These verses came to mind during the recent ‘Bigot-gate’ incident.  Gordon Brown had been speaking with Gillian Duffy but upon returning to his car and forgetting to turn his microphone off told the world’s media what he really thought of the lady he had just been smiling at!

Bigot-gate’ is a reminder and warning to all of us that a day is coming when the hidden motives and secret thoughts of our hearts and minds will be revealed by God and broadcast for all to hear. That is a very solemn truth for un-believers to consider. The English playwright and novelist William Somerset Maugham must have been considering these things when he wrote:

For my part I do not think I am any better or any worse than most people, but I know that if I set down every action in my life and every thought that has crossed my mind the world would consider me a monster of depravity.

The good news is that Jesus Christ was sent by God to provide a way of sorting out our wicked hearts and minds.

As always we invite you to join us to find out more – a warm welcome awaits.

Pastor Phil Grubb: tel: 01452 725614:  (m) 07825 886 886:  e-mail – pastorphilgrubb@gmail.com

April is lambing season and Psalm 23 comes to mind – The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want… etc. Many people take comfort from the thought that the Lord is my shepherd who cares for me personally.

But who is the Lord and how does he become my shepherd?

Who?

In John 10 and verse 11 Jesus Christ says I am the good shepherd. So, when we read ‘The Lord’ – we must think of the Lord Jesus Christ – the second person of the Trinity – born in the flesh: fully God and fully human and without sin. Jesus says there are three things he really wants us to know about him if we want to call him my shepherd:

• We must know that Jesus came to give abundant life to his sheep – that means to bring sinners back into a restored living relationship with God in heaven – now and always. That’s abundant life!
• We must know that Jesus came to give his own life for his sheep – for sinners to be brought back to God our sin must first be punished and pardoned. When Jesus died on the cross – he was giving (sacrificing) his life for each of his sheep that they may be forgiven.
• We must know that Jesus came to take up his life again – we celebrate Easter this month and remind ourselves that on the third day after he died Jesus was raised from the dead. Easter day tells us that Jesus has conquered sin and death – that abundant life is freely available through Jesus. We can put our confidence in the Good Shepherd – the living Lord Jesus Christ.

How?

Jesus says in John 10 and verse 9 – I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved…

Start by coming to Jesus personally in prayer and ask him to save you. And like all wise sheep – having recognised the Good Shepherd – stay close to him all your days. In practice, that will mean you will join a local church in order to grow in your knowledge of Jesus. 

 To find out more about the Good Shepherd come and visit us at the church or contact Pastor Phil Grubb: tel: 01452 725614:  (m) 07825 886 886:  e-mail – pastorphilgrubb@gmail.com

Whilst fishing off Minehead the captain of the boat told me a ‘true’ story – ‘you can’t be too careful in the Bristol Channel – second highest tidal flow in the world. A few summers back I noticed what looked like an old tree trunk in the water.  When I got to it I couldn’t believe what I saw – it was an old man lying fast asleep on a lilo – and sat between his legs was a little baby – calm as could be! I pulled the baby and the man to safety and contacted the Coastguard. They confirmed that they had had a report of a man, on a lilo, going missing from a beach near Weston-super-Mare – some 25 miles away.’

Now that’s a remarkable story – but why did I tell it? To make this point: It is possible to be very comfortable when in fact we are in grave danger! If the fisherman had not spotted the pair on the lilo – both of whom were comfortable – they may never have been seen again – until washed up on a beach in Devon somewhere. The old man was extremely comfortable but he had found comfort in the wrong place and led his grandson astray also.

In a letter to the Editor in last month’s QN – Nik Hill complained about my item in the January issue concerning the dangers of visiting Clairvoyants.  He writes about his own recent visit to a clairvoyant: ‘Far from being distressed this actually brought me comfort at this time, it hasn’t done me any harm at all’

The point is that there is such a thing as False Comfort – you feel safe until it is too late. Consulting mediums or clairvoyants is like falling asleep on a lilo whilst being silently carried away from shore.  As a Lifeguard must warn people on the beach about the dangers of lilos – so a Pastor must warn people of the danger of those things which ultimately will bring them harm.

 There is only one comfort that sees us safely through life and death and it is this. Knowing that we belong body and soul to Jesus.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort… (2 Corinthians 1:3)

 To find out more about the True Comfort of belonging to Jesus come and visit us at the church or contact Pastor Phil and Elaine Grubb

tel – 07825 886 886 or e-mail: pastorphilgrubb@gmail.com

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Here at QBC we are in a season of moving homes – something with which most of us are all too familiar.For example, this month Pastor Doug and Linda are moving home as they return to the States. Their work among us is complete and the time has come for them to seek the Lord for whatever he would have them do next. We want to mark their departure and celebrate their input into our lives and the community in which we live. So, on Sunday, February 14th we will be holding a special farewell service for Doug and Linda and this is also, we hope, a time for you to come and say ‘good-bye’ to them. The service starts at the usual time of 10:30am and afterwards there will be an extended opportunity to chat to Doug and Linda personally – please do come and join us.

In the New Testament the Apostle Paul speaks of the death of a Christian as a time when they move home.

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5: 1)

And so, very often, in the church, we speak of a believer’s death, as the Lord calling them home. We speak like this because that is the eternal reality that the Bible holds out to all those who put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord. Last month we held a funeral service and said ‘good-bye’ to Daniel Wang. Many of you will have read of his tragic death over the Christmas period in the local paper. But not so many of you will know that he was a sincere and serious follower of the Lord Jesus Christ – a Christian. For reasons we do not understand, but which we humbly accept, the Lord called Daniel ‘home’. We rejoice that Daniel took seriously the advice also held out to us in Ecclesiastes:

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth,… (Ecclesiastes 12:1)

And we invite you to do likewise:

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; (Ecclesiastes 3:1,2)

For further help – please contact Pastor Phil and Elaine Grubb. Tel – 07825 886 886 or e-mail: pastorphilgrubb@gmail.com

After Christmas there are some things we would rather not see – ever – let alone clearly! For example, the credit card bill or, perhaps, our waistline.

And after Christmas there are some things we are looking forward to seeing. For example, the next holiday break or, perhaps, the General Election.

But some want to see even more clearly. They want to see beyond the physical realm. They long to ‘see’ a loved one who has died. Why? Perhaps they are missing them. Perhaps they want to forgive or be forgiven.

Others want to ‘see’ what the future holds for them. Will I ever get married? What will happen in my career?

And so, these people, whose ‘present’ life is fraught with concerns about the past and future, visit someone they have been told has a gift of seeing these things clearly (‘clairvoyant’ translated from the French means ‘clear sighted’). But sadly, many come away from those who claim to ‘see clearly’ deeply disturbed, anxious and even fearful. And those fears often continue to plague them for many years.

The Bible says we are not to seek out those who can supposedly ‘see’ such things – for they lead us away from God – where our true happiness is to be found.

If you long to see things more clearly – and need answers to searching questions – the place to turn to is a church which teaches the Bible.  For what God does want us to see clearly he has written down in the Bible – clearly! What God most wants us to see is the grace and truth of Jesus, his Son, who came to save us from our sin – so that we may be brought back to a right relationship with God.  And once reconciled to God, with sins forgiven, then we shall also be reconciled to our past and our future.

If you have visited a clairvoyant and have been disturbed by what you saw or heard and would like help – please contact Pastor Phil and Elaine Grubb

tel – 07825 886 886 or e-mail: pastorphilgrubb@gmail.com

 The following is the story of how God’s ‘good’ word changed the life of one our church members:

Rob’s story

I was raised in a Christian family and always remember enjoying church events such as meals and camps. As a teenager, TV became more interesting to me, so I stopped going to church. With new friends I started

 to explore smoking, drinking and cannabis. My health quickly deteriorated – as anxiety and depression took hold of me. As my friends progressed to ecstasy and harder drugs I realised I faced a choice.  I decided to stop doing drugs – which meant I had to part with my friends.

 With help my health improved but the loss of my friends left a void in my life. I began asking ‘big’ questions like – ‘what’s the point of life?’ and ‘is God real?’. Without realising it I was looking for peace and fulfillment. I also began to read the Bible and became aware of my sin and realised that God had brought me to another turning point. I asked God to forgive my sins through Jesus and to give me a growing relationship with him – which he did. I didn’t completely understand what Jesus had done for me but trusted that it was enough to save me and make me right with God. God gave me the peace that I was looking for through Jesus and the fulfilment I wanted through trying to follow Jesus’ example. I went back to church, got baptised and became a member.

 Since then I have married Barbara and life hasn’t always been straight forward but God has never deserted us.

For further information please call:

Pastor Phil Grubb – 07825 886886 or e-mail: pastorphilgrubb@gmail.com

Pastor Doug Wilson – 01452 725245 or e-mail: pastordougwilson@aol.com

Most of you will have recently received our church brochure – if you haven’t received your copy, please contact me and I will ensure we get one to you. We are particularly excited by the planned teaching program. On Sunday mornings (10:30am) over the course of 6 weeks we are going to be learning together about prayer by studying the prayer that Jesus Christ taught his disciples – what we may know as The Lord’s Prayer. If you want to know more about prayer we trust that this series will be a help to you.

Our Sunday evening program is a great opportunity to gain a clear overview of the Christian faith. Those attending will be given ample opportunity and encouragement to give responses and raise questions and or concerns about ‘God’ or ‘Christianity’. The evenings begin with a light tea at 5:30pm (no charge). Please come and join us. Both series commence on Sunday 4^th October and run through to Sunday 8^th November.

If you would like to know more about Quedgeley Baptist Church or would welcome a visit from myself or Pastor Doug in person please do get in touch:

Pastor Phil Grubb – 07825 886 886 or e-mail: pastorphilgrubb@gmail.com

Pastor Doug Wilson – 01452 725245 or e-mail: pastordougwilson@aol.com

It might be time for that announcement in our lives – that the rightful King is finally on the throne, because up until now, perhaps we have been trying to do it all ourselves. Making all the calls, running things totally our own way, giving Jesus little time or attention, and certainly not granting Him the rightful throne of our lives.

In “Return of the King,” there’s a man who is supposed to be the caretaker of the throne until the rightful ruler takes his place there. But when it comes time for the king to take the throne, the caretaker refuses to let go of it. He has to be forcibly and violently overthrown. We must not wait for that to happen to us. Jesus is the King of all kings. He is the Lord of all lords. He alone is fully trustworthy at the throne of our lives where He is supposed to reign supreme! That gives us assurance and confidence and real hope.

In 1 Peter 3:15 God reveals this straightforward command: “In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.” Notice it says, “in your heart.” A lot of people are willing to let Christ be an honorary manager of their life, but they’re still doing what they want to do, deciding which things Jesus can run and which things they will not let Him run. Jesus tears the mask off that charade with His penetrating question in Luke 6:46 , “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Lord in our head, Lord in our philosophy of life, even Lord in our vocabulary – that’s not what “Lord” means! “Lord” is the one who is welcomed and supported and allowed to be running things.

The original word for “Lord” literally means, “the controller.” We must honestly ask ourselves about who we are allowing to be the controller in our lives. If it’s not Jesus, then things will never be really right. Today could be one of the most liberating, most decisive days of your life, if you would make this Coronation Day for the One who is the nail-scarred, death-conquering, rightful King of you. Find a place where you can bow before King Jesus today and surrender it all to Him. This is where you can relinquish a throne that has cost you so much to occupy. Now, today, begin the days of The King!