The Kingdom of Heaven is like ... from Matthew 13:31-35

The Kingdom of Heaven is like ...

Why Parables

Why not just tell it like it is? Why do we always have to wrap everything up in stories? There are a number of possible reasons. The truth is often quite are to convey directly, but by reference to something else, some of the truth can be uncovered.

How would you describe an Elephant to a blind man? Or how would you tell him about the colour yellow? That is the type of problem that Jesus faces when he tries to tell us about the kingdom of heaven. He's trying to describe something that we start off with only the vaguest of ideas about – and they may even be wrong. When blind men were asked to describe what they were feeling this is what they came up with:

leg is like a pillar;

tail is like a rope;

the trunk is like a tree branch;

the ear is like a hand fan;

belly is like a wall;

the tusk is like a solid pipe.

... but that doesn't give me a picture of an elephant and neither would it much help another blind man -- perhaps if we started with a horse?

The colour yellow is in the visible spectrum and has a wavelength of 590–560 nm and a frequency of 510–540 THz. It's the truth, but it doesn't help us or especially someone who is blind get any sense of what yellow is. Perhaps we should have started by talking about the sun.

Hidden Meaning

When Jesus was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,
" 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'"

Parables are used to help some people understand and to make it impossible for others to understand.

Surprise Usage

The way parables are told often contains something to make the hearer startled in some way. Its a technique for getting someone's attention and trying to help them to think differently. It also serves to make the saying memorable.

Over interpretation – missing the point

You will often hear sermons and talks on parables that go into great depths about the detail in the parable and all the possible meanings and imagery that goes around it. In preparation for this talk I read and listened to a number of other sermons based on this passage. One was an exhortation to evangelism and one was about the apostate church. Both had entirely missed the main point of what Jesus is saying. As I take a look at some of the detail and the surprising things that can come from these parables I will do my very best not to miss the main point.

Background / Setting Series

In Matthew the parables describing the Kingdom of heaven are in one section that take most of Chapter 13. In Mark and Luke they are spread more widely. Matthew has helpfully grouped the parables together to give us a wider view of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.

You can read the other ones later, but for now we are going to concentrate on the mustard seed and the yeast.

I'm going to talk about the yeast first, because I think it is the easiest one for us to understand.

Yeast Parable

“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Summary of Message

It seems fairly obvious what this parable is trying to convey. A small amount of yeast added to the dough makes an enormous difference to the resulting bread. It must of course be well mixed in other wise the bread will be uneven, hard is some places and full of holes in others.

Surprising Elements

To Jesus' hearers there would have been some surprising elements to the story.

Yeast was normally associated with evil. Later Jesus would say to his disciples "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." (Matthew 16:6). In Exodus, whenever the Jews are to celebrate God they are always told to bake unleavened bread – bread without yeast. You can imagine the reaction – “What! The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast”. Jesus would not have got the same reaction if he had said “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the drop of milk that a woman put in her tea.” Although the spiritual lesson would be similar the impact is completely lost. You wouldn't react, so the saying would not be memorable. (OK, I know first century Jews didn't have cups of tea – but I hope you get the point!)

In the English Standard version and the Amplified Bible we read that the woman took “three measures of flour”. That's about 22 Litres, 13 kilograms or nearly 30 pounds of flour. That's the same amount that Sarah prepared when God visited Abraham in Genesis 18. It is the most bread dough that could be kneaded at a time.

Mustard Seed

Mustard Seed joke

A company sent out advertising with a mustard seed attached to a card which read “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed in our products you are guaranteed to get excellent results and be totally satisfied.” A few months later they received a letter “Dear Sir, You will be interested to know that I planted the mustard seed you sent on your advertising card and it has grown into a very healthy bush producing wonderful tomatoes”

The mustard seed is less straight forward, and brings with it some intriguing questions. The parable is told slightly differently in Mark and Luke.

Mark 4:30-32.

Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”

Luke 13:18-19

Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? ⁱ What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”

Summary of message

A simple seed – in Jewish thought at the time proverbially the smallest thing – planted in the garden – becomes one of the tallest crops. The seed is not actually that small at 2 to 3 millimetres (tenth of an inch) in diameter, but bit holds that image. The Kingdom of heaven planted in a world, or perhaps in a person grows to become the greatest thing in the world, or the person. It seemingly came from nowhere and yet Christianity is the largest religion on the planet, so it seems to work.

Surprising Elements

The mustard plant is both a crop and a weed. It was grown in gardens for mustard, but could also easily be found in the wild. There are birds that build their nest amongst mustard plants because of the shade that they provide. Apart from the dove, birds were considered dirty pests, and it would have been surprising for them to get a mention. Jesus seems to be saying that the Kingdom of heaven, when it is grown, provides shelter for the world.

In Matthews parable the plant is described as a tree. So, if Jesus was trying to find an image of something small that grows into something big, and provides shelter, then why not the Cedars of Lebanon. That was certainly common imagery – for strength and protection. Our own saying “From little acorns grow mighty oaks” sums up that part of the message perfectly. A tree though comes from a clearly defined seed, and here the imagery would fail. To make his point Jesus must use the smallest of small things – the mustard seed. The mustard seed image is also used in Luke 17:4-6

If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, b you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

Jesus also seems to be picking up on Nebuchadnezzar 's dream in Daniel 4, where he describes an enormous tree, and Daniel says “The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air. O king, you are that tree”. The tree is to be destroyed by God. Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon – Babylon was later used as a synonym for all that is evil.

Jesus' hears would have found that profoundly shocking.

To get some sense of what he is saying perhaps we should start the modern day version of the parable with “The Kingdom of heaven is like a cutting of Japanese Knotweed that a man planted in his garden ...”

Japanese Knotweed has an amazing ability to regenerate from a tiny piece of rhizome, stem or even leaf material.

Application

Kingdom of Heaven

Place

The Kingdom of heaven is not a place. Well, not a physical place, although there are places that feel like they are in the Kingdom and places that feel like they're not. Have you ever been somewhere where there is a sense of peace and a sense of holiness. Some old churches have that feel. Jo and I recently visited Coventry Cathedral. The new Cathedral was almost empty, it is huge, spacious and quite dark. You can hear your feet move on the floor, even as you take a step. The building certainly speaks of the awesomeness of God, but I didn't sense God in there. Then we went outside. 'Over the road' to the old cathedral – the one destroyed in WWII. There had been a wedding there only a few minutes, before and it was crowded with young people taking photo's and chatting. As we walked around looking at the walls and thinking there was a definite sense that we were in a different place. This place belonged to Kingdom of heaven somehow, in a way that the new building didn't.

Of course it is us, not the building that belongs in the Kingdom of heaven. We become part of the Kingdom of heaven the minute we accept Jesus as Lord and saviour.

Becoming part of the Kingdom has effects on us and on the world around us.

Corporate Kingdom

We can see, if we take even the most rudimentary glance at the world that the parable is also a prophecy. Jesus – the mustard seed – was planted in the world 2000 years ago. We read in the Acts of the apostles the initial sprouting of the Kingdom of Heaven. As we look at the world today about a third of the population – ¹about 2.1 billion people are part of the Kingdom of Heaven. In many areas there is still phenomenal growth – particularly in China.

Looking at our own country we can see that the Kingdom of Heaven has had some dramatic effects on Society. Perhaps most notably is the abolition of slavery. Campaigns such as Fair Trade, and Make Poverty History have a Christian background and continue to do good works – changing the very nature of our world.

Personal Kingdom

From the point we accept Jesus onwards we begin to understand what it is like. Slowly, as we spend time with God, as we drink in the Holy Spirit, as we join in prayer and worship with other Christians, the truths spoken in these parables begin to be revealed. Their message becomes clearer and we grow closer to God as a result.

Some of the parables that Jesus told are harder to understand than others. Some are so hard that he has to explain them to the disciples himself. The two we are looking at today do not fall into that category, so it our job to work out their meaning.

They are clearly both to do with growth. The Kingdom of heaven is like a seed – something small, that turns into a 3 meter (10 feet) high plant. The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast – something small but it affects the whole of the dough.

In both cases we do not see what causes the growth. Chemical and biological processes occur and as a result things change. In the Kingdom of heaven there are no Chemical or biological processes – only spiritual ones. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and saviour the Holy Spirit is planted in us. When we join with fellow Christians in prayer and worship the mixing process provides us with new ideas and thoughts about God, and how we relate to Him. All of this leads to Spiritual growth. So from being a spiritual baby we can grow into a spiritual giant and take the place prepared for us in the Kingdom.

Planting Seeds

We know that we too must continue plant seeds of faith in other peoples lives. Anyone who has tried to grow anything will realise that not all seeds germinate, and some that do take a very long time before they do. We know that not all seedlings grow to become mature plants, and that not all mature plants go on to produce their own seed. It is the same with us, and with those around us. When I look back at my life before I was a Christian, I can see many many examples of seeds planted. My mum took my sister and I to church when we were very young. I spent a few weeks in an organisation called Sea Scouts – which was affiliated to the church at the top of our road. At secondary school one of my friends became a Christian. All these things – and many more I expect – had no apparent effect on me at the time. Who knows which of those seeds first began to grow?

Is it the same for you? When you look back before you had made your decision for Christ – do you see a number of seeds?

If you see the seeds of faith in your life, how many are you scattering in the hope that they will grow in others?

1http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_Christians_are_there_worldwide

Origins & Lemons, Riding Lights at Christ Church

As I walked into church I was greeted enthusiastically by my ever so slightly sarcastic daughter.  "May I take your ticket, sir?"  The church was already filling up, and was full of the warm red glow that we get with all the overhead radiant fires on.  I must be careful where I sit, or my head will be grilled.  Forced to sit in the back half because the front was already full, I chose a centre seat near the aisle.  Some one big immediately sat in front of me, but it didn't matter. At the front of church at raised stage took the Riding Lights Theatre Company players high enough to be easily seen.  We were promised a review sub-titled extracting the juice from Genesis 1-11.

Right from the off we were in the midst of the science vs. religion debate. Each short sketch covering one or more of the points of the debate.  Each with a punch line, and next to no gap between sketches.  There is barely time to laugh, let alone think seriously about the points being made.  While we don't have too many fundamentalists, or too many liberals, I had wondered just what the target of the debate would be.

In the introduction the song oranges and lemons was used to ask the questions.  We were promised a look at all of Genesis 1-11 - except perhaps the bits were relatives are listed.  At various time we were in a school room, or on the Ark with Captain Noah and his crew - Ham, Shem and Japheth, in IKEA or in the garden of Eden with Adam and God, Adam and Eve, Eve and a snake, Adam and Eve and a bouncer.  All good stuff and often very funny.  I had read reviews that suggested there was a Monty Python'ish flavour.  There certainly was when we came to the Nephilim.  Arguments among the cast, blackouts, and multiple attempts by the Nephilim to get some nookie!  This was by far the funniest sketch of the evening.  We ended with Noah sharing his home-made wines with Darwin.

Riding Lights as always are brilliant and never to be missed.

Get a flavour of it here:

Error 1606: Could not access network location %APPDATA%

Time to do the regular software updates. Logon to my administrator account and do the necessary. Today was more of a challenge than usual.

The first one was Adobe Reader - the auto update has failed - nothing new there, it often does. I'll downloaded the new version. Firefox doesn't start - no messages - nothing. Same for opera, same for Safari. IE works. I get the new version of Adobe Reader from my Standard User account. There Firefox and everything else works a treat. That's a relief. Back on the Administration account I try to move some files, as I'm planning to delete the account. I can make a 'New Folder' in Public, but renaming does nothing. The command line will create the named directory, but then the drag and drop of files does nothing.

After some very inconclusive web research, I decided to try the spare Administration Account. It's been created, but never used, so it creates a desktop and takes ages. The registry is clean though, and the installations are working.


So, I'll delete the old Administration Account. After all the usual permissions are granted, it just sits there as though I'd not even clicked the button. I try again, the decide to wait for disk activity to cease. You can grow a beard waiting for that. Eventually a message - "Windows cannot delete the Logged on account".

The old Administrator account has gone, but the top level folder is left, under that there is \AppData\Local\Microsoft\Media Player. Well there's a surprise, I've just applied some update from Microsoft to media player - could this be the culprit?

There is a file there - CurrentDatabase_360.wmdb, which I cannot delete, because it is in use by another program. Time for a restart and safe mode.

Safe Mode though doesn't start up cleanly.  The dialogue never completes and I'm left with a '98 style start button in the left hand bottom corner, and a mouse pointer with the circle indicating 'wait for vista'.  Ctrl-Alt-Del, task manager, new task, cmd.exe.  At LAST  I have control of my machine, and can delete the file.  I use the command line 'shutdown /s' to stop the machine.  During that process the proper @SAFE MODE' screen flashes up briefly. The old Administration Account is gone, logged on to the spare I create a new one.  My installs are complete.

I'm assuming that this was registry corruption - it reminded me of a problem in Windows '95 where one user suddenly had control of everybody's desktop.  Whatever changes were done there happened everywhere.

Is it too much to ask that Windows 7 might just WORK?

Do not be decieved - Colossians 2:1-5

Deception

Paul is worried. He is struggling for the believers at Collosae and Laodicea. There are some new ideas being spoken about. They are questioning Christ's divinity. We have already heard the message that Paul gave a couple of weeks back – The Supremacy of Christ.
Col 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Col 1:16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
Col 1:17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

Paul has a battle on his hands, and he is not free to come and fight it.
Paul considered himself the apostle to the Gentiles. Today he might be the bishop of a very large diocese. He cares deeply for all those that God has placed under his care. He does not want them to be deceived. He wants them to understand the full nature of Christ – or at least as much of it as they are capable of.
In Colossae there were suggestions that the only way to salvation was through secret knowledge. These people also denied that Jesus was God. The belief is known as Gnosticism. Its secrets, and therefore salvation are only available to those they are passed on to.
Paul is very worried that some of the Colossians may be deceived and cease to be believing Christians.
There are many things that can deceive us – as human beings we a fascinated by the strange and unusual and are drawn to them. Our senses are also limited, so what we think we see isn't always what we do see.
Try these:

Optical illusions

http://www.optillusions.com/
Those of course are just carefully designed tricks. They do not do us any harm, either physically or spiritually.. There are deceits that do harm us though.

Any suggestions?

[Get a list]

fortune telling
palm reading
tarot cards
horoscopes
astrology
ouji boards
clairvoyant – even fake ones like 'The Mentalist'
black and white magic
witchcraft
tea-leaf readings
seances
communication with people who have died or passed on.

When Saul visited witch of Endor she brought Samuel back to speak to him. Samuel was not at all pleased, and God was furious.
These things can be dangerous – whether you are a Christian or not. There are other things that deceive us also. They may be a lot less obvious, but they take away from us our faith in Christ Jesus. They deny is some way or another the Supremacy of Christ.
Some of these messages are almost subliminal
- Its OK to shop on Sunday, instead of worshipping with your fellow Christians. Or play football, or whatever it is you do instead of joining together with Christs body.
- It is not OK, once you have made the decision. I once knew a man whose archery club met on Sunday mornings. The after a long struggle he gave his life to Christ. But the archery was too great a draw on Sundays. With no connection to the church he may be lost forever.
- It doesn't matter how I behave outside church. If your general behaviour at work and in the home isn't the same as you behaviour at church there is a problem.
- It's OK not to talk about your faith. We're English, so we don't talk about God or politics in polite conversation. These things are private. Do you believe? Or not? Did Christ change your life – how is it possible not to talk about it.
- The odd little white lie can never do any harm, and it will make life so much easier.
We all do thee things from time-to-time, but we must be ready to acknowledge it as sinful, and repent

Here is another more obvious attack, but it is still a danger to us:
"There probably isn't a God, so stop worrying about it and enjoy your lives." - (Slogan on London Buses)

There is much that could be said, but this is just one slogan, so I'll keep it short.
- this is minimalist rationalism. If I can't see it, I can't believe in it. There is more in heaven and hell than can be found in this philosophy. We have a rational God – He created an ordered universe so that we can use our gifts and abilities to make sense of the world around us. He also used the rational ordered world to make himself hidden, so that people would have to search for him. He is so much more than purely rational, as are his creation.
- This isn't faith, its the opposite. Heb 11:1 says:Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
- It doesn't even state a case.
- … but it's clever … we're very used to assuming probability means the actual thing. Jack Sparrow, After describing his amazing escape from the military in Pirates of the Caribbean is told “That's impossible” to which he replies “Not Impossible, Love... Just Improbable"
- It implies that working out whether there's a God isn't worth the effort. It appeals to our selfishness 'enjoy your life'.

Mystery

My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Paul talks of mysteries of God, and makes his readers aware that the mysteries are all revealed in Christ. He is writing like this because the people he is writing to are being enticed by the promise of revealed mysteries. Christ is a mystery to the gentiles (not the Jews), that has now been revealed. There is no longer a mystery of salvation. We do not need anything else. Belief in Jesus, his death and resurrection is all that it takes. Even so, God, and therefore Christ is still a puzzle to us.
Isaiah 55:8-9 God Says
Isa 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
Isa 55:9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
We find him difficult to understand, but if you really want to know you will have to put some effort in, because Jesus promises us that we can be his friends
Jn 15:14. - You are my friends if you do what I command.
Most of us like a good puzzle to solve, especially when there is a prize at the end, and Paul promises treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
When Solomon was asked what gift he would like he asked for wisdom

1Ki 3:5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
1Ki 3:9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
1Ki 3:10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.
1Ki 3:12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.

Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge.

Knowledge tells us that a tomato is a fruit,
Wisdom says: don't put tomatoes in a fruit salad

Treasure

[Introduce the treasure chest. Ask what is in it?
Get some Ideas – from the children]

Remove the Bible, and ask why anyone would keep a Bible in a treasure chest.
We know what Paul wrote the the Colossians because someone - probably many people valued the letter enough to keep it, and have copies made of it. These would have circulated amongst the early Christians. It is likely that copies would have kept and used in their worship meetings. Our Bible is made up of many of these writings that have been passed down from one generation to the next
Many learned people have spent a considerable amount of time deciding which of these are the best records of what happened.
We now have a permanent record of some of the things that Jesus and his followers said and did.
Today is Bible Sunday. We are reminded that the new testament was written over 1800 years ago.
The world was very different then, and it can be hard for us to understand some of what is said. There is no hope of knowing what was happening in the world back then in any detail. People though don't change. God does not change. The messages in the Bible that we can understand are clear.
It is God's word to the world.
If we are to find the treasures that Paul is talking about we must first find Jesus. The first place we find Jesus is in the Bible. There are very few other documents that make reference to him, and none others that contain any of his teaching. If we are to really know Jesus we must be immersed in His word, and His Spirit.
So, if you think back to the start of the service, you will remember that Margaret was trying to shelter from the rain, instead of possibly getting soaked. Instead of protecting ourselves from the word, or allowing us to be diverted away from it, should be ready to put down the umbrella and get soaked. Soaked in Gods word, and his love for us.

Getting it wrong (Mark 10:35-45)

Getting it wrong

Don't you just love it when something goes wrong?

That's what all the 'you've been framed' type shows are based on
The Gadget show even used the format to test movie cameras

We like to laugh at others misfortune, maybe we shouldn't

who knows – it may be us next!

The 'disasters' – even the staged ones show ridiculous mishaps.

Sometime they are simple accidents

Often we ask – How did they manage to let that happen

or

How didn't they see that coming?

That's the type of story we have in the scripture before us this morning

James and John (The sons of Thunder Jesus called them in another place – what does that tell you about the sort of people they were? - Mildly scary perhaps, but definitely loud and probably without any effect. - anyway I digress.)

James and John have come to ask Jesus a question. If you read the Matthew version the story is blamed on James & John's mother being pushy. Here though she is not credited. Either way – they were the ones who actually asked the question – and if they can't deal with their mother by this age – well!!!

"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask."

bit of an oblique way of opening a request. That's not how I ask for holiday at work – I'm sure it put Jesus on his guard straight away.

Now, if you've listened to Jesus you might be expecting a clever diversionary response – He simply leads them on

"What do you want me to do for you?"

"Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."

Well I wouldn't have seen that coming, but Jesus knew them better than I do, so I suppose He might have. Now here comes the diversionary question:

"You don't know what you are asking, Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"

Might that question make you hesitate? Might it make you stop and think – what don't I know about what I'm asking? Where does this lead?

... but no they are straight back into it.

"We can".

… and they did.

James:

He was the first one of the disciples to die:Acts 12:1-2

ABOUT THAT time Herod (Agripa I ) the king stretched forth his hands to afflict and oppress and torment some who belonged to the church (assembly). And he killed James the brother of John with a sword.

John

- The 4th Gospel, the book of John was written by him
- Probably the youngest one out of the twelve disciples
- did healing miracles in Acts
- He is the only one that saw Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb of God
- He is the only one that died of old age

"You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."

and that could have been an end to it, but the other 10 disciples found out what was said, and Jesus has an argument on his hands. He uses it, as he always does, to tell them ONCE AGAIN about his mission

“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.”

How could they not have seen it? Now we can see just how wrong James and John have been. They had been with Jesus for a while now – actually lived with him, seen all the amazing things that were happening, but somehow that message had not got through their thick skulls. So often, I'm like that. Just like James and John, I've spent a long time with Jesus, but so often I miss the point.

Now we can see just what an awful blunder they have made. They were expecting all this work on Earth to lead to Glory in heaven – and it does. Not the sort of Glory that James and John were thinking of though. Perhaps they were thinking of the Roman governor, or of King Herod. A palace like that – no, a life style like that would be a good reward. Slaves to do your every bidding. Never shortages of anything. Not a care in the world. Every little thing you want is somebody else's problem.

But Jesus said:

“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.”

World upside down

Acts 17:6 in the amplified bible says: “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.” Paul's and his group of friends are visiting Thessilonica and as usual are in trouble with the authorities.

This little group of evangelists was now well known in the Empire. Certain Jews make sure that their presence in a town was made known to the local synagogue before they got there. But Paul and troublesome Jews is not what I'm talking about. The reason Paul was known was that he had understood Jesus' message and was preaching and teaching in Jesus name. This was bad news for those who saw themselves as being in positions of authority. It meant that they would no longer be able to get away with lording it over the people. It meant that the people would behave differently to each other. The world was changing, and the people in power were scared.

Jesus call on James and John

Lets go back to James and John for a moment. We know that they did eventually get the message that Jesus was giving them.

After Jesus' death on the cross, and His resurrection. After the coming of the Holy Spirit James and John, along with Peter were the leaders of the Jewish sect known as “The Way” - At the start of the book The Acts of the apostles, we see that they have devoted themselves to prayer, and are meeting in the temple every day. They are leading a group which soon grows to as many as 5000 men. These people live a lifestyle that is like nothing the world has seen before – and only rarely since. Acts 2 tells us that they have all their goods in common, and when there is need amongst them some one will sell something to raise money.

They live in close relationship to God, responding faithfully to all that the Holy Spirit says to them. They perform miraculous healing, in the name of Jesus. When called to account they are not afraid to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah before the courts – even if that means being thrown in jail, and being beaten for their trouble.

All this is a part of the 'cup' that Jesus promised that they too would drink from. Remember the conversation? Jesus asked “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

“We can” came the unhesitating reply.

There is another side to James and John now though. The title 'sons of thunder' would no longer be appropriate.

When the number of disciples had grown to such a size that there were complaints that things were not being shared out properly to those in need, the apostles did not bark their orders at the crowd. Instead they let the recipients of the relief choose people who they thought would distribute the food fairly, and dedicated their time to prayer and preaching.

When John, as an old man, accepted that Jesus was not coming back in his lifetime and decided to write down everything that Jesus said and did, he did not even include his name in the book, but hid his identity with the description – 'The disciple that Jesus loved'.

James, John and Peter were fishermen before they left their livelihoods to follow Jesus. These men, with the name of Jesus on their mouths and the power of the Holy Spirit led the transformation of the entire Roman Empire, and changed the world forever – without ever living in a palace, or commanding an armed force, or having anyone put to death. They had certainly learnt the lesson that Jesus was teaching them in the passage we had read earlier.

Jesus call on us

I doubt that when you became a Christian part of your prayer of commitment included a promise to drink from the same cup as Christ in the way that James and John did. When you responded to that call that God has placed on all our lives did you realise that you were being called to a radically different lifestyle to those around you. Back in 1980, I certainly had no idea where the prayer I prayed would take me. I have learnt a lot over those, almost, thirty years. There are times though when I still don't get it right, or get it at all.

We should be serving each other.

Not expecting things to be done for us.

Our ministry is to do things for others. In the church family this can take many forms – they are all equally valid. One ministry is not prized above others, so that no-one can 'lord it' over anyone else.

I Corinthians 1:27-29 tells us "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no-one may boast before him."

It really doesn't matter who you are. So long as you are prepared to do whatever is asked of you – by God, not by the vicar, the warden, or the PCC.

Eph 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Those good works are our ministries.

Here's a short list of ministries, that you may, or may not have considered as ministries:

1. 
   
   Cleaning the building is a form of outreach. People who come through the door notice how well you take care of God’s things. It says your faith is dynamic enough that you care even for the simplest of issues.
   
   
   
2. Work in the Nursery - Changing nappies on new couple’s baby isn’t just about changing nappies. It’s potentially changing eternity for their entire family.
3. A simple thing like regular attendance: Do you realize that when someone new comes into this building and sees it packed with worshippers, that says something to them:

“Something significant is happening here.”

“Christianity must mean something to these people.”

4. AND WHEN you take the time to get to know people’s names, to introduce yourself to newcomers, to invite them to various activities, you continue to add to the atmosphere that draws people into your church. On the everybody welcome course at Christ Church we heard stories of the welcome that some of the congregation had received on their first visit. Most of them said that the welcome they received was important to them coming back for a second visit, then a third, …
5. Serving Coffee, provides yourself and others the opportunity to welcome people, to support them, to get to know them, perhaps to pray with them, to make them feel part of the family..

There are lots of others. None of us are too old, too young, too tall, too short, or too anything else not to be included.

It is our calling – as much as it was James and John's calling to drink from the same cup. To do that can be stated simply – very simply:

Serve others in the name of Christ.

That's it!

Now for the hard bit …

(Prayer - that we may be ready and willing so serve)

A New Friendship - Philippians 2:19-30

Introduction

This evening we are talking about a new friendship. We will look at friendships in the world and the differences that can be found in Christian Friendships. I wonder how you define a friend? Perhaps you have 250 friends on face book, or you count your friends as those you work with or those you meet in the pub in the evenings. How many of those people – how many of any of the people that you may count as friends are really your friends?

Most of us live busy lives – with so much that we feel we have to do there isn't the time for really getting to know someone. We can be so busy that the whole idea is lost to us. That's not to say that we wouldn't like to have more friends, and even to be a better friend to those we know. It seems that our society, the way we live makes it harder.

C.S Lewis, in his book 'The Four Loves' said: “To the Ancients, Friendships seemed the happiest and most fully human of all loves; the crown of life and the school of virtue. The modern world, in comparison, ignores it... It is something quite marginal; not a main course in life's banquet; a diversion; something that fills up the chinks of ones time. How has this come about? Few value it, because few experience it. We can live and breed without friendship The species, biologically considered has no need of it [Some] may even dislike and distrust it.”

I'm not sure I entirely agree with C.S. Lewis. I do not believe that the modern world ignores it, I think most of the modern world misses it deeply, but doesn't have the skills, and isn't prepared to try to learn them.

Here are a few quotes about friendship:

"Your friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you."  --  Elbert Hubbard

"A friend is someone, who upon seeing another friend in immense pain, would rather be the one experiencing the pain than to have to watch their friend suffer."  --  Amanda Grier

"Friendship is a pretty full-time occupation if you really are friendly with somebody. You can't have too many friends because then you're just not really friends."

"Anybody can sympathise with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathise with a friend's success." - Oscar Wilde

"I count myself in nothing else so happy as in a soul remembering my good friends." - William Shakespeare

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. - Psalm 24

Making friends can be very difficult. It is so easy to say or to do something that upsets the person you are befriending. Many years ago, back in the mid-seventies (some of you go back that far), and before I was a Christian I had a friend that I had made through work. He was from a Pakistani family, but had been born in London. I was slightly older than him, and had helped him look for and buy a car. We had spent time together fixing it and I was teaching him the simple parts of car maintenance – how to change the plugs, the oil, things like that. One day in a conversation, one of those offensive phrases from the past popped out of my mouth – it included the 'N' word. It was not directed against him, but was spoken in support of him. He reacted angrily and never spoke to me again.

We seem to use the slightest excuse to cut people off, at any chance we take offence, even when none was intended. There can be no way back – the damage is done.

It is not part of God's plan that friendships should be so difficult. He was concerned that Adam was lonely and so provided a companion. It is not good for the man to be alone. A little further on we read:

Ge 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

God's intention was that His creation would also be His friends. Adam & Eve hid from Him because their sin had allowed them to see that they were naked, and they were ashamed. The friendship with God was broken – even before He confronted them about what they had done.

Ever since our friendships have existed in the same state. It's not just our friendship with God that is difficult, but also our friendships with each other. Our selfishness, our carelessness make it very hard for us to make and keep good friends. Our relationships with others are not what they could or should be.

Jesus came to put that right. In his death on the cross he made it possible for us once again to be friends with God. The effects of our sin are wiped away, and we are restored to the relationship with God that we should always have had.

Jesus, speaking to his disciples said “John 15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command.”

Amongst the twelve disiples there were some that were closer to Jesus that others. First there was John, who was most probably Jesus closest friend. Then there were Peter and James, who along with John were included in some of the more dramatic moments of Christ's ministry – such as the transfiguration.

Genuine Love

The reading we had earlier gives us some insight into Christian Friendship, and what it might mean for us. It shows us how Paul valued his friends. Lets take a look at the people in the passage, who they were, and see what we can learn about Christian Friendship.

Paul

Paul started life as Saul, and spent his early years persecuting the new faith. He experienced a powerful vision of Jesus on his way to Damascus to put some early Christians to death. After his conversion and a change of name Paul became the apostle to the gentiles (non-Jews). He made three great journeys around the Roman Empire speaking to people about Jesus, as a result of this he frequently found himself in prison. He represented the gentile Christians to the apostles, and argued the case for not trying to turn them into Jews. He kept in touch with the churches he had planted, and some that he was nothing to do with planting, by letter. Some of his letters have survived and make up part of our New Testament.

Our reading is a small part of a letter to the church at Philippi. Paul is writing to them about what it means to follow Christ, and letting them know that his stay in prison has been good for the spread of the gospel.

Timothy

Timothy had a Greek father and a Jewish mother. He lived at Lystra when Paul met him. Timothy and Paul became good friends quickly, and Timothy joined Paul in his mission to tell the world that Jesus was the Christ. You can read about Timothy in Acts chapters 16 and 18. Paul also mentions Timothy in most of his letters, some times as a co-worker, sometimes as a brother, sometimes as a son, sometimes as someone Paul will send to them to help them. In both the letters that Paul wrote to Timothy he is described as a 'Dear Son', such is the closeness the two men had achieved. It looks as though Timothy was Paul's troubleshooter – he is often sent to visit churches that are having problems. I think of him as a bit like Henry Kissinger – always travelling to some far away place to sort out some difficulty or other. Take a look at Phil 2:19-23; 1 Thes 3:6; 1 Cor 4:17;16:10 to see what I mean.

Paul says of Timothy, “I have no-one else like him – who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.”

There are plenty of people around Paul, but in them he sees only self-interest.

Epaphroditus

Epaphroditus is not so well known. He is only mentioned in this letter. He was a member of the Philippian church and had been sent as a messenger to visit Paul and take him a gift the church had for him. At some point on the journey he had become seriously ill. This may have been through over work. Whatever the cause Epaphroditus is more concerned with the worry he is causing at home, than with his own condition because reports of his illness have been received by the Philippian church.

Paul describes Epaphroditus as a brother, a fellow -worker and a fellow-soldier. The fact that he was ill but did not die was an example of God's mercy on Him, but not only on him – Paul recognises Gods mercy for himself also, as he was spared the sorrow of loosing a great friend.

Paul's Friends

Paul has chosen two friends who are different from the others around him, because they genuinely care for the welfare of others.

Gladstone said “Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race” (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1868–74, 1880–85, 1886 and 1892–94)).

The 'www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com' tells us that the word 'I' is the most commonly spoken word in the English Language.

People, it seems are mainly concerned for themselves. They may want friends, but they will not make friends successfully if their main aim is to satisfy their own ego's, and to boost their own view of themselves.

Dale Carnegie in his book 'How to win friends and influence People' said "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."

Christian friendship, the type of friendship shown to Paul and others by Timothy and Epaphroditus is based not only on an interest in other people, but a genuine concern for their welfare.

Common Interests

Another quote from C. S. Lewis

We picture lovers face-to face and friends side by side their eyes looking ahead...that is why those ...people who simply want friends' can never make any. The very condition of having friends is that we should want something else besides friends. Friendship must be about something, even if it were only an enthusiasm for dominoes or white mice.

With Christian friendships the common interest is in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and in fulfilling mission given to us by Jesus. The core of that is the same for us all, but the details will be unique for each of us.

Christians share:

• a love of God, and the love of God
• a desire to be more like Jesus than they currently are
• a commandment to share what they have in God with the rest of the world.

We have already seen that Jesus chose friends

Christian friendship is in a different league

• they are more than sharing an interested
• they provide unparalleled closeness
• there is greater trust, security and openness

The term we often use to describe this is fellowship. Perhaps when you hear that term you think of the first book or film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. A groups of characters (I can't call them people) brought together to complete a difficult task. They throw everything they have into the effort and leave behind their normal lives for something more important.

That is very similar to what happens to us as Christians. The life we had before is left behind. Initially we join our new colleagues in our new task. Because of the nature of that task we quickly become friends. Soon after that the friendships deepen, we become much more concerned for the well being of those around us. We begin to trust them more, and be more open with them. Our openness and honesty help to build us and our new friends into an even closer unit. We have become part of the Christian Fellowship.

We have joined a new family. So terms like 'brother' ( v25, tim 1 thes 3:2) and 'sister' are used to describe our relationships. These terms have been hijacked by the world, - the communists, in particular - thinking that if they use the term, then people will somehow fit into the mould. That isn't how it works. Our new family isn't at all like the one you left. There isn't (or shouldn't) be any of the sibling rivalry's that you may have grown up with.

Christian friendships are variously describe as

• powerful
• 'a main course of life's banquet'
• enriching
• rewarding
• emotionally restoring

Common Vision

As I have begun to allude to Friendships also arise out of a common vision and goal for our lives.

In verse 22 of our reading Paul and Timothy's shared vision is to do the work of the Gospel. The phrase 'he shared with me' would be 'he slaved with me' if a completely literal translation were used. Epaphroditus is described as a fellow worker. From Paul's point of view it is clear that fellowship and mission go hand in hand. As we work together towards the common goal, as we work together towards the vision that Jesus left for us our friendships grow ever more. This occurs as we meet together to talk and to pray. However if these things (talking and prayer) become an end in themselves the group will eventually fall apart. There must be a purpose to what we are doing, and the purpose must be in line with the vision.

Those who work on the front line on various missions report that they make good friends really quickly. As part of my training I was required to join a Course in Christian Studies. Training for ministry was the main part of my mission at that time, and I have friends from the course that I still meet with.

If our churches are to succeed and to grow they will need all those involved to form close friendships at all levels, so that there is a great trust between us in all that we do.

Risks and Battles

Not everything in life is easy, and that is certainly true of the Christian life. Epaphroditus risked his life in the service of the gospel. The characters that formed the fellowship of the ring risked and lost their lives. Many missionaries have been martyred. All life is a risk, but as we take on the specific task that the Gospel requires of us there are some new battles to be fought. Courage will be required if we are to succeed in our task

In Acts 15:26 Paul and Barnabus are described as “men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Jesus said in John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. “

This may seem remote now, unless your calling is to a country where Christians are being actively persecuted – and there are many of them – but it is getting closer all the time. Reuters reports an increasing number of attacks on Congregations and Clergy. It is from a very low base, but has been increasing for the whole of the decade.

Epaphrodites is called a brother, a fellow-worker & fellow soldier. It's an ascending scale from common sympathy, to common work, to common danger toil and suffering.

In any human friendship there are, of course, other risks. Primarily the risk of hurt, of being let down or of rejection by your friend. If we share Timothy's genuine love for others it is a risk that we will be prepared to take.

We are called to extend our friendships beyond church boundaries – how else are we to pass on the good news. Last Monday, at the Everybody Welcome course, I was listening to the stories of how people were welcomed into Christ Church, some people have a gift of speaking to others in church, but how do we get people through the door in the first place. Every story that included this aspect included some friendship with another Christian. Some will come because they have made friends with the Baptism preparation team, or the Wedding preparation team. Some will come because their friends are there and are prepared to bring them into the church building and sit with them through the service. That was true in my case. Without that friendship, the invite, and my friend staying with me in the service, I would not be here today.

Conclusion

I have been trying to explain that Christian Friendships operate at a deeper level than friendships in the world in general, but I have not explained one of the major reasons why this is true. It is true that we have a common interest in spreading the good news. It is true that we have a common vision for a Christian World. It is true that we share in the risks and dangers – even if its only to our reputation – that those bring. It is true that we have the love of God to share. More even than all these things we have God himself present inside our own bodies, living with us – and so do our friends. We have a different nature to the world, a nature that helps us to be better friends to our friends. The power that the Holy Spirit brings, brings us together in ways that the world cannot understand.

The Cell

This three part mini-series exploring the history of the science around the cell was very interesting and well presented by Adam Rutherford. The slow discovery of the microscopic and the demonstration of the first microscopes and what could be seen through them was in the best history of this type of BBC documentary.

Adam is a real enthusiast for his topic. This has its drawbacks. He is so amazed and enthralled by what he sees, and refuses to touch ("these are Darwin's original books, I don't feel I can touch them"), that by the third program its starting to wear a bit thin.

The second program dealt with what's inside the cell and taught me a lot about biology that I wasn't too clear on. Some of the historic TV clips I recognised, and this was a good way of showing how quickly this particular branch of science has progressed.

The third program was more disturbing. Now we are at the stage of producing diesel from modified bacteria, and cloning sheep and long horn cattle. The promise of what can be done with cells is endless - a new dawn in science. It is clear from the presenter that there is no limit to what is permissible to us. Adams article in the Guardian makes that quite clear. There are so many benefits to be had.

The questions posed by these capabilities are more serious that those posed by the nuclear revolution. If the planet had been destroyed by the first nuclear explosion (and the scientists weren't that sure it wouldn't be - but went ahead) there would have been a few seconds of extreme suffering and that would be that. The potential for error, mistake, or malice in the biological field is enormous. What will be the biological equivalent of Chernobyl?

Every science and technology has had its disasters. This topic was completely over looked. No dangers were even mentioned.

This was a major failing of the series and left me feeling quite scared that we put our trust in such people - Adam is a scientist as well as a presenter.