Clowne Christadelphian Ecclesia
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Does God Still Help?
January 2025
​Some who have faced difficult or life-threatening situations have said afterwards, “I’m not religious, but I prayed!”. Then they got on with their lives, and that was that. They never considered that their prayer may have been answered. Is prayer irrelevant when things are going well?
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The book of Psalms is full of prayers. Some are cries for help, but others are expressions of joy and gratitude. Probably the most famous is “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want”. (Psalm 23). The writer feels thankful that God is caring for him as a shepherd does for his sheep. At the end of the psalm, he looks forward to dwelling in God’s house forever.
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It is a beautiful expression of his trust in God, but it also shows us how to think beyond everyday things. Whether or not we pray regularly, God is there. Over and over again, the Bible tells us about His wonderful compassion for those who pray to Him. If we are praying to God, we need to know about Him. He has given us the Bible to introduce Himself and to explain where we fit into His plan for the earth. Psalm 23 is right in the middle of this amazing book. There are histories of ordinary people, a very truthful record of people who made mistakes, who tried to do the right thing, who were selfish and greedy, who were at rock bottom in their lives, who were beside themselves with joy. Any emotion we have ever experienced is there in the pages of God’s message to us. He knows about us; He wants us to know about Him.
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The start of a New Year can be a good time to start a new habit and resolve to read the Bible and to pray for God's help.
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The Bible can seem difficult to understand, but we can help each other. On this website, there are various offers of help, including reading planners and the opportunity to meet with others who want to learn about God. We live in uncertain times. What a comfort it is to know that help is at hand.
Bible Hour on Sundays at 5pm at the Christadelphian Hall, Creswell Road, Clowne, S43 4LS. See the 'Whats On' page.
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To read the Bible message for yourself click below for an Online Bible Reading Planner - designed to help you read a chapter a day at your own pace. The plan includes summary points, questions and information to help you.
Get Ready
December 2024
If you’re preparing for an event, how do you begin? Maybe you write lists. At this time of year, that might be particularly relevant! The more important it is to you, the more time and commitment you will put in beforehand.
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Looking ahead is something we all do to some extent. Perhaps we feel nostalgic about childhood, when we just lived in the moment and the responsibility fell on other shoulders.
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Jesus told his disciples to plan ahead, but he also told them not to worry about the future, because God would care for them.
He likened the kingdom of God to a wedding feast or a banquet which God has prepared. He wants us to be there, but we are not forced to attend. In one of the parables (Luke 14), he described a man who gave a great banquet and sent out invitations, but those he invited made excuses because they were busy with other things. So he sent his servants to bring in people who would not have expected an invitation. He was warning people who felt entitled to enter God’s kingdom that they must focus on the right things. In Luke 12:35 & 36, he told his disciples, “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning and be like men who are waiting for their masters to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.”
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The health and wellbeing of family might be topmost in our thoughts. Or perhaps it’s financial security. God asks us to look forward to His kingdom and get ready for it and He will care for us. “Seek his kingdom and these things will be added to you.”, said Jesus (Luke 12:31).
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Events in the nations tell us that the kingdom of God could come very soon. We are asked to watch and be ready. The suffering we see in the news is distressing and it’s exactly what Jesus said would happen in Luke 21:25 ”…distress of nations in perplexity” is how he put it. V27 “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory”. So let’s get ready!
Someone Worth Following
November 2024
Having followers is something we associate with social media nowadays. Celebrities vie for the top spot in the “most followed” lists. Perhaps you follow some of them yourself. Does it give you an insight into their lives and personalities? The trouble with social media is that people present themselves as they want to be seen, which is not necessarily the true picture.
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Over 2000 years ago, Jesus said, “Follow me” to people he chose. What did he mean by that? He wasn’t collecting “likes” or trying to compete with celebrities. He wanted to change their lives for the better. He was not interested in gaining power and status. In fact, there were times when he avoided being with crowds of people who wanted to make him king right there and then.
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Jesus was doing what his Father had sent him to do; he spent three and a half years teaching people about the Kingdom of God, then he was cruelly killed. If that was the end of it, there would be no followers of Jesus now. Eye witnesses were willing to risk their lives by telling others that Jesus had risen from the dead, and the people who believed their message were just as committed. The four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, give accounts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. But that isn’t where they stop. Jesus had been telling people that one day he would return as King. At the end of Luke’s gospel, Jesus explains to his disciples that the Old Testament had foretold the work he would do, hundreds of years before he was born in Bethlehem. “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem”. (Luke 24:46-47). It was the start of something that is still in existence today.
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People still follow Jesus, and they are still looking towards the day when he will return to the earth as King. The world is in turmoil and as Jesus warned in Luke 21 v26, people are full of foreboding about what is coming on the world. No wonder!
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Thankfully it doesn’t end there either. The kingdom of God is near and, in the time we have left, we need to follow Jesus even more closely. The distress of nations we are seeing is a sign that he will soon be back on earth, not to suffer, but to bring justice and peace. It won’t happen instantly, because not everybody will welcome him. But for those who are looking for his return, there will be great joy. Following Jesus and watching for his return is the best thing we can do in these dark days. It will lead to a life filled with purpose as the world is finally put to rights.
Training for Life
October 2024
Those of us who watched the Olympics saw athletes who had trained for years to reach their level of expertise. The French swimmer Florent Manadou put it like this: “It’s not about being the best. It’s about being better than you were yesterday”.
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The Bible says: “…Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus…”(Hebrews 12:1)
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We can be our own worst enemies, clinging to behaviour and attitudes that drag us down, but Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34). Jesus wants us to follow his example. His life was a hard one and he was totally focused on doing the work that his Father had given him. Instead of pleasing ourselves, he asks us to think about the way God wants us to be.
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“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11).
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Athletes have their hearts set on winning medals in the future. To achieve this, they often have to get up early, sacrifice leisure time and stick to strict diets.
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Jesus trusted in God and this gave him strength to endure the difficulties and challenges that he encountered in life. For followers of Jesus, the goal is not a medal, but something much more precious – eternal life in the kingdom of God. In a race, it would be a shame to run in the wrong direction or to give up before the finishing line. God has given us the Bible to tell us what to aim for and how to get there.
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If you would like to know more, we can offer you a Bible Reading Planner or distance learning course. We would love to welcome you to Bible talks at 5pm every Sunday at our meeting room on Creswell Road.
Changing the World
September 2024
Many people would like to change the world. For example, the United Nations are working towards “peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet”. Few people would disagree with the idea; it would improve life for everyone. Since 1945, when the UN was formed, there have been many changes in the world, but are we any closer to achieving those aims?
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Political leaders are elected on the basis of the promises they made during the election campaign. Whether or not they can deliver is always under discussion. Do you believe that politicians can find answers to the problems we are facing in today’s world?
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Psalm 146: 3-4 says, “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.”
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Part of the reason that the same mistakes are repeated over and over is that we are mortal. Perhaps we have tried to advise a young person not to follow a particular course of action because it’s a mistake we made at their age. More often than not, they end up learning as we did, by hard experience! We are not on this earth long enough for everyone to learn from their mistakes and do things differently. Even if we were, would it actually happen? Some leaders genuinely want to improve things, but others are power-hungry and manipulative.
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Psalm 146 goes on to describe a leader: “who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.”
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This “leader” made heaven and earth. The psalm describes how he sets the prisoners free, opens the eyes of the blind, lifts up those who are bowed down, loves the righteous, watches over the sojourners, upholds the widow and the fatherless, “but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin”.
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We have not seen these things happen in today’s world. Not yet. But this is God’s plan for the future, and it could be our future if we put our trust in Him.​
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