I came away encouraged from our recent church weekend. As ever, I was struck by people’s willingness to work hard and serve (special mention to Jenny, Hannah and the team who did the children’s work, to Steve and Jane and the team who oversaw the catering, to Samantha, our resident ‘Parkinson’ and to Long Crendon Baptist Church for their hospitality.) I also appreciated the tone of the conversations in my group on Sunday afternoon as we thought about how to encourage children in the church. I was actually due to do a slot in that session speaking about how those of us without children (and I have preached recently on the pain of that) have the privilege of being uncles and aunts within the church family. In the end we dropped it- partly because we were short of time but principally because a number of people in my group had already made the point very movingly. It was wonderful to see the desire that all those I spoke to had to welcome and support families in the church.

I also really enjoyed hearing Peter Comont speak on the subject of “Living for Jesus in a hostile world.” You can hear the talks here. (The sessions on the Saturday included some discussion time which I suspect has been edited out.)

On a number of occasions throughout the weekend Peter mentioned the increasing hostility to Christians in our society- with a rise in difficulties in the workplace and increasing threats of prosecution and so on. Certainly it is decreasingly the case that Christian morality is enshrined in legislation. However, Peter urged us not to make too much of this and to be cautious about spending too long seeking to defend our own self-interest. I have to say that I was pleased to hear this emphasis- I have been concerned for a while that spending too much energy campaigning on these issues could drive our attention away from loving people and seeking to share the Gospel. Part of our problem is that we have got used to a state that, by and large, respects a Christian worldvie- but the New Testament never regards that as normal or to be expected. I do, therefore, wonder how wise it is to campaign at length for something that the Bible does not expect to happen. (Incidentally, I am trying to do some study on these sort of questions with a hope to presenting something in a few months time so I reserve the right to change my mind…)

Instead we were presented with some really helpful material on engaging with the world around us. Here were some of my reflections:

1. We need to see the hostile world as a harvest field.

That was probably my main reflection from the weekend- a recognition that we need to see the world around us a field that is ready for harvest. It is a world full of people in need of the true shepherd and thus, full of people upon whom we must have compassion. For us at Woody Road that seems to tie in very much with our current thoughts about church planting. My prayer is that the Lord would be burdening us with a deep sense of compassion for those who are lost so that we might go out to be workers- possibly through a church plant in one or two of those communities.

2. We need to spread the Gospel through word and deed.

Peter spent most of his time on the sending out of the Twelve from Matthew 10. I have to confess that I always find this a difficult section in trying to pick out what is unique to that mission and what has abiding relevance to us- especially given the call to raise the dead (v.8). I can’t see anywhere else in the New Testament where that responsibility is laid on all believers (as opposed to Jesus’ apostles). However, rather than simply omit that and talk only about the necessity of preaching, Peter demonstrated the way in which as the New Testament develops the equivalent of the miracles as doing good deeds that will adorn the Gospel. I intend to return to this theme in a later post.

3. We can’t pester people into the Kingdom

I was really grateful for the comments on v.14. If the disciples were not received in a house or town, they were to leave it. As a student I was inclined to keep pestering friends who showed no interest in the Gospel with invitations to yet another event- partly I think because I saw it as my responsibility to get them into the Kingdom somehow. Nothing came of my incessant pestering. Where I have seen people converted there has always been a spark of interest at an initial stage even when that has sometimes involved hard questions and setbacks. There is a liberation in that- our responsibility is to present Jesus and then see where He is at work. We can’t pester people into the Kingdom.

4. Opposition is expected- but painful.

The third talk in the weekend was essentially about how opposition should be expected. However, the the aspect that caught my attention was opposition within families- v.21. I am very thankful that this is not a situation that I face- but the pain of having spouses, parents or children who oppose the Gospel was brought out vividly. I suspect that we don’t acknowledge that enough. The message from the passage is clear- though painful it is something we should expect to happen and is one area where we follow the suffering of the Lord Jesus (who, of course, was regarded as mad by his family- Mark 3:21)

5. We need hearts that are not afraid

I suspect that the main reason we struggle to engage with the harvest field is fear. But three times Jesus tells his disciples not be afraid of those around us- but to know that the Lord cares for us and to fear Him. That will require a change in heart not simply a stoic exercise of the will. Perhaps we need to meditate more on the reality of the Lord’s care and power and to pray that the Lord sinks these realities into our hearts by His Spirit.

Above all my sense is that we must be on the front foot- not simply worrying about the changes in our society but boldly and compassionately seeking to engage with people in a loving way as we seek to present Christ. If we do that more then it will really have been a great church weekend.