Bethesda Shalom

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 My dear people, there is a price to be paid for revival — it’s a painful affair!  Duncan Campbell put it this way; “If you want revival, get right with God. If you are not prepared to bring the "last piece," for God's sake stop talking about revival, your talking and praying is but the laughing-stock of devils. It is about time we got into the grips of reality”.  The Welsh revival of 1904-05 began with a young man seeking the face of God by the name of Evan Roberts.  For over a decade he had prayed in private for God to send a revival to Wales.  At the age of 26, Evan attended a meeting at which a preacher named Seth Joshua prayed these famous words, “Lord, bend us”.  As Roberts heard these words, the Holy Spirit pressed Him sore and said, “That’s what you need”. Upon bended knees, with tears streaming down his face, Evan Roberts cried aloud, “Bend me, bend me!!”.  That same year, God used Evan Roberts as an instrument of revival, as God swept into Wales. You say, Lord, send revival — Bro

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 Without question, even on a precursory level, as one picks up the history books and begins to read the accounts of past revival, you will be met with a common pattern again and again. Before the sound of the mighty rushing wind, the prayers of God’s people were heard!  “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:1-2).  What were they doing gathered together with one accord in one place?  The same thing they were doing previous to this, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren” (Acts 1:14).  The first business of the first Church of Jesus Christ was prayer!!  Quite literally, the Church was birthed in prayer.  When they hit upon hard times, they didn’t gather to deliberate and strategise, they held a prayer meeting and

Acts 2:37-38 Before every divine visitation, God begins to awaken the consciences of His people first to the possibility of revival, and secondly to the need for revival.  How can a thirst for revival begin in the hearts of God’s people unless there is a conviction that such a work of God is even for today? Perhaps the greatest hindrance to God sending revival amongst the so-called remnant Church in this land is the sin of unbelief.  Simply put, we do not believe that such a work of revival is possible today.  Just mention the word “revival” and with a disheartened look of disapproval, you will be pointed to the headline news which daily announces the moral and spiritual decadence of our nation. But look, Biblically and historically, revival has always come out of moral lows.  When God’s people get burdened over the spiritual rot in their own lives and the lives of those around them, then they begin to cry out to God if perhaps He might do something about it!!!  This sermon is part 2 of a 3-part mini-series,

Acts 2:37-38 My dear Brothers and Sisters, you don’t need me to tell you that we are living in a dry and thirsty land!  A land that once flowed with milk and honey is now a barren wasteland.  Once the Church of Jesus Christ stood as a bastion of faithfulness and a pillar of truth decrying the spiritual bankruptcy of a fallen world.  Once it stood as a blazing lighthouse, warning the wicked of their pending danger, guiding them into the Gospel harbour of saving grace. But now? Now it has made the world its bed-fellow, drinking from the same polluted cisterns, and eating from the same soiled troughs. Rather than it being the “ekklesia” - the salt and light of the earth, the Church of Jesus Christ has joined hands with the world and is marching in sync to the same humdrum tune. Horatius Bonar - that great Scottish light; in a day when giants still roamed the land, summed it up so well when he said; “I looked for the Church and I found it in the world; I looked for the world and I found it in the Church”.  If tha

Luke 15:11-32 Jason Wright brings an expository exposition of a parable that is so well-known to all of us.  May the Lord bless you as you hear the heart of our Heavenly Father!  

Exodus 40:33-38 If I were to ask you to tell me what the single greatest glory was attending the children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness, I wonder what answer you would give?  Would it be the miraculous wonders — fresh manna by morning; the rock which was clave in two? Would it be the glory of the gold which adorned the holy furniture in the tent of the congregation? Would it be the precious stones that decorated Aaron’s breastplate or the two that rested upon his shoulders?  I’ve no doubt that each of these glories were wonders to behold, yet the glory that I have in mind exceeds the splendour of each of these as heaven exceeds the glory of the earth!! You say, Brother, tell me, what is in your opinion, the single greatest glory that for 40 years attended the children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness?  Without question, it was the pillar of cloud that led them by day and the pillar of fire that led them by night! Brothers and Sisters, the single greatest glory that attended the ch

Philippians 3:12-15 As each of you begins this New Year, I wonder this morning how much of 2023 you’ve allowed to stick?  How much of last year has come across as unwanted baggage into this year?  Do you know that for many a soul, their future has been mapped already for them by events that lie in the past? The child who all their life was told, you’ll amount to nothing finds that those wretched words follow them into adulthood!!  The infant that falls from a tree and breaks a leg, in their later years rediscovers that old injury as it returns to bite with vengeance!!  I’m no skeptic, but the facts on this one speak for themselves!! To a large extent tomorrow’s future is shaped by yesterday's past; this year by the years preceding it, Brethren, if we’re not careful, we can become victims of past failings, prisoners of yesterday’s woes — serving a sentence that we’ve allowed to be imposed upon us when the text of this Holy Book states that Christ came to set us free!  This sermon is a call to leave the past

Jeremiah 5:31 Many today are happy to live in an echo chamber where the only narrative they ever encounter is the one they want to hear.  You all know what an echo chamber is, don’t you? Have you ever shouted from inside a cave?  What do you hear back?  More of the same!!  That’s an echo chamber, and Brethren, if we’re not careful we can find ourselves living in one!!  This sermon is an earnest call for Christians to walk in truth and reality with God.  As I begin a New Year, the desire of my heart more than ever is that I might deal honestly with the One who deals honestly with me!!  Lord, if my heart’s not right, I want to know!!! If my heart’s motivations are jaded, Lord reprove me!  If I’m veering off track, show me O Lord!!!

Hebrews 4:12 Once upon a time the preacher hastened fearlessly to climb the stairs of the pulpit, burdened with a message from heaven, armed in hand with a open Bible.  Book, chapter and verse was his modus operandi and for the unction of God He pleaded!!  Brothers and Sisters, it is the last part of this statement that has become my soul’s burden over the last number of years — O for the unction of God upon the Word!!!  It is simply not enough to have the letter of the Word, we need the Word and the Spirit.  The preaching of God’s Word in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit.  Paul understood this and saw the mighty effects of it in Thessalonica. What does he say? “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power (Lit. force), and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake” (1 Thess. 1:5).  This sermon is a plea to surrender!  A call to yield!  “Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts”

Overcoming the Fear of Man – Paul M. Williams Proverbs 29:25 There are over 500 recognised phobias in our world today For the most part, the fears that we experience as we walk through life are not good.  Rather than serving to be of benefit to us, they serve to be a hindrance.  Of all the fears I could list that are common to man, there is one fear in particular that has proved to be his downfall repeatedly. You say, Brother Paul, what is this fear? It is the fear of man!!!  King Solomon writing some 3000 years ago put it like this; “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe” (Prov. 29:25).  In this sermon, we look at how to overcome the fear of man.

Genesis 12:1-4 It would seem on paper that man has more time on his hands than ever he had since time began.  Please don’t misunderstand me, there are no more hours in a day — the same 24 that have always been are the same 24 available today — yet the sheer amount of what can be accomplished in a single hour is breathtaking!!  One study concluded that modern technology is saving the average man, two weeks each year!!  Despite all the innovations and successes in technological breakthroughs, give a man an extra hour you can guarantee, he’ll find something to do with it and thus what you find is rather than becoming less busy, society becomes more busy. On every hand, I find myself having to fight to preserve what matters most in life.  There are ONLY 24 hours in a day and if you have not got a priority for what matters most in your life you will be swallowed up by the system and spat out ruined! 

Genesis 12:1-4 As I look back over the 23 years that I’ve had the privilege of walking with the Lord, every major turn in the road of my life, has been marked by the call of God.  Before ever I knew the Lord and at every junction since coming to saving faith in Him He hath called and faith’s obedience has met that call!!!   In this sermon, Paul shares his testimony of God’s call and faith’s obedience. Shared at Lifeboat Fellowship (10/12/23) - Sunday (pm)

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 Being raised in 21st-century Britain, I’ve never had the painful displeasure of attending a slave market. Yet in the days of the Roman Empire in the first century AD, it would have been commonplace. Under Roman law, slaves were regarded as the personal property of their masters, to be bought, sold, and mistreated at will. They had no rights of their own, no privileges to their name, they could not so much as own a piece of property, nor enter into a contract with their fellow man; they could not legally marry should they see a bride. If the truth be told, slaves were the lowest class of society, and even freed criminals had more rights than them.  Having painted this despairing picture, I want to invite you to come with me for a moment in the imagination of your mind, to the slave market where once you stood on the blocks for sale. Maimed and stained by the vice of sin, bound by the shackles of iniquity — a thoroughbred reprobate of whom the placard which hangs about your necks reads “N

John 10:22-23 The Intertestamental period dated from the prophet Malachi’s time (about 400 BC) to the preaching of John the Baptist (about AD 25) has been called the silent years. God is never silent! A lot happened in these 400 years.  In this teaching, we are going to explore one amazing event – The Feast of Dedication – in which we will discover who the Shammash of God is and where you and I fit in.

Isaiah 66:1-2 If I were to ask you to tell of the kind of man/woman who wins favour with God, I wonder what you’d say? I know full well of the kind that wins favour with the world — give a man a bit of money and prestige and see how rapidly his circle of friends increases.  But can I say; that which catches the eye of the world and that which turns the head of God are not the same — they’re poles apart. Is not the answer in the text that is before us?  “...to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Is.66:2).   

Matthew 21:42 From the moment that I got saved, some 23 years ago, I had a God-given burden that I could not extinguish, for my life to be used by God!!  I figured that for 20 years, I had given myself in full-time service to do the devil’s bidding; how now, that I’m a born-again Christian could I give the True and Living God anything less?  Every fiber of my being cried forth, “Lord use me!! Get the glory of my life this side of eternity!   Yet in the face of a barren landscape the voice of my own reasoning would say, but how? There was nothing of any outward brilliance to commend itself to God, nothing to lend itself by way of encouragement. All I had was a burden that I could not rid myself of.  Do you want to know what the balm was that soothed my soul in those early years?  The means that God used to inject faith into my spiritual bloodstream? It was the examples given in this Book of the men that God used. Ah, man has his criteria of selection, but listen, those whom the world passes over are God’s cho

Acts 12:1-5   When the people of God begin to pray, God begins to move! This, my dear friends, is an indisputable fact of history to which the Scriptures provide undeniable testimony.  In this sermon, example after example is laid bare, demonstrating that God responds to the prayers of His people.  Whether, Moses, Abraham, Hannah, Elisha, Hezekiah, or Elijah, they prayed unto God and were heard!!  May this be an impetus to stir us to prayer so as to lay hold on God in this desperate hour and to see Him come through!!     

1 Samuel 3:10 I would argue that the single greatest tool the Devil has used to pervert a whole generation in this century and the latter half of the last has been the power of mass media — Film, music, radio, television, and now the internet. What was previously confined to the abominable opera houses and disgusting theatre halls is now aired en-mass 24-7/365 click-and-demand across the world!!  So immoral and harmful is the content, as a child of God, you daren’t cast your eyes upon it, not lend an ear to hear.  Every value contrary to the Word of God is lauded and celebrated, promoted, and embraced, not only by the artists themselves but by their millions of fans and followers whom they’ve managed to hoodwink by the truckload!  My dear people, can I ask, what are you setting before your eyes in the name of entertainment?  The films you sit down to watch?  The dramas and the soaps? The women’s magazines? David purposed in his heart; “ I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes” (Ps. 101:3). Will you say th

1 Samuel 3:10 No man who upon hearing the voice of God, ever lived to regret the day He answered the call!!  My phone rings all the time and sometimes I regret answering it. An unidentified number appears on the screen — it’s a local number, and you think, I’d better answer it, only to discover two seconds in that it’s a national telesales company masquerading behind a local area code!!  WHY DID I ANSWER THE CALL? Brothers and Sisters, such words might indeed be uttered when man is calling, but never a soul lived to regret answering the call of God!! There are times that I have to say also, that I have lived to regret heeding the voice of man.  Sometimes those voices are well intentioned — counsel that means me well, but it’s not God’s council and thus there’s only one inevitable outcome — disappointment and regret!!  Ah, many a man upon hearing the voice of his closest kin regretted the day he ever gave heed, but no man — and I mean NO MAN — ever lived to regret the day He answered the call of God!!  This s

2 Kings 4:38-41 You’ve all heard the expression, “One bad apple spoils the barrel”; the origin of this idiom dates all the way back to the 1300’s.  According to one source, the bad apple metaphor was first recorded in 1340 in the form of an English proverb, “A rotten apple quickly infects its neighbor”.  There is a Biblical counterpart to this idiom which goes like this; “...a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” (1 Cor. 5:6).  In this sermon, an urgent call goes forth for us to make search for any traces of leaven in our lives.  With God’s help and grace, I pray that this sermon will be of help to your soul.