Well, it was great to see many of you again last week at the session with Andrea Minichiello-Williams at The Quality Hotel in Dudley again. Listen below to the audio from the event.

I realise that Christian campaigning can be a distraction from our central role of proclaiming the gospel but I would like to draw your attention to the KONY 2012 campaign.  It is a global campaign which began on the back of a You Tube video which is to highlight the war crimes of Joseph Kony – the world’s worst war criminal (according to The Hague). As a church we have produced a number of postcards and are encouraging people to post them to the PM and to watch the docu-film on You Tube.  If you would like to be involved please feel free to use the postcard we have designed – though we would advise you place your church’s name on there as they are an ingenious little way of engaging in outreach with those in your local community. Rev Steve Karma. Ebenezer Church. Langley High Street. 0121 552 9416

Saltmine Theatre Company is delighted to announce that that their anti-trafficking production Love Struck will premiere at Calvary Church Kingswinford on Saturday 5th May at 7.30pm.

Love Struck is the story of 19 doors opening to unravel 19 different lives. Behind the closed doors in one community we watch the lives of ordinary people unfold – their dreams for the future, their hopes of the past, and a life of choice and chance.

But look long enough and you will find there is more to them than meets the eye. Veracity and deceit run parallel together like houses on a street. Promises and reality smash together. And the pursuit for truth begins. Now it’s time to shine a light on them. One community. 19 people. A life of choice and chance. Brought to you by Stop The Traffik and Saltmine Theatre Company, Love Struck is a new play about trafficking – a crime that is taking place in our communities. Tickets are £6, and can be booked by calling 01384 401228 or by emailing helpdesk@calvarychurch.org.uk.

Just here with some info regarding the Renewal Weekend and more importantly two prayer evenings prior to the event which we are calling “West Midlands Worshippers United!” I’m hoping that you have the dates for the next Birmingham Renewal in your diary – Friday 15 & Saturday 16 June 2012 – to be held at Birmingham Christian Centre. In advance and by way of preparation, we’d also like to invite you as a worship leader to gather for two evenings of prayer, worship, and encouragement and to prepare this City for the Renewal Weekend. We have booked Birmingham Christian Centre on Wednesday 2 May and Wednesday 30 May 7:00pm.

Bishop Clive will be opening the day and The Revd John Howard, Methodist Chair of the Wolverhampton & Shrewsbury District, will be bringing the event to a close. In between throughout the day a range of local and national speakers including Andrew Roberts, National Director of Training for Fresh Expressions, will deliver bite sized sessions. The day is free of charge and delegates are asked to bring a packed lunch.

Made by the studios that brought you ‘Fireproof’ it is centred on four police officers and how they handle personal tragedy. Being shown for the second time in ACC as the reaction to the first showing was unprecedented, with many people asking to see the film again. Several people had already seen this film once before ACC screened it; but even they asked immediately – “when can we see it again – for the third time!”
It is being shown on Sunday 13th May 2012 at 6pm with tickets at just £5 each. This event is being used also to raise much needed support for two missionaries in Kenya, but to make it available to as many people as we can if you buy two tickets at £5 then the third ticket is free. Doors will open at 5.30pm and refreshments will be available from 5.45pm; and are included in your ticket price. Call John Whitehouse on 01383 370365 to book you ticket now.

We run weekend retreats with outstanding feedback! “ A real treat of a retreat!” “Definitely a contender for the best holiday…ever!” Our June and July weekends are filling up fast but we have spaces left on our retreat in Staffordshire 5-7th May. We are also offering: Buy One place and get One Half Price! www.fit-fish.co.uk/weekends

The Black Country Food Bank continues to grow in terms of numbers of people fed. Alarmingly many schools, both primary and secondary, have been contacting them for help to feed families. Child poverty just will not go away.
“Dudley Primary Care Trust have very kindly agreed to fund a large chiller room for our storehouse so that we can accept donations of perishable goods (fruit, vegetables, dairy, bread, etc) and then be able to give those, as well as the regular non-perishables, to the people we feed. The hope is that we will be able to encourage and facilitate a healthier eating lifestyle for these most vulnerable of our communities. To carry out this valuable work we will also need a refrigerated van to enable us to safely collect and deliver these fresh goods.

At last, the Black Country Food bank’s clothing ministry Lydia’s House is open – Wed & Thur, 10:00 ‘til 1:00 at Little Cornbow, Halesowen (opposite the swimming pool entrance). Service users with a compliment slip can access – clothing, bedding, towels, curtains, work wear, school uniform – and just as with our Foodbank service, there is no charge! All we ask is that you as an agency, department or community group try to contribute to the ‘bank’ as everything we give away has been donated by the Black Country Community. Now for the really important bit, on a compliment slip, letterhead or the reverse of a Lydia’s House flyer from yourselves, you’ll need to tell us – who we’re helping, how many need goods and our wonderful team will do the rest!” Wendy Fryatt.

At Loaves and Fishes – they have moved the clothing centre to the top of the High Street in Blackheath, Rowley Regis, above the Conservative Club.
 
“As you know we give all our goods away for free which makes us the only place in Sandwell that does. People come from everywhere to receive clothing, not just the local area but as far as Dudley, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Walsall etc, mainly those who cannot afford to go into the charity shops. We cater to all who have a genuine need, our main visitors last year were women and children fleeing domestic violence and those with  no recourse to public funds which mean they are not entitled to a benefit in this country making it really difficult to get the things they need for themselves and their families, mainly Romanian, Polish, and African.
 
This year we have seen an increase with a lot of men in their forty’s, broken from what life has dished out, but so ready to receive what we have in the way of provision. We believe the Lord brings through the doors who he wants and very often, when you hear their story, you realise why Jesus said “do not forget the poor “…will you help us?
We need volunteers on a Monday, Wednesday or a Thursday 9.30 till 3.30. We need Christians on board and we are trusting the Lord will provide them … do you share the same heart, to help the poor…Can you volunteer for any of those days?”

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ (Col 2:8).

Here Paul is talking to believers who were part of the church in the City of Colossae. Paul writes this letter because he is worried about them being led astray by heresy. I wonder which of our congregations would Paul feel a need to write to in the Black Country or in 21st century England? Which of us are vulnerable to heresy? Not us I hear you say!…..Well I wonder?

This verse lifted from chapter two suggests that it is possible for many believers to be held captive even after professing to know Jesus. The verse suggests spiritual imprisonment. Jesus Himself said you shall know the truth and truth will set you free. He was of course talking about Himself. So it depends on the Jesus that we profess to know whether we are indeed free or held captive. By this I mean, that it is possible for us to all have slightly different perceptions of who Jesus is. In fact Jesus addresses this issue with His own disciples, He asks them a question…Who do men say that I am? (Matthew 16) The result is that many see Him in different ways; He is different things to different people. This is not a shock to Jesus; His real identity was hidden and only visible for those who He had chosen to see it. People gave Jesus an identity that was not His real identity. We too have the potential to make Jesus into the person we want Him to be, we give Him an identity that is truly not His. So let me ask you this question…Who do you say that Jesus is? In this passage only Peter understood His real identity, others believed in an identity they had created for Him, a Jesus that made sense to them.

The church in Colossae is warned about four things that can result in them being held captive, things that will distort the real identity Jesus. So what are the four sources that form our perspective of Jesus, that shape what we believe? The first is philosophy – those ideas that we have – a view that is shaped by ideas. The second is empty deception – a lie that we believe that is in fact unsubstantiated and is empty! Thirdly, human tradition – ways we have been brought up with, that we accept without question and fourthly, basic principles of the world – In others words, our understanding is shaped by our culture and world system.

So what is shaping your view of Jesus or the things of the Kingdom? What are your ideas? Does human tradition play a part in your understanding of who He is? Are you held captive by a lie? Does the way the world think shape your view of Jesus?

I often find when I ask someone why they believe what they believe they don’t know! “This is what we have always been taught” they say, “so I believed it”……umm! This strikes me as human tradition. Is our revelation of Jesus based on the work of the Holy Spirit or is our revelation of Jesus based on a set of ideas, a set of spiritual ideals or a convincing argument that someone has shared with me?….umm. This strikes me as philosophy!

Let me give you a practical example! I recently had a conversation with someone where we had a chat about worship in the context of our church service. We talked about the belief that chains are broken as we worship. Is this true? Is this biblical or is it an example of ‘ human tradition’ passed down through our congregations or a ‘philosophy’ an idea’ someone talked about and I have believed? Or, at worst is it an empty deception? The bible tells us that it is the blood of Jesus that breaks the power of sin, singing does not break chains! Dare we attribute something to an act that we perform the same power as the blood of Jesus? It is my conviction that in believing that singing breaks chains we misunderstand and at worst devalue the person and work of Jesus Christ. You may say splitting hairs…I think not.

God help us to see Jesus clearly, to have an untainted revelation of Him, for when we know Him we will indeed be set free. Amen! Adrian Lowe.