Lighthouse Church Durban

In a time when almost everything is being challenged - including the church and its message - we may wonder if we are still relevant. But Jesus' words ring true today, just as they did when he first spoke them: we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Now more than ever, our community - and society in general - needs people who will preserve what is true and good, add life to their...

To fulfil Jesus’ commission to us, we need to cross another bridge: from student to teacher (that is, from disciple to disciple-maker). This may sound intimidating, but it is simpler and easier than we may think! We need to ask our Heavenly Father to fill us with the Holy Spirit - so that we have the spiritual power to perform this spiritual work. We also need to embrace the challenge to grow matu...

Jesus had many "fans", often drawing crowds who were excited by his miracles, love and grace. But he did not seek fans - fans walk away when you stop doing what they like! His call was "follow me", a call to discipleship - to faithful, selfless learning and obedience! And he still calls us like that today! Many have settled for "half a gospel", correctly believing that Jesus is Saviour, but incorr...

When we put our faith in Jesus as our Saviour and Master, he does something truly astounding. He takes us across an impossible bridge - we cross over from death to life. Our souls that were dead are made alive, and we begin a new life with a new identity! Our old life is cancelled - we leave it behind us and we begin a new life… an eternal life as God’s children… a life of ever-increasing glory as...

The work of the cross of Jesus is truly remarkable! It meets us in a place of guilt, condemnation and hiding from God. It takes us to a place forgiveness, reconciliation and an authentic personal relationship with God - that will continue into all eternity! Hebrews 9:11-12, Isaiah 29:13, Romans 3:23-24, Hebrews 4:14-16, Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 John 1:8-9, Romans 8:1

When our nation is hurting, the people need hope and help. Followers of Jesus are perfectly positioned to do this - to be beacons of hope and bringers of blessing! The world is waiting for the true sons and daughters of God to rise up - to demonstrate righteousness, peace and joy and to be a blessing to the hurting all around them. We have been empowered to live transformed lives that will do just...

God’s mission is to redeem mankind - to seek and to save the lost. This has been his mission since the fall of mankind and it will continue to be his mission until the end of this world. This mission is now being achieved through Christ’s followers. All who decide to follow Jesus are his disciples - and we are commanded to make more disciples, teaching them all that Jesus has commanded us. These c...

Popular opinion and culture change constantly - so they are a shaky foundation to build our lives on. The rules keep changing and the goalposts keep moving! But God’s word never changes! If we will build our lives on God’s unchanging, powerful, life-giving words, they will keep us steady! And they will lead us into an eternity with God himself! Numbers 23:19, Psalms 119:89, Matthew 24:35, Isaiah 5...

In a world that is so uncertain and unstable, we may wonder if it is possible to have any sense of certainty and stability. It IS possible - if we take hold of things that do NOT change. GOD does not change. He is always absolutely trustworthy. He is always absolutely good. If we try to hold onto the things of this chaotic world, we will find stress and frustration. If we hold on to Jesus, we will...

Praise and thanksgiving are a vital part Christian life. We were made to praise God - and no-one is more worthy of praise! It is God's will that we consistently give him thanks and praise - even in difficult circumstances. And giving thanks and praise is good for us! It reminds us of God's greatness and goodness. It stirs gratitude for all God has already done. It shifts our focus from problems to...

HELP is what we all need - and this is part of God's plan! He does not want us to walk through life alone. He is our ever-present help - and our example of how we should help each other. Genesis 2:18, Psalm 33:20, Psalm 121:1-2, Deuteronomy 33:26-27, Psalm 46:1, John 8:28, 1 Corinthians 12:25, Proverbs 3:5&7, John 14:16, Isaiah 41:10

Life is more like a marathon than a sprint. It is possible to start really well, but then end badly. King Solomon started really well. He was the son of the great King David and devoted to God. God blessed him with great wisdom, favour and wealth and gave him the privilege of building the first temple. But Solomon began to compromise. He married women from other nations and embraced their gods. He...

2020 was a year of many tears - so Psalm 126 speaks powerfully to us as we face 2021. We have seen God's great mercy and grace in the past - and this gives us faith to ask for his blessing once again. As difficult as these days are, we choose to "sow with tears" - with the anticipation of "reaping with joy"! We "sow" into our relationship with Jesus and our relationships with others, and we "sow"...

The covid-19 pandemic brought with it an epidemic of isolation that resulted in widespread anxiety and depression. But we were all born into a far more severe isolation - separation from God. Christmas celebrates God resolving this isolation: man was unable to live in God's presence, so God came and lived in man's presence! Jesus came to open the way for all of us to re-connect with God - and to b...

At Christmas time, some are privileged to receive gifts - and others are not. But regardless of what we receive (or don't receive) from other people, we can ALL receive the greatest Christmas gift ever given - Jesus! God loves us all so much that he gave his son so that we may not spend eternity separated from him, but in his glorious presence! John 3:16, Ephesians 3:16-21

The desire to know God is embedded deep within every person - the creation instinctively seeks their Creator. As we behold the glory of creation, our spirits within us recognise that we have a glorious Creator! Yet some choose to live without seeking or worshipping God. Some choose to worship a variety of more visible - or more understandable - “gods”. Some seek to know how to GET things from God...

When we decide to follow Jesus, we will soon be confronted with the harsh reality of our weakness. But we will also discover God's power, which is vastly greater than our weakness! When we depend on our own strength: - our own capabilities limit what we can achieve - we are tempted to glorify ourselves instead of God When we depend on God's power: - we experience (and learn to trust in) God’s all-...

As we seek to do what Jesus did, we'll find that things don’t always turn out the way we'd hoped they would. We shouldn't let that discourage us or stop us. - Even the best seed won't thrive in bad soil. God’s word is perfect, but some don’t receive it well. Let’s not blame the seed, or the sower, for bad soil! But some seeds will be fruitful; this is why we keep sowing. Jesus may give us tasks th...

Jesus promised that whoever believes in him will do the things that he did. So we must BELIEVE. Paul taught that we must cleanse ourselves from the things that make us unfit for Jesus' use. We must PREPARE. Having believed and prepared, we must now ACT - POSITIONING ourselves for ministry. We can do this by: - spending time with people - listening for God's promptings - obeying these promptings -...

The apostle Paul described his journey of faith in Jesus as a fight, a race and a competition. Jude urged the church to "contend for the faith". Following Jesus will inevitably require us to fight some battles, such as: - refusing to compromise on Christ's values and ethos - enduring trials and persecution - challenging false teaching - maintaining a sound, peaceful and productive mindset But know...

Jesus said that if we believe in him, we will do the things that he did. As we trust in Jesus to do what he wants to do through us, we also need to cleanse ourselves of what is ungodly - so that we are suitable vessels for him to work through. We do this by fleeing from evil desires… by avoiding unhelpful arguments and controversies… by whole-heartedly pursuing righteousness, faith, love and peace...

Jesus said that whoever believes in him will do the works that he did - and more. When we look at ourselves, this is hard to believe! But Jesus did not tell us to believe in ourselves, he told us to believe in HIM! WE can do nothing by ourselves, but HE can do anything that he wants to do - through us! This is possible because the Holy Spirit is now available to work in us and through us. Jesus is...

In life we will face battles of many kinds. - Some battles are ours to fight - but we don't fight the way many around us do. God's people have a different enemy and different weapons! - Other battles are not ours to fight - we need to simply stand firm and trust God to win them for us! 2 Chronicles 20:12-17, Ephesians 6:10-20, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

As followers of Jesus, we are people of hope. We need to be ready to share the reasons for our hope with those who ask. We first need to prepare ourselves in two ways: having the right attitude (gentleness and respect) and the right lifestyle - living lives that match our faith. Then we can offer at least four great reasons for our hope: - God’s great mercy - Our transformed lives - The resurrecti...

The COVID19 pandemic has surrounded us with many threats: the disease itself, plus the many practical (eg lockdown), economic (eg unemployment), emotional (eg depression) and social (eg isolation, polarisation) effects. It is not surprising that some of us feel "surrounded" and overwhelmed! The Bible teaches a different view. Even in the most overwhelming, life-threatening situation, God is presen...