Newlife Church Toronto Special Speakers: Recent Episodes
Newlife Church, Toronto
Change Part 1 (Various Scriptures) How Do People Change? This is the first in a series that will consider the issues of identity, relationships, peace, and clarity of thougth.
Every Christian what every Christian needs — grace that you don’t deserve, and a Savior you could never repay. So lay down thescoreboard, silence the grumbling, and let the generosity of God move you from entitlement to worship, of the God who has chosen to save someone like you. (Matthew 20:1-16)
On the surface it can seem that self love contradicts so many commands of Scripture. But as we dig deeper we see that there is much more to the answer to this important question. (Various Scriptures)
Disappointment is a powerful force. It comes into our lives when we face situations in life where we feel let down by other people or by God.But this passage shows a sequence: By God’s grace, suffering can produces endurance, which produces character, which leads to hope, and finally to God’s love being poured into our hearts. (Rom 5:1-5)
What we can learn about grief from 4 gospel stories, plus some experiences from my own life and therapeutic training. (the Gospels)
The 23rd Psalm is a treasure-chest of lessons. Every line is filled with rich themes, and it all hangs together with a single idea. (Psalm 23)
Forgiveness Part 3 Sin is present, but God won’t give up on us! Are we moving toward or away from him? Turn to Jesus to forgive from the heart.
Forgiveness Part 2 (Matt 18) We see threads of teaching going through Mathew, and chapter 18 takes us to the heart of Jesus’ teaching on accountability and forgiveness.
Forgiveness Part 1 (—) Forgiveness is complicated. This three-part series begins with the foundation — The Forgiveness of God for us
The story of Ruth teaches us to look for hope, and then to act in hope. We need hope for relationships, for food and finance, and for eternal joy. (Ruth)
-A different kind of take on Christmas: Paul presents Christmas as a challenge to us to follow Christ in radical humility, trusting that he will exalt us for eternity. (Phil 2:6-11)
God wants to use us as he works in others, as they encounter Jesus through us as a people. (Mark 6 & John 6)
So many Christians are trying to improve their relationship with God by working as hard as they can. Instead Paul tells us of how we can have peace with God, access to the Father, live as his children and be filled with his Spirit. (Romans 4 & 5)
We can easily feel a pressure to make a name for ourselves, or accomplish great things and gain glory. These verses release us from the pressure, calling us to trust God to make our lives count for him as we quietly love one another. (1 Thess 4:9-12)
The Christian life is not about religious practices, it’s about knowing Christ. Knowing him partly now is the guarantee of knowing him fully later. (Phil 3:1-11)
Let your pride, your selfish ambition and your empty glory go—all it does is diminish you as a person. The amazing thing about humility is that when we take the yoke of the humble Saviour on us, it doesn’t diminish us at all. We give up what we can’t keep to gain what we can’t lose (Phil 1:27-2:4)
We should mourn death (Winter), guard and cultivate the new life (Spring), and spread this new life (Summer) letting it shine out into this world — Christ in Me, the Hope of Glory! (Rom 6:4)
Are you like Jacob, fighting for Christ’s love? What happens when you stop to listen? Who does Jesus say you are? (Luke Gen 32:22–33:4)
Jesus told three parables in a row, all on the same topic. We need to appreciate how much the lost matter to the Father who loves us, and this leads us to rejoicing and praise. (Luke 15:1-24)
The church of our day and age must be certain to support its members in active cultural engagement, including, but not exclusively, the Arts and Music. We must all worship God with our Cultural strengths. (1 Chron 15 & 16)
God blesses us by letting us behold his glory, and it deeply satisfies our souls. (Num 6-22-27)
Three problems that threaten our heart, and three effective ways to guard it. (Prov 4:23)
To worship God not just singing songs on Sunday, but living in abandonment to Christ every day of the week. Worship starts with our daily seeking the empowering of the Spirit to live a life glorifying to God. (Romans 12:1-2)
If you cooperate with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will operate in you (Mark 9:42-48)
What is praise, and why praise? Praise builds our perseverance and is a proclamation of God and his Kingdom (—)
A subject that is very rarely preached on, yet important to just about everyone. God wants us to recognize our limitations, so we can better love! (Mark 1:32-39)
We must recognize that the follower of Jesus cannot continue to move forward in Jesus without the Power of the Holy Spirit. (Eph 3:14-21)
When we operate our lives with a spirit of encouragement, we become more fruitful everywhere we go. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
A different kind of take on Christmas: Paul presents Christmas as a challenge to us to follow Christ in radical humility, trusting that he will exalt us for eternity. (Phil 2:6-11)
The message to the church at Sardis is so relevant to us today, in many ways (Rev 3:1-6)
What is the Kingdom of Heaven, and what in practical terms does it mean to seek it? (Matt 6:33)
-Andy shares a testimony of how Jesus journeyed with him during an emotionally and relationally difficult time in his life. We also look at some Bible passages where God similarly journeys with others. (Ps 13)
-Vera shares what God has been doing in the last four years, including the opportunity of helping refugees from Ukraine, and Luke shares his experiences of being a Christian in the Workplace. (Romans 1:15-16)
What does this well-know verse tell us about delighting in God and him giving us the desires of our hearts, and what does it mean in practical terms in our lives? (Ps 37:4)
The great message of this story is that in spite of the fact the man asked Jesus to help his unbelief, there were four things in his heart which testified to the genuineness of his faith, even in the midst of the doubts he possessed. For you and me, who believe but also struggle with unbelief, that is a great comfort. (Mark 9:14-29)
Jesus said: Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor! Does that mean I have to give all my money away? (Mark 10:17-31)
What are the lessons from Samson? One of them is that if God can use Samson, then God can use anyone, including you! (Judges 13-16)
Who does God use? Can he really use me? Do I want to be used by God? (Jn 14:12; Eph 4:1-16; 1 Cor 12:14-22)
Don’t waste your life by thinking it’s your life, not knowing why you exist, having a wrong view of the Master, or having a wrong view of success. (Matthew 25:14-30)
Seven ways we can give space to God to discern his will in our lives. (Various Scriptures)
A new nature is rooted in Christ, pursuing after God, to know him more; in knowing him to learn more of his will; leading to a desire to please him. In seeing his will, his will becomes our will. (Col 3:5-10; Rom 12:2)
Word Team Part 2 (Gen 31) Remain loyal to God, even when your situation is unjust. God is not blind! Persevere in serving others, even when they don’t deserve it.
Word Team Part 1 (Mat 5:3) God sees you! God cares about you! God is with you! God rescues you!
Word Team Part 3 (Luke 22) God doesn’t wait for you to be perfect to use you – he will use you as you are
-Life can be so full of challenges that we can be tempted to give up following Jesus, but Peter gives us many good reasons to stay true to following him. (Peter 1)
Our God has blessed us abundantly in Jesus Christ. His gifts are lavish! (Romans 5:1-11 & Matthew 25:20-29)
Psalm 23, shepherd, good We know the Good Shepherd is always with us, to help us, guide us and transform us, keeping us on the right path and never leading us astray. (Psalm 23)
Thanksgiving is an attitude of life, not a momentary gratitude. It is woven richly into the whole of Colossians, so lets read some of these passages together. (1 Colossians)
Are you content? Jesus is where our contentment lies, and Jesus is also the means to our contentment. (1 Tim 6, 2 Cor 12, Phil 4, Hebrews 13:5)
Our ultimate goal in life is to manifest the glory of God: to give God glory. Wherever we are now, what we want to move toward is a greater manifestation of the glory in our lives. (Various scriptures)
It might surprise you, but God says that sometimes he will not listen to our prayers. The reason is that we have idols in our hearts. What are these idols? and how can we identify and remove them? (Ez 14:1-3)
When we read the story of the birth of Jesus, we know it so well yet often miss the rich references to the Spirit. Since the last of the prophets 400 years previously, the Jews had been waiting, and now he is moving again in power. Look in the mirror and know you are part of the new creation through the Spirit alive within you. He is the power of God on earth. (Various scriptures)
Understanding the Old Testament Part 40 (Various scriptures) Rather than being someone who was hidden till Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was an active agent in the Old Creation, worked tirelessly to prepare the way for Jesus, and is now working in us, bringing dry bones to life in the New Creation.
The options we have a. Come to God on our own terms b. Put on the free gift of Jesus Christ and wear him. Choose the second one, daily! It is not what I have done, but what he has done, cancelling out my shame (Matt 22 & 23)
What is Jesus talking about when he tells people to build their house on the rock? How do we actually do this? Because for certain, storms will come! (Luke 6:46-49 & Rom 8:38-39)
Christ desires to make a difference in our home. He does this through our hearts. Jesus will not be Lord in our homes until he is truly Lord in our hearts. (1 Kings 17:8-24)
A church where people know they are deeply loved by God will be a church that is known for its love for others (1 John 4:7-21, Eph 3:14-21)
It so is sad to see churches experiencing divisions regarding response to the pandemic. At least two of the NT churches (Rome and Corinth) faced divisions over the issue of what believers were free to do, whether the exercise of their freedom should be restricted by other people who maybe were in a different point in their faith journey. (Rom 14 & 15 and 1 Cor 8-10)
As we read the Story of David and Barzillai in 2 Samuel we learn some lessons including how to prepare to live to a God-pleasing old age (2 Samuel 17:27-29; 19:31-40)
When talking with someone about spiritual issues, use questions and conversation to try to get to the issues of that person’s heart. (Mark 10:17-22)
Jesus clearly taught that the love of God would be made known by the unity and love within his church. We explore the how and why of this extraordinary statement. (John 17:22-23)
These verses will encourage your prayer life as you see the amazing power working through this means. Even five minutes in prayer is an investment in eternity (Ephesians 1:15-23)
In Luke 3 & 4 Jesus heard he Voice of the Father in the Jordan, the voice of the Enemy in the wilderness, and the Voice of the World in Galilee. Like Jesus we need to: Recognize where thoughts are coming from; Reject it when it is not coming from God, and Replace it with the truth of what God says (Luke 3 & 4)
Sometimes our life plans are suddenly forced to change and we can feel overwhelmed. This is what happened to Jacob when he mourned the loss of the son he was devoted to. Our faith can get week, so let’s spend some time being encouraged by God’s promises. (Genesis 37:12-36)
As we start a new year with so many negative things happening, let’s focus on the core of what defines us as Christians. Today I want you to soak in this good news (Ephesians 1:1-14)
Victory in spiritual warfare comes from knowing first where the battleground is, and second how to fight it. Then we can have real assurance of victory. (1 Eph 6:10-17)
True victory ultimately comes in the place of human weakness. It was not at Mount Carmel, when Elijah was at his strongest, but at Mount Sinai, when he was at his weakest, that the purposes of God were released on earth. (1 Kings 18 & 19)
Are these verses in Proverbs there to hold up some incredibly high standards for what women should attain, or men should look for in a wife? When we look at the context we find something very interesting! (Proverbs 31)
You know for sure that he already loves you, so put on behaviour that reflects his love. As we receive the truth than God thinks of us as his dearly beloved and chosen, our behaviour begins to change. (Colossians 3)
-These words give us a window into the heart of Paul, and are full of practical encouragement to love more fully. (Philippians 1:1-11)
Wolves are coming. If a church is going to be safe and healthy for Jesus’s people, we must be aware that wolves will find their way inside. And when they do, we can’t hesitate about what to do. Remind yourself of truth because it matters, and eliminate false teaching because it kills. (2 Timothy 2:14-18)
Moving from the story of a rock called “Ebenezer” in 1 Samuel to Paul’s “death” and “resurrection” story in 2 Cor. This study re-frames the meaning of suffering. It can give us a new way to engage with God, a new hope and a new strength. (1 Sam 7:3–14; 2 Cor 1:1–11)
Three keys for when you are going through a storm, when your experience is not matching up with your expectations (Luke 7:18-23)
Be encouraged by some amazing Scriptures, some stories from the past of a fearless church, and from the the antidote to fear, the gift of faith from the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 2:14-15)
Can you approach God with confidence? Braden shows us how we can approach God with confidence, despite our natural state being one that makes this impossible. (Hebrews 10)
We are living in an age where distractions are everywhere, including on our phones. Psalm 1 is very practical and motivating to replace them with the words of God.
Vera shares her story of how God has worked in her life and called her to participate in the Intervarsity ministry. She shares a few passages that have been pivotal for her understanding of ministry and that God has used to call her into his mission. What is something big or small that Jesus is inviting you to say yes to? (Luke 5:1-11)
Call on me in prayer and I will answer you. I will show you great and mysterious things that you still do not know about. (Jeremiah 33:1-16)
Listen as Braden explains how Jonah is more than just a story about an Old Testament prophet It’s a story that is in many ways about each one of us, and it is one that is both challenging and comforting.
How do we act on the Gospel message we have received? Listen as Braden walks us through James 1 and we discover how truth that changed the lives of early Christians will also impact our lives today. (James 1:19-27)
Suffering is all around us—it can be difficult to go through, watch, and understand. Listen as Darryl shares biblical truth about suffering and God’s plan for our lives, even in the midst of life’s most challenging situations. (2 Corinthians 1:1-11)
We look at images of God in the Bible, the problems we experience relating to him and overcoming these problems.
“By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.” Building our city is a necessary part of receiving and giving the blessing of our Saviour. (Proverbs 11:11)
A new nature is rooted in Christ, pursuing after Christ, seeking to be like Christ, desiring what is righteous and holy.But how do we get there? Listen to this powerful call to pursue God and seek after him. (Colossians 3:5-9)
Do we choose to follow Jesus, or reject him either directly or indirectly, by relying on our works or possessions? He loves us and is wanting us to choose to wholeheartedly love and follow him, instead of pursuing things that will never satisfy (Matthew 19:16-26)