Saturday Study Session – Our Response To God February 21, 2009
Posted by stokecoglife in Study.Tags: basics, Christ, Christopher Dryden, church, COG, COG Life, doctrine, faith, God, relationships, salvation
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The final part of the Tragedy to Triumph trilogy was set to be a stunner!
The study on the basics of belief gives an opportunity to see the bigger picture and how we think things through on a holistic level. The bigger story of the Bible story is of God's relationship with Man and how now His Spirit gives us the chance to respond and return to Him who created us for His glory.
Sometimes the statements that we say make more sense when we break it down and realising the weightiness of just what Christ has done for us and how we are given the gift to respond in faith and repentance is worth getting excited about.
Key concepts of faith, repentance, confession and following Jesus were shown and explored through basic images.
It was such an enjoyable experience going through these scriptures to see what doors are opened with faith as the key - whether it's healing, peace, righteousness or access to God Himself it is opened on receiving the gift of faith.
Having established what faith first opens, it is also important to see the life we live in the light of faith. These are not optional extras but essential expressions of our reconnection with God. One aspect that was important to come from the exercise was that although following these didn't make us sinless, it would over time help us sin less.
There are some mischevious questions that crop up and the idea is not to get to the answer but to appreciate and rejoice in how both faith and love work together for us to enjoy life with God. The opportunities are only opened up by faith.
It was a great trilogy to study and not only refers to the personal salvation but also the implications of following Jesus individually and corporately in sharing this good news with all who need to see it and hear it in the hope that one day, perhaps every day we get to see God's love shared in the life of another and come alive with Christ.
The trilogy is over but the seminar series continues and next week's one touches a topic often neglected but still forming the heart of most legislatures in the Western world
Here are some brain teasers to get people looking at how the Ten fits or doesn't in our world and even in mainstream Christendom - answers next week!
Sunday Celebration Service – 15-02-09 February 20, 2009
Posted by stokecoglife in Church Updates, Services Review.Tags: Christ, COG, contribution, dream, faith, family, reap, relationships, Russia
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This Sunday (15-02-09), those in attendance enjoyed an awesome time in fellowship, worship and the sharing of the Word of God in preaching. The praise and worship once again touched tangible highs of seeing God glorified. Keren and Olivia in leading out were really sensitive in their song selections and with brilliant backing from David on keys we were able to worship in song without inhibition.
Brethren are getting into the habit of coming prepared to contribute to the evening’s session and things kicked off with Adora thanking God for seeing another year after her birthday took place recently and also sharing a testimony of God’s amazing provision for her in a matter related to the Heart Foundation. CD came up and gave an insight into how life was like a jigsaw puzzle and in the midst of the spectacular and mundane it was important to maintain focus on God who shows us how these pieces fit together to build the shalom for which God has created us.
Keren then followed with a reading inspired by the scripture concerning the Pharisee who on inviting Jesus to his house found a woman of the night washing Jesus’ feet with her hair and Jesus turning it on the Pharisee with the understanding that because she has been forgiven much that is why she is expressing such gratitude. Duly inspired by the reading Authrine came up to testify of God’s goodness in her life in reminding her that life is like a bus where people get on and off and your job is just to cope with the people the best way you can and not be put off by them. She closed the testimony with a genuine effort at recalling the song ‘Not The I But The You In Me’.
Wayne closed the contribution section with another powerful missions report on his time in Russia. He highlighted how much we take our privileged position for granted in comparison to places like Russia where some have not even encountered the faith question and where there is now a rush to church with the old certainties of communism and the Soviet Union disappearing before their very eyes. We were also given prayer points for those he had come across who so desperately need to invest in things above as opposed to things on earth.
These times of contributing are so important to the overall health of the body in Stoke-on-Trent and Hughie reiterated it poignantly at the end of the sharing. The image he conjured was of enjoying a meal is about having all aspects of it on the plate and we are the aspects on the plate and if one person chooses not to contribute it affects them and the rest of the family as they are not able to enjoy the meal as they could have.
Hughie carried on the series of messages on the importance of reaping with insights from Genesis 40. After the customary congregational reading of the whole chapter we looked into some aspects of it including the importance of dreams. It’s good to have them but be careful who you share it with just in case you find yourself in the prison as Joseph did as an indirect result of his boasts to his family which only stirred up antagonism among his brothers.
Further reflections also took on the nature of the dream Joey was prophesying for both the butler and the baker and how in both cases their heads would be lifted. Again a cautionary note was shared on ensuring that whenever our heads are lifted it is done by the Lord in promotion, not to have it chopped off. A pun that was shockingly shared during the session was how the poor baker suffered the fate he did because he got ahead of himself (people are still groaning over that from then til now).
With specific reference to reaping we saw how Joseph employed every opportunity to exercise his gift diligently and faithfully under adverse circumstances and even managed to slip his business card in with the butler and although the butler soon forgot, such was the impression that the business card had that two years later he was able to draw on it. In the same manner we were encouraged to make the most of every opportunity as it may be either a ripe reaping time in itself or will lead to the bounty later down the line. To do that we need to be in the place where we do what we do best as often as we can.
Hughie further expounded on how we as a church are called to dream big things and expect God to bring influential people our way and be ready to make the most of them as they may be our ticket from the prison to the palace. The principle of wisdom emerged once more as crucial in operating in reaping mode so that whatever is to our advantage can be maximised for the glory of His great name.
One particular aspect that stirred emotions was what happened two years later when Joseph was summoned to Pharaoh but ensured he set himself properly before seeing him. This is a word close to Hughie and he shared with us just how crucial it is to set ourselves appropriately for the occasion so that we can make that unforgettable first impression. Reaping requires a ready mind to receive and so our appearance and posture are so vital and critical in this time. We never know when that time may be but if we are ready not just in terms of our physical appearance but to share the wisdom through verbal intercourse, in doing so this will turn the minds and hearts of man to the wonders of God shown through us. So as we remain faithful and hang about, we will find ourselves ready to go to key strategic positions of influence in our world and use them for Kingdom mission.
Once again the whole night was inspired and people left with a lift in their spirit after the visitation of God Himself to our corporate time of celebration as we wait eagerly with great anticipation to more and even better encounters of the divine kind.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom.
dmcd
Saturday Study Session – Plan of Salvation February 15, 2009
Posted by stokecoglife in Study.Tags: basics, Christ, church, COG, doctrine, Sabbath, salvation, Study
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This gives a picture summary of where we have got to leading up to this current lesson. Covers the heart of the faith - who God is as expressed through His Word leading into the current trilogy.
Statements of faith are a work in themselves. People rarely remember them, if at all and yet what they highlight is crucial to our faith. The plan of salvation in particular is something to keep in mind especially aspects that can be somewhat potentially offensive to others.
Righteousness is near the heart of the message of salvation, so looking at what actually happens helps to begin the whole discussion about the topic
Often short stories can get a point across that other means just cannot reach. So the concepts of justification, sanctification and glorification were explored in the story of a chair in pieces, made right by the craftsman, put back together again to be used for what it was created.
Ephesians 2 is a powerful scripture to highlight what the plan of salvation is all about and exploring these verses brings out just how much God deserves the glory for the great things He has done and how we are thus made, like the chair to be put back together again to do what He created us to do.
One of the key words in defining aspects of the gospel story is propitiation and that's a hard word to get to grips with, so it was particularly useful to have these pictures explain what it was to satisfy the demands of a holy judge that makes us right, reconciled and redeemed. These pictures help bring the points across.
This sums up well what we have to be thankful in the inevitable success of the gospel.
Next week's lesson brings a close to the enthralling trilogy from tragedy to triumph
Next week's lesson focusses in greater detail on faith and so the questions to consider reflect how faith relates to other things and the issue of cheap grace. It should be a humdinger!
Sunday Celebration Service – 08-02-09 February 9, 2009
Posted by stokecoglife in Church Updates, Services Review.Tags: Christ, Christopher Dryden, church, COG Life, faith, family, God, prayer, relationships
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Sunday nights from 6 til 8 sees our family celebration service. This is a less formal affair than Saturdays and we look for all to contribute in a relaxed family setting whilst concluding with a message. Tonight’s session was really good.
There’s something really reassuring about the informal atmosphere and the praise and worship team of Stacia, Mavia and Olivia led well in that regard. They are still a young team in many ways but it is so encouraging seeing the potential slowly but surely being realised as they continue to work together and also finding routes to harmonise.
As we opened in prayer we read together the scripture that would be used for the evening – Matthew 1:1-17. Reading together is still such a quaint practice for our church but we’re in it together from the beginning and have somewhere to go after that. I’m the dude in charge of the laptop that displays the bible version we read and depending on what we’re reading will determine what version we read. On this occasion we used the Contemporary English Version and I love the way it places the bracketed areas around the real suspect characters in the genealogy!
What are always good on a Sunday night are the various contributions that brethren will come with. Carlene kicked things off and set the tempo for the rest of the service by referring us to Psalm 147:1-5 how praises to God is a great thing acknowledging his ability to heal the broken-hearted. Those words of encouragement and just the reference to the scripture I found so heartening and literally set the pace for what was to come.
Carlene was followed by Authrine who gave thanks for her mother and gave tribute to a song that she often heard her mother sing that you don’t really know until you’ve been loved by God. The circle was now complete in that she now used the same song to her children. I always have something to offer at these times of contributions and it’s often a case of seeking to edit what I could say to leave room for others to have a say! I mentioned finishing the Parkinson autobiography and the desire on my part to be grateful for the blessings of the present without bitterness over ‘things not being as they used to be’. I also publicly thanked God for my wife who fulfilled the first part of Proverbs 12:4.
Angela the first lady came next and continued the theme of thanksgiving for the women with a moving tribute to the work of her mother sharing some of the things experienced and how Angela has been influenced by the example shown. Hughie then came in and first of all testified of how God answers prayers especially when it came to the house of prayer and how we are now blessed to have the facility in use throughout Sunday by different groups. The next prayer is for the facility to be constantly in use by different groups throughout the week.
From there the scripture was opened up and we had fun exploring how the Messiah came out of a mess with the various indiscretions of his family tree. This was the basis for the word that although there maybe a mess in our family background it does not mean we cannot come out different because of the Messiah. This again reiterates the power of God to bring order out of chaos. What is good about our times exploring the Word is that it is then grounded further in personal experiences and as these were shown what emerged was a gratitude for the family of God especially in times when the biological parents may leave us God always looks out for us. As we closed in prayer of healing and hope for our loved ones, it was another reminder of just how sweet it is to be with God’s people in this kind of fellowship.
You’ll notice that traffic is picking up on this blog. This is part of the drive to utilise these blogs to keep people more informed as to what’s going on in StokeCOG life and there has been tons that’s taken place since August 2008 hence the absence of presence. With the most intensively hectic just about behind us, systems and procedures are being put in place to improve communications. We’re blessed to have a budding amateur photographer learning her trade through the church which will mean more photos of events as they happen and more reports likewise.
In the meantime keep us in your prayers as the church embarks on new frontiers in seeing people come to the Lord and being the church that Jesus Christ is expecting on His return fulfilling the mission on which He’s sent us.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom.
dmcd
Saturday Study Session – Fall of Humanity February 7, 2009
Posted by stokecoglife in Study.Tags: basics, church, doctrine, faith, original sin, Sabbath, sin, Study, The Fall, theology
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- Outlining dates for the series of teachings that are being done as part of our series on Basics for Faith and Life
The beginning of the new trilogy sees us grappling with the issue of original sin and the nature of man
To start the conversation we looked at some of the current events of 'bad behaviour' to draw out links to our own potential of 'bad behaviour'.
What this slide addressed was that in spite of people's good works it does not necessarily make them good people especially in the eyes of Jesus who has said that no one is good
These are the questions that students had pondered on to give them a foundation for the issues we'd be addressing during the lesson
The statements of faith are heavy and rich, breaking them down and analysing them to see if they're understood and applicable. These are not always straightforward and it's worth looking at it in detail
Reading this scripture allowed us to see the mess that we're in and just how much we have to be grateful for what God has done in Christ
This exploration of Genesis 3 brought out some real chestnuts in uncovering what actually went wrong and just how serious the consequences are
This sums up the whole lesson and our outlook on looking to Jesus
We look at how God had a plan and loves it when a plan comes together and how that's good news as we get over the bad news!
One of the things we're in great danger of is taking things for granted. Knowing what we believe is only part of the job, being able to convey it and defend it from a compassionate heart requires us to be diligent in reminding ourselves about the heart of the gospel. Hopefully these questions will help.
