Info and Dates for your diary
Church Walk
Our next church walk is Saturday 1st Sept. Why not come along. Details of time to meet and where is on the “Regular Events” page.
Monthly Gatherings
As announced in church these will be at St Laurence’s Hall on the following dates:
- 9 October
- 6 November
- 11 December
- 8 January
Come along and get to know some new people in our fast-growing church.
North Yorkshire Lydia Fellowship
Invites ladies to a day of worship & prayer for York & the Nation (Scripture Isaiah 60). Saturday 15th September 2007, 10:30am-3.30pm St Michael-le-Belfry Hall, 52 Stonegate, York.
Fire Power 100
Four special meetings celebrating the one hundred year anniversary since the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the UK. A move that swept throughtout the whole of Britain and Europe with staggering results which still has phenomenal impact even today.
Where? Sunderland
When? 20Th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd September.
Guest Speakers include: John Glass (General Superintendent for Elim), Colin Dye, Paul Weaver and Warren Jones.
For more information contact Mark Drew on 0191 567 3663. Mobile 07989945854
Vision Training Conference
The annual Vision Training conference will this year be held on Saturday 6th October at Manor School. This year’s conference is entitled ‘GO’ as we think about the great commission in the context of Youth and Children’s work. It’ll be a fantastic, creative day with the usual seminars and teaching as well as time to worship and connect with others. Booking forms can be downloaded from the YoYo website www.yoyotrust.org.uk/resources.php?id=26 Please see John Usher if you’d like to book a place!
Enlarge 07
Enlarge will be a dynamic, inspiring and empowering weekend where the focus is on releasing you for greater effectiveness. 28-29 September at LetchworthSerious4God & Serious4Kids are hosting this combined Youth & Children’s Workers conference with an excellent line up of speakers with track-records of effectiveness. Highly recommended! To book go to www.serious4god.co.uk/
enlarge07
Renew
Renew is an Elim training day for worship leaders on October 7 at Letchworth. Go to www.elimworship.com for more info and to book in. Take a look through the programme, it looks great!
In this sermon Graham is again preaching from John’s gospel. This is part 5 of a series on chapters 13 to 17. This week Graham speaks about seeking, loving and failing.
The sermon is available as a Podcast, downloadable PDF notes and the text of it is pasted in this post below.
The material is made available so that any may use it, preach it or adapt it.
To download PDF of notes - DOWNLOAD
Sermon John 13:31 - 14:4
Intro
Some say the chapter break here is natural as there is a pause there before the subject change. I see a flow in the narrative across the chapter break. After themes shared in chapter 13, the readers are told in the beginning of chapter 14 that all will be well.
1) Seeking
v33 “You will seek me”
Seek, seek, seek!
He said they would seek, feel the want of him. Authentic faith seeks (yes and finds) and yet always seeks for more.
John 6:67-69
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Psalm 10:4
In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
Psalm 14:2 (repeated in Psalm 53:2)
The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Luke 11:9 (Jesus speaking of the Holy Spirit)
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
John 12:35-36
35 Then Jesus told them, You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. 36 Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light. When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
2) Loving
This is for believers. “By this…disciples.”
Church growth and evangelism techniques, should be handled carefully. I am uncomfortable with “friendship evangelism”. I think it can be deception dressed up in religion and sincere motives.
Here is the method of Jesus. Not just loving the stranger, but loving within the church family.
v34,35 “As I loved loved you”
Question - new? Had not the command had already given (Mark 12:31)?
This is different, because now there is a new example, he will lay down his life. This was to be the model and standard for their future, and ours, and others down the centuries. Missionaries of the early centuries who set off in rudderless ships praying that God would send them, and where they landed they would serve and love.
“As I loved loved you”
Men! See Ephesians 5:25 for an example of how the example should be followed by a husband.
3) Failing
He told Peter he would fail. But he never said he would stop loving Peter. We know the account of Peter’s restoration after the resurrection of Jesus.
See Romans 8:38,39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Conclusion
I may fail but I will aim high. As I wait to go to my eternal home, I aim to keep seeking and keep loving.
What an answer to prayer!
It has not been widely known in our church for legal reasons, but a few of us have been praying for Len and Jenny Rawlinson who are part of our church.
The first I knew of trouble was when visiting Jennifer and Len at their home. I said, “What’s happened here?” I could see that their neighbour had built an extension to his house. I said, “He’s built it over into your garden. How did he get that past the planning committee?”
At that time I didn’t know he was on the planning committee.
For more details see the article in the York Evening Press, and my blog at TheMorningFlight.com.
For most of you unsuspecting graduates who are paying back your student loans, the Inland Revenue takes payments directly from your employer in the same way as they take tax. i.e. the more you earn the more you pay, this includes bonuses etc.
However they are playing a dirty trick on most of you. After taking monthly amounts from you the Inland Revenue does not pay this directly to the student loan company, instead they wait until the end of the financial year in April and then pay the entire year off to student loans.
During the time the Inland Revenue hold on to your monthly payments (for up to a year) they are earning themselves interest. The student loans company have not received these funds so they charge the graduate interest on the outstanding amount even though it has already been paid to the Inland Revenue.
So, to sum up them. For those of you in this position you pay interest to student loans on money which has been taken from your account which the Inland Revenue keeps and earns interest on.
There are others who have become aware of this injustice and have started a petition on the Downing Street website.
If you want to show your distaste for this sharp practice, you can sign the petition at this link, or listed below.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Student-loans/
If your debts get you down, see the helpful article at Care for the Family
Thinking Of Going To Bible College?
Elim’s national training centre, Regents College in Nantwich, Cheshire, will be holding a “Just Looking” weekend from 6th-8th November. It will be a chance to sample lectures and college life. Click here for more details.
In this sermon Graham is again preaching from John’s gospel. This is part 4 of a series on chapters 13 to 17. This week Graham shares more thoughts on chapter 13 and the the failure of Judas.
The sermon is available as a Podcast, downloadable PDF notes and the text of it is pasted in this post below.
The material is made available so that any may use it, preach it or adapt it.
To download PDF of notes - DOWNLOAD
Sermon John 13, Judas part 2
Judas.
1) v12 “When he had finished washing their feet.”
He washed the feet of Judas too.
What did Judas feel as Jesus washed his feet?
What did Jesus feel?
We serve because we must, not because of expected results (v14).
2) V27 “What you are about to do, do quickly.”
It is already accomplished in the heart of Judas.
Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 9:4
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?
Matthew 12:34
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
Matthew 22:37
Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
Jeremiah 31:31 -34
The time is coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, declares the LORD.
This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the LORD. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbour, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.
There are some things to be done quickly, see Matthew 5:23,24.
3) Judas went out
Judas in Darkness (see a previous week, “And you are clean, though not every one of you.” Here he refers to Judas.)
Judas disconnected himself from this holy group, the beginnings of the church that will span the globe. It is an honour to be in, and a horror to be outside. Are you in or out?
The importance of the ‘group’ is seen in Acts 2:47. The Spirit of God saw fit to record the words, “..Added to..” which emphasises the community aspect rather than the individual. The ‘group’ destiny is again emphasised in Romans 12.
1 Peter 5:2-4 commands leaders to “Shepherd the flock of God”. How does a leader know who he is to shepherd? The scripture goes on to speak of “Those allotted to your charge” and “Give an account”. The Christian leader needs to know who is allotted to his charge, and for whom he is to give an account to the Lord. There has to be some declaration that a person has become part of the ‘group’, this declaration is known in our fellowship as membership.
Corporately we represent Jesus. We may like to do so individually but that is not the emphasis of scripture. That is why we should always seek to live in right relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. The church is not a mere religious club where people drift in and out, it is a disciplined army of God’s people. We are meant to be the Body, so that the world will see Jesus. See Acts 9:5 “I am Jesus whom you persecute.” But wasn’t Paul persecuting the church, not some dead hero? He touched the church, the church is Jesus!
See Eph 1:22,23. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
“That he might be glorified … planted by the Lord”, Is 61:1-3. See Ps 92:12 “Planted in the house of the Lord.” What is the house of the Lord? The people of God! Where are your roots? Where are you planted? See also 1 Peter 2:5,9; Eph 2:21,22.
It is natural that believers will move between churches at some time. We must be sure why we do it, and be sure to be added to another as quickly as possible. 1 Corinthians 5 speaks of the man being handed over to Satan and excluded from the fellowship. This shows us the glory of being in the church and the horror of being excluded from it.
Conclusion
Judas betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. What is my price? Do I have one? I believe I will never know. If I have one, I believe it will never be offered.
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Psalm 139:23,24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting
Every now and again some of the graduates who spent many years with us while they were at university, drop in and tell us how they’re doing. It’s especially good when some of them recognise a special calling on their lives.
Chris (2002-2006, including his year working in Germany) has spent the last year finding his feet. He was offered a very good and well paid secular job while he was in Australia! But he didn’t accept it because he believes that God is calling him into full time ministry. He’ll spend some time in the UK now while he looks for a Bible College to study at.
Pray for Chris, that God’s guidance will be clear to him.
James and Vicky Barton brought their son Matthew for dedication to the Lord, on Sunday. Many of their friends and family turned out for this happy occasion which was followed by a lovely buffet at Huntington Community Centre. We pray God’s blessing on them as family.
Just because Fraisthorpe Camp was cancelled that didn’t stop us having our customary middle weekend BBQ! It was held a bit nearer to home on this occasion though, in the gardens of St Laurence’s. St Laurence’s is destined to be our new church home, and currently our office is based there, so we invited the congregation of St Laurence’s to join us. Our invitation was warmly accepted by many of them and it turned out to be a very nice afternoon indeed.
Marriage Preparation Course:
- Five Week Course
- Time: 7.00pm - 9.30pm
- Cost: £50.00 per couple (includes 2 course meal)
More Courses Planned in 2008
September 2007 Course
- Starts on Monday 10th September (for other courses contact FMY)
- Venue Dringhouses
- Includes FOCCUS inventory
Places limited so booking essential (by 1st September 2007 for September course)
Contact Family Matters York (01904) 639767
Email: info@fmy.org.uk
