Family Church Portsmouth

Pastor Steu begins this week speaking with the title “He will never leave you”. God promises that he will never leave us nor forsake us. This is the promise that he made to Joshua, who became the leader of the children of Israelites after Moses - no small task. Joshua needed to know that God was going to empower him and be with him every step of the way. In Deuteronomy, 31:6, God spoke to Joshua. He said (NKJV) “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you”.

Joshua had to know this in his heart as he led the children of Israel forward into the land of promise that God had given them. This promise that God made to Joshua is ours as well. God has come to dwell in our lives by his Spirit. And the truth is that he will never leave us and he will never forsake us. According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, we are new creations in Christ Jesus. Old things are passed away and all things have become new. This transformation is amazing but only the start. God wants us to walk in the power of this transformation every day. He wants to empower us to be different to this world, to stand out as his holy people, set apart people to be people who walk as Jesus did. In other words, to carry the character of Christ, walk with love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness and self-control. These fruits are the look and feel of His people.

Ps Steu mentions there are many occasions when we need to know that God is with us by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. He speaks of four specific occasions when we need to know that the presence of God is in our lives, when it is vital to remember that God is with us. These are Temptation, Tension, Triumph and Tragedy. Ps Steu explains how having God in our lives and displaying the fruits of His Spirit sets us apart from others and turns heads when people are otherwise focused on the worldly ways of living. 

It’s Pentecost Sunday and we’re excited to be joined by Micah Wood, a leader at Ramp Church, Manchester, who continues our series “By My Spirit”.

Pastor Sean continues with week 3 of the 4 part series "By My Spirit". He focuses this week on the Holy Spirit being within us, in us and on us, being the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus at the ascension. Using a motor as an analogy he illustrates that not only do we now have a new car, a new driver but also a new engine giving us power like never before. His message looks at how the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to do things we cannot do in our strength. He looks at scripture where Paul even delights in his weaknesses in order that he is strong in Christ (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). 

Reference is made to Luke 24 and Acts 1, both of these verses being statements made by Jesus after his resurrection and just prior to his Ascension. Jesus was telling His disciples they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, then being witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and even to the ends of the Earth. Clearly, Jesus is demonstrating that He has substantial plans for them, through their lives. He was asking them to receive His Spirit, allowing it to reside, rule and reign within them….then they would be limitless in what you could do. It's the same for us! In the same way God had a plan for the first church, He's got a Plan for the church today because we're the same church but the Holy Spirit comes into our lives to lead us but also empower us and give us divine or supernatural ability. At the boundary of our own ability, God’s ability through the Holy Spirit in us begins to act. 

When the understanding or the revelation that we are now filled with God's own Spirit fully settles in our minds, we will begin to do things we didn't think we would - like forgiving what you couldn’t; loving those we couldn’t and so on. God doesn't ask us to do things in our own strength alone. The first footstep may be ours to take, but the other footsteps that cause us to arrive where He is asking us to go are provided by Him. There is a two-fold benefit for us - number one, it’s great for us, number two, it's also good for others because God has called us to minister His life to others.  We are people who can be led by the Spirit in our daily lives. We are people who are empowered by the Spirit in our lives, and for the benefit of others. Let this be so.

Pastor Andy continues the four part series By My Spirit. Last week he looked at being filled with the Holy Spirit – God’s plan to empower us with His presence, His ability and power. Andy speaks of God’s desire to be resident, reigning and ruling our lives. He speaks of the purposes the Holy Spirit lives inside us…to empower us, to transform us into the likeness of Christ, to comfort us in times where we need comfort, to help us and assist us, but also to daily lead us in successful paths and Godly ways.  

Andy refers to John 16:13-15, here we see Jesus saying that the Holy Spirit is coming to guide our lives, in all truth. Spirit-led is also evidence and demonstration of us now being God's children, (Romans 8: 9- 14). There really is only one type of Christian – that is Spirit filled!

We all have to make a decision – to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us or not…Psalm 23 indicates how God will shepherd our lives if we let Him. The Holy Spirit wants to cause our lives to be transformed, renewed, empowered and enlightened.  The key question that affects us all is are we ready for this and will we let Him?

Pastor Andy begins a new series “By My Spirit”. This is the first of four parts. Zechariah 4:6 is a key verse Andy refers to where it says “Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit says, the Lord Almighty”. This series will be looking at being filled with the Holy Spirit, being led by the Spirit, being empowered by the Spirit, then the coming of the spirit and what Pentecost means for us today.

We often refer to Spirit-filled Christians, meaning that but we're a Spirit-filled people of people who know and believe that God's spirit is now resident in our lives. The moment we consider that the same spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead now lives in us, everything begins to change, if we dare to believe it! 

Pastor Andy describes how the Holy Spirit was present at the beginning of time (Genesis 1:2), throughout the Old Testament (in the Temple and Tabernacle), how in the Old Testament we see glimpses of everyday folk doing supernatural things. God’s Spirit was present but not in them. Racing through to the New Testament, when Jesus on the cross says it's finished and the veil in the temple was rent in two from top to the bottom; that was the Holy Spirit saying everything that Jesus needed to do to purify people had been completed in order that the Holy Spirit could live within people. 

The atonement of Jesus enabled the veil to be torn. If Jesus had not paid for our sins, God’s Spirit would not be able to live in us. He is a holy God; we were an unholy people due to Adam sentencing us to separation because of sin. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from every sin that separated us, so God could no longer just be with us but reside in us. This was God’s eternal plan, foretold by the prophets in the Old Testament and promised by Jesus himself in the (John 14:17). In verse 18 Jesus says He would not leave us as orphans and that the Holy Spirit would reside in us - Pentecost.

Pastor Andy speaks about how the difference between the Spirit of God just living in us but also residing in us. Some of us keep the Spirit of God locked in a basement; we need to be sealed with the Spirit but also “be being filled” with the Holy Spirit. Then, the Holy Spirit can reign in our lives and empower us to do supernatural things on earth.

Today, Pastor Andy completes his three week series on the Will of God. This began by looking at what the will of God was in order we could then walk in His Will. Romans 12:1-2 is the key verse. Verse 2 says we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds in order we can then test and approve what God’s will is. This, of course assumes we make decisions to live not as the world lives, but to live in God’s ways. 

Pastor Andy speaks about how in many instances when we choose God’s will or God’s way over our own, that it will cost us in some way. Whatever God asks us to do; we normally lay down something that was our will. Luke 22:42 (NIV) is the most significant example of this in scripture “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done”. Jesus prays on the Mount of Olives before His crucifixion. He knew what was to come but sought the Father’s will. The sacrifice was ultimate. He had choice, He could have walked away, but He sacrificed Himself for us all. This moment is the Passion, Jesus choosing us knowing what lay ahead.

Pastor Andy concludes his word for today by leading the congregation if the words of the Lord’s Prayer - Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV) “This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Pastor Andy continues today with part two of his three part series on the Will of God. This week Andy speaks on Walking in the will of God. We can only walk in the will of God if we know what His will is. The Bible is full of the Prescriptive and Prohibitive will of God, as Andy explained last week. This week, Andy concentrates more on looking at God’s Perfect will and also His Permissive will. 

By permissive, we mean things that God permits or allows while other things would be God's perfect will for our life. God's will is sovereign yet certain things are permissive – they may not be what God truly desires for us, but will allow us to do these things. Our choices may give us a lesser experience of life than what He intended in His perfect will. Some people are happy to live within His permissive will only. 

There is also available to us the perfect will of God - that which God wants for us, which is His very best. God has specific perfect will plans for us, but we have choices whether we take hold of them or just settle for living in that which is allowed. In Jeremiah 29 verse 11, God speaks to Jeremiah saying I know the plans, filled with prosperity, not harm that will give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah had to choose to say yes or no to the plans of God – he did say yes. In Jeremiah chapter 1, he says the word of the Lord came to me saying before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. 

The permissive will of God will never match the perfect will of God. Let us aim for the perfect will of God. 

Today Pastor Andy begins a new series called The Will of God. This follows on from the series on Pathways. If we are to walk on the pathways of God then we need to be walking in accordance to the will of God. But the reality is we need to know what the will of God is, in order to do this. The Lord ’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10) speaks of “thy will be done”, so it is key we understand His will for us in our lives. 

Ps Andy examines the Revealed will of God in the scriptures, where God has made His will known for us on many occasions. Referencing Romans 12:1-2, Andy explains how our lives are His property, our lives are no longer our own as we were bought at a price. Andy goes on to describe the Prescriptive will of God (e.g. Matthew 19:19, Honour your Father and Mother), and then the Prohibitive will of God (e.g. Exodus 20:7, you shall not take the name of the Lord in vain). Later in the series, Ps Andy will speak about the Permissive and Perfect will of God. 

Andy then speaks of other scriptures where the Revealed will of God is clear to us all, in order to live a ‘set apart’ life. His message also deals with the will of God as explained in detail by Jesus teachings and His actions. Worthy of mention was the story of the man with leprosy in Matthew 8. Here we clearly see how God’s will though Jesus is not just for salvation but also for healing as well. It is God’s will that we all shall not perish, hence why we all need to meet with friends and family and explain the gospel message.

On this Easter day, Resurrection Sunday, Pastor Andy recalls the whole series of events from Good Friday through to Resurrection Sunday with scriptures describing Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. The importance of the resurrection cannot be overstated, without this our sins would never be forgiven, our faith in vain and the earlier scripture prophecies left unfulfilled. Jesus died for our sins that we may be restored to God in fullness of relationship. Ps Andy describes the whole Easter story in vivid detail - a message not to be missed!

Today Pastor Andy concludes the three part series on Pathways by summarising the previous two weeks and also making further points about our Christian journey. Today, Palm Sunday we see Jesus walk through a gateway entering Jerusalem down a pathway of Palms to a group of noisy rejoicing folk. 

Previous messages have spoken about the choices we have in order to walk a pathway of righteousness. The book of Proverbs, especially the first few chapters speaks of different pathways, life and death, purity, justice, forgiveness etc. A major key to the Christian life is to look at the pathways our feet should be on, but also those they shouldn't be on. Remember a powerful thought - we don't own our past – Jesus bought this at a price. So let’s not try and manage something that doesn't belong to us! Pastor Andy majors on four key points.

First - Always choose the small gate and the narrow path. Matthew 7:14 (NIV) says  “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it”. Walking with God includes gateways and pathways in salvation; we come through the Gateway of Jesus. Jesus said he is the shepherd; anyone who comes through him can find salvation and be saved. Pathways follow gateways and we have choices to walk the pathways of obedience and understanding now everything has changed in our lives and we are a new creation. 

Secondly – Make straight paths! Crooked paths symbolise ducking and dealing, deception, a little bit of walking straight with God then bending to suit our own ways.  We need to make our crooked paths straight. Zacchaeus had a Gateway moment with Jesus; the next thing he did was address the wrong pathways in his life – he said he had been a con man, robbed and stole from people and now he must give it back, all of it ! In Matthew 3:3, John the Baptist references what Isaiah said about preparing the way for the Lord and making straight paths for him. Before this line he said “repent, for the Kingdom of God is near” – this repentance is about changing our thinking to accommodate the reign of Christ. Fortunately, if we trust the Lord, lean not on our understanding and in all our ways submit to Him; then He will make our paths straight – not us! (Proverbs 3:5-6). God can only bless the parts of our lives which we submit to Him. 

Thirdly – It’s good to have a lamp. It’s much easier to stay on the right path if we can see the way. Psalm 119:105 (NIV) says “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path”. The word of God takes away darkness from our steps. When we walk with God, He lights the step in front of us as we walk in faith. We need to ask the Lord to enlighten our steps as we read our bibles.

Fourthly – It’s good to have a guide. A guide can lead us in our path, especially when we are lost and don’t know the way. John 16:13 (NIV) says “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come”. The Holy Spirit didn't just seal our lives for salvation, but came to live in us to guide us through all the jungles we would face daily.

Pastor Andy ends his message by looking again at the verse which encapsulates the series on Pathways. Proverbs 4:26 (AMPC) says “Consider well and watch carefully, the path of your feet and all your ways”. Let us each ensure our pathways are straight, not crooked and that we walk God’s pathways, the narrow path through the gate of Jesus illuminated by scripture.