Eph 6:10-20 talks of the armour of God, items every Christian needs to put on and take hold of if we are to make progress in our spiritual journey through a hostile world.

Armour is cumbersone, however, and so often we fail to prepare adequately for the battles we face. Since these battles are spiritual, they are often not visible to our natural senses and so we become complacent, underestimating the opposition and failing to tkae God’s Word seriously.

Life is like a journey through different terrains, and God gives us all the equipment we need to journey through each one. Sometimes it’s like a jungle with undergrowth taller than we are that has to be cleared if a straight path is to be followed:

A machete is a large cleaver-like knife which hacks through rain forest undergrwoth and is also used to cut down tall plants (such as sugar cane.) It’s a powerful weapon when used against people, as various South American uprisings have demonstrated.

Eph 6:16 talks of the shielf of faith which defends us against the flaming arrows of the evil one: the lies, doubts, temptations and snares which the devil uses to seek to de-rail us from our wholehearted pursuit of God. Eph 6:17 talks of the helmet of salvation which guards our minds and thoughts and urges us to take the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

Sometimes, perhaps, that sword has to be like a machete, hacking through years of lies, years of doubts, years of false beliefs which have grown to formidable heights. The journey of faith must involve forward progress, movement, a refusal to stand still and settle for the familiar. As Kutless sing,

‘This is a day for new dreams,
A time for my faith to be strong,
My heart’s finding peace in the chaos,
I’m ready at last to move on.’ (Kutless, ‘I Will Go’)

A machete is a key part of any survivalist’s gear; it allows all the undergrowth to be chopped down and progress to be made. We have to be ruthless in cutting down anything which will stand in our way. Following God is not for the faint-hearted; faith is not a security crutch for the weak. Sin, doubt and unbelief will choke spiritual life. But God has given us all the armour and all the weapons we need to progress. Our task is not easy (as any gardener battling weeds will testify!), but is not impossible, for God is with us and helps us to advance.

Just a reminder about things happening locally.

The job club at the Salvation Army on Mondays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. offers free access to job searches and gives help with applying for jobs. There are laptops available to help in looking for jobs and in applying.

Dearne hOurbank is holding a ‘Get Together’ at the Salvation Army on Tuesday 12th April from 6-8 p.m. with free supper provided. Find out how this volunteering timebank works and what’s happening in the area.

If you want to have your say about GPs in the local area, there is a drop-in at Thurnscoe Library on Thursday 14th April between 9.30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

We were reminded tonight about the ongoing need to help those in need, which can be done in part through our support of the Salvation Army food bank. Is 58:5-12 reminds us that faith in God is seen in very practical terms, such as sharing food with the hungry and clothing the naked. It’s exactly four years since we started supporting the food bank and in that time, we have seen God’s faithfulness (and people’s faithfulness) every month. 1 John 3:16-18 reminds us that Jesus gave His life for us; we need now to love with actions and in truth.

Sometimes, people hesitate to give because they are not really sure of the impact that food banks can have on people’s lives. Mark testified that as a young boy in Northern Ireland, the generosity of Christian neighbours in providing his family with food parcels really opened his eyes to Christian love in action. We are called to serve others (Phil 2:3-4) and whilst we will always have the poor with us (Deut 15:11, Mk 14:7), we are called to be open-handed to them and thus reflect God’s own nature. We can’t help everyone, but we can make a difference to our local area.

Tinned food, UHT milk, nappies, toilet rolls and toiletries are all needed on a regular basis. Please help us to help those in need by bringing such items to church.

Gillian reminded us at the end of the service that just because something is not visible, audible, tangible, touchable or able to be smelled does not mean it doesn’t exist. Air can’t be seen, smelled, heard, tasted or touched, but it still exists! The Bible tells us that the fool says in his heart ‘there is no God’ (Ps 14:1, Ps 53:1) and so often, people demand ‘proof’ before they believe in God. Faith is revealed to us by God supernaturally; it requires spiritual insight, as Jesus made clear when talking about Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Christ, the son of God (Matt 16:17).

Thomas was one of the disciples who wanted proof of the resurrection, which Jesus graciously gave, but we are reminded that we are blessed if we do not see and still believe. (John 20:24-31)

Peter‘s discipleship is revealed to us in many different places in the Gospels. Matt 14:22-33 shows his impulsive but very genuine faith as he steps out of the boat and walks to Jesus on the water, only sinking as he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the enormity of his situation! In Matt 16:13-16, he confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and Jesus reveals something of the amazing things He will do through Peter, including using him to build His church. Nonetheless, Peter’s vision of Jesus’ identity could not cope with the revelation of death; he wanted to protect Jesus from God’s will. So often we find we want to do things our way rather than God’s.

Peter’s experience with Jesus was amazing; on the Mount of Transfiguration, he heard the voice of God proclaiming ‘this is my Son whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.’ (Matt 17:5) Yet in the Garden of Gethsemane, he fell asleep instead of keeping watch in prayer (Matt 26:36-46) and despite his fervour in declaring he would never fosake or deny Jesus actually did both. The disappointment and bitterness he must have felt were great, so much so that even after the resurrection, he returned to his comfort zone (fishing.) Often, when God calls us, we are taken out of our depth; faith involves that sense of inadequacy because we know we can’t do what He asks without His help!

Jesus not only helped the disciples catch 153 fish (John 21:1-20), He gave Peter the opportunity to be forgiven and restored, reminding him that there was still a job for him to do: to feed His sheep and lambs. When we fall, the arms of Jesus pick us up; God’s forgiveness is great.

Faith may look foolish to people and may not be ‘explained’ easily. But as Peter was told it was Jesus who was giving advice about fishing, he became more interested in Jesus than he was in fishing! We’re not fools who demand proof of God’s existence. Instead, we’re fools for Christ: our relationship with Him matters more than anything else in the world to us.

Mark organised a range of activities for the family service, with the promise of a variety of prizes:

Teams had to answer True or False questions about (apparently) foolish things and also get involved in food tasting ‘fools’ with a difference!

These ‘fools’ contained coffee, pickled onions, grapes and a host of other interesting tastes!

We also had a birthday to celebrate:

Tonight’s family service looked at the subject of ‘fools for Christ’ (bearing in mind 1st April in the UK is known as April Fools’ Day, a chance to play practical jokes on people up to 12 noon!)

Dave spoke from 1 Cor 1:18-25, reminding us that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but is the power of God to those who are being saved. Corinth was a cosmopolitan, wealthy, materialistic city which valued learning and philosophy and which was used to debating about religion. To hear about a God who came to earth as a humble carpenter and who was arrested, tortured and crucified made no sense to the Corinthians… but then it makes no sense to anyone! Only by faith can we accept that this is the way of salvation.

The cross is really a scandal, a stumbling-block to many, for Jesus is either who He claimed to be or He is a liar or a madman. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6) and we can only be saved through this apparently foolish way of the cross. We’ve all experienced embarrassment, moments when we wish the floor would open up and swallow us! For us to be saved, however, we have to be willing to rock the boat for Christ, to be counted as a fool. The reward is eternal life. It’s worth it.