When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. Acts 14: 21-22
Dear Friends,
Early in the Apostle Paul’s missionary endeavors, he and Barnabas visited Asia Minor, where they saw great success in spreading the word – but they also encountered fierce and growing opposition. Even the adoring crowds of Lystra were easily turned against them by hostile authorities. It was there he was stoned and left for dead. Despite this, they persevered and even revisited the towns they had previously been driven out of, specifically to encourage the newly forming churches of the area. Their purpose is made clear in verse 22 “…strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith...”
To the degree that L’Abri welcomes many struggling believers into our ‘shelter’, this can be a ready description of our own efforts – strengthening the soul.
It certainly remains a central task for the local church. But what I find most interesting is the way
in which Paul & Barnabas (the ‘son of encouragement’) sought to strengthen and encourage. Luke tells us in the very next line that they taught “…that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God’. I wonder how many of us would see this as the best way to encourage struggling people? If anything, this seems a counter-intuitive and rather gloomy outlook – where is the hopeful assurance that ‘things will get better’, the hallmark of most efforts at encouragement? Undoubtedly, the Hope that we have in Jesus was indeed a central part of Paul’s overall message, but here the focus is on a needed reality check. In a Fallen world, things do not always proceed smoothly – even pursuing the good encounters resistance. Expectations then, need to be shaped by reality. We do have a very real hope, but we also have to travel a path fraught with difficulties – and those are very real as well – and there is no way around them – we have to go through them – indeed, we must go through them.
When I first came to L’Abri (some 38 years ago now!), I found the Schaeffer’s emphasis on a ‘Fallen World’
rather challenging. I was used to conservative Christians emphasizing personal sin (you are under God’s judgement) and liberal Christians emphasizing hope (a loving God will bring out your best) but this emphasis on the Fall seemed to occupy a different space – somewhere between these other extremes. Yes, we are sinful and desperately need a saviour, but much of what we experience of suffering and setbacks in this world is not directly related to our personal sin but is the common lot of all in a Fallen world. Yes, we have a real hope for real transformation, but, because of the Fall, positive change is often slow and painful, and far from a straightforward ‘upwards and onwards’ ascent. As I deepened my own understanding of this Biblical realism, I found it more and more liberating. It remains a central focus in our L’Abri work today, helping folk to orient their expectations in a broken world. This is the kind of strengthening and encouraging we need – not false promises or comforting lies.
However, it seems that each succeeding generation is more and more deeply imbedded in a kind of
perfectionism
– filled with hopelessly unrealistic expectations. Expectations that we see crippling the young lives of so many of our guests. And, what we see in the personal lives of our students we see also writ large in the wider culture. Expectations for progress that are hopelessly idealistic and seem to have learned little from history. Dr. Schaeffer traced much of this back to the Enlightenment and the subsequent worldview of Secular Humanism. Putting our hope in the perfectability of Man, reasoning our way through all our problems, building the perfect society. Of course, few now would subscribe to a crass utopianism, but most do not realize how much they have bought into the premises of utopian thought, certainly where expectations are concerned.
And with high expectations, comes judgementalism when these are not met - in ourselves or in others. It is extraordinary to see a culture steeped in the legacy of the 60’s and it’s crusade against the ‘moralism’ of the past, give itself so completely over to a new and more draconian moralism – fueled by outrage and intolerance.
As we look back on a testing year, ancient ‘tribulations’
like disease, racial conflict, political division, and social fragmentation, all of which are given a very modern assessment but have actually been with us for eons, have brutally exposed our perfectionism. Is it any wonder we are at each other’s throats?
The kingdom of God
is indeed at hand, and it anchors our hopes, but we must work and pray every day for ‘thy Kingdom come’. Transformation can come, personally, culturally and societally, but it will always be ‘through many tribulations.’ In a Fallen world, let us develop a Biblical realism, recalibrate our expectations, be careful lest our efforts to perfect do not do more damage than good, and temper every judgement with mercy.
For the Rochester L’Abri, we have nothing but praise and thankfulness
as we look back over this past year. Apart from a brief and thankfully mild case of Covid for Alison, our community has remained free of the virus. Our modest Covid policies seem to have worked and we have completed five L’Abri sessions without incident. We have had good student numbers and our faithful supporters have stuck with us, enabling us to stay in the black throughout. Significant projects like the garden fence and the new snowplow were accomplished and construction at the Ebenezer Retreat Centre also reached a conclusion, with just the finished staircase left to do. We were especially thankful that our Annual Rochester Conference went off without a hitch just prior to the Corona lockdown. Mercy is doing great, recently deciding to stay long-term with L’Abri, which is a great joy for Alison and I, and we are very much enjoying our new home and garden. There were challenges of course, there always are, but God is Faithful.
Looking ahead, we are disappointed that this year’s conference has had to be cancelled but, after a great Winter Retreat at Ebenezer, we are looking forward to our Spring Term here in Rochester with students already booking in. Undoubtedly, there will be challenges ahead, but we feel strengthened in our souls and encouraged in the faith. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.
Yours in Christ,
Jock