Review 2013

Here are a few pictures that tell the story of our year as a church in 2013. We hope you enjoy them!

At the start of the year, Kirsty and I had a newborn baby girl to consider. So we started January a little gently. Kirsty (and baby Elisabeth) joined the Ladies Prayer group for a meal...

 

 

and I did some filming for a short documentary I made called "The Secret War- Part 1 and 2"

 

 

In February we did a leaflet drop in the local area of a thousand leaflets and called the project "Good Morning Stockport!"

 

 

 

In March/April we celebrated our second Anniversary as a bone fide church...hallelujah! 

 

 

April was a very busy month. In fact it was "Mark Month!" We took the Gospel of Mark as our theme and... preached on it, studied it in House Group...

 

 

Read the whole of the Gospel of Mark out in our town Centre...

 

 

...and sent "Mark Facts" to everyone via text.

 

 

 

We also managed to upset a few Jehovah's Witnesses when Norman Lowndes and I leafleted the local Kingdom Hall's "Memorial Service."

 

 

In May we linked up with UK Partnerships for Christ, to put on a Ex-JWs for Jesus Day. It was an outstanding success, with Christians coming from all over the country, including at least two current JWs, who have subsequently left the Watchtower, one of whom has been born again! The video of the testimonies from this event is still bearing fruit now and has recently resulted in the salvation of another lady who was encouraged to leave the Witnesses after watching the videos.

 

 

 

 

 

It was also a blessing to baptise Charlotte and we were very thankful to Reddish Christian Fellowship for the use of their Baptistry.

 

 

 

In June we started the first of a three part outreach called "The Big Three!"

 

 

We preached, testified and gave away free Bibles in Stockport.

 

 

There was real spiritual opposition, so oppressive that many said they felt it.

 

 

As we carried on through the summer, we got some new people...praise the Lord!

 

 

We hit Stockport Carnival at two locations for our second summer outreach...

 

 

 

We gave away free Bibles and Christian literature and offering cold drinks and gospel tracts to those watching the Carnival procession.

 

Matthew and I managed to fit in a visit to North Cotes (New Tribes Missions) Bible College at the invitation of our good friend Dan. We stayed a few days, sat in on lectures and got to chat to some of the students and Lecturers.

 

 

 

 

We got back in time for our third and final outreach of the summer.

 

 

I also hooked up with my good friend Jason Thickpenny of UK Partnerships for Christ and made friends with a whole bunch of Christians witnessing at the Mormon Pageant in Chorley.

 

 

We slept (for free) on the floor of Chapel House Christian Fellowship and although the floor was hard, my heart was warmed by the fellowship I had with the brothers and sisters I met in those few days.

 

 

 

 

 

We were even allowed in to see the Mormon Pageant itself, although we had a security guard escort us...and they were rather large!

 

 

 

 

On October 5th, Tom and I went with some Christian friends down to the King James Bible Seminar in Dudley. It was a real blessing to hear Dr Jack Moorman defend the AV 1611 with skill and authority and we appreciated the hospitality of Hellier Street Gospel Hall.

 

 

 

As we headed into late October it was my great pleasure to ordain our brother Matthew Purves as an Elder of Stockport Evangelical Church. He has often provided wise counsel and his teaching has edified the Fellowship.

 

  

On the 31st October we held our Reformation Day Celebration. Instead of Halloween, I discovered that some churches have had a tradition of remembering this date in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg church door. It sounded like a good idea to me, so we had a meal, recreated the event...

 

 

had readings, teaching and singing; and remembered the martyrs that had given so much.

 

 

 

We also got a visit from Pastor Ian Moulton whose church in Chorley had graciously offered their building when we did the Mormon Outreach. Pastor Ian spoke on The Dangers of the Emergent Church.

 

 

In November Matthew and I were invited to speak at an Ex-Jw Conference down in Southend, called "Finding JESUS for Jehovah's Witnesses", organised by Martin Sarfas. It was a blessing to meet up with old friends again and to hear great testimonies. We left early as it was a long drive back and listened to an excellent sermon on the way home by Major Ian Thomas.

 

 

 

We finished a busy year by celebrating Christ's birth with our Christmas Carol Service. We only sent out about five-hundred leaflets, but we got a number of people in who had never been to the church before. The children also performed a Nativity and we used a projector and Scripture readings to tell the story of when "the Word became flesh."

 

 

We look forward to what the Lord is going to do next year and hope maybe you will pay a visit to Stockport Evangelical Church.

 

To everyone in the Fellowship, thank you so much for all your support and prayers throughout the year, for all the kind things you have said to encourage me and all the hard work you have put in to making 2013 such a successful year for the church. I look forward to pastoring you all for as long as the Lord wills. Happy New Year!



 

The Amorality of a Godless Age

In the days when I felt quite differently about such things, I went to a Rock Gig in Manchester, with a friend of mine. The gig (I think) was organised by the NME and was a showcase for up and coming new bands. One of those bands was "Lost Prophets."

 

 Paedophile Ian Watkins.



 

The recent revelations about the depraved and sickening conduct of "Lost Prophets" singer Ian Watkins and his subsequent trial and conviction for the sexual abuse of children, are shocking reminders of the times in which we live. Perhaps even more shocking are the young women involved in these crimes, whose folly lead to the abuse of their own children. All this at the hands of a man who, as yet, has shown no remorse. In fact he seems to be arrogantly indifferent to the pain and suffering he has caused and incapable of empathy. What are the factors that have combined to produce a criminal like Watkins? What circumstances, temptations and influences could strip a mother's instincts of natural affection for her own children? In Romans Chapter one, the Apostle Paul wrote about a society that had exchanged the truth of God for a lie:

 

"Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgement of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." Romans 1:29-32

 

A morality that is detached from God is subjective and false; it invests a level of trust that cannot be qualified, takes no account of dysfunctionality and is inherently unstable.

 

Dr William Lane Craig said, "Traditional moral values have been based in God, who is the highest good. But if God does not exist, what is the basis of moral values?" He further comments, "Science is morally neutral; you can't find moral values in a test tube." (On Guard - Craig)

 

There are a number of factors that we must address as a nation, before such cases become less and less isolated and more and more frequent. Britain needs to learn again the meaning of words like duty, respect, self-control, faithfulness, sobriety, honour and righteousness. We need to become aware that a whole generation is growing up Biblically ignorant and entertainment obsessed. We need to understand that the moral corruption of  young people especially, is dangerous and destructive for them and ultimately for society as a whole.

 

 

Here are some points that ought to be considered:

 

Pornography 

Pornography takes its name from the Greek word "Porneia," referring to 'illicit sexual intercourse, fornication, Homosexuality etc.'  Because of advancements in technology, individuals are now able to access extremely graphic images without having to give proof of age, or summon up the courage to visit some seedy back-street shop. In fact with the advent of High Street-friendly sex shops like Anne Summers, the lusts of the flesh are now almost completely socially respectable. Cable TV packages offer so-called "Adult" channels and who knows what the man (or woman) sat next to you on the train may be accessing from the ease of his mobile phone. 

 

The Sexualisation of Children 

Through the media, both adults and children are repeatedly confronted with images of scantily clad models, many in their early teens. In October 2010 an Asda store in Sheffield was compelled to remove a display of padded bras for young girls from their children's section. Hardly a week goes by without the national press homing in on so-and-so's "raunchy" new video, or revealing outfit. It is unhelpful that many of these "stars" have a fan-base that includes young children, who have been exposed to their music through "family" entertainment shows, put out by TV companies long before the watershed.



 

Entertainment 

There can be few industries (with the possible exception of professional football) that actively promote bad behaviour, yet the Rock Music Industry is surely one of them. Rebellion, drunkenness, fornication, arrogance, drug abuse, perversion; it is almost expected of the wannabe rock star. Whilst the taking of injurious chemical substances undoubtedly does lead to a loss of self control and erratic and foolish behaviour, it is perhaps further driven by subscribing to a philosophy that is largely hedonistic, narcissistic and bohemian in nature. 

 

Evil

Many fans of "Lost Prophets" have been stunned by the revelations about Watkins' secret life, not least his own band-mates; yet there is one element missing from the picture that combines with all the others to produce the truly monstrous; that is the existence of spiritual wickedness.

 

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12

 

The depth of depravity of mankind reaches such levels of perversion and devilishness, we must understand that there are two sources of supernatural power in the universe, and only two. One is God and the other is the Devil.

 

Children

Until the world learns to truly value children and not regard them as fashion accessories, or the inconvenient products of their own lack of chastity; until parents value their inquisitiveness, their honesty, their simple and fragile dignity and yes, their faith; then children will continue to be the victims of ruthless and wicked adults. 

 

"Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." Romans 12:19

 

God is the avenger of the weak and He will repay the unrepentant for such evil. There is more than one level to hell and for those that forget God, one shudders to imagine how deep and dark and heavy, are the chains of endless torment, that await those that take pleasure in harming children.

 

Paul Jennings.



Finding JESUS for JWs Convention, Southend, UK



 

Chairman William Bacon opens the meeting.

It was a privilege to be invited to speak at the "Finding JESUS for Jehovah's Witnesses" Convention, held at Southend Full Gospel Church at the end of November this year. Matthew spoke on the subject of explaining the Deity of Christ to JWs and I shared my experiences of ministering to and discipling Ex-Witnesses.

 

(Click here for video)

 





The venue, Southend Full Gospel Church.

 

 Matthew Purves teaching on The Deity of Christ.

 

 Paul Jennings.

 The church were very hospitable and it was great to chat with some of the congregation.

 

 Chatting over tea and coffee.

 

 

We did not stay for the entire event, since we had about a five hour drive ahead of us. However, we sensed a real atmosphere of love and solidarity that was further enhanced by some incredible and heart-rending testimonies.

 

 Ex-Witness Darryl Faulkner shares a moving testimony

 

 

 

 

 

 





J.D. Drysdale - Prophet of Holiness

 

John Douglas Drysdale was such a unique figure in the history of the modern church and something of a maverick. As a young Scottish Preacher, he settled in Birkenhead in the North West of England in 1916. He began to attract the interest of those seeking a more vital Christianity, with his strong views on holiness (he taught the doctrine of Entire Sanctification) and uncompromising approach to Evangelism, it wasn't long before he founded Emmanuel Church in Cloughton Rd and later Emmanuel Bible School, of which he was Principal.  

 

In his book "The Price of Revival," Drysdale wrote, "Don't let us pander to worldlings...Save us from soft sentimental preaching!" His rejection of worldliness was unrelenting and almost an obsession. He condemned "those men who are hunting for all sorts of entertainments... to bring people into the church." His solution? "Tell them their sins until they loathe them, and turn to our adorable Saviour who is able to heal them, and fill them with His own joy and peace."

 

 

Yet for all the radical language, there was an incredible gentleness and tender love with Drysdale. He was a lifelong Pacifist, at a time when it was not popular, even for a Christian to be so. His compassion for souls meant that he would often spend hours in prayer, sometimes rolling on the floor as if in agony, crying out to God, "just one soul Lord, just give me one soul!"

 

In his most famous book, "J.D. Drysdale - Prophet of Holiness," he explained his distaste for what has been called cheap grace: "One lesson impressed upon me in my study of the Gospels, is the fact that Jesus never made converts on the cheap...He always challenged them to count the cost."

 

Drysdale operated a system in his own church, partly based on John Wesley's "Rules for Societies-Bands,"  that worked on the basis of church membership.

 

"It is required of all who desire to unite with us and thus walk in fellowship with us, that they shall show evidence of salvation from their sins by a godly walk and a vital piety; that they shall earnestly desire to be cleansed from all indwelling sin and that they shall evidence this..."

 

He always valued cleanliness of heart and life, over the size of his congregation.

 

Drysdale was author and Co-author of a number of publications, such as;

 

The Price of Revival

Holiness in the Parables

A Work of Faith

Fourteen Years After

 

 After his death, Emmanuel Bible School was eventually swallowed up by The Nazarene Bible College and much of its library found its way into The Nazarene Theological College in Didsbury, Manchester.

 



 

The mention of Drysdale in Christian circles today (unless they are Wesleyan/Holiness circles) is, I imagine, almost none existent. He was not a Wesley, a Spurgeon, or a Lloyd-Jones, and yet in his own time and place, he was the epitome of the faithful shepherd; and in his own small way, he left a legacy of faith and practice that was radical, brave and God honouring.

 

Paul Jennings.

 

 

 

 





Where do you fit in the body?



"And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you." 1 Corinthians 12:21 (KJV)

As a Pastor it is sometimes a little embarrassing plugging one's church service and reminding the congregation that "we would really like it if everyone could show their support for..." that special meeting you have been praying over and burning the midnight oil in preparation for. However, being part of a local congregation and finding your role in that gathering of Believers, is an important part of what it means to be a Christian.

 

The word "church" is the English translation of the Greek word "Ekklesia," meaning "called out ones" or "congregation." It is clear, from this word, that the church is not a building but a body of people - Christ's body.

 

"So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." Romans 12:5 (KJV)

 

Some may say that they are part of Christ's body, but they are fine on their own. They have their Bible, prayer-life and are actively serving the Lord and sharing the Gospel. They don't need their congregation! But what if the congregation need you?

 

Here are 14 reasons by Kenneth Kuykendall why you might not want to miss that next meeting: 

•The body of the congregation is incomplete.
•Your voice is not heard in the worship and singing of the saints.
•You cannot actively serve others who may need your gifts.
•You cannot contribute in the offering.
•You do not receive the Word of God in a preaching format.
•You miss out on corporate prayer.
•You forfeit fellowship with other believers.
•You send a message to the youth that missing church is acceptable.
•You make it easier to miss the next week, and then the next.
•You become susceptible to apathy and indifference.
•You make it harder for others to bear the weight and burdens of ministry.
•You miss opportunities to share your own struggles with the saints of God.
•You cause unnecessary worry for your pastor, teacher, staff, and leaders.
•You miss out on altar invitations, life-changing decisions, and spiritual experiences.

 

 

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25 (KJV)

 

Liberal Fascism

 

 So there I was, discussing the judgement of God with three teenage girls in the centre of Stockport. It was one of those moments that will stay with me forever. There was nothing overly dramatic, or unusual about the encounter; God’s judgement of the wicked is something that comes up again and again with those who seek to justify their sins. The girls were not excessively hostile, or anti-Christian, in fact their lack of conviction about anything, was perhaps one of the most disturbing elements of the whole scenario! It was simply the way in which their response to the matter was articulated. After I had explained the guilt of sin, the holiness of God and the righteous justice of the Judge of all mankind, one of the girls responded with, “but judging people is like not nice. It’s like not fair!”  

Peter Hitchens, brother of the late Christopher, once quipped, “Hell was abolished around the same time that abortion was legalized and the death penalty done away with!” The idea of eternal punishment was so beyond the mind-set of this teenage trio, who were the products of systematic secularization and Humanistic grooming, that all they could do was cry, “That’s not fair!"

We live in a largely secular society; a society that seems to worship the intellectual elite. Why then is it, that so many cannot express their thoughts intelligently, or apply any kind of robust argumentation, or engagement with the Christian faith, other than “it’s not fair!”

When it comes to fairness, it is significant how this society, and particularly the present government, have redefined that word.  Many of those who are calling for fairness and tolerance have actually become the least tolerant members of our society. They have in fact become the heralds of a new politically-correct dawn; one that author Jonah Goldberg rightly defined as “Liberal Fascism.”

Liberal Fascism

 

National Secular Society

In 2011 a legal challenge from the National Secular Society was brought against Bideford Town Council for saying prayers in meetings.

After conducting an investigation, the Mail on Sunday found that more than a fifth of councils still have a Bible reading or a prayer at the start of meetings. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has also reaffirmed the freedom for town hall officials to say formal prayers.

The newspaper’s Freedom of Information Act request found that 59 out of 271 councils, 22 per cent, have a prayer or reading in their meetings.

Mr Pickles warned: “It’s clear that some politically correct town hall officials are still trying to marginalise faith and impose an illiberal and intolerant secularism.”

Scottish Secular Society

A secularist pressure group has targeted every school in Scotland demanding to know about their chaplaincy services.

The Scottish Secular Society (SSS) wrote a letter in September asking 24 questions, including whether material disagreeing with homosexuality had been distributed in the school.

But The Christian Institute urged schools not to be intimidated by the ‘hostile’ Freedom of Information (FOI) request, and reminded schools that it IS lawful for them to invite in religious groups.

Colin Hart, the charity’s director, said, “we want to reassure you that schools are fully within their rights to invite chaplains and representatives of faith groups or religious organisations to conduct activities on their premises."

Mr Hart also said: “The FOI request is wide in scope and shows the SSS’s hostility towards any lawful manifestation of religious and moral belief within Scottish schools.”

Girl Guides

In September 2013, Girl guiding UK officially introduced a new Humanist oath, replacing “to love my God” with “to be true to myself and develop my beliefs”. In Northern Ireland the new politically correct ousting of God has come in for some criticism.

The vast majority of Girl guide groups in Northern Ireland meet in Church buildings.

The Methodist, Presbyterian and Church of Ireland denominations have joined together to voice their “deep concern” about the move.

An online petition urging Girl guiding Ulster to reinstate the old promise, and make an atheist pledge optional, has already been signed by more than 1000 people.

Dr Alan Clifford

Homophobia

Dr Alan Clifford, the Pastor of a Reformed Christian church in Norwich, sent two gospel tracts by email, one entitled ‘Christ Can Cure – Good News for Gays’; and the other ‘Jesus Christ – the Saviour we all need’ to his local LGBT Project, Norwich Pride. Instead of responding via email, or simply deleting the tracts, they phoned the police.

The police arrived and graciously offered Pastor Clifford the option of an on-the-spot fine of £90, which he politely refused.

The officers asked if he was aware that he’d actually committed a homophobic offence as defined by the official police leaflet which the officer then produced. The leaflet defined such an offence as ‘any incident which is perceived to be homophobic by the victim or any other person’.

 As Adrian Hilton of the Daily Mail put it, “Dr Clifford patiently refuted the accusation, by explaining pedantically (as a doctor of theology might) that the meaning of ‘homophobia’ stems from the Greek ‘phobia’, meaning ‘fear’, and does not embrace hatred. Whilst acknowledging the changing vernacular usage, he explained: ‘I certainly fear the influence of homosexuality on society, but this should not be regarded as “hatred” unless criticism is taken to mean “hatred”.

The subtitle of the tract was ‘A Compassionate call to Christian Conversion.’ Dr Clifford asked: ‘Is that hatred? We don’t hate these people. We love them and want to help them. So, even though the gay-pride people are upset, we are guilty of no crime.’”

In a society that is as wide and diverse as the United Kingdom, one wonders, why there is no room for those who hold to traditional religious beliefs? Nick Clegg recently became embroiled in a row over a pro-gay marriage speech, after aides had to remove comments in the draft version calling opponents "bigots".  Why is tolerance extended only to those who hold secular, atheistic, humanistic, pro-Homosexual and irreligious worldviews? Why are convictions, which we might describe as “liberal,” NOT open to intelligent debate and critique? Christian beliefs are not only criticized, but openly lambasted, parodied and blasphemed; and that with very little fear of prosecution; is that “fair?”

The word of God delivers the following warning:

” Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20 (KJV)

We can rest in this, that whilst men often act biasedly, politically, manipulatively and indeed wickedly; at least  “God is no respecter of persons.” Now that’s fair!

For more information on the influence of hostile Secularism, please watch the following video.

 

 

 

 

Reformation Day Celebration and Rememberance