Baptismal Service
We are thrilled to be holding a baptismal service on Saturday 17 September at 5 p.m. A baptismal service is a sign of new life in Christ and we love listening to testimonies of how God has worked in people’s lives in the present day – as Ps 107:2 says, ‘Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story!’
Jade Edmonds will be telling her story on Saturday and we will be coming together to see her baptised (fully immersed in water in our portable baptistery). We’ll also be having a buffet meal together afterwards.
If you’ve never seen an adult baptism, do please come along and find out more about what it means to follow Jesus! All welcome.
God’s Miraculous Provision – For Us!
God’s miraculous provision may well be in the Bible, but can it really be true that God provides for us in miraculous ways today?
We may well fail to see God’s hand in provision because of the many mundane ways in which He works (and the fact that He chooses to use people to give in practical ways that bless others.) He often does extraordinary things from ordinary people! But as a church, we can certainly testify that God provides!
When we wanted to move to Market Street, we had £7,500 in the bank and the building on Market Street was up for sale at £160,000. We pledged all we had to the penny (which raised a few eyebrows at the estate agent’s!) and applied for a grant from Coalfields Regeneration Trust. Many would say that they gave us the money, not God, but the manner in which we received money from them (not once, but twice, having to return the grant initially at the end of March because the sale had been delayed past the end of the financial year) definitely was not ‘normal’. The fact that the Methodist Church had a buyer willing to pay an additional £20,000 soon meant that it looked as though the building would never be ours, but God had other ideas.
It took months, but eventually the other buyer backed out… we were asked if we were still interested… CRT gave us the grant back without any further questions… and we were loaned £20,000 by the local Methodist circuit … and all this showed us that provision comes just in time! Moreover, we were able to pay the £20,000 loan back within two years without selling our previous building (that took longer than we expected to sell, but God provided the finances for us to repay the loan anyway!) We have seen God’s provision all the time and can testify that God does indeed provide! Just recently, we received another grant of just over £1500 from Coalfields Regeneration Trust to help run our Parent & Toddler group. God is faithful in so many ways; He is interested in our day-to-day needs and works to meeet these.
The Bible is unequivocal in its declarations that God will provide for His people, and that the revelation of the Lord as Jehovah Jireh to Abraham all those years ago is as relevant today as it was then. Whether our need is financial, practical, emotional, spiritual or physical, the Lord will provide all we need. His grace is sufficient for us.
God’s Miraculous Provision
Tonight, Julie looked at the subject of God’s miraculous provision, reminding us all of Paul’s words in Phil 4:19: ‘And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.’ She looked at three examples of God’s provision, two of which seem clearly miraculous and one which seems quite mundane, reminding us that we should perhaps focus more on the fact of God’s provision than on the means!
In 1 Kings 17, we see how the prophet Elijah’s word about no rain meant that he himself was affected by the subsequent drought and famine. His faithfulness in proclaiming God’s word meant he saw God’s faithfulness in providing for him, first of all by sending ravens twice a day to bring him bread and meat and then by replenishing a widow’s stock of flour and oil so that it did not run out! God worked in miraculous ways to provide the essential food Elijah required, and Jesus encouraged us to pray too for daily bread and trust God to provide for our material needs (see Matt 6:25-34).
In 2 Kings 7, during another famine, Elisha spoke out about how God would bring an end to the siege of Samaria and how He intervened to make the Arameans believe they were being attacked and thus fled from the city, leaving food, drink, silver, gold and other items free for Israel to take. This was discovered by lepers (the outcasts of society) who witnessed miraculous provision from God.
Yet the book of Ruth shows us that provision can come in more mundane, ordinary ways and that God’s law made provision for the foreigner, poor and needy (see Lev 19:9-10), Ruth, from Moab, has suffered bereavement, but chosen to return to Israel with her mother-in-law. In one of many ‘God-incidences’, she gleans food from the field of Boaz, who ‘just happens’ to be a relative of Elimelek, her father-in-law. Ruth saw God’s provision and protection in the person of Boaz. Not only did Boaz treat her kindly and generously, as a close relative of Elimelek, he took on the role of guardian-redeemer and ultimately married her. (Ruth 3-4) Ruth and Boaz had a son, Obed, who became the grandfather of David, probably the greatest king of Israel. Ruth saw God’s provision and protection in every area of her life, and yet the means of this provision must have seemed so very ordinary to her. This is a reminder that we can be the means of God’s provision to others and that God wants to use us to bless others (see 2 Cor 8-9).
God’s generosity and kindness to us are seen in His provision for us. Our God truly will meet our needs as we trust in Him.
Giving Everything
This morning, Dave spoke from Mark 12:41-44, a brief story about the small offering put in by a widow. This widow may not have given much in financial terms, but she gave all she had. Many speak about tithing income (i.e. giving 10% of your income to God), but she gave everything she had; in her poverty, she still honoured God.
Jesus saw this and appreciated the heart and love of this woman. He too came to earth and surrendered the glory of heaven to take on human flesh and die for us. He demonstrates how God has taken the initiative in salvation, how He gave Himself willingly for our salvation.
Giving can be a contentious subject, but ultimately the God who gave Himself gave everything for us and wants us to give our all for Him. This may not neceesarily be a financial giving, but the sacrifice of a life dedicated to God is something very precious to God. Jesus noticed this widow’s giving. Nothing we give to God is unseen by Him. He sees and appreciates all we give.
Unfinished Projects
Children are full of great ideas that often fizzle out into nothing. Esther loves to staple papers together to make a book she is going to write. She sets off with great enthusiasm (her beginnings are very good; her illustrations apt.) But it’s rare that she makes it past chapter 1 and I have lots of unfinished booklets in my house. Most of us recognise this tendency in our own lives; how many of us have started the year full of zeal for a project (losing weight, house renovation, new hobby etc.) only to find our dedication petering away by the end of January?!
Unfinished work was the problem at the church in Sardis, according to Rev 3:1-6: ‘I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.’ We often start well with God, brimful with enthusiasm, devoted to prayer, reading the Bible, attending church services and speaking to other people about all that God has done for us. But all too often, these things – basics which are needed throughout our lives – fade away. Busyness creeps in and we don’t have time to pray. Weariness creeps in and it’s easier to doze or scroll through social media than read the Bible. A host of opportunities means we miss meetings and somehow we get out of the routine; surely God doesn’t mind? Before we know it, we have as many unfinished deeds at our feet as I have unfinished booklets in my house…
God’s answer is threefold: ‘Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.’ (Rev 3:3) Back to basics is not a political slogan; it is an everyday truth. Maybe we need to pick up the Bible again, spend some time in prayer, go to church or talk to a friend about God. No one else can do this for us. We have to do it ourselves.
Hallelujah, Anyway
A happy day today as the new Rend Collective CD ‘Whosoever’ was finally delivered through my letterbox. The song ‘Hallelujah Anyway’ is one of those ‘even if…’ songs which mean a great deal to me. Praise is, at times, a sacrifice; it’s also the best way to respond to every situation, no matter how dire. There’s a holy defiance in praise which may not make sense to the natural mind but which is the faith response of all who trust God.
“I’ll find a way to praise You
From the bottom of my broken heart
‘Cause I think I’d rather strike a match than curse the dark.
I’ll find a way to thank You
Though bitterness is real and hard
‘Cause I’d rather take a chance on hope than fall apart.
I don’t think I’m ready to surrender to the dark
No
Even if my daylight never dawns,
Even if my breakthrough never comes,
Even if I’ll fight to bring You praise.
Even if my dreams fall to the ground,
Even if I’m lost, I know I’m found,
Even if my heart will somehow say,
Hallelujah anyway.
I hear a hymn of triumph
In the wilderness of my lament
In the lowlands or the mountain tops, I won’t forget,
All that goodness that You have shown me
The promises that You have kept
There’s better days on the horizon up ahead.
Even if my daylight never dawns
Even if my breakthrough never comes
Even if I’ll fight to bring You praise
Even if my dreams fall to the ground
Even if I’m lost, I know I’m found
Even if my heart will somehow say
Hallelujah anyway
Let it rise, let it rise
In the dark or the light
Oh, my soul, stand and fight
If you’ve got a song to sing, let it rise.” (“Hallelujah Anyway”, Rend Collective)
