RENEW

We are living in a rapidly changing culture. We need to be aware of how technology is changing us and how to wisely respond as Christians – otherwise we are in danger of passively consuming the narrative of our culture.

Spiritual transformation and evidence of a changed life is crucial to a life that is surrendered to God. You cannot live out true devotion to God and experience spiritual transformation and growth by being disconnected or isolated from the church.

God sent his people into the world to proclaim salvation and to serve those in need. But he has also called his own from the world – the Ekklesia - to worship and learn from him.

Live expectantly because Christ is coming soon. Getting ready to meet Jesus involves continually growing in love for God and others. It is important to pray regularly and reach out to people who are in need. Invest your time and talents where they will make an eternal difference.

When it comes to developing a Rule of Life, its to structure your life in such a way, by Gods grace, that the love of Jesus comes before all else. And that everything else flows from that. It's about keeping God at the centre of your life, so you’re paying attention to him and watching what’s in your heart, so that you’re constantly living in the mercy and grace of God.

By learning to love well you’ll enjoy your life more . You’ll find yourself losing interest in judging other people. You’ll find yourself losing interest in power plays and conflict. You stop worrying so much because some things don’t matter anymore. You’ll begin to let go and let things happen rather than always trying to control everything. You will have frequent overwhelming episodes of appreci...

You have a lot of ‘say’ in how much of the activity of God takes place in your life. God will never force you into anything, not even a lifesaving relationship with him. He has given you freedom and choice. So, you have an enormous say in how far and by how much you will surrender your life to him.

So many people today are caught up in the rat race of life, always in a hurry, always busy, so many things to do and places to be – people can’t even fit a church service in on a regular basis, never mind spend time with God – with all the demands its hard not to get swallowed up by the culture in which we live. But if we genuinely and seriously want to have a richer life in Christ, how do we chan...

God’s invitation to us through times of grief and loss is to detach from trying to control everything, to begin to hear the voice of the one who loves us who came to give us life.

When we hit a wall, we question God, we question ourselves, we question the church and everybody else around us who calls themselves Christians. And we always have more questions than answers.

In Isaiah, the prophet promises God’s people that “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Renewal is a continual process for the believer. As believers we are still prone to sin, it is important for renewal to become a constant practice as we seek to live lives tha...

No one emerges from a family without some wounds or scars or a mind map of the world you live in. And so, when we come to Jesus Christ, when we become a Christian, the bible says we are born again. We are born into God’s family – He is our father, we have new brothers and sisters, a new name – CHRISTIAN – a new inheritance. So now we are in a new family, the family of God in Jesus Christ.

When you are yourself, and you know God, breakthrough comes. Because the guidance of the Holy Spirit becomes clearer, and you live your life out of the uniqueness that is who God made you to be. And so, everyone around you gets blessed. But if you live your life, in a way that is not you, that is not unique to who God made you to be; you remain in a difficult place, and you can hurt yourself and o...

Jesus invites us to leave behind those things that are not life giving, the ways of life that can be a burden, a heavy load, especially the ‘religious’ and ‘sinful’ stuff, and to take on his way of living . It’s a way of gentleness and lowliness, a way of learning but also a way of rest to our souls. It’s a way of inner transformation.

Why does the resurrected Christ’s physicality matter? Why does it matter that the resurrection is not just a spiritual thing, that Jesus is not a ghost?  The tangible resurrection of Jesus matters for three reasons: For your mind – what you believe. For your will – how you choose to live. And for your heart – how you feel.

Scripture tells us that Jesus came into this world to “drive out the ruler of this world”, and to “destroy the works of the devil”, to “destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” and to ultimately “put all his enemies under his feet”.

Can you trust God even when his answer to your prayers is either "No" or, when his answer is remarkably different from the one you had hoped for? Do turbulent and tumultuous times lead you to lose trust in God or drive you into even deeper dependence on him?

It is entirely understandable if you and I wake up every day and watch the news and wonder: Where is God? Why won’t he do something about the chaos and the wickedness? We need to be reminded that when it feels like hell on earth, there is hope . We may not like the way God is doing things. We may question his timing. We may doubt the effectiveness of his methods. But hope remains, because our God...

The Holy Spirit is a genuine, thinking, feeling, willing, person with whom we are to enter into a close intimate relationship. When you read about the Holy Spirit in the Bible you quickly discover that all the attributes that we typically associate with a person are found in the Spirit.

Are you living in the power of the Holy Spirit? Have you received power to worship God with more freedom, to pray more effectively? Have you received power to witness? Have you received power in your life to heal the sick, to deliver someone from a demon, power to overcome addictive behaviours in your own life or to pray for others to be set free?

If someone asked you to describe your experience of the Holy Spirit, what would you say? Would you speak of a life-giving, empowering river of refreshing waters, forever flowing, and overflowing on yourself and onto others? Or would you speak of a heart that is desolate and dry with barely enough energy to put one foot in front of the other?

No matter what may come always leave all the results in God’s sovereign hand. Remember, the same Bible that contains the Gospels also contains Job Sometimes God’s answer to the prayer of faith is not healing, but grace to persevere.

The Kingdom of God is not absent of the Holy Spirit. We need to embrace and engage with the person of the Holy Spirit. We are promised the ongoing presence and gift of the Holy Spirit who mediates God to us here on earth.

How do you make a marriage work? How do you make this one flesh relationship, this marriage covenant last?

Jesus started a process of developing and equipping so that we can be of service to him. Where is presence is, his power is. We have been given authority to share the message of the Kingdom of Jesus with the world. But before we go, we need to be discipled and equipped to minister in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.