Charles Gardner reviews the Sh’ma Kingdom Drama play about the legendary preacher.

Nearly 300 years after it happened, John Wesley’s conversion is still widely celebrated. For most great men, it is their birth that is usually remembered. But in Wesley’s case, it is what the Bible terms his ‘new birth’, recalled each year on 24 May.

As part of this year’s celebrations, a unique play was staged on the lawns of the Old Rectory where the preacher grew up, in the small town of Epworth in Lincolnshire (another performance is being planned elsewhere in the county for next month - see details below).

Performed by the Sh’ma Kingdom Drama group, I am John Wesley captivated an appreciative audience on a beautiful spring afternoon with a stirring invitation to share in the transforming experience that changed Britain and the world – a heart ‘strangely warmed’ by the Gospel, as the Methodist founder put it.

An Inspirational Invitation

We were treated to an inspirational weaving together of dance, dialogue and choral hymn-singing complete with audience participation – front row viewers were handed rolled-up tights to throw at the cast at a given signal to depict the fierce opposition Wesley’s preachers encountered on their travels.

The narration, backing music and PA system all worked together smoothly and the drama was enriched by authentic costumes. The waving of brightly-coloured flags helped to convey the traumatic scene when six-year-old John was rescued from an upper window during a blazing fire, which is why he came to be referred to as ‘a brand plucked from the burning’.

I am John Wesley captivated with a stirring invitation to share in the transforming experience that changed Britain and the world.

I was particularly moved by the sight of one of the cast, her face shining like an angel, worshipping her Saviour before moving towards the audience as she encouraged others to welcome Jesus into their lives.

With the audience also invited to join in some of Charles Wesley’s well-known hymns, some of the cast, including John Wesley, came out of character for a few minutes to share the story of their own life-changing encounter with Christ.

The Gospel, No Holds Barred

Used with permission from the Sh'ma Kingdom Dancers.

Wesley’s conversion took place at Aldersgate, London, in 1738 and launched a 50-year ministry that included 40,000 sermons preached while travelling a quarter-of-a-million miles on horseback. Historians are agreed that we might well have suffered a revolution of the kind that brought chaos to France without his influence.

He often returned to Epworth and its environs, but wasn’t allowed to preach at the church where his father, Samuel, had been rector for nearly 40 years, choosing instead to use his father’s tomb as a pulpit as he lifted up Jesus to a crowd of thousands.

Considering it was only the third staging of the play, it was quite sensational in the way it combined entertainment – both visually and otherwise – with a no-holds-barred presentation of the Gospel.

The next performance of ‘I Am John Wesley’ will be taking place at Broughton Village Hall (DN20 OJX, near Brigg, Lincolnshire) on Saturday 31 August, beginning at 7pm. All are welcome to this free event – call 07940 222 707 for more details.

Find out more about the Sh’ma Kingdom Drama and Dancers on their website, www.shma-kingdomdancers.co.uk.

Used with permission from the Sh'ma Kingdom Dancers.

Britain continues to abandon its biblical heritage.

A dysfunctional House of Commons voted in Westminster this week to impose same-sex marriage and abortion upon the people of Northern Ireland – the only part of the United Kingdom that respects biblical teaching on these issues. MPs, aided and abetted by a rebellious Speaker of the House, took advantage of the fact that Britain at present is effectively without a fully functioning Government, to pass amendments to the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill.

The amendments threaten to impose LGBTQ demands upon the people of Ulster by 21 October this year unless the Stormont Government has been reinstated. The DUP, who are the main representatives of the people of Northern Ireland in the House of Commons, and the only Bible-believing political party in the British Parliament, strongly opposed the measures, but they were nevertheless approved by large majorities.

Sinn Fein (who refuse to take their Westminster seats), the political party with whom the DUP have to cooperate if the Northern Ireland Assembly is to be reactivated, immediately expressed approval of the Westminster votes, which is unlikely to make it easier for Stormont to rise from the ashes after 2 ½ years of dormancy. The future for Northern Ireland is further complicated by Brexit and the failure to agree a solution to Irish border issues in the event of Britain leaving the European Union.

The Shaking of the Political Scene

The political scene in the United Kingdom is also struggling to cope with strong opposition to Brexit from Scotland, and growing demands from the SNP for another Scottish Referendum, with the threat of breaking up the Union. Adding all these political tensions together presents a graphic scene of dysfunction over the whole of the United Kingdom where we have a powerless Prime Minister with only days to run and two men vying to be the next leader of the Conservative Party, neither of whom appear to have the outstanding qualities required to unite the nation in a time of crisis.

Adding all the political tensions together presents a graphic scene of dysfunction over the whole of the United Kingdom.

But what about the official Opposition? The most shocking revelations of the week came in the BBC Panorama programme investigating the rise of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party since the advent of the Corbyn leadership. The evidence all came back inexorably to Corbyn himself and his personal hostility to Israel and ambivalent attitude towards Jews. Clearly the Labour Party itself is falling apart and, like the rest of the House of Commons, it is utterly dysfunctional and unfit to be Her Majesty’s Opposition at a critical time in the nation’s history.

See Credits

Another big story of the week has been the unpatriotic action of a Sunday newspaper in publishing leaked reports from the British Ambassador in Washington that have done immense harm to Anglo-American relationships resulting in the Ambassador’s resignation. Boris Johnson’s hesitation in giving unqualified support to the Ambassador in his televised leadership encounter was quite understandable. The subject is far too sensitive for an off-the-cuff verdict. I’ve no doubt that Sir Kim Darroch’s assessment of the dysfunctionality of the Trump Administration is accurate. But the difference between the White House and the Westminster Parliament is simply that Westminster has been exposed to the world whereas Washington has so far been more successful in covering any cracks.

Hypocrisy and Rebellion

But perhaps an even more significant story of the week has been the intervention of Sir John Major saying he would take court action to stop Parliament being prorogued in order to achieve Brexit by the end of October. Why should we listen to the opinions of a man who strongly campaigned to remain in the EU and was not renowned for his moral integrity?

The plain fact is we have a Parliament that is refusing to honour the wishes of the nation as expressed in the 2016 Referendum to leave the European Union. Parliament is in rebellion against the will of the nation and has been totally unable to find collective agreement on any issue concerning Brexit. It has therefore proved itself to be utterly dysfunctional and unable to provide effective government of the nation. Surely such a parliament should be prorogued if that is the only way to achieve the will of the people – that is democracy!

Parliament is in rebellion against the will of the nation.

I went to a meeting of the Lords and Commons Family and Child Protection Group in the House of Commons on Wednesday. The whole of Parliament Square was choked with hundreds of taxis on strike blocking the traffic, and protest groups with all their different messages. It really was a pathetic scene of confusion matching the scene inside Parliament and indeed the condition of the buildings themselves with an abundance of scaffolding!

The Fall of the Empire

Looking back at history it is astonishing to think that the nation at the head of the British Empire, upon which the sun never set, has now come to this pathetic situation where our Parliament is in greater disarray than many banana states, and even the pound is almost at the lowest ebb it has ever been. We are not making a case for colonialism, but simply highlighting the obvious fall in the influence of the nation on the world stage. How are the mighty fallen! What has brought Great Britain to this critical state?

There is only one answer to this question. It is there, written large in the history of the nation – the abandoning of the Judaeo-Christian biblical heritage that was established by our forefathers and for which millions of young men gave their lives to preserve in two world wars during the last century.

The abandoning of its Judaeo-Christian biblical heritage has brought Great Britain to a critical state today.

I lived through one of those wars – as a child I remember the bombing, the bloodshed and the hardship – we even had to grow our own food and keep hens in the back garden – but we were leaner and healthier then than we are today with our fast-food culture and our overindulgence.

Hope in Humility

In wartime we were united in faith: we were a praying nation, and we were fighting to uphold standards of righteousness and truth. Today, we have a rebellious generation that does not even know the meaning of truth. As Jesus said: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand” (Matt 13:13). We have “exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (Rom 1:25).

Is there any hope? As a patriot I would love to be able to answer that affirmatively! But, after many years of studying the Bible and the history of God’s dealings with his covenant people Israel, I have to say that the only hope for the nation lies in repentance and turning back to the truth. For Israel, it only came after the tragedy of exile in Babylon, so it may be that we have to experience tragedy befalling Britain before eyes are open and people cry out, “O God, what has gone wrong?” Then, there can be a spiritual awakening transforming the nation and its fortunes.

The only hope for the nation lies in repentance and turning back to the truth.

The words of the Prophet Joel offer hope even in a desperate situation: “Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing” (Joel 2:13-14).

Disaster unless repentance.

“‘Flee for safety, people of Benjamin! Flee from Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa! Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem! For disaster looms out of the north, even terrible destruction.’” (Jeremiah 6:1)

The whole of chapter six is of great importance for an understanding of the nature of God that is revealed through Jeremiah’s writing. There is probably no other chapter in the Book of Jeremiah that more clearly encapsulates both the justice and the love of God, and also the tenderness of his care for his covenantal people.

The Heart of God

In his times of standing in the Council of the Lord, Jeremiah senses the grief in the heart of God as he looks at what is happening among the people with whom he established a covenant relationship of love.

The chapter begins with the command to sound the trumpet warning of the approach of a mighty army that will bring destruction upon the cities of Judah. Then there follows: “This is what the Lord says: ‘Look, an army is coming from the land of the north; a great nation is being stirred up from the ends of the earth. They are armed with bow and spear; they are cruel and show no mercy’” (Jer 6:22-23).

Jeremiah then adds his own plea: “We have heard reports about them, and our hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped us,… Put on sackcloth, my people, and roll in ashes; mourn with bitter wailing as for an only son, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us” (Jer 6:24-26).

Although these reports are clearly about the Babylonian army being on the move, it would be a mistake to think that this was a warning from God telling them to prepare the defences of Jerusalem and put the army of Judah on red alert to resist an invasion. Certainly, this was an accurate description of the international situation. But the whole purpose of this chapter is not to warn about a Babylonian attack even though Jeremiah could see it as vividly as though it were already taking place.

Jeremiah senses the grief in the heart of God over his covenant people.

The Real Danger

The danger is not from the Babylonians. The danger is that God will withdraw his covering of protection over the land and over his covenant people because they have broken the covenant and poured out wickedness, violence and corruption like a fountain gushing out water from a well (Jer 6:7). The next verse delivers the heart of the message: “‘Take warning, Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you and make your land desolate so that no one can live in it’” (Jer 6:8).

This is a poor translation that fails to express the heart of the message that Jeremiah is trying to convey. The Authorised Version gets closer to the Hebrew for this verse – “Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.” The command to ‘be instructed’ (Hebrew ysr) or to ‘learn a lesson’ is not a warning or threat as the NIV states. It is a cry from the heart of God for the people he loves who are so unfaithful to him. It represents an element of indecision in the heart of God that is similar to that reflected in Hosea: “‘My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, and not a man – the Holy One among you. I will not come [in wrath]’” (Hos 11:8-9).

That was said shortly before God withdrew his covering of protection over the northern Kingdom of Israel and allowed the Assyrian army to ravage the land and take the people into exile. Jeremiah was constantly aware that this same tragedy could fall upon the southern Kingdom of Judah where the people were just as idolatrous and unfaithful as their northern brothers and sisters had been. The fate that befell Israel was now looming over Judah.

The danger is that God will withdraw his covering of protection over the land because his people have broken the covenant.

Words of Warning

It was Jeremiah’s prophetic calling to blow the trumpet in Jerusalem, but all his words of warning were ignored, “To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so that they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it. But I am full of the wrath of the Lord, and I cannot hold it in.” (Jer 6:10-11).

Jeremiah’s dilemma was a reflection of what he saw in the heart of God. He knew God’s great love for his people, yet he knew God to be a God of righteousness who was utterly faithful in keeping his promises. Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had delivered his people from slavery in Egypt and had brought them into the Promised Land, had established a solemn covenant: so long as people were faithful to him, worshipping no other god and putting their trust in him, he would watch over them, protect them, bless them and give them prosperity.

But if they were faithless and turned away from him to the gods of the world, he could do no other than withdraw his presence and the power of his protection. This was the fate that had befallen Israel and was now about to fall upon Judah. Jeremiah sensed a moment of indecision in the heart of God: the fate of Judah did not depend upon Nebuchadnezzar or the army of Babylon. It depended entirely upon God.

Jeremiah knew God to be a God of righteousness who is utterly faithful to his covenant promises.

The Need for Repentance

There was still just the faintest chance that Judah would be spared the inevitable disaster. God had not yet declared: “‘Hear, you earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law’” (Jer 6:19).

If there were the slightest sign of repentance – a recognition of their wrongdoing and a willingness to seek the forgiveness of the Lord and put their trust in him, God would remain faithful to keep his word. The Babylonian army would be powerless to put a foot upon the soil of Judah: Jerusalem would be safe because God is a God who keeps his word and he is the God of Creation who could wipe out the Babylonian army at a stroke.

The fate of Judah depended upon people hearing and heeding the word of the Lord. Disaster was inevitable unless there was repentance. The “UNLESS” was still there: but for how long?

This article is part of a series on the life and ministry of the Prophet Jeremiah. Click here for previous instalments.

While Iran threatens to annihilate Israel with nuclear weapons, even Jews in the UK are no longer safe.

As Britain enters stormy waters with Iran (more of that later), a senior Iranian lawmaker has said the Jewish state wouldn’t last half-an-hour if the U.S. attacked his country.¹ And in east London, a knife-wielding man threatened to behead an Orthodox Jew as he walked down the street.² Jews are feeling increasingly trapped in what is virtually a déjà vu moment for God’s chosen people – except this time they do have a place of refuge. However, with Israel too under severe threat from all sides, they have the potential for being caught in a trap once again if we keep giving way to dictators who hate them.

A mass exodus of UK Jews is a real possibility in light of rising anti-Semitism and the prospect of Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister. And yet the man who has signally failed to deal with Jew-hatred within his party has inadvertently also caused Jews to reconnect with and proudly embrace their heritage, as journalist and online columnist for The Daily Telegraph, Miranda Levy, has pointed out. Writing for the New York Post, she said: “…over the past few months, both my political sensibilities and my sense of cultural identity have radically changed.” She also quoted Jewish Labour MP Margaret Hodge as saying: “I remember my dad tried to make me Jewish and failed. The local rabbi tried to make me Jewish and failed. It took the leader of the Labour Party to do that.”³

A mass exodus of UK Jews is a real possibility in light of rising anti-Semitism and the prospect of Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister.

The Purposes of God

The increasing unease in which the Jewish community finds itself reminds me of the mother eagle who, when teaching her young ones to fly, gradually removes the comforting straw of their nest. Not that Mr Corbyn has the best interests of Jews at heart, but the God of Israel surely does (Jer 31:3) and ultimately plans to bring them all back to the Promised Land. Nearly seven million are already there within just a couple of generations of its rebirth. Their return is in perfect fulfilment of many Old Testament prophecies. For example, Isaiah writes: “‘Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, “Give them up!” and to the south, “Do not hold them back.”’” (Isa 43:5-6a).

Such an exodus could inflict serious damage to our economy, possibly on a bigger scale than Brexit, but it’s a price we may have to pay for our silence on the issue of anti-Semitism on the one hand, and the fulfilment of God’s word on the other.

Bear in mind that it was God’s purpose for Jesus to die for our sins (Isa 53:10), but the man who betrayed him did not go unpunished (Matt 26:24). In the same way, it is God’s will that Jews scattered across the globe should be restored to the Holy Land before he reveals his face to them (Num 6:22-27; Ezek 39:27-29). Nevertheless, those who have mistreated them will come under a curse (Gen 12:3; Joel 3:2).

“‘Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, “Give them up!” and to the south, “Do not hold them back.”’” (Isaiah 43:5-6a)

The Iranian Crisis

Meanwhile Britain has now become a target for Iranian revenge after we seized an oil tanker believed to be headed for Syria in defiance of sanctions against that country. Iranian vessels subsequently attempted to capture a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf, but were successfully warned off by a Royal Navy frigate which finally aimed its guns at them. An alarming development indeed!⁴

The crisis has revealed the ineptitude of Britain in being party to a deal that was never going to work, especially in light of evidence that Iran has exceeded the limit of enriched uranium to which it had agreed.⁵ And President Trump has been proved right for having pulled out of it last year. As the first line of defence from any fallout over the spat, Israel is right to question the commitment of nations, including Britain, to its welfare. “Iran has violated its solemn promise under the UN Security Council not to enrich uranium beyond a certain level,” said their Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asking the signatories to the agreement: “Where are you?”⁶ Well, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said Britain would pull out if Iran breaks the deal⁷ – so watch this space.

But with our stubborn refusal to follow the US lead on this, as well as recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, we are allowing Iran to play off key allies against one another, thereby strengthening the position of the world’s leading sponsor of terror. I realise our appeasement of Iran is for economic reasons, but there comes a point when we need to do the right thing. And since we are not blessing Israel by kowtowing to Iran, but rather inviting judgment on ourselves, siding with America on this issue would obviously be the right move.

Britain’s Second Chance

Britain is privileged to have played a special role in Israel’s restoration, though tragically we have also betrayed them over the years – even now most of our churches ignore their well-being. But now we have another chance of coming to their rescue. As God once spoke through Isaiah of how he would use Cyrus, the Persian emperor, to rebuild his city and set his exiles free – “but not for a price or reward” (Isa 45:13) – we too must do the right thing by his people.

References

1. Jerenberg, B. Iran threatens: If US attacks, we'll wipe out Israel in half hour. World Israel News, 2 July 2019.
2. "I’m going to chop your head off’: Orthodox Jew chased down London street. World Israel News, 3 July 2019.
3. Levy, M. How Anti-Semitism in Britain’s Labour party made me feel Jewish again. New York Post, 6 July 2019.
4. Iran demands Britain release seized tanker, saying action will 'have consequences'. The Telegraph, 12 July 2019.
5. Iran Exceeds Permissible Limit For Enriched Uranium. Jerusalem News Network, 5 July 2019.
6. Netanyahu asks world leaders on Iran: 'Where are you?'. World Israel News, 7 July 2019.
7. UK's Hunt says if Iran breaks Nuclear Deal we are out as well. Jerusalem News Network, 5 July 2019 (scroll down the page).