How To Avoid Becoming A Christian!

So you would rather not become a Christian. Well then I have some very important advice to give you. If the rest of the world is anything to go by you will need some very good advice in resisting the power of God. I suppose that is the very place to begin- at the back of all my advice I would say the place to begin is to deny, as strongly as you can the very existence of God-that way he is stripped of all his power and authority. But that is very difficult for a couple of reasons: we live in a God believing, if not God-fearing, society and its hard to swim against the flow the logic and the evidence seems to be too strong- how can you blame God for things if he doesn’t exist in the first place I think we need to be more pragmatic that that- lets begin accepting that some kind of God does exist and loom for ways to ignore him- here are three broad principles: 1. Lesson one is to BECOME VERY RELIGIOUS That may seem an odd way to ignore him but Jesus Christ told the religious leaders of his day that they had never see God, heard God or allowed His word to dwell in their hearts even though they had him before their very eyes- he told the that even though they had all the benefits of being the people of God they had missed him altogether.. I think the best thing is for you to become as religious as is possible- go to all the meetings under the sun Carry out all your religious duties- without much thought and always remember that what is important is that you do what is required- never miss church or reading the bible, stay away from those people who are not religious. Leave your friends and family firmly I second place- or even third. Stick rigidly to the letter of the law and never mind the reason for that law, never mind the spirit of the law. Get to know the slightest minutiae of the law- know all 600 rules about the Sabbath but forget about the importance of people. 2. Lesson two is Don’t even try to understand the bible properly Always take it at face value- forget about the context of the verses in the promise box or on the pictures on your walls-that will only require you to think for yourself. Forget all that and those so-called paradoxes that Christians speak of will confuse you and frustrate you that you will want to give up and go back to your old life. Don’t concern yourself about how all the verses fit in with the rest of the Bible- e.g. The NT says- Love your enemy and the OT says An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. It would also be good to forget about what the Bible really is- it is God’s way of pointing to Jesus Christ Heb 1:2 “…in these last days God has spoken to us by His son…” and John 5:40 “these are the scriptures which testify to me”…. If you could get to the place where you begin to worship the Bible- see the actual words as the word of God it will help. Begin to see that there is only one translation that would also be good. Keeping your eyes on the wood will mean you fail to see the trees-anything to confuse you. 3. Third lesson is to keep looking at other people and NOT JESUS. Let’s face it- it is pretty safe to look to and compare yourself with other people- they are sinners just like you and looking at them means you can blame them for not listing to God. How often have you heard it said of someone – I could never be a Christian if they are all like old Jones down the road? There are many reasons for rejecting Christ if we only ever look at the Christians: There is Mr. A who never tells the truth on the Income Tax form- or so we believe Mrs. B who is among the greatest of gossips in town Mr. X who is plain mean Mr. Y who beats up his wife on Saturday and then goes to church-to be forgiven on Sunday morning. And was it not the Christians who persecuted the Jews and attacked the Muslims in the Crusades? And what about all those pedophile priests? That’s the way to look at God- through the filter of His people- that will keep him at a safe distance. It is fatal to look at Jesus Christ- take a serious look at him and you are well on your way to faith- to giving in to His power. Forget that Mr. C has really changed since he gave way to God and became one of his people. Forget that the local fellowship of believers down the road are helping the poor and the down cast and empowering the people of the community- that is negative thinking and leads to a negative step-BE WARNED. Listen very carefully- 5:36 “…I have a greater witness [than john] – my teaching and my miracles. They have been assigned to me by the Father…” BE WARNED 4. Lesson four is to IGNORE THAT INNER VOICE We call that the voice of conscience and Christians say it is the voice of God. You can’t afford the luxury of listening- it will lead to doubts- so keep busy and never think. If you allow yourself the time to listen and think about it he will draw you to his side and that would be fatal to the person wishing to remain independent of God. You can accept that he exists but that doesn’t mean you have to follow him. Spend your time with the religious people, if you have to- they will leave you alone to your own devices. You see they are only concerned with the things of today- those things which are here and now- they have no time for this voice of God. Jesus says in v44 If you do all this then you should be safe On the other hand if you want to know God for yourself it will involve every part of you. Jesus says that faith includes: 1. Seeing God 2. Hearing God 3. Allowing His word to dwell in your heart. Jesus did not need any human witnesses but because he wanted them to be saved the destruction of sin he did appeal to both John the Baptist and Moses. In arguing the Hebrew way he was giving them three witnesses and they rejected all three. They thought of themselves as a privileged people who had the scriptures and spent their lives on studying them but they missed the point- they were so busy looking at the jot and titles of the law that they missed the spirit of the law and the whole point- the whole point was that they pointed, like signposts, to Jesus Christ, God’s messiah. Paul had the same background as they had yet he came to faith- Phil 3:5 “If anyone thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh I have more: circumcised on the 8th day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legal righteousness, faultless.” Presbyterians have a great spiritual heritage also- with the right commitment to the Bible but we do not worship the bible, we allow it to point us to Jesus. Its too bad when people reject what they think is the truth when, in fact, it is a parody of the truth- they reject Christianity because they think it is the same as religion when it is nothing of the kind- religion is all about rules and regulations, Christianity is about a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Jesus tells these religious leaders that it was his relationship with his father which empowered his work and that is the key for us also. Knowing Jesus Christ is the key and that is more interesting and more fulfilling than any religious practice. If you want to be left alone: Stay away from Christ Stay away from the Bible Stay away from the still small voice Jesus Himself says- “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest”

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humans

Human Beings? Who needs them?

955 dead; 2,436 injured; 56,885 houses destroyed!

It all happened as the result of a couple of air raids by Hitler's
Luftwaffe in 1941. Crumlin road Presbyterian Church was one of a number of
building destroyed in North Belfast. At a time when the collective memory is
taken back to VE and VJ Day we are reminded of the pain caused by National
Socialism but carried out by ordinary men and women just like us.

On the other hand this time of extreme violence was a time for heroes and
community spirit. There was the story of Lance Corporal Gordon Cowell of the
5th Royal West Kent Regiment. On the 5th August 1941 he, along with Sergeant
William Chick rescued the pilot of a spitfire which had crash landed in
minefield.

Without any regard for themselves they headed towards the minefield. People
were standing by the railings, shouting, 'Don't go in there, you'll get
blown up,' but the only thought they had was to reach the stricken pilot and
get him out. They reached the smouldering plane, and after a struggle with
the pilot's straps, got him out of the cockpit. The soldiers could see his
leg was badly injured. They carried him back over the minefield and when
they got back to the railings, the Spitfire blew up. Each one of us is
capable of being heroes one day and villains the next

In a recent edition of the London Times Dr Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi
in the UK, said that

"God does not want us to cease to be human, for if He did, He would not have
created us"

Jesus is the complete man, the second Adam who was at peace with His
heavenly father and with men. Becoming a better human being means becoming
more like Jesus.

Human beings? Who needs them? We do, when they are like Christ. After all
Jesus was a man. Hitler destroyed our church and all our records and he
butchered many millions of people but he did not, he could not, destroy the
work of Jesus Christ.

"Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin,
another person did it right and got us out of it"

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humans

Human Beings? Who needs them?

955 dead; 2,436 injured; 56,885 houses destroyed!

It all happened as the result of a couple of air raids by Hitler's
Luftwaffe in 1941. Crumlin road Presbyterian Church was one of a number of
building destroyed in North Belfast. At a time when the collective memory is
taken back to VE and VJ Day we are reminded of the pain caused by National
Socialism but carried out by ordinary men and women just like us.

On the other hand this time of extreme violence was a time for heroes
and community spirit. There was the story of Lance Corporal Gordon Cowell of
the 5th Royal West Kent Regiment. On the 5th August 1941 he, along with
Sergeant William Chick rescued the pilot of a spitfire which had crash
landed in minefield.

Without any regard for themselves they headed towards the minefield.
People were standing by the railings, shouting, 'Don't go in there, you'll
get blown up,' but the only thought they had was to reach the stricken pilot
and get him out. They reached the smouldering plane, and after a struggle
with the pilot's straps, got him out of the cockpit. The soldiers could see
his leg was badly injured. They carried him back over the minefield and when
they got back to the railings, the Spitfire blew up. Each one of us is
capable of being heroes one day and villains the next

In a recent edition of the London Times Dr Jonathan Sacks, the Chief
Rabbi in the UK, said that

"God does not want us to cease to be human, for if He did, He would
not have created us"

Jesus is the complete man, the second Adam who was at peace with His
heavenly father and with men. Becoming a better human being means becoming
more like Jesus.

Human beings? Who needs them? We do, when they are like Christ. After
all Jesus was a man. Hitler destroyed our church and all our records and he
butchered many millions of people but he did not, he could not, destroy the
work of Jesus Christ.

"Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with
sin, another person did it right and got us out of it"

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untitled

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People Person

If I were to sum up the ministry of Jesus I would say that He was a people person who came to save us from our sins. He was always with people: Lived with the 12 disciples Ministering to their needs He talked to the crowds and to the individuals like Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman We were created for fellowship- God’s purpose was to make Adam to have fellowship with her and with himself- God took delight in all of his creation. When Jesus sent the disciples out into the countryside he sent them in pairs. We all need friends and everywhere you look you see people in groups of two three and more. When we are alone we feel less content and at ease- if you have ever eaten in a restaurant alone or even bought a cup of coffee alone you feel a little self- conscience. He reason is that we were never intended to be alone. Our modern society has driven us away from the collective community to the self- sufficient individual- today we have: Personal computers Personal stereos TVs in bedrooms Now you can even get a personal computerised tracking device so that you can never get lost Mobile telephones etc- all are great devices but they also make each of us independent of each other. BUT there are times when we clearly need each other- The football team needs 11, or more , players to win a game An army needs many men to fight the enemy Last Bank Holiday my wife and I did the marathon- we walked- it ended up 27 miles because of the diversion- we would not have managed it had we been on our own- we needed each other just to keep going. I was wearing the wrong footwear and my left foot was hurting from about 6 miles- by 17 miles I was wilting- it helped neither of us that one of the officials had told us that we had travelled 16 miles when it was more like 14 miles and there was no lucazade when we were expecting it I was struggling from 17-22 miles and neither gave up and Gillian was struggling from around 20 miles- if wee had been alone we would have given up but I was determined that she would not finish without me and she was determined likewise- it was determination and each other’s company which kept us going- then we were told- only round the corner and 500 meters to go!!! The end was in sight!! And at the end there was the medal- or so we thought- they had run out of medals and we are still waiting!!!! The lesson is that you need people you can depend on to support you and they need you also. Galatians 6:2ff Sometimes ministers and pastors are thought to be the special people or the professional people who have it all sewn up- not so- we are also vulnerable people who struggle with sin and who sometimes get it all wrong and we need the support of praying Christians. This Christian fellowship is very powerful. For over 250 years Christians have been at the front of change- in various parts of society Christians have been spurred on by their fellowships and by the teaching of the word of god to step forward and help to change the world- not a wee bit but a great deal- here are a few examples Lord Shaftsbury We have a square and a hospital named after him. Ashley Cooper, later Lord Shaftsbury, was moved by his Christian faith to work tirelessly for the rights of women and children and he had children banned from the mines and improved the conditions in the factories If you go to Piccadilly Circus in London you will see the statue of Eros- Eros was the Greek God of love- sexual love- the Romans called him cupid but actually it was intended to be about the agape love- the love of God for men- a love which moved people like Shaftsbury to act for the betterment of men. The problem was that the artist made him look like Eros and so the name stuck but it has nothing to do with Eros and is to commemorate the life of this Christian man. William Wilberforce was a member of the Clapham Sect in London who met to support each other and to work for change in society- they were spurred on by the word of God as taught by men like Charles Simeon who preached in Cambridge and influenced many important people not least the Cambridge Seven- such as C.T.Studd. Wilberforce worked tirelessly for the abolition of the Slave Trade in the UK And then there was Dr Barnardo who set up the children’s homes and still today. All these people and others have made a big difference for individuals and for all of our society- where are the leaders today in Northern Ireland, who will step into the breach and work for change, because of their faith in Christ? In the VE celebrations we know and you can remember the importance of a good strong united army- made up of ordinary people who will Pray for the church Who will encouraged those who are on the front line Who will give to the work We all have a part to play- here you know the advantages of being with other people and not staying alone in your room- so it is on the battlefield and in the boardroom and in the church of Christ- we are not alone.

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God's Demands

God roars to 6 nations. Two of them are His people and the others are Not His People. He roars as the Lord of Zion. He is the sovereign Lord, the creator and the Almighty whether people believe in him or not. He is the Lord, YAHWEH, the one who WAS and IS and WILL BE for ever and ever. As the creator He has certain demands and expectations of people. That is not what we usually think- in a world were people look to their RIGHTS we can easily forget that God makes DEMANDS on all people. It was true then and it is still true today. God ROARS out His judgement as the Lion of Judah to all men. Let me repeat again, like the politicians and like the media men- When God created the world and everything in it and when he created the man, Adam, and the woman, Eve, He did so that they might know him. The shalom that the Jews speak of is a harmony between men and God and between men and men and men and women and even between men and nature. This Shalom has been broken and there is conflict all around Internationally Nationally And in families and communities Amos stands in unity with the other prophets and also the apostles who say that every person has the remnant of the image of God- while that image was marred at the fall when Adam decided to do his own thing, it was not totally destroyed- the doctrine of total depravity does not mean that every part of every man is depraved, it does mean that all men and all women have been thoroughly tainted because of sin but there is some hope, at the same time. Part of that image means that we are all born with is our conscience which helps us to know right from wrong. So, in Romans 1 Paul makes the point that there is no excuse for any man who rejects God- “since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” So God makes His judgement on the grounds of conscience. The point is that whether or not a person is a Christian he is required, by God Himself, to live with certain agreed principles of conduct in regard for other people. He begins with the people that Israel regarded as her enemies and is very critical of them and declares His punishment for them and that makes Israel feel good but then he turns his attention to Judah and Israel herself and he is even more critical. Lets look at 6 principles of right living according to Amos: 1. PEOPLE ARE NOT THINGS Amos 1:3-5 The sins of Damascus or Syria are extensive- this phrase “For three sins…even four” is to give the idea that her sins have been many and God has given opportunities to repent and be forgiven so Peterson says, “I’m not putting up with her any longer” And what has her crime been that she is to be punished? “She threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth…” The point is that Damascus in the time of king Hazael had no mercy for its prisoners of war. Even though she was carrying out God’s will she has gone much too far. We have heard it before- in a time of emergency the normal rules and principles go out the window and in come the emergency powers- we heard Mr Bush saying that the prisoners at Guantanamo were not POWs but terrorists so they did not deserve the protection of the Geneva Convention and we have witnessed the charges brought against soldiers of Britain and the USA who dished out degrading treatment and we know that no trials have been given to the detainees . We know too that there have been suspicious goings on in our conflict over the thirty years of turmoil- these are not only wrong according to the laws of God but they are counter-productive, as they only build up further resentment so that the turmoil continue to destroy lives, on both sides. Amos said that this was a moral imperative that you should treat people as people and not as things and that is true for your friends and for your enemies. 2. GIVE PEOPLE PRIORITY OVER MONEY v6-8 Gaza “took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom.” Here we move from the battlefield to the boardroom. Money talks, does it not? All the slave owner wanted to know was how much he would get for his slaves. What they were doing was selling God’s people to Edom. – remember Edom was descended from Esau who had been cheated by his brother Jacob and now his descendants seize the opportunity to get revenge. Even given the truth of this grievance by taking their relatives into slavery they were breaking the covenant with Abraham and Gaza was aiding and abetting her and in ancient times that was just as bad. So they were to be punished- “til the last Philistine is dead” What do you do with your grievances? What does this community do with them? When we look at a person, what do we see? If we can only see their money or their power or some talent or ability we are in danger of being guilty also. If we only make friends with those who are wealthy in one way or another we are guilty In some congregations people are elected to positions of responsibility because of their business success or their money and that is wrong as far as Amos is concerned- we are to prefer people over money. 3. BE A PERSON WHO KEEPS YOUR WORD 9-10 they “disregarded a treaty of brotherhood” Like Gaza Tyre was involved in the buying and selling of human flesh but the difference was that Tyre could not be trusted to keep her word- she spoke with forked tongue. We all like those who keep their word, whose word is their bound. Sometimes, though it is not possible for us to keep our word and might even be wrong to keep it because it should not have been given in the first place. Take Herod as an example- he gave his word to Herodias and that cost John his head – he should NOT have given his word in the first place and he would not have been wrong to break his word in this situation- prefer people over things and even principles- tell that to our politicians also 4. DON’T KEEP HATRED IN YOUR HEART Edom had a long history of antagonism against Israel which later would come to a head when Jerusalem fell- Ps 137:7- -See also Numbers 20:18-21] “Remember. O lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down.” They cried, tear it down to its foundations” Hs anger against Israel raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked.” Remember that prayer which says- “As we forgive those….” The implication is that there will be no forgiveness for those who harbour hate and refuse to forgive. Matt 6:15 Those who cannot forgive have forgotten or have yet to learn that they too have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Motyer says “Those who allow old sores to fester proclaim that they are not interested in forgiving, they do not see it as having anything to contribute, it is not important to them: how then can they ask for it? This is something that our community will have to come to terms with so that we can be at peace, shalom, with God, with our enemies and with ourselves. 5. LIMIT YOUR AMBITION The desire to do well in life is a good thing but not at all and any cost. V13 “…they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend their borders” Naked ambition has wrecked marriages and families and even communities. There is nothing wrong in a business man doing all he can to make his business successful There is nothing but good in a minister who has great ambition for his ministry and church- but not at the cost of family life, not at the cost of other businesses in the area- slashing the price so much that other businesses can’t compete and then go out of business- that is a different matter- is there a warning for the big boys like Tesco? Is there a warning for the workaholic man or woman? I think so. Ammon was extending her borders at the cost of others and Amos says they are wrong and they will suffer for it. The unborn babies, never mind their mothers had done nothing against Ammon- no wonder God ROARS at them- we would expect him to. Even those who are critical of God for his judgements against the good people like them and give the impression that they would expect a loving God to suspend his judgement, would demand that he do something in a case where there is Ammonite ambition. 6. RENOUNCE REVENGE This burning of the king’s bones was an act of revenge by Moab on Edom. Edom was no innocent party- she was involved in the slave trade and she had been treacherous but no one deserves this kind of treatment- it was an act of sacrilege Moyter says “ could anything publicize more clearly the senseless irrationality of a nourished hatred than to see a venerable corpse [the King of Edom] dragged from its tomb to suffer pointless indignities?” 2Kings 3:26,27 is best understood in the light of the hatred between the two peoples- Moab was pinned down by a coalition of Edom, Israel and Judah- the battle was going against him and so he decides to plan to hurt Edom, at least, before defeat. So he attacks with 700 cavalry but that failed so he took Edom’s son and sacrificed him in front of everyone- this enraged Edom and also destroyed the coalition- Israel went home. This explains the reaction and action of Moab but does not excuse it. Hatred like this poisons the heart more than it hurts the object. Here we have an important lesson for people like us because he teaches us about the past- our history has divided us and continues to divide us, revenge only keeps the circle going and makes things worse. Drawing a line in the sand is not enough- we need to renounce the sins of the past and to look to the God of Grace to see us through and to allow him to deal with it- he is well able and he will, Amos tells us, deal with it, don’t let it fester- too late but God can still deal with it, IF WE WILL LET HIM. We need safe places were we can begin to talk over our past and allow God to deal with it. So the 6 lessons which set out God’s expectation for our society are: 1. PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THINGS. 2. VALUE PEOPLE OVER MONEY 3. KEEP YOUR WORD 4. DON’T KEEP HATRED IN YOUR HEART 5. LIMIT YOUR AMBITION 6. RENOUNCE REVENGE

So you want to be healed?

Picture a courtroom scene On the prosecution we have the Pharisees and the Sadducees . On the defence we have the Apostle John representing Jesus Christ. The charge is that Jesus is claiming to be the Son of God. John 5:16 tells us that he was being persecuted by the Jews. On the one hand there is no argument with this “charge” after all Jesus IS the Son of God but what they didn’t accept that he was , only that he CLAIMED to be him and what they were really worried about was that men and women would follow him. They want the people to follow their way but many were showing signs of following this Jesus instead. John’s desire is “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” John says that this Jesus has invaded the earth and lived among men and women for three years. In that time he showed the way to God and it was a different way to that of the religious powers. By way of evidence he presents John the Baptist who says that this Jesus, who came after him in history, was more important than he was - even though he came after him he was “before him” He calls him the “lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” He also introduces the reader to the disciples who lived with Jesus for three years and whose conclusion was that he was exactly who he claimed to be. Then we are introduced to Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman and the whole of the Samaritan community. By the start of chapter 5 we are given a very interesting contrast between Jesus and his accusers, the religious leaders. In defence John calls to mind the work of healing and forgiveness and contrasts it with the pettifogging doctrinaire approach of the church leadership who care nothing for the man only for the strictest interpretation of the Law. He cleverly uses leaders to undermine their case and make the case of the defence for them. As the story who are you attracted to and who are you repulsed by? Jesus was the one who talked to the man. HE SPENT TIME WITH THE MAN Time and time again we see that Jesus is the one who takes the initiative with people- HE ALWAYS HAS TIME FOR PEOPLE <> he refuses to sit back and wait for people to come to him- he takes up every opportunity to reach out to people in need. His desire is “to preach good news to the poor….to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and the recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” This is the manifesto of Jesus. This is what he did when he spoke to the Samaritan woman and with the official in Galilee and now he does it for this man. He had been on his way to the temple to celebrate one of the Jewish festivals whenever he came across this very sorry individual- this man had been an invalid for most, if not all of his life and had being coming to this place which was supposed to have healing qualities but only at the time when the angel disturbed the waters- he had to wait for a window of opportunity but unfortunately for him other people kept bunking the cue and getting in before him When Jesus saw him he spoke to him and asked him “Do you want to be healed?” May seem a strange question. Perhaps there was an implication behind the question or perhaps he just wanted to know if the man really wanted healed as some people find dependence of others a pleasant experience. Sometimes people fail to take opportunities to help themselves because they are quite comfortable as they are but this man was not- did he shout at Jesus or did he reply quietly and just explain the situation? As we look at this story we need to realise that the way we live our lives, the lifestyle we have adopted, will say more about us than any amount of words. In the post modern society in which we live this is absolutely clear “Christians proclaim the gospel through their lives, manners and morals in an instant fashion.” [Roger Johnston] In this age of MTV the camera follows your every move- if the message is good enough to attract people on the evening news certainly it will be good enough to attract people on the streets and sidewalks of our neighbourhoods.” This gives us a great opportunity to proclaim, to persuade and to argue the case for Christ in the public square. This is not the time to silence the gospel, it’s a time to enter the public square with confidence. Look at Jesus and look at the religious leaders and tell me which one you believe- if you were on the jury would you go with the prosecution or with the defence? We see Jesus TALKING TO THE MAN HE IS PEOPLE MINDED and his church is to be PEOPLE MINDED In contrast the Pharisees had nothing to say to him about being healed- after 38 years he is up and able to walk and all the church leaders were worried about was that this was the Sabbath. Notice that Jesus did not give the man a lecture about being superstiticious! He just told him what to do to be healed and he did it and was healed Every year thousands of people travel to the south of France to get to Lourdes- in our days in the Kildare and Monaghan there was an annual pilgrimage to the place recognised by the Roman Catholic Church as a place of healing- in the 19th century a young girl called Bernadette saw the Virgin Mary. She came to tell the people to repent and came back several times – the result was the creation of a lake with healing properties. Now we may have something to say about this but there are many Protestants people who have their own superstitions. What Jesus’ message is, is that waiting upon him is the way to go.. Instead of waiting by the pool for this disturbance he should have been waiting for Jesus. One of the callings of the church is to be a model of the reign of God- remember Jesus’ prayer where he said “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” we should be bringing the sick and depressed to the throne of God that we may all find the shalom of God. We should be seeking the health, the peace and the welfare of the city. This man had been coming to this place for some time and no one had helped him- it was every man for himself- the way of the jungle- and no from the local congregation was helping him. We should be: praying for the city- take part one way or another in the prayer shield each first Tuesday of the month 10-11am- in the church or at home. Concerned for justice- we need to be involved in social justice and that is not a matter of negotiation, it’s a divine imperative- if we are to be the people of God we will be found doing what God does. Justice is like charity, it begins at home but does not stay there- for many people within north and west Belfast this is a real issue and a real barrier to Jesus Christ- we can accept the need for justice for our own people and even for people like the McCartney sisters but when it comes to justice for the Finucanes or for Bloody Sunday- we need to make sure there is justice for ALL the people. Taking every opportunity to speak to the community in the public square in the language that they understand and not in our ecclesiastical language. The case is put for the defence and it continues to be put and Jesus contrasts with the religious leaders of the day- did they do anything to help the man? No Did they rejoice that he was able to walk again? No All they were worried about was that it was on the Sabbath.. Which of the sides are the most appealing and attractive and which are the most off putting? I think I know, do you? Who would you want to be like? Which one do you think you want our church to be like? I finish with a quote from Rev Tim Keller who is minister of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York in the centre of the city: “We live in a time when public esteem of the church is plummeting. For many inquirers, the deeds of the church will be far more important than the words in gaining plausibility. The leaders of most towns see “word-onl” churches as costs to their community, not a value. Effective churches will be so involved in deeds of mercy and justice that outsiders will say, “we cannot do without churches like this.” Mercy deeds give the gospel words plausibility. Therefore, evangelistic worship services should highlight offerings for deed ministry and should celebrate what is being done.”

"Give me the child, till he's seven, and I'll give you the man" This was the Jesuit belief upon which they build their educational system - we are all greatly influenced by our society and culture, no man is an island, we all carry the marks of our upbringing. Paul recognized this when he told the Roman Christians not to be 'conformed' to this world, we are not be imprisoned or held captive, we are to be 'transformed' by the power of God. Jonah was a man of his time and the particular mark on him was "Nationalistic Patriotism" which had no desire or intention of sharing God's love with these pagan Gentiles in Nineveh. He failed to see that his identity was strong enough to accept the Gentiles as members of God's family. He failed to see that they had responsibilities as well as privileges - to be a light to the Gentiles, to bring them to faith - he wanted to keep them out of the Kingdom. He was, what we would ,today, call , a Zionist. A Jewish people in a Jewish state. He wanted to look after his own- that too is contrary to scripture! For this kind of Nationalism to flourish a separate identity is needed- a separate language and literature and perhaps sport, but also an enemy to despise. A kind of Sin Fein mentality which excludes all others. Examples: Hitler's Germany it was the Jews, Gypsies and Communists. In S.A. it was the blacks and in Ireland we have two kinds of Nationalism; for the Ulster Nationalist the enemy is the Republicans and for the Irish it is England and all things English (with the possible exception of Jack Charlton?) Jesus gives three words which undermine this basis: "love your enemies" The results of this kind of Nationalism in this country have included some less desirable one: bitterness, polarization - those seeking unity by force have only succeeded in driving a wedge between the communities- the Belfast-Dublin railway line is symbolic of this. population shift-1911- 4% protestant; 1971-4% protestant. How are we to relate to Nationalism from a Biblical point of view? Definition given a few weeks ago: "Patriotism should mean being thankful for one's nation without idolizing it, facing the reality about it, appreciating its heritage and the guilt trapped in it, refusing to link patriotism with militarism, seeing ones nation in relation to the whole world of humanity" We can take three basic points out of this: 1. Thankful People There is much that we can be thankful for. We live in a democracy were decisions are made, after discussion, for the benefit of the people. We have freedom of religion were we can worship and teach and evangelize. We have freedom to organize and be involved in political discussion, even to the point of criticizing the government of the day. We are free to associate with whoever we want and we are free to express our point of view in the media. As Christians we are admonished to pray for our nation for those in leadership and authority. We do this privately and corporately. I think it right that we extend this to the organizations that we are members of. So we pray for the leaders of the UN and the EC - hence our gathering for prayer last week and I would thank those who came, I'm only sorry that the urgency has either not reached some or has receded. Then we care also linked in with the UK by way of N.I and the Anglo-Irish Agreement. As Christians we are admonished to Submit to authority Leadership is ordained by God and we are to be law-abiding subjects so long as God's law is not in danger of the lives of the people put at risk. That was the position of Paul and the early Church. So we are to be a thankful people but this is not an uncritical passive role, we are also called to Challenge The Coleraine Declaration reminds us of this. My country right or wrong has no part in the Christian scenario. We have all asked the question: why didn't the church in Germany oppose Hitler more vigorously? In a book about Martin Niemoller- a German Army officer who became a pastor, it becomes clear that patriotism is part of the reason. An uncritical patriotism which failed to see the progression from love of country to persecution of all outsiders. National pride is one thing but a jingoism which excludes others and rejoices in their harm has no place in the Christian church. In this book the story is told of how, after the sinking of a French tanker the crew triumphantly played "Deuschland ubber alles" and after the sinking of another vessel they harassed the French destroyer which was picking up the survivors from the sea. We do well to ask questions. Is it good to have a close alliance between church and state? The C of E has been described as the Tory Party at prayer (not always an accurate description). It is wrong for one denomination to be closely aligned to the state. Not talking about a separation of church and state, just a recognition that there are different denominations in the state. We might also want to question the idea of Church controlled and segregated education. Is the work of Christian primarily the work of the family and the church or of the state? Why is integrated education such a good idea until you cross the border? Luther talked of the two kingdoms and saw church and state in separate compartments while Calvin saw them much closer together and we need to include both these positions in our thinking. Calvin's system is no longer practical but neither is it good to keep them separate. Jonah was challenging God instead of letting God challenge him. 2. Then we are to be an AWARE PEOPLE Too often we ignore politics and the politicians and allow them to do what they want and then we criticize them when things go wrong or some corruption is brought to light. Politics, which has been described as the art of the possible, involves people and decisions - we have a vital part to play and we should be playing it. Democracy is more than a system of government- there are plenty of countries who claim to be democratic- in fact most countries. SA is a democracy and East Germany was called the German Democratic Republic . A real democracy needs to have active people in order to work. While we give our TDs the responsibility of sitting in deliberation that does not mean that we abdicate the responsibility of keeping a watching brief. There are times when it is right to lobby our TDs and to write to the Newspapers to express our point of view. e.g. we have UN obligations to give aid to the hungry- we have been less enthusiastic about this than about Kuwait- in fact aid has been cut. Not to say that people must be made to see things my or our way and to do things the way we want- you can't make people believe, that is a gift of God. We cannot insist that everybody keeps the Sabbath Day holy, but I think we can ask that the state passes laws which do not prevent me from keeping it holy. We need to keep in touch by reading the papers and watching the news or listening on the radio. Jonah gives us an example that we are not to follow. Our relationship to the family of God is more important than membership of any state-that makes life more complicated but that's where we need to ask God for wisdom and courage. For our nation we say thank you but we also hold the right to be critical and to be aware of what is going on. If we do this we will not be following Jonah. We look for God's spirit to make a transformation in our lives and in the life of the nation.

Jonah the Bigot

"Give me the child, till he's seven, and I'll give you the man" This was the Jesuit belief upon which they build their educational system - we are all greatly influenced by our society and culture, no man is an island, we all carry the marks of our upbringing. Paul recognized this when he told the Roman Christians not to be 'conformed' to this world, we are not be imprisoned or held captive, we are to be 'transformed' by the power of God. Jonah was a man of his time and the particular mark on him was "Nationalistic Patriotism" which had no desire or intention of sharing God's love with these pagan Gentiles in Nineveh. He failed to see that his identity was strong enough to accept the Gentiles as members of God's family. He failed to see that they had responsibilities as well as privileges - to be a light to the Gentiles, to bring them to faith - he wanted to keep them out of the Kingdom. He was, what we would ,today, call , a Zionist. A Jewish people in a Jewish state. He wanted to look after his own- that too is contrary to scripture! For this kind of Nationalism to flourish a separate identity is needed- a separate language and literature and perhaps sport, but also an enemy to despise. A kind of Sin Fein mentality which excludes all others. Examples: Hitler's Germany it was the Jews, Gypsies and Communists. In S.A. it was the blacks and in Ireland we have two kinds of Nationalism; for the Ulster Nationalist the enemy is the Republicans and for the Irish it is England and all things English (with the possible exception of Jack Charlton?) Jesus gives three words which undermine this basis: "love your enemies" The results of this kind of Nationalism in this country have included some less desirable one: bitterness, polarization - those seeking unity by force have only succeeded in driving a wedge between the communities- the Belfast-Dublin railway line is symbolic of this. population shift-1911- 4% protestant; 1971-4% protestant. How are we to relate to Nationalism from a Biblical point of view? Definition given a few weeks ago: "Patriotism should mean being thankful for one's nation without idolizing it, facing the reality about it, appreciating its heritage and the guilt trapped in it, refusing to link patriotism with militarism, seeing ones nation in relation to the whole world of humanity" We can take three basic points out of this: 1. Thankful People There is much that we can be thankful for. We live in a democracy were decisions are made, after discussion, for the benefit of the people. We have freedom of religion were we can worship and teach and evangelize. We have freedom to organize and be involved in political discussion, even to the point of criticizing the government of the day. We are free to associate with whoever we want and we are free to express our point of view in the media. As Christians we are admonished to pray for our nation for those in leadership and authority. We do this privately and corporately. I think it right that we extend this to the organizations that we are members of. So we pray for the leaders of the UN and the EC - hence our gathering for prayer last week and I would thank those who came, I'm only sorry that the urgency has either not reached some or has receded. Then we care also linked in with the UK by way of N.I and the Anglo-Irish Agreement. As Christians we are admonished to Submit to authority Leadership is ordained by God and we are to be law-abiding subjects so long as God's law is not in danger of the lives of the people put at risk. That was the position of Paul and the early Church. So we are to be a thankful people but this is not an uncritical passive role, we are also called to Challenge The Coleraine Declaration reminds us of this. My country right or wrong has no part in the Christian scenario. We have all asked the question: why didn't the church in Germany oppose Hitler more vigorously? In a book about Martin Niemoller- a German Army officer who became a pastor, it becomes clear that patriotism is part of the reason. An uncritical patriotism which failed to see the progression from love of country to persecution of all outsiders. National pride is one thing but a jingoism which excludes others and rejoices in their harm has no place in the Christian church. In this book the story is told of how, after the sinking of a French tanker the crew triumphantly played "Deuschland ubber alles" and after the sinking of another vessel they harassed the French destroyer which was picking up the survivors from the sea. We do well to ask questions. Is it good to have a close alliance between church and state? The C of E has been described as the Tory Party at prayer (not always an accurate description). It is wrong for one denomination to be closely aligned to the state. Not talking about a separation of church and state, just a recognition that there are different denominations in the state. We might also want to question the idea of Church controlled and segregated education. Is the work of Christian primarily the work of the family and the church or of the state? Why is integrated education such a good idea until you cross the border? Luther talked of the two kingdoms and saw church and state in separate compartments while Calvin saw them much closer together and we need to include both these positions in our thinking. Calvin's system is no longer practical but neither is it good to keep them separate. Jonah was challenging God instead of letting God challenge him. 2. Then we are to be an AWARE PEOPLE Too often we ignore politics and the politicians and allow them to do what they want and then we criticize them when things go wrong or some corruption is brought to light. Politics, which has been described as the art of the possible, involves people and decisions - we have a vital part to play and we should be playing it. Democracy is more than a system of government- there are plenty of countries who claim to be democratic- in fact most countries. SA is a democracy and East Germany was called the German Democratic Republic . A real democracy needs to have active people in order to work. While we give our TDs the responsibility of sitting in deliberation that does not mean that we abdicate the responsibility of keeping a watching brief. There are times when it is right to lobby our TDs and to write to the Newspapers to express our point of view. e.g. we have UN obligations to give aid to the hungry- we have been less enthusiastic about this than about Kuwait- in fact aid has been cut. Not to say that people must be made to see things my or our way and to do things the way we want- you can't make people believe, that is a gift of God. We cannot insist that everybody keeps the Sabbath Day holy, but I think we can ask that the state passes laws which do not prevent me from keeping it holy. We need to keep in touch by reading the papers and watching the news or listening on the radio. Jonah gives us an example that we are not to follow. Our relationship to the family of God is more important than membership of any state-that makes life more complicated but that's where we need to ask God for wisdom and courage. For our nation we say thank you but we also hold the right to be critical and to be aware of what is going on. If we do this we will not be following Jonah. We look for God's spirit to make a transformation in our lives and in the life of the nation.

The Creeds of the Church

In much of today's Christian literature there is the call for the church to speak with a prophetic voice in the public square. At present I am taking a look at the minor prophet Amos who has much to say about such issues. As I was browsing the bloggers of the web I came accross a submission in "cross Blogging" which is not entirely off the issue. It was asking a number of questions but one was raised due to the election of the new pope and by the poublication of his first homily and the question was asked about the place and value of the Creds of the church in equipping the faithful to become mature in Christ.I have read Benedict's homily and have to confess thast there is little in it which I disagree with- but I am not happy to go with a faith which is based upon the creeds of the church. The creeds of history have prooved to be very helpful for us all but we need to realise that they have their limits simply because they do not carry the same authority as scripture [scriptua sola]. Whjen I read the homily I wondered if he was actually saying thae same thing in a different way- if we rely on the creeds of the church alone will we not remain immature and childish which is the very opposite of what scripture says and what Benedict's objective is- i.e making Adults. He wants Christian maturity and which of us would be against that? He is right to say that a "faith which is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ is adult and mature. It is this frindship which opens us up to all that is good and gives us knowledge to judge truth from evil...." I welcome this but am a little confused.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Election 2005

I watched a couple of TV programmes on the election on BBC and UTV- they had representatives from the 4 main parties last night. I was left with the question- who is going to help us to get out of the mess we are in? Who is speaking with the voice of leadership? None of the representatives gave the impression that they were really interested in the needs of the people just in getting power for their party. I know that it is the nature of the party political system to put the party's best foor forward and to leave enough "wriggle space" as possible but do they all expect us all to believe that they are the next Messiah for Ulster/Ireland when they ignore 50% of the population? We had one party who stae their allegiance to the Good Friday Agreement but refuse to leave behind those who have their guns still in operation and so loose the spirit of the agreement if remaining faithful to the word- one wonders if the real reason is not fear of loosing votes to the more extreme party. Then there is another party who have never pledged any allegiance to the agreement yet were ready to take the departmental posts and are now sitting at tables in public with those who have not surrendered, something they said they would never do- never, never , never, and who were just a breath away from mmaking their own agreement. Then there is the party who will kick everyone out who is not of their persuasion even though some of their founding fathers were born outside of Ireland and they have refused to surrender the guns, although we are waiting for that to happen tomorrow, perhaps. And the other party who seem content in presenting themselves as decent people and spend a lot of time looking over their shoulder at the more extreme version of their views. The other programe I saw very briefly had a politician who was part of the team that produced the agrement but changed his mind at the 11th hour and much later changed parties as well. Then my mind goes to the Old Testament book of Nehemiah who looked back to the province of his birth and was humbled by the state it was in- here we had a man who turned to God in prayer and who rallied his people to the cause of re-bulding the city- who is going to re-build Belfast? Who is going to step out of the shadows and lead all the people to the throne of God? This is the time and the hour when Christian men and women need to rise up and take every opportunity to build and not destroy, to reconcile and not separate. I really do get fed up with the negative political stance and yet this is part of what we are and of this community in which we live and God has called us to be here- when Nehemiah's work was finished God re-populated the city and he did it by lot!!! Where are the people, the good evangelical Christians who are radical enough to take their turn to live in the inter-face areas of this divided city so that it becomes less divided? Where are the people fighting over who will take up the privelige of doing this work which no one but the people of God can do? If the local church is the hope of the world- God's hope at that- where are the people of hope on the Shankill Road and on the Crumlin Road and on the Falls Road? Where are they?

INTRODUCTION As the general election looms closer we have seen the rash of accusations about the Prime Minister and we have heard the in-fighting in the Unionist camp. We are living in a society were gangerism is all around- the housing is made more expensive because of the demand for protection money and businesses are held to ransom by some traveling families. We hear about the sexual abuse of children by professional people – even within the church. The reason for the campaign against third world debt and the push for fair trade is that there is much in the world which is unfair and its not against the powerful and the wealthy but against the poor and disadvantaged. The quotation I read this morning from Tim Keller- “We live in a time when public esteem of the church is plummeting. For many inquirers, the deeds of the church will be far more important than the words in gaining plausibility. The leaders of most towns see “word-only” churches as costs to their community, not a value. Effective churches will be so involved in deeds of mercy and justice that outsiders will say, “we cannot do without churches like this.” Mercy deeds give the gospel words plausibility. Therefore, evangelistic worship services should highlight offerings for deed ministry and should celebrate what is being done.” This can work for us but it can also work against us The Prophet Amos has much to say today about practical Christian living and about social justice and the need for the church to speak the prophetic word because his society was just like ours-he could speak of * sexual indulgence [2:7], * transgressions * sins [5:12] * commercial sharp practice [8:5,6]. This was a time of luxury, they had never had it so good-some lived in ivory houses [Amos 3:15,6:4]. Jeroboam was an astute politician who had made much territory. Upper class women spent their time listening to the music of their day, eating the best food and drinking the best of wines and taking beauty treatments. The men too were indifferent to the needs of the poor within their gates and were happy to take bribes and generally do whatever they could get away with in business. At the same time his society made a big thing of religion and religious practice. The church had become self absorbed in the status quo-its tradition was all important but had little interest in hearing from God [7:12,16]. It was a church with a severe attack of hypocrisy. He saw this in society generally and his words were for those who were guilty-in a sense he speaks to anyone who finds that the "cap fits" Yet God called him to address the church-the "people of God", in particular. It was because of the state of the nation that he swopped the shepherd’s crook for the pulpit. Over the years the emphasis of the church’s message has lurched from the , so- called social gospel to the, so-called spiritual Gospel when the complete gospel will always have spiritual, social and materialist and economic repercussions and demands. It's in this context that the lion roars with judgment. Amos comes to us as a source of great encouragement, why? I say this because he was not a professional prophet like Elijah he had no formal training or teaching-he was no prophet or the son of a prophet. What was he then - HE WAS A SHEEP FARMER. Farmers and factory workers have this one thing in common-they very often have a very low self esteem- yet we need to remind ourselves that God accepts us as we are- not because of our wealth or education or good looks, as we are. One consequence of this attitude is the 'I couldn't do syndrome'. Sometimes this is just a tree to hide behind, sometimes it is true but the only way to find out for certain is to be willing to have a go. Take a step of faith. I well remember the days when I was in the C.E. and was asked to do something up front. I couldn't do it and as a teenager no one would have thought I would be here no doing what I do. I am still a shy person but that's no excuse. Amos was called as a sheep farmer to do a work for God and when this job was completed he went back to his day job. Today we take an overall view of the work of this farmer/shepherd prophet. His word is a word to the church today-we are separated by thousands of years and by cultural differences-like another world altogether but the situation he faced is very like today and so as we look at Amos we look at a man and hear his words we are hearing the word of God for our situation today. Lessons of Amos in brief * Privilege brings peril and responsibility * Past history cannot take the place of present spiritual and moral commitment * Religious profession and practice are blood brothers. 1. Privilege brings peril & responsibility. They thought that the privilege of being the chosen people only brought benefits. They were secure-the other nations would be destroyed but they were OK. God had shown at various times that he was on their side. -Look at the picture of David and the might of Goliath. God did a mighty work in that mans life and in the life of the nation-the shepherd boy became a mighty king look at the way his kingdom had become so strong -look at the way the promised land was given to them even though it was a land full of giants. God did a mighty work. Now Amos shows them that they had got it wrong, this was only one side of the covenant-there's two sides to it. he gave them, and he gives us gifts to use, money to share and time to spend on others. His particular stress is that the nearer to God the closer the scrutiny and the more certain the judgment- that's why the NT says that teachers will be judged differently that others. It is an easy thing for those in places of power to abuse their power- that was seen in many of the worlds empires-and it would be wrong of us to take the attitude that now I'm saved I can do what I want-now that I'm a member of the most exclusive club of all I'm alright. We've only just begun. The church is not exempt from judgment- there's no guarantee that the PCI or this particular congregation will still be here in 200 years time-history is cluttered with churches that rose up are now no more. Jesus spoke very sharply against hypocrisy and when we see it we are very critical also. Looking back or looking out we are able to see inconsistencies and hypocrisies but its another thing looking inward. There are times when people could, with justification, say to us-Physician heal yourself! As a church we need to maintain a continual walk with God-not to keep our religion but to be real and allow Him to keep us pure. There are two realities in the world and in the church- sin is a very real reality even in our lives and now's the time to acknowledge it the other reality is the power of Jesus Christ to change us but we need to realize that he does that all through our lives. Its an ongoing work not just a once off. Religion was a potent force in Israel but it didn't touch peoples lives-Amaziah was a priest who was one of the best of worshippers-yet he had no interest in hearing God's word. The people liked their traditions and way of doing things but they "pooh-poohed" the preachers of judgment preferring to think "it could never happen to us". We make a grave mistake if we think that worship is simple singing psalms and hymns-its offering our whole lives to the living God! 2. Past history is no substitute for present spiritual and moral commitment. A stale testimony of what God has done for you years ago is an interesting history lesson but God wants a current relationship. He wants us to be walking with him and he wants us to be people of high moral commitment-we shy away from the idea of Christians being good living people-yet that IS our calling-not that we can use this as a way of getting into heaven-we can only do that by GRACE-but that is the way we are to live once we are saved. So often I have heard people talking about those who profess to be Christians but who have questionable business practice or whatever-there are two things to say about this- A. To the Christian-you have a responsibility to live your live in a way that honours and doesn't defile the name of Christ. The best way to do this is to keep a vital spiritual relationship with Him and make a solid commitment that with His help you will live a high moral lifestyle Don't place stumbling blocks in the way of people who may be thinking of coming to Jesus-remember how stern Jesus was to the disciples when they tried to keep the children away from him? B. To the non Christian-you have no right to demand a standard of morality or spirituality of someone else if you are not willing to live it also. Don't look only at me look at Jesus. Most of us don't have very dramatic stories to tell. Not had a problem with drink or been wife beaters or done anything we consider terrible or notable but God needs us to relate to people just like us. I don't. Don't feel that this disqualifies you from telling your story, God works with people in different ways and we all have a story to tell. Your life is like a bank you can live on the capital but only for a while. If you do this too long you will only get frustrated and lose your joy of salvation. 3. Profession and practice are blood brothers. Profession without practice is repulsive to God and that’s why he rejected their sacrifices in Isaiah. When you stand before the congregation and profess faith be warned and be careful-its easy to say the words but to BE A CREDIBLE PROFESSION is another thing. Don't make the profession unless it is true-that's what you do every time to sit at the Lords table or have a baby baptized. Be wary of making this p[profession if your words speak differently. True religion is, in the thinking of Amos, to respond fully to the grace and law of God, living out the law in a life of obedience, resting on the grace both for ability and forgiveness; towards God, true religion is a reverent hearing and receiving of His word; and towards other people it appears as honesty, considerateness and unfailing concern for the needy." To take these elements away is to invite the judgment of God.

Do you want to be healed?

Picture a courtroom scene On the prosecution we have the Pharisees and the Sadducees. On the defence we have the Apostle John representing Jesus Christ. The charge is that Jesus is claiming to be the Son of God. John 5:16 tells us that he was being persecuted by the Jews. On the one hand there is no argument with this “charge” after all Jesus IS the Son of God but what they didn’t accept that he was , only that he CLAIMED to be him and what they were really worried about was that men and women would follow him. They want the people to follow their way but many were showing signs of following this Jesus instead. John’s desire is “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” John says that this Jesus has invaded the earth and lived among men and women for three years. In that time he showed the way to God and it was a different way to that of the religious powers. By way of evidence he presents John the Baptist who says that this Jesus, who came after him in history, was more important than he was - even though he came after him he was “before him” He calls him the “lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” He also introduces the reader to the disciples who lived with Jesus for three years and whose conclusion was that he was exactly who he claimed to be. Then we are introduced to Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman and the whole of the Samaritan community. By the start of chapter 5 we are given a very interesting contrast between Jesus and his accusers, the religious leaders. In defence John calls to mind the work of healing and forgiveness and contrasts it with the pettifogging doctrinaire approach of the church leadership who care nothing for the man only for the strictest interpretation of the Law. He cleverly uses leaders to undermine their case and make the case of the defence for them. As the story who are you attracted to and who are you repulsed by? Jesus was the one who talked to the man. HE SPENT TIME WITH THE MAN Time and time again we see that Jesus is the one who takes the initiative with people- HE ALWAYS HAS TIME FOR PEOPLE <> he refuses to sit back and wait for people to come to him- he takes up every opportunity to reach out to people in need. His desire is “to preach good news to the poor….to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and the recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” This is the manifesto of Jesus. This is what he did when he spoke to the Samaritan woman and with the official in Galilee and now he does it for this man. He had been on his way to the temple to celebrate one of the Jewish festivals whenever he came across this very sorry individual- this man had been an invalid for most, if not all of his life and had being coming to this place which was supposed to have healing qualities but only at the time when the angel disturbed the waters- he had to wait for a window of opportunity but unfortunately for him other people kept bunking the cue and getting in before him When Jesus saw him he spoke to him and asked him “Do you want to be healed?” May seem a strange question. Perhaps there was an implication behind the question or perhaps he just wanted to know if the man really wanted healed as some people find dependence of others a pleasant experience. Sometimes people fail to take opportunities to help themselves because they are quite comfortable as they are but this man was not- did he shout at Jesus or did he reply quietly and just explain the situation? As we look at this story we need to realise that the way we live our lives, the lifestyle we have adopted, will say more about us than any amount of words. In the post modern society in which we live this is absolutely clear “Christians proclaim the gospel through their lives, manners and morals in an instant fashion.” [Roger Johnston] In this age of MTV the camera follows your every move- if the message is good enough to attract people on the evening news certainly it will be good enough to attract people on the streets and sidewalks of our neighbourhoods.” This gives us a great opportunity to proclaim, to persuade and to argue the case for Christ in the public square. This is not the time to silence the gospel, it’s a time to enter the public square with confidence. Look at Jesus and look at the religious leaders and tell me which one you believe- if you were on the jury would you go with the prosecution or with the defence? We see Jesus TALKING TO THE MAN HE IS PEOPLE MINDED and his church is to be PEOPLE MINDED In contrast the Pharisees had nothing to say to him about being healed- after 38 years he is up and able to walk and all the church leaders were worried about was that this was the Sabbath. Notice that Jesus did not give the man a lecture about being superstiticious! He just told him what to do to be healed and he did it and was healed Every year thousands of people travel to the south of France to get to Lourdes- in our days in the Kildare and Monaghan there was an annual pilgrimage to the place recognised by the Roman Catholic Church as a place of healing- in the 19th century a young girl called Bernadette saw the Virgin Mary. She came to tell the people to repent and came back several times – the result was the creation of a lake with healing properties. Now we may have something to say about this but there are many Protestants people who have their own superstitions. What Jesus’ message is, is that waiting upon him is the way to go.. Instead of waiting by the pool for this disturbance he should have been waiting for Jesus. One of the callings of the church is to be a model of the reign of God- remember Jesus’ prayer where he said “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” we should be bringing the sick and depressed to the throne of God that we may all find the shalom of God. We should be seeking the health, the peace and the welfare of the city. This man had been coming to this place for some time and no one had helped him- it was every man for himself- the way of the jungle- and no from the local congregation was helping him. We should be: praying for the city- take part one way or another in the prayer shield each first Tuesday of the month 10-11am- in the church or at home. Concerned for justice- we need to be involved in social justice and that is not a matter of negotiation, it’s a divine imperative- if we are to be the people of God we will be found doing what God does. Justice is like charity, it begins at home but does not stay there- for many people within north and west Belfast this is a real issue and a real barrier to Jesus Christ- we can accept the need for justice for our own people and even for people like the McCartney sisters but when it comes to justice for the Finucanes or for Bloody Sunday- we need to make sure there is justice for ALL the people. Taking every opportunity to speak to the community in the public square in the language that they understand and not in our ecclesiastical language. The case is put for the defence and it continues to be put and Jesus contrasts with the religious leaders of the day- did they do anything to help the man? No Did they rejoice that he was able to walk again? No All they were worried about was that it was on the Sabbath.. Which of the sides are the most appealing and attractive and which are the most off putting? I think I know, do you? Who would you want to be like? Which one do you think you want our church to be like? I finish with a quote from Rev Tim Keller who is minister of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York in the centre of the city: “We live in a time when public esteem of the church is plummeting. For many inquirers, the deeds of the church will be far more important than the words in gaining plausibility. The leaders of most towns see “word-onl” churches as costs to their community, not a value. Effective churches will be so involved in deeds of mercy and justice that outsiders will say, “we cannot do without churches like this.” Mercy deeds give the gospel words plausibility. Therefore, evangelistic worship services should highlight offerings for deed ministry and should celebrate what is being done.”