Bridge Community Church Leeds

Bridge Community Church Leeds
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Messages to encourage and inspire you in your walk of faith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 2d ago

    Eternal Life

    How close are human beings to eliminating death? Despite significance gains in global life expectancy, and the efforts of billionaires in the USA, death remains an inevitable terminus to the human condition. But there is good news. As Pastor Peter Clothier reminds us, Jesus comes to brings us eternal life - which is so much more than the hope of eternal existence. What’s the difference? Pastor Peter highlights three aspects of what ‘eternal life’ means to those who follow Jesus. Eternal life is so much more than earthly visions of the good life - health, wealth and happiness. Jesus brings an awareness of God’s love, forgiveness and an incomprehensible peace. In the words of a nurse, commenting on the demeanour of a Christian patient, the patient had “inappropriate joy.” Jesus brings us a joy which we experience in relationship to Him - not determined by our physical circumstances. Eternal life is more than quantity - “how much.” Eternal life is quality “how good!” Secondly, eternal life is relational. As the apostle John puts it, this life consists in knowing the one true God and the Son whom He sent into the world, not to bring condemnation but salvation. We can have a deep personal experience of Jesus which gives us a whole new perspective on, and attitude to, both life and death. As the Apostle Paul put it - to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Thirdly, the eternal life Jesus offers is a gift. Death, as Paul again puts it, is what we earn through sin, which is a rejection of all that God commands in order for us to live full and flourishing lives. We can’t earn salvation, and even if salvation could be earned, how would we ever know we had done enough to get it? The good news is that salvation is offered to us as a free gift. The gift itself is valuable not only in the benefits it brings to us, but also in what it cost Jesus to be able to give it. We can accept what we have earned - death, because of our sin - or gratefully receive the gift that Jesus offers us. Pastor Peter shares some of his own story about the impact on him of receiving Jesus’ gift of eternal life. How will you respond to the gift that Jesus is offering you? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. Sep 27

    Levi

    The speaker for our Guest Service today is Pastor Steve Kempton. Pastor Steve shares how he wasn’t brought up in a Christian home and, although the home had a Bible, he never read it. Pastor Steve begins by explaining various things that the Bible has to say about itself. It’s a lamp that illuminates our way ahead, bread that nourishes the soul and answers the “first order questions” of life - who we are, why we are here and where we are going. The Bible is truth which liberates us and it is revelation that shows us who God is and who we are. Turning to the Bible, Pastor Steve shares an account about a man called Levi - a tax collector by profession - and how Jesus called Levi to follow Him. Levi leaves his profession and completely reorientates his life around Jesus. It’s an extraordinary response. What was it about Jesus that made Levi want to leave his successful and highly lucrative way of life to follow Jesus? In a memorable illustration, Pastor Steve shares the story of Larry Walters, a man who “wanted to see Los Angeles from a different perspective.” Larry is famous in LA as a man who brought air traffic to a halt by creating a home-made aerostat made up of a lawn chair and 42 weather balloons. Arrested when he eventually landed he was asked why he did it. His answer: “Because you can’t just sit there.” Levi, it seems, felt the same way about Jesus’ call to follow Him. Pastor Steve shares how he went to a church in 1984 with no intention of doing anything other than to “mock and to laugh.” Instead, he found himself doing three things that Levi did. First, he got up. It wasn’t the words Jesus used that had this impact on Levi, but the personal call of Jesus Himself. Knowing about Jesus is very different to following Him, and it's a decision that can result in us finding places to go that, without Him, we would never have considered or imagined. Pastor Steve explains how, in a moment of time, Levi saw his life both as it was and how it could be. Pastor Steve recounts how his own life was changed for ever on the day he “stood up” in a church in response to an invitation to follow Jesus. The Bible tells us that someone “who has the Son has life, and who does not have the son does not have life.” Pastor Steve asks us all “Do you have life today?” and “Do you have the Son?” The second thing we read that Levi did was that “he left everything.” In the leaving, there was also a gaining. As the apostle Paul reminds us: "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” In following Jesus was have the chance to leave bad attitudes, unhelpful behaviours, and a life without God, and to experience God’s mercy and power which enables us to live a whole new kind of life. The third thing Levi did was to follow Jesus. This changed Levi’s perspective, his direction in life and even his name - going on to be called Matthew who wrote the gospel that we find at the start of the New Testament. Jesus sees you, knows you, and calls you. Is it time to embrace the future that Jesus is calling you to, to stand and to follow Him, and to say to yourself “You can’t just sit there?” We welcome you to Bridge Community Church, Leeds! We invite you to join our online community! Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsFacebook Join our Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/BCCOnlineCommunityGroup Follow us on Instagram: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsInstagram Follow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsTwitter Visit our Website: https://www.bccleeds.org/ If you would like to give to further our work. You can use the link below: https://bit.ly/GivingtoBCC #EveryoneWelcome #ChurchOnline #Leeds #Burmantofts #LincolnGreen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. Sep 20

    Build up and Built up

    On the Sunday we welcomed our new senior pastor, Steve Kempton and his family, the message for the day is brought by Pastor Andy Lenton. Sharing from the book of Nehemiah chapter 3:1-14, Pastor Andy takes us through the names of the various people who took responsibility for rebuilding sections of the walls of Jerusalem in the middle of the fifth century BC. Pastor Andy uses the passage to speak to us about our relationship to a new senior leader. Whilst we will ask legitimate questions about what changes the leader will make and what he will bring, a more pertinent question is what we, as members of BCC will do. Like Nehemiah, leaders gather people around a vision. Whilst God may give a vision to a leader, the responsibility for building is given by God to the people. Pastor Andy shows us that many of the people mentioned in Nehemiah took responsibility for what was in front of them. We may be attracted to the idea of a spectacular or prominent ministry. But God values all service. Pastor Andy gives a variety of examples of the kinds of service that are crucial to the life of a growing and missional church, service that may not be generally prominent but which is nonetheless noticed and valued by God Himself. Pastor Andy also reminds us that not everyone was building the same thing. There is a temptation to compare the responsibilities God has given us with those He has given to others. This can become an unhelpful distraction. The body has many different parts, as Paul reminds us in his letters. “Don’t compete” says Pastor Andy “instead complete.” The strength of the wall of Jerusalem was not just in its individual sections, but in the combined strength of those sections fit well together. Combining our strength is essential for, as Nehemiah teaches us, there are forces and enemies which seek to undermine God’s building work. We are people called to stand together and encourage each other. We all have an important part to play - as Pastor Andy reminds us: “Your brick really matters!” We welcome you to Bridge Community Church, Leeds! We invite you to join our online community! Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsFacebook Join our Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/BCCOnlineCommunityGroup Follow us on Instagram: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsInstagram Follow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsTwitter Visit our Website: https://www.bccleeds.org/ If you would like to give to further our work. You can use the link below: https://bit.ly/GivingtoBCC #EveryoneWelcome #ChurchOnline #Leeds #Burmantofts #LincolnGreen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. Sep 13

    Who can't get through?

    How can we make more space for people come and find Jesus? How do we do this in the different contexts of the life of the church and in our own personal lives? Sharing from Mark chapter 2 verses 1-12, Leigh Richmond asks us to think about those “who can’t get through” and how we respond to them in three ways: Notice the person.Make room, and Trust Jesus. It’s challenging to think that we can ourselves be close enough to hear Jesus, but still fail to notice people who can’t get through. This is what was happening in Mark 2. A paralysed man, brought by his friends to Jesus, wasn’t kept away from the Lord by opposition, but by other people who also wanted to hear Him. Leigh asks us to think about how challenging it can be for visitors who have little or no idea of what church is about. Where should they sit? How do they understand what people are talking about? What should they do during the worship? As Leigh reminds us, barriers can be created by familiarity as well as by hostility. We can create barriers for people by our busyness - either being too busy to give people time, or by not giving them our full attention when our thoughts are on the the next task we need to attend to. It’s possible to be lonely in a room full of friendly people. But it doesn’t have to be this way - mission starts when we take a minute to notice. Leigh shares research statistics that show how people in the UK are seeking information about spirituality and the opportunities this provides for the church. He goes on to share personal testimony of how an ordinary moment can become a holy moment when people trust you enough to share their challenges and to ask for prayer. Leigh uses this to give us a number of ways in which we can be more missional in a natural and straightforward way. Like the friends in Mark’s gospel, we do what we can to give people room to come to Jesus, and then trust Jesus to do what only He can.   As Leigh concludes: “Do what love has put within your reach!” And trust the Lord to continue His work of bringing salvation, freedom and new direction to people today. We welcome you to Bridge Community Church, Leeds! We invite you to join our online community! Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsFacebook Join our Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/BCCOnlineCommunityGroup Follow us on Instagram: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsInstagram Follow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsTwitter Visit our Website: https://www.bccleeds.org/ If you would like to give to further our work. You can use the link below: https://bit.ly/GivingtoBCC #EveryoneWelcome #ChurchOnline #Leeds #Burmantofts #LincolnGreen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. Sep 6

    Communion

    What is communion? Why do we do it? And since we practice it on a regular basis, how do we ensure that we don’t start taking it for granted and lose focus on what it’s really all about? Pastor Jacqui Richmond gives us three reasons why we take communion. First, we remember Jesus and what He has done for us. There are times, especially when we are in a “heavy season” where we can lose focus on God. Communion brings us back to the core of our faith, not only what Jesus did for us but also what motivated Him to do it. That same love continues to be extended to us whatever else is happening in our personal and wider world. More than this, we remember that Jesus has forgiven us and brought us into a new covenant. Pastor Jacqui shares her own experience of the first time she took communion. She remembers saying to herself: “Don’t ever forget this moment.” What was your most memorable moment of taking communion? What was the Lord saying to you then? Allow Him to remind you of that as you take communion again. In the confidence of God’s forgiveness we can, as Paul instructs us, examine our hearts, repent of where we are not following Jesus, and move on cleansed and with new strength from the Holy Spirit. Third, we take communion because Jesus is coming again and we look forward to that moment. We look forward, as Revelation shows us, to the new order of a new heaven and new earth free from mourning, death, crying, or pain.  As we take communion together we find ourselves united as one body under Christ. We are all invited. Take, eat drink and be thankful! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. Aug 30

    Ephesians Part 7: Into the battle

    In the seventh and final part of our series on the book of Ephesians, Pastor Steve Reilly shares inspiring teaching on what Paul has to say about what it means to live a life worthy of our calling in the spiritual battle.  Pastor Steve takes us into the mysterious dimension of God’s good creation that we usually call the “spiritual world.” He points us to passages of Scripture that explain how God made this spiritual world before the material, and the angelic beings he created to help humanity serve God better. Of these beings one, now called the devil or Satan, sought to become the object of worship and rebelled against God. Whilst the rebellion has been defeated, the battle continues. This being and his fallen angelic followers are our adversary. The Bible tells us about the strategy and tactics of this adversary, his aim of corrupting God’s good creation and of turning humanity away from its worship of God. But from before the beginning of creation, God had a plan to defeat this opposition and, through the death and resurrection of His Son, bring freedom and salvation to us. Pastor Steve goes on to share how God has provided us with armour to equip us for the fight. He explains how we stand on the foundation of truth against the adversary’s lies, how we protect our hearts living as children of light, and the present and future hope of our salvation. Pastor Steve encourages us in the knowledge that the gospel is a major assault on the power of the enemy and how through faith and the word of God we resist temptation and reject lies that seek to undermine the truth of the generous spiritual wealth that we live in, and our strength and capacity to walk worthily of God’s generous provision. Finally, Pastor Steve draws attention to our allies - how Paul encourages us to pray and himself asks for people to pray for him. More specifically, Paul calls us to pray “in the Spirit” - to be open to the Spirit bringing people and situations to mind like watchmen on the walls of a city looking out for danger. Pastor Steve reminds us that perseverance is key to successful prayer, keeping on praying even though we don’t know when the breakthrough will come. This is how we can be part of a church which can “pray for all the Lord’s people.” Drawing on an image from the Roman army, Pastor Steve asks us “Who are your locking shields with?” And of whom are you asking “Pray for me also?”  Pastor Steve reminds us of the great commission. All authority in heaven and on earth is given to Jesus, and in His name we take the good news of Jesus' victory, enriched by the wealth of our salvation and empowered to live - in all the various facets of our daily experience - a life worthy of our calling. We welcome you to Bridge Community Church, Leeds! We invite you to join our online community! Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsFacebook Join our Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/BCCOnlineCommunityGroup Follow us on Instagram: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsInstagram Follow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsTwitter Visit our Website: https://www.bccleeds.org/ If you would like to give to further our work. You can use the link below: https://bit.ly/GivingtoBCC #EveryoneWelcome #ChurchOnline #Leeds #Burmantofts #LincolnGreen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. Aug 23

    Ephesians Part 6: When Jesus is in the home

    In the fifth of our series on the book of Ephesians, Pastor Steve Reilly unpacks Paul’s teaching regarding what it means to live a life worthy of our calling in the context of the home. Paul gives teaching to husbands, wives, children and slaves, using the format of the “household code” - a well-known structure in Paul’s day for discussing relationships in households where all of the above were present. Uniquely in his day, Paul brings Jesus into the home to show the difference made by His presence and Lordship. For example, various philosophers wrote “household codes,” which told a husband how to rule - only Paul talks about how a husband should love his wife. Jesus’s rulership is about self-sacrifice and service for the good of others. Pastor Steve unpacks what sacrifice and service - two dimensions of Jesus’s life example, mean in the context of marriage, asking “How submitted are we to the servant way of Jesus?” In discussing children and parents, Pastor Steve points out that the age at which children become adults varies from culture to culture. In Paul’s day, a girl could be regarded as an adult from age 12, and most would be married by age 17. Whilst children should always honour their parents, there is a time when they leave to create new households of their own, and thereby become responsible for their own decisions.  Pastor Steve discusses what it means to create a nurturing home environment to bring children up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Pastor Steve discusses slavery in the ancient world and how Paul addressed the realities of Christians living in households either as slaves, or with them. In declaring that both slaves and masters have a master in heaven, to whom all will give account, Paul sows the seeds for the abolition of slavery which we are now free to oppose wherever we encounter it.  Join Pastor Steve in his closing prayer for blessing on our families, our service, and our work and that in all things we reveal Jesus to the world as we live a life worthy of our calling in Jesus.  We welcome you to Bridge Community Church, Leeds! We invite you to join our online community! Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsFacebook Join our Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/BCCOnlineCommunityGroup Follow us on Instagram: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsInstagram Follow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsTwitter Visit our Website: https://www.bccleeds.org/ If you would like to give to further our work. You can use the link below: https://bit.ly/GivingtoBCC #EveryoneWelcome #ChurchOnline #Leeds #Burmantofts #LincolnGreen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  8. Aug 16

    Ephesians Part 5 : In your anger don't sin

    In the fourth of our series on the book of Ephesians, Pastor Steve Reilly unpacks Paul’s teaching regarding what it means to live a life which reveals God to the world in which we live. Pastor Steve highlights the two foundational truths on which Paul builds - that we are to live a life of love, and to live as children of the light. This is a high calling, and only possible by living in partnership with the Holy Spirit who empowers and energises this life. Hence Paul’s exhortation to us to keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit. Pastor Steve encourages us to pray daily: “Father, fill me with your Holy Spirit today!” Paul then takes into some very challenging practical areas of Christian living. He talks about “putting off” our old way of life and “putting on” a lifestyle consistent wth our new identities as children of light. We notice how Paul takes a negative - to put off - and replaces it with the positive we are to put on. Pastor Steve reminds us that a holy life is a positive and beautiful life, whereas a sinful life is ugly. Pastor Steve picks out three specifics from our passage today. i).Put off falsehood - put on truth. Biblical truth is as true for the world as it is for the church. Relationships established on trust, founded on honesty, are strong and can stand the test of time, whereas falsehood breeds suspicion and mistrust. Pastor Steve reminds us that the longevity of our influence will be far more down to character than gifting. ii).Don’t let anger lead you into sin, but keep it under control. It’s not wrong to be angry, especially with regards to injustice. But we need to put boundaries on our anger so that it does’t leave the devil a foothold from which he can influence us towards bitterness or resentment. Unresolved anger is a route to unforgiveness - the past unhelpfully influencing our present and future. Pastor Steve explains how the journey of forgiveness is our road to freedom and recommends Dr Amy Orr Ewing’s book Forgiveness - Reclaiming Its Power in a Culture of Outrage and Fear. To be truly children of our heavenly Father, Jesus teaches us to love our enemies, prayer for our persecutors, and seek reconciliation where possible. iii).Silence unwholesome talk - invest in speech that builds up. Our speech can be fuel to the fire, or the water that cools and extinguishes it. Pastor Steve reminds us of Scriptures that speak of the power of our speech and encourages us to let our conversation lead to peace not strife, to life and not death. Finally, Pastor Steve reminds us that whatever negatives have been spoken over us in the past, these do not define us. What defines us is our identity as children of God, blessed with His lavish love. We welcome you to Bridge Community Church, Leeds! We invite you to join our online community! Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsFacebook Join our Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/BCCOnlineCommunityGroup Follow us on Instagram: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsInstagram Follow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsTwitter Visit our Website: https://www.bccleeds.org/ If you would like to give to further our work. You can use the link below: https://bit.ly/GivingtoBCC #EveryoneWelcome #ChurchOnline #Leeds #Burmantofts #LincolnGreen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Messages to encourage and inspire you in your walk of faith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Bridge Community Church Leeds
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    108
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Bridge Community Church Leeds
  • Show Website
    Bridge Community Church Leeds