Everest and Easter

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Everest and Easter – a mountain top experience

Last weekend I had a mountain top experience.

But first some context. I was in Kathmandu for two week’s teaching and preaching. Saturday is church day and so I went to church and preached an Easter sermon.

So, my Sunday was different to normal. Instead of being in pew or pulpit, I was on a scenic flight (thank you Buddha Air). Bright and early we soared aloft from Kathmandu airport and headed for Mnt Everest. My host had suggested that I take the trip and I was resolved not to spend the rest of my life with the regret of missing the opportunity.

The Nepalese mountains are stunning and Everest is prince among them. For minute after minute, we passed the grandeur of snow-clad peaks, ridges and valleys around which light and shadow played. All too soon it was down to earth and the city of man.

Stunning though my Easter Everest was, it was not the real mountain top experience this Easter. That experience was on the Saturday. There we were – a group of people who differed in ethnicity, gender, age, education and all the rest. What united us was the risen, reigning and returning Christ. He was present in the praise singing, the preaching of his word, the Lord’s Supper and in the fellowship. As we participated in him by faith we were united to one another in faith, hope and love.

Everest is stunning. Better still is Mount Zion, the mountain of the house of God where God’s people gather week by week in the new temple that is Jesus.

When the Copts cop it – why theology still matters but is not everything

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When the Copts cop it – why theology still matters but is not everything

On April 9 2017 the Palm Sunday liturgy at two Egyptian Coptic churches left 45 dead and over 100 people injured (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39555897). It’s not the first attack on Copts in Egypt (Google “attacks on Egyptian Copts” for more details as recently as December 2016) and, sadly, it’s unlikely to be the last. Besides, death and injury, the Copts have suffered other forms of persecution over the years.

As an evangelical Christian I find much to disagree with when it comes to the Copts. If leisure afforded space for a conversation I’d love to open the Bible and talk. I’d like to talk about the way that the Coptic church and its rituals seem to have crowded Jesus out and to stand in his place. I’d like to talk about how their view of the sacraments puts attention on the sacraments to receive grace and not on Jesus in whom the riches of God’s mercy are found. And I’d like space to talk about their synergistic view of salvation. And somewhere in all that I’d like to go back to the Bible and discuss their rejection of the creed of the 451 Council of Chalcedon and their profession of a “one nature” Monophysite view of Jesus. These are big points of disagreement, for they go to the heart of the gospel which is  .. concerning his Son .. (Rom 1:3).

But that’s not the point right now, for there is no leisure for such conversation. The Copts are copping a beating and this is a time to identify with brothers and sisters who profess Christ. It’s time to remember those who are persecuted, to pray with them, and to seek to publicise their cause in the hope of some relief. When the Copts suffer, every Christian suffers (1 Cor 12:26). When one is in prison, we are all in prison (Heb 13:5).

And that’s why this evangelical Christian wants to pause the theological conversation, identify with the Copts and say that their suffering is my suffering and their persecutors are my persecutors. I’ll pray for the “kings and governors” of Egypt that my brothers and sisters there may be able to live a peaceful and quiet life and that there is space to tell of God’s salvation on behalf of God who desires that all people should be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:1-2).

And if that prayer is answered we can sit down and discuss the big questions about Jesus that Coptic beliefs and practices raise. However, that is not the need of this present hour.

Perhaps the title of this post should be changed: When the Copts cop it – when theology still matters but is not everything.

Slice of life ... the book

The book

There was rain. Lots of it. Enough to breach the levee by the river. Roads were blocked, bridges made impassable, crops ruined, stock drowned and many thousands evacuated.

He was caught. He’d gone to the farm for a day trip but was now flooded in. The farm was on a safe and dry ridge, but the low lying wooden bridge over the creek was flooded well and truly.

And so he stayed. Plans were disrupted and he had nothing much besides a phone with a dwindling battery.

But he had a book. A big, fat and mostly unread copy of The Count of Monte Christo. When asked if he was okay he smiled and waved the book. It made him happy.

I look forward to meeting Jesus

I look forward to meeting Jesus

Many of us would echo Paul’s words that it is better to be with the Lord than to remain in this life (Phil 1:21-23). Do we mean it?

The other night, in a small country town I met a man. Let’s call him Peter.

On arrival at Peter’s home there is a sign to say that someone inside is on chemo. Visitors are only allowed after using an antiseptic spray and not enter if they had a cold or any other infection.

Peter was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer four months ago. It has spread to his liver and he is on palliative chemotherapy. Even with some relief through the chemo, life is measured in months and he is likely not to see the next spring.

Peter is a man of strong faith in Jesus. He speaks of being at peace in his body, his mind and his soul. And he speaks of how the best thing is that he soon gets to meet Jesus.

That’s challenging. 

Peter’s first wife died of cancer and he remarried 16 years ago. He has a nice house in a wonderful town and recently bought a new camper van. Earth offers him many pleasures. But his eyes light up when he speaks of soon meeting Jesus. That is his greatest delight and outweighs his sense of earthly loss.

That’s very challenging.

We say that we too would rather be with the Lord? Do we mean it? Or are we so attached to present pleasures that our prayer is: Lord take me home, but not yet?

Not my President?

Not my President?

The election and inauguration of Donald Trump as US President has been accompanied by a vocal ‘Not my President” movement.

For some this slogan indicates a dislike and disassociation from the man and his policies. For others, it is a denial of his electoral legitimacy. Much the same greeted Barak Obama when he was elected. ‘Not my President” seems to have a bipartisan edge as the fringes from both sides of US politics reject their opponent’s election.

Likewise in Australia. When Julia Gillard was elected as the PM of a minority ALP government she was subjected to crude personal attacks including calls that she be taken out to sea and dumped. Some from the conservative side of politics denied the very legitimacy of her government. This reversed when Tony Abbott was elected as a Liberal Prime Minister - there was a new round of personal attacks and denial of legitimacy. Again, it’s a bipartisan rejection of an elected leader.

Such rejection is not only about the leader. It divides nations. It threatens the delicate fabric of civil behaviour. It turns conversations of robust debate and disagreement into shouting matches where entrenched positions are exchanged from behind walls of hostility.  Nobody wins.

I’ll say right now that Donald Trump is not my President in a personal sense. I dislike the man. Many of his policies dismay me. A misogynist and bully who trades off fear and threat cannot claim my affections. Likewise, neither Julia Gillard nor Tony Abbott were ‘my Prime Minister’ in the sense of a significant personal liking or policy approval.

However, I’ll say that Trump, Obama, Gillard and Abbott are ‘my’ President (or Prime Minister) in Christian perspective.

The Bible speaks of how God moves all things to his purposes in Jesus (Eph 1:11). Within this, h commands respectful submission to the governing authorities because ...there is no authority except from God and those that exist have been instituted by God (Rom 12:1). These last words were said of pagan Roman leaders who persecuted the writer of those words and his co-religionists. One example of this respect for unbelieving leaders came when an idolatrous Persian leader was described as God’s anointed servant or Messiah (Is 45:1-5). See my earlier post Was Lee Kuan Yew the Lord’s anointed? (31^st Mar 2015) for more comment on this. Similar words about respectful submission to (even evil) leaders are urged in 1 Pet 2:13-17 and 1 Tim 2:1-3 gives a positive edge to this in calling for prayers for … all who are in high position. This is not a personal endorsement of individual leaders, nor a denial of the evil that they may do, but rather of recognition of God’s providential rule.

In this sense Donald Trump is my President. He was he elected, confirmed and inaugurated under the constitutional arrangements of the US, just as the above named Australian Prime Ministers were. More importantly, he is President according to God’s providential will.

So, I will serve God and my nation by periodically disliking the persons and disagreeing with the policies of these leaders. I will also honour, respect, submit to and pray for them. In extreme situations I will enter into civil disobedience and seek the removal of a government. However, I will always respect that they are ‘my’ leaders by God’s appointment.

The ass of Antioch .. thoughts on church planting

The ass of Antioch

Let me tell you about the day I made an ass of myself.

Things were going well in our church at Antioch. The Jerusalem persecution that claimed Stephen’s life had proved a blessing as the scattering evangelists came to Antioch and the church began. A barrier was crossed when the gospel was intentionally preached to Gentiles like myself. As for leaders, Barnabas came from Jerusalem and stayed. What a gentle, encouraging and godly pastor he proved to be. It was no surprise that the church grew and grew. We soon needed a larger meeting place, more chairs, more food and more leaders to help teach and pastor the converts.  So Barnabas went off and recruited Saul from Tarsus. Some of us were a bit worried, given his reputation, but Barnabas reassured us. He was right. Paul had one sharp mind, honed by his rabbinical training but now employed in Jesus’ service. His grasp of the Scriptures was second to none and he was skilled in explaining the faith to believers, evangelising the lost and in defending the gospel against its critics. Some of us who had worked hard in the early days now looked forward to a time of stepping back and taking church life a little easier. Church was good.

Then came the announcement. One Sunday the chairman stepped up with a serious look about him. God had convicted the leaders that Paul and Barnabas should be sent to preach the gospel and plant new churches elsewhere. I was floored by this and was one of the first to stand and protest. “No good can come from this. We can’t afford to give key people away. The work here is at a turning point and will be set back if they go. And besides, what chance is there that the new work will flourish – those pagans out there are as tough as nails, won’t listen and will probably treat our guys like Stephen. Mark my words – this is a dumb move and will fail within the year.” There were a few murmurs of agreement to my words, but the leaders prevailed.

That all happened about ten years ago. At first we didn’t hear much from the mission team. Then the reports started to come in. Indeed there was opposition and some persecution. But there were also converts and new churches started to pop up, survive, grow and plant yet further churches around them. To top it off, there is even at church at Rome! And as I write now I see what an ass I was. Not only are there all these new converts and churches, but we flourished back in Antioch. Numbers are bigger than before and new leaders have stepped up. I was wrong.

Let’s leave the ass of Antioch to his large slice of humble pie and think about church planting.

Church planting is all the go in my circles and is seen as a key way to make disciples for Christ. I belong to a church that was planted with about 30 people a little over 20 years ago and which has now morphed into four congregations with several hundred members. Within my network there are two church plants starting in the next two months, another planned for this September and yet others in recent years. I’m on the interim leadership team for one of these new plants and it’s exciting to see a 2014 dream turn into a 2017 church.

Church planting means gathering people and money. It’s a lot of money! Funds are needed to employ and house a pastor, rent a meeting space and have money for ministry expenses. What about the people? It’s good people! A church plant typically starts with a team of about 30, but these are not slack pew sitters. They need to be people of Christian maturity, good ministry skills, energetic and very committed. It’s the best people who make the best plant teams.

Where do the people and money come from? The money usually comes from a mix of the plant team, church-planting agencies, denominational bodies and partner churches. What of the people? Well, they come from churches like Antioch, where they are already active, useful and integrated to the life of the church. Their departure leaves a hole.

In recent years I have twice been left behind at my Antioch. It’s with mixed feelings that I heard of the looming church plants. I watched with personal sadness as key leaders and friends joined the launch team and left. I noticed the empty seats and heard how finances were a little tighter.

I also notice something else. New leaders step up at our Antioch. The empty seats fill and new ones need to be added. The church that gives is a church that grows.

Review: Harvard Business Review 10 Must Reads 2017

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Review: HBR’s 10 Must Reads, (Harvard Business Review Press, 2017)

I’m not in a management role and generally not a fan of books on organisational behaviour or leadership. However, HBR 17 is on my radar – it’s the current priority in my “read something different for 30 minutes after lunch” routine.

As the subtitle suggest, HBR 17 is a collection of 10 selected articles that were published in Harvard Business Review during the previous year. The topics are diverse and of varying interest, depending on the reader. Length varies from upwards from 10 to about 20 pages, which makes them suited to a short break to read one article then put the book aside for tomorrow.

The material is accessible, in the sense of generally being written such that a serious lay reader can grasp the meaning. Each article has a helpful “Idea in Brief” overview which can either help prep for reading or act as a reference summary.

So, what’s appealing about the book to a non-management person? It’s the stimulus to a lateral transfer of ideas. For example the article Collaborative Overload (the first in HBR 17) prompted thoughts about collaborative learning projects in the classroom. Teachers like group activities and projects but they can draw harsh evaluations from students. The article gave me some understanding of why this may be so and some suggestions as to how to harvest benefits from group work and minimise the nasties.

I’ll be looking out for HBR 18 based on my experience this year.