Talks

Heroes of Faith Week 3 – This week Andy talks about Samuel and Michael about the Roman Centurion.

Samuel - A joung boy who is called at night by God to receive a difficult message to pass on to his master Eli. But the message wasn’t just for Eli, it was also for Samuel, to prepare him for other difficult messages he would have to relay in the future.
What can we learn from Samuel?
1) God gives us strength when weexercise faith
2) When we exercise faith, we grow
3) God speaks to us all and can askany of us to step out in faith

The Roman Centurion - Even though he is not listed amongst the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, Micheal chose to talk about him because he AMAZED Jesus with his faith. He fulfills the criteria from Hebrews 11.6: He pleased God because he had faith.
He also had some other characteristics:
not religious (he was not a jew, he was a gentile)
understood authority (he was in charge of a hundred men)
humble (he didn’t see himself worthy to have Jesus even come to his house)
love (he loved his servant that would have been replacable enough to bother Jesus)
thought outside the box (believed that Jesus could heal from a distance)
Michael particularly challenges us to think outside the box: Don’t limit God in any way shape or form! If the centurion who was simple human like you and me could amaze Jesus, so can we!

Perrianne encourages us to discover our very own gifts, to be ourselves, not to copy others. If all of us do that, we can be a very colourful and multi-skilled church, which is exactly what God had in mind when he created us.

Paul continues explaining why we as Ashwood need to be intense (focussed), authentic (being real) and optimistic (spreading hope). 
We live in a world that is in conflict and chaos, we need to be people who walk by faith (part of our theme for the year) and then we can see God’s victory in our lives. “Victory can only be gained if there is a battle! A testimony can only be told after a test!”

Paul finishes his message with some poems:

“Today we can’t afford to be afraid of what we fear” (Bono, “Red Flag Day”)

“May I have the courage today
To live the life that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer,
But do at last what I came here for
And waste my heart on fear no more.”
(John O’Donahue “A Morning Offering”)

“Fear is not my future / You are
Sickness is not my story / You are
Heartbreak’s not my home / You are
Death is not the end / You are
Hello, peace; Hello, joy; Hello, love;
Hello, strength; Hello, hope,
It’s a new horizon”
(Brandon Lake/Maverick City)

Trauma, fragmentations and conflicts are all around us. Peace is much desired in many lives. How and where do you find peace? The bible says that the Lord is Peace, a holistic sort of peace: wellness, holeness, reconsiliation, safety, completeness. When Jesus gives himself, he gives peace, a peace that passes all understanding. We do have His peace and the closer we come to Jesus, the more this peace can grow. We don’t shine in our own peace, it is His peace that shines through us and can be a light that pierces the darkness around us. Therefore, don’t hide your light under a basket. It is Jesus you’re hiding if you do that. Let HIM shine!

Heroes of Faith Week 2 – This week Joshua talks about Noah and Gareth talks about Moses – both Heroes of faith according to Hebrews Chapter 11.  Why were they on the list?

Noah - A man who undertook a crazy project: building a massive ship on dry ground 60miles away from the ocean! It must have been a very costly undertaking, both financially and timewise and people mocked him – understandably! How did he feel himself? Did he sometimes doubt if he had heard God right? We don’t know but what we do know is that he kept acting on what he believed God had asked him to do. That’s what we call “FAITH”.

What can we learn from Moses?
1) Even when Moses was a tiny baby and wasn’t aware of it, God was at work in his life.
2) Killing the slave overseer wasn’t the right thing to do, but it showed that Moses had a heart for justice.
3) In the dialogue with God at the burning bush, Moses was very honest with God about his doubts and weaknesses.
4) Moses was 80 years old when he faced Pharaoh and started a 40 year adventure leading thousands of people through the wilderness towards the land God had promised.  => We are never too old to follow God’s calling!
5) “Moses” means “pulled out of the water” - Moses needed to trust that his name was God’s promise that he and the whole people of Israel would stay on dry ground when he stepped into the riverbed God had cleared of water.
Which of these points challenge you most in your walk of faith?

Matt introduces us to the new summer series: Heroes of Faith, based on Hebrews 11.
Have you ever been surprised to see Sarah, Abraham’s wife, listed under the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11? When the three visitors prophecied that she would have a son in a year’s time at 90 years of age, she laughed and then denied that she had laughed. That doesn’t really sound like a hero of faith, does it?
Mandy Walker explains beautifully how she can identify with that story/person in the bible and encourages us to hold on to God’s promises whatever need we are facing. Seeing how Sarah doubted, yet God still fulfilled His promise, we can rest in the assurance that we are in good company when we struggle with our faith.
God’s faithfulness is a thread that runs through all stories in the bible.

Jono Wright and Martin Walker remind us of the beauty of the world our God has created and talk to us about the severe consequences of climate change.
What can we do to leave our children a future rather than an apology? They encourage us to be proactive in our stewardship, to use our talents well: to keep learning, to reduce, reuse, repair and to recycle. They also mention possible changes in diet (e.g. eat less meat, buy local) and transport methods.You don’t know where to start? It doesn’t matter if you start only small and/or imperfectly. What matters is that you DO START.

As part of our “Shining Bright in a Broken World” teaching series, Bob Goody spoke on “Shining Bright” - and how we make a difference in our world.  Everyone can SHINE where we are - referencing Matthew 5: 14-16.

If you missed it, or want to listen again - use the link below to hear how Bob unpacked the points of praying, letting your light shine and letting your words shine. Matthew 12: 34 For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.  Bob concluded with the Lord’s Prayer - Your will be done Lord!

Hope is dwindling in our world; fear and anxiety are spreading alarmingly instead. We, as Christians and as a church are not immune to this. We all experience personal trauma, but as a worldwide community we have all just gone through the trauma of Covid. Psychologists explain that even our physical bodies carry the trauma in many different ways.
Anxiety is the feeling of anticipated failure in advance.
Hope is the expectation of fulfilment or success.
We need to know the truth in order to be able to BE hopeful:
With Jesus, there is a better future
With Jesus, we have the power to get there
With Jesus, we can be flexible in order to get there
With Jesus we can overcome the obstacles that will be on the way
How can we CARRY this hope to the world around us? 3 Ways:
Introduce a suffering Jesus (Jesus is not unfamiliar to trauma in his body – the bible tells us He sweated drops of blood in the garden of Gethsemane)
Point to heaven (Ultimately the best future there can be)
Provide and build community
Imagine how today could be if we begin to so this more and more….
To watch the service, go to Ashwood Facebook page and scross down to the broadcasted service on 25.6.23

After honouring Father’s and Father Figures and the dedication of two children Matt kicks off our new series “Shining bright in a Broken world.” This week his message is: “Shining Bright in a Broken world - The unrealised potential of kindness”.
The world is a dark and broken place – but Jesus told us to bring light to the world.  How can we “Shine Bright”?  Let’s start with KINDNESS!

Definition : “Kindness is a type of behaviour marked by acts of generosity, consideration, rendering assistance or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward in return.”

Matt suggests 3 different categories of kindness:
1.        Regular (but still beautiful) kindness
Day in day out, week in week out kindness – in our work place, in our schools, in the supermarket (!) and especially in our homes! So many different ways: giving gifts, spending time, helpful actions or kind words…
2.        Sacrificial kindness
Jesus said “love your enemies!” Ouch! He says don’t just be kind to those who are kind to you! This means being kind to those people who annoy us, or frustrate us.  Sacrificial kindness has the potential to soften hearts, bring healing and even bring some barriers down!
3.        Unexpected kindness
How can we be kind when nobody expects it? Just like the good Samaritan in the famous story that Jesus told.

Kindness is the language the deaf can hear and the blind can see!  Let’s think about kindness this week.  Are there different or new ways you could be even more kind – and bring some extra light to those around you?

What a powerful testimony this is from Claire Bell about her decision to choose joy throughout her journey with cancer!
The talk is sparked with challenging quotes like:
When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy! (James 1:2)
JOY is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things.
Life is not like mountains and valleys, it’s more like train track: Joy and sorrow run parallel to each other!
People, Possessions, Places and Positions are too fleeting to hold up our expectations - only God can be that source.
We need to switch our focus from how we feel to how we think.
It’s impossible to be joyful and full of worry at the same time: When you’re worrying, you’re not trusting, and when you’re trusting, you’re not worrying
Gaze at God and only Glance at your Problems
.... and these are just a taster - Claire said so much more!