e-Service - 17 October 2021

 Mexborough Baptist Church       Sunday 17th October 2021 

Welcome to our email service.  We begin by praising the Lord together as we sing 'Let all the world in every corner sing'  click on the link    

Prayer

Truly, our Lord God, you are worthy that all the world should sing your praises.  You are the creator of the world, all that we see and don't see; the mountains and hills, the forests and fields, the animals, the birds, the sea life, and us human beings.  You give us the air we breathe, food to nourish us, clothes to warm us, homes to shelter us and many other good gifts.  We praise you and worship you for all your goodness to us.  Amen.

Our next song reminds us that God doesn't just meet our physical needs, but our emotional and spiritual needs as well, including our need for salvation - 'O My Soul, Arise and Bless your Maker'  click on the link    

The Peace

Prayers 

Think of someone who needs God to do something wonderful for them.  Pray for them today and every day this week.

Bible Readings:  

Please read Psalm 27 and Acts 16.

 

Three weeks ago Chris Whiteley, a retired minister of the Old Baptist Union and a long-time friend of Mexborough Baptist Church, led our service and I was struck by what he said in his sermon.  I felt it was definitely a word for our church in this new season.  

Chris said that the Psalmist hopes to spend time in the house of the Lord and that we should be strong in the Lord and WAIT for Him (Psalm 27:14).  He also mentioned a quote that he had heard in a sermon by church leader Anthony Delaney, talking about the church post-covid - "God is unrolling the roadmap a little at a time."  Chris told the story of Stirling Moss and his co-driver David Jenkinson who won the Italian road race the Mille Miglia (Thousand Miles - from Brescia to Rome and back) in 1955 with an average speed of 99 miles per hour.  At that speed Stirling Moss had to have complete faith in his co-driver's instructions, but he couldn't hear him over the noise of the engine.  They had made detailed pace notes of the route and designed a way for David to read the notes - a roll of paper about 18 feet long in a clamp attached to David's leg which he could unroll a little at a time, and a system of hand signals.

Chris went on to share that in Acts 16 Paul and his team were doing a great job in Turkey, and wanted to go further on in the country, but the Spirit of Jesus stopped them.  As they were stopped, Paul gets the vision of Macedonia to go there and help.  Those were the first steps of the gospel into Europe.  As though the Holy Spirit was saying to them, "Hold on a minute, you have a good idea, but l have a better one."

Last week Clive Burnard, our regional minister, shared a verse with us - Proverbs 29:18 'Without vision, the people perish' KJV or 'Without revelation the people cast off restraint' NIV.  The vision and strategy morning was about us getting a clear picture of where we are now as a fellowship so that we can define a vision for the church's future and a strategy of how we get there.  The vision is what we discern together about how God wants our church to be and what He wants us to be doing some time ahead.  That involves defining things like numbers and age groups we want to see in the congregation, the activities and ministries that members of the congregation will be involved in, what happens in the building and outside of it, etc.  The strategy is the steps we take to make that vision into a reality.  For instance, and these are examples only, not suggestions for a vision, if the vision is to see a Sunday School with 20 children in it in 2 years time, what steps are we going to take to attract children and families?  If the vision is to see a congregation of 60 in 2 years time, half of whom are under 50 years old, what steps are we going to take to bring in those people?   

That may sound contradictory to what Chris was saying to us about waiting for God and God unrolling the roadmap a bit at a time, but it isn't.   

There are 2 temptations in this vision and strategy process.  One is to sit and wait, doing nothing until God's voice and direction is clearly heard.  The other is to charge ahead, carried away by our own ideas.  It has been said that you can't steer a stationary vehicle; it's just not going anywhere.  But it's also not easy to steer a vehicle that's speeding ahead with its course set on autopilot.  Stirling Moss knew exactly what his destination was and had a good idea of the route but he needed David Jenkinson's detailed instructions to get there quickly and safely.  Paul and his companions were spreading the gospel in Turkey, heading north until the Holy Spirit stopped them and sent them west.  The secret is moving and listening, having our eyes on the vision and moving towards it, and our ears open to God's voice giving us a change of direction.  If our vision isn't the same as His, He will let us know, if we're listening.  If our strategy to achieve the vision isn't the same as His, He will let us know, if we're listening.

Above all, we can do nothing without the Holy Spirit moving and working in our lives.  Our next song is a prayer that God will pour out His Holy Spirit upon us - 'O God of Burning Cleansing Flame'  click on the link  

Benediction 

Lord God, we rejoice in your greatness and power, your gentleness and love, your mercy and justice.
Enable us by your Spirit to honour you in our thoughts and words and actions, and to serve you in every aspect of our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.