lightening the load

The role of a leader in a local church can be a demanding task. The apostle Paul knew this more than others. He said, “…besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28).

A burden by its very definition is something that weighs us down.

Like Paul, church leaders are people who know the burden of concern for the local expression of the great household of God. It would not be an isolated occasion when I have gone home from a long elders meeting only to have a fitful night's sleep as I mulled over the issues we had wrestled with the previous evening.

So what resources can we draw on to find the strength to stand up under this burden? And beyond that to find joy...

2 Corinthians gives a profound insight into the burden that leaders carry in local church ministry. Chapters 1-6 outline the experience of leaders weighed down by ministry pressures. There are some deeply personal passages in this section of Scripture as Paul opens his heart and says it like it is!

As I have reflected on these chapters Paul seems to indicate that leaders can find strength in...

...the support of one another to share the burden

Paul speaks in the first person plural rather than the first person singular. It is absolutely vital that leaders bring a surrendered self to the team gathering. Personal agenda and individual attitudes need to be left at the front door in place of a deep commitment to the up-building of fellow servants of God. Other leaders need to know that I will share the collective burden and encourage them in the shared responsibility. 

...the help of God and the perspective he gives in the challenges we face.

Paul said his troubles were light and momentary. He was able to say that because of the long view that God gave him. He carried a sense of eternity in his heart.

...the continuing effectiveness of the cross (& resurrection) of Jesus in the heart of God's servants.

At Communion we "feed on him in our heart by faith with thanksgiving."

Through baptism we identify with Jesus in his death, burial and resurrection.

Our service for God is patterned after the passion of Jesus.

Indeed, the central motif and the guiding principle of Christian life is the cross of Jesus. Martin Luther (the 16th century reformer) found the haunting image of the crucified Christ to be the crucible in which all our thinking of God is forged. He said, "The cross alone is our theology...the cross puts everything to the test."

The old gospel hymn actually sums up the entirety of Christian experience and service, "...burdens are lifted at Calvary, Jesus is very near."

An experiential knowledge of these truths will not remove the leader's burden of concern for the local church but it will lighten the load he carries.

what the church needs...in large doses!

I never tire of reading the New Testament book of Acts. My favourite part of the story is the account of the many journeys the apostle Paul made with his friends across the Mediterranean world of the first century. Far from being the modern package holiday these were bold adventures into unknown and sometimes unforgiving territory. The primary aim was the advancement of the Kingdom of God. The results were remarkable; individuals encountered Christ by faith and local Christian communities were established to the extent that it was said that this apostolic team "turned the world upside down."

As they plant churches and revisit them, I am struck by the two clear objectives that guide the task. They seek to strengthen and encourage the local church. On at least ten occasions those twin goals are highlighted. "There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more" (Acts 16:40). "Paul went back through Galatia and Phrygia, visiting and strengthening all the believers" (Acts 18:23).

If this was such a priority at the birth of the church, then, why is it important, how is it practically achieved and what might it look like in practice today?

Why is it important?

The Christian life can be tough and we need encouragement to stay the course. Opposition to the faith may arise and we need to be strengthened to hold fast to God.

How is it achieved? My highly personal reflections...

It will be achieved through a ministry:

• Saturated in prayer
• Built on the teaching of God's Word
• Committed to genuine fellowship
• That releases the gift potential of the church
• That fosters a spirit of worship
• That recounts God's work in people's lives
• That encourages a missional approach to living

Admittedly much flesh needs to be put on these bones but I believe these considerations are a start. 

What might it look like today?

It will begin when Christians let go of the consumer mentality that is evident in much of contemporary church life and begin to invest time in other people. Again, a thought in seed form!

At the end of Acts we find Paul travelling to Rome to stand trial. Just outside the city the Roman Christians meet him. Luke records, "When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and thanked God" (Acts 28:15).

What would church culture be like if our lives drew this response from other Christians?

let the prophets speak (3)

The final talk in the series, 'Let the Prophets Speak' was given by Martin Allen who was minister of Chryston Parish Church, Glasgow for over 30 years. He chose to speak on the subject of revival in the church. He has studied this phenomenon for many years and packed a great deal into a relatively short message.

Martin based his talk around the asking of four questions.

1. Why study revival?

He believes there is a contemporary reason for looking at it. We have witnessed a massive decline in church attendance over the last five decades. We need God to move through his church in order to reverse this trend.

2. What is revival?

(a) It is, firstly, a biblical happening. It is well illustrated in the unfolding story of the Acts of the Apostles. There are times or periods of Holy Spirit inspired refreshment for the people of God (Acts 3:19).

(b) There is a specific focus as far as the meaning of revival is concerned. Martin quoted Iain Murray who said, 'Revival is the experiencing of larger measures of the Spirit of God.'

(c) There are also consistent characteristics that can be identified in revival.

To explain this he drew on the teaching of J.I. Packer who identified four family traits that can be found in genuine revival.

In revival:

(i) God comes down

God is always present with his people but there are times when his revealed or ‘felt’ presence envelopes a people. To quote Duncan Campbell in his description of the Lewis Revival of the 1950s, it was 'a community saturated with God.'

(ii) God's Word comes home

In particular, it appears that preachers are gripped by the character of Jesus and the irresistible attractiveness of his grace. Hearers are overwhelmed by the love of Jesus.

(iii) God's purity comes through

There is an awareness of our sinfulness and the need of forgiveness.

(iv) God's people come alive

There is a new energy for worship and service in the Church.

(d) There are, lastly, invariable consequences of revival. There is a great increase of numbers in the church and there is a decline in general crime within the community.

3. When does revival occur?

Heartfelt prayer often precedes revival. However, we must submit to the sovereignty of God.

4. How can we respond?

At a personal level Martin urged us not to seek revival but rather to seek God.

The church response should be the honouring of the Holy Spirit. By this he means that the church gives itself absolutely to prayer and preaching, ongoing pastoral care and creative outreach.

let the prophets speak (2)

The second of our talks in the 'Let the prophets speak' series plunged us into the turbulent cauldron that is the Middle East today. Mike Parker, international director of Middle East Christian Outreach, spoke with incredible insight and drew on extensive experience of working in this troubled region.

The aim of Mike's talk was to speak on behalf of the Christian community who live in the Middle East, believing they have much to teach Christians in the West about what it takes to live in a very challenging situation. He focused on what to ask God for when you are under pressure.

He chose to base his talk on Acts chapter 4 because this is among a number of passages Middle Eastern Christians use to understand what God is doing in their context. In this chapter Peter and John are threatened by the authorities and warned against any form of outreach. The response of these leaders is one of courageous defiance and when the church community is informed of their arrest and subsequent release their reaction is to unite in believing prayer.

Mike cited the example of the church in Egypt to illustrate a similar kind of faith today. Following the uprising in 2013, 10,000 Christians met in the 'Cave Church' in the 'Garbage City' region of Cairo to pray. He calls this the instinctive prayer movement of an instinctive church. Believers pray, with the church, facing reality together.

The early church prayed for boldness to keep speaking. By the end of their prayer there was a mini earthquake. Mike understood this to mean that God was delighted to hear a prayer like this in this context. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and became courageous witnesses to the risen Jesus.

Likewise, one Christian leader from the region has asked the West to pray in a similar way for the Middle East, “Please don’t pray for us. Please pray with us. If you pray for us, you will pray for the wrong things. You will pray for safety. You will pray that persecution will cease. But if you pray with us, you will ask God to bring millions to faith in Christ. You will pray that when the inevitable backlash comes because of our witness, we will be faithful, even if it costs us our lives" (Brother Andrew).

Following that incredible statement Mike closed his talk by encouraging us to pray as follows:

Pray for…

• Christians to know the Lord is king, in charge, whatever is going on
• The truth to be revealed
• Bold and fearless witness to Jesus
• The Word of God going into homes & hearts
• Peace to be brokered in Syria & Iraq
• Displaced people & churches reaching out to them
• New Christians to grow and integrate into churches
• People able and available to serve in the region

let the prophets speak (1)

We have just completed a series of three Sunday evening services at my home church under the title, 'Let the prophets speak.' Our idea was to invite individuals who we believed would have a message to communicate to the church in Scotland today. I would like to capture the essence of these talks over the next few blogs.

David Robertson, minister of St Peter's Free Church, Dundee (picture above) and director of Solas, spoke under the title, ‘Secular Scotland – is Christianity past its sell-buy date?’

I was struck by the two contrasting pictures he painted of Scottish church and society. On the one hand, he highlighted the rapid secularisation that has taken place in Scotland. By this he means the effort to privatise religion and argue that it should not play any part in public or civic life. It is his belief, speaking as a historian, that Scotland has secularised quicker than any other nation in history, especially over the past decade.

Alongside this there has been a significant decline in church membership. For example, he stated that in the 1950s 1.2 million people were members of the Church of Scotland. Today this has dipped below 400, 000 and the church is losing around 20, 000 members a year. This story of decline is replicated across many streams of the church. Indeed, David said that he has been a minister for 27 years and reckons if we were to plant 7000 churches of 100 members we would only be back to position the church was in at start of his ministry. A loss of 700, 000 members in 27 years!

He argued that this rapid decline in church membership is the result of three things - concession, compromise and confusion. In contrast to the dynamism of the early church it is David's contention that we are far too easily influenced by the culture around us. He also believes that there has been a rise in biblical illiteracy that is the result of an experienced-based approach to faith.

On the other hand, David spoke with great optimism. Right at the beginning of his sermon he made the bold statement that God is clearly at work in Scotland. He believes that people are more open to the gospel than at any time in the past in the past 25 years. He also senses a spiritual hunger in the nation.

So how should the church respond? According to David Robertson we firstly need, conviction (about the truth of the Bible and the gospel), secondly, compassion (learning to care), and thirdly, Christ (discovering his supreme character).

David finished his sermon, having reviewed the spiritual and cultural landscape of the nation with the following challenge - ask God to give you his burden for the people of Scotland. He maintains it is only when we start to pray that things will begin to happen...