Gospel, Gospel, Gospel Care

Once again, a privilege bestowed upon me by my current job.
This time it was receiving some training on "Gospel Care" from Steve Timmis (Founder of the Crowded House in Sheffield and also Director of Acts29 Western Europe, amongst other things).

It was a wonderful reminder that the gospel really is the answer to all of life's problems, and just when you think a problem to hard, too big, too deep or too complicated has arisen, that tempts you to adopt worldly practices, or give up, the gospel remains the one true hope.

One of the main reasons for this is summed up in the following quote: "The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart."
One way to view the whole of the message of the Bible is God saying "Trust me!". Then what we see is that the essence of human sin is failure to trust God.

We spent the first of our two sessions unpacking Hebrews chapter 3 and 4. There we see that human hearts are hard, wandering, evil and unbelieving. This is terminal problem. It requires outside intervention, open heart surgery on a spiritual level.

We always do exactly what we want to do. The desires of our hearts control our wills.
The heart is the control centre of the person; affections, will and actions all flow from the heart. That's why the gospel is such good news because we are given a new heart, and that is what we so desperately need.

Our new heart is in dwelt by the Spirit and He changes us from the inside to see Christ as more beautiful and satisfying than anything this world has to offer. This in turn is the answer ultimately to all of the psychological issues that we have or situations we face. Jesus really is the answer for all of us, not just for Sunday school kids!

So, when we come to caring for others, dealing with pastoral issues and seeking to counsel people biblically, all we really need is the gospel. We need to know it well and be able to apply it. We need to be able to exegete people as well as we (hopefully!) exegete Scripture.

Alongside this teaching day we (as a staff team) are currently reading "How People Change" by Timothy Lane and Paul David Tripp. So far, an I am only about a third of the way through, it is excellent. It too advocates really applying the gospel to every situation. (why not check out the Christian Counselling and Education Foundation)

My thoughts on this, as my blog sub-heading suggests, are not fully formed and may seem a bit sketchy. There may well be another post on this as I think it through further and finish the book, but suffice it to say I find it liberating and challenging to truly trust that the gospel is really the answer to all of life's issues.

Mumford and Sons - Awake My Soul

I think this will be my 4th and final blog post on songs from Mumford and Sons debut album "Sigh No More". If you don't own a copy, I highly recommend it.

Awake my soul is yet another interesting song. As with the other posts I have written, I am not going to comment on every word or line, but just a little section of the lyrics.

In these bodies we will live
In these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love
You invest your life

The mortality of humanity is evident all around us, you only have to turn on the news, read the BBC website or check your twitter feed to see something about a famine, a murder, or a tragic accident. We do live in these bodies and die in these bodies, 1 in 1 people die. The Bible tells us our days are like grass, we are like a morning mist that passes away.
With this in mind, it no surprise that many of those who believe there is no God try live fast and die young, or seek as many pleasurable experiences in the here and now before they disappear into the darkness. That is a consistent way to live.

Two things for us to consider though. The first is from the title of the song and the line that follows:

Awake my soul
For you were made to meet your Maker

Our bodies do die, but we have eternity built into our hearts. We are made in the image of God. Our souls will go on beyond this life in the body. We were made to meet our Maker.
However much a person may deny it, the existence of God is a reality that we supress (Romans 1). We were made to know and meet our Maker. The creation around us shows His invisible qualities, His divine attributes. Supremely we see Jesus, the exact representation of His being. Jesus, the one by whom, through whom and for whom, all things were created, that includes you and I.
The question then arises, "Am I ready to meet my Maker?"
For Christians the wonderful truth is that because Jesus died and rose again physically, we have the promise of a new resurrection body, far greater than this earthly body, and we will live on the new earth forever enjoying our Maker. (See what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15).
The Bible also warns that those who do not know Jesus will also meet their Maker, but that it will not be a day of joy but a day of terror, because they will still have to bow the knee and confess with their mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord, but they will not receive joyful life eternal, instead it will be just punishment.

The second thing I want to draw out briefly is the second half of the first quotation above.
There are many places where we can invest our love; spouse, children, family, friends, job, sports team, dreams, ambitions etc.
It is totally true isn't it, that where you invest your love, you invest your life? Whatever you love, you spend time on, you commit your finances to, you prioritise. In short, your actions betray your heart. Whatever it is that you love will be evident in your life.

What does your life show that you love?

This is something that has been cropping up in various places over the last year. The heart is the centre of the affections, desires and love in our lives. It is the heart the drives the will. You do what you want to do because your mind is controlled by your hearts desires.
So it is very true that wherever your love is invested, your life will be too.
Jesus makes it very clear in Luke ch10 that the summation of the law is this:

Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength and love your neighbour as yourself

The reason this is the sum of the law is because if you love God and love neighbour your actions, your life, will be for them. Rules will not change behaviour because the heart is directs the will.
If you love God you will keep His commands. This is clear in 1 John. It is NOT if you keep God's commands you love Him. It's one-directional, because you love God, you will keep His commands, you will love what he loves and hate what He hates. You life will be invested in God because you love Him. "Where you invest your love, you invest your life" is a wonderful line, very profound.

The only place worth investing your love is primarily in God, because He is love; Father Son and Holy Spirit eternally existing in perfect loving relationship. Also because we were created out of the outflow of that love to meet out Maker and be drawn into that love. This will then flow out in love for other people.

Check out the song here