When studying the Bible, John Stott says we need:

• observation (the basic facts: who, what, when, where and how)
• interpretation (delving into the meaning of the passages studied)
• application (what are the implications of the text for growing in Christ? – see Matt 7:24-27, James 1:22)

Bible study is never simply theoretical, for the word of God is living and active (Heb 4:12) and therefore has a relevance to the modern day beyond its historical record. If we are to study it correctly, we need to understand its place in the whole of Scripture (Acts is a history of the beginnings of the church, giving us vital information about the spread of the gospel, the works of the apostles, and the person and acts of the Holy Spirit, who is Himself God) and to see the purposes Luke had in writing it. These are stated at the beginning of Acts (Acts 1:1-2, see also Luke 1:1-4) and remind us that our faith has a firm historical foundation (it’s not simply the product of fanciful minds or over-emotional hysterics.) Luke wants ‘to supply trustworthy information about the beginnings of Christianity’ (F. F. Bruce), giving us an assurance that we can fully rely on the things we have been taught. (Acts 1:2, The Voice)

Apologetics is the branch of Christian theology which defends the faith against objections and accusations. (It has nothing to do with being sorry for something, which is the more usual meaning of the word ‘apologetic’ these days.) Luke clearly wants to show us that our faith is robust and can stand scrutiny, objections, accusations and persecutions. As well as being a historical narrative which can be corroborated in many ways (not least his use of accurate official titles for Roman officials and verifiable landmarks and other geographical signposts), we find embedded in Acts a record of Christian defences made to both Jews (e.g. Acts 4:8–12) and Gentiles (e.g. Acts 25:8–11), with the underlying purpose of conversion. It shows how the early church coped with pagan and Jewish thought, the Roman government and Hellenistic society, and as such is a useful tool for us nowadays as we seek to continue the mission to make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:18-20).

‘Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; Acts and Romans follow on,’ goes the children’s song which teaches us the books of the Bible in order. The book of Acts, following on from the 4 Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, is the sequel to the Gospels that precede it and the background to the Epistles (letters) that follow it. Written by Luke, a doctor (Col 4:14) and travelling companion to Paul on many of his missionary journeys recounted in Acts, it forms the sequel to the Gospel bearing his name: Henry J. Cadbury reminds us that Acts is ‘neither an appendix nor an afterthought’; it forms, with the gospel, ‘a single, continuous work.’ John Stott reminds us that ‘in Luke, we read about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven. In Acts, we read about what Jesus continued to do and to teach after His ascension, especially through the apostles. Thus, Jesus’s ministry on earth was followed by his ministry from heaven, exercised through His Holy Spirit by His apostles.’ Because of this, the title of the book (often called ‘Acts of the Apostles’) has often been described as ‘Acts of the Holy Spirit’; John Stott suggests the longer, more accurate  (if more cumbersome!) title ‘the continuing word and deeds of Jesus by His Spirit through His apostles.’

It’s always a mystery, how God’s sovereignty and our free will work together, how Christ lives through us (see Gal 2:20). To emphasise God’s sovereignty can minimise the role people play in spreading the gospel – and Acts shows us a whole catalogue of people witnessing to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to great effect, seeing the spread of Christianity from Jerusalem throughout the whole world as far as Rome in a matter of thirty years. To emphasise people’s efforts without acknowledging the tremendous, transformative power of the Holy Spirit again leaves us lopsided. All throughout the book, we see how it was the power of the Holy Spirit which thrust people out to witness and how the signs and wonders performed were the confirmation of the message of salvation proclaimed by the apostles (see Acts 1:8, Mark 16:20, Acts 5:12, 42). God has chosen to work in partnership with people (see Phil 2:12-13), a mystery still to us all, but one which Acts demonstrates as powerful and effective. God’s plan is for the church to witness to the works God has done in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. In a nutshell, that’s what it’s all about – now, as much as then!

On Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m., we meet for prayer and Bible study, alternating prayer meetings with Bible study. These meetings are generally not well attended, but are essential to the life of the church, for it’s as we pray and study God’s word together that we connect to God, hear His voice and learn from His manual, the Bible. We can, of course, pray anywhere and at any time and can (and should) read the Bible individually, but there is great encouragement from doing this with other Christians on a committed and regular basis.

In 2019, we shall we starting to study the book of Acts, that second part of Luke’s contribution to the New Testament. In his gospel, he writes of all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven (Acts 1:1-2); in Acts, the story of Jesus continues, even after His ascension to heaven, as He continues to work through His Holy Spirit by means of His church. It’s a book, therefore, which not only gives us a historical record of the birth of the church and its early years but also acts as ‘contemporary inspiration’ (in the words of John Stott) for every believer and local church.

The church does not exist simply to encourage and build up believers; it is the instrument through which God reaches out to the world. We have a mission to make disciples of all nations, baptising people in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching everyone to obey all Jesus commanded. (Matt 28:18-20) The book of Acts gives us insights into how to do this, and for every church, we need to understand more of the ways and power of the Holy Spirit if we are to fulfil the mission Jesus gave to us.

Come along to the Bible study on Thursday 10^th January at 7:30 p.m. as we begin to explore this book and learn more of the plans, purposes and strategies of God.

We know very little about the Magi or wise men who visited Jesus as a baby. Presumably they studied astronomy, to be aware of the arrival of a new star, and they were clearly learned, educated men, who had the wealth to make a long journey and bring costly gifts to Jesus. Their gifts reflect their wealth, but the significance of these gifts lies also in their symbolism, showing us that the baby born in poverty and obscurity in Bethlehem was actually a king and priest whose sacrifice for the sins of the world would be the bridge back to mankind’s relationship with a holy God.

Their journey following a star showed their commitment. They were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, whose evil plans led to the slaughter of many children. As a result, Joseph led his young family on a journey too – first to Egypt and later back to Nazareth. Journeys feature greatly in the Christmas story!

Journeying is an inevitable part of life. The good news for us is that Jesus is alive and can be with us throughout every journey we ever undertake. The best journey we can go on, like the wise men, is that journey to find Jesus and then we can carry on journeying with him for ever, every day throughout 2019 and beyond.

6th January in the Western church is known as Epiphany, the day when we celebrate the arrival of the wise men with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the baby Jesus.

With the help of our children, we looked at this story, found in Matthew 2:1-12:

Our star (in a snowflake costume…) led the wise men with their gifts on a long journey to the tune ‘Follow The Star‘:

Unfortunately, the route was not all plain sailing, and the wise men ended up visiting King Herod, who was not at all amenable to the thought of a new king… He discovered the birthplace of the king through his own advisers, but despite his apparent cooperation, was actively planning to get rid of the new king.

When the wise men finally arrived at the house to worship Jesus (probably considerably later than the shepherds, despite our Christmas cards’ scenarios!), they brought significant gifts which spoke of what this baby would become (though these were not the kind of gifts given at a baby shower nowadays!) They brought gold, symbol of wealth and kingship:

They also brought frankincense, a kind of perfume that was used by priests when they worshipped God made from the resin of a tree. Jesus was not only a king; he would grow up to be like a priest who would offer himself as payment for all the wrong things people do.

Their final gift, myrrh, was used as a burial spice (as well as being used as an antiseptic on wound and ingested to help with indigestion, ulcers or to treat coughs and colds). The myrrh the wise men brought is a symbol to us that Jesus was born to die for our sins.

These wise men remind us each year that we worship a baby who grew up to be a man who died for our sins, but who is also ‘God with us’, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Dave spoke this morning from Matt 14:22-33, where Jesus walks on water and Peter steps out of the boat in faith! So often, we feel that a life of faith should always mean plain sailing, but the disciples here were being fully obedient to Jesus in getting into the boat (after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand)… and yet still found themselves in a storm. Seeing Jesus feed the five thousand was a miracle beyond their wildest dreams, but even after this miracle, the sight of Him walking on the lake was terrifying to them. We don’t really know why Peter said, ‘Tell me to come to you on the water’ (Matt 14:28), but the fact that he stepped out of the boat on Jesus’s command shows us how the impossible can happen when we obey God.

The problem only came when Peter took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the waves around him. Even then, when he called out to Jesus, Jesus saved him and the storm died down immediately. Peter realised his complete need to depend on God wholeheartedly.

Life is full of adventures, encounters, accidents and experiences. In all of these things, even if we are certain we are doing God’s will, we need to rely on God’s strength rather than our own, for without Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5) We have to let go and let God work His will in our lives. This requires us to adapt to change and resist the temptation to doubt and falter. God invites us to trust Him to fulfil the promises He has made to us, but we have to keep our gaze firmly fixed on God. Doubt and defeat are not part of God’s vocabulary, so we can go forward confidently and boldly in the new year, secure in God’s ability to do the impossible, even in our lives and situations.