Author Archives: Samantha Peters

Life can often get you down, but positive people will take a number of actions in order to ensure that they remain positive. As a result they bear fruit and they develop the ability to overcome the problems and difficulties that they face.

Positive people choose carefully the people they listen to in their lives and the people who have influence in their decision making processes. They listen for God’s voice and when they hear the Word of God they take time to listen and understand what God is saying to them. Jesus said,

“As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” Continue reading →

Some people call it simply being realistic, others call it being down to earth but negativity itself can have a range of effects on your life, your relationships and your walk with God.

One of the surest lies that negativity brings into our hearts and minds is that life has left us behind and that we can never succeed or do well with the little that we have. Continue reading →

Peter provides an example of the power of God’s promises to us but also our susceptibility to misuse what He gives to us. Three great promises of ministry to Peter are balanced by three serious mistakes he made. Continue reading →

Our children’s item on the Good Samaritan a couple of weeks back at St Jude’s was incredible. During it, our presenter, Ian, received a mobile phone call, presumably from God, asking him to explain why he did not stop to help a motorist whose car had broken down. Each attempt he made to justify himself, because he had to get to church and give the children’s item, did not seem to carry any weight. The talk he gave was humorous and helped us understand the importance of recognizing God’s purpose and will in the lives of those with whom we dwell, as well as the stranger in need, we might encounter in our everyday life. Continue reading →

Today we look at the second part of Jesus’ vision of forgiveness. Jesus has a vision that people like you and I can become forgiven people! However, such forgiveness does not come naturally. Peter raised this question with Jesus when he said: “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Peter felt he was being quite generous when he noted seven times. However, Jesus responds by saying: “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21 -22).

Seven times seventy is 490 times. Imagine a brother or sister offending you once. You forgive. They do the same thing twice. You forgive. They do it again, and again, and again, and again, and again. Well that is seven times. You forgive. This is where Peter stops. At this point we still see the offense and accuse the offender. Continue reading →

Recently at St Jude’s we looked at the vision of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The first aspect of Jesus’ (Son of God) vision is the power of the good news he brought and his subsequent sacrifice upon the cross to impact and change every person on this planet (Matthew 13:33). In this article, however, I want to focus on a second aspect of Jesus’ vision. Jesus has a vision that people like you and I can become forgiven people! He died that we might enter the kingdom of God through the sacrifice of His life so that through His blood we are cleansed from all sin. We are both forgiven for and cleansed from the sin and rebellion we have committed. However, his vision was far more extensive than that. He also believes that you and I can become forgiving people through the good news that he brought and the sacrifice that he made. Indeed not only can we become forgiving people but the community of faith – His Church – can also become a forgiving community.. Continue reading →

A couple of month’s ago at St Jude’s we had a weekend centered around the theme “Dam Busters” (drawing from the 1955 film). In our lead up to that weekend we noted that it was time for St Jude’s as a church to break out and break through. In what way was that achieved? We saw as a church a turning away from the distraction and noise around us towards focusing upon our Lord Jesus Christ and giving to Him and the Father excited and powerful praise. The Bible says that the Lord inhabits the praises of His people. As a result of that weekend, people who had every right to be concerned with multiple issues surrounding them, found themselves in what God was doing in our community and our visitors that weekend. Continue reading →

The New Testament describes Jesus’ challenge to the Jewish hierarchy in quite graphic terms (e.g. Matthew 23). What they do not describe is Jesus’ judgment upon the Roman Empire and their brutal occupation of Palestine. The Gospels are quite aware of that brutality, which during Herod the Great’s reign saw Joseph and Mary take Jesus to Egypt for protection and later settle in the small town of Nazareth for the same reason. Continue reading →

Concepts of Transformational and Transactional Leadership differ in regards to the dynamics used between leaders and their followers to produce effective work relationships and greater productivity. Continue reading →

In 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Paul proclaims that when we are reconciled to God through a relationship with Jesus Christ that we become a new creation . However, many people feel that they are not good enough to be accepted by God because of the things they have done and the attitudes they have held.

Some say that the church’s roof might fall down if they enter it. My response is always that we have reinforced the foundations and walls especially for them . Continue reading →