Thames Valley Churches of Christ

Communion, Joan Mankoo, Thames Valley churches of Christ

Thank you for listening to this podcast. You can find more episodes in our feed. Our web site is http://www.tvcoc.org. Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. Do you have a question about the Bible or the Christian faith? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send us your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: tvcochrist@gmail.com. Thanks again for listening. Have a super day. God bless, Malcolm

"How to respond to the virus crisis", Malcolm Cox, Thames Valley churches of Christ

We are called to:

1. Prayer in place of anxiety (James 5:13-15; Philippians 4:6).
2. Empathy and compassion for those suffering (Matthew 9:36; Mark 5:34).
3. Action to comfort where we can (2 Corinthians 1:4; Matthew 14:14).
4. Making the most of every opportunity - sharing about the comfort Jesus can bring for those who don't yet know him (Acts 16:22-36).

What we don't know about the virus is not as important as what we do know about Jesus.

We know that the ultimate victory is his:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV11)

We also know that nothing in this world can separate us from the love of Christ:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Romans 8:35 NIV11)

• It is sobering to see what is going on around the world as a reaction to the virus.
• Not only the deaths, illnesses and physical pain, but also the emotional anxiety and even panic.
• Let's do our best to be people who are alert to the realities of the consequences of the virus, and connected with people in their pain.
• Yet, also, to be those people who have a genuine hope and do not live in fear.

God bless, Malcolm

"Overcoming worry and anxiety", Michael Fadeyi, Thames Valley churches of Christ

Thank you for listening to this podcast. You can find more episodes in our feed. Our web site is http://www.tvcoc.org. Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. Do you have a question about the Bible or the Christian faith? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send us your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: tvcochrist@gmail.com. Thanks again for listening. Have a super day. God bless, Malcolm

“The Healing of the Nations”, International Service

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.”(Rev. 22:1–4 NIV11)

 

The pain in the world obscures God’s vision for the world.

 

1. Eden Restored

• Gen 2 - tree’s fruit abused
• Rev 22.1-4 - a tree for healing.
• ‘Healing’ is God’s desire.
• This starts at a personal level before the world can be changed.
• A personal relationship with God is needed for such healing.
• It takes humility and courage to admit that we need healing personally.

2. Live in Unity

• “A song of ascents. Of David. How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” (Psa. 133:0–3 NIV11)
• Such unity is hard work, but worth it.

3. A beacon of hope to the world.

• “Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the LORD heard this.¶ (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.) ¶ At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out. Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, h he said, “Listen to my words: “When there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” ¶ The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them. ¶ When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous —it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”” (Num. 12:1–12 NIV11)
• God heals the relationship, not just the disease.
• How are we cultivating unity in our ‘world’?

   

  4. Bear and Forgive

  • “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”(Col. 3:12–14 NIV11)
  • Ongoing attitude of overlooking mistakes and grievances
  • What would the world look like if we lived this?
  • Cannot live in freedom and joy if insist on every wrong being righted in this life.
  • “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”(1 Pet. 2:9 NIV11)
  • Our identity is in Christ. Therefore we need have no worries about finding values.

Thank you for listening to this podcast. You can find more episodes in our feed. Our web site is http://www.tvcoc.org.

 

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

 

Do you have a question about the Bible or the Christian faith? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send us your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: tvcochrist@gmail.com.

 

Thanks again for listening. Have a super day.

 

God bless,

 

Malcolm

 

Reading, tvcoc, Thames Valley churches of Christ, ICOC, Tim Dannatt, Malcolm Cox, ICCM, Lower Earley, Wokingham, Southampton, Beaconsfield, Oxford, Banbury, Deepcut, Frimley, Sunday School, Youth Ministry, Bracknell, Shevvy Dannatt, Churches of Christ, Christian churches near me, International church, churches close to me, Thames Valley, Thames Valley location, Thames Valley church of Christ, the Thames Valley,

“Kingdom Come” podcast, episode 62

“Kingdom Come” podcast, episode 62

Would you like to know more about the heart of Jesus? If so, you’ve come to the right place.

Welcome to the “Kingdom Come” podcast of the Thames Valley churches of Christ. For two months we are diving deep into the “Sermon on the Mount”, found in the Gospel of Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7.

These podcasts are designed to help us take these amazing words of Jesus and apply them to our devotional life.

Thank you for listening to this podcast. You can find more episodes in our feed. Our website is http://www.tvcoc.org.

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

Do you have a question about the Bible or the Christian faith? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send us your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: tvcochrist@gmail.com.

Thanks again for listening. Have a super day.

God bless,

Malcolm

Reading, tvcoc, Thames Valley churches of Christ, ICOC, Tim Dannatt, Malcolm Cox, ICCM, Lower Earley, Wokingham, Southampton, Beaconsfield, Oxford, Banbury, Deepcut, Frimley, Sunday School, Youth Ministry, Bracknell, Shevvy Dannatt, Churches of Christ, Christian churches near me, International church, churches close to me, Thames Valley, Thames Valley location, Thames Valley church of Christ, the Thames Valley,

“Kingdom Come” podcast, episode 61

“Kingdom Come” podcast, episode 61

Would you like to know more about the heart of Jesus? If so, you’ve come to the right place.

Welcome to the “Kingdom Come” podcast of the Thames Valley churches of Christ. For two months we are diving deep into the “Sermon on the Mount”, found in the Gospel of Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7.

These podcasts are designed to help us take these amazing words of Jesus and apply them to our devotional life.

Thank you for listening to this podcast. You can find more episodes in our feed. Our website is http://www.tvcoc.org.

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

Do you have a question about the Bible or the Christian faith? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send us your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: tvcochrist@gmail.com.

Thanks again for listening. Have a super day.

God bless,

Malcolm

Reading, tvcoc, Thames Valley churches of Christ, ICOC, Tim Dannatt, Malcolm Cox, ICCM, Lower Earley, Wokingham, Southampton, Beaconsfield, Oxford, Banbury, Deepcut, Frimley, Sunday School, Youth Ministry, Bracknell, Shevvy Dannatt, Churches of Christ, Christian churches near me, International church, churches close to me, Thames Valley, Thames Valley location, Thames Valley church of Christ, the Thames Valley,

“Kingdom Come” podcast, episode 60

“Kingdom Come” podcast, episode 60

Would you like to know more about the heart of Jesus? If so, you’ve come to the right place.

Welcome to the “Kingdom Come” podcast of the Thames Valley churches of Christ. For two months we are diving deep into the “Sermon on the Mount”, found in the Gospel of Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7.

These podcasts are designed to help us take these amazing words of Jesus and apply them to our devotional life.

Thank you for listening to this podcast. You can find more episodes in our feed. Our website is http://www.tvcoc.org.

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

Do you have a question about the Bible or the Christian faith? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send us your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: tvcochrist@gmail.com.

Thanks again for listening. Have a super day.

God bless,

Malcolm

Reading, tvcoc, Thames Valley churches of Christ, ICOC, Tim Dannatt, Malcolm Cox, ICCM, Lower Earley, Wokingham, Southampton, Beaconsfield, Oxford, Banbury, Deepcut, Frimley, Sunday School, Youth Ministry, Bracknell, Shevvy Dannatt, Churches of Christ, Christian churches near me, International church, churches close to me, Thames Valley, Thames Valley location, Thames Valley church of Christ, the Thames Valley,

“Kingdom Come” podcast, episode 59

“Kingdom Come” podcast, episode 59

Would you like to know more about the heart of Jesus? If so, you’ve come to the right place.

Welcome to the “Kingdom Come” podcast of the Thames Valley churches of Christ. For two months we are diving deep into the “Sermon on the Mount”, found in the Gospel of Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7.

These podcasts are designed to help us take these amazing words of Jesus and apply them to our devotional life.

Thank you for listening to this podcast. You can find more episodes in our feed. Our website is http://www.tvcoc.org.

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

Do you have a question about the Bible or the Christian faith? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send us your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: tvcochrist@gmail.com.

Thanks again for listening. Have a super day.

God bless,

Malcolm

Reading, tvcoc, Thames Valley churches of Christ, ICOC, Tim Dannatt, Malcolm Cox, ICCM, Lower Earley, Wokingham, Southampton, Beaconsfield, Oxford, Banbury, Deepcut, Frimley, Sunday School, Youth Ministry, Bracknell, Shevvy Dannatt, Churches of Christ, Christian churches near me, International church, churches close to me, Thames Valley, Thames Valley location, Thames Valley church of Christ, the Thames Valley,

“Kingdom Come”, Sermon on the Mount Series: Fifteenth Lesson, Matthew 7.21-29

“Kingdom Come”

Sermon on the Mount Series: Fifteenth Lesson, Matthew 7.21-29

Introduction

• A sobering passage, but one thread through with hope - we can be secure in the storm.

1. What it means to build on the sand

• In this point we are defining what it means to think we are known by Jesus, or to claim such a relationship, but in fact to not known Jesus, or to be known by him.
• The context of ‘sand..rock’ is that both sets of people hear God’s word and, most likely, claim to be putting it into practice (like the miracle workers of vv21-23). One set are doing so authentically, while the others are merely picking and choosing the ones to practice.
• The Sermon on the Mount emphasises the heart consistently. A truly heartfelt devotion to Jesus results in wholehearted obedience to his commands, but that obedience is not the substance of the relationship.

A. Charismatic activity

• Prophesying - perhaps this could, today, include preaching/teaching God’s Word.
• Driving out demons / Miracles - Jesus is welcoming of anyone on his ‘side’ (Mark 9.39-41), but anyone claiming a relationship with him must do so with respect. For a serious and humorous example of what happens when we try to use the power of Jesus disrespectfully (without true faith in him) see what happened to the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19.11-20!

B. Claims to be a disciple

• Calling him “Lord’ (kyrios - sometimes just ‘sir’ etc, but in Matthew more a term denoting authority). These are people claiming authentic discipleship.
• It could be that they know other commands they should be following but are not doing so - a little like the rich ruler after he had met Jesus (Matt 19.16-30).
• It could also be that they are wanting discipleship on their terms - like the men in Matt 8.18-22
• Another possibility is that they assume if they are practising these command, which they presumably consider to be most important since those are the ones they brandish at Jesus as evidence of their relationship with him, they are ‘safe’ with Jesus.
• Key issue - “only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7,21 NIV11)

2. What it means to build on the rock

• In this point we are defining what it means to be known by Jesus and to know him.
• “But we often miss what his first hearers would probably have heard behind the dramatic picture-language. Not far away from where he sat on that hillside, just a hundred miles or so away in Jerusalem, Herod’s men were continuing to rebuild the Temple. They spoke of it as God’s House, and declared that it was built upon the rock, proof against wind and weather. In the last great sermon in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus warns that the Temple itself will come crashing down, because Israel as a whole had failed to respond to his message. Halfway through the gospel, in another dramatic moment, he promises that Peter’s confession of faith will form the rock on which something very different will be built — the community that believes in him, Jesus, as Messiah."

1. Defining what it means to hear

• Hearing is not merely listening (James 1.22-25; 2.14-20, 1 John 2.4)
• We often have the radio, music, a podcast etc. on, but are not listening to it
• We’ve all experienced having conversations with people where they ask us a question and we’re flummoxed because we realised at that moment we’ve not been listening!
• Hearing is active - wanting to learn.
• Goes back to the Beatitudes - wanting to be different people, hungry and thirsty for righteousness.
• Listening to Jesus with hungry ears.
• What does it look like to ‘hear’ in that way…….?

1. Defining what it means to practice the words of Jesus

• Active building, not passive
• Visiting B&Q will not a patio build (whether online or in person!)
• Know what we’re building - a more Christlike life for his glory, our joy and the advancement of the kingdom
• Know what we’re building on - Christ as the rock
• What does it look like to ‘build’ in this way…….?
• Pray for practise, not just understanding. Is there anything you are finding hard to understand at the moment? Practice a beatitude today.
• "The point is that the wise man (a repeated term in Matthew; cf. Matt 10:16; 24:45; 25:2, 4, 8-9) builds to withstand anything."

3. How these truths affect the way we live

• Storms come
• Some are random
• Some are caused by our own folly
• Heavy rain can send flash floods surging down the normally dry wadis with devastating effect.
• Question is - are we ready?

A. The foolish building to avoid

• This means practically….

B. The wise building to practice

• This means practically….

Conclusion

• Imagine a home, church, society living the beatitudes and the teachings of the sermon on the mount! Let’s spread the word…

Thank you for listening to this podcast. You can find more episodes in our feed. Our web site is http://www.tvcoc.org.

 

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

 

Do you have a question about the Bible or the Christian faith? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send us your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: tvcochrist@gmail.com.

 

Thanks again for listening. Have a super day.

 

God bless,

 

Malcolm

“Kingdom Come” podcast, episode 58

“Kingdom Come” podcast, episode 58

Would you like to know more about the heart of Jesus? If so, you’ve come to the right place.

Welcome to the “Kingdom Come” podcast of the Thames Valley churches of Christ. For two months we are diving deep into the “Sermon on the Mount”, found in the Gospel of Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7.

These podcasts are designed to help us take these amazing words of Jesus and apply them to our devotional life.

Thank you for listening to this podcast. You can find more episodes in our feed. Our website is http://www.tvcoc.org.

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

Do you have a question about the Bible or the Christian faith? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send us your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: tvcochrist@gmail.com.

Thanks again for listening. Have a super day.

God bless,

Malcolm

Reading, tvcoc, Thames Valley churches of Christ, ICOC, Tim Dannatt, Malcolm Cox, ICCM, Lower Earley, Wokingham, Southampton, Beaconsfield, Oxford, Banbury, Deepcut, Frimley, Sunday School, Youth Ministry, Bracknell, Shevvy Dannatt, Churches of Christ, Christian churches near me, International church, churches close to me, Thames Valley, Thames Valley location, Thames Valley church of Christ, the Thames Valley,