big hero...small story

In our last Talk in this Series, we think about who influences us and who do we influence? It is good to praise and pray for those who have influenced us for the better. John Mark felt he had the freedom to say No. It's part of our Christian DNA to reach out to others. As we do this we can lift up the name of the Lord.

Bravery, faith and obedience sums up the life of many people in the Bible. It certainly does of Hannah.

Nicodemus is a well known person in the Bible. His conversation with Jesus in John 3, is perhaps one of the most quoted chapters in the Bible. Who was he, why did he visit Jesus, what happened after and why is he a hero? Is it easy to be spiritually fit? Our website contains the notes for this Talk. This includes all the PowerPoint slides, as well as other ideas that aren't actually explored in the actual Talk itself.

Bezalel was a brilliant craftsman. He was also a spiritual man and that meant he knew that God was with him – Emmanuel. This enabled him to do something that might seem impossible to most people – to be in charge of building God’s Tabernacle. God often calls us to do things for Him that we are good at, just like He did with Bezalel. Is our relationship with God something we work at? Do we “Come” to Jesus? Do we “Go” for Him too? Do we use our gifts for God’s glory? Do we go to people with metaphorical divine hugs: God’s love and compassion? We are called to be Heroes by doing this. Emmanuel is with us today. This means that we can all grow in the faith. We can all be involved in the work of the Lord. Let’s ask God to open our eyes to see what He is doing and get involved – even if it seems tricky. It would be useful for you to look at the notes on our website, as these contain the PowerPoint slides and plenty more ideas that weren’t developed in the actual Talk.

Acts 16 - Lydia’s Lifeline. It’s our responsibility to build churches and preach the Gospel on the new estates, not the Council or builders. We shouldn’t abdicate the responsibility we have to educate and help others. Paul and Silas were led to Philippi to preach the Gospel. Lydia worshipped God. Paul and Silas met her with a group of women in Philippi, though she was originally from Thyatira.God is impressed when men and women surrender their hearts to Him. Lydia surrendered her heart to God. It is God’s work to bring them into His Kingdom. New birth through the Cross is the only way to access this. She had to repent, believe the Gospel, be baptised and believe the Holy Spirit. Chills and tingles are not primarily what the Holy Spirit is about. Jesus didn’t die so that the Church can be like the World. If we are to be used of God, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ask God for His wisdom. Using your own mind and ability isn’t good enough. Ask God for wisdom in normal living.a). The Forbidding Spirit b). The Pleading Vision c). The Place of Prayer.

Nathan was a political advisor to King David and King Solomon and often spoke prophetically to them. He had a strong influence on David. There are three episodes in the Bible that are looked at in this Talk. He was humble and obedient towards God. Toddlers ‘hide’ and think adults can’t see them. Do we act this way with God when we sin? Nathan doesn’t tell the Law to David but gives him a parable to think about. How do we communicate the Gospel in a secular context so that ‘normal’ people understand it? We need to pray for our communication skills. May God use our words and actions to draw people to Himself. What actions am I taking to invest in others?

Have you got a nickname? Joseph from Cyprus was called Barnabas by the early leaders of the Church as he was such an encourager. What do people call us (whether to our face or behind our backs)? Is it a positive name or something that isn’t? We explore some of Barnabas’ life in this Talk and remind ourselves how excellent it is to be an encourager ourselves. It would be a good idea to consult the notes for this Talk on our website as you listen. You will find all the PowerPoint slides as well as further ideas that aren’t mentioned in the actual Talk. The first three minutes of the Talk are missing due to a malfunction.

There are many people in the Bible that have a large number of chapters or even whole Books written about them. There are many more people who might appear in only one chapter. This Series will concentrate on them. Many of these people are significant heroes and are worth learning about.In this Talk we are reminded who Jethro is and how God used him to help Moses become a better leader. Jethro was humble and acted as a servant to his son-in-law. It would be helpful to read the notes on our website as they contain several more ideas that are not touched on in the actual Talk and the PowerPoint slides can be accessed there too.