There's no time like Kairos time

Today I completed a 'missions' course called Kairos which I have been taking part in some weekends over the last month or so. There are two words in Greek for 'time'. 'Chronos' refers to a length of time, whereas 'Kairos' refers to a period in time when something special happens. In this course the sense is that now is the time for seeing the world know and follow God.

I was on the course mainly because Transform had signed me up, and so I wasn't in the same place as other people in terms of wanting to explore heading abroad, but it has nevertheless been extremely thought-provoking and given me much to mull over. We spent the first half going through the Biblical 'macrotheme' of being blessed to be a blessing, encapsulated in the promises made to Abraham, and then later to Isaac and to Jacob. The notion here is that God chose a people to be blessed by Him, but with the intention that they should be a beacon to the rest of the world to demonstrate the goodness of God and the need to follow Him. This has really helped me to get a better understanding of the role of Israel, and of a lot of the more difficult passages in the Old Testament, whereby God did all He could to keep them from idolatry and mixing with other races that followed false gods. How could they bless others if they were not following God and were not able to demonstrate to others a good way of living?

The Great Commission given by the Christ to His disciples further demonstrates God's heart that all people groups (nations) of the world should come to know Him, and the images given in the Bible's concluding book, Revelation, are ones where every tribe and tongue worships God. Jesus even said that He would not come again until every nation had been told of the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

As I said, this stuff really clicked and has helped me to see the Bible through eyes that make it come alive and make so much more sense. But much more than this, it's given me a wake-up call to the much bigger perspective God has of life and its meaning. How often have I prayed concerned to the point of worry about whether I should do this or that, make choice A or B, go here or there? My prayers have become so inward focused. Now I've asked these questions with good intentions, wanting to do what is best in God's eyes, what He desires, and yet as I see tribes from remote parts of the world (see below) reacting with joy at the simple message of sins forgiven through following God, I can't help but think God might just be saying "stop worrying about the little things and just focus on me and the bigger picture".

So often I worry about things, or just thoughtlessly get on with things because I want to do them, and when I do pray its just about myself and what I need to do. I need to seek God so much more, to pray without ceasing, seeking his will, and praying for others, whether friends, family, those in my community, or unreached peoples all around the world.

So now is the time, the Kairos, for the Church to see the bigger the picture; to thank God for his amazing blessings, and to seek to be a blessing to the rest of the world, taking the Good News of the Kingdom of God to all people everywhere. And it must start with me.

The First Thought of Christmas - Is tolerance a good thing?

Putting to one side the title of this blog, and any thoughts you have about what you should say or do, read this statement and ask yourself whether you think this practice is something that should be celebrated and encouraged:

To allow something that one dislikes or disagrees with to exist or occur without interference.

Apply this statement to a variety of scenarios. The child being bullied in the playground, the X-Factor winner claiming Christmas number one yet again, the tyranny of a country by an oppressive regime, a friend who always interrupts you as you chat with others at the pub, the ever-increasing belly that pertrudes from your torso as age takes its toll on your body's metabolism.

Each of these situations will, for many people, involve things that the individual strongly dislikes or disagrees with, things that really gripes them or drives them to despair. Obviously the extent to which they do will differ, and so too the reasons why. But in each of them, how many of us would turn, look at someone shrugging their shoulders and saying "oh well, not my business", and think to themself "wow; what a guy". And yet to me it seems that to hold up as a beacon of dignity, class and humanity this value of 'tolerance' is to do exactly that.

Some would say these signs each depict somewhat contradictory messages.

Now, we only have a limited amount of time and energy from which to act and, as such, for some things we might have to say maybe it really doesn't matter. In some cases our dislike may be down to a trifling matter of taste, and perhaps on these occasions diversity of taste is something to be embraced (although arguably whilst we might be inclined to think "yes, let the masses have their way and in droves buy the latest manufactured pop mush" perhaps instead we could make an effort to introduce them to the delights of the more acquired tastes of the latest offering of our favourite Philharmonic, or our idolised punk-thrash-metal band).

The main issue, I feel, is that people mix up arguments of tolerance versus intolerance with deciding how to express that intolerance. The desires that drove a million people to protest against the war in Iraq stem as much from intolerance as those that drove the armed forces of nations to depose Saddam Hussein and conduct the aforementioned war in the first place. Of course the action that resulted from those two incidences of intolerance differed dramatically, but, nevertheless, intolerance it was. Similarly, when faced with a playground bully you wouldn't think to tolerate it, but this intolerance could, on the one hand, mean giving the boy a thump, on the other letting a teacher put him in detention to write some lines and tell him not to do it again, or alternaitvely to seek to understand why he wants to do such a thing (has he been bullied previously, does he feel isolated, are there family troubles at home?) and help him to change and improve his life and those of them around him.

Interestingly, not many of the other Times articles mentioning tolerance (see below) have such a positive view.

As you can probably tell, my inkling in response to the question I pose in the title is that tolerance isn't all it's cracked up to be, something I was reminded of when reading the leading article in yesterday's Times ('A Time for Tolerance'). The writer brings up in his article the role of tolerance within the dynamics of the established Church - something I'll return to later in the week - but it is his closing statement that really puzzles me. He says that to fight the falsehood of other people's views is not the message of Christ, but rather that it is that "we are all, as children, equally blessed and must tolerate and respect what is good in each of us". This is the same Christ that said "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me". Not really the language of someone saying "so basically do yer best and try not to annoy anyone". No, Jesus wasn't a tolerant chap, as witnessed in his turning of the tables in the temple, in the countless occasions he confronted the religious leaders of the day and, outrageously, stood up for the marginalised and down-trodden, and most importantly in how he allowed himself to be arrested, tried and executed, that he might die for the sins of the world.

Jesus could have looked at the wrong doings of people everywhere and said "that's OK", he could have let people go on their merry way, walking to their death oblivious to the consequences of their choices and actions, but instead he chose not to tolerate it, taking the one action that could actually do anything to change things and reconcile us to God. Even the nativity stories we may have read in the last few days make this clear.

So I wonder; is tolerance just the easy way out? Are we called to be intolerant of the things we see to be wrong and unjust and to make a difference? I have a feeling the answer is yes, but that still leaves the uncomfortable and much, much harder question - what are we then going to do about it?

Salvation is Free

I searched for Salvation in YouTube (as you do when you're bored and looking for videos to do with the Salvation Army), and came across this song with fascinating lyrics...

These are the lyrics:

To all those people doing lines:
Don't do it, don't do it.
Inject your soul with liberty;
It's free, it's free.

To all the kids with heroin eyes:
Don't do it, don't do it.
Cos it's not, not what it seems,
No it's not, not what it seems.

Salvation, Salvation, Salvation is free.
Salvation, Salvation, Salvation is free.

To all the parents with sleepless nights:
Tie your kids on to their beds,
Clean their heads.

To all the kids with heroin eyes:
Don't do it, don't do it.
Cos it's not, not what it seems,
No it's not, not what it seems.

Salvation, Salvation, Salvation is free.
Salvation, Salvation, Salvation is free.

-------------------------------------------------

As The Salvation Army (and as Christians in general), we need to get a message out, and whilst hopefully we're not saying "don't do this, don't do that" to everyone, it's really important that we point out that the thing people are looking for is out there if you look in the right place, and is so much more fulfilling and satisfying than anyone could imagine, much much better than any drug.

And best of all, it's free!

Bradford and Leeds week - Holme Christian Community (Good Friday)

Good Friday night quite a few people from the surrounding area crowded into HCC for worship and to be reminded of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Worship was slightly strange as although there were two singers and a flautist, we all sang along to a worship music CD. This was all fine, but was particularly interesting when we got to the instrumentals...

At one point the pastor produced a wooden cross and some broken pieces of porcelain and the members of the congregation were asked to each stick a piece on (it was covered in grouting in case you’re wondering), symbolising our brokenness being paid for on the cross. He tried to bribe us into going to the Easter Sunday 6AM service by saying we could see what it turned into – I wasn’t able to go but Caroline did and said he didn’t bring it! Hopefully he took it to the breakfast! Either way, the idea was to spray it gold, presumably to demonstrate how God takes our brokenness on the cross, and through that sacrifice God is glorified and we are made beautiful in His eyes. Or maybe I’m just reading too much into it.

Caroline gave the sermon, which had two main points. The first was that we all share the one Christ, we all serve him, he died for all of us who believe. As the curtain was torn in two when Christ died, this symbolised us having access to God, something previously reserved for the holiest of Priests. Secondly, it illustrated the upside-down kingdom, where the first is last and the last is first. Christ came to serve and not to be served. He turned the ideas of the world on it’s head. I guess this is what is meant by the fact the cross is foolishness to many. The cross, therefore, turns darkness to light, death to life and punishment to freedom. And we are offered that, such light, such life, such freedom.

Bradford and Leeds week - erm... Newark

OK, so it's not exactly Bradford and Leeds (in fact it's over an hour and a half away on the train), but it's in 'the North' (as it is so helpfully signposted on motorways) so I thought I'd take the chance to go and have a look. The Salvation Army in Newark is led by more relatives, Uncle Tim and Auntie Jo (Justice), and they have been there about six years now (I think). In that time they've seen the corps grow, and they have a real focus on the things that are important. Jo herself said that they've tried to ensure that the focus is always on the Word and on God rather than anything periphery, which can often be the case in the Salvation Army, just as in any other church.

Tim showed me around the centre of town first of all, close to where their current hall is located. A rural market town, I was impressed by the town square, surrounded by trendy coffee bars and independent sandwich shops, with the market stalls in action and the spire of the Anglican church towering over. Apparently lots of civil war stuff happened here too, but that was before my time...

Currently, whilst their hall is the base for weekday things, their Sunday meetings happen round the corner in a local school hall. They also have a charity shop in an estate a little way out on an apparently-deserted parade of shops, but it brings in a healthy stream of income so someone must be going there!

I came down because Tim had asked me about what I was doing next year and whether I had any plans. Having spoken to Jo about my ideas and dreams at Christmas time they must have wondered whether I wanted to come to Newark to help put some of those things into practice and to learn about working in a church and its surrounding community. There were so many positive things that they spoke about and the hopes and ambitions they had were really enthusing and inspiring.

They should soon be taking over a community centre (pictured above) in an estate outside the centre. which would provide another base, and could accommodate kids clubs, a luncheon club, youth work and many other activities. This would be particularly useful, not only to expand their influence on the communities in Newark, but also because they have recently sold their hall and are planning on building a new one. Moving out to a new bit of land on the outskirts in a place called Balderton, plans are in place for a brand new steel structure building with meeting hall and plenty of facilities for day-to-day activities.

Finally, I was struck by their outlined plans for the next four years, under the banner of 'Going for Gold' (tying into the 2012 theme). I won't type the whole thing up, but their key aims were to be praying, welcoming, saving, nurturing, participating and Kingdom-focused.

It was great to pray with them when I left. I don't know exactly where I'm going these next few months and years and neither do they. We can make our best plans, we need them and there's nothing wrong with them, but if they are not God's plans then they are worthless and will be fruitless. So it is my prayer that both myself and them will seek God and do his will. God bless them in all the work they are doing for Him.

*****

As you can probably tell, I've taken to putting pictures in my blog posts, which hopefully makes them a bit more exciting. So I thought I'd try and find a picture of the hall, or where the new one would be built, but having spent ages looking all I could come up with is a screenshot of Google Maps. Enjoy...

Bradford and Leeds week - 'City Lights'

On Sunday evening I headed to Holme Christian Community (HCC) where I got on the yellow bus, which we took down to the centre of Bradford, an outreach that is known as 'City Lights'. There we met around 90 homeless or otherwise-marginalised individuals and they were given coffee and a hot meal. It also provided a great opportunity to speak to the guys being served and find out how they were doing.

Having some small talk with a few people, my first in-depth conversation was with a gentleman who must have been in his 50s or 60s.  He started by saying we were angels, doing an amazing thing, and how he thought Christianity was a great thing, that God had clearly sent us to do His work. He also said he thought that people coming over from other countries should leave England as it is, that Christianity is the religion of this country and that's that. It was interesting to find out he was a Muslim and he came over from Southern Asia when he was younger. It was even more interesting when I tried to explore what he meant by all these terms and phrases. He seemed to think that not only was Christ real but that He was God, and yet when I questioned whether that made him a Christian he didn't seem to think so. We kept chatting, and I really just tried to encourage him to think about it more, tried to get across that Christianity wasn't a religion so much as a matter of putting your faith in someone and following them. I'm not entirely sure how able he was to take it all in anyway, not through substance abuse or anything like that, but he just seemed like a very nice and simple man. Just how do you explain to people that not all these 'religions' are the same, and it's not just about being nice?! But if nothing else, it was very amusing just to hear Mr. Khan every few seconds saying "God Bless you" before exclaiming "gorgeous!" every time he took a mouthful of his meal.

There was another guy I spoke to, extremely friendly, willing to chat, and I got the impression well known to people around. He said he worked at the university (similarly Mr. Khan said he had lectured - not sure how true either of these claims were), and was very interested in things to do with electrolytes, ACT, and synchronicity. I didn't really have a clue what he was talking about, but it was something to do with metaphysics I guess. When pushed he described himself as a universalist, believing that there was a God and that Jesus was "a top bloke, no doubt about it, a top bloke". I said that if I do move to Bradford in September it'd be great to continue the conversation further.

Finally, one other guy and I chatted for a fair while, and I asked him whether he had a faith, with him replying that he was a Catholic when he grew up (it seems to me that everyone was a Catholic when they grew up - or maybe that's just the homeless population).  He described how his father used to beat his mum and that really meant it was impossible for him to believe. I told Him how God was just and didn't think what his Dad did was right either, and explained how we all do wrong and need a saviour, but that God has provided that saviour Himself. He seemed fairly interested and though his mates wanted to go and drink he didn't seem in a hurry, but when I pushed the point, he said himself that he just didn't feel like he hadn't done anything wrong. I guess that's how a lot of people feel. I tried to explain that all of us have done wrong, and so it wasn't just me pointing the finger at him, and I think he may have started to get it, so it's my prayer that his eyes will be opened in days to come.

It was generally just great to see the ministry that is provided, a valuable ministry I am sure, both in terms of physical nourishment and in terms of building relationships and telling people the good news. It reminded me of the urgency of telling people this news as some people just haven't heard it before. They've heard about Christianity, God, or some particular denomination, but never what it's actually all about. It's my prayer that this ministry will help to break down those barriers and let these people know how they can be set free for everlasting life.

Those wacky Christian Unions....

Found my way onto Michael Ots' website today and had a look at what he had to say (he spoke at the Bath University Christian Union (CU) 'iDentity' week of talks in November 2008). The Lancaster University CU got a feature on their university campus TV channel, with Michael Ots getting an interview on it, alongside a clip of him giving one of the talks in their FREE week. Was great to see them doing a plug for their CU and also that the TV channel let them.

Still not sure how it looks when Christians use the word 'wacky' though. Especially considering they were referring to a film night! Oh well, at least they weren't wearing strange hats.

Great to see the work of other CUs around the country, and the commitment of people like Michael who spend their lives telling others of the good news of Jesus Christ.