Why don’t we pray?  There’s a question to induce guilt in most Christians!  If you’re anything like me, you are plagued by a constant, nagging sense of failure in the praying department, and although you want to pray more, you never quite seem to manage it.

Just to make things worse, here’s a paraphrase from Calvin’s Institutes:

Not bothering to come to God (who is good and kind, and is delighted when we come to him) to ask him for help and bring our needs to him, is crazy!  It’s like knowing that there is a treasure chest buried in your garden and not bothering to dig it up!

So prayer is something to treasure and enjoy…really?

If we think of it as an activity or routine, it’s not that appealing, but if we lift our focus from the activity to the one who we are praying to, then it becomes much more exciting!

‘Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!’ (Matthew 7:9-11)

Because Jesus died and rose for us, we are God’s children!  He loves us, and loves to give good things to us.  He wants us to come and speak to him because in speaking to him we exercise our dependence on him, and we learn what a generous, trustworthy God he is.

Prayer is not an activity to be done; it’s an expression of our faith and dependence in our Heavenly Father.  It’s how we relate to God.
Jez Lowries

What better time than the Olympic summer to think about evangelism and getting our friends to hear more about Jesus?

During the Olympic period there will be a series of activities at All Saints to help us build relationships we already have with non-Christian family, friends, neighbours and colleagues and introduce them to Jesus. 

The Event. (Weekend of 27-29 July). The first weekend of the Olympics will be about our own evangelism. Our vision is for everybody in the church to organise their own Event where they can invite friends and family mainly for the purpose of getting to know them better and invite them to The Quiz and The Sunday later in the summer.

The Quiz. (Weekend of 3-5 August) A sports-themed pub quiz including a short gospel talk the week before The Sunday. More details to follow when the venue is confirmed.

The Sunday. (12 August) A great opportunity to introduce friends to church at the end of the Olympics, with a clear Gospel presentation at every service.

This might be a BBQ on the Saturday afternoon; it might be a drink at the pub on Friday night; it might be having neighbours round for coffee and cakes. Or how about organising a walk on the Downs, or doing a day trip somewhere with another family? You choose!! You could even do something with others in the Church or as a Connect Group to make the organisation easier.

By focusing on the first weekend of the Olympics this can be something that All Saints is doing together as a Church. We can also be praying for each others’ Events. Start thinking, talking and praying about what Event you might want to put on.

Look out for more information in the coming weeks in services, in ASN and on the website.
Phillips, Carters, Candys. 

This Thursday is Ascension Day, as the church celebrates that 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus went back to heaven. Given we might often think how great it would be if Jesus was still walking the earth, it’s a good idea to take a childlike stance and ask ‘Jesus ascended? WHY!?!’

Here’s a short answer as to why it’s such good news that Jesus isn’t still walking the earth:

1. It means that Jesus finished his work on earth.
On the cross, he declared ‘it is finished’ (John 19.30)—and it was! The price for our sin had been paid. Our chance to know our heavenly Father personally, was now secured. There was no further work that our Saviour had to do here on earth. We’d been rescued!

2. It means we have a friend in high places—Jesus is now in heaven, at the right hand of God (Hebrews 1.3).

The Bible says that those who trust Christ are in Him, so our place in heaven is secure with him. We know where we’re going when we die (John 14.3), in fact, it’s as if we’re already there (Ephesians 2.6). Moreover, Jesus is constantly praying for us and speaking to the Father of his cross and our trust in it. For all the times we sin, Jesus is the one presenting our case to the Father as saved sinners (1 John 2)

3. It means we have the Holy Spirit.

We’re in a really privileged position, to be Christians living after Jesus went back to heaven. It was only once he did that, that he could send his Holy Spirit into the world (John 16.7) And what a work he brings: living in us; assuring us of our eternal hope; convicting people of sin and opening hearts to trust in Christ’s cross.

4. It means Jesus will come again.

It’s next on his to do list! He is waiting for the Father to say ‘go!’ (Mark 13.32)That’s when he’ll return to earth, to gather his people past and present, to live with us forever, ending suffering and those who reject him. We should be eager, but grateful for his patience - enabling more and more to put their trust in him.

So this Thursday, whatever you’re up to, give special thanks to our risen, ASCENDED Saviour!
Adam Pymble

Fear and longing . . . how many of my actions are motivated by one or both of those? In POD (14-18’s bible study) this week we have been looking at Genesis 15, and verse 1 in particular, stuck out:

After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:

‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.’

The ‘after this’ refers to the massive battle that Abram fought to rescue his nephew Lot from capture by a powerful army. He then passed up on any of the spoils of victory that he was offered, so that God would have the glory, rather than Abram’s allies.

‘After this,’ Abram meets the word of the LORD, and the LORD encourages him with these amazing words. What’s more, as people who trust in Jesus, the Word of the LORD, we can be equally encouraged ourselves!

‘I am your shield.’ We are often fearful aren’t we? We fear that people don’t like us, that we will fail our exams, that we won’t succeed, that something will go wrong, that we will get ill…there is so much we can be afraid of, and so much that we do to protect ourselves from what we fear. Ultimately, though, we need not fear, because the LORD is our shield. He is always with us and protecting us. Even if everyone turns against us, the LORD is with us, even if we fail everything, the LORD will not fail us and even if everything goes wrong, the LORD works all things for the good of those who love him. He is good, and he is with us.

‘I am . . . your very great reward.’ What do we really, really want? What is our deepest longing? An iPhone, an Aston Martin, a boyfriend, children? How much effort and time is spent on getting it? The LORD says, ‘I am your very great reward.’ If we trust in Jesus, God gives us the greatest treasure ever – he gives us himself. There is nothing that can truly satisfy the deepest longings of our heart except God. We were made to know and love him, and he has freely given us himself!

Jez Lowries

( James included this story in his address to the fellowship at the church’s Annual Meeting last Monday)
On a dangerous sea coast where shipwrecks often occurred, there was once a crude little lifeboat station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea and, with no thought for themselves, went out day and night tirelessly searching for the lost.

Some of those who had been saved, and various others in the surrounding area, wanted to become associated with the station and give of their time, money and effort for the support of its work. New boats were bought and new crews were trained. The little lifeboat station grew.

Some members of the lifeboat station were unhappy that the building was so crude and poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. They replaced the emergency hammocks with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged building. Now the lifeboat station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they decorated it beautifully and furnished it exquisitely, because they used it as a sort of club. Fewer members were now interested in going out on lifesaving missions, so they hired lifeboat crews to do this work. Lifesaving pictures and mementos still decorated the club’s walls and there was a  lifeboat model in the room where official club meetings were held.  
About this time a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads of cold, wet, and half-drowned people. They were dirty and sick, and some of them had black skin and some had yellow skin. The beautiful new club was in chaos. So the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where shipwreck victims could be cleaned up before coming inside.

At the next meeting, there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club’s lifesaving activities, since they were unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. Some members insisted that lifesaving was their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a lifeboat station. But they were finally outvoted, and told that, if they wanted to save the lives of all types of people who might be shipwrecked, they could begin their own lifeboat station down the coast. They did.

As the years went by, similar changes took place in the new station as well. It evolved into a club, and yet another lifeboat station was founded. History continued to repeat itself and on that sea coast today, you will find a number of exclusive clubs along the coastline. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown.

Wasn’t it such a delight to celebrate Easter as a church family this year?
The truth of Christ crucified for us, risen and majestic as our saviour king!
And the truth of Easter caused many questions from our four young children.
They ranged from the sublime, “so if Jesus has died for us, is there anything we can do to impress God?”
to the ridiculous “does the Easter bunny lay all the chocolate eggs?”
Their questions about Easter are at the heart of the good news of Jesus,
and so we work hard to try and give clear, accurate and child friendly answers - it’s not always easy!

But so too is thinking about how we wait for Jesus’ return.
The book of Revelation tells us that heaven is booming out praises of Christ’s holiness, right now, as we speak.
The Bible calls for Christ’s followers to be holy too.
So often, we’re concerned with morality, but following Christ asks for something much more important - holiness.
It’s something of a jargon word today, so over to C.H. Spurgeon, and his sermon ‘Holiness Demanded.’
It’s from 1904, but timeless in its truth:

“Holiness deals with the thoughts and intents, the purposes, the aims, the objects, the motives of men. Morality does but skim the surface, holiness goes into the very caverns of the great deep; holiness requires that the heart shall be set on God, and that it shall beat with love to him. The moral man may be complete in his morality without that. Methinks I might draw such a parallel as this. Morality is a sweet, fair corpse, well washed and robed, and even embalmed with spices; but holiness is the living man, as fair and as lovely as the other, but having life.

These twain are of opposite nature: the one belongs to this world, the other belongs to that world beyond the skies. It is not said in heaven, "Moral, moral, moral art thou, O God!" but "Holy, holy. holy art thou. O Lord!" You note the difference between the two words at once. The one, how icy cold; the other, oh, how animated! Such is mere morality, and such is holiness! Moralist! — I know I speak to many such — remember that your best morality will not save you; you must have more than this, for without holiness — and that not of yourself, it must be given you of the Spirit of God — without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.”

Praise the Lord that we have been given Christ’s holiness!
May we encourage one another to live it out, day by day, until he returns (or we go to meet him).
Adam

Jesus and Peter:
John 21:15-19
In this post-resurrection appearance to his disciples, Jesus turns to Peter and asks him three times, ‘Do you love me?’ We all know why Jesus asked Peter this question. At the time of Jesus’ trial before his crucifixion, Peter had denied Jesus three times. Peter was afraid of what might happen to him if he confessed to being one of Jesus’ disciples.

But notice what Jesus asks. He doesn’t mention Peter's fear and denial; he doesn’t remind Peter he had predicted this would happen. Rather, he asks, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’  Jesus didn't say it, but Peter must have been left thinking, ‘If I love Jesus, how could I deny him three times?’

Jesus is in the business of restoration. He knew that Peter loved him. He knew that Peter would end up being one of the leaders of the Jerusalem church. He knew – as we do from church history – that Peter himself would be crucified, following his Lord even in death. He knew that Peter loved him. It’s as though Jesus is reminding Peter of the true test of love. As Jesus had taught his disciples earlier ‘Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I will acknowledge also before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.’ (Matt 10:32).

It’s still the same today. If I love Jesus then I will confess Him and not deny Him. I will not be ashamed to confess Him before others. The bottom line is this – that the Lord Jesus wants our love. He wants our love, no matter what. He wanted Peter's love despite his denials. He wants our love too, no matter whether we have denied him or professed him, no matter how we may have fallen into sin or tried to do the right thing, no matter how strong or weak our faith may be.

When we can truly answer ‘Yes Lord, I love You’, then Jesus says to us, as he said to Peter, ‘Follow me!’ Let’s re-affirm our love for our risen Lord by following him more closely, whatever challenges may come in the future.