certain ways as ungodly trouble-makers. When Jesus and his disciples were going from A to B, and took some corn as they passed through cornfields for an on-the-go snack, but it happened to be the Sabbath, it was the Pharisees who took issue with them.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Jesus speaks into this - and we see Jesus is someone who <i>flips around</i> important principles like the Sabbath. He notes that his followers were with him <i>on a mission</i>, so of course they will need to snack on the way! He quotes a story of David (see 1 Samuel 21), alluding to another principle: men are holy because of their devotion to God and His cause. Then a crucial line: 'Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath'. We are not made to serve the Sabbath (and God's rules). No, the Sabbath (properly kept) serves us.</p><p>Finally Jesus points out that He is even Lord of the Sabbath. He is saying that the Pharisees have got it wrong because they believed it was all about <i>their effort</i> for purity: don't do any work, don't travel ... don't even walk more than a certain number of paces. In other words they exhorted 'Be pure ... be pure ... be even purer'. This mindset says God will only accept us <b>if</b> we make ourselves pure enough.</p><p>But we will never be pure enough - we will fail. None of us can do it!</p><p>Jesus goes back to first principles. Sabbath comes from creation (see Genesis 1). There were 6 days of creation then God rested - He blessed the 7th day and He made it holy. So Sabbath communicates <b>completion</b> - God taking creation to where He wants it to be. The Sabbath was then built into the Law (command no. 4 of the 10 commandments), but right there referring back to creation (see Exodus 20). In the desert experiences the Israelites were given provision each day, and told don't look for it on the 7th day because <i>you will have enough</i>. Later in Exodus it does get harsher: see someone working and cut them off ... even kill them!</p><p>Why is this so harsh? Remember the desert experience is all about forming people to be <i>distinctive Godly people</i>. Maybe that penalty was saying 'What kind of people do you want to be? Living ways that show God provides and takes to completion, or living just like the world that has to strive 24-7?'. For sure you can go down the 24-7 route ... but it will kill you ... and there is no place for it in this community.</p><p>Now Mark switches to an episode with Jesus in the synagogue on a Sabbath. There is a man with a shrivelled hand. The point is that Jesus knows what the leaders are thinking - they want to know if Jesus will heal <i>on the Sabbath</i>! So Jesus asks them what is the Sabbath all about? Is it good and life, or is it evil and death? Jesus saw stubborn hearts - hearts locked in a mindset of we can only please God by our own efforts, making ourselves more and more purer, making ourselves <i>slaves</i> to ever tighter purity laws.</p><p>Remember: God made the Sabbath holy!</p><p>So Jesus commands the hand to outstretch, the man to be healed. He is demonstrating the Kingdom of God, where everything starts lining up with how it should be in God's desire, where blight & twist are transformed and set right, where things are put in their God-ordained order. This demonstrates His <b>Kingdom</b>, this demonstrates <b>Sabbath</b>, where things are taken to their proper completion. That is all possible in Jesus because He is the King of Kings, He is Lord of the Sabbath and therefore of all things being right!</p><p>So how do you want to live? Our world is 24-7 and assumes never ending economic growth and activity. Do you want to sign up to that, and try and make yourself 'pure' (good enough for God) in it? Consider our key question:</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>[IN]</b> Are we letting 'the Jesus Way' transform our ways?<br /><b>Challenge</b>: Take seriously the sabbath and kingdom principles of Jesus</span><br /></p><p>At Countess Free Church we talk about four habits of discipleship (on top of bed-rock habits of scripture, prayer etc.). The first of these is the Discipline of OFF - operating the Sabbath principle at every level. Start with simply turning your phone notifications off at certain times of day. Take time out ... most importantly don't strive just on your own efforts. Remember God provides and it will be <i>enough</i>. Work out what that means for your life and family. If you are maxing out, cramming, striving and so on then we have to be honest: it will kill you!</p><p>Jesus calls us something better than that striving: He calls us to be His Kingdom people - serving Kingdom purposes. That does mean working hard, finding ourselves in difficult & struggle situations, but we do it with His resources which will be enough.</p><p>The Discipline of OFF is our way of living that dependence on God and His resources. We can stop because His resources are enough. It is He that will take things to his proper, blessed, and holy completion.</p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-14238505254527623762023-02-05T12:00:00.001+00:002023-02-05T12:00:00.170+00:00IN - Are we letting 'the Jesus Way' transform our ways?<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <b>Challenge</b>: Take seriously the sabbath and kingdom principles of Jesus</span><br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-73824887401554314222023-01-22T12:00:00.040+00:002023-01-22T12:00:00.173+00:00Jesus: Forgiver and Healer - Mark 2<p>In the story of the paralysed man, the friends climb onto the roof to lower the man in order to reach Jesus through the crowds. It is worth us considering how much faith do we think each of the different types of people had: the teachers of the law, the crowd, the friends, and the paralysed man himself.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Actually that is a trick question - the story as recorded doesn't tell us how much faith the paralysed man had! We can then think on what sort of things were getting in the way of faith, and were getting in the way of the man receiving ministry in the first place? It is then a useful exercise to turn that question back on ourselves ... to think what barriers we might put up that get in the way of our faith, or receiving from Jesus?</p><p>In the story the man was prevented by the crowd, and the fact that Jesus was inside a building. The friends had to penetrate the building structure to get him anywhere near Jesus. What we see today is a number of people who don't necessarily need to be taken <i>in</i> to a building to be near Jesus, but have somehow built a hard structure around themselves that seems to be a barrier to <i>letting Jesus in</i>. Perhaps holding on tightly to 'something', they are 'closed in' on themselves making it hard for them to simply receive.</p><p>This is where we need to discern carefully and act in order to be a potential help. It might simply be us coming alongside to be there for them, being a good friend, a listening ear or wise counsel. Of course pray for the person, and as best you can point them to Jesus. When praying have faith yourself, even if the person concerned has none.</p><p>Ultimately we don't want people to be stuck, with barricades around them, holding on to something so tightly that they cannot look to Jesus for themselves. Our job as followers of Jesus is to help point people to Jesus, in the hope that bit by bit the barriers are removed ... so that one day they might simply 'let go' and be fully open to receive the ministry of Jesus, receiving His forgiveness and healing.<br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-41966982651138034572023-01-08T12:30:00.091+00:002023-01-08T12:30:00.219+00:00Jesus is on the Scene - Mark 1<p>Mark's gospel gets straight to it. It skips the Christmas story and runs throughout at a quick pace. Because of this and it being the shortest gospel, it is my preferred gospel to recommend to people who want to start reading the Bible.<br /></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p>The first character is John the Baptist - a man with a spiritually given
message to deliver to the people, much the same as an Old Testament
prophet. That message is clear: "Sort out your act, and get yourself
ready for God's plans that are about to unfold". With that John did a
baptism thing: dunking people in the river. They would have seen this as
a 'ritual cleansing', admitting their hearts had become hard to God's
purposes, that they wanted to change their minds, to be forgiven of past
hardness, and get back on track with God's purposes.</p><p>This was all preparation. John the Baptist knew he was just the warm up act, ready for someone who would baptise not with mere water, but with the Holy Spirit. That person was Jesus!</p><p>In v9 Jesus appears on the scene, meeting with John the Baptist. His first action is to baptised by John. We might think that odd: if Jesus is so special why doesn't he baptise John? Jesus insists it is this way round - in doing so he identifies as an ordinary human, with you & I and the whole of humanity. As Jesus is baptised he shows that he is fully submitted to the purposes and plans of God the Father, and he stands in that great story that God started long ago, which will now continue through Jesus. That's why we as Christians make a big deal of baptism: Jesus was prepared to do that public declaration, so why wouldn't we do the same?</p><p>Then something very special happens. Jesus in the water is not just another person being dunked by John: a tear appears in that divide between physical and spiritual and the Spirit is seen descending and resting on Jesus. With it is an audible voice: 'You are my Son, whom I love, with you I am pleased'. This is Jesus fully affirmed in who <i>He is</i> from God the Father - and this is the basis of His ministry. The same principle applies to us - we minister from whom we are in God. We cannot minister for a single minute without having some awareness of who we really are in God. (Recall last summer our series of <a href="https://key-questions.blogspot.com/2022/05/be-fruitful-john-15.html">Affirmations</a>!)</p><p>That is why we are doing this series in Mark - we will look at the stories of Jesus to learn about Jesus. We will practice telling the stories - our <a href="https://www.countessely.co.uk/connect/resources/">family resource</a> this term will help us do that in our homes. The stories point to who Jesus is, and are useful to point other people we might meet to Jesus. Learning who Jesus is opens the way to faith in Jesus, and through faith we discover who we are in Jesus and hence in God. And knowing who we are in Him, we are then able to minister too. So our key question for this month is:<br /></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>[UP]</b> Who do you really believe Jesus to be?<br /><b>Challenge</b>: Turn belief into action</span></p><p>Who we believe Jesus to be is fundamental to our faith and therefore what we will do with our faith ... and therefore our ability to minister. It's all about who we believe Jesus to be!<br /></p><p>After this incredible Father-Son affirmation, in v12 Jesus is then sent straight into the wilderness and a difficult time. He was led to a time when 'knowing' who He is in God wasn't actually enough - it was a time when He will have to <b>rely</b> on who He is in God. A time to utterly depend on God in faith. It didn't get easier for John the Baptist either - in sticking to his faith principles he ended up in prison. We must not pretend that for ourselves discovering Jesus and putting our faith in Him will suddenly make all of our lives perfect. In fact in serving in His name is guaranteed to bring us trouble! If we are going to act on who we are in Christ, we too must learn to totally depend on God. Hence the challenge above - turn belief into action.</p><p>Jesus is now on the scene and He announces: 'The time has come: the Kingdom of God is near, repent and believe the good news!'. He comes straight in with this announcement, effectively "Let's go ... and get on with it!". Remember the 'repent' means to 'change your mind'. You used to think and act in one direction, which led to hardness of heart, was not aligned to God's purposes, lost with all the things that go with that. Now <b>change</b>, turn with faith in Jesus. Put away your old self, re-think, make it your desire to do the will of Jesus.</p><p>With that see who Jesus is really is, believe in Him and take action. That way you will discover who you are in Jesus, and be able to minister - learning to depend on Him as you go. The preparation that John the Baptist declared to those first century Israelites is the same for us: repent and believe, get straightened out, get ready for God's purposes, mark it with baptism! Jesus is now on the scene, God's purposes are unfolding. Be part of it!<br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-63513697644907227802023-01-08T12:00:00.005+00:002023-01-08T12:00:00.186+00:00[UP] Who do you really believe Jesus to be?<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <b>Challenge</b>: Turn belief into action</span></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-7621132925940504972022-11-20T12:00:00.052+00:002022-11-20T12:00:00.184+00:00I have the right to do anything, but ... - 1 Corinthians 10<p>Today we are looking at just 1 Corinthians 10:23 - 24, but noticing the duplication with 1 Corinthians 6:12. Paul repeats this line "I have the right to do anything", but in both chapters Paul spells out that it isn't quite that straightforward!</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>With freedom in Christ you can argue that you can do anything you like. Yet of course in reality not everything is beneficial - there are many things that can or will cause harm, and prove destructive. Paul also understands that some things might appear harmless but without careful consideration can end up mastering us. Our experience proves this right over and over - think how many of us are addicted to our mobile phones or social media feeds! That doesn't make your phone or social media bad in itself - for sure you can use these things, but think how they are beneficial or how they might master you rather being a tool for you.</p><p>But the other big problem is that the harm might not be just for you - the action may hurt others around you. Paul warns that 'not everything is constructive' - it might not be helpful, or might not build up. Even worse it might actively tear down or undermine the relationships you have with others (or with God). None of us lives in a fully isolated bubble - the actions we take affect others (right up to the level of climate change!).</p><p>On the basic behaviour level we need to be mindful of every action, and every word. Schools have worked this out, instilling 'behaviour values' that are worded in terms of our consideration for others.</p><p>So we need to go through life considering our actions and the way we live carefully. That is all fine when we can see and perceive perfectly clearly. Yet what about the circumstances where we are myopic - where we think we can see but in fact are blind to factors or potential consequences? Maybe other people can see that we are at risk of heading for trouble even if we can't. In those circumstances would we want them to tell us? Do we trust each other enough to let others offer us observations? At what point would we want someone else to flag to us 'danger!'?</p><p>Let Jesus guide us and give us wisdom. May we listen carefully for His guidance, so that we can make good choices and speak good words to each other.<br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-16015725090352037412022-11-06T12:30:00.143+00:002022-11-06T12:30:00.162+00:00The Kingdom of God is Messy - 1 Corinthians 7<p>Paul and his team had led people in Corinth to Jesus - and people had responded from their diverse and (likely) morally dubious backgrounds. Paul acted as a single man - maybe he was separated or divorced, but he certainly travelled without a wife and under contract to no-one other than Jesus: he exemplified a life given to Jesus, free to travel on mission. He also lived his life as if Jesus' return was imminent, literally 'any day now'. In discipling new Christians Paul and the team would have modelled and encouraged new believers to 'copy' them (that is discipleship, after all). So naturally those new Christians would have asked questions: "Should we be single too?", "Do all of us have to start travelling in mission?", and "If Jesus' return is imminent, should I go through with my plans to marry?". This leads to the generic question: "In becoming a Christian, how much of my 'before Jesus' situation must be changed?".<br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>In the chapter Paul bigs up singleness, suggesting it is a 'high calling'. Singles don't have the ties or commitments that those in marriage do. They can devote their priorities to serving Jesus without complications. It is important that we big up singleness too: our society (and often churches) can too easily project a norm that everyone should be paired off, and imply that there is something wrong if someone isn't. Let's remember that Jesus didn't just settle for singleness, he flourished in it. Paul did too ... and so can some of us today. We should encourage and celebrate those who do.</p><p>At the same time, many are wired to have companionship and would struggle without it: Paul affirms this too. In fact he acknowledges our sexuality and the urges that go with it: he doesn't deny this, he doesn't call for it to be suppressed. He simply says that for those <i>in Christ</i> there is a proper place for it - in fact for husbands and wives he effectively says 'get on with it!'. Through it all he sees that different people are wired different: in verse 7 he says 'each has their own gift', so we should be wary of forcing or implying a need for conformity.</p><p>But inevitably questions arise as people find Jesus in all sorts of combinations and circumstances: "What if I'm married - should I become single to better serve Jesus?", "What if my partner doesn't turn to Jesus?", What if I'm engaged - should I break that off?", or "I'm young & single, but was expecting to find a partner - should I now drop that thinking?". All these questions become more acute if the expectation of Jesus returning is <i>very soon</i> - timescales change your perspective!</p><p>Through this chapter Paul gives his answers. In doing so he distinguishes between commands of Jesus (e.g. on the sanctity of marriage) and his own directives. In navigating the maze of possibilities we see this principle: that Paul believes God can <i>redeem </i>(i.e. be at work) <u>in the circumstances</u> that the new believers find themselves in. So the new believer turns from death to life, from old to new in their behaviour and <i>who they are</i>, but that doesn't mean that <i>everything</i> about their circumstances always has to change. In fact verses 17 to 24 has a couple of surprising examples of this concept. He says that the Greek do not need to become Jewish (nor the other way round). Given Paul's own rich Jewish heritage, and the strong sense of Jewish covenant identity (that following Jesus is linked to), this is a radical statement for Paul to make. The second example is slavery: slaves do not have to become free - though he says it is of course good if they can (and not good the other way round!).</p><p>In both of these cases it is <i>being in Christ</i> that is the important thing: circumstance is a distant 2nd place! In both examples God can redeem in that situation. Paul then works this principle out in practice with, for example, a new believer with an unbelieving spouse: God can redeem in that situation too - so honour the command of Jesus to stay married. Note though Paul's caveat - the unbelieving spouse may find the change in their partner too great and walk away themselves, in which case the believer can accept this outcome and move on.</p><p>We may then ask does Paul mean stay in <b>any</b> situation whatsoever? Presumably not: if the situation is dangerous, harmful, or too high risk of the believer being tugged backwards then it would be better for the believer to intentionally remove themselves. An example today would be an addict discovering faith while living in a drug den - we would advise them to move out!</p><p>But the principle of <i>redeeming in the circumstances</i> means things will look messy: we won't have a church where every believer is in a nice clear cut situation, with all looking the same. Yet knowing that should help us as we point people to Jesus. Consider our new key question:</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>[OUT]</b> Where is God training you to be clearer and more direct in reaching out to others?<br /><b>Challenge</b>: Offer to pray for someone - because you believe in Jesus who changes lives</span></p><p>The question is about learning to more directly invite people to Jesus - it is <b>not</b> about you needing to fix their circumstances first! Remember it is the Spirit's job in the person as they respond to Jesus to sort out the circumstances. Your job is to invite! Consider Jesus seeing Zachaeus, who was a tax collector and a swindler. Jesus sees him and says "I'm coming to dinner", in other words 'you get to host me, the Son of God, the presence of God in your house!'. Jesus didn't say "Zachaeus, you need to sort out your swindling!". Zachaeus responded to the invite and indeed recognised his need, and pledged to change. We don't know whether he stayed as a tax collector: as a new believer in Jesus the swindling <i>had</i> to change, being a tax collector didn't!</p><p>If people genuinely meet Jesus, things in their life will start to change - hence the challenge above. Be willing to pray with people <b>because</b> Jesus changes lives! Our job is to point people to Jesus, to invite people to Jesus, and to even host His presence. We can do that invite <i>whatever their circumstances</i> ... but that means it is going to be really messy. There will be lots of ambiguity, lots of questions ... but that is the deal. Our job from that <i>as church</i> - a collection of believers - is to seek the Spirit and navigate a way through.<br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-15796796603322712872022-11-06T12:00:00.003+00:002022-11-06T12:00:00.166+00:00[OUT] Where is God training you to be clearer and more direct in reaching out to others?<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Challenge</b>: Offer to pray someone - because you believe in Jesus who changes lives</span></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-26552832726832884632022-10-30T12:00:00.114+00:002022-10-30T12:00:00.191+00:00Morality 101 The Sequel - 1 Corinthians 6<p>Does it bug you when you see someone that appears to be going backwards in their development? That was the deal for Paul writing to the Corinthians believers. He had to berate them about their disputes, and how they took each other to a secular court rather than finding a way together as brothers or sisters in Christ. In verse 8 he is effectively saying 'you behaviour is descending'!</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>It is with that backdrop that we get the 'vice list' of verse 9 through to 11. Yet two key words we need to hold in these verses are the word 'were' and 'but'! Paul says 'that is what some of you <i>were</i>', i.e. you <i>used</i> to live just like many others in Corinth, in a moral quagmire. He is challenging them: did their greed ever lead to peace, did their slandering every lead to wholeness, did any of these take you in the direction of the Kingdom of God? No - of course not! Then he says '<b>But!</b>'. But one day they discovered Jesus, the Jesus who lived, died and was raised from them, who <u>can</u> and <u>has</u> washed them from their impurity, sanctified (i.e. made appropriate), and stamped on their lives 'justified', i.e. 'good to go'. This is the <a href="https://key-questions.blogspot.com/2022/10/morality-101-1-corinthians-5.html">transition from old to new</a> we have already talked about.</p><p>I see Christians make two mistakes with this vice list. Firstly they use the list for mission thinking: they go out to people and use the list to tell people how bad they are (this is known as 'clobbering people'!). I believe this is a mistake because the context here is nothing about mission, but rather believers going backwards. Yes it describes general malaise in the world, but it is about where believers have <i>come from</i> rather than how to do mission.</p><p>The second mistake is some focus on two words in the list (in the Greek) and promote them to an importance way above all else. The two words are translated in the NIV (for example) as 'men who have sex with men'. These two words are among the hardest of all words to translate in the New Testament, generating tomes of scholarship and continued debate. The first of the words could merely be translated as 'soft' or 'lacking moral strength' - the original King James version renders it 'effeminate'. The other word is a 'compound' word, i.e. made up of two individual words (like 'tentmaker' is 'tent' + 'maker'). The individual Greek words can render 'male' and 'bed' or 'place of governance', and so perhaps 'male-bedders' for the compound. Yet compound words can take on new meaning: for example Christian missionaries today would use the word 'tentmaker' to describe a missionary who uses a skill (e.g. fixing cars) to make a living while doing their outreach work (i.e. nothing to do with making tents!). Some scholarship suggests that usage of the compound elsewhere is about exploiting people for sex - so 'sex-trafficker' could be a contemporary translation for us. What if translations down the years had conveyed this kind of meaning?</p><p>The point is that Christians may read these words, delve into scholarship, and come to different conclusions. Just <i>maybe</i> that is okay? Especially because it is <a href="https://key-questions.blogspot.com/2022/09/no-badge-but-jesus-1-corinthians-1.html">secondary</a> to standing on the life/death/resurrection of Jesus.</p><p>Remember the key thing is that God wants us to be in relationship with Him, and for that to affect the whole of our lives and our interactions with each other. God wants <b>spiritual intimacy</b> with each of us, and how we live our lives (and what we do with our bodies) affects our ability for spiritual intimacy. Anything in our lives that promotes something else to be in the place of God, that undermines or destroys loving relationships (e.g. abusive or controlling), that is all about self, that is self at the expense of others, that goes against the character of God ... all of that destroys and impedes spiritual intimacy.</p><p>So let us not understand this (and other) lists as if they were a simple God-given moral code, as if they were almost arbitrary. Instead understand as behaviours that might be damaging, and that impede us being the human-spiritual beings that God intends. For example the football 'off-side' rule is somewhat arbitrary. Cricket having 6 balls in an over is arbitrary (why not 10!). But a morality that informs us to reserve our highest form of physical intimacy (i.e. our sexual intimacy) for one committed covenant relationship partner ... that is <i>not</i> arbitrary. That is because to behave differently devalues yourself, those around you, and undermines the link between the physical and the spiritual. The intimacy of two people (sexual intimacy in secure covenant relationship) <i>somehow</i> gives us a glimpse of understanding spiritual intimacy between us and God. It is a big mystery (hence the 'somehow'), but that is Paul's argument in verses 12 to 17. There is something in sexual intimacy that is about 'joining', which resonates (in Paul's thinking) with a believer's joining with Jesus.</p><p>And so in verse 18 Paul says 'Flee from sexual immorality'. Don't go near it, because your body is a <a href="https://key-questions.blogspot.com/2022/06/temple-of-holy-spirit-1-cor-612-20.html">Temple of the Holy Spirit</a>. As a follower of Jesus you are a living walking container for the Holy Spirit, i.e. to be a <i>holy place</i>, a place where others might discover God because of your interaction with them. Do want that marred by that which undermines, destroys and obliterates the image of God? No - of course not! So Paul concludes 'honour God with your bodies'. Yet don't do that by simply reducing to moral codes "do this, don't do that", for we are talking living up to the intimacy God wants with us, and simple codes will never do that justice!</p><p>That of course does not mean "anything goes". Vice lists and moral examples are useful like individual spotlights that shine rays of light a certain angles (imagine a theatre or dark room with just one or two spotlights). As followers of Jesus we don't want to live just by the odd spotlight - No - we want to be <i>ever closer to Jesus</i>. That means learning to honour God fully: mind, soul and body so that we live in <i>His Light</i> - a whole set of <i>floodlights</i> that illuminates every corner.</p><p>We want that light to shine on us, to shine through us - our lives to be reflectors of that light because the Holy Spirit is pleased and able to dwell in us: our bodies as worthy Temples of the Holy Spirit.<br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-11449268537032633222022-10-09T12:30:00.134+01:002022-10-09T12:30:00.180+01:00Morality 101 - 1 Corinthians 5<p>Just about all people have some kind of morality code or standards they live by. When Paul preached in Corinth he preached to broadly two types of people. First the Jews, who had a strong morality code based on Old Testament Law, and second to the Greek culture. This was much more fluid, but even in that culture philosophers had written forms of behaviour code. The fact is that any group of people develop codes between themselves. Sometimes they take time, sometimes driven by the bad things that happen - for example Facebook 'Groups' first developed levels of permission, now have options for 'group codes of conduct' etc. In the fluid situation of Corinth, where there certainly were excesses, Paul <a href="https://key-questions.blogspot.com/2022/09/build-your-core-christ-crucified-1.html">preached Jesus Christ crucified and raised</a>. Some responded ... and those that did are now working out what it means for them to live in obedience to Jesus.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>We too, as followers of Jesus must also learn what it means for us - hence the new key question and challenge:</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>[IN]</b> To what extent are you making your daily choices obedient to the way Jesus wants you to live?<br /><b>Challenge</b>: Be open with a trusted prayer partner about areas of difficulty</span></p><p>Paul now hears that among the believers there is serious immoral behaviour happening - with even incest reported. It is useful for us to see how Paul responds. In verse 2 he writes '... even the pagans ...'. That relates to our point above that just about <i>all</i> have codes. The reported behaviour isn't even acceptable to those around them who are all over the place in their beliefs and what they think is right or wrong, so Paul asks how can it possibly be right for those following Jesus? The Corinthian Christians seems to be a proud bunch - Paul suggests that instead they should be asking themselves some hard soul-searching questions.</p><p>Two things we see are: a) Paul doesn't state a specific law - instead of simply quoting Leviticus 18:8 he draws a comparison with the surrounding culture; b) he writes 'Shouldn't you rather ...' - asking them <i>a question</i> about their response. In other words Paul <b>wants them to work it out</b>. His desire is that they work out what it means to live in obedience to Jesus. That doesn't simply mean fixed instructions of the law, but them working it through. If we look at the Christian movements around the world today that are growing fast, we see a common thing is that they teach new disciples to learn <i>for themselves</i> obedience to Jesus. They use scripture in their processes, but it isn't simply downloading rules or even doctrine, but rather teaching people to listen to the Spirit and act accordingly.</p><p>What if <b>we</b> as church learnt to do the same? To help people read prayerfully and hear Jesus for themselves? That is certainly <i>not</i> saying 'anything goes', nor does it mean that we don't challenge people on their behaviour. It is reading scripture, it is factoring in the strong morality expressed in the Old Testament, but doing it such that we hear the voice of Jesus.</p><p>For Paul, in this particular case of incest, it appears that he has already made up his mind (v3). We have to assume that space has been made for repentance and a new start - for that was the way of Jesus - but now Paul is clear that this person cannot <i>continue</i> their behaviour <i>and</i> <i>remain</i> a full member of their church. So the <i>church assembled</i> should <u>decide and act</u>. He empathises the church assembled because ultimately this is a <i>spiritual decision</i> of the church as they <i>discern the way of Jesus</i> together. It isn't about a simple legal logic.</p><p>There are two technical aspects: the meaning of 'hand over to Satan' is unclear to us. Maybe it means sending out the person from the domain of the church (where we can be <i>in Jesus</i> together) out to the domain of the world where they are back on their own. The 'his spirit may be saved' of v5 suggests Paul leaves the door open between that person and God so that they might ultimately be okay with God in eternity. In other words he leaves the <i>eternal judgement</i> up to God. As Christians we often confuse eternal judgements with boundaries that we have to make in the here and now in our churches. We do certainly have to have boundaries (remember again the point about codes): as church members we are covenanted together in a tight bond, which means our behaviours matter. The bottom line is that immoral behaviour is destructive - certainly for the individuals involved, but also for their families, and also for the whole church body.</p><p>Paul uses the image of <i>yeast in dough</i> in verse 6 to make this point: bad yeast will affect the whole batch of bread, not just part of a loaf. This image was God given, and Jesus picked up on it too. When the Jewish people were formed by being released out of slavery, God instructed them to hold in the midst of this a celebration called 'passover' which included using only <i>unleavened bread</i> (bread without yeast). God was effectively saying 'leave the old yeast behind, be released into the new'. Paul reminds the believers that Jesus is the 'passover lamb' - his death on the cross enables us to transition to new life in Jesus. So he says 'keep the festival', not necessarily literally, but certainly keep to the deal of leaving the old behind and becoming new. That includes your old ways, your past inappropriate/immoral behaviour (that even the pagans wouldn't tolerate!), all now left behind as you follow the new way of Jesus.</p><p>So let us, as Countess Free Church in 2022, also learn to be obedient to Jesus and live in His new way. That means learning to hear the whisper of the Spirit, for example as we process the key question above, and take action. The <i>challenge</i> above is important - take action <i>straight away</i> by having a trusted friend pray with you, do not delay! I remember a time when a memory of something quite wrong from my own secondary school days came back up. The original incident pre-dated my being a Christian, but now I was following Jesus I decided to take immediate action: I asked a trusted friend to pray with me so that I could say sorry to God for my own culpability in it, and trust in Jesus that there would be no hold on me from it, and that I could now live forwards fully cleansed in His Name.</p><p>Stuff happens: it might be from distant past, it might be from the past since you accepted Jesus into your life, or it might even be current. Either way the action is to go to Jesus, lay it before Him in repentance and accept His cleansing and ability to help you live forward in the new way. Accept that it was 'bad yeast' so to speak, but now that is to be left behind. Step into your new life in Jesus.<br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-80437283991929635982022-10-09T12:00:00.001+01:002022-10-09T12:00:00.178+01:00[IN] To what extent are you making your daily choices obedient to the way Jesus wants you to live?<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Challenge</b>: Be open with a trusted prayer partner about areas of difficulty</span></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483366991066730712.post-51043642665769261092022-09-25T12:00:00.139+01:002022-09-25T12:00:00.175+01:00Slum Dog Apostles - 1 Corinthians 4<p>This week we have seen the mother of all processions! Everyone perfectly dressed and in step, pomp & circumstance like no other, crowds lining streets with respect and cheers. Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians about another procession. It too had king & soldiers finely dressed, marching in step as well as crowds along the streets. But a key difference is that at the back were an additional group of people, dressed in rags and dragged by chains. The crowds jeer at them as they pass. This was the scene of the victory return of a conquering king, with the conquered captives dragged behind.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Paul writes that <i>his place</i> as an apostle - a bearer of good news - was <u>at the back</u> of this kind of procession. He implies through his writing that <i>our place</i> is to be <u>at the back too</u>! That might seem strange - in the summer we did a series on <a href="https://key-questions.blogspot.com/2022/05/be-fruitful-john-15.html">Affirmations</a>, looking at our status as a Royal Priesthood, being Temples of the Holy Spirit, ambassadors of Jesus serving in His power & authority. Yes absolutely all those affirmations are true - let us not forget our status in Christ - but in the <i>eyes of the world</i> none of that matters or makes any sense. As a believer of Jesus you are (by the world) to be pitied, despised ... a mere scumbag! To follow Jesus and be at His service means you are <i>at the back</i> of the procession with the scum, not at the front.</p><p>Paul saw that the Corinthian believers were already making a mistake by seeing and looking for <u>Status</u>. They would compare leaders, looking at who speaks better, who draws a bigger crowd and so on. To this Paul says: 'This is worldly thinking, not the way of Jesus!'. The way of Jesus is not about having a bigger platform, or building, or the better whiz-bang resources. Paul talks in this passage of the Kingdom of God being of power (v20), and talks about being rich and reigning (v8) ... but not as the world understands these concepts. The power and reign of the Kingdom of God was shown by Jesus to be in working with the <i>last, the least and the lost</i>. That means working in the rubble & mess of peoples lives, working through frustrations (e.g. someone says "I will come to your meeting", but never turns up), and of seeing real progress only to be followed by horrendous setbacks.</p><p>Some Christians today pray to see the power of God when we come together as church - that is great. Yet it seems that some pray as if the <i>only</i> place we will see such power is when we come together. That is a problem! <u>We must learn to see the power of God out there in the messy world</u>. For God's power is not limited to our gatherings, not dependent on how good our music is, or our PA system, or lighting or whatever else. In situations out in the everyday world of total carnage, things desperately going wrong ... it just takes the slightest openness of heart for it to become the very place where God is at work! A place where there is no special status, where it is more hard graft than clever lighting.</p><p>The world's way in simple terms is about power, status and stuff - and thus the strive to build a good life based on stuff and things. That leads many people to have a clear <u>priority</u> to paid work. That is not necessarily wrong, and involves trying to do well in a good job, earning to provide, build status and do well. Yet for <i>the follower of Jesus</i> the priority of work is subtly different: it is about honour - honouring the workplace, the colleagues, the customers. For some their work may resonate with their sense of God-given calling - but in any case the priority of work is set in the context of who the person is in Jesus.</p><p>Ordinary people also have a <u>priority</u> in commitment to family - wanting their children to do well, to prosper etc. This is reasonable, and the <i>follower of Jesus</i> has clear commitment to family as well (family is also important to us as a church). Yet whilst ordinary people might hold just those 2 priorities (work and family), the <i>follower of Jesus</i> has a third priority too: they have work, family <b>and</b> serving as Jesus has called us. That means there is a whole extra thing in the mix. That means our work/life/time balance is way different to others. It might mean we don't always go for promotion, or the highest paid job, and it certainly means that we learn to do family <i>in conjunction</i> with ministry & serving. As a church we have the motto <i>Seeking to Worship, Seeking to Serve</i> that encompasses these 3 priorities integrated together.</p><p>To do that seriously is in fact <u>hard work</u> - and often leads to lesser status in the world's eyes. No wonder the world might pity us! At the very least they would ask 'Why would even do that?'. Paul writes in v10-11 that we are fools for Christ - we go hungry, thirsty, living in rags and on top of all that people may mis-treat us, even curse us. Yet we respond with kindness, we bless, and we endure (v12). For all the world cares we might as well be <i>scum</i> - slum dogs - because we set the priorities of work & family<i> with</i> serving Jesus!</p><p>The ministry of Paul & Apollos meant getting their hands dirty - it wasn't all nice tea parties with the best china! It meant putting themselves out there in the dusty square, available for the last, the least and the lost. That requires <u>grit</u> and <u>determination</u>. This should be no surprise - the way of Jesus was to go to the cross with grit and determination. Some see difficulties and suggest that we 'wait until things are better', noting that people are tired, they have suffered life-troubles and so on. Those troubles are very real, but the problem is that I don't believe we have the option to 'wait until things are better' - the need for ministry out there is now! All around the world Christians are ministering in the face of unfathomable hardships and difficulties. They do not have the option of waiting, and they figure out how to get on with it. We have to learn to minister in the power of God out in the world even though we ourselves have people suffering, in difficulty and plain tired. The mentality we need is more like that of a 'Slum Dog' - who has to improvise and daily use whatever they can find to make a way through.</p><p>This does not mean we ignore the hurting, or we deny people time out to recuperate and so forth. It also <i>absolutely means</i> we have to look at our own spiritual practices, our attention to sabbath rest, and our rootedness in the <a href="https://key-questions.blogspot.com/2022/09/up-how-does-life-death-resurrection-of.html">cross & resurrection</a>. Paul wrote to the Corinthians 'Imitate me ...' (v16). His call to the Corinthian Christians was to drop worldly ideas of status (with the priorities that follow that), and join him at the back of the procession. In the world's eyes 'scum', but in God's eyes a Royal Priesthood, a Temple of the Holy Spirit, ambassador sent by Jesus to reign, to declare and see the power of God.<br /></p>Karl Relton considering 21st Century Missionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01363015653804604478noreply@blogger.com0