Spring Conference Countdown - 4 weeks to go

Intro

For some the wait has been a long one, for others the weekend is coming closer faster than expected.  Either way, we are just four weeks away from the annual SBC Spring Conference.  This will be our fourth spring conference and if the previous three are anything to go by, it will be an amazing time.

Perhaps you are not going to be with us at Wetherby and are already beginning to zone out of this blog.  Wait!  Don't go just yet, because we want to involve you too.  Even if you are not coming to the conference you can still be involved.  We are going to do a blog post each week on a Friday giving some specific prayer requests.  Even if you can't be there, I would really appreciate you praying.  We are also going to have updates, book reviews and perhaps some testimonies on Facebook and Twitter during the conference, so you can join in with what we are up to.

Conference Overview

This year we are going to have the usual input regarding the kingdom of God; a great chance to remind ourselves what we are all about.  We are also going to be running some 'Toolbox' sessions again.  Included in these sessions will be a wider launch of a fantastic programme we have run at SBC for some time, and which has a huge potential to change lives.  We are also going to consider how we go deeper with our bible reading.  In addition to this we will have book reviews, this year including blogs and podcasts for the first time.  Of course, we are also hoping for some testimonies too!  

As ever, we are hoping that:

• Our expectations will be raised
• We will be released from being held back
• We will be renewed and refreshed
• We will be resourced and equipped

Prayer Request - Teaching Sessions

For the coming week I would like you to pray for the development of the teaching material.  Naturally, God is in charge and has it all planed out!  However, we have to work out want He wants.  In total there are six sessions throughout the weekend and we want each one to be top-notch.  Please pray for the Holy Spirit to speak clearly to Rich and Mike as they prepare the material, in particular for:

• The right balance in the material (e.g. information vs. practice, challenge vs, encouragement)
• The right amount of material
• The specific points that God really wants us to hear

Many thanks for praying,

 

Rich.

The Missional Message

John 4

Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman

It is difficult to put this story in to context in a 21 century Britain, but the cultural barriers that Jesus confronts here in this passage are staggering.
Jesus speaks to a woman in public. A totally unacceptable thing to do.
Jesus approaches a Samaritan. A totally unacceptable thing to do.

Of course, it was only unacceptable because of the culture present at the time. Jesus smashes the cultural barrier, because for him the culture of God's kingdom is much more important. There are a years worth of sermons in this passage, but I want to suggest the following;

- The kingdom of God is inclusive of everyone.
- We are called to be the 'incarnation' and go to those on the edge or outside of society.
- A missional message transforms culture and community.

If that is true of Jesus, let it be true of our lives and ministries.

Let it be true of our church.

Following Jesus Can Be Tough!

 

I was interested in the recent court case that confirmed that the law is above individual beliefs – probably the correct decision in this particular case.

Mr and Mrs Bull are Christian owners of a B&B and were found guilty of discriminating against a gay couple (Mr Hall and Mr Preddy) by refusing to allow them to share a double room. Their defence was not that the couple were gay but unmarried which contravened their beliefs.

In Matthew 7, Jesus is recorded as saying, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” and it would appear that the Bull’s made a judgement here.

Although I admire people who hold strong beliefs and are prepared to fight for them, (after all, where would we be without the likes of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King), and at risk of being a hypocrite myself by judging the Bulls for their misguided beliefs and action, I have to ask myself ‘Where was Jesus in this?’

We are supposed to be Jesus in the life of those we encounter in our daily lives. Where was grace? Where was ‘Love your neighbour?’ To the woman caught in adultery Jesus said, ‘I do not judge you either but go and stop sinning’. Surely, we are called to live Kingdom lives and to reflect Jesus into our community. By living to our values we should then attract others into the Kingdom so that they too can know ‘repentance unto life’, where their lifestyles will then start to match their own newly held beliefs.

May God bless the Bulls, Mr Hall and Mr Preddy.

Tony

 

Moving in to a New Year!

I hope and trust you all had a great Christmas 2010!

I always find the period after Christmas and before New Year to be something of limbo. Still recovering from the mass of Turkey and other edible delights, and my eyes still slightly sore after numerous old films I watch every year, I cannot help but find myself in a place of reflection over the last 12 months, and also prediction towards the coming year. Although there is nothing special that actually occurs on the 1 January every year that makes it any different to a normal fresh day, it does carry some sense of extra freshness and brand new beginnings.

At SBC we are wanting to start 2011 with some very important questions regarding what we are working on in our spiritual lives, but importantly we are asking the question "What are you and God working on together?".

This year as you prepare your New Year's resolution, why not consider what you and God might want to achieve together in 2011.

God bless

Taming the tongue

The person who never minces their words

is responsible for a lot of indigestion

Hugh Redwood

In James 3:3-11 we are reminded of the power of the tongue and also the reality that taming wild animals is easy compared to taming the tongue.  We can use it to praise God, but also to tear down those made in the image of God.  The challenge to speak well is a great one, one I suspect we all struggle with from time to time.  One of the greatest problems we face is the lack of an 'undo' feature.  On modern technology there is nearly always a way of simply returning to a previous state, as if the last action had never happened.  This is even available on some e-mail programs, where a message can be snatched back when sent in error.  However, when a word is spoken there is no 'undo, it is done and the consequences will be faced.

To what extent does grace alter what we say?  How long do we think before speaking?  How hard are we working at 'taming our tongues' in spite of the apparent impossibility?  How often are we causing indigestion?

Rich Webb.

OFC Launch Day Thoughts

King Solomon wrote:

There is one who scatters, yet increases more; 
And there is one who withholds more than is right, 
But it leads to poverty.
(Proverbs 11:24 NKJV)

I believe Solomon was talking both about our sowing and our giving. And it is not just about giving our money, our time, our food or other resources that we have. What God seems to be saying here (through Solomon) is that we are to give what God has given to us: love, life, hope, promise, truth and His Word.

Surely, the launch of Outward Focused Congregations is another of God's opportunities for us to be faithful to Him, to scatter seed, grow and harvest a crop. But it is more than that, it's not just a numbers game but another opportunity to share what we have through Jesus with those in our community whose eyes, hearts and minds are closed to Him.

OFC's give us a momentum to scatter and increase but there is also a warning in what Solomon says for those of us who pass up the opportunity.

It's tough at the moment - hang in there

Does it feel like hard work at the moment?  Are you putting more effort in to serving God than ever before, and yet not seeing a lot of fruit?  Do you seem to be wading through treacle, with only more treacle on the horizon?  Are you praying more passionately than in the past, and yet God seems more quiet?  Are you desperate?

It is a feeling or experience that I am finding common around SBC at the moment.  So much so that I want to talk about it, so that we understand it and are not discouraged.

Let me give you a solid example.  Last night I was at our building for the Youth Small Group and met a couple of our guys, let's call them Bob and Tony.  Bob and Tony were there to run a course called 'Money Matters'.  It is an awesome course that helps people deal with their money.  It is not just for those with debt problems, in fact it is more designed for those who want to be in control of their money that bit more, but who are not in huge debt.  Bob and Tony have seen people's lives turned around by coming on the course and know of many more people who would benefit.  Last night they diligently turned up ready to run the course, expecting only one person to come.  Guess how many people came?  No-one.  Not even the one person they were expecting came.  

Now, before we get all weepy for Bob and Tony, and try to work out their real names so that we can go and console them, we need to remember that this picture is replicated in many different ways across SBC.  They are not alone. It is tough, really tough.

So what is going on?  I have given a lot of thought and prayer to this.  Do we need to pray more?  Do we need to pray harder?  Do we need to pray differently?  Do we need to repent of hidden sin?  Do we need to close everything and start from scratch?  Do we need to shout louder and guilt trip people into getting involved?  Should we give up and do something else?  Perhaps you have been tempted towards one of these options, or maybe even all of them, I know I have have.  Yet I believe that none of them are God's answer.

The conclusion that I have come to is this:  we need to persevere and not do anything different.  We need to serve and not worry about success or fruit, but just serve because God asked us to serve.  We need to press on, not because we are seeing breakthrough, but because we live in hope of breakthrough.  We need to seek his face and his voice, not because we hear Him speak often, but because we love Him even when we don't hear Him.

I believe and have faith for a time to come when we will see fruit and breakthrough, when we will see His Kingdom come in awesome and powerful ways.  However, right now I believe that God wants to know if we will serve Him when there are no results.  Will we do it simply because he asked us to do it, even in the face of discouragement?  If we will, then I believe our hearts will be ready to cope with 'success'.  Through this tough time I think He is causing us to examine our motives for serving and praying.  Right now I think He is asking us simply to be obedient, and leave the outcome of our efforts in His hands.  

So what is our response?  First, we keep on keeping on, serving and praying because we love God.  We live in hope of breakthrough, but leave it in God's hands.  Second, we encourage one another to keep going.  This is no easy journey, but together we can help one another see and understand what God is doing.

It's tough at the moment, but hang in there, it is just for a season.