Colin Elliott led us in singing praises to God, and rejoicing in the truth of the gospel.

We sang the following songs together:

• Praise the Lord (Sovereign Grace Music, “Psalms” album)
• Made Us Alive (The Village Church, “God of Victory” album)
• Nothing But the Blood (Jars of Clays, “Redemption Songs” album)
• Shine into Our Night (Sovereign Grace Music, “The Gathering” album)
• Because of You (Paul Oakley, “Survivors – 10years” album)

This week we continued our current preaching series from the book of Daniel.  You can listen to or download the fifth sermon of the series, preached by Nathan Smith from Daniel 5:1-31, entitled “The Writing on the Wall” from here, or via our iTunes podcast feed.

Each month we highlight one book that we feel compliments and re-inforces the truths taught on Sunday mornings, and will benefit our souls and families to go deeper in believing, living out and representing God and his gospel to the world.  The books will be available to purchase on Sunday mornings – at a cracking price!

This month we want to recommend a book that Peter referenced in his message “The Christian Duty of Pursuing Joy“, from Sunday 5th February.  The book is:

Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian

William Graham Tullian Tchividjian (pronounced cha-vi-jin) is the Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. A Florida native, Tullian is also the grandson of Billy and Ruth Graham, a visiting professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, a contributing editor to Leadership Journal, and a blogger at the Gospel Coalition website.

Here’s the book blurb from the publisher: “It’s so easy to forget what the Christian faith is all about. We struggle so much, work so hard, and fail so often that we frequently sense something in the equation of life must be missing.  Tullian Tchividjian argues that what we are missing is the gospel—a fuller, more powerful understanding of Jesus and what his finished work means for everyday life.

During a year of great turmoil, Pastor Tchividjian discovered the power of the gospel in his own life. Sharing his story of how Jesus became more real to him, Tchividjian delves deeply into the fundamentals of the faith, explaining the implications of Christ’s sufficiency—a revelation that sets us free and keeps us anchored through life’s storms.

Ultimately, Tchividjian reminds us that Jesus is the whole of the equation as he boldly proclaims that Jesus plus nothing really is everything.”

This book will be available on Sunday mornings for only £9!

Jesus for Skeptics Sundays are 1-hour services, beginning at 11am and are designed for anybody who has doubts or questions about who Jesus was, the claims he made, and why he came to earth, and wants to find out some answers.

There will be music, cake and coffee before the service (available from 10:30am) and a FREE lunch for everybody, served immediately after the service. There’s a creche for 6month-4year olds and our “Generations” Sunday school classes for 5-11year olds.

All are welcome as we begin by exploring the question: “Jesus: Super magician or Son of God?”

Our pre-Christmas collection finished on Sunday 18th December, and we were able to make a big donation in the week leading up to Christmas.  In fact, here’s a picture of some of the stuff we collected, being sorted by a couple of glamourous assistants! Actually, because of your generosity we couldn’t display all the items we received on the table in the photo – There are another 5 full black bin bags full of donations! THANK YOU!

I wanted to take a moment to pass on the letter I received recently from Rhianan Lowes, the Christmas co-ordinator and Associate Manager of the Christmas Shelter, expressing her thanks to YOU for your generosity and kindness in helping to support the many homeless people of our city.

It’s one day a month we encourage all the people of Grace Church to set aside, to devote time to fasting and praying for our church and the advance of the gospel in our community and city.

Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath, and at the start of a new month we want to dedicate time to praying again for God’s grace to be lavished upon His church.  As we prepare our hearts for tomorrow, I thought it might be helpful for us to consider two of the prayers that the apostle Paul prayed, recorded for us in Ephesians.

Ephesians 1:15-23
For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.  And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

So as we set ourselves to pray tomorrow, let’s use these two prayers of Paul as our guardrails and guide:

Our pre-Christmas collection finished on Sunday 18th December, and we were able to make a big donation in the week leading up to Christmas.  In fact, here’s a picture of some of the food we collected, being sorted by a couple of glamourous assistants!

I wanted to take a moment to pass on the emails I received recently from Andy Irwin, the local food bank co-ordinator, expressing his thanks to YOU for your generosity and kindness in helping to support struggling single parents and local families feeling the current financial pinch.

Here’s the first email from Andy, on Christmas Eve, the day after we made our donation:

Hi Nathan,

Thanks for the generous gift yesterday from the church.

It weighed in at just over 100Kg – the equivalent of feeding 4 medium sized families for three days = approx. 150 meals

We had a manic day yesterday with 51 folks getting fed – 21 voucher holders coming in.

In the midst of that, our folks got a chance to pray with some of them and a bible was given to someone just coming out of prison.

Thanks again – Have a great Christmas!

Andy

Then on 16th January, I received this second email:

Dear Nathan,

Happy New Year to you and thank you for your contributions in 2011.

I am enclosing a 1 page stats report – part of my report to the Trustees – it gives you a quick idea of what we have achieved in the last two months of 2011 with your help.

It was really fun before Christmas adding some Christmas food and goodie items – some folks got really excited and I recall one young lady with her child being quite overwhelmed – she had to stop work due to Rheumatoid Arthritis and was still waiting to receive benefits money.

The Foodbank has had a large increase in giving Food recently with two record days before Christmas and last Friday that both cleared out the shelves of our café store.

If you are collecting again can you prioritise Tinned Tomatoes, Sugar, Pasta Sauce – Bolognaise, Coffee, Pasta and Tinned Meat – though any of the usual list items are fine.

Thanks again for you excellent support – we really appreciate it.

Andy

If I can echo Andy’s words: Thank you to every one who gave so generously to this project!  We are very grateful to you for your kindness and the tangible difference it has made in the lives of people we don’t know! However, there are still more opportunities to get involved…

How can you get involved?

Beginning in February 2012, Grace Church will be collecting food donations every Sunday morning and will make a bulk donation to the East Bristol Food Bank at the end of each month.

Please bring any donations and drop them in the box/bags available at the back of the meeting hall.

If you are not sure what to donate check out this foodbank shopping list. All food must be in-date and non-perishable.

You can make donations of anything on the above shopping list, but the co-ordinators at the East Bristol Food Bank have told me they are particularly in need of:

• UHT (Long Life) Milk
• Tinned Vegetables – tomatoes, carrots, peas, sweetcorn, potatoes
• Long Life Fruit Juice Cartons
• Tinned Custard
• Instant Mash
• Coffee
• Pasta
• Tinned Meats
• Sugar

Jadie Stiven led us in singing praises to God, and rejoicing in the truth of the gospel.

We sang the following songs together:

• Yesterday, Today & Forever (Vicky Beeching, “Yesterday, Today & Forever” album)
• Forever (Michael W. Smith, “Worship” album)
• The Lord’s My Shepherd (Stuart Townend, “Stuart Townend Best of… Live” album)
• It Is Well (Traditional Hymn, check out the T4G version)

This week we continued our current preaching series from the book of Daniel.  You can listen to or download the fourth sermon of the series, preached by Nathan Smith from Daniel 4:1-37, entitled “The Fall and Rise of Nebuchadnezzar” from here, or via our iTunes podcast feed.

Here’s the quotes from Sunday’s sermon:

Sinclair Ferguson:
“It is a tragic and pathetic scene; Superhuman has become subhuman.  The one who refused to honour God’s glory loses his own glory.  Refusing to share what he has with the poor, he becomes poorer than the poor.  He becomes outwardly what his heart had been spiritually and inwardly — beastly.”

Iain Duguid:
“The humble King is named Jesus. He is the real tree of life, the true center of the universe, the one in whom and for whom all things exist, the one in whom all must come to find refuge.  In view of the incredible mercy we have received, how can we ever boast in anything except the cross of Christ?  As we contemplate Christ, once humbled and now exalted, we are reminded over and over of the profound fact that the only thing we contribute to our salvation is our utter depravity.  Yet at the same time we are reminded that, foul as we are, we are far more loved than we ever dared to hope.  So take your eyes off yourself and your accomplishments.  Take your eyes even off your failures and disasters.  Stop comparing yourself with others.  Instead, lift your eyes heavenward and look to Christ, the humbled and exalted King.  His death and resurrection are the means by which you are restored to your senses and made welcome in the most exalted company, heaven itself.  Put away your pride in your successes, be humbled by all your sins and failures, and revel in the extraordinary riches of God’s mercy and grace to you.  Lift up your eyes to heaven and praise Θ that though he humbles the proud, he also redeems and exalts the humble and through his grace makes them fit to stand in his presence forever.”

Here’s the lyrics from the song, and a rough recording. May it serve and encourage you all!

Today you may be hurting,
In pain or suffering.
Today you may feel God is far away from you.
Today you may be anxious,
Afraid for tomorrow.
Today you may feel temptations lead you astray

But we have a hope of a greater day coming;
A day when our Saviour will make all things new.

So don’t be disheartened,
If you feel that the days ahead
Look too hard for you;
Because of a day when Jesus gave everything,
We can be confident He’ll carry us through.

So we’ll trust in Your promises,
Hold on to Your faithfulness.
Holding on to the hope of that glorious day;
For we know You are coming,
For those You have loved;
And we trust You that You would carry us through,
Everyday.

Prophectic Song (22 01 2012)

It was also a wonderful privilege to share in the joy of two of our families as they dedicated themselves to raising their children for the glory of God!

Jadie Stiven led us in singing praises to God, and rejoicing in the truth of the gospel.

We sang the following songs together:

• Generous King (Sovereign Grace Music, “The Gathering” album)
• Your Name Alone Can Save (Sovereign Grace Music, “Risen” album)
• Glorious Day (The Village Church, from the “God of Victory” album)

This week we continued our current preaching series from the book of Daniel.  You can listen to or download the third sermon of the series, preached by Nathan Smith from Daniel 3:1-30, entitled “Faith in the Furnace” from here, or via our iTunes podcast feed.

 
Here’s the quotes from Sunday’s sermon:

One Anonymous Commentator:
“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego feared the face of no man, because they had learned to live in the fear of the Lord.”
 
Iain Duguid:
“Surely we should delight to bow our knees to the Lord and sing his praises daily, even if everyone around us refuses to bow.  We should be willing to give up our very lives rather than give in even once to the demands of our idols.  And we should celebrate the one who went through the fire of God’s wrath alone in our place, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Saviour.”

Colin Elliott led us in singing praises to God, and rejoicing in the truth of the gospel.

We sang the following songs together:

• Your Great Name We Praise (Sovereign Grace Music, “Upward: Hymns Project” album)
• Sweetly Broken (Jeremy Riddle, from the “Full Attention” album)
• Now Why This Fear (Sovereign Grace Music, “The Gathering” album)
• Completely Done (Sovereign Grace Music, “Sons & Daughters” album)

This week we continued our new preaching series for the early part of 2012, from the book of Daniel.  You can listen to or download the second sermon of the series, preached by Nathan Smith from Daniel 2:1-49, entitled “Bad Dreams, Good News” from here, or via our iTunes podcast feed.

Here’s the quotes from Sunday’s sermon:

John Goldingay:
“The wistful, sad admission of the Babylonian wise men in verses 10 and 11, that seeks to excuse them, actually exposes them and judges them.”

Sinclair Ferguson:
“The test of our spirituality does not lie only in the fervency of our prayers in times of crisis, but in our wholeheartedness of worship when God acts in grace.  Relief unaccompanied by worship is never an adequate response to the mercies of God.”