Leaders & Kings

They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval.  (Hosea 8:4 NIV)

Many commentators limit this rebuke to the murderous overthrow of one king after another in the closing year's of the northern Kingdom's (Israel) monarchy; but others believe it goes much deeper than that and that much more is included. 

The very conception of an earthly ruler over God's people was not God's ideal, not what He wanted 

(1 Sam. 8:7ff). There is evidence that the kings were never much other than a snare for people. 

I could go on, however, my question is about the scope of this prophetic word and, particularly, if there are any principles that can be carried forward and applied beyond the direct setting of the original context?

Is it valid to draw a conclusion about the distinction in God's economy between how a leader 'got their' rather than just 'who they are or what they do'? 

It is very easy, very tempting, and equally understandable to take a pragmatic utilitarian view on this and do a 'skills match' in order to get the right person for the role. It is probably even more common to act out of community or personal self interest ( as it appears Isreal did) and adopt an attitude that goes something like this:

'This leader is going to act in a way that is not as beneficial to us personally, whereas that one will compromise and meet our requirements'

 Hey presto, we've got ourselves a good leader in the latter category..... So we create our own leaders after our own image born out of our own self(ish) interests.

Is it saying that leaders must first be anointed before they can be appointed? 

It is saying that perhaps anointing is recognized in people and that becomes the primary criteria for being considered for leadership? 

Is it perhaps that those with the loudest voice and the largest and noisiest following are not necessarily God's first choice? 

Is it that spiritual gifting and a demonstrable sense of having received a calling allied to a humility & grace are the real issues irrespective of if we think this person may be the best one to pander to our particular preferences and requirements?

Are there principles outlined in this prophetic word that give insight into the crisis of  direction and decline that much of the church, particularly in the West, is suffering?  Have we been rather too eager to operate with 'man appointed, but non anointed' leaders who are in place without the consent of God?

Just a thought.

Kingdom work

He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. (Psalm 146:7, 8 NIVUK)

As I read this Paslm this morning by spirit was touched with a knowledge that this is what we are about....as co-workers with Jesus.

This Psalm so articulates our calling as a church at West Auckland Vineyard.... It could be the model for our ministry through The Well ... 

It's exciting to know that The Lord is moving us into different premises not primarily to grow a bigger church ( although that will happen) but to extend the scope and effectiveness of kingdom work.

The heart of the church has grown and continues with a passion to see the hungry fed, the oppressed and the imprisoned freed, and those bowed under many weights and pressures lifted up...

It is so good to be engaged in real Kingdom ministry rather than the religious busy-ness that a number of us have move from, (have been set free from)

Signposts and boundary stones

Listening to a message at Spring Harvest 2014 (Skegness) by Peter Wilson (Hillsong) @pwilsong brought to mind a saying I remember from when I studied for my MTh :

'We preach (or communicate) not simply to be understood but also, so as not to be misunderstood.'

Perhaps, when the communication in question is preaching or teaching the Christian message we may express this as:

There must be sufficient accessible theology to clearly signpost the truth AND to point out the boundaries beyond which the truth is in jeopardy. 

There are borders or crossing points that signal us having left the signposted path and moved, or about to move, into a space where the implications and potential application of the communication can take us into areas of half truth and falsehood. 

1.'God desires all people to come to a knowledge of the truth' 

TRUE 

2.'If you have a drug / alcohol addiction God desires that you should be freed from this' 

TRUE 

3.'If you are in abject poverty God desires that you should be freed from that tyranny' 

TRUE 

4.'If you are having financial difficulties in your particular circumstances, God desires you to have more financial resource to meet those needs' 

DEPENDS.... COULD BE TRUE, MAY BE VERY FALSE

In 4, if the reason for the difficulty was blatant and sustained 'living beyond our means' (spending what we have not got) He is surely more likely to ask us to radically change our attitude and lifestyle.....the results of which may not seem 'good' or 'blessed' to the world (downsizing, sell a car, less holidays, state schools, non branded clothes -  no Super Dry for some worship leaders)

I do not at all intended to prevent exploration nor to stifle questions or testing of previously held understandings of the truth but simply to alert us to the fact that there are boundaries, and that sometimes they are not entirely obvious especially when something  begins on the signposted pathway.

So what gave rise to these thoughts?

The scripture upon which the message was based was Psalm 84:5-7 and it was one of those messages in which little if anything was said that could be labelled as absolutely wrong but there was enough unsaid to actually make it quite easy for new or not yet mature believers to add 2 and 2, come up with 5 and head off across a boundary that jeopardised the truth.

Psalm 84:5-7 NIV
[5] Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 

[6] As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. 

[7] They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

The aim of the message ( which was both inspirational & motivational) seemed to derive primarily from v7 'they go from strength to strength'. 

In Christian preaching and teaching inspirational and motivational are good - would that more of it was. However the communicator must take account of the fact that these two characteristics, especially when combined with pretty high octane, culturally relevant, sung expressions of praise can easily cause people to drop their guard and allow pure emotion to become the sole faculty for discerning the truth, or lack of, in what is being heard. 

The message dotted about in the passage ( not in a bad or unhelpful way) and began to deal with the topic of from where, or whom, does our strength proceed. A clear answer was given - Jesus.

I think insufficient consideration and explanation was given to what it means to have a 'heart set on pilgrimage' and the relationship to our 'strength in Him' but this was certainly not 'error' so much as it was an unhelpful omission. 

Comment was made about passing through the dry places (v6) in which it was noted that they only passed through rather than resided there permanently. This seems to me to be a very important observation but requires sufficent attention to what it might or might not mean ( which it was not given) As a result it became an area where an important signpost almost becomes an invitation to cross a boundary. The place to which this boundary crossing may lead is that we not only always pass through the dry or difficult places - but that do so pretty quickly and always victoriously. 

I must emphasize that this was not specifically stated, but neither was anything said to question it as a legitimate, or in the context of the message, perhaps the obvious, implication.

More serious alarm bells began to sound with attempts to explain the meaning of 'blessed' in v5. During the explanation the 'amplified translation' of the bible was frequently referenced ( I am aware of the Amplified Bible and suspect it is often used when other translations don't say what we would prefer them to say) One of the words used to convey the meaning of blessed was 'lucky'! 

I believe, in the context of the message, what was meant was that from the perspective of the world, Christians who were being blessed in certain ways would appear to be 'lucky', This is probably true, but to leave the word hanging without some clarity is, in my opinion, poor communication given the opportunity for boundary crossing that it represents. 

Bearing in mind I am operating from memory and from hastily taken notes the subsequent comments about blessing were the areas that perhaps pointed to far less helpful theological implications.

He talked about the fact that ' blessed' Christians would (or should?) be the envy of the world who would see these Christians as (quote) 'always landing on their feet'. He then proceeded to 'sort of illustrate this' with reference to a number of life situations which included our finances. Links were then made between 'going from strength to strength' and being victorious in these life situations, whilst 'being the envy of the world' was still ringing in our ears.  There were also phrases such as 'God is good so He would not bring bad things to us in order to test us' This would seem to be a fair statement ( if we leave the difficult themes of Job aside) but with no definition of good or attempt to differentiate it from a worldy perspective on 'good'. 

It's always good to win the lottery 

(The World) , 

I have learned to be content in all circumstances 

(which by clear implication from the context, is a good place to be - Paul , Phil 4)

It was at this point in the message where, for me, the signposts from the pathway were turned if not directly over the borderline then most certainly in its general direction. It was the point at which, without expressing or directly teaching it, the old 'word of faith prosperity teaching' seemed to be an influence or significant element of the message and the direction of travel.

Was anything said that was absolutely wrong? Probably not ( need to listen to the recording when available)

Was anything said that was more, rather than less, likely to jeopardise the truth? 

In my opinion Yes.

I am not at all anti Hillsong, far from it. I am certainly not anti blessing nor am I anti good things happening to Christians. I am simply trying to be pro truth and pro preachers who clearly signpost the pathway and equally clearly alert us to the boundaries.

During this particular message, because of what was not said rather than what was actually said, people were not so much given permission to cross boundaries as they were simply not warned about boundaries at all.

Saying that:

'in all things God works for the good of those who love Him 

and are called according to His purpose' 

is so very different from saying that:

'God works to bring about what the world recognizes as good 

in the lives and circumstances of Christians' 

It is very difficult to sustain any argument for the second if we see the lives of Jesus or even Paul as examples. 

The first is very definitely truth whereas the second is equally definitely inviting a boundary crossing expedition.

Did the message I heard last night give people permission to cross boundaries and jeopardise aspects of the truth? It certainly appeared to come very close and didn't seem to pay sufficient attention to the dangers of being easily misunderstood.

How strong is your heart?

We seem to hear of more and more of people who suffer heart attacks at quite a young age. At 54 I'm sure that I am not alone in having contemporaries who had endured heart problems. It is never nice to see people of any age suffer in this way, but it is 'heartbreaking' to see children and young people suffer from the effects of having a weakness in their heart. It can affect the whole course of their lives, their opportunities and their potential if not treated effectively.

A strong heart is essential for a fully active life and whilst you can work around heart problems and 'limp on through' it would certainly not be anyone's first choice of lifestyle.

When Paul writes to the Thessalonian Christians he prays that they would experience (and by implication seek) God strengthening their hearts the spiritual equivalents of having a strong physical heart. When our heart is weak in the spiritual realm then our life in that realm is similarly weakened and poverty stricken. 

As in the physical, the spiritual impact of an untreated heart condition can be devastating, reducing the vitality of our walk with God, reducing of active participation with Him, causing us to 'disengage' at critical points in our journey because we simply have not got the heart for it!

Paul outlines a crucial area that is the first to weaken when the heart is not strong:

Holiness.

Yes, we are made holy by Jesus death for us, but the out working of this, the practical holiness, without which we will struggle to even see God, let alone follow Him and be co-workers with Him will be a very poor reflection of what Jesus has won for us. The quality of our lives will suffer, the vitality of our walk will suffer, the brightness of our witness will dim, our feelings of distance from God will deepen.... We will become a weak hearted follower, which will leave us with a broken hearted Father.

But, this need not be any cause for despair provided we realise that Paul isn't saying that we have to fix this, or perform some kind of spiritual open heart surgery, he is simply saying that we. We'd to seek God work on and in our weak heart. 

Approach Him with an admission of our need, identify that need - Lord , I need You to strengthen my heart, then step out in faith and live in the reality of God having done what you asked. In these kinds of areas that's how our faith and His faithfulness work together to a His glory and our benefit.

'May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.' (1 Thessalonians 3:13 NIV)

Are you part of it?

Being 'part of something' and feeling part of something can be very different......

You can play for a football team and you are part of it. You can be part of the larger squad or the huge back office support team, staff, actively involved, and you are part of it. You may be one of the faithful volunteers who turns up rain or shine to sell programmes and you are part of it. You may be a fan who pays out £600 for a season ticket - you're part of it, but not quite in the same way. You may make the effort to watch every match on TV or invested in a satellite subscription, you are part of it. 

It may be that the extent of your involvement is in naming a particular team when someone asks who you support.... Are you still part of it, or is that answer just a way of 'feeling part of it' rather than actually getting involved?

There are different levels of being 'part of something' and any may lead you deeper so are not to be discouraged however there is a very significant difference between being on the team, or the staff, and being a season ticket holder and even greater difference between these and sitting on the couch with a beer watching the match on Sky!

So, being part of it is great, but the reality is that there are only a limited number of people can be part of it in a fully engaged and participative way. The problem is that we so often carry what is 'reality' or 'truth' in one area, into a different area where it is not the reality or the truth - but we still act as though it is! 

What do I mean? In God's Kingdom everyone not only can 'be on the team' and play a full and active part, It is a requirement...and a privelege. But, the recent history of the church in the west would seem to indicate that many have settled for merely 'feeling part of it' by being a season ticket holder who turns up and watches. Obviously when asked who they support they answer 'team Jesus' !

Are we a part of it or apart from it?

When the procession comes into view

There is something about processions - whether it's a carnival procession, a Rememberence Day procession, the procession of runners at the Great North Run or London Marathon, the victory procession when England has won a world class sporting competition or the procession at an occasion of state. 

To watch them on TV, slightly 'arms length', is probably the best many of us can hope for, and while it can certainly be very good, it can never be the same as actually being there. There is an excitement, a frisson an expectation as people line the roadside awaiting the procession. The atmosphere, the buzz, the smells and noises, it all adds up to something special. 

I have been fortunate to have been present at most of the types of processions I have mentioned.  They have all been great but two stand out for very different  reasons. The first was the victory procession by the English rugby team when we won the World Cup - waiting in Trafalgar Square for the team bus was incredible, the atmosphere electric, the hours slid by like minutes, and the noise as even rumours of the impending appearance of the team open top bus - incredible. Needless to say, when it arrived there was total, utter, deafening and glorious commotion...

I was in London on July 7, 2005. 'The London bombings' I had friends on trains that were bombed, and it was a desperate and sad day.

One year later, July 7 2006' I was there for the remembrance procession of those same bombings. Standing near Euston Station awaiting the procession. The atmosphere, hard to describe, the buzz, very different,but certainly real, the noise - there wasn't any! 

Tens of thousands of people and you really could have heard a pin drop. There was expectancy as the procession appeared, but still no noise, other than the occasional sound of tears. There was a correct feeling of 'pride' from people who were part of a community that dealt with the atrocity with grace and courage. Two very different and very powerful processions.

There is another procession, a procession of eternal and ultimate importance that, depending upon our personal vantage point can be like either on of those I have described. My question is 'Have you seen this procession come into view'? If you have it will have changed your life, if you have not,yet, you are invited.

The Psalmist said: "Your procession, God, has come into view, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary." (Psalm 68:24)

God and His team have been and continue to process through history, grand and glorious, sombre and serious - have you seen, have you experienced this procession? 

Is this the procession you are actually waiting for as you realise that life has got to be about more than you are living at the moment?

God intends this procession to come to a halt as it reaches you and take the time to invite you aboard, to stop being 'just  an onlooker' and to become part of the life changing procession that will roll on through history and into eternity. Glorious, expectant, powerful , gracious and loving, poignant and heart healing. Is this the procession you have been waiting for? It is victorious, but not triumphalistic. It is celebratory but not frivolous. It is lasting not simply a 'moment in time' 

Have you heard, have you seen, have you joined in?

Power and love

I do not even come close to understanding many things about the faith I hold - and never will. 

There are parts of the bible that seem absurd, others that appear to be unjust or plain vindictive, there are sections that appear to be, or simply are, contradictory and I could go on. There is teaching that, on this journey of faith, has taken on new meaning, or lost some of its old meaning. 

There are teachings we seem to hold dear to and others we appear to be happy letting go of and then there is us, ourselves..... full of logic and irrationalism, living side by side. Undoubted passion and zeal for Jesus, alongside an apparent willingness to ignore Him and follow other 'passions' when it suits us.... This is our journey, this is our pilgrimage.

So what keeps me going? What helps me deal with the fact that I can't deal with the facts? What propels me to continue to seek, continue to limp along a path that contains so many  steeps hills and almost unbearable drops? What helps me deal with the fact of me, full of love but unreliable in relationship, wanting to fly on eagles wings but more often than not hobbling along at snails pace.....

What keeps me going is the sure and unshakeable knowledge that there is a God, THE God, the creator, my creator, in whom alone rests both total power and absolute love. 

I don't know how it is possible for those two things to sit side by side...but I thank Him that they do and that He is utterly trustworthy. There is a God who really does care for us as individuals, even when that seems not to be the case, a God who is able, in all circumstances to break through with love, because He possesses the power to do so....and He does it time & time again. 

What keeps me going is the experience that God has not remained an academic exercise, is not merely an item of interest or study, but has made himself known through relationship, as Jesus. 

Jesus only Jesus, the reason for the journey, the enabler along the way, life's destination, friend, saviour, healer, guide, light and life.

One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: 

‘Power belongs to you, God, 

and with you, Lord, is unfailing love’’ 

(Psalm 62:11, 12 NIV)