Fasting | Part 4 | Stand with the Poor
The life of a disciple of Jesus, including all its rhythms and practices – such as we are discussing in this sermon series – are never only about the individual’s flourishing. Not only are those who eat the fruit of your flourishing relationship with God the main beneficiaries of your spiritual formation. The journey of…
Fasting | Part 3 | Amplify our Prayers
Fasting and praying is just something we are called to do out of faith and obedience. And there is something that fasting unlocks, something that we access, something that Fasting is a mighty weapon God has given us to amplify our prayers, to be heard on high and to hear from on high. And perhaps…
Fasting | Part 2 | Growing in holiness
John Wesley once said: “Why are we not more holy? Because we are enthusiasts that want the ends without the means.” Growing in holiness is a lifelong journey. And the practices – including fasting – provide the pathway on that journey to continue to grow and work out your salvation. In this message we are…
Fasting | Part 1 | Offering ourselves to God
This is the opening message of a four part series with Practicing the Way about Fasting. Every world religion, and even Western non-religious spirituality recognises the physical and spiritual benefits of fasting. Also as Christians, we stand in a long tradition of fasting; the prophets, the apostles, the church fathers, the saints, reformers and revivalists…
Whoever wants to be my disciple
In this sermon I discuss what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, and to follow the Practices of Jesus in our 21st century world. I focus on the Call to discipleship, the Practices of a disciple, and the Why of discipleship. This sermon specifically gives an overview of the call to Discipleship that…
Gospel Community | Part 5 | Say Yes to the Dress!
True change starts with a deep change on the inside. Instead of throwing all our willpower and resources at changing the ‘what’, it should start with the ‘why’ – a purpose, a motivation, a perspective. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul gives us a very powerful ‘why’ for growing in Christlikeness. As he talks…
Gospel Community | Part 4 | Set Free
The Colossean church had a big problem with two different cultural powers that were distracting them from their new life in Christ; the gnostics with their elaborate philosophies and rituals, and the zealous Jewish Christians who thought that also Gentile believers should live by the law of Moses. Paul tells the church in Colossae, in…
Gospel Community | Part 3 | Mature In Christ
When the New Testament talks about us being ‘in Christ’ it is talking about that full new reality after grace – a new position, a new function, a new purpose, a new qualification. Being ‘in Christ’ is our new identity. And that identity is something that we are learning to live out as we are…
Gospel Community | Part 2 | Jesus At The Center
Colossians 1:15-23 boldly declares that Jesus is the first, and the last, the genesis and the telos, the origin and the purpose, the beginning and the end. He is before all things and above all things. He is at the center of everything and holds everything together. In this series, as we are learning about…
Gospel Community | Part 1 | Qualified
The Lord is shaping us into a Gospel community, breathing in and breathing out the Good News of the Kingdom. Paul wrote a letter to the Colossians, a group of Christians he never met, but heard good reports about, with some solid advice on how to move forward to grow and bear fruit. This is…
