Tarquin Syndrome (Page 3)
Are You Sure You Want Converts From Inner City Housing Schemes?
BY ANDY CONSTABLE There is a lot of talk these days about living ‘missionally’ as the answer to the problems of the local church in housing schemes/council estates. People say that if we live like they did in Acts where everybody shared their possessions and spent more intentional time together…
Superiority Complex? Try Service and Love
By Andy Constable There can be a temptation when coming to work in schemes to simply see the social problems that many schemes face. People from the outside see the drugs, crime, dysfunctional families and young teenage mothers. These stereotypes fuel a superiority complex where the ‘well-meaning’ Christian thinks that they are coming to release these ‘poor people’ from…
Why We Need To Commit Long Term To Housing Schemes
By Andy Constable As I have worked in some of the most deprived areas of our world I have become convinced that for any deep down spiritual change we need to commit to area’s long term. Recently my wife and I have decided to commit to Niddrie for the next 10 years unless God calls us on. This is a…
Eating like Jesus
by Andy Constable Jesus proclaims in Luke 7:34, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking”. It’s interesting as you read Luke’s gospels just how many encounters Jesus has while eating. There are over 10. It’s one of his main mission strategies. He uses the dining room as a place to teach, to challenge social norms and show up people’s hearts. Jesus’ actions around meals,…
Gospel Zeal
by Andy Constable Paul writes in Philippians 1:12 “Now I want you to know brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” There must have been questions flying round the church in Phillipi whilst Paul, their spiritual leader, was in prison. What’s going to happen to the gospel? What’s God doing here? Is Paul OK? But Paul reports that what…
The trouble of joy (2)
by Andy Constable So we saw last week that Paul was going through some difficult circumstances but that he doesn’t seem upset, or in despair, or angry but quite the opposite. He is a man full of joy. Why is Paul joyful despite the circumstances he faces? To begin with it’s important to note that joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness is an emotion that depends on…
The trouble of joy
by Andy Constable Philippians is one of my favourite books in the Bible. It’s one of the first books that I read when I became a Christian and I remember it challenging me so much. I’ve been preaching through this book on Sunday evenings over the last year and I want to share with you some of the things that I’ve been learning. The first thing I want to look at is the…
Disappointed? Don’t get cynical now!
by Andy Constable The reality of living and working in an estate area is that there lots of disappointments. We pray, we serve, we hold out the gospel and yet some seem to simply turn their back on it all. This work takes graft and perseverance and a lot of the ‘success’ stories are surrounded by brokenness and discouragement. This is often exacerbated by the fact that…
Low Self Esteem? It’s Worse Than You Think!
by Andy Constable We live in a society that has bought into the idea that people need their self-esteem boosted. The problem, psychologists tell us, with people is that they think too lowly of themselves and they don’t love themselves enough. If people would simply think more highly of themselves…
Why local churches suck in inner city housing schemes
by Andy Constable The local church is the hope for the world. It’s God’s primary means for reaching the lost. However it is seriously floundering in housing schemes across the UK and I’m sure across the world. And there are a number of reasons why. Firstly, there is simply a lack of Christians…