Band of Brothers

Just finished Band of Brothers (first time watching it through having missed the TV series). To even contemplate what these men went through will give but a shadow of the reality... to see grown men still brought to tears as the look back to 50 years in the past, it is a humbling and thankful emotion that wells!

From this day to the ending of the world,But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother...

To them!!!

Calling Christian Leaders

John Stott’s “Calling Christian Leaders” is a very helpful set of short chapters, teaching from 1 Corinthians 1-4.

In chapter 1, looking at 1 Corinthians 1:1-17, Stott shows us the ambiguity of the church, that the church today: is sanctified, yet still sinful, and called to be holy (v2, v11); is enriched, yet still defective as it longs for the return of Christ (v5-8); is united, yet still divided (v10-17).

Chapter 2 get us into 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5, showing how power is to be found in weakness, when it comes to Christian leadership. A weak message, of Christ crucified (yet the powerful way God saves), a weak preacher (that faith might not rest on man’s wisdom, but on God’s power), reaching weak, foolish, lowly people (that the glory would rest with God, not proud, arrogant man)…

Stott then goes on to look at 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, being concerned to show us here the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Scripture. Stott helpfully brings out 4 stages: that the Spirit searches, knowing even the deep things of God (v10); the Spirit reveals God’s salvation to the apostles (biblical authors) (v12); the Spirit inspires the apostles (biblical authors) to communicate God’s salvation to others (v13); the Spirit enlightens those who read the message (v13-16). It’s a call for the Christian leader to humble himself. To humble himself before Scripture, and study it diligently, but in absolute dependence on the Spirit, without whom, our hearts will remain dull, cloudy, deaf and blind.

The penultimate chapter concerns itself with 1 Corinthians 3, and Stott expands the three analogies that Paul uses to describe the church: God’s field (v5-9), God’s building (v9-16) and God’s temple (v16-17). Stott shows us how Christian leaders have nothing to boast about - it is only God who makes things grow; that Christian leaders mustn’t move on from Christ crucified, the foundation of the church, and the way a solid, durable church is built (not with the cheap, perishable teaching of the world); the Christian leaders mustn’t forget what the church is – “it may (in our view) consist of uneducated, unclean, unattractive people. And the congregation may be small and immature and factious. Nevertheless, it is the church of God, His dwelling place by His Spirit, and needs to be treated as such.” The chapter totally downplays the Christian leaders, as God the Father gives the growth, God the Son is its only foundation, and it is the dwelling place of God the Spirit.

Finally, Stott finishes with a look at 1 Corinthians 4. A particularly challenging chapter on who, or what, Christian leaders must be like: servants of Christ (v1); stewards of revelation (v1-2); the scum of the earth (v8-13); fathers of the church family (v14-21). That which underlines each of these 4 is humility, humility before Christ – whose subordinates we are; humility before Scripture – of which we are stewards; humility before the world – whose opposition we are bound to encounter; humility before the congregation – whose members we are to love and serve.

There’s a real challenge to our thinking in v8-13, as Stott gets us into some tough verses on what Christian leadership is like… heading to death in the amphitheatre, the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world, thirsty and hungry. Stott helpfully gets these verses under our skin… “..the difficulty we have in applying this text to ourselves may indicate how far we have drifted from the New Testament. True, the persecution of Christians is increasing in some (especially Hindu and Muslim) cultures. Yet most of use are not cursed, persecuted or slandered. Today, even in a non-Christian, pluralist or secular culture, it is still regarded as quite respectable even honourable to be an ordained clergyman. … but it is not everywhere thus, and it should certainly not be taken for granted. I think we need to listen again to the words of Jesus: ‘Woe to you when all men speak well of you’ (Luke 6:26). Beware, I beg of you, of the temptation to be a popular preacher! I doubt if it is possible to be popular and faithful at the same time.”

Ryle ... just can't get enough

How quick I can be to think my heart can change by my own efforts and struggles.......

J C Ryle on Bible Reading

The Bible applied to the heart by the Holy Spirit, is "the chief means by which men are built up and strengthened in the faith," after their conversion. It is able to make them pure, to sanctify them, to train them in righteousness, and to thoroughly equip them for every good work. (Psalm 119:9; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Spirit ordinarily does these things by the written Word; sometimes by the Word read, and sometimes by the Word preached, but seldom, if ever, without the Word. The Bible can show a believer how to walk in this world so as to please God. It can teach him how to glorify Christ in all the relationships of life, and can make him a good leader, employee, subordinate, husband, father, or son. It can enable him to bear misfortunes and loss without murmuring, and say, "It is well." It can enable him to look down into the grave, and say, "I will fear no evil" (Psalm 23:4). It can enable him to think about judgment and eternity, and not feel afraid. It can enable him to bear persecution without flinching and to give up liberty and life rather than deny Christ’s truth.

• Is he weary in soul? It can awaken him.


• Is he mourning? It can comfort him.


• Is he erring? It can restore him.


• Is he weak? It can make him strong.


• Is he in the company of the unbeliever? It can keep him from evil.


• Is he alone? It can talk with him. (Psalm 6:22).

All this the Bible can do for all believers—for the least as well as the greatest—for the richest as well as the poorest. It has done it for thousands already, and is doing it for thousands every day.The man who has the Bible, and the Holy Spirit in his heart, has everything which is absolutely necessary to make him spiritually wise. He needs no priest to break the bread of life for him. He needs no ancient traditions, no writings of the Fathers, no voice of the Church, to guide him into all truth. He has the well of truth open before him, and what more can he want?

Les Miserables - indeed

We were very grateful for the TicketMaster vouchers that my parents bought us… it meant that we could do no other than treat ourselves to a trip to the theatre… Adele fancied a musical... so we booked our seats for Les Mis. I had heard a lot about this production, it seems to be “the show” to see in the West End, or at least was at one time.

While Adele’s sister cuts Adele’s hair – and they have their girly chat – praise God for an upstairs - I’m free again to put thoughts to paper…

The show was great… but I went away with a niggle in my mind. How could the audience offer such rapturous applause? Don’t get me wrong – the production was excellent, and worthy of such applause… but had people lost the deeply depressing story that had ensued… had they forgotten that life is unfair – the man who spends twenty years on the chain-gang for stealing some bread for his starving family?

Had they forgotten about the respectable lady who had to become a prostitute in order to feed her child? Had they forgotten that the young idealistic students had all lost their lives at the barricade – for seemingly no reason at all? Had they forgotten the song of the women – where nothing ever changes, where we’re simply turning through the years… where minutes turn to hours and hours into years? Had they forgotten the song of Marius “empty chairs at empty tables, now my friends are dead and gone. Phantom faces at the window, phantom shadows on the floor. Empty chairs at empty tables, where my friends will sing no more”?

It was a hard to pill to swallow as I watched… and odd that the audience would applaud with such gusto with whistles and cheers at the depressing storyline. The audience was lost… oblivious to their own state; deaf to the story that spoke so loudly to their lives; blind to the fragility and ‘pointlessness’ of their lives as shown before them on the stage. That can be the only answer as to why they went out so happy and cheerful!

Praise God that according to His great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading!!!

Three men on a Cross...

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
[Luke 23:39-43 ESV]

Three men, each hanging on a cross… their hands and feet nailed… death is close for each one of them…

Jesus
In agony, despised by his nation, nailed as a criminal, derided by onlookers, deserted by his friends, the so called Saviour of the World – looking utterly pathetic, weak, foolish… Is this the Jesus you see?

The Thief who Railed
Mocks the pathetic looking Jesus… “Save yourself and us!”, he cries… thinking that if he is the so called Saviour – surely he can take himself off the cross, saving Himself, and the thieves… The thief sees nothing but a foolish, deluded man, dying on the cross for the lies he’s been spreading…

The Thief who Repented
Yet the final person in our scene sees a different Jesus… Firstly, the thief recognises his own position… a guilty man, who has lived a life in the wrong, and his punishment is awaiting him, beyond his death… Yet in Jesus, he sees a man who is utterly innocent, a man crucified for doing no wrong… more than this, he sees Jesus the Lord, the rightful king of a kingdom, a kingdom that is brought about exactly by Him dying on the cross… this is no foolish man dying for a lie… it is the Son of God bringing in His Kingdom by dying an innocent death for the wicked… What a great faith this thief has. “A great faith that can see the sun under so thick a cloud, that can discover a Christ, a Saviour, under such a poor, scorned, despised, crucified Jesus, and call him Lord” [Lightfoot, C17th]. So little evidence of the kingdom as Jesus hangs on the cross - yet this thief calls upon Him as his Lord to be remembered in His kingdom. And see the compassion he has, that in the throws of death – he would share his faith with his fellow criminal thief!!!

And what compassion we see in Jesus… that amongst his pain, suffering, agony… his weakness… he would offer such a great assurance “today you will be with me in paradise”… as Jesus dies, so he offers eternal life…

Remember the tomb of Jesus was found gloriously empty!

Remember the Thief who Repented – he’s in Paradise today!

Remember the Thief who Railed – he died without Jesus!

J C Ryle ... Holiness

They cease to disregard the opinion of man; they imbibe a morbid fear of 'extreme views', and are filled with a cautious dread of giving offence. And at last the man who at one time seemed likely to be a real successor of the apostles and a good soldier of Christ, settles down on his lees as a clerical gardener, farmer or diner out, by whom nobody is offended and nobody is saved.His church becomes half empty; his influence dwindles away; the world has bound him hand and foot. He was walked in the steps of Lot's wife. He has looked back.