This sermon outlines three dangers that I encountered on my Christian journey: becoming disillusioned with other Christians, the danger of being “hyper spiritual” and the danger of getting a non Christian boyfriend or girlfriend. The solution is obvious, obedience to God. But when obedience fails the solution is persistence, persistence until we can obey.

Incidentally, we formed a great “prayer temple” at the end!

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Radio York have informed us that our next programme will be broadcast Sunday 25th May 7am & 7pm.

We have heard of three Club / Club Classic Apartments available for the Elim Bible Week 2008.  Details are as follows:

Apt 1 sleeps 6 people (Club).  Deposit of £100.00 already paid - remainder to pay is £585.00

Apt 2 sleeps 5 people (Club).  Deposit of £100.00 already paid - remainder to pay is £495.00

Apt 3 sleeps 5 people (Club Classic).  Deposit of £100.00 already paid - remainder to pay is £555.00

Please note the parties concerned do not require the £100.00 deposit to be returned to them.

Anyone interested in one or more of the above chalets should contact us at: “mailREMOVE@york-epc.org.uk”.  Please act quickly if you are interested.

Much of this sermon consists of my testimony but I go on to talk about being used by God as His representative or mouthpiece and how not to be used as the Devil’s mouthpiece.

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Thank you all of you who have been praying.

Many in our church locally, including friends now scattered in various nations, have known about our efforts to enlarge our ministry team to cope with the rapid growth in our church. We have talked with a few people over the past two years but each time it ended up without an appointment.

I am delighted to announce that Matthew Parkins will be joining us from the beginning of June. Matthew and his wife Joanne have worked in Sheffield at St Thomas’s, then more recently in a church in Australia. They arrive with their daughter Scarlett.

Matthew has his own blog (click here) where you can see a video of Scarlett dancing.

House-hunting will be occupying them over the next few weeks, so you if you know of anywhere nice to rent let us know. Probably not the one advertised on my blog!

Again, thank you to all who have been praying about this appointment. I am so relieved. I think they will fit very well.

A great crowd gathered in York Minster on Sunday May 11th for the Global Day of Prayer.

We were called together to pray by a great trumpet blast then we prayed in various formats, led by various people through the evening.

There was a joint ‘act of turning’ as we forgave, confessed our personal sin and that of our nation.

The church leaders of the city and surrounding areas were called out into the great aisle of the Nave of York Minster as we prayed for them, releasing a blessing and calling for the spirit of Jesus to form the fruits of Galatians 5 in their lives.

We called out for revival, then began a ‘prayer parade’ as we walked around a 12 part display in the minster, past prayer points for our council, education and health services, police, churches and the many facets of greater York.

We prayed for our world, with the nations of Burma and Zimbabwe very much on our hearts. After focusing on some youth issues we all joined together for the world prayer and declarations. Representatives of various nations from our church led the closing world prayer.

At the close the Lord Mayor and her party lead us out of the building with flaming torches. Outside church leaders and those from Elim who had led the world prayer, had already formed a huge semi-circle with flaming torches held high, surrounding the crowds with fire as Graham led the final prayer on the steps of the Minster.

Another great act of unity has taken place in our city. We must continue to call upon God for revival in our city and nation.

See the report on the One Voice York website.

It was great to hear what George Critchley is planning once he leaves us at the end of his time at uni.

He told the church on Sunday that he is going to work as an intern for a Christian charity called Damaris that produces teaching resources to schools and churches.

Their vision is to create people that are both biblically informed, and culturally informed, with the ability to relate the two. With this in mind, they do a thing called ‘CultureWatch’ which looks through secular films for an underlying message that asks questions about life, as well as seeing what answers the Bible and a life with God provide.

This interests us as our church likes to be aware of contemporary culture, having an occasional “culture watch” small group, discussing books and films.

George will be involved in shooting, directing, and editing the short films that do this kind of work. See the short he made while he was down there

See another example of their approach here.

Damaris be working on an account for Disney, producing resources about the Narnia film, Prince Caspian.

George’s internship is unpaid, though they will provide money to cover bed and board for the three/four months he is working there. Our church leadership has decided to make a small contribution from our mission fund.

We were recorded for BBC Radio York on the Wednesday evening. Church members come together specially and the musicians did a great job.

However, the day afterwards it became apparent that the sound quality was not good enough. So on Sunday 4th May we were recorded during our main Sunday morning meeting. It was broadcast on Julia Booth’s programme yesterday.

You can hear it by going to Julia’s programme and we are on about three minutes after the start of the show.

This link should get you there.

A big “Thank you” to all who helped.

We had decided to go ahead and arranged a baptism even though there were only two candidates.

The weather was perfect and during the morning more decided that they too should obey Jesus and be baptised. Some responded to my appeal from the baptistery, which meant they went home wet!

This week Graham speaks on 2 Corinthians 2:12-16. He draws our attention to Paul’s comment about a “door” and then goes on to look at the reference to Christ’s Triumph.

Notes are below. The material is made available so that any may use it, adapt it and preach it.

If I were preaching this again I think I would divide it into three. When preaching on the “doors”  I would have liked to give some teaching on the matter of God’s guidance. Christ’s Triumph is a subject complete in itself, as is the topic of the believer being the property of Christ and therefore protected and defended by Jesus.

Graham

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Sermon 2 Corinthians 2:12-16

Doors and Christ’s Triumph

Introduction

Christ’s Triumph is a wonderful subject to look at but don’t miss the detail in the verses before, which refer to the door.

1) Open Doors

1 Corinthians 16:8-9 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

2 Corinthians 2:12 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me,

Colossians 4:3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

Revelation 3:8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no-one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

Guidance and peace of mind (v13).

Just because a door is open does not mean we should go through it. v12 “the Lord had opened a door for me…” Yes but is was God, not the enemy or the cravings of our foolish flesh. Anyway there was no door, it is a metaphor, he speaks of opportunities. With a door we are across the threshold or not, with an opportunity there is often time to step back or change our minds.

See Acts 16:6-7 Paul and his companions travelled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.

2) The Triumph

Paul refers to a known cultural event, familiar to all of his readers at that time. By using this illustration he saves himself writing many words.

(a) What is the Triumph?

The Triumph was a procession in which a conquering general rode on a chariot through the city, with his victorious army marching behind him. In the procession were some captives from the peoples they had conquered. The captives could include rulers and members of royal families. They would be in chains, perhaps chained to the general’s chariot, showing who they belonged to now.

Technically then a Triumph was not a victory, but a victory parade. Paul is telling us we are part of Christ’s victory parade.

• The Triumph said something to the captives
• The Triumph said something to the crowds

(b) The Triumph said something to the captives

Subdued, completely conquered, ownership. Their past is gone, hope in their past is gone. Song - “I have decided to follow Jesus..”

This folk song originated among the Garo Indians, one of the hill tribes in India. The Garo tribe lives in an area that is now the state of Meghalaya, but was until 1970 the state of Assam. The northern part of Meghalaya borders on the Himalayan Mountain range. The earliest appearance of the hymn in the United States seems to have been in Choice Light and Life, a 1950 publication of the Free Methodist Church.

“If any one serves me, he must follow me;…… Hebrews 11:1-2

(c) The Triumph said something to the crowds

How great is this conqueror, as all eyes go from the captives to the conqueror. The number and demeanour of the captives speak of the conqueror. Some knowledge of the conqueror is spread through the crowds of spectators as we are led in His Triumph.

1 Corinthians 16:8-9 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

Back to the quote above, who are they opposing? If I make my adversaries mine, they are mine. If I let them remain his, they remain his and not mine. Let them argue with him. I know who will win.

See Acts 9:4-5 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.

I am chained to the chariot of the conquering King of all kings. Attacks I may experience have to be seen in that very different light.

“The Gospel According to Starbucks” ponders the modern coffee shop phenomenon of our time from a Christian perspective. The author invites us to look at our Christianity in a new way. He suggests coffee shops are, and churches should be, “E.P.I.C.” - Experiential, Participatory, Image-rich, and Connective.

I like his quote on page 50:

“The world is not impressed that people attend church on Sunday mornings. If anything, such a habit is viewed as a quaint waste of time. But imagine if every Christian in the world were living as a little Christ.”