Coming Soon…
The summer holidays are really not that far away now!
Book in to our 3 fun days during the school holidays, all held at Goldthorpe Railway Embankment and the Salvation Army. We’ll be doing a range of indoor and outdoor crafts, activities and trails, with free lunch and drinks provided. Book in now by contacting Julie on 07729 421405 or emailing julie@gpcchurch.co.uk to help with catering.
We’ll be looking at how to live wisely and well through our words, actions and relationships – you’d be wise to book in now! Come to all 3 days or just book the one(s) you’re around for!
The Church And Society
This week we looked at the controversial and often difficult topic of the church and society. The church is urged to submit to the laws of a country wherever possible (Rom 13), but there are clearly times when the culture and ethics of a society are blatantly against God’s laws, and at that point, our duty is to obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29)
Holy rebellion is seen throughout the Bible: the midwives’ refusal to follow Pharaoh’s edict to kill all Hebrew boys (Ex 1), the refusal of Moses’s mother to kill him at birth, the lies of Rahab which saved the spies’ lives, the disobedience of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in placing God’s laws above the king’s. This kind of holy disobedience can be unpopular and have terrible personal consequences, as many discovered during the Second World War (e.g. Corrie Ten Boom and her sister who shielded Jews from the Nazis.) But as the apostles proved, we follow a God who is clear about our allegiance to Him mattering more than any other allegiance.
In the West, we have often associated society with the church, but the truth is that the church is called to be holy and distinct from the society around us. We are in the world but not of the world. (See John 17). May we have the courage of those first believers to stand for God over and above our fit in society
Tailoring Programme in India
Fredrick and Reeba have sent us details of the Empowerment for women tailoring ministry Graduation which happened in May 2026.
“On the 13th May by the grace of God, the tailoring graduation was a wonderful blessing. All the women were overjoyed and deeply thankful to receive their sewing machines. Many of them were moved to tears as they testified about how God has transformed their lives during these six months of training.
We witnessed the Lord answering many prayers and bringing peace, hope, and positive changes within their homes and families. Especially among several widows who were going through very difficult situations while living with their in-laws, we have seen God working miracles and changing circumstances in beautiful ways.
It was truly encouraging to see the hand of God moving in their lives and surrounding communities.”
We will be sending £600 to support the work of Fredrick and Reeba this month and are so pleased to hear of the success of their hard work.
Not By Might, Nor By Power, But By My Spirit
On Saturday I attended the Barnsley Garden Party in the town centre and marvelled at the strength and creativity of Autin Dance Theatre as they shimmied up scaffolding that was 30 feet high and performed great athletic feats, hanging, swinging, and moving with grace and skill. Their physical strength was impressive, their stamina great as they performed for 45 minutes in scorching temperatures.
I admire physical strength and realise that this is built up through practice, determination and a lot of hard work.
God, however, works in ways that often seem counter-intuitive to what we see in the natural world. We often feel we must work hard, plan hard and organise well in order to know God’s blessing, and there’s nothing wrong with those things. Zechariah said, however, that it’s ‘not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit’ in God’s kingdom. (Zech 4:6)
God moves by His Spirit in ways that seem ridiculous to us – how could a bunch of people speaking foreign languages and appearing drunk be the start of the church!?! (Acts 2) How can the move of God as wind and fire really change the world? Yet Pentecost shows us that when God moves, great things happen, things beyond our wildest dreams, things beyond our planning and programmes. (Eph 3:20)
We need the Holy Spirit to breathe on us, to inspire us, to work through us. Crazy times require crazy people – people filled with the Spirit of God who dare to believe God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine
Hot Air Balloons
Yesterday as we reflected on Pentecost, we saw that God’s people need to be fuelled by the fire of the Holy Spirit and propelled by the wind of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:2-3) In that sense, we are like hot air balloons who, through the design of an envelope and gondola, are propelled by burning liquid propane. The breath of God and the fire of His Spirit are meant to lift us upwards so that we can soar like eagles (Is 40;31), having an eternal and divine perspective which breaks the chains that tie us merely to earth.
Wind is chaotic, however, often bringing debris and disrupting normal life in its wake. We must be prepared for God to bring mess into our lives, to disrupt our routines and plans, to surprise us! That first Pentecost looked bewildering to people – others speaking in foreign languages, people appearing to be drunk. God cannot be fitted into our human-made boxes. He is in control, and when He moves by His Spirit, we must make room for Him!
Fire is fuel. Rom 12:11-12 reminds us that we need to keep our spiritual fervour, not losing zeal as we serve God. Eph 5:18-20 reminds us of the need to be filled and re-filled with the Spirit; we need His burning energy in us to keep us afloat! God wants to fill us so that we soar above (Eph 2:6) and can witness to His goodness and compassion (see Ps 116:1-7). Pentecost is not just about a historical event (though we remember this with gladness.) It is an ongoing experience as we allow God to fill us and break all chains that tie us earth. It’s time to soar like a hot air balloon!
Wisdom
I’m meditating on wise words, wise actions and wise relationships as I prepare for our family fun days this summer and have been spending time pondering what God says about these things. One verse which has been on my heart is Micah 6:8, because this is what God says is good and is what He requires of us:
‘To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ (Micah 6:8)
Acting justly means we do what is right – not simply what is convenient or expedient. It means knowing what is right (just, fair, honourable), and this can only come as we dwell in God’s truth. What seems right to us is often tainted by selfishness or a desire for personal comfort. Acting justly can be extremely uncomfortable and costly.
Loving mercy is a necessary balance to justice, for we can easily become dogmatic, rigid, living by the letter of the law but failing to understand its spirit. Loving mercy guards us against the inflexible rigidity of the Pharisees, giving us an ability to care about individuals. Loving mercy is deeply personal and human (no AI advisor can help in this area!)
Walking humbly is one thing. This verse is up on the foyer wall of Horizon Community College in Barnsley, but the end of the verse (‘wtih your God’) is omitted. Humility on its own is not what God requires. He wants us to walk humbly with Him, so that our actions can be led and guided by Him. Humility acknowledges our lowliness in comparison to His greatness. It is not about self-deprecation, but means having a correct understanding of ourselves in relation to God (see Ps 8.)
This verse gives us so much to ponder and points us to a God-shaped wisdom, which can help us to navigate everyday life.