Sunday Worship - Sunday 31st May

Good Morning! Welcome to this mornings CTS service.

Click below on the red play button to start the video. You can also find the service on YouTube here if it isn’t working on the blog.

You may need to be patient as the video is a very large file and may take a little while to load.

Below the video you will find a message from Nigel Adams from Hope Nottingham

Please note I will be putting together our Lord's prayer video for next weeks service - so if you could get your video to me before Wednesday lunch time I will add you into the video. The version is one that we've always used in Kids church which was why it was chosen, and we realised a little late that the audio is fast, but if you could do your best to read along, it'll hopefully make for a great video.

The version used is:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours

now and for ever.

Amen.

God Bless x

Message - Nigel Adams

Good morning, my name is Nigel Adams and I’m the director of Hope Nottingham

It’s very good to share with you today and in unusual circumstances and I'm preaching from Acts chapter 2 which I think you have heard read for you already.

It’s a challenging passage, particularly in these times. But I want to look at Peter who is a fascinating character.

On the day of Pentecost, he’s s like a different person from the one that followed Jesus around beforehand.

Peter was always putting his foot in it - he was always embarrassing himself. Here is on the day of Pentecost speaking boldly confidently. But previously he was rash, he was clumsy, and he would be the first one to jump out of the boat and get onto the water and start walking and then lose his nerve.

When he was with the other disciples on the mountain top where Jesus was transfigured with Moses and Elijah, Peter blurts out that he wants to build tents for them, and Peter was of course the one that denied Jesus

But Peter did do what he was told when Jesus came to ascend to heaven.

Jesus told Peter and the others to wait, to wait until they had received the Holy Spirit and he did that and he received and was filled with the Holy Spirit and he’s a new man, and he goes out boldly proclaims the good news, no longer holding back, no denial, just a bold proclamation and he speaks in a way that everybody can understand, he spoke in tongues, he spoke of the good news of the coming Kingdom. The kingdom that was coming then and would be fulfilled when Jesus returns.

He talked about how young and old would prophesy. And we know that after this time Peter and the other side disciples performed many miracles. So, there were signs and wonders as well as the word pointing to the Kingdom of God. And that Good News he spoke about, that would be fulfilled when Jesus returned.

As I said, before hand, Peter was confused he was sometimes fearful, sometimes over enthusiastic unreliable, but it was the Holy Spirit that made the difference.

And today, the same is still true. We can try and serve God in our own strength or we can wait and be filled with the Holy Spirit so that we don't do things in our own strength, but Gods. And by that, I don't mean wait around for days or months or whatever until we receive the Holy Spirit. I think if we're Christians, if we are following Jesus, we all hope we've received his Holy Spirit already, but we need to constantly come back and be refreshed.

I think for me, I think that means having a rhythm of prayer in our lives where we a little bit of time each day, perhaps a longer time each week, a longer time again each month. For myself, up that means a quiet time in the morning, obviously worship on Sunday with others we can, and for me once a month to month normally I get out and about and spend a day with God, to come into His presence and be instantly refreshed by the Holy Spirit.

And again I think having that rhythm in our lives is what we need, so we're not just constantly active, but spend time waiting upon God and it's the Holy Spirit then that that transforms what we offered to God and so what we're able to offer to the world as well.

The Holy Spirit comes to us if we have that rhythm of prayer and that the Holy Spirit enables us, like Peter, He can enable us to speak and act boldly.

And I think in our present time it is essential that we do speak and act boldly both together just as then Jesus didn't just speak, He didn't just act. His actions and His words went together,

The disciple Peter was the same. If we speak without acting, then we have nothing to show because we have no authority to show for our words. If we act without speaking, then how do people figure out that our actions are inspired and enabled by God - we need both. And at this present time, actually at this present time, with the work we’re doing with Hope Nottingham, it’s an extraordinary time, that will take more than a few minutes to explain what’s been going on, but we have this amazing position to be working in unity with so many churches so many different organisations serving so many people, from there involved in providing the leadership and coordination at the food provision right across the city. But this is only possible because of the Holy Spirit.

And I really want to emphasise that what we've been able to achieve at Hope Nottingham is because the Holy Spirit has enabled it. We can take no credit. It’s God at work in us and at the same time as being able to do these things we're able to put our message out there as well.

But we do this in the name of Jesus and for the sake of the love of God.

So, it's by the Holy Spirit that we can speak and act boldly to have influence for the sake of God's Kingdom that wasn't just for Pentecost 2000 years ago, but it's for today too. And now just to as then our purpose is to point people to Jesus. That's what signs and wonders are for. That's why they still at working is today to point people to Jesus. It’s the Holy Spirit that makes that possible because it’s the Holy Spirit that wants to make Jesus known because, as it says in the passage says, that people call on the name of Jesus because everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

That's our aim that we have to be careful because what we can do is want to rush out there and convert people and do what we can say that people turn to Jesus, but we forget to wait, to wait upon the Holy Spirit. It’s like trying to drive a car without fuel or to get to a destination without directions.

That's why I think it's so important to have this rhythm that include waiting upon God, being refreshed by the Holy Spirits then our words and our deeds become inspired by Him and flow naturally from us to achieve God's purpose. To achieve His purpose and not our own.

If we live in rhythm with the Spirit, then our lives produce the fruit of the Spirit. If we live in rhythm with the Spirit, then our lives will produce the fruit of the spirit.

So, right now let's get in step with the Spirit. Let's pray to be refreshed by his Holy Spirit so that we come closer to Jesus and so that we are equipped to serve Him in Word and deed.