John spoke this morning on the subuject of the cross, looking at Romans 5:1-11 as his main text.

1. The Planning of the Cross
The cross was no afterthought in God’s polans, but was planned before the foundation of the world (see 1 Peter 1:19-20, Revelation 13:8, Ephesians 1:4). It was no contingency plan, but was God’s only plan for salvation.

2. The Promise of the Cross
Just as Abraham realised that God would provide an offering when asked to sacrifice his promised son, Isaac, so too Jesus is the Lamb of God, the fulfilment of God’s promises to His people down the ages (see Genesis 18:18, Matthew 1).

3. The Pattern of the Cross
Without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sins and the Passover in the Old Testament foreshadowed the manner in which Jesus would obtain our salvation for us. Israel was liberated from the bondage of Egypt through the shedding of the blood of the lamb and we are liberated from the bondage of sin through the shedding of the blood of the Lamb of God. Jesus bore our punishment and became the sacrifice for sin; we only have to ‘look and live’.

4. The Passion of the Cross
Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame. God’s love was the motivating passion for sending Jesus to the cross (see John 3:16). We are assured of God’s abundant pardon (see Is 55:7) because of His great love for us, manifested on the cross.

5. The Purpose of the Cross
The cross was the means by which man was reconciled to God. Romans 5:8 reminds us that even while we were God’s enemies, His love was so great for us that Jesus died for us. Romans 8:15-16 tells us we are no longer slaves to a spirit of fear but have been adopted into God’s family and can call God our Father (‘Abba’). We are restored to the place of God’s children (1 John 3:2, John 1: 11-12).

6. The Power of the Cross
The cross gives us the ability to live in victory over sin. Romans 6:14 reminds us that we are no longer slaves to sin, but are slaves to righteousness. We are changed and set free by the power of the cross. Newness of life is available to us (Rom 6:19-23, 2 Cor 5:17).

7. The Priority of the Cross
Our priority now is to bear witness to what Christ has done on the cross (see Acts 5:32, Acts 13:32, 1 Tim 6:11-14). The most powerful way to bear witness to the cross is to live in the shadow of the cross. Just as Jonah’s mission was to preach to the Ninevites and see God work a transformation in these people, so we can see God transform our society as we bear witness to the importance of the cross.

8. The Position of the Cross
Historically, the cross is behind us, but it should always be the focus of our attention and it reminds us where we have come from and where we are going. Gal 6:14 says that we should glory only in the cross, which needs no embellishment. We have to press on, acknowledging the importance of the cross in our lives and in history.

9. The Preaching of the Cross
The cross is the only life-changing message in the world. Paul resolved to know nothing except Christ Jesus and Him crucified. The cross is the divine programme by which the Holy Spirit reveals sin, righteousness and judgment to the world.

Let’s focus on the cross!

Lest anyone thinks the title of this blog post holds unsavoury connotations, let me hasten to reassure you that this has nothing to do with books! This is the title of an instrumental guitar piece by Phil Keaggy, one of the pieces performed at Abbey Road Baptist Church, London, last night (though the video is from an earlier performance).
‘Shades of Green’, Phil Keaggy

Phil Keaggy is one of Garry’s all-time heroes. Some time ago, Mark did a sermon on ‘Heroes’ (March 2011) and I could imagine Garry citing Phil Keaggy as one of the major influences on his life to date. Phil is an amazingly skilful guitarist whose solo career has spanned more than 30 years, including over 50 solo albums, both vocal and instrumental, as well as 8 releases with his band, Glass Harp. According to his website, “one of the most sought after studio guitarists, Phil also continues to sell out concerts all over the United States, with his ever-changing style, ranging from rock-and-roll to fully orchestrated instrumental compositions.” It’s extremely rare for him to visit England, so you can imagine the cold sweat with which Garry greeted an email last week informing us that he was doing 3 concerts in the UK this week before heading over to Europe for more concerts!

One of those concerts was in London on Friday 7th June. We immediately contacted a friend of ours who lives near London and who also is a big Keaggy fan, but vicarious enjoyment wasn’t enough for Garry! He decided this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend a concert in person and an opportunity not to be missed! I wasn’t able to go because of work commitments, but from the buzz of conversation in our household this morning, I missed a treat (but have CDs to compensate to some extent!)

The concert was held at Abbey Road Baptist Church, not far from the famous Abbey Road recording studios of Beatles’ fame:

Phil Keaggy getting ready to play:

Signing autographs for Garry:

Garry & the maestro:

I have trained people well to ask for ‘photos for the church blog’, so this is the official blog photo:

A little while ago we had new front doors fitted, but these had warped and needed to be fixed. Dave spent the day with the joiner who was sorting this out:

The panels removed:

Fitting new panels:

From inside:

Last night we enjoyed a beautiful sunny evening and took the opportunity to take a prayer walk around Bolton-on-Dearne and Goldthorpe, focussing on praying at the local churches. It was very different from January’s snow and wind, but it’s important to pray no matter what the weather!

We started at the Methodist church on Furlong Road in Bolton-on-Dearne and moved on to pray at St Andrew’s, the parish church:

St Andrew’s is a very old church; there has been a church on that site since Saxon times and we could see how the building has both old stone and new stone which has been added in when repairs were needed. Peter tells us “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5) We are reminded of the faithful Christian witness in our locality over hundreds of years and the truth of Jesus’s words ‘I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.’ (Matthew 16:18) We are just the latest generation to serve God in our communities; we are immensely grateful for our spiritual heritage and pray that we may faithfully serve our generation and sow seeds which will bear fruit in years to come as well.

From there, we moved on to Goldthorpe, praying first at the Salvation Army building:

New doors and windows have just been added here and we are grateful for all that can be done to improve the buildings. Even more exciting is the community work being done by this local church to help the poor and needy and the spiritual fruit they are seeing from this work. We prayed that the motto of ‘Blood and Fire’ would continue to be relevant, for our salvation is based on the sacrifice of Jesus and we need the fire of the Holy Spirit to empower our daily lives.

The Catholic Church in Goldthorpe is no longer meeting in this building:

Instead, it holds meetings at the building of the Anglican church:

St John’s and St Mary Magdalene’s Church is a very different building to St Andrew’s. The church was designed by Alfred Y. Nutt of Slough in 1914 and built between 1915-16. It is an interesting early example of the use of re-enforced Ferro-concrete for both the building of churches and for church furniture. It is due to the unusual design, the revolutionary building technique and the materials used that have resulted in the Church and Presbytery being awarded Grade 2* listing status. Once again, we were struck by the diversity of the church buildings and how this reflects the diversity within each church community. God is a God of infinite variety and there is room for all kinds of buildings and traditions in His house!

We also prayed for the Marist convent in Goldthorpe.

As part of June’s prayer focus, we prayed not only for the ministries of the churches but also for those who have once attended but no longer do so to be drawn back to fellowship. We are grateful for the work that God is doing in every local church and for both the diversity and unity within these churches. We prayed for the relationships between the churches, that we may all work together in proclaiming the Gospel and in reaching out to those who do not yet know God’s love.

We had a great time!

The prayer meeting this Thursday (6th June) will take the form of a prayer walk, starting at the Methodist Church on Furlong Road in Bolton-on-Dearne. We will be walking around Bolton and Goldthorpe, praying especially for the local churches in these places and for those who have backslidden. All are welcome to join with us; we will end by meeting at church.

Continue to pray for those who once were close to God but who seem no longer to be interested in walking with Him or serving Him. Pray for God to rekindle the fire in their lives and for them to surrender again to God’s love and understand that He is the only way they can know peace and fulfilment in their lives.

Here are some further thoughts on chains, from a blog I regularly read by Nell Goddard (’Musings of a Clergy Child’, ‘Chains’)

“The chains of insecurity, of worthlessness and of anxiety weigh us down, even as they are undone.

But while we concentrate on the dead weight around our wrists and ankles, what we forget to remember is that the truth can, and the truth will, set us free. If only we were to raise our eyes from the ground, we would see a man, hanging on a cross, asking for our chains. Telling us he loves us. Telling us we’re worth it. Telling us not to worry because he’s got it under control, so we don’t have to. Telling us The Truth. And if we do raise our eyes from the ground, if we do stop to listen, just for a moment, if we do take a deep breath and, in faith, shake off those chains that have bound us for so very long, if we do listen to The Truth and choose to believe it, then it really will set us free.” (Nell Goddard, used with permission).

This song by Tim Hughes (‘Holding Nothing Back’) captures the thoughts we have been exploring in the family service on ‘Chains’:
“I am chosen,
I am free
I am living for eternity
Free now forever
You picked me up, turned me around
You set my feet on solid ground
Yours now forever.

Nothing’s going to hold me back
My chains fell off, my heart was free
I’m alive to live for You
I’m alive to live for You
Amazing love, how can it be?
You gave everything for me,
You gave everything for me.” (Tim Hughes, ‘Holding Nothing Back’)
Tim Hughes, ‘Holding Nothing Back’

Other songs which talks about chains and the freedom we have in Christ:
“The wonder of Your love
Will break the chains that bind us;
The power of Your touch
Releases us to worship.” (Hillsong, ‘The Wonder of Your Love’)
Hillsong, ‘The Wonder of Your Love’

“Like a rolling stone, like a runaway train
No turning back, no more yesterdays
My heart is free, no chains on me
God, You raise me up, up from the grave
The cross before, I’m on my way
My heart is free, no chains on me.” (Chris Tomlin, ‘No Chains On Me’)
Chris Tomlin, ‘No Chains On Me’

“My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
My God, my Saviour has ransomed me
And like a flood, His mercy rains
Unending love, amazing grace.” (Chris Tomlin, ‘Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)’)
Chris Tomlin, ‘Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)’

We also had a birthday to celebrate in advance: