DIY Sunday Service Kit - 29/05/2022

 Welcome to the DIY SSK for this week where we tackle the glory of God plainly seen in Creation and the command of God to show Christian discernment ... amongst other things!

We've been experimenting for a little while now with this new way of doing things on Blogger instead of the subscription service (which we were paying for) with Church Service Planner. If you are happy enough with this new way of doing things I plan to cancel the subscription service ... please contact me if you'd really rather I didn't, and let me know what I've been failing to see is wrong with the one we've been using more recently? Thanks!

If you would prefer to have a very confidential way of receiving our news and of chatting with me (or us), I am now on the 'Signal' app which is a very secure way to communicate if that would help you. Let me know and I'll switch to communicating with you solely by that means.

Let's worship the Lord ...

Let's pray

Lord and Father we thank you for the measure of freedom and the measure of your provision for our needs which we enjoy.

Would you lift our hearts and minds as we gather around this service kit from the circumstances of our lives which can easily trouble, bind and distract us. Would you focus our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, scorning its shame, and Who is now seated at the right hand of the Majesty in Heaven ... and make us joyful.

We ask for Jesus' sake.

AMEN.

This week's Word for the Week video is here:

So we sing ...

Prayer pointers 

It's very easy to come to prayer with a list of very pressing needs but no clear vision of the privilege it is to pray, and just what it is that enables us to come.

What would you come to prayer today RELISHING about the privilege that it is and the character of the One to Whom we come?

This song might help us with this if we're stuck ... let's think it through as City Alight lead our meditation

There are so many really challenging situations in our world air the moment that its really important to keep our eyes on the One to Whom we pray. 

We may be overwhelmed with the needs we see ... but He is NOT!

So we persevere in praying for ...\

Ukraine

Here's a message from FEBC Eurasia who are Christian radio broadcasters in Ukraine and neighbouring countries about praying for their ministry right now ... I received this yesterday.

Please pray for FEBC counselors in Ukraine. 

They are answering heartbreaking calls every day: mothers who lost their children to war, young people in despair, families that are separated. 

Please specifically pray for Alex, Nina, Maria, and Nadia.

Please pray for listeners like Alena, who found freedom from her past through FEBC’s broadcasts. “You helped me let go of the pain that tormented me for years! Thank you so much!”

Please pray for Ukrainian soldiers who are listening to our broadcasts, and for those who gave their lives to Christ as a result. 

Particularly pray for those who are fighting in the Donbass region, where many are dying.

Please pray for protection for Evgeny, who was recently ministering to Ukrainian soldiers in eastern Ukraine. “We prayed with them, encouraged them, and distributed New Testaments and prayer booklets with the number of our prayer helpline," he said.

Here's a video message from FEBC Christian radio broadcasters in Ukraine about praying for their contacts with troops at the front lines.

It's right and proper that we should be prayerful for Ukraine, but we must be careful not to neglect other really needy parts of the world like ...

Yemen

• A storm of crises

The Yemeni people are experiencing a storm of crises including
underdeveloped health systems, water scarcity and political
challenges. The ongoing currency crisis, and rising inflation, is
putting further pressure on Yemenis, making food, water and fuel
unaffordable for many in the country - which imports most of its
needs. Please pray for the Medair team responding to these emergencies
and providing support to as many people as possible through essential
nutrition and health care, and water, hygiene and sanitation services.
Pray for the malnourished pregnant mothers and young children visiting
Medair supported health facilities in remote and isolated areas. Ask
God to enable a way for them to receive treatment, so that they make a
strong recovery and live happy lives.

• Humanitarian needs

Four out of five people in Yemen need humanitarian assistance, making
it the world’s largest humanitarian crisis of our time. Civil war,
economic collapse, and the mass displacement of people have generated
a situation that continues to deteriorate and push already exhausted
communities to the brink. 20 million people in Yemen cannot access
adequate health care, nor do they have enough food to eat, and nearly
18 million people do not have access to safe drinking water and
sanitation facilities. Please pray for communities in Yemen affected
by conflict and displacement. Pray that God will bring peace and
restoration to this nation. Please pray for the millions of people in
need of food and clean water. Pray that their daily needs will be met
and that they will be able to receive humanitarian aid. Ask God to
help Medair reach vulnerable communities with emergency healthcare and
nutrition services, especially women and children who are most at risk
and suffering from malnutrition

• The Church in Yemen

Yemeni Arabs are mostly Muslims and conversion to Christianity is
dangerous. Only 0.08% of Yemen’s population knows and follows Christ,
and evangelism is against the law, punishable by death. Yet the Church
in Yemen continues to grow, and more people are turning to Christ than
ever before! Praise the Lord for Yemeni believers.

• Yemenis in the UK

There are 34,000 Yemenis living in the UK. Their culture arose from
tribes of nomads living in the Arabian Desert, and includes several
different classes of people. Many settled here as merchant navy
workers over 100 years ago and are strong Muslims. Having Yemeni Arabs
in the UK is a great opportunity to make Jesus known, as they
otherwise live in the Middle East where being a Christian is perilous.
Pray that God would change the hearts of the Yemeni Arab people in the
UK: that they would be exposed to Christianity and call upon Jesus

And finally we pray for ourselves in the challenges and stresses we face

As the fuel price and cost of living crisis begin to bite here for us, we pray for ourselves:

• good stewardship of our own resources
• wise management of our own costs
• generosity of spirit, reflecting the goodness that we have been shown by God
• watchful, caring and responsive hearts to exercise compassion in a time when people very easily get caught up in their own concerns
• a prayerfulness for our friends, neighbours, family and contacts who need our prayers ... and the courage to pray openly for their needs that Christ may get the glory from the spiritual realities from which we benefit.

Help us O Lord to be faithful in our weakness and in the face of whatever it is we face, so that you may be seen to be our all-sufficient Saviour and the God Who unfailingly cares for His people in their needs.

We ask all these things for Jesus' sake.

AMEN.

The Reading is 1 John 4:1-6 

                                   (click this link 👇 )

Here's the StudioCam recording of that Sermon

Our final hymn today is an absolutely glorious hymn 

by Titus Lewis sung at the Aberystwyth conference

And now ...

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Romans 15:5-6)

Send us out then, Lord, in the power of your Holy Spirit, to live and to work for your praise and your Glory ... in Jesus' Name.

AMEN.

Please don't forget that you can get hold of us easily by email (HoWChaplain@gmail.com) or by WhatsApp or text ... and now very securely on Signal too ... using the mobile number 07748 64958.

What can we be praying specifically for you?

Simon.

P.S. - the giving link, as ever, is here:

DIY Sunday Service Kit - 22/05/22 - The Sources of Confident Assurance

 This week we are looking at the big issue of confidence and assurance in our Christian life.

That is an underlying theme throughout this book that we know as 1 John, because what John is doing in this book is giving us a handle on the three things that distinguish and authenticate genuine Christian faith ... but we'll get to that later!

Welcome to the DIY SundayService Kit. I hope you find it helpful. 

Please feel free to get in touch by phone text or email: 

HoWChaplain@gmail.com and 

07748 644958.

Now let's hear from Scripture ...

"The heavens declare the glory of God;

 the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;

    night after night they reveal knowledge.

3 They have no speech, they use no words;

    no sound is heard from them.

4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,

    their words to the ends of the world."

Psalm 19:1-4

Word for the Week

Prayer Points

Patricia

• Let's pray this week for Patricia from Bogota in Columbia who worshipped with us at Ty'r Bugail. Patricia is no longer working at Victoria House in Llangadog and I received a message from her to say she was married last week in a closed country in the Middle East

Let's ask the Lord to richly bless her 

in her marriage, 

in her new home and 

in her fresh area of service and ministry.

New Ukrainian New Testament

• In March the International Bible Society released a new translation of the New Testament into Ukrainian. 
• This is the first time that the Bible has been available in Ukrainian for hundreds of years, but in the current political situation, reading the Bible in Russian would be understandably very unwelcome to Ukrainian people.
• For maximum speed and access the Ukrainian New Testament was released using an app so that people can read it on their phones, and in just a few weeks over 150,000 people had downloaded the new Ukrainian Bible to their phones.
• In response to urgent requests from partners on the ground in Finland, Poland and Ukraine, The International Bible Society is now seeking to print 500,000 hard copies of this Ukrainian New Testament and Palms amongst other Ukrainian resources.

Let's ask the Lord to use the online phone app that is already available to bring people to Himself and to support and speak clearly with His Ukrainian people under pressure.

Let's also ask Him to provide for hard copies of the New Testaments and Psalms, along with the particular other resources that are being requested for children who've seen suffering and to help adults explore their emotions alongside the Lord when they have been through a crisis or disaster situation.

The cost of living crisis

• There's been a lot in our news recently about the numbers of people who are now having to chose between eating and heating, depending on the Food Banks and struggling to make ends meet.

• Let's pray for the staff, volunteers and clients of Ammanford Foodbank, the Carmarthen Food Bank, Bocs Bwyd in Llandeilo  and the Food Bank in the Excel Centre in Carmarthen.

• As inflation picks up rapidly, let's pray for those in our land who are increasingly struggling with loans and mortgages.

• And let's continue to pray for our national leaders, for wisdom to navigate this crisis with godliness and compassion and for advisers to them who will give them insight into the needs of our people and guide them into the paths of wisdom, righteousness and truth.

Finally, let's pray for those whose mental health is also under pressure in these circumstances

Times of financial pressure lead to psychological pressure and those who are already struggling emotionally will be disproportionately affected at this time.

• Let's pray for those labouring with their mental health, that the services they require will be made available to them, and that they will be able to access these in good time.

• Let's pray for those doctors, nurses and counsellors working in the mental health sector who are often very stretched and under-resourced, that they will do their work professionally and compassionately, and that they will themselves find the resources to cope with the difficulty of their work and the resource pressures on mental health teams all over our country.

Sometimes, Lord, the traumatic things in this world get on top us and lower our own spirits.

We stand in awe of your care and compassion for all you have made and of all your great interventions to ensure that in spite of all this world devalues and destroys, we are not consumed by these things.

Please stand by all those we have mentioned in our prayers, be their ever present help and provider and turn many (particularly those in particular need in our world) through the Gospel to the God Who is our rescuer and deliverer.

We ask for Jesus sake.

AMEN.

It's sermon time ... click the pic to hear

 'The Sources of Confident Assurance' - 1 John 3:19-24

(The transcript is on the link at the top of the podcast page).

The studiocam for this sermon is here 

Now here's a hymn to conclude with that both 

feeds up and all the while

feeds on 

    our confidence in God

Let's pray

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[f] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

(Hebrews 4:14-16)

Lord send us out into your world, into times such as this in which you have called us to live and serve you, in the full confidence and assurance that your Spirit brings.

Teach us your ways, embolden us in your truth, equip us by the power of your Holy Spirit and inspire us with the joy of your service.

We pray for Jesus' sake and Glory.

AMEN.

Please feel free to join us in worshipping the Lord in our giving (click the link)

The DIY Sunday Service Kit 15/05/22 - 1 John 3:11-18 '- The Loving Thing'

 It's been another week of disturbing mutterings and shakings on the world scene with treats real and supposed filling our news media.

1 John helpfully steers us towards renewing our foundations and hitching our lives shine to the moorings that have stood the test of time across a couple of thousand years.

Today the Word for the Week video, at the close of Mental Health Week, takes us for a meditative trip around 'Impulse Control', and John lays bare the importance of love as a facet of the experience of salvation ... but, of course, John has a lot more to say about it than that!

But first, we begin with a verse of Scripture and a word of prayer:

Let's pray

Father we thank you that in a world where sin and its effects colour the experience of human life, there is One to Whom His people may come in our trouble and our need of refuge.

We thank you that in the midst of a world coloured in 'bad' we come to a God Who is good and present our thoughts, our prayers and our worship today. 

Help us to serve you will in our words and our deeds this day and prepare us for what lies ahead in the coming week so that we may live before you, conscious of your presence and reflecting the love we have been shown in whatever circumstances you lead us into and through this week.

We ask for Jesus' sake.

AMEN.

. 

At the conclusion of Mental Health Week our Word for the Week video chews over 'Impulse Control', its loss and its recovery

Let's pray:

• As Mental Health Week closes once more we pray for those who are having trouble with their thoughts and the things that trouble their minds.

• As our latest consignment of much-needed emergency medical supplies for Ukraine arrived in Poland on Saturday night we pray for Ukraine, for its leaders, for people in extreme circumstances of fear, of serious injury, of oppression and imprisonment ... remembering particularly to pray for the relief of the siege of the  Azov Stal steelworks in Mariupol ... and we ask that our gifts might once more be placed into the hand of those who can and will. use them to their greatest effect.

• And as we from the livestock mart volunteers team have been able to share Christ with people in trouble an distress again this week, we pray that we may continue to have these opportunities, that fresh opportunities to share Christ in similar ways may increase for all of us and that the Lord will by His Holy Spirit bless hearing about His saving grace with faith in the hearts of the hearers.

Lord, use your Church in the power of the Spirit to turn back the suffering in this world caused by the works of darkness and bring light and salvation through the Gospel to the ears and the hearts of all who will listen.

We ask for Jesus' sake.

Amen

Today's Bible Reading is to be found HERE:

Let's pray as we sing that the Lord would speak to OUR hearts today in the preaching of His Word

(The transcript of the sermon is available to be read on the 'transcript' button at the head of the page the link above take you to and the studio cam video recording of the sermon is clickable below)

We'll close in prayer

Scripture says:

"Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! 

Strive for full restoration, 

encourage one another, 

be of one mind, 

live in peace. 

And the God of love and peace will be with you.

Greet one another with a holy kiss. All God’s people here send their greetings.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Grant us Lord a love for you and for your people that comes from faithful contemplate not your Cross, and shape our hearts in the image of your son throughout the week that lies ahead.

We pray for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Please feel free to stay in touch through email or by phone and keep us up to speed with anything we can be praying about for you!

If you would like to support the work of y GRWP materially please click the giving link from Stewardship which is immediately below.

I hope you have a great and a richly blessed week!

Simon.

1 John 2:28-3:10 - When NOT to listen in church

Thanks for dropping by the DIY Sunday Service Kit this week.

Caleb just dropped into my room as I was researching hymns and songs for this DIY SSK today and we enjoyed some of these songs together and talked about how much we really feel the need to be meeting together again soon.

We are now first in line for some premises in Llandovery that look as if they might become available and are really suitable as a replacement for the old Ty'r Bugail on Market Square ... which is exciting ... but we really need to pray that if He wills the Lord will simply make this happen.

In the meantime, let's sing like nobody but our God is listening!

Let's pray

Dear Lord and loving Heavenly Father we thank you for every example we've seen this week of your love, your compassion and your care.

We acknowledge that we don't deserve this and that it comes to us by your grace, and we give you thanks that you are patient with us.

Lift our eyes to you today, fix our gaze on you we pray and enlarge our vision of your grace and your glory.

We ask this in our Saviour's name.

Amen.

We honour the Lord in this old hymn of William Gadsby

Here's the Word for the Week video

Prayer points

• Let's give thanks to God that all the remaining civilians in the steel works in Mariupol have now been evacuated and pray for everyone who now remains in that place.

• Let's give thanks for all the emergency medical supplies we've been able to get into the hands of frontline medical personnel in Ukraine and give thanks for the generosity of all the donors. Let's also pray that the next consignment leaving us this week will find its way into the hands of those who need it the most and will make the best use of it.

• Let's pray also for Alex and for Caleb as they tackle the technicalities of sorting through the streamlining of sourcing as cheaply as possible the goods we are sending to Ukraine, and work hard on administering the gifts most efficiently and effectively.

• Let's pray too for the outreach in the marts, for wisdom and God-given words, and for good use to be made of New Testaments, books and online resources.

We thank you Lord, maker of Heaven and earth, that you have made us and chosen to call us to serve you in such a time as this. 

Give us each what we need to serve you faithfully and well, and make us joyful to be used in your service.

We ask for Jesus's Name's sake.

Amen.

Our Bible passage for today is on this link 👇

Today's sermon ('When not to listen in Church') is available here:

And here's a quick taster for the sermon ...

The studio cam for today's sermon is here:

Let's glorify the God Who is worthy of the praise of lips and lives:

Finally, it would be great to bless one another by lifting our eyes to Heaven in the words of Jude's doxology:

" To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 

to the only God our Saviour be 

    glory, 

        majesty, 

            power and 

        authority, 

through Jesus Christ our Lord, 

    before all ages, 

        now 

            and forevermore! 

Amen."

Here's the giving link if you'd like to join us in worshipping the Lord by supporting His work through y GRWP, just click the pic below. Thanks.

You can contact me on HoWChaplain@gmail.com or call me on 07748 644958.

Thanks for joining us at the DIY SSK today. Please feel free to share this with your friends by email or on social media, and get in touch if we can offer you prayer or practical help.

Pob bendith

Simon.