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‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; he has looked with favour on his lowly servant. The Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.’ These words from the Magnificat echo just how I feel, God is my saviour, praise his name!
I send my love to you, my brother and sisters in Christ, greetings to you all.
Melva and I would like to thank all those who have held us in their prayers, sent us cards, visited, telephoned or helped us in very practical ways. It has been wonderful and very encouraging receiving such love. We miss you and look forward to being with you again in the not too distant future.
An Old Testament prophet called Amos, wrote, “Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” (Amos 3.3, New Living Translation) Of course the answer is a resounding no! It is not possible, for two people travelling in different directions, to walk together. Once again therefore, I want to clarify the direction in which I am convinced God has given me for St John’s. The direction of our united walk with Him.
There are four points I wish to make, although it could be argued that the first point includes the other three, it is worth spelling them out individually.
First, God’s primary mission is ‘on earth as it is in heaven’. A Christian community should reflect heaven. That means St John’s should live and demonstrate God’s Kingdom. As part of the Body of Christ, we are called to submit to God’s primary mission.
Second, as you have often heard me quote, C S Lewis wrote that the role of the church is to “Draw people to Christ and make them Christ like.” Evangelism and helping people to become Christ like, is well supported by scripture.
Third, Jesus said “teach them to obey everything I have commanded you”, (Mt 28.18-20). The best source for that purpose is Jesus’ teaching recorded in the ‘great discourses’ of Matthew’s gospel. You will remember that I started a teaching programme taking us through the first of those discourses, the Sermon on the Mount last autumn. Those particular teachings are to be a fundamental strand of our proclamation of God’s word at this time
Finally, none of the above is possible without us being a people of the Holy Spirit. It was not possible for Jesus; it is certainly not possible for us. St Paul’s epistles confirm that it is in fact, totally impossible to be a Christian church, without the Holy Spirit.
In summary the aim of St John’s United is;
- Living and demonstrating God’s kingdom.
- Drawing people to Christ and making them Christ like.
- Teaching obedience to Jesus by using Matthew’s Great Discourses.
To be a people united in, walking with, and empowered by, the Holy Spirit.
Many thanks to all those who are helping at this time.
May God’s grace and peace be with you. I look forward to joining you again in the not too distant future.
Your brother in Christ and Rector
Dennis
A Christian community should reflect heaven
