Thank you for your fellowship in the gospel. It has been a joy and privilege to be your pastor this year. I am so thankful to God for the many ways that he works through a family as diverse and gifted as those at 5pm Church.
Category Archives: New Testament
O Holy Night
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
What a magnificent way to end a Carols event – to have many singing the praises of our Saviour and calling for each other to fall to our knees.
This famous (French) poem ‘O Holy Night’ is rich in good theology and takes us on a thrilling ride from loss and condemnation (‘Long lay the world in sin and error pining’) to wonder and praise at the birth of Christ (‘For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn’ ) That child, Jesus, was the Son of God sent to absolve us of our sin by his death on the cross. That child was, and is, the hope of the world.
Sermon: A Child (Isaiah 9)
Sunday evening’s sermon ‘A Child’ (Isaiah 9:1-7) by Simon Marshman is now available: http://bit.ly/1JcGrc9
Sermon: A Sign (Isaiah 7)
Sunday evening’s sermon ‘A Sign’ (Isaiah 7) by Ken Noakes is now available: http://bit.ly/1lNRpj0
You can also view the map of the Assyrian Empire: http://bit.ly/1U1wZP6
‘Don’t play politics rather than trust in the Lord.’ – Ken Noakes
Question: What part do we play in faith? How does that relate to the promises of God?
What part do we play in faith? How does that relate to the promises of God? All through the Bible it seems a person has a great deal to do – for example David didn’t wait for God to slay Goliath?
Living in faith means to live trusting in the one you have placed your faith. Christians live by faith in God through Jesus Christ as enabled by the Holy Spirit.
In that sense ‘faith’ is the basic requirement of the person of God. It is not that faith saves (Jesus does that), but that faith is the way the saved person lives.
What does that have to do with the promises of God?
Testimony
James
Why was James labelled by his school classmates as a ‘square’, ‘goody-goody-two-shoes’ and ‘teacher’s pet’?
‘I was the good kid—the one who obeyed the rules and did what the teachers asked. Why did I behave like that? Was it because I thought my efforts would earn me rewards? Was I seeking accolades and recognition? Was I trying to make up for something bad I’d done in the past?
12 Days of Christmas
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
Now seriously, what good is that? Everyone knows that turkey goes much better than partridge for Christmas dinner!
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 2 Turtle Doves…
Now come on, if a Partridge is no use, then there is no chance two turtle doves will make the grade!
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 3 French Hens…
Okay, now we’re getting somewhere – at least you can eat chicken – shame it has to be French!
How to Write your Testimony
Your ‘testimony’ is the testimony of Christ and what he has done in your life. As such for your christian testimony to be worth anything, it should be a testimony to Jesus using you as the example!
The Apostle Peter helpfully challenges Christians to be ready to speak about Jesus when he says:
‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have’ – 1 Peter 3:15
So some tips for writing your testimony…
Sermon: Mission (Matt 28:16-20)
Sunday’s sermon ‘Mission’ by David Smith is now available: http://bit.ly/1XdlVUs
‘God is doing a work and he has a work to do in you.’ – David Smith
The Lost Art of Inviting!
It is invitation time!
Christmas is coming, now the question is: who is coming to Christmas?!
For some of us the idea of inviting someone to celebrate Christmas with you is a no brainer. It is what friends do. If Christmas is important then it is important to have friends of all walks of life celebrating with you!
For some, this doesn’t feel so easy!
Here is a challenge – try to invite just five people to something for Christmas. (some would say, ‘just five’ – fine you invite more).
Inviting takes many forms and giving this some thought may actually present a myriad of possible ways to invite someone – and hopefully one of them at least would be manageable for you!
Want some tips….
