In our Bible study this week, we looked at the structure (or framework) of Acts. There are 28 chapters in the book, in three main sections. Acts 1-12 focus on the origins of the church, with Peter one of the main characters and Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria the main geographical focus. Acts 13-20 focus on the missionary journeys of Paul (whose conversion is told in Acts 9) and the remaining chapters (Acts 21-28) focus on Paul’s defence after his arrest and his journey to Rome.

Throughout the book, we see Luke showing us how the key verse (‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)) is worked out from Jerusalem into the whole world. Both Peter and Paul, along with other disciples (John, Philip, Stephen, Barnabas, Silas and Timothy, for example), are shown to do miraculous signs and wonders (healings, exorcisms, raising of the dead) through the power of the Holy Spirit, but there is also a strong emphasis on the preaching of God’s word, showing how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah and is God’s means of salvation to the whole world (‘Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.’ (Acts 4:12))

The book is also important in showing us how persecution and growth often go hand in hand. Throughout Acts, we see that the disciples rejoiced that they were counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. (Acts 5:41) Despite the martyrdom of key believers (Stephen in Acts 7 and James in Acts 12) and persecution which forced believers to leave the comfort of their homes (Acts 8:4-8, Acts 11:19), the gospel spread, fulfilling Christ’s prophetic words to his disciples while he was still on earth (see Matt 5:10-11, John 15:18-20). The latter part of the book shows us something of the fulfilment of God’s word in the life of Paul (‘I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’ (Acts 9:16)) as he is imprisoned for his faith, yet we also see how he seized every opportunity to give his testimony before a variety of leaders (Festus, Herod Agrippa, Felix etc.) As Howard Marshall puts it, “Nothing that men do can stop the progress and ultimate victory of the gospel.” (Howard Marshall, Tyndale commentary on Acts, P427)

We also had fun shaking jars of double cream until we made butter.

Plus there was lots of other things to do…

Transformation is all around us. The caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly… Cooking is one way in which we see transformation happen every day. We take raw ingredients (some of which would not be good for us if eaten raw!) and by cooking we transform them into culinary delights!

Simon and Charlotte from Worsbrough Mill Museum and Park supported our Fun Day today and gave us the opportunity to make pizzas from the flour made at the mill. They arrived early to set up their wood oven:

Throughout the day, groups of ten children made their own pizzas which they got to eat at lunchtime.

A big ‘Thank You’ to Simon and Charlotte for teaching us so much about flour and for giving us lovely pizzas to eat!

Just as cooking transforms raw ingredients into culinary delights, Jesus offers us transformed lives, for Paul tells us that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation! (2 Cor 5:17) Has your life been transformed by God?

Karen from Furlong Road Methodist Church gave another exciting session on clay modelling at our Fun Day, giving people the opportunity to make caterpillars, butterflies and whatever else they wanted to make out of clay. The results were fantastic, and any unclaimed models will be taken, along with our giant caterpillar and butterfly collages, to the Dearne Community Arts’ Festival in September to show the rest of the world what we get up to in school holidays!

Today we had another Family Fun Day, organised by Dearne Churches Together, with the help of the Dearne Area Team, as part of our half-term fun. We had 163 people attend the Fun Day and our thanks go to everyone who worked so hard to make this a truly memorable day, with special thanks to the Salvation Army catering team, Ann amd Sadie from the Dearne Area Team, Simon and Charlotte from Worsbrough Mill, Karen from Furlong Road Methodist Church and Sharon, Letitia, Sue and Garry from GPCC who worked so hard before, during and after the event!

Our theme was the story ‘Claudia the Caterpillar’, which looks at Claudia’s desire to fly and how the process of becoming a butterfly didn’t seem particularly enjoyable (how could being wrapped in a chrysalis lead to new life?) In the same way, Jesus told Nicodemus that we must be born again if we are to enter the kingdom of heaven, a process of new life which we enter because He died for us and rose again.

We had a variety of crafts concerned with caterpillars and butteflies, including caterpillar and butterfly collages:

We also had colouring activities, crosswords, wordsearches and bookmarks based on the ‘Claudia’ story.

In the community room, we had painting and craft activities, includihg making caterpillars from socks!

We also had a Claudia cake (though Asda insisted she was called Bonnie…)

Often we feel overwhelmed by circumstances and problems, unable to see our way out of the maze of life, troubled, afraid and despondent. In Mark 5, we read of different situations and circumstances which were truly overwhelming: a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years and who wasn’t getting any better… a father whose daughter was perilously ill. Debilitating illness and the unfairness of a child’s dying seem to us to be completely insoluble problems, but in this chapter, we see desperation meeting Jesus… and finding that in Him, there are ways out we can’t ever imagine.

The key in both cases was faith. To the woman healed by just one touch of Jesus’s garment, Jesus said, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.‘ (Mark 5:34) To those who felt death was the end and therefore there was no further need to bother Jesus, He said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” (Mark 5:36)

What things do you need to believe for today? What miracles do you need to see? Jesus doesn’t change. He’s still capable of doing the miraculous, the unexpected, the impossible. Let’s believe Him and touch Him today. Let’s not be like those who had no faith and hindered His work (Mark 6:5-6), but let’s be like those who reached out, touched Him and were transformed.