While the current minister, Mark Woodhouse, was on sabbatical, HCC Bradford had a series of guest preachers on a Sunday morning.
This post is a summary of the teaching we received in those sermons.
The HCC Kids - Sun 3/5
2 Chronicles 7:14; in PJs because we need to be comfortable when we pray; people pray in different ways; not how you look that is important to God; ! Samuel 3:10 - speak, Lord, your servant is listening; approach prayer openly, make the effort to come; are we really ready to receive Him; the Lord is near to all who call on Him; 5 stations of prayer - forgiveness, map of Bradford, grow bag with seeds; you alone with God, receive from God
[Thu 7/5 - General Election]
Alan - Sun 10/5
We did the cabinet of prayer with 9 (count them) volunteers after the election praying for major departments of government.
My faith has grown every year I have been alive, NOT mellowing, being a Christian is ace (card trick); 10.5 years since retirement; preaching the same sermon at the moment everywhere but no 2 are the same; great commission and fellowship; disciples did the great commission automatically; many people are nice but that does not make them saved; the church has forgotten how to make disciples and how to win people; do you know how to? Only the saved are going to heaven;
Sammy - Sun 17/5
Matthew gave his testimony (Anita came out and hugged him at the end of his testimony)
Genesis 28:10-22; Jacob and a stone as a pillow; we have a soul; I am cutting in to the life of HCC; important time in the church’s life; you may need to get out of your comfort zone, are you ready for a bit of discomfort; story about car breaking down and the AA asking do I have permission to use your mobile number to give me your precise location? God is asking you the same; do you? Do you as a church? Do you as a group of elders? Where are you at? Need to know where you are before you set off somewhere; beware starting without knowing! You cannot look down on people when you do not know their story; the AA man told me immediately where I was; God wants to take you deeper individually and as a church; not just a thin layer of tarmac on your drive! Do you want a cosy church? Pastors will come and go but the church will go on; do you want to see drug addicts and the rest of Holmewood come to Jesus? Beware playing church, bring the whole community to heaven
John - Sun 24/5
Pentecost; personal stories of God moving in power re perfect Rumanian and not being able to open his eyes; he sees change happening here; change is always good; are you willing to give all you are doing for God to Him? Why do you put meat in the oven on a Sunday? Do you not expect God to move and delay you? Are you ready for God to move? Things always change when people leave and new people come; are you ready for that change and to support each other? The way you are seated indicates that these people do not love each other; I don’t believe the church generally is in decline. Time of pruning, getting rid of the deadwood; are you doing the right work? saying we can’t is no good; don’t say we need training; be you, no one can preach like you, the Holy Spirit is central in moving forward; Moses and Elijah worked until their last day on earth; as a church where do you want to go?
Trevor - Sun 31/5
Acts 1:1-11; do not leave Jerusalem, wait for the Spirit to come; disciples would have been worried, lost their leader, is that the end of it? lots of examples of Bible characters waiting for God to do something - Habakkuk, Father of Prodigal; Paul’s thorn in flesh; waiting for buses on Tong Street; moving house personal story - 3rd house much better than 1st one he was after; you only wait when you are confident and have faith that something will happen; our society is intolerant of waiting; so called time-saving devices introduced over the past 50 years; learn how to do things while you wait; Pentecost was God’s perfect timing; be still and know that I am God; do you really believe that God is in ultimate control; get on with your life in a positive manner while waiting
Adam - Sun 7/6
Privilege for us to be in church; important to have 2 things as we go forward - unity and running God’s race by focussing on God and not other people; not easy to remain in unity; some hard to work with; God said love everyone; keep the unity of the Spirit; does not mean no disagreement but needs to be in a safe place; still family after arguments; beware comparing yourself with others; Saul watched David and not God. God made you to run your own race; beware running in someone else’s lane; you are never just a … be yourself
John - Sun 14/6
We got told off because of the weeds in the car park; get your premises in order; looking good; if it does not look good outside it cannot be good inside; at the last church meeting when volunteers were asked for there was only 1 !! compare physical weeds with spiritual weeds; I don’t want to see weeds the next time I come; prayer is the key to your way forward; our job is to tell the exile people everything God has shown you; Holmewood is in exile, they belong to the enemy but they actually belong to God; let the sound from this building echo across the estate; sound only travels upwards; the great commandment was to go out, not come to church and enjoy ourselves; need to come to church as believers; Sunday morning is not for non-Christians it is about building believers up; big decisions for this church to make; people’s lives will be affected; is what we are doing making disciples of people
All Age - Sun 21/6
The next word was “Sorry” in our Naked Spirituality series.
Included this Francis Chan video and a Father’s Day slot:
Sammy - Sun 28/6
Nathan’s testimony, 21. Welsh, next year wants to be missionary around the world
Get your hard hats on! You need a new way of thinking, a reality check; you are in denial; stay pliable in potter’s hand; how would you like to be responsible for the finance when there is no money? Snap out of it; all of HCC needs to be God’s work; plenty of social places across Bradford where people can get help; the pub can’t change lives, never changed Nathan! Never say never; Peter said never and Jesus said get behind me Satan; to go deeper with God you need to let God go deeper in you, into your nevers; people in Holmewood need Jesus, my life is not a game; story of skyping someone from Holmewood who is not a Christian in Jamaica; God can save souls in this estate; what are your nevers; you need to give my all to Jesus; go from never to now; you only have 1 heart, can’t have 1 on Sunday and another on other days; importance of kids and asking them where they are with God; name your kids wisely NOT Barry Island; have big dreams for your kids
Ronnie - 5/7
Moving on; go out in faith; be humble; respectful, people may not want what you offer them; leave that place shake dust off your feet; rejection can occur in all kinds of situations; different types of abuse; try not to carry that baggage with you; turn your eyes on Jesus; loss is another common experience; see the banners, 4 things we seek to do in our mission; hard to move on from what we were originally called to do e.g. closing the playcentre; it needs to change; priority may be to build up the church to fulfil the vision; we worship a God of the possible and of opportunities
Alan - 12/7
How are you? But I am asking how is your soul? What is happening in your soul? Some not happy with the answer OK they need specifics; many churches are not growing so cannot be OK; Jesus has to be relevant when a person goes through bad things; people out there need to be saved; names in Bible passages where we know very little about them but were very significant as leaders/evangelists; where are the men to pastor churches? More women taking positions of church leadership; do not be busy with things that do not grow the church
John - 19/7
Who is the shepherd? Lots of us are as leaders; we have to show compassion; God has not called us to save anyone but to make disciples; God does the saving not us; go out not sit in; a shepherd can lead the sheep to good pasture but cannot make them eat; disciples wanted to turn people away but Jesus told people to come; the challenge for today; how much are the people of Holmewood seeing Jesus? If not, why not? Have we been good shepherds or not? That is the challenge; I read your history over past 2 days; the church used to own everything it did; do you know about everything that goes on in this building? Even about those who hire the hall? Find out about it, pray about it? Comment about funding it all from the church; tithing is not giving; giving is after your tithe; how do I support God’s work here? How do I own it? have we corporately become the shepherd of Holmewood; God wants us to be brave; religion is coming here on a Sunday and doing nothing; not a 1-day a week job but 7 x 24
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