Sometime ago now, actually it was in the summer of 1999. When I was driving through Theydon Bois were I use to live down into Abridge the village where I was born. I was being challenged in my spirit that I have travelled around the world as missionary sharing the Good News of Jesus. But never where my christian walk began.
I met with the vicar of Lambourne Church to discuss a memorial stone. This gave me an opportunity to share what was on my heart. Rev Roger Gayler shared that in 2020 it was celebrating 900 years of church at Lambourne – “ and still serving the community”.
A meeting was arranged with the other churches in the village the Encounter Church who meet in the village community hall and The Abridge Free Church who all decided to work together and have a mission weekend.
Saturday morning a Community Breakfast
The Community Breakfast saw around 40 people arriving to enjoy a full english breakfast it was going to be a little different. Because Peter Ruck was introduced as the local lad who had come to share his story.
Peter began telling everyone how he was born in the village and beginning of his story, Right at the beginning as there were three churches working together stressing the importance of the churches working together to reach out to the people in the community. He shared the story and Parable of the lost sheep it is one of the parables of Jesus. The story is all about a Shepherd who leaves his flock of ninety-nine sheep for the one which is lost.
Luke 15:3-7 New International Version (NIV)
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Peter asked everyone were are you today? Are you in that Dark Valley are you lost like that sheep? Can you hear your name being called God want’s to save you and heal just like the sheep who was caught in the bush!
He ended by sharing the importance of Cross and how Jesus died for us to set us free from our sin – sharing John 3:16.
Peter said, this was a fore taste of the Sunday evening meeting “Songs & Stories that everyone was invited too.
Sunday 29th December was my last preaching engagement of 2019. I was invited to preach at the Abridge Free Church down a little lane off the London Road in Abridge just past this signpost. I would attend the church youth club there in my boyhood.
It was a great opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to the congreation. I began by sharing “What is a missionary”I used scriptures to explain “Jesus said to them again, ‘… As the Father has sent Me, I also send you’ ” (John 20:21). A missionary is someone sent by Jesus Christ just as He was sent by God. The calling on a life – We tend to forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary work is not primarily the elevation of the people, their education, nor their needs, but is first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ—“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations …” (Matthew 28:18 -20).
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20). Next sharing the story of the “Three trees” using 1 Corthinians 1:27-29 to illustrate the meaning of this story. Peter used Isaiah 61 to illustate his own desire to return to village and share about his own life.
Peter explained his passion for the Lord’s Prayer the seed that had been planted in him. Nick Mitchell explained that LambourneSchool have their school assembly in the church. So Peter planning to get 200 copies of the hand tract with Lord’s Prayer for each child. It was good to meet Iris Reeves again who remembered me as a young boy!
Looking forward to 2020 in Abridge
I will be ministering in the Village Hall the weekend of the 18th &19th January. The Saturday morning is a Community Breakfast. The Saturday night is called Songs & Stories were Peter Ruck will tell his story of “ A message that take a village boy around the World” It’s exciting to be part of the celebration of the 900 years serving the community with Abridge Free Church, Community Church & St Marys CofE Lambourne.info@zealoutreach
This was my first trip into the mountains of Romania. We left Southend Thursday evening arriving in Bucharest early hours of Friday morning with three half hour drive to Rucar. We were greeted by our host and quickly shown our rooms for a much needed sleep.
Looking out in the morning to a fantastic view and a table prepared by our host with an organic Romanian breakfast. Afterward we drove down into Rucar via a mountain track with mountain streams running along side.
Pastor Dan our host greeted us, it was nice meet up with some other pastors who we had travelled from Bucharest to be with us on Friday and Saturday. We began with a time of prayer and worship. Sharing the four prayers from the Apostle Paul, we really sensed the presence of Holy Spirit as we sat around in a circle you could visually see God touching people. Pastor Obi began to share on the Holy Spirit and promised to do more teaching during the evening meeting.
The first evening meeting attracted a lot of visitors to the church, we began with worship led by the ministry team. I was the first to minister and share the Good News of Gospel of Jesus Christ. How Jesus died on the Cross taking our Sin and sickness and diseases into in his own body. I revealed the Cross was our passport to heaven and eternal life. It was encouraging to see over a dozen people making a commitment. Pastor Obi continued his teaching on the Holy Spirit with Liviu who was interpreting for us.
Saturday followed the same pattern with more people more having encounters of salvation and healing, people were being filled with Holy Spirit today. We prayed for many people on Saturday we began to hear testimonies of how God has touched people. Praying for one dear man who said, “ I have lost my joy since my Dad died”. He came in the next day saying I feel much better, he and his wife had a big smile as they surprised me with a gift a big homemade cheese. Another ask for prayer as her husband wouldn’t come to church the next day he arrived with his son. One lady run up to the platform telling me she had been saved and believed her one remaining kidney was healed as the pain had gone, she was so excited as you will see on the video clip.
Sunday was very different, I had my own encounter following a walk standing on the bridge over a stream with sheep on the hillside. I was to have spoken first, but I felt in my spirit this wouldn’t happen this way and told Pastor Obi and Liviu who were a little bemused.
Then Pastor Dan invited a visitor to share his testimony, this had taken all time I would taken that would have had which was followed by more worship. This allowed Pastor Obi just 30 minutes to minister. We were due finish at 1.00pm and go to lunch before making our way to Bucharest. ThenPastor Dan called me to speak, I shared my own encounter that morning when presence of God fell on me. “I shared Psalm 23 with everyone a message reassuring of God’s presence will be with them, as we read out the words together, praying and thanking everyone for their kindness.
We made our way to eat saying final farewells. We had just three hours to reach the airport dodging the sheep and cows with bells on them through the mountains. Thankfully Theo got us there on time by God’s grace and a lot of prayer.
The Good News coffee shop opened at NTCG Good News Centre in Briar Road, Harold Hill. Pastor Niyi is reaching out into the community opening on Thursday morning at 10.00am. Niyi is very active member of the Zeal team, Peter Ruck with Doug and Ruth, are helping running the coffee shop; this is growing week by week.
It’s been wonderful to welcome people, to sit down and chat is a very relax environment. Recently a few people have been added to the church which is very encouraging. The Church meets on Sunday at 10.30am and has a Sunday school.
We had a Christmas special morning and look forward to opening again in the New Year in 2020.
The Zeal Outreach Ministries team have been involved supporting regular events locally.
The Soul Food Bookstall operates in Brentwood High Street opposite the Iceland store, the stall offer a new and a selection of new and secondhand books. We hand our Gospel tracts and pray for people on the street.
Our team work in the On the Move outreach, this year members of team have joined the ministry in Brentwood, Harold Hill and Ingatestone. Some are part of the cooking team, others operate the sound system, others invites, serve the food and share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Lighting Up Brentwood is a community event were thousands of people come into the town of Brentwood. We work under the banner of Churches working together in Brentwood. The Soul Food Bookstall operates, Trinity Church serve Hot Fruit Drinks and mince pies from the Chapel Ruins, invitations are given out for Christmas Carol services. Choirs sing and people look on and are given invitations and tracts.
I was invited to speak at my home church Trinity in Brentwood. I prayed to be led by God and the Holy Spirit and a scripture came to me.
Joshua 24:15 New King James Version (NKJV)
“15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
I began to pray from this scripture, this developed from a dream into this message. Three chairs were placed on the platform as props as an example of the three sets of people sat in church and in the world we live in today. This was used throughout the sermon moving from chair to chair as people challenged to think about what chair they are sitting in. Click the play button bellow to hear the full sermon.
