Search Results

Your test is positive. It wasn’t a surprise – my wife was confirmed positive five days earlier and, although we had isolated from each other since her symptoms began, we knew people tend to be infectious for a few days before that. So, when I developed a fever, aches and a cough, I would have been amazed had I tested negative. As I write this, I am coming out of COVID and remain surprisingly fatigued and significantly reduced in my capacity. I’m easing back into small amounts of work, but feel like I’m carrying weights around, both physically and mentally. In the midst of the muddle, though, one idea is foremost in my mind – sabbath. For Israel, there was a God-ordained pattern of weekly Sabbath days, but every seventh year was also intended to be a Sabbath year (see Leviticus 25:1-7). As the nation departed from God, they abandoned every aspect of His law, including the Sabbath years. In Leviticus 26, the Lord tells Israel what will happen if they are disobedient to the law, including their removal from the land into exile. In that context, God says to them (Leviticus 26:34-35): Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it. It’s not the only reason for the exile, and it probably isn’t the first one that comes to mind when we think of why God judged Israel, but it is important to Him that his people had not observed the sabbath years mandated in the law. The final verse in 2 Chronicles describing the pre-exilic history of Judah, before a brief comment on Cyrus’s declaration that ended the exile, comments on the fulfilment of this promise (2 Chronicles 36:21): The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfilment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah. One of the things the exile accomplished was to allow the land to rest as it should have done in the Sabbath years Israel had failed to keep. Now, I won’t claim to know exactly what the Lord is doing in His providence through this pandemic. I am certain on the basis of Scripture that He is moving over and through the nations, working out His purpose to redeem a people for Himself in Christ and to bring history to its proper conclusion when He reveals His children in the glorious likeness of His Son. I am also certain that within that overarching purpose He has lessons to teach us as individuals and collectively as the Church. It is in this second category that I place my thoughts in this post. So, to be clear, I am not saying that God caused or permitted coronavirus for this reason, but I have been aware that He is teaching me something about sabbath and perhaps this is one of the things He wants to teach you too. So, let me ask you a question. How many sabbaths have you missed in your life? How many weeks have passed without a proper day of rest when you down tools and change your focus? How many of the ‘sabbaths’ you said you would take were not proper sabbaths? How often did work creep back in, perhaps in the guise of sermon preparation or urgent pastoral needs? I’m not trying to put a guilt trip on anyone here, but to help us appreciate how good a gift sabbath is. One of the interesting things about the Sabbath law given to Israel is that it has two different, but complementary justifications in the two accounts of the Ten Commandments. Both are important. The first root of Sabbath is in creation (see Exodus 20:8-11). The principle of a day in seven to rest is woven into the rhythm of creation. God Himself established the pattern. That tells us something vital about Sabbath rest. It isn’t primarily about resting because we are tired but establishing a pattern in which we take time to slow down, reflect and reassess. Sabbath is not defined primarily by the absence of rest, but by the intentional presence of reflection. God rested on the seventh day so that He could enjoy the fruits of His labour, savouring the beauty of the universe and the order that He had brought from chaos. When we take sabbath rest we do the same. We slow down to notice what is always true but so easily passes us by. We look past the scars of sin on our world to delight in the goodness of God’s work in creation – thanking Him for the beauty of birds, the majesty of mountains, the fragrance of flowers. Sabbath calls us to receive creation as a gift from God. The second root of Sabbath is in redemption (see Deuteronomy 5:12-15). Israel was to observe the Sabbath because God redeemed them from slavery. In the collective consciousness of the nation was the memory of what it was to work relentlessly without rest, driven by Egyptian slave-masters. Sabbath became possible for them because God delivered them by His mighty outstretched arm from that tyranny. Sabbath was an opportunity to pause and remember that they were a redeemed people. So, too, for us, Sabbath is a space to stop and reflect on God’s work of redemption for us – to give up our false belief that our salvation, or the salvation of others depends on us, and to acknowledge that God has done it all, that Christ is sufficient. We thank Him for the riches of His grace, the bounty of His mercy, the wonder of the cross. Sabbath calls us to receive redemption as a gift from God. Taking these twin roots of the Sabbath together, we begin to see why sabbath breaking was such an issue in God’s relationship with Israel. The sins that caused the exile were covenant unfaithfulness in the oppression of others and idolatry along with religious hypocrisy. Sabbath breaking is an expression of all of these. The failure to observe Sabbath years had harmed the land and those who worked on it. More fundamentally, though, it was a form of idolatry. When we refuse to live as God designed us to live, we say that we know better than our Creator – that we could have done a better job than Him. And when we fail to practice Sabbath by cutting off one day a week from our labour, we say that we have some contribution to make to our own salvation or the salvation of the world – that Christ’s work is insufficient without us. Instead of approaching life with joy in the gifts of creation and redemption we begin to believe that someone will miss out on heaven if we don’t evangelise to them, or that what makes the difference in the lives of those we care for pastorally is our presence and words rather than the comfort and instruction of the Spirit and Word of God. Sabbath breaking is idolatry. So, how is your practice of sabbath? I must confess that for many years I have played fast and loose with my need for this kind of rest. When I have thought of rest, my motivator has been exhaustion. I should, instead, have recognised the root of my exhaustion in the lack of good habits around Sabbath. I hope, by God’s grace, that I’m learning that now. Even before I caught the virus, the altered rhythm of lockdown was helping me to appreciate creation more – the goldfinches on my bird feeders were the prime means of this ‘creation grace’ to me. But I was aware in myself, and hearing it from other ministers, of the risk in working from home of failing to set boundaries around work time. Now that I cannot work at the level I normally expect to, I hope I will learn to rest properly and to establish a rhythm of weekly sabbath. I have been greatly helped by my colleagues – staff and trustees – in Living Leadership who have been ruthless in telling me to rest over the last week with the virus. I am thinking that we should be a lot more direct with each other about this in the normal course of events. Who challenges you about the need for sabbath in your life? Let me encourage you as I close. Sabbath is a wonderful gift of God. A time to slow down and savour creation and redemption. To confess that you are not God and that God is. To admit that you neither created yourself nor can you save yourself. To glory in grace, to marvel at mercy, to revel in love. To pause and be who God created you to be and become who He is creating you as in Christ. The call to sabbath is not a burden, but a gift. As the Lord said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

What’s your life? Fight or Journey? On March 5, I took a look at Journey. Today, it’s Fight. In spite of its difficulties, I believe Fight is a more dominant biblical theme than Journey. For good reasons. First exhibit: The Old Testament. For reasons that reside deep inside the mind of God, he chose to form a nation and then set that nation on collision course with other nations. You can’t get away from this truth. The Israelites fought pretty much every group with an ‘–ite’ on the end of its name. It is true that they were sometimes condemned for such behaviour, but on dozens of occasions, they are commanded by God to go and slay their enemies. Yes, commanded. God’s use of warfare to achieve his ends must, of course, be placed within the context of his redemptive purposes, but he surely does not avoid warfare as a means to an end. Fighting, a violent physical activity, and yes, a symptom of our fallenness, is used by God as a tool in his hands to achieve his ends. Second and most important exhibit: The gospels. The gospels present Christ in direct opposition to the Devil. His temptation in the desert, followed by his myriad healings and exorcisms bring him into conflict with his Opposition, the prince of the air. Furthermore, he is opposed constantly by people who want to kill him. In addition, he frames his teaching in terms of ‘with me or against me.’ Even in the Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are you when you are persecuted ‘in my name.’ That’s Fight. With me or against me. You must pick a side. No fence-sitting permitted. But the crucial one must be the highpoint of history, when the Son of God hung upon a cross, died and was then resurrected. This act is represented as a triumph. A victory over sin, death and Satan. It is Fight which lies at the very heart of the Christian faith. A fight which God wins and into which he calls us. It is, of course, tragic that European Christian leaders and Popes thought that capturing Jerusalem or fighting each other on behalf of God was a correct interpretation of Scripture. They were wrong. The Fight is internal – for purity – and yet it is also focused outwards. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.… I wonder if you have attended churches where the dominant idea was ‘fighting the devil.” I have. Every prayer meeting was a duel with the devil. Off we went, ‘taking the land,’ ‘declaring spiritual truths to each other and to spiritual forces.’ It can get tiring after a while. I’m bound to say, however, that when the sense of Fight is absent, a church can lose its confidence. And it can lose its way. Ask yourself as you look out over your congregation on a Sunday morning: ‘Do we look like an army? Do we live like people who are in a fight for the Kingdom of God, praying with fervour for the glory of God to be revealed and for his kingdom to come?’ I love these lyrics from Our God Reigns by Delirious: Yes he reigns, yes you reign, yes you reign, For there is only one true God, But we've lost the reins on this world, Forgive us all, forgive us please, As we fight for this broken world on our knees. As we fight for this broken world on our knees. What passion! What drive! I favour Fight right now, because we need it more. In hospitals around the land, our health care professionals are fighting a virus which is killing people. Christians are bonding together in prayer, to pray for God’s Kingdom to come and within that idea is Fight. Fight against the virus and against an enemy who seeks to discourage us and wear us down. Even to divide us. So, in prayer, we need to fight for those we love and those in need. But we also need to stand boldly on the name of our Saviour, whose victory cry still rings out. That’s why the metaphor, Fight, is far more valuable right now than Journey (though both have their place). Let us fight on our knees because we know that our God is already victorious. This week, we’re releasing the second article on Divorce by Neil Powell, the City London Director for City to City U.K. and a chair of City to City Europe, a church planting organisation . Click here for 'Is a Christian permitted to divorce an abusive spouse?'

By Marcus Honeysett (ed. Richard Thor Collins) This post first appeared on Marcus' blog - Digital H2O - on March 27. Snowflake. The top definition in the Urban Dictionary: A term for someone who thinks they are unique and special, but really are not . . . Began being used extensively as a putdown for someone, usually on the political left, who is easily offended or felt they needed a safe space away from the harsh realities of the world. Personally, I don’t like the term. I think it’s unfair. The generation of so-called snowflakes face an uncertain world. Many feel that the foundations that once provided security and hope are no longer there. They feel cheated. Some are angry. As a response, they’ve sought solace in creating their own identities, which are affirmed by their peers, regardless of how absurd these are. Nevertheless, harsh realities remain the same. A lack of meaningful work, shallow relationships and high debt levels for the young make life feel empty and frightening. Furthermore, healthy role models have disappeared along with family structures which once provided a foundation. So they’re anxious. Not surprising, really. It is entirely understandable if people search for meaning in rage or activism. It’s surely not hard to understand why the young seek insulation from the world through safe spaces and trigger warnings. A fantasy world is so much more . . . appealing. So I certainly understand their motives, even if I question their response. I suspect the coronavirus might make us all a little more sympathetic to this generation of so-called ‘snowflakes.’ Remove some of our cherished foundations, and we may also find ourselves as vulnerable as the anxious teen next door. Yet, some positive effects might also follow. 1) We might gain some sympathy for those we have previously designated weak and selfish. We might even ditch that odious response, ‘pull yourself together.’ 2) We might come to realise how unreliable our crutches are – the things we use to bolster our sense of safety. Brittle foundations are easily exposed at a time like this. They crumble if the blow is strong enough. So I am very sympathetic to people who want comfort and safety when the world is falling to pieces. My concern is that safe spaces and trigger warnings are unlikely to be fit for purpose. They are inadequate to the task. At worst, they lead to denial. The truth is, there is only one truly safe place. As the writer of Proverbs reminds us, ‘The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they are safe’ (Prov.18.10). When God exiled most of his people to Babylon, some of those who managed to remain in Jerusalem started to think themselves safe. They said, “This city is a protective iron pot and we are the meat.’ (Ezek. 11). God responds by telling them their days are numbered, he will eventually exile all of them. But he goes on to add that his presence and protection are actually with the exiles, the destitute, the insecure and those far from home. The veneer of safety was never going to save the smug Jerusalem elites. Only the presence of God could do that. How can we experience God’s presence during these terrible times? Far too early this morning my young son crawled into my bed, pulled my arms around him and murmured ‘nice and warm.’ In my half-asleep state, I thought, ‘that’s a good picture of what God wants us to do.’ Jesus told his disciples to remain in him, and thereby in the love of the Father, so that his joy may be in them and their joy may be complete. He says the way to do that is by his word remaining in us. When we bury his word as deeply in our hearts as we can, we remain in him, and as a consequence, we are safe in him and in his joy. And what does this joy accomplish for us? The joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh. 8.10) It’s easy to think this isn’t a practical answer to all the insecurities we are facing – jobs, food, physical health. And certainly these things are important. But they are not ultimately important. Romans 14:17 says that the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The first Christians threw away all their desire for comfort for the sake of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Even today, Christians are beheaded for the sake of these things. We are comforted in trouble, not just by the absence of it. True comfort is a by-product of secure faith and having our eyes fixed on Jesus. Don’t think this is just a platitude. If you’ve read my last couple of blog posts, you know how disoriented I feel. A wise friend reminded me that as a leader, I’m not required to be a strong leader to whom others look. The essential thing is that I’m weak and needy, hanging onto a super-strong Saviour, and I point others to him. How do we keep going? I think it is a matter of snuggling in. We need to be reminded daily of the character of God, our mighty fortress. We need to remind ourselves daily - through Scripture, prayer and worship – that a mighty fortress is our God. The rubber really hits the road when we ask the question, ‘Is God actually going to care for me, really?" Will we truly believe it? Surface-deep faith just isn’t enough. We need to go deeper. So why not dig deep into one of the gospels? Spend a whole morning just reading about Jesus. Let the words lead you to worship. Perhaps you could also take some of the great prayers in the NT and pray them. Perhaps memorise them. This virus is not just a huge challenge, it’s an opportunity. To press in more, to spend more time in God’s Word. To grow in our faith. For we have a mighty, loving, compassionate God, who is faithful, good and true.

By Marcus Honeysett (ed. Richard Collins) This post was first released on Marcus' blog - Digital H2O - on 25 March, 2020. You know those big toxic waste barrels? They often have a nuclear symbol on the side, don’t they? Right. So that’s you. Each week, many in your congregation treat you like this barrel. They pour into you all their doubts about God, their marital difficulties, their complaints about church, life, and the universe; they offload their struggles. Gradually, you fill up with toxic material. So what do you do? Where can you go? Most Christian leaders don’t have anyone to whom they can turn. Except perhaps to bend the ear of a poor spouse. Many leaders are isolated. They don’t have professional supervision to help with detoxing. I’ve been in Christian ministry for quite a while, and by my calculation, it takes about fifteen years before leaders are full up with toxicity. Then they either overspill or explode. One more bitter email and frankly, explosion is the likely result. In the midst of this, leaders are required to keep smiling. Why? Because many have a carefully constructed image of being unflappable and infinitely resourceful. It is said that ministers don’t drop out of Christian work because they have forgotten how to preach, but because they have forgotten how to be human. So how are you doing during this pandemic? For myself, well, within a few days my whole routine was gone. All my plans collapsed, to be replaced by Daddy School for an energetic and rather anxious 5 year-old, one who requires constant attention. I find myself all at sea. ‘How do I feel?’ leads to ‘how should I feel?’ to ‘How do people expect me to react to this?’ And finally, what is it appropriate to express to the outside world? Including in this blog post. I am certainly not alone. I’m among a set of Christian leaders who feel a strong obligation to be strong, resilient and spiritually dynamic when in fact we’re feeling weak, vulnerable and isolated. We’re just like everyone else, but we’re not supposed to admit it. So here is my confession - I am feeling it. I wonder if, in the stripping back, the Lord is calling us to pare right back. Perhaps it’s okay just to pray. Or spend a whole morning reading a gospel. Without all the distractions and obligations which often choke off our devotional times. I wonder if this isn’t a perfect opportunity to get rid of the idols we lean on – competence, spiritual wisdom, false identities. I wonder if the uncertainty which surrounds us might not be the ideal trigger to stop presenting a false image of ourselves and start admitting that we too are vulnerable and anxious. We’re not omni-competent. We’re not, and we never have been. Of course it comes with risks. Do people really want Christian leaders who are weak and vulnerable? Or leaders who are strong and able? Do our people want spiritually mature leaders, conscious of their limitations, who draw out the gifts of others, or leaders who promise answers, who never show weakness, more Terminator than human? I hope it’s the former, but the reality is that many of us present the latter. Secretly, I suspect many leaders don’t want 2 Corinthians 12 to be true - boasting in our weakness and inadequacy. Paul can keep his thorn in the flesh. I don’t need it. But the thing is, the lesson he learnt, that God’s grace is sufficient . . . it’s true. By some means, we will have to learn this lesson. There is no other path which leads to wholeness. And without chapter 12, we can’t deliver on chapter 1, comforting others. If I am impervious, I scarcely need to receive comfort. And without experiencing that comfort myself, how can I comfort others? I might be able to train them in skills, but I’ll never be able to model how to be a disciple in bad times as well as good, or when I don’t know all the answers. Especially that last one. I don’t have all the answers. Never have, never will. Go check the Psalms. The psalmists didn’t either. There is a sense in which these unprecedented times demand change from us. Our normal responses are not fit for purpose. Yet, it’s also true that nothing has really changed. These times are simply revealing what was always true. The fragility of life, the need to trust God at all times. Maybe even those uncomfortable truths, that masks don’t work, that competence alone can’t substitute for a raw dependence on God. So what do you want to model to your people? That strength and competence is the key to survival? Or that by confessing to feeling weak and vulnerable, we are led to the feet of our Almighty God? Unprecedented times. And yet, the Truth remains the same. I pray that God will lead me to greater depths in my prayer life. I hope in yours too. In our vulnerability, I pray that we all grow in trust and intimacy with our God, who is our refuge and strength. Forget the need to be unflappable or present a perfect image. Now is the time to model dependence on God our Father who draws close to those in need. To those who openly confess their weakness and dependence. To him be the glory. Marcus Honeysett When I said “my foot is slipping,” your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. Psalm 94:18-19 This week, we're releasing our second article on divorce, by Neil Powell. It's entitled 'When is divorce permitted?' Click here. Neil Powell is the City of London Director of City to City U.K. and a chair of City to City Europe, a church planting organization.

by Marcus Honeysett Edited by Richard Thor Collins Coronavirus has closed the world down. Or so it seems. For itinerant Christian workers like me, just about everything in our diaries has been cancelled. Church leaders are busy figuring out new ways to pastor their flocks, but for those of us who travel, we’re suddenly faced with a vast open space in our calendars. A friend of mine told me, ‘Last week, I had six international trips planned and lots of other work coming in. Now it’s all gone.’ I myself was due to speak at various conferences – now all cancelled. On top of this, my wife is a key worker teacher of vulnerable children. Her task is to figure out how to support these kids with the social distancing restrictions in place. Oh, and we have a rambunctious five-year-old to care for in the home. Small garden, not much space for energy outlet. You can see the problem, surely. Like no other week I can remember, God has used this week to teach me two things. 1) I am not in control 2) It is foolish to find my sense of identity and achievement (let alone security) from my Christian ministry activity I’m reminded of Elijah in 1 Kings 17, an astonishing passage. He says to Ahab, ‘As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.’ Immediately afterwards, there is no revival tour of the Northern Kingdom. Instead, God sends Elijah into isolation. Familiar word nowadays. Three years in the Kerith Ravine, and then in Zaraphath, the land of death. Why? I believe Elijah needed further lessons in trust and reliance on Almighty God. It is training in trusting. And it was no doubt a frustrating and anxious time, especially when the brook dried up. What’s the lesson here? Enforced stopping is not spiritually pointless. It is not useless, wasted space. It’s a time to cry out to God. It’s a space to drink deeply from his Word. Maybe to fast. It is also a time to reach out to our neighbours in ways we often don’t. It might even be an opportunity to catch up with admin – what a thought! Our change in lifestyle doesn’t have to mean a fruitless period. It’s just a different way to produce fruit. For myself, I am hoping to spend more time in prayer. I want to learn in greater depth the meaning of dependence. After all, our God is still ever-faithful and totally in control. And should this virus reconfigure my life permanently, then that is a gift from his good hand. Finally, how important it is to remember that the Bible often emphasises the fragile nature of our lives – how impermanent they are, how subject to forces beyond our control. Let me leave you with some thoughts from James’ letter. Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15

We have considered our core beliefs in these days and how they sustain us with hope in Christ. We have also thought about some of the practical ways we can respond as people who speak hope and show help within the church and beyond. The final issue I want to address is your own position as a leader. If you aren’t a leader in a church (a recognised shepherd) then this may not be for you, but I would encourage you to think of the needs of your leaders at this time. How can you make their work easier and encourage them in it? This is a time, more than most, when godly leadership is needed. If you have been given responsibility under the Lord to be a shepherd of His sheep, then be aware of the particular challenges you will face in these days. Satan will seek to destroy your faith and the flesh will cry out for self-preservation, but you must listen to the Christ-exalting voice of the Spirit and dwell in the promises of the Scriptures. Do not neglect your own spiritual health at this time. Your spiritual well-being will be vital as you seek to inspire and encourage others . There is little doubt that your working patterns will change in the coming weeks. Depending on the nature of your ministry you may face lesser or greater pressure on your time. I suspect that many will initially find they have greater flexibility as some church activities are suspended. I urge you to use this time to dig deep into the Scriptures and to dedicate some time to be still before the Lord. Meditate on His Word and reignite your commitment to prayer. As things progress, however, you may well find yourself under greater pressure with pastoral need. So use these early stages to build a good team around you. Lean on your fellow-elders if you have any. Speak to those you know you can trust to help shoulder the weight of pastoral responsibility. Begin putting plans in place now for what you will do down the line and make sure that none of your church’s responses depend on only one person. The likelihood is that most of us will get the virus and, although it should be mild for the majority, that is likely to mean down time for all of us. Build your contingency plans. In all of this, remember that you are human. That will include: - Getting rest and adequate sleep; - Exercising regularly - get outside, while keeping your distance from others, if at all possible; - Make sure your day has a routine; - Laugh and talk to those you live with about things other than the pandemic; - Consider switching off the news and don't allow yourself to carry a psychological burden you can't cope with (the curse of instant and global news is that it can overwhelm us). Consider, too, the conversations you need to have. Talk with your family members, explain to your children or grandchildren, if you have them, the nature of faith in God in such unprecedented times. Invest in deep and loving support for your spouse of you are married. Model and teach all of this to your church members – encourage them to have the conversations now that they may not be able to have if they or a loved one are struck by the virus and does not recover. Don’t suppress your own anxieties either, but bring them to the Lord. Also be wary in this moment of the dark side of leadership, the abuse of power and influence. Be certain to keep wise boundaries in place around your ministry, to serve those who you shepherd without controlling them and to point to trust on Christ rather than encouraging dependence on you. This might seem like an odd warning when people are in such fear and need, but it is exactly in those moments that temptation is greatest and actions that are wrong can feel right. Beware inappropriate intimacy, maintain accountability and transparency (while preserving appropriate confidentiality), and have clear principles that guard against physical, emotional, financial or sexual abuse of those you and your team care for. Finally, I would recommend that if you don’t already have someone outside a team that co-works with you in your setting to pray for you and to provide pastoral support, you find that. Living Leadership is here for you and we are available in two ways. Firstly, we are dedicating ourselves as a staff team to praying for you. We do that anyway, but we are making that a special priority in coming weeks so please email us or complete the contact form on our website if you have specific prayer requests. Secondly, we are available to chat to you by phone or video call if you need to speak to someone and be refreshed in the gospel. Our time and resources are limited, but we will do our best to respond ourselves as staff or to link you with one of our trusted associates. To ask for that, use the contact form on our website. Supporting Shepherds – top tips · Focus on your own spiritual health in this time. Use rearranged schedules to create patterns of prayerfulness and digging deeply into the Word. Remember you are human! · Form a team around you who can support you and work with you to meet the pastoral needs of your congregation. Remember you aren’t omnicompetent! · Find prayerful support outside your immediate team – someone you know is praying for you and who you can talk to as you need. Remember you aren’t alone – Living Leadership is here for you!

As I close this series, I want to encourage you again in the gospel. Above all we need to stay centre ourselves afresh on Christ and our confidence in Him and to stay in that place. To help us, we can learn from two parts of Scripture. Isaiah faced times no less calamitous than ours as the people of Judah watched the seemingly unstoppable advance of the Assyrians, including the toppling of the northern kingdom. In the midst of this turmoil he reflected on what the LORD had said to him (Isaiah 8:12-15): For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honour as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offence and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken. Beautifully, the apostle Peter adopted and adapted these words when he wrote to the Christian exiles in modern-day Turkey who were experiencing the seemingly insurmountable power of a pagan empire and hostile neighbours (1 Peter 3:13-17): Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. Note how Peter brings the words the LORD of hosts spoke about Himself to focus in the person of Christ. This is a high statement about the deity of Jesus and about our confidence in Him. The language of God fearing has fallen from our vocabulary, presumably because we don’t want to give the impression that we should be afraid of God. But the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. When we fear Him, we need fear nothing else! This fearlessness fuels our boldness in sharing the gospel to all who want to know. In these days let’s recapture the joy and peace that come from being God-fearing people. The threat facing us is certainly different from that faced by Israel in Isaiah’s context (an invasion from Mesopotamia is hardly our concern) or that confronting Peter’s first readers (whatever challenges we face in these post-Christian days we are unlikely to be physically persecuted) but Christ is Lord and heaven’s armies (the hosts of angels under the LORD’s command) are undiminished in the face of coronavirus too. There is a sanctuary in every storm – the secure harbour that is Christ – and a reason to be given for our hope in every crisis. We must be gospel people in uncertain times. As I close this series, I am praying for you the following words inspired by Isaiah 8 and 1 Peter 3. If you find them helpful, why not pray them for others and make them your own prayer through this crisis: Father God, you have spoken to us with Your strong hand upon us, warning us not to follow the fearfulness of our society in this moment. We need not fear coronavirus or its consequences, because You are our sanctuary in the storm. We do not deny the suffering many are experiencing or our own anxiety in this moment, but we seek to honour You as the holy One, to remember that Christ is our Lord. May we fear you alone in holy reverence and, in so doing, find freedom from all other fears. May our words and our actions in this time be consistent with these great truths. Help us to have confidence to speak hope and to give a reason for it to all who will listen. May many come to know Christ as Lord and to have eternal life through Him. Enable us to show help to others as a non-anxious presence and through appropriate provision. Help us be wise in how we do this so that we do good and not anything harmful. We pray for those in government to act wisely and to lead us well. Help us as responsible citizens to make their work on our behalf easy. We pray for your grace to lead well in our own areas of responsibility and to care well for our families and those who look to us as their shepherds. We pray for those who are personally affected by the disease. Preserve life and bring healing to them, we ask and comfort those who are mourning the loss of loved ones. In Jesus’ name, Amen

In the first post in this series, we considered the perspective we have in these strange times. In the last post we thought about how we can speak hope, but showing help is also a challenge in these times. That is the focus of this post. It is my conviction, as a medic and as a pastor, that we must be guided by the professionals and the authorities as to what physical contact is possible in these times. Our duty to submit to the authorities and our recognition that all truth is God’s truth, whether we discover it in the book of God’s Word (special revelation in the Scriptures) or the book of God’s world (general revelation in nature accessible through science and reason), should lead us to observe the best guidance about social distancing. This is wisdom in practice and an act of love for the more vulnerable people we could infect and for the healthcare professionals who may be overwhelmed with a more rapid spike in numbers if we do not follow the advice. We must, however, be creative in seeing how we can best respond to practical needs in this time within the guidelines. Such care must begin within the family of faith. Who are the vulnerable people in your congregation who are already self-isolating or may be in the near future? Can you divide them up between younger members who can contact them daily by phone or video call and could deliver essential items to them if needed? Don’t assume that people have families close by or, even if they do, that their families can do this alone – they may hit a point when they have to self-isolate. If you make such plans, remember to build in a facility for people offering this support to lean on others if they also need to self-isolate. Good teamwork and open communication will be essential. Then there is the opportunity to go beyond the church community to the wider society. Why not encourage your members to offer help around the neighbourhood. Some people have advised printing postcards to put through their doors. This may not be advisable given the risk of spreading the virus even through paper, but perhaps going round with an A4 poster to show people through the window without expecting them to open the door might work? Or if you are really brave, go out like a town crier and announce your availability! All of this assumes you don’t already have their phone numbers. If you do, of course just lift the phone! The help you can offer may be limited – deliveries of food or medicines to doorsteps or simply a smiling face of a real person who cared enough to call by – but it can be an expression of genuine compassion. If it can be done clearly in the name of Jesus or of the church, even better. Let Him have the glory for the good deeds you do that are, after all, only a response to His grace to us. On that note, if you decide to act as a church, think about whether you could do this in partnership with other gospel churches in your area. You are more likely to be able to cover the whole neighbourhood without missing any and it is a wonderful opportunity to show unity in Christ. Our concern must not be the reputation just of our own congregation or denomination, still less of ourselves as individual leaders, but the reputation of Christ and the gospel. As discussed above, there are strong biblical reasons for such partnership, but it is also practically wise in this moment. More widely, we need to realise that there will be economic challenges ahead, quite possibly severe and long-term. How can your congregation respond to this? Can you set up a hardship fund? Begin saving now so that when needs increase you can respond. My advice is not to make this your project as a pastor – seek a godly deacon with the right skills and gift to lead the way so that you can remain focused on the ministry of the Word and prayer. Can you facilitate provision of food needs for your church members who will be economically affected? Encourage those who can to buy some extra non-perishable foods (a list from a foodbank will help and enable people to keep them in the church building or office, then let people know they are there. I am not talking here about your regular donations to foodbanks or other ministries helping those outside the church, but an additional pool of food and money to help church members in need. Again this duty begins within the household of faith. And that leads to the final point about showing help. As we do all of this, we must not forget that we are richly blessed in global terms. Even if we hit recession and our community loses much of its disposable income, we will remain relatively well-off compared to people in less developed nations. We will, therefore, need to be sacrificial in our giving. We must inspire people, and set the example for them, to give generously to Christian organisations seeking to engage in holistic care for people in less privileged contexts. We must also remember to continue to give to those who serve our churches as external consultants, speakers and trainers. Their incomes may be severely affected by cancellations of speaking engagements. Think about whether you can and should give even some of the amount you would have given as an honorarium as a gift to them to mitigate their losses. Sharing Help – top tips · We must act within the best guidance of government and healthcare professionals as a fulfilment of our duty to submit to the authorities and to act wisely. · Find ways to ensure that your whole congregation, especially the most vulnerable, is supported through regular communication, delivery of essentials to their doorstep and a hardship fund. · Partner (again) with other gospel churches in your area to provide support to others in your community as far as possible and seek to do so in the name of Christ.

In the first post in this series, we considered the perspective we have in these strange times. Now our focus shifts to the first of our two responses – speaking hope. As gospel people, we want to speak hope to our neighbours amidst the current stress. That will mean making the most of every opportunity to season our conversations with grace and to give a reason for the hope that is in us. We need to be bold in sharing the gospel with others, the divine call to repentance and promise of forgiveness and eternal life through faith in Christ, crucified for our sins and risen and exalted as Lord of all. We also need to think about how our conversation about the virus and its implications can spark interest in the reason for our hope and point people to ultimate realities. I think that means walking a line between two unhelpful approaches. On one hand we must not join with the media, which seems to have little to say but fear-mongering. On the other, we must void trite theological comments that, although they may be orthodox, show no compassion for those whose lives and livelihoods are under threat. We are not called to condemn the world but in compassion to testify to the One who came to save it. We do not want to promote fear, but we must also avoid allaying it falsely. Since it is likely that much of our speaking in coming weeks and months will be done online, there are specific implications for how we comment on social media. Messages of gospel hope, confidence in God’s providence and assurance of the promise of God’s good purposes for humankind are much needed. They must, however, be combined with honesty about the seriousness of our situation and the reality of people’s pain and fear. This is a moment to remember God’s covenant commitment to the endurance of humankind given to Noah and his family after the Flood, along with Christ’s transformation of suffering in God’s redeeming purposes. The other aspect of our online communication in this time is likely to be through shifting our preaching to technology. If we are live-streaming or putting out pre-recorded messages, we should think through how we speak and where we speak from. I know we may want to stick to already-made planned series, but I would encourage you to think if that is the best thing. May this context require a fresh look at the portions of Scripture that most readily speak to people in fearful situations? Perhaps Daniel, with its assurances of divine providence? Or maybe Habakkuk’s wrestle with God as he thought of the approaching Babylonians? Or vignettes from the Gospels that draw our minds to the enduring nature of God’s kingdom and the reassuring “non-anxious presence” (Rabbi Edwin Friedman’s term for a leader) of the Lord Jesus as He lived to His Father’s timetable in dependence on His Father’s loving care? Or, what about a series in the psalms, exploring the dynamic of the life of faith in the midst of life’s challenges? Whichever part of the Scriptures we settle on, it is worth thinking about how our acts of shared worship can allow space for expression of the varied emotions we are feeling – lament and distress as well as joy and thanksgiving. It is also worth thinking about how your content can be creative and keeping blocks of spoken teaching short enough for people to engage fully (15 minutes at a time is probably adequate). Finally, find ways to encourage community between people – perhaps through conference call or group chat software – as well as maintaining a clear leadership in the Word of God. We should also remember the needs of all age groups in the congregation. Can you find a way to support families in building into the lives of their children? The cancellation of children’s programmes does not have to mean a decline in the progress of little ones in the faith. Creative content for parents to use with their children, especially video content recorded by familiar children’s workers, will go a long way to helping the family be a worshipping community in the home. A final note here concerns the unity of the Church in the gospel. These times provide another nudge towards a united approach for practical reasons. It is my conviction that there are gospel reasons why we should already be seeking to work in local gospel partnerships – understanding each of our congregations as part of the whole Church in our area rather than working in isolation. For that reason, pause as you make your plans to replace gatherings to ask whether you may be able to do better if you work with others. If you are resource rich in technological proficiency, why not offer to facilitate other congregations who are not in supporting their members? Or what about online ‘pulpit sharing’ in this time so that there is a clear message together of God’s faithfulness. Perhaps this is a moment to forge partnerships that we should have developed long ago? Speaking Hope – top tips · Ensure communication is neither fearful nor insensitive. Walk the line between denial of the seriousness of this moment and its implications and denial of gospel confidence. · Use social media and online church output (preaching etc.) to present a positive message of hope with compassion and space to express lament. What Scriptures will you share in these days? · Explore ways to partner with other gospel churches for both practical reasons (some may struggle to shift to online output) and as an expression of our oneness in Christ.

These are strange times. I have thought this many times and heard it repeatedly from various church leaders I have spoken to in recent days. As a society we are faced with a challenge greater than any we have seen in my lifetime or the lifetimes of anyone close to me. Even those who lived through the last world war are saying they can’t remember any event of such dramatic societal consequence since the Blitz. How are we to respond to this situation as Christians and, especially, as leaders of God’s people? I am not thinking here primarily of the practical questions of when to end church meetings, how to replace them with alternatives through smart use of technology or even how to conduct funerals and other special events while being wise in our following of government guidance. These are important questions for pastors and others are better positioned than I to comment on them. What I am thinking about, however, is the matters of the heart and our pastoral care for others. How can we maintain our faith and what words can we share with others in this moment? This is the first of five daily blog posts and video messages from Living Leadership for church leaders in these times. Over the next few days we want to encourage you to speak hope, share help, support shepherds and stay centred. But, first, some reflections on our perspective in these strange times. The situation we find ourselves in is a potentially toxic cocktail of factors: fear for personal health; concern for the well-being of elderly and vulnerable friends and relatives; worries about financial security for all of us and especially for those who are self-employed or employers of others; anxiety about the implications for education and exams if schools are closed; the fear of dying alone or knowing that one’s loved one may die alone without us by their side. We need to know what we believe and to think about how to communicate it to others in such times. In some ways, this moment is bringing us abruptly back to a situation that has been the ‘norm’ for many people throughout history and remains the ‘norm’ for people in less developed countries even today. The illusion of stability and security on the basis of progress and economic growth has been shaken before in recent years – the financial crash and the environmental crisis are the foremost reasons – but not on this scale or with this rapidity. This is a moment of awakening for many to the fragility of life and the uncertainty of our economic and political systems. I do not mean to be a prophet of doom and gloom in saying that, but I think it is important that whilst we look for solutions to these issues – and Christians can be at the forefront of finding creative responses to economic and social hardship – we do not allow ourselves to be swept up in the belief that these issues will ultimately be solved through our efforts. The lies that echo through the ages ring out in this moment. The now-exposed lie of Sodom that says we can live forever in prosperity and pleasure and the still not fully exposed lie of Babel that says we can build our way to Heaven through our combined efforts without God are no less seductive in this moment than the lie that we are all doomed. In place of these deceptions, we need a clear understanding of biblical truth. My mind is drawn to the book of Daniel with its emphasis on the sovereign rule of God. The insights Daniel is given in visions, confusing and overwhelming as they may feel, tell us the true story of human history. Rising powers, collapsing civilisations, declarations of great strength and demonstrations of great weakness are all part of the dynamic of history. Yet Daniel is given a glimpse into two truths. Firstly, that behind these twists and turns of history is a constant and unchanging truth, that God is sovereign. There is conflict in the heavenly realms as powers of evil seek to thwart God’s good purpose, but there is no question that He remains in control. Secondly, his purpose is to bring all things to a very good conclusion when all authority is handed over to one who is described as being 'like a Son of Man'. That One, who once walked the dusty streets of Judea and Galilee, has already been enthroned at His Father’s right hand and will soon return to establish His kingdom in its fullness. The One who did battle against disease during His life on earth – presumably viruses were on his list of conquered enemies – and who won the decisive victory over sin and death through His cross and resurrection, will soon call an end to all hostilities, destroying every foe by the breath of his mouth. These truths frame our lives in this uncertain world. We have a living hope of a certain inheritance through the resurrection of Christ from the dead and we are kept by the power of God. We also trust that God is working out His purpose through all things for our good, bringing history towards the goal of His children being revealed in glory. This confidence frees us to devote ourselves to God’s service. We are called to be gospel people, sharing the message of Christ with others and serving them through good works in response to God’s grace. As our culture faces a moment of existential crisis we must do both of these things. We must speak hope and show help. In tomorrow's post we will think about the first of those duties - speaking hope. Strange Times – top tips · We are living in a challenging moment of fears about health and economic uncertainties which presents challenges and opportunities for the Church. · We need to think not just of practical ways to replace cancelled services, but also of how we can respond by speaking hope and showing help in Christ’s name. · We can have confidence in God’s providence in this time – Daniel is a wonderful reminder of His outworking of His sovereign purposes through history.

Living Leadership podcast Series 3, Episode 3 In this third of a three-part series based on John 21, Paul Coulter concludes his exploration of the statement that "Faithful ministers lead people in obedience to Jesus" by thinking about the leader's task in relationship to others. Listen now

Living Leadership podcast Series 3, Episode 2 In this second of a three-part series based on John 21, Paul Coulter continues to explore the statement that "Faithful ministers lead people in obedience to Jesus" by focusing on the nature of obedience in leadership. Listen now