Malcolm Cox

I visited an old friend, Harry Hardy, last week. It was great to catch up over a cup of tea. It had been too long! I came away with several blessings. Sweet fellowship, personal encouragement and a boot load of books. Harry was clearing out.

One of those books has the title, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God”, by Andy Ritchie Jr.  On pages 4 and 5 of the first chapter (“What is worship?") the author has included a prose-poem. I reproduce it here in its entirety.

Why not read through it, pray through it, meditate on it and discover what God may say to you about worship? Is there something here for you to take to your own personal worship and when you lead others in worship? Might there be useful thinking with which your worship team could be inspired?

“What is worship?”

It is the soul searching for its counterpart.

It is the thirsty land crying out for rain.

It is a candle in the act of being kindled.

It is a drop in quest of the ocean.

It is a man listening through a tornado for the Still Small Voice.

It is a voice in the night calling for help.

It is a sheep lost in the wilderness pleading for rescue by the Good Shepherd.

It is the same sheep nestling in the arms of the rescuer.

It is the prodigal son running to his father.

It is a soul standing in awe before the mystery of the universe.

It is a poet enthralled by the beauty of the sunrise.

It is a workman pausing a moment to listen to a strain of music.

It is a hungry heart seeking for love.

It is a heart of love consecrating herself to her lover.

It is time flowing into eternity.

It is my little self engulfed in the universal self.

It is a man climbing the altar stairs to God.

He who neglects worship neglects that which separates man from the birds, the animals, the insects, the fishes.

The un-worshipful man is an anthropoid with a highly developed brain.

He may be a paragon of morality, but so are bees and ants.

He may be keenly intelligent, but so are wolves and foxes.

He may provide for his family, but so do hyenas and orang-utans.

He may be successful in affairs, but so are beavers and muskrats.

He may be artistic, but so are birds and butterflies.

Worship for men is what song is for a thrush, or physical beauty for a tiger, or speed for a racehorse.

Worship lifts men to the next level of experience and justifies their experience as men.

Worship is man expressing his entire personality.

To neglect worship is to accept low-rating as a man.

To neglect to worship is to fail in life’s highest function.

The neglect of worship is psychical suicide.

Intelligent worship is the most remarkable achievement of which a human being is capable.

The primary function of a church is to supply incentives for worship and to furnish the atmosphere for worship.

If one cannot worship in church, the church may be at fault or the man may be at fault.

If the church is at fault, it will eventually perish unless it remedies the condition.

If the man is at fault, he will dry up and become a spiritual mummy unless he changes himself.

Question for today: “How do you define worship?"

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org (http://www.malcolmcox.org/) .

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)

God bless, Malcolm

PS: You might also be interested in my book: "An elephant's swimming pool" (https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/9167082/379662794.jpg) , a devotional look at the Gospel of John

mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, coaching, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox,

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9 NIV11)

What does it mean that peacemakers are children of God? And how is this connected to the kingdom of heaven?

In this series we are immersing ourselves in the beatitudes - Matthew 5:3-12.  We're trying to figure out what each beatitude means for us practically and how that affects our relationship with God, and in particular, our times of quiet with God.

The reason this is on my mind is because I am preparing a teaching and preaching series for the Thames Valley churches of Christ (http://www.tvcoc.org/) , and a teaching day for the Watford Church of Christ (http://www.watfordchurchofchrist.org/) based on the sermon on the mount.

Join me today as I examine what it means to be a peacemaker.

Before we look forward, let’s look backwards.  The previous beatitude is about being pure in heart. Peacemaking can only be done by the pure in heart, for impartiality is necessary. So this beatitude follows on from the former.

Peacemakers

It is true that the message of the kingdom divides people (Matt 10:34-36), but this is due to the nature of the message and not the messenger. The message causes conflict, but the messenger does not seek conflict.  In fact, the messenger should avoid causing conflict where possible, seeking to prevent it starting and helping to stop it where it has already started (1 Cor 7:15, 1 Pet 3:11, Heb 12:14, Rom 12:18).

This might have been a shock to some of the Jews who were expecting and hoping for a militaristic Messiah.

‘Peace’ and ‘Appeasement’ do not mean the same thing.  Peacemaking and peacekeeping are very different. 

True peace is costly – there is no such thing as ‘cheap peace’. The blood of Jesus was the price of peace between us and God, so we should not be surprised when peacemaking amongst people is difficult, painful and costly in time, energy, commitment and spiritual battle.

We are commanded to love our enemy (Matt 5:43-48) and to feed our enemies (Romans 12:17-21).  A peacemaker is active in doing whatever is possible to promote peace.  They take the initiative.

Greatest peacemaker is Jesus.  Bringing peace between God & man as well as man to man (Eph 2.11-22, Col 1:20). He is our role model and our inspiration.

 

Children of God

The peacemakers are ‘children’ of God because they have taken on this characteristic of their Father.

The emphasis is not so much that we belong to God, but that we are like God in character.

Peacemakers are “called children of God”.  The word ‘called’ can mean ‘owned’.   We the peacemakers, are owned by God who is a God of peace (Heb 13:20, Rom 15:33, 16:20, Phil 4:9, 1 Thess 5:23).  Peacemakers are children of God because “What they do is to repeat what God has done.”  

Jesus was prophesied to be the “Prince of Peace” (Is 9:6), Christ is our peace (Eph 2:14, Col 1:20).

An interesting and challenging thought is that this is to be a characteristic of every disciple.  Without doubt some of us are better at starting fires and others better at putting them out, but all should become good at being a peacemaker. 

What does this mean for our times of quiet with God? At least the following three things:

Thank God that he sent Jesus to be the peacemaker that you needed. 

Pray to be a peacemaker. Ask God for the courage and patience you need as well as the strength to keep your mouth shut as you listen to understand.

Pray for people to be at peace with one another. Specifically bring to God any situations of conflict in the world, and especially within the kingdom (1 Tim 2.8).

What have I missed? What aspects of being a peacemaker are meaningful to you?

Retreat update

There are still a few places left for the spiritual disciplines retreat, “Wait for the LORD”.  You can find details on the dedicated page of my website (https://www.malcolmcox.org/wait-for-the-lord-retreat-march-2019/) .  If you have any questions, please drop me a line: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .  I’m working on the booklet which I will send out in advance. This will contain information about the area, the details of the schedule, some tips on how to make the most of the retreat and an exposition of Psalm 130.

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org (http://www.malcolmcox.org/) .

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

God bless, Malcolm

PS: You might also be interested in my book: "An elephant's swimming pool" (https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/9167082/379662794.jpg) , a devotional look at the Gospel of John

mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, Coach.me, coaching,  coach me, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox,

This week I read an article in Premier Christianity magazine with the title, “The case against Sermon-centric Sundays”.  To quote from the subtitle, “Skye Jethani explains why digital technology is disrupting our 500 year old emphasis on lengthy Sunday sermons”.

Skye reviews the way in which technology has historically influenced communicating the gospel. Scrolls became codices which became printed books - and now we have the plethora of digital media options. 

In the not-too-distant past, good quality Bible teaching was restricted to a particular building, by a particular person and at a particular time. Not so these days.  Whilst much teaching online is of questionable quality and accuracy, it’s not hard to find teaching and preaching online superior to that we may find in our local congregation.

Does this mean that the delivery of a Sunday morning lesson is unnecessary? I wouldn’t take that approach. But, I would suggest that we think carefully about the purpose of the teaching and preaching we offer. What does this mean for the way we speak to a congregation? 

Today I’m not going to discuss the style or mode in which we communicate to a congregation. I’ve covered that elsewhere, and will cover it again, but that’s not for today. Instead, let me offer three suggestions as to how to think carefully about the purpose of our preaching and teaching:

Preach pastorally. Good quality online preaching is helpful. But it is not embedded in the community. When someone speaks God’s word to God’s people and they themselves are part of those people they speak with a personal perspective which can more accurately meet the needs of the group. When Paul revisited the Ephesian elders he was able to say the following: ““You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia….You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.” (Acts 20:18–20 NIV11) 

Preach inspiringly. New Testament preaching of the word led to people becoming Christians - Acts 2.38-42; 4.4; 8.12; 11.19-21; 14.1 and many more. It converted their minds and hearts to Christ.  If God has brought non-believers into your midst is vital at least part of your preaching is directed at helping them to place their faith in Jesus. As such, preach inspiringly about him. 

Preach edifyingly. Paul and his companions travelled from church to church teaching for people’s edification, encouragement and strengthening - Acts 14.22; 15.32, 41; 16.5 and many more . Be sure, when you speak, that you speak to the heart and mind of the members present such that they will grow in their trust and faith in God and learn better how to serve him.

Have a look at your next sermon outline. 

Is it pastoral? In other words, is it personal from your heart and aimed at known needs in your fellowship? 

Is it inspiring? If I came as a visitor without faith in Jesus, would I be inspired to look into what it meant to be a Christian? 

Is it edifying? If I was a member of your congregation would I find that what you had to say helped me to be stronger in my faith and better able to live a life of discipleship in the coming week?

What I’d like to know today is, “What are you doing with your sermons to make sure they are pastoral, inspiring and edifying?”

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org (http://www.malcolmcox.org/) .

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)

God bless, Malcolm

PS: You might also be interested in my book: "An elephant's swimming pool" (https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/9167082/379662794.jpg) , a devotional look at the Gospel of John

mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, Coach.me, coaching,  coach me, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox,

The value of inspirational locations

I'm developing a teaching series on the Sermon on the Mount. It's awesome. Exciting. And overwhelming! My procrastinatory tendencies have been heightened by the enormity of the task. A task, I might add, that I set myself! 

Fortunately I have a friend. She (Karen) helped me reconnect with a similar past task successfully completed. A key component of that success (writing my first book) was that I had a specific writing place outside the home.

Hence, this Monday I heid myself to one of my favourite spots on earth. A regular 'Sabbath' day prayer and thinking place. The Dunstable Downs are a delightful location in which to talk things over with God. The National Trust cafe on the site makes it an ideal place to read and write.

My goal was to write the outline of three classes. I completed twelve. Twelve! Such is the value in noticing what has worked in the past, and of good friends who can help us get unstuck so that we can do something important for the kingdom of God.

Are you stuck with something? Do yourself a favour - talk it over with a friend, review past instances when you managed well, and go somewhere special to you to talk it over with God. With our Father we are never fatally stuck!

““What is impossible with man is possible with God.”” (Luke 18:27 NIV11)

I offer my recordings this week in the hope that they will help you move forward in your faith.

The podcast summary contains a reminder of what’s been posted on my site this week. I.e. the usual TTT, SS & QTC. To watch/listen to any posts, just head over the the website (https://malcolmcox.org) .

Prayer request

Please keep me in your prayers as we make plans for 2020. Both the Thames Valley churches of Christ and the Watford Church of Christ are deep into planning mode for the year ahead. Please pray that we make good decisions based on what we discern the Spirit doing.

Thank you for reading this far, and encouraging me in my endeavours to support our times of quiet with God, our corporate worship experiences, and the effectiveness of our preaching and teaching.

If you know anyone who might enjoy these materials, please send them a link to my website (http://www.malcolmcox.org) and encourage them to sign up for this newsletter.

God bless, Malcolm

I have been thinking about this year's carol services for the Thames Valley churches of Christ and the Watford Church of Christ for several months. However, I sat down to write out a draft order of service more recently.

I’ll share with you what we are doing this year (you can access the TV service here, and the Watford service here), but I'd like to know what ideas you have.

Our format is based on the tried and tested template we've use for a few years now. A number of popular carols interspersed with readings by preteens and teenagers along with one or two newer songs.

The two Carol services I'm involved with this year in Thames Valley and Watford will be almost identical. Here are a few highlights.

We're singing the song “He shall reign forevermore (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRVs0HikGeM) ” by Chris Tomlin and Mat Maher. We learned it last year.

In the Watford congregation when we sing “Away in a Manger” we'll begin with one of our preteens, Leah, playing the tune on her flute whilst I’ll support her with my melodica.

This year’s new song is “Midnight clear (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4tGVUX3YqI) ” by Richard Willis, Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash and Jonas Myrin. One of the advantages of a song like this is that the tune of the verses will be familiar to many in the congregation. There’s only a chorus to learn. If you’re in a situation like mine, it’s hard to find the time to teach new songs. Learning one where either lyrics (like “He shall reign” referenced above) or tune are familiar keeps things fresh while not making learning a new song too demanding.

We'll also be performing for the second year in a row a song I wrote last year called “Bethlehem Carol”.

Communion will be taken whilst a three-part version of “Coventry Carol” arranged for keyboard and soloist is performed.

The children will be performing something Christmassy, I’m assured by the children’s ministry people!

What are you aiming for with your carol service, if you are having one? I’m aiming for a mix of old and new, tradition and freshness which will have enough familiarity for people visiting our congregation along with some variety to spice up things for our long-time members. The involvement of the children seems to be particularly significant.

What have you tried that works and doesn’t work? What did you learn from that? What have you seen tried that works or doesn’t work? What are you doing at the moment which seems to be working? 

Could you post your entire carol service outline? It’d be helpful and even inspiring to see the different things we’re doing.

Question for today: “How to you balance the traditional and the fresh in your carol service?"

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org (http://www.malcolmcox.org/) .

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)

God bless, Malcolm

PS: You might also be interested in my book: "An elephant's swimming pool" (https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/9167082/379662794.jpg) , a devotional look at the Gospel of John

mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, coaching, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox,

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8 NIV11)

What does it mean that the pure hearted will see God? And how is this connected to the kingdom of heaven?

In this series we are immersing ourselves in the beatitudes - Matthew 5:5:3-12.  We're trying to figure out what each beatitude means for us practically and how that affects our relationship with God, and in particular, our times of quiet with God.

The reason this is on my mind is because I am preparing a teaching and preaching series for the Thames Valley churches of Christ (http://www.tvcoc.org/) , and a teaching day for the Watford Church of Christ (http://www.watfordchurchofchrist.org/) based on the sermon on the mount.

Join me today as I examine what it means to be pure in heart.

Showing mercy needs a pure heart because it must be done altruistically.  Although the merciful will be shown mercy, the reward is not something that a merciful person thinks about. 

What is purity of heart?

The heart is the source of our struggles with sin (Jer 17.9, Mk 7:17-23).  It is not our environment.  This is why dealing with the heart is so important.  We may be able to change our circumstances, but the heart will not change because of that. The Fall happened in paradise.  

The heart is at the core of who we are.  “..the heart means the centre of the personality.”  It is the mind, the will, the heart. The Bible enjoins us to purity because God is pure (1 John 3:3) & holy (Hebrews 12:14).  This beatitude connects directly to the first great commandment to love God will all our heart, mind, soul and strength.

A mark of purity is total sincerity. The JB Phillips translation has this as, “Happy are the utterly sincere, for they will see God!”  Public life and private life match up.  No hypocrisy. 

Why bother with keeping a pure heart?  Because we will be like our Lord, who is pure of heart, in the next life (1 John 3:2-3).  A Christian strives to be as much like his or her Lord because he is our model and hope.  One who does this is displaying that, “His present efforts are consistent with his future hope.”

What does it mean to ’see’ God?

What does it mean to ‘see’ God?  Not literal.  In being like God are we seeing more clearly who he is?  A bit like a child growing up and people saying he looks more and more like his father and mother, and also the child themselves comes to understand their parents better.  Others see more of God in us, but we also see more of God.

Some of this is fulfilled in eternity with God.  For then we shall see him as he truly is.  We shall see face to face (1 Cor 13:12).

How can I grow in purity of heart?

David wanted a pure heart – Ps 51:10. 

Only God can give us a pure heart (Phil 2:13).  But we should not remain passive (James 4:8, Col 3:5ff, Rom 8:13).

We are not capable of keeping our own hearts pure, of course.  So what can this mean?  Perhaps it refers to keeping a spiritually narrow focus in life (Psalm 86:11). 

Rather than a moral purity perhaps it refers more to a relational purity.  The sort of thing we see in marriage and in covenants.  Old Testament covenants focussed on Israel having only one God.  Marriage is a relationship characterised by a commitment to one another exclusive of all other people.  I have one wife and I have one God.  I have a ‘purity’ of heart in this.  There must be no ‘mixing’ of my commitment to these relationships or else the relationships themselves will be compromised. 

‘Pure’ silver is that which is not mixed with alloys.  ‘Purity of heart’ means that I will not allow myself to be distracted and polluted by the world (James 1:27).  A person who is divided in his loyalties is not pure of heart (Rom 7:22-23).  

In relation to these being the norms of the kingdom, this is a tough teaching but a logical one. We have one king – we must be loyal to him. 

How does this beatitude affect our times of quiet with God?

Suggestions:

Pray for an awareness of the way in which your circumstances trigger your temptations. But also pray that you would find the strength available from God to help you remain pure no matter what the circumstances may be. 

Pray for a tenderness towards purity. Ask God to reveal more of himself to you and in you.

Be decisive about cutting out anything from your life which divides your heart towards God.

What does being pure of heart mean to you? How do you recognise when you are striving for purity? What symptoms are you aware of when you have lost touch with the significance of purity of heart?

Retreat update

There are still a few places left for the spiritual disciplines retreat, “Wait for the LORD”.  You can find details on the dedicated page of my website (https://www.malcolmcox.org/wait-for-the-lord-retreat-march-2019/) .  If you have any questions, please drop me a line: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .  I’m working on the booklet which I will send out in advance. This will contain information about the area, the details of the schedule, some tips on how to make the most of the retreat and an exposition of Psalm 130.

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org (http://www.malcolmcox.org/) .

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

God bless, Malcolm

PS: You might also be interested in my book: "An elephant's swimming pool" (https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/9167082/379662794.jpg) , a devotional look at the Gospel of John

mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, Coach.me, coaching,  coach me, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox,

I am continuing to receive very helpful feedback from the three-part series I taught recently for the Thames Valley churches of Christ.

Here is a second excerpt from an email I received from Celia Forbes of our sister congregation in Birmingham:

"2) Why do I speak? I speak to help people to find strength in God (Romans 1:11; 1 Samuel 23:16). I appreciate that we absolutely need close relationships in the church, but I feel that we all (not just the full-time ministry staff and the leaders) need to grow in our knowledge of the Scriptures so that we can do better at helping each other to find strength in God." 

Let’s have a look at the Scriptures she references to see in what way they might help shape the way we speak.

“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” (Romans 1:11–12 NIV11)

“While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life. And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” The two of them made a covenant before the LORD. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.” (1 Samuel 23:15–18 NIV11)

Neither Scripture is in the context of public speaking, but both bear some relevance to that context.

 Speak to the people, not the occasion.

Paul wants to go to Rome. It is the most magnificent city in the Roman Empire. There he would see sites to provoke awe and wonder. If you’ve ever been a tourist in an impressive city you know what it’s like. However, Paul was not interested in the occasion or the location, but in the people. When we speak, our focus must be on bringing God to the people, rather than the occasion or the opportunity.  

Jonathan could send a messenger. Yet, at great danger to himself he makes the brave decision to be physically present with David.  Whilst acknowledging the difficult situation, the focus here is not on Saul or the problem. Instead the focus is on God and the desire of Jonathan to help his friend. Compassion and faith are the primary qualities on show.

What does this mean for the way we speak to a congregation? Let me offer a few suggestions:

Pray in advance for the people who will be present. If you know the people, pray for as many as is feasible by name.

Pray that your talk will have an impact on individuals, irrespective of what the group needs.

Look at people during your talk. Make eye contact. 

If you are a visiting speaker, find out from someone in the local congregation about the needs, both general and specific.

Connect personally with people before the service begins and again afterwards. Have individual conversations. Arrive early and leave late. Your responsibility as a speaker begins when you walk through the door and continues until you are off the premises.

Speak for strength, not behaviour.

It’s interesting that Paul wants the people to be ‘strong'. In the context this word (sterizo) means, 'to render mentally steadfast, to settle, to confirm’. His desire is that their minds are undisturbed, resolved and, well, strong. Strong in what? Strong in their faith.  He is hoping that his presence will strengthen their faith. As such, the focus is on the strength which God’s supplies ( the implication behind his desire to give them a “spiritual gift”). In other words, his focus is not on getting them to behave in a certain way. Of course there is a connection between faith and obedience (James 2). However, aren’t we more likely to see healthier and lasting obedience to God’s commands if, first, we have helped people to find their strength in God. The danger of preaching for behaviour change is that it focusses all too easily on human effort.

Jonathan does not urge David to do anything different. He does not tell him what to do. He provides reassurance and friendship. More than that, he points David to God. They make a covenant before the Lord. This is not simple human friendship, this is a spiritual bond whose strength is in God. When we stand up to speak, it’s as if we’re making a covenant with our audience before the LORD that we will work together in search of greater strength in God and for God. When we speak with the aim that our hearers will gain greater strength in God, it is surely inevitable that we will see change in their lives to a greater Christ-likeness as a result.

What does this mean for the way we speak to a congregation? Let me offer a few suggestions:

Use lesson titles and subtitles that reference God, Father, Jesus, Spirit. Keep the focus on God in the titles, and it will be easier to keep the focus on him in the body of what you are sharing.

Speak about God, Father, Jesus, Spirit as much as you can. Certainly add practical points of application, illustrations and personal sharing. But, do not neglect talking about God himself. Have a listen to some of your recent lessons and assess the balance.

Reference the qualities of God which are revealed in the passage or the topic about which you are speaking. In other words, don’t just talk about how we should respond, but also the motivation and inspiration behind our response.

Speak optimistically about the future. Both Paul and Jonathan were optimistic about the way God was going to arrange the future. Paul was aware of the problems in the church in Rome and Jonathan was well aware of the problems between his father and David. However, Paul and Jonathan’s tone was positive. If we are going to help people find strength in God we will not serve our congregations well by being negative, doom and gloom merchants. Instead, whilst at times it’s important to be straight and challenging with a congregation, the overall tone must be a positive one. My wife tells me that whenever she has an opportunity to speak to a group, she remembers something I told her many years ago - “Always leave the group with hope”. If God is in the picture (and he always is), then there is never any call for a message of despair.

There is much more to be said, but this will do for now.  As usual, I would love your comments.

What I’d like to know today is, “How do you speak in such a way as to help people find strength in God?”

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org (http://www.malcolmcox.org/) .

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)

God bless, Malcolm

PS: You might also be interested in my book: "An elephant's swimming pool" (https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/9167082/379662794.jpg) , a devotional look at the Gospel of John

mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, Coach.me, coaching,  coach me, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox,

“The Most Important Memory”

Luke 22.14-23

Introduction

Why do we remember events? 

Why did God give us a memory?

Assertion: To enable us to create a better future

A better future depends on a healthily remembered past

Question: What methods did God use to help his people remember the right things in the OT? 

Question: What methods did God use to help his people remember the right things in the NT? 

The Lord’s Supper, Luke 22.14-23

“When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfilment in the kingdom of God.”

After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.” (Luke 22:14–23 NIV11)

QUESTION: What is the context for this meal? 

Discussion

Question for discussion in small groups: “Why do you think God gave us the Lord’s Supper as the one and only repeated act to help us remember Jesus?”

Serving, no status, vv24ff, Jn 13 - washing feet

Love, Jn 13 - washing feet, “Greater love has no one…” Jn 15.13

Conclusion 

The memories we hold on to shape our future

Communion shapes our future week

What do you admire about Jesus that you want to remember this week?

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1Pet 2:9–10

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org (http://www.malcolmcox.org/) .

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)

God bless, Malcolm

PS: You might also be interested in my book: "An elephant's swimming pool" (https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/9167082/379662794.jpg) , a devotional look at the Gospel of John

mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, coaching, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox,

Where did the time go?

On Thursday this week we went out for a Chinese meal to celebrate my son's 30th birthday. It prompted all the usual clichés such as "where did the time go?" As you can imagine, my post on Facebook regarding the birthday garnered many comments. Some flattering, some scary and some rather cute. "Thank you" for all of them.

Our son doesn't like cake (I know - how does he cope with life?). But he does like bread. My wife works in a Jewish area of North London where they make spectacular breads. She ordered a challah bread (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challah) in the shape of a three and a zero (picture above). We took it to the restaurant last night, inserted three candles, lit them and sang "Happy birthday". The unique nature of the birthday 'cake' caused many a conversation in the restaurant.

We all want to remember the right things. Penny's creativity will help us remember Fred's 30th birthday. Remembrance is on my mind because it is Remembrance Sunday this coming Sunday. Whatever our views about war and pacifism, it seems right to honour people who made sacrifices from which we benefit.

My sermon this Sunday will be on the theme of remembrance. We'll be looking at the purpose of memory. Why did God create memory? How can we best remember the right things? What is the best way to deal with problematic memories? Of course, we will not cover everything, but we will in particular focus on the communion. We are told to do one, and only one, practical physical thing in connection with discipleship and remembering Jesus. And that is to take bread and wine in remembrance of him (Luke 22:14-23).

In preparation for this lesson I have been re-reading a book which had a profound impact on me several years ago called "Remember Jesus" (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Remember-Jesus-Steve-Motyer/dp/1857921534) by Steve Motyer.  Thoroughly recommended as an excellent, short, summary of the history and developing theology surrounding the Lord's supper.  I know Steve personally. I couldn't call him a friend, but I have benefited from his personal wisdom and his lecturing while I was student at the London School of theology.

Please pray for me as I prepare the lesson. In particular, I want to make sure that a lesson about remembrance and memory ends up focusing us all on the heart of Jesus, not just the technical aspects of the details of the communion or how memory works.

I offer my recordings this week in the hope that they will bring you sweet remembrances of Jesus, his love and strength.

The podcast summary contains a reminder of what’s been posted on my site this week. I.e. the usual TTT, SS & QTC. To watch/listen to any posts, just head over the the website (https://malcolmcox.org) .

Prayer request

Please keep me in your prayers as we make plans for 2020. Both the Thames Valley churches of Christ and the Watford Church of Christ are deep into planning mode for the year ahead. Please pray that we make good decisions based on what we discern the Spirit doing.

Thank you for reading this far, and encouraging me in my endeavours to support our times of quiet with God, our corporate worship experiences, and the effectiveness of our preaching and teaching.

If you know anyone who might enjoy these materials, please send them a link to my website (http://www.malcolmcox.org) and encourage them to sign up for this newsletter.

God bless, Malcolm

mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, coaching, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox,

Do you ever encounter the following situation? The worship team are ready, the lead worshipper asks the congregation to move to their seats and prepare to sing, the song begins, people in the congregation continue to chat and we don’t have full participation until the third verse, or even the second song.

What’s your reaction as a leader of worship? Frustration? Confusion? Even anger? Or perhaps it doesn’t really matter. In every congregation I’ve ever been part of this has been a consistent challenge. Different solutions have been tried, some more successful than others. It’s also become obvious that there is no one solution that fits all congregations. What do we do?

Last night I was at a meeting with the men of the Watford Church of Christ. We spent some good time in prayer and then discussed plans for next year (2020). Part of our discussion was about how to take our musical worship to the next level.  The issue of the start of the service came up.  We had a very fruitful conversation, and are contemplating the best way to proceed. 

Today, I’m not going to offer solutions, but, rather, outline some of the issues and ask you what you have seen that works well.  In a way, I’m writing this out and recording it to help me with clarifying my own thinking about our particular situation in Watford (as well as in the Thames Valley churches of Christ).

A positive challenge. It’s important that we understand that people talking during singing is a sign of something positive. One of the great strengths of our fellowships is that people love each other deeply. When people see each other at church they are genuinely glad and wants to connect, catch up and encourage each other. This means that whatever we do to help the entire congregation to engage with the musical worship as early in the service as possible must not negate this fellowship strength.  Whatever solution you come up with, make sure you don’t compromise the zeal, joy and depth of fellowship.

Different solutions for different situations.  Context will dictate which actions might be most appropriate in your situation. The size of the congregation, the acoustics of the room, the availability of a PA or not, and other factors will make some solutions viable and others not so. Just because something works in another congregation does not mean it will work for you. Consider carefully, through trial and error, what will be most effective in your situation.

Gentle but clear expectations. It will be difficult to engage everybody at the start unless the congregation understand this is an expectation. Some teaching on why this matters will be helpful. However, avoid creating rules. People are not coming into a military academy, they are not school children being corralled by a teacher.  Be clear about the reasoning and the value of worshipping together, but do it with gentleness.

It seems to me that “shushing” congregations is not, in most circumstances, particularly helpful. When someone does this to me I feel like I’m back at school and being naughty. That’s not a healthy place from which to begin to think about God and worship him. 

Alternatively, perhaps there is a way to inspire full participation in musical worship. Bible readings, prayer, a few words of inspiration, a performance by the worship team (like I have heard is done in Amsterdam), a musical video, or….what else? There must be many ways to inspire full congregational participation from the start, or, almost the start.

What have you tried that works and doesn’t work? What did you learn from that? What have you seen tried that works or doesn’t work? What are you doing at the moment which seems to be working?

Question for today: “What is your suggestion for creating the best possible opportunity for full congregational participation in the musical worship from as early as possible in the service?"

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org (http://www.malcolmcox.org/) .

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)

God bless, Malcolm

PS: You might also be interested in my book: "An elephant's swimming pool" (https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/9167082/379662794.jpg) , a devotional look at the Gospel of John

mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, coaching, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox,