Talks

Matt begins a new series based on Mark 8, where Jesus asked his disciples “Who do people say I am?” and “Who do you say I am?”
Part 1 “Who do you say I am?” - “Jesus is Lord”
John the Baptist had come to announce the coming of the “LORD” (John 1:19-23)
When he was asked who he was, he didn’t want the attention for himself but for Jesus:  “He (Jesus) must increase… I must decrease.”
Proclaiming “Jesus is Lord!”
This way of describing God was first revealed by God Himself to Moses when God introduced himself as “I am who I am”. This word is translated in Hebrew as “Yahweh” or “Jehovah”, and today in our bibles as LORD.  It was a very a personal name, used only for God. A name so sacred and holy, the people of Israel didn’t even want to say it out loud.

When John prepared the way for Jesus, he was introducing to the world the face to go with the name “Jehovah / Yahweh” whose sandals John didn’t even feel worthy to untie.

Calling Jesus ‘LORD” was radical and dangerous in the culture at the time: Only Caesar was to be called ‘LORD.’

But declaring “Jesus IS Lord” is different to saying:  ‘Jesus is MY LORD’
What does it look like for Jesus to be Lord of MY life?
Are we ready to give up control, allow Jesus to guide the decisions in our life?
If life is a car, is Jesus in your boot (comes out only on Sundays!), in the back seat (a passenger!), in the front seat (a companion) or in the driving seat?
Or even if he is in the driving seat… are you still a “backseat driver?” telling him what to do or complaining about where he takes you? (J John)
To let Jesus be Lord of my life is a decision to be made every day. We can do it only because Jesus loves us, knows what best for us and that we can trust him.
“One day all knees will have to bow and declare him Lord, but for now we can choose to!” Phil 2:9-11

After giving us an update on what is happening with Links in Africa, our Special Guest Speaker Sam Walker talks to us about dwelling with and on Jesus, based on what we read in Luke 10:38-42 (the story of Mary and Martha) and Luke 11:1-4 (The prayer Jesus taught his disciples).

Sam touches on 5 important points:
1) Dwell with Jesus - often (Mark 1:35 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed)
2) Dwell with Jesus - when its busy
3) Dwell on Jesus - then move to action
4) Dwell on Jesus - who is at work within
5) Dwell with and on Jesus - through simple personal and communal prayer

Simply Jesus!

Gill Isterling speaks on the third part of our “Simply Jesus” theme of 2025. She looks at Colossians 1 – the supremacy of the Son of God.  God is BIGGER than we can think or imagine.  We can often put Jesus inside a box, believing we know everything about him – but we can’t contain Him as the song from Chris Tomlins song so clearly expresses:

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creations revealing Your majesty
From the colours of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky
And You know them by name
You are amazing, God

All powerful, untameable
Awestruck, we fall to our knees
As we humbly proclaim
You are amazing, God

Speaking from Ephesians 1: 5-10 ….He settled on us as the focus of His love.  We are to be made WHOLE and HOLY by his love.  We will never fully understand that kind of LOVE that He has for us.

DO WE KNOW HIM?

We can encounter Jesus through different ways (worship, silence, praise, the bible). BUT WHEN WE SPEND TIME WITH HIM, we really get to know Him more deeply and we can start to become more like Him.

You cannot encounter Jesus and not be changed!

Julian of Norwich said: “God, of your goodness, give me yourself; you are enough for me, and anything less that I could ask for would not do you full honour. And if I ask anything that is less, I shall always lack something, but in you alone I have everything.”

Gill concludes with The Message Paraphrase of Matthew 11: 28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Simply Jesus!

Bob’s message “Simply Jesus part 2”, challenges us to refocus on Christ’s authority and presence in our lives. He begins by reminding us that Jesus is in charge — not just of our personal faith but of everything in creation. No matter what happens in the world, Jesus will restore everything for His glory, and we can trust that He is working towards that ultimate renewal. Bob encourages us to take comfort in the fact that even when things seem out of control, Jesus knows best and can overrule any situation, guiding us in ways we may not always understand.

A central theme in Bob’s talk is that Jesus is calling His Church to be HIM HERE — to embody His love, grace, and truth in the world. This means stepping up as His representatives, bringing His light into our communities, and living with the confidence that nothing escapes His rule and reign. There is no part of our lives, no struggle, and no challenge that falls outside of His authority.

Bob finishes with a personal challenge: Are we letting Jesus take control? It’s one thing to believe in His authority, but another to actually surrender to it. He invites us to examine our hearts and ask whether we are truly allowing Jesus to lead, or if we’re still holding on to control. The call is clear—trust in His rule, step into our role as His Church, and live with the assurance that He is at work, restoring all things for His glory.

After Vision Sunday – in the first part of our new series “Simply Jesus”, Matt repeated the declarations of what we’re believing for. 
In 2025 we believe:
We will want more of JESUS!
We will learn more about JESUS!
We will understand more about JESUS!
We will focus our attention more on JESUS!
We will want to live even more FOR JESUS!
We will BECOME more like JESUS!
We will have a greater passion for JESUS!
We will think more like JESUS!
We will be moved with compassion more.. like JESUS!
We will share even more the story of JESUS!
We will recommit our lives to living for JESUS!
We will want to experience even more of the love of JESUS!
We will want to love the world… like JESUS!
We will fall even more in live with JESUS!

Our new theme / vision for the year is revealed: SIMPLY JESUS!

Matt gives us a few quotes on what has been said about Jesus. Two examples:
Billy Graham “Jesus was God spelling Himself out in language humanity could understand.”
Timothy Keller: “Jesus is the only God who, when you find Him, will satisfy you, and when you fail Him, will forgive you.”
But Jesus asks us today: But what about you? Who do YOU say that I am? Matthew Chapter 16

What an amazing explanation on why Baptism still matters today!
Baptism is one of the sacraments.
They are sacred rites or signs instituted by Jesus Christ that are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace. Sacraments were called “mysteries” of the church.
And don’t we all love the wonderful testimonies of the 4 people getting baptised?

What STILL Matters? Matt speaks about 4 more things in the last of this short mini-series. These were:
1) Integrity
Psalm 119:5 says: “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord”
Integrity can be described with the words: “Trust”, “Honesty” and “Consistency”. Whatever you do, ask yourself the question Matt’s grandma used to ask: “If you knew Jesus was watching you, would you still do it?”
2) Humility
The famous writer C S Lewis said: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less”. Jesus who “... humbled himself to death on a cross…” shows us the ultimate example what it means to put others before ourselves.

3) Unity
We read in Psalm 133 ...“how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” and Paul commands us in Ephesians 4:3: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
Unity is not conformity where we expect everybody to have the same opinion as us, but to live in harmony even when we do disagree and remain united – especially as church.
4) Remembering the Battle
Jesus said: “In this world you will have troubles”, so we shouldn’t be surprised when troubles and hard time come. We have an enemy - the devil who “prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour”. He is the one who seeks to “steal, kill and destroy”.
However we don’t need to be afraid In 1 Peter 5:8-9 we are told to “stand firm against him and to be strong in our faith”. We can do that by putting on God’s armour as described in Ephesians 6:10-18.

The second part of our mini series is brought to us by Bob. He highlights three things that still matter today:

1) People
When God created the world, people were His last creation, His masterpiece. We read in Genesis that He created mankind in His own image. In Psalm 139, we can read in detail, how fearfully and wonderfully we are made.
God wanted fellowship with us humans, He wanted to walk and talk with us in the garden, but Adam and Eve (we!) messed it all up. And still, people matter enough to God that He sent His only son and we matter enough to Jesus to give His own life!
If you think that’s just true for others, read 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 and 27: Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is part of it.
People matter because God believes in you!

2) Justice
God was always a God of Justice! In the Old Testament, we read: What is it that the Lord requires of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8
In the New Testament, Paul tells the Romans: Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Romans 12:9-13
And Jesus reminds us in the sermon of the mount: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

3) The Great Commission
We tend to think that to spread the Good News is the job of evangelists, but when Jesus said: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20) He meant ALL of us! Whilst on our own we have limitations, if we choose to invest in others, nations can be changed!
Who could you invite to become part of God’s family?

Matt starts the New Year reminding us that whilst some things are not relevant in our lives anymore, others still matter:

1) God’s Presence
“The…supernatural call of God on our lives depends on the presence of God, if you get the presence of God, you won’t have any problem filling the place, because He is so attractive it saves all the marketing! Jesus is so unbelievably attractive, that when his presence comes, so does healing, so does joy, so does peace, so does his blessing in all sorts of ways, and you would have to be a mug not to be in the same room with Jesus! Everywhere He went, crowds of people followed him, he is so attractive, so what we want is the presence of God.”  Graham Cooke 1993

2) God’s Word
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”  Jesus in Matthew 24:35-36
Matt encouraged us to use one of the many available apps that help us read or listen to God’s word daily.

3) God’s Kingdom
So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Jesus in Matthew 6 verses 31-34

The Kingdom of God is something we long to see in full in the future, but we are already carrying it within us in and into this world:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4