Jesus steps in

Apparently sermons on sin and judgement are really unpopular. I'm guessing therefore that blog posts on these subjects are even more unpopular! At least when you're in church and the preacher announces the theme of his or her sermon you actually have to get up and physically leave - whereas when it comes to something on the internet something else is only a click away.

Last Sunday, as we continued our series on Joshua we came to the story of Achan. You'll find the full story in Joshua 7. But by way of summary:

When God had given the Israelites victory over the city of Jericho, one of God's instructions was that everything in the city was to be devoted to God. But Achan, it turns out, saw some things he wanted - and so he took them for himself and hid them in his tent. As a consequence of this sin God's anger 'burned against Israel' and when they went up against the next city Ai they were defeated.

It was revealed that someone had sinned and the following morning the people were called forward tribe by tribe, then clan by clan, then family by family. And so Achan was exposed and to cut the story short, Achan, his family and all his possessions were destroyed.

This story shows us various things about sin - one of which is the seriousness of sin. The consequences of his actions were drastic. 

When we come into the New Testament the seriousness of sin is demonstrated by the cross. God's love was demonstrated for us on the cross - as Jesus paid the price for our sin.

At that point where we were called forward tribe by tribe, then clan by clan, then family by family - as it came to our turn to step forward, Jesus steps in instead, and takes our punishment in order that we might live.

I don't know about you but I'm thankful for the cross and that I live in the light of the New Testament.

Syria's Forgotten Families

At our Members' Meeting on Wednesday we watched 'Syria's Forgotten Families' - a brief insight into the work that BMS World Mission are doing amongst Syrian refugees in Lebanon. 

If you weren't there don't worry - you can watch it here - right now.

Syria's Forgotten Families

This coming Sunday we're going to be celebrating Harvest at CBC - by both thanking God for what he has provided for us, but also remembering those who are not so fortunate. 

I am sure we've all seen many news stories over the last year about the refugee crisis. This week there has been much said on the future of the 'Jungle'. And I'm sure that many of us will have watched those reports and wondered what on earth we can do to help. The crisis seems so huge and complex - what difference can we possibly make?

BMS World Mission is making a difference in the lives of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. We're going to hear a bit about that difference on Sunday morning and learn how we can get involved too.


Avine's Story - Syria's Forgotten Families from BMS World Mission on Vimeo.

Also on Sunday we're going to be collecting food for our local Food Bank. Here's a list of the things they're currently in need of:

TINNED TOMATOES
TINNED PULSES
SMALL SALT (65 GRM)
SMALL PEPPER (35 GRM)
PASTA ‘N’ SAUCE MIX
SNACKS (NUTS, DRIED FRUIT ETC.)
SWEETS - ADULT & CHILD
INSTANT NOODLES
INSTANT CUSTARD MIX
SPONGE PUDDINGS - LONG LIFE
OTHER PUDDINGS
SHAMPOO

TOOTHPASTE - ADULT & CHILD

Are you sitting comfortably...

In a couple of days time Robert Harris' new novel 'Conclave' will be delivered to my Kindle. Many of Harris' books are a brilliant mix of historical fact and total fiction cleverly woven together into a gripping story. So I'm not reading 'Conclave' in order to get a real insight into the goings on that lead to the election of a Pope - I'm reading it because I love a good story.

Many of us love a good story. But I wonder how good we are at telling them?

Two Sunday's ago, as we continued our series 'Promises Kept & Promises Broken' - studies in Joshua and Judges, we looked at the story of the two spies who were hidden by Rahab in Joshua 2:1-24. 

Rahab protects the spies by spinning a story of how they're no longer there - but this is not the story that I'm interested in here. What is clear as this story unfolds is that Rahab, and everyone else too, has heard the stories of what God had done at the Red Sea and to Sihon and Og (verse 10). And as a result of hearing these stories their 'courage failed' and leads Rahab to make the confession, 'the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below'. 

The power of a story.

If you've been following the Read Scripture Bible reading plan, over the last week we've read Psalm 105 and 106 - which talk about 'making known among the nations what God has done', and 'proclaiming the mighty acts of God'.

But this isn't just about us knowing the stories of the Bible and being able to tell them, this is about being able to tell our story - what God is doing in our lives now.

Whilst people may be able to argue with you about the amount of killing in the book of Joshua or whether the resurrection really happened - they won't be able to argue with your story. And there is power in a story.