Family Church Portsmouth

Pastor Carla continues the series ‘What are we Carrying’ by speaking specifically about shame and guilt. She explains how guilt is the opposite of innocence; how it lets people down. Guilt triggers a response in us, it reflects upon something which is not right with God. It should cause us to repent and change and change our lives, maybe trigger a prayer...

Guilt not dealt with can turn to shame...a painful feeling certainly not of God. God doesn't want this for us...it makes us feel not worthy. Shame also affects how we see ourselves and others. As we carry huge bags filled with the rubbish of our lives, our view of God (and others) is obscured. We cannot see anything clearly because of the baggage we refuse to put down..(often!)…

But, God paid the price through Jesus to free us of such rubbish. However, sometimes we do choose to pick it all back up again. The story of Adam and Eve in Genesis (Genesis 3:7) shows how they were ‘ashamed’ of their nakedness. Their guilt had turned to shame. Jesus enables us to become re-joined to God and our guilt and shame dealt with, we are born again and free.

Ps Carla provides many scripture references illustrating how we are now able to walk boldly, how everything has been dealt with and how we need to be people able to bounce back and allow God to use all of our situations. 1 John 1:8-9 tells us to freely admit our sins. Hebrews 10:22 (NIV) says “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water“. We do not need to carry guilt or shame, we are free indeed. 

Ps Sean begins a new series “What are you carrying”. He begins by asking us about what Jesus asks us to carry rather than all our natural junk we tend to carry around. Matthew 11:28 say “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. Jesus wants to give us rest, not religion and certainly not the anxieties of this world.

Matthew 16:24 tells us how we need to take up our cross and follow Jesus. Our identity is found in who we follow. Here, Jesus speaks of submission - we are not asked to carry our worries! When we take up our cross and follow Him life begins to make sense. A relationship with Jesus is rewarded with a lack of stress, no anxiety and no depression. There is only hope in Christ! 

Scripture is a most powerful tool. (Proverbs 4:20-22). When the Word is inside us.. Revival breaks out.

Ps Sean continues to speak about replacing worry with faith, rejoicing over God rather than dwelling on negativity. Worry and overthinking are both able to dominate our lives easily if let them, but we need to take captive our thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5) in order to transform our lives.

1 Peter 5:7 tells us rather to cast our anxieties on Him for He cares for us….a great rule for living. But, we also need to read the verse beforehand…..we are to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand that he may lift us up!

Today Pastor Andy speaks about the pursuit of Wisdom. In Proverbs 4, the Bible instructs us to get wisdom at any cost. Andy's message concentrates on the pursuit of wisdom form a Godly point of view. We need to ensure we do not turn our backs on God's wisdom, relying on wisdom from worldly sources. We must question ourselves regarding our philosophy here - is it correct? Where do we obtain the wisdom which we most love in our lives? Worldly wisdom leads to captivity, whereas Godly wisdom provides freedom to live as we never experienced beforehand.

Pastor Andy mentions the verses in Colossians 2:8 and following where Paul embraced God's wisdom resulting in life changes just as we need to now. Ultimately, we need to make a decision to follow the wisdom of Jesus and not that of the world. God and The Word must become our primary source. In James 1:5 the scripture speaks about how if we lack wisdom we should ask God who will give generously without finding fault in our lives (under the sub title of Trials and Temptations).

In Ephesians 1:17 and following we are instructed to keep asking the God of our Lord Jesus to give us the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in order that we may know Him better. The verses which follow also speak about the eyes of our hearts being enlightened so we may know the hope of which He has called us, His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe - the same power which raised Christ from the dead!!

We have a decision to make - do we contend or pursue the wisdom of God?, perhaps we need to humble ourselves and admit that often we do not know that which we do not know!

Pastors Sean and Paula interview May Famuditi & Shelley Parsons who both reveal life changing stories which build faith beyond belief. This could have been titled "Our God Reigns"....listen to learn real life stories of how God impacts lives here and now!

Pastor Andy continues the series called Pursuit - this week his title is The Pursuit of Life. True life is found in God! John 14:6 - I am the way, the truth and life. The word Zoe refers to life, eternal life! Abundant life - John 10:10 - the thief steals, kills and destroys, but....Jesus brings life, abundant life.  Abundant- Persisos - superior quality. He speaks of the Two Adams. Adam - Humanity. Jesus - Humanity can be regenerated through the spirit. John 3:6 - flesh gives birth to flesh, spirit to spirit. All alive have a life, but not all have found the life. 1 John 5:11-12. 1 Corinthians 15:22. In Adam 1 - all die, in Adam 2 - we are made alive again. 1 Corinthians 15:45. Adam 1 - A living being .....Adam 2 - life giving spirit. Life - quickened by the breath of God. Reconnected me to the true vine - John 15.

Family Church Pastors gather for a Round Table discussion on the true meaning of the scripture Acts 2:42 and following....

The NIV Bible titles this ‘The fellowship of the believers’

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

The NKJV Bible titles this ‘A Vital Church Grows’

 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ [n]doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

All of our Pastors draw vitally important nuggets from this scripture in relation to the future of our Church Fellowship. This is a ‘must listen’ message!!

We have spoken a lot about the pursuit of things we desire and need. This week we look at the pursuit of breakthrough. We all need breakthroughs at different times in our lives for different things. Be inspired by this special testimony based message where Andy and Gina encourage you to carry on believing by sharing a very personal journey of their own.

Pastor Andy continues with Part 2 of the series on Pursuit - The Pursuit of Liberty. Liberty is freedom, or the state of a person being free. Liberty is not a statue in the harbour, it’s a cross on a hill! (John 8:36 ). Who the son sets free, is free indeed. The cross is a place of co-crucifixion. Free from your past - hence don’t try to revive the old life! Galatians 2:20-21  - I have been crucified with Christ, I know longer live but Christ now lives in me! Romans 6:6 - For we have been crucified with Christ! Blood deals with sin, however the cross deals with me. 2 Corinthians 3:17 - Now the Lord is Spirit and where the spirit of Lord is there is freedom! 

Pastor Andy Elmes starts a new series titled ‘Pursuit’ today. This is part 1, dealing specifically with the pursuit of happiness. The second sentence of the American Declaration of Independence states that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.  A pursuit is what we set our heart or our desires hard at work over. 

The Declaration of Independence stated the United States no longer wanted the rule and reign of England, rather to be autonomous and self-governing. Ps Andy goes on to look at how effectively mankind moved away from the rule and reign of their Lord God in the Garden of Eden, believing happiness (amongst other things) to be found in the tree of knowledge of good and evil. History tells otherwise! Humanity turned its back on a position that it had, to go on a pursuit of something that could never be achieved, because we know that happiness, life and liberty aren't found in places outside of God. Since Adam, we have all been looking for those things in places where we can't find them when all the time God is there, omnipresent ever-present saying, “hey return to me, why don't you walk away from your statement of independence of me and my kingdom and come back into my kingdom, where you will find all those things”.

When we don’t have a relationship with God, we unknowingly draw things we think will create happiness from our wives, husbands, children or friendships. This makes relationships a lesser experience than God intended them to be. 

Ps Andy asks “what's the answer to all this”? Basically, have a healthy relationship with God, then all other relationships in our lives will become beautifully balanced as they were meant to be. Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) states “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”. The context of this statement comes from Jesus speaking to his followers saying, don't be like unsaved people, don't be like heathens or pagans, or people who don't know God and seek other things to bring them happiness. Rather, Jesus said that if we seek first the Kingdom of God, make a relationship with God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, making this the greatest pursuit of our lives, then our striving will cease. Our Father will add these other things to our lives and put His blessing upon them. However, if we look at other things outside God’s Kingdom for our pursuit of happiness, we effectively make them idols in our lives…..

Today, Ps Sean speaks about Baptism, namely Water Baptism, its meaning and why we should be baptised. The word Baptism means to undergo or be immersed. This takes place after someone accepts Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. It's an outward declaration of what Christ has done on the inside of who they are. We need to be of an understanding to do this; hence not something a child or infant can go through.  We do this when we understand what Christ has actually done for our life. The Bible calls this a baptism of repentance. 

PS Sean takes a walk through the scriptures explaining the power behind a water baptism – it is not a ceremony! Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. John the Baptist was doing this because he was making a way for Jesus and getting the people ready for the saviour of the world to enter. All of this was to fulfil those scriptures spoken previously in the Old Testament in Isaiah & Malachi – hundreds of years previously. 

Two examples from scripture show how the people were taken through the river Jordan leaving the entrapments of their old ways behind and the freedom of the new life in Jesus ahead. These are great examples of how visually the water baptism buries old ways. Ps Sean goes into detail to explain this in a not to be missed message ending with a challenge. Are we baptised, if so, do we need to bring remembrance to the power of our baptism and remind the enemy that our old life is dead and he has no hold over any of our old ways? Or, if we are not baptised, Sean hopes we are encouraged and that our understanding of this incredible sacrament is now awakened that we may seek to be baptised.