nobrokenreed

Archives for July 2017

Change the World

by 1 Comment

Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.

Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. – Matthew 24

I’ve always been interested in modern Christendom’s approach to changing the world. It doesn’t seem to line up with what to me at least, seems the obvious ‘New Testament‘ way. Further, we seem unable to grapple with the rapid decline of church influence on our society, such that the outside world won’t listen to us or take us seriously anymore. “They” are even curtailing where we can speak and what we can believe. The indignity of it all. Our approach has been an Old Testament one of cudgels and cutlasses.

Neil Cole, one of the pre-eminent Disciple makers around today, said recently that a great part of what he does, involves warning churches about what is surely coming. The question is, will we listen? There it is, in black and white, if they hated me, they will hate you. Can it be any clearer?

Is it any surprise then, when a State government attempts to ban the name of Jesus across every playground in every primary school in the State (what about Allah, Mohammed or Buddha?). Should it surprise us when everything in our society tilts against Christendom, when Christmas is slowly dismantled, when proselytising is banned, when the Bible is removed. Why do we respond with shock? Perhaps a better question is, how should we respond?

I have become indifferent to the endless requests to join marches, gatherings, sign petitions and goodness knows what else, to change politician’s minds about the future of the country. Has it done the cause of Christ any good at all for us to wave placards and raise our voices in the face of those whom we expect to live up to our beliefs (I nearly said standard) while in the same breath, tell them of the love of Christ. What good does it do when we tear down and isolate ourselves from the very ones we should be winning to Christ?

Jesus asks us simply to read the signs, and the signs tell us he is on the way, maybe even quite soon. Have we forgotten his message to us, his believers? Let us recap and listen.

That salvation is found in nothing in this world, but only in him, that we are to put our entire faith in him bringing us through trial, judgement and on into eternity with him. Because of this, because he loved us first, so we are to live an obedient life to him, preferably one that radiates out into the world the pure beauty of his presence. Then, when we live a life that will not bring disgrace to his name, to go out into the world wherever he calls us, and tell others the same, even if ‘out into the world’ means across the street to your neighbour. If we just did that at presumably great cost, you wonder if our world would be very different.

Some while back, the leaders of the China church began the ‘Back to Jerusalem’ project, taking up a vision they felt the Lord gave them to evangelise the entire Silk Route, all the way back to Jerusalem. Every since Paul’s day, the Gospel has moved West and they wondered whether this might usher in the return of the Lord. Millions have signed up, at great cost. Evangelising the ‘Stans’ and Arabia might be one of the most challenging activities ever undertaken by a believer. Of the first 40 groups to go out, 37 were arrested inside a month – but don’t worry, millions more, literally, are queuing to take their place.

All of this tells me that Christ is indeed on the way, that the purposes of God never cease and nothing will hinder them. They will be fulfilled in the fullness of time and no government pettiness will stop it for a moment. Isn’t that great!

The only question is then, what will I do with my brief time? Will I accept that all this is going to come to pass, that as a believer my message will be unpopular, but needs to be heard anyway as it will be heeded by some. Further, will I live in the faith and knowledge that God has given me a simple task to do right where I am.

If I do that, then I can leave the running of the world, the fate of politicians and governments in the hands of one to whom ‘all authority has been given’ and focus on my much simpler task.

One it would seem Jesus was confident would change the world.

 

Intentional Disciple Making

by 2 Comments

For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilised world, and the rest of the world, to the educated and the uneducated alike – Paul, Romans 1

Some of the women in our gathering have met up with, and are bringing to Christ, a woman they met on the street. This lady is past middle aged, but has grabbed the Gospel with both hands and is coming to an understanding of faith. They have all started meeting regularly in a Discovery Group, and I suspect, she is likely a person of peace, a hub in a community. It is wonderful to see. Recently she thanked my wife from the bottom of her heart, for taking the time to share with her on the street, for introducing her to a Gospel that is life changing.

There are more stories I could tell as well. This blog was started primarily to encourage a few believers who were either new to the faith, or wanted to make themselves useful for God, or simply wanted to do something different with their lives, other than turn up to church each week and go through the motions. It was also a journal for us, a reminder as to what the Lord was doing in one corner of his world.

The day I think it becomes, “look at us” is the day we stop writing. We never wanted it to be about anyone other than Jesus; we are invited to join him in his work, not the other way around.

We have been trying to do things differently for more or less a decade. Doing things differently principally means, trying to be a Disciple Maker for Christ, drawing those who don’t yet know into a relationship with Christ, and then encouraging and working with them to do the same to those in their ‘oikos’. A new, genuine, church is born.

There was quite a response to the post a few weeks ago, questioning whether we should all be out on the streets or not. Some – well, maybe most, see this as very threatening, sharing the Gospel with complete strangers. Is that what it’s really about? In some senses, yes it is, I believe.

But, there is a single, simple word that seems to describe the great difference between the work of those in the Scriptures, and the lack of work of the vast majority of believers in our churches today. It is the word ‘intentional’. Whether you choose to go out on the streets, into the shopping mall, or just invite people into your home to run a discovery Bible study, there has to be some intent in what we do for God. From Jesus in the Gospels, through to the Apostles, then Paul and on through the ages, He has asked us to be very intentional in the way we live for him.

This means for each of us, that we should live with an attitude similar to Paul’s above, that I have an obligation to live in a way befitting the God that I serve. Further, that like him, I should be on the lookout continually, for opportunities that the Spirit of Christ will present to me on a moment by moment, day by day basis to introduce Jesus into someone’s life. Taking that a step further, I could even be intentional in moving out into my community, praying, prayer walking, knocking on people’s doors, talking to another in a coffee shop – the list is endless. If I was to spend a lifetime doing that, and saw just a single person come to Christ, it would be a life well lived.

This stands in direct contrast to the many, who see their obligation framed in a single sitting. Is it any wonder that the devotion of so many seems so cold, and that the world has such a low opinion.

Imagine just for a moment, that the church as we know it in the West, was completely taken away. Buildings, pastors, Sunday services – all gone. What would you, what would I have left, how would my service to Jesus look like then?

One of the things we are learning, is the vital importance of the community of Christ in and around us. We could have written as easily as much about that. But, it seems that the local community of Christ frequently dies, unless there is some intent to live obediently in this area of disciple making.

The good news is this though. Around the world today, thousands, most likely tens of thousands of ordinary people, are living out their lives intentionally for Christ. They are stepping out, looking for opportunities, quietly sharing their faith and leading others into faith. They will never make the front page of Charisma magazine.

But they should be an encouragement to each of us, that we too can do something simply for Christ. This week and going forward, like Paul, like others, let us live an intentional life for our Lord. Surely he is worth it, surely it is what he asks us to do.

The Essential Gospel

by Leave a Comment

Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. – 1 Peter 3:15

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9

It dawned on me recently, we don’t share the good news we have, because we don’t know how to. Years, maybe even decades of sitting listening to sermons, and we still can’t explain why we believe what we believe.

When we sense the burning inside of us that tells us we must open our mouths to what is such a gaping opportunity, we stumble along inside our heads, and end up saying nothing. We live in frustration. So the debate about whether or not I should go out on the streets becomes moot, because we cannot stand in front of a group of family and friends even, and explain what we believe. It is tragic, if not even a little amusing.

When we listen to another religion at our work, are we able to give an account of why Jesus is so central to all and everything; is our confidence to defend our Lord so high, that we jump to his defence as he asks us to, to give an account of the wonderful hope that is in us? Let me let you into a little secret, it is because the servants of the Lord have for so long kept their mouths shut at opportune times, that so many have become cold in the faith, unsure even themselves what they believe. In turn, this has had a profound impact on our society. We are on the defensive all the time.

When I shared once my faith with a man who works for me, he astounded me by saying he knew many friends of faith, but none ever shared with him and he was disappointed. He wanted to know what they believed, but they never took the time. Imagine that. Then again, maybe it’s not so uncommon.

So, for those who are interested, here’s a few tips;

Firstly, take the time to learn something by heart. Practise it by yourself and with some friends. There are some wonderful tools around, the internet’s not all bad! Google around for the ‘3 Circles’ a simple Gospel presentation that you can do with a pen and paper in 5 minutes to a non-believer. It may not be super comprehensive, but it will at least get us started, and most people will understand and ask questions.

Also, understand what some of the other religions believe. If you’re not sure, go and ask them! We speak with many Muslims and I wonder sometimes if they know more about Jesus or ‘Isa’ than some believers do. They seem only too willing to talk about Isa, which in turn is a great opening for us. We build bridges with people when we understand at least the rudiments of another’s faith, and it gives us an opportunity to contrast our faith with theirs. Why do we believe what we believe?

Then, understand Scripture and try to frame what Christ says about himself, so that we can reference the Bible in our explaining. Jesus did this all the time in his discussions and debates with others. ‘Scripture tells us…’ What can we explain to someone about the nature of God, or his character. Does God expect anything of us, what happens to us when we die, how can we answer the 7 most common questions of the sceptic (‘why does God allow suffering etc’). All of these are found in the pages of Scripture, we need to look for them with the intent of answering an unbeliever.

Personally, when I explain the Gospel, I always keep in mind the single-mindedness that we will all face God, and what will we need to do? After all I explain, surely a loving God would let us know what he expects of us? So then:

  • Keep the law, escape the penalty
  • Break the law, pay the penalty

I find that everything cascades down from this, even if I am not explicit in saying it this way. It allows me to explain the story with God at the beginning, and myself in relationship to him. It also puts Jesus at the very centre, and distinguishes him from all of the ‘also rans’ of other religions. Nobody else could, or would, pay the penalty for me. It leaves the listener under no illusion that they are ‘good enough’ but also that even though God has no choice, he has given us one. I can explain the one tenet that separates Christianity from all religions and philosophies, and that is the Grace of God through his Son. When we have done this, we can leave the rest to the Holy Spirit, who will lead us throughout all of this.

So, will we take the time to learn a simple story, maybe even just our own? Do we take Jesus seriously enough to listen to what he asks us to do? Come on friends, let us give honour to him by explaining to someone this week, why we believe what we believe.

You’ll never experience greater joy.

Are we all called out onto the streets?

by 8 Comments

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” – 2 Cor 5: 17-20

Moses came to visit us on Sunday. Yes, that’s right, Moses. A fine young man from Africa, he had recently decided to take God more seriously and wanted to get baptised and learn to share his faith. So, after joining our gathering last Sunday, a group of us went down to a beach on Sydney harbour and prayed. In front of bystanders and curios, in the middle of winter, we walked into the sea and baptised Moses. Moses in the water, marvellous!

After that we went out on the streets, and began to share the Gospel of Jesus with strangers.

Earlier in the week, a dear friend whom I respect enormously suggested to me that not all believers are called out on the streets, that the gift of evangelism is just one of several, and that we are all called to participate in support for those who evangelise in different ways. I thought long and hard about this; is it correct?

In recent weeks, a group of young people who go out onto the streets to share their faith have led half a dozen others to Christ and baptised 4 of them straight away. A woman we spoke to some weeks back has met us again, and wants to start a discovery Bible study with some of the women in our gathering. As a result of our work on the streets, we have begun to see others, non-believing enquirers joining us in Discovery Groups, wondering what a relationship with Christ might mean.

Around the world, we read stories, just about every week, of ordinary people going out into the marketplace talking to people about the love of God through Christ. I’m not talking about India, Africa or other developing countries, but Western nations like Australia or Britain. In some instances, over weeks and months, dozens are responding to the Gospel message in different ways. They become disciples.

Is going out on the streets though, even with all this, that important? Is it not really the domain of just a few evangelists, supported in prayer and other works by those presumably who aren’t evangelists? I find that difficult to swallow.

Aside from what appears to be a clear command from Christ, and overwhelming support throughout the entire Scriptures of the importance of sharing the incredible grace of God through Christ Jesus with non-believers, why else would we share the Gospel on the streets?

Surely one of the most compelling reasons is to counter the statistic that 98% of church-goers have never shared their faith with another. We see so many, meet so many, whose faith over the years has withered, even died. A lifetime of hearing about a God who is powerful, praying to that God, singing praises to Him, listening to incredible stories – but never actually experiencing it, will cause any believer to doubt. Why share with anyone such a God?

Yet, and we have seen it time and again, encourage such a person to begin to open their mouths with another about the person of Jesus Christ, and suddenly their faith comes alive. Their faith moves from a position of just knowledge, to one of obedience as they begin to encounter the joy of sharing with someone who is desperate for answers in this life.

Over and over we have been out with the shy, the unassuming, the sceptic even those with such little faith, and seen their lives change. From every understanding of the word, there wasn’t an evangelist among them, yet they could share with a total stranger. They became alive in the process.

I could go on. We have found that going out of the streets, sharpens us such that we are able to pray and share constantly with those in our everyday lives. Sharing the Gospel becomes a way of life, only after we move out into the marketplace. Jesus becomes our everyday, for reasons of which we are unsure, other than we obey.

Does it have to be the streets? Perhaps not; the grocery store will do, the shopping mall, the tower block next door, or just the neighbourhood. For those unwilling, the excuse is usually that they are praying and sharing with their family and friends and prefer to keep it at that, after all so they tell me, we must evangelise those first. In our experience though, such people are the hardest to share with, and after a few rebuttals, most give up.

We have come to see Christ’s call to make disciples as a labour of love; making disciples seemed to clearly start with non-believers in the Scriptures, moving them to conversion and through to maturity – a big part of which, must surely be to make more disciples. A movement is started.

There would be more stories, even from our own meagre experiences that would fill this blog for evermore. Disciple making is for keeps, and that means going into the harvest to search for them. It would seem nothing is clearer.

In the book of Daniel, it says those who lead others to righteousness shall shine like stars for all eternity. Who wants a piece of that?

SUBSCRIBE

Contact