Lighthouse Church Durban

God gives us dreams and visions and puts godly desires into our hearts. We need to walk towards those goals, step by step. God's path for us to walk into our destiny is often not the obvious one or the easiest one! He uses difficulties and detours to prepare us and equip us for what is to come. A clear vision, shared with people we trust, helps us to keep on taking the next step when the route...

We were created by God, on purpose, with purpose! He has put us in the right place at the right time for his perfect purposes! While he may have some specific purposes for you, he definitely has some general purposes that apply to us all. Two of these purposes are: -be salt and light where God has put us -make disciples. We are salt and light to our communities when we add life and provide a godly...

In terms of the sheer scale of the universe, we are SO tiny! We may conclude that we are insignificant. Yet the Bible teaches us that: - We are God's work of art, made to reflect his image! - We were made on purpose and with purpose! We should therefore - seek to discover our purposes - seek to fulfil our purposes - reveal the love and glory of God as we do so! Psalm 8:3-6, Genesis 1:26-27, John 3...

If we want this new year to be different - for the better - then we will need to make some changes. This is why we make resolutions. These four resolutions based on Jesus' words will definitely bring changes for the better: God helping me, I will: -love God with all that I am -love the people around me -love other disciples like Jesus does -help others find and follow Jesus Matthew 22:34-40, 1 Chr...

Our conscience is a great gift from God, keeping us on good terms with God and with people. Yet it can be corrupted; then we lose our sense of right and wrong, our "moral compass". Fortunately, it can be cleansed and restored by the work of the blood of Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures. We should therefore pay attention to the state of our conscience, asking God to cleanse it, correct it...

The message of Christmas is   GOOD NEWS     of GREAT JOY       for ALL PEOPLE! The good news is that the promised Saviour and King has come to deliver us from the dominion of darkness! Great joy is what Jesus brings - forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, adoption as God's children and an eternal home with him! And this is for ALL people - whoever you are, wherever you are, however you wer...

The birth of Jesus was not just a miracle pregnancy - it was God coming to us as a man! Instead of sending another prophet or angelic messenger, the Creator made himself like one he created, leaving his glory behind and coming as one who we could relate to. This "incarnation" gives us a model for ministry to others:  - We don't wait for them to come to us; we go to them.  - We go to them in a way...

Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. The story of Esther is a great example of this. God in his providence: - places his agents in suitable situations for doing His work - tests his people - restrains his enemies. Esther 2:17, 3:2-6, 4:1-17, 6:1-2, 7:3-6, Proverbs 16:9

Jesus demonstrated some ways of thinking that are vastly different from the way that many around us think - and the way that we may be thinking now: -Being faithful in waiting and in obscurity -Being a willing servant and sacrifice (not a "victim") -Being passionately zealous for the Kingdom of God -Looking past the pain of the present to the eternal joys of the future. Isaiah 55:8-9, Matthew 11:2...

Fear of the Lord is taught in the Old & New Testament. It is a deep respect, a reverent awe of the omnipotent Creator and Sovereign Lord of the universe. Fear of the Lord leads us to honour and obey God. It leads us out from human folly and into God's wisdom. Who (or what) we fear most will determine how we live. Psalm 33:8-16, Philippians 2:12-13, Acts 9:31, Proverbs 1:7, Romans 3:10-18, Deut...

The Holy Spirit continues the work of Jesus, empowering us, leading us and revealing things to us. Just as we are dependent on Jesus, we are dependent on the Holy Spirit and when we keep in step with the Spirit, we keep in step with Jesus. When we keep in step, we will bear fruit - our character and behaviour will change. The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in our gatherings. He works amongst us an...

Disobedience can keep us from God’s good purposes; obedience leads us into them. We need to trust God when his actions, his chosen instruments and his instructions don’t make sense to us - his ways are higher than ours! The path of obedience can be difficult, even painful - but the pains are temporary while the blessings are eternal! 2 Kings 5:1-15, John 10:10, Isaiah 55:8-9, Ephesians 3:20-21, Ma...

The true Christian life is a supernaturally charged life! God himself works in us to motivate us and enable us to do the work that he has prepared for us to do.  To experience this, we must learn to live in close relationship with Jesus, moving in his direction, in his time, at his pace.  Daily disciplines that help us to do this are: - seeking his presence in prayer and worship - seeking his will...

Accountability helps us to grow mature and fruitful. Jesus modelled accountability as Son to his Father. Accountability is built on submission - to God's authority and to godly authority. Shame and fear make us avoid accountability. A selfish heart and a "seared" conscience can make us blind to our guilt and our responsibility for it. Helpful ways forward are: -to grow a habit of prayerful reflect...

God has re-created us to do good things - in his eyes, we are "the right person for the job"! He works in us and through us - with HIS power! It's not about who WE are, it's about who HE is. It's not about our ability, it's about our AVAILability! It's not about people being impressed with US, it's about them being impressed with Jesus! Exodus 3:7-4:13, Ephesians 2:10 & 3:20, Isaiah 6:8, 2 Cor...

Jesus made a way for us to live in a covenant relationship with God. This covenant is wonderfully represented in the account of King David and Mephibosheth. Here are four powerful messages of this covenant: -"Come to me" (Jesus) - in your inadequacy - and worship! -"Fear Not" - God will show you kindness for the sake of his Son. -"I Will Restore" - God will restore you - to himself and his image....

The end goal of the Kingdom of God is a wedding in heaven! It is to see the church, the Bride of Christ, a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language, ready for this wedding. So we need to get ourselves ready - and to help others to get ready. Getting ready is a journey of transformation, becoming more and more like Jesus. Jesus called this journey being his disciple - and calle...

God has provided grace through Jesus to live lives that are totally dependent on him. This grace is available to all who believe. This grace does not just save us from the consequences of sin, but also from the power of sin. It stirs us to say "yes" to godliness and "no" to ungodliness. We learn to live in humble dependence on God and we discover that he does what seems impossi...

Mankind was created in the image of God and enjoyed fellowship with God. When mankind broke this fellowship, God pursued them - through many people and many events. This pursuit culminated in God sending his Son,  Jesus, to redeem mankind. And this pursuit continues as we obey Jesus' commission to make disciples of all nations. Genesis 1:26,27, Genesis 3:9,10, Exodus 16:4, 31, 35, Exodus 13:21...

The Bible compares the church to a body - the Body of Christ. We are all part of this one body. Some parts are very different - so we can find some people hard to relate to or understand. But our differences enable us to perform different functions - all of which are essential. Let's not just tolerate those who are different, but celebrate them - and honour them! Let's also celebrate our o...

We can learn a great deal from Jesus as we read how he communicated with people. His conversation with a rich young man teaches us to: -Earn the right to ask questions. -Help people to see into their hearts. -Help people to understand the character of God. -Be indirect - help them to see for themselves. -Let idols of the heart be exposed. Luke 18:18-27, Romans 3:23, Matthew 5:21-22 & 27-28, Ma...

God has plans & purposes for each one of us. Discovering & living out these plans & purposes is a journey of discovery & adventure. Some are personal - there are specific things that we need to do. Others are corporate - there are things we do as part of a group. This journey can be challenging, even overwhelming - it requires discipline and there will be battles to fight. There wi...

The message of the cross of Jesus is absolutely essential because it - reveals the amazing love of God for mankind - reveals our desperate need for salvation - reveals the way of salvation that God has provided But it also - demands a response from us - challenges our personal pride - challenges our religious pride 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, John 3:16, John 15:13, Romans 5:8, Roma...

God has taught his people to pass on to the next generation what he has revealed to them. Moses needed the practical wisdom of Jethro. Samuel needed the spiritual experience of Eli. Mary needed the revelation of Elizabeth. Caleb was ready for action at 85 years old; don't disqualify the elderly! As disciples of Jesus, we must entrust what we have learned to others - who will, in turn, teach ot...

Our new life in Christ does not mean that we won't face struggles - but we don't have to face them alone! Key questions we must answer are: -Will I humbly ask others for help? -Will I make myself available to help others? -Will I build healthy relationships with other disciples so that I can do these things? Two are better than one - we are stronger together! Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 2 Timothy...