For me, our recent Away Day at Gorsley provided some wonderful snapshots of church at its best. 200+ people of all ages, spending time together, chatting, singing, praying, listening, playing games, eating together, walking, serving together, clearing up together… the theme of the day about ‘Honouring God’ seemed so honouring to our heavenly Father as people honoured one another.

Of course, the vital Person making all this possible is our Lord Jesus. Being the Head of the body, the Church, only He provides the love and forgiveness that enables true well-being. In love, Jesus is also working in us personally and corporately what is perfectly described as the fruits of the Spirit. As we allow Him access to all areas of our lives, He is cultivating a healthy fruitful life.

Psalm 1 powerfully describes the man or woman who decides not to follow the way of sin or other sinners, but instead delights in the LORD. They are ‘like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever they do prospers.’

God made people to be fruitful and to multiply. Naturally, we each want to do well and to thrive in life – in ourselves, in our work, in our gardens perhaps!?, in our knowledge and wisdom, in our relationships, etc. Jesus obviously longed that his followers would flourish as they remained in Him, using the metaphor of branches grafted in the true Vine (John 15).  Jesus also spoke of His heavenly Father being the gardener (John 15) who lovingly prunes disciple-branches as well, so that they (and we) can be even more fruitful.

This month at Cambray, we commence a new series at our Sunday services. In the mornings we will look into the nine Fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23: ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’. On Sunday evenings we will work our way through Paul’s letter to the Churches in Galatia, to provide the key context to the teaching about the fruit. Using the challenge of the Langham Partnership’s project, we are simply calling this series: 9-A-Day.

Hopefully, this won’t seem like the obligations of our health and diet obsessed culture which ensures we benefit from the balance of 5-a-day fruit and veg where possible. Rather, my prayer is that each one of us will experience the freedom in Christ, wanting to get close to the streams of God’s living water, allowing Him to work His word into the roots of our lives as we meditate on Him ‘day and night’. Then, as ‘branches’ of Jesus (the true Vine), we will be able to grow and change and become the fruitful people He longs us to be. Effective and growing in maturity, becoming more like Jesus each day, as His Spirit works in and through us.

To use a phrase we looked at a couple of years ago, this will hopefully help us to concentrate more on the Vine, than the trellis! I recall this, because I am personally convicted that far too much of my attention goes on the work of the trellis – dealing with church structural and organisational issues – rather than the true life which IS LIFE. It troubles me how easily I can be so self-absorbed with performance related projects as the ‘wheel’ of church life spins around and around, while neglecting aspects of fruitfulness and change that the Lord is actually wishing to cultivate within.

Certainly spiritual formation is a very popular and helpful thrust of the Christian church in recent years… yet God is not wanting us to work on just one fruit out of the nine, and then move on to the next, and so on… Becoming like Jesus means that all nine fruits of the Spirit are integrated and balanced as we grow in godliness. He does the work of producing the fruit in us, as we pursue godliness.

May I challenge you in this crucial area – to what extent are you rooted and being built up in Christ Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? Are you living in Him, strengthened in the faith, and overflowing with thankfulness and productivity? (Colossians 2:6-7)?

May this summer 2013 be a wonderful season of increased fruitfulness and productivity as God works more of His character into our lives. Of course, fruit takes times to mature and ripen… but let’s cooperate with God’s gracious Holy Spirit, allowing Him to get to cultivate a magnificent harvest.

Thanking God for your continued prayers and encouragements.

Your pastor and friend,

Tim
May 2013

SUNDAY 2nd June

10.30am
Guest Speaker: Paul Griffiths

6.30pm
Faith (or) Works? (Galatians 3:1-14)
Fred Hughes
with communion during the evening service

SUNDAY 9th June

10.30am
3/9: Peace (Philippians 4:2-9)
Tim Welch

6.30pm
JOINT SERVICE at St. Matthew’s Church
Guest Speaker: Lindsay Brown (IFES)

SUNDAY 16th JUNE

10.30am
4/9: Patience (James 5:7-20)
Tim Welch
with communion during the morning service

6.30pm
The Promise for Prisoners (Galatians 3:15-29)
Tim Welch

SUNDAY 23rd JUNE

10.30am
Guest Speaker: Steve Finamore (Bristol)

6.30pm
All One in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-4:7)
Tim Welch

SUNDAY 30th JUNE

10.30am
5/9: Kindness (Ephesians 4:17-31)
Tim Welch

6.30pm
From Slavery to Freedom (Galatians 4:8-31)
Tim Welch

SUNDAY 12th MAY

10.30am
1/9: Love (1 John 3:11-24)
Tim Welch

6.30pm
Introducing Galatians… (Galatians 1:1-24)
Richard Johnson

SUNDAY 19th MAY

10.30am
Guest Speaker
Peter Comont (Oxford)
with communion during the morning service

6.30pm
Pillars of the Church? (Galatians 2:1-10)
Tim Welch

SUNDAY 26th MAY

10.30am
2/9: Joy (ISAIAH 12:1-6; John 15:1-11)
Tim Welch

6.30pm
Not I, but Christ (Galatians 2:11-21)
Tim Welch

Download a PDF of the 2013 Summer Term Card.

To download the job details click here.

The next course will run over seven sessions on Saturday evenings at 6.45pm for a 7pm start.

Whether you are newly married, deeply in love after years together, struggling with aspects of married life, or feel it is simply time for a relationship MOT – the Marriage Course is for you!

Dates and Topics:

27 April – Building Strong Foundations

11 May  -  The Art of Communication

25 May –   Resolving Conflict

15 June – The Power of Forgiveness

29 June – The Impact of Family… Past and Present

6 July - Good Sex

20 July – Love in Action

Important note:

Each couple’s privacy is respected as there is no group discussion and no requirement to disclose anything about your relationship to anyone else. The course, while based on Christian principles, is very helpful for any couple with or without a Christian faith or church background.

Each evening consists of dinner for two along with an on-screen teaching presentation and time for private discussion as a couple.

A small cost to cover dinner will be made (with bursaries available to help).

Booking:

To book your place on the next course, or for more information, contact the Church Office

You are warmly invited to join Good News People Cheltenham
Starting at 7.30pm on the 2nd Monday of every month
at St Matthew’s Church, Clarence Street, GL50 3PL

Dates, topics and speakers…

11th March 2013: Philip the Evanglist: Rt. Revd. John Went

8th April 2013: Developing a passion for faith-sharing: Revd. Dr. Michael Green

13th May 2013: What is the good news: Revd. Dr. Tudor Griffiths

10th June 2013: Evangelists and the local church: Dr. Tim Welch

8th July 2013: Praying for your friends: Bishop Pat Harris

9th September 2013: Spirituality and the movies: Revd. Dr. Stephen Finemore

14th October 2013: Listening skills: speaker TBC

11th November 2013: Changing the conversation about God: Dr. Martin Robinson

9th December 2013: Good News People Invitation Christmas meal

13th January 2014: Dr. Paula Gooder

Download the Good News Programme here.

Friday 24 May @ 7.30pm

Bringing the vibrant, colourful and traditional sounds of African worship from Zambia to Cheltenham.

This is wonderful opportunity to see the:

Chililabombwe Praise Choir from Zambia

This is an invitation to everyone of all ages to experience the sounds of true African praise and worship as the choir share their stories and music

FREE!

‘Honouring God’

The LORD God says:
‘Those who honour me I will honour’

Speakers:  Tim Welch, Dave Collett and friends…

Programme

9.30 onwards  Arrival (tea, coffee, pastries being served)

10.15               Worship

10.30               Session 1:      Tim Welch & Dave Collett

Crèche (0-3yr olds)
BIG Ministries (4-11 year olds)

11.15               Tea, coffee and cake

11.45               Session 2:      Tim Welch, Dave Collett & Friends

Crèche
BIG Ministries

1.00pm            Lunch – Hog Roast (£5) or Bring your own food (Drinks provided)

Free afternoon for fun and organized games, walking or simply resting!

3.00                Tea, coffee and cake

3.30                Praise and Prayer

4.00               Close

Please Book through the Church Office

SUNDAY 7 April

10.30am
Awake! Get clothed with strength (Isaiah 51)
Tim Welch

6.30pm
Faith works in hard times (Hebrews 11: 1-2, 32-40)
Tim Welch
with Communion during the evening service

SUNDAY 14 April

10.30am
A new Exodus (Isaiah 52)
Tim Welch

6.30pm
Eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-13)
Tim Welch

SUNDAY 21 April

10.30am
A Man of Sorrows (Isaiah 53)
Alan Pilbeam
with Communion during the morning service

6.30pm
Come to a better mountain (Hebrews 12:14-29)
Steve Jones

SUNDAY 28 April

10.30am
Bursting into songs of joy! (Isaiah 54)
Tim Welch

6.30pm
Keep on keeping on (Hebrews 13: 1-19)
Tim Welch

SUNDAY 5 May

10.30am
God’s banquet of grace (Isaiah 55)
Tim Welch

6.30pm
Jesus holding on to us (Hebrews 13: 20-25)
Tim Welch
with communion during the evening service

This was tweeted by Mike Reeves (Theological Advisor for the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship) some time back, and I’m not sure whether it was his original thought, but I have found it to be a powerful phrase, and a helpful one to think through.

John the Baptist gives the inspiration for this attitude in John 3 when he says: ‘The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.’

Working for a church can have many pitfalls, and one of them is pride. (And that’s true, whether you’re a volunteer or a member of the staff team!) As I teach people about the gospel, it can easily and gradually become too much about me, and so this is a wonderfully reorienting piece of wisdom!

I share it because I think it’s a helpful thing for every Christian to remember as we seek to point people to Jesus.

Whatever the opportunities that God gives us – in our place of work, time amongst friends, or as we serve at church, our role is never to obscure the one whom we follow and speak about. In fact it’s as inappropriate as a bridegroom’s best man flirting with the bride-to-be!

How faithful God is… how exclusive we must be

The Bible often describes the church of God as the bride of Christ. (Check out Isaiah 62.4-6 and Revelation 19.6-8.) It’s a wonderful picture that captures how loved we are by God, how faithful he is in his commitment to us, and how exclusive we must be in response. As we anticipate the glorious future, we are being prepared as we wait for our bridegroom to return.

Now you may be thinking, ‘I would never try to obscure Jesus!’ But I think we do it all the time in small ways. It’s why the coveted roles in church are the visible ones, and why we envy the ‘exciting’ testimonies of some Christians, and perhaps one of the reasons we are so keen to appear to each other, and to our non-Christian friends as perfect Christians, worthy of our salvation.

We begin to forget that this story is not really about us, but about him!

No Christian should seek after ‘guru’ status when it comes to serving and following Jesus Christ! I must never ‘flirt’ with God’s church, seeking to draw people to myself. My role is simply to proudly and excitedly present the bridegroom to the bride and vice versa. This is not about me; my job is to be at work in the background, a friend of the bridegroom, doing all I can to praise him, while greatly looking forward to the wedding!

As keen to clean the church toilets as to have an upfront role

Knowing this should free us from the numbers game, and from needing people’s approval too much. It should mean that as we teach and serve in various ways in God’s church as we are all called to do, it’s not about us!

I always pray that God would preserve in me a willingness to serve him however he should ask, so that I would be as keen to clean the church toilets for the gospel, as I would to have an upfront role! (I still have some way to go on this one!)

I want nothing that I do in the name of Jesus to detract from him and the love that his bride feels for him. All my efforts contribute to showing him in a true light, to speaking of his wonderful attributes, and reminding his bride of his words and promises.

In the words of the Charles Wesley hymn we sometimes sing at church:

Happy, if with my latest breath
I may but gasp His Name,
Preach Him to all and cry in death,
‘Behold, behold the Lamb!’

Naomi Clemo
April 2013