Sermon Starters

December 9, 2010 at 7:50 am (Sermon Starters)

                                   

                                  Rev. E. Anderson

This is a simple outline for you to think about and meditate on. The introduction, main thoughts and conclusion need further material to be added. It is an outline for you to expand, develop more fully and fill in to spiritual profit and inspiration.

PERFORMANCE OR GRACE BASED? 

“Those …  hired last…. You paid…the same … as us” Matthew 20: 12 NCV

In Christ’s parable five different groups of workers are hired. The first group complained when those who worked only the last hour got paid the same wages as those who worked all day. They are typical of performance-based Christians. They think that because they avoid certain sins, God’s getting a good deal. Instead of rejoicing with those who come late to the kingdom, they’re resentful. They’re easy to spot because they’ve three characteristics.

THEY SHOW A COMPLAINING SPIRIT:

They overlook the good, home in on the negative, and seek out people who agree with them. What’s the cure? A good memory! Recalling what God has done for you, and all the grace-based benefits of His love you enjoy each day.

PERFORMANCE-BASED CHRISTIANS HAVE ALSO GOT A RESENTFUL SPIRIT:

 

Instead of resting in God’s grace they are like duty-bound soldiers – conscripts, not volunteers. They struggle constantly for God’s approval, never feel like they measure up, and their hostility prevents them from experiencing joy. But the moment they begin to reflect on God’s goodness to them, their resentment begins to lessen. 

FINALLY THEY SHOW A JUDGMENTAL SPIRIT:

 

‘It’s not fair’ they think. ‘I did the work and they get the credit’. They forget that God dispenses gifts, not wages. ‘He does not… repay us according to our iniquities’ – Psalm 103:10 NIV, but lavishes us with grace and mercy. So who are these grace-based Christians? Latecomers with no controls or merits; their relationship with God is based solely on grace. They’re happy with whatever He’s offering, humbled by His goodness, and motivated to work by overwhelming gratitude.

                             

                           

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Meet the Christian Ministers

December 9, 2010 at 7:44 am (Meet the Ministers)

                                  

                Rev. Brian  and Jose Downward

Brian is the pastor of Wessex Christian Centre, Bournemouth, He has ministered under God for nearly 50 years. Originally from Stoke-on-Trent, he has pastored in various places around the U.K and the World. His main focus is feeding the body of Christ with the full and balanced Word of God. Along with his family, he planted the Wessex Christian Centre in 1985 after leaving Mid-Wales by the ‘call of God’. To hear him speak, is to to  know him.

Jose, she works at the centre every day and mostly manages our entire administration department…but that’s not where her work finishes because Jose will do anything that’s needed of her, from cleaning and maintenance to counselling and helping to lead worship during our services….without her and the work she does…this Church might just grind to a halt!

The vision of Wessex Christian Centre is to reach out to the entire area and see many people won for Christ. We place a strong emphasis on preaching the Word, prayer,  praise and worship and most recently, evangelism

We want the Wessex Christian Centre to be a ‘House of prayer for all Nations’ so we welcome people of many different Nationalities on a weekly basis

We long to see revival in The U.K more than anything else, and for many years we have prayed and sought God for this…and will continue to do so until God’s glory is seen in this Nation!

We like to think that every age group is catered for, here at W.C.C whether it’s the balance of different styles in our worship, our contemporary yet comfortable auditorium, or our extensive Youth and children’s department. We work hard to ensure that, no matter what your age or background, you will feel at home and at ease. We place high importance on fellowship as the family of God and want to learn to support each other more and more

When it comes to the social aspect of the Church, we have a wide variety of events that go on throughout the year ranging from our simple tea and coffee time after our services, through to our family days out in the spring and summer. We spend at least 4 bank holiday Monday’s a year on the parks or at the beach, just playing football or cricket, having lunch together and chatting whilst the kids have a great day on the swings and slides.

Many changes have been made to our building in the last 10 years, including a major foyer and entrance renovation, a complete re-fit of our main sanctuary, including seating lighting and sound system. Added to that, the entire service is broadcast throughout the building from the foyer and offices through to the mother and baby rooms and lower auditorium.

This is a simple outline for you to think about and meditate on. The introduction, main thoughts and conclusion need further material to be added. It is an outline for you to expand, develop more fully and fill in to spiritual profit and inspiration.

                              

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Points to Ponder

December 9, 2010 at 7:39 am (Points to Ponder)

                                        

                                     Rev. E. Anderson

PREFERRING ONE ANOTHER

‘ln honour giving preference to one another.- Romans 12:10 NKIV

It’s said that William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli were great leaders but intense rivals.

Gladstone, leader of the Liberal Party, is considered by many to personify the best qualities of Victorian England. A career public servant, he was a great orator, master of finance, and a staunchly moral man. He was made Prime Minister of Great Britain four different times, the only person in history to achieve that honour.

Under his leadership Great Britain established a national education system, instituted parliamentary reform and saw the vote given to a significant number of people in the working classes.

Disraeli, who served twice as Prime Minister, had a different kind of background. In his thirties reentered politics and built a reputation as a diplomat and social reformer. His greatest accomplishment was masterminding Britain’s purchase of the Suez Canal. Both men accomplished much. But what really separated them was their approach to people. The difference can be best illustrated by a story told by a young woman who dined with each of the two rival statesmen on consecutive nights.

When asked for her impression of them, she said, ‘When left the dining room after sitting next to Mr. Gladstone, I thought he was the cleverest man in England. But after sitting next to Mr. Disraeli, I thought I was the cleverest woman in England.

There’s an important lesson here. Good leaders win the confidence, trust and friendship of people they lead by taking the spotlight of themselves and putting on others. In fact this principle will work with anvbody. It’s why the Bible says, ‘…in honour giving preference to one another’s – Romans 12:10 NKIV.

                               

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Messages by Rick Warren

December 9, 2010 at 7:35 am (Messages by Rick Warren)

                           

                              Rev. Rick Warren

DO  YOU HAVE A SAFETY NET? 

“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble” – 1 Peter 3:8 (NIV)

Encouraging someone else doesn’t always mean giving a pep talk or words of wisdom. Sometimes the best kind of encouragement is just sitting in silence – waiting and weeping with a friend.

As a pastor, I see situations daily that nobody should ever have to go through alone. Nobody should ever have to wait in the hospital while a loved one is in life-or-death surgery. No woman should ever have to wait alone for the lab report on a problem pregnancy. Nobody should ever have to wait for news from a battlefield alone. Nobody should ever have to stand at the edge of an open grave alone. Nobody should ever have to spend the first night alone when their spouse has just walked out.

Life’s tough times and tragedies are inevitable – each of us will face them. But we don’t need to go through them alone. We need God’s safety net to help hold us up through these difficult times.

What is God’s safety net? It is a group of other believers – a handful of people who are really committed to you. We call this kind of group a community. Here’s God’s plan for community: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it” – 1 Corinthians 12:26 NIV. Community is God’s answer to despair.

Romans 12:15 expresses a similar idea: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (NIV).

The first part of that verse is easy. When something good happens to someone, it’s often easy to join in on the party.

But when someone is having a tough time, it can seem more difficult. But, really, it’s simple. When you’re going through a crisis, you don’t want advice; you just want somebody to be there – to sit with you, hold your hand, put an arm around your shoulder, or cry with you.

As Paul tells us, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV. Encouraging someone else doesn’t always mean giving a pep talk or words of wisdom. Sometimes the best kind of encouragement is just sitting in silence – waiting and weeping with a friend.

Do you have a safety net – a group of fellow Christians you know you can count on in life’s toughest times? If not, go out today and begin building those friendships. The hard times in life are inevitable, and only a fool would go into them unprepared.

                               

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Christian Testimony

December 9, 2010 at 7:30 am (Christian Testimony)

                             

                    Liam Moore and children

WHAT IS LIFE ALL ABOUT?

I WAS BORN IN 1968 IN Liverpool, having a rough early life. Expelled from school at 14, I started to earn a living on an ice cream, van and then on to Liverpool market stalls. My fascination with music caused me to launch out as a ‘tribute artist’ performing Phil Collins songs. I always wanted to sing and got the opportunity on Stars In Their Eyes performing as Phil Collins. I sang in front of Phil and was endorsed by him as his number one tribute in the world. But it seemed, even though I had this affirmation and a lot of publicity, I was never happy with my life.

I CONTEMPLATED SUICIDE

Despite having achieved one of my main goals in life, the questions – what’s life all about? and “Is this all there is?” haunted me. Achievement, money and fame did not satisfy. Relationships broke down. Cocaine and alcohol did not fill the emptiness inside. I had seen the heights of fame but sunk into the depths of depression. My mother died in my arms in 1990. I had a devastating relationship break up and ended up snorting cocaine until I was ‘ga ga’. In 1998, whilst driving alone down the motor-way to a ‘gig’ near Worcester, thoughts regarding the pointlessness of life started to overwhelm me. I contemplated suicide to escape from a meaningless world.

THE VOICE OF JESUS

In the midst of this I heard an inner voice urging me to “phone Andrew”. So I did. He told me that it was the voice of Jesus and encouraged me to pray. My mate explained to me that Jesus loved me and that I needed to ask him to forgive me for all the wrong things that I had done in my life. As soon as did this, my life changed. I stopped swearing. I didn’t crave drugs anymore as I discovered peace and contentment. I had found a faith that was not based on ‘religion’ but was ‘relationship with God. Since then I’ve been going all over the world using my story and my singing gift from God, in prisons, on death row, at rehabs, schools etc.T

THE KEY TO THE FUTURE 

I wanted to see if I could make a difference in some way, so i started going to schools in Croxteth and beyond. I started singing Phil Collins and self-composed Christian songs and sharing my testimony at assemblies and workshops with 11-17 year olds. The teachers and kids were thrilled. This has been great. These kids need love, acceptance, approval and affirmation.

                                    

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Time for a Laugh

December 9, 2010 at 7:25 am (A Time to Laugh)

                                       

                                   Rev. E. Anderson

SIN OF GOSSIP

Two elderly, excited Southern women were sitting together in the front pew of church listening to a fiery preacher.

When this preacher condemned the sin of stealing, these two ladies cried out at the tops of their lungs,

“AMEN, BROTHER!”

When the preacher condemned the sin of lust, they yelled again, “PREACH IT, REVEREND!”

And when the preacher condemned the sin of lying, they jumped to their feet and screamed,

“RIGHT ON, BROTHER! TELL IT LIKE IT IS…AMEN!”But when the preacher condemned the sin of gossip, the two got very quiet. One turned to the other and said, “He’s quit preaching and now he’s meddlin’.”

PHONE CALL TO GOD

An American decided to write a book about famous churches around the world.

So, he bought a plane ticket and took a trip to Orlando, thinking that he would start by working his way across the USA from South to North.

On his first day, he was inside a church taking photographs when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign that read ‘$10,000 per call’. 

The American, being intrigued, asked a priest who was strolling by what the telephone was used for.

The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 you could talk to God.

The American thanked the priest and went along his way.

Next stop was in Atlanta. There, at a very large cathedral, he saw the same looking golden telephone with the same sign under it. 

He wondered if this was the same kind of telephone he saw in Orlando and he asked a nearby nun what its purpose was.  She told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 he could talk to God.

‘O.K., thank you,’ said the American. 

He then travelled all across America, Europe, England, Japan, and New Zealand.

In every church he saw the same looking golden telephone with the same ‘$US10, 000 per call’ sign under it. 

The American decided to travel to Leeds to see if Yorkshire folk had the same phone.

He arrived at Leeds Train Station, and again, in the first church he entered, there was the same looking golden telephone, but this time the sign under it read  ’40 Pence per call.

The American was surprised so he asked the priest about the sign.   ‘Father, I’ve travelled all over the world and I’ve seen this same golden telephone in many churches. I’m told that it is a direct line to Heaven, but in all of them price was $10,000 per call.

Why is it so cheap here?’ 

The priest smiled and answered, ‘you’re in Yorkshire now, son – “This is Heaven,” so it’s a local call’.

                                

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