Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during June 2023]

In 1595 William Shakespeare wrote his play ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. It is said to be one of his most popular plays, possibly due to the potential liberality of its interpretation. In contrast to the discipline of his historical works, this play is an amalgam of five interwoven storylines that can become somewhat confusing.

Do your dreams confuse you? Do you ever have the type of dream that, when you awake, you regret that what you have seen is not true? What provoked those delightful images that now cannot be recaptured? On the other hand, what about those nightmares where waking up comes as a blessed relief, an escape from an horrific experience?

It is said that we cannot control our dreams, but is that true? Increasingly, psychologists are finding that there are ways of influencing our dreams; the most significant factor being those things that occupy our minds before we sleep.^[1] Do you like to catch a midnight movie? What you see may linger subconsciously and reappear in your dreams. Are you suffering from sleeplessness? An online sermon would be a better cure for insomnia.

Dreams feature in Matthew’s account of the nativity. Had the Magi sensed something in Herod’s attitude that was preying on their minds? Had Joseph heard something through the grapevine that was causing him to worry about his family? Be that as it may, it is clear that God used those dreams to to instruct the Magi and Joseph about their next moves.

Dreams are much more prevalent in the Old Testament rather than the New. On Sunday morning we were reminded about Joseph and Daniel who are two examples of men who were familiar with God-given dreams, both their own and those of other people. To what extent can we treat dreams as messages from God? We now have many more resources including the written Bible, the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the accumulated experience of the wider Christian community. How do our dreams measure up against them? Has the age of prophetic dreams passed?

Our minds are often so preoccupied with the busy-ness of day-to-day living that God can’t get through. Do we make time and space for him? Maybe we need a wake-up call.

In Genesis we read of how Isaac went out during the evening into a quiet place to meditate. For him it resulted in a dream come true.^[2] For us, it is an example that we would do well to emulate.

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Resources:
[1] https://www.wikihow.com/Influence-Your-Dreams
[2] Genesis 24 v63-67

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

~~~~~~~~~
Horley Baptist Church online
HBC main site
Confidential prayer link

Link to Recent Reflections

Link to Index of Bible Passages

Last week’s reflection: The Need To Know
 

[This reflection by Dazz Jones was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 25/Jun/2023]

We are created for community, and friendship is a wonderful privilege that we enjoy with other people.

I am amazed at the way that sharing my own struggles has drawn the relationships I have with people tighter to me. So many of us struggle and fight things alone, we are dealing with things that we don’t want to tell everyone about, that we’re not sure if we can share. If you have a struggle you working with at the moment I urge you to share it with someone, someone who can listen to you and will not try and fix it for you but will hear you and empathise with you.

The Bible reminds us of the value and importance of friendship. In Proverbs 17:17, we read, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity”. True friends are there for us through the highs and lows, offering a listening ear, a comforting presence, and perhaps a helping hand. They walk beside us, sharing in our joys and providing a shoulder to lean on in times of sorrow. Through their love and support, they reflect the unconditional love of Jesus in our lives.

Friendship also plays a role in our spiritual growth. Proverbs 27:17 states, “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another”. When we surround ourselves with godly friends, they encourage us in our faith journey, challenging us to become better versions of ourselves, and pushing us towards becoming Christlike (or at least trying to!). They help us stay accountable to our beliefs, reminding us of God’s truth when we are tempted to do our own thing. Together, we can study the Word, pray, and worship Jesus, deepening our understanding of God’s love and purpose for our lives.

Jesus Himself modelled the essence of true friendship during His time on Earth. He chose twelve disciples, not merely as followers, but as companions and friends. He shared meals with them, taught them, and walked alongside them. In John 15:13, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”. He demonstrated this love by giving His life on the cross for us, showing the ultimate sacrifice and commitment that true friendship entails.

As a church community, we have an opportunity to foster a culture of friendship and inclusion. We can create spaces for fellowship, like our small groups, where people can connect, share their lives, and build meaningful relationships. We can reach out to those who may be lonely or new to the faith, extending the love of Christ and inviting them into the family of believers.

It was such a joy to come together at the church weekend recently, I felt a real joy being part of the team who’d planned it and so pleased to see everyone enjoy themselves as we prayed they would! Thank God for Horley Baptist Church.

Let us remember that friendship is a gift from God, and it is a gift we can give to others. As we embrace the gift of friendship, we experience the joy of belonging, the comfort of companionship, and encouragement in spiritual growth. May we value and pursue the friendships God has placed in our lives, and may we, in turn, be faithful and loving friends to those around us.

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Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

~~~~~~~~~
Horley Baptist Church online
HBC main site
Confidential prayer link

Link to Recent Reflections
.
Link to Index of Bible Passages
 
Last week’s reflection: Who Is Your Best Friend? by Michael Goble
 

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during June 2023]

Do you ever get the feeling that maybe you are not getting the whole story? It’s not that you are being lied to or deliberately misled; rather that something doesn’t quite add-up in what you have heard. Maybe it’s simply that what you thought you heard was not what I thought I said. Somewhere along the line of communication some part of the context of the message got lost.

Here is an example. I used to work as a traffic analyst in London and part of my analysis showed that “buses moved 17% faster in those bus lanes that were being actively enforced”. A subsequent press notice reported that “bus journeys are now 17% quicker”. The figure was accurate but the statement no longer reflected the correct context. Were those writing the press report aware of the limitations of the full context or was it a case of ‘why let the truth get in the way of a good story?’^[1]

To what extent is partial truth still truth? In American crime movies witnesses swear to ‘tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth’. Obviously, those legislators who originally drafted that requirement decided that the context is an essential part of a true account of events.

Is it the same in some of the Bible accounts? As Christians we believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, delivered by the Holy Spirit through the medium of accurate writers and diligent translators. Yet, do we think that there are bits missing, that there are aspects that appear to not add up?

In the account of the woman at the well in Samaria,^[2] we infer certain aspects of her lifestyle from her solitary visit to the well and her relationships history, but this is at odds with the enthusiastic way in which her neighbours received her report about her encounter with Jesus. Surely, if the image that we have of her is true then her story would have been dismissed as just the start of yet another ‘fling’.

One reason why Bible stories can be short on detail is that some things can be taken as read. Certain aspects of every-day life in Bible times would not need to be spelt out – the original readers would be familiar with the details of family relationships, daily life and religious practices. The implications of a solitary woman drawing water at midday would not have been lost on them but neither would the significance of the location, close to where Jacob was buried.^[3] Societies change, languages evolve; living in a different culture means that we might miss out on the full context or overlook the significance of some of the details.

Do the gaps in the Bible accounts mean that it is only a partial truth? Are we tempted to speculate about what might have been omitted? For example, we are not told how the Jewish disciples felt about having to stay two days in a Samaritan town. Did they rejoice about the success of a new outreach or did habitual perceptions of a strained relationship persist?

Towards the end of his gospel the apostle John explained that not everything that Jesus did had been recorded and surely the reason that he gives is valid for all scripture:

… but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20 v31 [NKJV]

Are you tempted to read between the lines or even add a few lines of your own? Surely the simplicity of John’s statement provides all we need to know.

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Resources:
[1] Mark Twain, after satirist Jonathan Swift
[2] John 4 v1-42
[3] Joshua 24 v32

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

~~~~~~~~~
Horley Baptist Church online
HBC main site
Confidential prayer link

Link to Recent Reflections

Link to Index of Bible Passages

Last week’s reflection: It Ain’t Half Hot, Mum
 

[This reflection by Michael Goble was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 18/Jun/2023]

What a blessed and successful CHURCH WEEKEND AT HOME we celebrated together. A big thank you to all those who planned, organised and supported that fulfilling time. Also we are so grateful to Andy Hickford as he encouraged us to see Jesus in a new light, to understand more of what the gospel means, and how to show to others in our individual lives what it means to be a Christian, so that they too may want to believe in Jesus as their Saviour.

I like the song we sang on Sunday, “I am a friend of God”. It is amazing that our all powerful, creator God is so loving that He can even think of us, let alone hear us when we call out to Him. A much earlier song starts off with the same thought.

“What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!”

We can go back even earlier for examples of God’s friendship. More than 3,000 years ago God spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks with his friend (Exodus 33:11). We are told by Isaiah that God thought of Abraham about 4000 years ago as His friend (Isa 41:8). It really is amazing that after all this time God can think of us too as friends.

There was one story I liked that Andy told us right at the beginning of the weekend, about his friend who spoke at a meeting of ministers. The friend kept giving examples of how the gospel writer John knew Jesus better than anyone else until it became almost boring. His friend then read from Revelation 1 how Jesus appeared to John when he was about 90 years old. This is how Jesus appeared to him.

He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead.
Revelation 1 v13-17 [NLT]

Andy’s friend walked out after he read these words but he didn’t need to add anything more. John was the best friend of Jesus amongst the disciples and yet he didn’t really know Him until he saw his risen friend, Jesus, in all His glory.

If we were to see Jesus today as the glorious almighty Creator God and Saviour, we would fall down too like John as we are at present in our sinful though forgiven nature. How comforting that Jesus laid His right hand on John and said,

Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look – I am alive forever and ever! Revelation 1 v17-18 [NLT]

Let’s go through life now believing in Jesus as our friend and saviour, until the time we are with Him and our salvation is completed. Then we shall truly know Him as our best friend ever.

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Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

~~~~~~~~~
Horley Baptist Church online
HBC main site
Confidential prayer link

Link to Recent Reflections
.
Link to Index of Bible Passages
 
Last week’s reflection: Coincidences? by David Makanjuola
 

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during June 2023]

I was reminded recently of the old music-hall song “Whispering Grass”; the lyrics bemoan the way in which the grass was gossiping to the trees, divulging information that the trees did not need to know. The song was a success for several singers; one of the more memorable versions was that sung by Windsor Davies and Don Estelle, reprising their characters from “It Ain’t Half Hot, Mum” and earning them a No 1 hit in the UK charts.

Those of a certain age and with a certain taste in television will recall the scenario of “It Ain’t Half Hot, Mum”; the sit-com depicted the exploits of a British army concert party posted to a location in India towards the end of the Second World War. The series ran for 56 episodes between January 1974 and September 1981 and achieved a peak audience of 17 million viewers. The programme itself is no longer considered to be politically correct but the song lives on.

‘It Ain’t Half Hot, Mum’ – these could well have been the last words uttered by one of Daniel’s three friends in Babylon. The three friends had refused to bow down to an idol and continued to worship God in the way that he required and, having incurred the wrath of the king, they were about to be cast into a fiery furnace. God honoured their stance and it was the authorities who ended up feeling the heat.

Is it no longer politically correct to be up-front about our worship of God? How can we “Go, Tell the World” if we are more willing to talk about our hobbies rather than our faith? We can rely on God but can God rely on us?

In Leviticus we read of the fate of two of Aaron’s sons. Although they were sons of the High Priest and were priests themselves, they tried to worship God in a way that they thought best, and things got a bit too hot for them.[2]

Worship is more than singing a few songs at a particular point in a church service – our whole lived are meant to be lived as an act of worship to God. To what extent is our worship inspired by the Holy Spirit? Is what we do outside the church walls still pleasing to God?

In Revelation we read about the church in Laodicea which was accused of being only half hot. A presumption that it was doing well masked a spiritual poverty and brought it to the verge of rejection. Its lukewarm indifference invoked a severe rebuke from the one that they purported to serve.[3] However, the rebuke was delivered with a prospect of spiritual renewal.

In Leviticus we saw that God is holy; in Daniel, he overruled a natural outcome and in Revelation he demonstrates love and restitution. A trinity of holiness, power and love. Surely that is something that the trees (and the rest of us) do need to know.

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Resources:
[1] Daniel 3 v22
[2] Leviticus 10 v2
[3] Revelation 3 v17

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

~~~~~~~~~
Horley Baptist Church online
HBC main site
Confidential prayer link

Link to Recent Reflections

Link to Index of Bible Passages

Last week’s reflection: D-Day
 

[This reflection by David Makanjuola was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 11/Jun/2023]

I was at work, up on the 6th floor and needed to head back to the offices, which meant going down to the ground floor. I could have walked down the stairs – much more fun than going up them, but I thought, no need to burn off calories pointlessly, so I decided to go down in the lift instead.

As I stepped out on the ground floor, I noticed an elderly Asian lady who looked a bit worried. I asked her whether I could help. She was not fluent, but I was able to make out, as she showed me the paper in her hand, that she was trying to get to one of the departments and couldn’t find it. She was stressed as she was about to be late for her appointment. I took her back up in the lift to the second floor, walked her to the department and when she said a relieved thank you, it sounded very fluent.

I walked away pondering, with questions like ‘What if I’d taken the stairs?’. ‘What if I had decided to stop at the first floor instead of the ground floor?’ ‘What if…….?’

If you think that was a ‘one off’, I don’t, because a similar thing happened to me again this morning and I am sure it’s not just me that it happens to.

When these ‘What if’ moments happen, we call them coincidences. You will however have heard that coincidences are sometimes called ‘God incidences’.

We are currently doing a preaching series at church on what is termed our Front lines. I am particularly excited about this, as it helps us take God along with us from Sunday into Monday and all the days of the week.

So, this week, when you find yourself in situations where you realise God has guided your footsteps there for a reason, I would like to ask you to trust Him to give you His wisdom and His grace, so that your words and your actions will prove to be a channel for His blessings to the people you meet. The great thing about those ‘What if’ instances, I have found, is that you are also blessed by them.

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Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

~~~~~~~~~
Horley Baptist Church online
HBC main site
Confidential prayer link

Link to Recent Reflections
.
Link to Index of Bible Passages
 
Last week’s reflection: Between a Rock and a Hard Place? by Dennis Ginter