Church in the Peak Podcast

25th July 2010 - Dave Harper - The Power Of Testimony

Church in the Peak — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:22:00 +0100

Dave used Jesus’s final comments in Mark 5:1-20 to emphasise the importance of personal testimony. The demon possessed man was not invited to join with Jesus, but instructed to remain where he was and tell everyone what had happened. Dave went on to explain that, of the 12 disciples, only 2 are known to have been preachers. Yet Jesus instructs all 12 to go and tell of what he’s done.

Jesus said to the man: “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you , and how he has had mercy on you”. Mark 5:19b

Testimony is powerful, we are not all preachers but we can all share what Jesus has done for us

Dave invited a number of people to share their testimonies of healing and God’s provision.

Questions

Read what Jesus said to the man in Mark 5:19. If you had the chance to share with your friends what the Lord has done for you what would it be?

Verse 20 says ‘he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus has done for him’. This man began to proclaim how much Jesus had done for him. Pray we will too and pray we will all have a story to tell.

File Download (0:36 min / 10 MB)

18th July 2010 - Dave Harper - Fresh Hope

Church in the Peak — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 19:00:00 +0100

Dave spoke on fresh hope, especially for those who have been disappointed. Dave spoke from Hebrews 6:13-20.

Further notes and questions will follow in due course.

File Download (0:39 min / 10 MB)

11th July 2010 - Phil Hardy, David Palmer and Lesley Watmore - Prophecies and Words

Church in the Peak — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:42:00 +0100

Following Dave’s preach on signs and wonders at the Regional Meeting there were three prophecies and words.

(Starts at 0 mins) Phil Hardy – Prophecy about how God is calling us out as a people and how He will give us opportunities to put into practice what we’ve been hearing about. We will be effective across the Peak District.

(Starts at 3 mins) David Palmer – Word about how we are in God’s security. Our risk in His certainty.

(Starts at 4 mins 30 secs) Lesley Watmore – Word about how our sins being remitted (no longer due to be paid by us) so that we can get up and walk.

File Download (0:08 min / 4 MB)

11th July 2010 - Dave Harper - Why Signs And Wonders?

Church in the Peak — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:36:00 +0100

Dave spoke at the Regional Meeting about Signs and Wonders as an expression of the compassion and love of God and its essential place in mission

Matthew 9:35- 10:1,7 was the passage used with cross reference to John 2:11, 14:38 and Micah 5:4. Also Mark 16:20

Jesus the good shepherd has compassion on the crowds who were helpless and harassed and so commands them/us to pray for more workers to help to bring lost sheep into the flock of God. The language is that of harvesting the crop. The first implementation of this is the twelve disciples are sent out to preach the kingdom and to heal the sick and drive out demons. In verse 7 Jesus says GO and preach and heal. Healing and miraculous signs are part of doing mission and presenting the gospel.

As we go, we preach which may mean anything from fully fledged preaching to sharing with a friend or colleague. Only 2 of the disciples were preachers as far as we know but they were all commanded to speak out the gospel

We have been given authority by Jesus to heal the sick and drive out demons. It is already given and as we use that authority we will grow in faith and assurance and ability in using it.

Church planting and signs and wonders are part of our DNA as a church and it is time to intentionally pursue more church plants across the Peaks and beyond. Signs and wonders are not an end in themselves but part of this mission and a revelation of God’s love for the poor and needy.

Questions

After the sermon on the mount Jesus healed first a leper, then a gentile ruler then a woman. (Matt 8:1-16) Matthew finishes this sequence of healings with “He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick”. Given that he healed ALL the sick then the examples chosen must be intentional.

What do you think is the significance of these 3 examples?

Is there any connection to the passage used in Matthew 9:35-10:1?

Jesus gave authority to the 12 to heal the sick and drive out demons. This was repeated with the 72 others and then to all who believe in him. How can we use and grow in that authority?

The context was to go and preach the gospel of God’s kingdom (v7). Preaching doesn’t mean only ‘preachers’ but for all of us to speak about this kingdom. What to say?? Would you consider going church planting?

[The prophecies and words following Dave’s preach are available as a separate audio file.]

File Download (0:45 min / 22.5 MB)

4th July 2010 - Susie Poole - "White Horse" (Prophetic Song)

Church in the Peak — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 17:17:00 +0100

Listen to the prophetic song Susie was given as a gift from God as a blessing to the church.

File Download (0:05 min / 2 MB)

4th July 2010 - Peter Williams - If God wants to heal everyone, why isn’t everyone healed?

Church in the Peak — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 14:21:00 +0100

Continuing on from his preach on 30th May 2010, Peter considered why – if God wants to heal everyone – not everyone is healed. Peter also spoke about our response to this.

What does the bible say about suffering?

2Cor4:16
Phil 2:27
1Tim 5:23
2Tim 4:20
1Pet 1:6-7
1Pet 4:19
James 1:2-4
2Cor 12:7-10
Habakkuk
Job
Ps 119:67 + 71

What does the bible say about circumstances?

Phil 4:11-13
1Thes 5:18
Eph 6:16
Rom 8:18-39

These things don’t separate us from the love of God, and we must not let them come between us and God. Circumstances are so trivial in respect of God’s love.

God does not cause suffering, He allows it.

We should not accuse God. We can question God (Job and Habakkuk). God is all good and cannot commit evil. The Devil is the accuser.

Why is God not healing me? Is this our right to ask? Is it a question we should ask?

It is our inheritance in Christ. We should reach out and take it.

Traps

Jam 5:15 Trap of their faith/my faith is not enough to see healing occur. The health / wealth trap.

Heb 9:27 Do those with most faith live longest?

God can bring about sanctification, and growth of faith through illness and healing.

God needs to get the glory in both situations. We should be joyous in both.

How should we be?

Salvation is assured, sin is done with, the restoration of the earth will be complete at the 2nd coming….

If you power is made perfect in weakness, should we be content to be weak? No, we yearn for heavenly wholeness, but understand that God’s timing is perfect.

Tension between the now and the not yet – cf James 1 and 1Pet 1

Does it glorify God when we whinge about our circumstances? No. We need to glorify God.

So should we consent, roll over to illness? No. we need to follow Christ’s example. Compassion, Love, intercession.

The purpose of man is to Glorify God.

Questions:

What do you whinge about most?

How can we glorify God in our circumstance?

Are you an unhappy or a happy wreck? If you are unhappy with your situation/circumstance what do we need to pray for?

Pray for each other in your different circumstances.

File Download (0:37 min / 10 MB)

27th June 2010 - Dave Newman - Finishing Strong

Church in the Peak — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 19:26:00 +0100

Dave spoke about the importance of finishing strong.

At the start of his preach, Dave played a clip from Chariots of Fire and referred to the two prophecies given on 17th February 2010. (See links below). He then spoke about Billy Graham and his contemporaries. The audio starts when Dave is talking about Billy Graham.

In the Christian Life it’s not how you start that matters, it’s how you finish.

“Only one life, ‘twill soon be passed only what’s done for God will last”

Ruth a picture of Grace at a time when “Men did that which was right in their own eyes” (or as they saw fit) ~ just like today’s society, civil strife, national upheaval, international concerns.

The Book of Grace – 3 keys –Loyalty (1vv14-16), Kindness (“vv10-12), Faithfulness (4v11)
Ruth finished strong

What do you do when life caves in? Do you run? Do you seek self interest first? Do you make acts of love or kindness last in your list of priorities?

Bethlehem = the place of bread
see 1v1 left the place of bread
1 v6 returned to the place of bread
Ruth – a continual play on words: famine, empty, full, harvest. A picture that life can be difficult even if you follow God

Consecration or giving your life to Christ could cost you more than you may be willing to give e.g Taliban Doctor, North Korean parents

1st Principle : 1v16,2v2 – Ruth was willing to follow the precepts laid out by God

1v16 a significant verse in affirming love for God and God’s people. Do we belong
2v2 see Leviticus 19 how Ruth obeyed a law she did not know but it was God’s plan she was following
Note: Orpah returned, when its tough some turn back but Ruth chose the place of bread. People make judgements about people without knowing their past or more importantly their future. A Moabite, she didn’t have the same God, let alone belief. Sometimes we must return to first principles.

2nd Principle : 2vv15,16 God’s provision is always over and above what we deserve.

See 2v12 cf Ps.36 v7 “How priceless is your unfailing love. Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings” see Isa. 40 vv29ff…”mount up with wings as eagles, run and not be weary, walk and not faint”

3rd Principle : 3v4,5 Obedience is the key to finding favour with God.

Ruth could have taken the soft option but all the way through the book she demonstrates obedience. She put God first in her life even when her future was totally uncertain. Look what happened she found her kinsman redeemer through obedience to what was told her (see Lev.25vv45-47 cf Ruth 4v6). Jesus has become our kinsman redeemer

In conclusion

The book of Ruth demonstrates that: He is sovereign, He is the Lord of the Harvest and He is our Kinsman redeemer

Don’t place yourself in a place of famine, the grass isn’t always greener. God wants you and I to finish strong. Paul said: Forgetting what is behind and straining to what is ahead. I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called ME heavenwards in Christ Jesus

God wants you and I to finish strong just like Ruth. I challenge you to quote George Verwer: We were not born to live at minimum cost

Questions:

1. Pick a single word to describe your Christisan experience to this point (e.g. steady, growing, uneven, rocky, disappointing, wonderful etc). Why did you pick this particular word?

2. What does it mean to you to “finish strong”, describe someone you know who finished strong in their Christian life. What did they do to cause you to think this way about them?

3. See Heb. 12 vv1-3 ~ What are we instructed to do in verse 1, why is the word “perseverance” so crucial, what are we asked to do in verse 2, what example is given and how does it help us? What about verse 3 what and why are we instructed thus?

4.How is Colossians 1vv21 – 23 an encouragement to finish strong, why was it so important for Paul?

You Tube: Chariots of Fire montage about Eric Liddell :: Watch this 10 min clip to find out more about Eric Liddell. Dave played a clip showing Eric Liddell refusing to race on a Sunday. (see at approx 8 mins)
Prophecies given on 17th February 2010 :: Listen to the prophecies brought by Ian Clague and Dave Palmer on 17th February 2010.

File Download (0:30 min / 8 MB)

20th June 2010 - Dave Harper - The Presence Of God

Church in the Peak — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 14:12:00 +0100

Dave spoke on the importance of the presence of God.

Dave reminded us that the Bible is the story of God’s love for relationship with man, starting with creation, through the fall and then through Jesus. God’s purpose in bringing the Israelites out of Egypt was for them to worship him on Mount Sinai.

In Exodus 20:18-20, the people were afraid of God because he was so powerful. We need to get past this fear if we are to become intimate with God. Moses commands the Israelites not to avoid God because they are afraid of him, but to marvel and worship God.

It is folly for us to blame God for our circumstances. God is always for our good. The more closely we know God, the less we will blame him for things that happen. When God revealed his glory to Moses, it was his goodness that he paraded. This revelation should draw us to God, not frighten us away from him. God’s heart is to bless us and set us free from fear.

If God’s presence is not with us, it’s not worth going on the journey. In Exodus 23:25-26 we are told to worship the Lord and he will bless us. Worship is more than “singing songs”, it is offering our hearts to God. We need to yield and submit to God. This requires faith, but it’s worth it!

File Download (0:37 min / 11 MB)

13th June 2010 - Phil Hardy - Faith And Promises

Church in the Peak — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 14:53:00 +0100

We are all on a journey with God. But journeys with God don’t always go the way we expect they will. There may be bumpy parts to the journey or unexpected turns along the way. But, though all this, we need to take part in the journey – we are not to be passive. On our journeys we will face personal doubts etc. We need faith to step out on this journey because we have nothing and God provides everything. Faith doesn’t grow unless it’s challenged.

Hebrews 6:13-20 – Although the word “faith” is not mentioned in this passage, the whole passage is about faith. Abraham had to be a man of faith. Even though Abraham’s actions may at times have wavered, his faith never failed. Us “helping out” God doesn’t work. We can’t take shortcuts with God, and if we try to it will take far longer than if we’d just done what God said in the first place. Without faith, we can’t please God. The point of our salvation is to grow in faith. John Wimber said that “faith is spelt r.i.s.k.” Yes, faith can be risky, but if we step out in what God’s telling us to do, it will work out the way God intended it to.

Faith requires us to persevere and be patient. We must persevere and not give up at the first hurdle. We must not be quitters and we must keep on pressing into what God has for us. God loves to feed those who are hungry (Matthew 5:6) and so we need to be hungry for God. In the passage from Hebrews, God promises to fulfil the promise and swears by himself as there is none greater to swear by. If we seek righteousness, we will be filled. We need to live fully for Christ – as Paul said “for me to live is Christ”.

Faith has to keep on growing. You can never have enough faith. If we’ve settled for where we are, we won’t carry on growing and we will end up with less that what God wants for us. We must not settle until we reach heaven.

Patience is a key to growing in faith. Generally, life nowadays is getting faster and faster – faster internet, faster cars, faster credit. People don’t know how to wait for things. God isn’t like us in this respect. Patience is a character of God and a fruit of the Spirit. God will never keep us waiting and then let us down. Because God has overcome, we can be overcomers. God restores our soul and makes us new – we are victors in Christ. But God will do it his way, not necessarily the way we’d do it.

God requires that our faith is unfailing and enduring. Faith that endures won’t crumble under testing. If God says one thing and everything natural is saying the opposite (and possibly even seems to be winning), that it when God can break in when we step out in faith.

Unfailing and enduring faith doesn’t blame God and ask “Why?” all the time. It says “I will trust” and presses in to what God has for us. Unfailing and enduring faith doesn’t try to resolve the issues by itself but trusts God to provide the answers. God is always about our good and about bringing us into a deeper knowledge of him. There is a danger that past disillusionment, especially with churches, can cloud our thinking. We must trust God. He doesn’t act like men and he can’t lie.

In the book “Incomparable”, Andrew Wilson explains that God is unchangeable. This is good news. If God did change, we’d be in serious trouble. For example, if he changed for the worse, watch out. And if he changed for the better, then he was less than perfect to start with. Every good and perfect gift comes from God. God turns things meant for evil into good. We can trust God to do this.

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and make us righteous. This righteousness includes both spiritual and physical elements. There is no sickness in heaven, so why should we accept it here on earth? We must carry on praying for sicknesses to go.

Colossians 1:15-19 – God holds all things together
Hebrews 1:1-3 – God sustains all things.
Jesus went and did good things everywhere he went all the time.

We have a God that we can put our faith in. We can live in joy and peace whatever situation we are in.

Questions

God is a God of unchangeable Character. The character of God is holy, and he does not lie. He is Unchangeable and Infallible.

God is looking for faith that perseveres and is patience, that is unfailing and enduring. Faith that recognises that he is the same yesterday, today and forever and makes promises to men and fulfils them, that he is full of Love, Grace and compassion and that he his Good

· What does it mean to your faith that God is unchangeable?

· Look back on your journey of faith. How have you been growing in faith, being enlightened by Him, and becoming more experienced in matters of faith and responding to him in acts of faith?

· How can you be better at developing your faith so you can endure?

Phil's preaching notes :: View the notes that Phil prepared, although he didn't use all of the material in his talk.

File Download (0:51 min / 13 MB)

6th June 2010 - Neal Garratt - Jehovah Jirah: The Lord Will Provide

Church in the Peak — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 19:12:00 +0100

Neal continued looking at Abraham’s story, in particular the (potential) sacrifice of Isaac. Neal also spoke on the importance of hearing God.

This follows on from Neal’s last preach (18th April 2010) about God’s promises to Abraham relating to Isaac. When Isaac is older, God tells Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham is commended as a man of faith. In verse 3, we are told that Abraham got up early to carry out God’s instructions. It’s almost as if he’s looking forward to the doing it. This contrasts with our approach when God asks us to do anything. Our response, even to small things, is usually 1) Did I hear that correctly and 2) Why?

God isn’t looking for the physical sacrifice of Isaac but is testing Abraham to see whether he trusts him with his whole heart. Even when things get tough, is Abraham going to stick with God? Are we? We shouldn’t really ask God “Why?” as, if he was to tell us, we probable wouldn’t understand the reasons anyway. We need to have faith and trust God.

Abraham and Isaac travelled for three days to get to the place of sacrifice. That’s a long time to be thinking about things! On route, Isaac asks Abraham where the sacrifice is. This must have been the question that Abraham was dreading. Abraham’s answer, that God will provide, is prophetic. It applies both in relation to God providing the ram in place of Isaac and in sending Jesus in our place.

Having built the alter, Abraham is about to sacrifice Isaac when he hears God (though an angel) telling him to stop. How important it is to listen out for God! We need to make sure that we can hear God’s voice all the time so that we don’t accidentally miss things. We can often be very good at hearing from God in relation to small things, but totally miss what he has to say on big things. The key to hearing God’s voice is intimacy: “Abraham knew God.” In the early stages of a relationship, you often can’t tell what the other person is thinking, but as you get to know them better, you can. The more time you spend with each other and the more intimate you are, the easier this becomes. It is the same with God. The more time we spend with him, the more clearly we can hear what he has to say.

Some practical steps we can take to spend more time with God are:
1) Giving time to God;
2) Reading the word;
3) Listening for the answer and
4) Increasing intimacy in our relationship with God. God’s voice is often like a still small voice so we need to be listening out for it. God doesn’t always speak in audible way, but often speaks to our spirit, causing us to feel uncomfortable etc in certain situations.

Abraham declares that God will provide – Jehovah Jirah. This is an aspect of God’s character. Other aspects of his character are revealed through scriptures, i.e. Jehovah Rapha – God is our healer, etc.

In this passage, God provides an alternative sacrifice in place of Isaac, but there is a bigger picture. God provides Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Abraham’s story is a foretaste of what Jesus has done for us:

• Isaiah 53:4-7 – Jesus took our place, God has provided the answer
• John 3:16-17 – God loved, God sent.
• 1 Peter 1:18 – We are redeemed by the precious blood of the unblemished lamb

God is a provider God. It’s an innate part of his character. How does God provide for us?
He provides a way where there is none;
Nothing is too difficult for God;
He even heals bits of us that we didn’t know were broken;
Isaiah 61 – God provides for the captives;
Ephesians 4:1-4 – we were dead but God… God provides life;
God always listens and always provides a way for us to come to him;
God is the lifter of our heads and hearts;
He is our righteousness;
He is our shepherd;
He is our creator.

Questions:

1. What was God trying to achieve by making Abraham go through this trial and did he succeed?

2. We looked at how Abraham clearly heard God`s voice and obeyed him – Sometimes it is hard for us to hear God`s voice – we looked at four ways to help – these were 1. Giving time to God. 2. Reading the word. 3. Listening for the answer. 4. Increased intimacy in our relationship with God. How important are these and can you think of other ways to help?

3. God reveals himself as Jehovah Jireh – “The Lord will provide” – We know he provided the Ram for Abraham to sacrifice and the Lamb of God (Jesus) to take away our sin – What parallels can you see in the story comparing the two and in what other ways can we know God as our provider?

File Download (0:33 min / 9 MB)