Friday Morning #wa2011 - Liveblog Bible Engagement

As the delegates saunter in this morning people are looking tired but joyful.  We are singing in English, Spanish, one of the many languages of South Africa and the songs focus on the holiness and reign of God over all the earth.  "Who can match Your greatness... who can deny you are crowned Lord of all?"

Nigel Pollock comes to the stage to welcome delegates and to wish a student delegate from North Africa a very happy birthday.  We are singing again and sleepiness seems to be dispelled as the delegates sing.  People come in and great old and new friends - fellowship together as much apart of our appreciation of Jesus' Lordship as is our singing.


This morning I shared breakfast with believers from Israel as well as from a country in the Arab world - fellowship between us all was warm.  I felt more nourished and enlivened by the friendship in Christ than by the food and the coffee (food and coffee were good by the way!).

Filled with wonder,

awestruck wonder,

At the mention of Your Name.

Jesus, Your Name is power,

breath and living water:

Such a marvellous mystery..

Holy Holy Holy

is the Lord God Almighty

Who was and is and is to come

With all creation I sing praise

to the King of kings

You are my everything

and I will adore You

The love for and wonder in Jesus fills a stillness in the room.  We sing more of the certain hope that Jesus brings.

Delegates come to the stage from Puerto Rico - a poem is read by Aimar Maceira.  I speak no Spanish, but it is clear that this is talking about the sadness and challenges of life in everyday and the hope that Jesus brings.   Merceds Nakachi, a student, speaks of the opportunity she was given to share the gospel with her friend.  The first time she shared the gospel with her friend she was laughed at.  Mercedes took another opportunity and asked God to use her.  Stella, the friend, eventually admitted that she had been reading the Bible in secret.  Also the community work that the students are engaged in is building the work "we go to serve them but they end up ministering to us.

David, GBU France, comes to the stage

Imagine the scene, our office near the Sorbonne - the board are sat at a restaurant table and the document to be discussed is the 5 year vision.  How is the commitment to engaging the university to be worked out in France - some of the concepts is the Veritas forum: looking at truth.  More than one point of view given and so the lecture rooms become open.  Themes: freedom, faith and reason, caring about injustice, why do religions cause so much violence.  After presentations there are opportunities for discussion and engagement.  Veritas forums are the only context where these discussions are taking place in France.  Five months, 13000 flyers, 4 evening presentations - 570 attended: HUGE in France.  There are now around 500,000 Evangelical Churches in France and now through these forums Christians are making an impact on the intellectual life in France - including the most well known philosopher in France, Luc Perry.  We see a video advert - a careful and creative presentation.

We stand now to sing: Light of the World in English and French.

Nigel returns to the stage.  This morning's Bible engagement is about looking at how the story ends - and working out what it is to live in the light of the end.  There are two drama presentations, the second one in Spanish.  We have two people speaking on the same passage - one passage two perspectives.

The drama team come and read the passage Revelation 21:


1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place [1] of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, [2] and God himself will be with them as their God. [3]4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Ruth Borges comes (speaking in Spanish, listening to translation)

Revelation is a difficult book but it speaks about book.  John the author of this book, is given a vision and message about Jesus.  The book therefore speaks about hope.  There will be a new heavens and a new earth.  God will accomplish his promise, John says that he is an eye-witness that God will really deliver the Hope of His Promise.  The voice of God in the passage - says, this is where God lives.  The promise fulfilled reaches all peoples and all lanuages before God.  Vs 4 God announces that He is sat on the throne - he will dry our tears.  The Lamb knows what suffering is, as the image of a loving mother, when they take their children on their laps and dry their tears - this is the image: no more ethnic tension, economic problems, no family violence, no threats from the sea, no more visas - every nation will live in the New Jersalem as equals under God.  This is happening not just it will happen.

 I am making all things new - present tense - but 3-4 the tense is future, as in 6-7. The already and the not yet: in vs 5.  God is ON the throne and I make all things new - the present and powerful rule of God. God makes all things new. We therefore live in hope in action. The last word comes from the mouth of the resurrected Jesus.  New things will be created - nothing new under the sun BUT God makes all things new.  While we are here - we live under teh light of the lamb: we live with a new paradigm of life - we are recreated and to live, not under the sun of this world, but we are living under the Lamb's light.  John message is that Hope comes because there is a new dawn coming: when the things of darkness will be no more.  

So often we reduce salvation when in the text we are called and challenged to speak and live in the light of the overarching reach and rule of Christ in making all things new.  Universe, city and people are all made new.  John is talking into a broken reality and he speaks of hope. This messiness is addressed by this hope - hope promises transition to a place without the possibility of evil and suffering.  This hope is all defining - our ministry does not save us, our goods do not save us: Jesus saves us for all eternity.

Ruth Borges leaves the stage to warm applause.  A group of students come and read the passage in English prior to the second talk by Augustin Ahoga, who will speak in French (again listening in translation).

Augustine speaks:

The book of Revelation is often unknown by the African urban people - those who have grown up out of the oral traditions which focus on image and symbol.  The traditions of African religions find striking parralells here.  The New Jersualem is a contrast to the village of death (vague and unclear) for the believer.  The believer has strength to fight and live as a Christian.

First time and the restortation and the time.  Time is a spiral in African understanding - the future is the past.  In the African understanding the best is not simply ahead of us - the beautiful thing is behind us.  The major source of hope in Rev 21 is the recapturing of Eden - the recapturing of all that we have lost.  We see something fundamental here - the absence of the sea.  For many Africans, gods and spirits live in the sea, but too it will be the end of the unhappy memory of the slavery which enslaved Africa, entombed its people and carried away its resources.  The end of sea is a powerful image of the restoration of Justice.  

The new Jerusalem is so beautiful - God declares that God will have his dwellling among people.  Do we not have God now?  But God is promising a new humanity - equal in every aspect of their life: all issues of justice and equality will be made new.  We will all be released from the principle of sin and frailty.

God Himself will be their God as a unique ruler.  God will bring justice and end democracy and human government - this is an eternal and absolute reign. The world today is not going to win out over the world that will come.  There is a solemn warning to those who are not going to live for the New Heavens and the New Earth.  This remains a great warning to a wide number of people.  There will be no more sorcery - this is a message of hope for those in Afrcia.  Cowardice shows itself in compromise or disengagement - it is a warning to us.

There is an image of humanity coming home - there will be no temple, no palace, no problems of climate change, electricity will be no longer needed.   It is a whole new system of living - perfect harmony between Creator and creation.  In the past Eden had a gate in the New Jerusalem there is no gate - the barrier is removed.  

God will bring to end this human world of sin, Jesus will be the visa to the New Jerusalem. The chapter calls us not to simply live happily but to work toward the calling of many into heaven, beginning with our close relatives.  The work begins now, may the Lord bless you.

Nigel and Daniel come to the stage again this morning.

Daniel says he's joyful and wants to be in the beautiful place of Rev 21. But there is a current sadness - an elderly relative who is not in the Lord, the many students around the world who are lost and many of whom do not even get to campus because of their online lives.  We are here not simply to enjoy the vision of the new creation, we are here because we want our friends (and our enemies?) to have this vision for themselves.  How can we really be focussed on this new creation in our lives.  

Nigel: so we want to be there and we want to have as many people with us when we get there
Daniel: absolutely - God is taking his time so that we can bring as many with us as possible, there will be no visas, no malaria
Nigel: it is very beautiful, but we live now where there are visas, problems, illness, struggle, failure
Daniel: we need to live with corrupted governments and people, we have to go through physical persecution - the truth of the vision is it gives us courage.  The first missionaries to my people took seven years of humiliation and hard work before the first believer.  What kept them?  This vision of the New Creation - they gave their lives for it.  The first missionary's son was born in the bush in Chad - a Norwegian American - why? what would he gain to reach this people lost in a dark forest?  He loved Jesus and did that for Him.
Nigel asks Daniel to pray that the hope will make a huge impact in our lives and the lives of those that we live with:

Heavenly father this morning I want to pray for my uncle, who doesn't know you. I ask you to speak to him and to bring him to you through your love, byt the power of your Holy Spirit.  I pray as well for the millions  billions, of students who don't know your love, who may miss this beautiful place if they don't come to you.  Father visit them and bring them to your kingdom.  I pray for ourselves, strengthn us by  your Lordship: especially those suffering, persecuted and discouraged.  Grant strength, hope and courage in Jesus Name.