Tonight’s Bible study looked at 1 Cor 3:10-15, where Paul talks about laying a foundation as a master builder. Everything he does is by the grace God has given him (see 1 Cor 15:9-11, Rom 12:5-7); we too need to realise that everything we have and are comes from God and that who we are and all we do is through grace. God’s grace worked powerfully among the first apostles (see Acts 4:32-34) and continues to work today; we need to remember that anything we achieve is by grace.

So often, we compare ourselves to other people and covet their gifts and achievements, but we need to remember that whether God has given us many gifts or only a few (we may feel we are a ‘one-trick pony’ like the character played by Sigourney Weaver in the science-fiction spoof ‘Galaxy Quest’, whose one role on the spaceship was to talk to the computer), what He is looking for is our faithfulness in using those gifts to His glory.

Paul was a master builder, having the knowledge, skill and experience to lay foundations. All building, he declared, must be on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Others (such as church leaders like Apollos) may build on this foundation, but we too have a responsibility to build ourselves up (see Phil 2:12-13, fashioning our lives into the mould of Christ.) Teachers and leaders are important, but there needs to be a ‘body ministry’ in the church (see Eph 4:11-15) where we are becoming mature and growing in faith and love (see 1 Pet 2:2, 2 Thess 1:3-4). We have to learn to control our own bodies (see 1 Thess 4:3-8) and work towards eternal goals, being prepared to build our lives as God wants us to, recognising the durability of some things (likened to building with gold, silver and precious stones) and rejecting things which have no eternal value (likened to wood, hay and straw.) God promises rewards to us for our faithful service (even though this is entirely down to His grace in the first place!), but we need to remember that He is interested in our building ourselves up in the most holy faith, developing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, not just in doing ‘good works’ to earn His favour. We build on the foundation of Christ, living by faith even as we received Christ by faith (see Gal 3:1-14 for how easy it is to start by faith and fall back into reliance on works.) All building needs to be on the firm foundation of Christ, for the goal is to become conformed to the image of Christ. (Rom 8:29)

The Salvation Army are celebrating their 150 years’ anniversary this year, remembering how William and Catherine Booth started the movement in the East End of London in 1865. Locally, Goldthorpe Salvation Army will be having a celebration day on Saturday 4th July from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at their building on Straight Lane. The newly decorated prayer room will be opened and there will be an opportunity to have food from their new cafe menu as well as a range of activities for families, so if you can drop in on that day, do call in and see what God is doing through the Salvation Army in Goldthorpe!

During the school holidays, we will be embarking on our usual time of building maintenance. We are looking to decorate the community room and need capable volunteers who are not afraid of heights to tackle this mammoth painting job! We will be trying to organise a variety of dates (daytime & evenings to suit) over the next few weeks, so if you can help at all, do join us for this. We are very privileged to have such a wonderful building on Market Street, but we do need to look after it well!

James 4:7-8 tells us ‘Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.‘ It is significant that submission to God comes before resistance of the devil, and any discussion of spiritual defiance of the enemy would be incomplete without a recognition that spiritual success only comes to the degree that we have surrendered our lives to God’s hands and are seeking to live whole-heartedly for Him. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray for God’s name to be hallowed and for His will to be done and His kingdom to come before we ask for His provision, forgiveness and protection from temptation. (Matt 6:9-12)

Surrender and submission to God are often viewed negatively, as a case of ‘what do I have to give up, then?’, spoken in resigned tones with gloomy expressions on our faces. However, quite the opposite is true. Surrender and submission are joyful acts of worship, our willing acts of devotion to a God who is good and who has our best interests at heart. Nothing is more important to our spiritual growth than our willingness to submit ourselves to God, recognising His sovereignty and revelling in His love.

‘King of my heart, king of my soul
I’ll make a joyful surrender
No other name, no other throne
It’s You alone
So let my life be undivided, God.’ (‘King Of My Soul’, Matt Redman)

‘Lord, take this life, let it become Your throne:
Unbroken praise be Yours.
My surrender, my devotion
Be Yours, be Yours forevermore,
Be Yours, be Yours forevermore.’ (‘Unbroken Praise,’ Matt Redman)

‘I cast all my cares
Down at Your feet
You meet me here with tender mercy
And everything You are
Is everything I need
I lift my hands, surrender to Your majesty.’ (‘Majesty of the Most High,’ Matt Redman)

Defiance is generally thought of in negative terms. Since it means ‘open resistance’ or ‘direct disobedience’, we usually think of it as something to be avoided. As a teacher for many years, defiant students were often the hardest to teach: they would openly flout authority, rebel for the sake of it and refuse to listen to reason or persuasion. As a parent, a defiant child is equally hard to train, and the ongoing battles can be wearisome, to say the least.

But there are times when perhaps defiance is not so negative, when we need to take a stand for what is right and good and pure, for example. We do need to directly disobey the lies of the enemy in order to obey God’s Word; we do need to resist temptation if we are to overcome it, rather than lying down passively and saying, in Borg-like fashion, ‘resistance is futile.’  This kind of ‘good’ defiance is captured in Rend Collective’s ‘More Than Conquerors’:

‘We will not bow to sin or to shame
We are defiant in Your name.’

There are times when we need to challenge the assumptions of the world and the lies of the enemy. We need to declare boldly all that God has done and not be silent. Matt Redman’s song ‘Louder’ has a little of this defiance in it. We won’t be silent. The greater the storm, the louder our song will be, for we have a God who gives faith and joy even in adversity. Ps 149:6-9 indicates that praise is a powerful spiritual weapon. Let’s lift our voices in defiance of the enemy’s lies and stand firm on the truth of God’s Word, singing and shouting of our glorious God.

‘There’s a song that cannot be contained ;
There’s a shout that breaks through every chain
God, we won’t be silent

There’s a faith that rises through the flames
There’s a joy that chases the dark away
God, we won’t be silent

And the greater the storm
The louder our song

We lift our voices, lift our voices
Make Your praise so glorious, glorious
We lift our voices, lift our voices
Make Your praise so glorious

There’s a faith that rises through the flames
There’s a joy that chases the dark away
God, we won’t be silent.’ (‘Louder’, Matt Redman)

Many of you will remember the horrific murder of church organist Alan Greaves in nearby High Green on Christmas Eve 2012 and the response of his widow, Maureen, whose forgiveness and love completely epitomise Christ’s teachings.

She has recently been awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services to the community. You can read about this here. What is so striking about this is her humility: ‘When I read the letter I just couldn’t take it in so I rang the Cabinet Office to double check. They told me someone had nominated me for the way I behaved after Alan had died and how I acted towards other people and continued the work that Alan and I were doing.’ This work includes the St Saviour’s Project, a scheme attached to their local church which saw them open (three weeks before Alan’s death) a food bank and charity shop to help needy members of the community.

Maureen’s faith helped her through the grief and loneliness of her husband’s death and she continues to serve God in her local community faithfully, still working with the project. It’s this kind of faith lived out in simplicity and humility which is our best witness to the world, for it demonstrates the power of God to transform all tragedy. to transform all life. Living for Christ is not always easy: Maureen admits, ‘There is still a loneliness for Alan. I think of him every day, not with sadness but he’s always in my thoughts. I’m not leading a miserable life, I’m leading a good life that has obviously got better over time but it still has this great sense of loneliness for him.’ But in the middle of tragedy, we find God’s strength to carry on.

‘Our scars are a sign
Of grace in our lives
Oh Father, how You brought us through
When deep were the wounds
And dark was the night
The promise of Your love You proved.

Weeping may come,
Remain for a night
But joy will paint the morning sky.
You’re there in the fast;
You’re there in the feast;
Your faithfulness will always shine.’ (‘It Is Well’, Matt Redman)