Salford Elim Church Podcast

This church lived at a time when everyone knew their place. Rank mattered and brought privileges. If you were at the top of the pile you could order people around. Paul modelled a different way. He chose to appeal rather than to order. He demonstrated how we subvert the natural hierarchies.

Church is never about preserving your anonymity. It’s about allowing people to know you. For some of us, we have been so hurt or disappointed that this can be really hard. But as we learn one another’s names and enter one another’s stories, we are given the opportunity to grow more than we might ever have imagined.

There are times when we just can’t hear, and it may be that we are sure God is silent. What do we do in these situations?

Paul and his companions were stuck because of circumstances and they changed their plans because of that and a vision. How do we know how to make sense of the circumstances we find ourselves in? When should we press on regardless of roadblocks and when should we take stock?

Prophecy is for the sake of others. It’s a clear reminder that we listen to God because we are part of a community that we care for. Hearing from God is not a personal luxury – it’s a church necessity.

Angels, visions, unexpected meetings, dramatic turns. If angels only turned up once in the Bible it would be easy to overlook them. But they are everywhere! How do we make sense of that today in a society that sees itself as far too sophisticated to believe this?

We believe that reading the Bible is one of the foundational ways to hear God speak to us. But how do we hear a word that we might find difficult to understand? How do we read well so we can hear well?

The psalmist believed that observing nature was a way of hearing the Lord who is speaking every day to any who have eyes to see. How do we see clearly so that we can hear well?

The promise of Jesus was that God would speak to his people because we are his friends. We would increasingly grow to recognise his voice. Of course, the challenge is: do we want to hear? Are we prepared to listen? Are we ready to respond if we do hear his voice?

A young out-of-town couple in a whirl, an old couple, part of the furniture in the Temple, easily overlooked. And a baby. Luke loves these sorts of people, because he knows that Jesus loves to spend time with them. And it’s the way the salvation story unfolds. It did then, it still does now. As another uncertain new year begins for us.

Jesus the Nazarene comes to bring us hope. He comes from a nowhere town and lives a life that knows about loss and pain and brokenness.  Jesus, the hope of the nations and the hope of us all, has come that we may know freedom when all seems lost.

The ‘title’ that Matthew uses most often in his first 2 chapters to describe Jesus is ‘the child’. When you see it, it’s striking. Jesus was a toddler whose family had to escape violence. Immanuel came to earth and one of the first things that he did was to join the long line of refugees. What does that say to us today?

They came looking for a king. But they had no idea what sort of king he would be – or indeed the type of leadership/service he would ask of his followers.

If you’re going to live well, you need to be able to understand Jesus profoundly. Matthew wrote his gospel so that you wouldn’t have to guess, and this week we explored the two titles he introduces in his story of Jesus – Saviour and Immanuel. If we can get to grips with these, they will change how we see life, those around us and ourselves.

Another Remembrance Sunday when we are reminded of the catastrophe of war, the effects it has on those directly involved, as well as those bystanders who get dragged into it all. Jesus told his disciples to expect war, but that in the midst of it all there would be reasons to retain hope for the future. We need to hear it again this week as Russian troops advance on the borders of Ukraine.

What’s Jesus being the Messiah got to do with COP26, your own very personal life and our life together as a church? Much more than we might imagine…

At the heart of Christianity is an account of failure. Politicians failed, being swept along by a mob’s cancel culture. Justice failed, money changed hands and the innocent paid the price. Friends failed to keep their promises. Light turned to darkness. Jesus died. Nothing changed. BUT…. This week, I read this on a national newspaper’s website: When my partner and I filled in our census form, we g...

It’s been a long 12 months. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. The roll out of vaccinations has meant that we can hope that relaxing the restrictions we have lived under will come to an end soon, even if we will have to accept that face masks will continue to be uncomfortable fashion accessories. For some of you it will be a year that you will remember because of what was lost. Friends a...

On Sunday we shared the news that we will be moving to St James, Eccles Old Road when we begin to meet again in person as a church. We see it as an answer to prayer. If you weren’t with us, here is the clip: http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/video/SEC%20move_st_james.mp4 There will be lots of questions. Here are some answers to questions we have asked. Some (possible) FAQs: 1. When will we begin in...

1% was never going to be enough. It’s been a tough year for everyone, but over the last 12 months most of us have become more aware of the pressures on our health workers than ever before. Night after night, TV gave us access to the wards and we saw nurses and doctors, often young adults themselves, talk about the strain they were under. Through the year, we were encouraged to support the NHS. So...

Jesus was regularly invited to meals. Some wanted to argue with him, others just wanted to get close to him. Some folks were socially at ease with him. But some seemed to make a fuss – to such an extent that it could be embarrassing. But Jesus didn’t seem fazed by it, In fact he seemed to enjoy it. Maybe it was because he knew that this is how grace feels to those starved of hope. That...

It’s easy to think that healthy churches will never have disagreements. But that’s wrong. Every time God puts us in a new situation, opens up new doors of mission, or challenges us with new ideas, it’s easy for us to become defensive and controlling. Here are my song choices for this week’s Sunday Playlist podcast episode…

Paul’s first missionary journey took him into new situations that he couldn’t have imagined. But God was working through him. It’s just the same today for us. Here are my song choices for this week’s Sunday Playlist podcast episode…

The early Christians had a better story to tell and they pass it to us to tell our own generation. It’s a story that we all need to hear – again and again. Here are my song choices for this week’s Sunday Playlist podcast episode.

The apostle Paul’s experience in Cyprus offers us a picture of the exciting Christian life that offers good news to people. As we think about his experience in Acts 13, we have the chance to see our own situations much clearer. Here are my song choices for this week’s Sunday Playlist podcast episode.