12 • resources

Can you find the word ‘volunteer’ in the Bible?

THE BapTisT TimEsThursday, November 1, 2007

shaun lambert

faith matters

THERE’S a lot of talk in our church about the shortage of volunteers, to do children’s work or to visit the elderly and so on. Sometimes a volunteer steps down from doing a job, and no one comes forward. Then sometimes people say, ‘You’re the minister, you’re the paid staff so you should do it. I can’t do it because I’m just a volunteer.’ I began to wonder how this word volunteer became such a powerful part of our identity in church life. So I looked up the word in the concordance in the back of my NIV Study Bible. And there between ‘voice’ and ‘vomit’ was a big gap. I expected to see the word volunteer in black and white, with lots of references, but it simply wasn’t there. I then thought I’d better check the Bible to see if there were lots of holes where someone had cut out all the references to the word, but there weren’t any holes in the Word, just holes in our thinking.

What I was left with was the idea that we hide our true biblical identity behind the fig leaf of volunteerism. What are we left with when we remove that fig leaf, and stop using the excuse, ‘I can’t do that because I’m just a volunteer’? I think we have to go back to one of the key Baptist principles, the priesthood of all believers. I checked my Bible to see if it actually said in the original Greek ‘the volunteerhood of all believers,’ or even better ‘the occasional volunteerhood of all believers,’ but it doesn’t. We are all priests, all fulltime workers. So why do we set aside some people and pay them? It’s not to annoy volunteers by paying someone to do something they do for nothing. It is simply that the early church recognised it is helpful to set aside some people to enable them to be rich in time and talents in extending the kingdom, and helping Jesus build his church. There should be no resentment about this

– if we really understand our true identity. In the Old Testament you became a priest by being anointed. Jesus became our High Priest by being anointed at his baptism. In the words of Peter, ‘You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached – how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went round doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him’ (Acts 10:37-38). What does it mean to be a priest? I can’t think of a better description than this: to be anointed with the Holy Spirit and power, and to go around doing good and healing because God is with us. Do we have the same anointing as disciples? Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:2122, ‘Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.’ What is our anointing? It is simply to go around doing good and healing all because God is with us, and we have been anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power. Some people in our church want us to have a season where we cancel every activity so that we can rediscover this

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Signing up - We are all a part of the priesthood of believers

primary identity. I have a lot of sympathy with their request. So destructive and false is this divide between paid staff and volunteers that I have even fantasised about writing a letter to every minister and paid member of staff in Baptist churches asking that we all resign from our jobs and pass a rule that no one is ever allowed to be paid again in a Baptist church. That way, we have to recognise as churches that we truly are a priesthood of all believers, not an organisation

of hirelings and occasional volunteers. John Ortberg talks about how often churches and individuals get sidetracked from their biblical mission into a shadow mission. Our biblical mission is to be the priesthood of all believers, becoming like Jesus and doing the things Jesus did. Our shadow mission is that we have become organisations of hirelings and occasional volunteers. Jesus Christ as priest offered ‘for all time one sacrifice for sins...because by one sacrifice

he has made perfect for ever those who are being made holy.’(Hebrews 10:12-14). If we truly grasp the extent of his sacrifice we can never claim just to be volunteers. As the famous cricketer and missionary CT Studd said in an irrefutable statement, ‘If Jesus Christ be the son God and died for me, then no sacrifice is too great for me to make for him’.

Shaun Lambert is the minister of Stanmore Baptist Church, Middlesex

words for worship

A prayer at the beginning of worship

God our Father, we thank you that today you have called us to worship you and to learn from you.

You know the needs with which we come to your house.

Here may we find comfort from sorrow and healing for wounded hearts.

Here may we find guidance for problems and encouragement for minds that are troubled.

Here may we find strength to overcome our temptations.

Here may we meet Jesus in whose name we pray. ANON

prayer focus • open doors

China: Christians Face Crackdown As Olympics Approach

CHRISTIANS throughout China fear tough restrictions on their freedom to worship in the coming year, ahead of next August’s Olympic Games. There are reports of ongoing house church raids and arrests, and an unprecedented number of foreign Christians have been expelled from China in recent months, possibly triggered by fears of evangelistic activity during the Olympics. Since the beginning of this year more than 100 foreign Christian workers have been forced to leave: the largest expulsion of foreign Christian workers in over 50 years. Christians across China are reporting a shortage of Bibles, even in cities where Bibles previously were readily available. No-one is quite sure whether these measures are related to the Games; noone knows whether things will improve once they are over. Church leaders report that increasingly their services are being attended by a member of the Public Security Bureau (PSB) – but they refuse to be intimidated and insist they will carry on meeting. Many house church pastors in Beijing have already been visited and asked to

leave the city before the Games begin. After an open-air international Christmas event in one large southern city last Christmas all local Chinese people who had attended were later visited by PSB officials and had their identity details recorded. But, praise God, church leaders are not intimidated. Sister Tian (a pseudonym) is about 40 years old, and last Christmas was leading an evangelistic meeting on a university campus. ‘We didn’t expect so many to turn up – there must have been between 1,000 to 1,500 students – and the hall was packed,’ she says. ‘The day before, the local organisers were warned by the police that “‘there had better not be any preaching!’” I was told about the police’s warning. In fact, I could see them in the back of the auditorium, dressed in plain clothes but video-taping the entire event – a real giveaway! ‘Mindful that the police were there, I gave the invitation differently and asked everyone who wanted to ask Jesus to be the Lord of their life to say a prayer after me. I was awestruck! The sound of voices repeating the prayer after me literally

thundered through the auditorium! We estimate hundreds committed their lives to Jesus that night. ‘Afterwards I was followed by the police for several days but thankfully, I was never arrested. I am probably still under surveillance, but then, that’s not unusual considering what I had done!’ Whatever the reason for the increasing crackdowns, right now we need to pray more than ever for our Chinese brothers and sisters and the Church in China, that they will remain as Sister Tian, strong, full of faith and hope, and as resourceful as ever under the sovereign hands of our Almighty God. Open Doors is strengthening and supporting persecuted Christians in around 45 countries, providing Bibles, Christian literature, training: standing with those who suffer – practically, spiritually, prayerfully. Visit www.opendoorsuk.org - sign up for regular prayer alerts, get information on writing letters.

For information on Open Doors seven year China Prayer Campaign visit www.opendoorsuk.org/china

what’s on

November 3-4, Taunton How to drug proof your kids Charity Care for the Family is tackling parental concerns over drugs and alcohol misuse by training presenters for its community based drugs education programme for parents and other carers. To be held at Holiday Inn, Taunton Deane Gate Avenue. For more information visit: www.dpyk.org.uk or telephone (029) 2081 0800

November 3, London Cultureshock The Institute of Faith & Culture is hosting Culture Shock on Saturday 3rd November at St Michael’s Chester Square, a day conference to assist 16-18 year olds in exploring how they can make a difference and not just make a career. The event will include an address from the former cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken, a debate on science and religion, and workshops to help people considering vocations in politics, business, the media, health and education led by former interns with the Institute for Faith and Culture. For more information or to book tickets go to www.care. org.uk or call: (020) 7227 4731

November 3, Lancaster Environmental Justice Conference Christian Ecology Link and Lancaster Faith and Justice Commission are organising a range of workshops and debates about caring for the Earth. Workshops will include topics from climate change to species extinction, from inspiring our children to live green to ethical investment. To be held at the Chaplaincy, Lancaster University at 10.30am. For further information please call: 01524 383081 or 01524 33858 or visit: www.christian-ecology.org.uk/ej

November 10, Perth Anger management: equipping counsellors to counsel The association of Christian counsellors is running a day conference asking the question ‘Should you be afraid of your anger?’ To be held at St Mary’s monastery, Perth, Scotland. To book a training day place, please contact Ruth Harris. Tel: 0845 123 5169. Email: scotland@acc-uk.org
THE BAPTIST TIMES Thursday, November 1, 2007

feature • 13

Celebrating life in God’s Kingdom

Graham Buxton urges us to experience heaven on earth

MANY Christians labour under a false understanding of the nature of the Kingdom of God – they fail to see that the Kingdom is central to all of life, secular and sacred. A central thesis in my new book Celebrating Life is that we are invited, as flesh-andblood human beings, to value and rejoice in our humanity as an expression of the reality of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not just some future spiritual reality to look forward to. Ultimately, of course, it is that – but it is more. The Kingdom of God also has to do with the present reality of Jesus in our midst, and what we do with this Jesus who is deeply involved in the structures and very fabric of this world. In a nutshell, Kingdom living has to do with our relationship with Jesus Christ. Now what has happened is that the Kingdom of God has been interpreted by many in purely spiritual terms. The contours of the Kingdom have been narrowed down to spiritual realities at the expense of a more holistic and more generous understanding. However, our spiritual life is not to be defined solely in terms of our vertical relationship with God, full stop. The myth that needs to be demolished is that if you keep your eyes firmly fixed on God, gazing heavenwards – like the pilgrim Christian in John Bunyan’s celebrated Pilgrim’s Progress – you’ve attained ‘true spirituality’. In The Travail of Nature, Paul Santmire invites us to imagine that we are climbing a mountain. There are two alternatives that we are asked to consider as we make our way up the mountain. Either we keep our gaze firmly fixed upwards, unaware of all around us as we journey towards the transcendent light above; or, we may choose to look around us as we make the journey, our eyes drinking in the beauty and glory of the mountain scenery. We look up, or we look around. The first perspective – which Santmire describes in the metaphor of ascent – implies a form of spirituality that takes us not just towards God, but away from nature, away from the physical world around us. The second metaphor, that of fecundity (or lush fruitfulness), invites us into an awareness and appreciation of the rich goodness of creation. The second alternative suggests that, in the words of Sally McFague, we need to be not just supernatural Christians, but ‘super, natural’ Christians. God has brought into being a creation that reflects his relational, trinitarian nature. Not only do you and I exist as relational beings, interconnected

with one another, but the universe is also shot through with interconnectedness – and this is something that science is beginning to show more and more. We could call this God’s ‘creation-community,’ a community of both creatures and environments contributing to a web of life on earth. In a very profound way, you and I are connected to creation. To become a person in the fullest sense is to cultivate a spirituality that gets in touch with physicality – our own physicality, and the physicality of the world around us. This is one of the unique gifts of contemporary Celtic spirituality. If pastors in our churches want to help people become more spiritual, they need to first help them become more human – not just more in touch with God, but also more in touch with themselves and more in touch with creation. Early on in the life of the Church all sorts of wrong ideas about the world in which we live began to take root. It’s called dualism, and it has a lot to do with Plato, whose ideas have infiltrated the Church over the centuries. Dualism has robbed many people – and

We so easily divide life up into two realms, with a whole lot of false opposites

many Christians – of the joy of life in God’s good creation. Simply put, dualism says that life is divided into two compartments, the holy and the unholy. For one compartment – obviously ‘holy’! – read ‘church’, and for the other read ‘the world’. As I prepared for ordination, I experienced family and friends voicing their views about the fact that I was now ‘going into the Church’, as if previously I was somehow ‘out’ of the Church. At the same time, others despaired that I was leaving the ‘real’ world for some kind of spiritual asylum. We so easily divide life up into two realms, with a whole lot of false opposites. We pit sacred against secular, faith against works, church against world, soul against body, heaven against earth, prayer against politics, creeds against deeds, and so we could go on. Consider the distinction

often made between heaven and earth. Some Christians – most, in fact – assume that the purpose of life on earth is to prepare us for heaven, like batting practice for our future. That’s a false analogy, and far too spiritualised. It is more correct to say that the purpose of life on earth is to give glory to God by living as humanly as possible. Hans Kung, the well-known Catholic theologian, was once asked why we should embrace Christianity. His reply was: ‘So that we can be fully human.’ Spirituality and humanity go together – they are not to be pulled apart. God’s original plan was for us to live eternally with him in the creation that he brought into being through his mighty power – expressed in the wonderful language of Genesis 1 and 2. In a book called Heaven is a Place on Earth, Michael Wittmer writes these great words: ‘The Christian hope is that our departure from this world is just the first leg of a journey that is a round trip. We will not remain forever with God in heaven, for God will bring heaven down to us’. This is precisely what John is saying to us in his vision in Revelation 21:2: ‘I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,’ followed by these wonderful words: ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.’ Our ultimate destination as Christians is not heaven – it is the new earth that will represent the final act in God’s great redemptive purposes. Heaven is where we shall be until that great day when the new creation of Revelation 22 unfolds. The point is that you and I are not really made for heaven – there is, as Michael Wittmer says, one thing better: ‘To kneel in the presence of God with the bodies he created us to have in the place he created us to live.’ In fact, you might say that but for sin we would not be going to heaven. If there had been no sin, then humankind would be forever alive with God in his original creation. So we might as well get used to our bodies, and the reality of God’s good creation, because that’s what eternity is going to be like. I think C S Lewis had a profound understanding of the physicality and naturalness of the new earth that is our eternal home-to-be in The Last Battle, as well as in The Great Divorce. Think about Jesus – he was perfect man, as well as God in human flesh. He lived in perfect loving relationship with his Father and with the Spirit. Luke 2:52 reminds us that he grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and with those around him. His life was one of compassion and integrity in relationship with others. He loved in a way that marked him out as exceptional. In him the Kingdom was revealed in all its glory and wholesomeness. Throughout his life, he

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Jubilation - we should be experiencing life in the here and now

As Christians, our engagement with culture is ofte n impoverished as a result

of unbiblical dualisms between the ‘sacred’ and th e ‘secular’. Seeking a more

postmodern, holistic and, ultimately, more Christian approach to culture,

Graham Buxton leads us on a journey towards the celebration of life in all its

dimensions.

The first part of the book examines the roots of ou r dualistic thinking and its

implications for culture. Part Two draws us from du alism to holism ina

number of chapters that consider our engagement with literature, the

creative arts, science, politics and business. Part T hree draws the threads

together by setting out the dimensions of a more h olistic theology of the

church’s engagement with, and participation in, co ntemporary society that

will lead us ‘beyond the sacred-secular divide’.

‘This is incarnational theology at its best!’

Theological Seminary, California

lessons for ministry.’

Ray S. Anderson, Senior Professor of Theology and Ministry, Fuller

treated creation as something of value – he gave it its own intrinsic integrity. As a man, he was at home in this world. To live as full human beings in the Kingdom of God means to live as Jesus lived – in fulfilling relationship with God, with others, and with creation - for each represents what it means to be at home. For the Kingdom is here and now, not just that which is to come. Kingdom living is all about participating with others in their enjoyment of life, partnering with those who seek to liberate the oppressed, and celebrating all that is good in God’s world.

‘An impressive book where you will encounter theo logical depth and

David Wilkinson, Principal of St John’s College, Durham University

‘At last, a book on mission that takes the world as seriously as it takes

the church. There are not many books that I am as ked to read and give a

commendation for that I also think to myself, “I mu st get that book.”

This is one of them!’

Martin Robinson, Together in Mission

‘A stimulating contribution to an equally stimulating series.’

Colin Greene, Professor of Theological and Cultu ral Studies,

Mars Hill Graduate School, Seattle

Graham Buxtonis Director of Postgraduate Stud ies in Ministry and

Theology, Tabor College, Adelaide, Australia. He is author of Dancing in the

DarkandThe Trinity, Creation and Pastoral Ministry .

RELIGION/Christian Theology/General

ISBN978-1-84227-507-8

CelebratingLife

GRAHAMBUXTON

FAI TH I N AN EMERGI NG CULTURE

Celebrating Life

Beyond the Sacred-Secular Divide

GRAHAM BUXTON

n Graham Buxton is director of postgraduate studies in ministry and theology, Tabor College, Adelaide, Australia. He is author of Dancing in the Dark and The Trinity, Creation and Pastoral Ministry

n Celebrating Life – Beyond the Sacred-Secular Divide is published by Paternoster, price £9.99 ISBN 978-1-84227-507-8

Order from: http:// bookshop.baptisttimes.co.uk/

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