Salford Elim Church

There are times when we just can't hear, and it may be that we are sure God is silent. What do we do in these situations?

Paul and his companions were stuck because of circumstances and they changed their plans because of that and a vision. How do we know how to make sense of the circumstances we find ourselves in? When should we press on regardless of roadblocks and when should we take stock?

Prophecy is for the sake of others. It's a clear reminder that we listen to God because we are part of a community that we care for. Hearing from God is not a personal luxury – it's a church necessity.

Angels, visions, unexpected meetings, dramatic turns. If angels only turned up once in the Bible it would be easy to overlook them. But they are everywhere! How do we make sense of that today in a society that sees itself as far too sophisticated to believe this?

We believe that reading the Bible is one of the foundational ways to hear God speak to us. But how do we hear a word that we might find difficult to understand? How do we read well so we can hear well?

The psalmist believed that observing nature was a way of hearing the Lord who is speaking every day to any who have eyes to see. How do we see clearly so that we can hear well?

The promise of Jesus was that God would speak to his people because we are his friends. We would increasingly grow to recognise his voice. Of course, the challenge is: do we want to hear? Are we prepared to listen? Are we ready to respond if we do hear his voice?

A young out-of-town couple in a whirl, an old couple, part of the furniture in the Temple, easily overlooked. And a baby. Luke loves these sorts of people, because he knows that Jesus loves to spend time with them. And it's the way the salvation story unfolds. It did then, it still does now. As another uncertain new year begins for us.

Jesus the Nazarene is the hope of the nations and the hope of us all, He has come that we may know freedom when all seems lost.

Jesus was a toddler whose family had to escape violence. Immanuel came to earth and one of the first things that he did was to join the long line of refugees…

They came looking for a king. But they had no idea what sort of king he would be – or indeed the type of leadership/service he would ask of his followers.

If you're going to live well, you need to be able to understand Jesus profoundly. Matthew wrote his gospel so that you wouldn't have to guess, and this week we explore the two titles he introduces in his story of Jesus - Saviour and Immanuel. If we can get to grips with these, they will change how we see life, those around us and ourselves.

Another Remembrance Sunday when we are reminded of the catastrophe of war, the effects it has on those directly involved, as well as those bystanders who get dragged into it all. Jesus told his disciples to expect war, but that in the midst of it all there would be reasons to retain hope for the future. We need to hear it again this week as Russian troops advance on the borders of Ukraine.

What's Jesus being the Messiah got to do with COP26, your own very personal life and our life together as a church? Much more than we might imagine…

People are hungry. Hungry for change, for hope and sometimes for food. It can feel hard to know how to respond. If we follow Jesus, we can do what he did - feed them - and in so doing inherit the promises that come to this sort of life.

Jesus was regularly invited to meals. Some wanted to argue with him, others just wanted to get close to him. Some folks were socially at ease with him. But some seemed to make a fuss - to such an extent that it could be embarrassing. But Jesus didn't seem fazed by it, In fact he seemed to enjoy it. Maybe it was because he knew that this is how grace feels to those starved of hope. That's still how it feels.

After his conversion Saul arrives back in Jerusalem, but not to the welcome he had hoped for. The disciples there are fearful of Saul and his intentions. Saul needs someone to be his advocate and stand with him. Barnabas is just the man for the job…

In Luke's tale of two visions, God calls two people to change their life plans in order for the gospel of Jesus to spread further.

Most of us live with two nagging questions that keep coming back. 'How do we know what we should be doing?' 'I don't think I fit in here, am I good enough?' Acts 8 gives us a glimpse of the answers to both of these questions.

The action has all been in Jerusalem up to now but with the persecution, the gospel travels to the places where people had thought things could never change. Samaria was an ongoing problem to the Jews – history and culture meant that they could never imagine that things could ever be any different. Yet change happens because of the bravery of people and the power of the Spirit. How might this lead us to see our own situations and our city differently?

The religious folks resisted what was happening, and charge Stephen with going against the temple and the law. Stephen re-tells their own history to them, showing that God has always operated outside of the temple, Jerusalem and Israel. God was with his people, and at work, in all the difficult places. God is in the business of doing new things. We are on a journey with him. In difficult times, times of change, times of uncertainty, we follow Jesus. Sometimes in order to pick up new things, we have to lay other things down.

At times of stress, or change, old animosities can emerge. They need to be addressed. If they aren’t what makes us think we will be ready for what God has in store for us in the future. If the early church hadn’t solved this problem, they would never have been able to deal with the questions that would be raised when Gentiles accepted the gospel.

News of the resurrection of Jesus was deeply disturbing to the authorities, who were desperately trying to keep order. The apostles directly threatened the status quo – they stood in the temple offering a radically different understanding of all that God was doing. They were arrested and put in jail, but the angel broke down the door – and gave them specific orders to go back and to keep on speaking. In contexts where it’s easy for faith to be kept private, we are called to this same bravery…

In a week where we have seen protests about blatant acts of injustice, and against a backdrop where coronavirus has affected BAME people more than others, it’s easy to feel disempowered to know how to change anything. But Acts 4:32-5:11 shows the result of being filled with the Spirit and how the resurrection of Jesus created the foundations of a new society. That society challenged the existing culture, but also revealed the best and the worst of the community…

The healing of the crippled man really disturbed the establishment. The only thing they could do was try to intimidate the apostles. But it didn’t work...

A man who has been begging for 40 years - a lifetime of not being able to walk. But then something happens to that man, because two men slowed down enough to notice him...

God sent the Holy Spirit and did remarkable things amongst the early church. On the day of Pentecost there was a new routine for them...

Something amazing has just happened and people are asking, "What does this mean?" Then Peter begins speaking to the crowd about it...

Our different dialects and accents can make us feel like we belong, but they can also make us feel like we're judged and misunderstood. It was no different for the early church, yet they were able to be heard and understood.

Judas commits suicide and now there are only 11 disciples; the disciples need to replace him. How will the new twelfth disciple be chosen?

At a time when everything seems to be on a knife edge and we're not sure what will happen next, the book of Acts is really helpful. The church was birthed into the unknown. They didn't know what happen next, but they learned to respond to the moving of the Spirit because they were really aware that they weren't in control of things.

Mary and the disciples go to Jesus' tomb knowing that people don't rise from the dead, but Jesus did and proved to them that He was alive. This changes everything.

When we think about the cross on Good Friday, it's not just some religious activity that we engage with; it's because we know that we're set in motion by the power of the cross, we're energised by it, we're upheld by it, we're guaranteed a future by it, we're secured for the future because of it. Good Friday is not the whole story, but it's worth slowing down because it's such a vital part of the the story.

Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey; on the sides are the people cheering him and the Jewish leaders trying to stop him; behind are the disciples following him. Where do you feel you are in this picture?

What does it mean to live well and to pray well, when things are not so great? What can we learn from Paul's letter to the Ephesian church about praying with authority?

How should we pray during anxious days? We need to be joyful and gentle, with prayer that overcomes anxiety, guarding against anxious thoughts and put our faith into practice!

On difficult days, how do we pray and act to reveal the better story of the gospel? The Spirit helps us in our weakness and reminds us that we have a home, a hope and a help.

When Peter was imprisoned, the church prayed with conviction and passion for his release and yet seemed astonished when he was. How do we pray when faced with a crisis? How do we make sense of both the answered and unanswered prayers?

Matthew's gospel tells two stories of outsiders who come to Jesus determined and confident that he will do something incredible for someone they care about. Will we do the same for one another?

It's easy to become discouraged when we don't see the results of our prayers but, as the story of Abraham reminds us, we must take our place as priests who will intercede on behalf of the world.

Psalm 23 is much more than a scripture to read at funerals. It's a radical reminder that we pray to a God who is the shepherd of our lives.

Paul's prayer for the Ephesians reminds us of the core business of prayer - that we may know God better.

Luke's telling of the birth of Jesus reminds us that God acted at a real time in history, in a real place, with real people. If we pause from our busyness, we might just be amazed again at the one who comes close to us.

The genealogies at the end of Ruth & at the start of Matthew's gospel are full of remarkable people. What has God called you to continue to be committed to?

The end of the book of Ruth is much better than a simple love story; the actions of Ruth, Naomi and Boaz have much bigger consequences.

Both Ruth and Boaz took risks in order to create new possibilities for others. What might God be asking of us which could prove redemptive for others in our families and work places?

How do we make sense of the good things that happen in life which are beyond our control? Do we put them down to luck or is God involved somehow? “When I pray, coincidences happen; when I don’t, they don’t.” William Temple pic.twitter.com/0XmpodIG3c — Salford Elim Church (@SalfordElim) 17 November 2019

The book of Ruth is a story of God's hand in the midst of an ordinary family. When tragedy strikes, we, like Naomi, may well ask: 'where are you God?'

The story of the blind beggar reminds us that we are all spiritually blind until we see Jesus for who he really is. The question is, how much do you want to see him?

Paul ends his letter to the Galatian church with an encouragement to do good; particularly to carry one another's burdens. We still need to hear that encouragement today.

We can believe the lie that everything depends on us. Sometimes we need reminding to simply trust in the Father who holds all things in His hands.