Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 18/July/2021]

Picture three people arriving at a train station. We’ll call them travellers A, B and C.

Traveller A walks up to the platform. He gets onto the train, takes a seat and settles himself. Another passenger walks up to him and asks, “excuse me, but do you know where this train is heading to?” “No, I don’t actually” he says, “it looked good from the outside, so I thought I’d hop on.”

Traveller B knows where he wants to get to. He arrives on the platform and the chap next to him asks, “Oh, it seems like we’re headed for the same place. Do you know whether this is the right platform?”. Traveller B looks at him and says, “Oh I don’t worry about that. I’m convinced that they all lead to the same destination, so it doesn’t matter which train I get on”.

Traveller C walks up to the station with a few other work colleagues. They are off on a weekend break to a holiday resort, sponsored by the company. Their boss has paid for the trip and given them all tickets. Traveller C doesn’t really have much time for his boss, but hey, it’s a free weekend, so here he is. He and his work colleagues get on board, enjoy the journey and get to their destination. As they start to go into the resort, the attendant asks him for his ticket. He says he doesn’t have one. The attendant says that she is sorry, but she can’t allow him in without a ticket. She says that she knows the company boss had got tickets for all the employees. He says he never had much time for his boss, so he didn’t bother taking the ticket. He said he didn’t need his boss’s charity, so he thought he’d make his own way and sort out a ticket when he got to the resort. She tells him that unfortunately, this won’t be possible. The tickets were exclusively for people attending this weekend, which is why his boss had made sure he got one for each of them.

Fictional characters, yes, but that’s the tale for many in our world today. We’ll call the train life’s journey and the destination heaven. For traveller A, it’s all about enjoying the journey, but not giving a thought to where he’s headed. Traveller B knows where he wants to get to, but is mistaken when he says that any train he gets on will get him there. He is great danger of getting on the wrong train and ending up in a completely different place to where he hoped to be. Traveller C knows which train to get and where it is headed but has refused to use the ticket purchased for him, thinking he can get in by his own means, but then finds he is not allowed to enter the resort.

Jesus cares about our journey. He knows that things aren’t always smooth, and reassures us that He will never leave us, nor forsake us. He also cares about the destination. When we get there, we will find that our own tickets are worthless. For us to be accepted into God’s presence at the end of our journey, we need the ticket Christ paid for. He is the way, the truth and the life and no one gets to God the father except through him.

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Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[Transcript of a midweek message published by Horley Baptist Church on YouTube^[1], July 2021]

One day life is going fine, the next you haven’t a clue where you are or where you’re going. If that’s you then there is hope!

Do you feel lost in life? Maybe you’re struggling to see the way ahead. Well, I want to tell you now that there is someone there who wants to help you, wants to save you and wants to bring you home.

I was once on a trip to the Lake District with a friend who was celebrating his 40th birthday party and we decided to head up the mountain side for a nice walk during the day. It was lovely when we set off but when we got towards the top suddenly the weather changed and a mist descended on us. Whereas before we knew where we were going; it was familiar sights and landmarks, we knew the way ahead, when that mist descended on us we could no longer see anywhere beyond a few metres. We were completely lost.

Maybe you’re finding that life is like that; at one point you knew where you were going, everything was great but suddenly this mist has descended on you and you no longer have those familiar landmarks that help you and guide you through life. Maybe you’re in a downward spiral and you just can’t seem to get out of it; you’re just getting worse and worse.

It’s at these moments that often we’re tempted to try and help ourselves; to strategise a way out of this predicament, this desert place that we find ourselves in, and this is why self-help books are such a huge section in our bookshops. We try and work it out ourselves, we want to just buy that ‘get out of jail free’ card because that’s what it can feel like. It can feel like a prison.

What I want to tell you now is that you cannot rely on yourself to get yourself out of these situations. It’s just not that easy. So how can you get help? How can you be found, how can you be rescued?

Well, first of all you need friends, you need people you can trust around you who are willing to say the hard truths, who are willing to guide you and help you, pray for you. This is why, in Horley Baptist Church, home groups are so foundational to what we do because it’s those places where people are discipled and and you can help disciple others and guide them through life. You know, when they’re feeling lost, put them back on the straight and narrow. Maybe you need professional help; we can feel a little bit embarrassed about that in the UK – it’s an American thing – but sometimes you just need that professional help, someone to talk to, someone who will listen and help you.

Both of those things are great but I want to say, as a follower of Jesus Christ, that Jesus is the answer, that Jesus wants to help you, that Jesus has come to seek and save the lost. You see, Jesus, we’re told, was listening to the mumblings of some religious leaders who were a bit upset that Jesus spent so much time with those who they labelled sinners, the people on the fringe, the irreligious, the lost. In response, Jesus tells this story of a shepherd who has 100 sheep and one sheep goes missing; there’s still 99 left but he leaves those 99 sheep in open country and goes off to seek and find that lost sheep. When he finds that sheep he brings it home and he rejoices that that sheep that was lost was now found.

You see, Jesus wants to seek and find you; he wants to bring you home. No matter what you have done or haven’t done, Jesus is there for you. You might argue “Well, that’s all well and good” if you know it’s not your fault that you’re lost, but maybe for you you’re guilty, it’s your own fault you have got yourself in this mess, and I’ve certainly found myself in that position. Well a character in the Bible, in history, called king David, arguably the most popular most successful of the kings of Israel. There was a time where he had an affair with a married woman called Bathsheba, he gets her pregnant and he tries to cover it up and ultimately he has Bathsheba’s husband killed and then marries Bathsheba instead.

I’m guessing that probably whatever you’ve done isn’t going to be quite as bad as that, but David still cried out to God. You can read it in Psalm 69. He says I’m up to my neck in water, he cries out to God to help him and he admits his guilt, he admits his fault in all this but still he cried out to God. Maybe you need to humble yourself, you need to swallow your pride and say you know I am guilty but I need help. See, if you’re on a mountain side and you’ve broken your leg – yes, you can try and crawl home but ultimately you need mountain rescue to come and rescue you.

It’s the same in life; you know, yes, you can try and help yourself, try and drag yourself to home but ultimately you need Jesus to come and save you. No matter what you have done, Jesus is there for you. He wants to rescue, he wants to save you and he wants to bring you home. All you need to do is send up that flare and ask for help.

So, if you’re lost, have friends around that can help you, ask them for help, maybe seek professional help but ask Jesus because he is there for the lost, he is there for you and he wants to save you. So, send up that flare.

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[1] YouTube link: Are you lost?
Bible references: ~

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during July 2021]

Seated one day at the keyboard, I was weary and ill at ease,
And my fingers wandered idly over the noisy keys [1]

Then something on the screen caught my attention. It was one of those muggy evenings when the gnats and the midges conspire to negate the benefits of having the windows open. One such insect was slowly meandering across my screen. I tried moving the cursor to see if I could influence its movements; initially it seemed to have some effect but the creature soon realised that this arrow head moving around it was on a different level and was of no consequence.

Even if you have not had the dubious pleasure of commuting into a major city you will have seen the images of millions of people arriving at London’s mainline stations each morning. Every individual has their own objective but collectively they look like a swarm of insects. Does any of them think of God? Even if they do, would they dismiss him as being on a different level and his activities as being of no consequence? Are God’s attempts to influence their behaviour futile?

As we read through the Biblical narrative we see that God’s chosen means of communication with humans is through other humans. Prophets, priests and Godly leaders spoke his words in Old Testament times then apostles, evangelists and pastors continued this process. But God is not limited to working through these professionals; everybody who is willing can be a channel of God’s blessing to those around them.

The problem for us, as Christians, is that every one of those teeming millions is someone whom God loves, someone for whom Christ died. To what extent are we obliged to be concerned about these fellow creatures? The gospel writer Mark tells us that when Jesus saw the multitudes he had compassion on them. How can we replicate that compassion? Later Jesus quoted from the book of Deuteronomy:

For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’
Deuteronomy 15 v11 [NKJV]

The preceding verse gives an incentive for generosity:

You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. ibid v10 [NKJV]

Jesus commended the woman who gave a few mites and criticised the man who hoarded his millions. However, the poor are not just those who are hard-up financially. There are those who are poor in health, poor in relationships, poor in opportunity, poor in spirit; most significantly, there are those whose eternal prospects are poor.

Recently, we have been invited to think about volunteering; maybe helping with some of the church activities or getting involved with some activity with a wider social benefit. Our salvation is as a result of Christ’s death, not our good works, but perhaps there are opportunities for us to show our thankfulness. We know about tithing our income, what about tithing our time? Could those hours spent watching TV or browsing the web be put to better use?

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. [Hebrews 6 v10 NIVUK]

[1] Adelaide Anne Proctor, altered. Set to music by Arthur Sullivan as ‘The Lost Chord’.

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[Transcript of a midweek message published by Horley Baptist Church on YouTube^[1], July 2021]

As followers of Jesus we are called to serve the least, the last, and the lost – but what does that look like practically for us in 2021?

On Sunday we were talking about following in Jesus’s footsteps and becoming world changers; the first part was humbly serving the poor, but my question is “Well, how do we practically do that?”

So on Sunday we read in Luke about Jesus’s manifesto where he laid out what his mission was going to be like here on earth. He talked about the idea of being good news – not just preaching it – but being it; serving the poor, acting for justice, bringing healing and freedom to to people, and we looked at the idea that if we are truly followers of Jesus Christ, we have to follow Jesus. We have to follow in his footsteps, do those things that he did, sign up for his manifesto. But I left that question “Well, what does that practically look like for me now in 2021?”

Jesus lived in the Middle East, he had a massive following and it was 2,000 years ago, so what does it look like? How do I translate that into today’s world really? Well, let’s just look at what Jesus didn’t do. He said he was going to humbly serve the poor but that didn’t mean that he supported aid organizations, he didn’t send money, he didn’t give money out so the poor could be served. Also he didn’t sit in a church or a building waiting for people to come to him, he wasn’t putting up a sign saying ‘help here’. He didn’t do that so what did Jesus do?

Well I think what we see Jesus do time and time again as recorded in all four gospels was that Jesus was a guy who rolled up his sleeves, got stuck in and got his hands dirty. He went to where the needs were. We find him going to places like the pool of Siloam where people who needed healing hung out and he healed people. He often went off the beaten track, he took detours in order to reach those people on the fringes of society, like stopping to look up into a sycamore tree to chat to a guy called Zacchaeus. Also what he’d spent a lot of time doing is hanging out with those who the religious authorities labelled as sinners. He went to their houses, he ate with them, he attended their parties and when we talk about parties here we’re not talking about church buffets; we’re talking about probably pretty raucous affairs with drink and food and goodness knows what else.

Jesus was willing to sacrifice his reputation in order to hang out with all the wrong kinds of people. So how can we follow in Jesus’s footsteps?
Well, number one, I think what it takes is enormous courage because for most of us to serve in that sort of way is to step out of our comfort zones It takes courage to move out of what is perhaps our normal social circles and to move into areas that are unknown to us. Actually, it takes courage to step into places where life is increasingly messy because we like to avoid mess rather than get involved in it. So, number one, it takes enormous courage.

Number two, it takes intent. You need to decide that this is what you’re going to do. This isn’t something that’s going to fall into your lap; you need to decide and choose to serve in this way. You need to go out and look for it. Now, that may not be going on the streets searching for poor people but it could be signing up to an organization that serves in some way or another.

For me, when I was in my 20s, I contacted the Salvation Army and said “Look, I’d like to just help with a soup kitchen” so I served in a soup kitchen one evening a fortnight. I had to make some sandwiches, I had to make some soup, bring it along and just spend some time serving the poor in the town. I had to be intentional with that, I had to go and seek it out and, thirdly, what it needs is just an initial step. It doesn’t have to be a giant leap, it’s just that first tentative step towards increasingly serving the least in our society.

I’m not asking you to go and find some homeless guy, drag him off the streets and move them into your house, but what I am saying is “What are those small things that you can do intentionally to start to serve the poor?” I think actually one of the best ways is to hook up with an organisation, to volunteer for an organization whose job it is to serve the poor.

I would go as far as this: when we’re thinking about going back to a physical church and starting up many of our church activities I know we are asking for volunteers but perhaps God is telling you not to volunteer for a church but to volunteer for an organization that serves the poor. A bit controversial, might get my wrists slapped for that one. Now you might be saying to me, “Well, that’s all great but my life is just too busy for that”. Perhaps your life is too busy, maybe your life is too busy for you to be a follower of Jesus Christ because actually Jesus calls you to make him the number one priority in your life.

I doubt that your life is truly too busy; it just maybe may need a resorting and reordering of your priorities. Are you willing to take that challenge to follow in Jesus’s footsteps by firstly humbly serving the poor in our community?

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[1] YouTube link: How do I serve the poor?
Bible references: ~

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during July 2021]

It was a cold November day, there was no shelter from the bitter wind blowing across the hillside as we stood around the coffin of our friend. How calm he looked, in a second-hand suit that was probably better than anything he had worn during his lifetime, his beard shaved and with a haircut that owed more to the mortician than any hairdresser.

Where was his joie de vivre – his enthusiasm for life? Where was his positive attitude, his willingness to get stuck in, to carry the heaviest sacks, to move the biggest boxes; the one who could be counted on whenever a helping hand was needed? All gone.

This man for whom risk represented an opportunity rather than a deterrent, did he make one final mistake? He had been helping to milk some cows – did he upset the cow, did he touch something that he shouldn’t have touched, was the equipment defective? Who knows but in an instant he was gone.

He was of no fixed abode; this man who was willing to help everywhere belonged nowhere – his last resting place in a remote corner of a distant graveyard was begged for him and the committal was performed as a favour. No eulogy, no epitaph, just a simple hand-written wooden cross bearing his name.

Such is the cycle of life and death. A time to be born, a time to die; a time to celebrate, a time to mourn. In the natural world too, summer and winter, springtime and harvest continue apparently ad-infinitum.

♰

We are reminded of another hillside, with a small group of people gathered to witness the departure of their friend. A man of the same age as our friend, he too was placed in a tomb which had been negotiated for him. But this man’s death was not accidental; it had been planned from before the beginning of time.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
[Romans 5 v 6]

Christ’s death opened the way for sinners to be reconciled with God.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
[Romans 5 v 8]

Nor was Christ’s death the end of the matter; his return will put an end to this perpetual sequence of life and death. There will be a new heaven and a new earth – are you ready?

There is a green hill far away, outside a city wall,
where the dear Lord was crucified, who died to save us all.

He died that we might be forgiv’n, he died to make us good,
that we might go at last to heav’n, saved by his precious blood.
[CF Alexander, 1848]

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Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 04/July/2021]

Have you ever had a situation in your life that caused you not to flourish?

As a child growing up my parents stopped me from doing certain things that I know prevented me from being bolder for the rest of my life in certain areas.

Circumstances we find ourselves in and the people around us can dictate what we should or shouldn’t do and because of social etiquette we hold back and deeply regret it afterwards. 2 Timothy 1 v7 says: “for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind”.

I often wonder what church would be like if we obeyed the promptings of the Holy Spirit, but because it’s not the ‘done’ thing to speak out in church services, perhaps dance, sing in tongues or give a word of prophesy other people are stopped from being blessed.

When God has His way in a church, lives can be radically changed which will be a witness to others in our social sphere, our families and those we love and meet with on a regular basis. We then become the people that our Heavenly Father created us to be from the foundation of the world.

Over the years God has been doing a work in my life that has caused me to be bolder and able to enjoy life in a way I could never have done before.

For freedom Christ has set us free! [Galatians 5]

Here’s to a bright shiny new future, every blessing,

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Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.