My final Sunday of 2017 should see me taking the morning service at a prison where I do some work as a voluntary chaplain. Planning the services for these occasions is always a challenge. Much of what we might say to people on the outside is irrelevant to men locked up on life sentences. On this occasion, I have found myself drawn back to part of Philippians 3. It certainly seems relevant for the last day of the year, and since it is a passage that always challenges me I thought I would share it with you too.
Three Attributes
The chapter begins with the suggestion that some may have undermined the faith and confidence of the Christians in this important city. We could infer that some had been teaching that men cannot be proper Christians unless they had been circumcised. Paul describes them as mutilators of the flesh. His concern is that they were adding something not required. The need was to keep it simple. So, he provides three attributes that define a Christian (the true circumcision).
The first of these is that we worship or serve God by the Spirit. This distinguishes the Christian faith from other world religions where laws and regulations govern faith. Jesus once told a leading Pharisee (famous for their legalistic approach to faith) that he needed a spiritual birth. Before the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus promised the coming of the Holy Spirit – a person like himself, who would be with his disciples and in them. So, the first attribute listed is a life motivated by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The second attribute is that we are excited about Jesus. He is the big topic in our lives. I occasionally work with churches where people have some difficulty articulating their faith. In such situations, I often ask people to think of three things that makes Jesus special in their experience. This has never failed to produce wonderful, down to earth responses, such as “He accepts me as I am”, “He is always there for me”, or “I can talk to him about anything and everything in my life”. The personal responses are usually shared in a small group of three people, and I have sometimes had difficulty stopping the exciting conversations that ensue, as people find themselves focused on what Jesus means to them.
The third attribute is that we have given up on self-effort to please God. In the past, when people were not as tall as they are today, men could only join the police force if they were at least 5ft 8inches tall. No matter how hard they might try, a man 5ft 6 inches tall could never make himself acceptable. All of us come short of God’s standard.
Three Aspirations
Paul writes about “knowing” things. This is not knowing about but knowing experientially. He writes about knowing Jesus. He first came to know Jesus many years before in Damascus when he was converted. But years later he still has a passion to know him more or better than he does. This is about living every day in this wonderful relationship, and each Christian has her or his personal experience.
He also writes about knowing the power that raised Jesus from the dead. He wants this same power to be at work in every part of his being. We too should long to know the surging power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. But the third aspiration is to know what it is to sacrifice even if it means suffering for the sake of Christ. We should not merely observe what it cost Jesus in the battle against sinfulness in the world. We should be moved to join the fight.
Three attitudes
Paul sees himself as incomplete work. Even after all he has experienced and done through his ministry, there is more to be done in his life. God has not finished his work in Paul.
For Paul to experience this ‘more’ that God want for him, Paul identifies two things: not being held back by the past, and the need to press forward.
Experience, whether good or bad can hold us back. We need to recognise that God is bigger than our past failures, so that we can move on. But past success and blessings can also impede progress. Some revivals have been tragically short-lived. Fires have gone out because ashes clog the grate. Pride can also be an enemy where churches or individuals have been specially blessed.
We cannot drift forward; the natural tendency is to drift back. Progress will only be made where there is intentional commitment. So, Paul writes about pressing forward like an athlete keen to win the prize, pushing themselves just that little bit more.
Personally, I am challenged by the need to get the good news of Jesus being shared in every rural community in the UK. There have been encouragements in 2017, but this is tiny compared with what still needs to be done. In rural ministry we often talk about strategies needing to be appropriate to the context. But appropriate strategies would also be effective. I would like to encourage you and your church to raise the game. The purpose of each church is to help other people come to faith, grow in faith, and find their role in God’s mission. If that is what is taking place, then praise God but try to do more. If it is not happening, then perhaps the start of a new year would be a good time for strategic planning. Please let me know if I can help.
I pray that you will have a happy and blessed New Year.
Barry Osborne – 29th December 2017
From the Diary
Please pray as Gordon Banks and I plan out the schedule of webinars for 2018. Pray that the webinar audience will grow as more churches and their leaders benefit from this programme. During January we will also start building the library of training videos on rural evangelism.
This week will find me working in HMP Gartree on three occasions. Sunday 31st December to take the Sunday Service, Tuesday 2nd January working with the choir, and on Thursday 4th I join my Methodist Colleague, Brian Kennard, as he concludes a Bible Study series and I will follow this over the coming weeks. Brian and his wife are past associate evangelists in rural evangelism.
I value your prayers as I try to find time to complete two books. One is a practical book on Discovering God’s Unique Purpose for Your Church, and the other is on how sexual abuse can happen in churches. The latter has been long requested by those with whom I teach in the Salvation Army, who feel others could benefit.
I am also working with a church that has a complicated Trust Deed. Sorting this out is a priority in January and much wisdom is needed.
Three Attributes
The chapter begins with the suggestion that some may have undermined the faith and confidence of the Christians in this important city. We could infer that some had been teaching that men cannot be proper Christians unless they had been circumcised. Paul describes them as mutilators of the flesh. His concern is that they were adding something not required. The need was to keep it simple. So, he provides three attributes that define a Christian (the true circumcision).
The first of these is that we worship or serve God by the Spirit. This distinguishes the Christian faith from other world religions where laws and regulations govern faith. Jesus once told a leading Pharisee (famous for their legalistic approach to faith) that he needed a spiritual birth. Before the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus promised the coming of the Holy Spirit – a person like himself, who would be with his disciples and in them. So, the first attribute listed is a life motivated by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The second attribute is that we are excited about Jesus. He is the big topic in our lives. I occasionally work with churches where people have some difficulty articulating their faith. In such situations, I often ask people to think of three things that makes Jesus special in their experience. This has never failed to produce wonderful, down to earth responses, such as “He accepts me as I am”, “He is always there for me”, or “I can talk to him about anything and everything in my life”. The personal responses are usually shared in a small group of three people, and I have sometimes had difficulty stopping the exciting conversations that ensue, as people find themselves focused on what Jesus means to them.
The third attribute is that we have given up on self-effort to please God. In the past, when people were not as tall as they are today, men could only join the police force if they were at least 5ft 8inches tall. No matter how hard they might try, a man 5ft 6 inches tall could never make himself acceptable. All of us come short of God’s standard.
Three Aspirations
Paul writes about “knowing” things. This is not knowing about but knowing experientially. He writes about knowing Jesus. He first came to know Jesus many years before in Damascus when he was converted. But years later he still has a passion to know him more or better than he does. This is about living every day in this wonderful relationship, and each Christian has her or his personal experience.
He also writes about knowing the power that raised Jesus from the dead. He wants this same power to be at work in every part of his being. We too should long to know the surging power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. But the third aspiration is to know what it is to sacrifice even if it means suffering for the sake of Christ. We should not merely observe what it cost Jesus in the battle against sinfulness in the world. We should be moved to join the fight.
Three attitudes
Paul sees himself as incomplete work. Even after all he has experienced and done through his ministry, there is more to be done in his life. God has not finished his work in Paul.
For Paul to experience this ‘more’ that God want for him, Paul identifies two things: not being held back by the past, and the need to press forward.
Experience, whether good or bad can hold us back. We need to recognise that God is bigger than our past failures, so that we can move on. But past success and blessings can also impede progress. Some revivals have been tragically short-lived. Fires have gone out because ashes clog the grate. Pride can also be an enemy where churches or individuals have been specially blessed.
We cannot drift forward; the natural tendency is to drift back. Progress will only be made where there is intentional commitment. So, Paul writes about pressing forward like an athlete keen to win the prize, pushing themselves just that little bit more.
Personally, I am challenged by the need to get the good news of Jesus being shared in every rural community in the UK. There have been encouragements in 2017, but this is tiny compared with what still needs to be done. In rural ministry we often talk about strategies needing to be appropriate to the context. But appropriate strategies would also be effective. I would like to encourage you and your church to raise the game. The purpose of each church is to help other people come to faith, grow in faith, and find their role in God’s mission. If that is what is taking place, then praise God but try to do more. If it is not happening, then perhaps the start of a new year would be a good time for strategic planning. Please let me know if I can help.
I pray that you will have a happy and blessed New Year.
Barry Osborne – 29th December 2017
From the Diary
Please pray as Gordon Banks and I plan out the schedule of webinars for 2018. Pray that the webinar audience will grow as more churches and their leaders benefit from this programme. During January we will also start building the library of training videos on rural evangelism.
This week will find me working in HMP Gartree on three occasions. Sunday 31st December to take the Sunday Service, Tuesday 2nd January working with the choir, and on Thursday 4th I join my Methodist Colleague, Brian Kennard, as he concludes a Bible Study series and I will follow this over the coming weeks. Brian and his wife are past associate evangelists in rural evangelism.
I value your prayers as I try to find time to complete two books. One is a practical book on Discovering God’s Unique Purpose for Your Church, and the other is on how sexual abuse can happen in churches. The latter has been long requested by those with whom I teach in the Salvation Army, who feel others could benefit.
I am also working with a church that has a complicated Trust Deed. Sorting this out is a priority in January and much wisdom is needed.
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