Richard Dawkins must be turning on his soapbox.
Thereâs been a lot of praying going onâand a lot of people telling other people to prayâsince Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the White Hart Lane pitch nine days ago.
Other players prayed on the pitch. Twitter was alive with prayer requests from celebrities such as Wayne Rooney. âPray 4 Muambaâ T-shirts sprung up everywhere. And all this before Muambaâs family had requested prayer.
And wonderfully, God seems graciously to have chosen to save this manâs life. Though his heart stopped for 78 minutes, he is now talking and movingâand was able to watch Boltonâs 2-1 win on Saturday (they may yet avoid relegationâsee, miracles do happen!)
So what do we make of all this? Two things, perhaps:
1. Britain is still a religious country.
When the chips are down, people pray. And people preach prayers to others, too. Wayne Rooney may be a surprising preacher, but thatâs what he was doingâtelling others to act in a certain way to the Almighty. Despite the best efforts of active secularists and militant atheists, prayer is still our default action when confronted with the shocking reality of a broken world where 21-year-olds nearly die (and, sometimes, do die).
2. Britain is NOT a Christian country.
Letâs not kid ourselves. These were not prayers offered in faith to a Father who was being trusted to act for the good of His children and supremely for His own glory. Nowhere in the celebrity/sporting twittersphere did I spot a prayer which began âLord, if it is your willâ and ended âfor the glory and in the name of your Sonâ. These prayers were offered to an unknown god, a genie in a bottle. A kindly deity who we can ignore every day except the day we need him, and who we can then whistle up, tell what we need, get it, and carry on as before. Thatâs not who God is. He would be no more or less God if He had decided that Muamba had come to the end of his life (as he will, one dayâjust as we all will).
And there are prayers which God wonât answerâprayers which come from a heart which has the wrong attitude, to which God says: âEven if they call to the Most High, he will by no means exalt themâ (Hosea 11 v 7). God saving Muamba isn't the result of the prayers of people who treat the Creator of everything as though He were a God who can be taken off the shelf, dusted down, given His orders and then returned. It may be the result of the prayers of His children, who know who He is, who seek to treat Him as God, and who ask for His forgiveness through His Son when they fail to. And it certainly is because He is a gracious God, who gives us every breath we enjoy as a gift, whether we recognize that or not.
So the reaction to Muambaâs heart attackâand letâs give thanks to our Father that He has mercifully saved his mortal lifeâis at once heartening, and disheartening.
Britain still believes in something. But most of us have no idea who He is.
Church packed. Songs sung. Prayers said. Notices read.
There was a calm and silent atmosphere as people sat in quite reflection. But then the peace was shattered by the insistent shrill wailing of a fire siren. As the deafening racket continued, an announcement came over the PA system:
"There is a dangerous fire in the building. You must calmly get up out of your seats now, and leave the building."
The siren continued to wail for a time, but eventually it stopped, and the worshippers sat in their rows looking nervously around at each other. Eventually, they began to talk:
"Wasn't the sound of the siren interesting!" said one woman.
"Yes", replied another, "Once you got used to it, it was really quite lovely."
"I though the announcement was very clear and helpful", said a man.
"I've made some great notes that have got all the main points down" said another.
"I didn't find it that interesting - no funny stories or jokes at all" said a sullen teenager.
The excited buzz of conversation continued as the smoke slowly filled the roomâŚ
Q: How do we know when people have truly heard the fire alarm?
A: When the building is empty.
Q: How do we know when people have truly heard a sermon?
A: suggestions below please...
Based on an illustration heard from Mike Cain at the Planting for Christ Conference last week.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
The LORD has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ramâs hornâ
shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the LORD,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 98
If we begin to grasp the incredible way God has rescued us, so that one day weâll join all creation in His perfect world, praising Him⌠if we just begin to appreciate who God is and what Heâs done for us⌠then weâll want to sing and shout His praises. And weâll sing in the way this psalm tells us to: loudly, with joy and jubilation.
So you've done the prep. The main point is clear in your mind. The structure is sketched out. And your application thought-through. All that remains is to put the pieces together, write the talk and deliver it.
You're faithfully explaining the word of God so you're confident that it's going to be relevant and transformational. In the hands of the Holy Spirit, there's no doubt that it can be used to glorify God. But there's still a nagging suspicion that the talk that you end up with might be, well, how can I put this? Just a little bit dull...
If that scenario sounds familiar, why not spend an hour today listening to Pete Woodcock's seminar on how to stop being boring.
As an experienced speaker, Pete shares his top tips for passing on God's truth in ways that engage and enthuse. Originally given at the Bible-centred youthworker conference, there are hints here for anyone who has to teach Jesus from the front of church. If you listen, your talks may never be the same again ...
A week ago one female blogger in the states posted her 15 reasons why she left her church. I donât know her. I donât know her church. Iâm not going to assess her decision. What has been intriguing, however, is the comments that have followed. Nearly 800 responses, many of which have been profoundly caustic. Some, down-right unkind.
It might be that some of the bloggerâs assessments of her church feel very alien to other members. If her comments were unfair, it is right that they are challenged. Her understanding of Scripture may well need some discussion. But having said that, Iâm saddened that the responses havenât been spoken humbly and in love.
I could rant about the dangers of quick-fire blogging and commenting that can all too often reflect âheat of the momentâ emotion much more than âgodly wisdomâ. I could wax lyrical about postmodern culture (or just the nature of fallen humanity) that has the tendency to be self-seeking rather than other-serving. But I probably shouldnât. Itâs very easy to criticize whatâs happening âout thereâ. Itâs far more important to turn a thoughtful eye to our own hearts. So instead Iâll pose the question: how do we â you and I respond when someone leaves church? Do we display a balanced attitude of truth and love that unswervingly seeks the good of the precious sheep leaving the fold?
Or to put it more practically, hereâs a challenge for the weekend (one that I am posing from a position of weakness not strength). Think of someone who has left church, someone who stays home on Sunday these days. And ask yourself 5 questions:
As Christians we are called to love God and our neighbours (Luke 10:27), love our brothers and sisters in Christ (Hebrews 13:1) and our enemies (Luke 6:27). Itâs pretty certain, then, that weâre called to love Church-leavers too ⌠and to do so right now.
We always like to do a good deal for blog readers at the end of a week! To keep in line with the home group Bible study theme we're doing 25% off all of the Matthias Media Interactive Bible study range for our UK customers. These Bible studies get to the heart of the passage with practical applications. Perfect for any group wanting to get into the Bible.
For our customers in the US we're doing 25% off our Good Book Guide range.
To enjoy the discount use code homegroup25 at checkout. Offer expires on 30/03/12.
Itâs a familiar scene to anyone who knows football. The soccer player who tries to âgo it aloneâ runs at the defence, takes a wild shot, and completely misses - while his team-mates, completely unmarked, stand by helpless. The furious team coach is yelling from the touchline: âPass the ball, donât score the goal!â
One of the most important lessons I learned early on in my unusual career as a home group leader is contained in this pithy potted proverb.
Everybody knows that Discovery is the best kind of education. I will always learn something more thoroughly if Iâm put in the position where I discover it for myself, rather than if someone just tells me. But it's remarkable how many of us fail to work it out in practice.... continue reading
The vicar spreading the word, one tweet at a time
Secularists using Christianity as 'surrogate' for Islamic radicals, says bullish Rowan Williams
Church of England schools to be "rebranded"
More Americans say too much religion in politics
Missionaries try to bring Christianity back to Britain on BBC tonight
Jeremy Clarkson's blasphemy is just 'everyday language', says BBC
The study is flowing, the conversation is sharp, funny and moving by turn.
Someone raises an interesting question that everyone wants to comment on. Someone shares a deeply moving need that everyone wants to pray for.
You look at your watch, and it's 10.45.
"Whoa!" you cry, "time these little piggies were all tucked up in bed for the night." Some members shoot out of their seats and head straight for the door. Others linger in the hallway talking by the open door. You stifle a yawn, close the door and switch on the TV to wind down before you go to bed. The light doesn't go off until 12.45.
Sound familiar?... continue reading
âRespectable what? Respectable sins?â exclaims the worried-looking customer on our church bookstall, which I run. Itâs fun to watch their bemused reaction when they spot this book!
As the sub-title indicates, Respectable Sins is about tackling the sins we tolerate - the âsubtleâ sins which, as Jerry points out, we in reality consider ârefinedâ or âacceptableâ. What honest Christian doesnât sometimes convince himself a certain sin is âOKâ?
Jerry has had a long, valuable ministry among students and in the community, and what he writes is relevant to all Christians. He is one of my favourite authors and his books have stood the test of time. His first book, âThe Pursuit of Holinessâ (1978), has sold over one million copies. You are always spiritually the better for reading one of his books.
In the first five chapters, Jerry looks at how the concept of sin is disappearing, itâs awful power, the remedy for sin, and the Holy Spiritâs power to combat it. There is then a helpful chapter with guidance on dealing with specific sins, followed by the core of the book, fourteen chapters examining in turn individual sins that we tend to consider âacceptableâ. Finally, there is a practical chapter - Where do we go from here?
The core chapters cover some of the more obvious ârespectableâ sins - e.g. pride, selfishness and anger, but also sins that we often rationalize as âOKâ - e.g. frustration, envy, lack of self-control, irritability and ingratitude. The style is easy to read, but the content is challenging and thought-provoking. I found that every single core chapter exposed my hidden sinfulness and made me wince. There is a great balance between the ânegativeâ and the âpositiveâ. Assured that God no longer counts our sin against us, and extremely thankful for that, as Jerry says, âThis twofold effect of encouragement and gratitude together produces in us a desire to deal with our sinâ.
Respectable Sins is a book that can be used in many ways. I have recommended it at church; our Ladiesâ Reading Group are currently reading it together and using it one-to one; and it could also form the basis for a sermon series, midweek prayer meetings and home group studies.
If we are serious about seeking to be more Christlike personally and towards others, then this bookâs wise, biblical, practical and positive teaching is an excellent aid. Itâs a book that you wonât regret reading.
Richard John,
