24th September 2017 - Simon Benham, Remembering what God has done

Simon Benham

24th September 2017

Remembering What God Has Done

In the book that bears his name, the Old Testament tells how Joshua leads Israel across the river Jordan into promised land.

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”

“So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been[a] in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.” - Joshua 4:1-9

So they didn’t just cross and move on, they stopped to build a memorial pile of stones.  This was an important day for Israel to remember, because there would never be another day like this; their life was never going to be the same again.

Sean Green spoke at a men’s breakfast yesterday of the challenges Israel encountered as they set out to claim the promised land:

·         Idols - things which replace God, which for us might be careers, possessions, money, family, or sex.

·         Giants - things that frighten us – perhaps following political correctness rather declaring biblical truth, or protecting our reputation rather than standing up for God.

This memorial wasn’t a one-off.  Joshua recounts 7 occasions when the Israelites marked significant occasions with a pile of stones (Joshua 4:20, 7:26, 8:29, 8:30, 10:27, 22:34. 24:36). Each marks an event, often a high point but sometimes a low point.

What are the memorials in your life? What memories remind you of God – the same today, tomorrow and forever - that keep you from being scared of giants or attracted to idols?  Simon’s own list goes like this:

·         Jesus – because he’s so easily displaced in our minds by the day’s business.  We needs to keep bringing his death and resurrection to mind.  “Do this in remembrance of me”.

·         Salvation – once Simon was lost, on the road to an emotional mess; now he’s found, and meeting Jesus changed his life.

·         A church in Reading where things went wrong, and Simon got (most of) the blame.  He was 21 at the time, about to be married, and felt utterly confused.  A failure, but one which God sorted out.

o   Joshua records the Israelites placing stones to remember their failure to defeat Ai (10:27) – a memorial to failure and disobedience which they couldn’t sort out but which God did.

o   Why remember failure? “Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it.”  Pastorally, there are so many examples of people making the same mistake repeatedly and falling back into debt, addiction, or worse. It helps to remember us that if God was faithful in the past, he’ll be faithful now.

·         The building of Kerith - A walk of faith by a congregation of about 250-300 to build something that would cost about £10m today.

o   The healing of Katherine Pedley.  Katherine had an accident whilst ice skating that left her with difficulty walking, but God healed her at a prayer meeting.  She was totally healed in that moment, and remains so today.  God doesn’t always heal in response to our prayers, but sometimes He breaks in – so it’s always worth praying!

·         Serenje.  We should always be a church that remembers the poor, and it’s good to know that there are girls in Africa that will be sleeping safely tonight because of the Serenje project.

·         God’s word – like Joshua 1:7, “Be strong and courageous”. All God’s promises are yes and amen – you can take hold of his Word and rely on it.

Questions

What are your seven most significant memories? Build a memorial to all God has done in your life by recalling 7 events that remind you of God's work in your life.

17th September 2017 - Simon Benham - Acts 8.26-40 Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

Baptism Sunday Notes: 17^th September 2017

Preacher: Simon Benham

Scripture: Acts 8.26-40 Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

 

Introduction:

• Baptism Sunday – sometimes it can be quite a shock the first time we see baptism. When Simon first saw a baptism (as a non-Christian teenager) it raised many questions for him.
• Full immersion baptism – represents the work Jesus has done in our lives. He has washed us clean and has raised us to a new life with him. 

 

Characters in the story:

1. Philip
   1. Not one of the 12 disciples. However, he was someone to whom the disciples had delegated the job of waiter to.
   2. Widows and the vulnerable were a priority for the early church. They received food and care and Philip was one of the people who waited on their tables.
   3. SIDE NOTE: If you are in leadership and are feeling worn out and tired by your work, it might be a sign that you need to delegate responsibilities.
2. Ethiopian Eunuch
   1. He had gone to Jerusalem to find out about Judaism and is returning home reading Isaiah 53.
   2. He is thought to be the first person to bring Christianity to Africa. 
   3. Philip explains the good news of Jesus to him

 

Asking Questions – be an inquisitive person. Doubt is welcome in this community and it is a safe place to ask questions.

 

The smartest people have the best questions; not the best answers.

• “The little girl who asks why the sky is blue becomes the woman who changes the world” (Leader in Facebook)
• “Raise your hand and ask a question” (Michelle Obama, a letter to her younger self).

 

The Eunuch asks three important questions:

1. How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?
   1. The bible tells us ‘consider the ant’
   2. If we can learn from an ant we can learn from anyone. Have the humility to learn from those who are different from you.
2. Who is the prophet talking about?
   1. This leads to the most important question you could ask… Who is Jesus? The answer to that question is the root to the biggest life change you could ever receive.
   2. Why is the world in such a mess? Broken world – from the broken relationships caused by our sin and rebellion. Jesus came into the world to restore our broken relationship with God. (Isaiah 53.1-12 “Pierced for our transgressions… by his wounds we are healed.”)
   3. Because of Jesus, everyone has access to the same power of the cross. This means our sin is taken away and our wounds healed!
       
3. What is standing in the way of me being baptised?
   1. We might ask the same question. Take it as a challenge to be obedient and get baptised.
   2. Goodness is not a qualification for baptism, neither is the length of time you have known Jesus.

 

Questions for us to consider:

1. Have we been obedient to the call of baptism?
   1. Why not sign up to be baptised at the next baptism Sunday! What is holding you back?
2. Are you an inquisitive person? How could you foster an inquisitive nature this week?
3. What questions do you have?
   1. Think about joining a growth track course (Alpha starts 27^th September, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality is also on this term).
4. Philip was obedient to the voice of God in this passage of Scripture, and it led him to an amazing conversation. Where is God calling you to be in this season? Who are the people around us that we can ask questions to and explain the good news of Jesus to in this season?

10th Sept 2017 - This Term's Vision - Simon Benham

By and large, Simon’s walk with God hasn’t been one of dreams and visions – its more been a case of ‘doing the obvious thing’ – taking on jobs and responsibilities as they came up.  But there has been a notable exception – a prophetic word at Stoneleigh, God saying “You will lead churches of thousands”.

That Word is not fulfilled yet.  Generally, prophetic words don’t come true just like that, you have to do stuff to make it happen – and so we’re shaping the Kerith vision for this term to bring the fulfilment of this particular word closer to reality. 

‘Churches of thousands’.  The current fashion seems to be to prefer small churches, rather than large ones.  But the first church (in Acts 2) was a church of three thousand from day one … perhaps God’s heart for little churches is to see them become big churches!

Here’s what the full passage says:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. [Acts 2:42-47]

Verse 47 speak of ‘adding to the number daily’.  If there were one thing from this passage Simon would wish to claim for Kerith, it would be this.  Scaling the numbers from Acts to Kerith, it equates to a desire for about 100 people to be added to our church every year.  That’s why we have a target of 100 baptisms this year (we’re counting baptisms because that’s a more solid response than praying a prayer).  So far this year, we’ve baptised 84, and there are still four months to go – but in all honesty, a lot of these are people we should have baptised long ago, so to keep going with ‘fresh’ baptisms at this rate we need to up our game!  (Looking back to the first church in Jerusalem, its growth didn’t stop at three thousand; by Acts 4:4 it had reached a size of 5000 men, and Acts 6 says it continued to increase.)

For the record, here’s the status report on the progress of our vision:

·         Bracknell.  We’ve paid off the mortgage on K2, bought a strip of land by the side from the cricket club, and have drawn up plans for new K2 building, which the elders are currently renewing.

·         Sandhurst.  We’re developing a partnership with an un-named party that would give us a Sunday + a mid-week venue.

·         Windsor – We’re renting a great hub with the Gospel Hall in Dedworth, where we’re now going to be meeting on the second Sunday every month at 4pm

The full outworking of all this will take time and cost millions, but don’t be phased!  Rather, ask what does God want us to do personally to make this a reality?  There are three things to take on board:

1.       Be devoted, be sold-out for Jesus – accepting Him not just as our Saviour, but as the Lord of our life. Lord of Finances, of Time, of Jobs, of relationships.  Jesus doesn’t claim Lordship of this things all at once – we’d be overwhelmed! But he does want to be Lord of all.

2.       Embrace community

a.       First, there’s ‘Big community’ – meeting on Sundays.

                                                               i.      Get here as often as you can – not just once a month (that’s the current US definition of ‘attending regularly’). We can always find excuses, but church should take priority

                                                             ii.      Get here on time (!)

                                                           iii.      Come with a heart that says not ‘what am I going to receive?’, but ‘what can I give?’.  A service should not be judged not by how much we enjoyed it, but by how much God enjoyed it.

b.       The, there’s 'small group community' – for deep relationship, encouragement, and for mutual support.

3.       Don’t neglect evangelism.  That doesn’t have to mean standing on a soapbox to the Lexicon, though it can.  The New Testament also models inviting people into a community (like small groups) and over time, those who Belong, begin to Believe and Behave.  The worst thing you can do is to ‘hide your light under a bushel’ – our love for God and for other people should be evident to all who meet us.

3rd Sep 2017 - Letter to Laodicea (Heather Pocock)

Revelation 3 v 14-22

Jesus is the ‘big deal’

Laodicea was a commercial, wealthy city, with two amphitheatres.  It had a medical school for eye care, and produced fine black wool.  There was a huge earthquake is AD 61, but the people were so wealthy and self-sufficient they did not need Roman finance to rebuild.

Jesus describes himself in the letter as ‘the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation’ v14.  He is reminding the Laodiceans that He is the ‘big deal’.

Lukewarm Laodiceans

Laodicea received water via an aqueduct from Hierapolis which had boiling hot 95 degree springs (which you can still visit today) and from Colossae which had ice cold mountain water.  By the time the water arrived at Laodicea it had become neither invigoratingly hot nor refreshingly cold, but unpalatably lukewarm.

Jesus rebukes the church because it is neither hot nor cold, and as a result He about to spit them out of His mouth v16.

The Laodiceans did not realise they were lukewarm but thought they had everything they needed, but Jesus says they were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked v17.  We need God’s opinion of how hot we are, not our own.

Lukewarm Christians

Spurgeon said that lukewarm church looks like:

• Not opposing, but neither defending the gospel.
• Not working mischief, but neither doing great good.
• Not irreligious and overtly sinful, but neither enthusiastic nor passionate in pursing holiness.
• Being moderate, respectable, and opposed to excitement.
• Having a prayer meeting, but very few attending, preferring quiet evenings at home.
• Having no notion of doing things with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.

Are we in danger of becoming a lukewarm church?  We have a reputation of being a passionate church, but it is possible for us to fall into a condition that is contrary to our reputation.

A lukewarm church comes from lukewarm individuals.  We become lukewarm if, for example, we:

• Leave all the social justice to the social justice staff.
• Leave sharing the gospel to those on the platform.
• Leave giving and generously to others.

The question is what are we as individuals doing that is hot right now?

Our emotions follow our actions

Jesus says ‘Be earnest’(v19).  This can be translated as ‘Be zealous, red hot and passionate’.  This is a command, and so it is a decision not an emotion. 

For a marriage to be red hot and passionate we have to put in hard work and invest in gifts, activities, communication and time together.  This is because our emotions tend to follow our actions.  If we wait for emotions before investing in the relationship, it is likely to fail.

It is the same with our relationship with Jesus. If we want a red-hot relationship with Jesus then we have to work at prayer, worship, bible reading, and community with other Christians.  When we see a significant answer to prayer, a verse that speaks directly to our situation, or an act of faith by a Christian friend, it brings passion and fire to our emotions.  Feelings follow actions.

Be thermostats that raise the temperature

We must set the temperature, not match the temperature.  We must be thermostats that change the temperature not thermometers that just match the temperature.  We must create culture not just accept it.

If we are not careful we can simply fall to the same spiritual temperature of those around us.  We can become hot on a Christian camp, but quickly cool off when we return to our everyday life.

Repent and fellowship with Jesus

Where we are lukewarm, Jesus calls us to repent (v19).  Taking a break from doing things that build our faith is not going to work.  We must repent of the other things we have turned to, and go back to the good things we have stopped doing.

Jesus wants a passionate relationship with every single one of us.  He wants to ‘come in and eat with us’ (v20) which signifies fellowship and relationship.  Our job is to ‘open the door’ by doing the things above.  Jesus then promises to share his victory with us.

Questions

Icebreaker: What is your favourite hot or cold drink?

1.  When were you hottest for Jesus?

2.  Who inspires you to be hotter for God and why?

3.  What do you need to do to gain passion and zeal for Jesus?  

[Remember Heather explained how emotions following actions, and hard work is needed in a relationship (see above).  She also said that taking a break from things that build faith is not going to heat us up].

4.  Where can you be a thermostat and raise the spiritual temperature?