Family Church Waterlooville

In this message we look at the reasons why Jesus laid down His life and what it took Him to get to the Cross. 

Throughout this message we are encouraged to consider what path we are on and then to consider where the destination is of choices we make. As Christians, although we have righteousness imputed to us, we still need to intentionally pursue righteousness in all aspects of life: in relationships, in thoughts and words and even while navigating through hurts.

In this message we learn some of the thorns and snares on the crooked path, which we need to avoid. If we find that we've strayed off the Straight path, we need to be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, apply God's counsel and change direction back on to the Straight path.

In this introduction to our new series, Chris opened up God's counsel to us from Prov 4:20 - 27, encouraging us to consider our paths with all seriousness, to treat God's counsel as weighty and significant, and to allow it to affect the direction of our lives.

Amy, David, Nana and Debbie all share their personal testimonies of their own Kairos moments which they have experienced.

Looking at the account of the man who'd been at the pool of Bethesda for 38 years, we see a perfect example of a Divine Interruption by Jesus in this man's life. We are encouraged during interruptions in our lives to not be focussed on the "water" ie the circumstances, but to rather keep our eyes on Jesus and reach out to Him in faith. Much like the woman with the issue of blood who touched Jesus...

Kairos is a time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action. Looking at the life of Esther, Nehemiah, the dry bones in Ezekiel 37, the Day of Pentecost and even current outpourings across the globe, we see "And Suddenly" moments which manifest.

God who makes moments, also positions people for them. Looking at the life of Esther, God worked behind the scenes to save the Jewish people in exile in Persia. Like Esther, God is preparing us, positioning us and arming us with His purposes to represent Him to the people around us, individually and collectively.

It's important for us all to know and understand the Kairos time and season that we are in, and to ascertain what our response should be during this hour. We ought to be awake during this time and ensure our days consist of: Personal Preparation - like the wise virgins, be ready; Production - an outworking of preparation is reaching the lost; Perseverance - that we don't grow weary in doing good b...

Today is Vision Sunday across all congregations of Family Church.  Pastor Andy speaks about the vision for the church for the whole of this year 2023. Naturally the church’s mission is to reach, grow and empower people and reach those who do not yet know Jesus. However, Andy has specific words for our Vision during 2023. We are in a moment, perhaps unprecedented, where God is about to move by...

Paul's Damascus Road experience highlights the outcome of an Encounter with Jesus. When we acknowledge who God is, we also ascertain who we are in the light of this revelation. There will be a definite impact on our lives. There will also be an outworking of an Encounter, as it was with Paul, who had a revelation of the spiritual significance of the new birth. 

Encounters with God are usually a catalyst for change in the life of the Believer. Jacob, the deceiver, had a Bethel encounter with God, after which God blessed him, but it was only 20 years later, that Jacob had a face-to-face encounter with God which changed his walk, his identity and his name forever. When we experience an encounter with God we frequently are confronted by mercy and truth - tru...

Posturing our hearts to encounter God is paramount, by choosing the right door and avoiding some of the pitfalls which could deter us.

Whilst enjoying the festivities, fun and presents associated with Christmas, as followers of Jesus, we can enjoy God's presence, which is unlimited and based entirely on His grace. 

God IS love - it's the essence of who He is. We are the objects of His love and His love makes us worthy. 

The role of the pastor / shepherd is to equip the saints and to lead, feed and protect the flock, and to empower and enable every believer with their mission in life.

Jesus's words of "Go make" must be preceded by "Come follow". Looking at the lives of Peter and John encourages us as we see lives which are transformed in these imperfect men who physically walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry. As we grow in the grace and knowledge of God through the Word of God and the indwelling Holy Spirit, our lives too can be transformed.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a deposit of great value which has been entrusted to us. We are to keep and guard this life-changing treasure, and to be faithful in carrying out the Great Commission by delivering it to others. 

Because of God's great love for us, He designed us so that He could pour His love into us. Worship is our response to who God is and can be expressed in many ways, through singing, praising, thanking Him, and drawing near to Him. Our worship attracts God and He always responds to our worship with His presence.

Being responsive includes responding enthusiastically and readily to God, His Word, both written and preached, the Body of Christ and the Community. Responding appropriately adds value to ourselves, those around us and to the Kingdom of God.

We are spiritual because of who God is and who man is, in relation to God. Being continuously filled with the Holy Spirit, and being empowered and led by Him is of significant value to ourselves, as well as to others and has great benefit for the Kingdom of God

Our Father God is love and His Family, the church, is an expression of that love. As the body of Christ we are to firstly love Him and then to love what He loves and value what He values. We mature when we yield our own wills to the will of the Father - the cause of Christ.

In order to walk in the unchanging truth of God's Word, we need to embrace it in our lives and make room for it in our hearts. 

The Parable of the Good Samaritan encourages us to reach out to the people God places in our lives and to be the hands and feet of Jesus in their lives. 

We need to give honour to God, receive honour from God and to also give honour to whom God says it is due. The purpose of honour is that God would be glorified.