Sunday Sermons from Every Nation Brisbane Central

This week Pastor Neli helps us how to navigate disagreement in the Christian life. We should address our conflicts directly by gathering at the table with scripture, prayer, and wise counsel rather than shrinking back or allowing bitterness to take root. Conflict is not a sin.  When handled with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, hard conversations and healed scars can ultimately multiply God's mission and serve as powerful testimonies of His grace.

 

And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”  Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark.  But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. - Acts 15:36-38 (ESV)

This week Pastor Neli explores the core value of spiritual family. Doing the will of God opens up an invitation for everyone to belong to a global, eternal family. By involving our families in active faith and ministry, and seeking godly mentors, we can live as an intergenerational community that welcomes others home. You are not isolated, but rather sealed in Christ and called to actively walk together in spiritual family.

And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” - Mark 3:31-35 (ESV)

This week Pastor Neli is joined by Joel and Katrina Renkema from Every Nation Leiden as they explore the vital role of outreach and sharing the good news of the gospel. We can face our fears, step outside of our comfort zones, and cross the boundaries of our everyday lives to connect with those around us. Life often begins outside of your comfort zone.  You can confidently take the next faithful step in full dependence on Jesus, leaving the ultimate outcome to Him.

But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem.  And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”  But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. - Acts 9:13-15 (ESV)

This week Pastor Neli explores the core value of discipleship and what it truly means to follow Jesus. True discipleship requires a continuous posture of repentance, life-on-life relationship, and a dedication to growing into spiritual maturity. Instead of chasing our own comforts we are encouraged to step into proximity with a spiritual family, allow others to speak truth into our lives, and actively pour what we receive back into others. Discipleship is a step-by-step journey whose sole destination is Christ. He promises to be with you every single day as you take up your cross and follow him.

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. - Matthew 4:19-20 (ESV)

This week Pastor Neli explores the core church value of biblical worship. True worship is sacrificial and becomes genuine when it costs us something rather than just remaining convenient. Worship is not an obligation or a mood-dependent activity, but a deliberate posture where we build an altar for God's presence and surrender our everyday lives, finances, and control to Him. When we delight in sacrificial worship from the heart, we create a powerful environment that invites the miraculous moving of God.

On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”  So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad.  When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. - 2 Samuel 24:18-20 (ESV)

This week Pastor Neli explores how we can truly live in the Spirit and prepare our hearts for an outpouring of God's presence. Instead of chasing after our own agendas or trying to fool God with impure hearts, we are called to a space of confession and repentance - intentionally turning away from sin to let Jesus take complete lordship over every area of our lives. The Lord moves mightily through holy vessels who are completely sold out to Him, ready to embrace silence, and willing to give Him their all.

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” - Acts 1:6-8 (ESV)

This week Pastor Neli explores the attributes and characteristics of the Holy Spirit. We can recognise Him as a person who has a mind, will, and emotions. The Holy Spirit is fully God, is already present, and is inviting you to step out in faith, surrender your will to His, and walk closely with Him in complete freedom and grace.

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. - John 16:7-11 (ESV)

This week Pastor Neli explores how the Holy Spirit has been actively moving throughout the many years of church history. We see that God promises to pour out His Spirit abundantly on all people, breaking down every human-made barrier of race, language, and gender. We can stop trying to manage the Spirit, instead name your exhaustion, and lay it down so you can fully step into a fresh surrender and experience His personal presence in your daily life.

“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. - Acts 2:17-18 (ESV)

This week Pastor Neli reminds us that the Holy Spirit is not just a theological idea, but a living person who actively desires to work in and move through us every day. Our bodies are now the living temples of the very same Spirit who has been present since creation. Instead of relying on human effort, we should open our hearts, acknowledge His presence, and engage once more with Him in our daily lives. 

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. - Luke 4:14-15 (ESV)

This week Samantha Thomas reminds us that before God formed us in the womb, He knew us intricately and set us apart for a purpose. We are encouraged to reject the limiting "I am" statements, doubts, and fears that we often carry like a cloak, such as feeling inexperienced or not enough. Take this truth as a reminder that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, and you do not need to be afraid because the Lord is faithfully with you to deliver you.

 

Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the Lord.” - Jeremiah 1:6-8 (ESV)