Introduction
The
regional director of New Wine for the North, Ian Parkinson, was sharing
recently about what happened when he was learning to drive. This is what he
said: “My biggest problem, when I began to learn to drive, was steering the car
in a straight line. It’s a fairly important skill to master if you are going to
be a successful (let alone safe!) driver. I was determined to sort it. So, in
my second driving lesson, I concentrated extra hard… but still found myself
wandering all over the road. My driving instructor spotted the problem and
suggested that if I took my eyes off the car bonnet and looked up at the road
ahead, I might have more success in pursuing a straight course. This seemed
like a very dangerous suggestion. Where might the car end up if I took my eyes
off it? But his advice was spot on, and I never had any further problems.”
So just in case
you’re having a few problems driving in line with the bends in the road there’s
a decent tip for you. I think that’s good advice to start the New Year with. Not
because I think we might need driving instruction particularly but because this
is also true spiritually.
Here’s what I mean: the
only way we can steer a straight and true course as disciples of Jesus in the
year ahead is by keeping our eyes fixed ahead, on him who is the Way, not on
ourselves or our possessions or our immediate environment. C. S. Lewis once said “There are far, far
better things ahead than any we leave behind.” Do you believe that’s true?
As we begin 2015, are
your eyes fixed on Jesus, going ahead as the pioneer of our faith? That is the
only perspective that will help you make good choices in life and keep you from
veering off the road of faith.
Let’s lift our eyes to
the road ahead, to the bigger - and better - picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul
Well now, I’d like you to imagine this is some years hence and you
are considering candidates for a new vicar. You have looked at the profiles of
several promising candidates when a new file lands on your desk.
You open it to find, first of all, a physical description of your potential
new minister. I quote: “He has a small and contracted body, crooked and bow
legged. He has a little head and strange eyes; his eyebrows join together; his
hook nose is bent and somewhat long; his beard is thick and he has a sprinkling
of grey hair on his otherwise bald head. His face is pale and looks rather
old.”
OK, it’s not George Clooney - and certainly not Angelina Jolie! But
not to be swayed by what are, after all, superficial matters, you read down his
CV and check his references and find the following facts.
·
He rarely stays longer than twelve months in one place
·
He usually upsets people every time he opens his mouth
·
He is often hard to understand
·
He is by his own admission an unimpressive public speaker
·
He is known to be publicly argumentative with colleagues
·
He has often found himself in trouble with the police
·
He is frequently in court
·
He has spent several terms in prison
·
He has been known to hear voices
·
He spends his day off earning a bit of money by making camping
equipment
I wouldn’t blame you if you replied to that particular applicant “We’ll
let you know.”
But you’d be turning down the Apostle Paul. The physical description
is the earliest we have and dates from the second century and every word of the
biography on the CV is taken from the Bible.
Paul of Tarsus was perhaps the least promising candidate
imaginable for ordained ministry (as we call it) but he was one of the greatest
ever Christian leaders.
If ever there was a perfect demonstration of the truth that man
looks at outward appearances but God looks at the heart, the Apostle Paul is
surely it.
Calling
and Sending
Today’s reading from Acts, picking up where we left off in
November, describes how Paul’s travelling ministry and therefore his letter
writing all started. You see, Paul didn’t wake up one morning and decide on a
career move. He didn’t say “I’ve got an idea. I know; I think I’ll be a missionary.”
Not at all.
I’m always cautious when people say they think they’re called to
this or that ministry when absolutely no one else in their church has ever had the
same view.
Here’s how it worked in the New Testament era: people were raised
up by the Holy Spirit and then formally recognised with the laying on of hands
only later when the church could see that God had clearly equipped them for a
ministry. They had a track record behind them of Spirit-filled service.
I think it’s a scandal that some people, not many - but it does
happen - some people get selected for
ordained leadership in the Church of England having never once shown any
leadership initiative, preached a single sermon or ever shown so much as a hint
of pastoral interest in other people their whole lives. What are we doing? It’s
completely mad.
What we see here in Acts 13 is Paul and Barnabas being sent out
with the blessing of their church only after it was clear to the church that they were both called by God and had been proved
capable. That’s the way it should be. So when you say “I feel called to do this
or that” ask yourself “Does anyone else see it?”
Paul’s sending church was in Antioch, a city quite some distance
north of what we call the Holy Land. Up to this point, believers in Jesus were
just considered to be eccentric Jews. But in this church, most of the believers
were not Jews but Gentiles. So the question arose, what should we call these
people? It was, in fact, the locals who gave them the nickname ‘Christians’ and
it’s obvious why.
As J. John once said, “If you take ‘Christ’ out of ‘Christian’
you’re left with ‘Ian’. And Ian isn’t going to get you to heaven!”
From the descriptions of the leaders in the first few verses it’s
clear that there was a diversity of religious upbringing, country of origin, culture,
ethnicity, and professional training in that church in Antioch. That’s healthy
in any church.
But these verses also tell us about the diversity of their
spirituality. Four distinct features are mentioned; two of which are instantly recognisable
in today’s church and two of which have sadly fallen into disuse.
If you worshipped in that church you would be used to a blend of teaching
and prophecy. We know what teaching is. Teaching is the proclamation of biblical
truth that is valid at all times and in all places. That’s what I’m doing now.
But prophecy is distinct from that. It’s inspired words from God
for local situations and at specific times. You have to weigh it. We see less
of that today perhaps but we need both ministries if the church is to be
healthy.
The Bible says, “Eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially
prophecy.” It says, “Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them
all; hold on to what is good.” Do you eagerly desire to prophesy? Do you treat
prophesy with contempt or are you saying “we need this, let’s pray for a new release
of prophetic ministry here?”
We’re also told they prayed and fasted. We know about prayer. It
needs no explanation. Fasting is one of those things that all of know the
meaning of, but fewer of us have an experience of. We all know that it is a
denial of the physical appetite. But how many of us really understand that the point
of fasting is to sharpen our spiritual hunger?
If I’m wondering if I left the gas on while I pray, it’s distracting.
Fasting clears the decks to pray with focus. Like prophecy, fasting is somewhat
neglected in the contemporary church. But again, we need to both pray and fast if we are ever going to see the
kind of spiritual power they had in the Acts of the Apostles.
So Paul was sent out with his co-leader Barnabas and they went to
Cyprus, where Barnabas was from, and they travelled the length of the island.
Who to
Tell?
What a mission! Proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth! Where
did they start? They started with those who were already nearest to God. They
went to the synagogues and explained what the Old Testament says about Jesus,
that it all points to him.
They started with people who believed in God but had not yet seen the
fullest revelation of him in Christ. And as it happens, these are the best
people to share faith with in our country.
In fact
that covers most people. A recent YouGov poll on attitudes to faith in this
country showed the following results:
I am an Atheist 16%
I believe in God 28%
I believe in “something” but am not sure what 26%
I am Agnostic (I can’t know if there is a God) 9%
I would like to believe and envy those who do - but can’t 5%
I don’t know 3%
I haven’t given it much thought 10%
Other 3%
If you take away those who say there is no God and those who say
it’s impossible to say, there are still 75% of people with whom you can have a
proper discussion about your faith.
Put it
another way. Judy Hirst from our diocese was telling the Long Newton MDT a few
months ago that society is, broadly speaking divided into 5 categories.
10% are churchgoers – at least once a month. That’s us.
A further 10% are the fringe. That’s those who come occasionally,
or who attend Toddlers, Treasure Seekers or the Lunch Club service. They are on
the edge of church life, they like us and are “on our side” but can’t really be
considered as members.
A further 20% used to come to church but don’t anymore. Maybe they
got too busy. Maybe they moved and didn’t settle in a new church. Maybe
children came along and there was nothing really for them. Judy called them “open
de-churched.” They would be open to coming back – but just haven’t got round to
it.
A further 20% also used to come to church but don’t anymore.
However, these ones are definitely not coming back. They’ve had a bad
experience. Someone upset them. The vicar got their mum’s name wrong at a
funeral. The church got rid of the pews or whatever. They took offence and are determined
to never come back. These are “closed de-churched.”
And the final 40% are “unchurched.” They have never been to a
Sunday service. They have no idea what the church is like, what it stands for or
what it does. It just does not feature in their world at all.
Which do you think are the most strategic groups for sharing our
faith?
Surely it’s the fringe and the open de-churched people. They’re
already part way there. Well, that’s where Paul and Barnabas started out.
Eventually, their greatest opportunity arrived when they were
invited to Governor’s Palace.
Billy Graham
was unknown in Britain when he first came. Then was invited to Windsor Castle
to meet the Queen – and his ministry took off. They must have got on well. This
picture was taken years later in Sandringham where she asked him to preach when
he was over another time. I sometimes wonder if our Queen’s clear and confident
Christian faith that she talks about every year in her Christmas Day address
was affected in some way by that first meeting.
In any
case, a similar meeting with a VIP opened up for Paul and Barnabas only this
time it was the Roman Governor of Cyprus. We don’t know how but it did. Listen,
the doors Jesus opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. It
doesn’t matter what obstacles are in your way. Jesus has the keys that unlock
the most impassable doors and he also has the keys that give you ultimate
security.
The good news of Jesus and the dark world of the occult never peacefully
coexist. Whenever Jesus met a demon-possessed person it always kicked off and
it did here when Spirit-filled Christians met the personal clairvoyant of the
governor of Cyprus.
When the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of hell clash it’s like
a warm front colliding with a cold front up in the atmosphere – the only
possible outcome is an electrical storm with spectacular results.
When Paul and Barnabas met spiritual resistance there was a threat
to the progress of their mission. But they had a praying and fasting church
behind them. There was plenty of spiritual capital in their heavenly bank account.
I believe it’s because there was a covering of prayer that when
difficulty came, instead of stalling, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and
equipped to deal with the problem before them.
We know about the miracles of opening the eyes of the blind. But
there is also the miracle of closing the eyes of the seeing. It happened to
Paul, then called Saul, you’ll remember in chapter 9.
The result is that the Governor came to Christ. Pray that men and
women of position and influence in our town come to faith in Jesus. Pray for
your MP, for the Mayor, for the Town Council, for the Police Commissioner, for bosses
in industry and business leaders.
Verse 12 says “When the governor saw what had happened he believed.” Seeing is believing. Eaglescliffe
and Teesside are waiting to see the evidence
of what we say is true.
Our town will never believe until it sees Jesus in the lives of ordinary Christians, feeding the poor,
healing the sick, loving the unloveable, doing signs and wonders, transforming
society.
Ending
When that happens, even if we have bow legs, hooked noses and bald
heads, even if we have a CV that’s only good for the shredder, a sceptical
world will look past us and see Jesus.
So we’re back to where we started; Ian Parkinson’s driving
lessons. When our communities look at this church, they see us, like a driver
looking at the bonnet of the car.
But when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, like a driver looking
up at the road ahead, when our communities look at this church, they will see
Jesus. That is my prayer for this year ahead.
Let’s pray…
Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 4th January 2015
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