Is it worth it? By Tim Kernan

The character of Moses by Niyi Adekoya on the 30th Nov 2008
[audio:Char_Series/NA_Moses_2008-11-30.mp3]

WESTMORELAND. O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!

KING. …I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God’s peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
…But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

This quote is of course from Henry V written in 1599 by William Shakespeare. It depicts the rousing speech of Henry V going into the battle of Agincourt. With only a small “rabble” (according to the French) of 5000 ordinary armed peasants and 1000 knights and professional soldiers of his own, he faced the the full fury of the French aristocracy on their home ground. Of the 36 000 French opponents, about 19 000 were professional soldiers and knights. By all accounts it was an absolutely dire situation.

The English army however, was not fighting with paltry motivations. They were fighting for their immediate survival and the legitimacy of their whole nation that was coveted by the French. If they lost they would have lost both their lives and perhaps even the right to exist in the European order of nations. Henry V focuses on the committed few and even offers to pay anyone who was uncommitted to leave because he wouldn’t die in their presence! When the battle was engaged, the English had positioned themselves between two forests so that the thousands of French were funnelled into a crushing stampede by their own comrades and trampled themselves underfoot! The English surged forward to take advantage of the confusion and utterly routed the French.

While the victory was of course encouraging to the English, it was the heart of Henry V and his soldiers that was immortalized by Shakespeare. They were ready to give their lives for the glory and legitimacy of their kingdom. Even without the victory, their hearts made it very clear the stuff that English are made of and settled any disputes about their courage and nobility. No one in Europe would ever doubt again the quality of English valour.

It has been made clear to me that in building this church over the past 14 months that this valour remains. When the British set their minds to doing what is right and when their immediate survival and the legitimacy of their cause is at stake they do not see hardship in exactly the same way that others do. We aren’t giving out cheap accolades here, I really mean there is a tough and adversarial “bull dog” tenacity that sort of blows me away as a guy from friendly and polite Canada. To be honest I don’t know what we would have done without it… For those who are familiar with the difficulties we have faced as a church over the past year and a bit there are perhaps some questions you have that you’ve been finding it difficult to broach. Lets just talk for a second here about the 800 pound gorilla that is in the room. I know what your thinking. What are we doing in London and why stick with building this church under such difficult conditions? You might be saying to yourself that with a) no trained ministers, with b) 75% of the members having less than 2 years experience in a church of disciples, c) no outside sources of people or money and d) with such a audience of mockers and detractors around you… how on earth do you stay so motivated?

Firstly I think that we need to agree that its been difficult. We have all learned a lot about how frail we are as humans in the flesh (Matt 26: 41). Under difficult conditions and with unattractive odds the urge is to give up or become discouraged. Many of us were tempted countless times to give up and stop fighting. Instead of getting out there and fighting the good fight the urge to spend more time in escapist activities; video games, sleeping, watching TV etc. increases.

Much like when Henry chose to engage the French his friend Westmoreland bemoaned the lack of resources and the cost of the choice. Henry offered him a one way ticket back to mediocrity. Many want to follow Jesus but when he turns to them to communicate the costs and the commitment the crowds melt away. (Luke 14: 25)

What is so worth fighting for that we would set aside careers, mortgages, and family? What is so important that we would set aside out lives? (Luke 9: 57)

The honest truth? I think the thought of Oliver, Eugenie and Steve languishing in London slowly losing their courage was more than we could bear. They had been abandoned by men of little account who thought that the world had more to offer than the promises of God. Once we were here I think the Phils, Megans and Niyi’s came to our rescue the way we came to the rescue of the originals. (John 15: 13) Others like Jacques and Jeanette probably first came to save themselves but quickly switched gears and started saving others. Still others like Ola were confronted with sin and joined in as an act of repentance. Unfortunately others came for selfish reasons and their motives were quickly evident through their commitment. Why are we here? Why are we doing what we are doing? Pure survival. The pure survival of love for one another. (John 15: 34)

What are some of the other motivations? We don’t want this job to have to fall on the shoulders of others. (Galatians 6: 5) We want to create a welcoming beach head for the future waves of missionaries from LA and elsewhere so they can fight inland; on to Birmingham, on to Manchester, on to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dublin and Belfast. (Thessalonians 1:7-8) We want to be the premier remnant church in the movement; providing hope and encouragement to other groups such as the disciples in Congo and Kiev. We are fighting for the legitimacy of discipleship; the principal that God is calling all people to be disciples and anyone who picks up a bible can start putting it in practice without making excuses about what resources or manpower they don’t have (Matt 28). We are fighting to make this principle real and clear for those who we can influence. We are fighting because we would rather be here knowing we can fight this fight rather than sitting somewhere else thinking we might be able to (Ephesians 6: 10-18). We are fighting this fight because it brings us closer to Jesus and the first century church.

What has been the fruit of this fight? (Matt 23: 13) 475% growth in 16 months, 8 ministers training hard right here on the ground, 3 dozen people brought to God or brought back to God, 10 people studying the bible right now, a greater maturity, spirituality and family than we ever had before, a hope for Congo and Kiev, and a place where disciples from almost every church in our movement have gathered twice and left inspired.

When you know what your living for you know what your dieing for. What are you living for? What are your reasons to wake up in the morning? Are you on an adventure that inspires God and the angels? Are you facing your demons? Are you making the best friendships of your life? Or are you just making it by day to day? Come join us in this incredible spiritual battle. Stand with us when we are spat on by mockers, fatigued by doubters, and know with us the sweet flavour of the successes in life that matter… Is it worth it? You bet it is.

Tim Kernan