Here is a great article for Christian freshers written by Ed Goode. Hello Christian Freshers.

J

Students…….brilliant!

Yesterday, I spent a large part of the day with students from both Universities in Sheffield. It was great to see them back and reminded me of the immense value of student work.

The morning was spent at the Uni activities fair meeting freshers and helping them sign up for Christians in Sport and the CU, the new influx of freshers is vital for the life of the cu and is exciting to think how they will change and grow as they proclaim the good news of Jesus on campus for the next three years.

Lunch was helping with hot potatoes, which is a lunch bar that the CU put on letting people find out and question the Christian gospel. The room was packed out and people were queing out the door. I used to be the Evangelsim Sec at Sheffield Uni and hot pots was my baby, so it was really great to see it going onj so well. Toddy spoke on Acts 17 and people’s ignorance about God.

Then in the evening I went over to Sheffield Hallam CU with the vicar from fulwood, Paul Willaims.He spoke from Mark 2v13-17 on ‘Why did Jesus Come’ which is a talk from Christianty Explored. Paul really can preach the gospel and makes you feel as though Jesus is really the only answer to the problem of the human heart. Traditionally hallam has always been a smaller CU and because it has no central meeting place they have found evangelism more difficult but they have had about 40 freshers sign up and the president Ben spoke of the desire to reach the whole University for Jesus.

So, basically student work is brilliant, seeing studnets passionate about following Jesus, welcoming newbies and proclaiming Jesus to a campus who desperately needs him.

 J

One to One: A discipleship handbook, Book Review

Book Review: One-To-One: A Discipleship Handbook By Sophie De Witt                In the opening of this book Rico Tice says; ‘If you understand this book and put its principles into practice … you’ll be absolute gold dust in any church family.’ I can only echo these words as I have benefitted massively from reading this book and hope that because of it my church family will too.                As a student trainee at church one of our main areas of ministry is meeting up with students one to one. This is a really valuable ministry as you can study the bible together and apply it very specifically into the student’s lives. It also gives you the time to talk and pray through encouragements and problems. One to one’s can be particularly strategic with new Christians, people that you think may go onto ministry themselves and with people who are not yet Christians but want to learn about the Christian faith.                Well, Sophie De Witt really helps people with this book who want to be part of doing one to one’s as she lays out biblical principles of how valuable this work is, along with guidelines on how to carry it out and some good resources so that you can get on and do it.

1.       The Value of One to One’s.‘God’s plan is that we live and grow as Christians together, this only happens as we focus on each other as individuals.’There is a great quote from John Stott at the start of the book where he talks about someone who led him to Christ and then discipled him for many years, it turns out that this same man also did one to one work with Michael Green. God clearly used this man in a hugely valuable way to train and disciple people and encourage them to grow in their love and service of the Lord Jesus. In the New Testament we find these principles through Paul’s example with Timothy(Acts16) and Titus(2Corinthians1v13). The strategy of Jesus was to teach 12 disciples and then to let them go and spread the gospel: ‘Jesus’ strategy for reaching the world was to first reach a small group in a thorough way – so that in time through them he would then reach the world’.In essence then one to one work is massively valuable as we seek to point the whole world to Christ and see the extension of his kingdom.2.       The how to of one to one’s.One of the main strength’s of this book is that it is totally practical and covers many areas of one to one ministry. From how to get one started, amounts of time to spend, where to do it, who to do it with, how to study the bible, prayer, what to do when things get difficult etc. It is clear that Sophie de Witt has lots of experience in this area and she has spoken to many people that have to. Throughout the chapters they are punctured by speech boxes from other people who also shed their wisdom and insight on specific areas of one to one work.This is really helpful even for people who have been involved in one to one’s for some time. It may give you new ideas, correct what you do currently or encourage you that what you are doing is considered worthwhile and right. Through all the practical elements of the book the common thread is still that ‘the most important thing in personal work is to get people to be disciples of but one man – and that is Christ’. 3.       ResourcesAt the end of the book is a great list of resources that would be great to use in one to one work and really useful in setting it up yourself. There are some sample bible studies that serve as a great example and also books and web resources that you can use yourself or point others to. Overall, I would really recommend this book to people who want to be effective in bringing people Jesus and encouraging people to maturity with Jesus through personal work. It is great to equip you with all that is necessary to do it and also encourages you that we have a soverign God who can work in our weakness and chooses us to bring about his plans, namely people bowing the knee before the Lordship of Jesus.

Authority and Freedom

Some thoughts from J.I. Packer as to how authority and freedom should be viewed.

To approach scripture as God’s authentic and infallible utterance, to put full trust in the Christ and the promises which scripture presents, and to revere biblical moral teaching as God’s orders to His children, is the entry into a life of joy and power which those who decline this approach…are going to miss. Authority has become a dirty word in our present culture – but what is really meant is authoritarianism, degenerate authority.

Authoritarianism is evil, anti-social, anti-human and ultimately anti-God (for self-deifying pride is at its heart). Freedom is the modern man’s obsession – rejecting authority and cutting loose from its limits.  But no freedom is found apart from external authority, being our own authority enslaves us to ourselves. When historic Christianity receives the Bible as an absolute authority for creed and conduct, it does so on the basis that since God is a God of truth and righteousness, that which he lays before us in writing must have the same qualities.  When Christians affirm the authority of the Bible, meaning that biblical teaching reveals God’s will and is the instrument of his rule over our lives, part of what they are claiming is that Scripture sets before us the factual and moral nature of things.  God’s law corresponds to created human nature, so that in fulfilling his requirements we fulfil ourselves, and the gospel of Christ answers to actual human need as glove fits hand, so that all our responses to God make for our good and no touch of authoritarianism enters into his exercise of authority over us. Non-Christian authority principles, while having formative and integrating short term effects and giving life a target it otherwise would not have, but they do not succeed in achieving man’s chief end (glorifying God and enjoying Him forever).  The anti-authority syndrome leads to the hedonistic life governed by my feelings of like and dislike, which is distant from our intended lifestyle.  This tragedy is social, not just personal, as many basic values which stem from the Bible are unlikely to survive in the decadent west.  For example the dignity of womanhood and duty of men to honour and protect – Women fight for professional interchangability, forgetting the Christian basis of their foundations (equal dignity of male and female image bearers), while men lapse into treating women as playthings, the playboy philosophy. This is a pattern of decline which Paul highlights in Romans 1:21-32, yet is socially acceptable today and is becoming more so.  Another example is the sanctity of human life; that we honour God by protecting and preserving life he gives to his image bearers.  Paganism holds life cheap: suicide, infanticide/abortion, genocide and euthanasia are all examples (some modern) where to quietly cull members deemed useless to society seems appealing. Only Scripture has provided motives for protecting the weak and helpless; take this away and there is no telling where neo-pagan pragmatism will stop. Freedom is conceived in two ways.  The worldly way says break bonds, abolish hardships and seek freedom from or freedom not to.  This ultimately leads to nowhere other than puzzlement and disillusionment.  Christian freedom is freedom from guilt and the power of sin, and freedom not to be dominated by tyrannical self will, but is mostly freedom for God and godliness, to love and serve our Maker and each other, and for contentment in Christ.  This freedom is integrity of heart in seeking God’s will and glory, free from self-regard, spontaneity to be resourceful in pleasing and praising God, unlike the Pharisaic concern to avoid doing wrong, and contentment, a joy that increases all life’s pleasures and stays with us despite our circumstances.  This is the freedom found in Christ (If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36) if we hold to his teaching, that brings with it sonship to God and eternal security. While this second conception is certainly profounder, it also takes the form of accepting authority, that of God the Creator, who designed and sustains our human nature and alone can tell us what best to do with it; the authority of Jesus Christ, God incarnate to whom all authority is given (Matt 28:18); and the authority of the Holy Spirit, who opens and applies Scripture that we can discern Christ’s will and are enabled to do it.  The Book of Common Prayer describes God as the one ‘whose service is to be free’, and it is only on God’s terms that we will receive this.

Hey Everybody!

This is the start of something that will hopefully grow over the next year and be useful for ourselves and people that choose to look at it! We are the ministry trainees of Christchurch Fulwood in Sheffield. There are 7 of us altogether and we are working in various parts of the church from kids stuff, through youth upto students and older people. We are learning about practical ministry and how to study and teach the bible. Hopefully, things we preapre and study we can then post up for people to read. Brilliant.

Hope you’re having a great day.

J

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!