2 Cor 3 & 4 Letters and Clay Jars
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
Farewell Sermon Letters and Clay Jars audio (6MB)
2 Cor 3:1-7; 4:1-16
Paul was clearly having problems with the church at Corinth. You can see from his opening sentence in this chapter that he was under criticism. They thought he was always promoting himself and wasn’t nearly as good as he thought he was. They’d clearly forgotten that he’d spent 18 months of his life teaching them and building them up.
So how does he respond?
He says, he doesn’t need to commend himself because he has them as his letter of commendation. Their spiritual maturity, that they’re so proud of, is his CV. He says they’re a letter prepared by him and the other apostles, but written with the Spirit of the living God.
Radical Discipleship - Balance
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
Radical Discipleship - Balance - audio (6MB)
1 Peter 2:1-17
As we think about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, particularly a radical disciple, one of the questions we need to ask is who are we meant to be? You see, it’s important to ask that question if you want to know how you should act. Sometimes the way we act determines what sort of person we are. But more often who we are as a person determines how we act, the way we speak, the way we relate to other people.
So who are you as a Christian? In the passage we just read, Peter gives us a series of metaphors to help us think through that question.
Radical Discipleship - Simply Care
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- Written by: Ruth Newmarch
Simply Care audio (6MB)
Gen 1:26-28
Acts 4:32-37
Today is George and Sarah’s last Sunday here. Last Sunday George preached his last sermon as curate of St Thomas, and a number of people commented on how helpful it was. He reminded us of Jesus’ final instructions - Go and make disciples (or learner-followers) of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and teaching them to keep everything Jesus had commanded them. George reminded us that St Thomas’ mission statement reflects this: Speak the gospel - God’s incredible grace, which causes people to become disciples/learner-followers, Teach the Bible - because that’s where we’ll find what Jesus taught, and Build community that demonstrates God’s love - community grows from the people of all nations who become disciples.
I think George wanted to leave us with a sense of his and Sarah’s enthusiasm for this!...so we follow in their footsteps – put our sadness at their leaving into positive action!
Matthew 28:1-20 Non-Conformity & Christlikeness
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Easter Sunday - Non-conformity & Christlikeness audio (4MB)
Matt 28:1-20
‘Greetings!’ It’s not the kind of thing you expect a dead man to say. But then why should Jesus’ death be any different to his life which was characterised by non-conformity?
Series: Theme: Radical Discipleship
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
Radical Discipleship
The Radical Disciple – Non-conformism and Christlikeness |
Matt 28:1-20 |
Simply Care |
Acts 4:32-37 |
Balance |
1 Peter 2:1-17 |
Death |
Romans 6:1-14 |
Matt 21:1-11 - The Humble Entry
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
The Modest Entry audio (4MB)
Matt 21:1-11
Have you ever wondered whether Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday surprised people? I mean, if he was entering the city as a king why didn’t he ride a chariot or a warhorse. You certainly wouldn’t expect him to ride a donkey, would you? Yet that’s exactly what Jesus does. He climbs on the least impressive of mounts and rides it into the city. And to our modern minds it all seems a little strange. Of course most of us have heard the story so often that we’re probably no longer surprised by it, but it is a surprising story, and no doubt it was just as surprising to many of those who witnessed it.
In fact what he does in riding a donkey is as significant to those of his day as the US President arriving on Air Force 1 would be for us.
1 Cor 3:1-17 - Building God’s Church
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
Building God’s Church audio (3MB)
1 Cor 3:1-17
Well it’s great to celebrate two years in this great building, to see how well it’s been used over that time and how well the congregation has grown. But perhaps a day like this is an opportunity for us to stop and think about what sort of church we’re building and how to make it stronger. In the passage we’re looking at today Paul uses the image of a building to describe the Church. In fact he uses three different metaphors to teach the Corinthians what it takes to build a healthy church. So let’s look at the passage and see what we can learn for ourselves.
He begins by pointing out that no matter how mature they thought they were, their actions actually showed the opposite. They thought they were filled with the Spirit and so were mature Christians but what he sees is quarrelling and jealousy.