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A PRAYER BASED ON LUKE 23:26-43

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A prayer based on Luke 23:26-43.

Our God,
We want to acknowledge before you the truth about who we are.
We are sinners.
We are guilty before You.
We have done what is wrong in your sight in so many ways.
We have failed to love You with all our hearts and love our neighbours as ourselves.
We have broken Your laws, ignored Your commands, and fallen short of Your glory.
We have no excuses, nothing we can say to justify our thoughts, words, and deeds.
Our mouths are shut before You.
And we recognise that Your judgment is what we deserve.
It is right that we weep for ourselves.
For the day is coming when You will unleash Your wrath upon the world.

Yet astonishingly we can have hope.
Hope of paradise.
Hope of being back in the garden, like Eden, only better.
Hope of a future in unspoilt beauty, an existence free of sin and death, and rest from all life’s problems.
Hope of being with You.
And this hope isn’t wishful thinking.
It is assured.
It is guaranteed.
It is definite.
Because it has been promised by Your Son whose words are trustworthy and true.

Lord, we marvel at how this can be.
We are amazed by the mercy You are willing to show to us.
That we can have so much joy, not just in the future, but even now in this life, if our faith in Jesus Christ.
We thank You that He was the Messiah.
The Chosen One.
The King of the Jews.
The Saviour.
We thank You that He stubbornly refused to save Himself when He was dying on the cross, because He was dying to save others.
To save sinners like us.
We thank You that He took upon Himself all our sin, and that He went through all the pain and agony and mocking and sneering and punishment that we deserve, so that we never have to.
So, that He can give us what we don’t deserve.
Paradise not punish.

How wonderful it is to know that Jesus will remember us at the end of our lives on this earth or when He comes again.
And that He will welcome us into His kingdom.
Holy Spirit, strengthen our faith and hope in our Saviour each day.
Help us to grasp further the love of Christ who would do all this for us.
And to live our lives in such a way that show that this is our future.

Amen.

(Photo: Freely)

16 TAKEAWAYS FROM WOMEN’S MINISTRY IN LOCKDOWN AND BEYOND WEBINAR

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Notes from FIEC Leadership in Lockdown webinar on Women’s Ministry in Lockdown and Beyond with Rachel Sloan, Elinor Magowan, Gabby Samuel, and John Stevens.

1. How do we keep persevering?  We persevere to final victory by looking forwards and by looking back.  We need to remind ourselves that Christ has won the final victory and is praying for us.  We need to remember to cry out to God for help; to come to the Lord Jesus and ask Him to intercede on our behalf.  But it is also important to remember how God has helped us ‘thus far’; the way He has sustained our ministry.

2. Do you get together as a church to remember how God has helped you?

3. Update on Places of Worship with regards to the law on gatherings.
– Indoor gatherings: Tier 1 – max 6 people in a group; Tier 2 and 3 – household groups only.
– Outdoor gatherings: Tier 1 and 2 – max 6 people in a group; Tier 3 – household groups only.
– Social distancing is required – 2m (or 1m with mitigations).
– These rules about gatherings are not guidance but law.  It is against the law to mix (swap groups) and mingle (interact between groups).
– Various levels of fines in relation to mixing and mingling.
– If you travel to a lower tier you still have to keep the law on gathering that applies where you live.
– Avoid travel to or overnight stays in Tier 3 areas other than where necessary, such as for work, education, youth services, to receive medical treatment or caring for individuals.

4. Update on Places of Worship with regards to the guidance on singing
– Singing indoors: Congregations should not participate in any activity that can create aerosols including singing, shouting and chanting.  Choirs can perform indoors but must comply with law on gathering in groups appropriate to the relevant tier (Rule of 6 in tier 1, household groups in tier 2&3 and should observe social distancing (2m).  Ensure gap at least 2m between performers and first row of worshippers.
– Singing Outdoors: Choir can perform outdoors but must comply with law on gathering in groups appropriate to relevant tier and should observe social distancing 2m.  Congregation can sing but should preferably be seated and 2m social distancing maintained at all times. Leaders must undertake risk assessment that considers security and should manage arrival and departure so social distancing can be maintained.
– For public open space events liaise with person responsible for the space, and if a large event, speak to the local authority.
– Position on singing is guidance not law.  But gathering organiser has to carry out risk assessment, to take all reasonable measures to limit risk of transmission including taking into account the guidances given by government.  This will mean that it is difficult to set aside guidance and choose to sing.

5. Implications of law and guidance on gatherings for Churches.
– They can open for public worship.
– They can use their buildings for study groups/prayer groups provided people remain in appropriate groups for Tier and no interactions between groups (i.e. no discussion and prayer across groups).
– Support groups up to 15; Weddings up to 15; and Funerals up to 30.
– You can organise parent and child groups up to 15 (with children under 5 not included in the limit)
– Venue managers should ensure social distancing maintained.

6. Implications of guidance on singing for Church Leaders.
– You will likely commit an offence if you organise a gathering which ignores guidance (e.g. on singing or social distancing).  You can’t just ignore the guidance on singing and social distancing.
– There may be issues of insurance cover if you fail to meet your duties under the Health and Safety legislation.
– For more information see FIEC winter risk assessment review.

7. What opportunities does the law and guidance on singing allow?
– Carol services with choir – ‘carol concert’ events.
– Outdoor carol services (following law/guidance).
– Door to door carol singing in group of 6 maintaining social distancing.
– Street and community carol singing.
– Hybrid service – some congregational singing outside and part service inside.
– Remember many people still won’t come to church and advised not to come to church.  It is worth have good quality online services for people who would not/cannot attend physically.

8. Women’s ministry during lockdown looks like what it always has done.  Discipleship, pastoral care and evangelism is at the heart of women’s ministry whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.  These three strands of women’s ministry must have God’s word at the heart of them.

9. God’s Word must be at the centre of women’s ministry because it is God speaking and because it is powerful.  God will accomplish what He purposes through His Word.  God’s Word can call people to life in Christ and train them comprehensively to live like Christ.

10. Discipling women means lovingly nurturing them to love Jesus, follow Jesus, and become more like Jesus.  This happens in the context of the local church through sound Bible teaching through relationships with other Christians.  There are lots of contexts where this can take place from informal sharing, intergenerational 121s, small group Bible studies.

11. Pastoral care is needed because women face difficult circumstances – stress and strain, reeling from past traumas, fears for the future.  Women in our churches need to be equipped to practical care for those who are hurting and broken so that they can walk alongside others and point them to Jesus.

12. Evangelism is urgent because there is a great spiritual crisis facing the majority of our population and the gospel is the only solution.  Some women maybe particularly gifted evangelists, but all need to be encouraged to live in such a way that others will ask the reason for their hope and be equipped to share the gospel with those who ask.

13. Whatever the circumstances, the essential components and vision for women’s ministry remains the same.  During times like these we might have to change the vehicles we use to do our ministry and think more creatively to achieve this God given focus.

14. Women’s ministry needs to be integrated into the whole life of the church; intergenerational (Titus 2); inclusive and accessible by serving the needs of women in different circumstances and stages of life; and individual making such personal attention is paid not just to those with more complex pastoral needs.

15. There is a need to encourage tired women – those who are tired physically, spiritually, or tired because of the restrictions.  There is a need to invest in training women – both in Bible teaching and care giving roles.

16. Three encouragements for those involved in women’s ministry: i) Hold onto the gospel you so regularly hold out to others – God’s pleasure towards you is not based on your output or how many plates you keep spinning, but it grounded in the finished work of Christ; ii) Guard you relationship with your heavenly Father – don’t skim on your devotional time; iii) Tell the truth – be honest with your church leaders about your capacity and don’t let your pride or fear of looking incompetent stop you from speaking to your brothers.

DAILY READ – JOHN 3

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read John 3

John 3

v1-8: To be born again is “to begin a new life” with a new nature, with fresh affections and fresh aims.  It is to be born from above because this new birth “has its origin from heaven and leads to heaven.”  It is to be born of the Spirit as this “change is not brought about by any wisdom or power of our own, but by the power and influence” of the Holy Spirit.  Unless we have been born again we cannot see the kingdom of God.

v9-15: Christ is the only one who can “reveal to us the will of God for our salvation.”  Why?  “Because he is the One who came down from heaven and is in heaven.”  This makes him able, fit and qualified in every way.

v16: “In order to accomplish human redemption and salvation, it pleased God to give his only begotten Son. He not only sent him into the world with full and ample power to negotiate peace between heaven and earth; he also gave him, that is, gave him up to suffer and die for us as the great atoning sacrifice.”  Our duty is to believe in Jesus whom God has given for us and to us.  This will bring the benefits of being saved from the miseries of hell and entitlement to the joys of heaven.

v17-18: The intention of God in sending His Son was that through Him the world might be saved.  “He came into the world with salvation in his mind, with salvation in his hand.”  Jesus has opened up the way of salvation, “so that whoever wanted to could enter through it.”

v19-21: “God sent One to save us who was dearest to himself, and will he not be dearest to us? Will we not believe on the name of the One who has a name above every name?”  The reason so many don’t is they love the darkness rather than the light because their deeds are evil.  Jesus the light shows up their sinfulness and destroys “the good opinion they had of themselves.”

v22-30: Even though Christ had taken up John’s work of preaching and baptising, he continued doing these things.  Christ’s labours did not render John’s unnecessary or useless. “We are mistaken if we think that the excelling gifts and graces and the works and usefulness of one person lessen and belittle those of another who has obtained mercy to be faithful, because the Spirit is a free agent, dispensing to every one severally as he will.”  We should not envy those who are more gifted or who have a larger sphere of usefulness, nor should we be discontented if our gifts and usefulness is inferior to others.

v31-36: “An unbeliever is one who does not believe the teaching of Christ and does not submit to the rule of Christ.”  They are guilty of both disbelief and disobedience.

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

SOME RESOURCES FOR READING JOHN

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At Banstead Community Church we’re following a church-wide Bible Reading plan called The Big Read. (You can read about it here).

This month – December – we are reading through John together.

Here are some resources that might help you as you read this book:

Bible Reading Plan: Read a 1 chapter a day or follow this plan and you’ll get through the book in a month.  ESV Scripture Journal: John.

Scripture Listening App: Dwell

Overviews: John Video (Part 1); John Video (Part 2); The Big Read – Jesus in John; Kids Talk

Bible Reading Notes: Family Worship Bible Guide; Explore App; John: Never Thirst Again

Commentaries: The New Matthew Henry Commentary; Exalting Jesus in John; John 1-12 For You; John 13-21 For You; Read Mark Learn: John

(Photo: Freely)

THE BIG READ READING PLAN FOR JOHN

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At Banstead Community Church we’re following a church-wide Bible Reading plan called The Big Read. (You can read about it here).

This month – December – we are reading John’s Gospel together.

Here is a reading plan of weekly/daily readings for this book which gives you the option of reading in one sitting or over the course of the week.  Daily Read notes will be found HERE.

Weekly Read 1 – John 1-5

Daily Reads
Mon: John 1
Tues: John 2
Wed: John 3
Thurs: John 4
Fri: John 5

Weekly Read 2 – John 6-10

Daily Reads
Mon: John 6
Tues: John 7
Wed: John 8
Thurs: John 9
Fri: John 10

Weekly Read 3 – John 11-15

Daily Reads
Mon: John 11
Tues: John 12
Wed: John 13
Thurs: John 14
Fri: John 15

Weekly Read 4 – John 16-21

Daily Reads
Mon: John 16
Tues: John 17
Wed: John 18
Thurs: John 19
Fri: John 20-21

(Photo: Freely)

DAILY READ – JOHN 2

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read John 2

John 2

v1-11: When we discover that our friends have a particular need, the first thing we should do for them is appeal to Christ in prayer.  “When we speak to Christ, we must not tell him what to do, but humbly spread out our case before him and then leave the matter to him to do as he pleases.”

v12-17: The prophet Malachi prophesied that after the Lord has sent his messenger, the Lord will suddenly come to his temple.  Now that John the Baptist, the messenger, had come, it was now to be expected that “this was the time when, and the temple was the place where, the Messiah was to be expected.”  Yet here no one comes to the Lord except a small group of people.

v18-22: The sign that Jesus gave them to prove He was the Messiah, was His own death and resurrection, which He chose to express by the image of destroying and rebuilding the temple.  Why did He chose this image?  First, “to justify himself in cleansing the temple, which they had defiled; it was as if he had said, “You who defile one temple will destroy another, and I will prove my authority to cleanse what you have defiled by raising what you will destroy.” The defiling of the temple is its destruction, and its reformation its resurrection.”  But also “Because the death of Christ was truly the destruction of the Jewish temple—the main cause of that destruction—and his resurrection was the raising of another temple, the Gospel church.”

v23-25: Christ did not commit himself to those who believed in Him here in Jerusalem because He knew them.  He knew that some were false and wickedness, while others were weak.  This was because He knew all men, “not only their names and faces, as it is possible for us to know many people, but also their nature, characters, attitudes, and intentions, as we do not know any person, scarcely ourselves.” Not only that, He knew all men, “because his powerful hand made them all, and his piercing eye sees them all—looks into them. He knows his subtle enemies and all their secret plans, his false friends and their true characters, what they are really like, whatever they claim to be.”  Christ’s omniscience means that He knows who are truly His.

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

SERMON: JOHN 1:1-5

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Sermon I preached on John 1:1-5 at Banstead Community Church on 29th November 2020.

Download MP3

1. Jesus brings life to us

2. Jesus brings light to us

More sermons can be found HERE

(Photo: jannoon028)

DAILY READ – JOHN 1

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read John 1

Introduction

John was the last of the four Evangelist to write his Gospel, and he includes what the previous three passed by.  “He gives us more of the mystery of what the other Evangelists gave us only the history of.” 

John 1

v1-5: The two great things that are needed by fallen human beings are spiritual life and spiritual light because they lie under the power of death and darkness.  Jesus has both life and light so is fit to be our Saviour and bring salvation to us.

v6-14: “A Christian is someone who receives Christ and believes on his name.” To believe on His name is to acknowledge and personally accept that He is the Word of God, the King of kings, the Lord our righteousness, the Saviour.  To believe on His name is a gift from God which we receive.

v15-18: Only Jesus, God’s Son, is fit to make God known, because no-one knows the Father as He does.  He “has declared the revelation of God that no one had seen or known at any time, not only what was hidden of God but also what was hidden in God.”

v19-28: John as the voice, called out in the desert, “far away from the noise of the world and the rush of its business.” He called out “to put right the mistakes of human beings about the ways of God” and “to prepare people and make them ready to receive Christ and his Gospel.”  Withdrawing from the hustle and bustle of the world gives us the opportunity to better hear from God about how to get ready for His coming.

v29-36: Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God.  “He is the great sacrifice by which atonement is made for sin, reconciling human beings to God.” He takes away sin, that is, “what is most offensive to the holiness of God and destructive to our happiness.”  He does this for the world, purchasing “forgiveness for all those who repent and believe the Gospel.”  It is our duty to behold the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world, and to hold firmly to Him, not what He came to take away, “because Christ will take away either our sins or us.”

v37-42: “The strongest and most effective arguments that can be made to a sensitive, awakened soul to follow Christ is that he is the only One who takes away sin.”  But it is not enough to follow Christ now and then; we must stay with Him.

v43-51: God can use a variety of ways to bring those He has chosen to Himself.  But whatever means he uses, Christ sought us and found us before we sought him.  “Christ will find all those who are given to him, wherever they are, and none of them will be lost.”

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

DAILY READ – LUKE [COMPLETE]

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A resource for The Big Read are these devotional notes covering the whole of Luke’s Gospel adapted from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Download Daily Read – Luke as a pdf

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

MATTHEW HENRY FOR MINISTERS

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Matthew Henry on Matthew 4:12-25:

“They were differently employed; two of them were fishing, and two of them mending their nets.  Ministers should be always employed, either in teaching or in studying; it is their own fault if they cannot find something to do.  Mending their nets is, in its time, as necessary work as fishing.”

KIDS TALK: FIXING YOUR EYES ON JESUS DURING ADVENT

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This year my series of Advent Kids Talk are going to be linked to the book Fixated by Tim Chester which we are going to be using as a church.  Here’s the first part.

Advent – Fix Your Eyes on Jesus during Advent

Powerpoint Pictures: Picture with lots of things to do with Christmas including a baby hidden away.

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Have a look with me at the following picture.  On this picture are lots of stuff to do with Christmas.  Things we get to enjoy around this time of year.

Have a good look and see how many of the items on the picture you can remember.

[Remove Picture]

Okay, what did you see?

Did you see the presents and the Christmas tree?  Did you see the carol singers and the advent calendar?  Did you spot Father Christmas and you couldn’t have missed the snowman?  What about the turkey, the mince pie, and the Christmas pudding?  Then there was the candles and the lights.

But there was something else in the picture that you might have missed.

It was hidden right down at the bottom.  A baby.

Because Christmas is all about the birth of a baby.

At Christmas we remember the birth of a Saviour.  The good news that Jesus Christ came into the world to save everyone who would trust in Him from their sins.

Now, this picture, I’ll put it up again, represent a danger we face.  And that is being distracted.  Getting wrapped up with all the other stuff to do with Christmas that we forget about Jesus.

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So, what are we to do?

“Let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

We are to get rid of anything that would distract us and stop us remembering Jesus so that we can fix our eyes on Him.

Because fixing our eyes on Jesus is the most important thing we can do this Christmas.

And during our morning services in advent we are going to look at some of the reasons why.

But I hope it won’t just be on Sunday that we will be fixing our eyes on Jesus.

It will be something we do each day.

And to help, you hopefully will have already received your copy of a book of daily advent readings (Families / Adults) to encourage you to turn your eyes towards Jesus.

To fix your eyes on Him.

Every day, not just on Sundays.

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More Advent/Christmas Kids Talks can be found HERE.

(Photo: Hans Kristian Pedersen)