Calon Church Podcast: Recent Episodes
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This week Ruth speaks on 'Life Paralysis' following on from her previous word on 'Opportunities'
Pastor Phyl brings us the first part of a four part series. This one is titled "Look Up"
This week's message is from Andrea Parry, who explains how we are meant to be refreshed by spending time with God.
In this week's sermon, Ruth looks at time, and how we use it to our best ability, in accordance with what God wants for our lives.
In this week's sermon, Pastor Phyl looks at doubt and uses examples from scripture to show how people overcame their unbelief.
In this week's sermon, Andrea talks about how God wants us to be in a place of peace and love. Giving three points, she illustrates how we might become more like the person that God created us to be.
In this sermon, Ruth talks about how sometimes, we find our paths blocked, and we must find a way to go around it. Using scripture, Ruth shows how we can navigate these blocks, and see God in every situation.
In this week's sermon, Pastor Phyl looks at fear and uses examples from scripture to demonstrate how we may overcome it, using three principles:
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Identify the fear.
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Ask "What does God Say about fear?"
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Let His power change your life.
In this week's sermon, Andrea talks about how we are blessed, and uses scripture to show how we are called to be a blessing to others.
In her Palm Sunday sermon, Ruth talks about how, in such uncertain times as these, we can be certain of someone. This message encourages us to keep our eyes upon Jesus, the Son, who came to save.
In this week's message, Andrea talks about how, in times of stress, we can choose to be still in God's presence.
This week's word from Pastor Phyl encourages us to fix our eyes on God and to try and remain calm in the face of a vastly changing world.
This week, Andrea brings a word about compassion, and love, and unity, as she speaks about how we are to become disciplined disciples.
In this week's sermon, Glen Chaplin, our guest speaker talks about recommission, and uses examples from scripture to show how we must submit to God, in order to truly follow Him.
In this week's sermon, Pastor Phyl encourages us to 'do the little things', and gives us four suggestions that we must follow, if we are to honour God.
In this sermon, guest speaker, Ps Chris Vaz talks about how we need to let go of things and surrender them to God, as the battle is His.
In this week's sermon, Pastor Phyl talks about the way in which God seems to us, to choose the wrong people for His work.
In this week's sermon, Carys talks of the way that God sometimes needs to make us blind to our own vision for our lives, so that He can give us His vision for us.
In this week's sermon, Andrea speaks about how we must surrender control of our lives to God, in order that we may truly live in freedom. Andrea uses examples from the book of Ruth to demonstrate this, and gives us four points that we must follow if we are to truly surrender to God.
In this week's message, Pastor Phyl talks about when we are feeling spent, and weary, and looks to God's word to illustrate the ways in which we can find encouragement.
This week, Eirwen looks at the fruits of the spirit, and how we are meant to use our gifts in line with them.
In this week's sermon, Pastor Phyl continues his series on love, this time focusing on how we are called to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.
In his first sermon of 2020, as we launch our new name, Calon Church, Pastor Phyl speaks about love and draws upon our verse for the year taken from Mark 12:30 to illustrate how we are called to love on God, and others.
In this week's sermon, Ruth talks about the gift God has given us, and about how we are called to use it for Him and His kingdom.
It this week's sermon, Andrea brings a word about what it means to be a Christ follower at Christmas and explains through scripture that we must be truthful in all we do, as we allow God into every corner of our lives, or we risk turning our backs on Him.
In this week's message, Eirwen speaks on the birth of Jesus, and on how we are all carrying Jesus and the Holy Spirit within us, giving us direction from scripture on how we must nurture this gift, and use it to spread God's love into the world, and deliver His promise to the lost.
Expanding on Carys' message from two weeks ago, Pastor Phyl brings a word about how we are called to behave when God is wanting us to move.
In this week's sermon, guest speaker, David Glave speaks on the parable of the prodigal son, and uses illustrations from scripture to show how God is always there, even when we may turn away from Him.
This week, Carys brings a word about how we need to not get stuck in our own contentment, but instead must continue to move into what God has for us.
This week's message by Pastor Phyl talks about gratitude and using examples from scripture, he gives us seven ways in which we can be intentional about being more grateful for what we have.
In this week's sermon, Pastor Phyl talks about how we can learn to be content in every situation.
In this week's sermon, Andrea brings three points to illustrate how we must be content in God and His Son, bringing us examples of scripture that show how God has provided for us.
In this ladies meeting, Ruth brings a word on how we often get caught up in the same things, and that sometimes we need to actively change our theme music.
In this week's sermon, David talks about faith and belief, and about what believing in God, and His Son, truly means.
In this week's sermon, Eirwen talks about the way in which we praise, believe and pray, giving us examples of how we should be when we praise God, believe in Him, and pray to Him.
In this week's sermon, guest speaker, Glen Chaplin talks about how peace, faith, love and grace are things ordained for us by God. Using examples from scripture, we see these implemented in the lives of God's chosen people.
In this week's sermon, Andrea talks about the many miracles of God, and takes examples of this from the book of Jonah, to illustrate how we can see God in even the small things in our lives.
In this week's sermon, Ruth talks about how God can do great things with a few resources and an available heart. Taking from scripture, the story of Jesus feeding the 5000, she gives three points that we must be open to if God is going to use us for His glory.
In this week's sermon, Pastor Phyl looks at the way Jesus lived His life, and gives examples from scripture that show how He unplugged, so that He could set boundaries and live His life according to God's will upon it.
In her sermon this week, Eirwen asks us who we think you are, and then brings passages of scripture to explain why we are children of God, and how we can become more of an embodiment of Him.
In this week's message, Pastor Phyl brings a word of "Accept or Ignore", and encourages us to always accept what God has to say to us.
This week, Andrea brings an encouraging word and shows us through scripture, how the Lord will always provide for us.
In this week's sermon, Pastor Phyl uses passages from scripture to illustrate the way that we are supposed to treat others, demonstrating how we should love others more than we love ourselves, and behave with an attitude of self-sacrifice to other people, just as Jesus did.
In this week's sermon, Ruth talks about how we are often tempted to hit the snooze button in our lives, because it is more comfortable and easier, but in reality, it means we lose out on any number of things that God has in store for us.
In this week's sermon, Pastor Phyl talks about how we must conform, and be obedient to God's word and to His calling on our lives.
In this week's sermon, David brings a word about how our faith can be effected, and gives four points from scripture, which encourage us to stay strong in the faith and to look to Jesus, who is all we need in life.
This week, Andrea brings a word on worship, and what it means to have functional worship in our lives. She gives us pointers on how to conduct a worship health check, to make sure that we are living a life of functional worship in order to glorify God.
In this week's sermon, Pastor Phyl brings a word on how we should live our lives, using the acronym KEN, and gives us examples from scripture to illustrate this in action.
In this week's sermon, Andrea brings a Father's Day message, using examples from scripture to show what our Heavenly Father asks of us, and how He blesses us in return.
In this week's sermon, Ruth uses the story of Samson to illustrate why we need to make the right choices in life, in order to always keep God at the center instead of allowing ourselves to be tempted by things that aren't good for us.
In this week's sermon, Pastor Phyl talks about the most important commandment in the Bible, seen in Matthew 22:36-40, where Jesus says that we are to love God and to love our neighbour. Pastor Phyl uses this scripture to illustrate how we might find contentment and happiness in our own lives, through allowing the love of God to work through us, and allowing that love to change us so that we, too, might show love in every situation we may find ourselves in.
In this week's sermon, Andrea brings a word about the unconditional love of God, and how we, as followers of Christ, are called to exhibit that same unconditional love towards others.
In this week's sermon, guest speaker, Clare Hooper talks about helpers, and about gender in the faith. Using Adam and Eve at the creation as an example, she illustrates how one gender was never meant to rule the other, but were designed to submit to each other to further God's plan for us, and to glorify Him.
In this week's sermon, Andrea speaks on Daniel in the lion's den, and uses his example as a template for how we need to be living our lives if we are to glorify God.
This week, our guest speaker, Pastor David Waters spoke on breakthrough, and used examples from scripture to show us how we, too can step out in faith that God will bring us a breakthrough too.
In his Easter Sunday sermon, Pastor Phyl talks of another "Going, Going, Gone", this time in relation to the resurrection of Jesus, who battled death and won a victory for us in a battle that was never His to fight.
In his Good Friday sermon, Pastor Phyl looks at the true meaning of Good Friday and shares a number of points about the price Jesus paid for us when He went to the cross.
In the final part of his series Entrusted, Pastor Phyl talks about gifts, and how we are called to find, use and train our own personal gifts.
Speaking for the first time since returning to ABC, Carys brings a word of encouragement and challenge to us. Using the metaphor of a house, she explains how we need to see our bodies and minds as houses, encouraging us to make sure that our souls are ready and willing to receive God at any time.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In his Mother's Day sermon, Pastor Phyl talks about fairness and the way in which we should treat others if we are to emulate the 'crazy' love that God has for us.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In this week's message, Andrea talks about purpose, and how we can live our lives according to the purpose that God has called us for, by implementing three points.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In this week's message, Eirwen uses the example of three men in the Bible, to illustrate why we must wait with faith and patience, remaining loyal to God as we wait for our own promise from Him.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Continuing his sermon series "Entrusted", Pastor Phyl talks about how important it is that we manage our time well, using examples from scripture.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In her sermon this week, Ruth talks about the invention of the sat nav, and about how we have our own personal guide, given straight from God in the form of the Bible. She then gives several points that we must follow if we are to avoid hitting 'road blocks' in our own lives.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Beginning his new series, Pastor Phyl talks about the principle of investing our money, and brings us what Jesus tells us about this in scripture.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In this week's sermon, Sarah talks about the way in which God will open and close doors to us, and about how we must be prepared to step out and trust in God's plan for our lives.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In this week's sermon, Andrea brings a word about friendship, and what it means to be a friend of God, drawing our attention to the potentially good, and bad relationships in our lives.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In this week's message, Pastor Phyl brings the second part of his series on our verse for the year from Proverbs 3:5-6, and talks about how we must be willing to stop trying to customise God, and to submit to Him in order to truly experience what He has for us.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In this week's sermon, Ruth compares the two very different characteristics of chickens and eagles. She asks us if we are living like a chicken instead of flying like an eagle, as God intended us to be doing.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In this week's sermon, guest speaker Tom Lancaster talks about how we are all different, but that we can overcome that and embrace each other's diversity,to truly walk the path of purpose that God has for us.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In her first sermon of 2019, Eirwen talks about God's call on our lives, and how we need to get to know God intimately, so that we can live our lives and trust in God to bring us through.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In his first sermon of 2019, Pastor Phyl gives the Church our Verse Of The Year(VOTY) and talks about the issue of trust, and how we are expected to live as Christians, trusting in God with all we have and all we are.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In the last sermon of 2018, Andrea talks about the one and only path to God, and gives us some simple guidance so that we can make sure that we stay on this path and not stray from it.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In his final sermon before Christmas Day, Pastor Phyl looks at the Nativity in a new way, drawing our attention to the way that God doesn't discriminate based on worldly things, but, instead invites all to come to Him.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In an adaptation of her sermon for our ladies meeting, Andrea speaks on the story of Christmas, and the faithfulness of Mary in extremely uncertain circumstances.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In his sermon for our Christmas 'Family' Service, Pastor Phyl looks at the history of the saying "Hello World", and then talks about God's own "Hello world" moments.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In her sermon this week, Eirwen speaks about God's promises, and uses the example of Joseph to illustrate how we, too need to trust God in ever aspect of our lives, even in times of suffering.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Speaking at the second ladies meeting "She," Andrea speaks on the promises of God, and about how sometimes, we must wait, and just trust in Him, believing that He will keep His promises to us, in His time.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In this week's sermon, Pastor Phyl talks about the different seasons that we experience in our life, and gives us three "keys to contentment" as set out in scripture.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Rhys Jones, this week's guest speaker brings a word, talking about breakthrough, and how this must always start with us, and our willingness to accept meaningful change.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In her sermon this week, Andrea talks about the choices that we make in dealing with people, and encourages us to make the choice that will serve and honour God, rather than following our own way.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Speaking at the first meeting of 'She', the new ladies' ministry at ABC, Ruth talks about the walls that we build up around us when we take on the words that others speak over us, and when we add to it with words we speak over ourselves. She then gives us key truths that God speaks about us, and encourages us to listen to these, and to descern the lies from these words.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Continuing his sermon series from last week, Pastor Phyl draws our attention to the boundaries that we may, or may not have in our lives, and encourages us to do a boundaries test on our lives to make sure that we are staying on the right path.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Following on from Andrea's message last week, Pastor Phyl talks about how we tend to put things and part of ourselves away in boxes, in an attempt to hide them from God.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
(We apologise for the technical issues at the end of the recording)
In this week's sermon, Andrea talks about the differences between public and private gods, and gives us three points of guidance in order to avoid distinction between both our public and private devotion.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Speaking on the life of Jacob, Eirwen gives us three points to consider if we are to move forward and do things God's way.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In his sermon this week, Pastor Phyl talks about sight, and how we can ensure that we have a clear vision, in line with God's will for our lives.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In his final sermon in the Unoffendable series, Pastor Phyl talks about love, and how we can make sure that we love others just as Christ loved us.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Continuing his series Unoffendable, Pastor Phyl talks about the fruits of offence, and gives four practical ways that we can guard our hearts against them.
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In her sermon this week, Andrea speaks about "Faith expressed in love" and gives us several points that we must follow if we are to truly be able to focus on Him, as "the only thing that count."
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In this week's sermon, Pastor Phyl talks about the various ways in which we can become ensnared by offence, and gives some guidance on what we must do to firstly, escape those traps, and secondly, to avoid them altogether.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
This week, Ruth spoke on John 21:1-14, using the illustration of the fishermen to demonstrate how God requires our obedience.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In his sermon this week, Pastor Phyl talks about the various ways in which we can choose to become offended, and illustrates the ways in which we can make the decision to be like David, and to choose the harp, instead of the spear.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Speaking from Galatians this week, Andrea talks about the fruits of the spirit, and our own fruitfulness, giving us three points that we need to observe if we are to truly be obedient to God.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
This week, speaking on Isaiah 1:18, Pastor Phyl explains how our relationship with God is not intended to be based on a trade deal, but on our acceptance of the amazing free gift of grace.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
This week, Eirwen spoke from Joshua 1:1-11 about passing the baton from one generation to another, and the obstacles that we can come up against in the process of trying to affect change in our lives.
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In his sermon this week, Pastor Phyl speaks from John 15:13 about God's love and about how UNchanging God really is.
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Speaking from Acts 17:22-32, Andrea brings a message of encouragement, and gives us two points that are essential for us to observe if we are to truly follow our non-negotiable God.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Speaking his third part in the sermon series Unoffended, Pastor Phyl uses Matthew 5:9 to illustrate the proactive effort that we are called to make in order to become peacemakers.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Speaking from Acts 27-30, Glen talks about Paul, when we was shipwrecked on the way to Rome, and explained how we can come against many shipwrecks in our lives, and but that even through this, God is still working in our lives.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Speaking on the topic of forgiveness, Pastor Phyl continues his series on offence and gives five key things that we must do on the road to forgiveness.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In the first part of his sermon, Pastor Phyl speaks on the principle of being unoffendable, and on how to not allow ourselves to get offended, but to simply put our faith and trust in God and to place Him at the centre of our hearts and lives.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
In her sermon this week, Andrea used the illustration of a jenga tower to explain how we can allow the enemy to chip away at our foundations if we allow him by not being obedient to God.
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Today, Ruth's sermon for Father's Day showed us four points about God that makes him 'The Perfect Father'.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Speaking from John 8, Pastor Phyl discusses the three ways in which the enemy attempts to rob us of our identity in Christ.
For a more detailed description, please click here.
Speaking from 1 Samuel 9, Eirwen uses the story of Saul to illustrate how we are called to have an uncompromising faith and asks whether we will trust God completely with our lives.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Speaking from 1 Samuel 16:1-23, Pastor Phyl tells us of the 'Three Qualities' of those people who are chosen for His service.
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In her sermon centered around John 13:7, Sarah uses several examples of people in the Bible, who found themselves in a situation that they couldn't understand at the time, but later realised as they reflected back on their lives that God had a reason for them being in that place, and that in every situation, God's glory shone through in the end.
For a more detailed write up, please click here.
Speaking from Acts, Andrea spoke of how we can often let our circumstances define us. In this message, she shares three lessons that we can take from the story of Paul and Silas, and apply to our own lives so that we may live a fully free life in Christ Jesus.
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Speaking from Psalm 111, Pastor Phyl talks on the theme of fear. He defines types of fear before going on to discuss a 'good' fear, that we should all welcome into our lives. In this, discussion, he illustrates three points that we should observe in dealing with this fear.
For a more detailed commentary, please click here.
In this week's sermon entitled "Purpose", Ruth draws our attention to six things
that we need to remember when trying to find and follow our purpose, and then
gives us seven things that we can do to try and discover and follow the purpose
of God for our lives.
For more information, please click here
Good and bad news. Our world is full orf it, but don't we all want good news?
Speaking from 2 Kings 7:1-16, Pastor Phyl brings us three things that we are called to do,
if we are to be bringers of good news to others.
For a more in depth write up, please click here
At the start of his sermon, Wyn talked of a Pioneer that had believed it was part of God’s plan that communities of Christ’s followers be formed. These communities would have an impact on the wider community and would show what God’s kingdom should look like on earth. Paul often risked his life in forming these communities, which we know today as Churches, and once he had planted these churches, he often had to flee for his life. However, he liked to keep in touch with these churches, usually via letter, or through a trusted friend. Wyn spoke of pondering one of Paul’s letters while planning for a Bible study, when a catchphrase came into his mind:
“I love it when a plan comes together”
It was this catchphrase that led him to imagine the bizarre image of Paul in more modern times, reclining, halfway through writing one of his letters, saying this, while blowing out smoke from his cigar.
He went on to say that there were some letters that were painful for Paul to write; that were occasions when he might have asked himself, “Where did it all go wrong?”, but some, like the one in the image above, were a joy to write. The Church that would give Paul great joy, was the community that he left behind in Thessalonica. The reports that he was receiving back from this church were of a church that was functioning exactly as it should, following Christ’s teachings, and shining out as a beacon in the darkness.
As we think of Paul writing that letter, we are led to ask what it was about that church that gave it such a glowing reputation. The truth is that they turned from idols, and fake, god substitutes, and faced the one true God. They had a reputation for being a community of changed lives, and this is something that makes people sit up and take notice. The other reputation it had, was that of being transformative. Speaking about why this church in particular is so highly commended by Paul, Wyn explained that success leaves footprints and fingerprints. He said that it is possible to spot the similarities and differences of success and failure.
Wyn then spoke of three fingerprints: three ingredients that the church in Thessalonica had.
These are Faith, Love, and Hope.
Faith: Words can often lose their original meaning during translation. In truth, there are no accurate words to describe faith if we are to translate it from the original pistis, and pisteuo. We are stuck with the words ‘faith’, and believe, which are often inadequate to describe the true concept of faith. When used in the Bible, faith refers to a trust and reliance on God or Christ. We are called to surrender our will to God and to act in a way that shows this surrender. Nowadays, the word faith is often linked to doctrinal beliefs, which can become more important than following Christ, and behaving in a way which is Christ-like. In the days of the Thessalonians, there were no specific ‘doctrines’, and ‘rules’ created by people. Faith was simply acting on the words and promises of Jesus, and following His example. The Thessalonians, by acting like this, were actually publically declaring their beliefs.
Love: This is absolute. It is a command. If we do this, even when it is easier not to, then everyone will know that we are his disciples. The word Agape elevates love to a whole other level. It is a love that keeps loving even when the one being loved is un-reachable, and un-lovable. Agape, as we heard from Eirwen last week, desires nothing more than the good of the one being loved. The truth is that the conditions that the early Christians lived in were not loving conditions. The Roman world had little, to no humanity. The Church was birthed into a world that was utterly opposed to Christian beliefs. It was a male dominated society. The people were persecuted, and yet they still expressed Agape love. The Romans couldn’t grasp how the early Christians loved one another. Here, Wyn told us of a man named Arthur Forbes, a truly unlovable man, and yet his church pastor, visited him at home, while he was unwell, and loved him in a way that only a follower of Christ could do.
Hope: This is another word that has lost its original power, largely because of how we use it. It’s common use nowadays is in wishful thinking. We ‘hope’ it doesn’t rain tomorrow, or that the bus won’t be late. In order to define this word properly, Wyn looked at the words, opposite to the meaning of hope. These are hopeless, and despair. The situations that the church in Thessalonica found themselves in, were situations of despair, and yet they were positive. Wyn asked us, what it was that gave them hope in these situations. The answer is Christ’s death (the ultimate example of Agape love), or, more accurately, the fact that He rose again. Without Him, there is only a hopeless end. With him, there is an endless hope. This is not wishful thinking. This is the reason for their hope. Jesus Christ, risen and victorious. The ‘hope’ expressed by the Thessalonians had a far firmer foundation than wishful thinking and crossing fingers.
These are the necessary ingredients for a healthy church. Wyn asked us whether it was possible for a church to become ‘good for nothing’. The answer is ‘yes’, if faith, hope, and love are missing, then it is more than possible. Matthew 5:13 says:
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot” and so it is with the church. If we lose the three basic ingredients, what good are we? We are called to be the living ‘body’ of Christ, and so, we must behave in the way that Christ would have. If we don’t do this, then what are we good for?
The Thessalonian church was the living embodiment of that scripture. It was ordinary people living it out in a way that made them the most stunningly different people that the Romans had ever seen. They lived a life that caused the Romans to question them.
In closing, Wyn encouraged us to live a questionable life; one that shines out the three ingredients for a healthy church, and the three ingredients necessary to live out a Christ-like life.
Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, Matthew 5:13, Matthew 5:14-16
In her sermon entitled “Commit To Love” Eirwen spoke on a very specific type of love. This is a love that has nothing to do with our feelings. It is not an emotional love, nor is it a romantic, sexual, friendship, or a brotherly love. This love is called “Agape”, and it is a committed and faithful will to love. It is a love that is found between God and man. Agape is the sort of love that says “I will love God, and I will love man”, even though we may be in the pit of despair, in very great pain, having been hurt by the very people we are called to love.
Referring to Revelations 5:2-5, Eirwen talks of the scroll; a scroll that no one on earth or in heaven could open. It is a legal document that buys back all of creation, and there is only one who is worthy to be able to open it. Only Jesus. Throughout history, there is no one who could redeem man in heaven or earth, except Jesus. Only Him. Jesus succeeds in doing what no other could, because he was willing. He heard what God asked of Him, and He said “I will”. He endured the ultimate torture, and He did it for us, and He did it willingly. This is the true meaning of agape love.
Continuing, Eirwen asked us what this love would look like in real life. She explained that she would be using David to illustrate how agape love can be demonstrated in real life. Beginning in 2Samuel 9:1-13. Here, we meet Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul. Saul was the enemy of David. This made Mephibosheth his enemy, too, and yet, David chose to bless him in abundance in spite of this fact, and to have him eat at his table. Mephibosheth was a cripple. He was wounded; this is similar to how we are with God, rendered unable to clean ourselves, but God sees our weaknesses, and although we could quite easily be enemies to Him, He chose; was willing to bless us by sending Jesus. He leads us to a place at the table, where we can feast on Him; so that we can know Him, and taste, and see that He is good.
The purpose of the Church is to lead us into the presence of Jesus. He lays a table for us, but the question that we need to be asking ourselves is, are we laying a table for those people who have nothing to give. A great many Churches just build towers to show how good they are at worship, preaching, outreach, etc, but we should all be laying a table to show how good He is. In truth, it is all about God, and Jesus, and if a Church isn’t leading people to God, then it’s useless. We should be inviting people to come and feast on Jesus, and see how good He really is, and then those people, in turn, will lead others to the table. David exhibited true grace in the way he behaved towards Mephibosheth. He had no reason to behave kindly towards him, and yet he did, even going so far as to bless him greatly. This is exactly what God does for us.
Referring to 2Samuel 24:24, Eirwen speaks of when David bought the threshing floor. Though he was offered the land and as many animals as he wanted for a sacrifice, he insisted on buying it. He refused to make a sacrifice to God, that hadn’t cost him anything. This is what happened with Jesus. He lost everything at the cross. He gave everything at the cross. After a sacrifice like that, what does it cost us to follow Him.
In Malachi 3 it is written that we are to bring in all the tithes, and to give a proportion of what we have, first to God. We are called to do this regularly and generously. These tithes are money, time, and effort. They can be costly things. Sometimes we lack enthusiasm, we are ‘tired’ or ‘broke’, but we are called to bring a sacrifice of praise. Our excuses often don’t match up. In truth, people will find a way to do things that they want to do, but we are called to give first to God, and to do so regularly and generously. The truth is, that once we spend time with God and get to know Him, it is easier to do what He wants us to.
Agape love cannot be understood unless we can understand how He first loved us. Christ displayed the absolute of agape love, when He stood up and said “I will do it”, and went to the cross, not forced, but voluntarily, for us. In doing this, Jesus feeds us for life, and takes us into heaven with Him.
1Chronicles 29:14 says “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand”. The simple truth is that we cannot give God anything that He hasn’t given us first. David was the King and had an abundance of things, but He was ready and willing to make sacrifices for God. It was David’s dream to build the temple, but God told him not to. David listened, and didn’t become bitter about it. He gives freely, and allows God’s will to take place, setting aside his own wants.
Eirwen asked us how we respond when we see someone else getting what we really want. We might get angry, or bitter. We might feel sorry for ourselves, but it is important that we remember that it’s what God wants that is the most important thing. Eirwen asked us to not withhold. God never withholds from us, and we should not withhold what we can give. God never withdraws from us. He’s constantly speaking to us. We should not withhold friendships, or time, but should give as freely as He has given us.
In closing, Eirwen asked us to be more like David. Church is supposed to be somewhere people can go to find rest in God. It is not a place for one-upmanship, and discord. She called us to stay as one and not fall out with each other, but to put together again the fractured relationships in a way that honours God. 1John 4:19-21 talks about love for God, and for our brothers and sisters. The truth is that our standing in the world is the same as Christ if we act in love. We are called to love and to be loved. First we were loved, by Him, and now, we can truly love if we let love rule in our hearts.
Scriptures: Revelation 5:2-5, Isaiah 59:15-17, 2Samuel 9:1-13, 2Samuel 24:24. Malachi 3, 1Chronicles 29:14, 1John 4:19-21
Speaking on Easter Sunday, Andrea’s message is simply called, “Jesus died for me”. This is the simple and beautiful truth of Easter. There is nothing else.
John 1:1-5 tells us that Jesus (the Word) was there in the beginning. In fact, the entire Old Testament of the Bible points us to Jesus. He was never a ‘Plan B’ for humanity. The truth is, God had our salvation and redemption in mind before the start of creation. He was thinking of us at the creation of the earth. Jesus was not simply God’s attempt to fix a mistake. Instead, Jesus shows what a loving, kind and sacrificial God He is. At the time of the fall, He could have chosen to just wipe us out and start again, but this is not who He is. Instead, He knew that we would fall, and He already had a plan set in place to redeem us to Himself. He is a God who would rather die than see us lost for all eternity. This is why Jesus went to the cross. At the time of creation, God created man and woman, and gave them free will. They chose to sin. They were created perfect, but they ended up living with sin. They needed redemption. We needed redemption.
Going back to the Old Testament, in the time of Moses, there had to be a law because the people were caught up in sin, doing whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted; they needed to be guided into righteousness, which is why God gave the ten commandments to Moses, but the Law could not redeem man. There was no self redemption. This is why Jesus came.
The New Testament: The Cross. Jesus’ life was a fulfilment of prophecy. Everything He did, until He poured out His life for mankind. He lived perfectly. He is the person who surpasses the law to save us. In the Old Testament, the law, and redemption achieved by blood was required. The blood was provided by a sacrificial lamb. A Passover lamb. At the Crucifixion, Jesus became THE most perfect Passover lamb of all time. He died unbroken so that we may live unbroken, without fear, or death.
Jesus is our present and our future. He bought that for us when He was on the cross. The devil thought he’d won. He thought that he’d bested God, but Jesus pays the debt in full, and buys atonement and redemption. He covers our sin, and chooses not to remember it. Atonement means to cover and exchange. Jesus exchanged His life, for our righteousness, and all that He requires in return is humility and gratitude. Because of Him, there is no need to dwell in the past. Jesus is the present and the future.
Andrea went on to say that redeemed people are different. We change because of His sacrifice. The truth is that now we can stand before God as if we are Jesus; clean and blameless.
The sacrifice Jesus made on the cross is ultimate. For the first time in history, there was no holy trinity. He took on our sin. God turned His back on Him; His only Son. It must have been agony for God to do this, but He did it, because He loves us so much, and when Jesus breathed His last, He cried out “It is finished!” It was done. He died, abandoned by most of His disciples, watched by His mother and some of His followers.
Andrea went on to say that they must have felt absolute grief, utter helplessness, and desolation, but they didn’t know that Jesus was battling in the grave; that His death was being swallowed up in victory. Jesus was in hell, telling the enemy that He now had the keys to death and hell. He battled so that we don’t have to, and we will rise with Him. He goes before us so we don’t have to suffer.
The Greek word for resurrection is anastasis. It literally means ‘a rising up’. In scripture, we see that they didn’t understand that Jesus was the temple that would be torn down and rebuilt in three days.
In John 20:1-9 John and Simon-Peter go to the tomb, and find that the stone has been rolled away. The thing that they don’t realise, is that Jesus didn’t need the stone rolled away for Him to get out; it was so that we could see and know that He was no longer there, and that He had risen. In another account of this, there is an angel inside the tomb, that asks why they are looking for the living among the dead.
Often we look for the way, and cling on to our past, and what we were. In doing this, we, too are searching for the living among the dead. Andrea implored us to leave what we are clinging to among the dead, to take off our grave clothes, as Jesus did, and to move forwards to walk among the living.
When Mary was at the tomb, Jesus only says her name, and she realises that it’s Him. Today, He is calling our names. He is a good good Father, and we are loved by Him. If we give Him the chance, He will whisper to us the truth of who we are. He sees us as we are, and not how we see ourselves. Andrea challenged us to focus on what Jesus thinks of us, and on what this means for us.
The resurrection is an absolute, unifying thing of the Christian faith. It crosses all denominations. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow: Forever. We are called to not focus on what divides us, but only on what unites us. He never forgets us, and even when we can’t find the words, He sends the Spirit to help us. No matter what our situation may be, God has not forgotten us. He just expects us to be patient. He is always listening, and He will answer in His time.
God loved us so much, He came to earth as a person; our redeemer. Fully God, and fully man. Jesus completed the work of God, as He is Prophet, Priest and King. God became human and died for us. No other ‘God’ does this. No other ‘God’ forgives so easily.
Returning to the title of her message, Andrea repeats the truth of Easter Sunday. Jesus died for me. Jesus died for you. Jesus died for us. What amazing love? And all so that we could be reconciled to Him.
Scriptures: John 1:1-5, John 20:1-9
For his Palm Sunday sermon, Pastor Phyl spoke on the topic of Altars. His message is titled “Keep The Fire Burning”. He began his preach by saying that there is something powerful about Palm Sunday. This is the beginning of the greatest sacrifice of all time. Pastor Phyl asked the readers in the congregation if any of them liked to skip to the end of the story. This is something that we are able to do. We already know the end of the story, because we are on this side of history. We are on the side of history that knows that He is no longer in the tomb; that knows that He has risen.
Referring to Leviticus 6:9-13 Pastor Phyl explained that this was all about gaining forgiveness for God’s people. The High Priests would come to the Altar and sacrifice burnt offerings to atone for the people. The fire was to be kept burning, and on no account was it to be allowed to go out. We, too are called to have a fire on an Altar that must be kept burning, but this Altar, and fire, is in our hearts. This is the place where God meets us. Altars are incredible things. Noah felt the urge to build an Altar and sacrifice an animal when he and his family were able to leave the Ark. Abraham also felt the urge to build an Altar. He felt he could do nothing more than build an Altar and start to praise God. All through the Old Testament.
People build Altars after encounters with God, marking a physical place of meeting with Him. Another thing that comes with an Altar, is that it is a place of forgiveness. In the Old Testament, only certain people could go to the Altar. The New Testament, and the New Covenant ushers in a new order where the Altar can be entered into by anyone. Even us. There is no need for a High Priest. We are now afforded direct access to God.
Many modern Churches have no Altar in their buildings. The Altar is now in our hearts. Instead, of an Altar, many Churches have a Table Of Remembrance, where we can remember God’s sacrifice, but it is important that we don’t lose our reverence for this. We must never underestimate the sacrifice God made for us. Because of His sacrifice, God sees the righteousness of Jesus when He looks at us, and not the blackness of our sin. Because of Jesus’ love for us, we can know that we are loved and accepted. He makes unholy things Holy.
Hebrews 13:9-15 encourages us to meet Jesus outside the city. We must take God’s word and run it through our hearts. We must work out our own faith by means of a relationship with God, and by spending time in His word. Good preachers will show us the way to Jesus, but it is us that must then walk the path. The truth is that we no longer need others to make sacrifices for us- we can go straight to God because Jesus came, and made a way for us. He made it possible for us to set aside old traditions, and to go outside the camp, to find Him at the cross. He brings us new promise, and all we need do is confess our sins and ask for forgiveness; then our sins and iniquities will be remembered no more.
We have no need for physical altars in our lives, but instead, are called to build one in our hearts; to continually keep the fire burning, night and day. The fire must NOT go out. The Holy Spirit can help us to keep the fires burning, so that we may bring a sacrifice of praise to Him who came that we might be saved.
In closing, Pastor Phyl reminded us that God is NEVER asleep, and encouraged us to keep our fire burning continuously, night and day, so that it would not go out.
Scriptures: Leviticus 6:9-13, Hebrews 13:9-15
“God Has A Plan”
This is the title of Pastor Phyl’s sermon this week. He began by saying that he wanted to ask us to do one thing; to trust God. It’s a hard thing to do, and there is no greater challenge than to trust God with our children. Pastor Phyl went on to tell the story of a man who loved mountain biking. One day, when he was out on the mountains, he was going a little too fast and ended up so near to the cliff edge that he went over. As he was falling, he reached out and caught hold of a branch. Once he was hanging there, there was no way up or down. He called out for help, and a voice came down from the heavens; God’s voice. The man asked for help, and God told him to trust Him and let go of the branch. The man then called out, asking if there was anyone else there. This is so typical of our society. We find it so difficult to just reach out in blind faith and to trust God.
Psalm 145:4 says: “One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts”
This section of scripture shows quite clearly that all of God’s works are for good, and that He has a plan. The truth is that God has a great plan for our lives, but when experiences come our way, we’re the ones that aren’t so sure. We will come up against challenges, but God has a plan. All we need to do is to trust Him.
In Exodus 1, the new Pharaoh didn’t know Joseph’s good deeds. They were not communicated to him, and so they were lost. This is why Psalm 145:4 is so important. Without this happening, Pharaoh set in place an edict that all of the Hebrew women’s male babies were to be put to death. This is where we enter the story of Moses (Exodus 2:1-10), and we are shown clearly that God always has a plan.
The story of Moses is one that we tend to romanticise, but it is not a “good” story. It must have been so hard for Jochebed. She gave birth to a baby boy, whom she knew would be put to death if he was discovered. She chose to hide him for as long as possible, and when she was not able to hide him any longer, she placed him in a basket and put the basket in the bulrushes. She trusted God. She had no way of knowing, one way or another, whether her son would be ok. She just had to place all of her trust in God, that He would bring Moses through this, and as the story progresses, we see that God had a great plan for Moses’ life all along.
Pastor Phyl spoke of three points that we must remember as we go through life:
- Trust God
We try to teach our children all of the things that we didn’t do. We try to make sure that the things we did wrong don’t then become the same things that our children do wrong, but in the end, only God knows the plan that He has for them.
Jochebed trusted God when she placed Moses into the basket and set him among the bulrushes. She wouldn’t have known whether he would survive or not. If he had been found by the wrong person, he would have been killed instantly. It was a huge risk for her to let go of him and let God carry out His plan, but she did it. She trusted God for her child.
Can we trust God for our children?
- Celebrate The Miracles
90% of parenting is a drudge. It is the discipline, and the teaching, and telling them over and over again the same thing. What we must learn to do is to celebrate the little things when they’re young, and we will see God’s goodness.
When Moses was discovered by the daughter of Pharaoh, and Jochebed was called to nurse him, she was able to celebrate the fact that he was still alive, and that she was able to be a part of his life, and not only that, she was getting paid for it. She trusted God and was rewarded for this.
What we must take from this story is that we need to celebrate the little things; the small achievements that happen in the mundane.
- Learn To See The Big Picture
A man named Professor Heimlich was made famous after inventing the Heimlich manoeuvre. It is interesting that it is he who invented this, when the very same manoeuvre would, many years later, be the thing that saved his life.
God saw the big picture, and so did Jochebed in Exodus. She trusted in God’s plan, even if it wasn’t exactly how she wanted things to go, and as a result, Moses grew up to be well educated and was able to free so many people from slavery.
Pastor Phyl brought his sermon to a close by asking us whether we could trust God with ours and our children’s lives. He encouraged us to pray for them and to trust them to God. This is something that we must do as we progress in our Christian walk and we realise that we must let go of the physical, because there is nothing that we can control.
God’s grace is the only reason we’re here.
Can we trust Him and His plan?
Scriptures: Psalm 145, Psalm 145:4, Exodus 2:1-10
This week’s message by Pastor Phyl is titled Big Mistake, and is taken from the Gospel of Mark 12:13-27. He began his preach by asking us whether we’ve made mistakes. It can be hard to admit to these. It is hard to admit that we have been wrong. The truth is that we all make mistakes. It is human nature to do so. Some of our mistakes are small, insignificant ones that are no big deal and can be forgotten easily, but some are big mistakes that, in turn, bring big consequences, which people then have to live with.
In this passage of scripture, the Pharisees and Herodians are sent to try and catch Jesus out with His own words, but they are amazed by something. His Authority. He is able to answer every one of their questions and they find themselves unable to catch Him out.
Pastor Phyl told us that we have authority, too, but that our authority doesn’t come from us, it comes from God. We are given all authority, in Christ Jesus. We are able to take Christ’s authority and live it. We are just God’s spokesperson, and we have a real, true authority in Christ.
Looking at some influential figures from the past, Phyl spoke of Rosa Parks, a woman of no fame or position, but she had authority because she trusted in God and in His authority. She believed that all people were equal, regardless of their skin colour, and as such, acted on this belief, communicating with authority.
Jesus is communicating to these people, and although they were trying to catch Him out, they were amazed at His authority when He reasoned, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” Here, He is effectively saying that we must honour God with our lives, seeing as He gives us life.
A big mistake is a bad mistake. Many people make mistakes because they don’t know scripture or the power of God. We can do this too. If we are not in the scripture, we can get lost, and this is when mistakes happen. We can get lost in our lives, and struggle to find the way. The answer is to know the scriptures, and to know the power of God, or we will find ourselves in the middle of a big mistake. The truth is that we are nothing, save for the power of Christ.
Pastor Phyl introduced us to the ‘five solae’s of the reformation’. These are principles that we need to have in our lives:
- Sola Scriptura – By Scripture Alone
We are to build our lives on scripture alone. This is our authority on life. Hebrews 4:12 says “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” The truth is that we can either believe it or not. It won’t always be palatable, but it is right. In the world, there are plenty of people who claim to be Christians, but their actions do not follow this claim. It is easy to differentiate between a fake Christian, and a true Christian, because a true Christian lives by the principle of ‘Sola Scriptura’. Without this commitment to the word, people can find themselves drifting away from God.
- Sola Gratia – By Grace Alone
Nothing but Grace can save us. No matter what we do, no matter what we’ve done, He saved us. There is no sin too great that it cannot be covered by the Grace of God. There is nothing that we can do to make Him love us any more or any less.
- Sola Fide – By Faith Alone
We must accept His Grace by faith. We have to make that decision to believe, and this is done by faith. By trusting in Him and His word. Good works are not a requirement for salvation. Faith alone; the belief in Christ is what gives us the opportunity to be saved. It doesn’t matter what we do. Nothing we do will ever be ‘good enough’, because we are not ‘good enough’. The only way to salvation is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and in God, who sent Him. Good works and actions are often seen to be done by people who have been saved, but this comes about as a result of drawing closer to God and surrendering to His will, but the fact is, that deeds and actions will not give you salvation. This comes solely as a result of faith.
- Solus Christus – Through Christ Alone
Acts 4:12 says “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved”. There is NO other name. Jesus is THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life. He is the only one who can act as an intermediary between us and God. No other person can provide salvation, only Jesus. In saying this, it is important that we remember that the Bible is not exclusive. Christ is not exclusive. In John 3:16, it is written: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. The scripture here is quite clear; ‘whoever’. God does not discriminate. Whoever believes may come. Also important to remember, however, is that the Bible, and Salvation is selective, because it is said quite clearly that we must accept Christ’s sacrifice. Without our acceptance and belief of this sacrifice, salvation cannot be ours.
- Soli Deo Gloria – For God’s Glory
God came by His Grace, for His Glory. We are called to reach out in Faith to Christ; to make sure that our actions only serve to bring Him the glory. We are not to seek veneration. The glory is not ours, but His.
In closing, Pastor Phyl prayed that we would be able to take these Five Solae’s and apply them to our lives, so that we can avoid making the big mistakes, that come with big consequences, and that all of our actions would be rooted in Scripture, covered by Grace, acted on in Faith, through Christ alone, for the Glory of God.
Scriptures: Mark 12:13-27, Hebrews 4:12, Acts 4:12, John 3:16
Ruth began her first sermon of 2018 by asking us how we pack when we go on holiday. Do we pack too much stuff, or are we the kind of person who counts out the exact number of outfits, and then doubles that, just in case? She asked, “Do you take to much stuff with you?”
Abraham Lee, an explosive ordnance disposal officer for seven years said that when on a mission, the team would literally only carry what was essential and would contribute to the task. He said that to carry anything extra would be pointless.
We all carry excess baggage in life; unnecessary weight that we don’t need to carry, and yet, we all do it. Over time, our emotional cargo mounts up and begins to weigh us down. There are so many things that we pick up and put in our bag to carry, such as negative attitudes, stresses, angst towards others, bitterness and unforgiveness. These can fill us up and all leave an unnecessary weight for us to carry on our backs. This emotional baggage can build up so quietly and steadily that we might not even realise how heavy it has become, and how much weight it places on our hearts and minds.
We need to deal with these things, or we will continue to carry them, and this is when we learn tools like bitterness, denial, unforgiveness, revenge and holding grudges. If we don’t deal with our past, and we don’t deal with our issues, we choose to carry them, and when we carry these things, it is like carrying weeds inside your heart, that grow so quickly and are so strong that they choke all the good, healthy plants around it. Often, we allow what happens to us to define us, and this is really dangerous as it can lead to us not being who, and where we are meant to be as Children of God.
Ruth talked about an old legend about three men who each carried two sacks. The first man hid all of the good things, and focused on the bad things, stopping to examine them so often that he barely made any progress at all. The second man, kept all his mistakes in the sack on his back, and all the good things in front of him, so he could show them off to everyone. He was weighed down by bad things but couldn’t brink himself to put them down. The third man, kept all the good things in the front sack, but unlike the second man, the sack on his back was empty because he had cut a hole in it so that all the bad things went straight through the sack, leaving him free of the burden of carrying them.
Turning to Scripture, she looked at some people who allowed what they were carrying in their hearts to affect the promise God had over them. Moses had just led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. Travelling through the desert, they arrived at the border of the Promised Land. Moses sent twelve men to survey the land. Referring then to her main scripture, Numbers 13:25-33, we read that the men came back to report to Moses, and although two of the men seemed of the opinion that they could enter the land and take it with no problem, the other ten men, so consumed with what they were carrying from their past, talked of far more powerful people that they would never be able to overcome.
Ruth then talked of three points. The first of these is:
- What you carry will affect YOUR PERSPECTIVE
Twelve men were send into the same land, saw and experienced exactly the same things, and yet came back with two totally different views. It’s all about perspective, and what you carry has a direct impact on your perspective. You can often tell how people have dealt with past hurts, by looking at how they deal with their current issues. The sayings, ‘hurting people hurt people’, and what goes around comes around’ are a very poignant reminder that when we don’t deal with issues in our lives, they become deeply rooted in our spirit, and then, when trials and circumstances come our way, we automatically head to the ways we know of dealing with things, even though these are not good ways. In the same way, their previous treatment at the hands of the Egyptians caused the ten spies to doubt, and to question their ability to take the land, even though God Himself had promised the land to them. They were so close, and yet their doubt meant that they never got to enter the Promised Land. These spies were carrying four things which prevented them from being able to step out in faith.
- Doubt
- Self-Deprecation
- Fear
- Unbelief
In stark contrast, Joshua and Caleb were carrying faith. They believe in themselves, in their people, and in their God. They had courage, and, knowing that God was on their side, and believing this, they had confidence in the outcome because they were doing the will of God.
When we haven’t dealt with things in the past, it will change how we see the world. It becomes about us and not about God. The ten men were influenced by their past and wanted to rebel. This is a time when we can begin to carry things like hurt, bitterness, fear, doubt and ungratefulness, if we haven’t dealt with things in our life. The situation appears much bigger than us, and we can see ourselves as incapable. This is when we begin to question God’s ability.
This is what happened to the Israelites when the ten spies were coming from a place of negativity. It is hard to imagine. They were literally on the brink of the promised land, and yet, doubt and the baggage they were carrying made them think that returning to the land of slavery is a better option. Instead of reaching out for all God had for them, they were too busy hanging on to the past and carrying all of their past issues.
Ruth warned us to be careful whose bag we pick up. Family and friends can often offload stuff onto us, and this can risk it becoming our issue too. Often our first impressions can be clouded by other’s baggage and before we know it, we have judged someone without even having met them.
- What you’re carrying will affect your PACE
It should have taken eleven days for the Israelites to get to the Promised Land, but instead it took almost forty years. When we carry around issues, rather than dealing with them, it causes us to slow down. Our burden prevents us from moving freely. Instead, we need to look to Hebrews 12, which instructs us to “strip off every weight that slows us down”.
God can’t bless unforgiveness. He can’t bless judgement, and he can’t bless us trying to get even. In short, God can’t bless our mess. The truth is that while we use our energy to focus on our hurts, and disappointments, we can’t move forward, and find ourselves slipping backwards.
We need to live in the fulness of God, if we are to achieve our breakthrough and reach our promised land. Maybe this is the time when we need to look at our bags and unpack some stuff.
- What you carry will affect your PURPOSE
Some of the Israelites in the wilderness never got to reach the promised land. Not even Moses did. Ruth emphasised how sad this is. After everything they had been through to get there, they missed out at the last minute because they allowed baggage into their lives which weighed them down and prevented them from moving forward into the full purpose God had for them.
Ruth told us that the way to miss God’s will is really simple. All we have to do is ignore what God is saying. God had told the Israelites that He would deliver them (Exodus 5:6-8), but rather than listening to Him, they listened to men and ignored God, moving away from what He had promised. In the same manner, when we allow negative thoughts and feelings space in our hearts, God is pushed out.
Speaking then about what we need to do to unpack our bag, Ruth gave us eight points:
- Confront the past honestly – we can’t alter the past, but we can alter how we view it and how it affects us.
- Be aware of our thoughts – we mustn’t allow our energy to be wasted on negative thinking.
- Start anew – take steps to remove old habits and routines, creating a new existence in God.
- Forgive others – it will do us more good than it will do them.
- Go to God – ask Him to heal our hurts
- Meet together – if we are dealing with past hurts and carrying excess baggage, we mustn’t avoid Church.
- Choose our friends wisely – we must surround ourselves with people who will nourish and build us up
- Know what God says –
- He loves us
- He accepts us
- He cares about us
- He has not forgotten about us
- He sees us
- He knows us
- He provides for us
- He will not abandon us.
- He will not abuse us
- He will not forsake us
- He will help us
- He will transform us
- He will choose to forget our past
- He will heal our pains
- He will hold our hand
- He will restore us
- He will give us hope
- He will give us a future
- He will deal with our hurts
In closing, Ruth encourages us to strip off every weight that slows us down so that we may run the race God has set our before us with endurance. He is waiting for us to come to Him with everything. Every part of us, and all that we are, so that He can give us all that He is.
Scriptures: Numbers 13, Hebrews 3:19, Hebrews 12, Luke 6:37, Romans 12:17-19, Exodus 5:6-8, Philippians 3:13, Philippians 4:8, 2Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:32, 1Peter 5:7, Psalm 92:13, Luke 6:45
Bringing part two of her message series “And what does the Lord require of you?” Andrea uses John 4:1-8 to illustrate three core points. In the first part of the series, she spoke from Micah 6:8, and suggested that what God wants is for us to seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with Him.
There are certain moral imperatives on our lives; certain things that we have to do to show our fruit to others. In other words, people need to see our faith lived out. This week, it was Valentines Day. Andrea very plainly told us that this was a sham. A fake ‘holiday’ created and publicised by retailers and businesses to make money. The truth is that we don’t have to wait for someone to tell us that they love us. Jesus always has, and always will. He loves us so much, He laid down His life for us. That’s an awful lot better than a card and a bunch of flowers.
She called on us to dedicate ourselves to the Lord. The road to true breakthrough depends on us believing in and through Jesus. This is when we will encounter sustainable and lasting change. For this to happen, we need to have a self worth, an identity and a purpose in Him.
Andrea’s first core point was:
“Don’t be a Pharisee”
The Pharisees were ‘super religious’. Their entire basis to be was in how they kept the law perfectly. The problem with this is that they then became judges, looking down on those who didn’t do what they were doing. They were self righteous, and hypocritical, pedalling fake news. They were stirrers, trying to cause descent. This is seen in John 3, where they went to John the Baptist and said that Jesus was baptising more people than him. In response, John simply tells them that his joy is complete. When somebody comes to us with fake news, we need to ask ourselves if Jesus would say this. If it isn’t something we can imagine Jesus saying, then it isn’t of God. The Pharisees were so concerned with their own show, that it stopped being about God.
The truth is that when our service becomes about us, Jesus isn’t in it. ‘Pharisees’ seek to judge us for our lack of perfection, but we don’t need to worry about the outside, because God sees a man’s heart. We shouldn’t spend our time looking at people and thinking that we could do better. It is a fact that all people are a work in progress. Nobody but Jesus is all good. Nobody but Jesus is perfect, the best we can hope for is to pray that we do good and not bad. We need to not project our fears and insecurities on to others, but direct our challenges back to God. We can agree to disagree with people, but should not pick over others’ perceived wrongdoing. We are not there to tear another person down. God is in the process of making us holy, but if we do this, then He can’t help us.
Having said this, we must never let someone see we’re doing wrong, and turn around and tell them that it’s okay, because “I’ve got grace”. There is an imperative on us to behave in a certain way. We should not look for a reward, nor tear each other down. We are called to be as good, if not better at keeping the law than the Pharisees, but unlike them, we need to keep our hearts close to God. It is not our place to judge. This is only for God to do.
The second point is:
“Jesus is en route”
Whatever your breakthrough, remember this: the miracle you ask for is on the way. Looking at verses three and four of the passage of scripture, Jesus travels from Judea to Galilee, but in order to take the quickest route, He must go through Samaria. This is so important because when the Jews were in exile, they joined with the Samarians and became a mixed race. The Jews absolutely scorned the Samarians, so this was a big deal. Jesus could have gone around Samaria, but He didn’t. He won’t go around our issues, He goes through them. He goes through our pain to get to us. He will love us until the end of the ages and won’t let anything stop Him from getting to us. He doesn’t care about cultural issues, or any other barriers. He is there for us, always.
Andrea urged us to not ever think that what is important to us isn’t important to Jesus. Taking an illustration from Joshua, where the Priests were carrying the Ark of the Covenant, and God told them to go across the river Jordan, even though it was flooded. As the Priests were going into the river, they started praying, and then a miracle happened and the river became a trickle. The truth was that God had already started the miracle upstream. If we step out in faith, we will find that He has already made a way for us through any obstacles. The miracle is just upstream. Take, for example, the woman at the well. Jesus was already there, waiting for her. We must take this as a reminder to never lose hope.
Andrea’s third point was:
“Remember to make sure that you turn up”
When the Samaritan woman arrived at the well, Jesus was already there. This was Jacob’s well. This shows that Jesus will meet us at a place of promise; of rebirth; of restoration; of living water. Jesus doesn’t care what we have done culturally, He loves us anyway. The Samaritan woman was full of sin, and yet Jesus still spoke to her, and spent time with her. There is nothing so bad that Jesus’ grace can’t cover it. Physical restrictions mean nothing to Jesus. Whatever our past, guilt or shame, whatever we are chaining up inside, it can’t stop us from meeting Jesus. The beauty of it is that when we let go of these things, we find that He was already there. He won’t hold things against us.
Every one of us needs living water every day. We need to get to the place where we are content in Jesus. We need to stop limiting ourselves and just let it go, and then we can let our heart grow. We mustn’t get bitter about perceived losses, mustn’t let our hearts grow hard, all we need to do is to show up at the well to meet up with Jesus. The Samaritan woman did this and changed her entire village. Just imagine what we can do in our communities if we just show up, meet with Jesus and let His light shine out from our hearts.
Scripture: John 4:1-8
On our first Worship Night, Carys, a worship leader from Life Church UK, spoke on “What is Worship?” Asking the congregation, suggestions of singing, connecting with God, and praising Jesus were given. The literal translation of the word “Worship” is “To honour, to adore, to exalt”. Some people worship sports teams, or musicians, or celebrities, etc – things that are important to them, but for us, the only thing we should be worshipping is Jesus.
John 4:24 tells us that we should worship in spirit and in truth. Carys went on to explain that when our soul connects with God, this is us worshipping in spirit, and when we connect with the word of God, is when we worship Him in truth. We are told that every word in the scriptures is God breathed. David worshipped in the word of God. This is seen in the Psalms, where he writes passages that can only come from that intimate connection with God. Worship can touch the most deep and intimate parts of us; the places that only He can reignite in our heart and soul. It is born of a deep relationship with Him.
Carys told us that worship should be a priority to us, and an essential part of our faith. We should worship because of who He is. Worship should NEVER be about us. If we’re entering worship for what we can get out of it, then we’re doing it wrong. It is ALL about God and bringing glory to Him. The truth is, that when we meet him in that most intimate place, God is so good that He allows us to get something out of it too. When our emotions align with our spirit, there will be times when we cry, smile, laugh, and even get on our knees. We can also find that some songs come to us at times in our life when we need them most. These are the times when they can affect us more, but this is God doing a work in us, as long as we are willing to let Him. We HAVE to remember that worship is not about us, and worship will only be good when we are Jesus centred; fully surrendered, and with our hearts completely open to Him.
Carys spoke about the practice of worship in a church setting, and how when we come in to the service, it can take us a while to get fully connected, and by that time, worship is almost over. She suggested that we should prepare, and come to worship ready and expectant for things to happen so that we have prepared our hearts and are ready to align with the spirit in the very first song. We need to live with anticipation and come to the service with the expectancy that God is going to move.
Another point raised was that of the leader of worship. Sometimes, we wait for the good parts of the song before we really begin to worship; the emotional parts of the song before we let go, but we don’t have to wait. We are our own greatest worship leader. We have to lead ourselves into it. It has to be a conscious decision on our part. No one can do it for us, and in the end, we are the ones who dictate our own level of worship. We seem to wait for these moments, but we just need to look to Him and focus on Him.
We can choose how deep we want to go and how much we want to give to God. We need to decide whether we want to be led by Him. In the end, we have to be the ones to make the decision to put ourselves down and to lift Him up, and we must make this decision whether life is good or bad. There will always be a reason for us not to give in and surrender to worship. Life gives us troubles and things that will get in our way.
We just need to see that true worship is all about how good God is. He sent His Son. He gave us Grace. He is Faithful, and He is Always There; Always Rooting For Us. We ALWAYS have a reason to worship BECAUSE of Him and who He is. We must remember to not look at Jesus through our circumstances. The Bible says that we are engraved on the palms of His hands. He is THAT good! When we think about it like that, how can we not worship Him. We have to worship Him and how amazing He is, because without Him, we are truly lost.
We must understand how to really worship and how we worship. This way, we can find our own place of worship. The truth is that God changes us when we learn to worship, and it is in this place that we can find the fullness of joy.
Carys shared with us some pathways to worship. Firstly, we must practice going into the presence of God daily. We must align our day and remember that we are going to worship Him that day, regardless of what we have going on. We must train ourselves, and our hearts. It doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and we must practice this, but when we do, our mind, heart, soul and spirit becomes aligned. Carys suggested some “easy wins” like listening to worship music while travelling, rather than just putting the radio on. If you can do this, you invite God into your heart and your day, and before you know it, you will feel better.
Let how good God is be your motivation. Come to worship with a willingness to be led. Surrender to Him and let Him lead you. Come with an attitude of gratitude. There is always something to be thankful for, even if it is just our breath.
We are called to bring a sacrifice of worship. We are called to cast our burdens on Him; to take everything and give it to Him. The truth is that you can’t worry and worship at the same time. When you truly worship, you forget your problems. They all fizzle out in His presence, because it is in His presence that we can find the fullness of joy. In worship, our baggage just ceases to be.
Going back to David, when he is writing in Psalms, he goes from one extreme to the other because he gets into the presence of God. He gets into a situation of extreme worship, which is something that we really need. We must surrender our lives. If we let our lives be worship, then we are constantly exalting God in everything we do, and we are allowing God to shape us, and then we will truly see how much joy is to be found in the presence of God.
Scripture: John 4:24
Beginning his third and final part in the series, “Light Up The World”, based on our memory verse of the year, 2Corinthians 4:6, Pastor Phyl speaks on the light of the world, which is us. Beginning his sermon, he refers us to a book by Mark Sanborn, titled, “The Fred Factor”. In this book, Mark Sanborn talks about his postal carrier, and the way in which this ordinary looking man, went on to do simple things to help. His attitude to customer service stretched far beyond the normal boundaries. Mark Sanborn encourages us, in his book, to be more like Fred. Pastor Phyl challenges this in his sermon and encouraged us to be a little more like Jesus.
Speaking from his text for today, taken from Matthew 5:14-16,
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Pastor Phyl used the illustration of the lamp under a bowl to show us that we need to use our gifts for the purpose of glorifying God. He gives us a light, and it is our duty as followers of Christ, to shine that light out into the world.
In the nineties, the slogan “What Would Jesus Do” became popular. The truth is that now, we don’t need to think this, but instead, should prompt ourselves to BLJ (Be Like Jesus). We don’t need to wonder what He would do, because He lives in our hearts. We do not need to live a life of strict “Religion”, we simply need to be like Him, “doing good” and helping people just as we are told Jesus did in Acts 10:34-48.
Lighting the lamp, Pastor Phyl spoke of how ridiculous it would be to then put a bowl over it, blotting out almost all of the light. The truth is that God wants us to be in relationship with Him, and we will then have no choice but to let our light shine. Pastor Phyl used text from James 2:14-26, to show us how we may do this. The truth is that we can let our light shine in such seemingly small insignificant things. The only thing we need really do is love on people, and if we do this, then our light will have no choice but to shine out.
We must accept everyone. We are all part of a family tree of believers and letting our light shine in the same way Jesus did, simply involves going around, doing good, just as Jesus did in Acts. We should “be a nice human”, treating others as we would wish to be treated ourselves.
One way in which we can let our light shine is to live a good life. We must live out the Ten Commandments, and the fruits of the spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
We are called to use our gifts to serve. God has given us all individual gifts for a purpose, and it is up to us to use them for the furthering of His Kingdom. We must “BE SALT AND LIGHT”. When you are in a position to do good, do it! Do not withhold your light from others, because when you do, you withhold your light from God, too.
Never underestimate the power that’s in the light. The light is powered by God, and if you let your light shine, then God will do amazing things.
Bibliography: “The Fred Factor” Mark Sanborn
Scriptures: 2Corinthians 4:6, Matthew 5:14-16, Acts 10:34-48, Philippians 2:5, James 2:14-26, Galatians 5:19-26, Proverbs 3:27-28, James 4:17.
Speaking from Isaiah 46, our guest speaker, Sammy Davies, from Ammanford Evangelical Church discussed God’s sovereignty. It is interesting that sovereignty is not mentioned directly in this passage at all, and yet, this is exactly what we are taught about. This chapter from Isaiah works by showing us God’s sovereignty, rather than by telling us that He is sovereign. Bel and Nebo are used as examples in this segment of scripture, of things that we put in our lives instead of God; of things we put our trust in (positions, power, authority), when we should be trusting in God. There are so many things that we put in God’s place. We can say positive things about Him, but it is only when we put Him against the backdrop of what He has done that we can see how truly amazing He is.
Isaiah 46 uses Bel and Nebo to show us the contrast between them and God, effectively saying that everything they are, God is not, and vice versa. They are statues, and therefore, are a literal burden. They are images that have to be carried around from place to place. God is living, and is incomparable to these. Idols are not rescuers, they weigh us down and add to our problems. God, however, does everything that the people were expected to do for these idols, and He does it for us. Bel and Nebo need care and maintenance that God never needs. They can’t move or answer, or save them from their troubles, and they only exist because someone else has made them, whereas there is only one God, and there is NO ONE like Him.
God makes known the end from the beginning. He works very much on a “What I say goes” principle. He is sovereign and needs no advice. He doesn’t work off a committee or a vote, and He seeks no feedback. He keeps His own counsel and is free to make His own decisions. Everything is up to God. Nothing is up to Bel and Nebo. Everything is up to God. He has the power to achieve. He has the power to decide things. Bel and Nebo have neither the strength, nor the power to carry things out, but God does.
Sammy went on to say that ideas are all well and good, but without people to carry them out, they are useless, however, God doesn’t need someone else to do what he has decided. He doesn’t need to go elsewhere, but He delights in His helpers. It pleases Him to use other people to achieve His ends. He invites help even if it slows the process.
Sometimes, we have trials in life, and it is at these times that we can find ourselves questioning God. Why does He let bad things happen? Maybe God isn’t as loving as he claims to be. The truth is that we must remain consistent and calm. There is good news – God is going to rescue us. His righteousness will be brought near to us. Salvation is the proof of God saying “What I Say Goes”. God has already decided our paths, and no matter what we say or do, the Father, Son and Spirit stay the same. People may try to derail God’s plans, but He won’t let it happen.
Jesus decided to rescue us. He was tempted, but He said “No”. He had already decided what He was going to do and nothing could stop Him from carrying out the Father’s plan. He laid down His life, and He took it up again. He is the same God from Isaiah 46. God says “What I say goes” and He wants to rescue us. Even though we are stubborn and rebellious, He rescued us: His enemies, and redeemed us to Himself.
So, in closing, are you willing to put aside your own idols, remember the phrase “What I say goes”, and put God at the center of your lives?
Scripture: Isaiah 46
In her first sermon of the year, Eirwen spoke on 1Peter 1:1-6. She brought to us, three things that God asks us to say “Yes” to. Firstly, to the call, secondly, to holiness, and thirdly, to obedience. She states that these three things are involved in the process of salvation. They are not separate from each other, and if we are to come closer to God, then we must say yes to all three. The only thing that we are called to say no to, is the enemy.
The “Yes” of the call of God for us is not a specific thing, but a general call for humanity. He is not calling us directly, but it is for those who hear Him to say yes, as illustrated in Isaiah, where he says “Here I am, send me”. Isaiah heard the call of God and was obedient to Him. The truth is that God is in control of this. You cannot come unless the Holy Spirit calls you, and if you’re being stirred, then the call of God is upon you to come in to the gospel. In this, you will become changed so that you can more resemble Jesus. We are called; born again. We now have God Himself within us in the form of the Holy Spirit. Grace calls and chooses us, and as such, we must, in turn, be prepared and willing to do what God asks of us.
The “Yes” of holiness is often misunderstood. Holiness is an old fashioned word, often thought of with negative connotations. The phrase ‘Holier than thou’ often comes to mind, but this is not what God means when He talks about us being holy. He means that we should get to a point where we come to resemble Christ more. It is about the common being made holy.
Rick Warren states that “God doesn’t want you to become a God. He wants you to become Godly, taking on His attributes, values and attitudes” This is where the Holy Spirit begins working in us and where we begin to more resemble Christ. In this place, we find that we are more concerned about pleasing Him than pleasing ourselves of other people. We must follow the Spirit, and we can see that Grace changes us.
Here Eirwen referred us to several verses which illustrate this, talking specifically about Philippians 1:6, and Philippians 2:13. God is able, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, in one act, to make us perfect; to make us holy. This is shown in Hebrews 10:14. God gives us the desire to do His will. He is in us, leading us and it is down to us to follow Him. We should be aware enough to not do what we know we shouldn’t do. We are to be led by the spirit, and not what we want to do.
The “Yes” of obedience, is the outcome of love. It follows the idea that if you love Jesus, you will do what He says (Hebrews 5:9).
Eirwen went on to say that theory is ok, but it becomes even more relevant when we can link it to a person. Turning to Esther 2:7, she says that it is a phenomenal story. It is interesting that God is not actually mentioned at all, but He is implicit in it. In the story, Esther must undergo twelve months of preparation before she is allowed to meet the King.
Eirwen encouraged us to think of holiness as these twelve months of preparations. We must all go through some beautifying in the process of being made holy. Here we are to follow what God wants. We can think of Hegai as the Holy Spirit, and we are the brides of Christ. We should be excited about our holiness and not think of it like a drudge; we are to consider it as something that we want, and not be negative about it.
In closing, Eirwen says that in Him, we are perfect, but we are not quite perfect enough, and so we must go through our own beautification process and be obedient to God, dying to self, which takes courage. We have been chosen. We have free access to God, but if we want to keep this, then we must listen to Him. Esther had authority with the King, because she was holy and obedient. This is what we are called to do. Then, the line that was broken may be renewed, “In His name”. Jesus was obedient, and we must be too. We must forget the ranger and become who we were always meant to be.
So, in closing, when you feel the three calls of God on your life, will you say “Yes” to Him?
Scriptures List: 1Peter 1:1-6, Romans 8:28, John 6:44, John 15:16, 1Peter 2:9, Ephesians 1:3-4, Philippians 1:6, Philippians 2:13, Romans 8:5-10, Hebrews 10:4, Romans 8:14-18, Esther 2:7, Esther 2:12
In his first message of the series, Pastor Phyl spoke on the Light of the Universe, which is God, a natural light, which is both physical, and expected.
Today, he draws our attention to the invention of the personal flotation device, which has undergone many transformations to become the life jacket we know today. It is originally credited to one Captain Ward, an inspector with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, who created a cork vest which provided both weather protection and buoyancy. However, in 1900, Gustave Trouve patented a life jacket, powered by a small maritime battery, which allowed the device to inflate, to receive and transmit messages and to launch a distress flare. It is this battery that also gave it the ability to power a light, which could shine out in the darkness, much like the light in our memory verse from 2Corinthians 4:6.
In the second part of his series, Pastor Phyl speaks of a second type of light: The Light of Humanity, which is Christ Jesus. Looking at Psalm 27:1, he shows how all through the scriptures, there is the theme of Jesus being the carrier of light to the world.
Isaiah prophecies about a great light dawning in the land of deep darkness, and we see this prophecy fulfilled in Matthew 4 when Jesus hears about John the Baptist being arrested. This is the same man who is spoken of in the Gospel of John. John the Baptist was clear when he said that he was not the light, but came so that he may testify to that light.
Jesus is the source of spiritual light to the world. Without Jesus, salvation would not be achievable, and the New Covenant would not have been ushered in. The Old Covenant, which was only between God and the people of Israel would still be in place. Jesus, in bringing in the New Covenant, opened the curtain to us, and allowed us, too, to enter the holy of holies.
This is shown in Psalm 27:1, where the light of salvation; the light of the New Promise is revealed to us. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit dwelt on men, but in the New Testament, under the New Promise of Jesus, the Spirit dwells in men.
Jesus gives us the power to stand, to witness, and to quicken our mortal bodies. He gives us the light of forgiveness and atonement. In 1John 1:5, it is made clear that in coming to Christ, we must have a repentant heart, and acknowledge what we’ve done wrong, and then we may ask for forgiveness.
Finally, Jesus brings us the light of reconciliation. Pastor Phyl illustrated this with the use of the word “Atonement”. Separating out the word, it gives a literal meaning for God’s will for us. “At One Ment” – We are meant to be at one with God, but because of Sin, this is not possible. Jesus came so that these two (Us and God) could be brought together once more.
In closing, Pastor Phyl returned to the life jacket analogy, asking us if we are using our life jacket. When we are trapped in the darkness, he reminds us that Jesus is bigger than anything we may feel like we’re drowning in, whether it is financial circumstances, disaster, illness or bereavement, or even a work situation. Things can seem incredibly hopeless when you are in the darkness, but Jesus came to shine a light in our lives. He wants us to walk in the light.
So, are you using the light on your life jacket?
Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 4:6, Psalm 27:1, Isaiah 9:2, Matthew 4:12, John 1:6-14, 1 John 1:5-10, John 1:9-12
Referring once again to our verse of the year, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Andrea spoke on how God wants us to move on from 2017, leaving it behind us, and moving forward into 2018. He doesn't want us looking back and dwelling, He wants us focusing. In order to do this, we need to focus and drill down into the word of God so that we are processing it in a healthy way. She spoke of truth, and the importance of knowing the difference between relative truth, and absolute truth. Jesus Christ is an absolute truth. When everything else is uncertain, one thing remains: Jesus.
Andrea then went on to talk about how transformation happens from the inside out. What we see on the outside is a reflection of our insides. We are called to become more and more Christlike. We are called by God to someone before we are called to something, and our dream should never be bigger than your God. What He desires for us should become our dreams. He brings things about for His glory; we no longer matter, because it's all about Him.
We must remember that God loves us, and not to relegate Him to the periphery. God wants totality. He wants us to put Him at the center of our lives, and not just be a Christian on a Sunday morning, when we go to Church. He wants us to place him at the center of our relationships, speech, thoughts, and all aspects of our life and our world.
Reading from Micah 6:8, Andrea raised three points for us to apply to our lives. We must seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.
Sin will be judged and punished, but God loves us and wants us to return to Him. By Jesus' glorious resurrection, we can be with God. We can be empowered by the living God, but we must keep our hearts open, and keep certain moral duties. We don't get to decide what pleases God's heart. We need to guard our hearts, and not judge each other. God is the only one who is allowed to judge us. He will deal with us, and anything we do that isn't pleasing to Him, but it is not our job to do this. We have moral duties that must be kept to please God. The reward, however, doesn't come just after keeping them. The blessing comes much later, but the real blessing is actually in keeping His commandments. David got true joy from walking with his God. He loved keeping His law.
Andrea encouraged us to dive into the word, and to read and read and read until it soaks into our very consciousness. She reminded us that it is through this that God locks away scriptures in our brain, which He can then point us to in times of need.
She spoke of three acts:
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Act Justly, which means keeping our mouths shut, often when every part of our being is telling us to speak up. Our human brain wants justice when we are wronges, but we have the mind of Christ, and must act as such. In Romans the word tells us that we will never make ourselves look good if we are making somebody else look bad.
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Love Mercy. We have endless, overflowing mercy from God. He tells us that we must do things His way. Mercy is withholding punishment because you choose to, even though it would be so easy for you to punish. There are no factions in the Church of Jesus. When we withhold mercy, we are withholding God Himself. What God says in the Bible stands the test of time. A love of mercy is absolutely key. In the world, we have this concept of karma, but this is not a Christlike concept. We mustn't take delight when we see people down in the dirt. We must be the ones to pick them up. We are the hands and feet of the Most High God, and God shows His love through us.
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Walk Humbly. God becomes more as we become less. When we make everybody else less, we make Jesus less. Serving God can be comprised of the simplest things. We must serve like Jesus did. We must love on others. It really is that simple. We must give, even if we get no thanks. We should not expect any thanks. The truth is that if people are talking about us and don't like us, we are actually probably doing things right, even if we never get to see the benefits ourselves, and, we should remember that if Jesus isn't in it, then we shouldn't want it.
In closing, we are encouraged to question what it is that God requires of us.
Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 4:6, Micah 6:8, Romans 12:9-19, Galatians 6:12-16, Philippians 2:5-11
This week, in his first sermon of the year, Pastor Phyl began his series "Light up the world". He started by talking about the different elements that we have, and discussed a personal fascination with the element of 'light', and the principle of 'light years' as a unit of measurement, often used in astronomy. It is used to try and give us an idea of distance for things that are incredibly far away; things that are so unsearchable that the only way we have to quantify them is to take the largest unit of measurement on earth and the fastest thing on earth and join them together.
Without light, we wouldn't have half of the things we have now, and we can thank God for light, because in Genesis 1:1, God spoke light into being. He then introduced us to ABC's "Verse for the year", taken from 2 Corinthians 4:6
" For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (KJV)
In this scripture, light is mentioned three times:
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The light of the universe (God, which is a natural light)
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The light of humanity (Christ, which is a spiritual light)
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The light of the world (Us, which is a reflected light)
Jesus' light is in us. There are three dynamics that light has for us. Firstly, light allows us to see. In darkness, we stumble and fall, but in the light, we can see where we are going. 1 John 1:5 tells us that God can give us light for seeing. This is fundementally important to us. Secondly, light is good for observing. There is a difference between seeing and observing, just as there is in hearing and listening. God wants us to observe this year. Light reflects off us, into others' eyes. The power of seeing comes from the intake of information we have observed. There is a saying that there are none so blind as those who cannot see.
This year, we must ask God what he's trying to teach us.
What will be your observations this year?
In Genesis 4, it is said that there is light for seeing, for observing, and for seasons. This year, there will be light for seasons of your life. You will have trouble in the world, we know this because it is said in John 16:33. Our challenge is to observe and understand that God is in this. All of us have to look for God in the seasons of our lives, through the good times and the bad, through the wonderful and the terrible experiences. We must remember that "This, too, shall pass".
This year, we must put our hand in God's. We must trust Him with all we have.
In closing, Pastor Phyl encouraced us to commit this verse to memory, and to hold it in our hearts for the coming year.
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ"
2 Corinthians 4:6 (KJV)
Today, Pastor Phyl spoke a word entitled "Breakthrough". On the cusp on the new year, he discussed how nothing physically happens as the calendar turns over to a new year, but psychologically, we see it as a chance to move on.
Some people need breakthroughs in the areas of health, finance, or family. He discussed how breakthrough is available through Christ. We are all children of the light, and if we step into the light, we can receive a breakthrough through Him.
Pastor Phyl referred to Mark 5:21-43 speaks of Jairus, a Jewish leader, and of a woman suffering with a bleeding condition. Both of these people are seeking breakthrough. Jairus needed a breakthrough in a family situation, but as a Jewish leader, he had a lot of barriers to overcome, in order to come to Jesus and achieve his breakthrough. He had to set aside all that he knew, and humble himself in order to ask for help. He had to bury all of the things that he "should" know, and come to Jesus, completely openly.
The woman with the bleeding condition had been suffering for twelve years. She had spent all that she had on doctors, but instead of getting better, she simply felt worse. She, too, had to get to a point of utter desperation before she could humble herself and come to Jesus in faith. This desperation gave her the courage to push through the crowd.
Sometimes, we don't have the courage to push through the crowd. The fear, and "what if's" make us hesitate. We might think "What if He does it for everyone else, but not for me?" The woman with the issue of blood had absolute faith. She came to the realisation that she couldn't do it by herself and pushed through the crowd to seek Jesus.
Are there barriers in your life, which you need to break through? God is there for you, and all you need do is ask. There is nothing to lose by asking, but if you don't ask, you won't get.
At the end of his message, Pastor Phyl encourages us to turn to God, and ask him to help us with any issues that we need to break through. What is your breakthrough need? Ask God into the situation now, that He will be with you in the coming year and help you to push through the crowd and to come to Jesus for your own personal breakthrough, whatever that may be.
Scriptures: - Mark 5:21-43, Mark 10: 17-23
Continuing his series on one of his favourite Christmas Carols, "Tidings Of Comfort And Joy", Pastor Phyl spoke on the joy that can be found in Christ Jesus. In his message, he talks about happiness, versus joy, defining the former as an artificial high, and the latter as a deeply rooted emotion that we can see in the Bible.
Love in the Bible is meaningful and always does the right thing. It is the joy of the Lord that is our strength. It brings us a deep, grounding joy, which helps us to be strong.
Pastor Phyl spoke of the Bible as our manual for life, and specified three keys to happiness that can be found in the Bible: Belonging, Believing, and Becoming (all that God has planned for us to be).
God is our comfort and joy, and we will never be lonely with Him. In Jesus, we can find our belonging. Jesus doesn't care about our background. He just loves us.
In closing, Pastor Phyl reminds us that the comfort and joy of Christ's love will always be there for us.
Scriptures: Matthew 1:21, Luke 1:31
Today, Pastor Phyl began his series on one of his favourite Christmas carols, "Tidings Of Comfort And Joy". Comfort is such an important thing. It is something that we strive for.
Pastor Phyl discussed the three 'C's' of Christmas:
Christmas can be our comfort. It brings us the comfort of certainty, as it is always on the same date. It gives us something to look forward to, and at Christmas, we are reminded of the idea that every little thing is going to be alright.
Christmas also brings us the comfort of community. Traditions allow us to get together, and we can use this time of year for developing better community with people, whether it is family, friends, or neighbours.
The most important comfort of all, is the Christ of Christmas. He is the center of the center of the center. He came do save us from ourselves, and He's alive right now, all we have to do is look to Him.
Will you look to the comfort of Christ this Christmas?
Scriptures: Matthew 1:21, Luke 1:31
In our Mother's Day service, Eirwen looks at the subject of motherhood and uses various mothers in scripture as illustrations of different types of mothers.
Our guest speaker, Andre Lesur brings an incredibly relevant message in this sermon, where he sets out four principles that we should devote ourselves to, if we are to truly 'Pick up our spoon' and follow Jesus.
In this sermon, Ian talks about three different types of security and shows us how we can hope to achieve this as we hope more in God.
Our guest speaker this week, Jonathan Thomas brings a powerful message from Joshua 24:25, in which he encourages us to choose this day to follow God, and to choose Him because He first chose us.
In his first sermon of 2016, Pastor Phyl introduces us to ABC's verse for this year, From Philippians 4:19, he speaks about our needs versus our wants and encourages us to look to God in these things, for "He will supply all our needs, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus"
Using John 14 as his foundation, Ian teaches with great insight on the subject of guilt and the important role forgiveness and reconciliation plays in bringing closure.
Continuing our series from Romans 12 where Paul clearly marks out steps for discovering God’s will for our lives, Pastor Phyl looks at the steps of “Surrender and Saying No” and how they can transform the way we think.
God wants us to have a great life, not just a good life. He has placed us in a race, to win a great prize. Michael uses Corinthians 9:23-25 to illustrate how we need to take responsibility for our own actions if we are to be truly happy, and urges us to not rely on or blame others, when we fail.
God takes simple faith and simple things and does miraculous things with them. In his message, Pastor Phyl uses the story of Jesus feeding the 5000, to illustrate how God will often use a dumb idea to do great things. We need to try and be like the little boy who gave over the bread and fish to Jesus, in the belief that He will do something amazing, because God can do anything, if only we trust in Him.
God wants us to be financially free. In this message, Ian uses the parable of the master who gives talents to his workers (Matthew 25), and talks about how our faith should confer freedom upon us and that we need to use our talents to gain financial freedom.
In his message, Pastor Phyl uses Romans 12 to explain the meaning of life and helps us to understand God's purpose for our lives.
In her sermon, Andrea speaks on Numbers 6, and uses these scriptures to illustrate the awesomeness of our reciprocal relationship with God and how, through this, we can pay it forward and bless others.