I’ve been given some books recently by a pastor who has been in the ministry for twenty or so years. He wanted to pass on some gems I can only assume. Among them were books written by spiritual greats. Take one title ‘Christ in all the scriptures’ by a bloke called Hodgkin. It nearly blew my mind. But I wanted to share an awesome quote from a Banner of Truth journal article from the 70’s on revival.
‘Many of us have come to see the revivals of which our fathers spoke, and which they were experienced were not something they promoted but were essentially [so we believe] times when God made his people accutely aware of the reality of the Christian gospel. And it has become part of the accepted wisdom among us that if the same truths are preached now as were preached at the Reformation [one of the greatest revivals] or during the great awakening then revival must come, and come pretty quickly.’
So often we just ‘know’ about the gospel, but we don’t give it any power in our lives. Imagine a world where churches were springing up everywhere . Where people were actually aware of the gospel and its reality. Where they ordered their whole lives by gospel priorities so that Jesus looked their greatest treasure. Where Christianity wasn’t just about going to church on Sunday, or being a professional Christian (like some of us run the risk of becoming) but where Christianity was about living for Jesus. Where we didn’t need to have the debate about whether Christian mission was actually just about recycling and social action, because large numbers in churches were accutely aware of the desperate need of perishing people and of their own need. They were convicted of the gospel’s reality as much as they were of the need to inhale air.
I can only assume that is revival. I know how often I can be hard hearted and luke warm, but we must pray for this! We need to pray for this power of God for the salvation of all who believe (Rm 1:16) to actually take ahold of us by the Spirit of Christ. And we need confidence in the same truths of revival days.
Not because we’re ‘Bible believing’ Christians and ‘that’s just what we do’. That’s not the reality of the gospel- that’s religion. But because the truths of the Bible mean something. The Bible is reality to us because it is the word of Christ who is reality itself and when the minister proclaims the Word of God, his voice is heard. Spiritually dead men and women, get up and walk. How can we believe that revival would not come quickly if this were the case?
It’s interesting that many of us ministers see ourselves often as being on the front line. It’s not surprising then that many of our congregation aren’t as excited as they could be about sharing the gospel at work, school, in leisure activities and the rest of their daily lives.
In one sense those in the pastoral ministry have the most awesome privilege. We get to preach God’s word and to minister to the flock and spear-head the churches mission depending on our varying gifts. But there are many senses in which our work is behind the scenes work. In terms of mission, we are joining with the church members in their mission to their colleagues. Providing the pit stop. The place where they can refuel and feed on Christ on a Sunday.
It’s our job not to make the congregation think that they are coming on a Sunday to make our ministry effective, but that we are ministering to them in part at least to make their ministry effective. A ministry of every member, where people are fired up for Jesus and ready on a Monday to tell their friends. We have after all been sent into the world by Jesus (‘As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.’ John 17:18 )
I remember how in sixth form we would arrive into school after our regional youth meeting chomping at the bit to tell people the gospel. One time we even put posters up in the school common room, which as a youth worker I now see as a daring task! Why? Because we knew we had been equipped.
In 2 Timothy chapter 3:16-17 Paul says to Timothy ‘All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.’
So we are in the business of equipping! The other day I was reminded of this. We’ve just got back from a camp for youth called Taunton 1 where we praise God for the fruit we saw in lives- some growing, others meeting Christ for the first time. It was an awesome privilege to serve on a wonderful team united in Christ, among wonderful young people. I was reminded and humbled by the response of some of the young people in a seminar I gave, who demonstrated a genuine love for their school and desire to reach their friends. I think we should remember the awesome nature of the work we have to do as preachers and teachers, but it strikes me also that we need to be looking outwards as well and not seeing preaching as an end in itself. The true sense of being servants of the church is to equip the church and part of that is remembering where the front line is.
Recently I have been struck by how often my problems are solved by ‘looking’ to Jesus and focussing my heart and mind upon him. Over the past few years a concern of mine has been to strive to be more Christ- centred. That sounds strange from a Christian I guess, but it seems to me there has been a subtle shift towards being God-centred in modern day conservative evangelicalism that is for want of a better way of putting it…leaving behind Christ.
So we will talk about God until the cows come home, but we are less happy to talk about Jesus. We will preach the Old Testament and we will make only concluding remarks about how all this refers to Jesus if the congregation are fortunate enough. We will talk about our walk with God and how our relationship with God is doing and all the time Christ is getting very little mention. And we forget how the pulpits of our land have for centuries had incribed upon them the words of sober reminder to the preacher of his task ‘Sir, we would see Jesus.’
Which is odd, considering that faith in Christ is necessary to be saved and have eternal life. ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me…’ Matthew 14:6. It is also odd because Christ says ‘If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink’ John 7:37, ‘Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’ Odd given the fact we are spiritually grafted into Christ as believers, ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.’ John 15:5. And odd given that Christ says that ‘all things have been committed to me by my Father’ Matthew 11:27.
Then there is the matter of the scriptures. Who are they actually about? Christ seems pretty insistent that the scriptures testify specifically to him: ‘And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself.’ Luke 24:27 In other words his Old Testament exposition was rather, well, him focussed! (Then there is the matter of the object of true saving faith in the Old Testament which we will come back to another day. We learn it has always been Christ. Who else and how else? 1 Corinthians 10:1-4.)
Now there are of course grounds for talking about the Trinity as ‘god’ in general terms. The Apostle Paul does so after all. As ever there are dangers of throwing the baby out with the bath water. But let us be clear we are talking about an entirely different ‘god’ to the philosophers of this age and be concerned as to how far we have strayed! Let us remember that God is unknown and invisible apart from in Christ Jesus. He is ’the image of the invisible God’ Colossians 1:15. We don’t stand together with other monotheistic religions because Christ is the only revelation of God.
So this is a plea to be Christ-centred and not just God- centred. He is the one who Colossians tells us everything was created by and for, which is a serious claim. Seriously amazing! So lets be more for Jesus. As we talk Jesus in evangelism people will see how it is they are to be saved, as we meditate more on Christ we will become less introvert and more amazed by the gospel as we see the one who has justified us at the cross and is our righteousness. As we meditate more on Christ, we will come to know more about the Biblical God who reveals himself in the face of Christ.
As one hymn writer put it:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
