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21 Be Soldiers (Part III) |
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Eph 6:10-24 Beyond CircumstancesThere is no doubt that the circumstances of our lives really affect us. We answer people who ask us ‘how are you going’ according to how well our circumstances are; how well we are doing at work, in our family, marriage, friends. Paul in Ephesians teaches us to look beyond our circumstances and see the spiritual realm of our lives. It doesn’t matter if you are mum chained to the ironing, or you’re too old to leave you home. God can use you mightily as he did Paul who was stuck in jail. He wasn’t having a pity party but was continuing to do kingdom work. the Rev  You are a Spiritual Warrior for God |
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20 Be Soldiers (Part II) |
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John 3:1-21 Seeing GodEven though God is a spirit it is possible to see where he has been. Just like wind that blows the leaves in a tree. Lives that have been changed by God are evidence of Gods existence. As a church we should be a place where God is seen to be most active through our unity, forgiveness and loving submission. These qualities are not natural but come from being touched by the Holy Spirit. the Rev Ming did some fancy stuff with this video, pictures are included during video. But the format is different. It will want to download first before playing so please be patient. This is a once off edition so we will be back to normal next time.  See where God has been |
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19 Be Soldiers (Part I) |
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Ephesians 6:10-13 Unity, Forgiveness and loving submissionThe military hasn’t changed much in its approach to warfare. Fundamentally the essential ingredients of victory are unity of the troops, trust among the soldiers and a willingness to obey orders regardless of your own desire. Loyalty to your unit is essential. God has chosen to reveal himself through the church. This makes unity, forgiveness and loving submission essential for the health and growth of our church. the Rev  Unity |
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18 Be free (Part III) |
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Ephesians 6:5-9 The Bible and Slavery: Ephesians 6:5-9It came as big shock to me to find that people throughout history have used the Bible to justify slavery. The question that I seek to answer with this message is why the Bible doesn’t speak more clearly against slavery. Jesus said of himself that he came to set the captives free but in what way did he mean this? Why has it taken 1948 years for the United Nations to declare slavery as being wrong? God does something profound, in changing our hearts he effectively removes slavery. If you feel trapped, unappreciated, unworthy and unimportant then this message is for you. the Rev  Slavery abolition symbol |
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17 Be free (Part II) |
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Ephesians 6:1-4 Help for familiesParents have been given special abilities which God intends them to use as a team to love each other and raise their children. Men are strong physically and in their ability to carry responsibilities, such as providing for and protecting their family. Women are great at multi-tasking, networking and connecting relationally. Both are needed to raise children who are born as little terrorists who need to be loved and trained to curb the terror in their hearts for the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a sermon that seeks to get to the heart of a family's need. the Rev  Lovingly bearing the responsibility of a family  Juggling mutliple tasks lovingly |
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16 Be free (Part I) |
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Ephesians 5:22-33 A living illustrationIn what way is the church connected to God? How does the church have a relationship with God? What is the Church meant to be and do and how is that relevant to you? The marriage between a husband and wife is meant to be a living illustration of the relationship between Jesus Christ and the church. The rivalry that we experience in our world is a direct result of our rivalry with God. Jesus Christ came to reverse our rivalries by conquering them with love and submission. If you truly want to be free then you must struggle against your tendency to be selfish. The way to do this is to submit as the Church submits to Jesus Christ, as Christ submits to the Church and as a husband nourishes and cherishes his wife. the Rev  God's illustration of his relationship with the Church |
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15 Be like God (Part III) |
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Ephesians 5:1-21 The Value of EffortWe live in a culture that values ease and comfort. Why do something the hard way when there is a quick and easy option? Technology is our servant; it saves us effort and time which we use on ourselves. The flip side to ease is the danger that we will tend to avoid something that requires effort and time. Let me encourage you to make the effort to be like God by walking in wisdom, choosing the Holy Spirit over shallow happiness and having your speech, songs, thanksgiving and submission filled with the Holy Spirit. the Rev  Don't allow ease to put you to sleep |
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14 Be like God (Part II) |
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John 3:16-21 You are the Fifth ElementIn the movie “The Fifth Element” the fifth element was made into a beautiful woman who was used along with the four elements of the earth (Air, Earth, Fire and Water) to stop the world from being consumed by an evil darkness. Christ turns people into the fifth element to overcome the darkness that is in our heart, lives and world. If you would like to be the fifth element and overcome darkness then listen or watch this message. the Rev  Four elements: Earth, Fire, Air and Water |
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13 Be like God (PartI) |
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Psalm 1 You are a super heroBelieve it or not but you have special powers which you can either use for good or evil. Let me encourage you to find out what your powers are and how to use them for God rather than yourself. the Rev  Use your power for Good not evil |
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12 Be Renewed (part II) |
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Ephesians 4:17-32 You are like an elephant and a mouse at the same time Everyone has issues in their lives that seem insurmountable. However, Jesus Christ can empower you to overcome the insurmountable. He does this by making you a mouse that can scare the other part of you which is an elephant. If you want to be given practical help to change then find out and use the power of a mouse over an elephant. the Rev  The mouse that ROARED!! |
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11 Be Renewed |
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Ephesians 4:17-32 You are like an elephantJesus Christ came to set us free of our captivity. He does this by changing our heart, our minds and our thinking. This enlightens us to God and changes the direction of our lives. Before we lived for ourselves (our happiness) and now we live to please God. Those who have been changed seek to serve and encourage people in their lives rather than the other way around. What is important to them is not how they feel but how they can help people. This is important because we sometimes don’t feel like being kind, or patient, or helpful to people. Christ helps us to change from being self centred to being God and people centred. Listen to the message to find out why I’ve chosen a picture of a baby elephant. the Rev  You are like an elephant |
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10 Be United |
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Ephesians 4:7-16 You are powerfulHowever you may think about yourself I’d like to remind you of your God given power. God gives everyone gifts but how we use those gifts is important. Take for example the ability to smile and say please and thankyou. They may not seem like powerful gifts but when used to encourage people God can use them for great things. God has given every believer gifts to use for the encouragement of other people. the Rev  Smile for God |
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09 Live your calling |
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Ephesians 3:14-21 and Ephesians 4:1-6 Growing to be differentThere is nothing more comfortable and frustrating than being in a rut. We can make excuses like “Well that is just the way I am, you will just have to accept it.” God calls us to be his people who are always growing to be different. Christ sets us free from our ‘ruts’. Change can be as small as becoming more aware of something in our character that God wants to change. We can seek God’s forgiveness each time we fail. Then we might not fail, which is one step forward, then we may actually not fail but do something good instead. It can be like one step forward two steps back. Growing to be different takes hard work, patience and the support of your local church. the Rev  The hug of a friend |
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08 Be enabled |
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Romans 13:8-14 and Ephesians 3:14-21 Your real need
Too often we get ourselves in knots over heaps of stuff, our friends, work, family, future our spouse, kids etc. Life is busy and we can easily lose sight of God, which makes us even more anxious. Paul prays a prayer that will enable you to find and know God in such a way that can be free of worry and fear. the Rev  Be free |
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07 Be Revealed |
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Acts 22 God’s rescue plan: The Church Ever wondered why you don’t have to join a synagogue to be a Christian? The Church was born out of the nation of Israel but is now separate.  Church is God's mystery revealed God now uses the Church to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul a devout Jew became a devout Christian a defender of the new Church which recognised all believers as equal regardless of race, class or background. Paul was willing to be imprisoned so that Jewish and Gentile Christians might be united both together through their faith in Jesus Christ. the Rev The MP3 has some short shofter sound levels this week but is ok to listen to. Please pray for us that God will help us resolve these quality problems. |
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06 Be reconciled to People |
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Acts 21:26-36 and Ephesians 2:11-22 Family Trees, a Jewish Temple and the Saviour of the world Jesus Christ was born a Jew, from God’s chosen people Israel but he became the Saviour of the world and not just of the Jews. How this happened should be of keen interest to us who are non Jews and to Jews alike. It was God’s plan all along to bring a Saviour from his chosen people; a Saviour that would bring all people together through faith in his work on the Cross. Christ brings together people of different cultures, races and classes. the Rev We apologies for the quality of the MP3, it is very soft for a third of the way through and improves somewhat. We had technical difficulties. There is no video of this sermon this week. Please pray that God will help us sought things out so we can be more consistant. the Rev Please click on read more to view the diagrams being spoken of in this message.  Herod's Temple BC 18 to AD 70 |
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05 Be reconciled to God |
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Luke 7:11-16 and Ephesians 2:1-10 Heart issues A personal trainer told me that thirst can be masked as hunger. You feel like snacking when in fact you are thirsty. Have a class of water, wait and see whether you were in fact hungry or just thirsty. Sometimes we feel lonely; we crave for a friend who will listen to us. But the deeper issue may be that you miss God. We are made to have a deep and close relationship with God. When we are far from him our heart yearns for God’s fellowship but we mistake it for something else. God gives life to the spiritually dead so that they can enjoy him; see him in all of the different parts of their lives, their marriage, family, work, school and friends. the Rev  Listen to your heart |
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04 Be Grateful |
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John 5:1-16 God The Beatles sang ‘all you need is love.’ And of course they are right. As long as them meant the love of God. We often think we need lots of things and we worry a lot. God often disappears from our experience. We need help to enjoy the love of God, to find it, feel it, know it for real in good and bad times. We need God's loving embrace. Really all you need is God. the Rev Click on read more (below) to follow a summary outline while you listen to this message. the Rev  Feel and know God's embrace |
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03 Be Glorifiers |
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John 9 God is good People sometimes recoil from the idea that God is in control. They worry they will miss out on having a say in their lives and eternity. If God is not in control then who is? If I have a say in my salvation then it means that I have to maintain my salvation which means I could lose it. It also means that God is no longer in control but dependant on my decision either to accept or reject him. If God has to wait for us to decide then he doesn’t sound like God anymore. Remember it is better to have a good God in control who loves you rather than having the illusion of control. Better to have a good God in control than bad people, or chance and randomness. God is in control and God is good, be encouraged. the Rev Click on read more (below) to follow a summary outline while you listen to this message. the Rev  He has the whole world in his hands |
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02 Be Worshipers |
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Mark 4:30-41 Divine purpose Birds are made to fly, fish to swim, horses to gallop, cows to milk, steers to eat, but what is your purpose? Your purpose is far nobler; you have been made in God’s image so that you can give God glory. Your life might be very busy with many tasks and challenges. But the greatest of these is to worship God. No matter how bad you are doing you can always worship God and in so doing you will be fulfilling your divine purpose. Find out how to become a worshipper of God; for he is sovereign, he is the redeemer and the guarantee of your salvation. Click on read more (below) to follow a summary outline while you listen to this message. the Rev  Be worshipers of God |
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01 Be Enlightened |
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Psalm 73 Divine encounter God is invisible. However, like the wind you can sometimes see where he has been. Ephesians is a letter to help you learn to see God in your lives. The problem that we have is that we are naturally blind to God; we live our lives as though he doesn’t exist. This series of sermons will endeavour to help you see God’s brilliance. God is the context in which to understand who you are and what you should do with your life. the Rev See the effect of wind |
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