What does it mean to welcome someone who is 'not one of us'? This question is at the heart of Paul's most personal letter to Philemon, his family and the church in Colosse. He writes, '... so if you consider me your partner, welcome him (Onesimus the slave) as you would welcome me'. It is clear what Paul is saying and asking of the church. You should expand your welcome beyond your imagination. Paul aligns Onesimus, the runaway slave who has stolen and wronged Philemon, with himself. You couldn’t get two more different people, yet Paul says to Philemon and the whole church, treat us the same. What is going on here? Every church wants to be welcoming until, perhaps, it becomes too uncomfortable. Welcome was never meant to be an easy characteristic of church life. Welcome is costly, it is challenging, it disturbs and for some, it is plain frightening. But welcome is also at the heart of the gospel because welcome says you belong, and to belong is the invitation of Jesus to all. Now that is good news!

Welcoming All

Wherever we are and wherever we go, God is present and at work. Everyone is made in God’s image and that is a beautiful thing. The truth is, however, that although each of us is gloriously made by God, we are tragically fallen too. So, how do we model God’s character when we are imperfect and fallen? The answer to this is to live a life by the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS and SELF-CONTOL. Our frontline everyday life is to be characterised by these fruits. Not one or two, but all of them. This is a challenge, not just inside the church walls but outside them too!

Modelling Godly Character

What does it mean to live a radical lifestyle - where grace and love are acted out? The story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 is the inspiration for such a lifestyle. This might be a well-known story heard many times before, but we shouldn't lose sight of the challenge of Jesus’ words - "go and do the same". What does it mean for us to do the same as the Good Samaritan? What might it look like to act graciously and lovingly to those we might otherwise consider different from us? What does it mean to be a neighbour to everyone rather than those who are like us and think the same as us? That’s the challenge of grace and the boundless nature of love!

Ministering Grace and Love

On our frontlines, it is good to be prepared to share our story of why we have hope in Jesus. 1 Peter 3:14-16 explores what it means to give such an answer. What is important to remember is that those asking matter to God. So we need to make the effort to enter their world, the world of the curious, the questioner, the seeker and the lost. Whether we are asking the questions or attempting the answers, each thumbprint is cherished by God.

Messenger of the Gospel

Psalms are prayers and hymns directed to God. They are words that express the range of human experiences from joy and thanks to pain and anger, and all this is brought before God. Psalms are full of honesty and openness. There is no spiritual performance or polite Christianity. Rather, faith is expressed in raw and real ways. Psalm 1 is about what it means to live wisely in the world today. Jesus may have had Psalm 1 in mind when he taught the beatitudes because both are about finding true happiness. To be blessed or happy is to be rooted in God, and it seems many are starting to discover the wisdom of this.

Wisdom is a Choice

Are you a morning person or a night owl? Psalm 5 is about seeking God in the morning and laying requests before God. It’s a discipline, but also a brilliant way to start each day. So let’s have a shout-out for the quiet time in the morning! The Psalm is also about learning to live a life well and being rooted in God’s love. We all need that, right? And maybe it begins when we wake up each day, because there is something special about the morning light that wrestles with the darkness of night. 

Show Me How to Live

Have you ever needed to run from a situation or been falsely accused of something you didn’t do or wrongly spoken about behind your back? That’s what David is singing about in Psalm 7. The tune to the psalm isn’t the sweet melody of worship songs on a Sunday morning but the wild, erratic, jarring tones of irregular musical strains! David laments, cries out in despair for God to save, protect and be his refuge (strong tower) when he faces false accusations and attack. He desperately wants to be rescued and saved from an experience in life that has hurt him. If you are hurting or in need of safety and security, then this one might be for you!

God is Our Refuge

God’s mercies are new every morning, and such mercies, along with his love, affection, grace and goodness, are a gift for us all. We are noticed today, and He has made you for loving Him and living for Him today and for all eternity. So, we are pretty amazing and God thinks the world of us. This is the message of Psalm 8!

God is Utterly Amazing

Have you ever been too frightened to follow God’s call on your life? That may be a big question, so let's put it another way. What is stopping you from God’s leading and direction in your life? Maybe that’s still too big a question. Another try. Do you realise that God can use you, even if you don’t feel adequate? Ah, that may be easier to answer, and it was exactly what Moses thought when God spoke to him. Now, we may not encounter a burning bush or see a staff turned into a snake or be raised in royalty or indeed have committed murder, but for many other reasons, you might feel the same inadequacy before God. If, for whatever reason, you’re hesitant about God’s leading in your life, that’s no excuse for how God might speak to you!

God Calls the Hesitant

Remembrance Sunday. A time to reflect, remember and give thanks for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. 

However, sadly, in the world today, there are more wars than ever. Some quick research on the internet suggests that there are currently 130 armed conflicts worldwide. Double that of 15 years ago! The world is in chaos and crisis, and we may feel helpless. The story of Abigail in 1 Samuel 25 is an example of God’s call to be a peacemaker in the middle of conflict. We may not be able to stop national wars, but we can still be people of peace in our local area and sphere of influence. Perhaps the best way to remember the fallen is to rise up and build peace in the present around those we love and live amongst. Abigail brings peace between two men, and her strategy is simple and helpful to our lives today.

God Calls the Peacemaker

Shirley Baptist Church is a thriving, contemporary evangelical church, with an emphasis on Scripture, faith and mission, working out its purpose in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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