The Cross. It struck fear in the hearts of the world. It was Rome’s means of control. Excruciating torture. Prolonged agony. Humiliating death. According to Roman custom, the penalty of crucifixion was always preceded by flogging. The Romans used a whip made of several long strips of leather. Piece of bone and lead were added to the tips. In Deuteronomy God limited punishment by flogging to 40 lashes to avoid dehumanising the victim. So the Jews reduced the maximum penalty to 39 in case of a miscount. The Romans saw no need for such restrictions. Victims often did not survive. After this initial punishment, you carried your cross, or at least the transverse beam of it, to the place of execution. Besides the physical pain there was also the psychological torture. Crucifixion was a very public form of execution. Crosses were located by the roadside or at an intersection. There was no hiding your punishment.
You were exposed to the jibes and insults of the people who passed by. Stripped naked, you were bound to the cross with cords and fastened with nails. Finally, a placard called the titulus bearing your name and your crime, was placed above your head. You would not die of hunger or thirst, but you might hang on the cross for several days. To breathe, you must stretch upward.
You must stand to take the weight on your legs and off your arms and chest. So if your legs were broken, death would come mercifully swift with asphyxiation. This was necessary to be able to remove a corpse on the evening of your execution if it was a Sabbath. But your corpse could not be taken down, unless specially authorized. Permission would also be necessary for you to be buried rather than left till the cross was needed again.
Mark simply records all this in an understated way with the words, “Pilate had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.” (Mark 15:15). Lets find out why today is called “Good Friday”. Please turn with me to Mark 15 and let us draw out three simple reasons why today is indeed a good day.
“The first obvious challenge of “With God On Our Side” was articulating a perspective on the Middle East debate anchored in history and sound theology. Porter Speakman has not only met that test, but also delivered one of the clearest assessments of the struggle between Palestinians and Jews, and a US Church largely unaware of their complicity in the current conflict. Speakman’s second more ominous challenge will be obtaining an audience, often steeped with established notions, open to wrestling with the film’s content. The hope of an ongoing Christian presence in the Holy Land may depend on the success of his message… I dare anyone to see this film and remain unchanged.”
Steven W. Haas
Vice President/Chief Catalyst
World Vision
“With God On Our Side takes a look at the theology of Christian Zionism, which teaches that because the Jews are God’s chosen people, they have a divine right to the land of Israel. Aspects of this belief system lead some Christians in the West to give uncritical support to Israeli government policies, even those that privilege Jews at the expense of Palestinians, leading to great suffering among Muslim and Christian Palestinians alike and threatening Israel’s security as a whole.
This film demonstrates that there is a biblical alternative for Christians who want to love and support the people of Israel, a theology that doesn’t favor one people group over another but instead promotes peace and reconciliation for both Jews and Palestinians.”
The title for our film, “With God on Our Side” was inspired by the verse:
…while Joshua was there near Jericho: He looked up and saw right in front of him a man standing, holding his drawn sword. Joshua stepped up to him and said, “Whose side are you on—ours or our enemies’?” He said, “Neither. I’m commander of God’s army. Joshua 5:13-14a (The Message)
We believe this verse is still true today, that God does not take sides with certain people groups, nations or agendas. Rather He is for all people. Throughout history, those who have claimed God was on their side have used it to justify atrocities done in the name of Jesus. We believe once again certain Christians are approaching the people in the Middle East claiming God is on their side in a way that disregards human rights and gives unilateral support to a secular State, elevates one people group over another while using the Bible as justification. We believe there is a better way, a way of justice, peace and love for Jews and Palestinians. One that is inclusive, not exclusive. That is the heart of God.
The Bethlehem Evangelical Affirmation
March 17, 2010
Bethlehem
We affirm the foundational truth that God loves everyone (John 3:16).
We affirm that as followers of Jesus Christ we are called to do justice and love mercy (Micah 6:8), to be ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:11-21), and to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9).
We affirm that the Holy Spirit empowers followers of Jesus to speak and live humbly and prophetically (Acts 1:8).
We recognize that this is the time to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Therefore, we are convinced that the Holy Spirit is leading us at such a time as this to unite as Christians throughout the world in order to pray and work for a just peace in Israel and Palestine.
To this end, we commit to reconnect with the local Palestinian church and to listen and learn from all those who follow Jesus in the Holy Land and to share their stories with our own faith communities.
We further commit to work together to advocate changes in public policy and so achieve a just and lasting resolution of the conflict. Our vision and our hope is that Israelis and Palestinians will live in justice and peace in the land of the Holy One.
Drafting Committee
Paul Alexander
Christine M. Anderson
Brother Andrew
Alex Awad
Bishara Awad
Mubarak Awad
Sami Awad
Gary Burge
Tony Campolo
Steven Haas
Lynne Hybels
Manfred Kohl
Jonathan Kuttab
Paul Johnson
Stephen Sizer
Porter Speakman, Jr.
Why did Jesus tell the Parable of the Good Samaritan? To answer a trick question from a lawyer who asked Jesus “who is my neighbour?”
But what was the sting in the tail? How does Jesus ‘turn the tables’ on his opponent? By helping him, and us, realise its not a question of who my neighbour is, but rather what kind of neighbour am I to anyone I meet?
This short message was delivered at the annual Christ Church School Service on Sunday 7th March 2010.
This week I am pleased to say I received a letter from Ernie 4… The Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment. Yes, I’ve won a Premium Bond prize! I’ve only had them a few months. I got fed up with the abysmal interest rate my bank was paying on savings. I don’t regard it as gambling because you can get my money back at any time. I feel quite good about lending my savings to the government to help bail out the banks.
I have already won more money than I could have earned in a year’s worth of bank interest. Rest assured, the prize won’t change my life style. I will be generous with my prize – all two and a half thousand… pennies… (£25)
These Sunday mornings during the Spring we are considering the privileges of church membership. And today we come to the privilege of giving. I want us to see that this is so much more than simply placing money in the collection or giving by direct debit. In a most profound way, our attitude to money is shaping not only our legacy but indeed, our destiny. Lets begin by asking five simple questions – The when, what, where, how & why of giving.
Do you remember the day you left home? The day you said ‘goodbye’ to your parents? The day you packed your bags and moved out? The first night you slept in another bed? The first day you began to fly solo? How did you feel? Was the parting with your parents amicable? Were they supportive? Did they help you move? Or was the parting painful? They did not want to see you go but you could not get away fast enough? Or perhaps you didn’t want to leave but you needed a push? Or maybe were you kicked out and abandoned. I left home when I had just turned 18. I went to work in East London for the Department for Health and Social Security. I had only visited London maybe half a dozen times before. And with the new job came the need to find a flat to rent, cook for myself, wash and iron my own clothes, get myself up in the mornings and get to work on time. I lodged with a no-nonsense, down to earth, working class family on the Dagenham Estate near the massive Ford car factory. I remember on more than one occasion getting well and truly lost on my way home. All the roads looked the same. More than once I wished to be back with my parents. Can you identify with the younger brother?
But perhaps you have not left home. Your brother or sister may have left but for whatever reason you are still at home. Are you content or is it stressful? The transition from being a young person living at home to being an adult living at home is not always smooth. Our relationship with parents changes. From being told when you have to be home at night to negotiating when they will be home at night…. As you grow older, the dependency switches from you on them to them on you. If that is you, perhaps you can identify more with the older brother.
The parable today is actually the third in a series about ‘lostness’; the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son. There is a rising level of intensity and emotion from the lost sheep (1 in a 100) to the lost coin (1 in 10) to the lost son (1 in 2). Keddie notes, “The Lord’s presentation of the profound pathos of human lostness, and the joyous jubilation when the lost are found, comes to a mighty crescendo in the return [and reconciliation] of the lost son.” Perhaps this is why the story is known as “The Parable of the Prodigal Son” But the title is not particularly helpful. It draws attention to the younger son.
It would be more accurate to call this the “Parable of the Lost Sons”, plural, because both were estranged from their father, both disrespectful, both rebelling. They were both using their father to get what they wanted – their inheritance. One, by being very, very bad and the other by being very, very good. Timothy Keller says, “There are two kinds of lostness… You can escape God as much through mortality and religion as you can escape God through immorality and irreligion.” And yet to focus on the two sons misses the point. What is common to all three parables? Who is the central character in all three?
Keller helpfully names this the parable of the Prodigal God. The word ‘prodigal’ is an old English word meaning ‘recklessly extravagant’ and ‘having spent everything’. Do you see?
This is not primarily a story about a recklessly extravagant man who spent everything. It is about a recklessly extravagant God who gave everything in Jesus. This parable has been described as ‘the pearl and crown of all the parables’ or the gospel within the gospel. It portrays both the desolation felt by the lost sinner and the matchless love of God as he welcomes the repentant sinner.[i] And herein lies the challenge to us today. Do we understand the extravagance of the Father’s love for us and for others, or are we like one or other son? We can just as easily lose sight of our purpose living at home as by running away.
By being compliant or defiant. We can be just as lost thinking there is no hope, no way home as by thinking we can earn God’s love or deserve our place in heaven. We can be just as lost attending a Church as attending a mosque, a synagogue or a Temple to mammon.
As a church we hold to ten distinctive values which shape our 2020 Vision. They drive our mission agenda and determine the way we seek to fulfil our goals as a church. The second distinctive value says “lost people matter to God and therefore ought to matter to the Church”. In this powerful story Jesus answers three essential questions that should shape all we do as a church. Here they are:
1. Do lost people really matter to God?
2. If lost people really matter to God why do they not seem to matter to the Church?
3. If lost people matter to God, how can we ensure they also matter to us?
1. Do lost people really matter to God?
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable” (Luke 15:3)
The religious leaders found it incomprehensible that Jesus would want to spend time with ‘sinners’. Professing faith, they did not know God or his compassion for the lost. Jesus makes this explicit at the end of each of these three parables.
Each ends with an act of joyful celebration.
“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke15:7)
“In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10)
“But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ” (Luke 15:32)
In clear and unequivocal terms Jesus associates his mission with seeking and saving and celebrating: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10).
The Apostle John writes of this extravagant love of God,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Not just loved but “so loved”. And the Apostle Peter insists,
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
The Bible leaves us in no doubt. Lost people matter to God. He created them. They belong to him. He loves them. The Lord Jesus Christ came to seek, to find and save them.Do lost people really matter to God? Unequivocally. Yes.
2. If lost people really matter to God why do they not seem to matter to the Church?
God’s passion is about providing a home for the lost.
The passion of some churches today seems to be about providing a home for the found. Why this disconnect?
Why are many Christians it seems not particularly interested in lost people? Is it because they have forgotten what it feels like?
“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ (Luke 15:28-30)
The critical attitude of the older son resonates with some people I meet today. They have never wandered away. They stay home, they comply, they are very good. But they complain when you try and adapt the church to meet the needs of those on the outside. They imply that the church belongs to them. Elder brothers obey to get things from God, and if they don’t get their own way, they get very angry…Here are some reasons:
Lost people are hard work
They can ask awkward questions. About what we believe and why. Church used to be so uncomplicated before they started to attend.
Lost people can force unwelcome changes
Like having to change the church layout to fit them all in. Having to hold two Sunday morning services instead of one. The church was fine until they started to come.
Lost people sometimes don’t know how to behave
They take photographs at baptisms. Their children are noisy. They talk through the service. They don’t dress properly. Church services used to be so dignified until those people started to attend.
Lost people are sometimes very inconvenient
Whether it’stheir behaviour, their language or culture, they are different. Faced with an increasingly secular society the temptation is to retreat into a ghetto and circle the wagons. And say, ‘this is our church… become like us’ Without the transforming power of God’s word to shape our priorities, some Christians, like the elder brother, equate the mission of the church with their favourite hymns, their services, with particular instruments, with robes and customs and a whole host of other things that have absolutely nothing what so ever to do with God’s mission. God’s passion, as we see in this story, is to bring his children home. Lost people matter to God and therefore they should matter to us. We exist as a church for the benefit of our non-members.
3. If lost people matter to God, how can we ensure they also matter to us?
We need to regularly ask ourselves, how far our activities reflect God’s passion? Is evangelism an optional activity or is making Christ known central to all we do? How many of our activities are designed to draw people into a right relationship with God? Do our services have the seeker in mind?
Are we addressing the questions seekers are asking?
What barriers have we erected which make it harder for seekers to come home? We must be very intentional about this.
A couple of years ago I came across a simple mathematical formula to help understand how to become more contagious and ensure that lost people matter to us as much as they do to the Lord. CP + HP + CC = MI
MI = Maximum Impact
Jesus uses these dramatic stories to describe the maximum impact God wants his Church to have. We are in the business of raising the dead. Turning enemies into family, rebels into servants, pagans into missionaries. That is why our mission statement is ‘To know Jesus and make Jesus known”. To assist irreligious people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.’ That is why our mission field is the world, not just Virginia Water. Maximum Impact. If that’s the answer, if that is our goal, lets look at the front half of the formula.
CP = Close Proximity (Luke 15:20)
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)
Feedback shows that 4 out of every 5 people become Christians through a relative or friend. Why? You are probably here today because you came into close proximity with a Christian friend. God used them to soften your heart. Before I became a pastor I was an evangelist. For 4 years, on a daily basis, I spoke to strangers about Jesus. And in four years I can count on one hand the number of people who professed Christ. Yes, there is a place for door to door evangelism, but how much more fruitful Christian witness is among those we know. Among our relatives, our friends, our neighbours and work colleagues. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. And people are more open and receptive at Christmas than at any other time in the year. They are more likely to respond favourably to an invitation to come with you to a Christmas event than any other time in the year. That is why we went for this particular Christmas logo this year. High potency. Close proximity.
HP = High Potency(Luke 15:24-25)
“So they began to celebrate. Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.” (Luke 15:24-25).
The celebration could be heard from the fields. Do our activities appear so enticing to those outside? What words do you associate with church? Would celebration be high on your list? Party? Music? Dancing? The Christian life is intended to be one long celebration. One long shout for joy at the prodigal, extravagant, richness of God’s grace revealed in Jesus.
In verses 17-19, it says the son came to his senses. He realized that he was better off as a servant in his father’s house than someone enslaved to his own desires.
Memories of his father’s love were highly potent. Put simply, thoughts of his father’s house beat the competition. We are in competition today. We are in competition with all the secular alternatives: Sunday shopping, entertainment, recreation, sport. We have a message that beats the competition hands down. That is why we aspire to excellence in all we do. This is the way to achieving high potency.
There is no agency on earth to match a group of fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. MI = CP + HP +
CC = Clear Communication (Luke 15:23-24)
“Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” (Luke 15:23-24)
Its not enough to be of close proximity and high potency. Unless we tell people what God has done for us through Jesus Christ, people may feel they will never be good enough. Becoming a Christian is not about being good. Its about raising the dead. Without Christ we are dead. When we receive Christ we are born again. Our message must be about Jesus Christ and what he has accomplished for us all. Jesus is saying,
“I have a deep passion for people outside my Father’s family. Lost people matter to me, and I am deeply concerned about how you relate to them. ”
Why? Because the most compelling argument for salvation He can present to the outsider is a close-up view of a transformed life of one of his family. That’s you and me. Nothing packs the punch of a life being transformed. Does Christ’s love compel you? Reflect on the extravagance of God’s love for you.
He turned you from being an enemy into his family, his adopted child. Live with profound thankfulness for God’s love for you. Demonstrate his love for others. When we do it takes very little effort or motivation to reach out to lost people and say, “You really need to come and see how wonderful my God is.” This kind of evangelism is exceedingly effective. When a believer looks an unbeliever in the eye and says, “Taste and see how extravagant our God is, the Lord is good” it is compelling. These words have a way of striking a responsive chord in the lives of people who are lost, confused, or beaten up by the world. This Christmas, contemplate Christ’s love for you and let your love for Him overflow and become contagious. Who will you invite this Christmas? People who are a pain to live with? Or people for whom Christ died? People who are just a prayer away from an eternity?
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of our Saviour. Let us pray that we celebrate the new birth of some brothers and sisters as well. Meditate on the love of Christ for you and it will change the way you view other people. Realise that if lost people matter to God so much that he sent his one and only son from heaven to earth to die for them, then perhaps they should matter to us also. Matter enough to pray for them. Matter enough to invite them to meet their Saviour. There is no greater thrill than having a person look you in the eye and say, “I needed someone to listen. I needed someone whose life matched his message, and you were that person for me. Thank you for reaching out to me. Thanks for answering my questions. Thanks for putting up with me. Thanks for loving me when I wasn’t particularly loveable. Jesus saved me but you led me to the cross where I found grace.”
When you realise God has used you to help one of his children find their way home, you will never be the same. You will sense in some small way what your Father in heaven feels every time one sinner repents. The passion to reach out will grow when you experience the joy of seeing lost people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Lost people matter to God. The Church is the only hope of the world. You are plan ‘A’. God has no plan ‘B’. Lost people matter to God and because they matter to God, they matter to us. Lets covenant in the year ahead to become a Prodigal Church in 2010. A Prodigal Church, that is recklessly, extravagantly, enthusiastically, contagiously and passionately, committed to knowing Jesus and making Jesus known. Lets pray.
Forgive us dear Lord for not always caring for lost people in the same way you do. Thank you for being a prodigal God, extravagant with your love, your grace and mercy. Give us your heart of compassion for those we know, like the younger son who are lost and know it, as well as for those who like the older son are lost and do not know it. As we approach Christmas, please give us a love that overflows for those who do not yet know you as their Lord and Saviour. As we celebrate the birth of you dear Son, at Christmas, may we see many brothers and sisters come to new birth and join your family. We ask this in Jesus name and for your glory. Amen.
The current best-selling golf book on Amazon is Dream on: One Hacker’s Challenge to Break Par in a Year by John Richardson. It is closely followed by The Golfer’s Mind by Bob Rotella and Bob Cullen. Keep scrolling down and you’ll find the occasional biography or history among the 11,487 books listed, but you’ll be overwhelmed with ‘how to’ books.
Clearly there are many of us who long to consistently drive the middle of the fairway, hit the green in regulation, get out of sand traps in decent shape, and sink those birdie putts. And we are willing to spend serious money on the latest clubs, clothing, lessons, books and videos to achieve that.
Whether you play golf or not, here are 12 simple lessons I am learning about golf which equally apply to marriage, to family life or relationships generally. They are adapted from Jack Canfield’s, Chicken Soup for the Golfer’s Soul. They may not improve your game of golf but they will certainly improve your game in life.
1. Golf teaches that we all have handicaps … and that hardly anybody knows what they really are. In marriage you get the chance to discover what those handicaps are in yourself and in your partner and in love help improve one another’s game.
2. Golf teaches that the best courses are the ones that hardly change at all what God put there in the first place. As they say, play the ball where it lies and play the course as you find it. Fulfillment comes in accepting each other the way God has made us, handicaps and all, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part.
3. Golf teaches that although there are a few people who are honest in golf but cheat in life, everybody who cheats in golf cheats in life. Marriage, like the rules of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrew, requires total honesty. In marriage you never need to lie about your handicap. Share everything with one another, openly and honestly and then together you will find an answer to every hazard ahead of you.
4. Golf teaches that even though we need strict rules, we also need a leaf rule. Because we all have a handicap, we all need a forgiving partner. The most important words to use in marriage as in golf are ‘I am sorry’ ‘what do you think?’ ‘Its your honour’, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.
5. Golf teaches that even people who wear green tartan plus fours deserve a place where they can get a little exercise and not be laughed at. Marriage is the place where you can be yourself and not have to follow a dress code. Instead of competing with each other all the time, marriage is the place to support and protect your partnership and improve your game together.
6. Golf teaches that even though you probably don’t have a shot at being the best, you do have a good shot at being the best you can be. Start each day with a fresh score card and aim to be the best partner you can be. You will be surprised how far your strokes will go.
7. Golf teaches that both success and failure are temporary and that success is a lot more temporary. You can start a game in glorious sunshine and by the second hole you are have to change into all-weather gear. Marriage is about the long haul and the greatest rewards are for those who persevere and make the whole round. Winning at golf, as in marriage is about finishing well. Golf rewards those who forget what lies behind, the mis-hits, the bunkers and the double bogeys – and press on to a strong finish.
8. Golf teaches that although practice does not always make us perfect, no practice always makes us imperfect. Marriage is all about being a learner and always seeking new ways to improve your stroke, your pitching and your putting. Make it your aim to be teachable and a learner in marriage and your game will improve.
9. Golf teaches that no matter how good you are, there is always someone better and that person will usually find you and tell you. Resist the temptation to be like someone else or be with someone else. The grass may be greener on the other fairway but you will still have to mow the grass or pay the fees.
10. Golf teaches that even though the best golfers have the most chances to win, we all have the most chances to improve. Marriage is about the joy of improving your partners game. Keep practising and you will keep improving.
11. Golf teaches you to hand in your score card because the aim is to lower your handicap. I am still waiting to get a card worth handing in. The third person in a good marriage, as in a game of golf, is having a pro play along side you, the person who modelled the rules perfectly – Jesus Christ.
Imagine playing someone with a perfect score – a hole in one on every fairway, every time, better even than a Tiger Woods. Would it put you off or improve your game? But imagine as you walk away from the 18th, he takes your card, puts his name on your card and your name on his. That is what Jesus did for us on the cross. A perfect score. In marriage as in golf, God would have us remember he thought up the rules because he designed us with a purpose in mind. If we ask for his help he will show us how to play the only game that matters, the game that need never end, if we invite him to be our pro.
12. Finally, golf teaches that, on some dewy morning or golden afternoon, with the sun warming the world, we can find ourselves walking through an improvised meadow and realize we are not searching for a little white ball, but for a glimpse of eternity where the world of nature and the world of play are one. And then in the dew and sunshine we can understand that even though we can make a ball perfectly white, only God can make a meadow perfectly green.
May you experience that sense of wonder in God’s presence every day of your life.
The current best-selling golf book on Amazon is