Beware of Hypocrisy!!

At some point in the near(ish) future we will be we will be looking into what it means to be a ‘member’ of The King’s Church, but until I have prepared the material for that I thought it would be good to reflect on the sermons we hear each Sunday.

Yesterday we looked at Luke11:37-12:12 where Jesus addresses hypocrisy.  A key verse in this passage is Luke12:1 where Jesus says “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” Whenever Jesus speaks out against the Pharisees there is a danger for us ‘good Christians’ to switch off and stop paying attention because we aren’t Pharisees (or so we think). We do this at our peril and, particularly on this issue, Christians need to take heed of Jesus’ words – “Beware of hypocrisy”!! Hypocrisy is something that is a primary criticism (sometimes wrongly but often times rightly) of Christians today. We must be on our guard against it.
Jesus defines hypocrisy as being different on the outside compared to what is on the inside (Lk11:39). He challenges those who seek to appear clean outwardly through their actions, words and deeds whilst inwardly their lives are a very different story. He gives the alarming warning that who we are inwardly will always be revealed and our inner secrets will be brought to light (Lk12:2). Jesus warns hypocrites that at some point people will see behind the scenes and the act we have been trying to present to people will be seen for what it is.
Jesus’ call is for people to become clean from the inside out (Lk11:41), for purity to start within and work its way out.

Click here to listen to this week’s sermon.

 

Some discussion starters:
What is it about hypocrisy that is so damaging?

What does hypocrisy do to the authenticity of our message/gospel?

Are there particular hypocrisies Christians are often accused of or guilty of?

Are you consistent with your outward life and your inward life?

How much time and effort do you spend attending to your outward appearance compared to how much time you spend attending to your inward appearance? We may well have a good idea how we can make ourselves look good outwardly but how do we do this inwardly?

If there is inconsistency between our outward/seen and inward/unseen life is it best to stop doing the things we do outwardly that appear good if our inward attitude doesn’t match them?

How do the promises of the New Covenant (Jer31:33-34) help us with our hypocrisies?

What experience and testimony do you have of the Holy Spirit highlighting and changing your inward attitudes?

How do we go about submitting to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives in real ways?

 

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Click here to see how our fundraising thermometer is going!

Investing in the future

These are exciting times for The King’s Church, we have a new constitution, a project budget (I nvever thought I would say that this is exciting, until now) and are now starting to make decisions on builders and finalising plans to our building. Our goal continues to be to refurbish our church building so that it is fit for the purpose of housing The King’s Church, provide a base for our ministry and serve the wider community around us. Towards this goal we have set ourselves (what I believe to be a modest) target of raising £10,000 from our church membership, friends and contacts. We have asked people to make a sacrificial offering towards the goal of this project and pledge their contribution to the church. The first pledges have been made and so I have decided to create a fundraising thermometer so you can see how we are doing. (Chris, our treasurer has said for a long time that we are not properly a church until we have a fundraising thermometer outside our church building! So whilst this isn’t outside the front door, its all a step in the right direction )

To pledge or contribute money please contact Chris.

Keep watching this space as i will update the thermometer as the pledges and contributions come in. The Lord will provide, and I’m hoping we will need to set a new goal soon as we go beyond our initial expectation……

Provided byFundraising Ideas Center

Thermometer last updated 20.2.12

Pastor’s New Year’s New Creation Newsletter!!

The King’s Church, Addlestone, January 2011

I start the year with a great deal of excitement and hope! I believe the year ahead holds a lot of exciting developments for us as a church, I really sense that the Lord is with us and that we have a momentum generated by the Holy Spirit.

 

I thought it would be helpful to give an update on where we are and what lies ahead so here goes!

 

Looking back over 2011 I can really see how the Lord has brought healing and wholeness to us as a church – living body of people united together in Christ. The ‘Church Healing Day’ near the beginning of the year and the morning with Ian Stackhouse towards the end of the year were two important moments that contributed towards us being a much more unified and healthy church. I sense there to be a growing sense of purpose and mission and I pray this continues as we journey together through faith in Christ.

Another obvious big move forward last year was the impetus to refurbish and restore our church building. This project has put me on a steep learning curve and has opened some other related issues. We had hoped to be in a position to be starting the building work at the beginning of 2012 but it came to our attention that some important paperwork needed to be put in order before we could go any further. The short story is our current church constitution is not adequate enough to support us doing any building work within the law governing charities. So before we can move any further we need to update our church constitution so that it is acceptable to the Charity Commission. Fortunately the FIEC have a sample constitution that we can work from, so we aren’t starting from scratch, and my hope is that we will be able to show you the new constitution towards the middle of this month! I would like to be able to vote this constitution at a church business meeting which I am proposing we hold on the 29^th Jan straight after church. It may sound like a bit of tedious red tape that we have get through (and on some levels it feels like it!!) but it occurred to me that the Lord’s hand is in it! It seems that now the people of the church are in a much more healthy state the Lord is now moving us to bring health to the governing documents of the church as well as the building the church inhabits. So I see 2012 as year of healing to our church paperwork and building!!

Finally the budget for the building project is currently £25-35K more than we have in the bank. I’m uncharacteristically unworried about this! We are in the process of applying for grants which I pray will meet a large part of this shortfall but I am writing now to ask you all to consider prayerfully how you might sacrifice and save to contribute towards the cost of the project. The £100K we have in the bank is a legacy of the financial sacrifice of our spiritual forefathers and foremothers and I think it is right that we don’t simply rely on their contribution but add ours also to the current mission of the church. Be bold and be challenged by the Lord as to what this means to you. I would like to take up offerings for this sometime in March and will keep you posted exactly when and how nearer the time. But I wanted to give you some warning so you can prayerfully prepare.

 

Let’s continue to live in the blessing of God through Jesus and walk forward in the exciting journey of faith to the land He will show us!!! The Lord is with us.

 

Much love and Blessings

 

 

Richard

 

 

My prayer for The King’s Church in 2012

A stronger sense of membership

A refurbished building

A stronger constitutional foundation

A greater impact in mission to those around us

Stronger links with other churches

 

And continue to pray Psalm 67

 

Upcoming dates

 

22^nd Jan – Ian Stackhouse has invited me to share about The King’s Church at the evening service (6.30) at Guildford Baptist Church. He has said I can ‘advertise’ for people to join us in partnering in the work we desire to see happen in our church building and he will be getting the people of GBC to pray for us. If you can come along I would appreciate the support and it would be great for us all to get a taste of what goes on at GBC. So consider it a church outing and if you need a lift let me know!!

 

29^th Jan – Business meeting straight after church our church service.
Agenda to include agreeing a new constitution and ‘official resolution’ to agree spending on the building project (including fees that we will need to pay the FIEC).

Praying for our church

Acts2:42 “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

We have already discussed in previous weeks how we desire to be ‘A prayerful church, a church full of prayer’. Now, of all times, is the time to put this into practice! We are in the middle of an exciting period of growth and development as a church that the Lord has opened up. It is important that we continue to seek His will, guidance and empowering so that we continue to walk in His plan and at His pace. So here are some prayer pointers on issues and areas in which to pray into. You might want to pray for all of these things in one go, or split them up and pray for each point separately, or find some other way of praying. However you do it pray with your ears open ready to receive direction, wisdom and insight from the Holy Spirit. If the Lord leads you with words of prophecy/wisdom/knowledge or verses of scripture or visions/pictures/dreams then speak them out, write them down and share them with the church!

Pray:
Blessing on our church – Ps67 and the prayer we have written for our church based on it.

For empowering of the Holy Spirit for the work and ministry ahead of us as a church.

For the people around us that Jesus wants to speak to and reach out to through us.

For the process of developing our church building:
In the selection of the correct builder
In processing the amendments Runnymede Building Control require on our plans
In processing issues to do with our church constitution which will need updating in order for us to move forward with the building works
In the budget and fundraising that will be required

For faith, that we are able to keep our focus on the Lord’s goal and purpose, and do not become fearful but walk faithfully in God’s leading

The Completeness of Jesus

This week I want to pick up and flesh out something that Ian brought to us at the recent church breakfast.

Read Rev1:1-20, Rev2:1, Rev2:8, Rev2:12, Rev2:18, Rev3:1, Rev3:7, Rev3:14

At the beginning of the book of Revelation there is a description (starting at verse 4) of Jesus. There is a certain amount of ‘apocalyptic’ language used in this description, some of which we will delve into to gain a full picture of who Jesus is. So before we go too much further here are some quick (but not exhaustive) guides on how to read this passage.

• The use of the number ‘7’ in apocalyptic literature in the bible speaks of ‘fullness’ or ‘completeness’. The first and most obvious example of this being that creation was complete on the 7^th day. So in Rev 1:4 the ‘seven spirits’ can be understood as the fullness of the spirit, and Rev1:11 the ‘seven churches’ can be understood as the complete church.
• Whenever apocalyptic literature explains and gives meaning to its own vocabulary then that’s what it means and we should try and find some other meaning! In Rev1:20 we are given the interpretation that the ‘seven stars’ are the ‘angels of the seven churches’ (which does beg the question what the angel of the church is!) and the ‘seven lampstands’ are the ‘seven churches’. With this established every time we read lampstand in this passage we understand it as church and every time we read star we can read it as angel. All clear!?

In Rev1:12 John turns to find where the voice that is speaking to him is coming from and he sees ‘seven golden lampstands’ ie the completeness (seven) of the church (lampstand) and (:13) in the midst of the lampstands ‘one like the son of man…’ ie Jesus. This is a fascinating revelation that Jesus is found in the completeness of the church here on earth. It seems to indicate that the place to find where Jesus dwells and speaks from on earth is the completeness of the church. It seems to indicate that the fullness of Jesus isn’t found in anyone one local church, but that only when the church is viewed as a whole do we fully see Jesus – He dwells in the midst of the lampstands. This point is emphasised further in Rev2&3 where each of the seven churches is addressed individually and each church is uniquely associated with different characteristics of Jesus mentioned in Rev1:

Rev2:1, the church in Ephesus – corresponds with Rev1:16&13
Rev2:8, the church in Smyrna – corresponds with Rev1:17-18
Rev2:12, the church in Pergamum – corresponds with Rev1:16
Rev2:18, the church in Thyatira – corresponds with Rev1::14-15
Rev3:1, the church in Sardis – corresponds with Rev1:4&16
Rev3:7, the church in Philadelphia – corresponds with Rev1:18
Rev3:14, the church in Laodicea – corresponds with Rev1:5

The picture that grows out of this is that each and every local church enjoys and is associated with a part of who Jesus is. But no single local Church has the fullness of who Jesus is, that is only found in the fullness and completeness of the church ie in the midst of the seven lampstands. You will observe that many of the churches addressed in these chapters were far from ‘perfect’ and needed to be rebuked and corrected. But nevertheless Jesus is found in the completeness of these far from perfect churches.

The practical outworking of this for us as a church has some helpful and cautionary applications:

• We must celebrate the unique characteristics and qualities that God has given us as a church that reflect Jesus. However, we must also be careful to not become proud that these characteristics are of our own making or in some way better than the different characteristics of other local churches. For instance, we can enjoy the benefits of being a small family like congregation, but we mustn’t therefore write off all large congregations and the dynamics within them as inferior.
• We must focus on confidently growing into the church that God has made us to be and not be distracted by trying to be what other churches are being and doing.
• We can confidently grow into who God has called us to be recognising that we are never going to represent the fullness of Jesus in our church alone but that that only comes through the churches uniting and working together in a local community.
• It releases us from feeling guilty about all the things we don’t and cant do as a church (that all the other churches in the town may well be doing) and enables us to live freely in the things that God has called us to be and do. This isn’t a mandate to rest on our laurels but to move forward into all God has given us to be and do.

Let’s meditate on these verses and allow them to inspire us to grow more fully into the fullness of Christ as a church.

Discussion Starters

Let us remind ourselves what the collective ‘angel’ or ethos (using Ian’s interpretation of angel) of our church is. What do we do well as a church? What are our key characteristics (‘Jesusistics’) as a church?

What are the roots of these characteristics of our church? Where do the characteristics of our church comes from? (Think in terms of collective and individual experience, journey of faith, sanctification, personality)

In light of this are we limited to only just having these characteristics and not growing and developing others? Do we recognise any seedling characteristics that are wanting to grow in us?

What are the characteristics of some of the other local churches that we can celebrate and rejoice over? (Not so that we want to be like them but to recognise the attributes of Jesus in them and therefore something of the completeness of Jesus in our town).

What can we learn from and be enriched by from other churches and church traditions?

 

A Prayer for our Church

Read Psalm 67

‘May God be gracious to us and bless us, and make his face shine upon us, Selah
That your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.

May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.
May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah

May the Peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.

Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.
God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.’

I feel led that we should take this psalm and use it as a prayer for our church. I have, therefore, reworked these timeless, Spirit inspired words and humbly offer them for us to pray together as a church. It may seem a little liturgical (probably because it is, and I’m growing to appreciate that there is nothing wrong with that!) but I believe that there is great power when the church prays in unity with one voice.

Let us pray…..

May God be gracious to us and show favour to us, The King’s Church
May God bless us, The King’s Church
May God make His face shine upon us and smile on us, The King’s Church

We pray this so that your ways would be known in our neighbourhood.
We pray this so that your saving power would be known among the whole of our local community.

May the people of Addlestone praise you, O God; may all the people – young and old, rich and poor, weak and strong, sick and healthy in our local community – praise you.

May the people – in their houses and flats, in their schools, in their businesses, in their community groups, in their pubs, in the shops, at the bus stops and train station, and in the parks – be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the people righteously and with equity and guide the people in our community.

May the people of Addlestone praise you, O God; may all the people – young and old, rich and poor, weak and strong, sick and healthy in our local community – praise you.

Then the local environment and economy will bear fruit, and God, our God, will bless us.
God will bless us, The King’s Church and the whole local area will humbly acknowledge and understand who Jesus truly is.
Amen

For discussion, meditation and reflection

Allow the Holy Spirit to cause you to dream, imagine and reflect on these things and more:

What does God being gracious to us look like?

What does God’s blessing on us look like?

What is it like when God shines His face upon us?

What would it be like if God’s ways were known in the local schools, housing estates, pubs, shops, businesses…..?

What would happen if the saving power of Jesus was known by the people who live in our community?

Imagine a local community where people are constantly talking about what God is doing within it, where people are saying things such as ‘Did you hear what happened yesterday in the church?’….

Imagine the effect of God’s blessing on the local economy and town centre.

Take each verse of the psalm and meditate on it in relationship to where we live, work and minister. In short start to allow the Holy Spirit to cause you to dream of what it is like when Our Father’s will is done and His Kingdom comes on earth, in our neighbourhood, as it is in heaven!

Let these discussions, meditations and reflections expand our prayer for us and our local community.

Foot Note!
Psalm 67 is global in its scope. It is in keeping with Jesus’ command to ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel’ (Mk16:15) and ‘Make disciples of all nations’ (Matt28:19). And it is in keeping with God’s overarching missionary plan to reach all peoples which He initiated through Abraham by saying ‘In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ (Gen12:3). Psalm 67 is not a local, or regional psalm but reflects God’s heart to reach all peoples and nations. Therefore, we should never try and narrow down the mission God gives His people, which is to the nations. Neither should we underplay the local church’s role in being sent to the nations. No matter how small or seemingly insignificant a church seems we have been called to go to the nations and have an impact on the world stage. So in reworking this psalm as prayer for our church focusing on our local community I don’t want us to loose the Lord’s call to us to go out into all the world! Having said this I believe it is right that we pray earnestly for God’s blessing on us as a local church that we may shine as a bright light set on a hill illuminating our local community with the power and presence of Jesus.

The gospel according to who???

This week I am inspired by some of the things that Emma has shared with us over the last few weeks during our Sunday worship. Her challenge has been for us to consider what the world tries to indoctrinate us with, and compare them with the true doctrine of scripture. In doing so she has compared the marketing of a cake company and the lyrics of a country and western singer to the truth of God’s word. The questions she raised were; Which of these words do we hold as true? Which of these words do we believe? Which of these words do we live by?

Here are the words she found on the side of a Gu cake packet:
Pleasure is everything
Give in to happiness
Reject propriety: embrace variety
Prudence is sooo 1658, life is fleeting; clasp it with both hands
Seek delight
Trust your impulses
Ordinary is pointless
Break free
All hail the Gu decadents

Who exactly are we being asked to hail? Ourselves, or Jesus?

And here are some of the lyrics from Dolly Parton’s song ‘The Sacrifice’:
But I was gonna be rich no matter how much it cost
And I was gonna win no matter how much I lost
All through the years I kept my eye on the prize
You ask if it’s worth the sacrifice, the sacrifice

I think about Jesus and all that he gave
And the ultimate sacrifice that he made
He is my strength and my guiding light
And he’s taught me that nothing’s without sacrifice

I was gonna be rich no matter how much it cost
And I was gonna win no matter how much I lost
I wanted success and, brother, I’ve paid the price
And, yes, it’s been worth the sacrifice, the sacrifice

How does this truly compare to Jesus’ sacrifice, of selfless offering? And how does this compare to Jesus’ teaching ‘Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort’?

From the beginning of the church till now, there has been a clash of ‘gospels’. In fact from the beginning of time till the end of time there will always be a clash of gospels. On the one hand there is the message that the current ruling world empire broadcasts as its way of peace, security and fulfilment and on the other hand there is the message that the Lord of all creation and His way of peace, security and fulfilment. The question is; Which gospel do you believe? Which gospel do you live under? Which gospel dominates your life? In short what rules your life, the thinking of the rule of the world or the thinking of the kingdom of God?
In Jesus’ day the clash was between the message of the Roman empire enforced by military power and might, with the cross as the ultimate means of enforcement, and the message of the kingdom of God characterised by blessing the poor, with the cross as the ultimate way of ministry. In our day the clash is between the message of consumerism, modernity, postmodernity etc, characterised by individualism, personal achievement and personal gain, and the message of the gospel of Jesus which is characterised by self offering and self sacrifice and continues to be shaped and formed by the cross.
The message of the world is very alluring (just as the forbidden fruit was on the tree in the garden of Eden) and is all around us. Without realising it we listen to its seductive voice and obey its inviting commands as they appeal to our flesh. Without realising it we can easily conform to its codes and practices. But those who are in Christ are no longer living under the deadly rule of sin and the weakness of the flesh but are born anew by the power of the Holy Spirit into the kingdom of God. Whilst we live now under the rule of a new and better kingdom the propaganda of the world still shouts loudly at us and beckons us to return under its power, and this is why Paul says in Romans 12:2 ‘Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.’ We need to be discerning in regards to the things the world tells us, we must learn to test rigorously the way the world wants us to think and live. In everything God’s word is our plumb line. In doing so we don’t compare our ideology with the world’s ideology as if they are two equal view points. Instead we subject everything the world proclaims under the authority of that which God has spoken. There will no doubt be things that the world says that are in line with God’s word, but there are many things that are in complete opposition to it.
Psalm 1 says ‘Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.’
Therefore, let us not listen to the gospel according to ‘Gu’ cakes or ‘Dolly Parton’ but the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Discussion starters.
Consider some of the messages that we are bombarded with by the world (media, advertising, peers, politicians, businessmen etc) around us?
Sum up some of the key themes and ideologies.
Compare these to God’s word of truth.
(Don’t spend agates ranting at the state of the world today, just absorb the word of God and allow it to transform you by the renewing of your mind!)

20 – A Church where you are accountable in relationships across the generations

A Church where you are accountable in relationships across the generations

Read the following verses
Eph 6:1-4
1Tim 5:1-2

These are just a couple of passages among numerous others in scripture that deal with relationships across the generations.
Firstly, it is important to note these verses are directed at God’s covenant people and not necessarily, therefore, the expectation for those outside of the family of faith. It is characteristic of our culture today that old people are often viewed by younger people as irrelevant and out of touch and that older people look at younger people in an alien way as the ‘youth of today’, but this should not be so amongst God’s people. One of the defining features of the church should be a community of people of love, relationship and respect across the generations. The church should after all be one body across the generations as much as we are one body across the social, gender and class spectrums.
Eph6 emphasises one of the 10 Commandments where children are told to honour their parents but then also speaks to fathers about not exasperating their children (as if a father would ever do that!!). There is a call here for mutuality in the relationship between children and their parents, family relationships aren’t simply to be one sided where respect is demanded without being earned. Instead the call is for both generations to take responsibility for their part in the relationship.
1Tim5 speaks of how to deal with men and women who are older and younger within the church. Older men are not to be rebuked harshly (maybe this is out of respect but maybe it is because it is assumed older men will not respond being dealt with in this way!), but this is not to say that they aren’t held to account by those who are younger. There is to be accountability across the generations but the way in which this happens should be in gentleness and with strong encouragement and exhortation treating an older man as you would your own father. Similarly older women should be treated as mothers. Younger men shouldn’t be treated as inferior but as brothers and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. The instruction towards younger women is that they shouldn’t be taken advantage of but protected as a younger sister in the family.
The relationships amongst God’s people are strongly modelled on a close knit family, where the older generations are respected and honoured and the younger generation are valued and given equality.
The recognition of each person’s value in the community of faith is very important to encourage intergenerational relationships. It is only when people truly value those who are older and those who are younger than them that deep relationships can be built between people across the generations. When an older person values a younger person that young person’s opinion matters and has importance, so the younger person is able to challenge the older person’s mindset. Likewise when a younger person values an older person that older person’s opinion matters, so the older person is able to challenge the younger person’s behaviour. Ultimately, as with all relationships in church life, love is the key!
Genuine accountable relationships across the generations are vital for the church to grow into the fullness of Christ. If our deep relationships are only with our peers then we will not grow as fully as if our relationships genuinely span many generations older and younger than us. We must seek ways of churchmanship that encourage cross generational living and avoid segregation according to age.

Discussion starters
Do you have strong relationships with people younger and older than you in the church?
What is your responsibility in developing relationships with those older and younger than you?
How proactive are you in developing these relationships?
What areas of humility come into play when dealing with people older than yourself?
What areas of humility come into play when dealing with people younger than yourself?
Name some characteristics that are ‘valuable’ in people older than yourself.
Name some characteristics that are ‘valuable’ in people younger than yourself.
What are the pitfalls of only relating to people your own age?

19 – A Church where you are engaged in real and honest heart to heart relationships.

A Church where you are engaged in real and honest heart to heart relationships.

Read Acts 2:42

One of the key markers of the early church was their devotion to ‘the fellowship’. ‘The Fellowship’ is sometimes used as a name to describe our church and there is nothing wrong with that, as long as we understand what we mean by ‘fellowship’.
Fellowship is an active and dynamic word that describes the relationships that characterise the way in which God’s New Covenant people are to interact with one another. The word translated ‘fellowship’ in the bible comes from the Greek word ‘Koinonia’ meaning – communion, association, partnership, fellowship. In essence ‘fellowship’ can be understood as intimate relationship with other people that involves sharing, contribution and participation. The idea of being a church ‘engaged in real and honest heart to heart relationships’ comes from an understanding of ‘fellowship’.
True fellowship runs completely contrary to the cultural and social norms of the age we live in. In many ways the relationships that are the cultural norm today are characterised by superficiality and even dishonesty. For instance, take how we greet neighbours of passers by in the street. On the whole the interactions will probably go something like:

Person 1 ‘Hi, how are you?’
Person 2 ‘Fine, how are you’
Person 1 ‘Good thanks’
End of conversation!

Does Person 1 really want to know how Person 2 is? Probably not! – superficiality!
Is Person 2 really fine? Possibly but ‘fine’ is rarely an adequate way to sum up the fullness of an individuals human condition at any one point in time! – dishonesty!
This loop of superficiality and dishonesty is then reciprocated from Person 2 to Person 1 and then repeated with Person 3 further down the street!
When you stop and analyse some of the ways in which we behave in our culture they do seem a little strange. I’m sure we could justify some of the reasons why the world works it does; most of us simply haven’t got the time to stop with everyone we meet and hear their life story every time we go out for an extra pint of milk. But, the point is that the way the church lives should not be guided by the prevailing culture around it and should instead be redefining how culture should behave by living out a new Christ centred reality. In true fellowship Person 1 asks the question ‘How are you?’ and genuinely seeks a truthful answer so that they may share, participate and contribute in the life or Person 2. In true fellowship Person 2 responds to the request honestly and opens the door for Person 1 to be able to share, participate and contribute in Person 2’s life. To relate on this level and truly ‘fellowship’ takes time, effort, commitment, trust, grace and love.

As a write the last word of the previous sentence – ‘love’ – it strikes me that true fellowship is actually the outworking of Jesus’ command to love one another (Jn13:34). This command isn’t something that can be followed by dealing with each other at a healthy trombonist’s arms length. This command calls us to engage with others in real and honest heart to heart relationships.

 

Some discussion starters:

In what ways do we share with one another? Material, physical, social, spiritual….

How do we contribute to each others lives?

How do we participate in each others lives?

How do we avoid superficial relationships?

How do we avoid dishonest relationships?

Is it possible to fellowship without meeting?

How do we outwork loving each other?

18 – A Church active and guided by the Holy Spirit in prayer

A Church active and guided by the Holy Spirit in prayer

Read Eph6:10-20

This week’s heading leads me to focus on Eph6:18:

‘And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.’ (NIV)

Before we look into what it is to pray in the Spirit, lets not detach this one verse from the verses that precede it. The NIV translation begins verse 18 as a new sentence but numerous other translations continue verse 18 on as the same sentence as verse 17 which ends off the components that make up the armour of God, the last of which being the ‘sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God….’. There is seemingly therefore, some connection between the word of God, the Holy Spirit and prayer. The call to pray in the Spirit isn’t something that is announced in isolation, but is part of the means by which the church makes its defensive and offensive stand against the devil and powers he controls and influences in this world. With this in view, prayer isn’t to be seen as a bolt on optional or additional extra that Christians should try and fit into their busy lives. Instead prayer in the Spirit needs to be viewed as something vitally important to the life, strength and health of the church that faithfully stands as God’s witness in this world. A church active in prayer ‘in the Spirit’ is a church that goes a long way to being ‘strong in the Lord’ (Eph6:10).
What is prayer in the Spirit? John Piper uses a simple and succinct definition – that it is prayer in which the ‘Holy Spirit is the moving and guiding power’. Piper continues ‘In other words, when you pray in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God is “moving” you to pray. That is, he is the one who motivates and enables and energizes your prayer. And when you pray in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God is “guiding” how you pray and what you pray for. So, to pray in the Holy Spirit is to be moved and guided by the Holy Spirit in prayer. We pray by his power and according to his direction.’
As I reflect on Eph6:18 it would make sense that prayer ‘in the Spirit’ is the only way in which Christian’s should pray. It doesn’t say ‘sometimes pray in the flesh’ or ‘sometimes pray what you think feels right’ and then maybe once in a while ‘pray in the Spirit’. But on all occasions pray in the Spirit. Prayer that is motivated and guided by the Holy Spirit should be the continual way of prayer.
The NIV translation ‘with all kinds of prayers and requests’ keeps our perspective open that prayer in the Spirit encompasses a great variety of types and varieties of prayer. Therefore, whether it is written, spontaneous, silent, spoken, sung, individual, or congregational prayer, in all pray in the Spirit. Whether they are prayers of repentance, petition, representation, praise, thanksgiving, or request, in all pray in the Spirit.
Let us grow as a church that is active and guided by the Holy Spirit in prayer!

It is essential that at this important and transitional period in our church’s life we do not get overly bogged down with plans, strategies and costings but grow in praying in the Spirit for all the saints and that through all we do we would boldly proclaim the mystery of gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Some Discussion Starters:

Reflect on the importance of prayer in the Spirit for the health and strength of the church?

As a church are we ‘strong in the Lord’ regarding prayer in the Spirit?

How do you sense the moving of the Holy Spirit?

How do you discern the guiding of the Holy Spirit?

Is there any other way of Christian prayer that is not ‘in the Spirit’?

 

And now pray! In the Spirit!
Allow God to motivate and guide you in prayer as you wait on the Holy Spirit………