Bible Sunday 25th October

Bible Sunday is this coming Sunday (25th October), with both services (10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m.) celebrating the role of the Bible in every Christian’s life. Find out what our favourite Bible verses are and why and how the pieces of the Bible jigsaw fit together! Don’t forget that there will be a Christian bookstall on Sunday, with books, calendars, Christmas cards and devotional guides on sale.

Baptismal Service 7th November

On Saturday 7th November at 6 p.m. there will be a baptismal service at GPCC. Always one of our favourite celebrations, a baptismal service celebrates new life in Christ and gives the opportunity to hear about what God is doing in the lives of local people. If you’d like to be baptised, contact Garry or Julie for further information. After the service (which will use our new portable baptistery for the first time), there will be refreshments served, so come along to find out more about this important outward sign of God’s grace in our lives.

Mission Aviation Fellowship visit 15th November

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) will be visiting us on Sunday 15th November at 6 p.m. Come along to find out more about this amazing charity, which seeks to fly missionaries and medical help to remote areas of the world. Hear what God’s doing in other parts of the world and be encouraged as you learn about what a difference each person can make.

We also had a birthday to celebrate (the children keep getting in on these birthday photos!)

Guest speaker Yan Hadley spoke tonight on the questions God asks us. Often, we may be puzzled by these questions, since God is all-knowing (John 2:25 reminds us that Jesus knew what was in people’s hearts, so we might think His questions were irrelevant or unnecessary.) We are all too familiar also with Satan’s devious questions (see Gen 3), but God’s questions, however initially baffling to us, are completely different in purpose.

God’s questions set us free from sin and shame. In Gen 3:9 when God asked Adam, ‘Where are you?’, He wanted Adam to realise their relationship had been broken by sin, causing him to stop and reflect on what he had done. Effectively, God’s question was intended to draw Adam out of the shadows of shame into the light of life. John 8:3-11 reminds us that no one can accuse us; Rom 8:33-34 asks us ‘Who shall condemn us?’ with the clear answer that no one can condemn those whom God has justified.

God’s questions also lead to healing from emotional pain. Jesus asked Mary ‘Why are you weeping?’ (John 20:15), showing an interest in and care for her wellbeing which led to her healing. Questions can show us that someone cares about us, which can be the first step to healing. God is close to the broken-hearted and is able to turn our weeping into dancing (see Ps 30:11).

God’s questions restore us from failure. John 21:15-17 shows us Jesus questioning Peter after his betrayal, leading Peter to understand that God had a plan and purpose for him even after his calamitous betrayal. No matter how many times we fail God, He is able to restore us; He is able to set us free from the hold failure would exercise over us so that we can be set free.

God’s questions liberate us from self-doubt and insecurities. Ex 4:2 shows us God asking Moses ‘What is that in your hand?’, but the ordinary staff could be turned into a snake at God’s command. God is able to use the ordinary to do extraordinary things; all He requires from us is our willing obedience. He is the one who blesses us with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3) and therefore He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ever imagine or dream! (Eph 3:20)

God’s questions can help us to conquer shyness and lack of self-confidence. Mark 5:21-34 tells us of a woman healed by touching the hem of Jesus’s cloak; when He asked ‘Who touched me?‘, she wanted to remain hidden. His question was not intended to humiliate her, but to give her opportunity to testify what God had done for her. Questions can be a powerful doorway to testimony.

God’s questions encourage overcoming faith (see 1 John 5:4). In Mark 10:51, Jesus asks the question ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ His question encouraged Bartimaeus to articulate his longings. God hears our cries and wants us to keep on believing that He is not only able to do all we ask of Him but willing to answer our deepest longings.

Mark spoke this morning on the subject of anointing. A petrolhead is a car fanatic, someone who is obsessed with cars, motorbikes and other petrol-related equipment! All Christians are, however, oilheads, for they receive God’s anointing for blessing and service.

Gen 28:10-22 tells the story of how Jacob had an encounter with God through a dream as he slept. When he awoke from this vision of angels descending from and ascending on a ladder from heaven, he realised ‘surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it.’ (Gen 28:16). The stone pillow he had used became part of an altar on which he poured oil; Bethel (the house of the Lord) became to him a consecrated place.

God reaffirmed His presence and promise to Jacob (Gen 28:13-15) and thus we see how blessing and anointing go hand in hand, with God giving us what is needful, even when we are tired and at the end of ourselves.

A personal anointing from God is needed by us all. Ps 23:1-4 reminds us how God is our Shepherd and leads us and guides us in all circumstances. Even in the midst of trouble, we can know God’s provision and presence as He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies; God can provide a table of blessing for us in the middle of fear, rage and uncertainty. When God pours the oil on us, we receive more blessing than we can possibly contain; our cup runs over; there is an overflow to others.

This personal anointing leads to a family anointing (see Ps 133). When we live together in unity, God commands His blessing to remain on us, overflowing as the anointing oil did (covering Aaron’s head, beard and clothes.) This blessing from God enables us to bless others; it is something which draws people in to God’s presence and the cycle of blessing thus continues.

We also had a birthday to celebrate tonight!

Dave spoke from Phil 3:7-16 tonight, focussing on the need to press on in God, not being satisfied with all we have experienced so far, but understanding that there is so much more to be explored and experienced in God. God gives us the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit to enable us to grow and to be His witnesses, but so often, we fail to shine even brighter in our journey with God (see Prov 4:18), stalling in our progress through a variety of reasons. The word ‘mediocre’ comes from two words meaning halfway to the peak, and so often we settle for mediocrity in life, having moved on from the valley but not progressing up to the mountain top.

The reasons for this are various. Sometimes we are not willing to count the cost for God, drawing back when we hear His voice and challenge. Jesus made it plain (Luke 9:23) that there is a daily cost of self-denial and surrender required of discipleship, but often we draw back from this. Salvation is a beginning, a gateway into the fulness of God; even though we know Christ, we need to press on into knowing Him more. Our independent streak which leads to disobedience must be tamed if we are to press on.

Sometimes we are sidetracked by chronic discouragement, always applying God’s word to someone else, believing they may prosper and flourish, but being resigned to never progressing personally. We need to understand that this fulness of life (John 10:10) is on offer to every single one of us and must rise about discouragement to press on to receiving this fulness.

Sometimes we draw back because we are afraid of looking strange or being seen as too ‘extreme’. We have to be totally ‘sold out’ for God, however, recognising that radical surrender will always look strange to others, but what matters is a heart panting after God. (Ps 42 & 43). Just as a canny barman places salted peanuts on the bar to encourage people to eat and become thirsty (thereby buying more drinks), without a thirst for God, we will not press on. This thirst cannot be created by others, however, but must be present for us to move on in God.

Phil 3:15-16 reminds us that all of us who are mature need to be pressing on even further. There is no room for a lack of progress; however long we have walked with God, there is still more to explore, more to understand, more to experience. Let’s not settle for mediocre Christianity, for being ‘average’, but let’s seek to press onwards and upwards in Him, reaching for that heavenly prize.