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Marshalswick Baptist Free Church -
Nurture |
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If Jesus was coming to Marshalswick next week... What would you do? * Would you get up earlier? In the story of the 'Feeding of the 5,000' (Mark 6: 30-44), only one boy came prepared to meet Jesus. He had brought a packed lunch. The rest of the people there that day - 5,000 men plus women and children - didn't bring any food. Yet they didn't want to leave Jesus. They wanted to keep listening to him spending time with the Son of God, who was speaking God's words. Each Sunday, here at Marshalswick Baptist Free Church (MBFC), God speaks to us through Graham. Do we come eager to hear God's words spoken to us? Do we come because we want to be with Jesus? Do we think that we have nothing to offer him? At the 'Feeding of the 5,000', the disciples were told to go and find out what they had as far as food was concerned. All they found were five loaves and two fish and yet, in the hands of Jesus, that small offering fed over 5,000 people and there was a great deal of food left over. God longs for us to come to him as we are. He wants to use what we have and produce something miraculous from us that is beyond our imagination. But we need to be broken before God. We must surrender all we are and all we want to be - so that we're free to follow Jesus. Then God can use us. The world always tries to promote ‘self’, but Jesus said: 'If you try to keep your life, you will lose it'. (Luke 9: 24) The Christian life is not about following Jesus only when it fits in with our plans, and only serving him if he makes us successful. The Christian life does not guarantee continual success but does promise the presence of God with us continually, even in times when we don't see him. He promises comfort, strength and peace in times of sorrow, trouble or difficulty. And the great thing is, we can - and should - keep coming to Jesus continually. The disciples were coming back to Jesus and distributing food to the 5,000 or so people. In the same way, we must come to Jesus - first, by becoming a Christian, accepting what Jesus did for us when he died on the cross (to take away the guilt of all the things we do wrong) and entering in to a relationship with God. Next, we must build that relationship by coming back to Jesus continually, learning from him, discovering his special plan for our lives and then go out and tell people about what he's done for us. We must first receive from Jesus and then share it with others. Do you think we should try and do things for him in our own strength? Without Jesus, even the best of us struggle. In Mark 6: 45 - 52, we read that the disciples, some of them hardy fishermen, were out in a boat, when a storm blew up and they were terrified. Even when Jesus came to them, they weren't expecting him and thought that he was a ghost! They were fearful - even though they had just been involved in the 'Feeding of the 5,000' miracle. They needed Jesus to be with them. It’s the same for us. Days aren't always filled with sunny moments. We have ‘bad weather’ days (there have been too many literal ones over recent months!). The gales blow and it's then we need Jesus to calm our fears and God's people to support us through the storms of life. Would we reject Jesus and what he has to say? Would we say we haven't time to spend with Jesus? Or worse, tell Jesus to go away? Or would we want to find answers and understand and trust who Jesus really is? When the disciples had crossed the lake, after Jesus calmed the storm, people were flocking to Jesus to be healed - even by just touching the edge of his cloak. But where were these people when Jesus was being crucified? Our lives have been touched and healed by God, but do we stand up for him when people reject and mock him? God has done so much for us. He sent his son to die a horrible death just so that we can have a relationship with the God who created the world. He loves us so much, but what do we do for him? How do we share what God has done for us with others? Its not about what can we get from God - prayers answered means he’s a great God but prayers not answered means he’s a bad God. God wants us to know who he really is. That's why he sent his son, so that we might not only know God and know the way to live, but also that we can come humbly before our maker, ask for his forgiveness, and become a son/daughter of the living God. So, if Jesus came to MBFC, (or your church, supermarket, pub, office, workplace and so on) next week, would you come prepared to spend time with him, listening to what he had to say? Would you offer him the whole of your life in service? Would you continue to struggle through life in your own strength? Would you reject him; all he has done for you, and all he wants to say to you? Or, would you want to believe, understand and trust in who Jesus really is? Jesus is waiting to hear from you - anytime, anywhere. Through prayer - talking to God out loud or in your thoughts - you can ask God to forgive all the wrongs you have done; accept that you don't do things right all the time; believe, and thank Jesus for his death for you so that you might have a relationship with him; then commit your whole life to God, surrendering to his plan and purpose. You can find God at MBFC, each Sunday as Graham speaks God's words to us. Maybe you just want to talk, voice your opinions, disappointments or regrets. Graham is there as a listening ear to answer your questions - or you can chat informally on 01727 857786. What you do with Jesus Christ is the most important decision you will ever make. But, don't put it off, because, 'If you're not for God, you're against him.' By Jo Gill (based on sermons heard in Scotland and Norfolk over the summer). Remedies for seasick Christians Our Christian lives are like a journey - which we could think of as like a ship on the sea. The trials of this life are like storms which toss us to and fro in an emotional and spiritual sense. (Prov.1:27; Isa.25:4) Sometimes we sail through calm seas. At other times, we experience storms. Paul explained to the Ephesians that the reason for the distribution of various spiritual gifts within the church is so, 'that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine...' (Eph.4:14) That sounds like being in a ship that's buffeted by wind and waves. Paul told Timothy that when some people reject faith and a good conscience, then, in terms of their faith, they have suffered 'shipwreck' (1Tim.1:19). This Christian voyage across the sea of life involves a kind of motion and, whenever there is motion, we have a chance of experiencing motion sickness. It's a common problem. Motion sickness can be experienced in a car, a plane, on a bus, in a space shuttle and, of course, on a ship, where it's usually referred to as ‘seasickness’. Symptoms usually consist of dizziness, fatigue and nausea which may lead to vomiting. Incidentally, 'nausea' is Greek and means 'seasickness'! The motion of our Christian journey can sometimes produce a kind of spiritual seasickness. Although the cause is complex, seasickness tends to be caused by mixed messages being sent to the brain. When the brain gets signals that don’t match, the result can be seasickness. The balance centre of the inner ear can send information to the brain that conflicts with the visual clues of apparently standing still in the cabin of a ship. Below deck on a ship, your inner ear senses motion but your eyes can’t tell you are moving. Thus, seasickness occurs when the body is subjected to accelerations of movement in different directions or under conditions where visual contact with the outside horizon is lost. One of the most irritating things about seasickness is how other people around you just go on their merry way, apparently perfectly comfortable and happy in the same conditions that have reduced you to utter misery. Spiritual seasickness can be caused by changes in our understanding of doctrine or by changes in our church routine. When these changes occur, the effect can be as though our brain is receiving mixed messages. Perhaps we have become comfortable with a certain way of doing things but the church introduces a different way of doing these things. There are many potential remedies to remove or reduce the effects of seasickness. The traditional advice given to combat seasickness is to: * move to the place of least movement in the ship - the centre * look at a fixed point on the horizon When some situation is making us feel spiritually seasick, we could be guided by these two traditional remedies given above for seasickness. We can move to the centre of the church in a spiritual sense by surrounding ourselves with fellow Christians who are not seasick - experienced, faithful Christians. We could seek counsel from those who understand the particular situation and who are able to help. What is causing the 'movement' that's making us 'seasick'? A person who is seasick would be rather silly to ask for help from another passenger who is also seasick! If s/he could help, s/he would have helped her/himself! Even if we are not feeling seasick ourselves, a close association with someone who is might make us feel seasick too! Often with seasickness, one passenger can set off another through auto-suggestion. Of course, the best "fixed point" for us to look at is to keep your eyes on Jesus. Jesus is our reference point. He is in charge of His church. As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus, we can have confidence. Peter was able to walk on the sea to go to Jesus as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. It was only when he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink (Mat.14:28-31). Once, Jesus and His disciples were in a boat when they were caught up in a great tempest. The disciples were afraid but looked to Jesus, who then rebuked the winds and the waves and there was a great calm (Mat.8:23-27). Hebrews 12:2 tells us we should be 'looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith...' Whenever we are beset by a particular difficulty which disturbs our balance and makes us feel a bit seasick, remember these two pieces of tried and tested advice: move to the place of least movement and lokk at a fixed point on the horizon. This can help us find stability and peace in the midst of stormy seas. Bon voyage! By Bill Allan. |
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