Haddington Elim Church

We are introduced to a woman who desperately needs a miracle from Jesus. What happens may surprise you! If you are having a difficult time, maybe where it seems like God is not hearing your prayers, this message is for you! Be encouraged! This week's message is by Elaine Berwick, and elder at Edinburgh Elim.

There was a man a few years ago who alleged he was the rightful monarch of England instead of Queen Elizabeth II. He claimed he was the true and rightful heir to the throne. To be the true and rightful heir, you must have the correct bloodline, pedigree or other verifiable proof. Anyone can make any claim that they want, but you must be able to substantiate it. There are tests that they can do to verify your claims. There are many nations that can trace their royal families bloodlines back even to 55 generations. Listen today to hear what the Bible has to say about those who put their faith in Jesus.

Luke Thomson brings this week's message. After Jesus rose from the dead, one of the disciples wasn't there when He appeared to the group, a man called Didymus. He is more well known as Doubting Thomas. Listen to the message today to hear how Jesus responds to the doubts that Thomas had. What happens will astound you!

Christians around the world celebrate today as Palm Sunday. This usually precedes Holy Week and is celebrated the week before the Resurrection. They get the name from the coming of Jesus into Jerusalem where everyone placed palm branches and coats on the ground as a sort of ‘red carpet’ welcome for His arrival. When I was growing up, many churches in America gave out palm branches on Palm Sunday. We would wave them during worship as a way of welcoming Him to the service. We also know this as the Triumphal Entry of Jesus entering Jerusalem prior to His crucifixion. John 12:12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” 14 Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” 16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. Jesus is the True King of Israel. In fact He’s the True King over all the earth. Jesus allows this public demonstration to fulfil the prophecies and scriptures. Usually He would not allow any public praise or even let the demons say Who He was. The people recognised that Jesus the King was coming to Jerusalem. They thought this was the time their Messiah would lead the revolt and deliver them from their bondage to Rome. “Hosanna” was shouted and means “save now!” They certainly wanted Jesus to save them now and lead an uprising. Here He is fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy about the Messiah riding in on a donkey.

When Sheri broke her ankle, it didn’t take long before her calf muscle began to atrophy. We were quite surprised that the muscle deteriorated so quickly from her inability to use it. In just a few week’s time, there was a clear distinction between the two calves. Without the daily use, it lost mass and muscle quite quickly. It was a bit scary that that happened. To recover from muscle atrophy, you must rebuild your muscles. One way that someone builds their muscles is through discipline. From this root, we get the word Disciple. We need to have discipline in godly principles that will go far into eternity. Being fit physically has benefits but to be fit spiritually has long-lasting benefits for generations. Here, godliness is described as spiritual training. Listen further to hear this encouraging message.

One of the greatest areas that the enemy attacks us is in our minds. He always wants to go against the Truth of God's Word. Listen today as Sheri gives us the weapons that we fight with against this spiritual foe. May you be encouraged as you listen to this message.

This week we had guest speaker Ikhide Ehimiyein with us bringing this message. Here, he gives some practical application to keep intimacy with Jesus. Listen today to hear what you can do to draw closer to Jesus.

This week, Rachel Hogg brings the message. Hear her powerful testimony of God bringing her back to Christ just like the parable Jesus told in Luke 15. Be encouraged today if you have prodigals in your family. Never stop praying for them and trust God to call them home.

This week's message is from Gavin Lawson. He takes us through John 15:1-8 where Jesus tells us that we have to abide in Him to bear much fruit. It is important to grow deeper in your faith. Jesus gives us a few ways for this to happen. Listen to today's message to hear how we can do that.

For many of us, we have all been at an eye exam at some point in our lives. They do a number of tests and the ‘seeing eye chart’ with a series of letters arranged in various rows. Some people have perfect vision, some are nearsighted and some far. If we can’t see perfectly they may prescribe us corrective lenses. Our eyes may weaken over time and our once flawless vision may begin to dim. The same thing can happen to us spiritually speaking too. In this life, as the Apostle Paul said, we will see dimly as through a lens, but one day we will clearly see. Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people are unrestrained, But happy (those who ·obey what they have been taught) is he who keeps the law. We need to have vision and discernment. This only comes from the Holy Spirit. We can be deceived and even deceive ourselves. We need revelation from God and Who He is. As a church we need to have a vision and mission. Vision is what you see for the future, Mission is what you do for that future to happen.

The last few weeks we have been talking about moving forward and the fact that God is doing something new. The Ancient of Days is always doing new things. To move forward in God, we need to forgive the past and take risks for the future. Without fear keeping us held back, we can press forward to what He’s asking us to do. We need to step forward in Him and not cling to the crutch of the past. Throw off anything that keeps you from running the race He’s set before you. Have you ever considered that the impossible is made possible with God? He is God of the Impossible! Impossible-Adjective; not able to occur, exist, or be done. In other words, it is anything that is outside the realm of possibility. When we reach our absolute limits, that is where He starts. Time, space, distance, power or anything else is unlimited to Him. This can radically alter your current position and view of Him!

The Ancient of Days is always doing something new! Being a new creation doesn’t mean that we are perfect. It means that we are changed and that we are in the process of being changed as we yield and obey God and His word. Who can make us a new creation? God alone can do this for us. This isn’t just “turning over a new leaf” or “getting your act together.” The life of a new creation is not something God does for us but in us. He truly changes us from the inside out. We are made new. Some of us carry pain, hurt, disappointment and are wounded with things from our past. Let us let the old things pass away. We need to remember that we are created anew in Christ. I am not in any way diminishing pain and hurt from the past. There comes a time where, as much as we can, we need to press forward and let God heal those things. He is the Healer of more than physical scars but emotional ones as well. He is our Helper helping us to press onward and upward. We are to lay all things before Him at the cross.

We have all been blessed with a new year. We can look forward to it or face it with dread. It really is up to us. Some people grab the bull by the horns and take opportunities head on or some watch them pass them by. "Often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us." ~ Helen Keller "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." ~ Winston Churchill One of the things people say at this time of year is that they’d like to make resolutions and a ‘fresh start’. We have an opportunity to make a fresh start or if we’re not careful, we can drag all the stuff from the previous years into it. Maybe we have developed bad habits or have been in a desert place, spiritually speaking. We can become completely consumed with wrong thinking or the belief that nothing will get better or change. We make ‘new year’s resolutions’ or things we are resolved to do. We have the choice to dwell on the past or press forward in Christ to all that He wants for us. We truly have more choices than we realise. It is up to us to choose how we live in 2024. We are responsible for our attitudes and behaviour.

Luke 2:1-7 Every 14 years, Rome took a census and each male had to return to the city of their birth to record his name, property, family and occupation. Because of the crowds that had to come for the census, there was no room for Mary and Joseph (and soon to be baby Jesus). While tradition says that the inn was a sort of hotel, we don’t know that for sure. We know that their journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was about 80 miles over as many days as a week. Bethlehem means ‘House of Bread’ and the true bread came down from heaven as the manna had done all those years ago in the wilderness. In any case, Jesus was born in some sort of barn-type place for animals. It seems to have been a stall or trough for feeding cattle. After Jesus was born, Mary His mother wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in a manger. Later that same night, shepherds from nearby fields found Him just as the angels told them they would.

Have you ever had something really important to tell someone? Maybe the exciting news about expecting a child? Maybe about a promotion at work? How would you announce news so profound that it almost sounds unbelievable? How best would you communicate that news? What if it was never meant to be a secret? It was meant to be shared and shouted from the rooftops. The message you carried would radically change lives for the better. Would you remain silent? John, the disciple that Jesus loved, had the task of documenting, in his account, the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Here is the long-awaited Messiah, in Israel, asking this young man to follow Him. He has met the most amazing Man to ever live, in the moment that God, the Creator of all, became a Man, in the flesh. Where do you start to write about this encounter, this Man, this Messiah that everyone in your country has waited hundreds, if not thousands of years for? This One Whom Isaiah had prophesied would come, is right here, right now. You would probably start at the beginning. Usually that is a good place to start. John draws some parallels in his account like Genesis does starting at the beginning. 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

Have you ever had something really important to tell someone? Maybe the exciting news about expecting a child? Maybe about a promotion at work? How would you announce news so profound that it almost sounds unbelievable? How best would you communicate that news? What if it was never meant to be a secret? It was meant to be shared and shouted from the rooftops. The message you carried would radically change lives for the better. Would you remain silent? John, the disciple that Jesus loved, had the task of documenting, in his account, the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Here is the long-awaited Messiah, in Israel, asking this young man to follow Him. He has met the most amazing Man to ever live, in the moment that God, the Creator of all, became a Man, in the flesh. Where do you start to write about this encounter, this Man, this Messiah that everyone in your country has waited hundreds, if not thousands of years for? This One Whom Isaiah had prophesied would come, is right here, right now. You would probably start at the beginning. Usually that is a good place to start. John draws some parallels in his account like Genesis does starting at the beginning. 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

Have you ever had something really important to tell someone? Maybe the exciting news about expecting a child? Maybe about a promotion at work? How would you announce news so profound that it almost sounds unbelievable? How best would you communicate that news? What if it was never meant to be a secret? It was meant to be shared and shouted from the rooftops. The message you carried would radically change lives for the better. Would you remain silent? John, the disciple that Jesus loved, had the task of documenting, in his account, the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Here is the long-awaited Messiah, in Israel, asking this young man to follow Him. He has met the most amazing Man to ever live, in the moment that God, the Creator of all, became a Man, in the flesh. Where do you start to write about this encounter, this Man, this Messiah that everyone in your country has waited hundreds, if not thousands of years for? This One Whom Isaiah had prophesied would come, is right here, right now. You would probably start at the beginning. Usually that is a good place to start. John draws some parallels in his account like Genesis does starting at the beginning. 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

This past week, we celebrated Thanksgiving (in America.) All those years ago, Pilgrims (Puritans) set out from Plymouth, England to find a place to worship God freely. After barely surviving the open seas and the harsh winter, they had a feast after their first harvest with the Native Americans who helped them, notably, Squanto. It was a time to give thanks to God for His providence in keeping them for all those months. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. It is a wonderful time to reflect on the provision of God and to be thankful for all He has done in our lives over the past year. We all have much to be thankful for. May we have an attitude of gratitude. Our attitude is how we act, think, or reflects our state of mind. It also is how we carry ourselves. We often hear the expression ‘bad attitude.’ Whether good or bad, our attitude matters! Our gratitude is the state of being thankful, or thankfulness. Thus our attitude should be that of gratitude! Our conduct and interaction with people should be from a kind, humble, loving heart full of gratitude!

Daniel Chapter 3 tells us about the fiery trial of the three Jewish men. They were faced with an ultimatum. Bow and worship or die. As far as they were concerned, they either would die in a furnace or God would intervene and rescue them. What they did know was that no matter what, they were not going to bow down to that image, the king or any other false god. They knew the true and living God. Even a 90-foot tall god of gold was fake compared to the real and living God. We need to know how to differentiate the real so that we’re not fooled, intimidated or enticed by the fake. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Our knees should only bow to Him, not to any other.

How we see things matters. We can have a great perspective but be unable to focus. Likewise, we can have great focus but a lousy perspective. How should we live as followers of Christ? Listen today to be encouraged by the message.