Update from the Franks family
A brief video from the Franks family about their recent travels and the next stage in their journey....
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Why a Sermon Series on Ephesians?
Ephesians is a powerhouse letter. It has gospel. It has mission. It has clear instructions for the Christian life. This letter calls believers to walk in hope, love, holiness, and wisdom within our local church congregation and to live victoriously in a broken world. ...
Let's Make Sundays Great Again
Every Sunday the church gathers, we remember and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. We need to remind ourselves that the Bible’s command to gather is not burdensome. It’s for our good, our faith, our love, and our joy....
Why a Sermon Series on the Five Solas?
This sermon series on 5 Solas of the Reformation, will remind us of the foundation of the evangelical faith. These five slogans, capture well the points of emphasis of the Reformers preaching and teaching. It was a teaching that rocked the world and brought consequences far beyond what they could have imagined. Most importantly, it was a recovery of the gospel. ...
Consider One Another
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24...
A Tribute to my Aunt.
This last Sunday, I preached from Philippians 1, where Paul says to the church at Philippi in verse 21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Aunty Barbs was on my mind the whole week as I prepared this sermon, thinking about her life and her death....
Why a Sermon Series in Philippians?
The subtitle of our sermon series in the book of Philippians is "Journey of a Joyful Life". This letter has been recorded to encourage all Christians to joyfully live out their lives as citizens of a heavenly colony, evidenced by a growing commitment to fruitful service to God and to one another. ...
Why a Sermon Series in Habakkuk?
The Book of Habakkuk affirms that God is sovereign and omnipotent, and He has all things under control. Even when we cannot see evidence of His dominion, God is still on the throne of the universe. This 7 week sermon series will teach you that you can be confident that He is working all things for the good of the Church and his glory. We just need to be still and know He is at work....
Relocating to the Zoo.
What we as a church have learned from the Covid pandemic is that worshiping as a church is an embodied experience, in both its individual and communal dimensions. Gathering is essential for the life of the church. Moving back to the Emirates Park Zoo, we believe is a step in helping our church gather again more effectively and fruitfully for God's glory....
Come to Church Early!
Please for the sake of your brother and sisters’ soul, and for your own edification, make your church attendance a priority, and to add to that, come early, for God’s glory and for the joy of His people!...
The Heart of Hospitality
Hospitality is both an attitude of the heart and also a practice of the hand. It seeks to turn strangers into friends through acts of welcome and generosity....
A Day Well Spent.
The deepest bonds we can have with anyone (despite our external differences) are the bonds we have in Christ. The apostle Paul describes the church body as “members one of another” (Rom. 12:5)....
Meaningful Home Groups
The end of the Summer holidays means the relaunch of our Home Groups. I want to use this brief article to encourage each member of New Life Church to connect with one of these Groups, for God's glory and your joy!...
Why Catechism Classes?
On Saturday February 19th, at 9:30am, NLC will launch their Family Bible Hour. This hour is for everyone part of our Faith Family. This will be similar to a Sunday School set up, where we get to spend more time in a fun format learning God’s Word....
Defining our Church Membership
In an individualistic and consumeristic culture, the very notion that church members bear significant responsibilities comes as a surprise to some Christians. But responsibility and church membership go hand-in-hand. This article is going to look at the Bible’s teaching on the responsibility of members to 'Define our Church’s Membership'. ...
Elder-Led Congregationalism
The elders believe adopting a Congregational Elder-led polity is the best way forward for New Life Church, for the spiritual equipping and maturing of the saints and for the glory of our Lord through the ministry of New Life Church. ...
Why a Sermon Series in Acts?
This Friday we start a new sermon series from the book of Acts. Written by Luke, Acts is the sequel to Luke's Gospel, furthering his story of Jesus, and how he built his church. The book of Acts tells the story of the birth of the church of Jesus Christ and its development from Jerusalem to Rome. As believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit they bear witness to the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. This is how the church is established and continues to grow, spreading locally and then continuing to the ends of the earth....
Maundy Thursday
What is Maundy Thursday? For many Christians, Maundy Thursday may be something that they have never heard about or may be a fairly new term they have recently heard. We've always celebrated Easter together. And most of our churches and communities have gathered to remember Christ's death on Good Friday. But Maundy Thursday is not as familiar to many Christians....
Hyena Hunting
Proverbs 6:27 asks the question, “Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?” The answer is no! We cannot carry fire close to our chests without being burned just like we cannot entertain hyenas without being bitten. We do this by entertaining our sins and toying with them instead of putting them to death at the first opportunity. ...
Graveside Gardening.
This season of grieving has taught me to remember truth. The importance of remembrance cannot be overstated. Remembering helps us refocus, re-align and heal, so we can go on living our lives in ways that glorify God. The Bible is full of reminders to remembrance. But what are we to remember? In short we are to remember who we are in Christ and why we’re here....
Mourning with Hope.
Pastor Gareth reflects on his mothers life and shares with us lessons that the Lord is teaching his family during their time of mourning. ...
Why a Sermon Series from the Book of Judges?
This Friday at New Life Church we're going to start an 11 week sermon series through the book of Judges. The subtitle of our series is BROKEN PEOPLE, FAITHFUL GOD. Even in the midst of human wickedness God’s grace shows us how only the divine can redeem the fallen. I hope you will join us finding Jesus in the book of Judges....
Why a Sermon Series on the Parables of Jesus?
Over the next few months we will observe and learn from Jesus teaching ministry through His parables. May these parables open our eyes to deeper insights into Christ and His kingdom and give us a greater desire for the sweet words of eternal life and to see His kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven....
Life Together
Yesterday (7 July) the TEC, received official confirmation from the Department of Community Development that the compound in Al Mushrif has been approved to enter Phase 1 of the re-opening process. As the government begins to relax some of the restrictions from this coronavirus lockdown, churches will soon be able to go back together with some conditions. ...
It's Just Not the Same!
The Church gathering isn’t just a nice thing to do, it’s part of what a church is. Since the lockdown, we have been mourning the loss of the “great means of grace” which we normally enjoy every Friday here in the UAE. We are trying to do everything we can to encourage and to be encouraged. We are trying to do everything we can to offer praise to our Lord and drink from His word through our online church services...but it is not the same! When the lockdown is over may our hearts resonate with the psalmist: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD’” (Psalm 122:1)....
Covid 19 and Family Prayer
We all understand that “social distancing” is necessary from an epidemic-control point of view, but my fear is that during this time of isolation, many people will be tempted to “spiritually distance” themselves from God, from the church and from their families and basically go on a spiritual holiday. Even though we are isolated physically, we are united in the Spirit of God and in our prayers for each other....
Protect the Gospel
Ensuring faithfulness to the gospel isn’t the responsibility of pastors alone. Every church member is responsible to uphold and affirm the gospel. At a practical level, protecting the gospel means that church members should know and understand the gospel, and know it well. This means you must study it, understand it, be able to articulate it, and apply it....
How to Vote for a Church Elder
The church is a living organism, with Jesus Christ as the living Head. The key question in church government is not, “What is the mind of the members?” but, “What is the mind of Christ?” The main function of church government is to allow Christ to exercise His headship over His church. Having that view of church government results in an entirely different way of conducting church business. ...
Why Church Membership Matters
Local churches should work towards a church membership composed of those who truly believe the gospel and therefore are committed to growing in their commitment to take up their cross and follow Christ. That is easier said than done. Pastor Doug Van Meter writes about some of these challenges and how we should view church membership in light of eternity and God's glory....
Why a Sermon Series on the Gospel of Luke?
On Friday we will begin a new sermon series on The Gospel of Luke. The subtitle of this series is ‘The Mission of Jesus’. Preaching through Luke will help us see how the story of Jesus fulfils the Mission of God to bring salvation to the whole world. Read further to see 4 ways this series will help us as a church......
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Cherish or Perish!
Whether we live in the labour camps or in the suburbs, Jesus came for us. Thank God for Jesus Christ! Thank God, Jesus came to save us from our sins! Sin is the enemy, sin is the reason for all our problems. We live in a broken corrupt world, where misery, sadness and heartache are very much part of our lives. But we live with hope, because Jesus came to set the captives free! ...
The Pulpit
The purpose of the pulpit is to promote the Centrality and Authority of the Word of God. The pulpit is NOT the place for opinion, philosophy, secular thought, debate, business or any non-biblical event. The Pulpit is to be dedicated to the Presentation of the Whole Counsel of God ...
Children in Church.
It is important for the health of the church for children to be included in the corporate worship service. Adults examples will help our children fall in love with the worship of God. This above all else is what we want our children to catch - the authentic worship of God. ...
Assurance!
Since the Bible warns that many are deceived about this crucial matter, the assurance of our salvation is a subject that we need to get biblically correct. How can we know for sure that we are saved?...
5 Ways to Thrive in a Transient Church - by Jamie Dunlop.
An article written By Jamie Dunlop, an associate Pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, on thriving in a transient church much like ours at NLC. ...
Why a Sermon Series on Hypocrisy?
When we purpose to devote our lives to God’s glory, we cannot possibly seek our own glory. It is impossible to live hypocritically when you take God seriously. Living for God’s glory eliminates the possibility of hypocrisy....
Why Celebrate Church Anniversaries?
Our 10th anniversary is NOT about us, but rather about the One who daily frees us from sin and death, who binds us together as a diverse yet unified body, and who calls us forward into new life and service for others--Jesus, the Crucified and Risen Christ....
Rain
Any Christians who sucks in the air of the world, will not be able to drink the water of heaven. Eventually your motor will burn up because we were made to pump the water of God not the air of the world....
Lessons from The Reformation.
Today the 31st October 2018, we celebrate 501 years of the Reformation. We celebrate the fact that the biblical gospel was recovered from the dark ages, through the faithful study of God’s word and the careful exegesis of scripture. The greatest lesson of the Reformation is that the church of Jesus Christ must be the Scripture-driven church, with the Word of God at the centre of its life and practice. ...
Martin Luther - The Reformation
While the foundations of Christianity (including the biblical gospel), were being threatened, God raised up Martin Luther and others, to preserve the truth of the Christian religion....
The Ugliness of Sin
Whenever we sin, we join those who call the cross foolishness, and insult the suffering and death of Christ. The aim of the cross is victory over our sin and the purity of the Church. ...
Technology & the Glory of God.
One of the greatest daily challenges a Christian faces in the modern world is to think clearly about his or her use of any technology. Does it help you achieve good ends in your heavenly calling and service to Christ, or is it an avenue of distraction and temptation? ...
Obedient Discipleship - by Cole Daum & Gareth Franks
Discipleship is not merely about accountability and behaviour modification. Jesus tells us to make disciples by teaching people to obey, but they cannot obey what they haven’t been taught...
Fruitful Discipleship - by Cole Daum
An environment in which a person can be comfortable in a dormant state is no good for anybody especially the Church of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself told us that we glorify His father by bearing fruit and so prove to be His disciples. Jesus not only told us to make disciples but also gave us a model to follow in doing so. ...
Making Disciples Together - By Cole Daum
The best way to glorify God is to focus our time, attention and resources on making disciples of Jesus Christ. This article suggests a needed strategy in order to fulfil this mission, given to us by God....
The Triumph of Good.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of good is for the Church to be faithful.” - The local church was founded by God for the purposes of God and the glory of God. The local church exists so that the invisible reign of Christ will be made visible. It is the only hope of the world....
A Wasted Life
God created us to live with a single passion: to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of him in every part of our lives....
Boxes
When God blesses us with possessions, it is our duty and privilege to use it wisely, to give back to God from what He has given to us, to help those who don’t have as much, and to look upon our possessions with humility. We are not the owners; we are simply the stewards of all that God has chosen to bless us with. We were designed for more than the trivial pursuit of possessions....
Daddy, are we home yet?
As Christians, our identity is in Christ through faith, because of what Christ has accomplished on the Cross of Calvary. Our fellowship is based in the Father and our citizenship is in heaven!...
Death is not a dirty word.
I sincerely hope that these thoughts on death would encourage your faith, and help you to glorify God and enjoy him by remembering that “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him”. (Heb. 11:6)....
The Franks family's ministry in India
A video showing parts of the Franks family's ministry in India....
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