EMA 2011 Bible Reading 03

Liam Goligher's final session on John 15 looked at verse 18 and the verses that follow. He spoke about three things.

1. The world

After so much about love (and joy) the verses here about the world (the human community that ignores or opposes Christ and that is led by Satan) and persecution makes something of a disjuncture. Jesus speaks to them about these things in order to prepare them for what lies ahead. He wants to strengthen their faith. The specific context is the coming death and resurrection but the application goes well beyond that.

Jesus is hard to hate. Even his enemies say good things. However, the truth is that the world hates Jesus and hates us who believe. One reason for this as that we are different and we testify against the world's sin by this means. We are under the authority of an outsider, one the world cannot control. Following Stott he gave that quote from William Temple about the world, which "would not hate angels for being angelic; but it does hate men for being Christians. It grudges them their new character; it is tormented by their peace; it is infuriated by their joy."  Not only do they hate us but they persecute us - because we belong to Jesus. The world hates Jesus and does not know him. This is because they do not know God. The Jews are very much in mind here. They are the branches that are removed. Israel claimed to know God but they did not. They had been warned many times but they still rejected the Lord Jesus who came. Christ is the true Israel and the only saving connection is in him alone. Yet this is not the Messiah they wanted and so they rejected him

2. The Spirit

The world rejects Christ and his people but then he comes on to speak again (as he had in Chapter 14) of the coming Holy Spirit. The Spirit will come and convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. As his people bear a forensic and apostolic witness so the world is dealt with. The Twelve are Jesus' witnesses. It is to them that revelation is given. That is why the church did and must commit itself to the apostles doctrine. The witness to the world is a witness to truth.

3. The church. The concluding question is where are we in all this? These men did receive the Spirit and were then exposed to the fiercest persecution. Yet they went out and continued to go out and preach with great joy. Part of our testimony to the world is to tell the story of these men captured by the joy of the Spirit who went out with good news, good news for all. Often a Christian will say they have lost their joy. We need to point such people to the way the apostles did not lose their joy for they had seen the risen Lord. That is the place to fix our attention.

EMA 2011 Bible Reading 02

So Thursday morning we continued in John 15 with Liam Goligher. He spoke of how it is tempting to jump straight to the word friend but again argued for the importance of first seeing the context. This was a unique moment in redemptive biblical history and that should be remembered. Three points were made, regarding

1. The love of Christ. First the focus was on the love of the Father for the Son and the Son for the Father leading into the love of Christ for believers and believers for Christ. Obedience is a key matter in the love believers show to God. That obedience leads to an exuberant and infectious joy that was seen first in Christ. We must love one another because of the joy he gives us. It was always God's intention that we should love one another. The cross demonstrated how far love should go.

2. The mind of Christ. It is clear from the Old Testament that Abraham was God's friend and that Moses also had a friendship with him. This friendship is now extended to the early disciples, who are representative of the church. It is important to remember that Jesus is speaking to specific people in a specific context. They have been his servants but now there is a promotion. They are also his friends. Obedience characterises such friends. They are God's friends (not that God is their chosen friend as in a human relationship but because God chose them). We are servants but not mere servants. How amazing and how humbling to think that we are his friends. The making known of what he learned from the Father is specific to the disciples there at that time. it would be enough. The twelve are appointed to witness to Jesus. We are witnesses only in a secondary sense.

3. The purpose of Christ. Christ has appointed (an important and significant word) these men to do his work - to bear fruit. In the context the fruitfulness is not necessarily to do with evangelism but more with their loving one another. We too are sent by extension in obedience and love.

Now is the time to trust Christ as his friends and as servants to a wonderful Saviour.

EMA 2011 Bible Reading 01

It is my privilege to be able to attend the Evangelical Ministry at St Helen's Bishopsgate this week. Most of the faces at EMA are unfamiliar but it was nice to meet up with my friends Alan Davey and Robin Asgher and several others. Liam Goligher is set to be the opening speaker each of the three days.

I have heard Liam Goligher before in Aberystwyth and at Banner, where he has not quite got on as well as he might. Here, in a tieless button down and blazer and kicking off with a reference to the advisability of watching TV on a Sunday night, he seemed much more at home.

In an introductory message on John 15, he spent some time giving us the background from Isaiah and Psalm 80, the point being that the old vine Israel failed. It is in this context that Jesus says "I am the vine". I was very happy with his replacement theology but he was very keen to emphasise the mixed nature of the vine even today. Conscious that some of us are Baptists he said that even Baptist churches are mixed. Sadly, he put it rather poorly saying that we Baptists know that there are unregenerate people in our churches but that is not the case. If we knew they were unregenerate, they could not be members! Baptist churches may be mixed but they do not set out to be, as some seem to.

He then went on to stress the importance of being under the Word and the importance of straight preaching of the Word. He also spoke of the importance of mutual indwelling. he was keen to see remaining in Christ not as something mystical but the everyday looking to Christ the only Saviour who we need to cleanse us or prune us by his Word as in Peter''s case (not removed as in the case of Judas). We ended with some poetry and a warm glimpse of heaven. The emphasis on straight preaching was appreciated.