PASTORAL MESSAGES (Page 110)

By Not Known The word ‘love’ is elasticised in modern use. ‘Love’ is sometimes applied to relationships and activities that are essentially self-indulgent, short-lived and calculating. In this use, the word ‘love’ has become a very cheap thing. Again, ‘love’ is reduced to the purely romantic and the sexual in some circles. Here, it is thought impossible for people to love…

By Not Known Today is a special day for 2 reasons Firstly, we receive several people as new members. Some come by transfer from other churches. We welcome them as they formalise their membership with us. We look forward to them being an active part of our life, foellowship and service. Other new members came through adult baptism. For some of these, their baptism comes…

By Not Known When was the last time you heard the Christian gospel being preached simply and clearly? More often than not, the sophistication and complexity of life in a modern society has confounded our understanding of what it means to be Christ’s ambassadors and what our message really is. An ambassador does not speak for himself, but for the one who sends him and whom…

By Not Known The last one hundred years have been the bloodiest in Christian history. There were reportedly more martyrs in the 20th Century than in all the previous nineteen centuries put together. The Global Evangelism Movement reports that the average number of people martyred for their faith each year is around 160,000. Currently, there is an estimated 1,000,000…

By Not Known Jesus says some extraordinary things. But, few are more extraordinary than his call to hate our families and ourselves: If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple (Lke 15:26). These words make us wonder. Surely no sane person…

By Not Known People sometimes fall into unworthy addictions. We can be addicted to drugs, food, power, acceptance, wealth, beauty, work, wealth, sex, the internet and many other things. Some of these things are bad in themselves, and the addiction just makes things worse. Others are good in themselves, but the addiction is the problem. The essence of an addiction is that…

By Not Known From a Christian perspective, there is nothing more important than becoming a Christian. Because we love our family, friends, neighbours and colleagues, we want them to become Christians for their own happiness in this life and in eternity. That is why we are having special outreach services today. What does it mean to become a Christian? To become a…

By Not Known The Bible tells us that it is important for Christian people to meet together (Heb. 10: 25). As we gather in worship services, small groups and church activities, we are encouraged, challenged and helped in our life as followers of Jesus. Put simply, there can be no subsitute for the local church in our Christian growth and life. Above all, church is a place…

By Not Known It is often said that first impressions last. That is, when we meet someone new we form a certain view of them – perhaps based on rather superficial things. That view sticks – and from then on we are apt to see that person in that way. That is bad news if our first impression is poor. Fortunately, that is not how God works. Our changeless God promotes and…