Grace Vineyard Purley

Mark Visser continues the New Beginnings series looking at three unnamed people whose lives are transformed by Jesus. One was touched by Jesus, one reached out and touched Jesus' garment and the third one was placed before Jesus by his friends, Jesus only spoke to him and his life, like the previous two people was transformed.

Mark Visser continues the New Beginnings series looking at the life of Joseph. Joseph was hated by his brothers because he was their father's favourite child , when he had two dreams of his brothers bowing before him and then his parents and brothers bowing before him things went from bad to worse. He was sold into slavery, then wrongfully imprisoned. The New Beginnings he experienced did not look like they were placing him where his dreams would become a reality, but through all of his troubles God had a plan.

The leadership team of Gill and Mark Visser and Mark and Christine Stoneman share what spoke to them while at the Vineyard UK&I National Leaders Gathering at Trent Vineyard in Nottingham. Each share on something that touched their heart and that they felt would be beneficial to the family of Grace Vineyard.

Andy Belsey picks up again on the New Beginnings series, showing us a way that we can speak up for Jesus. He has based his talk on the book The Art of Neighbouring. There's lots of training about how to do evangelism but evangelism is something that scares many of us! Very few of us actually like doing Evangelism. Even when we want to share our faith, many people don't want to hear about God anyway! Talking about Jesus to other Christians in church might seem easy, but when you try to with those who are doubtful and sceptical, it is often a recipe for disaster. Doing it on your own can be very intimidating and frustrating.

Mark Visser looks at the events from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, from Jesus causing chaos in the Temple by chasing out the merchants selling their livestock, to Him being anointed with oil, washing his disciples feet during the Passover meal, His time of prayer in the garden to his betrayal, trial, punishment and execution. This all in preparation to Resurrection Sunday and what that means to you and to the rest of the world.

Gill helps us to have a better understanding of Palm Sunday, celebrating the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey with his disciples and people of the city laying down their cloaks and palm branches on the road for Jesus to ride over. Why did the disciples and crowd behave like this? What is the significance of them doing it? Had it been done before, if so, who for? Gill gives answers to these questions.

Mark Stoneham finishes off our mini-series on Who is Jesus? looking at the question. Why Did He Have To Die? The only way for sin to be atoned for was by the shedding of blood. The Jews brought sacrifices to the Temple to atone for their sin. Jesus came as the Lamb of God to be the atoning sacrifice once and for all.

Gill speaks about mothers and how we are commanded in scripture to honour our mothers. She looks at the attributes of a godly mother and how Jesus honoured his mother right up to the time of his death on the cross.

Mark Visser carries on with the second teaching in the mini-series, Who is Jesus? Mark looks at the Parable of the Lost Son, often called the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The younger son asks his father for his inheritance before his father is dead, he then goes to a foreign land and squanders his wealth on hedonistic living and ends up in a field feed pigs. He decides to return to his father and ask to be one of his servants, because he knew they lived better lives than he was currently living. How does his father react when he returns? This is what Mark focuses on in revealing the Jesus is Grace.

In the build up to Easter Mark Visser begins a mini series asking the question, "Who is Jesus?" When you are asked, "Who are you?" how do you answer? The disciples never asked Jesus who he is, but Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do you say I am?" How would you answer this question? Mark looks at once aspect of who Jesus is to his disciples, those of us who have received Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

Mark Stoneham carries on with the New Beginnings series looking at the interaction between Jesus and Peter on the shore of Lake Galilee after Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times before Jesus was crucified. This is the first encounter Jesus has with Peter after his resurrection. Jesus restores Peter in such a beautiful way.

Mark Visser goes back to the New Beginnings series, looking at The Priesthood of All Believers. All the Israelites were supposed be priests of the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But when the Lord called them to come up to Mount Sinai they were afraid of the thunder and lightning and asked Moses to talk to God on their behalf. When the Tabernacle was established Aaron and his sons were chosen to be the priests serving in the Tabernacle. Only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place, once a year on the Day of Atonement. Jesus came and fulfilled the Law and is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He made the way for all His followers to be priests to minister to God and to the people in the world because of what happened on the day He was crucified.

Mark Stoneham, as treasurer of Grace Vineyard Church gives his annual report on the finances of the church as well as a message about being generous people. We are generous because God is generous, God sets the example and expects us to be like Him.

Gill and Mark Visser, but mainly Gill, bring a Valentines Day Family message, looking at where Valentines Day came from and what it means for us today. How big is God's love for us? How can we show the love that St Valentine did? What can we do to love others? These are things that Gill looks at and then we finish off with a craft.

Mark Visser continues the New Beginnings series looking at how the Tabernacle was set up as the place of worship for the Israelites when the were in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt. Marl looks at how the Tabernacle is an image of Jesus Christ, with God needing to be the centre of our worship today.

Mark Visser continues the New Beginnings sermon series looking at Moses who experienced a number of New Beginnings in his life that Mark could have looked at but he chose to look at the job changes that Moses experienced in his life.

Mark Visser continues the New Beginnings sermon series looking at two families that had to relocate homes. Moving homes is one of the top five most stressful events one can experience alongside death of a loved one, divorce or separation, long-term illness and job loss. Mark looks at the two scenarios of these families having to relocate their homes, what led up to it and what was the effect of it.

Gill Visser continues with our new series on New Beginnings, looking at how we need to commit ourselves to God's hands. He is the creator and He wants to shape us and mould us, just like a potter shapes and moulds clay in the process of creating things. This is can be an ongoing process in our lives if we allow God to be the potter and we remain as pliable clay.

Gill Visser kicks off the New Year looking at New Beginnings, 2024 is behind us and 2025 lies ahead of us. What are your expectations and hope for this coming year. New beginnings can come at any time and in many ways. Some are joyfully anticipated, like the birth of a new baby, and some can seem daunting, like starting a new job. And some can hit us suddenly with sadness like the death of a loved one, losing your job, or the end of a relationship. These seem like endings rather than beginnings, but we need to move forward to discover what life will be like in this new season.

Mark Visser concludes the Christmas Service with the final reading and then a short message from Max Lucado's book, One Incredible Moment - Celebrating the Majesty of the Manger.

Mark Visser continues the early start to the Advent mini-series in the build up to Christmas. The second message of Advent is Peace. We live in a world in turmoil where there hasn't been peace for hundreds of years, but despite this we, as believers in Jesus Christ can live in peace. How do we do that? That is what Mark looks at in his message.

Mark Visser kicks off the Advent mini-series in the build up to Christmas. It is early, but because of what else is happening in December we are starting this mini-series now. Mark looks at the first of the four themes, Hope. The Jews were waiting in Hope for their promised Messiah, and are still waiting because they missed the signs pointing to the baby born in Bethlehem during the time of the census.

Gill picks up on the Unlikely Heroes series after our Heroes Family Service. Gill take a look at Jesus as her Unlikely Hero. He was never acknowledged in His lifetime as even being of any importance – in fact He was despised and mocked, tried and unfairly convicted and His punishment was death, death on a cross. Even His closest friends denied Him and betrayed Him.

For the past number of months we have been looking at Unlikely Heroes in our preaching. This Sunday we did things a little differently, reaching out to parents and friends to come and have a Family Service that was all age focused, with short talks and some very interactive games and challenges. What we have here is the short talks focused on the story of The Good Samaritan.

Andy Belsey continues the Unlikely Heroes series looking at Gideon, a man called mighty by God, while he was hiding from the enemy threshing wheat in a wine press. Despite his protestations of being the least of the least, God raised him up to be a might man of God.

Mark Visser carries on with the Unlikely Heroes sermon series, looking at someone who on the surface might not look like an Unlikely Hero, his actions and his attitude are not great, but what he does do, in the end, makes him an Unlikely Hero. His story is sometimes hard to swallow, our Unlikely Hero is Jonah.

Mark Visser continues the Unlikely Heroes series looking at the early life of Moses. He should have been murdered at birth, then he was given away to a princess and raised as a prince of Egypt until he murdered an Egyptian slave master. Moses then fled for his life and lived as a refugee until God grabbed his attention.

Gill Visser choses to speak about the little known character Phoebe as her Unlikely Hero. Phoebe was entrusted to take Paul's letter to Rome, and as the carrier of the letter it was expected that she would also read the letter to the various church gatherings happening in Rome. Paul put his trust in Phoebe to carry out this important task.

Mark Stoneham continues the Unlikely Heroes series looking at Caleb, one of the 12 spies sent into spy out the Promised Land before the Israelites were to go in. He was one of two spies that gave a positive report while the other 10 spies all feared the inhabitants they saw. Forty-five years later, at the age of 85, Caleb is ready to take on the giants to claim the land promised to him. Mark speaks about how age should not prevent us from doing what God has called us to do, citing a number of older people who served or are still serving.

Mark and Gill Visser share the pulpit as they speak about Matthew, who until Jesus called him to follow him, was a despised tax collector. Matthew followed Jesus without hesitation, throwing a banquet to celebrate his new life. Not much is known about the life of Matthew apart from the Gospel he wrote and other anecdotal stories of his later life. He is one of our Unlikely Heroes.

Mark Visser begins the new series on Unlikely Heroes, looking at various people found in Scripture, some named, some unnamed, who do something unusual or extraordinary but receive very little recognition in the wider scheme of things. Today Mark looks at a woman, shunned by her peers, encountering Jesus while collecting water, who then, despite being an outcast, tells her city about the man who told her everything about her life.

As we transitions from The Prayer Course to our next preaching series starting next week, Andy Belsey brings a unique message, asking can we question God and how does God speak to us. He uses the music of Drakeford to help us to hear God's voice in Christian music. Andy is a musician and a song writer, although he will say he is not a good one, who loves to connect with God through Christian music, and today he helps us to do the same.

Today is the final session of The Prayer Course, a series created by 24-7 Prayer in which Pete Greig teaches us how to pray. He does this by using The Lord's Prayer as the basis for his teaching. This is session 8. Today Pete looks at Spiritual Warfare.

We continue The Prayer Course series created by 24-7 Prayer in which Pete Greig teaches us how to pray. He does this by using The Lord's Prayer as the basis for his teaching. This is session 7. Today Pete looks at how we hear God's voice.

We continue The Prayer Course series created by 24-7 Prayer in which Pete Greig teaches us how to pray. He does this by using The Lord's Prayer as the basis for his teaching. This is session 6. Today Pete looks at meditation and contemplation.

We continue The Prayer Course series created by 24-7 Prayer in which Pete Greig teaches us how to pray. He does this by using The Lord's Prayer as the basis for his teaching. This is session 5. Today Pete looks at what we do when our prayers are not answered in the way we want them answered.

We continue The Prayer Course series created by 24-7 Prayer in which Pete Greig teaches us how to pray. He does this by using The Lord's Prayer as the basis for his teaching. This is session 4. www.prayercourse.org www.24-7prayer.com

We continue The Prayer Course series created by 24-7 Prayer in which Pete Greig teaches us how to pray. He does this by using The Lord's Prayer as the basis for his teaching. This is session 3. www.prayercourse.org www.24-7prayer.com

We continue The Prayer Course series created by 24-7 Prayer in which Pete Greig teaches us how to pray. He does this by using The Lord's Prayer as the basis for his teaching. This is session 2. www.prayercourse.org www.24-7prayer.com

Over the next eight weeks we are doing The Prayer Course created by 24-7 Prayer in which Pete Greig teaches us how to pray. He does this by using The Lord's Prayer as the basis for his teaching. This is session 1. www.prayercourse.org www.24-7prayer.com

Mark Visser concludes the series of Lessons from the Life of Jesus looking at how David provided financially and spiritually for Solomon, his son who becomes the next king if Israel, to be able to build the Tabernacle of God in Jerusalem. David was prevented from building it, but he provided nearly all the materials need to build it. Mark speaks of ways that we too can provide for our next generation.

Gill speaks to the men and the fathers as we celebrate Fathers' Day. She also addresses the ladies. She encourages and challenges the men to develop three types of relationships.

Mark Visser continues the the series looking at the final stages of David's life and how prepares the transition of kingship from himself to his chosen son and how he deals with a son who tries to proclaim himself as the next king.

Gill continues the series on Lessons from the Life of David, where she looks at the type of Father Davis was to his children. David was a great military leader and a good king, but he could not see fault with his children and when they did do wrong he never disciplined the, leading to disastrous results.

Mark Visser picks up again on the Lessons from the Life of David series looking at David as The Repentant King. When David is told a parable by Nathan the prophet about a rich man taking a poor mans only lamb to eat it, David becomes angry until Nathan tells David he is the rich man and Uriah is the poor man. David's response to Nathan's revelation is why God calls David "a man after my own heart". There is more to the story than just this.

How important is the Day of Pentecost in the life of the church? What is the significance of it and how has it impacted the church? Mark Visser looks at these questions and shares his thoughts on the importance of Pentecost.

Forty days after Jesus rose from the grave, he ascended to heaven, leaving his disciples to carry on the work that he had begun. Gill Visser looks at 5 reasons why Jesus' ascension is important.

Mark Visser continues the series looking at how the sins that David committed when seducing and raping Bathsheba and then murdering her husband Uriah are repeated by two of David's sons. One son rapes his half-sister and then he is murdered by her brother. Children learn by by watching their parents and copying their parents. Training a child in the ways of the Lord is so important.

Gill and Mark Visser give feedback from the Vineyard Leaders Gathering that took place that week. Part of what Gill shares is how Peter was able to walk on water because of the presence and power of Jesus. Part of what Mark shares is about the Christian Atheists that Justin Brierley spoke about.

Jan Heffer shares how God revealed things her and how she was reluctant to share it, until Mark Visser said something that prompted her to realise it was for more than just her, so she shares her message as she leads us in Communion and shares about the Banqueting Table.

Mark Visser looks at the next lesson from the Life of David. It is Spring and the kings were to go to battle, but David stays in Jerusalem. While in Jerusalem, and not on the battlefield, David sees a very beautiful women bathing, which leads to inappropriate behaviour which leads to devastating consequences.