Merton Vineyard Church

As we (The Gush family) bring our time at Merton Vineyard Church to a close, I looked back over the last 12 months (and a bit more), at what God has been showing us, and how he has been speaking to us over this time. We have been overwhelmed by his grace and goodness, and look excitedly forward in anticipation to what the future brings for all of us.

Bit of a fun history talk - looking at the Magi, and how they go back to Daniels time, when he became head of all the wise men in Babylon, and how they prophecies would have been clearly laid out, waiting for the signs of a saviour!

What are your expectations for this season? In such twisted circumstances around us in 2020, it’s a wonderful opportunity to hit the reset button and look at what you really expect from a baby in a manger.

It might sound a bit harsh, but God has a will, and as his followers, we should be heading in the direction he has planned. But how many of us really want to align our will to Gods?

How transactional is your relationship with God? Psalm 139, challenges us to really ask how honest we are with God, how much we really trust and admit to him.

Ask, Seek and Knock. But how many of us really know what we are asking, seeking and knocking for?

How we view things determines how we live out our lives. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us not to get rid of our thoughts, but to make them obedient to Christ. To take those things that we cant understand, and lay them in trust at the feet of Christ.

Following on from last week, we looked at 1 Corinthians 14, the outpouring/actioning of love in the church. How Paul was putting the needs of the many above the wants of the few.

Everyone who has ever been to a wedding, knows 1 Corinthians 13 is all about love. This morning we looked at the last verse of this chapter, which talks about everything fading away, except faith, hope and love. These three are intrinsically linked, and dependant on each other. We need a strong faith in God, our hope to be in Jesus, and then we will see his love flow through us, and in our lives.

Unless we change and come to God as children (humble, eager, open-minded) we cant even enter the Kingdom of God and what He has for us.

James 1:19 tells us to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. If extreme opposites was a topic of conversation between the culture today and a word of scripture, I think this would be near the top. James was a respected, wise elder of the original Jerusalem church, and this letter was written after many years of watching and understanding people. If we could learn to be quick to listen, slow to talk, and slow to anger, imagine what a difference it would make!

There is a lot written about how the main battle we fight is in our thoughts and thought patterns. This Sunday we focused on 2 Corinthians 10, how Paul encouraged and warned the Corinthians about the nature of mind-games.

Often we see criticism as a bad thing - but John 15 talks about the more we bear fruit, the more we will be pruned. Its a good part of the process - pruning is not there to tell us we are bad, but to spur us on to be even better.

A quick reflection this morning, looking at Psalm 42, as well as Colossians, about sometimes telling ourselves to chill out, and trust that God is good

We talk about “our faith” and “having faith” and what if we feel that we don’t have enough faith. This morning we looked at how if we believe, we have faith. The big question, is where is our faith?

Jesus parables were about understanding the Kingdom of God. On this fathers day, we looked at the parables of the Prodigal Son, and changed the focus to the wonderful nature of the the father, and the fathers house. So often we focus on the 2 brothers and don't see that the focus is on the nature, character and compassion of the Father.

We often know about God - everyone has their own thoughts and opinions, based on their life experiences and what they’ve been taught or read. However, to really KNOW God, we need to look at Him. His word, His actions and His Story. We cant fall into the trap of creating our own God, based on our experiences, we are then just fooling ourselves. We need to look at scripture to see who God - Yahweh - really is.

Many churches pray for revival, but from what?, and for what? A week after Pentecost, when the Spirit of God was poured out freely on believers, we are looking at the church and what is involved with the process of revival. What is the ultimate outcome? That churches are filled? or that the nations are transformed.

Today we celebrate Pentecost - the outpouring of the Spirit, so that we can have courage and be equipped to do the things that bring us closer to the Kingdom of God. A challenge to us this morning - do we practice the great commission, or the great reduction?

This morning, Aimee shared with us her story of trusting in her Shepherd, and challenged us to how much faith and trust we actually have in God. By looking at examples of faith in the bible, she challenged us to see how faith is often in perseverance and patience.

Ha! Isn’t it funny that the week we look at Psalm 11, is the week that zoom decides to go berserk! A nice short psalm by David showing how, in the midst of troubles and the apparent shaking of his foundations, he still managed to keep his focus and eyes on God.

The last book of the Old Testament not only warns of complacency, but also highlights the joy and value in fellowship, particularly in difficult times. This morning we looked at the book of Micah, and how the message translates into the new covenant that we have through Christ - seeing it as a joy and a challenge.

Looking at John 14, where Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit after him, he stresses the importance of how those that love him, obey him. These aren't a few fluffy requests, but actual commandments, primarily focussed around loving and loving others. So does this make it more rules to follow? NO, in fact quite the opposite.

As well as starting our new series on growing deeper with God in this time of uncertainty, we also pause to hear Mel share about Growbaby, and the phenomenal work that they are doing in our community.

There is always that one person who is just so incredibly alive. How we react says a lot about who we are and where our security lies. Generally we either fall into the category of FEAR or of FAITH. But, its not as simple as just choosing one, it takes a bit of time to figure it all out

In a time like this, it is so valuable to have family. Looking at 1 Corinthians 12, where Paul talks about being a part of the body of Christ, we unpack how that relates to us as a church family, but also, in our individual families. In this time of being in such close proximity with each other, we need to remember our differences, strengths and weakness.

This mornings talk looks at the letter that Paul wrote to the Galatians, specifically with regards to living by the Spirit and not the Law.

Aimee shares her story with is this morning, focussing on where she has looked for fulfilment in life, and how God is central in this journey.

Having a look around at the distinction between life and scripture, I’ve realised things are really wrong. So we start an adventure, looking at how we are shaped by what we spend our time on, and how God calls us to BE before we DO.

In this mornings sermon, Sam looks at the way we pray, our attitude to ray, and dips into the Lords prayer

How often do we make resolutions? Why do we make resolutions?? Sam takes us through some of the aspects of resolutions and time, in relation to the greatest command and the commission.

John 11 is so much more than just someone being raised from the dead. This morning we looking at all the different witnesses to this event, and what it set in motion.

This brief Christmas service looks at how the birth of Christ fits into Gods REALLY big plan. We over complicate so much of the Christmas Story, and yet it is one of the Simplest things to understand.

Ever wondered how the Mga knew the scriptures? In this talk we look at how Daniel, 600 years before Christ’s birth, might have had something to do with that.

Baptisms are my favourite services of all - getting to see a pivotal moment in someones life, and particularly as a pastor, to see everyone's involvement. However, it can be seen as a bit of a funny ritual. Apart from a baptism, this morning we looked as well at some of the funny rituals that we in the Western 21st Century celebrate, without batting an eyelid.

Of all the things Jesus said we should do, he NEVER suggested the sinners prayer. We all love to know who is in and who is out, but unfortunately this starts to warp our perspective of peoples characters and their true heart motives - what if there was a different way that Jesus modelled on how to follow him, to be a real Christian?

If you struggle with Fear or Anxiety it can be so so tough. Psalm 3 is easy to remember, its right near the beginning and looks at how David processed these emotions. Such a good one to remember when life seems to kick you in the butt.