 Past,
present & Future - part 3
Into
the fire!
 lthough
I’ve heard it said many times that Christianity isn’t a
bed of roses, I’ve never heard anyone preach that it is!
So why do they keep preaching that it isn’t? None so strange as
folks is there? Long ago I remember an old preacher referring
to the prophet Malachi’s story of the goldsmith refining his gold
(Mal. chapter 3). The ore is heated in the crucible until dirt
appears on the surface. This gets skimmed off, then more heat,
more dross and so the process continues until the goldsmith sees
his face in the liquid surface just as if looking in a mirror.
The prophet Zechariah said that God would refine His people like
gold until each will say, "The Lord is my God!"
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Colin
60 years ago!
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Becoming
a Christian and especially becoming a pastor means jumping into
the fire, God’s fire! For me as a lonely child with no parents
for the war years, becoming a Christian was realising God loved
me and Jesus died for me; receiving His forgiveness and love and
His everlasting life. I was so overwhelmed that I gave my life
to Him. I had found my "Everlasting Father". Bed of
roses? No! But a new relationship that was going into the fire
of testing and discovering that God loved me but was not satisfied
with me! Yet His presence was with me through all the fiery ordeals.
Into the fire until He could see His face, His character reflected
in me (and there’s still a way to go)!
School
meant being the odd one out, having Christian ideals and morals
and finding the other boys thought I was different and unfriendly.
College meant fierce debates with contemporaries about sexuality
and God being a ’spoil-sport’! But at two in the morning, some
would creep into my room to confess they had a bad conscience
after their night’s exploits. Frequent criticism made me examine
my beliefs, my relationship with Jesus. It caused me to consolidate
some and discard some. I rejected religion but searched deeper
for reality with Jesus.
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Handing
out the provisions at youth camp
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Teaching
brought much the same problems but I wanted to share the vision,
joy and peace of the relationship with others. Youth clubs, camps,
hotel parties brought opportunity to share this with young people.
With help from others many youths found the way to walk with Jesus,
the excitement to be God’s family, to find each other as brothers
and sisters. Sometimes the college had 100, 200 meeting during
the week as the ’Christian Union’ (maybe, you, dear reader, were
there!). Then the authorities asked me to stop running the CU.
I was confused, angry. God had forgotten me. No answers to my
prayers. A real fiery ordeal! Later, upon reflection I saw I had
been freed from educational authority (with their difficulty to
understand what was happening). Now I could obey God but be responsible!
I
asked my church if the young people could meet there. They refused.
More confusion! More turmoil! I wanted to be a ’good boy’, to
conform but found myself outside and alone. "Oh God, what
are You doing with me?" No answer. Later I saw I was free
but had to trust God for direction and resources. He was building
my faith, teaching me to listen (tough for a teacher!). God had
me where He wanted me, to lead me into places my church was not
free to go. 1969 saw £891 donated to us when no appeals were given.
There was no place to rebel against leaders, no divisiveness.
We could start with a clean sheet.
nother
ordeal lurking! Front page of the town’s newspaper, main headlines
(there must have been a dearth of news!) accused me and destroyed
my reputation. I had been to the Bishop of Plymouth to refute
untrue rumours. News had leaked. My church wanted to disown me.
More confusion, rejection, trouble and strained relationships.
As I grumbled to God I knew He was saying, "Jesus gave up
His reputation for you. Will you give yours for Him?" I was
free. I never knew what a weight it was to worry about my reputation.
The young people got into prayer, more joined in curiosity because
of the news. The group grew bigger and stronger. (cont...)
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