St. Luke's, Ramsgate

For the early church their key aim and priority was to spread the Word of God about Jesus. In Acts 6, however, they run into problems and have to reassess their priorities. What can we learn from the attitude and behaviour of the early church that will help us as a church today to open our mouth and share God’s Word?

What is needed to make a church a caring church? Open handedness. That is a generosity that is willing to use your own resources for the good of others. That was the example of the early church as we will see in this talk.

We are often taught that to pray you need to put your hands together and close your eyes. However, the Bible does not teach this. Rather, as we pray, we need to open our eyes to the God we are praying to, to his people, his character, his ways and his mission. This is how we grow in prayer.

John 3:16 says that God ‘loved the world’ and ‘whoever believes in him will … have eternal life.’ Both phrases imply that the gift of God is not exclusive. In chapter 4, John demonstrates this as he tells of Jesus’s encounter with this Samaritan Woman who is the kind of person you would least expect to become a follower of Jesus. Sign up for Christianity Explored: Christianity Explored 2021 - St....

Many people have made up their minds about who Jesus is and how you gain eternal life. Nicodemus comes to Jesus seemingly open to learn, but he begins by telling Jesus what he has decided about Jesus. He has decided to approach Jesus as a teacher. Jesus responds by telling Nicodemus that he needs to be ‘born again.’ What does Jesus mean?

People often say they don’t believe in organised religion. There are some good reasons for that and at first glance it seems that Jesus is against organised religion when he clears out the temple precincts. On closer inspection we discover Jesus is concerned to reform the Temple and ultimately to replace it with something better.

Many people dismiss Christianity as a root into puritanical joylessness, with lots of rules and regulations designed to stop you having fun. Yet, in John chapter 2, we find Jesus at a wedding celebration turning water into wine. Not only is Jesus keeping the fun going, but this sign points to deeper truths about the eternal joy that God longs to give us.

The first in our series on encounters with Jesus in John's gospel. This sermon preached at the beginning of 2021 looks at the question 'What do you want?' We see Andrew and another (could it be John the writer of the gospel?) encountering Jesus for the first time.

Does Christmas help bring us Comfort and Joy? Even during a pandemic?

Don't miss out! The church in Laodicea are complacent and comfortable in their wealthy town. Yet, Jesus warns them that they are missing out on the riches he has to offer them.

As Jesus addresses the churches of Sardis and Philadelphia he turns to the issue of reputation. Smyrna are reliant on a good reputation, when the truth is quite different, whilst Philadelphia need to be encouraged that Jesus’s reputation as the true leader of Israel and God’s Kingdom is to be trusted.

Jesus’s parable emphasises that God invites everyone to the great wedding banquet of His Son. But the parable also warns us that if we do not respond correctly we will miss out on this fantastic opportunity.

We continue to look at Jesus’s reports on the churches. In these two reports Jesus is pictured as the conquering judge, who promises those who ‘conquer’ with him a wonderful future. Yet, there is a warning not to compromise with the idolatry of the world.

What would Jesus say if he inspected our church today? We can’t know for sure, but we can read his inspection report for 7 churches in the first century AD. This week we look at the first two reports and the issues that Jesus speaks to them about.

With leaders struggling to deal with Covid-19 and a long wait for the result of the US Presidential election result the question: ‘Who is in charge?’ looms large. Although, Revelation is hard to understand it presents Jesus as the one who is Lord of History and yet also intimately involved in the life of his church.

What is so important about believing in Jesus? Why is this one religious act seen as the difference between life and death? We need to see the bigger picture and this parable of Jesus picks up the sad pattern of human relations with God and helps us to see why the way we relate to Jesus is so important.

How long will this pandemic last? Why is God letting this happen to us? These are natural questions to ask of God. Psalm 80 asks these questions on behalf of the people of Israel who are going through much greater suffering. Find out what the Psalmist thinks the answer is.

With the pandemic promising to drag out for at least another six months, we may well be feeling, "How long will it last?" In Psalm 6, David is suffering from a terrible illness and he cries out to God, "How long?" What can we learn from David's prayer?

The present pandemic has led to some very strange economic behaviour - especially the government furlough scheme. In this story that Jesus tells, Jesus teaches the disciples about the economics of the Kingdom of Heaven. The landowner in the parable gives full pay to workers who do almost nothing - a bit like furlough!

How many times are we to forgive others? How big a sin is still forgivable? Jesus's answer to these questions is radical, so he tells a story to help us understand why as Christians it is essential that we always forgive.

How do you help a fellow Christian who is caught up in a serious sin, perhaps even one that is harming you? Jesus lays out some practical teaching based on some key principles...

What key principles of being church do we need to hold onto in this period of change? Why does Jesus talk about the angels of 'the little ones' in heaven? Does the parable of 'the Lost Sheep' in Matthew have the same application as the one in Luke's gospel?

The disciples ask Jesus, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" Jesus's response is radical and paradoxical: he places a little child in their midst and tells them that you have to lower yourself to the level of a little child to be in the Kingdom of Heaven. He then goes on to give some very strong warnings...

As Peter finishes his letter to the scattered and under pressure small Christian communities, he reminds them of the living hope that they have in the resurrected Christ and calls them to lives of humility, because "God gives grace to the humble."

Sometimes as Christians we can face pressure from the world around to give up on our faith. In some places this can even mean death. So, how can we flourish as Christians when faced with such pressure? Peter gives us some great reasons.