Oystercatchers of the Word

Gossip: The Devil's Radio?

George Harrison called gossip 'The Devil's Radio', which given this week's passage from James 3-4 is actually quite biblical:
"Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish... Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 3:15, 4:7b)
Gossip is a pervasive power of destruction throughout all societies in history. So our big vision is to become a church family that is a "gossip-free zone" - which can only be done by a miracle of God's grace. But why is gossip such an issue? This message explores this in a little more detail.

Words for the Weary - Christ's Education for the Exhausted

"The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word..." (Isaiah 50:4)
Jesus is our teacher, fulfilling this prophecy, who sustains the exhausted through our feeding on the promises of God

Living Faith is Fruitful (James 2 on faith & works)

Exploring James 2:14-17 about faith & works, and the way true faith in Jesus connects us to Him in a way which brings about abundant fruit of good works, as an effect, not a cause, of salvation.

At the border of the Promised Land: Choose this day who you will serve! (Special message by Faith Cully)

Special message by Rev'd Faith Cully on Joshua 24

The 'Serenity Prayer': Courage to Act, Courage to Let Go

Message from 18 August 2024 on Solomon's Prayer for wisdom, using the famous 'Serenity Prayer' as a model - a prayer made famous by the AA, but very much a prayer for everyone, no matter what we face!
#christianprayer #prayer #alcoholicsanonymous

God's overwhelming Love for Traitors (pictured in David and Absalom)

How does the love of David for his son Absalom (who was trying to overthrow him) point us to the love Christ poured on us even while we were His enemies?

Jesus is Bread for the Hungry Soul

"Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’" (John 6:32-33) M

We're like bread in Christ's hands... (5 loaves feed 5000)

When we place ourselves like bread in Christ's hand, we're in the place where what looks meagre and lacking (just like the 5 loaves and 2 fish) can be used miraculously to bring hope and life to the multitudes, and reveal God's glory!
 
"Then Jesus took the loaves..." (John 6:11)

Who is the House of God? Jesus died for people rather than buildings...

Delving into 2 Samuel 7 and Ephesians 2 together, we think about how, in God's Word, the 'House of God' is not meant to be a place or a building, but people. He has made us, as the people of God, His 'living temple'!
 
And as there is only one Christ, there is only One living temple, one 'house of God', which is all His people throughout all time and space... we are part of something so much wonderfully bigger than ourselves!

Would we be willing to dance like David before the Lord?

David didn't hold back - he danced before the ark of God! God loves the overflowing expression of joy in worship! He longs for it to be genuine, the overflow of the heart.
 
Also, He doesn't want us to be like Michal, looking down upon others' clothing & expressions of worship - but instead embracing the way He has created us differently, and longing to be so filled with joy in Him that we can't help but overflow!

Superweakness: The Superpower of Weakness

‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’
In these words in 2 Cor. 12, our Lord invited Paul on a journey where he would come to gladly know that, far from being a hindrance to his mission, his weakness (his 'thorn in the flesh') was actually the place where the infinite power of Christ could be displayed most staggeringly. So his very weakness became a 'superpower'...
And so he joyfully proclaims, "...whenever I am weak, then I am strong"!

Pentecost: Going with His Flow...

The wonderful, dynamic, life-flow of God's Spirit through us!

The Book that will be our Fountain of Joy forever!

Have you ever thought about the idea that we will rejoice in Scripture forever? Unlike heaven and earth, which pass away, the Word of God will never pass away, but will be an unceasing fountain of joy for all eternity!

Pleading God's Promises for Revival

 Harvest service, as guest preacher at Groomsport Presbyterian, Oct 2023

Our Harmony with God as Trinity

The harmony of Red, Green & Blue light, and the harmony of a musical chord, as pictures of our harmony with our God as Trinity.
Sermon from our 10:30am service Sun 26th May 2024

The Spiritual War, and our Heavenly D-Day!

Sermon from our 10:30am service Sun 9th June 2024, just after the 80th anniversary of D-day celebrations on the 6th... 
If D-day in WW2 was so symbolic, then what about our "Heavenly D-day" in Jesus' victory on the Cross?