50 People every Christian should know

I read this fascination book at the end of last year and am only now getting a chance to blog about it. "50 People Every Christian Should Know" by Warren Wiersbe is a book that gives short biographical pictures of famous Christians of the 'golden era' - 1700-1940's. Most of them were preachers in England or USA but there are a few missionaries, women and people from other areas.

You will know their names; Matthew Henry, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Fanny Crosby, Spurgeon, Hudson Taylor, Moody, Chambers.

Obviously I have to confess to an ignorance about most of these preachers, and this era, which is sad, but if you are like me, this is a great book to start with.

I really enjoyed reading about the people, the times, the problems of the era, how God worked in their lives. Each summary had pithy wisdom from the subject, insights and stuff on how they lived. It was fascinating to hear how many past preachers lived their lives. Praying & studying the word from morning to mid afternoon, then doing their pastoral visiting in the cool of the evening - virtually everyday of the week except Sunday.

It seemed a much simpler time to do Ministry - and the author would often harken back to this simpler time and simpler method implying that if this method was 'rediscovered' the mythical success the church is no longer experiencing would simply return. But there was enough variation in method - with some preachers confessing their lack of pray, and lack of visiting - to undermine such a rose coloured view of things.

Many of the 'preachers' spoke of their responsibility for the whole town; they had 5000 souls in their care and they weren't sure of each one's salvation. Again, a passion and vision that would be hard to replicate today.

I was also fascinated to learn that some of these churches were so full you needed tickets to get in. A young Dwight Moody had travelled all the way to England from America to hear Charles Spurgeon preach at his height, and nearly missed out because he didn't have a ticket. When they found out how far he had come, he could enter the standing room.

People would hear one great preacher in the morning, travel across town to hear another in the evening. This was the general public, so regular conversion were expected and experienced. Indeed the Leeds Skeptic Society [we thought Dawkins was new!] turned up on mass to 'heckle' Samuel Chadwick, but their president was soundly converted, and the rest of the group too within the next few months.

They really were the glory days of English/American Christianity - the heart of Christendom, when there was a church on every corner, full and with a wonderful choir to boot, the preachers were famous and influential in the society, the hymn writers renowned and the missionaries superstars!

It's very interesting because one insightful preacher, Phillip Brooks, said to his contemporaries, 'do not be ashamed of the age you live in least you talk of it in a weak tone of despair' [paraphrase, p155]. It seems every preacher did not see him or herself as living in the glory days, but as living in the worst of times with the glory days behind them. What a sobering truth. It is only in hindsight we see the significance of our days, and what might look like struggle to us, others may see as our glory days.

Indeed, the author does harken back to these times, praying that such preachers will arise in our time, that preachers will learn the lessons from this book. I think there is no going back to these times. When there was no TV, no films, the only entertainment on a weekend was the opera, or theatre - the 'preacher' was well placed to provide a burgeoning middle class society with some wholesome entertainment. Where else could you go and hear an amazing orator who would move you to tears and inspire you - all for a penny if that's all you had.

The time was ripe for this ministry, I'm not sure the time will ever be the same again. Rather than dwelling back, we do need to learn the principles from the past, but not stay there. Indeed, in our disparate, complex society - rather than having a whole country on fire for God, can we only expect to ever have a community 'on fire'. Can we see the various ministries doing well around the world as in their glory days [Hillsong, Saddleback, Willow Creek]. If things are going well where you are - see them as glory days, not 'if only' days.

Working with young people I know that while my congregation may not be full and overflowing - these young people are having amazing encounters with the living God through us anyway - they will look back on this as their glory days - when the Glory of the Lord impacted them, grew them. That is glory to be praised.

Grab the book, it is a simple, but profound read. Baker Books, 2009.

Peter's Sermon in Acts

As a follow up to the previous post, I had always considered Peter's sermon in Acts 2 somewhat of a disappointment. Here was supposed to be the 'perfect sermon', preached at the birth of the church, converting 3000 to the faith. When I read it, I couldn't see what all the fuss was about.

The problem was obviously not the sermon, but my understanding! Not until I had to preach through Acts did I finally begin to 'get it.' Peter's sermon was 'perfect' for the context. Peter does not preach penal substitution - Peter proclaims that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah, in accordance with Scripture, and what they have just witnessed, the coming of the Holy Spirit, confirms this. Not only that but we, the very ones waiting for the Messiah, killed him, but God, again to confirm his status, raised him to life, indeed to the right had of God!

Understandably, many in the crowd were cut to the heart, repented [changed their minds about what they previously believe about Jesus and/or the Messiah], sought forgiveness from this and other sins, and believed.

The genius of Peter's sermon is not it's proclamation of a timeless, one-size-fits-all gospel, but his grand sense of occasion - Peter understood how the cosmic Christ event applied to these people. That's not to cheapen the truth of what he said, it was exactly true, but it's not what Paul later preaches to the Gentiles who do not await a Messiah [Acts 17:16ff]. The gospel, if it is really true, is a Cosmic reality that overshadows every tribe, tongue and nation; that every human can hear 'in their own tongue'. Can we be filled enough with the Spirit, to see how the gospel is good news to the people around us, and thus proclaim.

The Gospel

I had the privilege of visiting the local Presbyterian church and hearing my colleague proclaim the good news recently. He did a fine job of proclaiming penal substitution as outlined in Romans. At the end of the sermon he made the statement that this is what he would do each week, preach the Gospel, and for his congregation to hold him to account for this.

Indeed, I pray that he [and I] do this, each week - proclaim the gospel. But his comment, given the context of his preaching, sparked thoughts for me.

I grew up in 'Evangelical Anglican' territory. Not regularly attending, but having a combined youth group with them. I really appreciated their strong emphasis on Biblical literacy, their carful, logical, expository approach to Scripture. Indeed, to their credit Moore College influenced churches are very clear about the gospel, and offer excellent teaching about foundational theology. They know what the gospel is, they are great at setting foundations in the gospel and thinking logically/rationally.

As I grew, I came to understand though, that at worst, what they meant by the gospel was penal substitution and nothing else. That is, the gospel to them was and could only be understood as penal substitution. They preached penal substitution each week, no matter what the passage of scripture. Indeed, if someone preached and didn't clearly extrapolate penal substitution they had not preached the gospel, and indeed, sometimes even their salvation was questioned.

The Uniting Church meanwhile [my heritage] is a more broad church. It understood that the scriptures contain many atonement metaphors to try to explain the mystery of the cross; penal substitution, adoption, ransom, satisfaction, substitution, etc. What I discovered was that sometimes this meant ministers in the Uniting Church seemed to have no idea about the gospel! No wanting to 'nail down' the cross event, they seemed confused as to exactly what it meant [I have a terrible story about how this was lived out].

My reflection is that the hard line evangelic church clearly knows what their gospel is, is great at teaching foundational theology, but after that struggles and can be very closed to discussion and discovery. Meanwhile some elements of the Uniting church can be very vague about the gospel, is terrible at teaching foundational theology, but is very open to discussion and discovery.

To use a building metaphor - they are great at laying the concrete slab, and frame - but never go beyond that. We are great at discussing the architraves and individual design elements that make a house a home and individualise things, yet the foundations are weak.

In the Uniting Church we want to discuss all the nuances of faith and scriptures and the gospel - when we have no basic foundations to keep the discussion in a common ball park!

For me, obviously the middle ground is the narrow way. We need good solid foundations of the fundamental message of scripture, so that we can then understand it's nuances and let them add grace to our clear categories. Indeed, I think we have so many atonement metaphors as each one speaks to a different people group or situation. To only preach penal substitution misses a whole group of people. Penal substitution has the side effect of painting God into a corner of being a mean, angry God who must be appeased - this is the flaw of the metaphor, not of God. In an authoritarian day, penal substitution works. But in a post modern society, where authority figures and authority institutions are rejected, penal substitution is dismissed.

Our task as preachers is to discover the atonement metaphors that scratch an itch in our community. In our day of recycling, it's amazing to discover that the word for Salvation means recycle. God is the great recycler, who is redeeming, not plastic - but people. Jesus was literally redeeming people from he scrap heap [Ghenna/hell] of life, recycling them - giving them a new beginning [born again]. Now that's a metaphor that might scratch an itch. Then they can discover that penal substitution is also true.

So let's preach the gospel - God was in Christ redeeming the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them - but let's not become myopic on one atonement metaphor.

Why me?

It distressing to continue to hear about the various tragedies happening around Australia, the latest being the fires in Perth. How do we handle such things when they come close to us? Does the Bible give us any help in the valley of the shadow of death?

One of the very powerful things the bible does encourage us to do is complain and cry out to God. Despite our English heritage that wants to keep a stiff upper lip, and a funny tradition that you never question/get angry at God, the Bible actually says this is the way through tragedy.

Rather than 'praise God no matter what', around 1/3 of the Psalms are what are called Laments - cries of 'Why me?' aimed at God on the lips of people like King David. They take the following general form...

Where are you God?

Here is what is wrong [my enemies surround me, etc].

Yet, I will cling to you, where else can I go?

Maybe you could do this God!?

Eventually, I will praise you again.

In the midst of our distress it is OK to get angry at God, to doubt his presence and goodness, to rile and rave at what's going on. Some psalms even express 'terrible things' - that God would smite our enemies, dash their children on rocks. It seems God is more interested in honest, vulnerable prayers than perfect, pious prayers and that God is happy for us to be angry at him, and take it out on him, to get it out - rather than leave it in.

The difficult thing, yet the powerful thing, is to continue to cling to God in the midst the the tragedy. Cling to the very one who it seems is ignoring or hurting us. After all, is there anyone else who could help but God?

When we do this a glimmer of light appears at the end of the tunnel. Our questions are not answered, the problems are not solved, the darkness is not taken away - but we have someone walking beside us.

This is not just theory, but something I experience powerfully. When journeying with the parents of a suicidal teenager, or partner of a car crash victim; when I don't know how to understand the mind of God and have no words to pray, I pray laments. "Where are you God!?" In my own life, in the midst of my own mild tragedy, lament has been a God-send. It is in many ways pathetically simple, yet after I pray this way, and shed tears, somehow I feel better.

What I find most compelling about the idea of praying this way, is that this is what Jesus did in his darkest hour. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays a lament. In his anguish he sweats drops of blood. He literally asks, 'Why me God? Why this way? Maybe you could find another way! Yet, I will trust and cling to you.'

Then on the cross, Jesus prays the words of psalm 22, a lament. 'My God, my God why have you forsaken me?' It is a prophetic and powerful psalm. The quote is supposed to point us to the whole psalm, this is Jesus' prayer to his Father that get's him through. If Jesus prays this way, how much more do we need to!

Lament is not escape from tragedy, it is succour through tragedy. It is one of the only things we have to cling to, because it is clinging to God.

In Praise of our Community

After living through a cyclone [and recent floods] you must appreciate our society, realise how much of a gift it is and not take it for granted. Us bloggers can be the biggest critics - great at speck spotting! [Matt 7:3-5] But thank God for the country we live in.

Where else do we have sophisticated specialists and equipment monitoring weather to give us warnings days ahead of time? Where else do we have researchers and government enforcing building codes that save lives, even if they cost us more to build? [The earthquake in Chile last year was over twice the strength of the one in Haiti yet around 550 died in Chile, over 300,000 died in Haiti. The difference, building codes and other developmental factors.]

Where else do you have SES, Army, Councils, electricity companies working around the clock to restore life to normal? Where else does the govt give you money if you were effected, indeed, help you out if you weren't insured? Where else do volunteers come out of the woodwork to help their neighbours?

Indeed help has become so 'normal' in our society, that when there are hiccups in the process [ie roads are closed, so help can't get in] we complain. People in many countries would be left to their own devises to recover by themselves, we have little to complain about. Remember Govt ain't God, all these things are gift, gift [not right] - we must recognise and receive them as such with much gratefulness. Gifts scorned and taken for granted are soon no longer given.

It is my contention that we live in such a wonderful society because of our Christian heritage, and that if we loose that we risk loosing such gifts. I say that not to force Christianity on our society, but so that reasonable individuals will see the connection and decide to get serious about faith!

The other thing that does confront and challenge me is, how do we share these gifts with the developing world? If our wisdom/technology was in Haiti - could 299,500 lives have been saved? That is to our shame. If it means no wide-screen TV's in anyone's houses, or less mobile phones or laptops - wouldn't that be worth it? It is only by divine choice I live where I live. But it is because of human selfishness that we don't share the blessings of human unselfishness.

Cyclone Yasi

I must preface this post by saying I only saw the hem of cyclone Yasi, and it was enough. We lost trees and power [for 20hrs] but nothing much more. A can't speak for those closer to the eye.

I’m supposed to be preaching on the first commandment on Sunday [see www.burdekin.ucaweb.com.au for podcasts of my sermons]. It’s interesting having that text in your head as a cyclone approaches. In some ways I don’t have to preach – just point to the cyclone. What greater example of the awesomeness and awfulness of God do we need? This cyclone was not God, but as a part of God’s creation, it made us fall on our knees and hide in toilets. If a cyclone can do this – how much more should we understand the awesomeness of the statement; ‘I AM the Lord your God.’

If you read the lead up to the giving of the Ten Commandments the parallels in imagery is striking. A huge cloud mass had descended on the mountain. Thunder and lightning was growling all around. The mountain was cordoned off as dangerous. Do not get too close or you will die. The Israelites were filled with fear. ‘Don’t come too close’ said God. ‘No chance of that!’ said the Israelites.

As we read those words, ‘I am the Lord your God,’ are we filled with awe and wonder? Do we tremble in our boots? Or have we become too familiar with God.

Stop and consider with me the amazing parallel in imagery between a cyclone and meeting God.

When we know a cyclone is coming, and this is a modern blessing, we drop everything and start to prepare. Whatever was on our agenda is forgotten, the cyclone sets the agenda. We stock up on food, water, the very basics of survival. We find someplace that might survive the coming of the wind. Some of us even retreat, knowing that perhaps we can’t stand against such a force.

We go through our lives and clean out all the junk, toss away the stuff that doesn’t matter and only gets in the way.

Meeting God the Israelites did the same, but on a spiritual level. They let go of their own agenda’s and got onto Gods. They cleaned up their lives. They ceremonially washed their hands and hearts to be in the terrifying presence of the Lord. When the cyclone hits it knocks down anything that is not held down. It removes anything that is not strong. It removes the weak, broken and dead branches. Takes out the weak structures.

In scripture the presence of the Lord is compared to a refining fire. A purifying force that cleanses and removes all that is not dross and waste.

And this is what I find most startling of all. The strongest winds are right near the eye of the storm; the ones that do the most damage. But then, when you enter the eye it is complete calm; perfect stillness and peace. They say that in the eye birds start to sing. The sun can shine or the stars twinkle. Compared to the storm around it, it is surreal. It is not something that you would believe was possible, if it were not so.

A cyclone is not the presence of God – but is it something that points to a greater reality? A consuming presence that destroys all that is not strong and pure and holy in its path. But once you enter the very presence of God – it is perfect peace. A place of such calm and contrast that you cannot believe it exists. The birds sing, the sun shines, the stars twinkle. An impossible place.

In the film ‘Contact’ starring Jodie Foster, Jodie travels to just such a place. Her travels there are awe-full, terrifying, as she see galaxies, nebula, black-holes overshadow her. She wonders if she is going to survive as she is tosses around the infinite universe like a rag-doll in her puny, little man-made spaceship. This confident scientist is emptied, humbled, left in awe, only able to confess, ‘I had no idea. I had no idea.’ Isn’t this what a cyclone does? It puts us in our place. It reminds us of how puny, how powerless, how pointless our lives really are. All our bluster is blown away. We can only tremble and say, ‘I had no idea. I had no idea how powerful the world is. I had no idea how big the universe is. I had no idea how great is our God.’

If a cyclone can do that, how much more should the presence of our God humble us. ‘I had no idea. I had no idea.’ I am the Lord your God, who brought you through the winds of Yasi, out of the wilderness of complacency. You shall have no other God’s before me. All other God’s are a joke before the real one. How is it that we can have any other gods? Only when we forget the awesomeness of the one true God. How great is our God.