We Are The Clay

Jun 29, 2025

This morning we looked at the fact that God is the Potter and we are the clay (see Is 64:8, Jer 18:1-7, 2 Cor 4:7) God is the One who shapes and moulds us to His image, re-forming us when we fail and let Him down, never giving up on us. To be clay seems to be an identity that is far from glamorous, but when we are prepared to be moulded by the Master Potter, we can be useful to Him and prepared to do any good work. (2 Tim 2:21)

One of the chief characteristics of clay is its malleability. Soft clay can be shaped into different things by a skilful potter, which reminds us of the diversity within the church, since we are all called to different services and roles. The opposite of soft clay is hard clay that has dried out and is brittle and unable to be moulded. We need the breath of God to soften us and need to respond to God when He speaks to us, rather than hardening our hearts (see Heb 3:7-11). Jeremiah, sent to the potter’s house by God so that he could see first hand how God wanted to re-shape His people, spoke about how Israel constantly rebelled against God and would not repent. The consequences for them were great (exile for 70 years). It is not wise to rebel against God!

Being clay means that we are not in charge: God is. Paul spoke about carrying the treasure of God in jars of clay. (2 Cor 4:7) This means that our boasting can only be in the Lord and in our own weakness, for that way, any goodness or glory proves God’s worth! (see 2 Cor 10:17, 2 Cor 11:29-30, 2 Cor 12:8-10) God is able to help us, even when we run away (as Jonah did) or deny Him (as Peter did.) When we are clay in God’s hands, we surrender to His will (see Luke 22:42) and trust Him even in our trials and tests (see Gen 22.) Then we can know that we are being changed into the image of His Son, transformed into HIs likeness by His Spirit. (Rom 8:29, 2 Cor 3:17-18)

Truth

Jun 27, 2025

We live in a world where people believe in ‘relative’ truth. ‘If that’s what you feel, it’s true for you,’ people say. This is often a cover for nonsense, for truth is not some flimsy feeling which can be bent to our will.
Yesterday my granddaughter wanted to take a large soft toy with her on her journey to school. That would mean me having the toy afterwards (since she is not allowed soft toys in school). I refused to take the toy since I was out for much of the day and had other responsibilities which meant lugging a large unicorn around was neither practical nor advisable.
Rebekah was devastated and accused me of hating her toy. In her mind, the only reason I would not accommodate what was to her a simple and uncomplicated request was because I hated the toy. (She did not actually get as far as saying as I hated her, but this is often how we feel about God when He refuses a request of ours!) I pointed out that she could not say what I loved or hated and explained my reasons for refusing her request, but she was adamant that it was because I hated the toy. She ascribed feelings and motives to my actions which were simply not true, and she refused to listen to anything I said.
This relatively trivial example illustrates for me society’s attitude to truth. We believe what we feel over and above any objective evidence set before us. We are emotional and irrational at times, which is dangerous enough as it is, but when we apply this to other people, being determined that our interpretation of their actions is accurate, we risk misunderstanding and this can lead to division and enmity. I was irritated to be told I hated a toy when the truth was I liked the toy well enough (what’s not to like about a soft, cuddly, rainbow unicorn?!) but could not carry it around all day on top of everything else I had to carry (including having a smart trike and a 2 year old to manage…)
So often we believe our version of ‘truth’ above God. Elijah, after three years in hiding from Ahab, came to face the king and the prophets of Baal on God’s command. (1 Kings 18) He felt that he was the only prophet of God left. Even when God vindicated him and sent fire to demonstrate His power over the false god Baal, he felt alone and vulnerable (1 Kings 19).
But he was mistaken in this belief. God told him that there were 7000 people in Israel whose knees had not bowed to other gods and gave him another helper, Elisha, a reminder that he was not actually on his own at all. God sees the whole picture and knows everything. We do not. Our blinkered view may suggest one truth. Our feelings may scream at us that this interpretation of what we see is true. But the actual, objective truth may be something completely different, and we need God and His word to direct us to truth, so that we do not, in fact, end up believing a lie.

Anniversary celebrations

Jun 26, 2025

As we put the finishing touches to the photo display for our anniversary celebration on Saturday 5 July between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., we are blown away by all that has happened in the fifteen years since we moved to Market Street.
GPCC (formerly Goldthorpe Elim Church) opened in Beever Street in 1964 and moved to Market Street in early 2010, with our first service in the new building happening on 6 June 2010 and our official open day happening on 3 July 2010. Since then, we’ve held a lot of church services, coffee mornings, Bible studies, prayer meetings, family fun days, Parent & Toddler group sessions, parties and have been involved in community events at Phoenix Park, Goldthorpe Railway Embankment, Goldthorpe cricket grounds, other churches and various other places! We’d love for you to come along on Saturday 5 July and have a look at all these photos – and maybe find yourselves on a photo that is guaranteed to bring back memories!
It’s free to attend and you can pop in for as long or as short a time as you have available. Light refreshments with home baking will be served and we will have crafts to do – based on the 15 anniversary ‘crystal’ theme, you can make necklaces or bracelets or do crystal art.
After the celebrations, we’re also thrilled to be the first place in the Dearne area to screen Sam Batley’s film ‘The Town I Love So Well’, an hour-long documentary commissioned by BMBC which looks at the culture and community in Barnsley and which features Goldthorpe in a positive light! Sam is from Goldthorpe himself, so it’s wonderful to be able to show the film here.
Come along for a fabulous day!

Patience

Jun 22, 2025

Tonight our Bible discussion was about patience (forbearance/ long-suffering), another fruit of the Spirit. Patience is not something most of us find easy; it obviously requires a change of attitude and trust in God to believe that His will will be done in our lives, even when it doesn’t look that way! We have to put off the old self and put on the new self if our attitudes are to change.
We looked at examples of God’s patience (Rom 2:4) and at the patience many Old Testament heroes demonstrated in waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled. God is prepared to wait a lifetime (as the thief on the cross shows us!) and we often have to wait far longer than we want. Patience should never be an excuse for inaction, but equally we must not take action simply to ‘hurry’ God along (as Abraham did after waiting for ten years by sleeping with Hagar… in actual fact, he had to wait 25 years before Isaac, the promised son, was born.) If we give up waiting, we risk missing out on God’s blessings (think of the disciples waiting for the Holy Spirit after the resurrection), so we do well to let God develop patience in us.

God-seekers

Jun 22, 2025

This morning we looked at our identity as ‘God-seekers’. In Psalm 27:8, David declares that the one thing he needs is to seek God’s face. To seek God means to put Him first, something we need to do both individually and corporately. We must learn to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. (Matt 6:33)
A God-focussed life is not without problems, as Psalm 27 makes clear. David had enemies, armies besiegning him and even talks of his family forsaking him. Yet he is confident in God’s goodness and knows that God has never forsaken those who seek Him. (Ps 9:9-10) Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing, for God’s abundant provision is promised to them (Ps 34:10, Phil 4:19). Blessing and vindication from God are promised to those who seek Him. (Ps 24:3-6)
The practicalities of seeking God involve setting time aside to pray and read His word, which requires prioritisation and (at times) renunciation. Nehemiah and Daniel were both busy men who still made time for God and who served Him faithfully. We need to look to the Lord and His strength (rather than our own.) (Ps 105:4, Ps 127)
We must also seek God collectively, learning to humble ourselves, pray, repent and seek God (2 Chron 7:14), relishing the time spent in His house. Seeking God leads us to obey His commands, to do what He tells us, as Asa demonstrates (see 2 Chron 15:2-15).
The benefits of seeking God are manifold. As we seek God, we find joy (see Ps 40:16, Ps 70:4), life (Amos 5:4, 6, 14) and the assurance that those who seek will find. (Jer 29:13, Matt 7:7-8) God’s desire is to be found by us and to bless His people. We need to enter into covenant with Him and be determined to seek His face.

Another David Song

Jun 20, 2025

In 2 Samuel 22, we saw David the psalmist proclaiming God’s deliverance and salvation. At the start of 2 Samuel 23, we see another song of David, this time one written towards the end of his life, when he speaks ‘divine utterance’, knowing that the Spirit of God is speaking through him. Paul tells us that all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16-17) and Peter tells us that prophets speak as they are ‘carried along’ by the Spirit of God. (2 Pet 1:20-21). We desperately need the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and God’s words to guide, direct us and help us in our lives, and Scripture becomes the place where we can find this inspiration.

David is aware that a fear of God is necessary for right living, for we need to live life in right relationship with God. The book of Proverbs talks about this fear (which is reverential awe and not simply terrified fear). It is the beginning of knowledge (Prov 1:7) and wisdom (Prov 9:10). It leads us not simply to academic knowledge, but to a knowledge of God Himself. (Prov 2:5) It ‘is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.’ (Prov 14:27) It helps us to avoid evil (Prov 16:6) and leads to life itself: ‘then one rests content, untouched by trouble.’ (Prov 19:23) It is vastly different to a fear of men, which ends up being a snare. When we fear God, we can live righteously, as He wants us to. We could say that the fear of the Lord is the pathway to right living; if we have no fear of God, we will live arrogantly and as we see fit, rather than listening to and following God’s commands. David speaks of the illumination that a righteous reign brings to God’s people, reminding us of God’s perspective (evil will be sorted out by God ultimately.) We can live blessed lives when we understand the key to greatness is serving others and obeying God. (Matt 20:25-28)