Brewing in the Oast House

February 3rd, 2009

It was a dark and drizzly Tuesday night.  Though I’d been to the Oast Houses Christian Conference Centre near Rye in East Sussex before, the very narrow country lanes of rural East Sussex are hard to recognise and negotiate at night.  In spite of instructions, we got lost a couple of times and had to consult the map – I’ve no satnav.  The journey was not straightforward, but twisty and confusing, and we had to retrace our steps at one point.  But a delightful destination awaited us.  

Elderly Christian statesman Roger Forster was given the whole of Wednesday to address us.  He took us down the roads of Church history, and led us along the narrow and twisty lanes of restoration truth, and the formation of the New Churches.  

He urged us not to give up on hard earned truths, and to pursue Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.  Philippians 3:10.  

He reminded us that God often hides himself, but is at work behind the scenes.  Isaiah 45:15.  He took us again to the story of Job, and the problem of suffering.  He talked about those who have stood their ground, persevered in doing the right thing, who have loved in spite of getting nothing out of it, who have demonstrated Calvary love.  

He spoke with sadness about many contemporaries who had fallen along the road, given up or got lost.  He urged unity, not just a friendship of like-minded people, but a unity because of the Christ in one another. Speaking of the future, he said we should be loving the needy in the world, but that there would be a new emphasis on loving and serving the body of Christ, the local believers.  

The journey home was still dark and drizzly, but somehow we had been refreshed and renewed to persevere and drive on towards home, not turning off, turning back or turning over and falling asleep. 

David Thatcher
                                                    

Filed under: Thought of the Week