Small change, big revolution

Is anyone else sick of seeing pain, suffering, violence and injustice? Anyone else sick of living in a world where God seems so absent? Where hope seems to have died in many?

Me too. But we can change it. It can happen.

I've been reading about what's happening in Georgia in recent days and combined with what I've been reading in 'The Irresistible Revolution', I feel genuinely sickened by what human beings are capable of.

This world is so broken. So full of pain. So in need of hope. So in need of Jesus.

Yet because Christians and the 'established church' present such a bad public image of church, people don't see that there is a real genuine hope.

Yesterday I helped clean out a stretch of river in Sutton. Picking up litter, getting rubbish out of the river, finding things like mopeds and computers in the river, and helping remove them.

It was the first time in a long time I actually felt I was living out my faith.

I was actually doing something, rather than just talking about doing it.

Jesus was a man of action, and finally I was taking action myself.

It wasn't enough though, there's always more we can do.

When we actually live out our faith, then we are 'doing church'. Only then are we becoming more fully like Christ in our actions. Only then can we really claim to be followers of Christ.

Anyone can talk a good faith.

Actually living it out, outside of a 'Christian' or church environment is where the real test is.

We don't always get it right, of course we don't and its important people understand we all need grace and forgiveness.

However, if non-Christians see people going to church then not living it out outside of the church, then our faith loses authenticity and legitimacy, its just another bunch of good words and clever-sounding ideas, and there's plenty of them around at the moment.

When Christians take the lead in standing up for the right values and standing against things that Jesus and God is against, when they start to take action, and speak out, then people will finally see what the church and what Jesus is all about.

When thinking about what's happening in Georgia, and seeing a picture of a mother over the body of her dead son, an innocent victim, and reading stories from relatives of victims, I started to feel a righteous anger inside of me, it crystallised how wrong it was, how far we have strayed from God's vision of how life was meant to be lived.

I was sad and angry at the same time. I was disappointed. I was frustrated. I wanted to do something, and the only thing I could think of to begin with was to pray.

I do believe God is upset at what is happening too. Angry even. It pains him to see his people whom He created and loves destroying themselves, destroying His beautiful creation and killing each other. It pains Him to see us so far from how He intended.

This of course begs the question, why doesn't God intervene?

People who don't believe say that He can't exist, they blame God for suffering, wondering why He doesn't do something if He loves us.

Even Christians can start blaming God for their suffering.

I have done in the past.

But God doesn't make these things happen. He doesn't start these wars or elect these governments.

In Genesis God put us in charge of this planet, He made us stewards of this world. He gave us free will to make our own choices. To live according to His values or to put ourselves centre and do what benefits us, to go the way of violence, death, selfishness, greed, pride and selfish ambition.

In the Bible it says we will reap what we sow.

What seeds is our culture sowing?

What seeds has it already sown?

We are seeing the consequences of what has been sowed years ago.

Maybe God doesn't do anything because He sees tragically that the only way people are going to see their need for Him is through suffering.

Maybe he wants to allow people to see the consequences of following their own values, and let them see where it leads them.

Maybe He knows, being outside of time, that ultimately the outcome will work out for the best.
After all, He allows it in the Bible.

To be honest, we don't know precisely why God allows these things to happen and doesn't intervene.

It happens.

There's no real answer as to why.

We just have to trust God, who uses all things for good and sees everything, future, past, present - all together.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be upset by these events, their consequences or even with the perpetrators behind them, just as I believe God is.

It doesn't mean we shouldn't do something about it or just let it happen. Saying that we trust God with it isn't enough. God wants us to do something. He calls us to it.

Am I saying we should all protest about what's happening and go to Gerogia and try to stop it? No I'm not. Its slightly simpler than that - though no less a challenge.

Let me explain.

Lets get back to the question. What can we do about issues like this, which seem to be so big for us?

Ask yourself. What can I do?

All I could think of at first think of right was praying and trusting God about the situation in Georgia.

But then something else occurred to me. Something different and potentially much more poweful and of much more benefit to God, and indeed His world.

The best way we can deal with practically is by trying to make sure it doesn't keep on happening generation after generation. By starting where we are and making sure that in the small part of God's kingdom we're a part of the values of Jesus are key.

That's something we can all do.

Pray about the big stuff, and if God calls you to go and get involved directly, then do so.

It all boils down to focus on how we can make our little part of God's kingdom more like He wants it to be. Try and put God's values into practice where we are, where we live and work. In all the communities that we are a part of. In whatever part of the world He calls us to go to.

Listen to the call of God and go and live it out wherever we are and wherever He calls us to, whatever the location.

Ideally, as everyone does this, in every level of society things change. Slowly but surely, the values of the Kingdom start to spread, and a 'quiet revolution' happens.

Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed. Mustard seeds are small. But when they grow they move out and take over the rest of the plants and their branches get intertwined with and effect everything around them.

Its no coincidence Jesus used this analogy.

This is how the Kingdom of God works. It starts out small, then as it grows and develops it can take over and become a part of everything around it.

Imagine that happening.

If the next generation were brought up on these values, instead of the values that we're currently brought up on and which effect us so powerfully - sometimes even when we don't want them to - then they could go into every area of life - politics, medicine, law, film & media, music and many others - and take these values with them, and slowly the world could change.

A quiet, peaceful revolution would happen and suddenly would become massive, because the right seeds have been planted.

We can change this world if we put the values of God at the core of who we are, and as we do it will impact the world around us and change it, and the next generation might grow up starting to put these values into place in more and more fields of life.

It can happen. We must pray. We must act. We must do it now. Go on this adventure with Jesus and try to build His kingdom wherever He puts us, and start to truly bring His kingdom to this world.
That's what church and being a Christian is all about.

It really can happen. It seems so big and idealistic, but we have the creator of the universe on our side. The word of God says it itself, anything is possible with God. We just have to belieive it.

Bring the kingdom. Now

Changing the world. Today.

Start small, put Jesus at the centre, give it all you have, and keep doing it.

Eventually it will come. Jesus promises that.

We can help Him start the work now.

Wait for the best

I was watching 'Dawson's Creek' last night (yes, I kinda like Dawson's Creek, so sue me). It was the episode where two of the main characters Pacey and Joey consummate their relationship physically, after 10 months together.

For Joey, it is her first time.

They are a young couple deeply in love with a strong commitment to each other, and the whole episode is essentially their story of why they are having sex and what real sex actually is. The conclusion is of course, that it is the most intimate act that two people can ever enter into with anyone.

When at the culmination of a loving relationship, it becomes more than a physical act, it becomes emotional, mental, even spiritual (though that is not mentioned).

At the end of the episode the couple start the process, and as the screen fades to black you see them falling onto their bed, still half-clothed, but the implication is clear.

To my great surprise, I found myself weeping.

Why? For many reasons. But I think for the first time I finally got it.

Let me explain.

For a long time I've said to many people (especially non-Christians) why I believe that intercourse should be saved for marriage, but yesterday it really hit home for some reason.

The truth is that sex is too special, too intimate, too private and too emotional for it to be shared with anyone else. Its more than a physical act. Its the whole of one person becoming one with another, giving your whole self in surrender to someone else.

I don't think you can do that with more than one person.

God made sex for marriage, and that's because He wants us to have His best for us.

Not to restrict us or deny us pleasure - God loves sex (He invented it, He told Adam and Eve to pro-create, I'm thinking He's pro-sex).

But He knows sex in its best context is within the context of a loving, committed relationship within marriage.

Non-Christians who I talk to about it often say to me 'What if you're rubbish? You'll have had no practice. You won't be good enough and she might leave you".

That to me is totally missing the point.

First of all if I marry someone who's never had sex neither of us will know any different, and then we can 'get good' together, which is much more fun. Second, its saying that it's just a physical act, which of course it isn't. When you have a deep connection with someone, you love them unconditionally and have total trust in them then it becomes good.

Its more than just a physical act, in God's eyes sex is the ultimate consummation of any relationship between two people, two people becoming essentially one person, one spirit, one being. Totally united physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally and psychologically.

Total union. No going back. For life. A total union between two people made in the image of God.

I finally got this watching Dawson's Creek, and realised just how special this kind of love and intimacy is, and how amazing it is. I understood in my heart why this is so special and why its really worth waiting for.

God's best for me, with someone I love, trust, am totally committed to and can give myself fully to. More than just a physical union, but total union, two becoming one.

Now I just need to meet that someone...

Healing a broken body

This week yet again I have been reading with despair about more potential splits in the Church of England, more comments by Rowan Williams which are dividing the church.

But its worse than that.

Its worse because it damages the what the general public outside the church perceive as church, so detracting and damaging for what real church actually is.

You see we don't just need to get back to what 'real church' actually is, but we need to show the world and tell the world what real church is. That its not the 'established church' as perceived by so many.

Church at its best is a community of people living out their faith individually and together. When everyone in the body is truly following the way of Jesus, then the body of Christ becomes more powerful

While there are Christians, or people who claim to be Christians, who don't love, forgive, serve sacrificially, give, and orientate their entire lives around God's values, while there are people who are religious but not radical, legalistic rather than full of grace, prefer the establishment to the revolutionary life Jesus calls us to, who would rather appease people than stand up for truth, then the church will always be a poor reflection of Christ.

Christ's body will always be crippled as long as this goes on.

Jesus challenged the establishment.

Jesus was radical.

Jesus was revolutionary.

Jesus stood against the authorities of His day and proclaimed a different kingdom.

Jesus stood up for the values of God, but showed grace and mercy instead of judgement.

Jesus was controversial and stood against the 'established religious authorities'.

Jesus was not legalistic, but proclaimed a living faith.

Jesus was not religious.

Jesus was willing to be treated as a criminal for His faith.

Jesus said it wasn't about what we said, but how we lived and the posture of our hearts, which showed how much we loved God.

This is the life Jesus calls us to today.

Who are the 'established religious authorities' today?
Who is legalistic today?
Who is religious today?
Who judges people today?

I think you could answer 'Christians' or 'the church' to all of those questions couldn't you?

I'm certain I could.

We need to change how we think, and what our definition of what a 'Christian' and 'church' is.

The real meaning has been lost for a long time now, its time we reclaimed it. The way of Jesus is the heart of our faith, its the heart of Christianity and the heart of church. Living like Him, with His values, attitudes, lifestyle and treatment of people.

We do it individually and we start to become real Christians, real followers of Jesus.

We do it corporately, we might just have the church Jesus talked about, for all the world to see.

And it might just appeal more to people than the perception of the church as it is now. But it only works if we all do it. If we heal this broken body.

It can be done. If we work together and we truly put Jesus at the core of our beings and our lifestyle.

Its not easy. I find it very hard. But all of us trying will make a difference.

We first need to change the posture of our hearts, then the change will start to come.Once your heart is turned, then the change becomes easier and easier. It is still a challenge, but one we will meet with more and more joy.

So lets change the posture of our hearts, and work towards healing a broken body.

Thoughts on church - A Broken Body

I have recently felt God leading me to write a book on church, partially inspired by a previous post of mine on this site, "Church - Jesus style". In order to do this I know I need to really condense and crystallise my ideas into a small package, which can then be expanded upon.

That's really the purpose of this post.

Indeed, I think that as this progresses that I'll be back here again re-visiting this as I discover and understand more, and want to crystallise my thoughts again. So get ready for a few more posts like this.

I'm posting it here really so that others can be blessed by what God has already spoken to me and also to maybe get some feedback. Hope you like it.

So what about church then?

I believe that the 'established church' in the UK and all over the world is in great peril. The establishment church has become or is in serious danger of becoming nothing like what Jesus imagined church to be and how He modelled church to be.

I believe church is not - and was never meant to be - an institution, but a community of believers. All people who profess the Christian faith are part of this on a global scale, but we all belong to smaller communities of believers, or smaller 'churches'. These communities are intended to be Jesus to their community.

I believe the church is a community of activists, a community of revolutionaries who take action against poverty, injustice and suffering and serve both their local and world communities, through their everyday lifestyle, through what they publicly stand for and against, through serving in their own communities in projects, like 'God loves Peckham' in London.

I believe that church is a place where people are mentored, disciples, healed, prayed for and prepared for works of service, and a safe place where all people should feel welcomed, accepted and loved. A community where individuals gifts are harnessed to build the kingdom of God.

I believe that the church needs to be the community which takes the lead worldwide on major issues of injustice and poverty, without being constrained by politics. Jesus never intended the church to be another institution, or indeed Christianity to be a religion. He called us to a way of life, to do community together and to be like Him to the rest of the world. He stood publicly against injustice, oppression, suffering and poverty and it got Him in trouble. The church should not be afraid to publicly stand against these issues in the world, even if it means saying we don't agree with government.

I believe the best way to grow a church community is not to just go and 'do evangelism', but to actually do what Jesus said. Go and serve the community. Provide for needs in the local community in whatever way that means. Model and show them a different set of values and way of life. Show people how valued and loved they are, how accepted they are by God by accepting, loving and valuing them.

I believe that there are basic principles behind how we do church, but that often how we do church depends on the type of community we live in. Prosperous communities need to be reached but in different methods than you would use to serve and poor and run down area. They have the same needs, but they need different keys to open their eyes to see them, and their resources can enable a church to do more for other areas which have great need.

I believe also that consumerism and the culture we now live in and what so many people orientate their lives now, and what is spoken to us by media and culture, has diluted what the church is all about and hinders us from truly living out our faith, both as Christians and therefore also as a church.

Indeed, I think that what being a real christian and real church are is closely linked. I think if we're truly living as Jesus intended and modelled for us, we end up with what real church is almost by accident.

Even more than that, I think what Jesus models in the Bible shows us that He expects and desires us to be in community, that being a christian to the full can only really be done in a community - church - context.

Maybe I need to write a book not only on how to do church, but on what a real christian looks like.

They seem so tightly joined.

Yet they are also two distinct things.

Being a Christian means living the way of Jesus in community, and that community is both local, national and global.

The community just happens to be called church. It doesn't make it 'the church' as western culture defines it. Its just church - Jesus style.

The church is together the body of Christ, which is meant to act like Jesus and be Jesus to the world. It means it needs to be working together to function properly. It means that individuals and churches from top to bottom need to be living the radical life Jesus calls us to.

We're like a broken, disjointed body which isn't working properly.

The circulation isn't right.

The brain isn't quite right either.

We're trying to pull it apart with our own agendas, through capitalism and consumer culture, through the politics of the established church and through fear of being radical.

Healing a broken body. A story of what's wrong with the church, what church should be and how living like Jesus (being a christian) is at the heart of it.

There is hope for Christianity and the church - if we start putting Jesus back at the centre.The body of Christ has hope and has a future.

We just need to start doing something about it. God's entrusted us with building His kingdom on earth and we are the body of Jesus here now.

Its time we started acting like one.

Imitation

Yesterday somebody told me their blog had inspired the look and feel of theirs, and one of the reasons they'd done theirs like they had was because of the way I've done mine.

Now I don't say this for pride or selfish purposes. I was telling them jokingly that 'imitation is the best form of flattery' and it later struck me just how true this is of our faith in Jesus.

We love to imitate people don't we?

People we have as role models, people we aspire to be like. Especially in a celebrity culture we currently live in, we see it all the time. We copy them, try to be like them. Look like them, talk like them, act like them.

Babies often imitate things they see as they try to learn. Sometimes they imitate their parents.

We love to imitate.

Sometimes of course it goes over the top and gets unhealthy and can become idolatry, especially today. It causes problems when people imitate the wrong things.

Yet imitation is actually Biblical, in its proper context. Done in the proper way. As with a lot of things.
In Ephesians 5 v 1-2 it says the following...

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God"

Now this passage has a 'therefore' at the beginning, and its always helpful when that happens to look at what it says immediately before the passage you've quoted.

In Ephesians 4 v 22-32, the end of the chapter, its says the following:

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

The Bible says we are to be 'imitators of God'.

What a truly awesome statement. There is such power in this line.

God wants us to 'imitate' Him. Just before that (and a little immediately after) He explains what that is.

Just to clear up any confusion, lets look at what the meaning of the word 'imitator' means. Here's the dictionary definition

"Imitator: Synonyms: imitate, copy, mimic, simulate. These verbs mean to follow something or someone taken as a model.

To imitate is to act like or follow a pattern or style set by another"

So how does this translate into the passage?

I believe the passage is saying God wants us to follow His pattern, to act like Him. To model our lives on His values, His standards, to orientate our whole lives around Him. To follow Him.

It even tells us how we can do it.

Living a life of love. Making sacrifices. Serving others.

Paul make it clear that imitating God primarily involves following Christ's example.

God wants Jesus to be our model for how to live a human life.

He wants us to act like Him. Be like Him. Live like Him. Follow His pattern. Follow His way. To take Him as our role model. Not worldly role models who all have their flaws. Jesus is the one to be put on that pedestal, to be copied and followed.

God is saying "If you want to be like me and live how I want you to live, look at Jesus".

Now this doesn't appear to be an optional extra, its not something we do just at church. Its not something we can opt out of.

Its a command.

The Bible and Christian history tells us that when God calls us to something He equips us so we can do it to the full. He gives us all the tools we need to do it.

So when the Bible says this, to me God is basically saying that He believes we are capable of reaching this standard. That if we are true imitators of Him and model Jesus' life, we can be just like Him.

Obviously, not in the sense that we can be divine or be a saviour.

But He believes that we can model His lifestyle, His behaviour, the way He treated people, to stand for justice and truth, to serve those in need, to change lives.

He knows we can be like Jesus. That we are capable of fully imitating Him.

All the things Paul talks about in Chapter 4 are related to that, are all ways of imitating Jesus. All ways to live like Him and deal with the temptations we have every day not to. So Paul gives us everything we need here.

He says what we need to do, how we should do it and makes it very clear for us. What encouragement to know that God believes in us. That God expects such high standards from us despite our sin.

It has to be because He believes in us, and has hope in us. That He knows that if we try to live like Jesus and allow Him to influence every area of our lives, that we can actually do it with God's help and in God's power.

We can do it.

But we need to be careful how we do it.

We don't just want to put Jesus on the top of a list in our lives. To truly imitate Him we need to put Him at the centre.

You see I heard a talk today saying that often in the past people have put God at the top of their priorities, that He is number one, above all things. That has value. God is above all things, He does rule over all things, and He should be a priority in our lives.

But being at the top means that you don't often get a look at everyone or everything below you, as the Chief Executives or managers of many companies or organisations know.

To truly know everything and impact everything around you, you need to be at the centre, where you can see everything.

That's where Jesus needs to be.

Then He's much more likely to be part of everything we do, and our everyday lifestyle. He is more likely to impact every area of our lives and everywhere we are.

If He's at the top of a list, then He becomes sectioned off, a part of our lives, but doesn't effect all the rest of it.

No, He needs to be at the centre.

He needs to be the role model we put right at the very heart of our identity and lifestyle. Everything else we do is then going to have Jesus involved, and we'll be looking to model Jesus in whatever area of our life and whatever we're doing, whoever we're with and wherever we are, and whatever circumstances we encounter.

Then the impact is greater.

The passage says we must do this. God clearly believes - or rather, knows - we can.

We might feel like failures or that we'll never get it right. That no matter what we do we we never be good enough. But God says differently. He calls us all to be imitators of Him. He says to us, that if we put Him at the very centre of our lives we can be like Him.

He doesn't just believe it either. He knows it.

So let us put Him at the centre of our lives. Let us become true followers of God.

Imitators of Jesus.

Do things His way and no other.

Orientating everything around Him, His kingdom and values.

He believes that we are capable of it. And He's never wrong and He never lies.

Indescribable

You ever had one of those experiences that you don't know quite how to describe it, but you know that it was just incredible, amazing, wonderful, inspiring in so many different ways and so fulfilling - but you know those words just aren't enough?

Most of us do. Of one kind or another. Some of them are healthy, others probably aren't. But we all have them.

I had one this week. I met with God at New Wine 2008. It was almost indescribable.

I can tell you what happened. I can tell you what God spoke to me about. I can tell you what God did.

But it doesn't get anywhere near to explaining the full experience.

So what did God say and do?

He spoke to me about areas of my life I'd tried to keep hidden for years, and habits and attitudes I'd had for a long time, and healed me of them and led me into a new understanding.

He gave me clarity in what He wants me to do now, next year and in the long term.

He gave me new self-belief and confidence. Or at least the seeds of it.

I can't really explain any of this in more detail, other than I know I had an incredible encounter with God, and came away glowing (according to one of my friends anyway) which lasted a week and which I know has changed my life.

I know that this was a mountaintop experience. Real life isn't like it at all, and is much more testing, difficult and stressful.

But more than ever before, even other New Wine events, I know that Jesus is with me. That He believes in me.

Even more than that though, I think I want to follow Him more than I did this time last week.

My prayer is that the non-believers reading this one day encounter the Lord in the way I did this week, and that the believers reading will encounter God once again in a new way. For myself, I pray that I can use what I've been given out to others as I go back to the daily grind of every day life, and be an example to people of the best way to live.

Jesus' way.