Dear Friends,

Two great words frequently used in the Christian vocabulary are "grace" and "mercy". Very often Paul would begin his letters this way, for example, 1 Tim 1 v 2, "Grace and mercy from God the Father..". These two very wonderful words carry the meaning of our salvation. Is there any difference between the two of them? Yes, there is. 

The word translated "grace" in the NT carries the thought of a gift. When used in connection with salvation it means an undeserved, free gift of God, without  any possibility of ever earning it or of paying it back. This is clearly stated in Ephesians 2 v 8-9.
"Mercy", on the other hand, is the expression of God's pity upon people steeped in the misery of sin. Far from being harsh and hard, God is the God of all mercy. It was because of His mercy that He planned man's salvation. So, at this stage of redemption, mercy preceded grace. 

Now there is no way of determining which act or word is the greater of the two. Rather it is a case of marvelling at these two great meanings in our salvation; of God bestowing His wonderful gift of salvation upon us, because He was moved by our helpless inability to receive salvation by our own means. As Paul puts it in Titus 3v5, we are saved according to the mercy of God, and justified by the grace of God.

As Christians, let us continue to marvel at the meaning of these two words, that our God is a God of grace and a God of mercy.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Tim 

Dear Friends,

We have many promises in the Bible that give to us that blessing of assurance. The believer’s assurance doesn’t depend on outward circumstances nor inward feelings. It depends on the finished work of Christ on the cross. One of the greatest promises of assurance is found in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us who can be against us?”

How right Martin Luther was when he said, “One with God is a majority.” Is there an enemy that can defeat us? No, because God is for us. Think of that for a moment: the God of creation, the God of all power, the God who opened the Red Sea, HE is for us! And the evidence of this is seen because He gave us His Son.

I trust and hope that such promises will encourage us as we remember that God is always for us

Yours in Christ
Pastor Tim

Dear friends,

We have just returned from the North of England visiting my cousins who are now in their 90s. They have been an important part of my life - not least because of their unfailing faith. Josie and Ivor have displayed the closest relationship with Christ that I have ever witnessed.
Now, their age has made them extremely frail and as we said goodbye we were wondering if - for Ivor especially - it might be for the last time. Josie shared with us a hymn which she wanted at her funeral - and quoted it immediately, word for word from her memory:

‘Jesus, the very thought of Thee
with sweetness fills my breast;
but sweeter far Thy face to see,
and in Thy presence rest.’
Bernard of Clairvaux, 1091-1153;
tr. by Edward Caswall, 1814-78 
(162 Christian Hymns)

You may be thinking that this is a little morbid for a church newsletter. But far from it, because they have taken to heart the scripture - 2 Corinthians 5 v6-8:

6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Our faith is going to turn to sight, and death is simply the beginning of that journey into the realm of sight. As Josie spoke to us it was so very clear that she is totally at peace.

Most of us have passages of scripture that are important for us, and I am convinced that the Spirit gives us particular passages throughout our lives to hold on to, to encourage or to bless. My favourite is most definitely the doxology at the end of Jude. Having written some difficult words in his book he ends with:

24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, 25 To God our Saviour, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.

It is a miracle that we will be ‘presented faultless’ - but what excites me is that Jude says ‘with exceeding joy’. If Jude were here in person I would ask him if it is the Lord rejoicing - or is it us. I think he would reply - ‘it's both!’. I think it's His joy to welcome me home, and my greatest joy to arrive safely.

My dear friends, none of us (young or old) knows what the future holds, where the next step is going to lead, where the next curve in the road will take us - but if I know my God as I ought to know him - I can meet every situation with doxology. It ends with that little word - Amen - so be it. I hope and pray that you too can reply - ‘Amen!’
​
Yours in Christ,
Paul

Dear friends,

 My father died in 1990, but I remember him telling me of an encounter that he had shortly after the end of World War 2. He was travelling from the coast (Dover I think) to Gillingham by train and he found himself in a carriage with a dishevelled man who he thought at first was a tramp. He had dirty clothes and a dirty worn overcoat. He struck up a conversation with this ‘tramp’ who turned out to be a Christian Jew. During the German occupation he had lost all his possessions, and then in a concentration camp he lost all his family.
He was eating a stale crust of bread with some cheese. At the end of a brief conversation the man smiled and said in broken English…… “that was hell - this is heaven!”

The fact that this man had lost everything in the most terrible circumstances, but was still able to smile and say he was ‘in heaven’ was a testament to his own faith, and had a profound effect on my father.

Mary Butcher's testimony recently was a powerful encouragement to us all, and I love her for it.
Philippians 4 verse 11 says …..for I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content. (Later in verse 13 Paul goes on to say ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me’.)

We all suffer loss and difficulties in life - some more than most. But it's how we deal with these events that not only mark us out, but can have a profound effect on those around us. This life - with all of its joys - and sorrows, with all of its blessings and troubles, is so very short compared to the eternity we will have with Christ.

 Billy Graham was once asked ‘what is the greatest surprise you have found about life’? He replied “the brevity of it”.
 To grasp this truth places all other matters in perspective.

We have much to be thankful for. Let our prayers reflect this - even in the most difficult times - as well as in the good times.

 Yours in Christ,

Paul

Dear friends,

God wants us to live with Kingdom authority, but there can be no reigning in this life until we confess, “Jesus is Lord”
To proclaim someone as Lord means to recognise that someone or something has power and authority. When we claim to give our lives to Christ we surrender to His Lordship.

The Bible makes it very clear that Christ is Lord of all things. He is the Lord of the heavens, Eph 1:2; He is the Lord of the Church, Eph 1:22; He is the Lord of our lives. This is not something we have naturally discovered, rather it is by the Spirit of God that we are enabled to say, “Jesus is Lord”.
1 Cor 12:3 - ‘No one can say, “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.’ Of course, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the redeeming claim of Christ’s Lordship. He has enabled us to see the resurrection conquest of His Lordship, yet for our part, there must be confession of His Lordship, as Paul says in Romans 14:11, ‘It is written, “As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “every knee will bow before Me and every tongue confess to God.”’
As we confess Jesus as Lord our salvation is confirmed and sealed. Let’s praise God for opening our eyes to see the truth that ‘Jesus is Lord!’

Yours in Christ,
​
Pastor Tim

​Dear friends,

As I prepare our midweek meeting studies in the book of Habbakuk, I find Habbakuk’s frustration at why God does certain things resonates with me! Habbakuk was certainly not questioning the Sovereignty of God, he simply could not understand how a holy God could tolerate evil for such a long time. It’s a question that we all grapple with: why does a holy God allow injustice and evil to remain?

Of course, Habbakuk had to learn that God allows evil to remain to reveal the wickedness of the human heart, but also to show that God even uses wicked people to accomplish His purposes. See how Peter expresses this in Acts 2:23 when addressing the people on the Day of Pentecost, “This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” Here we see how God not only accomplishes His eternal decrees by using wicked men, but is able to triumph in it.

Joseph puts it perfectly in Genesis 50 v 20. He boasted about being Jacob’s favourite son; the brothers took matters into their own hands and what they did was far more evil than Joseph’s bragging. Yet when all was revealed Joseph said to them, “You meant evil, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

This gives us confidence in the sovereign plans of God, and therefore we can conclude with the Apostle Paul, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Yours in Christ
Pastor Tim