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Value #7: Being shaped by the Bible

28/11/2014

As God's people we believe the Bible is the reliable, authoritative, and sufficient word of God.
There are many influences and worldviews that would shape people's lives. Our life together is shaped by the big story of God's redemption and love in Jesus Christ - from before creation right through to the new heaven and earth.
So we regularly spend time learning together from God's Word and it is as we see ourselves in this big story, that our choices, character, and relationships are shaped.

Who do we listen to? That's a big question for us. There are many voices in our world, clamouring to be heard. We can think of friends, family, the media, education, politicians, different faiths, non-faiths, and various kinds of -isms along the way.

Sometimes we know clearly and up-front what a voice is saying to us. Sometimes it is not so clear. I think this is especially true with the media. It may be films or TV programmes we watch, or music we listen to. It may be newspapers or magazines we read. There are the news reports on TV and radio too. All kinds of voices. And these are not all bad. Not at all. The point here is not to be paranoid about all these things and go and live in a cave somewhere to hide from them. No. The point is to realise that there are always worldviews and values behind any communication from people - because noone is 'neutral'. We all have biases.

We thought about this by watching two quite normal acceptable news reports about the Ukraine crisis. It was one year ago that the demonstrations hit the streets in Kyiv, and since that time, tragedy has come to the lives of many. We watched a report from the BBC on what has been happening over the year, and then compared it with a report from the Russia Today website. They both seemed fine, but slight changes in tone, wording, and at some points, opinion, made it clear that these two were coming from different stables.

So the issue is, knowing who we are listening to, and making a point of listening to the voices we can trust. It involves thinking.

As followers of Jesus, we listen to his voice, and in particular listen to the voice of God as it comes to us through the pages of the Bible. It is a great story; it outlines all God is doing and has done throughout history, and we get to be a part of it!

Understanding what the story is, and what our place in it is, shapes how we live. It affects choices we make. It affects the way we see issues. It affects the way we see other people, and the way we act towards them. It shapes our hearts - our character - who we are at our core.

This was why Paul was encouraging the young leader, Timothy, in his letter to him in the New Testament. He was facing all kinds of bewildering issues, and lots of opinions on it all. But Paul encouraged him to remember what he had been taught, and then said this:

All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work
2 Timothy 3 v16

So, this is why as Urban Life, we spend time reading and learning from the bible. We read it ourselves through the week, and we read it together when we meet. It is the voice we listen to above all others. This is the explanation of reality - 'life, the universe and everything.' It's the story we find ourselves in, as followers of Jesus.

That's why we spent a big part of this past year going through an overview of the bible story. We stopped for a while in September to look at our values again, but after Christmas we will be picking up where we left off, and going with the rest of the story through to Easter.

We need to see the big story - the upper story, and as we do, we comprehend the lower story of our everyday lives that much better.

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Value #6: Serving together using our gifts

27/11/2014

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As part of the body of Christ, we use our gifts in every aspect of life, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
We shape activities around opportunities, gifts and passions of our members.
Leadership is not about control, but about setting a vision by modelling and teaching the gospel, so creating a culture in which everyone flourishes in ministry.

Jesus Christ does not live on this planet in a human body anymore. Or does he?

It's clearly true that he is not walking around Palestine as he did 2000 years ago, in the body he had then. But the bible speaks of another body now, which he inhabits and through which he touches the world... the body of Christ - his people!

As his Spirit lives in his people, he shapes and leads them so that we are his ambassadors in his world. We love people, and serve people, and we do it together.

The body idea is a brilliant one, which explains just how we are all different, and yet we work together to fulfil Christ's work:

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

1 Corinthians 12 v 12-27

So... we each have different gifts and different roles.
This means:
- None of us have everything
- We need each other
- It is as we work together in our church family, that Christ's work is done.

We drew a big body outline, and named many different body parts. Then we named many different body gifts. When we think about activities that we do with our bodies, whether running down the street, eating a meal, or whatever, many different parts of the body need to be at work to make it happen. Likewise for God's people.

If God has a plan for what he wants us to be doing in the community, it is going to follow that he will have gifted us and planted a passion for it among us. And so as leaders, we seek to lead and shape people so that they are able to use their gifts to serve, together.

We serve together.

Lord God, we are your people, we are the body of Christ, and you put each one of us where you want us to be. Please shape us and use us to serve and work for you just how you want.

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Coffee with God - Bill Hybels

14/11/2014

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Some of us watched this story. Wise insights from Bill Hybels, and an encouraging story of how one bloke's life was changed as he made a point of meeting with God each day.

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Value #5: Praying wherever and whenever we can

14/11/2014

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As worshippers of God, we love, honour and depend on him and express this as we pray - individually and together in community.

We pray as an impromptu response to needs and opportunities. We pray for others and we offer prayer as one way of serving others around us.

As we pray we recognise that God is the orchestrator of mission in his world, and he is our source of power and strength.

When we read about the life of Jesus, in the bible, there are many wonderful things that he did and said. But it is easy to overlook something very important which crops up here and there, as a one-liner before or after another story... something like this:

At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place.
Luke 4:42

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed
Luke 5:16

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God
Luke 6:12

Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked....
Luke 9:18

About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him, and went up onto a mountain to pray
Luke 9:28

You get the idea! No wonder then that it gets to the point where we read this:

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray...'

They had clearly been watching what he was doing, and realised there was something different about the way he prayed.

It wasn't like the disciples had never prayed before. And they would have seen many other people praying too, over the years, as they had lived in those Jewish communities... but there was something about the way that Jesus prayed that made them think - we really haven't cracked this at all! Something about the way he prayed, and the things he prayed for.

And so they ask him to teach them and he gives them a kind of agenda for prayer.

Father, hallowed be your name
Your kingdom come
Give us each day our daily bread
Forgive us our sins
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us
And lead us not into temptation
Luke 11:2-4

These are the big issues a healthy prayer life should be grappling with. These are the things that matter. We often call this 'The Lord's Prayer' and recite it, which is good, but it was meant for more than that. It's an agenda for prayer as we think about God, our world, and our lives. This is something we have talked about in Urban Life before, and one way of working with this agenda is to pray through it, bit by bit, bouncing off each phrase and talk to God about each one.

We can also learn about prayer in other passages of the bible. So we looked at Matthew 6. We looked at some of Paul's prayers in Philippians 1 and Ephesians 1. We looked at the early church in Acts 4. And we looked at Jesus's Parable of the Persistent Widow, where he teaches us to always be praying and never give up.

Prayer is so important for us. It is part of our relationship to God himself. It is an expression of how much we need him, and so it is really worth spending time thinking through how we approach him, and how we make space, like Jesus Christ himself did, to spend time with him.

Exactly when and where is not prescribed for us. But the need to make space in our lives to pray to our Father in Heaven, is very clear. Sometimes we do this together, praying in our meetings, praying with another as they tell us about a need, but aswell as these times, we also make space to get alone with God.

This prayer thing is not just some kind of dry rule - just a routine we have to have - no, it's really good for us. Time spent with the Father in this way, strengthens us and empowers us to go and live our lives with more joy, more peace, and more purpose. We get in line with what the Holy Spirit is doing in his world, and we bring blessing to those around us as we pray for them and with them.

Without it, we are like two friends who claim to be close but never talk, or like a couple who say they love each other but never spend any time engaging together.

I think lots of us have experienced the fact that when we do make the time after a dry spell, we come back wondering why we left it so long. And when we regularly make space in our lives for this, we are clearer, happier, more centred and better people! Honestly - it's a privilege and a source of joy to us as we connect in this way. Let's make space to pray!

Father we come to you and ask that you will keep us dependent on you.
Lord Jesus, teach us to pray.
Spirit fill us and guide our prayers. May we always be ready to turn to you as a natural instinct as we face all that comes our way each day, and live it all for you.

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Remembrance Day... to end all wars

11/11/2014

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Value #4: Working for city renewal

9/11/2014

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As residents of our city, we want to work to redress injustice, pursue reconciliation, and welcome the marginalised.
We celebrate the diversity of culture in our local contexts while recognising the need for gospel renewal.
We encourage one another to glorify God and serve others through the workplace, business, community projects, government and artistic endeavour.

What attitude should we have to our city, to our culture? This is a question the church has often grappled with. Sometimes Christians have said - 'stay apart from it all, stay separate, so that you can keep your identity'. Others in society would say - 'come and join in, don't be any different, give up your identity'. But its interesting that in the bible, when the prophet Jeremiah was talking to people in a similar sort of situation, he basically said - 'join in, get involved, and yet keep your identity as the people of God.'

4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah ch29 v4-9

A guy called Tim Keller has written a lot about this and makes these points above. As shown in those writings of Jeremiah, these people of Israel, now living in Babylon, were trying to figure out how they should live. And the three scenarios above were discussed. But Jeremiah was clear that God wanted them to be positively involved in life there, while maintaining their identity.

We can see it in the life of the Old Testament character Daniel, aswell. As in Jeremiah's case, he was looking at life in a country where his values were not shared, and where, at times, there was great hostility to his beliefs and practices. And yet, he became determined that the right thing to do was serve and bless the new place. Daniel served but remained clearly as a follower of the Lord, known to be praying three times a day, and known, along with his friends, to serve the Lord first and foremost above all others (including the king). They almost lost their lives over these things, but in the end became recognised and respected all the more for their clear convictions.

Of course, not everyone was involved in the leadership of the country as Daniel and his friends were. But whatever the situation they found themselves in, the people were to be engaged and take a positive attitude to the city, while still being clear in their faith. This is what we want to do and it may be worked out in all kinds of ways, whether in the workplace, in our leisure time, through business, the arts, education, community collaborations, or simply neighbourly kindness. We are seeking to serve others and be a positive influence.

We want to do what we can for the place we live in. We love Derby. We love the people. We love its rich heritage and cultural diversity. We also see its brokenness and so want to bring healing, hope and light that Jesus Christ can bring, into dark and difficult situations. We want to bless this city in doing what we can to make life here fairer for all, more comfortable for all, battling injustice and poverty and standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Sometimes that will involve challenging situations and people. But we act out of a desire to love, serve and see people and places renewed.

We are seeking to bless, not tear down. Seeking to love, not hate. Seeking to encourage, not discourage. Seeking to bring peace not conflict. Seeking to bring forgiveness not shame. Seeking to bring hope not despair. Seeking to bring life, not death.

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Value #7: Being shaped by the Bible

Value #6: Serving together using our gifts

Coffee with God - Bill Hybels

Value #5: Praying wherever and whenever we can

Remembrance Day... to end all wars

Value #4: Working for city renewal

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