ARTICLES - Number Two by Co-Mission

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ARTICLES 1

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOUR NETWORK co-mission.org/articles COMISSIONLDN

ARTICLES

is Co-Mission's bi-annual magazine, giving you a snapshot into the lives of the people and the

CONTENTS

churches that make up our Network. 2. We Live by the Word We've been gathering stories from pastors, planters

Phil Allcock

and members to find out what it means to them to live by the word of God. 21st century London does not

8. Knocking on Becontree's Door

sit easily alongside our desire to obey and delight in

Mike Reith

God's word. We are being pulled at all levels to dilute, alter or just ignore the Bible in order to fit with the times and the trends of our society. The world-loving messages we see and hear day to day in newspapers, online, on TV and in conversations may sometimes feel powerful and convincing, but when we turn to the Bible, the world is put in its place:

14. Planting in Peckham Richard Perkins 18. Meet the New Planters 20. Plant life Ed Kendall, Neil Richardson, Arny Pelosi & Mark Fossey

“All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

24. Our Open Hand Commitment

the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

26. From Every Nation

1 PETER 1:24-25 We worship a good, almighty, eternal God who has made himself known to us through his living word. When all else fails and fades, God's word remains. In this edition of ARTICLES we hear of the authority, necessity, sufficiency and clarity of the word, why it led one pastor to leave his church of 15 years to plant another, and why it prompted one church to knock on the doors of 4,000 houses. We find out about Co-Mission's commitment to teaching our young

28. Sowing God's Word in London Richard Coekin 32. Partnership in Gospel Patronage Werner Baumker 36. The Contagious Word of God Tara Sharp

people and introduce our new commitment to cross-

40. Speaking Words of Hope

cultural mission in London for all nations.

Helen Thorne

We hope that this edition of ARTICLES inspires and

44. The Riches of Biblical Poetry

encourages you about the work God is doing through

Michael Morrow

Co-Mission in London. We would love you to stay connected with us throughout the year so we can keep learning from and praying for the churches in our network.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica UK trademark number 1448790.

WHY WE LOVE, TEACH & OBEY THE BIBLE

‘ Y O U H AV E T O B E M A D T O B A S E Y O U R L I F E O N T H E T E AC H I N G S O F A 2 , 0 0 0 Y E A R O L D B O O K . U T T E R LY M A D ! ’

I had just explained to another dog-walker that my position on some controversial issue was determined by the Bible. He almost exploded in apoplectic amazement. The ‘discussion’ only ended because he had recently had a stroke and the others hastily changed topic for fear he was about to have another one. Every year since records began the Bible has been the best-selling book in the world - and the most shoplifted! Yet in London it is increasingly ignored or despised. In our churches we love, obey and teach the Bible. But why? Why is Bible-focussed ministry one of our non-negotiables?

THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD

At its heart, the answer is very simple: we love, obey and teach the Bible, because it is the Word of God. The Bible is not just words about God. It’s the Word of God. The theologian BB Warfield declared, ‘what Scripture says, God says.’ But why do we believe this? Why give the words of this book more credibility than our own thoughts about God, or the teachings of the church? Ultimately, it is because that is what Jesus teaches us to do. Things are relatively straightforward when it comes to the Old Testament. Jesus repeatedly affirms that it is the Word of God. Perhaps the most helpful passage is Mark 7, where Jesus states that the Old Testament is God’s word and that as such it should have authority over the teaching and traditions of the religious leaders: "'You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother’…[but] you nullify the Word of God by your tradition'" (Mark 7:9-13) What about the New Testament? Jesus gave his own teaching equal status with the Old Testament Scriptures. In the sermon on the mount he declares "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment." (Matthew 5:21-22) Of course, he never wrote anything himself, but he commissioned the apostles to preserve his teaching for us: "the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26) The apostles understood that their writings had the same status as the Old Testament – Peter talks of Paul’s letters alongside ‘the other Scriptures’ (2 Peter 3:16). The clear, consistent message is that from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, the Bible is the Word of God.

‘BUT HOW CAN A BOOK WRITTEN BY HUMANS BE THE WORD OF GOD…?’ The traditional term for explaining how words written by humans can also be the Word of God is ‘inspiration’. It means that the Holy Spirit enabled the writers – He breathed His words through theirs. Peter writes that the "prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:21) The verb ‘carried along’ is also used to describe the storm wind driving Paul’s ship across the Mediterranean in Acts 27:27. Just as a boat moves by the power of the wind and the steering of the sailor, so the Scriptures were produced both by the writing of men and women, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Note that Paul affirms that "all Scripture is God-breathed…" (2Timothy 3:16). We cannot say that some bits are the Word of God and others are not.

"The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" JOHN 14:26

Of course we must interpret it carefully giving due attention to matters of genre, context and biblical theology, but as Calvin declared ‘We owe to the Scriptures the same reverence which we owe to God, because it has proceeded from Him alone, and has nothing of man mixed with it.’

‘I WANT GOD, NOT WORDS ABOUT GOD…’ What is the relationship between God and His word? People sometimes say that they want an experience of God, not just the words of the Bible. What they (and perhaps we also) fail to realise is that God is present through his word. This should not surprise us, because when you think about it, words are more like people than things. Try saying to your friend or your spouse, ‘I’m not ignoring you, just your words…’ Although we are not our words, they are an extension of us. That is particularly true of God. When we read through the Bible we see that God is personally, powerfully present in his world through his word. Where God’s word is, God is. 1 Samuel 3:21 tells us "The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word." When God’s voice is heard, you can say ‘God has appeared.’ So Jesus, the word made flesh, is the climax of this pattern. God is personally, powerfully present in his world through his word. As we open our Bibles, ‘the Lord is here!’

AUTHORITY, NECESSITY, SUFFICIENCY & CLARITY

Traditionally, reformed, evangelical theologians have spoken of four attributes of Scripture. We might call them four implications of the fact that the Scriptures are the Word of God: The authority, necessity, sufficiency and clarity of scripture. All our churches happily endorse these doctrines, but what do they mean?

AUTHORITY God is our creator and king and so his words are not to be debated, doubted and weighed; they are to be trusted and obeyed. The authority of Scripture often comes under attack from two directions: Since the Enlightenment, many have doubted the intellectual credibility of a book that describes a man living for three days inside a fish, a literal Adam and Eve and Jesus walking on water. Although there are robust intellectual responses to the various attacks, our ultimate trust is not in an argument, but a person. We believe that Jonah survived miraculously in the fish and that God created humans, because Jesus teaches it (Matthew 12:38-42; 19:1-4). It boils down to this: there is good, solid historical evidence that Jesus died and then rose to new physical life. If that central claim about Jesus is proven, then we can trust him for all the other claims too. In the 17th century Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza suggested that we strip out the supernatural and historical claims of the Bible so that we are just left with the moral teaching. But today it is the morality of the Bible that people find more objectionable than the miracles! Again there are cogent, robust responses to the attacks of the New Atheists, but ultimately we trust the morality of the Bible because we trust the person of Jesus. If Jesus is God he has the right to tell us what to do with our lives. Furthermore, in Jesus’ example we see the beauty and health of a life lived according to God’s word. Of course the most significant attacks on the authority of Scripture are those that we find in our hearts - the stubborn resistance that wells up when Scripture says things we find hard. These are perhaps the things that will cost us relationally or financially, the things that will involve great pain and self-sacrifice. At that point we need to remember that these commands are not just words on a page. They are being said to us by the Lord who loves us. We need to hear them as spoken from the lips of one with nail marks on his hands, as well as a crown upon his head.

NECESSITY We are ignorant of God and can only know him because he has chosen to reveal himself to us through his written word. Psalm 19 and Romans 1 teach us that all humanity should know of the existence of God through the creation around us. However, as the second half of that Psalm declares, it is only through the word of God that we can move from knowing about God to knowing God. Both our sinfulness and our creaturely limitations mean we are incapable of arriving at the truth about God ourselves. We need him to reveal himself to us. More than that though, we need him to reveal himself through the unchanging words of the Bible. As sinners who justly deserve God’s wrath and eternal death in hell, our greatest need is not a relational experience of God speaking into my heart, but concrete certainty about the salvation he has achieved in Jesus Christ. Francis Schaeffer was an intellectual giant of the Christian faith in the second half of the 20th century. But old age robbed him of his sharp mind, and as the approach of death began to overwhelm him he asked that they would place his Bible within reach. He could no longer read it, but he wanted to be able to hold onto something concrete, something tangible. As he faced death he needed promises he could physically touch! How kind of God to give us his written word.

Remember that these commands are not just words on a page. They are being said to us by the Lord who loves us. But of course, that’s only half the story. Never forget the stunning words of Hebrews 3:7. The writer introduces a quotation from Psalm 95, written a thousand years beforehand, in this way, ‘So, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today if you hear his voice…"’ The unchanging words of this book are also the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to you and to me today!

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SUFFICIENCY In Scripture God has told us all that we need to know to find salvation in Christ and to live a life pleasing to God. This doctrine is grounded in Paul’s teaching in 2 Timothy 3:15-16: "…the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" We rely on the Bible in evangelism because people are saved when they put their trust in Jesus, and the only true Jesus is the Jesus revealed in the Bible by the apostles. We don’t love the Bible because we love books, but because we love Jesus. To move from sound to sight, the Bible is the window through which we see the glory of Jesus Christ. Without the window we cannot see Christ at all. We don’t love the window because we have a passion for glass and an obsession with sash fittings. We love the window because it is the only way that we can behold the beauty and majesty of Jesus our saviour. It’s not a perfect analogy, but I hope it helps. The Bible is also sufficient for life. Many of us harbour a nagging inner desire that God would speak to us directly with his guidance – ‘Holy Spirit satnav’ telling us what to do as we face all the tricky decisions of life. God could do that, but let’s not turn what God could do into what God can be expected to do. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that the Bible is sufficient for all of life. The Bible contains commands that guide us through the moral maze of life. The Bible also teaches wisdom where there are no relevant commands. The wisdom teaching of the Bible shapes our characters, so that we become the kind of people who make wise choices even when we can’t find a verse that addresses our particular situation. God has not hidden his guidance in impressions, dreams and coincidences. He has spoken clearly, giving us all that we need.

CLARITY The Bible can be understood by us as we make use of the help God has provided. Of the four attributes, this is the one we are most likely to doubt. After all, we have had experience of struggling to understand the Bible, and we know that lots of people interpret it differently. So what does it mean?

In essence, the clarity of Scripture affirms that God is God, and so we should not doubt that he is capable of communicating in a way that we can understand. That doesn’t mean that all parts of the Bible are equally easy to understand. Peter says in 2 Peter 3:16 that some parts of Paul are ‘difficult to understand’ (Paul might respond that 2 Peter 2 is not the easiest passage!). Likewise the New Testament assumes that to understand the word properly we need to pray for one another (most of the New Testament is addressed to us a group, not individuals), and that we need Bible teachers (Acts 8, Ephesians 4:11, Titus 1:9, etc). Remember that Jesus appeals to the Bible when arguing with unconverted Pharisees. He assumes its meaning is clear (see Matthew 19:3-19, 22:23-33, etc). Let’s not think we know better than our Lord! Of course, 2 Timothy 2:7 reminds us that it requires more than hard work to understand the Bible. We need "the Lord [to] give you insight…" This perhaps explains why nothing makes the Bible harder to understand than a heart that is determined to disobey. I heard recently of a Bible seller in Syria who was charged with spreading ‘inflammatory political propaganda’ – he had been distributing copies of the book of Romans. The magistrate demanded that the author be brought before the court. The man explained that this might be difficult as its author, Paul, had been dead for almost 2,000 years! What’s striking is that the official would not believe him, because as he read the text of Romans it seemed to him so clearly written to address the issues of modern life in their state. Around 3.6 trillion words are written in emails and on social media every single day. A blizzard of new words greets us every morning of our lives. All these new words really don't have anything new to say. The same news in different places, the same ideas in different forms. In our Bibles we have words that have not changed for thousands of years. Yet every morning as we open this book, they come to us anew with freshness and relevance, because ‘the Word of God is living and active!’ That’s why as Co-Mission churches, we will always love, obey and teach the Bible. As we open our Bibles, ‘the Lord is here!’

PHIL ALLCOCK is Assistant Minister at Christ Church Mayfair. He started working life as a lawyer in the city and was part of the original team that planted CCM back in 2001.

Challenge yourself this year to look deeper into the doctrine of the Bible. There are some great books out there, and here are two we would recommend for starters:

TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD KEVIN DeYOUNG A clear, brief and accessible introduction to the doctrine of the Bible. The chapters are brief but well applied and he is particularly strong at linking our doctrine of Scripture to our worship of Jesus. He doesn’t always ground his chapters in the most obvious of passages, but this a great, readable overview.

WORDS OF LIFE TIMOTHY WARD For a relatively brief book, this is surprisingly rich and deep. It is more theologically stretching, but if you’ve got a basic understanding of the doctrine of the Bible, it is stimulating. He is very clear, so don’t be afraid to give it a try!

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KNOCKING ON BECONTREE'S DOOR " G O A N D M A K E D I S C I P L E S …" I T ’ S T H E D R U M B E AT O F C O - M I S S I O N .

‘ G O I N G ’ I S A LW AY S T H E D I F F I C U LT B I T.

However it is increasingly necessary in London. Because London’s non-Christians don’t know many Christians, the ‘come’ invitation only reaches a very few. And once we’ve shot our bolt with colleagues, family, and friends, we’ve got no one left to say ‘come’ to. So how to get Christians and non-Christians together with gospel purpose? Going to their homes is one way. It’s a difficult way! Building friendships slowly where trust grows and Jesus is commended by life as well as lip, comes high on the list. But if vast amounts of London don’t know any sane Christians at all, this may be the only way. And if it’s the only way, then it is the best way to reach them. So how do we do it? Not the way the Jehovah's Witnesses do it. The gospel links speaking truth with love (Ephesians 4:15). Jehovah's Witnesses have no truth. And they have no love - there is no interest in the person they visit. Their game plan wouldn’t change if you were a cardboard cut out. Here’s how we do it in Becontree. Don’t do it like us. Your version will be better. But what we do may spark off an idea or two to experiment with. Our mission statement is to visit every home in our area, to explain the importance of Jesus and to encourage each other to joyfully follow him. And before we meet as a church, we go out visiting as a church.

On the Thursday before our Sunday visits we deliver a letter to about 30 homes to say we’ll pop round on Sunday. It’s written with a smile and is often read with a smile. People have wanted to meet us after reading it. Well, some have. On Sunday we have lunch together and then go out to those 30 houses. Generally 50% are out. 25% say ‘get lost’ (some quite nicely!). And we have a chat with 25%. We carry a little notepad in which we record ‘out’, ‘no’ or ‘yes’ next to each house we visit. (If ‘yes’ - we jot down details of the conversation). We then return to our church centre and debrief. Everyone gives a detailed report back on how we got on. I type madly as much of it as I can. On Monday I go back to my computer, look over the ‘yes’ conversations, and draft a thank you card - we call it a ‘Q’ card. I then copy it out by hand onto a card. I’m strange, so I use a fountain pen - and it’s the one time I write legibly. I then return to each home, knock on the door and tell the person we appreciated the chance to meet them and give them the card to say thanks. On Tuesday evening we return to the ‘outs’ and it’s still the same ratio of response. But we meet more people because it’s a different time. The feedback & 'Q' Card system is then repeated.

THE CONVERSATION

Usually it goes something like this. "I hope you received a letter saying you’d get a knock on your door at about this time. This is it. We’re from a local church but we’re not out to yank you off to church. We just want to get to know people in our area. Have you lived here long?" And so we launch into our Three F Conversation. It’s actually a handy formula for any conversation with a newcomer in church, the man on the train, or the new aquaintance at a party:

F1 - FACTS If you ask a factual question you are more likely to get an answer. If people are asked how long they’ve lived in a place, it’s an easy reply… and you’re on your way. That question of course opens the way into other ‘supplementaries’. If they’ve only just moved in, where did they live before? What made them move? It may be possible to ask if it’s handy for work - and what work they do? It will be great to ask them what they do to relax. Innocent enough questions, but the discerning Christian will spot the idols people live for in their answers.

F2 - FRIENDS/FAMILY

THE THREE F C O N V E R S AT I O N Innocent enough questions, but the discerning Christian will spot the idols people live for in their answers.

"Do you have close friends & family nearby?" This is where you discover the extent of their relational base. "Who do you turn to when the bomb goes off?" When asked with a smile, the answers are revealing.

F3 - FAITH "You’ll know we’re from a local church. Being nosey, have you ever gone to a church or have you avoided them like the plague? What do you think about God and stuff? What do think will happen to you when you die?" Stand by for some daft answers. But it gives you the opportunity to say something useful. The simple ambition is to give people a bigger view of Jesus than they have. And that can still be done in question (rather than preachy) form. "If you’re saying there may be a God but you’re just not sure… are you saying if there’s a God he’s not that good at communicating? Might it be that it doesn’t suit us to think he’s vague because we don’t want to hear what he says?" You’re into a discussion now - you are allowed to point out the flaws as you respond. It’s Acts 17-esque because we’re simply asking people not to think of God the way they do because it’s illogical and untrue. Depending how you go, you can invite them to come to church if they’d like to. We’ve sometimes invited someone and they’ve come that evening! We’ve also offered to read the Bible with some - and some have accepted.

The Becontree church team: Mike & Debbie Reith and Hannah & Rob Newham

THE CARD

It takes me about 30 minutes to write. That’s why we only visit 30 houses - because 7-8 'Q' cards is about all I can manage in a week. Now we’ve got two of us doing it, it’s easier. Again, someone unimaginative like me needs a formula: It starts by saying thanks: "Thanks for being friendly to [name] & [name] on Sunday. They told me they really enjoyed meeting you and finding out a bit about your family." It goes on to be affirming in the light of whatever they’ve said: "It was really impressive to hear you put the hours in at work, and then run a football club twice a week. You must sleep well." It goes on to be thought-provoking - again in the light of whatever they’ve said: "It seemed as if God isn’t that important to you. And yet if he made you, loves you, and has given you everyone and everything you have, he is actually more central to life than we might think. And it’ll be unendingly sad to meet him when you die if you have lived mostly as if he didn’t exist." It ends with an open door: "Please keep the contact details on this card and get in touch whenever you like. We’d love to be friends." Gently does it. But it is a personal tract written in response to a personal conversation so we can be gently direct. You bet it’ll be read. Sometimes it’s kept. We had a lady come to church after receiving her card which she kept on the mantlepiece for a year while she summoned up the courage to visit. And one thing is for certain, whatever the reaction, the Lord Jesus will be glorified when he returns as each person will see he reached out to them.

Sometimes it is possible to write a card for someone who said ‘no’. A young women told me one Sunday she was busy and didn’t want to talk because so many bad things had happened in her life. I knocked on her door with a card the following Tuesday. It simply said "there was something you said that made me write... you said bad things had happened. It is hard to hear that and not to care. I know you must find it difficult to trust anyone after you’ve been hurt. But please keep this card and get in touch, we’d just like to be friends." When I gave her the card she waved me away without reading it saying she was still busy. Five minutes later she was tracking me on the street to apologise and to ask for a time we could meet. So any excuse to write a card is cheerfully acted upon. The great thing about a 'Q' card is that it helps us to clear away any confusion left by the doorstep conversation - and you get to say the thing you forgot to say!

THE CONSEQUENCES

To return to the beginning, we want to be disciple-makingdisciples. And we’re finding it is possible to go… not to a few, but to everyone. We’re not an elite group of silver-tongued evangelists. We are tongue-tied and lack confidence. But we sure won’t get better by using that as an excuse. And it’s a great training ground. Those who are reached this way think that’s what churches do when they join us - and we aren’t about to tell them otherwise. Those who will struggle to talk can ride shotgun (we go out in pairs). They don’t need to say anything, just leave that to their partner until they feel confident.

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Some don’t even speak English but can still be useful. Once I visited a Muslim lady with one of our Iranians. She smiled and said "You won’t get me, I’m a Muslim." I smiled back and said "This is Javid - he was a Muslim." "Ah," she said the smile fading, "you’ve made him a Christian have you?" "No" I said still smiling and pointing to someone on the other side of the street "That’s Faramarz, he helped Javid to become a Muslim because he used to be one too." It’s fun. There are no instant results and it is slow work. Those who come don’t usually stick. But a few have and the church has grown with locals coming to us from our estate. We usually discourage transfers, so all who have joined us did not previously go to church. But even if we’ve only had one conversation, it’s still one more person who has heard about Jesus who would not have done otherwise. And at the very least people know the name of our church better than any other church on the block. And in the course of three years we’ve visited 4,000 houses and handwritten nearly 1,400 Q cards - 1 in 3 houses have had their own gospel tract. And a couple have become Christians. Now it’s worth saying that we also run a Toddler Group, English Language class, and youth groups - so this isn’t the only iron in the fire. But it keeps our Christians prayerfully evangelistic. It also helps a large council estate to meet a Christian in London. And for many, it’s for the first time.

MIKE REITH

is the leader of Becontree Church. He is a recently retired Church of England vicar (though "under-age" for retirement!) For 20 years he was the Vicar of Dagenham Parish Church.

WE NEED MORE GOSPEL WORKERS -

Co-Mission has been training men and women in Gospel ministry for over 18 years and the opportunities for training have never been stronger or more diverse. Our Ministry Trainee Scheme seeks to establish God's people in Gospel shaped ministry DNA for the strengthening of the local church, for the planting of new churches and for sending out across the world. We will train you in the knowledge of Scripture, provide you with gospel ministry experience in a local Co-Mission congregation and encourage you in Christ-like character.

F I N D O U T M O R E A N D A P P LY F O R T H E C O - M I S S I O N M I N I S T R Y T R A I N E E S C H E M E

co-mission.org/training O R TA L K T O Y O U R PA S T O R

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{Planting in ckham Pe Peckham first became a possibility after a speculative text message from a friend, Nigel Styles. Nigel had just become the Director of the Cornhill Training Course in Borough. He and his wife had moved from Nottingham with a couple of their kids who still remained at home. I think the text said something like

Fancy planting a church in Peckham?

It was not sent entirely in jest.

The Perkins and Styles Family planting team

It planted a seed of thought in my mind. I was beginning to have conversations about my future. I had spent three years as the Director of the Antioch Plan trying to resource pioneer planters as they grew churches towards sustainability. And it was becoming increasingly apparent that it made sense to move into a full-time role within Co-Mission to help initiate Church Planting. I was really struggling to combine the responsibilities of Senior Minister of Christ Church Balham (CCB) and Antioch Director was proving unsustainable. And so with a genuine mixture of excitement and trepidation I peered over the abyss into a world where, after fifteen years, I’d leave the church that I’d helped found. It made sense. But it was an emotional wrench because of who I’d leave behind. However, there was an upside. And not only for CCB, who would now gain a Senior Minister who’d give them his whole attention. It would free me up to move somewhere else to be part of a new initiative. Nigel and I began to talk more seriously. And I began some exploratory research into the situation on the ground.

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We'd love the Lord to grow a church in which there's a diversity there that can only be explained by the gospel

Peckham is a changing neighbourhood. Like Brixton is. Like Balham has been over the past two decades. One reformed evangelical black leader described ‘the aggressive gentrification of East Dulwich’ moving into Peckham from the south west. And he’s right. But, for now, Peckham is still recognisably Peckham.What you’ll find in Peckham is two dominant communities. There’s the West Africans (mainly Nigerians and Ghanaians who’ve lived there since they or their parents came to London) and then there’s a young worker crowd with an artistic bent. But while the two communities live alongside each other, they very rarely mix. We’d love the Lord to grow a church in which there’s a diversity enjoying real unity that can only be explained by the gospel. And so it’s absolutely crucial to our plans to recruit a co-planter/pastor who reflects the diversity of Peckham so that we can be genuinely representative and collaborative from the start of our planning. At the stage of writing we have some encouraging irons in the fire but, to change the metaphor, we’ve not landed anyone yet!

We want to better understand the situation on the ground. We’ve had a hugely instructive conversation with Peckham ministers, past and present. And we’re liaising with evangelical churches in the wider area. Grace Church Dulwich have been a great help in these very early stages, and we’ve consulted with them from the beginning. And it’s been wonderful to be invited to the prayer breakfast by Rye Lane Baptist. We want to enter well. One of our first ports of call was the two Anglican churches in that neck of the woods - All Saints Peckham in the heart of the town and Christ Church Peckham at the northern end of the area. Both those churches are gospel believing and gospel preaching, but there is no reformed evangelical church in the area. These churches are behind the idea of another church trying to proclaim the gospel to people who’ve never heard it or understood it before. One senior church leader in Peckham estimated that there are at least fifty churches currently operating around him. Many of them are aimed at specific nationalities, communities and even families. And so many of them are small.

That makes the case for another small church seem somewhat dubious. Those churches seem to be doing a good job of looking after their church members. But they appear to have limited success in reaching those outside their church family. And that’s who we want to have a go at reaching. It’s not our tag line, but in our heads we’ve been thinking of what we’re hoping to do in terms of ‘win, build, send’. We want to win the unbelieving people of Peckham to personal faith in Christ who will graciously forgive their sins and grant them the gift of his Spirit. We want to build one another up to maturity in the gospel through deliberate ministry training. And we want to do that so that we can send equipped disciples out into their workplaces, their families, the community and, God willing, to plant more churches in South East London. We’re aware that we come from a particular cultural place and that we’ll likely appeal to a particular culture. But we want to reach beyond that with the gospel. And bringing in a pastor who is local, or from a different background to ourselves, or one that that just gets the culture and the diversity is key. They’ll educate us so that we begin to understand cultures very different to our own. They’ll broaden us so that we do what we can to appeal to a wider cross section of the local community. And they’ll challenge us when we revert to our default settings. And hopefully Nigel and I will be able to provide a place for men like this to get some ministry experience and ‘cut their teeth’ at the coalface of a deliberately diverse church whilst being mentored by experienced pastors, with the backing of the Co-Mission Planting training scheme. It’s going to be new for us. We’re not entirely sure what lies ahead. There are no givens in church planting. But we’re at least clear on our preferred future - to be building a church in Peckham of such diversity within unity that it can only be explained by the gospel. But, as we’re about to be reminded, it’s one thing to plant a church on paper. It’s quite another thing to do it in practice. And so we’re in the Lord’s hands. Which is, by far, the very best place to be.

RICHARD PERKINS

Planting a church doesn't just affect the planter, but his whole family. Richard Perkins' oldest son Rufus, 15, reflects on the decision to leave Balham to join the planting team in Peckham: The decision to move to Peckham and start a new Church was a hard one. My siblings and I were told at dinner one night and it was a shock. I first thought about all the negatives but then realised how it was the right and exciting decision. One of the hardest things was leaving Balham and the area. Although we haven’t moved away yet, I know that I will miss the area. I have grown up here and know it so well. So, leaving an area I know well to move to an area I don’t will be hard. Since the start of the year, we have been going to Globe Church. We left CCB and although our new church, the Globe, is fun and enjoyable, I still miss CCB and all that went on there. Moving from the church that I have grown up in has been a challenge, especially not seeing everyone. The youth group was slowly building and to leave it and friends was a struggle. One of the things to look forward to is the area we are moving to. Peckham is up and coming and there are lots of cool things to do and places to go. It will be interesting having a change in the area we live and how we settle in. But the most exciting thing is the chance to spread the news about Jesus and the gospel. It will be cool creating a new church and meeting new people. I think the change will be a refreshing start. And hopefully, with God’s help, I will get the chance to be in a growing church and reach Peckham and parts of south east London with the gospel.

is Director of Church Planting for Co-Mission

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MEET THE PLANTERS Peckham isn't the only area Co-Mission is looking to reach over the next year. We are currently working on three pioneer plants, and three church revitalisation plants across our city. Meet the latest Co-Mission planters in the early stages of church planting, and keep up to date with developments on our website, where you will also be able to sign up for regular prayer request emails. co-mission.org/planting

RICHARD PERKINS - PLANTING IN PECKHAM

For the past 15 years Richard has been the senior minister at Christ Church Balham, the church plant that he helped launch. For the past 3 years he combined that with a role as Director of the Antioch Plan, a pioneering church planting ministry of Co-Mission. He wants to see a culturally diverse, gospel shaped, ministry training, church planting church established in an area of great potential to reach the rest of South East London with the fabulous news of Jesus Christ. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s married to Rosslyn and together they have three teenage children. The decision to plant in Peckham was made as a family. Everyone had a veto. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s excited about the kids getting to see church planting from the inside.

ZIM OKOLI - PLANTING IN CATFORD

Whilst studying at Imperial College London, Zim was actively involved in leading the Christian Union and developed a passion for evangelism and pioneer ministry. He joined the launch team of the Bridge Battersea church plant in 2011, combining a career in oil and gas consulting with Bible teaching ministry. He trained as a CoMission ministry trainee and became the youth worker at the Bridge. In September 2017 Zim moved to Catford to begin the work of growing a church plant there. He is passionate about reaching this diverse area which has a large population, 40% of which is black African and Caribbean, 40% white British, and other ethnicities. Alongside planting, Zim is also studying theology at Oak Hill College.

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SERGEY CHERNOV - PLANTING IN STRATFORD

Sergey studied theology and worked in a Christian Institute and the Kiev Christian University, where he met his wife Anna, who was studying at the time. In 2008, the couple founded an English tutoring school in order to share their faith with students and their parents. But despite having a successful business and a good church, they were not content and started prayerfully seeking Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will for their lives. In 2015, Sergey visited the UK and witnessed the desperate need for Christ in this country. He felt drawn to plant a church amongst the Russian speakers in London. Sergey, Anna and their three small children are planning to move here imminently, and are prayerfully considering Stratford as the location for their church plant.

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CHARLIE LAMONT

Charlie is an ordained Anglican who believes the Church of England remains an excellent vehicle to take the gospel to London. He became a Christian at the age of 16 and has a great passion for evangelism, discipleship and teaching the Bible, which he has been doing most recently in his role as a curate in Surrey. Charlie is now looking to revitalise a parish through diocesan structures within London. He is married to Hannah, whose parents were missionaries in Uganda. Charlie and Hannah long to see gospel parishes across London, setting a precedence for Anglican churches across the nation. They have been married for three years and have a Springer Spaniel called Spurgeon.

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L I F E

Updates from churches in our network

ST MICHAEL'S FULWELL As a general rule, you probably wouldn’t expect to find a church meeting in a tent. Still less in a tent inside a building. But that is what the church family of St Michael’s Fulwell do Sunday by Sunday. It needs a little explanation: St Michael’s was once an active parish church right on the border of Teddington and Twickenham. However, in November 2000, having fallen on hard times, it was closed down. For 14 years the building sat empty. No-one was quite sure what to do with it, until eventually a small group from St Peter’s Fulham, together with local friends and supporters, gathered a team to re-open the building and start meeting there as a new church. Regular Sunday services began in January 2015 in the newly renovated side-chapel. A relatively small space ideal for a small congregation. Over time we outgrew it and desperation led to innovation and the idea of meeting inside a tent within the sanctuary. It meant we could gather without freezing and freed up other spaces for the expanding youth and children’s work. In the meantime we started an evening congregation in September 2015 which particularly attracted young professionals and students from St Mary’s University in Twickenham. We have now launched a major building and fundraising project called Regenerate with the aim of making the rest of the site fully fit for purpose. The project captures much of what this church is about. Yes, the building has been a significant part of our story. It has given us a presence and accessibility right from the start. Certainly a bridge to the local community rather than a barrier. But its main function has been to serve as a tangible metaphor for what we’re all about - giving life to that which was dead. An important verse for us as a church has been Romans 4:17. Here God is described as the God "who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not". I love that verse! The God who made everything out of nothing is also the God who gives life to the spiritually dead and brings into being churches that did not exist. That has been our story and we pray will continue to be so - that as we go about the task of revitalising this building, God might be at work in the far greater task of regenerating lives.

People have started to come to St Michael’s for a host of different reasons. Rather than jump into the car and head off further afield, a significant number of Christians already within walking distance of St Michael’s have decided to ‘go local’ and make the most of the opportunities that go with it. Others have recently moved to the area and found us when they arrived. A not insignificant number have happily emerged out of hibernation as Christians, awoken by the presence of a church on their doorstep. And wonderfully we have had the huge encouragement over these past three years of seeing God bring new life to some. The story of Lee-Anne is one such encouragement. A single mother of two young boys, Lee-Anne lives just a few doors up from St Michael’s. Receiving an invitation through her door to Noah’s Ark, our parent and toddler group, she thought she would check it out. Intrigued by what she found she started coming on Sundays. She describes her first Sunday: "Although I can’t remember what that first service was about I will never forget the overwhelming feeling that I felt in my heart. Who was this man Jesus? I didn’t have the knowledge, but I knew I needed him in my life." There followed a Christianity Explored course and reading the Bible one-to-one with a member of the church family, until she reached the point where she wanted to be baptised - a day of great joy for her and her children on Easter Day 2017. Our prayer and hope is that we might be able to offer life to many hundreds more in the months and years to come.

ED KENDALL is Senior Minister at St Michael's Fulwell

HOPE CHURCH SUTTON The most important thing for Christians to do is read the Bible. More important than anything else. But that is not because reading the Bible is the most important thing to do in itself (stay with me!) but because it is the given means to the most important thing for Christians to do - knowing God. In other words, knowing God is the most important thing for Christians to do and reading the Bible is how we go about doing that. “This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” JOHN 17:3 George Müller was a nineteenth century, German-born pastor who lived and worked in Bristol. He wrote: “But in what way shall we attain to this settled happiness of soul? How shall we learn to enjoy God? How shall we obtain such an all-sufficient soul-satisfying portion in him as shall enable us to let go the things of this world as vain and worthless in comparison? I answer, this happiness is to be obtained through the study of the Holy Scriptures. God has therein revealed Himself unto us in the face of Jesus Christ.” If we were made to know God and that is where our Spirit-born souls will find their truest happiness and rest, then we need to be reading our Bibles. Lots. And not just reading the Bible for head-fact-knowledge of God. There are two senses of the meaning of the word “knowledge”. There’s intellectual knowledge and relational knowledge. There’s knowing about someone or knowing someone personally. But both matter. I spend time with my wife because I want to know her relationally. But when I spend time with her, I am wanting to know more about her in my own intellect. What is she like? What makes her tick? Intellectual knowledge is the means to relational knowledge. So we read our Bibles to know about God (intellectually) in order to know God (relationally). At Hope Church, we’ve made it a central tenet of our new threefold vision to grow in our faith in God by knowing him better. And this year we want to give ourselves to reading the Word, meditating on it, prioritising it and cherishing it. Not primarily for theological stimulation but because we want to know our God better - the reason for our very existence. In 2018, we want to be a people of The Book. Hope Church Sutton

MARK FOSSEY is Co-Pastor of Hope Church Sutton

St Michael's Fulwell

Longheath Church 1. Keep it simple. We chose the most accessible Bibles we could find for our services. So we changed from NIV to NLT and went for large print because you’d be amazed how many people come to church without their glasses. 2. Feed minds and bellies together. We can’t really do ‘Beer and Bibles’. But if you replace the beer with a juicy burger… 3. Video clips. One of our most successful ways of getting the gospel to the unreached is our Sunday evening ‘Food 4 Thought’. Snacks followed by a fun discussion question then a gospel-related short video followed by a thought-provoking gospel question. The most ‘street friendly’ are Christianity Explored’s ‘Soul’ and our own Pete Woodcock’s Parables series. But with a little creative thinking a lot can be done with YouTube clips. LONGHEATH CHURCH "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Acts 8:31 At Longheath Baptist Church we have a ‘Word of God’ problem. Our ‘pew’ bibles have been passed around, piled up, accidentally dropped by the children who help pack them away after the service and thankfully opened and read so often since I ordered 40 shiny new NLT large print Bibles that the spines are now clinging on for dear life. It’s a problem. But, by God’s grace, a good one to have. We also have another ‘Word of God’ problem: People on our estate have many competing voices shouting ‘wisdom’ at them from role-models on Eastenders to ‘lifehack’ tips on Facebook. Yet in a world where gang wisdom can be passed on at the tip of a knife our church has found the word of God to be “alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword”. But lack of literacy and a culture of resistance to formal learning means we have had to think carefully about how best to bring God’s word to the estate. Here’s some of what God’s taught us:

4. Open the Bible where people are already comfortable. We tried to get teens to join us in our church hall to play ‘fun’ games with no success. Then one of the mums told us that a large bunch of teens often hang out in her front room so we turned up once a week and gave them a Bible study. Word of mouth filled the room with teens eager to laugh about their school day and study how the Bible had something life-changing to say to them. 5. Mum's the word: we aim to leverage the contacts of our most successful networkers - mums. Estates are matriarchal societies and you only have to go to the school gates to see masterful networkers in action. These guys can distribute a Spiderman lunchbox, dropped coat, a dummy and our event fliers. Power mums. 6. One to ones work wonders. We study Mark because it is the shortest, has a clear structure, is full of action and surprises and has our Saviour’s glorious call to self-denying discipleship in chapter 8. At Longheath, we've created a Mentors programme to help five men and five women study the Bible one to one, and this is bearing fruit. D, a man who had sustained a serious head injury, has now completed Mark’s gospel, Just for Starters, Man of God and we are surging through Luke. I thank God for him. The changes in his attitude and life have been remarkable – he is one of the first to arrive at church, and goes out of his way to help those more vulnerable than himself. Believe me, God’s Word is like positive radiation. Prolonged exposure leads to significant spiritual health benefits, and even to new life.

ARNY PELOSI & NEIL RICHARDSON are Pastor and Planter at Longheath Church

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OPEN HAND is a commitment to cross-cultural mission that our Co-Mission churches are prayerfully pursuing together. Co-Mission is a church-planting mission focussed on London - but London is wonderfully multi-cultural. And we want to plant churches that are concerned for all nations. So OPEN HAND is our proposed collective minimal commitment to cross-cultural mission in London for all nations.

Our OPEN HAND commitment will aim to focus on five themes: Welcome, Host, Plant, Send and Pray. We are intending to partner with five Evangelical mission agencies to help us make progress in each theme. All of the se mission agencies are very enthusiastic about this proposal.

Of course, we want to encourage each of our churches and all church members to continue providing their own support for a wide variety of preferred cross-cultural and international missions for many personal and historic reasons. And many of our churches are already doing some of the things we will be concentrating on.

At REVIVE 2018 the five themes of OPEN HAND will help shape the teaching programmes for adults, youth and children. We will hear stories from those involved during our Sunday Morning Co-Mission Session. Our five partner mission agencies, along with others, will be involved in our Saturday afternoon seminars and will be exhibiting their ministries in our "Marketplace" for everyone to find out more over the weekend.

However there are significant benefits in cooperating together to build upon what is already happening e.g. sharing our resources of experience, contacts and finance; sharing in training that will soon be available from mission agencies if we co-operate; and sharing in creating a culture of active concern and prayerful excitement about what God is doing across his world. Above all, we want to pursue this OPEN HAND commitment together because we are commanded by our risen Lord Jesus to, “make disciples of all nations” and because we can do more together than we can on our own. We’ve called our commitment OPEN HAND to illustrate our desire to give generously of ourselves and our resources, to extend a hand of friendship in gospel ministry to God’s people everywhere, and to resist the temptation to think of international mission as the “sore thumb” that taxes our church-planting and instead give our whole hand to being cross-cultural in everything we do.

The OPEN HAND proposal is a serious and exciting commitment from Co-Mission churches to collectively engage in cross-cultural mission in London for all nations together. Please pray that our living and loving Lord will bless this OPEN HAND proposal.

RICHARD COEKIN

is Executive Director of Co-Mission and Senior Pastor of Dundonald Church, Raynes Park.

OUR FIVE THEMES WELCOME

We have asked Friends International to help us to become churches that are more welcoming to people from different cultures, especially by helping our churches to provide excellent “International Cafes”.

HOST

We have asked Serving in Mission to help us become churches that are able to reach an ethnic community nearby, and especially by securing and training a cross-cultural worker.

PLANT

we have asked Africa Inland Mission to help us plant churches in different cultural communities in London – and especially by working with us in training our planters.

SEND

we have asked Crosslinks to help us recruit workers of every kind for a variety of missions fields and agencies – and especially by developing a range of “short term missions placements” for people in our churches of different ages and stages of interest in missions work abroad.

P R AY

we have asked Open Doors to help us become churches who are more committed to praying for our brothers and sisters around the world, especially those who are persecuted for our faith, and to that end to help us develop a culture of prayer for Christians in the Arab world during the month of Ramadan.

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REVIVE IS CO-MISSIONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ANNUAL BIBLE FESTIVAL -

FROM EVERY N AT I O N

a weekend where the churches of our network come together to enjoy a feast of superb Bible teaching, inspiring music, top quality entertainment and much more. Meet the speakers who will be joining us for our main sessions this year, and keep up to date with developments as we lead up to our favourite weekend of the year! co-mission.org/revive

TIMOTHY KELLER

STEVEN MUSA-KORMAYEA

NAM JOON KIM

Timothy Keller is the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, which he started in 1989 with his wife, Kathy, and three young sons. For over twenty years he has led a diverse congregation of young professionals that has grown to a weekly attendance of over 5,000.

Pastor Steven Musa-Kormayea was born to a Muslim family in Sierra Leone, becoming a Christian as a teenager through a school friend inviting him to join a summer sports camp.

Nam Joon Kim is Senior Pastor of Yullin Church, An-Yang, South Korea. He served as a full-time lecturer and Assistant Professor at An-Yang University and Cheon-An University. He has taught at Chongshin University since 2005 as an assistant professor.

He is also Chairman of Redeemer City to City, which starts new churches in New York and other global cities, and publishes books and resources for faith in an urban culture. Dr. Kellerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s books, including the New York Times bestselling The Reason for God and The Prodigal God, have sold over 1 million copies and been translated into 15 languages.

Steven felt called to The Gambia after graduating university and established The Fellowship of Evangelical Students of The Gambia (FES-Gambia) and the Servants of the Word Bible training school, which aims to equip faithful Bible teachers and servant leaders. Steven is also a Pastor at Omega Evangelical Church, speaks at conferences throughout the region, and continues to pioneer gospel outreach work in neighbouring West African countries. Pastor Steven is married to Helen, and they have four children.

He is an immensely popular Christian author having written more than 50 devotional and theological books, selling more than two million copies since 1995. Pastor Nam Joon Kim is one of the finest preachers and theologians in South Korea, with an influence that has reached many Asian countries including China, Japan and Cambodia.

C O - M I S S I O N I S E S S E N T I A L LY A B I B L E M I N I S T R Y. We are churches co-operating in obeying Christ’s great commission to make disciples of all nations by bringing the message of the Bible that Jesus is Christ our Lord to London. Our uniting goal is to plant and strengthen 60 diverse "reformed evangelical" churches by 2025, which means churches that teach, enjoy, trust and obey the Bible. We’re a growing family, multiplying our characteristic DNA which has prayerful exposition of the Bible at its heart. We’re an active network, sharing our resources to help each other proclaim Christ as he is revealed in the Bible. We’re a movement, empowered, governed and guided by God’s Spirit through the Bible. Our theme for Co-Mission Sunday in January 2018 - the annual event when our network hears news and prays for our mission to London - is the authority, sufficiency, power and clarity of the Bible.

Our rebellious hearts and culture will want to ignore God’s word in our behaviour and relationships. Some liberal churches will even approve of such defiance in order to seem acceptably tolerant. But we need to respect the authority of the Bible to govern our lives and churches because it is the written word of God. The Bible is God’s map - his "lamp to my feet" (Psalm 119:105) - it is our reliable guide through life. Our unfaithful hearts are easily persuaded that the dreams and pictures of our own imagination, or the traditions and decisions of church councils, are the contemporary voice of God’s Spirit. Adding to the Scriptures, charismatic churches may encourage us to welcome the pronouncements of modern apostles and prophets, while Roman Catholic churches encourage us to welcome the traditions of popes and councils. But we need to rejoice in the complete sufficiency of the Bible, as the contemporary voice of God’s Holy Spirit, speaking all the guidance we need in revealing Christ, in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge from God are to be found. The Bible is God’s Swiss-army knife for daily life - that we may be "thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17) It is everything we need for serving God.

Our weak hearts may feel weary and timid in a broken and hostile world. Some prosperity gospel churches promise spiritual power for healing, success and prosperity to those with enough faith. But we need to resolutely trust in the power of God’s word to save and strengthen us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus on the way of sacrificial service, for the salvation of many to the glory of God. The Bible is God’s spiritual energy drink - the power we need for suffering service, "for the Word of God is living and active" (Hebrews 4:12) - it is empowering the sacrificial worship of our lives and churches. Our foolish and lazy hearts may be confused by the tortuous interpretations of worldly scholars seeking to avoid the plain meaning of the Bible. They do this to embrace practices that God’s Word clearly forbids, such as sexual immorality, same sex-marriage and gender choice. Some suggest that the Bible merely offers the reflections of a previous generation, launching "trajectories" of ideas that stimulate our thinking today. This leaves us uncertain and allows for radically unbiblical conclusions e.g. that hell isn’t real, that all religions lead to God or that preaching in church isn’t restricted to godly senior men.

But we rejoice in the clarity of the Bible to all believers. While the Bible is not always easy to understand, and we are often confused, the Bible text is sensible and not beyond the spiritual comprehension of ordinary believers who study it carefully. We try to make responsible biblical scholarship accessible to all our church members precisely because we can all grow in our knowledge of God through deep study of Scripture. And we will not blindly accept the pronouncements of an elite class of worldly church leaders claiming to tell us what the Bible "really means". Nor will we abdicate the privilege and responsibility we all have to study God’s word for ourselves. For not only is God, our human condition and the means of salvation the same in every generation, but the author of the Bible, God’s Holy Spirit, indwells all believers to help us understand what he has written. The Bible is God’s clear message for us all to reflect upon today. As Paul writes, "reflect on what I am saying for the Lord will give you insight into all this" (2 Timothy 2:7) - God’s Spirit makes the Bible clear for us today.

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But all this confidence in the Bible raises an obvious question: why does the Bible-teaching ministry of our churches often seem ineffective and unimpressive to unbelievers? While we praise God for enabling us to plant thirty churches and ministries across London, and we rejoice in the unity and momentum he has granted us, the truth is that the people and churches of Co-Mission only seem to be growing slowly! Churches that neglect or select from the Bible sometimes seem to gather bigger crowds and more resources. Should Co-Mission become more about transforming the city than proclaiming the Gospel? Should our churches emphasise "deeds" a bit more and "words" a bit less? Should our meetings focus more on celebration than instruction? Should our small groups concentrate upon praying for personal needs more than studying God’s Word? Should our counselling be all about listening and nothing about the Bible and should our family devotions be reading Christian novels instead of a Children’s Bible? Are we being old-fashioned, naive or unnecessarily restrictive in making Bible-teaching so central in our lives and churches? Surely this was exactly what Jesus’ disciples were thinking when we meet them in Mark chapter 4. The first half of Mark’s Gospel describes Jesus revealing his identity by proclaiming the gospel from God’s Word, and illustrating his message with the powerful works of God’s long promised saviour-King. But his teaching has provoked increasing opposition from the religious establishment who are now trying to kill him (2:1-3:6). His teaching ministry doesn’t appear very successful: his church-plant has dwindled to a motley gaggle of confused disciples and the government already wants him dead. At this point in his Gospel, Mark collects together some of Jesus’ parables about word ministry: that while the Word is rejected by many (the parable of the sower and soils), grows unseen (the parable of farmer awaiting his crop) and appears unimpressive (the parable of the mustard seed), in each case there is a bumper harvest in the end. In the first and foundational parable about a farmer sowing seed, Jesus explains his own persistence in word ministry and manages the expectations of his disciples then and now, to encourage us to persist and never give up.

Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." Mark 4:13-20 13

In this parable Jesus is explaining that his apparently ineffective gospel-teaching ministry is like sowing seed in a field which, though unimpressive in the short term, will ultimately be massively fruitful. Indeed, this is how God continually grows his kingdom. He is also warning his hearers not to ignore his teaching by being distracted by Satan’s lies, scorched by opposition or strangled by competing concerns - like bad soil in a field. Above all, Jesus is training his disciples, then and now, to expect that many will remain hard-hearted to the Word of God, fall away when it becomes costly to obey the Word, or become distracted and neglect the Word. But they should still continue teaching God’s Word because eventually it will lead to an abundant harvest of fruitful believers. Here are some of his massive encouragements to keep us and our churches teaching the Bible:

THE SEED GROWS ALL BY ITSELF

However unimpressive or unpopular the farmer may be, the seed has power in itself to grow. The bumper harvest doesn’t come from an impressive farmer but from a powerful seed. So however weak we or our preachers are, God’s power for salvation is in His Word. Indeed the growth and multiplication of Co-Mission churches, with ordinary pastors and limited resources, is living witness in London to the growing power of the Word of God.

FARMERS ONLY HAVE TO SOW

Farmers can’t expect to control the weather conditions or resent the quality of their field - they must keep sowing seed. Likewise, we can’t control our culture or resent the community we are in - we must keep proclaiming God’s Word. Indeed, in our Co-Mission churches across London, all kinds of people in all sorts of contexts are being saved by God through this same Word.

BAD SOILS CAN’T PREVENT THE HARVEST

The gospel is snatched away from some people by the lies of Satan before it ever penetrates their hearts. For some, the first shoots of faith are quickly scorched by the costs of following Jesus. And for some the initial growth of faith is strangled by the distracting worries and wealth of this world before it takes root. But these people who never truly become Christians cannot stop some being saved by the gospel seed falling on the good soil of a receptive heart, softened by the Spirit through the Word. In time their lives bear fruits in others coming to faith. It is not one mass revival but steady multiplication that will eventually produce a bumper harvest of saved people. So across our churches, while most of the unbelievers who come for friends, or visit over Christmas, or attend a guest event will not turn to Christ, there are always a few who will be born again - and in time they will bring others. Through such multiplication, God’s kingdom grows.

SOWING ISN’T COMPLICATED

Sowing is hard work and a little training and some experience certainly helps, but there’s nothing complicated about it. You don’t need a degree to throw seed. Likewise, while training and experience helps, there’s nothing complicated or mysterious about sharing the gospel with friends. Even preaching is not a magic art - it takes hard work and training, and gifting and experience certainly help - but there’s something very simple about explaining the Bible. Since I first arrived in Wimbledon in 1995, I have watched God save and grow people through His Word, at Dundonald Church and across Co-Mission. This has happened through sermons, small groups, conversations and private devotions - and there’s been nothing magical about it. Word ministry is something we can all be involved in as we share God’s Word with each other.

FARMERS NEVER RESENT SOWING

An experienced farmer knows that the harvest begins with sowing. He cannot be lazy and neglect the hard work of sowing just because he wants to be a reaper. Indeed, in the culture of Palestine in Jesus’ day, the farmer would usually work for a landowner who gets the harvest. Likewise, we can be content with the hard work of sowing the Word of the gospel when we realise that there won’t be any harvest if we don’t sow, but there certainly will be if we do. Our Co-Mission intermediate goal - planting 60 churches by 2025 and 360 in the long term - may well be accomplished long after we have moved or died - but we are glad to contribute in any way we can to our Lord’s bumper harvest, because we are so grateful that His Word has created new life in us.

IF WE’RE RECEPTIVE SOIL WE’LL BE PART OF THE GREAT HARVEST

If we’ve accepted the seed of the gospel, even though our personal impact for Christ may seem small, and though we may serve in a tiny struggling church plant that seems invisible to the world - when Christ returns we shall be part of his massive harvest – joining the vast multicultural people of God at Christ’s great wedding feast.

THE DIVINE FARMER HAS ALREADY SOWN THE SEED

The final twist in this parable is that it isn’t primarily about us at all – but about Jesus. For he is the original sower who has already sown the Word in his world, and now he is reigning in heaven watching the seed grow into a bumper harvest. In the end we want to keep teaching the Bible because as Co-Mission churches sow the word, our Lord Jesus is growing a massive harvest, to the glory of God forever. So let’s keep teaching the Bible!

RICHARD COEKIN

is Executive Director of Co-Mission and Senior Pastor of Dundonald Church, Raynes Park.

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“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” PHILIPPIANS 1:3-6 Partnership is a familiar concept - whether in the workplace, marriage, or in the sporting arena. Yet, what does it mean to partner in the gospel? What does it mean to partner in bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to others, to partner in shared strength, support and encouragement? The word Paul uses in the original Greek for ‘partnership’ is ‘koinonia’ which is commonly defined as a state of fellowship, bond, oneness, association or joint participation with someone for a united purpose. The word that Paul uses in the Greek therefore is a lot stronger and suggests something much deeper than the way we would use the word ‘partnership’ in modern day English.

From the earliest days, the Philippian church had been involved in the work of the Gospel. One of the ways in which the early Christians in Philippi were partnering in the gospel was through their generous, sacrificial, financial and resource support of Paul’s ministry of advancing the gospel. In this form of support, Paul regarded the Philippians as labourers or co-labourers in his ministry and as co-partakers with him of God’s grace (1:5, 1:7; 3:10). Through their financial support, the Philippians were thus regarded as fellow laborers or co-laborers with Paul in the advancement of the gospel to the whole world, united in purpose by a strong sense of ‘koinonia’, of oneness.

William Tyndale

THE RICH HISTORY OF GOSPEL PATRONAGE Throughout history, from the early Philippian church right through to the modern day, we find incredible examples of long-standing partnerships in the gospel through financial support. These stories tell of how willing ‘givers' have come alongside ministers of the God's word, with fervent prayer, with encouragement, and with sacrificial giving to progress the gospel and reach the lost. These historic accounts of gospel patronage have largely gone unnoticed and have been forgotten over time. An excellent resource that seeks to bring to light and celebrate these stories is the book “Gospel Patrons” by John Rinehart and its associated website www.gospelpatrons.org. The book shares several detailed accounts from history about men and women whose financial generosity in support of the proclamation of the word of God changed the world. These accounts provide a vivid insight and visible demonstration of the ‘koinonia' Paul so aptly describes in his letter to the Philippians. From John Rinehart's systematic review of the historic records of gospel patronage, it is clear that several trends and patterns emerge. Gospel patrons are typically characterised by a sense of joyful sacrificial giving, a deep personal rather than purely transactional partnership, and a committed desire to partner in gospel proclamation to the lost. In the words of the author, “A gospel patron is someone who resources and comes alongside others to help them proclaim the gospel. The patron provides the means, the supported ministry provides the gospel message. Both are partners in the gospel.” WILLIAM TYNDALE AND HUMPHREY MONMOUTH One such partnership was that between William Tyndale and Humphrey Monmouth. For over 1,000 years the Bible had been inaccessible to most. The Vulgate, a late 4th century translation of the Bible, was locked in Latin, a language that very few could read. Very few therefore knew the Bible. In the 1500s, an Englishman named William Tyndale was driven by a burning desire to translate the Bible from the original Greek and Hebrew into the English language, so that the British people, so that the many who had heard about the God of the Bible, could actually meet Him.

Around 1520, William Tyndale became a tutor and chaplain in the family of Sir John Walsh, at Little Sodbury in Gloucestershire. He would often become involved in debates and discussions with local abbots and archdeacons that visited the wealthy household. During one such debate, in response to the taunt by a local clergyman entrenched in Roman Catholicism, "We are better to be without God's laws than the Pope's", Tyndale uttered these now famous words:

“I defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy who drives the plough to know more of the scriptures than you do.” Many regard this as Tyndale's key mission statement. In fact, the reference to the image of a ploughboy was very fitting, because a ploughboy at that point in history would have been illiterate with no access to the word of God at all. Tyndale set out to translate the Bible is such a way that it would be accessible and understandable to everyone. Tyndale and Humphrey Monmouth met for the first time in 1523. Tyndale was a gifted scholar, preacher and linguist who during his lifetime became fluent in over eight languages, ancient and modern, including French, Greek, Hebrew, German, Italian, Latin and Spanish. Monmouth was a wealthy and successful London cloth merchant with an expansive business network, and with a heart for the gospel to reach the lost. Monmouth recognised the incredible gospel opportunity in helping Tyndale to make known the Word of God to all people. From that day forth, Monmouth financially supported Tyndale's dangerous work of translating and printing the Bible.

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By 1526, three years after first meeting, Tyndale had produced the first full printed edition of the New Testament in English. As the first English translations to take advantage of the printing press, widespread access to the newly translated Bible lit up the Protestant Reformation. His subsequent work focused on translating the Old Testaments until the day of his capture and death.

George Whitfield

Convicted of heresy, Tyndale was strangled and burnt at the stake in the prison yard of the castle of Vilvoorde on 6th October 6 1536, after being imprisoned for 500 days. His last words were, "Lord, open the king of England's eyes." Just one year after Tyndale's death, his translation work led to the first full, true and legitimate printed edition of the Bible in English in 1537. And only three years after his death, Tyndale's prayers were answered with the authorisation, publication and distribution of King Henry VIII’s 1539 English "Great Bible" throughout the country, the first authorised edition of the Bible in English. In 1611, 75 years after Tyndale’s death, King James authorised an updated English translation. This King James Version (KJV), also known as the King James Bible (KJB) or the Authorised Version (AV), drew significantly on Tyndale's work, with estimates that an incredible eighty to ninety percent was carried over. The gospel partnership between Tyndale and Monmouth led to the first translations of the Bible into English directly from the original Hebrew and Greek, and the world has never been the same again. As Rinehart reflects on the partnership: "History remembers Tyndale, but it has largely forgotten that behind this massive movement of God was a businessman. In the shadows of the English Reformation stands an invaluable Gospel Patron named Humphrey Monmouth." GEORGE WHITFIELD AND LADY HUNTINGDON In His mercy, God united a passionate preacher in George Whitfield and a single-minded English aristocrat and patroness in Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, to spread the gospel far and wide across the world. Whitfield was a remarkable preacher and evangelist, with widespread engagement, recognition and following across Great Britain, North America, and the American Colonies. He was a leading figure in the "Great Awakening", the Protestant revival that swept Protestant Europe and British America in the 1730s and 1740s. But some wanted to curb his extraordinary evangelistic efforts and have him settle down. He was offered large sums of money in London, Boston Philadelphia and Maryland.

But this wasn’t Whitfield’s dream. He said: “The sight of so many perishing souls every day affects me much, and makes me long to go if possible from pole to pole, to proclaim redeeming love.” It was Lady Huntingdon’s financial support made it possible for Whitfield to fulfil this dream and vision to advance the gospel. A key development in their gospel partnership came about when Lady Huntingdon asked Whitfield to become one of her personal chaplains, enabling Whitefield to take the Word of God to the influential and the nobility. Her support also gave Whitfield the financial means and the encouragement to continue preaching everywhere, promoting the revival among all churches, all denominations and all peoples. She also financed the building of at least 64 chapels in England and Wales. Whitfield sourced and trained evangelical preachers, while Lady Huntingdon provided the places to worship. The death of Whitfield in 1770, at the age of 55 marked the end of an incredible gospel partnership. It is widely recorded that Whitfield had preached at least 18,000 sermons, which averaged to more than ten a week and more than 500 a year over a period of thirty-four consecutive years of active ministry. Rinehart summarises the partnership: “What Lady Huntingdon and George Whitfield accomplished was truly incalculable. They reached into the unreached places of both England and America where there were no faithful churches and no gospel preachers. Together they persuaded many of England’s nobility that God was not a dull idea, but a living Savior who could be known and felt. In the years before the American colonies became an independent nation, four fifths of Americans had heard Whitfield preach Jesus...Together, this gospel preacher and his Gospel Patron brought their generation face to face with eternity and revived the faith of the English-speaking world.”

A CALL TO ACTION The words of the apostle Paul and these rich historic accounts of gospel patronage serve as a timely call to action for us today. In light of the relational gospel partnership (koinonia) let’s consider what it means to partner in the gospel from the perspective of stewarding the financial resources God has entrusted you with. Many of us may assume that gospel patrons are an exclusive groups of wealthy individuals, with significant disposable income to support a wide variety of different gospel ministries and causes. We may struggle to identify with the stories of Humphrey Monmouth or Lady Huntingdon, and therefore quickly rule out the prospect of gospel patronage. However, it is encouraging to know that gospel patronage starts with the heart and with relationship, not with wealth and high-capacity giving. Throughout history, gospel patronage has started with the aim of advancing the gospel through sincere prayer, deep friendship and faithful financial stewardship. So, what does this mean for us today? It means that gospel patronage is something we can all consider. What could our gospel patronage look like? it could start by investigating the wider gospel ministry opportunities within your own local church. It could start by developing a friendship with a Co-Mission gospel ministry trainee in your church and coming alongside them in regular prayer, accountability and financial support for the longer term. It could start by learning more about the evangelistic church plants being launched across the Co-Mission network, and coming alongside the planters as they plan, develop and fundraise. Whichever avenue you pursue and commit to, know that there is great joy that comes from investing in gospel ministries, watching them flourish, and being co-labourers in the advancement of the gospel to the lost. As Rinehart helpfully puts it, "for the Gospel Patron, giving is an opportunity, not an obligation; a blessing, not a burden." We know this because Jesus himself said: “it is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35)

CO-MISSION PATRONS SCHEME The Co-Mission Patrons’ Scheme is a developing initiative within Co-Mission, which seeks to grow a long-term base of prayer and financial support for planting and strengthening evangelistic gospel churches across London. Gospel ministry in London is increasingly expensive and Co-Mission’s vision to reach London for Christ cannot be funded through local church giving alone. Gospel partnership is therefore a vital component of launching, maintaining and supporting gospel ministry. To get involved, or to find out more visit co-mission.org/patrons

W E R N E R B AU M K E R is Project & Operations Director for Co-MIssion

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LET ME DESCRIBE A SMALL 7 -Y E A R - O L D G I R L G O I N G TO SUMMER CAMP FOR THE FIRST TIME. She’s one of the shyest children you’ll meet. She is uncomfortable around anyone she doesn’t know. She’s made fun of at school because she’s too quiet, too meek, too strange. But she goes to camp with a couple of friends. They are outgoing and make friends easily with the others in the dorm. She feels left out. She gets left out of games because she’s too shy to ask to join. She’s homesick. She learns about how God created everyone and loves and wants her. She goes back next summer. Fast-forward a couple of years. She’s now 12. She goes back to the same camp. She takes a non-Christian friend with her. She’s more talkative now and kind of a know-it-all. She is constantly getting into arguments with another girl in her group. She’s insecure and thinks that the other girls would rather be friends with anybody but her. She has a great conversation with her dorm leader about living a life to honour Christ. Her friend meets Jesus. One more fast-forward. She’s now 15. She has signed-up to be a junior leader on the same camp. She spends two weeks learning to serve and learning how to teach those younger than her. She is the only Christian at her school, her church is small with no one her age, her only Christian friends are those she sees every summer on camp. She’s challenged and motivated as she starts again in the new term. If you haven’t guessed yet, this is a portion of my story. Summer camp as a child and young adult was a huge influence on my life. I grew up with Christian parents. I went to church, youth group and Bible study. Yet it was camp once a year that challenged me the most. This is not uncommon. Many people mention summer camp in their testimonies to different degrees. But what makes them great? Why is Co-Mission as a network focusing on camp ministry? What advantages does this offer you and your child? Here are four reasons I think camp is important for our children and young people at Co-Mission:

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CAMP IS A PLACE TO MAKE FRIENDS Every child has their own personality, ranging from outgoing to shy, yet each personality has the desire for friendship. The focused nature of summer camp results in these friendships often forming quickly and lasting for a long time. When going to a new camp, meeting new people can bring an array of emotions. Excitement, nervousness, apprehension. But once those first couple of days are past those emotions steady, allowing for friendships to solidify. Summer camp provides the platform to meet people and make friends, but then after camp what happens? Everybody returns from where they came. This is simply one aspect of summer camp to be expected. One advantage to having a church network like Co-Mission invest in camp ministry is that most of the campers are from London and the surrounding area. This gives more potential to seeing those friends, those Christian friends, throughout the year and not just once a year on camp. That’s a huge benefit to going to camp with friends from school and those in a close London neighbourhood. CAMP IS A PLACE TO BE CHALLENGED ABOUT ‘THE NORM’ Summer camp challenges our children as they deal with life situations. When they are taken out of their comfort zone, whether that's school, church or home, they learn life lessons. ‘Out of the comfort zone’ opportunities could mean that they don’t fully know what to expect, they don’t know everybody or anybody, or they are simply made to play a silly game. They learn how to interact well with others and how to deal with conflict, both internal and external, in a godly way. They learn more about themselves and how others cope in new environments. Giving your children a biblical framework to prepare for situations they may face as they grow older is crucial. The advantage that a residential camp adds is that it’s not simply a Friday night at youth group for two hours and then they get to run home and hide from the challenge. They learn how to process and reason through the situation right then and there. They have good, godly input from their leaders in how to cope with situations. Which leads into the next reason.

CAMP IS A PLACE TO MEET GOOD ROLE MODELS Leaders, dorm leaders and organisers alike. People who give up a week of holiday to join your kids on camp. Those who are dedicated to their own walk with Christ and are wanting to demonstrate and teach those younger than them. Leaders who are willing to be ridiculous for the sake of others and who are willing for their ‘coolness factor’ to be judged by kids. An advantage for a network-focused camp is clear: The leaders coming on camp are from your network. Your kids are going to be interacting with pastors, youth leaders, and volunteers who might go to your church. They understand London. They understand the culture in which your child is growing up. They understand the struggles that come with living in a massive city. Many of them will have grown up in London. They will have known what it’s like to grow up in a very secular community. All of this results in them being able to speak directly into issues with which your child is dealing. They can show them how its possible to live for Christ in London, to help them grow in a love for their Lord, a love for their church, and a passion to see God's word known in our city. They can display, and talk about their passion for living their lives for Christ, and excite them about our vision for reaching the lost of London by planting and strenghtening churches across this city. There is a huge advantage to sending your child to a camp where their leaders may be your own friends, your pastor, your elders and your peers. CAMP IS A PLACE TO STUDY GOD'S WORD Do we sometimes take this aspect of youth ministry for granted? Are we, at times, more concerned for our child’s physical and emotional comfort, over spiritual growth? When you’re looking for a church as an adult you probably have various criteria you’re using for your search. It could be the people, the venue, the kids’ ministry, or the worship style. Any of those factors could pull you in, but hopefully the strongest criteria you’re using in your decision is based on the beliefs of the church and whether it’s grounded in the word of God. So here is possibly the greatest advantage to sending your child to a camp organised within your network.

The careful, biblical teaching will be replicated on camp. You’ve already done the research! You’re already comfortable with what is being taught and how it’s being taught. Knowing your child will be challenged in studying the Bible should come as an immense peace of mind.

In Summer 2017, we ran our first Co-Mission Camp, Pilot, in partnership with Contagious Camps. Here's some of the feedback we received from our campers about their favourite bits:

We need to root our children in scripture. If we put any thinking into how we are going to be spiritually fed we should be putting just as much, if not more, thinking into how our children are going to be fed.

"I learnt more about the Gospel and why it is so important to trust God (Faith Alone) in order to achieve salvation and not by works. I also really enjoyed singing and I thought that the band were really good."

Every aspect in a week on camp is designed for the spiritual benefit of your child. Leaders are selected and trained, focused curriculum is written and used, activities and games are selected to promote team building and fellowship, conversations are helpful, encouraging and challenging. All of this is done for the those who come on camp. All of this is prepared for your child in mind. This is what makes camp so great.

"being able to pray and learn more about Christians, an accepting environment, wide game & crocker, the leaders and task force - the effort they put into everything" "The teaching was engaging, encouraging and exciting. Hanging out with and seeing friends. Food! Activities and swimming."

These are just some of the reasons why we’re committed to camps at Co-Mission. We want the word of God to be on the hearts and minds off all our young people. We want them to be surrounded by Christfollowing peers and leaders. We want them to see and learn from role models who can show them the joy of living out a life for Christ. God created the structure of his church to go out beyond literal walls of a building.

"Becoming close to lots of different people. The Big Teachings. The music has been really great. The leaders and task force." "The teaching has been amazingly clear and helped me to grow in God"

As a network we have the desire to build a community of believers across London grounded in their determination to live for Christ and to tell others about Him. We see the importance of starting with our young people. We are praying for you as parents, grandparents and guardians in the important task of raising children in the way of the Lord.

"I had forgotten who I was in Christ and my flame was going out but now it's not a flame it's a BOMB FIRE. Through learning that God is God and he gives us saving grace."

TA R A S H A R P is Director of ReachGlobal Camps and part of the launch team for Co-Mission camps in 2017/18. Co-Mission is partnering with Contageous Camps this year for Contagious Central and Nano Central, taking place from 21-27 July 2017. Find out more at co-mission.org/events

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SPEAKING WORDS OF SPEAKING WORDS OF

H O P E Learning to walk alongside hurting friends

WALKING ALONGSIDE HURTING FRIENDS Co -Mission WoMen’s Morning SATURDAY 20 JANUARY 2018 | DUNDONALD CHURCH

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THE AVERAGE CHURCH IS A MESSY PLACE

There may be plenty of joy and hope as we sing God’s praises week-by-week but take a cursory glance around any congregation and it’s easy to find those who are lonely, bereaved, stressed or burned-out. Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ face personal ill-health – in body or mind. Quite a few struggle in their marriage, their parenting or their work. Dig a little deeper and it’s not uncommon to find some wrestling with gambling, pornography, eating disorders, self-harm or domestic abuse. And the list doesn’t stop there: around us are those in financial melt-down, those reeling from past involvement with the occult and those living secret lives, too ashamed to let anyone close. People suffer, people sin and none of us escape the pain of this broken world. Such things feel wrong because they are wrong. Life was never meant to be this way. Back in Genesis 1 and 2 we see humans designed for something far better than the life we now lead. It won’t always be like this. Perfection lies ahead for all who are in Christ. But, for now, we still face hardship and pain. We live with the legacy of the fall. And as we do, we have an important question to ask: how should we relate to those in our churches who are struggling day-by-day? It’s a question that can leave many of us scratching our heads but it’s one with which Paul’s short letter to the Colossians can help. A TYPICAL MESS The encouraging news is that a messy church is a normal church! If we feel surrounded by struggling friends, that’s exactly as it should be. The congregation at Colossae (and the one at Laodicea too) brought Paul great delight – the people there had come to Christ, moved from darkness to light, and were renowned for their faith and love (1:4). Little trophies of grace, they were living examples of how the Kingdom of God was spreading out throughout the world.

At the same time, however, they were riddled with pastoral strife. Sexual immorality, evil desires, jealousy, idolatry, slander, anger and lies are just some of the things that Paul highlights in his epistle (3:5-8) And, if the encouragement to forgive one another (3:13) is anything to go by, it seems they were causing each other plenty of pain along the way! Some of those struggles will have sprung from their sinful hearts but pressure was coming from the outside too. They were being bombarded with hollow philosophy – wayward beliefs – that were threatening to shake their faith in Christ to the very core (2:8). They were facing discouragement in the wake of Paul’s arrest (4:8) and their founding pastor was far away (4:12). Being a Christian in Colossae was no walk in the park! So how were they encouraged to respond? A CROSS-SHAPED CALL When we see people struggling, it can be tempting to run to one of two extremes: Some of us move away. Whether that’s driven by fear ("I don’t know what to do"), exhaustion ("I can’t take another thing on"), stoicism ("they need to just pull themselves together") or a conviction that pastoral care is the remit of professionals ("it’s not my job"), some of us try hard not to get involved. Doing so plays into our culture’s individualistic norm: people need to sort out their own mess, it’s not for us to poke in our nose. Such thinking, however, only ever leaves people hurting and alone – suffering goes uncomforted, sin stays lurking in the dark and lives remain unchanged and with little prospect of hope.

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For others, the temptation to fix people rears its head. We move towards them but instead of offering love we bring simplistic advice or encourage a to-do list approach to problems that might produce some speedy surface change but never really address the root issues lurking below. "You just need to stop…" "Try trusting God more…" or "Well, this is what worked for me…" Better than nothing, maybe, but an approach that draws more from law than grace. Neither stance truly helps those in need. Neither resonates with Scripture’s call. Paul reminded the Colossians that when lives are going astray, human wisdom isn’t the best place to turn (3:20-23). As children whose lives are hidden with Christ because of Jesus’ death and resurrection (3:1), the far better path was to fix their hearts on the Kingdom to come and let that be their greatest joy as they pursue a lifetime of change within the community of the Church. His instruction to the congregation was that they should – together – move away from ungodly living and – together – move towards becoming a community of love (3:5-14). That, of course, doesn’t mean there is never anything to learn from the wider world: doctors, therapists, debt counsellors and more have a very valuable role in helping us persevere when life is tough. But it does mean that our most natural port of call in times of trouble should be each other. God’s design for churches is that they should be places where everyone gets spurred on to throw off things like anger, dishonesty and gossip (3:8) and put on compassion, kindness, humility and patience (3:12). Churches are designed to be places where sinful and struggling people can walk alongside each other with their eyes fixed on Jesus – until the day Christ returns or calls us home. What does that look like in practice? A COMMUNITY OF CHANGE Some fear that such talk of change could easily launch a congregation into introspection or a comfort-seeking stance that quickly loses focus on mission and more. Do Sundays and mid-week groups turn into a mere discussion of how God can help me get through my woes today? Nothing could be further from Paul’s mind – rest assured, he is positing no therapeutic gospel here. What he is encouraging is a community of believers so bowled-over by grace and so rooted in God’s word that they long to apply what God says to each and every part of their lives. He is imagining a bunch of Christians who are so committed to following Christ, persevering in Christ and honouring Christ that they long to see each other growing in every aspect of their being – whatever joys or frustrations are coming their way.

At the heart of this plan lies his instruction to "let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom" (3:16). Changing in community is a distinctly Scripture-led path. Paul knew that teaching and applying the Bible wasn’t just for the evangelists (1:5), nor just for the teachers (1:28) within the church, vital though those ministries undoubtedly are. He was convinced that as we learn from those who lead us weekby-week, and as the Spirit matures our faith (1:9-10) we will be equipped to teach and apply Scripture to each other as we share our lives in practical ways. Arguably, it works something like this: A pastor preaches a sermon on the sovereignty of God - beautiful exposition, sound doctrine, flow from his lips. Wonderful truths are reinforced when moments later we’re joining in a resounding song praising the King of creation. Mid-week, at our small group, we ask our questions, making sure our understanding is clear and think more specifically (and prayerfully) about how it applies to our lives. Then, later in the week, when having a cuppa with a friend or chatting on our social media of choice, we specifically ask people how they are doing joining the dots of God’s glorious sovereignty and the pain of having no job or their battle with an addiction to porn. When they say, "not so well" – we spend time teasing it out, praying it out, making a list of things neither of us get so we can go and ask someone more experienced how

in the behaviour of the toddler-sized tornado at their feet? Words of encouragement – words of truth – spoken gently, humbly, repeatedly bring great fruit. Doing so may mean bearing with other people (3:13) but it is a profound expression of Christlike love. If we all get involved, it’s not a burden but a shared joy. It’s not just about biblical application though, we can pray for each other too. Paul never fought shy of asking people to fall to their knees - he asked them to pray for the spiritual matters of his ministry and life (4:2-4) but also the hurts and practicalities too (4:18). And there are many things we can do for our brothers and sisters in need: cooking them meals, taking them shopping, offering lifts to church or hospital appointments, being willing to babysit or helping them complete various forms. If there is a physical need – often we can, together, provide what’s required.

Words of encouragement – words of truth – spoken gently, humbly, repeatedly bring great fruit.

those things fit. This isn’t a specialist counselling role but just two believers being honest with one another and open to applying their head knowledge to their hearts in very precise ways. If we’re honest, most of us do better at the start of that scenario than we do at the end. It’s easier to listen to a talk than it is to let our brother or sister see our broken lives and allow them to apply God’s word in all its delight and power. But doing so brings beauty and hope. It promotes growth too – a maturity that never arrives if we see doctrine as something to be understood rather than deeply lived and loved. It can work the other way round too. As we stack chairs at the end of the service and casually chat about the week ahead, we can choose not to let the casual quip about "surviving another week with the spouse" pass. We can ask what’s going on – listen to the pain – and point to the comfort of the Psalms, the hope of the gospel, the strength to persevere found in the epistles and the call to repentance and change in the lives of the Old Testament Kings. Or, how about reminding those struggling with depression that they are adored by the universe’s Creator? Urging someone indulging in an affair to repentance and faith? Speaking to the person in danger of redundancy about the security they have in Christ? Showing the young parent who’s failed to keep calm with their screaming child, yet again, that their identity is in Jesus not

A CALL TO ACTION To make it happen we need to check our hearts. Do we share Paul’s goal to see people "encouraged in heart and united in love" (2:2)? Do we long to follow his lead and "not stop praying" for our brothers and sisters around (1:9)? Are we convinced that as the Spirit works, every situation can be fertile ground for "bearing fruit" and helping others "live a life worthy of the Lord" (1:10)? Are we willing to handle the word of God aright so no-one around gets taken in by "fine-sounding arguments" (2:4)? Are we eager to love, listen, teach and roll up our sleeves in whatever ways people need? Maybe more than that, though, we need to be individuals willing to ask for help. Frequently the most useful thing we can do is to model what it is to allow others to help us battle sin or to give people the privilege of pouring words of comfort and reorientation into our lives. If we can show what a delight it is to allow others to spur us on in our faith, if we are willing to be open enough to give people a glimpse of where we are finding it hard to persevere, then others will learn what it is to stand alongside us – and trust us, in return, to stand alongside them. If we choose to take that path, it won’t always be easy but it will be a privilege beyond compare. After all, what’s more exciting than helping people – in the toughest of times – become delightfully and increasingly mature in Christ (1:29)?

HELEN THORNE

is Director of Training and Mentoring at London City Mission, and the speaker at the Co-Mission Women's Morning 2018. The Co-Mission Women's Morning takes place on 20th January. Find out more and get your tickets: co-mission.org/events

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It has been claimed that over sixty percent of the Bible is written in poetry. I suppose that’s not surprising when you consider that some of the largest books - the Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Job - are entirely, or almost entirely, made up of poems. Most of the minor prophets wrote poetry, as did the wisdom writers, and time and again the people in the Bible sing songs. This reminds us of an important truth: that when God communicates through words, he doesn’t just give us bare facts. He doesn’t settle for the lowest common denominator. God has filled the Bible with rich metaphor, guiding his prophets and psalmists as they searched tirelessly for better words, better ways of connecting with people. When we say ‘we live by the word of God’ we aren’t saying that we are the boring, black-and-white Christians, while some other brands of Christians get full-colour. We are saying that we trust in God’s rich, varied, and beautiful words. The search for better words is perhaps one of the most obvious characteristics of all poetry. A poem is set apart from prose by the care the poet has taken in choosing his or her words. What’s especially interesting is that biblical poetry has this search for words built into its form. Biblical poetry is filled with parallelism: the poet will say something, and then say it again in the next line, often repeating the order of words or the meaning. But the second line isn’t a word-for-word copy: it offers a metaphor, another way of looking at the topic. And often the second line intensifies the first, stating it more powerfully, or more vividly, asking us not just to observe the words, but to enter into the experience of the writer.

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And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, 10 and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. 8

Let me illustrate with an example from Isaiah. First the prophet states an objective fact, but he states it twice, using the parallel words justice and righteousness: So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. ISAIAH 59:9a

He then repeats this idea of a city without justice, this time using the idea of light. Once again, there is an internal parallelism: light becomes brightness; darkness becomes deep shadows.

ISAIAH 35:8-10

We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. ISAIAH 59:9b

Then Isaiah really pulls us in. He intensifies the image by introducing the picture of a blind person, and the parallel, people without eyes. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. ISAIAH 59:10a

Now we get it. If we weren’t sure how bad a city without justice could be, we can certainly feel it after that image. And that’s what makes poetry so good for us. A Christian can’t afford to be just an observer – we need to step into the experience that the Bible presents to us. Eugene Peterson writes: "Poetry is not the language of objective explanation, but the language of imagination. It makes an image of reality in such a way as to invite our participation in it. We do not have more information after we read a poem, we have more experience."

Let’s take some time to enjoy this picture of grace. You are on a highway – a wide road, with enough room for large crowds of people. It’s not a difficult road, but a smooth, straight way, and as you look around you can’t see any of those people who have caused you so much trouble – all you see are the people of God. You are returning to God’s city, and as you walk, you sing. What words could describe the atmosphere of joy that surrounds you? It is as though everyone is wearing a crown of joy on their heads, a crown that can never be taken away. It is as though joy and gladness rush through the crowd like a wave, nearly bowling you over. Even as you sing you feel like laughing because you feel the memory of your sorrows being chased away. That’s one picture of salvation that God gives us. Let’s try another: Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, you earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel. ISAIAH 44:23

Would you like to experience grace? Do you ever read your Bible and feel like it’s just the same old truths, over and over again? God’s answer is not to direct you elsewhere, to a new grace, but to tell you the old story in a new way. Or perhaps, if you’ve never spent time reading Old Testament poetry, to tell you the new story in an old way. Let’s look at how the gospel of grace was expressed in Isaiah’s poetry. Isaiah describes the return to Jerusalem of God’s exiled people. They walk along a highway, free from fear of attack, and singing as they go:

What would it sound like if the heavens sang? Would it be a glorious choir, or more like the shimmering strings of an orchestra? What noise does a mountain make when it bursts into song? Recently, when Big Ben was being repaired, the famous bell had to be disconnected, because the noise of its chiming would have been unsafe for the workmen. If that’s the noise a great bell can make, how much more a mountain? I remember a family holiday to the Swiss Alps, looking up at mountains that rose up through the clouds, and kept on going. I remember staring at the face of the Eiger, fascinated by the size, and wishing I could climb it. It didn’t occur to me at the time to think that this mountain was on my side, cheering for my salvation!

How can you grasp something that is far beyond your reach? How can you understand something that surpasses knowledge? How can you be filled to the same measure as God without bursting? For this, you need poetry, and not just any poetry, but the poetry God has given us in his word. Do you doubt that God’s love is big enough to cover all your sin? Do you doubt that God has a place for you in his heavenbound people? Take courage from the words God has chosen to express his love. When God saved us - to put it poetically - he moved heaven and earth. At this point you might object that this is all sounding a bit too stuck in the Old Testament. Isn’t God’s love most perfectly revealed at the cross? Doesn’t the real, historical sacrifice of the Son of God eclipse all other pictures of God’s love? Yes, it does. But don’t forget that even at that moment, the centre-point of history, poetry played a hugely important part.

Consider the forests: we know the roar a crowd can make in a sports stadium, but that doesn’t even come close to the number of trees in a forest. Every one of these trees is being called to sing! Why? Why such a global celebration? Why, even, is the globe not enough, but the heavens need to be called in as well? Because God has redeemed his people! Our salvation is news that shakes the whole of creation. God calls everything there is to join in the celebration. One of my favourite of Isaiah’s poems is in chapter 55. He pictures creation sharing in the joy of God’s people, and it’s as though the mountains, hills and trees can’t contain themselves at the joy of seeing God complete his plan to save. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. ISAIAH 55:12

These are powerful metaphors, and we have to admit they are hard for us to picture in our minds. But when we try to picture them our imaginations are filled with glorious possibilities. And in those times when we struggle to rejoice in our salvation, these verses of poetry can shine a light into our hearts. I think this is what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he prayed his famous prayer in Ephesians 3. Paul prayed that we would have power:

When Jesus neared his last breath, cursed as a sin offering, crushed under the weight of abandonment, forsaken by his Father, where did he turn? He chose the words of a song: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ MATTHEW 27:46 ( QUOTING PSALM 22)

In doing so, he signalled to us that the words of that psalm described his own experience. And so, as we read Psalm 22 today, we are given a window into the agony Jesus suffered. Our understanding of grace is enriched by the poetry Jesus spoke. Not long after this, the Holy Spirit led Philip to explain the good news about Jesus to the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-39). Where did the conversation begin? The poetry of Isaiah’s servant song. The poetry of the Old Testament isn’t forgotten in the New - it is enriched as it is given new significance, as God reveals the details that justify the extravagance of his imagery. And the poetry of the Old, in turn, enriches the New, as it leads us to see in vivid picture-language how wonderful and immense God’s love and salvation are. We live by the word of God. Let’s take the time to read the Bible in all its fullness. Let’s not be content with learning facts about God, when God has given us so much beauty. The poetry of the Bible is rich, and we will be richer as we listen to God speak through it.

MICHAEL MORROW is Music Director at Dundonald Church, Raynes Park.

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. EPHESIANS 3:18-19

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UPCOMING EVENTS 20 JANUARY 2018 Co-Mission Women's Morning Speaker: Helen Thorne at Dundonald Church 2 JUNE 2018 London Men's Convention Speakers: John Piper & Rupert Standring (organised by Christian Conventions) 22-24 JUNE 2018 REVIVE S p e a k e r s : T i m K e l l e r, S t e v e n M u s a - K o r m a y e a , Nam Joon Kim at The University of Kent in Canterbury 2 1 - 2 7 J U LY 2 0 1 8 C O N TAG I O U S C A M P S at Kingham Hill School

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