Gazing Out…

We went down to Dover today and walked along the cliffs. Despite it being a sort of greyish day, France was clearly visible, just 22 short miles away, as a line of cliffs.

We sat on a bench and gazed out, longing for the time when we will be there. We prayed, and wept, and prayed some more, and wept some more.

We prayed for our dear, wonderful French brothers and sisters. For those who are weary from so much hard work for the Gospel, frustrated at so little fruit: that they would receive refreshing and encouragement and revival. For those who are afraid to talk of their Friend, because of what people will think: that they would be emboldened and helped.

We prayed for the empty spaces where there are no Churches: surprisingly large empty spaces even just that short hop over the water. That God would send people to plant Churches in those spaces.

We prayed for a couple of Churches we know a bit about not so very far from those cliffs, that their light would spread further and give birth to other lights in other towns and villages.

We prayed that God would send more brothers and sisters to plant Churches, from Britain, from the Netherlands, from other places, to plant and to train and encourage our friends in France.

This evening I compared Dover and Calais. Dover with around 28,000 people and at least 10 evangelical Churches, probably more. Calais with 74,000 people and just 3 evangelical Churches.

Tomorrow we’ll be meeting with some friends to pray and seek God for revival in SE London, revival that is sorely needed in the Church and in our communities: so many, many people without Christ and without hope in their lives. How much more, how very much more, does France need revival? If we weep, how much more, how very much more, does God weep?

Please, pray!

Dieu de Justice / God of Justice

 

This is the official French version of Tim Hughes’ song God of Justice.

I actually prefer this French  version, partly because the words are more positive, more definite. Here’s the chorus, in French then a (rough!) English translation from the French:

Nous irons nourrir les affamés
Soutenir les blessés
En ton nom
Nous avançons plus loin que nos chansons
Conduis-nous dans l’action
En ton nom

We will go to feed the hungry
To support the wounded
In your name
We are moving further than our songs
Lead us into action
In your name

See what I mean? “We will go…,” “We are moving…”

France is full of the spiritually hungry, of those who are wounded by sin and by life. We have to go, we cannot ignore the call.

Flashback: Living A Big Picture Life

This poem was written in September 2013 and shows how God was working in my life at that time.

---

A Big Picture Life

I will spend myself for You.

Show me the world, my Friend, through Your eyes:
Not the vain and worthless mists which most will stumble through,
But the crisp, breathtaking clarity of eternity’s sweep.

I will spend myself for You.

Show me the path, my Guide, that is the one You trod:
Not the well-marked lane of mire and twisting, knotting snares,
But the sharp and lonely ridge of rough but footsure rock.
 
I will spend myself for You.
 
Show me the work, my Saviour, that You have called me to:
Not the soft and comfortable religion which leaves the world untouched,
But to batter down the Hell-gate and snatch many from the awful fire.
 
I will spend myself for You:
Because You spent Yourself, utterly, for me.

The Next Step

Having sounded out our missionary friends about our thoughts, the next step was to chat to the lead Elder of our Church and get his input. On Sunday 10 November 2013 we asked Andrew if we could meet with him to ask his advice about something (we didn’t say what).

We were able to get together the very next day and tell Andrew that we felt God was calling us to go to France to get involved in Church planting work, and the journey we’d been on so far. I was wondering if Andrew had understood us correctly, as he showed not the slightest bit of surprise, in any way, as we explained…

He then explained that God had told him the day before that Chris and Joanna would be going into mission work! It was not something that we had ever mentioned as a possibility before (not least because it was not something we’d ever thought about before).

That was such an encouragement, as was (and is!) Andrew’s 100% support, as well as that of the other Elders and of our Mission Committee Chair.

Step by step, God was leading us forwards.

 

Flashback: Open The Gate And Walk

On Saturday 2 November 2013 I went for a walk in the Kent countryside and God spoke to me through that walk. Here is what I wrote down the day afterwards, so I could share it with our Church. The relevance to our own lives at that time is clear.

---

Yesterday I went for a walk in the countryside. Partway through my walk I reached the very outskirts of Westerham. It was raining, and as I walked into the start of a new path it began to rain very heavily and the wind also became quite strong.

I was sheltering under some tall holly bushes, just in front of a gate into a field. I leant on the gate and looked at the rain. As I looked, I had a sense that the field with the wind and the rain was like the work which God calls each one of us to do for Him. The work was out there in the field, but I was sheltering under the holly bushes, just looking.

How many of us are sheltering under the bushes, just looking at the work God wants us to do, too afraid of the rain and the wind?

I opened the gate, but continued to stand there, looking at the rain. I had taken one obstacle out of the way – the gate – but I still wasn’t going anywhere.

Maybe you have dealt with an obstacle in your spiritual life, but you are still standing there, looking at the rain and the wind, looking out to where God’s purpose is for you, but still not moving?

After a little while I took a deep breath and walked out into the field, out into the rain and the wind. The gate closed behind me. It felt good to be out there, with the rain lashing into my face and the wind tugging at my clothing.

It was easy enough walking across the level grass at the beginning, but ahead of me was a steep bank. There were two ways to get up the steep bank. To the right, if I took a curving route round, I could follow a track under the shelter of the trees at the edge of the field, out of the rain and the wind. The direct route was straight ahead up the steep grassy bank.

It’s easy to follow God’s will when the path is level and there are no problems. How tempting it is to duck back out of what He wants us to be doing when the going gets a bit tougher, back into the shelter of the trees, returning to being an onlooker, not a “doer” of God’s word and will.

I launched up the steep grassy bank. It really was steep. After a little while my legs began to hurt and I started panting for breath. My feet slipped in the mud a few times. God’s work is not always easy, sometimes it is hard going, sometimes it will hurt, sometimes we may slip. But it’s better by far than being under the trees as an onlooker.

As I crested the bank I could see ahead the rain sweeping across my route in great curtains and the wind whipping the trees. Walking on, I thought “I’m a walker, this is where I belong, this is where I should be, out in the rain and the wind!” You’re a Christian, this is where you naturally belong, this is where you should be: doing the work God has called you to.

A little while later the rain stopped and the clouds parted. The sun began to shine bright and clear. Under the trees at the edge of the field it was still dark, the sun did not reach the trees. We will find the light and the glory and the warmth of God’s presence when we are where He wants us to be, doing what He has called us to do, not if we are hiding under the trees, too afraid to do His will.

So God’s challenge to you, if you are sheltering under those holly bushes, behind the gate, looking at the rain and the wind, is this: open the gate and walk out into the rain, into the work which He has called you to,
don’t hesitate any longer.

And keep walking up that steep grassy bank, even though it hurts at times and it is hard going and you may slip occasionally. Keep walking: you are a Christian, this is where you belong, doing the work God has called you to. Keep walking and you will find the light and the glory and the warmth of God’s presence: it’s there, out in the open, the place God has called you to, not under the trees where the onlookers are.

Are We Called?

Refer to this post to find out how our journey to France began. I’ve been looking back through my prayer diaries and it seems to have been in late September 2013 that my prayers moved from “What do You want us to do, Lord?” to “Is France where you want us?” In early November, my prayers moved from “Is it France?” to “God, please move in France!”

One of the first things we did at that time (November 2013) was talk to some trusted Christian friends: two couples who knew us well and were also themselves involved in mission work. Our immediate concern was whether we were being unrealistic, mainly because of our age (right now I am 57 and Joanna is… a number of years younger!). Have we left it too late to make a meaningful contribution? Are we crazy to think we can do this?

Both couples said that we weren’t too old, that we weren’t any more crazy than they were, and that there was no reason we couldn’t make a useful contribution. That seemed to be a green light to push the door some more and try to move our plans forwards…

Flashback: The Woman In The Forest

I’m going to use posts with Flashback in  the title to share things from the last couple of years which are relevant to our story and what God is doing with us. Every now and then God gives me things in the form of a story. This is something from 6 September 2013.

---

A woman is lying on the ground in a grassy clearing in the woods. The ground is white with frost. The woman is pale, very thin, gaunt even. She is shivering with cold and moaning quietly, moaning from hunger and pain.

The woman is a Church.

After a while a man comes along and sees the woman, lying on the ground, shivering. “Hello,” he says, “I see that we are family.”

The man is a Christian.

“I’m sorry you are cold,” the man says, and sits down on the ground next to the woman. After a while he picks up one of her hands and holds it. The woman smiles, weakly. The warmth from his hand stops her fingers from feeling quite so numb.

“Well, then,” the man says after a short while, “I need to get going. I hope it works out for you.” He gets up and walks away into the woods.

The woman starts shivering more dramatically and tries to call out. “Help. Please, someone help me.” Her voice is quiet because she is so cold and weak.

A teenage girl comes by. When she sees the woman she begins to cry. The girl gets down onto the ground next to the woman, takes off her coat, hugs the woman close to her and puts her coat over both of them.

The girl’s own body warmth begins to warm up the woman, who gradually stops shivering. The woman smiles. “Thank you so much” she says, “I was getting very, very cold.”

“Can you stand up?” the girl asks. The woman tries to get up, but her legs give way and she falls back down onto the cold hard ground. “I’m sorry” she says, “I’m just too weak and hungry. Do you have any food at all?” “No, nothing I’m afraid” replies the girl. “Wait, I’ll ask my friend to come.”

The girl pulls out her phone. “Oh no, there’s no signal!” The woman’s face drops. “No, don’t worry, I’ll go and bring help, I’ll find my friend” the girl responds. She leaves her coat with the woman and runs off into the forest.

It’s late afternoon, the light is beginning to fade. Snow begins to fall gently. Despite the girl’s coat, the woman begins to shiver again. After an hour or so, she stops shivering. Hypothermia is beginning to take hold. All she wants to do is sleep, but she knows that if she sleeps she will die. Desperately she tries to keep awake.

Dusk is beginning to merge into night. The woman is close to death now; her vital organs are gradually becoming colder and colder, she is almost unconscious. The snow lies without melting on her face, so very pale.

Suddenly, there is light in the forest. Sound. The brightness of voices and the crunching of dead twigs underfoot. A group of people emerge from the forest, carrying torches, led by the teenage girl. Five, no, ten of them. Several have rucksacks, which they quickly drop onto the ground.

As one, they gently pick up the woman and hold her, softly but firmly, in a group hug. Warmth, life and hope flow from the group into the almost-lifeless woman.

Rucksacks are opened, a tent is put up in an instant, out comes a warm sleeping bag, a huge Thermos flask of hot cocoa and a bar of chocolate. Several of the group crowd into the tent to add their heat. The cocoa helps to warm the woman up, the chocolate sends energy through her body.

The moment of desperation is past. She will live.

How Did This All Begin?

Some years ago we had a holiday in France, towards the end of which I said to Joanna “It’s a nice place for a holiday, but I don’t think I’d want to live here.”

God certainly has a sense of humour! But how did we get from looking at France only as somewhere to go on holiday to being convinced that God wants us to live and work there for Him?

In the Autumn of 2012 there was something of a crisis in our Church, the upshot of which was that I became part of a small group tasked with transitioning the Church to a new Eldership team. As part of the work of that group, I began researching how we could move forward as a Church.

The research I was doing was in the New Testament and also into the experiences of other Churches and movements. It seemed that the useful information I turned up was within Bible passages, documents and so on which were mainly to do with Church planting.

“Odd,” I thought, since there are a great many Churches in South East London and new ones are popping up all the time. I’m not saying there is no need for new Churches, but it’s not the first thing you think of in such a Church-rich location.

Well, the group did indeed transition the Church to a new Eldership early in 2013. A new full-time Elder was appointed, and God is moving! Although at the time it was rather painful, in retrospect God did a lot of very necessary work in us as a Church at that time.

Fast-forward to the Autumn of 2013. God had seemed to be putting on my heart an increasing burden for Joanna and I to be able to make more of a difference in the Kingdom of God. More than we could make just by carrying on with our work in our local Church, whilst I continued my secular work and Joanna her work in the voluntary sector.

As I prayed about this, Church planting seemed to be what God was putting on my heart, which made sense of the stuff God had been leading me to in late 2012 and early 2013. OK, so where should we go? It seemed too late in life for us to start learning complicated languages like Arabic or Japanese! What about the UK?

When I looked at the needs in the UK, although there are places where there is a real need for more gospel work, the nature of the need did not really tie in with the kind of Church planting that God was talking to me about: pioneer planting in locations where there are no evangelical Churches.

We thought about Ireland: there’s a great need, we could start with just English (though learning some Gaelic would be handy of course).

We both learnt French at school and had used it a bit since then: it would be possible for us to improve our French (a lot!) and work in, say, Belgium or France. So we began researching France.

What happened then was rather like falling in love. There was a time when we felt “Yes, France would be a logical place to go, there’s a clear need, it seems a suitable place for the kind of Church planting God is talking to us about.” All very calm and rational. As we researched, we moved from that condition to one of “We must go to France and be involved in planting Churches; somehow we just have to do it, whatever it takes.”

God put a real passion for the French people into our hearts, which has grown stronger and stronger over the months. Which is why we’re moving to France…

 

 

Why Breakthrough?

So what’s with the title of this blog? France is a Christian country, right? Why should there be a need for a spiritual breakthrough?

As I write this, the population of France is estimated at 66 million (by INSEE). Evangelical Christians account for only 1% of the total (see the Joshua Project). These people live in over 36,000 communes (administrative districts).

The CNEF (Conseil National des Evangéliques de France, the French equivalent of the UK Evangelical Alliance) list a total 2,190 evangelical Churches as of today. You can see that the overwhelming majority of communes do not have an evangelical Church. OK, so a number of these communes are quite small, but even allowing for that, there are a very large number of towns of 5,000 to 10,000 people with no Church and no Christian witness.

But the Church is growing, isn’t it? Oh yes, God is moving in France! There has been encouraging growth in recent years. New Churches are being planted. Young French Christians, especially, have been growing in passion for Christ.

However, as of today, the CNEF’s data website (here) shows that within the last 2 years just 5 new Churches have been planted. I know of another that is not yet officially registered, so that brings the total to 6. Maybe there are more: it could be a total of 10.

It does not take much mental arithmetic to work out that this rate of planting new Churches is not enough. Not anywhere even vaguely near enough. Not to take away anything from all of those who have been working faithfully for many years, of course: praise God for each one!

But we need a breakthrough. France needs a breakthrough. The people of France need a breakthrough. Some how, some way, we need to see God moving in great power in France. For the rate of planting of new Churches to increase by an order of magnitude or more.

God’s heart is breaking for the people of France; He loves each and every single one, He wants each one to know His love, to experience His forgiveness and be overwhelmed with His joy.

Will you pray for a breakthrough for France?