Dear Friends, The excitement of Christmas is near. The build up and preparations is a busy part of the year. It becomes so busy that we forget why we are celebrating this time of the year. But let us pause, at the two simple words seen in John 1.11, “He came.” These two simple words are at the root of all truth. Before Christ came in the incarnation, there had been only the eternal past. Then, from the time of creation, we have hints such as, “In the beginning He was God,” and “In Him was light,” and “all things were made by Him.”Now it says, “He came.” All the mercy, love and grace, God is capable of showing is seen in those two simple words, “He Came.” That’s why we celebrate Christmas, it’s as special this year as it always has been, because 2022 years ago, He came as fully God, fully man, to, “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1.21). Because He is the true light, man’s long night of darkness is dispelled, we celebrate with Milton the delight that, “This is the happy morn wherein the son of heaven’s eternal King, of wedded maid and virgin other born, our great redemption from above did bring.” I hope you will all have a blessed and happy Christmas, as we celebrate our Saviour’s coming. Yours in Christ, Pastor
0 Comments
Why do we have a prayer meeting? Why is it important that we go? From an older 'In Touch' magazine, Geoff Gobbett discusses why we should attend the prayer meetings. What makes the prayer meeting missable? Why is it low on the order of priorities? Why does it seem to some it not that urgent, not that important? To what extent is there the connection between Spiritual blessing and prayer? This is to me personally a very important issue and to all engaged in the Lord's work. 1) Prayer comes before spiritual blessing. Prayer is seeking God. It is enquiring of the Lord. Trace through the history of the Bible and the history of the Church, and see if you can discern any spiritual blessing that has come which was unheralded by prayer. 2) Prayer is the representative of spiritual blessing. When a king or queen is due to appear, there is often a fanfare of trumpets. When the new Parliament is opened, before the Queen comes, the trumpets herald her arrival. Thus before the Lord comes in blessing, prayer is the herald, the representative of blessing. What a mercy of the Lord to say here in Ezekiel 36 "I will yet for this be enquired of by the House of Israel, to "do it for them; I will increase them with men"". 3) Prayer is an expression of spiritual blessing. We cannot but feel that if God has given a heart to pray, then he has blessings to give generously. There is a very strong connection. We pray. God hears and blesses. How come? He has ordered it to be so. He delights to hear prayer. And he measures out his blessings so that we come again and again and ask him. When we are burdened beyond our ability to cope, and we follow the injunction of 1 Peter 5 v 7, God answers even in the midst of our praying. Prayer is neglected because we have no sense of need. That is natural to us to not feel any need of the Lord. A sense of need is a divine gift. No pastor, no preacher can nag his church into this. It cannot be done. I’ve tried as a pastor and failed in this respect. I think this is where we are lacking. We need to plead for this. Imagine this – if we received blessings without prayer what would happen? Three things; i) we believe that those blessings were common things, and that somehow we deserved them. ii) We would take them for granted. iii) God would not be sought earnestly. 4) Prayer is God's will to grant spiritual blessing. We need not ask if we are doing what the Lord wants us to do, in seeking him. The time is never wasted as we come to prayer. Can churches make greater use of the time afforded? It should be lively! We need to ask ourselves some questions at this point. Do I discern those areas of special need of prayer? Why is it that some prayer meetings can be 'heaven on earth' and others simply drag? Do cold hearts help or hinder? What can I do to realise the purposes of God for me in terms of prayer? Have I made it an idol? This needs some honest reflections and self examination at this point. If the Lord does not give to us a spirit of prayer, we are in dire straights. Remember it does not come through nagging, but Him giving. ~ Geoff Gobbett Dear Friends, The death of the late Queen has brought a great deal of sadness for all of us. After a reign of 70 years, it is right that there is honour and respect given to her. She was faithful to the vows she made, when she said at the age of 21, “I declare before you now, that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.” In a day and age where vows are often broken, she fulfilled that vow to the end of her life. There are those who differ on her Christian faith, some argue that she gave Royal assent to many ungodly laws and was the Supreme governor of the Church of England, during the time of moral and doctrinal compromise. We could argue that this was a position where it was impossible for her to refuse. Others will point out her unwavering commitment and her many references to her personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Her Christmas messages always referred to that, especially in 2011 when she said, “God sent into the world, a unique person, neither a philosopher nor general, important though they are, but a Saviour, with the power to forgive.” Certainly, her passing has made us all aware, that death is a respecter of no one, and everyone will eventually pass away whether Kings or Queens, or poor men. This is a prompt for us as Christians, to remind others that there is judgement to come and a Judge to face, and that there is a Heaven and a Hell. Although we cannot see beyond the veil, we can prepare for it now. Secondly, this is a time to pray “for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2. 2-4) In this time of great change, may we continue to make Paul’s prayer, our prayer. Yours in Christ, Pastor Dear Friends, We live in a world where things seem to go against us. The law of the land make rules that are so contrary to God's word. This makes our tasks as Christians very difficult. Decisions are made in our secular workplaces which seems designed to oppose our testimony. Then there are things in our personal lives which seem to go against us. Let's never forget that we are engaged in spiritual warfare, where Satan will oppose us from every angle. Let's also never forget that we have the scriptures to turn to, and remind ourselves of the great statement made by the Apostle Paul when he says in Romans 8.31 "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Here is a wonderful truth, who can hope to possibly succeed against the creator and maker of the universe? Who can, with success, oppose those for whom God is engaged? As Martin Luther said, "Of whom shall I be afraid? One with God is a majority." Here is the assurance that we have; God is for us. He has demonstrated that for us in the saving works of Christ. If he has saved us, why would he go against us? He has demonstrated this by his electing power and love. He is working all things together for good. Everything in the universe is being put together and manipulated by God to accomplish good for his people. Nothing shall work against God's people. He has demonstrated this by all his provisions for us. When there has been times in our lives, that we may have been despairing, God intervenes in the very last minute and he has provided. As a Church, we may have times when things seem to go against us, but we take heart, that God is for us. May we all be encouraged by that, Yours in Christ, Pastor Dear Friends, As the holiday season approaches and many of us prepare for our holidays, I trust and hope that you all will have a refreshing and resful time. Please let me or one of the elders know if you're going away, so that we can pray for you and your safe return to us. Don't forget that as much as holidays are good, there's no such thing as a spiritual holiday. Holidays are a good time to relax generally, but also a good time to refersh your spiritual life. So when you're away, don't forget to read your Bible as much as you can. Read some sound Christian books, and take time to have prayer times with your families. When it comes to Sunday, don't neglect Church. Find the nearest Church of like-minded persuasion and attend it. I hope you all have a good, refreshing break. Yours, Pastor Dear Friends, On the 6th February this year, the Queen became the first British Monarch to celebrate a platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. As a result of this, there have been 4 days of celebration, including public events and activities. This is a remarkable achievement. Especially as she has been through an awful lot. She has faced national crisis, threats to the Monarchy, personal trials, as well as family problems. On top of that, problems with the media, people who oppose her, and yet she has always been dedicated to her role, taking her vows with a great deal of seriousness. She has always remained dignified and true to her role as Queen. I personally thank God for her because she has taken her responsibility to the highest level. Whether you hold that view or not, we as Christians have a responsibility to her. The Bible makes it very clear that we are to pray for all our leaders who are in authority over us. 1 Timothy 2. v1-2: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” What do we pray for when we pray for our leaders? Well, first, we pray that all leaders will have their eyes opened, and that they will receive salvation. This is not just for the good of their souls, or for the glory of God, but it’s then that they will see that it’s righteous ness that exalts a nation. I am told that the Queen is a Christian, whether this is true or not, we should continue to pray for her soul. Secondly, when we pray for our leaders, think of the burdens they must go through. Some may argue that they are privileged people. And while this maybe, they still must go through burdens. Thirdly, pray for their protection, that God will guide them and help them to see, that their role is to uphold and maintain justice, that we may continue to live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. God save the Queen. Yours in Christ, Pastor |
|