Adventures in Brazil

In about a week's time, I will be landing in Sao Paulo, Brazil with a small team from the UK to spend time with a number of pastors and to visit a number of churches who are keen to connect more meaningfully with the wider Newfrontiers family that we are part of and specifically with New Ground - the family of churches that we belong to and, of which, I serve on the core team.

This is a hugely exciting opportunity, not only to build friendships but also to learn.  We're going to be spending time with pastors who have seen God do amazing things in their cities and I go eager to learn and very open to God speaking.


If you like to pray then I would really value your prayers for great connections and friendships, for wisdom and for the moments when I (and other members of the team) will be speaking and preaching.  We'll have chance to teach into the values that are so important to us; that we are a relational movement, that we are saved by and live in the grace of God, that we long for churches who love the Word and the Spirit.

But more than anything, I'd value your prayers for God to be at work in every conversation and every moment - planned and unplanned - for him to do the unexpected and lead us into the conversations that he wants us to have.

Whilst I am in Brazil, we have another SeeKenya team travelling to Kenya and Terry and Wendy Virgo will be travelling to South Africa. Recently we have had members of The King's Church serve in Latvia and Haiti. How exciting to be part of a church that is engaged in so many different nations in many different ways. 

Thanks everyone - I look forward to giving you an update when I return.

Rediscovering the 'F' word

So you are a follower of Jesus living in Jerusalem. His last words for you were to wait for the Holy Spirit to come and, wow, did he arrive in power. Suddenly the gathering of 120 swells to over 3000 as hundreds of people give their lives to Jesus.  Without having years of preparation or gradual growth this first church had to become rooted and established quickly. So what key things did the first followers of Jesus focus on?

Well, reading Acts 2 v 42 gives us an idea.  This first church devoted themselves - that means they gave themselves fully and completely - to a number of things. One of which was fellowship.

We can lose sight of what this word really means. For some, the word speaks of secret societies. To others they think of 'Lord of the Rings' and still to others, you may think of afternoon tea with quiche.

Biblically, the word fellowship speaks of deep communion and participation worked out in our relationships. Maybe the idea of 'shared lives' catches a sense of it's true meaning. People whose lives are connected at a deep level in Jesus choosing to encourage one another, be generous towards one another and, basically, open their lives to each other. Healthy churches are built on this idea of biblical fellowship - so do we need to rediscover this 'f' word?

Fellowship can't be forced or fake. But it does require all of us to take a step towards something, to choose to get connected with people beyond a Sunday morning meeting. This term, at The King's Church Mid-Sussex, there are over 30 ways to connect to community mid-week. You can read about them all in our new King's Life magazine.

There are a range of Life Groups; people getting together for coffee, cake and to encourage one another in their walk with Jesus.

For those who are exploring the Christian faith there is the Alpha Course. A chance to ask questions, discuss issues of life and faith, meet new friends and talk freely.

If you have recently become a Christian, or are new to the Christian faith, then there is a group looking at the foundation building blocks of the Christian life.

If you have been a Christian for years and want to go deeper, then there is a group taking a closer look at the book of Jeremiah.

If you want to look afresh at our new identity in Jesus and what it means to know truth that sets us free, then there is the Freedom Course.

There are daytime groups, Bible journalling groups, prayer groups, and there are courses on life skills such as money management, marriage and parenting.


There are many ways to connect, to get to know people, to grow in your faith and, we hope, to step towards fellowship.  Let me encourage you to take a first step; sign up for a group, get involved, get connected.  If you have any questions email life groups@tkc.org.uk

Standing on the shoulders of giants: Celebrating 40 years at TKC

Forty years ago, on August 21 1977, a group of pioneers stepped out in faith and obedience and started a new church - what is now The King's Church Mid-Sussex. They met in the bar lounge of a hired hall in Haywards Heath, West Sussex. They were persuaded that the ministry and gifts of the Holy Spirit were for today, they enjoyed a new freedom in worship and they built everything upon the wonderful foundations of grace. This video tells a little of that story.

Last Sunday we celebrated the fact that our church is 40 years old. But how could we celebrate that event without celebrating those who were part of that first meeting 40 years ago and who are still part of the church today? Through thick and thin, in suffering and rejoicing, when church life was easy and when it was hard they have persevered, they have prayed, they have served, they have trusted God and they are still doing that today. Amazing heroes of faith!

I have the privilege of leading the church today but I stand on the shoulders of giants. Those who pioneered, trusted God and stepped out. The fruit of their faith and obedience is the kind of church we now enjoy and, at times, take for granted.  If their legacy means anything for our future then there are a number of things we need to remember as we look forward.

1. We need to remember to consistently ask for the Holy Spirit's help and empowerment. It is not the style of music that makes us charismatic, but the firm belief that the ministry and the gifts of the Spirit are for today.

2. We need to remember that God builds us into his church - which is a community, a family, a body - not simply a sequence of meetings. Relationships matter - even when they are hard. God moulds our lives into community.

3. We need to remember that we stand in grace. Our life with God is never based on our attempts at living a good life but on the glorious gift of grace. Not only do we receive this wonderful gift but we are called to display it in our lives and attitudes.

4. We need to remember to keep pioneering. This first generation fought battles, took steps of faith, stepped out in trust and from those small beginnings God has grown a movement of churches numbering in excess of 1500. Pioneering is in our DNA, let's not settle for the status quo.

I thank God for those who began our church and for those who 40 years later are still part of it. In 40 years time, I pray my generation will leave a similar legacy.

Can anything change when you do the same thing in the same way?

It was great to have Dave and Liz Holden with us last Sunday at The King's Church Mid-Sussex. They are good friends and a great support and encouragement to all that we are doing together as a local church.  Dave spoke from Luke 5 and it was a hugely encouraging message.  If you were away let me encourage you to listen to it - you can download it here.

In Luke 5 the disciples had been out fishing all night and had caught nothing. Not a kipper! Then Jesus (a carpenter!) turns up and tells them to go out into the lake and put their nets down again. You can imagine how the disciples may have wanted to respond! 'We've been out all night Jesus - trust us when we say there's no fish out there'. Yet because it was Jesus they went, and incredibly they caught so many fish that it nearly sunk their boat.

They did the same thing in the same way - in the same boat, with the same nets, in the same place yet because Jesus had spoken they saw a miracle happen.

As we start a new term at The King's Church, much of what we are doing feels very familiar. We are still meeting every Sunday, we are running Alpha again, we are having a prayer room and prayer week again - the same place, the same boats, the same nets.

And it can be tempting to react like the disciples in the story: "Jesus we have been toiling all night and there's nothing out there." 

But when Jesus speaks, when Jesus acts, these familiar boats and nets can suddenly become a means by which we see miraculous things take place.



We believe that God has spoken to us as a church. I can remember a prophetic word from twelve years ago that spoke of a dam breaking over Mid-Sussex and that we'd be overwhelmed by it, much like the disciples were overwhelmed by their catch of fish. I don't believe we've seen the fulfilment of that word yet.

More recently, as we made the change from running one to two morning meetings, we sensed God saying that he already knew the name of every person who would come and fill the empty chairs that were now evident through running two smaller meetings. Someone else felt God say that we would not have enough capacity in two meetings and that, soon, we'd need to be adding a third meeting into our weekly schedule. Another person had a dream of the walls of HOME Coffee House being lined with hundreds of books, each one telling the story of someone who had encountered God through the life of our church.

We live with many prophetic promises. So yes, its September again, we are running Alpha again, we are having a prayer week again - but as we let out these nets in the same place, from the same boat - let's believe what Jesus has promised us. Hundreds of lives impacted by the good news of the gospel.

This Sunday (10 September) is Vision Sunday and then we head into our week of prayer. I can't wait. We heard stories all summer about revival, and how revivals start in a prayer meeting. Who knows what God may do as we gather to pray next week. See you there!

Ashburnham 2017: Great teaching, lots of laughter and plenty of sun

We've just got back from an amazing weekend at Ashburnham with about 2300 others from the New Ground family of churches.

Ashburnham is a beautiful place, especially when the sun shines. And the sun really did shine. Good weather always helps when you are camping but that wasn't the only reason why this last weekend was so good.

Over the weekend there was some amazing teaching; exploring the theme 'make a difference'. The teaching was big picture and practical at the same time and I'd encourage everyone to listen to the downloads when they are available.

 

There was also time to hear some amazing stories of what churches across New Ground are doing to impact their communities. Innovative and engaging projects are making a massive difference across the UK.

I had the privilege of speaking in the youth venue. I spoke on revival and it was just incredible to see a big crowd of teenagers come to the front of the venue and start crying out to God for revival in their generation. I will always remember that evening!



There were so many things that I could mentioned; the prayer room, the fact that £223,000 was given, the amazing times of worship that we enjoyed together.

But more than anything...Ashburnham was special because it meant I got to hang out with a crowd of people from the church that I love and lead. Some I knew well, some not so well, but sitting out late at night under a clear sky sharing stories and laughing...alot... was so precious.

I know that many went to Ashburnham two years ago and it was a difficult experience for reasons I won't go into here.  It was tough and I understand why this will have deterred people from attending this year.  However,  2017 was a very different experience and I have come away from this weekend refreshed, envisioned and so grateful to be part of New Ground, a family of churches that help us connect to a bigger picture of what God is doing beyond Mid-Sussex.  Plus... it really topped up the tan!

Ashburnham is happening again over the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2019

A new chapter for The King's Church Mid-Sussex

This coming Sunday (15 January 2017) is a significant and exciting day for The King's Church Mid-Sussex. It will mark the end of one chapter in our story and herald the beginning of a whole new chapter in the life of our church. This Sunday, for the final time, we will be meeting as one congregation in one meeting on a Sunday.

There have been other moments like this in our history; when the church moved from a home to a small rented room, from the small room to a large hall, from one Sunday meeting in that larger hall to two meetings and then more recently to purchasing and renovating a warehouse as a permanent home.

Our history is marked by these 'new beginnings' and they should cause us to look forward with a sense of huge expectation to all that is ahead.

On 22 January 2017 we will start a new chapter again as we multiply to having two morning meetings - one at 9.30am and one at 11.30am. This is the first step to multiplication - I believe there will be many others in the months and years ahead.

This is a new thing.

Not the same thing just at different times. But a new thing. A new chapter for us as a church. Unwritten pages waiting to be filled with wonderful God stories.

Let me encourage you to make every effort to be with us over these coming weeks. To be together in one room in one meeting for the last time this coming Sunday; thanking God for all he has done thus far and looking ahead to this new chapter.



And then to be there at the start of this new chapter, this new adventure, this new beginning in the life of our church. We follow an amazing God and are looking to him to do amazing things in the months ahead.

I look forward to seeing you very soon.

 

Staff Update at The King's Church Mid-Sussex

It is such a privilege to lead a vibrant and growing team at The King's Church Mid-Sussex. We believe God has clearly spoken to us about the kind of church we are building and I'm so grateful that God is also providing some amazing people to help that vision become a reality. As we head into 2017 there are some staffing updates that I am keen to let you know about.

Rachael Turner

I think most people will know of this appointment already, however, for those that are not aware Rachael joined the staff team in October in a part-time capacity to serve as Terry Virgo's PA. Though this role is funded by Newfrontiers, Rachael is based at The King's Centre and is part of the team at The King's Church Mid-Sussex.

Dan Lank

Dan has done a superb job leading the worship team over the last 18 months and has been working two days a week for the church.  However, with two meetings beginning in January and the hope for further multiplication in the future, we invited Dan to join the team on a full-time basis and he began in this role at the start of December.  Dan will oversee and develop our worship teams, he will also develop our technical and audio-visual provision and be involved in developing creative arts in the church.

Nigel Goodenough

Part of our 2020 Vision was to see us establish houses across Mid-Sussex to accommodate and serve vulnerable people in our community. I am so excited to let you know that this vision is moving forward through an organisation called Hope Into Action.  From January 2017 Nigel will be joining the staff team at The King's Church Mid-Sussex for one day a week to establish 'Hope Into Action Mid-Sussex' with the view of us opening our first house at some point next year.

Angie Bee

Angie has been a superb addition since she joined the staff team in a part-time role in 2015 to co-ordinate our Sunday TKC Kids Programme. She has also delivered excellent events like the All-Age Christmas Cracker. The implications of running two morning meetings on our children's programmes are significant, and therefore, we have increased Angie's hours so she has more capacity to co-ordinate this growing area of church life. 

Penny McAdams

Penny has been on staff for over two years in a part-time capacity. She has fulfilled a hugely important role being the first face people see when they arrive at The King's Centre and being involved in the administration of church life. In 2017  Penny will be increasing her hours to work one additional morning and one additional afternoon each week.

Autumn Gift Days - Kenya and Haiti

Each year, at The King's Church Mid-Sussex, we have Gift Days in the summer and autumn terms. I am always amazed and so grateful to see the church 'excel in the grace of generosity' - our Summer Gift Days this year raised nearly £95,000. Incredible!

As a result of this generosity we have been able to make huge improvements to the King’s Centre as well as make gifts to New Ground – the family of churches we connect with - and to some superb local charities.

AUTUMN GIFT DAYS

In recent years, we have given a lot of money to local projects and to improvements at The King’s Centre. However, this Autumn we want to focus our energy on giving to projects that are working with some of the poorest in our world.

SEEKENYA

SeeKenya is at an exciting and important crossroads. There is huge potential for future development. Another team has just returned and, once again, hundreds and hundreds of lives were impacted by this practical demonstration of good news.

Some of the children that were seen in the eye clinics require additional specialist treatment and in faith SeeKenya, as a charity, has agreed to pay for this work.

We want to keep investing into ‘SeeKenya’ as we believe it is one clear way that God has asked us to get involved in his global mission to be good news to the poor.

Twenty percent of money given at the Autumn Gift Days will be given to SeeKenya.

HAITI

Many of you know that we have strong links with an amazing charity called ‘Hope House Haiti’. I am sure you will also be aware of the recent hurricane that has brought such devastation to this nation.

The team at ‘Hope House Haiti’ has asked for financial help so that they can help those in their community with the basics; food, clean water and shelter.

Twenty percent of money given at the Autumn Gift Days will be given to support those impacted by this hurricane in Haiti.

COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME - KENYA 

The Community Empowerment Programme (CEP) is a ministry of Edfri International in Kenya – run by our good friends Edward and Fridah Buria. It seeks to empower orphans, vulnerable children and young people to build a better future for themselves.

This happens in a number of ways:

• education programmes and sponsorship to provide school fees, equipment and uniforms
• provision of basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter
• medical care and provision 
• advocacy and legal support where required
• mentoring and counselling programmes
• job creation and business start up

But the need is so great and we want to be able to give a significant amount of money to Edfri International so that many more orphans, vulnerable children and young people are supported and given an opportunity to dream of a different future.

As a church, we are already connected with one family who have been helped and supported by CEP. A number of us have had the opportunity to visit and see the impact that CEP is having.





Our Gift Days are happening on 06 and 13 November. We have another opportunity to reflect God's heart of generosity as we give to these amazing projects around the world. Please join me in praying for these big moments in church life.  

Why are we multiplying to two meetings?

Why are we multiplying to two meetings?

On Sunday 18 September, at our Vision Sunday, we announced that we are going to be multiplying to two morning meetings from January 2017. If you were away that weekend and did not hear that message you can download it here.

Now..... we have been this route before. In our old venue in Haywards Heath we needed to multiply meetings to create room for growth. It was an adventure and, yes, it was hard work but we saw amazing fruit. The church grew by 20% in two-and-a-half years.

It was always our plan to multiple at some point in The King's Centre, but why now? Here are a number of reasons why we believe now is the right time.

1. Mission

The primary reason is mission. The King's Church Mid-Sussex exists to reach out to those who are not yet here. The simple reality is that by offering more choice more people can come. We live in a very flexible culture, people work flexible working patterns and therefore it makes sense to offer people different options regarding church attendance. Some of the churches that are seeing most gospel fruit are those that offer multiple options for when people can come. There are tens of thousands of people who don't know Jesus in our community, therefore we want to create more opportunities for them to find out more.

2. Momentum 

We have some growth momentum at present. Praise God! Our higher Sundays are higher and our average attendance is growing. If we are to keep growing we need to keep creating more space. Healthy things should grow and we are seeing that but we need to keep thinking through what the next 1, 2 and 5 years look like .

3. Multiplication

We feel God is calling us to begin thinking through what it means for us to be a church that multiplies. This won’t be the last move. We still have dreams of an evening meeting and think that will happen in the not too distant future. Beyond that we are beginning to explore what multiple congregations might look like for us as a church. In our future, The King's Church Mid-Sussex will not be defined by how many you can get in one room at one time.

4. Children's and Youth ministry

This is of huge importance. We want to offer the best children and youth ministry that we can and feel we have a responsibility to do this well. The reality is our children's and youth rooms on a Sunday have no room for growth. We want to be engaging in high value discipleship in our youth and children's programmes not crowd management. So we need to find solutions for growth in these groups and multiple meetings helps us with this.

5. Stretch of Faith 

There could be a danger that because we fill our venue once a week we fall into self-reliance (we know how to do this) or apathy (we don't need to do anything). The reality is, there are thousands of people in our community who know nothing of the amazing grace that Jesus offers. We have always been a church that reached in faith to things that would be impossible other than God's wonderful provision.  I want us to continue to be that kind of church.  If we are not being stretched, we can become safe and self-reliant. God calls us to an adventure to believe that he can do more than we can ask or imagine. Multiplication will keep stretching us to believe God for things that we can't do otherwise.

Yes there is a lot to arrange and work out. Yes we'll need more volunteers to make this happen. And yes our sundays will feel slightly different for a while. But remember....we have been this route before and the result was that many more people found their home in church. We are praying for that again! Please keep an ear out for news and information as it is shared in the coming weeks.

- 

5 Reasons To Get Baptised

I love this time of year.

September is soon to be upon us and there is always great momentum and excitement in church life. Our new Alpha course is soon to begin. We will be gathering for our prayer week. We have new initiatives beginning. And, we have baptisms.

On Sunday 25 September we will be celebrating together as another group of people get baptised - so far 4 people have express an interest. Amazing! 

Maybe you are reading this and you have never been baptised or you are considering getting baptised. Here are are 5 reasons why its great to get baptised:

1. Jesus was baptised

In the Bible, both Matthew and Luke describe Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist. You may ask why Jesus needed to get baptised. John the Baptist preached a message of baptism and repentance for the forgiveness of sins - but Jesus was perfect. He never sinned so he didn't need to repent. So why get baptised? In Jesus' baptism we see him identifying with us and setting us an example to follow. To be a Christian is to be a follower - or an apprentice - of Jesus. If Jesus was baptised, what better way to identify yourself with him then by also being baptised.

2. Jesus told his disciples to baptise people

After Jesus' resurrection, he was talking to his disciples and he commanded them to go to all nations and make disciples - we know this as the 'Great Commission'. These powerful words included the instruction to baptise people. Clearly, in Jesus' mind and his teaching, baptism was central to the Christian faith. 

3. Baptism was central in New Testament Church life

In the book of Acts, when the church began, we read that Peter preached about Jesus in the centre of Jerusalem and 3000 people responded and asked him what shall we do? His reply was that they should all 'repent and be baptised'. Baptism wasn't an added extra for the really enthusiastic or outgoing ones. Baptism was a central part of their response to the message of Jesus; an outward act followed an inward change. Baptism follows repentance and was central to New Testament Church life. 

4. Baptism paints a picture of what Jesus has done

The Apostle Paul talks about baptism in his letter to the church in Rome. He says that as we are baptised, we identify with Jesus' death and resurrection. The Bible describes being a Christian like being new creations, the old has gone and the new has come (2 Cor 5 v 17). As we are baptised, its like our old life is buried (as we go under the water) and as we come out of the water it symbolises that we have a new life in Christ. Baptisms tell a story, our story, and celebrates what Jesus has done in our lives.

5. It's a great opportunity to invite people to church

If you have recently become a Christian it is likely that your friends or family might be wondering why. What has happened to you? Why are you now going to church? Baptism is an opportunity for them to hear your story and for you to share why Jesus has changed your life. Your story is amazing, too good to be kept quiet, and baptism is a great opportunity to invite friends and family to church so they can hear first hand the difference that Jesus has made. 

So there you go, 5 reasons why to get baptised. If you want more info about baptism or want to get baptised contact The King's Church right away by e-mailing info@tkc.org.uk

Introducing our new intern - Jack Dunne

Earlier this year, in April, Jack Dunne started working part-time for The King's Church Mid-Sussex as an intern. He spends his time supporting and developing our youth programme. It's fantastic having Jack as a member of the TKC team. We thought it would be good, for those of you don't know Jack that well, to discover a little bit more about him.  

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself, family and interests

When I’m not at King’s I spend my time Cycling, binge watching Netflix and reading anything by C.S Lewis. Also I am not related to Kieran if anyone asks (I’m fooling nobody am I?)


2. How long have you been part of TKC?

I joined TKC 2 years 9 months and 19 days ago when we as a family moved back to Sussex having lived in Scotland for 10 years.

3. What are you excited about as you embark on this new adventure of being in intern at TKC?

Doing anything with God is always exciting, now that it’s my job I feel especially privileged. I’m looking forward to seeing what God has for me, and the church as a whole over the next year.

4. How can people pray for you as you do this role? 

Please pray that God will use me in my role at TKC and give me everything I need to complete the tasks that he has for me. After all everything we do is done in his strength.

5. Who is fastest on a bike - you or your Dad

Sadly my Dad. But he is riding on more than bread and water.

Please pray for Jack in this key role. In September we also have Joel Marson joining the staff team as a part-time intern. More information coming about that very soon. 

Do we get a second chance after we die?

Guest blogger Jamie McAdams seeks to answer one of the big questions related to our 'What happens when I die?' series. Do we get a second chance after we die?





Throughout the Bible, when it talks about how God will deal with our sins, there are two big ideas that crop up: the first is that God is incredibly gracious, merciful and forgiving. The second is that He is absolutely holy and just. Exodus 34:6-7 puts them in the same sentence:

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty...”

After reading a passage like that, it's tremendously difficult to see how those ideas fit together. If He forgives iniquity, transgression and sin, how has He not cleared the guilty? This has given Christians a lot of headaches through the centuries, and resulted in a few different opinions.

In this blog, we're going to look at two views that have been popular in the church throughout history, then turn to what the Bible has to say.

Universalism: everyone will be saved, no matter what they believe now

Universalism is the name given to the idea that God's plan of redemption will eventually apply to everybody in the same way - it is universal.

There are different versions of universalism, but by far the most popular idea is one that we've received from a theologian named Origen (c. 184-253AD).

Origen believed that Hell would exist, but that it would be a place of temporary discipline and correction, and eventually all souls would return to God.

There are several variations of universalism but by definition they must assert that either Hell cannot last forever or that it will be empty. So what does the Bible say? 

Universalists will generally argue for their view based firstly on the nature of 
God as loving and merciful and secondly by looking at passages like:

• 1 Corinthians 15:28: "When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all."
• 2 Corinthians 5:19: "in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them."
• Colossians 1:19-20: "For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."

So how do we understand these passages? Firstly we need to read them in context and pay attention to what the surrounding verses tell us.

• 1 Corinthians 15:28 is in between verse 25 where all of Jesus' enemies will put under his feet, and verse 34 where Paul rebukes the Corinthians for not telling people about Jesus, to their shame.
• In the verse after 2 Corinthians 5:19, Paul says "We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."
• Colossians 1:22-23 says we are reconciled "if indeed [we] continue in the faith". The Bible is clear on this: it is vital that we have a living, persevering faith in order to be reconciled to God.

That might explain why we think the arguments made by universalists don't stack up, but what do we believe?

Before I go any further, if you haven't already heard it, I would strongly recommend that you listen to this sermon as this is a weighty issue and you need to understand God's heart behind the warnings we're given. This short blog post can't hope to convey that, but we can at least lay out some of the arguments.

Firstly, we are never given any impression in scripture that we can repent after we die (nor is it clear that we would want to). Hebrews 9:27 says "it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment". In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus gives a parable about two men who die: a rich man and a man named Lazarus who begged for money outside the rich man's gates. Lazarus goes to be with Abraham in Paradise, but the rich man goes to Hades, and from there he has this conversation with Abraham.

He doesn't apologise for the sins he committed that put him in Hades. He suggests that his family wouldn't fail as he did if God performed a miracle for them (i.e. it's not really his fault), but Abraham explains that this simply isn't true. He begs for Abraham to send Lazarus to give him a drink, without a hint that he felt he had wronged Lazarus.

Abraham tells Lazarus "between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us" (verse 26).

Secondly, the Bible consistently describes Hell as eternal (see Isaiah 33:14, 66:24, Matthew 3:12, 18:8, 25:41-46, Mark 9:48, Luke 3:17, Luke 16:24, Revelation 14:11, 20:10). There are many different aspects of hell being communicated through these passages, but one point is unavoidable: Hell is eternal.

These are terrifying images, and they're meant to be. God wants us to know that He is absolutely good. A good judge is not one that ignores sins or plays them down but one that deals with them appropriately.

When God made us as his image-bearers, He made us to show creation what He is like. When we sin, we are renouncing the purpose for which we have been made and we're forsaking God for the sake of our temporary pleasure or convenience. God will not tolerate this.

In our culture, we find this aspect of God's nature hard to deal with, but that is largely a cultural coincidence. We happen to exist at a place and time where we think that hell is almost by definition primitive and evil, but that really is just cultural snobbery. Most people now and throughout history have taken for granted that our sins are serious and must be punished.

That, in fact, is vital for understanding the other view that we'll be looking at.

Purgatory: even if you are saved, you might still have to pay...

Purgatory is, according to the Roman Catholic tradition, a state where people are purified of their sins after they die. This view doesn't deny an eternal hell for those who have died without faith in Jesus. Rather, it's part of the believer's 'journey' towards heaven.

The amount of time spent in purgatory is based on the severity of the sins committed, whether they were confessed and whether indulgences had been issued - an indulgence being a gift that the church can offer to reduce someone's time in purgatory. 

Historically, there were several periods when indulgences were sold by travelling fund-raisers working for the church, and this grieved many Christians as it was seen as a form of exploitation. A particularly keen seller named Johann Tetzel even coined advertising jingles for it:

"As soon as the coin in the coffer rings,
the soul from purgatory springs"

Ultimately, this was what spurred Martin Luther to write the 95 theses and (somewhat unwittingly at first) launch the Protestant Reformation. Luther's teaching prompted the Council of Trent (1545-1563AD), at which the Catholic Church prohibited the selling of indulgences, though they are still offered for good works and at various celebrations. It was also at this Council that the doctrine of purgatory became official church doctrine - before this time it was disputed within the church, though broadly accepted.

Where does this idea come from?

We've already established that the Bible views our sins as severe and that God's justice requires that they be dealt with, but the doctrine of purgatory is quite specific.

The argument mostly arose from the Catholic Church's evolving view of the importance of confession. James 5:16 says "confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed." The word translated 'healed' can be translated as 'made whole' or 'saved', and it came to be seen as a part of salvation, to be taken by a member of the clergy. That in turn led many theologians to ponder over what would happen regarding a genuine believer's sins that hadn't been confessed before death, and ultimately led to conclusions that they must be dealt with in the afterlife.

We would certainly agree with James that it is good and wise to "confess [our] sins in order to be healed". This is one of the key components in our mutual discipleship, and it's one of the main ways that we fight sin, by bringing it to light with friends who can pray for us, challenge us and encourage us but confession is not, in itself, part of our justification.

But it's important to recognise that James says that we should confess in order to be healed because we already know we will be forgiven when we sin (vv 15-16: "...if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another..."). The point isn't that the confession causes our forgiveness, but that our forgiveness grounds our confession. Jesus has forgiven us and we are free of our sin, therefore we can seek healing and freedom through confession to "one another" (verse 16).

The one key text used to defend purgatory specifically (rather than confession, as above) is 1 Corinthians 3:15: "If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire." They say that this experience of suffering loss, of being saved as through fire, is describing a time when we will have to make up for shortcomings in purgatory, but still be saved.

We should note, this fire is burning up work, not people, and the fire is applied equally to everyone's works, whether they suffer loss or not. Paul is addressing the church being divided by "jealousy and strife" (verse 3), where people are forming factions and some of the motivation for the works being performed is for that cause, rather than in faith to Jesus. Paul tells them that their works will be judged and uses the image of fire to explain it. The fire clears all the rubbish away to reveal what will last forever. The ones who suffer loss here are the ones who realise how much they wasted their efforts on works like straw instead of gold and jewels.

Jesus can say to the thief on the cross "today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43), Paul could say "to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). Whenever Jesus talks of our death, the separation is always between judgment or celebration. There is not a single text in the Bible that would lead me to believe in a third state. 

Conclusion

I mentioned at the start the difficulty of balancing out the mercy of God and the goodness of God, and how difficult it can be to see how they fit together, but the place where it becomes clearest is at the cross.

When Paul was writing his letter to the Romans, one of the big problems he had to deal with in expressing the goodness of God is that He keeps saving people! God had been saving people long before Jesus came, and people were struggling to understand how He could do so and remain good and just, but Jesus died on the cross "to show his righteousness, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" Romans 3:26

Going back to Exodus 34:6-7, we see how gloriously it's been fulfilled. When Jesus died, He took the punishment for our sins. When God sees his children in Christ by faith, He is "abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" towards them, "forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin", but "by no means [will He simply] clear the guilty".

Universalism cannot cope with God's sheer goodness, righteousness and justice and Purgatory cannot cope with God's sheer grace, forgiveness and love, but the cross is where we can see all of God's perfections come together.

In what way will Christians have to give an account of their lives?

Last Sunday at The King’s Church Mid-Sussex I preached about the judgement and holiness of God. This message was the latest in our current series ‘What happens when I die?’ and if you missed it you can download it here. 

Some of the biggest questions that people have about belief in God surround this issue. How can you believe in a God that is full of love and full of wrath? Isn’t that a contradiction? Do you really believe in a God who will judge everyone?

Later that day somebody asked me a question.

If God no longer remembers our sins (Hebrews 8:12), why do Christians still have to give an account for all that we have done on Judgement Day?

It’s a great question and important to consider. If our sins have already been forgiven what will be judged? 

When we think about such things a fear may arise that on that day we will feel guilty or condemned for our failings as we stand before Jesus as judge. But Romans 8 v 1 says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, so how exactly will we be judged?

The Bible is clear; Christians will face some form of judgement (John Hosier prefers to use the word assessment) when Jesus returns. 

Matthew 16 v 27 says “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.”

Revelation 22 v 12 says “Behold I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.”

And in 2 Corinthians 5 v 10, a letter written to a church community, Paul writes:

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due to us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

Firstly, we must be clear that the judgement Christians face does not call into question God’s forgiveness of sins. We believe in a gospel that emphasizes grace not works. Ephesians 2 v 8-9 leaves no room for doubt:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Our salvation is not earned or deserved, it is a gift from God. No amount of good works can ever get us right with God; we are saved by grace and grace alone. In Jesus, God has removed our sin as far as the east is from the west and our salvation in Jesus is secure – amazing! 

So certainly, on that day of judgement, we do not need to fear that our sins will be remembered in the sense that we will feel guilt or condemnation or stand trial for them. 

Wayne Grudem writes this: “…it should not cause terror or alarm on the part of believers, because even sins that are made public on that day will be made public as sins that have been forgiven, and thereby they will be the occasion for giving glory to God for the richness of his grace.”

For the Christian, judgement day will be an opportunity to celebrate the incredible, all encompassing grace of God in his forgiveness of our sins through his son Jesus. 

However, the Bible does state that Christians will have to give an account of our works. Ephesians 2 v 10, says: 

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

We are saved by grace – Yes! 

We are saved and adopted into the family of God – Yes! 

We are saved and forgiven from our sin – Yes!

But we are also saved to do good works – we are here for purpose!

It is clear from what the Bible teaches that, when Jesus returns, Christians will face a judgement (or assessment) to evaluate and bestow various degrees of eternal reward based on how we have lived our lives; our words, deeds and actions. 

Now this is a huge subject because the Bible suggests there are degrees of rewards and we are going to spend a morning exploring this whole subject on Sunday 14 June!

However, for the sake of this blog, the key points are that the New Testament speaks about living in such a way that it impacts eternity and it regularly uses words such as ‘rewards’, ‘crowns’, ‘goal’ and ‘prize’. For example, see 1 Corinthians 9 v 24-27, Philippians 3 v 14, 2 Timothy 4 v 8 and Luke 6 v 35, 

1 Corinthians 3 is probably the most explicit passage to help us understand this. Here Paul writes that our works will be tested by fire and that, as a result of that ‘test’, some people will suffer loss and others reward. 

“If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved – even though only as one escaping through the flames.” 1 Corinthians 3 v 12-15

Clearly, from these verses, we can see that the quality of each person’s works will come under assessment and there are degrees of loss and reward that are linked to our works in this life. 

But it is important to avoid misunderstanding here and to state that no one will be left feeling disgruntled, envious or short-changed in heaven. We will all find our fulfilment, happiness and joy in God and so there will be no room for comparison and envy; only celebration in what God has done. 

So the headline is this. For those who are in Christ, there is no condemnation, our salvation is by grace alone and Jesus has fully paid the price for all our sin.

However, we will still have to give an account of our life with regards to our works, deeds, actions and choices – that is the judgement (or assessment) that Christians will face when Jesus returns. Based on this judgement there will be various degrees of rewards in eternity – come along to TKC on 14 June to hear more. 

5 Questions about Life on the new earth

What will life be like on the new earth?

In our current teaching series, we're looking at the question: What happens when I die? It's such a huge topic that we can really only scratch the surface, but we want to take some time on the blog to go through some of the more popular questions.


Some questions are so important that we'll be devoting entire posts to a single answer, but in this post, guest blogger Jamie McAdams answers a few questions about what it will be like when we're raised back to life, when heaven takes over earth.



Will we know people from this life?

We have good reason to say a clear 'yes' to this one. In the resurrection, we will be like Jesus (1 John 3:2). Jesus talked about preparing a place for us, and He won't forget us when we get there!

One of the most important ways that humans reflect and glorify God is in our relationships with each other. The Bible is clear that loving our neighbours reflects the way that we love God. Our relationships will matter forever, so it makes sense that they'll continue. There are ways that our relationships will change in the future (always for the better!), but one thing that we can count on is that we'll be together with people we know and love, and we'll recognise each other.

It's true that Jesus' friends didn't recognise Him straight away (John 20:14, Luke 24:16), until He revealed Himself to them (John 20:16, Luke 24:30-31). But He revealed Himself in ways that His friends would recognise - calling Mary by name, breaking bread with His friends. There was something new and different about Him, but as soon as He made it clear who He was, they had no doubt who they were with. 

We honestly don't know if it will be like that when we're all raised, we might pick up on subtleties straight away that the disciples missed, or it may well be a journey of discovery. But we do know that in the Bible people expected to see their families and people they'd heard of.

When a King died in the Old Testament, the Bible would say that he "slept with his fathers" (that image is used a lot: see e.g. 1 Kings 2:10, 11:43, 14:20, 14:31). They went to join their fathers who died in the faith, and so will we.

When David's son died, David said that he will "go to him" (2 Samuel 12:23). He wouldn't simply go to the same place, he would go to be with his son.

So we know that we will be changed, and that our family in the faith will be changed, but that we will know and recognise them and enjoy their company in the presence of God.

Will we be able to eat and drink?

Yes! Feasting is one of the most popular pictures that the Bible gives us for what heaven is like. Jesus said "many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 8:11 - "reclining at table" describes how they ate at the time, lying down by a low table surface). In Luke 14:15, one of the guests at a meal said “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” and Jesus responded with a parable about heaven where God invited many to join Him in "a great banquet".

My favourite passage, though, is in Matthew 26:29. At the last supper, Jesus says "I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” - we will get to join Jesus in drinking wine when the Kingdom is brought fully to Earth - and (according to John 2:10) we know He had great taste in wine!

Will we be able to remember things from this life?

Isaiah 65:17 says that when God creates new heavens and a new earth, "the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind." Now, on a literal face-value interpretation of that verse, it certainly sounds like the answer is a resounding "NO!" but it's more likely that it's expressing the idea of God dealing with the miseries and suffering of His people so completely that they won't cross their minds. It won't be a pain that they keep living with. I don't think God is saying that we'll forget what He has rescued us from, or how He has worked in our lives.

Indeed, one of the pictures we're given of heaven is that it's a city with twelve foundations, inscribed with the names of the Apostles so that we can remember what God has done through them.

We're also promised rewards in heaven based on our faithfulness - we'll touch on this later in the teaching series, but it is important here in conveying that what we do now really will matter throughout eternity. We will see the fruit of our work and rejoice over it (without pridefulness), and it will have a profound effect on our life in future.

So what about the moments we want to forget?

I think that when we are brought to perfection - that is, when we become like Jesus is now - that we will see the moments we dislike and understand them more fully. If it's our sin that we wish to forget, I think we will see it as something that we have been rescued from perfectly, and how He delights in us completely. It has been dealt with and taken from us. We understand that in part now, but we will feel it in a way that we can only glimpse at now. When we're unrelentingly certain of God's joy over us, when there is no risk of falling into sin again, and when we know complete release from guilt and shame, we will be able to see our salvation from darkness as glorious.

If it is what has been done to us, we will know how fully God has restored us and washed us from all of it, and that the sin that harmed us has been thoroughly and entirely paid for.

When Jesus saw Thomas in John 20:26-29, Jesus showed him the marks of the nails in His hands and the scar on His side. That is, He showed Thomas the scars from the darkest moment of His life. If it's good to forget pain & suffering ever existed, Jesus scars seem odd. As it stands, His sufferings are a source of glory and redemption. He can see the scars without the pain & shame coming to mind, because that won't be what matters.

I think that the passage we saw from Isaiah tells us this: if a memory does not glorify God and cause us to delight in Him - if all it causes is pain - then it will be remembered no more. One way or another, by cleansing and renewing our minds, we will be free, in a way that we really can know here and now, but that will be fulfilled in the world to come.

We will finally be past all of the memories that come to haunt us now, and the memories we cherish will become all the brighter when we see just how much more God was doing than we ever hoped or imagined,

Will there be sports and entertainment there?

When God created us in His image, He created us to be culture makers. God is a story-teller, so we tell stories. God is an artist, so we create art. God sings over us, so we should sing. God laughs, and so should we. God became flesh and made the best wine, so we should appreciate His gifts. James 1:17 says that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above" so it is totally fitting that they will continue on wherever God is.

It's incredible to reflect on what our hearts and minds will be able to express when we see Jesus and become like Him, when we see clearly and not through a glass darkly. How much more delight we'll capture through songs and art - and then to be in the presence of every tribe, and nation and people and tongue, all with their own unique histories and cultures, all redeemed and sharing their stories, their laughter and their music.

For me, Sports are particularly fascinating to think about (which is absolutely not how I feel about sports in this world), because they are, at their best, a celebration of what our God-given bodies can do when guided towards a given task - which is a beautiful idea - yet the way we watch and participate in sports now causes pride, despair - even violence.

Imagine, though, what it would be like to want to win, not for your own name, but to glorify the one who made you. Imagine that when you lose you are not wounded or offended, but overjoyed for your opponent and ready to start again so that he can celebrate with you next time around. Imagine competing with a restored, healthy, pain-free body where you have an eternity to discover your strength, where you can compete with friends and watch them discover their strengths, all without weariness or boredom.

In short, I'm pretty sure that not only will sports exist, but that even I will like them.

Will there be pets?

This is surprisingly tricky! The Bible doesn't address the question of pets directly (animals were kept almost exclusively for farming and sacrifices in Israel when the Bible was written), so we'll look at some of the things that it does tell us about animals and then I'll tell you what it leads me to think about.

To start with, animals were part of God's good creation, and His intention was for us to lovingly rule over nature with Him, and the pictures we have of the new earth in Revelation 21-22 lead me to believe that will be His intent in the New Earth - that it will be like Eden, free of sin, futility and frustration and that we can embark in the work we were created for. There are numerous references to animals to help us picture what a restored creation will be like, so I'm certain that there will be animals in the new earth.

The Bible has many passages about caring for animals as well - we shouldn't muzzle an ox while it treads grain (Deuteronomy 25:4). Proverbs 12:10 says that "whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast."We should love and care for animals - it is a reflection of God's care for nature, so I think the feelings we have for our pets will be fulfilled spectacularly when we rule with God as he intended.My imagination flares when I try to imagine how that works. I have no experience of living in a perfect world, and while we have a lot of 'big picture' truths, a lot of the details remain to be discovered.

At this point, I concede that there is so much we simply don't know, but I cannot wait to find out! Whatever the answer is after we've gone through the information we do have available, it will be better than I can ever imagine.

What would it be like to steward animals like God does without any fear of harm to us or them? Where there is no distinction between tame and wild that holds us back? Would we want to domesticate them and keep them as pets, or would we find our relationship with animals more enjoyable as we walk together freely? I think there will be more variety in the animal world than we can imagine (there's already more than I can imagine in this world!), and in a world where there is no death, sickness or pain, where nothing can harm us, even the animals that make me wince now will be innocent there. I won't have to fear tarantulas, sharks, scorpions or tigers. I won't have to worry about disease from insects, mice, and rats. Every creature we see will do us good. I will be able to see things that David Attenborough could only dream of, and so much more.