Love In The Church

Jun 21, 2026

In our Bible discussion tonight we looked at what the church is supposed to look like, especially when it comes to love. Love is the defining action of a church (see John 13:34-35), and it’s true that more people leave a church because of a breakdown in relationships than because of disagreements over doctrine. We need to learn how to love and forgive, for our witness rests on our effectiveness in love.
Jesus demonstrated love and forgiveness to His disciples, especially when washing their feet. (John 13) He gave clear instructions about forgiveness (Matt 18) and about how to deal with problems with other believers. The church has to deal with three areas of ministry: God, other believers and the world, and it’s crucial we learn to love each other well (speaking the truth in love without putting people down or gossiping and helping each other in practical ways, as John urges us to.)
Christ’s love must be our compelling force (see 2 Cor 5:14-15), the motivation behind all our actions and service. Love must be sincere (Rom 12:9-10) and is our duty and obligation (Rom 13:8-10). We need to do all we can to remain in unity and to love and forgive so that we can be spiritually strong.

The Rich Young Ruler

Jun 19, 2026

In our Bible study tonight, we looked at the words of Jesus to a rich young ruler (a story told in Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31 and Luke 18:18-30.) In many ways, this conversation could be deemed a failure in that the man does not appear to have heeded the radical invitation to follow Jesus, valuing his own wealth and possessions more than obedience to God. But it is also a reminder that Jesus’s words to individuals were always personal and that He never resorted to manipulation or coercion in His interaction with people.

The man approaches Jesus, calling Him a ‘good teacher’, and wanting to know what he must do to enter eternal life. It is so easy to focus on doing, but Jesus, despite talking about the Law and the Commandments, reminds us that all these can do is to point us to our inability to enter eternal life on our own merits. He highlights the man’s focus on wealth, offering him the opportunity to let go of this in order to follow Him (something He does not do with other people, clearly showing a divine recognition of the real stumbling-blocks in the man’s way.) The man cannot deal with such a radical call to discipleship and leaves the conversation, sad.

Jesus points out the barriers that self-sufficiency (which wealth can so easily create) put up, using the humorous analogy of a camel trying to get through the eye of a needle. He uses the moment to teach the disciples important truths: what is impossible with man is possible with God. Salvation is humanly impossible, but possible through the actions of God in Christ. God is able to do what we cannot.

Through this conversation, Jesus shows us

  • the need for God to be number #1 in our lives
  • the need for repentance and radical discipleship
  • the need to understand God’s priorities above worldly ideas
  • the fact that salvation and eternal life are gifts from God – it’s impossible to have these on our terms alone, but with God, nothing is impossible and everything is, therefore, possible
  • the fact that God is no man’s debtor and rewards those who follow Him (but those rewards may well not be seen in material or earthly terms)

The question remains for us: will we follow Jesus or draw back from His demands on our lives?

Called By Name

Jun 14, 2026

Today we looked at our identity as people who are known by name and called by God. (Is 43:1) Names are a key way of identifying people even nowadays, and in the Bible, names were often very significant. The fact that God created and formed us (see also Ps 139) gives us worth and value; not only are we given a new name by Him (Rev 2:17), we gain access to the family name (God’s own name) through our new birth into His family.
Many characters in the Bible had name changes that reflected their encounters with and the promises of God. Abram (‘exalted father’) became Abraham (‘father of many nations‘), seeing the promises of God to him fulfilled through the miraculous birth of Isaac. Jacob, the wily deceiver, became Israel after his night-time wrestling match with God (Gen 32). Simon became Peter (the rock); Saul became Paul. Our lives are transformed by God’s presence and we are given new purpose and hope.
Our new identity as God’s people is to be called by God’s name. The name of Jesus, as those first disciples knew, was powerful. They prayed ‘in the name of Jesus’:Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ (Acts 4:30) They proclaimed healing in the name of Jesus: ‘In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ (Acts 3:6) When Peter went on to explain to the crowds what had happened to this lame man who was now jumping and praising God, he said, ‘By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.’ (Acts 3:16) Baptism was in the name of Jesus. (Acts 10:48) Church governance and judgments were made in the name of Jesus. (1 Cor 5:3) Praising and thanksgiving were done in the name of Jesus. (Eph 5:20) Paul recognised that the name of Jesus had power in all spiritual realms and declared ‘that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. (Phil 2:10) We are no longer bound to our old name, to our old way of living, to the sin life that used to dominate us. We are God’s new creation (2 Cor 5:17); we have God’s nature now living in us by His Holy Spirit. (Rom 6:1-13)
The characteristic of all who are called by name is to trust God and have faith in Him. This is seen clearly in Genesis 22, when God puts Abraham to the test in asking him to sacrifice his son of promise. If Isaac were killed, how could Abraham be the father of many nations? But by faith, he trusted God to answer that question and solve the problem, which God did, through the provision of a ram. We are called to have the same trusting faith as Abraham and to live out our new family name everywhere we go.

Coming Soon…

Jun 10, 2026

The summer holidays are really not that far away now!
Book in to our 3 fun days during the school holidays, all held at Goldthorpe Railway Embankment and the Salvation Army. We’ll be doing a range of indoor and outdoor crafts, activities and trails, with free lunch and drinks provided. Book in now by contacting Julie on 07729 421405 or emailing julie@gpcchurch.co.uk to help with catering.
We’ll be looking at how to live wisely and well through our words, actions and relationships – you’d be wise to book in now! Come to all 3 days or just book the one(s) you’re around for!

The Church And Society

Jun 10, 2026

This week we looked at the controversial and often difficult topic of the church and society. The church is urged to submit to the laws of a country wherever possible (Rom 13), but there are clearly times when the culture and ethics of a society are blatantly against God’s laws, and at that point, our duty is to obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29)

Holy rebellion is seen throughout the Bible: the midwives’ refusal to follow Pharaoh’s edict to kill all Hebrew boys (Ex 1), the refusal of Moses’s mother to kill him at birth, the lies of Rahab which saved the spies’ lives, the disobedience of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in placing God’s laws above the king’s. This kind of holy disobedience can be unpopular and have terrible personal consequences, as many discovered during the Second World War (e.g. Corrie Ten Boom and her sister who shielded Jews from the Nazis.) But as the apostles proved, we follow a God who is clear about our allegiance to Him mattering more than any other allegiance.
In the West, we have often associated society with the church, but the truth is that the church is called to be holy and distinct from the society around us. We are in the world but not of the world. (See John 17). May we have the courage of those first believers to stand for God over and above our fit in society

Tailoring Programme in India

Jun 10, 2026

Fredrick and Reeba have sent us details of the Empowerment for women tailoring ministry Graduation which happened in May 2026.
“On the 13th May by the grace of God, the tailoring graduation was a wonderful blessing. All the women were overjoyed and deeply thankful to receive their sewing machines. Many of them were moved to tears as they testified about how God has transformed their lives during these six months of training.
We witnessed the Lord answering many prayers and bringing peace, hope, and positive changes within their homes and families. Especially among several widows who were going through very difficult situations while living with their in-laws, we have seen God working miracles and changing circumstances in beautiful ways.
It was truly encouraging to see the hand of God moving in their lives and surrounding communities.”
We will be sending £600 to support the work of Fredrick and Reeba this month and are so pleased to hear of the success of their hard work.