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.”

Each month we plan to 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!

To kick us off, and to go alongside our new preaching series from the book of Daniel, we want to recommend:

Daniel (Reformed Expository Commentary) by Iain Duguid

Iain Duguid is an Old Testament scholar with a passion for the church and for the preaching of the gospel. A native of Great Britain, he initially trained as an Electrical Engineer and served as a missionary in Liberia, West Africa, before studying for the ministry. He completed a Ph.D. in Old Testament at Cambridge University, and subsequently planted a church on an inner-city housing estate in Oxford, England. He has taught Hebrew and Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi and at Westminster Seminary in California, before moving to his present position at Grove City College, in Grove City, Pennsylvania. While working at the seminary in California, he also planted and pastored a church in Fallbrook. He takes every possible opportunity to share his love for the Scriptures around the world, teaching regularly in Latvia as well as having taught in the Ukraine and in Canada.  He also currently pastors Christ Presbyterian Church in Grove City, PA.

Dr Duguid’s commentary on Daniel is the “must-read” commentary for our series. Duguid is a wonderful combination of top-class scholar and pastor, and this commentary is a rare blend of insightful exegesis and discerning application.  Full of good scholarship, with a devotional edge, it is very accessible, and will educate, edify and encourage any reader as the glories of Christ coming shining through Scripture texts that can otherwise appear obscure and irrelevant.

This commentary will be available on Sunday mornings for only £12!

Colin Elliott led us in singing praises to God, and rejoicing in the truth of the gospel. Peter Bowley lead us in sharing communion together.

We sang the following songs together:

• Generous King (Sovereign Grace Music, “The Gathering” album)
• You Alone Can Rescue (Matt Redman, “We Shall Not Be Shaken” album)
• Grace Unmeasured (Sovereign Grace Music, “Worship GOD Live” album)
• I Stand Amazed (Traditional Hymn, Passion arrangement)

This week we began our new preaching series for the early part of 2012, from the book of Daniel.  You can listen to or download the first sermon of the series, preached by Nathan Smith from Daniel 1:1-21, entitled “By The Rivers of Babylon ” from here, or via our iTunes podcast feed.

Here’s the quote from Sunday’s sermon:

J.I. Packer:
“The book as a whole forms a dramatic reminder that [in the face of the might and splendour of the Babylonian Empire], the God of Israel is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, “that heaven rules” (cf. Daniel 4:26); that God’s hand is on history at every point; that history is, indeed, no more than ‘His Story’ — the unfolding of His eternal plan, and that the kingdom that will triumph in the end is God’s.”

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 beginning of the year we want to dedicate time to praying again for God’s grace to be lavished upon His church.  As I was thinking about preparing our hearts for tomorrow I was stirred afresh and helped by these words from Josh Patterson.  Josh is a pastor at The Village Church in Texas.

Josh writes:
“A call to prayer is a declaration of dependence.  A call to prayer is an invitation to intimacy.  A call to prayer is a corporate response to grace.  The Lord has proven Himself faithful to His people, both biblically and historically, when they have humbled themselves before Him in prayer…  We want to ask God to do what only God can do.  A call to prayer is a confession of a need and desire for greater affections for Jesus. We need Him to do what we cannot, and we desperately desire to grow in our affections for Him. To that end, we will labor in prayer as watchmen on the walls.”

As we think about the year ahead, and what God might want to do in us and through at Grace Church in 2012, let’s join together and pray for the following:

• Give thanks to God for his unending grace, mercy and faithfulness towards us as a church in 2011.  There are numerous examples we could draw from throughout the year.

• Pray that God would bless our church in 2012 and use us in mighty ways to shine the bring light of the gospel into the darkness of the world around us.

• Pray that the Holy Spirit would move powerfully among us as a church; that God would increase our thirst for him, and deepen a burning desire to see him act, and manifest himself and his power — that people would be healed, that spiritual gifts would be used to build up the church, that the Spirit would soften and pierce hard hearts by the power and truth of the gospel.

• Pray that God would stir up greater devotion and desire in our hearts for him, and for his Son.  Pray that we would grow in treasuring the good news of the gospel.

• Pray that our passion for Jesus would be freshly awakened, and our desire to proclaim the gospel to our community and city would grow, be Spirit-empowered and effective.

• Pray that he would make us a people and church who are characterised by gratitude and joy.

• Pray that our church would grow as many from our community and city come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.

• Pray that God would give us a God-sized vision of what he is doing in his world, and that he would give us an increase of faith to play our small part in His unstoppable gospel mission.

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.

To encourage us in the privilege of prayer today, I want to share with you a couple of short quotes and one-liners I read from E.M Bounds (1835-1913), a methodist minister from the southern USA, who wrote 9 books on the subject of prayer.  May they help us see why prayer is so important to us as a local church.

“The power of the Church truly to bless rests on intercession—asking and receiving heavenly gifts to carry to men.”

“Prayer is of transcendent importance. Prayer is the mightiest agent to advance God’s work. Praying hearts and hands only can do God’s work. Prayer succeeds when all else fails.”

“Prayer is our most formidable weapon, the thing which makes all else we do efficient.”

Here’s a few prayer points to help us guide our praying.

GENERAL PRAYER POINTS:

• Give thanks to God for his unending grace and mercy towards us as a church.
• Pray for an increase in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our church life.
• Pray for an increase of faith in God, and that God would bring fresh new momentum to the unstoppable mission, and that the gospel might sweep through our community and city bringing many people to salvation for the glory of the risen and exalted Jesus!

Here’s some more focused points for this month:

• Pray for connections to be made as we serve our community during the “Single Parents Fayre”, and for gospel opportunities to come from those connections and relationships.
• Pray we might be able to meet the needs of the poor in our community and bless them, as we seek to demonstrate the love of God in our community outreach activities.
• Pray for people to come to the Christmas Eve Carol Service so that they might hear the gospel and be saved.
• Pray for your own heart, that you might grow in compassion for the lost and needy.
• Pray for the one or two people you could invite to the Carol Service, and for boldness to invite them!