Fighting for unity in the church

I had the privilege of writing an article for the Scripture Union magazine a while ago and it was published last week. It is around 'fighting for unity in the church' - if you find the time please click on this link and have a read of the article. There are some other great articles from other authors there too.

Click here to read the article 

Ephesians 4:3 - Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Message for Lockdown

I write these words two hours before our family, along with millions of fellow South Africans move into uncharted territory as we start our 21 day period of Lockdown. The world has changed so rapidly in the last month, that I doubt I even need to explain the term 'Lockdown' to anyone. The new normal for everyone on our planet includes new words such as, 'social'distancing', 'flattening the curve' and of course 'Lockdown.'

There have been so many good quotes, wise sayings, video's and even songs written in preparation for this event, that I almost felt I didn't need to add to their collective wisdom. However, I have noticed a few things of late and so wanted to add a few thoughts to the mix. Here goes...

...Some people are behaving as if they have been possessed and this is not a good sign (we haven't even started three weeks of Lockdown yet!). Just wait until you see me in 3 weeks, especially after trying to keep a 9 month old puppy in Lockdown - I will certainly look a lot less saintly.

I understand that people respond to crises differently, but there are some selfish people in the world at the moment.  Please let us not be "those people." This time of crisis is impacting all of us and we all need to come together to support one another. My actions may not seem harmful to others on the surface, but this virus has already taught us that it only takes one person to infect hundreds of other people.

Be kind to yourself and to those who are closest to you. None of us has experienced this before, so we don't have a blue print to work from. Kindness will go a long way to make this time bearable for all of us.

Let us be grateful for the fact that we have modern technology and so we can still be in contact with those we love. Let us use this technology to our advantage and to reveal God's love to a world looking for answers.

I am always weary of taking scripture verses out of their original context, but I think these words found in John 20 can speak into our times: "Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” - John 20:26

Friends, our time in Lockdown is not a time where Christ will be "locked out" of our lives. Just as the disciples were scared in the days after Jesus crucifixion, so we may be a little afraid at this time. Let us not allow fear to grab hold of us, but rather to trust that Jesus comes into the midst of our fears and closed doors.

On a personal note, I don't know what the next 21 days will hold for everyone, but for me I certainly hope that it will include some of the following:

Creating memories with my family
Reflecting on my relationship with Jesus
Redefining my dreams and goals
Catching up on odd jobs around the house
Continuing to work and do ministry (albeit in a different way)
Reading new books
Running around the house 5000 times in order to try and keep up my training
Being present with my kids and Kim
Keeping contact with friends
Remembering those in need and helping where we can
Etc
Etc

May God bless us all during these interesting days and please remember this:

“What God has planned for people who love him is more than eyes have seen or ears have heard. It has never even entered our minds!” (CEV - 1 Corinthians 2:9)

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Does anyone care?

Does anyone care?
This is an interesting question to answer, but before we do let me share this story with you.
I read an article about a young student in New Zealand who died in his hostel room, but no one noticed for 2 months. Can you believe that? That is 8 weeks. 56 days!

Eventually his parents asked the authorities to break into his room because they were getting worried. This story bothers me, because it shows that although we are living in a "connected" world via social media, we are not as connected as we think. This poor guy had to wait 2 months before anyone cared enough to knock on his door.

For this reason, I believe the church plays an important role in helping people connect to one another. This is not just for social reasons, but to keep each other accountable to the faith we profess. Community is vital for our survival in our Christian walk.

"Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: “Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?” The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to." - Romans 10:16-17 (Message)

Thought: Don't be tempted to withdraw too far from your Christian community, because there is a chance that people may give you the 'space' you ask for, but when you are in desperate need, there may not be anyone to hear your cry for help.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Live for something more

I have noticed that when churches, communities and organisations become so focused on themselves, they start to breakdown from the inside. Petty arguments, disagreements and issues become our focal point and sap most of our energy. However, when we return to the 'reason for our existence' (for Churches that is to Love God and Love Others), we begin to let go of the trivial stuff and realise the importance of our mission.

I could sum this up by saying: When we live for something/someone else, we come alive and focus on what it life-giving instead of the petty issues.

Stephen Gaukroger – “When local churches are absorbed with ‘external’ needs, ‘internal’ issues (such as worship and unity), are not major sources of contention… Let us get our Churches focused upwards to God and outwards to the world.”

 
What trivial matters are sapping your energy at the moment?

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Victorian Parlor or Family Room?

 

In doing some reading around the 7 Churches of Revelation, I came across this delightful piece from Eugene Peterson. He makes this lovely observation about the church and challenging us on what we expect from a church community:

"The churches of the Revelation show us that churches are not Victorian Parlors where everything is always picked up and ready for guests. They are messy family rooms. Entering a person's house unexpectedly, we are sometimes met with a barrage of apologies. St. John does not apologise. Things are out of order, to be sure, but that is what happens to churches that are lived in. They are not show rooms. They are living rooms, and if the persons living in them are sinners, there are going to be clothes scattered about, hand prints on the woodwork, and mud on the carpet." - E.Peterson in Reversed Thunder

I think there is a lot for us to chew on in this passage. It calls me to reflect on our desire to make church 'nice' and  'clean' - or to remember that because we are all "sinners in need of grace", there is going to be a mess in some parts of our community.

Seeking to make our churches look like "show rooms" is not going to help us live in them and make them spaces for the entire family of God. What do you think?

1 Corinthians 1:10 - I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

The pack of Porcupines

German Philosopher, Schopenhauer once remarked that Christians are like a pack of porcupines on a freezing cold night. The freezing weather conditions force the porcupines together for warmth, but as they get closer to each other their quills begin to jab and wound each other. So they move away from each other, only to repeat the process over and over again.

I think this brilliantly describes the dilemma of Christian fellowship. True community is difficult – just when you feel it is all going well, then suddenly something bursts the bubble and people feel wounded. Over the years of ministry in various churches I have discovered that relationships within a community of faith are complex. In the very place where we should be showing love and care for each another, we often discover that this is not the case. (This extract was taken from my recent book Whatever it Takes)

      

      If you belong to any community, religious or not, then you would have experienced something of this Porcupine effect. It seems to happen wherever people gather together. We need to be in community and so we are drawn together, but after a while we find other people irritating, frustrating and just 'different.' This leads us to pull away again. However, in the end we will find that we need human company again and so we will come back together. 

      If we are going to live together in community, then perhaps we need to listen to this advice:

    "It requires less character to discover the faults of others than it does to tolerate them.’ – J. Petit-Senn

    Living in Grace

    D3LM3