September 2002
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Littleborough Methodist Circuit 'The Lit-borough'
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From the Minister’s Study
All change¾the challenge of moving on (Phil.
3:12-14)
This time of the year is
characterised by change. Soon the summer blossom will be replaced by the
autumn brown and gold colours, which soon will be replaced by the winter
frost, lifelessness or perhaps snow. This time of the year ushers a lot of
change as children leave school, or home for the first time. School pupils
start life at College, or leave home to start working life away from home
testing independence for the first time. Some people will have started as
families as most weddings tend to take place in the summer. Methodist
minister’s across the connexion change stations in August. September sees the
beginning of Methodist fiscal year with all new changes, perhaps new
stewards, new staff or even a new minister. Change is not is easy but it is
the catalyst that provides new opportunities of moving on. A lot has
happened in the last two years in our circuit: New Circuit Office fully
equipped, New Property, new projects, new Bible Study fellowships along with
challenges of new dry rots, vandalism and death of loved church members.
Overall, a lot has happened that we can be thankful for. But I feel like
Karen and Richard Carpenter who turned the phrase “We’ve only just begun”
into a hit song. Change is the antidote to complacency and the best medicine
against death and decline. To facilitate the growth we all along for, and
have been trusting God for using what has become our circuit motto: “we
can do all things through Christ who strengthens us”; we must be prepared
to make changes. Michael Harbour in his article, With the Joy of a
Beginner, makes the point that “The mission of the church is to make
disciples. A disciple is a learner. I know that very often we get folks in
the church who think that they have already learned it all. They have thought
enough or have done enough and would rather not have their comfort disturbed
by anything new. I am not convinced that when a church is filled with people
who are no longer learning, that community is no longer being faithful to
God. Those folks are no longer disciples”. My exaltation to you all
friends is “ we’ve only just begun dreaming our dreams” ! It is now
time to begin implementing them Life in the
Spirit calls us to move on and try something different. As we grow both
physically and spiritually there will be things we’ll need to keep and others
we’ll need to discard, perhaps an outdated church activity. It doesn’t mean
that the things we discard were not valuable, it just means we have to move
on. Life is about movement. God is too. Each day provides opportunity for new
perspectives and possibilities, but to notice these, we need the heart and
mind of a disciple, a learner. The Apostle Paul summed it beautifully in
these words: “I do not mean to say that I have already achieved these
things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward
that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants
me to be. No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but
I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and
looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and
receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us up to
heaven” (Philippians 3:12–14) I welcome you
all into this new Methodist connexional year and implore each one of us to
have the heart of a disciple (a learner), ready to move on in the Great
Commission: MAKING DISCIPLES FOR THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, ready to make the
changes necessary to move on. Remember the formula: “Disciple one double
the church”. If each one us brought one we will double our church. Bon voyage
in our new adventure, moving on to greater and better things. Daniel Every act of kindness and compassion done by any person
for his fellow Christian is done by Christ working within him Julian
of Norwich The complex Christian view of the Old
Testament
It has been normal in the
Christian Church, because of the high regard for Scripture, to take all the
history sections as true. Genesis through to Job, but even the rest of the
books¾Psalms to Malachi¾contain many historical passages
and details. For the time of
Abraham and onwards, Archaeology provides a huge corpus of confirmation and
helpful insight. Chapters 1–11 of Genesis a battlefield for Evolution and
Special creation scientists. Poetry is to be
understood as figurative, except where there are historical references,
unequivocal doctrinal intimations and prophecy about the future. Prophecy may be
‘forth telling’
or ‘foretelling’¾respectively, giving God’s
message, or pointing to the future. In all prophetic revelation, there may be
more than one interpretation or fulfilment. There is always a strong
‘Messianic hope.’ A The Law,
Genesis to Deuteronomy, requires careful analysis. The morality of the Law is
upheld, and even developed by our Lord. The ‘cultus’ (or ‘ritual’) of the Law
is fulfilled in Christ: the atoning sacrifices point to the Great Sacrifice of the Cross. Sanitation, medical and dietary
laws are not as binding, and often contain a point of symbolism. Because
Israel was seen as God’s Kingdom (it was a ‘theocracy’), the mind of God can
be observed in the judgments on sin and civil law breaking. Most of the Ten
Commandments can carry the death penalty; and they are detailed in many more
than the ten definitions. Because the Church is usually seen as a persecuted
minority within a secular state (Psalm 110), the Church has a limited number
of sanctions, which we should not forget. They are ‘delivering to Satan’ (within the permitted will of God),
temporary expulsion, sending to Coventry, admonishing (public or private),
counselling: all with the hope of repentance and restoration. Proverbial
and Wisdom passages move between earthy experiences, human nature
(psychology), the moral, and the Scriptural (Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes and
the Song of Songs). Do we believer everything we read in the Bible? Watch out
for the speeches of Satan and the ‘Friends’ in the Book of Job. St Paul
expected even the non-Jews and slaves of the Corinthian Church to be able to
understand his Old Testament allusions and proofs. “All Scripture is God
breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the godly person may be fully equipped for every good
work.” Followers of
Jesus must hold HIS regard for the Old Testament. Anon Book reviewMethodism and the Future Edited
by Jane Craske and Clive Marsh, Continuum, £14.99 This thought-provoking
book collects together a series of essays, most of which are by Methodists,
and all of whom are under 40. Despite the denomination of its authors, it
raises serious questions for all thinking Christians, whatever their Church
background. The
scope of this book is well advertised by its subtitle So
what does keep the younger generation in church? What do they believe are the
strengths and weaknesses of their church and, perhaps most importantly, what
do they see as the future? In this work, youthful voices critically examine
their Methodist tradition from a contemporary perspective. The arguments in
this volume address questions such as: what is Methodism? How does the
Methodist past shape the Methodist present? How does Methodism influence
Christianity more generally? and, What should this relationship be in the
future? This edition includes a helpful glossary to help
those who would not normally
dip into such a book; and lively quotations sandwich each contribution. If
the churches was willing to face some of these issues, then the quality of
our faith¾as well as the quality of the Church¾would
be greatly enhanced. Not
necessarily a ‘joyful read’ (!), but essential and strongly recommended. It
can be purchased or ordered from Christian bookshops. Did You Know?
The Jews
attached great importance to numbers, and a careful reading of the numbers in
the Gospels can shed much light on an otherwise obscure passage. Jesus is shown miraculously multiplying food on two separate occasions
in the Gospels. In Matthew 14:13–21, Jesus feeds 5000 Jewish men (plus
their families, v.
21). Verse 20 says that twelve baskets full of left-overs were retrieved
after the meal. The number ‘12’ here symbolises Israel and the twelve tribes:
Jesus is showing that he was sent to save Israel. * In
Matthew 15:32–39, Jesus is again shown feeding¾this time four thousand men (again
with their families as extras, v. 38). But this second miracle is performed
in Galilee¾which was largely an enclave of Gentiles (in fact,
the region was usually called ‘Galilee of the Gentiles, see Isaiah 9:1).
After feeding the Gentiles, the number of the baskets of food retrieved was
seven. The number ‘7’ symbolises perfect completion, hence the Jewish
candlestick (the minorah) has seven branches. The placing of the
number 7 here implies that not just Israel but all peoples are to be fed by
Jesus, spiritually as well as with bread and fish. Notes ·
Quotes ·Anecdotes
The Law was given through Moses,
but GRACE and truth come through Jesus Christ 2 Cor 12:9 Jesus said:– My
GRACE was sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness
John 1:17 Lord . .
. Living our lives, as Christians, may we not just ‘talk the talk,’ but ‘by
thy GRACE may we ‘walk the walk’ Cameo Character
Corner
J O A N N A
Was healed by Jesus. Followed Him. Supported Him financially (Luke 8:1–3) Was at the cross (Luke 23:49,55) Was one of the women who found the tomb empty on
resurrection morning (Luke 24:6–10) Florence Libya
A coalition of mission agencies
have designated September as a month of prayer for Libya. A similar call to
prayer in 2001 increased by ten-fold the number of believers in Morocco.
Most
of Libya is desert. It was once a Roman colony. It saw invasions by the
Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks and more recently Italians, before gaining
independence in 1951. Oil
was discovered in 1959. The resultant wealth was used to transform Libya into
a wealthy monarchy. Ten years later, though, the king was overthrown in a
coup led by the 27-year-old Mu’ammar Gaddafi, and the country embarked on a
radically new chapter in its history. Gaddafi’s
revolution has been based largely on distinguishing his country from the
world around it. Ideas put forward in his so-called ‘Green Book’ aim at an
alternative to both communism and capitalism, while Islam is adhered to but
with a unique slant¾for example, Libya has its own
calendar based on the supposed birth date of the Muslim prophet, Muhammad. Gaddafi
has called the new system ‘jamahiriya,’ which loosely translates as a
‘state of the masses.’ Power is held by various people's committees, while in
practice Gaddafi rules unopposed. Libya
Fact File: Please pray: 1. For the growth of the Church: ask
God that the number of believers will increase, and that existing believers
will grow in their faith. 2. Thank God that persecution of the Christian
Church in Libya has decreased in scope and magnitude during the past few
years. 3. For political stability, as a
means for Libya re-entering the International community 4. That the benefits from lifting the
economic embargo¾such as the importing of medicines¾will
be enjoyed by all, and not just a political elite. Source of information: http://news.bbc.co.uk/ and Operation
World. The devil’s beatitudes
Blessed are those
who are too tired, busy or dis-organised to meet with fellow Christians on
Sundays, each week. They are my best workers, and will surely lead their
children to me. Blessed are those
who enjoy noticing the mannerisms of ministers and preachers, and are
critical of Church leadership. Their hearts are not in their faith, and they
are my best dis-couragers. Blessed are the
Christians who always wait to be asked, and expect to be thanked. I can use
them. Blessed are the
touchy and easily offended. With a bit of luck, they may stop going to Church
and even dissuade others. They are my missionaries. Blessed are those
who claim to love God at the same time as hating other people. They are mine
for ever. Blessed are the
troublemakers and peace breakers. They shall be called my children. Blessed are those
who are religious but get on everyone’s nerves. They are most effective
stumbling blocks. Blessed are they who
do not give their offering for God’s work. Those who are not helping God are
helping me. Blessed are those
who gossip, and cause strife and contention. They are my best secret agents. Blessed are those
who have no time to pray. They are easy prey for me. Blessed are you when
you read this and think it is about other people. I’ve got you! A fly on the wallOn the first weekend
in October, the Lay Witness Movement are coming to Smithy Bridge to run a
series of sessions to help the congregation assess where they are, both as a
group and also as individuals. The week-end has been named Taking Time, and it is good for us to
step back occasionally and try and assess where we are on our Christian
journey. About
a dozen members of the Lay Witness Movement will be staying with the people
of Smithy Bridge for the week-end. Besides sharing meals together, they will
also be there to share their own experiences through brief testimonies, to
join the congregation in acts of worship, and to run sessions on the hope of
the Church, the path of prayer, and personal assessment. They will not be
there to tell people how things should be done, nor to put anyone under any
pressure; they will simply be there to share. They
are called the ‘Lay Witness Movement’ because ordained people are not allowed
to become or to remain as members. It’s not that they are against these
people: it’s just that the movement wishes to be seen as ‘ordinary people.’ During the weekend,
help will be needed in the serving meals and clearing away afterwards. The
congregation are not allowed to ‘escape’ into the kitchen on these occasions.
If you feel you could be of any help in this area, and at the same time get a
feel for what such a week-end could be like in your Church, then please have
a word with Norma Stokes (Tel: (01706) 377400), who is the chairman for the
weekend. If we believe a thing to be bad, and if we have a right to
prevent it, it is our duty to try to prevent it . . . and to damn with
the consequences! Revival!
Staff at the Army Infantry
Training Centre in Catterick, North Yorkshire, are reporting a sudden rush
of cadets wanting to hear about God, and coming to faith in Christ.
A spokesman
from Scripture Gift Mission said, “The camouflaged covers make these
Testaments part of their kit and they’re reading them¾really
reading them.” The chaplains
report that over one hundred cadets have come to faith in just a few weeks
alone. Please pray for these new believers. For updates on
the wonderful work of Scripture Gift Mission, please go to their
website, www.sgm.org. The one who prays will have a heart as wide as the love
of God The Bible is a supernatural book and can be
understood only by supernatural aid Faith is never fully faith, unless it is realised in love The heart yearns for
open spaces¾for the infinity
that can only ever be found in God |
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