Jul
8
2009
This coming Sunday I will be launching a new teaching series aimed at helping people become “big on the inside”. Each of the six sessions will be based on one of the chapters of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus and I know it is going to be so helpful to all who hear it.
If you’ve ever felt trapped and limited in expressing yourself or your faith then the first session is for you, called “Unchained melody” it will give you keys to unlocking the constraints that the enemy and life places on you.
For those of you who like a bit of lightness in church, as a recognition of recent events I will be dropping in song titles performed by Michael Jackson throughout the talk. See how many you can spot!
God bless and thanks for visiting therevster.com
no comments | tags: big, jackson, new life, revster, scunthorpe, sermon, unchained, westfield | posted in Musings, Talks & Sermons
Jun
1
2009

Hi and thanks for visiting therevster.com.
For the third and final part of a trilogy of talks I spend a little time explaining just a couple of aspects of what it means to be a truly big church – big in every way. This talk follows on from the talks “Big God” and “Big People”, both available to listen to from this site.
To be a big church we must be a church which is valuable to God and invaluable to the community. Committed to becoming a church that Jesus celebrates not tolerates. Rejoice and revel in the fact that God doesn’t need us but chose us – we are truly wanted.
We should also be a church which finds it releasing to celebrate and even promote its own flavour whilst at the same time celebrating and encouraging other expressions of church. This is truly enjoying God’s desire for variety and diversity.
Enjoy as you join worshippers gathered on a Sunday morning at The House, the home of New Life in Scunthorpe, England
no comments | tags: big, church, diversity, flavor, flavour, new life, series, sermon, talk | posted in Podcast, Talks & Sermons
May
24
2009

Hi and thanks for visiting therevster.com.
Another great morning was had at New Life this morning. Lots of people just celebrating the bigness of God in them and the fact that they are gowing to be big people too. There were stories of wins and successes and joys and accomplishments.
It was in this setting that I felt compelled to tell the great people og New Life to “mind their own business”. Sounds rather rude and out of context I know, but actually its far from it.
We looked at the words of Jesus to his disciples described in a couple of places in the Bible to show how He wanted to protect their hearts and protect his investment within them. he did this by telling them to keep their eyes off other believers calls and focus on their own. In other words to “mind their own business”.
In this short 10 minute talk you drop in on me continuing a theme of being Big People. In particular this podcast begins as I’m explaining from the gospel of John chapter 21 how Jesus teaches his disciples to be bigger people by encouraging them to “mind their own business”.
Enjoy as you join worshippers gathered at The House, the home of New Life in Scunthorpe, England
no comments | tags: big, business, focus, joh 21, matthew 20, people | posted in Podcast, Talks & Sermons
May
19
2009

Hi and thanks for visiting therevster.com.
I recently spent time away with some of the leaders of the church I pastor and as well as having lots of fun and enjoying each other’s company, we chewed over many of the various statements, mottos and axioms that we’ve used to describe our church. It was a helpful exercise and in the doing of it we arrived at an overarching phrase which we believe will express the whole scope of our flavour as New Life Church.
“Big God.. big people .. big church” is already becoming part of the language of New Life’s leadership. We believe in a Big God .. we build Big People .. who belong to a Big Church.
Heather Small, now a solo artiste was the lead singer of a band called M People when she sang the inspired song “What have you done today that makes you feel proud?”. What a grea song and what a great thought. I recently gave a challenge for the congregation of of my church to think of some things that they’ve done this year that make them feel proud. We know that the Bible teaches that having a proud heart is a sinful thing but being proud of personal development and achievement is not a self-exalting excercise – it’s a celebratory excerise. Perhaps if we find it difficult to list many things we’ve done which make us feel proud gives us a clue that we are not living life the way that Jesus intended; a life packed with lessons learned, battles won and successes earned.
This podcast features the bulk of a talk I gave entitled “Big People”. It was a call to the great people of New Life to listen again to the CALL of Jesus to “follow Him”, to take advantage of the consequence of followship which is a “life to the full” and then to take seriously the commission to become a true disciple.
You see the belief in a Gig God will cause a deep longing to see people become all they can be; for them to live life large and experience it to the full. For them to place body, soul and spirit into the service of God … to become Big People.
My team of leaders are committed to growing people in love displayed through our values, see them experience forgiveness, overcome weaknesses, resist the enemy and find freedom in God. We will join with the angels in celebrating every success and rejoice with everyone who is growing big on the inside.
In this second talk of a series you drop in on me talking about our need to be Big People. Enjoy as you join worshippers gathered at The House, the home of New Life in Scunthorpe, England
no comments | tags: big, disciple, follow, message, new life, people, scunthorpe, sermon | posted in Podcast, Talks & Sermons