THE MAGAZINE OF THE
MESS AGE | 8 ISSUE 24 SPRING 201
Ready to go again Countless opportunities for you to get involved in our most exciting season of expansion yet
INSIDE In pictures
Message Conference highlights
Looking for Eden Gavin and Jem Hicks, missionaries in the West Midlands
Teaching
From Danielle Strickland, Sam Ward and Andy Hawthorne
PLUS The Tribe Reunion • Advance 2020 • Praying for Greater Manchester • Launching Germany
ANDY’S RANT
‘The unchanging gospel’ Dear friends, At the end of last year, a post popped up on my Facebook feed of a Channel 4 programme that was broadcast around 25 years ago on Christmas Day. It was of our Planet Life Christmas Special from St Mary’s Church in Cheadle with the World Wide Message Tribe, as hundreds of young people gathered to relevantly hear the good news. Not only was I reminded of what I used to look like with hair but I was honestly blown away by how faithful God has been over the last 25 years as we have worked at knowing him and making him known. Over those years we have been able to reach literally millions of people, seen millions of pounds poured out into God’s work and raised up an army of faithful people who are determined to go and keep going with that same heart represented at that event in Cheadle. The music may have changed, the fashions may have changed (and I’m sure some of you will be thankful for that!) but the same gospel is still able to change the hardest heart and bring hope to the most desperate situation. Thanks so much for your partnership in all of this. As you pray for us, you really are our greatest resource. God bless,
Founder & CEO The Message Trust
P.S. This edition of Flow magazine is packed full of opportunities for you to get involved and play your part in our most exciting season of growth yet. Don’t miss out! The Message Trust is a registered data user and only uses personal data in connection with its charitable purposes. Registered Office: Lancaster House, Lancaster Campus, Harper Road, Sharston, Manchester, M22 4RG. The Message Trust is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales No. 3961183 Registered Charity No. 1081467 VAT Registration No. GB 727 177616
IN THIS ISSUE
16 Looking for Eden
Gavin and Jem Hicks share their journey to Eden in Walsall, West Midlands
04 Higher Manchester 2017 Introducing hundreds of
Editor Simon Baker Associate Editor Ian Rowbottom
Design & Illustration Simon Baker Hannah Beatrice Owens Bethan Wilson Matthew Varah Wilson
young people to Jesus
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09 In Pictures
Picture Editor Hannah Beatrice Owens
Launching Higher in South Wales
Additional Photography Rachael Silvester Contributors Carl Beech Deborah Frawley Andy Hawthorne Emily Shore Danielle Strickland Sam Ward
12 Advance 2020 09
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Giving E: giving@message.org.uk T: Tom Kinsey 0161 946 2328
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The paper used for Flow is manufactured using pulp sourced from sustainable sources from within Europe. It is 100% TCF (Totally Chlorine Free) and is manufactured to ISO14001 standards.
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the power of choosing to see things differently
23 Beautifully compatible Sam Ward on being
Flow Magazine The Message Trust Lancaster House Harper Road Sharston Manchester M22 4RG www.message.org.uk/flow
OUR COMMITMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENT
Announcing a year of passionate evangelism
20 Kingdom goggles Danielle Strickland on
Subscription & Supporter Enquiries E: info@message.org.uk T: 0161 946 2300
Contact E: flow@message.org.uk T: 0161 946 2300
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both salt and light
31 Firing the starting pistol A note from Carl Beech 3
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BIG PICTURE
Responding to the gospel: 543 young people made a first-time
decision to follow Jesus during Higher Manchester in November 2017. Here, Warren Weber and Samantha Jabangwe meet with young people who have responded to the gospel to pray with them and help them get connected to a local church.
NEWS
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IN PICTURES
The Message Conference 2017 17–18 November, Victoria Warehouse, Manchester
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‘The Message Conference was a highlight of my whole year. It was great to hear testimonies of lives changed by Jesus through the work and witness of The Message Trust.’ CONFERENCE GUEST
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Prayer Storm’s James Aladiran delivers a seminar Conference guests being commissioned afresh for mission SoulBox’s Ben Davies defying gravity at the Higher event Sven and Maria Wenzel sharing their passion for Germany Matt Redman leading passionate worship Clarissa from Amongst Wolves performing to hundreds of Manchester’s young people Mission at the heart: the highlight of the weekend was seeing hundreds of young people meet Jesus for the first time
Kariss Rees from Amongst Wolves shares a story from the Higher Manchester 2017 schools tour After the last lesson of the day, a year-7 girl came and asked if she could chat to me. She was teary-eyed and looked like she needed to offload. She began to ask questions about how I had stopped self-harming. I began to realise she was using self-harm as a coping mechanism for other issues, and, after talking for a bit longer, she began to tell me how she’s been struggling to connect with her father. As she told me about how she’d recently been to the doctor’s and had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, she broke down crying. Along with a
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wellbeing teacher, I tried to comfort her in the midst of her fragile situation. She then told us how she was taken away from her mother at a young age. My personal story and our lesson exploring the Christian perspective of identity really hit home with her. We continued to encourage her for her bravery, and I felt an urge from God to ask her to hand over the blades she used to self-harm. She had them in her bag. It was clearly a big moment for her, but I reassured her and she understood this was on her terms. Something in
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her expression showed she didn’t want to leave the room without a breakthrough. I asked her about her faith and she said she’s unsure if she believes in God but believes there’s ‘something’ there. I kept speaking positive, life-giving and encouraging words to her and gave her two free tickets for our gig that Friday evening. Then, she willingly handed over the scissors she was using to self-harm. Not only that, but she and her friend came to the gig and they both chose to give their lives to Jesus!
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‘She didn’t want to leave the room without a breakthrough’
NEWS
The Message launches in Germany Sven and Maria Wenzel are the latest addition to The Message’s international team. Based in the town of Annaberg-Buchholz in the south-east of Germany, they’ll be working to bring gospel-centred creative mission and community transformation to the region.
‘We’re starting to see an awakening in the youth of our nation,’ says Sven. ‘There’s a hunger and a great longing for the abundant life that only God can give, and we want to respond to God’s call to be workers in his harvest.’ Since 2006, Sven and Maria have been involved in Jugendfestival, an annual music festival which has shared the gospel with thousands of young people to date. In recent years the event has featured both Galactus Jack and Twelve24. Along with creative mission, Sven and Maria are passionate about seeing communities transformed from the inside out by the gospel. ‘It’s inspiring to see the impact Eden has had in the UK, South Africa and Canada,’ says Maria. ‘In East Germany, too, we want to move into difficult residential areas and help young people to turn their lives around.’
‘I’m convinced that the time is right to launch our first European hub,’ says Andy Hawthorne, our Founder and CEO. ‘I am also thrilled that Sven and Maria have been called to lead this new work in Germany and can’t wait to see the fruit that Jesus brings through it in years to come.’ By 2020, plans are in place to have launched multiple Eden teams and to have deployed an Eden Bus to bring the gospel to the places it’s needed the most, while also establishing Advance groups to connect and equip evangelists and sharing the gospel with thousands more through continued Jugendfestivals. For Sven and Maria, it’s all about their passion for Christ. ‘The Bible tells us that Jesus came into this world to seek and save what is lost. We want to follow him and see how this word becomes reality in Germany.’
To find out more about Sven, Maria and our work in Germany, visit message.org.uk/germany and messagedeutschland.de. 8
IN PICTURES
Launching Higher in South Wales
24 November 2017, St David’s Hall, Cardiff 01
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Luis Palau shares his passion for the gospel St David’s Hall packed full of Christians excited about Higher South Wales 2018 Local churches gather together to worship and pray Nick Shahlavi performs with Vital Signs Gary Smith, Director of Message Wales, and Kariss from Amongst Wolves meet young people excited to get involved
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NEWS
Restoring furniture at the Message Enterprise Centre The MEC is working in partnership with Barnabus – a Manchester homeless charity – to upcycle furniture through its shop ReNu. ‘Barnabus has been providing life-changing support to the homeless of Manchester for over 25 years with an ethos of giving people a hand-up into independent living. ReNu is one of their key initiatives. It’s all about restoring furniture and restoring people, giving the homeless a chance to upcycle furniture and sell it on – and putting every penny made back into the project. ‘ReNu is now set alongside the other Message businesses who are staffed by ex-offenders and those who have been suffering addictions but are now in 10
recovery and walking with Jesus,’ says Neil Cornthwaite, Head of Operations for Barnabus. ‘We believe this venue will provide an environment that will inspire our friends to move forward away from the streets when they see people who have made that journey and are now employed around them.’ ‘We are so pleased to be partnering with Barnabus and ReNu, and they’re a great addition to the services provided at the MEC,’ says Sam Hawthorne, MEC Business Development Manager. ‘We are proud to have them as a part of The Message family and look forward to continue to support and champion their work.’ If you’re local, swing by the Message Enterprise Centre (M22 4RG), or you can visit renu-barnabus.com to get your hands on some beautifully upcycled furniture.
NEWS
A new season of united passionate prayer for Greater Manchester The Message, in partnership with churches from across Manchester, is launching regular prayer events to see the body of Christ grow in unity and passion for mission. ‘It’s often said that there’s never been a significant move of God that hasn’t been fuelled by united prayer,’ says Andy Hawthorne. ‘One of my favourite events of 2017 was a united church prayer event we organised in September, specifically to pray for Higher Manchester, and I know the remarkable stories of salvation from that mission were the result of us gathering together regularly to cry out to God for his will to be done across the city.’
Thanks to a generous grant from one of our supporters, we’ve been able to refurbish Manchester’s Mess Café with all new furniture and a re-equipped kitchen. We’ve also been upgrading and launching a brand-new menu – with a full selection of breakfasts, burgers, burritos, home-made sandwiches and toasties. Join us for our launch event at 7.30pm on Friday 2 March 2018 with live acoustic music, a chance to sample our menus and a free coffee bar. Find us on Facebook to find out more. VISIT: THE MESS CAFÉ, MANCHESTER, M22 4RG FOLLOW: @THEMESSCAFE 0161 946 9496 • THEMESSMANCHESTER.CO.UK * Exclusions apply. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.
Join The Message and Christians from across Manchester at Lighthouse Church in Eccles at 7.30pm on Thursday 15 March, Thursday 19 July and Thursday 22 November 2018. Find out more at message.org.uk.
T ER GE KS FF D IN * O AN DR 018 L GE T Y 2 IA PA E HO AR EC HIS ON RU SP W T OR- FEB O -F G SH O RIN TW DU
A new look for The Mess in Manchester
Praying for Higher Manchester in September 2017
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Announcing Advance 2020
in partnership with Luis Palau Association, Evangelical Alliance and Hope Since 2015, groups of preaching evangelists have been gathering together through the Advance movement to encourage and strengthen one another. What started with 12 men has grown to around 250 men and women in multiple nations across the globe, and now we’re excited to announce plans for the year 2020. In partnership with other ministries we’re calling for a year of bold gospel proclamation across the UK, where more than 1,000 evangelists will go all-out to preach the gospel at every opportunity.
‘When I look back over the story of The Message, there are many key moments where God blessed us with innovation that led to explosive growth,’ says Andy Hawthorne. ‘For example, the launch of our first Eden team in 1997, or the opening of the Message Enterprise Centre in 2011. ‘I really believe that what God is going to do through Advance 2020 will be another one of those moments – where we see remarkable, Spirit-filled acceleration of mission throughout our nation. I’m honoured to be partnering with our great friends at the Luis Palau Association, Evangelical Alliance, Hope and others to see this become a reality.’ 12
12 October 2019 will see an Advance Summit event, where everyone involved in the 2020 mission will gather to be inspired, equipped and commissioned for the year. And we’re working on a brand-new website and other resources to help promote and support Advance 2020 – follow us on social media to be the first to know when it’s launched. ‘Now is the time for you to play your part,’ says Ben Jack, who heads up Advance. ‘If you’re passionate about seeing the gospel transform lives, joining an Advance group will help you grow in confidence sharing your faith with others and give you clarity about what the gospel means. ‘You’ll be connected with like-minded people who share your passion for Christ and be able to access world-class teaching and training resources available to the whole movement. You don’t need to be in full-time ministry or have passed a test to get involved. This really is for everyone who wants to see the gospel change lives.’ The Message is also offering Advance Bootcamps – tailor-made training for you and your church to grow in confidence and clarity sharing the good news about Jesus. ‘These could be the perfect first step for you to establish your own Advance group,’ says Mat Walls, who delivers our Bootcamp training. ‘I’m passionate about seeing people come alive in their calling to share how Jesus has transformed their lives.’ Don’t miss out! Visit message.org.uk/ advance to find out more and get involved.
NEWS
Ten young people introduced to Jesus through Genetik Sessions In December our Genetik Sessions team saw ten young people choose to follow Jesus and begin their discipleship journey. Genetik Sessions are after-school creative skills workshops, training young people in music production, beatboxing, guitar, drums, street dance, breakdancing and pop vocals. Students also have the opportunity to grow in their teamwork, personal confidence and self-esteem. ‘It’s a great environment for us to get to know young people in a fun and inspiring environment,’ says BrightLine’s Daniel Eduardo, one of our coaches. ‘Building a connection with someone through regular contact is key to being able to introduce them to Jesus in a genuine way.’ Please pray for those young people who have chosen to follow Jesus: that they would be connected to a local church and grow in their knowledge of God as they walk with him. Know someone who would be a perfect fit for Genetik Sessions? Find out more and sign up for a free taster session at message.org.uk/genetik.
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NEWS
Red to Dead challenge raises more than £175,000 On 18 October 2017, Andy Hawthorne, Carl Beech and a team of 12 others flew out to Israel with the challenge to cycle from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea.
Although it was tough, the team completed the challenge in eight days, raising over £175,000 for the work of The Message in the process.
In total they cycled over 900km in the desert heat and climbed the equivalent of Mount Everest.
You can still be part of the fun and donate by heading to message.org.uk/cycle.
A third Eden team for Scotland Eden Hillhead launched this January and is the third Eden team to launch north of the border.
Team leader Dez has moved onto the estate along with a team of volunteers. They’ve hit the ground running and God
is opening so many doors for them. They’ve built a good relationship with their local primary school, helped struggling families get in touch with CAP and one of the families they have been getting to know has already started to come to church. Please pray for Dez and the team as they begin their ministry in Kirkintillock, Glasgow – that they would be empowered to live authentic, gospel-centred lives that impact their community in a lasting way.
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471 response packs given away during Higher Manchester 2017 – each including a full copy of the Bible and instructions for how to connect to a local church
10 young people became Christians through Genetik Sessions in December
The Tribe – back together again: Quintin Delport, Jorge Mhondera, Emma Owen, Tim Owen and Lindz West perform at Victoria Warehouse in November 2017 in a special Tribe reunion to celebrate 25 years of The Message.
Mates on a mission Celebrating the remarkable people with us on the journey
£32,000 raised by our supporters to help fund a new Eden Bus for Manchester. Thank you!
76 Eden workers moved into deprivedneighbourhoods in 2017
Martin Storey leads CLM Church in Coventry, one of our key partners for Higher Midlands 2018. Listen to his inspiring talk from staff prayers on message.org.uk/podcast. International evangelist Luis Palau joined us for the Message Conference and the Higher South Wales launch in November 2017. Watch his talks at youtube.com/MessageTrust. Sarah Kaul has joined our team in the Midlands to explore opportunities for Christ-centred enterprise in the region. 15
‘We realiseD We were
looking for Eden’ Gavin and Jem Hicks became unsure of God’s direction for their lives after leaving India. However they soon found purpose and a home in Eden Walsall, West Midlands. They share their story... efore we heard about Eden, we were working out in India together as missionaries, but we had to come back (quite suddenly) knowing we wouldn’t 16
FEATURE
be able to return long-term as Gavin got seriously ill. It soon became clear that if we wanted to follow God’s plans for us together, as a team, that could no longer involve India. That was a very painful decision, particularly for Jem, because she really felt that was what God had planned for us. We had left our jobs out there and were staying with family, trying to work out
what our next move was. We knew that we wanted to continue doing youth work, but we were also looking for somewhere to make our home, and to get stuck into a new community. So, without realising it, we were basically looking for Eden. When we visited Walsall we fell in love with it, and knew that we wanted to commit to this place and these people. Jem hadn’t expected to feel that way 17
FEATURE
about anywhere other than India, so it just felt right from the beginning. A big part of that was getting to know the people at the church that we’re partnered with here, and seeing how they just live the gospel in a really down-to-earth way. We’ve been blown away by how warm and welcoming people are – it’s not just that we’re here to be community to other people, it’s that they’re being community to us. Our neighbours on one side are a really friendly Pakistani family who bring us amazing home-cooked food, and on the other side there’s another lovely, big family who have been helping us with our garden! The area is really diverse and multicultural, but there is a lot of deprivation. There’s a big drug and alcohol abuse problem, and 46% of the over-16s in the area have no qualifications. A lot of the young people we work with have either been excluded from school or are on the verge of exclusion. There’s just a real lack of hope, ambition or aspiration. Many
of these young people don’t know what they’re aiming for in life, but it’s clear that they are really hungry. Hungry for some good news. Hungry for some hope. They want what we’ve got to offer – whether that’s a chat, some pizza, or the gospel.
Where we’ve seen the most progress is through personal relationships, built over time and perseverance
FEATURE
There’s loads that we’re excited about and would like to do, but we need more hands on deck It probably took us six to nine months to build up a level of trust, but we now have many of the young people coming regularly to Youth Alpha in our front room, and to church every week. We have had to learn to take our lead from them rather than imposing our own plans, agenda or way of doing things. Some of the young people went through a phase of repeatedly leaving inflated condoms on our doorstep, until Jem finally asked them, ‘Do you want to talk about sex?’ They desperately wanted to talk to us about it but they just didn’t know how to communicate that! We hadn’t necessarily seen that need but they had asked for it, so we’re beginning to address the issue with them. Sometimes the need is overwhelming and you just want to do everything, but where we’ve seen the most progress has been when we’ve started to get to know individuals and families, and to understand where they’re at, rather than being paralysed by the bigger picture. It’s through those personal relationships, built over time and perseverance, that we see the opportunities and can focus our attention.
One of the biggest challenges at the moment is that it’s just us. There’s loads that we’re excited about and would like to do, but we’re having to be patient until we can get more hands on deck. We’re looking forward to seeing our team grow in the future, and it will be really exciting to discover where that leads us. The work we do and the impact it has in Walsall will be shaped by the particular personalities and gifts of those who come to join us. We’re learning to hold our own plans loosely in case God shows us that we need to go in another direction. In a way, that’s how it all started for us, when we had to let go of India. Our whole experience of Eden has been a lesson in just making ourselves available to be used by God, whatever that looks like. Are you looking for Eden in Walsall or elsewhere? Find out more and start the journey today at joineden.org.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT EDEN WALSALL AT stpeterswalsall.org
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TEACHING
was recently skiing with a friend at night. I’m not the most avid skier so I was borrowing some equipment. We were heading up the ski lift and I remember looking up at the moon and exclaiming to my friend how incredible the moon looked. It was huge, red and beautiful, the craziest moon I’ve ever seen in my life. The whole night I couldn’t stop going on about it. On the last ski lift of the night I said once again that I had never seen a moon so beautiful. My friend then turned to me and said, ‘You do know those ski goggles are rose-tinted, right?’ We serve a God who sees the world differently. We need to wear our kingdom goggles and to shift our perspective. As a team of officers went out to plant a new church with the Salvation Army, William Booth would instruct them to find the darkest place and then they would know where to begin. Are you looking for those places? I’ve never been more excited for the coming days for Christians and the church. Even though the world feels quite chaotic at the moment, I’ve never felt such expectant hope for a move of God in my entire life. In Acts 3 we read a familiar story. ‘One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer – at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for
money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So, the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
‘one of the most powerful ways we can usher the kingdom of God to earth is by seeing things differently’ Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognised him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.’ Did you notice the recurring theme of words like ‘look’, ‘saw’ and ‘see’? In fact, if you read the whole chapter I think you’ll be surprised at how many times they crop up. I think there’s a secret here that we can often miss – that one of the most powerful ways we can usher the kingdom of God to earth is by seeing things differently.
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Peter was able to see an opportunity that others might have missed. The gospel gives us a way of looking for opportunities and how to see things in a different way. There’s the widow who sees her last coin as an opportunity to give; the father who sees his rebellious son as found; Jesus who sees a funeral as a possibility for a celebration; and the God who sees the cross as a triumph instead of a tragedy. There are so many opportunities for us to partner with God and bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. I’m convinced we need to continue asking God for a kingdom perspective, especially at this time and in this place in the history of the world. It would seem there is a deepening of darkness and we need to put our kingdom goggles on to navigate through this season. When I look at the world through kingdom goggles I don’t see despair but hope, not lost but found. When the world sees a trafficking victim, I see a survivor with power. The world sees poverty but I see empowerment. I’m tired of the media’s obsession with bad news. But one of Satan’s best tactics is to divert our attention. Way back I used to coach high school girls’ basketball. Let me tell you – there is nothing more dramatic than high school girls’ basketball! At one game, there was a player on the other team who played dirty and hurt our best player. So, my team started fouling this girl. I huddled them together: ‘What are you doing?’ ‘We’re getting player 10 back,’ they chorused. ‘Do you really want to get her back and stick it to number 10?’ I said. ‘Then put 22
this ball in that basket. Every time you score and add a point to the board you will be teaching number 10 a lesson.’
‘one of Satan’s best tactics is to divert our attention’ I think the best way to combat all the terrible things that have a grasp on our world is simply to keep putting the ball in the basket – that is, to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and see salvation. It’s all too easy to get distracted, and the enemy rejoices when we do. Let’s keep our focus on the opportunities God is giving to us and choose daily to see the world from his perspective. There is no time to waste. In the midst of chaos and darkness, God wants to create the most beautiful movement we’ve ever seen and I want to be a part of it. Do you?
Listen to the full version of Danielle’s talk from the Message Conference on our website, message.org.uk, or on our YouTube channel, youtube.com/MessageTrust
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA to stay up to date with when you can catch the keynote sessions from the Message Conference on TBN UK (Freeview 65)
TEACHING
In this exclusive extract from Being The Message, Sam Ward, The Message’s Director of Ministry, asks how we can be both salt and light in our ministry
n Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus labels his followers in two ways: as salt and light. ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it
Join community. Join purpose. Join Eden. Eden sends urban missionaries to live sacrificially, share the gospel and build authentic community. Passionate about community transformation? Join Eden today.
joineden.org
We are salt, the salt of the earth. This phrase has become a popular term for someone who is gritty yet genuine, hard-working while a little rough around the edges. This was not Christ’s intention for the verse, though. The description that Jesus gave to his followers was pointing to their purpose and their approach. To those who Jesus addressed on the Mount of Olives, salt had three clear uses: salt was a seasoning, a preservative and a disinfectant.
We are given the flavour of the Saviour to make known the king and his kingdom. We are the condiment of the kingdom – we add life to a community. The imitators of the incarnation are similarly called to be high-impact people. Though small in number, they are to be added to community like a pinch of salt is added to a soup to enhance the flavour. We are those who ‘move in and live deep’ in our neighbourhoods. We are stirred in, invisible to the naked eye but irreversibly altering the very nature of our neighbourhoods forever. We are not just residents but we make our homes in places some fear to stay and others pass through. Mission happens best when we live life fully.
TEACHING
under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven’ (Matthew 5:13-16).
In John 10:10, Jesus expresses that he came to counteract the destructive work of the devil by giving us life and life to the full. We are most missionally effective when we live in the fullness of the life Jesus has given us. Life cannot be put on hold for the sake of mission. The very purpose of our life is mission to the glory of God. We are given the flavour of the Saviour to make known the king and his kingdom. We are the condiment of the kingdom – we add life to a community. Our presence should bring blessing and encouragement. The people of God should celebrate well. We should be known as a party people. We open our homes and welcome others into our lives to ‘taste and see that the Lord is good’ (Psalm 34:8). We also empty our lives into a community in order to spice up the blandness of mere existence. The deeper we love, the more intense the flavour we add. Though small in number, we are also to be worked into community like salt is worked into a joint of meat to preserve it. We are rubbed into our neighbourhood as a guardian, to uphold and sustain. We become woven into the fabric of our communities. We join school governing boards and residents’ committees. We litter-pick the parks and mow the lawns of the elderly. We advocate for those who have no voice. We defend the rights of the broken and destitute. We prayer walk the street as though we were appointed to be ‘watchmen on the walls’ (Isaiah 62:6). We lock in the vitality of the neighbourhood, affirming what is good and pointing to what God is doing.
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Though small in number, we are to be applied to our communities as a disinfectant. We pull down the structures and strongholds that stop people encountering and experiencing the one and only God, the strongholds that deny people from being with God: arguments that divert people away from God, imitations that distract people from God, lies that deceive people about him and falsehoods that distort the truth about him. The greatest injustice in our neighbourhoods is not poverty, but the fact that poverty is keeping people from God. We are in a fight to reveal the character of God, a God who is rich in mercy, love and grace. A God who is forever faithful, who never leaves or forsakes, who is patient and slow to anger. A God who forgives sin and restores the broken. A God who is good and who joyfully delights over his people. A God who is peace. Where the enemy only seeks to kill, steal and destroy, we are the agents of life, revealing the giver of life. Salt is elemental: it cannot lose its potency but it can be diluted and we must guard against mission drift as we embed ourselves into community. The work of Eden is occasionally described as subversive. Like salt, we are invisible to the naked eye. We are stirred, kneaded and rubbed in. Yet Jesus wisely calls us to also be light: a lamp on a stand, a city on a hill. We both are the ‘salt of the earth’ and the ‘light of the world.’ We cannot be hidden. The subversion of the salt must be held in tension with the light that cannot be concealed. Bright and brilliant, light contrasts darkness. Opposite and obvious, light dazzles in the night. Light is unmistakeably light, it cannot be disguised as anything else. Our message is distinct and undiminished. Salvation through Jesus Christ alone stands as a glaring beacon of hope for the world. 26
The call to be salt and light are in no way contradictory. They are beautifully compatible. We often make the mistake of associating ‘salt’ ministry as simply social action and ‘light’ as explicit gospel proclamation. But the effects of salt are meant to be visible! They are not simply good deeds done under the surface. They are transformational in nature and they are meant to point to the power of Christ. Hiding the knowledge of the saving work of Christ behind selfless acts of kindness is self-defeating. Social action provides us with incredible opportunities to explain the love of God. Likewise, a ‘lamp on a stand’ ministry is not simply preaching for a response. Christ exhorts us to ‘let [our] light shine before others, that they may see [our] good deeds and glorify [our] Father in heaven.’ This interweaving of word and deed ministry is intentional and it’s incredibly powerful. Our good works must shine the light of Christ. Our identity as light-bearers must enable people to taste and see that God is good. It is as we hold these two elements in tension that we best reveal the kingdom of God and bring it near. Our ministry of reconciliation works best as we first reconcile word and deed in our witness.
Taken from Being The Message: Lessons learned on the frontline of mission (2017, The Message Trust). £7.99, available now from message.org.uk/shop. Kindle and audiobook versions available from amazon.co.uk
what are you sowing?
How can we can sow to please the Spirit and not the flesh? Andy Hawthorne looks at Galatians 6 27
TEACHING
n its early days, the Salvation Army faced ferocious opposition. In one year, they had 60 buildings burned down or destroyed and even several officers battered to death in the street. But they kept going, they kept loving the poor and preaching the gospel. By the time of his death, William Booth had become a superstar and had what could have been perceived as a state funeral with tens of thousands of people lining the streets. There, Bramwell Booth said, ‘If you were to ask me, I think I could say that the happiest man I ever knew was the General [William Booth]. He was a glad spirit, he rose up on the crest of the stormy billows and praised God and laughed at the devil’s rage and went on with his work filled with joy.’ Do you want to know why? It was because throughout his life he sowed to please the Spirit.
‘Simply put, the gospel is all about doing God’s best to the person in front of you’ Paul writes in Galatians 6, ‘Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.’ The Bible tells us that we are sowing constantly in our lives. Every day, every hour we are sowing something. We’re sowing either to please the Spirit or to
please the flesh and each life will produce a corresponding harvest. It is our responsibility to sow good gospel seeds in vast quantities, but to also make sure that we’re producing quality seeds. If you want to see a bumper harvest, be quick to forgive and be full of grace, be full of undeserved love for those around you. Do these things and you will see a hundred-fold harvest. Conversely, we can sow to please the flesh that will lead to reaping destruction. All around we see people who are all about themselves. There are Hollywood film stars and pop stars who seem to have all their earthly desires met, but when you look under the surface, even just a little bit, you can see they’re an utter mess. They sow to please the flesh and reap destruction and disintegration. It isn’t just the big things. We can sow to please the spirit of our age, the spirit of entitlement. Our culture is full of wanting more, wanting the next best thing: a better job, a better relationship, a better church. You see people jumping from one thing to another and they’re never quite satisfied. That’s because they’re sowing and living to please the flesh, not the Spirit. Sowing to please the age of consumerism is another killer. A friend of mine has a grandson who woke up on Christmas morning to an absolute mountain of presents. He opened three or four of
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I wonder if we’re often like this on the inside – we don’t really want any more presents. It is just the age of consumerism that tells us these things will satisfy. We are crying out as we cannot be satisfied by sowing to please our age of consumerism.
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his gifts and as he was passed his next present, he stopped, started crying and said through his tears, ‘I don’t want any more presents!’
William Booth could be so joyful in the face of horrendous opposition. He was sowing to please the Spirit and reaped the rewards – not just outwardly but also inwardly.
‘I want to hate sin and walk in righteousness’
Galatians 10:6 says, ‘Let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers.’ This verse can transform anyone’s life. We need to be doing good at every opportunity, to preach the gospel not just in words but also in deeds. Simply put, the gospel is all about doing God’s best to the person in front of you.
There is a better way for us as Christians to live our lives.
Sow out by loving everyone with the guarantee that at the proper time we will reap a harvest of eternal life. Bring it on!
God doesn’t have a big stick, waiting to beat those naughty people who sow to please the flesh. It happens much more organically. The sin that comes from sowing to please the flesh strains the relationship between us and God. It messes with everything that we are meant to be. Tim Keller talks about sin being like eating fatty foods that strain against the heart, the very thing that keeps you going and moving. Sooner or later you begin to reap disintegration.
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I don’t want that for my life. I want to hate sin and walk in righteousness. We’ve been called to a life that is hard to walk but richly satisfying. We will reap eternal life and we shall bring heaven to earth. We sow to please the Spirit so that moral decay is arrested, our culture is changed and so all things that are lovely are celebrated. We sow so that we can live in the opposite spirit to the world. This is what we’re called to do and this is why 29
CARL’S NOTE
‘Firing the starting pistol again’ After an explosive and dynamic year of mission we screeched to a halt for the Christmas break having just celebrated 25 years as a movement. To celebrate we held a big conference while simultaneously running the second Higher Tour in Manchester, where we saw hundreds of young people give their lives to Christ. And now, seemingly in the blink of an eye, we’re all back to work across the UK. Just because we’ve celebrated 25 years doesn’t mean we are putting our feet up. Far from it! In fact, while at the Message Conference in November I had a deep sense from the Lord that we had just fired the starting pistol again. So, what can you expect to see? In short – loads of mission! We are on a rescue mission to the lost, hurting and broken and we’re not holding back. In the next year, we will have delivered large-scale Higher Tour missions across the Midlands and South Wales and we will have started to gear up for Higher in Yorkshire. More Eden teams will have been launched in some of the UK’s toughest communities, more Team Members will have joined us from prison in one of our businesses, more prisoners will have heard the gospel, more churches will have partnered with us (could your church be one of them?), our creative mission teams will have spoken to tens of thousands of school kids, our Academy students will have graduated and another intake will have joined us for a year of full-on evangelism training. In addition, we plan to further develop our work in the North East, launch a new Eden Bus in Yorkshire and keep you posted about a couple of surprise initiatives and partnerships we are working toward. I’ll sign off by saying that we so value your prayers and support so please pray into all of this as we seek to follow God. Please pray for a huge number of people to meet Jesus this year through all we do. Get ready for the next 25 years!
Deputy CEO The Message Trust 30
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