Well its Saturday again, and Sunday approaches fast.
Speak at Hampden View in the morning, looking at part 3 of our series on Psalm 67
"Let the nations be glad". We've looked at Solomon & Jesus, so tomorrow our focus is Heaven.

Our possible house move is as stressful as ever. We are in the last straight, and surprises keep on popping up. I am sure God has all things in hand. It will be just so great to be living in the local area of our church and kids school.

Whit Sing 4th June
Next Sunday afternoon, I'm speaking at a local Whit Sing (Inter-Church Gathering). They used to be quite an event in Sheffield's past, this picture take in the late 18 hundreds at Norfolk park. We now meet in a local church.

Being rudely woken after midnight is not a good experience, but last night was the exception. Our four year old daughter was having a nightmare. She was very distressed and sobbing, and saying "It's not a dream, it's real!"

She could only say two other things "I don't want to go to another church, I want to stay at our Church!" over and over again. She had dreampt that mummy had told her we were moving churches. Which we are not.

In the morning I asked her what she liked about our church. She didn't mention the singing, stories, crafts, prayers or building. She just rattled off 4 or 5 names of people of all ages, oh and finally the biscuits!

I wonder what the difference is between "Church Attenders" and "Those Who Are Church". I know one thing it has nothing to do with; its being an 'official church member'. The prayers, teaching, singing and readings help mold us into the church we need to be, but they in themselves are not the church. It's us the people, sharing the grace we have received, with each other and beyond.

This is taken from Jesus prayer for all believers
John 17:26 .........in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
Jesus desire and prayer is that we have in us the LOVE that God had for Him! Wow, that is some quality of love, and only obtainable through grace received from God.

"Make people happier says Cameron"... is the heading of this BBC news item (Linked Below)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5003314.stm
At a Google conference ...he will outline the need to make people happier as well as wealthier..... Under a Conservative government, he will also say, the British public sector will become "the world leader in progressive employment practice".

He will say that the old Protestant work ethic should move to a "modern vision of ethical work"

I agree with him to a point, but when he says "the old Protestant work ethic", you have to wonder what he's talking about? Because its the politicians who took the Sabbath out of the work ethic!

When God created the world at the end of each day He said "it is good" & at the end of the sixth day He declared "it is VERY GOOD" and then came the SABBATH!

The one day a week of rest discipline is good, but the Sabbath is far more than that.

Real rest comes only when we have done all our work and our boss can say "it is very good!"

Jesus is the Sabbath! You may think your boss or the media or a client are the toughest people to please - well you have not considered God as your judge!

In Jesus - God looks at all of your life and declares "IT IS VERY GOOD" - You can really REST and know true peace! Who do you need to prove yourself too, when you have the full approval of Almighty God? Who are you working 24/7 for? Take your rest in Jesus and and know happiness beyond Mr Camerons wildest dreams. But then again he can't legislate for this, God already has.

Roll on the Eternal Sabbath in Christ!

A Grace Strangling Church!

Imagine a church of 15 people, wide range of ages & backgrounds. (I have no church in mind by the way).
A high value of status exists within the group.
The Teenagers respect those with either a flash car and/or like a certain type of music
The women 30+ respect others according to the type of house and how well its kept
The men 30+ respect others according to job and education
The retired respect according to behaviour of children and how smart your turned out!

How eager would you feel about joining them, regardless of whether you are a Christian?
Jesus said "They will know you are my disciples by you love one for another".

I am concerned "church goers"**, allow such values to strangle the grace that has been given to them. Either they place a perceived status on someone else and feel they are unworthy to invite the person with the large house round for a meal at their flat. Or the one with the large house feels they could not enjoy an evening of uneducated conversation at the flat.

When Jesus said "by their love for each other". It was love that comes out of fellowship He was talking about, because He said "...they will know they are My disciples". Fellowship is sharing the Grace we have received from God through Christ, with eachother. Yet we strangle it by our "perceived" statuses of others and ourselves.
Further reading Luke 14:7-24
Luke 14:7-14 "Strangling grace by Presumption" - Pride
Luke 14:15-24 "Rejecting grace by Complacency" - Materialism

** By saying "church goers" - thats all they are, for a church is a community of people who know God personally and each other through Fellowship (see above). God is at the centre. Those discribed above do not know this fellowship, because they strangle the grace they have recived, or they have sadly never recieved it at all.

Prep for Sunday 21st May 06
I am looking to post each week what I am planning for in the coming week, and maybe report back later on what I have learnt.

10:45am @ Hampden View (where I am Pastor)
Speaking on Psalm 67 (2nd of 4 part series) Last Sunday we looked at Solomon's fulfillment of the Psalm (Let the nations be glad!), on Sunday we will look at Jesus fulfillment.
Task for the congregation - The Gospel writers make a point of highlighting Jesus encounters with none Jewish people; like the Ten Lepers Jesus healed, Luke points out the only one who returned to thank Him was "a Gentile". See how many others you can find? And maybe one's I don't mention on Sunday.

6:15pm @ Oughtibridge (Part of Sheffield Circuit)
Speaking on Luke 14:1-24 (Look out for a posting on this later in the week).
But the Subject is "Suppressing the effect of Grace" - Non-Proactive, Presumptuous & Complacent.
Oughtibridge church have a great heart for the Bible, Gospel and Outreach. Looking forward to being with them again.

Introduction. -
WRU
The WRU (Wesleyan Reform Union) is a UK Denomination of over 100 small evangelical churches.

DOC
From July 2006 I will start work as the DOC (Development and Outreach Consultant). Looking to support the churches in the union to be proactive in their local community's for Christ. To demonstrate practically through the life of their local churches, Jesus Unconditional, Unmerited, Unlimited Love to mankind, and explain clearly how this same Love can be received from God through His Son Jesus Christ.

This blog seeks to report on what I am doing and learning on this exciting journey.