An active church serving the
Five Towns area of West Yorkshire, U.K.

Speaker 11 November: Chris Jack
Subject: Be Thankful
Bible passage: 1 Corinthians 1 v 1-9

Paul always starts his letters with thanksgiving & prayer, and constantly writes about being thankful. By stark contrast, so much of what we hear in the world is whining and complaining from people who tend to focus on the negatives and not on the positives.

Paul was writing to a church with many problems. We all have troubles and hardships, but as Christians we can take a different perspective on them and have the resources to get through them. We can focus on the negatives or on the positives, it’s all about how we reflect on things and respond to situations.

There is a lot in our lives which we cannot control, but what we do control is our outlook. Life is full of choices, not just in what we do, but in how we think and respond to the things that happen. Paul is always giving thanks to God; for a Christian the right attitude is gratitude, whatever our circumstances. 

But, what do we give thanks to God for? We should not be thankful purely for our material prosperity and comforts, but as we see in Paul, we should give thanks for other people, for the church. How often do we give thanks for one another and for the grace of God in one another’s lives? How often do we tell the people that we are thankful for them?

Let’s all learn a spirit of thankfulness and express it to one another. Every one of us this week should tell someone that were thankful for them and tell them why.
 

Report by Craig Weathers; photo by Tony Hall

Speaker 4 November: Goos Vedder
Subject: Daniel
Bible passage: Daniel

In ice skating, the players’ aim is to skate where the puck is going and not to where it has been. This should also be our aim with the Church. This determines whether we are either a prophetic or an ordinary church.

It is time to look at where we should be engaging with people. The ‘puck’ is going outside the building and we need to be prophetic in our approach - how we engage with people. To do this we need to learn the language of the people.

In the book of Daniel we learn that Daniel had been taken exile to a foreign country, however his attitude was never bitter. He saw that the exile was ordained by God and realised he was there to do God’s work in Babylon. Therefore, he had to learn the language of Babylon. We have to realise that when God shakes our lives he is preparing us for what it is to come.

Daniel continued in Babylon for 70 years. This was not a two-year success story; he outlasted kings! In the same way we need to continue in our own walks with God.

Report by Chris Weathersl

Speaker 28 October: Phil Jones
Subject: Christ in us, the hope of glory
Bible passage: Colossians 1:24 – 2:5

Continuing from the last time Phil spoke (8 Sept) - when we look at Paul’s letter to the Church in Colossus, in particular chapter 1:24-25, what lessons can we apply to our life when we study Paul’s outlook on life after he became a servant of the gospel?

The next verse where we see another indicator of what changed about Paul’s outlook following his encounter with Christ is verse 27. It is the single word ‘glorious’ – this is Paul’s opinion that tells us he was absolutely wrapped with the fact that Christ could dwell in him. We can deduce that Paul was excited about this. We are able to have Christ dwell in us and this is the hope of glory.

This became a new value in Paul’s life. If we don’t value what are God’s values for his church, then we will fall short of what God wants for us. Has the church become too used to this value over the last 2000 years?

Paul, as a Jew, didn’t have to change his view of God much from before to after his conversion, but he had to accept Jesus and realise that Christ was in him. This hope of glory is central to so many things. It should be what drives us, protects and conditions our thinking.

The end of verse 27 is a turning point; Paul goes on from there to write about what he does, which is driven from this hope of glory. We, who have had these glorious riches revealed, are the ones to tell others what it means and what they have been made for. We carry with us a treasure wherever we go. What are we like at talking about it? Is this one of the things we’re interested in so much that we just want to tell people about it?

Report by Phil Grovesl

Speaker 21 October David Matthew
Subject: Colossians: Imaging God
Bible passage: Colossians 1:15-23

‘The Son is the image of the invisible God’ (Col 1:15).

An image is a representation of something, just as a ‘graven image’ or idol represents the alleged deity behind it. Jesus represents the invisible Father; he is God with a human face. But he is not just like God; he is God in his essential nature (as the Council of Nicea in 325 AD rightly concluded). He is ‘the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being’ (Heb 1:3).

Humans, too, were made in God’s image (Gen 1:26-27). Sin’s arrival in Eden, while not eradicating the image, tarnished it, and we stand in Adam’s line as sinners. Then, to put things right, Jesus came as the second Adam (1 Cor 15:47), beginning a new ‘race’ of people who were in his line, not by creation, but by the ‘new creation’ (2 Cor 5:17). As Christians we inherit from him a new DNA and we increasingly ‘bear the image of the heavenly man’ (1 Cor 15:49).

This transformation comes about by a ‘change of clothing’ – see Paul’s baptismal language in Col 3:9-10 – and by the Holy Spirit’s work within us, by which ‘we are being transformed into Christ’s image (1 Cor 3:18). The process will be complete only when he returns. Meanwhile, we are to co-operate with the Spirit who is bringing it about. Co-operating might include:

• Reading the Gospels again and notice Jesus’ actions and attitudes.
• Re-assessing our own character in the light of his.
• Resolving to make the necessary adjustments.
• Remembering we are not alone in this: the Holy Spirit will help us.

How like Jesus are you? Is the family likeness evident? As they observe us, will non-Christians be drawn to Father by what they see in us, his kids?

 Report by David Matthew

Speaker 14 October: Brian Weathers
Subject: Prayer of the Individual
Bible passage: Various

Do we find our own prayer life easy or difficult? What sorts of burdens do we have and what ‘pushes our buttons’? As Christians we have been called to a holy life and also to a life of prayer. When Jesus teaches about personal prayer, he encourages us to be alone and to pray to our Father who is unseen (Matthew 6:6). This will be different from person to person, but whether in our own room or out walking, God sees what is done in secret.

Three important areas of prayer life are praise, confession and petition. God is sovereign and the wonderful gift of prayer - being able to fellowship with him, anytime and anyplace - is not simply for our requests. The author of many of the Psalms, David, constantly praised the Lord throughout his prayers. In Psalm 139:14, David summed up beautifully, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” What leaves us in adoration and causes us to say “Praise the Lord!”?

Confessing to God the things that we’ve done wrong is something that often makes us uncomfortable but is so important in our relationship with God. This needs to be in our prayer on a daily basis. 1 John 1:9 states that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us.

Our petitions and requests before God need to be in line with God’s will. We have been given examples of answered prayer like those of George Muller, a man who relied on God’s provision in caring for orphans, who constantly prayed and was constantly receiving answers to his petitions. It is good to pray for and with our children and continue even when they become more independent. Praying with young children will embed a spirit of prayer in them.

Report by Catherine Weathers

Speaker 7 October Trevor Jones
Subject: Characteristics of the Early Church - 5
Bible passage: Acts 2:42-47

The early church saw things happen (Mark 16:17-18, Acts 2:22). But if all people look for are signs and wonders then they are missing the point. We shouldn’t have a ‘name it and claim it’ attitude. Acts 2:42-43 shows that miraculous signs and wonders were seen by those who devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship and prayer.

We too should live disciplined lives as an example and encouragement to others. We are on show to the world and they should see God in us. We don’t have to do this alone - we are part of one body in Christ. Acts 2:44-46 tells us that the believers were together, caring and sharing with each other. Although they met daily in the temple courts, they also met in one another’s homes and ate together.

If we want to reap the benefits, we have to be giving of ourselves. This doesn’t necessarily mean selling everything we have, but by ensuring we have only a loose hold on material things and giving as we can. This is not just money, but our time and our hospitality, and doing so with “glad and sincere hearts” (v46).

Because of the Apostles’ devotion to God’s word and fellowship with others, many people were saved (v47). This is an example to all of us. We will see great things from God when we expect them and attempt great things for him. It may be costly - but it’s worth it!
 

Report by Hannah Groves