My old CU, the University of Manchester Christian Union have been asking students on campus what they would ask God and who they think Jesus is.
They've also got a rather swish new website!
Showing posts with label University of Manchester Christian Union. Show all posts
Showing posts with label University of Manchester Christian Union. Show all posts
Monday, 29 September 2008
UMCU vid
Friday, 11 April 2008
Forgetting our first love
At UMCU we have just started a short series of talks in our Wednesday Evening Meetings looking at the messages to the churches in Asia Minor. On Wednesday we looked at the message to the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-7.
Ephesus was one of the great churches at the time in one of the great cities in the world. They had had fantastic teaching from Paul, Apollos, Priscilla, Aquilla (and possibly John.) They are enduring patiently, they are toiling and working, they are bearing up for the sake of Christ and are not growing weary and God commends them for this. But one of the things that really struck me was that, despite all this good, God told them not to forget their first love. If they didn't repent and do the things they did at first, God would remove his presence from them. They'd become guilty of turning their relationship with Jesus into an intellectual philosophy or an assortment of things to do, and if they didn't change, God would remove his presence from them. They were going to die spiritually from the inside out unless they changed.
I think this warning still applies today - look around at the many churches that still meet on Sundays but rather than meeting in God's presence, are just going through the motions. How tragic is it that these people are just meeting up and going through the motions, when maybe just a few centuries ago they might have been meeting with God's presence amongst them... There could be many reasons for why churches end up like this, but surely some must have died spiritually as a result of not heeding God's warning at forsaking their first love.
Are we guilty of this too? Have we become so much about doing things and knowing things that we've forgotten the awe and wonder that we first experienced when we came to know Christ as our Lord and Saviour? Personally and as a CU we were all really challenged to remember that first love, that first awe and wonder at the gospel - that we can come empty handed to a God of grace and holiness for forgiveness because of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection.
Ephesus was one of the great churches at the time in one of the great cities in the world. They had had fantastic teaching from Paul, Apollos, Priscilla, Aquilla (and possibly John.) They are enduring patiently, they are toiling and working, they are bearing up for the sake of Christ and are not growing weary and God commends them for this. But one of the things that really struck me was that, despite all this good, God told them not to forget their first love. If they didn't repent and do the things they did at first, God would remove his presence from them. They'd become guilty of turning their relationship with Jesus into an intellectual philosophy or an assortment of things to do, and if they didn't change, God would remove his presence from them. They were going to die spiritually from the inside out unless they changed.
I think this warning still applies today - look around at the many churches that still meet on Sundays but rather than meeting in God's presence, are just going through the motions. How tragic is it that these people are just meeting up and going through the motions, when maybe just a few centuries ago they might have been meeting with God's presence amongst them... There could be many reasons for why churches end up like this, but surely some must have died spiritually as a result of not heeding God's warning at forsaking their first love.
Are we guilty of this too? Have we become so much about doing things and knowing things that we've forgotten the awe and wonder that we first experienced when we came to know Christ as our Lord and Saviour? Personally and as a CU we were all really challenged to remember that first love, that first awe and wonder at the gospel - that we can come empty handed to a God of grace and holiness for forgiveness because of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection.
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
First Contact Evangelism
Just finished Action Group with University of Manchester CU. Before heading out we looked at God's part and our part in evangelism. We learnt that our part is essentially just to get out there and tell people the gospel (Matthew 28:16-20 and Romans 10:11-17) and that it's God's job to save people (Acts 4:10-12 and Revelation 7:9-10) - what a well timed reminder for us just before we head out to the daunting task of telling complete strangers the gospel!
Seven of us headed out in pairs and a single. We had some pretty cool conversations with many different types of people. I spoke to Muslims for a half hour showing them how that as God is both a perfect judge and loves us perfectly, the only way he can reconcile these two characteristics and forgive people of their sins is through Jesus taking the punishment for our sins on the cross. How exciting to be able to tell this to Muslims on campus!
Several other great conversations were had and we all became more confident in sharing the gospel with students.
Seven of us headed out in pairs and a single. We had some pretty cool conversations with many different types of people. I spoke to Muslims for a half hour showing them how that as God is both a perfect judge and loves us perfectly, the only way he can reconcile these two characteristics and forgive people of their sins is through Jesus taking the punishment for our sins on the cross. How exciting to be able to tell this to Muslims on campus!
Several other great conversations were had and we all became more confident in sharing the gospel with students.
Friday, 15 February 2008
New Leaders Training
As some of you might be aware, I have just finished serving on the executive committee (exec) at University of Manchester Christian Union and the new exec have taken over. This weekend I am fortunate enough to be able to join up with some of the new execs from around the North West at the annual UCCF North West Region New Leaders Training. It's going to be fun!
Things I am looking forward to:
- Tim Rudge talking on either 1 or 2 Peter - either way, the teaching will be UCCF ace-tastic and I haven't studied either of the possibilities, so double bonus!
- Meeting some of the people on the new execs at Salford and Bolton and becoming even more excited about work with them and serving them next year on Relay
- Leading a seminar with Zac Wyse for the new Evangelism Coordinators in the various CUs in the region. What a privelege to be able to help them as they begin to form ideas of what they will be doing evangelism-wise with their CUs this year.
- Cooking! Never worked in a big kitchen before but I'm on the cooking team
- Bookstall. UCCF event always have opportunities for buying good IVP books at low, low prices. Having said that, I will try and hold back from bringing too much conference bounty home.
- Train journeys. We travel from Manchester in approximately 1 hour on a locomotive train. Get to hang out with some of the new UMCU exec.
- Meeting new people. UCCF events are basically large family gatherings and I am looking forward to meet some more of my brothers and sisters in Christ. It's also cool when you get to meet people you've already met at Forum, Biblical Evangelism, last years NLT etc.
Wednesday, 23 January 2008
The Truth?
"What then is truth? A movable host of metaphors, metonymies and anthropomorphisms." Friedrich Nietzsche, 1873.
"What's true for you is not true for me." Student, 2007.
"I am... the truth." Jesus, c. 30 AD
Is there such a thing as objective truth? If you asked the average student here in Manchester they would probably say not. Pluralism and postmodernism pervades the modern day students worldview - it is claimed that it is wrong to say someone is wrong and its considered arrogant and even rude to claim that what you believe is the truth.
Jesus claims to be the truth. This claim flies in the face of everything that society says, but in a world where despite the many loud voices shouting that there is no truth, people are increasingly searching for a deeper meaning and purpose to life. Surely he is one person worth listening to.
On another occasion Jesus stated that he came into the world to testify to the truth and that everyone on the side of truth listens to him. Surely he's a person worth listening to.
What is truth? The University of Manchester Christian Union is hosting a week of events from Monday 11th - Saturday 16th February 2008 and invite you to come along, find out what Jesus had to say and decide for yourself whether his claim to be the truth is truthful. Everyone is welcome, whether Christian, or of other beliefs or none at all. All events are free.
Events are happening on the following days:
"What's true for you is not true for me." Student, 2007.
"I am... the truth." Jesus, c. 30 AD
Is there such a thing as objective truth? If you asked the average student here in Manchester they would probably say not. Pluralism and postmodernism pervades the modern day students worldview - it is claimed that it is wrong to say someone is wrong and its considered arrogant and even rude to claim that what you believe is the truth.
What is truth? The University of Manchester Christian Union is hosting a week of events from Monday 11th - Saturday 16th February 2008 and invite you to come along, find out what Jesus had to say and decide for yourself whether his claim to be the truth is truthful. Everyone is welcome, whether Christian, or of other beliefs or none at all. All events are free.
Events are happening on the following days:
- Monday 11th 1-1.45pm @ Jabez Clegg (Dover Street) - short talk on "Where is God in a messed up world?" with free lunch.
- Monday 11th 7-9pm @ Queen of Hearts (Wilmslow Road) - pub quiz with talk on "The truth about God" (TBC)
- Wednesday 13th 7-9pm @ Queen of Hearts (Wilmslow Road)- talk on "The truth about Life" preceded by a quick account by an ex IRA terrorist who became a Christian whilst in prison.
- Thursday 14th 1-1.45pm @ Jabez Clegg (Dover Street)- short talk on "What is True Love?" with free lunch.
- Friday 15th 7-9pm @ Glass (Wilmslow Road) - talk on "The truth about Jesus"
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