Tag: Jesus

The Cross That Sets Us Free

Colossians 2:13,14 “…you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. I took this photo on my iPhone the other day, just passing the Albert Pub in Didsbury and noticed how they’d put up a warning sign to deter parkers, on a cross. Ever been clamped? I got my car clamped once – and I could tell the guys who did it just loved their job! Grrr… it was so frustrating to be stuck like that, subject to punishment. Not able to go where I wanted. Captive! I didn’t have the money to pay them and contested it vigorously because (unlike this one) the sign wasn’t clear or even visible from where I parked. Finally, a friend agreed to pay half and then I paid the vultures who held my car, and was free! I was so struck by how this pub has put their […]

God looks at the inside. Visitors don’t!

Continuing the Richard Reising insights… Marketing is biblical. At various times it says, ‘Jesus perceived their thoughts / reasoning in their hearts – and said….’ What was he doing? Managing their thoughts. Reshaping them where neccessary. We have to have a finger on the pulse of what people think about us. We have to be aware – and adjust. (that’s not ‘people pleasing’). A great example occurred at Pentecost. Acts 2 – in the midst of crazy charismania, when people were thinking, ‘What on earth is this?” Peter stood up to manage their perceptions; ‘We’re not drunk as you perceive, this is what the Bible says, let me explain…’ Peter was sensitive enough to know, ‘I have to manage this perception.’ Result? Thousands were won to Christ that day! In fact, God is the ultimate marketer. If you’re a Christian, it’s because He did whatever it took to reach YOU. He knew exactly what to do. Everything the church does ‘markets’ for good or ill.   Someone will quote 1 Sam 15:7 where it says, ‘God looks at our heart.’ Well […]

The Management of Perception

Richard Reising visited Ivy today, and gave some great input which I’m going to be pretty much directly quoting from my notes on and putting out as a series of posts on CHURCH MARKETING… I know, I know… Marketing is a dirty word in church circles but marketing principles are not contrary to scripture – they pretty much come out of it! Marketing is NOT what you think it is. It’s not telemarketing people ringing and bothering you etc. It’s the management of perception. That’s pretty simple. It’s not the manipulation of perception! Management = to know were we are today, where we need to be and make the neccessary adjustments How is the church today perceived? How do we want it to be perceived? What do we have to do to bring about the change.  If you ask people what the church is for, you’ll probably get an answer you don’t agree with. Your church has a perception. OR (worse) nobody knows about you! Everything you do that forms a perception of who you are – it’s marketing. Whether […]

Beware. This may not build your self esteem.

‘Jars of Clay.’ Whole talks I’ve heard about this passage and blogs I read around it talk about being ‘cracked pots.’ There’s a problem with that. It’s not in the text. It doesn’t say anything about the pots being cracked. I wonder whether we want to add that in because we want to make it about US again. The point is not about your cracks. Don’t make it about that. The point is, the container is NOT the point. It’s what’s inside that matters.

THE CHURCH BUILDING CYCLE. (ALC Network Day)@StephenMatthew_

 Stephen Matthew has become a friend whose wisdom I appreciate greatly, he has been very generous with his time and encouragement, mentoring me individually through numerous conversations over in Bradford and also coming across to meet with some of our leaders at Ivy recently as we prayed and planned into our future. He is a surveyor by background and combines theological acumen, practical skills and a pastoral heart through 25 years of ministry to be a man with a brain worth picking for anyone who wants to build a prevailing church. Here’s my notes on his talk at the ALC Network day this week:  There are only two kinds of churches: The church everybody wants to build (It’s there in Acts 2, and the ideal church, it inspires us). The church God wants you to build. If you try and copy the church ‘out there’ you’ll always fail. God wants to speak to YOU about YOUR people and place. It’s always bespoke. You work the process and start to build from scratch or reinvent what’s been built so far. What […]

TALE OF TWO BROTHERS: Charlotte Gambill: @CharlGambill – ALC Network Day

GREAT TALK from a fantastic Network Day! All our team who attended were blown away. Well worth looking over and praying through in your teams etc. Psalm 133: 1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! 2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, 
running down on Aaron’s beard, 
down on the collar of his robe. 
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon 
were falling on Mount Zion. 
For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. Have we accessed this blessing to its full extent?1 We can INSTIGATE this, bring it in ourselves. If… we can figure out how to be united. And that’s not about standing up and all hold hands. That can be purely external. We need this REAL unity. In our teams, churches, cities. In our marriage and with our kids is where it starts. Where has this gone wrong? Go and look for brothers in the Bible that got along – there weren’t many! Cain and Abel Jacob and his […]