Simon Cox Blog

Tuesday, 3 July 2018

Renewing Your Church: Church Revitalization as a Humbling Experience

God works through people and churches who depend on him.

I accepted my first pastorate in 2004 at First Baptist Church in Castroville, TX as a 25-year-old recent seminary graduate. I had not given much thought to leading revitalization throughout my studies, but I found myself leading a church that was still in the process of healing from previous hurt.

They were suffering dysfunction, and decline.

As a new pastor, I did what I thought was best, and that was to thrust myself fully into pastoring by working hard, not being above any task, and doing whatever I thought needed to be done. In many ways, I thought I was being noble, but in reality I was trying to pastor in my own strength and was keeping others from serving.

The result was that I was on the cusp of burnout, and I was disillusioned that revitalization was not happening the way I wanted and in the time I expected. This was humbling because my approach to life and work had provided a degree of success and recognition during college and seminary, but was not working in the church. Then, God graciously brought people into my life who guided me to healthier ways of leading and challenged me to grow in certain areas.

One of the areas of growth was that God led me to step out in faith by providing a vision of the church getting out of debt with the goal of the church calling a youth pastor once the church got out of debt. At the time, the church still had around 15 years on the note, so we set the goal for five years to get out of debt and call a youth pastor. Because the church had limited resources, the goal of five years seemed impossible to me.

But the church had the faith to trust God.

As soon as we stepped out in faith, God began to provide for us in ways I could never have imagined. For example, a predominately African-American ...

from
http://feeds.christianitytoday.com/~r/christianitytoday/ctmag/~3/TAAhWWWCbyw/maximizing-big-day-church-revitalization-as-humbling-experi.html

Mideast Christians See Russia—not the US—as Defender of Their Faith

Perplexed by America on Syria, Russian evangelicals and Middle East Christians debate if Moscow really cares.

War was swirling in Syria. Rebels were pressing. And Maan Bitar was the only hope for American help.

“Because I am evangelical, everyone thinks I have channels of communication,” said the pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Mhardeh. “Syrians believe the United States has the power to stop the conflict—if it wants to.”

In the early years of the civil war, Bitar’s Orthodox neighbors were desperate to convince the US and its allies to end support of rebel forces. Mhardeh, a Christian city 165 miles north of Damascus, was being shelled regularly from across the Orontes River.

But salvation came from a different source. Russian airpower turned the tide, and Syrian government-aligned troops drove the rebels from the area.

Russian intervention on behalf of Mideast Christians has pricked the conscience of many American evangelicals. Long conditioned to Cold War enmity, the question is entertained: Are they the good guys in the cradle of Christianity? Or are persecuted Christians just a handy excuse for political interests?

“The news tells us Russian troops are bringing peace to the region, said Vitaly Vlasenko, ambassador-at-large for the Russian Evangelical Alliance. “Maybe this is propaganda, but we don’t hear anything else.”

Created in 2003, the alliance represents all evangelical denominations in Russia. Before assuming his position, Vlasenko worked 11 years with local Baptists in their external relations department.

President Vladimir Putin, recently reelected with evangelical support, “is seen as playing a big role to protect the Christian faith,” said Vlasenko, “and a sense of international brotherhood is deep within the heart of Russian Christians.” ...

from
http://feeds.christianitytoday.com/~r/christianitytoday/ctmag/~3/8VM8vWJut8I/mideast-christians-see-russia-not-us-as-defender-of-their-f.html

Monday, 2 July 2018

Proverbs 14:34

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.”

from
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=NIV&search=Proverbs%2014:34

High Court upholds ban on abortion clinic protests

Ealing Council has been engaged in trying to enforce a buffer zone around abortions clinics in its jurisdiction. This has been met with great support from the pro-choice advocates in the UK, but with less joy from the pro-lifers. Obviously. Good news is that the decision to do so has been legally upheld. As Humanists […]

from
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/tippling/2018/07/02/high-court-upholds-ban-on-abortion-clinic-protests/

What Jordan’s Evangelicals Think of Templeton Winner King Abdullah’s Interfaith Acclaim

The ruler was awarded the prestigious $1.4 million prize for modeling Islamic tolerance internationally. Here’s how Protestants in his home country gauge his leadership.

For his lifelong commitment to religious peace, King Abdullah II of Jordan recently became the second Muslim ever to win the prestigious, $1.4 million Templeton Prize. And Jordan’s Christian minority is celebrating with him.

“I believe in our king,” said Imad Shehadeh, president of the Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary, following Wednesday’s announcement. “He is a kind, wise, loving, humble, and effective leader.”

Established in 1973, the Templeton Prize is awarded for exceptional contribution to “affirming life’s spiritual dimension.” First given to Mother Teresa, previous winners range from Billy Graham to the Dalai Lama. More recently, Christian philosopher Alvin Plantinga and Jean Vanier of L’Arche have won the prize.

But this year, Abdullah was honored as a ruler who has done more promote inter-Islamic and interfaith harmony than any other living political leader, Templeton said.

Islam is the official religion of Jordan, and the constitution guarantees freedom of religion for minorities such as the roughly 2 percent of the population that’s Christian (mostly Greek Orthodox). The Protestant community has commended their king’s efforts for religious unity, though some wish his commitment went even further.

Since assuming the throne in 1999, the 56-year-old son of the beloved King Hussein has rallied scholars against declaring apostasy against fellow Muslims. In 2006, he sponsored the Common Word initiative, inviting Christians worldwide to join Muslims in their joint commandments to love God and love their neighbor. Abdullah is responsible for launching World Interfaith Harmony Week in 2010, generally acknowledged as the first and only UN declaration ...

from
http://feeds.christianitytoday.com/~r/christianitytoday/ctmag/~3/JFqqYb2wF5E/templeton-winner-king-abdullah-jordan-evangelicals.html

#StuffChurchpeopleSay: The Funniest Sermon Responses

Let's get a laugh or two, or even a raised eyebrow, from our fellow well-intentioned congregants.

EAP @eadampeek: “You told too many circumcision jokes, so we are leaving the church. If we wanted to hear a comedy routine, we would have just watched a Will Ferrell movie.”

Jeremiah Clements @JremiahClements: “Early in my first pastorate I had a guy stop me after service to introduce himself: “You know how Paul said he had a thorn in the flesh?” I nodded & he continued, “I’m yours.”

Liam Thatcher @liamthatcher: “I couldn’t focus for the entire talk coz you were wearing new glasses”

Brett Landry @BrettLandry: “That was, like, a really good TED Talk about Jesus!” (Excited guest who’d never been to church before)”

Scott Slayton @scottslayton: “Your preaching has gotten worse since your baby was born. It’s like you’re not as passionate about God as you were before.”

Jason Spears @Jason_Spears: “Coming from my other church and my former pastor to here listening to you is like going from filet mignon to ground beef hamburger meat.” … “Unfortunately, in my youthful insecurity, the next week I handed her a small bottle of A1 steak sauce and encouraged her to go back if she saw fit.”

Christopher Cahall @chriscahall: “Would you like me to tell you how many times you said “um”?”

Hershaelyork @hershaelyork: “I preached in Grenada, MS, and a guy came up to me afterward, shook my hand and said, “Spurgeon! Charles Spurgeon.” I was flattered, but thought he was overstating things a bit and I told him so and he said, “No, that’s my name. I’m Charles Spurgeon.”

Kris Freeman @PastorKris: “That was an amazing message. Too bad no one ...

from
http://feeds.christianitytoday.com/~r/christianitytoday/ctmag/~3/0xBEgzV4JXg/tempted-to-say-something-odd-to-your-pastor-strangest-sermo.html

Sunday, 1 July 2018

Jeremiah 17:9-10

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.””

from
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=NIV&search=Jeremiah%2017:9-10