Life Church Lincoln

Talk from “Eternity”, November 2008

billt — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:51:42 +0000

Here is Tito Silva with the talk from Eternity… November 2008

Simply click the play button on the “Player” below OR use the download link to place the sermon on your PC!

Download: Sermon MP3 Link (Just Right Click to download)

Sunday 16th November 2008

billt — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:48:40 +0000

Here is the Sunday morning message from 16th November.

Simply click the play button on the “Player” below OR use the download link to place the sermon on your PC!

Download: Sermon MP3 Link (Just Right Click to download)

Topic: “Spiritual Gifts” (Part 1)

Preacher: Andy Hicks

Eternity Christmas Special

billt — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:43:30 +0000

There will be an Eternity Christmas Special 14th December…

…………………Watch this space for more information.

Five things about being filled with the spirit.

william — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:36:14 +0000

When was the last time you fed a baby oatmeal?, Peache pure or apple sauce? .Or how about my two all time favourites baked beans , Or chocolate?. My grandson baby Alfie can’t chew chocolate all that well at present but he can give it a ferocious sucking. Regardless of what you may be serving when your baby does not want to eat his or her entire body gets engaged in the struggle. The jaws become cast iron letting nothing enter the mouth. Any food that may miraculously make it past the lips is pushed out by an iron tongue. The baby develops great eye coordination at these times ,when you want it to finish the last few bites, but he or she has had enough. At this point the spoonful headed for the mouth hits the ear instead.Or a small hand pushes the spoonful into your lap. How many of you have ever been there? .Babies need to eat. Good nutrition is important for the growth and development of every infant. However, no matter how hard we may try, and regardless of how tasty the food may be, UNLESS THE BABY IS YIELDED AND WILLING TO EAT, WE CANNOT FILL THE CHILD WITH FOOD. When that same baby is hungry or thirsty and is crying out making its desire known, then it is much easier to “fill” the baby.Similarly, the Holy Spirit does not force Himself to “FILL US.” In the same way that a baby needs to have a desire for food or drink to be willing to eat, we must also crave the presence of the Holy Sprit in our lives in order to be “filled with the Spirit.” If we are to receive the Spirit, we must submit our minds, spirits and bodies to Jesus.

Five things about being filled with the spirit.

1) Jesus is the source of the experience

John 7:37-39 37 declares

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice,
”If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”

Also John the Baptist tells us in:

Matt 3: 11
“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
The foundational lesson to be learned here is that Jesus is the baptiser.We baptised a group of people a few weeks ago in water but only Jesus can baptise in the Holy Spirit.Whenever I pray for someone to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit I am simply seeking to be a facillitator for Jesus to move in that person’s life .

2)It is not a limited or a limiting experience

Baptise means to totally immerse and soak.It is therefore a powerful all encompassing experience.Some people refer to this as being filled with the Holy Spirit.I like to think of Baptism as the initial encounter and infilling as an ongoing activity. This is not a limited or a limiting experience. Every christian has the spirit but not every believer is filled with the spirit. When a human being becomes a christian the holy spirit comes to live in and influence that person as an individual. He or she becomes the sacred dwelling place of the Holy Spirit!. God no longer is just “out there somewhere;” God designed you and me to be his address on earth. God wants to lives in you and manifest his life through you. When you commit to God and yield to Jesus Christ, God takes up residence in your life at that very moment. The Holy Spirit comes into a life and sets in motion a transformation within us.In this way baptism in the spirit brings an added dimension that is potentially limitless.

3) It exposes us to the limitless power of Love.

When people get filled with the spirit they experienced the love and power of God. The problem with human love is that it is often conditional and with limitations .It comes with a price tag attached.For example in the following letter,
Dear John,
I have been unable to sleep since I broke off our engagement. Won’t you forgive and forget. Your absence is breaking my heart, I was a fool,nobody can take your place. I love you.I love you,I love you-Marsha
P.S.Congratulations on winning the lottery.

God wants you to know that his love is unconditional. it accepts you as you are but in order to experience in a growing way his limitless love ,we need to learn obediance,this will necessitate going on being filled with the spirit.

4) It is a sign of empowerment.

Just as baptism in water is not a condition of salvation but an outward sign of an inward change.
Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not a condition of empowerment but rather a sign of it.Baptism in the spirit is how Jesus chooses to empower us.What is the difference between someone who’s a christian and a christian who is full of the Holy Spirit? ,It’s a bit like the difference between the light from a tiny candle, and that produced by a gas lantern. The light in the tiny candle is like every Christian – all Christians have the Holy Spirit living within them. But some people are like a gas lantern – they are so full of the Spirit of God that the light they give off is bright and warm and much greater than the light from the tiny candle.One of the main purposes of being filled with the spirit is that it enables us to receive the necesary power to be Christs’ representatives or witnesses here on Earth.

5) It releases within us the power to live a productive life.
Being filled with the spirit can be reduced in our thinking to an experience when it is meant to be an ongoing process.One of the dangers in seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit is that we can emphasise the’experiential’ rather than the process which is meant to enable us to accomplish things for God. If there’s an infilling, there must be an out flowing! Every time someone in the New Testament was filled with the Holy Spirit, things happened. Amazing healings took place. They had book burnings in the town square. Idol makers and pornographers went out of business. They didn’t just celebrate in church; they took it to the streets. There must be an outflow! The first picture we have of God in the Bible is of Him in His creative role. He makes us in His image, breathes life into us, then says, ‘Go out and become productive’ (See Genesis 1:28).

Are you hoping your life will ‘just change for the better?’ Are you praying for somebody with all the answers to come along and improve your circumstances?. No, what’s inside you will change what’s outside you, if you put it to work! This is not some glib, ‘can do’ self-help programme. ‘It is God who works in you’ (Philippians 2:13 NIV). The struggle in your life right now may be over what God wants to do through you! What’s within you is greater than the trouble you’ve been through, the situation you’re in or the obstacles that lie in your path. When everything around you is saying ‘no’ but something deep within you is saying ‘yes, that’s your God-given destiny. Acknowledge it, anchor your life to it and begin to work it out. Be filled with the spirit and God’s power will work through you in the situations you face.

William

This Sunday Unwrapping Spiritual Gifts

william — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:08:08 +0000

As the season for gift giving is almost upon us we will be taking time over the next two Sundays to consider the spiritual and ministry gifts that God has given to the church.This foundational topic is highly significant as every believer needs to see that he or she can be God’s suprise package to the world around.This week Andy Hicks will be encouraging us to identify our spiritual gifts.

Life Groups this week

william — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:50:56 +0000

This week group activities continue.Life Groups are forums in which people can meet informally,to connect with one another,explore their faith together and develop vision.We are continuing our exploration of foundational topics such as being filled with the spirit.

Photos of Pastor Tito Silva and Team

billt — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:22:38 +0000

Click this link to see photos of Pastor Tito Silva and team from Igreja Evangélica Reviver Lisbon. Portugal . Taken at various places including Sleaford New Life Church, Lincoln Cathederal, Lincoln Life Church and Life Church “Eternity” Youth Celebration

Sunday 9th November 2008

billt — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:52:55 +0000

Here is the Sunday morning message from Tito Silva. Igreja Evangélica Reviver Lisbon. Portugal on the 9th November 2008.

Simply click the play button on the “Player” below OR use the download link to place the sermon on your PC!

Download: Sermon MP3 Link (Just Right Click to download)

Preacher: Tito Silva

Life at Christmas

billt — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:01:17 +0000

Great Events - with something for everyone.

For more details e-mail or contact the office 01522 684684/694694

Community Christmas

Life Groups in various locations around the city, inviting guests to join with them for the evening.

For more details e-mail or contact the office 01522 684684/694694

A Taste of Christmas

An oportunity for church members and guests, to enjoy a Christmas meal and an evening of entertainment.

Inquiries and tickets from Life Church office. e-mail or contact the office 01522 684684/694694

Guest Service with Carols

Time to enjoy the atmosphere of Christmas with an exciting program of traditional and modern carols. Finishing with minced pies and mulled wine.

For more details e-mail or contact the office 01522 684684/694694

Life Groups this Week

billt — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:38:45 +0000

On Wed 5th Novenber Life Groups will be meeting in various venues throughout our area.

Sunday 2nd November 2008

billt — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:34:29 +0000

Here is the Sunday morning message on “Healing” from Barry Woodward on the 2nd November 2008.

Simply click the play button on the “Player” below OR use the download link to place the sermon on your PC!

Download: Sermon MP3 Link (Just Right Click to download)

Topic: “Healing”
Preacher: Barry Woodward

Eternity

billt — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:08:15 +0000

Eternity

This Sunday ,Healing Celebration with Barry Woodward.

william — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:57:00 +0000

This Sunday 2nd November Barry Woodward will be our visiting speaker.Barry has a powerful evangelistic ministry which carries an emphasis upon healing.Opportunites will be given for people who are unwell to receive prayer ministry.This is an opportunity not to be missed.Please use it to invite people who need to experience healing. In the afternoon, Barry will also be taking a seminar for team leaders and those interested in finding out more about outreach ministry of this kind.Barry is an enthusiast and his passion is contagious.

Life Groups this week.

william — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:46:19 +0000

On Wed 29th Life Groups will be meeting in various venues throughout our area.The theme for this week is Be filled with the Spirit.The session will be a follow up to Sunday’s talk from the Foundations series which can be downloaded from the sermons online page.As a foundational topic it serves to remind us that being filled with God’s spirit is not a once and for all experience but a process that is designed to continue throughout life.

Sunday 26th October 2008

billt — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 18:56:32 +0000

Here is the Sunday morning message for the 26th October 2008.

Simply click the play button on the “Player” below OR use the download link to place the sermon on your PC!

Download: Sermon MP3 Link (Just Right Click to download)

Topic: “Be filled with the Holy Spirit”

Preacher: William Prentice, Pastor of Life Church Lincoln