Postcards from the Gower

2 students tell us about the Student Weekend Away earlier this month. You can listen to the talks here.

On the 3rd of June, the students went to the Gower peninsula for our summer weekend away. It was the day of my last exam, so going straight to the beach was ideal. Spending some time together thinking about Jesus’ resurrection and ours was a great way to end the year, especially with those of us who are graduating or going abroad next year. We enjoyed singing exultant songs of Jesus’ resurrection, warm weather on the beach (with a lacklustre attempt at sports from myself) and great conversations amid a barbeque and a bonfire. 

Looking at 1 Corinthians 15, with 4 months of summer ahead, really got me thinking about how I would spend my time at home. I could finally read all the books I’ve been wanting to read, I could try out new restaurants with my friends or I could just spend the entire time on the beach. The possibilities can get dizzying. But the passage showed me that Jesus’ resurrection has secured mine – meaning that I am free from the longing to maximise my enjoyment in life. It means that I can be more willing to face the hard things that come as well. We live differently now because we’ve got life coming! So now I can more gladly pray that the Lord makes it my top priority to point people to Christ this summer, and in fact, everyday, no matter how difficult it may be because “…Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." And I can eagerly look forward to that glorious day when we are raised to eternal life with imperishable bodies, and our God is all in all. 

 Chelsea, Emmanuel Westbury

It is always a privilege to have a few days of slowed down time on the weekend away, especially after busy exam periods, having fun with each other and focusing on Christ before we all head in our different directions for the summer. This year, I particularly enjoyed being with my small group, both in sessions discussing 1 Cor 15, and also in down time, on the beach and around camp fire etc. At the end of a year, it is so encouraging to see how Christ has used the group to grow us all in godliness and faith in Christ over the year. 

1 Corinthians 15 is an amazing goldmine on the differences that Jesus’ resurrection makes. Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection which gives us complete confidence that we will follow (cue a cascade of strawberries over us mid-talk to illustrate the point.) When asked at the end of the weekend which verses we wanted to remember, our small group all had unique verses in the chapter, each with powerful applications to their summers. The verses I chose were v51-52:

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."

This is a great hope for the future, especially in a busy summer and with making future plans post university. This hope demonstrates that it is worth standing firm and giving ourselves fully to the work of the Lord, both over the summer and in the future, as we can be sure that our labour is not in vain.

Luke, Emmanuel City Centre

Students: Who do you love?

After a weekend away on holiness at home and with friends, how are we doing? Back home for a couple of weeks and already struggling to hold your tongue with your mum? Turned back into the grumpy, sofa-loving teenager of old? Returned to the same dubious habits with friends? Ask yourself this question: “who do you love?”

In John 14:15, Jesus says ‘If you love me, you will obey what I command.’ Who do you love? A holy life is a life of love – love for Jesus, who died to give us life! And your love for him will be plain to see as you obey his commands.

The problem is it’s hard. It’s all too easy to love ourselves, the football or our iphones and obey them. A couple of weeks into the holiday and we may be close to giving up. Here are 3 encouragements to keep us going:

1) Sometimes it’s hard to answer that question ‘who do you love?’. Jesus is not always the obvious answer. And when that’s the case we stop obeying him. Well, turn to him in prayer and listen to him speak to you in his Word. How has your Bible reading been since the change of routine back home? Cultivate your relationship with him, love him, and you will obey his commands.

2) Left to us obedience would be impossible. But we need not be defeatist because God is at work in us. Wonderfully, we are not alone! Jesus goes on to say that he will ask His Father to give us ‘the Spirit of truth’ (v17a) who will live in us (v17c) and be with us forever (v16) teaching us the way of godliness (v26). We have the Spirit working in us. Keep working at obeying Jesus because we know God himself is at work in us by his Spirit.

3) We also have friends to help us in the fight. Friends from Emmanuel, CU, home churches or camp. Hebrews 10:24 says ‘let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds’. We all need friends to spur us on to love Jesus more and obey his commands. Are we being that kind of friend? Our Christian friends need us to be. So why not pick up your copy of the church summer book True Friendship? See what it looks like to be a good friend and to spur one another on. And as we do that our lives will show that there can only be one answer to that question ‘who do you love?’ Jesus Christ.

If you missed it at the weekend away or at Emmanuel, get your copy of True Friendship here.

Emmanuel students present Carols by Candlelight

The Emmanuel Bristol Student Carol Service will take place at 7.30pm on Sunday 9th December 2012 at Westbury Park Methodist Church, Etloe Rd, BS6 7QB. The second half of this video may help with directions...

Students: How has your summer been?

If you haven’t yet been asked the question “How has your summer been?”, then it surely won’t be long before you are.

What would your answer be? Fantastic, fun or frantic; miserable, mind-numbing or mediocre?

What about when it comes to your relationship with Jesus? 
Have you been remembering what Christ has done for you on the cross?
Have you enjoyed knowing him? 
How have your ‘quiet times’ been going? 
How has praying been? 
Are you winning battles in your struggle against sin? 
Have you read a Christian book this holiday?
Been getting to church regularly?

Whether you’ve had a good or bad summer, we all need to hear this:

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace. (Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace, p19)

A Christian’s righteousness is found in Christ; it is in him that we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14). So if you’ve had a good summer, if you’re loving Jesus more and obeying his commands more now than you were at the beginning of the summer then praise God! But know that that doesn’t mean you are beyond the need of God’s grace – your righteousness is found in Christ.

But for those of us who have had a bad summer, who have struggled in our battles with sin and feel distant from the Lord our God then know that you are never beyond the reach of God’s grace. A Christian is right in God’s sight not according to their actions but Christ’s death on the cross – your righteousness is found in Christ.

So what do we do then? Well this is Martin Luther’s advice, preach it to yourself:

When the devil throw our sins up to us and declares that we deserve death and hell, we ought to speak thus: “I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means! For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God. Where He is, there I shall be also!” (Martin Luther, Letters of Spiritual Counsel, p86-87)

How has your summer been? Whatever the answer is to that question, remember ‘there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1) and rejoice. Keep going!