At Christmas, we often focus on what’s familiar—but God’s love reaches far beyond what we expect. In this message, we look at the Wise Men: outsiders, magi, people who came from the farthest away, yet were intentionally invited into the story of Jesus.
God hung a star in the sky not just to announce a birth, but to reveal how far His love will go for those who feel distant, overlooked, or written off.
This message reminds us that faith isn’t just something explained—it’s something encountered.
Be unexplainable.
The King has come—for everyone.
In this Christmas message, we’re reminded that the birth of Jesus wasn’t passive or sentimental — it was driven by the zeal of the Lord.
This sermon explores how God’s passionate, covenant-keeping love moved Him to step into human history through Christ. From prophecy to fulfillment, from promise to presence, we see that salvation was not an afterthought — it was God’s determined pursuit of humanity.
Through Scripture, worship, and reflection on the Christmas story, we’re invited to rediscover the holy zeal that brought Jesus into the world, and to ask how that same zeal should shape our worship, our faith, and our lives today.
In this powerful interview, we sit down with Pierre Schoeman, professional rugby player for Scotland, and his wife Charissa, a Christian businesswoman with a deep story of courage, faith, and resilience. Their journey from South Africa to Scotland is full of unexpected turns, faith, and bold trust in Jesus.
From childhood friends at age eight, to long-distance love through handwritten poems, to the hard seasons of rugby, criticism, immigration, and stepping out with only two suitcases, Pierre and Charissa share the real story behind their lives — the highs, the lows, the miracles, and the faith that sustains them
Pastor Paul teaches on the Great Exchange — Jesus taking our sin and giving us His righteousness. From that foundation, we learn how to live out daily micro exchanges: small, intentional swaps in our thoughts and behaviours that help us experience the life Jesus intends for us.
This message is both theological and deeply practical, helping us understand how God forms us, how new pathways are created, and how we move from old patterns into a renewed mind and transformed life.
This week at Take Hold, Pastor Paul continued our Be Loved series by unpacking the earliest Christian creed from 1 Corinthians 15 — the four simple, world-shifting truths the early church built their entire faith on:
• Christ died for our sins.
• He was buried.
• He was raised on the third day.
• He appeared to His followers — hundreds of eyewitnesses.
This message walks through the story of the cross, the evidence of the resurrection, and the truth that because Jesus lives, we have eternal life — and life that is truly life today.
Your identity isn’t based on performance, shame, or your past. In Christ, your name is Beloved.
In part 2 of the Be Loved series, Pastor Paul unpacks the second truth:
We were born on the wrong side of an impossible gap — but the cross of Jesus bridges it.
Sin created the distance, love closed it. Eternal life isn’t just what happens after death; it begins the moment you believe.
In this first message of the Be Loved series, we’re reminded of a truth that changes everything — you’ve never been unloved.
Before you took your first breath, before you believed, before you ever got it right or wrong — God loved you completely.
This is where the story begins.
Scripture: 1 John 4:8–10 | Romans 5:8 | John 3:16
Series: Be Loved
When Jesus died, the veil was torn — not just in the temple, but in the space between heaven and earth.
You were never meant to live with limited access to God.
You were created for unlimited access — to know Him personally, to represent Him powerfully, and to bring His presence wherever you go.
This message explores how the resurrection made every believer a priest, ambassador, and representative of Christ.
📖 Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:20 | 1 Peter 2:9 | Hebrews 4:14–16 | Galatians 2:20 | Mark 15:37–38
Weekly messages from Take Hold Church, Edinburgh.
Naomi and Ruth’s story shows us what redemption looks like in real life — not the absence of pain, but its transformation.
When everything fell apart, God was still working behind the scenes.
From famine to harvest, from death to life, from isolation to family — Ruth’s story reminds us: God doesn’t leave His people without a Redeemer.
📖 Scripture: Ruth 1–4 | Galatians 6:9 | 1 Thessalonians 5:24
Weekly messages from Take Hold Church, Edinburgh.
This week at Take Hold, we continued our series “Every Story Matters: Becoming Who You Were Meant to Be.”
We looked at the life of Caleb, a man who chose faith when everyone else chose fear. At 40 years old, he stood on the edge of God’s promise and said, “We can do this.” Forty-five years later, at 85, he was still saying the same thing—still strong, still faithful, still believing that God keeps His promises.
Caleb’s story reminds us that faith isn’t a moment—it’s a lifelong decision.
The foundations you build today will shape the future you. What you avoid now might be the very thing God wants to use to define your story.
Even when timelines stretch and promises take decades, God never fails. His promises outlast our impatience, and His faithfulness outlives our fear.
📖 Scripture: Numbers 13–14 | Joshua 14 | Genesis 13
✨ Series: Every Story Matters – Becoming Who You Were Meant to Be
Join us Sundays at Take Hold Church in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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This week we continued our series “Every Story Matters: Becoming Who You Were Meant to Be,” looking at the story of Samson—a man who was set apart, chosen, and gifted by God, yet deeply flawed.
Even in Samson’s downfall, God’s purpose was not defeated. His strength returned, his faith was renewed, and his story ended not in shame, but in grace.
This message is a reminder that no matter how far we fall, God’s not done with us yet.
The same power that restored Samson can restore us too—because grace gets the final word.
📖 Scripture: Judges 13–16 | Romans 8:28 | Hebrews 11:32–35
Weekly messages from Take Hold Church in Edinburgh, Scotland.
In this week’s message, we begin a new series: Every Story Matters. Through the book of Esther, we’re reminded that no life is insignificant and no detail is wasted in God’s hands. From Esther’s courage “for such a time as this” to the truth that God can redeem even our darkest days, this teaching challenges us to see our own stories through the lens of God’s purpose and faithfulness. Whether you feel overlooked, broken, or uncertain, be encouraged—your story matters deeply to God.
Message from 14 September 2025 at Take Hold Church
This week, Daniel Andree shared a powerful message on community. From the very beginning of creation to the early church in Acts, we see that God designed us to belong—not to live in isolation, but to walk together in faith.
Through Scripture, Daniel reminds us that true community isn’t something that just happens—it’s something we pursue. Rooted in Jesus, community becomes a place of encouragement, growth, and testimony to the world.
Message from 7 September 2025 at Take Hold Church
This week we celebrated two years of Take Hold Church and reflected on God’s faithfulness since day one!
In this message, we dive into the vision for your life—not just what you drive, where you live, or what you do, but what it means to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Drawing from Deuteronomy 6 and the words of Jesus in Matthew 22, we’re reminded that true vision begins with loving God with all our heart, soul, and strength, and loving people as ourselves.
Message from 31 August 2025 at Take Hold Church
This is part two of our series in Matthew 6 called “When You…”
Last week we looked at giving. This week, Pastor Paul takes us into Jesus’ words about prayer in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus says, “When you pray…” — and he calls us away from performance and into relationship.
Prayer isn’t about being seen, using the right words, or informing God of what’s happening in our lives. It’s about entering the secret place — meeting with our Father who already knows us, loves us, and longs to speak with us.
In this message we explore:
Why Jesus told us to pray “Father” and what that means
How the secret place changes our hearts and aligns us with God’s will
The Lord’s Prayer as a revolutionary guide for daily life
Why revival requires repentance, both personal and communal
The secret is the secret place. And Jesus promises: “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
📖 Matthew 6:5–24 | Pastor Paul – Take Hold Church, Edinburgh
This week we begin a 2-part series in Matthew 6 called “When You…”
Jesus repeats these words again and again in the Sermon on the Mount—“when you give, when you pray, when you fast.” These aren’t empty routines or religious duties, they’re invitations to step into God’s presence.
In part one, Pastor Paul teaches on giving—why motives matter more than appearances, how generosity becomes worship, and what it means when Jesus says “your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
The reward isn’t prosperity. It’s presence. A deeper relationship with the God who provides.
📖 Matthew 6:1-24 | Pastor Paul – Take Hold Church, Edinburgh
Message from 27th July, 2025 at Take Hold Church
We weren’t made to hustle endlessly. We were made to live in rhythm with the One who gives us rest. In this week’s message, Pastor Paul explores God’s original design for Sabbath—not as a legalistic rule, but as a gift of grace and resistance to the burnout culture we live in.
What do you do when life doesn’t make sense? When the storm lingers and your prayers feel unanswered? In this message, we revisit the words of Jesus in John 16—“in a little while…”—and unpack how this seemingly vague phrase became a source of deep hope in the darkest moment in human history.
Through powerful storytelling, Scripture, and personal reflection, this episode explores:
What it means to trust God during the “little while” seasons
How to pray honest prayers—even complaints
Why your survival is evidence of God’s love
What to do when doubt creeps in
Why your story isn’t over yet
If you’re in a season of waiting, pain, or uncertainty, this is a message for you. You’re still here. God is still working. And your story is not over.
You Don’t Have to Be Seen to Be Significant
In a culture obsessed with visibility, Jesus offers something deeper—significance rooted not in being noticed, but in being faithful. This message explores the life of one of the most overlooked disciples, James the Less, and the truth that God sees and uses ordinary, often unseen people to change the world.
Whether you feel invisible, forgotten, or just stuck in the background, this sermon reminds you: your faithfulness is not missed in heaven. From biblical stories to real-world examples, you’ll be invited to step out of hiding, embrace your God-given identity, and offer up your ordinary to a God who works miracles with it.
You’re not insignificant. You’re called. And your “yes” still matters.
In this powerful message from our Encountering Jesus series, we explore the story of the man at the pool of Bethesda in John 5, and the life-changing question Jesus asks: “Do you want to be healed?”
Through this story, you’ll be invited to confront your default settings, break free from cycles of victimhood, and step into resurrection life. You don’t need all the answers—just the courage to say yes.
It’s not get up day.
It’s got up day.