No.42 - Christ be magnified

Rest, reading and the supremacy of Christ.

Verse of the Week

'He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves'

Colossians 1:13

In this section of Colossians, Paul says that he wants them to v10 'live a life worthy of the Lord'. To this end, Paul prays 4 things for them, the final one being that they would 'give Joyful thanks' to God v12. This thankfulness flows out of remembering what God has done for them. And v13 gives us such a wonderful picture of some of what Christ achieved on the cross.

We were trapped in the dominion of darkness, helpless and bound for destruction. But because God sent Christ, his only son, to die for us, we as Christians have been set free from the dominion of darkness and brought into God's kingdom.

Hasn't God blessed us immensely! Praise the lord, let all the earth praise the Lord!

Encouragements

Praise the Lord, the last week has been a wonderful time of rest, physically, mentally and spiritually. I am not usually very good at switching off and taking time to unwind. However, by God's grace, I feel I was able to have a good break.

We spent the week at the Keswick Bible Convention, and I attended some excellent seminars, including one on the topic of rest. It has been really helpful to think about how I can try to work and rest well as I start the next year of ministry training.

We also had the privilege of hearing some incredible talks on the whole of Colossians from Tim Chester. It was a real joy to have the whole book opened and explained. We got to see with fresh awesomeness the supremacy of Christ and how, to live a life fully pleasing to God, we don't need to add anything to the gospel, just carry on in Christ: looking to Christ, and so loving Christ, and so living for Christ. I was also greatly encouraged by the way Tim brought out Paul/God's focus on prayer in Ch1:9-13.

Thank you for your prayers; the break was really wonderful. I am very much looking forward to the last few weeks of ministry work I get to do at Grace church and the next year of ministry work I have the opportunity to be a part of at St Helen's.

A Little Update

Here are a few of the things we've been up to and some of what we've got coming up. Praise the Lord for his grace!

The Last Week

Prepped for - Life group, midday bible study group, children's talk, 121, Members' Meal

Keswick

• Attended 5 Keswick morning meetings with Tim Chester, looking at Colossians

• Attended 4 Keswick evening Celebrations, looking at Peter's transformation

• Attended 2 seminars on Biblical Rest and Recreation

• Attended 2 seminars on Biblical Leadership

• Read a biography of Johnathan Edwards' wife, Sarah

• Sunday - Led music at Church

• Sunday - Led a 121 in Philippians

  
  

The Next Few Weeks

Mid-day bible study, Life group, Church planning meeting

• 28th-1st - Preparing for children's talk, 121, weekend away, bible studies

• 1st August - Leading a 121 in Philippians

• 1st August - Holiday club music rehearsal

• 4th-8th August - Leading on Church holiday club

• 6th August - Leading a 121 in Philippians

• 7th August - Giving a children's talk on Daniel

• 10th August - Leading a Church prayer meeting

• 22nd-25th August - Leading music on our Church weekend at home

• 25th August - Moving to London

• 25th August - Ministry Associates welcome evening

• 26th August - 1st Day as a St Helen's Ministry Associate

Prayer Requests

After hearing some wonderful talks at Keswick, we would love prayers that we would be trusting in God's strength, not our own, specifically as we prepare for our Holiday club, weekend away and moving to London.

Love and prayers in Christ.

God bless,

Joshua & Luci.

P.S. - I've recorded another Episode of Delighted By Christ. If you are feeling a bit too tired to listen to a Sermon or read a Christian book, but still want to be encouraged, my hope is that this could be a great way to help you keep delighting in Christ. So if you want to hear more about how I've been delighted by Christ over the last week, feel free to listen to the video below. I hope you may find it encouraging :)