food4thought

Selina, Countess of Huntingdon

She was born into the country’s aristocracy in 1707. Her childhood was marked by a reputation for being both sensitive and serious minded. At the age of 9 she was greatly unsettled by the sight of a funeral cortege in which the body of a girl her own age was taken to a grave. She listened in at the service and frequently went back into the churchyard to visit the child’s grave.

She was highly intelligent although her spelling, handwriting and punctuation were appalling! She doesn’t appear to have been one of nature’s stunners but possessed an innate charm and commanding appearance. Nevertheless in 1728 at the age of 21 the Earl of Huntingdon fell in love with her, proposed and they married. As a result she began to move in the highest circles of society and became a close acquaintance of the Prince of Wales who later become king.

She was a deeply religious woman who for many years was convinced that her good works brought her great credit before the judge of all souls at the heavenly bar. She was obviously mistaken, although the good that she did was considerable and the cause of great delight to those who benefited from it. Brought low by a serious illness she was unable to take comfort from her good deeds was convicted of her sin and grew increasingly despondent.

She was converted 10 years into her marriage through the witness of her sister in law, who was visibly transformed through the Methodist revival of the 18th Century. Inevitably she was shunned by many in court circles for religious enthusiasm and she became the source for much ridicule. Some urged her unconverted husband to restrain what they regarded as her excesses but such was his regard for her that although he disagreed he did nothing to interfere with her views.

She was no stranger to hardship. Her two youngest sons died in their teenage years, her husband died when she was 39, her other two sons died young, a daughter died in infancy, her 3rd daughter was the only one to share her faith and she died in her early 20s, another daughter Elizabeth was the only one to outlive her mother. It’s not often in Church History that women are set before us as example to imitate and that must be a mistake. But here is one from whom we can all learn. She was a quite extraordinary person.

There are 3 simple lessons we can learn from Selina Countess of Huntingdon

1. She used her home for the gospel

Her various houses became places where the gospel was heard and the Bible taught. She invited the leading evangelical preachers to her home so that they could address various groups of well connected women. George Whitefield, whom she favoured above all the gospel ministers of that period, was at one stage was preaching twice a week in her drawing room. It seems as though she was such good company that even those who disagreed with her began to welcome the opportunities to hear various speakers. In the face of much ridicule she persevered and succeeded in persuading many of her peers in her level of social class to hear the gospel. Inspired by her example many other titled ladies opened their homes for evangelistic gatherings. The evangelistic supper party was born.

2. She used her money for the gospel

She was an evangelistic entrepreneur who was always thinking of new ways for people to hear the gospel. In 1761 she built the first of her chapels. These were designed as places where the evangelical preachers of the day who had been expelled from the Church of England could preach the gospel. Over 200 were built at her expense. The first chapel in Brighton was financed by the sale of her own jewels. She financed the creation of a theological college in South Wales to train ministers for service in her chapels in this country and abroad. She sat light to her physical wealth, was prepared to forgo comfort in this life so that others might be wealthy in the life to come. Such was her self sacrifice that a tradesman who visited her on one occasion remarked afterwards: "What a lesson! Can a person of her noble birth, nursed in the lap of grandeur, live in such a house, so meanly furnished; and shall I, a tradesman, be surrounded with luxury and elegance! From this moment, I shall hate my house, my furniture and myself, for spending so little for God and so much in folly."

3. She used her influence for the gospel

She was known by most of the well known figures of the day. Although many were not impressed by her emphasis on sin and the need for repentance few remained immune from her influence. For example, she defended the activities of dissenting Ministers to the king and won a hearing for the gospel because of her courage.

The story is told of a bishop who complained to the King about some of the Countess’ Ministers who had created something of a sensation in his diocese. His Majesty offered a solution—"Make bishops of them— make bishops of them." The Bishop replied: "That might be done, but please your Majesty, we cannot make a bishop of Lady Huntingdon." At that point the Queen interposed: "It would be a lucky circumstance if you could, for she puts you all to shame."

There is a great story of her taking on Dr Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury whose activities had become a discredit to the gospel. She confronted him directly about his behaviour but was met with indifference. Worse than that a vicious smear campaign was launched against her. Undaunted she took her case to the King. "Madam, the feelings you have discovered, and the conduct you have adopted on this occasion are highly creditable to you. The Archbishop’s behaviour has been slightly hinted to me already; but now that I have a certainty of his proceedings, and most ungracious conduct towards your Ladyship, after your trouble in remonstrating with him, I shall interpose my authority, and see what that will do towards reforming such indecent practices.’

Conclusion

The last word ought to go to the Countess herself ‘O that I may be more and more useful to the souls of my fellow creatures, I want to be every moment all life, all zeal, all activity for God, and ever on the stretch for closer communion with him’. Amen!

Charles Simeon 1759-1836

Charles Simeon was born in 1759 at a time when the Wesleys and Whitfield were still alive. He lived for 77 years and therefore witnessed both the American and French revolutions. He enjoyed a privileged upbringing being born into wealth, sent to Eton and then onto Cambridge. He was converted at University because of his own meticulous preparation for an unexpected compulsory Lord’s Supper. He felt the need to prepare himself for this significant occasion and ended up troubled by his own unworthiness. But then a breakthrough came, in his own words, ‘In Passion Week, as I was reading Bishop Wilson on the Lord’s Supper, I met with an expression to this effect – "That the Jews knew what they did, when they transferred their sin to the head of their offering." The thought came into my mind, What, may I transfer all my guilt to another? Has God provided an Offering for me, that I may lay my sins on His head? Then, God willing, I will not bear them on my own soul one moment longer. Accordingly I sought to lay my sins upon the sacred head of Jesus; and on the Wednesday began to have a hope of mercy; on the Thursday that hope increased; on the Friday and Saturday it became more strong; and on the Sunday morning, Easter-day, April 4, I awoke early with those words upon my heart and lips, ‘Jesus Christ is risen to-day! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!’ From that hour peace flowed in rich abundance into my soul; and at the Lord’s Table in our Chapel I had the sweetest access to God through my blessed Saviour.

He became Minister of Holy Trinity, Cambridge in 1782 and stayed there for 54 years.

1. A passion for expository preaching

He has been described as the Father of modern homiletics. Which simply means he taught everyone how to preach. He was not a great preacher at the start of his ministry but he learnt through experience. He summarised his approach this way, ‘My endeavour is to bring out of Scripture what is there, and not to thrust in what I think might be there. I have a great jealousy on this head; never to speak more or less than I believe to be the mind of the Spirit in the passage I am expounding.’ At the time this was revolutionary. Ministers were preaching their doctrinal system and not the thrust of the passage before them. He changed that. The result of this was that it transformed not only the way preachers handled the Bible but also the way the congregations read their Bibles at home.

2. A strategy for ministry training

Simeon became a powerful influence within the Anglican Denomination at a time when Evangelicalism was not welcome. At the time he began his ministry at HTC there were estimated to be no more than a couple of dozen Evangelicals in the entire Anglican Denomination. By the time he died in 1836 some 54 years later 1/3rd of the Anglican pulpits were filled with evangelicals. It is not exaggeration to claim that he was the single biggest contributory factor. Typically a student would come to Cambridge, would go to HTC, get converted, become passionate for the gospel and then think about full time Bible teaching, they would get ordained, the Bishops wouldn’t let them go anywhere influential so he sent them to various back waters. They would preach the gospel and the sons of the local landed gentry would get converted and go to Cambridge in order to be influenced by Simeon and then get ordained. There are several reasons for his success. he stayed in a sensible place to reach potential ministers for a very long time he held informal ministry discussions every week at his home at which students were invited to ask any question about Christian faith and doctrine he held preaching workshops in order to teach people how to read the Bible and how to put together a sermon that people would find helpful he held houseparties for the clergy he had sent to be ordained to encourage them in unpromising situations

3. A model of extraordinary perseverance

From the moment of his appointment onward he suffered greatly at the hands of many. Fellow Cambridge lecturers rebuffed him and ostracised him for his theological convictions. They organised a compulsory Greek class to coincide with his influential Sunday afternoon classes to prevent students from attending. Students came to HTC in order to ridicule and stir up trouble, he frequently faced physical intimidation and verbal abuse His own congregation did not want him there, he was appointed by the Bishop not chosen by them. They boycotted his morning meeting but locked the pews so that the newcomers had to stand in the aisles, they locked the church so that he had to cancel his evening meeting, his pastoral visitation met only with closed doors and unanswered calls This lasted for 12 years! At the age of 71 he was asked by a close friend how he had survived the persecution and opposition that had come his way. He replied, ‘My dear brother, we must not mind a little suffering for Christ’s sake. When I am getting through a hedge, if my head and shoulders are safely through, I can bear the pricking of my legs. Let us rejoice in the remembrance that our holy Head has surmounted all His suffering and triumphed over death. Let us follow Him patiently; we shall soon be partakers of His victory’

I recommend www.desiringgod.org for reflections upon his suffering ministry

‘Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it’ Proverbs 22:6

It’s observably true that in general someone who learnt the faith in ‘Sunday School’ will continue to serve Christ through their adult life. It’s not a guarantee, that’s not how the proverbs work but it gives us great encouragement in our kids’ ministry.

I claim no expertise in the matter of teaching kids’ slots. Those who’ve seen my attempts will be able to appreciate that I am very much ‘work in progress’ and I’m keen to listen to anyone who has experience and expertise in this matter. My slots are too long and over elaborate and therefore don’t really provide a useful example, except in the negative sense! However, I think I know what I’m supposed to be doing so let me explain what I’m aiming at.

1. The Principles of Kid’s Slots

a. The children are the intended audience!

To my way of thinking the children’s spot is essentially the children’s sermon. We’re trying to teach the Bible to them in such a way that they can understand what God is saying and what the implications are for them. Therefore we’ll try and explain clearly what we’re saying, illustrate the idea to aid understanding and then spell out one or two implications for their own situations.

b. The adults are not the intended audience!

We’re not trying to teach the adults (though that will often happen) and we’re not trying to impress them either (though it’s encouraging when we do!). In our constituency it’s not always easy to feel liberated from the tyrannical anxiety that everyone is assessing our doctrinal soundness. It’s worth trying to do that otherwise it’ll have a paralysing effect on our communication. And usually it’s just a perception in our minds and everyone else is grateful that someone is standing at the front making sense of the Bible for a change!

2. The Aim of Kid’s Slots

a. The best kid’s slots are clear

Clarity is the single most important feature of a successful kid’s slot. It’s also the hardest thing to achieve. Any idiot can be unclear but clarity requires thought and preparation. I usually go for one main theme and then 2 or 3 points to explain and expand on the big idea. The big idea is usually the title of the kid’s slot but we then have to work out what that means and how that idea expands. The danger is that we end up being too complicated or overly sophisticated and whilst the adults may be impressed at our theological dexterity the kids will just be confused. So for example, when we thought about ‘the church as a body’ the big idea was that as a church we belong to one another [I left the idea that church belongs to Christ as our head for the following week]. This had 3 component parts to it. Those were my points. They were we’re all joined together [like parts are connected together in the body] we all do different things [like different body parts do] we all need each other [like the dependence of the different body parts] Can you see how they all relate to the big idea and expand upon it?

b. The best kid’s slots are short

I’m told that in general a child can concentrate for about a minute per year of their age. I assume we need to divide that in half for lads. That means that we’ve got about 4 minutes in which to operate productively. The easiest way to be short is obviously not to have too much material. I usually have about 2 sides of A4 with 12 point Arial text and it takes 8-10 minutes once you add in the impromptu ad lib. That’s too long!

c. The best kid’s slots are engaging

That’s easy to say but harder to pull off. There are a few things that I’ve gleaned from others down the years that I’m all too happy to pass on. Often this has as much to do with our presentation as it does the content.

We need to learn to be expressive. This is especially true in the use of our voice. We need to vary our pitch, change our pace and press pause every now and again. Speaking slowly and quietly can be just as effective of regaining attention as raising our voice.

We need to learn to engage kids. If we use facial expressions and hand movements we’ll find that we can hold the children’s attention. Maintaining eye contact also ensures good communication and prevents them from becoming distracted.

We need to use real life objects. In terms of illustrations the kids prefer something that they can see in real life rather than a picture of something on PowerPoint or on paper. So for example, the wedding dress we used when we explain ‘the church as a bride’ went down a treat.

We need to use audience participation. I encourage both the children and the adults to be involved in the slot. It’s always worth asking the adults to hold something. Getting the kids to participate is more risky but the wheels haven’t come of the wagon yet! Remember the limitations of our kids as well. If there’s no answer forthcoming I’ll pick on an adult that I know won’t be phased by it.

3. The Preparation of kid’s slots

a. Make sure you understand the main idea

I would always try to read a commentary, like the ‘Bible Speaks Today’, if the kid’s slot is explaining a passage or an introduction to systematic theology, like Bruce Milne’s ‘Know the Truth’, if the kid’s slot is doctrinal. Clearly we won’t use the same language neither will we teach to the same depth because it’ll be inaccessible. However, this will give us confidence that what we’re saying is true and it’ll provoke some ideas to get us thinking along the right lines. Occasionally they come up trumps and say something very helpful like ‘when Paul used the building metaphor he had 3 ideas in mind.’ In which case the structure is pretty clear and we can progress to the next stage.

b. start writing ideas on a blank sheet of paper

The structure for what I’m doing usually comes as I think hard and start writing things down. I use a blank sheet of paper, write the main idea in the middle and think of related ideas. If that’s gone well I then try writing headings and start to think about illustrations. If at this stage nothing seems to be happening and you feel that you’re drowning in a sea of confusion then don’t panic. It’s often this way. Put it to one side and come back to it a day later. You can of course always phone, e-mail or talk to me if you’re getting stuck. I’ll try and produce some helpful material to guide your thoughts that ought to help you in the right direction.

c. Prepare an outline

Each talk needs to have a structure so that you know where you’re going and the kid’s can follow. Usually my structure has an introduction, main part and a conclusion. The introduction aims to remind the kids what we’re looking at and Under each point we’re trying to

• State the point: We do this when we read out our heading and put it on the board.
• Explain the point: We do this when we explain what that point means. We must do this in one or two sentences otherwise it becomes too complicated.
• Illustrate the point: We do this using visual stimulation. Children find it harder to think conceptually and so having something visual in front of them is preferable.
• Apply the point: We do this when we show the kids what the implications are for their own lives of what we’ve been thinking about.

d. Work on the illustrations

This takes more time than you think especially if it involves painting and cutting. I’ve yet to be caught out trying to force dry paint over a radiator on a Sunday morning but it’ll happen at some stage! In general I print out my points on a computer because it’s straightforward and some coloured card adds some interest. When we have a memory verse I think painting it onto lining paper from B&Q and unrolling it on the meeting is much more engaging than displaying it on PowerPoint. If time is short PowerPoint is a friend and I can scan any pictures you would like included.

e. write a full text

This will help you get a feel for how long you’re going to be. I’ll try and learn it off by heart but I always have a full text in eyesight when I do a kid’s slots. It’s comforting to know that with a quick glance of the eye I can remember what’s coming next. Obviously the shorter the slot the less there is to remember.

Conclusion

Teaching the kids is a great privilege and a real joy. The cynicism that comes with age has yet to dull their acceptance of what we teach. They can make great progress very quickly. However, it’s also incumbent upon us to be faithful to the truth and not mislead them.

A one off kid’s slot ideal for guest meetings

Hands up who knows who this is? [Hold up picture or real life Buzz Lightyear]

Who can tell me some of the things that he says? I think there are 3 things that he says when you pull his cord do you know what they are?

• ‘Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue’
• ‘I come in peace’
• ‘To infinity and beyond’

I think Buzz Lightyear is brilliant but I think that Jesus is better. Let me give you 3 reasons why Jesus is better than Buzz.

1. Jesus came to rescue us from danger

A rescuer is someone who helps us out of a situation where we can’t help ourselves.

Buzz came from Star Command to rescue all sorts of people but he’s only a toy.

But Jesus is a real rescuer. God thinks that we’re in danger. He sent Jesus to rescue us so that we’d be safe.

2. Jesus came to make our peace with God

To make peace with someone is to go from being enemies to becoming friends.

Buzz came from Star Command to bring peace to the universe but he’s only a toy.

But Jesus can bring real peace. Jesus came so that we could be friends with God again. God was angry with us because we’ve been disobedient and not done what he wants. It’s a bit like the way that our Mum and Dad get angry with us when we behave badly. But Jesus came so that we could be friends with God again.

3. Jesus came to take us to infinity and beyond

Infinity and beyond is a way of saying forever and ever.

Buzz came from Star Command to take people to some amazing places but he’s only a toy.

Jesus came to take us to a really amazing place called heaven. Heaven goes on for ever and ever. That’s fantastic news because it’s so good it’s like being on holiday with God forever.

Conclusion

Buzz is just a toy but Jesus is for real and so Jesus can really do what Buzz promises. I think Buzz is brilliant but I also think Jesus is better.

What is ‘Camp’?

Every year thousands of children and hundreds of young adults go off on residential Christian summer camps. They’re usually about one week long. They often take place in the public schools of this country and so the word ‘camp’ is misleading. Only the very hardy continue under canvas!

Christian camps are different from many other worthwhile camps that operate over the summer because of the gospel priorities that underlie their organisation. They exist not only to give teenagers a great summer holiday but to help them engage with the bigger issues of life.

They support the work of the local church and do not replace it. Overall camp leaders should go to great lengths to work in consultation with the local church youth group leaders. They work with the kids all year round and know them better than we do. They have organised teaching programmes and

Over the last half a century they have had a significant impact on the evangelical churches in our country. Many of our senior church leaders were recruited, converted and trained on camp. The recent leaders of All Souls, St Helens and HTB were all involved with camps as young men.

Why do ‘Camp’?

Every year church leaders encourage their congregations to volunteer, camp leaders send out requests for help and friends commend the wisdom of doing so. But why would any right thinking individual give up a week of their holiday period, sleep in a dormitory of teenagers and return to work less rested than when they went away. Let me give you three reasons.

1. They reach children with the gospel

This is the primary reason for organising camps and therefore the most important. Children are not innocent and therefore if they are to be saved they need to hear the gospel and combine that with repentance and faith. It’s often hard to persuade teenagers to go to church or perhaps to a school Christian meeting but it’s easier to recruit kids to a Christian camp. The kids are at a stage in life where their readiness to listen to the gospel has yet to be tarnished by the cynicism that often comes with age. On a residential camp, whilst we want to distance ourselves from the accusations of manipulation teenagers are away from other distracting influences, they will experience a Christian community and can ask their questions free from unhelpful peer pressure.

2. They provide opportunities to serve

Summer camps are like a much more intense experience of church. The priorities are the same since Bible teaching, personal evangelism and encouragement to holiness are at the heart of both. However, the audience at camp is much more focussed in terms of age. Camps, like church, have lots of different opportunities to serve. We can often think that the only useful people on camp are Jason Robinson or Natasha Beddingfield. But the kids at camp come in all different shapes and sizes with all sorts of different interests and so we need a variety of leaders. Camps need people with technical expertise, with sporting ability, with culinary flair, with artistic talent, theatrical tendencies, with financial acumen and with administrative gifts, to name a few. They need ‘up front’ people who can run games but they also need ‘behind the scenes’ people who make it all happen. It’s very unlikely that we’d be unable to make a useful contribution to a summer camp.

3. They equip us to be useful in the church

Church leaders will often say that the people that are of most use in their local church setting are those who have had some experience of camp. There are things that we can learn on camp that are immediately useful in church. We can learn how to understand and teach the Bible and so we can help run a small group. Or we learn how to participate usefully in a small group because we know how valuable it is to have people who contribute. We can learn how to lead a meeting or run a seminar and so we can take on teaching in Sunday school, doing a kid’s spot or speaking at women’s breakfasts. We can learn to explain the gospel and respond to people’s questions and so we can begin to grow in confidence in talking to our friends and colleagues. We can learn how to personally encourage a teenager in their Christian life and so we can begin to be of help to others in our congregation perhaps reading the Bible with them one to one.

Who could get involved in ‘Camp’?

The New Testament requirements for leadership are giftedness and godliness. So if you could contribute something useful to a camp, your lifestyle will not bring the gospel into disrepute and you’re willing to get involved then why not commit to it. There are some camps represented here. Pathfinders are camps for 11-14 year olds and CYFA are camps for 15-18 year olds. They happen at various locations throughout the country and they are spread over a range of dates. Most require attendance at a training weekend and at a reunion. If you’d like to find out more then fill indicate that on the feedback form or come and speak to me in person.

An essay produced early on at College

‘Praise is essentially advertising, as odious as that comparison might seem’ [Confessions of a Teenage Praise Junkie’ The Briefing, Matthias Media, Issue 170]

Tony Payne was driven to this conclusion from a detailed study of the Psalms, the book of the Bible in which more than half the references to praise occur. However, it’s an idea that’s not simply limited to that collection of Israel’s poetic songs. As Wallace puts it in his New Bible Dictionary article on Praise puts it, ‘the whole Bible is punctuated with outbursts of praise’.

This paper argues that a biblical theology of praise ought to be legitimately understood as the public proclamation of the praiseworthy attributes and actions of God in a manner closely akin to contemporary advertising. Four implications are then considered for congregational life.

1. The Nature of Praise

In an article for the Moore College publication ‘Explorations’ Harding conducts an analysis into the biblical concept of praise. He notices that over 80% of the occurrences of the English word praise are translated from two Hebrew words. He concludes that these two words are synonymous in meaning and that they, ‘denote public acknowledgement of favours received, as well as the advertisement of qualities, excellences and deeds’. Rather than being a religious word, praise simply describes an ordinary everyday activity in which someone tells others of an excellent quality or an extraordinary achievement. Harding’s etymological study of the use of these words therefore confirms Payne’s assertion that praise is essentially advertising.

2. The Content of Praise

This inevitably provokes the question, ‘what is it that is being advertised?’ Woodhouse in his article on church music in the Matthias Media publication ‘The Church Musician’s Handbook’ maintains that the content of praise is, ‘declaring what God is like and what he has done’. This is evident in one of the earliest songs of praises. It comes from the lips of Moses and his fellow redeemed Israelites. In this song they addressed God and told him of their intention to publicly declare his character as Israel’s warrior who had defeated Pharaoh. The content of praise as either a recollection or proclamation of God’s saving acts or his work of creation is a consistent theme throughout the Psalms. The content of praise in the New Testament is related to its Old Testament counterpart by continuity and transformation. In Peter’s first letter he attributes praise to God for his great mercy. Since God had decided to grant new life to believers whose salvation for all eternity had been secured he was worthy of praise . Therefore the content of praise remains God’s wonderful character and deeds. However, the deeds that are proclaimed in the gospel era are transformed and now advertise the saving acts of the gospel. In the New Testament the focus is therefore considerably more upon the achievements of Christ on the cross. This drives Payne to write, ‘In the New Testament then, praise is somewhat similar to evangelism’ . It is an announcement of what God has done in Christ by saving his people. Woodhouse goes further and argues that, ‘The highest praise of God is the proclamation of the gospel’ . This is persuasive since there is nothing greater that God has achieved and there is no clearer declaration of his character than his accomplishment of securing the eternal salvation of his people. Indeed it is this very thing that causes the saints in heaven to praise the slain Lamb of God.

3. The Exponents of Praise

Having considered briefly the content of praise it is necessary to consider whom it is that does the advertising. In the Old Testament after the ark was brought into Jerusalem David appointed Levites whose specific responsibility was to praise God. David also went to the trouble of writing a Psalm of praise so that they would have something good to sing! This Psalm makes a telling contribution to this subject since David’s concern was that this praise should be carried out among the nations so that they should know what God had accomplished. This unique caste, who were set apart for these responsibilities, were therefore able to fulfil their priestly role by mediating between God and the nations. However, the rest of the Old Testament makes it clear that praise was not to be limited to a small spiritual elite. In Isaiah 43:21 God promised that he would do a new thing. His saving activity would result in an international people proclaiming his praise. This is fulfilled in the gospel accounts of Jesus birth where men and women from a variety of social, national and religious groups publicly extol his virtues. This is seen clearly in Christ’s glorious entry into his capital city when the crowds gathered to praise him. The shouting and declaring announced that he was the rightful heir to David’s throne, God’s Messiah. In 1 Peter 2:9 the redeemed people of God were exhorted by Peter to declare the praises of God who had brought them out of darkness into light. There is therefore a corporate responsibility incumbent on the redeemed people of God to advertise his mighty deeds. Yet on an individual level there are frequent occurrences of praise emanating from an individual who had benefited from God’s favour. One such example occurs when the blind man begging on the Jericho pavement had his sight restored, he immediately declared what God had done for him and others were provoked to extol the attributes of this saving God . Consistently however, it was the beneficiaries or observers of God’s mighty acts who praised him.

4. The Recipients of Praise

It has been established that the content of praise is the character and activity of God and that the redeemed people of God who have benefited from his favour carry it out. It is necessary now to establish for whose benefit is this activity of praise. Although praise occurs in the presence of God it is not primarily addressed to him but instead to those who are listening. As Payne writes, ‘Very often in the Psalms, praise is in the third person – that is, it is spoken or sung about God, being addressed to those who are listening rather than to God himself’ [Confessions]. This is evident in Psalm 138 where although the praise is addressed to God it has the character of proclamation. The beneficiary of God’s activity sings to God about all that God has done but this is performed in the presence of others. As a result God is praised because these others hear of the marvellous things that he has done. The context for many of these Psalms of praise was the temple where the nation gathered to sing from Israel’s songbook so many would have heard God’s praise. However, many of the Psalms are an exhortation to praise not the praise itself. For example in Psalm 96 the congregation are exhorted to sing praise to God’s name but to do so among the nations as they declare his marvellous deeds. In a sense this Psalm is simply a song sung to one another to encourage the congregation to get out and do some Old Testament evangelism. A similar emphasis is found in Deborah’s song celebrating God’s victory. Her concern was that the Kings and the Rulers of the nations should hear God’s praise . Under the New Covenant this responsibility remains however once again it is Christ who becomes the subject matter as lips declare his achievements to the nations . In conclusion praise is intended primarily for the benefit of the hearers who are confronted by the praiseworthiness of God rather than for God himself.

Payne writes, ‘Music is to praise as the jingle is to advertising’ [Confessions]. His purpose in saying this is to draw attention to the fact that praise is verbal in content but that any number of accompaniments can be added to this verbal proclamation in order to get the message across. Woodhouse observes, ‘Although the Psalms were undoubtedly sung, they were handed down without a note of music attached to them. There are no melody lines in the Book of Psalms and yet the element of praise is undeniable. Praising God cannot therefore depend upon music’. Contrary to contemporary church culture the Bible nowhere equates praise with singing. These writers begin to address the issue of how praise ought to be conducted. Throughout the scriptures there are references to verbal declaration without musical accompaniment but also to those supplemented with a cacophony of noise. In 1 Chronicles 29:10 David praised the Lord by speaking unaccompanied. In Psalm 150 seemingly every musical instrument is gathered to enhance the announcement of God’s greatness demonstrated by his mighty acts. David implores his readers to throw the kitchen sink at it! The purpose of adding music, singing or raising one’s voice appears to be a function of effective communication as well as the inevitable excitement on the part of the participant as they recall God’s goodness. The maxim that people get their theology from what they sing should be a warning to songwriters but also a great encouragement that a catchy jingle cements sound teaching in a way that some sermons seldom do.

Having outlined the biblical emphasis on praise the implications of this for congregational life can be considered. Payne’s article is an insightful analysis of many misconceptions shared by many in congregations. Three of these are considered here and the last is an observation from Smith.

First, Payne observes, ‘Praise is usually seen as a special religious practice normally conducted in church meetings’ . It is a religious practice inasmuch as it is those of the Christian faith who carry it out and it does occur in Christian meetings. However, the great emphasis of the Psalms is that the praise of God ought to be carried out in front of unbelievers. Consequently many service leaders and musician’s may need to reform their terminology so that the congregation are not misled into limiting their praise to the comfort zone of a church service.

Secondly, Payne observes, ‘Praise is an experience of communion with God where God’s presence is especially encountered’ . This misunderstanding results from confusion about how God is experienced. Emotionalism is substituted for an authentic encounter with God through his word. The danger with this view is that, ‘Music can be manipulative if it is used create a mood or to entertain’. Clearly, at times, the one praising will be emotionally moved by the content of their praise but increasingly people may begin to develop a dependency on their emotional experiences rather than the word of God as they assess their spiritual health.

Thirdly, Payne writes, ‘Praise is a personal encounter with God usually strongly emotional in its tone in which we speak to him and tell him how much we love him and honour him’ . The emphasis of the Bible to be a people who declare God’s praises publicly must be maintained against the current cultural trend of individualistic self-absorption that inevitably infects the church. When we praise we do so as Peterson demonstrates in God’s presence but it is primarily for mutual edification or for the education of the nations. The fourth observation is prompted by Smith’s comment that, ‘Musical taste is a major problem area because most people unconsciously think that their musical taste is superior to others’ . Perhaps this view persists because there is the belief that one type of music is more sacred than another. However, as Woodhouse points out, ‘Music itself cannot be Christian or non-Christian’ . This is therefore an unnecessary area of conflict. Congregations have flexibility in praise to use music or to dispense with it. When music is employed there is the same flexibility that the early church had when they sang Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs. As Peterson comments, ‘The aim in any congregation should be to develop a musical tradition that is appropriate to the group concerned’ [’The Old and the New’, The Church Musician’s Handbook].

Conclusion

Payne has it right. Our praise of God is the public declaration of God’s gospel achievements. We can put it to music if it helps but it’s not compulsory. However, in meetings together we ought to sing to encourage one another to be busy at the business of advertising.

Bibliography

• J.D. Douglas & N. Hillyer, New Bible Dictionary (Leicester: IVP, 1982)
• S. Ferguson, New Dictionary of Theology (Leicester: IVP, 1988)
• W.A. Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996)
• W.A. Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996)
• J.B. Bauer, Encyclopaedia of Biblical Theology, (London: Sheed & Ward, 1970)
• D. Peterson, Engaging with God, (Leicester: Apollos, 1992)
• R.J. Gibson, Explorations (Adelaide: Open Book Publsihers, 1997)
• A.M. Harman & P.F. Jensen, Reformed Theological Review, (Volume 55, 1996)

A film starring Liam Neeson as the sex researcher Alfred Kinsey was released in Britain a week ago. The subtitle to the film, ‘let’s talk about sex’, acknowledges the key role Kinsey played in lifting the lid on sexual taboos and behaviour that America had previously been reluctant to discuss. My intent in this doctrine slot is not to critique the film. I haven’t seen it and have no intention of doing so. It’s simply to arm ourselves with some information about this man and his work so that we can get involved in any discussion that might perhaps take place at work, the pub or in the gym.

Kinsey’s Background

Alfred Kinsey was born into a Methodist family with an authoritarian Father and a withdrawn Mother. His childhood was miserable and one in which dating, Sunday newspapers and movies were deemed inappropriate for the people of God. It was certainly not an environment in which to learn much about God’s good gift of sex. In 1938 he became a zoologist at the University of Indiana, specialising in the study of insects. He later married a chemistry student Clara McMillen. The early days of marriage were beset by sexual problems. Ignorant about such matters they sought a scientific solution through the advice of a straight talking gynaecologist. This convinced Kinsey that students were not getting sufficient information on an important subject he undertook to provide a course about the facts of life. Emboldened by his success Kinsey sought and secured funding and began a nation-wide survey on sexual behaviour. Instead of letting people assume what normal sexual activity should be he was determined to find out what people were actually doing. He’s most famous for his two publications Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male (1948) Sexual Behaviour in the Human Female (1953) These became known as the Kinsey report. The key findings from his research were 85% of white American men had had pre-marital sex 50% had had extra-marital sex 69% had visited prostitutes 37% of men had had at least one homosexual experience 10% of men were more or less exclusively homosexual He concluded that Americans were far more sexually adventurous than anyone had previously been willing to admit.

There are 3 things however that the film will not make clear and undermine the version of events prominent in the media.

1. His research methods were seriously flawed

In the film Kinsey is portrayed as a man who undertook serious scientific research

He used non-representative samples.

It’s true that he took a large sample of American males. However, they were hardly representative of the population as a whole. As one reviewer put it, ‘people who will willingly talk to a total stranger about their sexual behaviour from normal marital intercourse to sex with babies and animals can hardly be considered representative’. But 26% of his sample were sex offenders, an additional 25% were also in prison and promiscuous males and sexual deviants were also over represented. A raft of recent surveys have concluded that the number of homosexual males is nearer 1%.

He was complicit in the sexual abuse of babies, toddlers and other children.

He eagerly solicited information from a serial child molester and attempted to pay him for further research. The Kinsey report contains detailed statistics on the nature of orgasms among 929 male subjects, ranging in age from 5 months to 14 years of age. The obvious question is how these figures were obtained. Judith Reisman a critic of Kinsey has provided evidence that Kinsey recruited and trained paedophiles to conduct research on his behalf, and that their contact with the children concerned sometimes took place over months and even years.

2. His personal behaviour was sexually deviant

From a very early age he had engaged in deviant sexual acts. Kinsey engaged in homosexual acts, serial adultery and in sado-masochistic self-abuse. He encouraged his wife to participate in extra marital affairs. He encouraged and recorded others involved in similar activities. By the time of his report he had begun conducting and participating in sexual experimentation with his staff and in the filming of hundreds of people. Although the film doesn’t hide the tryst involving his wife and a fellow researcher it presents this as a unique event. It was however one of countless episodes.

In the film Kinsey is portrayed as a man of science forced into the study of sexual behaviour by his own marital difficulties and the ignorance and superstition of society. But it ignores a more obvious motivation for Kinsey’s research. Because of his own preference for sexual experimentation he had strong reasons for pursuing sex research and for demonstrating that there was no such thing as deviancy. Al Mohler, the American Theologian and Broadcaster has written, ‘According to this popular and pervasive mythology, Alfred Kinsey was a scientist who brought his rigorous scientific skills and objective scientific interests to the study of human sexuality. The real Alfred Kinsey was a man whose own sexual practices cannot be safely described to the general public and whose interest in sex was anything but objective or scientific’.

3. His abiding legacy is destructive immorality

In the film Kinsey is depicted as a man who forced a sexually repressed and censorious society to acknowledge that things happened in bedrooms. He lifted the covers on the sexual habits of Americans and in so doing made the activity that he reported normal. As a secular journalist put it, ‘people who see the sexual revolution as a giant step forward and those who see it as the beginning of America’s descent into moral degeneracy agree on one thing: Alfred Kinsey was the man who got it all started’. It’s probably worth saying that the reticence of our Grandparents generation and perhaps that of our parents to talk about sex has not been hugely helpful. In that sort of environment misinformation, speculation and confusion can flourish. But in reality are we better off as a result?

He undermined Christian morality

Kinsey once wrote to one of his associates, ‘the whole army of religion is our central enemy’. He knew what he was doing. His biographer James Jones writes, ‘He wanted to undermine traditional morality, to soften the rules of restraint and to help people develop positive attitudes towards their sexual needs and desires. Kinsey was a crypto-reformer who spent every waking hour attempting to change the sexual mores and sex offender laws of the United States’.

He encouraged progressive immorality

The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction is still in existence. All around us we see the effects of the sexual revolution. Half of marriages end in divorce, a quarter of the rising generation has been aborted and we’re swimming in sexual imagery and exploitation. Sex has been separated from love and marriage. As one writer put it, ‘Kinsey’s legacy is that he played a role in unleashing epidemic levels of STDs, rampant divorce, massive numbers of out or wedlock births, the breakdown of the family, abortion and the destruction of marriage’. That’s some legacy. But don’t expect to find any of that in the press.

How should we respond?

We ought to arm ourselves with the facts. You may want to get Pure Sex by Jensen and Payne available at the bookstall.

We ought to watch ourselves. Bare in mind these words from Galatians 6, ‘keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted’. The sexual permissiveness of our society can inform our own understanding of what’s acceptable Christian behaviour more than God’s will in the Bible. We can use the extreme behaviour of others to play our own immorality on side and so we need to be careful.

We ought to pray for our world. We’re caught up in the whirlwind that he sowed. Our sexually superheated society is the place where we’re seeking to help mend people suffering the consequences of damaging sexual bahaviour. We’re all sexual sinners to one degree or another and we mustn’t be hypocritical and I suspect that praying preserves us from that.

Further Reading

• Pure Sex, Payne and Jensen, Matthias Media
• ‘Kinsey as He Really Was – What You Won’t See in the Movie’, A. Mohler, www.albertmohler.com

I love this time of year because there’s so many exciting things happening.

What’s going on at the moment that you can think of?

Holidays, Fireworks, Birthdays, Halloween

Who can tell me what’s going to happen on Tuesday?

[present clues eg the colour black, a broom, the 31st October, a pumpkin

We’re going to think about Halloween

What sort of things will your friends do on Halloween?

Halloween is a night when lots of your friends may dress up as scary monsters, they may stay out later than usual and they may go round to other people’s houses asking for a treat.

Let me say there are some really good things about Halloween.

• It’s great to dress up and pretend to be something else
• It’s brilliant that God’s give us an imagination so that we can invent stories
• It’s fun to go round to other people’s houses near where we live and share sweets and lots of other tasty food

But there’s another side to Halloween that we ought to think about. Halloween has become a day when people think about what frightens us.

What sorts of things frighten you?

What frightens most people are things like the dark, monsters, witches, evil spirits and the devil. Those sorts of things are scary. But God tells us in the Bible that we don’t need to be afraid of scary things for 3 very good reasons.

1. God made all the scary things

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God tells us in the Bible that he made the universe, our world and everything in it. That means he even made the scary things. So there really is a devil and he has lots of evil spirits who do what he wants and not what God wants. Sometimes witches and goblins, monsters and the devil are pretend characters in books but the devil and evil spirits are not make believe. God has let an evil person come into the world who wants people to say no to God and say no to what God wants. We don’t know exactly why God let this happen but we know that He did. We’re not pretending.

But if we follow Jesus then we’re on his side. And because he made all the scary things he’s in control of them and he won’t let anything hurt us.

2. God is stronger than all the scary things

God tells us in the Bible that God is not scared by anything He’s made. In fact it’s the other way around. The scary things are afraid of God.

Mark 2:25 Jesus told the evil spirit, "Be quiet and come out of the man!" 26 The spirit shook him. Then it gave a loud shout and left.

Every time that Jesus met an evil spirit it screamed and ran away from him. Jesus even met the devil a few times and when he did the devil tried to get him to do what God didn’t want him to do but he couldn’t. The devil must have thought he’d won when he got Jesus killed on the cross. But he couldn’t have been more wrong. God sent Jesus to die for us on the cross so that we be forgiven and belong to God. And so the devil loses. He doesn’t get what he wants which is to make us God’s enemies because of Jesus we can be God’s friends.

If we follow Jesus then we’re on his side and Jesus showed that God is more powerful than any scary thing.

3. God will get rid of all the scary things

God tells us in the Bible that one-day God will get rid of all the scary things. In heaven there won’t be anything that makes us afraid.

Revelation 21:10 Then the devil who fooled them will be thrown into the lake of fire and burning sulphur. 

One day Jesus will come back and send the devil away from us forever and ever and so there’ll be nothing left to scare us.

If we follow Jesus then we’re on his side and he’s going to take us to heaven where there will be no scary things.

Conclusion

So even though lots of people might be thinking about the things that frighten them on Tuesday night we don’t have to be scared because even though there really is a devil Jesus is more powerful than him and has beaten him on the cross. If there’s more that you want to find out why not ask your Dad & Mum. Dads and Mums, if you’d like I can recommend some reading if that would be helpful.

Tuesday night is Halloween. I thought I’d give you some of my thoughts on this event. They’re offered as a starting point in an ongoing discussion.

1. Halloween is commercially significant

In the US it’s the 2nd most popular holiday and it generates 4-6 Billion Dollars in revenue. In the UK it’s the 3rd behind Christmas and Easter. Father Christmas and the Easter Bunny are holding Freddy Krueger at bay for the moment. But it’s changing.

2. Halloween is historically significant

The origins of Halloween date back over 2000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, a word that means the end of summer. This festival celebrated the end of harvest and the beginning of the Celtic New Year on November 1st. By 43AD the Roman Empire had conquered most of the Celtic regions and in the following 400 years the Roman festival of Feralia was incorporated into it. This was day in late October when the Romans commemorated the passing of the dead. By the 800s Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the 8th century Pope Boniface IV designated November 1st All Saints’ Day to honour those saints that didn’t have a special day of their own. You wouldn’t want anyone to feel left out! The Pope hoped to put a XN spin on the pagan Celtic festival with a church-sponsored holiday [after all it had worked with Christmas]. Over the years the festival became known as All Hallows and the night before was known as All Hallows Eve or Halloween.

3. Halloween is spiritually significant

I have no wish to be reactionary but I’ve got issues with Halloween. I’m not about to mount a campaign. I’m aware that Christianss have a reputation for the ‘spot it and stop it’ routine and I have no desire to strengthen that conviction. But to use an old Naval saying let me run these up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes them!

I’ve got issues with Halloween because

a. Halloween has become a time when wickedness is domesticated

I think the Bible allows a place for imagination, pretence and fantasy but Halloween allows elements from the dark side of spirituality to be accepted in mainstream culture. It’s become a holiday of cultural fascination with evil and the demonic. Evil is portrayed as innocent and fund. And it’s neither. We need to remember the wickedness of evil. The devil and his demons are real. We have a real spiritual adversary who seeks our destruction. Of course through our identification with Christ we have nothing to fear from an enemy that he’s already defeated. But nevertheless wickedness and evil ought to be exposed, opposed and loathed. But our approach may actually be encouraging fascination with something that’s ultimately damaging.

b. Halloween has become a time when we celebrate what scares us

Out of love for the vulnerable, particularly children we ought to protect them from things that frighten them. Walking into Woolworths to be confronted by hairy spiders, a witch’s mask and a giant bat is not most young children’s idea of fun. Anyone who’s had to calm a screaming child who’s woken in the middle of the night having a nightmare will know what damage these images can do. At least our films have classification guidelines that allow parents the freedom to make a decision but no such restraint is exercised at this time of the year. We may be strong enough to cope with the associations with evil without being tainted and we may be brave enough to cope with the frightening images but not everyone is. As Christians we should therefore limit our freedom in love for others and encourage others to do the same.

c. Halloween has become a time when we teach our children that extortion is acceptable

What else is trick or treat? We give people in our neighbourhood a choice between a rock and a hard place. It’s either ‘give me a treat’ or ‘I give you a trick’. Isn’t that what organised crime does?!

So, what could you do on Tuesday night when the local children come to your door escorted by their elder siblings or their parents? The following advice needs to be adapted to our personality and the age of the child on our doorstep! [see Evangelicals Now article by P. Hitchcock]

1. Comment on their outfits and say something positive about how much time and trouble they went to.

2. Ask, ‘who do you think is the most powerful spiritual being in the world?’ and say no to all of their answers. Then ask them, ‘who do you think the devil is really scared of?’

3. Tell them that God once sent a baby from heaven to earth and when he grew up he scared the living daylights out of every evil spirit that he met. He even engaged in face to face combat with the devil and won. The devil thought he must have won when he was killed on a cross but it turned out that this was the killer blow that led to his complete and utter defeat and will lead to his future destruction.

4. Give them a sweet, hand out a tract like the one entitled ‘Halloween … What a Scream’ from the Good Book Company and tell them to come to church if they want to find out more!

Sources

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/halloween.shtml ‘Halloween … It’s A Scream’ The Good Book Company
• A. M. Rearick III, ‘Matters of Opinion: Hallowing Halloween: Why Christians should embrace the devilish holiday with gusto – and laughter’ http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/october2/29.79.html
• R. Mouw, ‘Making Real Decisions About Halloween’, http://www.beliefnet.com/story/47/story_4761_2.html
• A. Mohler, Christianity and the Dark Side: What About Halloween?’ http://www.albertmohler.com
• A. mOhler, ‘The Return of Witchcraft - Ancient Paganism in a Modern Form’, http://www.albertmohler.com
• D. Harris, ‘Halloween … Harmless Fun or Spiritual Threat’ Association of Christian Teachers Web Site
• P. Hitchcock, ‘Halloween It’s A Scream’, http://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/productfiles/hiasp-article.htm

Question 1: what do you think is the Christian life?

Question 2: what do you think is involved in living the Christian life?

Why these things? Clearly these are important questions for if we’re not sure about what we’re starting it will be difficult for us to know what to start doing. We may pick some clues up from watching our friends. But it’d be much better wouldn’t it if someone took us through it? That’s what I’m hoping we’ll do this evening. The seminar is entitled ‘Getting Started’ and my intention is to summarise what I think the Bible says about the Christian life so that whether we’re beginning it for the first time or for some reason we feel we’ve stalled we can start to make progress. I want to contend that the Christian life is essentially, ‘a life in which faith in the gospel brings us into a new relationship with God and consequently through our identification with him and our inclusion in his kingdom brings us into new relationships with ourselves, one another and the world in which we live’.

Systematic Summary of the Christian Life

We’re going to try and think systematically about the Christian life now. You won’t find this in one passage. It’s an attempt to summarise the New Testament teaching on the main features of the Christian life. I haven’t got time to show you my working but I’m happy to be asked why the gospel brings us into a new relationship with God

This new relationship is essentially one of reconciliation.

Once we were enemies of God now we are sons and He is our Father. We know God. It is important to be clear what the Bible means by ‘knowing God’ so that we don’t have unrealistic expectations only for them to be disappointed in the reality of our Christian life. Clearly it has to be different from the way we know each other for God is no longer physically here to speak to face to face as he was for the first disciples.

Knowing God

Knowing something becomes more complex the more complex the thing to be known. Let me explain. We know something abstract like a language by learning. We know something inanimate like a mountain by inspection or exploration. We know something living like a horse by acquaintance, seeing it in action and trying to handle it for oneself. We know a person as they disclose themselves to us. Therefore our knowledge depends more on them allowing us to know them than on us attempting to know them. The more ‘superior’ a person, take the Queen for example, the more likely we are to respectfully wait for them to converse with us than force the situation ourselves. Knowing God fits into this latter category. It is more than knowing about God although that is a crucial foundation for we don’t know someone very well if we don’t know much about them. But knowing God is more than being able to acquire information about him and describe him, the devil can do that. It’s a relationship of direct contact in which we express commitment, trust and reliance upon him. The images the Bible uses are of a son knowing his father, a wife knowing her husband, a sheep knowing its shepherd and a subject knowing his king. In other words they cultivate the expectation that our relationship with God is one in which we look up to someone who takes responsibility for our welfare.

Faith and repentance

In the context of this relationship we can begin to see why Bible reading and prayer are so important. the gospel brings us into a new relationship to ourselves This new relationship is essentially one of conflict. Let me explain. Before we were XN we had one nature which was unrelenting in its opposition to God’s rule over us. We thought very little about trying to live according to God’s standards. But now we have a new nature. God’s work in us, called regeneration has created a new nature, which creates within us the desire to submit to him. However, the old sinful or rebellious nature has not disappeared and will not do so until we enter the new creation. Consequently our lives feel like a battleground. There is combat in our own back yard as the sinful nature with its desires does battle with the new nature and its desires. The battle is for holiness. In other words growth is hard work. If the Christian life doesn’t feel like that it probably means we’ve given up fighting. In this context discipline is very important.

the gospel brings us into a new relationship with others

This new relationship is essentially one of unity with fellow Christians. In bringing individuals to union in Christ through their faith in him God simultaneously unites them to one another. This is called church. Church is the gathering of God’s people. One of the images the Bible uses for church is that of the body. Christ is the head in that he rules, governs and directs his body. We are components of his body like eyes, hands and feet that each make a contribution to the body and help it to function normally. Therefore none of us is independent of one another and we all need one another’s contribution. The purpose of their gathering is to encourage one another to live for Christ. The Christian life is not designed to be lived in isolation from others and it is a dysfunctional individual who wants to be free from interaction with other believers. The encouragement we are supposed to give and to receive happens through hearing God’s word taught, through our singing, by praying to God and in the informal conversations before and after the formal times of meeting. But we also have a responsibility to serve one another in love. Church is like a rugby club. the gospel brings us into a new relationship with the world This relationship is essentially one of contending Since we have been united to Christ and made subjects of his kingdom we are no longer members of the world, society united in rejection God. Nevertheless we are still required to live in the world. God doesn’t take us into his physical kingdom straight away; he leaves us in the world presumably because he has work for us to do. The KOG and the world are implacably opposed to one another. Consequently members of the KOG will experience opposition and persecution. We’re to contend for the truth

Dangers to Growth

The following things work against what I’ve been describing.

• Complacency, like the husband who says that’s it I’m married I don’t need to try has missed the whole point of marriage – to get to know someone better and live in relationship with them
• Compromise, to make peace with the sinful nature so that the feeling of combat goes away. Our churches are full of people who’ve made peace with their sinful nature and have become stunted in their growth to Christian maturity.
• Consumerism, to go to church when we feel like because we want to and in order to get something from it for ourselves. We are by nature consumers, the sinful nature is consumerist. Christian maturity seeks to contribute not to consume. We’ll begin to ask what should I do not what will I get.
• Conformity, so that we no longer stick out like a sore thumb in the workplace or with our friends. Christians can take refuge in urban combat and seek to camouflage ourselves so that we’re indistinguishable from those around us. Who wants to be so obvious.

Means of Growth

The growth that comes from God through these means comes only as we use them and look beyond them to the Lord himself. They are not magic and do not work automatically. We need to ask him to bless them for our spiritual good.

Bible Reading

Remember that God is speaking to us in the Bible through the words on the page. Ask God to help you understand what he has written before you study it. When you read the Bible treat it as literature. Therefore we should apply the normal conventions for interpreting the different forms of literature. Treat poetry, narrative and epistle in different ways. Ask advice from your small group leader about how to approach and understand the Bible. Good questions to ask of any passage are, ‘what have I learnt about God?’ and ‘what have I learnt about how I should respond?’ Try and read the Bible when you’re awake, in a version you can understand and for a time period that you can sensibly manage. There are no rules on this but many have found setting aside a time at the start of each day a real help to their Christian growth.

Prayer

Praying is talking to God, who because of the work of Jesus Christ is our heavenly Father. Try and talk to God after you have studied his word because that will provide you with things to talk to him about. Many people have found it helpful to make lists of people, organisations and activities to talk to God about. The prayer diaries are a terrific way to talk to God about the congregational life of our own churches. Praying out loud is a great way to prevent mental drift, though you may prefer to do this in private! The acronym ACTS may provide a helpful guide to structure the content of your prayers. Church We go to church to be encouraged to keep going with Jesus Christ and to encourage each other to do the same. Therefore we ought to have this in mind and go with the right attitude. We don’t go to church to get closer to God, to earn some brownie points with him or to gain a respectable reputation with others. We ought to choose a good church and stick with it. Choose one that teaches the Bible, one that provides you with opportunities to help out and one that you would be happy to invite your friends to. Once you’ve decided get involved. Go to church even when you don’t feel like it. It’s not an optional extra and we’re depriving others of our encouragement if we stay away.

Evangelism

This is a subject for a whole seminar and I can only give you a few pointers. We do it because God in his love has changed our lives and we’d others to know about this too. So don’t abandon all your non-Christian friends. Don’t be overwhelmed by the prospect or despondent if no one immediately follows your advice and turns to Christ. God is the one who is at work to bring people to faith in Christ. Learn to talk about the gospel so that your friends can understand it. Ask your small group leader to teach you a simple way of doing that. Many have found learning a gospel outline like 2 Ways to Live really helpful. But whether you do this or not try to talk about Jesus Christ since he is the subject of the gospel not us. Mistakes about growth in the XN Life Growth is not measurable in the same way that physical growth is measurable. We can’t stand up against a wall and mark with a pencil where we’ve got to. Growth is known by the way we behave under pressure, when times of testing and temptation comes and those cannot be measured. Just as the impact of high winds shows whether trees have a good root system or not so do the times of testing show whether we are firmly and deeply rooted in our relationship with God. Growth is not a uniform process. There will be times when we make more rapid progress Growth is not automatic. We’re required to put the work in!