Hither Green Baptist Church

That is the title of a song by Godfrey Birtill, a worship leader our team discovered when they visited the Mission:Worship conference in Eastbourne last November. He didn't just pluck the lyrics for this one out of the air but was inspired by a piece of writing found belonging to a pastor who was subsequently martyred for his faith.

It fits very well with the themes we are studying at the moment and David used it in his sermon in the last service of 2007, The Fellowship of the Unashamed:

I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colourless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I live by faith, lean on his presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labour by Holy Spirit power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colours will be clear.