New Life Ministries Sermon Podcast

Have you ever experienced getting picked on or nit-picked by someone who makes fun of your faith in Jesus?  Have you ever lost an opportunity because you would not compromise your faith?  These experiences can be infuriating.  What’s the best way to respond?  We know how  we want to   respond, but what does scripture tell us and why?  Let’s join our service as we look at 1 Peter chapter 2.

As we learn to follow Jesus, not everyone in our life is excited by our change.  How should we think about this?  Why does God seem to let our life have these difficult experiences?  Today’s passage looks back to the past as well as the future to help us understand today.

The folks Peter is writing to are experiencing hardship and social exclusion as a result of becoming Christians.  How are they to respond? Do they fight the government?  Do they prove their views to their neighbours?  What should they focus on?  Today’s passage gives them guidance… guidance which also helps us as we navigate living in this world.

Today we consider the contribution Simeon and Anna made to our understanding of the Christmas story.  We might be familiar with their words of blessing.  If they were not present, what might we miss that is important for us to consider today.

Today’s podcast is a portion of our Christmas Eve service.   We ponder what the birth of Jesus, the one who would become both saviour and king, says to an empire that is flexing its power and claiming to do what is best for you.  We invite you to remember the story of the birth of Jesus with us.

This mornings message was delivered when the tensions from the States were first beginning in Canada.  Our country was beginning to feel politically threatened.  This was not un-similar to the land of Judah when great prophecies about Jesus were given.  Let’s consider what those messages where about in light of how we feel in our world today.

Welcome to the start of this Advent series!  As we read these stories in the Bible, the scents and sensations that were present are something that we can't experience solely by reading. Scents can evoke emotion, memory, and meanings. So as we discuss this year's theme of kingship, let's explore the symbolism carried by the scents on the air when the king finally came.

Claiming that God needs to save us can sound offensive… I should be enough as I am!  But what if I’m not enough?  What about when I don't feel strong enough to tackle a hard situation?  or if I realize God protected me from something I couldn’t handle?  In today’s passage we see the good side of when we are not enough… because that is when God pours out so many blessings all we can do is offer...

As you walk with Jesus and try to follow him in your days, it is not uncommon to feel like more and more, you fit into society less and less.  Sometimes you just don’t want to participate; other times people might exclude you.   How are we to think about this experience?  What is the best way to respond? Let’s consider what the book of First Peter says to encourage Christians who experience being...

Climbing the social ladder… or, climbing the corporate ladder... just trying to get ahead in life, … inevitably that means getting ahead by pushing someone behind. The writer of this morning’s text looks around at how people live, likely also looks back at his own life, and asks: “Is there a better way? A way where I am not left behind but where I don’t have to climb over others to get ahead?” Yes...

When does Lady Folly call you to come and be foolish? Does she call everyone or does she have her eye on specific targets? It’s the latter. In today’s talk, we look at different ways of responding to live’s challenges and the call from both wisdom and folly as we make our decisions. Let’s join our service and learn together.

Does Jesus want you to be successful? Has the question even ever crossed your mind? Success matters to us - we want to have good careers, be good parents, have a successful marriage. In chapter 8 of Proverbs, lady wisdom says that she can bring you success. Let's join today's message and see who she is and how she can make such a claim.

As Christians, we are called to serve and help others. It's part of reflecting what the LORD is like. Have you ever encountered someone who asked you for something that seemed against your better judgement to give? Are we always to give and trust God with what happens or at times can we rightfully say no? Proverbs chapter 6 gives us three examples that give us pause to think about what is way...

If the Book of Proverbs helps us to navigate living well, what does it have to say on the subject of sexual desire? Quite a lot, actually. There are three large speeches in the opening chapters. Today we look at the first, where, in a man-to-man talk, the father advices his son on how to be in control of his sexual activity. Let’s join our service as we begin today’s message.

Have you every been taught a little proverb and thought “I’m not sure I believe that is true”? Not all the wisdom we learn aligns with the goals of the Bible.  In today’s passage we consider how important it is to use discernment when applying wisdom. Let’s join our service as we begin Proverbs chapter 4.

Have you ever struggled to understand the phrase “the fear of the LORD”? Are we supposed to be afraid of God? And yet scripture says "The Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom". What does that mean? In today’s service we found that many people have questions about its meaning. Let’s join Curtis as we dig into today’s passage.

The book of Proverbs helps us learn wisdom…if we want to learn it. But what is wisdom? Is it just the natural consequence of things? or Understanding how the world was made to work? or is it something more? Let’s join Curtis as we begin today’s message.

Today we begin a new series from the book of Proverbs. What does a blessed life look like? Is it where you’ve been successful in your career, marriage, and health? Most of us would say “yes.” Proverbs is full of teachings to help us live well, to be successful, but its understanding of blessed might be different that ours. Let’s join our service as we begin.

Today we come to the end of our series on Philippians.  This book of the Bible is actually a letter.  Letters are meant to be read and listened to in one sitting.  How does hearing the letter as a whole affect what it says to you?  Let’s join our service as we begin

Money can bless a friendship but it can also hurt a friendship.  We might lend and help with another’s expenses freely and with joy… but then there comes a point where the joy and freedom ends.  What happened?  What went wrong?  Today we look at how Paul speaks to his friends about their financial help to him.  Let’s join today’s message.

The book of Philippians has repeatedly told us to rejoice, to have joy!  But, how do we do that?  How make that happen in our life?  Just saying it doesn’t reduce worry and anxiety.  In this next chapter, Paul tells us what we need to do to make joy a reality in our life.  Let’s join our service together.

When you think about where you are in life, what was the price you paid to get there?  Did you pay it willingly?  Did you know where it would take you?  In today’s passage, we consider what the price is to trust Jesus, but also to know the price is where joy is found.  Let’s join Curtis as we begin.

Sometimes we encounter little passages in the Bible that make us wonder why they are there or what we are to do with it.  In the middle of Paul’s letter to the Philippians he talks about his plans for Timothy and Epaphroditus.  We might just skip over their travel plans as being irrelevant for us.  But Paul spends time talking about them for a reason.  Let’s join our services as we consider this p...

Philippians chapter 2 contains a famous and deeply loved poem or hymn about Jesus. It starts, “Though Jesus was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.” How does this fit into the conversation about being a citizen of heaven and caring for folks at church? Let’s look at this passage together and reflect on its meaning.

As we continue looking at the first chapter of Philippians, Paul will give his friends an update on how he is doing. But remarkably, instead of giving details on things that are frustrating... he speaks with joy. Abounding with joy. How can that be? Being in prison without having committed a crime would normally leave a person incensed at the injustice. Let's see what is driving Paul’s experie...