Battle for the soul of Britain -- Gafcon address by Paul Perkin 24 Oct 2013 Author: Paul Perkin See the video at Anglican.TV This vision we have just seen, of the great Commission, the church going to the nations, equipped with the authority of Christ and the teaching of Christ, is still wonderfully being worked out in Britain today! There are many flourishing local churches, people coming to faith in Jesus Christ, young leaders being raised up, and new members being added to the church. A few days ago I heard of one average-sized church, which five or ten new members were joining each week. In another brand new Anglican church planted four years ago in one of our large cities, where there was previously almost no bible-teaching ministry, 860 worshippers are now meeting every weekend. One man aged in his 50’s told me recently that although he is the youngest person in the little rural village church he attends on Sunday mornings, when he joins his Sunday evening congregation in the city, he is by far the oldest, so young and vibrant is that church. A number of individual churches in Britain each have 20 to 30 apprentices, ministers-in-training for full-time ministry. One growth-oriented inner city diocese has grown by 70% in the last 20 years. One church has started its own theological college and after three years is already the largest Anglican theological seminary in Europe. The largest Anglican church in England has 23 ordained ministers and thousands of young people being discipled to follow Christ. It is producing over 30 ordinands every year. Some of the networks draw 10, 20, 40, 60 thousand people to holiday conferences. So Jesus is the sovereign, risen Lord, miraculously active in the UK, prospering gospel evangelism, pouring out his Holy Spirit, growing the churches and planting new ones, and bringing glory to himself in it all. However, the opposite to the dream of the church penetrating the nation is the nightmare of a secular nation invading the church. This is the contrary scene and it is also happening in Britain. We come closest to the desire of Christ when we listen to the prayers of Christ – and none more significant than his high priestly prayer in John 17. There he pours out his longing for the unity of the church, for the holiness of the church, and for the mission of the church: her unity: ‘that they may be one’ (11,22,23); her purity: ‘that they may be truly sanctified’ (17,19); and her mission: ‘that the world may believe’ (20,21). And key to each of these is the Word of God in the scriptures: ‘They have obeyed your word (6)… I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them (8)…. So that scripture would be fulfilled (12)…. I have given them your word (14)…. Sanctify them by the truth, your word is truth (17)’. So this is the vision: As in Christ’s commission, so in his prayer – a vision of the church taking God’s Word to God’s world. To that end, what is the church that will fulfil this mission? It is: not ‘of the world’ (as Jesus himself is not of the world, 14,16), but neither is it ‘taken out of the world’ (15). Rather it is ‘sent into the world’ (18), just as Jesus prays to his Father, ‘As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world’. The church is not ‘of the world’ because it is the gift of the Father to Jesus ‘out of the world’ (6,9). It is to be ‘in the world’, as Jesus said ‘I am still in the world’ (13), but as Jesus was hated by the world, the church will also be ‘hated by the world’ (14), and so needs to be ‘protected from the evil one’ (15). So one of the greatest tragedies is the contradiction of a worldly church – the inconsistency of it – when, instead of the church being sent into the world, it is infected by the world! If the church is formed by accepting and obeying the Word of God, what a tragedy when it departs from the bible. If the church is united around the Word of God, what a tragedy when it is divided by unbelief in that Word. If the church is sanctified by the truth of God’s Word, what a tragedy when unholiness and impurity spreads in the church. If the church is the Father’s gift to Jesus out of the world, what a tragedy when the church emerges within the world, adopting the world’s values. If the church is sent into the world, what a tragedy when the world invades the church. Click here for the rest of the article: http://anglicanink.com/article/battle-soul-britain-gafcon-address-paul-perkin