Earlier this week one of my friends, Emma who is a Congregational student, tweeted that she had been to a rehearsal for the Opening Event of the Olympics. She stated that it was amazing. Previous to this I had not been very motivated and had felt that I had been over-exposed to pre-Olympic hype. But this personal testimony intrigued me, so I watched the whole event from start to finish on TV. I was not disappointed, and enjoyed the fun, was amazed at the chimneys rising out of the ground, and deeply moved by the young people who took on the role of lighting the flame. I am grateful for Emma's testimony. Testimonies are powerful things.
The four writers of the gospels each present the great commission differently. Matthew's emphasis is on discipling; Mark is on telling the story; John emphasises the apostolic nature - being sent; but Luke records the challenge to be witnesses for Jesus. I have far too often heard people talk about being a 'silent witness'. Often village Christians will state that people know what we stand for and our lives are a witness. I have even heard one conference speaker state that the presence of the church building is sufficient evangelism. But all those comments fail to grasp the fact that implicit in the word translated witness is the sense of testifying.
Imagine what would happen if someone is called as a witness for the defence of someone in court. Would the fact that they simply appeared in court be sufficient? Of course not. To be a witness means to speak out. Of course our life and our lips have to have integrity. But life alone or words alone do not suffice. Both are necessary.
When Jesus said "You will be my witnesses..." in Acts 1 we need to take that seriously. He did not suggest it was an option. He did not suggest that it was something that might happen. He said, "You will be my witnesses. So the question we need to ask ourselves is "What kind of a witness are we giving?" There is no neutrality. If we do not speak up for Jesus, or if our lives are not holy, then our witness is negative. What might have been my reaction if Emma had stated that the Olympic rehearsal was disappointing, or if I knew she had gone but she had remained silent! However she witnessed to her experience of getting a taste of the event in advance, that testimony would have power. Power to excite interest or discourage it. How will you witness this week?
There is not a great deal to share from this past week. On Monday I took part in a planning meeting for an international conference next year. The next 48 hours I seemed to have picked up a bug as I became very light headed and at times this caused nausea. The remainder of the week has been spent on book keeping as I have sought to bring my accounts up to date. In my busy life and without admin support I find that claiming expenses gets overlooked and this quickly mounts up. I finally managed all the account entries by this evening!
Sunday 29th I am taking the service at HMP Gartree at 9.00am. Afterwards there is a time of prayer and a time of informal fellowship. My theme is an adapted message used a few weeks ago in Nottingham - "Excuses". Please pray that God will use the ministry and that his word will bring fruit. Even if you read this after the event I will still value your prayers for the move of God's Spirit within the prison.
The remainder of the week is set aside for essential administration, for work on my research programme, and for pastoral ministry. But I might need to return to Sussex at short notice. I shall also be working in the prison on Tuesday.
I close by bearing witness to how good God is. Long before ever I came to know him, he knew me, loved me and Jesus died for me. I enjoy getting to know Jesus more and more. It is like finding a seam of gold in a mine. What a treasure! There is no one like Jesus. Discovering what it means to be forgiven and reconciled to God - brought into union with him is life itself. He has never disappointed me since I dedicated my life to him almost 50 years ago. Not one word of all his promises have ever failed. If you already know him you can add your own 'Amen'. If as yet you haven't got to know him, why not do what i did after reading what Emma had written - try it out yourself.
Barry
PS If you don't know how to get to know God personally I would love to help you.
The four writers of the gospels each present the great commission differently. Matthew's emphasis is on discipling; Mark is on telling the story; John emphasises the apostolic nature - being sent; but Luke records the challenge to be witnesses for Jesus. I have far too often heard people talk about being a 'silent witness'. Often village Christians will state that people know what we stand for and our lives are a witness. I have even heard one conference speaker state that the presence of the church building is sufficient evangelism. But all those comments fail to grasp the fact that implicit in the word translated witness is the sense of testifying.
Imagine what would happen if someone is called as a witness for the defence of someone in court. Would the fact that they simply appeared in court be sufficient? Of course not. To be a witness means to speak out. Of course our life and our lips have to have integrity. But life alone or words alone do not suffice. Both are necessary.
When Jesus said "You will be my witnesses..." in Acts 1 we need to take that seriously. He did not suggest it was an option. He did not suggest that it was something that might happen. He said, "You will be my witnesses. So the question we need to ask ourselves is "What kind of a witness are we giving?" There is no neutrality. If we do not speak up for Jesus, or if our lives are not holy, then our witness is negative. What might have been my reaction if Emma had stated that the Olympic rehearsal was disappointing, or if I knew she had gone but she had remained silent! However she witnessed to her experience of getting a taste of the event in advance, that testimony would have power. Power to excite interest or discourage it. How will you witness this week?
There is not a great deal to share from this past week. On Monday I took part in a planning meeting for an international conference next year. The next 48 hours I seemed to have picked up a bug as I became very light headed and at times this caused nausea. The remainder of the week has been spent on book keeping as I have sought to bring my accounts up to date. In my busy life and without admin support I find that claiming expenses gets overlooked and this quickly mounts up. I finally managed all the account entries by this evening!
Sunday 29th I am taking the service at HMP Gartree at 9.00am. Afterwards there is a time of prayer and a time of informal fellowship. My theme is an adapted message used a few weeks ago in Nottingham - "Excuses". Please pray that God will use the ministry and that his word will bring fruit. Even if you read this after the event I will still value your prayers for the move of God's Spirit within the prison.
The remainder of the week is set aside for essential administration, for work on my research programme, and for pastoral ministry. But I might need to return to Sussex at short notice. I shall also be working in the prison on Tuesday.
I close by bearing witness to how good God is. Long before ever I came to know him, he knew me, loved me and Jesus died for me. I enjoy getting to know Jesus more and more. It is like finding a seam of gold in a mine. What a treasure! There is no one like Jesus. Discovering what it means to be forgiven and reconciled to God - brought into union with him is life itself. He has never disappointed me since I dedicated my life to him almost 50 years ago. Not one word of all his promises have ever failed. If you already know him you can add your own 'Amen'. If as yet you haven't got to know him, why not do what i did after reading what Emma had written - try it out yourself.
Barry
PS If you don't know how to get to know God personally I would love to help you.
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