Latest News
Last updated 2.15pm Tuesday 12 May 2026 (BAF).
Tuesday 12 May 2026
Heating at Church
We do now have a working heater in the church so you should receive a physically warm welcome as well as a metaphorical one.
The electrical issue is still under investigation which affects the heating in the front rooms and also the wifi in church.
Jim Harries - Mid-May News
In Jim's latest news he outlines his plans to return to Kima International School of Theology (KIST - now Treliss International Training College -titc.co.ke). Also, Jim plans to come to the UK next month and to South Africa in July.
Sunday 10 May 2026
Weekly Sheet
The weekly sheet is available to download (weekly sheet 20260510.pdf) as are the sermon notes.
3pm Audio recordings available.
Zoom
Join the service on Zoom after 10.15am for a service start at 10.30am. Please identify yourself in your joining screen so we can welcome you personally.
Sermon Notes
The Parables of Jesus – Learning at the Feet of Jesus
The Kingdom Parables – The Parable of the Sower
The Parable of the Sower is one of the Parables of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is a prominent theme in the teaching of Jesus
What is a Kingdom Parable?
A parable that tells us something about the kingdom of God, specifically the reign and rule of God – ‘The Kingdom of God is like …’ Kingdom parables describe how believers are to live as citizens of God’s kingdom, specifically how we live under the sovereign rule and reign of God. In the same way that the Law was given to Israel in the wilderness that they might know how they were to live in the Promised Land as God’s chosen and holy people.
When Jesus began his ministry, he did so by proclaiming: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (Matthew 4:17) Jesus’ arrival as, the ‘Word made flesh’ ushers in the kingdom of God, the sovereign rule and reign of God in the hearts of those who hear and believe the gospel of the Kingdom.
The call to ‘repent’ implies that all have rejected the sovereign rule and reign of God in our lives, this started with Adam and Eve and continues in the heart of all people – ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23). Hearing the gospel of the kingdom of God and repenting of sin, of our rejection of God’s sovereign rule and reign in our lives and surrendering wholly to his sovereign reign and rule is necessary to enter the kingdom.
The ‘Greatest Commandment’: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets’ (Matthew 22:37-40) – is the true mark of a citizen of the Kingdom of God and is the key picture at the heart of the ‘Parable of the Sower.’
The ‘Parable of the Sower’ primarily addresses the issue of the human heart regarding the kingdom of God, specifically the king of the Kingdom.
There are three main characters in the parable:
· The Sower/Gardener – who represents Jesus
· The seed – which represents the gospel of the kingdom
· The soils – sometimes this parable is called the ‘Parable of the Soils’ – which represent the conditions of the human heart and its response to the gospel of the kingdom.
There are four types of soil mentioned representing four heart responses to Jesus and the gospel of the kingdom he proclaims:
· The path – the hard heart – ‘when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them’ (Mark 4:15) - the Word of God simply bounces off! This resistance is often caused by sin building up in the heart slowly but surely overtime
· The rocky ground – the shallow heart – ‘when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away’ (Mark 4:16-17) - the Word of God generates excitement, emotionally, intellectually, but this fades quickly
· Among the thorns – the divided heart – ‘those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful’ (Mark 4:18-19) - the Word of God is quickly swallowed up by the things of the world
· The good soil – the fruitful heart – ‘the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold’ (Mark 4:20) – the Word is believed when it is heard and lived out increasingly
We will recall that Jesus answers the question why he speaks in parables by saying that he does so both to REVEAL and CONCEAL the truth concerning the kingdom of God.
The whole parable has been working its way to the good soil! Jesus concludes the parable by saying: ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear’ (Mark 4:9) The parable is all about hearing. Hearing the Word of God - In the Greek language there is ‘hearing,’ that is the physical hearing of something, and then there is ‘obeying’ what you hear, allowing what is said to, ‘pierce [your] understanding or [your] heart’ (What Do Jesus’ Parables Mean? RC Sproul) As stated above, ‘the lesson is not always explicit within the parable itself, but becomes so when the hearer is attuned to the heart and mind of the rabbi telling the parable’ (ESV Archaeology Study Bible)
A heart that recognises who Jesus truly is will hear what Jesus is teaching, and their hearts will embrace and follow what he teaches.
The parable of the Sower, therefore, does more than just describe how people will respond differently to the preaching of the gospel, it also challenges us to ask: ‘Is your heart an open heart? Are you receptive to God’s truth? Do you allow it to settle down into your life and thinking so that it turn you from sin, directs your faith to Jesus, and produces the Holy Spirit’s fruit? You may say, ‘I’m afraid not. I wish my heart was like that, but I’m afraid it is hard or shallow or strangled by the world’s goods. What can I do?
The answer is that you can do nothing, any more than soil can change its nature. But although you can do nothing, there is one who can - the divine Gardener. He can break up the hard ground, uproot the rocks, and remove the thorns. That is your hope - not you, but the Gardener’ (Montgomery Boice, p21) - ‘I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules’ (Ezekiel 36:25-27)
‘WHATEVER IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH MAN IS POSSIBLE WITH GOD’ (Luke 18:27)
Sunday 12 April 2026
The Marriage of Tom Ibbott and Poppy McCarthy
Yesterday, Saturday 11 April 2026 1pm
If you would like to see the video of the wedding, once it has been edited, please contact Tom or Poppy.
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