In this message, Luke takes us on a very personal journey of uncovering the ways in which we fall into the trap of believing lies about ourself. Satan is a liar who wants to keep us from living the life that God has for us – the life of peace and joy that Jesus already paid for by his own blood.



Instead of believing those lies from the devil, we have God’s Word that gives us the truth that sets us free in Jesus Christ! Instead of living according to the ways of the sinful nature, we can live by faith in Jesus in the freedom that the Holy Spirit gives.

Jesus offers an invitation to the first disciples to leave their nets and follow him. There is a sense of great risk in exchange for great reward in God’s kingdom. This invitation doesn’t arrive in a ‘vacuum’ but follows a process of revelation, bringing a measure of confidence and faith. Nevertheless, choosing to accept Jesus’ invitation to become his disciples, to leave the livelihood behind and put their trust in Jesus was a costly decision. But they believed it was worth it, worth the risk to leave it all behind and follow Jesus into whatever calling and plans he had for them. They dared to believe that what Jesus had for them was better than the life they could gain for themselves.



What are the things in your life that feels like a big risk or a big step of faith to leave behind so that you can follow Jesus and receive the life he has for you?



Note: Unfortunately the recording for this week’s message was cut off prematurely due to a technical glitch.

From time to time, prophetic words are spoken in church, sometimes to individuals and sometimes to the whole meeting. In the case of a recent word that was shared, some people were not sure what to think of what was said and few had questions. There are principles given in the New Testament about the healthy use of spiritual gifts and especially prophecy which are important for all Christians to understand. In this short message, Pastor David outlines these principles for embracing a healthy prophetic culture in the church, and goes on to bring clarity to the prophetic word that was spoken the previous week. (Unfortunately, there was a fault in the recording so we do not have a copy of the original word).



The backbone of understanding prophecy from a New Testament church context is given in 1 Corinthians 12-14 and especially chapter 14. Every believer receives the gift of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38), and we are encourage to pursue the gifts the Spirit gives, especially to prophesy within the church family (1 Cor. 14:1-4).



Alongside this instruction, we must humbly acknowledge the imperfection of our sensitivity and obedience to the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 13:9) and therefore our need for everything to be tested against the written word of God. Every prophetic word given in the church must be “weighed carefully” by mature believers with a sound knowledge of scripture (1 Cor. 14:29). Paul writes again in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 that all prophecies must be tested against the standard of the Bible. Our response ought to be that we hold on to the good, and treat such words as worthy of attention, but let anything else “fall to the ground”.

The recent assassination of Charlie Kirk has triggered a lot of discussion around the interactions (or intersections?) between politics, faith, freedom (gun ownership rights). It’s been a turbulent time with a lot of media commentary. It is perhaps easy to miss how prominent the word ‘peace’ is in the message of the gospel and throughout the New Testament.



A shining moment amongst it all was Charlie’s widow, Erika Kirk, publicly declaring forgiveness for the young man who shot and killed her husband. That is really the point to grab hold of – that Jesus came to proclaim peace and forgiveness, not vengeance.

In the absence of a clear explanation, it is understandable that some people might think that “Christ” is Jesus’ surname or family name, like his parents were “Mr and Mrs Christ”. The truth is that “Christ” is a title that means “Anointed” (in Greek). It carries the same meaning as “Messiah” (Hebrew). In ancient Israel and Judaism this meant “God’s anointed leader”, which covers a lot of ground from priests, prophets and rulers. Ultimately though it refers to God’s appointed ruler over all things, not just the king but the King of Kings. This is why Jesus is THE Christ – The Anointed One.



This stands at the core of the gospel message – that Jesus is King, that his resurrection declares he is “the son of God in power” (Romans 1:2-4) and all people everywhere are called to trust in Him through acceptance of his rule.



The question for each of us is, will I accept him as my/your King.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church begins by establishing that it is God who has called and chosen his people “to be holy and blameless in his sight”. The good news of salvation in Jesus Christ begins with God calling us to repentance and obedience to Christ, to a new way of living from a completely “new self”.



Around the middle of the letter Paul switches from speaking about the eternal truths of the gospel to the practical outworking in our response to God’s gracious gift of life. He writes, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Eph. 4:1). Such a high calling demands an all-or-nothing response to God’s invitation.



Queue the bad analogy of a “Mr Fusion” powered DeLorean.


In practical terms though, it’s not just about an external change of behaviour patterns, but an internal renovation of heart and mind that lays a new foundation for how we live. The beginning of a new creation, that Paul calls “the new self”.




You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV)

God is Holy, He calls us to be set apart, and by the power of His Spirit, to be made Holy like His Holy Son, Jesus. 



Hebrews 12:14 (AMPC) says:  “Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no-one will (ever) see the Lord.”



This is not works, but it is posturing ourselves to allow the Spirit to train us and transform us to be holy; set apart for God.



We look at Isaiah’s experience of God’s holiness and take some lessons from that. We cannot make ourselves holy, but we can choose to pursue a consecrated, set apart life for God and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us in the process. 

God is calling us to a life of holiness, a life that is fully set apart for Him in every way and in every area. God also hates sin, and we see from scripture that disaster trails the heels of sin.  God calls us to become Holy as He is Holy (Leviticus 20:26) – he calls us to be set apart for a life lived for Him.  When we choose that, there is good fruit seen in our lives. 

Referring back to Liz Pullin’s message from last week, David teases out what Jesus means when he talks about “living water”. When Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well in Sychar that he would give living water to those who believe in him, he was not making up a new analogy, but was actually very consciously and deliberately referring to himself as the subject and fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies in which God refers to himself as the source of living water, and that God would make those who believe and trust in him to also be like springs of water that would never dry up or fail.

When Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well in Sychar, he told her some things that are totally life-changing! He spoke of the gift of “living water”, which can quench the ever-present “thirst” that resides in the soul (in other words, our deepest needs and heart-longings that only God can satisfy). Not only that, he wants and is able to create a new well, a new source of life within you. His promise is that “whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst … the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life”. (John 4:1-26)

David was anointed to be king long before he actually became king of Israel. In the time of waiting he had to learn how to honour and serve under Saul, the current king, even though Saul at times tried to kill him. God had rejected Saul because of his disobedience to God’s instructions through the prophet Samuel. But David still had to be shaped by God in the process of waiting and holding on to the words spoken over him by the prophet.



What can we learn from David about stewarding God’s anointing upon our own lives, no matter what “season” we’re in?

What does it mean for us who are in Christ to grow into the sonship in God’s family which is given to us in Christ? The gift of the Holy Spirit brings us into sonship in God, but he is also our mentor and the power by which we overcome sin, endure suffering, and learn to live in the power of God, the power that enables us to know his indescribable love.



Romans 8:12-23



Ephesians 3:10-19