Despite the attractions of the England v Greece match on BBC 1 the COGIC Centre was, once again, full on Wednesday 6^th June as J John gave fresh insight on the commandment "Honour your father and your mother".

It was a treat to hear singers from COGIC at the beginning of the evening, and then, following a video entitled ‘Absolutely terrible!’, J John introduced Ben. Ben described how, in his teenage years he had become involved in thieving, drug taking and violence. His relationship with his parents had dissolved completely as they struggled to understand and discipline him. Thankfully, due to partly to Ben’s ‘church’ background, the support of Christian friends and the prayers of his family, he encountered God and began a journey of transformation. Ben is now a youth minister in Islington and his relationship with his family has been restored. J John then introduced his father – Nick Bell, Vicar of St Mary’s, Luton and Chair of the Just Ten Task Force! Nick described what family life had been like – and how things are now – Ben recently asked his father to preach at his wedding!

This was a powerful demonstration of how God can turn a person’s life around and restore relationships between parents and children. J John went on to describe how the family unit was fundamental to all other relationships and the building block of society. With this in mind, he went on to give some pointers on how to keep the 4^th commandment

Honour your parents

• by accepting them – despite their imperfections!
• by appreciating them – this requires effort and humility!
• by affirming them – value them while they are alive – it’s too late at the funeral!
• by not abandoning them in their old age

And to parents, who need to ‘earn’ the right to be honoured, he gave this advice – "Treat your children as God treats you."

• Listen to your children
• Understand them - a ‘normal’ adolescent is not a ‘normal’ adolescent if they act normally!
• Value your children rather than evaluate them
• Keep your promises
• Express your love through affection, attention and affirmation
• Discipline them – it shows that you care and provides a structure of safety until they have developed their own.

Week 7

"Get a move on!", "The rush hour", "Hurry up!", "Where does the time go?", "No rest for the wicked!". These are all familiar phrases with which everyday life is peppered – but does it have to be like this? On Wednesday 13^th June J John showed a full house at the COGIC Centre how to find some peace and rest in today’s hectic lifestyle. Speaking on the 4^th commandment, ‘Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy’, he showed how this is relevant now, and how and why we should do as it says.

He introduced Gary Grant, Chairman of the British Association of Toy Retailers and Managing Director of ‘The Entertainer’ chain of toyshops. In 1994 Gary was challenged by this commandment when, after becoming a Christian in 1991 and changing his business practices to bring them in line with his faith, the Sunday Trading law was passed. With all other retailers around him planning to open on Sundays, he knew that God was asking him to stay shut. Although there have been some difficulties, including large shopping centres refusing him leases on new sites because he wouldn’t open on Sundays, he now has 22 shops and 5 or 6 new ones due to open this year. With other toy retailers who traded on Sundays going out of business (Beatties) and others closing down, Gary’s business has gone from strength to strength – taking more money in 6 days than others take in 7. He has found that God honours those who honour Him!

With workaholism a serious disorder nowadays J John asked those present to take this commandment seriously. God gave it to protect people from burnout – "If we do not come apart and rest we will come apart!" Even those who have to work on a Sunday should organise their lives to ensure that they have one day to rest – and to keep the day ‘holy’. He went on to describe how -

• by resting the body – a day of ‘physical non-productivity’
• by recharging the emotions – seeking quietness, enjoying nature and spending time with family and friends
• by being spiritually renewed – spending time enjoying God; worshipping him with others; giving God the 1^st part of the 1^st day as a reminder that He is the 1^st!

It was another full house at the COGIC Centre on Wednesday 20^th June, and those present were again treated to singers from COGIC (now re-named the ‘Bishop Alvin Band’ by J John!), before hearing about how the third commandment "Do not misuse the name of the Lord God" is relevant today.

J John began by giving names which conjure up powerful images – Mother Teresa, Calvin Kline, Reebok, Hitler – to show how names, and reputations associated with those names, are important. He went on to describe how the name of God (Yahweh) was so holy to the Israelites that, once it had been written, the quill was thrown away. Yahweh means ‘I am who I am’ and represents God’s eternal characteristics. Misuse of His name was considered to be so serious that it invoked the death penalty.

Nowadays, football hooligans are despised by the clubs they purport to represent, and are said to have brought the name of the club into disrepute, but the names of God – Lord, Jesus, Christ and other derivatives – are regularly (mis)used casually in everyday speech.

J John went on to give examples of how God’s name(s) is misused:

• by using it to insult (surprisingly the Concise Oxford Dictionary lists ‘Jesus’ as a swear word before describing the word as ‘the founder of the Christian religion’!);
• by treating God as a ‘superstition’ or ‘tradition’ and in some way expecting to please Him (perhaps by making promises in baptism when there is no intention of keeping them, going to church once a year to do the ‘right thing’ or taking Holy Communion without being in a right relationship with God);
• by using God’s name to intimidate or bring credibility to human ideas – God does speak today but care is needed not to use His name as a threat.

He then described ways in which can take God seriously

• by being selective in what we say – slang is usually a substitute for stronger swear words or blasphemy;
• by ensuring there is no gap between belief and actions – those who call themselves Christians but do not follow Jesus are bringing dishonour to His name.

How to know the real God

 What do people worship? That was the question put to those attending the last but one evening in the series when J John explored the meaning of the 2^nd commandment – "You shall not make for yourself an idol …" From the video shown it was clear that money, career, football, power and fame – and self - are often the most important things in people’s lives, and while there is nothing wrong with any of these in themselves, when they push God into second place they become objects of worship – idols.

He went on to describe how some people attribute power to objects (lucky charms) and habits (superstitions) which can then rule lives, leading to fear and obsessions. And the Bible says that dabbling with horoscopes, clairvoyance, spiritualism, mediums – all these are dangerous, and are detestable to God because they deny His power and His place in the heart of man.

J John showed the image of the ‘real’ God can never be shaped or painted into a ‘thing’ but is perfectly demonstrated in the person and character of Jesus Christ. While idols deceive, disappoint, and devastate lives, demanding more and more and eventually controlling lives, Jesus brings freedom, fulfilment, friendship, forgiveness and hope for the future.

The good news for anyone who has been involved in any of these things is that they can be cleansed – Jesus takes all the sins of those who are repentant on himself and sets them free – nothing else can do this!

J John invited anyone who had been involved in the occult, witchcraft, channelling, voodoo, spiritualism, séances, ouija, tarot or other practices which God forbids to call out to Jesus to be set free. And for those who have occult books, statues of Buddha, elephant gods or other idols – he invited them to come next week and place these things in the amnesty bins to be disposed of.

And for everyone there it was an opportunity to examine lives and ensure that Jesus is Number One!

How to live by priorities

J John, and the worship leader, Dave Edwards, looked very fetching in their new T-shirts with a picture of the ‘Bishop Alvin Band’ splashed across the front – a present from Just Ten in Luton as the series reached its climax looking at the first commandment, "I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other God’s before me."

Nick Bell interviewed Stephen Martin who, 12 years ago, had been involved in drugs and drug dealing, guns, violence, sexual perversion and immorality. Stephen described himself as being in the gutter until he allowed the Lord God to take control of his life and begin to restore him. Today he has his own home, has a responsible job, friends and a growing reputation as a man of integrity – a transformation brought about because he made Jesus his number one priority!

J John showed a packed house how the Almighty God, creator of the universe, architect of our lives and our heavenly Father cannot be ‘Lord at all’ unless he is ‘Lord of all’. And using the illustration of a car, J John challenged those present to think about where Jesus was sitting in the car of their life.

• Not in the car at all?
• In the boot – a bit embarrassing so should be kept out of sight except on Sundays?
• In the back seat – he’s there, but taking not much part in proceedings?
• In the passenger seat – perhaps giving some helpful advice?
• In the driving seat – but with a ‘back seat driver’ demanding that he go the other way?
• Or in the driving seat and in control of the car?

J John described how, in order to keep the first commandment, it was necessary for all the 5 points to be fulfilled. God asks that His children love Him with all their heart all their mind and all their soul. On this final evening with J John, he asked people to respond by inviting Jesus to come into the driving seat of their lives - to put him first and be transformed.

Over the ten weeks of Just Ten, many have ‘Found heaven in Luton’ and there will be a celebration of what God has done in the town on
‘Week 11 on the 11^th July’, 7 30 p.m. at the COGIC Centre.