Newsletter. Salvation by Grace By Nigel Famer. Vision. October Contents

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1 Newsletter October 2017 Salvation by Grace By Nigel Famer Contents P1: Article from an Elder P3: Foodbank P4: Prophetic Bulletin P6: News P7: Ministry Profile P8: Upcoming Events Vision "A Joyful Church, passionate about Jesus, connecting with our community through the power of the Holy Spirit. Outworked through the following three What makes Christianity stand out above all other faiths? By grace through faith we are saved. Listen, it is not by works that you are saved but a free gift of God. There is nothing you can do to make God love you more and gain salvation, there is nothing you can do to make Him love you less. Faith in Jesus Christ, God's gift to mankind, secures your destiny. In life we have to work to get recognition and that becomes our thinking, however with God our relationship is not by works. For myself it was 30 years ago that this amazing realisation hit home, that we don't need to and are actually unable to earn God's love. "Committed to Change" "Dedicated to Discipleship" "Serious about Serving"

2 It is not about doing good deeds but putting our trust in Jesus. When you understand and experience God's love you begin to do things in a different way, a better way. As a young man Church did not pull me, however the person Jesus really intrigued me. He led with great compassion, invited all to come to Him, and those who looked down on others Jesus firmly put in their place. It was clear that there has never been a person and leader like Jesus Christ. All other religions are about what you need to do, Christianity is all about what has been done for you by the person Jesus Christ. I have come to love the Church, the people, by recognising that there are no perfect people there, but most of the people who gather are there to thank God, learn more about Him and help touch the lives of others because of His love. Put your trust in Him. The Church is the vehicle in which Jesus intended to show His love and reach out to others, revealing God's grace. This was the original intent of the Church, through faith in Jesus your past sins have been forgiven, God has provided the only requirement, a scapegoat, the person Jesus Christ. This message was lost in translation for centuries as the Church establishment made requirements of people so as to be right before God. This month the Reformation is being celebrated. 500 years ago Martin Luther made a stand that brought to life this truth of grace that was hidden for so long. Martin Luther challenged the Catholic Church on many of their practises in a letter referred to as the Ninety-Five Theses. The false teaching of salvation by works, along with general corruption in leadership were among the things that prompted Martin Luther to make a stand. We must be careful that truth is never lost. It is the same today in the midst of a society where some in power misuse their influence, and where greed and power drive their decisions. Where wars and turmoil rage on in many areas. We live in a time where knowledge has increased and technology is advancing at rapid speeds, where a constant stream of entertainment is 2

3 beamed through the airwaves. It can be exciting as we discover new things, scientific discoveries and breakthroughs. Pauses in life are now filled with anything we can get our hands on to view, play and read, and they all can improve our lives greatly but truth must never be lost. Some people ask What is truth? His name is Jesus. God has given us His Son to make us right, and bring us back into the original intended relationship with Himself. Like Martin Luther, let s make a stand and celebrate the truth of grace, the fact that It is not by works but through the gift of Gods love that we are saved, because of Jesus Christ who died for our sins. As Martin Luther declared aloud his convictions in 1517, let us, in 2017, make a stand and let that truth be known, and let it bring hope and healing to the hearts of all who hear and receive. October Shopping List Tinned Spaghetti Pasta Sauce in Jars Tinned Green/Broad Beans Tinned Mixed Vegetables Tinned Mushrooms Tinned Salmon Tinned Chicken Tinned Fruit Large and small 1 litre Fruit Juice (NOT chilled) Bottles Squash 1 litre UHT Milk Twin Sponge Puddings Pasta + Sauce Sachets Jars Coffee Jellies Sugar Biscuits Chocolate Snacks Savoury Snacks Brown/Tomato Sauce 2 in 1 Washing Capsules/Tabs Washing up Liquid 2 in 1 Shampoo Men s Deodorant Ladies Deodorant Adult Toothbrushes Adult Toothpaste Nappies sizes 4, 5 and 6 If you are able to donate, please put your items in the Foodbank bins at the back of the church. Angela will collect them and take them to the Foodbank at Resound. Many thanks 3

4 Prophetic Bulletin: October 2017 Welcome to the prophetic bulletin of The Sanctuary Church. These pages feature words that members of the congregation feel God has placed on their hearts for this season. Please pray over them as you feel led. Thanks to Sue Payne for compiling these words. No place for spectators John Mapley 18th Sept 2017 Do not let this time pass you by. For this is the time that I will release and bring to pass all the words I have spoken over this church. Don t let it pass you by for I say to you that there are some who will not see what I am doing they will say that it is of man. But I say to you, I will bring to pass every single word I have spoken over this church. These words are for you it is your choice whether you want to be a part of this or whether you are willing to let it pass you by. And I say to you, there are some that will. But if you want to see these things and you want to be a part of these things, you will have to step up and be a part of this revival there is no place for spectators. Three Stages to the Coming Revival John Mapley 11 Sep 17 God said to me, there are three parts to this revival. The first part will involve the people who have really been pressing in and seeking God for it, they are the ones who will be affected by the revival first. Then as it builds from there and gets bigger, other people will realise that it is actually happening, and that revival is real. So although those people weren't really pressing in for it before, now they will welcome it, and it will get bigger because a lot more people will get involved in it. But then what will happen is there will be a lot of people who don't want revival, so there will be a lot if opposition to it. There'll be a lot of people just doubting and not wanting anything to do with it, but also opposition. People will ridicule it and reject it. Getting the Fire Burning Sandra Sullivan 11 Sep 17 I felt God was speaking about stoking the fire. I saw the coal, and the fire was being stoked up. It seemed as if the fire had gone dim. And by putting the poker in, and letting the air flow, which I felt meant the Holy Spirit had got to blow on it, as the wind blew, the fire started to get hot again. We need to do our bit and get the embers of the fire going. 4

5 Times Of Refreshing Sandra Akintola 11 Sep 17 I saw Sandra Sullivan on the stage standing right at the front and behind her was this huge angel flapping its wings. But when it was flapping its wings, there was a lot of wind - a cool breeze. So there was a breeze coming. The angel was really flapping and the wind was blowing. It was blowing, and some people who were sweating were cooling down. People were like 'Oh, this is so nice.' But then that same wind was beginning to pull up some dirt. It felt was though there was some dirt on the floor, and the wind, as it was blowing, was really pulling that dirt out. I was expecting people to start sneezing because that can happen when you have dirt and wind, but no one was sneezing. As the dirt was being pulled up, it was being now gathered together and you could see it in a pile. I felt God was saying He was bringing a season of refreshing, where people would be refreshed. But that same blowing would also unearth some things that have been on the ground a long time that we've probably felt comfortable with. These were things that were stopping people being pure and shiny. The same wind that would bring refreshing would be the wind that would unearth these things. And I felt God saying He was going to gather all that into one pile and get rid of it. There were certain things, they may be things in an individual's life; they may be in the life of the church as a whole. Things that have kept us from shining or from glowing as we should. I felt God saying it's time to get rid of them. He's going to blow them off. He's going to unearth them and put them in one pile. Push out the Boat. Sandra Akintola 5 Sep 17 I believe what the Lord is saying is that we need to push out the boat even to uncharted territories. I sense God is saying He's mapped out some new areas of ministry and ministering, but also that he is moving us to minister in new ways. So in addition to doing new things, it s also about doing familiar things in new ways. I sense God is saying to launch out and not to hold back even if we feel we are not expertly equipped for the new course. I believe we will see the hand of the father once we take the step. Somehow it seems we have been waiting to see the move/hand of God before stepping out or launching out, but the father is saying that THE DEMONSTRATION AND REVELATION OF HIS HAND WILL COME ONCE WE MOVE, NOT BEFORE. We have to trust Him to show up as we step out and not to expect him to show up before we step out. God says this is UNBELIEF. Luke 5:4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." 5

6 Thank You Poem by Fabian Thank you Lord for helping me to see when I could not see. Thank you Lord for helping me to be strong when I felt weak. Thank you Lord for helping me to find my way when I was lost. Thank you Lord for helping me to keep faith during dark days. Thank you Lord for helping me to have love when I felt hate. Thank you Lord for helping me to find wisdom from my mistakes. Thank you Lord for helping me to find peace when I was at war. Thank you Lord for helping me to live a better life with your presence. End of Mortgage 18 years after setting up home in the building we now inhabit, we have finished paying off the mortgage! After paying a small lump sum in August to clear the account early, we are now the sole owners of the building, without Lloyds being on the deeds! We give thanks to God for this significant moment in our church life, and are reminded again for His goodness to us in providing a building from which we can impact the community in His name. Day of Prayer The Arise Bristol team are calling a prayer day on Oct 28th. They are calling Christians from every church across Bristol to join with them in praying for this city, its leaders and its church leaders. The Sanctuary will be hosting the event which runs from 10am-4pm on that day. If you re passionate about Planets, Stars, Galaxies and Life Dr Jennifer Wiseman, a visiting NASA astrophysicist will be giving a fascinating insight into how the galaxy reveals the glory of God. Weds 18th Oct, pm, All Saints Church, Pembroke Road, BS8 3ED. Right Now Media After having completed one year s partnership with Right Now Media, the elders have decided to maintain their partnership so that all members of the Sanctuary can continue to have access to its fabulous collection of teaching, training and entertainment material. If you ve not accessed it yet, do log on! 6

7 7 Iris Ministries The primary mission of Iris Global as a family is to seek the face of God with all our hearts, that we might glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. As His Spirit works powerfully in us to do the works of Jesus while on earth, we aim to reveal to the world in every way possible a supernatural love that wins hearts to our Bridegroom and King. Iris Global (previously Iris Ministries) is a holistic ministry that we began in 1980 as we took small evangelistic street drama teams to Asia on short-term mission trips. Our emphasis was the creative presentation of the Gospel, and our ministry grew greatly. But we were so impacted by the condition of the poor that we changed direction drastically and began to stop for the one and prove the love of God by first addressing the temporal needs of the broken and humble, the least of these. We focused on the bottom of society rather than the top. Now, after coming to Africa and starting with street beggar children in 1995, we have seen a people movement spread across Mozambique. What began as a ragged band of young beggars, thieves and delinquents has developed by the power of the Holy Spirit into a revival across the land, encompassing thousands of churches, Bible schools, children s centres, church-based orphan care, primary education, medical clinics, constant evangelistic and healing outreaches, farming, well drilling and much else. Above all else, we proclaim Jesus. He is our salvation, our prize, our reward, our inheritance, our destination, our motivation, our joy, wisdom and sanctification and absolutely everything else we need, now and forever. On Sunday 29th October, Caroline Thomas originally from Frenchay - who now works with Iris Ministries, is coming to The Sanctuary give a talk on her work in Mozambique. Come along and bring a friend to hear of this marvellous work am.

8 The Sanctuary Church 55 High Street Staple Hill Bristol BS16 5HD T: W: thesanctuarychurchbristol.org Charity No Senior Minister: Nigel Farmer Pastoral support: Jamie Lee Editor: Tim Owen What's Happening in October Please note all activities take place in the church building unless otherwise specified. Regular events (weekly / fortnightly - see a leader for details) Sun Morning Service 10.30am Mon Prayer Meeting 7.30pm Worship Team Practise 7.30pm Tues Happy Hands 10am Homegroups 7.30pm Weds Mature Adult Keep Fit 10am Homegroups 7.30pm Special Events Tues 3rd Wildlife Photography Night 7.30pm Sat 7th The Turning 10am-2pm Sun 8th AGM 1pm Sun 15th Prayer Meeting 6pm 4th Daz 14th Anne Salway 15th Jan 16th CHidi October Birthdays Sat 28th Prayer Day 10-4pm Sun 29th Iris Ministries visit 10.30am Coming in November Sun 12th Remembrance Day Parade 11am Sun 26th Worship Evening Restore 6pm Check out bristolnetworks.org.uk to see what s up and coming across the Church in Bristol Wishing you a happy birthday! 8