Salford Elim Church Podcast

In Rome, status was everything. In Christ’s body, humility and mutual dependence define greatness.

The Bible is clear – life will not continue as it is forever. There will be a moment when Jesus will return, when all people realise that he has always been the King, and when we all will be judged. That truth is a comfort and a challenge.

God has not left us to try and live this work in our own strength. He fills his children with his Spirit. It changes everything.

Creeds were never designed to be just for the brainy types, or those happy to ‘go deeper’. They were and are designed to help us live differently. The Creed concludes with the life of the church — forgiven, resurrected, and awaiting glory. It’s about how we live together in this life while we wait for the next life to come.

The heart of our faith is a simple phrase that changes everything: Jesus is Lord.

The Bible consistently reminds us that God the Creator is the one who calls us his children.

Do you remember seeing the Christian wristbands stamped with WWJD: What Would Jesus Do. I think some people felt the answer would have been: NOT THAT. But what if doing what Jesus did is really positive? What might that look like?

We are changing all the time. There are all sorts of experiences and events that shape us. But how do we ensure we are being changed to become more like Jesus?

Christians are people who should be learning a whole new set of responses to the world.

Being Church is a 24/7 activity – it involves being faithful in every aspect of our lives wherever we are.

What does God want us to do when things look chaotic and people are not sure what they should do?

This Christian life involves our brothers and sisters. So we are called to encourage, support and cheer on one another. To do that we need to take notice of those around us.

We believe that God leads us in two ways. Normally, this will by using the wisdom that God gives us. But there are times when he will specifically guide us. That’s not always easy to discern, but it's important that we stay alert so we can recognise it.

God has placed his people in all the places he needs them. We live out our discipleship in classrooms, shop floors, offices, families, and factories. The ordinary places of life.

The Early Church grew in grace, honesty and a belief that God was still able to do remarkable things. It’s the same journey of growth for us.

We don’t want to just have more people attending church, we want a growing community.

Some signs warn you about what is round the corner. Others tell you that you have arrived at your destination. Others tell you where you need to go next. Signs are there to be paid attention to. Today we will look at one of the signs that got everyone's attention.

You know the song: I wish it could be Christmas everyday. What would it look like if it was? How do we live the Christmas message for the 11 other months of the year?

Have you ever been to a party and been surprised at who else has been invited? Maybe you were surprised that it was you that was invited! The first Christmas stories are full of people that were the last people that you would have expected, but that gives hope to all of us!

The headline was 'Jesus scores'. It still takes me by surprise when I see news about the Arsenal player named Jesus. But it reminds us that there was a time when Jesus was an everyday name, that had an out of the world meaning. His mission was in plain sight - every time he introduced himself to others.

Amongst all the tinsel and turkey, Christmas is about celebrating a down-to-earth God who came with a down-to-earth purpose that he wraps us up in. It might not feel very exciting sometimes, but it is absolutely life-transforming.

The start of a new year reminds us that we can’t control what will happen this year. But we can trust the promises that God makes. And that allows us to enter 2026 confidently.

There’s no place for competition or comparison. We need one another so that we can all be built up to become the beautiful churches that the world needs.

Four people recently made public commitments to their faith in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour! Watch and listen back as we explored the meaning of baptism, and as we celebrated the commitments made by those who were baptised.

Teachers help us see how everything connects. They open our eyes to see things differently. They point out what has always been there – but which we had never noticed.

‘Pastor’ has become a title rather than the function, a shepherd, that it was originally. The church needs shepherds as much as it has ever done. People who will make sure that everyone is cared for.

What’s the difference between witnessing and evangelising? Evangelists get a bad press. But they are people who take great joy in helping people meet Jesus.

Every Christian can hear God speaking to them. So what role do those who have the gift of prophecy play? Can you grow into this and if so, how?

Were apostles only for the first century church, or does God still gifts some of us with these gifts for the sake of the church? What might that look like?

to a divided church, Paul highlighted the character that individuals needed to ensure that everyone could move forward together. On Sunday, we began a new 7-part sermon series, exploring Ephesians chapter 4.

On Sunday, we celebrated this milestone together - reflecting on the past and looking towards the future.

Like individuals, churches have personalities formed by gifting, calling and experience. As we look ahead, we need to ensure that we move in line with the community that God has called us to be.

Salford Elim Church has a history but it also has an inheritance. There are things in our history that shaped us, and that should still shape us as we move into the future. Exploring them will feed our faith.

If you knew what the person sitting next to you did in secret last week, you’d probably think they don’t belong in church… Then again, what if they knew about you? Jude teaches us how Christ’s love and truth work together to keep hypocrisy out of the church, while keeping hypocrites in.

Do our lives look any different to those around us?  What difference does the gospel make to our lives?

Rules come at us from many places. Some protect us while others restrict and diminish us. What do we do for the eyes of man, rather than for the love of, and submission to God?

The gospel message is simple but so significant to our lives when fully grasped. What impact can the gospel message have on your life today?

Jesus is the centre of the universe, and only in him does everything hold together. He should be the centre of our lives too.

Sunday was the beginning of our new sermon series titled ‘A Better Story’, where we began exploring the letter to the Colossians.

Listen or watch back to our Pentecost Sunday joint service with St James’ congregation.

Self-centredness and self-entitlement are ugly things. Like Jonah, we can easily care more about our own comfort than the salvation of others. We need God to give us his heart for the world.

After the whole city of Nineveh repented, you would have thought Jonah would have been ecstatic – it was an incredibly successful street outreach! However, his self-righteous prayer shows just how much he still had to learn about the mercy of God. We may be the means of God’s mission, but we must also heed the message for ourselves.

Despite our disobedience, God refuses to give up on us – his mission is far too important. Through Jonah, God used a message of judgement to change a whole city. As we are obedient to God’s missional call, we may well be surprised by how people respond.

Like Jonah, we often try in vain to run from God’s call to mission, but he will use any means necessary to get our attention and to expose our fears and prejudices: sometimes storms, sometimes the very people we are trying so hard to avoid.

A celebration of salvation. We joined together and heard from different voices sharing what God has done in their lives, and we remembered the significance of the resurrection for us all.

We all want peace: world peace and personal peace. But do we know what will bring us the peace we all seek? In his final week on earth, Jesus entered a city that was in turmoil, but they didn't recognise him as the one who offered the only thing we all really need - peace with God.

This is the word that earliest Christians would repeat to one another – a cry that Jesus would come quickly. That history would be resolved. That all would be well. It’s a good prayer!

Christianity is a realistic religion. It doesn’t avoid the truth that life can involve pain. Physical pain, relational pain, mental pain. But all this pain won’t get the last word. The tears may last a while, but there’s joy coming.

The world has too many evil regimes. Too many people are oppressed. Too many suffer at the hands of the powerful. How will this be brought to an end by a rider on a white horse?

We know that being in healthy communities brings us health. What practices build these communities? How can we stop churches becoming unhealthy?