Salford Elim Church Podcast

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-02-28.mp3   The prophet had warned the people about their complacency but they took no notice. Is there any hope when things have all gone wrong? This sermon looks at the hope that Amos could see, but also looks at the ways that Jesus filled out the picture of hope for everyone – including us.

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-02-21.mp3   We don’t know very much about Amos, but what we do know is inspiring. He was bold enough to wrestle with God in prayer, brave enough to stand up to those in positions of power and had enough backbone to keep telling his message. This is what it means to be a prophetic people, ready to speak up for those who have no voice o...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-02-14.mp3   Amos knew that people loved worshipping, loved singing new songs, loved the sense of God being near to us. But he also knew that they could easily be fooling themselves. He wanted people to know that there was no point having all these experiences if they weren’t living in line with God’s concerns. Put briefly: God s...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-01-31.mp3   Amos is a book of burning anger. God’s anger. It’s anger directed at powerful people who provoke war and hatred among nations. It’s anger at those who think of themselves as on God’s side but then act in ways that fly in the face of all of his ways. It’s an uncomfortable read. But we who follow Jesu...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2015-10-18.mp3   Last week, Playboy announced that they were no longer going to have nude photos of women, with their chief exec claiming; That battle has been fought and won. You’re only one click away from every sex act imaginable for free. And so it’s just passé to have nude pictures at this juncture. But how does the Bible help u...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2015-10-11.mp3   Often men dominate women in society, but that’s not how God created us. In Genesis, men & women were created to be interdependent, working together to look after creation. We can’t do it alone; we need each other. Do you want to discuss this sermon further with other people? Join our Facebook group, Beyond Sunday...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2015-07-12.mp3   For First Century Jews, the temple was where Heaven met Earth; where God met with His people. It was a place where sins were forgiven, and impurity was cleansed. It was also a source of political power. But then Jesus said he’d come to be the king on earth as in heaven, and to replace the temple. That was revolutionary! So...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2015-06-28.mp3   In Luke 10:17, the 72 disciples returned from the mission that Jesus had sent them on, and they came back full of joy, sharing stories of how what Jesus had told them to do – going in prayer & vulnerability – had actually worked! "Rejoice that your names are written in heaven." http://t.co/Fjs96nuiHO W...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2015-06-21.mp3   Here we have the 72 being sent out into places with no bag, money etc. For some, that would have been a huge ask, especially if they had family, and were used to having everything they need around them. I would suggest that they would have been known to the places they travelled to. Being told to ‘Go’ by Jesus would have filled...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2015-06-14.mp3   This week, we continued looking at Luke 10, where Jesus sends out the 72 disciples – unnamed in the Bible, and yet still used by God to tell people “The Kingdom of God has come near”; i.e. ‘We are the sign that God’s still at work here.’ We need to trust God for the seemingly impossible to hap...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2015-03-29.mp3   The story of Mary anointing Jesus is in all 4 gospels – all the writers thought that this was an important part of Jesus’ story. In John’s gospel, it happens after Jesus’ seventh & final miracle, where he brought Lazarus back to life. The only miracle after this, is the resurrection of Jesus. So as we...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2015-03-22.mp3   During Lent we’re looking at how we do the core disciplines that are fundamental to our faith, for the sake of others, as set out in Matthew 6 – part of the Sermon on the Mount. This week I took a look at the final spiritual discipline that Jesus mentions – fasting. 1) Start small & build up
2) Find a r...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2015-03-15.mp3   During Lent we’re looking at how we do the core disciplines that are fundamental to our faith, for the sake of others, as set out in Matthew 6 – part of the Sermon on the Mount. This week I looked further at doing generosity for the sake of others, and not for how it makes us look, using Paul’s example in his l...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2015-03-08.mp3   During Lent we’re looking at how we do the core disciplines that are fundamental to our faith, for the sake of others, as set out in Matthew 6 – part of the Sermon on the Mount. This chapter is a picture of the Christian living his life in the world, in the presence of God, in active submission to God, and in entire...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2015-02-22.mp3   I received a Groupon ad asking if I wanted to pay to ‘train my brain’ last week as I was preparing to speak – this week we are looking at prayer and how we train ourselves to pray with others in mind! Prayer shapes us, teaches us to sit before Jesus and pray on behalf of others, it causes us to stop and listen. This does n...

The central work of the Spirit in our lives is enabling us to change. In Corinthians, Paul compares the work of the Spirit with the law – it is in the area of ethics and moral decisions. How does the Spirit change us? http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2015-02-15.mp3   Do you have any thoughts on this sermon, or any questions? Leave a comment below!

The gifts of the Spirit are given to the church, not to individuals so that the body of Christ can act in effective ways in their world. What does it mean for us to embrace the gifts that the Spirit offers the church? http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2015-02-08.mp3 Why has God put us where we are? 
 http://t.co/JvTXuZYEyZ #salford #elim pic.twitter.com/nineHiJo1F — Salford...

In Exodus 31, the people for God are creating a structure where they can worship God. The Spirit gives Bezalel gifts so that he can create something of beauty. How does the Spirit work like that in our lives? http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2015-01-25.mp3   Do you have any thoughts on this sermon, or any questions? Leave a comment below!

The Spirit is involved in the creation of the world, the people of God and the church. He is the life-giving Spirit – God’s breath living in us. http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2015-01-18.mp3   Do you have any thoughts on this sermon, or any questions? Leave a comment below!

From the opening verses of the Bible to the final words, the Spirit is present in the Bible. Always creative, always bringing new life into being, always pointing forwards. In Genesis 1 we are introduced to the Spirit, there at the beginning of creation. And at the close of the Bible in Revelation 22, we are told that the Spirit and the Church both cry ‘Come’, in two senses: That the L...

What does the nativity story tell us about God? For those of us who follow Jesus, and are trying to live as His disciples, the Christmas story is in the cycle of stories that answer “Who is this Jesus?”, and “What does this Jesus say about God?” So as we approach Christmas Day, I just wanted to pull the lens back a little bit on the Christmas story, and ask the question &#8...

This week we came to the end of Romans, looking a Paul’s plans, and the people who mattered to him. What was true for him, must be true of us all – that our plans need to be shaped by our encounter with Jesus, and yet those plans mustn’t dismiss the people around us. It’s never either/or. During this series we have seen Paul explore the riches of the gospel and God’s...

The temptation for some Christians is to retreat from wider society. Or at least to think that what God is really interested in is the church, or the inward life of his people. Romans 13 says that is just not true. There are a few surprises in this passage – for those in Rome who would have read the first letter, as well as for us who are reading it in Salford in 2014. God’s purposes a...

In this chapter, Paul moves from mostly teaching, to instruction on how to live. From what God has done, to how we are called to respond to what God’s done. From mind-stretching theology, to down-to-earth concrete implications for everyday living – how our life together can make a difference in the world. http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2014-11-23.mp3   What do you...

‘What about Israel?’ is a question Christians will argue over – sometimes furiously. Has God finished with Israel? Is the land really important and will all the promises about the land come about? In this sermon we have tried to look at what Paul does say, rather than to try to get him to answer our questions. It probably won’t please everyone – but I hope it gives us...