Oración

Cómo ustedes saben, hoy es mi ultima reunión acá en la iglesia Enmanuel, y es un privilegio para tener la oportunidad para compartir la palabra con ustedes en mi ultima semana acá. He pasado un año con ustedes, y voy a extrañar a todos ustedes, pero hoy quiero terminar mi tiempo con un desafío para ustedes, y mas que un desafío quiero desafiarlos a hacer un compromiso hoy, un compromiso para  ser seguidores de Jesús en este lugar y en este momento.

Quiero empezar con dos preguntas para ustedes. Primero, ¿qué imagen tiene en tu cabeza cuando una persona está diciendo la palabra ‘Cristiano’?, y segundo, ¿quién era el Cristiano mas influyente en tu camino Cristiano?

Porque, para mi, cuando estoy oyendo la palabra ‘Cristiano’ estoy pensando en una persona quien está en la iglesia cada semana, empezando su día en oración o leyendo la Biblia o ambos, una persona quien sabe su Biblia desde Génesis a Apocalipsis. Una persona quien no esta haciendo nada incorrecto en su vida. Una persona quien esta hablando sobre cuantas personas ellos han compartido la Biblia en esta semana.

Pero, cuando estoy pensando sobre la persona mas influyente en mi vida Cristiana estoy pensando de dos personas en verdad. La primera es Neil Hopkins, un amigo desde mi iglesia en Inglaterra, con quien estaba trabajando con los jóvenes como el pastor de jóvenes. Puedo recordar que me ha tratado cómo una persona, y mas que solo una persona – un parte de su familia. Hemos hablado sobre cada cosa en nuestras vidas, no solo las cosas buenas pero las cosas feas también sin condena. Y mas que eso, puedo ver a Cristo en cada cosa el estaba haciendo.

La segunda es mi novia, Ruth. Nos hemos conocido por cuatro años y medio como hermano y hermana. Ruth, esta trabajando en el medio del campo, y por eso en el ultimo año ha salido a la iglesia un máximo de diez veces, pero su fe y su pasión para vivir la vida que Jesús ha vivido es obvio a todos con quien ella esta hablando. Si, ella tiene dudas, pero tiene la honestidad para admitirlas sin miedo que eso no esta bien. Su amor por todos es obvio a todos, pero es un amor sin ser ruidoso, sin la necesidad para la atención.

La cosa interesante es que ninguna de las características que he mencionado cuando pienso sobre que es un Cristiano, son las cosas que admiro en Neil y Ruth. Es porque, hay una diferencia, en mis ojos, ser un ‘Cristiano’ y un seguidor de Jesús, y hoy quiero mostrarlos la diferencia.

No se, cuantos de ustedes han atendido las reuniones sobre las diferentes sectas. Yo no he atendido, y por eso posiblemente la cosa que voy a decir es incorrecto, pero pienso que el enfoque estaba en sus enseñanzas y las faltas en sus enseñanzas. Pero, en toda honestidad, quiero preguntar si eso es la sola diferencia dentro las sectas y nosotros? Una diferencia de enseñanza y nada mas? Porque si estamos volviendo a la imagen que tenemos de un Cristiano de mas temprano, no hay mucho diferencia. Ellos tienen sus reuniones cada semana, sus oraciones, sus estudios. Ellos están dando su dinero a su grupo cada semana. Si posiblemente ellos tienen una diferencia en sus enseñanzas pero nada mas.

Eso es todo lo que es diferente entre nosotros y ellos? La mayoría de ustedes están sentados en sus asientos ahora pensando, no, hay una diferencia mucho mas grande entre nosotros y ellos, tenemos Jesús, pero en toda honestidad puedo ver esta diferencia?

No.

La pasada semana el hermano Walter ha compartido con nosotros sobre el pasaje en Apocalipsis 3 y la carta a la iglesia de Laodicea y como Dios estaba diciendo a ellos que quisiera vomitarlos por el caso que ellos eran tibio. Una iglesia donde su enseñanza era fiel, pero sus vidas y sus testimonios eran una cosa muy diferente.

Hemos perdido el significado de que es una persona quien esta siguiendo a Jesús, porque hemos cambiado el enfoque. Hemos racionalizado nuestra fe a una lista de cosas que tenemos que hacer, y tenemos que saber, y no podemos hacer. Hemos racionalizado nuestra fe a una lista de diferencias entre nosotros y las secta, o las otras religiones. Hemos racionalizado nuestra fe a una aplicación para ser un parte de un grupo de personas, y una lista de compromisos a un grupo de personas.

Pero la vida Cristiana es muy diferente a eso. Un Cristiano no es un miembro de una otra religión. Una persona quien esta siguiendo una lista de reglas y compromisos. Es una persona quien tiene solo un compromiso – seguir a Jesús – para ser un seguidor de Jesús, y eso es la tema para hoy.

Los jóvenes de esta iglesia han tenido un retiro la otra semana para pensar sobre el año y que ellos han aprendido este año. Durante el tiempo ellos han hablado sobre una palabra, que estoy diciendo todo el tiempo cuando estoy hablando sobre seguir a Jesús – es la palabra ‘radical’.

Porque la vida de un seguidor de Jesús es una vida radical – una vida diferente – una vida extraña. Y para ver este vida vamos a volver a una de las historias mas importante en la Biblia, pero una historia que no entendemos en este momento – la llamada de los primeros discípulos.

Si podemos leer la historia en Marcos – Marcos capitulo 1, versículos 16 á 20.

Pasaje

Eso es un pasaje muy famoso, que todos de nosotros sabemos, pero pienso que la mayoría de nosotros no entendemos. Durante mi tiempo siguiendo a Jesús he oído a varios sermones sobre este pasaje, la mayoría enfocando en las palabras del versículo 17 – ‘los haré pescadores de hombres.’ Después tenemos treinta minutos del pastor convenciendo-nos a nosotros que esta semana tenemos que compartir el evangelio con todos nuestros amigos. Bueno – no hay ningúna cosa incorrecta sobre este pensamiento, pero esta pasando por el punto mas importante de este pasaje – las otras palabras en versículo 17 – ‘Vengan, síganme.’

La cosa es, como personas en 2009 no entendemos el significado de estas dos palabras – ‘Vengan, síganme’. Es solo cuando estamos en los zapatos de Simón y Andrés. los zapatos de un Judío en su tiempo, que podemos entender el significado de esos palabras.

Para entender este pasaje tenemos que volver a la escuela. Tenemos que volver a la escuela en el tiempo de Jesús. Porque en el tiempo de Jesús la escuela estaba en el templo y el enfoque de la escuela de las clases estaba la Tora – los primeros cinco libros de la Biblia – Génesis, Exodo, Números, Levítico  y Deuteronomio.

Y me cree, que si piense que la escuela ahora es horrible, en aquel entonces estaba mucho mucho mas difícil y feo.

Desde la edad de 6 años hasta la edad de 10 años, estaba en primaria, pero ha tenido el nombre ‘Beit Sefer’. El objetivo para esta parte será memorizar todo de la Tora – todo de Génesis. Todo de Exodo. Todo de Números. Todo de Levítico. Y todo de Deuteronomio. Sin falta. A la edad de 10 años. Sabían la Tora de memoria.

En verdad, por la mayoría de los estudiantes eso era imposible y antes del fin del ‘Beit Sefer’ ellos fallaron y volvieron a sus casas para aprender el trabajo de su casa o aprender a manejar la casa.

Solo los mejores de los mejores de los estudiantes estaban continuando en la escuela después este punto, y ellos pasarían por la segunda parte – ‘Beit Talmud’. En Beit Talmud, los mejores de los mejores, siguieran a memorizar el resto de las escrituras hebreas. Desde Génesis hasta Malaquías. 38 libros. 1074 capítulos. 27, 570 versículos. Todo memorizado.

¡Que difícil!

Ellos terminaron este nivel a la edad de 14 o 15 años, y solamente los mejores de los mejores de los mejores de los estudiantes tendrían la habilidad para terminar este nivel, y ellos continuarían al siguiente nivel de la educación – ‘Beit Midrash’.

Iban a un rabino y aplicaban como ser su discípulo. El estudiante iba a un rabino y el estudiante aplicaba a ser su discípulo. Y no había ninguna garantía que el rabino acepte al estudiante para ser su discípulo. El rabino  interrogó al estudiante por horas y horas antes de tomar una decisión, y todo el tiempo estaba pensando si el estudiante podría aprender las cosas que el supo, si el estudiante podría hacer las cosas que el hacia, y si el podría ser el mismo como el.

Y solo si la respuesta a todo de eso será si, diría al estudiante ‘Venga, sígame.’

Si la respuesta será no, diría al estudiante ‘Vuelve a tu casa y aprende el trabajo de tu padre.’

Solo los mejores de los mejores de los mejores recibirían la invitación, ‘Venga, sígame.’

Para entenderlo tenemos que entender el significado de la palabra discípulo. Cuando un estudiante estaba preguntando a un rabino para ser su discípulo el estaba diciendo mucho mucho mas que solamente quiero saber qué sabes. Estaba diciendo que quiero hacer lo que haces. Quiero ser exactamente el mismo como tu. No solamente quiero ser como tu – quiero ser exactamente el mismo como tu.

Un discípulo estaba yendo exactamente a los mismos lugares que su rabino. Estaba haciendo exactamente lo mismo como su rabino. Su objetivo será ser el mismo como su rabino.

El niño de 14 o 15 años quien el rabino ha aceptado dejaría a su familia, a sus amigos, a su pueblo, a su sinagoga para ser el discípulo del rabino. Dedicaría toda su vida a ser como su rabino.

Aprendiendo a hacer lo que su rabino hace.

Esto es lo que significa se discípulo.

Imagina mirando un rabino llegando a su pueblo, con su grupo de discípulos tratando a mantener en su altura porque ellos han dedicado su vida a seguir a su rabino. Ellos han pasado todo el día siguiendo a su rabino y siguiendo directo detrás su rabino, viajando por los caminos polvorientos y sucios cualquier cosa que el rabino haya pisado, lo tienes sobre ti. Entonces esta dicho se contaba entre los sabios. ‘Que estás cubierto con el polvo de tu rabino.’

Esto es lo que significa ser discípulo.

Es solamente con este conocimiento que podemos entender el significado de este pasaje en Marcos. Es solamente con este conocimiento que podemos ver lo que significa para decir que somos discípulos de Jesús, que somos seguidores de Jesús.

Creo que hoy, con este conocimiento, podemos tomar dos puntos de este pasaje.

Primero, que para ser un discípulo de Jesús no tenemos que ser los mejores de los mejores de los mejores de los estudiantes en la iglesia.

Jesús esta caminando por la orilla del mar de Galilea y vio dos pescadores. Dos pescadores. Ellos son dos personas quien no son los mejores de los mejores de los mejores de los estudiantes porque ellos están haciendo el trabajo familiar. Ellos no son los discípulos de un otro rabino. Ellos han callado – ellos no han completado su educación. Ellos no saben su Tora. Ellos no han memorizado su Tora.

Pero Jesús esta diciendo a ellos, ‘Vengan, síganme.’ El está diciendo a ustedes, ‘Vengan, síganme.’

No hay una entrevista para ver si ellos o ustedes sabían su Tora suficiente, si ellos tienen lo que necesitan para ser su discípulo, si ellos pueden ser el mismo como él. Jesús esta diciendo a ellos, ‘Vengan, síganme. Pueden ser mis discípulos.’ Jesús esta diciendo a ustedes, ‘Vengan, síganme. Pueden ser mis discípulos.’

Hay una historia en la Biblia que me encanta. Los discípulos están en un barco por el mar de Galilea, y hay una persona caminando por el agua. Por el agua! Pedro miro que será su rabino, Jesús y como un verdadero discípulo se dijo quiero hacer lo mismo como mi rabino – quiero caminar por el agua!

Dejó el barco y empezó a caminar por el agua á Jesús, a su rabino, siguiendo a su rabino, haciendo lo mismo que su rabino. Pero, después un poco de tiempo empezó a hundirse, y Jesús le dijo ‘¡Hombre de poca fe! ¿Por qué dudaste?’

Varias veces he escuchado a pastores predicando sobre este pasaje diciendo que Pedro dudo de Jesús, pero eso no será el problema. El ha tenido una confianza completa en Jesús – por eso el estaba caminando por el agua, siguiendo a su rabino donde el estaba caminando. Su duda será en su capacidad a hacer lo que su rabino estaba haciendo.

Su duda estaba en si mismo. En su capacidad y habilidad para seguir a Jesús y para ser como Jesús, su rabino.

Ha olvidado que no ha aplicado por la posición de discípulo, que su seguridad como un discípulo no esta en su conocimiento y memorización de las escrituras hebreas, o en su posición en el templo o su resultados en la escuela en el templo, sino en las palabras de Jesús diciendo, ‘Venga, sígame.’

Cuántas veces no están haciendo una cosa por Dios, porque pensarían que no tienen el conocimiento o las habilidades para seguir a Jesús donde el está.

Cuantas veces están diciendo que no podemos hacer eso o eso porque no tenemos la formación o el conocimiento, pero Jesús no preguntó por un currículum vitae antes de decir ‘Venga, sígame’, y no esta preguntando para ver nuestro currículum vitae antes de decir ‘Vengan, síganme’.

Nuestra capacidad a seguir a Jesús, a ser su discípulo no es sobre nuestro conocimiento o nuestra formación, es solamente sobre nuestra decisión, si vamos a seguirlo.

Es una oferta de Jesús.

No es una entrevista.

Tenemos que tener fe en Jesús – en su opinión de nuestra capacidad a seguirlo y nada mas. El tiene la confianza que sus discípulos pueden hacer todo – incluyendo caminar por agua!

No tenemos que memorizar nuestras Biblias o atender todos los cursos posible – eso es nada ante los ojos de Dios – el quiere solamente discípulos que estén listos a seguirlo por todo lado.

No tenemos que ser los mejores de los mejores de los mejores de los estudiantes en la iglesia para ser un seguidor de Jesús, para recibir la invitación a ser su discípulo.

El segundo punto es si vamos a aceptar la oferta a ser sus discípulos, tenemos que actuar como sus discípulos. Tenemos que tener el deseo para no solamente aprender lo que el sabe, sino para hacer lo que el hace y para ser lo que el es.

Tenemos que caminar donde el esta caminando – tenemos que terminar el día cubierto con el polvo de nuestro rabino, Jesús.

Quiero preguntarles, ¿dónde esta el enfoque de tu vida Cristiana? Tengo la preocupación que por la mayoría de ustedes es la iglesia, y no estoy hablando sobre el cuerpo de Cristo, el grupo de los creyentes, estoy hablando sobre el edificio. Estamos siguiendo a Jesús si estamos pasando el máximo tiempo posible en la iglesia, en un domingo, para apoyar con Oansa o con los jóvenes, o atendiendo las reuniones en la semana también. Estamos siguiendo a Jesús como una iglesia si estamos buscando el dinero para pagar la deuda con el banco, o si estamos buscando el dinero para comprar una nueva consola para el sistema de sonido.

Pero, en toda honestidad, ¿eso es el enfoque del camino de Jesús en este mundo? Creo que no.

Eso era el problema con la iglesia de Laodicea – han tenido el conocimiento pero ellos no estaban haciendo una cosa con este conocimiento. Eran sobre sus posiciones y conocimiento.

Sobre la religión, reglas, y enfoque en las reuniones y rituales en el templo de los fariseos el uso las palabras del profeta Isaías – ‘Este pueblo me honra con los labios, pero su corazón está lejos de mí. En vano me adoran; sus enseñanzas no son más que reglas humanas.’

Jesús y sus discípulos no han pasado su tiempo dentro del templo, pero si en la comunidad, hablando con la gente, buscando comida para los hambrientos, orando por las enfermedades, compartiendo con los leprosos, prostitutas y  otros marginados sociales.

Sobre el enfoque de nuestro dinero Jesús no estaba pensando en comprar nuevas cosas para la iglesia o para comprar una casa, pero si estaba compartiendo todo que el tiene con todos – por ejemplo cuando el ha dado comida a mas que 5,000 personas. Su prioridad no era pensar en si mismo, como los discípulos, eran los de mas. La otra gente.

Para la primera iglesia eso significa que cuando ellos estaban entrando a la comunidad de creyentes ellos estaban dando todo su dinero a la comunidad para compartir con los que estaban en necesidad.

Quiero preguntarles si en este momento ¿estaría cubierto con el polvo de nuestro rabino, Jesús?

Creo que no, porque estamos acá haciendo nada sobre la pobreza en nuestra puerta. Nuestro enfoque como individuos y también en una iglesia no son las cosas de Jesús. Pensamos que estamos enfocado en eso, pero si estamos preguntando la verdad, no lo creo.

Creo que si Dios estaba escribiendo una otra carta a las iglesias ahora, muchos de nosotros vamos a recibir una carta similar a este carta por la iglesia de Laodicea. ‘Por tanto como no eres frío  ni caliente, sino tibio, estoy por vomitarte de mi boca.’

¿Dónde piensa que Jesús va a estar en este momento si él estaría? ¿Acá en la iglesia enfocado en si mismo o pasando dos horas en una estudio académico, o en la calle, con la gente orando con ellos, comiendo con ellos, viviendo y actuando en las cosas de sus enseñanzas?

Si somos los discípulos de Jesús, si estamos aceptando la oferta a ser sus discípulos, tenemos que hacer las cosas que Jesús hizo. Tenemos que ser Jesús ahora y acá. No solamente tratar a aprender las cosas – tenemos que hacer y ser.

Tenemos que terminar cada día cubierto con el polvo de nuestro rabino, nuestro Jesús.

Estas listo para hacerlo?

Y la cosa mas increíble, es que podemos hacerlo, porque no hemos aplicado para ser un discípulo de Jesús, no hay la posibilidad de fracaso porque no esta condicionado en nuestro conocimiento o nuestra habilidad – todo lo que tenemos que hacer es que tenemos que decir si, y no solamente con nuestras bocas – con nuestras corazones y nuestros cuerpos.

Eso no es un ejercicio académico, o una lista de reglas para subir, o una lista de compromisos que tenemos cada semana – es una cosa radical. Y el desafío para ustedes no es para charlar sobre como podemos ser mas radical. Es para hacer las cosas radicales, y para ser radical.

Cada uno de ustedes.

Ahora.

Y acá.

Termino con la oportunidad para ustedes para decir que si, voy a ser un seguidor de Jesús, voy a ser un discípulo de Jesús con todas las cosas indicadas en este compromiso. Para dejar todo para seguirlo, para permitirle a estar cubierto con el polvo de Jesús.

Si quieres decir hoy, que no voy a solamente charlar o estudiar sobre eso, sino voy a hacer y serlo, quiero que te pongas de pie y voy a orar. Voy a invitar a todos a cerrar sus ojos, y después vamos a ponernos de pie si queremos dar nuestras vidas en verdad a seguir a Jesús. Vamos a ponernos de pie porque estamos diciendo que no vamos solamente a estudiar mas, o orar mas, vamos a actuar – hacer y ser seguidores de Jesús.

So, recently I became aware of the Simplify project which the evangelical alliance has launched for October and thought I would share it with you as a way we could practically work this out in our lives. The idea is that you live on what you would receive on benefits and give the rest away for a period of time (they suggest a month). Whilst not necesarily perfect in the way it works, I think it is a great idea which I wanted to share with you all. The information can be found on their website: http://www.eauk.org/simplify/

Over here my heart has been broken again and again by the poverty that I see, and poverty which none of us can say we know nothing about – as Christians it should break our hearts everytime we see poverty, whether it would be in the UK or abroad, but out hearts are not broken to do nothing, but to move us into action (words from a great worship song!). There is poverty all over the place, and we cannot say there is nothing we can do – we can pray, but we can also act and be the answer to our prayers…………

There is so much going in our world at the moment, and many people in the UK are really feeling the pressure of the recession, and the reaction is to tighten our belts, and with that the thing that normally goes is our giving……… and yet most people in the UK have a car – this makes us better off in physical terms than about 90% of the world……

Please do not do this out of obligation – pray about it, talk about it, and lets see if we can really start making a difference where we are, with whom and what we are. (God calls us to be cheerful givers not obligatory givers…….)

Bendiciones

Andy

So recently I have been thinking about what is theology, or what do we mean when we say we are doing theology. You see, my background leads me to think that doing theology is reading the latest John Stott book, or offering from Don Carson, or even from Wright, or maybe having an indepth discussion in a small group  - this is what my church and my CU seemed to teach me when I was at university. Theology was reading, it was studying, it was dissecting.

But you see, this always rubbed me up the wrong way when I was at uni, and even after. The God I read about in the Bible seemed to be about relationship – a point that the CU and church seemed to talk about, but then they just spend their time in academic conversations. (I hasten to add at least the church seems to have changed since those days, not so sure about the CU).

This got me thinking, especially recently. My ‘doing theology’ had always seemed to be different to theirs. For me, I learnt more about God by doing rather than reading. I thought it might just be my learning style or something silly like that, but then a few months ago something happened that made me realise it wasn’t that.

You see, a few months ago I was seriously considering starting a relationship with the young lady I can now call my girlfriend, and it made me realise things about falling in love, about being in a relationship with someone. I could not grow in that relationship by reading a book about her, or by reading someone elses commentary on her. They might give me a bit of enlightenment, but they weren’t going to be much good in the long run. What was important for us was to share our passions and to spend time with one another working towards the same goals, whatever that would be.

And so things clicked, I realised theology, knowing God, and not just knowing about Him, was only going to grow if I spent time with Him, and sharing in His passion – passions for justice, for people. How much sharing in passions for people and justice can we do from a chair reading a book or sat in a group discussing the theological difference between different greek words for love. We know love by experiencing it, not by a clinical study of it in lab conditions!

You see, there is a difference between knowing about God and knowing God. The word theology is so often misinterpreted as the study of God, but actually the Greek comes to a much deeper meaning of understanding God. To understand is a very different thing – is to have a thorough familiarity with that person or object or concept. Familiarity suggests a passing of time together, a relationship and closeness to the object or person. Not some clinical study.

And this is how Jesus helped people understand Himself. He spent time with people, He passed time, shared His life in fact with His disciples. He passed every moment with them, shared His life. They shared His passions, and spent their time doing as He did, not reading some book on Him.

You see, if you are someone who spends their whole time reading books or listening to sermons on God, you will only ever know about Him, you won’t know Him.

Let’s spend time with Him, and I don’t just mean in prayer, I mean living with Him – where He is. Sharing our lives with Him, talking with Him, sharing in His passions.

Bendiciones

Andy

So yesterday I had the opportunity to preach on James 2 : 14 – 26, one of my favourite passages in the Bible. All about faith and action. I will put my talk up here in a bit more time, and also some of my other talks, (sorry only in Spanish) for you to peruse, but wanted to ask a question which has been bugging me for a while now?

Is the faith of the modern church dead?

I reckon, on the terms laid out in this passage it is. You see, the modern church, has this preocupation with knowledge and numbers, whilst forgetting the beggar outside their very own door. Yes, in theory we know what we should be doing, but how many churches really are doing?

And by churches I mean every member of the church. I can see the objections already forming in your head. Well, our church has 10 mission partners. We have a weekly prayer meeting for the homeless. Our church sends money to the local soup kitchen….. etc……

But you see our faith is something far bigger than all this, something far more radical. It calls each one of us to live by faith that is in action (note that it is note faith leading to action – one does not come first – they are one and the same in the passage – without one you cannot have the other). Each one of us should be living our faith. If we are not living with actions our faith is dead!!!

Is your faith dead?

And the actions are not things like sharing the gospel with words, (in fact James strongly attacks this in the passage………). Yes, share the gospel, but it is a gospel with practical implications too. A God who loves so much to send His Son to save the beggar from eternal damnation, but can’t be bothered to clothe him and feed him???!!!! A church that loves a beggar so much so as to save him from eternal damnation, but then takes out an order against him because he ruins the image of the church????!!!!

You know, its easy to share the gospel with words. Sure it might cost us a friend or two. But to feed the beggars and clothe the prostitutes, and pay for drug rehab for the addict – that costs us that new car or the holiday in Africa this year……..

But this is the faith that James is talking about – faith with action, and with cost. REAL cost.

Abraham was credited with faith not because he had a great time chatting to God every morning from the comfort of his armchair (or whatever they had back then), but beacuse he stood at the altar, knife in his hand ready to kill his own son…….. Rahab, because she took in her town’s enemies, knowing that if her people caught her, at the very least they would stone her to death……

Actions and faith…….

Cost and faith…….

Love in action……

Not just in words……..

Even the demons stand up and say I believe in God, the difference with the church is that we then act with actions of love, actions of sacrifice……

Do you have the faith of the demons or the faith of the people of God?

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted here – this post is a big one and a strong one. 

I have recently been utterly broken by the hypocrisy I have seen in the western church – and to be frank the lack of compassion and passion for God’s creation. 

As many of you know I work in Bolivia, with street children. Within this work I have the privelege (and it really is a privelege) to work alongside a team from El Alto – a really poor are of La Paz. I have been blown away by their heart and passion for the work – they really have surrendered everything they have to God and to the ministry they have. You see, they are just starting a new church – they have a massive vision to see a new centre for street kids – a church building that will be used 24-7 and primarily is there to serve the community rather than the needs of the church. What a vision! 

However, they know this is a vision for the future and that it doesn’t act as an excuse to get out of the here and now, and so even when they can’t even afford their own building they are going out three, four times a week to minister to the street children – handing out food, organising football games and giving their time and money freely and gladly without a thought to the future. They understand the importance of bringing the Kingdom of God now – and they do it sacrificially but you would never know unless you spent a lot of time with them. 

For example, the leader of the team, is an ex street kid, and doesn’t own a house, doesn’t have a paid job, but works for the church and the ministry whether he is needed. He is recently married and has a beautiful 2 month old baby, and most people in the church in the UK or America would probably call him irresponsible for not providing for his family, however he knows the blessing of God in all his life, and so does he wife – and I have never seen someone so happy in their ministry. He freely gives up what money he has that week to buy the bread or chocolate for the street ministry.

But, do you know the most exciting thing, this is not the vision of a handful of people in the church – it is the whole church, and its contagious. The church doesn’t see this as the ministry of a few with the ‘calling’ or the ‘gifts’ for this ministry. They see it as an integral part of being ‘church‘.

For them the answer to the question of ‘what is church?‘ is it is pouring out God’s love and fellowship with everyone they know. For them the vision of the church in Acts is not an old vision – it is the present and future vision too. To share in fellowship with all – not just with time , but with everything they are and have. It is beautiful. 

For them the question as they think towards the future and having a new building, is not how can this serve us, but how can this building serve those that they and Jesus love – the community they are in. Mid-week meetings and such like don’t come into the equation – because it is a vision for their whole lives and for the whole world. For them church is not about a building or about meetings, youth groups, bible study groups, worship groups – it is about a contagious and radical love for everyone where possesions, time and resources are meaningless – just as in the Kingdom of God.

How many churches do you know like that? Really?

Or how many churches do you know which are more preoccupied about their budget line, or their sunday meetings, or bible study groups?

Because all that is meaningless without the vision of the kingdom – a vision which isn’t about numbers, budget lines, or bigger buildings, or comfier seats – its a vision about radical and contagious love.

Anything else is just hypocrisy – religious acts and hypocrisy – pharisitic and pointless.

Andy

You see, Barack Obama will disappoint on the hopes people have pinned on him, not because he is a bad choice (I personally was very happy when he won!), but because he is human. And people seem to be forgetting this. You see the phrase ‘God Bless America’ and ‘God Bless the President’ seem to forget that God has blessed the whole world with His Son Jesus who is the only one who will succeed in everything that the world seems to want through Barack.

Humour me for a moment as I draw a parallel between Bolivia and America. You see a few years Bolivia celebrated as Evo Morales was elected as the new president of Bolivia. It was heralded as the start of a new amazing era in Bolivian politics. Speak to the majority of Bolivians on the street now, and they will admit too much hope was pinned on a mere man. Bolivia is now divided more than ever and is really struggling nationally and internationally.

That is not to say that Barack’s presidency is going to be a disaster, but we do have to remember he is not the saviour – Jesus is the Saviour. When we start worshipping a man we start to fall foul to the very thing that broke God’s heart – their desire for a king. Israel thought a king would solve all their problems and actually it just caused more problems for them and drove them further from God! Who is going to be our King this year? Is it going to be Barack Obama or Jesus, corny as it sounds!? but true!

You see America and the world does not need Barack Obama, in fact it could actually, dare I say it, manage without him! What the world needs now is Jesus – which are we can to share with people – our excitement over Barack or our excitement over Jesus?

Bendiciones!

Andy

Another post in one day – it’s almost like Christmas. Wanted some feedback from people. Really feel called to write a book about is wealth wrong in a biblical context. The idea I have is to go through and do an exposition of various passages with the following chapters:

1. The story of Israel – redemption and oppresion
2. The law and the year of Jubilee
3. The prophets speak out – Hosea/Micah
4. Jesus and wealth – the call of The Prophet
5. A rich young man and a poor widow
6. The early church and the death of a couple (Acts 2 – 4)
7. The revelation church
8. Where next?

Basically the idea being to argue that wealth is wrong! Wondered on ideas people had and what people would want to see in a book like this. Don’t want it to be an academic text, but readable and accesible for all!

Bendiciones

Andy

This came out of thoughts recently about what my role is at the moment within my immediate context and also a wider context, and also from a conversation with a good friend in a coffee shop yesterday! 

The interesting thing is that there are some prophetic voices speaking out at the moment – two that come to mind on a large scale are Rob Bell and Shane Claiborne – both of whom are calling for a radical revolution within the church at the moment, and both of whom are facing immense persecution from the conservative church. (Remind anyone of how the oh so righteous Jewish religion reacted to Isaiah, Ezekiel and the other prophets???)

So many people I know, in particular people of my age, are seriously disillusioned with the church at the moment – many to the point that they don’t know what to do, but the problem is these people are not doing anything about it! We need to get up, listen to the Spirit and do something about it!!!

Interesting point – if you look back at the diaries and accounts of the New Years Eve meeting with some of the main movers in the revival in the UK about two hundred years ago, we see an account of an incredible evening where prophecy was pouring forth and the people were really letting the Spirit go whole hog! (The churches that came out of that movement are now some of the most conservative in the UK – what’s going on?!)

You see, as the church deadens the Spirit so we deaden the church. Cessationists (those who believe the Spirit stopped with the apostles) need to be pointed out for exactly what they are – the murderers of the modern church. They might as well have hammered the nails into the cross themselves. We have a living God – a God who speaks and talks and wants to be heard. We also have a living God who listens to the cries of His people – so lets start listening, but not just listening. Lets be a people who cry out for His church and for His people.

Rob Bell co-wrote a book recently entitled ‘Jesus wants to save Christians’ and its true He does, and this church desperately needs saving. SO let’s let the prophetic voice of the church be heard.

Bendiciones

Andy

Sorry for not posting anything for ages, as anyone who keeps up to date with my normal blog will know the last few weeks have been a bit hectic. Okay, so I thought as the Queen, and every other minor celebrity seems to be able to give a Christmas and New Year speech, I thought it was my turn.

The problem being, that my thoughts as I sat in service on New Year´s Eve were not happy, reassuring ones but quite worrying and scary ones. The church all over the world is suffocating at the moment, and as the church likes to point the finger at secularisation and the evils of the world, so I want to point my finger at the church itself.

For years now the letter to the church in Ephesus has haunted me when I have been praying for the church. “You have forsaken your first love“, but do you know what I think is scarier at the moment is that actually we have forsaken love all together. Not just our first love, but love.

Paul in his letter to the church in Corinth puts it likes this – “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

The church today has become nothing – if anything a resounding cymbal. We are so worked up about either numbers or about knowledge (how many churches are known for their good teaching, and how many churches think they are the bees knees because of this?!) or about allowing for “the Spirit to move” in prophecy and tongues, that we have forsaken love. How many churches now are known for their love? This has got so serious that as I say it is not secularisation suffocating the Church, but the church is suffocating the Church.

Bonhoeffer recognised this years ago when in the introduction to his book “The Cost of Discipleship” (SCM Press) he says – “Perhaps it would be just as well to ask ourselves whether we do not in fact often act as obstacles to Jesus and His Word.”

The church is suffocating itsef then through forsaking love. So what does love look like? Paul continues with – “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

I can but hope that this year the Church would meditate on this passage for long periods of time. The Church as a body and the Church as individuals. After a decade where the church has been torn apart by academic debates on issues such as homosexuality and female leadership, and where churches have started to worship knowledge over and above Jesus Christ, we desperately need to see love come within the church. A love that perseveres, a love that is patient, a love that does not fear for its own being, a love that does not boast and a love above all that is not seeking its own rewards, but those of the Kingdom of God.

In particular we must move away from our heavy dependence on head knowledge, for one too many Christians can give the answers to one too many questions, whilst too few can be seen to have actually taken up the call to follow Jesus, sacrificing everything for Him. I have to wonder is Jesus was to return to the earth today, who would the church listen to? Him who knows all, or the academics such as Stott and Carson. For at the moment the focus seems more on following the academics and popular writers than on following Jesus and bringing in the revolution of His love. (And this is not just the curse of the Western church but also that of the highly exalted South American liberation church which seems to worship the god of holistic mission whilst failing to live that out in reality.

Love is absent in the church today, and without love the church is nothing. I fear if we do not recognise this soon we will see the end of the church, and then what would happen.

How does this Church of love look like? Well look at the effect that Jesus and his disciples, and then the early church had on the people they met and then we would see what the church is capable of. Nothing has changed in the power of God´s name, but everything seems to have changed in the hearts of God´s people. This is a costly call, a think that many of the great heroes oif the Christian faith have known – whether it was Peter the fisherman giving up his entire livelihood when he heard the words “Follow me”, or the life of Bonhoeffer who died at the hands of Hitler, or the life of Wilberforce who gave his health for the love of God and Jesus.

As a church are we ready to listen to Jesus and be part of his revolution of love? If we are we need to be getting on our knees and pleading with God and interceeding for the Church on this, and not just staying on our knees but then getting up and taking the call to “Follow Me” seriously and sharing the revolution of love with everyone we meet.

Bendiciones

Andy

I guess I am writing this post as a defense of what he says, and to be honest a defense of what the Bible calls all Christians too. I come from what would traditionally be called a conservative background theologically, with many friends I know having reacted strongly against this book, however I feel Shane has really captured that which is fustrating many people in the church today – we have become far too comfortable for the calling of Jesus. In fact, as Jim Wallis writes in his foreword, this book even challenges those boundaries which we have put ourselves into in the modern church – are we a conservative, a liberal, an evangelical, or even as I used to call myself a ´realistic evangelical conservative!´Or are we simply followers of Jesus. (I hope to write more on this soon in a seperate post).

You see the Bible calls to an extremely controversial role – to lose our lives in order to follow Him. To give up everything to follow Him. To lay our lives down for Him. These are things we all seem to know in our heads, and many would claim to know in their hearts – but do they? How many of us justify our wealth because as far as we are concerned the Rich Young Man was called just to lay it down because it had become an idol. (An extremely popular interreptation of this text is now to contextualise this to say it is purely that the wealth was an idol for this man and is not a teaching about giving up EVERYTHING for Him). Shane challenges us, and in fact the Bible challenges us that this is soooooo off the mark! The teaching of the sheep and the wolves in Matthew 25 blatantly contradicts this! (Once again, I want to write more on this exergesis in the next few weeks). (Maybe actually that fact that we are so relunctant to accept the teaching of giving up everything is a sign that the wealth is actually an idol for us…..)

But this teaching of giving up everything goes so much deeper. How many of us are willing to give up our liberty for the sake of Him….. When we see injustice are we happy to just sign a petition against it or pray against it or are we willing to get up and take some direct action. When God sees the injustice of what Egypt is doing to His people He doesn´t just send a piece of paper to Pharoah he sends locusts, disease, gnats and finally the death of the firstborn to Egypt – He takes direct action! (This is not to say we should send such things to those committing injustice – as for a start we would have to send them to ourselves……!)

The core of all this is God´s love for His people – and by this we don´t mean just those Christians or Israel – His people are all those He created…. Even that really smelly tramp by the door of your church. This call is a truly prophetic one and with real fire. We are in an age where the church is so worried about wealth that they even take legal action against a tramp who stole a few items from the church (can´t help but think of the story of the musical Les Miserables). Are we really showing love for His people – and by this not just by running a once weekly soup run or giving money to a charity – are we really getting down there and getting our hands dirty – socially, politically and financially.

I wonder what the church would look like if we really took this call seriously – maybe at long last we would see a serious attempt at Making Poverty History. You see this call started with Jesus and continues with Me and with You.

In fact – if you haven´t read it, read The Irresistable Revolution and The Bible too and do it allowing the Spirit rather than your wallet and brain to work in you. Shane is no theologian in the conventional sense – but he has far more to show us about what it means to be an actual follower of Jesus than any Systematic Theology that I have ever read. Maybe because he doesn´t just talk – he does……