Paul's Podcast

God Speaks Today (Hebrews 3:7-11)

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0100

The sinking of the Titanic is a very well-known disaster… but did you know that the ship actually received multiple warnings about the dangers before it ever got close to hitting the ice-berg? Some of these warnings even reached the command team of the Titanic.

The warnings were heard, they just weren’t listened to. See, hearing is one thing, listening is another.

It is for this reason that I want us to have another crack at verses 7-11 of Hebrews 3.
Same passage as last week, but this time we will be looking at what it says about how God speaks today... it might just also show us her we can tell if we're listening...

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The Heart of the Matter (Hebrews 3:7-11)

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 20:00:00 +0100

The human heart is so important for our health and survival, that any issues with it can lead to a wide range of problems: shortness of breath, swelling, nausea, confusion.

It is also pretty important mentally. We often say things like ‘his heart just isn’t in it’. The sentiment behind that is, even though someone might have the skill necessary for a task, if their heart isn’t in it they will just never be successful at it.

We will see today that the heart is the issue spiritually as well.

Let's jump in...

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Building the Best House (Hebrews 3:1-6)

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 20:00:00 +0100

Talk about going for the big guns: Paul has comprehensively explained how Jesus is better than angels; now he turns his attention to Moses.

Moses was awesome, but Jesus is better.

On the surface of it, Jesus being better than Moses sounds cool but seems obvious and, truth be told, a little irrelevant.

How should Jesus being better than Moses actually affect my life today?

Let's find out...

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The Perfect Pain Relief (Hebrews 2:14-18)

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:00:00 +0000

In the late 1800s, a renowned medical company believed they had solved a serious medical issue sweeping lots of the Western world. They went to market with their solution: a drug called Diacetylmorphine. Their studies had shown that this was a safer, non-addictive alternative to morphine... the reality proved that they were wrong.
This drug, better known today by its easier to pronounce name, Heroin, only made matters worse.
Could us believers today be at risk of making a similar mistake, spiritually speaking? Do we always get the right pain relief for the tests and struggles of this life? What if there was medicine available for us that was safe, free, never ending, had no negative side effects and actually worked... is that something you would be interested in?

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Abound In The Work

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000

1 Corinthians 15:58 is a popular verse that tells us we have to be steadfast, unmoveable, and always abounding in the work...

But what is The Work, exactly?

And are we up for the job?

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It's Personal (Hebrews 2:9-13)

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Last month a 13 year old boy made the news for a seemingly super human endeavour.

He got into trouble on a paddle board off the coast of Western Australia, swam 4k to shore, ran 2k to the nearest phone... all despite the fact he'd failed his 350m swimming badge shortly before.

What was it that inspired this remarkable display of strength, determination and endurance? The answer: his family were still out at sea.

It seems there are some people who we feel so strongly & personally connected to that we're willing and able to go the extra mile (and some) for... the question is, do we feel that way about Jesus Christ?

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The Failure of Man (Hebrews 2:5-8)

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Picture a man: a first class young man, a good man, an attractive man, a man better, taller and stronger than his peers… This is Saul in 1 Samuel 9. His story started well, but it ended in tragedy.

Like Saul's story, the story of mankind is a tragedy too. How can we make sure our lives have a different narrative?

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Don't Make Light of the Message (Hebrews 2:1-4)

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 20:00:00 +0000

'The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come... they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise...'

What does it mean to make light of what God has called us to do? And more importantly, what will help us make sure we don't do it?

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His Coming Reign (Hebrews 1:8-14)

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 20:00:00 +0000

You know those huge, big red double decker buses in London? My fiend’s sister got hit by one. (She has made a full recovery now, thankfully.)
She didn’t look to the right when crossing the road and stepped out and boom. It is important to look the right way; it is dangerous to look the wrong way.
I wonder if our problem might be the same?
I wonder how our difficulty in holding fast might be affected, if we looked in the right direction and focussed on what was coming?
Let’s see if these verses can help us do that…

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His Most Excellent Name (Hebrews 1:4-7)

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 19:00:00 +0000

W. Shakespeare wrote “What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet;”

The suggestion is that the name one gives to something doesn’t actually matter that much.
I’d have to disagree! I think names are really important.
Do you know the name of Jesus? And, more importantly, do you know how excellent it is?

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Listen to the Right Voice (Hebrews 1:1-3)

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 20:00:00 +0000

“We were right. We just weren’t listened to.”

These were the heartbreaking reflections of the engineer who knew the danger that the Space Shuttle Challenger was heading into. The tragedy is now taught in various forums as an illustration of what happens when we don't listen to the right voice.

That truth applies to us today: if we don't listen to the right voice, our lives are at risk too.

So let's find out who that right voice is, and a little about how he communicates with us...

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Christ Is Better (Hebrews - the introduction)

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Christ is better. That is the most repeated message in the epistle to the Hebrews, and I would suggest that this is a message we really need to hear today.
We really need to hear it today because every week, everywhere, us believers are making decisions that suggest we believe the opposite.

The book of Hebrews is a book we really need, what a shame then that it is not written to us!

How can we introduce this book in a way that helps us understand what it says, what it teaches, and then how it applies to us? Let's find out...

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The Heart For God's Word (Ezra 7:10)

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000

One of the coolest guys in the bible has to be Eleazar... one of David’s mighty men, one of his top 3 guys, the man who fought so long and so hard that his hand clave to his sword.
That is cool.
What is even cooler, is when we see the picture: the sword today is our bible, and how well we wield that will determine our success.
So how do we wield our sword well? We could do a lot worse than look at Ezra's example...

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Set On Fire For Christ (Daniel 3)

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000

John Wesley was a minister in the Church of England. He was very devout; he was very disciplined; he was very knowledgable in the scripture; he prayed, preached and fasted regularly.

There was only one problem: he was lost.

When he was saved, from that day onwards, Wesley changed. As a way to sum up his ministry, people would say about him that he 'was set on fire by God and people would come to watch him burn.'

That is our hope and prayer for you - that you would be set on fire for Christ.

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Trust The Process (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 20:00:00 +0000

We want to be fruitful in our labour for the Lord, but the idea of bearing fruit can often come with some weighty questions:
How do I bear fruit? Am I being fruitful? Am I bearing enough fruit?
Or a big one: if fruit doesn’t seem to be coming, is that because the Lord wants me to be patient, or because I’m doing something wrong?
These are big questions to wrestle with, particularly as the entire point of our life is to produce fruit for our Heavenly Father to enjoy…
Praise the Lord then that there is a process to follow that will help address all those questions. Would you like to hear what it is?

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Don't Let The Good News Become Old News (Luke 2:8-12)

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 20:00:00 +0000

When the angel spoke to those shepherds all those years ago, they brought them good tidings of great joy. ('Good news of mega cheerfulness!')

The good news about the good news is that it is very good news indeed. The bad news about the good news is that it can become old news, if we let it.

How do we stop that happening?

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Move Like The Magi (Matthew 2:1-12)

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Not all wisemen were wise. We know these wisemen were wise by how they responded to the information they heard about Jesus.

Application for today: not all people are wise! What makes someone wise today is how they respond to the information they have about Jesus... so how will you respond?

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What Role Will You Play? (Matthew 2:1-12)

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 20:00:00 +0000

We've heard the Christmas story many times before, but we've missed a few things: how it is a true story from the past, how it is a story of prophesy, and how it is a personal story.

Listen to the story again, and decide which role you will play...

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7 Things to Say to a Younger Believer (Philemon)

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 20:00:00 +0000

Without effective mentoring, people fail.

That's true in the world, in the Bible, in history, in our own lives, and in the Great Commission.

The problem is not that we don't want to be effective mentors, but rather we don't know how. When it comes to encouraging younger believers, we can find ourselves thinking "I don't know what to say..."

Step up the apostle Paul and his letter to Philemon, with 7 things we want to be able to say to the growing believers in our lives...

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Spread It Around (Philemon 20-25)

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Winter is just around the corner and you know what that means: the common cold.
We're going to get one, and we're going to spread it around to those near us. Not cool.
But, what if I were to tell you that there is something else that you could spread, but that it was something good... that there is something else that you can share around to the people you come into contact with, but it doesn’t make them sick - it might actually encourage them... it doesn’t make them cough, sneeze and ache, but rather brings peace, joy and strengthens their faith.
Is that something you would be interested in hearing about?

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Be Forgiving (Philemon 8-16)

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 20:00:00 +0000

When preaching on the book of Philemon, John MacArthur said “No one is ever more like God than when they forgive.”
I think there is a lot of support for his claim, but I also think 'being forgiving' is easier said than done.

Why should we forgive if we've been wronged? Well, let's find out...

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Love The Saints (Philemon 4-7)

Sun, 02 Nov 2025 19:00:00 +0000

We want grace to be at work in our lives; the first sign of this according to Philemon is our love for other believers.

Some people are very loveable, others not so much.

What do we need to know to ensure we love the saints like Jesus did?

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Grace Worked (the picture of grace in Philemon)

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 20:00:00 +0000

Martin Luther was right when he said about believers ‘we are all Onesimuses!’

Today, we are going to see what exactly makes us 'Onesimuses'. We'll see that his life story is a picture of our life story, which will give us the big fat reminder we need about God's grace: it worked.

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Grace At Work (the intro, Philemon 1-3)

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 20:00:00 +0100

There are some great books in our New Testament:

Acts is the first book of church history; Romans the backbone of Christianity, full of the power of the gospel & loaded with doctrine. We then have x8 church epistles, which instruct believers on how to deal with sin, how to respond to religion, how to walk in the Holy Spirit, how to fix problems in the church, teaches us about family relationships, about the deity of Christ, about our identify in Christ, about the return of Christ…

Then 3 pastoral epistles, which prepare and instruct ministers in how to do the job the Lord has called them too…

Then there’s Philemon. A short memo of a letter that doesn't serve to correct a church problem, nor expound a new doctrine, nor correct a false teaching…
What is it for then?

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The Power for the Prize Fight (Philippians 3:14)

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100

Believers are not called to a pleasure cruise but to a prize fight. Not only are we to go, but we are to fight, and we are to win.

Where does the power come from for this fight? How can I make sure I pack a punch?

Let's find out...

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It's A Team Sport (2 Timothy 4:19-22)

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 21:00:00 +0100

There are team sports and there are individual sports. Some individual sports include: boxing, swimming, running. Some team ones include: football, hockey, rugby, netball.

What are the differences between the two?

With individual sports, you’re out there on your own. Though there are a few people involved behind the scenes, when the competitor is actually on the field or in the ring, they’re on their own.

With team sports, the opposite is true: the sportspeople involved are never on their own. They always have the comfort and support of the team and, most significantly, their success is completely caught up in the success of the team.

In a team sport, someone is only successful if the team is successful.

Finishing our (obstacle) course is a team sport.

What position are you going to play?

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Stand With Christ (2 Timothy 4:16-18)

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 20:00:00 +0100

As we reach (almost) the end of our series, we’ll see something extraordinary play out in Paul’s life. He's pretty old, alone, imprisoned, and he has to stand before an absolute tyrant of a ruler - a lion according to verse 17…
But at the same time, he couldn’t have been safer.
As counter intuitive as that sounds, I believe that at that moment (his first answer before Nero) he was the strongest and safest he had ever been.

How is that possible?

And what does it have to do with us?

Let's find out...

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On Track (2 Timothy 2:6-8)

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 08:00:00 +0100

It’s important to be ready. If I want to get the bus to school, I have to be ready in time. If I want to succeed in that job interview, I need to be ready for it.

There are many incidences in life where it is important to be ready, but none that compare to being ready to stand before Christ.

Two huge questions this week:

1. Are you ready to stand before Christ?

2. How do you know?

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When The Going Gets Tough (2 Timothy 4:3-5)

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 20:00:00 +0100

One thing we did a lot in my family growing up was huddle round the TV on a Saturday night for a TV show called Gladiators. An entertaining show, where contestants faced off against 'gladiators' in a range of events designed to test speed, agility and strength. One of the most difficult, dramatic and important moments in the show is The Travellator.

At the end of the show, after several events, a final obstacle course has to be run by each contestant. This includes rope climbing, a zip wire, monkey bars, balance beams… and then finally the dreaded Travellator.

After numerous events, hours of work, when their knees are going and they have almost nothing left, they are presented with the final obstacle: a sprint finish, uphill, whilst the ground moves electronically backwards against them.

It is almost the end, but it is hard, and it takes an extra special push to get over the line.

Glory awaits on the other side, but they are required to dig very deep to get there...

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Finish Strong: judgment is coming (2 Timothy 4:1-2)

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 21:00:00 +0100

Today we begin chapter 4 and the final obstacle: finishing strong. Based on chapters 3, 2 and 1… chapter 4 begins with an urgent charge from Paul to Timothy.

What is that urgent charge?

Part one: Timothy has to finish strong because a judgement is coming.

(Part two next week: he has to finish strong because a turning away is coming).

There is a lot of information in these 5 verses, but however the bible student approaches it, they will see that Timothy has a lot of important work to do, that time is running out for him to do it, and that he needs to do it as well as he possibly can while he still has the opportunity.

How can this encourage us as we strive to finish our course? Let's find out...

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Read The Bible (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

Sun, 24 Aug 2025 20:00:00 +0100

The last days are perilous, but it is possible to be victorious in them. Here's the big secret as to how, ready... the big reveal... read the Bible.

We've heard that before, but what we sometimes miss is the impact 'continuing in the scriptures' will have on our ability to finish our course.

Want to know more? Jump in...

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Follow The Right Example (2 Timothy 3:10-13)

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 20:00:00 +0100

Travelling overseas once, I got myself in a little pickle in Asia.
The mix of travelling and the heat and quite a bit of physical exercise… plus the food that my body wasn’t used too… I actually became quite unwell on an overnight train…
What does one do in that situation?
I wasn’t able to do very much myself, couldn’t speak the language, couldn’t read any of the language, but knew I needed some medical attention…
Thank goodness I was travelling in a group, and thank goodness this group had a guide.
The guide told me to follow him when we left the train station, and led me safely through the next difficult 24 hours...

Imagine how difficult that would have been without this person. I needed somebody to follow.

Same can be said of us believers trying to navigate the last days: we need somebody to follow?

Who, how and why? Let's find out...

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Dangerous People (2 Timothy 3:6-9)

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 20:00:00 +0100

In policing terms, a good Safer Neighbourhood Team has (at least) two main responsibilities.

They have to deal generally with the challenges of the area. This means keeping an eye on particular areas of concern, like outside the fast food place, or tracking particular crime issues, like shoplifting.

As well as this general approach, they also have their 'key nominals'. These are the specific persons of interest. The prime suspects. These are people known to be trouble-makers, who they watch especially closely, because (based on everything the data suggests) they strongly suspect these people are going to cause another issue soon - it’s just a matter of time.

These is a smart tactics. How can they help us believers navigate the last days?

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The Last Days (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 20:00:00 +0100

Key to being successful in any endeavour is understanding what you’re up against. The sailor studies the weather before they set out, the boxer watches hours and hours of their opponent in the ring to see how they fight, the football team not only studies the opponent on tape - they get to train on and warm up on the pitch (so they know exactly what the playing field is like).

We need to know what the last days are going to be like if we are to be successful in them.

So what are they going to be like?

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Setting The Stage (Acts 2:4-13)

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 21:00:00 +0100

In Acts 2, before people get saved, and before Peter shares the gospel, God sets the stage...

Today, we want to see people get saved, and we want to share the gospel, but what needs to happen in our lives first?

Let's jump in and find out...

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It's Not About You! (2 Timothy 2:24-26)

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 20:00:00 +0100

What does a servant of the Lord do? What does it look like when someone today is completely submitted to the will of God?

That can seem like an unattainable position, but let me share with you two very real, very practical things we need to know if we want our lives to look like this…

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The Vessel of Honour (2 Timothy 2:20-23)

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 07:00:00 +0100

I have here two balloons that are the same. Same colour, same material, from the same shop, the same packet, even the same writing on them.

Here’s one - I’ll throw it to this side of the room and let’s see what it does… full of air, it does this...

Here’s my second one - same balloon, just full of water. Other side of the room, are you ready for me to throw this at you?

What’s the point? The point is: what the balloon is filled with determines what the balloon does - even what the balloon is.

Today we will see Paul teach the same lesson from 2 Timothy 2:20-23: what us believers fill ourselves with will determine what we do; and what we do will determine which kind of vessel we are; and the kind of vessel we are will determine how we finish our course...

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The Good Student (2 Timothy 2:14-19)

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 20:00:00 +0100

Having all been in school/education in some way, one thing we will have all experienced is different kind of students… lazy ones, hardworking ones, some like to sit right at the front near the teacher, some at the back, some students are always prepared, some are always late...

What kind of student were you?
More importantly, what kind of student are you today?
Specifically, what kind of bible student are you today?

The answer to the question will shape how useful you are to the Lord. Let's find out how...

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Some Things Are Worth Suffering For (2 Timothy 2:8-13)

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 19:00:00 +0100

...us believers are in an impossible spot then, because we know following Christ involves suffering, but we hate suffering.

How do we get past that?

The answer might be in these 3 things that the Apostle Paul believes are worth suffering for...

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The Smart Worker (2 Timothy 2:5-7)

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 20:00:00 +0100

How I used to wash cars as a kid... that is an example of someone not working smart. I was working, but I wasn't working smart. There was some endeavour, but it did not achieve the fruit that my effort may have led to...
This brings us to our 3rd lesson on how to be useful for the Lord.
Last week we saw that to be meet for the master’s use, we need to be a good soldier; this week we'll see that we also need to be a Smart Worker.

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The Good Soldier (2 Timothy 2:3-4)

Sun, 25 May 2025 20:00:00 +0100

Last week, we started our exploration of how to be useful to the Lord. This is the second of our 4 obstacles - and we cannot finish our course if we are not meet for the master’s use.
We can and will finish our lives, i.e. get to the end of them, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we will have fulfilled what God wanted us to do with them.
We concluded last week this way: if we want to be useful to the Lord, we have to pass it on.
Today we will see that if we want to be useful to the Lord, we have to be a good soldier.

So, what does a good soldier do?

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Pass It On (2 Timothy 2:1-2)

Sun, 18 May 2025 19:00:00 +0100

In this study of Finishing Our Obstacle Course, we have left behind obstacle 1 in chapter 1 (fear/shame) and are now sizing up obstacle 2: being useful.
We are going to hang our study of chapter 2 on this phrase:
…meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work (2 Timothy 2:21b).
That is what we want to be: useful to the Lord.
It is amazing that we can be that; we only have a short time to do it.
There are, seemingly, a lot of different ways believers try to achieve it.

How does one cut through all the different ministries, activities, programmes, lifestyles, options, choices, all the advice, all the instruction, all the possibilities… to find the truth of what “being useful for the Lord” actually looks like?

Let's jump in...

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Keep Going (2 Timothy 1:13-18)

Sun, 11 May 2025 20:00:00 +0100

Today we get the final piece of the puzzle we need to overcome our first obstacle of fear and shame. We have seen that we're fully equipped, we have seen that we need to be involved on His terms, today we will see that we need to keep going.

Why would Timothy keep going in his context? And why should we keep going in ours?

Take a listen to find out...

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Biblical Giving

Sun, 04 May 2025 20:00:00 +0100

Giving is the practical basis of every love relationship.

Giving is a doctrine that nearly every culture gets wrong.

Giving is the foundation of all worship.

...so pretty important we get this one right! What does biblical giving look like? Let's find out...

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Involved, On His Terms (2 Timothy 1:8-12)

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 20:00:00 +0100

Being scared of spiders, heights, needles or whatever, may or may not have that great of an impact on our life. We could probably be scared of one of these things and go on to live a pretty happy and "successful" life.

But, what if the thing that scared us was the very reason we were put on earth? What if the thing that we were afraid of was God’s plan for our life? And worse still, what if that was a fear we never got over?

Would you like to hear 3 tips from the Apostle Paul on how to overcome the fear we feel when engaging in God's work? Yes? Then let's dive in...

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The Two Thieves (Easter Sunday)

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Two people were crucified on that day with Jesus, but only one thing was different about them. What was it? And what does it mean for us today?

Take a listen & find out...

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Fully Equipped (2 Timothy 1:3-7)

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 19:00:00 +0100

My wife has many gifts, but one of my favourites is her supernatural ability to create a delicious meal out of nothing. A couple of days before the next Tesco delivery, I’m looking in the kitchen thinking “we are going to starve; there’s not food.”

Emma looks in the kitchen, grabs a bunch of ingredients, and pretty soon after, we have a delicious meal on the table.

I look in the cupboards and see what we don’t have; she looks in the cupboards and sees what we do have - then she gets busy cooking.

That is the perspective necessary to overcome this first obstacle in our race...

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Storyline - part 3

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 16:00:00 +0100

In Matthew 13, there are 7 parables that reveal what the Kingdom of Heaven will be like.

What will it be like? Why is this important to my faith? What does this mean for the mission of the church?

Let's jump in and find out...

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Finish Your (Obstacle) Course - introduction to 2 Timothy

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 20:00:00 +0100

We often think of as life as a race, which is appropriate as that is how the Apostle Paul describes it. But, more specifically, I would propose we can think of life as an obstacle race.
We think and maybe hope it will run smoothly, but in reality, we face many different and difficult challenges along the way. We do want to follow Jesus and serve God, but then life seems to throw something at us that can get in the way of that.

How do we finish our course? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could hear from someone who has been there and done it... welcome to Paul's second letter to Timothy...

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Storyline - part 2

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0100

What is the storyline of the Bible?

This week, we get into more detail about the story of God's kingdom. Crucially, we'll see how it is divided up into two concepts: the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven.

Which is which? And why is this important? Find out here...

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Storyline - part 1

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0100

What is the storyline of the Bible?

As much as we would like it to be about us, it is not. The storyline of the Bible is a story about a kingdom...

Welcome to our special mini-series on the Kingdom of Heaven & the Kingdom of God.

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Our One Opportunity (Genesis 22:20-24)

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Huz? Buz? Kemuel? And don't get me started on Chesed, Hazo and Pildesh...

Today we’re closing out our study of Genesis 22 with the final reality of worship: a life of worship leads to a life building the church. We will see that, though life presents many options, a life building the church is the only way we can produce fruit that actually remains.

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Obedience Is Rewarded (Genesis 22:15-19)

Sun, 23 Mar 2025 20:00:00 +0000

For our message today, you can imagine eating a sandwich. There is a filling on offer, but, as with every sandwich, it has to start and end with the slice of bread.

The bread in our sandwich today is Abraham’s obedience; the filling, i.e. what happens in the middle, is the reward of Abraham’s obedience.

How is his act of worship rewarded? How might we expect to be blessed as we live a life of obedience to God's word?

Good questions! Let's find out...

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Trust God (Genesis 22:9-14)

Sun, 16 Mar 2025 19:00:00 +0000

We’ve got trust issues people.

I once bit into what I thought was mint chocolate bar in school, aged 5, and it turned our to be not full of chocolate but full of raisins. Took me a long time to get over that.

More seriously, as believers we have trust issues, maybe even more so than unbelievers, here’s why:
- As Christians, we know we can’t trust ourselves. We know the human heart is deceitful, we know we have a flesh and a sin nature, we know there is something about ourselves that is untrustworthy.
- But at the same time, we haven’t yet learned how much we can trust God. We might be learning that, our faith might be / should be growing still - but many times we find our selves in situations where we’re asked to trust God more than we have before… and we’re not sure we do trust him that much… it seems our faith isn’t yet quite as big as it could be.

What do we do about this...?

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Go Smell Sweet (Genesis 22:6-8)

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Apparently our noses have 400 scent receptors and can detect trillions of different smells. What happens when we smell is we inhale molecules, which send signals to the brain, to create physical responses from our body... some smells we love, some we don't!

Why all this talk about smells?

The truth we’re going to see today is that the ordinary, flawed, weak, foolish, etc, etc believer is able to live their life in a way that smells sweet to the Lord. Want to now how?

Take a listen...

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Go & Do What God Said (Genesis 22:3-5)

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Last week we drew our first reality of worship from Genesis 22 (we have to understand the test) and this week we are going to draw out our second (we have to go and do what God has said).
And it is going to be so helpful for us because we are going to see how grand ol’ father Abraham goes and does what God told him to.

If we want to 'obtain a good report' like Abraham did, here are 3 ways we should go and do what God said...

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Understand The Test (Genesis 22:1-2)

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 20:00:00 +0000

Last week we looked at Isaac and saw the picture of the Cross: this provided us with the reason for worship. This week we're looking at Abraham, seeing how he responds to God’s call in his life: this is going to give us some realities of worship.

And reality no.1 is this: Our Faith Will Be Tested.

While "tell me something I don't know!" and "that sounds terrible!" might be our initial responses, taking a closer look might just change our perspective...

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The Reason for Worship (Genesis 22)

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Last week we saw how we don’t want to be left behind with the ass, we want to go yonder & worship. Vital to us doing that (i.e. worshipping God) is understanding WHY we should worship him.

Today we'll see that our reason for worship is caught up in what happened on that hill, all those years ago...

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Go Yonder & Worship (Genesis 22: the introduction)

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:00:00 +0000

The Old Testament and the New Testament conclude the same: ultimately, in the end, everyone is going to bow down and worship Jesus. The question is ‘who am I going to bow down to in the meantime?’

Genesis 22 is going to instruct us in the Reason for Worship and the Realities of Worship. This intro sets the scene for the next couple of months, and reminds us not to be left behind with the ass...

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Graduation (1 Timothy: bonus lesson)

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Colossians 1:
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
Christians are like plants: they are supposed to grow.
Last week we summarised those 4 sides of the special soldier, this week we’ll just take a quick peak at what graduation, or levelling up, looks like in each one…

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A Special Kind of Soldier (1 Timothy: the conclusion)

Sun, 26 Jan 2025 20:00:00 +0000

As we have seen over the last few months, Paul has been instructing and exhorting Timothy to ‘war a good warfare’ and to ‘Fight the Good Fight of Faith’.
What is different about this war?
It is unique compared to any other battle that has been, or will ever be, fought because it is a spiritual battle. As the battle is unique, it stands to reason that the type of soldier required to fight in it is unique too. We are chosen to be a “peculiar people” as Peter puts it.
What can a summary of 1 Timothy tell us about this 'peculiar soldier'? Let's take a look...

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Failure Is Not An Option (1 Timothy 6:20-21)

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Final two verses of 1 Timothy... what does Paul have to say to his spiritual son, his young soldier in Christ, before he signs off his letter and the fight continues?
He says: ‘O Timothy’! An exclamation of feeling and concern and exhortation. When we get into the details today we will understand this as:

-O Timothy: fight, don’t fail.
-O Timothy: keep going, don’t quit.

See, failure was not an option for Timothy. It was possible, he just couldn’t let it happen.
I wonder what that means for us, as we fight the good fight of faith today... let's find out...

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Certain Riches (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 20:00:00 +0000

There is an old fairy tale about a character called Rumplestiltskin; a made-up creature who had the ability to spin straw into gold. He was able to take something of relatively low value, and turn it into something of extremely high value.
That is the lesson that comes out of today's passage – we can be modern-day, real-life Rumplestiltskins.
Here we will see that if we don't trust our uncertain riches, but we do use them, we can turn our uncertain riches into certain ones...

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Fuel For The Fight (1 Timothy 6:13-16)

Sun, 05 Jan 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Have you ever run out of petrol in the car?
It has happened to me. It’s kind of silly because we can see that the vehicle is running low, but - for some reason - we don’t fill up, we just wait, thinking we might just make it to the next destination.
What about spiritually speaking? Have you ever run out of that kind of petrol?
Would you like to hear about a source of fuel that is free, that is unlimited, that will give the believer what they need to keep fighting the good fight of faith until it is done?

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Batteries Included (1 Timothy 6:11-12)

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 19:00:00 +0000

One Christmas Day challenge most kids probably remember is opening a present and being excited about it, but it doesn’t have the batteries included, so you have to wait until your parents find some batteries (and a tiny screwdriver) and put them in.
Until then, you have this amazing gift in a box, and you can look at it and think about it but you can’t actually do anything with it.
Often times, us Christians can fall into the trap of seeing our lives a bit like that. That is an incorrect perspective.
Today we'll see Paul exhort Timothy to 'lay hold' of his eternal life now... and we get to think on what that means for us...

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Pick A Prize (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 18:00:00 +0000

I attended some football training with a good friend of mine way back in my late teens. After a few years not playing, this was to be my glorious come back. Not long into the session, I received the ball in the middle of the pitch, perfect control, I turned and caressed the ball straight into the back of the net: goal.
It was the wrong goal. I’d got nervous, turned around the wrong way, tried to pass it back to a team mate but he had moved, and it went in. It is hard to win a game of football when you are aiming at the wrong goal.
Same can be said of our good fight of faith - let's jump in...

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Leave Behind False Teachers/Teaching (1 Timothy 6:3-5)

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 19:00:00 +0000

Most of us would agree that a good teacher can make a big difference. Have you had one before? Maybe at school as a kid...
What about the impact of a bad teacher? Ever had one of those?
Much more significant than the experiences we had in school growing up, how much more important is it to have a good teacher when it comes to the things of God?
Today Paul points the finger at these false teachers and, more specifically, gives us 3 reasons why we have to stay clear of them…

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Employment Opportunities (1 Timothy 6:1-2)

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 20:00:00 +0000

The average person spends about a third of their life at work. One study revealed that's - on average - 90,000 hours over a lifetime.
Our work can provide a great opportunity to be distracted from God's work, or it can provide a great opportunity for us to jump into it.
Which will it be...?

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The Skill of Slowing Down (1 Timothy 5:22-25)

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 19:00:00 +0000

We have a bread maker at home.
It has a timer, so, sometimes, on particularly delightful evenings, Emma puts the ingredients in and sets the timer so the bread starts baking in the morning before anyone is awake.
This means the bread bakes for 3 hours AS we’re waking up. We are greeted with a perfect, full, rounded loaf in the morning - that tastes delicious - and the smell, my goodness...
This bread maker also has a speed-setting. It’ll knead and cook the loaf in under an hour… but it’s not quite the same... looks almost the same, but the loaf is a little less full and a little less tasty...
Sometimes things just need more time.
What has this got to do with the Apostle Paul, his spiritual son Timothy, and our good fight of faith? Let's find out...

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Fairness for Leaders (1 Timothy 5:19-21)

Sun, 17 Nov 2024 19:00:00 +0000

Believers aren't lemmings.
The thing with lemmings is they migrate and they can swim. So as people observed this, they would literally see lemmings following each other over hills and off cliffs and into the sea. The myth became that lemmings were so foolish, they would follow their leader even if it meant walking into certain catastrophe... hence the phrase “like lemmings to the sea.”
Though the phrase might not portray the real life of a lemming completely accurately, it does illustrate a real problem many face today.
This problem seems especially tricky for Christians to handle.
The problem is this: how do Christians respond to bad leadership?
Let's find out what the Apostle Paul has to say...

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Follow The Leader (1 Timothy 5:17-18)

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 21:00:00 +0000

We know we should be subject to our authorities.
We know we should esteem very highly our authorities within the church.
Here we learn that we should count our authorities in the church that do a good job worthy of double honour.
How do we practically do that?

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What People In Need, Need (1 Timothy 5:11-16)

Sun, 03 Nov 2024 20:00:00 +0000

Last week we learnt that pretty much 9 times out of 10, we can get what we need by just doing the basics: reading our bible, being in prayer, serving through our local church, looking after ourselves physically...
Occasionally though, life does throw something at us that we can't deal with ourselves. We need help. (This might be a financial situation, a work situation, a health situation whatever.)
There is only one thing worse than being in a situation as tough as this: seeing someone you love in a situation as tough as this.
Seeing something we love experience something incredibly difficult is very hard for us, and we can feel helpless. We really want to help but we’re not sure how.
1 Timothy 5:11-16 should change that. How? Let's find out...

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Fight As A Family (1 Timothy 5:1-2)

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 19:00:00 +0100

Us believers say with pride: "true Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship."
And that’s true and it is wonderful. Thanks to the decision we made about Jesus, we get to enjoy a relationship with God.
But, we can forget, that one of the clearest ways a great relationship with God is demonstrated is through our relationships with other people, especially other Christians.
What principle do we need to understand to make sure we treat people right?
Let's find out...

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We Have To Focus (1 Timothy 4:12-16)

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 19:00:00 +0100

Two weeks ago we said, as concerning The Good Fight of Faith, to win it we have to stay in it.
Last week we learnt that to win it, we have to train for it.
This week we'll see that to win it, we have to focus on it.

What does this mean and how do we do that? Let's take a look...

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We Have To Train (1 Timothy 4:7-11)

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 19:00:00 +0100

Let me start by showing you a training schedule that will benefit your faith...
...and we look at this and, though it may well be a benefit to our faith, we think "eurgh! That looks less like a relationship with Jesus and more like a week in the workhouse."
This highlights a problem to us: often when it comes to godliness, the question we struggle with is not 'how do I train in godliness', it is 'why should I train in godliness'.
That is what the Apostle Paul is going to teach us today...

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Stay In It to Win It (1 Timothy 4:1-6)

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 08:00:00 +0100

Today, we look out on a new battlefront.
We have studied the battle front of doctrine (chapter 1) and the battle front of authority (chapters 2 and 3). Chapters 4, 5 and the first two verses of 6 focus on the battlefront of people.
How are we to be with people to ensure success in the fight?
Tellingly, the first person we need to put under the spotlight here is not our nosey neighbour, not our frustrating family member, nor our bothersome boss… its us...

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How To Behave In Church (1 Timothy 3:14-16)

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 20:00:00 +0100

Growing up as kids, we’re always told to ‘behave properly’ in church.
Usually this meant keeping quiet, dressing slightly more smartly than we would usually, being polite to people, not mucking around during the songs.
Those might be good things! But as we grow up, we realise there might be other behaviours we ought to display 'in church'.
What are these other behaviours and why are they so important?
Let's take a look...

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Pure then Proven then Promoted (1 Timothy 3:8-13)

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 09:00:00 +0100

We have some family chores in our household: Isaac is in waste management, Robin is in hospitality. The boys, of course, want a raise. Like good capitalists, they’re thinking 'if I had a little more money, I could use it really effectively.'
The parents, of course, are happy for them to have a raise… but something we want first is to see them be faithful with what is currently on their plate. Once we see that, we’ll know they’re ready for the promotion to greater responsibility and more work.
How does this principle work out in the life of every believer? And what does it have to do with the qualifications of a deacon? Let's find out...

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Prove It (1 Timothy 3:5-7)

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 19:00:00 +0100

Today we see that a pastor needs to be proven.
He's not the only one...

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Flesh-Fuelled (1 Timothy 3:4)

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 19:00:00 +0100

1 Timothy 3:1 This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
Here’s the truth: if a man wants the job of pastor, he wants something very good indeed.
Last week we saw that, for a church to Fight the Good Fight of Faith, they need a Fully Qualified pastor. (And we saw 7 things in particular that God expects a pastor to be).
This week, the flip-side: 6 things a pastor cannot be.
This will help us ensure we don't follow a bad one, and it might tell us a little about how the flesh wants to ruin our personal ministry efforts too...

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Fully Qualified (1 Timothy 3:1-2)

Sun, 25 Aug 2024 19:00:00 +0100

"This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work." (1 Tim 3:1)
If a bishop/pastor is supposed to watch over themselves whilst overseeing the flock, meant to be sharing the gospel with the lost and ministering the word to believers, watching out for wolves whilst cheering on the congregation - how important is it that we get the right man in charge?
Very.
Here are 7 things our pastor must be...

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A Successful Woman (1 Timothy 2:9-15)

Sun, 18 Aug 2024 19:00:00 +0100

It is easy to identify a successful woman. How?

Not because she has a lot of money and is dressed in some kind of power suit...
Not because she is forthright and assertive and is reading a book on women in leadership...
Not because she is popular and has a lot of attention, especially from men...
Not because she is able to complete every job that the world and/or her husband and/or her church throws at her to a perfect standard...

If they're not the goals for a Christian woman today, what are? Let's take a look...

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A Part in the Plan (1 Timothy 2:3-8)

Sun, 11 Aug 2024 19:00:00 +0100

Ever watch a movie right to the end, past the final scene, when you get to the credits?
There are a lot of names listed there, those credits roll for a little while…
Spielberg is the director, Leonardo di Caprio is the star, supported by Kate Winslet and Billy Zane (why is Titanic my go to movie here?). And then there are many more who contributed, like lighting guy number 2, assistant hairdresser, man with tuba.
Everyone on the list is named there because they played a part in contributing to the overall film.
Where is this analogy going and, more importantly, what has it got to do with Fighting the Good Fight of Faith? Let's find out...

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Who's The Boss? (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 20:00:00 +0100

Welcome to the second battle front that 1 Timothy deals with: the battle over authority.
Authority was an issue in the garden, before the garden, in Ephesus, and in the church today.
Just who is the boss? And what should I do about it?
Let's find out...

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Anyone Can Fight Well (1 Timothy 18-20)

Sun, 14 Jul 2024 19:00:00 +0100

Not all competitions are inclusive. Take sumo wrestling for example, probably a few requirements in there that would prevent us fighting sumo effectively.
Thankfully, the good fight of faith is not like that. This is a battle anyone can fight well.
Today we'll see that any Christian, anywhere, under any circumstances can war a good warfare... we just need to have these 3 things in place...

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3 Signs of Sound Doctrine (1 Timothy 1:12-17)

Sun, 07 Jul 2024 19:00:00 +0100

Signs we love to see:

Buy One Get One Free;
Free Parking;
Train on Time;
Free breakfast bap with every hot drink.

These are all positive signs; they are signs we want to see.
In terms of our lesson today, we are going to see some more signs that are good ones. More important than getting a free bacon sandwich with our coffee though, these are signs of sound doctrine.
These indicators will tell us if a person, pastor or ministry is on the right track.
They will help us stay away from disaster, and they will encourage us in the right direction.
Here we go...

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3 Disasters of Unsound Doctrine (1 Timothy 1:5-11)

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 19:00:00 +0100

Here comes another sermon on the importance of bible doctrine.
The bible tells us doctrine is important, but man, do we have to keep going on about it? Can't we have some lessons on heaven, angels or gifts instead, or at least some preaching that will help me with the problems in my life today?

The bible is very clear about the importance of doctrine, but sometimes we still need convincing.
We learnt last week that doctrine is the priority; it is the first battle in fighting the good fight of faith… but often times we can still underestimate the impact good doctrine has on our daily lives. And if we underestimate the impact of good doctrine on our lives, we will underestimate the impact bad doctrine on our lives too... big mistake...

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The Priority of Doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3-4)

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 09:00:00 +0100

For big cats, often the primary place for them to attack their prey is in the neck. Whatever animal they are facing, they know they can bring it down if they do some damage in that area (like the expression says: 'go for the jugular').
For a Christian, the dangerous animal is the Devil (as a roaring lion, walking about seeking whom he may devour - 1 Peter 5:8); for the Christian, the jugular is the word of God.
No surprise then that this is where Satan first attacked (Genesis 3:1) and this is where Paul first instructs Timothy to focus in Ephesus (1 Tim 1:3-4).
Doctrine is the priority. What are 2 ways we can make sure it is a priority in our life?
Let's find out...

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Fight the Good Fight, on 4 Fronts (1 Timothy - the introduction)

Sun, 16 Jun 2024 21:00:00 +0100

Success in war often comes down to the outcomes of particular key battles.
Take the American Civil war, for example. There were a many key battles in there, but two that really influenced the outcome of the war were the battles at Vicksburg and Gettysburg.
Why the history lesson?
The same applies to our spiritual war.
To use Paul's words to Timothy, Christians are supposed to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12). We are supposed to war a good warfare (1 Timothy 1:18).
Why I believe 1 Timothy is going to be so profitable for us is that we are going to study 4 key battles; success in each of these is essential if we are going to win the war.
Let's take a look...

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Rejoice in the Lord - the Apostle Paul's guide (Philippians 4)

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 20:00:00 +0100

Joy seems to be a bit like a nice red Ferrari - we all want one, but not that many of us seem to get one...
So we can be thankful for the book of Philippians, which, as we know from our Tuesday night bible study, has the theme of ‘Joy In The Midst of Suffering’. And one of the things chapter 4 is chiefly concerned with is finding joy in the Lord at all times.
We are going to break a few rules today and, rather than go chunk by chunk, we are going to devour the whole of chapter 4 in one sitting.
I want you to stay with me, because what we are going to leave with is the apostle Paul’s guide to finding joy in the Lord, always.
Here we go...

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First Things First (Haggai - the conclusion)

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 20:00:00 +0100

We've finished the book of Haggai! There is a lot of content in these two chapters, so today we are going to step back and summarise what we've learnt.
What do we see when we consider the book of Haggai in its entirety?
We see that the remnant of Israel had their priorities wrong in 4 areas. We see that, to turn them into faithful builders, Haggai had to get them to re-prioritise in these 4 areas.
How does this help us? It gives us the 4 priorities of faithful builders... here they come...

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Build With Confidence (Haggai 2:20-23)

Sun, 26 May 2024 19:00:00 +0100

Today we hear Haggai's final sermon; this one is directed personally to Zerubbabel.
What does the word of the Lord say to Z to ensure that he finishes the building?
Let me show you 3 things that are guaranteed to happen when the building is done, and 1 thing that it not...

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Holiness Is Better (Haggai 2:15-19)

Sun, 19 May 2024 19:00:00 +0100

Holiness is like this cauliflower here. I know it’s good for me, I know I should eat it, but I really don’t want to because I know it is not going to taste good… whereas sin, that’s the cake.
So the plan for our Christian life has to be to eat up what tastes bad, at the expense of denying ourselves what tastes good.
Doesn’t that sound like the most depressing thing ever?
Maybe we've got this holiness thing the wrong way round...

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The Challenge of Holiness (Haggai 2:10-14)

Sun, 12 May 2024 20:00:00 +0100

We have learnt that we need to build with strength (chapter 2 verses 1-9); next we will see that we need to build with holiness (chapter 2 verses 10-19).
This presents a problem for us because holiness is a challenge.
What is the challenge?
What can we do about it?
Let's find out...

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Build With Strength part 2 (Haggai 2:6-9)

Sun, 05 May 2024 20:00:00 +0100

Building his house is going to take strength. Haggai 2:1-5 gave us two places we can find that; Haggai 2:6-9 gives us one more.
We will see that strength to build does not come from looking longingly back at the past, but instead looking longingly forward to the future.
So what is the future of his house?
Let's take a look...

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Build With Strength part 1 (Haggai 2:1-5)

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 20:00:00 +0100

The physical house of the Lord (i.e. the temple Z and Josh and the remnant were building) required physical strength; the spiritual house of the Lord (i.e. the one we are building) requires spiritual strength.
Do we have any?
Where can we get some?
As usual, Haggai has the answers...

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Build Because You Want To (Haggai 1:12-15)

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 09:00:00 +0100

Today we see Z and Josh and all the remnant of the people get up and start building.
After all the years, the adversaries, the apathy - they got up and "they came and did work in the house of the Lord."
What happened??
What changed to make them want to build?
Let's see what we can learn that will help us too get up and get building...

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It Is Disobedient Not To Build (Haggai 1:7-11)

Sun, 14 Apr 2024 19:00:00 +0100

Haggai chapter 1 gives us the reasons why we should build the house of the Lord. Firstly, it is the right time, secondly it is the right house and thirdly - today - we will see that we should build it because it is disobedient not to.
Building his house brings him pleasure, but bypassing it brings something else...
Let's find out more.

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It Is The Right House To Build (Haggai 1:3-6)

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 20:00:00 +0100

...what we need to understand from today is that we are going to spend our lives building somebody’s house. In verses 3-6, Haggai gives us three reasons why the right house to build is the Lord's...

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It Is The Right Time To Build (Haggai 1:1-2)

Sun, 31 Mar 2024 20:00:00 +0100

Despite all the distractions, obstacles and fears - it was the right time for Israel to build the house of the Lord.
Christians today might be distracted, demotivated and doubtful when it comes to building 'our' house of the Lord (i.e. the church)... does that change the fact that it is still the right time to be building it?

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Here Comes Haggai (Introduction to Haggai)

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 19:00:00 +0000

Last Christmas, our youngest son was given a lovely Lego set. As with all Lego sets, you get all the pieces you need, the instructions you need and there is the picture on the box so you know what to aim for.
We have everything we need to build it, but we have not built it.
We started it, but we have not built it.
Once or twice I’ve taken it out of the box and considered finishing it… but we have not built it.
March the 24th, nearly 3 months after Christmas - the foundations are still there, but we still have not built it.
You know who I need to visit my place and tell me what’s what?
Haggai, that's who.
Let's find out what he has to say...

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Gideon: The End Times Picture (Judges 6-7)

Sun, 17 Mar 2024 19:00:00 +0000

This week: we hear 7 similarities between Gideon's battle and THE final battle, and then we hear why we should care.
Strap yourselves in...

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Mother's Day Special: Women Who War (Judges 4:18-21)

Sun, 10 Mar 2024 20:00:00 +0000

As we have been in Judges 6-7, and as it is Mother’s Day today, we could not resist the urge to study the woman that we read about in Judges 4-5, just right before our study of Gideon takes place.
Deborah is the judge of that time, but it is a lady named Jael that really hammers home the victory for Israel.
What can we learn about her involvement in the battle? And how should this affect our involvement in today's battle?
Let's find out...

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Gideon: Enjoying the Victory (Judges 7:23-25)

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 20:00:00 +0000

After 7 years of being trodden down, 7 years of fear and famine, 7 years of hiding in the mountains… the huge combined army of the Midianites, Amalekites & the children of the East is at last defeated.
What we get to see today is the closing stages of this battle, and it reveals two important things to us:

That a great victory like this needs to be shared;
That a great victory like this needs to be remembered.

These verses will give us a couple of very practical tips about how we too can make the most of the victories God gives us in life.

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Gideon: Victory! (Judges 7:19-22)

Sun, 25 Feb 2024 20:00:00 +0000

We are meant to win.
This is a truth about our spiritual battles that we often miss. We think just being involved is ok, we settle for a participation medal, when we should be enjoying the victory.
From Gideon's success, we can discern 3 keys to making victory a reality in our lives too...

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Gideon: The Right Tactics (Judges 7:16-18)

Sun, 18 Feb 2024 19:00:00 +0000

The WW2 operation called 'Market Garden' has since been described as “a bad plan right from the start and right from the top." The tactics were bad and so was the result.
This illustrates the importance of having the right tactics in battle.
So what are we to make of Gideon's plan? He's up against a vast army and chooses to divide his 300 into smaller companies, then equips them with trumpets and pitchers... could these really be the right tactics?
Let's find out...

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Gideon: The Book & The Battlefield (Judges 7:9-15)

Sun, 11 Feb 2024 20:00:00 +0000

Oh Gideon, Gideon, Gideon...
All that encouragement from the Lord and still he fears to go down to the battle. We'd never be like that... would we?
Last week we learnt how God strengthened Gideon; this week we'll see where. This will teach us that there are two places we need to be to have our faith strengthened.

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Gideon: The Heart for Battle - part 2 (Judges 7:4-8)

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 20:00:00 +0000

Last week we saw how the size of the army isn’t important to God, but the heart of the soldier is. (Specifically, that the heart of the soldier needs to be one that is not prideful and not fearful).
But we left it on a bit of a cliffhanger - because we all want that heart, but Judges 7 hadn’t answered the question of how we get one.
That's where today's message comes in...

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Gideon: The Heart for Battle - part 1 (Judges 7:1-3)

Sun, 28 Jan 2024 20:00:00 +0000

Henry Ford famously said “Whether you believe you can or you can’t, you’re right.”
This is maybe a little too pop psychology for us, and sounds a bit self-helpy, but there is certainly some truth in the statement about how important the right attitude to work is, whatever task it is that one in trying to accomplish.
In the context of Gideon, a more biblical way to put this quote might be: "we have to have the right heart for battle."
Let's jump in and find out more...

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Gideon: God's Word Is Confirmed (Judges 6:36-40)

Sun, 21 Jan 2024 20:00:00 +0000

We’re coming to a transition in our study where we move from chapter 6 to chapter 7, which correlates with a transition in Gideon’s character.

In chapter 6 he is (mainly) hiding, doubting & questioning.
In chapter 7 he is (for the most part) preparing, leading & winning.

What does he do at the end of chapter 6 that enables this change? And how might we do similar?
Let's take a look...

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Gideon: The Armies Gather (Judges 6:33-35)

Sun, 14 Jan 2024 19:00:00 +0000

The enemy is ready for battle, the Spirit-filled are ready for battle, those who respond to the call are ready for battle... are you?

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Gideon: The Men of the City (Judges 6:28-32)

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 20:00:00 +0000

This passage covers 'the morning after the night before' - and the men of the city are not happy with what Gideon did last night.
Today we see the people of Gideon's city contending against him, which is a reminder about how the people of our city, on the most part, will react to us if we continue to follow Christ.
So... how should we respond to the fact that the majority of people we come into contact with in our lives are not for Christ, but against him?
We better take a listen...

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Gideon: Gideon Builds An Altar (Judges 6:25-27)

Sun, 31 Dec 2023 20:00:00 +0000

This week we see Gideon tear down one altar and then build another.
"What has this got to do with me?" and "How can this help me build my faith?"

Great questions. Let's find out...

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Gideon: The Picture of Christ (Judges 6-8)

Sun, 24 Dec 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Growing up I drank a lot of Sainsbury's Diet Classic Cola. It was similar to Coca-Cola, but it was not the same. Coca-Coca was the real thing.
By taking a broad look at Judges 6-8, we can see Gideon is like Christ, but he is not the same. Jesus Christ is the real thing.
Dig in to this picture and we'll find plenty we want to celebrate this Christmas, and plenty we want to emulate too...

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Gideon: Gideon Brings Forth His Present (Judges 6:17-24)

Sun, 17 Dec 2023 15:00:00 +0000

Let's get things straight - when it comes to presents, it is not the thought that counts. It is what is inside the wrapping paper the counts.
Today we are going to see Gideon bring forth his present to the Lord and, as we do, we'll discover the next principle in how we are 'made strong'...

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Gideon: Gideon Is Sent (Judges 6:11-16)

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Today we’ll get to meet Gideon and see how he was sent. In doing so, we’ll understand how we are sent.
My prayer is that this will change how we see our role in this battle, which in turn will change our performance in this battle, which in turn will change our success in this battle.
Here we go...

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Gideon: The Lord Sent A Prophet (Judges 7-10)

Sun, 26 Nov 2023 19:00:00 +0000

When we left the nation of Israel last week, they were down & out and crying out to the Lord.
We knew God was always going to step in and save them, but what we maybe didn’t know - and what is remarkable about this week’s passage - is how. In response to their plea, he doesn’t deliver them immediately. He doesn’t send a soldier to wipe out the Midianties (yet), he doesn’t send an angel (not yet anyway), he doesn’t send a ruler, or rain down fire & brimstone on them - as he certainly has the power and authority to do.
So who does he send?
He sends a prophet. A teacher. A ‘mouthpiece of God.'
The reason for this is that, before delivering them from their circumstances, he wants to deliver to them a message.

So... what is that message?

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Gideon: The Hand of Midian Prevails (Judges 6:1-6)

Sun, 19 Nov 2023 19:00:00 +0000

It is often said that the first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one.
In the book of Judges, as we looked at last week in our intro, the nation of Israel had a problem. And they were not quick to admit it (or to learn from it).
For the most part, us Christians & the church has the same problem too...
What is this problem? And why is it so important that we admit it?
Let's find out...

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Gideon: Made Strong (intro to Judges 6-7)

Sun, 12 Nov 2023 19:00:00 +0000

Today we are going to meet Gideon. His story is told in Judges 6, 7 & 8.
We will see Gideon is not strong - far from it. He is a (seemingly) weak man in a time of great trouble... but… then we will see how this weak man is made strong. And how ultimately, he leads his group of men to win one of the most remarkable battles in history.
Why should we care?
What does this mean for us?
Let's find out...

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Galatians: The Marks of Jesus (6:17-18)

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 20:00:00 +0000

The life of liberty that Paul has argued for over the last 6 chapters is free from sin & death, is free from the law and religion, but is not free from trouble.
What trouble is out there for those that follow Jesus? What marks might it make on us? And what do we do about it?
Let's find out...

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Galatians: Glory in Christ (6:14-16)

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0000

Last week we saw how the religious legalist glories in the flesh; this week we see how Paul glories in Christ.
The idea of ‘glorying in Christ’ sounds super spiritual and like a really good idea. We think ‘I want to glory in Christ’ and ‘as a Christian that sounds like something I should do’…but what does it mean, exactly?
We will be encouraged today to discover that we can glory in Christ & his cross everyday. There are some very simple, practical things we can do to ensure we are finding our glory in the right place.
Let's take a look...

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Galatians: Glory in the Flesh (6:11-13)

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 20:00:00 +0100

The religious find their glory in the flesh. Their ministries are motivated by how others see them, how others treat them, and how others behave.
Today is a big 'watch out!'
'Watch out!' We might know someone like this.
'Watch out!' We might become someone like this.

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Galatians: Plant in the Right Place (6:7-10)

Sun, 15 Oct 2023 20:00:00 +0100

'We reap what we sow' is something we've all probably thought or said in the past, but how does this truth help us grow our faith and enjoy our relationship with God?
Take a listen and find out...

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Galatians: Money & More (6:6)

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0100

There are a few topics in life that we don't like to talk about. Society says we shouldn’t bring these up at a dinner party, we shouldn’t discuss them in the taxi and we shouldn’t chat about them at the hairdressers. The list includes politics, the birds and the bees, death, & religion... but maybe at the top of this list is money.
Are you ready to hear a sermon about money? Doesn't that sound terrible? And what's worse, we're going to hear that it is God’s will for us to give some of our money to our pastor and his ministry!
And even worse than that - God thinks we should give more than just our money to our pastor for the sake of his work. There can’t be that many bible lessons we want to hear less than this one.
Is everyone sitting uncomfortably? Then we shall begin…

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Galatians: Pull Your Weight (6:1-5)

Sun, 01 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0100

-Gimme 3 times I can pull my weight at church and know I am being a huge help to the ministry there.
-Ok.

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Galatians: Choose How You Walk (5:24-26)

Sun, 24 Sep 2023 19:00:00 +0100

Over the last few weeks we have been looking at the fruit of the Spirit - and doesn’t it look delicious? A life filled with love, joy, peace & all the others…
One of the things we have seen is that, simply, this is THE FRUIT of THE SPIRIT. We can’t manufacture it ourselves, it is dependent on the Holy Spirit.
But that doesn’t mean we are not involved in its production.
As we finish up our mini-series here, the question we need to answer is: how will we choose to walk?

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Galatians: Faith, Meekness, Temperance (5:22-23)

Sun, 17 Sep 2023 19:00:00 +0100

Packing for a camping trip in England is interesting; you have to pack for every eventuality.
(There can’t be that many holiday destinations where you consider taking wellies, suncream, your swimsuit and a wooly hat.)
Life as a Christian is similar. We like to be ready, but that can be tricky when we do not know what tests, opportunities & attacks are waiting around the corner.
This is where our next 3 slices of the fruit come in…
In the same way that good packing can prepare us for any eventuality on a camping trip, taking faith, meekness and temperance with us will prepare us for any eventuality in life.
Whatever our lives have in store for us, we will be ready if we bring these 3 slices along.

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Galatians: Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness (5:22-23)

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 12:00:00 +0100

We have all probably been told at some point in our lives that we should treat people how we want to be treated. (Most likely we heard that as a telling off when we were children!)
Whilst that it true, today's lesson will put ‘how we should treat each other’ in a different light...
As we dig into what the bible tells us about today’s 3 slices, we will understand the longsuffering, gentleness and goodness that God has shown towards us. This will allow us to conclude that we should not just treat people as we wanted to be treated, rather we should treat people how God has treated (and continues to treat) us.
Let's jump on in...

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Galatians: Love, Joy, Peace (5:22-23)

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 13:00:00 +0100

If we took a poll of all everyone in the world and asked ‘who wants a life full of love, joy and peace?’ I’m pretty sure everyone would put their hand up.
If we then asked ‘who has a life full of love, joy and peace?’ The number to raise their hand would be much fewer.
So what are love, joy & peace? What does it look like when someone has them? And how can we get them to grow in our lives?
Let's take a look...

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Galatians: The Fruit of the Spirit (5:22-23)

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 20:00:00 +0100

How does this fruit of the Spirit thing work?
Let's take a look...

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Galatians: Works of the Flesh (5:19-21)

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 15:00:00 +0100

We want to walk worthy. We want to stand fast in the liberty Christ has given us. We want to live fruitful lives.
This requires us to understand both the fruit of the Spirit (coming next week) and the works of the flesh (our focus today).
Here are three reasons why no believer can ignore the works of the flesh...

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Galatians: The Right Fight (5:16-18)

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0100

By the time 1964 rolled around, a young boxer named Cassius Clay was doing a pretty alright job with his boxing career. He hadn’t lost a fight, but still, no one thought too much of him... that is until he won the right fight. (This was against Sonny Liston.)
In our study of Galatians so far, we may have been thinking that the right fight was against the Judaizers - but the fight the Galatians really needed to win was much closer to home... it was the fight against their flesh.
What does this mean for us today? How can we ensure we fight this fight and enjoy the victory? Let's find out...

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Galatians: Spend It Wisely (5:13-15)

Sun, 23 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0100

Many people I know like to receive a gift voucher for a birthday present. The reason people like them is this: they get to receive the gift (like any other gift), but then they get to choose how they spend it.
The gift is free; how we spend it is a choice.
Today, we’ll see the apostle Paul teach that our freedom in Christ is much the same:

It is a gift that is free (no one earns freedom from sin and death, we just receive it when we accept Christ).
But, we do have a choice in how we spend it.

And, based on the nature of the gift - i.e. it being so much more valuable and precious than some money to spend in a shop - should we not be very careful to spend it very wisely?

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Galatians: Troublesome Teachers (5:7-12)

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 21:00:00 +0100

Troublesome teachers.
All they do is cause trouble.
We want to stand fast in our Christian liberty; they are the people who - given the chance - will take it from us.
What do we need to know about them? And how will that help protect us?
Let's find out...

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Galatians: Hold Onto What You Have (5:1-6)

Sun, 09 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0100

Sometimes success in a battle means staying where you are. Not advancing forward, not taking an enemy city, just holding onto the position that you already have.
This illustrates a spiritual truth from the beginning of chapter 5. Here, the Apostle Paul is going to tell us why it is so important to stand fast in the liberty that Christ has given us.
Let's jump in...

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Galatians: A Tale of Two Children (4:28-31)

Sun, 02 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0100

There are some great combinations out there: tea & biscuits, lamb & mint sauce, salt & caramel (what genius thought of that?).
But there are also some combinations that don’t go well together. In this Tale of Two Children, we see that Issac and Ishmael were too different to ever go well together. They were never going to be compatible. They could never 'play nice'.
The Apostle Paul uses this as an allegory to teach the Galatians something... what exactly? And what has it got to do with us? Let's jump in...

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Galatians: A Tale of Two Cities (4:24-27)

Sun, 25 Jun 2023 20:00:00 +0100

In his famous novel 'A Tale of Two Cities', Charles Dickens writes a story about a man who lives in two very different places. One city is Paris, where he is imprisoned; the other is London, where he is free.
In today’s passage, the apostle Paul gives us a tale of two Jerusalem's that are also very different...
Understanding which city is our home city is key to our identity in Christ. This will give us the right perspective on how to live 'down here' until we get to go back home 'up there'.
Let's take a look...

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Galatians: A Tale of Two Births - Baptism Special! (4:21-23)

Sun, 18 Jun 2023 20:00:00 +0100

Growing up, I’d hear the phrase ‘the Queen has two birthdays’. And I’d think, ‘man, if anyone doesn’t need two birthdays its got to be her. She already lives in a place, sits on chairs made of gold & wears a crown... and now she gets two birthdays?’ But it turns out, in reality of course, she didn’t have two birthdays - she just celebrated one birthday twice.
What we’re reading about today is much more special: how one person can actually have two birthdays.
What does this mean? And why should we care?
Let’s take a look…

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Galatians: Not Teachers, Parents (4:17-20)

Sun, 11 Jun 2023 20:00:00 +0100

The biggest positive influence on a child’s development and education is the home set-up, specifically the parents. There are many other factors involved, and there are of course exceptions to the rule, but generally speaking, if a child has a stable & supportive parental situation at home, they are much more likely to do well in school.
A good teacher can be very helpful, but they cannot replicate or replace the impact that a good parent has.
This lesson applies spiritually too. How? What has it got to do with Galatians chapter 4? And what has it got to do with us? Let's find out...

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Galatians: Turn Towards Truth (4:12-16)

Sun, 04 Jun 2023 20:00:00 +0100

In Psalm 1 we see two types of people: one who is becoming increasing worldly; one who is becoming increasingly godly.
This illustrates the spiritual truth that we are always changing - either growing more like Christ, or less like him.
In Galatians 4:12-16, we see the Galatians are turning away from Paul, which means they are turning away from the truth and therefore turning away from Christ.
We don’t want to turn that way.
Let's find out how we can make sure we don't...

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Galatians: Losing Our Liberty (4:8-11)

Sun, 28 May 2023 20:00:00 +0100

Statistics indicate that about one third of people who have been released from prison end up back inside within 12 months. Turns out it is quite easy to give up one’s freedom.
After explaining how the Galatians are free - no longer servants but sons - Paul starts an analysis now of how they are giving up that freedom.
We will see, by following the example of the Galatians, how we too can live a life of bondage. Just follow these 3 simple steps to ensure you too live out you Christian life in a way that is fruitless & frustrating...

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Galatians: Father/Son Relationship (4:4-7)

Sun, 21 May 2023 20:00:00 +0100

Today we read how believers are no longer servants but sons. We see 3 truths about this father/son relationship: God redeemed us, resides in us and has prepared a room for us.
It is clear that he desires a close relationship with us... but what kind of relationship do we want to have with him?

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Galatians: Time To Grow Up (4:1-3)

Sun, 14 May 2023 20:00:00 +0100

The Apostle Paul uses an illustration of an immature child as a teaching moment for the Galatians... and the message is clear: It's Time To Grow Up.
How can we apply this wisdom to our walk today?
Take a listen...

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Galatians: One In Christ (3:27-29)

Sun, 07 May 2023 20:00:00 +0100

What does it mean to be "one in Christ"?
Why should the Galatians care?
Why should we?

Guess we better take a listen and find out...

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Galatians: Under New Management (3:23-26)

Sun, 30 Apr 2023 20:00:00 +0100

You may have come across signs that say "Under New Management". These are posted on the windows of businesses when a new owner has come in. What they indicate is that the building - whatever it was (restaurant, shop, hairdressers) - is now being run by somebody new. The sign informs us of a couple of truths:

1. Things with the old management have run their course; the old authority isn’t in charge anymore.
2. Rather than being left empty though, a new authority has come in to take the place of the previous.

This is illustrative of what happens when we are born-again.

How? And so what? Let's find out...

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Galatians: The Law Serves The Promise (3:19-22)

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 09:00:00 +0100

Up until now in our study of Galatians, The Law has really come cross as the villain.
It’s like the law and grace are two separate fighters punching it out: Grace in the red corner, works in the blue corner, seconds out, bell goes, "fight!"
But what we'll see today challenges that mindset. We will see that the law is not against grace, rather the law is in service to grace.

How does the law serve the promise of grace?
And, applying the lesson inspirationally, how can a little law serve my faith?

I guess we better jump in and find out...

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Galatians: A Covenant You Can Count On (3:15-18)

Sun, 16 Apr 2023 20:00:00 +0100

The Apostle Paul makes his case: the Abrahamic covenant cannot be disannulled by the law of Moses. It is a covenant we can count on.
Though the promises made by God cannot be disannulled, they can be disregarded. That is what we see happening in Galatia... how do we stop it happening in our lives today? I guess we should take a look and find out...

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Galatians - Easter Special: Curse, Cure & Question (3:10-14)

Sun, 09 Apr 2023 20:00:00 +0100

There's a lot of stuff around Easter: the eggs, the bunnies, the furry chicks, the flowers, the roast dinners, etc, etc.
Some of this is interesting & helpful to understand; sometimes it can really help just to keep things simple.
So let's keep it simple: there are 3 things we need to understand about Easter from Galatians 3:10-14.
Why don't we jump in and find out what they are?

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Galatians: Like Father Abraham (3:6-9)

Sun, 02 Apr 2023 20:00:00 +0100

Today, the Apostle Paul is getting out the big gun: Abraham.
He spent chapters 1 and 2 proving justification by faith with events from his own life; now in chapter 3 he will prove it with events from Abraham's life.
This, as we will come to see over the next few weeks, is a masterstroke in his argument for justification through faith.
For today, it will be a big help to us as we see how we are like our new father Abraham when it comes to our faith, and how we need to be like our new father Abraham when it comes to our focus.
Oh Lord, give us ears to hear...

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Galatians: Rely on God (3:1-5)

Sun, 26 Mar 2023 20:00:00 +0100

The Apostle Paul’s exhortation in these verses is to live our lives in reliance on God’s Spirit.
As believers, we know this is a good idea. It sounds important, we know we can’t rely on ourselves, we know we should & need to ‘depend on God’... but that can seem a little vague…
Just what exactly can we depend on God for?
Paul spells out 3 things. Three specific areas of our lives where we can completely rely on Him...
Let's take a look...

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Galatians: Not Two Lives, A New Life (2:19-21)

Sun, 19 Mar 2023 20:00:00 +0000

History & popular culture gives us many examples of double agents. People who live two different lives at the same time.
This illustration demonstrates a key point from Galatians 2:19-21: Christians are not supposed to live two lives, but a new life.
What does this mean and how can we do it?
Let's find out...

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Galatians: Justified By Christ (2:14-18)

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 12:00:00 +0000

There are many different roads to London. The M4, M3, M11, M1, A1, A1M, A4, A40, A24, A214, A503, A30… ok, you get the picture.
Whittier in Alaska, on the other hand, has one road. A single road going to the town. It’s called The Portage Glacier Road and it is the only way people can get there.
Getting to Heaven is not like travelling to London. Getting to Heaven is like travelling to Whittier. There is only one way.
In our bibles though, and in our lives today, we see two ways people try to get there; only one will ever be successful.
Today we will see Paul preach one of those ways and pull apart the other...

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Galatians: No One Likes A Hypocrite (2:11-13)

Sun, 05 Mar 2023 20:00:00 +0000

No one likes a hypocrite. We don't. The Apostle Paul doesn't. Jesus doesn't. And our Heavenly Father doesn't.
What practical lessons can we learn from Peter's error in Antioch?
Let's take a look...

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Galatians: Just Say Yes (2:7-10)

Sun, 26 Feb 2023 19:00:00 +0000

-Antidisestablishmentarianism.
-Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia*.
-Supercalifradgealisticexpealoidocious.
These are long words that don’t really matter.
A short, simple yes though - that matters.
In chapter 2 verses 7-10, we get to see what the apostles said yes to when it came to Paul's ministry... and we get to think about what we should say yes to when it comes to ours...

(*The fear of long words)

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Galatians: Just Say No (2:1-6)

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Are you any good at saying no? Not everybody is. It can be hard to say no sometimes...
But what we say no to will shape the course of our lives. It is vital that we have someone in our lives who can tell us no; it is also vital that we learn when to say no ourselves.
What has this got to do with today's passage?
We will see 3 vital ‘noes’ in the first 6 verses of Galatians 2.
We will see that what the early church said no to demonstrated their support of Paul’s mission.
In a similar way, we will learn that what we say no to demonstrates our support of Paul’s mission.
Let's take a look...

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Galatians: Proof of Life (1:10-24)

Sun, 12 Feb 2023 19:00:00 +0000

In a lot of the action movies I’ve seen - and I've definitely seen too many - there is often some kind of kidnapping. And the dialogue between the bad guys and the good guys usually goes something like this:
“Hey, we have your precious loved one. Give us a huge amount of money or else.”
“Ok, man. But first, I want proof they’re alive.”
So then the bad guys have to wheel out the poor victim - “Look, still alive. Now where’s the dough?’”
What they are doing is using the person’s life to prove that what they are saying is true. "We haven’t taken them out yet, and if you give us the money we’ll return them unharmed."
The life is the proof.
Paul does the same in today’s passage (not the kidnapping bit). Paul uses his life as proof that what he is saying is true.
I wonder if we could do that with our lives… if we would be able to put forward our lives as the evidence that demonstrates the gospel of Jesus Christ is true…

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Galatians: Paul's Reception of the Gospel (1:11-24)

Sun, 05 Feb 2023 20:00:00 +0000

From here until the end of chapter 2, Galatians focuses on Paul's life.
If we understand Paul's life correctly, we have a fantastic example of what a life dedicated to Christ should look like.
If we understand him incorrectly, however, we'll make a huge mess of things.
See, we're similar to Paul but we're not the same.
Let's start by looking at how he received the gospel...

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Galatians: Christian Concern (1:6-10)

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 20:00:00 +0000

We find Paul marvelling today - and not in a good way.
He is marvelling (concerned with) what he is hearing from Galatia. Concerned about the gospel, concerned about a false one being taught, concerned about the false teachers preaching it, and, worst of all, concerned by the foolish believers who are falling for it...

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Galatians: Man on a Mission (1:1-5)

Sun, 22 Jan 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Paul is a man on a mission.
A man sent by Jesus, with a message about Jesus, with a motive to bring God glory.
Does that sound anything like us Christians today? It should do...

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Galatians: The Third Way (introduction)

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Our Bible is full of twos: two paths, two women, two champions, two kinsman, two types of fruit...
We like twos because it makes things very clear to us - one is clearly different to the other, so it is easy for us to tell right from wrong.
But life isn't always so black and white. Sometimes a lot of the questions we face seem, well, grey. They don't have a clear right or wrong answer, and we're left to just make the best judgment call we can.
How do we consistently make the right decisions in these grey areas to help us live the liberated life God calls us to? Galatians has the answer...

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1 Corinthians: The Generous Side of Love

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 06:00:00 +0000

We already know that charity is a big deal. We may even already know what 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says. But do we know that there are 9 things we can give away - for free - that will help us love each other better?
Pastor Brian Clark teaches us another clear, practical & biblical lesson; a lesson we can put into practice straight away.

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Colossians: The Marks of a Growing Believer

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Colossians 1 finds Paul very thankful & very prayerful. Thankful for the true believers in the church there; prayerful over their continued spiritual growth. See, he can spot a true believer by what they have, and a growing one by what they do.
So what does he want them to do?
And what do you do?
And what will God do with what you do?

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Lessons From Luke: Seek & Succeed

Wed, 28 Dec 2022 17:00:00 +0000

There is a big difference between hearing about something & knowing about something.
Just hearing about something doesn’t change your life, knowing about it can do.
Hearing the World Cup is starting doesn't really mean anything until you get your wall chart up & start working out who is playing who & when. Hearing the lyrics to that famous song 'It Is Well' is not the same as knowing the story behind them.
The shepherds had heard about Jesus, but that wasn't enough - they wanted more.
Can the same be said about us?

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Lessons From Luke: Great Joy in the Good Tidings

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 15:00:00 +0000

Christmas lights for inside the house, Christmas lights for outside the house & Christmas lights for on the tree.
Christmas soldiers, Christmas polar bears & even Christmas puppies.
Go onto a coffee shop and you’ll find Christmas-themed drinks & food.
Clothing-wise, Christmas socks, jumpers & hats are pretty standard for the season - frankly, I am afraid about what the future might hold with regards to our underwear.

Businesses are really cashing in on Christmas, aren't they?

Maybe us Christians can learn a little bit from that approach...

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Lessons From Luke: From Decree to Delivery

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 08:00:00 +0000

This week we studied one of the most remarkable events in world history: the birth of Christ. In terms of significance, this will only ever be matched by two other events - his death & resurrection, and his return.
It was remarkable because God became man; the long-awaited Messiah had finally arrived.
It was made even more remarkable by the fact God worked through regular, faithful believers to bring it to pass.
I wonder how this might apply to our lives, as God goes about his plan for the world today...

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Lessons from Luke: the introduction

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Christmas story is a story that has been told so many times by so many people in so many different ways…
Firstly, this means it is not always easy to separate the truth from fable.
Secondly, even when we are able to cut through all that to what the Bible actually says, we are at risk of approaching these precious scriptures with an attitude of “here we go again” - because we think we’ve heard the Christmas story before! And we have!
To combat this, we take time today to introduce the book of Luke. This should help us set, or re-set, our expectations when it comes to studying the story of Jesus’ birth.

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Baptized in The Spirit

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 06:00:00 +0000

The Holy Spirit is busy. Busy convicting, indwelling, baptizing, regenerating, adopting & sealing... but what does this mean for us?
Pastor Brian Clark concludes our mini-series on The Holy Spirit According to the Bible with a focus on what God's word says about getting 'baptised in the Spirit'.
What is it? How do I get it? How will I know?

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Filled With the Spirit

Fri, 25 Nov 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Pastor Brian Clark has spent the previous two weeks showing us from the bible what being filled with the Spirit isn't. This week we focus on the positive: what being filled with the Spirit is.
What is it? How do we get it? How will we know?

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The Gift of Tongues in 1 Corinthians 14

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 07:00:00 +0000

What does 1 Corinthians 14 say?
This is such an important question as it is the chapter, outside of Acts 2, which provides the most information and instruction on the Spiritual Gift of Tongues (or as we prefer to call it, The Spiritual Gift of Languages).
Pastor Brian Clark takes us step by step through the chapter, leaving no doubt as to what the apostle Paul meant by it.

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The Gift of Tongues

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 12:00:00 +0000

False doctrine on the gift of tongues leads to unbiblical spirituality, confusion, disillusionment, defeat & bad fruit.
Yet this false doctrine is widespread.
Guest to the podcast, Pastor Brian Clark, teaches us the biblical view of this gift, as he kicks off our short series on 'The Spirit of Truth: the Holy Spirit According to the Bible.'

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Ruth: 'Simple Steps for a Fruitful Life' - the conclusion

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Chapter 4 of Ruth is wonderful, isn't it? The joy of marriage, the excitement of the new birth, the hope in the future...
Chapter 1 is not wonderful. Instead of fruit, it is characterised by famine. Not joy but frustration, not life but death, not hope but despair...
It is a tragedy that the typical Christian life today looks more like chapter 1 than it does chapter 4.
In our series conclusion, we draw together a few simple steps from our 8-week study of Ruth which, if followed, can help us out of the famine and into the fruit.

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Ruth: 'What Kind?' - the principle of fruit

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 16:00:00 +0100

Most often, when we think about living a fruitful life for God, we think 'fruit is either produced or it is not'. This is biblical to an extent. But, if you look a little deeper, we see that the bible teaches we are actually always producing fruit. Stuff is always coming out of our lives…

So the real question is not 'Am I producing fruit or not?', but rather 'What kind of fruit am I producing?'

Ruth chapter 4 helps us unpick this as we wrestle with the unnerving appearance of the 'other kinsman'...

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Ruth: 'Up Close & Personal' - the principle of intimacy

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 09:00:00 +0100

There are some people we don't want to get up close & personal with. (Ever been on the London Underground is rush hour?) But there are, on the other hand, many people we should have close, personal relationships with.
Our Heavenly Father is at the top of that list.
Ruth chapter 3 gives us three keys to having an intimate relationship with him. These keys cut right through the obstacles that our flesh, the world & the religious try to put in our way...

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Ruth: 'When We Work He Works' - the principle of work

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 12:00:00 +0100

“You get out what you put in” - a familiar saying that suggests the amount of effort we put in to something is equal to the amount of reward we get out of it.
Everybody says it, and to a certain extent, it's true.
When it comes to the church's calling to be a virtuous bride though, it is only 50% true. It is half the story.
In the first half of this week's lesson, we see the work Ruth puts in. (And we can learn a lot from her.)
In the second half of the lesson though, we see something altogether different & wonderful… we see what happens when Boaz meets Ruth out there at work in the field, and multiplies her efforts...
This principle of work teaches us that, when it comes to the work of God, you don’t just get out what you put in, you actually get a whole lot more…

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Ruth: 'What Kind of Bride?' - the principle of faithfulness.

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 07:00:00 +0100

Ruth is a virtuous bride. Naomi knows it. Boaz knows it. It seems that all of Bethlehem knows it... but what, exactly, is it that makes her so?
After studying the pictures in Ruth, we now turn our attention to the principles. What can we (the gentile bride of Christ) learn from Ruth (the gentile bride of Boaz)?
This first principle reveals her remarkable stedfast mind. Naomi gives 3 factual, logical, persuasive reasons why she shouldn't follow her... but Ruth does anyway... what lessons might we learn from this as we attempt to follow Christ today?

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Ruth: 'A Story that Needs Repeating' - the picture of personal salvation.

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 13:00:00 +0100

"Your story, sir, would cure deafness!" (from Shakespeare's The Tempest).
Well, the story of personal salvation through Jesus Christ cures a lot more than that. It is a story that we see pictured wonderfully in Ruth, and one that needs repeating - both to believers and by them.

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Ruth: 'Promises, Promises.' The picture of Israel.

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 17:00:00 +0100

What do we do with Israel? How should we feel about this supposed chosen people, who seem so stubborn when it comes to God? And why should we care anyway?
The book of Ruth provides a clear doctrinal picture for us about the nation of Israel. This is a topic frequently misunderstood by theologians, often leading to confusion amongst regular believers like us...
Thankfully, tracing this picture through the book of Ruth can tidy all this up... and it might just teach us a thing or two about our Heavenly Father and the promises he makes...

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Ruth: the picture of the bride

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 09:00:00 +0100

If we scratch a little under the surface of the book of Ruth, we will find some wonderful pictures.
This week there is a picture so beautiful and brilliant it will blow our socks off... but at the time, it was missed. This picture was not seen until years after the book was first read. That is because it is a picture of the church - let's make sure we don't miss it!

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Ruth: the introduction

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 16:00:00 +0100

Ruth is a little book with a lot to say.
In this introductory message, Paul explains how it is not just a wonderful love story between two godly people, but, if we scratch a little beneath the surface, we will discover a number of fascinating doctrinal pictures in there too.
How do we exhaust a book as full of wisdom as this one? What lessons might the church learn from Ruth herself? And what has Yoda got to do with any of this?
I guess there's only one way for you to find out...

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