Rest

August is what we hope as a leadership at X1 will be 'rest' month.
We are seeking to pull back a number of things in order to know somewhat more of a restful season because, firstly, it is very good for us, and, secondly, it will hopefully enable us to be full of energy to move forward with renewed vigour and focus in the ministry life of X1 as the summer ends.
We as the LJ family are really going to try and make this work for ourselves and I am sincerely hopeful that, even as we still offer ministry and celebration times together as a church this summer, many of the X1ers will find time to enter "sabbath," the rest of God.

I pulled out an old quote from Eugene Peterson's, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places and some thoughts upon that to reinforce the idea, and importance, of rest:

"Most of us have a difficult time understanding history with God as the major and definitive presence. We have grown up getting our sense of history from so-called historians, scholars, and journalists for whom God is not germane or present in what they study and write. We are thoroughly trained by our schools, daily papers, and telecasts to read history solely in terms of politics and economics, human interest and environmental conditions, military operations and diplomatic intrigue. If we have a mind for it, we can go ahead and fit God in somewhere or other. But the biblical writers do it the other way around; they fit us into the history in which God is the primary reality."- Eugene Peterson

One of the things most 'reassuring' in the above insight by Peterson is the reminder he gives that God is fully at work in our every-day run of the mill lives. God does not need to work distinct from our reality He loves to be fully alive in us as we do whatever we do for most of the day.
The powerful words I have quoted above are a poignant challenge to not only secular society, but to Christians who are being won over by the views of said secular society.
Here is the call folks: If we are immersed in the information overload offered by those who will not include God (and I assure you He is not awaiting an invitation He is everywhere present) we will lose sight of God for ourselves.

Peterson calls believers to return the notion of sabbath, to rest in awe and wonder at the person of God and His work in creation. We must remove ourselves from 'history' sometimes and look fully and humbly at all that God is and has done. When we do not do this, when we do not stop and wonder, we will lose our connection to God, we will forget Him and be defined by secularity.

His word, silent meditation, and getting away to a place where we are confronted by the naked beauty of God's creation shouting forth the glory of God are all means of seeing God again, feeling Him, loving Him, dreaming Him, knowing Him and above all worshiping Him.
Please let us not be defined by those who for now have removed God from 'history' because at the end of this season of 'history' they too will bow the knee and confess that "Jesus is King" and it is actually His Story after all!

Simon

As we REALLY should be.

Surely the role of a church leader must be to orchestrate, to guide, to lovingly lead a people who as a whole reflect the life and love of Jesus -simple hey? NOT! It is obviously lifelong, perhaps even unattainable in this life, but, that said, it is our goal. It is certainly my goal.
There are obviously a myriad of things that hinder such 'reflection' (this is a pivotal idea/word for the Theological Aesthetics that I believe is becoming the essential Theological stance I am drawn to take - Led there primarily by Jonathan Edwards and Hans Urs von Balthasar).
One major hindrance is what I will term 'absorption'. It is really a term to denote the osmotic process of Christian people adapting to and living by the values and ethics of the culture in which they live. There is no malevolent ambition behind this it is simply an adapting or a giving over of the radical ethical values of New Testament Christianity to those which are far easier to live by.
One small section of scripture is perhaps sufficient to expose the ease with which 'absorption' redefines our essence as the people of God and stains or muddies our reflection of Christ.

It is from Ephesians Chapter 5 and is the third & fourth verse:

"...sexual immorality, and all uncleanness, or greediness, must not even be named among you (as is fitting for saints), and obscenity, and foolish talk, or coarse jesting..."

What Paul is here impressing upon us as a model of living would, I absolutely assure you, be laughed down and cast out as a model of life for the majority of believers whom I lead and with whom I interact. Hey let me say it more effectively: it is a model of life I, yes 'Pastor' me, would say is not REALLY one by which we are meant to live today. I've said from our pulpit that I am stunned at some of the DVDs in the collections of X1ers; John Piper, speaking to aspiring Pastors, highlights that he could never ever watch many of the films those listening to him speak would consider entertainment.

Challenging?
I know!

Absorption has certainly drawn me away from the biblical model of life. It is the power of the Spirit, not renewed striving that will draw me - any of us - back to that lifestyle which Paul intimates here.

Simon

Non-Minced Words from Spurgeon to Hearers & Preachers

I've literally known people leave X1 - I've certainly had people call me up saying I was condemning them - through feeling what I had preached was an attack on them or their behaviour. I personally find this remarkably arrogant to feel that someone has crafted a whole sermon - the hours of labour and prayer it involves - simply to use it as an opportunity to 'single someone out'. If preachers are doing that then they should stop and they of course will meet an exceedingly righteous judge and one whom will put them straight. It is of course, by the way, precisely the role of preaching to "cut to the heart" but that is maybe a little too biblical to digest.

Anyways, while preparing for this week's message at X1 I came across Charles Haddon Spurgeon's inimitable, majestic way of saying what a preacher needs to say about his sermons (if of course the sermons are any good and in fact are NOT crafted to please the listeners and draw the crowds - some teachers give in to that temptation I assure you)

"Please remember that it is not my objective to extol doctrine that is the most popular or most palatable, nor do I desire to set forth the views of any one individual. My one aim is to give what I judge to be the meaning of the text. I probably deliver doctrinal principles that many of you may not like. Truly, I would not be at all surprised if you did not like it. Even if you become vexed and angry, I will not be at all alarmed, because I have never believed that I was commissioned to teach what would please my readers or that I was expected by sensible and gracious people to shape my views to suit the notions of my audience. I count myself responsive to God and to the text. If I explain the meaning of the text, I believe that I will give the mind of God and will be likely to have His favor, which will be sufficient for me–whoever may contradict me. However, let every candid mind be willing to receive the truth if what I am expressing is clearly in the inspired Word."

- C.H. Spurgeon

God's word is a two-edged sword able to cut to the very depths of human being. A preachers aim is to wield it with boldness, incisiveness, and transforming effectiveness.

Simon

Grace Tasters

This Sunday I have the great pleasure of preaching one of the sermons in our series Town Takers. It feels like forever since I preached; it isn't but when you always want to do it every extended period when one doesn't get a chance can feel an age. It is critical for our church and for the ongoing development of the brilliant guys brought here to us at X1 that others get to preach (or learn to preach, or teach - long discussion!).

I am preaching on Grace with this fundamental premise: Grace Tasted is Grace Treasured is Grace Transferred. Sadly there can be a vicious disconnect between those three or between two of the the three at the very least. As part of my exhortation that Grace must be tasted I felt it helpful to expose us to the glorious articulation - the effusive overflow really - of several of my 'Giants of Faith" as they tasted grace. So without further ado, ingest these delights!
(Note Jonathan Edwards has an obligatory feature!)

"But where was my free will during all those years and from what deep and secret retreat was it called forth in a single moment, so I gave my neck to your "easy yoke" and my shoulders to your "light burden," O Christ Jesus, "my Strength and my Redeemer"? How sweet did it suddenly become to me to be without the sweetness of petty things! And it was now a joy to put away what I formerly feared to lose. For you cast them away from me, O true and highest Sweetness. You cast them away, and in their place you entered in yourself -- sweeter than all pleasure, though not to flesh and blood; brighter than all light, but more veiled than all mystery; more exalted than all honor, though not to them that are exalted in their own eyes. Now was my soul free from the gnawing cares of seeking and getting, of wallowing in the mire and scratching the itch of lust. And I talked like a child to You, O Lord my God -- my light, my riches, and my salvation." - St. Augustine

“One day as I was passing into the field, with some dashes on my conscience, fearing yet that all was not right, suddenly this sentence fell upon my soul, “Your righteousness is in heaven.” I thought I saw with the eyes of my soul Jesus Christ at God’s right hand. There was my righteousness. Wherever I was, or whatever I was doing, God could not say of me that I lacked His righteousness, for that was ever before Him. Moreover, I saw that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse, for my righteousness was Jesus Christ Himself, “the same yesterday, today, and for ever”.
“Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed. I was loosed from my afflictions and irons, my temptations also fled away.” - John Bunyan

"I remember that sort of inward, sweet delight in God and divine things that I have lived much in since, was on reading those words, I Tim. 1:17. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever, Amen. As I read the words, there came into my soul, and was as it were diffused through it, a sense of the glory of the Divine Being; a new sense, quite different from any thing I ever experienced before ... I thought with myself, how excellent a Being that was, and how happy I should be, if I might enjoy that God, and be rapt up to him in heaven, and be as it were swallowed up in him for ever! ...
From about that time, I began to have a new kind of apprehensions and ideas of Christ. and the work of redemption, and the glorious way of salvation by him. An inward, sweet sense of these things, at times, came into my heart; and my soul was led away in pleasant views and contemplations of them. ... The sense I had of divine things, would often of a sudden kindle up, as it were, a sweet burning in my heart; an ardor of soul, that I know not how to express." - Jonathan Edwards

You tasted grace, can you articulate it, does it look like you have?

Simon

Wedding Quotes

Many of the members of Christ First (and a veritable plethora of other churches to tell the truth) were involved in a truly special day this past Saturday. Two of the young 'golden nuggets' of our church became one in marriage. It was a truly special day for all, and it was very much a truly special day for me as I had the honour of sharing the wedding homily.
I quoted repeatedly from the spectacular Catholic Theologian that has been 'lifting my gaze' of late, Hans Urs von Balthasar (be prepared to see this name and the output of his voluminous & remarkable writings often here) and thought I would place those quotes in full here for any to take in or to re-take in - they're more than worth the effort!

"What is a person without a life-form, that is to say, without a form which he has chosen for his life, a form into which and through which to pour out his life, so that his life becomes the soul of the form and the form becomes the expression of his soul?"

"What could be stronger than marriage or what shapes any particular life-form more profoundly then does marriage? Marriage is only true to itself if it is a kind of bracket that both transcends and contains all an individual's cravings to 'break out' of its bonds and to assert himself. Marriage is that indissoluble reality which confronts with an iron hand all existence's tendencies to disintegrate, and it compels the faltering person to grow, beyond himself, into real love by modelling his life on the form enjoined. When they make their promises, the spouses are not relying on themselves - the shifting songs of their own freedom - but rather on the form that chooses them because they have chosen it, the form to which they have committed themselves in their act as persons."

"If beauty is conceived of transcendentally, then its definition must be derived from God himself. Furthermore, what we know to be most proper to God -- his self-revelation in history & in the Incarnation --- must now become for us the very apex of & archetype of beauty in the world, whether men see it or not."

Chew, ruminate, be joyfully confronted that you do not understand all he's saying - he is talking about mysterious wonderful things is he not?

Simon

100% and 100% = 100%

We had a brilliant discussion at our X1 Explore group last night (check out more about Explore groups here). We met in the home of two single men (pre-legends I may say) who hosted excellently and one of them leading on the evening asked this, deliberately difficult, question, "In living life for Christ, who's responsibility is it to obey, God's or ours?" The response, the ensuing confusion, dare I say the apparent tension proved it's effect! (Questions can be hard, and can force us to have to REALLY think, it's not a sin!)

For many the conclusion was, "It's 50-50. 50% God and 50% us." Wrong! It's All God all us! It's 100% God and a 100% us. It is a delightful insight first highlighted to me by the ever-remarkable Jonathan Edwards and, fortunately, an insight profiled by John Piper on Twitter on July 4th for his invite to Desiring God's Upcoming Conference, "Act the Miracle" (See link here).

Here is Piper quoting directly from Edwards

"We are not merely passive in [efficacious grace], nor yet does God do some and we do the rest, but God does all and we do all. God produces all and we act all. For that is what he produces, our own acts. God is the only proper author and fountain; we only are the proper actors. We are in different respects wholly passive and wholly active.

So God is said to convert [2 Timothy 2:25], and men are said to convert [Luke 11:32], or turn. God makes a new heart [Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26], and we are commanded to make us a new heart [Ezekiel 18:31]. God circumcises the heart [Deuteronomy 30:6], and we are commanded to circumcise [our hearts, (Deuteronomy 10:16)]. Not merely because we must use the means in order to the effect, but the effect itself is our act and our duty." (Writings on The Trinity, Grace, and Faith, WJE Online Vol. 21, 251.)

Thus Edwards exhorts us:

"I would earnestly exhort those who hear me, to make to themselves a pure heart (James 4:8). Though it be God's work to purify the heart [Psalm 51:2], yet the actual, or rather the active, procuring of it is your act. . .

We must not think to excuse ourselves by saying that it is God's work, that we cannot purify our own hearts; for though it be God's work in one sense, yet it is equally our work in another; James 4:8, "Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded."

If you do not engage in this work yourselves, and purify your own hearts, they will never be pure. If you do not get a pure heart, the blame of it will be laid to your own backwardness." (Sermons and Discourses, 1730-33, WJE Online Vol. 17, 85)

Even John Piper on his brief commentary for these words of Edwards for the invite notes that this is what? Yip, paradox!

Do ALL you can to obey God, He'll do His bit I assure you!

Simon

Be Provocative about our Joy

Last night we shared a simply brilliant evening as an Explore group (our name for small groups in X1). The intimacy and unity we shared as 12 people was sublime. At X1 we push this area of church community almost relentlessly - sadly it flies in the face of both a consumerist and individualistic mindset so the message is ignored in many quarters - because of moments like last night. Sunday mornings and just having dinner with one other or another couple you "like" do not offer what we shared last night.

We're going through the X1:01 content as a group; content we are hoping as a leadership will introduce people to X1's ethos, vision, mission, and philosophy of ministry. Some of it is purposefully provocative and a brief paragraph in last night's topic, "How Can I Live for Jesus?" was precisely that. Here it is:

"It is critical that a new believer who has recently come to faith in Christ understands that this is life as humanity was intended to live. Jesus promised that He came to grant abundant life to his followers. He stated that rivers of living water would flow within them. He also declared that as we live a life of obedience, inspired by the wonderful intimacy with God that is ours as a Christian, He would abide with us and cause us to live a fruitful, joy-filled life."

Why is this paragraph even in X1:01? Well it is there for three reasons really

1) Joy-filled, abundant-life faith is the sole message of Christ regarding his followers.
2) Sadly few believers are portraying this reality. I think this is primarily due to the contemporary Christian misinterpretation of the context of joy. We think it should be my devoid of sorrow, pain & suffering but the biblical picture is that it is joy in the midst of sorrow, pain & suffering.
3) Joy is contagious, freeing and powerfully evangelistic.

So, what does your 'living for Jesus' look like? You may retort that I do not know the pain which you suffer, to which I simply allow the author of Hebrews speak, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, for the joy that was set before him endured the cross ..." (Hebrews 12:2) Speaks powerfully.

A Little More on 'Paradox'

This past Sunday while taking time to speak to the people of X1 after a week filled with the sorrow, awakening, and reality of one of our dear saints I felt it necessary to attack a heresy that I feel plagues contemporary Christianity.

I quoted one of my fantastic professors from the University of Nottingham called Conor Cunningham - a man I stated has "a mind the size of Nottingham", one of those individuals whom you encounter at an intellectual level and have to use the words of Wayne and Garth (Wayne's World), "You big, me small!" - who noted that, "All heresy is birthed from an inability to live with paradox."

One of the legends at our church felt it necessary to ask me to further explain paradox after the sermon. So here's a quick help for all I hope.

The definition of Paradox is thus: A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
The primary paradoxes of the Christian faith are Christological (fully God, fully man in one being) or Trinitarian (Three persons in one) and the major heresies in Christian history are offshoots of these two - there are of course many more.
But the heresy I was highlighting is that of a demand for the "yet to be realised" promises of glory for Christian saints to be absolutely necessary and realised in our everyday life now.
This comes from an inability to live with the paradox of the "now and not yet" (this may not in fact strictly be a paradox by definition but I considered it one for the sake of the message) reality of life as followers of Jesus today.

The context was that the godliest among us suffer and die, those most worthy of long life die at a young age, those most unworthy of death are those attacked by this venomous foe with complete effect in a totally untimely manner.
We must live with paradox. O yes, and we must be those willing enough to live with it that we shout down the pathetic heresies that may be mouthed by those nearest to us who have bought into some quasi-truth without measuring it against the absolute truth of biblical revelation.

Simon

Refreshing Romans 14

Just been reading the truly refreshing Romans 14 asset of my McCheyne reading plan provided brilliantly for me via the youversion app (try it it's excellent). I say "refreshing" as I received again from Paul the singular ethic of Christian living - Faith through love.
Our tendency to legalism is endemic within the church. We had Steve Goss of Freedom in Christ UK speak to us on Sunday morning at X1 and his message of grace drawn from the eternally significant parable of the Prodigal Son was a helpful dose of biblical truth against legalism's constant presence. Romans 14 obviously cuts across the inherent legalism of the apostle Paul's own time but, as is so often the case with God's divine word to us, an ever-fresh and powerful antidote to our own legalism.
I've encountered, and sadly embraced, more forms of legalism than I can remember in my 17 years as a born again believer and have been strongly advised to embrace and enforce others in my almost 3 years of Lead Eldership here at X1. Then I read these words, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit," and these, "I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died." (Vss. 17 & 14,15)
Love is the paradigm. All is clean but out of love I may need to refrain. Let's enforce righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit as our new 'legalism!' You must have joy in God, you must have the peace that surpasses understanding! That would be truly refreshing. Legalists are not happy and live without peace cause they can never be certain they've done enough or even whether their version of legalism is actually the one that's right.
Romans 14 - refreshing!
Simon

A God Weekend

One of those great weekends this one. A weekend where the preeminence of God as the centre of life was evident in the schedule. Saturday morning was spent at our second men of Watford event, now bearing the name ManUp at the Wellspring home of Watford Community Church. We had the first of these events in March with 30 men and three churches. This time? 55 men and 11 churches represented! I can honestly say that my heart was racing to be a part of something where the Kingdom men of Watford were gathered for inspiration and equipping to love and serve this town. Rev Tim Roberts shared a brilliant message on Kingdom Men: Lip service or Life service, well done guys.

Sunday was one of our X1:AM X1:PM Sundays where the people of X1 gathered morning and evening for corporate celebration of our glorious saving God. What a treasure to take our new young man to be immersed in the people of God. For him to take in the wonder of a worshiping people, for him to know he'll not be raised by individualistic parents but by a community of God's people. Struggled to get him back from all the loving , embracing arms but we managed. One of our young guys shared a brilliant gospel message on the "Living Hope" that is in Christ. Dear friends of ours whom we have enjoyed fellowship and closeness with over the last 2 1/2 years in Watford were with us, they do not know the Lord but have been on somewhat of a spiritual journey and just walked into the cinema as a family much to our delight. They loved it - heck yeah!

Our evening X1:PM was simply special. The Spirit of God was just having his way with his children and there was a lot of joy and fire in the room. Love these times together and again am so delighted to see the young men in our midst leading out in this and flexing their Godly leadership skills. Keep it up dudes. Preached on Daniel An Undiluted Worshiper and basically went all out to say to our young people that is okay to be accused of loving Jesus too much, to be known as a Jesus Freak, to be giving too much, to be at church too much, to be overly devoted to the Person and mission of Christ, to serve the church until their hands are bleeding cause NOW as young adults is the only time they may have time to give it their all.

Good weekend, God weekend. Enter in people of God give all you can to the mission of Christ you'll never regret it!