Teaching - Unlearning

Most ‘un-learning’ is harder than learning.  It is often easier to embrace new ideas than to let go of old and cherished ones – just as it is easier to start new things than to close old things down. But ‘un-learning’ is crucial - letting go of the opinions & ideas that can have no place in the Christian life.  These tend to fall in a number of categories: 

Getting rid of faith convictions that can have no place in the Christian life. Stuff like superstitious ideas and unbiblical belief etc. 

Getting rid of prejudiced thinking – about other people’s ways and beliefs, especially things that relate to other ethnic groups 

Getting rid of stuff that needs discarding from earlier experience and relationships… this can be moral issues or narrow minded vision and thinking…. sometimes this can even relate to our church worship…. 

Today we look at how Jesus broke through age-old customs when they had to be discarded…. Maybe the following questions could be of interest in this: 

When did we last let go of some earlier cherished opinion? 
Why is ‘un-learning’ so difficult? 
How can we best help each other to ‘un-learn’ things that need discarding?

17.05.2015 - Derek Howell

[First 30 seconds missing - sorry]

Team Building - Common Purpose

In addition to having a massively impressive ‘inclusive’ ministry that made all sorts of people welcome, and brought blessing to a remarkable range of people, Jesus also had a deliberate ‘exit strategy’.  He recognised right from the start that a group of people would need to be called and equipped to maintain the work, and develop it after his departure.  

In the next three weeks we will try to learn much from the way in which he dealt with this group.   

Today we think about how he gave them a powerful sense of ‘common purpose’ – making sure that they were all ‘singing from the same hymn sheet’.  We can see that this was done by the following methods: 

He identified and worked intensively with the ones who would be the key leaders – Peter, John and James. 

He gave twelve people a strong sense of being ‘chosen’ – and spent quality time with them, helping them to grasp what was expected of them

He worked with a larger group of disciples too – at least 70 of them

He was a brilliant role model that ensured they had a clear vision and purpose

He steadily developed their understanding – eventually challenging them to be willing to give everything they had for the Kingdom of God

We need to learn from all this, particularly asking some pertinent questions: 

How is ‘Jesus Shaped People’ helping us to develop a clearer vision and purpose? 

How would you now summarise the vision we have for our church? 

Are we ensuring that all members of our church share a common vision and purpose? 

Do we believe that in following Jesus God is calling us to change the world? 

Are we willing to give sacrificially of our time and talents for his work today? 

How can we include and challenge others to be part of this great work?

31.05.2015 - Roger Wills

Men's Group 06.06.2015

Team Building 
  - Relationship Building
Alongside the stuff that he was daily involved in Jesus made time to form a special people – a group who would both make it happen, and be a foretaste of all that he had come to do. In building this special family some things stand out strongly:
 
the disciples are to be the evidence of all that he has come to do – ‘by this will all know that you are my disciples, if you have love for each other.’ 
  
To the basic command to love God and our neighbour Jesus adds a third – ‘those who follow me are to love one another as I have loved you’. 

Peace-making is made when God’s kingdom of peace breaks in through conflict – ‘forgive them Father’ they don’t know what they are doing’.  

The way of Jesus is challengingly different – particularly in respect of power and authority…the first are last, the rich are poor, the powerful are stripped, and those who follow Jesus are to live this out – like he did. 

He deals directly with things that need addressing. He challenges the disciples to get it right - and to do it his way….’actions speak louder’.  

So – let’s look at all this  – and ask a few questions: 

Do we have a real desire for our church relationships to match the model set by Jesus?  

Is personal ambition is good thing – or does it lead to superiority and abuse of power? 

How are we to grow in good self-esteem and yet reduce our pride and self-seeking?  

Why is it that forgiveness is a good idea - until we have something to forgive? 

07.06.2015 - Gavin Budby

Prayer – Balanced Prayer

It was so straightforward – the disciples say to Jesus ‘Lord teach us how to pray’ – so he gave them the words of what we now know as the Lord’s Prayer. But what did Jesus mean by this – and how can we grow in our benefit from it.

The words of the prayer appear twice in the gospels – in Luke and in Matthew, in a slightly different form, as part of the famous ‘Sermon on the Mount.’

The advice he gave to them probably sprang out of the daily prayer experience of Jesus himself – in other words he was looking for the disciples to learn from his own experience of prayer, and model their own spiritual life on it. It is therefore very good spiritual practice to look at the prayer in detail, and benefit from it.

The following questions could be helpful:

In the Lord’s Prayer did Jesus give us ‘words to say’ or a ‘pattern to follow’?
How important is finding a balance in our prayers that is both focused on God and concerned for his people?
How can we keep the Lord’s Prayer fresh and relevant?
What can we learn about Jesus from the example of his prayer life?

28.06.2015 - Gordon Dey

Prayer – The Power of Prayer

It is clear from the ministry of Jesus that not only was prayer for him a means of discovering God’s path, it was also a channel of God’s power. He explains to the disciples that ‘only prayer can achieve the healing they seek’ – and he ‘lifts his eyes to heaven’ when healing the man who was dumb.

It is clear from the Acts of the Apostles that they were ‘Jesus Shaped’ in believing that prayer makes things happen – and that ministry needed to be done always ‘in the name of Jesus’. Jesus reminds the disciples that they are to ‘ask and they will receive’ – and that ‘the Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name.’

Last week we thought about the Lord’s Prayer – where the petition ‘thy will be done’ is such a strong feature. In prayer we come close to God, and he comes close to us – so that we can grow into a fusion of his will and ours – and the channels of God love and power can be open for our good, and the good of all whom we pray for. This week we explore how God responds to our prayer – and what we can expect through prayer.

The following questions may be ones that will help this:

What is our own experience of God responding to our requests?
What is happening when we pray?
Does prayer ‘change God’s mind’ or does it ‘change our hearts’ – or both?
If God does intervene – why doesn’t he do it more often?
How can we develop a more prayerful approach to all that we do?

05.07.2015 - Andy Vanstan

 Prayer  - Spiritual Confusion

As we move to the last of the Big Five themes in the ministry of Jesus we start to see why Jesus was too hot to handle.  His powerful challenge to the religious and political leaders of the day was more than they could stomach – and led to his eventual crucifixion. 

Today we see how he asked searching questions of the rules and regulations of the Jewish Law – and indicated that his ‘new way of living’ could not be hidebound by such practices.  Maintaining religious ritual just for the sake of it needed exposing – and replacing.  Mark chapters 2 and 3 relate five stories that challenge the contemporary view of the Jewish Law: 

the authority of Jesus to declare God’s forgiveness
the invitation of Jesus to those whom others regarded as sinful
the lifestyle of Jesus that encourages parties and celebrations
the readiness of Jesus to break the rules over Sabbath Day observance
the eagerness of Jesus to heal people on the Sabbath Day 

In every one of these incidents we see the Pharisees opposing Jesus, and Jesus explaining to them how it is important not to let rules and regulation imprison us.  As we think about this the following questions may be helpful: 

What rituals and practices in the church today don’t fit with the way of Jesus? 
How can we ensure that the church is always open to the challenge that Jesus brings? 
What would Jesus say about the spiritual state of our country today?


12.07.2015 - Alan Murray

All Saints Parish Church, Normanton is a friendly and welcoming Anglican Church, committed to serving God and our local community. Our services follow traditional patterns but are lively and informal. In everything we do we place a high emphasis on the Bible, on worship & prayer and on building relationships. We would love to see you – why not join us?

All Saints Normanton