RELATED MADE for RELATIONSHIPS with GOD and OTHERS Keynote Speakers: Bill Johnson Andrew Cannon Robby Dawkins Jean-Luc Trachsel and Others
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Connect me Page title: Discipleship Title: Road to recovery Standfirst: Many of us have experiences that hinder our ability to form healthy relationships. As we connect with God through prayer and scripture, we can surmount these struggles, says psychotherapist and minister Giles Lascelle.MARCH / APRIL 2020 THE MAGAZINE OF THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE Healthy relationships are vital for our emotional wellbeing, but as we all know, relationships of all kinds, whether romantic, friendship, work or church-based, are also the source of some of our greatest struggles. Our experiences in childhood, whether WE ARE RELATED MADE FOR RELATIONSHIPS WITH GOD AND OTHERS Keynote Speakers: Bill Johnson Andrew Cannon Robby Dawkins Jean-Luc Trachsel and others Tim & Sue Eldridge Co-Hosts of ELA Venue: Life Church Bradford BD3 0EQ Dates: 27-29 July 2020 Book: europeanleadersalliance.org evangelicalalliance EAUKnews EAUK.ORG evangelicalalliance Membership queries and updates [email protected] Advertising Candy O’Donovan [email protected] 07966 539777 Design Darren Southworth S2 Design & Advertising Ltd 020 7093 1978 2 The way God sees it We thrive A relationship with God is at the heart Evangelical Alliance leadership team of all relationships Gavin Calver, together CEO 4 We build together Peter Lynas, young lady’s head If it’s spiritual transformation we want, UK director hung low because the Fred Drummond, we must unite in prayer and action director of prayer and Scotland challenges faced by her Siân Rees, and her family had started to take 6 As one director of Wales Church unity – a conduit for God’s power Dr David Landrum, their toll. I told her: we are here if director of advocacy you need to talk, or if you’d like a hug. I heard her Remembered in the time of old age Jo Frost, A 8 laughing with others by the end of the day. director of communications God is using local churches to create a “It’s not good for the man to be alone” and membership place of belonging for the elderly Emrys Jones, – God’s words, not mine; and these director of fi nance and operations brief moments spent with this young 10 Road to recovery Evangelical Alliance offi ces lady reinforced the beauty and How can we stop relational pain and Head offi ce diffi culty from ruining our relationships? 176 Copenhagen Street importance of relationship – London N1 0ST relationship with God and relationship A godly initiative in Stornoway tel 020 7520 3830 with others. 14 [Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm] The way we ‘do church’ puts fl esh on the Rev Canon Yemi Adedeji, director fax 020 7520 3850 bones of God’s message [email protected] of our One People Commission, shares that Northern Ireland “relationship is at the heart of the Christian faith 18 Will you share yours? First Floor and is the biblical base that fuels our witness to Our testimonies are stories worth telling Ravenhill House others” (p. 2). Siân Rees, director of Evangelical 105 Ravenhill Road Someone to talk to Belfast BT6 8DR Alliance Wales, echoes this sentiment as 21 tel 028 9073 9079 Premier Lifeline – a connection for the lonely [email protected] she reminds us what is possible when we work together for the salvation of Wales 22 In harmony 20 High Street others (p. 4). Worship songs – more than a pleasant tune Cardiff CF10 1PT And there are many local tel 029 2022 9822 Prayer, purpose and politicians [email protected] churches and Christian organisations 24 doing exactly that, to provide a What can we do to form better Scotland relationships with our politicians? 100 Borron Street listening ear for the lonely (p. 21), Blair Court, Suite D friendship for the elderly (p. 8), godly Glasgow G4 9XE 26 Crucial connections neighbours in challenging communities tel 0141 353 0150 How can we become faithful disciples [email protected] (p. 12), and a safe haven for the young (p. 14). and leaders? The Evangelical Alliance. A company We hope through this ‘We are related’ edition limited by guarantee. Registered Going further together in England and Wales No. 123448. you will join us in celebrating what the UK church 28 Registered Charity No. England and is doing and identify more opportunities to Jesus is the reason 12 major mission Wales: 212325, Scotland: SC040576. Registered Offi ce: 176 Copenhagen refl ect our relational God as you nurture organisations have teamed up Street, London, N1 0ST existing and establish new The Father’s heart for family idea is published in accordance with relationships. 31 the Evangelical Alliance’s Basis of Have you ever considered off ering Faith, although it is impossible in every Yours truly, article to articulate each detail and a child a home for good? nuance of belief held by Evangelical Alliance members. Articles in idea What’s stopping us? may therefore express views on which Naomi Osinnowo 32 there is a divergence of opinion or Editor We can impact our nations, so let’s do it, understanding among evangelicals. says Gavin Calver idea accepts advertisements and inserts to off set printing costs. Advertising in idea does not imply editorial endorsement. The Evangelical Alliance reserves the right to accept or refuse advertisements at its discretion. Articles may be reproduced only with permission from the editor. MAR / APR 2020 01 THEOLOGY Our restored relationship with God opens our hearts to relate upwardly with the Father, inwardly with self and outwardly with others, writes Rev Canon Yemi Adedeji, director of the One the way People Commission. GODalk of ‘a relationship with SEESconstitutional persons expressedIT as Father, God’ is familiar language Son and Holy Spirit, but of one substance, within the Christian culture. essence and nature. The relationship is co- One of the frequently equal and co-powerful, and clearly strategic used statements within From love in engaging with humanity. God could have Tevangelical, charismatic or pentecostal to hate, relationship created the world and redeemed humanity circles is often centred around a personal is at the depths of sin by Himself, but He demonstrated the power relationship with Christ. It’s further and at the heights of unity and relationship in a distinct co- stressed that Christianity is about having of moral virtue. existence with a united purpose in creating a relationship with God and not an the universe. THE WAY GOD observation of a religion or religious order. Relationship is at the heart of the Relationship and humanity Christian faith and it is the biblical base that Human beings are made for relationship, fuels our witness to others. Relationship and outside of relationship human beings is central to God, and God as the initiator the creative order of the universe. cannot truly be themselves. God knew this of relationship is evidenced in scripture The gospel writing of John highlighted after creating the first human being. God from the creation in Genesis right the way a relational co-creation between God and Himself noticed that it’s not good for a man SEES IT through to the last jot in Revelation. Jesus from the beginning, demonstrating to exist alone but he needs to engage and that God started off in relationship, co- relate to fulfil purpose. “The Lord God said, Relationship and creation exists in relationship and co-created in ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. In creation, we saw the image of the Spirit relationship. “In the beginning was the Word, I will make a helper suitable for Him’” of God hovering over the waters similar and the Word was with God, and the Word (Genesis 2:18). to a mother bird caring for and protecting was God. He was with God in the beginning. God is a social God who delights in a its young. “Now the earth was formless Through Him all things were made; without relationship with His creation, which is why and empty, darkness was over the surface Him nothing was made that has been made” He created man and woman in His image. of the deep, and the Spirit of God was (John 1:1-3). But the nature of sin has since separated hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:2). The God the Father created in relationship humanity, diluted our relationships, and presence of the Holy Spirit reveals God’s with His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. ultimately created segregation, racism and relational nature, and it is from this position It’s this relationship that helps to define the other forms of discrimination, and amplified of relationship that He formed and shaped term ‘Trinity’, which identifies God as three our differences. 02 MAR / APR 2020 The Genesis creation story describes Our personal relationship with Christ Adam and Eve as the originators of the Our redemptive helps to communicate the gospel in a whole of humanity. Adam and Eve are relational way which helps to convince distinguished from the rest of the created relationship is the people of the reality of the saving Jesus, realm and placed in authority over it. Later in bible that people if we indeed take into heart the gospel of Genesis, we come to the passage that has read. John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that been most ill-used for racist purposes, the He gave His one and only Son, that whoever account of Ham discovering drunken Noah’s believes in Him shall not perish but have nakedness (Genesis 9:22). Noah cursed eternal life.” Canaan, the youngest son of Ham, as “the This could be likened to an interplay of a lowest of slaves” (Genesis 9:25). It is diffi cult deep relationship between father and son to to believe, but this curse was used as one absorbing.