What is Truth at Work?

The whole idea sprang out of the conviction that 1-2-1 bible reading is a brilliant way to bring City people into contact with Jesus' words of life, and that it is possible for any Christian to do it.  The aim is to give everyone friendly resources that will embolden them to pick up John's gospel with a colleague/spouse/friend/child and explain it in a simple, helpful and truthful way.  

What resources are there?

The main resources you'll find on the web page (listedHERE)

1)      The NOTES -  a verse by verse explanation of John's Gospel in ‘tabloid' English. 

2)      The Summary Sheets - a reminder of what the passage is about with some questions

3)      A Comparison of World Faiths and Introduction to John's Gospel - one useful way to get a 121 going... (see here for more on this)
(The Truth at Work resources page also includes some preparation questions - these are to help Christians meeting in Bible study groups prepare for those groups.  We won't worry about these here.)

How can we use them? 

So far we've heard of a number of different ways people are running 121.  The way you use them will depend on who you are and what you're like, as well as who your colleague is and what they're like.

If you're more of a ‘presentation' kind of person, or your colleague would prefer to sit and listen to you rather than answer awkward questions, then you could use the notes in one of the following ways:

i) Simply hand your friend a copy of the Notes on the day and talk them through them, perhaps stopping for air every few minutes to discuss what's been said or ask if they've got any questions. (minimal preparation required)

ii) Use the Notes as the backbone for your own slightly tailored presentation - include your own illustrations/applications that are particularly relevant to the person you're with as you go along (more preparation required)

If you're an ‘asking questions'/discussion type of person, or your colleague responds better to questions than simply being told what it is about, then maybe the following would work well:

i) Use the  Notes and/or the ‘Summary Sheet' for your own preparation but not in the study itself.  The Summary Sheet has a summary of what the passage is about and some suggestions for open questions to ask. You could simply then use these questions, tweak them, or come up with your own. (Minimal preparation time required)

ii) Give the Notes to your colleague to read beforehand and then meet and discuss together what you've both seen.

Click here to see a sample of the Notes and the Summary Sheets.

It's worth remembering what John himself thinks about the power of the gospel to change people's eternities: "These [things] are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name". John is convinced that his gospel is enough to bring life-saving belief in Christ. So let's shed our doubts and fears and prayerfully ‘get stuck in', with or without these resources!

Isaiah 55:10-11(ESV)
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

It was wonderful, then, to see how grace-centred Paul’s words are. Even as he sets limits on the ethical standards Christians should follow, it is clear that this is motivated out of the good news of the gospel – that Christians are ‘washed … sanctified … justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God’ (1 Corinthians 6:11). And as we see the breadth of Paul’s list in vv9-10, we recognise that whatever sins we may have committed, whatever guilt we may feel from the past, we can find forgiveness in Jesus.

But that means that God is concerned about our bodies. We are joined to the Lord Jesus, are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and were bought by God the Father at a price (6:15, 19-20). Our bodies are valuable to God, so what we do with them is valuable to God. He isn’t just interested in what we think or pray – though He is interested in them! – but in what we do with our bodies, and that includes the area of sex.

We were given a helpful definition of sexual immorality as “anything that causes arousal outside the context of a marriage relationship between one man and one woman.” Paul describes two principles to apply in this area:

Flee sexual immorality – run away from it, like you’d run away from a bull. Not “what is permissible?” but “what is helpful?” (see 6:12.) Not “how close can I get?” but “how can I escape it?” Fleeing sexual immorality means making sure that I am giving no opportunity for myself – or others – to be led into sin.

Glorify God in your body – pursue that which is honouring to God. Make sure that my perspective is seeking to bring glory to God, rather than indulge sinful temptation. We’re looking to see how far we can go to honour Him – not because it earns us our standing before God, but because He has rescued us, and because our bodies matter to Him.

Questions to ponder

What motivates you to flee sexual immorality? How can you make sure that it is grace, not a list of rules, that guides your actions?

How valuable do you consider your body to be? Do you believe it to be as valuable as God does?

If Paul came to visit you today, would he describe your conduct as ‘fleeing sexual immorality’? Where are you most prone to push the boundaries?

How important do you consider your thought life? How much does it “glorify God”? If your thoughts were projected onto the wall, would you be seen fleeing sexual immorality?

Are you helping Christian brothers and sisters to flee sexual immorality? How can you be more helpful in e.g. the way you dress? The way you speak?

Next week is the week of talks, so be praying and inviting for that. The week afterwards we'll be looking at Mark 14:1-25 - prep notes are here.

Sounds great, but it's hard to put in to practice isn't it?  It's easy for our initial enthusiasm for living out Romans 12 and 13 to fade as we realise how hard it is in the real world.  That's where this week's passage comes into play, as Paul gives two massive motivations for Christians to keep loving each other.

Motivation 1:  Love fulfils the law! In Romans 13:8-10 we saw that as we get on with loving our fellow Christians (as well anyone and everyone else) we are achieving what the Old Testament law required.  How is this a motivation?  Just think of how big a deal the law was for God's people in the Old Testament - it absolutely dominated their lives and their relationship with God - and yet they failed to fulfil it.  We on the other hand, having a perfect relationship with God through Jesus are now able to love each other and so we really can live in a way that's pleasing to God!

Motivation 2: The day of salvation is near!  Remember from Romans 5-8 how we no longer belong to Adam's realm, which is ruled by sin and is facing condemnation?  Remember how we now belong to Jesus' realm, as we live by the Spirit, having been counted righteous in him?  And yet we've been told we're in a bit of an overlap period where our physical bodies and the physical world are still in Adam's realm.  In Romans 13:11-14 Paul describes the realms as night and day - with our current position being at the end of the night, with dawn about to break.  The day of salvation is nearly here, the new eternal world is just about to come into existence, Jesus' rule is just about to be fully established... why would we do anything other than live of life of love that fits with the eternal day that's about to dawn?

Here are some questions to help us meditate on and pray through these truths:

• Next time I'm faced with the choice of either serving myself or serving someone else, how do these motivations make a difference to what I decide to do?
• Next time I'm tempted to "gratify the desires of the flesh", how can I persuade myself that it would be better not to?
• Next time I feel that how I live is no big deal in the grand scheme of God's plan, how do these truths correct me?

Finally, here is the prep for next week's study.

Staying alert is difficult when not much seems to be happening. But in Mark 13 Jesus wants us to know that there is a day of judgment coming which will come unexpectedly, and we must not have fallen asleep by thinking it won't happen.

We saw this week Jesus first of all describing an event in history which has now happened - the destruction of the temple in AD70 (13:1-30). Historical accounts of this event from outside the Bible fit remarkably well with the horrors of what Jesus predicted would happen, virtually unparalleled in human history in terms of its awfulness (the historian Josephus, for example, records that they ran out of wood on which to crucify people).

What's so shocking is that Jesus then in v31-37 speaks of another day of judgment which, unlike this one, is not going to be obviously signposted. Its as if what happened to Israel is a small scale example of what God's judgment on the whole world will be like. Horrendous. Appalling. Yet, as we've seen in chapter 12, fully deserved.

The fact that the destruction of the temple really happened in history should make us sit up and take notice. Jesus isn't bluffing. And so we must pay attention to his warning and stay awake - that is to say, stay Christian. Whatever the cost, whatever the trial (13:9), despite false teaching (13:6) or false predictions of the end (13:21). Stay Christian.

Don't think the end isn't coming. AD70 proves it. 'The one who endures to the end will be saved' (13:13).

Questions for Application

How real is the thought that God will one day judge the earth to you?

What things distract you from this reality?

How does this passage motivate us to stay awake (stay Christian)?

Please pray for City Christians who make business trips to some of these places that they would be able to share the Gospel and strengthen local believers.

John 5: 20-24 & 14: 12 -14(ESV)

"For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing.  And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will .... Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.  He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life."

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.  Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it."

Luke 10.22 (ESV)
"All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

Amongst the general population, street preachers get a mixed response, but they are generally regarded as annoying, especially when they make wild claims that “the end is nigh” and try and get in your face. As Christians we can also be put off by their style, their approach, their seemingly fanatic message…

But that’s the topic of this week’s oft-feared passage in Mark. Mark 13 starts with a question about the destruction of the temple, and opens out into an apocalyptic prophecy of famines, tribulation, and the return of the Christ. What’s going on?

Jesus’ explicit prediction of the destruction of the temple (Mark 13:2) is clearly disturbing for the disciples, who are keen to know “when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” (13:4). Jesus’ response is to list a series of hardships that will befall all nations, but especially his disciples (e.g. vv9-13). These, it seems, prelude the aforementioned destruction of the temple, an event that occurred in 70AD, a few years after Mark’s account was written. The destruction was accompanied with an awful time of suffering within Jerusalem – just as Jesus predicted (vv14-20).

But Jesus is keen to emphasise that this is not the end. If the disciples thought the temple’s destruction and the end of the world were to occur at the same time, they were mistaken. As Jesus makes clear, these times will be permeated by false christs, ‘to lead astray, if possible, the elect’ (v22). No, Jesus says, His return is afterwards.

But since it is afterwards, his disciples must be ready. Like a master leaving work for his servants while he goes away, so Jesus has left work for his followers to do – and which he expects to find his servants doing when he gets back. “Stay awake”, Jesus repeats, “endure” (e.g. v13). Keep going to the end.

As those reading this two thousand years later, it can be striking to check our list of each of the signs that Jesus predicted. Every one of them has happened. Every one except one. The last thing in Jesus’ list is His return; that’s the only thing that we’re still waiting for. “What will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” ask the disciples (v4). Well, they each point on to the next – the famines, disasters and persecutions pointed to the temple’s destruction; in the same way, the temple’s destruction pointed to Jesus’ return. We’ve had the temple destroyed, so what’s next?

With Jesus’ return imminent, perhaps we shouldn’t be so critical of those trying to make Him known.

Questions to ponder

If you truly believed Jesus could come back at any moment, how would your life be different?

What is “doing the master's work”? What answers have we got in the rest of Mark?

What does “doing the master's work” look like in your workplace? How will Jesus' imminent return affect your approach on Monday?

What could you do practically, now, to help your Christian brother/sister remember these things?

Next week is a review study. Why not take this opportunity to have a read through Mark 11-13 and think about how the whole section applies?

Mark 13.32-37 (ESV)
"But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come...Stay awake - for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock crows, or in the morning - lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake." 

As studied Romans 12:17-13:7 this week, it probably didn’t come as a surprise to many of us that the Bible teaches that Christians should forgive those who do evil to them. After all, even those who don’t study the Bible know that Jesus told people to “turn the other cheek”. But non-retaliation in itself is not the opposite of getting your own back. Paul in Romans tells Christians to go further: “on the contrary, if your enemy is hungry feed him, if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.”

This is where I think the challenge really does come to our daily lives. When someone at work takes credit for a project that we’ve spent weeks toiling over, stealing what’s rightfully ours, it’s hard enough not to resent them, but God’s word is telling us that we should repay them with good. Next time they’re working late to make them a cup of tea! The reason this seems so outrageous to us is that it looks completely unfair… and it would be, if we left God out of the equation.

However, the mindset of the Christian who has been saved by the gospel and has received God’s mercy is to put God at the centre of their thinking. How does God change our outlook? He’s the one who will make sure that justice is done. Living a life of worship to God means recognising him as the judge of all the world and trusting him to carry out justice rather than taking it into our own hands (Romans 12:19). That’s why we can be free not only to forgive our enemy, but to repay them with good.

Here are some questions to think and pray over as we meditate on this part of Romans:

• How does worshipping God make a difference to my relationships with people who have hurt me in the past?
• What can I do not only to forgive them but to repay them with good?
• What is the big truth that I need to remember when I’m next tempted to retaliate?

Finally, here is the prep for next week's study.

Please pray for the Christians at RBS as the plan a dialogue event to be held in their offices in the next couple of weeks.

2 Peter 1.3-4 & 3.18 (ESV)

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire...

 ...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."

But there's still more to be said in 12:28-44.

First up, we seem to have a scribe who's understood what Israel were meant to be doing: loving God whole-heartedly, giving their all to him. That, of course, is something Jesus has already hinted at in 12:16-17 (c.f. Gen 5:1), and Mark's recording of the repetition of this in both v30 and v33 hammers the point home.

Yet when we read v35-40, this was clearly not something the scribes were doing - quite the opposite in fact. While outwardly looking God, inwardly, rather than loving God and others, they simply loved themselves. This whole issue of the hypocrisy of Israel's outward appearance compared to her inward reality is a big theme of this section - and surely the scribe's answer in v33 that to love God and neighbour 'is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices' puts the finger on this problem. After all, this was the very heart of the comparison Jesus made between the fig tree and the temple in ch11 - both were leafy (outwardly impressive) but fruitless (inwardly corrupt).

The widow in v41-44 shows up what the scribes should have been doing (note in v44 the words 'all' and 'everything' - this is an act of whole-hearted worship). And the fact that she, a widow is doing it renders them excuseless.

After all, these were the scribes - they were supposed to be the experts in the Jewish law! Of all people, they should have known God's standards. They could hardly plead ignorance, 1) because one scribe in v28-34 shows that this isn't complicated or beyond their understanding and 2) because even this poor widow knows what she ought to do.

No excuse - God's expectations were clear, and the scribes ignored them.

Questions for Application

What reasons make us look at our friends and think that God would not be just to judge them? What more are we learning in terms of general principles about God's justice? (Read Rom 1:18-23)

How is this passage a rebuke to the way we view our lives? How does it expose our sin and show us our need for the cross?

How should the extent of God's expectations of us change the way we make daily decisions?

You can find prep notes for next week here (pdf).

John 3.5 & Ezekiel 36.25-27 (ESV)

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean ... And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.  And i will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  And i will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules."

In the midst of a frictional passage in Mark’s gospel (Mark 11:27-12:44) we find a parable that lies behind the entire section: the “Parable of the Tenants”. The parable gives a picture of Israel’s progressive failure to honour God, refusing to give Him what He deserves and rejecting the prophets. In spite of God’s patience toward them, Jesus knows how this will turn out – they will ultimately reject and kill the son.

We see this manifest in the confrontations that surround the parable – Mark has deliberately placed these conversations to highlight the Pharisees’ failure to render to God ‘the things that are God’s’ (12:17), the chief priests rejection of the prophets and the Son (11:27-33), and the Sadducees denial of a future resurrection (12:24-27). Yet it is in this resurrection that we see Jesus triumphantly taking His position as the ‘cornerstone’ (12:10).

Jesus isn’t just another prophet, but the Son, and the centre of God’s rescue plan. Their rejection of Him betrays their true allegiance, and they face just condemnation (12:9). Indeed, in the second half of chapter 12, Mark reminds us that Jesus will take this role as judge (12:35-37). He demonstrates how profoundly many had failed, showing what God has always really called for (12:30-31), and promising judgement on those who have rejected Him (e.g. 12:40).

Religious leaders such as the scribes were rightly judged for their concern with outward appearances, for what other people think of them, instead of giving God what He deserves, and responding to His prophets and His Son in the way they should. God has always been interested in relationship with His people, and shows us in this passage what that really means: focused on Jesus, and giving our all to Him.

Questions to ponder

In the first century, relationship with God was seen to be only through the temple. How has Mark responded to this view?

How do you feel about Jesus’ role as judge? In what ways does Mark 12 show it to be a good thing?

This passage seems to be more about the justice of Jesus’ judgement, but we can learn some things from their mistakes:

How can you be in danger of failing to make Jesus central in your relationship with God?

What does true religion look like? In what ways is the widow an example? What does Mark 12:30-31 look like for you?

For prep for this week's passage, click here.

Luke 14.23-24 (ESV)
"And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'"

Before we get there it’s vital to remember our big motivation in all of this (Romans 12:1-2) – we are to worship God not out of guilt, to make ourselves look good or to impress God but simply out of response to all of the mercy that God has shown us, as set out in the first 11 chapters of Romans.

Armed with the right motivation, why not spend some good time over the weekend praying through how you personally can love your Christian brothers and sisters all the more radically and genuinely? Here are some of the descriptions of genuine love from our passage that we could put into practice in our groups:

“Love one another with brotherly affection.”

“Outdo one another in showing honour.”

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (together in the church)

“Contribute to the needs of the saints”

“Seek to show hospitality.”

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

“Live in harmony with one another.”

“Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.”

Another way of loving your group is doing the prep for next week’s study so that you can build others up with more truth from Romans :)

In our lunchtime meetings at St Helen's this week, David Cook looked to the parable of the great banquet (Luke 14:15-24) to see what Jesus himself had to say about real Christianity.  You can download a recording of the talk on our website. 

Real Christianity is a great banquet.  Do you remember the last time you attended a great wedding feast?  Jesus says that being a Christian is a lot like that, but better.  The next time someone asks you, "What's it like being a Christian?" you could say, "It's like sitting down at a great banquet where all of your God-given appetites are satisfied."

Real Christianity is a gracious invitation.  God went to the trouble of laying out a great banquet, and he opens the doors to anyone who will come.  Even the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame are welcome, and the invitation extends even to the distant highways and hedges.  If someone ever asks you, "How do I become a Christian?" you could say, "It's as simple as accepting an invitation to a party."

Real Christianity is a really big deal.  The invitation is free, but it was not cheap.  God gave up the life of his son Jesus to extend this invitation to us.  It cost him dearly, so it's a really big deal if we blow it off.  If you're ever asked, "Is it a big deal if I don't become a Christian?" you could say, "Yes it is.  The God who provides such a banquet at such a cost will not have it treated so cheaply and disrespectfully."

Keep inviting your colleagues to come to the "Big Questions" series as we look at what Jesus has to say about real Christianity.  Why not download a flyer and send it out?  There is no greater invitation than the one Jesus extends to everyone to sit down at his great banquet.

Dan
blogs@christiansinthecity.com

Please pray for David Cook's lunchtime talk at St Helen's.

Please pray for many in the City to turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1.9-10 (ESV))

But now in this section Mark comes back to focus again on Old Israel, and in particular three questions about them: what will happened to them, why will it happen, and when will it happen. The chapters roughly break down like this:

Ch11 - WHAT?

CH12 - WHY?

CH13 - WHEN?

We saw last time the answer to the question of what will happen to Old Israel - the cursing and withering of the fig tree either side of Jesus' ceasing of all the temple activity was a pronouncement of judgment.

This week we begun the first of two studies in ch12 thinking about why Jesus was right to judge Old Israel.

There were some great moments on TV game show The Weakest Link when people had the guts to stand up to the perennially mean host Anne Robinson. We all love seeing someone who is being unfairly criticised coming up with a comeback that silences their accusers. Often though people struggle to do so on the spot.

Not Jesus.

Three times the religious leaders come to him in Mark 11:27-12:27 with an unfair but seemingly inescapable trap. Each time they go away silenced, having had the tables turned squarely back on themselves. No wonder people marvelled at Jesus (12:17).

Of course, we already know why they're doing this - we were told in 11:18 that they wanted to destroy Jesus because he threatened their authority over the people, who were entranced by his astonishing teaching.

Which is why the parable that Jesus tells against them (12:12) at the start of chapter 12 is so apt. We get more and more outraged at the callous, ungrateful, selfish actions of tenants in the story, to the point that when v9 comes, and the owner destroys the tenants, we're thinking 'yeah, bring on the judgement - in fact, the owner should have done it sooner!'.

So then, when we understand that this is exactly what the leaders of Old Israel, whom the tenants represent, had done with God's vineyard Israel (see Isaiah 5:1-7), killing the prophets God had sent to warn them and now trying to (and eventually succeeding in) destroy His Son Jesus, we begin to see the justice of the judgment Jesus pronounced in the previous study.

Why was Jesus right to judge Old Israel? The answer from the first half of ch12 is simple: they rejected the Son, Jesus.

Questions for Application

What do you think the parable of the tenants teaches us about God's judgment?

How do these passages further build up our picture of Jesus?

You can find prep notes for next week here (pdf).

Surely next on the agenda will be enthronement, followed by victorious military victory over the Roman Gentiles, restoring and saving Israel. The tension builds as Jesus finally arrives at the temple. What will he say? Will he give some inspiring revolutionary address? Will he pray for the deliverance of Israel?

And then comes the huge anti-climax; he has a quick look around...and just leaves.

In case we haven't got the picture already from Mark, this should make pretty clear that Jesus isn't exactly fulfilling people's expectations. He's not the kind of King they were expecting - and his judgment and salvation aren't working in quite the same way as Israel anticipated.

In fact, the first thing on his agenda seems to be a petty outburst against a poor little fig tree. The fig tree should really have had fruit on it - the way that fig trees work being that the fruit comes before the leaves, so the presence of leaves means one should reasonably expect to find figs - but Jesus still looks to have over-reacted here.

That is, until we understand the comparison Jesus is making here between the fig tree and the temple. Just like the fig tree, Jesus says in v17, the people of Israel at the temple are going through the motions of outward worship of God, while they are in reality corrupt, unjust and callous (see Jeremiah 7:1-11). In other words, the temple is leafy - but there's no fruit in the people's lives. So Jesus puts a stop to the whole temple system (11:16).

When Peter sees what has happened to the cursed and now withered fig tree the next day, he sees the connection - and is immediately worried (v21). If Jesus has announced (and just given a foretaste of) judgement the temple in the same way that he judged this tree, what is that going to mean for the disciples? After all, without the temple, which for hundreds of years had been Israel's only way of relating to God and only means of forgiveness of sin (through the sacrificial system), what hope is there for sinful people?

So Jesus closes this little episode with a wonderful encouragement. For those who have faith in God, forgiveness will still be possible, even without the temple. We don't quite know how yet, but it must have something to do with what Jesus is doing in Jerusalem.

Here then is a glimpse of the salvation that this King is bringing - not from the Romans, but from sin and His righteous judgment on leafy people.

Questions for Application

How does this passage challenge our view of meek and mild Jesus?

You can find prep notes for the next study here.

Here is the executive summary as Paul received it from Christ, as the Corinthians received it from Paul, and as we receive it today by reading Paul's letter to the Corinthians.  Easter's executive summary: (1) that Christ died for our sins, (2) that he was buried, (3) that he was raised on the third day, and (4) that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, then to more than five hundred at one time.  In other words, the resurrected Christ was seen.

So what are the implications of Christ's resurrection from the dead?  If Christ has been raised, then Christianity has something of eternal significance to offer to the world: real hope beyond the grave.  But if Christ has not been raised, then Christianity has absolutely nothing to offer to the world, and those who follow Christ are of all people most to be pitied.  C.S. Lewis sums it up nicely: "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance.  The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."

If you want to hear more, why not come back on Tuesday 17 April as David Cook tackles "Life's Big Questions"?  Download a flyer and invite a colleague, whatever they believe.  If Christ is risen, then Christianity is of infinite importance to everyone.

"Christ in fact has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." (1 Corinthians 15:20)

He is risen!  Happy Easter!

Dan
blogs@christiansinthecity.com

Please pray for all those bringing colleagues along for the first time.  Particularly those from RBS, M&G adn RSA.

John 11.25-26(ESV)
"I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

Please pray that the Lord would be raising up a band of younger workers who see themselves as labourers that the Lord has sent out into his harvest.  Pray that they would see the City as their mission field, and that they would share the Lord's compassion for the lost.

Matthew 9:38 (ESV)
"The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest."

Andrew Sach spoke on this topic at the St Helen's lunchtime talks this week from Paul's letter to the Ephesians (download the recording on our website).  Paul would say that both answers are correct, but only partially correct.  Both Jesus and our pastor have roles to play in building up the church, but their roles aren't what we might expect them to be.  Perhaps the biggest surprise is that we, the punters in the pews, have an essential part to play as well.  Paul writes, "Christ gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Jesus' role, if you want to call it that, was to die on a cross bearing God's wrath at our sin so that we might be reconciled to God and to each other.  Through his death, we became members of God's household, and so his death makes the church possible.  And Jesus gave gifts to his church.  He gave us our pastors.  It was a surprise to me that I should think of my pastor in that way, but he is a gift to me from Jesus.

So what is the pastor's role?  Surely his role is to build up the church?  Paul would say no.  It is not the pastor's job to build up the church.  Rather, it's the pastor's job to equip the saints, the ordinary Christians, the punters in the pews, to do the work of ministry.  The first time I understood this, it came as a complete shock to me.  But it would seem that the work of building up the church is our job.  It's our job to help each other grow in Christian maturity.  It's our job to make sure that we all know Christ better so that we can resist the lies.  I wonder if you've ever thought of it that way.  Your pastor is your squire, strapping on your armour and handing you your sword.  But you are the knight who must do battle with the lies and fight for the truth.

How do we do that here in the City?  We could meet with Christian colleagues regularly to pray for one another and encourage each other to stand up for Jesus in the workplace.  We could aim to have gospel conversations after the lunchtime talks so that we are armed with something true about Jesus to keep us going the rest of the week.  We could sign up for the summer school, where we can be equipped for building each other up in the City and help each other to live and speak for Jesus in the workplace.

Upcoming talks

Next Tuesday 3 April, David Cook will be speaking at our Easter service.  This will be an excellent opportunity to invite your colleagues to a clear and engaging talk on the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Dan
blogs@christiansinthecity.com

Matthew 9.37-38 (ESV)
"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few, therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of hte harvest to send out labourers into the harvest."

Notes (21) John 11.28-57

Summary Sheet (20-21) John 11.1-57

As Joe is waiting for the Messiah, it would come as great excitement to see Jesus arriving on a colt that first Palm Sunday. The reason that Mark keenly repeats the word ‘colt' is because Jesus is fulfilling the promise of Zechariah 9:9 - the king, coming with salvation, arriving on a colt. No wonder the people shout ‘Hosanna!' (‘Save us', vv9-10).

But this king doesn't just bring salvation. Sandwiched between a peculiar episode with a fig tree, Jesus arrives in the temple and starts throwing furniture. His condemnation of the temple is clear - "Is it not written ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers" (v17). Judgement is justly pronounced against a fruitless temple. Related to the surrounding condemnation of the fruitless fig tree, the event is even more terrifying: just as His declaration cursed the tree and it withered, so Jesus' judgement of the temple will mean its destruction.

Peter's simple expression of shock (v21) is placated by Jesus in vv22-25. The fundamentals of relationship with God are experienced through faith, independent of the temple. Jesus isn't bringing an end to relationship with God - He is bringing salvation (vv1-11). But he is bringing judgement on the faithless, fruitless temple, as we are going to continue seeing as we go through this section.

Questions to ponder

Read Psalm 118 and Zechariah 9:9-17. Can you understand the crowd's excitement as he sees Jesus arrive on a donkey?

Can you understand a first century Christian's concern to see judgement pronounced on the temple? Why is it such a shock?

How does this help us to understand what Jesus has brought? How does this help us to understand how we relate to God?

For prep on the last RML of term, click here.

I came to realise on our recent RML Romans Weekend Away that this is probably a slightly backwards way of looking at things.  Indeed, if God were not sovereign then it wouldn't be worth praying to him.  If he wasn't in control of everything then praying would seem futile. 

I was encouraged to learn how God's plans motivate us to pray about the things that he has planned.  For example, in 2 Samuel 7, God has made a promise to David so David has confidence to ask for it. 

Exodus 32 relays the story of the Israelites setting up a golden calf while Moses was up the mountain.  Moses prays to God asking him to spare his people and for his wrath not to burn hot against them.  God doesn't destroy them.  God plans to act through the prayers of his people i.e. our praying is part of the plan. 

What I took away from all this was that not only is it worthwhile for us to pray but that we must do it.  God chooses and plans to use our prayers.  It is not only that he incorporates them into his plans but that they are already part of his design.

This guest contribution to the RML Romans blog is the second of two refections on the RML Romans Sovereignty weekend away, written by Charlie Chalkly Maber. Whether you were on the weekend or missed it, why not listen to the talks online (tip: the talks will make most sense if you listen to them in order, starting with the talks marked "Friday" first).

Finally, here's the prep sheet for next week's study in Romans 12:1-2.

Luke 22.42 (ESV)
"Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done."

This week, we finished an excellent series on the cross at the St Helen's lunchtime talks (you can download the last talk here). If you've missed any of the talks or would like to forward them to a colleague, you can find recordings of the whole series on our website.

William left us with three thoughts to conclude the series.

Have we confessed our guilt before the cross?
If we haven't, then we will be unacceptable to God.

Have we confessed our moral failure before the cross?
If we haven't, then we will be insufferably self-righteous and self-promoting.

Have we confessed our weakness before the cross?
If we haven't, then we will be impotent as we rely on our own strength.

Upcoming talks

David Cook, former principal of Sydney Missionary and Bible College, will be speaking at our Easter service on Tuesday 3rd April. Why not download the flyer and invite your colleagues?

David will also be giving a three-week series on Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes addressing "Life’s Big Questions" starting on Tuesday 17th April. This will be an excellent opportunity to invite your colleagues, whatever beliefs they hold.

Next week, Andrew Sach will be speaking on what makes for true unity in church.

Please pray for Dan who has just started reading John's Gospel 121 with a colleague.

Isaiah 51.14-16 (esv)
"He who is bowed down shall speedily be released; he shall not die and go down to the pit, neither shall his bread be lacking.  I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar - the LORD of hosts is his name.  And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, "You are my people."

Bolton Wanderers have opened up the Reebok Stadium for it, the Red Tops & Gary Cahill are asking us to do it, and it’s trending on Twitter. #PrayForMuamba.

Lots of people have probably found themselves doing this over the last few days. This probably includes a lot of people who don’t usually pray. Despite this, they will know in short what to be praying. Survival. Recovery. Health. These things are intuitive even for those who don’t know much about prayer, or to whom they are praying.

But other than that, what else should people be praying for Fabrice Muamba?

As The Sun newspaper reminded us on Monday morning, God Is In Control. It’s potentially the only time I’ve ever known with total confidence such a headline to be true. Everyone who is praying for Muamba believes this (otherwise, why would you?). Our prayers should be shaped by this whatever the circumstance. However his recovery develops from here, God remains in control. So we should keep praying, but also trusting, because God might not answer our prayers as we expect.

That might be a difficult thought for some people. But if we think God is powerful to stop someone from dying, would we not still think he has power over death even when someone does die? If God is in control, then we would have power even after death. Power to raise from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection gives Christians like Muamba, hope that God doesn’t just have the ability to restore people from terrible illness, but that he can even cure death. So whatever happens to Fabrice now, we should ultimately be praying not just for recovery now, but that God will raise him up on the last day, to be with him for eternity.

Hopefully, Fabrice will recover quickly. But he will die one day. We all will. That’s why we should be praying bigger prayers for Muamba, and something we should even be thinking about ourselves.

John 11.25 (ESV)
"I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"