Premier TV have launched a video on demand service with a range of interviews and topics. The video below shows Rob Bell, author of Love Wins, debating Heaven and Hell with Adrian Warnock.
You can find out more at http://premiertv.agilex.co.uk/
Worship Central have released a new album called Spirit Break Out which hit the top ten of the iTunes chart. You can watch the promo video below. You can buy the album and listen to sample tracks at Kingsway. Also if you register over at Kingsway Worship this weeks free song is At Your Name which includes the mp3 of the song and the sheet music, Kingsway Worship release a free song each week.
‘…whatever you ask in My name, that I will do’
In chapters 14 and 15 of John’s gospel Jesus makes this promise three times. As I have been reading through these chapters I have begun to appreciate more clearly the context in which Jesus was speaking. It is the last supper, Judas has gone out to do his worst and Jesus is about to be crucified. He is seeking to reassure his disciples that although their world is about to be turned upside down they are not to let their hearts be troubled. He continues to outline to them how they are to live when he has returned to heaven with a particular focus on three things – their continuation of His mission, their knowledge of and closeness to Him, and their love for one another. It is in each section that Jesus promises to do whatever His disciples ask. It will be well worth us looking at these three sections in more detail because it is these three things – mission, truth and love – that make up the DNA of what Jesus always intended His church to be.
MISSION
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:12-14)
In chapter 14 John clearly links miracles with mission. Philip says to Jesus “Lord, show us the Father and it is sufficient for us” (vs. 8). Jesus’ immediate response is that He has already shown them the Father: “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (vs. 9). This includes His works, which Jesus says are actually done by the Father (vs. 10). These works are an important sign to others that Jesus’ message is from God, and Jesus can ask the disciples to ‘Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves’ (vs.11). Elsewhere in the New Testament we see works confirming the message being preached. In Matthew 11:20-23 Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum are gravely warned that even Tyre, Sidon and Sodom would have repented in dust and ashes if they had seen the works that accompanied Jesus’ message. Jesus spells it out explicitly in John 5:36: “But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish – the very works that I do – bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.”
Back into John 14, Jesus tells His disciples they will also do great (and even greater) works because He is going to the Father. His earthly ministry is nearly over, theirs is just beginning and they should expect miracles to confirm their authority from God just as they confirmed Jesus’ authority. The outcome will be ‘that the Father may be glorified in the Son’ (vs.13). So this is the first context in which Jesus said prayers would be answered: as confirmation of God’s authority behind the good news.
TRUTH
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. (John 15:7-8)
Moving into chapter 15 Jesus uses the idea of a vine to explain the importance of the disciples maintaining intimacy with Him. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own, so Christ’s disciples cannot be fruitful unless they are abiding in Him. This fruitfulness probably includes every aspect of the Christian life such as the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and also fruitfulness in holding out the gospel to others. Jesus explains that this intimacy with Himself has two sides. The first is knowing Him. He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), He is the Word of God incarnate (John 1). This is not just head knowledge, it is a real, vibrant, living relationship with God Himself. The other side of intimacy with Jesus is His words abiding in us (vs.7) – knowing the scriptures. These need to become part of who we are, how we think and act. This is the second context in which Jesus said prayers would be answered: where He is known in intimate relationship and where His spoken word abides in the hearts of believers, leading to fruitfulness.
LOVE
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another. (John 15:16-17)
Immediately after speaking about the importance of abiding in Him, Jesus goes on to tell His disciples that they must abide in His love in verses 9 to 17. This can be confusing – surely abiding in Christ means abiding in His love! However, Jesus Himself makes the distinction. If abiding in Christ means staying close to Him and being full of His truth, abiding in His love means obeying His commandment to “love one another as I have loved you.” (vs. 12) Abiding in His love is not a warm feeling, rather it is practical obedience of this commandment. It flows from abiding in Him, but is a necessary extension from it. This self sacrificing love is the context of the third time Jesus promised that the disciples’ requests would be given to them.
What conclusions should be draw from this? It would be easy to fall into the trap of setting up a tick list of things we need to do for Jesus to answer our requests. He is a person, not a code to be broken, and the book of Job and other Bible passages make it clear that suffering and sickness are sometimes a mystery that God chooses not to share with us – for now. However, I wonder what might happen among a group of people given to mission, truth and love – all of them held in balance, together.
Andy G
David Murrow pulls no punches in this book about why men hate going to church. He says the problem of missing men could be the most difficult challenge the church faces today. The modern church is facing a crisis in reaching men, less than 40% of a typical church is made up of men, a fifth of married women worship without their husbands and there are even fewer young, single men.
Jesus started with a band of men who turned the world upside down but somehow the modern church is the last place you’ll find men today. Like the Titanic it’s women and children first and the culture of church has become one where men just don’t feel at home. With services full of singing, words, emotion and an emphasis on relationships men are turning elsewhere to achieve their goals.
The book deals with things as they are and is not calling men back to church but calling the church back to men. According to David Murrow God made men for adventure, achievement and challenge and he argues we need to change the way we do church to attract these sort of men back so they can find those things in our churches.
It was interesting that Andy pointed out to us in a recent article that church has actually changed very little over the last 1,000 years and Ron commented that although the Reformation rediscovered the truth of the gospel they didn’t rediscover the truth of how church should be. He points to films to show what attracts men. Women dream about a relationship with a fantastic man, men dream about saving the world against impossible odds but the church emphasises relationships over adventure, risk, challenge and sacrifice.
He also points out that men just don’t feel comfortable in modern day churches despite the fact that men were traditionally the custodians of religion in all major cultures. Men aren’t always expressive, don’t like singing and are uncomfortable praying out loud or holding hands with strangers. In fact he points out that congregational singing is a relatively new phenomenon and we are dangerously close to making an idol out of modern worship. So what should we do?
Well he points out that men form relationships side by side in a crucible, whereas women form relationships face to face in a comfortable setting. So maybe it’s time to get men out of the building, set them challenges and give them projects to use their gifts with. Church nowadays is focused around programmes which go on and on with seemingly no purpose, but men want projects so find some to give to them!
His view also is that the modern church has abandoned discipleship which was the primary teaching model of Jesus. Men need leaders and spiritual fathers with vision and integrity who will challenge them to live their lives for God. Do you have a discipleship programme in your church and more specifically do you have one for men?
Men also need vision and to know what the point is so set that out clearly. Set high standards and don’t promise an easy, comfortable life, talk about the challenges and the obstacles and the commitment that will be needed to see God’s kingdom come.
Why men hate going to church is written by David Murrow and published by Nelson books. David is the Director of Church for men and you can read more about his ministry at www.churchformen.com. For further reading check out The Church Impotent: The Feminisation of Christianity, Wild at Heart by John Eldredge and Second Coming of the Church. Why men hate going to church can be purchased on amazon.
Timothy Keller is the pastor of Redeemer Church in New York which has grown to see thousands of people come to faith in Christ by helping them to ‘doubt their doubts’ and discuss the reasons for their beliefs. It addresses just the sort of beliefs that you will find in 21st Century Britain and beliefs that are so commonly held in our culture they often go unchallenged. This books challenges those beliefs and rather than seeking to justify our own, it asks others to justify their beliefs and examine what they think.
Among several books that Timothy Keller has written is The Reason for God – Belief in an age of Skepticism. It addresses questions such as:
Why does God allow suffering in the world?
How could a loving God send people to Hell?
Why isn’t Christianity more inclusive?
How can one religion be “right” and the others “wrong”?
Why have so many wars been fought in the name of God?
In the words of the book itself:
“These are just a few of the questions and doubts even ardent believers wrestle with today. As the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, Timothy Keller has compiled a list of the most frequently voiced “doubts” skeptics bring to his church as well as the most important reasons for faith. And in the New York Times bestselling The Reason for God, he addresses each doubt and explains each reason.
Keller uses literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and reasoning to explain how faith in a Christian God is a soundly rational belief, held by thoughtful people of intellectual integrity with a deep compassion for those who truly want to know the truth.”
You can watch an introduction to the book below.
In addition to the book which is well worth a read there is also a DVD pack which can be used in small groups to address the questions that people have about Christianity. Here is an introduction to the DVD:
The Reason for God DVD Trailer from Redeemer City to City on Vimeo.
You can buy the DVD pack on Eden and the book is widely available if you are thinking of using it in your own church or seeking to understand how to enter into conversation about Christianity with people who already seem to have written it off.
There is also starter material available to give you an idea of what is in the book and the DVD and how to run these sort of studies yourself.
Free book excerpt, Penguin Reader Guide, How to use the DVD and study guide, Sample Session, Questions to use.
Did you find this article helpful? What resources have you used in your church to reach people? What articles would you like to see here on passionforgod?
If you haven’t checked it out for a while the PFG website has been redesigned to make it easier for you to find the things that matter and with an updated design. Why not go and check it out at www.passionforgod.org.uk and read about the latest news, events and resources.
The new home page has a main banner to focus on the latest feature such as an event, the latest news or a really good resource to look at. If there is something you would like us to feature here that you’re involved in please get in touch with us.
We’ve also redesigned the site to focus on three key areas: events, the blog and resources.
Events
Every year we organise several events including the main PFG weekend in Feb/Mar, a men’s weekend in June and a young women’s weekend in Oct/Nov. There are also training days such as Passion for Preaching which was held in Epsom with Les Wheeldon and more types of events planned for the future.
Blog
The blog is where you’ll get updates and news from PFG as well as guest editors and interesting content that just doesn’t fit anywhere else! There is a lot going on in the UK and we hope to add our voice to keep you informed and updated about everything that is happening. We’d also like to feature stories on what God is doing in your life, church and community and you can tell us your story through a new feature on this website.
Resources
One of the key things we’ve decided to focus on is providing resources to equip you in your journey. This might be mp3′s, book or cd reviews, articles or links to other websites. You can expect a lot more of this sort of thing in the future.
We hope you like the new look and keep an eye on things over the next few months as we add more resources and tell you about upcoming events such as PFG 2012. If you’ve got any suggestions or ideas about what you’d like to see or if you’d even consider writing for PFG we’d love to hear from you.
Don’t forget you can also follow us on facebook or twitter by searching for passionforgoduk to keep up with the latest news and events.
1. Our God (Chris Tomlin)
Key: G, Worship Together, Kingsway, Music
2. Everyone needs compassion
Key: D, Worship Together, Kingsway, Music
3. King of Wonders
Key: C, Worship Together, Kingsway, Music
4. See his love
Key: C, Worship Together, Kingsway, Music
And there’s loads of others but we thought that would be good to start with! Any that you really like just add them through a comment.
Alan Scotland and his wife, Betty, have been involved in ‘full-time’ ministry coming up on 30 years now. God spoke to Alan at the age of 10 about serving God in the nations. By the age of 15 Alan knew God was calling him to ministry. Thus, after training as a nurse, both Alan and Betty studied at the Bible College of Wales.
Alan has pastored churches in Merseyside and Essex travelling extensively throughout the UK and internationally into Africa, USA, South America, China, Hong Kong and on the mainland of Europe. He now heads up Lifelink International, carrying oversight to churches in the UK and USA with links to associated churches and streams in Europe, Africa, South America and Asia.
Alan also serves as principal of Trinity School of Theology located in the Midlands of England and is involved in radio ministry through UCB (United Christian Broadcasters). He also is an elder of New Life Church in Rugby, England
Alan recently did an interview explaining how God has moved in his life and you can listen again to this below.
PFG 2011 Seminar Preview
Behind Enemy Lines by John Watson
Over the next few weeks we’ll be giving you some sneak previews of the seminars coming up at PFG 2011. First up is ‘Behind enemy lines’ by John Watson on the subject of evangelism but from a new perspective.
Some people stand on the front line of evangelism, preaching on the streets, knocking on doors, reaching out into the dark places of our community. They are gifted evangelists bringing Jesus into corners where many would fear to tread.
But there is also another type of Christian, they are not on the front line, but they are behind enemy lines. They are equipped with knowledge of God, the Spirit in their hearts and a hope that can change the world, who are these people? They are the rest of us.
This seminar is a training ground for those who are in the workplace, amongst our families, social networks, universities and schools, in cafes, pubs and clubs – for all of us that are Christians “in the world but not of it”.
Some of the areas we will talk about are:
- How do we strike up conversations with strangers?
How can people know we are Christians without scaring them off?
How do we create a mission field in your community?
How do we protect ourselves from being drawn into the world?
How do we reach a people who do not know they need to be saved?
What are the key misconceptions we will come across?
And how can we use these misconceptions to bring the truth in?
What are the tools we can prepare ourselves with so we can be effective?
We hope this seminar will inspire you and prepare you to be used of God for winning souls in a culturally relevant way, so that we are whether on the front line or behind the lines can see God glorified in our communities. This is a seminar that all can have access too, because we all are a light into our community.
Stay tuned for more to come. You can book for PFG 2011 here. PFG 2011 is on 11-13th March 2011, the theme is Moving Mountains and the guest speakers are Alan Scotland and John Watson. Ticket prices are £70-£90 and can be booked with a deposit of £25 until the end of January. Day tickets are £20. PFG 2011 is held at the Frontier Centre in Northamptonshire.
Psalm 84 says “Blessed are those whose strength is in you”. Interesting then to read the whole Psalm and find out what it means to find our strength in God. On a monday morning it might just be the very thing you need. Or maybe it is personal or financial. difficulties. Whatever it is, you’re probably thinking I really need God’s strength at the moment.
The psalmist starts by recognising ‘how lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!’ It starts from there, from recognising that the best place you could be is in God’s dwelling place. He is the LORD of hosts, the title used to remind his people that God commands the host of heaven and there are millions upon millions of angels who serve Him. The psalmist then turns to himself and says ‘my soul longs, yes faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.’ The next secret of strength is having that longing in your heart to be in God’s dwelling place, even just to be in the courts of the LORD for in those days no-one could enter the Holy of Holies. The psalmist’s desire to meet with God was so strong that if he didn’t he said he would faint. Our thirst and hunger and passion for God
- is
our strength!
The psalmist understood that every creature has a home, even the sparrow in their humble nest. And our hearts cannot rest until they find their rest, their home, in God. We were made for Him and without Him there will always be that nagging doubt that we were made for more than this. And so he says ‘ Blessed are those who dwell in your house ever singing your praise! Blessed are those whose strength is in you’. To have our strength in God is to recognise that His dwelling place is the best place we could be and to be those who hunger and thirst to find our home in Him.
The next verse is interesting! ‘In whose heart are the highways to Zion.’ What does that mean? Every year the people of God would pilgrim up through the highways of Israel to the mountain of God for their festivals and songs and feasts. The psalmist is saying that those who are strong have the highways to God’s dwelling place in their hearts! When we need that strength we can look inside us and remember our times of pilgrimage and meeting with God. Maybe it was our very first experiences with God. Maybe it was a time of prayer and fasting in our lives when we really met with God. Maybe it was an experience of God’s faithfulness in the toughest of times or a word of prophecy that God spoke to us. Whatever it is we all have those ‘highways’ in our hearts and the time we need them is when we need strength from God.
‘As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.’ Those who have the highways in their hearts can pilgrim to God any time. You don’t need a conference or festival, or a great speaker or worship leader. You can pilgrim! And as you start to do that you will make the valleys a place of springs. You will start to know God’s presence and blessing where you need it most and the springs will turn into pools and you will go ‘from strength to strength’ until you appear before God in Zion. Your strength is found in your pilgrimage and knowing the destination of God’s presence that you are pilgriming to!
And that begins to put the psalmist in the place where he can pray ‘O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer!’ Before you jump straight in with your requests try a bit of pilgriming first!
‘For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.’ The only thing that is going to keep you from the tents of wickedness is the longing to be in the house and presence of God. To know that simply being a doorkeeper is better than anything else by far. Nothing and no-one compares to God. A day in his presence will see you through a thousand days elsewhere. An encounter with him will sustain you for years.
‘The LORD God is a sun and a shield; no good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!’ The LORD blesses and protects, it is a double blessing! He is a sun and a shield. Walking uprightly is the way to know his blessing and provision. The last line sums it up, this is all about trusting in God and the one who does is blessed and finds their strength in Him.
Happy pilgriming!
