Induction Jon Edwards Middlesbrough

I had a  long journey but a wonderful day in Middlesbrough,where I spoke at the induction of Jon Edwards
at South Bank Baptist Church.The church is not placed in an easy situation but it does have enormous potential, and by Gods Grace will grow .The people were very warm and welcoming and as usual there was a huge amount of food afterwards ! I thought I would put the notes for my sermon on the blog

Jon Speaking

It has been a long journey here and it will be a long journey back but let me tell you a secret

We would not have missed this occasion for the world

It is a joy to be here!

I have known Jon longer than he has known Liz

I have known Liz longer than she has known Jon

I admire them both enormously

They are not perfect but they are deeply committed 

They have exercised a committed servant ministry and they will be deeply missed in Ludlow and indeed in Shropshire

Indeed such was the shock at their leaving that the Walls of Ludlow castle collapsed;)  and the pope resigned

Today I want want to say some things to both John and Liz and the church

Don’t be a kind of  miserable religious club

Be the chosen people ,the royal priesthood the holy nation you belong to God

The local Church is not a building full of people it is a people full of God

The church is the people of God called to display his goodness of His reign to the world

The church is the bride of Christ brought into being by Jesus death on the cross

The church is a community of grace energised and empowered by The Holy Spirit

And my challenge to you today as you begin a new phase in your churches life is to become  who you are

Don’t be a religious club

Yes I know you have had a long interregnum,that some of you are probably tired that you may be worrying about money that the building may not be in great shape that the mission field is tough but  Southbank become who you are

You are a living cell in the Body of Christ  Southbank /Jon and Liz we charge you on this special day  become Who  you are

Do not consume time and energy trying to recreate a past that was no doubt good- perhaps at times very good,  but is also long gone

Be the people of God here today right here and right now    

Now Peter was writing to Christians on the margins of their culture

He was writing to people to took a bit of abuse for their faith in Jesus

He was writing at a time when most people in the society would never have dreamt of going to church

This is a missionary document

He was writing to a society a bit like ours!There may have been a time when all you had to do was to ring the bell of the parish church and the faithful (and let’s  be honest not so faithful) would flock to church  That day has long gone

Read v 9-12

Now the word church is first used of the people of God on Mount Sinai  the people of God gathered around Mount Sinai are to live in such a way that they commend the Living God to the Nations

In these verses as Peters readers would have instantly understood Peter is recalling them to Mount Sinai to the place of intimate encounter with God that is where all ministry must begin I often thinking churches including the one I lead could do with less meeting and more encounters for  apart from anything else you will never attract people to Jesus unless you are passionate about Jesus yourself

I have sat in meetings where the things people have got passionate about are what colour should we paint the church doors , should we have a basket or a bag to take up the offering, and should there or should there not be a cross on the church building

How about some passion for  following Jesus rather than for club issues

Give Jon the time the space so he can encounter God He is the source for all ministry Jon you need to make sure you have a Passion for  Jesus

and  having encountered The Living God the church is to live in such a way that they commend God to the Nations by their lives

I have never been here before but I can speak for Shropshire and Herefordshire and I can speak for Glasgow where I spent 8 years and in my experience in our society  very  few people are argued into The Kingdom of God they are usually loved into The Kingdom of God

It doesn’t mean we don’t have to speak the gospel but it does mean that our life in the the community outside the building and indeed the quality of our relationships are to give substance to our words They are to underpin the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to be people that everyone would love to have as their neighbours A people who bless others

This is an austere world for many people I know the North East is not exempt from that

We are to live in tough times so that others will ask the reason for our hope

Nor if you are a Christian this has huge implications  for how you spend your days how you use your time

I used to think my task was to invite people to evangelistic events I am learning that my life is to be an evangelistic event

Mark Greene makes a point we church leaders would do well to listen to

He said tells the story of a  teacher who said to Him I spend one hour a week teaching Sunday school and my Church hauls me up the front to pray for me I spend  the rest of the week being a full time teacher and my church has never prayed for me ..That says it all!

So Jon part of your task is to equip and disciple others to live for Jesus wherever they are  but I want to make a point to the church too and it is this

Don’t keep Jon too busy  to build quality relationships here  Governors

Give Jon the time  ,the space, the permission to put down deep roots in this community, as he did in Ludlow  support him ,encourage him as he shares  his life with the least ,the last ,the lost

Better still join him in that ministry  indeed it is essential that you do for as The African proverb says” If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go with others.

There is a great deal of criticism and scepticism around these  days I

In the early centuries of the church Christianity grew not because they build big buildings or because they had great conferences or worship bands Christianity grew because Christians cared for the poor ,the widow ,the terminally ill those in prison and even those condemned to death

In times of plague when pagans fled Christians stayed  sometimes at the cost of their own lives No wonder pagan priests spent a lot of time  whinging about the good reputations Christians had

How do you measure a great church The size of its congregation ,the size of it offering the quality of its  worship band ,how many services it has ,how many young people it has how good the preacher is.How big the building is?

That’s all great but we need to change the scorecard for the church

For Jesus judges a church by how good our lives are ,how much we bless others in His name =How much we show His love to a pain-filled and hurting world How well we serve others

I know Jon and Liz are passionate about these things ,they have demonstrated that in powerful ways in Ludlow and elsewhere support them in their passion for people

Indeed I am confident you will

I am not sure if there is such a thing as an average Baptist Minister but if there is let me tell you Jon is not it

But we have heard you have felt led to call him here and he and Liz have felt strongly called to come and I am looking forward to hearing great stories of God working here