Malcolm Cox

“The Excitement of Bewilderment with God”, Acts 16:6-10 

How might bewilderment be necessary and helpful?

1. God closes and opens doors

A. Negative information

B. Positive information

Discussion: “Have you ever had a ‘strange’ experience of God opening or closing a door?” 

What did you learn from it?

2. How to respond with faith

“How did Paul and his companions respond to God opening and closing doors?”

A. E………….

PERSONAL QUESTION: “What is God leading you to e………..…..?”

B. P…………..

PERSONAL QUESTION: “Where is God leading you to p…………..?”

C. D………….

PERSONAL QUESTION: “What d………….… is God placing before you?”

All three are an expression of faith - trusting God that he has a purpose

Conclusion

Bithynia, 1 Peter 1:1

Galatia, Galatians 1.1-2

Troas, 2 Corinthians 2:12

SUMMARY THOUGHT: 

“Bewilderment is ………….. and ………… because it makes us ……….. and keeps us ……………”

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,

The podcast version of this week's newsletter

In celebration of the future

A slightly shorter note this week since I'm in a season of more frequent teaching, preaching and preparation.

The future is unknown. We don't even know if we will have tomorrow (James 4:14). But that doesn't mean we can't look forward to the future with joy. Someone said, and I'm sure I'm paraphrasing with errors here, "We don't know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future".  How are you viewing your future at the moment?

If you're anything like me there are times when you find life to have lost its sparkle. The projects you are involved in seem to lack lustre. However, right now I have an abundance, perhaps even an over-abundance, of exciting projects.

The, "They spoke so effectively" series for Thames Valley is something I'm finding particularly stimulating. Talking about the basics of why we speak in our church community and how to do so is refreshing my enthusiasm.

I'm also preparing for the "Sermon on the Mount" teaching and preaching series for Thames Valley which will run through January and February 2020. There is so much wonderful material in that sermon it makes me quite 'heady'.

On top of that, I'm preparing a teaching day for the Watford church on the sermon on the Mount. February 29, 2020 is the date. Mark it in your diary.

And one last thing - the prospect of starting two new Skype mentoring groups for the location leaders and worship leaders of Thames Valley is giving me a palpable sense of anticipatory excitement.

All of these projects give me good cause to pray and ask you, my friends, for any advice which might enable me to carry out these duties faithfully and effectively.

I offer my recordings this week in the hope that they will help you to be as bright and tasty as possible in this dark and dull world.

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 I continue to prepare the teaching series for January and February as well as the teaching day on the Sermon on the Mount.

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

Last week the title of the Sunday Sample was, “The worship leader is pastor and prophet (https://www.malcolmcox.org/the-worship-leader-is-pastor-and-prophet/) ”.  We discussed the way in which we viewed our role. Musician? Worship organiser? Worship leader? How about Pastor (Shepherd)? How about prophet?

I was really pleased to see a comment on this broadcast from my old friend Reeta. Truly this is a global community - she sent me her thoughts from Ghana. Here is her post from Facebook:

"In point no 2 he should specifically contact the preacher for his message for the day and choose songs which will reflect and enhance the word of God for the day to allow for an enhanced understanding.”

This is a great point. It set me to thinking about the connections between the spoken word and the sung word. 

Coordinating songs with the message is easier if you follow, as some denominations do, a lectionary with set texts for each Sunday of the year. Even then, some topics are harder to coordinate with songs and hymns than others. We don’t have so many songs about the Trinity compared to those about the cross, for example.

In my tradition however we don’t follow a lectionary. On occasions we decide preaching and teaching topics for a few weeks or months. For example, at the moment in the Watford church of Christ we are preaching through Acts.  When I remember, I tell Danny or Charl or whoever is picking songs what my text is and what my key emphasis is likely to be. I try and do that a week in advance. And, for the Thames Valley churches of Christ I remind the preacher to let the worship leader know what his text or topic will be.

How significant is this?  What I’ve noticed is that for some speakers this question helps them sharpen their thinking, especially if asked well in advance of the lesson. For others, however, it seems to add pressure to their preparation. I wonder what the right balance is here?

What I’d be interested in is to know what your thoughts are as to the significance of connecting songs with the Bible topic or text to be preached on any particular Sunday. Do you see it as essential, optional, preferable, insignificant or as a bonus?

Here are the key questions for today:

1. “How important is it to link the songs with the message?"

2. “Why do you have the conviction you do?"

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 those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4 NIV11)

What does it mean that mourners will be comforted? 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 mourn and to be comforted.

1. Overview

This second beatitude follows naturally from the previous one. When we recognise our poverty, and the poverty of the world, it will cause us to mourn.  Is mourning appropriate for a Christian? Shouldn’t we be people characterised by joy? Certainly, we are offered the joy of Jesus (John 15:11). However, Christians are not called to a kind of perpetual, glib smile. Jesus shed tears, and plenty of experiences in our lives make tears appropriate. We are promised joy, yes, but a joy (blessedness) that comes from the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). 

Let’s take a deeper look at the issues of mourning and comfort.

2. Mourn

The first question to answer is, “What kind of mourning is envisaged here by Jesus?”  Let’s first consider what it may not be.

a. It’s not about grovelling self-pity. Nothing in the Scriptures indicates that Jesus thought this was a healthy state. What God made is “good”. Damaged, certainly, but not irredeemable. 

b. It’s not about a ‘religiousness' that moans about the state of the world. In other words, we are not those who point at the world with an attitude of condemnation. For, if we condemn the world, surely we condemn ourselves. We are no less worthy of condemnation than any at whom we might point. 

So, what kind of mourning might Jesus have in mind?

a. On a personal level it’s healthy to mourn our sin - Isaiah 6:5, Rom 7:24, Ezra 10:1, Acts 2:36, 1 Cor 5:2, 2 Cor 7:10, 12:21.  Our sin hurts God, ourselves, and other people. There are times when it is appropriate not only to acknowledge our sin, but to mourn over it and its consequences.  This is the mourning which accompanies repentance.

b. Join Jesus in mourning over the consequences of sin for other people (Luke 19:41). Old Testament people also wept in this way – Ps 119:136, Ezek 9:4, as did Paul – Phil 3:18 & Romans 7. 

Now, let’s think about what it means to be comforted.

3. Comforted

Only when we truly mourn our sin can we be truly comforted by God’s forgiveness.  Mourning leads to and is a sign of repentance which leads to rejoicing (Acts 3:19). If we understand sin properly and understand grace properly we will mourn deeply and rejoice greatly. One of the Messiah’s jobs was to be ‘the Comforter’ who would ‘bind up the brokenhearted’ – Is 61:1, 40:1.

Some of the promised comfort is now and some comes later. 

a. Now. The shepherds are told by the angel: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2:10 NIV11), and Jesus tells his followers: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32 NIV11) These are words of comfort connected to the promise of the one who would bring what Simeon was waiting for, “the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25 NIV11).

b. Later. There is a gap between a measure of comfort we receive now, and the ultimate fulfilment of comfort which comes in the next life. “For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” (Revelation 7:17 NIV11).  The tension between the two is expressed well by what Paul writes to the Romans: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18 NIV11)

The Word Biblical Commentary sums up Matthew 5:4 well: "Those who mourn do so because of the seeming slowness of God’s justice. But they are now to rejoice, even in their troubled circumstances, because their salvation has found its beginning. The time draws near when they shall be comforted (cf Rev. 7:17; 21:4), but they are already to be happy in the knowledge that the kingdom has arrived. Their salvation is at hand." Hagner, Donald A. Matthew 1–13. WBC 33A. Accordance electronic edition, version 1.5. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.

4. Application

How can this beatitude find its appropriate application to our times of quiet with God? Four possible applications occur to me for our times of prayer:

a. Connect with the consequences of sin in your life. Talk to God about any recent sin that’s on your heart and conscience. Not to dwell on it, not to wallow in self-pity, not to enjoy some perverse and inappropriate enduring guilt, but to create soberness, a reminder of the need for God’s grace, resulting in a thankfulness and gratitude for the kindness, patience and mercy of our Abba Father through Jesus his Son, our redeemer-King.

b. Connect with the consequences of sin in this world. Not to condemn the world, but to stimulate urgency in your prayers for God’s intervention. Check the news at least often enough to know what’s going on and what to pray about. Pray for “kings and all those in authority” (1 Timothy 2:2 NIV11) as well as situations in your own town, country or the world where we find significant tension, disharmony or pain.

c. Connect with the promise of comfort provided in the here and now by the Holy Spirit (John 16:7). Rejoice in prayer, thanking God that the Spirit of Jesus is with you today and that you can trust in his comforting promise: ““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”” (Matthew 11:28–30 NIV11)

d. Connect with the promise of comfort still to come. “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”” (Revelation 21:4 NIV11) Pray with joyful anticipation looking forward to the fulfilment of that promise. 

Mourning and comfort go together. There are spiritually compatible and healthy. Do we try to create her own comfort instead of allowing God to be our comforter on the basis of our own commitment to mourning? What difference might it make to your times of quiet with God to incorporate some regular mourning? Perhaps it would bring you a greater, fuller more powerful experience of God's comfort.  

Let me know what you learn from incorporating some mourning into your devotional times with your heavenly Father. 

“Wait for the LORD" retreat update

Registration is open to all for the, “Wait for the LORD” retreat, 27 - 29 March 2020.  You can find details on the dedicated retreat page on my website (https://www.malcolmcox.org/wait-for-the-lord-retreat-march-2019/) and in previous podcasts.  Six of the 17 available places have gone. Eleven remain. If you'd like to come, drop me a line via email (mailto:[email protected]) and I will tell you how you can make payment.  

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,

As mentioned last week, I started a new series for the Thames Valley churches of Christ on “effective speaking”. Our first class, last Friday, was focused on the topic of why we preach. At the beginning of the class I asked the group for reasons why they think we preach or speak in church?

Here are some of their comments: 

“To lead the spiritual atmosphere of the meeting”; “passing on the message”; “to inspire people”; “to make sure everyone gets something spiritually beneficial from the time together”; “to share something personal, from the heart”; “God’s Word needs to be proclaimed”; “to see things from different people’s perspectives”;

Coincidentally, the following day, Saturday, I attended an event in central Watford for preachers of all different denominations. We had, essentially, a discussion about our different approaches to and understanding of the significance of preaching. At one point the leader of the session, Helen Roberts, asked me my views on why we preach. I said the following:

“We preach because God decided his message was best communicated through human beings. We bring, as someone once said, “truth through personality”. God is perfectly capable of speaking for himself, but he believes and knows a better method is to use us to speak his truth to others.  All of us in this room might speak on the same passage or topic, but it will be a completely different experience for the group to which we are speaking because each of us is a different person with a different personality. We need to preach, and many people need to preach, because it’s the best way for God to communicate his truth to humankind.”

That summary of my approach, or understanding, seemed to resonate with the group. The discussion we had in Thames Valley on Friday night was fascinating. Follow the link to hear that more extended class on this topic.

What I’d like to know from you is, how would you answer the question, “Why do you preach?”.  Of course, there are many ways to answer this question, and one phrase won’t be adequate. However, sometimes it is good to write a pithy phrase or sentence which summarises at least some of the core components of why you preach.

Question for today: “Why do you speak?"

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,

“They Spoke So Effectively”

Acts 14.1

Class I: “Why we speak”

Our motivation, aims, purpose in speaking. The activity of God in speaking.

Find a God-inspired motivation and you will find something to say, and the motivation to say it.

Introduction

QUESTION: “Why do we speak in congregational gatherings?” 

Biblical ‘speaking’

QUESTION: “What are some of the ways God ‘spoke’ to humankind in scripture?”

2 Corinthians 5.19-20 

Romans 10.15

QUESTION: Since God is perfectly capable of speaking for himself, “Why does he choose to do so through humans?“

Summary 

God speaks through ………… 

It’s the ………. way to communicate his truth and love 

Response and question and answer session

Responses?

Questions?

Conclusion

Next week: “What to speak about” - How to pick a passage/topic; how to exegete; lesson planning tips.

Homework for next time: 

Write a one sentence summary of whyyou speak - share next time 

Send me questions/suggestions 

Resources: Tuesday Teaching Tips (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLssKYNRlLIE_A3ckUf7NrtJEqNVbft98J)

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,

Courageous Humility

“Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.” (Acts 16:1–5 NIV11

1. The courage and humility to be trained

Why does it take courage and humility to be trained?

How do you feel about being trained?

In what area of life and following Jesus could you use some more training?

Are you passing on your experience to others?

2. The courage and humility to be refined

Why does it take courage and humility to be refined? 

1 Corinthians 9:19-23.

Why do you think Timothy agreed to be circumcised? 

What struck you about the video clip of the sharing by Alice Dannatt? 

Is there any area in your life where God is helping to make you more all things to all men?

The big questions:

What are key motivations to help you be more courageous?

What are key motivators to help you be more humble?

Suggestions:

Consider Jesus and how his humility and courage was fed by his trust in his Father. Read and pray about this to find greater trust in God for your own growth in courage and humility.

Read the references to Timothy below (and their context) to build a picture of a faithful, humble, courageous young man and what you can learn from him.

References to Timothy:

Acts 16:1; 17:14: 17:15; 18:5; 19:22; 20:4; Rom. 16:21; 1Cor. 4:17; 16:10; 2Cor. 1:1, 19; Phil. 1:1;  2:19, 22; Col. 1:1; 1Th. 1:1; 3:2, 6; 2Th. 1:1; 1Tim. 1:2, 18; 6:20; 2Tim. 1:2; Philem. 1; Heb. 13:23

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,

Many of you will know that we are building a wildlife pond in our garden. I had thought the hard part was over. The pond had been dug, lined with carpet and underline with the UPVC liner on top. It was three quarters filled with rainwater.

All seem to be going swimmingly well. Then, the next morning, we noticed the water level had dropped. Only one explanation. A leak.

On Wednesday we emptied all the water, took off the liner, folded it took it back to the shop and exchanged it for a replacement. When we returned to the garden we put even more carpeting and padding at the bottom and on the side of the pond before putting in the new liner. Backbreaking work and very frustrating!

It's just as well we noticed the leak now, not after finishing the edging and filling it with pond plants.

I think it was Dwight L Moody who said, when asked why he talked about being refilled with the Spirit since we received it when we were brought into Christ,

"Yes, I was filled with the spirit, but I leak."

That statement is not theologically sound, but it expresses a felt truth.

Bercot deals with this idea in the eighth chapter of His book, "Secrets of the kingdom life", when he describes what he calls the "victorious cycle" - as opposed to the vicious cycle.  He likens the kingdom life to riding a bicycle. 

"To live an obedient life, we need power from God. To have power from God, we must pray. However, for our prayers to be effective, we must be living an obedient life.…Learning to walk with God is as easy as learning to ride a bike. We pray for power to live an obedient life in a particular area. Then we step out in faith, deny our flesh, and obey that particular commandment." (p38)

Whilst admitting that this is not easy at first, he reminds us that the more this becomes our habit, but more powerful our experience of the kingdom life becomes. And when that happens we become a salt and a light to this world which never loses its taste or brightness.

The question I've been asking myself this week is whether I'm becoming saltier and brighter, or tasteless and dull?  

I am preaching on Acts 16:1-5 on Sunday. There we observe Timothy's commitment to the mission expressed most surprisingly and painfully in his willingness to be circumcised. That's the commitment he was willing to display in order to be the most effective in being all things to all men, both Jews and Greeks, as he travelled with Paul carrying the good news to as many as possible. 

You and I are going to leak. Our devotion, our commitment, our righteousness, our humility, our faith will leak. God knows this. He is not surprised, and he is not downhearted about it. His commitment to us never waivers. He will help you and I to plug the leak. To refill. Our part in this is to notice early on in the process. Whilst there is still water in the pond. Before it dries out.

I offer my recordings this week in the hope that they will help you to be as bright and tasty as possible in this dark and dull world.

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.

Prayer request

Thank you for your prayers about gaining clarity over my refined role in Thames Valley. Those prayers have been answered (see below the Thames Valley update). In addition, please keep me in your prayers as I continue to prepare the teaching series for January and February as well as the teaching day on the Sermon on the Mount.

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 and encourage them to sign up for this newsletter.

God bless, Malcolm

How do you see your role? Musician? Worship organiser? Worship leader? How about Pastor (Shepherd)? How about prophet?

In Mike Pilavachi's book “For the audience of ONE” the final chapter includes a section called, “Before leading, think”.  In it he emphasises the significance of thinking about the congregation before thinking about which songs to choose. Let me quote,

“I think that the worship leader in a sense should be both pastor and prophet. As a pastor he/she should be asking during the days before a meeting: “What is going on in the congregation that needs reflecting upon and needs to be expressed in worship?”"

For sure, our lives are busy. Reflecting on needs and listening to God takes time. However, there’s nothing more frustrating, or perhaps more sad, than coming away from a time of worship knowing that our selection of songs did not meet the need.

What can we do to create the best possible opportunity for us to be both someone who can meet the needs of the congregation pastorally and prophetically? By the way, by ‘prophetically’ in this context I mean someone bringing helpful truth from God to the congregation through song.

Three tips for you:

Pray for wisdom. God wants his people fed and edified. Your prayers to that end will surely lead to his guidance for you.

Talk to church leaders. Depending on the size of your congregation it may be harder to be in touch with the ongoing needs of your community. Could you have a weekly phone call with someone on the church leadership team and ask them what they perceive the needs to be for the group as a whole?

Pay attention to announcements. What’s in the air? What’s on the calendar? Is a funeral coming up? Or a wedding? Such events might influence your choice of songs.

Much more could be said here, but this is for starters. Here’s the key question for today:

“ What helps you to exercise your responsibility as a worship 'pastor' and a worship 'prophet'?"

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,

“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:1–3 NIV11)

What does it mean to be “poor in spirit?" 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 “poor in spirit”.

An alternative translation of this verse reads: "“Happy are the oppressed, because to them belongs the kingdom of heaven.”  What kind of happiness is envisaged? 

"Rather than happiness in its mundane sense, it refers to the deep inner joy of those who have long awaited the salvation promised by God and who now begin to experience its fulfillment. The makarioi are the deeply or supremely happy." Hagner, Donald A. Matthew 1–13. WBC 33A. Accordance electronic edition, version 1.5. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.

Let’s think about how Jesus caused people to be blessed and happy in this sense. He came to bring good news to the poor: Matthew 11:5; Isaiah 61:1.  He is fulfilling promises in an eschatological manner. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.”  (Luke 4:18, Is 61.1-2). He was completely emptied of self (Phil 2) and obedient to the Father (John 14:10) and dependant on Him in prayer.  Jesus himself started life in a ‘poor’ way by being born in a stable.  Jesus reveals that ‘poverty' and blessedness can go together.

What does this ‘poverty’ look like? We’re dealing with spiritual bankruptcy (publican/Pharisee contrast in Luke 18) and deep repentance.  Self-hatred is not encouraged by this attitude.  It requires a conscious self-emptying before approaching God. The song ‘Rock of Ages’ includes a verse that expresses this well,

Nothing in my hand I bring: 

Simply to Thy Cross I cling; 

Naked, come to Thee for dress; 

Helpless, look to Thee for grace; 

Foul, I to the fountain fly; 

Wash me, Saviour, or I die.

Matthew 5:3 combines reality with hope. Being ‘poor' is not fun, but it is temporary once you have Jesus. We have the kingdom now, and experience some of its blessings now, but, given life continues to be difficult, hold on to the promise of its future complete fulfilment.

We need to put two scriptures together. Jesus said: ““I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 NIV11) Paul said: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13 NIV11)

Being poor in spirit begins with understanding our poverty without Christ.  then, once we reflect on the wonder it is that we have Christ, it gives us the confidence we need that with Christ we can do all things. 

A.W. Tozer offered this prayer having meditated on this verse:

"Father, I want to know Thee, but my cowardly heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide from Thee the terror of the parting. I come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all those things which I have cherished so long and which have become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter and dwell there without a rival. Then shalt Thou make the place of Thy feet glorious. Then shall my heart have no need of the sun to shine in it, for Thyself wilt be the light of it, and there shall be no night there. In Jesus’ name, Amen."

A brief retreat update

Registration is open for the, “Wait for the LORD” retreat, 27 - 29 March 2020.  Subscribers to my website get first option on attending - until 15 October when I will open it up to anyone who is interested.  You can find details on my website and in previous podcasts.  If you'd like to come, drop me a line via email (mailto:[email protected]) and I will tell you how you can make payment.  Please also mention if you are a subscriber when you send me that email.  If you are not currently a subscriber and would like to be, go to the home page of my website (http://www.malcolmcox.org/) , scroll to the bottom and sign up.

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/) .

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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,