We thank God and give Him all the glory for everything He has done in 2016 and we look forward to 2017 in anticipation of the next stage of our journey
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At the beginning of 2016 MCF Life Church received a word of Growth from God. Throughout 2016 God has done some amazing things with the wonderful people He has put into the fellowship, each with there array of different personalities and gifts. Although we are a reasonably small fellowship the number of ministries and the work that God uses the fellowship for is truly amazing and the growth we have experienced has not been so much in numbers, but in the way that God has grown us spiritually, both individually and collectively as a fellowship. We thank God and give Him all the glory for everything He has done in 2016 and we look forward to 2017 in anticipation of the next stage of our journey. As 2016 draws to a close we thought it would be a real blessing to share a selection of popular blog articles that members of our congregation have posted throughout the year. We have been publishing a new article each Sunday for just under eighteen months and God has blessed the blog to receive over 120,000 views from all over the World. Psalm 96:3 'Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples'. As a fellowship, we pray that God's Word speaks into the hearts and minds of those who read and receive it and that lives are changed forever as a result. We give all Glory to God and pray that people Make Christ First in their lives. Amen. The blog articles below are not listed in any order of popularity. If you click on the article title you will be directed to the relevant article. Why not also take the time to listen to some of the fantastic worship songs which you will find at the end of each article. You will also find other Words of God, Teachings and Testimonies in our blog archive at the right-hand side of the main blog page and if you would prefer to listen to our 2016 online sermons then follow this (link) and scroll through. Be blessed.
God is never late and his time keeping is perfect. Praise God
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One day I arranged to see my friend as we had planned to go shopping together. After we had a good look around the shops we came home. My friend suddenly remembered that she had made an agreement with a blind neighbour to spend some time with him. She had given him a specific time for the visit and she was already over an hour late, my friend knew the blind neighbour would be upset and disappointed because he was very excited about the visit at the time the arrangement was made. My friend invited me to go with her on the visit and as we set off she explained to me that her blind neighbour was a very nice man who had carers looking after him. We arrived much later than expected and when we rang the doorbell there was no reply. At that point a scripture came to my mind; Revelation 3:20 ‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me’. We were just about to leave when the man suddenly appeared at the bottom of the cul-de-sac. The man had a large smile on his face when his carer told him that we were waiting at the door.
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We were invited into the house and when we sat down he explained how sad he felt when my friend did not arrive for the visit and after waiting for a while he decided to take a stroll with his carer to see if he would bump into her. He said his heart skipped a beat with joy when his carer had told him that we were at the front door. When the carer went into the kitchen to make us all a cup of tea I asked the blind man if he believed in God and he said yes he did. He then went on to say that ‘Jesus died on a cross for us many years ago’ to which I replied ‘yes he certainly did and Jesus did this for you and for me and for everyone in the whole world’. When his carer returned with the tea I asked him (the carer) the same question ‘do you believe in God?' He replied ‘of course I do, I am a born again Christian’, to which I was pleasantly surprised. I then shared my testimony with everyone while we drank our cup of tea. After hearing my testimony the blind man started to pray. During the prayer he asked Jesus to come into his life as his Lord and Saviour and he repented of all his sins. I was so excited to have witnessed the blind man give his life to the Lord, Amen. Although we were late for the visit, God is never late and his time keeping is perfect.Psalm 27:14 ‘Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord'. Praise God. We spent the remainder of evening Praising God, discussing his Word and listening to Christian radio. We had just an amazing evening of fellowship. Praise God.
Author: Juliet Jones May God bless and enrich your life Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and others
MCF Life Church - Christmas Message 2016 …if we refuse to forgive, even our enemies, then they will always have a hold on us and continue to hurt us even after they have passed from this earth. But if we choose to forgive them with God's help, then they lose their stronghold over us and we receive God's peace….
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In October this year I finished a series of talks on the 'Fruit of the Spirit'. I looked at each fruit starting in reverse order. I therefore started with 'self-control' and then worked my way backwards until I got to the first fruit in the list which is 'love'. I'd prepared and preached on each of the other eight parts of the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’, but when I came to Love I realised that this couldn't be preached in one message as it was too big a subject. After all, the bible tells us in 1 John 4:8 that ‘Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love’. As I prayed about this I felt led to prepare not just one but three messages on Love; one from the viewpoint of the Father, one from the viewpoint of Jesus and one from the viewpoint of the Holy Spirit. (You can listen to the Fruits of the Spirit messages by clicking on this link, you may need to scroll down to find the start of the series). I soon realised that Love was the greatest virtue and the part of the Fruit that binds all of the rest together. Colossians 3:12-14 ‘Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity’. The bible also tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:13 'And now these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is Love’. Jesus also commands us to love one another in John 13:34-35 ‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another’.
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As we look back at 2016, some major events have happened around the world. Some good, some bad, but I wonder; do we actually see much of this love, if any at all, in these events? For instance we had a great 'gold rush' in the Olympic games, with Great Britain winning 27 Gold medals, 23 Silver and 17 bronze, coming 2nd in the overall medal table to USA. Then came the Paralympic games where team GB won 64 Gold medals, 39 Silver and 44 Bronze again coming second in the overall medal table, but this time to China. The 'Brexit' vote followed soon after which resulted in the UK deciding to leave the European Union. In addition to all of this we've had the horrors of the war in Syria, with the mindless bombings of hospitals, civilians and aid convoys and around the rest of the world we've had terrorist bombings, shooting of children and young people in schools across America and the loss of life at sea as desperate people flee war torn countries in the hope of a safer future, only to be met with more hostility. In the newspapers and on the TV we continually hear about the depravity of this world and its people. So I ask again, 'do we see much, if any, of the love described above?’ It does not seem so does it? But there is however 'good news' – we can make a difference! Why don't we start to make a change and to make a choice today to show God's love to one another? In Mark 12:28-31 Jesus didn't just command us to love one another He also reminds us of the command to firstly Love God and then to Love our neighbour as our self; 'One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important? The most important one’, answered Jesus, ‘is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these’. In Luke 6:27-36 Jesus goes one step further and tells us to love our enemies. To love your enemies’ means you have to forgive your enemies, and this for many is a major stumbling block. How can you forgive someone who has hurt you, abused you, or has devastated your life? Well, on your own this is very difficult and may seem impossible, but with God all things are possible. When you want to forgive and find you're unable to do so, ask God to help you, and He will. We don't have to do this under our own strength, Jesus promised us a helper. In John 14:15-17 Jesus says; ‘If you love Me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever - the Spirit of truth’. God gives us the Holy Spirit not only to guide us through life, but also to help us in the hard times and in the difficult decisions we sometimes have to make. When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13 part of the prayer in Matthew 6:12 tells us; 'Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us' (Good News Translation). He finishes in Matthew 6:14 by telling us; ‘If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done' (Good News Translation). This may seem harsh but Jesus knows that if we refuse to forgive, even our enemies, then they will always have a hold on us and continue to hurt us even after they have passed from this earth. But if we choose to forgive them with God's help, then they lose their stronghold over us and we receive God's peace and His forgiveness towards the things we've done wrong as we repent of them. If we start to love our enemies and forgive them we really can impact the world. So let's not think about it, let's make a decision to put others before ourselves, and see what transformation we can effect in other people's lives in the areas where we live who knows, we may even start to see transformation in our own lives as we love and forgive one another in 2017.
Author: Kevin Hunt May God bless and enrich your life Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and others
The world is one of seemingly endless crises; war, terrorism, floods, earthquakes etc. It is important to keep things in perspective and we need to understand that in some situations God uses these things to further His purpose and plans in others
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Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?; is an important question that we as Christians are sometimes asked. Over the years, I have come to accept, that God is God, and has a higher understanding of things than us. This is a question that we should have an answer for because it would be easy for non-believers to come to the conclusion that God is cruel or enjoys watching people suffer. However, this perspective couldn't be further from what the Bible tells us about God. Psalm 103:13-14 explains how God treats His children; ‘Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust’ The world is one of seemingly endless crises; war, terrorism, floods, earthquakes etc. It is important to keep things in perspective and we need to understand that in some situations God uses these things to further His purpose and plans in others. God allows us to go through ‘the fire’; which is used to test us as people. Are we truly a people worthy to be called of God? The only way to find out is to test our faith and see which way we turn. Do we become closer to God, leaning on Him to get us through tough times and difficult situations or do we become bitter and resentful? I would say that it is easier, and a characteristic of human nature to become hard hearted and to blame God at these times. However, for those who choose to become closer to God there is a real deep peace that can be found in any situation. James 1:3-4 tells us; ‘For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing’ and 1 Peter 1:6-7 also tells us; ‘In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ’.
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There is another important dimension to consider when faced with the question of; why does God allows bad things to happen to good people? That is; ‘the situations of our own making’. If we as humans bring about situations that affect others in a negative way, then the responsibility for that lies firmly with us and not God. If we think about the current situation in Syria and Iraq with millions of people displaced by War, I wonder whether this misery was God inflicted or caused by man. I have no doubt that God is in control of these situations and that there is real salvation and mercy on the ground in the midst of turmoil. Finally, I want to finish with the example of Job who we read in the Bible is a servant of God who is tested severely but still holds fast to his faith. He is a man that has bad things happen in his life but the ending of the book of Job is an amazing restoration. Job 42:12-17 ‘The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so Job died, an old man and full of years’. Do we have the faith and will-power to trust God in all situations in our lives, both good and bad? Perhaps it is worth taking a few moments to ask ourselves this very question.
Author: Anonymous May God bless and enrich your life Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and others
The world’s philosophy would tell us to ‘live for self’ but God’s Word tells us that in order to receive eternal life we actually need to ‘die to self’
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God’s creation is truly amazing and perfect. When we read the story of creation in Genesis 1 it is clear that God wanted His creation to thrive and flourish. After God had created day (light) and darkness (night), followed by land separated by water, on the third day we are shown in Genesis 1:11-12 that God created vegetation and significantly, seed bearing plants; ‘Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds’. And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good’. God then goes onto to create living creatures including birds, wild animals, livestock and creatures to fill the earth and then in Genesis 1:26-27 He makes man to have dominion over everything He has created on earth. What I find really interesting is that on two occasions (Genesis 1:22 and Genesis 1:28) God says ‘Be fruitful and increase in number.’ At the point of creation God did not only make heaven and earth and everything in it but He also provided a means of reproduction which was necessary for His creation to not only survive but to also thrive. In fact when God decided to destroy the earth because of its wickedness in Genesis 6 & 7 He still considers a way in which His creation can be replenished after the great flood; Genesis 6:18:19 ‘But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark - you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you’. In fact the story of the flood is a really good example of how God saw death as necessary to create new life. The ultimate example of this is that God loved us so much that He gave His one and only son in sacrifice to die so that we may live. We know that Jesus rose again, amen, and the bible tells us that when we receive Christ we become a new creation; 2 Corinthians 5:17 ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! If we know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour we have died to our old self and we are a new creation, a new birth, a new life! Amen.
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In the Gospel of John we see another example of where death is necessary to produce life; John 12:24 ‘Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds’. I see this on a regular basis at my allotment where I collect seeds for the following year from many of the vegetables on my plot. Whilst the vegetables are growing and healthy I can harvest for food, however in order to collect the seeds for the following year I have to let the plants continue to grow and to eventually die. It is only at this point that the seeds can be collected. When I look at a seed I see a small dry object in my hand for which it is hard to believe that any life can come from. This is the miracle of God’s creation because from a single small dried up seed, which to all intent and purposes appears dead, comes a healthy vibrant plant which in some cases can grow higher than me (I am six feet tall), and produce an abundance of fruit or vegetables. This brings to mind the parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13:31-32 ‘He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches’. God’s intention is clearly to provide life after death. The journey of human earthly life is an interesting one. We too are born from a seed, we develop and grow, most of us are strong and healthy for the majority of our lives, but as we get older we start to slow down, our bodies start to deteriorate and at some point we will eventually die to this earth. This is the reality of human life; however, although our earthly lives are short our Father in heaven has provided us with a means of eternal life; John 3:16 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’. Jesus died so that we may live. Amen. Our Father loves us so much that He provided us with a way of spending eternity with Him, a way that requires us to die to the world and in doing so provides us with a new life in eternity. How amazing is that?! The world’s philosophy would tell us to ‘live for self’ but God’s Word tells us that in order to receive eternal life we actually need to ‘die to self’; Galatians 2:20 ‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me’. Amen. I will leave you with one final thought; when I was young I had few thoughts about the morbid subject of dying, but as I got older time just seemed to go much faster and I started to realise what those ‘old people’ (Sadly, I think I am now in that category!) were saying when I was younger that ‘life is short’. This is quite true, life on earth really is short, but know this; eternity is forever and forever is a very long time! Through the sacrifice and death of Jesus Christ our Father in Heaven showed us how much He loves us and how much He wants us to join Him in Heaven and to live with Him for eternity. What does He want from us? Well the answer is simply to accept a free gift, the gift of accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and to love and to serve Him: Revelation 22:17; ‘The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life’ and Mark 12:30 ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’. Accepting a free gift does not seem like a bad deal to secure your eternity does it? Your Father in heaven is calling you right now to come to him. Is it time for you to secure your place in eternity? Thank you Heavenly Father for your wonderful creation and your amazing provision of creating new life out of death. Thank you that my new life in eternity is secure. Amen.
Author: Gary O’Neill May God bless and enrich your life Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and others
