Christ Church Selly Park

Growing as disciples

Allan Bartlam | Ephesians 4:11-16 | Colossians 2:6-7 

Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

As humans, we start life as babies and grow up through childhood and become adults more or less automatically. As Allan explains, spiritual growth as Christians takes a bit more effort. He describes some of the steps we can take to halp make it happen, even as God works within us as we remain rooted in Christ.

The recording begins with the reading from Pat Clayton.

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube. This includes the photos Allan refers to in his talk.

Making new disciples

Ben Green | Matthew 28.16-20 

Jesus came to [the eleven disciples] and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’

The first part of the Christ Church mission statement is "making disciples", following the command that Jesus gave to the apostles. And, says Ben, it is one of the hardest things for us to do. He explains what it means to "make" or become a disciple, why we should do it and some principles to follow as we go about it.

The recording begins with a short introduction from Ben, and continues with the reading from Susan Haynes.

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube. You might also want to watch the video recording from the previous Sunday, when the Disciples of Jesus series was introduced. Most of the service material was visual and can't be presented in this podcast.

The journey on

John Lanchbury | 2 Kings 6:15-17 | Matthew 28:16-20 

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. ‘Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?’ the servant asked. ‘Don't be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all round Elisha.

To human eyes, there seemed no way out for Elisha and his servant: a city besieged. Although we too may face hard battles, the reality is that God is with us through every trial. And Jesus promises to be with us as we carry out the Great Commission: ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’ John reminds us that we don't carry out this task as individuals, but as part of a worldwide body of believers. Each of us has our part to play, at the right time and place.

The recording begins with the readings from James Williams.

An edited video recording of the Sunday service (which contains some material that can't be included in the audio) can be viewed on YouTube.

Messenger of the gospel

Graham Romp | 1 Peter 3:15-16 

In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

The sixth 'M' in our series Fruitfulness on the front line is different from all the others, says Graham. The world as a whole does not value proclaiming the gospel, and it is also something that most of us find especially difficult. Graham explains how we can make personal evangelism part of our everyday fruitful lives rather than an ill-fitting extra.

The recording begins with the reading from Dave Lucking.

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube.

Mouthpiece for truth and justice

Chris Turner | 2 Samuel 12:1-13 

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!’

Very few of us will ever find ourselves in the same situation as the prophet Nathan, who at God's command confronted the king and denounced him as a murderer. Yet, says Chris, all of us have a part to play in standing up for justice and truth in a world that often does not want to hear this message. God give us the wisdom to know when and how to speak, as he did to Nathan.

The recording begins with Bobbie Frere reading a message received from Kenya following her recent vist, with Peter, to our partners there. Then John Davies continues with the reading. After Chris' talk Susan Haynes concludes with a time of prayer. 

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube.

Moulding culture

Nigel Hand | Matthew 5:13-16 

[Jesus said,] ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.’

‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’

Our former vicar Nigel returns with a powerful challenge to be not just admirers of Jesus, but disciples. In our everyday lives and more widely, Jesus calls us to live according to his teaching and to be distinct from the world while still being in it.

The recording begins with the reading from Alison Cooper and ends with a prayer from Bobbie Frere.

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube.

Give thanks

Dan Parnell | Deuteronomy 8:7-18 

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

For those of us who get our food from cans, packets and takeaways it is all too easy to forget that God is the ultimate source of all that we have to eat and enjoy. Through the reading, drama and Dan Parnell's talk we were reminded in this Explore service to get the right perspective and to give thanks to God.

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube.

Ministering grace and love

Susan Haynes | Luke 10:25-37 

Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.’

As the story proceeds, we learn that the Samaritan - a member of a race traditionally hated by the Jews - tends the man's wounds and then goes to extra lengths to ensure that he is cared for. This would have shocked Jesus' listeners, but as Susan explains, the challenge is for all of us to display relentless kindness even to those we don't get on with. Small acts can make a big difference.

The recording begins with the reading from Pat Clayton.

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube.

Making good work

Ben Green | Colossians 3:22-4:1 

Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Work of some sort, whether paid or unpaid, is a fact of life for just about all of us. Since we live in a broken world, how can we restore the true God-given nature of work? Ben addresses this question in this short talk. During the service there was additional teaching in a video, produced by the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, which we can't include here for copyright reasons. A summary is included below.

The recording begins with the reading from Simon Jones.

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube.

Teaching video summary:

Mark Greene, who devised the series we are following, asked why the things we do from day to day matter to God?

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as for the Lord... it is the Lord Christ you are serving“.

Our everyday actions (all of them!) matter because we are doing them for God. If we do something for someone we love, we do it enthusiastically, carefully, as well as we can. If it‘s for God, we also do it worshipfully, for his glory.

Keith is a decorator who, when he first started out, just did it as a job to earn money. A car crash made him rethink his priorities and he decided to earn so that he could give a lot away to the church and other charities.

Only later did Keith realise that his work enabled others to live the lives they were meant to lead. He helped people who could not maintain their own properties. He served God by serving people and improving their lives.

Work is a gift by which we can serve God. Everything can be done in a way which benefits others: stacking goods on shelves so that the labels face outwards, emptying bins in a way that leaves the place tidy, designing computers so that they are easy and pleasant to use.

In the Genesis account of creation, humans are created only when there is a garden for them to look after. A loving God created the context for human flourishing through purposeful work.

The Fall meant that work would become a lot harder, with frustrations and disappointment, but its original purpose survives. Christ died to begin the restoration of whole universe. We participate in this through our daily activities.

You don't have to be a Christian to do a beautiful job. But we seek to consciously do whatever we do for Jesus. Let‘s pray that he will use our work to bless others.

Psalm 90:17 - may God establish the work of our hands.

Modelling godly character

Peter Frere | Galatians 5:13-26 

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

These are qualities that we all want, but how do we make them grow? How can we be free of the desires that get in the way and lead us to behave in contrary ways? As Peter explains, these are fruit of the Holy Spirit, that only his working in us can produce - but we have an essential part to play in the process.

The recording begins with a report from Alison Cooper and Phil Banting on their visit to Bolivia as part of a team from Birmingham in August 2023. Then we hear from Bobbie and Peter Frere as they look ahead to renewing our links with Kenya in the following few weeks. This is followed by the reading from Dilys Garrod.

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube.