Upper Room Church Sandton

John shared a powerful message. He spoke on how it's easy to become so busy doing things for God that we lose sight of simply being with Him. In this message, we explore the powerful contrast between Martha's anxious striving and Mary's choice to sit at Jesus' feet. Before Jesus performed a single miracle or began His public ministry, the Father declared, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." His identity and the Father's delight were never earned—they were received.

God has never asked us to prove our worth through endless activity. Instead, He invites us into a place of rest, where our identity is rooted in His love rather than our performance. As Psalm 127 reminds us, He gives rest to those He loves. Discover how to lay down striving, release resentment, and find the peace that comes from simply abiding in the Father's presence.

What if the way we view money has eternal significance?

Pete in this teaching speaks of how Jesus teaches that our treasure reveals where our hearts truly are. In a world where money and earthly systems are often shaped by brokenness, God invites us to use what we've been entrusted with for something that lasts forever. Rather than living for temporary gain, we're called to invest in people, the Kingdom, and eternity.

We explored what it means to store up treasures in heaven, steward our resources with integrity, and recognise that every act of generosity has the potential to point people to Jesus. As the body of Christ, we don't simply build for today—we invest together in an eternal Kingdom that will never fade.

You may have failed, but you are not your failure.

So many people carry the weight of past mistakes, believing that failure has become their identity. But that's never been the Father's heart.

In this message, Anton unpacks Psalm 51 to reveal a God whose response to our brokenness is mercy, not rejection. While failure can lead us toward sin, shame was never meant to define us. Through the finished work of Jesus, we have complete freedom from sin and death, and full access to the Father's love.

Discover how the Father's voice silences shame, restores identity, and reminds us that His heart toward us never changes. He doesn't discard those who fail—He restores them.

So many of us have learned to live by the voices around us rather than the voice of our Heavenly Father. Yet from the very beginning, God has been speaking, revealing His heart and inviting us into a relationship with Him.

In this message, Ant reminds us that God is the ultimate Father—faithful, generous, and full of love. While the wounds of fatherlessness have left deep scars on humanity, there is hope because we have a Father in heaven who sees us, knows us, and loves us completely.

JESUS is that hope. He came to display the Father and his heart for us.

As we discover who our Heavenly Father truly is, we begin to live with confidence, security, and freedom, knowing that we are deeply loved and never alone.

He Is Far Better Than You Think | Anton Keyter

What if God the Father is far better than you've ever imagined?

In this powerful message, Anton Keyter unpacks the incredible truth of our identity as sons and daughters of God. Through Galatians 4:4 and 1 John 3:1–3, we're reminded that because of our faith in Jesus, we've received the Spirit of sonship—not a spirit of fear or abandonment. We are no longer orphans; we have a loving, personal Father who invites us to know Him intimately as "Abba, Father."

As we grow in this revelation, the life and Spirit of Jesus begin to shine through us, revealing the Father's heart to the world around us. In a culture marked by fatherlessness, the Church is called to live from the security of being deeply loved and fully accepted by God.

This message is a fresh invitation to rediscover the Father's love, embrace your identity as His child, and live each day grounded in the truth that you are not fatherless.

The gospel is so much more than a message of salvation—it's the hope, healing, peace, and restoration that every heart is searching for. In this message, Ang Keyter reminds us that as followers of Jesus, we are the carriers of this good news to a broken world.

Through Scripture, we're challenged to consider the opportunities God places before us every day. Are we stepping into them, or are we overlooking them? Just as the Israelites looked to the bronze serpent for healing, we now look to Jesus—the true source of life and hope.

This message will encourage you to embrace your calling, speak words that bring life, and trust that the love of Christ has the power to soften even the hardest hearts. Jesus is the hope our world needs, and we have the privilege of sharing Him.

Two videos watched at the end:

https://x.com/i/status/2070560816919666902

https://youtu.be/lLMPQx_IPhQ?si=IqO17KZGorONi91h

Mending the Nets for the Harvest

This past Sunday, John shared a timely message from Luke 5:1–2, reminding us that God's heart has always been for the lost. He delights in seeing people come to know Him, and He is preparing His Church for the harvest that is to come.

Just as Simon Peter, James, and John were called by Jesus to follow Him, we too are called and anointed for the work He has entrusted to us. Before the great catch came, the fishermen had to mend their nets—a task that wasn't glamorous, but was absolutely vital. In the same way, God is calling us to faithfully prepare, strengthen, and position ourselves for the people He desires to bring into His Kingdom.

As we make room for what God wants to do, we can look forward with great expectation and joy as multitudes encounter Jesus and experience the miracle of salvation. This message was a powerful reminder that God's desire is for all people to come to know Him, and that He is preparing His Church for the harvest ahead.

In this message, Luke Sparks explored God's desire for His people to live free from the love of money. Teaching from the example of Zaccheus, Luke highlighted how self-reliance and dependence on wealth can become obstacles to trusting God and fully embracing His Kingdom. True freedom comes when our security is found in God rather than in our own resources.

Drawing from scriptures including Proverbs 11:24, Luke 6:38, 2 Corinthians 9:6, and Hebrews 13:5, Luke reminded us that generosity is more than an act of giving—it is a pathway to freedom. Just as Jesus honoured the widow who gave all she had, we were encouraged to trust that God sees every act of generosity and that we can never outgive Him. As we learn contentment in God and choose the opposite spirit of greed, our hearts are set free to live with open hands, joyful generosity, and complete dependence on Him.

This Sunday, Pete unpacked the powerful truth that everything we have ultimately belongs to God. Teaching from Matthew 25:14, he reminded us that we are not owners, but stewards—entrusted with God's resources and called to manage them faithfully.

Through the parable of the talents, we were challenged to consider how we are investing what God has placed in our hands. Pete encouraged us to live with open hearts, recognising that generosity is not about obligation, but about partnering with God’s purposes. As followers of Jesus, we are called to be cheerful givers, faithfully stewarding our time, talents, and finances in a way that honours Him.

In this powerful message from Matthew 13 and Matthew 6, Anton Keyter challenges us to examine what we truly treasure. Jesus teaches that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. The things we value most reveal what we love, trust, and ultimately worship.

Through the parable of the treasure hidden in the field, we're invited to see the incomparable worth of God's Kingdom and to weigh everything we have in light of eternity. Anton reminds us that money itself is not evil, but the love of money can easily compete for our affection and devotion.

God's desire is not for His people to live in fear or lack. He calls us to be fruitful, to prosper, and to steward what He has entrusted to us with wisdom and purpose. As we surrender our finances to Him, they become a powerful indicator of spiritual transformation and a reflection of where our hearts truly belong.

This message will encourage you to shift your perspective from temporary gain to eternal treasure and to discover the freedom that comes from putting God first in every area of your life.