Each month the congregations and teams in the Edge Network come together. We’re looking at a series of ‘identities’ that are ours in Christ. This time it was heirs of God. Here’s part three of what I said …
Look at Philippians 3:18-4:1:
I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Saviour. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. 1 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
Paul talks about two kinds of people: enemies of the cross and citizens of heaven. In fact, he is describing us: what we were and what we are in Christ. Our identity says: ‘Jesus has set us free from the condemnation our rebellion deserves through his in our place.’ ‘Their god,’ says Paul, ‘is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.’ We used to live for our appetites (literally ‘their god is their stomach’). We were controlled and enslaved by our desires. Our sense of right and wrong was so topsy-turvy we bragged about shameful things. We were only concerned with getting on in this life, however we each defined that. Where were we heading: destruction, judgment, condemnation.
But now everything has changed because Jesus Christ is ‘our Saviour’. Now we are citizens of heaven.
At this month’s ‘vision Saturday’ the congregations and teams in the Edge Network looked at the next in a series of ‘identities’ that are ours in Christ and which should define who we are and shape how we live. This time it was heirs of God.
In Christ we have a treasure that is worth selling everything to own. We have an inheritance that makes it worth giving up everything. We have Christ, who is of infinite value, and compared to him everything else is worthless. To gain Christ, it is worth losing everything.
Not only that. But when we see this; when we see the value of Christ; when we see our wonderful inheritance; when we see the Altogether Lovely One; when he is our treasure then we will give up everything with excitement and joy.
‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.’ (Matthew 13:44 niv)
Yesterday we had another ‘vision Saturday’ when the congregations and teams in the Edge Network come together. We’re looking at a series of ‘identities’ that are ours in Christ and which should define who we are and shape how we live. This time it was heirs of God. I began with a story …
Let me tell you a story that Jesus once told. Jesus said the kingdom of God was a bit like this.
A man was walking home from working in the fields when he decided to take a short-cut across a scrubby area that never seemed to be used for anything. There was no clear path through the field so he picked his way through as best he could. About two-thirds of the way across he tripped suddenly and fell into the long grass. A few inches from where he fell he saw to his surprise a piece of metal sticking out of the ground. Curious, he pulled away the grass and brushed off the top soil. It was the metal corner of wooden chest. He tugged away the tufts of grass and dug away at the soil. He pulled and twisted the chest until it was free. He paused. And then lifted its lid. Inside were jewels, pendants, gold coins - all covered in dust, but clearly extremely valuable.
My book Delighting in the Trinity was one of ten books being promoted by UCCF (the student movement in the UK) at New Word Alive as must read books for students. Here’s the video that was produced to promote the ten books. It’s a spoof of British TV shows an adverts. The irony is that the publisher, Lion Hudson, have just told me that they’re allowing the book to go out of print!
We were looking at the story of Gideon from the book of Judges in church today and together we were struck by a number of principles that are very relevant to church planting.
1. Don’t be afraid
Gideon is afraid (6:27). And so he hides in the winepress (6:11); acts by night (6:27); seeks constant reassurance (6:17, 36-40) and always seem to dither when God commands. God teaches him to trust him, famously winning the victory through Gideon with just 300 men. God’s opening words ot Gideon are very significant (and ironic): ‘Mighty hero, the LORD is with you.’
Samuel was commenting before the meeting on how easily afraid he can be. And I have been realising how much I organise my ministry to avoid situations of risk or fear. So we have resolved to greet one another this week with the words: ‘Mighty hero, the LORD is with you.’
2. Don’t be afraid of being afraid
It is easy to be debilatated by the call not to fear. But God graciously meets Gideon’s fears at each stage. Every time Gideon asks for a sign, the Lord provides. Finally in 7:9-11 the LORD provides a sign that Gideon has not asked for. Gideon is afraid, but God still use him to deliver his people.
3. Give God the glory
In 7:2 the LORD says to Gideon: ‘You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.’ 7:2. And so God famously reduces Gideon’s army to just 300 men. We imagined the men dividing into two groups as they drink the water from the brook and Gideon hoping God will give him the group of 9,700 men rather than the group of 300.
It is not difficult to see the relevence of this. How easily we say: ‘I have planted this church through this strategy … these missiological principles … through my energy … through my skills.’ I wonder how often God withholds his blessing because he knows we would use his blessing to rob him of his glory.
Farnham Baptist Church are looking for an assistant minister with a focus on young people and evangelism. They’re looking for someone who is baptistic, reformed and ‘keenly evangelistic’. If you know someone who might be interested then point them in the direction of John Ross, the minister, at john@farnhambaptist.org.
The closing line of the book of the Judges is: ‘In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit’ (Judges 21:25). Everyone wants to live ‘my way’. It is a culture of relativism - just like our own - in which everyone determines for themselves what is right and wrong.
The claim that Israel had no king is to be read at different levels - it is both true and false:
Chapter 2 tells us how to read the rest of the book. It is the theological framework for, or interpretation of, the stories that follow. It sets up the following cycle:
2:10-13 disloyalty
2:14 judgment
2:15 repentance
2:16 mercy and deliverance
2:17-19 the cycle is repeated (and gets worse)
The first story of a judge (Othniel in 3:7-11) is a rather colourless story that seems design to illustrate this cycle:
The cycle, however, can be broken down into two parallel movements of ‘moral symmetry’:
human disloyalty -> divine judgment
human repentance -> divine mercy
We see these two divine responses repeated throughout the book of Judges.
