Talks

In the fourth of our wonderful Summer Sundays, Alice and Janet told us how they serve the Lord in their daily lives.

Alice works in a charity, supporting survivors of domestic abuse and is not allowed to talk about Jesus at her work place.
Does that stop her from spreading Jesus’ love around her? Not at all!
Alice highlighted three areas in which she brings her passion for justice and people in through her work.
Justice: More than 2000 scriptures in the bible talk about justice and calling us to address injustice, one of them is in Isaiah 1:17: ‘Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed’.
Kindness: John 15:12 says: ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.’ and Mark 12:31: ‘…Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ Don’t just be kind with your actions and words, It starts with our attitude.
Prayer: And last but not least, pray for your workplace and for the people in it.

Janet gave her talk the title “I didn’t see that coming!”.
When Janet realised as a teenager that being a Christian had more to do with a relationship with Jesus than following traditions, her life changed. She took the verse in Matthew 6:33-34 (ESV) to heart and has learned to live it out ever since:
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 
Over the years, Janet has learned to look to God, not the lack in her life. If Jesus said “do it”, then it must be possible. Having an open attitude to what God’s doing and little nudges has led her into many experiences and situations that she hasn’t seen coming. She encouraged us to have a listening ear, a loving heart and a readiness to pray. Then just be you and see what God can do!

What an amazing Sunday! Led by “Elevate” - our amazing Young People!
Katie Hay and Maisy Bell inspire us with how they “serve the Lord” in their lives following our Summer theme from Joshua 24:15: “As for me and my home, we will serve the Lord.”

Katie highlights 2 areas how she shares her faith:
1) Don’t overlook the small things!  A comment to someone, or a post on social media can make a difference in people’s lives.  David was only small but he killed Goliath! Sometimes small things can make a massive difference!
2) Share your faith with friends and in youth ministry. People cannot believe in Jesus unless they hear about Him. (see Romans 10:14&17)
In both areas she said: “Stay excited about your faith as you serve the Lord!” Romans 12:11

Maisy tells us how serving God in everything leads to breakthrough. She shares a great example of how things have changed in her School in the last couple of years.
First, Maisy and Esther (her sister) were allowed to start a Christian Union in School, then they were allowed to bring a Message Trust team into the school to speak to 400 children and only this week they just received the go ahead to bring them back for a large event in the autumn! Praise God! 
In Romans 12:1-2 (Message paraphrase) we read: So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life — and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.
Maisy explained how she puts this into practice in some really practical ways: Bible verses stuck on the walls in her room remind her of God and His love daily and a scrap book where she lists bible verses that speak into specific situations.

How do you serve the Lord?

Sam Hay and Phil Lakin kick off our Summer Sundays Talks!  They are linked to the bible verse in Joshua 24:15:
“.. as for me and my house, (or HOME) we will serve the Lord.”  How do I serve the Lord in my situation?

Sam Hay works in Retail and he has 3 things that “serving the Lord” in his context looks like.
Pray! -  For those around us: Pray for fruitful conversations and Pray over specific people (Sam said he prays for his colleagues, superiors and even customers!)
Whatever we do – do it well! Colossians 3 verse 23 says: ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters’
Don’t limit the space to where you work! God puts us in a certain place, at work, at home, in school etc.. Even with our feet set, we can still reach!. Be God’s light wherever He has placed you.

Phil Lakin shares how he has learned to trust the Lord over the years and that God could use him whatever the circumstances were.
He learned that we don’t have to be somewhere specific to serve the Lord best, we can do it right where we are. It doesn’t need to be hard either: God has given us gifts He wants us to use and enjoy doing so. Phil had to learn to trust the Lord and be patient through anxiety and potential redundancy. Because Phil was forced into a new role, God could open his eyes to areas he was blind to before, which allowed him to serve in many new ways. If we let God work in us and through us, we can grow and change the world around us too!

It is “ECO Sunday” in Ashwood Church.  As a church we believe that we face a climate emergency, and we want to play our part to encourage individuals to respond and we consider the impact our decisions make too.

In the meeting, Jono talks to us about climate change and how we can be good stewards of the world God has given us to look after: The Lord God took man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Gen2:15

When we look around and listen to the local and global news, it is clear that we have broken a lot. For example, there is water scarcity in some areas and at the same time floods in others. Jono gives us a list of ideas what we could do to help improve things:

Litter picking (even without the guarantee that it won’t look the same again the next day)
Tree planting (choose the right one for the right spot because if you don’t, it can be more harmful than helpful)
Pension Fund change to a more ethical option
Replace your broken phone with a refurb phone
Buy clothes from Vinted, eBay or charity shops and avoid fast fashion
Turn the heating down in your home
Grow your own and waste less food
Smart holidays
Reuse, recycle, reduce, repair
Some of these options don’t just support the planet, but also your wallet. Jono encouraged everyone to consider taking action.  (We understand many people already do a great deal.)  Will you take action?

The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it and all who live in it. Psalm 24

BIG thanks to Jono for being our “Climate Champion” and helping us to be informed about what we can do to make a difference on this vitally important topic.

What a joy to have Joe Gisbey with us!  It is so good to hear all the feedback on how our financial giving has made a difference in Malawi and also to have Joe bring a challenging message from God for us too!

Joe speaks about the “11th Commandment”

In John 13:31-35 Jesus says: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”  In our world we’re always looking for the next “new” thing! When Jesus said He was going to give the disciples something “new” they might have been excited to learn of this “new” thing only to find that it didn’t seem “new” at all!!  “Love one another” was something Jesus had said often.
The thing that WAS new and also radical too, was that Jesus explained that they (and now “we”) should love one another “like He has loved us.” Jesus loved his disciples through all the tensions, and challenges of everyday life. And they had experienced that, however, they were about to see Jesus’ final and ultimate expression of love (AGAPE love!) as Jesus would be tortured, and hung on the cross.  His commandment was to “love” each other with THAT kind of love!  Wow!  “That’s impossible Jesus!”

In Matt 5:43-48 in the sermon on the mount, Jesus had already spoken about loving not just the people we like, but even loving our enemies!! And being “perfect – like our Father in Heaven!”  That also sounds impossible Jesus!!

We could say that Jesus gives an 11th commandment (“Love one another”) to 11 disciples. (We know that Judas had already left the room.) Numbers are important in the Jewish tradition, they have significance.
For example: 10 is the number of the divine order.  12 is the number of governance
11 represents CHAOS. It’s in the midst of chaos, the lack of order, when all goes wrong that Jesus wants us to love. Love isn’t dependent on simply agreeing with each other, and loving those people we get on with, it goes much deeper. The activity of loving begins right here with us and the person next to us.
When the temple curtain tore down the middle, it symbolised that God was changing His address! He wouldn’t live in the temple anymore, He wanted to make His HOME in the hearts of His people.  So, today, we are now the dwelling place of God!
Miracles and healing are just a side act of the flowing AGAPE love, flowing from us, the people and the home of God.
How are you challenged to “love one another” more?  Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to give us the compassion, kindness, patience and love we need to do it.

In the fifth part of our Romans Series, Claire talks to us about the ridge of Freedom.
In the context of praying for the General Election, Claire starts by surmising what the apostle Paul might be campaigning for! She says Jesus’ campaign would have “FREEDOM” at the heart of his manifesto!!
The Gospel (Good news) means that in Christ, we live a new life of freedom. In God’s amazing Grace we are justified (declared righteous in the sight of God). This freedom is not based on our performance but on God’s righteousness.
The question Paul is asking in these chapters (Romans 6 & 7) If salvation is dealt with by Christ, then does it matter if I continue to sin? Maybe it doesn’t matter! Certainly not! Paul says in one translation: What a ghastly thought! We’ve been saved by God, so that we don’t have to live any longer bound by our sin and our sinful desires.  Paul is saying that we can (and should) now live a life of Freedom.

What does it look like to live a life of freedom?  In Romans 6-7, Paul compares the story of salvation to the story of the Israelites’ journey from Slavery into the promised land. The blood of the Passover lamb brought the Israelites deliverance. In the same way. the blood of Christ can give us freedom today. The Israelites walked through the waters of the river Jordan to come out on the other side. In a similar picture, we can be baptised in water as a sign that we have been freed of the bondage and shackles of sin by the grace of God. Just like the Israelites who had to learn to live in freedom after they crossed the river Jordan, we need to know the truth so that we can also live in freedom. (Many people understand they are free but don’t live out their freedom.) What is it that we need to know?
My identity has fundamentally changed through my union with Christ in baptism.
I am no longer a slave! I BELONG TO GOD!
Sin is no longer my master! My old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ.
We can say with conviction: I am dead to sin and live in Christ!

The peace that the Apostle Paul talks about in the book of Romans is not a warm fuzzy feeling or just a quiet moment without emails and children!
Real biblical peace is knowing we are justified, meaning that things are realigned and we are right with God and in relationship with him.
In Rome they had ‘Pax Romana’… peace gained by bloodshed and war, but our peace is gained by Jesus’ bloodshed. He stepped in and took the guilty verdict for us. This judge doesn’t send us away once the verdict is spoken but stays with us, stays involved and allows us into his presence, access to His grace and peace.

In Romans 5: 1-5 we read that peace is not dependent on our circumstances, that we can also have peace in the middle of suffering and trouble. It produces perseverance and hope and it transforms our experience of hardship and difficulty because we know that God is in it with us.  Our salvation is signed sealed and delivered but is also ongoing.

Standing on the truth that we are justified gives us peace. Following Jesus is what helps us to hold on to peace.

Have we understood that we are justified in Christ and made right with God through Jesus?
Are there ways you can share your story with someone this week?
Keep praying, and give things to God, this is the key to peace.

Let’s pray daily:

Holy Spirit Come….
I want To know Christ more than I do
and I want to be more like Christ than I am

After last week’s “dip” into the BAD NEWS (The valley of sin) Matt talks to us about the “Crux of Salvation” in the third part of our Romans Series. He reminds us that salvation can only be understood and accepted if the principle of sin is clear: We have all fallen short of God’s best for us. If left without God, we’re all bad people doing bad things. BUT NOW (!!!) God has shown us a way to be made right with Him”. Romans 3:21
How is this possible? How can a just and holy God declare sinners righteous?

Paul illustrates this to the Roman church in 3 ways that help them understand:

1) Slave Market Freedom: Slaves were common at the time and could only gain freedom if that freedom had been bought for them. They never had the means to be able to pay for themselves. So when Paul describes Jesus death as the payment that set them free this would have been dramatic! “He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins”. Romans 3:24

2) Temple Sacrifice: The Roman culture included a whole host of religions that required sacrifices to atone for their sins. Paul refers to these and clarifies that Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient once and for all: “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood”.  Romans 3 vs 25 - “Instead of you paying the gods, GOD literally pays for you!”  It’s amazing!

3) Law Court Justice: Even though we know we’re guilty, we can hear the “not guilty” verdict from the judge of all judges: “God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus”.  Romans 3 v 26

Matt shares the story about the potato famine in Ireland where some Tenants requested the cancellation of their debt as they were in no position to pay it. Rather than letting them off the hook as that would set a bad precedent, the landlord sent them a cheque that covered more than their debt. He paid for their debts!  Jesus did the same for us in His death on the cross.

How can we receive this free gift of salvation from God? “We receive God’s free gift of Grace BY FAITH.” Romans 3:22 We can do this by simply praying:
Lord Jesus, I recognise that I am a sinner and fall short of your best for me. I repent of my sin before you today. I receive your free gift of salvation by faith today.  I choose to put my trust in you and build my life on your promises for me.

In the second part of our Romans series, Zoe speaks about the big “valley” before climbing the mountain (title picture on Andres Ollerton’s book): The Valley of “SIN”.
Sometimes we have to face up to the BAD NEWS before we can step more fully into the GOOD NEWS.
In the book of Romans, Paul doesn’t hold back about how bad the culture in Rome was. (See Romans 1:18-32.)
The passage starts with mentioning the “Wrath of God”: God’s anger and fury are not unhinged, saved up for judgment day, seeking revenge. It is a righteous anger, God’s response to sin.

Paul states that everyone, whether a Christian or not, has an inbuilt moral compass – a sense of right or wrong. The people in Rome led a lifestyle that was not God’s way. They rejected it and exchanged God for “idols”. Our lifestyle might not be the same but the principle is still true for us today. What are we exchanging God for? Everybody worships something, it’s the way we are made, the people in Rome worshipped idols and statues that represented gods. We might not do that today, but we can easily worship the gods of our culture.  Wealth, careers, material things, comfort, sex and pleasure.  Anything that absorbs our time and our focus.
As a result, God reveals His wrath: He allows our desires to become “over desires” and sometimes even to develop into an addiction. God doesn’t want to see our destruction, but by leaving us to experience the consequences of our choices, He allows us to see the stark contrast between living our lives God’s way or not.

The church in Rome was a mixed bunch of people. Some were Jews and some converted Gentiles. Having followed all the Jewish rituals all their lives, the Jews could have easily felt that Paul wasn’t addressing them – after all they had followed the Jewish laws all their lives.  However, Paul doesn’t let anybody off the hook. Just like them, we often feel we are ok, but are we really? Don’t we sometimes judge others thinking that we are better? But when we judge others, we condemn ourselves. Romans 2:1-3

Here’s the BAD NEWS: which was true for the church in Rome and true for us today.  “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;” 
How do we respond?
A mark of spiritual maturity is to become more aware of our shortcomings and acknowledge that we all desperately need “saving” from sin and ultimately from ourselves.  Until we reach that point we can’t be ready to accept the Good News.
What are our idols that may have found their way into our attention and affection?  (Even good things must never replace our desire firstly for God Himself.)
Do we tend to judge rather than look at ourselves and our own sin?

We finished with a prayer of David: (Psalm 139)
Search me, 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.

Matt introduces us to a new series: “Romans!”
Why Study Romans?
“All roads in the Bible lead to Romans”. (J I Packer)
“I was not a Christian, but when I had finished reading “Romans” I felt compelled to become one”. (Sir David Suchet)
“If the New Testament were the Himalayas, Romans would be Mount Everest. And the highest point of it is chapter 8.”
Understanding Romans – helps us even understand the rest of the BIBLE!
What did it mean in the original context?
The author of the letter “Romans” was Paul the Apostle and the writer was the Scribe Tertius. We believe that the Bible (including Romans) was inspired by God, making it more powerful than any other writing in history. The letter was written to the Christians in Rome, likely several groups of Christians who met in homes. Paul mentions 27 people by name: the letter was written to people Paul had a relational connection with, some were close friends and others had been with Paul as he faced trials, even prison! They represented a very diverse group of people: there were Greek, Latin and Jewish names, some of them were wealthy, others poor, and some even slaves. Some had Jewish backgrounds, others were Gentiles, including men and women. Paul writes to all of them and lists them alongside each other disregarding all hierarchical and patriarchal structures.
What does it mean for us in our context today?
The church should be Home for everyone!
Paul’s letter is still relevant for everyone!
The content of the letter is THE GOOD NEWS: Jesus! Paul says: “It is my job to share this good news and it is now yours as well. I am not ashamed and neither should you be!” We believe it is still powerful GOOD NEWS TODAY!
Death and sin have been defeated by Jesus (the Saviour) and now new life and eternal hope are on offer. This is the Good News of God.
The reality of our dark world is bad news, but Jesus’ GOOD NEWS shines all the stronger in it.