After Steve and Helen&apos;s wedding, Neal spoke of God&apos;s view of marriage.

Church in the Peak

01/08/21 // God's View Of Marriage // Neal Garratt

25/07/21 // Standing In The Gap // Dave Watmore

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.Colossians 2:16 ESVDoes this verse mean we can eat and drink what we like and if others don&apos;t like it, tough?Is it saying we can behave how we want because we are redeemed?The spirit of the day would say that it is wrong to eat meat, and that the right thing to do is be a vegan. Better for our health, and better for the planet, and there are good biblical reasons to take this stance.But what does the Bible say about how we should act?Christian vegetarianism groups use Genesis 1, all the plants for food, doesn&apos;t say the animals. Christian carnivores might point out that in Genesis 2&3 livestock and beasts of the field. Suggesting they were cultivating animals for food.The vegetarian movement point out that the picture of heaven given in Isaiah says the lion will sleep with the lamb, indicating that animals won&apos;t eat each other.Remember the means of salvation of the Jews at the Passover was a lamb dinner. So if God commands his people to eat meat, is that the right thing to do, or was that for a very specific circumstance?Jesus ate meat and fish, and drank wine.So who is right?Mark 7:14‭-‬15‭, ‬17‭-‬19 Acts 10, Peter and sheet lowered1 Timothy 4:1‭-‬5 Rom14 and thenWe who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.Romans 15:1‭-‬2 NLT1 Cor Paul talks about food offered to idols. We don&apos;t have such issues, you might be able to stretch that to halal meat. But his conclusion is So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.1 Corinthians 8:13 NLTEphesians 5:15‭-‬18 & 211 Corinthians 10:27‭, ‬29‭-‬311 Corinthians 6:19‭-‬20 Although this passage is about sexual sin, it is applied to food and drink often. The principle is the same.For others judging those that do eat meat, or that do not, may be more of an issue. Self control. Fruit spiritIf paul was writing right now, would he be talking about wearing masks as another example?Festivals, we accept that as Christians we celebrate pagan festivals. Christmas and easter both originally were pagan festivals that christians took over and used the date for their own festivals. Must have been very controversial at the start.There are now Christians who due to the commercialism of these festivals say they won&apos;t celebrate them.Sabbath. Some maintain that we must still make Sunday special. Some work on a Sunday and have to carve out their time with God at other parts of the week.We need to make sure that we don&apos;t judge those who interpret Scripture in a different way to us.Judging those who go out clubbing, who don&apos;t wear a mask in public, who eat food we consider not to be right. Equally we should not judge those that don&apos;t, and consider them &apos;weak&apos; in their faith.We have freedom, and we have responsibilityFood and drink can be incredibly divisive, now as is clearly was 2000 years ago. We need to make a choice to live differently, and hold values tightly where they are a matter of sin, but loosely where they are a matter of choice.Reread Colossians 2. It is urging us to live in freedom as Christians, understanding what Christ has achieved for usQuestions Read out Colossians 2What things do other christians do that you struggle with?Are there any things you would not be prepared to give up for the sake of other Christians&apos; &apos;weaknesses&apos;?How far does your freedom go before it is then sin? How do you draw th

18/07/21 // Food And Drink // Peter Williams

Dave continued our series looking at Colossians. 

11/07/21 // Fully Loaded // Dave Watmore

Peter continues our series looking at Colossians. All things need to be connected. Look around the room. Screws and bolts and joints to make things hold together. Without them it&apos;s a pile of rubbish.Look at the universe. Held together by a scaffold. A scaffold of forces.These all emanate from the mass of the black hole at the centre keeping the sun spinning, and in turn us around the sun.God the most enormous, mind blowing black holeHe keeps the universe spinning. But we rotate around the sun/Son.Colossians 2:19 Colossians has been talking about the stuff in our lives, and what we must not add to try and gain our salvation.What or who holds your life together?What if we took it away would mean you would fall apart?Spouse, job, children.Think of Job, and what happened to him But, that&apos;s not what this verse is about.Been talking before and after about you individually, but this verse veers off at a tangent to look at how your behaviour changes the church.Christ is the head of the church, and He holds it all together1st half verse 19 says we are not connected if we are proud. Doing it in our own strength. What is standing in the way of us being fully connected? Our bodies. Fearfully and wonderfully made.All of you is there for a reason, even if we don&apos;t know what that is, like the appendix.Without bones and ligaments, we&apos;d be like a little jellyfish on the floor.Jesus holds his church together.Joints and ligaments.Without him it all falls apart. It becomes a big jellyfish.1 Corinthians 12:12‭-‬31If we all wanted to be an eye, then we&apos;d be a monsterIf we had beautiful flowing hair, but our stomach did not work we&apos;d be malnourished, and the hair would be irrelevant.Church doesn&apos;t feel like it should hold together well.It holds together as we are all in Christ.We share salvation, we understand grace.Not 2 levels of Christianity as neal said last week. We are all sinners saved by grace.No one job is greater than the other, just because it&apos;s more visible.No rules to come to church. Neal.We want to be there because of Jesus. He is the connecting factor. We don&apos;t all believe the same stuff We don&apos;t all enjoy one style of worship.We don&apos;t all break our necks to be at the prayer meeting.But we are all in Christ. So we are all one.Ephesians 3:9‭-‬12 It grows because God nourishes it. It grows as we worship together, as we listen to God, as we do what he asksTry functioning apart from your joints and ligaments. It doesn&apos;t work.Why do we try and function without Christ. As an individual? As a church? John 1:1‭-‬5 Questions for groups.The questions are in the preach notes.Below are 2 supplementary and more meaty questions.Mark Driscoll at the New Frontiers Leaders Conference in 2008 said"If a church becomes an institution it quickly becomes a museum. The remnant just tell the story of when God was there. They are curators, not missionaries."How do we keep the church from becoming a museum?Read out Isaiah 40 God holds it all togetherHe gives the strength to fight another dayWhy does He do that?

04/07/21 // Christ Holds Us Together // Peter Williams

Colossians 2:16-18 Freedom from Rules and New Life in ChristThis follows on from the previous verses in this chapter as it starts with So. We need to see what was written before to help in our understanding of this section.The section deals with the lies and deception that had come into the early Church.v10 is the Key VerseIf you are complete in Christ (and you are) then you do not need additions to your faith to make you holier or more acceptable to God.ITS JESUS PLUS NOTHING or IT ISNT JESUS AT ALLIt’s not Jesus plus circumcision and it’s not listening to empty philosophies and high sounding nonsense that come from human thinking.No. We are new creatures in Christ. We have been made alive by the Holy Spirit and our debt is paid. v14Paul reminds them that having gained this new freedom in Christ they should be careful not to gain another debt, to the law! Things that are seen as adding to their spirituality end up as powers to which they are enslaved! v16 is Paul’s warning.They are in danger of putting themselves back under the law and listening to people who are full of pride and their own achievements. They are no longer even listening to Christ the head of the body v19. They are disconnected.PROUD OF WHAT?Being super spiritual, better than othersWorking your salvation by denying your body comfortsProud of your gifting, visions of angels etcProud of your positionProud of following the law to make yourself worthy to God.WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL OF ALL OF THESE AREAS OURSELVESWhat they have missed is that Christ is the reality. No longer dealing with shadows but Christ is here and lives in them! The reality has come!We are all sinners. Romans 3 vs 23 BUT there is good news Jesus came to save sinners. He came to save those who are sick not those who are well. Something the religious leaders of the day did not understand. Jesus had a meal with many tax collectors and disreputable sinners “Why does you teacher eat with such scum? They asked? Jesus reply in Matt 9:12-13 is wonderful.You see all these rules and regulations are external to us but Jesus wants to change our heart, from being dead to being spiritually alive! He changes us from the inside out, not from the outside in.Hebrews 10:16-17Nicodemus came to Jesus at night to try and talk and find out who Jesus was and he initially thinks that Jesus has come to save the Jews from the Romans. Jesus explains that his kingdom deals with our sinful nature. Here is the link on Youtube.1 Timothy 2:5-6Jesus died to bring freedom to you. Be careful to not go back and condemn yourselves because you are not doing enough, you cannot earn your salvation. It is a gift from GodWhat is vital is that we are connected to Christ. It’s all about Jesus, as always!Colossians 2:19This is where you need to be - connected to Christ – let God nourish you and grow you as a believer in Christ.Questions 1.Why is pride an issue for God? What areas of our lives to we need to be careful with so we don’t become proud?2.We can so easily fall back under the law - laws that other people put on us and even laws we put on ourselves - that we think are ok for our spiritual growth! Think about some of these that you have experienced.3.Colossians 2 vs 19 is an important verse so how can we ensure that we are always connected to Christ – so important if we are to grow and be nourished.4.Perhaps watch the Nicodemus clip together – what speaks to you from this clip and do you see the freedom that it brings to Nicodemus? Nicodemus was a high ranking Jew – part of the Sanhedrin and well respected – Knew the law and the bible but didn’t know Jesus until now! 

27/06/21 // Freedom From Rules And New Life In Christ // Neal Garratt

Keith talked from Colossians 2v13-15.Recognition of our previous positionI talked about the fact we had all missed the mark and fallen short of the glory of God.  I contrasted the &apos;sinful&apos; woman (Luke 7v36-47) who recognised her need to be forgiven and Simon, the Pharisee, who could see sin in others but not himself.  Jesus said the woman had been forgiven for her many sins and therefore loved much. How do you feel you&apos;re currently doing with understanding how much you&apos;re forgiven? Redemption - Jesus paid the priceI contrasted our position of being previously spiritually DEAD with now being spiritually ALIVE Spiritually DEADSinners by nature - Psalm 51:5Slaves to sin - Romans 6:17In Adam - Romans 5:14Hopelessly in debt to God  - Colossians 2:14Separated/alienated from God - Ephesians 2:12Without hope - Ephesians 2:12Unable to save ourselves - Matthew 19:26Spiritually ALIVERighteous by nature - Romans 5:19Free from sin/Slaves to righteousness - Romans 6:18In Christ - Romans 8:1; Ephesians 2:6Free from debt forever - Colossians 2:14Brought near to God, Children of God! - Ephesians 2:13; Romans 8:16; Galatians 4:4-7Living with hope inside to share with the world - 1 Peter 1:3Saved by grace through faith - Ephesians 2:8 Which part of being spiritually alive stands out as most exciting to you right now? The Result / Our ResponseI talked about us being set free from sin and needing the Holy Spirit to enable us to walk free. How about asking the Holy Spirit to fill you and strengthen you right now?Is there anything particular you want Him to help you with?

20/06/21 // Freedom From Sin // Keith Byrne

Circumcision  - Colossians 2:11 BackgroundJewish children, circumcised when they were a week old. It marked you as belonging.Not exclusive to Israel, common amongst many peoples, males and females. Strange in our culture.Deuteronomy 10:14‭-‬22 Complete because you have less....Like Phil was saying last week, need to look to the other letters to get the full picture of what Paul is referring toThere is a covenant when you come to Christ. It is done Unnecessary fleshLike an appendix, just a bit of skinA sinful nature is not necessary for your good. It is by its very nature bad. Chocolate cake is good. But actually it is very bad for us. We can not live by chocolate cake alone. Yes we like it.Do we need it, no. Do we need a sinful nature? No.Circumcision is also unnecessary in that it has already happened spirituallyHarmful fleshHarbour disease, if you are not attentive and clean well. Have to explain to a child. All kinds of reasons that I have to refer people for a circumcision.Sin is harmful. Cut out the eye that sins. Jesus does not mean us to do that physically but metaphorically. Avoid it. Run away from sin. Escape sin. But it had been cut off. It has gone. You can&apos;t put it back on.It is finished....Why do I keep sinning?Now and the not yet of the kingdom of GodA sign of belongingAll the same. Join the clubWhat is the sign you are saved? What do friends see as the mark that Christ has circumcised you?No loss in the circumcision.Prune vine, cut bits away that are rottenJohn 15:1‭-‬5Early churchActs 11:1‭-‬3 I&apos;m a more authentic Christian than you because I was a Jew first.Rom 3 starts regarding circumcision and it&apos;s value. Then....Romans 3:11‭-‬12‭, ‬20 Galatians 6:14‭-‬15 It&apos;s going beyond law, to a place of love and obedience.Acceptance of grace.Romans 2:25 We could not keep all the law of God, and so the covenant with God was broken. So Christ had to come to make a covenant we could not break. Could not earn. Could not receive by a ceremony. We just have to accept.FinishGalatians 5:2 it&apos;s not about what you do, but about what he has done.What do you believe in?What do you trust in for your salvation?It is finishedNot half doneDon&apos;t need to collect church attendance points like a giant Costa card to get a free place in heavenJesus plus NOTHING.Response / QuestionsWhat are you doing to try and earn your salvation? What do you need to let go of, like a worthless bit of skin, so you can accept that Jesus did it all?Do you for the first time need to accept what Christ did on the cross, and let your sinful nature be taken away, leaving you clean and with access to God and a place in heaven, guaranteed?

13/06/21 // Spiritual Circumcision // Peter Williams

Phil continues our series looking at Colossians.

06/06/21 // Being Fully Satisfied With All God Is For Us In Christ Jesus // Phil Hardy

Colossians 2:8-10Paul wants to people in Colossae to understand that it is not about head knowledge and philosophical argument. It’s about a heart understanding and that in Christ we are made complete. Paul in no uncertain terms states that Christ is ENOUGH!You are complete through your union with Christ v10This is as important today as it was for the early Church. We can be captured by reasoned argument and what sounds plausible but is in fact empty and nonsense, coming from human thinking and not Christ.We have to be careful what we read, watch and listen to. So much of what is available is counterfeit. It may sound or look good but in fact is empty and has no value!£10 notes example: Monopoly money and fake £10 notesHow do we be careful about what we take in and ensure that it is right, not empty words of man’s thinking?1. DOES IT LINE UP WITH THE WORD OF GOD, THE BIBLE?If what you are looking at/listening to does not line up with scripture then beware, it is not truth. God gave us his word to guide us and help us and it is the truth.Psalm 118:105Psalm 1:1-3John 17:17We need to know God’s word if we are to know what is true and what is untrue, false or empty! We need to read our Bibles!Quote: “The bible is meant to be our daily bread, not cake for special occasions. A bible that is falling apart usually belongs to a person who isn’t”2. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND PRAYERYou have the Holy Spirit living in you and he is there to guide you into all truth. This is what Jesus tells his disciples in John 14:16-17Advocate: comforter, encourager, counsellor.John 16:131 John 2:26-27This is so important in our lives. The Holy Spirit can tell you if something is right or wrong and you KNOW in your Spirit and can feel it. He is our guide. Use Him, ask him and lean on him!Talk to Jesus: Pray and ask for wisdom! If any of you lack wisdom ASK!Song: Elevation – Talking to JesusWhat a friend we have in JesusIt’s not a religion. It’s more like a friendshipJust talk to your father, like you are his kidJust start talking to Jesus. You can talk to Jesus whenever you like!3. Don’t be afraid to ask your leadersWe are constantly bombarded with ideas, thoughts, wisdom and opinions. We have social media and millions of websites that we can access at the touch of a button. Everyone has an opinion and wants to be heard. That’s why we have so many problems with social media abuse, racial issues, bullying and criminal cyber activity. It can be a hard place to navigate correctly.BUT you have community group leaders and elders or someone in the Church that you trust who can help if you are unsure. You can get them to check out what you are looking at to see if it’s good or bad and they can pray about it and see what God says. This is particularly important if you are a young Christian.This is how the body of Christ works. We don’t all know everything. But pool our resources and there is a wealth of Christian experience that you can draw on.Ephesians 4:11-16To FinishDave at the end of the last meeting prophesied this“Don’t borrow truth from worldly things – Find truth in my wordThere can be errors in borrowing truth from the worldMy word has the fullness of truth and full revelation of what is needed for you!Amen to that!Questions1.“You are complete through your union with Christ” v10. This is so important and the enemy will constantly attack us telling us we are not complete. What can we do to counteract these lies?2.How can I read the bible more effectively and use it to remember God’s promises and his truth?3.How does the Holy Spirit speak to us and how can we learn to listen and feel his touch?4.Our Church members have a huge reservoir of experience. Why are we so reticent to use that experience an

23/05/21 // Not Empty Philosophy Or High Sounding Nonsense // Neal Garratt

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”Colossians 2:6-7I’m going to talk about thankfulness but I want to start with the foundations of that thankfulness. Phil spoke recently about the cedars of Lebanon I want to speak on the Oaks or righteousness.At a recent prayer meeting I felt the Holy Spirit give me a picture of an acorn with the germination of the roots. At the beginning of an oaks life, when an acorn first sprouts, most of its energy is spent on root development. The initial root is the taproot, which grows deep underground, seeking a dependable supply of moisture. Once this is accomplished, greater foliage and branch growth can begin. Soon the taproot is surpassed by an extensive root system spreading horizontally. This lateral mass of roots will bring the tree moisture and nutrients for its lifetime. Trees can even share the root systems that have grafted together. If an oak is not in a site with adequate drainage, the balance of moisture air and nutrients is upset. Overwatering can smother the roots and lead to crown or root rot. If the roots are concreted over it will damage the roots. There is such a clear parallel to me between our spiritual lives and the oak. The reason we are looking at Colossians is to encourage all of us to deepen our roots into Christ. Like the oak we need the water of the Spirit and the nutrients of the word of God to grow and thrive, the develop growth and be able to stand when the winds of life blow. Sometimes they blow hard and other times they could uproot us. We have received Christ now we need to know him and know him more day by day by day. Dig into scripture. Talk to the Holy Spirit. Listen to teaching that is grace centred and ask to be prayed for at every opportunity. I have said it before but the Holy Spirit once said to me “every time I touch you I bring life”. Let’s look at a great Psalm to help us.“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.””Psalms 46:1-4, 7, 10QuestionsThere are bad things that come at us. No one alive has lived a charmed life. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”Romans 8:28 NIV. Share your own stories of where God has turned the bad to good. What scripture do you use to help you in difficult and joyful times?There are good things that he promises and gives us. Forgiveness, justification, the Holy Spirit etc. Remember the good things and share those with each other. Point out to each other the positives. AND the best things are yet to come. We are citizens of heaven first. We have future that is the envy of the world. Eternal life with a loving God, with no more tears, no more pain, no more sin. Is this promise of eternal life in your thoughts? What do you believe heaven will be like?Having a big and real life vision of Jesus is worthy of thankfulness. As we search deeper, we will find a new aspect of Jesus that amazes us of the enormity of God and his creation. Let us overflow with thankfulness. 

16/05/21 // Freedom from rules and new life in Christ brings thankfulness // Dave Watmore

Neal continued our series looking at Colossians. 

09/05/21 // Christ In Me The Hope Of Glory // Neal Garratt

Phil continued our series looking at Colossians.Introduction What are we building our life on?What is the source of your life?What is feeding you? While this past year may have been tough, we have had time to do things we didn&apos;t have beforeWhat have we used that time for ?Have we used it to build our relationship, drawing  nearer and going deeper?We have said this before is our life built on church attendance or on a relationshipLet&apos;s see what Paul says here to the Colossian church“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2:6-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬Let&apos;s just look a this verse 3 things to emphasize here, and Pauls tone is strong 1 You must continue to follow himSo many  start well but fall away when trouble comes or perhaps they have not fully understood what it is to follow Jesus. Jesus told them. Parable of the sower - Matthew 13:3‭-‬9 NLTIn this passage there are 4 types of ground a. Hard footpathb. shallow soil with underlying Rockc. thorny ground d. fertile soilIt seems the odds are 1 in 4 for the seed to grow and become strong and last 2. Let your roots go down into himPaul prays his readers will be secure in their reliance on love. The imagery is that of a tree held strongly by deep roots (Matthew 13:6, 21; 15:13; Mark 4:17). Love, especially shown between fellow Christians, is meant to be the hallmark of our faith (John 13:34–35). Love is likewise meant to keep the Christian grounded, staying in place with Christ and growing us to maturity. Colossians 2:7 speaks similarly of being "rooted and built up in him and established in the faith."Matthew 13:21But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.Psalm 92:12But the godly will flourish like palm treesand grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.The Cedar Trees of Lebanon Today, the Bulk of the Cedar trees are located on the Arz Mountains in Lebanon. The site is well protected and cherished as UNESCO named the forest one of the World Heritage sites.Solomon used this cedar wood in Building the temple.Jeremiah 17:7‭-‬8 NLTPsalms 1:1‭-‬3 NLT3. Let your lives be built on himPaul famously speaks eloquently of faith, hope, and love at the conclusion of 1 Corinthians 13. Here, he mentions two of these attributes. First, his desire in this passage is for growth in faith, rather than knowledge, though both are important. Ephesians 2:22 also used the idea of a "dwelling place for God by the Spirit." Paul similarly taught the Colossians, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Colossians 3:16).Parable of 2 men building a house - Matthew 7:24‭-‬27 NLTConclusion The fruit of being rooted Overflowing with Thankfulness As a nation we have a culture of complaining, blame & claimTo walk in the opposite spirit is to be thankful and in every circumstance be content. Paul knew this but did it come from within himself, his own choice or decision or from him being rooted in Christ?When we are rooted into him the fruit will be evident. Questions In what ways do you need to grow up in Christ?How are you putting your roots down into him? Are there any hindrances to this? What do we need to do to build our lives on him?What evidence should we be expecting when we do these 3 things Paul encourages us to do?  

02/05/21 // Rooted In Him // Phil Hardy

Peter continued our look at Colossians."I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love." Colossians 2:2a"Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." John 13:35Like and love are different.Knit together. Stronger than a single strand. Demonstrate thisGill Harper&apos;s legacy in CitP - One-anothering.100 instances of "one-another" in the NT, and half of them are aimed at the believers for other believers.These are the keys to love and encouragement.1/3 are to do with unityMark 9:50Ephesians 4:32 NLT1/3 are to do with love. Romans 12:10Some are to do with humilityPhilippians 2:3Galatians 5:13 NLTOther versesGalatians 6:21 Thessalonians 5:11We don&apos;t live as Christians in isolation.Love AND encouragement.If you do these things, you will be encouraged!1 Corinthians 13, love passage.Let love be your highest goal. 1 Cor. 14:1Questions for groupsLook at the &apos;one-anothering&apos; picture here: https://overviewbible.com/one-another-infographic/What do you do well?What do you need to develop?What do you struggle with and need some help on?

25/04/21 // Love And Encouragement // Peter Williams

Peter and the other Elders outlined Church in the Peak&apos;s connections with churches iocally, around the UK and worldwide. 

18/4/21 // Kingdom Relationships With Other Churches //Peter Williams feat. The Elders

Talks and audio from Church in the Peak celebrations

hubhopper

Church in the Peak

hubhopper