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Littleborough Methodist Circuit
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From the Minister’s Study Unity–The
matrix for growth Walking on the Himalayas, two
tourists spotted a fellow tourist who had been overcome by the freezing
temperatures and collapsed by the wayside. Tourist A, who happened to be a
Christian, suggested to tourist B his colleague to try and help the man who
had fallen by the wayside. Tourist B replied, ‘Oh no we should not get
involved with him, that would risk our own lives.’ Tourist A said, ‘No we
cannot leave him to die, I would help him.’ Tourist B refused to help and
walked on. Tourist A struggled to lift the dying man onto his back and
carried him along. Through that struggled Tourist A got warmer and the heat
from his body, revived the freezing man. They both walked along together. A
few miles a head, they caught up with Tourist B who did not want to be
involved in helping having been overcome by the freezing temperature and
died. The moral of this story is that as the body of Christ, we grow and
revitalise our lives as we get involved with the struggles and problems of
others as well as our own. We grow through interactions. The genius of
Christian life is hidden in relationships. Our relationships take their cue
from the Godhead, which is in a relationship, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
One God. The life of any
organism is in its cells. Each one of us in this circuit matters and our
contributions matter to the greater good in accomplishing the Great
Commission in our time. The talents and gifts that God has given to each one
of us are to be used not only in our local churches but also to the wider
community. This includes our involvement in the circuit activities. Jesus
said, ‘Freely you have received, freely give’ (Matt 10:8). Paul quotes Jesus
as saying, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ (Acts 20:35). The
message here is that we never lose by giving. We can only gain. The apostle
Paul writing to the Christians in Rome exalted them as follows: ‘Just as each
of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the
same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member
belongs to all the others (Rom 12:4–5). In addressing the Corinthian
Christians regarding spiritual gifts, Paul makes the point that the gifts of
the Spirit are given for the common good (1 Cor 12:7). He goes on to say ‘The
body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body’ (1 Cor 12:12). Paul alludes in this passage unity
in diversity, but not uniformity. When I appeal for
unity in the circuit, I do not mean uniformity but rather unity in diversity.
By this I mean, while retaining the distinct features that define our local churches,
let us get the big picture of our corporate calling. Let us capture the wider
vision of being salt and light to our community. Let us focus on Kingdom
values, which will always be greater than our private agenda. Let me
illustrate, you may be gifted as a painter and decorator. You may have
offered to God as part of your tithe in thanksgiving to God, 10 hours per
year of free decorating, whenever your local church is in need of decorating.
Let us assume that your local church does not need decorating for the next 5
years, but there may be another church in the circuit in desperate need of
decorating. By offering those ten hours to that church, you contribute more
to the kingdom than waiting until the next time your church needs decorating.
Supposing there are 10 such talent offerings, we would have 100 hours a year
of free decorating and our churches will look immaculate throughout the
circuit, and have surplus to reach out in community service to those
under-privileged members of society who cannot afford decorating, the widows,
unemployed and elderly. What a witness to our community that would be! I have
taken the above as a basic talent, supposing we did the same with other gifts
and talents, how much would be accomplished in our circuit and community
without spending hefty sums of money? Together, we achieve more and grow
more and faster. Unity is the matrix of growth. LET US GROW TOGETHER. Daniel Building a
better life (Adapted from a sermon broadcast on from the Keswick convention, 22 July 2001) Capenwray Hall is a Christian
community, conference and retreat centre in Lancashire. Last year, it had a
building project. Members of the community were doing the building work
themselves. A young Japanese Buddhist, who was travelling around the world, came
to visit them and asked if he could stay and help with the work. The
community agreed and he worked with them for several months. During a meeting at
the end of that time, the young man spoke up. ‘You proclaim faith in a God
whose Spirit lives inside His followers,’ he said. ‘You say you follow Jesus
Christ. I’ve lived and worked with you for some months now and I’ve been
watching you.’ He produced a notebook. There was a name at the top of each
page, followed by notes. ‘I’ve been making notes,’ he continued. ‘I’ve noted
the things in your lives that say the faith you profess is true and the
things you’ve said and done that say that it isn’t true. Some of you do not
live by the faith you profess.’ There was a silence. He went on: ‘But some of
you do.’ He then named a few individuals in the latter category, and one man
in particular, of whom he said, ‘I’ve worked with you in rain and shine, on
days when the cold and wet just made me want to do anything to get out of
working on that roof. But you were always there, always getting on with it,
always the same. You are the reason why I’m becoming a Christian today.’ That young Buddhist
had seen the story of Jesus lived out in that man’s life, and its attraction
was so irresistible, it brought him to salvation. Does your life
reflect the life of Jesus in you? Does mine? It has been said that God has
given us three Testaments: the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the YOU
Testament . . . and we can be sure that the first Testament most
non-believers will read is the YOU Testament. Only if they are convinced by
that will they start to read the New Testament. Be very careful,
then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every
opportunity . . . put off your old self, which is
being corrupted by deceitful desires; . . . and
. . . put on the new self, created to
be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 5:15 and 4:22 and 24.) Jesus—Light
of the World I’m sure this picture is familiar
to most of us: it’s the ‘Light of the World’ by William Holman Hunt, and has
been enormously popular since it was painted in 1854. Personally, I find it
rather sentimental, but that’s just my taste and isn’t important. What is
more important is the message it seems to be giving about Jesus. We see him looking mild and rather resigned, knocking gently at a door, and
carrying a dim lantern, which illuminates the area immediately around, but
leaves the rest, including His face, in shadow. The
painting is meant to illustrate Revelation 3:20 ‘Here I am! I stand at the
door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in
and eat with him, and he with me.’ But
the Bible’s view of Jesus as the Light of the World is quite different. Look
at Luke’s description of Him at the Transfiguration: ‘As he prayed, the
aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as
lightning’ (Luke 9:29), so bright that those who looked at it were dazzled
and terrified. In Hebrews 1:3, Jesus is described as ‘The radiant light of God’s
glory and the perfect copy of his nature, sustaining the universe by his
powerful command.’ So this is no dim little lantern: it is a light so bright
that nobody who saw if could ever be the same again. In Exodus 34, that same Light of God shone on Moses on Mount Sinai. When he came down from the mountain, his
face was shining so brightly that he had to veil it because the people were
too afraid even to look at him! The fire that led the Israelites in the desert by night was said to be
this same light—the ‘Shekinah,’ the glory of God. This
is the Light of Christ or, as St Paul puts it: ‘It is the same God that said,
‘Let there be light shining out of darkness’, who has shone in our minds to
radiate the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, the glory on the face of
Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4:6). So when Jesus says He is the ‘light of the
world’ (John 9:5), he is not talking about a dim lantern, he’s talking about
the tremendous, dazzling, blinding light of God’s glory, that struck St Paul
blind on the road to Damascus, and that will light up heaven for all
eternity. Look how the book of Revelation describes the New Jerusalem, ‘. . . and the city did not need the sun or the moon for
light, since it was lit by the radiant glory of God and the Lamb was a lighted
torch for it’ (Revelation 21: 23). Jo
Monk Bless my
sole ! A 4-year-old boy was asked to give thanks for the dinner
placed before them. The
family members bowed their heads in expectation. He began his prayer,
thanking God for all his friends, naming each one. He then thanked God for
his Mum, Dad, brothers, sisters, Granny, Grandad, and all his aunts and
uncles. Then he began to thank God for the food. He gave thanks for the fish,
the gravy, the potatoes, even the pies and cakes for dessert. Then he paused, and
everyone waited, and waited, and waited. After a long silence, the boy looked
up at his mother and asked, ‘If I thank God for the broccoli, won't he know
that I'm lying?’ Do
we sometimes lie to God in our prayers, when we All of life is
God’s—only sin is secular Did You
Know? It
seems as though the ancient Jews thought a lot about Angels, and had lots of
traditions about them. For example, some thought that the angels were renewed
or re-created every morning and, after they had praised God, they ‘returned
to the stream of fire from whence they came.’ This is what the writer of
Hebrews meant when he said, ‘God makes his angels winds, his servants flames
of fire’ (Hebrews 1:7) Many
Jews were so overawed with God that they believed that God did not speak
directly with Moses, when The Law was given, but spoke it to an Angel. It was
the Angel who then communicated it with Moses. St Stephen, the first martyr,
seems to have held this view, when he said, ‘You have received the law that
was put into effect through angels’ (Acts 7:53). Galatians 3:19 says more or
less the same thing. Notes · Quotes · Anecdotes
Jesus said: No man cometh to the Father–but by me Christianity can be condensed Wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared with it.
Proverbs 8:11. Cameo
Character Corner He walked with God
(Genesis 6:9) Florence Answering:
The Jehovah’s Witnesses The Jehovah’s Witnesses were formed in America in 1880, and currently number
about 2.5 million. They claim to be Christians, although their version of the
Bible (the New World version) is significantly different from ours in
several key verses. The
main doctrinal differences separating the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the
mainstream Churches, such as our own Methodist Church, are: ·
They
say that Jesus is the Son of God, but is not God himself ·
The
Jehovah’s Witnesses say they know the time of Jesus’ Second Coming ·
They
say that justification is by works, not by grace ·
Only the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ own interpretations of Scripture
are permitted. These
ideas are challenged below using verses from the Bible. 1 ‘Jesus is the Son of God, but is not God’ 1.1 Jesus’
own words deny this claim: ·
Jesus
said, ‘The Father and I are one’ (John 10:30) ·
Jesus
said to the apostle Philip, ‘If you knew me, you would also know my Father: from now on you do know Him and
have seen Him (John 14:7) ·
After
Jesus healed a paralytic, he first offering to forgive the man’s sins. All
those present protested that only God can forgive sins (Luke 5:21,22) 1.2 The
words of the apostles also deny this claim: ·
John
said, ‘The word was with God and the word was God’ (John 1:1) ·
Thomas
said to Jesus, ‘My Lord and my God’ (John 20:28) ·
Paul
said ‘For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Jesus’ (Colossian
1:19) ·
Paul
also said, ‘All the fullness of the deity lives in Christ’ (Colossians 2:9) ·
‘The
Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being
(Hebrews 1:3) ("God’s Glory" here is explained in Rev. 21:23) ·
About
the Son, He [God] says, ‘Your throne O God . . .’ (Hebrews 1:8) ·
Waiting
for . . . our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13) 2 ‘The Jehovah’s Witnesses know the time of Jesus’ second Coming’ This
idea is denied by Jesus himself, who said, "No one knows about that day
or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Matthew
24:36). The idea is also contradicted by Jesus in Mark 12:40, by John in
Revelation 16:15 and Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 3 ‘Justification is by works’ The
Bible clearly states, "It is by grace you have been saved,
through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by
works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9) and "God has
saved us and called us to holy—not because of anything we have done but
because of his own purpose and grace" (2 Timothy 1:8–10) 4 ‘Only the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ own interpretations of
the Scriptures are permitted’ Paul said to his helper Timothy,
"You know the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for
salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed . . . (2 Timothy 3:15–17). The Scriptures could not
make Timothy wise if he had to wait till the advent of the Jehovah’s
witnesses to know what they meant! Rather, the phrase ‘God-breathed’ implies
the Holy Spirit inspired the writing of all Scripture. Paul
reminded the Church in Corinth that all believers are a Temple of the Holy
Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) meaning that the Holy Spirit lives in us, and he
helps us to understand the Scriptures he inspired, and not the elders of the
Jehovah’s Witnesses. Indonesia Indonesia is made up of an
archipelago of thousands of islands between Asia and Australia. There are more than 300 local languages. The people range
from stone-age hunter-gatherers to a modern urban elite. Indonesia
has seen much turmoil over the past four years: particularly following the
fall of President Suharto after 32 years in office. He fell from power
following wide-spread rioting in 1998 and has escaped justice for his decades
of dictatorship. The country has also experienced the first free elections
since the 1960s, the loss of East Timor, demands for independence from
several provinces, bloody inter-ethnic and religious conflict and many
corruption scandals.
Population: 225 million Capital: Jakarta The major religion is Islam
(Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim country), but Java is mainly Hindu
and the Spice Islands (also called the Moluccas Islands) are essentially
Christian. Please pray ·
For
peace for in this war-torn country ·
For
the new President, Mrs Megawati Sukarnoputri ·
For the Christians being persecuted in the Spice Islands, and for
their persecutors to come to know Jesus Social Action Page: Indonesia "Are you a follower of
Christ? Then you will also follow him in his death." These words were spoken
by an Islamic extremist to an Indonesian Christian who was then crucified and
left to die. As the international news media focuses on the recent change of
government in Indonesia, the appalling anti-Christian violence in the Spice
Islands region continues largely unreported. On 20 May, at least
6 Christians were murdered and seventeen injured in a late-night attack by
Islamic militants in Ambon, the largest of the Spice Islands (or Moluccas).
Amid gunfire and the explosion of home-made bombs, the militants crept
through Christian neighbourhoods, knocking on the doors of houses, then
slashing at the occupants with machetes and bayonets when they were opened.
Dozens of Christian homes were burnt to the ground. The raiders were
successfully repelled by the military in some areas, but in others the
security forces were accused of standing back and doing nothing to stop the
extremists. Christian and Muslim
leaders have called for international intervention, and moderate Muslims are
appalled at what is happening to their Christian neighbours. Many Muslims
have also been hurt and killed in the violence, which has political as well
as religious roots: some people have a vested interest in maximising the instability in
order to bring down the democratic Government. But it is Christians who are
suffering in the Spice Islands. The leader of the Laskar Jihad Islamic extremists, Ustad
Attamini, said on 11 May, ‘We will have no reconciliation before all
Christian infidels and their leaders are butchered and killed.’ Please
·
Write to the following people,
reminding them of this terrible situation and challenging them to call for
the United Nations to intervene and for an end to the killing: Rt Hon Jack Straw MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs, Foreign Office, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH Mr Kofi Annan, Secretary General, United Nations, PO Box
20, New York 10163, USA (Copies
of sample letters are available from Jo Monk if required, Tel: 374614) Why don’t you come to Church? A minister saw a man at the grocery store whom he hadn’t seen in church
for many years. He approached the man, and asked him why he didn't come to
Church. The minister said, ‘It sounds like
the next time you’ll come, we’ll throw dirt on you.’ Favourite Hymns The Weatherman’s Hymn: ‘There shall be showers of
blessings’ The Contractor’s Hymn: ‘The Church’s one foundation’ The Optician’s Hymn: ‘Open my eyes that I might see’ The Dentist’s Hymn: ‘Crown Him with many crowns’ The Golfer’s Hymn: ‘There is a green hill far away’ The Politician’s Hymn: ‘Standing on the promise’ The Shopoholic’s Hymn: ‘Sweet by and by’ The Insurance Man’s: ‘Blessèd Assurance’ The Electrician’s Hymn: ‘Send the light’ The Tax Man’s Hymn: ‘I Surrender all’ The Tailor’s Hymn: ‘Holy Holy Holy’ The Gossip’s Hymn: ‘Pass it on’ |
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