ASSEMBLY OF GOD KING’S CHRISTIAN CENTRE
CHURCH NEWSLETTER June 2016 1
Editorial by Malcolm
The Simplified Life
“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the
LORD, and to enquire in his temple.” Psalm 27:4 In a book wr itten by Fr ancis Chan called, “Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God” he wrote, “We are a culture that relies on technology over community, a society in which spoken and written words are cheap, easy to
come by, and excessive. Our culture says anything goes; fear of God is almost unheard of. We are slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to become angry.” Modern life is anything but simple, in fact it is the complete opposite. Yet as one reads the Bible we come across “one thing” statements which indicate that individuals had arrived at a place where they had decided that doing “one thing” was of paramount importance in their lives. The Lord Jesus replied to a troubled Martha, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42. The man who had been born blind testified to those who questioned him, “Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” John 9:25. The apostle Paul also shared the one thing in his life, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I
do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3: 13-14 Let us consider the “one thing” that David writes about in Psalm 27:4. 1. LIVING with the Lord. “….that I may dwell in the house of the LORD” King David with all the responsibilities he carried as a king prioritised his relationship with the Lord as being of greater importance. The Hebrew word 2
used for ‘dwell’ is ‘yasab’ meaning, to ‘sit down, to remain, to marry or settle.’ As people we live with many different things in our lives. We live with family, we live with our responsibilities, our thoughts. We can live with pain, sometimes constantly. We can live with regrets, with anger and with depressive thoughts.
David had maybe read Psalm 91 and had decided that he too was also going to make “the Most High (his) habitation” Ps 91:9. The Hebrew word for ‘High’ is ‘elyown’ and it means ‘the Supreme, most high, highest, uppermost’. When we decide to live with the Most High in our lives, He promises us three things:
a) Protection. “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” Ps. 91:10 b) Angelic Care. “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Ps.91:11-12 c) Victory. “Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.” Ps. 91:13 2. LOVING the Lord. “…..to behold the beauty of the LORD,” In the Amplified translation of that verse it says, “to behold and gaze upon the beauty (the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness) of the Lord”. David realised that the Lord was waiting for him to communicate with Him and that he had instant, direct access to the Lord. Because the Lord loves mankind so much, and in a very special way His children, the Lord has made Himself
available to His children at all times. David paints a picture with words which sees him ‘beholding’ or gazing upon, in meditative wonder, the beauty of the Lord. Joseph Hall, a 16th century English bishop observed, ‘It is not hasty reading, but seriously meditating upon holy and heavenly truths that makes them prove sweet and profitable to the soul. It is not the bees touching on the flowers that gathers the honey, but her abiding for a time upon them, and drawing out the sweet. It is not he that reads most, but he that meditates most on divine truth, that will prove the choicest, wisest, strongest Christian.’ 3
3. LEARNING about the Lord. “...and to enquire in his temple.” Mankind possesses an insatiable appetite for knowledge and understanding. Daniel prophesied, “that in the last days that many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Daniel 12:4. Prophetically Daniel saw into the
modern age of world travel and technological advancement. David was coming into the Lord’s presence to “inquire”, or admire, consider, search or seek out for the Lord. In other words, David was wanting to know the Lord in a deeper way, to understand and know His thoughts, which he recognised were so much higher than man’s thoughts. Learning about the Lord is a lifetime pursuit. After approximately twenty eight years of becoming a Christian and of having had the most amazing conversion and given a great apostolic ministry, having been caught up into the third heaven and seen and heard things which he wasn’t allowed to speak about, Paul writes “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11 If that was the heart felt prayer and cry of the great apostle Paul, whose spiritual
experience is the envy of every Christian, how much more must we also pray, “ Lord, that I might know you more !!” May the Lord help each one of us to de-clutter our lives and seek for, The Simplified Life of, LIVING, LOVING and LEARNING about the
Lord more and more.
EU Referendum Vote on Thursday 23rd June II Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Let us pray that the Lord’s, Perfect Will for the United Kingdom be reflected in the voting result. 4
It's Time to Grow Up! By: Alan Hewitt
Spiritual growth and maturity is an essential characteristic of a true
Christian, yet infant behaviour seems rampant in so many churches. It was A. W. Tozer who said that the visible Church of Christ includes at least four classes of people: First, aver age people who come to chur ch r egular ly but are never conver ted. They enjoy church, their friends are there, but they have never passed from death to life. Second, those who have tr ained to be Chr istians, but ar e not. They have learned the language, give the impression they are a Christian and others think of them as such. Third, ther e ar e those who are tr ue Chr istians, but car nal and ar e still as they were when first saved. 5
Finally, ther e are tr ue Chr istians but “unfortunately these seem to be the minority in most churches.” Tozer’s comments make sad reading, but his challenge cannot be ignored. A similar picture is found in the New Testament where Paul refers to the Corinthians as “mere infants” and “spiritual babes”. The writer to the Hebrews speaks of believers being “slow to learn.” There is a huge difference between being childlike and childish: one blesses a church, the other drains a church. One is spiritual, the other is carnal. There is something very tragic about an adult being childish. John Ortberg tells
of a man called Denny who regularly attended church all his life, yet didn’t like the music and called in the local authority about the volume and everyone guessed who complained and laughed it off. However, Ortberg said it was no
laughing matter as this guy was 60 years of age, his children couldn’t tolerate him, he stayed cranky and no one expected him to be any different. Those comments remind me of some words from Juan Carolos Ortiz, who said, “We have a phenomenon in the church today which I call the ‘Eternal baby-
hood of the believer.’ We have members of our churches who, after years of hearing messages are just the same. They continually need a minister to keep after them, changing their diapers, putting talcum on them, and checking their 6
milk isn’t too hot.” Perpetual infancy is not allowed in the Kingdom of God! Childish behaviour has to be addressed and confronted. Immature, childish believers have these unhealthy traits: •Self-centred – everything has to revolve around them. •Influenced by their feelings – one minute they’re happy, the next they’re screaming! •Easily attracted by externals – a new sound or rattle quickly gets their attention.
•Prefer play to work – unproductive apart from making work for others. •Don’t take responsibility for their actions and behaviour. •Live on a restricted diet, pr efer r ing to be spoon-fed and dependent. Pastoring isn’t pampering! Growing as a Christian is a command not an option.
Spiritual growth is a matter of attitude, not age. God has provided everything we need for growth, and maturity should be our burning ambition. If you’re wearing a small jacket, make sure you’re growing out of it!
Alan Hewitt National Leadership Team AOG e-news Monday 16th April 2016
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A Purposeful Reminder By Jim Denison In reading from “My Utmost For His Highest”, Oswald Chambers states: "We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness." Chambers elaborates: "At all costs, a person must have a right relationship with God. . . . God has only one intended destiny for mankind—holiness. His only goal is to produce saints." Our holy Father intends his children to live holy lives. How can we cooperate with him in accomplishing this goal? One: Make holiness your definition of success. You may think that sinful people cannot be made holy, but it's not true. Chambers explains: "Atonement through the Cross of Christ means that God can put me back into perfect oneness with himself through the death of Jesus Christ, without a trace of anything coming between us any longer." Jesus's death for your sins means that you can now live in unbroken relationship with your holy Father. There is no sin you must commit. Scripture promises: "God is
faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13. Don't blame sin on your fallen nature and fallen world. Settle for nothing less
than God's best for you. Two: Reinforce your commitment by daily discipline. Aristotle observed, "Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way." Admit your sins 1 John 1:8. Claim God's forgiveness v. 9. Ask
before every decision, "What is the holy thing to do?" Chambers urges us: "Never tolerate, because of sympathy for yourself or for others, any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God." 8
Three: Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be holy. Your Father wants intimate relationship with you even more than you do with him. Chambers: "When we choose deliberately to obey him, then he will tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist us with all his almighty power."
So pray for your Father to make you like his Son (Romans 8:29). And know that he always answers that prayer. Jonathan Edwards resolved "never to do anything which I would be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life." And God used his integrity to spark the First
Great Awakening. Do we need more holy people today? Edwards, once wrote in his diary: "Resolved first: that every man should live to the glory of God. Resolved second: that whether others do this or not, I will." William Carey, the pioneer missionary to India, stated: "I am not my own, nor would I choose for myself. Let God employ me where he thinks fit." F. B. Meyer, perhaps the greatest preacher of his generation, said, "If I had a hundred lives, they should be at Christ's disposal." http://www.denisonforum.org/
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Church of Scotland in an "interesting place" after same-sex marriage vote By Aaron James
The Church of Scotland has said it's in an "interesting place" after voting to recognise ministers in same-sex marriages, while still affirming that marriage should be between a man and a woman. It has also said it hopes people will "stay calm" and "hold on" after the decision and give it time to see how it will pan out. The Kirk voted through the change at its General Assembly in Edinburgh yesterday with 339 voting in favour and 215 voting against. It means congregations who want to can take ministers already in same-sex marriages and that ministers can get married to someone of the same-sex if they
wish. The vote does not permit same-sex marriages within the Church of Scotland. It follows a vote last year to recognise ministers in civil partnerships. Yesterday's vote seeks to reflect Scottish law which now allows people in civil partnerships to get married. Very Revd John Chalmers, the Principal Clerk of the Church of Scotland General Assembly, told Premier: "The Church of Scotland has maintained as its default position the traditional understanding of marriage. "We've made room for people of a different view and in a broad church you have to do that, and perhaps we've given the denominations of the world a steer on how this can be done. "This does not affect our understanding of what holy matrimony is in terms of our theology. So it's an interesting place for us to be. "I hope that people will stay calm and that those who're upset by the decision hold on there, and wait to see how this plays out." www.premier.org.uk/News/ Sun 22 May 2016 10
Its a synagogue, church, and mosque all in one' Joint house of prayer for Muslims, Jews, and Christians to be built in Berlin An interfaith group is laying the groundwork for what will likely be the world’s first ever joint house of prayer. The centre of worship, which will be called the “House of One," will combine simultaneous Jewish, Muslim, and Christian prayer services. The House of One is planned to be built on the site of Berlin’s first church, the Petrikirche. Great Synagogue of Berlin
One of the organizers of the interfaith group behind the planned church/mosque/synagogue, Rabbi Tovia Ben Chorin, said that the House of One is a reminder that despite the dark history of Berlin in the 20th century it is now a centre of tolerance. “For me as a Jew, this city is the ‘city of wounds’ and the ‘city of miracles.' In this place our systematic extermination was planned. And it is from this city that an answer has emerged,” said Ben Chorin. He also suggested that Berlin could become a model for cultural integration and religious tolerance. “It is a multicultural city, the idea will spread to different countries all over the world.”
Construction of the building is scheduled to begin next year. www.israelnationalnews.com/News/ First Publish: 5/19/2016 11
I want to give thanks to the Lord..my Lord.. that I am physically feeling so well now. I experienced recurrent viruses over the winter and going on into Spring. This eventually caused me to have time off from work. Thanks to you all for praying for me during this time and I give thanks for medication which also enabled the recovery process. I was feeling very washed out and sick and tired of being sick and tired!. On one particular Sunday morning I went up for prayer for healing and certainly over the next few days I began to regain my health and strength. I watched quite a few Christian health programs on TV and considered some of the health messages in regard to certain fruits and vegetables as I consider food
as medicine if used wisely and it is provided for us. In watching the pennies I wondered if I may have denied myself some benefits of what might be called luxury fruits and veg as treats when on a budget but which can be really good for our immune system so have altered my shopping
to reflect this. It is good to belong to a church that cares and prays for its members and can encourage each other with our experiences and testimonies. 12
I found myself re-reading Psalm 23 and then it has become a meditation over the weeks as I considered it in more depth and I found myself paring each verse right back which spoke to my soul and revived my spirit. It was like peeling the skin off it and getting to the fruit as it were! So here is my revelation of God’s
care for me and I will use it as a proclamation over my life.
Psalm 23 He is I have I am lead I am restored I have revelation I walk I am accompanied I am comforted I am prepared I am healed I am overflowing I am protected Together for Eternity Together for Eternity With blessings to your heart as well.
Rosie Russell 13
By Aaron James A survey of nearly 2000 Christians has found they believe in-depth Biblical
teaching in a sermon is over twenty times more important than a good joke. 44% of believers (49% of men and 39% of women) said "biblical exposition" was the most important thing in a sermon, compared to 2% who said a "sense of humour" was important.
The poll also found 40% of Christians (44% of women and 36% of men) found practical examples of how to live out the Bible's teachings was the most important part of a sermon, compared to just one percent who said personal anecdotes or stories were important. It also found the majority of Christians do not like long sermons, with 44% believing they should last between 10 and 20 minutes. However, the institution of a weekly church sermon is alive and well today: nearly 90% of churchgoers disagreed or strongly disagreed that the practice was "outdated". The research was commissioned by the Christian Resources
Exhibition (CRE), an annual trade show of hundreds of Christian charities and organisations. Stephen Goddard, from CRE, told Premier's News Hour: "It just shows you that people go to church for a real reason - to hear stuff that's really going to make a
difference to them." Somebody said it's a bit like Dad-dancing; if you're trying to hard to be cool, you'll not succeed. If they think 'well I've got to put in a joke here', the people in the pews know what's going on." Stephen Goddard also highlighted a problem that Christians in the CRE survey
flagged up: "Out of the survey we found 50 percent of people in the pews on an average Sunday feel that young people are not given enough of a chance to preach in church. "You can understand why it is that young people drift away. They're not involved enough." 14 http://www.premier.org.uk 10 May 2016/
On Easter Sunday whilst Richard was preaching at Somerton Assemblies of God church both he and Lynne heard a new song, to them, written and performed by HILLSONG entitled 'The Creed' from their album 'No Other Name'. The song, based on the 'Nicene Creed', sets out the fundamental beliefs of the Christian church and has a catchy tune...so much so that Richard promptly downloaded the song from ITunes!
Richard and Lynne then had a growing conviction that God wanted them to lay a firm spiritual foundation for the young people before they break up for the long summer holiday period and therefore have started an 'I BELIEVE...' Bible teaching series which will run throughout this present summer term @KINGSyouth.
The course covers the following... I believe in... God the Father
God the Son The Holy Spirit The Virgin Birth Jesus Mission
The Resurrection The Second Coming of Christ The Name of Jesus!
The Church The Saints Communion Eternal Life! 15
Each week, as part of our worship time, we have decided to include HILLSONG's 'The Creed' as an anthem song to help us remember these important fundamental truths to the Christian Faith. Apart from worship, prayer and Bible teaching we also have a time of fun and a social time with the tuck
shop, pool, table tennis, games and just chilling out talking and laughing together. KINGSyouth is a Chr istian youth meeting for young people of secondar y school age, meeting on Fridays during term time, 7:30-9:30pm, at Kings Christian Centre, Swindon.
'French Jews experiencing worst situation since 1945' French Jews are experiencing the most difficult situation they have encountered since the end of World War II, the newlyelected president of France’s umbrella of Jewish communities said. Francis Kalifat, 64, said on Sunday 29th May. His first
priority as president of CRIF is to fight against the anti-Semitism that he said was responsible for the situation he described. Kalifat, whose presidency comes at a time
of record emigration by Jews from France, partly
French soldiers patrolling in Jewish neighbourhood
because of anti-Semitic violence that included hundreds of anti-Semitic incidents annually in recent years, and dozens of physical assaults. Since 2012, attacks on Jewish targets by French Islamists in France and
Belgium claimed the lives of 12 people. Last year, roughly 8,000 French Jews left for Israel — the highest number on record for any year, which made France for the second year straight Israel’s largest provider of newcomers. http://www.jpost.com 16
Below are key Scr iptures/Topics that will be taught in Sunday School this month for the different Sunday School groups. Please can we kindly support the children in their learning and understanding of the topics taught each Sunday. Generally all the Sunday School focus on similar topics and scripture but just taught in different ways and with different resources that fit more to their age group. - Letters to a friend - 2 Timothy 1:3-10; 3:14-17 Aim: To learn, as Paul writes to Timothy, how important the Bible is to him.
We see that the same message can be presented differently (by text, email, and handwritten on a flip chart or displayed on a screen, they may look different but they are actually identical, and they are the same message from God. We learn that the important response is to take it seriously and act on God’s word, however it is delivered. - Let’s praise – Psalm 95:1-7 Aim: To enjoy praising God. We discuss the importance of enjoying praising God. We see that the book of Psalms is a collection of what they said, sang, or wrote as they reflected on how great God is. We note that Psalm 95 encourages us to say, “Wow!” and then to say, “We praise you, God!” - Mercy on a city —Jonah 1, 2 Aim: To discover that our merciful God gives opportunities to be sorry We look at Jonah’s story. We note that it is always in God’s nature to be merciful, forgiving people who are sorry. We note that God forgives our sin and they are completely removed. - Mercy on a man - Jonah 3, 4 Aim: To find out that God’s mercy is for everyone who is sorry. Bible Verse to Remember “Now God’s home is with human beings! He will live with them, and they shall be his people”. Revelation 21:3 17
Current Assembly Happenings Birthday’s and Goodbye’s. On Saturday 7th May a supper was held at the Church to celebrate David’s 60th birthday. Friends from Slough, Bristol, Southampton and other places came together to give thanks to the Lord for David, his life and ministry. After a time of Praise & Worship ably led by Paul and ministry from Malcolm, everyone enjoyed the beautiful food David, Vidji, Malcolm & Marion at the Birthday that had been prepared. Celebration th David & Vidji will be leaving on Thursday 9 June to return to Chennai after having spent six months in Swindon with Paul, Sheeba and the grandchildren. It has been such a blessing for us all to get to know David and Vidji. We will really miss them both. May the Lord continue to richly bless you with health and strength as you continue to serve the Lord. We look forward to keeping in touch.
Sunday School in June BUBBLES
children 3-5yrs.
SPLASH children 5 1/2 – 8yrs.
Sunday 5th
Joyce O.
Sunday 5th
Sunday 12th
Josephine O.K.
Sunday 12th Sue M.
Sunday 19th
Josephine O.K.
Sunday 19th Jenny L.
Sunday 26th
Lorraine T.
Sunday 26th Marion M.
Sun. 3rd July
Lorraine T.
Sun. 3rd July Marion M.
Sue M.
XTREME for children 9-12 yrs. Sunday 5th
Alain T.
Sunday 12th
“John B”
Sunday 19th
“John B”
Sunday 26th
Steve G.
Sun. 3rdJuly
Steve G. 18
Invited Ministry & Meetings in June Friday 3rd
11:00am
Kingsmead Care Home
Sunday 5th
10:30am
Pastor Alan Smithers
Sunday 12th
10:30am
Pastor Richard Pidgley
Friday 17th
11:00am
Kingsmead Care Home
Sunday 26th
10:30am
Bro. Umera Chukwuchebe
Friday 1st July
11:00am
Kingsmead Care Home
Chorus Leading in June Thursday 2nd
Prayer / Bible Study
Biruta B.
Sunday 5th
Morning Service
Paul
Thursday 9th
Prayer / Fellowship
Alain
Sunday 12th Thursday 16th
Morning Service Prayer / Bible Study
Andrzej David
Sunday 19th
Morning Service
David / Paul
Thursday 23th
Prayer / Bible Study
Biruta B.
Sunday 26th
Morning Service
David / Paul
Thursday 30th
Prayer / Fellowship
David
Sunday 3rdJuly
Morning Service
David
Thursday 7th July
Prayer / Bible Study
Paul
Birthdays in June Thursday 2nd
Niyi O.
Sunday 12th
Elkan R.
Friday 3rd
Delvin O.
Monday 13th
Dayo S.
Saturday 7th
Gosha S.
Monday 13th
Franco F.
Wednesday 8th
Marion M.
Friday 24th
Alfred B.
Thursday 9th
Liliana B.
Tues. 5th July
Nelly W.
Saturday 11th
Jogesh R.M.
Thurs. 7th July
Georgina N.
Saturday 11th
Daniel T. 19
Back from USA. Mirelle went to Boston for a short holiday to visit her family, some of whom she hadn’t seen for a long time. We hope that you had wonderful quality time of reconnecting and sharing together. Returning to India. Sheetal’s Mum, Elizabeth, who arrived on the 15th Feb. to be with Jogesh & Sheetal, to prepare for the birth of their second child, is returning to India on 20th June. We wish you a safe trip home and hope that you’ll visit us here in Swindon another time. Home Prayer Meetings. We are continuing with our fortnightly prayer meetings in different homes beginning at 7:30pm. Below is the list of venues for June & July. Tuesday 14th June At Elroy & Daisy’s home, Haydon End, North Swindon. Saturday 25th June At Umer a & Felicia’s home in West Swindon. Wednesday 6th July At Peter & J oyce’s home in Royal Wootten Bassett. Beach Trip. Please put Saturday 2nd July in your diaries for a day at the seaside to Barry Island, in Wales. More details will be announced closer to the time.
Weekly Meetings Sunday
10:30
Morning Service & Sunday School.
Tuesday
10:00
Baby & Toddler Music Group.
Thursday 19:30 Prayer & Bible Study.
(Fellowship Meeting on last Thursday of each month.) Friday
19:30
KING’SYouth
Contact Details: Malcolm & Marion Macqueen: Tel. 01793 325935 Malcolm: Mobile: 07743322781
E-Mail: e.macqueen1@ntlworld.com / gbenganoiks@hotmail.com Website: www.aogswindon.org.uk
Visit us at: 26a King William Street Old Town, Swindon. SN1 3LB 20