Lee Street Church
Notes of Zoom Meeting 15th November 2020
We welcomed Jon and Clare Skipper and their family (in Barcelona), plus Jonathan’s parents from Luton, to our meeting today.
Sue led our worship time.
The Bible tells us to praise. It’s a decision we need to take regardless of our feelings. The word Hallelujah, as well as being an expression of worship is also an order to start praising the Lord.
Psalm 34 v1: “I will extol (bless) the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips (shall continually be in my mouth)”
Praise then stirs our emotions. v2” My soul will boast in the LORD;”
David praised the Lord because he was commanded to. He then praised Him because he wanted to. Praise is contagious and changes the atmosphere around us,
Psalm 34 v1-3: ”I will extol (bless) the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips (shall continually be in my mouth) My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify (magnify) the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. “
Song: Bless the Lord O my soul-10000 reasons
Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I'll worship Your Holy name
The sun comes up
It's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass
And whatever lies before me
Let me be singing
When the evening comes
Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul …….
You're rich in love
And You're slow to anger
Your name is great
And Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness
I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons
For my heart to find
Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul …….
And on that day
When my strength is failing
The end draws near
And my time has come
Still my soul will
Sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years
And then forevermore
Forevermore
Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I'll worship Your Holy name
Songwriters
Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman
Nobody denies its difficult at the moment and we’re all out of our comfort zones. We’re not always sure what we should/ shouldn’t be doing to keep our families and friends safe, whilst also being there for them. It’s very easy in current times to become discouraged.
Nehemiah 4 v14: “Don’t be afraid. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome.”
Don’t just think about the problem, think about the Lord. It’s our thoughts that determine our feelings. We need to fill our minds with promises from God’s word and we will overcome discouragement.
1/Remember God’s goodness to you in the past. When you start to think about all the good things He’s already done in your life, your spirit will be lifted and your anxiety eased.
Ephesians 1 v3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
Psalm 103 v1-4 “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion “
Remember God’s closeness in the present. What is He doing in your life right now? The truth is He is near you, whether or not you feel His nearness.
Hebrews 13 v5: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Remember God’s power for the future. He will give you strength for your needs.
Jeremiah 29 v11: “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Philippians 4 v13: “I can do all everything through Him who gives me strength.”
Romans 5 v1-2: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”
Psalm 148 v13 “Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendour is above the earth and the heavens.”
Song: Come people of the risen King
Come, people of the Risen King,
Who delight to bring Him praise;
Come all and tune your hearts to sing
To the Morning Star of grace.
From the shifting shadows of the earth
We will lift our eyes to Him,
Where steady arms of mercy reach
To gather children in.
Rejoice, Rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice; O Church of Christ, rejoice!
Come, those whose joy is morning sun,
And those weeping through the night;
Come, those who tell of battles won,
And those struggling in the fight.
For His perfect love will never change,
And His mercies never cease,
But follow us through all our days
With the certain hope of peace.
Come, young and old from every land -
Men and women of the faith;
Come, those with full or empty hands -
Find the riches of His grace.
Over all the world, His people sing -
Shore to shore we hear them call
The Truth that cries through every age:
"Our God is all in all"!
Rejoice, Rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice; O Church of Christ, rejoice!
Words and Music by Keith and Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2008 Thankyou Music/ Copyright Control
Galatians 2 v20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Hebrews 6 v19: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
Song: Yet not I but through Christ in me
What gift of grace is Jesus my redeemer
There is no more for heaven now to give
He is my joy, my righteousness, and freedom
My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace
To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
For my life is wholly bound to his
Oh how strange and divine, I can sing: all is mine!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me
The night is dark but I am not forsaken
For by my side, the Saviour He will stay
I labour on in weakness and rejoicing
For in my need, His power is displayed
To this I hold, my Shepherd will defend me
Through the deepest valley He will lead
Oh the night has been won, and I shall overcome!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me
No fate I dread, I know I am forgiven
The future sure, the price it has been paid
For Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon
And He was raised to overthrow the grave
To this I hold, my sin has been defeated
Jesus now and ever is my plea
Oh the chains are released, I can sing: I am free!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me
With every breath I long to follow Jesus
For He has said that He will bring me home
And day by day I know He will renew me
Until I stand with joy before the throne
To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
All the glory evermore to Him
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat:
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat:
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!
Summary of Clare’s Talk
Claire outlined the reasons for their move across the city earlier this year to Castelldefels, west of Barcelona. Their new home is in a pleasant and convenient location near the sea, and more importantly only a 10-minute bike ride from Jon’s workplace at the IBSTE Bible College. Their family are adapting well to their new schools, and enjoy walks and cycle rides in the nearby woods. They have settled well into a local church, which is proving excellent for the children too.
Clare continues with her teaching, and is hoping to enlarge her current group of on-line students, particularly through the teaching of “Theological English” to give students access to a greater number of English books.
Besides thanking Lee Street for our prayerful support, Clare asked for our continued prayers for:
- Settling in to family life in their new location
- Clare as she looks to increased involvement in the IBSTE college
- IBSTE students as they train to serve the Lord in their home country
- Financial needs of the college, with fewer students able to study there this year.
Summary of Jonathan’s Talk
“Living by faith in uncertain times”
Jon began by reading Hebrews 11: 1-2 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for” - Confidence and Assurance.
The call is for us to walk by faith in uncertain times. We like stability, because this makes us think we are in control. But uncertain times like the present reveal our anxieties. We are called to walk by faith, because only with God can we face the future with confidence.
Faith is not just hoping that things will sort themselves out. Faith really is just having confidence in what we hope for and being sure about the future.
In Hebrew 11, the writer goes on to speak about Abraham in verses 8 – 11 “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country;…. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”
God had made a number of promises to Abraham – about having a son, and being the father of a great nation, and Abraham had complete confidence in these promises because they came from God. It was no bravado on his part – as we might use by saying “We’ll win today”, when we can’t really be sure about it. Abraham’s was a quiet confidence that God would keep his word.
V13 reminds us that Abraham and his descendants were living by faith when they died, and were looking forward to a heavenly country (v14). That’s what we can all look forward to, the promise of being with God in His city which He is preparing for us.
We can therefore face uncertain times here and now in the certain knowledge of a better time to come because He has promised it.
Going back to v1, “faith is the assurance of what we don’t see”. We need to accept and take God’s promises as truth – He has revealed his promises to us in His word, the Bible, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to live in us and teach us. We therefore need to act in accordance with the promises God has given us.
In v27, we read about Moses who “persevered because he saw him who is invisible”. We can be sure of the unseen presence of the Almighty God, and confident that his gracious hand is with us in the uncertain times we have to endure.
Hebrews 11 speaks of many people who lived by faith, and in vs 32 – 35 tells of the victories granted to them because of their faith. When we live by faith, we will see God doing amazing things. But vs 35 – 38 speaks about others who didn’t experience the same victories – some were tortured, put in prison, or even stoned to death. Did they lack faith? No, their victory was perseverance under the strains of trials and distress.
As we seek to live by faith, we may or may not see His blessings here and now. We may be called to suffer – if so, we are called to persevere in our faith, knowing we have a certain promise of future glory. And we are promised that He will be with us, whatever our circumstances.
Having spoken about all these men and women of faith, Hebrews goes on to encourage us “to run with perseverance the race set before us, … and to fix our eyes upon Jesus”. Keep looking to His promises to give us strength for each new day.
Song - By faith
By faith we see the hand of God
In the light of creation's grand design
In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness
Who walk by faith and not by sight
By faith our fathers roamed the earth
With the power of His promise in their hearts
Of a holy city built by God's own hand
A place where peace and justice reign
We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight
By faith the prophets saw a day
When the longed-for Messiah would appear
With the power to break the chains of sin and death
And rise triumphant from the grave
By faith the church was called to go
In the power of the Spirit to the lost
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In every corner of the earth
We will stand...
By faith this mountain shall be moved
And the power of the gospel shall prevail
For we know in Christ all things are possible
For all who call upon His name
We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight
We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight
We'll walk by faith and not by sight
Songwriters: Keith Getty, Stuart Townend, Kristyn Getty
NOTE:
The last 2 songs can be found on Youtube by several groups.
Notices
Foodbank – in desperate need of Egg Boxes (6-egg size) – so don’t just throw them away, please keep and we’ll arrange to get them to Foodbank.
Our Wednesday Bible Studies (at 7.30pm on Zoom) begin a new series in the gospel of Mark (ch 1 this week).