Not By Might, Nor By Power, But By My Spirit

May 25, 2026

On Saturday I attended the Barnsley Garden Party in the town centre and marvelled at the strength and creativity of Autin Dance Theatre as they shimmied up scaffolding that was 30 feet high and performed great athletic feats, hanging, swinging, and moving with grace and skill. Their physical strength was impressive, their stamina great as they performed for 45 minutes in scorching temperatures.
I admire physical strength and realise that this is built up through practice, determination and a lot of hard work.
God, however, works in ways that often seem counter-intuitive to what we see in the natural world. We often feel we must work hard, plan hard and organise well in order to know God’s blessing, and there’s nothing wrong with those things. Zechariah said, however, that it’s ‘not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit’ in God’s kingdom. (Zech 4:6)
God moves by His Spirit in ways that seem ridiculous to us – how could a bunch of people speaking foreign languages and appearing drunk be the start of the church!?! (Acts 2) How can the move of God as wind and fire really change the world? Yet Pentecost shows us that when God moves, great things happen, things beyond our wildest dreams, things beyond our planning and programmes. (Eph 3:20)
We need the Holy Spirit to breathe on us, to inspire us, to work through us. Crazy times require crazy people – people filled with the Spirit of God who dare to believe God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine

Hot Air Balloons

May 25, 2026

Yesterday as we reflected on Pentecost, we saw that God’s people need to be fuelled by the fire of the Holy Spirit and propelled by the wind of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:2-3) In that sense, we are like hot air balloons who, through the design of an envelope and gondola, are propelled by burning liquid propane. The breath of God and the fire of His Spirit are meant to lift us upwards so that we can soar like eagles (Is 40;31), having an eternal and divine perspective which breaks the chains that tie us merely to earth.
Wind is chaotic, however, often bringing debris and disrupting normal life in its wake. We must be prepared for God to bring mess into our lives, to disrupt our routines and plans, to surprise us! That first Pentecost looked bewildering to people – others speaking in foreign languages, people appearing to be drunk. God cannot be fitted into our human-made boxes. He is in control, and when He moves by His Spirit, we must make room for Him!
Fire is fuel. Rom 12:11-12 reminds us that we need to keep our spiritual fervour, not losing zeal as we serve God. Eph 5:18-20 reminds us of the need to be filled and re-filled with the Spirit; we need His burning energy in us to keep us afloat! God wants to fill us so that we soar above (Eph 2:6) and can witness to His goodness and compassion (see Ps 116:1-7). Pentecost is not just about a historical event (though we remember this with gladness.) It is an ongoing experience as we allow God to fill us and break all chains that tie us earth. It’s time to soar like a hot air balloon!

Wisdom

May 22, 2026

I’m meditating on wise words, wise actions and wise relationships as I prepare for our family fun days this summer and have been spending time pondering what God says about these things. One verse which has been on my heart is Micah 6:8, because this is what God says is good and is what He requires of us:
‘To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ (Micah 6:8)
Acting justly means we do what is right – not simply what is convenient or expedient. It means knowing what is right (just, fair, honourable), and this can only come as we dwell in God’s truth. What seems right to us is often tainted by selfishness or a desire for personal comfort. Acting justly can be extremely uncomfortable and costly.
Loving mercy is a necessary balance to justice, for we can easily become dogmatic, rigid, living by the letter of the law but failing to understand its spirit. Loving mercy guards us against the inflexible rigidity of the Pharisees, giving us an ability to care about individuals. Loving mercy is deeply personal and human (no AI advisor can help in this area!)
Walking humbly is one thing. This verse is up on the foyer wall of Horizon Community College in Barnsley, but the end of the verse (‘wtih your God’) is omitted. Humility on its own is not what God requires. He wants us to walk humbly with Him, so that our actions can be led and guided by Him. Humility acknowledges our lowliness in comparison to His greatness. It is not about self-deprecation, but means having a correct understanding of ourselves in relation to God (see Ps 8.)
This verse gives us so much to ponder and points us to a God-shaped wisdom, which can help us to navigate everyday life.

God Works in Unexpected Ways

May 17, 2026

Guest speaker Joy Gascoigne spoke from 1 Kings 17 today about how to react when things don’t go our way (or the way we think they should.) We need to try to get a grasp of the bigger picture in such circumstances, understanding that God’s delays and the inconveniences which sometimes trip us up can actually be used by Him for His glory.
God is good both in the light and in the dark, in the good and in the bad. His goodness is unaffected by our circumstances, but so often we struggle to believe this when life is difficult. Elijah found himself in difficult circumstances because of the drought and famine he had prophesied on God’s command, but God’s goodness led to HIs provision for him.
God is faithful and utterly reliable in all situations. He provided through different means for Elijah and helped him through the difficulties. When we are struggling, we can be sure that God is with us and will help us.
[Apologies that we did not livestream this sermon because of technical difficulties.]

Serving In The Church

May 11, 2026

Yesterday we continued looking at the question, ‘What is the church?’ We discussed the ministry gifts outlined in Ephesians 4 (the roles of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. understanding that God gifts people with certain skills to enable these roles to be fulfilled.) Sometimes, people can be anointed by God to certain roles at a young age (e.g. Samuel, Jeremiah), but sometimes these roles are developed later in life.
In Romans 12:4-8, we see a different set of gifts essential for the church’s growth and development. Some of these gifts seem very spiritual (prophecy, teaching) but others are more practical (encouragement, serving, generosity, leading). All are necessary.
The lists we see in Scripture about the church are not exhaustive. We talked about our local ministries and the gifts needed in our particular context (people to help at the Parent & Toddler group, musical gifts, technology and so on.) Each of us can be involved in the church; there should be no ‘spectators’ in church life. All of us are needed to help the church grow. Remember: your church needs YOU!

Walking In The Way of Holiness

May 3, 2026

Today we looked at Isaiah 35:1-10, a chapter which talks about God’s people walking in the way of holiness. Life is often described as a journey, and one of the first names for believers was people who belonged to the Way (see Acts 9:2, John 14:6) Jesus made it plain that the path of discipleship is narrow (see Matt 7:13-14), and Isaiah is equally clear that this way of holiness is only for those who have been cleansed by God; as C. H. Spurgeon put it, you can’t enter the road by paying your own toll. You are only allowed on this highway if you are cleansed by the great work of the Messiah.’ Isaiah makes this very clear, saying, ‘only the redeemed will walk there’ (Is 35:9) and ‘The unclean will not journey on it;wicked fools will not go about on it.’ (Is 35:8) 

All are invited and included in the ‘whosoever’ of the gospel, but we must choose to follow Jesus, and once we are on this road, we must continue in the way of holiness. Luke 9:57-62 shows us some of the excuses people had for not following Jesus, but we are urged to persevere in the faith. Isaiah gives us much encouragement about not being afraid (Is 35:4, see also Is 41:10,13, Is 43:1) and as God’s people, we can know the protection and help of God in every situation of life, and can see abundance replacing lack (Is 35:6-7).

We need to be reminded on our journey that we have the strong hope of the Lord to help us each day; we need the reminder that when God’s salvation comes, miraculous provision comes with it. What was dry and useless before can become well-watered and fruitful. (Is 35:1-2).

Isaiah also reminds us that we can know joy on this journey:

Jesus promised His disciples joy (see John 15:11) and God’s joy becomes our strength in all circumstances. (Neh 8:10)

To walk on the Way of Holiness is to follow Jesus wherever He leads. We are called to live as He commands, to be holy as He is holy (1 Pet 1:14-15), to continue to follow Him no matter what. Life is a journey that is not meant to be walked alone. We are called to walk with God (even as Enoch is described as walking faithfully with God, Gen 5:24); we are called to walk with each other, spurring each other on to love and good works. (Heb 10:24-25) As we walk, God promises to transform the desert into fruitful land and to give us joy and gladness. Let’s keep walking on the Way of Holiness, for this is our life’s mission. We are not yet at our final destination, but as we walk on this path, we are being transformed daily into the image of Christ, and we can wear the crown of everlasting joy and know God’s presence with us all, each step of the way.