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This letter gives us another secret to growth and change to those of us who are feeling a little bit complacent. Maybe we feel a little more bored than blessed when we connect with church … Perhaps we feel a lot more attached to this world than we’d like - (who doesn’t struggle with that?) and looking us straight in the eye Jesus says - “I want you to see your need as you never have before. Then I’d be able to meet your need as I never have before.” John writes this way to the church in Laodicea - “To the angel of the church of Laodicea write, ‘These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds that you’re neither cold nor hot … I wish that you were one or the other … But you don’t realise you’re wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you get from me gold refined in the fire so you can become rich and white clothes to wear so you can cover your shameful nakedness salve to put on your eyes so you can see.” (Revelation 3:14 ff) Not easy words from Jesus but they end with his remarkable promise - “Look! I am standing at the door and I'm constantly knocking. If anyone opens the door I will come in and I’ll fellowship with him; I’ll relate to him, I’ll dine with him and he’ll fellowship with me.” (Revelation 3:20 – Message)
Episodes
Wednesday Apr 19, 2017
Wednesday Apr 19, 2017
“A new day will dawn on us because our God is loving and merciful.” Luke 1:78 (God’s Word)
Easter means it’s a new day of mercy “because our God is loving and merciful”.
Two questions we’re going to explore today are -
when do we need God’s mercy, and
what happens when we accept it?
(1) Ashamed:
we need God’s mercy when we’ve messed up. God’s mercy forgives and frees us from guilt.
(2) Angry:
we need God’s mercy when we don’t have what we need. God’s mercy makes the impossible possible.
(3) Afraid:
we need God’s mercy when we’re facing death. God’s mercy will save us for eternity.
Tuesday Apr 11, 2017
Tuesday Apr 11, 2017
There’s a lot going on when Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
He knows what He’s getting into, and we know He’s not exactly thrilled about it (“My Father, if there is any way get Me out of this” - Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane). But He’s determined to go there.
When He arrives, He’ll disappoint His followers. They’re ready for a military/political victory.
Jesus, on the other hand, was ready to take up His cross. And die.
He was a great disappointment to many who laid so many expectations on Him.
He went anyway.
Monday Apr 03, 2017
Monday Apr 03, 2017
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7 (New International Version)
Jesus showed us love in action by giving mercy to a leper and willingly entering into his pain and suffering. He told us to do the same to outcast, lost and broken people today.
God promises to bless those who are compassionate to others who need it most.
As followers of Christ, we are His body here on earth and if we’re willing to be used, He will pour out His love, mercy and kindness through us.
Thursday Mar 30, 2017
Thursday Mar 30, 2017
“Jesus saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of His mercy.
He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3:5
The miracle of mercy is how much we matter to God. God gives us new life in Christ through the Holy Spirit not because of the good things we did, but because of His mercy.
When we’re spiritually lost, we lose our direction, God’s protection, our potential, our happiness and our home in heaven, but we don’t lose our value!
God’s mercy in salvation rescues us from ourselves, recovers our value, and reconnects us to God. We connect to God’s mercy when we get fed up with our lives, own up to our sin, and offer up ourselves to God.
Thursday Mar 30, 2017
Thursday Mar 30, 2017
“Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.” Matthew 6:12 (New Living Translation)
In His great mercy, God forgives us freely, immediately and completely, without any conditions. His forgiveness lasts forever, not just for this lifetime.
Because of His great mercy, we‘re to forgive others as completely and unconditionally as God in Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32). However, we’re not called to forget evil that has been done to us. Instead we're to use wisdom regarding those who hurt us. We don’t automatically trust them again. Trust must be rebuilt.
Finally, forgiving others means we release them to God. He is the only one who’s qualified to judge other people, because He knows their hearts, as He knows ours. Regardless of what we have done, Jesus gave His life for each one of us. God’s mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13).
Thursday Mar 30, 2017
Thursday Mar 30, 2017
“Because of His great mercy God has given us a new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope.” 1 Peter 1:3
Because we’re imperfect people living in an imperfect world we all experience failures in life.
The night Jesus was arrested, two of his closest friends had massive failures: Judas betrayed him and Peter denied him. It was the same sin, just expressed in different ways.
What causes our personal failures? Like Peter, we 1) overestimate our own strength; 2) fear the disapproval of others, and 3) speak without thinking.
But Peter also did three things right. He 1) grieved his failure; 2) let his small group support him; and 3) cast himself on God’s mercy.
Friday Mar 24, 2017
Friday Mar 24, 2017
“Give yourselves completely to God – every part of you – because you’ve been brought from death to life, and now you want to be used by God for good, and for His righteous purposes.”
Romans 6:13 (Living Bible)
The greatest joy and thrill in life is being used by God. Used for purposes greater than ourselves. It’s what we were created for. Unfortunately, many people feel unworthy because of past behaviour, or unqualified due to lack of training. But through His mercy, and regardless of our pasts, God can use all of us to minister His love to others. God wants our lives to have eternal significance as we serve Him with authenticity (not acting like someone else) while remembering that “our message is not about ourselves – it is about Jesus Christ as the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 4:5)
Friday Mar 24, 2017
Friday Mar 24, 2017
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to heal the brokenhearted, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” Luke 4:18-19 (NIV)
We all have occasional bad days and sometimes our lives feel inundated with bad news from the world around us. We need good news!
That’s why Jesus came: He changed everything through the good news of the Easter story – His death, burial, and resurrection.
He came to give hope to the hopeless, to heal the brokenhearted, to release the captives, to reveal God to the world, and to purchase our freedom.
Wednesday Mar 15, 2017
Wednesday Mar 15, 2017
In a society where anything goes, it’s so easy to become complacent about our faith.
We will see what happened to God’s people when they became complacent and how we as Christians today can fall into the same trap.
Find out what God’s solution to complacency is, and how we can put it into practice.
Listen now as Berni Dymet unpacks his thoughts.
Wednesday Feb 15, 2017
Wednesday Feb 15, 2017