Godfirst Cheltenham

The dramatic story of Nehemiah's rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem contains some brilliant lessons for us, as we seek to see the church of God in this nation rebuilt as the city on a hill that cannot be hidden.

Brilliantly PJ uses Paul's mission to Athens to give us 10 tips to contextualise the Gospel without compromising. Recommended listening for all Godfirsters.

Nehemiah 4 highlights four tactics from the opposition and four responses. Ridicule countered by Prayer, Threats by Guarding your heart, Fatigue by Remembering and Despair by Fighting.

Howard unpacks the disciple making process from our Weekender and applies it to the rebuilding the gaps in the walls of our lives as a community each outside our own house.

Nehemiah bold prayers lead him to bold action. "Disturb us Lord when we sailed too close to the shore, when we grew comfortable and settled for small dreams"

Are we moved by the ruined state of much of the church in this nation; Howard stirs us to catch the heart of Nehemiah as he weeps and prays for Jerusalem. "Unless we weep over the ruins we will never rebuild the walls"

Only the God who has himself taken on human flesh and suffered on the cross can truly understand as we bring the "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" questions of our suffering to him.

How does science answer the big questions of life and cosmology. Something from nothing, order from chaos, life from no life and human conciousness. Is science the only truth.

As Godfirst has a taster Sunday at the Parabola Arts Centre, Howard asks us to find ourselves in God's parabola shaped story of the world from Creation through de-creation to new creation.

Saul's has the appearence to be the peoples king but has no gospel, his religion is a crowd pleasing sham. David is choosen by God before his was born, not on his appearence. God shapes David's heart after his...zeal for God's house consumimg him.

Howard sets the scene for David's life with 10 lessons for the lives of Samuel and Saul. The question we ask is what makes a person strong?

When hardship has made you bitter and passive, Ruth hope in the goodness of Isreals God moves her action, to the weight of small things. It just so happened that God response is to overwhelm Ruth with his loving kindness.

When leaving God's people and God's place for a place that seems easier is not always a wise choice. Naomi comes back bitter and empty but with Ruth the Moabite.

We are not passive but are being discipled by the world, if we are to be disciples of Jesus we have to move away from project self and to find our centre or identity in the sharing in relationship between Father, Son, Spirit.

Bruce takes us to Jesus' call of Peter, and encourages us to trust, repentance and a life of commitment to Jesus and his cause.

Godfirst friend Sean Green from Reading Family Church unpacks John 4 to show how Jesus the true and faithful husband to both marriaged and single christians.

Sex is more than animal desires because we are more than pipes and plumbing, glands and groan. Sex is spiritaul. Sex is not dirty or demeaning in it's God given shape. Christianity is the most body positive faith on the planet. Sex images the self giving faithful imtimacy of the trinity and the gospel.