Lighthouse Church Durban

The Jewish Law, particularly the Ten Commandments, shows us what a holy, perfect life looks like. It also shows us how badly we need a saviour, because it reveals our inability to live this life! While holiness and perfection is not achievable through human efforts to obey the Law, it is achievable through Jesus! When we put our faith in him, he fills us with his Spirit and God himself works in us...

God has made mankind in his image and expects him to live a life that reflects this image. We could call that a holy life, or a perfect life. When God made a covenant with Israel, he gave them laws, including the Ten Commandments, to teach them what this holy or perfect life looks like. Jesus affirmed these laws, so they still apply to the Christian. But the laws themselves cannot produce holiness...

Jesus taught his disciples to pray "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." The Kingdom of God comes when the rule of God is established. And when God is ruling, things on earth start to operate as things in heaven do. The order of God is established! Salvation is about the forgiveness of sins, but it is also about a change in rule, a change in kingdom. We are rescued f...

We can doubt God because of many reasons: difficult circumstances, incomplete revelation, worldly influences and unfulfilled expectations. We overcome doubt when we: pray persistently, have mercy on doubters, embrace the mysteries of God, believe God’s words and doubt our doubts! James 1:6, Matthew 11:2-6, 2 Peter 3:9, Luke 7:20-21, Luke 18:1-8, Jude 22, Deuteronomy 29:29, 1 Corinthians 15:3, Mark...

It is impossible to serve two masters, because when they lead in different directions, we can only follow one of them. Jesus highlighted a master called “Mammon”, or money. John highlighted three other masters: pleasure, possessions, and pride. The good news is that if we are truly serving Jesus as our master, we will be unable to serve those other masters! Instead of being mastered by money, plea...

The Covid-19 pandemic has been like a massive storm, causing destruction & disruption world-wide. Yet God has been wonderfully present and has taught us many lessons. If we learn the lessons, they will help us to navigate any future storms that may come our way: -Storms affect good people -Work with the wind when it changes (keep in step with the Spirit) -Don't be reckless or presumptuous -Ada...

When a person puts their faith in Jesus, God adopts them into his family. And as we mature, we begin to show the family likeness - we begin to look like Jesus! We are a multi-national family, with brothers and sisters from every language, tribe and nation. When we understand this, we understand why Jesus commands us to go and make disciples of all nations. He has given us a world-wide ministry of...

Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment: to love one another as he has loved us. He defined this love as laying down our lives for one another. The ultimate example of this love is his going to the cross for the sake of mankind. When we love like Jesus, we help others to see how Jesus loves them. This kind of love also enables us to live in united, loving community. Our love and unity is disrup...

King David was a mighty warrior and king, yet his psalms reveal a vulnerable inner world of tears, fears and insecure moments. The apostle Paul was used powerfully by God, but he too cried out to God for deliverance. Job was a man of faith and godliness, yet he suffered greatly and lamented bitterly. The godly are not exempt from hardship and suffering! Our trials sometimes serve to keep us humble...

The Gospel - the good news about Jesus - has been preached for thousands of years and has transformed millions of lives. We could therefore expect the message to be well established and well received - but this is not always the case. Some think it foolish. Some find it offensive. But many believe and discover the power of God at work, reconciling them to God and transforming their lives.  So...

God wants every nation to be transformed, as the people of the nation become disciples of Jesus. But although the salvation of the nations are his end goal, God starts by working with individuals. He starts with us. Transformation begins with the preaching of the good news about Jesus and continues as God, church leaders and each individual does their work. In the end, all nations will worship Jes...

Jesus was called the "friend of sinners" - yet he preached an uncompromising message of turning from sin and living in authentic righteousness under God's rule. In isolation, his message may seem "unfriendly", but Jesus' actions and attitudes demonstrated such a deep love for those around him that his message was well-received. When asked why he happily spent time with those labelled as "sinners",...

Following Jesus does not mean that we won't experience "storms" in our lives - but we can have peace in the midst of our storms because of Jesus: - The storms of life are under his control - He has set a perfect example of faith for us - He is with us in every storm Luke 8:22-25, John 16:33, Psalm 46:1-3, Psalm 23:4, John 1:3, Psalm 107:23-29, 1 Peter 4:12

The Holy Spirit empowers the church by giving gifts to each member. He gives different gifts to different people - and every gift is necessary. This means that the church needs YOU to do what the Holy Spirit has gifted YOU to do! If we all discover our gifts and we all play our part, the church will be healthy, effective and worthy of the title "The Body of Christ"! 1 Corinthians 12:7-28, Romans 1...

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, a process of transformation begins in our lives. The more we co-operate with him, the more we will experience the fruit of his work in our lives. If we resist him, or fail to keep in step with him, we will remain “spiritual babies”. If we yield our lives to him and learn to keep in step with him, our lives will be transformed - we will become more and more...

God has always intended to be with his people. Sin separated us, but Jesus came as "God with us"! While it is true that God is everywhere, he makes his presence known to us (his "manifest presence"). His presence with us makes us blessed people - so we should pursue and prioritise the presence of God! Matthew 1:23, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Genesis 39:1-5 & 20-22, Exodus 29:45-46, John 17:3, Psalms...

Jesus has ascended to heaven - but he is still on mission with us! As a human, Jesus came alongside the first disciples so that they could join him on his mission. Now, the Holy Spirit comes alongside us - and even fills us - so that we can all join Jesus on his mission! Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot fulfil our mission; we need him to - empower us - teach us - guide us - convince those we are...

Just as our bodies thirst for water, so our souls thirst for God. We may try to satisfy this thirst independently of God, but this is like trying to store water in a leaky tank! We all experience "dry" or "desert" experiences. In those times we should seek the presence of God, both alone and in corporate worship. Jesus invites us to come to him and drink. When we do this, we are renewed - and are...

Jesus has given ALL of us a command: to make disciples of Jesus, people who will also obey his commands. This command can feel very intimidating - but actually, all we have to do is take a step - of faith and obedience - and then keep on taking the next step. These steps can seem too big for us because we feel unqualified - even disqualified. But Jesus delights in using the weak, foolish and despi...

Mankind was created in the image of God - so we should reflect his nature. Yet mankind in general does not reflect his glory. We tend to destroy rather than create. We tend to lack his kindness, compassion and holiness. Through Jesus, God has made a way for us to be restored into his image. As we believe in Jesus, focus on Jesus and follow his words and ways, we become more and more like him - mor...

We all have stories to tell and many are well worth telling! But while many stories can inspire, only one can transform lives! This story is known as the "gospel", the proclamation of the good news about Jesus. Here's the story: - Jesus died for our sins - Jesus was buried - Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to many witnesses (over 500) - All this was foretold by the Jewish prophets This is a...

Jesus has called all of his people to a great project - his great commission to make disciples of all nations. But other people, other projects and other pressures can cause us to stop. These things will help us stay on track: - partnership - leadership - knowing the words of Jesus - clear communication Jesus calls us into close relationship, obedient faith, humble dependence, sober self-evaluatio...

The first century church had great expectations of what God would do - in them and through them. And they had an amazing impact on their city, region and the world. But many today have low expectations - and have little impact. Biblical expectations are that: - we will be transformed, more and more like Jesus - we will represent Jesus wherever we go - we will make disciples of Jesus wherever we ar...

We are called to love EVERYONE around us, regardless of how they treat us. Love is very PRACTICAL, and is manifest through: - sincerity - loving people while hating evil - putting others first - persevering with difficult people and circumstances - praying for others - sharing with others - blessing instead of cursing - sharing both joy and pain - including the marginalised. Key text: Romans 12:9-...

The Bible teaches us that life is seasonal, that there is a time for everything. So we can expect both "spring" times & "winter" times. And just as animals prepare for winter, we should prepare for our "winters". We can do this by: - Getting rooted & established in Christ's love - Building our faith in God - Building our character by doing what Jesus said - Preparing practically by living...