Full Atonement

Propitiation and expiation: the difference. I remember once watching a young Christian cry in anguish on not being able to understand a sermon explaining the difference. That was 35 years ago. Well, I've preached some difficult sermons myself, I suppose. But these days, I'm concerned that people I listen to can occasionally betray a true, but narrow and limited grasp, of Scriptural understandings of the Atonement, and the way Christ Jesus has brought us back to God. Suppose it comes from reading more about what the Bible says than actually reading the Bible. That brings me back Not to propitiation and expiation. But to how Jesus paid the price and took the penalty; AND healed and made whole our humanity that we might be changed in Him; AND sets a path and a pattern for us to follow in a life of ministry that joins us to His Cross and resurrection. And all of this is woven into the Biblical picture of Atonement. Got it? If not, ask the preacher to explain.

Carte Blanche

A clean sheet. A good exercise now that summer's coming. For our lives as people and in community with others – especially in where we're going in life and where we are going as church. I was speaking to a younger colleague, not long into pastorate. Really committed and full of energy. And as I listened to him describe his life, it struck me how much of this highly gifted person's time and talents were channelled into keeping the show on the road. Now, that's no bad thing. As long as the show is going somewhere. It's true for all of us involved in the life of church service. It is absolutely right that we invest ourselves, as Christians, in serving the life and ministries of the church. But at the same time, we have a responsibility, both individually and as congregation, to stop and ask, 'where is this going and what is it doing?'. We all tend to go 'off track' every now and again. Lose the plot. That's when we need to sit down with a Bible, talk and pray together, asking how the Holy Spirit would lead us deeper into the name and path of Jesus Christ. To look again at the life and calling we have as disciples of Jesus, and ask ourselves, 'Are we going in the right direction?'. Don't assume that the answer will be 'yes'. Rather, look for the correctors that are true to the path of missionary discipleship that we are called upon, in the witness of lives possessed of holy integrity, serious service of others and joyful readiness to explain this 'God rule' that has come into our lives.

Sounding through

I've been thinking a bit about three dimensions. Three seems to be so much part of the DNA life. There are 'persons'  - per - sonare - 'sounding through' as dimensions of the One God in His dynamic reality and revelation.  Light itself, which is an instrument in carrying life to us, has three primary colours. And it leads me to reflect on how there're three primary dimensions to our life with God. Through the cross of Christ we're faced with the reality and an experience of the forgiveness that Jesus brings to us. Through the Holy Spirit touching our lives we meet with the embrace of Father's love. But there's something more than forgiveness and embrace, whilst these are central and essential. There is the command of Father and empowerment for discipleship living. Forgiveness leading to freedom. Embrace releasing into love. Command and empowering for mission. Can we try to get the balance right?

Discipling Discovery

In conversation with a colleague the other day, he put it to me that there was a clear difference in two forms of educating and developing people. On the one hand, there is education through discipleship, where we believe that faith is caught and not simply taught; where development comes by copying and discovering how to live on the basis of another's life. But this system at its worst can lead to sectarianism and bigotry. It is limited by the inspirational abilities of the person who is leading.

On the other hand, development through education built on discovery and freethinking has attractions. It allows a man or woman to develop and explore new areas and new thoughts. But education through discovery can, if left to itself, lead to 'I'm unfettered' and 'I'm not answerable' in living and attitude.

What interests me is that Jesus seem to believe both in discipleship and discovery. Combined with real accountability. I'm content with that.

Basic baptism

There's a little thing that's bothering me. The practice of baptism in Baptist churches. We've really got to work at keeping it in focus at the centre of our life. We need to remember why our forefathers insisted on the practice of the baptism of believers. 
Focally, the baptism of believers represents three themes: 
1.  Focus on embracing the substitutionary  and atoning death of Christ for us
2.  A conscious act of repentance and renunciation at the very outset of our Christian discipleship
3.  Christian faith involving our participation and entry into the very life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ himself.


To me the biggest in-house threat to the gospel is 'decisionism' as an alternative to 'discipleship'. Lets not forget what Baptists stand for: the pursuit of holy living that is biblically focused Christian discipleship as participation in the life of Christ.

Experiencing Truth

Today, attending churches in central Scotland and north Glasgow, it impacted me that people do need to be told that they can experience truth. That is, when they invite in sincerity Jesus to be their Saviour and open themselves thereby to the Holy Spirit. This is where Gospel Hall preaching and Pentecostal worship meet together -  and in truth they are in this one and the same. It's easy to lose sight of this and become simply religious. Don't. Remember that God wants you to be changed through a real experience of Him. God wants you to experience the truth, to experience the truth of Jesus in your life. When that is real, in repentance and faith, it changes us.

Please don't package

To understand Jesus and the purpose of our life requires a big picture. It strikes me that some Christians get the big picture wrong. Although many would deny it, I find that many often start with theory and abstract ideas. Wrong place.

The key issues are nothing to do with whether you are conservative or liberal. Calvinist or Arminian. The real question is whether you believe in a product or in participation. Packaging the Gospel?

When I listen to some of my brothers and sisters it strikes me that they think of the Gospel in terms of product. It's something to offer. Something to encourage others to take. Something that people need to

be persuaded that they need or want. Sell it to them and once they are hooked, reel them in.

I just can't begin to think of the Gospel that I know and read of in Scripture in this way. The gospel I believe in begins with being, leads to doing and ends up in telling and rejoicing - real evangelism.

How do we get there? Perhaps the best place to start for people who are already Christian and in church is to stop asking the question, 'how can we attract people to our church?'. That's a question about selling a product. Better starting with the question, 'How can we meaningfully serve people and show them Christlike love?'

When you and the people you gather with begin to ask this question, then you're on the way to becoming a church that is addressing the big picture. Please don't package the Gospel.

Apostolic Genius

What makes Alan Hirsch so Good is that he is so readable. But he has good insights. His take on the 'Apostolic Genius' and the idea that the basic DNA of missional ministry is latent, there inside us by the Holy Spirit is, I believe, right on. Whilst firmly rejecting the utility in perpetuating a Christendom church model, he offers real alternatives and encouragement to look back into the Bible and meaningful

engagement with our culture.

But, as it hits me again and again in reading folk when they speak of 'mission', I don't yet find him clear enough in distinguishing what he actually believes that 'mission' is. What is more clear to me than ever is that the simple triad of 'marturia-diakonia-euangelia' is the key to a holistic perception of mission, brought into profile by the drivers that arise from our identity in God together with the eschatological foci of the Christian life.

God is a Verb

Well, it is so if you are a Spanish speaker! In his recent theological monograph, Divino Companero Sammy Alfaro, a Pentecostal, Spanish-American theologian, makes some very insightful comments. The monograph, in the Priceton Theological Monograph series, presents an innovative but very tenable attempt in shaping a Hispanic Pentecostal Christology. But back to the main point here. John 1.1. Spanish translates the Greek 'Logos' - rendered in English as 'Word', as 'Verbo', which is a verb. Think of God as verb instead of a noun. His 'Being' is in His 'becoming' towards us. The God who says, 'I am who I am'. Which language you start with affects your perspective. Changes the way you see things, eh?

A nice definition of Mission

At last, I've found it! By the American Society of Missiology. Nice and succinct: 'By "mission" is meant the effort to effect passage over the boundary between faith in Jesus Christ and its absence'.

The illusion of freedom

What troubles me most, especially in debates over human sexuality and civil partnership or marriage, is how otherwise good Christians can forget an essential truth: that from a Biblical perspective people, left by themselves and without the authority of God's Word, will always get it wrong. This morning, I read the opening verses of Hebrews 12, rehearsing the fact that God, as a truly loving Father, both disciplines and punishes us as His children? Punish!!!???  Yes, indeed. For we all sin and get it wrong, at times. And this is the response and working of the true Father, our God, as He deals with us through the prism of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

A new book that came out this year, in honour of Andrew Kirk, called Mission in Context ( Ed's J Corrie and C Ross, published by Ashgate), contains an excellent chapter by David Kettle who, in rehearsing the wonderfully prophetic insights of Lesslie Newbigin, in reshaping concepts of missional thinking for Western culture, follows Newbigin in commenting (pp 195-6),

"Authentic freedom is not a natural property of the human mind; it is not - even in its conception - fully realised by us here and now, but lies with God in his sovereignty. Contrary to liberal assumptions, freedom is given in the first instance from beyond ourselves, by God - the unsurpassable freedom, fundamentally, to give ourselves as a living, loving sacrifice. Loss of freedom, or bondage, correspondingly. while it may indeed press upon us from outside - may also rise from within. We cannot assume, as is the liberal temptation, that commitment to doctrines or traditions is against freedom, or that what rises from within us is against our freedom."

Let us hold onto the authority of God's Word in Scripture, reading it in humility, submitting to it and in Christlike submission to Father's will, applying it to our lives. This is freedom in its reality. This is the mindset of those who will inherit eternity, who long for the New Heavens and the New Earth.

A fuller essay by me on this issue can be viewed on http://audiosermonupdate.blogspot.co.uk/

Fellowship around the UK

Alan, Jacqueline and I have had a very profitable and enjoyable time here in Birmingham during 24 hours of the Fellowship of Baptists in Britain and Ireland. It is exciting to see such a pioneering and responsible group of people gather as servants of the networks of Baptist churches across these islands.

Increasingly, I find that the hallmark of Baptist leadership is not what many people think. There is a huge amount of readiness to be radical and face the exciting challenges of these changing times.  Initiatives are real and genuine in progressing the matters of the kingdom of God.

The strap lines that I'll remember, in addition to many wise words spoken in this time, are:

• 'relationship is a contact sport'
• any initiative should pass the test of being either 'useful or exciting' for our people in churches

It is a genuine privilege to be part of this group and I look forward to our next meeting later in the year.

Hydrating Faith

We have to believe that the concrete realities and aspirations we long for are possible. We have to exercise vision and, therefore, our imagination; to think in terms of what is possible by God, for us and through us, for the sake of His glory. 

And all of us need to be hydrated by the Holy Spirit, poured out by Jesus. It is through hydrated faith that the truth of the Word is enabled within us, is released into dynamic reality in our life.

I am increasingly aware of the importance of these two components being present for effective Christian discipleship and growth:

Firstly, imagination exercised, in faith, to envision the material realities of the Kingdom of God. This will find legitimate expression in:

a.  A pursuit of righteousness and justice, prioritising care for the disadvantaged. Often sacrificial, always involving self-humbling and the 'mortification of the flesh'. 

b.  Health and prosperity and a belief in God’s good intent to us, leading to sincere worship and commitment to pursuing lifestyle that will promote and develop these.

c.  Appropriating a theology of Holy Space and a commitment to being intentionally relational in that space.

d.  A blending together of a belief and commitment to the 3 primary colours of integrated, missional theology: Witness, Service and Evangelism.

Secondly, there will be a seeking for the presence, purpose and power of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to do the things Jesus - the things of the Kingdom of God. Unless there is longing and expectation for the Holy Spirit to come, then there is no service of the Kingdom of God.

Imagination and infusion in Jesus’ name.

Working out the Vision

Life is full of opportunity, and this is a picture of a new cherry tree planted last autumn by Jennifer. I trust its a living symbol of what lies ahead. My first report as Mission & Ministry Advisor is viewable on http://missionandministryadvisor.blogspot.co.uk/

Getting up to date?

Arrived last night at an old friend's house in Crewe. Janice Clarke who, together with her late husband Mel, was one of the key people at Bristo in the first part of our time there. Great to see her settled here in the South and now one of the leadership team in a local Pentecostal church. 

Interestingly, we arrived during a church meeting where a retired pastor was talking on Ephesians 4.11: it was good to sit and listen. And it got me thinking.

So often, when people talk of the 'fivefold ministry' in this one verse, they assume something contemporaneous - that all should be present and active at the same chronological period or time. But it doesn't say that. What about thinking of it diachronically - manifest across the centuries and in different 'layers' of time? The Eastern Orthodox would certainly assume such a reading. For the trouble of the non- conformist traditions is that we often lose a realistic sense of history as well as tradition.  

And there's another problem. I mean - have you ever met someone you could genuinely identify as an apostle? Certainly, I've met people who think of themselves in this way, but that's quite another matter. And the term, like the others in this passage, is so notoriously difficult to define. Aren't all Christians called to see themselves as 'sent out ones', caught up in the cascading  Mission of the God of Holy Love?

I much prefer the approach shared by Paul Ede in an e-mail this morning. Using a vocabulary of 'pioneer - innovator - developer - sustainer'. We have to be cautious in using Biblical language in a way that suggests we know precisely what we are talking about when we patently do not! Let's humbly acknowledge the truths of history and see ourselves and others in an affirming yet humbler role, using language appropriate to our culture and context.

A Word by any other name

Well, this issue is just not going away. But I'm getting somewhere. I've established that:

i. mission is not a New Testament Word
ii. I haven't got a clue what people mean when they talk about 'mission'
iii. I haven't heard anyone speak on 'mission' who sounds like they know what they are talking about!

Mmmm. Thank God for the Bible. For although the New Testament leads me to conclude that both mission and ministry are essentially aspects of 'service' (diakonia), it doesn't allow me to claim a word for 'mission'. Which confirms for me if we are to speak of mission we have to put it together from other words and actions found in the Bible. So let's try another line of Biblical thought, built around Jungel's affirmation that 'God's Being is in Becoming'. I like that concept. This is a entry to 'mission' that I can grasp. Let me explain.

A key text is Mark 3.14. There, we meet with the concept of 'apostles', often understood as 'sent out ones'. This is defined by the key verb in the verse, which comes at the end, which is translated in the NIV and NKJ as ' he might send'. So that part of the verse reads, 'so he might send then to proclaim / act as heralds'. Or, to represent the Greek verb, 'so that he might apostle-ise them to act as heralds', heralds of the Kingdom of God.

You see, mission is really based on what the Bible talks of what God does in calling us to be His people. Biblically, mission is not a concept but a sending that God does to people. God's mission comes through His becomingness towards others. And we are called to participate in it.

So here's the bottom line question: 'what are you becoming'? Then you'll discover what sort of mission you are on.

Meaningful Ministry

I have been reading a terrific new book - really profound and really easy. It's Mike Breen's latest (you can get it right now through Amazon KINDLE), called 'Building a Discipling Culture'. Why have I been reading it? Because I am here in Pitlochrie, in Perthshire, at the Atholl Baptist Centre. We're doing the Next Stage in Ministry Conferrence and it's really good. What the book speaks about is the culture of what we're engaging in and inspiring one another towards.

Tom Wright has just published a new book on Kingdom, as the dominant theme.

I'm really excited at what is going on in the midst of us all. I sense a powerful movement and change arising. And it's great to be part of it.

Missional Holiness

On the back of reading and using Derek Tidball's devotional reflection on Scriptures in The Message Of Holiness, I am enthralled with P T Forsyth's work, The Holy Father. A Scottish theologian and pastor, 100 years ago Forsyth had insight to see that the Gospel cannot be presented in ways that reduce our message to sound like a commodity (getting rid of your sin so that you can reach your potential) or simply a comfort (divine dad loves you heaps so enjoy it).

I am persuaded that Forsyth's message has to be heard afresh: the message of Holy Love. Yes, you are forgiven and your sins are atoned for ..... but it is so that you can now be enabled by God's power to walk in the paths of holiness. Yes, Father God loves you with an unrivalled intensity of love, but it is Holy love that cannot nor will not embrace the stain of sin. A grasp of this holiness brings us fresh relationship to God; a seeking of the authentic presence and power of the Holy Spirit; a desire and focus upon living an alternative life and lifestyle:

"The soul of divine fatherhood is forgiveness by holiness. It is evangelical. It is a matter of grace meeting sin by sacrifice to holiness, more even than of love meeting need by service to man. To correct and revive that truth, to restore it to its place in the proportion of faith, would be to restore passion to our preaching, solemnity to our tenderness, real power to our energy, and moral virility to our piety" (The Holy Father, http://www.newcreation.org.au/books/pdf/181_GodHolyFather.pdf , p 5).

But there's something more, too. Holiness and the costliness of grace is not simply a pious insight or a personal pilgrimage. There are implications for our understanding of mission. For mission, when truly embraced in holiness, is both about a message and a means of conveying that message. Without holiness sought and working in the messenger, the message is quite likely to be corrupted. The immensity of the cost of grace and the intent of such a self-giving God will more easily be lost sight of. Unless the messenger themselves trembles at the awesome realisation of God's Holy Love outworked at the Cross, there is something lost and potency of transforming grace compromised.

Let's seek afresh the Holy God, the fullness of atoning mercy met with in the mystery revealed in and through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Decisionism & Thin Community

Psychological and sociological insights can be helpful in understanding the practices and convictions of Christians. It’s not just about theology. Take ‘decisionism’, for example. By ‘decisionism’ I mean the practice of taking a person’s decision to believe – regardless of any call to repent or necessary fruitfulness of faith – as sufficient grounds for accepting and believing that a person has owned Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.

‘Decisionism’ is enduringly popular among so many Christians in today’s society because most of us live in such ‘thin’ community. Community that hardly exists at all. Where lives are not transparent and where social interaction is superficial and artificial. This is why so many like ‘decisionism’: it negates or at least supersedes the needful evidence of repentance of sin and fruitfulness. Decision time becomes party time for Christians.

Can’t see it in the Bible. Nor does it count for much when people look for sustainability and depth. Big time devotional writers such as Dallas Willard in the United States trace this and are calling for more depth to faith. Why? Because in the end of the day, ‘decisionism’ counts for nothing.

Part of what we stand for as Baptists is the pursuit of ‘thick community’ – community that has social and interpersonal depth to it. This is the community that fosters are develops Biblical faith. Faith that is about Christlikeness. Transformation.

Words and the longings of our hearts

I'm thinking a lot about words we use. It's interesting. The words that people use. Especially when talking about Christian things. I've just listened to a recording of Paul's Letter to the Ephesians - these books were written to be listened to, not just read. But words give hints as to how people see things.

There's huge pressure, in today's pluralistic culture, to embrace words such as 'inclusive'. Just like it's fashionable to speak of reaching out to the 'marginalised'. I'm really interested that there is not, as far as I can see, a direct Biblical equivalent to either of these word in current usage: the nearest to being 'inclusive' that I can think of is the call to 'do justice and show mercy'; and the nearest to 'marginalised' are the Biblical 'poor', who are the victims of injustice, dispossessed from the good purposes of God for their lives.

Christian mission should not begin with a focus on seeking to be 'inclusive', or reaching to the 'marginalised'. It should begin with a stress on pursuing true righteousness and justice within the household of God and allowing the Spirit's power to carry us out in acts of loving service and a sharing of the Good News of what Jesus is bringing to the whole of Creation. And the world's talk of care for the 'marginalised' should be replaced by real concern and focus in our mission to those who are victims of greed, exploitation and injustice. A missional focus in pursuing righteousness through serving and bringing good news to the poor should never be lost. We must avoid, at one extreme, a bare message of evangelistic triumphalism. We must also avoid jumping on to a bandwagon of fashionability. Words express our values. And values betray the longings of our hearts.