Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

“Living in Freedom”

1 Peter 2v16 “Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover for evil; live as God’s slaves.” (NIV)

Last Saturday, some of us joined the Christ Central Shropshire evening of worship and seeking God, listening to him speaking through various prophetic contributions. It was encouraging. One of the key messages coming through was the message of freedom – the phenomenal freedom of God. The key question was, “What we are doing with our freedom?”.

God has set us free in Christ from both the power and the condemnation of sin. It is possible for us to use this freedom for our own pleasure, but Peter is calling us to exercise this freedom by serving the living God. What does it mean for you to be free to serve the Living God?

Paradoxically, our freedom is based on the restriction of a firm rooting in God. That firmness of grounding enables us to branch out and to reach beyond; it provides a consistent source of all that we need, enabling us to flourish and produce much fruit for God’s kingdom.

It’s not a freedom to be my old self, but to be God’s child; not to serve myself, but to serve my God, Creator and Saviour as I serve others.

May God bring much beautiful fruit in your life.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

“The important thing”

Philippians 1v18 “What does it matter? The important thing is that … ” (NIV)

How would you fill in those dots (the technical term for the dots is “ellipsis”)?

I have often heard, “The important thing is that …” when an accident has happened, but the people involved are safe and sound. Or maybe it is when we have not done as well as hoped, but we got enough to get by. It conveys our sense of frustration or disappointment in something going wrong, but a recognition that the more important thing is OK.

So, what was the important thing for Paul? Paul finishes his sentence, “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached.” Though Paul might suffer the unkindness of others, the hostility of the system, the restrictions of imprisonment, and the wrong motives of some who preached the gospel, what mattered to him was that the good news of Jesus was announced to the world in whatever way possible.

There are many ways to share the gospel, and God has made us each uniquely in terms of our gifts, abilities, resources and circumstances. I may not always agree with the ways others are going about it, but we do each carry a responsibility to take the message. The question is not “Do I agree with the way Joe is sharing the gospel?”, but “Am I agreeing in action with Jesus’ command on my life?”

Let’s both rejoice in the ways Christ is being proclaimed by others (even when not to our taste), and   action “the important thing” for ourselves.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

“What has happened to me”

Philippians 1v12 “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel” (NIV)

Many things “happen to us” where:

• We have little or no control over their happening.
• We had little or no sense of them being in the future for us.
• We have not “deserved” them in any way.

For Paul writing from prison, this included the malicious “happenings” of false accusation; the negligent “happenings” of delays to trials; the natural “happenings” of storm and shipwreck; and the system “happenings” of being in chains under guard.

Did Paul turn to self-pity? to criticism of God? Maybe he did at some points depending how we understand “learned to be content” in Philippians 4v11, but he has come to see that there is a greater “happening” going on. It is the advance of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The reality for Paul was this – in every situation he broadcast God’s message of salvation. The things that “happened” to him served to broaden that opportunity. The facts did not change, but his perception did.

The challenge for us is, “Do I see what God can do through me in my current situation?”.

The comfort for us is, “God works in all things for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8v28)

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

“Being Pure and Blameless for the Day of Christ”

Philippians 1v9-10 “That your love may abound … so that you may be … pure and blameless for the day of Christ …’” (NIV)

It is not generally difficult to spot another person’s faults!

• The world loves to talk about the faults of others.
• “Religion” of all forms has tended to establish “fault-lines” by which people are “in” or “out”.

The good news is that Jesus died to remove our sin and change us to be pure and blameless. Tony used the verse on Sunday “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind”: there is both a one off change in our hearts, and an ongoing process of transformation and renewal. As we spend time with Jesus in the Word and in Worship, he changes us in preparation for that final day.

The word “pure” refers to an inner purity of heart: a heart that is filled with good good desires and good loves. We know that people “look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16v7). In the above verse from Philippians, the changing of the heart is rooted in a love that abounds more and more: this is a genuine and complete love for God, love for his children and love for the lost. And genuine love leads to genuine purity. “We love because he first loved us”, but also “Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1 John 4v19&21)

Being “pure” of heart, also leads to being “blameless” in action. Of course, people may still find blame in you compared to their relative “fault-lines”. But God’s fault-lines are based on his love which is absolute, continual and total. The remarkable thing is that you who are in Christ will be found blameless on that last day! – Because of Jesus!

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

“Discerning what is Best”

Philippians 1v9-10 “That your love may abound … so that you may be able to discern what is best …’” (NIV)

There are lots of good things in this world:

There are fewer things which are best.

There are lots of good things we can do:

There are fewer things which are best.

There are lots of good thoughts we can have:

There are fewer thoughts which are best.

God’s calling on our lives is not just for good, but for best. It is not just a “not being bad”, but a becoming fully like Christ. A few years ago, it was popular to have wrist bands with “What Would Jesus Do?” printed on them – that is a question leading us to the best in any situation.

How can we discern what is best? Paul states in the verse above that such discernment flows from a heart of love. As our love towards God grows, our love for what he loves grows; this love becomes the “magnetic north” for our “decision-compass”, and so we are able to make decisions for the best. Our love in line with his love, our heart in line with his heart, our choices in line with his choices: this is THE best.

May the Lord pour out his love into your heart so that you may choose what is best today,

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

“Finding Contentment”

Philippians 4v11 “For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances …’” (NIV)

Are you content? What do you get most discontent about?

I saw an article about contentment on my Facebook feed yesterday. It was highlighting how our modern world relies on discontent:

• Businesses want you to be discontent so that you buy their product or service on the basis it will make you content.
• There is a basic understanding that the country’s economy must grow, but to do that we need to all pursue more.
• It is our discontent that leads us to over-consume and so cause environmental issues.

Anyone who is content must be saved a lot of time and trouble! God in His wisdom included a command in the 10 Commandments to be content: it is in the form “Do not covet …”

So when Paul says, “I have learned to be content” – how did he “learn” this? If it can be learned, maybe there is hope for all of us! We will be looking at this more on Sunday morning, but in the meantime, have a look in Philippians to see what you can find that might help.

May the Lord enable you to know contentment whatever your circumstances are,

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

“Resolutions for 2022”

Philippians 3v13 “But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead …’” (NIV)

As we approach a New Year, you may be making “resolutions” for 2022. I guess our resolutions reflect both what we consider important to us, and also what we struggle with.

The apostle Paul made a resolution when he decided to follow Jesus. However, it is clear from the above verse, that even as a well-established apostle, not everything behind him was perfect, and there was the need for great effort to continue to move forward in God’s call on his life.

What is God calling you to leave behind in 2022? What is he calling you to strain towards?

On Sunday we will look at this theme based on Philippians 3 some more. Then over the next few Sundays we will have a blend of myself looking at the book of Philippians which has much to encourage us in spiritual growth in 2022, and Tony looking at true worship.

May 2022 be a year of God bringing fruit in your life as you dedicate yourself to him.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

“Jesus comes as a King”

Matthew 2v1-2 “Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’” (NIV)

In our world, knowing who has authority and power is important. We want to know who is the boss at work, we know the ones who have greater authority in social groups, and we discuss the authority that someone carries in politics.

Over time, authority and power passes from one person to another and from one group to another – sometimes forcefully by ‘revolution’, sometimes gradually by ‘evolution’.

Those losing power are virtually always concerned and fearful – and so “When [the existing King] Herod heard this he was disturbed and all Jerusalem with him …” (v3). The current order was being challenged, the status quo was under threat.

For anyone who wants to run life their own way, Jesus is a threat. Jesus effectively says in his call to discipleship, “My way or the highway”. Jesus is not a king with accountability to the people that he should ‘kowtow’ to us. He is a king who is only accountable to the Father and he exercises the Father’s will irrespective of what our opinions might be.

Is the way of Jesus a threat to your way of life? Have you cornered off certain areas off from him as you are not sure what he would think or do? Jesus’ requirement is that we confess our sin and our need of him; and as we come to him in humility, he is ready to fully forgive and give us the power us to live in his way. The devil persuades us our way is best, but the reality is that Jesus’ way is the way of life in all its fullness – life as God intended you to be.

May your life and mine be fully illuminated by the light of the reign of Christ this Christmas.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

“Jesus comes as a Priest”

Hebrews 5v10 “[Jesus] was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.” (NIV)

It is often said that Jesus came as all three of the key Old Testament roles of Prophet, Priest and King. Last week we looked at what it meant for him to come as prophet, this week we consider his role as priest.

In the Old Testament a Priest typically did two things:

• Entered the presence of God to intercede with God for the people
• Offered sacrifices for the forgiveness of the people’s sins so they could be considered acceptable to God.

When the angel appeared to Joseph before Jesus was born, he confirmed this role when he said, “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1v21). Then, when the “magi” attended, they gave gifts of frankincense and myrrh: these were prophetic of his priestly role as the myrrh symbolising his sacrificial death and the frankincense his access to God.

In Jesus’ life, we see him fulfilling the role as he prays for both his disciples and us in Gethsemene (John 17). And right now, he is interceding for you as he prays on your behalf (Hebrews 7v25). It’s time to appreciate what Jesus has done and is doing for you.

If I was Jesus, would I choose to be obedient to the Father and come to earth, knowing that it would involved being crucified? The role of priest is a tough one, but Jesus follows through to the cross as the greatest sacrifice in the world.

Where does that leave us? Well, as Jesus is high priest, so we are declared to be priests: we now have free access to God. But the role of priest is not just privilege: it also carries a responsibility, a responsibility to represent the world before God and to represent God to the world.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

“Jesus comes as a Prophet”

John 12v49 “I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it.” (NLT)

In the Old Testament a Prophet typically did two things:

• God spoke through them (all prophets)
• God worked miracles through them (most significantly Moses, Elijah, Elisha, but also others)

Jesus clearly fulfils both of these criteria. But, for now, let’s focus on the God-speaking element.

Looking forward to Jesus, Moses wrote, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him” (Deuteronomy 18:15). And in the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews wrote, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,”  (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Jesus is greater than all the Old Testament prophets – he is God’s Son. He communicates what is on God’s heart. We must listen to him.

In our world, there are many voices competing for our attention. The voices we listen to will impact our thoughts, decisions and emotions. We have to choose to listen to Jesus. It is a conscious decision to stop doing something else and listen to him. Are you taking time to listen to Jesus this Advent?

With love and blessing,

Roland