Today’s guest post comes to us from C.H. Spurgeon. These are previously unpublished words taken from notes of a sermon delivered on a Lord’s Day evening in 1856, at New Park Street. Notes taken by Pastor T.W. Medhurst.

John 14.6 – ‘Jesus saith unto him, I am the way… no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me’

“There seems to be growing up amongst us an idea that a man is of a persecuting spirit of he does not think that the one who flatly contradicts him is as right as himself. If we do as some wish, we shall in time reach that blessed state of charity which had been attained by the courtiers of the Sultan, who, when he said at mid-day, “It is midnight,” replied, “Yes, sire, there is the moon, and there are the stars.”  Today, we are expected not to protest against Popery, lest we should be considered bigots; we must subscribe to all that men teach, if only they are sincere. Suppose a man, travelling due North, was sincere in thinking that he would get to the South, do you think his sincerity would bring him to the desired destination? If a man was sincere in thinking that prussic acid was a wholesome food, would the poison do him no injury? If a man starved himself while he sincerely believed himself to be feasting, how long would it take him to get fat? You say “these things are contrary to the laws of nature.” Just so, and the laws of God’s gospel are as fixed and true as are the laws of nature. If you are honest and sincere in keeping to the road of ruin, you will reach the natural end of that road, eternal destruction. Sincerity in believing a lie does not change that lie to the truth. There is only one way to heaven; there is only one Saviour, Jesus Christ is exclusively “the way.” This excludes all by-paths, all cross-roads, and all short cuts. Scripture knows nothing of the new theory, that we may be all right though we are in direct opposition to the Word of God.”

Cross-posted to the CH Spurgeon blog also. This will form part of new books forthcoming from DayOne publications.

Previously posted at C.H. Spurgeon on the exclusivity of the truth « Pastor’s New.

• SERMON: What has sustained John Piper for thirty years?: These notes are from the morning session of the 300 conf… http://bit.ly/cbXu0G #
• First half of the year thank you to top 60 referrers: One of the things I like to do during the summer months is a… http://bit.ly/dy9zlN #

Today’s post comes from Ami Loizides Pruett. you can find more of her engaging writing on her blog.

There’s not alot worse than rolling out of bed Sunday morning with a groan in your soul because it’s 7am and you have to serve at your church. Let’s set the scene for a second: Last night you were up late at a birthday party for a member of your small group that you felt obliged to go to, then your alarm wakes you up and you end up allowing yourself ten minutes extra snooze time which makes you rush to get to church and miss your morning coffee. At church you are greeted by the happiest, friendliest team leader and your heart sinks. You don’t want to be smiley, you don’t want to be friendly and worst of all, you don’t want to pray with the team pre-service. Don’t be shocked – we’ve all been there! The fact of the matter is, we’re humans and we’re liable to have many a morning like that. I think alot of us have lost (or perhaps never discovered) the true meaning and reason behind serving our local church. I am a firm believer that every person involved on a Sunday (or during the week as well) is a pivotal building block in the church; whether it’s taking out the trash, controlling a dozen two year olds or preaching the message. I’m sure you’re familiar with those verses in 1 Corinthians (12:14-27 mainly) that talk about how the church works like a body and how every part is important – that’s the word of God; hold on to it! Our goal is to be like Jesus for His glory, and He was the ultimate self-sacrificial servant (Mark 10:45). We need to be excited about serving! We don’t serve to keep the church up and running, it’s not as if God needs us to do that – we serve because it’s what we’ve been called to do. God decided before the dawn of time that you were going to be on the ‘Welcome Team’ on Sunday the 18th July 2010. He planned it all out for you to be at this stage of your spiritual walk. God demands our service and it’s up to us to choose how we do it. Let’s be encouraged to get excited (by the way, what’s more exciting than being involved in God’s perfect plan?!) and to pray about serving – pray for a good attitude, pray that you’ll have the impact that you’re supposed to have, pray through 1 Peter 4:11 – it puts things in a whole new perspective. God is working for and through us – who cares if it’s 7am?!

One of the things I like to do during the summer months is acknowledge the many websites that have sent traffic this way so far this year. I wish I could list the many more that have also been kind enough to send people to read material here. But, even if your name is not on this list of the top 60 referrers, know that your links are much appreciated. It remains the case that many more people are sent from smaller websites than large ones if you add them all up together. Never underestimate the effect a link from your own blog to another can have. I thank you for every single one of them. So here is the list:

1. http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/
2. http://facebook.com
3. http://twitter.com
4. http://en.wikipedia.org
5. http://ow.ly
6. http://newfrontierstogether.org
7. http://desiringgod.org
8. http://thebluefish.org
9. http://newfrontiersbloggers.blogspot.com
10. http://challies.com
11. http://teampyro.blogspot.com
12. http://newwordalive.org
13. http://albertmohler.com
14. http://monergism.com
15. http://raisedwithchrist.net
16. http://hughbourne.co.uk
17. http://stumbleupon.com
18. http://timchester.wordpress.com
19. http://booksneeze.com
20. http://theopedia.com
21. http://churchrelevance.com
22. http://sanctifiedrant.wordpress.com
23. http://asermonaday.com
24. http://theresurgence.com
25. http://apprising.org
26. http://stevenjcamp.blogspot.com
27. http://vinelifetx.blogspot.com
28. http://stevekmccoy.com
29. http://dogpile.com
30. http://solofemininity.blogs.com
31. http://mychristianblogs.com
32. http://garyboalnireland.blogspot.com
33. http://timkeller.info
34. http://42.blogs.warnock.me.uk
35. http://iconfactory.com
36. http://blog.terryvirgo.org
37. http://phillipjohnson.blogspot.com
38. http://300leaders.org
39. http://bentelford.wordpress.com
40. http://edstetzer.com
41. http://vimeo.com
42. http://unashamedworkman.wordpress.com
43. http://purposefulpurity.blogspot.com
44. http://parablemania.ektopos.com
45. http://blogofdan.co.uk
46. http://exiledpreacher.blogspot.com
47. http://peter-ould.net
48. http://hootsuite.com
49. http://ukcommentators.blogspot.com
50. http://beaconads.com
51. http://danielblanche.blogspot.com
52. http://lexloiz.wordpress.com
53. http://bloodtippedears.blogspot.com
54. http://firstthings.com
55. http://jollyblogger.typepad.com
56. http://lashawnbarber.com
57. http://thathideousman.blogspot.com
58. http://phoenixpreacher.net
    
59. http://centurylink.net
60. http://ht.ly

These notes are from the morning session of the 300 conference we recently had with John Piper. I have set them to auto-publish today, as I have been reliably informed that by now the video and audio of both this talk and the excellent Q and A should be available from 300leaders.org pop over and watch it if like me you are getting Piper withdrawal syndrome! I hope you enjoy this talk which was vintage John Piper. He was clearly enjoying himself as he preached one of only a very few messages he will be preaching during his 8 months break.

These are the things that have driven me for the past thirty years. There are just a few things that have shaped everything I do.  You don’t need go know a lot of things, just need to know a few things profoundly deeply.

Piper aimed to show that one of your main jobs as a pastor is to help your people pursue their maximum joy in Christ Jesus 24/7. This brings glory to Jesus.

He told us that his message remains controversial. Their is a suspicion of those who pursue their joy.  However, he told us that people with a Charismatic bent tend not to stumble as much about what Piper thinks. This is because a sweet experience of the Spirit helps people realise enjoying God is a good thing!

He began by unpacking his personal and church mission statement:

To spread: our church exists to spread.

Passion or zeal: Not a theology. I am on a crusade to make people reformed. But, doctrine is like blood, it’s supposed to course through your veins not be carried in a bucket!

Supremacy of God: I.e. God centeredness.

In everything. No area of your life that god is not supreme over.

for the joy. It is the supremacy of God that brings joy. It doesn’t oppress life.

Piper says he is on a crusade to spread joy to the world.

2 Corinthians 1.24. Working for joy, because an essential component of saving faith is joy in Jesus.

Saving faith embraces Jesus as a savior and treasure.

This verse is a voccational definition for you as a pastor

Philippians 1:25. Joy of faith. Joy from faith, constituent of faith. Paul says he is staying on the planet to advance joy.

That my joy may be in you John 15:11

Philippians 1:19ff preached first sermon at Bethlehem.

Paul’s desire is that his bodily life should not cause shame to Christ but honor.

How does it happen if he died? To die is gain. When my death is to me a benefit. You loose everything on the planet. Far better to be with Christ. If you are so satisfied with Jesus that when the moment comes to die you think “yes” because you want him. Everyone wants to be happy. Since Kant, many argue that you can’t want your own happiness to be good. But we have no choice over wanting to be happy. Paul sees Christ with the eyes of his heart as supremely satisfying. Purusing joy in Jesus makes him look magnificent.

Everything on earth is like rubbish compared to Christ.

People wonder about you, because you have a another drive.

Pursuit of joy in Christ doesn’t make you self-centered.

2. The reason we care is that pursuing satisfaction in Jesus makes Christ look magnificent. This is the goal of the universe.

3. What are some of the biblical justifications to this and what are the objections to this.

1. Commands us to do so. Psalm 100:2 Serve the lord with gladness. Psalm 37:4. Delight self in lord. Phil 4:4. People argue emotions can’t be commanded. The Bible commands emotions everywhere. Hope, joy, broken heartedness, Whether you can perform it or not is not the issue. God grants us the ability to do what we cant. It’s a sin not to be happy in Jesus. This is not icing on the cake it is the cake.
2. Bible shows that the nature of faith includes joy in Jesus. John 6:35. Coming to Jesus is an act of the heart. Synomynous with believing. Faith is a coming to Jesus for the satisfaction he gives. It is talking about soul hunger and thirst being satisfied. We area at the end of our quest. That’s faith. It’d not about a quick decision. It’s a miracle. We can’t make anybody be satisfied in Jesus.
3. The nature of evil shows we should pursue joy in God. Jeremiah 2:12-13. Be appalled at two great evils: people have forsaken the fountain of living waters and dug broken cisterns. Evil is standing at a fountain when you are desperate, and disdaining it and trying to dig your own source of Joy. The battle for most Christians is not with horrible evils, rather making neutral stuff becoming our God.
4. The nature of conversion. Kingdom is like Matthew 13:44. Eveeything he has is precious. Trips over something in a field and discovers a treasure. Just tripped over King Jesus. I will have him at any cost. Sells everything. It was from his JOY that he did this. At any cost our cost pursue Jesus. So many churches have pastors who hammer their people with threats and coercion. Rather awaken people to joy in Jesus.
5. The Bible threatens us with terrible things if we will not enjoy Jesus. Deut 28:47. Because did not serve with joy you will serve your enemy. Fear of God is a positive thing in the Bible. Can seem to contradict joy. But Psalm 2 says kiss the son less he is angry. If you hug God he is lovely, but if you run away from him he is scary! Fear can be negative, bit we like it of we are safe. In the storm of God’s holiness but safe as he goes by
6. Bibles teaching about self denial teaches us in Mark to deny self take up cross and follow me. This is a common objection to Piper’s teaching. Read the next verse. We are not meant to ultimately loose our life, instead we are meant to loose it now. John 12:25. Adds he who loves life looses it, hate it IN THIS WORLD to save it. Stop trying to be safe. It looks like you hate your life. Not ultimate self denial. It’s denial in this world to maximize your joy for ever. Its OK to have stuff. But we have to count all the stuff as loss to know Jesuss. If any of the stuff has to go let it go. We must put a cap on lifestyle to show that we value Jesus more. We mustn’t value stuff the same way they do. Jesus is the treasure not the stuff. Deny yourself wealth, security, fame, etc to have eternal pleasures
   6. If you don’t pursue your joy in God you can’t love People. Loving people does not mean stopping pursuing your joy and instead pursuing theirs. 2 Cor 9:7. God loves a cheerful giver. Not a begrudging giver. Not a dutiful giver. People feel more loved when you give to them because you want to. Help me go love people. Help me to be happy to do this. Help me to want this. An essential component of love g people is being glad to do so. We feel more loved when we are served joyfully. Imagine saying to a lover, I have bought you these flowers because it was my duty to do so!

Hebrews 13:17. Addressed to people but implications for leaders. Leaders are to be helped to do their work with joy not groaning. For that is no advantage to you. When the joy starts to go, we get on our faces and pray restore to me the joy of my salvation and help me to love you more so that it spills over onto the people.

A friend of mine recently turned the tables on me and interviewed me in a post entitled Ed Stetzer – My Interview with Adrian Warnock: Why We Need Non-Paid Christian Leaders. If I am quite honest, until recently I never really thought of myself as a Christian leader at all. Ed seems to be talking here about leadership as influence. And so, understanding that I really do not have any of the responsibility and accountability of leadership (except to a limited extent in my local congregation), by virtue of the fact a number of people read this I have come to appreciate that there is some influence that God has entrusted to me. The main effect this realisation has on me is making me concerned to wield that influence for broadly good aims. One of the best ways I can do this is to point you to helpful leaders and material. Go read Ed Stetzer’s blog right now if you havent already, and get ahold of one of his books right away!  Here is the brief video we filmed together:

Watch on Vimeo.

• Twitter Weekly Archive Post for 2010-07-25: @Simon_Murphy thanks for the encouragement about Raised With Christ. G… http://bit.ly/cBi0yL #
• Terry Virgo on who has influenced him: During my holiday this week, these videos will be published on autopilot. … http://bit.ly/bKJ6pe #
• Terry Virgo: Being Reformed and Charismatic: It seems these days that being Reformed and Charismatic is all the ra… http://bit.ly/9eT7hd #
• Terry Virgo: On Grace: Terry’s teaching on grace has radically changed thousands of Christian’s lives. In this vi… http://bit.ly/9fOitH #

Terry’s teaching on grace has radically changed thousands of Christian’s lives. In this video he argues that many who claim to love the doctrines of grace have never truly heard it in their heart. When you have watched this, go and visit his website and listen to him preach on grace. It could change everything for you.

from Watch on Vimeo.

Today’s video may challenge some of your preconceptions. In it Terry Virgo is asked if there is a difference between being apostolic and missional. In it he argues that the main task of apostles was not to write Scripture, and says that most Evangelicals today have only been taught to obey the Bible as individuals and not to obey what it says about the church.

from Jubilee Church on Vimeo.

It seems these days that being Reformed and Charismatic is all the rage these days. I have recently posted video from Matt Chandler on this theme, as well as Sam Storms, and Wayne Grudem. Here is a great short interview with Terry Virgo on this subject.

Watch on Vimeo.

During my holiday this week, these videos will be published on autopilot. The interviewer is my friend Brian Mowrey, make sure you go subscribe to his blog, as well as Terry Virgo’s right away! These videos were mentioned at the recent TOAM event and complement much of what was said there very well. This segment is on prayer, a subject which Terry is well known for after John Piper mentioned one of his sermons in a Tweet.

Watch on Vimeo.

During my holiday this week, these videos will be published on autopilot. The interviewer is my friend Brian Mowrey, make sure you go subscribe to his blog, as well as Terry Virgo’s right away! These videos were mentioned at the recent TOAM event and complement much of what was said there very well.

Watch on Vimeo.

• @Simon_Murphy thanks for the encouragement about Raised With Christ. Great to hear about your plant Do you know many reformed charismatics? in reply to Simon_Murphy #
• RT @ecrosstexas: It's not only “just as if I’d never sinned,” also “just as if I’d already completed a perfect life" From Raised with Christ #
• Please pray for me. Recording @ Premier radio 7am Debating a liberal who does not believe in the resurrection! See http://bit.ly/93yLcT #
• Are you a newfrontiers twitterer? Are you already on my list? If not @ me and I will add you. http://twitter.com/adrianwarnock/newfrontiers #
• RT @SamuelNPoe 2 great bible truths that R side by side. God draws to himself those being saved. He invites all to come to him. Rom 10:20-21 #
• @rupertleslie Welcome, who else is out there from a Newfrontiers church who tweets and isn't on my list? in reply to rupertleslie #
• Link for the show I am recording before work tomorrow: http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable We will do it Very early! #
• @adampauljames @purpleclaire actually I only know her through her tweets really! But tweets tell us a lot about their author! in reply to adampauljames #
• Isn't it strange how insanely busy our life seems to get the week before holiday! I KNOW I won't regret it tho! #
• RT @RickWarren: My eyes were severely burned by a toxic poison.Hospitalized Mon.Excruciating pain.Now home.Pray my sight loss is restored #
• Ok this is me signing off twitter. No more from me till September except automated tweets from automated blogs. No DMs either. #
• “A journey that has wonderfully demonstrated the truth of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth and the cosmic con… http://bit.ly/aeek3u #
• Xenophobia – Guest post by Lex Loizides: Welcome to the first of my automated and in some cases guest posts which … http://bit.ly/dxxasa #

Welcome to the first of my automated and in some cases guest posts which will be published while I am disconnected from the online world.  You will probably not notice any read difference as there are a lot of posts set up until my return in September. But, as you read, know that I am probably either working at my paid job or relaxing with my family, so please pray for me that it is a truly restorative time.

This post comes from Lex Loizides, who relocated to South Africa in 1996 to help build the multi-racial Jubilee Community Church in Cape Town. He is a regular speaker and teacher at Christian conferences in the UK and Europe. He writes on Church history for The Church History Blog.

Why Xenophobic Discrimination Should Never Happen in the New South Africa

In May 2008 over 60 people were killed in a spate of violence aimed at foreigners who have settled in South Africa.

The victims were not Europeans but, almost exclusively, African refugees. Shops owned by African foreigners were set alight, families attacked and many, who managed to escape death were left homeless and injured.

The dawn of a free and new South Africa where the promise of ‘A better life for all’ is a real possibility, has generated some fears and protectiveness. And a new word has entered the vocabulary of ordinary South Africans: xenophobia.

Technically the word means fear of the stranger, but it has come to describe more than fear: it means violence against the foreigner.

“If you’re not out by next week we’re coming to kill you!”

Since the undeniable success of the 2010 World Cup, when South Africans were such superb hosts to the nations of the world, the ugly threat of xenophobic violence has resurfaced.

“If you’re not out by next week we’re coming to kill you!” was a statement from one South African man to two Zimbabwean women who were innocently walking with their children to a mid-week church meeting – just last week!

History is important. We must learn from our history. And even recent South African history teaches us that refugees and foreigners don’t just come to take but also to give. That’s true of any nation – God moves people into new situations, he moves non-believers so that they might hear the gospel, and He moves believers that they might help build the church and encourage faith.

Occasionally, a Daniel or a Joseph arrives in obscurity but rises to have a significant impact on the future of the nation.

George Bizos, the Refugee

The story of George Bizos is the story of a modern day, secular Daniel. And it’s a compelling argument for anyone who is tempted to resent refugees, asylum seekers and foreigners, and think of them merely as spongers: because Bizos was an asylum seeker.

In his momentous autobiography, ‘Odyssey to Freedom’ (Umuzi/Random House) Bizos tells the dramatic story of the arrest, trial, imprisonment and eventual release of Nelson Mandela and other key leaders outlawed by the Nationalist government.

The page-turning attraction of this superb book is the fascinating, insiders journey through courtrooms, bugged consultations, and private meetings with Nelson Mandela and the other ANC leaders. Bizos was a key, yet wonderfully humble, player in the legal process of the struggle for democracy in South Africa.

One of the Boat People

Born in a small village on a Greek island, Bizos left his homeland and became a refugee in South Africa during the 2nd World War. His father arranged the escape of seven Allied Soldiers from occupied Greece. They fled to South Africa in a little boat. Thirteen year old George was on the boat with them.

Bizos describes himself as a ‘below average pupil’. Securing only an E in English, Afrikaans and Science in his high school exams, but he battled on, retaking them and eventually entering Wits University to study law. He was admitted to the Johannesburg bar in the 1954.

There are so many angles to his story: The Refugee who rose to become one of the Architects of democracy in South Africa, the Human Rights Lawyer who defended Mandela at the treason trial – helping him escape the death penalty, or simply a defender of the weak against the unimaginably powerful.

Good Lawyers
His story is also a powerful example of how legal processes and expertise can help both defend and secure freedom even in extremely hostile and complex political contexts. He worked hard, retained his core commitment to human rights, overcame fear and developed friendships that ultimately drew him into a circle of men and women who helped break the stronghold of apartheid in South Africa.

Here we see how a committed, careful, sometimes nervous, but principled group of men and women from within the legal profession kept chipping away, against all odds, at injustice until they finally emerged victorious.

Throughout the book Bizos is clearly conscious of the blending of his Greek heritage with the drive for democracy in modern Africa. This cultural and ideological fusion is not far from the surface throughout and becomes, for Bizos, a celebration of the enduring contribution of Hellenic culture to modern civilisation.

Love your Neighbour
Bizos not only brings us close to the main players of the struggle for democracy in South Africa, he also represents the aspirations of the young nation. How is it, then, that we could turn so quickly from those good aspirations and descend into violence against the stranger in our midst?

Christians have an additional impulse towards befriending and helping foreigners because of many exhortations in Scripture.

We find commands in the Old Testament in which God urges His people to protect the rights of the foreigner. ‘Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him’ (Exodus 22:21) and ‘When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him.’ (Leviticus 19:33)

Jesus Christ was not unclear on this issue and encourages His followers to protect and help them by putting Himself in their place: ‘I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.’ (Matthew 25:35)

Whichever country you live in, and how ever you may have felt about issues of immigration, the command to ‘Love your neighbour’ has come to you from Jesus Christ (Matt 22:39).

All Christians should work for the protection of oppressed foreigners, and all South Africans, whatever their religious belief, have an example to be grateful for, and to follow in George Bizos, the refugee.

© 2010 Lex Loizides

1. Matt Chandler on being a reformed charismatic.
2. Preach to Change Them In Their Seats – Tim Keller.
3. Links. (Boy does that page need a tidy up, but the facility to search websites I have linked to over the years is very worthwhile if you are researching something!)
4. What is a Reformed Charismatic?
5. N.T. Wright says it right.
6. ABOUND IN HOPE! – A Sermon on Romans 15:13
7. John Piper on Baptism with the Holy Spirit.
8. Mother’s Day Sermon – Comfort Like a Mother.
9. Sermons
10. Sam Storms, John Piper, and John Bunyan vs. Wayne Grudem, Al Mohler, and Mark Dever.
11. Interviews
12. Books
13. Why Do I Love Rick Warren?
14. INTERVIEW- Mark Driscoll on the resurrection.
15. VIDEO – Billy Graham Preaching in 1958.
16. Steve Chalke and “The Lost Message of Jesus”
17. New John Piper sermon: The Gospel and racial harmony
18. John Piper taking eight-month break from ministry
19. The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit – A Sermon
20. Preaching and teaching tips for an Easter sermon
21. Matt Chandler Video Blog
22. John Piper’s Most Important Book – Finally Alive.
23. Unity in diversity – Rick Warren, John Piper, and New Word Alive.
24. Do YOUR friends know what Easter means?
25. John Piper on why he invited Rick Warren to speak at the DGM conference.

My diary is filling up fast. Work-wise it looks like I am going to have to be in the USA three or four times between now and Christmas as well as traveling to Europe.  So it is just possible that I might be able to squeeze in connecting with one or two of my American friends.  Let me know on adrian.warnock@gmail.com if you are interested in this or even possibly fitting in a resurrection talk, though that may not be so easy. 2010 is almost full for all the preaching away that I am happy to do, and I am beginning to fill up in 2011 as well. For an up to date calendar, see the Raised With Christ page. I would really appreciate a few of you dropping me an email to agree to pray for some of these events, and I look forward to meeting some of you at them.

I am sure that you will understand that with a schedule that includes a full-time secular job, this blog, opportunities to discuss my book, church leadership, fatherhood and most importantly being a husband, I am very busy! I am not feeling drained at the moment, but am instead energized.  However, I am very glad to be going on holiday this weekend with my family. At some point between now and then, I will be completely disconnecting from the online world. Pray for us that we have a truly restorative and enjoyable memory-building time. Parents of five children under 14 will know that this will in itself require something of a miracle!

I am fortunate that I have an abundant supply of some great guest posts that have been sent to me via email, some material I have already written, and some videos to share with you.  As such, the blog will remain on autopilot, and while there may be a slight reduction in frequency, posts will continue to appear here as if by magic over the next few weeks.  I will remain largely disconnected from the Internet, however, and will not be writing new blog posts, facebooking or tweeting from when I disconnect until the beginning of September.  The only email I will answer during this time will be that which I receive on my work address and for which I am paid to reply! So, if you want to ask me something get in there quick today!  I find that cutting  back on at least some of my other responsibilities is very helpful to me. Pray that I will get good perspective on what God is calling me to do and be for the rest of the year. Pray also that even on our return from holiday, I will therefore be able to take some more time when I am not working to build quality relationships with my family.

Here are my diary dates over the course of the next few months (in addition, I will also be participating in a number of Jubilee Church events)

Saturday, August 7
2-30 PM Premier Christian Radio’s Unbelievable?
A conversation with a liberal about why the physical resurrection of Jesus really matters. Listen live via a radio or the web.

Sunday, August 15
Preaching at King’s Church, Ilford

Sunday, September 19
Preaching at Kings Community Church, Braintree

Sunday, October 24
Preaching at Community Church Bishops Stortford

One of the minor little things that stuck with me at TOAM was a phrase that appeared at the end of each of the video clips they showed on our values. “Who is Newfrontiers? You are.” The truth is that Newfrontiers has always been more decentralized than many movements, and at the same time it is well-known for central strong anointed leadership. There is something of a paradox there, and it means that in some ways no one person can speak for the whole of the movement. We used to joke in the movement that Newfrontiers probably does not exist, and if it does it lives somewhere under Nigel Ring’s desk!

Few if any people in Newfrontiers feel comfortable if someone asks them “What does Newfrontiers think about this?” Newfrontiers doesn’t have a mind, or if it does it is the product of many minds. Certainly, for example, I don’t like it when a few people occasionally think of me as some kind of spokesman for this group of churches. I speak here on my blog our about my own opinions and values. Of course, having grown up in this family of churches for more than 30 years (in other words from before it was even called New Frontiers International) very often what I say does reflect a wider body of thought, but no reader should ever assume that is always the case.

One of my enduring memories of this years Together On A Mission event was Dave Devenish talking about the scattering that is to come in our future. Inevitably such a scattering means that there will be slightly different emphases and expressions of our values in different places. I strongly believe that technology will play a major role in the next phase of our movement as we transition. Through technology we can retain something of a family feel while we are working in every continent of the world. We can learn from each other, and just catch the “feel” of what is happening. We can quickly learn of tragic news and we can celebrate with others.

As a way of staying loosely in touch with your Newfrontiers brothers and sisters (or indeed of getting more of an idea of what we are like if you are not part of this family of churches) may I recommend an unofficial Newfrontiers Twitter list. Twitter is like a telegram system for the web. Most people do not share details that are of no use to others. Amusing or insightful events, links to blog posts (which can be automatically generated by twitterfeed.com), and pithy quotes are the normal fare. You can post as infrequently or frequently as you want. In general if something interests you, it may well be of interest to others. If you just want to be a tweet consumer you don’t even have to join. You can follow the “mind” of Newfrontiers, but even better why not get an account and contribute to the shared thinking? If you are on Twitter and want to get onto this list then public message me on Twitter saying something like “@adrianwarnock I would like to join the Newfrontiers List.” In addition, to join the unofficial Newfrontiers Bloggers list, the easiest thing is to to is email Dave Bish.

Another thing that Dave Devenish said was that some initiatives will continue to come from the center, as anointed leaders take strategic decisions to advance God’s kingdom by planting churches. He also said that other growth, and especially growth in influence rather than organizational growth, will occur as individuals take bold steps for God. I think of John KpiKpi who caught Newfrontiers values whilst studying in Brighton and went back to Africa to plant churches without at first other Newfrontiers leaders knowing about it. Obviously one cannot simply start a church and call it Newfrontiers or the label would be meaningless. But if a group or individual are inspired to begin to dream about what God may do, that in itself is extending God’s kingdom even if it doesn’t in the end lead to extending the Newfrontiers organization.

In that vein, it blessed me to see that one young lady was sufficiently inspired by this years conference to start a Facebook group in the hope that one day there might be a church in Brussels that reflects the values she had seen in Brighton. Perhaps another group of churches will step in (or already has!) to plant just such a church there. God is using many other groups to extend his kingdom. But whatever the eventual outcome, seeing such a dream expressed in such a way thrilled me, somehow. Who knows what that will lead to, if anything. She is not putting herself forward as a leader, and I am not sure if she has ever been a member of a Newfrontiers church. I don’t actually know the girl who started the group, except through a brief “hello” at TOAM and her tweets (From this I learned that she especially appreciated Terry’s comments about grammar in his sermons and likes Aaron Sorkin’s writing including the superlative West Wing, so she can’t be all bad!) But while her name may never appear in some roll call of the great and good, she just might have taken the first step towards a Newfrontiers church starting in the capital of Europe! It would be just like God to use an individual like that to prompt someone else to join a great work of exploit. After all, before God what do any of us have to offer, really? If a young girl can nail her colors to the mast and say, “I would love to see a new Church in this city I live in!” what can you do for God? Somehow the actions of this Facebook group founder sum up this years Together On A Mission. God will raise up an army of people, most of whom you and I will never hear the name of, in order to accomplish his purposes.

But be under no illusion, anointed leaders, singled out and appointed by God to lead will also continue to lead the charge. I have this funny image in my mind of almost a competition between these two groups, of leaders and followers, to see who can extend quickest. Instead of visionary leaders having to propel their people out into the mission field, imagine them instead fielding calls that go something like this “As you know I moved to this new city for work, remember when you said that there might be purpose in God for such a move? Well I have a small group of people meeting in my home now, would you come and help us to form them into a church?” Ironically, Newfrontiers itself in many ways really began with just such a phone call, when Nigel Ring rang a certain young pastor called Terry Virgo and asked him to come and help him work out what to do with a small group of Christians who had begun meeting in his home when thrown out of a local evangelical church for speaking in tongues.” I pray we will always be as much about such small groups as the gathering of thousands to hear God’s word. I thank God that my parents joined that young church more than thirty years ago introducing me to this family of churches that has been my spiritual home ever since. The rest as they say, is history, or in the case of phone calls yet to happen, future!

Reformed people often forget that Piper is almost as much of a charismatic as I am! He is no doubt a bit more cautious than me about gifts, but he does believe in them. In this video clip he shares what he describes as a prophetic word that has a warning for the reformed movement today. You can read the transcript or watch it here:

• Twitter Weekly Archive Post for 2010-07-11: “A fantastic treatment of the resurrection and it’s importance right n… http://bit.ly/9ZnrYt #
• #TOAM The songs we sung together in Brighton to worship our missional God http://ow.ly/2aqQf #
• RT @joswintermeyer @adrianwarnock We are in the process of recording Kate's new ones! // GREAT NEWS! When will they be out? #TOAM #
• @purpleclaire The best album to start with is Lou Fellingham Step Into The Light, there are a bunch of them on that one. #TOAM #Newfrontiers in reply to purpleclaire #
• RT @YPClayConry: "As Christians we have the secret to happiness &…a life that REQUIRES us to wear armor" -@TerryVirgo http://bit.ly/clZQYq #
• Fixing the implications of Andrees email account being hacked. Just in case you were worried and got a spam from her. We are NOT in Spain! #
• Well, a friend of mine has suggested me as a London twitterer to @rachelhills so here goes. Anyone else out there from London? #
• Newfrontier Church plant in New Delhi: A year ago at Together On A Mission I interviewed Samir and Jackie who at t… http://bit.ly/9h2NVT #
• Today: church prayer meeting and Shrek 4 3D with my boys then BBQ to celebrate Mums 65th. Should be a good day! #
• RT @PJ_Smyth: RT @PastorMark: Men, if you don’t date your wife someone else may eventually volunteer for the job. #D8nite #
• PJ Smyth on How to cry well when facing cancer: This year, news of PJ Smyth’s lymphoma was the sandwich in between… http://bit.ly/bBaATd #
• RT @BBC_TopGear: #TopGear starts in one minute on BBC2 & HD in the UK http://bit.ly/aZD8QT #
• #topgear motorhome mayhem tonight! Typical ladish craziness. You really don't have to like cars for this show! #

This year, news of PJ Smyth’s lymphoma was the sandwich in between which the rest of the event was the filling. If you were at TOAM you could not miss it, and it brought the urgency of everything else into sharp focus. In the first session we were told he had a lump in his neck that would be removed. In the last session, Terry shared a text message which PJ had just sent him immediately on arriving home from a doctor’s appointment, which had confirmed it was Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

PJ  will be sharing thoughts about his cancer treatment on his new personal blog. I encourage you to follow it. This reminded me of my recent post about tears. Machismo has nothing to offer an under 40 year old father facing a cancer, that although very much potentially treatable, obviously brings one face to face with mortality. Here is an extract:

Learning to cry well

A fair few tears flow daily in the Smyth home at the moment, especially Ashleigh’s and mine. They can break out at almost anytime prompted by gratitude to the kindness and close presence of Jesus, or thankfulness to the kind words and actions of friends, or at news of the suffering of others that is already seeming to break our hearts in a fresh way, or because of tiredness and fear of the unknown. We are trying to cry well and Ps 126 is a great mentor:

Those who sow in tears shall reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him (Ps 126v4-6).

Tears are seed

Tears are not arbitrary or worthless. They are precious seed that if aimed right, can win a harvest of great joy. If a farmer bottles his seed up inside then he can forget about a harvest. Or equally, if he sows indiscriminately pouring out the seed on unfertile ground, then again, harvest will not come. So, the trick is to aim our tears onto good soil . . .

READ MORE at  PJ’s Personal Blog.