Family Church Portsmouth

Pastor Andy speaks about how we must move into 2024 with an attitude of faith and expectation. He uses several scripture references to explain how God will manifest Himself over our lives. In the book of Esther, God turns a situation around literally - the gallows meant for an innocent man become for the hangmen. God caused a reversing to occur. Ps Andy speaks this reversing over our lives in that situations in our lives holding us back are reversed. Let us praise our way out of 2023 and worship our way into 2024! Psalm 121 says (NIV) "the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore".

The children of Israel took forty years to undertake an eleven day journey because they prevaricated and kept looking back rather than moving through the Red Sea into a land of promise flowing with milk and honey. This is the plan of God, for every one of us in salvation. The message of Jesus comes into our captivity and speaks freedom.

We choose to believe in Jesus and we leave 'our Egypt'. But we need to make sure we have left it, to come out of a 'red sea', free from our enemies and our addictions. Then we are coming not to a land of promise, but a life full of promise. This is God's plan for our salvation.

Pastors Sean and Paula have a discussion about the Heart of Christmas. Is it the presents, the gifts, is it the tree, is it the food, is it the excitement? Perhaps? No, its none of these things as they all fade away after the tree and the lights get packed away. The true Heart of Christmas is Jesus, not just as a baby as he was born, but as a grown man who came to save us , give us eternal life, absolution from all sins, and a relationship with our Heavenly Father.

As Ps Sean says, we all need to make sure we do not just accept the gift of Jesus, but we truly unwrap the present and accept Him into our lives fully, for He has great plans for us!

May you have a truly blessed and peace filled Christmas!

Pastor Andy speaks at the Christmas Carol Service for Family Church, Portsmouth. He believes there is plenty for us to be disappointed over during this season, but if we keep the main thing the main thing we will never be disappointed. Leaving Christ out of Christmas just leaves 'mas' or even a mess! Some in our society favour stealing Jesus from our nativity, whereas in fact the real Jesus can never be stolen from our hearts if we ask Him to be Lord and Saviour of our lives.

The church was packed full for this service with people standing at the back, but listen to this impactful message to learn the real truth behind Christmas.

Pastor Andy preaches a rip roaring message today about the power of the cross in our lives. We've got to be a group of believers who don't just come to a building on Sunday saying they believe certain things, but then living life where there's no evidence of what we say. We need to be full of God. We must be Jesus Christ followers on Monday, as much as we go on Sunday, then every other day as well! The result of this is having the power of the cross in our lives.

Pastor Andy goes on in detail to explain how the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus is also reflected in us too. Scriptures reveal how we also were co-crucified with Jesus.  The person we used to be died on the cross in Christ to 2000 years ago. That fact became activated the moment we believed. our loves need to be acted out to reflect this.

This is an awe inspiring message that will stir our hearts and minds. Listen, believe and act!

Following the series on House of Prayer, Pastors Andy and Paula reflect on the series, looking at their favourite pieces of teaching and remembering how crucial it is that we understand how we are both Natural and Spiritual beings and that our prayers and our warfare with demons etc take place in the Spiritual realm.

Pastor Andy also reflects on how sometimes we need to concentrate on the things we cannot see in order to 'fix' the things we can see.

This is a superb podcast revisiting the cardinal elements of the previous weeks and reinforcing the fact that whilst the series on House of Prayer itself may have finished, it is just the start of the focus on prayer in our personal and corporate lives.

Pastor Andy concludes the series on House of Prayer by this week speaking about spiritual warfare. We exist in a physical realm on earth but when we pray we engage in a spiritual realm. The Bibles tells us we battle against spiritual powers and principalities. Ps Andy unpacks this crucial subject, speaking of angels and demons and the role Christ has played in giving us all authority to bind and loose here on earth...that these things be bound and loosed in Heaven.

This is a MUST LISTEN podcast, covering enormous ground with scriptural backing to all Andy speaks of. He ends with some application pointers..

• Be aware of the two realms....any breakthrough you need may have more to do with whats happening in the unseen. Hit your knees and do business with God and see him bring breakthrough!
• Pray in the understanding for the things that we understand in the spirit for things we have done.
• Understand how to separate people and things from what influences them. When we do spiritual warfare, we deal like Daniel the things that were happening, but were causing interference. If the airways are cleared, the sound of God can break through!
• Ensure we are wearing the armour of God.
• Use our God given authority to begin to bind and loose things in what we call the Spirit ground. Do not get into arguments with people in the natural realm.
• Remember we don't speak to enemy thoughts without authority, but when we speak to the devil's demons (lies, addictions...), there is a ring on our finger that says we represent a King and Kingdom.
• Realise that when we say Jesus with conviction, every devil hits its knees and leaves the building. When we say Jesus, every sickness has to submit. Let us not live like people unaware. Let us not reduce the name of Jesus.

Today, Pastor Andy continues he series on House of Prayer, speaking about praying for the sick and oppressed. God wants us to be praying for others, standing in the gap for others, rebuking their sicknesses and with the authority of Christ in us, praying for their healing. We may be praying for them directly - standing next them, or from afar.

Listen to this message to hear Ps Andy unwrap the details here, quoting scriptures and personal life events which also bear out the promises of God in the Bible for his own life.

Ps Andy gives challenging insight into what to say and what not to say when praying for others who are sick, especially as our God knows everything we can even think of before we utter a word. Sometimes the simplest of prayers are the most powerful.

Ps Andy specifically speaks about how Jesus deal with unbelief before curing people in the bible. Nothing is impossible for God. God is wiling and able to bring freedom though prayer, as shown in scripture and also in present day situations.

Pastor Gina continues the series 'House of Prayer', this week speaking about praying for others. This is also called 'standing in the gap' or intercession. Prayer is a tool which is powerful and effective, and is a gift, a grace for others when we pray for them.

We are given the privilege of being the channels of the Holy Spirit's prayer. It's a privilege to be able to take someone else before the throne of God and pray for them. We get to be that link that link between what God is thinking and what God wants to do in their lives. We become a link for another person. The Bible commands Christians to pray for one another. James 5:16 (NIV) says "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective".

Ps Gina continues to explore this topic quoting many scripture references (notably the story of Esther) where life situations changed as a result of people interceding for others. She explains h ow she walks in the prayers of her own mother and challenges us all to be effective prayer warriors for others.

Pastor Paula speaks this week on Types of Prayer - continuing the series on House of Prayer. When we use all types of prayer in our prayer life, we get to experience God in different ways. Psalm 100:4 tells us to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with Praise. Psalm 107 tells us to give thank to the Lord for he is good.

Ps Paula continues with personal life stories punctuated with scripture but also challenges us to pray about both the small and big things in our lives. If we dont but we moan and grumble, what are we like? Paula speaks about going before God with a humble heart, on our knees in complete surrender in supplication. If our prayer life is only about the good things in life, we end up quite shallow. Paula speaks of Hannah in the Bible who made a petition, she got on her knees in supplication for a child.

The prayer of supplication does not leave us wanting what we want. It shifts our hearts and causes us to want God to be glorified, because when we get to the end of ourselves and don't know what to do and God is got only person that we have left to help, we begin to realise "God, I'm nothing God nothing. So may your will be glorified." Everything comes from God and for His glory.

Pauls ends speaking about how prayers of supplication, petition, and intercession produce miracles......God can take our broken situations.....other people will then know the power of God. But when people stop praying, miracles stop happening!

Today Pastor Andy continues the series on House of Prayer. This week he speaks on Prayer Languages. There are two different languages of prayer a believer can know. Pastor Andy speaks at length on these – namely praying in our own understanding (the language we use every day), and praying in tongues (praying in the Holy Spirit). 

As Pentecostals, we believe that God enables us to pray with another prayer language. We don't believe speaking in tongues is a sole evidence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit - many Christians who don't pray in the Holy Spirit live most  beautiful spiritual lives. Also some Christians who pray a lot in the spirit live very ugly lives! Speaking in tongues or heavenly language that the Holy Spirit makes available to every believer is an evidence, but not the evidence of the Holy Spirit. 

Speaking in tongues is something God wants us to enjoy. We believe that what was given and demonstrated in the early church in the book of Acts can be a believer's experience today. Why? Because we're a part of the same church which Jesus opened 2000 years ago. Pastor Andy continues to explain some of the main aspects of praying with our own understanding and praying in the Spirit. 

Listen to this podcast to hear exciting news about how we are all able to pray in tongues. Towards the end, Pastor Andy also discusses aspects associated with the Spiritual gift of Tongues and how and when this is used.