Office

Tim preached on Ephesians 4 1:16. Each part of the Christian body does its work.

Tim wondered if we’d ever thought about what being grown up looks like, taking the bike stabilisers off, or is the when we leave home, or when you start cooking for yourself.

Paul turns this on its head. He states that God is bringing all things together under Christ his son.

Paul asks us to consider the response we are to make to this. He urges us to live a life worthy of the calling we received.

He points out it comes as God’s gift to us. Paul reminds us it is God who has called us, not as a calling to an occupation but to a life that is possible in God’s grace.

Paul is blown away by us becoming part of God’s plan for the world reconciling all things to himself. The grace of God is in line for all his creation.

It is unsurprising to hear that the worthy life also encompasses the unity of the church. That’s gods plan.

Paul calls us to maintain or guard the unity of the spirit. Tim asked are there times we struggle to maintain that unity, not just in the church but with our other denominations and brothers and sisters in Christ. The unity of the church is all to Paul, as he writes to lots of different churches.

Paul talks about one body, one hope, one lord Jesus ,one faith, one baptism.

Tim highlights the danger for us in falling into the trap that we sometimes think our way is the only way.

Paul says no, all of you, despite your differences, all your differences of understanding, you’re all one all part of the one Church. Never been more important than now to believe in the oneness of the body of Christ.

Paul gets all trinitarian here. We are called to nurture and care for it. Guards outside Buckingham palace are focussed on the job they are given. Even if they don’t appear to be paying much attention they are and they move into action at perceived threats. We need to have the same focus. We need to treat each other with love patience, humility, gentleness.

We are always in a rush, but thankfully God isn’t . He wants that unity and for us to bear with each other. After all it is God that has given us the diversity we have. The new testament is full of Paul writing to lots of different types of churches. There is no one type or model of new testament church. We all need to stop seeing diverse churches as a problem and more as God’s gift.

Those who are different they are a gift, they might teach us something.

What can other churches teach us? Tim shared that he loves going to Catholic Churches , the moments of drama and silence. Tim invited us to imagine going to an African church and they’re dancing and make us look miserable, differences are not a problem they help us to speak truth in love.

Be wary though, this verse has been much misused, beware condescension. God’s calling for the unity of the church and all it’s diversity are all affirmed here.

When we experienced division in the church we probably getting what we deserved, we need to learn to value difference. V13 talks about us still growing in maturity. Thankfully we’re not doing this in our own strength . We need to grow more in Christ as we experience things. It’s God’s gift as we grow together. It’s in all that we do and experience as a church.

Tim closed by quoting Martin Luther “This life, therefore, is not godliness but the process of becoming godly, not health but getting well, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not now what we shall be, but we are on the way. The process is not yet finished, but it is actively going on. This is not the goal, but it is the right road. At present, everything does not gleam and sparkle, but everything is being cleansed.“

Today’s service was led by the Hyde siblings. We were blessed to have Jonny, Jacob and Eleanor all in one place given all of the calls and commitments on their time. Eleanor brought us one the BMS videos and preached around Galatians 4:19.

Paul talks about labouring for Christ . Eleanor shared that the Action team taught her to be flexible and to labour and persevere for Christ. What surprised her and her friends in the Action teams was the return to  the UK rather than the overseas elements. Travelling around and living with strangers and out of suitcases. She pointed out that in the last year she has now lived in 3 countries. Guinea England and Scotland. She gave as a small example the constant adventure of trying explore new kitchen cupboards in every host home on her travels.

She outlined the 3 constants, their team, their shared mission and God.

Their friend Tom taught them the Better in your courts song that we tried today in church. Jesus is our home is a key message in the song. Paul talks about it being really hard to tell people about Jesus, and his suffering is hard but nothing compares to Jesus .

Eleanor had gained a real insight into how tough and challenging it is for BMS families. She now realised how difficult it is to grow up as missionary kids. The annual pack up and tour around the UK is a real challenge.

One constant is that we go where we are called to go wherever he may send us.

A lot of American charities won’t go to North Korea but BMS have sent even more people to take God’s word there.

Eleanor also shared the BMS video Life’s First Cry showing how workers were helping to meet a fundamentally basic need for babies to born safely.  In Afghan BMS workers have brought hope to fearful women.

We have an amazing privelege to share Jesus with people. We are blessed to have a church full of healthy, lively children who come to our safe place and join in our worship. Any of the Afghan parents, having lost all their children in child birth or infancy,  would rejoice with us in the lives of our own young people.

https://www.bmsworldmission.org/lifesfirstcry/

Tim Eleanor Jonny and Amanda led today. Tim brought us the word. He was continuing with the Old Testament highlights. Ruth Chapter 1 is the best story in the bible and yet Andrew Lloyd Weber hasn’t even made a musical of it yet.

This a story about three men who lived in the time of Judges, a time of turmoil. Bethlehem, despite it’s name meaning the town of bread, has no crops,  there was no bread, famine was in the land. Elimelek swaps the promised land for the land of Moab. It’s a big step here. Don’t forget God placed the family in Bethlehem .

Naomi is caught up in this situation made by men. But then her husband dies, but she still has her sons . (Her sons’ names mean sickness and death!). They find two wives, who become best of friends and a support to Naomi in this strange land. Tragedy strikes, both her sons die and there are no men in her life. In that culture they needed a man to survive. As she grows older each avenue of support is taken away, no children or grandchildren to care for here , a stranger in a foreign land. She finds herself cut off lonely and alone. All these things have their modern equivalent.

God brings in news from Bethlehem that there’s now food. She gets news of this and thinks the only option is to return to her own people. She’d heard the Lord had come to the aid of her people but is still blaming him for what happens.

We need to realise that God sometimes narrows down our options and leads us a new way. Three widows and no children set off. Naomi thinks they’d be better off within their own people. But they insist on coming with her, yet she thinks she’s too old and they’d be too old and foreigners in a strange land. She hits the low point and tells them to go home.

But Ruth has seen a different future. She knows Naomi will not be empty for ever. Hesed is the word to remember here. Doing hesed is modelled by God himself. Extraordinary acts of caring and kindness. The story of Ruth and Naomi is full of this. Naomi prays for hesed for others. Ruth knows …. Ruth pledges this kindness and loyalty to Naomi which leaves her speechless.

When they arrive back Ruth follows quietly but Naomi says don’t call me kindness call me bitter. She blames God yet when she arrives in Bethlehem the new barley harvest is in the widows will be provided for. God has not bought Naomi back empty. Ruth is with her. Sometimes words when things are going wrong are not helpful. When the people of God bring hesed compassion kindness and mercy makes a difference. Ruth does not buy in to Naomi s logic. The loneliness and despair, we’ve been there, but this story teaches us our prayers have been heard, often through people around us without us even realising it. Read it in full. Perhaps there are those here today feeling as empty as a house of bread that has run out of bread. God calls us to act as Ruth does, to bless others with kindness. We have been set free because of what God has done for us. Let us go and deliver hesed to those around us.

 

Don’t give the enemy a seat at your table. If we’re not focussed on God, if we don’t focus on him, we’ll be veiled and obscured. The devil wants to take you away from the food and sustenance that is Jesus. Jesus wants us to invite our enemies to his table. He is the good shepherd we started with Psalm 23. We’d shouldn’t be in want Jesus provides everything we need.

We live in an angry world where much is wrong and we are right. That is the time we really need Jesus , we need to focus on the author and perfector of our faith. Not listen to the prowling roaring lion that is the devil as described in 1 peter 5:8.

God  will destroy the shroud that entangled us,the sheet that covers us,   So that we can see clearly the love that Jesus brings. The enemies do not want us to have the joy that Jesus brings. People don’t know about it. God wants to say here I am feast on me I am the bread of life.

He is a god of mercy and grace but also of justice. We need to focus on him. His Invite, The Invite is to all is to eat at the table.

Yvette shared the thought she had been given that this is the second time recently people have been drawn to preach on this so we’re clearly still not getting the message. She believes it is because some of us come around the table but we’re not eating. He wants you to eat it all not just pick at it in a terribly British way!

I’ve not done very well this month. For some reason I’ve not been able to settle down to producing the blogs. I can’t tell you how frustrating that has been for me personally.  I’m going to simply add the notes I’ve taken over the last month as a way of catching up.

Dianne Tidball spent the weekend of 8 July with us.

Dianne delighted to see us working hard and showing God’s grace to people who need it from Filling Station and our wider community. She reaffirmed the message that God has called you and will give you the resources to carry out his work.

Dianne shared her thoughts on 3 John.

She highlighted that this passage was more a postcard than a letter. She believed that there was not single person who wouldn’t like to see god at work more. We make it complicated but Jesus says he’ll give us everything if we just walk in the truth. Influences that tempt us can distract us.

We all like the verse in Isaiah that talks about eagles wings. We’d all that flying feeling, soaring above everything. But some of us are just crawling , life is tough. So today walking in the truth is what it is about. It’s an example for us. Jesus showing what is needed . Jesus is the hero of the kingdom of god. But God has a part for all of us to play. It’s God’s holy gift to all of God’s people. We need to be real though,  lets face it, we’re all rubbish at this life thing.

But we don’t need to be. We can make a difference, whether it’s like Dianne’s friend Sue providing taxi money for someone in need, or the three young men who stepped up when her friend Brian Gilbert had to step away from his role in the church.

We need to remember and realise that the power that raised Jesus from the dead is exactly the same power you have to live for Jesus. That’s a truly awesome thought.  We need God’s grace and wisdom in us all. We need and hope that our eyes may be enlightened. But we need to recognise that we get spiritual cataracts. We see problems and issues that discourage us.

1 Corinthians not a matter of talk but of power. It’s not a power that will give you friends and status. It’s simply and truly God’s grace. We’re called to do something tough. We’re called to walk in the truth without compromise.

Dianne finished by concluding with an offer to stand with as many people who would like to have prayer with her.