Matthew 5:43-48 Amplified Bible (AMP)

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, ^[a]love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. ⁴⁶ For if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that? ⁴⁸ You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 5:44 The key to understanding this and other statements about love is to know that this love (the Greek word agape) is not so much a matter of emotion as it is of doing things for the benefit of another person, that is, having an unselfish concern for another and a willingness to seek the best for another.

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Matthew 6 New International Version (NIV)

Giving to the Needy

6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Prayer

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,^[a]
    but deliver us from the evil one.^[b]’

¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

This is shared with kind permission

In response to the growing concern around the outbreak of Covid-19 (coronavirus), the lead team at TLC have been prayerfully considering our best way to move things forward in accordance with guidelines provided by the UK government. As such, there will be no organised activity in the church building for the foreseeable future until directed otherwise.

Whilst there is much uncertainty we remain certain of God’s steadfast presence and careful attention to all that is happening. As Pastor Philip recently reminded us when asked if church was stopping, the answer is ‘NO’, because you can’t stop the church. Beyond medical advice regarding our personal responsibilities, such as washing hands and self isolating where appropriate, we feel there are 3 keys areas we would like to draw your attention to that will help strengthen us through this time:  

1) LOVE YOUR FAMILY: This obviously encompasses your immediate family but we would encourage you to think of the wider church family as well. It has been said recently it’s not about social distancing but distant socialising. Please live connected!

CONNECT: For many over the next while there will be restrictions on leaving homes and even potential lock down on a wider scale. It is therefore so important to find ways to remotely stay connected with one another, and we are so blessed in these times to have the technology and means to do so. We recommend an app called ZOOM that allows multiple people to connect visibly at one time, so why not check that out here. https://zoom.us/ *If you are not in a Connect Group at present we understand that staying connected may feel difficult at this time. We’d therefore encourage you to seek out spiritual community where possible and to follow the ‘church at home’ content online and through our social media platforms. Your needs matter, and so we’d also encourage you to let us know if there is anything you may need help with over the next while. You can contact us through care@thrivinglifechurch.co.uk.

ERRANDS/MESSAGES: On another practical note, shopping for essential supplies over the next while may become difficult for some so let’s do our best to help others without being careless with our health or those around us.

FOODBANK: If you find yourself in difficulty regarding food over the coming months or are aware of others in that situation please contact the foodbank on 07902933297

PRAY & ASK: We are to be a people of faith and we are also clearly instructed in scripture to ask when it comes to all our needs. Let’s pray in faith for one another and ask if we are in difficulty.  

2) LOVE YOUR COMMUNITY: As with ourselves, we can all do our part for those we are around, and what better way to demonstrate the love of God than being present in a time where there is great need and fear. Again, please avail of the

 FOODBANK if necessary, as well as running ERRANDS / MESSAGES if safe and able to do so. We have attached a link for a HELP postcard, that you can either print yourself or request some and we will do our best to get you a few. These are a great tool for you to drop by vulnerable or elderly neighbours you may be aware of. We are also building a response team of healthy people who wish to be available to others, whether by checking in by phone, praying for people or able to do shopping etc for those who are unable. If you would be interested in signing up please contact Richard Porter at richard@thrivinglifechurch.co.uk  

3) CHURCH AT HOME: Finally, for now, we know how important it is to gather together and be strengthened by the teaching and encouragement of the wider church body. Obviously we are unable to do that at present so from this weekend we will begin we will be going ONLINE!!!  An email with further information and a link on how to get set up will be sent and you simply have to follow the instructions. In Psalm 46, we are reminded that it is God who is our refuge and strength, and our ever-present help in trouble. God has not called us to live in fear but in faith. As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a Spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind” That is all for now. We love you, we are praying for you and we fully believe God has his hand on us as a church in these times. Let’s hold firmly to him and his promises and shine for the world around us.

God Bless -Lead Team