[This reflection by Dennis Ginter was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 25/May/2025]
We have just finished this month’s teaching series ‘The Power to Change, Breaking Free for Good’. Even before the first sermon, I knew I was going to hear things that hurt. You see – for me at least – finding freedom has always involved pain. I think that’s because of the stuff that needs to be ripped out of me first – stuff that I’ve been in bondage to for many years.
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[This reflection by Chris Ginter was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 18/May/2025]
It has been so encouraging lately to see so many people welcomed into our church for special events – Easter celebrations, Family Fun Days, baptisms, Christmas happenings. But the amazing, wonderful thing is that Jesus is turning up palpably by His Spirit as we worship and praise Him!
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[This reflection by Michael Goble was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 27/Apr/2025]
There are two accounts of the resurrection of Jesus that I find most moving. The first is when Mary thinks she sees a gardener at the tomb of Jesus. When Jesus says to her, “Mary”, she realises that He really was the risen Jesus who was speaking to her. Her sorrow was turned to joy (John 20:15-16). The other moving occasion is when two followers of Jesus, after His death, were walking from Jerusalem to their home in a village called Emmaus, and at that time Jesus came up and walked along with them, but they were kept from recognising Him (Luke 24:13-35).
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[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during April 2025]
Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Saviour,
waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!
From a secular point of view, Easter is over for another year but that is not so for sincere Christians for whom the events at Easter are the primary and constant focus of our faith. The writer to the Hebrews urges us to remember Easter throughout the year:
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12 v2 [NIVUK]
[This reflection by Dennis Ginter was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 06/Apr/2025]
I’ve been thinking a lot about reaching out into our community, and in particular the way Jesus touched so many lives.
A great example is found in the story of Jesus and the woman at the well (in John’s gospel Chapter 4), Jesus (1) strikes up a conversation, (2) does something amazing, and THEN (3) speaks life-changing words to her. He caught her attention in a personal conversation, ‘read her mail’, revealed his identity to her, and offered her eternal life (living water). (more…)
[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during February 2025]
Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Luke 11 v2 [NKJV]
This extract from the template prayer that Jesus taught his disciples is ingrained in the minds of many people, not just in what we might call Christendom but also in its Jewish and Islamic equivalents. The prayer itself is often recited verbatim in the churches of many denominations but in essence it is an example of how our prayers should be constructed.
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