Mercy

Jul 9, 2023

One of the clearest explanations of mercy I have ever come across is in Phil Wickham’s song ‘Mercy’, where he looks at Adam, at Jesus and at what God’s mercy means for us today. Beautifully poetic and poignant, the song gives us clear insight into God’s mercy.

“Made from the dust and breathed into life
He stood unashamed with a fire in His eyes
The image of God walking upon the world
All of the Earth was under His feet
Except for the fruit from a forbidden tree
He took a taste and that’s how He breaks the world

He cried, “Mercy, mercy”
He broke the whole world with the fruit from a tree, have mercy

Heaven to Earth came down from on high
With hope in His name and a fire in His eyes
The fullness of God walking upon the world
He said He was love, then proved it with blood,
Rose from the dead to prove He was God
And that’s what it takes for one man to save the world.

Oh, such mercy, mercy
He saved the whole world, when He hung on a tree, such mercy

Now here inside of our skin and bones
Heaven above is making its home,
The kingdom of God living upon the world.
To love like He loves and give like He gives,
To tell the story that makes dead men live,
And that’s what it takes if we’re gonna change the world.

Mercy, mercy
Your love is a song, and You sing over me.” (Mercy,’ Phil Wickham)

Summer Outreach

Jul 6, 2023

Outreach to our community is a vital part of who we are at Goldthorpe Pentecostal Community Church (there’s a clue in the name, after all!) We believe that Jesus brings us good news of forgiveness, hope, restoration and relationship with God and this news is so fantastic, we don’t want to keep it to ourselves!

You can join us once a month for coffee mornings on the 1st Saturday of each month between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. – the next coffee morning is on Saturday 5 August.

We’re also working with other local churches to put on family fun days in school holidays where we explore a Biblical theme through crafts and activtiies and enjoy eating together as well – which is what Jesus and His disciples often did, sharing meals. We will be at Furlong Road Methodist Church on Wednesday 26 July between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., looking at the theme of ‘Lost Things’ (and how God finds them!)

On Wednesday 2 August we are hosting the family fun day at GPCC fbetween 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., looking at the theme of ‘God’s Great Party’. Did you know that God throws a party every time someone comes to faith? (Luke 15) Or that God is planning a wedding feast for His bride, the church? (Matt 22) Find out more at this fun day.

In addition, we are going to do things a little differently on Sunday 6 August and hold a party church service at 4 p.m., to carry on the teaching in the family fun day. Come along for party food and games, a buoncy castle and singing and dancing as we remember just how much God likes to celebrate and rejoice. Being a Christian doesn’t mean leaving fun behind; Jesus came to give us life to the full! (John 10:10) Find out more.

Because food is involved in many of our events, we need to know numbers for catering purposes. You can book in to any of the above (which are all free to attend) by contacting Julie on 07729 421405 or emailing julie@gpcchurch.co.uk

We’re also supporting St Helen’s with their fun days on Monday 7 and 14 August (11.00 a..m. -12.30 p;.m.) at St Helen’s Church Hall in Thurnscoe and will be doing free crafts at the ‘Bounce Into Summer Event‘ at Goldthorpe Cricket Grounds on Wednesday 23 August between 12 and 4 p.m.

Basil The Branch

Jul 2, 2023

Garry told the story of Basil The Branch tonight as he looked at John 15 (‘abiding in the vine’) and fruitfulness. This story by Andrew McDonough shows us Basil striving very hard to produce grapes (the children worked very hard at pulling silly faces to demonstrate his hard work!), only to find that fruitfulness comes as a result of being part of the vine, not effort on our part.
Fruitfulness in Christian terms is often described through the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). This comes about as Jesus prunes or cleans us (the word is the same in Greek); there is always more fruit to come as we grow in our knowledge of Christ. Col 1:9-10 speaks of us living a life worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in every way and bearing fruit in eveyr good work as we grow in our knowledge of God. The fruit we bear may well look different, since we are a body with different parts (1 Cor 12:12-19), but as we do what God says to us individually, we will find fruitfulness comes naturally. What we mustn’t do, of course, is ‘leaf’ it to someone else!

A Two-Stage Miracle

Jul 2, 2023

This morning in our series ‘The Miraculous & The Mundane’, we looked at how Jesus healed a blind man in two stages (Mark 8:22-26). Instead of instaneously healing someone, it seemed that Jesus healed this man gradually, perhaps to remind us that spiritual vision needs to be renewed constantly.

We see again how important friends are in bringing this man to Jesus and are reminded that this is a vital part of our lives: personal testimony is by far the most common way people come to faith in Jesus. We see how Jesus treats the man with compassion and as an individual, taking him somewhere private away from the crowds before healing him. How we too need to treat people as individuals, not expecting one size to fit all, but understanding that we walk by faith not sight and will always need to depend on God rather than expecting Him to work in certain ways.

Above all, we see how Mark uses this miracle to teach us about spiritual vision, just as John did (John 9). All of us are spiritually blind without Christ (see 2 Cor 4:4). Without God’s help, none of us can even see the kingdom of heaven. (John 3:3) But when our eyes are opened by God’s Holy Spirit, this is the start of our spiritual adventure. Paul reminds us that ‘now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.’ (1 Cor 13:12) There are many stages of enlightenment in our Christian journey when God needs to open our eyes (as He did with Elisha’s servant, 2 Kings 6:16-17). Paul prays for enlightenment in 3 areas in Eph 1:18-23:

  1. The hope to which God has called them
  2. The riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people
  3. His incomparably great power for us who believe

Hope is very necessary to fulfilled living. The God who had plans to give Israel a hope and a future at a time of exile (Jer 29:11), who gives strength to those who hope in the Lord, no matter how weary they are (Is 40:28-31) and who can make us overflow with hope (Rom 15:13) is able to transform despair into hope and give us eternal hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now we belong to God’s family and are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17), reminding us that all the riches of God are available to us (see Ps 50:12). We are His treasured possession and chosen people (1 Pet 2:9-10) and therefore can live securely because of whose we are.

Paul prays also that they may know ‘his incomparably great power for us who believe.’ (Eph 1:19) The same power which raised Christ from the dead is available to all who believe, and therefore the miraculous is not out of reach. God does not change and we can have free access to His miraculous power as we trust in Him.

In Praise of Stories

Jun 30, 2023

At the start of the year, Dearne Churches Together decided to make parables (stories) the focus of our fun days in 2023. So far, we have explored the theme of kindness (as seen in the Parable of the Good Samaritan), looked at the parable of the Lost Sheep and the Sower at Phoenix Park, and will be digging into more lost things (including a lost coin and a lost son) and exploring the idea of God welcoming us to a wedding banquet during the summer holidays. (Who doesn’t love a good party?!)
I’m fascinated by stories. Stories were Jesus’s primary method of teaching. Eugene Peterson says, “No matter how long we live, no matter how mature we beccome, we’re never removed from the basics. Children’s stories go over inch by inch the ground on which we spend the rest of our lives eating and sleeping, walking and running, playing and working, fighting and loving, cursing and blessing.” (‘Leap Over A Wall’, P 17) If we’re fortunate, stories are our way into understanding the world and ourselves, dealing with good and evil, jealousy, misfortune and hope. If we are fortunate, we rediscover stories as parents, using them to teach and inform our own children. If we are even more fortunate, we then get to tell them again to grandchildren and great-grandchildren,, learning something new and fresh ourselves as we watch children’s eyes light up in wonder as they discover them anew.
Telling stories is a fantastic way to interact with people. Authors re-tell familiar stories with exciting new twists (my grandchildren love ‘The Fairyale Hairdesser‘ series of books which focus on Kittie Lacey, ‘the best hairdresser in all of Fairyland’ to retell traditional tales). Films re-make classic stories in new ways. We never really outgrow stories and the lessons they contain.
Eugene Peteson reminds us that as we get older and grow taller, we are less aware of our ground, but still need the basics, whether that is ‘the material basics of air and water, earth and fire, the spiritual basics of trust and love, hope and mercy; the emotional basics of fear and joy, serenity and anxiety; the mental basics of asking and telling naming and numbering.’ (ibid., P 17)
We never get too old for stories. So take time this weekend to tell or read a story. Grab a book, open a Bible, visit the library, schedule a ‘story stop’ into your busy lives. Let the story percolate into your mind and heart: the young boy, David, bending down in a war-torn world to pick up five smooth stones from a river which will ultimately topple the giant, Goliath; the weary preacher, Jesus, stopping at a well for a drink and bringing salvation to a scorned and spurned woman; the fiery apostle, Paul, being diverted unexpectedly from his murderous plans by divine intervention on that road to Damascus. Stories are not a waste of time. They are water for our souls, and as every child knows, good stories can be heard again and again and again.

An Eternal Perspective

Jun 29, 2023

We live in a world where material things seem to rule the roost; our Western society values money, commerce, luxuries and wealth as prizes to accommodate a level of living which even a few generations ago would have seemed impossible. This has always been the case, though, as the gold of Egypt and the wealth of Babylon testify. Money and the things it can buy have always been seen as a measure of success, often the only one recognised by leaders and peoples alike.

Yet the Bible makes it plain that there is far more to life than material wealth and places a far higher value on spiritual treasure (Matt 6:19-20). In Revelation 18, we see that worldly success will not mean spiritual security, as Babylon (representative of the world in its independence, industry and economic prowess) ultimately faces the judgment of God and is fallen. (Rev 18:2)

Babylon, with its merchants and ‘cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves’ (Rev 18:12-13), represents the kind of wealth most of us can only aspire to. Yet this chapter makes it plain that this kind of success is transitory and cannot atone for sin. God sees her as ‘a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.’ (Rev 18:2) Plagues, death, mourning, famine and fire are the fate which awaits her. (Rev 18:8)

John’s vision of the total destruction of one of the most celebrated cities of the ancient world reminds us that we need to see things from God’s perspective. Rev 18:22-24 shows us an abandoned, derelict city with no sound of music or rejoicing, no bustle of work, no light or vitality. We might ask how this state of affairs comes about, and see that it is because of the rejection of God and the violence done to His people. Paul urges the Corinthians to keep an eternal perspective, especially with regard to suffering and evil. (2 Cor 4:16-18) We do well to do the same. An eternal perspective keeps us from the shallowness of judging life simply by what we can see (as Asaph did in Psalm 73) and helps us to trust in the righteousness and holiness of God to do what is right in the end.