So you’re saved eh? That’s awesome. But what do you do now?

Well, you know you aren’t saved by what you do. So does that mean you afford to sit around on the couch eating chup-a-chups and watching Dr Phil, relaxing in the knowledge that you are relying on the all-sufficiency of Christ to bring you to God (1 Peter 3:18)?

Or does what you do still matter?

Come along to School this Thursday at 7pm in the Edge Cafe for our final installment in this series entitled: Saved. Why? How? What then? You can bring your chup-a-chups if you want.

Mark D.

There was once a jailer who asked this: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” It is perhaps the single most important question any of us can ask, that affects not only our here and now, but our future for eternity.

The response that Paul and Silas had for the jailer was: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:30-31)

Last week at School we discussed why we need saving in the first place. This week we’ll be looking at the “how” question – how am I saved? As Christians, we carry a unique answer to this question, one that has started a revolution that has significantly shaped the course of world history for the past 2000 years and will shape eternity.

So if you, like the jailer, have asked “what must I do to be saved?” or if you want to be prepared when someone asks you, come along to School at 7pm in the Edge Cafe. As Luke Oram might say, it could “change your life”.

What do you think about when you hear the word ‘saved’? What does the concept of salvation bring to mind? And what is your first thought when you think about the point of it all?

The answer that I think of first, and one that seems fairly standard in Christian circles, is that salvation means that because of Jesus death I can be forgiven from my sins and therefore I can go to heaven when I die, having been saved from hell. However, after some exploration and prolonged thinking, I’m no longer convinced this answer is good enough. I believe that it contains truth, but that it is not the whole truth. That truth is much, much bigger…and yet somehow amazingly more relevant to daily life!

So what is the bigger truth? How does the concept of salvation fit into the story of God? Come and find out this Thursday night in the first of three nights tackling these concepts. 7pm in the Edge Kingsland Cafe.

What: “Saved: Why? How? Now What?”

Where: Edge Kingsland Cafe

A huge part of Christianity is this whole thing about being ‘saved’. But what does that even mean? Is it just about being forgiven? or does it simply mean we have crossed some imaginary line and are now going to heaven and not hell? Or is there more to this word ‘saved’ than often gets talked about? Why do we even need saving? Is this just God’s plan B for his stuffed up creation? And once we figure out what it is and why it needs to happen…How can we be saved? And what then? Is that it…ticked the box and now I’m sorted? Questions questions questions!!!

If you have ever had any questions like these then maybe you need to book in the next three Thursday nights to come to School. We want to have discussions around these sorts of questions and see if there isn’t just a little more to this whole thing than we often realise. If you have no idea what we are on about, come along. If you are wondering about how to be saved, or if you already have been and want to know a bit more about what that means (even if you have been a Christian for ages) then come along. It’s a core part of who we are and what God’s up to here on planet earth. We would love to have you as part of the discussion.

What: “Saved: Why? How? Now What?”
When: Three Thursdays – Nov 18, 25, and Dec 2 @7pm
Where: Edge Kingsland Cafe

Why do we come to church? I mean, why bother with gathering together? Why can’t we live good Christian lives and have that be enough?
And…supposing there is a good reason to come together – What is it? What is the point of our sunday gatherings?

This is the question we will be investigating this week at School. 7pm Thursday in the Edge Kingsland cafe. Great people (especially if you come), great baking, great discussions.
This is the last opportunity in this series to come and be a part of the discussion.

But for now, perhaps you might like to write one short sentence below saying what you think is the point of our gatherings…I would be interested to read your thoughts!

Andy.

Walk into one church and you will find incense swung by a elaborately dressed priest, icons covering most of the walls, and words chanted rather than spoken.
Walk into another church and you will find hands raised, heavenly tongues spoken, hands laid on others in prayer.
In yet another church you will find a choir singing hymns, lengthy Scripture readings, and structured liturgy.
Visit another church and you will find yourself in someone’s home, eating a meal, and listing to someone share from Scripture.
In another you will find the whole service is a sacrament, focused on the Eucharist, with creeds and prayers receited corporately while standing or kneeling.

Tradition is all around us, whether we call it that or not.

What do these practices mean? Are they important? Should we care about tradition?

Come along to School this Thursday 7pm in the Edge cafe, eat some good baking, and join our conversation as we explore these questions and more.

Beks

School presents ‘Church: God’s dream…or a nightmare?’

Thursdays in September @7pm

Starts TONIGHT in the Edge Kingsland café.

For more details check out the other SCHOOL blogs below!

So another Sunday has rolled around. You have come to church (the gathering/event) and as you sit in the church (the building) with the church (the people who are gathered) you begin to wonder why there are so many churches (groups of people who gather) in the church (some worldwide concept that seems to transcend time and space). Then you get a bit confused and decide it’s time to talk about it with someone else, so you book the next four Thursday evenings in your diary so you can come and discuss and learn about, with and in the church and maybe just get a bit more of a handle on what exactly this dream of God is all about. And maybe we can help each other to learn to be the church a little better?!

School presents ‘Church: God’s dream…or a nightmare?’

Thursdays in September @7pm

Starts THIS WEEK in the Edge Kingsland café.

Andy.

It’s 9:30am/5:30pm (choose one). Sunday morning/evening (choose one). You’re still in bed and your head is pulsating in time with the alarm ringing out on your beside clock. You got to bed late last night/this morning (choose one) because your brother/mother/sister/father/cousin/best friend (choose one) had a party for their birthday/wedding/engagement/renewal of vows/graduation/impending OE (choose one) and you were the last to leave because you had to clean up/DJ/mind your grandparents/babysit/cook/appease noise control/pacify the neighbors (choose one). And now you’re really tired.

Should you bother going to church?

And then you think: Why are you going to church anyway? In fact, why does anyone go to church?

That gets you thinking even further: Why not just join a sports club? They have table tennis tables and coffee at the RSA don’t they? And why are there so many different kinds of churches when they’re all supposed to believe in the same thing?

If you’ve had questions like these, then the next series of School is for you – we’re looking at “The Church: God’s dream…or a nightmare?”

This series runs for four weeks from next Thursday, 9 September, starting at 7pm in the Edge Cafe. See you there.

Could even be worth setting your alarm for.