David & Goliath

Nov 2, 2023

The story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17) is one of the most well-known stories in the whole Bible; even people who have never read the Bible have heard of this epic tale. It’s a great hero story, the underdog David triumphing against the giant Goliath, and it reminds us that God is able to bring victory out of seeming defeat. All he needs is a person soaked in God-truths and unintimidated by the relentless taunts and hostility of the enemy – the battle belongs to Him, after all!

The story has much to teach us about human relationships (and how easily we are crushed by intimidation, ridicule, taunts and criticism), about the relentless battering of words (for forty days Goliath kept on putting the Israelites down) and about the impossibility of trying to do things in our own strength or according to other people’s ideas (David in Saul’s armour clearly didn’t work!) Mostly, we see in David a shepherd who had fought off the lion and the bear because he trusted in God; his knowledge of God and his conviction that God ruled (not an uncircumcised Philistine!) were the keys to his confidence. ‘God was the reality with which David had to deal: giants didn’t feature largely in David’s understanding of the world.’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘Leap Over A Wall’, P 40)

David shows us that trust in God is the key to victory. Whatever the giants we may face – unemployment, recession, illness, bereavement, anxiety, fear (the list is endless) – we can have confidence that God is bigger and more powerful, and therefore we have hope.

Let Your Light Shine!

Nov 1, 2023

Yesterday I bought a light picture from Wentworth Garden Centre on my quest for props for our Narnia Experience. It’s a snow scene with lampposts and twinkling LED lights wich shine brightly. The snow scene is attractive (I always find snow prettier to look at than to experience first hand!) but nothing really special; it’s the lights that make the picture captivating.
As I gaze on the picture, I am reminded of Matthew 5:14 – ‘let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’
I look at the twinkling lights and individually these are not particularly bright, but the cumulative effect of these is powerful. That is a picture of the church. Individually we may feel our light is not very bright, but cumulatively we have a positive effect.
Today, as we look at heroes of the faith, we may well feel daunted rather than inspired. “I could never be like Mother Teresa or Martin Luther King,” we say. “I’m no hero.”
Biblical heroes are not heroes because of their talents and strengths. One of my personal favourite heroes, Gideon, was a ball of insecurity, inferiority and inadequacy (it’s why I identify with him so much!) But Biblical heroes made a difference to their worlds because they trusted a miracle-working, extraordinary God. This can be our experience too. We simply let His light shine through us!

Conduits of Blessing

Oct 30, 2023

God’s purpose for His people is that they are conduits of blessing to others. A conduit is a channel (of water or electricity, for example.) The noun comes from words meaning ‘pipe’, and in the natural world, a conduit is a pipe made of metal or plastic which allows electricity or water to flow from one place to another. Metaphorically, to be a conduit is to convey something to someone else.
God works in and through people. He blessed Abraham so that Abraham could be a blessing to others – indeed, to the whole world. (Gen 12:3) His Holy Spirit living in us wants to bless others and to show them the reality of God in our world. We can be the channel through which God works, as the book of Acts demonstrates. Ordinary people turned the world upside down as the power of God moved through their faith and obedience. This is God’s chosen method of working – He involves us in His work and we become channels of blessing, conduits of His power.
What a purpose we have!

Understanding The Times & Seasons

Oct 29, 2023

Joy Gascoigne from Grimethorpe Pentecostal Church spoke tonight on understanding the times and seasons. Just as seasons change in the natural world, so too in the spiritual world, when what worked previously may not be fitting for the present time. God can help us through every change of season and meets us where we are.
Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us that we must throw of all that restrains us and run the race marked out for us. We need focus, preparation and perseverance in the race of life. We can celebrate the faithfulness of God in it all. The testimony of what God has done in the past helps us to face the future which is unknown because even though there may be uncertainty in that season, we know God holds the future.
We are called to look to Jesus in every season and forget not all His benefits. We don’t forget the past, but we can’t live in it. The One who blessed us in different ways in the past is with us to bless in the days ahead. The faithful One remains faithful through every season, and therefore we have hope always.

Listening to the Word

Oct 29, 2023

Dave spoke this morning from John 1:1-14, where Jesus is described as ‘the Word.’ Speaking is our natural means of communication, and God speaks through His Word (Jesus) and through His word (the Bible.) All throughout the Bible, we see God speaking – He spoke into darkness and created all we see; He speaks truth and continues to speak truth to us.
At the baptism of Jesus, God spoke words of love and urged people to listen to His Son, but some only heard thunder. Today, people continue to ignore God’s words, but God continues to speak to people’s hearts. If we believe what God says, then light is shed into our hearts. God’s word is powerful, life-changing and world-changing. Nothing turned into something when God spoke.
God does not just speak; He also listens to us. (Ps 34:6) The magnificent Alpha and Omega takes time to listen to our cries for help; He is interested in us and listens to every individual. Just as He listens to us, so we too must listen to Him, for His words are worth listening to.

Poo Arrows

Oct 29, 2023

My 6-year-old granddaughter wrote a story in the summer holidays which won a competition at Wigfield Farm (proud Grandma moment!) “The Smelly Adventures of Splat” tells the story of a rather malicious guinea pig named Splat who seeks to gain popularity by taking out the rabbits (whom he perceives as being more popular) with poo arrows.

It’s a typical children’s sotry full of toilet humour and graphic details (the poo arrows are orange, yellow and green because the guinea pig eats carrots, hay and lettuce…) which children find hugely amusing and which cause me to roll my eyes in despair. Splat gets his comeuppance when the meerkats tackle him and he ends up frozen as a statue, an ending which reminds us that kindness is better than notoriety or fame…
When Esther wrote this story, I felt a little despairing, since the constant ‘poo poo poo poo’ conversation of small children doesn’t really do much for me anymore. But I am reminded that Eugene Peterson speaks of God’s word being like a javelin, piercing our hearts with truth (see http://www.gpcchurch.co.uk/the-javelin-of-truth), and it struck me that ‘poo arrows’ are a pretty good description of the devil’s tactics.
The enemy of our souls targets us daily with arrows (‘flaming arrows’, Paul calls them in Ephesians 6:16), hoping to deflect us, distract us and deter us from wholehearted discipleship. Often, these feel like they are tipped with poo. Troubles and difficulties leave us feeling soiled, besmirched, defiled. Shame, guilt, fear and anxiety hem us in, leaving us helpless and discouraged.
God’s word is not like that. His word (described in Hebrews 4:12 as a double-edged sword), may well leave us wounded, but there is nothing dirty or defiling about it. It’s like a surgeon’s scalpel; it ‘hurts good.‘ It puts us back together; it restores our souls. There is healing and restoration, forgiveness and strengthening found in God’s word.

So don’t settle for the poo arrows of the devil! Instead, let God’s javelin word touch and transform you,