Bethesda Shalom

Psalm 85:1-7 We are living in a dry and thirsty land!  A land which once flowed with milk and honey is now a barren wasteland.  An unthinkable thing has taken place in the assemblies of Laodicea, the Lord of glory is outside His own Church, knocking to come back in!!  A cry goes forth “The Philistines be upon thee…” and a Church waking out of its sleep arises to go out as at other times, not knowing that the LORD has departed!!  By what means shall the Church recover itself in this our day? Without hesitation I tell you; there’s only one hope for this backslidden nation and the dying Church that lingers within it?   REVIVAL!!

Romans 13:11-12 This is a clarion call for the Church of JESUS CHRIST to awake out of spiritual slumber! Why? Because it is OUR TIME, it is WAR TIME, and it is time to WORK while it is still day. The primary work and the primary weapon is……PRAYER! There is a strong call for the people of God to give themselves to prayer in this message. You can listen to more of Brian’s sermons here: https://brianlongpreaching.com/

Psalm 20 Well, we could sum up, in just seven words, the weight of so many of our self-inflicted ills; “...ye have not, because ye ask not”. (Jms. 4:2).  We find ourselves living in an age of tremendous prosperity; of comfort and ease; a season where it appears that in the Western world no one lacks for anything.  Outwardly; materially, we are filthy rich, yet inwardly; spiritually, we are poverty stricken!  Such is the temptation to find our comfort and take our ease in this world.  Where is our confidence truly found?  Is it found in God or in our material surroundings? This sermon is a heartfelt call for the people of God to sense again their pressing need for God in everything and to cry out to the only one who can sustain His people in this critical hour.  Oh, that we might discover again the secret place of prayer!

Part 24 – What Is Church Leadership? Mention the words church leadership today and you’re bound to be greeted with a mixture of different responses ranging from the pessimistic, to the mundane, to the optimistic.  Sadly, it is not without good reason that church leadership has gotten a bad rap over the last few decades.  What is one to say when secular news outlets expose nationally the money racketing scams of some of the wealthiest Evangelical pastors in the US?  When I say wealthy, how much are we talking about; hundreds; thousands; hundreds of thousands?  How about tens of millions and in the case of one pastor by the name of Kenneth Copeland, a self-confessed billionaire!  The world and indeed many outside the Mega-Church scene, look on in horror at this catastrophe of justice and cry out, how can a minister/servant of God, appointed by God to serve the people in Christ’s stead, profit off them to the tune of millions of dollars?  Naturally, this is a scandal and an outrage!!  Then there is the growing e

Part 23 – What Is Church? We are living at a time in history where it seems that anything that is of long standing tradition is being called into question.  Renewed calls go forth on every side, calling for change.  Out with the old and in with the new is the resounding voice of this post-modern generation.  Whether it’s marriage; the family home; politics or education; that which once served our forefathers well for centuries and in some cases, from the dawn of time, is being re-examined in light of the new-fangled philosophies being offered by the so-called experts.  Sadly, as one looks to the Church, it too follows suit with this itching craving for that which is new.  In a period where Church attendance in the West is in decline and atheism and secularism is on the rise, fighting for its “perceived” survival, the Church believes that unless it becomes relevant to this “youth” driven generation, then it will disappear from society and die of old age (literally).  In an effort to try and retain the young pe

Psalm 27:13-14 There’s a testimony to be had in the midst of trial and sufferings that attests wholeheartedly to the faithfulness of a God who honours His Word!!  “...for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (Heb. 13:5-6).  This is the testimony of David, you can’t argue with it!!  But for some of us perhaps, if we’re being perfectly honest with ourselves and more importantly, if we’re being honest before God, we have to confess that this is not our present testimony.  We cannot confidently say as the writer of Hebrews; “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear…”  The plain truth of the matter is that we are fearful and do not know in our current experience, the authenticity of David’s testimony and on account of this, instead of these words bringing peace and comfort to your soul, the words of the Psalmist are a source of agitation to you.  The great challenge for the Christian in the midst of a

Part 22 – How do I Evangelise? When we say that we are Christian, more often than not we attach a number of adjectives in front of the word in order to try to bring greater clarity as to the type of Christian we mean.  Such adjectives include ‘born-again’ and ‘Bible-believing’.  There is a third adjective that we also commonly use and that is ‘Evangelical’.  When we use the term ‘Evangelical’, what we’re saying is this; we believe wholeheartedly in the saving power of the gospel and therefore seek actively to proclaim that gospel to a lost and dying world.  The word ‘evangelical’, comes from the Greek word “euaggelion” which means a good message; good news, hence the word ‘gospel’ which in Greek is the word “euaggelion”.  Despite the pressures being laden upon us by the P.C. agenda of our day; we are not to shrink back from the mandate of proclaiming the good news of the gospel, set against the backdrop of the ruin and sinfulness of man.  Admittedly, this is not a popular message in our post-modern society wh

Testimony of a Former Jehovah's Witness Jason Wright is pastor of Bourne Evangelical Church. In this testimony, Jason shares how he was marvelously saved out of the Watch Tower Society aka Jehovah's Witnesses. For ten years, Jason and his family were dedicated and committed members of Jehovah's organisation and gave everything to faithfully serve what they believed to be the true religion on earth. With the promise of Armageddon imminent, there was no time to waste. However, as time proceeded, Jason and his wife Jenny, became disillusioned and sought answers. As Jason searched the Scriptures, it pleased the Father to reveal His Son and after a long struggle, Jason and his wife came to find the true Jesus and left the Jehovah's Witnesses losing everything. May God see fit to bless many as Jason and Jenny share their story.  

Part 21 – What Is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? There is perhaps no other subject matter that has made for greater debate amongst Evangelicals and about which more varied opinions have been held, than the topic at hand in this 21st teaching part.  For some, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues; for others, it is a second work of sanctification whereby one now receives the power to ‘live’ a holy life.  Some would argue that this supernatural phenomenon ceased in the first century and therefore, although this experience is recorded in the book of Acts, it is no longer one that can be experienced today.  One group argues that the baptism of Holy Spirit is not an experience subsequent to salvation but is rather synonymous with receiving the Holy Spirit at conversion.  Another group argues that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience that is distinguishable and distinct from salvation, coming after the initial experience of being born-again.  What are we to make of all these contravening

Part 20 – What are the Gifts of the Holy Spirit? Modern 21st century man well makes a fitting boast on account of the vast array of his many accomplishments, they’re admittedly very impressive!  In this century and the last, the world has witnessed staggering and unprecedented breakthroughs in every field of expertise, from medicine to engineering.  Western civilization has never known such affluence, such protracted periods of peace and prosperity; such high standards of health and living on a universal scale.  You say, what has this got to do with the subject heading of this Bible teaching?  Everything!!  I fear that the modern man with all his natural brilliance and expertise has lost sight of his need for God.  It is one thing when the world does this, but when Christians follow suit, it is a very sad day indeed.  Behold the Mega-Church with all its outward display of pomp and glory.  It bears greater resemblance to a mini village complex than a Church of the Living God, and serves as an indictment; a tes

Part 19 – How Do I Pray and What Is Fasting? As one opens the Bible and turns to the pages of the New Testament, one is struck by the sheer number of references and exhortations calling God’s people to prayer.  As Christians, we cannot dispense of this holiest discipline since it is the very lifeline not only of the Christian but of the Church.  Yet sadly, the prayer meeting has almost disappeared from view and if there is one, it is the least attended meeting of the week.  What is prayer?  Prayer in its most basic form is talking to God and includes in its function petitions, supplications, intercessions, praise, thanksgiving and worship.  In this nineteenth teaching part, we examine some of these functions and explore practically and theologically the question, ‘How do I pray?’  Finally, there are times in our lives that call for desperate action; times of great calamity or urgent needs where prayer alone does not seem to cut it.  It is during these times that we may resort not only to heightened times of p

Part 18 – Why Do Christians Suffer? Of the top ten questions of all time, it ought to come as no surprise to us to learn that they’re the same as they’ve always been from the dawn of time; “What is the real meaning of life?” “Is there a God?”  “What happens when I die?”  Despite the exponential advances in technology, economics, medicine and science over the last half a decade; man with all his worldly wisdom is still no closer to being able to provide adequate answers to these crucial questions, nor will he ever be.  This is because principally they’re not scientific questions nor are they even philosophical ones.  Fundamentally at their core, they are theological questions.  However, since man has cast off the wisdom of God in his own professed wisdom, man will search in vain to find the answers his soul so desperately seeks for and will never find them in this world.  We could well add into the list of greatest questions of all time, “Why is there suffering in the world?” and more specifically, the questio

Psalm 73:25-26 It was not without a painful struggle and at the cost of many a night spent in agony, that the Psalmist came once more to find in renewed vision, the truth of the words that we find here in the 25th and 26th verses.  “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever”.  It’s one thing to profess one’s love for God the eternal Saviour in the times of plenty; in the days when the sun light’s its refreshing rays upon your soul; but when the thunder rumbles overhead and the storm clouds break?  It’s then, when we truly discover the authenticity of that profession of love!  Without the aid of physical comforts to spur us on; will we still in that place of testing, be able to say what we could in the absence of it; “Thou, O Christ, art all I want; More than all in Thee I find”.

Part 17 – How Do I Handle Relationships? In this seventeenth teaching part, we look practically and biblically at how as believers in Christ, we are to relate to one another in the relationships given us by God.  One only has to look down through the ages, beginning with the first offspring of the first man and woman; Cain and his brother Abel, to see that how God intended man to relate one to another has been seriously marred.  Murder and war was never God’s intention!  Broken homes and marriages; damaged and fractured relationships, were never his will.  We live in in a world where such abounds and is on the increase.  Even in the professing Church, we turn to find a better example and see the same broken relationships; failed marriages and Church splits.  Surely there is a better way revealed in Holy Scripture, a way that we are called as Christians to walk.   We shall then look now at just three areas where the Bible offers practical help in preserving and nurturing relationships as children of God.  Thes

1 Samuel 23:1-14 Perilous times face the Church of Jesus Christ in the days ahead for Christians living in the West.  Look outside the Western world and see; our Brothers and Sisters worldwide, suffer persecution for the cause of Christ.  It is with firm conviction that I believe that our times of freedom are coming swiftly to an end and that we shall in like manner also suffer persecution for our stand in Christ.  In light of this, God is wanting to prepare His Church to stand.    Where is your trust and your confidence found and upon what ground are your feet planted?  If ever there was a thing that will test the authenticity of your answer it will be the blazing fire of persecution!  In that day, your trust had better not be found in another for that day shall reveal it.  Christ alone, in Him alone must our trust alone be found.

Colossians 2 There has never been a point in its 2000 year history that the Church of Jesus Christ has not had to contend against false teachers and their damnable doctrines. Even in the first century, within a decade and a half of Christ’s death, burial, resurrection and ascension, the apostles found themselves contending earnestly for the faith against the errors of the false Judaizers and later on, the early Gnostics.  As nears our Lord’s return, we are witnessing the rise of many sects and movements which by stealth are sucking in those once sound in the faith.  One such sect is not new; but is seeing a resurgence in our day, namely that of the Judaizers, under the auspices of the Hebrew Roots movement.  This sermon is a flat refutation of their damnable heresies and a passionate plea for the Body of Christ to shun all such sects which have as their goal the aim of leading men away from the simplicity which is in Christ the Head, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and to ruin men’s soul

Part 16 – How Do I Overcome Sin? Perhaps no greater area deserving of our attention is the question posed as the title of this teaching part; “How Do I Overcome Sin?”  Ask the average Christian this question and you’re sure to be greeted with a mixture of responses.  I hear one say, “why are you worried about sin, it’s been dealt with at Calvary; the grace of God has covered all sins, past, present, and future”.  Another, I hear say “didn’t Paul struggle with sin?  The things he wanted to do he didn’t do and the things he desired not to do those things he did; what’s the problem?  Join the club!  If the great Apostle Paul couldn’t gain the victory over besetting sins then how much less us sinners?”  In this sixteenth teaching part, we tackle the issue of overcoming sin head-on, clearing up some of the misconceptions surrounding this matter and providing biblical answers to questions such as; how do I overcome sin?  What does it mean to walk by the Spirit and how does one overcome besetting sins?  May God see

Jeremiah 6:16 The great dilemma of the “remnant Church” in this land of ours is that it knows all the right things in their head but when one looks to see this translate on the race track, the rubber never seems to meet the road!!  I fear that we’ve become experts in exposing the error that’s outside while our own house lies in ruin!  The pressing need among the professing remnant Church in these Last Days is for God to send into our midst a “Nathan the prophet” who can point the finger into our very hearts and cry “Thou art the man” (2 Sam. 12:7).  In this final part of a three-part message, the emphasis is moved from the heart to the feet.  A plea from God is heard sounding forth of a merciful and loving God who is calling His people home.  Who will hear His call; who will heed His call; who will come back home? At the start of this sermon, a testimony is given at the request of those who had invited Paul to share how he came to live by faith going into full-time ministry.   This message was shared at the I

Jeremiah 6:16 I find it quite amazing and oft at times it shows our age; when mixing with the young they speak of things pertaining to today; yet when mixing with the aged, they speak of the things of yesteryear, remembering the days of old and how things used to be!  There's a saying; “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” - and how true this is.  To realize the worth of a prized possession, in light of its passing, and to yearn for it again is grief enough; but to have never known that prized possession in the first place is grief the more!!  The bottom line is this; you cannot miss what you’ve never had and you cannot mourn what you've never experienced.  I fear that we are living in a generation that is so far removed from the Biblical standards of godliness known to our forefathers of old, that what we now call normal Christianity, would a generation ago have been considered reprobate!!  Before one can walk along the old paths, they must first know what they are.  In this second part of a three-p

Jeremiah 6:16 In this generation of newfangled fancies and innovative ideas and inventions, we’re told that old is bad and new is good; that which belonged to yesteryear must needs to be buried in order to make way for the new thing God’s wanting to do today.  Friends, on every hand I witness a Church trying its level best to be relevant to a world that’s so disgusting and vulgar that no Christian has any business ever trying to imitate it.  There is a great need in these last days for the people of God to ask again for the old paths. In this first part of a three-part message, we set the landscape and call the people of God to prepare their hearts as to how they intend to respond.  Before one can turn again to the old paths there must first be a sincere willingness on the part of man to enquire again and to ask in earnest for the old paths. This message was shared at the Israel and Prophecy Meeting March 2008