BIBLE NOTES | Vision for the Church

What is the Church called to be?

Firstly let’s look at what the Bible  had to say.  In Matthew 5v14: I love the way the Message treats this passage.  Most other translations deal with this concept in one short line, the Message however almost gets carried away by it all, leaving the reader breathless with anticipation. Firstly, though, here is the way most translations handle it

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.

Matthew 5:14 (The Message Bible)

It reads like this: “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep an open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

 I really don’t feel I need to add to this. It lays out, succinctly, a cogent plan that we should follow.

Where will the power Come from?

Acts 1&2 (What is the Promise):

5 For John baptised with water, but you will be baptised and empowered and united with the Holy Spirit, not long from now.”

Acts 1 v13 (Where will it happen):

13 When they had entered the city, they went upstairs to the upper room where they were staying [indefinitely] - The first Church. 

Acts 2 v 1-5 (The Event):

1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place, 2 and suddenly a sound came from heaven like a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 There appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were being distributed [among them], and they rested on each one of them [as each person received the Holy Spirit]. 4 And they were all filled [that is, diffused throughout their being] with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (b)tongues (different languages), as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out [clearly and appropriately].

What should the Church be Doing?

1 Corinthians 1:23&24 (New Living Translation)

23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. (as an aside - “Offended” is a very 21st century word isn’t it and you can hear the Atheist camp, stridently making the “Nonsense” pronouncement on the Gospel)

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Perhaps the main activity of any Church should be to minister to both Jew or Greek alike and, as Fanny Crosby puts it in her lovely hymn:

                               

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;

Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,

Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.

What is the Message of the Church?

So how does the Church bring a lost World to its encounter with Him? Hubert Booth, in his brutally honest hymn, is at pains to demonstrate  that it begins with us. If we as the Church cannot show our own deep need of Him then, in essence, we don't have a message! :

Saviour, hear me, while before Thy feet

I the record of my sins repeat,

Stained with guilt, myself abhorring,

Filled with grief, my soul outpouring;

Canst Thou still in mercy think of me,

Stoop to set my shackled spirit free,

Raise my sinking heart, and bid me be

Thy child once more?

So where is that hope that we first must live in and then have the courage to pass it on to those seeking their own Salvation experience? The refrain of Hubert Booth’s song lays it out powerfully:

Refrain

Grace there is my every debt to pay,

Blood to wash my every sin away,

Power to keep me sinless day by day,

For me, for me!

How should it change the Church’s Thinking?

As you read these words allow your imagination to take you to the place where, together with others, you meet with Him in prayer and praise and worship each and every week. Most of the time this place will be welcoming and safe, somewhere where you meet with friends and family and where you, to some extent, let your guard down. Now let your mind morph that place into a battered shack which is both noisy and threatening. A place where the cries and screams of the hopeless can be heard through the walls and the sulphurous fumes of the fires of hell that are only metres away, assault your nostrils. It is in a place like that where Fanny Crosby’s hymn that we considered earlier takes on a new urgency:

Will we -

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;

Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,

Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.

William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, in his last public address three months before his death in 1912, made this declaration:

“While women weep, as they do now, I’ll fight; 

while children go hungry, as they do now I’ll fight; 

while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight; 

while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, 

while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, 

I’ll fight, I’ll fight to the very end!”

The weapon of his warfare was the Gospel of Jesus Christ with its power to save and deliver. He was always just a few feet away from hell “Snatching them in pity from sin and the grave” The sophistication of the 2020’s is only a thin veneer that seeks to hide the truth and cover a desperate need. If William Booth were alive today his fight would still be relevant and his battle for the lost would still be as intense. Is the Church (us) prepared to make its home in that awful shack among the hordes going to hell and are we prepared to preach there, the Gospel with the same amount of love and fervency that William Booth demonstrated more than a century ago? Revivals originate in the heart of God and are incubated in the hearts of men and women who are consumed by a love for the lost and an unassailable belief in the efficacy of the Gospel.

1 Corinthians 23 again

23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

Yes, We’ve heard it before, but the Battle is the Lord’s and we are called to His service. Will we go?? to take our place in the conflict and when we have stood our ground and fought that battle will we lay hold of that Ultimate Hope - Will we go to that Eden Above?? 

Roger - Manchester

BIBLE NOTES | The Cross, Foolishness

Cirencester Parish Church "Cathedral of the Cotswolds"

In a previous "Bible Notes" (See here) we spoke about the need for confidence in people of a certain age. With the pressures of younger  people wanting to make their mark and a society that seems to want to make the "Senior Citizen" more and more irrelevant,  there is ample reason for confidence to be the first characteristic to suffer.

 Scripture, on the other hand and as we have seen previously, places  those of advanced years firmly in the plans and purposes of God. "Old men will dream dreams" together with the wisdom and humility that comes from many years in His service are excellent reasons for confidence to be a vital part of the day to day life for the old. 

 The dreaming of dreams and the Godly wisdom of age are the things of the "Now" but there is something in our futures that should inspire supreme confidence and Ultimate Hope and that is our encounter with God as we begin our eternal life with Him. God has given us the wonderful promise that, if we acknowledge Jesus as our Saviour and that His salvation comes through the sacrifice He made on the cross, then,  as we come in humility asking for forgiveness then forgiveness we will receive together with the hope of eternal life with Him.

 The question that perhaps needs to be asked, "Is our confidence really grounded in that promise?" Or, put another way, "Do we actually believe it to be true and applicable to our lives?" The truth is that doubt concerning this point causes confidence to evaporate like the morning  dew. The rest of this article is an attempt to bring about a firmer foundation in our lives concerning this pivotal truth.

 The painting of scenarios can be a very useful tool to help understanding and we will use it here. In the words of many of the hymn writers, imagine that you have crossed the Jordan River and you are standing before God to answer for your life. (Did I say something about  confidence earlier? Give me a moment it is coming) continuing… an angel of the court asks you "Why are you here?". 

 How we answer that question will determine the validity of our understanding of Salvation. Wait! Another scenario begins to unfold. We find ourselves standing on a hill just outside Jerusalem and before us is the awful spectre of three men impaled on rough wooden crosses atop the hill. One of the men on one of the outside crosses is raining insults on the man on the middle  cross. The man on the other outside cross through his extreme pain and agony is trying to make sense of it all. Suddenly the fog of his suffering clears and he berates his colleague with words that will ring throughout history. "You don't know what you're talking about. We deserve  what is happening to us. He is totally  innocent." He turns his attention to the man on the middle cross and says to him "Master when you come into your  kingdom would you remember me? Jesus looked at him and said "Today you will be with me in paradise". The scene begins to fade and we find ourselves again standing before God. The difference though is that standing in line in front of us is a dishevelled young man racked with pain. The Angel asks the same question as before.  "What are you doing here?" He looks confused and says nothing. The Angel continues the questioning without letup and getting nowhere the Angel again asks his original question "Then why are you here? The man at last finds his voice and almost in a whisper makes his reply. "The Man on the middle cross told me I could come". The scene fades as we hear the celebration for one unlikely character that was being welcomed home.

 For us that conversation on that awful hill holds utmost significance. When faced with that penetrating question Why are you here? What will our answer be? The temptation for all of us is to answer in the first person i.e. I did this or that and I believed what I was supposed to believe etc. but, like that man on the third cross, will we make  that humble declaration he did and in the spirit of the line of that old hymn admit that there is "None of self and all of Thee". Have we based our ultimate hope in,  and drawn our confidence from, the simple fact that - Jesus told me I could come!

Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.

Titus 3:7 NLT

Roger Manchester UK

Inspiration drawn from a sermon by Alistair Begg

BIBLE NOTES | Hope Deferred

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

Proverbs ch13:12 (NLT)

As I was spending time reading my allotted Scripture for the day I came across a proverb that did not exactly fill me with much enthusiasm. The part that really got to me was where the writer says "Hope deferred makes the heart sick". The first thing to disturb me was the fact that the name of this site is "Ultimate Hope" - was I going to have to rethink the whole title and motivation for what we want to do here or how do I manage to square the circle? After I had dealt with the momentary panic that gripped me I came to realise that the whole phrase hung on the word "deferred". I needed to understand this word that seemed to have the power of turning hope into something unpleasant.

 

In my quest to understand this word I found Thesaurus.com the most helpful.  A few of the synonyms that grabbed my attention were as follows: 

 

• Postponed

• Delayed 

• Adjourned 

• Pigeonholed 

• Scrubbed

• On the shelf

 

The problem with deferment is that there is uncertainty about it. The Christian definition of the object of hope is one of certainty. Things like the forgiveness of sins through Christ and eternal life for those that acknowledge Christ as Saviour  fall into the category where we can have certainty about them. They are the "substance of things hoped for…"  Our hope is therefore founded on the Character of God. The objects of Christian hope like those above cannot be manipulated by the above list of synonyms. For instance,  God does not postpone or pigeonhole His promises. They are secure and delivered on time. We have good reason to make them objects of our hope.

 

Sickness of heart is a very real experience that many of us, from time to time, go through. If our hearts lack the joy and confidence that should be part of our lives and we are assailed by an unexplained sadness then, perhaps  a good place to start our self diagnosis is to ask the question,  what am I really putting my hope in? The hopes that form the bedrock of Christian life can, all too easily, be relegated to a lower priority. This allows for some of the vain promises of the World  to creep in. Things like: a pending wage rise or promotion or even a relationship that seems  to be going  nowhere. In these cases and many  others like them, our hopes have degenerated into forlorn longing that can rock the stability of our lives. 

 

So what, perhaps, is the point we can take away from all of this where heart wellness is concerned? Try this, examine what promises you presently place your hope in. If you diagnose anything else other than the promises of God then, perhaps, now is the time to refocus and reaffirm God as the highest priority. There is a helpful second part to the verse we have considered "a dream fulfilled is a tree of life". It does give a real and worth while reason for this refocusing procedure.

 

As I close here I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the title of this site is secure and that I have again discovered that there is such  a thing  as "Ultimate Hope"

Roger Manchester UK

BIBLE NOTES | Meditation on Mark 9:36-37

Boden, Switzerland

Personal Calling

Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.’

Mark 9:36-37

The needs of the world are overwhelming. But just because I can’t do everything, that isn’t a reason to do nothing. I notice that Jesus doesn’t ask His disciples to be magnanimous towards all humanity, but to welcome one child in His name. Who might that ‘one’ person be for me today?

Pete Greig, Lectio 365 9/08/22

Points to Draw from Mark  chapter 9.

Pete Greig's comment above is highly  significant in the World of today. The feelings of being overwhelmed are all too common to Christians trying to live effective lives in the situation they find themselves in. One major consideration that is often overlooked is the fact that we live in a highly connected World. News comes at us incessantly and it would seem that every five minutes or so a new item that demonstrates the brokenness of this World clamours for our attention. We can so easily stand on the shore line looking out towards the churning sea of World affairs and be transfixed by the sight of the massive tsunami hurtling towards us. NOW is the time to pray! 

The beautiful little chorus of yesteryear who's words take on a powerful significance are:

All your anxiety, all your care

Bing to the mercy seat leave them there

Never a burden He cannot share 

Never a friend like Jesus. 

One of the first signs of wisdom that we can demonstrate is an understanding of the finiteness of our own being. Having grasped the magnitude of our weakness we can turn to a far greater sign of maturity, that is the realisation of the infinity of God. The deluge that threatens to annihilate us is really not our concern. God, in His love, wants us to be aware of what we are part of. He is that seat of mercy the chorus above talks about. He doesn't, though, leave us as mere spectators. The effects the tsunami is having on the little rock pool we are standing beside is what God wants us to get involved with.

Another chorus, this time written for children will probably help here:

Jesus bids us shine with a clear pure light

Like a little candle burning in the night

In this World  of darkness so we must shine

You in your small  corner and I in mine.

In the naivety of these simple words we find deep and meaningful truths. 

• The purity of the way we live our lives

• That our lives should be an illumination in this "World of Darkness"

• We have territory assigned to us to be responsible for. 

Perhaps the third sign of wisdom that we will be called to display is the fact that we have an unassailable faith in God that He still works  miracles. Remember that shore line we spoke of earlier? God takes all of those people tending to the little rock pools that are their own small corners and, like Eziekiel's dry bones He takes them, adds His life and Spirit to them and builds from it all a mighty army that will "Conquer the foe".

The terrifying vision of that all devouring tsunami, the almost insignificant rock pool that is our small corner and God's heavy lifting forms part  of His master plan for this broken World we live in. The "NOW" is, of course what we mentioned earlier, namely pray, pray and pray again.

Do not be Afraid!

Roger Manchester UK

BIBLE NOTES | Ezekiel ch37:6b

 

I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

Ezekiel 37: 6b (NIVUK)

This particular Scripture reference I found in the devotional app "Lectio 365", something that I find particularly helpful. The fact that I have a respiratory condition that leaves me somewhat breathless at times makes this reading rather poignant. I know what it is like to be deficient where breath is concerned.  The listlessness that comes with it certainly brings fresh understanding to the phrase "and you will come to life"

The Holy Spirit, the bringer of God's spirit, instantly comes to mind and His Baptism and constant infilling brings, at least to me, the truth of the final phrase "Then you will know that I am the Lord"

Roger Manchester UK

BIBLE NOTES | Joel ch2:28 & Acts ch2:17

Switzerland

In Joel ch2:28 we have this very  interesting passage of Scripture that, incidentally, is repeated again in Acts ch2:17. 

Joel:

“Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions…" [NLT]

Acts:

‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams…'[NLT]

The remarkable fact about these two passages are their similarities. The only  differences are minor.  In Acts the text reinforces that these are the words of God and secondly, Luke,  the writer of Acts, changes the order and puts the actions of the young  men before what will happen to the old.

As I was meditating on what, for me, are the same texts I became aware of a couple of important points. During my 78 years  here on this world of ours I have come  to the conclusion that women, both old and young, should  be included in this experience. They are not  excluded from the ability of discerning vision and they  are definitely capable  of dreaming dreams. Perhaps a difference could be found in the fact that women tend  to ask the practical questions of "how" and "when".

The second  point has to do with the difference between what is understood as "visions" and what is understood as "dreams". It occurred to me that younger people "see" what has to be done and it invariably involves them in a course of action that has lifelong implications. Visions, in the main, seem to address what is going to happen to the person experiencing them. Questions like “What am I going to do for the next five years?” or “How do I lead the ministry that God has entrusted to me?” etc.

Dreams, on the other hand, are different. It is important for the older person having them to understand that they are unlike visions and that, in no way are they any less vital. The difference most often rests in the fact that their content may extend beyond the lifetime of the person experiencing them. They can deal with long term concepts like direction etc. The biggest problem in most situations is that older people lose confidence and feel that they have little to give.

Wisdom and experience count and are needed. Perhaps a great picture of this in action that can be found in the cockpit of a plane about to take off. As permission is given to commence the roll the pilot flying places his hand on the engine thrust levers and the other pilot places his hand on top, giving validity to what he is doing and assurance that both are in agreement. Together they advance the controls to takeoff speed. Dreams, when properly understood, can provide encouragement and conformation. They can also sound notes of caution where there is misplaced enthusiasm. Older people you have a big role to play - Don't be afraid!

Roger Manchester UK