Tag Archives: jesus

Israel’s Faith (Joshua 3-4)

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1 Peter 1:3)

Christian hope is not founded on human strength or ability but on God’s power. The book of Joshua recounts the Israelite invasion of the Promised Land. Was this just a match between two human teams? Could victory be guaranteed? Rahab, the Canaanite, was already convinced Israel would win. In Canaanite mythology, the god who controlled the waters, was the supreme god. She had already heard of the crossing of the Red Sea and concluded that the LORD their God was with them (Joshua 2:9-10). But God did it again. He dried up the river Jordan, so that Israel could cross into Canaan. This gave Israel a confident hope. It confirmed to Rahab that her decision to side with the Israelites was the right one.

As Christians, we look not to the promised land, but to eternal life. Not to victory over others, but death. How can we have a confident hope? We look to Jesus, who crossed from death into resurrected life. We trust not in human power, but in the God who has power over the waters and over death.

This Sunday- 19th July 2026

Hope may not be a popular word this week. The hopes of all those who had dared to dream that the English men’s football team might reach the World Cup final for the first time in sixty years – and possibly even win it – were dashed. A sustained Argentinian onslaught brought two late goals to turn an English lead into a crushing defeat. Perhaps it is better not to hope at all? Yet, Christian hope is different.

Joshua’s First Battle (Exodus 17:8-13)

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,” (Ephesians 3:16)

This Sunday we begin a series on Joshua. He started off as Moses’ main assistant and ended up taking over from Moses, when Israel entered the Promised Land. This week, we begin with the first time Joshua plays a significant role in the story, when he leads the Israelites as they defend against an attack by the Amalekites. Then from next week, we will be looking at the book of Joshua, which describes what Israel did under Joshua’s leadership.

Fruit of the Spirit: Self-Control (2 Peter 1:1-11)

“Like a city whose walls are broken down is a person who lacks self-control.” (Proverbs 25:28)

The Proverb above says, that if we lack self-control, we are like a city without walls. We become defenceless – not from external attack, but to our own destructive behaviours.

Self-control is a guard for our life. Without it all the other characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit become worthless. Listen, watch this Sunday to find out more…

Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness (Galatians 6:1-10)

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.” (Galatians 6:1a)

As Christians we want to challenge one another to become more Christ like, but if we try to push someone to change too quickly or too aggressively, then they may not be able to cope and just leave the church or give up on faith. That is why the verse above says, that when someone is caught in a sin, we need to go about restoring them gently.