This is the last in a number of talks drilling down into how people may engage with the real living active God. It is a reading of the story about Paul and a slave girl whom he delivered from an evil spirit as set out in Acts 16.16-31. Pauls actions lead to various subsequent developments…
On the Second Sunday of Easter we looked at what difference the Resurrection makes for those who receive and believe it. It comes down to whether we accept the cramped horizons assumed by many or embrace the wider space attained in the Resurrection. There is a 3 minute video clip half way through this message,…
As we approach the days marking Ascension and Pentecost Francis offers a small series on Embracing the Holy Spirit. This message begins by asking what we understand by ‘spirit’ and then considers what power we need for the intended purpose of witnessing to Jesus.
Francis looks at the story of Peter and John engaging a crippled man with the power of the Lord to provide a living witness and gospel impact. This is seen as illustrating how the Holy Spirit comes when we step out and ‘break cover’ to testify to Jesus in our lives. There is a key personal testimony given to illustrate this which…
Isaiah prophesied that God’s purpose was to shine on his people so that they might glow for all peoples as pilot-guides or representatives of God’s saving work in the deepening darkness. That is the frame through which Matthew tells the story of the Magi and the economy he calls his people to flow in. This might not be what most people assume…