Miriam Thurlow writes:
From generation to Generation
I have always had a heart for passing on the Good News to the next generation, and I think this is because I was the recipient of this myself. My parents are passionate about it and since I was a child I have been involved in it.
But it’s not just my story, it’s an important part of what it means to be Church. The Church is called to ‘proclaim afresh in each generation’ the Good News of Jesus. It is the calling of the whole Church, not just those in leadership.
We see this call throughout the Bible. In Genesis, God establishes His covenant with Abraham throughout the generations (Gen17:7). Then God calls Moses to remember the covenant (Ex 3:15,12:26). Then God instructs His people to intentionally teach their children and their children’s children about the ways of God (Deuteronomy 6:7,11:19, 4:9-10). The Psalms recount God’s faithfulness and Proverbs tells us to train and equip our children (Ps145:4, Prov22:6). Then Mary having celebrated with Elizabeth declares God’s mercy will be known from generation to generation (Luke1). Psalm 78:1-8 helps us to consider this further. The Psalmist tells us God’s people have ‘heard’, ‘known’ and been ‘told’ about God’s goodness throughout their lives. They don’t just mean information; they are talking about experiencing and living out what they have been told. And what are they to teach their children: ‘The glorious deeds of the Lord’. They are to teach them how God is worthy of our adoration and how He can create a testimony in us as He did in Jacob (v5).
But knowing God doesn’t happen accidentally, we have to intentionally teach the next generations. Research done by the Bible Society in 2014 named the reality of the post-Christian world that we live in, and how many children and teenagers do not know the Nativity and other Bible stories. Yet there is a growing appetite among the younger generations to know about Jesus.
V7-8 of Psalm 78 tell us why we need to keep passing on our faith, so that the next generations might be marked by 4 things:
o That they might be those who set their hope in God
o That they might be those who remember and not forget
o That they might be those who keep God’s commandments
o That they might be those who are not stubborn + rebellious BUT are steadfast + faithful.
Our call is to help generations remember God’s faithfulness and goodness, and EVERYONE has a part to play in this. This is not just the job of a specific age group or those who are parents and grandparents, nor is it just the role of those who are on children’s teams - really, we’re all on the children’s team!
We want generational faithfulness, and we all have a part to play. I joked that all of us are on the children’s team, but we do all have a role in proclaiming the faith afresh in each generation. In being a part of creating a culture of faithfulness, asking ourselves what are we being marked by, what do people see in us? What are we passing on from generation to generation? Are we playing our part to create and pass on generational faithfulness?
Reverend Miriam Thurlow - Curate CCBN
David Phillips writes:
I am thinking tonight about our relationships in the light of Holy Communion.
Is Holy Communion just a remembrance or is there something more to it?
The oldest record of Holy Communion is in 1 Corinthians 11 v17 onwards.
If you read this passage, you will see that Paul is not happy with the people there, the way they behave to one another is shocking to him. He says that because some are not recognising and helping the poorer members, they are sinning against the body and blood of the Lord and bringing judgement on themselves. He says it is the reason that some are weak, some are sick, and some have died.
This disunity is very serious for any church for our greatest tool for evangelism is our unity, our love for one another. (What did Jesus say? "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me.") That unity must be most apparent at Holy Communion.
But in this passage Paul also says that in Holy Communion we are proclaiming the Lord's death until He comes. So, it is not just a remembrance it is also a proclamation of His death, and our unity is part of that proclamation, and of His life in us.
In John's Gospel there is little teaching about Holy Communion though it is the story of the Last Supper. But in Chapter 6 Jesus tells His followers, and those listening, that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood. This was a truly shocking thing for Jesus to say, it shocks some of us today. In Jewish Law the drinking of blood was forbidden and because of this some of Jesus' disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.
However, a few verses further on Jesus says the words He had spoken were "Spirit and Life” and that the Spirit gives life and the flesh counts for nothing. So, this is a spiritual thing, but it's nonetheless real and life giving.
What does Jesus really mean by this? He really did give His life and He said: "this bread is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world".
I think that to eat Jesus' flesh and to drink His blood is to feed our hearts and minds with thoughts about Him and what His love and sacrifice means for us.
To soak ourselves in His word and be encouraged by all that He said and did we become so absorbed with Him that we become like Him, and have His life within us.
What is this to do with Holy Communion? It is a remembrance, a proclamation and a reminder of who Jesus is and what He did for us and what He wants us to do and to be for Him.
Jesus is working on each of us to make us like Him, so we must be united in love, fellowship and ministry, in such a way that He is seen among us.
So, if you have fallen out with anyone or they have something against you, please, please sort it out. Don't be critical, don't defend yourself, don't rehash the argument, just come together, then take Holy Communion.
Reverend David Phillips
Mark Carey writes:
Our intention is to be 1 Network, 6 Locations and 10 churches who are becoming authentic disciple making, worshiping communities adventuring with Jesus.
The qualities that marked out the early Christians, leading them to the point where this small group of disciples affected the whole world, were their passionate spirituality, radical community, and missionary zeal.
This only happens by being people who go deeper with Jesus and overcome the curse of knowledge:
We commit our lives to going deeper with God despite the temptation to stay in the shallows. In Luke 5:1-11 Jesus calls the first disciples to go with Him in the boat moored in the shallow waters, and put out into the deep and let down their nets for a catch. They could have pointed out that they were the fishermen, they had failed to catch anything so far and wouldn’t now. But instead, Peter said five crucial words “But because you say so”.
We overcome the curse of personal knowledge, experience, and expectations to move into trust in Jesus. They became “But because you say so” people. We can stay tied to our own ways, expectations, and experiences – cursed by our own knowledge or blessed by the knowledge that obedience brings.
One of our problems, in an information rich culture, where we can click for information on all sorts of things in moments, is that we become as Dallas Willard puts it “…educated beyond our capacity to obey”. It is possible to know a great deal yet understand very little – St Paul pointed out to the Corinthian Church that knowledge puffs up while love builds up.
Let us be aware of the danger that the amount of knowledge we have may get in the way of our ability to obey Jesus.
We can stay shallow with knowledge or go with Jesus out into deep waters.
The Bible tells us of people overcoming the curse of knowledge:
Abraham - could have stayed where he was
Moses - could have walked by the burning bush
Gideon - could have stayed in the relative safety of the wine press
David could have gone home rather than choosing to demand a confrontation with Goliath
Nehemiah could have believed the lies and threats of hostile local leaders
Ruth could have stayed in her homeland rather than go with Naomi
Esther could have stayed in the safety of her status rather than choosing to risk her life by advocating for God’s people
Mary overcame the curse of knowledge saying: “let it be to me according to your word”
Jesus overcame the curse of knowledge saying: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
Peter overcame the curse of knowledge - he was open to discovering something new – he used 5 words that indicate you are a disciple not just a Christian - “but because you say so”.
You don’t follow Jesus because you know what will happen - you follow because He knows.
We are saying to Jesus “I will join you on a journey of discovery beyond what I know already”.
5 Keys to living this way:
1. Submit my knowledge to His greater knowledge - I truly do not know better than God
2. Embrace humility - thinking of yourself less
3. Choose lifelong learning - the discerning of Kairos moments, learning as disciples not academics
4. Seek the Incarnational way over assimilation or separation - the gracious way of Jesus
5. Seek knowing Jesus and His kingdom first - “seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you”
On Sunday evening at our Network Gathering I led us in a corporate prayer of surrender.
We surrender our minds, intellects, and knowledge to be under God’s rule and reign – becoming a “but because you say so” people saying:
Lord, I do not know better than you.
I am not superior to you or to others.
I come as a disciple
I surrender my way for your way,
my truth for your truth,
my life for your life.
I choose to join you on a journey of discovery
Beyond what I know already.
The Rev Canon Mark Carey - Christ Church Bridlington Network
Andy Hall writes:
Our Identity in Christ
Numerous multiple things happen once we commit our lives to follow Jesus. According to Paul we become a “new creation” (2Corinthians 5 v17). The true nature and scope of this new creation is something the devil is always trying to hide from us. We need to become familiar with our new identity, so we do not become victims of demonic identity theft!
Someone who is born again is also regenerated so that the old downward path of spiritual degeneration is reversed. As we are saved the Spirit of God indwells us, our house becomes His house, and He starts to change the décor. At the same time, we receive a stamp of ownership by the Spirit that means we never get lost in transit but will get to our heavenly destination. Being sanctified, redeemed and justified means we can always have confidence in the Father’s presence. We are translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God and are given a heavenly citizenship. We are washed of our sins, freed from our bondages, and adopted by our Father so that we can receive all the fullness of God. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God and are now an unfathomable mystery to Satan and all his powers!
Our challenge today is to bring our experience up to this bar of scripture not lowering the bar to our present experience. When God saved you, He bought all your debts and all your problems; they are now His and His to fix. We have gone, in one moment, from being dirty rotten sinners to saved saints. Once the blood of Jesus is applied, I can be made no cleaner than I now am. This does not mean I can not sin it just means I am no longer a “professional sinner”. Sinners have become saved saints that are prone to righteousness.
If you stand on a six-inch nail, you do not become a nail! Sin is an alien six-inch nail that invades your new life. As such it can be removed swiftly and the wound healed and then you can move on again, living in your new identity. Just because I sometimes sin does not make me a “sinner” again - it just shows I am a saint having a bad day. In Christ we have the best lawyer in town and the price for my crimes has already been paid. Jesus represents me in the court of heaven so that I can re-present Him to a watching and waiting world.
Andy Hall
Associate Minister CCBN
Mark Carey writes:
Incarnation is the word we use for God becoming flesh - dwelling among us for a purpose.
Jesus is the principle and the practice of the incarnation. John 1:1-14 makes it clear that Jesus comes as the living message of the Father - God becoming human - flesh
So, we are to be similar to Him - living our lives based on the fundamental truth of Jesus - fleshing out as He did - what He did.
There is only one incarnation - Jesus. Yet we get to live it out. As someone once put it:
“Beggars showing other beggars where the bread is”.
Incarnation is the forceful advance of our saving God into a world of darkness. Emphatic action yet:
• In humility
• In gentleness and loving kindness
• In self-sacrifice and serving
• In authoritative confidence that the darkness can’t overcome the light
Jesus came as the word - the message - He is the teacher, curriculum, classroom
He is all and everything we need!
He comes as:
• involved, not detached
• participant not avoidant
• alongside and with, not over and to
What is the application of Incarnation on our lives?
Incarnation means - Living Well with Limitations
• Jesus able to act in and through His divine nature within the limits of human existence.
• As those who are given the right to be children of God - we get the benefit of the divine being made known in our ordinary circumstances
Incarnation means: Mission impossible is possible:
• I'm not Jesus, but in me Jesus is made known, I am a child of God
• We are sent into the world in a similar way to Jesus but with a different mission
• I won't always be received or recognised - just as Jesus wasn't
Incarnation means: It is all about Jesus and self-giving:
• The way of Jesus is not complex and easy; it is simple and hard
• It's not about fancy tools and strategies it's about a person
• It is about laying your life down
• If you are in the room – stay in the room - love one another and stay with one another
Incarnation means: You have a choice:
You must choose Incarnation over two other possibilities
• Separation or Assimilation
Separation - Us and them mentality. Fearful avoidance eg taint. Condemnation of others.
• Let us stop being condemning of others
Assimilation - absorption so becoming indistinct and indistinguishable.
• Loss of saltiness and light.
• We are supposed to be distinctive
Incarnation is the way and life of Jesus, and it is our way…
• It’s getting involved in the muck and mess of a world as those who are receivers of His light
• It’s about taking the risk of contamination on the basis that Jesus “touched untouchables with love and washed the guilty clean”
It’s about:
• Being involved, not detached
• Being participants not avoiders
• Being alongside and with, not over and to
• Not functioning in condemnation of others
• Shining as lights in the darkness
That’s pretty distinctive. Join the revolution!
Reverend Canon Mark Carey Leader CCBN
Andy Hall writes:
In Matthew 11:12, Jesus said “…the Kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing and forceful men lay hold of it…”
This is not a permission to be physically violent, as in the Inquisition times but it does give us permission to push into the things of God with force and focus. In the old style January sales bargain hunters could be seen pushing in with force and focus to attain their prized goal!. Gaining the Kingdom is definitely not a matter of apathy, passivity or a “what will be will be…” situation.
We are called to forcefully advance into satan’s Kingdom so that it suffers loss, to inflict payback for all “…the years the locusts have eaten…”. Who are the agents of this Kingdom advance? We are! To quote from the film Gladiator “…what we do in life lives in eternity…”
What are the hallmarks of a forceful advancer?
Firstly, they are focused. They are not vague; they are focused on concrete obtainable objectives. They are focused in prayer for people, often keeping a prayer list of people they are regularly praying for. Prayer acts as a magnifying glass that focus the rays of God’s power and love down onto individuals with great effect.
Secondly, they are people of Faith. Faith is the substance of what we pray for. They expect to see results and will keep going until they see results and breakthroughs.
They will be fierce people. It matters to them that God wins and is seen to win. They are fierce to have a darkness destroying testimony that tells everyone what God has done. For them not to win is to miss out and it matters. To advance the Kingdom we have to be fierce against the enemies of God. We are called to “…wrestle against … power principalities and demonic forces…” We need to fiercely engage with our foe to bring them to a point of submission to our Jesus. We need to be fierce against demons, fierce against sickness and fierce against demonically inspired circumstances in our lives and faith community.
As we do these things constantly with perseverance the Kingdom of darkness will suffer loss and the Kingdom of heaven will advance in Bridlington
Andy Hall
Associate Minister CCBN
Emma Miles Writes:
In lockdown, 2020, Re-Store was the only ministry operational at Christ church as we sought to serve the health and the wellbeing of our communities. I remember that summer, it was very hot, and we had a queue of people outside, lining up for a food parcel. I vividly remember several men in line each week, they looked malnourished, with their tops off, bones on display, Addicted men, not hungry for food necessarily, but hungry and desperate, none the less.
It was during this time that God highlighted to me a verse in the song ‘Revival’s in the air’, with a picture of these men and their bones rattling as they queued in line.
‘Oh, I can see a valley of dry bones,
Rattling, moving, bone to bone,
You breathe a breath of life into our lungs
And marching on our knees, we march to love.’
I knew for sure; this was prophetic.
The following year, we launched The Hope Hub because Jesus told us to build loving relationships with broken people. Our vision, at that stage, was to share authentic hope with people, who have resigned themselves to hopelessness, waking with them at the speed of love. We partnered with a variety of agencies from Christian rehabs to health inclusion agencies, all for the benefit of seeing people become whole and free, but it all started with relationship.
Margaret Dye and I always prayed together before each session, on a Monday and Wednesday, which then became a circle of prayer that just kept growing.
At the beginning of this year, we introduced worship and teaching to this prayer time and ultimately launched The Hub Church. We felt the vision had now shifted and The Hub Church was to be the main focus, with refreshments at the back of church. We share communion once a month and a faith community is growing. People are learning about Jesus, praying together, worshiping together, and serving together.
None of those original faces are in our community but those that did join us were hungry and desperate faces, nonetheless.
People have, and still are, encountering Jesus and his love, and they know his presence is at work in their life.
Committed volunteers who have learned to be reliable in both service and church. Women and men are experiencing the hope of following Jesus as he moves to take up the space where shame has lived.
…They have still got a way to go, but hey, haven’t we all!
We celebrate the shifts people make towards The Kingdom.
The big things, the subtle things, the things that sometimes look like ‘2 steps forward, 2 steps back’, the showing up, the praying in a group, the joy in worship, the way they cuddle each other when they hear their favourite worship song, the way they are sharing Jesus with their children. The hunger, the questions, the thirst.
We see the shifts because we are in relationship with the people having them.
And we celebrate every single one.
Melissa Helser, says of her song, especially the words in the chorus:
‘Revivals in the air
Catch it if you can’
She says that God reframed the familiar word ‘revival’ for her when her addicted brother said he was ready to make the call to get help.
She said, Jesus said to her:
‘Don’t you realise you are experiencing the truest form of revival, when prodigals come home, when addicts decide to get help, when families are being restored, when our neighbourhoods and churches are full of compassion and grace and mercy and when our towns are getting flipped upside down with the love of God.’
Jesus told Melissa to open her eyes and see that he is in every single decision and every single shift a person makes towards freedom….
…. He’s not just in the pretty and polished article… He is in it all….
…Catch it if you can!
The Holy Spirit is doing the inside work. It’s God who does the reviving work within a person, he just lets us join in.
At The Hub Church we just aim to create a safe space, a welcoming place, an open space, for people to encounter the God who welcomes home the prodigals and sets the captive free.
God is breathing his breath of life into people’s lungs…people who have been without breath for generations. If you are looking for perfection, you will not see it. Our God works slowly and intimately, and He is not afraid of the mess in the middle.
And neither should we be…...!
Revivals in the air….
Mark Carey writes,
Last Sunday evening I spoke about Being Faithful With A Little - these are the words Jesus used in the parable of the bags of gold. The servants who had done something with the resources they had been entrusted with were congratulated and given more. The person who just buried their gold lost everything. The point is that we all have something to invest in the kingdom of God and making something of our resources in what is required.
We all have resources that we can use in the service of God’s Kingdom. Specifically, 5 resources, that all of us have. Spiritual, relational, physical, intellectual and financial. The world around us values financial resources first - the Kingdom of God values spiritual resources first. We have a relationship with God that is extraordinary powerful and transformative. We have relationships we can draw on - at this time many of us are giving thanks for the influential relationship we had with Margaret Dye. We have physical bodies that means we can do things, however limited. We have minds, intellects that can be used and of course, financial resources even if it simply ‘the widow’s mite’.
The other thing that Jesus encouraged in His parables was that living in the Kingdom meant that you risked your resources, investing them in the most precious thing: the Kingdom of God.
Our practice and vision as a Network of Churches is to be faithful with a little and unafraid to risk investing in Kingdom things. We want to steward our resources well - have you seen how many buildings we maintain?!! - we also want to invest in the growth of our Network to the extent that we see more people encounter Jesus, come to daily living faith, and see the Kingdom coming in their homes, neighbourhoods, families and workplaces.
We seek to have a way of working that means every Network Church is resourced for mission and able to get on with the job of making disciples.
Please pick up one of the new leaflets that are available throughout the Network Churches that gives a snapshot of our financial status across the Network. Thank you for investing in the Network - thank you for planning your giving (it is so helpful to know what is coming into the bank accounts!). Please start giving or, indeed, review and increase your giving. We encourage everyone to prayerful give - no pressure!
Reverend Canon Mark Carey. Christ Church Bridlington Network.
Miriam Thurlow writes:
Being disciples means being living epistles for Christ. Letters were the main means of communication for the early church and the New Testament includes lots of letters to churches, encouraging them, challenging them and sharing testimony. In 1 Corinthians 3:1-6, Paul describes the Church in Corinth as living epistles for Christ. He says their lives are visible for all to see and read the work of Jesus in them. They are letters from Christ, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God upon their hearts. Therefore, they can be confident in Jesus because it is not about how good they are but about how good God is. However, Paul also tells them they have a role to play because God has enabled them to be competent ministers of the new covenant. We are also called to be living epistles. Our lives tell a story, but what story do they tell? Are we letting God tell His story in and through us? Do our lives display God’s goodness? Do they tell of the power and authority of Jesus? Do they demonstrate the radical hospitality Jesus modelled? Do they echo the love we receive from the Father? There are lots of images in the Bible which help to describe what it looks like to be living epistles for Christ, here are 2 of them:
Image bearers: We are living epistles of Christ because we are God’s image bearers, made in His likeness to reflect Him to the world (Genesis 1:26)
Overflow: It is never just about us and Jesus, we are filled with God’s joy and peace SO THAT we might overflow to others (Romans 15:13)
Being living epistles is about making God known not just to ourselves but to others. It’s not about remaining cosy as we enjoy time with Jesus, but so that we might overflow and make God known to others too. However, we don’t do it in our own strength but through the Spirit at work in us. How are we embodying being divining epistles of Christ? What story does our life tell to others? Are we letting God tell His story in and through us so others are able to read it?
Reverend Miriam Thurlow Cuate CCBN
Ray Yates writes:
Mark 1.40-45
I’ve been challenged by reading Mark’s Gospel, especially from the point that Jesus’ ministry should shape the mission of the church. We see that Jesus public ministry was fast paced, and there is real sense of urgency. Mark’s Gospel seems to focus on what Jesus did and focuses less on what Jesus taught.
The people saw something radically different about Jesus’ ministry. The people were ‘amazed’ at Jesus’ authority & power!
There is something else we need to recapture if we are to align our mission with that of Jesus: COMPASSION.
40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
The man with leprosy knew Jesus could heal him, what he wasn’t sure about, was whether Jesus was willing to.
What is Jesus’ reaction to this uncertainty? Indignation (other translations say: filled with compassion, pity even anger.) What is clear is that Jesus cared deeply and couldn’t believe that this poor man with leprosy could doubt Jesus’ willingness to heal him. There is a huge gap between knowing God can heal & believing that He wants to heal.
Jesus didn’t just heal the man with leprosy-Jesus touched him! I can’t even imagine how good Jesus’ touch must have felt to this poor leper! After being excluded, feeling dirty Jesus’ touch was part of the healing; healing is often more than physical, it is emotional. Healing is about experiencing God’s touch of love. We need to touch lives with love.
Jesus’ love & compassion broke down barriers, while the religion of Jesus’ day (and today) creates barriers: who is clean, who is in or out….
The healed leper is given this command: See that you don’t tell this to anyone. Well of course the leper does exactly the opposite he tells everyone!
45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places.
You can’t keep the lid on deep gratitude/thankfulness! You can try, but when something really good happens it is written all over your face. What is surprising is that the church today, for the most part, manages to keep a lid on the amazing love of God. It is not surprising when good news spreads (that’s what happens), what is surprising is when Good News doesn’t spread. We need to reconnect with the good news.
So much of my ministry has been about trying to hold on to God’s willingness to heal; this hasn’t always been easy.
Much of my pastoral ministry was navigating the gap (trying to decrease the gap) between believing in both God ‘s power to heal and His willingness to heal & working to see that healing in my ministry. I can say with 200% honesty that this is a painful place to be.
There was a lady who we prayed for 7 years. I prayed for her, we prayed for her corporately as a church. I would often meet with her husband for one to one Bible studies - there was such faith & pain. Those times together were amongst the most painful, faith full & deeply moving of my ministry… the lady lost the fight (but she won the victory because she held on to her faith). In all the tears, the pain, confusion, there were many times she experienced the touch of Jesus in such amazing ways.
I still believe in both God’s power to heal & willingness to heal and that God touches lives with love and wants to heal a broken world.
Revd Ray Yates
Mark Carey Writes:
Mark Carey writes
There are many opportunities but fewer callings. In Mark 1 we find Jesus, in a busy, demanding place that is very fruitful with many people getting healed and delivered. You’d have thought he would stick around longer – the disciples came to find him telling him “everyone is looking for you” – they expected he would respond to the demands and the opportunities. Instead, he said “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”
Jesus had a clear idea of what he was supposed to do – he knew his ‘why’. The expectations upon him and around him didn’t get in the way. How did this happen? How did he stay so focussed? We all recognise how troublesome the expectations of others are, how difficult it is not to be distracted…. What was Jesus’s secret? “He … went off to a solitary place, to pray”.
Jesus clearly had the discipline and habit of taking himself deliberately to the place of prayer, the solitary place - it is quite a contrast to what we do - someone once said "Jesus ran away from the crowds to pray. We run after the crowds and don't pray".
Do try to find the solitary place, the place where you can re-centre yourself back to your ‘why’. Later Jesus would say ..."apart from me you can do nothing" and invite for us to abide in him. It's where everything we need is found.... in the solitary place of intimacy with God.
"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world" (Karl Barth)
The Rev Canon Mark Carey - Christ Church Bridlington Network
Emma Miles Writes:
Jesus is passionate about our freedom. Our whole life’s journey, from our first encounter with Jesus is one of continual transformation and our job is to surrender, to trust Him with our lives, through active obedience.
Trusting God is not always that simple though, is it? Our transformation, more often than not, is worked out through the struggles and the battles we find ourselves in and it is often our internal struggles that need confronting before we can produce any external change.
Every kind of brokenness can be placed in Jesus hands, and it becomes something different when we do that. To be broken is to be opened up to the grace of God.
Grace becomes more to us than just a word, it becomes this experience
Our experiences with God’s grace bring us out into this open space where we are able to confront the lies that are enslaving us.
I once read in a Bradley Jersak book that ‘All theology is grown in the soil of experience between you and God and anything other than that is probably nonsense.
Knowing about God is just not enough. On an intellectual level we can learn about Him and quote Bible references till they are coming out of our ears…
But only our personal experience of God, in alignment with scripture, will reveal to us His true nature. Over and over again throughout scripture, lives are changed through encounters with the living God. Encounters with God in the flesh, relating to the personhood of God, that’s what transforms our lives.
As Simeon lifts up the baby Jesus in his arms in the temple he says ‘For my eyes have seen your salvation’ This fleshly and emotional effect on Simeon, reminds us that salvation is more than just a concept or an idea, it is something to be experienced. Something that is real, it’s something that can be held, it’s something that can be seen.
Where are we seeing the salvation of the Lord in our lives?
Where is He wanting to bring freedom.
Testimonies of salvation are so good but salvation is not a static thing. It’s not just a onetime thing. We are saved and we are being saved, we are not only transformed but we are being transformed. There is movement. Even in the darkest valley there is movement. We don’t lay in the valley or sit in the valley, We walk with Jesus through it. We learn, we change.
A few months ago, I continually heard the words from Isaiah 30.21
21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Have you ever tried to shut off that voice because it just didn’t fit with your agenda?
We can easily deceive ourselves and try to manipulate the outcomes to what we want, but God predestined us to be conformed into the very image of Christ and if that thing He is asking you to let go of is keeping you enslaved, rather than producing transformation, then it’s not the way He is asking you to walk.
Our salvation walk with God is not linear, it’s not formulaic… We discover there is room for grace and that God is patient. It has been suggested that the Hebrew word for salvation means to ‘bring into a wide-open space’ it’s the opposite of trying to live in a restricted, tight, cramped space. It’s a place of Hope and Freedom, a place where we can live and breathe. The direction of His voice is the way of salvation. It’s the invitation into a wide-open space.
Around about the time I went to New Wine, and I encountered God. I heard very clearly a fresh call to deeper surrender and obedience. That voice was saying to me that left and right were no longer viable options for me. That today was the day of salvation. This was an invitation to ‘follow’ His voice into a wide-open space…so that I could breathe and live again. The invitation was in to freedom.
Are there any situations in your life where left and right no longer viable options?
Where is God asking you to follow His voice to?
Emma Miles Community Development Leader
A Pastoral Letter Autumn 2024 from Mark Carey
As always there is lots happening across our Network. I want to highlight things for prayer and awareness.
I am very thankful for the sabbatical time I had recently – as I reach the 7th anniversary of coming to Bridlington and complete 30 years of ordained ministry such opportunities are important for refreshment. In some ways nothing changes as I return, except, as you will see, things continue to change! Someone once said that “for things to remain the same some things are going to have to change” – I like that – things change, we learn, God keeps doing his work of renewing, rebuilding and restoring… and we join in.
Our vision is simple – as disciples of Jesus we are to ‘live the gospel’ – be “good news people” individually and together. In every part of our Network, we will seek to ‘serve the health and well-being of our communities’. The gospel of Jesus is for every part and aspect of human life and creation. Health and well-being are massive things in our culture – the kingdom of Jesus, the way of Jesus, amongst other things, brings healing, deliverance, hope and joy and we get to join in with this. In effect, this means that our shared vision is that every part of our Network becomes a healthy, disciple-making worshiping community in some way, shape or form.
Some of these forms will be traditional of course – and yet our legacy from all that God has done over the last decades is that we enjoy great diversity and therefore in the famous words of Bono “we are one and we’re not the same”! Our different churches and ministry areas must be purposeful in having one way of life – a life lived in relation to Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit. So, we expect Daily Encounter, defining how and where we Belong and therefore contribute to the discipleship of all God’s people, so we see more clearly how we join in on an individual and corporate level in Purposeful Service in relation to God’s works of renewing, rebuilding and restoring.
How we organise to do all this continues to need ongoing refining; though we are in a time when it seems some things we have been waiting for are beginning to fall into place, which means we will be able to do more work on clarification.
What is clear is that we must strengthen and release leadership teams in each Network church. We must clarify the relationship between the ‘base’ of the Network which does governance, oversees safeguarding, finances and property, and the Network which ‘fishes for people’. We must do the ‘apostolic and prophetic strengthening’ and release all God’s people in purposeful service across all generations.
FAQs For Your Information
(a snapshot as there is a lot that is happening!)
Miriam Thurlow
More will be communicated about Miriam Thurlow’s role soon, but I am pleased to say that she will be staying in Bridlington as her curacy ends to pioneer and plant, with CCBN, amongst young adults.
Holy Trinity, Bridlington
Holy Trinity has joined CCBN as the planned parochial reorganisation came into being earlier than expected. As a result, Holy Trinity is now part of the Christ Church parish and as Vicar I will be exploring ‘what next’ with the congregation – do pray for all involved – for discernment and wisdom.
St Mark’s, Westhill
Christine Strand will be joining our Network as Associate Vicar at St Mark’s, Westhill and will be working closely with myself, the leaders and teams of the Bessingby part of the Network – St Andrew’s, Ulrome, St Magnus, Bessingby and Love Westhill. Her main focus is St Mark’s and her licensing will be there at 2pm on Sunday 29th September – do come and support her if you can. pray for Christine and Alan as they enter a new season of life with St Mark’s.
Christ Church
Major problems to do with dry rot in the (Restore) Hall roof have been discovered leading its closure. The problems are being investigated and costed for repairs and the signs are that we are going to need a significant amount of money and as swiftly as possible get undertake repairs and prevent further deterioration and infestation in other places. We haven’t got the money for this and are extremely stretched across all our finances despite good income from the use of the other buildings, and careful management of financial resources. Please pray for the fresh release of financial provision. More information will be forthcoming.
Financial Provision
Our Network runs financially primarily due to the generosity of people choosing to give. As far as possible each Network churches finances are ring-fenced so that what is given goes to the right place and is used for the purpose it was given. We are finding finances are very stretched and or your information and response, we will soon be providing more detail on the way financial resources are used, how your giving helps and where the need is. Please prayerfully review your giving. If you don’t give – please start. A commitment to regular giving is incredibly helpful for planning and strategy. And remember, we see giving as an act of worship and a response to all that God has given us. We are the generous responding to the generosity of God.
Contact with Mark Carey
If you wish to contact me then its best to do so via the Network office 01262 404100 or office@ccbn.org.uk. Very often I am not the right person to speak to – in every part of the Network we have very capable leaders who are much better than me in relation to most things! Do make them your first port of call and they will advise if I need to be involved.
All of us are able to support one another in whichever part of the Network we are involved in. Watch out for the isolated and lonely and respond to them with love, share faith and do the works of the kingdom. We are ‘the church’. Our Network is not always easy to understand due its diversity and variety – bear with it – God is doing far more than any of us realise, and I suspect we will never fully pin everything down. Let’s keep trusting God and encouraging one another.
Finally, it may seem as if there are significant challenges and things look gloomy – but my experience is that such challenges often signify that we are doing the right things – the battle is fiercest before the breakthrough. Let’s keep going!
Mark Carey Writes:
Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.
Proverbs 29:18
Heeding Wisdom instruction is vital – we live in God’s wisdom through receiving His revelation – God loves to reveal to us who He is, his way to live. He is generous at revealing things so that then we know the way to live – His restraint in the way of our lives.
As we allow revelation to take hold of our lives we get wisdom’s instruction.
We are told that
“….. Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” (Luke 2:52) If He grew in wisdom, so must we.
There are some things we are prone to that prevent or block wisdom’s instruction
Reductionism
We reduce things to our own understanding and our own way.
Proverbs 3:5-6 puts it well: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Distraction
The so-called ‘wisdom’ of many voices on all forms of media including social networks and the foolishness of fads takes up so much attention and stops us listening for wisdom’s instruction.
Procrastination
We go round in circles of indecisiveness often waiting for others or circumstances to make the decision for us rather than making a decision and going for it. Wisdom leads us to wise decision-making.
Frustration
We don’t see frustration as a gift yet, if we do, we find that in the unwrapping we discover wisdoms instruction
Disappointment
We are prone to disappointment when our ‘best laid plans’ haven’t ‘delivered’.
Let’s remember that we are always dealing with a combination of Sin, Circumstances and Satan’s power – often things beyond our immediate control that affect even the wisest decisions.
But God is endlessly redemptive – as Graham Dow said: “God is readjusting His plan day by day according to our response to Him”.
There is blessing in heeding wisdom’s instruction – how are you doing at this? What is God saying to you and what are you going to do about it?
Reverend Canon Mark Carey Leader CCBN
Andy Hall writes:
“Faith that gets beyond the church carpark!”
Many of experience “experience fade” as time passes. On Sunday night we feel full of faith and power, but these sensations tend to fade with time. So how can we develop a 24-7 sense of the anointing of the Holy Spirit? Are we ones who bask in the glory of God in corporate worship which soon fades or are we ones that carry our own internal fire of the Spirit?
Firstly, we must look after our heart; the parable of the Sower in Luke 18 tells us that those with a good and noble heart produce a load of fruit. Is my heart soft or hard towards the things of God? Is it good soil for the seed of God to fall into? Pain, disappointment, disobedience, disillusionment can cause me to harden and protect my heart to such an extent that the word of God can’t take root or endure in my life. It starts well but soon fades.
Secondly, we need to develop a teachable heart. Are we hungry and receptive for God’s words. After a sermon God’s word lays on the surface as a seed in a field. The birds of the air can come and steal it if we don’t learn to grab it and bring it from the outside to the inside of us. That which we plant will take root and produce a great harvest in our lives.
Thirdly, to grow in our awareness of God’s purpose for our lives helps us to stay connected to God’s Spirit and power. To do this we need a functioning prophetic compass. Paul tells Timothy that the prophetic words he received would guide him in his walk with God 1Timothy1:18.
In Proverbs 29:18 we are told that when revelation (prophesy) is lacking people wander off their path. Prophetic revelatory words over my life are essential to keep the flame alive in the hard times, the in-between times, and the opposition times. When we are knocked over by circumstance the prophetic words, I have received help me get back up and orientate me as to the way forward.
Our prayer should be Lord give me a soft teachable heart and clearly tell me where I should be or should go. People who follow these principles tend to be more aware of the Spirit’s empowering presence in their lives.
Andy Hall Associate Minster CCBN
Mark Carey Writes:
Obedience is a crucial quality for Christian discipleship – we get lots of information, but lots of information doesn’t necessarily mean good discipleship. However, everything up to the point of obedience is just information - from the point of obedience it becomes discipleship
Eugene Peterson when taking about studying and applying the bible said, “the most important question we ask of this text is not, ‘what does this mean?’ but rather, ‘what can I obey?’”
Alan Hirsch said “if we wish to preserve the life-giving connection with God, we must learn the discipline of obedience to God in a world that will reward waywardness”
He also said “obedience is the worship that the true disciple gives to Jesus”.
Jesus commissioned His disciples to go and make disciples and teach them to obey His commands.
Obedience is important - and we need to work on it in our lives.
It is perceived as a negative thing when actually it is liberating, it can be a path we reluctantly take that leads to greater freedom and breakthrough.
Obedience is the bread and butter, the simple basic way of living for a disciple.
There is joy in obedience!
Here are three helpful things to remember about obedience.
1) Jesus showed that success in the kingdom of God is obedience to what the Father asks. He said He can only do what the Father does. Obedience is joining in with what God is doing.
2) Andrew, when he brought a boy and his packed lunch to Jesus, showed that small acts of obedience matter. From that small amount of food more than 5000 people were fed.
The author, Gary Best said that "even our smallest act of obedience could be the raw material for a miracle".
Keep giving the small…. God can do a lot with a little.
3) Peter's conversation over a fish breakfast with Jesus showed that true obedience is made possible as we love Jesus. To reinstate Peter, Jesus got Peter to re-state his love for Him.
He'd disobeyed, betrayed and deserted Jesus but was able to return to a life of obedience, following through coming in love to Jesus again.
John Claypool when talking about the 12 apostles pointed out that especially in relation to Peter and John we see that "We will do what Jesus taught only if we love Him."
There is joy in obedience – enjoy the adventure!
The Rev Canon Mark Carey - Christ Church Bridlington Network
Andy Hall writes:
“Times of refreshing from the Lord?”
Acts3:19 “…repent then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out and times of refreshing come from the Lord…”
Peter tells his Jewish hearers that they needed to repent about who Jesus was. What about us who know who Jesus is? How do we access the promised refreshing of God?
“…repent then…” we need to change direction away from sin not run towards it
“…turn to God...” we need to seek God’s face for that is where refreshment comes from.
“…that your sins may be wiped out…” the word in Greek here “Exaleipho” does not mean sins covered over (by the blood) but rather false coverings and false anointing that need to be removed so they don’t cut us off from God presence. These false anointings like the spirit of religion shroud us and cut us of from the refreshing cool relief of God’s Spirit.
The Jewish hears minds would have gone straight away to God’s promises in Isaiah 44:3
“… for I will pour out water on a dry and thirsty land…”
But no matter how good and abundant the water poured out on the land it can’t penetrate the soil, if we have hard ground in our hearts Hosea 10:12 says “…break up your fallow ground…”
Sins in our hearts must be ploughed up before we can receive refreshing from the Lord. Sin contaminates and separates it, causes us to try and dominated and control people. Sin always defends itself, trusts only itself and is totally self-absorbed! God can not refresh this, it needs to be repented of otherwise we end up as saved saints but dwelling in a parched land. Heaven bound but hungry on the journey. Connected to God but feeling like a stranger.
The good news is the “…today is the day of salvation…” today we can start to restore the soil of our hearts. We need to urgently; throw down, overturn, root out, and energetically send away from ourselves all the sin symptoms of a hardened heart.
Idols must go. Other “gods “must be expelled, the doctrines of demons must be renounced, our minds changed, our bodies sanctified to God’s service.
How does this happen? By heart searching and confession. Psalm 26:2 “…test me and try me oh Lord and see if there be any unclean way in me…” Ask the Holy Spirit to show you.
Then confess that sin based on 1John 1:9 bring stuff into the light and onto the cross where Christ blood can deal with in.
Finally, we must expect and claim the promise of Isaiah 57:15
“…I live in a high and holy place but also with those who are contrite and lowly in spirit. To revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite…”
Andy Hall Associate Minister CCBN
Miriam Thurlow Writes:
While we were at New Wine this year God reminded me of something He taught me 2 years ago and what He has done since. 2 years ago, I felt God inviting me to press into worship, to learn how to truly ‘pour out my praise’ to Him. Since I have gone on this journey with Him and seen greater freedom in worship yes, but also in other areas of my life. It has not been about becoming a ‘better’ worshipper but about seeking God’s face. John Wimber said, “We don't seek God's power, we seek His presence. His power and everything else we need is always found in His presence.”
In reflecting on this, I was drawn to 2 Samuel 6 and the contrast between David and Michal. David brings the Arc of the Lord back to Jerusalem and he dances with all his might, holding nothing back in his worship before the Lord. He offers sacrifices, gives everyone gifts of food and blessings in God’s name. But when he returns to his own household to bless them, Michal does not rejoice, instead she despises him in her heart.
She did not see David glorifying God, all she could see was David behaving inappropriately as a king. She was embarrassed because she thought David was ruining their reputation, but for David his behaviour wasn’t unacceptable but simply an unintended consequence of his wholehearted worship. But Michal couldn’t get over social standing, respectability and her image consciousness. Our world today is similarly obsessed with image, and it can often be easier to be like Michal than like David. However, David was able to wholeheartedly worship God because his eyes were firmly fixed on God.
God is a wholehearted God who is all in for us and as His disciples we are called to be all in for Him, not so that we will be good enough but so that we might know in greater measure the God who is all in for us. What would it look like for you to be all in for Jesus? To seek His presence wholeheartedly? For some this may look like dancing! But for others this will look like intentionally laying down distractions. For some it will look like sitting in silence with God. For others it might mean starting the day listening to worship or reading a Psalm. Whatever it looks like for you, how are you seeking God’s presence wholeheartedly in your everyday life?
Reverend Miriam Thurlow Curate CCBN
Mark Carey Writes:
Once again – thanks so much for the welcome back that I have received on returning from a few months of sabbatical. It was a deeply restful time. It is good to be back and to see what God is doing among us. We are a Network of Churches – the particular church that you belong to has a particular group of people, in a particular place with a particular gospel purpose. I believe in the coming time this will sharpen and focus – on Sunday evening I touched on my sense of moving from ‘building up’ to ‘spreading out’ – with reference to Isaiah 5:41-3.
Sing, O barren one who did not bear;
burst into song and shout,
you who have not been in labour!
For the children of the desolate woman will be more
than the children of her that is married, says the LORD.
Enlarge the site of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread out to the right and to the left,
and your descendants will possess the nations
and will settle the desolate towns.
Spreading out comes as a result of experiencing the covenant grace of God who brings the barren and desolate to the place of singing. Who brings those who experience less, limits and loss to the place of fruitfulness.
Spreading out also comes as a result of us expanding our living space – in Isaiah 54 language – “enlarge the place of your tent”. Expanding our living space is about being obedient to God about how He wants to enlarge and expand in our own lives for the purpose of spreading out around us. Internal expansion leads to external expansion. They used to expand their tents through sewing a new patch of material into it. This is hard work but necessary to enable more space – I wonder what expansion you and me are being called to? What does God want us to sew into our lives for expansion?
Isaiah warns us - DO NOT HOLD BACK!
We are heading into a time when we are likely to be called to expand our living space – get ready to spread out – we don’t know what this will look like in terms of results. If we give ourselves to this movement the impact, according to Isaiah, would be transformative and generational.
Let’s not hold back.
Reverend Canon Mark Carey Leader CCBN
Andy Hall writes:
“Zeal for your house consumes me…” John 2:17
In a dictionary zeal is defined as “earnestness and fervour in advancing a cause or rendering a service by wholehearted persistent endeavour…”
Jesus was passionate about that which his Father cared about. He cared about “your house”
The outer courts of the temple were set aside as a house of prayer for the nations (Gentiles) and yet the Jews had so set aside God’s heart that they turned it into a marketplace for convenience of the Jewish worshiper and totally overlooked the Father’s heart for the nations. Zeal always took Jesus back to God’s purpose.
“…consumes me” a fire that burns but does not destroy or burn out. Zeal does not lead to burn out instead it leads to a steady flame - like the burning bush in the wilderness. Burning fire produces effects:
Purification – single minded devotion to your love
Transformation – I am being changed into my future
Illumination – the flame of my zeal lights a path for others to follow.
There are six habits of zealous people:
Zeal leads to regular cleansing of our temple to remove competing affections.
Zeal allows for the overthrow of the established order.
Zeal is revolutionary.
Zeal results in a regular return to our first purpose and calling.
Zeal yields to a radical Jesus.
Zeal helps to keep the main thing, the main thing!
Paul writes in Romans 12:11 “never be lacking in zeal, keep your spiritual fervour serving the Lord…”
“never” is a command, always and at all times, this applies. “Be lacking” literally means don’t be a sloth, slowly ambling to practice of zeal. Be on fire and burning!
Those who are zealous for God will be at all times coming into counter cultural conflict with the norms of society. They will be labelled as unbalanced and extremist. They will have less “grey” areas than most. They will stand their ground and be marked people because of the fire on them.
The Jews lost zeal for the house and it departed from its purpose. The same for us today that our house of the lord can only stay in its purpose if zeal for its calling and purpose is in its people. A zealous church culture makes demands upon us. It demands more of our time, money, energy, passions, creativity, compassion and mercy to build His house!
Revelation 3:15-16 talks about a church losing God’s blessing because it has become “lukewarm”. Apathy is a common demonic stronghold in the lives of believers today. Apathy means to be without feeling or emotion. Apathy is a sort of local anaesthetic; you are awake but feel nothing. Apathy desensitizes us to God’s heart and plans, we seldom cry, feel anger, or rise up in rebellion, we acknowledge evil but seldom fight it. We become wary of the “fanatic” and the “crusading spirit”.
Zeal burns, fuels and wakes us up to God’s purpose, the way apathy goes is to start to embrace zeal!
Andy Hall Associate Minster CCBN