Lausanne Movement - Cape Town 2010

Signing off

2010-10-24T22:28:00.001+01:00

Forgive the multiple posts this evening (this makes the fourth) but I wanted to get my thoughts down before I head off for some days away.

I have really enjoyed sharing this congress with you via this blog, and am really grateful for the number of people who have read it and posted comments or sent me emails. It has been a real encouragement for Matthew and myself. I hope it has brought a sense of the Congress back to Claygate and beyond.

I am now taking some days off with Annabelle and the boys who arrived safely yesterday. We will look forward to seeing you on our return next weekend, and I can't wait to share more with you.

With my love and thanks

Philip

Cape Town reflections

2010-10-24T22:27:00.001+01:00

I will need to take quite some time to process all that I have experienced this week in Cape Town, and I will share those thoughts with the church in due course, but here are the top ten things that stick in my mind

1) studying Paul's letter to the Ephesians every morning with people from other nations

2) hearing about the experience of Christians in other parts of the world - and I have shared many of their stories on the blog

3) inspiring worship in over a dozen world languages

4) so many younger leaders signed up to a lifetime of Christian service

5) the call by Chris Wright to humility, integrity and simplicity

6) Abp Ben Kwashi speaking on the uniqueness of Christ and the need to defend

7) Becky Pippert speaking on personal evangelism

8) Tim Keller on ministry in the city

9) the final communion service

10) and Cape Town hasn't been bad!

And the overall challenge? For me it has been twofold.

First, it has come back to the challenge of living out our faith in Christ in everything we do - so that the mission God calls us to - whatever form it takes now and in the future - is reinforced, rather than undermined, but what we say and how we act. To quote a few verses from Ephesians 4: 'That is not the way you learned Christ!...Put off your old self...and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.'

And second, it has brought me a deeper awareness than ever before of what God is doing in the world, and how the local church can play its part in the sovereign works of God, and what we can learn from being in partnership with others throughout the world.

I will be praying both these things through in the time to come, and as someone who has followed this blog, I would be most grateful if you could join me in this.

Table group

2010-10-24T21:59:00.001+01:00

It was tough saying goodbye to my table group tonight. From the Netherlands, Vietnam, Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand we came together to study the Bible together, pray together and discuss together. And we found that God spoke through his word and through each other, as we shared what it meant to live for Christ in our respective contexts. Some things were very different - such as the freedom to worship and bear witness to Christ, but others - such as the threat of disunity or the challenge of discipleship were the same.

I took a photo of the table group and wanted to post it on the blog, but the Vietnamese brother has to operate without official government permission, and so photos on the web of him at a Christian conference would not be helpful. I will show you when I get back home.

There are few more powerful signs of the unifying power of Christ than the experience of deep fellowship with people from other nations and backgrounds - the only thing we have in common is Jesus Christ, but that is all we need.

Lausanne legacy

2010-10-24T21:53:00.001+01:00

I have just come from the most uplifting and moving service - the final communion celebration of the Third Lausanne Congress here in Cape Town. A tremendous blend of corporate confession and commitment, inspiring worship and a clear challenge to continue in God's mission.

Lindsay Brown, International Director of the Lausanne Movement, gave the final address and spoke of the four-fold vision of this meeting in Cape Town. With the others in leadership he had prayed and hoped for

1) a ringing affirmation of the uniqueness of Christ and the truth of the gospel, founded on the authority of scripture

2) a fresh challenge to bear witness to Jesus Christ and his teaching in every part of the world - not only geographically but in every sphere of society

3) fruitful partnerships and friendships that will bear fruit in collaboration for the gospel

4) creative new initiatives that seek to bear witness to Christ in every place.

I would say the first two prayers have certainly be answered during this congress, and there is every hope that with the wonderful fellowship and teaching over the the last week the last two will happen as well.

But if they are, Brown reminded us from 2 Cor 4:1-7, we have to bear in mind 3 things

1) keep our message focussed on the unique Christ

2) watch our own walk with Christ - as his humble, distinctive followers

3) be steadfast in the faith.

And this is what really hit home for me. Brown said that for many continuing in faith and ministry would be a challenge. 'Some here will die for their faith' he warned, 'and many of us will return to difficult circumstances, and may even want to give up because the work is so hard. Then we must remember our calling to persevere to the end and not lose heart'.

He ended with some words of John Wesley: 'Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as every you can, until Christ takes you home.'

Amen

Partnership in the gospel

2010-10-24T17:45:00.001+01:00

This morning the theme was entitled Partnership in the Body of Christ Toward a New Global Equilibirum. Not exactly catchy but, as one speaker said, you only need the first word to get the idea across: Partnership.

Given that as Bible-believing Christians we are working towards the same goal you would have thought that partnership was easy, but we were challenged with the reality that as evangelicals we often prefer to set out on our own, and find co-operating with others very hard indeed. And so we were challenged again with the biblical picture of the body of Christ needing one another, of mutual interdependence.

And yet this is not look like what we sometimes think. Patrick Fung, General Director of OMF (formerly China Inland Mission), challenged us to rethink what interdependence means. We have become used to it meaning that the financially powerful churches support those without resources, but this, he argued, is not consistent with the gospel of God where the flow is often the other way round, with God using the weak to shame the strong. Indeed, mission that only goes one way, he suggested, is bad for the churches on both sides of the relationships: 'Uni-directional giving and receiving cripples the mission of God.'

Fung argued that the churches of the North and the West will need to learn from the South and the East where churches are growing with the power of God and the faithfulness of his servants; this will take humility and a breaking away from present models of thinking. In fact, Fung suggested, money can often get in the way of mission. He shared with us the prayers of the Chinese church: 'please don't send your money', the leaders say, 'because we know it will only divide. Above all things, we pray that God will keep us humble'

I don't think this means that we don't give to worldwide mission, but rather that as we share our resources from the West we do so expecting to receive more back than we give out and to be changed by what God is doing elsewhere.

The Vietnamese pastor at our table share a personal example of this. When missionaries come to his country from the West and Korea and visit his church, they are often keener to tell him what he should be doing rather than listen and find out what God has already done and is still doing. They come thinking that because they have the money they also have the answers. They don't.

That's certainly one of the things I will take away from this Congress, that I - and we - have much to learn from what God is doing elsewhere in the world. And as He is doing a great deal, there is much to learn.

Off now to the final celebration communion. Will post again later.

Humility, integrity and simplicity

2010-10-23T18:15:00.001+01:00

This morning we had for me the most prophetic address of the Congress so far (by prophetic I mean speaking truth even when it is uncomfortable to those hearing it, just as the OT prophets did.)

Chris Wright (of Mission of God fame) spoke on the biggest obstacle for the church as it sought to live out its biblical mission. You might imagine it was the world or the devil but Wright argued from scripture (and present experience) that this wasn't the case. The greatest article, he argued, to the mission of God was the people of God who went after false gods instead of the true God whose people they were.

Wright identified three especially seductive false gods in the church today: first, power and pride seen in a concern for status and office; second, popularity and success seen in distorting stories and exaggerating statistics; and third, wealth and greed seen in the allures of the prosperity gospel, also called the 'health and wealth' gospel.

And so Wright suggested that the church is given a bad name, and the mission of God is damaged, by the following three things: leaders who behave like 'super-apostles' and lord it over others, the craze for impressive numbers and therefore the patent falsification of data, and the assumption that God wants to make us rich, instead of an understanding of suffering.

Wright called for a reformation of the church focussed on humility instead or pride, integrity instead of dishonesty, and simplicity instead of greed. This 'radical return to the Lord' was essential to take forward the mission of God. Wright concluded, 'Before we seek the lost, we must seek the Lord.'

Hard-hitting stuff, and, coming close to home as it did, not wildly comfortable to listen to, but I think of the Lord.

The heart of the matter?

2010-10-23T17:47:00.001+01:00

On day 5 I think we have come to the heart of the matter.

Chris Wright (author of 'The Mission of God' and chair of the Lausanne theology working group) asked us: "What do you think is the greatest obstacle to world evangelization?"

The answer? Not enough missionaries? Islam? Pluralism? Insufficient focus on evangelism? The new Atheism? Not enough money? No.

According to Chris (and I'm inclined to agree with him) the greatest obstacle is: "Idolatry of God's own people." Chris pointed to this being the overwhelming witness of the bible. We had just heard pretty much the identical message from Calisto, a Kenyan pastor, who preached on Ephesians 4:17-6:9. He observed: "We have made our faith unpalatable because of how we live as Christians. Christianity is struggling with a credibility gap. We have shot ourselves in the foot."

I checked in with others on my table and all agreed that this is possibly the key issue. They shared their own experiences from South Korea, the Philippines, Uganda, Kenya, and the USA.

Chris pointed to three idols being especially seductive both then and now: power and pride; popularity and success; wealth and greed. Given the hold these idols have over many Christians, Chris declared that nothing short of "a new reformation is desperately needed". A new reformation in which the followers of Jesus everywhere live 'aromatic' lives marked by demonstrable humility, integrity and simplicity (the converse of the 3 idols).

So what do we do? Well my group felt part of the answer lies in Ephesians 5 where Paul calls us to live transparent lives 'in the light' and to do so in an authentic community with high accountability 'submitting to one another'. Once again we are brought to the central role of the local congregation...

Younger leaders

2010-10-23T07:24:00.001+01:00

One of the distinctives of the Lausanne movement is the priority it gives to nurturing and encouraging younger leaders.

Here in Cape Town a quarter of the 4000 delegates are under 40, and we all met together last night for a reception. It was really inspiring to meet so many younger leaders involved in mission and ministry around the world. I sat next to Fernand who heads up Campus Crusade for Christ in Brazzaville, Congo. He described the vision they have for evangelising and discipling students and then training them to reach others themselves.

On the other side was Daniel from the US who, having done a internship in a local church after living High School, is now discerning a call from God about how he can serve him in overseas mission. He said the year working for a church had a huge impact on his life, and I thought of our wonderful Ministry Assistants at HTC - in the past and the present - and thanked God and prayed for them.

By the by, thanks ever so much for all your comments. Matthew and I really appreciate the contact back from the UK and are very glad the blog is being read and bringing Cape Town closer to you all.

Where are the fathers?

2010-10-22T22:18:00.001+01:00

For children in Africa, fatherlessness is an enormous (some would say greatest) challenge. Father's are lost to war, to HIV and AIDS, to broken relationships, to poverty. 30 out of 40 children say they have emotionally stable, positive relationships with their mothers. Only 1 out of 40 say the same of their paternal relationship. As a father, that statistic churns me up.

We heard from those seeking to redress this shortage of Dads. Ubabalo is an organisation that disciples young people through sport. They train soccer coaches who double up as evangelists, role models, mentors, spiritual fathers. The demand for fathers is so great that Ubabalo has now spread to 80 countries around the world. Check out http://www.ubabalo2010.com/ if you're interested in finding out more.

The absent voice in Cape Town

2010-10-22T22:13:00.001+01:00

Significant efforts have been made to make this congress representative of the global body of Christ. However one group has been totally absent, at least until this evening.

Children. And when you consider that 50% of the world's population are under 25 (and 33% are under 15), that's a pretty significant absent voice.

A 9 year old African boy prayed for all 4500 of us: "I would like to pray for you... Dear God. Make it easier for these leaders to notice children. Help them to love you and to follow you every day. Help all children to know you."

On each of the 800 or so tables we found a pile of prayers from children around the world, written on hand-prints. In this way we listened at least a little to the voice of the children. And their prayers were beautiful. Here are a few...

"I want to grow up and live for Jesus." (Agheed from Syria)
"Lord, thank you for all the laughter that flew out of our mouths today." (a child from Russia)
"Lord, I beseech You for my mother, who objected that I am a believer and does not allow me to go to Sunday school." (Artem, 10 years old from Russia)
"Lord, my family does not want to believe that You exist. I ask you, Lord, that you will help my parents to believe and then they would live together in peace." (a 14 year old child)

Africa praise

2010-10-22T21:59:00.001+01:00

Tonight's focus was on Africa and the worship was understandably colourful and lively. They had us doing action songs that even I couldn't manage - don't worry I won't be bringing them back to HTC! But the joy was wonderful.

One of the speakers from Africa also encouraged us to reflect on the history of Christianity in Africa. In 1910, at the Edinburgh Missionary Conference, many people from the UK and the US responded to the challenge to go to all nations by going to unreached parts of Africa with the gospel. A number of missionaries died in the process. However, we were reminded, they did not do so in vain. 100 years on Christianity in Africa is thriving, and indeed Africa is now sending out missionaries - to Europe, to the USA. Such is the economy of God. We were told 'the church in Africa is the church of the future.'

Also a great quote from Lausanne Chair Doug Birdsall, speaking at the Younger Leaders Reception this evening: 'The future is as bright as the promises of God.'

Christ-like leadership

2010-10-22T17:33:00.005+01:00

I went to a session this afternoon on Christ-like leadership - leadership exercised in the church and in the public sphere.

We were shown two video clips: one of a Cabinet meeting chaired by Idi Amin, when he was President of Ugunda, and other from the film Invictus, when President Nelson Mandela met Francois Piennar, the captain of the Springboks rugby team. Amin was dominant and harsh, intimidating his ministers, brooking no opposition. Mandela asked after Piennar's health and welfare and personally served him tea.

We were asked the question: which model of leadership is more similar to the leadership we live and see around us - that of Idi Amin or Nelson Mandela? A slightly extreme question, perhaps, but a critical one. Leadership that is not done after the pattern of Jesus Christ - wherever we are called to exercise it - does not honour the name of Christ.

A fresh call to humility, then.

Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. (Luke 22:25-27)

Unreached and unengaged

2010-10-22T17:05:00.000+01:00

Today's focus at the Lausanne Congress in Cape Town is billed as 'discerning the will of God for evangelization in our century'. I think the idea was for us to get our minds around what our collective priorities ought to be.

On the one hand, I did not sense or notice a great deal of discerning going on around me.

On the other hand there was a plea from Paul Eshleman (of Campus Crusade) for all 4500 delegates to give priority to reaching what he described as 'unengaged, unreached people groups'.

We were each issued with a pamphlet which detailed 632 of these people groups with populations of over 50,000, from around the world. I was interested to note that in the UK we apparently have 5 such groups including 'Traveller Gypsy', 'Turkish Cypriot', and 'Ukrainian'. In India there are well over 100. I was a little surprised to find no unreached people groups in the USA...

Put another way. There are apparently 2250 languages with not one word of scripture translated. For these people there is little chance they will hear or encounter the Gospel.

We debated around our table groups why these 'UPGs' have not been reached. According to Paul E the number one reason given by Christians is "we did not know".

Whilst Paul E will be disappointed to hear I am not about to go to serve the 1.2m Daroga people in India, my eyes were certainly opened to the scale of the challenge. I do hope and pray: that more people would discern God leading them to love and serve groups of people that would otherwise have no opportunity to encounter the Good News; and that 'we did not know' would no longer be the number one reason such groups remain unreached...

Mission through the local church

2010-10-22T14:40:00.001+01:00

This morning we were asked to reflect at our tables on what hindered local churches reaching out to those who had yet to hear and respond to the gospel.

Nus, the Indonesian pastor at our table, (his name is short of Martinus) said that the problem with the churches he oversees were that they were all too busy looking in to go out. However, over a period of time people's hearts were changed and they two years ago they had sent out six workers to work in the unevangelised western areas of Indonesia. There are now ten congregations with 900 Christians in that region.

Nus shared with us: 'The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) is not an invitation. It is a commandment.'

The power of story

2010-10-22T12:28:00.001+01:00

It has been a really interesting morning looking at how we bring the good news of Jesus to those who have never heard.

The statistics are striking: out of 8000 languages in the world, 2252 have not one of the verse of the Bible that has been translated into them.

The task for Bible translation, therefore, is huge, but the need is being met in creative ways, including using the power of story.

'Scripture Servants' are people who go and share the stories of the Bible with a people group who does not have the Bible in their own language. We heard a girl from Hong Kong talk of how she went to live in a part of China unreached for the gospel. She worked in a factory and over time learned the native language from one of the workers who became her friend. This friend came to faith in Christ and together they translated 31 stories from the Bible into the native language and began to share it with the people they worked with. As they have heard the stories of God and Jesus 35 people have so far come to faith. There is still no Bible in that language, but people know the stories, and in cultures which are primarily oral, they remember them.

Table mountain thoughts

2010-10-21T17:29:00.001+01:00

Spent much of the free day climbing Table Mountain with Julian and Heather Henderson, and Richard Turnbull (Principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and my former vicar). Despite pretty cloudy weather on the way up, we made it to the top, and the clouds cleared to we had wonderful views. Above is the evidence that we really did make it.

We chatted about the Congress so far. We all said how much we appreciated studying Ephesians in a different way - basically we have the text as a fold-out manuscript and are invited to mark on it what we notice about Paul's letter. It is a very engaging way of studying the Bible, taking us back to what it must have felt like for Paul's original audience to read it for the first time.

And we all appreciate the chance to meet such committed Christians from all over the world, and worship in so many languages ('Come, now is the time to worship' works well in French). However, at the middle of the Congress we are still waiting to discover what the main theme of the conference is, and in particular what the overall challenge will be. Hopefully that will be clearer in the next few days.

That said, it is pretty clear to me that God is going to use this Congress to show me and, I hope, all of us at HTC, the way we as a local church can play our part in the worldwide mission of God. I don't know exactly what that will look like, but I certainly sense the Holy Spirit at work.

The power of unity

2010-10-21T08:51:00.000+01:00

Unity in the body of Christ has been a strong and recurring theme, here at the Lausanne Congress.

"There can be no authentic witness without authentic community" Doug Birdsall reminded us in his opening address. He echoes Jesus' words in John 17:23: "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me".

The truth and urgency of these words was brought home for me by Simon Cheung, a Chinese pastor in Beijing who I chatted to yesterday. As you may know 200 Chinese church leaders were prevented from joining us in Cape Town by their authorities. I asked Simon why the Chinese government had taken this action. He answered: "They fear the power of unity".

What a message for us all, here in Cape Town, across the Church. Imagine the power of our witness if only we found a way to be 'brought together in complete unity'.

The challenge of urbanisation

2010-10-21T00:44:00.001+01:00

Today we focused on the theme 'bearing witness to the love of Christ in a changing world'.

One of the major ways the world is changing is in terms of urbanisation. For the first time in history more than 50% of people live in cities. A city the size of Bangkok is added every month. 100 cities account for 30% of the world's GDP, and practically all innovation.

Tim Keller (author of 'The Prodigal God') spoke to us this evening on why it's imperative that we reach the cities with the Gospel. Young adults are in the cities - It's where they go. Cities are packed full of those who are influencing our culture, making films, writing books, shaping politics, etc. And cities are where the poor live, frequently in vast shanty towns.

He challenged us to rethink how we reach the cities, and proposed six ideas which he suggests will be indispensable to effective witness.
We must:
1. Be extremely patient with and sensitive to cultural differences
2. Show how faith relates to work, to vocation, which for many constitutes 90% of waking hours
3. Be constantly open to disorder and change
4. Be both intensely evangelistic and extremely concerned for the poor
5. have a commitment to the arts
6. Cooperate with other believers and denominations, collaborating across denominational lines

For me, a challenging and relevant agenda given I live in London.

With Matthew in Cape Town

2010-10-20T22:26:00.001+01:00

Matthew and I finally managed to meet up tonight and share thoughts on the conference so far. We have both been really blessed through studying the Bible with people from other countries, as well as hearing stories of evangelism and social action throughout the world. And we are both encouraged by how this conference will impact our ministries back in the UK.

Tomorrow is a day without a formal conference programme so I will take the chance for a later than 0630 start and see something of Cape Town. Then there is an official reception in the evening when some of us get to meet the Lausanne Congress Observers - people from other churches and organisations invited to attend the congress.

Goats cheese

2010-10-20T18:08:00.001+01:00

Today we heard another moving story with the most wonderful illustration I wanted to share with you.

Libby Little spoke to us about her husband Tom who was murdered by extremists in Afghanistan in August this year. Together they had lived and worked in Afghanistan for thirty years, and Tom was serving with nine others on a mobile medical team, bringing aid to some of the most isolated parts of that country. They never preached about Jesus and did not call themselves missionaries but were prepared to give an answer when people asked them what motivated them. When he was killed, Tom was on his way back from a remote valley he had visited four times before. The first visit he had asked if he could come; the four subsequent visits he had been warmly invited.

Libby showed us some notes which he had used for devotions with the team a few days before they were all killed. Stained with blood, they were passages from scripture and had a note in the margin 'use the goats cheese story'. Libby told us what that story was all about.

Goats cheese in that part of Afghanistan takes some getting used to. It is so strong that it permeates everything around it, and at first smell it is so sour and pungent that many find it repulsive. So it takes some getting used to, and you have to acquire a taste for it. But if you actually try it you find that it has a deep rich flavour that enhances the somewhat bland flavours of the corn bread that is the staple food. Many find that when they have tried it they then can't get enough.

Libby drew some parallels with sharing Jesus Christ in that part of the world. The grace of God is something that is not attractive at first sight. God coming in weakness in Jesus Christ to lay down his life is not something you are able to discuss or debate. To talk about the vulnerability of God in a culture where strength and power rules and where you get what you deserve is something distasteful and even repulsive. People need time to acquire a taste for grace, and they need to see it permeating everything that is done. It has to be seen and experienced. People have to smell the aroma of Christ in people they know. But, but, when people have tasted grace, they say 'we like it' and want more.

All this, Libby said, takes time and a willingness to give of yourself and be spent, for the sake of sharing God's grace. Tom did just that, but Libby quoted two lines from a poem from John Piper to remind herself - and us - that God will give us more than we ever give up:

What we have lost God will restore

That and himself for evermore

Something to mull over when we next have some cheese.

'O taste and see that the Lord is good' (Psalm 34:8)

A different form of church

2010-10-20T13:49:00.001+01:00

This morning we saw some photos of people worshipping, and at first sight you would have thought it was worship taking place in a mosque. Prayer mats, kneeling, the leader sitting down to teach.

But this was a church in India for Christians from a Muslim background. The form was clearly Islamic, but the content was fully Christian. The pastor of the church was called the immam, and yet he was teaching from the Bible. He was the brother of the woman who was sharing her story this morning. This Pakistani woman came to faith in Jesus Christ from a Muslim background and then in time her husband and her family came to faith too. They are passionate about helping people from a Muslim background discover the good news of Jesus, and the church was one way of doing that. She shared how the similarities in worship form had had some benefits. 'People came to our church thinking it was a mosque', she said, 'but the good news is, they stayed.'

Of course, for all these wonderful stories, we know that the reality for many Christians ministering among Muslims is very different. One young man shared from the front of the many converts who fall away from a new faith because of the isolation it brings, and at our table our Indonesian brother shared that if the Indian church we had heard about existed in his country, then the minority radicals there would have not let it continue. And this despite the fact that the majority of Muslims in Indonesia are tolerant.

I felt challenged this morning to see the complexities and diversities of Islam, and yet was encouraged to hear that the future is clearly seen in different forms of churches such as we had heard about - places where the good news of Jesus is lived out not in the ways that we know but in ways that make sense where people are.

Archbishop Ben Kwashi, who I mentioned the other day (ashes in a glass box) was also speaking this morning. He finished his speech like this (and don't forget this in an Anglican Archbishop speaking, 'I know I will die someday...but until that day I have a gospel to proclaim, a gospel worth living for and a gospel worth dying for.'

PS Delighted to have Matthew Frost posting on this blog too - to see who is posting what look to the bottom of the post!

Mass bible study

2010-10-19T23:09:00.002+01:00

Day 2 at Lausanne and we're shifting themes - from 'Truth' to 'Peace'. Every morning this week we're all participating in the largest simultaneous bible study I've certainly ever seen. 800 tables, 800 study groups. We have been 'sent' Paul's letter to the Ephesians in the form of a single manuscript. And as such we've received it as a letter to each of us, as relevant now as it was then. This morning we read and explored the second chapter. Ruth Padilla DeBorst led our collective exposition and focused on the passage's powerful message of reconciliation and peace-making, embodied in Jesus. "Jesus is our peace"(vs14). Ruth called us to remember that God's gift of membership in His household (vs19-22) has implications, obligations. "Are we living stones that fit with the others and are built on the cornerstone - Jesus?" "Are we being built together into a dwelling place for God?" She challenged us to make our unity sharply visible, tangible to all, and concluded: "Reconciled relationships, in spite of differences, are the most powerful witness to the world". On my table we have a three leaders from Africa, and one each from Australia, Germany, Korea and the Philippines. Three of the group shared stories from their country. Each story, sadly, illustrated how disunity within the Church has undermined it's credibility, integrity and witness. Ruth left us with a question to ponder. "Will we be fruits and agents of Pax Christi? Or Pax Romana?"

The struggling church

2010-10-19T21:26:00.001+01:00

This evening we heard about the church in the Middle East and North Africa - and it is a mixed picture.

Two stories struck me. The first was a church leader from North Africa speaking about countries, such as Morocco, where there had been no church at all for eight centuries. Now the church is slowly growing, but numbers are still small. And the struggle is real, with new believers facing being ostracised by family and friends. 'When I speak of what you receive when you become a Christian', the pastor told us, 'I say that you get two things: salvation and persecution.'

The second testimony was from a church leader in Iran. I imagined Iran as a similarly closed country, but apparently it isn't. The speaker described it as 'a closed land with thousands of open hearts.' There is a sizable underground church in Iran, and we heard that more people have become Christians in Iran in the last thirty years than in the previous 1300 years. A land, apparently, of opportunity.

Growth in Burma

2010-10-19T17:39:00.001+01:00

One of the special things about this congress is meeting Christians from some of the most challenging contexts in the world. This is a photo of me with Dr Aung Mang, the Principal of the Myanmar Evangelical Graduate School of Theology. Burma is a country where to be a Christian is a tough choice indeed, and yet as we shared coffee Aung was encouraging me with news the growth of the Burmese church. At the last Lausanne Congress, in Manilla in 1988, there were two representatives from Burma/Myanmar. Here in Cape Town there are twelve.

Aung is coming to the UK in January and I have invited him to come and be with us in Claygate so we will get the chance to get to know him better then and hear stories of how the college is training new leaders for the Burmese church. I can't wait to introduce him to HTC.

Reconciliation in a broken world

2010-10-19T14:48:00.000+01:00

Today's theme is reconciliation - appropriately given that we have reached chapter two in our daily study of Ephesians, the theme of which is our reconciliation with God and, therefore, with each other.

This morning as well as studying the Bible over tables together - something that is so rewarding to do with people from different countries - we also heard from Christian leaders who are seeking to bring reconciliation in their contexts: a woman who works to free Dalit slaves in India and a leader seeking to bring healing in Rwanda after the awful genocide there in the 1990s

Also speaking were a young man and woman from the Middle East, and it was their testimony that really stuck in my mind.

Shadia is a Palestinian Christian, converted in a Baptist Church in Nazareth and now working to promote peace in the Middle East. She said that the first time she met a Messianic Jew (that is, a person from Jewish background who believes in Jesus) she felt deeply uncomfortable and wary. These were the people she had been brought up to hate. But she realised that if the cross meant anything, it meant that the barrier between Jew and Gentile was broken down, and that she could love her brother in Christ. She finished with these words, 'As a Palestinian alone I cannot love my enemy. As a Palestinian Christian I can.'

Daniel is a believer from a Jewish background, converted while he was living in the US while his father was serving there with the Israeli military. He said that his parents would be outraged to see him on a Christian platform, but he is passionate about living out his faith in Jesus Christ, and helping Jewish people come back to the Messiah. He shared Shadia's views about the necessity of Christ in solving the Middle East situation, 'It is when Palestinian and Israeli can say to each other 'I love you' that we will demonstrate to the world that reconciliation is found in Jesus Christ alone.'

'But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.' For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.' (Ephesians 2:13-14)

The suffering church

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At this evening's session we prayed for the many Chinese leaders who were not able to join us in Cape Town. We also heard about and prayed for the suffering church throughout the world. Sobering and stirring stuff - real faithfulness to Jesus.

And we heard an amzing story. A young girl, aged 18, stood on stage and told us all how she had been brought up in North Korea where her father was an aide to Kim-Jong Il. He fell out of favour with the North Korean leader and the family fled to China when the girl was 6. There her parents came to faith. After her mother had died of leukemia, the girl's father was arrested in China and deported back to North Korea where he spent three years in prison. On his return to China he received a call from God to go back to North Korea and spread the gospel. He did this, but in 2006 after some time ministering underground, he was discovered by the North Korean authorities and put in prison. Nothing has been heard of him since. His daughter assumes he has been shot.

Before the girl left China for South Korea, where she was being adopted, she had a dream in which she saw Jesus and heard him say, 'Walk with me. You have lost your earthly father but I am your heavenly Father. I love you'. The girl began to walk with Jesus Christ.

Now finishing her high school education in South Korea she wants to go to university to study politics and diplomacy and aims to go back to North Korea. She finished, breaking up in tears 'I have the same heart for North Korea as my father had, and my God has. I want to use my life to build God's kingdom there. I want to bring Jesus' love to the hopeless people of North Korea'

The standing ovation said it all.

Living out your faith

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Had an inspiring session on evangelism this afternoon. One of the speakers was Ben Kwashi, Anglican Archbishop of Jos, Nigeria. It was striking enough to have an Archbishop speaking so passionately and confidently about the truth of the gospel but his story was more amazing still.
Jos is an area of Nigeria where there is frequently trouble between Christians and Muslims and Archbishop Ben has experienced this at first hand. Twenty three years ago Ben's house was burnt down by those opposing his faith. He lost all his possessions - everything reduced to ashes. But he was not disheartened or angry. He told us that what he did was collect up some ashes from each room and put them in a glass box. He has carried this box around wherever he goes as a reminder that this world is temporary and every day is a gift from God.
That is living out your faith.

Truth matters

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This morning we heard impassioned pleas to hold on to the reality of objective truth in a world which would seek to marginalise it - along the lines of 'my truth is as good as yours'. This was reckoned to be a particularly Western trend, and it was said that many churches had failed to defend the uniqueness of Christ and the gospel. Os Guinness, one of the speakers, said 'Shame on western Christians who casually neglect or scornfully deny that for which others Christian sisters and brothers in the world would rather die.'

The interesting thing is that around our table and over lunch I heard that pluralism is not just a western phenomenon - it is present in Africa and Asia too. There people find it easy to claim that Jesus' way works, but harder to maintain that it is true. The challenge to argue for and live Jesus Christ as the unique truth is the same the world over.

I found it helpful when one the speakers described the three common ways that we find God: first, we are driven by human needs; second, we discover that he finds us; and third, we come to believe that his claims are true. They overlap, of course, and we move from one to the other, but without the last true saving faith is impossible.

We heard a great example of this. We saw a wonderful video about a lady from the former Soviet territory who became a Christian from a Muslim background. Initially thrown out of her family home by her elder brother, she began to witness to her new faith and now all but one of her ten brothers and sisters are now Christians, and the one who threw her out - he is now a leading evangelist! Someone who believes in the reality of truth, and who has come to know it.

Who's here

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For a parish church HTC has quite a few links here at Lausanne. I bumped into Matthew Frost yesterday, and am sitting on adjacent table to Heather Henderson who is here with her diocesan hat on, and Julian too. Also on an adjacent table is Akos, the Hungarian doctor we work so closely with in our partnership with the Ukraine.

Not sure any of us will make it onto the video of the opening celebration, which you can experience something of tonight at Together in Prayer, at 8pm in church. We hope to show highlights and to pray for the work going on here.

But there are some people not here. We were told last night that the Chinese delegation, which was meant to be around 200 strong and therefore the second largest here, was not allowed to leave mainland China. We prayed that they would not feel spiritually isolated but know their fellowship with the worldwide church. Pretty tough really.

By the way, it is now possible to leave a comment on the blog, or to ask a question if you wish.

Opening Celebration Part II

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So the Congress has begun.

This afternoon we spent a couple of hours getting to know each other in table groups. One member of the group I am facilitating is a senior leader in the Vietnamese church. He told us about the persecution that Christians experience there, but added with a smile 'The persecution we receive, the more growth we see!' Challenging stuff for us in the comfortable West.

Other table group members are a church leader from Indonesia, a pastor from New Zealand, a publisher from South Africa and a lady who works for a preaching organisation in Australia. I am looking forward to hearing their insights in the week to come.

In the opening session this evening, as well as worshipping in various languages, we saw dramatic reconstructions of how the gospel had come to and spread in Asia, South America and Africa, places where the church continues to grow rapidly.

The conference was described tonight as the most representative and diverse group of Christian leaders ever brought together. The prayer as we closed this evening was that we would represent the most united expression of the church the world has ever seen. Please make that your prayer.

So it is great to be getting going. Tomorrow we look at the theme of Truth and why it still matters.

It is a privilege to be here.

Opening Celebration

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Just back from the opening celebration. We sang

Come, young and old from every land -
Men and women of the faith;
Come, those with full or empty hands -
Find the riches of His grace.
Over all the world, His people sing -
Shore to shore we hear them call
The Truth that cries through every age:
"Our God is all in all"!

Familiar words to us at HTC but singing them with 4200 people from 200 countries was something else.

Table groups

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This morning I've been having training on leading a table group. One of the things we are being encouraged to share is not only a strength that God has given us, but also a weakness or hardship that we experience. The aim is to get people connecting on a deeper level than the superficial. Might need to conquer the British reserve on that one. One of the people sitting with me was a Pentecostal bishop from the Philippines who was asked to pray at the President's recent inauguration. The evangelical church there has grown in recent years from 6% to 12% of the country's population. The reason was strategic church planting and clear discipleship strategies. Off now to meet the table group I am facilitating and have the opening celebration.

Ready to get going

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About 50 of the UK delegation flew out on the same flight last night: church and mission leaders, and evangelicals in academia, business and public life. We were warmly greeted at the airport and then whisked off to register at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. All smoothly done, and then I had the great surprise of being greeted by Gerrit Smit, a member at HTC and former resident of Cape Town, who is here on business. He took me off on a whistlestop tour of Cape Town, including a stop at Newlands, the most beautiful cricket ground in the world. I hope the picture below conveys that. Cape Town is a truly stunning city.

But I sense is something more stunning going on. This is what Archbishop Henry Orombi, Honorary Chair of the Africa Host Committee wrote in the Congress handbook:

Cape Town always leaves its visitors stunned by its beauty. How much more we will gain this week as we gather with brothers and sisters from around the world. At the CTICC you will meet fellow believers from some 200 countries, bringing their own mother tongues, local cultures and different styles in worshipping our glorious God. We trust you will gain fresh insights to inspire you in your journey of obedience to Jesus' Great Commission.

It is an exciting prospect.

Tomorrow morning I am going to have training as a table group leader; we will meet in table groups of 6 throughoout the Congress to discuss, reflect and pray. We will meet as table groups tomorrow afternoon and then share in the opening celebration together.

I'd really value prayer for myself and for all who are meeting here. This is what Doug Birdsall, Executive Chair of the Congress, writes in his welcome:

The mission of God - to reconcilce the world to himself through Christ - is more than just our Congress theme. It is our focus, our calling, our passion. It is this reconciling gospel that brings us together. We sincerely pray that God will renew our passion if it is dimming, and strengthen us in every needed way for the urgent and joyful task he has entrusted to us.

Amen.

I've arrived safely in Cape Town

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and met up with Gerrit Smit from HTC who took me to Newlands on a tour of Cape Town.
Will post more a bit later.

Off to Cape Town

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Just about to head off to the airport.

I have just seen on the Cape Town 2010 website that the main presentations will be available as video and audio podcasts. With a world-class set of speakers they will be worth downloading (alongside the HTC sermons of course).

Also, please pray for participants who are coming from countries whose governments are not wildly keen on Christian churches. You can imagine which ones I am referring to. I have heard that some people have turned up at airports only to have their passports confiscated.

I’ll post again when I get to Cape Town.

What is going to be happening in Cape Town?

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You can see the outline programme for the week here

It is a pretty impressive line-up of speakers, focussed on the theme of the congress: Bringing the Whole Gospel by the Whole Church to the Whole World. So we will be focussing two days at a time on the gospel which God has given, the world in which we are called to bring that gospel, and the church which is to be the agent of that mission. All under the banner of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians which will be studying during the week.

There has been some excellent preparation going on. Over on the Cape Town 2010 website there are advance papers for all the main sessions, and an excellent summary of the congress theme here. I shared it with the PCC last Monday, and there was a real sense of excitement at such a clear exposition of the gospel in all its fullness, together with the mission we are called to.

Of course, alongside the formal parts of the conference there will be the informal opportunities to meet Christians from all over the world, engaged in God’s mission. I am praying that God will use these contacts to encourage and inspire me as a local church leader to see my – and our - place in God’s worldwide mission.

Off to start packing.

What is the Lausanne Movement?

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As I have been getting ready to leave for Cape Town, I have been reading up on the history of the Lausanne Movement. Effectively it is the story of Christians working together to spread the name of Jesus – and is therefore a story of encouragement and hope.

It all goes back to a meeting held in Lausanne in 1974 attended by 2300 delegates from 150 countries. You can read more about it here.

One of the most enduring achievements of the Lausanne movement has been the Lausanne Covenant, a declaration that was "intended to define the necessity, responsibilities, and goals of spreading the Gospel." It brought together evangelism and social action as jointly essential aspects of Christian mission and has helped shape the pattern of Christian mission for the last thirty five years.

You can read the Covenant here and a commentary by John Stott, who helped draft the Covenant, here.

For me these documents sum up what I believe the Bible teaches about mission in all its depth.

In a few days I’ll post on some of the preparatory work that has been done for this Congress and what we are going to be doing.

Preparing for Lausanne III

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On Friday 15 October I am heading off to Cape Town to participate in the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization.

I have been invited as one of a 150-strong delegation from the UK to join over 4000 Christian leaders from over 200 countries to think, discuss and pray about the future of world mission. The heading is ‘The Whole Gospel by the Whole Church to the Whole World’.

I am really excited about going and participating in a conference of such scale and scope. I expect and pray to be challenged and changed through my experience, and really want to share it with as many as possible. Hence this blog.

I plan to post regularly while I am there, but will also be updating it in the week to come with more information about the Lausanne movement and what we are planning to do. I say ‘we’ because Matthew Frost is also coming from HTC.

So I would be delighted if you checked back over the next few weeks, and thanks for your prayers.

Philip