Mango Houseparty in October 2011

We’re off for a get-away houseparty weekend in three week time at Barton camp. This is a favoured haunt for Woodlands houseparties and only a 40min drive from Bristol – see www.bartoncamp.co.uk/


We’re heading out right at the start of half term from 21-23 October and it should cost less than £30 per head. More details soon – places limited – book a place asap by contacting scott@smart-partners.co.uk

Thanks, Scott

Mango Pastorate Autumn Schedule

Sept
Tues 6th – Pastorate (Church Crypt)
Tues 13th – Home groups
Tues 20th – Pastorate social
Tues 27th – Home groups

Oct
Tues 4th – Pastorate (venue TBA)
Tues 11th – Home groups
Tues 18th – Woodies Vision Night
Tues 25th – Home Groups

Nov
Tues 1st – Bonfire Social
Tues 8th - Home groups
Tues 15th – Pastorate (venue TBA)
Tues 22nd – Home groups
Tues 29th – Pastorate special
(details TBA)

Dec
Tues 6th – Pastorate (venue TBA)
Tues 13th – Home groups
Tues 20th – Pastorate Christmas Party

Woodies Unplugged 7pm services
Teams serving every service apart from the 1st Sunday of each month, starting 18th September

Houseparty Autumn 2011
details to follow soon

Summer's Out for 2011!

Mango Pastorate is having a chilled break for the summer but returns with an altogther meeting on the evening of Tuesday 6th September - details for follow soon - for more details about Mango please contact me on 07917 032483 or scott@smart-partners.co.uk and I'll try to get back to you in between BBQ's! happy summer! Scott

Sermon on the Mount 10 - Matthew 7:1-12 – Building Relationships

This part of Jesus teaching from the Mount incorporates two short texts which at first seem quite different – one looking at how we judge one another and the other about asking and seeking God. What both of these texts have in common is that they talk about the importance of healthy balanced relationships – first one with another and secondly in terms of how we relate to our Father in heaven.
They raised a number of interesting questions for discussion including:

1. What are the possible reasons why we find it easy sometimes to judge others (either internally or out loud)?
2. If Jesus tells us not to judge then how does this work in a culture where we have judges who sit in courts to pass judgements? What about parents who need to make judgements for their children?
3. The bible also tells us it’s OK to correct one another (2 Tim 4:2) – how do we do this without judging?
4. What sometimes stops us from asking things of God?
5. What does it really mean to ‘seek’ after God
6. In what other NT passages do we see similar relational themes of judging, asking and seeking that we can link to Jesus teaching here?

In our discussions we were caught up eventually by Jesus Great Commandment which seemed to sum up many of the connecting points of our responses to these questions – in effect – Love really is the answer:

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Matt 22:37-39

Scott

Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 6 v7-15 - A Pattern for Dynamic Prayer

This is the passage where 'The Lords Prayer' is given by Jesus as a model for how we should pray to God. It begins with our declaration to God and recognition of Him; Our Father in heaven, hallowed be 'your' name, 'your' kingdom come, 'your' will be done on earth as it is in heaven. It then moves onto our requests; give 'us' this day 'our' daily bread and forgive 'us' 'our' sins as we forgive those who sin against 'us'. And lead 'us' not into temptation but deliver 'us' from evil. Later versions also include the now common final section; For 'yours' is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever. Amen.

Discussion points then included;
• The amazing desire of God to be known by us as 'Our Father'.
• Does our daily bread include more than physical needs, what about emotional and spiritual daily 'bread'?
• If God already knows what we need then why should we pray?
• What does it mean to 'hallow' God's name?
• The connection between our own forgiveness and how we forgive others.
• Should we only pray The Lords Prayer?
• Do we regularly pray to God and does our own prayer life resemble this model?

Dan

Mango Summer Schedule 2011:

Please see dates below for the schedule for this summer term:

May
Tues 3rd - Mango @ Church – Fish n Chips & 3rd Sunday Prayer and Planning night – No HOME GROUPS
Tues 10th – MANGO ALTOGETHER at Josh and Jo’s – Special Guests – Sarah and Josh Rutere on Mission to Central Eastern Africa
Sun 15th – 3rd Sunday Woodies extra service
Tues 17th – HG
Tues 24th - HG
Tues 31st - HG

June
Tues 7th - HG
Tues 14th - Social
Sun 19th – 3rd Sunday Woodies extra service
Tues 21st - HG
Tues 28th - HG

July
Tues 5th - HG
Tues 12th - Social
Sun 17th – 3rd Sunday Woodies extra service
Tues 19th - HG
Tues 26th - HG

Matthew 5:38-48 – Sermon on the Mount - Study 6

How to really love your enemies – eye for an eye, love for enemies

The real test of love does not come in how we relate to the kind and loveable but in how we relate to the cruel and despicable. Jesus calls us to show our attitude of total love to an ‘evil person’ and our ‘enemies’. This means love where there is no self-interest and this is impossible without the grace of God.

We discussed:

• What we find difficult about the instructions Jesus gives in the passage and what those instructions might mean in our everyday lives? Particularly;
‘Give to the one who asks you’ – we discussed how black and white we felt this statement was and in what situation we might face this challenge and where it may not be appropriate to give what is asked for. This then led on to discussions about how to avoid being seen as a doormat.
• How Jesus’ instructions might apply in world wars, how should a Christian world deal with dictators and those that kill for power?
• How we can find it in ourselves to bless and love those that cause so much suffering?

Matthew 5: 31-37- Sermon on the Mount - Study 5

Divorce and Oaths

Jesus raises challenging responses to the questions that were put to him by the religious leaders of the time. The issues raised in this passage are all too familiar and no less challenging for the church today. On the issue of Divorce, Re-marriage and the church Dr David Instone-Brewer has produced a very well circulated book on the subject, based on his research as a theologian of 1st Century Palestine and his role as a church leader.

For an interesting link see: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/october/20.26.html
More broadly speaking this passage also raises discussions about God’s response to the general broken-ness of humankind and it raises questions about how we as Christians are to respond to individuals that face challenges of broken relationships – past and present
The passage goes on to look at the use of oaths, promoting the notion of let our ‘yes be yes’ and ‘our no be no’! This raises a few questions like:

1. Why might it be considered wrong to make a promise in God’s name?
2. What does this say about certain judicial systems where people are required to take an oath on the bible?
3. Are there incidents from the bible where promises have been made in God’s name that has turned into tragic circumstances?
4. What does this say about how we use God’s name?
5. How does this affect our everyday use of language?

Matthew 5: 21-30 - Sermon on the Mount Study 4

Murder & Adultery

In these verses Jesus speaks specifically of the commandments Murder and Adultery found in Exodus 20: 13-14. The interesting thoughts that came from the group are as follows:

• Jesus reaffirms his position as being at the same level as God
o He is able to express, emphasise and clarify the meaning of the Law
• Why might God see anger and lust being on a par, or maybe even more, with murder and adultery?
o We are made in God's image (Genesis 1:27)
o By dwelling on these thoughts and feelings we are valuing someone less than ourselves
o We mar God's image in us
o We attack God's image in them
• Are we condemned by our thoughts?
o No, a fleeting thought is not what this is about. There are stimuli everywhere that's sole purpose is to distract us.....Satan will tempt us! He tempted Jesus in the desert (Luke 4: 1-13),and this is where we are given a model to follow that links to this passage:
 Jesus had a choice whether to comply with the temptation or reject it - He rejected it, and so should we!
• Is the imagery of gouging out your eye, or cutting off your hand to be taken literally?
o Jesus' loving nature would suggest this is not a literal commandment
o Temptation often begins by something "catching our eye" it is the thing that makes us "double take" This is the point we get to choose, do we linger and gaze on that temptation for longer or do we avert our gaze elsewhere?
o Once we decide to continue looking with our "eye" it is a short step to full compliance with sini.e. by physical participation with it (the hand)
o The message seems to be "you have choice" Do not let your eye linger on these things, and certainly resist acting upon them
• Big sin grows from tiny seeds
o Each time we allow ourselves to be a "little" bit angry with someone or inappropriate to a member of the opposite sex but "just as a joke!" we learn to justify that behaviour to ourselves and each time we do we lower our baseline morality just a bit
o Over time that bit grows into a lot, before you know it we have become desensitised to it
o We see it in our Nation today....we turn the news over as the horrors of war/disaster are no longer horrific, just dull...no shock in naked women in TV, film, music, advertising hoardings....constant swearing pre-watershed. None of this will lead the world to a better place, more likely there will be an upsurge in demand for ever more cheap thrills, more lack of concerns for our "brothers"
o Ultimately from those tiny seeds we have come to accept Worldly things and have strayed from God's Heart!
• God's Heart
o Both passages point to knowing God's heart
o We should not be de-sensitised
o There is no "small" sin, it will grow!
o The more we proclaim our Love for God, and of each other. The more we reject sin the closer to God's heart we will be. And it will be this that grows as sin's grip on us lessens.
o Jesus specifcally uses the word "brother". We are a family, of one Father, we must love each other! (Matthew 22: 36-40)
• Our Heart & repentance
o This is what God values most, and is consistent throughout the Bible
o David, described by Paul when preaching in Acts 13:22,is considered by God to be "..a man after my own heart"
 David's behaviour is often not seen to be the way we imagine God to be
 But he loves the Lord with all of his heart (Psalm 6)
 He repents often (Psalms 51, 52)

The main thing to come from our discussion was a statement of fact...God's standards are very high!! As Christian's we are called to "let [our] light shine before others, that they may see [our] good deeds and glorify [our] Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16) So it is crucial that we in the World adhere to these things and role model to others the behaviours Jesus modelled for us......but, no doubt we will fall from time to time and through the Grace afforded us by Jesus on the cross we can ask for forgiveness, and like David be assured that our prayer will be answered!

Matthew 5:17-20 - Sermon on the Mount Study 3

Jesus rebukes those who said he had come to do away with the "law and the prophets" (old testament teaching). Instead he has come to fulfil the law, and he makes it clear that God still requires us to obey his laws. We thought about the different types of law in the old testament:

• Ceremonial Law - such as sacrifice and cleansing which point forward to Jesus. Jesus has fulfilled all of these requirements for us;
• Civil law - such as compensation for injuries etc. This is specific to the culture and society of the time and although we don't follow these laws specifically, we still obey the principles behind them which are present in our own legal system;
• Moral law - things like the ten commandments which still apply to us today - this is what we are talking about.

Points which came up in our discussion included:

• The universal nature of Gods law (Romans 2:13-15) - there is an absolute standard of right and wrong and our conscience tells us this even if we do not know God's Law
• The link between the requirement to obey the law and the beatitudes - acknowledging that we are poor in spirit and cannot do it without him (Matthew 5:3)
• That all disobedience and sin is equal and things that we consider "minor" transgressions are just as bad. When we ask God for forgiveness at the end of the day, are we even aware of most of our "minor" sins?
• If we acknowledge that we can never keep the whole law, and that we are made right with God by his grace, even when we fail should we even bother to try obeying the Law? Definitely according to Romans 6:15 - to honour God, to grow in holiness, to demonstrate our faith.
• The positive example which we set by obeying God's law and the link to last week's study- we are "salt and light" (Matthew 5:13-16)

Matthew 5:13-16 - Salt and Light - Sermon on the Mount - Study 2

In these verses Jesus starts by saying that we are 'salt of the earth'. Salt is used for flavouring and preserving, we might conclude from this that we are Jesus flavoured and intended to be used to preserve the purity in the world and the gospel message.

He then goes on to say that we are 'the light of the world'. Light allows people to see and Jesus says 'let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.'

Questions which then came from these verses were;

• What could cause us to lose our saltiness / Jesus flavouring?
• Why is it good to be both salt and light together?
• What is the result of people seeing our good deeds?
• Is there a potential pitfall to avoid in boasting about good deeds and how can we address this? (Jeremiah 9 v 23-24)
• Do we have a responsibility to be salt and light, is there an expectation and what if we get it wrong? (Romans 2 v 26) (Matthew 19 v 26)
• What connections can we draw between the Beatitudes (blessings) of the previous verses and this call to be salt and light?

Other references to light; Genesis 1 v 3-4, John 1 v 4-9, Ephesians 5 v 8-14

Matthew 5:1-12 - The Beatitudes - Sermon on the Mount - Study 1

Whether you were there last week or unable to join us, Mango started a new season of studies looking at the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and asking questions about how this teaching relates to our own 21st Century lives.

Study 1 - The Beatitudes

This starter lists nine blessings which are not the same type of blessings that we naturally consider in our own lives. They challenge our own worldview by shining a light on the upside-down, counter-cultural nature of the Kingdom of God – His ways are just different to our ways. We’re immediately invited to try to look at blessing through a ‘Kingdom lens’ and we were able to ask a number of questions:

1. What types of things do we imagine when we thing of ‘blessings’ in our own lives today?
2. What does this passage really teach us about being Merciful and showing Forgiveness?
3. What does it mean to mourn for the world around us, but in a Godly way?
4. Are these blessings linked as they seem to share a common thread of living a humble life, guarding ourselves from pride?
5. Which of these nine blessings do we sense God is calling each of us to pay particular attention to and/or address issues which relate to our own lives?
6. Should we intentionally pursue these blessings? Eg actively pursue a life that we expect would lead to greater persecution due to our righteousness?
7. Which of these do we find the most confusing and why?

Justice Theme at Mango

Over the past few weeks we’ve been looking at the whole issue of Justice. Here is a short summary of some of the areas that we have been exploring from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. If you sense God has been speaking specifically to you about Mango and a greater call on us to respond to injustice then do let me know, Scott

OT passages – Habakkuk – a book of many parts that explores a discussion between one man and Go over the decision to raise the Babylonians to seize power over the Israelite community. Raising questions like, is it Ok to argue with God over injustice? How do we relate to a God whose actions (or apparent inaction) might seem so counter to what we would expect?

Psalm 37 – a great psalm of David that provides instruction on Godly wisdom in light of apparent injustice. Raising questions like what does it mean to ‘delight ourselves in God’? And what happens if we don’t sense He’s providing for the desires of our heart? Why do we find it hard to trust in God or to wait patiently in times of trial and injustice?

NT passages – On first impressions we might think that the Old Testament takes a tougher stance than the New Testament, however on many occasions Jesus pulls no punches and presents an eternal justice that is as tough as it gets, resulting in either life or death. e.g. Mat 5 v21-22, v27-30, Mat 8 v22, Mat 10 v32-42, Mat 11 v20-24, Mat 12 v31-32.

John 8:7 - Jesus and the adulteress woman. This amazing story of the grace and mercy of God challenging OT thinking on justice raises new questions about how we should be slow to judge others and to first check out the sinfulness in our own lives. We see mercy and forgiveness triumphing over justice. It raises questions like where do we need a greater capacity to demonstrate mercy and forgives in our own lives?

Matt 25:21-26 – Jesus speaks of the parable of the talents. The wicked man who did not invest his talent but rather hid it suffered the wrath of the Master. The passage follows with an odd statement that ‘everyone who has will be given more’ – What does this mean in the context of our unjust society where inequality reigns?

Romans – Paul writes of how we are no longer condemned under the Law, and that God showed His perfect justice and redeemed us through Christ on the cross. In Rom 3:21-26, we read of receiving righteousness through faith. This raises questions about what really if true faith? How does faith lead to righteousness? Does this mean God has changed his mind or is this the same God as the one of the Old Testament?

Many of the issues raised in these studies are addressed in a fascinating theological introduction to a Rob Scott-Cook sermon that was delivered in 2009 on the book of Gideon. In the first ten minutes of the sermon, Rob speaks of what he refers to as the ‘unfolding revelation of God’ - this is a fascinating talk which attempts to piece together the God of justice that we read of in the old testament with the same God of grace and mercy that we read of in the NT. I’ve tried to download the podcast here but the blogger won't let me - so you'd need to goto itunes, type Rob Scott Cook into the search and select 'Gideon' from the podcast options. The talk was from a morning service on 28June09

Let us know what you think,
Cheers Scott & Dan

Mango's Spring Schedule 2011

The schedule for Spring 2011 has a different flavour to it with a break from the monthly trips to Emmanuel and new Sunday lunchtime social events/meals as well as more home group time on Tuesdays:

JANUARY 2011

Tues 11th - ALTOGETHER at Julia’s

Sun 16th - Woodlands 10.30 service welcoming

Tues 18th- Home groups (Woodies week of prayer)

Tues 25th – Home groups (or Tony Campolo – see www.goingpublic.org.uk)

Sun 30th – Lunchtime social – meet after 10.30 service


FEBRUARY 2011

Tues 1st – Home groups

Tues 8th – Chinese New Year Social

Tues 15th - Home groups

Sun 20th - Woodlands 10.30 service welcoming

Tues 22nd - Home groups (Half term)

Sun 27th – Lunchtime social – meet after 10.30 service


MARCH 2011

Tues 1ST – Home groups

Tues 8th – Shrove Tuesday Pancake Social

Tues 15th - Home groups

Sun 20th - Woodlands 10.30 service welcoming

Tues 22nd - Home groups (Half term)

Sun 27th – Lunchtime social – meet after 10.30 service

Tues 29th – Boys and Girls nights out!

APRIL 2011

Tues 5th- Home groups7

Tues 12th – Social

Sun 17th - Woodlands 10.30 service welcoming

Tues 19th - Home groups

Sun 24th EASTER SUNDAY

Tony Campolo visits Bristol!

"In the lead up to the talk at Woodies on the 25th Jan by Tony Campolo here is a link to one of his talks. It's a cracker and should get us in the mood for more of Mr Campolo when he visits.

If I Had to Live it Over Again

Description: Based on a study done of 50 people over the age of 95 who were asked what they would do differently if they had life to live over again. They responded by focusing on the following:

a. They would risk more.
b. They would reflect more.
c. They would do more things that would live on after they were dead. Tony shows how those responses can provide direction for how we should live life.

see - http://www.tonycampolo.org/media_archive.php