Encouragements from the Elders - July 2020
Each week of social distancing, one of our elders shares a little word of encouragement from the Bible...
Return to this month's messages here.
Return to this month's messages here.
Friday 31 July 2020
A preview on Blessings, from Colin
I am currently writing the series on Blessings that is due to be broadcast at 8.00am each morning on the Church Facebook page over the coming week. What a joy it is to consider just a few of the very many blessings that we can expect as Children of the Almighty God; as daughters and sons of our Father God.
One of thing that seems to occur again and again, is that we need peace. Not just any peace, but the Peace of God.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:16, the author blesses us with this sentence: “May the Lord of Peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.” That really is a wonderful sentiment, is it not? But it is so easy to find ourselves in a place of striving for peace! We look at the Word of God and see so many passages in which we feel that we just do not match up, and our peace slips away. We just cannot attain the high standards set by God.
But the good news is that God knows that! He may set us high and unattainable standards because we need to have a yardstick by which to measure perfection, but God knows that we are just frail mortals and can never actually live up to those standards. And, in a sense, this is what the Christian Faith is actually about – that we know that we are falling short, but that Jesus steps in and lifts us up to the ‘top of the class’ through His work on the cross.
On Tuesday evening the Fellowship Group that I attend online was looking at Proverbs 31:10-31 about the Perfect Wife! We all, both men and women, felt a bit condemned by such perfection. But then we recognised that this is not attainable. We have to rely upon God for our perfection. It may be a slightly different context, but in 2 Corinthians we are told that the LORD says, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ We are certainly weak – but astonishingly, as we recognise that, we can be made perfect in and by Christ!
So, May the Lord of Peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.
God bless
Colin
A preview on Blessings, from Colin
I am currently writing the series on Blessings that is due to be broadcast at 8.00am each morning on the Church Facebook page over the coming week. What a joy it is to consider just a few of the very many blessings that we can expect as Children of the Almighty God; as daughters and sons of our Father God.
One of thing that seems to occur again and again, is that we need peace. Not just any peace, but the Peace of God.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:16, the author blesses us with this sentence: “May the Lord of Peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.” That really is a wonderful sentiment, is it not? But it is so easy to find ourselves in a place of striving for peace! We look at the Word of God and see so many passages in which we feel that we just do not match up, and our peace slips away. We just cannot attain the high standards set by God.
But the good news is that God knows that! He may set us high and unattainable standards because we need to have a yardstick by which to measure perfection, but God knows that we are just frail mortals and can never actually live up to those standards. And, in a sense, this is what the Christian Faith is actually about – that we know that we are falling short, but that Jesus steps in and lifts us up to the ‘top of the class’ through His work on the cross.
On Tuesday evening the Fellowship Group that I attend online was looking at Proverbs 31:10-31 about the Perfect Wife! We all, both men and women, felt a bit condemned by such perfection. But then we recognised that this is not attainable. We have to rely upon God for our perfection. It may be a slightly different context, but in 2 Corinthians we are told that the LORD says, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ We are certainly weak – but astonishingly, as we recognise that, we can be made perfect in and by Christ!
So, May the Lord of Peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.
God bless
Colin
Friday 24 July 2020
And finally? Linda shares her thoughts on final words...
When will 'The Final Word' finally end? Here's one meaning of finally--- 'after a long time, and much difficulty'. (You may feel like this already!) This part of the e-Messenger has prompted me to look at some of the many final verses and spoken words in the Bible. Here are two I'd like to share:
1. Psalm 73 v28 : 'But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge. I will tell of all your deeds'.
Like other psalmists, Asaph had been struggling with a difficult, and despairing situation. He poured out his heart to God, and became aware of God’s help, through the Holy Spirit. His despair turned into thanks, and a new appreciation of God. How important it is for us also to stay near to God, to ask for His help, and to share what God has done .
2. Matthew 28 v20 : 'And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age'.
Jesus said this to his disciples, just before He ascended to heaven. Through the Holy Spirit, I hope you know that this is still true, and feel reassured, and encouraged, at all times, and in all situations.
Let us also make sure that our words to others are helpful and encouraging, whether spoken, or written.
Linda
And finally? Linda shares her thoughts on final words...
When will 'The Final Word' finally end? Here's one meaning of finally--- 'after a long time, and much difficulty'. (You may feel like this already!) This part of the e-Messenger has prompted me to look at some of the many final verses and spoken words in the Bible. Here are two I'd like to share:
1. Psalm 73 v28 : 'But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge. I will tell of all your deeds'.
Like other psalmists, Asaph had been struggling with a difficult, and despairing situation. He poured out his heart to God, and became aware of God’s help, through the Holy Spirit. His despair turned into thanks, and a new appreciation of God. How important it is for us also to stay near to God, to ask for His help, and to share what God has done .
2. Matthew 28 v20 : 'And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age'.
Jesus said this to his disciples, just before He ascended to heaven. Through the Holy Spirit, I hope you know that this is still true, and feel reassured, and encouraged, at all times, and in all situations.
Let us also make sure that our words to others are helpful and encouraging, whether spoken, or written.
Linda
Friday 17 July 2020
Following on from "Can you believe it?" (2/7), Gordon asks "Can you explain it?"
Following on from "Can you believe it?" (2/7), Gordon asks "Can you explain it?"

Let's take a little walk through the Bible, and marvel at how God unfolds His plan for our salvation, beginning with Abraham and concluding with Jesus.
It all starts in Gen 2:17 with mankind's entirely self inflicted problem, the knowledge of good and evil. 'Don't do it', said God, 'or you will surely die'. But we did it, and we die. In Gen 12:2, although we don't deserve it, God begins to implement his solution to our problem of disobedience and death. He says to Abraham, 'I will make you into a great nation'. 'Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac', Gen 17:19. This was not humanly possible. Sarah was aged 90, Gen 17:17. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born, Gen 21:5. The great nation God promised is the present day nation of Israel.
Some time later God said 'Take your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah, to one of the mountains I will tell you about', Gen 22:2. This wasn't just any mountain. A thousand years later, 2 Chron 3:1, 'Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah', now the location of a thriving city. But meanwhile, God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac there as a burnt offering. That's weird, Abraham must have thought, but he set out, and on the third day saw the place in the distance, Gen 22:4. Now this phrase 'on the third day' keeps popping up all the way through the Bible. Here are just a few of them. See if you can find some more...
All these third days were building up to the biggest third day of them all. In Matt 16:21, 'Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer and be killed, and on the third day be raised to life.
Meanwhile, Abraham pitched up at Mount Moriah on the third day of his journey, and Isaac said, 'where is the lamb for the burnt offering?' Abraham answered, 'God himself will provide the lamb', Gen 22:7-8. Prophetic words. Nevertheless, Abraham built an altar, laid Isaac on it, and was reaching for his knife when the angel of the Lord called out from heaven 'Stop'. Abraham looked up, and there it was, a ram caught in a thicket, which he sacrificed instead of Isaac, Gen 22:9-13.
This whole incident foreshadows the death and resurrection of Christ. Having been sentenced to death, Isaac was effectively raised to life on the third day by the substitution of the ram as the sacrifice. Two thousand years later, John the Baptist saw Jesus, and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world', John 1:29. God had 'sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins', 1 John 4:10.
In Luke 24:27, Jesus 'explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself'. In Acts 17:2-3, Paul 'went into the synagogue, and reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead'. When we do likewise, the Holy Spirit will do the rest. 'Always be prepared to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect', 1 Pet 3:15.
God bless,
Gordon
It all starts in Gen 2:17 with mankind's entirely self inflicted problem, the knowledge of good and evil. 'Don't do it', said God, 'or you will surely die'. But we did it, and we die. In Gen 12:2, although we don't deserve it, God begins to implement his solution to our problem of disobedience and death. He says to Abraham, 'I will make you into a great nation'. 'Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac', Gen 17:19. This was not humanly possible. Sarah was aged 90, Gen 17:17. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born, Gen 21:5. The great nation God promised is the present day nation of Israel.
Some time later God said 'Take your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah, to one of the mountains I will tell you about', Gen 22:2. This wasn't just any mountain. A thousand years later, 2 Chron 3:1, 'Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah', now the location of a thriving city. But meanwhile, God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac there as a burnt offering. That's weird, Abraham must have thought, but he set out, and on the third day saw the place in the distance, Gen 22:4. Now this phrase 'on the third day' keeps popping up all the way through the Bible. Here are just a few of them. See if you can find some more...
- In 2 Kings 20:5-6, when Hezekiah the king of Judah was ill, God told him 'I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple. I will add fifteen years to your life'.
- In John 2:1, 'On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee', at which Jesus changed water into wine, 'the first of his miraculous signs', John 2:11.
All these third days were building up to the biggest third day of them all. In Matt 16:21, 'Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer and be killed, and on the third day be raised to life.
Meanwhile, Abraham pitched up at Mount Moriah on the third day of his journey, and Isaac said, 'where is the lamb for the burnt offering?' Abraham answered, 'God himself will provide the lamb', Gen 22:7-8. Prophetic words. Nevertheless, Abraham built an altar, laid Isaac on it, and was reaching for his knife when the angel of the Lord called out from heaven 'Stop'. Abraham looked up, and there it was, a ram caught in a thicket, which he sacrificed instead of Isaac, Gen 22:9-13.
This whole incident foreshadows the death and resurrection of Christ. Having been sentenced to death, Isaac was effectively raised to life on the third day by the substitution of the ram as the sacrifice. Two thousand years later, John the Baptist saw Jesus, and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world', John 1:29. God had 'sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins', 1 John 4:10.
In Luke 24:27, Jesus 'explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself'. In Acts 17:2-3, Paul 'went into the synagogue, and reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead'. When we do likewise, the Holy Spirit will do the rest. 'Always be prepared to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect', 1 Pet 3:15.
God bless,
Gordon

Friday 10 July 2020
Colin rounds up his Morning Thoughts on "Do Not Be Afraid"
If you have been watching the Morning Thoughts on Facebook this week you will have seen that I have been leading a series on ‘Do not be Afraid’.
It had occurred to me that it is easy to become fearful, particularly when things change. Although we are all keen to see Lockdown ease a bit, it can make us feel just as odd as when it was all starting off 15 weeks ago.
But I had been told that the Do Not Be Afraid statement is something that was a recurrent theme in the Bible, so when I checked and some sources say that it is repeated 365 times I realised that God really does not want us to live in fear. He does not want us to be handicapped by fear. He knows that it is debilitating and can lead us to make wrong choices. So I offered to do a 1 week series covering this theme.
And I found it really helpful. I started doing the preparation just as Jenny went back to look after her parents in Cambridgeshire, leaving me alone for another fortnight (she’s been away for 11 weeks out of the last 14). The time that happened the month previously I’d found it quite hard, but writing this series really helped me through the trickiest days. That is really how it should be, I think, as we serve the LORD and one another, it can take us out of our place of distress and anchor us in the presence of God.
I am not saying it was the perfect antidote! But it helped me a lot.
It also enabled me to address some of my own fears, anxiety and helped lift my mood when it began to sink a bit. I do hope that it has been a help to those of you who watched and listened on line. I realised afresh that God is in the business of lifting us up and energising us. He does not condemn us when we feel low, when we are depressed, anxious or fearful! No, He reaches out to us with words of encouragement, just as He did with Elijah (1 Kings 19). He reminds us that He is strong and reliable. But He also reminds us to seek good quality Fellowship. With Elijah, God gives him Elisha to mentor and train to become the next prophet. We too must be on the lookout for those that we can bless across the generations. People who will benefit from our youthful enthusiasm or, if we are at the older end, our maturity and experience.
As Lockdown eases, I encourage you to regain your old fellowship friendships and also make new ones so that we can all grow in the love and knowledge of each other and, consequently, of our LORD.
God bless
Colin
Colin rounds up his Morning Thoughts on "Do Not Be Afraid"
If you have been watching the Morning Thoughts on Facebook this week you will have seen that I have been leading a series on ‘Do not be Afraid’.
It had occurred to me that it is easy to become fearful, particularly when things change. Although we are all keen to see Lockdown ease a bit, it can make us feel just as odd as when it was all starting off 15 weeks ago.
But I had been told that the Do Not Be Afraid statement is something that was a recurrent theme in the Bible, so when I checked and some sources say that it is repeated 365 times I realised that God really does not want us to live in fear. He does not want us to be handicapped by fear. He knows that it is debilitating and can lead us to make wrong choices. So I offered to do a 1 week series covering this theme.
And I found it really helpful. I started doing the preparation just as Jenny went back to look after her parents in Cambridgeshire, leaving me alone for another fortnight (she’s been away for 11 weeks out of the last 14). The time that happened the month previously I’d found it quite hard, but writing this series really helped me through the trickiest days. That is really how it should be, I think, as we serve the LORD and one another, it can take us out of our place of distress and anchor us in the presence of God.
I am not saying it was the perfect antidote! But it helped me a lot.
It also enabled me to address some of my own fears, anxiety and helped lift my mood when it began to sink a bit. I do hope that it has been a help to those of you who watched and listened on line. I realised afresh that God is in the business of lifting us up and energising us. He does not condemn us when we feel low, when we are depressed, anxious or fearful! No, He reaches out to us with words of encouragement, just as He did with Elijah (1 Kings 19). He reminds us that He is strong and reliable. But He also reminds us to seek good quality Fellowship. With Elijah, God gives him Elisha to mentor and train to become the next prophet. We too must be on the lookout for those that we can bless across the generations. People who will benefit from our youthful enthusiasm or, if we are at the older end, our maturity and experience.
As Lockdown eases, I encourage you to regain your old fellowship friendships and also make new ones so that we can all grow in the love and knowledge of each other and, consequently, of our LORD.
God bless
Colin

Thursday 2 July 2020
Gordon asks, "Can You Believe It?"
The Bible is the world's best selling book, and always has been. It took 1500 years to write, and was completed nearly 2000 years ago. More than 40 different authors contributed to it. They lived in different countries, wrote in different languages, came from all walks of life, and varied greatly in intellect and ability. Some wrote history, others biography, theology, poetry, prophecy, and philosophy.
They lived in different eras, most had no contact with each another, and never knew that when their writings were all put together they would form one coherent volume, the complete story of God's dealings with humanity, from creation to the end of time, and His gradually unfolding plan to save us from ourselves. The unity and integrity of the Bible cannot be explained in human terms, given the variety of authors and the length of time over which they wrote. Also, early manuscripts of the Bible exist in abundance, far more than those relating to Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, or anyone else in ancient history.
No archaeological find has ever disproved a single word of the Bible, and more and more evidence supporting it is unearthed all the time. The Bible is not at variance with any proven scientific fact. Human theories abound as to the origin of life, but 'The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground', Genesis 2:7, is a more likely explanation than the dust turning into man all by itself, no matter how long it might have taken.
When people thought that the earth was flat and held up by big elephants, the Bible said it was round and floats in space. The prophet Isaiah 40:22 'God sits enthroned above the circle of the earth', and Job 26:7 'God suspends the earth over nothing'.
The Bible correctly asserts that matter consists of sub atomic particles too small to see. Hebrews 11:3 'What is seen was not made out of what was visible'.
In 2 Peter 3:10-12 we read 'The earth and everything in it will be laid bare.....the elements will melt in the heat'. For 1900 years no-one could conceive of fire hot enough to do this. Then along came the atomic bomb.
But what distinguishes the Bible from all other sacred texts is prophecy. No other book correctly predicts the future. This confirms the Bible's divine inspiration. Hundreds of biblical prophecies have come true, such as the Jewish dispersion, and the fall of the Babylonian and Roman empires.
Many prophecies are remarkably detailed, none more so than those about Jesus Christ, written centuries before he came. Some from Isaiah, Micah, Hosea, and Jeremiah are quoted in the early chapters of Matthew's gospel with words like 'what was said through the prophet was fulfilled'.
But remarkable though all this is, the ultimate proof that the Bible is true is the simple fact that it works! It promises a personal relationship with God, and God does indeed reveal himself to everyone who genuinely believes Romans 4:25, 'He (Jesus) was delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification', as prophesied in Isaiah 53:5 'the punishment that brought us peace was upon him'.
The Bible promises believers, as the hymn writer says, 'Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine with 10,000 beside.'
As another hymn writer says: 'He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way. He lives, He lives, salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.'
Gordon asks, "Can You Believe It?"
The Bible is the world's best selling book, and always has been. It took 1500 years to write, and was completed nearly 2000 years ago. More than 40 different authors contributed to it. They lived in different countries, wrote in different languages, came from all walks of life, and varied greatly in intellect and ability. Some wrote history, others biography, theology, poetry, prophecy, and philosophy.
They lived in different eras, most had no contact with each another, and never knew that when their writings were all put together they would form one coherent volume, the complete story of God's dealings with humanity, from creation to the end of time, and His gradually unfolding plan to save us from ourselves. The unity and integrity of the Bible cannot be explained in human terms, given the variety of authors and the length of time over which they wrote. Also, early manuscripts of the Bible exist in abundance, far more than those relating to Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, or anyone else in ancient history.
No archaeological find has ever disproved a single word of the Bible, and more and more evidence supporting it is unearthed all the time. The Bible is not at variance with any proven scientific fact. Human theories abound as to the origin of life, but 'The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground', Genesis 2:7, is a more likely explanation than the dust turning into man all by itself, no matter how long it might have taken.
When people thought that the earth was flat and held up by big elephants, the Bible said it was round and floats in space. The prophet Isaiah 40:22 'God sits enthroned above the circle of the earth', and Job 26:7 'God suspends the earth over nothing'.
The Bible correctly asserts that matter consists of sub atomic particles too small to see. Hebrews 11:3 'What is seen was not made out of what was visible'.
In 2 Peter 3:10-12 we read 'The earth and everything in it will be laid bare.....the elements will melt in the heat'. For 1900 years no-one could conceive of fire hot enough to do this. Then along came the atomic bomb.
But what distinguishes the Bible from all other sacred texts is prophecy. No other book correctly predicts the future. This confirms the Bible's divine inspiration. Hundreds of biblical prophecies have come true, such as the Jewish dispersion, and the fall of the Babylonian and Roman empires.
Many prophecies are remarkably detailed, none more so than those about Jesus Christ, written centuries before he came. Some from Isaiah, Micah, Hosea, and Jeremiah are quoted in the early chapters of Matthew's gospel with words like 'what was said through the prophet was fulfilled'.
But remarkable though all this is, the ultimate proof that the Bible is true is the simple fact that it works! It promises a personal relationship with God, and God does indeed reveal himself to everyone who genuinely believes Romans 4:25, 'He (Jesus) was delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification', as prophesied in Isaiah 53:5 'the punishment that brought us peace was upon him'.
The Bible promises believers, as the hymn writer says, 'Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine with 10,000 beside.'
As another hymn writer says: 'He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way. He lives, He lives, salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.'