It's not always bad when things don't go as you planned!

Have you ever planned something at church for a specific purpose and found that God has used it for something entirely different? This for me has not been a unique experience.

Not long after arriving at St. John's Wood the church took a bold step - to close the evening service and replace it with an afternoon cafe. The idea of the cafe was that it would be place where we could invite friends to relax with us in the hopes of being able to share the gospel with them. After some time, and very few people except church people coming through the doors, we discovered that God was using the cafe (and subsequently lunch, which grew out of the cafe) in a different way; to grow the church into a community again, to get us loving each other, spending time with each other and knowing each other. We talked together, played together, laughed together, cried together.
Because we were at church in the afternoon, it made sense to stay for lunch. Now we have lunch together every Sunday. The number of conversations that the Lord uses to bless over lunch and during cafe can't be numbered and their effect can't be underestimated. None of this was what we planned for cafe, but this is how God used it.

Between September 2011 and September 2012 we spent our Sunday evenings planning a new evangelistic service to be launched in September 2012. I was delighted that the format we came up with was different from what I had in my mind when we started! As we launched we were committed to a meeting (not a church service) that would be an easy invite for our friends to come to and talk very openly about what we/they believe, our/their doubts and questions. So it proved up to Christmas. The bigger invitational events proving especially well attended. However this last term something different happened. We ran a series called "God on trial," tackling some of the more common objections to Christian faith. One of our members decided (without really thinking it through) to invite an internet group called the "London Humanists". Connected had not been intended as a place to invite "hostile" people to talk about faith. However that is exactly what it has been. Between 5 and 35 atheists and humanists descended upon us (about 15 of us) and argued, shouted, interupted and to be honest often insulted us for 2+ hours every Sunday night for 6 weeks in a row! It was great! I certainly, and I don't think any of us actually, would have planned to invite such a crowd of hostile people to Connected. We would have been too concerned about others who were enquiring and might be put off, and members who would be shaken by having their faith attacked so forcefully week after week. The first concerned proved to still be a concern , the second was blown out of the water.

The response of the church to such an unexpected situation was fantastic. Humble, warm, welcoming, loving, firm in their faith and so encouraged in be able to share their faith with the people who came in. On a table with three or four atheists would be sat perhaps a Bible college student, an aspiring film writer and new Christian! Each had different approaches to tackling the issues raised. Strong apologetics and polemics, testimony of God's grace over troubled times and good or a new and sure conviction of the love of God that comes to all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We all had better evenings and worse. One evening I spent talking with one woman who stubbornly refused to talk about the topic under discussion and basically spent 2 hours insulting me. But then another week I had the chance to explain in some detail how the OT sacrificial system points to the Lord Jesus, his cross and God's loving desire to draw us into his family., to an atheist who finally really wanted to understand what was being said rather than just pick holes in it.

This atmosphere and environment was definitely not what we had planned. But God used it to his glory and has given us much food for thought. Certainly we will continue with our bigger events (here's Sam Chaplin warming up for our Feb invitational) and we will want to move Sunday nights back towards inviting friends and interested others, but please do pray for us as we think through how we might continue to share the gospel with those that are more hostile in a way that is spiritually fruitful!

The big lesson I take from all this is, "It is always worth seeking to honour God with bold faith, just as long as you are ready for God to do what he wants, rather than what you want!"

Reduced Romans

The Reduced Romans

(Passage divisions and draft summaries)

1v1-7 Paul is all about Jesus his Lord and the gospel and so is the church in Rome

1v8-15 Paul’s desire is to come and have a harvest among the church in Rome (discipleship and evangelistically)

1v16-17 Paul’s confidence for that is in the gospel

1v18-20 God’s wrath is revealed against people who deliberately turn away from him

1v21-32 as they replace God he hands people over to sin that destroys until everyone claps sin that destroys.

2v1-5 Therefore we cannot stand in judgement over them

2v6-16 God’s perfect coming judgement is coming in Christ on all the Gentiles who will perish without the law.

2v17-29 and on all the Jews because to live by the law you must keep the whole law.

3v1-8 Certainly the Jews have an advantage, and God is righteous in judgement

3v9-20 But all are under sin (see the OT)

3v21-25 But now righteousness has come as a gift from God.

3v25-30 Grace shows God’s righteousness and brings humility

3v21 This gospel upholds the law

4v1-12 Abraham proves righteousness is by faith

4v13-17 Abraham is the father of those of faith righteousness

4v18-25 It is faith in God’s promise that is counted as righteousness

5v1-2 Therefore we rejoice in the hope of glory

5v3-5 we rejoice in suffering

5v6-8 For Christ died for sinners, showing God’s love

5v9-11 So because of righteousness by faith we rejoice in God

5v12-14 Death reigned before the law

5v15-17 one trespass led to death, one free gift to righteousness

5v18-21 Therefore grace trumps sin and reigns through righteousness

6v1-5 Walk in newness of life

6v6-10 The old self is dead and we live with Christ for God

6v11-14 So present yourself to God as instruments of righteousness

6v15-18 Now you are slaves of righteousness

6v19-23 therefore willingly be slaves of righteousness that leads to eternal life

7v1-6 Because you are dead to the law, and alive to bear fruit for God

7v7-12 The law is righteous but sin uses it to kill us!

7v13-25 Sin still dwells in me, chaining my body to evil, though my mind desires what is right. Praise God for salvation in Christ!

8v1-4 There is no condemnation, for the law of the Spirit has freed you from the law of sin and death

8v5-8 In the flesh you cannot please God

8v9-13 But if Christ is in you, the body is dead and the Spirit is life

8v14-17 Because those led by the Spirit are sons and heirs!

8v18-24 The sufferings of now pale away compared to the hope of glory – the redemption of our bodies

8v24-27 Therefore we wait with patience and the Spirit intercedes for us

8v28-30 and God, even in our suffering, works for our good – to be made like Christ!

8v31-34 If God is for us, who can be against us?

8v35-39 Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

9v1-13 What about the Jews though?

9v14-18 God is not unjust to exclude some Jews

9v19-29 Who is saved is down to God’s choice and it is his right

9v30-33 Israel did not pursue righteousness by faith

10v1-13 Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, you must call on him to be saved

10v14-17 The Jews need the gospel preached to them

10v18-21 They have heard before but they turned away

11v1-10 But God has not rejected them – he continues to keep a remnant, his elect

11v11-22 The stumbling of the Jews opens the door to the Gentiles (which is designed to make the Jews jealous and bring them back)

11v23-32 As mercy spilled to the Gentiles through the Jews hardening, so that mercy will spill back to the Jews and thus all (elect) Israel will be saved.

11v33-36 GLORY TO GOD!

12v1-2 THEREFORE worship God!

12v3-8 By being humble in service in the church in a gospel stylee

12v9-18 Love well

12v19-21 Put yourself in God’s hands and overcome evil with good

13v1-6 Respect authorities

13v7-10 Love your neighbour

13v11-14 Put on Christ

14v1-6 Welcome the weaker brother

14v7-13 Don’t judge, live and die to the Lord

14v14-23 Pursue peace and upbuilding (do not destroy God’s church)

15v1-7 Please your neighbour to the glory of God

15v8-12 Just as Christ came to serve Jews and Gentiles

15v13-16 Joy, peace and hope to you, through the grace I have written

15v17-24 For the work of Christ please help me on my way to Spain

15v25-33 As other churches have helped Jerusalem, help me on to Spain by material and spiritual means

16v1-16 Welcome Phoebe and greeting my brothers and sisters.

16v17-20 Beware and be well

16v21-27 GLORY TO GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST!

Why last night was great!

Last night was our Carols by Candlelight traditional carol service. It was great for several reasons. Luke and Josh, our resident opera singers, did a duet of "O, Holy Night," which was spectacular to kick us off (click here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLe7ftzdTCo). Rachel P and her team did a great job on decorating the room. It was a really chatty atmosphere beforehand and afterward. The readers all did an ace job. But for me the reason it was great was the people who were there.

 

We had been praying that people we invited would come. And they did. And they did from very nearly every avenue of invitation used. There were friends who had been invited who came, there were people from the flats above us, there was someone from the carol singing in Church Street, there were new and returning visitors from the Meetup group, people who come in the morning came for our evening and brought family with them, even mates from previous churches! We prayed they would come and they did. We would love for more to have come mind, so we aren't going to stop praying. But it was great to see so many there, from so many different areas of invitation.

Our great prayer now, and if you are the praying type please pray with us, that something sung, read, prayed or heard in the preaching would be used by God to plant in the hearts of those who came a seed of the gospel that will grow up into eternal life.