Everyday Church Welcome to Everyday Church. https://everyday.org.uk Sun, 19 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Sun, 19 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 hourly 1 3600 SnapPages.com How to Read the Old Testament - Part 5 - Michael Brown https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2026/02/09/how-to-read-the-old-testament-part-5-michael-brown Mon, 09 Feb 2026 05:17:24 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2026/02/09/how-to-read-the-old-testament-part-5-michael-brown
In Galatians 1:10 the Apostle Paul says the following, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Wow, what a cool guy, a maverick, a lone-wolf. He doesn’t care what anybody thinks except God.
From this we can see that the bible clearly teaches not to try and please other people. Simple.
But wait! Here comes 1 Corinthians 10:33, “even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” Oh… Well, that’s confusing.

"These two verses are taken from two separate letters, addressing two very different church communities, with very different problems."

So, Paul doesn’t try to please people but is also trying to please everyone? That right there is a headscratcher. But only if you read these verses on their own. These two verses are taken from two separate letters, addressing two very different church communities, with very different problems.
In Galatians Paul is writing to a community that been led astray into legalism and trying to satisfy the religious requirements and expectations of outside influencers. So, throughout that letter he is at pains to emphasise salvation through grace and the freedom of believers from human expectations and traditions.
But in his letters to the church in Corinth Paul is writing to a community with the opposite problem. A church riven with divisions, anarchic leadership and falling into all kinds of sinful, carnal practices.
So, in his letters to the Corinthians Paul is emphasising unity, the need to build up others and to live in a way that glorifies God. These verses can only properly be understood within the context of the books that they are in.

"Reading small snippets of the text on their own will do us no good."

The Old Testament is no different. Reading small snippets of the text on their own will do us no good.
The Bible was written as whole books, which in turn are part of one carefully designed whole. And within those books are stories, some short and some long, which in turn are part of larger sections or movements within the different books.
Each individual story (or psalm or prophecy) is supposed to be understood within the context of a larger movement, which in turn is understood as part of a book, which in turn is understood within the context of the whole Bible. It is not designed to read in individual verses and when we do that and remove verses from their context it is incredibly easy to misunderstand what God is saying to us.
For example, one of the most commonly quoted bible verse in modern times is Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
This verse seems to be everywhere these days. If you have been around Christian culture for long you will have had a friend post it on Facebook or you will have seen a poster or t-shirt with this verse on. However, this almost always completely ignores the context in which the verse is found.
Chapter 2 of Jeremiah is a letter being sent by the prophet to those Israelites who have been carried off into exile in Babylon. He is instructing them on how to live in exile and also revealing God’s promise to return them to their homeland after 70 years. It is within this very specific context, and to this very specific group of people, that verse 11 comes.
But that promise is God’s encouragement to this specific group to give them hope in their exile. It isn’t for everyone; it isn’t even for all Israelites.
Within that same chapter there are strong warnings and pronouncements against individuals and groups of people. Here is verses 16-18 of the same chapter, “but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile— yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. For they have not listened to my words,” declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets.”
I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen those verses on many posters. It doesn’t sound like God plans much of a hope or future for the people of Jerusalem, and the passage tells us this is because of their wickedness and how they have ignored God’s word to them through his prophets.
We can see from this that in context the famous verse 11 is not an unconditional promise of goodness and light and hope for everyone, but a conditional promise, reliant on obedience to God’s word, for a specific group of people.
Let’s look at one more example. I had a friend at Bible school who had a big decision to make about his future. He grew so anxious about this decision that he tried something radical. Inspired by the story of Gideon, found in Judges chapter 6, he took a fleece and laid it outside on the ground to help him decide which direction to go in (if you are not familiar with the story of Gideon and this is all sounding rather odd then maybe pause here and go read Judges 6 before you carry on, don’t worry I will wait for you).

"He was disappointed to find both the fleece and ground very, very wet indeed and that even worse, a fox had done its nightly business all over his fleece."

When he went out the next day to see if the fleece was wet but the ground dry (or the ground wet and the fleece dry, I forget which he was going for), he was disappointed to find both the fleece and ground very, very wet indeed (it was November) and that even worse, a fox had done its nightly business all over his fleece.
Now why hadn’t the old fleece trick worked? It was possibly because my friends fleece was a fleece jumper which is of course not what the book of Judges is referring to. Very possible. It could also be because the Bible is NOT promoting Gideon’s fleece test as a way in which we should treat God and make decisions. After all is it not written “Do not put the Lord your God to the test,”?
When we read the story of Gideon in context the meaning becomes more clear. The book of Judges is all about God rescuing Israel from oppression through a series of incredibly flawed people. Figures like Samson, Gideon and Jephtah are not heroes to be emulated, they are cautionary tales.

"In his grace God meets him in his weakness and in doing so gets all of the glory."

We are supposed to read that book and marvel at God’s goodness that he could work his purposes through such men. When we read the full story of Gideon from chapter 6-8, we see that he is a cowardly man who lacks faith. He continuously doubts God’s promises to him and repeatedly asks God to prove himself through a series of miraculous tests. In his grace God meets him in his weakness and in doing so gets all of the glory.
So, context is vital. Don’t read verses on their own, or even whole books on their own. Constantly be evaluating and testing your understanding using the whole context of scripture.
I’m going to set you some homework this week (completely optional of course, I won’t have any way of knowing if you have done it or not. Though God will…). Read Numbers 6:1-21 and then read the story of Samson, found in Judges 13-16. What do you notice?
Read the other blogs in this series here:
How to Read the Old Testament - Part 5 - Michael Brown
February 9th, 2026
How To Read the Old Testament - Part 4 - Michael Brown
January 29th, 2026
How To Read the Old Testament - Part 3 - Michael Brown
January 22nd, 2026
How to Read the Old Testament - Part 2 - Michael Brown
January 15th, 2026
How to Read the Old Testament - Part 1 - Michael Brown
January 9th, 2026
]]> How To Read the Old Testament - Part 4 - Michael Brown https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2026/01/29/how-to-read-the-old-testament-part-4-michael-brown Thu, 29 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2026/01/29/how-to-read-the-old-testament-part-4-michael-brown

Strangers In A Strange Land

I can still remember the first time I visited India. I was just 11 years old, and the experience was quite overwhelming.
I had been lucky enough to travel quite a bit in my young life up till that point to places like France, Italy and the USA. But, whilst all these countries have their differences from the UK, they are all to a certain extent familiar territory. There is a shared western, European heritage that makes a visit to Florida, Paris and Rome easier. India was not like this.

"My young mind was blown away by the foreign sights, sounds, smells and practices of the place."

My young mind was blown away by the foreign sights, sounds, smells and practices of the place. I found it exhilarating and, on the many trips I have made there since, that pronounced difference in culture has remained so.
Now I was safe in this strange land because I was with my parents, who knew (mostly) what they were doing, and with Indian friends of the family who could guide us through. But I imagine that if my first time there had been on my own then I may have had a very different experience.
I may have found the barrage of sights, sounds and smells overwhelming, I may have accidentally broken all kinds of social rules, I may have misinterpreted or misunderstood the world around me in all kinds of ways.
Being a stranger in a strange land can be exhilarating but it can also be confusing, or scary or just downright hard. Sometime reading the Old Testament can feel a lot like this.

"The culture in which a book is written dictates a lot of how that book is written."

The culture in which a book is written dictates a lot of how that book is written. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens is clearly written in 19th century Britain. It carries all the cultural hallmarks of that time and place, in the way the characters speak, the choices they make, the social mores at play. It only really makes sense as a story within that set of cultural expectations.
Oliver Twist is less than 200 hundred years old, and set in London, so whilst some elements are very culturally foreign to us like the realities of the workhouse, it is still culturally close enough to our current experience for us to understand it well.
But the Old Testament is very culturally removed indeed. This is a set of texts written roughly 3000 years ago and written by a people whose whole world operated in very different ways to ours.
Large parts of the text are about people living a nomadic, tent-based lifestyle and then the rest of the time is a stent-based also tribally divided state. Their economy was largely agrarian and their government ranging between theocratic and absolutist monarchy. Their society functioned according to an honour/shame hierarchical system, and their religious life was highly structured around a series of precise and symbolically rich rituals and feasts.
A large amount of their writings draw upon the cultural soup of the nations and empires around them, both as polemic against these other nations but also as a source of familiar and understandable imagery and symbolism.

"The imagery that would seem common in Ancient Egypt or Babylon is not common in 21st century London. And so, sometimes we miss stuff, or we misinterpret stuff."

But the imagery that would seem common in Ancient Egypt or Babylon is not common in 21st century London. And so, sometimes we miss stuff, or we misinterpret stuff.
Here's an example. The accounts of the conquest of Canaan found primarily in the book of Joshua can be some of the most troubling in the Bible for modern readers.
Take Joshua 10:39-36 for example; ‘Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron, and they fought against it. They captured it and struck it and its king and all its cities and all the persons who were in it with the edge of the sword. He left no survivor, according to all that he had done to Eglon. And he utterly destroyed it and every person who was in it.’
To read of God’s people committing what appears to be a genocide at God’s command is horrifying and can make us question all kinds of things about God and about the Bible. And this is far from the only passage of this kind in Joshua and elsewhere.
However, when we read on we find something puzzling later in Joshua and later in the Biblical text. Take Hebron for instance that was mentioned in that passage. It seems from chapter 10 that it has been completely annihilated, and all its occupants wiped out.
But in chapter 15 we find it once again occupied by Canaanites. And this is not an isolated issue, there are all kinds of cities and tribes that seem to be wiped out in the conquest, but which later appear in Judges or Samuel, still living in the land alongside the Israelites. So, what is happening here?

"To understand this, we need to know the conventions of the time when it came to announcing military victories and conquests."

To understand this, we need to know the conventions of the time when it came to announcing military victories and conquests. And what we find when we look at the other cultures of the time and region is that the common practice was to use hyperbole and language of annihilation that was never intended to be taken literally.
Let’s look at some examples. The Merneptah Stele is an inscribed, Egyptian announcement of military conquest and is also the earliest known reference to Israel, dated to the late 1200’s BC. Here is a section of its text:
‘The princes are prostrate, saying: “Mercy!” Not one raises his head among the Nine Bows. Desolation is for Tehenu; Hatti is pacified; Plundered is the Canaan with every evil; Carried off is Ashkelon; seized upon is Gezer; Yanoam is made as that which does not exist; Israel is laid waste, his seed is not; Hurru is become a widow for Egypt! All lands together, they are pacified; Everyone who was restless, he has been bound by the King of Upper and Lower Egypt.’
This seems to indicate to us that Israel was completely and utterly destroyed. But we know that obviously it was not and other Egyptian texts from after show that they know that Israel was not.
From even earlier we have the writings of the Hittite king Mursili the 2nd who wrote: ‘I made Mt. Asharpaya empty (of humanity). I made the mountains of Tarikarimu empty (of humanity).’
Again, more annihilation language, that we know from other Hittite records was not actually an annihilation, simply a military victory. In another example the Egyptian pharaoh Rameses the 3rd talks of turning the entirety of the Philistines to ash and making them non-existent as a people but then just a couple of lines later he talks about how he hired them as mercenaries and settled them in these lands.

"That’s not an embarrassing textual error on his part; he’s just using a common writing convention of the time."

That’s not an embarrassing textual error on his part; he’s just using a common writing convention of the time. And this kind of hyperbole around warfare doesn’t just apply to matters on annihilation.
The Assyrian King Tiglath-Pileser the 1st boasts of conquering a huge swathe of the Middle East, from the Euphrates all the way to the border of what is now Syria and Turkey, and he says he did it all in one day.  Now the Assyrians did conquer all that territory, but it certainly didn’t happen all in one day. It is hyperbole.
Now armed with this knowledge of the culture of the ancient near east we can make better sense of these seeming inconsistences that we find in books like Joshua. We cannot know for certain of course but the most common-sense interpretation is that the Bible is using this same writing technique that we find across the region at that time.

"If you want to understand an ancient book, arm yourself with knowledge of the world it was written in."

So, try to arm yourself with this kind of information. If you want to understand an ancient book, arm yourself with knowledge of the world it was written in.
1. Perhaps invest in a Bible Dictionary like these: IVP Bible Dictionaries (8 book series)
2. Read the passage using different translations, often they will draw out different cultural ideas.
3. Make use of quality web resources like this: Biblical Historical Context 
Next time we will be looking at reading understanding passages within the context of the rest of the Bible.
Read the other blogs in this series here:
How to Read the Old Testament - Part 5 - Michael Brown
February 9th, 2026
How To Read the Old Testament - Part 4 - Michael Brown
January 29th, 2026
How To Read the Old Testament - Part 3 - Michael Brown
January 22nd, 2026
How to Read the Old Testament - Part 2 - Michael Brown
January 15th, 2026
How to Read the Old Testament - Part 1 - Michael Brown
January 9th, 2026
]]> How To Read the Old Testament - Part 3 - Michael Brown https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2026/01/22/how-to-read-the-old-testament-part-3-michael-brown Thu, 22 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2026/01/22/how-to-read-the-old-testament-part-3-michael-brown
Translating the Bible into English is a difficult task. There is a reason why there are so many different translations. One reason is that the ancient languages of the Bible—Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic—operate quite differently from English. Often, there isn’t a direct English equivalent for a word from these languages.
Additionally, the way sentences are structured varies across languages, requiring translators to use multiple words or rephrase sentences to convey the intended meaning accurately.

"Translators often have to make a choice between reliability and readability, accuracy or understandability."

Translators often have to make a choice between reliability and readability, accuracy or understandability. We might think it as simple as going word by word and translating each word as closely as possible, but in practice this renders the text unintelligible.
For example, here is Genesis 1:1 translated this way: ‘Earth the and heavens the God to create beginning in.’
Not very catchy, is it? So, there is always some rephrasing and reshaping necessary in any translation.
There is also the difficulty that words carry different connotations in different languages and also at different times and so even a like for like translation of a word can portray the wrong meaning if we are not careful.
The truth is languages change over time, just think of how English has changed over the last 50-100 years. If I were to say to someone in the 1920’s that they looked ‘cool’ then they would think I was saying that they looked cold, whereas today they would think I was saying they looked good.

"With the Bible we are talking about changes in meaning and understanding across several languages and across roughly 3000 years!"

That’s a translation difficulty just within one language and just within 100 years. With the Bible we are talking about changes in meaning and understanding across several languages and across roughly 3000 years!
So, we have to be on guard about the mental assumptions and understandings we bring with our words as we read.
Let’s take one Hebrew word as a case study. Often when you read the word God in your Bible it will be the Hebrew word elohim. However sometimes this can cause difficulties because the word elohim carries some connotations and meanings that are not the same as the connotations and meanings that we associate with the English word God.
What do I mean by that? Well, I am guessing that when you hear or read the word God you understand it to mean something like ‘All powerful, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, creator being’ and, importantly, as a Christian you know that we believe that there is only one of these beings, we are monotheists.
But then we come to passages such a Psalm 82:1 which reads, ‘God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment’.
Which seems to raise a problem. Is this passage saying that Yahweh is just one of many gods? Both God and gods in this passage are the same Hebrew word, elohim, and so this would appear to be the correct translation.
Here is another example. In 1 Samuel 28 we have the rather peculiar story of Saul visiting a medium so that he can get the advice of Samuel, who has died. In verse 13 the medium sees the spirit of Samuel and says, ‘I see a god coming up out of the ground’.

"Whilst very often god is the best and closest translation for elohim, the word elohim has a broader and wider meaning than the English understanding of the word God."

What is going on here? Is it saying that Samuel has become a god? Is the medium mistaken? Well, no. The answer is that, whilst very often god is the best and closest translation for elohim, the word elohim has a broader and wider meaning than the English understanding of the word God.
The word elohim is a category title to refer to any being that dwells in the spiritual realm, a word for spiritual beings. So, in psalm 82 the author uses elohim to denote the angels, cherubim, seraphim and other spiritual beings that make up the heavenly court, and in 1 Samuel 28 the author is using elohim to denote the spirit of a dead man.
So elohim can refer to a wide variety of spiritual beings and sometimes the elohim being referred to is Yahweh. The Bible still goes to great lengths to emphasise that Yahweh is above and beyond the other elohim though and this is why you get passages that call him ‘the Elohim of Elohim’ (Deuteronomy 10:17). The Bible is clear that whilst there are many elohim there is only one creator.

"The way around this is to make sure that you are educating yourself as much as possible."

So, you can see that translation is a complex a tricky business and can easily lead to misunderstandings. The way around this is to make sure that you are educating yourself as much as possible.
Make use of commentaries. I’m sure your leaders can help recommend some but a good place to start would be with the ‘Bible Speaks Today’ commentary series.
Or you could get yourself a study bible. This is a bible with study notes at the bottom of the page for each verse. The ESV Study Bible is what I use.

"One of the benefits of living in the online age is that we can have access to all of these translations on the internet"

Another key solution is to make sure that you are studying from a range of different translations, rather than just one. This will help you to capture the full range of meaning for each passage. One of the benefits of living in the online age is that we can have access to all of these translations on the internet, rather than having to buy lots of different physical Bibles.
Here is a website that I find really useful as you can compare translations next to each other and find definitions and cross references for the original Hebrew and Greek.
If you make use of some or all of these tips, hopefully it will help you glimpse a little bit of the depths of meaning that can be found in this amazing book.
Read the other blogs in this series here:
How to Read the Old Testament - Part 5 - Michael Brown
February 9th, 2026
How To Read the Old Testament - Part 4 - Michael Brown
January 29th, 2026
How To Read the Old Testament - Part 3 - Michael Brown
January 22nd, 2026
How to Read the Old Testament - Part 2 - Michael Brown
January 15th, 2026
How to Read the Old Testament - Part 1 - Michael Brown
January 9th, 2026
]]> How to Read the Old Testament - Part 2 - Michael Brown https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2026/01/15/how-to-read-the-old-testament-part-2-michael-brown Thu, 15 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2026/01/15/how-to-read-the-old-testament-part-2-michael-brown
Last year I was given a new novel for Christmas and at first, I was excited. The cover of the book was colourful and striking and the title was intriguingly cryptic, ‘Simply Jamie’. I couldn’t wait to dive into this new story and find out the answers to these mysteries; who was this Jamie and what made him so simple? But I was disappointed.
The book seemed to have been written in an experimental, unorthodox style which made the plot extremely difficult to follow and character development basically non-existent. The chapters were extremely short and disjointed and the prose also left much to be desired with the author making far too much use of words like ‘pukka’ and ‘gnarly’.
I mean here’s an example of a standard page so you can see what I mean:
As you can see it’s not exactly Hemingway. In the end I sadly had to give up on the adventures of simple Jamie.

"Expectations of genre are incredibly important to how we read and understand a text."

Now clearly, I’m being facetious. I know full well that this is not a novel but a recipe book and I mean no insult to the fine culinary works of Jamie Oliver, of which I own several (other recipe books are available). The point I am making with this example is that our expectations of genre are incredibly important to how we read and understand a text. We don’t read novels in the same way that we read recipe books, or dictionaries in the same way as poetry collections.
So, the genre expectations that we bring with us when we read a book have a huge effect on the understanding that we take away from it.
Except with the Bible, we have the added complexity that we are dealing with a very ancient text, from a far-removed culture with very different forms of literature to the ones we know. I know what a modern history book looks like and how they are written. I know how modern poetry functions. I am familiar with the tropes and genre conventions of 21st century comic books. What I am not so familiar with are the genre expectations and writing conventions of Israelites living in the 1st and 2nd millennia BC.
So let’s take a look at what genres we find within the Old Testament:
These are the classic genre divisions that we find within the Christian Bible; the 5 books of the law, the histories, the poetry (sometimes called the writings) and the prophets (both major and minor). However, if you have read many of these books you will know that these divisions do not even nearly tell the whole story.
For starters, the five books of the law do not only contain lists of laws but are actually largely narratives. There are large prophetic sections all over the place in the histories and poetry. A more accurate diagram for the genres of the Old Testament would look like this:
In reality, the books of the Old Testament just don’t fit into the neat categories of our modern genres. Take the histories for example. When we see that word ‘history’ attached to a book our first instinct is to then read those books with all the expectations that would come from what we understand a history book to be.
The problem with that is that these books are not written in the same way and with the same purpose as a modern history book. In fact, at the time these books were written the genre of history books had yet to be invented. That would come with a guy called Herodotus in the 5th century BC.
Our history books are written with a primary purpose of transmitting information as accurately as possible and in as much detail as possible. Names, dates, locations and order are all of utmost importance and the aim of the author is primarily to give you as good an understanding as possible of what happened. But that is not how the Old Testament books work.

"These are books that have been written to teach you about God, to teach you about who he is and how he interacts with the world, and we ought to interact with him."

The primary purpose of the so called ‘histories’ is a theological one. These are books that have been written to teach you about God, to teach you about who he is and how he interacts with the world, and we ought to interact with him. That is the main intent of the authors of these books and everything else is secondary.
Now this isn’t to say that the stories are just made up, that they are therefore not historical. No, it’s clear that the authors were recounting the remembered history of their people, events that they clearly believed actually happened. But whilst doing so they were retelling these stories in such a way as to teach the reader things about God.
A good illustration of this is this famous painting but the artist Rene Magritte:
The sentence underneath the picture reads “this is not a pipe”. Magritte is making the point that depiction of an object is different from the object itself. This is a painting of a pipe, not a pipe. It has authorial intent, the artist has chosen what type of pipe to paint, what colour to use, what lighting to depict, what angle it is displayed at.
The books of the Old Testament are much the same, the authors are taking the stories of their people and telling them with authorial intent. They are deciding which stories to include, which characters to focus on, what details to tell and what to leave out and most importantly what lessons the reader is supposed to take away with them.

"They are depictions of history; they are not history."

They are depictions of history; they are not history. They are theological, historical narratives with the historical purpose being primary over the historical and there are countless examples where we can see the primary focus of teaching the reader about God taking precedence over the need for historical accuracy in the details.
Let’s look at some examples.
In 1 Samuel 11, just after Saul has been anointed as King we read the following:

1 Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.” 2 But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.”
Now to a modern English reader this might seem unremarkable, it’s just telling us the name of the Ammonite leader. But to an ancient Israelite something would immediately jump out to them. You see Nahash is a Hebrew word and not an Ammonite one. Not only that but it is a significant Hebrew word, it means ‘snake’ or ‘serpent’. The author here has given this name to the Ammonite king in order to make a theological point.
Saul has just been anointed a God’s chosen king, his holy one or mashiach, and now he is going up against a snaky bad guy. This is part of a long running theme, that goes throughout the Old Testament, depicting God’s anointed servants battling against evil doers who depicted using snake imagery and language.
The same will happen with David and Goliath (Goliath’s armour is described as being scaled bronze, bronze being spelled with the same letters as Nahash (snake)). It’s the ‘seed of the woman’ battling the ’seed of the snake’ (Genesis 3).

"What is more important for us the reader, that we know the real name of this Ammonite king, or that we gain a greater understanding of God’s plan for his people and for the defeat of evil?"

The alternative would be to say that this man’s name is rather randomly, and improbably, the Hebrew word for snake. So here we have a prime example of how historical accuracy is a secondary concern to the theological truth behind the story. And after all what is more important for us the reader, that we know the real name of this Ammonite king, or that we gain a greater understanding of God’s plan for his people and for the defeat of evil?
This is just one example and just one genre, there is plenty more that we could say about how the Bible treats history, without even getting to how poetry and prophetic literature works. But I hope this has been helpful in illustrating a little bit of how we need to read the Bible on its own terms, without reading our modern genre conventions into the text.
Next time we will be looking at some of the other barriers to our understanding of the Old Testament, namely culture, context and language.
Read the other blogs in this series here:
How to Read the Old Testament - Part 5 - Michael Brown
February 9th, 2026
How To Read the Old Testament - Part 4 - Michael Brown
January 29th, 2026
How To Read the Old Testament - Part 3 - Michael Brown
January 22nd, 2026
How to Read the Old Testament - Part 2 - Michael Brown
January 15th, 2026
How to Read the Old Testament - Part 1 - Michael Brown
January 9th, 2026
]]> How to Read the Old Testament - Part 1 - Michael Brown https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2026/01/09/how-to-read-the-old-testament-part-1-michael-brown Fri, 09 Jan 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2026/01/09/how-to-read-the-old-testament-part-1-michael-brown
The Old Testament can sometimes seem like an oddball family member. Like that strange great uncle that you don’t know quite what to make of. He does odd things like putting ketchup on his roast dinner, he tells long impenetrable stories about people and places you’ve never heard of before and whilst you love some of the things he says, every now and then he’ll say something that makes you feel extremely uncomfortable.
Anyone else have a family member like that? No, just me? Okay, sorry Uncle Norman.

"The truth is that the Old Testament can be very hard work, at times we can find it confusing, boring or offensive."

The truth is that the Old Testament can be very hard work, at times we can find it confusing, boring or offensive. Many a Christian has found themselves lost in the weeds of Numbers, Chronicles or Ezekiel.
If you have ever felt that way, don’t worry, there is a very good reason why that is the case. It turns out you are not an ancient Israelite, you (probably) can’t read ancient Hebrew and haven’t had your whole way of thinking shaped by the cultural contexts, customs and attitudes of the ancient Middle East, go figure.
This is a book written by a vast number of different authors, covers a range of different genres, over a period of over a thousand years, in a different language and from a cultural perspective that is almost entirely alien to our own. Of course it’s difficult, it would be strange if it wasn’t.

"The temptation to just read Ephesians again instead can be a strong one."

And so, what often ends up happening is that we start to neglect the Old Testament in our reading. After all, when you are stuck trying to plod through all the many instructions for the construction of the tabernacle, the temptation to just read Ephesians again instead can be a strong one. But, when we do so, we miss out on so much of what God has to offer us in his word.
I’m a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings and I often think that just reading the New Testament is a little bit like just reading The Return of the King (the third book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, for those not as geeky as me).
Sure, in the Return of the King you technically get all the bits that matter, (SPOILER ALERT!) the One Ring is destroyed, Sauron is defeated, the new King is crowned, and the Shire is saved. These are the crucial moments in the whole story, the climax.
But if you only read the Return of the King, you would miss out on so much of the meaning and depth behind these moments. You wouldn’t understand why the ring must be destroyed or why that would even matter, you wouldn’t understand why the Shire is in danger or why that is a bad thing, and you wouldn’t understand why there wasn’t already a King ruling in Gondor.

"Jesus only makes sense in the light of the Old Testament"

It is like this when we miss out the Old Testament. Jesus only makes sense in the light of the Old Testament, so much of the New is rooted in the Old. The entire worldview of the New Testament writers is shaped by the Jewish scriptures, they quote from the Old Testament extensively and constantly use it as the basis for their teachings. And they also loved it.
This was Jesus’ Bible and Paul and Peter’s Bible; the scriptures they delighted in and based their actions upon. After all, when Paul says in 2 Timothy that, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16) he is talking about the Old Testament, there wasn’t a New Testament yet.

"I want to help us the read the Old Testament with a little bit more joy, ease and understanding."

So, I want to help us the read the Old Testament with a little bit more joy, ease and understanding. I don’t think it will ever stop being hard, but hopefully in the series of blogs that follow this introduction you will find some tips and advice of use to make it just that little bit easier.
I pray you enjoy the journey.
Read the other blogs in this series here:
How to Read the Old Testament - Part 5 - Michael Brown
February 9th, 2026
How To Read the Old Testament - Part 4 - Michael Brown
January 29th, 2026
How To Read the Old Testament - Part 3 - Michael Brown
January 22nd, 2026
How to Read the Old Testament - Part 2 - Michael Brown
January 15th, 2026
How to Read the Old Testament - Part 1 - Michael Brown
January 9th, 2026
]]> Reflections on seven years as a Trustee at Everyday Church https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2025/09/15/reflections-on-seven-years-as-a-trustee-at-everyday-church Mon, 15 Sep 2025 05:40:48 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2025/09/15/reflections-on-seven-years-as-a-trustee-at-everyday-church
If you had asked me eight years ago whether I would ever be a Trustee of Everyday Church, let alone still a Trustee in 2025, the answer would have been 'no'. But God had different plans! In fact, a feeling of being underqualified for the role is, I have found, a good place to start, as it makes me more and more reliant on God for the strength and skills I need in the role. It is a privilege and an honour to serve Everyday Church as a Trustee.
In the seven years since I was appointed in April 2018, Everyday Church has navigated a pandemic and seen a change of leadership. Both of these provided challenges and opportunities which Trustees needed to work through alongside the Elders.

"Trustees continue to prayerfully aim to ensure that Everyday Church fulfils its vision of living out God’s kingdom purpose."

Our responsibilities remained unchanged in these occasionally choppy waters and Trustees continue to prayerfully aim to ensure that Everyday Church fulfils its vision of living out God’s kingdom purpose through relationship with Jesus and making disciples, through our oversight of the key areas of administration, including finances, staffing, safeguarding, buildings and risk and legal responsibilities.
In all of this I have constantly been reminded of Nehemiah’s approach to building the walls of Jerusalem. None of what we do as Trustees could be done in isolation from each other, the Eldership, or without the support of the church as a whole. All Trustees serve in different areas of church life in addition to Trusteeship ensuring that we are well aware of how the church is doing day to day.

"It is only through the willingness of Trustees and church members to work together in this way that Everyday can function well."

 In Chapter 3, Nehemiah allocated everyone who was willing to serve to a task appropriate to their skills and some learnt new skills along the way. Each Trustee serves in part of the “wall” and it is only through the willingness of Trustees and church members to work together in this way that Everyday can function well.
I am grateful to have a really prayerful team to work with. Nehemiah always asked God to provide him with a vision and we continue to do that as we move forward into each new season.

"We pray constantly for God to guide us in the path he wants for Everyday Church."

In times when we face challenges, or attacks of the enemy, Nehemiah is always a source of inspiration. Chapter 4 tells us that the people found the repair work difficult when they were under attack but they fully believed their statement, “Our God will fight for us!” We pray constantly for God to guide us in the path he wants for Everyday Church.
We are also reminded in Chapter 6 that we are not trying to keep the “walls” of Everyday Church in good repair in order to keep our members safely inside. It is our prayer that we do this in order to keep the doors open and invite more and more people in to meet with Jesus.
My main aim as a Trustee remains the same as it has been since my appointment – try to do only that which brings glory to God. I would value your prayers that this remains the aim of all Trustees now and in the future.
Find out more about the role and experience of our Everyday Church Trustees in our other recent blogs...

Meet Noline Matemera
Meet Echo Chung
Our Church Buildings
]]> Newday 2025 - The tide is coming in https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2025/09/01/newday-2025-the-tide-is-coming-in Mon, 01 Sep 2025 18:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2025/09/01/newday-2025-the-tide-is-coming-in
In late July, Everyday Church took 47 teenagers to Newday. That included a big group of younger teenagers coming for the first time, and 7 teenagers who, as far as we know, are unchurched. I wanted to give you an update of how that went.
But to do that, I need to start a bit earlier.
Earlier this year, at a prayer meeting, Pat Flowers had a prophetic word for our youth ministry. She had a picture of the tide coming in. Pat felt this was a picture for our young people, that the tide has been out for a while, and it's starting to come in. Gradually, then suddenly.
I tell you that because at Newday this year, a lady I didn't know found me across a crowded room and prophesied something very similar.

"she saw shoots starting to emerge, signs of spring"

She said she saw shoots starting to emerge, signs of spring. She said that God was calling me to speak out about what God was doing in our young people and to tell others that spring was coming.
So, having faith in that, let me tell you what I saw...
- 3 members of our group gave their lives to Jesus.

- 10 raised their hand to say they’d like to get baptised when they get home.

- At least one member of our group said they were filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time. Not only that, they opened their mouth to pray, and God gave them the gift of tongues then and there.

- Someone prophesied over a stranger they met last year, and that person came to find them this year to tell them that God had fullfilled that prophecy.

- A member of our group was healed of a sinus issue they have had since they were 4.

"Across Newday, 760 people reported they'd given their lives to Jesus, and nearly 500 reported they'd been healed."

Those are just our stories. Across Newday, 760 people reported they'd given their lives to Jesus, and nearly 500 reported they'd been healed.
And God is working in Everyday Church far beyond Newday.

"God is working in our teenagers."

Last year, we took a survey of our youth. Almost 70% of the young people who responded have given their lives to Jesus. This year we have had highest attendance at Sunday morning’s Deeper in our history. Our Nightlife attendance has doubled in a year. God is working in our teenagers.
Working with young people right now, feels like reaping a harvest I did not sow (John 4:35-38). We are standing on the shoulders of giants that have prayed for your young people for years, when the tide was out. And now look, the tide is coming in.
Newday is one of the largest Christian events for young people that takes place in the UK every year. Thousands of young people aged 12-18 descend on Norfolk Showground, near Norwich to join hundreds of churches from all over the UK and Europe to learn about and worship God, camp out together and soak in the summer festival feeling, leaving Newday further along in their relationship with Jesus.

For more information about Newday: www.newdaygeneration.org
]]> What's Next? - Caleb Byrne https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2025/08/01/what-s-next-caleb-byrne Fri, 01 Aug 2025 04:32:44 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2025/08/01/what-s-next-caleb-byrne
Hi, I’m Caleb. I was a NEXT Intern at Everyday Church over the last year. NEXT has provided me with so many opportunities, from serving abroad to leading at Everyday Youth, to having some brilliant teaching and building close community with new friends.

I would highly recommend NEXT to anyone. It gives so many incredible experiences and really helps shape you and strengthen your faith.
What have you learnt this year?

I have had both amazing teaching and individual instruction on a range of topics. These came from the brilliant training days where we learnt about a range of theological topics. These were both helpful in the progression of my faith and the practicalities of day-to-day living.

"They have also helped mentor me, coaching me through challenges in faith and everyday life."

The teaching also came in the form of help from our church and Staff Team. They have given me wonderful opportunities to lead and serve in all kinds of settings, ranging from youth work to worship. They have also helped mentor me, coaching me through challenges in faith and everyday life.

Overall, I have come out of this year more confident than I was when I started and more secure in my faith. I feel ready to tackle whatever life throws at me.
What was a highlight from the year?

My highlight this year was the mission trip to the Netherlands in May. It was so much fun to be with others doing NEXT internships and I’ve made numbers of friends in the churches out there.

"At the end of the camp, we gave the kids an opportunity to give their lives to Jesus. 18 of the 30 kids did which was amazing!"

In the latter half of the trip we helped serve at a camp and ran the kids work there. At the end of the camp, we gave the kids an opportunity to give their lives to Jesus. 18 of the 30 kids did which was amazing!
So what's next for you Caleb (no pun intended)?

Next for me is uni. Starting in September I’m going to Southampton University to study psychology. I am really happy to be going there to study because I have made several friends and mutual connections this year with people in Southampton.

I can’t wait to get stuck into a church down there and start serving however I can. It will be sad to leave Everyday Church and working for a church for now, but this year has helped me feel more ready for Uni; both spiritually and generally.
If you're interested in doing a NEXT internship at Everyday Church get in touch. NEXT is about giving a year to God to understand what he has next for you. If you are 18-25, embark on the adventure and see what God has in store for you.
]]> Meet Retha Karandreas - Wimbledon Kids Leader https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2025/02/28/meet-retha-karandreas-wimbledon-kids-leader Fri, 28 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2025/02/28/meet-retha-karandreas-wimbledon-kids-leader
Retha Karandreas recently joined the Everyday Church Staff Team, so we thought we'd ask her some questions to get to know her a bit.
Retha, you've recently joined the Everyday Church staff team so we'd love to get to know you – What are your hobbies?

We enjoy spending time together as a family. We like exploring the nearby forest and visit play parks. I enjoy reading Christian novels, one of my favourite books is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I’ve read most of Frank Perritte books and enjoy listening to the Bible. I’ve recently started swimming and really enjoy being active.
Tell us about your story of coming to faith.

I grew up in a Christian family and had several encounters with Jesus in my childhood. My mum became born again when we were in High School, and she prayed for her family to also be saved.

I only really took my walk serious with God when I lived in London for two years from 2002. I lived in a house with other South Africans and another girl moved into our house and she attended Hillsong. Our house became a prayer request to her homegroup to be saved.

During this time, I had a dream that God appeared to me and said I will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven, which surprised me because I thought I was a Christian. I gave my life to Jesus in 2003 and got baptised in the sea in Brighton. By the end of the two years the whole house was saved, connected to a church and committed Christians.

"By the end of the two years the whole house was saved, connected to a church and committed Christians."

You've started as the Everyday Wimbledon Kids Leader – what does that actually mean?

This has been a very interesting journey, as I had to discover what this means too. My role involves overseeing and recruiting volunteers for Everyday Kids. To maintain three weeks of Everyday Kids in Wimbledon we need the right number of volunteers every week. I oversee and prepare some of the lessons for our sessions. This has mainly been done by the team leaders; however, we have recently moved to a wonderful programme called ‘Overflow’ and the volunteers and children have really enjoyed it.

Part of my job is to make sure our sessions are run safely, and I work with Penny, our Designated Safeguarding Lead, to make sure all risk assessments and safeguarding policies are in place and adhered to. I work closely with our Creche team, and we discuss the transition of children from Creche to Kids.
Tell us about your journey to applying for the role?

My husband, Lefteri, was looking for a ‘tongue speaking’ church. He loves seeing the Holy Spirit and his gifts working in a church and he asked if we could visit Everyday Church Wimbledon.

In my research I saw that they were advertising for a Kids Leader and thought this could be a great opportunity as I am a qualified South African teacher and Early Years trained in UK. Our first visit confirmed that we had made the right decision. We felt welcomed and at home, and this has been our home ever since.

"This opportunity has been incredible, and I can honestly say this is the best place I have worked at."

How can we pray for you?

I truly believe God has place me here for a reason and a season. This opportunity has been incredible, and I can honestly say this is the best place I have worked at. Please pray that I would listen to what God wants me to do here and be used as an instrument for his work in Everyday Kids, and part of the bigger community.

Find out more about Everyday Kids activities across our locations. 
]]> Meet Emma Ingle - Wimbledon Youth Leader https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2025/01/31/meet-emma-ingle-wimbledon-youth-leader Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2025/01/31/meet-emma-ingle-wimbledon-youth-leader
Emma Ingle recently joined the Everyday Church Staff Team, so we thought we'd ask her some questions to get to know her a bit.
You've recently joined the Everyday Church staff team so we'd love to get to know you – What are your hobbies?
 
I was raised in a family that LOVES country music! So I taught myself to play the guitar when I was a teenager in hope that one day I might become like all my favourite people; Dolly Parton, Shania Twain and mid-00’s Taylor Swift! When I’ve got the time and space away from my little ones, I love to sing and song write. A friend and I are in the process of writing and recording a version of Psalm 22 – with heavy country vibes, of course.
Tell us about your story of coming to faith.
 
I grew up in a village just outside High Wycombe and my parents took me to a Newfrontiers church when I was a child and into my teens. But when I was 13 my parents divorced and both stopped going to church. This was a crossroads moment for me as I got to decide whether I still wanted to be there. I had got stuck in within the youth group there already and had amazing youth leaders who supported me through this really hard time and became spiritual mothers and fathers to me. They taught me the gospel, and they also showed it in the way they knit me into the church family and patiently discipled an emotionally fragile and broken 13 year old!

I experienced being filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time and many times after that, particularly at Newday and as I started to read the Bible for myself at home. I came to London in 2011 to do a Theology degree and Freddie and I got married here at Everyday Church Wimbledon in 2017.

God has been very faithful over the years, putting older and wiser people in my path who have guided and steered me back to dependence on him time and time again.

"They taught me the gospel, and they also showed it in the way they knit me into the church family and patiently discipled an emotionally fragile and broken 13 year old!"

You've started as the Everyday Wimbledon Youth Leader – what does that actually mean?
 
It means I oversee the team that look after the young people here at Everyday Church Wimbledon. Myself and our wonderful team of youth leaders, run a few ministries for the young people here including, ‘Nightlife’, - the Friday night youth club that gathers teenagers from across the Everyday Church venues and their friends, ‘Deeper’- youth bible study and prayer groups that meet on Sunday mornings at the Wimbledon venue, and ‘Newday’ a Christian camp that we take a group of them to each summer.

With me on staff, I can make a lot of the organisational aspects of these ministries happen behind the scenes so that our team of youth leaders can focus on befriending and discipling our young people.

It's also a joy to bring some vision and direction for our Youth Ministry. I spend a lot of time thinking and planning how we can best present the gospel to the next generation in our youth activities and disciple them well in their faith after that.
Tell us about your journey to applying for the role?
 
I have been working with teenagers in my secular work in Universities for many years and enjoy being around the energy and enthusiasm young people have. But it wasn’t until January 2024 that I felt a strong sense from God, our life circumstances and the wisdom of friends, that it was time for our family to make some big changes.

We had been living in the Kingston area for a few years while we were part of Everyday Church Kingston and so moving jobs and area again was a big decision for us and our children. But everything pointed towards this being the right job for me to apply for.

God reminded me of how he had saved me through the youth group when I was a teenager, and it felt like he was leading me to partake in discipling this next generation. What could have been major hurdles to starting this job, including selling our flat very quickly, and finding somewhere affordable to live in Wimbledon, God has provided for.
You have a wonderful family – how do you juggle work and family life at the moment?
 
I work 3 days a week for the church, but lots of those hours I do in the evenings and on Sundays when my husband Freddie, can look after the children. So don’t be surprised to receive emails from me outside of the normal 9-5!
How can we pray for you?
 
Please pray for me that the way I lead would flow from a close relationship with God and not in my own strength or giftings. Please pray that every young person at Everyday Church would make a personal decision to follow Jesus. Please pray that we would create a culture that encourages our young people to be real about where they are at, so we can support them in their journey.

Finally, please pray for our youth leaders, that God would give them supernatural energy and patience as they give a huge amount of their free time to love and serve our young people.
Find out more about Everyday Church Youth here, or email emma.ingle@everyday.org.uk
]]> Mission in a Digital World https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2024/11/28/mission-in-a-digital-world Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:37:20 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2024/11/28/mission-in-a-digital-world
A pastor received a letter after visiting a school in Uganda, it read:

"Yesterday, I went to school and I actually cried, I found over 500 students gathered praying in the school hall for the first time and you coming brought revival in school administration. In the hall only 2 students had Bibles and the leaders were copying scriptures on the blackboard. The messages you preached and the tracts you made it’s a life changing message and God is using you in a powerful way to reach out to the lost souls. Thanks Pastor."

What does this have to do with our mission in a digital world?

God does great things and it’s amazing to be a part of it. The message shared and the tracts the Pastor gave out were from our weekly sermon notes we email out to over 80 Bishops, ministers, and church leaders across the world. But before we continue, let’s first understand the need for digital mission by answering some key questions:

What is the church?

“The Church is not the building, it’s the people, it’s not just the gathering, it’s also the scattering…” John Wimber

What stops someone entering a building the church meet in?

There are so many reasons why people cannot gather at a certain time and place:
Location, other religions, illness, housebound, prison, family, work shifts, sports, government, previous abuse, phobias, travelling, disabilities, law, persecution, peer pressure, fear of the unknown, death threats, culture, experience, perception …

What are the pros and cons between the church meeting in a building and meeting online?

Wrong question. It is not a comparison, it is a hybrid, where online is able to go much further than the reach of a building, crosses many different boundaries, and impacts the lives of those who might never have the opportunity to gather in a building.

Why did we launch Everyday Church Online?

To reach the unreached and make church accessible to the digital world. 
( Currently a mission field of 5.52 billion people, almost 70% of the world’s population. )
Everyday Church Online was founded and grounded in some key Bible verses that emphasized the need for digital mission:

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20 NIV

“He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” 
Mark 16:15 NIV

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 
Acts 1:8 NIV

“On arrival, they got the church together and reported on their trip, telling in detail how God had used them to throw the door of faith wide open so people of all nations could come streaming in.” Acts 14:27 MSG
We launched Everyday Church Online on Sunday 20th September 2015. Time and time again we experienced God promoting our digital mission from the most unexpected places, such as BBC Radio and BBC World Service.

In the first couple of years, God really encouraged us with some great prophesies that got us through the initial and often unexpected challenges of launching our digital mission:

Like Noah, God has asked you to build something that might not make sense to others. They will not understand and mock you. But what is being built will be the thing that God will use to save the lost.

Like Nehemiah, you are building something that requires focus and the right tools in one hand, but in the other hand to be equipped and prepared to defend the work and progress from attacks.
Like the Wright brothers, there will be some bumps, scrapes and crashes as you constantly refine your aircraft. But perseverance will push you through to flight and success. This will lead the way for the future and other people/churches, just like air travel is the normal now for everyone.

What impact has Everyday Church Online had on our digital mission?

The story from the school in Uganda is just one of 1,000’s of stories & testimonies we regularly receive. Since launching Everyday Church Online over 9 years ago:

  • 1.33 million unique guests have been welcomed to our services – some only for seconds, others committed for years, but seeds have been sown.
  • 13,965 towns & cities, and nearly every country in the world represented.
  • 4,192 commitments have been recorded during our Online Church Services.
  • 7,520 prayer requests were received through the Online Church Services and each was individually prayed for by the Prayer Team.
  • 1,430 have created a profile on our church database (ChurchSuite) to be more connected to Everyday Church. Each red dot on the map at the top of this blog represents from 1 to 40+ people.
We know that behind every number is a person, or a group of people, with a story and here are a couple.

Bijay
An active member since 2020, lives in Nepal, and since joining us has now started a church of over 100 people, with multiple Life Groups. He preaches in other communities and runs outreach missions beyond his community including to Katmandu. 2 years ago, they had major flooding where houses were lost in the river and no food to eat. They also suffered persecution and had their Bibles and resources destroyed. In response as a church, we were able to bless them with a financial gift to help with the recovery from the flooding and to purchase more Bibles and resources for his ministry.

Joseph
An active member since 2017 and lives in Tanzania, as a farmer. He started a small Bible study group based on the digital resources we sent him. He now has a growing church congregation, a midweek Bible study group, and he preaches in other towns and villages. He does regular outreaches in his community and distributes our resources that he has translated into Swahili. As a church, we were able to bless him with financial support to purchase equipment and resources for his ministry.

Your generous giving to Everyday Church made it possible for us to support these ministries over the years, thank you.

Digital mission in other languages

For a season, Everyday Church Online ran a digital mission in other native languages:
  • German
  • Italian
  • Russian
  • Spanish
Everyday Tserkov is our Russian Online Church which is still going strong and reaching the Russian speaking world (258 million), often bridging the gap between warring countries.

COVID-19 pandemic

During the lockdown, it was a great privilege to have all the London venues join Everyday Church Online on digital mission. We were also able to help many other churches and ministries create their own online services and ministries.
This is just a tiny glimpse of what has happened over the last 9 years and with all that has been shared, the most incredible thing is seeing God at work through Everyday Church Online. As a global online congregation, we have experienced all around the world amazing answers to prayer, commitments made, healings, reconciliations, Baptisms, receiving the Holy Spirit, miraculous stories and testimonies, churches started, Life Groups created, families reunited, marriages restored, and so, so, so much more. God is so gracious and good!

What next for our mission in a digital world?

J.H. Mole’s “View from Craig-Y-Barns, Dunkeld, Looking South” (1855)
Seeds of Faith
In 1780, the Duke of Atholl had a problem. He wanted to plant a new forest on a mountainside on his Scottish estate, however it was so perilous a place that no man could reach the location to plant his seeds. What’s more, the Duke’s vision was for 15-million more trees. He had a big problem, with no obvious answer.

The solution ended up coming from a most unlikely quarter. A landscape painter called Alexander Nasmyth spotted two unused cannons on the estate. He devised a tin missile filled with seeds that could be shot long distances, exploding to shower seed across a wide area. This slightly eccentric approach worked so well that the Duke became known as ‘Planter John’ and Robert Burns dedicated a poem to him on his tree-planting exploits. The forest still stands today.

The word broadcasting originally comes from agriculture, to describe the wide scattering of seed. It is the type of sowing that is in the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:3-9.

The story of the Duke and Nasmyth’s cannon should remind us of Everyday Church and its digital mission, as we broadcast the seeds of the Gospel to places that seem impossible to reach, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Reaching homes, workplaces, hospitals, care homes, prisons, and more… and we have heard how some of those seeds have grown through Bijay & Joseph.

The Everyday Church Online venue has shown the impact and the need for our whole church to now be equipped and active together in our digital mission.

Looking ahead

As part of our growing digital mission, we are going to:
  • Enhance what is working well.
  • Ensure Everyday Church’s digital strategy is well planned & working effectively.
  • Empower and equip venues in maximising digital missional opportunities.
  • Introduce new initiatives that will maintain and improve Everyday Church’s presence and digital missional effectiveness.

Online services

We will continue:
  • Providing worship, teaching, prayer, and equipping for those who cannot gather with the church in a building.
  • Giving the opportunity for people to respond to the gospel.
  • Providing resource material to help people grow in God.
  • Providing resource material for those who want to build local communities of faith in their location anywhere in the world.
  • Providing prayer support across the globe.
  • Signposting new believers and seekers to Everyday Church’s physical venues and to other local churches across the nation and the nations.
  • Working with other churches in providing gospel hooks for those who are seeking meaning through the internet.

Other digital resources

To be equipped and resourced for digital mission we have:

Our website is a brochure website, for new people to find out more about Everyday Church, with top level key information and in a welcoming format. Be familiar with what is on there, visit regularly, and point new people to it.

  • App – level 2 information
Our App contains a lot more detailed information for regular attenders, so why not download it to your tablet and mobile.

Our church database (ChurchSuite) is the most detailed information for venue and whole church events. You need need to have a profile on ChurchSuite to be able to receive venue specific emails, updates, and event invitations. Ensure you create a profile, or update your existing profile, to stay fully connected - you have control over your data.

Our blogsite has regular posts to introduce people and topics, recently new Trustees, new staff, and also more in depth subjects and information.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for all our sermon series, stories, training, and additional videos.

  • Podcasts
We broadcast our sermon messages through the usual podcast channels, so you can subscribe automatically.

  • Social Media
    We have 3 main profiles for you to follow, share, post, and interact with:
Facebook – everydaychurchonline
Instagram – everydaychurchonline
X  ( formerly Twitter ) – everyday_online

What does the Bible say about digital mission?

Research has discovered that …

Moses had the first recorded tablet and it could connect to the cloud. In fact the first two tablets he had broke shortly after he got them. But he was not the first computer user in the Bible. The oldest computer can be traced to Adam & Eve, it was an Apple, but with extremely limited memory, just 1 byte, then everything crashed.
 
But seriously, scripture is clear that we should take every opportunity and use every method available to preach the gospel and digital mission is full of both.

What might we do both personally and as a whole church?

We need to overcome some challenges and understand that technology is not good or bad, it is neutral. However, we must recognise that the companies that use the technology are not neutral. We are not neutral, we are human, and we are imperfect.

How do we navigate the digital world?

It is all about content, our digital consumption, and digital production.

Digital Consumption

If we want to avoid the dangers of the digital world we need to regularly reflect on the quantity and the quality of our digital consumption.

Quantity of Digital Consumption

  • The average adult looks at their phone every 12 minutes.
  • 40% of adults look at their phone within 5 minutes of waking up.
  • We spend on average 70 days a year looking at our phones.
  • 7-16 year olds spend just under 4 hours on the internet every day.
  • 42% of British adults identify with nomophobia.
  • Nomophobia - the fear of being stuck without mobile phone connectivity.

The first and fundamental thing we can all do about mitigating the potential harm of the digital world is to reduce our amount of time we spend on our phones and other devices. By reducing the volume of consumption, we are forced to consider the quality of what we are consuming. Treat time like money – it is limited. When we realise it is limited, we actually begin to think about what we will spend it on.

Quality of Digital Consumption

The Lamp of the Body
Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.
Luke 11:34-35
We become what we behold. Jesus' words in the first century are confirmed by neuroscientists in the 21st century. What we consume, and what we watch, impacts how we think. How we think about the world. How we think about ourselves.

Words are powerful. Sung words are even more powerful (they connect with both sides of the brain). Moving images, plus words, plus music are the most powerful of all. They turn on all parts of our brain and cause maximum absorption of information.

It matters what we are viewing because there are messages being communicated that we are not even aware of. It is a biblical truth and a neurological reality that what we absorb consciously and subconsciously through the media is shaping our identity and our thought patterns.

We need to choose whether we are going to be intentional about what we consume, or passive absorbers of whatever the world wants to throw at us. We make this decision with an awareness that the media itself is slowly making it harder for us to make that decision for ourselves.

Digital Production

Avoiding the pitfalls of the digital world is not just about consumption, it is also about production, what we produce. Anyone who has hit send on a poorly worded email, or liked a post without checking the source, is aware that digital communication is complicated. Digital communication is fast, it is easy, but it is rarely good communication.

As soon as you move from the purely factual: “see you outside the station at 10:00am”. It is devoid of nuance, sensitivity, or empathy and it is so easy to be misinterpreted, however many emojis you put in the message.
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Ephesians 4:29
When Paul wrote these words to the Ephesian church he had no awareness of the digital world. But he knew the power of speech. He may also have been aware of the words of Socrates:
“If what you want to say is neither true, nor good or kind, nor useful or necessary, please don't say anything at all.”
Socrates
Paul’s words in Ephesians remind us that what we post, send, repost or Tweet will always have a wider audience than we might intend. We must think of those we are speaking to and those who might listen.

James, as well as reminding us of the power of the tongue in James 3, counsels us to be “slow to speak” and what good advice that is when it comes to social media. Don’t react, speak less, speak better.

The power of the tongue works both ways to build up and break down. Equally the more biblical truth and positive speak we put on our social media and through our digital communications the more there is for others to find.
So, when we are on our digital mission, don't react, speak less, speak better, and ensure we "do not let any unwholesome message come out of our keyboard, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who read it."
]]> Meet Caleb Byrne - NEXT https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2024/11/06/meet-caleb-byrne-next Wed, 06 Nov 2024 03:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2024/11/06/meet-caleb-byrne-next
Caleb Byrne recently joined the team here at Everyday Church so we asked him some questions to get to know him.
Caleb, you have recently joined Everyday Church, so we would love to get to know you – What are your favourite hobbies?

My favourite hobby is watching American Football. I am a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs but love watching any game I can because of the time difference. I also really enjoy music, and I love to sing. I'm learning to play the guitar. I also love to hang out with friends and make new ones.
You've just started the NEXT internship year with New Ground – What led you to apply to do Next?

I wanted to do a year out of education before starting university. A-levels had been quite stressful at points, and I just wanted a year to learn more about God and to grow stronger in my faith. There was a guy at Community Church Putney who had done a similar internship programme, and I knew I wanted to do something like that. I heard about NEXT through a guest speaker at church, and I thought it looked amazing, so I applied.
What are you hoping God will do in you during this year?

I am hoping that God helps me to develop and grow stronger in my faith which would allow me to start university with a strong foundation. I’m also excited about the opportunity to serve here at Everyday Church.
You mentioned serving – What sort of things will you be involved with throughout the year?

I will be involved in youth work primarily but also helping with kids work. I am also involved in the youth club which is run at Everyday Church Southfields in conjunction with Saint Cecilia’s School.
How can we pray for you?

You could pray that I am able to get really stuck in here, get to know people, and that I can serve the church well for this next year.
Find out more and apply for the New Ground NEXT internship – See what God has in store for you.
]]> Meet Noline Matemera – Trustee Blog https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2024/10/10/meet-noline-matemera-trustee-blog Thu, 10 Oct 2024 05:45:38 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2024/10/10/meet-noline-matemera-trustee-blog
Noline Matemera recently joined our Trustees Team at Everyday Church. We asked Noline some questions to get to know her better...
How did you come to faith?
I had an interesting journey to faith because although my mother was a practising Methodist, she could not get my siblings and I to attend church with her. We found her church terribly dull and monotonous. My father was not a Christian but was always keen for us to attend church – even if he did not!

A local Baptist church near where we lived in Zimbabwe at the time, ran a vibrant youth ministry that all the youth in the neighbourhood attended. That church organised an annual Scripture Union camp on the shores of a local lake. I attended the camp one year and during one of the evening meetings, I had an overwhelming sense of my sin, brokenness and need for Christ. I gave my life to Christ that night and I vividly remember crying desperately for what felt like hours after that. I have subsequently experienced God's Spirit at different times in my life, but that encounter has stayed with me – it marked me for him for good. It was a turning point in my life.

Someone led me to faith as a young person and that changed the course of my life. As a result of my journey to faith, I care particularly deeply for youth and children’s ministry and outreach to unchurched young people.

"I gave my life to Christ that night and I vividly remember crying desperately for what felt like hours after that."

Tell us a bit about you and your family
I have an adult child who I am lucky to live and work with! There is often an almighty scramble for the shower at about the same time as we try and get out and catch the same time train into central London each morning. I also have two sisters who between them have three kids under the age of five. So often, I will be seen in the creche with one of the other of my nephew or nieces. We are all incredibly fortunate to live very close to one another, so we are often in and out of each other's houses which is such a blessing.
What brought me to Everyday Church?
My daughter and I moved from Bedford to SW London in 2016. In Bedford we had attended All Nations Church for a long time and were deeply embedded in that community. We initially struggled to find a new church and settle. As part of our weekly Sunday tour of churches in Kingston, we eventually found ourselves in Everyday Church Kingston.

What settled us at Everyday Church Kingston was the homeless ministry it supported. It was the first thing I saw when I walked into the building. I recall walking in and thinking this is what church should look and smell like! It resonated with Jesus' own ministry, it was not among the well-heeled, but the lepers, the outcast and those at the fringes of society.

"I recall walking in and thinking this is what church should look and smell like! It resonated with Jesus' own ministry, it was not among the well-heeled, but the lepers, the outcast and those at the fringes of society."

As part of Everyday Church Kingston, I went to Israel with the wider Everyday family in 2019. I am grateful to God for that trip as I believe he connected and prepared me for the move from Everyday Church Kingston to Everyday Church Wimbledon which happened after lockdown. Although Everyday Church Kingston is going through a fallow period, the season of fellowshipping in Wimbledon has opened me up to the whole church.

I currently call Everyday Church Wimbledon my home venue, but I have much expectation that God is doing something new with Everyday Church Kingston and we will be entering a new season soon. I look forward to "perceiving it" in the fullness of time – Isaiah 43:19.
Tell us how you become a trustee?
Not quickly is probably an accurate answer! Simon and Helen initially approached me about becoming a trustee. My initial reaction was that I was underqualified, and that the role was for someone else. Helen very patiently and lovingly answered all my questions and addressed all my fears. Most of them turned out to be untruths of the enemy!

As part of our discussions, I began sitting in trustee meetings as an observer. I found that particularly helpful as I more readily saw many parallels between my day job and the issues discussed at meetings. I began to see trusteeship as a different way to serve God and my church – akin to children's ministry, hosting, and many other ways that others serve in church. In the fullness of time, I became a full trustee of the church.

I thank God for making a way for me to serve him with the giftings and talents he has bestowed upon me. He is having back what was his in the first place!
In closing, as his church continues to grow and evolve, my prayer is we are able to discern his voice and leading as a trusteeship.

God bless,
Noline Matemera

Find out more about Everyday Church Kingston
]]> Tractor-Fixers - New Ground Leadership Conference 2023 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/11/26/tractor-fixers-new-ground-leadership-conference-2023 Sun, 26 Nov 2023 22:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/11/26/tractor-fixers-new-ground-leadership-conference-2023
This year’s New Ground leadership conference carried the strapline: “The Holy Spirit. Received. Lived out. Passed on.” For the 28 members of Everyday Church that attended, the three-day event was marked by personal encounters with the power and love of God through the Holy Spirit, expressed in tongues, prophetic words and a miraculous healing. Schedules changed and running orders shifted to make room for the Spirit to move freely among us; the theme of the conference was practiced in real time.

The ministry times were preceded by teaching on the Holy Spirit by leaders from New Ground churches. Early on the second day of the conference, Lex Loizides from Jubilee Community Church in Cape Town challenged the idea that we can become “experts” at encountering the Holy Spirit. We must remain like children who are totally dependent on God in the moments when he shows up in our gatherings, Lex urged.

The child-like hearts that God is eager to pour his Spirit into are described in Mark 10:15, when Jesus orders his disciples to: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” The verse was shared by Charlie McDonald from East End Church in Bethnal Green in her seminar on children’s ministry, where she used Jesus’ words to bring a gentle challenge: are we hindering the children in our churches by not making space for them to encounter the Holy Spirit in our gatherings?

This challenge was a recurring theme at the conference; at least seven speakers emphasised the importance of teaching young people to cultivate the presence of the Holy Spirit. On the final day, Katherine Brown from New Community Church in East London tackled the view that the charismatic gifts can put the next generation off the Church. She argued that the opposite is true: young adults leave the Church because they haven’t experienced enough of the Holy Spirit.

Katherine urged churches not to allow “operation thinking” to get in the way of young people  encountering the Spirit in our gatherings by excessively siloing off kids and youth work from our main gatherings. Raising the next generation must be something that every church member participates in, not only the childrens’ workers, she added.

Hannah Silley, also from New Community Church, brought a similar message, noting that our children will learn more about dependence on the Holy Spirit by seeing it practised in the everyday lives of their church family than what is preached from the pulpit. Hannah reminded us that we are not imparting methods or traditions to our children but whole-hearted devotion to a person, Jesus Christ. She called on parents, biological and spiritual, to take hold of God’s promise in Isaiah 44:3 that he will “pour out my Spirit on your offspring”.

The day after the conference my dad posted a photo in our family WhatsApp group of my nephew’s toy tractor parked beside a real one. Dad explained that while he’d been fixing an old tractor in the barn that afternoon, the four-year-old had pedalled into the barn, propped up his ride-on tractor and started trying to ‘fix’ it to copy what his grandad was doing underneath the real tractor.

I’m praying for a generation of young ‘tractor-fixers’ in our churches who will pursue genuine dependency on the Holy Spirit after witnessing this in the lives of their parents and church families.

Sam Fry
]]> Leadership Lessons https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/11/21/leadership-lessons Tue, 21 Nov 2023 04:39:56 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/11/21/leadership-lessons
I have been leading the Eldership team at Everyday Church for just over two years! It doesn’t seem possible, as ever time has flown. However, when I reflect on all that we have worked through, and all that God has done I realise it has to have been 26 months since we emerged out of 18 months of COVID. We have rooted ourselves once more in the grace of God through our series in Galatians; experienced the Word made flesh in John; reminded ourselves of who we are and why we are here in our Vision and Values series; walked through Exodus and Eagerly Desired Spiritual Gifts!

God has been so faithful to us as a church over these last two years and I am excited about all that he might do in the years ahead. I am always encouraged by Paul’s words in Ephesians 3 that we have a God who longs to do more than “all we can ask and imagine”.

Reflecting recently on my time leading Everyday Church, I was asking myself what leadership lessons I felt GOD is teaching me. I say that in the present tense because I have learned over the last 30 years of leadership that leadership lessons are always in the present tense. In the same way that Paul encourages us to go on “being being filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5), leadership lessons are not exams that you pass, they are truths that deepen in their impact year on year. Over these two years I have been reminded repeatedly of the vital role of team and the foundational importance of prayer.

Prayer

It seems such an obvious lesson – prayer matters! Yet we so easily forget. It is so easy to try and move forward in our own strength and gifting. We know that all our abilities come to us from God, and we are thankful for them, but God does not establish his works through our gifting – God moves in and through our prayers. John Wesley (1703-1791) famously said:

“God does nothing
but in answer to Prayer”

All that we are hoping to see of the Kingdom of God at Everyday Church is rooted in our prayer life. Our personal and corporate rhythms of prayer. This is why these rhythms are so important. It is in establishing rhythms of prayer that we keep on praying through the seasons of life.

But prayer is not just about seeing things happen in our world, it is about our core relationship with God. A good friend of mine would often say that he was both an evangelical and a monastic when it came to prayer. As an evangelical he believed that prayer changed the world, but as a monastic he knew that prayer changed him.

It is in times of prayer where we call out to God, listen for his voice, wait for his manifest presence and respond to his prompting, that we are changed and our relationship with God is deepened. Prayer matters.

Team

When I am asked about my role at Everyday Church I try and reply that I “lead the team that leads the church”. This is not just semantics; this is the reality. If Prayer is the foundation of our leadership, that leadership is worked out in team. Leadership is a team sport. When I think of those who have left leadership over recent years, either because of burn out or because of personal character failings, there seems to be a common cause – isolation! When a leader says they are lonely, I fear it is because they are trying to lead on their own.

Team is not just a way to get more things done. Real teams keep us safe. Teams of leaders who build genuine friendship built on mutual trust and accountability. Teams who invest in one another and not just the task in hand. Teams that seek to make decisions together. Teams that are diverse in culture, age, and gender. I have learned again and again over the last two years that an individual’s good idea, can become a great idea when it undergoes robust discussion and discernment within a team.

There is no such thing as the perfect team. We are imperfect people and imperfect people create imperfect teams. We haven’t always got it right over the last two years. But we are committed to moving forward as a team, learning from one another and listening to God together. We want to hear and apply the wisdom of Solomon:

“two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labour:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Looking Forward

God has been so faithful to us as a church over recent years. We know we can trust in his sovereign steadfastness as we head into this next season. As a team of leaders committed to God in prayer and committed to one another in team we are going to need all the wisdom God allows us as we seek to build missional disciples, as we capture afresh God’s heart for the poor, as we navigate the gender debate with biblical integrity and unconditional love and as we invest ourselves in the next generation.

Please pray for us as a team.
]]> Finance Update - November 2023 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/11/07/finance-update-november-2023 Tue, 07 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/11/07/finance-update-november-2023
Welcome to the latest Finance Update for 2023. Remember the purpose of these updates is to keep encouraging our core values around our church and personal finances:

  • Transparency
  • Accountability
  • Generosity

We will be producing a longer update in January which will include end of year figures for 2023 together with our budget expectations for 2024. Hopefully this brief update keeps you in the loop on the year so far.

At the beginning of the year, we produced a slightly longer update via video. We let you know some of the challenges we had ahead of us for our church finances in 2023. If you missed that video or would like to review it now, here’s the link.

End of October Numbers

ActualBudget
Income £   1,066,615 £   887,031
Expenditure £   980,372 £   968,907
Surplus / (Deficit) £     86,243(- £    81,876)
We should be hugely encouraged and thankful for these figures. They reflect a 6% increase in core giving and a couple of significant one-off gifts.

THANK YOU

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to Everyday Church. Giving of our finances is a key part of our worship. It brings glory to God and releases Kingdom ministry in our neighbourhoods, our nation and the nations.

However, the healthy surplus in the table above does not take into account a number of factors that are going to impact our finances through the rest of this year and in our 2024 budget.

Staffing

We are still seeking to recruit key positions for our 0-18’s work. Existing staff and key volunteers are currently covering this work across all our venues. They are doing an amazing work, but we want to invest more in the next generation and appointing staff to these positions is vital for us moving forwards. We continue to review these posts and seek God for his solutions. Please keep praying.

Buildings

Our buildings, both those we own and those we rent, are a huge blessing to us. However, they do cost us money. We have seen significant increases in our rent for the buildings we use in Sutton and Croydon. The buildings we own have either required major work this year or will need work doing in the first half of 2024. It may be that we end up with a small surplus this year, but we know we are going to have to spend significant money on our buildings in 2024. On top of these rental and structural costs we are seeing significant increases in our general running costs.

Because of the generosity and wise stewardship of those who have gone before us we are incredibly blessed to have cash reserves to draw upon at this time. However, our heart is to see balanced budgets moving forward and to achieve this end we will need to see a continued increase in our giving in the coming months.

Summary
 
God has been hugely generous to us so far in 2023 and we are thankful to him and to you for your personal financial commitment to Everyday Church. We face the challenges ahead confident in God’s faithfulness and with a commitment to keep worshipping God with our finances.
]]> Meet Echo Chong – Trustee Blog https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/09/28/meet-echo-chong-trustee-blog Thu, 28 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/09/28/meet-echo-chong-trustee-blog
I became a trustee at Everyday Church in November 2018. I did not set out to step into the trustee role initially. I simply wanted to put my skills to good use at a time when church finance was very challenging, and the leadership had to make some very difficult decisions.

With a background in financial services and experience in working for charities and large corporates, I thought I could contribute to God’s Kingdom by serving the local church in a practical way.

I started joining the Finance Working Group and participated in their regular meetings to get to understand the day-to-day issues, helped to provide solutions alongside others, and assist the leadership in their decision-making on finance matters. I then went on to become a trustee but continued to contribute to the Finance Working Group on a regular basis. I also serve in Everyday Kids and the Prayer Team at our Wimbledon Venue.
 
I am married to Kai, and we have three children aged 8, 8, and 11. I started going to church at the end of 1997 and became a born-again Christian in April 1998. I accepted Christ as my Saviour following an encounter with God. That changed my life forever and my life has never been the same again.

That changed my life forever and my life has never been the same again.

The Bible says it is the love of God that brings us to repentance. That is what I have truly experienced. Christianity is never a religion, but a lifestyle to me. I love hearing God’s words and am fascinated by God’s healing and his signs and wonders.

In my early days of Christian life, I read lots and lots of books on prayer, prophecies and healing, as many as I could get hold of (well, I had time as a student then). I then figured out the secret of all these great men and women of God is all about the Holy Spirit and God’s love. The work of the Holy Spirit is to demonstrate the love of God and His power.

If there is only one verse from the Bible that I can take with me, it will be John 3:16 – “For God so love the world, that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have an everlasting life”. Jesus died for you and me so that we can be the sons and daughters of God (the “born again” and his heirs).  

At the start of 2023, the words in Hebrews 11:30-12:2 jumped out at me like never before. It starts recounting the great heroes of faith and well-known historical events. As it goes on talking about the sufferings and persecutions of many who believed, my attention was drawn to 11:39-40, “And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us”.

We all have a part to play in this race and in God’s Kingdom, no matter where we are in life.

It goes on in 12:1, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” It occurred to me that we are all part of this big race – run by our ancestors, those men and women of faith. Their race will be made perfect by us (think relay). We all have a part to play in this race and in God’s Kingdom, no matter where we are in life. It really humbles me that “they should not be made perfect apart from us”.
   
With the current stagnation of the economic environment and the challenges of cost of living, we all have many challenges to face ourselves. May I encourage us not to lose heart, trust God with all our heart, all our mind and all our soul, let us lay aside every weight and the sin, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

I pray our God will provide you and your family abundantly in this season. You are part of our church family, and we really appreciate your generous support financially and in other ways.

Echo
]]> Introducing Penny Welsh https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/08/15/introducing-penny-welsh Tue, 15 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/08/15/introducing-penny-welsh
Penny Welsh recently joined the Everyday Church staff team as our Designated Safeguarding Lead. We asked Penny some questions to get to know her a bit more.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what brought you to this new role?

I grew up in South West London and became a Christian at the age of 13. I had been brought along to Queen’s Road Church (now Everyday Church Wimbledon) by a friend who had faithfully prayed for me before inviting me. I heard the gospel for the first time, and having no doubt that I was hearing the truth, I had to respond in faith.

For the past twenty-seven I have been a member of a small Anglican church between Kingston and New Malden. I have worked with children and young people in various groups ranging from toddlers to teenagers. I ran a toddler group for several years. For the past ten years I have been Parish Safeguarding Officer and worked in the office of a primary school in New Malden, responsible for ensuring DBS checks were carried out for staff and volunteers and that safeguarding policies were followed.

God has led me on and has now brought me back to where my journey of faith began to work at
Everyday Church as Designated Safeguarding Lead.

You are married to the wonderful Martin – How did you guys meet?

Although we grew up less than two miles apart and had friends in common, Martin and I met in Manchester as students attending the Christian Union group in our hall of residence. We were best friends for a year before getting together and have now been married for 33 years.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your family?

After many years living in Morden and then in New Malden, we moved to Wimbledon in the middle of the first lockdown in 2020 to be with my mum, who was in need of a bit of support. We now find ourselves living in the house that my parents bought in 1977 and which was my home when Martin and I first met! We have four grown-up children, two of whom still live at home and the youngest is at university.

What hobbies do you enjoy?

I very much like reading, and I am a member of two book groups. I also really enjoy live music and theatre (in the audience and not on stage!) – My husband and youngest son are keen amateur dramatists, and I enjoy supporting them in this.

What does the Designated Safeguarding Lead do?

I have been in post since the start of May 2023, working two and half days per week. I have spent time reading the policies and procedures that are in place and thinking about what would make them even clearer and easier to use. I have started getting to know the staff team and volunteers across the different Venues and seeing what happens where.

There is a safeguarding team in place which includes Deputy Safeguarding Leads – Naomi Salter and Robert Sayell – who are hugely experienced and approachable, so that has been a joy for me.

My role is both to lead and support, and to ensure that safeguarding continues to have a high profile across all activities in church life.

We believe that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, so we want to make sure that you have everything you need to work in a safe way and you know what to do if you have any concerns about a child, young person or adult in need of care and support.

You can get in touch with me by emailing safeguarding@everyday.org.uk or calling 020 8947 1859 and choosing the safeguarding option.

Penny
]]> Finance Update - July 2023 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/07/25/finance-update-july-2023 Tue, 25 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/07/25/finance-update-july-2023
Welcome to the latest Finance Update for 2023. Remember the purpose of these updates is to keep encouraging our core values around our church and personal finances:   

  • Transparency
  • Accountability
  • Generosity

Back in March we produced a slightly longer update via video, where we let you know some of the challenges we had ahead of us for our church finances in 2023. If you missed that video or would like to review it now, here’s the link.

We recognise that these are challenging times. If you are struggling, please do chat to someone. Help is available through our Church Family Fund and the CAP Money Course.

Half Year Numbers
                     Actual                                        Budget                    
Income £   651,824  £   527,072 
Expenditure £   619,815  £   578,251 
      Surplus / (Deficit)        £   32,009(£   51,179) 
At first glance these numbers are very encouraging, and we should be encouraged. We have seen a significant one off gift to the church and an increase in our core month by month giving of just under 7%.

THANK YOU

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to Everyday Church. Giving of our finances is a key part of our worship. It brings glory to God and releases Kingdom ministry in our neighbourhoods, our nation, and the nations.

However, the healthy surplus in the table above does not take into account a number of factors that are going to impact our finances through the rest of this year and in our 2024 budget.

Staffing

We are still seeking to recruit key positions for our 0-18’s work. Existing staff and key volunteers are currently covering this work across all our Venues. They are doing an amazing work, but we want to invest more in the next generation and appointing staff to these positions is vital for us moving forwards.

Our hope and our prayer is that we will be able to fill these vacancies soon and obviously this will impact our expenditure. We have also been operating without a Wimbledon Administrator on staff in the first half of this year. Caroline Maton has been serving admirably as a volunteer and has recently been appointed to the staff team on a temporary part-time basis.

Buildings

Our buildings, both those we own and those we rent, are a huge blessing to us. However, they do cost us money. Cost for our rented space is being significantly impacted by inflation. Our own fuel costs are about to increase as our fixed rates (which have saved us significant amounts over the last 12 months) will soon come to an end.

We also have capital projects to pay for this year or early next year. We have had to replace the whole of the basement flooring in our Southfields building, we need to repair the spire on our Kingston building, and we need to carry out a number of smaller (though costly) projects on all three of our church buildings to ensure that they are watertight. Though we might rather delay these smaller projects, doing them now saves us money in the future.

Because of the generosity and wise stewardship of those who have gone before us we are incredibly blessed to have cash reserves to draw upon at this time. However, these projects will cost us up to £250,000 over the next 9 months and will mean that our accounts this year will show a significant deficit.

Special mention should be made of our Operations Team and Ben Gilson (Buildings Trustee) for all they are doing to make sure this work is being done as economically and as efficiently as possible.

Summary

It is easy to be concerned by the size of some of these numbers. But we must remember the power and the faithfulness of our God. Our values of transparency and accountability reflect the biblical principles of integrity and stewardship. We should always be looking to express these in how we handle our resources. But the value of generosity expresses the character of our heavenly Father. God is a generous God. He promises to do more than we could ask or imagine.

Let us keep playing our part by being generous in our giving, but rest assured, our God will always outgive us. I have no doubt that God will provide over the coming months and that we will have even more reason to be thankful as we seek the Kingdom together.
]]> New Ground Sunday https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/06/11/new-ground-sunday Sun, 11 Jun 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/06/11/new-ground-sunday

Devotions

Key Text:  Ephesians 4
This week in our physical venues and across our Online Venue, we have been celebrating New Ground Sunday. Here at Everyday Church, we are part of a family of churches called Newfrontiers and within that Newfrontiers family we are part of New Ground. A number of years ago, because of growth and a desire to be more missional, Newfrontiers moved from being one family across the world to a wider family made up of different spheres. At the time we described it as a family moving from one nuclear family to a wider family with children who have themselves become parents. It is more organic than organisational, and over the last decade we have seen huge growth in the number of churches around the world that are part of the wider Newfrontiers family, but with real relational links to one of the smaller spheres.

Why do we belong to New Ground? Well hopefully some of the videos we have watched this week have started to answer that question. But behind all that activity lies some core biblical truth.

In our Vision and Values, we remind ourselves of the importance of Community. We talk about who WE are and why WE are here! God is community, creates out of community and creates us for community. Our Kingdom calling is a community calling, we are described as living stones who are built up into a temple of the Holy Spirit.

What is true for us as individuals is also true for us as individual church communities. We are called to be part of a wider church, a bigger picture. Committing to New Ground is one of the keyways that we are obedient to that call.

As we read the New Testament, we discover that the writers of scripture are increasingly writing, not to one church, but to groups of churches. Think about the opening chapters of Revelation, or Paul’s instructions to have his letters read across a number of churches in a region. In Acts we see one group of churches raising funds to bless other groups of churches who are facing challenges. Leaders are commissioned in one church to travel and equip or plant new churches.

Possibly the clearest description of this interdependency is found in Ephesians 4:11-16.

So, Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. These gifts are plural, they are equipping gifts and they are meant to have an impact and an influence beyond, though never losing their foundations, in one local church.

New Ground is the primary way that we try and ensure that we are benefitting from these gifts. These gifts of grace lift our heads to the bigger picture. They remind us of our foundations, whilst also calling us to go beyond our own locality. As part of New Ground, we are reminded that we are called to:

  • Raise Leaders
  • Impact communities
  • Plant Churches
  • Reach nations

You might think that our connection with New Ground is only for Elders, but our heart is that all of us would connect with New Ground wider vision. As a church we are working with New Ground in all our prayers and planning for the relaunch of our Kingston Venue.

We are actively involved in the New Ground Leadership Academy. Why not thinking about joining the Academy this coming September?

There are still a few places left at the Fearless Ladies Conference at the end of June.

We are taking over 50 of us from Everyday Church to Newday this summer.

There are opportunities to pray with others from New Ground at termly Prayer Days.

In November we would love many of our volunteer leaders to join us as Elders at the New Ground Leadership Conference, when we will be focusing specifically on the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

God has great plans for us as a wider church as part of the New Ground family – why not come with us and play your part.
This Everyday Devotions was written by Simon Elliott, our Lead Elder.

If you would like to watch the whole of this week’s New gRound Sunday service, why not download the Everyday Church App, visit our website, or join our Online Church Services.

This Everyday Devotions is accompanied by a devotional video that you can watch on our YouTube Channel.

Follow our Everyday Devotions Playlist for some songs to help you worship God in Spirit and truth this week.
]]> Pentecost https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/05/28/pentecost Sun, 28 May 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/05/28/pentecost

The Holy Spirit

“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
Acts 1: 4-9

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 2: 1-4

“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” Joel 2: 28 & Acts 2 17-18
There came a moment in history when God fulfilled one of His many promises. The promise had been that His presence would one day move from a temple, accessible by a small number of priestly, anointed individuals, to being poured out upon men and women from all nations and backgrounds. That which filled a holy sanctuary, hidden away from most, would fill and reside in the hearts of everyone who called upon Him.

It’s hard to believe that when such an event takes place, an individual just carries on as normal. A transformation begins to take place. When we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, we’re enabled to speak to God differently; and we’re empowered to speak about Him and display His Kingdom differently as well. The Holy Spirit gives us GIFTS that allow that to happen. These gifts are referred to on many occasions throughout the New Testament, but are listed specifically in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 in particular.

And He enables FRUIT to develop in our character. Characteristics that serve to display the nature of Jesus to the world around us. Galatians 5 provides a list of such traits that display a life of someone filled with the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
 
But before knowing the lists of gifts and demonstrations of the Spirit’s power, it’s often useful to begin with this question: Do you expect Him to reveal the things of His Kingdom to YOU today?

Asking ourselves a question like that helps to assess the posture of our hearts towards the Holy Spirit Himself. He’s not a concept or an ethereal force. He is the 3rd person of the Trinity – who can be known and enjoyed.

Yes, He enables the power of God’s Kingdom; but as a result of considering His very presence and nature first.
 
Like a young servant Samuel from the Old Testament or the ex-fisherman Peter in the New Testament, cultivating that sense of expectation that the Lord will indeed speak to us and through us in our day-to-day life is so key to growing in maturity as followers of Jesus.

Before we embark on doing or saying something on behalf of God, it’s so important that we spend some time in stillness with Him today. Put your screen down, clear out the schedule a little, turn the notifications off.  When we’re distracted by the many voices in life, it’s much harder to develop a listening ear that hears the Spirit speaking to us.

Apply

  1. What has been your experience of the Holy Spirit’s presence (either recently or further back)?

  2. What patterns of behaviour or belief are in your life that might hinder you from experiencing more of Him today? 

Prayer

Holy Spirit,

I welcome you into my life. I ask you to come and fill me today. I don’t want to do this life in my own strength – I need your help, your guidance, your comfort, your power. Come and access ALL of who I am. Remind me of the Father’s goodness and grace. Show me how to live like His Son and love people in the same way.

Amen.
This Everyday Devotions was written by Adam Bream, the Venue Leader of our Southfields Venue.

If you would like to listen to the whole of this week’s sermon on 'Pentecost' why not download the Everyday Church App or visit our website, YouTube Channel and at our Online Church Services.

This Everyday Devotions is accompanied by a devotional video that you can watch on our YouTube Channel.

Follow our Everyday Devotions Playlist for some songs to help you worship God in Spirit and truth this week.
]]> 10 Years Venue Update https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/05/17/10-years-venue-update Wed, 17 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/05/17/10-years-venue-update
Everyday Church – One church in multiple locations

In 2013 Everyday Church was born out of the coming together of three Baptist churches: Kingston Baptist, Southfields Baptist and Queen’s Road Baptist. Over the last ten years, through times of growth and an international pandemic, we have seen God do so much amongst us, both in Southwest London and across the globe through our Online Venue.

Ten years since the beginnings of Everyday Church it seems an opportune time to give an update on where we are right now in each of our current Venues, and to identify some key prayer points. As you would imagine, summarising all that is going on across multiple Venues takes more words than the average blog and even then, I will be skimming the surface. Hopefully these summaries will stir your faith and your prayers.
Our Croydon Venue goes from strength to strength. We have over the last eighteen months tended to refer to Croydon as a Venue Plant, but we should now treat it as a fully-fledged Venue. Erich and Elisabeth Radtke lead the Venue with wonderful faith and a lightness of touch. They are natural pastors and evangelists, with a huge heart for those within and without the church. But it is by no means just about them. Croydon now has four Life Groups led by a great team of leaders, and a separate team lead the monthly Prayer on the Streets ministry.

As a Venue they hosted an Alpha course last term and they are about to move into their new building at Matthew’s Yard in the middle of Croydon. This will enable them to go from meeting monthly, to meeting twice a month. The new building is a huge answer to prayer and has been received with much thankfulness. Moving to two meetings needs more volunteers and it has been such a joy to see people step up across the Venue. Everyone who Elisabeth and Erich have asked to pick up an area of responsibility have responded with an enthusiastic “Yes!”
 
Croydon Prayer Points

  • That the move to the new building goes well and facilitates more kingdom impact in Croydon.
  • For the restarting of kids work and creche on a Sunday.
  • Breakthrough in healing and salvation when they are praying on the streets.
  • That visitors feel able to join the church and are naturally incorporated into Life Groups.
There continues to be a Life Group in Kingston, led by Mary and Dave Young. Simon also meets regularly with Dave and Mary Young, Tracey O’Shea and Noline Matemera to chat and pray through the future of Kingston. The Elders met in February 2023 to prayerfully discuss the future of the Kingston Venue, and agreed that given all that God had placed in our hands in Kingston, we should start to actively pursue a relaunch. Over the last eighteen months we have seen Kingston as fallow ground. Ground that has produced much fruit historically, and will do so again, but needs a season of rest and recovery. Our sense in February was that it is time to start ploughing that fallow ground and seeking God for next steps.

As part of this process, we invited anyone who was interested from within Everyday Church and in other local New Ground churches to come and pray with the Elders in the Kingston building on April 4 2023. Forty-two people attended and there was a huge rise of faith in the room. Lots of ideas were shared and Simon is now in the process of prayerfully reviewing those ideas. On May 9 2023 we spent another session praying both in the building and in the local community.

Kingston Prayer Points

  • Wisdom for next steps and the timing of those steps.
  • A leader/leadership couple who feel called to serve in Kingston. 
  • That more individuals across the Everyday Church family and the New Ground family would feel called to play a part in the Kingston relaunch
On April 16 2023, whilst our geographical Venues focused on local vision, we started a 12 week process of data gathering for our Online Venue. During the service that week we specifically asked those engaging in the service to let us know if Everyday Church Online was their primary church. We are repeating this call as part of the service for a 12-week period. Alongside this, Darren Parker, our Online Venue Leader, is drilling down into all the various data points around our Online Venue community.

We have no doubt that our Online Venue is doing good around the world, and this is evidenced by the emails we receive and which Darren often includes in the monthly update. However, after nearly eight years of Everyday Online it makes sense to do a full review. We want to make sure we are making the most of the resource we have and that what we produce is equipping the saints and preaching the gospel around the globe. We will feedback results from that review in due course.

Online Prayer Points

  • That our Online service and digital material continues to take the gospel to unreached and closed communities.
  • That the 12-week data collection window gives us a true idea of who we are serving and how we might serve and equip them more effectively.
  • For the amazing volunteers who serve the Online services and the Online Life Group week in and week out.

(If you would like to receive the monthly update about our Online Venue please email darren.parker@everyday.org.uk)
Sundays and Life Groups continue to be healthy in the Venue with over 75% of the Venue playing an active role in a Life Group. Adam Bream, our Southfields Venue Leader, has built a great leadership team and established a rhythm of leadership meetings for Ministry Leaders and Life Group Leaders.

There was a small but fruitful Alpha course from Christmas to Easter resulting in salvation and baptisms. Adam and the team are praying into and working on developing a culture of mission across the Venue.

Adam continues to build great links with St Cecelia’s School, and together with the school chaplain, we run an after-school youth club in the building every Thursday.

Adam will be going on Sabbatical for July and August 2023. He is looking forward to a season of rest and reflection and I have no doubt it will be good for him, and therefore good for the Southfields Venue.

Southfields Prayer Points

  • A great sabbatical for Adam.
  • The ongoing development of leaders and teams to ensure that Adam’s time is spent on the right things moving forward.
  • That the Southfields Venue would continue to grow in relationship whilst also seeing many more from the wider community find faith and a home within that community.
Our Sutton Venue Leadership team is led by David and Amanda Featherstone. One of the Venue’s great strengths is their sense of community and pastoral care. It is no surprise that when people find them, they tend to stay. Recently they have seen people joining them who are seeking God, some from the Hong Kong Chinese community and some established Christians who are new to the area. They have also seen growth amongst those in their 20’s.

The Sutton Venue continues to build ever deepening links with Sutton Community Works and a good number of members are actively involved in one or more SCW ministries with the local community. On Good Friday, as some Sutton members joined the Good Friday service, others took part in prayer walking in Sutton town centre. Some simply walked and prayed for the community, whilst others engaged people in conversation and offered to pray for people on the streets.

We are also developing the Sutton Eldership Team and on the April 30 2023 David shared with the Venue our desire to see Gary Chan join the Sutton Eldership Team.

Since its launch, our Sutton Venue has met at Sutton Grammar School. This has been a huge blessing. However, there are some challenges around accessibility and the team are working hard to improve access to the school as part of our commitment to be inclusive to all.
 
Sutton Prayer Points

  • Smooth and successful eldership process for Gary Chan.
  • The ongoing issues around accessibility.
  • Continued growth in the youth ministry in the venue.
On the first of August 2022 Tim Maton was appointed as Wimbledon Venue Leader. This was an answer to prayer and I am delighted to let you know that after nearly nine months of commuting, Tim and Caroline have now moved into the area. Thank you to all of you who prayed, first for Tim’s appointment and then for houses to sell and be purchased.

Tim has worked incredibly hard, as have the Wimbledon Leadership Team. We are looking to broaden the Eldership Team in Wimbledon, and to keep developing volunteer leadership in every area of church life.

Highlights in the Wimbledon venue over the last few months would include:

  • An excellent Alpha course, including a Holy Spirit weekend away, all brilliantly led by Andy Tuck.
  • Baptisms on Easter Sunday.
  • The establishment of a supervised creche twice a month.
  • The development of three great Everyday Kids teams.
  • The establishment of bimonthly Sunday morning and Friday night youth activities.
  • Tim Maton and Sean Hammond attending the New Ground Racial Diversity Network training.

Wimbledon Prayer Points

  • That those attending Alpha would make the step into faith and baptism.
  • Wisdom for the current eldership process.
  • That those who attended the recent membership course would become fully integrated into church life.
  • Wimbledon is still understaffed, with vacancies in the areas of Administration and 0-18’s work – please pray that current interim plans would work well and that God would provide the right people to fill these vacancies on a permanent basis.


I hope you found this update helpful and that it fuels your faith for what God has in store. Thank you for playing your part in the life of Everyday Church.

Blessings,

Simon
]]> Vision & Values – Refresh https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/04/16/vision-values-refresh Sun, 16 Apr 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/04/16/vision-values-refresh

Devotions

Refresh

Hopefully, you will remember our Vision & Values series from January and February of this year. We spent six weeks unpacking the statement:

“Who we are and why we are here”.

We unpacked those eight words, with seven key words:

Son – Father – Spirit – Grace – Community – Kingdom – Love

We reminded ourselves that our purpose flows out of our identity – we are Kingdom bringers because we are image bearers.

This week, alongside our Venue sermons, we recorded a 10-minute summary of this series. As we say in that summary, it is almost impossible to articulate all our vision and values in 6 weeks, let alone 10 minutes. But if our vision and values are going to truly shape our culture it is important that we revisit these key themes on a regular basis.

We want to encourage you to go and watch that summary right now. Simply click the link below.

Vision & Values – Refresh Devotions Video

Once you have watched it spend some time praying into these core themes. Meditate on them by asking some of the following questions on your own, or in the context of your Life Group or your friendship group.

  • Which of the seven words do you most easily forget?

  • Why do you think that is?

  • Do you lean more naturally into the church gathered or the church scattered?

  • Which aspects of the Kingdom of God would you love to grow in over the next 6 months?

  • How might your desire to grow in that area work itself out in the day to day realities of life?

  • Who are you walking alongside for mutual encouragement and accountability in your discipleship in this season?

  • How might we become more intentional in our discipleship over the next 6 months?
This Everyday Devotions was written by Simon Elliott, our Lead Elder.

If you would like to listen to the whole of this week’s sermon on Vision & Values Refresh why not download the Everyday Church App or visit our website, YouTube Channel and at our Online Church Services.

This Everyday Devotions is accompanied by a devotional video that you can watch on our YouTube Channel.

Follow our Everyday Devotions Playlist for some songs to help you worship God in Spirit and truth this week.
]]> Easter - First Fruits https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/04/09/easter-first-fruits Sun, 09 Apr 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/04/09/easter-first-fruits

Devotions - Easter

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep."
1 Corinthians 15:20
In Romans 10.9 Paul says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Elsewhere, in 1 Corinthians 15:17 he says, “… if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins and those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost”. It’s interesting that he doesn’t just say, “if Christ had not died for your sins, your faith is futile”. Instead, he lays the emphasis on the fact that Jesus not only died but that God raised him to life again three days later. It’s clear that what you believe about Jesus’ resurrection is of central importance.

I have been to a lot of funerals – I’d be confident enough to say that, unless you are an undertaker, I have probably been to more than you! Before I became a church pastor I worked for many years in and around care homes for elderly people. Death and funerals were common occurrences. And, in the twenty years that I have been a pastor it has been my privilege to lead many funerals, in fact I am leading one tomorrow!

Death separates us from one another, that is why funerals are so painful as we are forced to face up to that reality. But the Easter truth that I love to proclaim at the funerals is that death can never separate a child of God from the love of God. In 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 Paul goes on to say, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” Through his death and resurrection Jesus has broken the strangle hold of death over all who are “in him”.  

We may not like thinking about death, especially our own, but it is in the face of this final and unavoidable enemy that the wonder and the power of what Jesus has done for us comes most sharply into focus. The pain of funerals is that we have to say goodbye and let go… the comfort of the gospel is that God never will. The Lord says: ‘Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last, and I am the living one: for I was dead and now I am alive for evermore.’ (Revelation 1:18)

Apply

  • How do you feel when you think about your own death and what comes afterwards?

  • How well do you think most people deal with the reality of their own mortality? Ecclesiastes 7:2 seems to suggest that it is wiser to face up to death than try to distract ourselves.  How might you use the Easter story to communicate the hope that you have with those who are ready to face their mortality?

  • Take some time to tell Jesus what you believe about his death and resurrection and express trust in what it has accomplished for you.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,

I worship you as the one who has conquered death. I thank you that your resurrection opens up the way for my resurrection, that I need not fear death and that I have the prospect of eternal life in the new Heavens and Earth together with you and all those who have fallen asleep trusting in you. Help me to live my life in the light of this glorious truth and please give me boldness to share it freely with all who will listen.

With my mouth I declare that you are my Lord, and with all my heart I believe that God raised you from the dead. I worship you – my Saviour and my God.

 Amen.
This Everyday Devotion was written by David Featherstone who, together with his wife Amanda, leads our Sutton Venue.

If you would like to listen to the whole of this week’s Easter sermon why not download the Everyday Church App or visit our website, YouTube Channel and at our Online Church Services.

This Everyday Devotions is accompanied by a devotional video that you can watch on our YouTube Channel.

Join us as we walk through the book of Exodus by following our daily Exodus Bible Reading Plan.

Follow our Everyday Devotions Playlist for some songs to help you worship God in Spirit and truth this week.
]]> The Lord's Prayer https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/02/19/the-lord-s-prayer Sun, 19 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://everyday.org.uk/blog/2023/02/19/the-lord-s-prayer

Devotion

"Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven."
Matthew 6:10
The Lord's Prayer is like a diamond with many different facets - Jesus is teaching us to pray this prayer containing so many different forms of prayer; adoration, submission, spiritual warfare, confession, petition - it's all in there. But the form of prayer I want to say a bit more about here, is intercession. Or more concretely the part of intercession where we seek God for him to reveal  what his will is so we can work with him. That is what intercession is. We work with God, through our prayers, in seeing his will breaking through in situations and lives here on earth.

One place where I really get to practice this at the moment is when we, with our church, go out once a month to pray for people on the street. Here we 100% rely on God to be able to minister to the people on the street, and it has been incredibly beautiful to experience how God moves by his Spirit and leads us in prayer as we intercede and minister to people we have never met before. We don't know them, we don't know their needs, but he does. And because we don't know them - but he does, we are so depended on him to know how to pray.

On our prayer on the street Sundays, one team stays back to pray and one team goes out on the street to offer prayer to people. The team that goes out brings with them small gifts with a prophetic word written on. These are words or short sentences that the team has put together while seeking God for words to pass on to those we meet. And as we go out we pray that the right person will pick up the right word, a word that will speak directly to them. Time and time again we have experienced just this; how the people we meet pull out a word or sentence that God knew would be the word they needed to hear. How incredible it is to be able to work alongside God in this way.

And while the team is out approaching people, the team staying back continues to seek God as they pray and intercede. And also here, time and time again, have we experienced that as we've been praying for something we feel God prompts us to pray for, in comes a prayer request from the team on the street - asking for prayer for a person they've met, lining up with what we just been prayed for. And we are realise that we've already been praying into their situation, without knowing it - but simply being led by His Spirit.

So, why am I sharing all of this with you. Well, maybe I'm encouraging you to start a similar ministry where you are. But more than that I wanted to share this with you as an encouragement to seek God when you pray for people, listen to him for words to pray over them, and as you intercede for them - work together with God in praying His will into their lives. And then, take up the courage to share this word with them. Let them know that you've been praying for them, and in a very natural way tell them that you thought of this word, or image, sentence while you prayed. Simply share it with them and see how a word from God can open the way for Him to do His work in their lives.

Apply

  1. Write down the first 3 names that comes to your mind to pray this prayer for: God have your way, God your Kingdom break through!

  2. Make time and place to intercede for these 3 by name. As you pray for them, ask God to share his heart with you. Ask him for a word, an image or a sentence. What is he up to in their lives, what is his will? Pray into this according to how you hear him speak.  

  3. Unless it is something you feel you shouldn't at this time share with them, take up the courage to share. Let them know that you have been praying for them, and in a natural way share with them what you thought of while you prayed.

  4. Now that you have got so far, take up the courage to offer them prayer there and then. And while you pray, pay attention to the Holy Spirit, trusting that he will lead you to pray as you bless this person, praying God's will over their life.

Prayer

Dear God,

I want to finish this devotion by saying thank you. Thank you God that you invite us to partner with you in this way. Thank you Jesus that you taught us to pray this prayer; Our Father in heaven, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done. And thank you that through partnering with you, we can pray the Father's will into peoples' lives and see it break through. Teach us Jesus how do to this; whatever we see the Father is doing, that is what we pray into people lives as we intercede for them. Your will, your way, your kingdom come! Thank you for inviting us on this adventure together with you.

Amen
This Everyday Devotions was written by Elisabeth Radtke, who is a Deacon at our Croydon Plant.

If you would like to listen to the whole of this week’s sermon on The Lord's Prayer why not download the Everyday Church App or visit our website, YouTube Channel and at our Online Church Services.

This Everyday Devotions is accompanied by a devotional video that you can watch on our YouTube Channel.

Follow our Everyday Devotions Playlist for some songs to help you worship God in Spirit and truth this week.
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