fidzbit

Since the earliest days the Christian church has met to worship on a Sunday, the day that Jesus rose from the dead. There have been some disagreements between Christians over the details of how exactly this relates to the Old Testament Sabbath. Those arguments are not my concern here! The vast majority of Christians agree that the ‘spirit of the law’ goes back to the creation story. God set a principle of one day in seven for rest and worship and in practice for most Christians this happens on ‘church day’, Sunday. But what happens in times when churches cannot meet, when doctors and nurses have more night shifts than usual, and any of us might find ourselves having to care for sick loved ones? This is a story from Mark’s gospel: Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely  to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.  Jesus said to th...

A good friend of mine enjoys conspiracy theories. He is always suspicious that behind big world events there are hidden organisations pulling the strings. Sometimes he might even be on to something! A conspiracy theorist is never quite sure who to trust... God made people for relationship. He gave Adam and Eve a huge amount of freedom and just one rule. There was just one way they could isolate themselves from God: eating the fruit He had forbidden them to eat. He didn't want their relationship to break and He told them so: “ You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. ” To self-isolate from the God who gave you life can only result in death. It is a commandment but it is something more than a cold legal demand. It is a commandment intended to prevent the tragic events of a broken relationship with ...

When I first heard the word "self-isolating" it made me smile. It seems like a very British thing to do! In other countries the government quarantine people. Maybe it will come to that here too but, for the moment at least, if we have symptoms we make the decision to stay away from other people. There is something unique about the scepticism and resistance British people sometimes show towards authority. Push too hard  or too quick and we Brits are likely to react by doing the opposite of what we are told. Give us a sense that we are making the decision - we choose to isolate ourselves - so building the sense that we are coming together as a community for the greater good, and we will do it gladly and freely. Many people feel that God has chosen to self-isolate from us. This is particularly true in times of suffering. Where is God when I hurt? Why won't He reveal himself clearly? If He is good and has the power to help then why are we in...

We were at the shop early yesterday morning needing some milk and bread for breakfast. Alas we were too early ! The distribution depot are struggling to keep up with the demand. The supplies are there but people are emptying the shelves faster than they can refill them. There was nothing the shopkeeper could do to help. There is a problem of 'supply and demand'. God's storehouse are full of grace. In Luke 11 Jesus is teaching us the procedure we should follow in requesting extra resources so as to avoid any issue of supply and demand with regards to divine grace . (1) Fill in the order form . IN Luke 11 Jesus tells the story of a man who urgently needs bread for an unexpected visitor. The man goes where he knows he can get bread and he keeps asking until he gets it. Jesus goes on to say these famous words "And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened. For everyone who asks receives, and the ...

Until recently, most of us had only seen empty supermarket shelves on TV reports from Eastern European countries in the years after the 'Cold War' ended. Now the UK supermarket supply chain is struggling to keep up with the demands of mass panic buying. People are stockpiling painkillers, toilet paper, soap, pasta, and beans driven by the need to 'self isolate' and the very real possibility of a 'national lock-down' coming into force. Today the workers of the Faith Mission have been asked to set as much time aside as they can to call on the Lord in prayer. Perhaps you are doing something similar in your own Christian circle and if not perhaps you would like to join us? As we pray remember that we are NOT coming to a supermarket with empty shelves. 1. We are coming to  The Throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16). This is the place where God exercises His Almighty Authority in giving Generous and Benevolent Gifts freely to those wh...

The outbreak of novel Corona virus has taken the world by surprise and turned life upside down. No one quite knows how best to respond. So far there is no way of stopping it - the best we can hope for is to limit the speed at which it spreads. As you read the New Testament you see numerous attempts to stop the gospel spreading. Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians from prison where the powers that be had put him in an attempt to contain the gospel outbreak which was rapidly turning into a grace pandemic throughout The Mediterranean region.  However, the truth of Jesus Christ proved too contagious. Paul wrote: “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.” As James Ross said in his sermon last Sunday, the gospel is “a wonderful promise that cannot be quarantined!” (you can listen to the s...