Cambridge: an away day at "the other place"

When I was at Oxford we referred to Cambridge as "the other place". I like Cambridge very much, and it has many delightful aspects and I hope that you enjoy the attached photographs taken yesterday. (But Oxford has a very special place in my heart and I really love Oxford. Please see my blogs with many photographs of Oxford.)  The weather in Cambridge was sometimes clement, but very changeable with bright sunny spells, blustery conditions, chilly winds and occasional showers.

The horse chestnut trees are so magnificent in May.

Looking towards St John's College, Cambridge

The weeping willows are wonderful at this time of year on the banks of the Cam.

The Backs are beautiful, especially in May.

King's College Chapel, English architecture at its best? Sublime splendour!

The side streets are so charming.

An example of student bolshie bike parking, right where it asks for bicycles not to be left here in front of the notice board. This bicycle is the right colour though, Cambridge blue.

Learning to share the Good News from Luke's Acts of the Apostles

Recently I have been looking at the Acts of the Apostles and learning more about evangelism in the early Christian community. I have seen in a fresh way principles and methods that I need to learn from and apply in my walk with God, my fellowship with Christians and my contact with non-believers.

When I read Acts 1 it struck me that writing and sharing the Gospel message through the written word should never be underestimated.  Luke wrote his Gospel and The Acts of the Apostles to Theophilus.

He wrote "of all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day in which He was taken up, after He had given through the Holy Spirit commandments to the apostles who He had chosen, to whom He also had shown Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen during forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God."




We are, of course, indebted to Luke and all the writers of the New Testament documents for their effort, time and energy in communicating their beliefs, memories, testimonies and insights, wonderfully inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. We thank the Lord for the light of His word and for the truth that is revealed concerning the Word, Jesus our Lord and Saviour, in the Scriptures.

Through the Gospels, the Epistles and all the New Testament documents God  helps us to learn what He wants us to understand concerning salvation and godly living. God has spoken, speaks and will continue to speak to all people through the Scriptures.

Men may mock. Scoffers may scorn. Secularists may deride and ridicule. Philosophers may doubt. Theologians may split hairs. Critics may discuss and despise. Clergy may complicate with clever words. But the Scriptures will stand steadfast and sure, even in darkest times and desperate days.  The Word of the Lord will endure for ever.  Every word spoken by Jesus will prove true, and the gates of hell shall never prevail.

There were times when the Bible was banned, burned, belittled and chained.  Through the providence of God we now have access to so many biblical documents, translations and codices.

Today we can communicate so freely and write messages concerning the Good News that travel throughout the world.  These words can reach across nations and countries in a remarkable way.  There are so many opportunities to share our faith, testimony and Gospel message through the written word via the world wide web.

We are embracing the available technology, though we seem to have been slow to use film, video and multi media methods.  So many churches that I attend seem to mess up internet links and web videos, but I look forward to the day, not distant, when I will be able preach with confidence in the ability of church technicians who manage to access the web links and internet sites competently.

From the Acts of the Apostles we see that the early Christians were clear about the Gospel message and what needed to be communicated once they received power from on high, power from the Holy Spirit.
They were a people of prayer.  It is worth looking at all references to prayer throughout Acts.  Prayer was a priority, not an optional extra or something occasional and vague. When they prayed things happened. They had great boldness, great power, and great grace was upon them. Some may dismiss their miracles, signs and wonders as co-incidences and exaggerated claims.  But more co-incidences occur when people pray!

The early Christians were people who went where things happened. They were not shy about their faith and making contact with the crowds.  They were prepared to suffer, to travel extensively, to experience hardship and to make sacrifices to see the Gospel and the kingdom of God spread.  They were generous with their time, money and resources.

They sowed diligently, not sparingly, and consequently reaped remarkably.  They produced fruit that still bears fruit today, eternal fruit.

Are we producing spiritual fruit of eternal value, content and taste?

Gareth Bale's great goal should silence the cynics

I have watched on YouTube Gareth Bale's goal scored in the 85th minute of the Copa del Rey match in Valencia at the Estadio Mestalla. That was some goal! The cynics wondered if he was worth the transfer fee.  Well one thing is for sure, they could never score a goal like that, and you can't put in what God has left out.  Sometimes quality comes at a high price, and that goal was sheer quality and amazing athleticism.  To run like that in the last few minutes of a high intensity game having played against one of the best teams on this planet and to score so skilfully, well see it and admire the spectacle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWVrolNQ4RU

Learning lessons on evangelism from the Acts of the Apostles

Recently I and a few other church members have been meeting in a small group on Wednesdays. We have been studying the Acts of the Apostles and specifically learning about evangelism and evangelistic methods in this book of the Bible, and looking at other related passages in the New Testament.

 In my preparation I found the attached link very helpful, challenging and edifying:

http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/ntesources/ntarticles/ctr-nt/rainer-churchgrowthacts-ctr.pdf

I agree with the author, Thom S Rainer, that Michael Green's book, Evangelism in the Early Church, is essential reading for those who are interested in learning about evangelism in the Acts of the Apostles.

I am grateful to all concerned for making Thom's work, Church Growth and Evangelism in the Book of Acts, available on the internet/web. May God continue to bless Thom's ministry and scholarship.

I hope to share my theological reflections on evangelistic methods in the Acts of the Apostles in due course, DV.

Lovely day away at Wakehurst Place, Kew at Wakehurst, East Sussex

It is delightful to be out in the countryside on a beautiful Spring day when the sun shines and the weather is clement. I enjoyed a lovely day at Wakehurst Place, the Royal Botanic Gardens, in East Sussex, known as Kew at Wakehurst.

                                The Millennium Seed Bank is a star attraction

 It is the most visited National Trust property in England. I thought that accolade would go to some of the historic houses, such as Chartwell or Waddesdon Manor, but Wakehurst Place, Kew at Wakehurst, is at the top of the league for visitors.  The changes in the car parking fees may well reduce some of the visits by deterring some visitors.

Like Kew Gardens in West London there is so much to see. Really it justifies more than one visit, and plenty of energy to cover the grounds.

I took some photographs and while I am quite pleased with the results, they do not adequately show the sheer beauty and splendour of the grounds.

Distant relatives in the Baptist "family"

Over the past few years I have noticed that certain people of influence in the Baptist Union refer to the Baptist family. It seems to be something of a buzzword or popular term of endearment.  It has that ring of cosy familiarity and intimacy, a close knit fellowship of blood brothers and sisters. We are, as Christians, purchased by the blood of Christ and members of his spiritual family.  That's good and true.

Now to some people the idea of family is not that good and wholesome. Not everything in the family is fine and friendly. There are feuds, fights and all sorts of falling out. There are painful partings, estrangements, deeply harboured grudges and resentments, irreconcilable differences, arguments over inheritance, money and material possessions. There can be abuse and cruelty.

Some families grow apart.  They move in different spheres, have different interests and have a completely different outlook on life.  Some worship wealth, others worship status and strive for more material things. Then there are those who wish to live a bourgeois lifestyle in a desirable area, "at the right address",  and wish to keep away for certain "types".

In some families there are love/hate relationships, and sometimes the line between love and hate becomes blurred.

Since 1968 I have been preaching in Baptist churches, particularly when I was a theological student in the 1970s.  Now and again I came across Baptist and evangelical churches where the culture was so very different from my own.  The people in these Baptist churches seemed to have completely different interests and lifestyles, ways of living that were and are unlike my own.  It seems strange and somewhat odd that these folk who perhaps appear bigoted and boring to me, yet we have a common faith and fellowship in Christ Jesus.  We do not choose our biological brothers and sisters, and we certainly do not choose our spiritual ones, those born again by God's Spirit.

Then there are those who have the Baptist label but they are so distant and disturbed that one wonders if they are relatives at all.  I am thinking about members of Westboro Baptist Church and other extremist Baptists who engage in campaigns of hate.


God has a great sense of humour.  He puts distant and diverse people together in Christ.  The early Christian church experienced tensions and ethnic disputes. See the beginning of Acts 6. God has many children, and some grow up to be a disappointment but some do amazing works of love and grace. I rejoice in Baptist missionary work. I rejoice in Baptist scholarship. I rejoice in great times of fellowship in Baptist churches. I rejoice in my relatives, distant and diverse in the Baptist family, and in all God's children who are heirs of the Kingdom of God.  For most of us, family matters and in families we experience deep love and affection. Long may it continue in the Church, whether close and comforting, or distant and diverse. Love covers a multitude of sins and shortcomings.

People trafficking in the UK: modern slavery in dark and dastardly places

People trafficking or human trafficking, the curse of modern slavery, is alive today in the UK.  The extent and the exact number of abused workers, who are denied their freedom, human rights and dignity by modern day slavery, are unknown, but we know that it is a grave problem and growth area.

Children, young women and vulnerable folk in their desperation have been drawn into a web of corruption and crime through evil exploitation. Promising poor and needy people the prospect of food, work and accommodation in the UK has led to this slavery that holds these sad souls in bleak conditions, where they are subjected to violence and intimidation. These 21st century slaves are forced to work in sordid situations which can include the sex industry, sweat shops, agricultural and farm labour, and domestic servitude in private residences, where these people are prisoners under brutal overseers.

According to Steve Chalke

Human trafficking is the fastest growing global crime and is now the second largest after the illegal arms trade. It involves the movement of people, against their will, through violence, deception or coercion for the purpose of sex, forced labour or even body parts. Men, women and children are all victims of trafficking; although approximately 80% are women and girls and up to 50% are children. 

While many in churches are unaware and uninformed about this issue, there are those who have become activists against this evil enterprise that is estimated to enslave thousands and thousands of people.  Some Christian activists are now seeking to set the captives free and to bring them a future and a hope where righteousness dwells.

Christians living a comfortable bourgeois life should consider what they can do to help such needy souls. Are we at ease in Zion? We should never be complacent, because this is happening in our capital city and in other towns, camp sites and settlements throughout the UK. The Lord requires us to do justice, to love mercy and grace, and to walk humbly with God.  Doing justice is not an optional enterprise, a choice that we can volunteer for and occasionally engage in; it is at the heart of the Christian message and Jesus's manifesto in Luke 4.18-19.

What are you doing in Jesus's name to release the oppressed?