THIS WEEKEND (26th-27th) is our annual Missionary weekend. Gerard Chrispin will be joining us. On Saturday night @ 7pm there is a supper at the church, following which Gerard will give an informal presentation about the mission field within Britain’s prisons. On Sunday, Gerard will be preaching at both services.

I’m delighted to announce that our new service at Willowbrook school will be starting on 6th March 2011. I think that in my 25 or so years at the church this is the most exciting and boldest step we’ve taken to spread the good news about Jesus. Please pray for all the preparations and that God would bless the proclamation of the gospel.

Rejoicing as a Safeguard: Paul begins the chapter by “again” commanding the Philippians to rejoice. It is one of the most critical things they can do to guard their hearts against discouragement. It’s not just a good idea, it is a safeguard specifically designed by God for this purpose. How does it work? If I am choosing to rejoice in the Lord over my circumstances or situation, it will be nearly impossible to grumble and complain about the same thing. It is an either/or proposition. A natural consequence of truly rejoicing in the Lord about something is the inability to complain about it. You cannot grumble and rejoice about the same thing at the same time. If you’re grumbling, you’re not rejoicing.

From the Logos blog.

John Blanchard, evangelist and author will speak on the title “Meet the Real Jesus”.

7.30pm, Thursday 21st October at the chapel.

Please invite friends, all welcome.

Dr. John Blanchard is an internationally known Christian preacher, teacher, apologist and author. He has written 30 books, including two of Britain’s most widely used evangelistic presentations, Right With God and the booklet Ultimate Questions. The latter has over fourteen million copies in print in about 60 languages. His major book Does God believe in Atheists?, published in 2000, was voted ‘Best Christian Book’ in the 2001 UK Christian Book Awards, and immediately became a best-seller, described as ‘a brilliant defense of belief in God’. Other books he has written include: Truth for Life, Whatever Happened to Hell, Meet the Real Jesus, and The Beatitudes for Today.

Dr. Blanchard is now heavily committed to Popular Christian Apologetics, a project involving writing, speaking, teaching and broadcasting in defense of the Christian faith. Following on from Does God Believe in Atheists? further books in the series include, Has Science got rid of God?, Is God past His sell-by Date?, Meet the Real Jesus, Is Anybody Out There?, Where Do We Go From Here?,Evolution: Fact or Fiction? Why Believe the Bible? and Why on Earth did Jesus Come?

Text and image from http://www.johnblanchard.org/

With thanks to Gary Brady

I read this passage by Oswald Chambers this evening, powerful stuff:

And when He is come, He will convict the world of sin…John 16:8

Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin; we know the experience of being disturbed because of having done wrong things; but conviction of sin by the Holy Ghost blots out every relationship on earth and leaves one relationship only—“Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned.” When a man is convicted of sin in this way, he knows with every power of his conscience that God dare not forgive him; if God did forgive him, the man would have a stronger sense of justice than God. God does forgive, but it cost the rending of His heart in the death of Christ to enable Him to do so. The great miracle of the grace of God is that He forgives sin, and it is the death of Jesus Christ alone that enables the Divine nature to forgive and to remain true to itself in doing so. It is shallow nonsense to say that God forgives us because He is love. When we have been convicted of sin we will never say this again. The love of God means Calvary, and nothing less; the love of God is spelt on the Cross and nowhere else. The only ground on which God can forgive me is through the Cross of my Lord. There, His conscience is satisfied.

Forgiveness means not merely that I am saved from hell and made right for heaven (no man would accept forgiveness on such a level); forgiveness means that I am forgiven into a recreated relationship, into identification with God in Christ. The miracle of Redemption is that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of Himself, the Holy One, by putting into me a new disposition, the disposition of Jesus Christ.

Oswald Chambers, My utmost for his highest

Friday 9th October, 7:30pm – Admission Free

Henry Olonga was one of Zimbabwe’s most celebrated cricketers — he was the first black cricketer to play for Zimbabwe, and still the youngest to have represented the country. But during the Cricket World Cup, he decided to make a very public protest against what he called “the death of democracy” in Zimbabwe. It was a life-changing decision — he was forced to flee his homeland, and never played cricket for Zimbabwe again. Why not join Henry on Friday 9th October at 7:30pm, and hear more about his life-changing decisions?

Watch Henry Olonga in action for Zimbabwe

Now while the Scriptures lay before me, and laid sin anew at my door, that saying in Luke 18:1 with others, did encourage me to prayer; then the tempter again laid at me very sore, suggesting, “That neither the mercy of God, nor yet the blood of Christ, did at all concern me, nor could they help me for my sin; therefore it was but in vain to pray.” Yet, thought I, “I will pray.” “But, said the tempter, your sin is unpardonable.” “Well, said I, I will pray.” “It is to no boot, said he.” “Yet, said I, I will pray.” So I went to prayer with God; and while I was at prayer, I uttered “Lord, Satan tells me, that neither thy mercy, nor Christ’s blood is sufficient to save my soul; Lord, shall I honour thee most, by believing thou wilt, and canst? or him, by believing that thou neither wilt, nor canst?” Lord, I would fain honour thee, by believing that thou wilt, and canst.

-Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, John Bunyan