YOur Team

‘And that is what some of you were.’ 1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV After listing some of the worst sins imaginable, Paul told the Corinthians, ‘And that is what some of you were. But you were… justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.’ (1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV) So, before you pass sentence on someone else, remember what God has lifted you out of! Many of us think a ‘good’ sermon is one that goes over our head and hits our neighbour squarely between the eyes! In Scripture, the word restore has two shades of meaning. One is to remove a cancer. Cancer can kill you, and it needs to be removed. Paul writes, ‘If someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit...

‘You who live by the Spirit should restore.’ Galatians 6:1 NIV Sometimes when we fall we can get up by ourselves; other times we need someone to help us. And sadly, not all Christians are willing to help. Sometimes they feel that by extending grace to someone they are condoning their sin. But Paul knocked that argument down when he wrote, ‘Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.’ (Ephesians 4:32 NIV) Why should we be restorers? (1) Because God tells us to. ‘If someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves… you also may be tempted.’ (Galatians 6:1 NIV) It’s pride that...

‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes.’ Matthew 21:42 NIV Sometimes the rejection of others, turns out to be ‘the Lord’s doing.’ After Joseph had been betrayed by his brothers and slandered by Potiphar’s wife, he said, ‘You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.’ (Genesis 50:20 NKJV) How often has something happened in your life, that you later realised was necessary? If you hadn’t sustained this, or walked through that, you wouldn’t be ready for the blessings you’re enjoying right now. It’s when you see the hand of God in it that you begin to understand what the enemy meant for your destruction, God...

‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Revelation 21:5 NIV John the Revelator wrote: ‘I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is… among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then He said, “Write this down, for...

‘He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.’ 1 John 1:9 KJV The story of David and Bathsheba is the stuff movies are made of—lust, adultery, premarital pregnancy, murder, and cover–up. And it looked like David was home free, except for one important detail: ‘The thing that David had done displeased the Lord.’ (2 Samuel 11:27 NKJV) In the Bible, God refers to David as ‘a man after His own heart’ (1 Samuel 13:14 NLT), but the same Bible says, ‘Be sure your sin will find you out.’ (Numbers 32:23 KJV) So God sent the prophet Nathan to tell David, ‘I anointed you king… Why then have you despised the Word of the Lord?’ (2 Samuel 12:7–9 NLT) Then God passed sentence: ‘I am going to bring...

‘This is the way; walk in it.’ Isaiah 30:21 NIV Joni Eareckson Tada tells of a group of friends who were on a mountaintop discussing which direction to go. One man said, ‘That’s south!’ Another replied, ‘No, that’s east.’ Everybody threw in their two–cents’ worth, until finally someone produced a compass and said, ‘We can settle this real fast.’ Within seconds the compass confirmed they were, in fact, facing due west! The only reliable source had the final say, and nobody was about to argue with it. During the day, many voices vie for your attention, and some so–called ‘experts’ can be dead wrong. Bottom line: you had better know which voice to listen to, because if you look only at your...

‘God is the one who began this good work in you.’ Philippians 1:6 CEV Paul writes, ‘God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain… He won’t stop before it is complete.’ (Philippians 1:6 CEV) You will notice that Jesus regularly took time out of His busy schedule to pray. In fact, He sometimes prayed all night. And He tells us why: ‘The Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing.’ (John 5:19–20 NLT) Under the weight of our sins, He cried from the cross, ‘My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ (Matthew 27:46 NIV) And His words teach us...

‘God always does what He plans.’ Ephesians 1:11 CEV God said, ‘I am Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the beginning and the end.’ (Revelation 22:13 CEV) God determines the end result He wants, then starts at the beginning and works towards it. He ‘always does what He plans.’ Joseph discovered that even when your family turns against you, God’s plan is still in effect. Looking back, he said, ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.’ (Genesis 50:20 NIV) But don’t confuse ‘good’ with ‘comfortable’. When God corrects or redirects you, it doesn’t always feel good. But it is good! David said, ‘When You corrected me, it did me good because it taught me.’ (Psalm 119:71 CEV)...

‘Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.’ Luke 6:37 NLT Once you understand that some parents aren’t capable of giving their kids what they didn’t get themselves—namely love, nurturing, acceptance, and physical affection—it becomes easier to forgive them. Stormie Omartian says: ‘Sometimes what one parent didn’t do hurts as bad as what the abusing one did. A parent’s uninvolvement or unwillingness to step in and rescue you feels like a betrayal. Unforgiveness for that uninvolved parent is more difficult to recognise but is more common than we think. Ask God to show you any unforgiveness towards a parent who didn’t come to your rescue. If it’s there, you have to deal honestly with your...

‘Be kind to one another, tender–hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.’ Ephesians 4:32 ESV There is nothing worse than the pain some parents can inflict on their kids. Often it comes from ignorance, but that doesn’t lessen the hurt when you’re on the receiving end. Stormie Omartian writes: ‘Needs not met in childhood will be just as strong in adulthood, but they will be expertly camouflaged [hidden]. If you were abused as a child, don’t be misled into [thinking]…“I’m born again—I shouldn’t still hurt.” The fact that you still hurt doesn’t negate your born–again status or make you less spiritual. Because people tend to view God the way they viewed their parents, it...