FRESH Official Podcast

• Truth to the Core

  Some people have a real knack for cleverly summing up complex concepts in a single sentence that packs such a punch that it continues to be quoted centuries after they're gone. St Francis of Assisi, who lived in Italy in the late second and early third centuries AD, is credited with having said this: "Preach the Gospel, use words if necessary." But it turns out that there's no historical evidence that he actually said or wrote those words. In fact, his actual teachings emphasised both living out the Gospel and  proclaiming it verbally –  with which I totally one hundred percent agree. To be honest, there are too many well-meaning Christians around the world who through their good deeds are loving the lost into a Christless eternity. Ultimately we each need to have the Good News of Jesus explained to us. And that good news is this: 1 Peter 1:19 You were bought with the precious blood of Christ's death. He was a pure and perfect sacrificial Lamb. Jesus, the very Son of God, God Himself, became a man who lived on this earth who, although completely innocent, completely without sin or blemish, was convicted and crucified to pay the price that God's justice demands for your sin and mine. And, when we believe in this Jesus, it's through that faith in His sacrifice that God forgives us our sin, and gives us a new life, an eternal life – not through what we've done, but through our faith in what Jesus did on our behalf. You were bought with the precious blood of Christ's death. He was a pure and perfect sacrificial Lamb That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.  

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• Don't Undermine Your Faith

  Unless you're one of those annoyingly blessed people who never has to worry about their weight, chances are you've tried many a diet. But how easy is it to undermine all your efforts by falling back into your old eating habits? Mark Antony was a skilled Roman general and politician in the 1st Century BC. He sought to rule Rome but fell to the temptation of his love for Cleopatra. Instead of focusing on his political and military strategy, he became entangled in their affair, prioritising pleasure and personal indulgence over duty. That obsession led to poor decisions. At the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, he abandoned his fleet to follow Cleopatra, sealing his defeat. Ultimately, his temptation for love and luxury cost him both his power and his life. It's a story as old as time, isn't it – and doubtless one that we can both relate to. Yep, there have been times in both our lives where temptations have undermined our best efforts. And that's something that God is only too well aware of. So here it is, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to keep you safe from the temptations nipping at your heels, right at this moment: 1 Peter 1:14 In the past you did not have the understanding you have now, so you did the evil things you wanted to do. But now you are children of God, so you should obey him and not live the way you did before. Don't let the temptations from your past undermine your new life as a child of God. Get a grip – obey Him and don't fall back to live the way you did before. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.  

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• Make Up Your Mind

  Some people are blessed with a natural strength. That's great. Good on them. But for others, emotions and circumstances all too often play havoc with their sense of certainty. And no matter where you happen to be on that spectrum, we all go through times when we're rocked to the core. All of us! We've been chatting about this whole certainty and uncertainty thing on and off over the past few weeks. And to help round things out, today we're going to take a look at what we do with our minds, you and I. Not through some "be positive" message. Sure, you can try and be positive, it's not a bad thing – but it doesn't always work, it doesn't always get you out of the doldrums so to speak, would you agree? And yet your thoughts – what you do with them – have a huge role to play in hanging on to your faith, come what may. 1  Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (ESV) The sort of preparation God's talking about here is the sort that you take before going into battle. And life is a battle. That's why I start each day in prayer and in God's Word – to prepare my thoughts, my mind, to remember what I believe, in whom I believe, and the certain hope I have in Christ. Because sometimes, like you, my thoughts are all over the place and that, right there, undermines my faith. So prepare your mind for the battle. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.  

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• Love Shows Up

  Here's a mind-boggling fact: over 150 billion text messages are sent globally each and every day through the various messaging platforms – SMS, Facebook Messenger, iMessage, WhatsApp, WeChat, Telegram, Signal and the like. That's 55 trillion a year. Mind-blowing, right?! And sure, messaging's a great technology – quick, convenient … until it's perhaps too quick, too convenient Friends of mine were recently struggling with a life-threatening situation in their family. Naturally, they let their own church know so they could pray. In response, they received a handful of text messages over the ensuing weeks, but no one showed up. Nobody even called. It shouldn't surprise you to learn that they felt completely abandoned by their supposed church family. Why wouldn't they? Is this what love's descended to in this day and age? Now contrast that with God's approach to loving us. John 3:16-17 Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world. So, God didn't send a text message, He didn't even rely on the power of His Word, the Bible. No, God sent His one and only Son in flesh and blood! If there's one thing about the sort of love that God's on about, it's this: it shows up. And to the extent that it doesn't, it ain't love! Who needs you to show up right now – a phone call, a knock on their front door with a meal in hand, a coffee date? Friend, love doesn't hide behind a text message. Love shows up! That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.  

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• Love Goes Out of Its Way

  It's easy to feel neglected when we're the ones struggling, while the people around us just seem to be getting on with business as usual. It leaves you thinking … what about me? And yet, how easy is it for us to ignore the suffering of others and simply get on with our own lives? Perhaps you've heard of the parable of the Good Samaritan, told by Jesus on this very thing. A man was beaten, robbed and left bleeding by the side of the road. Two religious men – a Levite, and then a priest – walked by but simply stepped around him and kept on their way. Luke 10:33-36 "Then a Samaritan man travelled down that road. He came to the place where the hurt man was lying. He saw the man and felt very sorry for him. The Samaritan went to him and poured olive oil and wine on his wounds. Then he covered the man's wounds with cloth. The Samaritan had a donkey. He put the hurt man on his donkey, and he took him to an inn. There he cared for him. The next day, the Samaritan took out two silver coins and gave them to the man who worked at the inn. He said, 'Take care of this hurt man. If you spend more money on him, I will pay it back to you when I come again.'" Then Jesus said, "Which one of these three men do you think was really a neighbour to the man who was hurt by the robbers?" Jews despised Samaritans, and yet it was this man who chose to step in. Love goes out of its way to love. If it doesn't, it ain't love. So, who in your circle needs you to step in right now? That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.  

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