New Year Challenge 2

Acts 2

Acts chapter 2 is probably one of the most powerful chapters outside the Gospels. The disciples had been obedient to Jesus’ last command and had waited together in a room. The day of Pentecost (the fiftieth day after Easter Sunday – a Thursday) came as suddenly as Jesus’ birth had been. This time there are no angels, no shepherds, no wise men (yet), and no manger! This time belongs solely to God! The Holy Spirit descended upon this group of weary and frightened disciples in a loud wind and tongues of flame. They were instantly filled with the Holy Spirit and didn’t just start to speak with other languages, but they were filled with a new boldness and power.

At this time, there were lots of Jews from all over the “known” world – and these uncouth Galilean were suddenly the centre of attention, as they were speaking the languages known to each. Although the accusations flew about that they were drunk – Peter stepped forward with a powerful speech about the source of their new-found wisdom. This message, which links the Old Testament prophecy of Joel to Jesus’ ministry, miracles and resurrection. Peter’s message of repentance and belief in Jesus as the Messiah still forms the basis of every sermon we should be making in today’s church! Our message is that we should be repenting of our sins and seeking to follow God at all times. This famous sermon, powered by the Holy Spirit, touched the hearts and minds of the crowds that day, and about three thousand would believed that very hour!

The chapter rounds out with a description of the life of the early believers – from meeting and eating together, sharing their possessions and goods, and praising God for the signs and wonders that they witnessed. As they believed and lived faithfully, the Lord answered their loyalty and added souls to their numbers daily.

What a chapter! What an amazing start to the church!

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AccessNI Check process

Hi folks Please see the following pages for the process of getting our AccessNI accreditation for our Sunday School and GFS leaders and helpers. You will need to print out the pages and keep a special note of the long number provided to you by email and let me know as soon as possible. We require an Enhanced check for everyone - and use the PIN number 918066 as detailed on the first page. The second page details the forms of identification you will need to provide - one from the first group, and two from the second group. The quicker we can all get the checks completed, the sooner we can get everything back to normal and put this whole process behind us for another three years! If you can photograph yourself (by smartphone or tablet) and email (revdjohnny@gmail.com) or WhatsApp (07488371680) them to me, that'd be great. I will also be available at the Parish Hall on Monday evening from 7pm to 8pm to help you with anything you would like assistance with! If you need any help at all

Back to the BCP!!

Hi folks It’s been a long time since the pandemic started and the lockdowns - and Covid hasn’t really gone away! I had the dubious honour of getting Covid for the second time just before Holy Week, giving me the chance to think about ministry direction, both my own and in the parish. One of the original responses to the pandemic was to limit our use of the hymn books and our Prayer Books. At the beginning I produced a service sheet with all the relevant liturgy - which we used in the car park and when we returned to the church. Our “temporary measure” lasted almost three years - and it’s time to move on! Our Book of Common Prayer contains our unique identity - in fact the word “Common” doesn’t mean ordinary but that it shows our unity - the liturgy we hold in “common”. We will be returning to our BCPs from this weekend, the Second Sunday of Easter. We will be using Morning Prayer Two - and we will guide us through the service. We look forward to seeing you in church or online via Fb

Second Sunday in Lent

Hi folks Another week has literally flown by - and we've already started the new month! This Sunday's readings include the best known passage in the Bible, John 3 - the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. In this passage, Jesus sums up the whole Gospel message of love, salvation and eternal life in one verse, known to us all as John 3:16. Is this the most important verse in our Holy Scriptures? Possibly, but join us on Sunday to discuss the passage, and how it fits into the Christian life as we know it. Our service is Holy Communion Two, and our readings and passages are listed on our service sheets attached. Our service will be streamed on Facebook (all being well) and shared afterwards on our page if you can't join us live. Blessings Johnny

Aghavea Parish Church

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