Monica Hill continues her series on the ministry gifts of Ephesians 4. 

This article is part of a series. Click here to read other instalments.

“It was Christ who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:11-13, emphasis added).

“And They Shall Prophesy…”

‘Prophecy’ appears in all three lists of spiritual gifts – but it has a slightly different meaning in each. We will explore the meaning of the ‘manifestation’ of prophecy described in 2 Corinthians 12 later, but we just note here that manifestations are not bestowed permanently on any individual, but come as the Lord wills and to anybody who is open to the Spirit.

Manifestations are very different from the ministry gift of ‘prophet’ which is given to an individual who is specifically called to build up the Body. The Ephesians ministry role of ‘prophet’ bears more resemblance to the more ‘natural’ role of prophecy described in Romans 12, with its emphasis upon the forthtelling of the word of God as well as the foretelling of future happenings. But the emphasis for any spiritual gift still needs to be on equipping the Body and this is especially true for those who are given a ministry role.

Perhaps in our modern society we can see more affinity between the role of prophet and that of the ‘preacher’- though obviously there are differences (incidentally, it should be noted that the title ‘preacher’ is not recognised in any of the lists of spiritual gifts – the nearest is the role of the teacher, although it is not difficult to see the differences).

Old Testament Prophets

The prophets, both writing and speaking, in the Old Testament, were walking closely with God and knew him intimately. They had reached such a close understanding of his nature and purposes that they found it easy to see where the people they were called to address were falling short of all that God wanted for them.

Biblical scholars maintain that less than 20% of the words of the writing prophets are warning or foreseeing what will happen in the future, while more than 80% of their prophetic words are forthtelling God’s nature and purposes – and reminding the nation how God had revealed himself in the past.

Less than 20% of the prophetic words of the writing prophets are foreseeing what will happen in the future - more than 80% are forthtelling God’s nature and purposes.

The whole nation of Israel was in a covenant relationship with God. The prophets were the biblical preachers of their day, spending their time reminding the Jewish people of God’s requirements, while also remembering God’s actions in similar periods in their history and then challenging them to become more like the people that God expected them to be.

Occasionally they did receive a revelation of what would happen as a consequence if the nation continued in the direction it was taking, but their messages were more than foretelling and often they were of an encouraging rather than a warning nature.

New Testament Prophets

The reason we do not hear much about specifically named individual prophets in the New Testament is that with the coming of Jesus, God’s revelation of himself, his nature and his purposes was now complete (nothing new would be revealed, although to each of us “the Lord has yet more light and truth to break forth from his word”). The coming of Jesus fulfilled Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 15:18 and “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people” (Luke 24:19).

The task of the New Testament prophets was unchanged, in that it was to remind people of, and bring them back to, the biblical roots set out for them (and us) in the word of God, so that they could understand God more completely and strive to be like him. Their function was additionally related to the fulfilment of the Great Commission and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, with the understanding that now the Church itself was to be the Prophet to the nations.

The individual role of each prophet (both then and today) is therefore increasingly to impart the wisdom they have received from their close walk with God to others, so that they too can be built up in their faith and thus be an effective ‘front line’ with the world. This is why prophets need to be subject to other prophets so that they are both open to correction and also protected from bringing anything of themselves into the words they share with others. The lone prophet is, by and large, a thing of the past: each needs to meet with others, not just for fellowship and to build each other up, but also to confirm or correct what they are hearing and to keep their thinking in line with Scripture.

The task of the prophets was to bring people back to their biblical roots, so they could understand God and strive to be like him.

Apostles and prophets are often linked together – they were the foundation of the early Church (Eph 2:20, 3:5) and interestingly these are the two most neglected of the ‘ministry gifts’ today. Their function has always been to give the Church, locally or nationally, the right base for ‘sending out’ and ‘speaking out’ (which is a powerful combination that ensures the Church is guided both in the right direction and with the right values and strategy).

The ‘prophetic’ function is to bring and present the unchanging word of God to others, both in a contemporary setting and to a contemporary world: reaching each new generation, preparing them for works of service and ensuring that the message is passed on.

The words of the prophets should be judged by their contemporaries on their truth, irrespective of the effectiveness the messages have on the +believers in their generation or acceptance of the words they had received. If the biblical prophets were judged on the acceptance of their messages, they would all be judged to be failures.

‘I Wish That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets’

Numbers 11 gives us a great example of how God supported Moses in the desert when he was almost in despair, and began to set in motion an effective strategy that has continuing significance today. Moses’ great joy when God “took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders” led him to want even more as he saw that “when the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied” (11:25).

He wanted there to be no restrictions or limit on who could receive this blessing, when he made the far-reaching statement “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” (11:29) which, with the coming of the Holy Spirit, did come to pass and is still available today.

Prophets need to be subject to other prophets so that they are open to correction and protected from bringing anything of themselves into the words they share.

All human beings have the ability to hear from God, although few actually do!! There is truth in the words of Jean-Paul Sartre, who said “I tell you in truth: all men are Prophets or else God does not exist”. As Romans 10:14 in the Message says “…how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it?”

Encouragement or Warning

When building up the Body of Christ, words of encouragement are just as important as words of warning, and although they may not require the same hard testing as the warnings, they should still be tested. Yet, in our modern society, they are not often treated as of equal importance and often people think that God only rebukes his people.

Continually giving words of warning can be counter-productive – and it is also unbiblical - Jesus called us to ‘feed his sheep’ – not berate them all the time. It is interesting that Judas (Barsabbas) and Silas were prophets who explained the decisions of the Jerusalem Council to the believers in Antioch and encouraged them (Acts 15:30-32).

When the word came to the Seven Churches in Revelation, each of the different gatherings from Ephesus to Laodicea were both commended and rebuked, although only two (Smyrna and Philadelphia) were seen as pleasing to God, while nothing good was said about Sardis. Nevertheless, they all had warnings of what was to come in the future alongside the amazing promises for the overcomers. Our Father is concerned that we listen and hear him – and wants each of us to be ‘overcomers’ so all words from him will be given in order to help us to achieve his desire.

Individual Prophetic Words

Although most words of prophecy are to the whole Body of believers, there can be a place for individual words of encouragement that will build specific people up so that they can play their part in the Body of Christ – and that should be the main emphasis. We will look at personal ‘words of knowledge’ about the future of individuals when we cover the manifestations, but note here that they are usually linked with ‘words of wisdom’ too.

Equipping the Body of Christ

In order to equip the Body of Christ effectively, the modern day prophet should not only desire that the Body of Christ (the Lord’s people given to him to minister to) would have a right relationship with God, but that they too would know the scriptures and know the Lord - and be able to pass this on to others.

Prophetic words should be judged on their truth, irrespective of the effectiveness the messages have on believers.

This confirms the reason given in Ephesians 4 for the continued existence of the prophetic function (working along with the other ministries): “so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ”.

Those with a prophetic function are the most effective when a real relationship has been built up and they know who they are reaching. Their own relationship with God and understanding of the scriptures and the insights they have received are not just for themselves, but God will also show them how they are to share these with others.

As we have noted there are NO prophets speaking directly to the nations today. There are prophetic voices within churches or fellowships of believers – or there should be! They should be the groups who are more open to listening and hearing from God, to enable the Church to be the Prophet to the nation.

But remember, prophets have never had an easy ride! When prophets compare what God is alerting them to in his word with what is happening in the fellowship, they usually call for change – which is not often welcome. People like the status quo and the words of the prophet are often resented by the pastor or priest. Dean Inge said “a priest is never so happy as when he has a prophet to stone”.

There is much more we could include about the role of the prophet – which is also covered elsewhere in this magazine. Prophecy will also play a major part on the Issachar Ministries Community Portal (under construction) – click here to find out more about this project. But if you have any other comments to add about prophets and their role – past and present - please add them below.

Hope in the midst of scandal, shaking and scepticism.

“You are...terminated!” No, this was not a line from Doctor Who and his eternal battle with the Daleks. It was a message from the President of the USA to the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, given to him whilst he was speaking to his staff.

To British ears this sounds unreal. No British employer would dismiss a member of staff in this peremptory manner. “You’re fired!” only happens on TV shows like The Apprentice. In fact, employment law in Britain protects employees from arbitrary dismissal.

So what’s going on in America? It was known that the FBI were investigating the links between Trump and Russia during the presidential election campaign. Were the FBI getting too close to the truth for President Trump? Political commentators in the USA began immediately to compare this dismissal to when President Nixon did the same a year before the Watergate scandal caused him to resign the presidency.

Even the smallest whiff of a similar scandal is immensely damaging to the President – but it is more than that, it comes at a time when the whole political establishment in Europe and America is sailing in troubled waters that are likely to produce some notable shipwrecks.

France: The People’s Choice?

Just look at what’s happened in France this week! The people have just elected a new president, but nearly half the population either did not vote or spoilt their ballot paper in protest at the choice they were offered. All the candidates from the main parties failed to get popular support in the first round of voting so the choice was between two rank outsiders.

The winner, Emmanuel Macron, only formed his En Marche! party last year. But, Surprise! Surprise! The man who was supposed to be a rank outsider - the populist ‘people’s choice’(especially young people, who have flocked around him) – has been endorsed by the outgoing Labour Party President Hollande and even more emphatically by the former Labour Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who says that the Labour party in France is finished and dead - and he has now joined En Marche!.¹

The whole political establishment in Europe and America is sailing in troubled waters that are likely to produce some notable shipwrecks.

Emmanuel Macron. So, what’s going on? It looks as though the people of France have been fooled by a gigantic con trick. The populist choice, the man who the people have embraced, turns out to be an ex-banker who made a fortune through investment banking, became the Minister for the economy in the outgoing Labour Government and is a stooge of Brussels, an enthusiastic supporter of the EU! How long will it be before the French people wake up and realise that they’ve been conned - the old political elite that has governed the country for decades is still in power!

The USA: Increasing Disillusionment

Is the same thing already happening in the USA? Trump’s 100 days’ honeymoon is over. His election promises have not yet been fulfilled: he hasn’t built his wall and Mexico are not going to pay for it. He has not reformed Obamacare and he’s not even managed to control immigration. The people put their trust in a rich businessman rather than a politician, but will he do any better than the politicians?

We are living in a day of disillusionment. Throughout the Western world, people are expressing dissatisfaction with the ruling elite who have held power for decades. ‘Change’ is in the air. It’s the one thing everyone wants. No one quite knows what it is they do want – they just know what they don’t want: they don’t want what they’ve got!

It’s this air of uncertainty that is hanging over most of the Western nations and can be seen especially in Europe, in America and in Britain, where we are facing a Brexit-driven General Election. But surely Christians should be seeing this as an enormous opportunity! It is an opportunity to present a new and living way! Why are not churches actively leading the way and presenting the way of righteousness, truth and prosperity to the people? Why is there so little evidence of the Gospel in the marketplace?

Declaring the Whole Will of God

We frequently hear from people all over the country who say that in their church they never hear the preacher refer to current affairs or apply the Gospel to the great issues of the day.

No one quite knows what it is they do want – they just know they don’t want what they’ve got! Surely Christians should be seeing this as an enormous opportunity!

I had a Sunday off last month and I went to worship at a local Baptist church, where the Minister preached a message from Ephesians. This was fine - but afterwards I learned that he had been working his way through Ephesians, line by line, for the past two years! However good Ephesians is, it does not give a rounded gospel. Paul, speaking to the Ephesian elders on his last visit to the region said, “I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God” (Acts 20:27, emphasis added).

Surely it is the whole word of God that is needed in the Church today, if we are to understand what is happening in the world around us and what God is requiring of his Church. There are many churches where the preachers never use the Old Testament, so the whole word of God, especially that delivered through the Prophets, is never heard.

Shaking All That Can Be Shaken

Christians will never be able to understand the word of God for today if they are cut off from the Hebraic roots of our faith. In this magazine, for many years, we have been warning that the days were coming when God will shake everything. There’s plenty of evidence of this happening now, in our lifetime.

Many people have said to us that God would never shake the Church because it is the Body of Christ. But surely it is the people, the disciples of Jesus, who are the Body of Christ – not the institutions that we call churches!

It is the whole word of God that is needed in the Church today, if we are to understand what is happening and what God is requiring of us.

In Hebrews 12:26f we are told that it is God’s intention to shake everything that human beings have created, “so that what cannot be shaken may remain” which will prepare the way for the Kingdom of God.

One of the principles that is embedded in the world of nature, part of God’s Creation, is that seeds have to fall into the ground and die before new life can be produced. It may be that the whole of Western civilisation has become so corrupted that all its major social institutions – the economy (banks), society (political parties) and even the denominations that we call ‘churches’ will have to die for genuine new life to spring from them.

Signs of Hope

But in this time when God is shaking the nations, there are also many signs of new life - especially in the vast and rapid growth of the church in China and Indonesia and other places where Christians have been suffering hardship and severe persecution.

Meanwhile, though traditional denominations continue to decline in the West, there are encouraging signs of new life here as well. In Britain we see:

• The churches that are growing are ones where the whole word of God is preached, where worship is lively and prayer is focused and meaningful.
  
• Increasing numbers of believers are meeting in house fellowships for prayer and Bible study.
  
• Many Christians are involved in practical programmes of outreach into the community, such as street pastors, food banks and holiday clubs for children.
  
• Many are also active in a wide range of voluntary organisations seeking to promote Godly values in society.
  

In these times of enormous social change and upheaval, we not only need to note what is happening in the socio-political and economic spheres, but also to note (and celebrate!) what God is doing through his people.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Custom and Command’ by Stan Firth (Charisma Publications, 1996, reprinted 2007).

This is a remarkable book in which the author sets out to understand and explain why so many Christians today find traditional church structures and activities no longer adequate for their faith and discipleship. These believers are not backslidden or rebellious; they simply no longer ‘go to church’ – instead, they live an ‘unstructured church lifestyle’.

Initially, on coming across such believers, the author didn’t know what to make of this. So, rather than be critical, he decided to investigate from a biblical standpoint. He concludes that not only is such a Christian lifestyle biblically valid and fully in accordance with Scripture, but that in many ways these Christians were ‘being Church’ far more effectively. As a result, he decided to embrace this lifestyle himself.

Loose Associations

The book is carefully put together to help the reader go through the same process of re-evaluation as the author did. How does ‘unstructured church’ work in terms of worship, teaching, leadership, outreach and the general command to meet together regularly?

Each topic is considered via many biblical texts and the result, perhaps surprising to many, is that all these can be fulfilled outside what is usually considered to be a ‘normal’ church-going life, provided (and this is important) that certain conditions are met.

Firth concludes that an unstructured church lifestyle can be biblically valid and practised in full accordance with Scripture.

One such condition is that believers do not isolate themselves. Rather, they become part of several different Christian communities which overlap within their existing lifestyles, for instance at work or in their own neighbourhood. Wherever you meet other Christians, that is where you ‘do Church’. These ‘loose associations’ provide opportunities for a more fulfilling Christian experience than merely taking part in what local churches offer.

Re-thinking Key Aspects of Church

Worship, for instance, should be spontaneous and arise continually out of walking with God, not just restricted to ‘times of worship’ led by someone with a pre-planned song list that you are meant to follow. Such corporate worship can be uplifting but also far less than God deserves. As for teaching, we need far more than pre-prepared lecture-style sermons, where one person speaks and everyone else listens, unquestioningly. Rather there must be ‘comments in the course of life’ instruction, teaching which occurs through meeting other Christians in a variety of situations and sharing, talking and learning together.

What about leadership? This is still important, but Christians will find true leadership in many ways and through many people, not just those ‘put in charge’ of a church and paid to be a career churchman. Leaders will emerge who you can look up to and follow, perhaps low-key but clearly gifted in certain areas. It may be the Christian down the road whose walk with God is stronger than yours or whose evangelistic gift you desire for yourself.

Associating with those to whom God has given leadership gifts may grow you more quickly than attending church services or programmes. You will soon spot who they are - their authority and humility will make them stand out.

One condition for an unstructured church lifestyle to work is that believers do not isolate themselves.

A Church of Living Stones

The author has a section dealing with reservations and objections from those who still maintain that only through standard church practices can we produce strong and mature Christians. He admits that such ‘life support systems’ may still have a role to play, but asserts that true fullness of life requires more.

He does not say church membership or attendance is wrong. Standard church meetings can be embraced as part of this wider approach, but not uncritically followed as though these will provide all you need.

Rather, you should see yourself as part of the ‘Church of living stones’, the house of God that you take with you wherever you go. As you meet other believers and join with other living stones then something wonderful can happen. These ‘loose associations’ become fulfilling times of meeting with God and seeing what he is doing.

Informal does not mean less effective. Unstructured does not mean disorganised. Instead you will uncover something beautifully prepared and integrated by God.

Custom vs Command

As the title suggests, this process is about seeing the difference between our customs and God’s commands. What has God actually commanded in Scripture? Even in the newer church movements, such as the charismatic movement and house churches, customs soon take over. We become accustomed to doing things a certain way. Corks go back in the bottle. Christians become ‘bottled up’ again.

The author drives home his point by stressing another major condition for this unstructured church lifestyle to work: an ‘inner drive of discipleship’. This is the personal engine which should propel you forward. Christians often become ‘church-propelled’, or institutionally dependent, which creates a particular type of Christian rather than a fully mature and motivated disciple of Jesus.

Traditional church structures may still have a role to play, but true fullness of life requires more.

Firth sees the church as often laying down tracks for us to follow, like a train that has to go where it is told. Instead, we need a runway from which to take off and fly. Our engine is a jet engine with potential to go anywhere and everywhere for the Lord.

A Move of God?

The author accepts that the Church has been so organised for centuries that it is difficult for Christians to think of it in any other way. But ‘organising’ Christians is not its real task. All through the book the author argues that the unstructured church approach is well within biblical guidelines, and not just an alternative for dissatisfied Christians.

He believes this may be a stepping stone for the future, a move of God to re-form the Body of Christ for what he has planned next. He wonders if what is happening here is a “logical follow-on from the Charismatic Renewal which, for a season at any rate, seemed to demonstrate that if you ‘keep in step with the Spirit’, rather than follow various human patterns, great things come about” (p87).

This book is small but mighty. If nothing else you will be intrigued by its message and arguments. It is not expensive, and won’t take you long to get its main points whether you agree with them or not. The result should be that you will become less critical of those who have ‘left the structures’ and less likely to dismiss what may be part of a vital move of God.

Custom and Command (88 pages) is available from lulu.com for £2.77. It can be downloaded for free as an e-book from Stan Firth’s website.

Ian Farley reviews ‘Leaven: The Hidden Power of Culture in the Church’ by David Brown (2016, RoperPenberthy).

Retired naval captain David Brown has written an alternative book to the many in the market which tell the Church, both members and ministers, what new things they ought to be doing to see their congregations grow. Of these kinds of books there is no end.

This book, however, approaches affairs from the other direction, taking the New Testament injunction to ‘throw out the old leaven’ seriously. Indeed, not to do so will leave whatever else you might do subject to corruption from the bad stuff still within.

Church in Distress

This is not a book which goes on to talk about our individual failings, as might be expected: ‘If only I were a better Christian then the Church would be a better Church’. Brown moves in bigger (and one might say, murkier) waters, outlining what he calls the “institutional distress” of the Church. He argues that the Church has allowed the culture of the world to infiltrate herself.

Particularly, he identifies four major cultural intruders: controlling power, the enchantment of historic custom, individualism and dogmatism. He outlines these in some detail in the first part of the book and argues that they all destroy relationships and are all variants of lovelessness.

The Church has allowed the culture of the world to infiltrate herself.

By contrast, of course, Jesus built the Kingdom with a focus on relationships and was personally sustained by his close intimacy with his Father, which led in his own life to an attentive, habitual discipleship.

Anglican Perspective

Brown then goes on to suggest what should be thrown out. Here readers need to be aware that, although in the advertising blurb it says this book is for all churches, Brown is an Anglican (and 12 years a lay assistant to a Bishop) and this immediately flavours his response.

Reader responses to this part of the book will, likewise, be shaped by their own denominational preference (for example, some nonconformists will no doubt rejoice over his castigation of the current role of bishops).

Most of Brown’s suggestions, however, are rightly transferable across denominations and, if heeded, would revolutionise the Church. In the example above, for instance, even churches which don't have bishops should pay careful attention to what Brown argues as he identifies what proper, biblical ministry roles and pastoral care should look like, regardless of church structure.

Most of Brown’s suggestions are transferable across denominations and, if heeded, would revolutionise the Church.

Removing the Vestiges of Pomp

The author makes deft judgments which should cause the reader to shout "hurrah, hurrah", especially in his analysis that old temple symbolism must be replaced by the teaching of the New Testament. This would necessitate the removal of all vestiges of pomp in any church and the notion of clerical Eucharistic presidency.

There are endless other suggestions that make this book a fascinating read for any Christian concerned about the cultural health of the Church. The depressing thing is that those who are in power will probably not be readers. This is depressing because, as Brown himself argues, "there is little point in adjusting my car's clutch whilst ignoring its corroded chassis. The time for ecclesiastical spanner work has passed." (p27).

Leaven (254pp) is available from the publisher for £12.99.

How has the separation of the Church from its Jewish roots affected our faith communities?

In this series we have focussed purposely on personal relationship with God, from which we now move carefully towards the role of community. It is all too easy to place community as a priority over personal relationship with God. This is the way many church fellowships have consolidated, where the weekly Sunday service forms a large percentage of what Christian life is considered to be. It is all too easy to adopt this same mindset and consider that the restoration of our Hebraic heritage must primarily influence the Sunday (or Saturday) service.

This may be the reason why some groups have sought to copy the synagogue, sort of acting out a Gentile version of Jewishness. Personally, I have been surprised and sometimes shocked at what I have seen in some congregations, emphasising Jewish symbolism and clothing – the externalisation of traditional symbols rather than the internalisation of spiritual truth.

More than that, there have been those who have converted to Judaism, which usually requires a verbal rejection that Yeshua (Jesus) is Messiah. I am not against the use of some symbolism from Jewish tradition, of course and, in balance, there is much good in valuing these traditions and building bridges, but not as an end in itself.

Community of Faith

Nevertheless, God is building a community of faith rather than a group of individual believers. A key issue in the restoration of the Hebraic character of community is recognition that the Olive Tree of Romans 11 is a picture of one community of Jews and Gentiles living by faith that Yeshua is Messiah, saved through his shed blood on the Cross.

The Olive Tree of Romans 11 is a picture of one community of Jews and Gentiles living by faith that Yeshua is Messiah.

This re-connection with Messianic Jews re-defines the Christian Church as it was intended to be from the time of the first Apostles of Yeshua. Note, however, that it is faith in Yeshua the Messiah that is our shared heritage, not traditional Judaism which denies Yeshua as Messiah despite our common route to Father Abraham.

The Emergence of the Covenant Community

The writer to the Hebrews made it clear that meeting together is something that believers must strive to do (Heb 10:25). We all, as individuals, look back to “our father Abraham” for the model of individual faith and a personal walk with God, but we are not intended to live this out just as individuals.

Human history can be divided into four recognisable stages in the formation of God’s intended covenant community. First, there was Abraham and his family.

Secondly, Abraham’s physical descendants identified as a nation, learning to walk together with God as they journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land. Israel was shown Torah in an explicitly communal way, because they now formed an interactive community. As well as the laws that were given to govern all aspects of community life and daily interaction, the Sabbath and Feasts were introduced to draw the community - individually, in families and as a nation - into fellowship with God.

This period of Israel’s history must be studied to find the foundations from which Christianity has since emerged. There is also much value in studying the Jewish community up to the present day (with the cautions I have indicated in earlier articles).

The writer to the Hebrews made it clear that meeting together is something that believers must strive to do.

The third stage of the emergence of the covenant community has been since the time of Yeshua. Yeshua took the “curse of Torah” (Gal 3:13) – the punishment for sin – from those who believe in him so that we could all, both Jew and Gentile, submit to the leading of God through his Holy Spirit to have Torah written on our hearts (Jer 31:33; Rom 8).

We were intended to learn together how to be a worldwide community of faith with the new authority to interpret Torah given to Bible teachers, pastors and elders in local communities throughout the world.

The fourth stage will be the Millennial community following Yeshua’s return. We must wait patiently for this and wonder at just how it will all come together.

Separation from the Roots of the Faith

Satan threw a spanner into the works when he persuaded Christian leaders, from approximately the third century on, that God had finished with the Jews. The result was cultivation of alternative Christian traditions, including modifications of the Sabbath and the Feasts (see for example Tishrei Journal Archive Number 17: From Sabbath to Sunday, Passover to Easter and Dedication to Christmas (Some Historical Background)).

A multitude of Church characteristics and traditions have emerged among the various denominations since the days when leaders of the Church in the Gentile world separated from their historic connection to Israel. Anti-Semitism was a terrible consequence that led to a mistaken pride that the Church had replaced Israel.

In so doing many denominations emerged, some trying to replace the religious order of ancient Israel with their own definition of the priesthood and the Feasts. Eloquent liturgies have emerged, but often robbing church members of their personal walk with God.

Satan threw a spanner into the works when he persuaded Christian leaders that God had finished with the Jews.

Some branches of the Christian Church nevertheless retained much of the true heritage passed on, including baptism and regular remembrance of the Lord through the bread and wine of communion. The Lord has blessed his Church over these years despite much that needs restoration and re-thinking.

Greco-Roman Influence

When the Christian Church distanced itself from the Jews, Greco-Roman influence crept in to fill the vacuum. It is instructive to consider the diocese, for instance, which is Roman in origin and inclines towards a centralised system of administration with local representation. Some hierarchical structures of Anglo-Catholic church leadership, including the priesthood, owe much to Greco-Roman traditions of clergy and laity and centralised control.

Also, the idea of a Greek Theatre has imposed itself more than we realise on a large number of congregational meetings (see, for example, Tishrei Journal Archive Number 42, From the Theatre to the Home). This is a major area for consideration to understand the consequences of the Christian Church departing from its original roots.

Time to Restore the Roots

Now is the time to gradually put things right. We cannot over-ride the authority given by God to local communities of Christians, so at best we can suggest taking counsel together. Since this is the prophetic moment for Christians to re-discover their ancient inheritance and re-root more firmly into the flow of covenant history, neglect of this could lead to greater deviation, even succumbing to deception, in the coming days.

This is the prophetic moment for Christians to re-discover their ancient inheritance and re-root more firmly into the flow of covenant history.

There is already a flood of strange spiritual experience here and there in the Christian Church that seems to come more from New Age spirituality than from the Holy Spirit. Something will always come in to fill a vacuum. It is noticeable how many Christians are thirsting for change, recognising the dryness of much traditional Church experience.

Next week this series will continue by offering some suggestions as to the beginning of an agenda – ideas for how to move forward in collectively re-discovering our Hebraic roots.

Next time: Re-thinking Community

What is the word of the Lord to Britain?

What is the word of the Lord to Britain today as we grieve for the families of those who lost their lives in this latest act of terrorism that has shocked the nation?

The enemies of peace have struck a blow at the very heart of our civilisation and democracy with the indiscriminate murder of innocent civilians going about their ordinary daily lives in the tourist centre of London. It is a crime of unspeakable savagery that is hard to imagine how any human being can carry it out – to deliberately drive a car at pedestrians and to attack an unarmed policeman with a knife.

First: we can be sure that God is grieving with those who have lost loved ones and is reaching out to them in his compassion and comfort. This is where the Christian scriptures penetrate the darkness and wickedness of humanity by reminding us that “God is love; and whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16).

The Apostle John also reminds us that “If anyone says, ‘I love God’, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:19-21). Although this was addressed to Christians, its teaching also means that we should reach out in love to our Muslim neighbours who are no doubt fearful of retribution falling upon them because a fellow Muslim has carried out this atrocity in the name of Allah, their god. We have to remember that not all Muslims follow the creed that has been embraced by Islamic State.

Speaking the Truth about Islamic Terror

Nevertheless, a great danger facing us is that we do not know how many radicalised Islamists there are in Britain (or any other Western nation) today, which creates fear and uncertainty. This is not helped by the problem that most Muslims have not integrated into Western society but remain a separate enclave. We do not know what they teach in mosques as much of their teaching is in Arabic. This inevitably creates suspicion.

Christian scriptures penetrate the darkness and wickedness of humanity by reminding us of God’s love.

Ik Aldama/DPA/PA ImagesThe terrorist who drove the car and killed people in Westminster was doing exactly what Islamic State has called for in a statement that has many references to the Qur’an, where Muhammad calls upon Muslims to kill Christians and Jews. A small part of the statement is quoted below:

If you are not able to find an IED¹ or a bullet, then single out the disbelieving American, Frenchman, or any of their allies. Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him.²

If this statement shocks us, it is because our Western leaders and the media have been brainwashing us for years with lies about Islam being a religion of peace. These lies are now coming back to haunt our leaders – both politicians and church leaders.

It is dangerous to say that terrorism has nothing to do with Islam – it has everything to do with Islam, because it is the policy that Muhammad established for the forcible propagation of the Islamic faith. But there is a conspiracy of silence in the Western media and among our political leaders to suppress the truth. The only journalist I know in Britain who tells the truth is Melanie Phillips, who published an excellent article on this subject yesterday.³

This is a Spiritual Battle

There will be no peace in the Western nations where Muslims have settled in great numbers during the past 40 years until we recognise the spiritual nature of the battle that is raging across our part of the world today. Part of this battle for truth is between the teaching and practice of Jesus and the teaching and practice of Muhammad.

Surely even secular humanists can see that it is better for humanity to follow the teaching of the man who said “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy’. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:43).

By contrast, Muhammad’s teaching was, “And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists [Christians and Jews] wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush." (Al-Tawbah 9:5).

Part of the battle for truth is between the teaching and practice of Jesus and that of Muhammad.

Alerting Us to Danger

If we return to our original question at the beginning of this article, we need to ask: Why did the Lord allow this act of terrorism to happen in Westminster? Could it be that God is using Islam to shake the nation, alerting us to the major spiritual battle that is taking place for the soul of Britain?

This battle is typified by the woolly-minded politically correct platitudes that have come from our politicians since the attack on Parliament, such as the statement by Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who said:

The British people will be united in working together to defeat those who would harm our shared values. Values of democracy, tolerance and the rule of law. Values symbolised by the Houses of Parliament. Values that will never be destroyed.⁴

It is platitudes like this that have got us into the problems we face today! We can no longer go on sweeping the real issues under a secular humanist carpet. The issues we face are far too serious! It is a battle between truth and lies, between the forces of light and the forces of darkness of which Islam is a part. The liberal intelligentsia, who have been creating a climate of deception for decades, do not realise how they will suffer if Islam gains power in this land.

The Church is Responsible

Meanwhile, there has been no large-scale, co-ordinated strategy among mainline church leaders for communicating the truth of the Gospel to Muslims. It is the churches in Britain that are particularly responsible for the spiritual state of the nation!

The liberal intelligentsia do not realise how they will suffer if Islam gains power in this land.

But largely we have left Muslims to set up their own mosques, to bring in imams who do not speak a word of English and to establish separatist communities – a kind of voluntary apartheid – in Britain.

The city of Leicester is the only place I know where the churches have come together to form a united outreach to the Muslim community, though this is on a relatively small scale.

Overcoming Deception

There has been no national policy, from politicians or from the Church, of engaging with Muslim leaders to call for a critical examination of the Qur’an and the teaching and practice of Muhammad and its relevance for today, as Clifford Denton calls for in his article this week. Until this is done, the teaching of Islamic State, who claim to be followers of Muhammad, doing exactly as he did, will continue to be a thorn in the flesh of Western society.

We are suffering from a large dose of what Jesus described as spiritual deception:

Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand… For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. (Matt 13:13-15)

But how can the politicians in Westminster understand if they never hear the truth from church leaders – or even from the bishops in the Upper House of Parliament?

Surely God holds his Church responsible for the state of the nation today?

The sword of judgment fell very quickly upon David Cameron’s career when he crossed a red line, but even this message of warning was not heeded by Parliament. Is not this one of the reasons why God has now shaken the whole of Westminster?

References

1 Improvised Explosive Device.

2 Griffin, A. Isis told supporters to run French over with cars before Nice truck attack. The Independent, 15 July 2016.

3 In the midst of grief, still confusion. Melanie Phillips, 23 March 2017.

4 Home secretary: Terror will never destroy our values. ITV News update, 22 March 2017.

As same-sex issue divides, who will speak up for the truth?

The Church of England has once again failed to give a moral lead to the nation.

Their Synod (parliament) has voted against the Bishops’ recommendation that, in the face of huge pressure to allow same-sex ‘equality’, they should continue to take the traditional view of marriage.

Those within the Church desperately trying to honour the clear biblical teaching – that a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife (Gen 2:24) – have reached a discouraging impasse.

Heresy Within, Confusion Without

Is it not time to say: ‘enough is enough’? Undermining the authority of the Bible only leads to heresy within and confusion without. Sure, the watching world sees a Church divided, and some would say that is a bad witness. But there are surely issues over which it is impossible to compromise.

Endless debates create much heat, but bear little fruit. What, after all, is there left to debate? If the choice is whether or not to follow Scripture, then the advice from the Apostle Paul is: “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you” (2 Cor 6:17). Those pushing for same-sex marriage are surely touching something ‘unclean’.

At the end of the day, we will all stand before God to give account of the decisions we have made or haven’t made (Rom 14:12).

Undermining the authority of the Bible only leads to heresy within and confusion without.

Danger of Deception

The letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor recorded in the Book of Revelation give as much emphasis on teaching as on behaviour – the key doctrines of Christian belief are hugely important.

The Apostle John, in his first letter, reminds his hearers that those who were spreading false teaching had come from within the churches. “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us,” he wrote (1 John 2:19).

Heresy was a great danger in the early Church, just as Jesus predicted it would be in these latter days. When his disciples asked him about signs of the end of the age, the first thing he said was: “Watch out that no-one deceives you” (Matt 24:4).

Yes, Jesus prayed passionately for unity among his followers. It was never meant to be unity at any cost, however, but the sort of oneness about which Paul spoke in his letter to the Ephesians when he explained that the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers were there “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature…” (Eph 4:12f).

The context is clearly about developing maturity within the body of Christ as disciples learn to walk in harmony with the Word of God.

But because the modern Church has failed to give a moral lead on the issue of homosexuality, the entire Western world is now in the grip of ‘redefining marriage’, if that is really possible.

Jesus prayed passionately for unity among his followers, but it was never meant to be unity at any cost.

Seek The Truth

We have seen the same thing happen over Israel. Undermining the authority of the Bible has led to the heresy of ‘Replacement Theology’, teaching that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s affections. As a result, there is very little understanding of Israel in the UK Church today, and yet God’s end-time purpose is for Jew and Gentile to work together for the Gospel! How far we have fallen behind God’s programme!

Tragically, the Church has succumbed wholesale to worldliness, ignoring the Bible’s directive: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2).

Isn’t it time we re-committed ourselves to seeking the truth, perfectly demonstrated in Jesus Christ – “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6)?

The Synod’s vote this week shows how compromised the established Church is on the issue of gay marriage.

It must seem utterly amazing to people outside the church that Christians could spend such a long time discussing the issue of same-sex relationships.

To young people in particular, it appears to be a non-issue – not even worth discussing. For most of them sex is sex – it’s just a fact of life and it’s entirely optional whether you have it with the opposite sex or the same sex.

So why has the Church of England Synod spent so much time this week discussing a ‘non-issue’?

Most young people, other than those educated in faith schools or home-educated, have been subjected, over the past two or three decades, to a process of social engineering that has radically changed the structure of society. The change has seen a fundamental shift from the centrality of the family as the building block of society to a form of individualism that diminishes the family to a kind of ‘optional extra’ that can take any shape or form.

In the brave new world of reconstructed families, marriage has no special significance and is just one of those relationships that can be entered or dissolved at the desire of the individuals involved, regardless of the effects this might have upon the lives of others.

In the brave new world of reconstructed families, marriage has no special significance.

The Truth of Scripture

It is against this background that the Church of England, as the established church, has been struggling for several decades. At root, it is a theological issue that is determined by one’s attitude to Scripture. If you accept the Bible as the unchangeable word of God, you believe that marriage is part of God’s act of creation and that it is only between a man and a woman who pledge themselves to each other in a lifelong covenant of love and faithfulness.

You accept that marriage is at the heart of family life for the pro-creation and upbringing of children and that this form of society is ordained by God for the health and well-being of humanity. It is not just the ideal – it is the only form of sexual relationship between the genders that is acceptable in the sight of God.

This is where the problem arises with LGBT people who defend this lifestyle but who also desire to be part of the Church. They often emphasise that love is part of the very nature of God and therefore assume that God will bless any form of love relationship between human beings whom he has created in his own image.

This is why homosexual people have been so persistent in pressurising Church leaders of all denominations to recognise same-sex marriage, which is now legally recognised by the state. Those living an LGBT lifestyle want to be assured of God’s blessing upon their relationships.

Not Denying Difficulty

Of course, these decisions are extremely difficult because they involve people’s hearts, identities and lives. No Christian hates or wishes to hurt their friends or family who choose to pursue an LGBT lifestyle. However, we must all also consider the wider implications of their decisions upon the health and well-being of the whole of society.

I saw at first hand the cost to Dr Rowan Williams, then Archbishop of Canterbury, when he made the decision not to appoint Jeffrey John (who was openly gay) as Bishop of Reading. On the day before his meeting with Jeffrey John and Richard Harries, the Bishop of Oxford, I spent three hours with him in prayer and seeking the Lord.

It was an agonising decision for Rowan, not simply in terms of affirming biblical truth but because he had been friends with Jeffrey since college days and yet he knew that such an appointment could split the Church and have implications for the worldwide Anglican Communion. The wider repercussions of Church decisions are far-reaching and long-lasting even in this secular age when so much of our Judaeo-Christian heritage has been eroded.

Marriage is not just the ideal – it is the only form of sexual relationship between the genders that is acceptable in the sight of God.

It is a plain sociological fact, demonstrated by hundreds of research findings, that faithful loving marriage produces the healthiest form of society. It is also true that family breakdown has disastrous consequences - not only for individuals, both children and adults - but also for the physical and mental health and even the economic prosperity of wider society.

Members of the House of Clergy, meeting earlier this week. See Photo Credits.This Week’s Synod Vote

The situation faced by the Synod of the Church of England is complicated by three major factors:

• Biblical truth
  
• The pastoral care needed for individuals, and
  
• The demands of the LGBT lobby
  

All three are represented within both the hierarchy and the Synod of the Church of England. There is no easy path for the Synod, which is reflected in what happened this week when all  three groups had members who voted against the report presented by the House of Bishops. Despite upholding marriage as only being between a man and a woman, the report was also presented as "a stepping stone toward greater inclusiveness".¹

Evangelicals voted against it because it indicated a departure from Scripture. The LGBT members voted against it because it did not give them the full equality that they wanted; and other clergy voted against it because they have concerns for the people in their pastoral care.

The Church of England always wants to be a ’broad’ church that includes everyone – but the Bishops’ Report satisfied no-one. It was presented with lots of apologies which showed that the Bishops knew that it would not please anyone: it was just a fudge. But that is the very nature of a church that tries to be all things to all people!

The Church of England wants to be a ’broad’ church that includes everyone – but the Bishops’ Report satisfied no-one.

Reflecting Society?

The Rev Bertrand Olivier, who is a gay man, told the BBC that the Church needed to “reflect modern society”.² But that is the very thing that the Church must not do! Its mission is to declare the unchangeable word of the Living God and apply it to the changing times in which we live; however unpopular that may be. The Church must be different from secular society.

Archbishop Justin Welby called for “a radical new Christian inclusion”³ for homosexual Christians, which sounds very much as though he is advocating a Church that reflects modern society just as Bertrand Oliver wants.

But the Church is answerable to God for its teaching, not to human beings. The Church of England will continue to be divided so long as it tries to please everyone. Surely the only thing that should matter is the presentation of the unvarnished truth in a world where truth has disappeared, or has become ‘alternative facts’ or ‘fake news’.

The Prophet Isaiah provides a pinpoint description of our nation today. He says:

Justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honestly cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. (Isa 59:14-15)

Surely, what is most needed in the nation today is for a Church that does not follow popular trends in society, but sets an example to the nation by lovingly and fearlessly declaring the truth of the word of the Lord!

References

1 Church of England votes against gay marriage report. BBC News, 15 February 2017.

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid.

There was a serious flaw in Luther’s understanding of the Bible.

From reports of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with his British counterpart Theresa May, it seems that the UK government doesn’t really believe Iran is a threat to world peace or, for that matter, that God’s chosen people are worth supporting to the hilt.

In defying a call for fresh sanctions against Iran, Mrs May indicated her continued commitment to the nuclear deal which Mr Netanyahu believes to be highly dangerous, saying: “Iran seeks to annihilate Israel, it seeks to conquer the Middle East, it threatens Europe, it threatens the West, it threatens the world.”¹

I am reminded of the indelible link between Bible-believing Christians and comfort for Israel (Isaiah 40) – and where this is lacking, it is through ignorance.

The Goods and Evils of the Reformation

In a year that we are celebrating the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation, sparked off by Martin Luther, we should be thankful that it opened the way to an understanding of the Bible that had a hugely civilising effect on the West, the heart of his rediscovery being that salvation in Christ comes through faith alone, not by good deeds.

Sadly, however, there was a major flaw in Luther’s understanding in that he failed to grasp that God had not forsaken the Jews despite their overall rejection of Christ. And it is widely reckoned that his anti-Semitic statements sowed the seeds of the Holocaust. Indeed, Anglican clergyman Simon Ponsonby has said that Nazism was a legacy of Luther, who had called for the urgent expulsion of Jewish people from Germany in his last sermon.²

The Reformation had a hugely civilising effect on the West - but sadly Luther may also have sowed the seeds of the Holocaust with his anti-Semitic statements.

A Different Luther

But a 20^th Century hero named after him, Martin Luther King Jr, had a very different view which certainly does not chime with current political correctness.

When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You’re talking anti-Semitism!

Those with a different agenda try to re-write history by claiming, for example, that this quote is a hoax. But it comes through unscathed on closer examination.³

“Peace for Israel means security,” said King, “and we must stand with all of our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can almost be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality.”⁴

Returning to a Biblical Agenda

Judging by the strong Christian content of his inaugural speech along with the make-up of his cabinet including several Bible-believing Christians as well as Jews, I am most encouraged by the new US President Donald Trump.

On important matters of politics, as in society as a whole, the Bible trumps all other agendas. And we are much nearer to being on the right track in world affairs when its ethos and principles begin to dictate policy once more – as it did 100 years ago when the (mostly) evangelical Christian members of David Lloyd George’s War Cabinet understood the importance of a re-born Israel. That led to the Balfour Declaration, promising that the British Government would do all in its power to facilitate the re-creation of a Jewish state in the Holy Land.

That it happened was clearly part of God’s plan, and the Bible’s agenda, but now the world condemns Israel for stealing land from the Palestinians. Yet, in addressing Israel’s restoration, a recurring theme of the Bible, the prophet Amos writes: “I will bring my people Israel back from exile… and will plant them in their own land, never again to be uprooted…” (Amos 9.14f).

I’m told that, earlier this week, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson took the trouble to show Mr Netanyahu the very desk at which Balfour wrote and signed the declaration.

That both Balfour and Trump have come under ferocious fire is because they have challenged the fashionable so-called ‘anti-fascists’ of the anti-God brigade.

On important matters of politics, as in society as a whole, the Bible trumps all other agendas.

Challenging Anti-Semitism

Canon Andrew White, the 'Bishop of Baghdad'.

Canon Andrew White – the clerical equivalent of Trump when it comes to plain-speaking – put it perfectly when he said that “the world is anti-Semitic because it is anti-God. This land (Israel) is God’s land…”.⁵

Also known as the Vicar of Baghdad, the Anglican clergyman has stood up to brutal terrorists while negotiating the release of hostages and has become the voice of reconciliation amidst the hatred and bitterness of Middle East conflict.

In an interview with this month’s issue of the Israel Today magazine, he added: “The conflict exists because Israel’s opponents are fundamentally anti-Jewish. One cannot merely say that they are only opposed to Israel; after all, Israel represents the essence of Judaism. No Judaism, no Israel. No Judaism, no God!”

Speaking of his experience in Baghdad, where he built up a church of over 6,000, he said: “At first the Iraqi Christians were against Israel, as were the Muslims. I was shocked by this and decided to enlighten them…about the Jewish roots of their faith.”

And it was as a result of this that they developed a love for Israel.

Canon Andrew White has spoken our recently about the need to love Israel.

A New Reformation

Hatred of Israel is due in large part to biblical illiteracy. So it is surely time for a new reformation which sees the word of God restored to its rightful place as the sure foundation for all who claim to be followers of Jesus.

It is revealing that among Christian denominations that have taken issue with Israel are the Presbyterians and Methodists, who are in serious decline both spiritually and numerically.

Israel also needs to restore their relationship with God, as they did in Jehoshaphat’s day. But Christians are called to help with this process by praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psa 122:6) and by sharing the gospel with them both in word and deed (Rom 1:16).

Notes

1 Cowburn, A. Theresa May urged by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to back fresh Iran sanctions. The Independent, 7 February 2017.

2 Peace in Jerusalem (p157), quoting Simon Ponsonby addressing the CMJ (Church’s Ministry among Jewish people) Conference at Swanwick, England, in 2013.

3 See Kramer, M, quoted in Yes, MLK really did say the quote that anti-Zionism is anti-semitism... 21 January 2013, Elder of Ziyon.

4 Schachtel, J. The forgotten MLK: An ally of the Jews and Israel. Conservative Review, 16 January 2017.

5 Schneider, A. INTERVIEW: Canon Andrew White on Christians in the Middle East. Israel Today, 3 January 2017.

Tolerance leads to compromise.

"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 2I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets, 'I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.'

To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— that one 'will rule them with an iron sceptre and will dash them to pieces like pottery'—just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give that one the morning star. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

The letter to the church in Thyatira is one of the less well-known letters of Revelation 2-3, being hidden in the middle of the list. However, it is also the longest letter and carries a message of such vital importance to our culture and generation that it would be careless of us not to give it the attention it deserves.

Thyatira Then and Now

Thyatira (modern-day Akhisar, Turkey) was a small commercial city about 50km inland from the coast of Asia Minor – a crossroads town situated at the junction of two major trade routes. As the messenger carried the letters of Revelation northwards from Ephesus, through Smyrna and Pergamum, he would then have arced back down to Thyatira on the next leg of his journey.

As with many settlements in Asia Minor, Thyatira has a long history stemming back thousands of years to Hittite rule. It has changed hands many times since then, coming under the authority of the Persians, Greeks, Romans and many others. A Christian community existed there from the very early days of the apostolic era and flourished for many hundreds of years, until the Ottoman Empire took over in the 14^th Century.

Thyatira was infamous in ancient times for its dyeing facilities and its role in the purple cloth trade (the Gentile convert Lydia, who welcomed Paul, Silas and Timothy into her home in Philippi, was originally from Thyatira and known for her successful trading in 'purple', Acts 16). However, it was also a commercial hub for many other industries including wool and linen textiles, leather work, pottery, bronze-work, agriculture and the slave trade.

In the World, But Not of the World

Culturally, Thyatira was a Gentile, pagan city with a 'work hard, play hard' ethos. It was known for its mercantile prosperity and its trade guilds, which would host lavish festivities for members with drink, sex and idolatry in abundance.

For Christians in Thyatira, though not facing the threat of dreadful persecution, there was constant temptation back into the ways of the world – indulging in unGodly revelry and being tempted into compromise by the comforts and social requirements of the good life. Indeed, refusing to give reverence to pagan gods or Caesar worship as part of guild celebrations could have led to expulsion from one's trade guild (and therefore unemployment), so it would have taken a lot of courage for believers to stand against this kind of activity.

Thyatira was a Gentile, pagan city with a 'work hard, play hard' ethos.

Ruins of a Byzantine church in Thyatira. See Photo Credits.The faithful in Thyatira had to learn to be 'in the world but not of the world' - how to take their stand against the flow of peer pressure and not let worldly values infiltrate the Church. This is exactly the theme the Lord Jesus chose for his letter.

From Tolerance to Compromise

In fairness to the Thyatiran church, they were doing a lot of things right - as the letter openly acknowledges. Jesus Messiah begins by congratulating the group for their good deeds, their love, faith, service and perseverance – and for the obvious growth in their dedication.

However, he loved this band of believers too much simply to pat them on the back for their good deeds and ignore the issues that needed addressing. He knew that though they were doing all the right things on the outside, there was compromise in their hearts.
At the time, the issue in hand was the influence of a certain 'Jezebel' who was leading God's people into sin, telling them it was fine to go along with the rest of the pagan city, experimenting sexually and partaking in idolatrous festivals. This seduction into sin may also have involved some element of occult, with believers being deceived and tempted by the promise of being given knowledge of "Satan's deep secrets".¹

This was the immediate, surface issue for the Thyatiran Church – and God's message was a tough one. She who had refused to repent (the letter implies she had already been given ample opportunity), along with her children (this may refer to her followers, cf. her biological children), would be subjected to suffering and even death as a consequence of their sin. God had had enough of their wilful disobedience; He was going to bring judgment upon them.

The Thyatiran church were doing a lot of things right - but the Lord Jesus loved them too much to ignore the issues that needed addressing.

But the underlying issue here was neither sexual immorality nor the eating of food sacrificed to idols, as much as both needed addressing. The fundamental issue was that the community of faith in Thyatira were being led down a road of compromise because of their attitude of tolerance towards those who were sinning and leading others to sin.

The word used for 'tolerate' in verse 20 means to permit, to allow, to not hinder. In other words, it is not restricted to those who joined in with the Jezebel rebellion, but also includes all those who stood by and watched it happen - too afraid to say anything.

Mixture is Not an Option

This is where the letter shouts so very loudly to our church culture today: tolerance of worldly values, pagan idolatry and false doctrine within the Church, even if we ourselves do not participate, is not an option for Christians. We cannot serve two masters – if we try, we will end up denying the Lord Jesus.

According to Clifford and Monica Hill in their book Ephesus to Laodicea, Christians in Thyatira "had learned the practice of tolerance in order to survive in a multicultural and polytheistic society, but in so doing they had compromised their faith".² Arguably, exactly the same thing has happened – and is happening right now – with Christians in Britain.

Relative wealth and freedom in Britain have left Christians exposed to the seductive pull of materialism, individualism and living for pleasure. The encroachment of suffocating, secular humanist 'tolerance' has made it virtually impossible to talk about universal rights and wrongs without being labelled judgmental or a bigot – so it is easier to stay quiet, to live out the faith in private.

To top it all off, many congregations in this country (like the Thyatirans) are doing well in their good deeds, their love, faith and perseverance; but this often makes it easier to justify doctrinal complacency or sinful behaviour. Believers are too tired, too busy, already doing their bit.

The fundamental issue for the Thyatirans was that they were being led down a road of compromise because of their attitude of tolerance towards those who were sinning and leading others to sin.

And so, comfort has led to complacency – to the point where the Lordship of Jesus is downplayed (even denied), his righteous ways are made light of, and his call to holiness is ignored, in case we offend others. Only last week, verses from the Qu'ran were read out in St Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow as part of a Christian Epiphany service!³ We are already on a very slippery slope.

If believers do not live in ways that challenge and change the culture around us, that culture will end up changing us. Note that the two major aspects of the compromise in Thyatira – sexual license and compromise with other religions – are also the two that most deeply divide the Church in Britain today.⁴

Living Victoriously in Babylon

Learning to live distinctive Christian lives in the midst of a secular/pagan culture is difficult. What is it alright to 'tolerate' in order to build bridges with our neighbours for the sake of the Gospel? How do we grow a Church culture that is not soft on sin, whilst avoiding both legalism (on the one side) and liberal compromise (on the other)?

There are many questions here and no easy answers – this is a path that can only be walked with the help of the Holy Spirit. But it is important to note that the process starts not in word or deed, but in the heart.

It is in the heart that the choice is made whether or not to stand against deception or falsity within the Lord's Body. It is in the heart that tiny decisions are taken to stay silent when brothers and sisters go astray, in case they are offended by our speaking out. It is in the heart that compromise in our own behaviour is pursued, in exchange for the good life or for acceptance by others.

In sum, it is in the heart that tolerance blurs into compromise – before any words have been uttered or actions [not] taken. No human sees these small, imperceptible choices – but God does.

Sifting the Church

The time is coming when the Lord will sift and test us all, as he undoubtedly did the Thyatirans. Those who do not turn will end up suffering – not because God is a sadist, but because he knows we have hard hearts that often need to be broken before they can be changed.

It is in the heart that tolerance blurs into compromise.

Ideally, this judgment will produce a fruit of repentance and a return to obedience and righteousness. This may or may not happen – but what is certain is that it will become increasingly difficult in this nation to exist as a Christian with one foot in the world and the other in the Kingdom. It is either/or, not both/and! What will it take for us to choose the Lord?

Those who do, who hold on faithfully to that which they have been given whatever the cost - the overcomers - will participate with the Lord Jesus in His ultimate rule and reign at the end of time.

They will be given the bright morning star – Messiah Jesus Himself – whose eyes are a blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. He is the King of Kings who will reign for all eternity, when all other kingdoms with their seductions of wealth and prosperity have been blown away like chaff on the wind. It is this perspective that we need – a healthy fear of the Lord's glorious supremacy and power – to keep us from sinning.

References

1 Cf. Luke 8:17; Ephesians 5:11-14. See also commentary here.

2 2005, Handsel Press, p75.

3 See news coverage from Christian Concern.

4 Interestingly, the diocese that oversees all Greek Orthodox adherents in Great Britain (established in 1922 when Greek Christians were driven out of Asia Minor into diaspora by Turkish nationalists) is called the Archdiocese of Thyateira [Thyatira] and Great Britain! Culturally, we have a lot in common.

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