Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Purpose

Mark 1v17  “I will make you to become fishers of people.” (RW literal translation)

When I was about 9 or 10, there was a lady in my church in South London whom we called ‘Aunty Joanne’. My particular memories are grinding her coffee and feeding her tropical fish. A woman of God, she arranged for me to receive a regular prayer letter from Operation Mobilisation (OM). I was enthused by its use of the ships “Logos” and later “Doulos” to spread the gospel in different ports around the world. OM had been initiated by George Verwer in the 1950’s and has to-date encouraged hundreds of thousands to go on global mission.

When I was 17, a guy in his twenties, seemingly randomly (I can’t even remember his name), invited me to the OM Leadership conference in Birmingham. I went. Thousands of us slept on church hall floors across Birmingham – yes, there were “male” churches and “female” churches! I was impacted by the worship – I can even now recall singing, “All hail King Jesus” in the conference hall for the first time. I was also impacted by George Verwer’s inspirational call to mission. The result was that the following summer I went on an OM mission trip to the French Alps. It was a test of faith in several dimensions: seeking God’s financial provision; working as an international team; and selling Christian books door-to-door in French! God provided in every dimension and we had an amazing response. Who knows what fruit those seeds may have brought.

I have had several further interactions with George Verwer over the years. Always inspirational, always passionate for the Lord, often wearing a map of the world, and always ready to go the extra mile for the lost: he embodied sustained sacrificial service. He died in April this year, aged 84, having served on mission to the last. This faithful man of faith is now in glory.

I encourage you to be inspired by a documentary of George’s life story here (55 mins). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReUImg3D1yI&t=1551s

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Kingdom

Matthew 6v13 “Yours is the kingdom the power and the glory, for ever and ever, Amen.” (NIV)

The UK has a reputation for pomp and ceremony, and it will be on display this weekend as King Charles III is crowned. Millions around the world are expected to view the event. There have been many people preparing carefully so that things will go smoothly on the day and everything will be synchronised.

You may be a republican or a monarchist; you may be in favour of state church or against; you may celebrate a largely Christian ceremony for the coronation or consider it a compromise of true Christian worship; or you may be ambivalent on all these points. Whatever our position on these, we look to Christ the King of Kings. And we will be reminded of Him as the coronation liturgy embraces the King of Kings as ruler over all nations and peoples. As the liturgy requires the King to promise to follow the words of Christ “I came not to be served, but to serve,” let it speak to us too.

As we see both the honour given to the King in the ceremony, and the anticipated objections on the streets, how much more of both the honour and the objection there is for our King of Kings. The book of Revelation paints a picture of our glorious King on a glorious throne, but in Luke 19, Jesus also paints a picture of opposition to him being made King. So, as many of us watch at least part of the ceremony, let us keep in mind the images of the coming King.

Aspects of the ceremony date back to the 10^th century, and those traditions themselves are based on the Old Testament blessing of kings. There is nothing wrong with tradition in itself, provided it is not keeping us from following God himself. As we consider the years of tradition, we are reminded of the constancy of our God: “In the beginning God …” and “he who is, who was, and who is to come.”

Let’s pray for King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Royal Family at this significant time. May they know the love and grace of our Lord and submit to Him. Let’s pray too for our nation to see the light of Christ and submit to Christ as King. Let’s pray too for an attitude of “I came not to be served, but to serve,” in our nation.

Lord, we declare you King of Kings and celebrate your kingdom! May your kingdom come today.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Glory

2Corinthians 3v18 “And we, who … all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes for the Lord, who is the Spirit.” NIV)

One of Charles Wesley’s memorable lines in “Love Divine” is “changed from glory into glory, till in heav’n we take our place.” The line is based on the above Bible verse (the Greek literally says “metamorphosise from glory to glory”).

Glory is about how something is perceived. An item or person may be held in glory or in disdain. We might speak of something like an old steam engine being “restored to its former glory”. What we mean is that, when new, it looked fantastic and people watched in wonder as it worked. However, over the years, it was poorly cared for, even discarded and left to rust. But now, it has been restored and it looks and works just how it was meant to. It attracts the attention of others once more and they look on with wonder rather than disdain.

So it is for us. Created in the image of God, we had an inherent glory. Sadly, though as incredible creatures we still show off the creative genius of our God, sin has hidden much of that glory. As humans,  we crave for that hidden glory, and we are so tempted to seek it from others through fame or status.

In 2 Corinthians 3 (above), Paul refers to the account of Moses in Exodus 34. There, we read that Moses’ face “was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD.” When you spend time with God, you catch something of his glory. His radiance shines in your face. You reflect his glory. Do you like a photo of a sunset? The camera had to point at the sun to capture its glory and now reflects it on. And so, Paul writes “we, who all reflect the Lord’s glory.” The “we” is those of us who know God, those who belong to him. So, you are that glorious photo!

Here is an incredibly exciting thing for us: you have glory, and time spent with God increases your glory. Looking forward, one day, you will be completely filled with his glory and you will be “lost in wonder, love and praise.” (Charles Wesley)

You have glory! May the Lord give you ever-increasing glory!.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week 

Hope

Romans 5v5 “And hope does not disappoint us.” NIV)

When we were deciding what to name our church, I interviewed a few people on the street to see what they thought of different potential names. The feedback I received was that “hope” was aspiring to something that was possible but unlikely.

Biblical “hope” is quite different to that. It is looking forward with expectation to the Word of God being fulfilled. This is made certain for us because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, which was itself both the fulfilment of His Word, and the demonstration of his ability to do what is impossible for us. Additionally, this hope is made certain for us, in the words of the above verse, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (5v5)

God has poured out his love and Spirit into those of us who have received Him. He has thereby given us personal experience of God fulfilling his promise (“ask and you will receive”). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is the one who enables us to keep up hope when all around is pointing the other way. It is noteworthy that the context of the above verse is, “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so , but we also rejoice in our sufferings …” (5v2-3)

The world around us may be either optimistic or pessimistic depending on the latest news or situation. But our hope is rooted in the God who does not change.

May the Lord fill us with hope in Him.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Total Submission

Mark 14v36 “Yet not what I will, but what you will.”(NIV)

On this Thursday, Jesus knew he was about to face rejection, betrayal, desertion, false accusation, injustice, abuse, mocking, beating, theft, crucifixion, intense pain, death, the bearing of sin and the wrath of God his Father.

He could choose to go through with it, or turn away. It is in this context that he says to his disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” And he says to his Father, “Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Sometimes God’s call is clear, but we can see it will be difficult. We have a choice.

Jesus chose to be obedient to his Father for our good. It was going to hurt both him and his disciples in the short term, but ultimately obedience would bring good fruit.

May the Lord fill us with thankfulness this Easter time.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

God’s purpose for Jesus

Luke 19v10 “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”(NIV)

It was probably this Thursday or Friday that Jesus makes the 1200m climb from Jericho to Jerusalem – a distance of 18 miles. It is clear that as he does so, he knows that he is going towards his suffering and death: “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be turned over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” (Luke 18v31). How did Jesus feel as he made that climb? What was going through his mind?

But as he walks through Jericho, he takes the time to spend a day with Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a tax collector who cheated people into paying more than they should to line his own pockets. He was not popular. But as Jesus spent time with this man, Zacchaeus was transformed. His greed fell away and was replaced with generosity.  On seeing his change of attitude, Jesus says “Today salvation has come to this house.” (19v9) What wonderful words for Jesus to speak over a person and their house, “You are now saved.”

Jesus continues with the verse quoted at the start, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” In this statement Jesus is expressing his deepest desire, his deepest purpose. While Jesus knew the suffering would be a struggle, Jesus also knew that his whole purpose lay in going through this struggle so that the lost could be saved. But that endgame purpose was also applicable in the here and now. It was therefore an integral part of Jesus’ purpose to spend time with the lost man, Zacchaeus.

As Jesus kept his God-given purpose and mission in focus at all times, let us also keep in focus the mission that God has given to us. Today it may mean moving forwards towards a goal, or it may mean stopping still to spend some time with someone who is lost: whichever, the purpose is the same.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

God’s plan to Pay the Price

Leviticus 16v30 “On this day, atonement will be made for you to cleanse you. Then before the Lord you will be clean from all your sins.”(NIV)

God established the Jewish Calendar through Moses around 1450BC. There was one very special day each year: the “Day of Atonement” (‘Yom Kippur’ in modern Hebrew). “Atonement” means getting rid of an obstacle to peace by making amends or reparations for a sin against a person. On that Day of Atonement, the High Priest could enter, through a curtain, into the presence of God in the Most Holy Place of the temple. No one else could enter, and at no other time could he enter.

The Day of Atonement showed the Jews that while God might live among them, there was a huge obstacle to actually entering His presence. The curtain to his presence represented the obstacle of human sin and unholiness. Before entry, sin had to be taken away in some way. The way was given in a procedure for the day which was:

• The High Priest would make atonement for himself with the sacrifice of a bull.
• The High Priest then sprinkled the bull’s blood on items both in the Most Holy Place where God resided and in the rest of the temple to “make atonement” for it all.
• The High Priest then took a selected goat and put the people’s sins on the goat by laying his hands on it while confessing the sins of the people.
• The goat was then sent out into the wilderness, taking the people’s sins far away.

This ritual was prophetic, pointing forward to the work of Christ on the cross. Jesus came as the “Holy One of God” (Mark1v29), so he did not need to make atonement for himself. He also came as the “Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world” (John 1v29), and so now, as we confess our sins to him, he “removes them as far as the East is from the West” (Psalm 103v12), so that “they are remembered no more,” (Isaiah 43v25). How do we know this is true? Because as Jesus died on the cross, the curtain, which the High Priest could only go behind on the one day in the above ritual, “was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27v51): God did this to show the way into God’s presence is now open. This is why the writer of Hebrews describes Jesus as our “Great High Priest” (Hebrews 4v14).

As we approach Easter, let’s give thanks that Jesus died so that our sins could be completely removed. Let’s confess our sins and receive the full impact of Christ’s sacrifice.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

God’s plan to Protect

Exodus 12v13 “When I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.”  (NIV)

Probably the most significant event in the Old Testament is The Exodus. It took place around 1400BC, but had been anticipated since Abraham, and was subsequently celebrated as the great marker of God’s people Israel. It was an event with two sides: firstly, the side of judgment on the people of Egypt, and secondly the side of deliverance of the people of Israel.

Egypt was under the judgment of God, because they had mistreated the Israelites, they were refusing to let Israel go to worship the LORD, and they were depending on the “gods of Egypt” (12v12). By Exodus 12, they had suffered nine plagues. Now the LORD declared through Moses the tenth and final plague: “Every firstborn son in Egypt will die … But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal. Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.” In fact, this would be the event which would propel Israel out of Egypt.

However, the Israelites had to individually do something to make the protection effective: and God told them through Moses what that was. They must kill a lamb, put some of the blood on their doorframes, and then cook and quickly eat the lamb. “Eat in haste, it is the LORD’s Passover.” On that same night, God would come and strike down the firstborn as he had said, but when he saw the blood on the doorposts, he would “Passover” and not harm any in that household.

The event is important to us as Christians because:

• Jesus’ death occurred at the Passover time, emphasising the clear link. Jesus and his disciples conducted the Passover remembrance at the “Last Supper”.
• It symbolises for us what is coming. As in the days of Moses, God has declared a coming judgment on all the “gods” of this world, and on the people entangled with them. Jesus has not stopped a final judgment, rather he reinforced the prophecies of the coming day.
• It symbolises what we need to do now. Jesus is described as “our Passover lamb” (1 Corinthians 5v7). Why? Because, as in the days of Moses, where the blood of Jesus has been (metaphorically / spiritually) sprinkled on us, then God’s final judgment will “Passover” us, and we will be released into the eternal kingdom of freedom. The time to apply the blood is now, before it is too late.

Let’s give thanks to God: he has chosen to protect us from the coming judgment as we apply the blood of Jesus.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

God’s long term planning

Genesis 22v18 “Through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me.”  (NIV)

What are you currently planning for? Many of us like to plan ahead.

As we approach Easter, it is worth reminding ourselves that God’s plan for Easter was a mighty long time in the preparation. It was on the evening of the day that human beings first sinned that we get the first inkling of God’s plan to resolve the sin problem (Genesis 3v15). The decision to act was quick, but the execution took time. And so, the Old Testament becomes the forward-marching-history to the sacrifice of Jesus. We will look at a couple of key episodes in the next weeks leading up to Easter.

One of the most dramatic prophetic episodes is found in Abraham offering up his son Isaac (Genesis 22). God said to him, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Of course, we struggle with the morality of this story, but it probably helps to know that it is likely that Abraham was over 120 and Isaac in his 20’s – any strength was in Isaac’s favour; so we learn more about the submission of Isaac than a forcing by Abraham. And by the end of the story, we see that God is only testing Abraham’s relative loyalty: God does not let him actually carry out the killing but intervenes with an angel and the provision of a ram (22v11-13). The result of that intervention is that Abraham names the place “The LORD will provide,” and the writer (Moses) narrates, “and to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” Though God has provided for Abraham, the action and name is prophetic – it looks forward to God will provide.

This prophetic viewpoint in the account itself is brought into focus when we consider:

• This is clearly an image of God taking his only son, whom he loved, and sacrificing him as an offering.
• The location “Moriah” and “the mountain of the Lord” was where the Jewish temple was built (2 Chronicles 3v1, Isaiah 2v3). An outcrop of rock in today’s “Dome of the Rock” is the traditional site for this event. And it is on the same mountain that the Son of God was crucified some 2000 years later.
• The account ends with God telling Abraham, “because you have done this and have not withheld your son … through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22v18). This is remarkable: the blessing of the nations is in the coming sacrifice of Christ, and so our salvation depended on Abraham’s obedience to God. I wonder what is depending on our obedience today?

Let’s give thanks that God is not a God who acts on a whim, but whose actions always align with his long-term strategic plans of love and justice. He brings us salvation now and he will bring about our full salvation in the New Creation.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Constancy of God

Malachi 3v6 “I the LORD do not change.”  (NIV)

This does not mean that God always does the same thing, but it does mean His character does not change and His general course of action does not change.

In the context of Malachi (c. 430BC), God’s people, Israel, have given up on God sorting out the issues. They have not seen God’s hand at work either to judge the immoral (2v17), or to eliminate injustice towards the poor or righteous (3v5 & 3v13-15). They therefore say, ‘God is not concerned about evil’, and declare, ‘It is of no benefit to serve Him’. But God robustly answers them by declaring that his concern for justice and righteousness do not change. This calls for faith in who God is, in his character. And that faith enables us to live daily in his ways:

• God will purify those who seek him (3v2-4, 7)
• God will exercise justice on those who continue in immorality and injustice (3v5)
• God will bless those who seek God and his ways (3v8-12)
• God will bring a time when the righteous and wicked will be treated differently (3v13-18)

The coming of Jesus is hinted at in 3v1-4. And we now know that, for those that seek him, God’s justice was exercised in Jesus Christ when he took our sin on his shoulders (prophesied in 3v1-4). As God promised from the beginning, Jesus is The Way.

Therefore, rest assured, whether it is issues of morality or justice in our world, God is concerned. He will ultimately bring about what is right and just.

With love and blessing,

Roland