My company needs to make some “efficiency savings”. This is management speak for asking volunteers to sign up for a redundancy package. Those who are left behind will be expected to pick up the work of those who have left. 100% of the work carried out by the remaining 80% looks like an efficiency saving if you are a counter of beans.

I believe there is a training event planned where you play with Lego bricks and use post it notes to come up with ways to work harder.

The problem is that this is not the first round of efficiency savings, so in practice projects will take longer to complete and there will be more problems because of the corners that have been cut.

So with just a couple of years left before I would expect to retire, motivated by the prospect of more work, Lego bricks and post it notes, I have been seriously considering whether I should also volunteer to leave. This leads to the question – what would I do if I was made redundant?

I have seen a number of people who have been made redundant or retired early, who have chosen to throw themselves into church work.

At long last they have the time to be able to really serve the Lord, to learn Greek and Hebrew and write some deep and well-structured sermons. Many churches will be really grateful for any and all help that they can get, but it may be they do not really need a senior executive or telesales person but someone who can stack the chairs and play with the toddlers.

40+ years of work should mean you leave with useful skills and experience, it would be a shame to waste them, but are they ones that the church needs?

Many years ago I learned some key things:

• There is no difference between secular and Christian work – all work should be done as for the lord.
• Prayer works in business as well as on Sundays.
• For Christians to make a difference we should get out of our churches and alongside those who are not yet Christians.
• Our value to God is not based on what we do.
• Sometimes God may ask us to do nothing.
• Sometimes God may ask us to do something outside our comfort zone.

Perhaps when we stop paid work we should look a bit wider than the church, as there are many good charities (Christian and non-Christian) that could really use some help. I have come to the realisation that I should stay at work a little longer, perhaps to encourage and support my colleagues who are finding it 20% harder.

Who knows, when I do leave work, being able to play with Lego bricks could be a skill church could actually need.

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Did you know that in this day and age you can buy a toilet seat that closes slowly so it doesn’t slam down? That’s right! Instead of risking a toilet seat slam, as it’s known in the trade, you can release the seat at it’s apex, safe in the knowledge that 5-10 seconds later it will gently touch down without a sound. I know because I own one of these marvels of the modern world. Or I did until it broke. That’s right something has happened and now my slow close toilet lid is no more than a common gravity obeying lid.

The thing is I always forget that it’s broken until the very second I have let it go, and as it loudly crashes into the seat I have a moment of frustration at my ever decreasing capacity to remember important things like this. This unique phenomenon doesn’t affect me anywhere else, I am not a habitual toilet seat slammer. I generally assume that other people aren’t as up to date in loo seat technology as I am and place their seats gently down. But my seat was designed to be dropped! It was drop proof! I had become so used to it, that now it is hard to unlearn what I had learnt! It is hard to form a new habit.

As it is with my toilet so it is in life. Forming habits is hard, and is it me or are good habits much harder to form than bad ones? And although I may not have a noisy toilet seat to remind me of every time I fail to stick to a good habit, I do have my backstabbing mind to point out my every fault and failure. Surely there’s a better way? A way to form good habits quickly and effectively?

Matthew 11:29-30 ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’

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We love websites and online articles, and if you’re reading this, you might just like them too. For accessible starting-points for various tough questions, the world wide web is a great medium to host Christian Apologetics content.

Over the next three weeks we want to highlight three different sources of useful training that will help you grow in your own apologetics and evangelism. First up, websites.

So here are five (in no particular order) fantastic online resource centres.

The Poached Egg

What they say:

The Poached Egg is a large and continually expanding virtual library of articles and essays compiled from all over the World Wide Web. Noted apologists, biblical scholars, philosophers, scientists, historians, students, and laymen all come together under this one site.

What we say:

Greg West does an excellent job of finding articles from all over the web and bringing them under ‘one roof’. Frequently updated and with a good archive there’s plenty to learn from here.

Apologetics 315

What they say:

The vision of Apologetics 315 is to provide educational resources for the defense of the Christian faith, with the goal of strengthening the faith of believers and engaging the questions and challenges of other worldviews.

What we say:

Great website, jam-packed with quality content and links to further resources. Updated frequently. We love this site.

RZIM (EU)

What they say:

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) exists to reach those who have objections and questions about the Christian faith, and seeks to challenge those who shape the ideas of our culture with the credibility of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

What we say:

The RZIM Europe team are frequently speaking, writing, and debating all over the world. They run a world-class training centre within the University of Oxford (more on that later) and much of the content they produce is linked to online, from talks to articles to Q&A sessions.

Reasonable Faith

What they say:

Reasonable Faith aims to provide in the public arena an intelligent, articulate, and uncompromising yet gracious Christian perspective on the most important issues concerning the truth of the Christian faith today.

What we say:

BeThinking

What they say:

bethinking.org aims to bring together the best possible resources for thinking about and communicating the Christian faith. Its goal is to help to prepare all Christians to provide an answer to those who deny the truth of Christianity.

What we say:

A really clear introduction into some of the big subjects within Christian Apologetics. Broken down into ‘Introductory’ ‘Intermediate’ and ‘Advanced’ sections, there’s lots to learn about here and at whatever level you’re looking for.

The Unbelievable? Podcast (ht Trevor)

What they say:

So you want to find a discussion on Islam? Science? The Bible? Explore the vast and growing archive of “Unbelievable?” debate programmes in this thematic index. Click on one of the four categories above – ‘Christianity’, ‘Cults and New Age’, ‘World Religions’ or ‘Atheism’.

What we say:

Justin Brierley does an excellent job with his weekly podcast attracting the leading intellectuals of our time to discuss Christianity. Lots of big names and lots of interesting debates. A rich archive, both audio and video, gives you a great taste of what is offered. Tune in on Saturdays at 2pm and subscribe to the feed. You wont want to miss an episode.

Have We Missed Something?

Let us know if you have a favourite online Christian Apologetics resource hub and we can add it to the list. Leave a comment below.

Next week: Useful Apologetics Books

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What do you say when someone asks you what you do?

We might say that we are retired, in paid employment of some kind or looking for work, unable to work because of health or disability, volunteering, a full-time carer or some combination of the above. We might not have a ready answer but, whatever we do, we all pass the time somehow.

But what if we are asked “How, or in what way, do you do what you do?” That question might give us more pause for thought. What would you say?

In 1749 Charles Wesley wrote the words:

Forth in Thy name, O Lord, I go, my daily labour to pursue;

Although Wesley speaks of “daily labour”, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that this attitude is not just for those who go out to work:

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17

The second verse of Wesley’s hymn begins:

The task Thy wisdom hath assigned, O let me cheerfully fulfil;

So, in May 2013, what is the task that God in His wisdom has assigned for you? What does it mean for you to do it in the name of the Lord Jesus? Can we trust that our Sovereign God may have assigned to us a role that we did not expect and might not have chosen for ourselves? Or perhaps we are settled and comfortable, yet sense His calling us to a different task in his name.

Just as an ambassador acts, not in his or her own name but in the name of the state he or she represents, so let us faithfully and thankfully serve the Lord Jesus, whatever we do.

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An amazing story of faith, courage, solidarity and the Power of God which changed the outlook of the most powerful man in the ancient Middle Eastern world.

Read this:
Daniel Chap 3 v 1-27.

Rap this, out loud:
Neb built a golden statue—that’s expensive!
It musta’ made the people apprehensive.
Lovin’ it or cursin’ it,
They gotta fall an’ worship it.
Or burn inside a furnace—that’s intensive!

His PR man gave the great an’ good a statement.
“When you get the theme tune, don’t you be too late, gents.
When you hear the deadly jingle
Cain’t you feel the red flame tingle?
Now I’ll let the hit men tell you the arrangements.”

“Ev’rybody bow the knee to the statue.
‘Cuz we are gonna be all lookin’ at you.
Better get yer face down,
Better let it stay down.
‘Cuz we are hangin’ ready here to snatch you!”

Neb’kanezza needed feedin’ of his ego.
‘Cuz he didn’t have too many real amigos.
He‘s some control freak;
Freedom is oldspeak;
Too bad for Shadrak, Mishak, Abednego!

In the civil service they’re the three best fellas.
It’s human nature. All the rest are jealous.
Said, “Now we’re gonna get ‘em,
‘Cuz their faith’ll never let ‘em
Ever bow to other gods—they’re over-zealous.

They told Neb, “Your laws are bein’ flouted.
Shad, Mitch an’ Nego, they ‘bin outed.
Dear leader don’t get uptight,
But we hear the three stayed upright.”
“Then bring ‘em all to me!” Is what he shouted.

“I’m givin’ you a last chance.
Bow or do the fire dance.”
“I’m givin’ you a last chance.
You bow or do the fire dance.”

“Be it death or glory
The Lord he owns our story.
“Be it death or glory
The Lord he owns our story.
That is our final answer—that is our stance.”
That is our final answer—that is our stance.”

The King, it drove him, yellin’ to the wi-yer.
Said, “Bring the stove up seven times high-yer!”
Too hot to turn a roast by it,
The guards are turned to toast by it
While slingin’ them into the fi-yer.

Neb thought “ I’ll eat my hat an’ shed some ego;
‘Cuz who is that with Shadrak, Mishak, Abednego?
For sure they’re safe an’ sound in there.
What’s more, now walkin’ round in there,
There’s four where there was only three amigos!”

The three come out without a whinge from the thick of it;
Yer see without a semi-singe or a sniff of it.
The rescue was a miracle;
The rescuer, angelical.
Yer see, God’s in the ring an’ he is fit for it.

Now Neb is biggin’ up the God of the threesome.
Said, “He’s livin’ He’s a bod who is fearsome.”
Anybody who is dissin’ Him,
You gonna soon be missin’ him.
‘Cuz Neb, he gives the nod an’ disappears ‘em!

Ask this:
Have I got a few brothers, or even one who would stand with me through my fiery trials?

Pray this:
Please Lord, find me some men who will stand with me, for You, whatever.

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When someone raises an objection to Christianity like: ‘There’s no proof of God’, it’s relatively easy to respond. You can talk about how, outside of pure maths, we don’t talk about proof, or look at how most of the important decisions we make in life are not down to irrefutable proof (see our blog, Prove It To Me!) It doesn’t guarantee that people will buy it, of course, but the answers are there.

But when asked about the eternal fate of someone who has never heard the Gospel or never heard about Jesus, the truth is more hidden from us.

Remember, our role is not to win arguments. We are called to love people and point them to Jesus. With something like this, I think it’s OK to say, ‘I don’t know.’

What can we say that might be helpful?

God has promised us that, if we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). He is not eager for anyone to die (2 Peter 3:9). “For there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:12-13). We do not know how God is dealing with people in lands yet unreached by the gospel, but from Scripture we can see that He will never condemn anyone unjustly, but will be faithful to reveal Himself to anyone who looks for His salvation. Nobody goes to hell on a technicality!

We also know that John saw in heaven “…a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9-10). Not only every nation but every tribe will be represented in heaven.

Notice that they all sing the same song. We are not saying that sincere Muslims or Hindus, trusting in their religion, will make it to heaven. There is only one Saviour, and everyone in heaven will be there through the salvation provided by Jesus.

Jesus died for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2)! We are confident, for example, that the Old Testament patriarchs who lived by faith before Jesus’ earthly ministry, are in heaven. So certainly some people have got to heaven without knowing Jesus in the personal way that the New Testament speaks of. Ultimately only God can judge as only He knows the individual’s heart. We hold out hope for those who have not heard but have not rejected God, those who have been misinformed, or those who are unable to understand. And we don’t need to worry about injustice, because God is Justice. It is impossible for God to go against his own nature and be unfair. Nobody will stand before God and claim foul play.

Certainly, the Bible does not teach “universalism”. Universalism is the idea that everyone gets to heaven. The Bible clearly teaches that the only certain way to heaven is through Jesus. We are confident that God will not hold anyone accountable for any knowledge he did not receive. At the same time, the Bible emphatically states that Christ is the only sure way to salvation. For anyone who has heard of the saving grace of Jesus and rejected, you have to ask what more God can do in that situation?

So, we don’t know what happens if people die not knowing about Jesus. We do know that we need to tell people about Jesus. And we do know, above all, that God has all the bases covered!

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Last time I wrote about Adam.

The first man.

The blueprint.

The short term man who couldn’t make a stand. But thankfully the story doesn’t end with Adam, it’s just the beginning. God’s plan is for the whole of creation to be restored, to be redeemed. But for that to happen he needs a new Adam, a long term man, whose very life and death are the ultimate stand. One of the Bible contributers, Paul, describes Jesus as the last Adam. Paul sees Jesus as this new Adam, the trueprint. Like Adam, Jesus was to be tempted, unlike Adam, Jesus wouldn’t bow to his own desires.

Just like Adam, Jesus is in a garden. But this isn’t like the garden of Eden, this is not a place of freedom, life and laughter, it’s a garden of death, sword, betrayer’s lips, and savaged ears. Jesus is no fool, he knows what’s coming, that within hours he will be beaten, mocked, humiliated and nailed to a tree, and he is praying – praying so hard that one account tells us that drops of blood fell from his brow. And what is this last Adam, this trueprint praying at the time of his greatest test? He is praying for a way out. Yes you read that right. ”Father this burden is too heavy, it’s too much surely you can’t expect me to? There must be an out, a plan b?” Jesus? Praying for a way out? An escape?

It’s understandable really, he’d spent three years teaching these people how to live a better life, and none of them really got it, not even the ones he was closest too and now, right as he was praying some of them were arming themselves, gathering the local hired thugs to come and force him to his death. And his friends? The ones he needed in his darkest hour? Oh they were catching up on their beauty sleep – know who your mates are? A Carling advert this wasn’t.

It’s very easy to skim over the significance of this prayer, this request for God’s plan to be changed, to think of it as a minor blip in an otherwise perfect life, a slip in the heat of the moment, a quickly uttered mistake even more quickly forgotten. But it is in fact none of these. It is the real and heart felt emotion of a man who loves life and who really doesn’t want to lose his. Jesus repeats this prayer three times. Three times he begs and pleads with God that there be another way. Three times he asks that his life be spared.

But, there’s always a but, that’s not the whole story. You see in order to keep your attention and to draw out the suspense, I have omitted a small but important line from Jesus’ prayer. A line that means this Adam succeeds where the first Adam did not, a line which is long term as opposed to short. A line which takes responsibility, a line which saved your life.

‘Enough about me, Father Your will be done Your way.’

Previously published on Ebs and Flows …

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So, in Hell: Part 1, we discussed how God wouldn’t send good people to hell because there are no good people. In Hell: Part 2, we discussed how God wouldn’t send anyone to hell because we choose it for ourselves. This week, we want to look at the solution to the problem that hell creates.

We need to be clear that God didn’t create the world so that we would be condemned to hell. He didn’t decide that we would be sinners and some of us would be forgiven but others would go to eternal destruction. Hell is a consequence of sin, which is a consequence of our rejection of God.

But what do we mean by ‘Hell’?

If heaven is the undiluted presence of God, then hell might well be the total absence of Him. He loves us unconditionally, and if we say ‘No’ to His offer of love, then what more can He do but remove Himself from our sight? The problem is that, when He goes, Love, Hope, Beauty, Justice all go with Him – because He is all those things. We love because He first loved us. We understand Beauty because of His hand in Creation. Etc…

When we reject the presence of God, we choose the absence of Him: hell. That was our move. Fortunately, God has countered so that our move away from Him doesn’t have to be check-mate. He knows where the path we have chosen leads, and He’s not cool with that, so He has done something about it.

The answer is Jesus Christ. He is the fulfilment of both God’s Justice and Love. At the cross, we see God’s love for people and His wrath upon sin. He cannot allow sin/wrongdoing into his presence, but He loves us too much to just let us run away hopeless.

When Jesus died on the cross, He took the consequence of our sin/rebellion/rejection upon himself. He took your bullet/paid your fine/jumped on your grenade. He provided that doorway (the narrow gate) between you and God. Nobody else has ever made that gesture for you. In every other major religion, it’s up to you to save yourself. That’s a lot of pressure. But the moment you say ‘Yes’ to Jesus – the moment you let Him take over at the centre of your life – it’s no longer about you. He looks at your sin, your guilt, your wrongdoing, and He says, ‘I’ll take that, thanks. You’re free now.’

Nobody need end up in hell. “The Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance” (2Pet. 3.9). “He desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1Tim. 2.4).

Of course, if we reject Jesus’ offer of forgiveness, then there is simply is no one else to pay the penalty for our sin -except ourselves. If you were on the verge of signing a contract and, instead of shaking on it with the other guy, you pulled your hand away and spat in his face, you wouldn’t still walk away thinking, ‘that deal’ll probably still go through.’

Jesus is the only rescue plan. No other God is coming for you. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

Next week, in the final part of the Hell Quadrilogy, we will look at questions like, ‘What about those people who never hear the Gospel?’

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As a member of CVM 50 Plus Group, comfortably advanced within the age range, I find it increasingly difficult in remembering where I have left my glasses. My memory must have been pretty good in the past as I managed to pass a few exams. But now I’m more reminded of the Ken Dodd joke, when he found himself half way up the stairs and called out to his brother, ‘’Harry, Harry, am I climbing up the stairs or coming back down them?’’

Well so what? Time passes and we advance through the generations. Yes, but we have been taught to memorise scripture. Can we hang on to it, despite failing memory? We know that God’s Word can transform our lives and also help us to minister to others, knowing what we say has God-given authority.

Cue ‘Chairman Carl’. I recall him advising us that there is help out there. I cannot remember where or when he said it but it must have stuck somewhere in the recesses of my mind that ‘Navigators’ produce helpful aids and materials to assist in remembering bible verses. I asked around as to what was Navigators? Of course my wife, as wives do, knew all about Navigators and advised me that surely everyone else knows about them too!

Several months (maybe years) went by until noticing an increasing difficulty even to remember one bible verse caused me to seek out the name Navigators on the Internet. Sure enough they do produce a resource. So diving in, I ordered up the kit and eagerly awaited the postal delivery.

I have not been disappointed. I’ll just quote a little from the introduction:-

‘’You have discovered some good reasons for memorising scripture. But note that is not an end in itself. It must be followed by prayerful meditation and obedience.”

• Scripture memory puts God into your mind
• Prayerful meditation puts God into your heart
• Obedience puts God’s Word into action

Wow! The programme of learning verses commences with 2 per week. The first verse focuses on ‘Christ at the Centre’:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Only another 6 weeks to go and then I see an introduction to ‘The Wheel’. It reads, ‘’Every Christian should get his power and motivation for his life from Christ!’’ And by then I’ll have memorised 12 verses of scripture. I’m feeling my memory is getting stronger already. Oh, now where have I left my glasses……………….?

p.s. for those who may not know about Navigators, try www.navigators.co.uk

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I was recently asked to do a five minute talk for a mens breakfast. As I pondered what to talk about I thought about Adam.

The first man.

The blueprint.

But as it turns out Adam didn’t do all that well. The story goes that God made a helper for Adam called Eve. The serpent came to Eve and told her to break the one rule that God had given. You see it wasn’t a hard life in the Garden of Eden, there was only one rule – don’t eat that fruit, the rest is yours.
The snake tells Eve it’s actually ok to eat that fruit and that everything will be better afterwards, and so she does.

Hang on – where’s Adam? Shouldn’t he be looking out for this woman? This helper? This gift from God?

Genisis 3.6 ‘6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.’

Adam was right there with her. The whole time. Yet he said nothing. Being a married man myself I can understand that perhaps Adam just wanted to keep the wife happy, he didn’t want to rock the boat, perhaps he didn’t have the energy for a disagreement. He was thinking in the short term.

Adam was there when God gave the one rule, he knew all about it, yet he couldn’t speak up when the time came. Instead he just went with the flow. Imagine if Adam had had the courage to think long term, to do what he knew to be right, even if it meant an argument ensued, even if the short term result wasn’t attractive.

Unfortunately for Adam it gets worse. Having both eaten that fruit, God comes to see what the crack is. He asks Adam first. And Adam basically says to God ‘It was that woman’s fault – and you were the one who put her here!’

Short term thinking is easy, and often instantly gratifying. The world revels in short term thinking, and the current financial climate is an example where this ignorance of the long term leads. By thinking in the short term Adam misses the chance to make a stand for what is right. How often I replicate this in
my own life, feigning ignorance or misunderstanding to avoid making that stand.

I’m sick of that kind of life. It’s time for a change.

Previously published on Ebs and Flows …

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