South Featherstone Gospel Hall

  Suppose we were called on to undertake a minor task or provide a service for King Charles or for some other very important personage or someone we admired but didn’t really know. How would we feel both before and during that activity? Well, I’m sure there would be some apprehension but in general we would do it gladly and with some pride that we had been asked to do it. We certainly wouldn’t look on it as a chore or just a duty or even do it with a bad attitude. We would do it to the best of our ability and be well pleased, particularly if it was noticed. In Psalm 100 v 2 we have the following words, “Serve the LORD with gladness” .If we are brutally honest, sometimes our service to the Lord who has saved us and keeps us is done almost grudgingly. This service includes taking on responsibilities within the church that we serve Him through. We don’t regard it as a privilege more of a chore and yet we are serving the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And King Charles or anybody ...

  Love Your Enemies – Matthew 5:43-48 Dear Friends, picture the hillside. Jesus has already turned the world upside down with His words—blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the merciful—and now He comes to the hardest command of all. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48 ESV) Jesus doesn’t soften it. He doesn’t add qualifiers. He takes the old rule—love your own, hate the rest—and shatters it. Love your...

Probably the most powerful emotion in the world is love. It is also probably one of the most beautiful and caring in its purest form, within human relationships, e.g. between man and wife; parents and children. There has been so much literature and music written which has love at its centre and all of us have experienced and given love during our lives. Love manifests itself by self-sacrifice and wanting the very best for another, regardless of personal cost and the strangest actions have been performed to demonstrate the love of one person for another. When we come to know the love of God in a personal way, we find our own capacity for love increases and we also experience the truth of the words in the Bible, “we love Him because He first loved us”. We respond to God’s love for us, which was shown most clearly in the death of His Son to pay the price for our sins, we respond to that love by loving Him and making Him the most important Person in our lives, seeking to please Him. But th...

  When “Good Enough” Isn’t Good Enough – Matthew 5:20-26 Dear Friends, l et me ask you something that might make you shift in your seat:  Have you ever looked at your life and thought, “I’m not perfect, but I’m not that bad either”? I mean, compared to some people, you’re doing okay. You don’t murder. You don’t steal. You try to be decent. That’s gotta count for something, right? Jesus is on the hillside, looking out at this crowd of regular folks just like us — people who grew up hearing “don’t murder” and thought, “Got that one covered.” Then He drops this line that still echoes in my ears:  “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Whoa!  The Pharisees were the gold standard. They tithed on their spices. They prayed on street corners. They followed every rule to the letter. And Jesus says… even that isn’t enough. Then He gets personal.  “You ...

  When I was a developing my career, the Company I was working for sponsored me to take a 3-year Management course at Leeds. I learned a lot of techniques and skills that helped me to become a manager and then into my current employment. It also debunked me of some ideas I had, one of which was to assume that accountancy was an accurate representation of the financial state of a Company. Thus I learned the difference between precision and accuracy. Sometimes we assume that two related words mean the same, as in the case of precision and accuracy. Precision means that it all balances, accuracy means it is a correct representation. Taking this comparison to 2 other words, need and want. We have many ‘wants’ but fewer ‘needs’. Jesus highlighted this difference when He went to visit with 2 sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha was running round trying to make sure a meal she was preparing was absolutely perfect while Mary was listening to the teaching Jesus was giving. When Martha complaine...

  God Is Not Tired of You – Matthew 7:7-12 Dear Friends, let me ask you something really personal today: When was the last time you stopped praying about something because it felt like God wasn’t listening anyway? Jesus is on the hillside with this big crowd of ordinary, tired, worried people — moms, dads, fishermen, tax collectors, the sick, the stressed — and He leans in and says something that still sounds too good to be true: “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.” Not “ask once and wait politely.” Not “pray really hard and maybe I’ll answer.” He says keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. Then He paints this beautiful picture of a dad with his kids. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for fish, will give him a snake?” Even we — with all our faults — know how to give good gifts to our kids. So how much more will your perfect heavenly Father give good things to you when...

  Are you expecting an inheritance at some time in the future? Those of us who are older are operating in the opposite direction, we are reviewing our worldly goods and chattels with a view to what our children might inherit!!! And of course, our government wins out every time with that wonderful invention called the Inheritance Tax! Taxing at the best of times is painful, but to have to pay tax on what you have earned with the sweat of your brow or someone else’s brow seems totally unfair.  Whether we leave, or gain, an inheritance in this world, it will all ultimately be irrelevant and meaningless as we pass out of this life. So do we just give up and say with Ecclesiastes, Vanity of vanities, all is meaningless?  Not so!! As we have learned during our life on earth, this is just a preparation for eternity. The inheritance that all Christians have obtained is an eternal inheritance, one that can never be taxed and one that we can never pass on to someone else. It is an ...

  The Only Sign We Really Need – Luke 11:29-32 Dear Friends, the crowds are pressing in, hungry for a spectacle. They want fireworks, a miracle on demand, proof that Jesus is the real deal. He looks at them and says something that must have landed like a slap: “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” No doves. No healings on cue. No thunder from heaven. Just Jonah. Jonah — the reluctant prophet swallowed by the sea monster for three days, spat out alive, sent to preach to the worst city on earth. Nineveh repented in sackcloth and ashes, and God relented. Jesus says that’s the only sign this crowd will get. And then He turns the knife: “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.” Something greater than Jonah is standing right in front of them. The Son of God Himself. The Wor...

  We all pass through trials in life, none of us are immune. Even though we have accepted Jesus as our Saviour, God still does not shield us from misfortunes that come upon the whole of humanity. The natural disasters that largely come from climate change, affect both saved and unsaved alike. Miracles of salvation do occur, but what right have we as Christians to believe that we should be treated differently?  Many of you will know, that I lost my only brother in a car accident when he was in his 40’s. He knew the Lord and yet he was taken from us early. My parents, who also had a strong faith in God accepted it, but as human beings, never really got over it. I, as a human being, still see no reason or benefit that came from his death, but like my parents, I have accepted it and one day God will explain what I cannot see now because His wisdom is perfect. In the last letter the Apostle Paul wrote, the second book of Timothy, he was imprisoned in Rome and expecting execution. M...

  When You Don’t Know What to Say – Matthew 6:7-15 Dear Friends, Jesus sits on the hillside with a crowd of ordinary people — fishermen, tax collectors, the sick, the curious — and He gives them something they didn’t ask for: a way to pray that doesn’t sound like the religious professionals. He says: “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Then He gives them the prayer we’ve all whispered a thousand times: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” It’s short. It’s simple. It’s shocking. No long, impressive sentences. No spiritual jargon. Just a child talking to a Father who already knows the ...

  One of the greatest mysteries that I see around me is the existence of love. It’s not that I don’t believe in love, but why does it happen and particularly between two individuals. How do brain patterns recognise love when we can’t even define it except by the evidence of its existence. We can look at two people and say ‘they are in love’ but it is only by their looks and behaviour that we can see love exists. And that perhaps is the best definition, not in words but in actions. It is the strongest emotion that exists. It causes one person to even give their life up for another because all they want for that person is the best that life can bring and their well-being. And the Bible itself and that great Apostle who knew and experienced the love of Jesus while Jesus was on earth, the Apostle John, defines love in this way and particularly the love of God for us as human beings: ” Herein is love. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be propitiation for ou...

  The King and the Least – Matthew 25:31-end Dear Friends, picture the moment. The Son of Man comes in glory. All the angels with Him. Every nation gathered. The throne is set. And then — silence falls like a blade. He separates people like a shepherd divides sheep from goats. The sheep on the right. The goats on the left. No middle ground. No second chances. Just two lines. To the sheep He says: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” They’re stunned. “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?” And He answers: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Then to the goats on the left — the sa...

  How often do we show out gratitude to the Lord. Giving thanks or showing gratitude to God, is an act of recognizing His goodness, love, and faithfulness, which can be done through prayer, song, and daily reflection. Ways include thanking Him in all circumstances, starting the day with gratitude for His blessings, and acknowledging Him as the source of all good things.  Gratitude impacts every area of our lives, by giving us the command to always give thanks, God is not rubbing salt in a wound or calling us to set aside reason. He knows that being thankful in all circumstances has a powerful impact on every area of our Christian life.  Gratitude keeps us continually aware that the Lord is close by. Even though gratefulness doesn’t come naturally in difficult circumstances, a decision to thank God for walking with us through life makes us more sensitive to His comforting presence. It motivates us to look for His purpose in our circumstance.  Knowing that the Lord all...

When the Wilderness Calls – Matthew 4:1-11 Dear Friends, right after the heavens opened and the Father said, “This is my beloved Son,” the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness. No gentle path. No warm-up. Just forty days of hunger, silence, and the devil showing up with three very clever offers. First: turn stones to bread. Jesus is starving. One word and the rocks become bakery. But He answers, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Second: jump from the temple pinnacle — make God prove Himself with angels. Jesus refuses to test the Father. “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” Third: all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for one bow to Satan. The shortcut. No cross. No suffering. Just instant glory. Jesus shuts it down: “Be gone, Satan! You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.” Three temptations. Three answers. Every time the same three words: “It is written.” Jesus didn’t fight with feeling...

  How often do we show out gratitude to the Lord. Giving thanks or showing gratitude to God, is an act of recognizing His goodness, love, and faithfulness, which can be done through prayer, song, and daily reflection. Ways include thanking Him in all circumstances, starting the day with gratitude for His blessings, and acknowledging Him as the source of all good things.  Gratitude impacts every area of our lives, by giving us the command to always give thanks, God is not rubbing salt in a wound or calling us to set aside reason. He knows that being thankful in all circumstances has a powerful impact on every area of our Christian life.  Gratitude keeps us continually aware that the Lord is close by. Even though gratefulness doesn’t come naturally in difficult circumstances, a decision to thank God for walking with us through life makes us more sensitive to His comforting presence. It motivates us to look for His purpose in our circumstance.  Knowing that the Lord all...

  The Doctor is In – Luke 5:27-32 Dear Friends, imagine the scene. Levi (who we know better as Matthew) is sitting at his tax booth — the most hated man in town. He’s a collaborator with Rome, lining his own pockets while his neighbours groan under heavy taxes. Socially untouchable. Spiritually radioactive. And Jesus walks straight up to him and says two simple words: “Follow me.” No sermon. No conditions. No “clean yourself up first.” Just “Follow me.” And Levi does. He leaves everything — the money, the power, the security — and throws a massive party in his own house. Who does he invite? All his old friends: other tax collectors and “sinners.” The kind of crowd that made religious people cross the street. The Pharisees are horrified. They mutter to the disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus overhears and gives them the most beautiful answer in the Bible: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come...

As we get older, some things which we didn’t expect start to happen. I’m not talking about physical health by the way! We notice older relatives dying and disappearing from our lives. Eventually, we ourselves too begin to recognise our mortality. Sometimes, if the relative who dies is a close relative, we may benefit financially from their will and estate, although the number of rich relatives I have is very, very small. The benefit obtained from a person’s will is sometimes called an inheritance and there is a verse in the Bible in Ephesians 1 which uses that same word, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance”. Notice it doesn’t say ‘from whom’ but ‘in whom’. So the person in whom we have obtained an inheritance is none other than Jesus Christ. Our inheritance in Him is unique because He isn’t dead but alive and because He is alive, our inheritance continues to grow and achieves its fulfilment in eternity. While we are on earth we have access to all Christ’s character, because w...

  The Bridegroom is Here – Matthew 9:14-15 Dear Friends, one ordinary day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus with a genuine question: “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” It was a fair question. Fasting was serious business — a sign of repentance, devotion, and hunger for God. John’s followers were fasting. The Pharisees were fasting twice a week. But Jesus’ disciples? They were eating, laughing, and enjoying life like they were at a party. What was going on? Jesus didn’t give them a new rule. He gave them a picture of joy: “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Jesus is saying, “I am the Bridegroom. I have come for My bride. This is not a time for long faces and empty stomachs — this is a time for celebration!” The presence of Jesus turns mourning into feasting. But He also looks ahead with gentle honesty: the day is c...

  For reasons I can’t explain, the word Mizpah and its meaning has been on my heart today. There is no logical or emotional reason why it should be there and it has no connection with anything particularly that is going on in my life or anyone I know. Many of you will have come across the word in your spiritual journey but I just want to take a short time to speak about it. It is a Hebrew word literally meaning ‘watchtower’. A watchtower is automatically connected in my mind with guarding against danger. The word occurs in Genesis when Jacob and Laban, Jocob’s father-in-law, were separating from one another, maybe never to see one another again, and Jacob was taking Rachel and Leah and Laban’s grandchildren away with him and they built a pile of stones as a witness to the oath of loyalty to one another and called the place Mizpah.  Jacob explained the word thus, “The LORD watch between you and me whilst we are away from one another”. Jacob didn’t just want to go and leave Laba...

  The Cost of Following – Luke 9:22-25 Dear Friends, Jesus has just asked the question that echoes through every generation: "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answers rightly— "The Christ of God." The air must have felt electric. Finally, the truth is out. Surely now the kingdom will roll in like a wave. But Jesus immediately shuts down any dream of easy triumph. "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised" (v.22). No detour. No softening. Then He looks at the crowd—disciples, hangers-on, the curious—and says words that still make hearts stutter: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?" (vv.23-25) This...

  I just want to continue the thoughts from 2 Peter1. We looked at the start of v 3 and we found that in our lives, we are kept by God’s power. Our whole lives are in His hand, and we need to recognise His divine authority and supremacy. But why have we been and are being kept by God’s power? For what purpose? Well, we keep things for at least 3 reasons: 1 – we like or even love them; 2- they are useful; and 3 – to prevent them getting lost or because they are rare. All of these reasons can explain why God keeps us, He loves us; we can serve Him and we are preserved from eternal harm. Peter goes on to essentially concentrate on the third reason, we are kept by the power of God, “……through faith unto salvation”. Paul, in Ephesians says, “by grace you have been saved, through faith …… it is the gift of God”. This is the key to salvation, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and because of that faith we have been saved from destruction, and we are kept by God’s power through our earthly lif...

  The Weight We Carry – Psalm 38 Dear Friends, picture David in the dim light of his chamber, body wracked with pain, no strength left in his bones. He’s not just ill—he’s broken open. “O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!” he cries (v.1). God’s arrows have pierced him, His hand heavy upon him (v.2). There’s no health in his flesh because of divine indignation, no soundness because of his sin (v.3). His guilt towers over him “like a burden too heavy to bear” (v.4). Wounds fester, he’s bowed low, mourning all day long (vv.5-6). Even his insides burn; strength fails him; the light of his eyes is gone (vv.7-10). Friends and companions stand afar off, neighbours avoid him, those who seek his life set traps (vv.11-12). He’s become like a man who cannot hear, whose mouth is shut—no defence, no comeback (vv.13-14). Yet in the silence of his suffering, David does the one thing that changes everything: he waits. “For you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord...

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod - Mark 8:14-21 Dear Friends, the disciples have just got into the boat with Jesus. They’ve forgotten to bring bread—only one loaf between them (v.14). Jesus, still carrying the weight of the Pharisees’ hard-hearted demand for a sign, warns them: “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod” (v.15). They think He’s talking about literal bread. They start arguing among themselves because they’ve only got one loaf (v.16). Jesus hears the bickering and sighs deeply again—this time with a touch of sorrowful exasperation. “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see, and having ears, do you not hear?” (vv.17–18). Then He takes them back to the two feedings they’ve witnessed. “When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They answer, “Twelve.” “And the seve...

  In the days in which we live we come across so much trouble, difficulties and problems everywhere we look. We as those who love the Lord need never fear. We are surrounded by the presence of our wonderful God. Whatever our situation the Lord can and will bring comfort and strength, reminding us that God’s presence is with us, bringing us peace in place of anxiety. Hebrews 13:5 promises, He will never leave us. This allows us to draw on His strength whatever our issues. He will give us the courage and strength to face the future whatever it may hold, knowing God has a purpose for our lives  We are not walking through our current challenges alone. The Holy Spirit is acting as our comforter and helper, He can turn our, worries into prayers and our fears into faith. Always trust that God is in control and working for our good.  Article written by Brian Preston, Elder @SFGH Church