Blog Posts from New Community Church

Root61 a sneak preview

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:42:41 GMT

Well, we are back! Kicking off on 10th September we have a whole new term of madness about to begin.

We have some new stuff that we are excited about and the return of some old favourites but either way, God is with us and we can’t wait!

We launch on Friday 10 September with THE PROJECT 7.30-9.30pm (11-14s) and THE LOUNGE 7.30-10pm (15-18s), so come and get involved!

Check out a sneak preview here:

Check back here regularly for all the news, features and reviews of everything in the world of Root61 and a bit more besides.

See you on the 10th! In the mean time check out last year's review here

NCCALPHA.ORG Launch...

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:34:35 GMT

Click on the link at the top of the page to check out nccalpha.org. Our space dedicated entirely to alpha! We hope you enjoy this resource and find it useful.

At NCC we have been running Alpha courses for many years and we want to make it as easy for you as possible to find out exactly what the alpha course is all about, what to expect and even an opportunity to discuss your thoughts and ask your questions in our online forum.

For the first time ever you can meet the guys running the course in the videos and hear first hand experiences from those who have previously been along.

We would like to think we have covered every base but if you still have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us using the link above and one of the alpha team will get back to you shorty.

The Alpha Team

NCC Stories: Adam

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:44:56 GMT

Welcome to our first 'NCC Stories' post. In this section we want to introduce you to various members of New Community Church and give you the chance to hear their stories. Irrespective of age and background, everyone’s story is unique and interesting; enjoy! Meet Adam!

August Meetings

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:18:43 GMT

If we can overlook the sham that was the weather we had to endure throughout August, then we’ll have to agree it’s been a month of many excellent things! Not least the great crowds present on Sunday mornings, consisting of many visitors, who like those of us present were able to enjoy great worship times and some fantastic preaching.

The guys handling Jonah did a superb job, some making debut appearances and serving us all so well. The youth had a very memorable time at Newday and I’m sure a blog post will presently appear detailing some of the highlights from the conference. But alas, September is upon us! Please keep a beady eye out for new people, in particular students as they arrive over the coming weeks. It is vision Sunday on the 12th September – DON’T MISS IT!!!

I also want to mention two new additions to the web site: Alpha – nccalpha.org. This is a site dedicated to the Alpha course and includes a sign-up option, Alpha stories, dates etc. Please check it out!

NCC Stories – We want to feature a number of people from the church and have recorded 3 minute testimonies with various people. Adam’s story is our first. This is a way for you and people looking in on us to get to know various members of the church. We will aim to upload a new story each month.

That’s my ditty done with for this newsletter, I look forward to seeing you on a Sunday very soon!

Tim

Starting University and looking for a church?

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:57:10 GMT

Just wanted to post something for all you Freshers who will be crazily checking out all the churches in the area before starting uni in late September...

We are a church who are passionate about gathering students from the local uni’s and colleges and seeing them get stuck into a church for their entire time at university. Our building is located very close to three of our local campuses, Rose Bruford, Greenwich University and Birds College. We have loads going on for students: from prayer nights, mid week Freshers’ life-groups and weekends-away to regular Sunday evening meetings just for you guys, packed with worship and teaching relevant to where you are on your campuses.

We want you guys to see your time at uni as an opportunity to grow and mature in your faith and we also want to see God use you in amazing ways on your campuses.

Drop us an email at chris.smyth@newcommunitychurch.org.uk for any more information, or alternatively we look forward to meeting you at one of the local Freshers’ Fairs coming up soon!

Hope moving to your new campus homes goes well and look forward to seeing you guys on a Sunday.

Chris

All Things for Our Good Q&A

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:51:51 GMT

1) I've always had people say to me that they don't believe in God because there is still pain and suffering even though God is all loving and all caring. They say “how can God love when there is so much suffering?” How can we as believers explain to non-believers the concept that God loves everyone and His hand is in everything, suffering or not?

This is a very difficult question!

There were a series of essays in the Times newspaper some 100+ years ago, responding to the question, “What’s wrong with the world”. G. K. Chesterton, an English writer, wrote the following to the paper:

“Dear Sirs, I am. Sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton”

I have found it helpful to remember that the problem of evil in the world that causes so much of the suffering that we observe, isn’t all ‘out there’ in the world, it is also ‘in here’ – ‘in me’. So for God to wipe out all suffering; is to wipe out all evil; is to wipe out all people. What response is there from God to all this pain? Is he simply sitting on a heavenly throne, blissfully unaware of and immune to the pain that’s all around?

In the cross we find our answer: God not only entered into a hurting/ suffering world but suffered, immensely. He would have been very justified in taking action to thoroughly do away with all evil by wiping out all humanity. The cross is God’s radical and costly alternative, the cross is mercy triumphant over justice, the cross is the response of a loving, caring and holy God to evil and suffering.

I found this observation by the Christian Apologist Michael Ramsden very insightful. He comments that as he travels the world, the places where he is never asked about suffering as a reason against the existence of a loving God are the places where suffering is most extreme – where people are poor, oppressed, persecuted. He goes on to say that it is only in ‘comfortable – western contexts’ where this question is frequently asked. He made the following reflection on this pattern:

“Maybe we struggle with suffering so much in the West because we are so comfortable most of the time that we feel we don't need God. We don't rely on Him on a daily basis, and so we don't really know Him as we should. When suffering comes along, therefore, it is not so much that it takes us away from God, but that it reveals to us that we haven't really been close to Him in the first place.”

There is hope in suffering, because God suffered and won! Why suffer in isolation when there is a fortress to enter:

“We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose”

Recommended books:

Ravi Zacharias – “Can Man Live Without God?”

C.S Lewis- “The Problem of Pain”

2) How do I hear the Holy Spirit?

In a nutshell:

We don’t hear God speaking to us in an audible way (it can happen, with God 'all things are possible', but it is rare). Regrettably when I have time in devotion, there is no thunderous voice bouncing off the walls revealing what my future holds. We are able to discern God speaking to us however in several ways:

I) Through his word which is a ‘lamp to our feet and a light for my path’ (Psalm 119: 105). The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the word of God and so as you read the scriptures with an open heart to ‘hear’ God speak, you’ll be amazed at how directly the text appears to relate to your circumstances.

II) Through prayer. Prayer isn’t meant to be a ‘one way’ conversation, but a dialogue. As you pray to God expect Him to speak to you. Again this is unlikely to be in an audible way, but more by way of impressing upon me his counsel – perhaps it’ll be a conviction of sin (that would lead me to repent), or a deep sense of peace (that He would have me trust Him with whatever it is I’m going through), or it might be a deep sense of His love and so on.

III) Through the counsel of others. God can speak to us through people, perhaps a word of encouragement, or a prophetic word, or a sound piece of advice: “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future” (Proverbs 19:20).

3) There are different translations of Rom8v28 with different outworking. Some translations suggest that IN all things God works. Others say that all THINGS work. What response would you give to these?

In Romans 8:28-29, Paul provides us with a breathtaking picture of God’s sovereignty over all things, good and bad, righteous and evil. The emphasis is directed towards the purposes of God in our individual lives as Christians, that through all things, He intends to bring about our good: conformity into the likeness of his Son. Most translations would line up with this emphasis, including the King James, ESV, NASB and NIV. These are the translations we are most comfortable with, and consider to be excellent and accurate scholarly works.

What a Privilege...

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 05:16:03 GMT

It’s been a superb few weeks at NCC with John and Linda Lanferman joining us on the 11th and Scott & Clare Marques on the 18th! Both John and Scott brought words to us which were tremendously encouraging, urging us to keep believing God for the promises spoken over us and to cover all that we do in love, for God and each other.

There was one thing in particular that Scott mentioned worth reflecting on. A few years ago when Scott was last with us we took a spontaneous offering to help the ground breaking (no pun intended) work being done in Zimbabwe, aimed at training local people to be excellent stewards of the land in farming and agriculture. This was a remarkable moment, when as a church we gave £15,000 towards the £100k needed to launch this new initiative. Scott informed us last Sunday that this initial figure of money proved to be the catalyst in enabling the other churches in Zim and Africa to follow suit, incredibly then finding the additional money required to launch the project. This training centre has, to date, equipped over 10,000 (!!!!!!) men and women to run their own farming businesses, thus providing for themselves and their families. Wow!

What a privilege it is for us as a Church in South East London to be involved in a project which is affecting a whole nation. Through Scott and Brian Oldrieve’s leadership the Foundations for Farming initiative is being adopted by other African nations, blessing thousands upon thousands of people.

We’re involved in no small thing!

Check out the Ebenezer Agricultural Training Centre here: http://ebenezerzimbabwe.blogspot.com/

Tim Blaber

Parents Update July

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 03:40:49 GMT

Greetings parents!

End of year event

This year our end of year event will be a carnival! It takes place on Friday 23 July at the centre between 7.30-10pm. Tickets cost £3 on the door. The evening will be a lot of fun and our last official event of the year, please encourage your son/daughter to attend, they will enjoy it!

Year 6 Parents

If your son/daughter is moving up into Root61 in September (i.e. they are moving into year 7) then we would love you to join us as we host an “Introducing Root61” evening for parents on Thursday 22nd July at 7.30pm. The evening will be an opportunity for us to share our hearts, the vision and one or two practical details, and for you to ask any questions and to find out what we are all about.

To confirm your attendance and for more details please contact me.

Newday

If your child is attending Newday then you should have received a letter with final details and any outstanding balance. Thank you to those of you who have completed the forms and settled your balances. If you have not yet done so then please may I ask you to do so as soon as possible. If your child is not yet booked into Newday and they would like to go then there is still time, please contact me in the office if they would like to go.

Keep in touch

For more information and regular updates follow us at twitter.com/root61, check us out on the Church website at newcommunitychurch.org.uk or read our blog at newcommunitychurch.org.uk/blog/the-youth-blog/.

You can of course also contact me in the office at any time on 02083000333 or via email; jamess@newcommunitychurch.org.uk

Cheers!

James

Men's Evening

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 04:20:19 GMT

Don't forget this Sunday evening (11th July), we have a men's meeting with John Lanferman, Elder at Jubilee Church, St. Louis, at the NCC Centre, from 6pm-7.30pm.

We will find out about John's life and his passion for God. So come prepared to be encouraged, stirred and challenged!

And for all the football fans amongst us, the talk will be followed by a showing of the World Cup Final at 7.30pm: all are welcome (men and women!).

New Adventures for the Albertyn Family

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 11:42:27 GMT

Mark and Laura Albertyn have been part of New Community Church for the past 7 years and are leaving with their young family to volunteer in Zimbabwe. They have set up a UK charity called ‘Makomborero’, aimed at aiding the relief of financial hardship and the advancement of education in Africa by making grants of money for training and community based projects. ‘Makomborero’ is a shona word meaning "blessings."

From personal experience of working with scholarship students at an independent school in Zimbabwe, Mark feels there is a huge need for A-level studies in communities where HIV and other socio-economic factors have forced gifted young adults to cease their education and attempt to find employment in order to support their family.

Post-independence (1980 – present) the provision of secondary education to O-level has been outstanding in Zimbabwe (although more recently the economic situation in the country has damaged this infrastructure). However, A-level studies have been much more limited and places are extremely competitive.

A family has to make a real sacrifice in order to allow a child to stay on an extra two years at school. The aim will be to identify talented young adults within a community, where these students have little or no resources or finances available to progress beyond Ordinary level in their secondary education and beyond.

The A-Level centre will become a focal point for the whole community. Its primary aim will remain that of providing A-level education, but it is hoped that the centre can be used for various initiatives to bring people together within a Christian environment. The centre could be used as an internet café, provide computer training (web design, ICDL, programming etc), church meeting place, revision centre during holidays and a variety of community based projects. The vision is to raise leaders in Zimbabwe that will impact the nation. We want to grow an attitude of continued blessing, that these students will bless their families through the education and subsequent employment they receive. We see these centres affecting whole communities.

Mark and Laura will be returning to Zimbabwe permanently in July 2010 to an A-level Centre, set-up in March 2009, in the town of Turf, a rural mining town about a 2 hour drive outside Harare, where they will also be living. They will partner with a local Charity (The Mabukuweni Foundation) on the work at Turf. Mark sees his role as a teacher, training up teachers from the community, identifying a head to ultimately run the school and to give the pupils the best possible opportunities, before hopefully moving on to replicate this model.

Mark and Laura also have a vision for the wider community and look forward to working and living in Turf. They will be looking to establish various community based projects. Initially this will take the form of a toddler group that will meet once a week, a kids club on a Friday afternoon for primary school children and a movies and games evening for senior school children. Within rural communities there is very limited exposure to children just having fun. A lot of the children are orphaned and have had to grow up very quickly, looking after siblings and running a home from a very young age. For all children concerned the daily economic hardships they face have also made them grow up far too quickly. Mark and Laura feel that an outlet for them to just be children is very important. They also hope to be able to establish some home based care groups for HIV/AIDS sufferers in the community, as well as encouraging entrepreneurship within the community.

Encounter God

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 04:50:23 GMT

Last night we had an Encounter God evening and it was so encouraging! Judging by the turnout we have a "very hungry for God" church - how good is that??

To have time to take up the themes from Sunday on Romans 8 concerning Fatherhood and being adopted children was so beneficial. To also pray for one another without having to rush on was valuable. We want to remain a church that gives the Holy Spirit time to minister to us and for us to line up with God's desire to fill us.

Enjoying God's presence is such a privilege and we want to be a "presence shaped church " in every way.

Several people who were at the meeting asked if we could have more of them than we currently have: what do you think?

We need testimonies from people who met with God on Wednesday, especially related to encountering God as Father, perhaps in a new way: feel free to leave these as comments on this blog, or contact the office.

Becoming a Diverse Church

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 04:47:37 GMT

What a privilege to have Owen Hylton with us the other Sunday. He spoke on being a ‘diverse church’ and I would really love you to download his sermon from this website if you were unable to hear it. The theology we agree with, but now it's time to become more intentional. I was greatly challenged by Owen's thoughts on multicultural worship and was even more convicted about having a diverse leadership team. I believe we have made a steady start but we have really only just started to become diverse.

How amazing it would be if NCC was to become a truly diverse community in every sense: diverse ages, colours, classes, languages and backgrounds.

Only the gospel does this and only the Holy Spirit keeps us together in the midst of such potential variety. I sense this rejoices the heart of God and makes a prophetic statement to the world, that in an age when society is falling apart, God's people (of all colours) are coming together.

I long to see that on display here in S. E. London and not just reserved for Heaven!

Trip to Holland

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 04:37:40 GMT

Great to have had a weekend with the Newfrontiers church in Berkel in Holland recently. This was the first Dutch church to become part of the Newfrontiers family well over 20 years ago. They came en masse to Stoneleigh Bible Week for many years. The church is full of wonderful people who have such a heart for God and such clarity when it comes to building a church on New Testament values.

I really spoke on the need for clear vision for the future and to not let go of the promises that you know God has given you. I hope they received the word because on the Sunday morning they "sent " 10 people to the Hague church plant and it was obvious that these people had all been key in the Church and that it was very costly to see them go. Actually it was also very emotional, but done with an excellent spirit. Liz and I also had the joy of praying for and seeing several people wonderfully healed as well as speaking prophetic words over a number of individuals.

Following the weekend we stayed overnight with Chris and Karin Taylor in the Hague. God has provided them with a wonderful home with plenty of room for a growing church plant. It was brilliant to see them so settled in the Hague and exciting to realise that the church plant is now underway. Steve, Ann and Joel Blaber recently visited them as well, so the cross-channel mission is now well and truly happening. I'm sure they would love to see any of you who would like to visit.

I look forward to helping this church become a significant community, not only for the Hague, but also with the potential to reach many nations.

Let's keep praying for the Taylor family and for Holland, that many more churches will be planted there.

Momentum: Bermondsey

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 03:36:05 GMT

How quickly does the year go? There are a number of events in the Root61 calendar that act as markers for where we are in the year: Vision Night means the year is starting, the weekend away marks the midway point and the third instalment of Momentum means that we are approaching the end.

Last Friday the Momentum roadshow arrived at Bermondsey and off we trooped up town to have some fun, hear some truth and worship an awesome God. Momentum at Bermondsey is always a giggle, the train and tube journey alone are always good value (being told off over the tannoy by the tube driver for all piling in through one door was pretty funny!).

Despite being essentially the same in the planning stage – some fun, worship, talk and opportunity for response/ministry – each Momentum has a different flavour and feel, reflecting the diversity within the Momentum team, the different churches involved and more gloriously within God himself. And I love it.

The evening started well for New Community, with a reputation to uphold from being last year’s reigning game winners (ask Ben Jones for more details), we once again emerged victorious from the gutter eating task – congratulations Bowo, Maddie and Ben (again).

As fun as that all was, we soon got to the good stuff; worshipping the King of Kings, the one who rules and reigns over all things. No matter what the style (the last Momentum at our place had an indie-rock feel, this time a much more African flavour), the sound of Momentum is one of young people raising a shout in worship, praising God and actively seeking Him. Honestly, there is no better sound or sight than seeing young people really going for it in worship. Brilliant.

My good friend Nicholas Ferguson, who heads up the youth at Kings Catford, then brought an outstanding message giving us plenty to think about. Using humorous and practical illustrations, Nicholas spoke about the broken world we live in and how we can only find light and direction in Jesus. Good stuff.

Finishing off with an extended worship and ministry time really helped people to meet with and do ‘business’ with God and a number of young people brought contributions, responded to words and received prayer. Momentum is a really special event, I’m so glad we do it and I’m thrilled with the response from our young people towards what we are trying to do. It’s a privilege to be involved.

Roll on next term.

James

PS:- Quick update for this Friday: 11-14s at Waring Park 7-9pm, meet us there and bring a drink and a completed loco-parentis form. 15-18s at The Centre, ice cream and film. Text your vote on what you want to watch to James before Friday! (Option A = 2012, Option B = Sherlock Holmes, Option C = Invictus, Option D = X-Men: Wolverine)

Football for kids!!!!

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 09:44:28 GMT

(Speaking after the Germany game) our national team have been at best abysmally woeful, at worst…well let’s not go there. We have decided as a church we’ll do our bit in making the World Cup of 2022 a little more successful by training our kids in how to play the game!

From September we will be running Saturday morning football sessions at Waring Park in Sidcup. I’ve had a number of parents mention to me that their kids would love to have weekend football available to them. So now it’s happening.

Our very own Sam Haseltine, who has various FA coaching badges, will be running this for us together with some others and it promises to be a fantastic opportunity not only for our kids but also for those who are not currently members of the church. Please do get in touch if you know your kids might be keen.

While on the subject of football, over the summer we will be running Monday night kick-abouts also at Waring park from 7.30pm: all are welcome!

Click here for more information on our church football team.

Tim

NCC Football team

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 09:31:09 GMT

Established out of a popular Sunday afternoon kick-about, a number of young men from NCC found a manager and entered the Bromley and Croydon Christian Football league as Athletic Football Club Sidcup (AFC Sidcup).

With the success of the inaugural season and continued interest the club doubled in size to two teams (Inter and Roma). Since then the club has reverted to one team, New Community Church Football Club (nccfc).

The team plays Saturday afternoons, kicking off between 1:30 & 2pm. Home games are played at Waring Park, Sidcup.

Training:

During the season we train every Thursday at 8pm at a local school, focusing on anaerobic fitness and individual skills.

In the off-season we have a casual ‘kick-about’ on Monday evenings at Waring Park from 7:30pm till…we’ve had enough or it gets dark!

Further details, including fixtures and results, can be found on the Bromley & Croydon Christian Football League’s web page. We are always pleased to welcome new members of all abilities. For more information contact team manager Gary Panton via office@newcommunitychurch.org.uk.

Click here to download a player registration form.

Club Honours

1999/00

AFC Sidcup Division 3 runners up

2000/01

Inter Division 2 winners

2001/02

Roma Division 3 winners

Inter National Cup finalists

2002/03

AFC Sidcup Division 2 winners

AFC Sidcup Mike Laxton Cup winners

2006/07

nccfc Mike Laxton Cup winners

Parents Update

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 09:19:36 GMT

Hi there, welcome to the first of what will become a regular parents’ update via the Youth Blog.

Programme June to August 2010

You should have received a Root61 programme in the post which includes all of the dates for this term. Please note that everything will take place as advertised unless you hear otherwise: this is especially true for life groups!

If you need a replacement programme then please give me a shout in the office.

Exams

We recognise that exams are important and that the exam season can be stressful for young people and parents! It is always our intention to support you as parents in any way we can and we will be encouraging all of the youth to work hard in this busy period. However, we also firmly believe that young people need a break from study and that’s why we aim to make the summer term as fun and as chilled out as possible. I think it’s healthy for young people to have a break so please encourage them to come along on Friday nights and to midweek life group if it’s appropriate.

Newday

If your child is going to Newday you will be receiving a letter with more details and your outstanding balance. If your child is not yet booked into Newday and they would like to go then there is still time. Please contact me in the office if they would like to go.

Keep in touch

You can of course also contact me in the office at any time on 02083000333 or via email: jamess@newcommunitychurch.org.uk

Cheers!

James

Fame Forever

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:45:36 GMT

The World Cup is here, a whole month of football – most likely less than a month if you are an England fan – and the world’s greatest superstar footballers on display. Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney et al all vying for ‘immortality’, to be remembered as a true great, to go down as a footballing legend, to have fame forever.

It’s an interesting thing fame. It seems that the majority of young people today want to be famous. The Independent newspaper recently reported that in a survey of over 1000 16 year olds, 54% responded to the question “what would you like to be when you are older” with the answer “famous”. The survey also asked respondents to name their role models. For girls, the top answer was model Kate Moss and for the boys, England footballer Wayne Rooney. Other names to make the top ten were Celebrity Big Brother winner Alex Raid, American celebrity Paris Hilton and topless model Nicola T.

As shocking as the results are they are not really surprising. There is a God-given desire within each of us to want to make a difference with our lives. I don’t think I have ever met anyone who says “I really hope my life turns out to be a meaningless and that I don’t achieve anything at all”.

If we are honest we all want to be remembered for something but, in my experience, people are looking in the wrong place and don’t really know how to go about it at all. 68% of the 16 year olds in the survey said that they didn’t know how to become famous.

Well, I would like to make a bold statement here: I do. You want fame? Take this advice:

“Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.” (1 John 2:16-17, The Message).

This is describing a very different kind of fame – the kind that actually will last forever because it’s attached to something that lasts forever. Even the most famous person to walk this planet, even the hero of the 2010 World Cup, will eventually fade away and be forgotten.

It’s a tragedy that so many people believe the lie that fame equals happiness. It’s a tragedy that so many people take their God-given desire to leave a mark on the world and use it for themselves.

1 John 2:16-17 gives us a formula for “fame”. It’s simple really and it’s got nothing to do with your talents, your looks, your ability to kick a football. It’s all about taking fame off your own agenda and instead living to make Jesus Christ famous. When you do this you attach yourself to something that will never fade away. That’s fame forever. Interested?

“Only one life, ‘twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last. And when I’m dying, how happy I’ll be, if the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.” (Author unknown)

James

P.S. By the way, if God blesses you with gifts and talents that bring you to the world’s attention for the right reason, then don’t shun them but use the applause of the crowd to give God the glory.

Now No Condemnation Questions

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 03:42:09 GMT

1. Thinking on the back of Romans 7, does this understanding of it lead to the possibility for the Christian not to sin i.e. never to sin again?

1 John 1:8 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

No one is without sin. And there is no biblical precedent to suggest that any Christian will ever experience ‘perfection’ before Christ’s return...far from it! Paul in his own words was “chief of sinners”; John, in writing his epistles, was evidently aware of his own struggle with sin. However the Christian experience should be one of “victory over sin” and not constant defeat by sin. Romans 8 is a wonderful discussion of life in the Spirit and how the Spirit helps us “put to death” the sin that remains in us. This should not be a lonely battle we face: we have a new master now, one who leads us in righteousness, one who fought the great battle of sin and death which he gloriously won at the cross. We have in us the very same power that raised Christ from death to life. This is the “Spirit of life” that “has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2) No Christian is without sin and we won’t ever be until we are met by Christ upon His return:

“When he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)

An interpretation of Romans 7 that suggests a Christian should be totally without sin is dangerous and not biblical! However, Romans 7 does show us that in our own strength we will never be able to meet the demands of the law and that we will be left in constant defeat because the law is powerless to help us. Yet “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord” who has set us free from our bondage to sin and given us His Spirit so that “we are more than conquerors through him who loves us.” (Romans 8:37).

2. Does this mean that the Christian should not experience guilt?

For the Christian there is “now no condemnation”, that is, there is no punishment for sin. Our penalty Christ paid, our punishment he bore, our guilt he took. So no, there is no guilt before God for our sin. The pronouncement over us has already been made: ‘Not Guilty!’, praise God.

There can be moments when we have feelings that we would associate with guilt, but I would want explore what is behind such feelings. It may well be regret or remorse for a sin, it might be conviction of sin or it might be feelings of shame for having acted in a particular way. It is important to explore this as it will help us to move into a direction of freedom and joy. Conviction of sin is a good thing if it leads us to repentance. However feelings of guilt and/or condemnation are not God given: he does not and will not condemn you, because you are “In Christ”. Your sin was punished in His flesh, so that you will never be punished because of your sin. When we sin now as Christians, as Lloyd Jones puts it, “we sin not against law but against love”. We don’t spoil our relationship with Christ, for once ‘In Him always ‘in Him’. As C.S Lewis put it, “Once a king or queen in Narnia, always a king or queen in Narnia.” However, by sinning, we do affect our enjoyment of our relationship with God, which is why we must be quick to repent of our sins.

Tim Blaber

Cynical much?

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 02:38:05 GMT

My blog post ‘Exam Season’ provoked a response both on and off-line (I’m just glad someone reads them): my favourite comment from a friend of mine was “you’re brave sticking your neck out and having a pop at parents!”

This, whilst not my intention – re-read what I said – has pleased me somewhat! Not least because it has made me think about the role of parents in not only bringing up children but also in the impact that they have on their children’s faith.

I have long recognised that I am not the most powerful influence on a teenager’s life and for about as long as I have known this I have been a very strong believer that my role as a youth leader is not as a faith service provider to young people. I am not a quasi-parent and nor would I ever try to give parenting “how to…” advice to parents of teenagers (at least not until I have my own and then I might).

The most powerful force in a young person’s life is their family and particularly their parents.

Parents have a serious influence on the way a young person lives their life, from their moral compass to their political ideologies, to their personal faith in God.

I know this to be true but it’s always good to have some evidence to back it up so a quick Google search later and I find a study from Abilene University in the States which found that young people who reported having positive family communication were twice as likely to perceive God as important in their lives than those who reported negative family communication.

As I was musing over these findings and beginning to see afresh the huge responsibility that parents carry (a responsibility that slightly scares me as and when God willing I become a father at some point in the future – I love spending time with young people but I quite like saying goodbye to them at 10.30pm on a Friday night) I was pointed in the direction of an excellent article by Rob Parsons in the latest edition of Christianity Magazine.

In “Cynicism corrupts”, Parsons, who in researching a book that is about to be released called “Getting your kids through Church without them ending up hating God”, looks at the importance of being positive. He writes “the problem with children is sometimes not that they don’t listen to us, but that they hear every word” and the messages that they hear will have a profound influence on them and the way they think.

For example if children only ever hear cynical or negative comments from their parents about Church life – the leaders don’t know what they’re doing, the worship time drives me crazy, why do they let that person contribute, that sermon was a waste of time listening to – it should not be a surprise when they turn round aged 15 and declare that they don’t want to go anymore. In researching his book Parsons spoke to many young people about what makes it harder for them to develop a faith of their own and he found that the biggest weapon the enemy uses is cynicism. Parsons notes “cynicism is deadly because it slowly chokes the ability to believe, to see God at work and experience the reality of his love and presence. And, sadly, many of those I met had caught that cynicism from older Christians – even parents”.

Obviously, there are some young people who turn their back on God who have the most wonderful and amazing parents. The reality is every child grows up into an adult and must ultimately make up their own mind and build their own relationship with God, but this did get me thinking about my responsibility as an older Christian and at some point in the future as a parent. Am I always positive in what I say about Church life or do I sometimes come across as cynical in public?

Parsons ends the article with a quote from a parent who wants his children to be exposed to positive comments about the church; he says “I want my kids to see church through eyes that look for God at work”. Amen to that:

We should run from cynicism and seek at all times to be positive in front of our young people especially.

James Silley