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Pentecostal Church
Mission
Toby in India
Oct 4th
Toby departed on a trip to India for a week from the 1st October. He is travelling with his Dad and will staying with a pastor in Karnal which is in Haryana, north of Delhi. During the week they will be teaching in the church and its attached school and orphanage. The purpose of the trip is to encourage Pastor Prince and his church. The local church works with the poorest of Indian society and, as a result, is regularly targeted by Hindu extremists. Toby and his dad have been raising money to buy bibles in Hindi as a resource for the church and have enough to buy around 150.
Sunday 15th November
Nov 16th
Graham preached for us this morning. Sometimes funny and sometimes very moving but always excellent.
Standard Podcast [ 27:44 ] Play in Popup | Download1 Timothy 3 Part 2
From last week: Leadership is character. Our character is not God’s gift to us, it is our gift to God, it is our worship.
See Romans 12:1-1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will.
This week: People should know how to behave because it is God’s household. Verse 15ff is the “because” of the previous verses.
Because – The theme of unity continues as Paul draws their gaze to the greatness of the church.
1) The house (household) of God Hebrews 3:1-6 Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. Jesus More >
Sunday 4th October 2009 Timothy Part 4
Oct 9th
We had the fourth instalment of Graham’s Timothy series this morning, based on 1 Timothy 2:1-8. Next week it is “women to dress modestly”
Sunday 4th September 2009 Timothy Part 4 [ 34:19 ] Play in Popup | Download
1 Timothy 2:1-8
1) Prayer
The first chapter was mainly an introduction. Paul now gets down to the business of worship, or more particularly, prayer.
Prayer for leaders. This tells us that prayer works. Followers of Jesus should be interested in, and be concerned about national issues and to express that first and foremost by prayer.
One God and one mediator – RC saints, unbelievers looking to Christian friends., other religions.
See also John 14:6, Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.
Continual or regular prayer , see the following scriptures:
1 Thessalonians 1:3
We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 2:13
And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, More >
Sermon 15th March ’09, Ezra part 4.
Mar 15th
We heard from Graham this morning with the forth part of his study on Ezra. We learned of four basic principles that can prevent us from having the abundant life God promises.
Ezra part 4 [ 40:54 ] Play in Popup | DownloadEzra 3:10-13
Previously: We asked, “In What Way did the returners worship?” I said they worshipped generously and deliberately.
And, “What did the returners feel?” I said I thought they would have anticipated a restored relationship with God possible through the forgiveness available through the temple sacrifices.
I mentioned Psalm 51 and said David must have had a quality of relationship with God and the “joy of salvation”. I suggested the returners were experiencing the same sort of thing. The wonder of the feeling of forgiveness. I told you about the fast of Gedaliah they would have celebrated in the month of Tishri for the last 70 years, and its relevance to their the celebrations of chapter 3.
I ran out of time on my third and final point, “Why did the returners weep?” This is where I pick it up this week.
Why did the returners weep? 3:12-13 Weeping and rejoicing. Some looked back to loss, others looked to the future. Telling someone to cheer up is rarely helpful. More >
Brunch Alpha
Jan 13th
Lets do brunch!
We have decided to run Alpha a little differently this time: Brunch Alpha on Saturdays from 10am! Alpha is a relaxed, non-confrontational course designed to introduce people to the Christian faith that don’t already come to church but are interested in finding out more – if you fit into this category this course is for you! The course, food & refreshments are free. For those that already attend York Elim feel free to invite your friends if they are interested and do the course with them!
We will be running this course in the daytime to give an opportunity to people that can’t come out in the evening to come along. The brunch sandwich of your choice will be ordered each week from a local deli shortly after you arrive; an alpha talk will be given whilst the food is prepared and delivered (just one talk per week!); and then there will be plenty of time for relaxed discussion over the brunch and refreshments. The meeting will always finish before 12noon so you know you have your full afternoon free, and you’ve already been fed!
The course will run from 10am until 12noon, Saturday January 31st to March More >
Sermon 30th November ’08, Acts 12:5
Nov 30th
You will hear from the recording that this was not so much a sermon, but a series of questions I was posing to my listeners.
I gave some background about which particular King Herod it was, shared some scriptures then we discussed the questions. Better heard then read I think.
Acts 12 v5 [ 37:06 ] Play in Popup | DownloadSermon Acts 12:5
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
Prayer was a presumed practice for a follower of Jesus.
The phrase often repeated by Jesus was, “when you pray.” See Matthew 6:6
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Jesus taught prayer
Matthew 6:9
This, then, is how you should pray:’Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
Jesus modelled prayer
Matthew 14:23
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone
Public prayer by religious leaders was not an unusual sight.
Luke 20:47
They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.
Devout people prayed
Acts 10:1-3
At Caesarea there More >
Continued Violence In Orissa
Sep 21st
We have received an email from Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Some of had received the sort of text message mentioned. The fact is, if all those Christians living in fear for their lives in India at the moment sent us text messages the phone network would freeze up.
CSW recommend that we write you our members of parliament. The text of their message is below.
CSW is aware of a number of text messages circulating about threats to Christians in Orissa. The situation in Orissa remains extremely volatile, with threats and attacks continuing to take place. However, we do not consider such text messages to be an accurate indicator of the present situation. CSW is working on the ground with local partners in order to make detailed, accurate and authentic assessments of the situation and to determine the most appropriate path to take with regard to relief, taking into account the responsibilities of the government in the area.
We would encourage all:
to continue to pray for the restoration of peace,
to write to the Foreign Secretary to ask for a statement to be made,
to write to MPs to request that the UK government raise the situation with the Indian government and urge for the immediate More >
Early Day Motion, VUMBA MASSACRE
Jun 18th
Members of our church were martyred in 1978 in Zimbabwe. The event is being remembered in an Early Day Motion. See below.
Simpson, David
That this House notes that 23rd June 2008 will mark the 30th anniversary of the Vumba Massacre of British missionaries by members of the Zimbabwe National Liberation Army in the former Rhodesia that resulted in the murder of nine missionaries and four children; further notes that all were associated with the Elim Pentecostal Church..
See the British Parliament website for the rest of the Early Day Motion
George’s Adventures
May 12th
It was great to hear what George Critchley is planning once he leaves us at the end of his time at uni.
He told the church on Sunday that he is going to work as an intern for a Christian charity called Damaris that produces teaching resources to schools and churches.
Their vision is to create people that are both biblically informed, and culturally informed, with the ability to relate the two. With this in mind, they do a thing called ‘CultureWatch’ which looks through secular films for an underlying message that asks questions about life, as well as seeing what answers the Bible and a life with God provide.
This interests us as our church likes to be aware of contemporary culture, having an occasional “culture watch” small group, discussing books and films.
George will be involved in shooting, directing, and editing the short films that do this kind of work. See the short he made while he was down there
See another example of their approach here.
Damaris be working on an account for Disney, producing resources about the Narnia film, Prince Caspian.
George’s internship is unpaid, though they will provide money to cover bed and board for the three/four months he is working there. Our church More >
World Missions Sunday
Jun 22nd
Posted by Matt in Global
1 comment
Sunday 22nd June is Elim’s World Missions Sunday which is always the Sunday nearest to the anniversary of the Vumba Massacre which took place on 23rd June 1978 in Zimbabwe. On that day nine Elim Missionaries and four of their children were brutally attacked and killed. If you want to find out more, download the Vumba brochure from the Elim Missions Website. On World Missions Sunday please pray for the families of those who lost their lives. Pray too for all our missionaries and national workers that they will receive a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to enable them to reach people with the gospel.
NORTH KOREA
Please join Christians worldwide for a Global Week of Prayer for North Korea from 23rd-29th June to pray for change in this nation. North Korea is one of the most repressive and isolated countries in the world. Opposition to the gospel is extremely harsh and from a young age North Koreans are taught to worship their leader. Those who escape to China are forcibly returned to suffer torture and even execution. Pray that:
· the enforced idolatry will be broken and there will be religious freedom
· God will uphold believers living in this hostile environment More >