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Elected To Serve

  Last Sunday’s sermon was preached by Pastor Harry on “Elected To Serve” (2 Timothy 2:1-10) . The sermon and the whole service can be watched on our WIC YouTube Channel: Dear Friends, when we look at all the strange developments happening around us, and the sometimes bizarre ways in which people behave, we might well ask ourselves: “what decides that some people are saved, but others aren’t”? Because there are many people around who do the most stupid things and say the most foolish words, and they don’t even feel bad or ashamed about it. The Bible has a simple explanation for this – but it’s one that not many people accept. In fact, a lot of people hate it; because they think they need to have a hand in their own salvation. The Bible tells us we’re all terrible sinners – we surely sin many times a day, if we’re completely honest. And as we read our Bibles, we learn that we’re helpless and can’t save ourselves. Only God can save us. And because He’s a sovereign God, He does entire...
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Fearing God

Last Sunday’s sermon was preached by Pastor Harry on “Fearing God” (Luke 23:32-33 and 39-43; Luke 18:9-14; Acts 5:1-11) . The sermon and the whole service can be watched on our WIC YouTube Channel: Today’s topic was suggested by the frustration I feel when talking to people who think that, just because God is good, loving and forgiving, He’ll simply forgive them for all they’ve done while they were still alive. They themselves seem to brush off all their sins and unbelief, as if it were nothing, and they expect God to do the same when they die. They usually have some familiarity with the basic teachings of Christianity – especially Catholics, who learn about them in their Catholic religious education lessons and schools – but they really have no idea why Jesus had to die on the cross, and what it has to do with them personally. They just take God’s forgiveness for granted, as if they were entitled to it. They have no fear of the Lord.   Now, by fear, I don’t mean you have to be...
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Accountable Before God

Last Sunday’s sermon was preached by Brother Kevin on “Accountable Before God” (2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 1:18-25) . The sermon and the whole service can be watched on our WIC YouTube Channel: There is a verse in the book of Hebrews that has a way of stopping you in your tracks. "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:13). It is not a comfortable verse. But it is an important one — because it reminds us that our walk with God is not a private arrangement we can manage on our own terms. We are accountable. And that accountability touches three areas of our lives more deeply than we might expect. We Are Accountable in Our Relationship with God God does not want a passive audience. He wants an active participant — a partner in relationship. And like any relationship, this one requires both sides to show up. The truth is, God shows up every Sunday. He comes to ...
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Revival Under Ezra

Last Sunday’s sermon was preached by Pastor Harry on “Revival Under Ezra” (Jeremiah 29:10-14; Ezra 1:1-5; Nehemiah 8:1-3 and 9-10; Nehemiah 9:1-3 and 5) . The sermon and the whole service can be watched on our WIC YouTube Channel: The prophet Jeremiah was right! In the very year that he died (586 BC), the Jewish nation was conquered by the Babylonians, who took the Jews to Babylon in captivity as slaves. Jeremiah says the Babylonian Captivity will last 70 years – and it seems to have indeed lasted that long, until the Persians (today’s Iranians – definitely a great civilisation historically) conquered the Babylonians, and the Persian leader Cyrus became emperor of a vast territory.   Cyrus was a pagan – but look how the Lord used him! He turned out to be exceedingly tolerant towards the Jews in Babylonia, and in fact urges them to return to their homeland, rebuild Jerusalem which had been totally devastated, and even rebuild their Temple, so they can worship their God again. So...
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The Heart of True Revival

By David Mathis When revival came under Ezra and Nehemiah, God’s word was at the centre, God Himself working in power through His Spirit by the word .   For those of us longing and praying for awakening today, on this side of the greatest renewal in history — the coming of God’s Word incarnate and the pouring out of His Spirit at Pentecost — what might we take away from the remarkable renewals described in Scripture?   First, God will see to it that His people, in the ups and downs of their spiritual journeys in this sin-sick world, are renewed and revived. Even in our longing and praying for revival is already a great glimmer of God’s sovereign work.   Then, second, when the Spirit’s fire comes in power, it falls on the wood of God’s word . In our holy longings and fervent prayers, we open the Book. We read it, reread it, meditate on it, memorize it, study it, teach it, preach it, live it, spread it. It will be the word of God that fans the flicker of ou...
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Doubting Thomas

Last Sunday’s sermon was preached by Pastor Harry on “Doubting Thomas” (John 20:19-29) . The sermon and the whole service can be watched on our WIC YouTube Channel: It’s been an eventful time for the disciples. First, they are alarmed to find that the grave in which Jesus had been laid is empty. The lady folk are scared out of their wits by seeing what was obviously two angels standing right beside them. Now it’s slowly dawning on all the believers that Jesus did, in actual fact, rise from the dead – but no one expected Him to show Himself to them afterwards!   So there we have the disciples, all together behind locked doors that very same evening, according to John’s Gospel. They too are scared – because the mood of the Jews in Jerusalem has turned very ugly against all the followers of Jesus – and the Jewish leaders want to see a few more crucifixions. It’s all so very real. And suddenly Jesus is there in their midst! He’s not a ghost or a trick of the light. Jesus is there i...
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Crucifixion and Resurrection

The Easter Sunday sermon was preached by Pastor Harry on “Crucifixion and Resurrection” (Romans 6:4b; Luke 24:1-12; 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 and 42-44a) . The sermon and the whole service can be watched on our WIC YouTube Channel: Jesus Christ rose from the dead – Alleluia! The power of Almighty God was in Him, because He Himself is God, and was therefore able to do such a thing. The crosses or necklaces that we see with Jesus hanging on them do not tell the whole story. Jesus is not eternally crucified! He died to pay the penalty for our sins, but only once and for all – it’s not a constant sacrifice! That’s why Protestant crosses don’t have Jesus on them. The Protestant cross is empty – just like the grave was empty.   Yes, Jesus died and has risen. But why? Our opening verse (Romans 6:4) tells us why: so that “we also may live new lives”. New wine has to go into new wineskins. Without the Resurrection, we wouldn’t be born again. Without the Resurrection, there would only be de...
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