Cheap grace or costly discipleship?

We are only days away from the 80th anniversary of  death of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's.  I knew nothing of him as I grew up in post war Britain and attended a Baptist church and Sunday School.  I heard of Livingstone, Chalmers and many other heroes of the faith, but not of Bonhoeffer.  It was only towards the end of the last century that it became a familiar name.  He was an outstanding example of how to live the Christian life within a world where compromise comes all too easy.

Disdaining the notion of 'cheap grace', he taught instead, 'costly discipleship'. In Bonhoeffer's day it was all too easy to accept Naziism, as many Christians and churches did.  Speaking out against it was to ask for exclusion and criticism from Christians that were expected to be supportive.   Recently I have watched two programmes about the use of BSL as a language for the deaf.  The second programme was a film called Reunion which drives home how deaf people can become marginalised.

Grace is not cheap.  Yes, I believe that the gospel calls all into a living and loving relationship with himself free from rules and regulations.  Access is by faith.  One of my critics has said that in teaching that living under the New Covenant which has no rules, like 'cheap grace'.  By that, I think he meant I was trivialising grace.  But, I believe that God's wonderful offer of free salvation came at the enormous cost of the cross.  As a recipient of such love I sing with Isaac Watts,

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.

I do not believe that anyone who has come to see that it is through what Christ endured that we are offered salvation, that such a person could look at the cross and decide to live selfishly.  My Jesus, spoke about those who would follow him, taking up their cross.  For Bonhoeffer it meant ultimately dying for the things he believed in: treating Jews and black people with love and dignity.  But, in many ways, he had already laid down his life years before his death.

We are called to love God wholeheartedly, and to love our neighbours as ourselves.  I have become deeply concerned about how unkind so many of us are towards those whose sexuality is different from ours.  If we proclaim a God of love who has open arms, but marginalise and even ostracise those whose natural sexual attraction differs from what we call normal, our actions betray our profession of faith.  Love is more than a smile and a handshake at the door, it welcomes others as we would want to be welcomed.  It offers them the best place at the table and the best seat in the house.

Over a million people in the UK have found the courage to confess themselves different, but that does not make them less, or dangerous.  I am not one of them, and I wonder would I be able to face the loss of friends and family, and a place in church.

Which Covenant are you Under?

 One of the things that saddens and surprises me is that many Christians who read their Bibles regularly often seem not to live under the New Covenant that God has made with humankind.

The Bible contains several covenants (binding agreements), but there are two in particular that I would like to mention.  Incidentally the names given to the two major divisions of the Bible reflect these two covenants.  There being no exact equivalent in Greek for the concept of covenant within the Hebrew Scriptures, the alternative, diatheke, translated "Testament" is used.  The difference between Covenant and Testament is interesting.  Covenants are made between two or more parties having power during the lifetime of the maker of the Covenants.  But, Testaments are agreements that only have power after the death of the testator. Se...

"In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died." (Hebrews 8:16,17, NIV)

The 'Old Covenant' was made by God with the people of Israel.  It is conditional.  The Old Covenant came with a raft of rules and regulations.  These declared that some things were not allowed, and are therefore called sinful.  Alongside these, God provided a system of sacrifices for forgiveness.   While God cannot be anything other than faithful, sadly, Israel repeatedly became an unfaithful partner.

By contrast, the 'New Covenant' is made by God with all of humankind.  It is unconditional, based upon grace and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.  He has paid it all for all people of all times, and access into this relationship is simply by believing (i.e. accepting our need and what Jesus has made possible through his death, so trusting him for salvation).  It comes without any of the rules and regulations.  The only thing that God asks is that we love him wholeheartedly and our neighbours as ourselves.  We may fall short but, as John tells us, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ cleanses us when we acknowledge out fault.  It is God's free provision at his own cost.

The problem that follows is that many people seem not to be happy with a 'no rules' relationship.

So it was that some of the Jewish converts to Christianity taught that circumcision and obedience to the Law was still required.  The death of Christ was not enough.  The apostle, Paul (himself a pharisee) received his understanding of the gospel direct from God, and saw these law keepers as contradicting the gospel.  Hence his journey to Jerusalem and the Council recorded in Acts 15.  This Council determined that there were no rules, though some advice was passed on to the gentile Christians.

But that was still not enough for some, and early Bible teachers continued to insist that the Law had to be kept.  Fortunately for us, Paul addresses this particular problem in his letter to the churches in Galatia.  In it, he makes Palin that to mix Old Covenant pathways to righteousness with grace is to make grace ineffective.  Those whom Christ had made free were not to get entangled again.

The principle of the sufficiency of the sacrifice of Christ accepted by faith is also taught in Romana and Ephesians, and elsewhere.  But time and again, otherwise earnest Bible-believing Christians keep adding rules.  Why?  It seems that some of us cannot live without rules, so we inject them into the message of salvation and in teaching about discipleship.

Jesus has paid it all.  He has fulfilled the requirement of the Law.  We do not have to try to do the impossible which is why we are free.

I come across this fault so often.  When I ask if simple faith is all we need, they usually reply "Yes, but...."

I am confident to say that both God and I want you to enjoy life in the Holy Spirit.  Revel in its freedom and produce fruit through that union, but not through effort!

If you haven't read Galatians for some time, do get up to date.  You will find it a blessing.  What could be better than "It was for freedom that Christ has set us free"?

I remain, yours under the shelter of God's wonderful grace,

Barry

Just an Ordinary Week

 Regular readers of my blog will know that last year I stepped aside (not down) from my key activity in rural mission.  That is the work of what we started as Rural Mission Solutions but is now more simply known as Rural Missions.  I hasten to say that Rural Missions still h\as plenty of great ideas to help village churches.  It is not without solutions!

Over more recent months I have also started reducing the amount of time I am able to give to promoting good church management, mission and evangelism.  However, reducing time does not mean reducing quality and value, so I looking at doing more while doing less.  After all, I am now 79 and have less energy but a lot more experience and wisdom.

Like many my age, I wonder where time goes.  It often feels as if someone has stolen hours out of a day and days out of a week, not to mention the loss of months in a year!  Do, what can be achieved in an ordinary week?

This week I have helped in planning an event for the block of retirement apartments in which I live alongside 43 other apartments.  The sixty or so people who live here only have two people who regularly attend a church.  Both my Baptist friend am I are keen to create opportunities to explain something about our faith to our close neighbours.  So, we have agreed a plan to hold a series of four discussion, looking at @How did we get the Bible and is it reliable?", "Who was Jesus and what did he teach?", "Why get so excited about Christmas and Easter?", and "Is there life after life, and can we be sure of heaven?".

If these do not get people talking I will eat my hat!  My friend has offered to host these in her apartment which is good as she is more tidy than me.  We are offering, tea of coffee or cold drink plus some scrumptious cake.  At least eight people have signed up, but there is a quiet buzz among others.  Watch out for more news.  I have prepared a take-away sheet for the first session as one of the things to do in an ordinary week!

The other night this week I sat up until 4.00am finishing the first draft of a booklet exploring what causes romantic and sexual attraction, and what does the Bible say about it.  Others are now checking the draft to see if it is as helpful as I hope it would be.  If you are up to speed with what God has been doing in my life, you will know that in 2024 I found God pressing me to research this issue, both from a scientific point of view as well as from the Bible.

What I discovered was quite disturbing.  I had not thought about the process of attraction before, but was not surprised that it is primarily to do with functions in our brains.  Neuroscience has demonstrated that people attracted to the same sex not only have brains that function differently to those e attracted to the opposite sex, but even the shape of the brain can be a determinator.  Simply, we cannot help how we were born.  It is not a matter of choice.

But I had to square this with what the Bible says.  To me, that seemed impossible, like squaring a circle.  So hours of Bible study followed, with the sense that for every question I had, God showed me his answer.  One by one, I found that all the arguments from scripture that opponents of same-sex relation raise, were not possible to substantiate.  At the end of 2024 I could no longer state that the Bible says that same-sex relation is wrong.  That does not mean that I promote same-sex relation; it means that I cannot condemn it because the Bible doesn't.  Now, that will be difficult for some Christians, and I have been accused of disobeying Go, but if you want to search the same scripture that I have searched, let me know and I will send you a free copy of my notes.

With over one million people in the UK who have gone public on being attracted to people of the same sex, and not attracted to the opposite sex.  This is a big issue.  In addition  there are over one million people in the UK who are born with sexual parts of their bodies neither exclusively male or female.  Dare we say they are not made in God's image because they do not fit the binary understanding that comes from our interpretation of what it means when the Bible says, "Male and female, created he them".  Is the Bible wrong or is it how we have chosen to interpret such passages?

All the above does not include the time given to play my part as part of the leadership and an active member of my church, and promoting support for Myanmar to alleviate problems caused by the earthquake.

So, it's been a pretty productive week, and so it is set to go on.  I vale your prayers and interest. Why not drop me a line to ruralbarry@gmail.com, and let me know how you are doing, please.

When words are not enough

This week we have probably all watched the devastation caused by earthquakes.  What could we possibly say to a man who has just lost all his loved ones, his home, his treasured possessions and his means of making a living?  He stands and weeps.  All he possesses in the world are the dusty and torn clothing he is wearing.  He has survived an earthquake but lost everything he held dear

What could we say to the woman whose daughter was killed by a Russian missile strike on the hospital where she was being cared for, and another missile has blasted her home into rubble?

What could we say to comfort the young woman thrown into a miserable jail for not wearing the right head covering, or savagely beaten by the police who should have been there to protect her?

What could I say to the young woman, repeatedly raped by her minister in the pulipit and on the font of the church where she worshipped each week?

What could the young Christian solicitor say to his wife as he sat next to her hospital bed after she had lost both her legs after a bus, swerving in a traffic accident, had pinned her to a wall and taken the life of their only little child?

Sometimes, God steps in.  On recovering consciousness after the operation, she told her husband how the Lord had come to her and already told her what had happened. 

Sometimes words just are not enough.  All the situations I have described are real tragedies, several of which I have come across during my years in ministry.  There are times in the life of a pastor when words are not enough.

Just such an occasion occurred this week when an email I received from a Christian friend and colleague in ministry told how he had received three lots of bad news in a few days, one being that he had no more than a year to live.  What could I say!

At the same time, another Christian friend, who knew nothing of my friend who had been told he was terminally ill, sent a link to a song I had never heard before.  It is called “In the Eye of the Storm”.  It contains the words:

When the test comes in and the doctor says

I've only got a few months left

It's like a bitter pill I'm swallowing

I can barely take a breath

In the eye of the storm

You remain in control

And in the middle of the war

You guard my soul

You alone are the anchor

When my sails are torn

Your love surrounds me

In the eye of the storm

Sometimes, God steps in!

Ryan Stevenson, the author of the song, might have used the term, “eye of the storm” incorrectly but, if so, that does not matter.  We know what he meant.  On land, the eye of the hurricane is the moment of calm in the centre of the whirling powerful winds.  At sea, the same moment of calm is accompanied by buffeting waves coming from all directions. Sometimes, a moment of calm in the midst of a storm is a prelude to more trials.

I think that it's a great song, and it was almost uncanny that the lyrics include getting bad news from a doctor.  You can listen to it by clicking the link below.  It ends with the words of Psalm 23 being spoken.

This week, I watched the scenes from Turkey and Syria on my TV.  I have been speechless and my soul has groaned as I have tried to pray.  Sometimes that is all we can do

JB Phillips translated Romans 8:26-27. “... we do not know how to pray worthily as sons of God, but his Spirit within us is actually praying for us in those agonising longings which never find words. And God who knows the heart’s secrets understands, of course, the Spirit’s intention as he prays for those who love God.”  Perhaps our best prayers are said when words are not enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2FqFLKisys&list=RDX2FqFLKisys&start_radio=1

Barry - 10th February 2023

Rev Barry Osborne

Founder and CEO

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