In this episode of the Forres Community Church Podcast, Stuart Finlayson continues our journey through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

Paul moves from describing the growth and maturity of the church to something deeply practical: what it looks like to live the new life we have been given in Christ.

In Ephesians 4:17–32, Paul contrasts the old way of life, shaped by hardened hearts and futile thinking, with the new self that believers are called to put on—created to be like God in righteousness and holiness.

Together we explore what it means to put off the old self, be renewed in our minds, and put on the new self in Christ, learning how our words, attitudes, and relationships are transformed as the Holy Spirit works within us.

This passage reminds us that the Christian life is not simply about behaviour change, but about living into the new identity we have received in Christ.

In this episode of our “… in Christ” series, we step into the turning point of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

After three chapters describing everything God has done for us in Christ, Paul now says: “Walk.”

What does it mean to live a life worthy of the calling we’ve received? What are the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers actually for? And what does it really mean to “equip the saints for the work of ministry”?

This episode moves beyond personality labels and spiritual self-discovery, and instead explores maturity, participation, and shared responsibility in the body of Christ. Grace is the foundation — but grace also calls us to move. Not to earn God’s favour, but because we already have it.

Together we consider what it looks like for every part of the body to supply something, and how true growth in the church is measured not just in numbers, but in depth, unity, and Christlikeness.

As we continue shaping who we are at Forres Community Church, this passage invites us to step out of passivity and into participation — equipped in Christ.

This week at Forres Community Church, we reach a turning point in our journey through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. After three chapters describing all that God has done for us in Christ, Paul now begins to show us what that grace looks like in the life of the church.

In Ephesians 4:1–6, we are called to “live a life worthy of the calling” we have received. But what does that actually mean? And how do humility, gentleness, patience, and peace shape the way we relate to one another?

In this message, we explore the unity that God has already created in Christ—one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord—and what it means to live inside that unity day by day. Rather than something we have to create, unity is a gift we are called to protect, through lives shaped by the character of Jesus.

Part 6 of our series in Ephesians.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1–6

Forres Community Church — Making Kingdom Disciples

What holds us steady when life feels uncertain? Where does real strength come from?

In this message preached at St Leonard's Parish Church of Scotland in Forres and using Ephesians 3:14–21, we hear Paul’s powerful prayer for the church—a prayer not for easier circumstances, but for deeper strength. Writing from prison, Paul asks God to strengthen believers in their inner being, so that Christ would dwell in their hearts and they would be rooted and grounded in his love.

Drawing connections with Jesus’ teaching in John 15, this sermon explores what it means to remain in Christ, to be filled with the fullness of God, and to live from the inside out in a world that constantly pressures us from the outside in.

This is a message of identity before instruction, belonging before behaving, and strength that comes not from our own efforts, but from the Spirit at work within us.

What if the church is doing far more than we can see?

In Ephesians 3, the Apostle Paul pulls back the curtain on a breath-taking reality: through the church, God is making his wisdom known—not just to the world, but to the heavenly realms themselves.

In this episode, we explore:

Why Paul calls himself a prisoner of Christ rather than a victim of Rome

The “mystery” once hidden and now revealed in Jesus

How the church becomes a living display of God’s many-coloured wisdom

Why ordinary acts of faithfulness echo in heaven

This sermon invites us to re-imagine the local church—not as a social club or religious institution, but as a cosmic witness to God’s reconciling work in Christ.

Wherever you’re listening from, may this remind you that your faithfulness matters—far beyond what your eyes can see.

In a world shaped by division, conflict, and competing identities, is real unity actually possible?

In this episode, we explore Ephesians 2:11–22 and Paul’s vision of a new kind of belonging — one that doesn’t begin with agreement, effort, or shared background, but with grace.

This reflection looks at:

why the Bible speaks honestly about separation and hope,

how peace is understood not as an idea, but as a person,

and what it might mean to belong without having to earn your place.

Whether you’re someone who follows Jesus, someone curious about faith, or someone still asking questions, this episode invites you to slow down and consider where peace, identity, and true unity might really be found.

In this sermon from our Ephesians series at Forres Community Church, we explore one of the clearest and most confronting summaries of the gospel in the whole Bible.

Ephesians 2:1–10 tells us the truth about where humanity stands without Christ — not broken and in need of advice, but spiritually dead and in need of resurrection. It also tells us what God has done in love and mercy: raising the dead, saving by grace, and forming a people for lives of purpose.

This passage can feel uncomfortable in a culture that avoids naming sin or human need, yet it is also one of the most fair, inclusive, and hope-filled texts in Scripture. Paul insists that “we all” stand on the same ground — and that salvation is never earned, but freely given.

In this episode, we reflect on:

What it means to be “dead, not damaged”

Why Eden explains Ephesus — and us

The power of the words “But God”

Why grace eliminates all boasting and includes everyone

What it means to be God’s workmanship, saved for good works

Whether you’re a long-time Christian or exploring faith for the first time, this message invites you to receive grace, leave behind self-reliance, and walk in the life God has prepared.

Big idea: Dead people don’t save themselves — but God raises them, saves them by grace, and sends them walking in good works.

In this episode, we explore Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:15–23, where he asks that the “eyes of our hearts” would be opened so that we can truly understand who God is, who we are, and the hope we are called to live in.

Rather than focusing first on changing circumstances, Paul prays for changed vision — that we would see life through the lens of hope, grace, and God’s power at work within us.

Whether you’ve followed Jesus for years, are exploring faith, or are simply curious, this passage invites us to consider what it might mean to live with deeper confidence, clearer purpose, and a bigger story shaping our everyday lives.

At Forres Community Church, our vision is to help people discover God, discover ourselves, and discover life in all its fullness — and this prayer speaks directly into that journey.

🎧 In this episode we reflect on:

• why identity comes before behaviour in the Christian life

• how hope shapes perseverance in difficult seasons

• what it means to be deeply valued by God

• and how Christ’s power is at work in ordinary, everyday faithfulness

Sunday morning sermon recorded at St. Leonard's Church of Scotland on Sunday 4th January 2026.

This is the sermon Rev Stuart preached when FCC visited Kinloss Church on Sunday 14th September 2025. The readings were Exodus 14 and John 14.