Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Jesus the Constant.

Hebrews 13v8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”  (NIV)

What can you rely on when things change in this world?

A key message of Hebrews as a whole, and the above verse in particular, is the constancy of Jesus and therefore his complete provision for us. The writer of Hebrews compares the temporary nature of those responsible in the Old Testament (whether powers and authorities, or the persons and policies) with the eternal nature of Jesus.

From this particular verse, I receive the following:

Yesterday and today

– As I read the gospel stories, the Jesus I read about is the same Jesus today. He still has a heart of compassion; he still cares for the lost; he still loves his sheep; he still goes out of his way for the lost; he still teaches with both authority and love; he still has power over nature and over sickness; he was appointed by God, not by man; he is still able to provide all our needs. In fact, he is even more able as he does it through his church and His Spirit, not just in Israel, but all over.

– As I read the book of Acts and the stories of saints through the years, the Jesus they relied on is the same Jesus I can rely on today. The Name that they spoke in power, I can speak in power; the forgiveness they knew, I can know; as they risked their comforts and their possessions for him, so Jesus is worth just as much today.

Forever and today

• As I read the prophecies of Jesus’ return in his glorious kingdom, I know that his heart is for that kingdom now. And he is implementing it in you and I. He is ushering in the reign of love, joy and peace in our hearts as a mirror of what is to come. I can rest my heart in the joy of the Kingdom.
• As I know that Jesus will ultimately deal with all evil, I know that I do not need to respond to evil with evil, but with good. He either deals with it through the cross where he took the punishment and brings forgiveness, or through the final judgment where he exercises justice for what is not forgiven. It is therefore not for me to judge and condemn, it is ultimately up to Jesus.

The sea of external circumstances do not ultimately matter. They may be whipped up and rise and fall, but the only thing that counts is the Rock on which I stand; and the Rock of Jesus stands well above the sea and will endure forever. Keep your feet on solid ground and your eyes up!

Lord, you are the one I count on above all other.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Drinking in the Rain.

Hebrews 6v7 “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.”  (NIV)

Just a little pondering on this verse using the image of farming for our spiritual lives …

Firstly, “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it”:

• The context (v4-6) indicates that the “land” symbolises you and I and the “rain” is the heavenly gift of God’s forgiveness, His Word and the Holy Spirit
• This rain is often falling. It is not withheld, but is available frequently.
• The issue is not the “rain”, but whether the land is hardened in any way and is not able to “drink” it in.
• How is the “land” of my heart? Am I soft and ready to receive the “rain” of God?

Secondly, “and produces a crop useful to those to whom it is farmed”:

• To produce a crop requires the soil to not only drink the rain, but also be fertile.
• Is my heart fertile to produce a crop? (consider also the parable of the sower in Mark 4v1-20)
• It is the landowner who typically receives the crop from the labourers farming the land.
• Who is my “landowner”? Who is the crop of my life most useful to?

Thirdly, “receives the blessing of God”

• There is a sense in which the land has already received God’s blessing in the rain and the fertile nature of the soil.
• But God is one who adds blessing to blessing. (See also Matthew 13v12, “Whoever has will be given more” ) Blessing is not something me manufacture, but is the gift of God.

Lord, all we have is yours; may we be fertile, drink deep and receive your blessing.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

God & Evil.

1 Corinthians 5v6 “Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast.”  (NIV)

The presence of evil in our world is our number one problem. It is manifest in a whole manner of ways around us. God knows this and God is going to get rid of all evil when he finally throws Satan and his demons into the fire. We know that God made the way for this victory in Christ’s death and resurrection.

In the Bible, evil is sometimes symbolised as yeast. For example, in Exodus 12, the Israelites are to celebrate the Passover for 7 days with “bread made without yeast”. Then in the New Testament, Jesus uses this imagery when he tells the disciples “I am not talking to you about bread”, but “guard against the yeast of the Pharisees”: then Paul, in the passage above follows on with, “not with … the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread made without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.” The message of the yeast analogy is that evil easily spreads through what is otherwise good and so spoils the whole.

And so, the yeast analogy is a call to get rid of evil in our own lives and in the life of the church just as God is going to get rid of evil on that final day. We are called to be disciplined and determined, and so bring God’s certain future into today’s human fragility.

Of course this is only possible as God “pours out his love in our hearts” (Romans 5v5) and as we are “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5v18). Changing the analogy, it is easier to get rid of darkness with light than with anything else!

Lord, fill us with your light.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Prayer for Workers.

Luke 10v2 “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field.”  (NIV)

Our Vision: What do you see when you look out at the world? – Do you see a great harvest for Jesus? People who desperately need his forgiveness and empowering? People who can be encouraged to respond to His message? Despite the opposition, Jesus saw a great harvest. Lord, open our eyes to what you see.

Our Limits: What boundaries and obstacles do you see? Jesus could see limited resources. A great harvest needs lots of workers to gather it in. If there is a great “combine harvester” in this field, it is the Holy Spirit – but it would seem most of the time, the Holy Spirit uses us, God’s children. Do you feel overwhelmed at the task? If you can see the harvest Jesus sees, you probably do.

Jesus’ solution: God is not limited and he has no boundaries. All creation belongs to him. He is not short of resources. In the previous chapter (Luke 9), Jesus has fed over 5000 from just five loaves and two fish. So Jesus’s clear instruction is to turn to God and ask for the resources necessary for this task. Most pertinent amongst the resources is “workers”. Leaders and managers are great, but what the harvest most needs is workers: people who will get out in the fields equipped with the Holy Spirit (That is the one requirement – Acts 1v8). Jesus tells us to pray for God to send them.

Do you see the harvest here in Telford? In your street or workplace? Do you feel inadequate for the task? Are you praying for God to equip and send out workers? This is definitely a prayer that is in line with the will of God.

Lord of the harvest, send workers into the harvest field of Telford we pray.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Righteousness Exalts a Nation.

Proverbs 14v34. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”  (NIV)

Wasn’t it encouraging on Monday to have the funeral of our Queen so honouring to God? With  Christian hymns, Christian prayers, and a sermon with strong echoes of the gospel message. And to think that maybe over half the world’s population watched it.

It is clear that people around the world looked up to our Queen and this is maybe an illustration of the above proverb. The “Book of Proverbs” is not intended as a “life is always like this”, but as a general guide to the way things work out. A similar proverb is found in Proverbs 11v11, “Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.”

The Christian influence in this land over the centuries is something we can be very thankful for. It underpins more of our culture and society than is often given credit. Our modern thinking is often blind to this influence or resists it: the Queen’s service was not welcomed by all!

By way of example of influence, I was reading the other day about homicide rates over the last 1000 years in the UK. The question was asked: What can explain the steady fall in homicide rates in the UK over all that period? Statistics show there were 200 homicides per million people in 1200, declining to 100 per million by 1600, and to a low of 6 per million around 1950, but then rising to around 10 per million more recently. (Note this is a general trend, though there are blips and troughs on the way.) Is this an example of the effect of the gospel influence in our land?

The reality is that we can all be like the Queen in our places of influence. People were attracted to her light even when they don’t want to know her Saviour. And so your “righteousness” and “blessing” can have an impact on the people around you. What light are you bringing to the organisations you are part of, and the town in which we live? It may not be immediately obvious to you, but if you were not there … Afterall, Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth … [and] the light of the world … so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5v12-14

May God enable us to be his salt and light in the world.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

The Reality of Death.

Hebrews 9v27 “Just as man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment … .”  (NIV)

We as a nation mourn the loss of Queen Elizabeth II and many of us will be watching her funeral on Monday.

Death is something we all face. Death is not the ideal of life God desired, rather it is something to be overcome. Death is hard: we only do it once; we don’t know exactly what happens; we don’t know what it will be like; and the process of dying can be traumatic.

The whole sentence quoted from Hebrews above reads, “Just as man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

So while there is much we do not know, we do know:

• Who has gone before us ( Hebrews 9v28 ) – “Christ was sacrificed once”
• Who goes with us ( Psalm 23v4 ) –  “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
• What we will face ( Hebrews 9v27 ) – “judgment”
• What the verdict will be (Hebrews 9v28)  “{Christ] will appear a second time … to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him”.

This is our solid hope, demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus: our salvation will be completed based solely on the finished work of Jesus.

It is Christ-like to mourn at death (John 11v33-35). It is natural to have a certain fear of death (Hebrews 2v14-15). It is faith to be “convinced that neither death nor life … will be able to separate us from the love of God,” (Romans 8v38); and it is faith that enables us to live in the assurance that all the promises of God are “yes” and “Amen” in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 1v20).

May God enable us to both live and die well.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Prayer for Our Rulers.

1 Timothy 2v1-2 “I urge then that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for … kings and all those in authority.”  (NIV)

This week has seen the instalment of new Prime Minister Liz Truss, the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and therefore also the announcement of a new King – King Charles III.

The teaching of the New Testament is clear, we give honour and respect to those in authority and pray for them. We recognise that all leaders are ultimately accountable to God and it is he who puts them in place by whatever process that is. (See Romans 13v1-7)

Let us therefore give thanks for the life of the Queen and the way that she has given honour to God and to Jesus and has regularly acknowledged His hand in her life. Let’s pray for the whole Royal Family as they mourn their loss.

Let us pray too for our new leaders – both Liz Truss and King Charles. Let us pray that they live up to God’s ways in their own lives and in the policies that they put forward. Let us pray for peace, righteousness and justice.

Let us pray for our nation in this time of change. “Restore O Lord the honour of your name … and in our time revive the church that bears your name.”

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

How to pray #3.

Acts 4v24 “When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.”  (NIV)

In the early church there were daily gatherings for prayer together. Jesus stated, “I tell you that if two or three of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them,” Matthew 18v19-20. In short there is something spiritually powerful as we pray together. Why? Because Jesus is with us as we gather, and because he has promised to answer as we agree together in our petitions and intercessions! There is something powerful about a genuine “Amen” from others as we pray.

These days we can gather on-line or in person and there are various ones of us meeting in small groups and 2s and 3s to pray together. Would you like to join such a group?

Next Wednesday August 31^st, we are gathering for a day of prayer. You are welcome. I know some are away or working, but for those that can, I can encourage you to participate as you are able. The timetable for the day is below and you can join at any point. We will meet in the Prayer Room during the day and then in St Christopher’s Room from 7pm.

If you are not able to be present, you could use the timetable below as a guide so that we may pray in Spirit together.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

How to pray #2.

Matthew 6v9 “This is how you should pray.”  (NIV)

Have you had a time when you just don’t know how to pray? I am sure you have. Sometimes it can be because we are in shock over an event, or maybe we are not sure whether we should be asking for one outcome or another.

Though the gospel writers record Jesus saying, “This is how you should pray,” we do not find his followers praying this exact prayer again in the New Testament. Instead, we find a wide variety of prayers covering a range of styles and themes. It would seem that Jesus was primarily giving a principle of prayer than an exact wording to follow.

Jesus begins his example prayer with “Our Father in heaven” – a wonderful statement of our relationship with God. We come to him in relationship. Jesus is telling us to come as loved, dependent and submissive children and honour our Dad.

He continues “Hallowed be your name” – a declaration of the complete holiness of God. We come to one who is perfect in every way; one who is to be revered and praised. Indeed, now is the time to worship!

Maybe, when we do not know how to pray, we need to begin with an expression of our relationship with God and his worth. It is then that the Spirit comes and enables us to pour out our hearts to God as Paul writes in Romans 8v29, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

How to pray.

Matthew 6v9 “This is how you should pray.”  (NIV)

One of the elements that stuck out for me in Peter’s talk last week was his story about acknowledging God’s creation of the tree and how Adam and Eve talked with God in the garden of Eden: how have you got on with chatting with God this week?

I think too that the “Keep it simple. Keep it real. Keep it up” is so helpful. We do not need to dress our prayers up! We don’t need some special language. Talk with him as you.

We are glad that so many of you have found last week’s session helpful and we will again be using the Prayer Course material this coming week.

With love and blessing,

Roland