The sermon yesterday morning was from Revelation 2:4-5, challenging verses about the love we had for the Lord and for others and how we need to keep that love shining brightly. “You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”

Love is the criterion for success in the Christian life. John, originally one of the ‘Sons of Thunder’, learned what it was to love from Jesus and constantly encouraged others then to live a life of love. The way back to our first love is three-fold:

1) Remember the heights from which we have fallen
We have to constantly remember all that God is and all He has done for us. Ps 42:6 reminds us to remember God from the heights when we are downcast. We have to work hard at remembering in order to ensure that we never forget God.
2) Repent
That about-turn away from sin and towards God starts with an attitude of surrender. We have to acknowledge that God is Lord of our lives and give up our tendency to try to work things out for ourselves.
3) Do the things we did at first
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:28-29)
We may expect the things we have to do to involve more effort on our part, more works, more prayer, more study, more evangelism. But whilst all these things are good, they must be the result of our faith, not our attempts to get to faith. The Galatian church were condemned by Paul for starting with the Spirit but then trying to go on in the Christian life in their own strength (Gal 3:2-5). This is an age-old tendency that we have which must be avoided at all costs. The primary work we must do is to take God seriously and believe Him in every area of our lives. If we do that, then it will help to keep our love burning.

Church members have recently returned from a holiday on the Isle of Wight and I think this story bears repeating! One of the places they visited is called ‘Godshill’. The name ‘Godshill’ is said to originate from the foundations of the local church (which dates back to the 14th century) being moved from the bottom of the hill to its present location on the top of the hill on three occasions whilst it was being built. This was taken to be a sign from God that the church should be built on the hill, hence the name Godshill.

As you will see from the pictures, the village has everything: a church, a cider brewery, a chocolate factory and a husband creche! What more do you need?!

We finished looking at Romans 15 last night, focussing on two main themes:
1) the point of preaching
2) what happens when God’s plans aren’t the same as our plans

Paul says he wrote boldly to the Romans to remind them of God’s truth (Rom 15:15). He is convinced that they are “full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another.” (Rom 15:14) What is the point of us preaching the Word and teaching? Once people are saved, isn’t that the end of the story?

Preaching has many purposes. It builds us up in truth, washes us in the Word of God, transforms our thinking and guides our living. God’s Word is living and active, not just a factual book to study, but a life-giving book that shapes our whole lives. We need to progress from the milk of the Word (1 Pet 2:1-3) to solid food (Heb 5:11-14). There must be balance and depth to our preaching and teaching. Those who preach need to know that they are bringing God’s Word and study reverently and carefully. Those who listen need to have open hearts and be willing to receive God’s correction, discipline and encouragement. We all need food on a daily basis to survive and God’s Word has all the nutrients we need for healthy growth!

Rom 15:23-32 gives details of Paul’s plans to visit Rome. As Acts shows us, however, these plans did not work out in the way that Paul expected. He did indeed end up in Rome, but it was under armed guard. He spent years in prison. Acts 23:1-11 shows us the difficulties he faced, but he also had the encouragement directly from God that he would indeed go to Rome: “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” (Acts 23:11) We have to acknowledge God’s sovereignty in our lives, even when plans don’t work out the way we want them to. Even heartache, bereavement, loss and trial are worked into God’s plans and He works all things together for our good (Rom 8:28). We can’t see the full picture yet, but He has good plans for us, to give us hope and a future (Jer 29:11) and He is working all things out. We need to rest on what we know to be true of His character and trust in His refining power, even when things are not going our way, even when His ways are worked out differently from how we originally expected them to be.

This Sunday evening (11th March) we will be having a visit from a missionary, Steve Davies, who works with the missionary organisation One Mission Society (OMS). For the past four years, Steve and his wife (Katuska) and their three children have been in Ecuador, teaching at a Bible college in Cuenca. They are currently on Home Ministry Assignment and are looking to go to Mozambique later this year. You can find out more about them on their blog: http://maputobay.blogspot.com/ and of course, you will learn much more if you attend the evening meeting at 6 p.m. this Sunday!

Steve and I have been friends for nearly twenty-eight years now, having met in probably our first week at Oxford. You can read a little bit more about how he & Katuska came to meet (she is from Ecuador and they met in Glasgow!) and be working with OMS if you click on the ‘Newsletters’ link on their blog and read the December newsletter.

The parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) is probably one of Jesus’s best loved stories. It’s featured in countless sermons and songs. Here are two of my favourite songs on this theme (one brand new, one a bit older…):

Come Back Home (Kutless)
How long till you come to the end of your reckless streak?
How long till the freedom weighs you down?
How long till your heart figures out that you need me?
How long until you turn around?

When you come back home
I’ll be running out to meet you,
When you come back home
You’ll find that I’ve never left you.
You’ll see every wrong turn, every bridge you’ve burned –
It’s all forgiven and gone
When you come back home
When you come back home

I wanna see that face that I’ve been missing so much
I want to wrap my arms around your neck
I want to welcome you back to the place where you belong
I want to show you love has never left

I’ve paid the price, so have no fear
There’s nothing but mercy here yeah

Mercy is waiting
When you come back home
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-1w3zQaE0k

Come Home Running (Chris Tomlin)
Oh heart of mine, why must you stray?
From one so fair you run away
And one more time you have to pay
The heaviness of needless shame

Oh heart of mine, come back home
You’ve been too long out on your own
And He’s been there all along
Watching for you down the road

So come home running
His arms are open wide
His name is Jesus
He understands
He is the answer
You are looking for
So come home running
Just as you are

Oh child of God so dearly loved
And ransomed by the Saviour’s blood
And called by name, daughter and son
Wrapped in the robe of righteousness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN-VG1uvNj4

The family service this month looked at the subject of flying. That included a quiz on the topic, with appropriate prizes:


Mark then preached from various Scriptures that talk about flying. Psalm 55:5-6 says ‘Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.’ We all have times when we want to escape the difficulties of the world, and holidays (often reached by aeroplane) seem a good way of doing that! Other verses on this subject show us the difficulty of escaping the problems of this world, however. Prov 23:5 says ‘Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.’ We work hard at times and wonder where the money has gone to; it really does seem like it has wings!

Life can often seem to be all about making ends meet, just getting by, not really flying… but God wants us to soar on wings like eagles, not be spiritual moles, with our heads in the ground. Is 40:28-31 reminds us that the Lord does not grow weary or faint, but gives strength to those who wait on Him. Then ‘they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.’

We also had a birthday to celebrate (though our drummer is trying to hide!):