Phil Lowe, preaching here at WCC recently, inspired many of us about the importance of the Church as agents of change in our world. Quoting a passage from The Message paraphrase of Ephesians 1 he underlined the idea that "the Church is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the Church".
Whilst Christians hate to see the people of God mocked, pushed to the edge of society and having little influence in public life, what does it really mean to be the Church? What is our role in the world, in God’s plan, and how does that make a real difference to anyone?

Helen and I are so excited to be preparing a six-part series this spring about the nature and purpose of the Church. There are some important questions and truths to explore as we get a clearer-than-ever picture of this diverse, complex and powerful unity of the faithful we call ‘the Church.’

We’ll be asking, what does the Bible teach about who we are as the ‘gathered people’ who follow Jesus Christ? What is true worship and why do we meet up so often? How do we as individual believers benefit from being part of the Church, and what about Christian community - how do we ‘love one another’ and encourage each other along life’s journey? We’ll also be exploring the kind of impact the Church is meant to have on the world around us. In all of this we will be seeking wisdom and revelation from God about the kind of people he wants us to be. And it is my deep conviction that as we look at these things again we will commit ourselves anew to be a church family that refreshes parts that are too often left unreached, here in Watford and beyond.

We live in a spiritually parched world with thousands running their lives ‘on empty.’ If we’re honest, we ourselves are also longing for more of the purity, power and presence of God, for true and meaningful friendships and community, and for a sense that our lives are like the ‘wellspring’ Jesus talks about in John 4 - overflowing with eternal life.

Thirsty, anyone?

Tim Roberts on dependence, Jan 2010

Consider what the Lord says:“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord.

They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.”
(Jeremiah 17:5-6 NLT)

These are challenging words, and evidence that this wisdom is perfect Truth from the Lord is seen all around us. Faith in humanity is ill-founded. Planting our lives in the soil of mere human potential and man’s ability to save himself is like sowing seeds for an orchard on waterless desert plains. In the end, fruitless.

In a recent conversation with a high-profile business leader in our community about the impact of death and bereavement on my Christian beliefs I summarised my faith for her in a way that surprised me with its simplicity: I said that it all depends on whether or not you depend on the greatness of people or the goodness of God. The fact that I’m alive today is a sign of God’s goodness, not my right to breath, health or an easy life. What Jesus did and the grave-defeating hope he brings is proof of God’s goodness. I said that when people die it is tragic because it shows how messed up our world is, and how much we need God’s grace.

Jeremiah 17 continues:

 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. (17:7-8)”

I love that thought - never ending fruitfulness! Our vision as a Church is to become a thriving ‘forest’ of people with unity that embraces diversity, our roots going deep, together, into the soil of God’s wisdom and grace, with every boy and girl, man and woman living fruitful lives and changing their worlds.

Every vision needs a strategy, so here is our well-constructed plan, our incisive strategy, our modus operandi: we will put our trust in the Lord! We who depend on the Lord will be like trees planted by a riverbank, not bothered by heat or worried by drought. We’ll make the Lord our confidence.  Yes, we’ll plan and scheme and strategise and seek to improve all we do. Ultimately, though, our trust will not be in our managing ability but in God’s magnificent dependability. Like Jesus our Lord we walk in obedience with the Father, in the power of the Spirit, and by the grace of God.

I see no reason why this shouldn’t be the most fruitful, amazing, miraculous and community-changing year you and I have ever had. We will reach more ‘others’ and bear more fruit then we thought our lives could muster. Why? Because we went deeper, because we trusted, because the Father is true to his Word!

 

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WORK IN PROGRESS
The Church building project is in its final stages—
Tim Roberts reports on the successful work on site so far...

As time races on and more people hear about our plans to build a new Church centre I am asked by people on an almost daily basis, ‘How is the church building going on?

I tell them of the string of delays we’ve faced and the need for planning permission again, and yet by God’s grace I communicate faith and patience about the whole process and smile because I know God’s timing is perfect. Just recently someone asked me when it will be finished and after I’d given a vague answer about ‘Easter 2010’ I had a flash of revelation that I wish I’d given as an answer: ‘This project has been in progress for 2000 years and it won’t be finished… ever’ (Well, until Jesus returns!).

You see, the church builders have been on site for years! Since Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost and preached that the fire of the Holy Spirit had come; since the church fathers answered the call to scatter the seed of the Gospel around the known world at risk of their lives, that’s how long this project has been going on and the work is well underway.

What we are doing down at Watford Springs is just a continuation of the Architect’s great plan.
And when the doors finally open on the Wellspring Church Centre we’ll mark the day with a celebration. Yet that will mark the end of nothing but a phase of construction.

Here’s an early warning—nearly a year’s notice—please do not come up to me, another member of the Leadership, or even someone in your prayer triplet when phase one of The Wellspring is completed and say, ’What do we do now?’

Please don’t.

What we do then is what we should be doing now—living our lives loving God and loving the people around us; offering hope and help to anyone we can, at home and across the nations. Bricks and mortar, big bills and a mortgage will not change that.

Right now, Almighty God is making good progress on building his Church—the people whom he has called to himself—the men and women, boys and girls he has planted in communities to bring hope, life, faith, healing and transformation… so far, so good. (Okay, so some parts of the Church are old and crumbly; some parts need a face lift… And maybe even some parts need tearing down and rebuilding with something fresh.) Nonetheless, the work of God’s kingdom is in progress.

So we see the work on the building site of people’s lives and relationships continues at a good pace and at God’s pace; no need to wait even one more day.

For those of you who have joined WCC recently let me highlight one thing: you are an answer to our prayers! We prayed for reinforcements, for labourers to help us build. Welcome to an exciting and costly adventure and don’t forget to wear working gloves and a hard hat at all times! Vigilance and diligence required.

For those who feel like we’ve been building for ages, we take heart that God’s work in and through us is taking shape and will be completed for God’s glory.

As the great builder Paul wrote, ‘I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.’ (Philippians 1:6 NLT)

Amen and amen!