Weekly Talks

By Charlie Lacey | Ruth 1: 1-22 Ruth 1:1-22 (NIV) It’s sometimes hard to see how God is working in the small details of our lives.  We’ve probably all had times when we’ve asked, “Why doesn’t God do something?”  Today we started a new series on the book of Ruth, which is a beautiful story about God’s invisible hand of providence working in and through the circumstances of a very ordinary family. ...

By John Roundhill | Psalm 146; 1 Kings 17: 8-16 and Mark 12:41-44 Psalm 146 (NIV) 1 Kings 17: 8-16 (NIV) Mark 12:41-44 (NIV) As Christians, the extent to which we trust God will have an enormous influence on the way we live our lives.  Following Jesus requires trust and that trust is tested in times of difficulty and danger.  Thanks be to God - he is entirely trustworthy.

By Charlie Lacey | Philippians 2: 1-11 Philippians 2: 1-11 (NIV) When you see a group photo that you’re in, who do you look for first in the photo?  You look for yourself don’t you!  And in most situations we tend to think of ourselves first.  All of us can be quite selfish at times.  However, as followers of Christ we are called to be servants and that means laying aside our selfishness and pride...

By Charlie Lacey | Isaiah 5:1-7, John 15:1-8 Isaiah 5:1-7(NIV)   John 15:1-8(NIV) When we invite Jesus into our lives, it puts us on a trajectory of spiritual growth.  Jesus used the illustration of a vine and its branches.  Jesus is the true vine and if we belong to him; if we are connected to him; if remain in him, then we will produce good fruit.  Over time, our lives and our characters will be...

By Trevor Adams | Romans 10:5-18 Romans 10:5-18 (NIV) How did you hear about the Good News of Jesus Christ? Who first explained the Christian Message to you? If you're listening to this, it is almost certain that someone told you about Jesus at some point.  Each and every person who has given their life to Christ is called to go on advancing the Gospel in one way or another.  We are all calle...

By Charlie Lacey | Matthew 6: 5-13 Matthew 6:5-13 (NIV) The Christian journey is one of change and transformation as we move closer to God.  Today we looked at Jesus' teaching on prayer and considered our next steps towards God in this area of our lives.

Philippians 4: 4-9 | by Charlie Lacey Philippians 4: 4-9 (NIV) It’s very difficult to praise God if we’re feeling anxious and let’s face it, right now there are lots of things that we could be feeling anxious about, both globally and in our own personal lives.  Paul encourages us to take all our worries to God and exchange them for his peace.

By Charlie Lacey | Psalm 103 Psalm 103 (NIV) Psalm 103 has been described as 'the most perfect song of pure praise in the Bible.' Through this Psalm we see the benefits of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Benefits that no human relationship could even come close to giving us. Meditating on this pslam should make us supremely grateful to God.

By Charlie Lacey | 2 Corinthians 9: 6-15 2 Corinthians 9: 6-15 (NIV) In 2 Corinthians, Paul explains how our gratitude to God for his indescribable gift, which is Jesus and all that he offers, will inevitably result in our generosity.  In turn, our generosity will lead to others praising and glorifying God. 

By Charlie Lacey |  1 Thessalonians 4: 13 – 5:11  1 Thessalonians 4: 13 – 5:11 (NIV) Having reached the end of our series on Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians – we focussed today on 'the last day' – The Day of the Lord – when Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead.  We don’t know when it will happen, but we know it will happen and that we need to be ready for it when i...

By Charlie Lacey | Romans 8: 14-17 Romans  8:14-17  (NIV) Romans 8 makes it perfectly clear that God is our Father in Heaven - the only perfect father there is,

By Charlie Lacey | 1 Thessalonians 4: 1-12 1 Thessalonians 4: 1-12 (NIV) The first three chapters of 1 Thessalonians are all about Paul’s ministry and relationship to this church in Thessalonica that he had recently established.  Today, in chapter 4, we see that Paul changes tack.  He starts to talk about the Thessalonians' way of life and in so doing he draws a sharp contrast between pagan l...

By Bev Bell | 1 Thessalonians 2: 17 – 3: 13 1 Thessalonians 2: 17 – 3: 13 (NIV)

By Charlie Lacey | 1 Thessalonians 2: 13-16 1 Thessalonians 2: 13-16 (NIV) In today's reading the Apostle Paul affirms that the message he preached was from God and that the word of God is at work in the Thessalonians.  We focussed on the transforming power of God’s word and the impact it has upon those who believe.

By Charlie Lacey | 1 Thessalonians 2: 1-12 1 Thessalonians 2: 1-12 (NIV) Last week we saw that the Thessalonians were true believers and this week we are reminded that Paul was a true servant of Christ.  He persevered in the face of adversity, was motivated by a deep desire to serve Christ and he genuinely loved those he was ministering to.

By Charlie Lacey | 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-10 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-10 (NIV) Paul begins his letter to the Thessalonians by giving thanks for them because they received the Good News of Jesus with joy, embodied it in their lives and proclaimed it to the people around them.  So much so that everyone was talking about this group who had turned away from idols to worship the living and true God.

By Charlie Lacey | 1 Corinthians 9:19-27  1 Corinthians 9:19-27  (NIV) The Apostle Paul was the person most responsible for taking the Gospel to the non-Jews (the Gentiles).  In order to do this he had to exercise a lot of self-control.  He was no longer bound by the meticulous regulations of the Law, but he chose to limit his freedom for the sake of those he was ministering to.

By Charlie Lacey |  James 5: 7-11   James 5: 7-11 (NIV) We know that life can be tough and if we're to remain positive and hopeful in the midst of difficult circumstances, we need forbearance, which is the third 'fruit of the Spirit' that we're exploring in this series.

By Bev Bell | Galatians 5:13-26 Galatians 5:13-26 (NIV) May we as his disciples of today, show the fruits of the Spirit in our lives – especially the beautiful fruit of kindness - Kindness is to be passed on – so it will spread all around – that is bearing much fruit in the love of Jesus – for the good of the world.

By Trevor Adams | 1 Samuel 28:15-19; 30:3-8; 31:1-7 1 Samuel 28:15-19; 30:3-8; 31:1-7 (NIV) Say Sorry, I was wrong, feel refreshed! 

By Charlie Lacey | 1 Samuel 26: 1-12 1 Samuel 26:1-12 (NIV) Saul became insanely jealous of David and tried to kill him.  David managed to escape – and chapters 21-26 are all about Saul’s pursuit of David (he was determined to find him and destroy him).  But when David had the chance to kill Saul, he chose not to because that is not the way God wanted him to ascend to the throne.  Instead, David d...

By Charlie Lacey | 1 Samuel 18: 1-16 1 Samuel 18:1-16 (NIV) The books of 1 & 2 Samuel paint a vivid picture of the main characters, particularly Saul, his son Jonathan and David.  We therefore get to do a character study and, often, we see something of ourselves in the people that we’re reading about. Today we heard about the destructive influence of Saul’s jealousy.

By Charlie Lacey | 1 Samuel 17:32-49 1 Samuel 17:32-49 (NIV) When Saul was made king, Israel hoped he would save them from the Philistines.  He didn’t.  He disobeyed God and God rejected him as king.  His successor, David, did save Israel from the Philistines, most famously by defeating Goliath.  However, even David is not the king the world needs.  He merely points forward to another King who wou...

By Charlie Lacey | 1 Samuel 15:10-25   1 Samuel 15:10-25 (NIV) Saul, who became the first king of Israel, got off to a promising start.  However, it soon became apparent that Saul was more inclined towards showy acts of devotion to God than he was towards actual obedience.  Both the Old Testament and the New make it perfectly clear: God doesn’t want token acts of religious devotion; he wants obedi...

By Charlie Lacey | 1 Samuel 9: 25 – 10: 1; 10: 9-11; 10: 17-24 1 Samuel 9:25 - 10:1; 10:9-11; 10: 17-24 (NIV) The elders of Israel went to Samuel and demanded a king. Today we were introduced to Saul - Israel’s first King. He started well.  The Spirit of the Lord was upon him – and the Israelites hoped he would save them from the Philistines.  However, ultimately, no mere human being can fulfil th...