This morning, on the final day of the Kingdom Come conference, Dr Trevor Morrow spoke on the title of 'What might God be saying to the nation?'
Trevor acknowledged that within evangelicalism there is a range of opinion on the nations, from an Erastianism in which the church and nation are synonymous through to a Menonite position where the church is the city on the hill set apart from the nation.
Taking a lead from NT Wright, Trevor identified the exile in Babylon as the controlling narrative for the synoptic gospels - something I am also persuaded of having read NTW. Looking then into the prophets of the exilic period, Ezekiel, Daniel, Jeremiah, Zephaniah and others, Trevor discerned the two great themes of i) tear down, and ii) build up.
It is time to tear down the idols.
Before starting on the idols of the nation, Trevor spoke of the frequently carved idols of evangelicalism - I hope all who own this title will take the time to consider this carefully:
we build the idols of:
1 - reformed orthodoxy - where our orthodoxy, as we understand it, is all that matters, and we are saved not by Christ but by our correct and pure understanding of all the heads of reformed doctrine.
2 - ministry success - we worship the attendence at our meetings, the building in which we gather, the cash which we raise.
3 - preaching (or whatever gift God has given us) - we use our gifts as though our exercise of them will be our justification before God.
4 - an experience of God - we have exchanged God for an experience of God, and we are breaking his heart.
Before we can call others to tear down their idols, must we not tear down those we worship?
Idolatry in the nation:
1 - nationalism - God has become a resource we use to bless and give success to our nationalism.
2 - technological and economic success.
How often in the church do we implicitly approve of the cult of more money, more stuff, more power, more things?
It is also time to build up, to find hope:
A people in exile, such as spoken of in Jer 33:14-16, seek:
justice, right relationships and peace with God.
The hope we offer is that after our exile, the city where we will be led to live shall be called 'The Lord our righteousness.'
We need radical, authentic testimonies to the life of the Kingdom which alone can offer hope to a people in exile seeking to come home.
Kingdom Come has been a great conference, the talks will be available to order on line, they are all well worth hearing.
Showing posts with label Kingdom Come. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kingdom Come. Show all posts
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Kingdom Come - Day 3 post 2
Well what could come next.
Kirsh Kandiah spoke in a seminar of the Square Mile mission resource which St Ninians in Stranraer will be looking at later this month, so more on Square Mile to follow.
Mark Greene of the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity, www.licc.co.uk, spoke of the place of work in a pattern of whole life discipleship. Among many gems I will be pondering the following:
The values of the church are more important than the form of the church.
Evangelism is an invitation to join a movement to change the world.
Does the work life of Christians outside their involvement in the life of our congegation feature in the churches prayer diary, prayer meeting?
What difference will it make to my preaching if I look out at the congregation and see the team I am only a part of and speak to them as to team members? How will what I say on Sunday help team members speak to others on Monday? Good questions now seeking answers!
Gordon MacDonald gave his last address on Direction. The importance for the church and the leader of the church leader seeking direction from God. Moses would enter the tent of the meeting, where is our tent where we meet with God and ask him to teach me your ways, go with me or I'm not going, show me your glory? As God answers these requests he sets the direction for his church and his leaders.
What a great conference, and still tomorrow morning to go!
Kirsh Kandiah spoke in a seminar of the Square Mile mission resource which St Ninians in Stranraer will be looking at later this month, so more on Square Mile to follow.
Mark Greene of the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity, www.licc.co.uk, spoke of the place of work in a pattern of whole life discipleship. Among many gems I will be pondering the following:
The values of the church are more important than the form of the church.
Evangelism is an invitation to join a movement to change the world.
Does the work life of Christians outside their involvement in the life of our congegation feature in the churches prayer diary, prayer meeting?
What difference will it make to my preaching if I look out at the congregation and see the team I am only a part of and speak to them as to team members? How will what I say on Sunday help team members speak to others on Monday? Good questions now seeking answers!
Gordon MacDonald gave his last address on Direction. The importance for the church and the leader of the church leader seeking direction from God. Moses would enter the tent of the meeting, where is our tent where we meet with God and ask him to teach me your ways, go with me or I'm not going, show me your glory? As God answers these requests he sets the direction for his church and his leaders.
What a great conference, and still tomorrow morning to go!
Kingdom Come - Day 3, post 1
The powerful and prophetic message given to the Kingdom Come conference this morning by Heather Morris deserves a post all to itself.
Heather Morris is a Methodist Minister and Director of Ministry at Edgehill Theological College, Belfast.
Heather was asked to address the question, 'What might God be saying to the church?' I think everyone present was made aware during Heather's address that she has listened very carefully for what God would say in answer to this question and then spoke with great power and grace those things our God would have us hear from him.
From Judges 6, where Gideon is called into ministry service Heather identified some key words which the Lord spoke to Israel and today would speak to his church.
Feeling distant from God and under pressure the people went into retreat and took to hiding in caves in the hills. God would say - stop hiding! Be strong!
To the people when they had heard God calling them to repent and they refused to listen, God would continue to say - repent of your sins.
God calls his people to repentance to make them holy, to have them model the character of God. Every child of God made holy by God is a marker that God is at work in our town/city/nation.
When Gideon asks the Lord, 'Why has this happened to us?' (and in passing how many in recent months in Scotland have asked this of the Lord?) The Lord replies as it were, 'Wrestle with me;
When Gideon says, 'I am the least' God says - I am sending you. We forget that God is God and so we diminish the wonder of being sent by God. God sends the church because he loves the world. The church would be transformed, and so we would be agents of transformation within our communities, if we felt only an echo of God's love for the world.
What challenging words that God is speaking to his church. Thank you Heather for your faithfulness in ministry in so powerfully bringing God's word to us this morning.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Kingdom Come
Day 2 at Kingdom Come continued the high standard set on the first evening.
Bishop Ken Clark gave the morning bible reading: 2 Peter 3:18 - But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Too often Christians, and Christian leaders, specialise in cover up and we turn our backs upon the grace/compassion filled eyes of Jesus.
There is a great need for 3G leaders:
Grace - we have replaced gracious living with merely obedient living.
Gratitude - if you have joy in your heart, please inform your face!
Generosity - a real need to live generously, the church is the only group where you can be savaged by sheep. Shepherds need to remember a lesson from farming, the sheep get fed every day and only get shorn once each year.
A really good session which held up the challange to Christian leaders to answer the question, 'What motivates me?'
Mark Russell and Harold Miller led a seminar session on the title 'Is the church an obstable to mission?' I think the answer is that it often is but shouldn't be.
On changing an institutional church it was offered that you can, eventually turn around a large ocean liner more easily than a large flotilla of smaller vessels.
Church is (or should be) what happens when people come together in community to celebrate Jesus and share his love with those around them.
Churches, both I think at denominational and congregational level, swamp their leaders with the task of being chaplain to Christians rather than being missionaries or evangelists. And then wonder why the church isn't growing???
To the well known triad of Belong, then Become, then Believe, we could add in the first place Bless. If the Christians serve their community to bless them will they not be attracted to belong ...
In the evening session Gordon MacDonald spoke on Depth, following last nights address on Defence. Taking Col 2:6 as his text - Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established is the faith, just as your were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Depth happens in the regular daily routine of living as disciples of Christ. A long-term relationship, such as being disciples of the Lord Jesus requires regular (daily) renewal. What a challenge this is to us! A frozen institutional faith is not going to be deep.
Another good day in Belfast with much to feed on over again in the days to come.
Bishop Ken Clark gave the morning bible reading: 2 Peter 3:18 - But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Too often Christians, and Christian leaders, specialise in cover up and we turn our backs upon the grace/compassion filled eyes of Jesus.
There is a great need for 3G leaders:
Grace - we have replaced gracious living with merely obedient living.
Gratitude - if you have joy in your heart, please inform your face!
Generosity - a real need to live generously, the church is the only group where you can be savaged by sheep. Shepherds need to remember a lesson from farming, the sheep get fed every day and only get shorn once each year.
A really good session which held up the challange to Christian leaders to answer the question, 'What motivates me?'
Mark Russell and Harold Miller led a seminar session on the title 'Is the church an obstable to mission?' I think the answer is that it often is but shouldn't be.
On changing an institutional church it was offered that you can, eventually turn around a large ocean liner more easily than a large flotilla of smaller vessels.
Church is (or should be) what happens when people come together in community to celebrate Jesus and share his love with those around them.
Churches, both I think at denominational and congregational level, swamp their leaders with the task of being chaplain to Christians rather than being missionaries or evangelists. And then wonder why the church isn't growing???
To the well known triad of Belong, then Become, then Believe, we could add in the first place Bless. If the Christians serve their community to bless them will they not be attracted to belong ...
In the evening session Gordon MacDonald spoke on Depth, following last nights address on Defence. Taking Col 2:6 as his text - Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established is the faith, just as your were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Depth happens in the regular daily routine of living as disciples of Christ. A long-term relationship, such as being disciples of the Lord Jesus requires regular (daily) renewal. What a challenge this is to us! A frozen institutional faith is not going to be deep.
Another good day in Belfast with much to feed on over again in the days to come.
Monday, 1 February 2010
Kingdom Come - Day 1
I'm over in Belfast at the Kingdom Come conference, organised by the EA Northern Ireland - so a big thanks to them for this conference.
This evening at the opening session Gordon MacDonald gave the first of his three address for leaders. It was a good beginning to what I hope will be a good conference.
Defence. Sometimes we all, perhaps especially leaders, need to focus on defence. A good team is built around the defence, at least we were told this is true in American football!
For Christians defence is all about repentance, forgiveness and mercy. In Jn 21, when Peter jumps out the boat he just can't wait to get to Jesus.
'You don't do repentance right the first time' - an encouragement and challenge to us all.
If I repent and expect you to forgive me, then I must, MUST, forgive you.
I especially like the idea of creating an environment of mercy - the breakfast by the shore - a time, a place, a setting where God's mercy in Christ can be received.
So, a good beginning.
For the first time I've taken the laptop away with me and I'm blogging using the btopenzone in the hotel (which is just fabulous), so I post on day 2 tomorrow.
This evening at the opening session Gordon MacDonald gave the first of his three address for leaders. It was a good beginning to what I hope will be a good conference.
Defence. Sometimes we all, perhaps especially leaders, need to focus on defence. A good team is built around the defence, at least we were told this is true in American football!
For Christians defence is all about repentance, forgiveness and mercy. In Jn 21, when Peter jumps out the boat he just can't wait to get to Jesus.
'You don't do repentance right the first time' - an encouragement and challenge to us all.
If I repent and expect you to forgive me, then I must, MUST, forgive you.
I especially like the idea of creating an environment of mercy - the breakfast by the shore - a time, a place, a setting where God's mercy in Christ can be received.
So, a good beginning.
For the first time I've taken the laptop away with me and I'm blogging using the btopenzone in the hotel (which is just fabulous), so I post on day 2 tomorrow.
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