PASTOR TIM JUPP

 What made the early church take off like wild fire? What is that missing element, that 'je ne sais quoi', that rare and strange contagion? What is the 'how' in endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace? If it was so clear and easy, everyone would be doing it, they are not! The ugly fact of 21st century western Christendom commodity, strangely unavailable...

"By the unity of the Spirit we are to understand, not only a spiritual unity, but also a unity of sentiments, desires, and affections, such as is worthy of and springs from the Spirit of God.  By the bond of peace we are to understand a peace or union, where the interests of all parties are concentrated, cemented, and sealed; the Spirit of God being the seal upon this knot."  (Clarke) Th...

"Rarely does a week go by in my life when I am not involved personally with some pastor who is feeling the agonies of an unappreciative, unloving, even cruel and abusive congregation. It seems to go, sadly, with the territory. Even Jonathan Edwards, one of the great preachers in the history of the church – maybe the greatest theologian in America’s history, certainly the main instrument of Go...

"It is not for us to tell the heirs of salvation to awake because they are in danger of the wrath to come, for they are in no such danger; that is past and gone. Rather let us remind them that their salvation is nearer than when they believed, and so stir them up to watchfulness and activity by appropriate motives. Into what a deep slumber some professing Christians have fallen! How utterly i...

Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without words And never stops at all. Emily Dickinson  For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.  And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the...

"The more we understand of the holiness and the righteousness of God, the more we begin to see by contrast how desperately fallen we are and how utterly dependent we are on His grace and mercy.  Holiness is the characteristic of God’s nature that is at the very core of His being. Only as we encounter God in His holiness is it possible for us to see ourselves as we really are. The practical li...

 C. S. Lewis wrote, ―Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality. Without courage, men and women will fail to be loving, to sacrifice, to count the cost, to tackle the challenges or take on the responsibilities that God calls them to. Undoubtedly, one cause of remaining immature and one of the shortest rout...

It is the testing of our faith that produces character . - the character to love, the character to build into others lives, the character to persevere and help others to do the same.. the character that can live out these words with all sincerity Isa 35:3 ; Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will c...

"To the lost soul, Spurgeon earnestly heralded the gospel. He fervently prayed that his proclamations of Christ would drive sinners to look to Christ and be saved. Even while he was weighed down by the burden of unregenerate sinners, he counted it a joy “to deal to-day with lost souls who are not yet hopelessly lost.” Every time the gospel of Christ pierced the heart and ransomed an enemy of...

" A man who waits is not living on the wages of today, but on the recompenses of a time which is yet to come; and this is the mark of the Christian, that his life is spent in eternity rather than in time, and his citizenship is not of earth but of heaven. He has received a believing expectancy which makes him both watch and wait. He expects that the Lord Jesus will come a second time, and tha...

“There are two things that every human being absolutely must come to understand -  the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. These topics are difficult for people to face but they go together: if we understand who God is, and catch a glimpse of His majesty, purity, and holiness, then we are instantly aware of the extent of our own corruption. When that happens, we fly to grace—because we reco...

"Joshua directs their choice in this matter by an open declaration of his own resolutions: "But as for me and my house, whatever you do, we will serve the Lord, and I hope you will all be of the same mind." Matthew Henry  There will be a day when all will bow before Him There will be a day when death will be no more, Standing face to face with He who died and rose again Holy, holy i...

The new nation of Israel was meant to have a justice system focused on mercy. Families would appoint a 'ga-al', translated 'avenger, redeemer, near kinsmen', to seek justice when families were wronged. Six cities were set out across the nation where grace could be found at the gates. The avenger could not enter here; only a trial could release the seeker of grace. The cities of...

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NASB There are always obstacles in o...

We are indeed getting old and surely enough we will not always be able to accomplish what we once did but this is not the end of our duty. We must continue the fight for the kingdom to leave a legacy of blessing. This is for them. Who knows, maybe, just maybe your posterity will be called to accomplish more than you ever could have imagined yourself! Surely the land where your foot has trodden sha...

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.  All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.   Deuteronomy 28:1-3    We often seem to have the confidence and sometimes we have the courag...

There is a sincere faith that has a hope so sure, it by passes all shame. In fact, it causes those who have it to glory in what others despise. This faith is seldom found in any but those in whom the die has been cast by a sovereign, loving God and the hand of a faithful mother. I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the l...

"Those that have God on their side need not be disturbed at the number and power of their enemies; more are those that are with us than those that are against us; those have the hosts of the Lord that have the Lord of hosts engaged for them."   Matthew Henry " It is one of the great evidences of true faith for her to keep on, to continue, to abide, without any visible signs or token...

"God did not save you so you could wage eternal warfare. The streets of the New Jerusalem will not be lined with ranks of soldiers. This war, entrenched as it is right now, is merely the prologue to your eternal peace. One day soon, the tumult of battle will give way to hallelujah choruses. The civil war within you will end in cease-fire under God’s reign. No wayward thoughts will disquiet yo...

“Mercy is an attribute of God, an infinite and inexhaustible energy within the divine nature which disposes God to be actively compassionate .  A.W. Tozer SPURGEON, THE LORD'S MERCY It is tender mercy. With His gentle, loving touch, He heals broken hearts and wraps up wounds. He is not only gracious in what He provides, but also in the gracious manner He provides it. It is great mercy. There...

i want the mountain. I want the celebration that comes after years of a desert journey. I want to know what it is like to have Jesus lead every step of the way, to be assured of His presence. I want that holy place where the blessings of the Lord rain down like drops from heaven, the Mount of Olives where Jesus so often fellowshiped with His disciples. ‘We don’t come into this house, any more than...

Regardless of where we come from or who we may think we are, if we are in Christ, we have been made something new! We are emissaries of the King of kings, sent to go make peace with an alienated world. We have been equipped and appointed to the high calling of the  'Ministry of Reconciliation.' "There has been a long-standing quarrel between God and man. It commenced in that day whe...

“It’s Good Friday. A day unlike any other, as the universe holds its breath. A day filled with sombreness and suspense. And a day when history became reshaped by Christ, His life, witness and death—and rising again to newness of life for us. A grisly cross miraculously became the greatest ever revelation of divine love. The harrowing death which Jesus undertook on our behalf completely restored ou...

'It is God who sought that the world should be reconciled. Man did not seek it. He had no plan for it. He did not desire it. He had no way to effect it. It was the offended party, not the offending, that sought to be reconciled; and this shows the strength of his love.  It was love for enemies and alienated beings, and love evinced to them by a most earnest desire to become their friend, and...

We like Israel are in an epoch battle against evil. We must never understand the power of the enemy. We will suffer through strayings, slippings and setbacks, but victory is ours when we turn back and humbly embrace our Master's covenant love. Indeed, one of the most difficult things we will ever face is the reclaiming of lost ground. At this point in our walk we will have failed, then we wil...