Lighthouse Church Durban

God has shown us the most amazing grace by extending the most amazing forgiveness to us - a forgiveness that is perfect: complete and ongoing! We can live the rest of our days - into eternity - in this glorious forgiveness! And we can demonstrate this glorious forgiveness to those around us - by forgiving those who sin against us. Romans 1:29-32, Psalm 32:1-5, Psalm 103:8-12, 1 John 1:8-9, Romans...

We all face suffering of some kind. When we suffer, we may ask "Why me?" A biblical perspective helps: Sometimes we reap what we have sown - but sometimes our suffering is not our fault. The reason for it is sometimes beyond our view - and sometimes beyond our understanding. But we can trust God because we know that he is always good - and his plans are always good. Sometimes we may suffer because...

As Christians, we experience an inner conflict: we want to do what is right, but something drives us to do what is wrong! It can feel like we are living with someone who keeps trying to convince us to do what we know is wrong! But although this conflict exists, Jesus has actually set us free from the sin that used to enslave us! So we can win this war! So: - Believe God when he says you have been...

As we step out in faith to obey Jesus as witnesses and disciple makers, we will surely have expectations. When our expectations aren't met, we could conclude that "this doesn't work" or that "this is not for me". Yet the Bible assures us that our efforts will not be in vain! This is not to say that every word and deed will result in spectacular results! But if we will faithfully take the opportuni...

The Bible likens life on earth to a race - with an eternal prize at the finish line. But sometimes our race is hard. We feel like giving up. We think "I've run far enough". At those times, we need to shift our focus from our painful past or present to the glorious future that Jesus has prepared for us. We need to remember that: - God himself is at work in us to enable us to finish our race! - Jesu...

Jesus said that all who believe in him will do the works that he did. Yet many of us see ourselves as too ordinary and too natural to do the extraordinary or supernatural! Many of Jesus' life-changing activities took place in very ordinary contexts: walking, eating & even asking for help. God works supernaturally in our natural activities, making ordinary times extraordinary! We should therefo...

The Bible teaches us to count our blessings. As we do this, we shift our focus from what we DON'T have to what we DO have. And as we learn "the secret of contentment", we feel gratitude instead of discontent. It is good to regularly remember our many blessings from God - spiritual, relational and material - and to seek ways to bless others instead of seeking further blessings. Start counting - and...

We who have put our faith in Jesus are called by God to be a part of Jesus' own people. This gives us a real sense of significance, security & purpose. God chose me! I belong to him! I'm part of his mission! it doesn't allow pride - God often chooses the weak & foolish! But we can be confident: not in ourselves but in God who will empower us! Our call has many aspects: - New ownership: we...

If we are disciples of Jesus, we are commissioned to go and make disciples of others. The Lord empowers us to fulfil this commission by sending the Holy Spirit - to be with us and in us. Without this life of God at work in us, our best efforts will be unfruitful. With this life of God at work in us, even our most humble efforts will be fruitful; Jesus says we will bear much fruit! To be effective...

The truth can be unpopular and painful - particularly when it reveals our wrong thinking and living! God has declared the truth in the Bible, but many struggle with it. Followers of Jesus are called to CONVINCE those who don't believe, REBUKE those who believe but don't obey and EXHORT those who've lost confidence. We do this in order to RESCUE the needy, DEFEND the truth and FULFIL our duty. To d...

The start of a new year is a good time to re-think our goals and resolutions. What matters most? What will last? What proverbial ladders are truly worth climbing? Having reached the top of his ladder, the apostle Paul concluded that he had been climbing the wrong one - the personal relationship with God that Jesus offers us is actually the ultimate pursuit! Knowing Jesus is the ultimate goal, the...

The incarnation of Christ involved God the Word leaving heaven, becoming flesh and dwelling among us. The Father sent the Son - and the Son came into our world. And just as the Father sent Jesus, Jesus sends us. He calls us to leave our set ways - and "life as we know it" - behind, so that we can be with other people who need Jesus. Jesus sends us into their world to be with them - so that as we a...

A common Christmas picture is a very humble one: a baby in a manger. But when the apostle John described this moment, he wrote: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us"! This was a baby like no other! Jesus is like no other man - he is God made flesh! This is why Jesus can do what no other man could do: - he can deal completely with the sin that separates mankind from God - and he ca...

Jesus comes as the True Light into our darkness. We now have to make a choice: will we come into his wonderful light, or hide in the dark? When we choose the light of Christ, we are rescued from the dominion of darkness and we begin to live in his light. And as we “walk in his light”, we become light to the world around us - our good deeds shine as Jesus works in us and through us! Genesis 1:1-5,...

When we put our faith in Jesus, God gives us a brand new life. We are born again of his Spirit and become his sons and daughters. This new status can be hard to embrace. We may still see ourselves as the people we used to be - or as second class members of God's family. Hardships can hinder us too: we can feel rejected or cast out - until we realise that God disciplines us with hardship because we...

The church is called a "royal priesthood". As priests, we minister in three directions: UPWARD - to God - in worship, loving devotion, service and submission INWARD - to one another - in loving, supportive community OUTWARD - to the world around us - imploring people to be reconciled to God. As we live out our priesthood, we will be a blessing to God, to our faith community and to the world around...

We live in a society where few people expect to hear from God or know his presence - yet we can enjoy both! In fact, we NEED to experience both! The history of Israel shows the importance of the presence of God and of hearing from God - and followers of Jesus can enjoy these immense privileges! To do so, we should let go of our "idols" (those things we look to in place of God), seek a personal rel...

Jesus came to earth on a mission: "to seek and to save the lost". And he has passed this mission on to all who would follow him as his disciples - his mission is also our mission! He calls us to seek the lost - and to point them to him so that they may be saved. He calls us to teach them to follow him - and join us on his mission. If we are to do this, then we need to value people who are labelled...

Jesus is pleased when our "spiritual temperature" is high - when we are passionate for him. Many things can "cool us down" and render us lukewarm - but Jesus tells us how to "raise our temperature": - Pursue true, eternal wealth - this makes Jesus our treasure! - Pursue true, God-given righteousness - this makes Jesus our glory! - And pursue true, spiritual vision - this makes Jesus our focus! The...

Few of us want to be told to "endure patiently"! We want to see our enemies defeated - and our problems solved - preferably immediately! Enduring patiently feels like we are admitting defeat. Yet Jesus commanded the Philadelphian church to patiently endure their persecution. Later in Revelation we read that the persecuted church triumphed by the blood of Jesus and their testimony of him - even tho...

As people redeemed by Jesus, we have many reasons to rejoice and to praise God! Yet circumstances and sins can rob us of our joy. It is therefore good to remind ourselves of what God has done for us through Jesus: - He has bought us with the blood of Jesus - we are that precious to him! - We have been rescued from empty & destructive ways! - We have been given a home in heaven! - We have been...

Jesus came to give us spiritual life. He is pleased when his life flows through us, making us alive, healthy and fruitful! But we can become "spiritually independent" - thinking that we have our own spirituality and forgetting that Jesus is the only source of spiritual life. Or we can become dependent on ministers and leaders, seeking to draw spiritual life from them instead of from Jesus. If this...

Jesus is pleased when we become mature. Our maturity is demonstrated by an increasing fruitfulness. Evidences of the maturity that pleases Jesus are: good deeds, love, faith, service and perseverance. So we will please Jesus when these things are becoming more and more evident in our lives. Let’s not be like fruitless, pointless branches on a vine; let’s rather be like fruitful branches that are p...

God's ways are sometimes very different from ours! He uses our weakness to show his glory. He uses unlikely people to represent him. In his grace he gives to us what we could never buy. If we are to experience all the good things that he has planned for us, we will need to trust him - and obey him - when he moves in ways that we simply can't understand! Isaiah 55:9-11, 2 Kings 5:1-18, 1 Corinthian...

Jesus is pleased when we hear what he is saying to us - and put this into practice. Because false teachers misrepresent Jesus, we need to make sure that we know what Jesus really said. When we know what Jesus said, his words become a powerful weapon that will enable us to discern what is true (and leads to godly living) - and what is false (and leads to ungodly living). So let’s be readers of Jesu...