Written By
jeff lucas SEP/OCT 2012
y a D y Ever
Your Church Needs YOU! Copyright Š CWR 2012 Published 2012 by CWR, Waverley Abbey House, Waverley Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 8EP, UK Tel: 01252 784700 Email: mail@cwr.org.uk Registered Charity No. 294387 Registered Limited Company No. 1990308 Front cover image: CWR Concept development, editing, design and production by CWR. Printed in England by Linney Print. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of CWR. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version (Anglicised edition), copyright Š 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica (formerly International Bible Society).
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how to get the best out of life every day HERE ARE A FEW SUGGESTIONS:
• Ideally, carve out a regular time and place each day,
with as few distractions as possible. Ask God what He has to say to you. • Read the Bible passages suggested in the ‘Big Picture’
references. (As tempting as it is, try not to skip the Bible reading and get straight into the notes.) • The ‘Focus’ reference then gives you one or two
verses to look at in more detail. Consider what the reading is saying to you and what challenges that may bring. • Each day’s comments are part of an overall theme.
Try to recall what you read the previous day so that you maintain a sense of continuity. • Spend time thinking about how to apply what God
has said to you. Ask Him to help you do this. • Pray the prayer at the end as if it were your own.
Perhaps add your own prayer in response to what you have read and been thinking about. Join in the conversation on Facebook for further comments on the notes: www.facebook.com/jefflucasuk
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01/02 SEP
of
Ephesians 2:11–22 // 1 Corinthians 12:12–31
Stop attending church Sounds like heresy, doesn’t it? Stop attending church. I haven’t joined the ranks of those who say being part of a church doesn’t matter – on the contrary. Three decades after becoming a Christian, I am more convinced than ever that we only fulfil God’s purposes for our lives as we do so together. But there is a problem, especially in our consumer culture: we can be tempted to attend church rather than be joined to it as committed, functioning members of the Body of Christ. We become spectators who turn up for the religious show rather than servants who work together. We view church as something that exists for us, rather than as a dynamic beacon community created for mission. And we don’t stay long – someone offends us or the music is not to our taste, and we move on. Never really connected, we are just casual consumers. At the start of our time together, let’s ask – are we connected, or just attenders? Of course, if you’re just beginning involvement at a new church, a time of assimilation and integration is vital. But there comes a time to jump in and commit.
We become spectators …
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To ponder: What might be some markers which indicate that we really are joined together in our church, rather than being those who just attend?
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MON 03 SEP
Jesus loves the Church, and has given Himself for her. She’s His bride. It’s important to affirm that early in our journey, because too often we can take cheap shots at the Church, and be dismissive of her, rather than cherishing the privilege of being named among the people of God. But that doesn’t mean that we should be uncritical of ourselves. I’ve realised why it is that the Church thrills me, bores me, fills me in turn with hope and despair, BIG PICTURE makes me laugh out loud with gratitude when I see her at Ephesians 5:25–32 her best, and sometimes keeps me awake at night when Revelation 19:1–10 she does her worst. It’s because I love her. Only what we love has the capacity to break our hearts. If we didn’t Focus ‘Let us rejoice and be glad care, we wouldn’t react. and give him the glory! When we point out the weaknesses of the Church, For the wedding of the we should check our motives – are we speaking out of lamb has come, and his genuine love and concern for Christ’s bride? Or are we bride has made herself ready.’ (Rev. 19:7) just working off some personal angst or anger? And then, we must ensure that we realise we are not set apart from the Church’s problems – we are bound to be one of them, in some form, at some time. When we point fingers at others, we become arrogant and accusatory. Each of us contributes to the strengths of the local churches we belong to; each of us contributes to those churches’ weaknesses. And these local churches, together, contribute to the bride’s glories and failings. Realising that we are as much a part of the problem as we are of any solution must make us more merciful towards those around who seem, to us, to be a greater part of the problem!
Jesus loves the Church
Prayer: Help me to know what strengths I can bring to Your Church, Lord. And help me to find grace to grow in my areas of weakness. Amen.
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My DIY skills are limited. Scratch that. They are nonexistent. Whenever I try to do any repairs or maintenance around the home, our family moves into urgent intercessory prayer. My work comes with a guarantee: it won’t last. Shelves will collapse. ‘Fixed’ doors will fall off. And you don’t even want to know about the day when I tried to repair a toilet ... The Church is the only human entity that Jesus has specifically determined to build. That means that the Church lives under a promise that Dyson, Hotpoint and British Aerospace cannot make: Jesus has committed Himself to the construction. But the promise carries a challenge. If that is so, why is the Church often so stuck in mindless traditionalism, irrelevant conversation, and so preoccupied with trivialities? If God is the builder, then why is it that sometimes the Church looks more like a demolition site than a beautiful edifice? Is the builder at fault? Surely the problem lies with the materials that are being used for the project that is the Church – and those materials are flawed, bent out of shape bricks like us. Years ago, a clever little book called Building with Bananas talked about the problems of building strong churches. It highlighted the challenge that any builder would have when trying to create a construction made out of such irregular shapes. So next time the Church frustrates us, let’s remember that it’s made of bananas, not bricks – and that we are bananas too – some of us in more ways than one! Prayer: Lord, thank You that You love the Church, and You are committed to building her up. May I be useful material in Your hands as You build. Amen.
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TUES 04 SEP
Building with bananas
BIG PICTURE
Matthew 16:13–20 Ephesians 2:1–22 Focus
‘And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.’ (Matt. 16:18)
… we are bananas too …
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WED 05 SEP
Called to be with Jesus
BIG PICTURE
Mark 3:13–19 Matthew 28:16–20 Focus
‘He appointed twelve that they might be with him …’ (Mark 3:14)
… go where the Lord is going …
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How can we sum up the essence of the Church in just one sentence? How about: a community called together to be with Jesus. As the Lord carefully selected those who would form the nucleus of His team, they were called to be a proclaiming people who had authority even over the powers of darkness – all of which we’ll consider in the next couple of days. But don’t rush to the tasks of the Church, and miss out on the relationship that the Church is called to walk in daily with Christ. Our experience of being with Him is totally different from that of those disciples who spent their days listening, questioning and crying together. Ours is a walk of faith. But the call is the same. The Church is called to go where the Lord is going, to listen when He is speaking, to respond when He brings rebuke, and to participate in the things that He is doing. It is not to take over the reins of the mission – that’s where the Church has failed in history, when she tries to insist that God blesses her ideas. How are we with Him? Isn’t it true that we walk the pathway of Christ together, when we stand shoulder to shoulder and sing our songs? It happens when we join our voices in liturgy, huddle together in prayer, or launch out into a new project that we sense He is bringing together, responding in sacrifice and faith. It must have been wonderful – and often terrifying – to walk in the actual dust of His sandals, hear His voice, and see Him at work. But nevertheless the call is the same: to be His people, walking with Him. Prayer: Lord, presence Yourself in the midst of what I call my church. And help me to remember that it is actually Your church. Amen.
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29/30 SEP 1 Corinthians 2:1–5 // 1 Timothy 4:13
How to hear a good sermon It’s a statement that is often made by people disgruntled with their churches: ‘I’m not being fed.’ When people feel that the preacher is not interesting, practical, theoretical, entertaining, inspiring or deep (although so-called ‘deep’ preaching sometimes means people don’t understand a word) then the ‘being fed’ comment does the rounds. While we need to be part of churches with sound, applicable and practical preaching and teaching, let’s realise that the Sunday morning sermon is not designed to be our exclusive spiritual diet. The only people who need to be ‘fed’ are those who are unable to feed themselves – not those who are too lazy to do so. The sermon is not designed to be an entertainment that confirms us in our beliefs. It should confront, irritate, move and at times shatter our false ideas, as truth collides with error or exposes sin. It should drive us to the Bible or to our knees. It should not end our search for truth but activate it. Let’s listen to preaching with open minds and a willingness to change, allowing those who preach to get under our skin – to where our hearts are.
... truth collides with error …
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To ponder: What is ‘good’ preaching?
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Wander I Was Just
Jeff Lucas often describes himself as a Mr Bean of the Christian faith. He has more than his fair share of embarrassing mishaps and laugh out loud episodes. In his latest book, I Was Just Wandering, there’s plenty to entertain and amuse but, in the midst of the laughter and tears, there’s a lot to kick-start the heart and mind as well. In this honest, warm book, Jeff describes the day he lost his faith. And the moment he realised he was suffering from spiritual dementia. He has instruction for Christians on how to have a fair fight, and shares the day when a bouncer wouldn’t allow
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him access – to a cathedral. All this, plus a chat with a heavily tattooed ex-Christian, the dangers of becoming computer savvy, and the encounter with Gary, who befriended the man who killed his son. There’s some straightforward talk about healing and suffering, as well as some very straight talk on our theories about the second coming. We’ll also consider the stunning effects when simple kindness is shown – kindness can be a force for revolution. And then there’s the day when Jeff discovered an old document which unlocked so many secrets about his father’s past, and he discovered that his dad was an unsung war hero.
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Lucas on life …
ering I Was Just Wandering will help us to realise that we Christians all have thoughts and struggles that can taunt and torment, but will offer relief, and let us know that we’re not alone in our struggles.
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I Was Just Wandering by Jeff Lucas ISBN: 978-1-85345-850-7 £8.99 Available October 2012
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