Sermons @ Salford Elim Church

A man who has been begging for 40 years - a lifetime of not being able to walk. But then something happens to that man, because two men slowed down enough to notice him...

God sent the Holy Spirit and did remarkable things amongst the early church. On the day of Pentecost there was a new routine for them...

Something amazing has just happened and people are asking, "What does this mean?" Then Peter begins speaking to the crowd about it...

Our different dialects and accents can make us feel like we belong, but they can also make us feel like we're judged and misunderstood. It was no different for the early church, yet they were able to be heard and understood.

Judas commits suicide and now there are only 11 disciples; the disciples need to replace him. How will the new twelfth disciple be chosen?

At a time when everything seems to be on a knife edge and we're not sure what will happen next, the book of Acts is really helpful. The church was birthed into the unknown. They didn't know what happen next, but they learned to respond to the moving of the Spirit because they were really aware that they weren't in control of things.

Mary and the disciples go to Jesus' tomb knowing that people don't rise from the dead, but Jesus did and proved to them that He was alive. This changes everything.

When we think about the cross on Good Friday, it's not just some religious activity that we engage with; it's because we know that we're set in motion by the power of the cross, we're energised by it, we're upheld by it, we're guaranteed a future by it, we're secured for the future because of it. Good Friday is not the whole story, but it's worth slowing down because it's such a vital part of the...

Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey; on the sides are the people cheering him and the Jewish leaders trying to stop him; behind are the disciples following him. Where do you feel you are in this picture?

What does it mean to live well and to pray well, when things are not so great? What can we learn from Paul's letter to the Ephesian church about praying with authority?

How should we pray during anxious days? We need to be joyful and gentle, with prayer that overcomes anxiety, guarding against anxious thoughts and put our faith into practice!

When Peter was imprisoned, the church prayed with conviction and passion for his release and yet seemed astonished when he was. How do we pray when faced with a crisis? How do we make sense of both the answered and unanswered prayers?

Matthew's gospel tells two stories of outsiders who come to Jesus determined and confident that he will do something incredible for someone they care about. Will we do the same for one another?

It's easy to become discouraged when we don't see the results of our prayers but, as the story of Abraham reminds us, we must take our place as priests who will intercede on behalf of the world.

Psalm 23 is much more than a scripture to read at funerals. It's a radical reminder that we pray to a God who is the shepherd of our lives.

Paul's prayer for the Ephesians reminds us of the core business of prayer - that we may know God better.

Luke's telling of the birth of Jesus reminds us that God acted at a real time in history, in a real place, with real people. If we pause from our busyness, we might just be amazed again at the one who comes close to us.

The genealogies at the end of Ruth & at the start of Matthew's gospel are full of remarkable people. What has God called you to continue to be committed to?

The end of the book of Ruth is much better than a simple love story; the actions of Ruth, Naomi and Boaz have much bigger consequences.

Both Ruth and Boaz took risks in order to create new possibilities for others. What might God be asking of us which could prove redemptive for others in our families and work places?

How do we make sense of the good things that happen in life which are beyond our control? Do we put them down to luck or is God involved somehow? “When I pray, coincidences happen; when I don’t, they don’t.” William Temple pic.twitter.com/0XmpodIG3c — Salford Elim Church (@SalfordElim) 17 November 2019

The book of Ruth is a story of God's hand in the midst of an ordinary family. When tragedy strikes, we, like Naomi, may well ask: 'where are you God?'

The story of the blind beggar reminds us that we are all spiritually blind until we see Jesus for who he really is. The question is, how much do you want to see him?

Paul ends his letter to the Galatian church with an encouragement to do good; particularly to carry one another's burdens. We still need to hear that encouragement today.

We can believe the lie that everything depends on us. Sometimes we need reminding to simply trust in the Father who holds all things in His hands.