The PCF Blog

The Poole (1) housegroup had a great evening as Wilmor and Hilda Lott and Jack and Flora Knox put on a South Africa night for the group. There was praise, food and some fascinating and sobering thought on the position of Christians, expecially in the townships. Thanks for telling us about it all – I expect the other housegroups wioll be interested, and you may need to go on tour!

A packed house of family and friends was present to witness the marriage of Pete MacDiarmid and Abi Tudor on Saturday 7 August 2010. The service was conducted by Nigel Green, with Richard Miles speaking.

There was a great sense of thanksgiving and praise as these two young lives were joined together, in the presence of God and friends.

The PCF family turned up trumps as an army of volunteers cooked, served, washed up, set up and generally contributed to a memorable day. A real church family occasion and a  really special day. Some photos are below, with more to follow.

PCF had a houseparty at Sidholme Hotel, Sidmouth in Devon 25-27 June 2010.

About 75 stayed for two nights at the impressive Sidholme hotel, amidst its magnificent gardens. As well as fantastic weather, we enjoyed excellent minstry of the word from Paul Dando, who spoke twice about Elijah. The musicians led us in some inspired times of worship and we had invigorating fellowship as we spent time together as a church family. Add to that the high quality accommodation and food and the weekend was a wonderful experience for all who were there. An innovation for us was the Satuday night social and buffet with entertainment at which much new talent emerged.

We are specially indebted to our friends Paul and Pearl Dando who came  to Devon to be with us for the weekend, and to our three student guests – Matt, Bethan and Naomi – who looked after our children with so much care and enthusiasm, ensuring that our own parents and Sunday school teachers had  a well-deserved break.

A great weekend all round and we are very grateful to the Lord for his provision and blessing as He continues to build his kingdom amongst us.

We enjoyed a picnic in the sun at Upton Country Park. Pictures are attached.

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Note on sermon preached 23 May 2010 on Luke 4 v.1-13

This is one the most preached on passages in the gospels. If you have been a Christian for any length of time you will have heard sermons on this before.

The difficulty for the preacher is that there is so much to take from these verses that it is difficult to pick out what to say. This week we shall be looking  at some overall thoughts about the passage, and next time we shall go in detail through it verse by verse.

So…some thoughts on the passage about the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, which we are calling today: “Into Battle!”

1. The Sequence

We have just been reading about the baptism of Jesus, the day when Jesus was endorsed from heaven with the words “You are my Son, whom I love. With you I am well-pleased”. We saw that this was the moment when God showed the green light, when he fired the starting pistol and the world was introduced to the Son of God. It is worth noting here that the enthronement of a monarch is with pomp and splendour – but not here. Jesus was announced in a way that meant that virtually everyone was unaware of it .Don’t  be fooled by appearances.

You might have expected that it would be followed with a dramatic appearance on the world stage, or with the signs  and wonders that  we read about later. But what we see is the Holy Spirit leading Jesus out into the wilderness, a place of solitude and loneliness, where he experienced cold, heat ,hunger and constant battle with the enemy. God’s ways are not our ways!

What can we learn from this? God’s way of preparing his people for ministry is often to take them through a “wilderness experience”. Churchill’s years before he came back into government and became Prime Minister in 1940 are often called “the wilderness years”. The wilderness is the place of testing God’s call, refining it, confirming it and developing it. It is true for individuals and for  churches. Don’t despise the wilderness experiences. And remember – the wilderness experience does come to an end!

2. The Situation

What exactly is happening in this extraordinary encounter?

We saw last time that Jesus is truly God and truly man. He laid aside his divinity and, whilst never ceasing to be God, battled against temptation as man. So this story is a pattern of our own lives, experiencing the attack of the enemy who wants to to cause us to doubt God’s word, to cause us to live for ourselves rather than God.

Every day each of us live our lives in a situation of warfare, when the enemy of our souls does everything he can to cause us to turn away from God. It has been so with every human from Adam to you, and it is so  with Jesus. So we should not be surprised at the battle that engages us every day. And whilst we often talk about the attack of the enemy in circumstances and in illness, the main strategy is to get us to disobey our heavenly Father. Is that not your experience every day?  We will look next time at how Jesus deals with those temptations but for now let’s be aware that we have an ememy who “prowls round like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”. The exhortation in 1 Peter is simple: “Resist him, standing firm in the faith”, and is repeated in James chapter 4 with a promise: “Submit yourselves them to god. Resist the devil and he will flee from you”

3. The Stakes

God is the biggest gambler in history. It is not the godless gambling in betting shops and Las Vagas, but the gambling that is driven by the love that is prepared to risk everything for those he loves.

Jesus won our salvation by dying on the cross. But in order to qualify to be the saviour of mankind he had first of all to live a live that was without blemish. That meant being in the forefront of the full range of temptations and pressures that we all face. Jesus had to face it all, and to win, without any recourse to his divine nature.

The onslaught must have been horrific.  Just as the first Adam failed, Jesus had to face a re-run of the temptation of Eden. And if he had failed – just one thought or deed out of harmony with His heavenly father – he would no longer have been the sinless son of God. He would not have been the spotless lamb and the opportunity of salvation would have been lost forever. What a moment this was!

But it is not only our salvation that is at risk here. At stake is also the throne of God himself! Adam had been given responsibility for earth, and when he failed, authority passed to the one to whom he had given allegiance. Had Jesus failed here, then not only the earth, but the very throne of God himself would have come under that jurisdiction of Satan! Lucifer would have everything he ever wanted. And God put all that at risk in order to save you.  No wonder Satan through everything into this temptation. No junior demon was entrusted with the task of tempting Jesus – it was Satan himself with all his wiles and all his deception

God is the greatest gambler in the universe. What are you prepared to risk for the One who risked everything for you?

4. The Springboard

There is no springboard for fruitful ministry other than alone with God. It is no accident that Jesus starts his ministry alone with God. And it is no surprise that the enemy attacks it for all he is worth There are three things that we should note here:

-          Prayer: we are not specifically told, but it is reasonable to assume that Jesus spent this time in prayer, preparing himself for what was to come. Prayer is the foundation of the success of anything we do for God.

-          Fasting: victory after victory in the word of God comes as a result of God’s people fasting. It is clear that God intends fasting to characterise the life each Christian and of his church. Does it?

-          Holiness: we have already seen what was at stake in the temptation of Jesus.  Our obedience to God is what drives every other area of our lives. Does resisting the enemy characterise our lives?

5. The Sequel

At the end of this long, lonely period of time the enemy leaves Jesus.( 4 v.13) The present crisis is over. And something else happens. Jesus returns to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.(v.14) He has gone from being “full of the holy Spirit”(v 1) to being “in the power of the Holy pirit. And in that power he drives out demons, proclaims the good news of the kingdom, heals the sick and raises the dead. The wilderness victory leads him into the power of the kingdom. The strong man is bound – and the kingdom of God comes.

We long to see the power of the Spirit released amongst us. Are we prepared for the testing, the resisting, the prayer and the fasting? If we are – there is no reason why we should not see what Jesus saw.

It was our privilege, on Sunday 7 March 2010, to dedicate to the Lord baby Rosanna Packham, daughter of Roger and Marianne, and baby sister of Raf and Alfie.

We are delighted to welcome Rosanna, and ask for God’s blessing on her and the rest of the family.

Notes on: “The Holy Spirit and You” – the Holy Spirit – giving you spiritual gifts (1)

The rest of this series will focus on the vital area of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Today we start our treatment of this subject under four headings:

1.       Natural – or Spiritual?

It is an undisputed fact that God gives gifts to his church in order to build up the church. Normally when we talk about the gifts of the Spirit, we are talking about the miraculous gifts that we can see in the Acts and elsewhere. Other gifts tend to be described as “natural gifts”. However, the word of God does not seem to make such a distinction. Consider this passage from Romans 12

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. ⁴Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his^[b]faith. ⁷If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.  

Here, the apostle appears to put what we would describe as “natural” gifts in the same list as “spiritual” ones to – which could cause us to wonder whether God really makes a distinction! I think we have to regard a gift of, say, hospitality, or music or flower arranging, as being every bit as spiritual as tongues or prophecy. So all of us who have gift (which is all of us) should recognise that whatever it is, it comes from God, and it is given to us by god for us to build up the church. Are we using those gifts?

As Peter says:

¹⁰Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

2.       For today – or not?

One of the monster debates in the church for the last hundred years has been the question as to what are called the “charismatic” gifts of the Spirit are still functioning today. Before we go on to consider them we must settle this point.

At this point we ought to pause and consider that whatever issue we are considering and debating it needs to be settled ONLY by reference to the written word of God. Experience – good or bad is not the test of truth – the Word of God is.

Let us first of all consider the “Cessationist” position which could be summarised as follows:

“The more miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit (prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues, healing, casting out demons etc.) were given as signs to authenticate the message of the apostles. When the apostles died and the canon of Scripture had been completed, there was no more need for these gifts. They are therefore not for today”

The reasons given for this belief, by and large, are as follows:

1. Gifts were to authenticate the apostles and their message. We now have their message authenticated in Scripture. Therefore gifts no longer needed. (Hebrew 2 v 3-4)

2.  I Corinthians 13 tells us they will cease. (1    Corinthians 13 v.8-12)

3.  History tells us that they have ceased – there is, they say, no reliable record of these gifts after the apostolic age; this is because the gifts ceased, and any current demonstration of them is therefore a deception.

4.  Just look at those Charismatics! – the way that charismatic Christians behave, they say, is a further indicator that gifts demonstrated today are not genuine.  

Before commenting on these arguments, one has to acknowledge that some of the most godly men and women of our times have been Cessationists. So the following points are made with deep respect and not a little humility.  

1. The problem with arguing that the miraculous gifts were given to authenticate the apostles and their companions is that it is an argument from silence! The Bible simply does not say that. If it is argued from the Hebrews 2 passage that these things have all passed away  -then we would have to say that ALL the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit have also passed away – the gift of teaching included.
2. A close examination of the 1 Corinthians 13 passage shows that the time of the gifts ceasing is not specified – but does seem to happen when “ we see face to face” In other words, the gifts will cease when the Lord returns. The completion of the canon of Scripture is not suggested as a possible time for the conclusion of the miraculous.
3. This is an argument from experience – or rather from lack of experience, and therefore not admissible. In any case the premise behind it is highly questionable.
4. Whilst sharing the outrage of Cessationists at the outrageous behaviour of some Charismatics – we could equally point to the behaviour of some Cessationists! This is an argument from (bad) experience and therefore not admissible.

In short, whilst respecting the position of Cessationists, we have to say that the position is not supported by scripture.

In the absence of biblical evidence to the contrary we are quite entitled to say that all the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament are for today. PCF therefore endorses the Non-Cessationist/Pentecostal/Charismatic view which is broadly as below:

• All the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for the whole of the church age.
• God gives them to individuals as he sees fit
• They are given to build the body of Christ
• The body of Christ cannot reach maturity without them
• We should therefore seek them and exercise them

3.       Body Building

We are about to commence our treatment of the individual gifts of the Holy Spirit, starting with the Ministry gifts of Ephesians 4. Looking at this passage, we can see

^11”It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ¹²to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  ¹⁴Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

The emboldened sections make it clear – the whole subject of the gifts is about building up the body.  If that is true it must follow that the body cannot reach maturity without everything that God has for us.

4.       The Ministry Gifts

1. The purpose of the gifts. It is every interesting that the gifts are “to prepare God’s people for works of service” In other words, the function of the ministry gifts is to equip the body that the body does the job! It is the body that is on the pedestal – not a ministry
2. .      The nature of the ministry gifts
   1. Apostles – not apostles in the sense of the 12 apostles of the Lamb but the ongoing gift of the Lord Jesus to his church of pioneers, initiators, leaders to drive his work forward. (NB the Greek work for apostle can also be translated missionary!) There is no suggestion that the ministry of the 12 continues today or that anyone has the authority of the 12 – the word refers to  those sent by Jesus to pioneer, plant and build.
   2. Prophet – again, not prophets in the sense of writers of Scripture – but those who hear the “now” word of God, and bring it to his people
   3. Evangelist  – those who equip the body of Christ for outreach and mission
   4. Pastor – those who shepherd, care for and discipline the flock
   5. Teacher – those who expound the written word of God.

3. The Variety of Ministry Gifts – look at the diversity of these gifts! It is way beyond one person (except Jesus) to fulfil all these functions. Only a plural ministry team can function as God intends

4. The Need for Ministry gifts. The fact is that the church will not be brought to maturity until all of these gifts are recognised and released in the body of Christ

Our dear sister, Iris Sherlock, went to be with the Lord on 29th January 2010, at the age of 90.

Iris had been a much-loved and appreciated member of PCF since 1996, and right until her last day, was tirelessly witnessing for and serving the Lord she had known since she was a little girl. Our hearts are full of sadness at the loss of this great saint, but we rejoice in her promotion to glory, and look forward to seeing her again,

It will be our privilege to conduct her funeral at 1.30pm on Wednesday 10 February at Poole crematorium followed by a thanksgiving service at PCF at 2.30pm.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints”

John MacDiarmid and Gez Jones were privileged with work with the Aberystwyth Christian Union for their mission week “Do you Know Him”. A series of  social events, informal lunchbars and gospel talks exposed the University campus to the good news about Jesus. Many contacts were made, many were challenged about the relevance of Jesus to their lives and we hear of individuals trusting Christ for the first time.

Thanks to the CU at Aber for giving us the opportunity to be a part of this exciting event and to all at PCF for their prayer support. Continue to pray that the seeds sown will bear fruit, and for the CU as they follow up on all the contacts made.

“Towards Housegroup”

 Now that the month of prayer is behind us we are ready to move into a new season of church life. 

 The plan is to break the church down into small groups for local church life to flourish.  In order to prepare ourselves for this we will meet together as a whole church  on Tuesday evenings at Lagland Street from 8.00pm to 9.30pm.  These meetings will be called “Towards Housegroup”.   

 During these times together we will be exploring together the workings of small groups within the local church with a view to moving into a new structure of church life at the end of the series.  These evenings will be informal, informative and fun! 

 The dates of the meetings will be as follows:

                                                            9th February

                                                         23rd February 

                                                            9th March

                                                         23rd March

(alternate Tuesdays we will meet for prayer) 

This series is for everyone connected with the church whether members or not.  We hope everyone will be there.