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(written 14th August 2020). Proper prayer is not asking for what you want, but discovering what God wants in everything that is happening, including facing up to your own death ‘Proper’ means ‘real, genuine, accepted, satisfactory, true and actual’. ‘Prayer’ according to the same dictionary[1] means, ‘words a person says when they speak to God’ and ‘the activity of speaking to God’. Personally I think this second definition is only part of what prayer really is. I find more and more of my prayer is not talking to God but listening to Him and thinking about what He wants, and is doing, towards it. May be thinking with the Holy Spirit is a recovery of an older Christian practise of meditation? Even non-religious people speak to God in their times of personal desperation or tragedy. Brenda and I have wondered why, during the present Covid-19 world pandemic, more folk (certainly in the UK where we live) seem happy to let scientists, politicians, and those on the medical front lines combat it, without apparently once asking what God may be doing in, through, and around it? Surely that is always the best question? Prayer is foreign behaviour to so many. It is a great pity, and those people who don’t pray are to be greatly pitied too. Not praying usually means a person is not a friend of God. 1. Doctors recently twice faced me with my possible death. How then to pray? Over the last seven weeks separate hospital doctors made me face up to my possible death. The first was as I was admitted to hospital following a suspected stroke. I was given a test for Covid-19 which proved negative. I also have a routine copy document headed, “Treatment Escalation Plan and Resuscitation Decision Record”. In an interview with the admissions doctor I had to choose, in the event of things going badly wrong, between the hospital doing all they could to keep me alive or ‘DNACPR’, which means Do Not Attempt Resuscitation. I took the chance to share with the doctor I am a committed Christian and I am perfectly ready to die at any time with the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour. (In the copy I have I notice he simply ticked the ‘No’ box and left out the bit about Jesus!). The second doctor who made me think about my death, phoned me about treatment for long-term nerve pain I have had for 11 years. ‘With the current Covid-19 pandemic’, he said, ‘I must warn you that this type of steroid injection will make you much more susceptible to succumbing to the effects of the virus should you get it’. (This is in addition to the dangers of being injected alongside the carotid artery in my neck). ‘Do you still want to go ahead with it?’ I replied in the affirmative as the pain has previously been controlled by the 18 of these injections I have had since 2009. The last one ‘ran out’ of effectiveness while the hospital was closed for such routine treatments in February, being on high alert for Covid-19 patients whose lives of course were threatened. For me as a Christian my certain hope of heaven with my Saviour and Lord Jesus is something I long to come to fruition. I don’t shy away from it. I do not fear what happens when this life stops for me. Jesus is my Rock solid Hope. I pray to keep close to Him through my living and my dying. Sadly it is often the way for Christian funerals these days to become celebrations of the life of the deceased person. I want mine not to look back, but to look forward to what heaven is like for me and for others like me – who are saved by the grace of God from deservedly ending up in hell for living as if God does not exist. When I listen to God about eternity after this life I know better how to pray for everyone in my family, my friends and neighbours, and even for people I’ve never met. 2. Facing future lifelong disability 24/7. What to pray? Since the removal of my cancerous voice-box in 2006 I have been very thankful to have a succession of voicing-valves that give me limited ability to speak. Most people say my voice is artificial, quite quiet but very clear. I am grateful to God, and to our National Health Service here in U.K., for these. However, over the nearly 14 years since my laryngectomy operation the fistula containing the valve between my oesophagus and my trachea has migrated. Oddly my losing a couple of stone in weight may have caused this. It has meant the air and water tight seals are not as good as they once were. My Speech Language Therapist changed me on to a shorter valve, then a narrower valve, in her efforts to help me. Each lasted a only little while. Once again, just as the hospital was reconfigured for Covid-19 responses, my own needs unexpectedly became worse. When liquid squeezes into your lungs you automatically try to cough it out. When you cannot drink fluids, or even swallow your limited saliva, without head aching bone shattering coughs breaking out, life is not fun for you, nor for your longsuffering wife. We testify to that being true. I was allowed into hospital for three valve changes, each new one only lasting a month instead of the usual six. (Hospital policy is to change valves every six months). Each time the SLT was dressed in her full PPE[2] and I had to be masked walking through the hospital until inside the treatment room with her. I was not worried about this, more concerned that I would unintentionally bring something bad to those who were treating me so kindly, generously and well. 28th July I was given a different type of valve – new to me. It is an Atos Provox VEGA, made out of a stiffer material and very small. To date it is working perfectly. I am so grateful. It has a tiny ledge on the oesophagus side to help stop pooling liquid and food particles collecting on top of it. A fascinating swallow Xray showed up that issue. I struggle with this disability even when everything is behaving as it should. I find it hard to pray and “give thanks in all circumstances”, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which Christians like me are supposed to, when it isn’t. I have to remind myself that my Father God in heaven has kept me alive since the cancer was first diagnosed in November 2006. He has used me still in my different, unplanned (by me) life, and He will do so for as long as He plans. It is not my decision when this life ends for me, (nor is it actually the hospital doctor’s though he may think it is). That is only for my Heavenly Father God. “… it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, …” Hebrews 9:27. Like all others Christians I must live the life God has given to me. I cannot control what that life consists of, but I can control – and must control, with God the Holy Spirit’s help – how I react and respond to anything that arises. I can and do pray, near the beginning of each and every day: ‘My Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, today may I always do whatever shows You off in the best light to the people I see’. 3. When ministry seems to be declining for me. Which way to pray? Over the first six months of 2020 Brenda and I have watched the number of people using our website, and the number of pages downloaded from it, decrease. I admit I probably don’t pray about the outreach of our website as much as I should. My poor excuse is there are always so many prayer requests from friends and other situations for me to take on board. I use my daily Quiet Time prayers for people who face many a worse and bad situation. I do pray each month as I write a new article for the website[3] or decide which of our books/articles to feature this time around. But I often wonder, is it all worth it? It is almost a year since I stopped editing, writing, fund-raising for and publishing books for the Sudan/South Sudan. I have also stopped writing a BiMonthly Encouragement article to just over a hundred Christian leaders and colleagues ministering to their own people, after 110 issues. Our website is the only specific ministry we have kept on and the numbers say it is shrinking quickly. 1,288 individual visitors per month has dropped to 817. 8,099 is the highest number of pages downloaded per month, with July 2020 seeing just 5,339. I know numbers are not everything, but it is hard not to be discouraged reading these visible signs. Questions arise which are hard to answer such as, ‘Has my time for ministry in Sudan come to an end?’. Visiting and residency between 1979 and 2020, with a legacy of about 100,000 printed books, DVDs and CDs will doubtless minister to some because of God’s amazing grace. But battling with a body and a mind that both do less without some complaining is challenging at the best of times and, I judge myself, tends to produce poorer quality results. Brenda and I are both ‘into retirement’. We try to develop practical interests and hobbies. Concurrently we want to remain useful to our Lord Who has done so very much for us over nearly 50 years together. In our prayers we try to listen to God, to be open to everything He still plans for us. We want to be ‘nudged’ into His will everyday He gives to us. We watch for people He brings into our orbit whom we may be able help a bit. We are not worth nothing the older we get, although society may think so. I was reminded recently that I will always be worth what God paid for me. My Lord Jesus lived His entire life on earth with a death diagnosis over Him, so He knows what it is like. I write as a dying man to dying readers. I believe there is a Jesus way of dying. That is the way I want with all my heart to follow until we Christians can be really alive, for ever, in God’s heaven. [1] https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/ [2] Personal Protective Equipment. [3] website: www.colinsalter.net

Christian theology in a Sudanese context. How God saves His people from their sin. It is possible to have a ‘heresy of method’ as well as a ‘heresy of message’ in evangelism. A ‘heresy of method’ is a method that takes little or no account of what God is doing in the hearts and lives of the listeners. Too much emphasis can be placed upon what we want to be able to report to our church head office or to our supporting organisation overseas. The love of money – even money to use in our evangelistic programmes – can corrupt the evangelism that we do (1 Timothy 6:5-10). Examples of dangerous practices in evangelism would include giving Christian baptism to babies, or baptising adults, without properly discerning the faith of those involved; saying or implying that those who are physically healed in a meeting have experienced the ‘saving’ touch of God; assuming that everyone who raised their hand – or came to the front – indicating they had prayed the ‘sinners prayer’, has actually done anything more than be moved in their emotions. There are plenty of evidences in Scripture, where people were very close to a life-changing meeting with God, but they did not experience it themselves: the rich young ruler, (Matthew 19:16-22); many of Jesus’ own disciples, (John 6:60-66); the people travelling with Saul on the road to Damascus, (Acts 9:3-7); the others at Lydia’s prayer meeting, (Acts 16:13-15); etc. If we give the understanding that people can be saved – or can show they are saved – simply by any outward practice (baptism of any form, healing, hand-raising, etc.), our evangelism is dangerous. None of these things automatically give us the life of Christ. Salvation is only experienced by having the life of Christ in you, not by any ritual! (1John 5:12). Yet, in order to live the church must evangelise! I am not suggesting for one moment that we stop evangelism. I am strongly urging that we be careful how we do it. Michael Green was a rector in Oxford, England, before becoming Professor of Evangelism at Regent College, Vancouver, Canada, and then the Archbishops’ adviser on Evangelism in Britain. Quoting Archbishop WilliamTemple he defines:“To evangelise is so to present Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, that men shall come to put their trust in God through Him, to accept Him as their Saviour, and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of His Church”. This definition demands that in our evangelism we trust in God the Holy Spirit to use the message of Jesus Christ – we do not trust in our own methods. People must be encouraged to respond to God – not to us, or to our methods. The trustworthy evidence of salvation will be seen over a period of time as the person becomes a Christian disciple in their local church community and in their everyday life – it will not necessarily be immediately obvious at the initial meeting. The key message of the church is “Jesus saves” (Acts 2:36; 3:18-20; 4:12). These words include: the deity of Christ – Jesus is God; the incarnation of Christ – God became the Man Jesus; the atonement made by Christ – God was in Jesus reconciling the world to Himself. Evangelism centres on the cross of Jesus Christ. Who was Jesus and what did He achieve? Evangelism demands a response from people to the actions of God in Christ. Evangelism focuses on facts not theories. The Lausanne Covenant was drawn up by leading evangelicals under the auspices of Billy Graham in 1974. Here is their focus on the Lord Jesus Christ: “We affirm that there is only one Saviour and only one Gospel, although there is a wide diversity of evangelistic approaches. We recognise that all men have some knowledge of God through His general revelation in nature. But we deny that this can save, for men suppress the truth by their unrighteousness. We also reject as derogatory to Christ and the Gospel, every kind of syncretism and dialogue which implies that Christ speaks equally through all religions and ideologies. JesusChrist, being Himself the only God-Man, who gave Himself as the ransom for sinners, is the only Mediator between God and man. There is no other name by which we must be saved. All men are perishing because of sin, but God loves all men, not wishing that any should perish but that all should repent. Yet those who reject Christ repudiate the joy of salvation and condemn themselves to eternal separation from God". "To proclaim Jesus as “the Saviour of the world” is not to affirm that all men are either automatically or ultimately saved, less still to affirm that all religions offer salvation in Christ. Rather it is to proclaim God’s love for a world of sinners and to invite all men to respond to Him as Saviour and Lord in the wholehearted personal commitment of repentance and faith. Jesus Christ has been exalted above every other name; we long for the day when every knee shall bow to Him and every tongue shall confess Him as Lord”. (Galatians 1:6-9; Romans 1:19-21; Romans 1:32; Romans2:14-15; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Acts 4:12; Matthew18:14; John 3:15-16; 2 Peter 3:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). In the diversity of approaches to evangelism, I strongly suggest that we give room to, and look for, the following – based on our understanding of the whole ‘salvation’ process: 1. Look for those God is awakening to an awareness of Himself and of their personal sin. There will be some people in your class at university, some in your neighbourhood, some of your work colleagues. Some, but not all. When I take teams for outreach visiting from house to house, I encourage them to understand that even doors closed to us are being used by God, to move us along more quickly to where He is working in people’s hearts (Acts 16:6-14). Our responsibility towards all the others is to pray for them, live and speak in a Christ-like way before them, and watch for God to open their hearts. 2. Be sensitive towards people who are experiencing the pricking of their consciences by God the Holy Spirit. The adult person who remains unconscious of their own sin cannot be saved. They will not see the need of salvation, except perhaps to avoid meeting God as Judge in, what seems to them to be, the distant future. The Holy Spirit ‘convicts of sin’ (John 16:8). He begins to accuse people of their guilt before a holy God. People do need to feel worse before they can really feel better! Do not offer the ‘good news’ until people have really grasped the ‘bad news’. People need to have a firmly held conviction that they are ‘wrong with God’ before they can understand and appreciate being made ‘right with God’. Do not try to limit the distress and heaviness people are under at this time. It is God Who is at work (Acts 2:37; Romans 2:14-15; 1 Corinthians 14:24-25; Hebrews 4:12-13). 3. Watch for signs of a new way of thinking. Repentance will bring to the listeners a new way of thinking about God and about Jesus Christ. Repentance lays the foundation for their trusting in God – and not in anything they can do themselves – for salvation. In repentance people let go of all that God does not want in their lives. True repentance brings a fear of sinning. Someone has described ‘legal repentance’ as ‘a fear of being damned by God’s wrath’; while ‘evangelical repentance’ is ‘a fear of sinning against God’s holiness’. This is a living, and spiritually healthy, fear of God. Repentance brings a change of attitude. We do not bargain with God. We accept His offered terms. God works repentance in people who are open to Him (Luke 15:7; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11; Philippians 2:12-13; Romans 2:4-5; 2 Corinthians 7:10). 4. Discern the presence of God’s gift of saving faith. The Bible tells us all the way through that faith is seen by its actions, and usually actions over a period of time. If a person is seen to be trusting in anything they themselves have done, trusting in any ritual they have been through, trusting in any experience they have had at a Christian event, then it is likely that they have not yet received the gift from God of saving faith (Ephesians 2:8-10). God is the One Who makes us spiritually alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:5). Something may begin at our meetings, but it is unlikely to be clearly evident until it passes the test of some life in the real, everyday, working world. When a man starts telling the truth, instead of lies, even though it is going to cost him business, it is a sure sign God is at work. It is no accident that the name ‘Christians’ was first given to followers of Jesus, by those outside of the church. They noticed the lives of people who were so much like the life of Jesus, they sneeringly called them ‘Christians’ (Acts 11:25-26). I believe it is also no accident that this happened after one year in a Bible Class with Barnabas and Paul as the teachers. 5. Celebrate and encourage the new birth. It is right to do this. The evidences of new birth are numbers one to four that we have just looked at! A person who is awakened to God, who is convicted of personal sin, who is repentant in heart attitude, and who has received saving faith from God, is born again. No-one expects a brand new baby to show the maturity of an adult in life. New babies in a family cry at the wrong and inappropriate times, demand feeding rather than politely ask for food, make bad smells in the most inconvenient places, and so on. New Christian babies will sometimes be an embarrassment to the Christian family too! But, no-one would reject a baby just because he or she still has a lot to learn about life. Parents, and older brothers and sisters, will help to train and encourage the new life. And we must do that for ‘new born’ and ‘infant’ Christians (1 Peter 2:2-3; Romans 14:1; Romans 15:1-2; and see what Barnabas did for Paul in Acts 9:26-30; 11:25-26; 11:30; 12:25; 13:1-3). God uses Christians to help each other in this. 6. Teach new Christians to listen to the Holy Spirit. Since God the Holy Spirit is the One Who gives witness to the spiritual birth of Christians, there is no greater encouragement and help we can give them, than teaching them to listen. A young baby, growing into a young child, learns by seeing, hearing and copying its parents and siblings. A young Christian will learn from other Christians. Yet she or he must learn not to depend on other christians only, but to develop their own, personal, life with God. Praying and reading the Bible, regularly thinking about life and about what the Bible says related to it, this is communication between the individual and God. It is a two-way conversation. Asking questions about ‘why?’ and ‘how?’ Christianity is worked out in everyday life situations, is an important aid to Christian growth. Questions can be asked and answered privately in devotions with God, and publicly in small groups deliberately aimed to nurture and establish new believers. God makes His work in peoples’ lives more and more evident as people become more and more Christlike in their lives (Romans 8:15-16; Galatians 4:6; Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:6-10; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4). Evangelism is much more than the narrow preaching of the gospel to lost people. To quote Michael Green again, “Evangelism will not be effective unless it springs from community, and draws people into community: a community which is warm, accepting, unjudging and supportive. That will touch people at a level reason along cannot reach”. Good evangelism makes Christian disciples in local congregations or churches. The New Testament church had compassion for people outside of Christ, which moved them to evangelise in spite of the persecution they consequently suffered. Methods of evangelism varied. They included formal preaching in the synagogues, debating in public halls, giving personal testimony where opportunity arose – out among the lost (Acts 13:14-15; Acts 17:2-3; Acts 19:8-10; Acts 22:1-21). The New Testament church did not rely on ‘pastors, ministers and evangelists’ only. Evangelism was the spontaneous and natural chattering about Jesus by all people whose lives had been revolutionised by Him, and who were themselves in vibrant touch with Him day by day (Acts 5:41-42; Acts 11:19-21). They mixed with the lost, and as they did so, they saw God open the hearts of some to be saved! God has placed His people in all walks of life in and around Khartoum – and I’m sure throughout the rest of Sudan. He will use you as your life shows the likeness of Jesus Christ to your colleagues. In university, in the suk, in the government civil service, in the shop, in the office, in the factory, in commerce, in agriculture, in industry, in education, in the home, in the street, in the neighbourhood – “Go and make disciples” Jesus said. God’s Kingdom will extend as we do so (Matthew 5:14-16; Matthew 11:12; Matthew 28:18-20). Thinking it through. (a). What could the differences be between people responding to the evangelist and his or her message, and people actually responding to God? (b). How can we be reasonably sure the people we are witnessing to are genuinely responding to God? (c). Who is responsible for evangelising the lost? Support your answer from Scripture.

The Master's instructions about everyday life. (1 Corinthians 7:1-40). In Matthew 19:11-12, Jesus said that some people are given a special calling and enabling by God to be single. If it is God’s will for you, then to be anything else would be disobedience. In fact, to want to be anything else would be disobedient. How can anyone accept contentedly that God is going to use them more in the state of singleness? Remember everyone is single as a child. Everyone is born single! This is no accident of creation. Creator God knows there is a value in being single and He wants every one of his children to learn what it is. Remember you can be single and Christian From 1 Corinthians 7 it seems that the Corinthian Christians lived in a society that pointed the finger at anyone who was single. Such folk were regarded as abnormal – either those who slept in a different bed every night or those who did not have the usual sexual desires (prostitutes, perverts or prudes). ‘Is it proper for a Christian to remain single when people may categorise him or her as strange?’ the Corinthians wrote and asked Paul (vs1). His answer was simple and straightforward. There is nothing wrong with remaining single in the sight of God (v.1). Singleness is morally acceptable in His eyes. Singleness enables special consecration to the Lord Verses 32-34 encourage the believer to use the time during which he or she is single to develop a strong and vital relationship with the living God. Married people will always have demands upon them which will be legitimate and proper, but also limiting over priorities. A married person will always have to consider their partner before moving in response to God’s call. The single person, a free agent, would be able to make the move much more quickly. Paul doesn’t say that one is right and the other wrong. He says that both are right for different people, or even for the same people at different times. You must discover and do what God wants you to do. Singleness encourages self-control Self-control is a much neglected fruit of God’s Holy Spirit which is used as an illustration in 1 Corinthians 7:36-38. It shows that true love is patient and is not self-seeking. A Christian is not put off from God’s ultimate design by following his own immediate desires. The single Christian should seek self-control as a fruit of God’s Spirit and as a fact of God’s calling in his life. Singleness can bring a studied contentment to anyone who is called by God Not everyone is called to be single. Christian marriages are one way of ensuring that Christianity doesn’t die out! Perhaps the key verse of chapter 7 is verse 24: ‘Each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.’ See also verses 17 and 20. To receive God’s calling brings blessing. To rebel against God’s calling brings no end of trouble. The church in today’s world does need to look at the special groups of single people who are within her ranks. All need to be ministered to in the spirit of Acts 2:42-47. There are children, teenagers, single adults, divorced people, separated people, one-parent families, widows and widowers. All have needs which God seeks to meet through the caring of His family on earth. Discussion guide on ‘Living as a Single Christian’ Read 1 Corinthians 7:1-40. 1. In Matthew 19:11-12 Jesus makes it clearly acceptable for anyone to remain single without being criticised or suspected of sexual sin. From the earlier verses in Matthew 19, where did Jesus take His teaching on marriage, singleness and divorce from? Why? 2. In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul begins by saying singleness is acceptable and honourable before God, verse 1. Looking through the chapter, how many ways can singles express their commitment to God by their singleness? Describe each of these in your own words. See verses 1,8,15,17,20,24,26,32,34,37,38. 3. How is a single person better placed to be “concerned about the Lord’s affairs” than a married person? See verses 32-35. 4. When an unbeliever leaves his or her Christian partner, how is that partner now to be viewed by the Christian community? Verses 12-17. 5. How can anyone come to “settle the matter (of marriage or singleness) in his or her own mind”? Verse 37. 6. How can a person who wants to be married accept that God wants them to remain single? See Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 7:37; 12:21-22, 27; 13:4-8; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Galatians 5:22-25. 7. In what ways can a local church group help single Christians with their specific needs?

Christian theology in a Sudanese context. God lives in the Church. From Abraham onwards, God has been ‘calling out’ a people to be His own, from among the entire peoples of the world (Genesis12:1-4). The word ‘assembly’ (Hebrew ‘qahal’) is linked to the name ‘Jehovah’ to mean the ‘assembly of the Lord God’; (Deuteronomy 23:1; 23:2; 23:3; 23:8; Genesis 2:4). To assemble in this way, means to gather as a company of people for a specific purpose, including the purpose of giving praise to God (Psalm 22:25; Psalm 35:18; Psalm 89:5; Psalm 149:1). Groups of God’s people have been gathered together at crucial times in God’s dealings with His people: for example, following the call to Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3:16); following the Passover in Egypt (Exodus 12:16); delivering the Ten Commandments (Exodus 35:1); celebrating feasts in honour of the Lord (Leviticus 23:1-2); at the provision of water for a rebellious people in the desert (Numbers 20:8); when remembering the Law of God (Joshua 8:34-35; Nehemiah 8:1); and for the allocation of the promised land (Joshua 18:1). Sometimes the meeting is of leaders, while other times all of the eligible people attend. There are many New Testament passages that understand the church as the new, or the continuing development of, the Jewish people of Israel (Romans 2:28-29; Romans 4:1-16; Romans 9:6-8; Galatians 3:26-29; Ephesians 2:11-22; Hebrews 8:1-13). The Old Testament key to understanding the New Testament Church is to realise that God calls out a people and He instructs them, leads them, guides them, disciplines them, and works towards making them all that He wants them to be. The word ‘assembly’ (Greek – ekklesia) is usually translated ‘church’ in the New Testament. Jesus used it twice. In Matthew 16:18, following Peter’s recognition of Who He was, Jesus said, “on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it”. Jesus speaks here of a worldwide, century-spanning, universal church. In Matthew 18:17, in dealing with discipline for an erring brother, Jesus said, “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church”. This time, Jesus is referring to a local congregation of believers at a particular point of history. We must keep both these understandings of ‘church’ in our minds. Paul uses the same word to refer to slightly different things. For example he writes “To the church (singular) of the Thessalonians”, (1 and 2 Thessalonians 1:1). He also refers to “the churches (plural) in Judea” and elsewhere, (1 Thessalonians 2:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:4). It seems there were city-wide congregations, there were more localised congregations, and there were even house congregations (Romans 16:3-5; Romans 16:16). The universal church is seen to exist in many different gatherings of Christian people. The church is the community of people who have been born again to live under the rule of the King of kings, Jesus. As people come into this invisible kingdom, they choose to join the human expression of the Kingdom, the locally organised church. The local church is people who are seen to witness to the existence of a Kingdom of God, a Kingdom that is not a territorial kingdom on this earth. By Christ-like living under the rule of God, within the laws of Sudan, Sudanese Christians show they have been called out by God from among all the rest of the Sudanese population. Where there is a clash between the laws of God and the laws of the land, Sudanese Christians can choose to follow the New Testament church in embracing persecution and accepting the personal cost of it (Matthew 5:11-12; Acts 4:1-31; 1 Peter 3:13-18; 1 Peter 4:12-19). The recent unjust suffering of some Sudanese Christians has been inspirational to Christians in other parts of the world. But we all need to be careful not to lose eternal blessing merely for political and material gains in this passing earthly world (Hebrews 12:1-3). The New Testament uses word pictures to describe the church. We are ultimately “the bride of Christ” (Revelation 19:7-9; Revelation 21:2-4). We have an intimate and exclusive relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. We recognise His love, His care, His provision of purity for us, His self-sacrifice on our behalf (Ephesians 5:22-33). In the church we are a building of people in which God lives by the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the foundation of the building. Inspired by God the Holy Spirit, Paul and others have built on that foundation. We have a corporate and individual responsibility to live in a way that brings honour to God. We are the household of God. Although this building is built, it is also still under construction! Perhaps the incredible building developments around the three cities can remind us that God is building His ‘church of people’. Physical church buildings will come and will go, but the ‘building of people’ does not need any physical buildings in order to exist. (Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Corinthians 3:10-17; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Timothy 3:14-15; 1 Peter 2:4-8). The church is also called “the body of Christ”. There are many different parts of my human body working away as I write this. My eyes see, my fingers type, my mind thinks, my mouth and my stomach enjoy regular food and drink. All together these (and other) parts of me combine to make the complete body of ‘me’. There are many parts in ‘the body of Christ’, but there is an organic unity, under the control of Jesus Christ, Who is the undisputed Head (Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 4:15-16; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Colossians 1:18). The Bible uses many other metaphors to help us see what the Church is like. We are like harvested crop, (John 4:35); like ‘branches on a vine’,(John 15:5); like a flock of sheep, (Acts 20:28); like a cultivated field, (1 Corinthians 3:9); like a pure virgin, (2 Corinthians 11:2); “the church of the firstborn”, (Hebrews 12:23); and like a lamp stand set to channel the light of Jesus Christ into a dark world, (Revelation 1:12-24). The New Testament does not know the church as an institution nor a physical building. It sees only ‘the people of God’, ‘the community of the set apart’, ‘the gathering of called out believers’. The Church is the whole community of all true believers throughout all of time. We may look at the All Saints Episcopal Cathedral building in Street One, Khartoum 2. We may admire the St Matthew’s Roman Catholic building, on the corner of El Meknimir street and Nile Avenue, or the fine ‘Mar Girgis’ (St George’s) Coptic building near the Palace hotel in Khartoum North. We may worship ourselves in any of these, or in a mud-walled plastic/ bamboo/ zinc-roofed area of Soba Aradi, Shigla, Hillat Koko, Haj Yousef, Mayo or Zagalona. We may worship as a house church, with a few others in someone’s home. It makes no difference. The real church in Sudan, as anywhere else in the world, is the invisible church. The invisible ‘church of people’ is the church as God sees it. Thinking it through. (a). What are the differences between the ‘universal church’ and the ‘local church’? (b). Which of these two is one hundred percent made up of genuine, born-again believers? (c). What lessons can you learn from seeing the Church as ‘the household of God’? (Ephesians 2:19).

The Master's instructions about everyday life. (2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9) It has been said that a man’s money represents himself. It is his time, his energy and his skill converted into pounds and pence. If this is so, then a man gives something of himself to God when he gives his offerings to the Lord. Acts 5 teaches us that giving to the Lord is not something to be taken lightly. Ananias and Sapphira tried to make out they were something they were not and God instantly judged them. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). A wrong attitude to money will very quickly deaden our spiritual awareness and appetite. In 2 Corinthians 8-9 we can discover some principles concerning pounds and pence which will help us in our walk with God and in our giving to Him. The amount of the gift is unimportant (vv.2-3) These verses speak of the Macedonian Christians giving out of their poverty. If you want to put a figure on it, you should contemplate that ‘they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability’. The Jewish tradition of tithing speaks clearly of 10% being set aside for the Lord. Acts 4:32-37 shows that the Jerusalem church had no legalistic figure. The sharing depended not so much on the resources as on the needs. The Corinthians had been encouraged by Paul in his first letter (16:1-4), to set aside money in proportion to their income as part of their worship on the Lord’s day. The amount is not the most important thing. The attitude of the giver makes the gift acceptable (v.4) Here we see that these newly converted Christians were very keen to invest their money in God’s work. They ‘urgently pleaded’ to be allowed to give. They saw it as a ‘privilege’ to serve God and His people in this way. There may be many ways of raising money today. Some are good for the church, others are probably not. Without doubt the greatest way God chooses to supply the needs of His church is by moving men’s hearts. Chapter 9 verse 7 encourages preparation before giving. Make a conscious decision that a certain sum is going from your income into the Lord’s treasury. Don’t do this because you have to, but because you want to. You don’t give to the pastor, nor do you give to the poor. You’re giving to God. The widow who added her two mites to the temple treasury gave secretly before men, as a steward in the eyes of God, sacrificially in view of her own resources, and suitably as one seeking to follow God. The amount of the gift depends on your faith not your funds. The acceptance of the gift by God depends on your attitude as well as your actions. God anoints both gift and giver A friend of mine once said that the faster he kept shovelling money out into God’s work the bigger his money pile became. He thought he was shovelling as fast as God was, and concluded that God was using a bigger shovel! We should aim to ‘excel in this grace of giving’ (2 Corinthians 8:7). Chapter 9 verses 6-11 teaches the disciple to sow generously in order to reap generously. The more we sow the more we will reap and the more we will have to sow again. Verse 12 says that the outcome of such stewardship is thanks and praise to God. Circle the word ‘all’ in verse 8and just see if there is any area in which you cannot be confident of God meeting your needs. Other principles can be found in the Bible about money: Matthew 25:14-30 teaches that God wants 100% return for His investment in you. Mark 10:17-31 shows that a man may be held back from following God by a wrong attitude to money. Mark 12:13-17 warns that being a Christian does not excuse you from the duties of this world. A mark of true Christianity is genuine investment in God’s kingdom. Discussion guide on ‘The Christian Attitude to Money’ Reading 2 Corinthians 8 & 9. 1. The Corinthian Christians had made the right noises about a collection for their suffering brothers and sisters in Jerusalem, but they had not completed it. Paul gives them an example from another church, 8:1-5. In your own words, describe the Macedonian response to the needs in Jerusalem. 2. 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 describes Paul’s advice for a collection. What had happened as time went by? See 2 Corinthians 8:6-12. 3. What do you understand about giving to God and His work from verse 12? 4. List all the ways Christian giving is described in verses 1-16; 9:1. I found seven. 5. What practical steps should we take to ensure the safe collection and distribution of funds? See 8:16-24 Why? 6. Jesus often spoke about money. From His teaching draw as many principles as you can about a Christian attitude to stewardship: • Matthew 6:1-4 • Matthew 6:19-21 • Luke 21:1-4 • Mark 12:13-17 • Matthew 17:24-27 • Matthew 19:16-23 • Matthew 25:14-30 7. According to 2 Corinthians 9:7 what is every Christian’s responsibility regarding giving to God? From the surrounding verses, what promises from God can the Christian expect God to fulfil?

Christian theology in a Sudanese context. God lives in the Church. If you want to know what a group of people really believe, look at what, why, and how, they worship. The ‘church’ is the living community of believing people. They have all responded to God’s call on their lives. ‘Church’ is not primarily any formal ecclesiastical, or denominational, structure of administration. ‘Church’ is not primarily any building or physical location. ‘Church’ as we are looking at it now, means “the local company of Christians visibly gathered together for worship and ministry”. “A true church will be recognised by its unity in relationships, its holiness of life, its openness to all, its submission to the rule of the apostolic Scriptures, its preaching of Christ in rule and sacrament, and its commitment to mission”. There are five reasons for meeting together as a Christian congregation: for worship (Greek – latreia, and Greek – proskynein) ; for fellowship (Greek – koinonia); for teaching (Greek – didache); for ministry (Greek – diakonia); and for witness( Greek – martyria). All five are to be carried out for the glory of God throughJesus Christ, by the local church. Worship is being totally absorbed by God. Meeting for worship is meeting to acknowledge God’s worth in acts of praise. My main interest in joining for worship is God Himself. I will meet other people, but if I do not meet God, then I have not worshipped. In worship, God occupies my complete attention. My heart is concerned only with the heart of God. In worship I show deep respect for God. I love Him, and I say so. I am awestruck in God’s presence, with none of the distractions that are usually around me in everyday life. I bow down to God in surrender of my own life to Him. I recognise He is the Kingly presence and I am only His poor servant. Together with others in Christian worship, we praise and adore God, we confess our sins, we break bread, we enjoy fellowship, we listen to Bible readings and teaching, we receive God’s call and grace to progress in our Christian walk, we thank God, we bring Him our world, ourselves and our needs, we call on God to intervene and we commit ourselves to be His helpers, we bring our offerings from what He has given us, and we proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christians together are those “who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus”, (Philippians 3:3). Paul testified: “I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way”, (Acts 24:14). (‘The Way’ was the name and the lifestyle followed by disciples of Jesus Christ). The Greek word ‘worship’ (above) is translated to ‘serve’ in Revelation 7:15; and Revelation 22:3. The word has the root meaning of ‘a hired servant’. As the women folk in our families serve us up excellent aseeda, foule, or kisera to enjoy day by day, so in heaven we will serve up our worship to God! And in our weekly church services – until we get to heaven – we can already serve our corporate worship up to God! The results of a New Testament survey of the church at worship show: they had daily – sometimes public and sometimes private – meetings (Acts 2:46; Acts 5:42); they had meetings on the first day of every week (Acts 20:7; Revelation 1:10); the apostles’ teaching was listened to and learned from (Acts 2:42); at least some of their meetings involved sharing meals (Acts 2:42;Acts 2:46); they baptised new believers (Acts2:41; Acts 8:12; Acts 10:48;1 Corinthians 1:13-17); the scheduled prayer times of their background Jewish faith, were adopted and developed (Acts 3:1; Acts 16:13; Romans 1:9-10; Colossians 4:12;1 Thessalonians 5:17; Colossians 3:17, 4:2); music was used in their worship, and the songs learned helped them in difficult situations (Matthew 26:30; Acts 16:25;Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; James 5:13; Revelation 5:9-14); in special circumstances some of their meetings were long (Acts 20:7); peoples’ material needs were shared and were met from within the congregation (Acts 2:44-45; Acts 4:32-35; Acts 6:1; Hebrews13:15-16; James 2:1-6); they collected offerings to help others(1 Corinthians 16:2;2 Corinthians 8:15); everyone’s gifts were given opportunity to make a contribution to the overall church programme (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11); they exercised discipline over individuals where it became necessary (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:1-5); the church celebrated the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-35); the believers were urged to treat every day as a sacred day, not just some days (Galatians 4:9-11); they were urged to use all of their time carefully (Ephesians 5:15-16; Colossians 4:5); and even the secular was seen to be God-given and to be prayed for (1 Timothy 4:4-5). As Christians we should always seek to give to God in worship. We give God our praise. We give God our love. We give God our church life – all of us as Christians together. It is in this our giving that God reaches out to bless us. He builds us up together by His living and strengthening presence (Ephesians 2:19-22; Ephesians 4:11-15). We meet with God together in a way that is not possible on our own (Matthew 18:20; Matthew 28:18-20). Singing and music has played a significant part in the history of the church down the centuries. Where not everyone can read, or where not everyone does read, the repetition of good theology in words set to memorable tunes is a valuable method of influencing the worship of the church and the understanding of Christians. In the early church, many people were suspicious of using music associated with pagan entertainment. It was St Basil, A.D. 330-387, who said “God blended the delight of melody with doctrines, in order that through the pleasantness and softness of the sound, we might unawares receive what was useful in the words … for this purpose these harmonious melodies of the Psalms have been prepared for us”. All singing is not necessarily worship. Good worship-singing centres on the value, worth and actions of God. It enables us to express our love, honour and respect to Him. In our church worship services it is right to be confident in Who God is, to be fascinated into knowing God better, to be thankful and appreciative of all that God does, and to express a growing love for God. True worship is offered to God from our hearts, by the Holy Spirit, in honour of the Lord Jesus Christ. Beware of two dangerous extremes in worship. Chaos is to be avoided. God the Holy Spirit creates an ‘order’ in the local body of Christ, just as there is a life-sustaining order of activity in our own human bodies. To have ‘order’ (Greek – taxis) means to make arrangements, to plan, to be tidy and to be systematic in our preparation for, and in our holding of, actual worship services (1 Corinthians 14:33,40; Colossians 3:15-17; 1 Corinthians 11:20-22). Ritual repetition in cold, unattractive formality is also to be avoided. We do not want to be unfeeling or to seem unattractive in our worship! Since worship is an overflow of our hearts’ feelings towards God, then there needs to be emotion expressed. God is so great! Salvation is so marvellous! Knowing God’s purpose in life is so exciting! (Mark 7:6-8; John 4:23-24; 2 Corinthians 3:2-11; Revelation 3:14-22). The brand new church at Antioch displayed visible evidence of the grace of God when a visitor came to see them (Acts 11:21-23). Encouragement built up the people. Evangelism added people to the congregation. Education developed their discipleship of Jesus Christ. The local believers tried to eliminate the needs of other believers far away, by their own generous sharing (Acts 11:21-30). To worship God is to give Him the worth He is due, to express His value in your life. To worship is to think, to say, or to sing, how much God Himself means to you. Real worship is a heart feeling about the Lord our God, expressed in an appropriate way. Such “spiritual sacrifices (are) acceptable to God throughJesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). As we know the presence of God in our church worship on Sundays, it will help us live in the presence of God throughout the rest of the working week (Romans 12:1-2). God is present everywhere all of the time. When I leave the church building, or the church service, I do not leave God’s presence. I can continue to worship God by holy living. I worship God by outwardly whistling or inwardly humming songs of praise to Him, wherever I am and whatever else I am doing (Ephesians 5:19). We are not physically together as Christians all day every day. We may be scattered as individuals throughout Khartoum’s work, school, and home communities. But we are still close together spiritually, in the Church universal, and we live as citizens of a different Kingdom – the Kingdom of God – within the Republic of Sudan. Our Sunday or Friday worship together, should help us individually reveal the Lord Jesus Christ to the people among whom we live and serve (1 Peter 2:9-12). Thinking it through. (a). How are the ‘five reasons Christian congregations exist’ (above) expressed in your local church or fellowship? (b). If one or two are weak, how can they be strengthened? (c). Describe, in one sentence, ‘a group of Christians worshipping God’. (d). Which is the worst trap for a local church to fall into: being ‘chaotic’ in worship, or being ‘too rigidly structured’ in worship? Explain why?

The Master's instructions about everyday life. (Psalm 90:1-17). The Bible begins before the beginning of time and it shows us that God was already there. Genesis 1:1 describes the beginning of the universe and the earth, but not the beginning of God. From further back than you can think, to the distant future beyond your imagination, God has been and God will be. Psalm 90 is instructive in helping the disciple to see life in the context of eternity. God lives outside the limits of time Verse 2 says: ‘From everlasting to everlasting You are God.’ Verse 4: ‘A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by.’ The distance between now and eternity is nothing to God though it appears enormous to us. Our life is at best a little while in the light of all this. James 4:13-16 likens life to a morning mist. When a person is born again into new life, he or she begins to learn how to make the years of his earthly life count for eternity. We should set priority on the eternal kingdom of God and not on the temporary things of this world. God appoints certain times in human history Having begun before creation God also entered the world in Jesus Christ at a set time (Galatians 4:4-5). He is working towards a time when Christ will be seen to be the Head of all things (Ephesians 1:9-10). The day of judgement, when all men will appear before Christ, has been determined by God already (Acts 17:31). We cannot know when (Acts 1:7), but we must live life knowing that God has a time schedule that He is following. We must recognise what He is doing. We must review what we do in the light of His works. We must redeem what time we can for the important and real issues of eternity. God wants every Christian to use the time he is given wisely Our Lord Jesus was constantly aware of seeking to do God’s will while there was time to do it. John 4:34-35; 9:4; 10:17-18 and 17:3-4 all show this dominating desire. Jesus regarded the whole of human history as ‘day’, and the end of time as ‘night’. The only way you and I can glorify God on this earth is to live like Jesus did, investing every minute we have in the kingdom of heaven. The cost of commitment to Christ is not only financial; faithfulness in the use of time is also required. Various management seminars I have attended list the following as reasons why people waste time: lack of planning, lack of priorities, over commitment, inability to cope with crises, too much haste, interruption, indecision, inability to delegate and a variety of others. If we waste money we may be able to earn more and to spend it more wisely the second time around. With time, however, there is no second chance. Perhaps a few days set aside now to plan goals and establish godly ambitions in our lives will reap rich reward. Read other scriptures like: Ephesians 5:15-16; Colossians 4:5; 2 Timothy 4:1-8, and pray the psalmist’s prayer of Psalm 90:12: ‘Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’ Discussion guide on ‘The Christian Attitude to Time’ Psalm 90:1-17. 1. How do you think we can make “the years of this earthly life count for eternity”? 2. Jesus taught Matthew 6:25-34. What principles on the use of time can you draw from these verses? (Keep in mind the prayer from Psalm 90:12). 3. In John’s gospel, Jesus is shown keeping to a timetable. Look up John 4:34-35; 9:4; 10:17-18; 17:4. What can we learn from each of these? 4. Read Ephesians 5:15-16 and Colossians 4:5. What do you understand by the repeated phrase: “making the most of every opportunity”? 5. How best can the Christian make his or her time achieve something? 6. Fill this two column chart (below) for your life this past week: Number of hours I spend In 24 hours - one day In one week – 168 hours Sleeping ___________________________________ Eating ___________________________________ Washing, dressing ___________________________________ Shopping ___________________________________ Studying, working ___________________________________ Travelling ___________________________________ Watching TV ___________________________________ Playing sport ___________________________________ In recreation with friends ______________________________ Enjoying company with Jesus ____________________________ My total 24 hours is ____ My total 168 hours is _____ Read Psalm 90:12 again. Are there things you can and should change? What? Plan how to do so, with God’s help.

Christian Theology in a Sudanese context. God lives in the Church. What do you think your church exists for? Take a moment and think about this before you read on. What are the reasons and purposes for which you meet as Christians together? My suggested answers would include the following: God has provided me with a local congregation to facilitate good preaching, application and practical teaching of the Bible. This promotes godliness and ethical righteousness. I can worship corporately with like-minded people and I can receive the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In the church gatherings, God enables me to enrich the fellowship of believers. This expresses unity and solidarity. There is some opportunity for me to take part in the nurture and training of new converts towards maturity as Christian disciples. This adds to the quality of Christian lives. There is some opportunity for me to take part in corporate evangelism and mission enterprise. This adds to the number of Christian people. There is also some opportunity for me to take part in corporate social service towards those who are disadvantaged within our church community, and within our wider community. This visibly demonstrates the compassionate love of Jesus Christ towards all people and can lay a receptive foundation for our personal witness to Christ. In my church there is also a procedure for resolving disputes between any of the believers before they become divisive to the testimony. This shows our submission in love to one another (1 Corinthians 6:4-6; Galatians 5:13-14; Ephesians 5:21). You will noticeI have made a deliberate emphasis on the fact that I can play a part – may be several parts – in the ministry of my local church. Please understand, this is not because I am an ordained minister! Even if I had not been specifically ordained in a London, England, church in A.D. 1973, and even if I had not successfully completed Bible College near Sydney, Australia, four years earlier, and even without my recently gained Master of Arts degree from Sheffield University, England, I can still minister in the local church. Neither ordination nor degrees are necessary for ministry. Every Christian can minister! Every Christian should minister! Every Christian is a priest in the spiritual house of the church (Hebrews 10:19-25; 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9). The New Testament emphasises that the coming of Jesus Christ has put an end to the need of anyone to ‘go between’ us and God Himself. We all have direct access to God. It is our own responsibility to have “clean hands and a pure heart”, (Psalm 24:4), and these are available to us through Jesus Christ alone (1 John 1:8-9). All Christians have a priestly ministry. A ‘priest’ (Greek – hiereus) is ‘one who prepares and offers a sacrifice’. We are all to give God ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2). A ‘ministry’ (Greek – diakonia) is ‘a service, something that is done for others’. When you give yourself, you give everything. When you serve, you are not the person in control. My role in Christian ministry is to give myself totally to ministering to the needs of others, as God directs. Every Christian has this privilege and responsibility. I have always been uneasy when visiting churches in Sudan, seeing people stand to their feet when I come in, accepting an offered special soft chair on the platform when the congregation is seated on hard backless benches, and having a bottle of Coke or Pepsi to drink while others are given only a communal cup of water. I understand that Sudanese respect for people and their wonderful hospitality toward strangers are to be commended, and I gladly do so. But it feels uncomfortable to me as a servant minister of God to be given these special honours. I am only doing my duty. I am obediently following my orders. I am a servant who does not want to be treated as special. Anyone who seeks personal privileges or position, has missed the point of a servant ministry. In the wonderful Sudanese culture, many people quietly serve others without wanting to be noticed. The lady teaching the delightful, if noisy, children in Sunday School, is serving in her ministry. The people bringing water around to the congregation an hour into the meeting on a very hot day, are serving in their ministry. The man who sweeps away any litter and all the dust, and who locks up the door when everyone else has gone home, he is serving in his ministry. When we culturally recognise the very obvious public ministries of some, we must be careful not to overlook the essential, but virtually hidden, ministries of the majority. And as Christians, we must never seek ministry, just to be especially recognised (1 Timothy 5:17-18; 1 Corinthians 12:21-25). Every Christian can serve by helping other people. “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves” (Romans12:10). “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position” (Romans 12:16). “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8). “Therefore let us stop passing judgement on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put a stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way” (Romans 14:13).“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans14:19). “May the God Who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus” (Romans 15:5). “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:9). “I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another” (Romans 15:14). It is an interesting study to look at the words ‘help’, ‘helped’, ‘helper(s)’, and ‘helping’, from a Bible concordance. To ‘help’ means to assist. It means to lift the burden from another. It means to contribute to the cause. A helper improves the situation. A helper serves someone else. You may not feel able to be ‘a minister’ in your church, but if you can ‘help’ in your church, you are being a minister in the New Testament understanding of that word. (As a start to this study, see Acts 9:36; Acts 11:29; Acts 13:5; Acts 18:27; Acts 19:22; Acts 20:35; Romans 16:2; 1 Corinthians 12:28; 2 Corinthians 1:11; 2 Corinthians 9:2; Philippians 4:3; 1 Timothy 5:9-10;1 Timothy 5:16; 2 Timothy4:11; Philemon verse 13). All Christians have gifts and abilities given to them by God that they can use for the benefit of the local church (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:7-10; 1 Corinthians 12:27-30; Colossians 3:15-17; Hebrews3:13; 1 Peter 4:11). God gives a whole variety of people so that they can make a wide range of contribution. Every gift is an ability God knows will be useful to the congregation as a whole. Every talent submitted to the Lord becomes a spiritual ministry. Encouragement puts strength into everyone. Advice, (admonition) given and received, may prevent disasters. Properly submitted and tested prophecies may guide or warn the church (1 Corinthians 14:29). Clear explanation and application of the Bible’s teaching to every day life in Sudan builds up the character qualities and lifestyles of Christians. In answer to believing prayer God powerfully and miraculously intervenes in events surrounding the life of the church and the individuals who make it up. God’s healing may be similarly given, either using common medicines, sensible therapies, or with no human treatment at all. The ability of some of my Sudanese friends to get their tongues to pronounce many languages Dinka, Nuer, Moro, Mabaan, and so on, as well as Arabic and English, puts me to shame. I’m glad God understands English! Prayer and praise spoken to God in an unknown tongue, privately, and publicly if interpreted, is another gift God gives to some (1 Corinthians 12:30; 1 Corinthians 14:2). People can share the knowledge and wisdom gained from their experiences, and others can find this helpful to them. Discerning counterfeit spirituality, at events which are not Christian even though they may seem as if they are, is a valuable gift from God too. Administration is the ability to organise well and make sure everything happens as it should. It includes accountability to others. Faith is the ability to stimulate reasonable trust in God from the congregation. Showing mercy means to be able to put one’s own ‘rights’ to one side and to concentrate on the future more than the past. These are all examples of ways in which believers may be used by God to serve their local congregation. Comparatively few Christians are called to serve by taking local church leadership responsibility (Ephesians 4:11-12). To be a faithful ‘servant of the servants’ of Jesus Christ is a blessed ministry (John 13:12-17). Pride has no place in the heart of a pastor. The essence of Jesus’ command, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you”, is “a humility and helpfulness towards brothers and sisters in Christ”. Foot-washing the congregation is not necessary for the pastor, but the recognition that the pastor’s role is that of a servant – and not of a master – is definitely necessary. Thinking it though. (a). Define: ‘the Christian ministry’. (b). What does ‘the priesthood of all believers’ mean? (1 Peter 2:5). (c). How can a ‘servant of the church’ be its leader?

The Master's instructions about everyday life. (Job chapters 1 and 2) As Christians we should thank God for our health and strength day by day and we should be good stewards of these gifts. From time to time we will probably become sick. What should we do? We know beyond doubt that God is able to heal us, but it may be that He has allowed temporary or permanent sickness to reveal Himself to us or to use us in a particular way. General sickness is a direct result of mankind’s sinful rebellion against God (Genesis 3:16-19). Sometimes a specific sickness is the result of a specific sin being punished by God (Deuteronomy 28:58-61). Other times God allows sickness to help us prove His grace is sufficient even in our extremity (Job 2:1-10; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). When we become sick, we should first seek to know God’s will in the matter. Is this a judgement from God? Is there a sin to confess? Does God want me to prove His grace can carry me through pain? Does God want to demonstrate His power through a miracle? From a study of the references to healings in the book of Acts I have recognised seven principles at work: 1. Jesus linked healing through the disciples with their commission in gospel preaching and evangelism (Matthew 10:1, 8). 2. Faith is sometimes linked with healing. 3. Complete healing should glorify Jesus and not the instrument. 4. God works in healing. 5. Healing often leads to a belief in the gospel and to church growth. 6. Healing used in evangelism is done out among the people. 7. Miracles are not restricted to the apostles only. Read the stories of Acts for yourself: 3:6-8; 4:30; 5:12, 15-16; 6:8; 8:6-7, 13; 9:17-18, 34, 40-41; 14:3, 9-10; 16:18; 19:11-12; 20:10; 28:8-9. Looking further into the New Testament I believe that the cure for sickness, should it be God’s will to grant it, may come in one of four ways (or indeed in any combination of the four). The cure may be mundane It may involve common sense and the use of natural means of healing such as wine for the stomach (1 Timothy 5:23), sleep for the body (1 Kings 19:5), or taking the proper food (vv.6-7). The cure may be medical It may involve the advice and prescription of a qualified doctor. I’m sure God used Dr Luke to help Paul through the arduous life to which he was called (Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11). The cure may be mental It may involve a deliberate change of attitude towards personal circumstances as Christ comes to influence them and you (Luke 8:35; 2 Timothy 2:3-7). The cure may be miraculous Examples of this proliferate in the pages of the gospels and Acts. The church is encouraged to believe God can and will heal the sick (James 5:13-16). Be wary of any selfish motivation for miracles of healing, but rejoice when God grants these demonstrations of His power. Be wary of unbelief. Be wary of praying for healing when you should be praying for help in bearing a painful trial with triumphant testimony to God. It is our heavenly Father Who works in the mundane, medical, mental or miraculous healings. He also works in the mystery of those who suffer continually in the centre of his will. Discussion guide for ‘The Christian Attitude to Sickness’ Reading Job chapters 1 and 2. 1. When someone you know, or you yourself are sick why is it important to ask: “What is God’s will in this matter”? 2. In our reading, why did disasters come upon Job, 1:13-19, and why was Job sick, 2:7-10? Who was behind it all? See also Job 42:11. 3. When you pray for healing and God does not grant it, what should you then do? See Paul’s experience in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. 4. Jesus commissioned His disciples to preach, to drive out demons and bring healing, Matthew 10:1,7 and 8. In Acts we read of them doing all of these things: Acts 2:14; 2:43; 3:6-8; 8:5-8 (among many others). Does this mean that no Christian should ever be sick? Why? Why not? 5. Which disciples are recorded as being sick in the New Testament? See 1 Timothy 5:23; Galatians 6:11; 2 Timothy 4:20. 6. Explain how James 5:13-16 works, or could work, in your local church. How do verses 7-8, 10-11 impact these verses? What about 1 Corinthians 12:9? 7. Read Job 1:20-22 and 2:10. How is Job and his reaction to suffering an example to us? How does the Bible describe him? Always pray for discernment when faced by sickness and suffering.

Christian theology in a Sudanese context. God lives in the Church. The word ‘ordinance’ means an authoritative regulation or practice. (It should not be confused with a very similar English word ‘ordnance’, which means artillery and military ammunition supplies!). Our Lord Jesus Christ commanded two ordinances, one to signify joining the Body of Christ, and the other to continually look back to the cross of Christ and forward to His coming again (Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:15-20; Galatians1:11-12; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). All the church denominations that regularly use liturgy in their weekly services, and most of the ‘Free Churches’ which do not, have ‘set forms’ of service for ‘Baptism’ and for ‘the Lord’s Supper’. A ‘set form’ may be a pattern to be followed, or it may be the precise words and actions to be carried out. The ‘set form’ may be prescribed words to be said – for example, a written order of service to be followed. The ‘set form’ may give regulation concerning who can (and who cannot) perform certain parts of the service– for example, only an ordained minister or licensed lay reader can give communion or preach. The ‘set form’ may lay down rules on what materials should or should not be used – for example, enough water to immerse the whole person in baptism, or real bread rather than wafers at communion. All of these ‘set forms’ are human interpretations of how the ordinances should be practised. Another word used for these local church ‘ordinances’ is ‘sacraments’. This word includes the Latin word ‘sacer’ meaning ‘sacred, exclusively devoted to a holy God’. A ‘sacrament’ is “an outward sign combined with a prescribed form of words and regarded as conferring some special grace upon those who receive it”. Sacraments are acts of obedience to God. By observing them, Christians demonstrate they are part of the worldwide Body of the Lord Jesus Christ. While they observe them, God meets with them in a very special way through the Holy Spirit. A careful distinction must be drawn at this point. The act of being baptised as a Christian does not save the person. Neither does the act of receiving bread and wine in communion save anyone. Some people are ‘Sacramentalists’, believing the mere act of receiving these sacraments from the church, and usually in a right spirit, changes a person into being a Christian. Our studies on ‘the Mystery of Salvation’ (chapters 43-47) have shown this is not the case. I do not trust in the church’s symbols of Jesus Christ to save me, I trust in the Person of Jesus Christ as my Saviour. His offering of Himself on the cross made atonement for my sin once and for all. However, both Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are nonetheless special events. They are ceremonies (formal acts, usually in observation of something), customs (usual habits or practices), traditions (long standing, handed down practices) and rituals (prescribed forms of religious orders and patterns). They are important in the life of every Christian within the gathered community of the local church. (a). The Lord’s Supper The Lord’s Supper is also known as Holy Communion, Breaking of Bread, Eucharist (with the root meaning of ‘thankfulness’) and the Lord’s Table. It was instituted by the Lord Jesus (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). It is an occasion for self examination, “a man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28-29). It is an occasion for remembering the salvation significance of the cross events, “the Lord Jesus said: do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25). It is an occasion for expressing unity between Christians, “Because there is one loaf, we who are many, are one Body, for we all partake of the one loaf” (1 Corinthians 10:14-17). And it is an occasion for anticipating the Lord’s return, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). God wants His people to remember constantly that it is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that brings them salvation from their sin. There is no other Mediator between God and people. Jesus is the only One (1 Timothy 2:5-6). Denominational rules that restrict to ordained ministers the privilege of giving bread and wine to the congregation, must be seen as different interpretations of ‘how’ the Lord’s Supper is offered. I can find no evidence of that practice in the New Testament, which is much more concerned with the attitude of heart and actions in life of the people who participate in the Lord’s Supper by taking the representative bread and wine into themselves (1 Corinthians 11:27-29; “Examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith”, 2 Corinthians 13:5). How Jesus is present in the bread and wine of communion has been understood in different ways over the centuries. ‘Transubstantiation’ is the Roman Catholic view that the bread and wine, consecrated by prayer and a said form of words by an ordained Catholic priest, are actually changed into the physical body and blood of Jesus. The ‘Mass’ so offered to God is seen as one continuing sacrifice of Jesus. This disagrees with our view of salvation through the finished work of Jesus on the cross. ‘Consubstantiation’ is the Lutheran view (Martin Luther, A.D. 1483-1546) that the real body and blood of Jesus are present ‘in’ and ‘under’ the received bread and wine. There is no physical change in substance of the bread and wine, but as they are eaten and drunk the believer receives the present glorified body and life of Christ in a special way. This raises for me, an awkward question of how Christ’s physical body or nature, can actually be in more than one place at one time? The ‘Real Presence’ view of John Calvin (A.D. 1509-1564) is the traditional Reformed churches view. There is a real, but spiritual, presence of Christ in the communion bread and wine. There is not any physical presence of His body and blood. A believer receiving bread and wine can feed on the real spiritual presence of Jesus. This leaves the bread and wine as only representative symbols of the actual body and blood of the Lord Jesus. For a more detailed study of these issues the student is referred to the writings of others. For me, when I receive the bread and the wine in whatever form, I am able to be thankful to God for the Lord Jesus Christ, and I experience with others God’s blessing on our obedience. There are other practical issues surrounding ‘how’ communion should be celebrated. Concerning the frequency of celebrating communion, the New Testament only implies a weekly service, it does not command it. The word “whenever” means both ‘every time’ and ‘any time’ (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:26). I enjoy a weekly communion service. It helps me to keep the death and resurrection of Christ central to my life, and it provides me with a discipline of self-examination. The New Testament favours people disciplining themselves over who can and cannot participate in communion (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). It is not the job of the church leadership to decide on people’s fitness to receive bread and wine. But there are certain serious times when church discipline with a view to forgiveness and restoration of the offender should be exercised, as a warning to everyone else (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 2 Corinthians 2:5-11). The New Testament is silent over at what age young children can participate in communion. Some denominations have devised extra traditions around this, generally to fit in with their practice of infant baptism as we shall see in a moment. It seems most appropriate to me that parents should decide on this as part of their responsibility in bringing up their own children from the earliest age “in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4; 2 Timothy 3:15). Proper respect should be given to others in your local congregation who adopt different practices (Romans 14:1; Romans 15:1-2; Hebrews 13:17). This is always one of God’s ways of using the local church fellowship to make us more and more like JesusChrist, see (2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Philippians 4:4-5). (b). Believers’ Baptism The Greek word ‘baptisma’ means to dip or to plunge, to overwhelm, to go into, be submerged under, and to emerge from, water. John the Baptist baptised (John 3:23). Jesus commanded His disciples to baptise people who became disciples during their evangelism, early on during their teaching of ‘the Jesus way of life’. (Matthew 28:19-20). While the Bible gives us no clear indication of how this baptism took place, it does emphasise why and when. The word ‘baptisma’ was also used of the submersion of cloth into coloured dyes to change it’s appearance. Tie-dyeing businesses like those of Zagalona and elsewhere, illustrate the meaning of baptism – except I don’t think the practice of making sure a person is fully under the water by pushing them with a stick is a good idea! The ladies who tie-dye will know what I mean! Another use of the word was in the immersion of a small cup into a larger container of water, enabling a person to draw some water out and have a drink. Outside my neighbour’s house on Shambat Road he had built a place where three ‘ziirs’ could be kept in the shade. They were regularly filled with water from a hosepipe, and provided for passers by to drink. I expect it was part of his family’s Islamic ‘zakat’ or ‘sadaqa’, legal almsgiving or freewill offerings. Taxi drivers and many others used the two or three cups left there regularly to help quench their thirst. The way these cups are used offers another picture of baptism. Examples of baptism in the early church are: the three thousand people who responded to Peter’s preaching of Jesus on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41); the men and women who were baptised in Samaria after they believed Philip’s preaching of Jesus (Acts 8:12); the finance official from the Upper Nile, who was baptised after he understood about Jesus (Acts 8:34-38); Saul (Paul) was baptised a few days after meeting, and choosing to surrender to, the risen Lord Jesus on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:18); Cornelius’ relatives and close friends, after they had been drawn to Jesus Christ by the activities of God in their lives (Acts 10:48); Lydia ‘s household were baptised after “the Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message” and Paul considered her a believer (Acts 16:14-15); the prison officer from Philippi was baptised with all his family, probably in the ruins of a prison, definitely after midnight, and certainly after he was awakened to his need of salvation and was challenged over a saving belief personally in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31-33); Crispus, the synagogue ruler in Corinth, was baptised with his believing household, and along with other believing Corinthians (Acts 18:8); some of John’s disciples at Ephesus were baptised when they had a clearer understanding of Who Jesus actually was (Acts 19:4-5). Christian baptism is for believers, those who have been persuaded of the truth of Jesus Christ and have therefore placed their trust and confidence in Him. Christian baptism is an opportunity for public testimony of being born again. The method is not as important as the meaning. In general terms, the Roman Catholic understanding of baptism is ‘the sacrament giving regeneration and new birth into the church’. Many Roman Catholics believe that baptism itself delivers a person from the guilt of original and past sins. I am unable to accept this. The work of Jesus Christ on the cross is the means of my salvation, not the work of Jesus plus any act of the church. Most Protestants believe baptism is ‘a sacrament that symbolises regeneration and strengthens the already existing faith of the new believer’. The major difference within Protestant churches over baptism is between those who baptise infants and those who do not. I have good friends who baptise infants, though I myself would never be able to do so. Infant baptism is based on the covenantal relationship between God and His people. In the Old Testament God deals with families more than individuals. Abraham’s children are sealed into God’s covenant by the outward sign of circumcision (Genesis 17; Colossians 2:11-12). In the New Testament at Pentecost, Peter links both children and Gentiles into the new promise from God (Acts 2:38-39). It is possible, though not clearly stated, that infants were involved in household baptisms (Acts 16:15; Acts 16:33; 1 Corinthians 1:16; 1 Corinthians 16:15). Today, infant baptism is seen as a covenant sign of God’s choice. For those who do not accept Catholic ‘baptismal regeneration’, it is viewed as an opportunity for believing parents, and the believing church which gives infant baptism, to welcome the baby into the family of the visible church. The parents and the local church hope ultimately in the saving work of God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, and they pray that the child will in due time trust in Christ as his or her personal Saviour and Lord. Interestingly, most ‘infant-baptising’ churches have found it necessary to introduce a service of ‘confirmation’, some time later in the adult life of the grown up infant. At this, the teenager or adult ‘confirms’ for him or herself, that the baptism they were given in their infancy has now become their own, believing, testimony. The churches cannot call this later, testimony-confirmation service ‘believers baptism’, because baptism– as they understand it – has already been given. Sadly, a divisive tension sometimes develops between ‘infant, covenantal-baptising’ Christians, and ‘adult, believer-baptising’ Christians. This is especially over ‘re-baptism’, or ‘a second baptism’. Those who practise this have been known historically as ‘Anabaptists’. (‘Anabaptist’ is actually an incorrect name, because infant baptism does not involve faith on behalf of any baby. Their being baptised as an adult believer later in life, is therefore not a re-baptism, but a first believers’ baptism). Many churches that only baptise believing adults, also have services of ‘dedication’ to welcome new babies into a local church family.This enables parents and congregations to dedicate themselves to praying, teaching and living towards the time when the growing person trusts in Christ for their own personal salvation. The word ‘baptism’ is deliberately not used in these services, to avoid any possible confusion with later public testimony. I respect as fellow believers in Christ, those with a different view to my own on this issue. But having examined baptism in depth in my own study, I could never ‘baptise’ a baby for two reasons. First, I would be afraid of giving the wrong impression – that this child is now, in some way, saved by their baptism. Second, I would not want to take away from the adult in later life, the privilege of giving personal and public testimony by believers baptism. Just like new recruits in the police force are given unmistakable uniforms to wear, showing and saying they are now working in the police, so believers baptism gives the new believer a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate and to declare that he or she is now living for the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no doubt people clearly did this in the book of Acts (Acts 2:41; 8:12; 8:34-38; 9:18; 10:48; 16:14-15; 16:31-33; 18:8; and 19:4-5). Teaching in the New Testament uses baptism as picture language: It describes dying to the old life and rising to the new life (Romans 6:1-7; Colossians 2:11-12); it is used of people joining the church of Christ for the first time (1 Corinthians 1:13-17); it describes people dressed in uniform with the new appearance of Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26-28); baptism is quoted as a mark of the existing unity of Christians within a local church (Ephesians 4:1-13); and baptism draws on the Old Testament story of Noah’s ark to explain a divide between the saved and the lost (1 Peter3:20-22). Baptism is called one of “the elementary teachings”, (Hebrews 6:1). ‘Elementary’ means a simple, first principle. On many visits I have enjoyed the privilege of ministering within several different church denominations in Sudan as well as at interdenominational conferences. These churches hold different views to each other on the ordinances we have been examining. The Evangelical Presbyterians, the Episcopal Anglicans, the Sudanese Church of Christ and the Sudan Interior Church have all been gracious enough to overcome some differences of view and to ask me to preach and teach on many occasions. I have always tried to respect their views when I minister at their invitation, because I am responsible to respect my host church leadership (Hebrews 13:17). I have often privately discussed with them our differing views, and in doing so I have learned to appreciate our unity in diversity. As a pastor, I served Khartoum International Church. Along with four to six other elders there, I tried to serve a multinational congregation of about two hundred and fifty people, who came from many different church denominations in their home countries. This was more difficult, because integrating their different views into one congregation and one set of practices, was not without problems. Not all issues allow for a democratic compromise, with a little bit of ‘give and take’ on both sides. And in any case, such democratic compromise is not always the right thing to do! While seeking to remain true to my Lord Jesus, I also tried to see things from the understanding of others (Romans 14:19-15:2). I did my best to honour every individual (Romans 12:10); to honour every member of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:26); to serve in a way that enabled others to honour and respect me (1 Timothy 3:2 & 8; 1 Timothy 5:17); and to show the meaning of what I taught by the way that I lived (1 Timothy 4:12-13; 1 Timothy 5:1; Titus 2:6-8). I thank God for the gracious and loving understanding given to me by those who held different views to mine. I pray that the churches in Sudan will reaffirm their honour and respect for each other, perhaps learning from the best examples of some people who have worked among them over many years, whether the people have worshipped at KIC (where I served) or worshipped elsewhere. Thinking it through. (a). What is the general purpose of the two church ordinances: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper? (b). Describe how Jesus is ‘present’ with believers at communion. How is this different from His presence with us anywhere else? (c). What is the purpose of Believers’ Baptism? (d). What is the purpose of Infant Baptism? (e). How does Romans 14:19-15:2 challenge our attitudes towards those of different Christian practice?

The Master's instructions about everyday life. (Luke 10:25-37). God has always wanted mankind to love both God and his neighbour. At least half of the Old Testament laws protect the rights of all the other people who live in my society. The absolute freedom of the individual is limited by the rights of others. I cannot be free to punch you on the nose without severely inhibiting your freedom to walk around unmolested! My country has laws that give me as much freedom as is possible while still preserving the right of your nose to live in peace! If you are trying to live to please God you must love your neighbour. You will show that you love God by loving your neighbour. In Luke 10:25-29 a man asked Jesus to define ‘neighbour’ in an attempt to clarify the command. Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan in reply. The parable clearly outlines our Lord’s intention for His followers in their home communities. See the need of those around you It was as the Samaritan went about his everyday business that he discovered this man’s awful predicament (v.33). When he was made aware of the need he was confronted with a choice: avoid it or act to meet it. It was not his concern how other people reacted. He was responsible before God for his own response. Stop to meet the needs you see Presumably the Samaritan had things to attend to at the end of his journey. It’s not likely he was just taking an idle stroll through hills known to be infested with robbers. Whatever his purpose was he took time out to determine the extent of the need and to decide on a deliberate course of action. Loving your neighbour clearly means being willing to get involved with him. There is no short cut to this. Show the love of Christ for the needy The Samaritan paid the price of caring by using his own material goods and money (vv. 34-35). He showed the proof of caring by overcoming all thoughts of looking after himself and all social and racial barriers. His care was not only a one-off deed either. He promised his continuing care to both the needy man and to others who helped him in his task. We have already seen that being a Christian affects our relationships with those in our family and with whom we work. It should be evident to non-Christians that we genuinely love them as human beings as well as souls for whom Christ died. Our attitude to others in the church is also encouraged to be specifically Christian. Romans 12:1-21 encourages sober self-evaluation (v.3); sincere service to Christ by using the gifts he gives us in the local body of Christ; sharing with those in special need (v.13); seeking to maintain unity and friendship at all times (v.18); and we are told that spiritual fervour is stirred up by such service for the Lord (v.11). A good text for every Christian who lives in the non-Christian world is: ‘Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us’ (1 Peter 2:12). Christianity is a life to be lived among others who may or may not be trying to live in a similar way. Discussion guide for ‘the Christian Attitude to Other People’ Bible reading Luke 10:25-37 1. Explain why there can be no such thing as complete freedom for any individual. 2. The commandment says, “Love your neighbour as yourself”, Luke 10:27-28; Leviticus 19:18. Define “your neighbour”, being specific to your own life. 3. Are there any local groups of people you have not included? Why? 4. Read Matthew 5:43-48. Why does Jesus change “hate” for “love” with respect to “enemies”? 5. Are there any local people or groups you may see as enemies? What difficulties will you find trying to “love (them as) your neighbours”? 6. Read Matthew 6:1-4.Why do you think Jesus wants our giving to the poor to be largely secret? 7. How many Bible verses can you find that contain the words, “one another”? For example, “Love one another”, John 13:34. 8. Are any of these ways Jesus wants us to help each other difficult to do? Which ones? Why? 9. Where does the power to live as a Christian should come from? See Romans 8:9. 10. Explain how a Christian is free to live following the Holy Spirit’s guidance, Romans 8:1-2.

Christian theology in a Sudanese context. God lives in the Church. The supreme Head of the Christian Church throughout all ages is the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:18: Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 4:15; Ephesians 5:23). The word ‘head’ (Greek – kephale) means the one who has authority, responsibility and gives direction. It is sadly possible for ‘Christian’ people to lose their connection to the ‘Head’ by becoming obsessed with the external things of religion, or even with personal visions and revelations (Colossians 2:18-19). The first and most essential qualification for church leadership is that a person is constantly linked and securely fastened to Jesus Christ. Church leadership flows from the gifts Jesus gives to the Church (Ephesians 4:1-16). The words “grace” (Ephesians 4:7; Greek – charis) and “gifts” (Ephesians 4:8; Greek – doma) indicate that leadership is a definite spiritual gift that God freely gives to some people. God gives other gifts to people who are not given leadership. God is the donor, by His own sovereign will and choice. His will must be respected. It is important to observe here that it is not the church or even the theological college that makes Christian leaders. Recommendation by a family member or friend from the same tribe, sponsorship from a donor, an outgoing human personality, and even a good degree from a university somewhere in the world away from Sudan, are not in themselves evidences of a God-given call and gifting for the Christian ministry. It is the organised church that has put an emphasis on higher education being essential for the ordained ministry. I can find no evidence to support that in the Bible. It appears that Jesus had no higher education. He received His knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures simply from attendance at His local synagogue school (Luke 2:41-47). Timothy was a young pastor at Ephesus, and Paul, a senior man in ministry, urged him to be “a workman who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). He was to “present himself to God” as a hard working student of the Scriptures, while he was already carrying out his ministry. I believe the key to church leadership is here. Look for those God is putting His hand on as Christian leaders, and encourage experienced people God has used for a while, to get alongside them in their ministries. Let them pray together regularly. Let them seek advice and counsel about the situations they face, from the Scriptures, together. Let the Holy Spirit teach them. Let them write to encourage one another when they are apart. I do see this pattern of leadership training in the New Testament (Acts 11:25-26; Acts 16:1-5; Acts 18:24-28; Acts 20:17-36; Colossians 1:3-10;Colossians 4:12-13; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-8; 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:10; 1 Timothy 1:3; 1 Timothy 1:18-19; 1 Timothy 4:11-16;Titus 1:4-5; Titus 3:12). From Ephesians 4:11-16, we learn that the gifts God gives to the church are people. Their purpose is to equip all believers for ministry and into Christian maturity. Apostles are messengers, delegates, people sent out with orders to fulfil. Jesus is the unique Apostle (Hebrews 3:1). He named twelve apostles from among His followers (Mark3:14; Matthew 10:2-4). Paul spoke of his ‘seeing the Lord’ as one qualifying point for being an apostle, and his seeing ‘signs, wonders and miracles’ during his ministry as another (1 Corinthians 9:1; 2 Corinthians 12:11-12). Mention is also made of Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Andronicus and Junias as apostles (Acts 14:1-4; 1 Thessalonians1:1 and 2:6-7; Romans 16:7). It seems that apostles break new ground for the church on its mission to take the gospel around the world (Romans 1:5). Apostles train others for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12). The message of the original apostles is in our New Testament (2 Timothy 1:11-14; 2 Peter 3:15-18). Prophets are people who speak out for God to themselves and everyone else. They may predict the future. They will express God’s will in a given situation. It differs from preaching because it is more spontaneous. Listeners sense that God is in these words. New Testament examples are : Agabus (Acts 11:27-30); some among Antioch’s church leadership (Acts 13:1-3); Judas and Silas (Acts 15:22,32). Prophecy is a highly valued gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:1). In a local congregation, it is the responsibility of everyone to test prophecy given. Not everything that claims to be from God is from God! (1 Corinthians 14:29-33; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21). Prophecy given and received in this way should result in encouragement for the congregation. Prophets train other people in speaking out for God (Ephesians 4:12). Evangelists are people who focus on taking the central message of salvation through Jesus Christ to lost people. They are messengers of the good news of Jesus. They train other people to witness evangelistically (Ephesians 4:12). Only Philip is called an evangelist in the New Testament (Acts 21:8). PastorTimothy is told by Paul to “do the work of an evangelist”, (2 Timothy 4:5). Pastors are people who shepherd God’s people as a shepherd cares for his sheep. A pastor tends his flock, feeding, leading, protecting, encouraging, healing, strengthening and discerning. He treats different aged people in different ways, giving special attention to the young and the weak. The apostle Peter calls himself an elder in appealing to other elders: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care” (1 Peter 5:1-4). There must not be any financial motives for this service, nor any thoughts of having a high status and being able to order others about. Pastors train other Christians in caring for each other. Teachers are people who can explain the Christian faith and apply it to practical everyday life. Christian teachers help others to learn and to live. Their aim is not just to take a class, but to change people’s lives outside of the classroom. The word ‘teach’ implies a systematic and prepared form of instruction. The New Testament says a lot about teaching and teachers – both good and bad. There are false teachers with false teaching that Christians must discern and discipline. There are good teachers with good teaching that Christians must respect and reward (1 Timothy 1:3-4;1 Timothy 3:2; 1 Timothy4:1-6; 1 Timothy4:11; 1 Timothy 5:17; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; 2 Timothy 2:2; 2 Timothy 3:10; 2 Timothy 4:3-5). Teachers train other believers to serve the congregation by explaining and applying God’s truth to modern life. The Lord Jesus Christ gave clear principles for leadership (Mark 10:41-45). A christian leader gives his or her own life away in the service of the congregation. Jesus saw potential in people like Peter the fisherman and Matthew the tax collector. He accepted imperfection and inexperience as His starting points. He called the people individually to spend time with Him, to live their whole lives with Him. He promised to change them. He committed Himself to them (Matthew 4:18-20). It was a gradual process. He began where His followers were and He slowly dealt with them as individuals. He led them to realise Who He actually was (Matthew 16:13-20). He gently kept His patience when they let Him down (Matthew 16:21-28). He prayed for them as they went through tough tests on their own (Matthew 26:31-35; Luke 22:31-34). He made good their mistakes (Luke 22:49-51). He trusted them to complete the work He had begun and He equipped them for the task (Luke 24:45-49). In a local church elders and deacons are the functional leadership. Paul and Barnabas soon appointed them in churches they had started (Acts 14:23). The church in Jerusalem had apostles and elders to resolve contentious issues. The church at Ephesus had elders to oversee the work and shepherd the people (Acts 15:2; Acts 20:17, 28). Elders (Greek – presbuteros and episkopos) are Christians of mature spiritual experience who, together, watch over, direct and supervise the church. They take responsibility for the witness and wellbeing of the congregation. The New Testament emphasis is placed upon what kind of people are elders, not so much on what they actually do. Christian character and calling by God are more important than any job title or position (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-11; 1 Peter 5:1-7; James 5:14). God places elders with one another to be a corporate example of what the whole congregation ought to be; “being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:3). A good test for any eldership is for them to ask themselves: ‘Are we a representative sample of what we would like the whole church to become?’ Deacons (Greek – diakonos) are those with servant hearts in the practical areas of church life. The first ones were willing to release the apostles for preaching and teaching by taking administrative responsibility away from them (Acts 6:1-7). God uses them just as much as He uses the apostles to enable the church to quickly grow in numbers and spread in influence. This is ‘every part of the body’ being used by Jesus Christ, the Head (1 Corinthians12:12-27). If the elders are the servant leaders, the deacons are the servant managers. All need to be spiritually suitable people, who have the respect of the congregation and the outsiders (“full of the HolySpirit and wisdom”Acts 6:3; “above reproach” 1 Timothy 3:2; “having “a good reputation with outsiders” 1 Timothy 3:7; and “worthy of respect” 1 Timothy 3:8). The Christian church is the reverse of the world. The world measures our importance by the number of people we have working under us, or working for us. “In God’s eyes, greatness consists not in the number of people who serve us, but in the number of people we serve”. (Mark 10:43-44). God planned the church. God places people in their local congregations. God uses teams of people to serve the congregation by accepting certain responsibilities. God joins everyone together into a Christian community where His life is in and among them. Considering the question of how the ‘elders and deacons’ can lead their congregation and – at the same time – be submitted to their congregation, I suggest something similar to the pattern we have used in Khartoum International Church. I was chosen and invited by the congregation members to be their pastor. I had an agreement with them to serve for a five year term, with an option of a second five year term if both parties wanted it. I served by leading the church, with the other elders, during the years I was pastor. I was accountable to the elders at monthly meetings and I was accountable to an annual meeting of members of the congregation. Just before the end of five years, I would have submitted myself to the congregation membership for reappointment if they wanted me to continue. As it happened, I was ill and had to leave Sudan before this procedure happened. The elders were elected individually from the congregation members. Each one agreed to serve for a three year period, after which they submitted themselves to the church membership for reappointment. Some came due for review in this way every year, so there was some annual opportunity for one or two changes in leadership. The members submitted to our leadership during the everyday life of the church. The pastor and elders submitted to the congregation members every three or five years.God gave unity and harmony to KIC as we tried to serve the needs, largely, of the expatriate community in Khartoum. The unity of the church is the gift and continuing work of God the Holy Spirit. God has given us a variety of churches that we can celebrate and enjoy. Love and respect between denominations or congregations helps to show this unity is real. It is not necessary to come together as one single structured church! Imagine if there was a group of people who decided that all the different football teams in Sudan gave the impression that football was divided. Imagine they started a movement to make all the first division league football teams become one team. You would correctly think: ‘These people have misunderstood football. You need at least two teams to have a proper football match ,and the more teams there are the better the competition and the attraction of the game will be’. People should not seek to impose one single church denomination. Man can never produce that kind of unity. It would only ever be a counterfeit of the New Testament church unity anyway. We are all called to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). This implies that there will be issues arising to threaten the unity that we have already been given by God. For many years I have worked alongside Christians with whom I disagree on some issues. Elders with me at KhartoumInternational Church came from home churches and backgrounds as different as Canadian Baptist, Swedish-Canadian Mennonite, German Lutheran, Indian Evangelical, Australian Independent, American Presbyterian, and English Charismatic. Yet we worked together in unity. Love, respect and communication are the keys to this (1 Peter 1:22-23; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; Matthew 5:23-24; Acts 15:1-35; Galatians 2:6-10). Christian unity is maintained through a common dedication to the glory of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13). Christian unity is maintained through the regular expression of sincere love (Ephesians 4:29-5:1). Christian unity is maintained by a mutual submission to one another (Ephesians 5:21). Christian unity is maintained by carefully nurturing a Christlike heart (Philippians 2:1-5). Christian unity is maintained by respecting the truth of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 John verses 1-12). “The unity of the church is its degree of freedom from divisions among true Christians”. I have found that it is not the differences that divide Christians from one another. It is the attitudes in which those differences are held. I retain respect and love for a Muslim with whom I disagree, because I hope to be able to win him to Christ as we meet from time to time, and as our relationship grows. I should definitely be able to do something similar with any other Christian brother or sister. Local church membership is an administrative issue which denominations express in various ways. It appears that there was some way of ‘numbering’ the early church (Acts 2:41; Acts 2:47; Acts 4:4; Acts 6:7). The New Testament letters were sent to recognised groups of professing believers, though they are each described a little bit differently to the others (Romans 1:6-7; Galatians 1:1-2; Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:1-2). Church discipline implies that there is some type of membership that can be brought to an end for a persistent offender (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5:2; 1 John 2:18-19) and perhaps be reinstated after repentance and restitution (2 Corinthians 2:5-8; Galatians 6:1-5). Church discipline teaches that church membership is both a privilege and a responsibility. There are degrees of discipline God has given which are suitable for different offences against the church community. There is a visitation procedure to help the person who “sins against”another (Matthew 18:15-17). Lazy people can be privately warned. A small group should challenge them face to face with Scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:11-15). Divisive teaching and divisive teachers should be spotted, warned on two occasions, and then avoided (Romans 16:17-18; Titus 3:9-10). Expulsion is the solemn discipline for a persistent and unrepentant offender (1 Corinthians 5:11-13). We must always remember that the object of discipline is the restoration of the fallen brother or sister, into full fellowship with God and with His people. Discipline must be administered by several people, not just one. Charges should only be considered if they are brought by two or three witnesses who are prepared to publicly testify (1 Timothy 5:19-20). Thinking it through. (a). How are leaders – and other peoples gifts– to be recognised and encouraged by the local church? (b). What kind of example did Jesus Himself set, as a leader of His disciples? (c). How can a local church maintain unity between a variety of people? What principles should guide it? (d). How can many different local churches, from a variety of denominations, show unity in Christ? Is meeting together necessary? Why?