Words during Worship: Morning Service

Dan M_: Romans 5, v 12 & 8
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned; But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us
Dan encouraged us to abandon our preconceived notions about what love is, and to focus today on what God’s love really is.

Dave R_: Was having a bible time with his kids this morning, talking about doing good and being obedient. He said, “Sometimes you don’t do what Daddy says”. His little boy looked at him with a cheeky smile and answered, “Yeah, but you love me anyway”. This is a profound understanding of God’s love for us – we may feel undeserving but ‘He loves us anyway’.

Scripture: Proverbs 16:1-9
To man belong the plans of the heart,
but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue.
All a man's ways seem innocent to him,
but motives are weighed by the LORD.
Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed.
The LORD works out everything for his own ends—
even the wicked for a day of disaster.
The LORD detests all the proud of heart.
Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.
When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD,
he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.
Better a little with righteousness
than much gain with injustice.
In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.

Pete C_: Feels God saying to him there are people here today who aren’t free to worship Him; that all the words are just floating past them. Believes God wants to say to you the way to be released: we need to hear the word of God – it is powerful to work in our lives, we need to live in it. Pete read from Romans 8:
Life Through the Spirit
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

Paul M_: Took his wife to the cinema this week to watch a film in 3D. Similarly there is another dimension to life, a spiritual dimension. At the cinema, if you watched the film without the special specs, it just looked blurry; with the specs, you could see the film in 3D. Make sure you’ve got your special specs on to see the spiritual dimension.

Andrew: summarised the words in the spirit and the scriptures – God says He loves you; God says there is no condemnation; there is a spiritual dimension to our lives – seek righteousness and more of God’s spirit.