Looking at the example of King Josiah in 2 Kings 22, Jonathan Pryke urges Christians to be courageous in striving to bring about godly reform where needed, (even if, like Josiah, you feel like an 8 year old boy.)

Talk Outline:

1. Josiah’s reform is a case study in Godly leadership:
we must not settle for anything less than Christlikeness

2. Josiah’s reform needs to be understood in the context of the divine assessment framework in 1 and 2 Kings:
we must be self-aware, discerning in relation to others, watchful lest we fall

[SEE THE DIVINE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK BELOW]

3. Josiah’s reform began with himself and moved out to the Temple and the nation:
we must begin with ourselves, and seek courage to work for the reform of the church and the nation.

THE DIVINE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

1. THE BASIC BINARY JUDGEMENT:
whose side are we and others on?

A. Doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord
David is the benchmark (1 Samuel 13.14; 1 Ki 15.5)

B. Doing what is evil in the eyes of the Lord
Jeroboam is the benchmark (1 Ki 12.28-31)


2. THE SCALE FROM DOING WHAT IS RIGHT TO DOING WHAT IS EVIL:
where are we and others on the scale? Jesus calls us to be A1!

A. Doing what is right

1. Initiator of radical reform
Hezekiah (2 Ki 18.3-6), Josiah (2 Ki 22.2, 23.25)

2. Initiator of partial reform
Asa (1 Ki 15.11-14)

3. Follower of reform
Jehoshaphat (1 Ki 22.43), Jehoash (2 Ki 12.2-3)

B. Doing what is evil

4. Follower in idolatry and immorality
Jehu (2 Ki 10.28-31), Hoshea (2 Ki 17.2), Amon (2 Ki 21.20-22)

5. Initiator of idolatry and immorality
Rehoboam (1 Ki 14.22-24)

6. Initiator of extreme idolatry and immorality
Ahab (1 Ki 16.30-33), Manasseh (2 Ki 21.2-6, 16)


3. THE POSSIBILITY OF MOVING UP AND DOWN THE SCALE

The disturbing example of Solomon (1 Ki 3.2-3, 1 Ki 11.4-6)


To download all Jesmond Conference '17 talk outlines please click here: [ Ссылка ]

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The Jesmond Conference '17 discusses the need for new reformation in our Nation and Church in this, the 500th anniversary year, since the start of the Reformation. To read the Conference Statement and Resolutions please click here: [ Ссылка ]

The Jesmond Conference runs annually to engage with public issues from a Christian perspective. David Holloway has been Vicar of Jesmond Parish Church since 1973, a large Anglican Church in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK with 2 sites, a staff team of over 30 and a congregation of over 1,000. He is often asked to speak on public issues on local and national radio, is a council member of Reform and is the author of several books including, 'The Church of England, Where Is it Going?'

Click here to read a summary on what has been done since the Jesmond Conference '16, which had a focus on education: [ Ссылка ]

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