gracecasts: Recent Episodes
Grace Fellowship Church
Sermons and talks from Grace Fellowship Church in County Down, Northern Ireland. Find out more at grace-fellowship.co.uk
This week Paul will be introducing our summer series, ‘Stories & Psalms’, by reminding us that David helps us see the full reality of despair and hope, painful questions and life-giving worship through these incredible poems.
This week Ali finishes our series on the life of Peter. We will be looking at how Jesus reinstates a defeated and broken Peter, to his divine calling.
This week Doug will be continuing our series on the life of Peter by looking at the disciple’s last night with Jesus on the Mount of Olives.
This week Josh will be looking into the short, yet powerful teaching moment between Jesus and Peter on forgiveness. We’ll see how Peter’s misinformed preconceptions on this core element of discipleship-living are gently, yet powerfully transformed as Christ unpacks the depths of God’s grace.
This week Ali looks at the remarkable example of love and service that Jesus gave His disciples at their last meal together. We will see that, like always, Peter had something to say about it.
This week is Pentecost Sunday, when we remember and celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit for the Church (Acts 2) … but they had to wait for it.
This week Cathy Truesdale explores the story of Peter walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-33).
We all will have times of trouble when we seem surrounded by stormy seas. What can we learn from how Peter acted when he was afraid?
This week Paul looks at Jesus’ powerful conversation with the disciples in Matthew 16 and asks three questions:
Who is Jesus?
Who is Peter?
Who are you?
This week Ali continues our series on Peter. We explore a stand-out moment in Peter’s life, when he declares his loyalty with a profound truth of what it means to be a Christian. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know thatyou are the Holy One of God.”
This week Lorna continues our series on Peter by exploring the story of Jesus helping the disciples to feed the huge crowd with nowhere near enough food. How is God calling us to feed those around us, even when we don't feel we have the resources needed?
This week Paul kicks off our new series on the life ofPeter, exploring the very relatable highs and lows of this faithful, yet faulty, follower of Jesus.
This week Paul looks at Jesus’ strong encouragement and warning to His followers in His last few days before the cross: Be Ready!
This week Phil Emerson from Emmanuel Lurgan shares with us what God had put on his heart forGrace Fellowship - “Understanding the heart of the Father”.
Ali helps us explore what Jesus meant when He talked about the narrow road that leads to life.
This week Paul will be exploring Jesus’ famous, and often ignored or misunderstood, teaching on specks and planks. This is gold.
This week Ali explores Jesus’ teaching on the battle between God’s rule and our material security.
This week Lorna Dunn will be exploring Jesus' call to resist the empty praise and admiration of the world and to truly honour and seek God, with our whole lives, when no one else is looking - Secret Righteousness.
This week Paul continues our Manifesto series looking at the very challenging words of Jesus that call us into a new type of righteousness from the inside out.
We welcomeAaron Molesky from Journey church who challenges us, as followers of Jesus, to go deeper in our relationship with God and to cultivate knowing Him more than anything else in this life.
This week Ali will be exploring the Beatitudes, where the real faith that Jesus wants for us stands in contrast to the superficial “faith” of the Pharisees.
This week Paul kicks off our new series, ‘The Manifesto’, introducing us to the speech and the life that changed the course of History
This week Paul will be continuing our Advent journey by lookingat the story of Mary and her faith-filled ‘yes’ to God’s call on her life. What is the ‘yes’ God is inviting you into?
This week is the first Sunday of Advent and we will be exploringwhat it means to live with hope, through remembering Christ’s coming and anticipating His return.
Paul will be exploring the story of David and Jonathan and asking us the question: What does it look like to live a life where I put ‘you before me’?
Ali looks at the story of Sarah and explores what it means to have faith in the midst of disappointment and uncertainty
Paul continues our ANCIENT & EVERYDAY series exploring the story of Cain and Abel and asking the question, what are you prioritising in your life?
This week Ali will be closing our JESUS OVER EVERYTHING series as we consider what it looks like to allow the peace of Christ to rule in our hearts and the Word of Christ to have free reign in our lives.
This week we will start to explore Paul’s final imperative to the Colossians that calls us into lives of cost, discomfort, inefficiency … and beautiful life-giving connection.
Ali will be helping us to explore the first half of Colossians 3 where we see that living with a heavenly perspective means putting to death old ways
Karen continuing our JESUS OVER EVERYTHING series in Colossians as we explore Ch2 v6&7. We will be reminding ourselves of the fundamental importance of time in God's presence.
This week Paul continues our JESUS OVER EVERYTHING series, and we dive back in for ‘It’s not about you – part 2’
Paul will be looking at how everything is from Jesus, for Jesus and about Jesus… and how that’s a really good thing!
This week Paul will be helping us reflect on the wonder of a holy and awesome God who is also gracious and compassionate in our lives. We will also be celebrating communion together.
This week Paul will be exploring the reality that our greatest calling, and the place where we find new and abundant life, is in Pursuing the Glory of God.
Ali explores the second last part of the story of Nehemiah and shows us how taking stock of God’s faithfulness and goodness caused the people to take action and re-orientate their lives and priorities.
Josh helps us look at Nehemiah 8 and REVIVAL! The wall had been finished, but God was not finished with Nehemiah or the people of Israel yet.
Ali continues our series in Nehemiah by exploring the strategies of the enemy outlined in Chapter 6. We see that when Nehemiah stood his ground against distraction, deception and fear, the enemy fled
Karen continues our REPENT - REBUILD - REVIVE series by exploring themes of restoration and justice in Nehemiah – ‘Who has your back?’ We are reminded that the needs of man will always be with us, so the priority is to hear the heart of Jesus and follow Him into our world.
Paul looks at conflict and opposition in the story of Nehemiah and shows us how Nehemiah responded to opposition by PRAYING, REMINDING and PERSERVERING.
Ali helps us explore the first part of Nehemiah chapter 2. We see that God is in the ‘reconstruction business’. He used Nehemiah after a period of patient prayer that ultimately involved a courageous, but necessary ‘jump off the mountain’ moment.
Paul kicks off our new series – REPENT, REBUILD, REVIVE – exploring the call of God on Nehemiah in the Middle East in the 5th century BC and asking what it means for us in Ireland in the 21st century.
Dave Brown interviews Brian Steenson in the last of our summer HEROES interviews. Brian shares with us about the challenges and joys of his faith journey in a powerful and authentic conversation.
Karen interviews Hannah Williams. She tells us about the joy she has found, holding on to the love and hope of Jesus through life’s highs and lows.
Josh interviews Reuben Smyth and we hear about the incredible role of The Edge youth centre in Reuben’s life and faith. It is amazing to see how God kept speaking to Reuben through people and circumstances until Jesus finally became undeniable to him.
Paul brings our Walk This Way series to a close. He reminds us that worship is simply the natural overflow of enjoyment and awe and that we can only walk when we know where we sit. God is calling us into new and transformed lives, but we can only walk in response to His love and only by the power of His Spirit in us!
Karen tackles the final section of the letter to the Ephesians. She reminds us that EVERYTHING IS SPIRITUAL and that we are constantly in a battle for hearts, minds and lives that needs God’s armour and the Sword of His Spirit. WALK THIS WAY … this is how we fight our battles!
Paul continues our WALK THIS WAY journey, entering the final chapter of Ephesians. We see that Jesus is calling us into abundant lives that are marked by SUBMISSION and SACRIFICE.
Josh continues our WALK THIS WAY series in Ephesians 4 and reminds us that, because of what God has given us through Jesus, our life in Jesus is about overflow not protocol.
We celebrate Resurrection Sunday, exploring the impact the events had on the people involved 2000 years ago and reflecting on our response today. The resurrection message is a reminder of the victory that Jesus achieved for all who accept Him, regardless of our past.
Alain Emerson, from Emmanuel Church and Tobar, joins us to continue our journey through Ephesians as we look at a few key leadership gifts that help the whole church find our place and walk in God’s story. We are called to be a family on mission not a people who build monuments.
Ali continues our journey through Ephesians. In chapter 4 we shift gears from what we have been freely given in Christ to how we are called to live out our faith and hope in Him. We have to know where we sit before we walk. WALK THIS WAY … unity in diversity.
Paul helps us continue our journey through Ephesians as we celebrate communion together
Paul explores Ephesians chapter 2 where we see that the human condition has only two states, DEAD or ALIVE. We are reminded that we are saved by GRACE ALONE and that as a follower of Jesus we are simply called to be ‘one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread’.
Ali kicks off our new series ‘WALK THIS WAY’, beginning our journey through the fully-loaded book of Ephesians. He helps us dive into chapter 1 and see Paul’s amazing outburst of praise that reminds us that, in Jesus, we are CHOSEN, PURCHASED and SEALED by God for His glory!
Paul follows up on Jesus’ final teaching to His disciples: ‘REMAIN IN ME’. We take a practical look at the realities and obstacles that hinder us from making quality time with God and are challenged to take the 40 day Lent period to Pause, Reflect, AskandYield.
Paul helps us explore the final ‘I AM’ statement of Jesus: “I am the vine…”, which is one of the last things Jesus passed on to His disciples before His arrest and crucifixion. We learn that as followers of Jesus we need to expect PRUNING, that our call is to REMAIN in Him, while God’s job is the fruit and, most importantly, that God’s posture toward us is LOVE!
Doug explores some biblical principles about how God is calling us to use our money for His Glory. We see that giving should be a natural part of our Christian walk and should come from a heart of appreciation. Jesus soberingly taught that, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.
Ali looks at the remedy for a troubled heart through the counsel of Jesus in John 14. We see that Jesus commanded His disciples to trust in Him, reminding them that He is the way and the truth and the life.
Paul helps us explore the reality of Jesus being “the resurrection and the life”. We see that having this eternal perspective can give us greater purpose in life and help us see God’s glory even through tragedy.
Ali helped us reflect on the past year and to look ahead to 2022 with growing expectation for knowing Jesus and making Him known.
Paul helps us see how God used two of the key characters in the Christmas story despite their apparent unsuitability for their role.
Paul helps us relook at that incredible, but maybe too familiar, picture of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Does it still amaze you that the God who created the universe and knows you to the core, laid down His life for you? Do you know him?
Charlie reminds us that Jesus wept, and pointed us to a God who is compassionate and who values connection and relationship.
Ali helps us consider what Jesus implied when He declared “I am the door” in John 10:7-10
Gillian leads us in considering how Jesus responded to a woman caught in adultery. We saw that she experienced grace “in a lightbulb moment”, which gave her freedom to choose to leave her old life behind and follow Jesus. Jesus then declared that all who follow Him will never walk in darkness because He is the light of the world.
Rachel Scivoli shares with us the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 and her amazement that Jesus will use our seemingly tiny gifts and talents for great things when we offer them to him.
Paul explores the first of Jesus’ powerful and controversial ‘I am’ statements: ‘I am the bread of life’. We are challenged that Jesus didn’t just come to give us bread but to be bread, and that He came to offer us eternal life and to direct our thoughts and hearts toward eternity.
Karen helps us look at the Kindness of Jesus. We are reminded that we serve a God of extravagant kindness who offers us the opportunity to share our lives with Him both now and for eternity.
Josh helps us look at the call and the cost of discipleship with Jesus. He explores the challenging statement that the first disciples “left everything and followed him.” Jesus didn’t simply ask us to believe in Him or like His ideas … but to follow Him. What is Jesus calling you to cast aside so that you can follow Him, more fully, into abundant life?
Paul kicks off our theme for this new season – Jesus. In a world that has been saturated with the Christian message for centuries, have we simultaneously become too familiar with Jesus and lost sight of who He really is? Jesus came full of GRACE and TRUTH and He is calling us into both.
Paul helps us take another look at Joshua 3 and the story of God’s people at the River Jordan to start our journey of consecration. Our desire, as a church family, is to take some time to surrender our lives to God so that we can be ready for the Lord to do amazing things among us.
Ali helps us consider the example and teaching that Jesus provided when washing the feet of His disciples the night before His crucifixion. Perhaps most challenging of all, Jesus commands us to love one another in the same way. In doing so, He declared that this act of love for one another would be the way that followers of Jesus would demonstrate their authenticity.
Ellen Brown interviews Hannah Cunningham about how they are seeing God continue to move in all the disruption COVID is creating in Canadian camping ministries. Hannah also shares a personal encouragement from the story of the burning bush in Exodus 3. God didn’t use the bush because it was extraordinary - it was just a bush! - but He chose to use that bush to start a revolution that would save His people. If He used a bush, how could we doubt that God would use you and me?
Karen interviews Fiona Coles about her life and experience of God’s encouragement and faithfulness, especially when His plans are very different to our plans. The big question we are left with is: When God calls you, will you say, “I will”?
Malcolm interviews Donald Patterson as we continue our ‘Remember when…’ series. Donald shares from his experience of God’s goodness and faithfulness through many difficult times.
Josh interviews Sam Harpur as we continue our ‘Remember when…’ series, hearing stories of people from our Grace family and remembering their experience of God’s reality/power/love/truth/faithfulness. Sam shares about his experience of growth in faith in recent times as he has wrestled with seeking God’s guidance through life’s ups and downs.
Paul explores the challenge from Galatians 4 that can be summed up in 6 words: It’s a lie … Jesus is better!
What are the lies we fall for that prevent us from LIVING FREE in the grace and truth of Jesus?
Ali continues our LIVEFREE series by exploring the importance of understanding, and fully realising our identity as children of God.
We celebrate Pentecost Sunday as Paul leads our thoughts around celebrating the vital importance of the day that God filled His people!
Karen Hewitt challenges us with the question: “What do we value?” She explores what it means for each of us to be partnering with God with our resources, so that we may see His Kingdom released in Grace, in our community and in our world.
Paul continues our LIVE FREE series in Galatians by exploring two common pitfalls that can rob us of our true freedom in Christ and we discover that we only truly LIVE FREE by laying everything before Jesus.
Ali launches our new series in Galatians called LIVE FREE. We are reminded that we have been rescued to live in freedom. Understanding the powerful gospel message of Grace provides, both the key to release from the chains of religion, and the strength to avoid the swamp of sin. Amazing Grace…
Jesus + Nothing = everything.
Paul takes a second look at Joshua 3 and left us with this question: What is God calling you into TODAY that will open the way to a NEW NORMAL in and through your life?
Paul explores the resurrection from the perspective of Peter. Peter went from impulsive and fiery, to total failure and then to fully sold-out Jesus follower… BUT the Easter story is not about Peter, it is about Jesus, and His resurrection changed everything!
Ali takes us through the events on the journey Jesus took from Bethany to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. We learn that riding on a Colt into the city pointed to Jesus as Prince of Peace and we see that peace with God is about looking to Him as Lord of my Life rather than saviour from my circumstances.
Paul explores Joshua 3 and the story of the Israelites preparing to go a new way they had never been before. God told them to stop and consecrate themselves because He was about to do amazing things among them. Today we are on the cusp of a new season coming out of lockdown and God is still calling us to consecrate ourselves so that He can lead us into a NEW NORMAL.
Ellen Brown interviews Nico and Rachel Scivoli in Brazil. We hear about the challenges of living and serving God in the community in Belo Horizonte during the pandemic. They also share about what they believe God is teaching them about leadership and character formation.
Ali concludes our WE BELIEVE series by asking the vital question, SO WHAT? He helps us consider the implications of what we believe on the way we engage with our world. He also gives us the acrostic, ASPIRE, to help us understand our calling, our equipping and our expectations when reaching out.
After 6 weeks of exploring what WE BELIEVE, we ask the natural next question: SO WHAT?
Gail Johnston interviews Averil McComb as she shares some of her story of the reality and power of God amidst the brutal impact of COVID on their family over the past year.
Andy Hewitt interviews Alain Emerson from Emmanuel Church and the Tobar Network as we explore what WE BELIEVE about THE CHURCH. Alain gives us a great definition of the church that is so helpful to reorientate our thoughts and our focus toward God, toward each other and toward our world: “We are a prayerful, family on mission surrendered to the Holy Spirit.”
Gillian Johnston-Wood continues our WE BELIEVE series by looking at the HOLY SPIRIT and the reality of His impact in every part of our lives. She challenges us to be expectant for the work of the Spirit and to ask God to create a hunger for more of the Spirit’s presence and power in and through us.
Paul explores what WE BELIEVE about PEOPLE. He looks at the inherent value and dignity of all people because we are all made in the image of God, but also recognises the problem of our fallen nature and the need that every single one of us has for a saviour.
Paul also continues our WE BELIEVE series by looking at the incredible reality of Jesus; that the same Jesus, who will be the final judge of our every action and deed, is the very one who suffered, died and rose again to wipe our sins clean.
Ali continues our WE BELIEVE series by considering how our statement about the divinity of Jesus is foundational to the Christian faith. We are challenged to ask how our lifestyle indicates what we really believe about Jesus and His call to walk “the narrow road that leads to life”.
Josh continues our WE BELIEVE series by looking at why and what we believe about the Bible. He leaves us with a critical question: If we do believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, are we going to keep it at arm’s length or are we going to allow it to shape and mould our entire lives?
To start our new sermons series - WE BELIEVE - Paul looks at why and what we believe about GOD.
Ali reflects on how James 4:13-17 speaks into the context of New Year resolutions and planning ahead.
Ali continues our advent series by looking at PEACE. He explores what the angels meant when they declared “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests”.
Paul explores the story of HOPE, out of the tragedy of Adam and Eve’s rebellion, through the rise and fall of God’s people, to the arrival of the promised Messiah 2000 years ago, and right up to today. Is your hope eternally and unshakeably focused and are you living “right in it, under it’s roof”?
Mitch from Crown Jesus Ministries shares with us from the story of how Jesus connected with Zacchaeus. We are challenged to build bridges into our community by walking towards people with a heart of love, and to prioritise this habit as a matter of urgency.
Ali and Paul discuss our journey through this HOLY HABITS series. We see how the Pulse survey revealed that most of us seem to be struggling with the same few habits and we are challenged into a life of deeper devotion to God and to each other, that the good news of Jesus may overflow in and through us.
Suzanne helps us take a fresh look at the HOLY HABIT of WORSHIP and reminds us that a lifestyle of worship, ‘attending to the presence of God’, is the holy habit out of which all others flow.
Ali explores the HOLY HABIT of EATING TOGETHER and we see that this habit is a vital ingredient of both fellowship and evangelism. “If every Christian household regularly invited a stranger or needy person into their home for a meal, we would literally change the world by eating!” Alan Hirsch.
Karen helps us explore the HOLY HABIT of GENEROSITY. Let giving flow from your heart, not from a sense of duty. Let it spring up freely with joy because God loves generosity!
Paul continues our HOLY HABITS series by showing us that the mission of the Church has always been about SERVING and TELLING the good news of Jesus. We are reminded that SERVING can be tough … but it’s good for you … and that SERVING is the way of our KING!
Ali examines the radical generosity of the early disciples and shows us how the HOLY HABIT of GIVING heals us from the problem of greed by the power of grace.
Paul reminds us that, at its simplest, prayer is about spending time with our Father who loves us and that the power of prayer is in the one who hears it, not in the one who says it... so, KEEP IT SIMPLE, KEEP IT REAL and KEEP IT UP!
Paul helps us take another look at the beauty and the cost that is represented in the meal that Jesus shared with His friends 2000 years ago. This simple practice of sharing bread and wine reminds us of God’s incredible sacrifice for us, His grace that transforms us and His power that overflows through us into our world.
Ali examines the importance of Fellowship as part of our HOLY HABITS series. We see that fellowship is part of God’s plan, rather than an option for disciples of Jesus. Fellowship is not so much about what I can receive but rather what I can share with the family of God so that we may spur each other on towards love and good deeds.
Ali kicks off our new series called HOLY HABITS. Over the next 10 weeks we will be exploring the life patterns of the first Christians, that enabled them to grow in their relationship with God and with each other, and to live and proclaim the good news of Jesus in their communities and world.
Wekick of a new season of live and on-line gatherings with Paul asking us the most important question for any individual, organisation or church family: What business are we in, really?
The answer to this question needs to guide us, encourage us and press us forward as we seek to be a church and a people that are PURSUING GOD, PROCLAIMING JESUS and TRANSFORMING LIVES together.
Ali & Paul bring the Learning from Lockdown series to a conclusion by reflecting on some of the themes that have come through the conversations and teaching in the last two months.
Merve shares some reflections on thankfulness. Three reasons for thankfulness are discussed: home, work and fellowship. Merve reminds us that God does not mean for us to go it alone and we are encouraged to spur each other on to the ultimate goal of knowing God and being with Him.
Ethan asks some big questions: What are you doing with your life? Are you fighting for God and His Kingdom of hope and truth and love… because God is fighting for you.
Stephen Barthorpe shares some of his life and faith story with us and we hear how God is in control, even when the future is unknown.
Beth Jones shares with us what she has been learning in Lockdown. God does not pick from options that we have decided, instead He calls us to seek His way. Hearing from God is possible if we listen, but actually surrendering to His plan is an important and difficult challenge.
Ali and Paul bring our current teaching series to a close by discussing some of the most profound truths and powerful lessons about UNSHAKEABLE JOY from the book of Philippians.
Paul shares with us about the unavoidable reality of conflict in community and the call of God to treat each other will gentleness and respect because we are in this together.
Ali continues our series in Philippians, unshakeable joy, by considering the challenge to live as heavenly citizens.
Caroline shares with us what God has taught her, through His word and through her life experiences, about the beautiful reality of living our lives with ‘no self-confidence’.
Paul continues our unshakeable joy series by looking at the example of two men who chose to put themselves second for the sake of God and others. Paul asks us the question: How is God calling you and I to live second in our world today?
Charlie continues our unshakeable joy series in Philippians 2:12-18. We see that working out our salvation meant striving to create space for God to move and empower us.
Ali also continues our ‘unshakeable joy’ series by calling us to a new normal where the Church will not be ‘socially distanced’ from our communities and world!
Paul continues our series in the book of Philippians by talking about a natural question we all could ask when we hear about God’s good work in difficult times. Unshakeable joy … is it actually?
Ali introduces our new series, based on Paul’s letter to the Philippian church, called ‘Unshakeable Joy’. We see that Joy is not found as a direct pursuit; it is a by-product of pursuing relationship with Jesus & His will. Reading the beginning of Paul’s letter to the Philippians shows that his Joy was sustained through partnership, praise and prayer.
Gillian speaks to us about the very real mental health challenges that are being faced by so many people in our world today.
On Resurrection Sunday Paul talks to us about the unprecedented story of God’s love and His rescue plan for the world through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus!
Ali brings our EXILES series to a conclusion by exploring what Daniel 12 has to say on some of the big questions people are asking in this current pandemic.
Ali interviews Karen Fulton and she shares with us some very helpful insight and application from the vision of Daniel in chapters 10 and 11. We are reminded that how things look to us is very often different from the true reality that God sees. Wealth, kingdoms and even empires will rise and fall so the only solid foundation can be found as we put our hope and trust in the Eternal King that is above all kings.
We hosted our first ever on-line Sunday morning experience and it was amazing to see how many people got on-line and got involved. Thank you to David and Cheryl Bailie who shared with us some of their journey and how God is using them in the local church and community of Ballynasloe, County Galway.
Paul explores a pivotal chapter in our EXILES series where Daniel discovers the prophecy of God’s timeline for his people in Babylon and responds with a powerful prayer of repentance and hope. In response to his prayer, Daniel receives the expanding vision of God’s greater plan of salvation.
We have posted the entire service (minus worship) for those that couldn’t make it today because we value those in more vulnerable situations and are keen that you are able to stay fully connected with us as part of the Grace Fellowship family.
In today's sermon, Paul explores a pivotal chapter in our EXILES series where Daniel discovers the prophecy of God’s timeline for his people in Babylon and responds with a powerful prayer of repentance and hope. In response to his prayer, Daniel receives the expanding vision of God’s greater plan of salvation.
Ali takes us through the vision of the Ram and the Goat from Daniel 8. This vision revealed remarkable events, most of which have already come to pass. The accuracy of these prophesies strengthens our confidence that God’s Word is true, that He is in control of the future and that we can trust in Him to help us live faithfully in times of uncertainty.
Paul takes us into the next stage of our EXILE series as we explore the first of Daniel’s prophetic dreams and visions. We are introduced to 4 beasts who will rise and fall, and then to the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man whose kingdom will last forever and ever.
David Legge from the Tobar network shares his journey into understanding and living in more of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
His big challenge for us is to press into God’s word and the fullness of His promises because there is always more!
Stan continues our EXILES series in the book of Daniel and gives us a fresh look at the infamous story from chapter 6 about jealousy, persecution, prayer … and a lion’s den.
Ali continues our EXILES series in the book of Daniel. We look at the sobering story of the writing on the wall recorded in Daniel 5 and see that pride is at the root of many problems.
Paul continued our EXILES series almost 25 years into the story of Daniel where he was faced with confronting the most powerful man on the planet with a message of God’s judgement.
It’s impossible to go through life without facing conflict or confrontation but how we handle it can make all the difference in the world. In Daniel chapter 4 we see an incredible example of how difficult truths can be delivered with compassionate grace.
Josh looks at Daniel chapter 3 where we see three friends remaining faithful and ‘different’ in a foreign world. Their lack of compromise and inspiring obedience to what they knew was right led them into a powerful encounter with God.
Ali takes us through Daniel chapter 2. We consider how to live as “aliens in a foreign culture” by living consistently, listening intently and hoping eternally.
Paul walks us through chapter 1 of Daniel and we explore the three things that helped Daniel survive and even thrive in exile. He remembered that God is in control, even when his world seemed to be falling apart. He remembered who God said he was, even when the world gave him a different name. Then he stepped out in faith with grace, understanding and respect.
Paul introduces our new series called EXILES, about the lessons we can learn from the life and times of Daniel. How was it that these four young men, conquered and captive in a foreign land, managed to hold strong to their trust in God and lived to challenge, bless and radically impact the story of an empire?
Karen Hewitt brings our series to a conclusion as we remember that THE JESUS WAY is for “the least of these”. We are reminded that we have a responsibility, not just to share our faith with others, but to love one another. Loving one another means much more than a warm welcome at church, it is about noticing, connecting and serving each other within the body of Christ.
Paul shares with us that THE JESUS WAY is to Just Do It!
God is working all around us, stirring hearts and minds and drawing people to Him. He wants you and I to join Him in this amazing work, not because you are perfectly trained, equipped or gifted, but because He is! It is all about Jesus, but God still wants you and I to join Him in His mission for the world, so JUST DO IT!
Ali helps ussee that THE JESUS WAY is both practical and miraculous.
Through His dealings with a leper, we see that Jesus’ actions, in binding up the broken hearted, were motivated by compassion. We also see that Jesus gave the church the task of showing the world to what God is like.
Paul speaks to us about one of the most straightforward and yet widely ignored principles of THE JESUS WAY - giving our money and resources for the sake of God’s Kingdom.
The Bible talks a lot about tithing, giving 10% of everything you get back to God, but Jesus teaches radical generosity. Jesus is calling us into new and abundant life, but to experience it you need to give it away… can we start with 10%?
Simon Marriott joins us at Grace, telling us about his work with Youth for Christ Ireland and continuing our JESUS WAY series by exploring prayer and fasting.
Here are two powerful quotes: “Prayer is not to inform God but to help us refocus from earth to heaven.” … “Fasting reminds us of the source. We have needs that cannot be met unless we put our trust in the giver of life.”
Firouz shares with us how THE JESUS WAY is about counting the cost. We sometimes present the Christian faith as if we are offering people a basket of goodies… Jesus calls us into something that could cost us everything BUT will give us abundant and eternal life with our Heavenly Father!
Paul shows us that THE JESUS WAY is too good to be you. Just trying to follow the rules of God is useless … but Jesus died to GIVE us the righteousness of God and FILLED us with the Holy Spirit to transform our lives and actions!
Ali continues our JESUS WAY series by reminding us that we ARE the salt of the earth and the light of the world, not by saying something or by doing something but by BEING something. We are given new life in Jesus to point to and illuminate JESUS.
Paul shares with us that THE JESUS WAY … is about community.
We explore how Jesus did life and mission in the reality and mess of community and learn that the heart of God’s community is ‘love drenched accountability'. We are asked the question: If God has called you to follow him, and you are journeying with Grace Fellowship, are you all in? What’s the next step you need to take in order to further journey in life and mission with this community He has placed you in?
Bishop Ken Clarkecontinues our series by challenging us to see that the Jesus way is one of compassion in a world where the harvest is plentiful (Matt 9:35-38). Jesus gave us life, and the Jesus way is to give it away.
Paul continues the Jesus Way seriesby recognising that THE JESUS WAY is NOT MY WAY. We explore Jesus’ time in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) and ask two fundamental questions: Do we trust God with whatever He is calling us or leading us into? Do we trust that God is a good father, even if we are in the wilderness?
Ali launches our new series – The Jesus Way. We discover that the Jesus way is about …who I am. As followers of Jesus, our identity is found in Him, and this is something that is RECEIVED not ACHIEVED.
Paul continues our ‘What in the world are we here for?’ series by looking at TRANSFORMING LIVES. We recognise that saying we are about The Renewal and Transformation of Lives is a pretty bold statement… but if we claim to be followers of Jesus that is what He is all about!
The catch is that transformation is completely from God: What He does in giving us new life in Christ and what He continues to do in our lives every day is all from Him. God help us to PURSUE YOU, help us to PROCLAIM JESUS and help us to join with you as you TRANSFORM LIVES!
Ali continues our new series ‘What in the world are we here for?’ by exploring the task of “proclaiming the good news of Jesus”. We learn from the Bible that we depend on God, we are in this together, it is a call to all of us and that it takes courage. In developing a culture of reaching out we are encouraged to bless people, eat with people and depend on the Holy Spirit.
Paul kicks off our new series ‘What in the world are we here for?’ by exploring the Glory of God. What is the GLORY OF GOD and what does it mean to PURSUE it with our lives?
Mark Peters shares his heart for the living and active word of God (Hebrews 4:12) and for the continuing voice of God in our lives today. Do we recognise the Fathers voice? Are we expecting Him to speak? Are we listening?
Caitlin Trimble and Ryan Johnston continue our summer series ‘Your Word in My Heart’. Caitlin reminds us of the profound reality that GOD IS WITH US, as a Father, a Friend and a Partner. Ryan speaks to us about of one of the greatest lessons that God has been teaching him; In order to save your life, you must lose it for Jesus.
Doug Jarvie shares from the spectacular story of Jonah and explors how his story is not that different from ours. What is God asking you to do that you are running away from?
God doesn’t want to condemn you for your mistakes, He wants to show His love and grace in your life and through you to your community and world. Are you ready to follow Him?
Ian shares with us from the life of Noah and challenges us with this short verse from the book of Genesis : ‘Noah did everything just as God commanded him.’Gen 6:22
What would it mean to your life, your family and your community this week if you sought to live every moment the way Jesus has called us to?
22 people are commissioned for summer missions in Ballynahinch, Ireland, Spain and Moldova.
Ali then sets us a 3 month challenge for reaching out on our front lines.
Christine Fleming kicks off our new series ‘Your Word in My Heart’ by telling us the story of how God used words written by Isaiah over 2500 years ago to remind her that, even in the midst of life’s earthquakes, He will always be a sure foundation.
She asks us the question: Where do you find your identity and your security? - The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high… He will be the sure foundation for your times. Isaiah 33:5-6
Roy Crowne speaks to us from Luke 5 and the story of the 4 men who lowered their paralysed friend through the roof of a house so that Jesus could heal him. Roy reminds us that it often takes bold steps of faith to experience the living God and it takes all kinds of people to do what God is calling us to.
How is God challenging you to step out in faith this week and are you prepared to take the risk?
Ali closes out our Welcome to Church series by exploring what the Apostle Paul has to say about the importance and hope of the Resurrection.
Paul explores a couple of challenging passages in 1 Corinthians regarding men and women in the church and helps us understand them better in light of the bigger biblical and cultural picture.
Rev Dario Leal from 1st Presbyterian shares from his own diverse experiences to help us better understand the Spiritual Gift of healing. He reminds us that we are able to be conduits of God’s love and compassion even when we don’t see physical healing.
Andy and Karenspeak to us about the often-misunderstood Spiritual Gift of tongues. They look at what the Bible teaches about the private and public use of tongues in 1 Corinthians 14 and share from their own journey and experience in this edifying gift.
Paul brings us about a beginner’s guide to prophecy. We see the repeated command for us to eagerly desire the gift of prophecy, the caution to test all prophecies and to hold on to what is good so that we can encourage, comfort and strengthen the church.
Ali helps us see that exercising spiritual gifts without love offends others and is worth nothing in God’s currency. As we look at how love is defined in 1 Cor 13, we see that the description given perfectly describes Jesus. We see too that the key to loving is to know that we are completely loved by God, and to allow Him to live in us.
Paul continues our Welcome to Church series and looks at the Apostle Paul’s rebuke of the Corinthians for their abuse of the Lord’s Supper. We may not be the Corinthians, but have we drifted into overfamiliarity and indifference? Is it possible to regain the awe and wonder of the cross and recapture the same Joy that was set before Jesus?
Lorna Dunn continues our ‘Welcome to Church’ series (1 Cor 10). Both the Israelites and the Corinthians were challenged by idolatry. We see that Paul challenges us to avoid this pitfall by living for God and putting others before ourselves.
Cathy Truesdale and Fiona Coles shared with us some powerful life lessons from Hagar and Hannah
As part of our ‘Welcome to Church’ series, Ali explores how the revolutionary, life-changing message of the Gospel might be communicated to a surrounding culture that is suspicious, apathetic or even hostile to the Church. Looking at 1 Cor 9 we see that Paul’s method was incarnational and his motive was a prize that was eternal.
Paul continues our ‘Welcome to Church’ series by looking at 1 Corinthians 8 where we discover the equation that is the gold standard for our new life in Christ: Love > Knowledge.
Ali continues our ‘Welcome to Church’ series, exploring God’s design for intimacy, the value of marriage and the gift of singleness (1 Cor 6:12-7:40).
Many experience relationship turbulences in life - our church must be a family where all can find a ‘community of grace’ who are ‘committed to each other’.
Paul continues our ‘Welcome to Church’ series (1 Cor 6) by exploring what it means to be a people of pure hearts and messy hands as we wrestle with one of the most controversial and challenging issues of our day.
Grace Fellowship has come a long way since our birth....but what kind of fellowship do we want to be in the future? What should our ‘compelling purpose’ be? What would Jesus want our Manifesto to be?
Ali continues our ‘Welcome to Church’ series (1 Cor 5). We see that the Corinthian church found itself in a society with very different values. Many in the church chose to tolerate values in the church that were sinful, whilst others chose to separate from society entirely, choosing only to judge them. We are reminded that message of Jesus was, instead, to permeate society - being salt and light implies ‘pure hearts and messy hands’.
Paul continues our ‘Welcome to Church’ series (1 Cor 4) and explored the question: Successful or Faithful? We are not called to be SUCCESSFUL, with what we can see, measure or judge. We are simply called to be FAITHFUL with the resources, talents and opportunities that God has given us… but faithfulness always comes at a cost.
Paul helps us look at 1 Corinthians 3 as we explore some metaphors describing what it means to be the Church: fishing, farming, building and a temple. We see that whether we are catching, growing or building, we are all in this together! No one is more is important than any other and, individually and together, we are the presence of God in our world today!
Ali shares with us how the message of the cross is the power of God and yet there is a danger that it can lose its power if we move it from the centre of what we do. Challenges come when we allow culture to set the agenda, when we become proud or when we allow fear to stand in the way of our testimony. We are challenged to pray for the next two weeks, for opportunities that God may give us to share our faith.
Paul launches our new series called ‘Welcome to Church’ where we start our journey with the Corinthian Church. We hear the Apostle Paul’s encouraging opening statements as well as his first strong challenge for them, and us, about the importance of unity around the main thing, the cross of Jesus. We are also challenged to be a church and a people full of GRACE and TRUTH.
Michael Simms speaks to us on the importance of prayer. As well as looking at the teaching of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6, we are challenged around our conviction and encouraged that the one we pray to is beyond all we can imagine in terms of love and holiness.
We close out 2018 by ‘Looking Ahead and Looking Back’ with the outgoing Leadership Team members. It is great to hear all they have learned from the past and what they hope and dream for the future of Grace. Two key themes emerge: ‘Don’t be afraid to break out of the box’ and ‘this is God’s Church, not our church.’
Alicontinues our series Jesus BC – Discovering Christ before Christmas.We look at how the promises God made to David (building on previous promises to Adam, Abraham and Moses) pointed consistently to Jesus. We also see how David’s son, Solomon, foreshadowed Jesus as the Prince of Peace.
Paulcontinues our series Jesus BC – Discovering Christ before Christmasand takes us on a fast forward journey through 500 years and 9 books of the Bible where we see two themes begin to emerge in the unfolding story of Jesus. True repentance is more important than performance, and God’s rescue plan will involve suffering before victory.
Ali continues our series Jesus BC – Discovering Christ before Christmasthrough the story of Moses “The Lord’s servant”. We see that the instructions for the Passover gave a remarkable picture of what was to come - the blood of a lamb (without defect) was used to cover the sins of God’s people and the unleavened bread was to be broken and eaten by all in memory of God’s deliverance from slavery.
Paul continues our series Jesus BC – Discovering Christ before Christmasand looks at 3 lessons from the life of Jacob.
1) When all else fails, hold on to God for dear life.
2) Remember our hope in God is not about our good and bad choices but about the Promise and Love of the Father.
3) We are empowered by the Spirit to live surprising lives that help the world around us see the face of God.
Ali continues our new series called Jesus BC – Discovering Christ before Christmas. We see that the promise made to Abraham was fulfilled in Jesus (“through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed”). We see too how the test given to Abraham amazingly demonstrated the love that God our Father has for us by giving up His only Son for us through love.
Paul looks at the timeline and main characters that proceed Jesus, as we start our new series that looks at how Jesus and his coming is written throughout the entirety of the Old Testament
We finish our series in Acts by hearing what the great commission of Jesus looks like for our extended Grace community today. Paul encourages us to recapture the much bigger picture that the Bible paints of God who is Holy and Just but who is also Love.
Ali helps us look at the example of Paul in Acts 28. We see that Paul's walk involved faith, service, hardship, healing, fellowship and taking opportunities to testify about Jesus.
Grace Fellowship run Christians Against Poverty 'Life Skills' courses. Robert Jones speaks to us about how CAP seeks to provide hope to those in real need.
Ali helps us explore Paul’s experience of sailing, shipwreck and storm as recorded in Acts 27. Whilst we may not understand the purpose of the storms of life, it is important to keep our eyes on Jesus and to trust that He will be working for our good.
Paul speaks to us from Acts 26 and explores the difficult and seemingly fruitless 2 years that the Apostle Paul spent in prison in Caesarea. He asks the question: What impact does it make in each of our lives this week to know that, no matter what our circumstances look like, God is in control and everything is going according to plan?
Paul speaks to us from Acts 25 about the ongoing and unsuccessful attempts of the Sanhedrin to slander the Apostle Paul’s reputation and how Paul keeps the conversation centred on the resurrection of Jesus. In response to this we are challenged to reflect on 2 questions: How is my life speaking into my world? & If I am questioned about the hope in me, what is my answer?
Ali helps us reflect on Paul's continuing trials after returning from his 3rd mission trip (as recorded in Acts 24). We are encouraged to follow Paul's example and always look for opportunities to share the hope that we have.
Paul speaks to us from Acts 23 on how the Apostle Paul retracted a statement and owned his outspoken ‘mistake’. In today’s society ‘owning a mistake’ is countercultural and can speak volumes to those who do not believe in the death, resurrection and life we have in Jesus.
Today is one of those "milestone days" in Grace Fellowship, as we welcome Paul Coles as our new co-pastor, working alongside Ali Brown at Grace Fellowship Church.
God has been so good to us at Grace, and we look forward to what He will do in and through Paul and Ali's ministries in the days, months and years ahead!
Speaking from Acts 22 Ali Brown shows how Paul was ready, at short notice, to give his ‘testimony of hope’ to both people of faith and people of opposition.
Are we ready to give our story of faith today?
Paul Fleming continues our series: ‘To the Ends of the Earth’ from Acts 21. Paul speaks in the spirit of Acts 2 v 42 that highlights ‘Fellowship’.
Ali reminds us of the Apostle Paul's love for the Church (Acts 20). He encourages us through Paul’s message from 1 Corinthians 12 by outlining that we, as believers, are all part of the body of Christ and each one of us can have a part to play in the body of Grace by serving – modelling the example in 1 Corinthians 12.
Stan brings us a message from Acts 20. Stan speaks about the Apostle Paul as a Pastor and how important Church was to him. Knowing God at a deeper level through Jesus starts with the church family and is core to who we are as individuals and evangelists. At times, we need to push ourselves out of our ‘Comfort Zones’ to accept the challenges church offers.
Karen continues on the theme ‘To the Ends of the Earth’ as she brings us a message from Acts 19. Karen reminds us that Paul and his companions were representative of God’s sovereignty on earth. Through lives with faith in Jesus we can bring life, hope and freedom into other people’s lives, as our security is in a Sovereign Holy God who is in control.
Jude Graham takes us through Acts 17 as we look at how the Apostle Paul’s motive to continue in this Evangelistic Lifestyle was from his devotion to his ‘Sender’ – to suffer in Jesus name when spreading the Gospel. The question is asked: if we share the same commission as Paul – is Christ crucified our central message as Kingdom Builders?
Ali speaks on Paul being led in different ways as he commenced his 2nd missionary journey with Silas. We see that the opportunity arose in his everyday, in the interruptions and in suffering.
Ali considers how, in Acts 15, the church dealt with difference of opinion with grace and truth.
Tash Proctor (from 24/7 prayer) shares with us about the importance of prayer and her personal experience of how God has drawn her into a deeper intimacy and expectancy with God
On Pentecost Sunday Stephen Johnston encourages us to read Acts 2 as if it was the first time we had read it, so that we would be taken again by the amazing signs and wonders that occurred during and after Pentecost.
He, along with two colleagues, report back on their experience of the Holy Spirit at work in the Encounter School of Ministry at Causeway Coast Vineyard. We are encouraged to realise that God working through us is not about ability, instead, it is about our availability.
Ali considers what the Spirit-led life looks like as we study Paul’s first missionary journey as recorded in Acts 14. We see that Paul endured suffering despite being faithful. God rescued Paul in different ways at different times. In living a Spirit-led life Paul learned dependence and lived with purpose.
The staff from the Edge take our service. It is fantastic and inspiring to hear about the various activities that go on during the week as they seek to empower young people and support the wider community motivated by the love of Christ!
David Gilkinsonhelps us see how the church in Antioch first prayed and fasted before sending on Barnabus and Saul off on the first missionary journey (Acts 13).
Ali helps us start a new series called “to the ends of the Earth” covering the second half of the book of Acts. We look at Acts 12 from the perspective of ‘problems, prayer, peace and release’ - and are reminded that freedom is something that Jesus doesand that we have the choice to watch on while God moves or accept His offer to participate with Him in bringing His Kingdom to earth.
Ali brings the Spirit-filled life series to a close by reminding us that God invites us to more; to deeper intimacy and greater power to be His witnesses. We have seen that the Spirit-filled life starts with surrender and that spiritual gifts without Agape love amount to nothing. As a church, we need to desire, discover and release gifting so that we can be equipped to participate in what God is doing here in the community where we live.
Paul Reid explores the experience of the disciples recorded in the book of Acts, starting when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. We see when the Holy Spirit was ‘poured out’ on believers, it was to all, without distinction. Further examination in the book of Acts shows that generally the outpouring was sudden (something happened), it was supernatural and it followed conversion.
Freddie McLoughlin explores if there is more to the Spirit-filled life that we should experience as children of God.
Ali talks to us about the foundation for the Spirit filled life. We see that the young church in Corinth had some teething problems in relation to the employment of spiritual gifts. Paul’s response to misuse was not disuse but proper use. He taught that the foundation for spiritual gifts was love and without this foundation they had no value. Agape (love) was understood to be unconditional, defined in the life of Christ and explained by Paul eloquently in 1 Cor 13.
Phil Emerson from Emanuel Church in Lurgan suggests that it is possible for the Christian to miss out and settle for something far less than what God intended. He encourages us that there are spiritual resources that can lie untapped in our church and in our individual lives because we’ve simply not gone deep enough. From Romans 12 we learn that in order to effectively serve God we must make sure that we have surrendered to Christ and have a proper estimate of who we are before Him.
Stu Bothwell launches our new series called Living the Spirit Filled Life. We are reminded of the exhortation from Jesus that whoever believes in Him would do even greater works (John 14:12). Stu helps us see (from 1 Corinthians 12), that each believer has been gifted for the common good.
Ali continues the series Hearing God as we look at how Moses' face became radiant because he had spoken with God. We consider that, in the process of hearing God, the impact on us can be as significant as what we hear.
Alison Flannigan reminds us of the biblical challenges presented to us in responding to the needs of the poor. As well as hearing about the Mid Down CAP debt centre from Winston Shaw and our own Donald Patterson, Alison helps us launch our new CAP Life Skills centre where courses will be starting in March 2018
Charlie Knox helps us think further on how we can hear God. As well as celebrating the dramatic mountaintop experiences (Ex 19), we are reminded of the importance of God speaking in the whisper (1Kings 19). Some personal principles are shared including the importance of honesty with God, the need for ‘silence, solitude and Sabbath’, and the danger of hearing only what we want to hear (Jer 29:8-9).
Paul helps us look at 1 Corinthians 3 as we explore some metaphors describing what it means to be the Church: fishing, farming, building and a temple. We see that whether we are catching, growing or building, we are all in this together! No one is more is important than any other and, individually and together, we are the presence of God in our world today!
Hadden reminds us that God does speak, even if we don’t always listen. It is rare in scripture that God speaks audibly but He does speak often.
We are challenged to ask what God has said to us this week and how has it affected our behaviour. If our current experience is silence, then we are also encouraged to reach out to hear from God and not settle for an experience ‘at the bottom of the mountain’.
Ali also introduces our new mini-series, "Hearing God." Considering Jesus as the Good Shepherd, we see that hearing God is not so much about getting intermittent answers at the crossroads as being in consistent relationship with Jesus. We also see that, as the Good Shepherd, Jesus goes ahead and sometimes we need to let go and listen.
The Leadership Team communicate some key priorities that they believe God has laid on their hearts for Grace Fellowship. These include:
Growing Deeper
Reaching the Lost
Becoming a church for the community
Nurturing authentic Kingdom community
* Investing significantly in our young people
We are challenged to personally reflect on what part each of us can play in the coming year.
Christine helps us reflect on the challenges of change, and posed the following questions:
- How do I react when I am under pressure?
- What am I like to live with?
- To work with?
- To brush shoulders with?
- To relax with?
- How do I respond to people’s needs and requests?
Ali brings our series on The Edge to a conclusion as we explore how Jesus explained greatness through the example of a little child.
We hear from6 different people in our Fellowship who work with people on the edge. We hear how God is at work in their everyday experiences and we are challenged to be open to seeing how God can use us too, even in the midst of busy lives.
Diana Stewart from Emanuel Church continues our series The Edge with the woman on the edge of society who had a rare bleeding condition. We learn that Jesus was moved with compassion as His everyday was interrupted. Jesus identified, encouraged, honoured and restored her.
Hadden continues our series ‘The Edge’, looking at the example of the criminal who received true freedom when all hope appeared gone.
Ali looks at how Jesus was identified as the friend of sinners. In following His example, we are called to be influencers
Ali looks at how Jesus connected with the Samaritan woman who lived a life marked by disgrace (John 4:1-30). We see that the Jesus' approach was connection, compassion and truth.
Doug and Lorna from the GO Team help us examine the challenge that poverty presents to us, both on our doorstep and beyond our shores.
Hadden looks at the story of the undeserving son who received favour. From hopeless despair, he comes to his senses and receives undeserved favour and blessing despite his previous foolishness.
Suzanne looks at the story of Peter walking on the water - we are reminded that Jesus sees us in our storms and comes to our aid. He also asks us to listen for his voice and take a step of faith, because when we step out, God steps in!
Ali launches our new series called ‘the edge’ where we look at how Jesus approached those on the edge of society: the poor, the captive, the blind and the broken. Ali helps us explore how in Luke 4 Jesus read the prophecy about himself, declared its fulfilment in him, and then proceeded to demonstrate its truth in His ministry to the poor, captive, blind and oppressed.
The Leadership Team complete a two-week series outlining priorities for the way forward in Grace Fellowship.
The Leadership Team start a two-week series outlining priorities for the way forward in Grace Fellowship. Ali outlines the six key priorities and then Ian & Suzanne provide some detail on ‘Growing Deeper’ & ‘Nurturing authentic Kingdom Community’.
Carson Harte brings our series on the Living Word to a conclusion as he reflects upon verses that have been important to him during his life as a 'missionary, mercenary and misfit'. He challenges us to live lives that proclaim Christ through what we both do and say and to live as sojourners in such a way that people see our good deeds and glorify God (1 Pet 2:11-12).
Patrick McCluskey continues our series on The Living Word. Patrick brings a number of key verses to our attention starting with Isaiah 55:11 which reminds us that God’s word will achieve the purpose for which He sends it. He also reminds us that as image bearers, our witness to the surrounding community often comes through how we live as well as much as what we say. Micah 6:6-8 instructs us how to live and John 8:1-8 reminds us to be slow to judge. We finish looking at the example of Jesus who was tenacious in prayer.
Paul Coles continues our study in Acts Chapter 4 where he looks at the remainder of the disciple's prayer as they continued to petition God for miracles, signs and wonders through the name of Jesus.
Paul Coles walks with us through Acts Chapter 4 where we listen in on the first recorded church prayer meeting. We explore our external and internal threats and are challenged by what it means to speak God’s word boldly.
Carolyn Jackson helps us to consider the need to 'Rest in God' as we continue our new series - The Living Word.We look at a number of key verses including Ps 46:10 where and Matt 11:28-30. We are reminded that in Ps 23, God makes us lie down in green pastures.
Hadden considers Nehemiah 8 where Ezra read the book of the Law to the people of Israel. The Law of God was made clear so that the people understood what was being read, and as a result they wept when they were convicted. Hadden encourages us never to water down the message of God's word, even when it may seem unpalatable to our 21st century culture. As we study the word of God, we are encouraged to go where the living Word takes us.
Suzanne finishes our series on 'GOD IS...' with GOD IS LOVE. She reminds us that God alone loves perfectly and completely, sacrificially, unconditionally, lavishly and abundantly and, even in the face of our ambivalence and half-heartedness, He takes the initiative towards us and loves us with a love that is stronger than death.
Hadden helps us to consider how GOD IS... ETERNAL AND UNCHANGEABLE. We live in a world that is in despair. The scale of change is unparalleled in history. As children of God, we have nothing to fear because the God who has told us about the last days in His word, is the same Eternal and Unchangeable God in whom we put our hope.
Ian Dickson continues our GOD IS... series by looking at GOD IS... PERSONAL. We explored through three passages (Moses, Elijah and then the transfiguration) of how God reveals Himself. In the transfiguration, the Father spoke to the disciples saying “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” After that Jesus came to the disciples, touched them and reassured them telling them not to be afraid.
Ian Dickson continues our GOD IS... series by looking at GOD IS... ALL HOLY. The holiness of God is progressively revealed in scripture and Ian considers three passages of significance. His holiness demands a personal response, we need God’s touch before going in His name and we were made to glorify and praise God.
Ali continues our GOD IS... series by looking at GOD IS... ALL KNOWING. God is beyond our understanding, his motives are pure, his knowledge is infinite and that his plans are perfect. The God who completely knows me, completely loves me and, following the example of Jesus, the best place to start each day is in our Heavenly Father’s presence.
Peter Lynas continues our GOD IS... series by looking at GOD IS TRUTH. As believers, we carry a very different story into a culture which is bombarding us with falsehoods. God invites us into His story, one that can rewrite personal stories of defeat, despair and destruction.
Kit continues our GOD IS... series by looking at the extravagant and lavish grace of God. We all can draw near to our Father and receive more of His grace, mercy and peace. As His children, we need to show grace too, especially when it is unmerited and undeserved - because that's the grace God gave us.
Phil Emerson kicks off our new GOD IS... series by looking at God the Creator, at how we were made to have a relationship with Him, and that even a fallen world still displays His wonder.
Ali brings our series looking at the early church to an end, and asks "where is God sending us"
Street pastor Scott McNamara shares his experiences of sharing Jesus as part of our SENT series
Ken Humphrey returns to Grace to share more of his story - how he overcame prejudices to see those from other sides of the community from him in a different light.
As part of the SENT series looking at the early church in Acts, Paul had a similar challenge - to love and show Christ to those around him who he would have traditionally persecuted.
James McKeown is back at Grace, continuing our SENT series.
Saul the persecutor encounters the risen Jesus and a giant of the faith is born as Paul turns his passion to telling others of his discovery that Jesus is the Son of God.
Ali shares the story of how the early church became organised in Acts 6 - how, when there was so much need around them, and so much to do, they maintained focus on God and His plan for the church, assigning roles to some for practical work, to others for prayer and listening to God.
Ali, Carson, Caitlin, Emily, Hamish and Donald share their stories about being SENT to their Frontlines. It was great to hear stories of honesty, of times when faith feels straightforward to share, and the times when it hasn't!
As part of a Sunday where we look at the faith and action of the persecuted church, both modern and from the time of Acts, Ali concludes with some thoughts on costly faith that endures
Grant Abraham with his father John share how we are SENT in the name of Jesus and the power of His Holy Spirit. Do we live lives in expectation of the wonders that being empowered by the Holy Spirit can bring?
Charlie Knox leads us in looking at how we are SENT in God's authority, where we are encouraged to seek authenticity and genuine personal encounter with Him.
Paul Coulter continues our series about the early church, looking at how we are SENT to be together - reaching out as a community of believers
Stu Bothwell continues our series looking at the early church in Acts 1, and how they were utterly on fire for God and spreading the good news of Jesus
Ali kicks off our SENT series by looking at how we are SENT to represent God's Kingdom here on earth, whether that is here at home on our frontline, or further afield
Ali introduces our new sermon series - SENT - based upon Acts 1-11: following the early steps of the Church
David spoke to us about the unswerving faith that Noah had in God - when his faith looked foolish for years and even in the silence when God did not speak.
Hadden speaks to us about the certainty that Jesus is returning. Do we really live our lives as if every day could be our final one here? Do we live with the urgency of needing to tell those around us?
Ken Clarke speaks to us about Abraham, who continued trusting and obeying God into old age and who exhorts us, along with all the rest of the 'cloud of witnesses', to keep going!
Hadden Wilson talks to us about Sarah, and the faith that she showed in God's promise to her of a family, even though in Earthly terms it seemed impossible.
How often do we limit God's promises to us through doubting, not trusting in Him and his timings?
Ali continues our series of looking at lives of faith, through the story of Joseph whose faith withstood considerable adversity.
Joseph trusted that God is sovereign and in control, even when his circumstances didn't seem to bear that out.
Charlie brought us the story of Samson. Someone who had deep flaws and weakness, like us all, but who held onto faith, right up until the end.
Christine looks at how Moses' faith story was lived out through making choices that included sacrificing power and riches to follow God's plan.
At a time when as a church we are looking at models of membership and leadership, Paul Betts brings us some timely advice and lessons for God's church.
Jude brings us lessons on listening and communicating.
Listening to God, listening to our community around us; to keep open the channels of communication through interacting with those in our local areas, and with God through prayer.
James brings us lessons from Joshua's life, how the seemingly impossible challenges can be made possible through God's strength when we surrender our will to His plans.
Continuing our series on "Finding life through faith", Charlie Hadjiev helps us take a look at how Rahab's priorities and loyalties shaped her faith.
Malcolm challenged us with the question 'How big is your God?' suggesting that a small view of God leads to small faith while a big view of God leads to big faith. David's example was to build the habit of 'gazing upon the beauty of the Lord'. Malcolm recommended pulling key verses from the Bible that simply focus on Gods amazing beauty and start memorising these verses. You can access the verses Malcolm used at http://grace-fellowship.co.uk/docs/20161002_sermon_notes.pdf
Ali kicks off our "Finding life through faith" series with the question "What is God's will for my life?". No matter what stage of life we are at, it's a question that we can all ask as we seek to live lives that serve and honour Him.
Concluding our series of viewing the Psalms through the lives of our Grace Fellowship family
Ian shares from the story of the four men who lowered their paralysed friend through the roof to Jesus. He challenges us to bring people into the presence of Jesus so that He can meet their needs.
As part of the service led by our Leadership Team, Suzanne encourages us to take time to re-engage with God, to focus on our relationship with Him
Hadden Wilson brings us his story through the picture of the Psalm 18 verse 30, a story of grief and joy, but with the knowledge that God never left his side, through bad times and good.
As for God, His way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him.
Jennifer brings us lessons from Psalm 23 - even when we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, God NEVER leaves us or lets us go
Stan brings us one of his favourite Psalms - Psalm 139 : You have searched me, LORD, and you know me....
Ali shares some of his story through his favourite Psalm - Psalm 121 : "I lift my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from?"
Ali Brown concludes our series looking at the values of Grace Fellowship Church, by looking at how we can reach out in love to those around us
Ian Dickson continues the series of Grace Fellowship Values, looking at how the model for Christianity and church is to be committed to God and each other.
Hadden Wilson looks at how we need to (and can) rely on a God who loves us and never lets us down.
Jude Graham kicks off our "Grace Fellowship Values" season of talks by looking at how we accept each other
The Grace Fellowship Leadership Team introduce the model of membership that they feel best fits the vision and values of Grace Fellowship
Hadden Wilson reminds us that failure is never final and encourages us to practise the presence of God in our everyday lives.
Looking at the 'before' and 'after' of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Walking with Jesus and seeing the truth of His identity made all the difference - from defeated to on fire!
Jasper Rutherford challenges us from the story of the man with the withered arm - encouraing us to stretch out our hands in faith and expectancy to receive from Jesus the 'more' He has for us.
Jude Graham, encourages us to reclaim and refocus on Christ's message of being born again and leaving our old lives behind.
Ken Humphries encourages us to look beyond our own groups, to reach out to all those around us, not just those whom we would comfortably get along with.
Be encouraged to share God's healing and grace to those who need it most; to reach out to others rather than build walls around ourselves.
This week in our 'Encounters with Jesus' series we look at John the Baptist - a man whose heart's desire was that Jesus should increase and he should decrease. But also a man who knew what it was to experience a storm of doubt and fear - and endure through to the other side.
Learn from Mary and Martha’s encounters with Jesus, considering the importance of prioritising time at the feet of Jesus. In His presence, where the distractions of life are parked, is where we find peace, love and purpose.
James McKeown continues our series "When people met Jesus" considering the encounters with the Religious Law Keepers. James helps us see that their adherence to the law was not condemned, rather it was a heart issue relating to their pride and hypocrisy. The 'So What' for us challenges our core attitude to God rather than what we appear to be in front of others.
Looking at the story of Blind Bartimaeus - what stops us having a clear vision of who Jesus is and what He has done for us?
God is in control and His plans will not be thwarted! He knows us by name and He wants us to be involved in the outworking and fulfilment of His perfect plans.
Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. Every day we have a choice to make, in how we react to situations we face, and those around us.
Are we showing others the love, mercy and humility that God has shown to and for us?
The challenge to be both "Blessed" and "Blessings" to those around us, as we live lives that are more closely aligned to the Beatitudes in Matthew 5
In memory of Charlie Dunlop, who has gone to be with his Lord.
Several people have asked the family for the recording of Charlie's funeral to be available. May it bless you as you listen to the celebration of a life lived for God.
On Harvest Sunday, looking at the eternal Harvest - we are all 'harvesters' with a mandate to love others, to demonstrate God's grace to those we meet and to use the God-given opportunities that come our way to tell others about the good news of Jesus.
When we get to heaven may we meet a 'harvest' of people who are there because we shared Jesus with them!
Ali spoke to us on being salt and light to the community around us, and gave us the challenge to bless 3 people in the coming week (at least one not from Grace!), and eat with people you wouldn't normally eat with. How have you done? It doesn't matter when you listen to the podcast - take the opportunity to bless those around you!
"The Godhead, 3-in-1, Father, Spirit, Son". What does that actually mean? Exploring the relationship between God in his Trinity, and His people.
As part of the wider "Ability Sunday" initiative, Ian Dickson shares with us that we are all made in God's image, and how that should shape how we see ourselves and each other.
Lessons from Nehemiah on a God who is not only present, but wants to communicate and be involved in our lives
The Lord's my Shepherd, I'll not want.
A look at how He guides us, leads us, protects us.
Do we really take the time to notice God in our everyday experience, or is He just kept for Sunday mornings only?
What do we do when life doesn't turn out according to our plan? Lessons from the story of Joseph.
Spurring on - more than just encouraging or admonishing (some times it takes a bit of both), but challenging each other to live lives that reflect Jesus to those inside and outside our Fellowship
Serving one another. What image does it conjure in your mind? How can we learn to serve each other in love and humility, following the many examples of Jesus?
So much more than just saying "hello" (or slipping in the back of church with your head down) - looking at how we should greet and show love to one another
We join 2 very defeated disciples on the road to Emmaus, who thought that it was all over - Jesus had died on the cross. Listen as their mourning was turned to stunned joy.
How do we bear each other's burdens?
ADMONISH One Another - Paul Coles - 15th Feb 2015 - Whilst the bible contains lots about loving and accepting one another, it also includes challenges to Admonish one another, in love, to build each other's faith. How can we help each other along our spiritual path in a way that is appropriate and God-honouring?
ACCEPT One Another - how do we live with those around us? Should we just accept them, no matter how different they are? What are our motivations for accepting them? Looking at accepting others, in the context of Romans 14 and 15
LOVE One Another - David McMillan starts off our "One Another" series (and podcasting at Grace!) with "Love One Another"