Author: Helen Burnell

Dear friends,

Micah’s mother had a lot of silver and then someone stole it.  She placed a curse on the culprit, who turned out to be Micah himself!  He was honest enough to admit it and his mother promptly invoked the Lord’s blessing on him! When Micah returned the silver, all 1,100 shekels of it, she readily consecrated the money to the Lord, for what purpose?  To use some of it to have a carved image and a cast idol made.  (Never mind the second commandment!).  These were put in Micah’s house and he made an ephod (priestly apparel) and some more idols and appointed his son (an Ephraimite, not a Levite) as his personal, private priest.  How did he get away with all this? Because “in those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit”.

Then along comes a Levite from Bethlehem, looking for work and accommodation.  On coming to Micah’s house, he is offered the post of priest (thus dispensing with the services of Micah Jr.!) in return for a salary, clothing allowance and food. “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest”, Micah declared.

It’s a strange story. You can read it in full in Judges 17 where we are told (in verse 6, and at 18:1) that there was no king in Israel at that time. So, because there was no-one to guide the nation in the true worship of Yahweh, everyone did as they saw fit.  In Micah’s case, that meant theft, superstition, idolatry, expediency, personal preference, human ideas, and so on.  Sound familiar? How like certain aspects of the life of our nation and the church in our own times.  And for the same reason.  There is no King Jesus in the land, or at least, there is but he is largely disregarded or even denied.  And relativism dictates that there are no longer any absolutes. What is right for me is not necessarily right for you. In other words: everyone does as he sees fit.

But there is hope – if there is repentance and a turning back to God.  Let us pray that the Lord would pour out a spirit of repentance upon our nation, and that we, his people, discern where the Spirit is at work and join in!

“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 go in and eat with him, and he with me”.  (Rev 3:19,20).

Finally, a word about this year’s event on 11^th September.  I hope you have booked to come! But, if you are hesitant because of uncertainty about Covid, as part of our COVID precautions we are taking the view that the wearing of a mask when moving around within the premises is preferred but not mandatory.  We simply ask that you respect the sensitivities of those who take a different view to yourself.  So, in summary, please wear a mask when entering or leaving the building or otherwise moving around inside; you can remove it when seated or outside.  But if you have objections to wearing one we respect that and are not going to insist on it.

See you on the 11^th!

“Called to belong to Jesus Christ”.    Roman 1:6

Dear friends,

Just under seven weeks to go before Bible Focus Number 5 on September 11th!   I do hope you have booked or are planning to do so shortly (swbible.focus@gmail.com).  We praise the Lord that so much uncertainty about this year’s event has cleared away, though we still have to be prepared for a change in the Covid situation that might necessitate a change in our plans.  But we press on in faith, believing that it was the Lord who brought SWBF into being and he will sustain it for as long as it is his will to do so.  It is he, too, who has called us (and that includes you!) to be partakers of this work. That is why I find the fourfold call of God in Romans 1:1-7 so encouraging.

Firstly, we are called to serve (v1)

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God.”

Paul’s apostleship was unique, but the underlying principle applies to all believers; all of us are, in some way or another called by God to serve him.  We are, as Peter writes: “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that (we) may declare the praises of him who called (us) out of darkness into his wonderful light”.  And if we are called we can rest assured that, by his grace, God will enable us for that service.

 

Secondly, we are called to obedience (v5)

Paul had “received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.”

Is not this the heart of the church’s mission, so to preach the gospel that the disobedient might become obedient? Obedience is not a cold adherence to some ethical or legal code, but rather the warm response of a heart touched by God’s grace – transforming every part of life, and every act and attitude.

 Thirdly, we are called to belong to Jesus Christ  (v6)

“And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ”.

Jesus described himself as the good shepherd who knows his sheep and whose sheep know him. (John 10:14-16).  How the world longs for such a sense of ‘belonging’, and for such a sense of deep security!

But it offers all manner of false substitutes for true belonging is only to be found in Christ. 

Fourthly, we are called to be saints (v7)

The word ‘saint’ means one who has been set apart.  In that sense all believers are saints for we have been called by God to be his holy, set apart, people; set apart from sin for God’s service – thus we are a holy (sanctified, separated) people.  Why have believers been ‘set apart’? For no other reason than we are “loved by God and called to be saints”. It is futile to try to be holy in our own strength. But how different when we desire to be holy in response to God’s love, his call upon our lives and the work of the Holy Spirit, and simply because, by grace, we “belong to Christ Jesus”.

Called to serve – called to obedience – called to belong to Jesus Christ – called to be saints.

What a God of grace we worship and serve!  And what noble callings!

Yours, in Christ,

“You must follow me”.  John 21:22

 

 

Dear friends,

My last two ‘monthly messages’ were reflections from John 21, where Peter is restored and commissioned afresh to serve and follow the risen Jesus.  They were under the titles: “The test of love is a searching of the heart” and “The cost of love is a surrendering of the will”.  This month my third and last meditation from this chapter is entitled:

“The fruit of love is singleness of mind”

Peter still didn’t quite grasp all that Jesus meant about discipleship.  He starts to follow, then John joins them and Peter wants to know what’s in store for him. How easy it is to divert ourselves from this all-important matter of following Christ. We want to be sure that, if we are prepared to follow Jesus totally even to death, that that is also what awaits our other Christian brothers or sisters.  We would like to think that, if we leave everything that is dear to us in order to follow Jesus, if needs be to the ends of the earth, then those we leave behind would at least do as much.   Jesus is saying here that none of that is our concern. Our concern is obedience.

In I Corinthians 12 Paul lists various ways in which the ‘manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good^’, then he says: “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit,  and he gives them to each man, just as he determines”.    In his infinite and sovereign wisdom God knows exactly what he is doing with his church!  He knows what he is doing when he calls you to your ministry and me to mine.  He knows what he is doing when he calls that woman to her particular form of discipleship, and that man to his.  It is not only futile for us to concern ourselves with what is entirely God’s business, but it is sinful as well, because it is usually born of jealousy or fear.  We are to be content with loving God, obeying him and trusting him.

Commenting on John 21:22 (and echoing I Corinthians 12) Bishop Lightfoot wrote: “The arrangement of the various parts in the whole body of the Church does not concern men.    That rests with the divine will, and the divine will is unfolded in the course of life”.  To ask too often the question: “Lord, what about him?” is to be deaf to the searching question that the Lord would put to us: “What about you?”

The fruit of love is a singleness of mind that does not look over the shoulder in curiosity about others, but which makes Jesus himself the focus of love, of worship and service.

Your brother in Christ,

PS  We press on, in faith, with plans to hold Bible focus in-person this year.  That will, of course, be subject to government regulations obtaining at the time But do not fear!  Bible Focus will happen (God willing) either in person or via YouTube so do put the date (September 11^th) in your diary and remember to book (essential this year, I’m afraid) on swbible.focus@gmail.com