My Adventures with God 50: Prayer and Preaching

50: Prayer and Preaching

Things were changing at St. Luke's Church. Mostly invisible things. Nick and Shirley's admirers were still in many of the “up-front” roles in church – leading services, prayers, preaching, music team and so on. In these they were very much doing their own thing without any restraint from me. I think I even kept my mouth shut the time the extempore prayers of intercession went for longer than the sermon had! But change was happening and being noticed.

The first reason for things changing was that I was doing a great deal of praying. I said earlier that one problem with the group of people who had infiltrated and then dominated leadership roles was that they wanted the power of spiritual gifts without the “sanctification” aspect of being changed into the image of Jesus. God's Holy Spirit is first of all holy. Faith in the real Christ – not some false concept of a “Buddy Jesus” who is content for you to remain an ego worshipper – is a pre-requisite for the Holy Spirit to work openly in one's life!

There had been a sort of fake-Charismatic air to many of the church services.

Now, I generally only pray in tongues in crisis moments, but at that time I frequently found myself praying under my breath in tongues throughout some of these services.

In my private prayer times I was of course continually praying (with my mind) both for all the congregation individually and also for wisdom myself in handling things. So why the “tongues”? Actually I take my being moved by the Spirit to pray in tongues as part of that kindness of God which I find so beautiful and so overwhelming. If I was praying concerning particular people – perhaps the one leading the service or the singing at that time – any problem they had was strictly between them and the Heavenly Father – theirs as well as mine. It was not my business to know what it was. Indeed we should all be relieved that God does not tell people everything he knows about us! Obediently praying where I did not know the content of the prayers let me be part of the solution without having to know the problem!

However, while I was not doing anything physically to change what these people did, God was - spiritually. Service leaders were complaining that they felt stifled. When they blamed that on the liturgy, then for the more casual evening service I told them they could start with a blank page and write their own service format. They still felt stifled.

They started to say that I must have grieved the Spirit, or that the Spirit no longer flowed in the services, or that the Holy Spirit had left St. Luke's. Nick with Shirley's both wrote letters to the church council to try to get them to set up a “worship advisory committee” Nick said in his letter: “to hear the mind of God through the feedback of those in our midst who have a heart and sensibility and commitment to the work of God at St' Luke's”. Shirley urged the council (which was dominated by her supporters) to: “consider, to pray, and ask the Lord for a vision regarding our services. We need a team to make decisions about what we desire to accomplish during our services” As Anglican services are strictly under the authority of the minister (within some pretty strict regulations, naturally), I did not allow this.

What was really happening was that the real Holy Spirit was being more pro-active and putting a damper on their fake performances.

Preaching which faithfully expounds the Bible is divisive. One does not have to read far through the book of Acts to see this in operation. Paul manages to cause riots in nearly every town he preached in. Some might say part of this was his style or his personality, and since he was fallible human like the rest of us maybe it was. Maybe Stephen should have kept his mouth shut instead of giving that sermon which got him martyred. We can go on like that through all the prophets who were killed for delivering God's message to their generation, but the excuse of human error starts to wear a bit thin!

When we come to Jesus, there is no getting round it. He was perfect. Perfect Love, perfect image of God, faithfully and truthfully expounding the things of God. Yet look at the reaction to his preaching. It was divisive. The middle chapters of John's Gospel to me bring this out most clearly. As he goes on some become more devoted followers, some walk away, and the opposition of the religious elite becomes more and more strident.

If you still want to think that one can preach (outside the confines of your clique) and not cause division this is what Jesus himself said: “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. Rejoice …. for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. … But woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.” (Luke 6)

So my preaching was causing a division. There were a large number – even at that stage the majority of the congregation - who held to sound Christian doctrine – they loved it and were growing stronger in their faith. Then there were the ones who held to the gospel of Self. They were being challenged. Some came good – possibly not even realising what had changed in them. Others were, like the religious elite in Jesus day becoming more and more bitter in their opposition.

Jane, the music leader and Nick's wife (the one who before I was even inducted as Vicar had asked the Bishop how to get rid of me!) told me she felt “violated” whenever I preached. Really? “Violated” She did also tell me that she didn't need to hear sermons on sin because she “had no sin”. No, I did not quote the Bible's “But if anyone says they have no sin they deceive themselves and the truth is not in them” - that would have only pushed her further away. And I was to the very end trying to win all of these people back for Christ.

Nick took things even further. In November 1992 there was a baptism in church. I baptised three children of regular church attenders. Nick was the one rostered on to lead the service that morning, although as the priest I read the actual baptism liturgy.

At next Tuesday's staff meeting attacked me with abuse. He did not believe in infant Baptism. However St Luke's was an Anglican Church, and Infant baptism is held to be “most agreeable with the institution of Christ” Nick said he refused to take part in any service where there was infant baptism, and to round things off he refused to take part in any service where I preached.

Since Nick was only employed one-quarter-time (he had a regular job as well) and since a third of his time was meant to be taking part in services this was a refusal to do his job. He challenged me to sack him. I didn't.

However crunch time was approaching.

My Adventures with God Ch 41: A Prophecy Fulfilled

Ch 41 A Prophecy Fulfilled

After I was offered a few months work as locum at Vermont I had this prophetic vision that I would become vicar at Vermont and have to do battle with the choir. We had still tried to find accommodation back where we were in Caulfield but to no avail. God who had provided so abundantly a year and a bit before now seemed to have closed off every option.

So we moved the other side of town to Vermont, and rented the now vacant vicarage. Our eldest was now at Melbourne Grammar Senior School which is relatively easy - that is to say bus then train then tram – to get to from Vermont The other three were at Melbourne Grammar's Junior school at Caulfield (Co-educational for those who are wondering) This was not possible by public transport so Sue drove them on her way to and from work at hospital, which being part time she could coordinate.

My first impressions of St' Luke's Anglican Church Vermont were not good.

Before I had a chance to do anything good or bad I met a man at the vicarage beck fence (which bordered the church) who had idolised Jack. My “hello” triggered a torrent of angry abuse in return. The churchwardens explained it away – he was just angry to see anybody in “Jack’s” house. This man continued this violently hostile attitude all the time I was there.

Then there were the Parish Staff. I had built up a team ministry at Lang Lang, so I was looking forward to working with staff, I fondly thought that the weekly staff meeting would be times when we would encourage and build each other up, as it had been with the team at Lang Lang. I could not have been more wrong!

The staff consisted of a “one-quarter time” youth worker, a “half-time” pastoral worker and a “half-time” secretary. There had been a full time curate but he had left at the same time as Jack and parish finances no longer ran to getting another curate (the decline was already showing).

The youth worker, Nick, was an engineer about my age. His thing was explosives and he travelled all over the world consulting. His parish work had to be fitted around this schedule. He was all “alpha male”: lean, muscled, in jeans and T shirt, his already grizzled hair cut short. It was only later that I would learn that he only tolerated one or two males whom he considered no threat in the senior youth group he led. Over the years all other males he pushed out. The resultant group, largely 20’s and 30’s single women I heard referred to as “Nick’s heifers” Nick was married to Jane who was music leader; they had three thoroughly delightful young boys.

The pastoral worker Pam was a single lady in her late twenties. She had been hired a couple of years back on Nick’s recommendation. Together they belonged to a select “community” within the church which was led by Nick. This community seemed an attempt to at least partially re-create the early Jerusalem church model of believers sharing their lives and their possessions. It was a very tightly bonded community.

The secretary Judy was a middle aged mum with semi-grown up children and married to Barrie who lead the “4 wheel drive club” which was very big at the church. Barrie from the start showed his great regret that because no one expected Jack to resign, he had not stood for election as either Churchwarden or Incumbency Committee member. This meant that his “party” in the church was not represented in the selection of a new vicar.

As only a locum I was “under their radar” so to speak. Judy was sweet and efficient. To Nick and Pam, I was just someone who had to be there because of inconvenient church practices which required a priest to celebrate communion - both Sunday morning services were communion. They soon put me in my place. Nick produced the roster he had compiled : I was to preach here and here, lead services here, here, and here. Pam then chipped in, she had planned a preaching theme, they were preaching through a book (not of the bible, a devotional book by someone) and I was to preach on this chapter and that chapter. The evening service was a charismatic “youth” service – which was, as is ironically often the case, attended by people of all ages. And I was down to lead here and here. Nick’s body language made it clear that any questions I had I could keep to myself!

I did have a question. If the evening service was charismatic why did they not ask me what my spiritual gifts were rather than just putting me down on the roster for a bit of everything? At our charismatic service at Bayles I had always preached – that was my particular gift. Ross had always lead the worship – that was his. And having seen someone who really did have a spiritual gift leading worship I knew I could not do it! (well not in any more than in purely human strength.)

My question was answered at the first evening service. For fully ten minutes at one point Nick, who was leading kept the congregation on their knees in silent prayer while he coaxed “I sense one of you has a word from the Lord, come forward”. For ten minutes!

I had read very widely and this behaviour corresponded to something I had read described by Watchman Nee the famous Chinese Pentecostal. Nee termed this behaviour “Soul-ish” - ie it is what happens when the Holy Spirit is not acting and humans are trying to fake it! I had also seen real “words from the Lord” – they didn’t have to be coaxed like that! Some of the “Caring Christians” girls at Lang Lang had found God used them to mutually counsel each other. Frequently one would say later “I just opened my mouth and all these words came out” Typically the person being counselled would on hearing the words burst into tears and say “yes that is true, but you couldn’t possibly have known that about me” and there would be real healing.

What I saw at this first evening service was so fake that it made me angry! Next evening I went to see Nick and said in a more diplomatic way what I have outlined above. Wow! He really did not take criticism kindly! In fact he did not take criticism at all! I was sent packing in short order. His attitude is best explained by something he said to me much later – when I was the vicar of the parish. He said to me: “You were only appointed by the human Church; I was appointed to lead this congregation by God!” That was indeed his attitude right through!

Otherwise the locum months were uneventful. After a while the Parish incumbency committee unanimously agreed they had found their man: me. The bishop did not. He had someone else in mind. The Incumbency committee were all men who pre-dated Nick and the others who had arrived once the church was successful. one was “crispy” evangelical, one moderately Charismatic and one very Charismatic. They had prayed together been convinced together and now faced off against the diocese together. They prevailed and I was appointed.

When it was announced in church there were cheers – except for Nick’s supporters some of whom openly wept.

As a “PS” the incumbency members told me Jack had planned to get rid of both Nick and Pam, and advised me to take the archbishop’s offer of the parish on the condition that they were moved to positions in other churches. I didn’t. Would it have made any difference in the end? I think not, but you may judge for yourself.