Lighthouse Church Durban

When we put our faith in Jesus as Lord, we become new creations and begin a new life as a child of God. Yet we are all "works in progress" - we are no longer what we were, but we are not yet all we will be! Wonderfully, our present imperfections don't stop God doing truly wonderful things in us & through us! If we compare ourselves with others, or try to be like someone else, we...

Our relationship with God is the most important relationship that we can ever have. And he wants us to know him - he is on our side as we seek him! The better we get to know him, -the more we will trust him, -the more we will want to obey him, -the more we will want to be with him, and -the more we will love him. If we sincerely seek him, he will make himself known to us - and our lives will be tr...

The truth of Jesus' words "In this world you will have trouble" is evident all around us - we experience troubles of many kinds. These troubles can take their toll on our souls and we would be wise to pay attention to this. Jesus' next words were "But take heart! I have overcome the world." He is here to help! The Bible records the trials and heartaches of King David, a...

The church has always been "under fire" - but Jesus continues to build his church and all the powers of hell can't stop him! When we're under fire, - we shouldn't be surprised - Jesus told us there would be trouble! - we shouldn't be discouraged - Jesus has overcome the world! - we should stand strong - Jesus has all authority and is completely trustworthy! - we should st...

The Bible teaches us that we CAN overcome evil: - by refusing to repay evil with evil - by seeking peace - by leaving justice and punishment to God - by doing good to those who do us evil - by shining light into darkness by our good deeds We overcome evil with good! Luke 6:27-28, Romans 12:17-21, Luke 22:41-44, Matthew 5:14-16

We can learn a lot about how to correctly handle sin from Jesus - and how not to from the religious leaders who constantly challenged him: The religious leaders:  - were self-righteous, judgemental & condemning  - had a biased, incomplete view of righteousness Jesus demonstrated:  - understanding  - compassion  - forgiveness  - the pursuit of true righteousness John 8:2-11, Leviticus 20:10, Ma...

Church unity is beautiful and powerful! Everyone inside the community benefits - and those outside the community are drawn to this demonstration of the life of Jesus. Our unity grows as our devotion to Jesus leads to greater love for one another - and we grow stronger together. It glorifies Jesus and draws people to Jesus! Romans 1:8-12, John 17:22-24, Romans 12:10, John 13:34, 1 John 1:3, Philipp...

Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to those who follow him. The Holy Spirit transforms our character and lives and also imparts supernatural gifts to us. He is a gift from God that is available to anyone who believes!  Jesus encouraged us to ask for this gift, so let's ask! And let's keep in step with him as he leads us!  John 16:7-15, Acts 1:7-8, Acts 2:36-39, Galatians 5:22-25, 1 Corinthians...

Just as little children learn to walk and run with practice and exercise, we mature spiritually as we practice and exercise spiritually. We start with "baby steps", but develop into maturity as we practice the new ways of the Kingdom of God. As we invest time and effort into things like prayer, Bible reading, obedience and persistence, we "build spiritual muscle" and mature as...

When we first put our faith in Jesus, we began a new life - as spiritual babies. But God intends for us to grow up into mature men and women of God who live the way that Jesus lived. Because Jesus is the source of our spiritual life, we need to live in a close relationship with him.  To do this, we need to - spend regular, significant time in his presence; - learn his words and ways and obey them;...

God chose Noah to rescue his family and all created animals from the flood that covered the whole earth. The only way to be rescued was to get on board the ark. A pivotal moment was when the flood began, but the door was still open. This exposed them to the flood. But God closed the door and they were secure. When God gives us something to do, we need to trust him and "leave the door open&quo...

Jesus is like a farmer and the world is his field. Jesus plants his people as good seed (wheat) - but the devil also plants his people as bad seed (weeds). Jesus has intentionally planted us where we are, to bear fruit where we are. We are planted, not buried! When we are "sleepy", the devil can sow his seed in our field! Matthew 13:24-30 & 36-43, Matthew 4:3-4, Song of Solomon 2:15

The battle recorded in 2 Chronicles 20 teaches some invaluable lessons for the battles we face in life: -Seek the Lord -Remember what God has done before -Realise that the Battle belongs to the Lord -Have faith and allow God’s strength to work through you -Praise and worship the Lord 2 Chronicles 20:1-24, Ephesians 6:12, Luke 18:27, Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 6:33

Jesus calls us to extend grace in the form of forgiveness to those who sin against us. Jesus also calls us to extend grace in the form of redemptive confrontation:  - to confront privately, to explain the offence  - if this fails, to try again with one or two others  - if this fails, to try again with the voice of the church. Forgiveness does not make the sin OK - the sin needs to be dealt with so...

The grace of God is truly amazing! We are saved by this amazing grace - and we can continue to live in this amazing grace! This amazing grace gives us the privilege of sharing in the ministry of Jesus - and of extending his grace to those around us. Let's receive the grace of God, live in the grace of God, and share the grace of God with others! Ephesians 2:1-10, 1 Corinthians 15:10, Matthew 2...

Jesus is the true light of the world. When we follow Jesus, we "walk in the light", we "have the light of life", we see the truth (often revealed through the Bible), and we become part of the Kingdom of light. When we have his light, we bring light to others. Our good deeds give light to people & glory to Jesus! Drawing near to Jesus also draws us near to other disciples. J...

As a follower of Jesus, I can be secure - even in an age of insecurity! - I am absolutely secure in God's grip - no one can snatch me from his mighty hand! - I am perfectly capable of falling - but God is perfectly capable of holding me up! - I will be exposed to temptations, but God has made sure that I can resist them and escape them!  - Even when I do sin, as I confess my sins he forgives m...

Abraham is famous as a man of faith, but his faith was powerfully demonstrated by his obedience. When his faith was weak, he was disobedient, but when his faith was strong, he was obedient. In the end, his faith and obedience were wonderfully rewarded as God fulfilled some wonderful promises - truly, the  life that is obedient to God is a blessed life! Genesis 11:31, 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, Genesis...

Jesus came to earth on a mission to seek and save the lost - all over the world. Many tried to stop him - but no one could. And no one can stop him now! And we are all invited to be a part of his unstoppable mission! Let's join him in this mission - the most glorious mission of all! Matthew 2:1-16, Matthew 4:1-11, John 9:22, John 12:42-43, Matthew 26:59-61, Luke 23:1-2, Mark 15:25-37, Matthew...

If we want to fulfil the call of God, we must be prepared for him to test and develop our character. Here are five tests Joseph endured - and passed - on his journey to greatness: 1. His vision was misunderstood and rejected. 2. He experienced painful events that seemed to contradict his vision. 3. He experienced great injustice. 4. He experienced great disappointment and a long delay. 5. He had t...

The early Church gives us simple, effective examples about prayer and devotion that can still be practised today by the church. They prayed for power, they prayed for help, they prayed regularly and consistently. We would do well to follow their example and to be deliberate in setting aside a regular "devotional time"! Luke 24:46-53, Acts 1:8-9,14, Acts 2:42, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Col...

The miracle of Jonah surviving at sea points us to the miracle of Jesus' death and resurrection. It also teaches us that: - You can't run away from God! - You can't stop the sovereign will of God! - Selfishness can keep us from obeying God. - God loves even the worst sinners. Jonah 1-4, Matthew 12:38-40, Romans 10:13-15, Matthew 16:18, Matthew 16:24, 1 Timothy 1:15

Jesus taught that the end of this age will be "just as it was in the days of Noah". People will be living their lives just as they please, assuming that "life will always go on, not believing the warnings of coming judgement - but Jesus will return and all will be judged Jesus has offered to rescue us - but we have to believe him to be rescued! There is still time to "board the...

Jesus is building his church! He is building it with "living stones" - you and I! He has assigned us places and purposes - we have a part to play in his ministry to the world! Let's co-operate with him as he renews us, transforms us, equips us and envisions us! Let's ask him to reveal those things that he has prepared for us to do! Let's take our place an play our part! The l...

We need faith in order to please God. Righteousness from God comes from faith. And faith comes from hearing what God has said. The life of faith: - hears what God has said, - believes what God has said and - obeys what God has said. The life of faith is not a perfect life - we may waver...but we can go back to God's words and keep walking! 2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebre...