Sunday, 02 December 2012
Duration: 26 mins 25 secs
In a world more united than ever before by technology and transport, people are more divided than ever. If you remove God from the picture this is inevitable. It is Jesus who draws all people to Himself and to His body the church, whom He sends out into the world to draw in more people. The church is where unity and peace should be seen, because that is what God has done for us and in us. It is not uniformity because God has made us each different, but unity is a byproduct as we work collectively on what God has called each of us to do.
Sunday, 25 November 2012
Duration: 20 mins 54 secs
We need to not just talk and plan about loving people and fulfilling our mission, but actually do it. It would seem easier for God to just do it Himself, but He has made us His ambassadors. He works through us as His witnesses. If Jesus is the most important thing in your life, does your conversation, and life, reflect it? We need to create curiosity arousing lives so others will ask us questions that are an opening to share about Jesus and our motivation for what we do.
Sunday, 18 November 2012
Duration: 33 mins 46 secs
Our individualistic world makes us think that faith is like that, but God calls us into a community. Jesus said that the quality of our community is to be the most attractional and distinctive thing about His followers. We know it does not tend to look like that, yet the church in Acts provides a model. It was a learning, sharing, worshipping and growing community. Our values at EPCBC are sound, but we need to make sure that we show them in practical terms.
Sunday, 11 November 2012
Duration: 29 mins 50 secs
God commands us to be holy, but we do not need to feel overly burdened that holiness depends on us, because it does not and can not. God is leading us and enabling us to become all that He has called us to be. The paradox is that although we can not do anything to achieve holiness, we must actively engage in seeking it. We are to possess traits such as those Peter lists in 2 Peter 1 in increasing measure. We need to take hold of our faith and live the way God wants.
Sunday, 04 November 2012
We are part of this world and there are many good things, but even the things we need to survive can creep into worldliness. It is hard to navigate the line between loving the things of this world and loving God. We need to get our priorities sorted; ensure there is nothing coming between us and God and direct our cravings toward Him; and have the right perspective, remembering that everything in this world is passing away.
Sunday, 28 October 2012
Duration: 40 mins 54 secs
We perhaps understand more about God the Father and Jesus the Son of God than the Holy Spirit who is spoken about in mysterious terms. We can err in over or underemphasising Him, but the Spirit has a vital role in our lives as Christians. We know we have the Spirit when we call Jesus Lord, and can be assured of salvation and resurrection. There are warnings about not quenching the Spirit and we need to allow Him free access to our lives, to work in and through us.
Sunday, 21 October 2012
Are we 'Christ only' Christians or 'Christ and’ Christians? How we see Jesus will answer this question. We need to decide if He is sufficient for all we need. Colossians 1:15-20 shows Jesus is supreme, pre-eminent; all things were created by Him and for Him; everything in the universe depends on Him. He is also the reconciler of all things, the defeater of death, the head of the church...Jesus is in control of all things, big and small. If all this is true, then what else is needed?
Sunday, 14 October 2012
Duration: 42 mins 45 secs
Our lives may be shaped around God, but this is not the same as spending intimate time with Him. Does our soul ‘cleave’ to God like David’s? Would we refuse to go anywhere without God like Moses? Do we love and long for God with everything we are? Joyful intimacy with God needs to be woven into every corner of our lives and built into the rhythm of our day. It needs to be at the core of who we are.
