If you've got nothing positive to say...

'Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.'

Jude 1.3

Jude knew what he wanted to write, a positive sounding letter. He wanted to remind them of all that Jesus had done for them and the inheritance they share through him. What's more, he was eager to write such a letter, looking forward to reflecting upon all of God's goodness toward them. Who wouldn't want to always be able to say positive things? To only ever talk about God's love for his people.

Only Jude knew that he had to write a different sort of letter. Instead of reassuring them of their safety in Christ, he had to wake them up to the dangers all around them. Why? Because they were surrounded by godless men who were eager totake them away from Jesus. Jude saw the threat and realised he had to say something. To write a nice sounding letter in the midst of such dangerous circumstances would not only have been inappropriate, but potentially fatal for their faith. So how does Jude go about urging them to contend? He reminds them of the stakes. He removes any illusion that the Christian life is all lovely and puts their feet back firmly on solid ground. Each example is like a bucket of cold water to the face...

'I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.'

'And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home-these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.'

'In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.'

Harsh? Many would view Jude's response as extreme and unnecessary. These are the people who would fill our churches with talk of God's love but never mention sin or judgment or punishment and they have no idea just how dangerous their thinking is. They would make us warm and cosy as we live in a dangerous world surrounded by things that are eager to shipwreck our faith. They would leave us slumbering at a time of war; taking away any need to ever put on the armour of God.

Jude wanted to write a positive sounding letter, but he genuinely loved his readers and so he knew he had to awaken them to the dangers they faced. Among God's people, in the heavenly places, throughout the cities of the world were those going their own way, eager to lead others astray. They were in a battle and the consequences were only too real. Destruction, judgment, punishment. If their faith was to remain firm they must be ready to contend for it. There may well be a time when we no longer need to think of sin and hell and judgment, but that time is certainly not now. We are in a war and we must be ready to fight.

Jude didn't get to write the letter he was eager to, but he did write the letter his readers needed to hear, the letter we need to hear. And he did get to end positively, realising that clinging to our salvation in Christ is the only way to hold onto our faith. He knew that to remind them of the darkness, only made the light of God's love seem all the brighter.

'Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.'

Taiwan Journal

Friday 8th October 2010

The OMF Taiwan annual conference has come to an end and I have returned to Taipei. After a day relaxing and exploring a new part of the city, I can now look back over the last week.

It is a special time when people meet together to truly honour Jesus and even more so when their everyday lives hold the same strength of desire. It was my pleasure to be able to help with the program for the teenagers and get to know some great youngsters who are clearly growing in Christ. Most of those I got to spend time with attend a Christian school together and are familiar with spending regular time studying and learning the Bible. Despite last week being something of a holiday for them, with lots of time to relax and just hang out with one another, they were also willing to share in daily Bible study and serve the adults in setting up for meals. Their knowledge was often matched by their honesty in discussion and inclusion of those younger than them.

It was exciting to see the way God has honoured the commitment of the parents through the gift of faith given graciously to the children. A gift that is not payment for their parents' work but God's continued goodness towards those who love him. I understand now why many children of missionaries 'catch' their parents' heart for serving the Lord wholeheartedly with the rest of their lives. It's a powerful thing to have parents with an all consuming love for the Lord and yet the choice still falls upon the children, to either follow the good example they have been given or go their own way, as so many do. And yet the parents could do no more for their children than live all out for Jesus, surely their is no more powerful persuasion.

How tragic therefore when parents are so consumed by their children that they try to make less of Christ in order to make it easier for them to enter his kingdom. They try to widen the narrow road as they care more for their children than the glory of Christ. And yet if they truly wanted to see their children saved, surely they should devote themselves to Christ alone. Surely there is no more powerful persuasion for following Christ than witnessing a life consumed by a passion for him.

I pray that these teenagers will continue to walk with the Lord as their parents do. That they would own their faith and follow the path that the Lord has laid before each one of them. That they would make the most of the benefits that come from living in a close community with other Christians, so that they will be strong in the Lord when the time comes for them to move on. I pray also for those who may be struggling in their faith, that they will cling to the Lord and grow in the grace (our theme for the week) that he alone provides.

The conference is a real time of encouragement for many of the missionaries, as they spend time in prayer and the study of God's Word. There were those present from each stage of life, some exploring the possibility of future service, some undergoing language study, some deep into their time serving in mission and some preparing to retire and move on to new opportunities elsewhere. Despite so many different types of people we all have the same need, to grow closer to the God who loves us and has called us to share in his mission to make disciples of all nations. Like the children of the missionaries, may we all make that choice each day.

Taiwan Journal

Saturday 2nd October 2010


I arrived in Taiwan on Thursday night, after a day with friends in Hong Kong. It was exciting to see the work they're involved in providing aid for those who need it most and to see the challenges that come from living and working in such a close community. The weather here is not as hot as it was in the summer, but you still appreciate the aircon. In a few hours time I will leave for the field conference with some of the other short term workers. Our role for the week will be to run the programme for the teenagers, specifically the 15-18s. We already have some fun trips planned for the afternoons, including a trip to a waterpark on Monday, I have my swimming hat ready (the buying of which I hope never to have to do again!). Alongside a worker called Aaron, I have respinsibility for leading the Bible sessions on Tues/Wed/Thurs on the theme of growth. We will be looking at how the Lord uses different means to grow us, like his Word, prayer, fellowship etc. Pray that we are able to work together as a team and really serve the needs of these young people. Also pray that missionaries will be refreshed and strengthened in their work as a result of this week.

I will now be without internet access until I return so no update for a while!

Japan Journal - 16th June

Yesterday was my last Sunday at Fukuinkan.
I went to both services for the first time, one straight after the other. I ended at the church in the same way I began. I arrived late for the service, only just in time to give my testimony. I thought the service started at 9:30am when it began at 9:00am. Good job I got there at twenty past or I would have missed my bit completely. Certainly had a few people worried but all turned out well in the end. It did mean I had no time to get nervous about speaking, although it was certainly on my mind the days before. Some things never change, no matter how many times you do them.
It seemed to go well and the translator was brilliant. We quickly got into a rhythm so that I could focus on the words and actually looking at people while I was speaking. The great thing was they were looking back! I thought it would be scary because it's a big church and not my home church but it really wasn't. As I looked around I saw so many people I had a genuine love for. So many people that really feel like brothers and sisters. I will be sad to leave them.

The testimony was short and simple, due to restrictions of translation. I think I'll quote myself!

'I grew up knowing that I did many, many things wrong and that I deserved to be punished. I was scared of going to hell but I knew that I would never be good enough for heaven. I remember regularly praying to God to forgive me but doubting whether he had or not. I was still terrified. One day I thought about why God might forgive me. I knew that Jesus had died on a cross and was punished for sinners. People just like me. I knew that he promised to forgive those who asked him. I’d asked him. I realised that if I was genuinely sorry then he had to forgive me. He couldn’t break his promises. For the first time in a long time I wasn’t afraid.'

I could easily have written so many different things because God has done so many things in my life and has dramatically changed my life several times. For so long I lived knowing I was forgiven but not really knowing God. Then I realised that I could have a relationship with him and that I was missing out on the real meaning of eternal life, knowing Jesus Christ and the one who sent him (John 17.3). Then I learned that it wasn't enough just to keep my faith to myself but that being a Christian is about belonging to a family and telling others about all that Jesus has done for them.
I trust that God will continue to open my eyes to him and continually change me throughout my life. This trip has certainly helped me to understand just how big God's family really is. It's great that I can be thousands of miles from home, with people of a completely different culture and still to be loved by them and love them in return. The love that God pours out on his children is a powerful, tangible thing.

A week and a half to go where my mission is simple. Try to get all my non-Christian contacts in touch with other Christians so that the relationships can be continued. Leaving parties are perfect for that.