United Church Podcast

People often associate church with boring services and buildings – but in the New Testament there are over 100 images of the church The church is rich in meaning and history. This talk seeks to look at just five images that make the church special. This is best presented from a personal point of view to present a glimpse of what the church means to you Friends – the small group on Alpha is like church in microcosm. Jesus said, ‘I call you friends.’ But we are also called to friendship with each other. We cannot live the Christian life alone. We need one another Family – church is not an organisation you join, but a family where you belong; brothers and sisters in Christ. Baptism is a mark of belonging to the church Home – not a physical building but a building made up of people Jesus – Christ’s body to the world. The church represents Jesus. We should be united Love – The church should be famous for its love. It is not a museum that displays perfect people, but a hospital, which welcomes the hurt and the broken. Service is an expression of our love

God and Heaven rejoice when His lost ones are found. If God and heaven celebrate the return of just one of His children, then I must ask you as second set of questions. When did you last tell someone about God’s love for them? When was the last time you shared with someone what Jesus did for them? I don’t know where you stand or your answer, but the question is vital. Maybe you think, ‘Well, I’m not ready to tell anybody. I don’t even know where I stand with Jesus. I don’t know what I think of it.’ Understandable. If you have not committed your life to practising the way of Jesus, your reticence is completely valid. But if you have experienced Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and somebody asks you about it, what would you say? How would you explain it? Why would you want to? Why should you?

Why Believe in the Devil? (Scripture ‘deliver us from the evil one’, tradition, reason) Devil’s purpose (to destroy) Devil’s tactics (doubt, temptation, deception, condemnation) Our Position (transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Jesus) But we are in a process that won’t be complete until Jesus returns. Our defense: Resist the devil, and he will flee. The Armour of God The sword of the Spirit – the Word of God Pray. Our attack ‘Overcome evil with good.’

There are no dress rehearsals for life. We all make mistakes, but how can we make the most of the rest of our lives? In Romans 12:1–2, Paul tells us how we can make the most of our lives. God loves you and has a great purpose for your life.  What should we do? Break with the past (be different; resist pressure to conform). Make a new start (be transformed; leave behind the rubbish). God has treasures in store (sincere love; enthusiasm for the Lord) How do we do it? Present your bodies (priorities, ambitions, lifestyle). As a living sacrifice (there is a cost; be willing to fly the flag).  Why do we do it? God loves you – he sent Jesus to die for you. He has a plan for your life: his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

In life, we all face decisions, big or small. We are increasingly faced with a vast array of choices and making decisions can be hard. We all need guidance. We are not alone in this life – there is a God who desires a relationship with us and who also communicates with us.  It’s not always easy to hear God, and sometimes we think we know best, but God’s plan is bigger than our mistakes, and in everything, God works for good. God has a good plan and a purpose for our lives, and it is possible to discern God’s will (his guidance) through various ways: Commanding Scripture (Bible), Compelling Spirit (Holy Spirit), Counsel of the Saints (church/Christian community), Common Sense (reason), Circumstantial Signs (providence of God).  If you walk in this relationship with God, reading (Commanding Scripture), listening (Compelling Spirit), talking (Counsel of the Saints), thinking (Common Sense), and watching (Circumstantial Signs), your life will make a difference. you will have a far bigger impact than probably you will ever realize in this life.

The Bible is the most popular book in the world, the most powerful book in the world, and the most precious book in the world. But why? The Bible is the primary way God communicates with us. God has spoken: Revelation – he has revealed himself in creation and through a person – Jesus. Through the Bible, we get to know Jesus. The Bible is all about Jesus.  The Bible is inspired by God (God-breathed). The Bible is a collection of books written over 1600 years by over 40 different authors: 100% human authors. 100% inspired by God. God speaks: Relationship – through the Bible, we develop our relationship with Jesus and receive guidelines for living.  How do we hear God speak through the Bible? Find a plan, pattern, and place.

People pray in all cultures – and everybody prays in crisis. Why do we do that? Christians pray to grow their relationship with God – an intimate, loving Father. Christian prayer is to the Father, through the Son, and by the Spirit. There are rewards to prayer (presence, peace and power). God answers prayers differently. If it’s a no/wait – we may realise later why God didn’t answer at the time – but sometimes there’s no reason: I just have to trust that God is good and he loves me Jesus taught us how to pray (The Lord's Prayer). There is no set formula, but a simple model to remember is: ‘Thank you… Sorry… Please…’    Keep it simple, keep it real, keep it going.

What does it mean to become a new person with a new life? What does it mean to be a ‘Christian’? The word ‘Christian’ now often has negative connotations. For others, there might be some positive connotation, i.e. some people think, ‘Well, Christians – those are the “nice people”.’ But is that accurate? No. Because many people who do not practice the way of Jesus are extremely nice people, but they wouldn’t want to be known as Christians, because they’re not. Other people say, ‘Well, surely we’re all basically Christians because we’re born in a “Christian nation.” But being born in a vaguely Christianised society doesn’t make you a Christian, any more than being born in a garage would make you a car! Or being born in T.I.’s house makes you a rapper. It doesn’t track. So what is a Christian? A Christian is a Christ-ian: someone who follows Jesus, someone who puts their faith in Jesus. Someone who looks like Jesus and practices His way.

The cross is the symbol for Christianity. Why? ‘The Son of God’ – that is, Jesus – ‘loved me and gave himself for me’. If you had been the only person in the world, Jesus would have died for you. He loves you that much. Why did Jesus die?

The crazy thing is that we can spend multiple years and multiple careers and multiple relationships and multiple moments entering and exiting this cycle over and over again… Why? Because if we are honest—Much of what we do, we do because we do not know why we truly exist. So we spend all of our time searching, hoping, pouring our lives into anything we imagine might give us a sense of purpose and meaning. We look to those things to be a measure by which we verify and validate that we matter and our existence matters.  If we knew how truly valuable we are; if we knew the great care with which we came into being; if we knew how truly unique, wonderful, and purposefully architected is every human being, then no day, no moment would be filled with any sense of lostness or any idea of being in this world without meaning.  We would not be left with that reverberating soundtrack in our minds, “there’s got to be more to life than this…”