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.

Helen Belton concludes our series on the letters to the churches of Revelation 2-3.

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.” But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so that you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so that you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so that you can see.

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

(Revelation 3:14-22)

The seventh and final letter to the churches in Revelation 3 is to Laodicea, a city known for its wool industry, situated 11 miles west of Colossae and with a large Jewish community. It was in an area prone to earthquakes – but its prosperity was such that when an earthquake struck in 60 AD, the population were able to refuse financial help from Rome for the rebuild.¹

Blazing Forth Light

As with the previous letters, it is addressed to the “angel of the church”, perhaps suggesting that each church is represented in heaven by an angel. There are seven angels and seven churches. Seven is the divine number indicating completeness: “The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches” (Rev 1:20).

The lampstand imagery is derived from the seven-branched golden lampstand that stood in the Temple in Jerusalem, in Hebrew the menorah. Its light was a symbol of God’s Spirit shining in a dark world. The symbol of the seven churches as lampstands (menorot pl.) suggests that now the Temple is gone they are the ones meant to blaze forth God’s light into the darkness of their pagan surroundings to bring God glory: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:16).

In Scripture, seven is the divine number indicating completeness.

True, Faithful and Over All

In verse 14, the Lord Jesus is referred to as the “Amen”, which may echo Isaiah 65:16 where “the God of truth” is literally ‘the God of Amen’ (Heb. belohe amen).² The Hebrew word ‘Amen’ means to confirm or verify. The divine origin of the message is therefore being emphasised and we are also being reminded that the Lord Jesus speaks with the authority of ‘the God of Amen’ - the Lord God himself.

Jesus also has two further titles: the “faithful and true witness” and “the ruler of God’s creation”. In Scripture, a threefold emphasis can indicate completion and finality.³ So the threefold assertion of his truthfulness, faithfulness and rule puts beyond doubt his unimpeachable authority. His truth and faithfulness as God’s witness also contrast with the Laodicean church’s tepid witness to the faith.

The third title, “the ruler of God’s creation”, also takes us to Isaiah 65, verse 17 this time: “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.”⁴ Jesus is the ruler of this new creation, whose astounding revelation overshadows all that has gone before.

The threefold assertion of Jesus’ truthfulness, faithfulness and rule puts beyond doubt his unimpeachable authority.

Pure Rebuke

Western theatre, Laodicea. See Photo Credits.

This letter differs from the letters to the other churches because the Laodiceans receive no praise, only rebuke. It is not as though they had been neglected in instruction. They would have known the letter to their nearby sister church in Colossae which we know from this verse in Colossians: “After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea” (Col 4:16) (the 'letter from Laodicea' has been lost, but some speculate that it is the same as the letter Paul wrote to the Ephesians).

However, they are being reminded that Jesus is “ruler of God’s creation” as though it was a teaching they had neglected, despite the letter to the Colossians’ emphasis on Jesus’ overarching authority over creation and over the Church:

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Col 1:15-18)

It seems that the Laodiceans had lost sight of Jesus’ authority. They thought they were wealthy and lacking nothing; however, they were “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (v17). Their smug complacency was entirely misplaced because any riches they had were received from the One who is the Ruler and Source of all Creation, as Colossians teaches.

However, it is also possible they had absorbed Gnostic teaching, which was prevalent in Colossae, that denigrated Jesus’ role as Creator of the material world.⁵ ‘Arche’, the Greek word for ‘ruler’ in verse 14 means not only ‘ruler’ but also ‘beginning’ or ‘cause’, confirming that Jesus is the one through whom “all things were created” (Col 1:15), a teaching rejected in Gnosticism.⁶

The Laodiceans had lost sight of Jesus’ authority.

Charged with Being Lukewarm

Jesus warns the Laodiceans that he knew their deeds, which were neither hot nor cold (v15). Note that their faith is not mentioned - only what they have done. Evangelicals tend to focus on the John 6:29 sense of works: “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” However, James’ Hebraic emphasis on actions teaches that our faith only lives through our works: “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17).

Were the Laodiceans’ deeds evil or simply ‘lukewarm’, going through the motions? Did they perform a meagre or carefully measured amount of good deeds, perhaps giving a careful amount of their wealth away, but ultimately remaining ungenerous and certainly not self-sacrificial? We do not know, but we can speculate.

In the Wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament), heat and cold relate to a person’s self-control. In Proverbs 15:18, “A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict”, but Proverbs 17:27b, “…whoever has understanding is even-tempered” (literally is cool or has a cool spirit). Heat is associated with lack of self-control and coolness with self-control. It has been suggested that this imagery may have been inspired by the water supply in Laodicea, which was lukewarm in contrast to the hot springs of Hierapolis and the cooling waters of Colossae.⁷

In the Wisdom literature of the Bible, heat and cold relate to a person’s self-control.

Being lukewarm suggests they were ineffectual and unproductive; their ‘deeds’ were futile, useless. The lukewarm metaphor carries an echo of Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

The Laodicean believers were on shaky ground, but thought they were safe. The remedy was to purify themselves, verse 18: “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so that you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so that you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so that you can see.” They were to pursue purity and holiness so they could obtain the true riches that are only available through Jesus.

The refiner imagery echoes Malachi 3:3 where it is the Lord God himself who refines, reminding us that Jesus is inextricably identified with the Lord God, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness.”

The Laodiceans were to put on purity (white clothes) and seek healing for their spiritual sight (salve) so they could truly understand the revelation of Jesus.

The Laodiceans were to put on purity and seek healing for their spiritual sight.

‘Lord, is it I?’

Many have identified the Laodicean church with today’s Western Church – rich and self-satisfied. It has also been suggested that the seven letters correspond to seven church ages, with the Laodiceans typifying the current and last age. However, as David Pawson points out, the seven churches of Revelation are types of the Church in all ages, rather than a progression. He counsels against attempting to categorise various churches, but to look to our own church and to check our own hearts: “As we read these seven letters, let us ask: ‘Lord, is it I?’”⁸

The Laodiceans were counselled “to be earnest and repent” (v19). We need a new seriousness in the UK Church today. We, too, are smug, complacent, self-satisfied and self-indulgent. We are stuffed full of tepid, convenient, gospel-lite messages and yet starved of the full fiery counsel of God’s Word. Pastors and leaders are plate-spinning, running to stand still, preaching about reaching out with the Gospel on Sundays, their flock in turn talking about reaching out with the Gospel in their mid-week small groups, yet very few actually doing any meaningful outreach.

Many are churchgoers rather than disciples - tourists and passengers cheering from the side-lines rather than dedicated Gospel workers. Our lifestyles are remarkably similar to our non-Christian neighbours and many of us dip in and out of the Christian life and worship, only serving the Lord when convenient. Most Christians have never led a non-believer to faith, let alone discipled someone, yet this is the one task Jesus asked us to do.

We need a new seriousness in the UK Church today - we, too, are smug, complacent, self-satisfied and self-indulgent.

Jesus is at the Door

Ultimately, would Jesus feel at home in our churches? Is Jesus a stranger tapping on the door, hoping we will hear his gentle but insistent knocking (Rev 3:20)? We talk about him all the time, but do we know him and are we doing what he asked us to do?

In the material world, we have insurance for every danger we may encounter. Perhaps ‘faith’ for many of us is just eternity insurance. Mistakenly, we think our mental assent to some doctrines is the same as biblical faith. We are pathetically poor in terms of true riches - like the Laodicean church. We are starving but unaware of our plight.

However, if we will heed the warning we have this glorious promise: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Rev 3:20).

“So be earnest and repent” (v19).

References

1 Aune, DE, 1997. Revelation 1-5, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol 52, p249.

2 Osborne, GR, 2002. Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the NT. Grand Rapids, Michigan, p203.

3 Patterson, RD. The Use of Three in the Bible, 26 February 2008.

4 Osborne, p204.

5 Osborne, p205.

6 Aune, p256.

7 Aune, p257.

8 Pawson, D, 2008. A Commentary on the Book of Revelation. Anchor, Ashford, pp45-46.

Olympic athletes give praise where it is really due.

As the Olympic Games has shown increasing signs of returning to its pagan roots,¹ and as its promotion of world peace and unity was tarnished this year by the hostility shown to the 47-member Israeli delegation,² the humility (amid personal brilliance) of a few outstanding Christian competitors has shone out like stars in a darkened universe.

For Britain, bursting with pride after collecting a staggering 67 medals and finishing second in the table to the United States, it was an event to savour after some of our politicians had downplayed patriotism in favour of staying within the European Union. But the prowess of our athletes isn't enough; what the human body can achieve should not be an opportunity for self-congratulation, but for giving honour where it is really due.

Niekerk, Felix and the Fiji Rugby Sevens

This was the case for South African athlete Wayde van Niekerk, who gave glory to God just moments after his spectacular win in the 400 metres – echoing the gold medal won in the same event at the 1924 Paris Olympics by legendary Scottish athlete Eric Liddell, who went on to be a missionary in China.³

Holding up his running spikes, imprinted with the words 'Jesus I am all yours, use me' after breaking Michael Johnson's 17-year-old record with a time of 43.03 seconds, Wayde told the BBC: "The only thing I can do now is to give God praise. I went on my knees each and every day and I told the Lord to take care of me every step of the way."⁴

His achievement is all the more amazing as he had to fight for his life when entering the world as a 2lb premature baby in Cape Town 24 years ago.

The humility shown by various Christian Olympians has shone out like stars in the universe.

Also giving praise to Jesus was American pastor's daughter Allyson Felix after winning two golds (4 x 100 and 4 x 400 metres) and a silver medal in the 400 metres individual. Describing her ability as a gift from God, she said: "For me, my faith is the reason I run. I definitely feel I have this amazing gift that God has blessed me with, and it's all about using it to the best of my ability."⁵

But she has suffered pain and disappointment over the years, explaining: "It is with injuries my faith really plays a part because I know I'm able to look at the bigger picture and see that God has a plan for my life and that this is also part of it. I can't imagine my life without Jesus. I can't imagine just waking up and going through life without Him. He is my life and that's what I live for. I have learned that track doesn't define me. My faith defines me. I'm running because I have been blessed with a gift."⁶

The Fiji sevens pray after their gold medal win.And what about the Fijian rugby sevens team who, after winning gold by beating Team GB in the final for their country's first ever Olympic medal, got down on their knees to praise and thank the Lord who is clearly first in their hearts!

As London vicar Andy Palmer⁷ put it, they were reflecting the attitude shown by Israel's King David in penning Psalm 104 that, whatever we achieve as humans, we are merely God's creation and he is far greater than us – he is the one to be praised!

So let's take inspiration from these Olympic heroes who understand that there is a bigger picture to our lives; that Jesus wants to win our hearts and a life lived without him is ultimately empty and meaningless.

Running for the Eternal Prize

The Apostle Paul was clearly familiar with the ancient Olympics, making several references to athletics in his letters to the early Christians. In a rebuke to the Galatians who had been deceived by false teaching, he scolds: "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?" (Gal 5:7).

To the Philippians, he encourages them to join him as he presses on "towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14).

To Timothy his protégé, he urges: "Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come" (1 Tim 4:7f).

And again to Timothy he declares: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing" (2 Tim 4:7f).

Whatever we achieve as humans, we are merely God's creation and he is far greater than us – he is the one to be praised!

Yes, there is a prize for which we can all strive, as St Paul reminds the Corinthians: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last for ever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize" (1 Cor 9:24-27).

And in the letter to the Hebrews, we are urged to "run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross..." (Heb 12:2).

So we can learn from athletes of the necessity for strict training in our spiritual lives, because we are not running aimlessly, but for a crown that will last forever.

Personal Testimony

Having competed in many marathons, I have been hugely inspired by these scriptures over the years, encouraging me to keep going, and not give up, even though it hurts and the road ahead seems so long and arduous.

The only occasion I didn't finish a race – 'hitting a wall'⁸ after 22 miles in the 1972 Scottish Marathon – made me realise there was more to life than running, that God had a purpose and plan for my life. And within a week I had asked Jesus to be my Lord and Saviour.

I have never looked back. I see this as a picture of Britain, a nation that has been running away from God in a fruitless race to nowhere. But now, perhaps shaken up by the Brexit vote, we have finally run out of steam, leaving us in a position to once more consider the claims of the Jewish Messiah who has helped historically to make our country great.

The True Treasure

'Britain's golden age' was how one tabloid described our success at Rio. Perhaps that is stretching it too far, but if we shift our emphasis to a pursuit of discovering our true purpose instead of a relentless striving after earthly comfort and material benefits, there is a 'pot of gold'⁹ at the end of the rainbow, and it's found in the person of Jesus Christ, who said: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no-one comes to the Father except through me" (Jn 14:6).

Or, as a Jewish friend told me, Jesus is the only one who can take us to the finish line and award us the greatest medal of all – forgiveness of sin and eternal life!

Notes

1 We have been reminded, in a Christianity Today article by Steven Gertz, that the Olympics was lost to the world for 1,500 years after being outlawed by the Roman Emperor Theodosius in 393 AD for being too pagan. Not only did it involve gory violence and naked competitors, but pigs and bulls were sacrificed to pagan gods, to whom athletes swore allegiance (apparently Theodosius was strongly influenced by Bishop Ambrose of Milan). Alarmingly, the current Olympian anthem calls on an "ancient eternal spirit" – clearly with no connection to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ – to bless its endeavours.

2 An Egyptian judo competitor was sent home after refusing to shake the hand of his Israeli rival Or Sasson, who went on to win a bronze medal – somewhat ironic as the two countries have been at peace for 37 years – and the Lebanese Olympic delegation was reprimanded after blocking Israeli athletes from entering a bus they were supposed to share.

3 The subject of the film Chariots of Fire, Liddell elected not to run his favoured race, the 100 metres, because the heats were held on a Sunday – the Lord's Day – and surprised everyone with his brilliant run in the longer event. He went on to preach the gospel in China and died prematurely in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. But his legacy lives on – ultimately his whole life was run as a race to complete the work to which Jesus had called him.

4 See Farley, H. Wayde van Niekerk glorifies God after winning men's 400m: 'JESUS DID IT'. Christianity Today, 15 August 2016.

5 See Allyson Felix – the golden girl acknowledges the true champion. Real Life Stories.

6 Ibid.

7 Rev Andy Palmer is vicar of St John's, Downshire Hill, in Hampstead.

8 An expression used by marathon runners to indicate complete inability to go any further.

9 According to the Bible, all believers can look forward to living in a city of pure gold (Rev 21:18).

When times are changing, as in today's society, we find ourselves asking each other this question.

It was the one posited to the early church in 2 Peter 3:11, one of the latest books in the New Testament, when they were experiencing situations not too dissimilar to our own today. How did the persecuted Christians respond at that time?

Early Apologetics

There are a number of written records (which did not make it into the Bible) of what is known as Apologia, or writings defending Christianity to its accusers. The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus is one such example of Christian apologetics.

One particular chapter in a long letter thought to be to Diognetus (a tutor of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, admired for his wise advice) from a disciple, gives some of the answers which are still relevant today. Read this section on how Christians were seen to be behaving then and meditate on whether it matches our understanding of how we should be seen to be behaving today:

"For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity.

The course of conduct which they follow has not been devised by any speculation or deliberation of inquisitive men; nor do they, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrines.

But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined, and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life.

They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers.

They marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh.

They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives.

They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life.

They are poor, yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonoured, and yet in their very dishonour are glorified.

They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honour; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers.

When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred."

How does this witness to you? Can you be an apologist in today's society so that those who are picking up the wrong message about Christianity can re-think all that they are currently believing? Do we have modern apologists who are prepared to fight the case for Christianity in the world today?

Continuing his series on prophecy, Edmund Heddle turns to the life and ministry of John the Baptist.

Great interest was excited throughout the land of Israel when after three hundred years of prophetic silence, John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judah. He required the people to submit to a baptism of repentance in the River Jordan as the only right way to prepare for the imminent arrival of the Messiah (Luke 3:3).

This 'prophet of the Most High' (to use the description given him by his father Zechariah immediately after his birth and naming, see Luke 1:76) was to be the recipient of the highest accolade possible for a prophet to receive when, years later, Jesus declared "there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist" (Matt 11:11). Clearly, it is essential to include a consideration of John's prophetic ministry as we seek to understand 'What is a prophet?'

Contemporary Religious Outlook

The Jewish people, smarting under the Roman army of occupation, had been saved from complete despair by the messages of the great Hebrew prophets to which they listened in their synagogues Sabbath by Sabbath. Most of them wanted God's promise of deliverance to bring them a Messiah, a King of outstanding strength, who would rid them of their foreign overlords. However, there were a smaller number, sometimes styled the 'quiet in the land', who prayed continuously and looked expectantly for a righteous leader, a great prophet like Moses.

At a time when many nations are facing great political uncertainty with immorality, crime and violence apparently unstoppable; like Israel of old they need the prophetic warning that unless they repent disaster is inevitable, together with the persistent cry of the 'quiet' intercessors who prepare the Lord's way into their crisis situations.

At a time of such uncertainty, like Israel of old we need both prophetic warnings and the persistent cry of the 'quiet' intercessors who prepare God's way."

Similar Background

John and Jesus, who were cousins, both shared this latter background and were brought up among those who like Simeon "were waiting for the consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:25). There are intriguing parallels between the lives of these two. John and Jesus were born at nearly the same time, and in both cases their births were miraculous. They both had a long period of 'hidden years' before their public ministry, yet in total their lives were both short. At the commencement of their public ministry they knew tremendous popularity, but for both this later gave place to unmerciful hatred.

Finally both were killed by those who hated them and their righteousness. In each case only a handful of their disciples mourned their master's death and cared enough to carry their dead bodies away for burial. Today's prophets, like those of long ago, must be prepared to face rejection and suffering. Their demand for personal holiness and national righteousness is unlikely to improve their popularity rating.

Yet So Different

That there are striking similarities in the backgrounds and subsequent life experience of John and Jesus cannot be denied, and yet in other ways they were so different.

First, in their attitude to life. Jesus summed up their differences in his familiar words: "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners" (Matt 11:18-19).

Second, in their kind of ministry. Folk who were commending John's ministry nevertheless admitted "John never performed a miraculous sign" (John 10:41). Whereas, when John's disciples asked Jesus if he was the coming Messiah, he pointed to his miracles as evidence and told them to tell John: "The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised", and that he should cease doubting that Jesus was the Messiah, even though their ministries were so different.

There are intriguing parallels between the life of Jesus and that of John the Baptist, but they also differed greatly in their attitude to life, their ministry and witness."

Third, in the duration of their witness. Jesus showed that John was "a lamp that burned and gave light" (John 5:35) and for a while they had enjoyed his light. As a lamp attracts moths so for a while did John attract the crowds and even Herod himself (Mark 6:20). John was just a lamp which had to be lit and fed with oil. Jesus however is the self-perpetuating light to which John came to bear witness (John 1:8-9). Prophets may differ in their interpretation of Scripture and in the lifestyle they choose to adopt, but they need to be careful that their opinions and actions do not colour or conceal the pure light of Christ shining through them.

Fundamental Difference

The basic difference between John and Jesus was one that John was ever eager to point out. Jesus was 'the coming one', the one whose coming the prophets had foretold. John's coming was also foretold in Scripture but he was never more than a herald, a messenger sent to prepare the way of the Lord (Isa 40:3; Matt 11:10).

John stated that he was not fit to carry Jesus' sandals (Matt 3:11) for God had made it clear to him that when the dove came down and remained on Jesus after his baptism, this indicated that Jesus was nothing less than the Son of God (John 1:32-34). John is forever the servant of, and is inferior to, the Lord Jesus.

Jesus went even further when he said that "he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than [John]" (Matt 11:11). Those who are in the Kingdom are brought nearer to God, have a clearer knowledge of God and have higher privileges than the greatest that were before Christ. So the prophets who prepare the way for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus have a greater and more glorious message than John could have imagined.

John and the Earlier Prophets

Jesus regarded John as the greatest of the Old Testament prophets (Matt 11:11). In what ways was he like them and did he differ from them? John the Baptist did not reproduce all the aspects to be seen in the Old Testament prophets. We have already seen that he did not perform any miracles to confirm his spoken word, neither do we have any record of his making public intercession for the nation.

Jesus regarded John the Baptist as the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. John may not have performed miracles, but he was given the privilege of introducing the Saviour of mankind onto the public stage."

However, we hear him making strong ethical demands of his hearers and he reiterates the earlier prophets' demand for repentance. Unlike those who preceded him he was able to announce that God's promised visitation of his people was imminent. He stands alone in his use of baptism as an act of prophetic symbolism and is unique in his being able physically to introduce the Saviour of mankind on to the stage of his public ministry.

Jesus' Admiration of John

On the occasion when the deputation of John's disciples were leaving, Jesus spoke to the crowd about John. "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in king's palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written 'I will send my messenger ahead of you who will prepare your way before you'" (Matt 11:7-10).

John was not someone who would allow the winds of opposition to deter him from doing what he knew was right. Neither was he a pampered courtier fawning over the monarch. He was a man with a message and a man who had the courage to deliver that message. In fact this was how John came to spend the last part of his life in prison, because he had the courage to rebuke Herod the Tetrarch for taking his brother's wife (Matt 14:3-4).

John never allowed opposition to deter him from doing the right thing. He was a man with a message, the delivery of which required great courage and a strictly disciplined life."

Earlier John had given very clear and critical advice to tax collectors, soldiers and others who came to him seeking baptism (Luke 3:10-14). Even the religious leaders were made to face the need for a change of lifestyle before their professed repentance could be accepted. John likened them to the snakes that came scurrying out of their shelter in the grass and bushes when a desert fire broke out (Matt 3:7). It is a demanding role to declare what God requires of people both in secular and religious spheres of life, requiring not only considerable courage but also a strictly disciplined life.

Holy Violence

Jesus commended the single-minded determination he saw in John the Baptist and said that this was the attitude required of those who would seek to enter the kingdom. "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force" (Matt 11:12 RSV). The time had come to cast aside indifference and to maintain a holy resolution. Jesus' crusade for 'holy violence' was not a physical one, but a spiritual one: it required the death of formality in the quest for utter holiness.

John the Baptist's Problems

There were two temptations that John had to face. The first was when people began to turn away from John to join up with Jesus in considerable numbers, as their ministries proceeded side by side in Judea. One of John's lieutenants reported: "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan...well, he is baptising and everyone is going to him" (John 3:26). As happens so often, the truth was spiced up with a bit of exaggeration, but John refused the temptation as he replied: "A man can receive only what is given to him from heaven." He may have been tough, but he was certainly also gracious.

The greatest problem for John was being imprisoned by Herod. It must have been terrible for this man of the desert used to the wind blowing through his hair and able to freshen his sun-tanned face in the waters of the Jordan - he must have felt like a caged animal. In such circumstances John fell victim to doubt and depression (see Matt 11:2-6). Was this Jesus really the Messiah? Why wasn't he burning up the chaff? Why was he not demolishing all opposition to his kingdom? Jesus' reply warned him not to be offended at Jesus' very different approach (Matt 11:6).

It is important to remember that even John had doubts, and faced temptations. But his grasp of who Jesus was and what his ministry was about remained outstanding."

A Christ Centred Message

Apart from moments of self-questioning, John is outstanding for his grasp of who Jesus was and what his ministry was about. To John, Jesus is: the Son of God, the Lamb of God, the Baptiser in Holy Spirit, the coming one who had arrived, the one who was before John and greater, the wielder of his winnowing fork, the axe-man aiming at the root of the tree, the one from above, the bridegroom, the one whose sandals John was unfit to untie or carry and supremely the one who comes from heaven and is 'above-all' (Matt 3:10-12; Mark 1:7; John 1:27-34; John 3:29-34)!

John the Baptist shows all today's prophets the right attitude to Jesus when he says: "He must become greater; I must become less!" (John 3:30).

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 2 No 6, November/December 1986.

Not all are prophets, but all are called to be prophetic witnesses...

It was just before he said goodbye to his disciples and ascended into heaven that Jesus commissioned them, when they had received the Holy Spirit, to be his witnesses (Luke 24:48-49; Acts 1:4-8)

When his promise was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, Peter explained that what had happened to the disciples was a fulfilment of a prophecy of Joel and stated the result - adding his own four words – "and they shall prophesy" (Joel 2:28¬-29; Acts 2:16-18).

Putting these two statements together the conclusion that we reach is that all Christians are appointed by Jesus and are enabled by the Holy Spirit to be his 'prophetic witnesses' to the whole world in general, and to their own generation and locality in particular.

Not All Are Prophets

Christ's witnesses function as prophets do, but this does not mean that every believer is a prophet in the sense that Paul had in mind when he asked: "Are all prophets?" (1 Cor 12:29); the presumed answer to which is 'No!'. The ministry of the prophet, to which Paul referred, is an important one, second only to that of an apostle; but this is a ministry given only to some persons.

Not all Christians are called to the ministry of the prophet. But all are appointed by Jesus and enabled by the Holy Spirit to be his 'prophetic witnesses' to the outside world."

It is also necessary to distinguish that 'prophetic witness' which Jesus expects his disciples to maintain among a world of unbelievers from the manifestation of the gift of prophecy which Paul sought to encourage in the assembly of the Lord's people in Corinth (1 Cor 14:1, 5).

All God's People Witnesses

God's primary purpose in calling a people to be his own, in both Old Testament and New Testament times, is for them to be his witnesses. Paul told a company of idol worshippers in Lystra that God had not left himself without witness in that he had given them rain and fruitful seasons, but it is evident from the context that these people needed witnesses to show them that such essential blessings are the provision of a loving God (Acts 14:15-18).

In Isaiah's day, the people of God were reminded that they were his witnesses (Isa 43:10; 43:12, 44:8) with the responsibility of bearing witness to the fact that Jehovah is the living and true God as compared with all idols.

The Shema Witness

"Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord". These words repeated twice a day by orthodox Jews are called the Shema, from the Hebrew of the first word, meaning 'hear or listen'. In Jewish tradition, the last letter of the first word of the Shema and the last letter of the last word are printed in large type. These two letters are the letters of the Hebrew word 'witness'.

All believers are called to be witnesses: to listen to the living, speaking God and testify to his truth."

This statement which is part command, part creed and part covenant is an excellent summary of the witness Israel and the church today is called to sustain. The command is to listen, for God is a living God who speaks. The creed declares that he is one and besides him there is no other God. The covenant is implicit in his name Jehovah, who is the God who enters into covenant with his people.

New Testament Witness

By the time Jesus sent out his witnesses into all the world there was an additional piece of information to be added to the Old Testament witness: the God of glory had sent his Son to die for the sins of the whole world and had raised him from the dead. The essential aspect of New Testament witness is the fact of the resurrection (Acts 1:22).

Seven times over Luke informs us of this (Acts 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39; 10:41; 13:31; 17:18). No witness can claim to be truly Christian which denies, explains away or omits this fundamental truth (1 Cor 15:14-17).

Witness Word Study

The Hebrew word translated 'witness' literally means to repeat. It is part of being a witness to repeat what we have seen and experienced. However, the repetition may be that implied by the Old Testament's insistence that there must be at least two witnesses to establish the truth of any matter (Deut 17:6)- a principle which is carried over into New Testament teaching (Matt 18:16).

The New Testament word for witness is martus. This is the Greek root from which we get our English word 'martyr'. As F.F. Bruce has pointed out, by the time we come to the reference in Revelation 2:13 to 'Antipas, my witness', the Greek word 'martus' has begun its transition from 'witness' to 'martyr'. This stresses the cost of being a faithful witness.

The Greek word for 'witness' is also the root of our English word 'martyr'. Being a witness – that is, repeating what we have seen and experienced – comes with a cost."

The English word 'witness' refers to a person who has seen or can give first-hand evidence of some event. This quality of witness is emphasised in Jesus' words to Nicodemus. "We speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen" (John 3:11).

Witnesses Stand Out

The English word for 'witness' is made up of two words: 'wit' (meaning 'to know') occurs in several well-known phrases such as 'to have the wit to', 'to keep one's wits about one' and 'to be at one's wits end'.

The second word 'ness' is of French origin and means 'nose'. It occurs in a number of English place names e.g. Dungeness, Foulness, Shoeburyness, also Walton-on-the¬-Naze - all places which project or stick out.

The English word 'witness' implies someone who sticks out because of what he knows."

It would be hard to beat this definition of a 'witness' that he stands out for what he knows! Before leaving the words used for 'witness' it is important to note that the words 'testify', 'testimony' and 'bear record' are all translations of the Greek word 'martus' and have the same meaning as 'witness'.

Universal Witnessing

Jesus' words make it clear that he expects his disciples to carry out their witnessing to the ends of the earth. "To all nations, beginning from Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47), "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8) indicates our marching orders geographically to be to the ends of the earth. But there are other 'worlds' into which we must seek entry for his gospel. The 'worlds' of music, art, drama, sport, society and many others have all to be evangelised.

We have been given our marching orders: to take the good news of Jesus to the ends of the earth and into every sphere of society."

We must regain the commitment of those early Christian witnesses who witnessed to Jewish rulers, to an occult magician, to a Roman jailor, to a Roman centurion, to Athenian intellectuals, to a rioting crowd in Ephesus, to King Agrippa and to a number of Roman governors. They didn't give their witness behind the closed doors of Church buildings in those days, expecting strangers to 'come and get it!'

Power-packed Witness

The secret of their powerful witness was their conscious receiving of the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had promised them the dynamic experience which they had appropriated. He had told them that when the Holy Spirit came he would bear witness and they also were witnesses (John 15:26-27).

But the initiative was the Holy Spirit's. He showed them where to witness. He directed Philip away from a revival to a deserted road; persuaded Peter to break out of his religious apartheid and sent Paul sailing to Europe and finally to Rome itself (Acts 8:26; 10:20; 16:10; 27:24).

Witness Confirmed

He enabled them to witness effectively by transcending their merely human wisdom (1 Cor 2:4). He backed up their words with demonstrations of his power. When Ananias and Sapphira lied about their offering they collapsed and died (Acts 5:1-11). When Elymas the magician resisted Paul he ended up with temporary blindness (Acts 13:6-11). As they witnessed he brought conviction to their hearers and multiplied the number of those who were being saved (John 16:8-11; Acts 2:37-41).

The secret of successful witnessing is the conscious receiving of the power of the Holy Spirit, who witnesses through and with us, and backs up our words with demonstrations of his power."

Speaking God's Words

The most simple definition of a prophet is 'one who speaks God's words' and it was Moses who expressed the desire "that all the Lord's people should be prophets" (Num 11:29). That wish was fulfilled when Joel's prophecy was made a reality on the day of Pentecost (Joel 2:28-29). Then Jesus' promise became true: "When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you" (Matt 10:19-20). This is what it means to prophesy and all true witnesses are prophets in the sense that Moses had in mind.

This is the only manifestation of prophecy in which all the Lord's people can share. They cannot all receive the ministry of the prophet and it is unlikely that they will all be able to speak a word of prophecy in the worship gathering of the Lord's people; but they can and they must be prophetic witnesses to the world. The one about whom they bear witness is called "the faithful and true witness" (Rev 1:5; 3-14) and they can have no higher ambition than that their witness is also faithful and true.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 2, No 5, September/October 1986.

As we approach the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta, Lynda Rose asks: how real are its freedoms for us today?

On 15 June 1215, with England on the brink of civil war, King John met with the barons at Runnymede and put his seal to what was in effect a peace treaty: Magna Carta. Today, that Charter has become one of the most celebrated and influential documents in history, rightly seen as the foundation for Democracy worldwide. Lord Denning described it as "...the foundation of the freedom of the individual against the arbitrary authority of the despot."¹

But just how real are those freedoms in 21st century Britain? Does the spirit of Magna Carta live on...or has it been destroyed by secular totalitarianism?

Rights for all?

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the United Nations calls 'a Magna Carta for all humanity', human rights are:

rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status.²

Those rights include: freedom of belief and religion, the right to life, the right to be treated equally before the law, the right to freedom without imprisonment for just cause, the right to marry and have a family, and the right to education.

Globally, we talk a lot about 'rights' these days. In fact, "It's my right!" has become almost a mantra, justifying any and every imaginable behavior in the worldwide quest for self-fulfillment. But the reality in present-day secular and multicultural Britain is that 'rights' are extremely selectively applied, and increasingly Christians are finding themselves not just marginalized, but no longer allowed to speak in public about their faith.

Ideological war

What many do not realize is that the situation today is the direct result of an ideological war; between Christians on the one hand, and Secularism on the other. It is a war that will allow no quarter, and that has as its goal the complete annihilation of Christianity.

The ideological war being waged by Secularism will allow no quarter: its goal is the complete annihilation of Christianity."

Moral rebranding in the name of tolerance and diversity is part of a much larger strategy that started at around the beginning of the last century, when the Soviet Institute for Social Research – later rebranded the Frankfurt School - identified the Judeo-Christian legacy (seen as both the foundation and buttress of Western society) as the reason why the revolution had not spread, as expected, across Europe. Based on this analysis, they devised a complex strategy aimed at completely destroying the beliefs and institutions on which Western society rested. As well as religion, in particular they targeted the Family, which they identified as one of the main building blocks.

It was a strategy designed to produce mass hopelessness and alienation, destroying faith in God and any idea of transcendent purpose that might provide some sort of unifying force for the common man. In the words of Muzenburg, one of the founders of the movement, "We will make the West so corrupt that it stinks."

In 1969, following the Stonewall riots, this same strategy was taken over and developed by the Gay rights movement, brought to a peak in 1989 by Kirk and Madsen. In their book 'After the Ball: How America will Conquer Its Hatred and Fear of Gays in the '90s', the pair devised a strategy designed to rebrand morality. Their express aim was to recast gays as victims – where necessary rewriting history – to achieve not just acceptance, but to make homosexuality the norm. So began the demolition of the establishment from within.

Moral rebranding in the name of tolerance and diversity is part of a much larger strategy that has been going on for over a century."

A carefully orchestrated strategy

This is not to say that everyone who embraces secularist, humanist or LGBT ideas today is signed up to the Frankfurt School or is deliberately attacking Christianity, but this actually is the agenda that, consciously or unconsciously, such people have been seduced into following. It is an organised and carefully orchestrated strategy for totalitarianism, which wants at base the complete overthrow of Christianity and Western society. Hardly surprising then that freedom of speech is being re-cast to demonise anything that implies criticism of the new dogma, with anything outside of that – whether personal opinion or a quotation from the Bible - being re-cast as hate speech.

It is important that we understand this, because we too, in the name of 'tolerance' and love, have been subjected to psychological conditioning. And, sad to say, many in the Church have succumbed. This is why the Church is weak – because we have lost our way. But endorsement of behaviours prohibited in the Bible, far from demonstrating Christian love, makes us complicit in sin.

Freedom of speech is being re-cast to demonise anything which criticizes the new dogma, re-positioning it as hate speech."

So, what can we do?

First, and most obviously, we have to start by recovering the truths of our faith. Which means that we need to go back and read the Bible. Carefully. And we need to repent where we've gone astray. Because only then will we have the clarity to understand our spiritual heritage, and what God has done for us uniquely in Christ. Only then will we be able to stand against the lies!

Second, we need to fear God rather than man, and to stand up for our faith. Because if we don't, then not only do we betray the One who died for us, but we condemn our fellow human beings to unimaginable torment that will last forever. This is the truth for which we stand guardian.

We need to recover the truths of our faith, reclaiming what has been stolen from us, and standing up for it!

Third, we need to reclaim the language that has been stolen, and refuse to be cowed into accepting the lies and misinformation put about by those who want to drive Christianity from the public arena. Whatever we tell ourselves, we will not remain 'relevant' or retain influence by adapting our message. No, God did not get it wrong, and times have not 'moved on'! The Bible is expression of eternal and transcendent truth, and only by following its precepts will men and women be free and find true fulfillment.

In the words of Jeremiah (6:16):

Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.

In the current ideological struggle, there is no such thing as a safe middle ground where we can remain neutral. Let us make no mistake, this is a spiritual war, and we are either on one side or the other. It's as stark as that. We either defend our rights and our faith – which, as seen in Magna Carta, has made Western society what it is – or we lose those rights altogether, and see a different, intolerant and harsh value system come into force: a system that will only allow the expression of views that validate itself, with everything else suppressed!

In this struggle, there is no such thing as a safe, neutral middle ground. Make no mistake, this is a spiritual war- we are either on one side or the other."

On 15 June, to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the actual signing of Magna Carta, VfJUK is organizing a Rally outside Parliament. We are asking a question: How free are YOU today? And, based on Magna Carta, we are saying enough is enough. Please join us in defending the Christian foundation of this country and our Christian freedoms, as we call for 'real' freedom of speech and of belief. Come yourself, and bring along ten friends – and ask them to invite ten more!

It's time to make a stand for our faith. Together we can make a difference.

For details of the rally, visit the Voice for Justice website, or register to come on Facebook.

References

1 Magna Carta and the Law Society and Bar Council

2 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Our second installment on 'Changing Britain' looks at how the Gospel message is being passed on to future generations. Following the statistical analysis is a biblical comment from Monica Hill.

Transmission of Faith

Re-printed from Brierley Consultancy's FutureFirst, June 2014 issue, with kind permission.

The transmission of faith from one generation to another is critically important. One person who has studied this in some depth is Prof David Voas, now of Essex University but previously Professor of Population Studies at Manchester University. In one piece of research published in 2012 he and a colleague evaluated the impact of family life on church attendance through three generations using data from the 2001 International Congregational Life Survey, a significant study with over 9,000 respondents.

In general they found the older a person the more likely they were to have or have had churchgoing parents. The graph shows the percentage of churchgoers in England in 2001 who did NOT have regularly attending churchgoing parents.

Percentage of current churchgoers whose parents rarely or never went to church, England, 2001.

• Older people now attending church are more likely to have continued the family tradition of churchgoing. The research compared results with the Australian data which was based on similar questions, and the overall results found:
• Men were about 5% more likely than women to have or had parents who were not churchgoers, except for those aged 85 or over (2% difference).
• Australian churchgoers were less likely than those in England to have or had parents who were not churchgoers, also by about 5%, 18% to 23%.
• The impact of two churchgoing parents is considerably greater than one.
• Grandparental religious activity also has a significant effect.

Approximately a quarter, 23%, of English churchgoers therefore have started going to church when their parents did not, and this might be taken as an estimate of the percentage of "conversion" growth of current congregations. Church congregations grow, of course, because new people join the congregation (having started going to church elsewhere) or newly start coming to that particular church. Other studies have found that new people in a church are relatively few (a 2012 English study found just 24% of those in evangelical churches had been attending less than 20 years), meaning "church growth" is mostly "church transfer". David Voas's research thus underlines the huge importance of transmission in family life.

Some factors in present-day family life make that transmission more difficult. Almost half, 46%, of children today will see their parents divorce before they are 16, and a family split inhibits transmission of faith very severely. Churchgoing parents seem to be as likely to divorce as non-churchgoing ones.

Many church families are middle-class, and many have both parents working. Those aged 30 to 44 are especially likely not to attend as regularly as others simply because of the pressure in their home with a young family, but it is in this age-group where those practices are often most needed to establish the tradition of churchgoing, and encourage transmission.

The very large majority of churchgoers in both England and Australia are married, much more than the percentage of married people in the population. For the large majority of these, both partners attend church together, so they are making joint decisions on this activity and thus encouraging their children in churchgoing.

The finding about grandparental influence confirms other research of young people undertaken in England – one study found some 60% were likely to attend church if their grandparents did.

The importance of family life and the traditions embodied within that, especially of religious activity, is crucial, and this research confirms this. Encouraging family religious life should therefore be a priority in church teaching.

Sources: Article by David Voas and Ingrid Storm in Review of Religious Research, Vol 53, No 4, Jan 2012, Page 377; Living the Christian Life, Brierley Consultancy, April 2013; Newsletter, Marriage Foundation, Spring 2014; Reaching and Keeping Tweenagers, Christian Research, 2002.

Biblical Comment

Monica Hill

Handing on the baton is the responsibility of every believer. Failure to pass it on, to the very best of the ability of all believers, places the continuance of the faith in ANY nation at risk.

We can learn a great deal on the survival of the Jewish faith over the centuries by reading how they passed on their faith to their children. This mainly took place in the family home. Both boys and girls were taught the rudimentary elements of the faith by their mothers in the home up until the age of 11 or 12. It was only then that the boys (after their Bar Mitzvah) went into schools to go more deeply into the faith.

In the home the children learned to recite the Shema, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one" as an assertion of God's Kingship (Deut 6:4-9), which is followed by "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children."

Hearts and Minds

Deuteronomy 11:18 adds "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds." There are practical ways in which this can be achieved: "talk about them [God's teachings] when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates" (Deut 11:18-20). The reason is one which we should all embrace: "so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth" (v21).

More than Head Knowledge

A 'Christian' country' or specific group claiming to be Christian is only one generation away from extinction unless a full understanding and a personal belief is embraced and passed on to others. In order for it to survive, faith needs to move beyond 'learning by rote' to having personal meaning so that those who try to communicate to others are helping them catch more than just 'head knowledge'.

A 'Christian' country' is only one generation away from extinction unless a full understanding and a personal belief is embraced and passed on to others."

Unfortunately, parents first passed this responsibility on to the Church (who developed all kinds of groups such as Sunday Schools, youth clubs and uniformed organisations) and then to state schools, where all pupils received Christian instruction and each day started with a worship assembly. Parents relaxed and left it to others who they thought were more proficient than themselves.

The churches did a good job in teaching the young of both believers and those on the fringe, until social and family issues saw the demise of afternoon Sunday Schools and uniformed organisations went out of fashion, demanding new methods of outreach and attracting youngsters. In schools, the emphasis changed from knowledge, to education, to theoretical study of comparative religions; teachers no longer needed to be believers and legal changes then led to stagnation. A religious and spiritual understanding is no longer a priority.

Danger of Complacency

Many churches are now trying new methods of reaching out, like 'messy church' and holiday clubs, but the crucial home influence is still waning.

Any nation that settles back into thinking that it will always be a 'Christian nation' and that the next generation will automatically become Christians without any input, witness or prayer from them, is in for a shock. God can, and should, speak directly to each individual, but we are all called to be witnesses - even if we do not have the gift of an evangelist.

Any nation that settles back into thinking that the next generation will automatically become Christians without any input from them, is in for a shock."

Christianity is built upon relationships and although we can highlight moral codes and values, once the close personal link with the Creator is lost, it can become no more than a list of rules and regulations to keep. God has no grandchildren – only children who have a direct relationship with him.

Seize Every Opportunity

However, today there is an amazing challenge to those believers who have grandchildren (or even know other people's grandchildren). It is almost as though they are being given a second chance to reach another generation, even when they have not made a good job of passing their faith onto their own children. Grandparents can be 'cool' when parents can just be an 'embarrassment'. The opportunities are there in an age when older people are living longer and there are an increasing number of grandparents and great-grandparents who have 'known' the Father (1 John 3).

How can we encourage older people to take their responsibilities for our nation seriously? This should be a major objective in every congregation, family and community.

Series background

Over the next few weeks we will be using some recent surveys from the Brierley Consultancy to delve further into what God is saying to Britain. Each instalment will feature statistics on a different set of trends, followed by biblical analysis from Monica Hill.

Hard factual evidence drawn from different kinds of surveys can help Christians to ascertain exactly what, where and how our society is changing, and can equip them both to pray and to take action where necessary.

Christians should be alert to current trends and be prepared to act to bring things into alignment with the ordained will of God. While nothing can take place outside the sovereign will and knowledge of God, not all activities are God-ordained.

Previous weeks: The Rise of Secularism: YES, I have NO religion!

As we continue to seek an answer to the question 'What is a prophet?', Edmund Heddle looks at the truth stated in Revelation 19:10: "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy".

First, let us notice the close connection that existed between witness-bearing and prophecy in the early church. Jesus' final words to his disciples before his ascension promised:

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses (Acts 1:8).

Later on, when the Day of Pentecost arrived, Peter explained the extraordinary happenings as a fulfilment of prophecy. But in quoting Joel 2:28-29, Peter added four of his own words, not found in the original prophecy: 'And they shall prophesy'.

Prophecy and witness

Putting together the two stated results of the Spirit's coming -'you shall be witnesses' and 'shall prophesy', it becomes clear that what the disciples of Jesus were to engage in was 'prophetic witnessing'. This means they would be speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, with the words he gave them to speak, and the central theme of their speaking would be Jesus. To them this would be a fulfilment of the promise Jesus made in the Upper Room, when he said "The Spirit of truth...will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses" (John 15:25-27).

Primary witness

Jesus shows here that in the work of spreading the gospel throughout the world, the primary witness was the Holy Spirit and that although the secondary witness of the disciples was essential, without the Holy Spirit their witness would be totally ineffective. This essential relationship in witnessing underlies what Peter said to the Jewish Sanhedrin: "We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit" (Acts 5:32).

In the work of the gospel, the primary witness is the Holy Spirit and the secondary witness is us. Both are essential"

Old Testament Prophets

The close link between prophecy and witnessing to Christ is also seen in what the New Testament says about the prophets of the Old Covenant. Peter preaching in the house of Cornelius declared "To him all the prophets bear witness" (Acts 10:43).

The writer to the Hebrews refers to the Holy Spirit bearing witness to Christ's perfect offering for our sins (Heb 10:14-18). Peter makes it clear that prophets were moved to prophesy things that were totally beyond their understanding. He said: They enquired what person or time was indicated by the Spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory. (1 Pet 1:11)

Devoted to prophecy

It is in the Book of Revelation that we see the closest connection between prophecy and witness, or testimony to Jesus. Revelation is the only book in the New Testament devoted entirely to prophecy (Rev 1:3, 10:11 and 22:18). It is a prophetic message from the Lord Jesus through John, to be read at the worship services of the church in Asia Minor. John never refers to himself as a prophet, though he is not the only example of an apostle prophesying (Acts 27:21-26).

In the book of Revelation we see the closest connection between prophecy and witness"

C. M. Kempton Hewitt shows how important the Book of Revelation is to our understanding of New Testament prophecy. He writes:

The Book of the Revelation is necessary to complete the New Testament canon. Without it we would know very little about the form and function of prophecy in the primitive church.¹

Important statement

The most illuminating statement about prophecv in the Book of Revelation (and possibly in the whole New Testament) is the verse we have already referred to in chapter 19:10 – "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." William Barclay in his commentary describes it as "an ambiguous phrase and a very import one."

John had been listening to a breath-taking account of the final salvation God will bring about and the blessedness of those who are invited the marriage supper of the Lamb. Finally, when the angel assures him the absolute certainty of these things, John understandably falls down to worship the angel. The angel immediately warned him against such action, saying, "You must not do that! I am but a servant like yourself and your brothers who hold fast the testimony Jesus. Worship God!" Then follows the statement, "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy", though it is not clear whether it is part of the angel's message or whether it is John's inspired comment.

Difficult phrase

Commenting on this phrase, the Translator's New Testament (produced by the Bible Society to assist those making new translations in the vernacular) states:

This is a difficult phrase, partly because of the two possible interpretations of the first part of the sentence (the testimony of Jesus may mean 'the testimony which Jesus bore' or it may mean 'the Christian testimony to Jesus'); partly because it is not clear whether the reference is to OT or NT prophets and partly because of the form of words in 'is the spirit of prophecy'.

On the other hand, Henry Alford in the Greek New Testament² is quite decided about the right way to understand this phrase. He argues that Jesus in the genitive must be objective and therefore the phrase must be understood as 'the testimony borne to Jesus by these fellow-servants'. He adds, "There is no reason for destroying its force by making Jesus subjective and ',the Testimony of Jesus' to mean 'the witness which proceeds from Jesus'."

Rev 19:10 is a difficult, ambiguous phrase. But one thing is for certain: it affirms a clear link between prophecy and witness to Jesus."

William Barclay, however, noting that scholarship is divided on whether the phrase means 'the witness which the Christian bears to Christ' or 'the witness which Christ bears to men' wonders whether the double meaning is intentional and writes (in his Commentary on Revelation):

This is the kind of double meaning of which the Greek language is capable; and it may well be that John intended the double meaning and that we are not meant to choose between the meanings, but to accept both of them.

Prophets and witnesses

One thing is certain, however the verse may be understood: this phrase affirms an inseparable link between Christian prophecy and witness to Jesus.

David Hill³ draws attention to the parallel between this verse and a similar situation and verse in chapter 22:9 and concludes that the brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus are to be identified with the prophets. He declares:

What appears to be implied by the collocation of clauses in this verse is that all members of the church are, in principle or potentially, prophets, just as the whole church presents itself, in exemplary fashion, in the form of the two witnesses [emphasis added, see also Rev 11:3].

The Spirit glorifies Jesus

Enough has been said to establish the connection in Scripture between prophecy on the one hand and witness, or testimony, to Jesus on the other. But such a link is only to be expected. Jesus said "The Spirit of truth...He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13-14). We should expect therefore that all prophecy that is truly inspired by the Holy Spirit will witness to Jesus; to who he is, to what he has said and done, to what he is doing now and to what he will yet do.

We should expect that all prophecy that is truly Holy Spirit-inspired will witness to who Jesus is, what he has said and done, is doing now and will yet do"

Angels and men share task

From the incident before us we see that it is prophecy that links men and angels as fellow-servants of God; as those who are engaged in one common task, bearing witness to Jesus. Martin Kiddle writes⁴:

The Christian who holds the testimony of Jesus does no less than an angel. The angel proclaims the eternal truth of Christ's gospel; he comes from the Presence with messages to men [Luke 1:30-35; 2:10-12]...But the prophet also performs this task; he also proclaims the mind of Christ.

It is prophecy that links men and angels as fellow-servants of God, engaged in one common task of bearing witness to Jesus"

The angel forbade John to worship him. But both angels and men join to worship the Lord Jesus. He is the one whom the disciples worshipped without rebuke (Matt 28:9, 17) and concerning whom Scripture says, "Let all the angels of God worship him" (Heb 1:6).

Witnesses and martyrs

The Book of the Revelation warns us that the prophets of the New Testament church, like their predecessors in the Old Testament, must expect persecution it they bear a faithful witness to Jesus Christ. Remember the writer himself was imprisoned on the isle of Patmos "on account of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus" (Rev 1:9), and many other apostles were put to death. And so the witness (in Greek, 'martus') becomes the martyr.

Testing prophecy

It is precisely because prophecy affirms things about Jesus that both Paul and John are insistent that all prophecy must be tested. They warn us not to accept every inspired utterance at its face value. We do well to remember Jesus' warning that there would be false prophets as well as true ones (1 Cor 14:29, 1 Thess 5:19-22, 1 John 4: 1-3, Matt 7:15-20).

It is precisely because prophecy affirms things about Jesus that all prophecy must be tested."

Christ-like prophesying

The inspiring Spirit at the heart of all true prophecy is ever seeking to point men to Jesus and to the truth about Jesus. We can take it, however, that the phrase we have been studying refers not only to the content of the prophecy, but also to the manner in which the utterance is presented. If a prophecy is to bear effective testimony to Jesus it must at the same time bear witness to his loving and gracious attitude of service. Bernard of Clairvaux got it right when he said "Learn the lesson that if you are to do the work of a prophet, what you need is not a sceptre but a hoe." Prophets, like Jesus, are to be servants and must not use their gift to lord it over God's people (Luke 22:27).

Prophecy's dark side

George Mallone points out that "singing only one tune in prophecy fails to express the full nature of Christ as it is revealed in Scripture".⁵ There is a dark side to the prophet's ministry and a full-orbed presentation of judgement and grace must feature in any adequate testimony to the Lord Jesus.

Speaking in love

As we sum up our answer to the question 'What is a prophet?' we see that it is someone who is so filled with the Holy Spirit that this influences everything that he says and the way that he says it. John Gunstone said:

I have heard prophetic utterances that brought congregations to their knees in penitence and joy, and I have heard other utterances devoid of inspiration that spoke only of the anger and frustration of the one who gave them.⁶

Prophets must never forget the danger pointed out by Paul, when he said "If I have prophetic powers...but have not love, I am nothing" (1 Cor 13:2).

Prophets must never forget the danger pointed out by Paul, when he said "If I have prophetic powers...but have not love, I am nothing" (1 Cor 13:2).

So, whether we are thinking of the continuing prophetic witness all believers are responsible to maintain, or of the gift of prophecy manifest occasionally in the church, or of those who have been given a prophetic ministry in the church and in the world, all true Christian prophesying will be distinguished by the fact that it points to Jesus and promotes his honour. For this is what the Spirit of prophecy is constantly urging all true prophets to do.

First published in Prophecy Today, 1985, Vol 1, Issue 3.

References

1 Handbook of Biblical Prophecy, Baker, p112.

2 Vol 4, p726.

3 New Testament Prophecy, Marshalls, pp89-90.

4 Moffatt Commentary on Revelation

5 Those Controversial Gifts, Hodder & Stoughton, pp40-41.

6 A People for His Praise, Hodder & Stoughton, p105.

Political change cannot provide solutions for society's deepest need: in the wake of the General Election it is time for Christians to unite to transform our nation...

The result of the 2015 General Election has meant relief for some and grief for others, but surprise for nearly all. One prediction came true: the SNP landslide. Will Scotland seek a further referendum on independence? Nicola Sturgeon says no, but if she does not gain what she wants at Westminster, will she change her mind? Will English and Scottish politicians spend the next five years butting heads? Will the Union collapse?

Division is rife

Division is rife in our nation: politically between Scotland and England, economically between north and south and the haves and have-nots, and socially between black and white, male and female.

Greed and selfishness breed unhealthy competition and division. Those who cannot compete go under and growing numbers find themselves in a poverty trap. We blame the government for our social ills, but no government can solve them all. Only the gospel can change the selfishness in human hearts that causes division and suffering. Only the compassion of the Saviour can reach the depths of broken lives and only a revival can transform society.

The Wesleyan revival of the 18th century transformed areas of society that no politician could reach. Yet our national church did not champion their preaching but closed its pulpits to them, so that the Wesley brothers and their friend George Whitefield began to preach out of doors to the poor. Opposition to the revival continued in the Anglican Church and so Methodism as a separate denomination was born. Sadly, part of the legacy of the revival was division in the Church. The opportunity for a revival uniting people across class and political divides as one Body of believers was lost.

If we are to see revival in our nation, we must seek unity so that we do not limit the work of the Holy Spirit by our divisions."

A divided nation needs a united Church

Let true believers of every denomination unite under the manifesto of Jesus from Isaiah 61:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.

Cardinal Vincent Nicholls, leader of the Catholic Church in Britain, has pointed out that when Christians are persecuted, their persecutors do not ask what denomination they belong to or what, for example, is their theology of the Holy Spirit. They just see the people of the Cross. In the same way, the beggars Mother Teresa helped were unlikely to have questioned her orthodoxy: they simply saw her devotion to Christ.

The needs of our society cry out for Christians of all denominations to work together, sharing skills and resources, rather than insisting on promoting the work of our own churches and organisations, which leads to duplication of effort and inefficient use of assets.

That does not mean compromising core beliefs but discerning who are our real gospel partners: we must jealously guard the faith handed down to us by the apostles, and prioritise the saving work of the gospel at the centre of all mission and social action, otherwise we lose our distinctiveness (Matt 5:13).

Seeking unity does not mean compromising on core beliefs. It means discerning real partners in Christ and prioritising the saving work of the gospel."

How do we discern who our gospel partners are?

Christian unity must be based on our position "in Christ" (Gal 3:28), proceeding from his saving work and the ongoing work of his Spirit conforming us to his image (Rom 8:29).

The hallmark of true believers of every denomination is spiritual new birth (John 3:3), through which we become part of the Body of Christ:

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)

Ephesians 4 also speaks of our "unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God", which grows as we are equipped and edified by the five-fold ministry (v11-13). This implies that our unity is built on the Word of God. May we work towards local leaders meeting together for study and prayer so that unity for ministry in our neighbourhoods is strong in both word and Spirit?

Bound together in love

Jesus did not say that our distinctiveness lies in identical doctrinal positions on all points, but in the love we have for one another (John 13:35). It is time for us to unite in love, to "put on love, which binds all virtues together in perfect unity" (Col 3:14) and to "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Eph 4:3).

So let this "one body" work in unity across denominational boundaries to "bind up the broken-hearted" and "release the captives" (Isa 61). May we agree to disagree about our differences on matters of secondary importance and lift Jesus higher in our nation through servant-hearted gospel witness and social intervention?

Prophecy Today UK would love to hear about local initiatives involving believers from different churches and denominations working together. Please get in touch via our Contact page.