Under Whose Authority

When my late wife became too ill to run the kitchen I inherited several fridge magnets, two of which I have only recently read.  One said, “If at first you don’t succeed, try doing it your wife’s way!”  It made me smile, but behind the wit lies a common ongoing dispute about who makes the decisions in our households.  You are probably familiar with the statement by a husband that he makes all the decisions according to what his wife tells him.

We are all social creatures and determine how we live and what power and authority we are willing to give to others, rather than making all the decisions ourselves and running our lives the way we want.  If we failed to do so, life would soon become very chaotic.  Proverbs 29:18 is a popular verse, especially among many evangelical Christians, but it is also a verse that is often quoted out of context and misunderstood.  The Contemporary English Version renders it, “Without guidance from God, law and order disappear, but God blesses everyone who obeys his Law.”.  The role of prophets was not to introduce some new order, but to call people back to living God’s way.

In recent weeks in the UK we lost our queen, who is now replaced by her son, King Charles the Third.  We have a new king.  But what exactly does that mean?  Do you imagine that the king has any authority over your life?  What are you thinking when you sing “...Long to reign over us, God save the king”?  Like Her Majesty, His Majesty is a constitutional monarch, and it is Parliament that has the real authority.  But, it seems to me, most Christians do not think much about this.  Some even refuse to take part in the general elections because they believe that  we are not supposed to get involved in secular matters.

Whether we like it or not, if we are British citizens then we are under the authority of Parliament.  Decisions that affect our lives are made by the people we elect to represent us in the House of Commons.  In that sense, we retain some power since we can choose who we want to run our lives.  In the past, many godly men and women have served both in the House and in government.  These days, I hear many Christians bemoaning decisions they do not like, but not many committed Christians seem to be willing to serve God and the nation by standing for election.

I quite like the role of the kings and queen that have reigned during my lifetime.  I believe that our current King is a man who genuinely cares, and who will seek to act, and encourage our government to act, for the common good.  But I prefer the system of government we have through elected representatives.  I try to support my representatives in prayer and occasionally write to them to express my views and hopes.  After all, if we are giving other people authority over us, we should not wash our hands of personal responsibility.

On Saturday 6th May 2023 many of us are likely to be glued to the TV if we have not travelled to London for the coronation.  However, it is the Prime Minister who has decided that we will have an additional bank holiday that day.  But, no doubt, the decision will have been made after consultations and possibly some compromise.  From that date onward, our new king will rule, but will be largely powerless.  We will see him formally representing the state on many occasions - a role he will carry out selflessly and well.  But we do not appoint him to absolutely rule over us.

So, to whom do we acknowledge that right?  This was the hot topic in the days when Jesus walked the streets of Galilee, Samaria and Judea.  “Is it right to pay tax to Caesar or not?” the Pharisees asked, seeking to trap Jesus.  The tax to which they referred was not paid by Roman citizens, but was paid by all those in conquered nations.  The question went to the heart as to who had authority over the people. The wise answer that Jesus gave is relevant today.  There are those to whom tribute is due for the services they provide, but that was only half the answer.

What does it mean to give back to God, the things that are God’s?  Nothing that we have is really our own.  It comes from God’s good hand.  More than that, our very eternal life has been purchased through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.  As Isaac Watts put it “Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small.  Love, so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

You can choose under whose authority you are prepared to live.  You may honour the king.  You will probably, sensibly, submit to the authority of Parliament.  But I hope that from the start of 2023, you will recommit all that you are and have to the service of God, and do those things that please him.  We all need to ask, “Who has the real power over us?”

If, as part of that recommitment, you feel able to renew your support for our ministry in the spiritual wasteland that is much of rural UK, please send me an email or drop me a line at the start of this year.  We commit our lives and energies to the growth of God’s kingdom in rural UK.  May his kingdom come and his will be done.

A Christmas Reflection - The Relevance of Nehemiah

 

A Christmas Reflection I pray that you will have a very blessed Christmas.  As I have indicated in other recent mailings, this year Christmas is very different as every available minute needs to be spent in preparing for my move to a new home.  Since I also work from home, the office will move with me, and this doubles the task.  So getting and sending cards and presents has had to be set aside. At our recent staff prayer retreat, Bruce Johnson, our team chaplain, led the devotions on the story of Nehemiah.  I have preached and written about Nehemiah many times, but it was good to be reminded and reflect.  But my move has brought many aspects of the story into sharp focus. Assessing what needs to be done and getting help On arrival at Jerusalem, Nehemiah took time to asses what was needed if the walls of Jerusalem were to be restored.  There was no way the task would be accomplished without the aid of many others.  As I have prepared to move I have had to de-clutter my home.  Why did I hang on to so much!  The office records for four Christian charities alone has filled many sacks of confidential waste.  Then there are many more sacks and boxes of recycling.  I would not and will not succeed without the help of others. Many village churches are no longer what they once were, just as the walls of Jerusalem were not what they once were. You will not be able to complete the task without others.  Can you encourage others in your church to share the vision for what it could be, and motivate them to share with you in the tsk? The importance of prayer Before Nehemiah set off for Jerusalem he spent around six months of prayer, and some times in fasting.  The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, was about restoring the honour of God and of his people.  The problem is that when there is so much to be done, prayer can be set aside if we are not careful.  Nehemiah is a great example of the importance and place of prayer.  It would be easy for me to neglect prayer because of the size of the task I am undertaking, but to do so would be foolish.  How does prayer figure in your life and the life of your church? Stay focused One of the aspects people notice in reading the first eight chapters of Nehemiah is the opposition that sought to distract him from the task.  They used all kinds of means: threats, sarcasm, criticism, slander and enticement to compromise.  Nut Nehemiah refused to be distracted.  I am conscious that preparing to move requires my full attention.  There are many other important demands on my time, but the task will not be completed without focus.  How do you and your church set priorities each year?  Has it ever done so? Clearing the decks At one stage in Nehemiah's task, people tell him that the remains of the old wall are getting in the way.  Wow!  That certainly speaks into my life right now. Mountains of paperwork, old files, set of accounts, sermon and Bible study notes, and more, take up much space.  Before I can be ready to move and open the new office all this has to go.  Is there anything from the past cluttering up your life or the life of your church.  Annual 'spring clean' and clear out would have helped me.  In your church do the way things have always been done in the past prevent a refreshed vision for today and tomorrow?  Do the ashes from past revival fires stifle the air needed to get fresh revival fires burning? The need for social righteousness There is one slightly odd incident in the account of the building of the walls of Jerusalem.  Nehemiah hears of social injustice.  There are many struggling to survive and getting deeper into debt because of the selfishness of others.  Nehemiah stops the harmful practices of others, but he goes further.  He uses his own personal resources to meet the needs of the poor. I find myself wondering how many good Christian organisations struggle to survive because Christians are blinkered or simply ignoring requests for help.  Early in 2022, one church wrote saying they were reviewing their stewardship and wanted to help smaller mission organisations.  I could have cried with joy and relief.  Do you tithe?  Does your church tithe its income? Once my move has been completed and my financial circumstances have changed I will need to review how I use the resources that God gives. It is interesting that the account of Nehemiah and the book of Acts both record a moment when a review of stewardship of finances was needed.  Nothing we have is really our own; we are only holding it for God and for what he desires.  Now would be a good time to ensure that we are acting as God would want with the resources that God has given. Job Done! Nehemiah and his willing volunteers completed the task in a very short time because he went about it in the right way.  It's a lesson to us all. Barry Osborne - 18th December 2022

A Different Christmas

 For the past 34 years and more I have sent Christmas cards not only my relatives but also to almost everyone on the Rural Mission Solutions mailing lists. But this year has to be different because nearly all my time is taken up with getting ready to move home. There are two impediments in particular. The first is that I have filled up much of my three bedroomed house with historic documents in addition to all those things that might come handy one day. The second is trying to undertake the task single handed while suffering from acute spinal stenosis and awaiting an operation.

Fortunately, some friends have come to my aid, and I have lost count of the hours they have given both in helping me to part with previously important items, and also moving heavy bags and other items that would otherwise have set my spinal stenosis screaming. I thank God for good friends.

2022 in brief

As the pandemic spilled over from the previous years it continued to disrupt our plans. We continued to do as much as possible via the internet. Although we had dropped the Sunday Morning series, we have kept the Tuesday evening Bible Studies going and these have been very much appreciated. Most of those attending regularly come from rural areas. Both the Sunday mornings and Bible studies have been recorded and are available on our YouTube Channel. The Sunday morning recordings will be deleted in the next few weeks.

We started 2022 with two new team members. Martin Scheller has settled quickly and got to work on our website. This now has a new look. If you haven't visited it recently do take a look. Bruce Johnson was employed to help us grow our relations with the Church of England across the UK and with a supplementary role as team chaplain. Bruce led the devotions recently at our Team Prayer Retreat.

Throughout the year, both David and I worked regularly within the dioceses of St Albans and Oxford respectively. It has been a joy to report the fruitfulness of these activities.

A new development has involved hosting two Rural Church and Community Forum meetings online. Both were well attended and generated positive feedback. These explored the changes that have taken place in village and village church life, and how churches can improve their engagement with their local communities.

Other ongoing work through the year has included our links with Country Way magazine production, the Free Churches Group of Evangelization, and the Churches Rural Group (now wound up), and our network with other rural mission organisations and key people from the churches.

As the year ends, we have described our mission in terms of a dream. Our dream is to see a visible and vibrant, credible and caring missional Christian community in every village across the land. These may be in the form of existing local churches or smaller home groups supporting local churches. More about this in the New Year.

Plans for 2023

Probably the most significant plan is the appointment of yet another staff member who will take over from me as CEO. Your prayers are asked as we will start advertising the post early in the New Year. As founder I will continue to be involved but will be able to focus more on advocacy for rural mission and evangelism, and in my work with David and Gordon Banks (our Chair of Trustees) offering local consultations and church away-days.

We are currently planning three more open Rural Church and Community Forum meetings, at least six regional Good News in the Countryside Consultations, and hope that these will generate a good number of Away-Days. We are also currently offering to lead Away-Days free of charge and based on our Mission Can Be Fun scheme.

The aim of these is to help as many as possible in each church to explore God's plan for the missional life of their church. The title is a response to the fact that many in rural churches find the idea of mission as threatening, when in fact it is exciting. While the threefold strategic plan will take up much of our time, we will be available to respond to other requests from churches.

Another area receiving our attention will be our prayer partners and financial supporters. I will write more about this in the New Year. Many of those on our mailing list are faithful prayer partners who follow our activities through our monthly Praise & Prayer News. Some of these also help to keep the ministry going through regular or occasional donations. There is a strong sense of fellowship between us, and we are keen to nurture this.

At the same time, we are aware that there are many rural clergy, free church ministers and preachers, and others engaging in rural mission activity who experience a sense of isolation. Since the Rural Evangelism Network, we helped to set up in 1982 is not now as active as it has been, we are exploring the possibility of opening it up to include these others to create a companionship. This will offer two-way fellowship and prayer support.

Our Thanks to You

No Christian ministry operates in a vacuum. We are all part of one Church called by God to share in his mission. Prayer Partners, Financial Supporters, Companions, full time and part time clergy and mission workers, we all need one another. So, thank you for being there as part of God's plan for the re-evangelization of the rural areas of the UK.

I pray that you will have a very happy Christmas and a very blessed 2023. Please forgive the lack of a Christmas card this year. We would love to hear from you.

Barry Osborne
Founder & CEO Rural Mission Solutions

Almost Obedient

 Almost Obedient

In the days before it was compulsory to wear seatbelts when travelling in a car, a man set out on a journey with his young son next to him. The boy became boisterous and started jumping up and down on his seat.

“Stop that, and sit down properly”, his father said. But the boy continued misbehaving and the man repeated his instruction several times until he eventually shouted them at the top of his voice, while he pulled the car over and stopped driving.

The boy finally did as he was asked and sat, rather sullenly, next to his father. As the father started on the journey again, he felt a little guilty for having shouted at his little boy. “Thank you. That’s better,” he said.

“There is no need to thank me,” the boy replied “I might be sitting down on the outside, but inside I am still jumping up and down!”

Is there such a thing as partial obedience? I have sometimes wondered about whether Abram only partially obeyed God. He was told to go from his people and his father’s household (Genesis 12:1) yet he took with him Lot, his nephew. That did not work out very well. In 1 Samuel chapter 15 we read the account of King Saul’s partial obedience, which cost him his crown. We read in verse 3 that God had instructed him to destroy all the animals of the Amalekites, but Saul spared the best of the animals and brought them back together with the king of the Amalakites.

Partial obedience is disobedience. The Children of Israel suffered 40 wasted years because of partial obedience in their journey to Canaan. But we seem to fail to learn the lesson. Partial obedience is seen on every hand. Attending church and singing hymns while living less than fully dedicated to God does not make our worship acceptable, We only prove God’s full and perfect will when we choose the pathway of obedience (see Romans 12:1-3).

As the hymn writer put it, “we never can prove the delights of his love until all on the altar we lay; for the favour he shows, for the joy he bestows, are for them who will trust and obey.” Choosing to fully obey is usually hard, but God always gives grace. Obeying him shows we trust him. Let’s not compromise, or jump up and down on the inside, or bring back sheep on the excuse of offering some of them to God. What is God asking of you?

Barry Osborne - 5th December 2022