Christ on the road to Calvary - 3

(continued from previous two blogs)

As we approach the next verses in this chapter (Luke 23:35 -43) it is hard to imagine the depth of darkness in the situation. Yet in this darkness something happens which should encourage every follower of Christ to be confident in the gospel.

As Jesus was nailed to the cross, everyone seemed to be against him. The guards were mocking; the priests and religious leaders were calling out in derision; Mathew tells us that even both men who were crucified began to mock him. But then something happens to one of the dying thieves. Maybe seeing the way Jesus was reacting to everything challenged his heart. He knew why he was there – he had set himself up against the authorities and knew that if he was caught this would be his fate. He realised that he was going to meet his Maker, and would answer for what he had done. But what had Jesus done? He had surely heard of him. He might even have listened to Jesus among the crowds sometime. Maybe he knew someone whose life had been changed by the healing touch of the one who was hanging there beside him. And he was given eyes to see that all this evil poured out upon the carpenter’s son from Nazareth could not destroy the better kingdom that was His.
And in that dark hour, he took hold of his only hope – “I do not understand how this is going to happen, but when you have moved on from this cross, and come into your kingdom, remember me.”

The answer Jesus gives him is astounding. He was here in weakness, deserted by his followers and to all intents and purposes his enemies had won – they were getting rid of him. But in his weakness he can turn to this dying, repentant sinner and confidently proclaim: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

a) Paradise – what a contrast to the rubbish dump outside Jerusalem where they crucified wrongdoers. People have all sorts of strange ideas about paradise – and it is mostly guesswork or wishful thinking. But the Bible gives us some true idea of what it will be like – No sickness, no death, no evil without to tempt us, and no evil within to cause us to fall, no tears as they are all wiped from our face. (Revelation 21:4) There will be a new heaven and a new earth where there will be no sickness. The effects of the fall in Eden will be overturned in glory.

b) Today – there was no time for the thief to atone for his sins, but Jesus does not tell him that he’ll have to wait in purgatory to suffer for what he had done. The transfer to glory would be immediate, and all of grace. There would be no delay as the Son washed away his sins through the perfect blood that was being poured out even as they spoke to each other. What a difference between the blood of the sinner, calling out for judgement, and the blood of the spotless Lamb, washing away all condemnation. The thief would suffer a few hours, but in trusting Jesus he would spend eternity in glory.

c) You will be with me – That is the greatest part of this promise. To be with Jesus is heaven itself. Those who reject Jesus would not find themselves happy in heaven because the essence of heaven is being with Him. The Bible talks of heaven as a wedding, where the church – all those who have been purchased by the blood of Christ – appears glorious in perfection, prepared for the Bridegroom – Christ himself. And as one hymn expresses it so well:
The Bride eyes not her garment, but her dear Bridegroom’s face;I will not gaze at glory but on my King of grace.Not at the crown He giveth but on His pierced hand;The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel’s land.

Now if Christ in his weakness can boldly proclaim that his sacrifice will accomplish this, how much more confident should we be. We have heard him cry “It is finished!” We have heard the testimony of the witnesses that he was raised from the dead the third day. We have all the promises of the gospel. And countless numbers have been persuaded that this gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all those who believe.

How can we be silent when others today give everything for the privilege of telling others the good news? As you read this Christians in some countries are being persecuted, imprisoned and killed for the faith. And their testimony bears fruit which causes heaven to rejoice. If the gospel in Western Europe seems to be under a cloud, in other parts of the world it is thriving, especially where it suffers persecution.

What a wonderful promise Jesus gave to the dying thief, and what a privilege we have to proclaim this same promise to the dying world around us. Yet we are often fearful, and our fear causes us to be silent!

As we consider Christ on the way to Calvary, let us learn to take up our cross and tell others about Him. Let it not be a burden but a joy and not a duty but a privilege. And may we be filled with His compassion, driven to our knees to intercede for those who do wrong to us, proclaiming boldly His promise of life.

Christ on the road to Calvary - 2

Again we turn to Luke 23, concentrating his time on verses 32 - 38

If we are amazed at the compassion of Christ as he is led to Calvary, we cannot be unmoved either by his attitude towards those who were carrying out the outrageous deed of nailing him to the cross.

These were hard men. They had done this so many times before as Roman soldiers. They were there to execute the judgement passed by Roman law. They had become oblivious to the cries of the prisoners as the nails crunched through the flesh and bones of their victims. This was their job, and they could even stand calmly, dividing the clothes of the victims as their pay for doing the work – one of the perks of the job. When they found one quality cloak among the clothes, they had some fun drawing lots to see who could have it.


They were there to obey orders, and to ensure that the Jews were kept in their place. The Romans were the law here – not the Jews. This man had a sign to place above him – the King of the Jews – and any one who tried to set himself up against Caesar would know what would follow. As the people mocked Christ they probably thought: the poor deluded fool – even his own people have turned against him.


How do we feel when we are wronged? What do we want to do when we are blamed for something we did not do, or suffer an injustice? Our natural reaction is to strike back. We want to protest our innocence and right the wrong, even if it means that others will suffer.


Yet never did any one suffer such injustice as Jesus on the cross. He did no evil ever. He once challenged his enemies to point out any sin which he had committed (John 8:46) but they couldn’t. He did not deserve to suffer here, and what these men were doing was unfair, unjust and evil. Yet what words appear on his lips?
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34
He intercedes for them, even as they are casting lots for his clothes, asking that his Father would bless them.
“They know not what they do” –
(a) They do not realise what sin is. For so many people sin is just a mistake, or failing to hit the mark – after all no one is perfect. But sin is telling the eternal God that we do not want him to be God. We don’t want to live his way. Our way is better. Sin is rejecting the One who gives us our very existence and spitting in the face of the all powerful.
(b) If they realised who I am – that I am the eternal Word, and that one day they will have to give an account for their lives before the eternal judgement seat. They do not realise that on that day they will look up at the throne, and the judge will be the One they are now nailing to a piece of wood to hang and die. If they realised this they would not do this – they would bow down in awe and terror. Paul said something similar when he wrote to the Corinthians about the wisdom of the world: None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Corinthians 2:8

And Christ, having compassion on these miserable sinners, intercedes for them.

How do we, as Christians, react to those who reject the gospel? It is easy to find fault with them. It is so much easier to condemn than to be concerned. How many, I wonder, have prayed for the conversion of leaders of the Al Qaeda movement? How many have wept and prayed for those who persecute and kill Christians in some countries of the world today? And what about opponents in our own country? There are those who attack Christianity, mocking it as a delusion or a retrograde fantasy. And it is easy to condemn militant atheists in our reaction to this. But Jesus prayed for those who were doing him the most awful injustice and wrong.
These people today do not know that the One that they reject will one day judge them. They do not realise that as they follow their own way, they are spurning the Almighty and calling down judgement on their own heads.


Where is the agony in our praying for the lost? Where is the cry that God would forgive them, and open their eyes and hearts to see what the eternal love of the Holy One can do?


Facing a task unfinished
That drives us to our knees;
A need that, undiminished,
Rebukes our slothful ease

Christ on the road to Calvary

I've been quiet for a while. There have been a number of reasons for this, which I won't go into but here is a new train of thought which hopefully will help some.

The cross of Christ is central to every Christian. There we see the great act of salvation accomplished as Jesus takes upon himself our curse and dies for the sins of the world. For us therefore the fulcrum of history is the cross and resurrection of Jesus. We boast in it, and we never move far from it. And there are so many aspects of the cross which speak to us. As Evangelical or rather as Biblical Christians we believe it tells us about the wickedness of sin, the fulness of the atonement, the justice of God, the greatness of salvation, and supremely about the love of God the Father and God the Son towards us in accomplishing such a gracious redemption.
One other aspect which I have been thinking about recently is the example of the cross. Peter tells us that “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21) Or to put it another way, the cross is a path for us to tread, as Jesus himself taught us that to follow Him means to take up our cross and follow Him. (Mathew 16:24.)

The danger here is that we can think of following Christ and telling others about Him as a duty rather than a delight. How many times have preachers felt that they are whipping their people into action, rather than encouraging them. Here is where meditating on Christ as he proceeds to Calvary can help – or at least it has helped me. So over the next few blogs I’ll be looking at Luke 23:26 – 43, especially thinking about the attitude of us Christians towards those who do not know Christ as their Saviour.

And we begin with the compassion of Christ.
We can all have some idea of the horror of the situation. Jesus had been in public ministry for three years. He’d been in the public eye, working and giving out to people day after day, often ministering late into the night. There were times when he often spent the whole night in prayer. At other times when he was tired, people came to him seeking help and he never turned them away. He must have been emotionally and physically tired. Then had come the betrayal, and although he knew it was coming, it could not have lessened the hurt. He’d given so much to the disciples, and then Judas betrayed him, the disciples fled and Peter denied that he knew the Lord. What emotional grief this must have been. Then he was taken and tried before a kangaroo court , lied about and condemned. He’d been humiliated by Pilate, Herod and the soldiers. He’d been cruellyu scourged, and often these whipping would be enough to kill the sufferer as the metal pieces tied into the leather thongs ripped the flesh apart.

Then there was the shame. How did this young man from Nazareth, with such godly parents, end up like this – “for a hanged man is cursed by God.” (Deuteronomy 21:23)? And as he is dragged naked through the streets of Jerusalem, women there weep as they take pity on him.

But Jesus’ response is truly amazing: But turning to them Jesus said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. (Luke 23:28) He tells them that their perspective is all wrong. “You look at me and think that I am worthy of pity, but this is a path that I have chosen. There is purpose to my suffering. But what about the path that you, and Jerusalem have chosen?” He compares the green with the dead dried wood. We have all seen what happened in Australia earlier this year when a spark from a carelessly dropped cigarette would set a forest on fire, enough to burn whole towns and communities. So he says that if God, who is merciful and loves his Son with an eternal love, yet pours out his wrath in such a way when Jesus clothes himself in our sin, what will happen to those who reject Him. Jesus wept over Jerusalem when he entered the city (Luke 19:41) knowing what would happen when Rome finally lost patience with the Jews in about 40 years from that time. The story of the destruction of Jerusalem is terrible. But that was only a shadow of the destruction that would come in the judgement at the end of time. “do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.” He had compassion for them.

What is our concern most often. We are so full of our own problems. We don’t see things as Jesus saw them. We think of the difficulties we face, rather than the eternal judgement which awaits those who would reject Christ. Often we secretly even envy those who are rich in the things which this world offers. We do not see them as Jesus sees them. No one is as blessed as those who know Christ as a Saviour and Redeemer. And no one is to be more pities than those who are without Christ. I recently heard of a converted Muslim, a week after his conversion to Christianity undertook his first missionary journey. He went to tell his friends about his new found Saviour and Friend. They hung him up by his hair until his hair fell out, and he now has great bald patches on his head. But he knew that he had no choice but to try to save his lost friends.

O teach me, Saviour, teach me
The value of a soul.

European Leadership Forum 9

A twelve hour journey back from Eger to Bangor gives much time to reflect and to try to consider how to sum up the Forum.

The one thing which makes such a conference stand out is the variety of those who attend. Over 42 nations were represented, and a variety of occupations (that is not all pastors, professional theologians or even church workers.) The quality of the teaching was excellent, and the opportunity to question, challenge and engage was plentiful. But it was the participants that make this event unique.

The fact that we were not all from the same theological stable was interesting. We were all agreed on the gospel (The Bible was held up as the infallible Word of God; the atoning work of Christ was rejoiced in; the truth that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone was upheld throughout etc.). However differences were there, but they did not seem to cause the conflict which often comes in such situations. We were all prayerfully concerned about the effective spread of the Gospel throughout Europe, and were there to further that aim. And for my part, although I am sure that I would disagree deeply with John Lennox about some issues, I learnt much from him as he expounded the Word of God, and rejoiced in the fellowship and personal discussion we had.

Whilst the steering committee is essentially European, much of the arranging and administrating, including the running of the whole event in Hungary, is done by friends from the USA. Their commitment, hard work and generosity are major factors also in the atmosphere of the whole event. When we arrived this year each participant was given an ESV study Bible as a gift. This was paid for by the adult Sunday school class of Wayne Grudem (who was the general editor of the study Bible, and a frequent contributor to the ELF). This gift was especially valuable to many of those who come from Eastern Europe. This was the spirit of the whole Forum, and on the final evening a long standing ovation was given to all those volunteers who had given of their time and out of their own pocket had paid to come to help us. Any who would doubt the American way of patronisingly try to sort out the rest of the world can see here a very different spirit.

The challenge for me (as is often the case when we have been away) is to bring back home some things which can be applied to our own situation. Certainly I have been refreshed, and my vision for the lost has been sharpened. I have a deeper understanding of certain portions of the Scriptures, and have greater knowledge to use in the proclamation of the Gospel. I also have new brothers and sisters in Christ for whom I can thank God, and for whom I must pray. I received numerous invitations to other countries to help them as they seek to serve God.

There are some things which I would want to see change. Firstly it seemed very difficult to find a cup of coffee after 11.00 a.m. – a major complaint!! Maybe a little more seriously, a pastoral track might be useful. Whilst some pastors were used, most of the speakers seemed to be those who were not so directly involved in the full time ministry of the church, and at times the apologetic emphasis overshadowed all else. I am aware that much personal mentoring was done there, but there could be a place for something else.

One serious issue for me was that I was the only Welsh speaker there, and on one night when we sat according to our nations for food, I had only one companion from Wales – Lindsay Brown. I would dearly wish to have others from my country there, so that we could continue the work here between Forums. Maybe next year I can persuade someone to come with me.

In the meantime, I pray that God will make me faithful in putting into practice the things I have learnt and been convicted of. I am grateful to have been there this year, and look forward to other blessings God may have in store for Europe.

European Leadership Forum 8

The final evening meeting was a summing up of our desire to see the Gospel explode across Europe, and a sending out of the conference participants to proclaim the gospel. It was good to see a fellow Welshman giving the word, as Lindsay Brown, former General Secretary of IFES was the one chosen to speak to us. He gave a clear, powerful challenge as we face not only the pluralism of our age, but also probably increased opposition and even persecution. (One of those at the conference had nearly been imprisoned in Greece six months earlier accused of trying to proselytise someone from an Orthodox background.) He took us to the first letter of Peter and gave us a general overview in the light of our calling to be witnesses. His five point sermon was enriched as usual with stories of Christians from around the world, but this was not just a catalogue of inspiring stories. It was a direct challenge to take the gospel to others.

1) Our witness issues from our identity in Christ:
(a) We have a trans-cultural identity (1 Peter 1:1, 2:9,10) shown clearly in the make up of this conference.
(b) Our identity is tied up in our being a chosen people (1 Peter 1:2,12; 2:9)
(c) Our identity is inextricably bound in our common experience of God’s grace and wonder (1 Peter 1:10,13; 5:10)
(d) Our identity is found in knowing the living hope of the Gospel (1 Peter 1:3 – 5)
2) Our witness is sharpened by our response to adversity (1 Peter 1:7; 4:12 – 16). We do not suffer from the hopelessness of unbelief or the resignation of Stoicism when we face pain and loss.
3) Our witness is sharpened by a godly lifestyle (1 Peter 1:13 – 17; 2:11) When the Roman world suffered epidemics in the second and third century, the Christians cared for and loved those who fell ill, and many of them died, but the impact was a great influx of people to the church as they witnessed such love. In Albania, when there was a shortage of blood in the hospitals, it was the evangelical Christians who queued up to answer the need, so much so that one of the government ministers publicly thanked them for it.
4) Our witness is galvanised by conviction of the truth claim of the Gospel (1 Peter 3:15) In Algeria last year one pastor had baptised 1,500 believers. When the police took hold him to tell him that they were going to imprison all the Christians, he challenged them – You do not have enough prisons to hold us all – the Gospel is true, and we will see many people turn to Christ.
5) The heart of our witness is Christ. 1 Peter 1:8,19; 2:24; 3:18)

The meeting was both a blessing and a real challenge. It was not overly charged with emotion as the last night of a conference can often become. However the sound of people from over 42 nations raising up their voices in unison to praise the eternal God was an uplifting and encouraging experience.

I will leave the final summing up of the conference until tomorrow, when I will have had a good night's sleep in my own bed.

European Leadership Forum 7

Wednesday opened with John Lennox again preaching from Genesis. This time he opened with a plea that we need to let the Bible speak. We often begin with our problems, and see what the Bible has to say about it. But he contended that the Bible is true, and we believe it not because we can win all the intelectual arguments, but because God has spoken life to us through it. Turning to the story of Joseph he looked at The story of the brothers going to seek food in Egypt and the way Joseph deals with them. The insights were deep, and we saw the two sides of repentance and forgiveness being shown in Joseph’s actions and the brothers’ (in particular Judah’s) response. We ended up seeing Judah being turned from a man who sold his brother, to a man who repented and evetually was willing to give himself for his brother (Benjamin) and thus being a faint shadow of the Lion of the tribe of Judah – the Lord Jesus Christ. I was conscious of the presence of Christ, and was greatly humbled.

The Evangelism seminar then continued, firstly with Michael Ramsden leading us to consider the way Ideas mold the thinking. We considered the influence of such men as A.J.Ayre, who contended that Moral and Theological statements had no meaning; and H.L.A.Hart who with his views on jurisprudence pushed all moral and consideration of God out of the window in legal matters.

The second half of the session was a challenge, firstly by Michael Ramsden, looking at Luke 14:12 – 24. He set the parable in the context of his own Middle Eastern background, and challenged us as to the compelling them to come in. Then Michael Green encouraged us from John 16 about the Paraclete – the Friend sent alongside us and advocate who comes with us to prosecute those who challenge us. We then prayed for each other for 30 minutes in groups of two or three, and in this praying looked at our own situations in a very direct way, praying about what we had learned at the conference, what were our weaknesses where God’s grace could abound, and what we needed to do when we get home. My group of three was Michael Ramsden, Klara – a health worker from Novi Sad in Serbia, and myself. To sit in a room of men and women bowing our heads, and putting ourselves and each other in the hands of an all-powerful God to do as He wills with us is something special.

A blog cannot convey the sense of the presence of God in these things, but I know that once again I have been faced with the fact that God in his rich mercy has called me to work with him, for him in the power of his strength. Weak though I am, He must increase.

European Leadership Forum 6

Tuesday
This has to be one of the most encouraging days of the Forum for me. The sun was again shining as I took my breakfast in the open air with brothers from Northern Ireland, USA, and Denmark.


We then proceeded to listen to a scintillating exposition of Genesis as John Lennox tokk us mopre into the story of Joseph. The first part of his Bible reading looked at Judah (Chapter 38) which was shown not to be an irrelevant sideline, but at the heart of the plan of Genesis to prepare the way for the seed of Adam to come as the Messiah. His insights were both pastoral and theological. Then he went on to consider the suffering and rejection of Joseph. We all left the main conference room inspired, humbled, wanting to know more and wanting to come home to share the pearls of insight with others.

The three hours of morning seminars on evangelism which followed were divided into two parts. In the first part we looked at the way to deal with questions which people ask us. We honed in on one question which we might be asked by an unbeliever – Are you saying that I’m going to Hell? We split into groups to discuss (a) What could be the motive behind such a question? (b) What would be the questions that we would ask? (c) How would we answer the question? The insights different people had on this was very helpful in thinking about dealing with such a question. In the second session Michael Ramsden took us through a number of logical fallacies which we might come accross when we talk to people. It was a practical and enjoyable session.

The Book Stall
One of the benefits of this Forum is the extensive bookstall that is here. A great number of books are available, and they are all at a 60% discount. We might think this is marvellous, and indeed I felt like a child in a sweetshop looking at the tables. But there is another aspect which sobers those of us who come from the west. Some of the participants from the poorer countries of Eastern Europe could hardly afford even these. So a scholarship fund is set up to help them. One couple from Serbia were speechless when they were given a small gift of 20 euros. They had not been able to spare any money to buy books, but a little gift meant that, together with the scholarship they could have some quality literature to take home with them. How humbled I felt, yet how rewarded when I saw the light and joy in their faces.

European Leadership Forum 5

Monday

John Lennox took us to Genesis again today, concentrating on the disintegration of the family life of Joseph. The insights are fascinating as he pointed us to simple things which together make for a deep reading of the text. In the story of Genesis we get God setting up a natiopn, but it is not simply a multiplication of offspring. Abraham, to whom the promise of being the father of nations and with whom God made a covenant passed the blessing of the covenant to Isaac, not Ismael, and Isaac in turn passed the covenant promise on to Jacob and not Esau, but now we come to a different passing on – the twelve sons were included in the covenant. But the passing on was not just a physical birth. There is also the story which will eventually lead to Christ and there is a spiritual story here. As we looked at the factors which led to the disintegration of the family we were faced with questions which were so relevant to today’s issues – issues of gossip, loving our neighbour, favouritism, cutting corners as we do God’s work, God at work and the deceit of the human heart. We left feeling that there was so much depth that we yet had to see in the familiar story.

In the seminar tracks on Evangelism we had two sessions. In the first Michael Green faced the challenge of the Da Vinci Code and the accusation that the church distorted the true Gospel in a paper entitled The Books The Church Suppressed. And he readily admitted that as Dan Brown has claimed, the church did suppress some books – books which appeared long after the original Gospels and other documents included in the New Testament appeared – because they were a distortion of the true gospel. We should not be intimidated by the false claims of Dan Brown. There is no evidence to support his claims, whilst the Scriptures as handed down to us by the church in the New Testament have all the marks of authenticity.

In the second session Michael Ramsden then took us into the Ontological Root of the Gospel which sounds complicated. But really it simply means that Christianity is not rooted in ideas (epistemological root), feeling (existential root) or doing (pragmatism), but in being. It is an encounter with the living Christ which changes what I am.
Its method of revelation is that Jesus did not come to tell us about God. He came as God, and in seeing Him we have seen the Father.
It is rooted in being in Salvation. Through Christ’s physical death and ressurrection that we are saved. He took on our desperate need in his being and we are saved.
It leads to our transformation. Our very beings are restored and thus we can truly begin to learn how to think, how to relate to the world around us and how to live.
So Christianity is ultimately different to all other religions.

The afternoon seminar by Michael Green was entitled Don’t Just Sit There, Plant, and led us to consider the work of Church Planting. The people in the seminar included those who had planted churches in the UK, France, Belarus, and other places. We had valuable discussion with much insight into the need, challenge, and encouragements to be involved in this work.

The evening was given to a culture night with many choices as some participants in the Forum performed. I went to listen to Ellis Potter argue that as Christians we must redeem the arts, in our Christian faith utilising our creative nature.

Once again the fellowship with people from all sorts of cultures seemed to me to be the great blessing of the day.

European Leadership Forum 4

Sunday afternoon I did not go to the optional workshop. It was better for me to digest what I’d already heard, and to try to think about some of the conversations I’ve had.

Then at 4.00 the next workshop was with Wayne Grudem. His discussion was A Call to Personal Holiness. His point was that we seem to have neglected the fear of God as a factor in our living, and replaced it with a softer reverence. God is holy and calls us to holiness, and scripture tells us that not living holy lives brings inevitable consequences. The example of Ananias and Saphira is an extreme one, but we were reminded that there is a judgement which is not eternal judgement – and God deals with us according to what we do (1 Peter 1:14 – 16) There is a passive judgement, where God removes his presence, giving us up to our own desires. But there can also be an active judgement where something happens which seems to be God calling us to repent and turn by allowing something bad to happen. Of course this is not the only reason bad things happen to Christians (take the example of Job). But there seems to be in the USA an emphasis on grace which belittles sin. I found his emphasis needing to be qualified, but I understand where he is coming from.

The evening session with Pablo Martinez brought out the caring and careful nature of the man. He is a Psychiatrist in Spain who has done much for the church and especially the student movement there during his life. He spoke on Love, Faith and Faithfullness in Family Life. He began by illustrating how things have changed in European attitudes, citing a spanish tv reality programme, where the premise is that to preserve faithfulness to one’s self, one needs sometimes to be unfaithful to our partners. Faithfulness is threatened by a triumvirate of rights surrounding the self – My right to be happy, my right to change, and my right to be myself. These selfish rights supercede the duties or responsibilities towards others – they justify unfaithfulness. The result of these rights being insisted on is the death of self.
However to combat this we have a triangle with God at its’ centre. This triangle consists of love (not eros, the passion which scientific research has shown lasts about three years, but agape.) faith, which leads to faithfulness. this means that instead of insisting on “my rights”, when I fulfill my duties, this leads to life abundant. This was so reasonably and carefully presented that they could form the basis of a course of preparation for marriage.

European Leadership Forum 2

This is a full on conference, with not much time to spare, and most of that is spent with men and women from a variety of countries and churches. There is so much to say, and so much to digest that this will only be a very brief outline of some of the things that are happening.

The seminar yesterday on Developing Elders was a fruitful time. We began by considering some secular views of Leadership before turning to the scriptural view. One of the basic Biblical models of leadership is the Shepherd. Here we need to do more than consider the superficial idea – we need to understand the ancient middle eastern concept of shepherd, before tying it in with the scriptural references about God being the Shepherd of Israel, and the patterns given to us in various passages of the Bible. We then considered 1 Timothy 3:1 – 7, and set this in the context of how to develop the leadership qualities listed here.
Tom Streeter shared some of his own experience as he expounded the idea of a plurality of Elders, equal in authority, leading the local congregation. The whole process of developing such men began with discipling men. This is in small groups of men who meet weekly for a time of study together. The curriculum involves three elements – church history, theology and developing a world view. These sessions develop friendships and give opportunities for the pastor to learn what sort of people they are. In these groups some would come to the fore as candidates for leadership.
We listed the qualities expected of the leaders, and considered how to test these within the context of our own situations.

Mealtimes are interesting. We are placed on tables of six, and I am responsible for caring for those on my table. They are one American who is a missionary in Torrino in Italy, another who is based in Slovakia, and helps to arrange for and support both long term missionaries in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary. Then we have a sister who is a medical health worker in Serbia. The church is facing all sorts of difficulties at present there, but she has access to many people, and is here to learn more about evangelism. She works with two friends whi I already know in Serbia. Finally we have two brothers from Norway.

The evening session brought everyone together to worship and part of that worship was listening to the ministry of Nick Nedelchev, a senior Bulgarian leader. His humour and spiritual insught combined to show us how fear can paralyse, but also can be our friend as we replace our own unscriptural fears with the fear of God, and challenge the Europe which is full of fears at present.

Following this session a group of us went down to the town of Eger to sit in one of the number of restaurant/bars on the streets. I ended up in a discussion with an Irishman, a Dane, and three Americans on the financial crisis and the opportunities it affords to us for proclaiming better riches than the world offers.

Sunday began with breakfast in the open air under the sun with Steve, a UCCF staff worker from England, Teuta who is a girl from Albania, and conversations also with Lindsay Brown, a brother from Zagreb who knows my daughter, and others.

John Lennox then led a Bible study. John is a Proffessor of Mathematics at Oxford University, one who has publicly debated with Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, and is an accomplished speaker on the Bible. He is looking at Joseph this week, but today was an overview of Genesis as a backdrop for what is to come. It was a different look at Genesis, helping us to see the worldview of the book – God as Creator/upholder and as object of faith. This is in open opposition to the secular atheism we encounter today, and the question all have to face is – Do we believe this God.

Then came a three hour session in our workshop tracks – mine being evangelism. We began by introducing ourselves which was in itself interesting. Among those who are there was one who did not seem sure of his name. He was a Muslim, converted six months ago, and his name used to be Iman, but he has changed it now to Immanuel. Michael Ramsden who leads the workshop then led us into an introduction as to why we should be concerned with apologetics and what is that apologetic which is scriptural. It was a chalenging introduction, with a call to sepond to 1 Peter 3:15&16. Some people give their lives to give the reason for the hope that is in them. How will we respond when we meet them in eternity! What excuses will we try to give for our silence. The church in Europe seems to have lost its voice and we need to rediscover it.
Following a much needed coffee, we then asked each other what was the question we would least want a non-believer to ask us. Then we tried to look at these questions and ask Why would someone ask these questions; What could we ask them, and How would we answer them. We split into groups of three to look at these, before coming back to share with each other.

What a morning, and I have only just started the conference! More to come before long.

European Leadership Forum

I have arrived in Eger – a town in Hungary about two and a half hours’ drive from Budapest. I’m here for The European Leadership Forum, which is a conference for Christian Leaders from all over Europe, run by a coalition of a number of Evangelical movements throughout Europe and much support from the USA. This is my second year at the conference, and arriving was very much like the tribes of Israel coming up to Jerusalem. At Heathrow I met others on their way, and eventually there were 22 coming here on the same plane. In Budapest we were put on a bus with a similar number from a previous flight, and after the long drive to Eger, we entered the hotel to find other familiar faces from last year’s conference, and many new ones. I’m sharing a room with a brother who spent many years in Vienna, and then in Slovakia, serving the church in Eastern Europe. I caught up with an Irish Presbyterian, who I shared a room with last year. I went to look for food last night with a student from Cambridge who is doing a phd in Chemistry, and a young man who works for Navigators in Edinburgh. I breakfasted this morning with one of the main people from Friends International – a society which works to reach foreign students in the uk with the gospel, and with one of the leaders of the church in Bulgaria, before having time with John, the brother from Northern Ireland, Michael Ramsden who works for the Zacharias Trust, and another brother from the USA who work with the Charles Colson Foundation. So we’re a pretty diverse group of people.

This afternoon I attended a workshop on Developing Elders, led by Tom Streeter, a brother from the USA who had planted a number of churches, and has over forty years’ experience in the ministry. I will try to set out some of the helpful points in my next blog. This evening we will be listening to Nick Nedelchev, with whom I had breakfast. He used to lead the European Evangelical Alliance and ministered in Bulgaria for many years. He is now retired, but busy as ever. He will be speaking on Fear and its Power to Paralyse People. He lived through years under communism, and has seen many changes. I’m confident that he will inspire us.

I'm off to take care of a number for a meal, and will try to get back to this later this evening.

Evangelism and some helpful books

Next week I’m off to the European Leadership Forum – an annual conference where about 400 Christians from all over Europe come together in Hungary for a week of teaching, sharing and fellowship. This will be the second time that I attend, and last year I found it to be a most encouraging experience. I hope to blog about it during the conference.
There are a number of tracks to follow – last year I chose the apologetics network. This year I’ve chosen to join the evangelism track, where the main speakers will be Michael Ramsden and Michael Green. As preparation for this I have been looking at some books and have found the following helpful:

Questioning Evangelism – Randy Newman (Kregel Publications).

This is a book which challenges the way so many of us think we should evangelise. We wait for the opportunity to pour out our well practised presentation, often preaching at people, rather than speaking to them. Often the way into people’s confidence is to question them and to listen until we understand where they are. At other times we need to challenge people’s ideas using questions to push their own beliefs further. When they get to admit the shortcomings of their own viewpoint, then they are ready to listen to others.

The Gospel and Personal Evangelism – Mark Dever (Crossway)

Mark Dever is obviously a man who is gifted in Personal Evangelism. However this is not an excuse for those of us who do not feel we have the same gift not to engage in speaking to others about Christ and his gospel. If this book is not particularly long, it is certainly challenging. The author takes us through all the excuses which we have for not speaking the gospel personally, and encourages us in very practical terms to get to work.

What Kind of God – Michael Ots (IVP)

The author looks at ten questions which are often used as objections to the Christian Faith. As a result of years of dealing with these questions he gives clear, useful answers which can be used in disarming those who object to the Christian Faith.

Things God Wants us to Know – Roger Carswell (Christian Focus)

A simple, clear presentation of the gospel by one of the UK’s more effective evangelists. Following an initial chapter which challenges the reader to come with an open mind to listen to the Christian message he goes on to say that God wants us to know who He is; who we are; what He has done; what we must do. This is a book to put into the hands of those who are prepared to think and want to know what the heart of the Christian message is.

The Heart of Evangelism – Jerram Barrs (Crossway)

I am reading this at the moment. It is the fruit of more than thirty years of reflection on what the New Testament teaches about evangelism. It is a thorough treatment of the subject, and, although the chapters are short and easy to read in one sense, they are full of the Bible and challenging. It is split into four sections – Section One is Mission to the World, and challenges us to think of what we are called to do. The next section – The Kindness and Perseverance of God – faces us with the fact that our mission proceeds from God’s heart himself. The third section – Barriers in the Way of Communicating the Gospel – looks at those barriers within ourselves, the church and the hearers. The final section helps us with the principles we need to bear in mind as we fulfil our calling to evangelise – Making the Gospel Known.
This is a book born from the heart of one who yearns for Christ to see the fruit of His labours, and for the lost to be found. It’s almost 300 pages, so not a book to consume in an afternoon! But as I read I am challenged, my heart is both convicted and warmed. I am encouraged to engage in the work. I look forward to reading the book through to the end.

Incidentally, for those of us involved in the Welsh language work, Christianity Explored is now available in Welsh. Contact the Evangelical Movement of Wales for more information.

Remembering Twenty Years Ago

Twenty years ago to today was an unforgettable day to many because of the disaster at Hillsborough. The trauma and tragedy of the event shook the whole of the United Kingdom. Nobody could be unaware of the event which took away so many lives.

I was totally unaware of what was happening. However the day was unforgettable for me also, but for very different reasons. This is not said to diminish the significance of what the Liverpool football supporters went through. But different events hold different significance for all of us.
I was that day in Prague. I had arrived the previous day, having flown in to Rusyne Airport, and was on my way to try to visit friends who I had met once before. They were Christians, and their lives were under constant threat from the communist authorities who believed the church to be a major threat to the wellbeing of the country. My purpose in going was to encourage them in their witness, as well as trying to take in some things which could be of use to them – some bible commentaries and books, as well as some medical drugs which were difficult for them to get hold of.

When I arrived, I was glad to get past the security at the airport, and look for a hotel to stay for the few days that I would be there. I could not stay with the Christians, as they would have to report to the authorities, and so would be under suspicion for harbouring a western foreigner. I turned up at a hotel not normally used by westerners – they were much more expensive. After some bartering I got a room for a reasonable cost (about a tenth of the original fee they asked of me) by paying in “English money”. I went to my room, and rested on the bed. Within five minutes the receptionist knocked on my door, and informed me that there had been a mistake with my visa. They had failed to stamp it at the airport. Upon asking if I needed to go back there, she replied quietly that they would call in the police. If they wanted me they would come for me in the morning.
I immediately took the material that I had brought with me to take it all to my friends. I reached their flat in the centre of the city, but there was no answer. I turned to leave, and saw that their flat was being watched. I went for a walk for an hour – not difficult in such a beautiful city. When I returned, I saw that he light was on in the flat, but it was still being watched. If I went there now, I could be putting my friends in danger. They could find themselves in prison, and their ability to work for the church removed. So I had no choice but to return to my hotel room, to wait for the authorities.
Needless to say I had a sleepless night, waiting for the knock on the door. All I heard was some drunk East Germans attempting to get into my room by mistake, as they had forgotten which was theirs. In the morning my visa was returned without any trouble and I met my friends and gave them the books and medical drugs. The pastor was grateful for the books – such a rare opportunity under Communist rule to get some resources. But when his wife saw the medicine which I had brought she was overjoyed. The previous day a lady had begged her to try to get hold of some, as it was only available on the black market and at an exorbitant price for all except the Communist Party members.

Wenseslas Square in Central Prague

However two things stood out for me especially about this time. Firstly, I had known pressure for one night, and it was not comfortable. I had felt alone, and feared the consequences of maybe facing prison in a foreign country. These brave Christians lived continually under much more intense pressures, and did it joyfully. How we should remember persecuted Christians these days.
Secondly, when they saw me they were surprised. I had visited them three years previously, and had told them that I would return. They had smiled respectfully at me. They had so often heard the same thing from others, but they never returned. It seemed that the church in the west was good at making promises, but not so good at keeping them. So when I returned they opened their arms in surprise and gratitude. “So you did remember us! You did pray for us!” They had felt forgotten, or at best they had felt they were curiosities to us – to be visited behind the Iron Curtain just as people went to the Zoo to see the animals. What does this say about our Christian faith and love?

Within eight months of my visit the Communists had lost power in the country, and the Velvet Revolution had overturned the government. The next time I visited I could stay with my friends without fear and rejoice in the freedom they now knew. But that weekend twenty years ago changed my view of what it means to love the brethren for ever.

I knew nothing of the disaster at Hillborough until I got on the plane to come home. I sympathise deeply with those who gathered at Anfield and other places today. But I hope that they will forgive me if I spent some time today thinking of my friends who endured much for their Lord and Saviour.

Why look at the Psalms

I am at present preaching a series of sermons on some of the Psalms on Sunday evenings. Here are some of the reasons why I consider it especially worth our while spending time with them.

1) They are there to instruct us. Thirteen of them are specifically entitled Maskil, and although the meaning of the word is not clear, it’s root seems to be the Hebrew word for instruction. When Jesus wanted to instruct people as to whom he was, he often quoted the psalms. Some of them are in the genre of Wisdom Literature (such as psalm 1) guiding us into that knowledge which makes us live in God’s plan.
2) They are experiential. Often when we read them we find ourselves saying “I’ve been there,” or “I’ve felt that way.” They are not merely cold instruction, but instruction built on experience. This is why maybe older Christians seem to find the psalms more precious than younger ones. They help us understand our own experiences – experiences of not understanding what God is doing, of feeling that life is unfair, of being tempted to think as the world thinks, of joy in success, of wonder at the works of the Lord.
3) They are poetry. They convey more than bare truth. They convey all the range of emotions that we feel. There is joy and sadness, hope and despair, glory and shame, light and darkness, grieving and rejoicing, anger and repentance. They help us feel, and not fear our emotions, with a Christian perspective.
4) They are worship. Anyone who wants to know how we can come before God to worship Him must look at the way the Bible worshippers greeted the Almighty. As we see others coming before Him, we can learn and benefit much.
5) They are divinely inspired. As part of the Word of God we know that they are God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16) and invaluable for our persevering walk with God (Romans 15:4). But specifically we are told by Jesus that it was the Holy Spirit who was speaking through David in Psalm 110 (Mark 12:36). So also Peter tells us in Acts 1:16 speaks of the Holy Spirit speaking through David when he alludes to Psalm 41.
6) They point to Jesus. There are two ways in which the psalms especially help us to see and understand our Saviour in clearer light. There is a foreshadowing of our Lord, in that a number of the psalms set us a pattern, which when repeated becomes a type – for example the innocent suffering at the hands of the guilty. There is also prophecy, where the Spirit gives an insight into what the Saviour would be (such as Psalm 110, the most often quoted Old Testament chapter in the New Testament).

Time spent here is well spent, rewarding us much and deepening our knowledge of ourselves, of life and especially of God our Saviour.
Some books which I am finding helpful are:
Derek Kidner in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series. He seems to me to be excellent at giving the basic meaning of the psalms in context.
Alec Motyer has recently published a couple of books: Treasures of the King looking at some of the psalms which David wrote in specific situations. Also Journey, Psalms for Pilgrim People looking at the psalms of Ascent (120 – 136). Both are devotional books with valuable insights and are published by IVP.
Of course, Mathew Henry’s commentary is always warm, and Spurgeon’s Treasury of David is worth a look, although his exegesis is not always to be trusted.

YouTube - Matt Chandler - Jesus Wants the Rose

This is a clip which speaks of the true meaning of the love of Jesus. It has been posted by many recently, and doesn't pull any punches when it comes to telling those of us who preach the gospel that we can so often get it wrong.

YouTube - Matt Chandler - Jesus Wants the Rose

The Resurrection – How can you believe that?

Some things in life are believable, whilst others seem so fantastic that they can only exist in fantasy films, games or fiction. And when you come to someone actually rising from the dead, then surely we have reached fantasy.It just doesn’t happen.
So for many years my take on the resurrection of Jesus was, either it was a myth devised by the church, or maybe it had a spiritual meaning – that Jesus was somehow alive in the hearts of his followers.
But then the day came when I had to rethink things.

The evidence
From my science lessons at school and university I had come to believe that the only evidence you could trust was that which was repeatable in laboratory conditions. (something which you cannot do with the resurrection of Jesus!) But there is other evidence which is just as compelling. In a court of law we accept the testimony of witnesses as true evidence (depending on the trustworthiness of the witnesses of course). And when we come to historical accounts we have to depend on such evidence. So when we look at the account of the resurrection who do we trust? We had the Sanhedrin on the one side who denied that Jesus was risen. They had every reason to want him to remain in the grave. They had felt the sting in his criticism of their religious views. They had seen the people flocking to listen to him. They had bribed one of Jesus’ followers to betray him. They had plotted to have him killed. They wanted him out of the way for good. Would these make good witnesses in a court of law? Their testimony was that because the body was not to be found, that the disciples (a bunch of followers, untrained in any physical combat, who fled for their lives when the authorities turned up to arrest Jesus) had overcome trained soldiers who were guarding the grave, and stolen the body away.
On the other hand you have the disciples. Men who were in total despondency after their leader was crucified, and in hiding from the authorities. Yet within a short time were going around proclaiming courageously that Jesus was alive again. They went about doing good to people. They preached a message of reconciliation and love. They sacrificed much for others. They were ready to face ridicule, prison and even death for the sake of insisting that Jesus had risen from the dead. Years later the apostle Paul could mention over 500 people who would testify to their having seen the risen Christ.

The reasoning
But how can this be? People don’t just rise from the dead? All we know about this world and all our experience fights against the notion that any one who has been killed could appear alive again.
But we are talking here about something which is beyond our experience. We are talking about the things which God can do. As creator he is outside the confines of this world. (Just as J.K. Rowling is outside the Harry Potter novels. Anything which she wants to happen can happen within her own creation – people fly on broomsticks, there are invisibility cloaks, chocolate makes you better) God the creator is above this world, and for him to raise Jesus is not beyond the bounds of reason as he laid down the principles of life and death.
But the Bible tells us that even within the rules and principles which govern life and death, the resurrection of Jesus is reasonable. Death we are told is the consequence of going against the creator’s good and perfect rule. Jesus however lived a life totally in accord with the rules of his Father in heaven. He pleased the Father in all that he did. (See the witness of God - a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."(Matthew 3:17); his closest friends – “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:22-23); his enemies - Which one of you convicts me of sin? (John 8:46)
So his death was not because he deserved it. He could be raised from the dead.

The meaning
So what? If you can prove that the resurrection actually happened, why should that bother me? Because you will one day die, and what Jesus did affects the significance of your death. If your death is a consequence of leaving God’s ways to follow your own, then when you give an account of your life to your creator, he will have every reason to condemn you. But Jesus died, not for his own sins but for the sins of others – he took the consequences of our rebellion against God upon himself. That’s why he died. And he says that by turning away from our rebellion, and trusting in Him, then our death is not a door to judgement, but to life.
Take time to think about these things, and make this Easter a different one. Read the story of Jesus again, and find someone who can explain the meaning of Easter for you. Or you can talks about the evidence for the resurrection at http://www.eauk.org/slipstream/

And have a happy Easter

An Ordinary Pastor

God uses people to fulfill his great work in the world. And sometimes these people become well known. They are very influential, and they see much fruit to their labours. We think of some like Martin Luther who shook the world with his ninety-five theses, or John Calvin, who blessed the church with the fruit of his studies. Then there are the Spurgeons and the Whitefields, the Martyn Lloyd Jones' and the Billy Grahams.


Although reading about these men can be inspiring, there is a way in which their stories, wonderful as they are, can discourage. Most of us have not seen such fruit, and when we hear of those who see more apparent success we can become despondent. One of the wonders in heaven will be to see all those unsung heroes of the faith - ones who laboured without seeing such fruit, but remained faithful in their post.


One such man is Tom Carson, father of the more renowned Don Carson, New Testament scholar, Bible teacher and prolific author. The renowned son has now given us a glimpse of his father's life by publishing Memoirs Of An Ordinary Pastor.


This man was not well known, and knew many struggles during his life. He ministered especially in French Quebec, and never saw the great popularity that we often associate with a successful ministry. He had his own frailties to live with, and the challenges of working in a day of small blessings. But he did so with that conviction that God had called him to faithfully sow the seed of the gospel in that particular part of the world. He accepted the changing circumstances of his life, such as the time when his wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The family insight makes this book more than an account - it allows us to see somethiong of the heart of the man. We see his pain as he weeps for his flock, his integrity as he refuses to speak ill of others, his love as he cares for his wife, his God as he keeps his eye on his Saviour. The account of his passing into glory as a forgiven man who had lived for his Master is most moving.


This book under God may be a great blessing to many. If you are a pastor working without the apparent success of your contemporaries it will encourage you to keep on. If you are a preacher who knows much success in your work, then this book will humble you, and help you to gain a better perspective on your work. If you are a church member who feels frustrated with the lack of numbers in your congregation, then it will give you an insight into what counts before the throne of grace. It will encourage all of us to pray for those in the ministry. And it will make us thank God for the great variety of people called into the work of the Kingdom.

Details: Memoirs Of An Ordinary Pastor - The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson
Author: D. A. Carson
Crossway Books

New Word Alive - the Welsh Connection 4

Here is the fourth and final entry in this series. The purpose as previously mentioned was to give people a glimpse of the history and heritage which the Welsh have. For a much better look at the story of Christianity in Wales see Gwyn Davies' book A Light in the Land published by Bryntiron press. Maybe next year there'll be another four glimpses.

The Welsh Connection
Whether you’re into Bryn Terfel and Katherine Jenkins, Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey, or Duffy, Wales has a reputation for being the land of song. Whilst there is a long tradition of poetry and singing in the country, it was really during the nineteenth century that the Welsh became a nation of singers. The revivals of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries had produced a multitude of hymns. William Williams, Pantycelyn, one of the founding fathers of the Welsh Methodists was the greatest hymn writer that Wales produced, writing about 1,500 hymns and other writings. (His best known English hymn is Guide me, o thou great Redeemer) In general these hymns were almost shouted out in the congregations. But early in the nineteenth century a plan was formed to change things. Young men visited congregations where they would teach the worshippers how to read music using the tonic sol-fa method (remember Doh – a deer in the Sound of Music?). The congregations learnt to sing in four part harmony, and this spread into the general culture so that the Welsh became one of the few nations with a polyphonic musical culture. And it was all because they wanted to sing well about their Saviour. Wherever you would go in the country you could find congregations who would lift up their voices to God in beautiful worship.
Today not so many are singing about Christ, and although the tradition of singing continues, the song has changed. But God still seeks worshippers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. And there are those today who continue the tradition of writing new hymns and spiritual songs for our contemporary age. Pray for them as they try to ensure that, whilst the best of the past is not lost, the tradition grows as a living expression of God’s work in our midst. Pray also for a new generation of preachers and evangelists who will be used by God to raise a people to worship their Saviour and Lord.

New Word Alive - the Welsh Connection 3

Here's today's issue (See previous two)

The Welsh Connection
Welsh is one of the oldest living languages in Europe. The fact that it is still spoken is very much linked to the story of Christianity here. The protestant reformation took a while to take root in the land. There was sacrifice and even martyrdom by some to ensure that the Welsh could hear the gospel. In 1588 Bishop William Morgan published his authorised translation of the Bible. A copy was placed in every church throughout the land. It was a masterpiece of translation, with both the accuracy of the meaning and beauty of the language of outstanding quality. It became the standard for the language, and with very little change was the only translation generally used until 1988, four hundred years later.
Then in the early eighteenth century Griffith Jones, a clergyman in Carmarthenshire, burdened that the Bible was out of the reach of the majority of people, organised men to go to visit villages, staying for a few months teaching people to read, and then moving on to another area. His motive was to enable people to be able to read the Bible. This was so successful that a great proportion of the population became literate. (Even the Queen of Russia heard about it, sending envoys to learn how it was done so that she could use the pattern in her own country.) A century later Thomas Charles, another man of God, replicated these schools, also ensuring that the Bible was made available to everyone. The Welsh had become literate and the Bible was moulding the mind of the nation.
In 1988 a new translation of the Bible was produced, which was substantially revised in 2004. There is also a living translation of the New Testament on the internet – http://www.beibl.net/ - with the Old Testament in translation at the moment. But the tragedy is that a generation of is growing who are totally ignorant of the riches of God’s Word. Pray for the beibl.net project, Christian school workers, the Gideons and those involved in sharing the Bible these days in our land.

New Word Alive - the Welsh Connection 2

Here is the second NWA lesson on Welsh Christianity (see previous post)

The Welsh Connection #2
Wales – the Land of Revivals. Many who hear this think of the 1904 revival and some of the emotionalism that accompanied it. However the country has a long history of spiritual awakenings. One of the most influential of these began in 1735 (at the same time as the Wesley brothers and Whitefield in England, were experiencing similar blessings). Daniel Rowland, a curate in Llangeitho, a tiny village in south Cardiganshire, had seen that preaching against sin was an effective way to move people. He became known as the angry preacher, but he was convicted by his own preaching. Before long he experienced grace himself, and became a beacon of light, beginning a powerful preaching ministry which lasted over fifty years. At the same time Howell Harries, an ungodly schoolteacher in another part of the country, was brought to faith. He began to visit houses in the area, exhorting people to trust in Christ. Refused ordination by his bishop, he continued to preach wherever he could. These two, together with William Williams, the great hymn writer, became the fathers of the Methodists, travelling around and gathering the converts into local societies or “seiadau”. People would travel for days from all over the principality, sailing from North Wales and walking miles overland, to hear Daniel Rowland preach. Howell Harries persuaded George Whitefield to begin preaching in the open air – a great turning point in the Methodist revival in England. The effect of these men’s work was a network of societies throughout Wales, and the religious life of the whole country was transformed.
It is said that between 1735 and 1862 a spiritual wave swept through much of the country every ten years or so. As you travel through the towns and villages you will see a multitude of chapels (many now converted to other uses). Wales had become a land of revivals indeed. However the last national revival was in 1904/05. It is easy for the chapel-goers to look back longingly to a different age. But the God who moved this nation then can do so again. What about praying for a new spiritual awakening for Wales in our day?

New Word Alive - the Welsh Connection

I was asked recently to provide four snapshots of Welsh Christian history for the New Word Alive news-sheet at this years conference. The purpose was to show those coming to the conferences that we have our own particular history and heritage. The challenge was, not only to decide which parts of our story to share, but also to do it in 350 words or less! Here is the first of four.

The Welsh Connection #1
Yes, we’re in Wales, and you won’t go far in this country without finding place names which sound strange to any except the Welsh. But these show that this is a country with a long Christian tradition. The Romans brought the gospel here, but it was in the fifth century that it really became widespread and effective. Missionaries came from Gaul and travelled, one by one, to different parts of the country. Everywhere they went they preached, and when they had gathered a church, usually a village or settlement was formed. These settlements around the churches were called LLAN and often the name of the Celtic saint/missionary was incorporated into the name. (By the way, the LL in Welsh is pronounced by placing the tip of the tongue on the back of the front teeth, and blowing.) There are over 500 places with their names beginning with Llan, and most of them relate to this time when Christianity spread throughout the land. We can but admire these men who came to spread the gospel here.
One of the reasons for the missionaries coming was that the teachings of Pelagius – whose teaching suggested that man was not tainted with original sin - were gaining ground here. Garmon, bishop of Auxerre, was sent to combat this, and there are a number of places called Llanarmon after him. Celtic Christianity placed an emphasis on preaching, education, and a disciplined life. The influence of Illtud, who set up a divinity school in South Wales, was widespread, and it is said that Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, and possibly David, who became the patron saint of Wales, were educated there. In the seventh century the Celtic church began to come more under the influence of Rome. Later on some of these places became places of pilgrimage. It is said that three pilgrimages to Bardsey Island, off the coast of the Lleyn Peninsula, was equal to one pilgrimage to Rome.

Lament

Yesterday the UK government announced plans to allow adverts on tv containing advice about abortion.
The alternative to abortion seems to be caring and providing for those unwanted children. Since the law allowing abortion was passed in this country the number of unborn children disposed of has far surpassed the number of people killed in the Holocaust. What price for a life?


Mathew 2: 16 - 18
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.
17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more."

The Lament of the Aborted ones

We envy you, children of Ephrata.

You shouted
your greeting to the world
As you burrowed your way
From the cradle of the womb.

And Grandpa and Grandma came to dote,
And the neighbours came to see
And exclaim that you had your mother’s eyes
Or your father’s smile.

You were given a name
And they recited your family tree back to David,
or Judah, or Abraham;
And your smile was sealed on the memory
Of those who would not forget you.

In the darkness of night
A warm bosom came
To soothe your crying with a lullaby,
And you satisfied your instinct
Suckling, suckling the milk
Until you fell asleep again quietly, securely.

And though Herod’s sword
Destroyed you before time,
A lament for you was heard
above the hills of Judah,
“Rachel weeping for her children,
and would not be comforted.”

Someone wanted you.

How we envy you
As our silent cry, that no one wants to hear,
Echoes
Through the hospitals and clinics of our land.

© Dafydd M. Job