Baptism at Frinton

Journey of Faith

Karen Carr spoke on Acts 10 where Cornelius and his household met Peter to hear the Gospel message.

• Cornelius - Devout, prayerful man, a man under authority and understood discipline, humble and God fearing. He was not Jewish
• Peter - was Jewish, walked and talked with Jesus, spoke boldly about Jesus, obeyed the law

Both men had a vision. Cornelius waited in expectation to meet Peter. Peter was trying to work out what the vision meant.

• God's challenge to Peter was, would he go to people that he would not be comfortable with, people who he would not associate with!
• Cornelius was on a journey to discover Jesus and he didn't want to go alone. He invited all his household and waited to meet Peter.
• When Peter recounted the life of Jesus, Cornelius came to faith in Jesus. Probably Cornelius couldn't work out the guilt and burden of sin in his life but when he put his faith in Jesus the Holy Spirit came upon him (and others).

There is no-one that Jesus cannot reach. He wants to reveal himself to all races, all people.

The Fruit of the Spirit
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience (Long suffering), Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness), Self Control

The Gifts of the Spirit
Wisdom, Faith, Knowledge, Healing, Prophecy, Miracles, Discernment of spirits, Tongues, Interpretation, Administration, Helps, Serving, Teaching, Encouraging, Giving, Leadership, Showing Mercy

Question to ponder: Where are we in our journey of faith?

CLOSE THE DOORS - by Patrick Ramazani
Beloved in Christ, the aim of this message is to strengthen you, to give you some back ground in the knowledge of God, to help you to deal with your daily life (spiritual and physical), to enable you to understand your call in the body of Christ, and if you are a servant of God I hope this message will also inspire you in your ministry; in short to fulfill the first letter (D: dynamism in Word of God) of DNA-Networks.............

To read the full message click the link on the right hand menu bar -Bible Teaching from Patrick
There will be weekly Bible teaching posted on this page.

Gossiping the Gospel

Acts 11:19-30

Redina spoke from Acts 11 and focused on the Church in Antioch. Key points from her talk were...

• First 7 chapters in Acts were on the growth of the Church in Jerusalem /Chapter 8 is on persecution believers faced and the stoning of Stephen / Chapters 9-12 look at how the Gospel message spread.
• Jewish Christians mostly shared the gospel with other Jews. There were other non Jewish believers who were keen to share with outsiders of the Jewish faith.
• Antioch was a large city and had 5 cultures (Roman, Greek, Jewish, Persian, Arab). It was famous as a sports arena and was well known for peoples decadent lifestyle.
• Within this Antioch culture the early Christ believers gossiped the gospel. There were no clergy or leaders in the Church of Antioch. The believers were ordinary people who took the challenge to share the gospel message to the sophisticated and rich culture that surrounded them. God's hand was on them.
• How do we share the gospel in our culture? Do we know the story of Jesus firsthand or do we try to witness to others with secondhand knowledge?
• The Church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas (right person for the job) to go and check the Church in Antioch (vs 22). Barnabas understood how to share the message and encourage believers who were from non-Jewish backgrounds.
• vs 24: Barnabas was a Good man. Only person that Luke (the writer of Acts) says is 'Good'! Barnabas did not focus on the shortcomings in the lives of Antioch Christians but focused on the good things. Barnabas was gentle, tolerant, loving and compassionate.
• Barnabas encouraged the believers to Cling to the Lord Resolutely (Abide in Him) - When we grow in the grace of God we will cling to him.
• Barnabas then goes to Tarsus and gets Paul to come and they focused in teaching God's Word for one year with the Church in Antioch. - How often do we study God's word? We should stick to the task of reading God's Word. We cannot witness only through our testimonies. We need to grow from being a child and mature in his word as we abide in Him.
• Outsiders named the Christ believers as 'Christians' (Christ People) for the first time in Antioch. Christians must make the invisible Christ visible to others through our lives.
• Vs 27-30 The believers decided to take a collection to help others who were suffering due to a famine. Each person gave according to their ability.
• 'The real mark of a changed heart is a giving spirit' - When God touches our lives we become generous

What are the marks of a real Christian

1. Gossip the Gospel
2. Make the invisible God visible
3. Have a big heart to share with others
4. Not perfect but constantly growing in God's grace (more gentle, more generous, more loving)

Three qualities to pray for

1. Always about sharing the Good news (where ever you are)
2. God calls DNA as a community to grow in his Grace.
3. To be generous in our giving

Four questions to reflect...

1. How are you gossiping the gospel in your everyday life?
2. What does 'cleaving to the Lord resolutely' mean to you?
3. In what ways can you do that better?
4. Does your giving reflect your changed heart?
   

DNA Events:

DNA Summer Camp - Thetford Forest, Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd June 2008 - Contact Tony (07796682571) or Paul (07505132664)

June 29th - No morning service at the Art Centre. Afternoon Baptism service at Frinton. Contact David or Janie Beales (01206530934) for more details.

Janie Beales spoke from Acts 8:26-40 where Philip explains and Baptises the Ethiopian Eunuch. The following points were highlighted

• Philip was on the road (journey) because of persecution Christians were facing
• Ethiopians were God believers and they followed the first five books in the Bible (Law)
• Eunuch's were always on the outside and never fully accepted by Hebrews
• Philip was on a journey but was interuppted! He was obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. He had no clue what was ahead but he obeyed God.
• When Philip heard the Eunuch reading from Isaiah he knew what he had to do. Philip's response was immediate and bold. He also asked a subtle question to start a conversation with the Eunuch.
• The Ethiopian Eunuch wanted to be baptised when he saw water. He was also decisive and bold.
• The Eunuch was given a new identity and he emerged from his baptism full of joy (rejoicing)
• Philip entrusted everything to the Holy Spirit to work in the new believer's (Eunuch) life and he moved on.

Other passages for reference Isaiah 56:3-5, Isaiah 64:4, Isaiah 43:19, Acts 1:8, John 14:16,17

We can be open to the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit.

We may all expect that God may want to interrupt our lives.

Three key aspects from Philip's character... (FAT)

Philip was Faithful to God's call. He was Available to be interupted. He was Teachable.

Faithful

Available

Teachable