soteriamag.co.uk
The Good Communication Issue
Featuring: Cannon and Ball Noel Richards and more...
October 2010
Soteria is an independent Christian Youth Lifestyle magazine with two aims.
OK we know you’ve been waiting a long time for the new Soteria Magazine, and we hope you won’t be disappointed! We’re sorry that this issue hasn’t come about quicker but financial pressures, house (and office) moves and finding a few new writers have taken their toll! Now we are back and ready to roll.
If you are a Christian we want to help you understand the Bible by offering practical everyday Bible guided advice.
This issue is all about communication so we’ve talked to some masters. Cannon and Ball have been performing together for 46 years, so they know a thing or two. Find out what they had to say on pages 8&9. We also sought out Noel Richards for his views on how Christian companies like Kingsway have embraced social media. We’ve got many other fantastic articles for you to discover too and a few laughs along the way.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Finally, as I mentioned, we’ve had to find some new writers. This is because our friend Jon has decided to step aside and concentrate on other projects. So we want to say a huge thanks for his involvement over the past 8 years! God bless,
Rob
If you haven’t made a decision about Jesus, we want you to see what being a Christian is all about!
Soteria is freely available to anyone. If you would like to subscribe to the magazine for yourself, or for a church or youth group then you can now do so writing to the address below, or on our website.
CONTACT Write to: Soteria Magazine TORDENE Barncoose Lane Illogan Highway Redruth Cornwall TR15 3EL or e-mail us: editorial@soteriamag.co.uk
DONATIONS If you would like to support us in our work, Soteria welcomes donations. You can give in cash (if you know members of the team), by cheque made payable to “Soteria Magazine” or by setting up a standing order with your bank. If you would like banking details for Soteria please contact us at the above address.
Because You’re Worth It!
He who shouts the loudest is the most persuasive... at least in the world of advertising. Wearing a certain deodorant WILL attract the ladies. Drinking a particular soft drink WILL get you that job. Wearing a plethora of make-up WILL make you feel glamorous and attract men. In fact you could probably list the items with the adverts.
And it doesn’t stop there. Switch to the music channels on TV, and the raunchiest or most elaborate music vids are designed to grab your attention in a bid to persuade you to download the latest tracks. Magazines (not Soteria!) are crammed full of advertising; they need to be as this is a major source of income. The internet is an endless source of adverts. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to watch a media clip (which in itself is technically advertising), and being forced to watch a 12 second clip by a sponsor. Leaflets through the door, ads in the magazines, pop ups on the net; the list is almost endless. The fact that your life could be enhanced by a certain product is irrelevant. The advertiser is trying to make you believe that you simply cannot live without it! You need whatever it takes to fill that God shaped hole. Yet there is no real satisfaction in this. Everywhere you can turn we are all being bombarded with subtle hints, imagery and an over powering pressure to comply with the advertiser and buy that product! How can you overcome this? Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness... This may sound cheesy, but it’s so true. Put into perspective the things that really matter. Your relationship with God, your friends and family. Live your life as you live it for Christ, exercising self control, discernment,
and acting in love rather than selfishness.
Be content... Accept who you are and what you have. Really ask yourself, will materialism ever provide the satisfaction you may be seeking. Are you looking to buy branded goods as you need to replace them believing they are worth the difference? Or are you being lured by a name that may give you more street cred in the eyes of the world? Advertising may encourage us to make impulsive purchases, and give into temptation when we are caught off guard. Know you’re potentially being lied to... The job of an advertiser is to showcase a product in its best light in a bid to win you over, so you will buy it. We all buy products that are advertised, but we need to realise there may be pitfalls, and that some products may never perform at top speed 100% of the time. More importantly, we all need to take on board that buying a certain soft drink will never help us in finding a girl/ boy friend, and realistically can only satisfy thirst. Pray about it!... We don’t need to wait until we are in financial crisis, or our home is crammed full of unwanted goods, before turning to God. If we take on board the limitations of advertising, finding contentment, and seeking God in all we do, prayer is key. In prayer we can express our wants and desires to God in private, and God will reveal his will to us, even in the context of temptation!
I’m not quite sure why Kingsway have seen fit to rerelease this album with new artwork, personally I prefer the original. Regardless of the outward appearance this album is still a brilliant fresh and dynamic worship offering. Originally released back in 2007 this is what I said about the album then; “The album crashes into your ears with “You Never Cease To Amaze Me” which is a song of praise to God. The album itself has some incredibly good hooks that help you to remember the song as you concentrate on the worship that is conveyed.
Title: Not Guilty Anymore Artist: Aaron Keyes Publisher: Kingsway Music Price: £10.99 (MP3 Album £7.99)
There are many different styles included on this album. The rocky first track leads into a more mellow tune of “Forever Worthy” and then on into a very typical Stuart Townend track which is based on Psalm 62. However the track that stands out from the others is the title track “Not Guilty Anymore” which is written to the believers. We hear a lot about the inheritance that we have in Christ, but not often in as good a song as this. If you are looking to buy someone a worship album this year that is fresh with great vocals and real spiritual depth then “Aaron Keyes - Not Guilty Anymore” is what you should be picking up!”
In his last book, 61 Hours, Lee Child left the readers wondering whether Jack Reacher had survived a huge explosion. A hint was given in a “To Be Continued...” at the end of the book. Worth Dying For is that continuation and it’s quite clear that Jack Reacher has survived, although not totally unharmed. Now all he’s looking to do is head for Virginia and the helpful women on the end of the phone. Nothing is quite that simple for Reacher though. As he hitches into another small farming community he finds that something isn’t quite right. The townsfolk are held to ransom by one local family who act like the Mafia. This town has a past that they are trying to keep hidden and the family has a terrible secret. Forget the A-Team it takes a oneman army to sort this out, that’s if he’s fit enough and whether the truth is worth dying for! Title: Worth Dying For
Author: Lee Child Publisher: Bantam Press Price: £18.99 Release Date: 30th September 2010
Another brilliantly written book that is clever and thrilling. There is a fast pace from beginning to end, and yet there is plenty to pause and think about. It may not be the continuation that fans were expecting but it’s still well worth reading.
Read more reviews online at www.soteriamag.co.uk
MEN ARE Regardless of our mutual FROM heritage it seems that men and act and communicate in EARTH... women totally different ways.
Despite the title of a very popular book, men and women both come from the same planet. We may all disagree about how we got here, whether creation, evolution or even intergalactic alien seeding (yes it’s a theory!) but the fact is we have to get along with one another.
“You are a complete muppet!” is one of the cleaner and nicer things you might overhear in a blokes’ conversation. There is generally a lot of ribbing and competition in a matey banter, not much of it is meant, but a lot of meaness is vented towards each other. Then the room goes quiet...no-one says anything and the guys are content to just be with each other, have a drink and stare into the middle distance.
“Aww are you OK? You know we love you, right?” is something you might overhear in a girls conversation. This is often followed by some reassuring hugging, tears, the offering of clean tissues before eventually ending with a mix of sniffles and giggles.
Suddenly a conversation making moment happens, one of them breaks wind. This is either an opportunity huge loud exclamations from the others, or a moment for a new kind of competition to ensue!
Then without a moments silence the conversation turns to something else. There is more sympathetic sharing. Then one of them leaves the room. Then the cattiness starts. “Did you see what she was wearing?” “She told me not to tell you but...” with the latest gossip shared about the unfortunate subject. Of course when the subject comes back it’s all smiles and loving reassurance!
Men! Who’d have them in the house?
Women! Who’d trust them?
So these examples may be stereotypes, but we all know that there are elements of truth in them! When the two groups meet it can be awkward. So how on earth do we work with each other and even engage with each other socially? It seems that men and women are poles apart in their sensibilities. This can be the cause of huge friction in life and particularly in relationships.
WOMEN ARE FROM EARTH TOO!
MEN ARE FROM EARTH...
WOMEN ARE FROM EARTH TOO!
Some pointers for the lads...
Some pointers for the ladies...
• Wind of any variety is not a form of conversation. • If there is a girl you find attractive remember where their eyes are (i.e. in their head!) and try and maintain eye contact. • Girls may like to tell you about their day, this may be dull but there will probably be a quiz later, so you’d better listen! • Whilst listening to a girls conversation listen out for marker words like ‘embarrassed’, ‘frustrated’, ‘annoyed’, these often mean that you need to show some compassion and sympathy, although not too much. • Girls, generally, are not interested in the size of your hard drive, the amount of RAM or the graphics capability. They are also not fussed if you think it’s a blown gasket or spark plugs, just so long as you can fix it! • And when you have fixed it wash your hands, not just wipe them on the nearest fluffy white towel!
• When it comes to emotions keep it simple. • If there is a guy you find attractive don’t ever mention it in a mixed group unless you want them to find out. • “Womens Things” such as the ‘time of the month’ are not topics of conversation that men want to hear. Unless you are married (or have complete trust in the bloke) never ask them to pick up tampons in a shop for you no matter what the situation. They may die of embarrassment! • Don’t gossip, it’s a simple one, but men don’t understand the concept and think that gossip should be world-wide news. • Guys will switch off when you talk about shopping, your day, make-up etc. • Be aware that they will stay listening if you are talking about shopping for underwear or anything intimate or sexual. You may end up with more attention than you desire!
Instead of moaning about the other gender, why not celebrate our differences? We are made differently but yet when you see a couple that clicks you know that are differences are to compliment each other. Like anything there will be irritations and annoyances, these only become problems when left to get worse. Remember a beautiful pearl starts off as a piece of grit!
Guest Writer: Greg Messam
Recently I read More by Philippa Hanna, when she describes a part of her life before she became a Christian. She captures well the enslavement she faced, that at one time she would have been unaware of. Most adults I know that smoke wish they had never started, yet there is a cycle that cannot be broken easily. The same is often true of bad debt, broken him be any different? Read it for yourself and be relationships and other problems. Making bad amazed! Experienced fishermen gave up their choices is often perceived as a way of growing livelihoods to follow him because they not only up, when the reality may be rebellion. Rebellion recognised him, but wanted to know him in a against parents, deeper way and be a part of “We’ve been taught to teachers, the church, his unique mission. the ‘system’, and God! protect our independence People who had been ill for at every turn. When I look years were healed and the Rebellion against God? But I want to do proof was breathtaking... at my life before I knew things my way, make blind able to see, lepers with my own mistakes, new skin, and dead people Jesus I see that while I and ultimately live raised to life. Large crowds may have achieved some were captivated by Jesus’ my own life. We can be so blinkered by teachings and storytelling as independence from my our own standards he enlightened people about and the ways of the the things of heaven, and family, I’ve always been world, that we strive reached into the very souls dependent upon something. of those who listened. to please ourselves, and ensure that those For all my ‘breaking free’, I Are you enslaved to things around us see us in a positive light. Danger managed to end up enslaved that you once thought might is only lurking around set you free and give you the to something else instead. independence you desire? the corner as we push God aside and find Jesus said... ‘If you continue I only had to look at the ourselves slaves to to obey my teaching, you the very things that we cigarettes in my handbag, are truly my followers. Then thought would set us you will know the truth and the debts piling up against the truth will make you free’. free. the most faithful of my name and the broken Even God is not a kill-joy Christians sometimes forget expecting his followers relationships to see that.” this. Make sure you are to live subdued lives, from “More” by Philippa Hanna ready and equipped... God being bored and being can use you in ways you boring! If you were able to follow Jesus when never thought possible when living for him and He physically walked planet Earth, would your not for the things that could enslave you. thoughts about him and how you would follow
God has demonstrated His love for us. We don’t deserve his favour but He offers it to us. All we need to do is: Accept that you haven’t lived your life in a way that is honouring to God, ask for God’s forgiveness. Believe that Jesus Christ, God’s own son has died for you and paid your debt. Confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life.
Cannon and Ball
Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball have been a comedy double act for 46 years, in fact they are were one of the hottest properties on TV with numerous Saturday night shows and huge ratin these guys are Christians, so we took the chance to meet up with them at the end of their rec You guys have been around for a number of years now…[BB: A long-long time, that’s what you’re trying to say] I wouldn’t say that! How did you guys get started? BB: We started off as welders, and we used to sing in the pubs at weekends. We started as a trio then the pianist left, it left just me and him and we carried on, that’s how we started. You have gone on and had quite a bit of success. What are the highlights of your career so far? TC: Numerous things I suppose. Entertaining the Royal Family were one, weren’t it? BB: I think for me, it wouldn’t have been for Tom I don’t think, This Is Your Life because my mum and dad went on it. His [Tommy’s] mum had just died. But a highlight was doing This Is Your Life because my parents were on it. You’re both active Christians aren’t you? You both go into churches. What kinds of things do you do in those? TC: We do Cannon and Ball in the first half, jokes, make people laugh, because we believe that laughter is Godgiven. We go into our lives in the second half and then talk about how the Lord came into our lives. BB: Of course in the church we will pray with people and do an outreach if they want to come to the Lord they can, so we preach a little at the end. So how did it happen for both of you? I think it was Bobby first… BB: It was me first, yeah. It came to me because I found show-business very egotistical, very shallow and we’d done everything in the eighties, there was nothing we hadn’t done and I was doing all sorts of bad things. And I met a vicar and started talking to the vicar and I realised that if there were a God I wanted to get to know him. But I was very frightened because I didn’t want to become a namby-pamby type of person that I thought Christians were at the time. I still wanted to have a lot
of fun and I thought it would all stop and that I’d let God down too. I couldn’t help myself and I prayed to him and I felt Jesus come into my life and I felt forgiven, renewed and rebirthed and I became a Christian and that were 26 years ago. Jesus is fantastic, He’s great! I assume that he (Bobby) was obviously a little enthusiastic about it… TC: Not with me, because if he had done that with me I’d have told him to go away! Because as far as I was concerned, Jesus had no part in my life, I’d not had the best upbringing in the world, lost my mum to cancer etc. so why would I think there was a God at that time? Bob never Bible-bashed me, which was good, and it just happened one weekend down in Cardiff. BB: You saw a change in me though didn’t you? TC: Oh yeah! Well I mean, I think one of the best things of all was that we became a stronger relationship and I was just thinking to myself, ‘well that’s good’ because we were becoming stronger as friends, you know? It’s fair to say that during the height of your career you weren’t exactly on best terms were you? BB: Not for three years, we only did three years, we’ve been together forty-six, so that’s not bad odds is it? I found Jesus when we weren’t getting on and I believe to this day that were Jesus’ plan, it were God’s plan. TC: I just went to church, Bob was going down to have his Grandson dedicated, which I didn’t have a clue what he meant, and he said “are you coming to church?”, and I said “no I’m not, I’ve no reason to go to church.” Four or five times he asked me while we were working down there and I said “OK, look I’m going, stop bothering me,
l: The Interview
e the longest running double act that are still working in the UK today! In the eighties they ngs figures. More recently Bobby was on our screens in The Fattest Man in Britain. Both cent tour and have a chat! I’ll come.” And it was that morning that I brought Jesus into my life. It was quite emotional, I think, that particular morning there was so many people walked forward it was just incredible, but I was a little bit embarrassed about it and I didn’t know whether to walk forward or stay where I were. I had my hand in the air and I did eventually (go forward) and I’ve never looked back since. That’s, what will that be now then? 10 year maybe… [BB: how long, what after me, 7, I’ve been a Christian 26 years] oh blimey not 10, 19 years! Has being a Christian changed your stage show? BB: No, because we’ve never been blue, never been naughty, no it hasn’t really changed our act at all. I think sometimes as Christians we try to be holier than thou, Jesus loves us because we are ordinary people, we’re sinners, every one of us is a sinner. TC: And I think that if Jesus had wanted us to change our act we would have heard Him telling us, and we haven’t. So what do you think of the kind of modern comedians who swear every other word… BB: Well we can’t judge anybody really. If that’s what the modern idiom is then that’s what the modern idiom is, it doesn’t suit me and it doesn’t suit Tom, but I suppose some people like it, what can you do? TC: I think there’s an audience for it, otherwise it wouldn’t be on TV etc. I think maybe in my opinion it has gone too far and it certainly needs to be pulled back. BB: The effing and Jeffing doesn’t offend me, because it’s a man-made word, but if they take the Lord’s name in vain, that really offends me.
Did you find it difficult when you did “The Fattest Man In Britain” because there was a fair amount of swearing in that and your character… BB: I’ll tell you how many there was, it was an hour show and I’ve counted them up, I swore five times within that hour. But it was a character that I was playing, and I prayed about this all the time and I said to God, “If this is not to be, stop it.” And He didn’t, but that was a character I was playing and of course I prayed to God about it because it was quite a thing to do and some Christians said I shouldn’t do it but I’m alright with it. There was more than that they wanted me to do, that I said no I can’t do. I believe that the only swearing there is, is taking the Lord’s name in vain, I think every other word is a man-made word. TC: It is a man-made word, he’s right. I think what I’m trying to say, and I think Bob will agree, I’m trying to say that my children, one’s 19, one’s 17 and one’s 14, I can’t sit down, in television terms, watching these comedians whether they’re using the Lord’s name in vain or not. Because I don’t want my children, don’t get me wrong they’ll hear it at school, it’s commonplace, you’ll hear young women with little babies in town centres, it’s terrible, so my thing is I can feel so embarrassed if I’m standing with my children. My children don’t seem to be bothered, but I’m thinking ‘should I be sat here’ and it makes me uncomfortable, not necessarily going to say it’s the children, but it makes me uncomfortable, that’s all I’m saying. BB: Going back to Fattest Man again, I love the Lord with all my heart, I couldn’t love Him any more than I do, I wish I could, I wish I had Jesus love for God. I love Jesus with all my heart, so whatever anybody else thinks doesn’t matter. Being a Christian is a one-to-one walk with Jesus Christ, my walk with Jesus Christ has nothing else to do with anybody else.
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night for prayers, coffee an fresh be d agles.
Barbara remains in the ho blood do spital an nors for d needs m ore trans also hav fusions. ing troub She is le sleepin tapes of g and re Pastor J quests ack’s se rmons. On Thurs day the c hurch wil an evenin l host g of fine dining, s entertain u perb ment, an d graciou s hostility . The con cert held in Fellowsh a great s ip Hall w uccess. as Special th to the m anks are inister’s d u d e a ughter, w the whole ho labore evening d at the pia no, whic usual fell h as upon he r.
Ladies, dont forget the Rummage Sale. It’s a e chance to get rid of thos g things not worth keepin around the house. Dont forget your husbands.
HEALING SERVICE WEDNESDAYe led at- du l e Canc 7:30pm
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SPECIAL INVITATION
Bertha Belch,
Corner Baptist Church
a missionary from Africa will be speaking tonight at
Calvary Memorial Church.
Please Note: Toilet out of order, please use floor below.
Come tonight and hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.
Has Texting Replaced Conversation? At youth group before the ‘God talk’ at the end, everyone (including the leaders) turns off their phones & devices and drops them cautiously into the box provided! Sound familiar? It’s not natural to want to listen to someone for 10 minutes, without wanting to invite in a distraction. Is it?
Putting God into the equation may at first seem irrelevant. After all, is it right that the pre-defined black and white rules of written communication are being flouted? Can talking about Jesus be limited to texts and e-mails, especially where there is a real danger of not expressing real emotion or truthfulness?
How is it that we have lost the art of holding conversation and listening? Texting and e-mails can almost be addictive to the point that it’s an annoying compulsive bad habit.
When used properly, Christian forums and chat rooms can provide a relatively safe environment that allows people young and old to express their faith, and provision to ask questions. The user can disregard or investigate further, points raised at their own discretion. The use of modern language is surely no different to learning and using a local dialect. Even texting and instant messaging may allow people to ask short questions and receive answers that are easy to understand without a wordy or bulky answer.
The amazing thing about text talk is the ability to shorten phrases to a few letters (rofl!!). It also allows you to be a little deceptive as to how you really feel towards something or someone. Deep down you could be seething, but it’s so easy to disguise this with a :( followed by a lol moment. U can even gt ur pt across mch qkr, & take out da need 4 gramma ‘n spellin. In texts you may be limited to 140 characters or similar, making conversation a unique art form. Ultimately it allows you to express yourself in a way that does not necessarily require you to be totally truthful, whilst still getting your point across. It takes out the need to read body language and facial expression, making you only responsive to letters on a screen, even at your convenience. Texts and e-mails can buy time, allowing you to deal with a situation when it suits you!
If you are interested in the Christian faith, or are a new Christian, do not be afraid to delve deeper and seek help with understanding. Sometimes questions cannot be answered fully in a text, and people may not always be that helpful online. Used effectively, texting, instant messaging, chat rooms, whatever... can be a very powerful tool for outreach. Rather than asking in a negative way, ‘has texting replaced conversation?’ you could ask, ‘how can I use this technology to the glory of God?’.
Recently we caught u missions through to h thought that Christian “I think they are doing really well. I think it’s probably caught a lot of people by surprise just how quickly these things have accelerated and the wonderful thing is Kingsway have a huge back catalogue of songs which Kingsway are putting out there as MP3s and making them available. So I think the more that companies like Kingsway embrace MP3’s and the internet and what that offers, then it gives them an extra medium, an outlet, for their songs.
making them available, but also you have to be realistic. The Times newspaper are now charging for their online version and as they say journalism costs, if you want good journalism and a good newspaper then you have to pay for it. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
“For me the internet culture has spread this idea that everything is free, but there are still costs. It still costs to produce a reasonable quality single to put up on the web. I think what we need to do is find a way to generate “In the early years it was either a 12-inch income from the usage of those songs on the or cassette, then it became the cassette web. So for example if a site is being hit 10s or CD, but now it’s the CD, the MP3 it’s so of thousands of times every day then that much wider there are so many other ways of getting the songs out there. I think it’s good to should attract advertising revenue, and that advertising revenue can be distributed to the embrace the new technology; it is having an writers whose songs are being listened to or effect on CD sales. downloaded. “I think there will be people who always want to have a CD, just like there are always people “I think there are creative ways of generating income for musicians even if it’s being who want to have a newspaper even though listened to online. Obviously this is a different they can read a newspaper online they still business model that you have to go through. I like the feel of paper in their hands. How that think there always will be people who want to will decrease or increase as time goes on I don’t know I don’t have a crystal ball. I think get stuff for nothing and I think the genie’s out now we see the other media taking off, itunes, of the bottle with all that and I don’t know how MP3s etc are broadening the scope of how the you put it back in, but I am sure there will be songs get out there. creative ways in which income streams can be generated from material. “We do what we can to protect the songs,
Seeking A Sign We use signs all the time to help point us in the right direction, for example to tell us where something is, or to keep us safe. Sometimes as Christians we need guidance as to what to do or what path to take. Many people ask God for a ‘sign’ to show them what they are supposed to do. One famous example in the Bible of someone asking for a sign is Gideon and his fleece. Judges 6:33-40-Then Gideon
said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put some wool on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as promised.” And it happened that way. Then Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet from dew. So that night God did as Gideon asked.
up with Noel Richards for a quick chat. We talked about lots of things from old how Christians need to engage with technology for the Gospel. I asked him if he n companies were embracing changes in technology to reach out effectively... “For me as a song writer when my song is used in churches, even if the people have accessed the song for free, if they do a proper return to the PRS or CCLI then income does come back to me. If people obey the legal requirements then we do see income streams from songs that maybe we have given to people to use free of charge.” “We really have to change the way we think in our church culture. Society is moving at such a rapid rate, change is accelerating exponentially, you know we have things now that we didn’t have 5 years ago. I regularly talk to my daughter and grandson on Skype everyday virtually free of charge, it’s like we’re in the same room, the only thing we don’t have is the physical contact. When you think that a few years ago we couldn’t have free conversations like that with someone the other side of the world, now we can. “I just wonder where technology is going to go in the next 5 or 10 years? I think that if we, in churches, are seeking to be relevant to the world around us we have to change and we have to adapt and realise that we are holding onto something that is a time warp and realise that God is relevant to today’s world.
continually creating, but we want to stagnate. I think unless the church continues to move at a pace with the world we are largely going to find ourselves irrelevant and side-lined. God isn’t irrelevant and side-lined and neither are Christians, but the institution needs to wake up and smell the roses and say ‘we really have to embrace what is happening’. The good ol’ days are the good ol’ days we have to embrace these as being the good days now, these are the great days! “We need to speak into the culture as well, I think there is a backlash against globalization in our world. People are fed up with Tesco being built on every spare spot, so globalization has its enemies so we have to be a voice that speaks into globalization. How do we live in a very much a global village and how do we handle those things that society is embracing one thing, but there is a better way to live, so how do we show that better way to live? I think these are challenges and we need to rise to the challenge!”
“Technology doesn’t surprise God. All things come from God, He is the great creator, He is
While God answered Gideon’s prayer it can be easy to fall into the trap of always asking for God to give us a sign so we know what we have to do. This could mean we are not taking things on faith but rather depending on signs to direct our life. It could also be said that Gideon was testing God by asking for another sign after the first. It is very easy to ask God for guidance but it is often more difficult to know what God is really saying to us. We should be careful
when we are asking for God to give us a sign that we are not asking in the hope that the sign will positively confirm what we want it to. When we ask for a sign from God we should only be looking for God’s will and not our own. It’s important that we really listen to what God is saying to us and not just go our own way and blame God when things don’t work out. As Christians we should seek guidance when we feel God is speaking to us and make sure what we think we should be doing is Biblical.
Church #Fail ? It is fair to say that one of the church’s primary functions is communication. This is true no matter what type of church that you go to. Churches dedicate much of their time to communicating either with those who already believe, in an effort to build up their faith, or to those who are outside the church. Despite the eternal consequences it seems that the church has a hard time getting it’s message across. It may just possibly be that the church in it’s current format is still living in the past. At least that is the perception outside of the church. This perception isn’t helped by the portrayal of Christians in the media. Ministers and priests who are seen as the legitimate church leaders are seen as ineffectual people who don’t live in the real world. This isn’t a new thing either. It has been the case for years in everything from the Ealing comedies through to Postman Pat. They all have the Vicar who spends all day visiting parishoners and drinking tea. If this is the message that gets sent out for years it’s hard to combat it. Christians have been portrayed as being so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good!
Then, of course, there are the times when we practically shoot ourselves in the foot. Christians all over the spectrum can largely agree on the big things like Jesus, God and the necessity of redemption. It’s a common phrase that “the devil is in the details” and that’s certainly true for the church. Over the years the church has publically argued about women’s roles, sexuality, gender, the Holy Spirit and His annointing, creation or evolution and many other contentious issues. We have let this spill over into anger and hatred and forgotten that we need to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Why on earth should people outside of the church care to listen to what we have to say when we can’t even love those we share a common bond with? It seems that this is something we still haven’t really learnt from Paul, the importance of love for our brothers and sisters. 1 Corinthians 13 makes the case pretty clear that without love the greatest gifts make a hollow sound! Many individual church members do truly love one another, and they demonstrate it day-in and day-out 365 days of the year. Whilst at the same time the “church” argues and bustles about it’s definitions, rules and regulations. Other church leaders stand up and preach hate against another religion, and the media swoops on these people, giving them a soapbox to represent
“Without love the greatest gifts make a hollow sound!”
the church and Jesus. In reality they are doing neither. We want the people outside of the church to experience Jesus Christ for themselves. In order to do that we need to show them that the message we have is relevant, and this means that the church also must be relevant. The church must be aware of the culture and not be afraid of it. Hopefully if we are aware then we won’t make mistakes that can be taken and ridiculed for being out-of-touch like the one above which was found online! Paul famously said the he had “become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” Unfortunately at the moment the church risks the opposite, of becoming nothing to nobody! Why does your church do the things that it does. Why do they break bread or have the style of service that they do? Why do they meet when they do? We have to look first to see if there is Biblical instruction to do it. If something we do is a command of the Lord, such as the ‘breaking of bread’ or communion, then of course we should obey. If there is no Biblical instruction then what about precedent? Some churches meet morning and evening on a Sunday because there were two sacrifices offered on the Sabbath, morning and evening (Ex 29v38). Others will always finish a service with a hymn because the disciples and Jesus sung a hymn after the last supper to leave for the Mount Of Olives. However these are not commands and although these things may well have their place we should not make them rigid traditions that we must follow.
If neither of the above apply then we need to look at where these acts have come from and whether they are still relevant today. Of course as Christians we should meet together, but what shape should that meeting take? There are guidelines laid down in the Bible about things being orderly, and honouring to God, there is a precedent for teaching, and even one for falling asleep during long sermons! There is even an encouragement that when Christians meet everyone should bring something to share, a thought, prayer, hymn. It’s not all meant to be led from the front. If the church is to communicate it’s message then it needs to go back to it’s founder. Before we can bring people into the building we need to get alongside people where they need it. Day to day life can be tough. We should be looking for opportunities to show Christ’s love, and to help people experience something of the Lord in their lives first. You’ve probably heard it said many times that the church is not the building, it’s the people. That’s very true, so why do we want to drag people into those buildings? The church should be us as people on the streets, in workplaces, schools, colleges giving people an experience of Jesus. We were never called to be a ‘Holy Huddle’; we were called to be real and make disciples of every nation. The church as an institution should be inviting, the church as the body of Christ should be self-sacrificing, giving the flavour of Jesus to all. It’s not about spreading dogma it’s about offering a real experience as individuals and as the larger body, showing the love of Jesus to all we meet. That is the only way that we can possibly hope to gain the credibility to communicate the truth.