All Saints Word - Passionate Spirituality

Passionate spirituality. A spirituality nurtured through personal and corporate prayer which supernaturally naturally exudes the love of God in Christ. People obviously love God and therefore love His people. #3/8 Qualities of Healthy Growing Churches

What is this Quality
 Rom 12:9-21, Mk12:38-44

Look atthe sort of words used in Rom 12: love– hate – affection – zeal – aglow – rejoice – weep; in other words, make sure that your spiritual life soaks down to your emotional level too.

Mark 12: putting in everything that you have = passion.

Egg and bacon: the chicken is involved – the pig is committed. Passion demands commitment. Commitment is costly.

How is it shown in Jesus?: 
Jesus recognises the heart response of the poor woman in the temple. She knows these two halfpennies that she has to rub together will not repair the roof or pay the Priest. But her heart wants to give. Whereas the rich – who supply what is really needed – do not. Their giving does not soak down to their emotional level. Jesus could say of himself “the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” and “These are my mother & brothers”. Jesus wept.

How is it shown in NT Church? 
Time and again the disciples met with opposition and persecution. Every time their response was one of prayer, thanksgiving, determination, sacrifice. Paul is always “rejoicing and giving thanks when I hear about you” - even their sorrows and suffering are a joy to him as he welcomes them into that fellowship. The problem with the NT church was often stopping them being “other-worldly” - expecting the imminent return of the Lord to the detriment of their family life.

How is it shown in Our Church? 
Where is our passion? What do we just have to do? Sunday – Cell – Youth – Children – healing – prayer – music – art - cooking – sport – money – time – energy? And do these things have a spiritual element? Are they things in which we encounter the living Lord? Do they naturally and regularly lead us to prayer, to worship, to thanksgiving? Do they naturally and regularly lead us to talking and thinking about Jesus?

It's possible to let the “thing” get in the way of the relationship. House renovation can be so expensive and all consuming that the family by whom it is done breaks up through neglect and strain before the job is completed. We get so engrossed in the Church Building, Church Music, Finances, Management, Projects – that we lose sight of the Lord . “Serve the Lord” says Rom 12. Remember whom it is that you love.

How can we grow?
It doesn't matter how beautiful the building is, how skilled the choir, how professional the music group, how tidy the churchyard, how full the coffers, unless our passion is for the Lord Jesus and our daily experience is of His presence, our spirituality will be impoverished. .

All Saints Word - Gift Oriented Ministry

Gift-orientated ministry. Valuing the ministry of all people and the variety of gifts in the body of Christ. Helping people identify their God-given gifts, skills and abilities and encouraging each person to use them in the overall mission and ministry of the church. #2/8 Qualities of Healthy Growing Churches

What is this Quality?

Maybe you grew up with favouritism? People always think someone else is the favourite! A brother that never cried? A sister that knew her tables without thinking? A colleague who went to the same school as the boss? Churches can have “favourite” ministries too. Things that we just have to have to be a lively church: preaching, children & youth work, healing, music, social outreach, evangelism etc. So we set up a plan and look for people to serve these ministries. But we can miss out those who have different gifts. We can have people working in areas in which they are not gifted. It makes people tired and ineffective. Gift oriented ministry is where the church has people with gifts using their gifts in the ministry in which that gift is most useful.

How is it shown in Jesus?

Jesus said to the disciples, at the ascension, “Wait!”. Wait till the Spirit is given – that great gift which was to empower and enable them to serve in mission. Jesus calls Nathaniel a “true Israelite in whom there is no guile”. He calls Peter “the Rock” - and he was sometimes rocky. He let Martha do the housework and Mary do the listening. He told a parable about people using their “talent” that is so incisive that it has become the word for a gift. He chose fishermen to fish for men. He did not say that anyone could do anything. He chose. He appointed. He sent. 3. 12. 72.

How is it shown in the N.T. Church?

Peter used his gift of impulsive faith in healing the lame man at the temple. Philip uses his gift of getting alongside people as he approached the Ethiopian. Paul uses his gift of confrontation and plain teaching at the early councils on the gentiles. Barnabas uses his gift of encouragement to keep Mark on side. Peter, Paul, Apollos – all used their gifts in harmony.

“ Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.” (1 Pet. 4:10)

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us”. (Romans 12:4-6a) they are even listed Romans 12: exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy, prophecy, service, teaching
1 Corinthians 12: administration, apostle, discernment, faith, healing, helps, knowledge, miracles, prophecy, teaching, tongues, tongues interpretation, wisdom
Ephesians 4: apostle, evangelism, pastor, prophecy, teaching
Also: celibacy, hospitality, martyrdom, missionary, voluntary poverty
Before we start on music, art, dance, technology, accountancy, gardening...

How is it shown in our Church and in me?MLT have different gifts. We have hopefully appropriate “bubbles” in which we seek to empower other people to use their gifts. So we realised that leadership in our church often means using words or music – and we have many gifted people which is great. Thank you. But what about the pastoral people? What about the artists? Maybe we have not allowed them to function as freely. So we have the new group. Try it. Do we resist the temptation to say “this is important, it needs doing even if you are not gifted, come and help”. That's not gift oriented ministry. “This is important. We don't have anyone with those gifts. Let's wait” is.

How can we grow?

1. Know what your gifts are. Try it and see. No life sentences.
2. Use the gifts that you have eagerly. Don't wait to be begged. Offer yourself. Risk rejection.
3. Look out for others and help them to develop their gifts.

All Saints Word - Empowering Leadership

1. Empowering leadership. Leadership which seeks to identify, train and empower other leaders, giving them responsibility for people and projects. #1/8 Qualities of Healthy Growing Churches

What is this Quality?

Or maybe “virtue”. It is not a skill or an activity so much as an attitude.

Leadership can be dominating – imposing my will on others so that my objectives are secured. These may benefit those around me too. That might even be my main aim. But it can then be “dis-empowering”. What happens when the tyrant falls who has skilfully removed all those who might challenge his leadership? Chaos. No one is skilled enough to take over. The jealous guardian of a rota for ministry finds that more and more often they have to step in and take responsibility, no one will come forward to help, they end up “doing it all myself” and feeling hard done by. Empowering leadership is that which does itself out of a job. It identifies and trains up others who can do the job better than they can and is delighted to let go of the reins.

How is it shown in Jesus?

Jesus demonstrates the coming of the kingdom by works of power. It is an important message in a dreadfully uncertain environment. One action, one word out of place and the whole judicial system might come down on him out of time. So how careful is he? Not. He sends out, not just the 12 – but 72 others. People you've never heard of. People no one has ever heard of. They had a go. On their own. And it worked! Jesus did not cling to the Father's work and more than he clung to equality with God. Jesus appoints the fragile Peter as leader. Jesus calls the despised Matthew. Jesus passes on his mission to those undependable disciples. He empowers them with His Spirit and with His trust.

How is it shown in the N.T. Church?

The early church is unprepared and untrained. They are doing things that Jesus did not do. “You will do greater things than these” says Jesus. Not only perhaps greater miracles of healing – but the changing of whole societies as they spread the Gospel across the known world and into governments and empires. They are establishing communities of worshippers, appointing leaders, training evangelists, developing a church. The apostles never seize control. There are councils. There are Deacons. There are local leaders who judge them. They don't always like it – but their appeal is not to “right” or “authority” but to God. The pattern of the early church is – spread like wildfire, then set up some boundaries when it becomes clear what the Spirit is doing. When Paul and Barnabas fell out over John Mark, neither of them could assert authority. They couldn't agree so they split – multiplied as we'd call it – and the work increased.

How is it shown in our Church and in me?

The funnel or the trumpet? Kids love to blow a funnel. But a funnel is for containing something precious. Helping us to bottle something we want to keep. It's a form of control. A trumpet is for spraying sounds, fluids exuberantly. It's better for broadcasting. There are places for both but the church has often used all its trumpets as funnels. We can shut down the outpouring of the Spirit if we are too careful. If everything has to go through the ordained, the appointed, the elected then everyone else will learn to sit back, not to push themselves forward, be humble and keep quiet. Then, when the leaders get old, tired, worn down, corrupt, worldly – there is no one to complain. I hope we are not like that. I hope that if anyone wants to do something for God here our leadership is such as says “yes” and then seeks to be available to enable it. We want a church of “Can We” not a Church of “They should”. Each one of us needs to keep an eye on how we react to new people, new helpers. If out first thought is - “What a nuisance I'll have to redo the rota” or “I had to wait ten years before I did that, so should you” or “Oh that's going to upset Ethel terribly” - then we are dis-empowering leaders.

How can we grow?

So we sometimes have new leaders in Cells, MLT, PCC. New projects in creativity and youth work.

Every leader should have as a top priority the raising up of others who could do the job better. We will allow people to step down from one sphere of leadership – its not a life sentence – as they have succeeded in raising up new leaders. There will be people in leadership who were not here, not even Christians, 5 years ago. There will be young people, even children, with appropriate leadership roles.

Where are you leading? Its not just about official positions or management tasks. We lead by example. We lead by our conversations. We lead at home, at work and in the neighbourhood. Keep one eye on who you might encourage into this sort of leadership too.

Don't be afraid of upsetting the status quo. Don't be afraid of risk. Don't be afraid of failure. Turn the funnel around. Let it blow.

All Saints Word - 8 Qualities Talks

September 2012

8 TALKS ON 8  QUALITIES OF HEALTHY GROWING CHURCHES

Research on growing churches throughout the world has shown that all growing churches have all eight of the following qualities. (Book: Natural Church Development, Christian Schwarz, ISBN 1-889638-00-5. Web: www.ncd-international.org)

• Empowering leadership.
• Gift-orientated ministry.
• Passionate spirituality.
• Inspiring worship.
• Holistic small Groups.
• Need-orientated outreach.
• Loving relationships.
• Functional Structures.
  

Whichever quality is least developed is the thing that limits the church's growth. The shortest stave in a barrel is what limits the level of water in the barrel. So, by examining ourselves prayerfully, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can work out our weakest quality and improve it.

At the same time we make sure we are using all the other qualities to help us to develop the weaker area.

Each week we will focus on one of these quality areas and think about what is good in our church and where it might be developed.

If you are part of the church here too, to make sure we all play our part, there is a section to ask yourself where you might seek to grow in this quality yourself. Don't forget to do that bit too.

All Saints Word - Magdalene

MAGDALENE -

The story of Magdalene is about a life restored to relationship and purpose.

Mary Magdalene (original Greek Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή), or Mary of Magdala, was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important female disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", ^[Lu 8:2^{] [}Mk 16:9^] She became Jesus' close friend and most prominent during his last days, being present at the cross after the male disciples (excepting John the Beloved) had fled, and at his burial. She was the first person to see Jesus after his Resurrection, according to both John 20 and Mark 16:9

Mary has been used by various groups historically to their own ends.

The two pictures of Mary Magdelene – the Holy Saint – The Prostitute

The Roman western church in around 550 AD – following papal teaching identified Mary with the woman of ill repute (with no direct proof) and said that the 7 demons represented the 7 deadly sins which meant that she was a prostitute whom Jesus had saved. She is depicted with loose, red died, hair – often in a state of lascivious undress in many classical paintings. She is the image of the reformed sinner. Of course this also works as a misogynistic interpretation of discipleship – she was unsuitable to be in any position of authority, especially over men.

The Gnostic unorthodox teachings of 200-300 AD that spun off the gospel used her in another way. They presented her as a great spiritual leader who, in contrast to the bickering and self-seeking men, was able to receive direct secret messages from the risen Lord to instruct the apostles. The subservience of women in the Hebrew culture was thrown off in such groups. Those western traditions of female gods and priestesses – often with a sexualised spirituality, have produced a convenient hook for the neo-gnostics to exploit.

None of this is present in the Gospels of course. 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather round them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

In the Gospel this is a much more personal story. This word “Mary” is the powerful catalyst for the breakthrough of the resurrection in this story. Its a story about...

1. Failing to recognize the risen Jesus:

• Mary's devotion:how personal?
• Absorption in grief:makes her unable to see resurrection life
• Fixed expectation:things presumed impossible are hard to perceive

2. Jesus calls her name.
   • Name: Jesus knows I'm here – my situation. - your situation
   • Name: Jesus knows my story – my state and why – your story
   • Name: Jesus accepts me: “My Father and Your Father” - you
     
     
3. The light dawns on Magdalene:

• Recognition: the presence of the living Jesus is experienced personally.
• Grasping: its all about “me”- I  want to hold on to this.
• Sending: she is sent on duty to the others

It doesn't matter to Jesus if you are male or female, old or young, slave or free. Jew or gentile, saint or sinner. What matters is that you grasp that He knows you – accepts you – calls you. And that you respond in faith and obedience.