J. John, whose unusual name is linked to his Greek family background, lives in Nottingham and is widely respected as one of the country’s leading evangelists. He is currently taking his series of talks, entitled Just 10, on a nationwide tour of cathedral cities, and York Minster is to be his next venue, beginning on 18^th April.

Do not use the Lord’s name in vain

The aim of the series is to “invite people outside the church to consider the Christian message based on the relevance of the 10 Commandments today.” One may wonder whether this is a suitable topic for a mission — surely we should be focusing on Jesus and the fact that we can receive forgiveness for our sins, rather than giving people a list of rules which may put them off Christianity even more? This is true, and of course J. John does clearly explain the Good News about Jesus dying to offer us forgiveness for our sins, and the importance of trusting in him. However, I feel we must not forget that being a Christian should lead to a change in our lifestyle, and it is important to make this clear when we invite people to become a Christian, otherwise they will not be able to keep the commitment they have made. When told that her son had become a Christian, a mother once replied, “Oh, that’s OK, as long as he doesn’t change.” This is a mistaken point of view, because if we allow God to take over our life there is no way we will not change.

Remember the sabbath day. Keep it holy.

In reading the Bible recently I have been struck by the importance God attaches to being holy, that is, living in the right way. The book of Leviticus may not be the most familiar part of the Bible to most of us, but it makes some important points for us to consider. Leviticus 13:47–59 and 14:33–57 explain the Israelites’ laws regarding mildew, and how, if a piece of clothing had mildew on, the infected part was to be torn out to stop the mildew spreading. If it continued to spread, though, the entire piece of cloth had to be burned. Similarly, if the spread of mildew through a house could not be stopped, the whole house was to be pulled down. I believe this is a symbolic representation of how we are to treat sin.

Love your parents

Do not kill

Jesus described the same idea when he said, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off” (Mark 9:43), not intending this to be taken literally, but to show that we should go to drastic lengths if necessary to avoid sinning. In the book of Ephesians, Paul teaches us to “live in the light”, saying, “You were taught to be made new in your hearts, to become a new person. That new person is made to be like God — made to be truly good and holy” (Ephesians 4:23–24). I believe that many of God’s blessings are given in response to us obeying him, and that we will be rewarded for what we do for God, even if the reward is simply a “Well done” from God. This idea would take much more space to discuss in detail, but many Bible passages refer to it, for example the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14–30, and 1 Corinthians 3:10–15.

Do not commit adultery

It is important to be clear, though, that we first of all have to trust in Jesus. Paul says, “God makes people right with himself through their faith in Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:22), and also, “[God] saved us because of his mercy. It was not because of good deeds we did to be right with him” (Titus 3:5). In my view the Bible makes it clear that nothing we do is acceptable to God until we have put our trust in him and asked for forgiveness of our sins. Once we have taken this step, though, God is overjoyed when we obey him and live our lives for him. We are never going to be perfect, and as Christians we are forgiven when we do still get things wrong, but we should at least do our best to be “live in the light”.

Do not steal

So what about the J. John mission? From my experience in Colchester, I can assure you that J. John is an excellent speaker, and I felt he really did fulfil his aim to be relevant in what he was teaching. He is also a superb entertainer and extremely funny. Many of the clever phrases he used have stayed with me, and you have to see his impression of Lazarus coming out of the tomb. Along with this, he is also extremely challenging — you might even say hard-hitting.

Do not bear false witness

The first meeting I went to focused on the command “Do not steal” and was entitled How to prosper with a clear conscience. Afterwards I came home and made a list of areas in my life where I realised I hadn’t quite been honest in dealing with money. And yes, during the mission people did hand in not only stolen (or “borrowed” or “taken the liberty of removing”) items, but also pornography, items with occult links, and all sorts of things that keep us from enjoying our relationship with God. I should not have been surprised or sceptical — when God’s power touches people, we should expect amazing responses.

Do not be jealous

What I encourage you all to do is to get involved! If you are not a Christian and would like to find out more about Christianity, then go along, because the talks are tailor-made for people like you. If you are a Christian, then go along as well, because you’re sure to find the talks challenging and inspiring, and do also invite your non-Christian friends. (The organisers suggest we think of ten people to invite!) As well as this, consider getting involved in praying for the mission, or in helping out in a practical way. Volunteers are needed to act as stewards, and in various other roles — see the website (details below) for details. A carol service held in December as a “taster” event was so well attended that people had to be turned away, and the organisers are now looking for overflow venues, so I am sure the mission will be a great success and will help many people in York and the surrounding area.

Robert Marchant

The Just 10 meetings will take place each Thursday evening from 18^th April to 20^th June 2002 in York Minster. For details on all aspects of the mission visit www.just10inyork.org.uk or phone the Just 10 office on 01904 671079.