Beware Entanglement

A week or so ago Doreen emerged from doing some laundry to ask whether I had inadvertently left a tissue in a pocket of an item in the wash.  The reason for the question was that everything in the wash (including several dark items) was now smothered with tiny bits of white mulched paper.  Of course, I declared myself to be innocent, but it immediately brought to mind Hebrews 12:1.  In the Authorised Version this is rendered:

“… lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us…”

The word beset means something that is stubbornly persistent in its affect.  Hence the illustrate white balls of tissue that was persistently clinging to the laundry and proving hard to remove.

I normally use the latest NIV translation which renders the same verse:

“… let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”

Clearly there seems significant difference in how the Greek has been translated.  So I studied further and found that the word translated “easily entangles” or “easily besets” (euperistatos) only occurs in this one place in the New Testament.  More study suggests this to mean easily encircling or ensnaring.  The context of this word is in the illustration of faith being lived out like running a race.  In order to run effectively we need to shed unnecessary weight and take care not to be hindered or entangled in anything.

This verse has often brought to mind a famous race in the 1984 Olympics in which a collision between Zola Budd and Mary Decker Slaney resulted in Mary being unable to finish the 3000 metre final and Zola never seeming to shake off the controversy which then seems to have blighted her career. It seems that at two separate points in the race, each had collided with the other.  About a year after that race, Mary, having got over the emotional hurt of the incident, stated that the real problem was that she was not used to running in a pack.  In other words, her progress was impeded by that which surrounded her.

Clearly, if we do not take care, any sin could entangle us.  But the write of this letter to Hebrew Christians speaks about a specific sin.  In days gone by preachers often referred to ‘besetting sins’ as a particular sin that affected an individual.  One person’s besetting sin might differ from another. Unfortunately, some Christians excuse their weakness by attributing it to their ‘besetting sin’ over which they seemed unable to get the victory.  But it seems to me that the write had a specific sin in mind.

Given the context of this verse, and the general content of the preceding chapters, excess burdensome weight and entanglement most likely refers to the practice of some Jewish Christians who, at that time, taught the need to keep the Law as well as putting faith in Jesus Christ and his atoning work.  The grace of God that brings salvation needs nothing added, and to teach otherwise is a grievous error, as the last part of chapter 10 makes clear. As the Gospel hymn says, “I need no other argument, I need no other please; It is enough that Jesus died, and that he died for me”

Let’s keep running the race with our gaze unswervingly fixed on Jesus, and shun anything that hinders or complicates the simplicity of trusting in the finished work of the cross.

Items for Praise

Many will know that just four weeks ago Doreen, my wife, was discovered to have breast cancer. As I write this she has just been sent home from hospital following surgery.  Already the wound is beginning to heal well, and through the past moth she has experienced wonderful peace and remained joyful.  We give thanks for an observant nurse, and the quick response an quality care experienced from the NHS.

Katrina Thomas, the new part-time Children and Family Adviser in Rural Mission Solutions has commenced work.  We give thanks for this new team members and also for those who supported Monica Cook and have continued that support to enable Katrina’s appointment.  Please pray for Katrina and her family.

This week the trustees of Rural Mission Solutions (Sunrise Ministry) met and were introduced to Katrina.  It was an excellent and productive meeting.  We thank God for each of the trustees.  The list is published on the website.  One retiring trustee, Tim Woodward, has been a colleague in rural evangelism since the seventies.  Although he is stepping down from the Board he has offered continuing support.  Tim is an Anglican Lay Reader and we commend him and his ministry to your prayers.

A Rural Mission Solutions stand at the recent Annual Assembly of the Congregational Federation attracted quite a lot of interest.  The CF has many rural churches that could benefit from our services.

Following that Assembly, I travelled to Stirling in Scotland to teach on the Salvation Army’s Safeguarding Course. One of those on the course was a senior officer whose husband is about to take up a post which, among other things, should link him into the Rural Evangelism Network. Pray as he takes up this post and for the Salvation Army in the UK as they process changes.

We give thanks to God for faithful prayer partners and faithful supporters that enable us to continue to offer our ministry to rural churches free of charge.  Many village churches have limited income and could not afford the full cost of all we provide.

Sunday 29^th May I took the morning service at Gartree Prison Sunday Service, which proved to be a very special time.

Items for Prayer

That Doreen will make a full and speedy recovery following her operation.

For ‘J’ who has been in contact as he seeks God’s guidance and explores whether this might be within Rural Mission Solutions.

For the trustees and me as we set out the strategic plan for the next few years.  This links with my ability to give more time to the rural mission work.

For the members of Yelvertoft Congregational Church as I bring to an end my ministry with them over the past ten years.  We pray that the Lord will lead them into new and fruitful aspects of service in the village community.

I am currently looking for churches that would be interested in developing their own bespoke mission strategy.  Release from Yelvertoft means I can now offer ministry to other churches.

While Doreen is recovering my priority is to care for her for the next few weeks.  There will be plenty of mission work I can do from home.  However, there are some activities I expect to undertake, including:

Tuesday 31^st May 1.15 to 3.00 HMP Gartree (working with the choir)

Wednesday 1^st June Holiday at Home Planning Meeting

Sunday 4^th June 10.45 Yelvertoft Congregational Church; 6.00pm Newton United Church (near Rugby).

Barry

Managing to Do Better

Regular readers of the letters and blog may be aware of my fascination with the use of the word oikonomos in the Greek New Testament.  It occurs ten times.  Four of the times it is used by Jesus in teaching about faithfulness. Five times it is used by Paul and once by Peter.  Older versions of the Bible translate it as steward, but more contemporary versions translate it as manager. 

In my university studies in management I was taught three important facts about a manager.  Firstly, a manager is entrusted with resources or assets that belong to someone else.  Secondly, in order to manage a manager will be delegated some degree of autonomy.  Thirdly, the manager will have to give an account of his or her performance.

Both Paul and Peter use the word in connection with the exercise of gifts and ministries.  Since the Bible makes clear that every Christian has a part in these, then it follows that we also have a duty to manage efficiently those things with which we have been entrusted.  One frequently misused passage of scripture is 1 Corinthians 4:2 which states that it is required that managers are found faithful.  The misuse comes from those who say that God does not expect us to be successful; just faithful.  The correct interpretation of this verse is that managers have to demonstrate that they are worthy of being entrusted.  That is, we are expected to be effective managers, and that implies a degree of success.

On the Rural Mission Solutions website (www.ruralmissionsolutions.org.uk) you can find a free paper and free booklet exploring how we could manage better in our service for God.  It draws on biblical principles, good management practise, and the fact that my old school reports frequently said “Could do better”!

Re-Launching Children and Family Ministry

In Rural Mission Solutions we are excited to have re-started our children and family ministry.  We welcome Katrina Thomas who is now working with us part time.  Katrina is based close to the borders of Kent and East and West Sussex, but we can also work with churches further afield.  Find out more at www.ruralmissionsolutions.org.uk/children-and-families

Over the next few months we will be re-establishing links previously set up by the late Monica Cook.  While she is based in the Southeast, Katrina will be available to provide advice and guidance to help make children’s and families’ ministry effective and sustainable in rural churches in other parts of the country.  After 3^rd May she can be emailed on children@ruralmissions.org.uk.  More contact details will be released soon.

We are planning three launch events in the Southeast.  We are also about to bring the website up to date and make information leaflets available.  Please pray for Katrina, her family and the RMS team as we move into this encouraging phase.

How is this to be funded?

Our trustees have set aside money that had previously been donated to support Monica.  We are very grateful to the small but faithful band of continuing supporters of that ministry, which gives us hope that we will be able to sustain this aspect of our ministry.  Furthermore, we would love to develop a network of competent children’s workers across the country if funds allow.  To help achieve this we are looking for people who would be willing to give at least £5 per month to the Monica Cook Memorial Fund.  It takes 100 such supporters to enable someone to work with us for one day a week.  Please take a look at “Could you be 1 in 100?”

Some useful books

Monica Cook’s accumulated wisdom in children’s ministry and in training leaders was distilled into two publications that have been very well received both in the UK and in other countries where she worked.  We have a small stock of these and are making them available at a special price as part of the re-launch of our children and family work.

The Training Manual is a valuable tool for anyone already active in children’s ministry or considering this pathway.  There are 120 pages full of helpful advice based upon our vision for helping Christian children grow in their faith and releasing their potential within churches.

Fun and Creative Programmes contain a collection of 40 interactive teaching sessions jam packed with great ideas.

We are making these available for just £5 each (plus £1.50 p&p). Whether or not you want either titles for yourself, would you consider sponsoring copies for our partners in developing countries?  You can order copies from the website or simply email me.

From the Diary

Thank you for your prayers over the past two weeks.  There has been a range of activities with accompanying blessing for which we thank God.  I will not take up space here with details. If you are on Facebook, you can keep up with my activities.

Sunday 8^th May – Services at HMP Gartree, and Yelvertoft Congregational

Monday 9^th – School Assembly, Lubenham, Leics.

Tuesday 10^th – HMP Gartree

Wednesday 11^th – CTBI AGM in London

Thursday 12^th -Preparation day (hospital appointment for Doreen)

Friday 13^th – travel to Oldham

Saturday 14^th – Congregational Federation Annual Assembly

Sunday 15^th -Free time (Preston, Lancs.)

Monday 16^th – Travel to Stirling, Scotland

Tuesday 17^th -  Stirling - Teaching on Safeguarding for the salvation Army

Wednesday 18^th  – Free time or travel home.

Saturday 21^st Messy Church, Yelvertoft.

What the Bible says about Social Networking

Well, I wonder whether you have started to read this because of the title.  Indeed, I wonder whether if, like me you use social networking (in my case Facebook and Twitter) you have ever considered that the Bible does have something to say about it.  If you have already realised this fact, then has it been affecting what and how you write?

The main passage addressing this topic can be found in James chapter three, but Paul also had something to say about it in his letter to the Colossians, (chapter four verse six).  Of course both James and Paul were writing before the days of the internet, but what they have to say is perfectly appropriate to how we use social networking today.  In their day the main tool for communicating was speech.  I invite you to take a few moments before reading further, to click the links and read what they wrote.  After that consider what they might have written if social networking had existed and people could be ‘heard’ by so many other people.

In the early days of emailing some rules were introduced.  For example, we were encouraged not to SHOUT (i.e. put some words in capitals).  This was several years before social networking was developed but it would be good if, as Christians, we gave some thought to what the rules ought to be. When and how should we communicate on matters of common concern and about which we might have strong opinions?  I can think of several aspects where this might apply, such as political issues – especially at election times, or in the current EU debate within the UK.  Friends reading this in other countries will be able to identify their own times of risk.

Several weeks ago I wrote about the power of rumours and referred to the occasion in the story of Nehemiah when those opposed to the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem employed rumour as a weapon, recognising its power of influence.  I wrote this in the context of the EU debate because I knew well that much would be spoken and written that would be prejudiced (for or against leaving) and in which the language would be deliberately manipulative.

Frankly, the issue is too important for us to join the bandwagons or to allow ourselves to be caught up or influenced.  We need facts and we also need to evaluate what they are and where they come from as we seek to make a rational decision.  You may have heard about the novice preacher who wrote against part of his sermon notes, “Weak argument; shout here”.  Strong, loud and passionate comments certainly will contain risk.  We need to be careful that we are not unhealthily swayed, or worse, seek to sway others in the same way.  Does truth need amplification?

One appalling example recently were the ways in which folk that are keen that the UK leaves the EU, used the issues of the Prime Minister’s benefit from overseas investments made by his father as a reason for “Not trusting Cameron on the EU”.  If a person has to have a spotless life before we are prepared to listen to them or trust them, then you might as well stop reading, as my past isn’t perfect (and I still mess up from time to time).

A few weeks ago, I had a dilemma.  I have a friend who is an Anglican priest with a rural benefice nearby.  I discovered that he used to be the priest of a church in Brussels and that one of his church wardens was the senior civil servant in the European Commission.  He is British and he has since been trained and ordained and serves in a UK parish.  This man, Richard, has a unique and accurate understanding of the relationship between the UK and the EU.  Understandably, before the date of the referendum was announced and the conversation started to heat up, he wrote a short paper from his experience.

I found this personally helpful but have been hesitant about passing it on to others, only because I am trying to shun influencing others through argument, and it might easily be seen that I was trying to persuade others by espousing a one sided view.  However, his paper is significant and you might prefer that I shared this with you.  So I am making it available for you to read, should you wish.  I would not want to publish an argument on either side, or both.  You will see that it does present information in a way that might lead you to a particular conclusion, but you must make up your own mind, and do so dispassionately if possible, and certainly prayerfully and graciously.  Click this link if you would like to read it.

Meanwhile let us all remember what James and Paul had to say, seek to tame our typing, and ensure that our postings are always full of grace. (Hopefully this one is???)

From the Diary

As usual I start by thanking you for your prayers.  Please do not think that this is a polite formality; I really do need and value your prayers.

The past few days have included planning meetings: one for school assemblies and the other for an outreach programme for the summer.  I also attended the Churches Rural Group Meeting (part of Churches Together in England) which proved a helpful meeting.  CRG is an important and useful networking body.  Last Sunday I took the service in the prison on the theme of doubt and faith.  This seemed to be very effective from the comments heard afterwards.

This weekend (15-17 April) I will be attending a Training Weekend run by the Congregational Federation.  My function is as the representative from the Pastoral Care Board which has responsibilities regarding the pathway to ministerial accreditation.  The PCB also has a pastoral caring role towards those in training (whether vocationally or otherwise).

Dr Gordon Temple, CEO of Torch Trust for the Blind, will take the Sunday meeting at Yelvertoft.  Please support him in your prayers.

This week Doreen has a follow-up meeting with the doctor.  It seems as if a gastric problem, from which she has suffered for well over a year, may have finally cleared up.  I am also having a tooth pulled, which makes it impossible for me to do my usual half day in the prison.

On Thursday I shall be speaking at a Mothers Union meeting.  Next Sunday I will be back at Yelvertoft.

Please pray for our new Children and Families Adviser, Katrina and for me as, together, we develop publicity and set up three ‘launch events’ in the southeast. Katrina starts on May 3^rd.

Please also pray as I plan my diary.  I am trying to keep space to undertake particular duties so planning is important.  I have been nominated for a role which, if elected I would serve wholeheartedly, and would see this as an indication of God’s will.  Voting takes place up to the end of April.  Please pray that those who are voting will be wise and Spirit led.  Whatever the outcome, this will not immediately affect my plans to put more time into promoting rural mission and evangelism.

So, once more heartfelt thanks for your prayers.  May the Lord be praised for wonderful blessings received and the privilege of fruitful service during the past week.

Barry

Hallmarks of a Real Christian

Hallmarks of a Real Christian

Most Christians seem to have heard the question, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”  But such a question raises the issue of what would be the appropriate evidence?  A few weeks past, the Pope raised questions concerning whether there was appropriate evidence for Donald Trump’s claim to be a Christian in the light of statements he has made.

Interestingly there is one place in Scripture where a statement is made about what constitutes a real Christian as distinct from a mere professor of faith.  It appears in Paul’s letter to the Christians in Philippi.  It is also where not much further on Paul talks about weeping over those who are false professors of faith. In the opening of Philippians chapter three Paul warns against false teachers who seem to be characterised as legalistic, imposing aspects of the Law of Moses onto the simple Christian faith based on grace.  This is how he defines what characterises real Christians:

“They worship (or serve) by the Spirit of God.”

This clearly implies the need for spiritual regeneration about which Jesus challenged Nicodemus.  Jesus also spoke about this to the woman he met by a well. Our worship and service for God must have the breath of God’s Spirit in it.  Only then is it alive and real, engaging with the living God.  This is so much more than intellectual assent that there is a God and so much more than the nominalism that besets too many of our churches.

“They glory in Christ Jesus.”

The original Greek text expresses sense of exulting or boasting.  It is well expressed in the line “Jesus is the sweetest name I know”.  Perhaps it might be described as being a ‘Jesus fan’.  It is about being excited by Jesus.  I was intrigued to note that Paul puts the word Christ before the word Jesus. It seems to suggest that our excitement over Jesus is because he is the Christ.  My experience of fans is that they cannot get enough of the object of their interest, whether it is a pop star or a football team, or whatever. They queue to attend events, spend inordinate amounts of time and money, and proudly wear anything to display their passion. Should our enthusiasm for Jesus be less than that?

“They put no confidence in their own efforts to please God, recognising their unworthiness.”

So no room for boasting about themselves.  No suggestion here of being better than others.  Human nature so often wants to be thought of as worthy.  But James and John, and their mother had to learn that you cannot earn ’brownie points’ through your own efforts.  Apart from Jesus (i.e. out of fruitful union with him) we can do nothing.

I heard of a young man who struggled to overcome pride.  He regularly prayed in prayer meetings that the Lord would “make him nothing”. Eventually an exasperated and more experienced Christian told him, “Brother, you are nothing; accept it by faith!”

So, reality check: Do we meet the criteria?  Is our worship and service for God full of the life of God?  Are we excited about Jesus?  Do we recognise our own unworthiness?  I hope so.

From the Diary

It was good to celebrate Easter.  At the prison during the week a follower of Jainism asked me why Christians are enthusiastic about Easter.  I only had enough time to say that it demonstrated that Jesus was much more than a good man and that his death had great significance.  Please pray for him.

Another celebration took place on Thursday after Easter in St Leonards-on-Sea for a service of thanksgiving for Alan Tarling, an old friend and former trustee of Sunrise Ministries (Rural Mission Solutions). Alan, I was reminded, first met me as a boy soprano singing a Christmas solo in 1958! It was good to meet other old friends and our enjoyment of the occasion was a small foreshadow of the greater gathering yet to come.

While in Sussex I met up with Katrina who will be starting work with Rural Mission Solutions on 3^rd May as a Children and Families Adviser.  We give thanks for her addition to the team.

Sunday 10^th – Yelvertoft.  Please pray as they eek God’s guidance for the future ministry as I step down from that role soon.

Monday 11^th – Please pray for Jim & Jane Currell.  Jane’s faith came alive during our ministry in Herstmonceux.  They now serve the Lord through Oasis in Kyrgyzstan.  In the evening the church at Yelvertoft holds an important Church Meeting (pray for wisdom).

I will be involved in planning our next Holiday at Home outreach in Market Harborough.

Tuesday 12^th – Planning school assemblies in the morning and working in the prison in the afternoon.

Wednesday 13^th – taking part in the Churches Rural Group meeting in Stoneleigh, Warwicks.  

Friday 15^th to Sunday 17^th – I am attending a student’s training weekend in Nottingham in my capacity as a member of the Congregational Federation’s Pastoral Care Board.

Saturday 16^th – Please pray for our Messy Church Team who will run Get Messy at Yelvertoft for the first time without me!

General Prayer Request:  Please pray as I gradually reduce my work at Yelvertoft and plan to give more time to the challenges of rural mission.

Thank you for your fellowship,

Barry

Sharing Peter’s Shame

I hope you had a great Easter.  No doubt at some time over the past week you will have heard at least one mention of Peter and his tragic denial of Jesus.  Both Matthew and Luke tell us that he went outside and wept bitterly.  (Matthew 26:75; Luke 22:62).   Matthew states this was after hearing the cockerel crow and Luke adds that the Lord looked straight at Peter.  Leading up to Easter I tried to imagine how Peter was feeling in that moment.  What made him weep so bitterly?  Was he weeping for Jesus or over his own failure? Perhaps both, but certainly over his own failure.

We need to try to put ourselves into Peter’s shoes.  He was caught up in a dangerous situation and everything seemed out of control.  The Easter tragedy in Lahore brings home the fact that there are Christians in various parts of the world where just being a Christian puts your life at risk.  Clearly, Peter felt his life to be at risk or he would never have denied knowing Jesus.

But no matter what the mitigating circumstances, Peter knew that he had let the Lord down, and that he was not the man he thought he was.  In the light of that I would like to put my hand up to acknowledge the times when my behaviour has demonstrated that I am not the man I want to be.

The first time I received this salutary lesson took place in 1964.  I had joined an interdenominational mission led by people from Pentecostal churches.  Here, for the first time, I heard about the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit. They spoke about an experience of being baptised in or with the Holy Spirit. Several of my friends from the Baptist Church and the Salvation Army who worked alongside me in this Mission had obvious experiences of the Holy Spirit coming on them in times of corporate prayer.  I was keen to receive anything that God could give that would make me a more effective evangelist.  But time and again, while others received a blessing I came away disappointed.

What made this difficult to accept was my own opinion of myself. I knew that I was at least as good a Christian as my friends.  In fact, if anything, I was more committed, and something of a spiritual leader among my peers.  So why was God withholding the blessing?   All I could see was that the problem was at God’s end of the promise; I was really keen and longing to receive the promised gift of the Holy Spirit in a similar if not the same way as my peers had experienced.

Occasionally our weekend team ministry across the denominations would take us to a Pentecostal church.  This was really embarrassing as lovely older men and women would ask if I had received this baptism in the Spirit, and I would have to confess I had not.  Sometimes they prayed with me but still God withheld the blessing. This situation reached a climax when the team was booked to conduct the Sunday services for a rural Assemblies of God church.  In the evening service, the leader of the team included in his message a point about the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  I knew that everyone else on the team had experienced this and assumed that all the nice Pentecostal people in the church had too.  It seemed clear to me that he was preaching a pointed sermon and that it was directed towards me.

As he spoke I rehearsed before God this man’s many faults.  He had an unpleasant judgmental attitude towards others, he was destructively critical and showed little sign or real love for sisters and brothers, over whom he lorded himself.  How dare he preach at me, who was kind, considerate of others and majored on the importance of love as a hallmark of our faith!

As I poured out my own condemnation on the one who regularly judged others, suddenly the Holy Spirit withdrew from me.  Up until that point I am not sure how aware I was of the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life.  But, in that sudden moment, his withdrawal was as dramatic as if the lights had suddenly gone out or the temperature had dropped ten degrees.  And I knew why.  I was not the man I thought I was or wanted to be.  While the sermon progressed I was having my own encounter with God.  I prayed, “Lord take away the bitterness and baptise me with your love”.  I had reached a point where I knew m self as a failure.

Hardly had the prayer left my mind, when a fountain of love and joy erupted from somewhere deep within me. As I felt the Holy Spirit’s return I let out a quiet “Hallelujah!”  As I did so a second fountain erupted from deep within.  The more I spontaneously responded in silent praise and thanks, the more the blessing came. (See John 7:38)  I was overwhelmed.  I had to sit through the closing hymn as my legs had turned to jelly.  I have never been drunk but I think that would be something like that. 

Sadly, on the way home that evening I listened to the team leader criticising another team member, but all I could do was laugh because all I felt was brotherly love towards a naturally un-loveable person.  How true it is that the Holy Spirit spreads the love of God into our hearts (See Romans 5:5).

I would like to be able to say that this was the only time that I let down both God and myself, but that would not be true. Like Paul who wrote to the Philippians, I know that I am not perfect.  I also know that if I am ever to be the kind of man I would want to be, it will only come about as a miracle of grace.  Perhaps God needs us to keep that awareness of our failure so that it keeps us hungering for God and holiness.

From the diary

Thank you for your prayers during the past ten days.  I praise God for his blessing.  Particular highlights include a service of thanksgiving for the life of Alan Buxton, one of our members at Yelvertoft.  A large congregation attended as we gave thanks for his life and celebrated the gospel.  On Tuesday I shared in a meeting for the Congregational Federation Accreditation group in Nottingham and on Wednesday travelled to London to share in an interesting meeting for the Free Churches Group.

On Good Friday I shared in leading a Stations of the Cross service at the prison.  While some aspects did not fit my personal theology I found this to be a precious time and it set me up for the communion service that followed in the village church. On Easter Sunday I had the privilege of leading worship at the prison before travelling the 17 miles to minister at the village church.  Together we share the joy, exclaiming, “Hallelujah!  Christ is risen!”

This week I shall be in the prison on Tuesday, and attending a Thanksgiving Service for the life of Alan Tarling who was a Christian friend and good influence in my life since my teens, and who served as a former trustee of Sunrise Ministries.  Normally, this week would be a semi-holiday as Doreen and I would have attended a church leaders conference.  Instead the time will be filled with various activities in Market Harborough and, at the end of the week in Sussex.

Thank you for your prayers that the Lord will provide an Anglican colleague for the prison chaplaincy team.  Interviews are being held.  Please keep praying for the members of Yelvertoft Congregational Church as they contemplate my forthcoming retirement from that aspect of ministry.

Thank you for your fellowship.

Barry

My Easter Experience

People often comment on how significant or timely the reflections in the Praise & Prayer News seem to be.  It is an encouragement to know this. I hesitated before writing this week, as a topic had not presented itself to my mind.  Then I wondered whether you would mind if I used this occasion to share something of my personal Easter experience, way back in 1963.

It really began several months before.  I had started attending a young people’s Bible study at a Baptist church (I was then 17) largely because I was strongly attracted to a very attractive girl who attended.  After going to this for a couple of weeks, the Minister of the church announced that the following week I would speak on my favourite psalm.  He had not asked me, and I wonder how he thought I would respond.  I had engaged in a debating society at school so thought I could manage it.  But the real decider was that this gave me an opportunity to impress Rosemary, so I agreed.

I was determined not to speak on Psalm 23 as that would have been too easy.  But as I sat in my bedroom trying to get my head around Psalm 121 I noticed a postcard I had purchased on a school trip to the Tate Gallery.  It was a picture of scattered sheep.  I picked it up and saw that it was a painting by W Holman Hunt (of Light of the World fame).  It was entitled, Strayed Sheep.  I was using an old study Bible that had belonged to an uncle who had been an evangelist with the Salvation Army. The uncle had died but his Bible had been passed on to me.  So I turned the pages back to Psalm 23 and started to read the notes.

The following week I spoke on Psalm 23 making reference to Isaiah 53:6 and confessing myself as a strayed sheep; and to John10 that speaks of Jesus as the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the sheep.  The only disappointment was that Rosemary wasn’t present to be impressed!  Afterwards, the Minister singled me out and said that now he knew where I stood when could he baptise me.  I wasn’t keen to be baptised but couldn’t come up with an excuse.  So began a series of preparation meetings on which I was joined by two of Rosemary’s brothers.

The date for the baptism was the evening service on Easter Day 1963.  The evening before an inter-church event was to be held on Hastings Pier with a guest speaker called Sylvia Smith.  She was described as an evangelist working with strippers and prostitutes in London.  As a young man with rampant hormones it sounded an attractive topic so I and several other young men went along. Sylvia gave an interesting talk about her work but slipped seamlessly into a message based on the words of Jesus from the cross, “Father, forgivethem, for they know not what they do” (The Authorised Version was commonly used back then).

While it could be argued that these words related to the soldiers who had hammered the nails through his hands and feet, Sylvia suggested that they included all who had been party to his crucifixion.  She proceeded to describe the role of Judas, Pilate, Herod and the soldiers; but also included Peter who denied knowing Jesus.  In each of her descriptions of them and their motives, I saw something of myself.  After each character she requoted that words of forgiveness.  As she did so, the gospel I knew ell from Sunday School days, slowly spread from my head into my heart.

As we stood to sing the closing hymn I felt the love of God as I could never have imagined it. The hymn was one I knew ell.  It was Isaac Watts’ “When I survey the wondrous cross”.  As I sang the first three verses my mind struggled over that last verse.  Silently I told God that I would not sing it unless he helped me to mean the words of surrender.  The third verse ended and I found myself singing wholeheartedly, “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.”

What a prelude to the event the following evening when, before a packed church, I professed myself a disciple of Jesus and walked into the baptismal pool and the arms of that tricky Minister who got me to speak about my favourite Psalm.  I am indebted to the Rev Gordon Hunt, to Sylvia Smith, (and I guess to Rosemary), to my parents and many in the church who never gave up praying for me through several years of abandoning church and living an extremely ungodly life.

As the waters closed over my head they symbolised what had already taken place as the old Barry Osborne sought to die to self and sin.  Then Gordon’s arms raised me up, symbolising the new life that had begun.  How we sang, “My chains fell off, my heart was free; I rose went forth and followed thee”

This Easter, a great-niece will be baptised.  If her Easter experience is half as significant as mine, and if it leads, as mine has done, to a life of joyful service for Jesus, she will be blessed indeed.

Well, that’s my personal Easter.  I hope you have your own personal Easter, though it will probably differ from mine as the Easter experience for Peter differed a little from that of the two who walked to Emmaus.  But may the love from the cross and the power of the empty tomb excite you afresh this year.  Sing the hymns and make the acclamation as loud as you can, for he is risen indeed!

Praise & Prayer

Please keep praying for the post of Anglican Chaplain to be filled at the prison where I work on Tuesday afternoons.  Two candidates have come forward and interviews are taking place.

I am working in the prison on Good Friday morning and taking the Easter Sunday service before travelling to Yelvertoft for the service there.  Palm Sunday is a joint service in the village with a procession of witness through the village.

Monday 21^st – taking part in a funeral service in Rugby for a great saint called home.  Alan was part of the church at Yelvertoft.

Tuesday 22^nd – taking part in an accreditation review process for the Congregational Federation in Nottingham.

Wednesday 23^rd – taking part in the Free Churches Group Meeting in London.

Good Friday and Easter Sunday (see above).  On Saturday we will hold “Get Messy” which is our children and family event at Yelvertoft.  Please pray that this Easter will see many new people attending our churches and coming to faith.

Thank you.

Barry

Mission Lessons from DIY-SOS

I often find myself sitting in tears at the end of a DIY SOS programme on television when one of their epic activities has transformed a home to better serve the needs of a family struggling with disability. What moves me is not the entertaining personalities and interactions of Nick Knowles and team, nor even the pace and skill of the work they undertake; it is the emotional response of both the beneficiaries and the emotional response from the large crowd of volunteers, many of whom are also moved to tears.

For any that are unfamiliar with this BBC programme, it features a team of four craftsmen in the building trade plus Nick Knowles who somehow holds it all together, provides motivation and functions as the presenter.  He is also ready to get his hands dirty.  They offer their services to people who have a major domestic building task they cannot manage themselves, often featuring people with disabilities.  Nick Knowles and the team issue a ‘call to arms’ and recruit friends, family and local trades to help transform the homes of families across Britain. This usually results in an enormous sized team who somehow manages to work together and around one another and achieve in just a few days something that would normally take months to complete.  It is the crowd of volunteers and generosity involved that creates the wow factor.

The biblical equivalent is the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem achieved in only 52 days (See the story of Nehemiah)

Not far from my home a commercial building has been under construction for many months.  Clearly the task of building it will take a set amount of people hours, specific material and skills.  I found myself wondering what it might have looked like if the contractors had approached the task using the DIY SOS method.  The building would have been completed far more quickly and put to use generating employment and income. 

If it works in one context, why is it not being used in another?  Perhaps there is an economic factor I haven’t fully considered.  Similar approaches have been taken for crowd funding (raising money for projects by smaller amounts from a large number of people), and crowd research programmes using the internet.

Much of my Christian ministry has been spent trying to motivate people, who claim to follow Jesus, to share their story of faith.  One of the ways I do this (often in family services) is by suggesting that I might be a very wealthy relative who would like to offer pocket money each week for one year.  There are two options: either £50 each week or start with 1p and double it each week.  Week one is 1p, week two is 2p, week three is 4p and so one.  Many suspect a catch so I steadily increase the fixed sum offer up to £50,000 per week.  By then most seem to want the £2,600,000 that would achieve.  But what would the 1p deal have produced?

£180,143,985,094,820

  

And it all started with 1p.  So, if next week one person told someone about their faith, and the power of the gospel brought that person to faith; and the following week both told people about their faith, and the power of the gospel brought two more to faith; and the week after that all four told people about their faith, and the power of the gospel brought four more to faith; and this continued for a year….. wow!  Not all will believe but all would have heard the gospel.

In the Bible people who had just met with Jesus were keen to tell others and so the news spread.  Not all were gifted evangelists.  Some had doubts or uncertainties but they shared what they did know and told what had happened to them.  So is “crowd evangelism” just a dream or might it be possible?

Praise & Prayer Items from the Diary

We give God praise and thanks for blessing on Bible teaching ministry over the past week.  It is encouraging to get positive feedback.

The visit to Kent was productive.  A key part of this was meeting with fellow trustees of Action for Christ (formerly Mission for Christ).  This is a ministry devastated by criminal and other inappropriate action by a former trustee.  We are now re-building and have a vision for the future.  We would value your prayers as we seek to transfer trusteeship of a small rural church in Kent to the members of the church.  This will enable them to take better ‘ownership’ of the work which has been growing through the past year.  It was good to see evidence of outreach.

Gordon Bank’s webinar presentation went well and we both enjoyed the teamwork.  One participant described it as “Hugely helpful and interesting”. The next webinar will be after Easter, date to be confirmed.  Please drop me an email if you want to suggest any rural mission topic we could cover.

It was a joy to have Doreen’s company at Leeds where I was providing sessions for the Salvation Army’s Safeguarding programme.  Once again several expressed appreciation for the helpfulness of the sessions.  I discovered one of the 20 who attended receives and appreciates Praise & Prayer News.  Other Christian leaders have also been commenting on their relevance and helpfulness.  Please pray that God will continue to use them to encourage and bless the readers.

I would value your prayers for a personal situation in which I and a good friend act as trustees for a Will. Under the Will (left in 1979) we have an immediate duty towards the, now elderly, daughter as well as safeguarding the capital which ultimately must be used for rural evangelism. We have reached a critical point and need wisdom to take the right actions in the best interest of the beneficiaries.

This week I shall meet with other Christian leaders at the Churches Together in England Enabling Group meeting at High Leigh, Hoddesdon on Thursday and Friday, 10^th and 11^th March.

Your prayers for the church at Yelvertoft, Northants, which I have served as Minister for the past 10 years, will be appreciated.  I am looking to conclude this ministry and the church members are seeking God’s guidance regarding future ministry as I seek to reduce my commitment there.  They and I need God’s guidance.

Please pray for Katrina who will be taking up Children and Family Ministry with Rural Mission Solutions in May alongside other ministry.  Katrina and her family move to a new home and a new church in mid-March.

Thank you for praying.  John Wesley one said, “God does nothing but in answer to prayer”.  I believe he was talking in the context of the effectiveness of Christian ministry.  It is a bold and challenging comment, which should make us pray and then pray more.

I pray that the Lord will abundantly bless you and make you fruitful in his service.

Barry