NBC Pastoral Letter October 2011 - Pride

James 4.6 “God opposes the proud, but shows favour to the humble.”

What is Pride?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as “A high, esp. an excessively high, opinion of one's own worth or importance which gives rise to a feeling or attitude of superiority over others; inordinate self-esteem.” It is also recognised as the first and worst of the traditional seven deadly sins, often being the base from which the others are reached. It is such a serious matter that James quotes these fearful words form Proverbs, that God opposes the proud.

So what do we have pride in?

Our own abilities. We think that we don’t need anyone’s help, but actually the reason we say this, and overwork ourselves, is because we want all the credit. We want people to praise us for all that we have done. Not needing anyone’s help also means that we won’t seek God and the power of his Spirit to live for him, because we believe we can do it all ourselves.

Our own goodness. We think that we’re good enough –  we don’t really think, do or say anything wrong. We’re better than others, who do make mistakes, and therefore we don’t need God’s forgiveness. Of course John tells us in his first letter, that if we say we have no sin, we make God out to be a liar! So this cannot be true.

That we are right. When we believe that we are right, and we’re proud of that, we won’t try to forgive other people for their mistakes, because they are clearly wrong. We won’t try to draw close to people we disagree with. Instead we will expect them to come to us, crawling on their knees, confessing their wrongs and begging our forgiveness. How arrogant!

Our wealth. We don’t seek God for his provision, but rely on our insurances and pensions and savings. Now, none of these things are wrong in themselves, but if our pride is in them, and our trust is in them, then we will not look to the Lord as our Provider. “You do not have because you do not ask,” writes James later in chapter 4.

Our religious heritage. We may be proud that we are a Christian nation, or that we come from a Christian family, or that we have been a Christian for more than fifty years. These things may or may not be true, but Paul says in Galatians 6, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

What is the antidote to pride?

There are five things that are part of the antidote to pride, and they are very simple. Mark Bailey simply tweeted the five words! I expand them below.

Service. Not a prideful kind of service or volunteering, where we want to be noticed by others and valued by others. This kind of service we will withdraw if we do not feel valued enough. Instead a humble obedience, that is inconvenient at times, sometimes doing stuff that we know other people are better suited to. Christian service is God’s love in action.

Humility. This is when, as Paul says in Philippians, we consider others as better than ourselves. It is totally against human nature, and we need God’s Spirit to enable this kind of humility. It means always entertaining the possibility that we may be wrong.

Prayer. Prayer is the heart of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. He longs to hear us, and he longs to speak to us. As I was preparing this as a sermon, I read in Michael Wenham’s blog, “God doesn't value you for what you do; he values your company. He's interested in you - incredible as it may seem.”

Acknowledging God’s Lordship. This means handing over control of our lives to God. It is so hard! But God our heavenly father always wants the best for us, and always knows what is best for us. Even though in our following of Jesus we often slip up and make mistakes, God is always ready to set our feet back on the path when our hearts yearn after him and his mercy.

Stop complaining. Maybe you have never realised that complaining is a form of pride. We all do it on occasions, and it usually makes us feel better. But it hardens our hearts. It makes us bitter and unloving. We feel that we are the judge of what is good and what is not, and our hearts become full of unforgiveness. Instead of this, let us always look for the best in people, and be constructive and helpful.

Above all, we must remember what God says through Micah:

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
   And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
   and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6.8)

May God bless you.

Nik

NBC Pastoral Letter August 2011

How do we connect with God?

I guess for each of us, the answer is probably different, and is probably different throughout our lives.

For some, it will be through the disciplines of daily bible reading, or prayer, the traditional “quiet time”. For others, it will be through experience of God’s great creation. Sometimes it will be a mystical experience, or a vision, or a dream. Sometimes it will be during personal or public worship. Sometimes it will be an encounter experience – a special time or a special place for us to look back on.

I well remember my call to ministry at Spring Harvest in 1992, a special week which they called “High Risk”. (I should have known!) it is one of the rare occasions that I have heard God’s voice audibly, as he called me to follow him and serve in ministry. It was accompanied by a picture of Christ walking with his disciples, and an instruction to spend myself in discipling followers of Christ.

There are many calls on my time from family and church, but the times that work best, and when I feel my spirit sing, are when I’m engaged in that ministry of discipleship, whether it’s a big group, or one on one.

In the old movie, Chariots of Fire, the runner Eric Liddell says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”

God has made each one of us purpose, as we know from Ephesians 2.10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Maybe that is coming alongside others, or giving practical support, or medicine, or teaching or playing football. Whatever it is, when we fulfil God’s purpose, we feel his pleasure. And our spirit will sing.

God bless,

Nik

NBC Pastoral Letter May 2011

This month I was struck by what Jonathan Edwards, the General Secretary of the Baptist Union had to say in the BUGB publication Transform, and I thought it deserved a wider readership. So I have quoted it below…

I am often interviewed. Sometimes the interview takes place in a radio studio and I am grilled by someone who fancies themselves as the next Jeremy Paxman! However, more often I am interviewed in the gentle context of a service of worship. I have discovered that there are two main questions that I am asked. The first is “What encourages you most about the Baptist Union?” and the second is “What depresses you most about the Baptist Union?”

I find both questions easy to answer. Without any question the most impressive and encouraging aspect of our life together in the Baptist Union is the bubbling creativity that I find wherever I go. Whether you look at buildings, worship, evangelism, fellowship, or engagement in the community there are innumerable illustrations of new and exciting initiatives and novel ways of doing familiar things. This is exactly what you would expect from a community that is inspired and led by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is always in the business of transformation and creativity.

The Olympics next year will give a wide range of exciting opportunities to reach out to people with the love of God. The eyes of the world will be particularly focussed on London and the main Olympic centres – but every community will be caught up in the Olympic experience and More than Gold (www.morethangold.org.uk) is giving lots of ideas for local initiatives.

At the March Baptist Union Council a new Mission Forum has been launched which will be the main driving force for Mission in our Union. We value our partnership with other Baptist Unions in these islands and I am delighted that the Mission Forum will also include representatives from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. We are all determined that this will not be a talking shop but a powerful and effective spring board for creative mission.

So what depresses me most about the Baptist Union? I will tell you. I get depressed when we allow ourselves to get trapped in our own culture because this means that we lose the ability to communicate to the people who live around us who wouldn’t have any understanding of our culture. I get depressed when we assume that if we just keep doing the same old things, then revival will finally turn up. I get depressed when we opt for the comfort of our familiar ways of doing things, and resist the transforming breath of the Spirit.

On balance I am more than encouraged. But we need to remember that creativity is challenging and disturbing and even in our most creative moments, there will always be the temptation to opt for the safe and uncreative option.

May the wind of the Spirit of God blow through your life and fellowship.

Jonathan Edwards is the General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (www.baptist.org.uk)

NBC Pastoral Letter April 2011

As we approach Easter 2011 we are at war again. This time against Colonel Gadaffi’s regime in Libya. It is always sad when a dispute cannot be resolved by peaceful means.

The earliest Christian tradition was one of strict pacifism, but as Christianity became more widespread, and especially following the conversion of Constantine in 312, Christians recognised that there might be occasions when war was necessary. 

Augustine of Hippo (354-430) was the first major Christian theologian to define how a war might be considered as Just, but theory has been refined and developed over the centuries.

The classic Just War theory can be divided into principles to consider before engaging in war, and secondly principles for conducting a just war. They are usually set out as below, with some minor variations:

Preparation for war

i)      War must be undertaken and waged exclusively by the leaders of the State

ii)    War must be waged for a just cause. 

iii)   Resource to war must be a last resort. 

iv)  There should be a formal declaration of war. 

v)    Those engaging in war must have a reasonable hope of success. 

vi)  The evil and damage which the war entails must be judged to be proportionate to the injury it is designed to avert or the injustice which occasions it.  

Conduct of war

i)      Non-combatants must not be attacked directly.

ii)    Methods of fighting must be proportionate to the just cause and objectives of the war. 

You will realise that many of these criteria are open to debate, and this often keeps the moral philosophers busy at times of war!

So is the war against Gadaffi a Just War? Clearly those who voted in the United Nations and in the Westminster Parliament were broadly persuaded of it, but it is probably, as with most things, open to debate. What we must clearly do as Christians, is to pray for those who have to take these decisions, that they may act justly and wisely. We must pray for the people of Libya, that they may be kept safe so that they may have the opportunity to come to know freedom in Christ. We must pray too for the armed forces involved in the conflict, that they would act justly, proportionately and seek to preserve life.

Amidst all of this we know that we follow Christ, who offers hope where there seems to be no hope, and life in the face of death. Resurrection Sunday reminds us that Jesus has conquered death, and as we go through the ‘dark valley’ of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Saturday, we know that the Day of Resurrection is just around the corner.

God bless,

Nik

Pastoral Letter March 2011

There has been much unrest throughout North Africa and the Middle East in recent weeks. People have been demonstrating on the streets, and demanding a greater say in the way that their lives are ruled. Virtual and actual dictators are discovering that their grip on power is fragile at best. The people want democracy, a chance to decide on the make up of their government.

Contrast that with the so far low-key campaign in the UK for a change in the voting system. The system proposed is the alternative vote (AV), a system which is not much more proportional than our current first past the post system (FPTP). Is it really worth all the expense and upheaval to change to a system which is only slightly different to the present one?

Opponents of FPTP argue that there are many seats around the country that are so ‘safe’ that parties don’t worry about them. Instead, they focus their campaigning and their policies on the relatively small number of seats that are likely to change hands, rather than on policies for the whole country.

Opponents of AV say that it is more likely to produce weak coalition governments(!) and makes it harder to throw out the governing party at a General Election.

It appears that public at opinion is finely balanced, with a large number of don’t knows. It will be interesting to see what the outcome of the vote is.

In the Old Testament, the people of Israel demonstrated on the streets and demanded, not democracy, but a king. They believed that if they had a king all their problems would be solved. They were quickly proved wrong. It is not a change of the governing system that the country needs, although I personally think it may help. What we need is a change in the attitudes of people’s hearts. People need to live lives that are truly yielded to Christ. As we do that, our attitudes to one another will change, and as we are filled with the Holy Spirit we will come together and work together for his kingdom.

Nik

NBC Pastoral Letter February 2011

I was at the gym recently and on the TV screen in front of me was a cricket match being played between England and Australia. I noticed that when a wicket fell, they engaged in the kind of celebration that we often see on the football pitch when a goal is scored.

Now, you know that I am not an avid follower of sport, so hopefully you will be impressed by my using one or two technical terms correctly! But it set a train of thought off in my mind. Do you remember when cricket was played all in white? When it was a very sedate game? When there might be a smattering of applause when a wicket fell, but nothing more? When, unless you knew the game well, it was almost impossible to make out individual players on the pitch, and certainly on TV, almost impossible to see where the ball actually was? Or how about the days before footballers did strange dances to celebrate goals? What are we coming to!

Sometimes people say similar things about church. They think back to the old days with rose tinted spectacles. Wasn’t it lovely when the children (not called kids!) sat in neat rows at the front and didn’t say a word unless they were asked a question? Wasn’t it great when people came into church and sat in silence and prayer before the service began? Isn’t it terrible how people clap when someone is baptised, or to celebrate something God has done?

Well, we change. Society changes. God changes – not in his nature but in what he does with his people. In Isaiah 43.19 God says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

Of course, not all change is good, and it behoves us well to weigh new things and discern whether they are godly or not. When we applaud in church, are we encouraging our brother or sister and giving glory to God, or are we engaging in the cult of celebrity? I think most of the time it is the former. When we chatter before the service, is it deepening fellowship and understanding of one another before we come to worship, or is it gossip, or disrespectful to God and those leading worship? Hopefully it is the former! When the children are being noisy and boisterous, is it because they feel welcomed and accepted in God’s presence, or is it because they are trying to disrupt the service, and don’t know how to behave? Again I hope it is the former.

It has been said that the only place where people do not change is the cemetery. Even there, not all is dead, as decay rots away those in the graves. All too sadly, there are some churches where people sing the line from the hymn “Nothing changes here,” and it appears to be true! Only, there again, death and decay causes change, as the congregation dwindles in number, and no new people join. It won’t be long before the final change is the closing of the church building, as there are not enough congregants to sustain it.

Change can be frightening. The world around is changing so rapidly, that some of us want to seek comfort in the church never changing. This is wrong-headed. Our trust and security should not be in the church, which can and must change as it reaches out to each successive generation. Our trust and security must be in God, who does not change, and goes with us into each new thing.

God bless,

Nik