Family Church Gosport: Recent Episodes
Family Church Gosport
Our “YES” opens the door for Him to do what only He can. It’s not about our ability, our resources, or our understanding. It’s about our willingness to trust and obey Him. Whatever God is asking of you, trust that your obedience will be met with His power. Take the step and watch Him do the impossible.
When we say “YES” to God, we’re stepping into a realm where our limits no longer matter. Our “YES” opens the door for Him to do what only He can. It’s not about our ability, our resources, or our understanding. It’s about our willingness to trust and obey Him.
God’s not waiting for our no, He's waiting for our YES. Our saying yes to God, even in the midst of fear, confusion, or uncertainty, is the most courageous thing we can do. Our "yes" to God will take us on faith adventures we wouldn’t believe possible.
This message looks at the three seasons every Christian can face as we walk this Journey of Faith. It is a reminder that we, at one time or the other, go through a Preparation Season (The Pre-Wall Season) in which our relationship with God is vital.
Then comes the Application season (The Wall Season), in which our obedience to what God has said and is still saying becomes very important; it is a reminder that we are fighting from a place of victory.
And lastly, is the Season of Rest (The Post Wall Season), where we are encouraged to keep pressing in and not taking a break on God."
The bible tells us in Hebrews 11 that without faith it is impossible to please God....Faith is the complete assurance in the reliability of God' s character and sometimes we don't always see the logic or feel like things are working out or will work out. This is where faith and feelings differ.
We must rely and depend on God and His word trusting that all things will work out for our good and not on our feelings which become tied to the natural that we see.
There are similarities within natural families, where children grow up and begin to mature, and in the household of faith, as we grow in our understanding of God and with the church family as well. God’s Word is absolutely key: Read it, meditate on it, study it, learn from it, write it out, speak it out loud, teach it to your children, and pray God’s words back to Him.
Consumer Christianity see’s people transitioning from church to church, like a customer browsing for the best store. They are often reluctant to volunteer, serve others, or engage deeply in small groups because that requires personal sacrifice and effort. When we love God and love His House, we will also come to love the family deeply and want to support and help where we can.
The father gives the shoes, the robe and the ring to show to the son and to the household that he still belongs to the family with all privileges intact.
The prodigal tried to surrender his rights and become a hired servant, but the father refused and restored everything instead.
Jesus was using this teaching to reveal to us that we are no longer a wayward people, but we are, in fact, His children and part of His Household...
We need to know WHERE the money that comes into our lives is going. Otherwise, we’re like the man described by Haggia…We earn our wages, only to see what we earn to put into a bag with holes. Our giving should always be a faith response from the heart, not from pressure, or duty or from a sense of a debt owed.
As believers, we are called to offer fresh, heartfelt worship, proclaim God’s salvation daily, and declare His glory among nations. In global unity, diverse people become one body in Christ, lifting one voice to Jesus, celebrating His greatness, sharing the gospel, and living as a unified church reflecting heaven on earth.
Worship is a response of the spirit, a time of expressing our adoration and devotion to God, giving Him exclusive place in our hearts. This is why we worship the Most High God
Ps Steu speaks this week in our Gosport Congregation. He focuses on growing our relationship with God through prayer. He speaks about the account of Mary and Martha in Luke 10 seeing the importance of sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to Him.
This is the most important thing for us all to keep in mind......
Like the prodigal son, we are welcomed by grace and invited into intimacy with the Father. Through God’s Word, prayer, fellowship, and discipleship, we grow spiritually, experience transformation, and learn to walk daily with Jesus in truth, freedom, and purpose.
As we confront hard times with the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we will move from coping to conquering and from being overcome to overcoming. As Believers, let's unleash the power of God within us, where those impossibilities around us become God's possibilities for us.
When the answer doesn't come the way you hoped or the process isn't the way you envisioned? We are encouraged not to get disheartened or lose hope but to recognise God's hand at work.
Romans 8:25 says "But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait eagerly for it with with patience and composure."
Ps Camille delivers an exciting message!!
When we encounter God’s grace, it always leads to living in His truth. Jesus took off the robe of righteousness and put on our sinfulness…Therefore, we are to put on His robe of righteousness and live in the revelation of the new creation, of being in Christ.
Putting on the robe of righteousness is to choose daily to walk in the new restored identity as sons and daughters of the King.
We choose to live in the new life He has given, and the ways and life of the old sinful nature become the past.
What was the Father doing when he gave him the best robe… He was covering his son's mistakes and poor choices…He was taking away the rags and tatters of wild living. He was replacing the smell of the pig pen. He was repositioning his son's identity from his past months of sinful living. This is my son.
So we have two men standing before Pilate: Jesus, the Son of God and Barabbas, son of the father. One of whom Pilate found to be innocent, the other was in prison, having been found guilty and sentenced to death. Barabbas represented all our bad, all our messed-up worlds, all the junk in our lives.
Today, we have an opportunity to put ourselves in the Father’s arms and, by faith, receive prayer for healing and restoration, spirit, soul, and body. Throughout the Bible, we see God’s desire to bring spiritual, physical, mental and emotional healing through signs, wonders and miracles. Not because we have kept certain provisions of God’s law, but because we heard the gospel and accepted it by faith?
Throughout the Bible, we see God’s commitment to bringing spiritual, physical, mental and emotional healing and restoring relationships with Himself. Now He wants to use us personally and as a church family to bring His healing and restoration to others.
The Father's arms signify God's support, comfort and protection during life's challenges, representing His loving and compassionate presence in our lives. Picture yourself being carried in His arms…for we truly are in our Heavenly Father's arms.
There is no situation or circumstance that the Kingdom of God cannot overcome or reverse. Limited thinking comes from the root-thought that you only have access to your natural ability.
Limitless thinking comes from the root-thought that you have access to the power of God or God’s ability.
Today is Vision Sunday 2026 for the whole of Family Church. Ps Steu speaks about the Mission and Vision of the church and introduces the six Family Church Values which will be expounded during the following weeks...
- We Value People
- We Value New life
- We Value Relationship with God
- We Value Church Family
- We Value Gathering
- We Value Commissioning
Each of these is represented by a part of the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15) - a central Christian teaching on God's unconditional love and forgiveness. All Family Church congregations heard this message and everyone received a booklet entitled Reach, Grow, Empower, explaining these values. Please refer to www.family.church for further details.
In Scripture, Matthew 5:44 tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. As the children of God, we are called to play a very important role as God has called us to intercede on behalf of each other and also on behalf of those who are yet to believe in Him.
We have been given the mandate to "stand in the gap "for our nations and those in authority. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 refers.
Jesus taught about the 5, 2 and 1 talents and the importance of using our lives, our gifts, and our talents we've been blessed with to the full. You are not an accident; you're not here on earth by chance. God, the creator of all things, and has positioned you for such a time as this.
A God-defining moment is significant, but it's what we do with these moments that determines the outcomes of our lives. Where are those in Church today who will passionately follow God and pursue Him all the days of their lives...
Things you have tried to make happen or tried to change, but cannot, God can make happen in a moment. God has placed you where you are at this defining moment in time to make a difference to bring about the purposes of God to make it happen!
God has given us the strength to turn back every spiritual attack and the battle at the gate that comes our way. Therefore, for us to stand strong in the evil day, we would do well to understand how or what the strategies of our enemy are as he comes against us.
Jesus, speaking of His church, gave us this promise: that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it, we will turn the battle at the gate. Spiritual warfare requires spiritual weaponry, and in prayer we wage warfare against the spirit of this age and the works of darkness.
Our adversary is not sleeping; he is actually going around like a roaring lion stalking those whom he may devour! It’s time to put a stop to the enemy of our soul devouring our purpose, our potential and our calling in God. So let's Turn the Battle at the Gate.
Standing on God's Word, the unshakeable Rock, I will stand and in doing so I will protect my heart and take the Gates of my enemies. The speakers for this message were Geoff and Jane, Isaac and Mercy, Kerwin and Camille and Katie.
A godly life is not produced overnight. It’s developed one choice at a time, each and every day, as we grow and strengthen ourselves in God. So the key is to develop strength from the inside, and the best way to do that is to grow in godly character.
As we read and reflect on scripture and apply it to our lives, it becomes our spiritual fuel. There is absolutely nothing to compare with the powerful effect of God’s Word when it is taken by faith into our hearts and then put into action.
Our Spiritual fitness or spiritual health will grow and develop as we allow the Holy Spirit to work within us. As we surrender ourselves to the inner coach, following His way, heeding His voice and walking in His instructions, we will develop a healthy spirituality.
For us to grow spiritually, we need to be intentional because spiritual fitness doesn’t just happen, just like in the natural realm. The first thing we need to do is surrender to God’s transforming power and allow the Holy Spirit to be our inner trainer.
The more we watch over the ground of our hearts, protecting the seeds of God's Word…the stronger we will come, and…
HAVING DONE ALL TO STAND WE WILL BE ABLE TO STAND!
Spiritually, we must add organic matter to the ground of our hearts, which is the Word of God, to create good, healthy soil, but we need to be aware that we have an enemy out there who is after the seed of God's Word.
This Sunday is our Missions Sunday. The call to tell others rests upon all our shoulders.
Some will go to the ends of the earth, while most will stay within the shores of our own Nation.
But the need for salvation remains the same; most of us are sent to our families, friends, neighbours and workmates.
May we walk with beautiful feet, sharing the Love of God and the message of Salvation to many.
Our harvests of tomorrow are hiding in our seeds of today. The truth is, when we give our offering, is not leaving our lives - it’s entering our future.
The destructive Words we say about ourselves will affect the condition of our souls. Have there been words spoken over your life that have continued to influence your beliefs about yourself? It’s so easy to internalise what others say and then go on to live out those words.
Our lives are like a garden…we’re continually planting seeds and reaping harvests. Therefore, we need to be purposeful and careful what we sow, knowing we will reap a harvest.
Prayer is an opportunity to ask God to meet our needs, but it’s also an opportunity to connect with heaven and to wait on the Holy Spirit to speak. As we cultivate a devoted prayer life, let’s be conscious of the wonderful by-products that come our way.
Being devoted involves aligning our priorities with Jesus' teachings, engaging in prayer and community, and using our time, talents, and resources to support God's kingdom.
For a church to be seen as a growing church, fellowship is a must. As a body of Christ comprises of many parts, we all need to show our love for one another by sharing all our lives and events together as the early church did. Christians need to belong to the whole body and be devoted to one another, for it is from our love for each other, that we'll be known to be Christ-like.
Last week, Ps Andy gave an introduction to the new series "A Growing Church". This next instalment from Ps Camille in our Growing church series takes a look at 'Devoted to the word - the power of Apostolic Teaching.
Like the church in Acts 2, we must devote ourselves to strong solid doctrinal teachings that help us to build strong foundations. Who and what we believe and become are shaped by these teachings as what we hear, takes root in our hearts and bears fruit.
As we grow, the importance of this is even more pronounced as the truth within the Apostolic doctrine will anchor, form and equip us for the work ahead.
As Family Church Congregations begin a series of thoughts called "The Growing Church", Ps Geoff speaks on 'Devoted' after an introduction by Ps Andy Elmes.
Are we devoted to the Word of God, to fellowship, prayer and the breaking of bread, these four spiritual pillars of biblical truth? The bottom line is this: are we devoted to seeking first the Kingdom of God, or are we just fitting God into our way of life?
Waiting can be a hard thing to do generally but for those of us who know Christ, waiting for His return is not hopeless. Our bridegroom will one day return for us His bride and so while waiting, we eagerly anticipate and prepare for His return.
Spiritual identity theft occurs when someone or something tries to rob you of who you are in Christ. We all know what it feels like when dealing with those negative whispers and self-doubts. Our identity is the key to your destiny. The goal of the enemy is to steal or confuse the identity of a Believer. As believers, we are no longer defined by our past sins or worldly identities but by our new life in Christ.
Adele shares some thoughts on the back of this year's Trailblazers Youth Summer Camp...
Being in Christ is not just a word that hangs over the door of one's life. Nor is it a badge you wear on your chest; it's a way of life, the most powerful and fulfilling way of life you can imagine. The more we know who we are in Christ, the more we can live a successful Christian life.
Never is it called the seed of a woman; it's always referred to as the seed of Man. But Jesus wasn't born from the seed of man; otherwise, he would have taken on the nature of fallen flesh and the lost identity of mankind.
Rather than man looking to God as his all-sufficient one, Adam chooses to walk another path, and from that moment on, All Mankind lost its God given identity.
Mark 11:24 New King James Version
Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Ps Geoff Speaks today on a special Encounter Sunday.....
God uses ordinary people to multiply His Church through faith, courage, transformation, and humility. We’re called to be available—carrying others to Christ, standing for truth, and trusting God’s authority. Through our lives, God can bring healing, salvation, and kingdom expansion to those around us.
Elijah addresses the one thing that would rob the widow of God's miracle-working power, he says, Do Not Fear…She chose to believe in the Word of God over the circumstances before her. She made up her mind that if God said it, that settles it…
Jesus was continually stretching the disciples' faith, growing and developing their trust in Him in everyday ways. Only Jesus can turn our Emptiness into Fullness…
Very often, we are the ones who limit God's provision…The key to seeing God’s miraculous working in our lives is often linked to our obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit and to the Word of God.
Jesus will always be the answer to all mankind's lacks. If you have a lack of anything today, take Jesus' advice and bring them to Him. When we place our lack in His hands, something miraculous is about to happen.
As believers, we’re called to live in a way that reflects Jesus to the world around us. As we do so, we reflect His light and His heart, shining as a beacon of hope in a world that is consumed by darkness and evil.
The harvest is plentiful all around us. As followers of Christ, let us prayerfully seek the Holy Spirit’s strength and courage to step out and share the gospel of salvation with those around us.
Jesus commissioned His Church to take His message to the ends of the earth and that mission starts right where we are. God has placed each of us in unique environments filled with opportunities: in our workplaces, walking groups, schools, or even in casual encounters with neighbors we've never spoken to.
Let us open our hearts and eyes to these moments, allowing God to use us as vessels of His grace and truth. The time to share His love is now.
In God's design to grow His family, we see His heart for us to reach our own natural families.
This week's message on Household Salvation unpacks this and challenges us to not look past those closest to us, but to also see their need for Jesus and to share Him with them.
God’s original design was for those He created to go forth and multiply, and for His people to walk in relationship with Him. But Adam blew this apart by acting on the deception of the serpent, but Jesus came and, by God's Grace, He restored all that Adam lost…The Church is now the Family of God; we are His household
Spiritual multiplication began the moment Jesus dealt with the sin issue on the cross and rose from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now we are called to GO with the message of the cross into our worlds, because of the cross of Jesus, many will believe…
We cannot underestimate the enormity of Easter Sunday and the seismic impact the Cross made on all humanity. Death couldn’t hold Him, and the grave couldn’t keep him…The King Had Just one more move.
The "fall" of humanity resulted in separation, sin, selfishness, brokenness and disharmony in our relationship with God and with creation around us. Yet, God's ultimate goal was to restore His original design through Jesus Christ.
We all have a role to play, a calling to fulfil, a gift to give. Jesus spoke about the parable of the talents and the importance of us using our gift in the Kingdom of God.
God’s Word is the key to us walking in the authority and power Jesus passed on to us, therefore…We should read the Bible regularly. We need to declare it boldly in prayer and stand on His promises in faith.
When we place God’s Word as being the final authority in our lives we are empowered to live a life aligned with God's will, His promises and His purposes being fulfilled in us and through us.
If the heart is the landing pad for the seed of God’s Word…And if that seed needs to go into the ground of our heart before we see it producing…Then we need to wait expectantly for the results, because the seed is perfect, incorruptible and full of power to produce…
Pilate 2000 years ago was looking directly at the Origin of all Truth but refused to accept it…But the question still remains…What is truth…Jesus said you will know the truth, because He is Truth.
So as we read God’s Word (logos) each day, we should ask God to speak to us through it and give us insight into its application to our lives. As we meditate on the specific verses, and by faith apply them to our lives, they become rhema to us, giving us spiritual life.
Ps Camille speaks on How do we Worship this week, following the current series about worship. Her emphasis is on a lifestyle of worship.
Worship isn't confined to only when we meet together within the four walls of the places we meet. It is living a life that constantly honours and glorifies our Father in heaven..
We worship the one who was and is and who is to come…He is the one and only true and living God, who stands immovable, He is incomprehensible, indescribable and irresistible. Jesus is the one deserving of all our worship.
What’s the value of our alabaster box, what do we offer to Jesus in our times of worship and in our personal times of devotion…? True worship is based on a right understanding of God’s nature, and it is a right valuing of God’s worth.
Our commitment to God is to make Jesus known to the world around us. It was by understanding God’s incredible love demonstrated by Jesus' death on the cross that our lives were changed and transformed from death to life. This is the message the world around us needs to hear.
Ps Andy delivers a keynote message today regarding vision for the whole of Family Church during 2025. He explains how important it is for us to have a vision (Proverbs 29:18, Where there is no vision, the people perish) and thanks all those who have contributed in any way to the outworking of the church vision the previous year. Ps Andy then concentrates his message around two words the Lord gave him, namely Magnify and Multiply. With reference to a myriad of scriptures he explains the vision for all of the Family Church congregations tying this in with God's Word.
Our decisions today help shape the outcome of our tomorrow…Abraham chose to follow God’s plan in his today and became the Father of many Nations in his tomorrow. David looked after his father's sheep in his today and ruled as King of Israel in his tomorrow.
God has preordained and pre-planned for us to encounter Him in a life-changing way and in specific ways along life's journey.
It’s time to let go of ‘what was’, in order to take hold of ‘what’s next’ Don’t allow your past to rob you of your future. He is the God of my Yesterday, He is God of my Today & He is the God of my Tomorrow…
Do we doubt God and His Word, or are half-hearted towards God and His Word or do we trust God implicitly?
For hundreds of years, His miraculous birth, His amazing life and His unlawful death had all been spoken of by the prophets with pinpoint accuracy. Jesus You Were Worth The Wait.
He forgives us, He heals us, He redeems us, He crowns us, He satisfies us and He renews us! It is the will of God that we, His children are satisfied with good things…
We were all heading towards destruction, and many of our lives were influenced by the wrong people, or by our poor decisions, in reckless living or out-of-control lives. But He redeems our lives from destruction.
It's good to know God cares for our health and well-being. He brings healing to us in this life through both natural and miraculous ways. He is the healer of the body as well as of the soul.
We no longer need to stand at a distance from God or in opposition to God, today we can enjoy the peace treaty Jesus paid for when He went to the cross.
By being “God Consciousness" we can pursue peace with all people as the Holy Spirit helps and strengthens us to do so.
As Jesus speaks into the life of the disciples he tells them that they have a choice; that they have the power to be troubled or not to be troubled. The solution to their troubles was in their hands.
The world around us seems to have plunged into greater depths of madness and chaos, trouble is not only on the horizon but in our lives every day. The way we fight against a troubled heart is by trusting Jesus.
Isaac speaks on the empowerment that the Holy Spirit provides to us in our lives as part of the series, Jesus Empowers.
The empowerment of the Holy Spirit is not a luxury for the Christian life—it is a necessity. Without Him, we can do nothing of eternal significance. But with His power, we can be bold witnesses, live holy lives, serve effectively in ministry, and experience God’s transformative work in us and through us. Let us be like the early disciples who eagerly awaited the Holy Spirit’s power and, when they received it, turned the world upside down for Christ. Today, may we surrender our lives fully to the Spirit, walk in obedience, and expect to see His power manifested in our lives. As we do, we will not only experience personal transformation but also be vessels of God’s love, truth, and power in a world that desperately needs to know Jesus.
The Fruit of the Spirit manifests the life and nature of the Holy Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit express the power and Ability of the Holy Spirit.
Ps Camille speaks this week on The Fellowship of The Holy Spirit, continuing the series on Jesus Empowers. 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV) states "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all". The use of the word all is extremely significant here. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead and is resident in all believers. There is no such thing as a non Spirit filled Christian!
Because He is now resident in us, we are able to cultivate a relationship with Him that allows Him to be a part of every aspect of our lives. He is our Helper, our guide and our comforter.
Listen as Ps Camille unwraps this amazing subject. Without the Holy Spirit we are nothing, with the Holy Spirit we can do all things!
God the Holy Spirit is now in us, guiding us, comforting us, helping us and empowering us in our everyday normal lives…
Ps Andy speaks across all Family Church congregations about the next phase of our discipleship journey. At the start of the year we concentrated on two sets of teachings. The first one was called Jesus is - Christology. We looked at the person of Jesus, who the Bible reveals Him to be in the Old and the New Testaments. Following this, we moved on to a second series called Soteriology, the doctrine of salvation. We took a few weeks to study, how incredible our Salvation is, how wonderfully the Lord has saved us, what He achieved in the finished work of the Cross with Jesus.
Ps Andy then speaks about how we are to move to a third part of our discipleship series, which we are calling 'Jesus Empowers'. This is Pneumatology and it's the Doctrine or the study of the person and works of the Holy Spirit.
Ps Andy continues with an introduction to this series which again is fundamental to our understanding of our Christian walk.
The trouble with natural thinking is, we have a tendency to think we’re much smarter than we actually are. But clearly, the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Ps Steu speaks about the power of Yes. He breaks this into four areas along with personal anecdotes and scriptural references showing how 'yes' is the answer to being aligned with and serving God. The'yes' also usually results in changes that create a 'no' in other areas of our lives.
1 Samuel 17:32 (NIV) says "David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” Here we see how a 'yes' committed David.
Matthew 4:19-20 (NIV) says “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. This 'yes' caused action to take place...they immediately left their nest and followed Him..
A 'yes' creates shift in our lives...sometimes to a place entirely out of our comfort zone. The 'yes' of Simon, Andrew, James and John changed the course of their lives. They move from where they were to, where they where God wanted them to be.
Ps Steu's fourth 'Yes' is that a 'Yes' means a 'No'! 'Yes' to God will bring breakthrough in our lives. We become free of the things that once distracted us, deceived us, free of old ways and old habits, just by saying, "God, 'Yes', I'm gonna run hard after you". The more we burn for God, the less we will burn for the things of the world.
In summary, a 'Yes':-
- Commits us
- Causes Action
- Causes Shift
- Usually means No as well
A 'Yes' to God means
- Whole heartedly running after God
- Being fully committed to God's house not just as spectators
- Becoming servants in God's house
- Servants becoming stewards
- People who really take ownership and fully own their responsibilities
God has all wisdom. He has all knowledge and all perspectives. He knows what is good, and right, and best, perfectly. He is all-wise. God in His wisdom has created every aspect of the world in which we live.
In the simplest of terms, God's glory is the essence of His complete nature. The only way to truly know what God is like and to know His attributes is through the revelation of God's Word to mankind.
God is holy, holy, holy…In Him, there is not even the faintest trace of evil. He is impeccably pure, wholly without fault, and uncompromisingly just. God cannot lie. He cannot make a wrong decision. He is blameless, timeless, and sinless. Yet this Holy God accepts us, loves us, forgives us and welcomes us into a relationship with Him.
Ps Gina speaks about experiencing our inheritance in Christ. Know what God has given us and actually experience it!
Listen to Ps Kerwin as he shares about guarding our hearts. Our hearts are very important in our relationship with God, so it is vital that we keep watch over their condition.
We were created for a more intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. When we are aware of who the Holy Spirit is and of His presence in our live, our experience can be different as our perspective changes and becomes different.
It’s so easy to talk ourselves out of what God wants to do in and through our lives because we feel unqualified, unworthy or unable…It doesn’t matter what trials you have faced, or the pain you’ve suffered, or what issues you’ve endured, remember that He is still at work in your life, He’s not done with you yet...
Biblical hope is like an anchor holding us steadfast when the storms and pressures of life are coming against us.This means that when everything looks bleak…when it seems like nothing makes sense, and when it feels like God’s promises will never come to pass in our lives, hope is the anchor that holds us steady… So keep on holding on!
When everything looks bleak or seems like nothing makes sense, and when it feels like God’s promises will never come to pass in our lives, hope is the anchor that holds us steady…So keep on holding on! Because God’s about to turn this around for our good!
Are you going through a tough season, right now…? It’s not the end of your story…God is still at work…There is Nothing that He Can not Turn Around for our good. God can take the very thing that looks like a total disaster in our lives and turn it into a wonderful victory.
This one thing is true…no matter which season we are experiencing right now, it will change. Because life never stands still for long…you will pass through this moment.
We were born into the first Adam as sons of disobedience and children of wrath, but at that moment of receiving Jesus as Lord and Saviour, we took on a new position in Christ of being children of the living God.
Regeneration is not a reforming of the old man, but is God making a brand new man in us. A spiritual awakening takes place, an inward transformation births within us by the Holy Spirit called the new creation.
Isaac speaks on Sanctification, carrying on the present series devoted to the benefits from our salvation through Christ Jesus. We are sanctified or set apart to be holy through His blood when we accept Him as Saviour and our sins are forgiven.
Ps Geoff speaks on week 4 of the series on Soteriology - the study our our Salvation through Christ.
The Old Testament sacrificial system established a structure to cover sin. But God’s plan of Redemption wasn’t over. He wanted to do away with the consequences of sin forever. 2000 years ago in steps, Jesus…and in the words of John the Baptist, he said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
Ps Steu shares on Part 3 of our series, ‘Jesus Saves’. He speaks about what it means to be reconciled to God… we are now friends of God! Having been reconciled to God, we are called to walk with Him, called to reconcile others to Him, and called to be reconciled to others.
Isaac speaks about the how we are justified by faith in Jesus though the divine exchange at the cross. We are justified before God - 'Just as if we never sinned' . However this has nothing to do with our performance and is all to do with Jesus who took our sin upon himself in order we might become justified in the sight of God.
Following the previous series of messages on Christology, Pastor Camille begins a new series of messages on Soteriology. This is the study of our salvation, through Jesus Christ. Ps Camille speaks specifically about Forgiveness - a crucial aspect within Soteriology. Listen to this exciting message to learn and understand about this aspect of our Christian faith.
God has done everything necessary through the work of the cross...and the power of His resurrection to give us New Life and a second chance. For our sins to be forgiven…For our guilt to be removed…For the peace of God to rule our lives. And for us to know that we're right with God! Jesus wasn’t finishing something with His resurrection. He was beginning something.
Understanding who Jesus is, what he did and why… is essential to us knowing Him and key to us receiving salvation and walking as a disciple of Jesus Christ. As the old hymn says, Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all.
As part of our Christology series, we often talk about Jesus being our Lord and Saviour… but what does it mean for Him to wear the titles of Prophet, Priest, and King?
Jesus was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament and the Messiah of the New. He rose from the grave to “become the first fruits of them that slept.” He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is Immanuel, the King of Glory who stands today on the right hand of His Father…
Where would we be if God had not sent His Son to die for us? Without the cross, we’d be “Walking in darkness, separated from God for eternity and without hope in this world…”
As we continue our series looking at the doctrine of 'Christology', this message explores the thought that Jesus is both fully man and fully God. We take time to explain how both of those things can be true at the same time, sharing why it's so vital for us that Jesus wasn't just a nice Jewish carpenter but was, and remains, the son of God.
Today, Pastor Andy begins to unpack the meaning behind Christology - that aspect of our faith relating to the person, nature and work of Jesus Christ. This is all part of our overall theme of being deeply rooted. Ps Andy mentions how the word Christology comes from two words “Christ,” referring to Jesus, and “-ology,” meaning "the study of", ie the study of Christ, both Jesus as a person and His works.
When our roots are firmly bedded in the Word of God spiritual growth will be evident to those around us as we will flourish and thrive in the things of God.
Family Church Gosport, can I encourage us all to run with the vision and, in these last days, be serious about putting God first and living for His Kingdom?
Ps Andy speaks about the Mission, Vision and Strategy for Family Church for the forthcoming year of 2024. The Mission is summed up on three words: Reach; Grow and Empower. The Vision is based around ten areas: Congregations; Services; Communities; Impact; Discipleship; Empowered; Leaders; Young People; Governance and Premises. Pastor Andy details each of these giving insight into the Strategy - the plans, goals and activities which during the course of 2024 will outwork the Vision. This is a year for everyone to deepen their relationship with God and put down deeper roots. There is a theme of being "rooted". We want to be rooted in our faith, place focus on helping people to learn about Him, believe in Him and walk in obedience to the things that He asks.
This is a MUST LISTEN message!!
These promises from God are on constant repeat, not year after year but day after day; they are new every morning…No matter how bad our today was, our tomorrow is a brand new day, a new start, a new opportunity and a clean slate.
Do we see ourselves in the same way that God see us…? I think that’s a really important question to ask ourselves, but what’s even more important is our personal response to that question. We may know what the bible says about us, but do our internal beliefs agree with what the Bible says about us personally?
God is still working on us and in us…we are not the finished article, yet. But the call in all our hearts is heading toward the higher calling of God in Christ.
Life doesn’t always give us the same experiences, but we all live with the same amount of days in the year...What will the year 2024 bring for us in our journey? First we must let go of the past.
Pastor Geoff addresses the congregation at the carol service for Family Church Gosport. The Love of God is so amazing we cannot take it in sometimes but this is the reason for the season! Listen and enjoy!
It’s time for us to start expecting God to do some great and mighty things in our lives, in His Church and in the community around us. Every morning we wake, let’s Expect the unexpected…
Pastor Steu speaks from Zechariah 4 about how when we don’t feel like there is much happening, or that we haven’t made the progress we would like to see, we have to remember 5 things:
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God has not forgotten you.
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God is just getting started.
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God is working behind the scenes.
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God will empower you.
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God has given you the right tools.
Even if we don’t fully believe everything the Word of God says about us…the devil does…and he will do all he can to stop us from walking in these truths.
Jesus lived to do the will of His Father, healing, delivering, restoring and setting free all who were oppressed by the devil. Therefore, God wants us to walk in all that He provided at the cross 2000 years ago, which includes soundness of mind, healing for our bodies and forgiveness of our sins.
Let's not grow weary in our prayers. There are times when it may feel like there’s no answers coming or no change to a situation, but know this - God has heard.
Not all prayer is the same…therefore, knowing which prayer to use at any given time is helpful to our prayer strategy.
Having the privilege of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and being able to pray the perfect prayer makes praying incredibly powerful.
The prayer of faith: is to ask God to accomplish what He has promised in His Word. That promise is the only ground for our confidence in asking. Such confidence is not "worked up" from within our emotional life; rather, it is given and supported by what God has said in Scripture.
Collective prayer is simply a gathering of people coming together and praying as one. When we gather together and combine our prayers as the body of Christ, the results are powerful.
Today is Global Sunday in Family Church and we celebrate all the represented nations in our congregations. Here in Gosport Congregation, Ps Geoff speaks with members of the congregation from different nations about the importance of praying for the persecuted church. Persecution of Christians is still rife in parts of the world and our prayers need to focus on their plight as well as our own immediate situations.
I would like to suggest that the two most important factors that will motivate us as believers to pray are…desire and need. Unfortunately, need is often the greatest motivation to pray when, in fact, desire should be the greatest motivation in a believer's life.
Pastor Steu shares some principles from the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6, expanding mainly on what the statement “Your Kingdom Come” means.
Prayer is “talking to God.” Prayer is not meditation or passive reflection; it is direct address to God. It is the communication of the human soul with the Lord who created the soul. Prayer is the primary way for the believer in Jesus Christ to communicate his emotions and desires with God and to fellowship with God.
Today, Pastor Andy launches a new series called House Of Prayer. This has been on his heart for a while and all FC congregation will focus on this for the rest of 2023. How can we be a praying people? Prayer is not a bolt on for church!, its a central part. Other faiths call people to prayer from tall towers, some churches ring bells. Jesus was passionate about prayer in the church 2000 years ago and is also passionate about prayer in the church today. In Matthew 16:18. He said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it". We need to build a church with Jesus according to his blueprint...
When we read about the day of Pentecost, we see it today when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon all flesh. But we also see it was the moment that the church was born. What was the church doing before it was born? They were praying and suddenly in their prayer meeting the Holy Spirit fell and the church of Jesus Christ was born.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV) says "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land". The people called by Hs name are us Christians!, our land, our lives can be healed and our sins forgiven if we humble ourselves before our God and pray and seek Him.
Next week, we begin to unpack all this in greater detail.
Do we take God's Presence for granted…and have we become all too familiar with the anointing of God and the manifest presence of God? Let's be conscious of His abiding presence and allow the fire of God to burn in our hearts.
God wants to shower His grace on each one of us…not just once or now and again, but over and over again…His empowering Grace allows us to live and walk through the circumstances of life from a place of victory.
As God has trusted us all with His talents, different from each other, we need to use them for the glory of God to bring joy to the body of Christ.
There are times in this journey when all seems good, life is sweat, and we don’t have a problem in the world, and we praise the Lord for those times. And there are times when we can feel under pressure or that the weight of the world is on our shoulders. It’s in these moments of life we dig deep and trust God.
We need to wake up and be aware of how the enemy works. The Bible says the people in the land were being used to bring discouragement to those that were willingly building God’s House…
The moment we received Jesus into our hearts, we begin a journey of discipleship or discovery of learning, growing and maturing in the faith. True Discipleship is a lifelong process for all of us…
We can all be experts in noticing other people's issues and, at times taking things one step further and wanting to highlight them or tell others about them.
Family Church Pastors gather for a Round Table discussion on the true meaning of the scripture Acts 2:42 and following....
The NIV Bible titles this ‘The fellowship of the believers’
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
The NKJV Bible titles this ‘A Vital Church Grows’
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ [n]doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
All of our Pastors draw vitally important nuggets from this scripture in relation to the future of our Church Fellowship. This is a ‘must listen’ message!!
As Noah built an arc to save himself and his family, as Christians, we need to build ourselves in the salvation of Jesus Christ.
Jesus, in the New Testament, shed His Blood in an unbreakable covenant with God, and we being in Christ, are beneficiaries of that better covenant founded on better promises.
Almighty God was revealing to Abraham and to his seed that’s us that He is the Almighty God, the All-Sufficient God, and the God of More Than Enough. The Word of God says, “There is nothing that I cannot do…Why? Because there is nothing too hard for God.
Have we completely and wholeheartedly surrendered our lives to Jesus as Lord…? Are we prepared to follow Him as the first disciples did and lay down our lives to fulfil the life He has for us? Are we at the place where we're no longer withholding anything from God? All that I am is yours, and all that I have is yours?
When the Great “I AM” opens His mouth and speaks, every power that attempts to defy Him or His Word is pushed backwards and shaken until it staggers, stumbles, and falls to the ground!
When the Great “I AM” opens His mouth and speaks, every power that attempts to defy Him or His Word is pushed backwards and shaken until it staggers, stumbles, and falls to the ground!
God's gift of the Holy Spirit was given for us, and for His Church, but also for all those who are walking in darkness that need His transformational touch upon their lives.
Ps Camille speaks about how the Holy Spirit empowers us to understand Gods Word, to pray the perfect prayers and to live in victory!
If you've received Jesus as Lord and Saviour and have been baptised in the Holy Spirit, you can expect to be led by the Spirit of God. Being led by the Holy Spirit enables us to walk in His ways for our life, seeing the purposes of God unfolding before us as we yield to His leading.
The key to living a Spirit Filled Life is us having an insatiable hunger and spiritual thirst for God.
Pastor Nacho reminds us how we are now the temples of God and encourages us to expect that just as His glory was manifested in the temple (1 Kings 8:11), so His glory can break out in our lives today as well, because Christ in us is the hope of glory ( Colossians 1:27).
Pastor Steu speaks about how we are recipients of His ‘all giving’ love and how we have been called by God to take His love to others. He discusses 1 Corinthians 13:7 which reveals that God’s love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through all circumstances.
We have been called to take this love to the people around us.
We can do this because the Holy Spirit has filled our hearts with God’s love.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our Christian faith. These are the most powerful words ever spoken "He is not here … He is Risen."
As we walk along the pathway God's laid before us, we need to be watchful for the destructive landmines and plots of the enemy.
We can, at times, go down the wrong path, hit a dead end, or we can become disillusioned and frustrated, but eventually, if we keep going, we'll get there. But is there a better way than dead ends and wrong ways in life…? I believe there is, and if we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, He will direct our paths.
Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend. Don’t give up on what God has promised you, the sands of time may be passing by, but the purposes of God will come to pass…
The Holy Spirit is God living inside of you, filling you, empowering you, anointing you, and flowing through you…This is why nothing is impossible for those who believe..!
Kairos moments can bring about unusual occurrences. Things that never happen will occur against ridiculous odds. Divine interventions coming to pass in ways that make no earthly sense.
We should keep our ears attuned to the Lord’s voice so that we notice when He interrupts time and space and does something extraordinary. This is exactly what happened in the life of Nehemiah…
God will position His people to fulfil His purposes in key moments of time in every generation. Our Kairos time is our time, in time, to shine, to make our mark in the sands of time and to fulfil God’s purpose and design for our lives.
Let’s bring some sharp focus to the thought of "knowing the times" that we’re in personally…If we knew Jesus was to return in the next 10 months, what right now would change in your world?
Today is Vision Sunday across all congregations of Family Church. Pastor Andy speaks about the vision for the church for the whole of this year 2023. Naturally the church’s mission is to reach, grow and empower people and reach those who do not yet know Jesus. However, Andy has specific words for our Vision during 2023. We are in a moment, perhaps unprecedented, where God is about to move by His Spirit, through His church, in a way people have never seen before. Pastor Andy perceives we are in a Kingdom moment; this is a moment where His Kingdom which cannot be shaken will be experienced by those who live in kingdoms that can be shaken - viewing the world.
The Bible says in Hebrews 12 we are a part of a Kingdom which cannot be shaken. We are in a world where everything is currently shaking. There will be revealing of a Kingdom and a Kingdom people which cannot be shaken because their God is God. This is a Kingdom moment, a moment when God is about to move. We must be ready for what God is about to do – a continuation of the theme of encounter.
Pastor Andy defines this as a Kairos moment – a God ordained moment in history, as opposed to Chronos (sequential and quantitative). Alternatively, view Kairos as the most opportune moment for action. Andy refers to many scriptures as examples of God ordained moments of time but perhaps the best example comes from the book of Esther. Esther was positioned to prevent destruction of the Jews, although she did have to use her influence with the king in order to do so.
As we walk through this year just maybe we also have been positioned for such a time as this. Where we have congregations in England and the Philippines with any favour that we are walking in just maybe we have been positioned in life for a time such as this for a moment that God did long before any of us were born. God says there is a year called 2023, that's the Kairos, there is a moment in that year where the world is falling and in that moment, the church is going to stand on our feet, and begin to be my body, my hands, my feet, my whole life.
Esther could have shrunk back, she could have said “I like my life, I am the Queen, I could lose everything….” She knew when she appeared before the king, he would either extend his sceptre or not. If he didn't extend his sceptre, she would have been put to death. If he extended his sceptre, she could ask for up to half of his kingdom – quite a lot of pressure! She prays and fasts and walks in before the king presenting her request. A God moment follows resulting in a complete change of the circumstances saving the Jews.
This is a Kairos moment. Esther 4:14 (NKJV) says “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” We need to awaken our hearts and say, God use me. If we are a prayer warrior, it's time to pray; if we are a giver, it’s time to give; if we are a server it’s time to serve and so on. The Kairos moment is upon us….for such a time as this.
God is seeking those who will worship Him in Spirit and truth. The Christian life is marked by heartfelt, genuine worship that leads us into His presence.
We serve the living God who appears to ordinary people in ordinary circumstances in order to reveal to them an extraordinary encounter He has in His heart for us.
Do you feel that your prayer life has dried up…? Have you lost the joy of your salvation, and you're just going through the motions? Have you lost your heart for worship or the joy of being the Church…? Have you stopped reading the Word of God…? Have you stopped sharing the Gospel of Jesus with others…? If any of these describe your walk with God today, can I suggest you need a fresh encounter with God?
Everything about Christmas centres around baby Jesus, but the heart of Christmas reveals the love of God. It tells of God's overwhelming love for mankind, which drove Him to reach out to humanity with an act of love that goes beyond human comprehension. At Christmas, we are not just celebrating the birth of Jesus, we are celebrating the Love of God the Father.
As much as we may have a desire for God, many times we don't realise that He desires us much more! And as we spend time in God’s presence just to be with Him we will encounter the abiding presence of God in a deeper way.
We are Honourable - this means giving Honour where God says it is due. True honour is an outflow from a heart that fears God.
Responsive means to be constantly responsive and active, never apathetic and passive, to God and His call. Responding positively to the call and purposes of God using what we've been given for the glory of God is one of the key values of Family Church.
Unselfish love is the key to unwavering support, we are called to be His hands, His feet, and His heart to the world around us and especially to those who do not know Him.
Serving God is a joyful expression of our heart transformation knowing God’s love for us and now living our lives for Him, knowing we who have freely received are now freely giving back to God, to His Church and to the community around us.
The Church is God's household and we are members of God's family. Anyone who walks through our doors ought to know they’ve walked into God’s House…It may not be their spiritual home or their style of church, but they should be conscious that we’re God’s family.
We Are Worshippers…Passionate in praise and intimate in worship, hungry for God’s presence. Worship is all that we are, reacting rightly to all that He is.
The infinite God of the Bible, the creator of all things now lives in us by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit…We can’t earn His presence and we can’t be good enough to gain His presence, but it's by His grace we have been saved, sealed, filled and empowered to live spiritual lives to glorify Him.
If we would get to know Him better, we would discover the riches that He has for us. And where are these riches? They are in His Word. Jesus said, "In the volume of the book it is written of Me".
The Family Value of Empowering means that we are…Equipping disciples to serve God in all spheres of life.
Growing into all that God has called us to be, continually transformed by His Word and Spirit.
A Christ-Centred life is a life that is focused solely upon a commitment to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as Lord and Saviour. A life that’s sole purpose is to honour and glorify Him forever.
Society around us recognises the importance of values and so do we as Family Church, it’s important we know what value we place on Spiritual truth and how that affects our lives…
As we walk in the light, darkness will no longer be able to fill our vision and we'll be able to lead others from the darkness into His marvellous light.
In this message Pastor Andy shows how Grace, Love and Fellowship are vital to our lives.
There's a false teaching going around in Christian circles in the UK today, saying we no longer need to tithe or give my offerings, but I’ll ask the Holy Spirit and I’ll give my money to whom I want. This is not what was being taught in the early church, this was not part of the apostle's doctrine...Our being faithful with what we do have releases the abundance of God's provision in supernatural ways.
I believe God honours those who tithe not because we’re following the Old Testament Law but because of the principle of returning to God a tenth with a heart of thanksgiving.
So the first thing we need to establish if we’re going to operate in a Kingdom way of handling our finances…Is that God is our provider, regardless of where we work or how much we earn or what we have in the bank.
Understanding the Reasons for Worship - Worship is a response from the new creation where we express our adoration and devotion to God, giving Him an exclusive place in our hearts.
Understanding the Reasons for Praise ...........So what is praise and why do we do it? Today we are going to take a look at 3 aspects of Praise... exaltation, proclamation and Spiritual warfare. In a sentence…We Praise Him because He is…The Most High God…
Don’t allow the god of this age to rob you from praising God. Don’t allow the subtlety of his deception to distract you from pressing into God. In the words of Matt Redman, “We’re coming back to the heart of worship and it’s all about you Jesus, it's all about you”.
We were created by God to worship Him alone. Worship focuses our attention God, who He is, His majesty His night and His worth.
In life we all face storms at different times. It’s unavoidable. So how we handle life’s storms really matters. In Mark 4 we see that Jesus and His disciples went through a terrible storm. When we look at Jesus we see a perfect example of how to handle the storms. This message will help you maintain peace in your heart and teach you how to deal with the wind and waves that come when the storms blow.
Our union to Christ means that everything that is true of Jesus is now legally true of us because we are now found in Him. Understanding our new and true identity in Christ Jesus is vitally important to every aspect of our spiritual growth and maturity.
Knowing our true identity in Christ will have an influence on every area of our lives for our good. Therefore seeing ourselves through God’s eyes will enable us to walk in our true identity that was once lost in Adam but regained through Jesus Christ.
Every day of our lives we’re faced with moments where we can operate from the merely human part of our thinking, as a soulish being or a mere man. Or by behaving spiritually and allowing the life-giving Spirit of God to lead and direct our responses in life.
We must first believe he is who He says He is before we can believe what He says about us and what He says we are. This message by Pastor Camille follows on from Pastor Geoff's message last week at Gosport congregation.
Our life in Christ is so amazing. Therefore we need to stop living with an identity crisis.
The more we get to know Jesus, the more we will be able to identify areas in our lives where we’re not living true to our new identity by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Easter is God’s invitation to each and every one of us to receive Him and to know Him and for Him to empower us to walk a new and changed life. A life of freedom, forgiveness, abundance, restoration, faith, and purpose and a life empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s “good fight” included overcoming every obstacle that could be thrown at him, so, let’s not become weary in doing good, keep on the track running our best lap for Jesus. Even in the midst of all these things, Paul continued to proclaim his victory in Christ.
What words would be written in your memory…What inscription would be written on your tombstone? Our story isn’t complete, for some, there’s one final chapter yet to be lived, for others here today you’ve got many more to live through. Are you running your best lap for Jesus…?
Relays can be won or lost at changeovers. As children of God, we are encouraged to not only live well but to also teach future generations in the ways of God. Every generation has a responsibility to the generations following them.
Living free from the clutter and the weights that hinder our lives is so important as they can affect our hearts, and our spiritual walk. True transformation will often begin in our soul, our mind, our will and our emotions our thought processes and reasonings. To run our best lap and to remain focused on Jesus we all need to do these three things on a regular basis.
Things happen in this life which are unfair, unjust and wrong but Satan will do his utmost to keep us trapped in the chains of our past…This is the race we run for Christ…We stay the on course in spite of trials and persecutions, we stay on track and don’t allow distraction to lead us off course and we stay in our lane focused on the prize.
You might not have ever placed importance on receiving a crown and right now it may not mean a thing to you, but Jesus said, "Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown."
If the Apostle Paul described the Christian life as a fight or a race…how would you describe your Christian life…? Paul here likens it to a competition where there’s an expectation for us to run and to be a winner and obtain a crown.
Paul's religious training and zeal as a Pharisee was exemplary and without fault…In his own words he saw himself as being, blameless, but in all his understanding and zeal he was running in the wrong direction. This is a most awesome piece of teaching from Pastor Geoff...a not to be missed podcast!
Pastor Andy delivers an absolute ‘must hear’ message for Vision Sunday 2022. This is all about running our best lap yet in the race of life. Fundamentally this is being active doing what God wants and needs us to do to make a difference to the world we live in. We are leaving a season of lockdown and moving into a season of having a mighty job to do, running with passion in our hearts for all that God wants us to achieve. Pastor Andy speaks of the story of Joseph and his amazing release from wrongful imprisonment (Genesis 39-41) to provide interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams. The doors of lockdown were opened for him then and God did incredible things with Joseph becoming in charge of Pharaoh’s palace and all his people. God will do equally incredible things with us as he did with Joseph. He came out of the prison cell ready to run his best lap yet using the gifts God had given him! Just as God used Joseph in his time He will use us individually and as a church in all the places He has positioned us. Hebrews 12, 1-2 speaks of those who ran their best race (the great cloud of witnesses) but also speaks of us as well….instructing us to throw off all sin and that which entangles us and then to run with perseverance the race set out before us fixing our eyes on Jesus who perfects our faith. Ps Andy goes on to speak of 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV) “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” Our hearts desire should be to say we have run the race God set before us, lived our lives in pursuit of Him and are ready to receive a crown of righteousness!
Internal Breakthroughs are often more needful than external breakthroughs because they affect our soulish man, but also impact our spiritual walk. The greater the hurt, the more important it is for us to release the internal pain, which can only begin when we choose to forgive others. The moment we receive a revelation of Jesus forgiveness in our lives, we will be more able and willing to forgive those that have hurt us.
One of the most difficult things to do regarding breakthroughs is to examine one’s own heart to see if the breakthrough needs to come from within. We can blame others for the things they did to us…Or we can blame others for the words they spoke to us…Or we can blame others for the way our life’s been affected by them…you may feel justified in doing so…but you will always be paying the price for their wrongs.
We must receive the Word of God in our hearts and then send it out by the words of our mouths, declaring what God has said over circumstances and situations we are trusting for breakthroughs in.
The Lord will guard you from all dangers. He will guard your life. The Lord will guard you as you come and go, both now and forever. If we embrace this spiritual truth it has the potential to bring about a significant breakthrough against the traps and pitfalls the enemy puts before us. 2022 has the potential to define who we are or we can redefine our lives based on the truths found in Gods Word…
So for us to have a living faith that’s dynamic in its working we need a combination of three specific things working together…The Word of God in our heart…The Word of God coming out of our mouths…then stepping out with a corresponding action in faith based on the Word of God.
You receive what you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth in alignment with God’s will. The key to receiving is knowing the Will of God through the Word of God, then it is declaring what you believe to be true. Hebrews 10:23 Amplified Bible Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful to His word.
Thoughts: The first, and the most important aspect of the fundamental basics of faith is to believe the Word of God. It isn’t enough to just know of the Word of God—you need to believe the Word of God. That means, whenever a challenge arises, the first place you go for answers is the Word of God.
Ps Camille begins a new series in the Gosport congregation which aims to look at how we may 'live by faith' with practical examples along the way to illustrate the real biblical application of this aspect of Kingdom living.
As believers, we need to identify with all that God has already done for us, we have been completely liberated and set free. The purpose of God sending Jesus to earth was to take on our enemies head-on and defeat them, and by so doing, GIVE us the victory that we could not earn!
We know that every seed produces after its own kind...Then the seed that Jesus became has produced a harvest of Christlike ones who reflect the true nature of God. Are we living our Christian lives according to the spiritual DND of the Christ seed which is our true nature in God?
You are free to make the choice of what you sow, but you are NOT free from the consequences of the seeds you sow. Faith in Jesus and the pursuit of godliness is...Sowing to the Spirit. Sowing to the flesh is depending on ourselves and our ability and our desires to find our own way without God’s help, will reap nothing but a dead end.
The issue isn’t will God provide or will the law of Seedtime and Harvest work…But the issue is with us believing God's fixed laws of seedtime and harvest will work for me personally and then being ready to sow financial seed. Therefore do we trust God to provide for our natural needs...or Do we have a trust issue. People with a trust issue will struggle to give, they will struggle to tithe and they will struggle with generosity.
The Lord of the Harvest........... We have the greatest story of all time to tell and that’s His-story… Every time we share the gospel of Jesus Christ we are planting life giving seeds into the hearts of those we talk to... If we really want to see souls saved, lives turned around and people finding God then we’ve got to sow gospel seeds on a regular basis…
I believe we need a personal revelation of God being the Lord of the Harvest in all aspects of the word. The natural and the spiritual law of seed-time and harvest will never cease to exist, it is one of God's fixed laws that will never change. Be assured that all the time the earth remains or you remain here on the earth the principle of seed-time and harvest will work for you.
Paul expected the Church at Ephesus to understand that God’s answer to our prayer never hinges on His ability, but rather, His will.
The bible is full of people that society would say, they’re too hard to reach, or they’re too sinful to change, or they’re not worthy of God’s Grace...But thanks be to God who is able to save to the uttermost.
Never let an impossible situation get the better of you, but let’s allow them to motivate us – to pray more, trust Him more, expect more. Nothing is impossible with God or for God...because God's power and ability are infinite and limitless.
We need to remember that when the troubles of life hit, God is our fortress, our strength, and our defense. In times of trouble, our all-powerful God is standing beside us, He’s gone before us and He’s living within us.
God loves to do what we and the world around us would call impossible, heal the incurable, do the unbelievable, the inconceivable, unattainable and the unimaginable.
Nothing is impossible with God or for God... because God's power is infinite and limitless, and through Jesus Christ, all the forces of the universe are held together.
When we’re up against overwhelming circumstances, or facing insurmountable struggles…Or we’re in desperate need of finances or we’re faced with a devastating diagnosis. We may see no way out. We may feel totally helpless in being able to fix it or sort it or change it…But God.
Walking the blessed life doesn’t mean everything we ever wished for will suddenly appear in our laps…But on the other hand, we need to stop limiting God…
There are too many believers who are walking around in life not knowing how blessed they really are. They’re saved from a lost eternity which is more than enough, but in God comes all the blessings, the trimmings, the cherry on the cake, the extras.
When was the last time you threw yourself at Jesus’ feet because He’d forgiven you, helped you, delivered you or set you free…We should be giving God our best and most exuberant praise and thanksgiving.
We need to stop looking at our circumstances and keep our eyes FIXED on Him because He is FAITHFUL to fulfil ALL His promises to you and He will not fail us
Pastor Andy’s message this week is titled “Where Next”? After discussing the shape of things to come for both the previously established congregations (pre Covid) and also the newly established online congregation, he speaks about the very definition of a Christian or more usefully a Disciple, or a Believer. Are we called something yet our attributes do not confirm the name we give ourselves? If we are a follower of Jesus do we properly purpose in our hearts to follow Him? Do we dedicate in our hearts to follow Jesus in all His steps, placing our attention in Him? Jesus called people to become followers and disciples in the Gospels and He does the same today – to have a daily experience of Him in their world. Jesus calls us into a daily relational walk with Him now just as He did in the Gospels. All Jesus disciples in the gospels had security in what they did and left this and at some cost started to follow Jesus in a new journey. They did not look back. They needed to leave their previous security to join Him and follow Him into something much better. Will we lay down our comforts and put Him first in all things advancing with Him?
There are times in our walk with God that we need to “put our heart on our road” and trust Him in the journey ahead.
Today is the last in the current series by Pastor Andy Elmes ‘Commissioned’, with this week’s message being about Kingdom Lifestyle. We've been looking at Matthew 28 verses 19-20. God says go into all the world and make disciples baptizing them teaching them to obey. People get really carried away with loving the word grace and love and mercy, but obedience is equally a powerful word. Matthew 28, 20 does say “teaching them to obey everything”….this means, training people to abide, to walk, in obedience to all that Jesus commanded. Jesus taught about Kingdom living, a new higher way of conducting ourselves. If we look at the teachings of Jesus in the gospels He often says to his disciples “go and declare the kingdom”. When Jesus walked the Earth, He didn't preach a gospel of atonement - He was the Gospel of atonement! He spoke of a kingdom, the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven that was present now, on earth. In Matthew 5 and 6 Jesus talks about Kingdom life and how to live it. In this message Jesus suddenly begins to redefine so much of what people thought was normal, but he brings fresh definition to it and says, no, that's not how you live. This is how you live to me. That's what the Lord is asking us to do when he says “ …teach people to obey my Commandments”, - the ways that I've taught you to live. He talks about being Salt and Light and so much more in these two chapters. Romans 12:2 (NIV) says “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will”. This is the Holy and best possible way for us to live beyond anything we ever imagined. In those moments in the battlefield of our minds we need to make sure the way He's taught us to live overcomes any previous way we may have lived before. This is when the victory that's contained in the word breaks into our daily lives.
When the zeal of God truly captures our hearts, it will ignite within us a great passion to walk with Him and to be His friend, therefore Consider Your Ways...
Pastor Andy continues his series on Commissioned, this week his title is Walking it Out. This series has been based on the incredible verses from Matthew 28:19 -20 known as the Great Commission. Andy speaks more about discipleship where we provoke each other to grow and develop a more intimate walk with the Lord than we've ever known before. We hear about each believer having a discipleship role……..being surrendered to someone so we have our own lives challenged and mentored and then also being able to help others as well. This richness gives us strength and daily growth in Christ which we need in order to prevent us stagnating in our relationship with Jesus. There are two experiences to being a Christian - we can go for a crowd experience or a disciple experience. If we go for a crowd experience, we will watch miracles. However if we go for a disciple experience, we get to handle them! Andy gives scripture references regarding how Paul speaks to the church in Corinth and elsewhere about still giving the people milk rather than solid food because they had not yet moved from being carnal Christians to spirit led ones. He warns us about not being offended regarding the purpose of the church in our lives – its easy to be led into a false sense of understanding here regarding the culture of Israel during biblical times. Andy speaks about how we want to help people to navigate their new life, the New Birth, the transformation of God that's happening in their world. So in Family Church, moving forward in regard to those who are be are giving their life to Christ in our services or in our in times when we meet each other, we want to be relational in our discipleship rather than purely educational. Andy gives a lot of details to some of the practical and exciting steps we shall be taking to outwork this vision. Next week is the final part to this series Commissioned.
Have we allowed the limitations of our natural thinking to reduce us to only believing in natural possibilities…
Today Pastor Andy preached the next message in his series ‘Commissioned’. The title is literally ‘The Next Step’! This amazing message is another of those absolutely must hear messages in the exciting time leading up to the regathering and rebuilding of the physical church as we move out of the lockdown we have been in this past year. Andy speaks in a captivating manner to further unwind the meaning of the scriptures in Matthew 28 where Jesus gives the great commission. Making disciples has to be part of the culture of whom and what we are as a church, daily not just Sundays. Andy speaks of disciples being ‘learners’ - everything that God could do for us is given us at the moment of salvation but we spend our lives ‘learning’ what that means and living in the reality of it. Christianity is simply a walk with Jesus. Andy speaks of the heart changing moments of conversion giving rise to the born again experience, he mentions Matthew 11 where Jesus is saying to people to come to him all who are laden with their past and effectively be learners in a new life. We commit to walk with Him all the days of our lives. Andy speaks significantly of the two baptisms – of water and also of the Holy Spirit. Our water baptism representing our own death, burial and resurrection with Jesus in newness of life and the then infilling by The Holy Spirit to guide us, empower us and lead us on our way henceforth. These are two necessary experiences for us in our life of discipleship! This is indeed a most challenging and exciting message!
Way back in the history of Israel God spoke and said… “It’s Time to Consider your Ways…” This simple little phrase is equally relevant to us as Christians in the Church today. They were to consider their ways if they were to be blessed. We are to consider our ways because we have already been blessed.
Today is Pentecost Sunday and saw the beginning of a new series ‘Commissioned’ with this week’s title being Outward Looking. Pastor Andy speaks of us having our marching orders from Matthew 28 and how Family Church is going to be a flourishing Church coming out of lockdown, stepping into the next season. Key points from this Great Commission will be our focus in this series – Go; Make Disciples and Teach Kingdom ways of life to people and how they can walk in obedience to the ways that Jesus has taught us to live. Those three key aspects are our focus as a church coming out of lockdown into a time of flourishing that God has got for us. To begin, we must be a people of “Go”, sitting doing nothing will not get us anywhere and certainly not see any disciples made! The Great Commission isn't a commission alone? It's a Go-Mission. It's the great Go-Mission. We need to be outward-looking. When you watch our lives, it seems often we don't believe in Him. When we're outside the church, we stay quiet, we don't tell others and we’re not outward looking. But believe the power of the Holy Ghost is coming (even on this day called Pentecost Sunday!) to shake us up to a fresh awakening to be an outward-looking people, not a ‘stay’ people. We are all entrusted with a message; all are ambassadors to carry a message that has the power to take a person from Death to Life. Every believer, every follower of Jesus has been entrusted with a message, not just to be evangelists in the church, but everywhere we go. We have the power and the authority so how can we stay quiet?
This week Pastor Andy threw away his notes so he could preach the inspired word of God, titled ‘Get Ready’. This rip-roaring message was to stir our hearts as we gently come out of lockdown. Pastor Andy spoke about the church corporately and each of us individually coming out of our various lockdowns as Peter did in Acts 12 – story of his miraculous escape from prison. Andy likened Peter’s situation to that many of us find ourselves in (lockdown can be financial, emotional, relational, physical etc.) and then looked at how the bible spoke of Peters situation and how this is relevant to us. In Acts 12, the Angel of the Lord told peter to get up, get dressed and come, then the Iron Gate opened by itself and Peter was able to walk back into Jerusalem (the prison was outside the city) as God had more in store for him. But Peter knew how Jesus had spoken to him earlier – Matthew 16; 17-19 (NIV) - Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” The “gates of Hades” was in fact a cave entrance leading to underworld of false worship at that time in Caesarea Philippi, so Jesus revealed to Peter that His church would be built on the rock of the revelation that the Holy Spirit had enlightened Peter with and that this was not able to be overcome even by the worst of falsehood….this applies today as well. So as Peter slept in prison (Acts 12), the church prayed for him and he knew in his heart that although chained and guarded, he would not be overcome by Herod and his schemes. Peter knew he had Christ in his heart. Out of chaos, God brings glory, turns graves into gardens. Individually we also must look to Christ as our Messiah, be ready to get dressed, stand up and walk away from our lockdown with faith and authority that our God is unstoppable.
The message this week is titled Heavenly Hope and is the third in the series Heavenly Minded by Pastor Andy Elmes. The essence here is based on what Paul says in the book of Colossians that we are to set our mind & affections on things above not on things below. There is a very real life here and now for us to be involved in but we need to be conscious of what's happening in heaven right now but also that our true home is heaven one day. We live in an uncertain world, especially in the hopes it offers, but we need to understand as believers children of God, we have a Heavenly hope which is a certain hope which we have in this current world of uncertain hopes. Philippians 3:18-20 (NIV) says “For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ”. Pastor Andy explains how this verse colours in his point! If we only set our minds on earthly things we shall only ever have earthly hope. Hope is the simple belief that things can and will change. What is our hope built on - the fickle promises of man, our own intentions, our own ability or something of much greater strength, which is what God is speaking over our lives in our situation and eternity to come? We need to build our lives on that which is unshakable. The Bible says (Hebrews 12:26-27) that everything that can be shaken will be shaken to reveal that which can't be shaken - which is His kingdom and His Kingship. Faith is for the moment. We have what God has promised in the moment we live in. Hope believes that you will have the things that the Lord said you will have. Faith is for the moment, “in faith” is believing. We have what God has promised in the moment that we live, but hope is believing we have the things the Lord said we will have. Hebrews 6:17-20 (NIV) states “Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek”. God is unchanging and all His promises stand true. Pastor Andy ends with many scripture verses relating to Heaven. Let us keep our hope on God’s Unfailing promises.
We as Family Church fully recognise that Jesus is the risen King and the head of His Church and that His Church is the only true answer to the world's needs. He is the groom and we are His bride and we want to carry His heart and fulfil His will in His Church represented here in FC Gosport. Our desire is to see Jesus standing at the Head of His Church and the Holy Spirit moving in power within His Church.
This message is titled Heavenly Treasure and is the second in the series ‘Heavenly Minded’ by Pastor Andy Elmes. Andy recaps on last week’s message about Heavenly Rewards before again looking at scripture starting with Colossians 3:1-3 (NIV) “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God”. Are we as Believers as aware as we should be about the ramifications from our life here on Earth for God? Paul says quite adamantly in Colossians 3 that we are to set our minds and hearts on things above Heavenly things, but do we? Are we as believers consumed with the life that we're living now? This life isn't the be-all and end-all. There really is an eternity. How we live now affects how we shall find rewards in heaven and also what treasures are stored for us there. Jesus openly talked on the ability to store up in heaven, a treasure. We must understand we are sojourners here. There is a life to come and it's wise for a believer to have Heavenly mindedness in their thinking. Matthew 6:19-21 says (NIV) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. We learn from these teachings of Jesus - He recognized and openly taught on the two very real realms. Yes, there's the possibility of storing up treasure here, but He also taught that while we live here we can be storing treasures there in heaven. Jesus is also saying that our hearts will be where our treasure is stored!! If our minds and our attention and our affection are set on His kingdom, the treasure that our life produces will be there. By the life we live will be located our treasure.
Let’s love every room of the house and let’s be committed to playing our part in serving Him and supporting one another here in Family Church. And let’s be passionate about bringing others from the field of this world into our household of God.
This week Pastor Andy begins a new series called Heavenly Minded. The first message in this series is Heavenly Rewards, as Andy begins to take some time to look at how the Bible teaches us concerning Heavenly things. We need to be wise with how we spend our time, how we love our families, how we love people around us. We need to be of use to God, understanding there's an eternal life following this temporal life. The Bible reveals to us how our minds will be fully restored; every tear will be wiped away. So we need to understand that things that we do in this life have ramifications in the life that's going to follow – in heaven. Colossians 3, early verses state (NIV) “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God”. Are we heavenly minded? Many are not giving any thought to living in the light of eternity. The Bible teaches us that there are heavenly rewards for those that chose to be faithful to God in His kingdom, in this chapter of Life called the here and now. For the believer, we are able to come to the big white throne (Revelation 20: 11-14) knowing we have salvation through our faith in Christ who saves us, but the bible also speaks of another judgement which gives us inspiration to live for our Lord. The judgement seat of Christ is rewards based – 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (NIV) “So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad”. This isn't a punishment based reward or judgment. It's Jesus settling accounts with those who belong to him for how they lived out their lives on the earth before coming to their true home - eternity in heaven with him. The Bible reveals to us here that after we are saved, God Is watching how we live our lives. Do we live for others? Or do we live for ourselves? Do we live for the comfort and benefit of others? Or we just making sure we've got enough. Do we live for what matters to God? Or do we live for what matters to us? All of these things have a reward thats in heaven waiting for those who lived correctly. So our belief on Earth is what positions us in eternity - heaven or hell. But our behaviour on earth, what and who we lived for when we were here, will determine the rewards that we receive in heaven.
Today Pastor Gina Elmes speaks about our first love, Jesus Christ. For the Christian there is one central point within our lives that all other parts of our lives should flow - our love for Christ. Together with His love for us we have relationship. Gina looks at various books of the bible (Hosea, Son of Songs) before focusing on the greatest commandment (Mark 12:20 NIV “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”). She then looks in depth at Revelation 2, 1-7 (NIV) “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God”. Pastor Gina explains the background to the Book of Revelation, the meaning behind the references to stars and lampstands then challenges us personally to see whether we have forsaken our first love for Christ, and if so will we follow the instructions given above – will we repent and put Jesus first? Matthew 6:33 (NIV) says “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”. If we seek Jesus first all the other things we were worried about will fall into place naturally. This is how God intended us to live.
The Holy Spirit is the one who empowers us, transforms us and uses us to touch the world around us with the love of God and His manifest power...
Pastor Andy Elmes considers what happened next after Easter Sunday – what happened on Monday Morning? Often we pack away the major festivals (Christmas, Easter) very soon after the event and then return to ‘normal’…but what is normal and how should we approach the days afterwards. Let us not think Easter is only a weekend. Let us make what happened 2000 years ago the ‘normal’ for our life. Peter was confused…in John 21:3 we see how he went back to fishing or tries to until Jesus meets with him and restores him to his intended ministry. Are we likewise confused or are we walking in the new creation that we have become? Just as Jesus’ disciples lives were changed forever after the resurrection, so are ours, there is no going back. Jesus followed in the tracks of the Jewish festivals – Passover, Pentecost & Tabernacles are three. The 50 days after Passover and Pentecost are as important to us as they were to the disciples. Jesus was the lamb whose blood was slain for the ceremonial marking of doorposts for Passover. He is our Passover Lamb now as he was then (in Exodus 12). When we place our faith in Jesus we experience a Passover in our lives. John 1:29 states (ESV), ‘The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”’. Death and the works of the enemy have no authority over us when we have Jesus in our lives. Fifty days after Passover came another feast – the feast of Pentecost, a celebration of First Fruits. In the intervening time, Jesus did two things 1), He appeared to many as the resurrected Christ who had conquered death and sin and 2) He spent many occasions teaching his disciples and followers about the Kingdom of God. Then He sent them on their way in the great commission before ascending in to Heaven. Acts 1:1-3 describes this time (NIV) ‘In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God’! A new way of living began – Kingdom living. In all the occasions when Jesus appeared to people (road to Emmaus etc), nobody recognised Him until He broke bread or something familiar. His spiritual, risen body was present and also our eyes need to be ready to be opened by Him daily. Let us not pack Easter away so quickly but live in the risen reality of everything Jesus did for us. Everything is now changed. The kingdom that was previously only in heaven now reigns here on earth. We are commissioned and also empowered. Let us live in the victory of the Passover.
Seek Him the Holy Spirit, not just the gifts He comes with, these spiritual manifestations don’t come about through our human effort, but He the Holy Spirit gives as He wills and when they are required. With all 9 manifestations of the Holy Spirit…This is the spiritual heart we need to live by, Whatever He says to you to do………. do it!
Today is Easter Sunday and Pastor Andy Elmes delivers his Easter message. He refers to what Jesus did on the cross for us all 2000 years ago and quotes 1 Corinthians 15, 12-22 (NIV) “Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive”. So this Resurrection Sunday is most crucial because if there had been no resurrection our hope in Christ would have been in vain. But no other person who claimed to be God or a Messiah made to it through the grave conquering death as Jesus did. Only our Lord can cause the dry bones in our lives to be risen to newness. Job 19:25 (NIV) says “For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth”. Job stated these words in a time of trouble, confusion and despair, but he knows that his redeemer lives. Do we know our redeemer and do we know that he lives? Our redeemer saved us and brought us back to life, not just this Easter day but every day. He paid the price for our sins in that divine exchange on the cross. We are now righteous in His sight because of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. Are we ready for His second coming?, do we know Him as we should? Pastor Andy ends his message by praying for all those listening and watching that they may know the risen Jesus Christ. Amen!
We need the divinely inspired and anointed utterances of the Holy Spirit in the Church today and in our lives.
This week is My Story Sunday. Pastor Andy interviews a member of our Portsmouth congregation whose life has been transformed from a ‘religious’ view of a ‘distant god’ to a personal relationship with our Lord and Father. Two other congregational members give their stories as well, illustrating how their lives have been transformed by God and how they have come to know Him as their saviour.
The Gifts of Revelation: These are the Word of Wisdom, the Word of Knowledge, and the Discerning of Spirits.
This week’s message is by Pastors Sean and Paula, entitled “Turn The Power On - Pause for Thought“. In their own inimitable style, Sean and Paula reflect on the last five weeks of messages from Pastor Andy in his series ‘Turn The Power On’: · Week 1 – You Shall receive Power – turning on the power of God to live a Spirit filled life · Week 2 – Be Filled with Power – know the power of God and his divine ability in our lives · Week 3 – Welcome Holy Spirit – How we need to experience the infilling or indwelling of the Holy Spirit · Week 4 – Walking with The Spirit – How the Spirit lives in us and what we can expect · Week 5 – The Overflow – Holy Spirit living in us to benefit others too Personal insight, husband and wife anecdotes and a revisit of some of the major revelations from this series of messages provides fresh perspective and personal challenge for us all regarding the presence of the Holy Spirit within us, His Temples. A ‘must hear’ message!
Ruach ha-Kodesh: The spiritual expressions of the Holy Spirit that are present in our lives and are supernatural, miraculous manifestations direct from the Holy Spirit Himself.
This week saw the final part of the series by Pastor Andy Elmes titled ‘Turn The Power On’, with this session specifically called ‘Overflow’. In this blockbuster preach, Pastor Andy examines the how, why, what, where and who of the Holy Spirit living in and on us not just for our own benefit but primarily also for that of others around us. Andy speaks of Jesus life described in the scriptures…after His baptism, he is filled with the Holy Spirit, he is then led to a wilderness to be temped but the tempter does not succeed and then we see Jesus in the temple reading from a scroll. In Luke Chapter 4 verses 16 to 21, Jesus went to Nazareth where He had been brought up and on the Sabbath day He went into the synagogue as was his custom. He stood to read and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He didn't pick this book or that section. It was preordained. He found the place where it was written “The spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for prisoners, recovery of sight to those who are blind, to set the oppressed free and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour”. Then in verse 20, then he rolled up the scroll. So Jesus was saying that the Spirit was upon him and that Spirit was there to set people free, break dominion over sins and heal people of their sicknesses………which he proceeded to do in the rest of His ministry. But Jesus did not do this in His own strength; it was the Holy Spirit working in and through him according to The Father’s will. We too have been called to do this - the same Spirit that was in Him and on Him and with Him is in us and on us and with us today and Jesus actually said we wouldn't do the same things as him… in fact we would do more! Jesus was speaking of every believer that would be filled with his Holy Spirit having an expectation that our lives aren't just benefited personally by the indwelling of the Spirit, but to bring freedom and wholeness to others. We need to change our expectations. We need to begin to believe to see others in our world touched by the life and the power of God. When we take time to pray for them we've got to stop ignoring them and find courage and confidence that comes from the Holy Spirit to begin to say ‘Hey the same Spirit that was in Jesus that healed the sick then is the same Spirit that now is in me and the agenda of the Father's heart remains the same – that none would perish. Let us be filled with His Spirit so our cup runneth over (Psalm 23) so we also can minister to others and allow Gods Spirit to do exceedingly and abundantly what we can imagine or dream in our lives (Ephesians 3:20). We've got to come to a point where we're not just seeing the filling of the Holy Spirit for our own lives or for our benefit, but that the overflow of the Spirit of God in our life would be that which blesses the lives of others. God looks for our availability rather than our ability.
Grace in the Greek is Charis…This is the loving-kindness and benevolent love of God outworked and expressed towards us. This is His unmerited divine assistance, His supernatural unearned favour, His undeserved kindness bestowed upon us, His unexplainable goodness flowing in our lives, His unfathomable love which surrounds us, His indescribable greatness that goes before us and His uncontainable power that reaches beyond anything we can comprehend...We have been saved by grace and filled with the Spirit of Grace, and empowered by the Grace of God to operate in the Gifts of the Spirit.
Today’s message by Pastor Andy Elmes is the fourth in the series “Turn the Power On” and is titled “Walking with the Holy Spirit”. Andy speaks about the Holy Spirit today and how He lives in us and what we can expect from this. Last week Andy spoke about us hosting the presence of God in our lives. Today Andy speaks about the purpose of God’s Spirit in our lives; we have the indwelling of God or the inner presence of God within us and ongoing unbroken fellowship with the Holy Spirit. This means an ongoing walk with the Holy Spirit every day! The Second book of Corinthians 13:14 (NIV) says “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” The Holy Spirit is likened to many things in scripture….a dove representing the peace of God; fire which has refining capabilities; oil as in the power in a lamp and also for anointing and also wind, like the mighty rushing wind in our lives. Andy then spoke of four aspects that the Holy Spirit does and provides for in our lives. The Holy Spirit is our helper; we experience divine help as in John 14. This means we have an invisible assistant to help or assist us and also comfort us. God’s plan was not just to leave us after salvation but to provide the Spirit to assist us in our lives. We are not vulnerable or abandoned as orphans, we are children of God. We do need to accept this help and reach out for it though! The Holy Spirit is also our teacher. John 14, 25-25 (NIV) says “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”. The Holy Spirit comes to be the teacher within us helping us to understand what we couldn't understand with our own ability or reasoning; but without mocking or scorning. So the Spirit will help us discern what the words of scripture really mean, rather than us just reading it as any other book for example. Jesus said that when the Spirit of Truth has come, He will guide us into all truth. He will not speak on His own authority, whatever He hears He will speak. The Holy Spirit is listening to the conversation of the Father and the Son and He's transmitting what's being said by God into our hearts and helping us to understand. This is Revelation knowledge - He says He will tell us things to come. Thirdly, the Holy Spirit is there to be our Leader and our guide. John 16:13 (NIV) says “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth”. The Lord has provided his Spirit within our lives to guide us and to lead us in the things that we're doing, but also the things yet to come. So are we just making it on your own? The Spirit is now the leadership of God in our lives and we should be looking to Him for all direction for the way forward. We all need a guide in our lives.. In Acts 8:29 (NIV) it says “The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it”. If Philip had ignored this guidance, the eunuch he met would never have been baptised. Lastly today Andy spoke of the Holy Spirit being the refiner in our lives, to sort out and get rid of the things in our lives that ought not to be there any longer. Although we are partakers of a new divine nature, old habits die hard. The Holy Spirit is there to put these things, thinking, mentalities etc. to death. Romans 8:12-13 (NIV) says “Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live”. Here, Paul is telling us that to put to death the misdeeds of the body or the old nature will enable us to live free. The key agenda that the Holy Spirit has for us is to make us Christ-like. Jesus has placed His Spirit in us and as we yield to His Spirit we become like the one whose Spirit...
We the Church in the 21st century need to align ourselves as close to God's original plan as we can so that we’re walking true to the Unchangeable Word of God and in step with the Holy Spirit in our generation.
This week’s message in the series Turn The Power On is titled Welcome Holy Spirit. To fully walk or experienced the power of God in our lives we must experience three baptisms spoken of in scripture. These are the baptism into Christ which is our salvation. The Holy Spirit does this. There is also the baptism in water representing the burial of the old life; this baptism is done by other believers. When a person comes out of the water of baptism, their life is being resurrected into a new way of being - the New Creation life. The third baptism is to experience the infilling or the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is where the power of the Holy Spirit is released in our lives. This third baptism is spoken of in each of the four Gospels. Now if Jesus knew that he needed the baptism of the Holy Spirit to live out the life that God wanted him to on the earth, how can we presume for a moment that we don’t? John 1:32-34 (NIV) states ‘Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One”’. This was a different moment with Jesus from some in the Old Testament (Samson, Gideon…). The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus but remained with him and from this moment Jesus was led by and empowered by The Spirit in his everyday life. Having God’s Spirit come and live inside us is a very significant thing!....as His Spirit floods our lives everything else that's flooded our lives will leave. His presence will drown out every other noise in our lives. All lives have now become His Temple or His Dwelling Place. The Holy Spirit is now longer in a box or the Ark of the Covenant as in the Old Testament, but now lives and resides in us, in our human bodies! We are now invited to host the presence of God. As Spirit-filled people we now recognize the Holy Spirit is now living within us and we dedicate our lives to hosting His presence. Everything changes when we recognise this. Understanding that there is a remaining indwelling presence of God residing in us causes transformation in the life of the believer. Jesus said he would never leave us now, even until the end of the age he will be with us as we host his presence. The record of our sin has been removed – holy cannot sit next to unholy. In First Corinthians 6 verses 18 onwards, Paul addresses the Corinthian church regarding ungodly behaviour. Our lives are not our own any more, they have been bought with a price, and we are temples of the Holy Spirit. This means we are no longer mere human! Where God is celebrated all other authorities fall (1Samuel 5 :3). With God’s Spirit in us, nothing is impossible!
For the Church to be protected we as individuals need to take seriously the part we have been given in His body…..we need always to be looking to Jesus who showed us how we should live as children of God.
This is week two of a series called Turn on the Power. The message today is titled Be Filled With Power. The series is about knowing the power of God and His divine ability in our daily lives. In John 7:37-39 we see Jesus making a prophetic statement for our experience the other side of the cross where we now live! – NIV “On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” In the verse here Jesus qualifies the statement by saying that this Spirit would emanate from the centre of our being, our belly, our heart, our inner most self…..So His holy spirit was not to live in buildings, but to live in those who were and are His followers. Jesus was announcing in that scripture that which was fulfilled in the day of Pentecost. A key question to ask now is how does a person experience this situation or the baptism of the Holy Spirit personally? It’s profound maybe but simple as it involves faith, just as in anything we receive from God. Did we receive the Holy Spirit the moment we believed? It's not about straining, attaining or travailing but receiving! There is no Holy Spirit part 1 and part 2! The Bible says we are born of the Spirit, belong to God and His Spirit now lives in us - we are temples of the Holy Spirit. Some people unfortunately have received the baptism of salvation, but not yet experienced the baptism or the infilling of the spirit, so have not yet experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Gods plan was to reposition us in salvation and empower us. The filling of the Holy Spirit is relationally oriented, rather than us being in a special place, building or meeting. We can receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the infilling of the Spirit by other people praying for as Paul did in scripture, but also by simply coming to God and asking in prayer. Often we wait for something to ‘fall on us’ rather than experiencing something that God is now releasing from ‘within us’. This is not something outside of us but a releasing of that which is dwelling in our inner most parts (John 7 scripture again). Often when people don't experience the power of God or the ability of God in their lives, it's because a section of their lives has not yet been submitted to God. We must come before God saying “Lord, I will not hold back an area of my life”. We need to be being regularly refilled or infilled with the Holy Spirit just as our cars require refuelling. In Ephesians 5:18 scripture tells us to be filled with the Spirit rather than wine that leads to debauchery. Paul is telling us not to be satisfied with broken things giving momentary pleasure but with the Holy Spirit. Other translations say “Be filled with the Holy Spirit”. This is the present continuous tense, ie an ongoing reality or experience in the life we live for God. This needs to be our daily prayer.
Jesus highlights three specific areas where the enemy will try and take us out, they are deceptive, carefully orchestrated and subtly directed attacks.
Today saw the start of a brand new series (Turn The Power On). Earlier, we spoke about being awoken by God, being set apart and living surrendered to His will, the result being that we can be ready for God to use us. If we have a desire for God to use us, this will not be in our own strength, but by God’s power and ability operating in and through us. The next four weeks is about turning the power on in our lives - living a Spirit filled life and how it was always the plan of God for us in the Salvation that he provided for us. God's plan in Salvation was not just to reposition us but also to empower our lives. 2 Corinthians 5 tells us that the “the old has gone, the new is here!” (NIV verse 17). Ephesians 1:13 says that we've been sealed by the Holy Spirit but also but we would be filled with the Holy Spirit. We need to know that the word of God reveals we are to be filled with the spirit for the work of regeneration. Sealing us in the Spirit labels us but being filled with the Holy Spirit enables us to live a Spirit filled life – real Christianity! Romans 8:9 even states (NIV) “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ”. A few verses later it says “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God”. In reality, it’s impossible to live the Christian life God expects without His spirit in us enabling us. We shouldn't settle for being a powerless church when the Bible says that his church should actually be a people of power and authority that make a difference on earth. The messages in this new series over the next three or four weeks will lay out how God intended us to be repositioned with a brand new life, but also that we would know His Spirit coming to live inside of us to enable and empower us to be all that he says we can be. The Bible teaches that God Almighty places His own Spirit in the lives of those he has redeemed - a powerful perhaps radical statement yet totally true. The next few weeks is about establishing the reality of this. If you've never experienced the baptism of a power of God, if you've never seen God turn up his power on in your life, why not take a moment to ask Him today. We're going to come back next week and carry on this new series about turning on the power in our lives.
There are too many people today who are rebuilding the broken down walls in their lives, yet they’ve never dealt with the root cause of the ruins.
Sunday 7th February 2021 is My Sunday in Family Church. Today, after our Praise and Worship, three people give their story of how they came to know Jesus and how he has subsequently changed their lives for ever. Following this Pastor Andy interviews another church member as we discover how Jesus meets people in every walk of life, gives them peace, hope and love in an individual and wonderful way. The meeting today ends with opportunity for us all to resubmit our lives to The Lord and receive His Spirit.
When people come with their negative reports or accusations...what are we going to do with it? Are we going to allow their negative seeds to be planted in the good ground of our hearts…? Or, are we going to focus our thoughts on the goal of God’s kingdom ahead?
The title for this week’s message is “Pause for Thought”. Pastors Sean & Paula deliver an action packed MUST HEAR message which recaps and rediscovers the messages from January 2021 so far. Personal anecdotes and Godly insight into the gradually building themes of Awakening the Sleeping, Set Apart, All in for God, and Being Used by God bring fresh revelation and challenge to us personally regarding the true nature of our relationship with God. As Paula and Sean speak of Jesus surrendering His life for us in the most demeaning way possible how can our response be other than to wholly be available for Him and for His glory on earth?
Consider these three very important thoughts and take a moment to pray about them...! (1) Do you have a mind to work…? (2) Will you rise up and build…? (3) Who’s agenda are we committed to?
Pastor Andy speaks about being used by God as we move out of the 21 days of fasting that began the year 2021. The set of messages so far this year have deliberately linked as God has inspired Andy in thought for this journey. God has awoken us and touched us with His Spirit, we made choices about being set apart for Him, we surrendered and submitted our lives unto Him and naturally now God wants to be able to use us………a wonderful destination to have arrived at in this early 2021 journey. Now our lives have become useable to Him as we belong to Him through the faith we set in Christ. We need to be ready for Gods purposes - Ephesians 2, v8-10 (NIV) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”. So God had a clear agenda always to save us, set us apart as we are his workmanship in order to do good or noble works - God’s business on earth.
Family Church are we ready to rebuild, are we prepared to do whatever it takes to see God’s House equipped and manned and ready to function again. As we look to regather and start meeting again on Sunday’s in the not too distant future we need men and women in Church who carry a Nehemiah kind of heart. Nehemiah NKJV So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.
This week Pastor Andy speaks of being “All In” for God. The message begins by recapping on the last weeks of prayer and fasting bringing fresh presence of God to our lives. Scripture tells us if we draw closer to Him, he will draw closer to us. Recent messages have spoken of awakening to God from our slumbers, being consecrated for Him, being set apart and being part of His family. Last week referenced Romans 12 verses 1-2 (NIV) “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God”. The Lord made us holy so He could fill us with His righteousness and Spirit! It says to be transformed by the renewing of our minds allowing the Word to renew what we think not about some things but all things. So having been awoken and consecrated will we live in submission to God, to the leading of His Spirit in our lives? Daily, we must resubmit our lives. Submission is not popular in the world but scripture endorses this for the best experience with God. James 4 verse 7 (NIV) states “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. Scripture also instructs us to submit to the authority of government as well - Romans 13 verse 1 (NIV) “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God”. God is a God of authority. Likewise we submit to our spiritual leaders – Hebrews 13 verse 7 (NIV) says “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith”. What causes us to walk in submission? Ephesians 5 verse 21 (NIV) states “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ”. Our revelation of God will cause us to submit to Him but we submit to each other through respect for Christ. Submission is equivalent to saying “I am all in”. Jesus said to the Pharisee (Luke 10 verse 27, NIV) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”; and, “Love your neighbour as yourself”. That’s pretty much “all in”! All the great things that happened in the book of Acts happened because people were “all in” for God. His plans for us will not be fully evident if we are not fully “all in” for Him.
God’s Master Plan is His Church...not the building... but us His people…Have you forgotten that your body is now the sacred temple of the Spirit of Holiness, who lives in you? You don’t belong to yourself any longer, for the gift of God, the Holy Spirit, lives inside your sanctuary
Pastor Andy again speaks of the breakthrough he believes will occur to us all in taking part in the twenty one days of fasting at the start of this New Year 2021. He speaks of the need for us to come before The Lord and rid ourselves of junk, pride and so forth, in bringing ourselves to God. Sometimes we need to rid ourselves of things first before we are able to come before The Lord. When we present ourselves to God, it is not the old but the new creation we present to Him. The blood of Jesus has washed away our past sins. Consecration is an interesting and important word if we live with Jesus. It means to be set apart. During Old Testament times it referred to material things being set aside, set apart for His use. Now it is relevant to us, God wants us he wants us to set our lives apart for His use. Consecration begins by us knowing we now belong to God; we have been set apart and bought at a price, by His own blood. Our lives are not our own. In 1 Corinthians 6 verse 15 (NKJV), scripture says “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?” So we need to honour God with our bodies. Now we know and believe in the work of the cross, of salvation, we belong to the household of God. We need to understand this not through fear but from love. When we were our own we all messed up! Thankfully Jesus has saved us so this grace of God causes us to live a set apart life for The Lord.
This week Pastor Andy speaks about “Awakening the Sleeping”. He began by restating the invitation to a time of prayer and fasting for the first twenty one days of 2021. Fasting is not just about giving up things but being able to hear God in our spirits. Take moments not to feed our soul but our Spirits. Pray for our nation, our church, our families and ourselves. Laying aside things that get in the way of our pursuit of God will allow God to speak into our lives much more. God is in control! We should not be casual – it is vital we hear Him and see Him in our lives. We need an awakening in ourselves, in our nation, in our churches, so the hearts of men and women are awakened to the reality of God and His love. Isaiah 60 speaks of days of great darkness but these announce days of great light…that break and penetrate darkness. Let us pray prayers of awakening, an awakening that comes from heaven. An awakening in the world must start from an awakening in the church. We long in this New Year 2021 to see moves of Gods Spirit that will draw the hearts of the lost back home. But we need this in our churches and ourselves first. We need to see a move of God and kingdom mindedness rising up in the courtyards of government and the nation. But first we need to shake off slumber and awaken to a new place of intimacy with God…..walking closely with God. Oh that the church would awaken to the purposes of God – the great commission. Our lives need to crave the intimacy of God and be busy with His purposes. Romans 13, verse 11 onwards speaks of the time we are in and waking from slumber…. (NIV) “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh”. Ephesians 5, verse 8 onwards encourages us regarding who we were and who we now are (NIV) “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light”. This talks about our intimacy with God and then in verse 14..” This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil”. Only a person who is awake can awaken another, so we need to commit to being a people who are fully awake with Him. Only the prince of peace, the touch of the Holy Spirit will awaken us. Intimacy with God will awaken us for His purpose. We pray “Lord in these next twenty one days come and lean over your bride the church and awaken her from her slumbers, give her a fresh touch of your Holy Spirit to stir and shake hearts and let us all rise from any sleeping to seek your face in true devotion”.
The week Pastor Andy looks back at the year 2020 and rather more looks forwards into the year 2021. Covid has stolen much of what we came to know as Christmas but as the 25th December emerged we were left with Jesus. Nothing had affected the fact that The Father has given us His Son to bring us back to Himself. As we stand at the door of 2021 we step out of a very unusual 2020. Although life has been hideous in some ways, elsewhere the church has blossomed for example in the small groups and community work. But we can look into 2021 with hearts full of joy rather than disillusionment because Gods word still stands. His promises remain true. He has plans for us, the church and the nation. We need to be committed to these plans as God rebuilds in 2021. Andy spoke about how we need to be ready to seize the day or even seize the year (Carpe 2021) to make full use and enjoy the new season. In Philippians 3, verse 13, Paul speaks of his life and forgetting what lays behind and reaching forward for what is yet unknown. Andy speaks about how we also need to forget the negatives and disappointments of 2020 and be found reaching forward for the plan God has for us in 2021. In the next few days we need to be getting our hearts afresh for 2021 and for what God wants to do in our lives. In Jeremiah 21 it tells of the plans God has for us….to prosper us and plans of future and hope. The year 21 is often associated with getting keys to the door. In Matthew 16 verse 19 scripture speaks of The Lord promising us the keys of the Kingdom. Keys which can loose things and also bind things. Here, Jesus was speaking to His Church. Immediately before this Jesus speaks about building His church. During 2020 we rediscovered a fresh approach ot what the church really was, certainly not a building. God is standing ready to build His Church in 2021 with spiritual keys that have the power to bind evil and loose Heaven. Andy then spoke of the invitation for Prayer and Fasting starting day one of the New Year. A time to focus and pray for our nation, government, our church and be intentional not drifting as we commence 2021. Fasting takes prayer to a new level, it cannot be casual when we fast but intentional, releasing supernatural keys for supernatural breakthroughs.
This week Pastor Andy speaks of how even when the most stringent government regulations appear to strip back everything many of us associate with Christmas, that the Kingdom of Heaven is not stripped back, and in many ways the true purpose of Christmas remains…as Jesus for us all to see. Andy goes on to remind us to have a listening ear and a warm heart for those around us, let us make sure no one goes without, no one feels cut off from the world. Stripping back the Christmas allows us to see more clearly the wonderful gift of God’s son given to us for our salvation, to give us eternal life. He is the true gift this Christmas. Jesus is the constant, the usual within these unusual times. Let us celebrate Him.
Following from last week’s message by Pastor Steve telling us not to shrink back, this week Pastor Steu addresses the subject of rebuilding our Christian lives. In 586BC the Babylonian army ransacked, set on fire and ruined the city of Jerusalem. But behind the scenes of the ensuing period of captivity God was at work. In a way, at this time we have also undergone a period of captivity where some of our freedoms have been removed. Using the Old Testament stories, in the book of Nehemiah and more, Pastor Steu prophecies over an incredible time of rebuilding in our lives just as the Jewish peoples did after their captivity in Babylon. The Temple was rebuilt, the city walls were rebuilt. We shall see renewed worship, renewed commitment to Jesus and that all ground that has been lost will be taken back. God is still at work!
Spiritual Isolation is where the devil wants us to be and he’ll do all he can to keep us there. Experts say it takes an average of 21 days to form a habit They also say it takes an average of 66 days to break a habit. And these same experts say it takes an average of 254 days to form a new lifestyle. The concerning thing right now is today is our 259th day since we last did Church as a gathering of people. Therefore we need to ask ourselves some very important questions...
This week Pastor Steve Carey speaks with a title ‘Don't Shrink Back’. His word from God is like a set of antibodies similar to a vaccine to kill off disease in our lives and release back faith. In Hebrews 10 verse 32, we read how the Hebrew believers were starting to ask questions about life as we might do now in 2020. The scripture goes on to tell us not to throw away our confidence which has great reward. We likewise must not shrink back in our lives. In Numbers 13 the Israelites are on the edge of inheriting the Promised Land and send in spies to check things out…Caleb and Joshua come back positively, but the rest came back with reports saying the opposite – that the people inhabiting the land were stronger and not able to be defeated – they felt like grasshoppers among giants. They had shrunk back! - In vision, faith and speech. Do we feel like them in 2020? Are we facing seemingly impossible mountains? Let it not be so. Let us not shrink back and be empowered by the word of God and power of His Spirit. Some key things…Let us Believe Big, God has not changed in 2020, He is faithful, loving, pure and true, unlimited by anything including Covid! His plans are not limited, shrunk, interrupted, socially distanced etc. Ephesians 3 verse 20 tells us how He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above anything we ask or think! Heaven is not bankrupt! In Proverbs 23 verse 7 we are reminded how we are what we think. This is challenging….maybe we need to think about what we think, taking our thoughts captive as per 2 Corinthians 10 verse 5. Let us not forget the basics. Now let us speak big, not complaining, criticizing, not limiting what God can do through us. Great practical tip here is to speak the word of God out loud, declaring His truths and promises. Also, let us Live Big again. Let us not shrink our lives, our social circles, our contributions to our church. Let us be givers rather than receivers only. Let us concentrate more on living what is best for Jesus, putting ourselves aside. The world of the generous get larger and larger… the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller (Proverbs 11 verse 24). Living with a generous spirit will cause our lives to change and we will not shrink back. Do we look to how God can bless us or how God can use us? The latter will cause the former. Let us this week set out to bless a few people in the ways we can and not shrink back in believing, speaking or living.
One of the reasons we should be awed by God is because of who He is as our Great Creator. He has made all of creation...sustains all of creation...upholds all of creation by the word of His power...When we stopped to think about it, it is absolutely awe-inspiring.
Sunday 29th November is Global Sunday, Pastor Andy Elmes has Ray Mills with him who has recently returned from the mission field in the Philippines with his wife and children. Today we are focusing on the global aspects of what Family Church is doing across the nations, as a local church but with a global vision. A video compiled by Ray showed many of the missionary peoples and their families and gave us wonderful insight into their work, their situation and cultures. After watching the video, Pastor Andy chatted with Ray about his time in the Philippines. Ray spoke of the isolation that many missionaries feel when communications are poor or their lives are distracted. Pastor Andy encouraged all of us to be focused on supporting the world wide activities of God as well as our local tasks with our prayers, our communication and our giving. Our missionaries are an extension of our church family and do not, cannot, operate alone.
Pastor Andy’s message this week begins by recounting the story In Luke Chapter 19, verse 28, and the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. However, the key here is the part where Jesus sent two disciples on ahead to locate and untie a colt that had never been ridden. He told them to say that “The Lord had Need of it”, if anyone should ask why they were taking the colt. Jesus sat on the donkey and people shouted their praises for the miracles he had done as he rode into Jerusalem….a famous bible verse. As Pastor Andy explained, this must have been a pretty amazing time for the disciples – feeling they were about the steal a donkey but apparently Jesus knew the plan for this all along. In effect, Jesus had set the donkey free from being tethered….because he had a plan for the donkeys life…to carry The Messiah. Jesus had sent His messengers on ahead carrying a message of freedom for the donkey; it was to be untied from all the things that had held it, no longer captive, no longer a slave. In the same way, Jesus has a purpose for our lives and can set us free from everything that has been binding us. But what will we do with our freedom? Jesus has a purpose for it that brings fulfilment, alternatively we can do nothing. Just as in Luke 19, we too have a purpose in life and can carry Jesus to others. The Lord has need of us! He needs us to be a soul winner, a carrier of His presence. Jesus wants us to use the freedom he has given us to take His presence to our friends, families, neighbours and so on. Someone will have been the ‘donkey’ who brought Jesus to us. They cared enough for us to make sure we spent eternity with God. God now wants to use our lives to bring freedom to people in our circles from everything that binds them. The Lord has need of us for this purpose. Will we join Him in this great Commission? If we want to get the zing back in our Christian lives then we need to start telling others about Jesus. God needs our availability not ability. Are we available?
To be self-controlled is not to live in bondage to the desires, passions and appetites of the flesh…or having our mouth that runs away without restraint...Self-control can be a real struggle in many people’s lives, and a lack of self-control can have far-reaching results that bring hurt to our lives and others...The word translated, “self-control” comes from the word, “strength” and means “one who holds himself in”.
This week Pastor Andy speaks about “Keeping it Simple”. He begins by recounting the story in Gospel of Mark, Chapter 7, Verse 1 where Pharisees came asking Jesus questions about religious practices, ceremonial washing, and other traditions. Their question was based on an understanding of the law & religion only. Jesus told them in no uncertain terms that their hearts were not where their lips were, that they were hypocritical! Jesus told them they had let go of the commands of God and were holding onto the traditions of men. There is a dichotomy between the religious do’s and don’ts and a simple relationship between us and The Lord. This simple relationship is what Pastor Andy was reminding us of today. Walking with God is meant to be a heart thing, a relational experience, quite simply. Adding religion to a walk or a desire for God turns the simple into something complex and confusing. We need to purpose in keeping our walk with God as simple as the first followers of Jesus did. Religion leaves us confused but relationship with Jesus leaves us fulfilled. Pastor Andy referred to the industry wide KISS principle – Keep It Simple, Saint! We are not to get bogged down missing the point. The relationship with God is not complex - in fact it is profoundly simple. Pastor Andy has three words to guide us through these Covid times and other circumstances (like the prime minister’s podium strapline has been). These are Love, Obedience and Faith. Love, First Book of Corinthians Chapter 13 reminds us of the qualities of real love, this is the love of God defining who He is. Verse 2 reminds us we have nothing without love even if we can move mountains, have all knowledge. Other verses tell us we can do all manner of wonderful things but they are worthless without love. Obedience is the true expression of our love. Gospel of Luke Chapter 6 and verse 46 is profound - it says ‘you call me Lord but you don’t do what I say’. Recognising the Lordship of Christ is simple but we confuse it with manmade issues. In a love relationship with God we are joined at the branch of his love and the natural expression of that should now be in the heart of one who was once rebellious. The favourite word of all Christians should be obedience. There are great consequences to obedience and also disobedience…Obedience means living in accordance with His Word. Faith to really believe as the scriptures tell us many people did like the Father with his mute child who came to Jesus immediately after the transfiguration in Gospel of Mark, Chapter 9 and Verse 17. The Father cries out to Jesus saying “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” then Jesus rebukes the unclean spirit in the boy. All things are possible to those who believe. Jesus told blind Bartimaeus, “your faith has made you whole”, after he healed his sight…… Pastor Andy spoke about how God brought us into a love relationship not slavery….he never brought us into something we were not meant to enjoy. Jesus loved us first and we did nothing to deserve it. So this week we need to just concentrate on loving at God loved us, being obedient to his word and having child-like faith. The bible says we are saved when we place faith in Jesus Christ.
The picture the Greeks gave to describe gentleness was that of a wild horse that had been tamed and under control. So when we think about gentleness we need to think about our lives under control, anger under control, emotions under God's control, habits under control, stress under control.
After a particularly poignant live remembrance service today, Pastor Geoff Speaks on the subject of Remembrance. Geoff looks back not only at what our service men and women have done for us but also what Jesus has done for us on the cross. All of us are in daily battles, some we fail to recognise. We often sit and recall events of the past so Remembrance is part of life’s journey. However we need to bring back into that Remembrance some of the things God has done in our lives and the victories overcome. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to bring into our minds such things. We all face physical, mental and spiritual battles….. Then we need to hear the word of God in our lives today. Geoff continues to speak of us having a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit in our lives in order to live the abundant life God intends. The enemy comes to steal and destroy with anxieties, fears and troubling thoughts. The decision is ours though….to look towards our Father and choose to believe Him over our circumstances.
Thought: For us to do, all that God has called us to do, we need to be a Church oozing with faithfulness. Faithful to God and His Word, Faithful to God’s Commission to reach the lost, Faithful to God’s House, Faithfully giving of our tithe, Faithful to His call and purpose in our lives.
Pastor Andy’s message speaks this week about going into the harvest. Andy speaks today as his new book Soul Winner is launched [soulwinner.co.uk]. This is a crucial time for us to understand the importance of salvation on a person’s life. Pastor Andy has authored his new book to mobilize and equip God’s people to be harvesters in their daily harvest, in their local Jerusalem. In these unprecedented times, God is still God, he is still our shepherd and is still holding our hand. We need to comprehend the times we are in from a biblical lens and then be active in responding to what God needs us to do. This may be ministering to people’s needs as well as ministering to God….the two great commandments! We need to be God’s light in moments of confusion ready to step in and help people navigate through their storms. However, we must not forget that the greatest need anyone may have is salvation, as this impacts them eternally as well as on earth immediately. Mark 8:36-37 instructs us it is no use for man to gain the whole world but lose his soul. All of us need to be ministers, introducers of Jesus to friends, family and those near to us. The Harvest is calling and we must go.
Kindness and goodness is a fruit waiting to produce itself in the lives of everyday people in our world. Are we willing to be inconvenienced...Willing to sacrifice our time…Willing to stop our agenda to help the needs of someone else…?
Pastor Andy continues speaking about walking with Jesus, this week Jesus the Good Shepherd. Last week we looked at Jesus the Lion of Judah as well as being the Lamb who was slain to take away our sins. The bible has portrayed Jesus in many differing ways each declaring a special part of who He is ….Son of God, Prince of Peace, Lamb of God, Lion of Judah, bread of life, the True Vine and the Good Shepherd. In the Gospel of John Chapter 10, many verses are devoted to Jesus being the Good Shepherd. Verses 1 through 6 speak of us knowing the Shepherd’s voice, how the true sheep know the voice of their shepherd. Further verses speak of Jesus being the gateway to God’s field. We can enter relationship with God, come into his field of safe pasture through Jesus only. Verse 10 also speaks of the enemy, the bad shepherd whose only purpose is to kill, steal and destroy. Jesus, the good shepherd is here to give us life in all its fullness. Verse 11 tells us that the Good Shepherd lays down his life for us. In Verse 12 we find that the hireling is not the shepherd who owns the sheep so will abandon us in the face of trouble….a wolf attacks and scatters the flock of sheep in the face of a hired hand because he has no regard for the flock, he is just a hired hand. In Verses 16 to 17 scripture speaks of a gathering, the plan of God for us – bringing the different cultures into the same ‘sheep pen’, one kingdom. In the Old Testament God also reveals Himself as a shepherd. In Ezekiel 34, the first ten verses rebuke bad shepherds of the day (we still have them now!). Verses 11 through 16 prophetically speak of God being the Good Shepherd in our lives, enabling us to lay down in good rich pasture (sheep only lay down when they feel no fear). This refers to us having a sense of well-being and safety, as we should feel with God at the helm of our lives. David’s Psalm 23 reveals the same things God revealed to Ezekiel earlier. God has our back; we just need to ensure we are listening to His voice, not the myriad of others trying to deceive us. Scripture is so powerful Pastor Andy ended the service with every home reading this scripture out loud.
Psalm 23 (NKJV) The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.
Makrothumia: is the ability to hold one's feelings in restraint or to be able to bear up under the oversights and wrongs afflicted by others without retaliating.
Walking with Jesus – The Lion of Judah. Pastor Andy shares today from lessons, experiences and thoughts from his recent missionary trip to Zambia where he walked with lions! Before you walk with lions you need to be a member of their pack. This means going behind them and submitting to their pace. Also, letting them let them know you are there. In Daniel Chapter 6 there was a scary moment for Daniel in the pit with lions - but he knew the greater one the creator who made him was with him. Andy became conscious of the majesty of the lions when walking with them. Jesus is the Lion of Judah but also the Lamb of God. In Revelation 5:5 scripture speaks of “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed….” then in verse 6, reference to the Lamb who was slain. We need to know that Jesus is both the lion and the lamb. Seeing Jesus as a lamb is vitally important but we need to be able to relate to him as the Lion of Judah. Both these descriptions fully relate to Him. Proverbs 30:29 speaks of the Lion being majestic in pace and mighty among beasts. When it comes to walking with Jesus, we also need to avoid familiarity, keeping an awe of God in our hearts. When walking with a lion it’s important not to touch its head or mane as this represents its authority. So even though we are heirs to the throne and can walk in friendship we should never be over familiar with The Lord. We need to walk with a healthy honour and respect in our lives for Jesus, carrying reverence in our hearts. Additionally we need to walk in step behind Jesus, as you would do if walking with lions. We are followers of Jesus, as a follower we do not push in front. However, as followers, we also do not shrink back! If we shrink back and don’t keep being part of the pack, we lose our safety from being with the mighty lion of Judah. Galatians 5:25 (NIV) tells us “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”. If we do this no matter what storms come along we have safety and victory in our lives.
Being connected to the root of God will produce great fruit in our lives and Peace is a fruit we all need to have matured on the branches of our lives. It's a peace that the world cannot understand, it's a peace that the world cannot give, is a peace that goes beyond explanation, it's a peace that can only come from God
Pastor Andy speaks about Storm Management - Knowing How to Navigate the Storm. Last week Pastor Andy spoke about Jesus being in the boat of our storms. This week carries on reading from Psalm 46. In verse 10 the bible tells us “Be still and know that I am God”. This means let go of our striving and lean back into the Lord to experience stillness in the midst of storms, surrender our anxiety. Pastor Andy carries on from last week with four key things about storms we may all face. Firstly storms come in many forms – health, physical, mental, emotional, relational, financial, and spiritual, but Jesus is in the boat of all of these even if we face many at a time. Secondly, storms may come from different places – ourselves if we acted wrongly, the devil (but we do have authority to rebuke these!), even God might originate a storm as in Jonah Chapter 1 because Jonah was walking in disobedience and God wanted him in his perfect plan for life. Thirdly a storm we experience may have a purpose attached to it. If from the devil it’s to steal kill and destroy, perhaps to prevent you benefitting others. In Mark 4 &5 we see the purpose of the boat crossing the Sea of Galilee was to relive a man possessed by a legion of devils. Fourthly, to create simple faith in Jesus. Maybe faith isn’t effective or powerful until it’s all you have. Luke 10:19 clearly states that we have been given authority over all the works of the evil one. God is waiting for us to realise who we are in Christ, see that the keys that were stolen from Adam by the devil have been returned to us through Jesus. We must stand in the boat of our lives and speak the word of God because we have authority to do this. We do need to seek repentance, forgiveness, if necessary and also make sure our perspective on our storm is appropriate…..many people will be experiencing far worse. Life needs to be more than about our boat purely so we must be ready to assist and help others. These are all opportunities for outreach ministries. When we help other people with their storms, God will take care of ours. Proverbs 10:25 (TPT) states “The wicked are blown away by every stormy wind. But when a catastrophe comes, the lovers of God have a secure anchor”.
Joy isn't solely dependant on circumstances, it's a by product of being connected to God, a joy that goes beyond natural human reasoning, it's the joy of Heaven in the hearts of Man.
Pastor Andy speaks this week on “Know Jesus, Know Peace”. There are many storms in our loves right now so knowing Jesus and having His peace in our lives is really important. This is increasingly a time of anxiety and worry and people are experiencing uncertainty and pressure in aspects they used to have security in. The natural response here is fear. Just because we are believers and followers of Jesus does not make us exempt of storms in our lives. Jesus never took us out of the world when we were saved so we're going to experience and encounter things that the world experiences and encounters, but our experience in these storms should be a different experience. We are part of another kingdom, an unshakable Kingdom. Hebrews 12 says that everything that can be shaken will be shaken….this is happening now! We need to be making sure that our feet and lives are grounded in this unshakeable kingdom. God is our refuge and our strength. That's the truth but the truth is being tested in our lives today. God is our ever present help in time of trouble (Psalm 46). Therefore, we will not fear…… A very important fruit of the Holy Spirit living in us is peace - not the world’s peace but the peace that passes all understanding. In Mark’s gospel, the story of the disciples being in the boat with Jesus in a storm is recounted. A great storm rises up and it causes the disciples (even though they had the presence of God in the boat) great concern. The waves began to crash and break against the boat so that it was nearly swamped as Jesus was in the stern of the boat sleeping on a cushion. We are not exempt of storms around us, but we are different because we have Jesus in the boat of our lives and we can likewise have God’s peace in our lives which passes all natural understanding during stormy times.
Pastor Andy speaks about us being a Missional Church. Recently back from a trip to African nations, he is keen to impart his experiences. We need to shift our thinking from being church attenders and church members to be missionaries. Right now, the world is crying out for truth. For those of us who are followers of Jesus, we have the answer! As we move forward into whatever this journey we're taking together looks like, we would dare each of us to think more missional. Let's not be caught up in an attendee way of thinking. There's no lock down on us being missional. So let's begin to turn our focus and shift on reaching people. This is a challenge to our hearts today! If you send Pastor Andy who's been unable to travel for six months to Zambia and place him in front of two hundred odd hungry missionary guys, you're going to have an explosion! But that explosion wasn't just for them. It was for all of us. I came back feeling enthused. What if we change the way we see ourselves and become a missional church more than we've ever been before. We are all missionaries in the places we live, work and relax. This is the challenge!
Learn from Jesus is the title for this week’s message given by Pastor Steuart Payne. Lockdown and loss of weekly gatherings has presented many challenges, the loss of God’s presence in a large meeting possibly the greatest. The need for our own personal relationship with God is now paramount. In Matthew 11 Jesus speaks of taking the yoke from those who are heavy laden, giving them rest. There are two actions we must take daily – coming to Him and learning from Him. Jesus is the one who releases us from every burden including all our sins. We need to draw close to Jesus, opening our hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s role is to lead us and teach us every step of way as we make the choice to walk with Jesus and couple ourselves to him. Sometimes ignorance, laziness, fear of losing control or pride makes us unteachable but we need to walk with and learn from Jesus every day, not just hang out with him occasionally.
Pastor Andy speaks about Jesus being the centre of our lives, being Jesus Centric. Jesus deserves to be central to everything we are and everything we do now. We can look at an example of a person being egocentric where they are self-centred believing everything involves around them. But for followers of Jesus, He is to be the centre of all things in our lives.
The title for this week’s message by Pastor Andy is “Seeing Jesus for who He is”. This is in theme of celebrating our children. Matthew 19:13-15 (NIV) says” Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there”. Maybe we do not prevent children from coming to Jesus physically but perhaps by not allowing them to have real encounters with Jesus. We can learn from watching the way children are with Jesus. They have no agenda, but a child-like purity. In Matthew 18 Jesus tells his Disciples that if they want to become great in the Kingdom, they need to become child-like (not childish!) in our approach to God. When we are walking with the Lord, we need to have a child-like faith in acceptance of what he says. Adults often become sceptical but this robs us of receiving Jesus, but Jesus actually encourages us to be child-like in their approach. Children see and want Jesus for what He is. Often we see and want Him for what He can do for us! We need to see and know Jesus for what He really is. Jesus is a God of much more than what we usually see Him for. Even during Jesus time on earth, people missed Him because He was not what they were looking for. When the Messiah came, many could not see Him as He didn’t look like they expected or do what they thought He ought to. Such preconceived agendas are only one aspect of a hugely bigger God. The children of Israel in Exodus 24 were busy melting jewellery to make a representation of God as they wanted; meanwhile Moses was on the top of the mountain having a life changing experience! Many of Gods people could not see Jesus even when he was in the room with them as they were looking for a warrior character to overthrow the Roman Empire. Others looked for a ruling king like King David to rule as he did, but rather missed the point that Jesus’ throne was a heavenly one! Being saved from their own sins was more necessary than being saved from the Roman rule but this passed them by. Even after Jesus had died and risen before their eyes (Acts 1) the disciples ask if He was going to restore the kingdom to Israel. Their preconditioned thinking was of a Messiah coming to overthrow natural rule, missing the point of who Jesus was and why He had come to earth. Even John the Baptist got confused for a while because what Jesus was doing didn’t register with his expectations - (Luke 7:19 NIV) says “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” John had also thought Jesus should be overthrowing Rome, not sitting with children, healing people, forgiving sins. Children tend to have an attitude of “we want to know you as you are”. Adults tend to want to fit Jesus into their self-made boxes. Jesus was God on earth, the full and total manifestation of everything God the Father was and is. Colossians 2:9 (ESV) states “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily”. Jesus is not just a representative of heaven; He is the fullness of God in every respect. All we need to know about God we can see in Jesus and His Word. Let us see Jesus for who He really is. Let us have a child-like faith and a child-like approach.
Pastor Andy asks us “What is true repentance?” Recently we have focused on the gospel message, salvation, transformation, evangelism, believing and communicating the gospel. Communicating the message of Jesus is the key evangelistic activity. True salvation will allow God to move in someone’s life in a transforming way. This is often based on the decision made at the time of accepting Jesus. The difference between belonging to God and experiencing life change depends on whether true repentance has occurred. Repentance needs to be part of our invitation we make to people when giving the gospel message. The word must be understood correctly. It’s an invitation to come into a life better than anything known before. Jesus calls people to repent. Luke 13:3 or Matthew 4:17 (NIV) says “From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."” In Luke 5:32 Jesus calls sinners to repentance. In Acts 2:38, Peter preaches a similar message to that of Jesus “Repent and be baptized……” What did Jesus expect of someone who needed to repent? Old Testament repentance is more about feeling of remorse and regret. Wikipedia aligns with New Testament thinking and suggests that repentance as taught in the Bible is a call to persons to make a radical turn from one way of life to another. The repentance (metanoia) called for throughout the Bible is a summons to a personal, absolute and ultimate unconditional surrender to God as Sovereign. So New Testament meaning of repentance includes sorrow and regret but includes a 180 degree turn from self towards God. Changing the way we think to bringing into alignment with Gods will brings the transformed life. The dual action is ‘turning from’ and also ‘turning towards’. Without the ‘turning towards’, we are left in no man’s land so to speak. The speed of this ‘turn’ determines the transformation experience. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV) illustrates this “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land”. God is willing to forgive us when we turn away ‘from’ (self) and ‘towards’ (Him). There needs to be an absolute turning from our will to God’s will for our life. This is almost a reverse manoeuvre from that of Adam in Genesis when Satan deceived him. Our prayer of salvation needs to include a turning away from our way and bringing our will into God’s will. Then we will fly and soar in our lives. If we are willing to change the way we live and think our lives can change beyond our imagination. We also need to be able to apply forgiveness and grace to someone who has turned away and towards. Romans 2:4 tells us that it is God’s goodness and His Kindness that causes a person to repent.
Steve speaks about Sharing Jesus with Confidence. Steve says that he finds God is speaking the same thing across the whole people of God, so coming from Bookham Baptist Church, this message is totally in line with our current journey. Sharing Jesus with others is a key thing and our attempts can have varying success. Scripture is the greatest teacher; in John 4, Jesus shares with a Samaritan woman. He begins by asking the women for a drink. This is an act of friendship and breaks through the Jew/Samaritan barrier building a relationship lovingly (as is the gospel itself). Jesus then artfully interacts with the woman in a respectful way. The four qualities of conversation are to listen, to notice, to serve and to wonder. To listen well is really crucial. If we listen well, we will notice and will then be able to serve or pray for people. Sometimes we need to remember we are just a link in the chain of bringing someone to Christ. We need to learn from Jesus about the art of conversation. There are ways of going deep with a person by wondering rather than interrogating…..much less confrontational…. We can also notice if we listen well, notice the tone of someone’s words and this can open up a conversation. This may give us an opportunity to share about Jesus. The story we all have to tell is an amazing one. Our personal story of how grace came to us and how God filled our lives is a key one. Knowing the whole story allows us to bring connection to someone else by bringing them to part of it. Situation is important too. We don’t speak about Jesus in a vacuum. Often it starts by “how are you in this situation”, perhaps, lockdown….etc. If God has placed us in a situation, God will use us there too, however unsuited we may feel. Without the Holy Spirit there is nothing. We speak Gods work by the empowering presence of Him in our lives. In the story of the woman at the well, Jesus has a supernatural insight into the woman’s life and this opens the women’s heart. We are all called to live in the power of the spirit as Jesus did. The company of God, the presence is God is vital. Jesus told people to wait for the Holy Spirit before going out. As we begin to use spiritual gifts and insights we will not always get it right nor necessarily be successful first time, but God does also always use our mistakes! Sharing Jesus belongs to all the people of God. The words “Soul Winner” are for all of us.
Olivia asks us a key question – What do you believe about the Gospel? This is not what we have heard, or think, but what do we truly believe about the gospel. Many versions of what the gospel means exist for many people, but what does this mean for us? What we think can be fleeting but what we believe models our lives as deeply rooted convictions. What we believe determines our responses, rather than what we think. Romans 1:16 (NKJV) states “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek”. This is powerful! The gospel is the power of God to salvation for believers. It is not a story but the power of God and hence a call to action. We can know a lot about the gospel but it’s not until we believe with our hearts that our lives change. Do we know what we believe about the gospel? This is important. Sometimes we live in a glass box and we hear and know about the gospel but do not let Jesus into our lives because we have not believed His gospel message. The glass boxes need smashing! Are we hot or cold for Jesus? There is no middle ground or sitting on the fence. At some time we need to make the decision to believe the gospel for ourselves and become saved in reality. The gospel is a story of God’s love for us, a creator God loving His masterpiece of creation. But sin entered the world through Adam. Sin payments were made all the way through the Old Testament but the full payment was made by Jesus’ blood as He was sacrificed on the cross. John 3:16 (NKJV) says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. Note this does not say that God tolerated the world or similar words; it is an expression of His love. It also tells us that salvation comes from believing, not doing or anything else, solely believing. This is why the question about what we believe is so crucial. It is a call to action, what do we believe? All roads do not lead to God, only Jesus leads to Lord God. We were created for relationship with God. Let us make the decision to start this relationship with God.
There are similarities but great differences between the two. In Matthew 28, the Lord asks us to be a going people, to make disciples, not just to be saved. Help the people to learn of me, believe in me and obey my words and observe my commands….are words from the Amplified version of Matthew 28. So we are to go and make disciples and teach people to obey Jesus commands. Believing is having faith in something or someone. Believing in God is a powerful thing but even demons believe in God also! - James 2:19 (NKJV) “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” So God does want us to experience the powerful salvation which comes from believing….. But also more……. being a disciple as well. In believing, lives are saved but not transformed. When lives are positioned as disciples, followers of Christ, transformation takes place. It’s an ongoing commitment to the work of the Holy Spirit within. Unlike the thief on the cross next to Jesus, we do have time in our lives for the Holy Spirit to change us. Moving from being a believer to being a disciple was Jesus’ plan in order to transform lives. This is what he called us to be. Believing is not the final thing! Jesus ministered not only to many crowds but also to his disciples when he was not with crowds. Crowds maybe are there for what they can get but disciples are there for what they can become. Being a disciple means becoming subject to the disciplines of the person you follow. A life being transformed will always involve a level of discipline in order to cause the changes required. God calls us to be subject to His teachings and truths. Do we want our lives to adhere to Jesus’ teaching? The bible calls all believers to achieve Christ-likeness choosing discipleship over pure membership. We need to let Jesus train us or disciple us into a better way of living. This means living in the Word allowing the Holy Spirit to challenge us and moving from being in a crowd experience about God to being a follower of God. Believing is belonging but disciplining is submitting, allowing changes to occur, daily. When we are living in the Word of God we will be transformed – Romans 12:2 (NKJV) “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”. Our thinking will be challenged and our wisdom altered, this needs to be our prayer. We must exchange incorrect philosophies for correct ones. Colossians 2:8 tells us (NIV) “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ”. The Passion Translation colours this in with even greater clarity in modern day English “Beware that no one distracts you or intimidates you in their attempt to lead you away from Christ’s fullness by pretending to be full of wisdom when they’re filled with endless arguments of human logic. For they operate with humanistic and clouded judgments based on the mindset of this world system, and not the anointed truths of the Anointed One.” So we have a choice as believers, carry on as we are or turn to God and choose His wisdom to operate in inside us. This means we redefine our belief system in accordance with Jesus words. As Jesus said, disciples live by and are obedient to His words (he was speaking to Jewish believers), read John 8:31 (NIV) “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples’”. So Jesus was speaking to people who were saved telling them they needed to hold true to His words. The same is true for us in order to be disciples.