Psalm 4 expresses our Burden for the loss, the pain we feel at the shame they heap on our God, and the appeal we make to them

The first psalm, the first in the collection to follow the two introductory psalms, is the song of a man who is utterly overwhelmed. That is where worship often begins, and is most needed.

The first psalm calls the individual to seek wisdom, the second calls the nations to submit for they are like chaff

Psalm 1 was intentionally chosen to be the first entry in the book of Psalms and we will look at it in that light to see how it prepares us to encounter all that follows.

In Cyprus, Luke focused on Paphos where the gospel was preached among people who had a distorted view of God thanks to the Jewish sorceror, Elymas. In Pisidian Antioch he shows us a context in which the truth is clearly known, but Christ still causes division. Some receive the fulfilment of all they have hoped for with joy, others reject it out of jealousy that it diminishes how special their truth makes them feel.

As part of our Association Sunday we have David Cameron from Carr Baptist Church preaching for us

Barnabas and Saul, sent out from the church in Antioch, travel first to Cyprus where an encounter with a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet whose message has just enough truth in it to snare the ear of a Roman proconsul teaches them two lessons:

• We must never see Christ as a means to an end
• We must be all things to all men to save some

It’s often assumed that Acts 12:25-13:3 marks Paul’s call into missionary activity. However the truth is that he had been working as a missionary for over a decade. This is not the beginning of missionary work, this is the beginning of an unprecedented period of growth in the Church. That growth is …

• Growth out of Preparation
• Growth through Apprenticeship
• Growth by Sacrifice