On the back of this year's Youth Summer Camp, Nathan speaks this morning about a theme that has been on his mind before, during and after the camp time. His words are not only aimed at the youth of our church but the whole congregation!

Nathan's key verse is from Luke 6:46-49 (NIV) "Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

Illustrating his message with many other scriptures, he presents three cardinal points about the House of the Lord...

• Point number one - the house that stands, stands together
• Point number two - the house that stands, stands whatever the weather
• Point number three - the house that stands, stands forever

Nathan expands on each of these points and presents a challenging message pointing to the fact that the house that God is building in our lives will stand forever if we build it on Him and remain faithful to Him.

Pastor Andy preaches on one of his all time favourite scriptures in our Signature series of messages. He begins in the book of John, chapter 15, all about abiding in the vine.

Jesus is talking to his disciples and looks at them and says, I am the true vine and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away, He prunes it, so that it may bear more fruit. The only time God prunes is when he's got more fruit in mind. He says abide in me and I in you. A branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. My father is glorified by this but you bear much fruit. And so prove to be my disciples, just as the father has loved me. I have also loved you, abide in my love. These are such powerful truths, covering the fruitfulness of a believer's life.

Ps Andy spends considerable time reflecting on the fact that once we have given our lives to Christ we now have Him abiding in us, we are joined to the vine, we are able to do many things we previously could not (all things are possible with Christ Jesus), and that our lives reflect the glory of God in the fruit we produce which is good fruit, not that which we once created when we were born in sin.

This is a powerful message, listen, be amazed!

Ps Sean speaks in the second of our 'Signature' series this week (messages close to the hearts of the speakers), with specific focus on the storms of our lives and how to act and react when a storm hits us.

He begins with the scripture Mark 4:35-41 where Jesus calms the storm amidst petrified disciples who thought they were going to drown. Sean has three props he describes which define powerful attributes to our Christian walk, often navigating storms in our lives.

First is a compass to provide direction. Without direction in our lives we become lost, we end up being places we didn't want to be, often doing things we didn't want to be doing. Ps 119:105 (NIV) says "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path". When we are illuminated by God's love and His word, our path has a sense of direction and purpose that we didn't see before. But if we don't know his word, we run without a compass, at a loss when it comes to the storms of life.

Second is an old school metronome to keep us in God's Rhythm. When a storm break out, the rhythm changes, we panic, stress sets in. But was Jesus stressed, no He was resting in the boat when the storm came. English cultures tend to be stressful, we need to change this, reverse it and become more calm and relaxed in the way we do life. God's rhythm is one of gentleness and calmness.

Thirdly, Sean had a ruler, not easily bendable reminding him of the need to be flexible & adaptable. The reality is, we cannot be rigid in our faith if we are to have a Christian walk with God. Being adaptable to what God is saying is very key to living through the storm. Being able to bend to what He's saying, living to His rhythm, walking in His direction requires us to be like Romans 12:2 (NIV) says "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Ps Sean ends with thoughts about storms that occur inside our heads, thoughts, anxieties, jealousies, fear, psychotic behaviours.... Let us understand that with Jesus in our lives, we are forgiven, accepted, redeemed, saved and given new life. He ended with prayers rebuking negative thoughts in our heads, praying for the peace of God to invade our hearts and minds this day and for ever Amen!

Ps Steu returns to Portsmouth this week for a special message entitled 'Come to Me' - the words that Jesus says to each of us every day.

Ps Steu talks about a young man trapped in a bird cage, a place of pain and fear and uses this picture to formulate his message. Some of us are still in a cage, trapped by the things of life. Maybe we are not fully free as a bird when the cage door opens. But Jesus came to set us free! We are set free the second we accept Jesus as our saviour - this is salvation. In John 10:9-10, Jesus says, 'I am the gate, those who come through me will be saved, they will come and go freely and find good pastures'. Psalm 23 also refers, our shepherd leads us into green pastures & gives us rest. Nothing else in this world can possibly satisfy our lives but Jesus.

The key to living in the freedom that Christ has given us is to walk closely with Jesus, there is no other way! Matthew 11:28-30 says 'come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls'.

Ps Steu describes a three step process...

• Coming to Him
• Walking with Him
• Learning from Him

Then we find true rest, true freedom, and our burdens become light. Ps Steu brings many other scriptural pictures together which describe the grace of our Lord in our lives and how we are discipled by abiding in his word. We fly out of the bird cage and rest under his eagles wings....the freedom of God's Kingdom.

Following the previous week's messages on Miracles, Ps Andy takes a 'Selah Sunday' to summarise the key points from all the previous messages and further emphasise the common themes across the whole of scripture where miracles are described.

Multiplication of provision, be it loaves and fish, oil in a jar, grain and oil to make a loaf of bread are all a result of people experiencing God increase things in their lives. Ps Andy then goes on to speak about the common denominators in these miracles (and many more miracles all across the whole of scripture).

Miracles, always followed unusual, unreasonable, often unfathomable quite crazy requests coming directly from God or a prophet. When a person dared to do what they were being told to do in obedience, suddenly what God had promised them or intended for them came into being! But for them to come into the promised experience, they had to step out by faith, usually defying their own reasoning to do what God had told them to do.

Stepping out by faith and walking by faith causes us to enter into the promised things that God has for us. God has promised things for us all in situations we face daily, sometimes that look hopeless. Have we got the faith and the courage, sometimes along with with wise council, to step into that which God is asking us to do?

We should, because we have already experienced the greatest miracle ever likely to happen in our lives when we gave our life to Christ!

Ps Andy carries on the series about Miracles within our overall theme of Magnify and Multiply. After a recap of theprevious weeks' messages he focuses this week on the miracle of the flour & oil that did not run out. Miracles follow obedience to God with faith. God always multiplies what we surrender, whether its a little boy's picnic, a fishing boat of fishermen or a jar of oil.

The story of Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath is found in 1 Kings 17:7-16 (NIV) " Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of he Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’” She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

It's interesting that God picks a widow to supply food to the prophet Elijah. Scarcity meets obedience in the lives of the two characters here. God in heaven sees us in the time of famine, He sees us in the time of need and He has a plan for us in that time of need. But sometimes the way to get what He's got for us is to do something He's asking us to do that's unusual or we'd prefer not to.

So God sees us and cares for us in famine Seasons!

Ps Andy continues the series on Miracles withinour overall theme of Magnify and Multiply. God's heart is one of multiplication for us, through miracles. Luke 5:1-11 and John 21:1-14 are the key bible verses for Ps Andy's message today where Jesus instructs Simon Peter to put down his nets the other side of the boat after an unproductive evening of fishing. The second passage refers to a similar instruction, this time after Jesus' resurrection.

Ps Andy continues his explanation here that the miracle occured again after the fishermen were asked by Jesus to undertake a seemingly embarressing and unusual request. Experienced fishermen had been up all night and caught nothing, yet here was a carpenter telling them what to do. This was a challenge of obedience for them.

In this moment there was a revelation of who Jesus was for Peter because Jesus had been preaching earlier and Peter had been on the shore listening, but the penny had'nt dropped. This was not just a man, this was the son of God and suddenly Peter sees his miracle knowing it was a miracle because he was a fisherman and he said, "this doesn't happen, I've been doing this since I was a kid, this doesn't happen.....". But it did!!

After this, Jesus tells Peter to leave his boat, leave everything, join Him and He would make him a fisher of men. This was a miracle that positioned him In what God had designed for him to be - not just provision but intention. Sometimes we eat the fish, move on and forget to stop and say, "God, what are you doing in this moment that concerns me and my future. Miracles reveal the hand of God, but often they also reveal his intentions.

Are we positioned to listen to God in the moment and be obedient to seemingly extraordinary requests from God?

Ps Andy continues the series about miracles that Ps Sean began last week. A common thought in this series is how unusual requests made by God can result in supernatural multiplication in our lives? This is something consistently seen throughout teaching in both New & Old Testaments. Crazy things can happen but are normally always followed God asking someone to do something that seemed unusual, even unreasonable. Are we able to hear God ask us to do something unusual? This is a real challenge...placing a demand of faith on us.

PS Andy today speaks about the miracle found in 2 Kings 4, 1-7. The wife of a man cries out to Elisha because her husband is dead and creditors are coming to take her boys as slaves. After a conversation, Elisha tells the woman to collect containers and pour the small amount of oil she has into them. Miraculously, oil flows until the last container is filled. Now she can sell oil to pay her debts.

The amount she received wasn't a provision issue, it was a capacity issue. She could only receive according to what she made room for. God's provision met current needs and her future security.

Do we need a miracle?, are we listening for God's unusual request? Is God trying to highlight something in our lives? If the widow's actions (ie her faith) had not been commensurate with the instructions received from Elisha, her needs would not have been met, the miracle of supernatural provision would not have occured!