Tributes to Billy Graham, from Charles Gardner and Dr Clifford Hill.

On Wednesday 21 February 2018, in his 100^th year, the most tireless, faithful evangelist of our time went home. Used of God to reach millions, from ordinary citizens to presidents and royalty, Billy Graham was renowned for both preaching and living out the true Gospel.

The many thousands of tributes pouring through the media offer but small glimpses of the immense legacy of this one man’s service. Nevertheless, we are honoured to contribute ours below.

May we all have the grace to accept the challenge of his example.

A Humble Servant

Charles Gardner

He carried an awesome presence I have never witnessed in another human being.

Tributes are pouring in from all over the world in honour of one of the greatest evangelists of modern times, and I am privileged to add my own.

Billy Graham has died at his North Carolina home in his centenary year after a life of tireless service to Christ carried out with God’s clear anointing.

It is estimated that he has preached the Gospel to over 200 million people, and his global influence is incalculable. A confidante to many US presidents, he was also a man of true humility.

I remember the occasion, at All Souls, Langham Place, in the 1970s, when he quietly slipped in among the central London congregation, sitting a few rows behind me. No-one would have known he was there until the Vicar, Michael Baughen, (or was it John Stott, the Rector?) publicly welcomed him to the service.

On another occasion, he was actually down to speak and it was flagged up as a ‘guest service’ to which we were encouraged to bring seekers. I brought my mum along and he spoke with powerful eloquence on Psalm 23, but I remember how gutted I felt at my mother’s reaction – she was totally unmoved. I had to learn that no matter how good the preacher is, Jesus said: “No-one can come to me unless the Father draws him” (John 6:44).

My son Julian, however, was among the first to respond to his message when Billy came to Sheffield in 1985. He was just nine years old and went marching out onto the Bramall Lane pitch all on his own, indicating that he didn’t need anyone to accompany him. The preacher had chosen what I considered a somewhat obscure Bible passage for his sermon, but thousands of hearts were touched.

It is estimated that he has preached the Gospel to over 200 million people, and his global influence is incalculable.

A year earlier, when he spoke at Birmingham’s Aston Villa stadium, I attended the press conference. I don’t recall what was asked or said, but I will always remember how the atmosphere changed when he walked into the room. He carried an awesome presence about him that I have never witnessed in any other human being.

Perhaps the most significant mark he made on my life was through a Jewish lady called Helen McIntosh, who found her Messiah through Billy’s famous meetings in Haringey, north London, in 1954.

Helen became leader of John Stott’s ‘nursery class’ for new Christians and seekers, a forerunner to the likes of Alpha and Christianity Explored. She always referred to herself as a ‘completed Jew’ and, through the scriptures, taught me a great deal about my new-found faith. She eventually took me under her wing as assistant, and those early years from 1972-4 were foundational to my Christian life.

Thank you Billy for changing lives all over the world through the simple Gospel message that Jesus died for our sins and rose again for our justification! Glory to God!

Billy Graham speaking in Florida, February 1961.

A Man of Integrity

Dr Clifford Hill

My outstanding memory of Billy Graham is how he loved to talk about Jesus. His favourite text was John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” He must have preached on this text many hundreds of times, all over the world and in many different nations. It was the same message of God’s love for all people and that the only way to God was through Jesus.

Billy Graham was indeed an evangelist to the world and he was used to meeting presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and world leaders. He was often consulted by presidents of the USA, but in private he was just an ordinary humble man who loved to talk about Jesus. I had quite a bit to do with him in the 1970s and 80s – what now seems another lifetime! But my memories of sitting chatting with him are quite vivid and they were precious times.

We often talked about the state of the Church as well as world events. It was a time when several big-name televangelists were getting unwelcome publicity for either sex or money scandals. These things never touched Billy. His ministry was always clean and despite the size of his organisation he maintained firm standards of righteousness so that scandal never reached him. Billy insisted that members of his team who travelled with him on foreign tours brought their wives with them, because he knew the pressures and temptations that occurred when married couples were separated for long periods.

My outstanding memory of Billy Graham is how he loved to talk about Jesus.

Ruth was his lifelong wife and companion with whom they had five children. She died in 2007 aged 87. Billy has outlived her by more than 10 years but no doubt they have had a glorious reunion and he has achieved his desire to meet Jesus.

Millions have benefited from his ministry and there is no Christian preacher who has ever reached more people or been more influential with ordinary people and with world leaders than Billy Graham. He leaves an amazing legacy and his ministry will continue long after his departure through his writings and recordings, both audio and video. Both in this world and in the next, multitudes of believers will be echoing the words of the Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Tears flow as black and white Christians seek forgiveness for each other’s sins.

A momentous prayer meeting took place in the South African Parliament last Friday that is likely to have significance for generations to come.

The focus was on reconciliation, with white people asking forgiveness from blacks, and blacks confessing their sins against the white community in recent years.

Many were reportedly brought to tears during an extended time of prayer and confession, after which farmer-evangelist Angus Buchan addressed MPs and other dignitaries about the need for faith in South Africa.

One MP, Steve Swart, even confessed the government’s anti-Semitism during World War II when Jews who had fled the Holocaust were not allowed to disembark in Cape Town.

Confessing and Repenting

Inside South Africa's Parliament. See Photo Credits.The meeting was held in the Parliament’s former main chamber where many discriminatory laws were passed, and was by invitation only due to the venue’s maximum 250 capacity.

Anneke Rabe, praying on behalf of South Africa’s whites, sought forgiveness for the way they had treated the nation’s black, Coloured (mixed race) and Indian population along with other minorities – for oppressive laws, land dispossession and the way the churches condoned apartheid:

I repent for the way that we shamed, humiliated and oppressed you…for those who died under the evil system of apartheid in Sharpeville, Soweto and many other places; for the inferior education you received under that system; for the pain, anguish, fear and shock you had to endure; for the detentions, imprisonments, tortures and violence.

Cape Town intercessor Ashley Cloete, a descendant of slaves and the Khoi people,¹ was reduced to tears “when one speaker after another recalled laws that had affected my life down the years such as the Group Areas Act and the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act.

“As a result of the former law, and the related practice of so-called ‘slum clearance’, almost all the buildings and places of my childhood memories had been eradicated. And the latter law was the reason for my exile of just over 18 years,” he told Gateway News.

The meeting was held in the Parliament’s former main chamber where many discriminatory laws were passed.

Representing the Evangelical Alliance of South Africa, Rev Moss Nthla prayed “with a deep sense of awareness of the grace you showed us through what many have described as the miracle of 1994 [the relatively peaceful transfer of power].”

But he went on: “I stand to confess our failure, as a people, to be good stewards of that miracle. We have neither sought nor walked in your ways. As a result, we have harmed ourselves and each other as South Africans. I ask for forgiveness that sadly, a growing number of white South Africans have been made to feel unwelcome in this country and that they have no future for themselves or their children [a possible reference, in part, to the policy of positive discrimination favouring blacks over whites for jobs]. I further ask for forgiveness for the thousands of farmers who have been murdered in our country by black people.”²

Commenting later on the reference to anti-Semitism, Ashley Cloete said: “The attitude of our present government towards Israel is of course something that we are not at all proud of as followers of the Jewish Jesus, our Lord and Saviour” (there are moves afoot to downgrade diplomatic ties with Israel). And he also referred to regular worship on Signal Hill (adjacent to Table Mountain) “in our Isaac-Ishmael prayer battle for Jews and Muslims”.

Drawing People Back to God

South Africa’s Christians have taken the bull by the horns and stepped straight into the very heart of government. Didn’t Jesus say the gates of Hell would not prevail against his Church? They are not shy about their faith, or happy to keep it to themselves. They know it’s the only hope for the nation’s future.

Clearly, God has anointed Angus Buchan and others for such auspicious moments, but we have to ask if there is someone in Britain with comparable courage and conviction, who is prepared to raise his voice among our politicians?

Angus knows where his strength comes from – the mighty power of the Holy Spirit that was first poured out in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost.

South Africa’s Christians are not shy about their faith or happy to keep it themselves - they know it is the only hope for the nation’s future.

In 1960 British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan also addressed the Cape Town Parliament warning of “winds of change” blowing through Africa among nations seeking their independence from colonial powers. But our farmer friend knows that the only wind of change God requires from leaders in these dark days is the acknowledgement of rule from heaven above, and the restoration of our Judeo-Christian heritage.

As with Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and Ezra drawing the people back to God by reading the Law, so South Africa is experiencing a restoration – both in spirit and in truth.

Same Need in Britain

Our need in Britain is the same; chiefly for reconciliation with God, though working together in unity with our Christian brethren is a vital first step, without which our secular nation will not fully grasp that we love one another.

Like Angus and his fellow leaders, we also need courage – the sort that caused those who witnessed the boldness of Peter and John to recall that they “had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

We too need to repent – over the shameful laws we have passed that contradict the commandments handed down to us on Mt Sinai; and over our treatment of Israel, who gave us God’s Law in the first place.

Thankfully, an anti-Semitic campaign calling on the British Government to apologise for the Balfour Declaration (promising to do all we could to restore Jews to their ancient land) has come to nothing. If anything, we should apologise for trying to prevent its eventual implementation, largely through appeasement of Arabs opposing it.

Worse still, we prevented Jews trying to escape the Holocaust from entering the Promised Land through our policy of limited immigration during the (internationally-approved) Mandate we held over the region.

Passion for the Nations

Buchan's 'Mighty Men' conference. See Photo Credits.

And since we’re discussing South Africa, perhaps we also need to repent over our disgraceful dealings with the Afrikaners, 26,000 of whom perished in the British concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902.

I am still proud to be South African, despite my problems with immigration when initially refused re-entry to the UK on my recent return from Israel. My loyalty to the country of my birth is chiefly due to the God-fearing Afrikaners who rescued my orphaned great-grandfather and his siblings from possible death in the veldt following the roadside murder of their widowed father.

My great-grandfather, also Charles, was subsequently brought up in the parsonage of the Rev Andrew Murray, a much-loved revivalist who, together with his famous son of the same name, became a father-figure for Dutch Reformed evangelicals throughout the country.

God has anointed Angus Buchan in South Africa, but is there someone in Britain with comparable courage and conviction, who is prepared to raise his voice among our politicians?

The passion for Jesus exhibited by so many Afrikaners today is in no small way connected, in my opinion, to the legacy left by the Murray clan – I happen also to share Scottish ancestry with both Angus Buchan and the Murrays.

But it’s about the heart more than our genes. May passion for God’s rule over our nations drive us to our knees, as we are witnessing so powerfully in South Africa, where 1.7 million Christians converged on a farmer’s field to pray for the nation back in April. Amen.

Notes

1 Original inhabitants of the Cape who are now almost extinct.

2 Gerber, J. There will be no drought in Western Cape by March - Angus Buchan. news24, 24 November 2017. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission that accompanied the transition to multi-racial democracy in the 1990s did much to heal wounds at the time, but there has been a clear failure to build on what was such a hopeful start to the new ‘Rainbow Nation’.

Taking festive opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

We are delighted to bring you a prayer request from our friends Syd and Liz Doyle, inspirational evangelists from the US. Read on to be encouraged – and perhaps inspired to do something similar in your community!

Dear Praying Friends,

We are asking for special prayer as we go Christmas caroling in the Dearborn, MI area this Saturday afternoon and evening (2 December, 2017).

This year we are planning our annual ‘Caroling to our Neighbors’ on 2nd December, meeting at 1pm and also 5pm. It's our 13th annual Christmas Caroling Outreach. We are expecting around 200 carolers from many different churches and groups from southern Michigan and northwest Ohio to join us!

We begin with prayer, a bit of training, simple instructions on how to approach the doors and what to say and do - then we organize ourselves in groups of 6-8 and go out to assigned streets prepared to give out 500 gift bags and share the love of God with our Arab/American friends.

Christmas caroling is a tradition for many of us, but is a new experience for most Arabs. When they open the door they are delighted as they listen to us sing. They are very hospitable and often invite us in for delicious treats.

We also bring a present for them - a gift bag filled with Christmas material, a Jesus story DVD, a New Testament in Arabic, and some candy.

We ask each family if they have any prayer needs, then pray for them. Pray for receptive hearts as the Lord shows His love to them. Pray for the weather to be good, and for us as carolers to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit as we sing, pray and give the gifts.

We are also inviting each family to a "Live Nativity" to be presented at church the following day. We hope the draw of the animals and the story of Christmas will bring many to the church and to Jesus Christ the Savior of the world!

Thanks for praying for safety, boldness, love, friendliness and peace for everyone.

Happy Christmas, prayer warriors!

Syd & Liz Doyle

Ian Farley reviews ‘The Nation's Gospel: Spreading the Christian Faith in Britain Since the Reformation: Volume 1’ by Jeremy Thomas (Wilberforce Publications, 2017).

The Nation's Gospel, according to the publishers, is “a living history, telling the stories of the Christian faith of past generations and its outworking in society”.¹

There are two important points to note about this book: first, it is the opening volume of a four-volume series. Second, the author is a lawyer.

This volume covers 300 years (1516-1791 - from ‘Reformation to Revolution’), whereas Volume 2 covers 100 years (1791-1900) and Volumes 3 and 4 each cover only 50 years (1900-1945 and 1945-2015, respectively).

These are significant differences, especially considering Volume 1 deals with such enormous topics as the English Reformation, the Civil War era and the 18^th Century revival. On each of these topics you could, of course, read multiple books. Inevitably this means the book is very brief on many issues - and yet remains quite dense, given its scope.

So, for those who know anything in reasonable detail about these 300 years, there will be little to learn, but for those readers who know less about Britain’s religious history (mainly England’s, but with small excursions into Scotland’s and Wales’), here is a one-volume whizz through the main points.

What Makes the Gospel Spread?

The subtitle of the book is ‘Spreading the Christian faith in Britain since the Reformation’. With this focus, Thomas goes beyond a simple description of what has happened in Britain’s Gospel history, to ask the intriguing question of what makes the Gospel spread successfully.

It is this that makes the book worthwhile (and hopefully will make the subsequent volumes worth perusing, especially the 20^th Century ones).

Thomas asks the intriguing question of what makes the Gospel spread successfully.

In the vast scope of this first volume, Thomas focuses on just a few individuals at a little more length than others, as he explores this key question. He picks Catherine Parr (perhaps surprisingly) for the Reformation period, Richard Baxter for the Civil War, and George Whitefield for the 18^th Century (with a special sub-section on Selina, Countess of Huntingdon).

He ultimately concludes that it is the doctrine of the Great Commission that matters most. In other words, in the midst of sermons, catechisms and good works, the Gospel spreads when simple personal faith in the substitutionary death of Jesus is proclaimed as the need of man (the main villain in Britain’s history, therefore, has been the teaching of baptismal re-generation, particularly by the Established Church. We presume that the next volume will have much to say about the Gorham controversy).

Legal Tone

Without resorting to a Dickensian Jarndyce and Jarndyce caricature, the fact remains that Jeremy Thomas has spent his life in legal matters, working as a corporate lawyer in the City.

As a result, his writing is laid out rather like a legal report. Every paragraph is numbered in bold type – 14.14, 14.15, 14.16 and so on – which makes the book rather staccato in style, with a lack of flow and continuity. For academics this might be helpful, and for some this will make the reading simpler and clearer – but for others it will be very dry.

Nevertheless, this remains a useful overview of a topic in which every British Christian should rightly take an interest and desire some sense of ownership – especially those who are concerned about the loss (and possible recovery) of this heritage today.

The Nation’s Gospel: Volume 1 (393 pages) is available here for £14.

References

1 Christian Concern News Release, 28 June 2017.

Monica Hill continues to look at 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, emphases added)

An evangelist is usually defined as one who has the ability to communicate the good news of the Gospel in meaningful and convincing ways to those who have not heard or understood it fully, with a view to people responding in faith, baptism and commitment to the body of Christ. Without evangelists, the Church would lose its calling and settle down to being just another community group.

The enabling aspects mentioned in Ephesians 4 include the ability to galvanise God's people in the area of evangelism, so that it becomes a prime factor in fulfilling the Great Commission of Matthew 28:16-20: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Old Testament Teaching

Evangelism is a New Testament concept – introduced to spread the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ widely across the nations. Neither evangelism nor the evangelist are mentioned in the Old Testament. Judaism is not a proselytising religion¹ – you are born into it. The religion is passed on from generation to generation and proof of ancestry (especially in the maternal line) is needed in order to be recognised as Jewish.

Without evangelists, the Church would lose its calling and settle down to being just another community group.

God-fearing Gentiles were acknowledged, and even one of the Outer Courts of the Temple was called the Court of the Gentiles. It was set aside for them to pray and was probably the one that Jesus cleared of money-changers (John 2:12) just before Passover, when he became very angry over its wrong use.

New Testament Teaching

Although there are only three references to an evangelist in the New Testament (Acts 21:8; Eph 4:11; 2 Tim 4:5), there are numerous references to people evangelising (euangelizo in Greek) in the book of Acts. This is referring to the spontaneous witness of ordinary believers who could not keep quiet.

Evangelism became of paramount importance following the stoning of Stephen, when Christians began to suffer great persecution (Acts 8:1). In fact, the more persecution there was, the more the Church grew! In the 2^nd Century AD, Tertullian commented: “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church”. And certainly this was the way the early Church grew.

When the Christians were forced to leave Jerusalem following the stoning of Stephen, there was a significant change in recording this growth – from “the Lord added to their number” (Acts 2:47) to “the church…multiplied” (Acts 9:31 ESV). Even those with little mathematical understanding will be able to deduce how significant this was.

There are numerous references in Acts to the spontaneous witness of ordinary believers who could not keep quiet.

There were named evangelists in Acts 8: Peter and John after their visit to Samaria evangelised many villages on their way back to Jerusalem (v25); Philip evangelised the Ethiopian eunuch in the desert (v35) and then evangelised in all the cities as he travelled to Caesarea (v40). But the greatest growth was brought about by every believer sharing their faith.

Ministry vs General Calling

We are all called to be witnesses and should be brimming over with the Good News to share with others - although only some will be called to the ministry of an evangelist. But even they are dependent on God entering the lives of those they have introduced to the Gospel, because only God can bring that life-changing relationship into being.

Evangelists are single-minded and so full of the Good News that they are able to share it wherever they go - and in all situations. Paul even said “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16-19). It was his whole calling – he as so full of the risen Jesus that he could not keep quiet!!

In fact, only Philip, one of the Seven, is called an 'evangelist' (Acts 21:8), although Timothy is told by Paul to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim 4:5). Timothy took every opportunity to share Christ – so Paul probably meant that that Timothy was not to wait until people came to him asking questions.

But of course Paul is often seen as the model evangelist – the one who does not settle for too long in an area but is an itinerant tent-maker and church-planter. Our concept of evangelists usually accepts this definition - but there may be ways in which in future we need to change our mindset towards evangelism, in order to be more effective.

Evangelists are single-minded and so full of the Good News that they share it wherever they go.

In the ministry of Jesus, we can see all five ministry gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4, including that of an evangelist: in the synagogue at Nazareth he claimed that he was the fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy “to preach good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18).

Evangelists Today

Today, we have often taken evangelism out of the local church and assigned it to para-church organisations, who flourish, commending different types of evangelism. But this in many ways means that evangelism is seen as an optional extra – reserved for ‘professionals’ or those from an evangelical tradition.

Crusade evangelism with named individuals like Billy Graham or Luis Palau is still seen as a major (if not the main) form of evangelism, with seaside, street, marketplace or door-to-door outreach drawing church members away from activities with the faithful to become involved with not-yet-believers. But these kinds of evangelism rely on limited encounters. This does not mean they are not worthwhile, but they must be supplemented with the building of continuing relationships, which is so important. This is where the personal sharing of faith – or friendship evangelism - has been proved to be the most effective.

Ideally, every church member should be taught how to share their faith with others - and when and where. They should be prepared to share their faith especially in their links outside the church – say in the family, workplace, school, and even in prisons (although all of these are becoming more difficult). Surely the worst comment any believer can receive is “I did not know you were a Christian!”.

Evangelism is the most important gift for the continuity of the Church – we know in theory that ‘God has no grandchildren – only children’ but we are not very good at passing the baton on to others, and so there is a large gap in age within many of our churches.

We also often fail to recognise that the best evangelists are the newly converted – they still have non-Christian friends and the experience of conversion is a living daily subject with them – they are excited by everything that is opening up for them. Perhaps this was what was lacking in Ephesus (referred to in Revelation 2:1) – that the members had lost their first love. This enthusiasm and excitement for sharing the Good News with others should continue to be present in every member of the Body so that there is a living witness portrayed to the world.

We often fail to recognise that the best evangelists can be the newly converted.

But we also need to realise that evangelists are not pastors – and should not try to be – churches and believers do not grow up to maturity with just evangelism. Pastors and teachers are needed to take people to the next stage of discipleship and continue the work started by the evangelist. This is why all the five ministry roles are needed in the Church.

Finally, two or three illustrations that might help from the world scene:

• From South America – where one flourishing new church would not allow anyone to become a full member until they had brought someone else to Christ.
  
• From Singapore – where at one time, acceptance to membership in the Anglican Church required training which included a week on mission to share their faith with Muslims in neighbouring Malaysia.
  
• From the underground Church in China - where they could not build up large congregations as meetings of more than ten were restricted; they were in a way ‘forced’ to send their new converts out, and the Church flourished.
  

Next week we will be looking at the more familiar role of the pastor, which is indispensable in our churches today.

Notes

1 Proselytising is converting or attempting to convert someone from one religion to another. Islam is a proselytising religion – by force if necessary, whereas Christianity evangelises by love. In Islamic nations, conversion away from Islam is usually banned.

This is the day of your salvation!

Whilst we continue to challenge those in positions of leadership in Church, nation and the Islamic world to stop fudging the issue of the divide between the Bible and Qur’an, let us remember God’s high priority: this is the day of salvation!

When God revealed in the mid-1980s that he was about to bring forth a great harvest from among Muslims, there was not much evidence to back it. Yet, since then such prophecy has been verified as true, as millions of Muslims have turned to the Lord across the world. Is it any wonder that our spiritual adversary has risen up in hate, whipping up jihad and drawing up battle lines?

We must be careful not to be fully diverted into this battle and miss the opportunities on our doorstep. There are many young people who have been born into Muslim families but whose hearts are being stirred for truth. God is opening hearts to receive the Gospel message as never before in the Muslim communities on our doorsteps. It is God’s time for the Muslims!

Millions of Muslims are turning to the Lord across the world - is it any wonder that our spiritual adversary has risen up in hate, whipping up jihad?

Time for Equipping

There are a number of ways that God will send the Gospel to these people, but every Christian would do well to be equipped to be God’s mouthpiece for one-to-one evangelism. Witnessing to our Muslim neighbours could bring one or many to salvation - the angels in heaven rejoice over each and every sinner brought to faith in Jesus.

It is time for churches, especially those near Muslim communities, to ask questions of their own understanding and attitude. If God is holding out a loving hand of invitation, we must be his willing ambassadors.

Practical Preparations

It is foremost a time for prayer: prayer for understanding, prayer for wisdom, prayer for opportunity, prayer for individuals.

But there are also preparations we can make. There are resources available from existing missionary organisations to equip us to understand the Islamic mindset and to develop a right approach (scroll down for some). Here are key areas that we can consider:

• The history of Islam, its missionary zeal and its methods.
  
• The five ‘pillars’ on which Islam is founded: statement of faith, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, pilgrimage to Mecca.
  
• The call to and nature of jihad.
  
• The structure and message of the Qur’an.
  
• Islamic teaching on sin and good works.
  
• Islamic teaching on Jesus.
  
• The role of the Mosque.
  
• The character of the Islamic god Allah.
  
• The intent of the Islamic movement in the West.
  
• The sects of Islam.
• The basics of Shariah law
• The missionary intent of the Islamic movement (House of Islam versus House of War)
• The concept of the Dhimmi (treatment of Christians and Jews under Islam)
• Women in Islam
  
• Recent evangelistic moves among Muslims, especially individual testimonies of those coming to faith in Jesus.
  
• Testimonies of Christians in fruitful evangelism among Muslims.

In studying these issues, the goal in personal evangelism is not to confront Muslims aggressively, but to be good listeners. Let’s not be seen as crusaders. There are tracts available from some Christian missions to read and have in one’s back pocket. Let’s be serious about our Bible study and prayer and not be on the defensive, or on the attack.

We must be careful not to be fully diverted into this battle and miss the opportunities on our doorstep.

If, as the evidence shows us, this is indeed the day when God is calling many Muslims to himself, some of us will be privileged to find already prepared, open-hearted Muslims ready to respond to the Gospel message. If we meet someone in the earlier stages of questioning, let us leave a good and loving testimony on which the Lord can build as time goes on.

It is one thing to face up to the spiritual battle against Islam. It is another to win Muslims to the Lord. This is the day of salvation.

Resources for Outreach to Muslims

Understanding Islam (including its history, theology and worldview)

Unveiled: A Christian Study Guide to Islam. Barnabas Fund. Suitable for individuals and groups. Available here for £3.50.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus Study Guide (8 sessions). Nabeel Qureshi, with Kevin and Sherry Harney. Suitable for individuals and groups. Available here for £7.60 (paperback), designed to accompany a DVD study.

Booklets from the Barnabas Fund (£1 each, discount available when purchasing the entire set. Click here to buy):

• What is Islam?
  
• Is the Muslim Isa the Biblical Jesus?
  
• Islam and Slavery
  
• Islam and Truth
  
• What is Sharia?

Books by Patrick Sookhdeo: Unmasking Islamic State (2015), Understanding Islamic Theology (2013), A Christian’s Pocket Guide to Islam (2013), The Challenge of Islam to the Church and its Mission (2009), Faith, Power and Territory: A Handbook of British Islam (2008), Understanding Shari’a Finance (2008), Understanding Islamist Terrorism (2004) and many more. Click here to purchase from the Barnabas Fund.

What Every Christian Needs to Know about the Qur’an (James R White, 2013, £8.99 paperback)

Books by Sam Solomon: Not the Same God (2016, £7.99 paperback), Modern Day Trojan Horse (2009, £11.95 paperback)

Articles by the team at Christian Concern – all available online. Click here to read.

Resources for Engaging with Muslims

Leading the Way (international ministry): plentiful online resources, testimonial videos, books, DVDs/CDs. Many free downloads. Click here to explore the UK site.

Say Hello (US ministry): Online resources for Christian women seeking to engage with Muslim women, including prayer resources, articles, videos. Click here to find out more.

Breaking Through the Barriers: Leading Muslims to Christ (Rosemary Sookhdeo, 2010, £6.99 paperback)

Barnabas Fund Evangelism Pack: Contains Breaking Through the Barriers and Unveiled (both above) plus a selection of tracts designed for outreach to Muslims. £10. Available here.

Mahabba The Friendship Trio courses: three courses (comprising DVDs and worksheets) aimed at equipping Christians to engage with Muslims. Available to purchase in parts or in full - click here. Plenty more resources are available on the Mahabba site.

Books about Mission/Testimonials of Conversion

A Wind in the House of Islam (David Garrison, 2014. £15.20 paperback) – read our review here.

Miraculous Movements (Jerry Trousdale, 2012. £6.99 paperback)

Books by Nabeel Qureshi: Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus (2016), No God but One: Allah or Jesus? (2016), Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward (2016). Click here to find out more.

Hiding in the Light: Why I Risked Everything to Leave Islam and Follow Jesus (Rifqa Bary, 2016, £13 paperback)

Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love (Samaa Habib, with Bodie Thoene, 2014, £8.99 paperback)

The Torn Veil (Gulshan Esther, 2004, £6.99 paperback)

I Dared to Call Him Father (Bilquis Sheikh, 1978, repr. 2003, £8.99 paperback)

Mission Organisations with Which to Engage and Support

• Frontiers
• Leading the Way
• Barnabas Fund
• Mahabba Network
• Arab World Ministry
• Pioneers

If you know of any more useful resources on this topic, do comment below!

Monica Hill turns from the ‘natural’ gifts (Romans 12) to the ‘ministry’ gifts listed in Ephesians 4. This article is part of a series – click here for previous instalments. 

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 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, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph 4:11-13)

We have already noted that there are four lists of the Spiritual Gifts given by the Holy Spirit in different epistles – Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Peter 4 (which concentrates on methods) and Ephesians 4. Each of them have additional teaching in the surrounding verses on how they should operate within the corporate body of believers – often relevant to that specific understanding of the gifts.

The Five-Fold Ministry

The five ‘ministry gifts’ listed in Ephesians 4 are surrounded by teaching on the place of these quite specific roles within the body. Two things stand out of which we need to take note:

1. First, ideally these gifts are meant to operate together, as a team – the five-fold ministry is an entity in itself, and all its gifts should be visible in the leadership of our churches and fellowships today. If Christian communities do not recognise these gifts in specific individuals, at least the principles and values of each should be adopted. Team ministry is not easy and needs to be embraced and worked upon. If this does not happen, one or other of these roles will inevitably take precedence. For example:
   1. For many centuries in the Western Church, pastors and teachers have been predominant, to the neglect of the other roles.
   2. Evangelists have often set up separate, para-Church organisations, and are often felt only to be needed for overseas work - which means that work among nominal Christians has been neglected.
   3. Apostles and prophets are still very rare, with many believing that apostolic ministry died out at the end of the New Testament era. Although they are now receiving more attention these ministries are often misunderstood and can create problems.
   4. Individual prophets in the style of the Old Testament were also relegated to history as it was anticipated that, with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the whole Church would become the Prophet to the nations. An understanding even of the role of the prophet, within fellowships and wider afield, is often missing.
2. Secondly, these roles are given to serve the Body and to help those to whom they are called, to enable all to grow to maturity and be found worthy of being called followers of Christ. They are not given to give status to individuals.

There is no mention of these gifts operating in this way in a worldly sense (unlike the ‘natural’ gifts of Romans 12). Apart from the role of a teacher they do not have secular counterparts, although the world has at times tried to pick up the same values and take them into secular occupations – but more of that when we look at each of them in detail. Leadership in the world is based on very different principles.

In this introduction we will be looking at the context of the introduction of Ministry gifts in the Body of believers and seeing how these gifts should operate.

The ministry gifts are designed to operate together to serve and build up the Body of Christ.

Lessons from Ephesus

The whole of Ephesians is concerned with building up the body of believers in Ephesus, from which we can learn so much. The epistle starts with an emphasis upon Christ as the Head of the whole Christian community - the Church, or (more accurately) the Body of Believers (Eph 1:22-23) (not the institutions), which is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph 2:20-24) and is without any divisions, comprising one Body and one Spirit (Eph 4:4). Members are encouraged to “live a life worthy of the calling” (Eph 4:1), given various instructions on how to act (Eph 5-6) and finally encouraged to “put on the whole armour of God” (Eph 6:10-18).

It is worth noting that Paul has just given that beautiful prayer to God for his brothers and sisters in Ephesus (Eph 3:14-21) which is still such an encouragement to all who read it today. His next words express not only his own total commitment to the Father but his desire that all should “live a life worthy of the calling you have received”. The way to do this is to “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”.

The Priesthood of All Believers

Here is no definition of a hierarchy, an ‘us and them’ or a ‘pecking order’ as so often seen in our churches, but a recognition that we need each other (which is described more fully in 1 Corinthians 12). The sole purpose of these ministry roles is to serve the body of believers so that they can all become mature and be the front line of mission.

The New Testament Church operated as a ‘priesthood of all believers’ – they had a different vision from that practised in Judaism when the Temple was in operation and priests were in control and acted as mediators with God. But even after the birth of the Church and the early days of taking the mission worldwide, it was not very long before the established denominations re-introduced a priestly leadership into churches.

In the priesthood of all believers, there is no hierarchy or pecking order – just a recognition that we all need each other.

Many new movements have since tried to re-capture this concept of the priesthood of all believers, but far too often institutionalisation pushes them back into the need for strong leadership aligned with worldly principles.

The ministry gifts are essentially serving roles - encouraging and empowering others – so that everyone is encouraged to have that direct relationship with the Father themselves and can discern the truth – so that they are “no longer infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”

Ingredients for Full Community Life

The ministries described in Ephesians can be seen as leading roles in the community, but they should also encompass vision, strategy and unity - all essential for any community’s survival. It is not a necessary requirement that the leader has to be the one who has the original vision, but he or she must embrace it and make it their own – just as everyone else in the body must; and likewise with the strategy and action that follows – these two aspects must both be embraced to help form a community and give it its raison d’etre. But often the ministry role also provides the glue that makes people stick together in unity.

Truth and love are essential ingredients to any community of believers – so that “we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph 4:15-16).

Unity is expressed in “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph 4:4-6).

In the next few weeks we will be looking at each of the specific ministry gifts given to the Body of believers – Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher - and exploring further the reasons for which they are given and the way they should operate and relate to each other.

With greed and corruption becoming an everyday part of life, Britain is looking more and more like it did in the 18^th Century - just before revival happened.

The sudden departure of England's much heralded football manager transferred sports news from the back page to the front page of our newspapers.

Sam Allardyce had only been in the job 67 days before he was forced to resign following a sting set up by the Daily Telegraph with men posing as businessmen from the Far East. They recorded him agreeing to a £400,000 deal in which he would help "get around" strict bans on third party transfer regulations.

Allardyce left his employment with the Football Association with a reported half £1 million payoff for just over two month's work, during which he organised just one international football match - which England won, giving him a 100% record for his England career!

It is astonishing that a man who was being paid a salary of £3 million a year could fall for such an entrapment. Why would he risk everything for an additional £400,000 on top of the immense salary he was receiving? It is surely an example of the incredible power of greed. However large the salary, greed will always try to get a bit more.

Greed is Now Normal

Greed is the driving force in so many people's lives today; it has become a banal part of our culture, affecting every area of life - from banking and the growth of vast international business conglomerates to sport and entertainment. It seems that no area of society is free from greed and corruption, with the result that the gap between rich and poor is getting ever wider.

The rich are growing richer and the poor are growing poorer, leaving the way open for injustice and exploitation of the powerless. The greatest health problem facing the rich nations is obesity while millions in the poorer nations go to bed hungry every night. Yet the vast injustice of this situation leaves most people in the Western nations untroubled. Why is this in nations that have had the Gospel for centuries, where biblical values of justice are part of the foundations of their civilisation?

Greed has become a banal part of our culture, affecting every area of life.

Abandonment of 'Traditional' Morality

Surely the reason has to be connected with our turning away from our biblical foundations. In Britain children are no longer taught basic biblical morality in state schools and we now have a generation of parents who have virtually no knowledge of the Bible, leaving many children growing up with no ultimate standards of right and wrong.

George Whitfield

What can change the nation? Can we learn from the past?

Revisiting 18^th Century Britain

A similar situation existed in the latter part of the 18^th Century and the beginning of the 19^th Century. Crime, lawlessness, adultery and drunkenness were the foremost characteristics in all ranks of society, as Hogarth's pictures of London vividly illustrate. Violence and unrest were everywhere and there were frequent riots, as well as fears that the French Revolution might spread across the Channel and engulf the nation.

Church attendance was the lowest it had been for centuries. In 1800, just six people took communion on Easter day in St Paul's Cathedral. It was at this stage that the Evangelical Revival began to change everything, with the Methodists and Nonconformists reaching the working classes and the evangelical Anglicans reaching the upper echelons and the burgeoning middle classes produced by the Industrial Revolution.

Today, many children are growing up with no ultimate standards of right and wrong.

Gospel-Driven Cultural ChangeJohn Wesley

A striking example of their success in changing the nation can be seen in the social statistics. Throughout the 19^th Century, crime rates fell dramatically. By 1870 there were only 10,000 in the jails of England and Wales. But even more remarkable was the continuing fall over the next 30 years. By 1910 there were only 3,000 prisoners in the nation's jails, despite the population rising from 25 million to 35 million!

Social historians attribute this astonishing fall in the crime rate to the success of the Evangelical Revival in transforming the moral and spiritual life of the nation. It all began with a small group of Christians, like Wilberforce, Wesley and Whitfield, in the dark days of the late 18^th Century. They had a passion for the Gospel and cared deeply about people.

In addition to preaching the truth, they also applied the Gospel to the great social issues of their day, working for causes such as the abolition of colonial slavery and the end of child exploitation in the mines, mills and factories of England. It was through their faith in God that the nation was transformed.

Dramatic Loss of Faith

Today, there are many similarities with the early 19^th Century. The latest British Attitude Survey (published May 2016) shows that 48% of the population say they have 'no religion'. It is remarkable that 50 years of immigration has not resulted in significant numbers converting to other religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism - the British people have simply lost faith in any religion, so they have nothing to hold onto when difficult times come.

The mission field is wide open for Christians with a passion for the gospel to share their faith with their non-Christian friends and neighbours. An even greater Evangelical Revival could happen in 21^st Century Britain!

The British people have lost faith in any religion, so they have nothing to hold onto when difficult times come.

Revival Happening Now?

Churches in Reading have been sharing their faith on the streets since May this year with some amazing results - and a similar movement has been happening this month in Liverpool, where Christians report an astonishing new openness to the Gospel and hundreds of ordinary people giving their lives to Christ on the streets.

People are fed up with the greed and corruption they see everywhere. The fields are ripe for harvest. We hope to publish details of the developments in Liverpool next week. Maybe the only thing holding back revival in Britain is that many people in churches have not yet woken up to the spiritual hunger of people around them!

Jesus said, "The time has come, the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15)

New to the inspiring life and profound works of JC Ryle? Start here!

The great thing about JC Ryle is that he is a fabulous read even today. His style is short, pithy sentences - direct, personal and warm-hearted. He is grounded in Scripture yet awash with everyday illustrations. He is very much aware of the world around, yet always has his eye on eternity.

Ryle's surviving works can be split into four different kinds: expository thoughts on the Gospels, sermons, controversial issues and historical works. All of them are still available today, published by Banner of Truth. Many second-hand bookshops have older versions and websites can provide copies too.

Ryle's writing style is grounded in Scripture yet awash with everyday illustrations

The four categories mentioned above are all worth reading but do obviously read in different ways and are written with different goals in mind. They may suit readers at different times or circumstances in their lives. In brief, they can be described so...

Expository Thoughts on the Gospels

Ryle's most popular works in his lifetime (and probably still so today) are his expository thoughts on the four Gospels. These are ideal quiet time reading. A short passage of Scripture is printed, followed by around 3-5 pages of devotional, applicable comment. There are then a few more technical comments or quotes from other writers, usually printed in smaller type.

Depending on the publisher there are a number of volumes covering the four Gospels. Pick a favourite to use as a devotional aid. They would also make excellent gifts for new Christians to help them read through a Gospel.

Sermons

One of my joys in life is to hunt in second-hand bookshops for Ryle's sermons. They were published as pamphlets, normally of 16 or 32 pages. Many sermons were subsequently put together and published as books, especially after he was appointed Bishop of Liverpool in 1880.

The most well-known of these is 'Holiness'. Although this is a 'book', in reality it is a collection of sermons originally published over a 20-year period. This has the advantage of being easy to read and can be read in stand-alone chapters. As sermons, every chapter has applications.

Controversial Issues

Ryle's proper books (as it were) deal with controversial Christian doctrines. The three most published are 'Old Paths', 'Knots Untied' and 'Practical Religion'. The first two of these tackle areas which some today might either be tired of, or think are resolved without further need of debate.

But the reality is that many Christians of today have not thought these issues through - and again, Ryle is such a clear exponent of what would today be termed the conservative evangelical position, that both these books would be good reading for new Christians or even to clarify the thinking of more established believers.

He tackles (for example) baptism, regeneration, confession, inspiration, the Cross, faith and repentance. The third book deals (as it says on the tin) with practicalities of Christian living: Bible reading, prayer, sickness, being part of the church, taking communion.

Historical Works

Ryle was a firm believer in God's hand throughout history. He taught that every Christian should be knowledgeable of Church history. Obviously that meant the Reformation in particular, but Ryle was also a fan of the 18^th Century, seeing it as a time of revival in England. His grandfather hosted Wesley at least once.

Ryle was a firm believer in God's hand throughout history

Ryle's most popular work was 'Christian leaders of the Eighteenth Century', closely followed by 'Five English Reformers'. Again, both books (which are still in print) would be good places to begin to be acquainted with Church history. This is because Ryle's writing is so gripping and well-applied. And what was relevant then, in the 19^th Century, is still applicable now in the 21^st - if not more so.

Ryle is a prophet for today. Pick him up and read.

A large selection of JC Ryle's books and pamphlets are available to purchase from Banner of Truth publications – click here for more details.

The Feast of Pentecost (or Shavuot) is the perfect time to celebrate the miraculous birth of the Church – and a reminder that all further growth is equally supernatural.

The original outpouring of the Holy Spirit took place on what is also known as the Feast of Weeks – seven weeks or 50 days after Passover, when Jesus was crucified. It's a celebration of the first fruits of the harvest, and it's interesting to note that the number of disciples increased sevenfold on the Day of Pentecost. For 3,000 souls were added to the 500 already following Jesus Messiah (Acts 2:41; 1 Cor 15:6).

Shavuot is also traditionally (as encouraged by the rabbis) the anniversary of the giving of the Law (Ten Commandments) to Moses on Mt Sinai and, on this level, is also fulfilled in Jesus who came, not to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfil them, as he stated so clearly in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:17).

In fact, he now writes the law on our hearts and minds (Jer 31:33; Ezek 36:26f), not on tablets of stone, to enable us the more easily to follow its precepts. And he spelt it out 'on the Mount', as his Father had done through Moses.

Power from On High

Even though the 'established' congregation of Jesus's first disciples had clearly been born again as, through Divine revelation, they recognised Jesus as their Messiah, they still needed "power from on high" (Luke 24:49) for any significant missionary success. If they wished to get beyond what was humanly possible through persuasion, supernatural help was necessary.

As it happened, Jews from throughout the known world were in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast, the disciples having waited in the city in obedience to Jesus's command to wait until they were endued with heaven-sent boldness.

Even though Jesus's first disciples were born again, they still needed 'power from on high'.

They weren't told how it would be manifested, so they would have been profoundly shocked to witness tongues of fire resting on each one of them. But it was a sign of how their message would be conveyed. For they suddenly found themselves speaking in languages they had never learnt – and thus it was that the gospel spread like wildfire.
It was a reversal of the Tower of Babel, when men failed in their rebellious efforts to reach the heavens as God confused their language. But now, in these last days, the gospel preached in every tongue unites all who follow Christ, creating "one new man" born of his Spirit (Eph 2:15).

'Pentecostal' Outpouring

The Apostle Peter saw it as the fulfilment of Joel's prophecy of when God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh, which surely also speaks of the time approaching Jesus's return – the last of the last days – when another great revival would circle the globe.

There can be little doubt that a 'Pentecostal' outpouring has been gaining pace over the past 100 years. I have studied the worldwide Pentecostal movement myself – and written a book about it, Tongues of Fire (Sable Publishing) – and I implore readers to wholeheartedly embrace the kind of empowering we really cannot do without if we are to maximise our impact on the world (though I am not saying you must necessarily accept everything 'charismatic' as kosher).

We need to get away from doing things 'in the flesh', restricted by our human intuition and emotions, when God wants to fill us with power from on high. One of my favourite stories from Pentecostal history is of Henry Garlock, an American sent as a missionary to West Africa in 1920.

His denomination didn't believe in 'tongue-speaking' but, when he faced the prospect of ending up in the cooking pot of a tribe of cannibals he had inadvertently upset, he suddenly found himself speaking a language he had never learnt and it got him and his colleague out of very hot water! Although he had no idea what he was saying at the time, it turned out that he had been persuading them to kill a rooster in their place! And the incident set the ball rolling for the conversion of the entire tribe.

We need to get away from doing things 'in the flesh', restricted by our human intuition and emotions.

Pentecost Comes with Persecution

Some Pentecostals have gained a reputation for over-the-top methods and much excitement, which may seem out of place. But there's a balance to all this exuberance. For Pentecost comes with persecution, which is what happened to those first believers: Stephen, empowered by the Spirit, was stoned to death! Others were crucified, or thrown into arenas to be torn apart by wild animals.

Today it's happening all over again in Syria and elsewhere, where true Christians are being beheaded for their faith. Even in the UK Christians are losing their jobs and landing up in court for refusing to compromise.

Indeed, Joel prophesied that a latter-day heavenly outpouring would be accompanied by "blood and fire and billows of smoke" on earth (Joel 2:30). Israel's fortunes would be restored, but its enemies judged (Joel 3:1f); and like a wounded snake, evildoers will lash out at those who stand with God.

So although we are witnessing a global revival – with massive church growth in Asia, Africa and South America – the pressure to conform to ungodly ways remains severe. The Bible speaks much of a "remnant" (e.g. Acts 15:17) holding onto God's Word, and Jesus asked: "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). When things got tough, when his teaching seemed too hard, "many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him" (John 6:66).

By all means allow yourself to be caught up in the excitement of God's blessings; but at the same time make up your mind that you're going to follow Jesus no matter what. There will be tears, but you will triumph in the end. And Jesus will wipe your tears away (Rev 7:17).

So seek God with all your heart and allow yourself to be baptised¹ in the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost comes with persecution - by all means allow yourself to be caught up in the excitement of God's blessings, but also make up your mind to follow Jesus no matter what.

Revival for Israel?

A very significant revival took place in Pensacola, Florida, in the mid-1990s and I'm sure it was no coincidence that Messianic Jew Dr Michael Brown played a key role there with his profound teaching ministry.

Perhaps we are about to witness a great outpouring in Israel itself. It's 49 years since Jerusalem's Old City was restored to the Jews for the first time in nearly 2,000 years. That year – 1967 – also marked the beginning of the 'Charismatic' wave of the Holy Spirit (a second stage of the modern-day Pentecostal movement) in the old established churches. And it was the very same year that saw the birth of Messianic Jewish congregations in the Land.

Will Israel experience Pentecost in the 50^th year since restoration?

References

1 From the Greek baptizo meaning 'to immerse, plunge or dip'.