Not only are we together as a community of his people, we are also together in the community of the Almighty Creator.
This article is an extract from my short book, Jesus, Disciple, Mission, Church (JDMC). The bite-sized piece below is roughly two percent of the book.
Jesus at the centre
JDMC cover
We have seen how important it is to keep Jesus right at the heart of everything we do. We have seen that we must follow Jesus alone and that there can be no room for following anyone or anything else.
Without the Holy Spirit we will find this impossible. We receive the Spirit from Jesus as a baptism (Matthew 3:11). In response to our love and obedience, Jesus sends us his Spirit (John 14:15-17). We are not free to defile our bodies because they are ‘temples of the Holy Spirit’ (1 Corinthians 6:19) – and if this is true of our bodies, isn’t it also true of our hearts and minds? The essence of keeping Jesus at the centre is that we know Jesus is Lord of our lives and our thinking and our emotions, of all that we are and all that we do. Yet we can’t even say the words ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3).
How has the Spirit helped keep you focused on Jesus? Try to find specific examples rather than generalisations.
Becoming disciples
This is a matter of following Jesus and becoming conformed to his image. Look at the fruit of the Spirit as set out by Paul in Galatians 5:22-26: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This is how the Holy Spirit moulds us to become more Christlike. This is fruit, it grows in us day by day, year by year. And the degree to which we have become conformed is expressed in all we think and say and do.
Doesn’t this sound familiar? Isn’t this the very process of becoming disciples that we are looking for? If we are filled by the Spirit and respond to him we will bear the fruit of the Spirit in every way. We co-operate with the Holy Spirit when we develop a habit of joy or patience or gentleness. Right behaviour over and over again forms those habits of fruitfulness in us. There are two sides to this. We cannot do it in our own strength so we need and depend on the Spirit. But he will not coerce us, he expects to see our obedient willingness to allow him to change us.
Is there spiritual fruit in your life? How might you explain this to someone who doesn’t yet know Jesus?
Outward and integrated
We need to reach those around us; Jesus commands it. He said, ‘I’ve been given all authority in heaven and on earth, so as you go, make disciples of all nations … and I’ll be with you.’ (Matthew 28:18-20) But as we go out into the world and seek to embed ourselves deep in the culture (as he did), we do not go alone.
Not only are we together as a community of his people, we are also together in the community of the Almighty Creator. The Son has made the way open and has sent the Spirit to fill us – Father, Son, Spirit, and us! It’s not going to heaven when we die; it’s far better than that. It’s living in their community right here, right now and forever. Jesus says he is with us right to the end (Matthew 28:20) and he says that if we have seen him we have seen the Father (John 14:9).
In our going out and going deep we remain in the Presence, for the Holy Spirit is in us and communicates with us and for us. We couldn’t be effective carriers of good news without him. There are some great examples in the New Testament; read Acts 8:26-39, Acts 10:9-21 and Acts 16:7-10.
As you go out and deep in the culture around you, how will you pay attention to the presence of the Holy Spirit with you? Consider prayer, listening, and the truth that the Spirit is alive within you and wanting to communicate with you.
Read the book
This was extracted from Jesus, Disciple, Mission, Church (JDMC), pages 38 and 39. Download the whole thing or read it online – GetJDMC.scilla.org.uk
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Notes from bygone years – May all your Mays be amazing Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.
May 2023 (1 year before publishing this article)
Warners hotel near Hereford
We took Donna’s Mum, Isobel, for a weekend break at a Warners hotel; the one we visited is Holme Lacy, not far from Hereford. Donna thought Isobel would enjoy this place, and she was right. In the evening there were tribute bands singing songs that were popular in the 50s and 60s, so music that is still popular amongst the older generation these days. The outside areas are attractive too as you can see from the photo.
I had a suspected cold but needed to be sure it wasn’t COVID as I was planning to be with a group of friends, but as you can see the result was negative.
I don’t think any of us wants to go through another pandemic! It was very disruptive in so many ways.
Choosing a day with beautiful sunshine, we visited Hidcote Gardens and then Charlcote Park (pictured). The ingenuity, design and construction that went into gardens and houses like these is astounding. But they depended on the work of large numbers of people much less fortunate than the people who lived in them.
New Frontiers were holding their annual gathering at the National Agricultural Centre at Stoneleigh and I felt I should take my friends Kev and John to one of the sessions. They’d shown real interest in Jesus and we’d been reading through parts of the Bible in a local coffee shop in St Neots. The photo shows them listening to news about church planting in Pakistan.
River Church in St Neots had a day out at Grafham Water on 25th May. Here’s Jim’s giant Jenga being put to good use. Everyone had a great time, but Jim’s Jenga tower is nowhere near the largest. Try this one for size!
Ken and Gayna are good friends of ours. Ken and Donna were both working and I was working a four day week at that time, so Gayna and I visited Ely Cathedral which she’d never seen before. The photo shows the lantern, an astonishing design and structure for medieval times.
On 1st May we visited Donna’s parents. Her Dad had a hot air balloon flight for two as a birthday present and this was the day he chose for the ascent, inviting me to join him. In the photo, I’m on the left and Tony’s on the right. It was an amazing experience!
I replied to a mailing list message about SUPER.EXE, an MS-DOS utility for getting temporary admin rights on a Novell Netware server. It saved logging out and in again (twice) or, even worse, going to the locked server room to perform the same task from there.
World events: F1 world champion, Ayrton Senna died in a crash; the Channel Tunnel opened between England and France; and Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first black president.
We visited Cirencester and my Mum and Dad took us to North Meadow at Cricklade to look at the snake’s head fritillaries growing wild there. After that we drove up the Stow Road to see orchids and pasqueflowers. It was quite the botanical field trip!
My daughter Beth loved hamsters, so when she was six I wrote a Sinclair Spectrum text adventure for her, starring a hamster. If you use a Spectrum emulator you can still load and run this game. I suggest the Fuse emulator (free). Once installed, here’s the Hamster! download.
World events: The Severomorsk Disaster was an enormous explosion at the Soviet Severomorsk Naval Base; and a gas explosion in Lancashire killed 16 people.
We travelled to a Post Green meeting at Lytchett Minster near Poole with our friends Paul and Jenny as we had no car at this time. Tony and Faith also drove down. This was an eye-opening experience for all six of us, we learned so much about community, making music, and the gifts of the Spirit. We camped in a borrowed tent and our one-year-old, Beth, slept in a cardboard box. Beth’s first birthday came in May as well, Debbie was already four, our family was growing up!
World events:Margaret Thatcher became the UK’s first woman prime minister; and Greenland was granted limited autonomy from Denmark.
I was still doing a little work on willow growth rates for Ken Stott, the Willows officer at LARS, but Ken had been providing help to the Pomology Group and I was working more and more on that. I’d had a promotion to Higher Scientific Officer (HSO) and was eager to spend more time on microscopy and pollination.
As Bath University Horticulture students, we visited commercial sites from time to time see horticulture in action and ask questions of the managers and staff. The photo shows one of these visits in May 1969. Peter Thoday, one of our lecturers at the time and later a TV personality, is at the back on the right.
World events: An American teenager died of a baffling medical condition, later identified as HIV/AIDS; Apollo 10‘s lunar module flew two astronauts to within 16 km of the Moon‘s surface.
Here’s my sister, Ruth, busy with coloured chalks and a little slate. The floor covering is linoleum, bought by my grandparents for the house, now relegated to the garden. In the background is my old scooter from the mid 1950s. Ruth is on the loggia, a covered area in the garden with three open sides.
May probably brought school half-term, Spring Bank Holiday was 18th, the Eleven Plus exams loomed, and probably came in June; it was strange to realise that at the end of term, my days at Junior School would be over! Uncertainty lay ahead but I don’t remember feeling anxious, nor indeed excited.
I had a letter from my older cousin, Jill. At this time she was staying in a hostel in Deptford, London. She had watched the Royal Yacht Britannia returning home with the Queen and Prince Philip on board. The ship was brand new at the time and she wanted to describe the event for me. Click the image to read an extract.
Approaching ten months old, I might have started imitating sounds. I’d have been fairly mobile and no doubt making a nuisance of myself by crawling. Perhaps I had a favourite toy by this time too. We were still living with my grandparents, though Mum and Dad were hoping to move to a home of their own soon.
In May, Dad had several firsts during basic training for the RAF. He threw a live hand grenade, went through a gas chamber and removed his mask inside, fired a Sten gun, and suffered a carbuncle on his neck that required a stay in Sick Quarters. On 25th May Dad was moved, with 12 others, to an RAF station at Wilmslow in Cheshire.
This new life we live is not just about what we do, nor is it entirely about receiving from the Spirit. Jesus wants our co-operation.
This article is an extract from my short book, Jesus, Disciple, Mission, Church (JDMC). I also mention The Forgotten Ways, a book by Alan Hirsch. The bite-sized piece below is roughly two percent of the book.
JDMC cover
I want to guard against any suggestion that JDMC is merely presenting an organisational mechanism for rapid missional spread. It’s much more than a worldly method or a management technique. Instead it is the pattern set by Christ himself, and therefore the Spirit of Christ is present throughout and waiting for us to hear his guidance and encouragement as we do the work the Master has entrusted to us. To depend on human technique alone won’t cut the mustard – far from it! One of the forgotten ways is keeping Jesus central, following only him, adding nothing in addition. This utter dependence on Christ surely implies and demands a dependence on his Spirit – how could it possibly be otherwise?
We need to recognise that this new life we live is not just about what we do, nor is it entirely about receiving from the Spirit. Jesus wants our co-operation. If there was no need for the work of the Spirit, why would Paul warn us not to quench him? (1 Thessalonians 5:19) And if there was no need for human effort or will, why would he tell us to strive? (1 Thessalonians 5:15, 1 Timothy 4:10)
So in this additional part of JDMC I want to highlight some of the ways we can recognise and value the Holy Spirit’s activity as we attempt to remember and activate the six forgotten ways. I also offer some advice on spiritual listening at the end.
To be clear, this section should not be seen as an additional ‘forgotten way’. It isn’t that at all. But the work of the Holy Spirit surely runs deep in each of those six forgotten ways. He is, as already mentioned, the Spirit of Christ and he was sent specifically to enable us to continue the work of Jesus. If we are the body and Jesus is our head, then the Spirit is like a nervous system – fundamentally centred in the head but with sensory and motor connections to every part of the body. When we resist him and are disobedient, part of the body is effectively paralysed. And if the body acts without the Holy Spirit it is sleepwalking and ineffective.
If all of this sounds hard – it is. We have to learn to die so that we can begin to live in Christ. It’s not that we have to work hard to be more like Jesus; rather we have to let go of all our own goals and desires and effort and planning and let Jesus live his life in us. He will tell us and show us what to do, when to do it, and how. The Holy Spirit is no less than the Spirit of Christ, he is our guide and walks with us in every situation. He is the heart and mind of the Messiah expressing himself through his people.
Talk together about the ways the Holy Spirit has interacted with you in your lives as you follow Jesus. Are there some encouraging stories you can share? (This question is for group discussion, but since you’re reading this you might think about it as an individual.)
Read the book
This was extracted from Jesus, Disciple, Mission, Church (JDMC), page 37. Download the whole thing or read it online – GetJDMC.scilla.org.uk
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Barges were able to move goods of all kinds between London and the River Severn via Oxford, Cirencester and Stroud
The parapet at the NW tunnel portal (Click image to enlarge)
The Thames & Severn Canal tunnel was opened in April 1789. The work was a major engineering achievement at the time.
There had been serious difficulty with the contractor originally chosen to do the work. But now it was complete, and barges were able to move goods of all kinds between London and the River Severn via Oxford, Cirencester and Stroud.
Here’s a short extract from the Gloucester Journal from 4th May 1789.
By a letter from Cirencester, dated the 19th ult., we learn that a great undertaking of conveying a tunnel sixteen feet high and sixteen feet wide, under Sapperton-hill and Hayley-wood (very high ground) for two miles and a quarter in length, through a very hard rock, lined and arched with brick, is entirely completed, and boats were to pass through it on the 21st ult.
By this opening communication is made between the river Severn, at Framiload, and the Thames near Lechlade, and will be continued over the Thames below St. John’s Bridge, and so to Oxford, etc., and London, for conveyance of coals, goods, etc.
It is now navigable from the Severn to Themsford by way of Stroud, Cirencester, Cricklade, being filled with water for the purpose near forty miles.
At the time of its execution the tunnel was considered a great undertaking; old King George III visited and expressed himself astonished with it, and that part of the canal at the east end of the tunnel is called “The King’s Reach,” probably in consequence of the visit.
The opening of the canal did not take place until the month of December, 1789, and the Journal of Monday, the 30th of that month, gives the following description of the event: —” On Thursday last was effected the greatest object of internal navigation in this kingdom. The Severn was united with the Thames by intermediate canal, ascending by Stroud, through the Vale of Chalford, to the height of 343 feet, by locks there entering a tunnel through the hill of Sapperton, for the length two miles and three furlongs, and descending 22 [sic 16] locks, it joined the Thames near Lechlade.
Nobody asks your permission or opinion, and suddenly people and places you love are injured and damaged by bombs and missiles.
Today I want to bring you news from Ukraine. I’m going to do this by giving you a glimpse through the eyes of Yaroslava Antipina who lives in Kyiv; if you want to know about a topic, the best sources always include local people.
The image above shows one of Yara’s pages on the web, here (and elsewhere) she writes regularly to inform her readers about the war, but also about Ukraine and Ukrainians. She shows us the architecture, the places she visits, the art galleries and museums and cathedrals and much, much more. Like all Ukrainians, and like my parent’s generation in the UK, Yara knows what it’s like to be thrust unwillingly into armed conflict. Nobody asks your permission or opinion, and suddenly people and places you love are injured and damaged by bombs and missiles.
But that’s enough from me today. I’m simply going to re-post Yara’s latest Sunday message to her followers. I recommend and urge you to read more of her material, you can find her in various places.
–oOo–
Hi!
I am writing to you from sunny Kyiv. The weather is mild and gentle, and on such days, it is hard to believe that the war is walking heavily somewhere on our land.
The situation in Kyiv is not so bad compared to frontline or near frontline territories. If you come here, you will see a city that tries hard to live. And you even feel this tension, this strong desire to show everyone, especially the enemy, that we are alive and our spirit is strong.
I have just got this thought…
Do you also feel that my letters are like conversations between two people? I hope so.
Okay, in this letter, you will see photos of Ukrainian artists from the so-called Samarkand era. Samarkand is a city in Uzbekistan. From 1941 to 1944, this city became a home for many Ukrainian artists. I will briefly tell you about this era a bit later in the letter. And the photos are from the exhibition I visited this week.
Petro Sulymenko (1914-1996), Sher-Dor, 1942
Some explanation: Sher-Dor Madrasa is a 17th-century madrasa (Islamic school) in the historical centre of Samarkand.
Let’s talk about the war. I rarely tell you about the situation on the frontline. It is a topic better explained by war experts or military personnel. But this week, I heard and read a lot about it, especially Chasiv Yar, so I decided to figure out why Chasiv Yar is so important for the russians.
So, Chasiv Yar is a city in Donetsk Oblast. About 13,000 people lived here, but as of early April, about 700 remained. It is the highest point for hundreds of kilometres around. The city stands on hills that protect it from the east and south like defensive walls.
Chasiv Yar is the ‘gateway’’ to the cities of Kostiantynivka (7 km to the west) and Kramatorsk (25 km to the northwest). If the russian forces manage to capture Chasiv Yar, they will have the opportunity to launch an offensive on them and other settlements of Donetsk Oblast, which still are controlled by Ukraine. You can read a short review in Politico or a detailed explanation of the importance of Chasiv Yar in The New York Times.
I want to add a few lines about the situation in Chasiv Yar now. Of the 700 people still living in the city, 80-85% are older people who refused to evacuate. Their main argument is that this is their home, and they want to stay here till the end.
Since February 2023, Chasiv Yar has had no gas and water supply, electricity, and poor mobile phone connection. Those who have stayed here rely on generators and water from wells to keep themselves alive.
All high-rise buildings in Chasiv Yar have been damaged by shelling; 80% of the damages are critical.
–oOo–
There are four more images of beautiful paintings and more informative text, but I want to encourage you to see those on Yara’s site… Thank you!
The wooded valley rises sharply on either side, the River Frome runs along the valley bottom, and stone cottages cling to the slopes on either side.
I set out for a walk along the canal, not intending anything more than a quick explore. I began near Chalford and thought of walking in the Stroud direction, but on the spur of the moment I decided to follow the canal through Chalford village instead as I hadn’t gone that way before.
This is a typical view of the canal in this section
A gentle stroll turns into a major plan
I was enjoying my walk and soon decided to extend it as far as the mouth of the canal tunnel at Daneway Inn. While driving home afterwards I had the idea of walking the entire route in small chunks. So I now have a plan for the old Thames and Severn canal; I’ve done several sections previously, but this time I hope to repeat the walks, covering as much as possible in short sections, and writing up each walk for Journeys of Heart and Mind (JHM).
Part of the canal runs through a tunnel with several sections blocked by collapses, some other sections run through private property and can’t be accessed. Others have been filled in, turned into roads, or are otherwise not walkable. But where the canal has been restored, the towpaths are in great condition. Elsewhere, towpaths are usually passable, especially in dry weather, and they are usually open for use even when the canal itself remains derelict.
Making a start
I was able to park the car right by the tow path (Map), just off London Road west of Chalford (very near Belvedere Mews). Don’t assume you’ll be able to do the same; you might, but there’s only room for half a dozen cars here.
The canal is quite derelict in this section, there’s water in it at many points, but not everywhere. The stonework and brickwork of the locks is severely damaged, and more recent structures such as pipes and small bridges cross the canal and will need to be rerouted or rebuilt. In places the canal has been filled in and one section has been used as a diversion and is now part of the River Frome. The eastern part of today’s route will be very expensive to restore; there are, for example, sixteen locks to rebuild, and not just a simple refurbishment of the masonry and new, timber, lock gates. For the most part it will be a combination of restoration and refacing where possible, but full reconstruction from scratch in many places where the damage is particularly severe.
It’s hard to grasp how destructive the natural world is to our built environment. The canal was dug 235 years ago (completed in 1789) and during its period of use must have been well maintained and repaired whenever necessary. The last narrow boat traffic passed this way about 100 years ago. It was already in bad shape by then, but natural decay, leaks and the growth of trees has resulted in the dereliction we see today.
Section by section
Leaving the car, and carrying my rucksack with a water bottle, I headed east along the tow path. I didn’t take a map, but the path is well marked. I subscribe to the OS maps on my phone (good enough for walks like this) and next time I plan to use the OS 6-inch map for 1892 to 1914 to better understand the canal’s surroundings while it was still in use.
The River Frome in Chalford
(Hint: Click any image to enlarge it.)
The section through Chalford village is very pretty, on the information boards it’s likened to a Swiss valley. That’s a fair comparison, I think. The wooded valley rises sharply on either side, the River Frome (or Stroudwater) runs along the valley bottom, and stone cottages cling to the slopes on either side. If you could only visit one place along the canal, Chalford would be an excellent choice.
Swan’s nest
Beyond the eastern end of Chalford, the tow path passes a lake on the left; originally this was a mill pond, supplying water to turn the wheel at Baker’s Mill. When the canal was constructed, water supply was a frequent problem and the mill pond was extended by the canal engineers to keep this section of the canal full enough even when the locks were operating frequently due to higher traffic levels. The lake is partly silted up now, especially close to the mill, and it has become a wildlife reserve. Passing this point I spotted a swan’s nest in use and a group of mallards nearby.
Marsh marigold in the canal
Some sections of the canal are badly silted and are full of plants like this glorious marsh marigold close to Siccaridge Wood. The nature reserve is well worth a visit if you have time. The site stretches up the hill from the canal and faces south, so it’s a warm spot when the sun shines and likely avoids early frosts in autumn and late ones in the spring. Further on again, a small footbridge crosses the canal and the tow path continues on the north bank until it reaches Daneway Lane.
I stopped at the Daneway Inn for a lovely Coronation Chicken sandwich with a simple salad and some crisps along with a welcome cup of coffee. I have to report that service was prompt and I felt welcomed. The canal continues a little further and the path resumes from the corner of the Inn car park. The tunnel portal (Map) looks mysterious and, frankly, uninviting. It would have been an adventure to travel through the tunnel in a narrow boat; one day it may be possible again!
The museum hosts meetings with visiting speakers on a wide range of topics and runs town walks focusing on specific time periods.
If you are even slightly interested in the history (and prehistory) of Cirencester, here are some resources you might like to know about. Some are really obvious, others a bit more obscure, but they are all useful. There will be more that I’m not aware of.
The Civic Society has erected blue and purple plaques around the town. The blue plaques provide details of well-known people and events. The purple plaques mark places of significance in Roman times, the city gates for example. The website offers a map of the plaque positions and a walking route to view them all.
The most obvious and outstanding of these resources is, of course, the Corinium Museum. In its original form, on Tetbury Road, it was mostly a collection of Roman artefacts. But today, in its current home on Park Street, it covers an enormous time span, from prehistoric times, practically up to the present day. This museum punches way above its weight for a town the size of Cirencester.
The museum hosts meetings with visiting speakers on a wide range of topics and runs town walks focusing on specific time periods. There’s plenty to see and do, and if this was the only resource in existence you could still learn a great deal about Cirencester’s past.
Holds a large collection of relevant documents. Viewing them will involve making an appointment and a trip to Gloucester where they are held in the Gloucestershire Archives by the county council.
Institute of Historical Research
The institute’s material on Cirencester includes drafts of publications covering several periods of the town’s history. These drafts go into considerable detail and are written by qualified experts. They’re well worth a read, you certainly wouldn’t be wasting your time if you want more background on the town.
National Library of Scotland
Despite the name, this organisation holds many historical maps covering the whole of the UK. The website provides very useful access to the maps, you may find this search for material on Cirencester helpful. The map at the top of this article shows details even inside the Parish Church, and buildings in the West Market Place that were demolished many years ago.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia has short articles on Cirencester and Corinium. Both form good introductions to the history of the town and provide useful references.
And finally…
Leave a comment with details of anything you think I should add, I’ll check out suggestions and update this article accordingly. Thanks!
I’ll just mention in passing that I’ve been posting monthly notes on my own, personal history. My friends and family enjoy reading it, but it’s not private. If you feel inclined, take a look at the index. Cirencester gets a mention here and there as I lived in the town as a child and came back in retirement.
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The English word ‘disciple’ is rather old-fashioned these days, but it has more or less the same meaning as ‘apprentice’.
If you want to learn, here’s one way get started. Or if you are already a follower, it might be a way to go deeper – or even an aid for helping other people to do the same. Don’t worry, I’m not selling anything, and I’m not trying to get you to do anything Jesus didn’t do or anything he wouldn’t want you to do.
JDMC
I’m going to show you part of a short book I wrote some years ago, with a link to the book itself as a free download. The extract follows below, and the entire thing can be read online, printed out, or downloaded as a PDF.
The extract (from page 17)
Becoming disciples
Becoming disciples is important because it’s the main way believers grow to be more like Jesus. It’s not a process with a beginning and an end; it’s ongoing throughout our lives. And we’re not automatically disciples simply because we have believed. Not all of the crowds who listened to Jesus or were healed by him were disciples. Only those who followed him and were greatly changed could claim to be disciples. (Matthew 4:19, Matthew 10:38)
The English word ‘disciple’ is rather old-fashioned these days, but it has more or less the same meaning as ‘apprentice’. In particular it’s all about learning to do the things that the expert is already doing, and Jesus is the expert here. Apprentices don’t just learn from books; this is a hands-on experience. At first, things will often go wrong, but apprentices get better and better by repeatedly doing something under supervision. Expect that to happen to you as Jesus’ apprentice.
Because this change is hard and takes time, Jesus put most of his effort into three years of living closely with a small band of men and women who were prepared to do much more than simply be amazed. They were utterly transformed in those three years. The fact that Jesus worked this way reveals how important making disciples was and is. He put everything he had into those few, and when he returned to the Father they were the ones he continued to work with to reach the nations and build his church. (John 17:6-23) Jesus needs men and women who will become conformed to his image. They are his disciples.
The challenges for us include rejecting false gods such as consumerism, becoming more and more like Jesus, and understanding that we most effectively change by doing, not merely by thinking. Imagine an apprentice plumber who had studied all the books on plumbing but had never bent a pipe or soldered a joint.
To think about
‘We most effectively change by doing, not merely by thinking.’ Is this true in your experience? List some examples. Think about the skills involved in sport, work, music, art. Are there any areas of life in which regular practice doesn’t help?
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The four gospels are special: they, together with the rest of the New Testament, tell us all we need to know about Jesus
I’ve decided on the future direction of my website, ‘Cruising the Gospel’. I had intended to move the posts to JHM and close the old site; but it still has a useful function so I’ll update it instead and cross post to JHM.
A long time ago (August 2013) I began a new project which I called ‘Cruising the Gospel’ (CTG). I wanted to encourage people to read through the four gospels on a steady, rolling basis. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the four New Testament books that record what Jesus did and said during the last few years of his life on earth. We should read every part of the Bible, of course, all of it is useful, informative and helpful although some parts may seem quite difficult too.
But the four gospels are special: they, together with the rest of the New Testament, tell us all we need to know about Jesus – who he is, what he did and said, how we can understand him, how he will influence and shape our own lives if we will allow him, and why we should pay attention to him in the first place.
So my argument, and that of others too, is that we should form a habit of continually reading and re-reading these four books in particular. I call that ‘cruising the gospel’ and began to create a resource to help people do it. The website is still there online, almost three quarters complete. It needs updating, editing and finishing. Take a look at Cruising the Gospel (CTG) for yourself.
Moving it to JHM (or not)
I decided the best thing would be to migrate the material to ‘Journeys of Heart and Mind’ (JHM), and I began that task a while ago. But it quickly became clear this was not the best idea because the convenience and flow of the old site was getting lost as I merged the posts into JHM.
Instead, I now intend to keep the original website going while I complete it and update it, but every time I post a new item there I’ll cross-post here to JHM as well. That will give my readers the opportunity to see each post as an individual article, but also use the original CTG site as a reading guide should they wish to do so. I think it’s the best of both worlds.
It will take me a little while to get this organised and running smoothly, so please bear with me. But right now you can read the most recent posts here on JHM and all the older ones on CTG. I urge you to try it for yourself, try to read a little bit each day. Don’t rely on my ideas expressed on CTG, they are intended to get you thinking about it for yourself. And most important of all – wait for the Holy Spirit to guide you personally as you read. When you have useful thoughts or insights, leave them as comments to encourage others.
Here’s a recent post in the series, use the ‘< Previous | Index | Next >’ links in that article to see the rest.
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‘Why are you showing yourself to us, but not to the world?’ This is such an interesting question, it’s also a natural question. Judas (not Iscariot) wants to know why Jesus shows himself to the twelve, but not to the world. The question suggests it’s Jesus’ choice to hide himself from most people but show himself to a few. Judas is right to find this strange! But it’s not what Jesus has in mind.
In verse 23, he responds by saying that for everyone who loves him, he and the Father will come and make their home in that person. In other words, it’s not just for the twelve, but for anyone in the world who loves Jesus. Or to put it another way, the answer is that he will reveal himself to anyone – if they love him. He doesn’t hide from anybody, but those who don’t love him can never truly see him.
Short of time
Jesus needs to wind the conversation up because he knows what will happen next. He reminds them again of the promised Spirit and tells them that he and his Father will live within them; and the Spirit will teach them and remind them of everything they need to know. He also promises to leave his peace with them, and tells them not to worry or be afraid. This seems to me particularly striking when you consider what Jesus is about to go through at the hands of the Sanhedrin and the Roman governor.
And finally, in verses 28 to 31, he reminds them that he’s going to the Father who is greater than he is, and they will be glad (once they understand the significance of this). So, in what way is the Father greater than the Son? Does this idea even make any sense when we know that Father, Son and Spirit are co-equal within the structure we call ‘trinity’, the three in oneness that they share together? Perhaps the answer is simply that Jesus has limited himself within a human body in order to reach us in this world. For more than 30 years he has remained limited, but in returning to the Father he will regain the ability to be present everywhere at every moment of time with all of his people. In his human body he is inevitably less powerful than the Father, only able to act in the one place and time where he finds himself. He took on our limitations so that he could reach us on our level, in ways we can understand. That time is coming to an end as he returns to the Father.
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