Episodes

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2017-04-09.mp3 Read Mark 5:1-20 A strange story about Jesus casting a ‘legion’ of demons in to a herd of pigs, ending with people pleading with Jesus to leave town. Jesus disrupted the status quo but in doing so, brought freedom and change to someone who had been written off by everyone else. Does Jesus still do this sort of thing today?

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2017-03-26.mp3 Read Mark 4:21-34 Jesus was clear how the kingdom would take hold in the world. It wouldn’t be with a bang that could not be avoided – it would start small, be the work of patient people who don’t give up hope, in places that people would never expect. It’s still the way that the kingdom takes hold. The call is to follow the Jesus way – in every part of our world.

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2017-03-19.mp3 Read Mark 4:1-20 Jesus often spoke to his followers in parables; stories which held a deeper spiritual meaning. It was a way of engaging those who really did want to understand more about God’s kingdom whilst discouraging others who were just trying to trip Jesus up. The parable of the sower is the first of many in Mark’s gospel account, and there is an obvious application for us today. Which of the four terrains (hard path, rocky...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2017-02-26.mp3 Read Mark 2:18-3:6 Why did Jesus break the rules? Was he trying to be deliberately shocking, or was there something else going on? By the time of Jesus, some religious leaders were so paranoid about breaking God’s law that they had introduced over 300 additional laws as an extra safeguard, just in case. These extra rules became a burden to ordinary Jews, and the teachers didn’t seem to help lift this burden. In fact, they were maki...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2017-02-12.mp3 Read Mark 2:1-12 A disrupted gathering, some determined friends, a destroyed roof, a sharp disagreement and a man delivered. Just a regular day when Jesus was around. But along the way, we hear the echoes of all the things we need, and yet sometimes the things we shy away from. Being offered forgiveness makes us feel vulnerable. But if we can admit our need, the future changes unrecognisably – for us and those around us. The past...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2017-01-29.mp3 Read Mark 1:21-39 So Jesus’ ministry begins. If we weren’t clear what the kingdom of God might look like, we soon get to see. There’s a clash in the synagogue – between the teachers of the law and Jesus, and then with an evil spirit. It’s clear that this is no gentle and meek Jesus – there is a battle at the beginning that will roll on throughout his whole ministry. What does that mean for today? Jesus is putting things right i...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2017-01-22.mp3 Read Mark 1:14-20 This is how newness begins; not with hopes of nationalism, but news of a whole new kingdom. And Jesus calls us to be embraced by it all. When he (Jesus) spoke into their context, standing next to him were ordinary folks, the poor and the marginalised and the faithful who, in Jesus’ kingdom vision, were beginning to tap to the beat of an old song that was sounding brand new. Jesus’ kingdom vision worked on their m...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2017-01-15.mp3 Read Mark 1:9-13 This is where newness starts: by a river side in the wilderness. It starts with Jesus, not with us. It starts with us watching on, wanting to ask questions, most of which don’t get answered. It starts with the new King acting in ways that are so different than would be expected. Jesus stood on the river banks with sinners, waiting to be baptised. Now he stands with us.#salford #elim pic.twitter.com/KOve18hYBH —...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2017-01-08.mp3 Read Mark 1:1-8 Mark’s gospel may be the shortest of the four, but its power is not to be underestimated. Its fast-moving story of Jesus allows us to see the range of the influence Jesus has. But the story begins with an announcement that things are going to change. That all that was hoped for is to be fulfilled. That it won’t always be like it is today. The scene is set for the King to take his place, and the challenge is set up ...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-11-20.mp3 Read Judges 17-21 Judges finishes with two stories that show God’s people at their worst. In the first story, they create a parody of all that true worship was about; in the second they act in ways that would outrage any peoples at that time. How did they get to that point? If the Bible finished with the close of these stories, we would be depressed and hopeless. But, remarkably, God doesn’t finish here. The story continues. The ...

Here is the audio & notes from our first Theology Thursday session on understanding the big picture of the Bible, with a few more explanatory remarks (included for those who weren’t there). http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/theology-thursday-1.mp3 Download the ‘Introducing the Whole Bible Story’ notes I also used this ‘Old Testament in 8 Minutes’ video during the session. [youtube]bmgDU20Q50U[/youtube] We all need help to read the Bible, and these are some of the places you can get some ...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-11-13.mp3 Read Judges 16 Trump. Samson. Jesus. What do they have in common? They each allow us to be honest about our real needs, hopes and fears. How are they different? Two out of three seem to go along with the flow of a culture moving away from all that God intended, but only one wants us to be the society that God has designed us to be.

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-10-30.mp3 Read Judges 11-12 Words can be very powerful, used both for good, and for bad. The story of Jephthah in Judges 11-12 shows us several examples of the power that words can have; rejection, agreement, diplomacy, dangerous vows, and division.

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-10-23.mp3 Read Judges 9 Abimelek is one of the most ruthless leaders in Judges – grabbing power and manipulating people and situations for his own ends. Is there another way of doing business in the ‘real world’? And how do you cope with these ruthless characters who still seem to be very much in evidence in today’s world.

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-10-16.mp3 Read Judges 6-8 Gideon was the weakest in his clan, but he was used by God to deliver his people. It didn’t take long for his biggest strength to become his biggest weakness. The story of Gideon (Judges 6-8) Ch 6: Surprise of Strength Ch 7: Possibilities of Weakness Ch 8: Dangers of strength#salford #elim — Salford Elim Church (@SalfordElim) October 16, 2016 My takeaway from @dnhudson11's sermon at @SalfordElim today. pic.twitter....

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-10-09.mp3 Read Judges 4-5 Every generation has people who God sets apart, and disturbs enough that they might see things differently than everybody else. Every generation, God gets hold of people and says to them, ‘I want you to act courageously. I want you to be involved in stuff that you never would have imagined. I want you to make a difference.’ And every generation, God gives people the resources to do the unthinkable, and to do the rem...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-09-18.mp3 Read Judges 2:6-23 What happens when God’s people forget their own story? They end up living in a permanent ‘now’ – no sense of a past, no hope for a future. What does God do when they forget their story? He demonstrates his passion for his own people. He will not let them go.

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-09-11.mp3 Judges is one of the more difficult books of the Bible, because at times it feels quite difficult to find nice, ‘spiritual’ thoughts that will help us. Instead it’s full of dodgy dealings, fairly brutal murders, leaders that you lose confidence in, general darkness until by the end of the book, you could be excused for wondering why it’s in the Bible at all. Here’s the film I used in the service to help us get an overview of the bo...

Missed a sermon over the summer holidays? We’ve collected them all together below for you to listen to. Dreams: God at work in the midst of a dysfunctional family Genesis 37 Steve Hollick: 24th July 2016 http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-07-24.mp3 Joseph’s dreams didn’t come true for many years, and that may be true for us too. Integrity: Who we are when no-one is looking Genesis 39 Chris Elsdon: 31st July 2016 http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-07-3...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-06-12.mp3 Jonah’s story is the brilliant tragedy-farce in the heart of the Old Testament. The prophet who knows what God is like and really doesn’t like it. This short story lies there and has worked at challenging God’s people for around 3000 years, because the truth is, it’s always a dangerous possibility to imagine that God feels the same about our enemies as we do. It’s always a shock when we find He sees them so radically differently. ...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-05-29.mp3 It’s a phrase that you find attached to so many billboards, clothing and Bible tracts that you might think it’s not worth exploring any further. But what if it was always designed to surprise us, as well as to invite us to see the whole world so very differently?

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-05-22.mp3 On the 23rd June, as a nation we’ll be asked a question: Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union? Unsurprisingly, there isn’t a section of the Bible about the European Union, or that will tell you how to vote in the EU referendum; the Bible isn’t an encyclopedia where you can just look things up and find the answer. And I’m not going to tell you how I’m going to vote, or how I think you should vote. But I ...

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-05-08.mp3 Some things never end as you expect, but when wonderful things happen, we need to ask ourselves what it all means. If Jesus ascended, what does it mean is far more significant than how he did it. And what it means for us is probably of most significance to many of us. It’s hard to be disinterested when the promises are so brilliant!

http://www.salfordelimchurch.org/audio/podcasts/2016-03-13.mp3 In Philippians 1, Paul not only talks about hope, but he demonstrates it too. The chapter is full of hope for himself, what God’s going to do, and for the church in Philippi. Because of our identity in Christ, we carry hope into every situation..#salford #elim pic.twitter.com/MKJYQyPhdf — Salford Elim Church (@SalfordElim) March 13, 2016