Doug Harris Man of God.

I first got to know about Doug when he started Reachout Trust in the 80s. I was in my 20s  and had been helping cultists to come to faith (especially Jehovah's Witnesses) for some years since my teens.  Through REACHOUT trust he took up the mantle of interacting and reaching out to those involved in pseudo Christian cults. We kept contact through the years  until 2008 when he asked me to come in to the studios of Revelation TV to be a studio guest on the Talk God programme and later on 'Simply the Truth'. The relationship between us over the last five years became very strong. The on screen banter, camaraderie and humour was not 'put on' it was real. We would take a break and the banter would continue at a local restaurant and then simply carry on as we resumed either 'Live' or recorded later in the day. I was his most regular guest over that time and had been asked to go over to Spain to record a further 6 programmes when he was taken ill in November.

I felt it would be good to put on record some of my recollections   and a few comments about my friend Doug.

Doug could accomplish more before breakfast than most people in a full day
Never once in the five years of work together was he ever 'unprepared' for a programme!
He had many guests on 'Simply the Truth' all of whom he made to feel important. However those who knew him well would know his biblical knowledge was extensive and he probably knew more than most of his guests most of the time  about most of  the subjects in hand.
A sharp wit, dry humour and cheeky smile made him  a likeable and friendly man.
His love of waistcoats was on display for all to see!

The area of ministry he worked in for years meant that when needed he could  sniff out false teaching and confront it readily and quickly. This didn't make him hard or unfriendly but it did make him strong and a seeker of truth and a confronter of error.
He was a kind man  and understood when circumstances made things difficult for people to make the right choices. His kindness in phone ins made him an excellent listener.
He was never afraid of controversy but was not controversial 'just for the sake of it'.
He called me Mister Marmite or the Marmite man, only because  sometimes I didn't give the 'party line' answer. He was broad enough to give me space  provided I always backed up what I said with 'the scriptures'. The sign of a man secure in his relationship with God is when he can respond with Grace when dealing with someone they disagree with.... there was plenty of Grace to spare when you were around Doug.
He never chased profit, wealth or status and both he and Noemi always put the Kingdom first in practical and financial decisions.
He was prepared to do the 'small things' in a local Church as well as the hard work of 1-1s with people exiting abusive cultic situations. His hands were dirty  with Kingdom work. Here was no theoretician, he knew what it was to grapple, to struggle, to work hard to bring truth to light and people into freedom in Christ.
On our programmes they sometimes 'came to life' when we talked about Jesus. We had a few emails saying things like 'I love it when JT and Doug talk about Jesus'. He and I would spark off each other as we said good things, great things about the one we serve. It is true now though that Doug 'knows' more than me, he has seen his face and questions have been answered by the smile of the Master.

Many people will miss Doug. Noemi of course, this lovely lady who partnered Doug in all of their journeyings through life. The children and wider family too,  our thoughts and prayers should be with all of these. The trustees and workers of Reachout trust will miss him, he was the creative energy at its centre. Revelation Tv will miss Doug because they will find it hard even impossible to replace him. He could be impartial in hosting  a Televised debate even when every cell in his body would be screaming to answer the false views of a studio guest. As Director of Operations his calm and godly (but very humorous!)  work efficiency is irreplaceable Those who were established in faith and ministry through his work  like Mike and Ann Thomas will miss him and of course I will miss him. It was he who opened the door for me to teach and answer questions on the channel and in the course of doing this we became close friends, there can be no friendship, no love without the pain of loss when loss comes.

So what should our response be to the passing of Doug Harris. It is appropriate to cry, to grieve for all those close to him but there is  a greater response. Doug served his Lord  faithfully often behind the scenes since his first steps following Jesus.   So should we, there is no greater one to follow. Throughout the successes of Reachout Trust and the wider influence of Revelation Tv he was committed to local Church, so should we be. Doug applied all his God given resources of intelligence  and energy to produce a quality and quantity of material  and a legacy of lives changed that is truly inspirational. Then let us be inspired to do the same with our resources, our time, our lives  our 'sphere' of influence. Doug's sphere of influence grew enormously over the last 5 years through Revelation Tv, ours may be smaller, this is however no excuse for us. Whatever we have, however small let us use it for the King.

For whatever many years are left to me I will be using Doug's material in Africa and many thousands of people will continue to be impacted by the life and work of this remarkable man.

So goodbye for now Doug. As we often talked of these things, I know that you have  experientially come into the truth of these words 'absent from the body present with the Lord'  '...to be with Christ which is better by far'. We look forward to seeing you again as we follow you or on that great day  when we who are alive and remain, in resurrection will not precede you.

'JT' John Tancock




Other people whose lives Doug had touched have written about him. Here is one from Mike and Ann Thomas  http://mikes4tea.blogspot.co.uk/      (17th May)

 

 

Doug Harris - 'a mighty man has fallen'

I will post again later this weekend but I have just heard that my friend Doug Harris passed away last night. Please pray for his wife Noemi and family.

READ and DO!

Church Zero.  by Peyton Jones

 

A review by a 'JT'  a Welshman!!

I saw the package when I arrived home at 4.30 yesterday.  Some calorific sustenance was ingested and by 5pm I was getting started. I am a fast reader and 4 hours later I finished it, I was exhausted. I had laughed out loud on a number of occasions particularly on p92 of the hardcopy version  (go on buy a copy to find out why ). I cried and was deeply moved as Peytons narrative either amplified  my own feelings about an issue or slammed me from a direction I wasn't expecting. Pages  p26  p65 p166 and p176 where comments were made about the lack of engagement with youth  had me very moved as that area has been a feature of my own work over the last 15 years or so.

I come from a Church background where many of the things he addresses  are a normal part of the language particlarly 'Apostles', I can see though how this book could be like a much needed hand grenade that blows up securely held positions to get the defenders out to 'gain ground not just hold it' as he often states.

His use of cultural connection points is prodigious,  Some may be irritated by this but I found it great fun) He man Master of the Universe, She Ra, Lord of the rings, Star wars and above all the Matrix are regularly referenced as are various Rock bands like U2, , he also references Eusebius  the 4th century Church historian, Chaucer  as well as  a range of Scholars and Evangelical luminaries.

Don't be fooled this is no superficial romp around 'being relevant' and 'down with the kids'. To dismiss what he says with some high handed superiority would be foolish in the extreme. He comes across a bit like Keith Green but without the Piano! This book is a prophetic challenge to Evangelicals, it has key reference to the American Church scene (and we soooo need the Church in the States to be strong relevant and Kingdom focussed in the decades to come)  leaders need to read it , believe it AND make the changes , bold, scary changes . He is not a theorist (God deliver us from theorists) he is a multiple Church planter in Wales a much more hostile and secular culture than the States are (at the moment), he is not some ranter from the balcony, he has dirt under his fingernails and bruises that are his  badge of authority to speak into the Church and the Churches.

I don't want to compare but I have to. There are those who speak via books and platform to the Church  in the 'West' like Bell and Mclaren who to varying degrees see the way forward as compromise with culture and in any practical sense try and 'get around the teaching of the Bible', the danger is that these people are really nice guys and are good communicators. Well  lets welcome a relevant communicator  to whom compromise on essentials  would be an incomprehensible  thought and an  impossible course of action.  he sees the way forward as MORE confidence in the gospel, MORE confidence in the Church as authentic community MORE engagement with the needy people around us. He is a man who boldly and clearly says 'culture must bow to scripture' p124 ...... did you hear that people?

Listen to what Church Zero says even if it says 'your Church sucks'  (ch 8 heading)  or asks you to 'show me your Kung Fu' (ch 6 heading). You would be foolish not to.

Its a great book to plunder for some bits of punchy poetry and anecdotes but if that is all you do then you of all people  are truly most miserable (and impoverished) .

Does  this radical book  have any shortcomings?  Yes but they aren't worth mentioning apart from one  its all about p20 and JUNIA!   But that as they say is another story and perhaps another book.

'JT'  John Tancock

JTs blogspot.

Doug Harris ...latest news.

Find below the latest news from Noemi Dougs wife. Since November, Doug has been suffering from Liver Cancer , this man who has been instrumental in influencing and inspiring others to 'Give an answer' and to whom perhaps many hundreds or even thousands of people who were at one time involved in cults owe their spiritual life is now possibly towards the end of his earthly life.

 

Pray for him and his family.

 

He is a great friend of mine.

 

 

 

 Dear praying friends

 

Over the last few days Doug has been getting weaker and weaker and also less mobile. It is a very difficult time for us as a family to see Doug so poorly.

Today Doug told me that his wish is to be with The Lord now. Please pray with us that The Lord will have His perfect way and have mercy on us all and that His will be done. The Lord  knows ...and He is our God whom we trust!

Lord bless you for your continuing support love and prayers

Doug, Noemi and family xxxx

The near future........?

The figures for this months blog  eclipse any previous month at this stage. I have decided to cut down for the rest of May simply to pursue other tasks which may appear in parts on the blog later this year.

I am attending two conferences one on RESTORATION   as part of the Together network with which I am associated and the Unbelievable Apologetics conference in London  on evidence for Jesus. These are on Saturdays but they do eat into time set aside for family and other 'ministry' type things. I also have a demanding work schedule as well which mustn't be neglected.

I have a commitment to produce a set of notes initially for use by Church leaders on the 'Gay revisionist' view and with thoughts, suggestions and other material on integrating LGBT people into Church life, answering questions and caring without compromise.  It is I feel an important thing that I need to get done now asap. There are a lot of  people waiting for the material. I have later in the year a full day to organise on that issue where dialogue with some who may be sympathetic to that view will I think feature as well as some teaching and discussion sessions  will be part of the day. I will say more about this again later in the summer.

I have been invited to attend the New Wine Leaders conference where I will be taking a seminar on Apologetics for the 21st century .I've also been asked by three Church leadership teams to meet with them and dialogue with them about the 'Gay' issue.

September I am in Zambia  teaching at two three day Leadership schools for a network of Churches in Chingola and Kitwe where   a few hundred leaders will gather  but I am also doing  1 day sessions for another network   (probably Lusaka (2) and Kabwe  I will be exhausted on my return.  I have committed to provide some key study resources for them. I have negotiated some amazing deals almost 10% of cost  but am short by about £1500 to do the full package that would benefit them the most. If anyone can help just let me know  ...cheques payable to Tribe trust if not gift aid or Spring Terrace Church if gift aid. Send to 73 Ysgol street Swansea   SA1 8LE.

So besides earning a living, and working in and around Tribe the youthwork I founded   as well as mowing the lawns lol  it will be a busy summer.

For those interested in my Church life, Janet and I joined Spring Terrace Church a small inner city Pentecostal Church towards the end of 2011. I am not one of the elders there but I am used a lot for speaking, leading meetings and I have encouraged TRIBE to attend there. The congregation is growing, there are an increasing number of Tribers attending and some good stable couples have been attracted to join. It is an interesting experience for me as I have to work within the culture of the AOG.  Its been good.

I continue to be stretched in my Biblical studies and discussions. There has been much involvement on a few websites where much discussion about Christological issues are taking place with two professional Theologians. These are important engagements and your prayers for mental ability and grace in communication are needed.


 

The Gospel. Communicating it effectively.

Communicating the Gospel is a skill, it is a gift, some people seem to be able to do it well, others struggle to find the right words. For me I will sometimes use diagrams or illustrations. The main component and driver for what we say is however....what we believe the Gospel is. If we think the gospel is 'going to heaven when we die' (it isn't) then our words and illustrations will be framed around that belief. An entire play called 'Heavens gates ,Hells flames' is based on this and so is the 'Thief in the Night' film (combined with a seriously faulty end times teaching).
If like most of street level evangelicalism we hold to the view that the gospel is primarily about 'me', 'my' needs, 'my' future  then the primary focus will be on appealing to personal benefits. An example of this is the evangelistic tract called '7 things you need'.
Where 'just believe' is the emphasis then you end up with '4 things God wants you to know' and the majority of evangelistic material currently available. With the appalling closing line of 'give Jesus a try'!
Much material reflects the focus on the death of Christ and not his resurrection (The resurrection of Jesus was the focus in the Gospel communication we have in the Bible...the book of Acts), this can be so bad that just like the first edition of 'Journey into Life' the fact that Jesus came back from the dead is totally omitted. The issue of a penal substitution view of the atonement is not so much about whether it is in the bible but more to do with continual miscommunication of it at all levels ( angry God punishes son so we can avoid judgement). The over emphasis on penal substitution means that the resurrection takes backseat to the crucifixion. Also 'nasty' God is set against lovely Jesus. Its a mess and must be corrected. This 'miscommunication of PS plus its over emphasis seriously distorts the gospel message today. 
I am convinced that we need creative people to work harder to get closer to 'apostolic kerygma' (proclamation) in our Gospel communication.

 To me the key points are (in as non technical language as I can do!!)

God made the world and it was very Good
We by sinning broke it
God set out to fix it totally through Jesus by setting up a new 'kingdom' or rule.
Jesus demonstrated what 'living in the Kingdom' is like
His death and bodily resurrection shows that God is strong enough and committed enough to put everything right.
Jesus will come again  (and we with him after our resurrection) and create perfect justice and right the wrongs.

So now we need to repent, believe, be baptised and receive the Holy Spirit and join HIS story and be part of HIS community (The Church).

The Gospel is 'Jesus is Lord  and he has been raised from the dead'. The Gospel is Jesus focused not us focused. Its message is global/cosmic/  not primarily 'personal'. The resurrection of Jesus shows God CAN put everything right and that Jesus is the one entrusted with this task. The fact that Jesus is Lord shows us the cosmic breadth of the message (he is not JUST 'my' Lord) he is Lord of all. It also shows us that to believe is then to live a life, a new life, it is to 'live in the Kingdom'.  Our 'hope' then is not to see Jesus at death but through Resurrection  to be part of the 'restoration of all things', The Kingdom of God, 'the regeneration of everything' (all biblical phrases go looking, Acts 3, Mthw 19 and Acts 28).

People who know me , know that all of this is a big part of my understanding and communication.  I have been encouraged by a number of creative ways of Gospel communication recently. They don't tick all the boxes but they are superior to much that is 'out there'. I have attached a link to one of them.... do enjoy. There are others and as I come across them I will put them on this blog.

http://vimeo.com/48734715

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly......

I remember learning almost by accident the whole of Colossians chapter 3. I used the passage a lot and the newly released NIV was very memorable. I had memorised  just 'verses' before that and had  found many of the verses  stuck in my head. I remember learning a verse a chapter from James when I was 14 but discovered there were too many good verses so I memorised more. I have since then  memorised some verses from other transations including my beloved NCV but there is no doubt in my mind that the easiest version to memorise is the NIV. It's also the easiest to sing but that's another story for another day.

If I could rerun the years I would have memorised chunks of scripture more, I really would, I'm not posturing or trying to look good, there is something remarkably powerful in knowing the words of an entire section of scripture.

Anyway, this guy memorised the whole of one of my most favourite chapters ....Romans chapter 8. He did it in the NIV (trust me I know) and he 'reads' it to the accompaniment of the sounds of the sea.

Inspirational, enjoy and be challenged to memorise more scripture as well as to worship God.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6Lluay3_1Y&feature=player_embedded