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Motivation for Mission #12: Don’t Miss Out!
Phineas and Hophni are some of the saddest characters that you will meet in all of the Bible. They were the sons of Eli (who was High Priest and Judge in Israel), and when we first meet them they are given a special role in Israel’s life, working in the temple. But the tragedy we read of is that they abused their position; they had no concern for God, they abused women in the temple, and did all manner of terrible things. The result was that God ended the line of Eli and brought Samuel in instead to take over leading His mission in Israel.
The salutary lesson for us is this: God’s work didn’t cease because Phineas and Hophni were unfit for ministry. Instead God raised up someone else to carry the flame forward. And here’s the truth for us, if we as a church or as individuals don’t step up and pursue God in holiness and in sharing our faith and taking an active part in his mission: God won’t be thwarted. God is still going to reach the nations, he’s still going to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
The question is, are you and I going to be involved?
Are you and I going to take our place in God’s work? Or like the tragedy of Phineas and Hophni, are we going to be left to one side because we got in the way? The lesson is a serious and sobering one, but let us resolve to never be people that get in the way of the mission of God, such that God has to find other people to take up the mantle. Rather, let us be people that willingly and joyfully embrace the mission of God to bring the kingdom of God to this world in all its fullness. And doing so in holiness and Christlikeness as we go and see the hungry fed, the thirsty given water, and the lost given the bread of life: the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Lord, help me to take up your calling to mission, and never let me fall so that I am disqualified from taking my place in your work of reconciling the world to yourself through Christ. Amen.
Chatting about evangelism on the Keswick podcast
This is an older ministry report – because this podcats has surfaced after a delay! Andy Bannister was invited to lead the evangelism seminars at The Keswick Convention and in the run-up, Gavin Matthews from Solads was invited to join the convention podcast to chat through all kinds of aspects of evangelism today! The other guest was Peter Dray from Redeemer Church, Leeds – who many people will know from his many years of service with UCCF. It was a fun and lively conversation!
Is Christianity Just Blind Faith?
“Either you believe it, or you don’t, but don’t tell me there’s evidence for Christianity being true! It’s all just blind faith.” Sometimes we are told that, to believe in Christianity, you have to just take a total leap in the dark where there is no evidence. But is that true? In this Short Answers video, Steve Osmond talks about what faith is all about, and how it relates to the evidence.
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Wondering About Death With Teenagers in Edinburgh
Thinking together about death, specifically what happens when we die; might not be the obvious choice of topic for a youth event on a Friday evening in Edinburgh. However at Scripture Union Scotland’s Equip event, that’s exactly what we were invited to do. The reason is that at Equip, the young people there, who are all secondary school age, set the agenda and decide the topics which get addessed. I had the privilege of speaking from the Bible about this important subject, as well as writing a group Bible discussion time and then facing Q&A from the young people.
Earlier that day, a psychotherapist had appeared on BBC Radio Scotland saying things like, “We don’t talk about death enough in this country” and “we have cossetted ourselves from the reality of death, and so don’t handle it when when we loose someone.” Several of the young people at Equip though, had encountered death and really did want to discuss it. In fact, one person who doesn’t usually attend came sepcifically because of the topic.
So, we looked at the various views about what happens when we die which are around in our culture today (such as reincarnation, ceasing to exist, purgatory etc) and examined them in the light of scipture. Two key texts for us were:
Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Hebrews 9:27-8
and
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved – even though only as one escaping through the flames. 1 Cor 3:10-15
Along with excluding unbiblical views of death, we built up a picture of salvation by faith alone (the foundation), but the possibility for the saved of building up treasure in heaven. I was delighted to hear that the group discussion times were lively and useful – and I was deeply impressed by the quality of the questions asked which demonstrated a remarkable level of biblical insight. I was also really encouraged by one young person who came to speak to me who had somewhere picked up some unbiblical ideas about death, which the gospel confronted. She described understanding the gospel; in which Jesus fully paid for our sins, as being a ‘weight lifted’.
I concluded my talk by playing this Solas Short Answer video from Andy Bannister:
Scripture Union Equip! events take place around Scotland, and online (which attracts teenagers from across the Highlands and Islands especially). They have a great programme for Secondary School-age teenagers. Find out more by clicking here.
Unexpected Seekers (with Tom Wharin)
Your church might have the best outreach programmes and top-notch facilities, or maybe its struggling to survive on a dying high street in a small market town. Either way, God surprises us with unexpected seekers, especially during this ‘odd cultural moment’, coming on unconventional journeys to faith. How can we be ready to participate in what God is doing, wherever He’s placed us? Simon and Gavin speak with “Two Pastors in a Pub” podcaster Tom Wharin, this time on PEP Talk.
Unexpected Seekers (with Tom Wharin) – PEP Talk
Our Guest
Tom Wharin is the minister of Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church in South Gloucestershire. He participates in various Baptists Together ministerial recognition (recruitment and training) groups and is passionate about mentoring and discipleship (of ministers and of Christians in general). He goes mountain biking whenever the opportunity arises and is one of the pastors in the Two Pastors in a Pub podcast, with Matt Frost and Karen Simson. He is married to Jo and they have four young adult footballing kids.
About PEP Talk
The Persuasive Evangelism Podcast aims to equip listeners to share their faith more effectively in a sceptical world. Each episode, our hosts chat to a guest who has a great story, a useful resource, or some other expertise that helps equip you to talk persuasively, winsomely, and engagingly with your friends, colleagues and neighbours about Jesus.
Motivation for Mission #11: The Presence of God
I was speaking to a Christian friend recently who said that he wished he could have more direct experience of God. He said that he reads things in Scripture of people encountering God and being filled with the Holy Spirit. He’s part of a Bible study and prayer group at church where people seem to speak about a closeness to God that he doesn’t have. He said “I wish that could happen to me.”
I wonder if that is not an uncommon experience, and I wonder if it’s not connected to our lack of evangelism.
Perhaps you think the link is tenuous at best. However, do you remember the great promise that Jesus gives at the end of the Great Commission? He said “Go into all the world and make disciples”, and concludes “and surely I will be with you until the end of the age” (Matt 28:20). The promise of the presence of Christ is given in the context of evangelism!
In Acts 2 the apostles are filled with the Spirit and they go out and they preach the gospel on the Day of Pentecost. It happens again in Acts chapter 4, where the apostles met to pray and “The place where they were meeting was shaken, they were filled with the Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31). In Scripture encounters with God seem to be tied to mission. That’s my experience too – I’ve observed that people have their most profound, deep, and life-changing encounters with the Spirit of God in the context of going forward in mission.
It shouldn’t surprise us that mission is where the Spirit of God is moving, and if we’re to keep in step with Him, that’s where we will be. Maybe we will encounter God more closely and more profoundly when we step out with Him in his mission, when we ‘keep in step with the Spirit’ (Gal 5:25). Maybe it’s when we take a risk for Him, step out in faith and rely on Him more, that we will experience Him more deeply.
Prayer: Father, send us out in mission full of your Holy Spirit we pray. Amen
“Is Christianity just a leap of faith?”: Restaurant Evangelism in Hampshire
Our great friends at Cowplain Church in Hampshire organised a wonderful outreach ecent at The Exchange restaurant. It really was a memorable evening!
A couple of weeks before the event I spoke to the church pastor Phil; Brown. At that stage he was mildly concerned because the numbers of people indicating that they were coming were a bit low. He sent round a “come on folks” email, and the church really responded. By Sunday afternoon we were into the 50s, and by Sunday night the final number was 61.
The restaurant itself was amazing — a brilliant converted bank building, a really fun venue, and great food. The key to this kind of event is making sure people genuinely enjoy themselves, and they really did. You could hear the buzz of conversation all around the room. People were talking, engaging, and enjoying themselves. The tables were arranged really well, so the whole thing had clearly been thought through carefully.
Of course, the non-Christians weren’t there randomly — they had been invited personally by Christian friends — so it was wonderful watching people connect and engage naturally.
We then moved into the content part of the evening. Dave Hutchings and I sat on bar stools at the front and had a conversation around the evening’s theme: “A Leap of Faith.” We explored the question: “Is Christianity just a leap of faith?”
We talked about what faith actually means — trust and confidence — and the reality that everyone lives by faith. You can’t get through life without it. The moment you get on an aeroplane or eat food in a restaurant, you’re exercising trust. So the real question isn’t whether you have faith, but whether there are good reasons for your faith.
We also talked about the fact that atheism requires faith too. If you don’t believe in God, you still have to make assumptions about how the universe began — you simply place your faith elsewhere. I used what I think is originally a Michael Green line: that ultimately you have to choose your miracle — the virgin birth of Jesus or the virgin birth of the universe.
We discussed how science works, reasons for believing Christianity is true, and ultimately landed on Jesus himself. One of the questions Dave asked was about the many different religions in the world: if someone wants to explore spirituality, why choose Christianity? That led us into talking about the uniqueness of Jesus and the difference Christian faith makes.
After that, Phill came up and hosted a Q&A session. We had three or four questions from the floor then afterwards had a whole series of really meaningful conversations with people – who perhaps didn’t want to ask their question publically but were thinking deeply about faith. Dave had a long conversation with a gentleman who I think is very close to faith and is just wrestling through a few final questions. I had a long conversation with another man who was struggling with the question of suffering because of things he had personally been through. It was great to be able to engage with those questions thoughtfully.
Phill and I also had a really good chat with the owner of the restaurant, a lady called Steph. She was incredibly friendly and open. I gave her a copy of Have You Ever Wondered? and she was genuinely delighted that we had thought to do that.
We also said we would encourage as many people as possible to leave the restaurant a five-star review, which I think thrilled her. It’s still quite a new business, only a few months old, and I think that meant a great deal to her.
Actually, that highlights another form of outreach: the church has clearly built a really positive relationship with the business. That means there’s real potential for future events there — and that’s exactly what Phill is talking about. He’s keen to do more events like this, perhaps two or three times a year, so that Christians develop the habit of always having something to invite their friends to.
At the end of the evening, Phill explained some next steps: Alpha is starting soon, people could come along to church on Sunday, and they could continue conversations with the friend who invited them. Overall, it was just an amazing evening. I absolutely love this kind of pre-evangelism event, and on every level it was excellent. We came away hugely encouraged.
Phill Brown from the church noted: “The outreach event in the restaurant was a first for us and it was a brilliant evening. The food was great, and so were Andy and Dave as they dialogued about what faith is. We had a number of people invite unchurch friends to the event and lots of good conversations took place after the talk. We continue to pray for these people that they will connect with us further. The restaurant owner was also really impressed and we are now in conversation with her about future events at the restaurant. All in all a great weekend and we are looking forward to the next time Solas can come again.”
If I Became a Christian Would I Have To Quit Smoking and Drinking?
Christianity is often viewed as simply a set of cultural practices, and when you become a Christian you’re simply adopting those new cultural practices, swapping out one set of rules for another. In this Short Answers video, Steve Osmond speaks about smoking ans drinking to highlight that there is actually more than meets the eye.
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Short Answers is a viewer-supported video series: if you enjoy them, please help us continue to make them by donating to Solas. Visit our Donate page and choose a free book as a thank-you gift!
THANK YOU!
Solas’s work is vital, exciting and demanding. Our speakers are reporting a spiritual hunger across the country as they share and defend the gospel of Jesus in cafe’s, restaurants, pubs, campuses and churches up and down the land. Our training work is very encouraging too – churches are keen to get skilled up and mobilised to share their faith keep inviting us! Our gospel resources: books, films, podcasts, web resources are in use all over the world…. It’s busy, exhausting, expensive and fruitful! We count it as a huge privilege to be involved in God’s work.
However, none of this could happen without the small army of people who support this ministry in prayer and financially. So we want to take a moment to say a big, and public THANK YOU, to all of you who pray and give to support us. Without your faithful generosity this work – would just stop!
The vast majority of our donors give around £4 a month. We have a few larger donors too – but we are largely dependant on our small army of faithful, smaller donors whose regular support keeps us going. We do not take your support for granted, we guard every penny wisely, keep costs to an absolute minimum to turn every gift into a gospel opportunity. We are so grateful to God for you – that’s it’s hard to express it adequately here.
So, to all of you who give to this work, THANK YOU.
Wondering at Kinross Rugby Club
Christian ministry can sometimes be frustrating! Sunday night at Kinross Rugby Club was one of those occasions. I had been looking forward to speaking at this event for ages for many reasons: I love Loch Leven Church, they are doing a ‘Have You Ever Wondered?’ series on Sunday nights; they don’t have their own buiding and so do these events out in the community, and loads of young people were planning to come, including many who haven’t yet trusted Christ.
Then on my way there there was a bad crash on the M90 and soon after I passed the scene the police shut the whole motorway – and queues stretched back for miles. Caught up in the delays were lots of people heading for the event. Worse still there were people at the event waiting to see their friends who were stuck on the motorway. Then we heard that one of the cars coming to join us for the Have You Ever Wondered? event was then involved in a shunt in the queing traffic – (thankfully no-one was hurt).
So with far too much pizza for the smaller-than-expected crowd, and several of the young people concerned about their friends, eventually we pressed on with the evening. We were looking at the ‘Have You Ever Wondered?’ question: Why We Long to Feel Seen? It’s a talk based on this article on the Solas website about the God who sees us and how we can repsond to the fact that we are not ‘invisible’ to him, nor unnoticed nor overlooked.
In such situations, it’s important to still bring the message and trust God to work! We had prayed extensively for the event, and so can rest assured that His will, will be done. Our own frustrations can be put to one side and we can continue to pray that those who were able to be there will have listened and realise that God sees them – in all their wonderful but fractured humanity and will forgive and restore any who come to Him.
Loch Leven Church is pressing ahead with these monthly events designed for young people, teenagers and those exploring the faith. This was only one evening of what we pray will be a really fruitful ministry in Kinross. Please join us in praying for those who were able to be there – as well as those who weren’t – and for my colleague Steve who is speaking there at the next one of these ‘Have You Ever Wondered?’ events at the rugby club.
Addressing a Crisis of Confidence
What is it that holds you back from sharing the Gospel? For most of us, it boils down to a lack of confidence. We don’t have confidence in our knowledge to field difficult questions, we don’t have confidence that we won’t get ‘cancelled’ and we might even lack confidence in our own faith itself. So you’re not alone! That’s why Solas runs ‘Confident Christianity’ training across the UK to help churches regain their confidence in evangelism. Gavin Matthews and Steve Osmond explain how it works and who it helps.
To find out how Confident Christianity can help your church, visit the Solas website here.
Addressing a Crisis of Confidence – PEP Talk
Our Guests
Gavin Matthews is Solas’s Assistant Director (Scotland) and does a wide variety of work for the organisation. He speaks for Solas in churches and at conferences, co-ordinates the website, writes articles and other Solas communications and presents webinars and podcasts. He also loves networking for Solas and speaking with church leaders about our work. Gavin has been married to Elaine since 1996 and they have three adult children. He has been a member of Perth Baptist Church since 1999.
Steve Osmond is a full-time speaker and writer for Solas, focussing primarily on Scotland. He is enthusiastic about evangelism and regularly speaks at universities around the country on the big questions of life and the truth of Christianity from a range of perspectives. He also spends much of his time working with churches and other Christian groups, both to grow their faith and equip them to share their faith in Jesus persuasively.
About PEP Talk
The Persuasive Evangelism Podcast aims to equip listeners to share their faith more effectively in a sceptical world. Each episode, our hosts chat to a guest who has a great story, a useful resource, or some other expertise that helps equip you to talk persuasively, winsomely, and engagingly with your friends, colleagues and neighbours about Jesus.
Motivation for Mission #10: Speaking God’s Word
Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), is alleged to have said: “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” That might be one of the great misquotes of Christian history!
There are two problems with the quote. First of all, he never said it – and he certainly didn’t practise it! The second is that it is not what we’re told to do in scripture. Jesus said, when you “go into all the world … teach people to obey all that I have commanded” (Matthew 28).
In Jesus’s view it is necessary to use words.
Now, of course, Francis had a point, and the point he always made in his work, in his writings, was this: don’t just use words. Our mouths need to be open with the gospel of Christ, our wallets need to be open with the generosity of Christ, our hearts need to be open with the love of Christ, and our homes need to be open in hospitality like Christ. But words are a necessary component!
Jesus came with the “words of life” (Jn 6:68), and when we go in his name and with his gospel “[w]e are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us” (2 Cor 5:20). The gospel of God is transmitted with words – spoken, written, printed, broadcast, texted, WhatsApp’d etc to individuals, families and crowds. When he calls us into partnership with him, he gives us the privilege of speaking his word!
Prayer: Thank you Lord for the privilege of speaking your life-giving word to people who need to hear about you. Thank you for the way your word changes lives. Give me the courage to speak it boldy. Amen.
Steve, Strathclyde, & Students!
Spirituality, love, freedom, success and truth. Those are some of the topics that I had the opportunity to speak to university students about this past February at Strathclyde University
in Glasgow for their Christian Union’s events week. Along with speaking at their evening events, I also participated in some lunch events – one where I was asked to speak about ‘Jesus and the failures of the church’.
Across the week we were at different venues around the campus, but no matter where we were there was always a great turn out, which wasn’t unexpected with the variety of activities on offer at the events. From a pub quiz, to ‘Bonkers Bingo’, to an open mic night, to constructing pancakes and playing Wii, there was something for everyone, but it also created great spaces where people could come in and meet members of the Chrisitan union, experience some community, and hear about Jesus.
This year as part of the talks I was working through part of the Gospel of Luke as a way to engage with relevant topics and also introduce people to Jesus, perhaps for the first time.Many people still have a very skewed idea of what Christianity is really about (often not helped much by social media), and so it is always such privilege to explain the truth of Jesus and show how Christianity is not only true, but answers the big questions of life better than anything else.
Have You Ever Wondered Why Everyone Is Talking About God?
In our uncertain world of pandemics, unceasing foreign conflicts, and economic rollercoasters, is there anything we can hold onto for peace and stability? A world without God might be appealing when everything is going well, but when we start looking looking for answers in tougher times, perhaps it’s no surprise that God and spiritual things are back on the front burner of our society.
If you want to learn more about these issues, we’d recommend finding a Christianity Explored or Alpha Course run by a church near you.
The Parable of the GP
A few weeks ago I woke up with a mouth full of ulcers.
Not one discreet little ulcer hiding in the corner – oh no – a full committee meeting. Every syllable felt like sandpaper. Preaching with mouth ulcers is like attempting Handel’s Messiah while chewing gravel.
So I rang the GP’s surgery. The earliest appointment? A week away.
There’s a sentence that stretches both your patience and your theology.
In the meantime, I turned to the time-honoured British remedy: salt-water rinses. Then more salt-water rinses. By day four my mouth tasted like the North Sea and the ulcers were still thriving Eventually, the appointment arrived. My wife, Killy, came with me, partly for moral support, partly to ensure I remained Christian in the waiting room.
We entered the doctor’s office.
No warmth.
No welcome.
No ‘How are you?’
Just: ‘What do you want?’
It felt less like a consultation and more like a cross-examination.
He glanced in my mouth – and when I say glanced, I mean one second. I’ve had longer eye contact from a pigeon.
Tap. Tap. Tap on the keyboard.
‘Go to the pharmacy. Pick up your prescription. Goodbye.’
Ninety seconds.
We were in and out faster than a Formula 1 pit stop.
He wasn’t offensive. He was efficient. Just distant. Detached. Disinterested. You know the sensation: you’re not a person, you’re a problem to be processed.
The prescription didn’t work. The ulcers and pain worsened.
So I rang again. To the surgery’s credit, they offered another appointment three days later with a different doctor. We walked into the second consultation.
‘Hello! Come in! Take a seat.’
And immediately, something shifted.
He examined my mouth properly. Checked my ears. Took my blood pressure. Asked questions. We even had a little banter about football and life.
Ten minutes.
Same surgery.
Two doctors.
Two atmospheres.
Two prescriptions.
Two outcomes.
The second doctor’s prescription cleared the ulcers within three days.
But this isn’t really about ulcers. It’s about us.
A Culture Running on Empty
We are living in an age of relentless pace. The NHS is under enormous strain. Staff are exhausted. Patients are anxious. Systems are stretched thin.
Efficiency has become a survival strategy.
But somewhere along the way, efficiency has started to replace empathy.
The first doctor treated a mouth. The second doctor treated a person.
That distinction may sound small. It is not.
We underestimate the power of tone. We underestimate the ministry of manners. We underestimate how much kindness costs and how much coldness costs more.
Attention is one of the purest forms of love. To give someone your full focus for even a few minutes says, ‘You matter.’ And in a distracted society, that message is priceless.
The first consultation was quick.
The second was human.
Efficiency clears diaries. Humanity clears ulcers.
The Invisible Aches
Here is what troubles me most.
There are people walking around Britain today with invisible ulcers.
Ulcers of grief.
Ulcers of anxiety.
Ulcers of loneliness.
Ulcers of disappointment.
They sit across desks. They stand in queues. They scroll through phones late at night.
You cannot see their pain in a scan. But it is there.
And when they come into our orbit, at work, at church, in the supermarket, at home, we face a quiet choice.
Ninety seconds.
Or ten minutes.
A glance.
Or a careful look.
Efficiency.
Or empathy.
We are arguably the most technologically connected generation in history, yet loneliness has become a public health crisis. We speak constantly, but listening is becoming rare.
And listening is not passive. It is powerful.
The Example of Jesus
Whatever one’s personal faith, the figure of Jesus remains compelling in this regard.
Read the Gospel accounts and you notice something striking: he was never hurried with hurting people.
There were crowds. There was pressure. There was urgency. Yet when someone in pain stood before him, he stopped.
A blind man by the roadside.
A woman suffering silently.
A grieving family.
He asked, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’
It is almost the same question my GP asked. But tone transforms meaning.
Presence changes everything.
The Small Things That Shape a Nation
We tend to think society is shaped only by major policies and grand speeches. But often it is shaped just as profoundly by the smaller omissions:
No smile.
No warmth.
No eye contact.
No curiosity.
These are not dramatic failures. They are quiet absences. Yet they accumulate. They form the emotional climate of a workplace, a family, even a country.
The second doctor did not perform a miracle. He simply practised attentive care.
And that changed both the experience and the outcome.
Kindness is not weakness.
Patience is not passivity.
Warmth is not wasted time.
In a hurried world, slowness can be quietly radical.
The Prescription We All Carry
Most of us will never sit behind a GP’s desk. But every one of us carries something just as powerful:
Our tone.
Our attention.
Our presence.
Our extra two minutes.
You may be the only gentleness someone encounters today.
The only pause in their chaos.
The only moment they feel seen rather than scanned.
Same office. Different spirit.
The lesson of my ulcers is simple but searching: sometimes the greatest healing does not come from what we prescribe, but from how we treat people.
We cannot fix everything. We cannot solve every systemic problem. But we can decide what kind of presence we bring into a room.
And in the end, that may be one of the most powerful prescriptions of all.
Read more from J. John here.
