Hope Church Merthyr Podcast

Paul's whole driver in Ephesians is "This is who you now are in Christ!"Now if this is true, your whole direction of travel is going to be different. You've got a new way to walk, a way that shows the world what God is like. And since God is love, what does walking in love look like?

"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit"This phrase can be a real source of misunderstanding, and can cause us to get so many wrong ideas about God. The bottom line, though, is that even in his grieving, we see that God is far kinder than we can imagine!

A sermon series that started at Ephesians 4 might give the impression that the Christian life is a bunch of moral (and also sensible!) directives for how to live and earn the favour of God. But that’s why chapters 1-3 are so important! It’s not, “Do this to be loved by God.”It is, “You all are so loved, and this is what the life of loved people looks like… so live out of the overflow of that love!...

This Sunday… Ephesians 4: 17-24Here’s where we are in Ephesians: Paul has spent three chapters laying out a whole new identity for followers of Jesus. Through Christ, we have been brought near to God and to one another, becoming the dwelling place of God—a temple with a mission. He caps it all off with a prayer that together we would know the vastness of the love that has made all of this possible...

The prophet Ezekiel saw a river flowing from God's temple, bringing life wherever it went. Jesus declared that this river would flow through those who would trust in him. This river, he says, is the Holy Spirit. Front and centre of Paul's vision for the church in Ephesians is a people indwelt by the Holy Spirit for the blessing of the nations. In a world that often feels dry, weary and fra...

This Sunday… Ephesians 4:7–16Jesus generously gives... gifts of people... to build up his church. Paul presents two vivid and contrasting pictures of what that building can become: toddlers in a storm-tossed boat… or a mature body growing up into Christ. Obviously, Paul wants us to move toward maturity! But, how do the gifts fit into that maturity? As each one uses the measure of grace Jesus has g...

Ephesians 4: 7-16Paul has been saying how it’s so important for us to be one. But within that oneness, Jesus, by design has gifted us to be different. What does it mean that the ascended Christ is still pouring his life, grace and fullness into the world through his church? As we gather, we are a family, and God has grace-gifted each one of us for the comfort, encouragement and building up of the...

We hit the turning point of Ephesians... If Jesus has made us chosen, redeemed, reconciled, filled with his Spirit and joined into one new humanity... how then do we live?

What are we actually modelling to the people around us? This Sunday, Mark Stirling will explore discipleship, identity, and what it means to live as people genuinely transformed by the love of God - not just outwardly religious, but inwardly shaped by grace.

✨ Grace doesn't just save - it transforms! ✨Join us from Saturday 9th May @ Hope Church Merthyr as Mark Stirling unpacks how grace lies at the heart of transformed living. We'll explore: 🔹 Why saving grace sometimes doesn't seem to be transforming us.🔹 How growing in grace addresses struggles like envy, discontent & entitlement.

✨ Grace doesn't just save - it transforms! ✨Join us from Saturday 9th May @ Hope Church Merthyr as Mark Stirling unpacks how grace lies at the heart of transformed living. We'll explore: 🔹 Why saving grace sometimes doesn't seem to be transforming us.🔹 How growing in grace addresses struggles like envy, discontent & entitlement.

✨ Grace doesn't just save - it transforms! ✨Listen back to Saturday 9th May @ Hope Church Merthyr as Mark Stirling unpacks how grace lies at the heart of transformed living. We'll explore: 🔹 Why saving grace sometimes doesn't seem to be transforming us.🔹 How growing in grace addresses struggles like envy, discontent & entitlement.

After taking a necessary detour into the mystery of the gospel with Paul, we now come back to Paul's prayer. He's praying for power... but what we need that power for might surprise you!

Ephesians 3:7-13The gospel is full of reversals. God's grace, wisdom, and love turn everything on it's head. And when better to be thinking about this than a baptism day!

Back in Ephesians. Start of Chapter 3. Paul's about to pray, but then something catches him in his tracks. A mystery revealed. And what is that mystery? It's us!

John 20:19 -28 There were definitely some tech issues, but the whole sermon is here! We’re celebrating and thanking God for the gift of two little ones, as their families dedicate themselves and their sons to growing up in the wisdom and instruction of God. As a church family, it’s our opportunity to stand alongside them and commit ourselves to walking alongside them in this - raising kids takes t...

Resurrection Day! It’s no exaggeration to say that this is the most significant day in human history. And yet it’s only significant if we see who Jesus really is. We can be kept from seeing who he really is, and what he’s like, by our expectations of him. If our expectations are just not great enough, we’ll miss the Resurrection and the Life that’s right in front of us!

Glory. Everyone wants a little bit of glory. But how this world defines glory and how Jesus defines it - two very different things! He wants us not to settle for the "Little glories", and instead to share in his. But this comes with a challenge!

John 12 -In the run up to Easter we’re taking a short break from Ephesians to walk the road to the cross — the events that changed the world. And we’re doing it through the eyes of John, “the disciple Jesus loved.”As John looks back, he notices the little clues, Easter Eggs, that Jesus left along the way — the signs that this was always the plan. The cross was not a tragic accident or a last-minut...

In the run up to Easter we’re taking a short break from Ephesians to walk the road to the cross — the events that changed the world. And we’re doing it through the eyes of John, “the disciple Jesus loved.”As John looks back, he notices the little clues, Easter Eggs, that Jesus left along the way — the signs that this was always the plan. The cross was not a tragic accident or a last-minute rescue...

As history, experience and recent events show, people are really good at building walls - disagreements with others that turn into discord, separation and isolation. Making peace can feel almost impossible. But what if the cross of Jesus doesn't just reunite people with their Creator? What if it also brings separated, isolated, even hostile people back together? That's exactly what Paul is saying...

What difference does Jesus actually make to our lives? Does he tidy us up around the edges, make us nicer, more rounded people? Or is the change altoegther more radical? Paul seems to think so! (Ephesians 2: 1-10)

We like to pray for one another, right? But sometimes we hit roadblocks and it feels like our prayers just get a bit stuck. Well, if we're ever stumped as to how to pray for each other, Paul's got some great hints in Ephesians 1: 15-23!

Elect. Predestined. Chosen. Words that have power to bring great comfort and confidence - or great confusion - depending on what we think they mean. In Ephesians 1, Paul brings up the whole thing of predestination not for confusion, but for confidence. And the picture is bigger and more beautiful than we can imagine.

It's never a good idea to read Bible texts as though we are the centrepoint of the text! When we do, we miss the beauty and scope of who God is and what he's doing in the world. This is especially true of passages like Ephesians 1: 3-14. This is the kind of passage that's meant to lift our heads, open our eyes and thrill our hearts with just how awesome God is.