“And He came down with them and stood on a level place… and they were all healed.” Luke 6:1713/7/2026 In this chapter Jesus came down from the mountainside, where He had chosen His twelve apostles. He was surrounded by a large crowd of disciples and a great multitude of people from all over the region including Judea, Jerusalem, and the coastal areas of Tyre and Sidon.
Jesus welcomed everyone without exception, drawing both Jewish and Gentile audiences to His message. The crowd included devoted disciples, curious onlookers, and those who had come filled with hope that they would be healed. Jesus never distances Himself from suffering, instead He meets us exactly where we are, offering both physical healing and spiritual restoration. By choosing to stand on level ground, Jesus removes all barriers to His presence. He openly invites the physically ill, the deeply broken, the hopeless, and those who are hungry for a deeper relationship with Him to gather closely around Him. God’s gift of salvation extends to all people! He does not reveal His divine authority by staying detached from humanity. Instead Jesus shows His true power by immersing Himself in the crowd to bring wholeness to body, mind, and spirit. Jesus holds nothing back; He does not expect anyone to clean up their own brokenness before approaching Him. We arrive with all our flaws, seeking hope, deliverance, restoration, and an encounter with Him. He stands right in the centre, allowing His divine power to flow to all who eagerly look to Him - they were all healed! God desires that everyone hears the good news, experiences His love, and undergoes genuine spiritual transformation. Far from being unapproachable, Jesus offers a wide-open invitation for all people to come and discover His forgiveness, grace, and healing. ‘For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” ‘Matthew 9:21 NKJV ‘The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.’ John 1:14 NIV
0 Comments
This verse speaks of the time Jesus spent in the wilderness and was tempted by the devil. It may well be that he faced wild animals, but there is a sense that the bombardment of the enemy could have felt like an onslaught of wild animals coming against his soul.
Oftentimes for us, we can go through seasons where it just feels like we are getting it from every side. The wild animals that come against us might be from our workplace, or from a challenging family member. It could be the difficult temper that we so struggle to control, the anxiety that cripples us or that taunting voice in our head that whispers cruelly ‘hath God really said?’ What joy it is for us to remember that Christ has gone before us. There is no temptation, no difficult circumstance, no enemy within or without that he has not already faced on our behalf. It’s such a lovely thought that angels came to minister and care for Christ in His hour of temptation. But for us, we have one greater than all the angels of heaven. Christ Himself comes not only to care for us, but to fight for us. Those ‘wild animals’ like to make such a noise, and yet one touch of His love and all is changed. When we try to fight these ‘wild animals’ in our strength, our energies deplete and we can feel discouraged. Our strength is no match for such attacks. We were never called to try and fight these battles alone. The Bible tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. When the wild animals come to torment, we simply need to turn our eyes upon Him. When we hide ourselves in the sanctuary of His presence, we will find He is a wall of fire surrounding our souls, protecting us from all that would come against us. He will minister to your soul and provide strength for the journey ahead. In the words of Amy Carmichael: ‘Leave it to Me child, leave it to Me, Dearer thy garden, to Me than to thee, Lift up thy heart child, lift up thine eyes, Naught can defeat Me, Naught can surprise.’ This week, let us come and find our strength in Him for all we might face. Let us leave all things in His hands in the sure knowledge that He loves us, and the blessed truth that it is always safe to trust Him completely. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to bear fruit every month and in each season? We often see seasons of blessing in the church. There can come waves of salvation, baptism in the Holy Spirit or deliverance. All these seasons are wonderful. They come and go and it feels like we have very little control over them. The Spirit of God is like the wind. No man knows where it comes from or where it goes. We hear the sound of the Spirit and we feel His power but we cannot control or keep it.
To bear fruit continually we have to live very close to the sanctuary which is the holy place where God’s glory dwells. There we will continually access the crystal clear water of life. There is no greater sanctuary or holy place than the throne of God. This is the innermost part of heaven. “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” Revelation 22:1 (NIV UK) When our Lord was speaking to the woman at the well, He said: ‘you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’ John 4:10 (NKJV) The water of life comes from Christ Himself. He is the One who is the water and has access to that vast supply at all times because He has paid the ultimate price that we might all drink. ‘Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters.’ Isaiah 55:1 (NIV UK) What an invitation! Are you thirsty? Then drink. Are you dry and weary? Then come without money or price. The only stipulation is that we are thirsty. We want more of that pure, crystal clear water from the sanctuary, the special place where God’s presence dwells, and that water shall help us to bear fruit each month. Even when we feel dry and empty, He will refresh and restore us. ‘This dry valley will be filled with pools of water!’ 2 Kings 3:16 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)21/6/2026 There are seasons in life when we can see the road ahead clearly. Plans are coming together, prayers are being answered, and everything appears to be moving in the right direction. Then there are other seasons when the path seems uncertain and we are left wondering what God is doing. Most of us do not enjoy waiting. We like answers, direction, and certainty. Yet some of the greatest lessons of faith are learned in the waiting place.
Throughout Scripture, we find men and women who had to trust God before they understood His plans. Abraham left his homeland without knowing exactly where he was going. Joseph endured years of hardship before seeing God's purpose unfold. David was anointed king long before he ever sat on the throne. What sustained them was not a detailed explanation from God but a growing confidence in His character. Proverbs reminds us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding. Human understanding is limited. We see only a small part of the picture, while God sees the beginning and the end. What appears to us as delay may actually be preparation. What feels like a closed door may be God's protection. What seems like a setback may become the very thing He uses for our growth. When we cannot understand God's hand, we can still trust His heart. He has proven His love through Christ, and He remains faithful even when circumstances seem confusing. Perhaps today you are waiting for an answer to prayer, guidance for a decision, or strength for a difficult situation. Be encouraged. God has not forgotten you. Continue to seek Him, pray, and walk faithfully in the light you have been given. In His perfect timing, He will make the way clear. Until then let us learn the quiet confidence that comes from placing our lives into His hands and trusting Him completely. "In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:6 (NIV) In our families, naming is a clear demonstration of a relationship. Expectant parents often spend months researching baby books and family history to choose the perfect name for their child. When the baby is born, people wait with anticipation to find out what the baby's name will be, and the parents bestow that name with authority.
I have had the privilege of attending several Nigerian infant naming ceremonies. In one instance, the baby received twenty-four names, while on another occasion, the baby received just two. Regardless of the number, the names carried deep meaning for the family, hope for the child’s future, and gratitude to God for His blessings. The right to name belongs exclusively to the parents because they hold the position of care and authority. In biblical times, similar customs applied. In Scripture, the naming conventions for God fall into two distinct categories: revelation and response. Instances of revelation are when God reveals His own names to His listeners, for example, “I am God Almighty” or “I am the LORD who heals you.” Instances of response are when humans use a descriptive title such as, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” or they name a physical location where God has intervened: “Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh, which means ‘The LORD will provide.’” In this story from Genesis 16, Hagar flips these conventions on their head. A vulnerable, enslaved Egyptian woman at the absolute bottom of the social ladder is found wandering in a wilderness. In this place of distress and despair she has a life-changing encounter with God. Following this encounter, Scripture says, “She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me.’” Hagar does not just describe an attribute of God, or name a location to mark an encounter with Him, but she gives God a name and He allows it to stand. She becomes the only person in the Bible to give God a name out of her own initiative. In this narrative, God allows Himself to be named by an outsider. In doing so, He is making a deeply personal statement that reveals His character and speaks into our lives today. God sees us in every situation, and He cares for us intimately through all the complex wilderness seasons of life. In this story, He shows us that He is accessible to all, even those who feel invisible, hurting, or forgotten. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, we can confidently echo Hagar’s beautiful realisation: “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” Genesis 16:13b ESV To denounce means to declare something is wrong or evil publicly. How awful to hear the words that a town or towns are evil. Christ denounced the towns of Bethsaida, Korazin and Capernaum because they refused to repent of their sins and turn to God.
The opposite of denouncing is to endorse. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Christ, instead of denouncing us, endorsed who and what we are? Christ endorsed the woman who anointed Him in Bethany. “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.” Matthew 26:10-13 NLT How lovely it would be to hear Him appreciate all our hard work and our love for His church. “I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance.” Revelation 2:19 NLT Are we full of love, faith, service and patient endurance, or do we resent having to give our time and energies to the work of the church? It speaks in Scripture of giving continual thanks to God. ‘Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.’ Hebrews 13:15 NLT Today, bring your offering of praise and gratitude to God with gladness. Come and say thank you for even the smallest miracle. It will do you good, for it will glorify God, and you will reap the benefit of looking up to Him and receiving His approval. When we give thanks for even the smallest miracle, we can be sure that a bigger one will follow. ‘Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.’ Psalm 100:2 NKJV It is good to serve Christ gladly. Do you notice that in this verse, serving comes first, followed by singing? When we come with glad hearts, we will serve and sing, for we will belong to Him. ‘We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.’ Psalm 100:3 NKJV This alone is enough to make anyone sing! Life can become very complicated sometimes. Most of us, though in different circumstances, tend to live very busy lives. Busy jobs to attend, families to care for, houses to keep in order. The list goes on.
Many of us are also blessed to be part of a busy, thriving church where the life of God is flowing and we seem to be growing all the time. In a recent prayer meeting, I couldn’t help but note how much there was to pray for, because there are so many things going on. It felt good. However, with all these things, finding the balance in our personal lives, and keeping our relationship with Christ at the centre isn’t always easy. In our very honest endeavours to keep all the plates spinning, sometimes our focus goes off course. It’s good to busy, and it’s certainly good to be busy with God’s work. There’s a life that flows and a feeding for our own souls as we pour out for others. That’s a wonderful thing. But we are all human, and there are times when everything just feels a bit overwhelming and the danger of burning out draws near. Sometimes we might find we are giving too much in some of our daily tasks, in our hobbies even, and it can be to the detriment of our spiritual life. We need to be careful to hold all these things loosely, and be in a listening attitude before Him. If we are pouring out a bit too much in certain directions, He is more than able to show us and help us. So many times I have gone to a service feeling exhausted, and left feeling refreshed and alive! But there’s also been times when it has been okay to stay home and rest. His presence has come to refresh and strengthened me for the journey ahead. The important thing is that we do what He is asking us to do. When He prompts us to push on even when we feel exhausted, we will never suffer for it. We will always be surprised by joy at how our tiredness so often disappears when the anointing falls. This word is so beautiful. There’s a glorious freedom in coming into God’s presence and letting go of every spinning plate and lifting our eyes to simply meditate on Him. We are called to enjoy God and find refreshing in the place of worship and adoration. All those spinning plates really belong to Him anyway. We can trust Him with all of it. He knows us best. When our motive is right and the glory of His name is truly at the centre of our lives, then everything else will fall into place. Our Beloved Heavenly Father, to whom we are so very precious, will go before us and lead us on in every step of our journey. He is no man’s debtor and will provide all that we need to sustain us. How safe it is to trust Him. Blessed be His Name. As many of you know, we have house groups once a month. This has been very helpful for us as a church, as we have seen considerable growth over the last two years, and it has helped us maintain the sense of intimacy and oneness that we have needed at such a time. I look forward to the reports that come into our leaders’ community chat, and I want to share another report with you.
I am aware that whilst we do this and have enjoyed the freedom that it has brought, it is not always right for every church. There are seasons for this kind of thing. We have used house meetings from time to time over the years, and then they stopped; their season was over for the time being. For us, it is right that we do this now, and we are reaping the benefits that it has brought to us. Report: “We chatted for a while and then started with a prayer. I did a short overview of Ephesians. Then spoke about the shield of faith. ‘above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.’ Ephesians 6:16 NKJV We had lots of sharing about things that come from within us and from outside us that can be like fiery darts. We considered the importance of the body of Christ in linking shields of faith to help overcome the things that we struggle with. We then looked at: ‘He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.’ Job 26:7 NKJV Spurgeon said: ‘A Christian should be like a mini universe; our faith should be an unsupported confidence in nothing but the promises of God. Needing nothing to hold it up but the right hand of God our Father.’ We talked of the beyond amazing greatness of our Father. With that, we sat in silence for a while as His presence came and then began to pray. It was a rich time in His presence. Tea and cake to finish. Feeling very blessed. On the first Tuesday of the month our church splits into house groups. These house groups have now been running for a year and a half. They have been really encouraging for all of us, and I always look forward to the reports sent each month.
Two particular reports came in this week that I thought could be used as a ‘Thought for the Week’. This is the first one. It is anonymous as the person disclosed some personal details. Report “I shared that I had read in one of my daily reading books recently a part which spoke of facing a brick wall in life but if we looked closely we could see there was a door in the wall. It turned my thoughts to Christ being the door and then to the doors that were personally opened and then closed to me earlier in my life. I shared testimony to a time in my life when my world as I knew it collapsed and the door was closed on what I thought was to be my future. I was devastated. But God opened a new door. Looking back, I can see His hand in it all as He gave me a different but blessed life. One of our ladies then also shared an event from her life which was similar. She spoke of how God had sustained her through it all. I shared some verses which speak of Christ being the door for the sheep. “so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.” John 10:7 NLT “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” Revelation 3:20 NLT Another then reminded us of the verses from Revelation 3 v 7-8 which she had read that morning. “‘To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no-one can shut, and what he shuts no-one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no-one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” Revelation 3:7-8 NIVUK We then had a lovely time of prayer for situations in our lives while also giving thanks for all God was doing amongst us. We are very grateful to God for the trust that is growing amongst us as we meet together.” What a lovely report. All these lovely verses about doors remind me of a verse that is burning in my heart for our work here in Cumbernauld. “There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.” 1 Corinthians 16:9 NLT Praise God for the One who has opened the door to a rich and wonderful eternal life, and now opens doors of opportunity to bring others to Himself. You look like you… but something deeper lives within.
MESSAGE: From the outside, nothing seems different. Same face. Same voice. Same life. But salvation was never meant to be cosmetic - it’s transformational. The moment you surrendered to Jesus Christ, something supernatural happened: your old life was crucified, and His life began in you. Galatians 2:20 isn’t poetic language - it’s spiritual reality. “No longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” This means your identity is no longer rooted in your past, your failures, or even your natural strength. Christ is now your source - your thoughts, your desires, and your direction. The struggle many face today is this: looking transformed… but still living from the old self. But when you truly understand who lives in you, everything changes. You don’t strive - you surrender. You don't need a new version of you, all you actually need is to live from from Him. God still speaks, will you let Him live through you today? You can make this declaration that ‘Christ lives in me’. His life is my life and His power works through me. Hallelujah! |
