Struggling with your faith and its outworking? Two people recently have shown me the contemporary truth of transforming grace in their lives (Romans 12:1-2). The second I know, the first I don’t.

Faith Under Fire.

Andrew White has been the vicar of St George’s in Baghdad since 2005. Remarkably by the age 10 he knew that he wanted to go into medicine and a priest! Whilst working at St Thomas’, London on the Crash Team for cardiac emergencies God called him into ministry via Ridley Hall, Cambridge. During his time there he was diagnosed first with ME and then MS. He asks: is it not that sometimes God moves through adverse circumstances and even sickness when we will not cooperate with Him in health and tranquility? He is the living truth of a motto given to him by Lord Coggan (“Don’t Take Care, Take Risks”).

He is inspired by the Christians in his congregation whom he says have much to teach us about experiencing the fullness of the presence of God.  St George’s is outside the Green Zone and he lives each day believing on 1 John 4:8 “Perfect love drives out fear”.

Faith Down Under.

Nearer home, a 24-year old from our congregation in The Hague has also heard the call of God and answered it late January 2013 by giving up his job and flying to Cape Town to work at the Helderberg Sports Academy in its townships’ programmes.  In the townships 80% of the children do not live with their biological father.

He has worked to fund the start of the programme, but is reliant on God’s provision for its continuation.

Please pray God will provide for both these men’s needs and use them greatly for His kingdom.

Transforming Grace.

In the Explore Bible Devotional app I read recently:

“Grace never leaves people where it finds them. David’s experience of God’s favour transforms him into a willing, self-sacrificing servant.”

As a well-known hymn concludes:

“ Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering too small. Love so amazing, so divine demands my soul, my life, my all.”

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Many older people have to survive all week without a single visitor, let alone a handshake or a hug from someone. Yet some cutting-edge social projects are bucking the trend by deliberately sticking older people in the same room as the parents and toddlers. The older people in these studies report greater levels of happiness, need less pain medication, and they live longer. This kind of ‘intergenerational’ approach is starting to take off in some UK churches, and it’s causing a bit of a stir. Fragmented churches are beginning to knit the different age groups back together into one big family unit. I wonder if there are any signs of this happening in your church?

Last week I heard about a granddad who’s volunteered to help out in our Sunday School, despite being totally green about our CRB-checking culture. Apparently, he always has a gaggle of youngsters at his feet and he seems universally adored. Reminded me of our own children who still say that the best Sunday School lesson they ever had was with an octogenarian bible teacher in a church we visited over in Cornwall. Could it be that this whole intergenerational thing is especially appealing to our men?

Well, maybe it is. Our, largely retired, buildings maintenance squad has recently taken under its wing a couple of younger chaps and the dynamic is changing. The men are forming mentoring relationships quite naturally – this is practical disciple-making in action, and no-one’s even trying…

Paul and Timothy? Hmmm! Kind of makes you think…

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What would your reaction be if Jesus turned up at your place of work, the local social club, at your retirement home or was seen wandering around the streets of our towns and cities? How would you respond if Jesus tapped you on the shoulder and said I need you as one of the team that I am going to use to change the world? Would you be able to take it all in or would it just overwhelm you?

All this is happening before your mind goes into overdrive and words come out of your mouth that make no sense at all. Then the penny drops just who is with you and you begin to think what people will say if you take up His challenge? It will take us out of our comfort zone and will be beyond anything we have previously experienced and require sacrifices to be made.

Just as the disciples must have felt it will be like stepping out on an adventure without any preparation on our part but one in which we will have to put our trust in Jesus ways we haven’t done before. It is going to be an on the job learning experience with one to one tuition taught by our Saviour in a manner that cannot be replicated by anyone else. It will be so unique we will absorb His passion and vision which will become part of us that it will transform any reluctance or resistance we may have had.

It will be an introduction to the call to be part of the great commission that we find recorded in Matthew 28:19-20:-

“Therefore go and make disciples of the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these disciples to obey all the commands I have given you and be sure of this I am with you to the end of the age.”
(New Living Translation)

The world is on our door stop so let’s obey our Lord’s command for now is the time to become active in His Service.

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It may not be part of your mindset to think in the way the apostle’s did, they wrote great letters of guidance. When we come across passages like the words we find in 1 Peter 5v1-7 it is a reminder to us who have reached our senior years “Be shepherds of God’s flock.” For those who are younger there is the reminder “Young men be submissive to those who are older”. The section concludes in verses 6&7 where we find our attention drawn to the words “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Something we all need in these troubled times.

As we age we should not be thinking, I have done my bit and it is now up to someone else to carry on. We should be turning our thoughts to how as elders and witness for Christ, we can give guidance and leadership to those who have just started their Christian walk. From our life experiences we have much to give.

This may be something that is new to us or something that we haven’t done for a while on life’s discipleship course. It is never too late to start applying the way Jesus taught his disciples.

Through living out a discipleship life style we can share Christ to the world. So are we going to stand up and be God’s person? It is not going to be a stroll in the park and it will take us along unexpected ways. But in the end as we walk with our Lord, we will see things through His eyes.

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At the age of 94 Billy Graham has set out his vision of what he is looking to achieve. It is a challenge that we who are many years younger should be taking on. Those who are closer in age to Billy Graham should not opt out but look to what God is asking them to do.

After his birthday in 2012 Billy Graham wrote down what he wishes to see happen, God willing, in the coming twelve months. He is giving a lead and example to follow. When we take into consideration his age and his failing health, we must give him respect, because he has continued to proclaim the good news over many decades.

Why aren’t we showing the same passion as Billy Graham? A passion to reach our brothers who are living in a world that doesn’t take notice of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It is no easy task to motivate ourselves to go out into a hostile land, but we shouldn’t give up. How about asking God to go with us instead of taking part in serious navel gazing and saying we can’t do it? Jesus taught his disciples on a one to one basis and he will do the same with us if we will let Him.

The current attempts by the state to restrict when and where we can share the gospel can be overcome through prayer and living our lives so they reflect our Saviour.

Billy Graham is living the vision God has given him. What about us? Is God asking us to spend time in His presence so that He can open our eyes to the wonders He has to show us? And light the flame in us to achieve the task He has given us. All we will be asked to do, is to raise our focus above the problems which surround us and focus on Him.

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My experience as a civil engineer working on development projects for many years in 10 African countries taught me a lot.  I discovered that the most effective and sustainable outcomes always come from projects that are bottom up and not top down. I am not just talking about money but ideas, leadership and information.

‘Listen to the poor‘ was the advice I was given by UNHCR before one of my missions to Tanzania.  Following this advice blessed me greatly.  I learned so much from the farmers, community workers, mechanics and labourers.  More importantly they learned to express their feelings and formulate ideas which in turn empowered them.

The same principles apply to us here today in the UK.  The poor are feeling disempowered because they are not being listened to.  The church has a vital part to play in leading by example.  We have God as our partner, we are not alone.  It is important that the local churches send out their public, private and voluntary sector workers fully equipped with prayer, encouragement and training. ‘We are not wrestling against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers in high places.’

This mission is urgent and important.  Start this week with your prayer triplet or home group.  Discuss how each member can be supported in their work place.

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“But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13b,14

The Apostle Paul was in no doubt, but what are we straining towards? What are our goals? Ambition may be more often associated with youth, but at all stages of life we tend to make assumptions about the direction our lives will take. We see our lives progressing in certain ways and have expectations, even if unspoken, about our futures.

Hard-earned relaxation in retirement can become our objective, the promise of independence from the demands of work and the means with which to enjoy that freedom. Yet for many these things turn out to have been a mirage, failing to materialise, replaced instead by the burden of increasing ill health, pain and disability. Increasing dependence on others, practically, financially and emotionally can precipitate bitterness, frustration and depression.

On the other hand, our expectations of later life may be all too firmly founded on predictions of adversity, filling our mid and later lives with anxiety and despondency, robbing them of any joy. If our trust is in our pension fund or if our purpose in life depends on our hearing, eyesight, memory or physical capability then, as the fragility of these things becomes evident, we may think we see only too clearly what old age holds in store.

So often the things towards which we strain, the things on which we fix our hopes, are not the glory of things above but earthly distractions. Just as Mo Farah’s mind was dominated by the finishing line, not the expectations of the watching world or the pack breathing down his neck on the final bend, so too let us not take our eyes off the goal as we reach the closing stages of the race. And where does the endurance come from that enables us to finish well, however long the race may be? Paul was not in any doubt about that either.

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12,13

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There are nearly 12 million people of pensionable age in the UK today and the number is rising. The latest research shows that only around 16% attend church regularly. Many older people are out of touch with the Christian faith at the very time when they may be seeking an explanation for the difficulties and problems they have encountered in life. I still meet older people who mourn the loss of a loved one during the 2nd World War and continue to blame God for their loss.

In your own church/fellowship, how many activities focus on ensuring that older people understand the significance of Christ’s death and resurrection for them? It’s our experience that many may have been to church regularly without ever realising that they matter to God and can experience the life changing power of HIS LOVE personally, which is the heart of the Christian faith. Just recently I met a Lady who had been attending her Church for over 20 years and she told me that until she met me, nobody before had ever explained that she personally could find forgiveness and a ‘living’ relationship with God.

Outlook Trust’s mission is to reach older people, OLDER PEOPLE ON THE EDGE OF ETERNITY, with the GOOD NEWS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, by envisioning God’s people, by challenging and equipping the Church with appropriate resources and sharing good practice. In God’s sight, older people have great value and worth, which of course is not reflected in Society generally. Rather what I see is older people being treated as invisible, irrelevant, not important, nuisances. Older people are rarely portrayed as being wise and understanding. So many skin treatments are now available to treat the signs of ageing and hair colourings to cover over any grey hairs, because the impression given is that someone is a ‘failure’ if they have grey hair and wrinkles.

So, we who claim to be God’s People should reflect His Heart, celebrate and value the older Generations both inside and outside the Church and seek out the lonely and the lost, the sheep who have gone astray and bring them back to the fold. This was and is the mission of the One who we know as THE GOOD SHEPHERD and He calls on us to share in this with Him. HOW WILL THEY HEAR THIS GOOD NEWS THOUGH, UNLESS YOU AND I GO?

As ever in the Love of Christ

Norman Critchell
Director

www.outlook-trust.org.uk
admin@outlook-trust.org.uk

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“…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:15)

Bloated and fatigued by the excesses of the festive season, resolving to stick to New Year resolutions; spare a thought for Cluj. Cluj is an old Romanian university city in Transylvania and home to a soccer team that played in the same group as Man Utd in the Champions League this season. Less glamorously it has a district called Pata Rat that is not only home to the city’s rubbish dump but also to families of Roma gypsies living in, on and from the rubbish.

I wrote about my church’s (APCH’s) mission to the Roma last year (Mission Possible); thirty three of us revisited in 2012. What a difference a year makes! A permanent multi-functional building has been built in the centre of the shanty village and is a beacon of hope for permanence, sanitation, education, medication and a symbol of trust in God in the lives of the Roma who live there and those who help them.

We erected six more pre-fabricated houses; at a cost of EUR2,500 each and a life span of ten years means families’ lives are being changed at EUR250 per year per family.

We provided a children’s programme and a food distribution programme. The latter is tough emotionally. Seeing 100+ filthy children waiting prayerfully and patiently for a meagre meal of a sandwich, a banana and a drink is heartbreaking and all the more shocking in that in this European city it is a daily occurrence.

If you haven’t been on a mission trip, maybe you could add it to your New Year’s resolutions and pray that your life is active in the service of others: pray in the words of Charles Garfield: may your life be a mission and not an intermission.

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Our CVM Group in Mid-Northumberland is made up largely of older – and some quite elderly! – men, perhaps bucking the trend elsewhere in the UK. Sadly, this means that occasionally we have to inform the group that one of our number has died.

Fred Swainston, who passed away recently, was in at the beginning of our group in 2008 and, until his recent illness, was a virtual “ever present” at our Saturday get-togethers. He joined us on trips out and was my sole companion on a hike around Holy Island earlier this year. We had a special time that day, made all the more poignant now by his passing.

Fred was a quiet but caring family man – so quiet you would hardly notice him except when there was something to be done or some word of encouragement needed. Fred would be one of the first to be there in each instance.

I visited Fred regularly in the last few months before his death. Knowing that he was dying did not affect the peace of mind he had, the confidence he had in God and the certainty of his place in heaven through his Saviour Jesus Christ. Fred’s serenity and good nature during this time, despite his illness, was an inspiration.

At our Breakfast Meeting this morning, some of our “not-yet” Christian members, both old and young, were particularly moved when hearing about Fred. I guess that our older members may need the element of assurance Fred’s story brings and our younger members need Fred’s inspiration to lead a life at the end of which they can know the same peace of mind and confidence.

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