Luke 23:32-43 – As we close our ‘Gospel Encounters’ series, we consider the last encounter, thankfully recorded for us by Luke. This one takes place between the innocent Son of God and the convicted criminal, during the final moments of both their lives. The intensity of this last encounter is obvious, and shows us that at its heart, the gospel message is about injustice, brutality, divisiveness, and is intensely personal!
Every Gospel encounter with Jesus was sensational in the truest sense of the word. His words and actions came with impact as people heard, saw, touched and even tasted and smelled the nearness of the Kingdom of God through Him. As His body in the world, we have been sent out by Him to be audible, visible and touchable to those around us, filled with compassion and the power of the Holy Spirit. A sensational Church with a sensational commission! Let’s go!
During times of questions, debates, conflicting opinions and uncertainties, it is vital that we remember ‘what we have, and what we know’ about Christ Jesus. We can be calm, confident and caring in every situation, sensitive to others and able to offer support, because we know who it is that lives in us. In this message Stephen shares about what we have, and what we know about Jesus.
In this next message from our Gospel Encounters series, Stephen Russell takes us through the story of when the Roman Centurion encountered Jesus in the gospels. He shares with us his 4 key points: ‘Be known’, ‘See the need’, ‘Know the power of your words’, and ‘God is all powerful in our lives’.
Toward the end of Matthew’s gospel, hours are unfolding before us. Jesus, the great Shepherd was to be struck and the sheep scattered, as Zechariah had foretold (Zc 13:7). Even though Jesus had promised never to leave nor forsake His disciples, they were separated. It was during this traumatic time that Peter and the others had to face their FEARS, FLAWS, and FRUSTRATIONS. All of this was necessary – for Jesus had promised to go on ahead of them to Galilee (Mt 26:32), where they would be reunited and restored (Mt 28:16), so they were ready to receive His great commission (Mt 28:18-20). During times when the Shepherd seems far away from us, He has not abandoned us, but He has gone on ahead of us, whilst doing great things within us; beyond which is always reunion and restoration.
In today’s Gospel Encounter, we meet a man oppressed by the devil to the extent that he had seemingly been robbed of everything, including his own identity. Until, that is, he encountered Jesus, the restorer of dignity who brought healing and a new commission.
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples whilst they were gathered together in a locked room (John 20:19-25). He gave them His peace, breathed the life of His Spirit into them and then commissioned them to be sent into all the world! Then He came back a week later, to ensure that Thomas was also included in all these things (John 20:26-29). In this message we consider the implications of these events for our own lives and encourage you to ‘sign-up’ to all that He has for you in these defining times for the church and the world…
Jesus brought the Kingdom of God to earth, teaching us a new way to enter, live, and grow in it. Looking at three encounters with Jesus, we can see from the pictures He used, the path each child of God must take to fulfil their God-given destiny in the Kingdom of God. A new creation life starts with rebirth and reaches it fulfilment in complete trusting reliance upon God the Father, just like Jesus Himself. This is our God-designed path to maturity, which unlocks all the seed potential He has placed within each of us.
In this next message from our Gospel Encounters series, Stephen Russell takes us through the story of when the Roman Centurion encountered Jesus in the gospels. He shares with us his 4 key points: ‘Be known’, ‘See the need’, ‘Know the power of your words’, and ‘God is all powerful in our lives’.
God, the head gardener, has called us to sow and plant seed to see His Kingdom fill the earth. In this message we look at 3 gardens in the Bible that tell us the greatest story ever, and provide us with the best seed ever! Now is a time to sow generously, and see God’s beautiful garden growing around us.
When Jesus healed ten men from leprosy one of them decided to go back and thank him. He had no idea what lay in store…
God’s church is wonderfully and beautifully diverse, and yet it is also united and expresses perfect one-ness! We look at how different the disciples were, and yet how they were brought together as they followed Jesus.
At the beginning of His ministry Jesus was invited to a wedding, where He performed His first miracle – turning ordinary water into extraordinary fine wine! This true story has meaning and purpose for today, giving us some vital keys to breakthrough wherever transformation is needed. But it was also “a sign”, pointing towards many bigger things. Join us as we consider the power of these principles, and take up Jesus’s invitation to “COME AND SEE” Him in action!
Jesus is the Great Shepherd. Matthew reveals what He was thinking one day when He looked across the crowds of people gathered around Him. He had come for them – those who found themselves feeling harassed and helpless – because He knew they lacked a shepherd to show them the true purpose of their lives and their true value to the Author of life.
Today we think about Mary Magdalene encountering the risen Jesus in the garden on Resurrection Day. We highlight how Jesus can find us in the crisis, is Himself the cure for mankind’s condition and calls people by name to follow Him.
In this message we’ll explore three things: What is hope? How do faith and hope work together and how can we have hope? When we encounter Jesus we encounter real and living hope. When we know what true biblical hope is we can offer it to a world that is desperate for it!
The story of Zacchaeus is often a story we think about as a children’s story we might have learned in Sunday School but it is a simple and significant story of a man whose encounter with Jesus changed his life forever. In coming to Jesus like a child, he discovered what it was to know repentance, restoration and a right relationship with Jesus, the man who knew him by name. Jesus knows our name and is looking for us and others who are lost today. Will we answer when He calls?
It can be easy to let the busyness of life (and our long todo lists!) distract us from the most important thing – spending time with Jesus and listening to his word. Luke 10:38-42 describes the encounter Jesus had with Mary and Martha. Mary spent time with Jesus whilst Martha busied herself… do we identify with either of these women? God wants us to start ‘in rest’; to be in a place of peace, stillness and quiet. We don’t confuse rest with inactivity, but we know that The Lord ‘leads us beside peaceful streams’ and renews our strength as we rest in Him.
In this podcast, we ask the question, “Who is shepherding the lost?”. We look specifically at how we have the mandate and commission to be those shepherds in our villages and towns and use some practical examples and tools to demonstrate to the world: love, liberty, direction and self-worth. We explore that demonstrating our faith is important but still not enough. It only becomes enough when we share the Good News of Jesus and see people enter into His Kingdom through salvation.
Jesus’ compassion is for everyone. And every one of us is qualified to show and extend His compassion to every person that Jesus gave his life for. With this in mind our prayer is “Lord, move us as You are moved. Break our hearts from what breaks Yours. Drive us forwards and outwards because of Your compassion toward us, in us and through us.” Freely we have received. Let’s freely give.
We take three examples where Jesus shows the importance of how the Holy Spirit helps us to be discerning, and not to judge on the outward appearance.
Jesus ministered to multitudes but connected with people ONE AT A TIME. He followed the leading of the Holy Spirit to individual people and asked them a powerful question, which cut to the heart and opened up their lives, so that He could give them what they really needed.
In this first message from our Gospel Encounters series, we start by looking at three such encounters: a woman who felt tainted by her past (Lk 8:40-48), a man who was dissatisfied with the present (Mt 19:16-22), and a man who was despondent about his future (Jn 5:1-9). They’re like people we meet every day, to whom Jesus is now sending us. Are we willing to go into the ‘Mission Field’ to ask the questions He gives us, to meet needs and change lives?
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