Elders Thoughts
We will serve the Lord
Over the past few months, we have been studying the book of Joshua on Sunday mornings. I trust you have found the series to be insightful and helpful to your own spiritual walk with the Lord. There are so many wonderful and challenging lessons we can learn from the successes and failures of the Israelites as they entered the Promised Land. In the last chapter, which we will reach at Easter time, Joshua makes this bold declaration of commitment to…
2020 Vision
In the year that King Uzziah died, the prophet Isaiah had a vision of the Lord that had a transformative impact upon his life. In his vision, he heard a seraphim call out, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ 20/20 vision is a phrase used to describe clear vision. In the year 2020, my prayer is that all of us who call Carrickfergus Baptist our home church, may have a…
Month of Prayer
We are powerless without prayer. Jesus said, ‘Without me you can do nothing,’ (John 15:5). As a result, prayer needs to be a personal and congregational priority. September is the start of a new season of ministry within our church and we would like to focus our attention over the next month on prayer. This is a call for the whole church to passionately commit ourselves to pray throughout September as we ask God to work in and through Carrickfergus…
Love
14th February is a day when we celebrate love. We often define love by an experience or a feeling. We tend to think more about what love is rather than what love does. I wonder how many people define love by who God is? In 1 John 4, we read, beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love, does not know…
Happy New Year
A new year is often a time for fresh starts. It’s a good time to reflect on the past year and think about aspects of our lives that need changed. Perhaps your resolution is to eat less and exercise more. Maybe it’s to spend less time on your phone and more time with your family. It is also a good time to examine your spiritual life. As we start 2019, can I encourage us all to meditate on Philippians 3:8: ‘I count everything as…
Why Jesus?
Last week I had a cold caller arrive at my front door trying to persuade me to switch from my existing electricity provider to his company. He promised to slash my monthly bills and assured me they were the cheapest around. I politely asked for some literature so I could think it over, said goodbye and quickly closed the door. The leaflet was thrown onto a pile of similar leaflets that maybe one day I might be bothered to read.…
Godly Parenting
Recently, Galatians 5, specifically the Fruit of the Spirit keeps popping up in our sermon application. It appears to be a lesson and a challenge that we need time and time again. We all can recall times, maybe even this week when we have failed in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. During recent months I have been challenged about the Fruit of the Spirit with respect to parenting. We have been called to bring our…