DIY Sunday Service Kit 14/05/2023 - 'I don't know which way to turn!' - Colossians 1:15

 

Welcome to the DIY Sunday Service Kit for May 14th. 2023.

Today we'll be praying for some not so well known issues for our fellow believers in India, Sudan and Llandovery and we'll be looking at what Colossians 1 can teach us about how to 'hold it together'.

But first let's come with gratitude to our God ...

Let's pray

Lord of love, mercy and grace we bring you thanks and praise for watching over our lives in every detail of our experience in the last week.

When things haven't gone as we wish and we haven't trusted you ... we ask your forgiveness ... your mercy by your grace.

When we've felt things were against us, we thank you that your love has upheld us.

As we have become conscious of needs that we had you have been gracious and shown us the care of an outstanding Father.

Please re-focus out hearts and minds and the privileges we have in you and the blessing we have received from you, drive bitterness and regrets from us and build gratitude and graciousness in us ... we pray for Jesus sake.

Amen.

Here's a trailer for the sermon that's coming soon ...

(Click the pic.)

Let's intercede in our prayers for ...

India

Violence has erupted in Manipur, in Northeast India, claiming 60 lives, burning and destroying 50 churches, and displacing tens of thousands of people. Most of the dead are believed to be Christians.

According to Indian media, 10,000 troops have been brought in to restore order. At the same time a hearing of India’s Supreme Court claims there is no persecution against Christians in the country.

Indian media reports that violence erupted in several states, focused mainly in the Imphal Valley and Churachandpur.

Soldiers have been sent in with orders to shoot on sight to restore order and curfews have been imposed.

Reports coming from India say Christians have been attacked in 27 villages, sometimes in plain sight of state police and military, while mobs roamed the streets.

Meanwhile the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) and other parties have filed a petition at the country’s Supreme Court, calling for an agency to be set up to monitor attacks against Christians in the country.

The EFI, along with Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore and the National Solidarity Forum have brought the petition to try to halt what they claim are widespread attacks against Christians in the country.

In response, the government has denied that any persecution is taking place against Christians in India.

Instead, the government claims that any trouble Christians face is from personal disputes rather than communal crimes.

The Evangelical Fellowship of India has pointed out to the court that the government itself has disclosed that political groups linked to the ruling party have been involved in communal crimes.

They say that ultra-nationalist right-wing organisations such as the ‘Hindu Sangathan, Hindu Vadi Sanghatan, Hindu Jagran Manch, members of RSS, Bajrang Dal, VHP’ have been involved in the attacks.

The petitioners claim a rising tide of violence against Christians in the world’s largest democracy. They report 505 instances of assault in 2021, rising to 598 in 2022. And they say that in the first two months of 2023, there have been 123 assaults.

Let's pray for our brethren seeking to serve God faithfully in India, often described as the world's largest democracy, but where Christians face harsh daily opposition.

Sudan

After South Sudan won its independence from Sudan, Christians in Sudan suffered. Pastors were arrested. Other Christians were denied their basic rights as citizens. Church properties were closed or taken by people linked to the government system.

Now Christians in Sudan are just trying to survive the fighting ... Until this week, most of them lived in Khartoum ... but for many the quest for survival means that they are simply on the run in a dysfunctional country where you can't access money and very many people are like them totally displaced.

They’re fleeing a rapidly deteriorating situation. Khartoum’s morgues are full, dead bodies lie in the streets, and the healthcare system is collapsing. Electricity and running water are often unavailable, food is growing scarce, and the internet is unstable.

And amongst the sea of refugees is a small band of marginalised and unpopular Christians. There weren’t many to begin with. Sudan is mostly Muslim; Operation World estimates just 2.5 percent of the population are evangelical Christians. On top of that, Sudan’s ethnic and religious persecution was so severe that in 2011, the majority-Christian South Sudan broke away to form their own country.

That didn’t make things safer for Christians left in Sudan. Christian women and girls are in danger of rape and forced marriage. Christian men and boys have been beaten and imprisoned. In 2023, Sudan ranked in the World Watch List’s top 10 hardest places in the world to be a Christian.

Let's pray for our brothers and sisters fleeing, and living life on the edge.

Llandovery

On Friday I received a very disappointing email from the company I've been dealing with for over 18 months trying to get them to agree to rent us the Station Café in Llandovery, with which we'd hoped to be able to replace Ty'r BUgail.

In the last two weeks things have moved very fast, involving a lot of extra work to try to sort things out, but the efforts of quite a few months seem close to being frustrated altogether. The last resort now for us if we're to get this place seems to be to go back to square one to try to persuade  from scratch the freeholders (a large corporation as you might imagine) that they could rent the place to little old us. 

I'll be giving it a go early this week, but for a number of reasons this currently looks like a rather long shot.

This is a battle we've been fighting for a while, and these latest developments are a bit confusing, so please pray that if this is what the Lord wants He will sort it out, and that if He has other plans He will show us what we need to do about that very soon?

Thanks.

Lord we commit these issues that tug at our hearts to you in the pursuit of your Sovereign purposes. Intervene we pray in your world, with its troubles ... and show your greatness and your Glory, for Jesus' sake.

AMEN.

Let's read God's Word, 

please click on the Bible below to be linked to the reading

Our friends at 20 Schemes lead our hearts out in worship

Click on the little man below for the sermon recording

Here is the studio cam video of that sermon

Let's think the sermon over as we sing ...

Finally now, let's pray

Father, we thank you that we have all we need by virtue of the faith you give us to stand fast in the Gospel and walk with the Lord Jesus by His Spirit, according to your Word.

Clear the clutter in our lives we pray that keeps us from knowing Him more.

Watch over us this week in our thoughts and our reactions, ad keep us close to the Saviour as we face the challenges and the blessings that the next week brings.

We ask for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Thanks for being here today.

Please pray for us as we seek to put things in place this coming week that may be important for the future direction of the work of y GRWP, and also continue to hold one another up before God in prayer.

If we can pray for you or be of help to you please contact us by email or by texting, WhatsApp or Signal on 07748 644958 ... where it's appreciated if you can text to see we're not dealing with something or somebody else before phoning - thanks for your understanding.

As ever, our giving link is on the offering bag below.

May God bless you with His felt presence in the coming week.