Episodes
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Woe there!
As we continue our series on Habakkuk, Martin explores the warnings and reassurances that God gives his people. The prophet shares the woes of God for those that refuse to live by faith – in this context it was the Babylonians but it also applies to anyone who doesn’t live by faith in Christ.…
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Waiting to grow in faith
In the latest of this short series on Habakkuk, we reflect together on God’s second response to his people. Habakkuk is challenged to wait on God and listen for his word. God tells him to write it down, which is unusual given the oral culture of the day, and share it widely. In our instant…
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Making it make sense
This week Cliff helps us return to the story of Habakkuk – the prophet who spoke to the Lord on behalf of the people of Judah in challenging and uncertain times. Habakkuk demonstrates both his knowledge of God and his trust in God too, approaching him with earnest humility. Why would God allow…
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What has God ever done for us?
Many will ask questions such as ‘Where is God in this situation?’ and ‘Why isn’t God doing something about that?’ but as Martin reflects in this week’s sermon, all that is good comes from him. Our role as Christians is demonstrate what God is really like and point to all the good things he has...
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It’s for your own good (honest!)
The second in our series on Habakkuk takes a turn for the worse. How can a good God actively encourage such suffering? A last resort after God’s repeated warnings. But we have to see things from God’s perspective. There is nothing so bad that God can’t use for our own good – if we let him. God is...
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Tell God how you really feel
Starting a new mini series, Martin introduces us to the story of Habukkuk. In a time of political unrest and turmoil, the prophet cries out to God in longing and frustration. Was God even listening – why wouldn’t He intervene? Habukkuk’s attitude was actually a gift from God – He wants us to ask...
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Pouring out my Spirit on all
In the light of hearing updates on an exciting summer for our young people, Martin reflects on the prophecies of Joel – as spoken in the book of Acts. Do we see God pouring his Spirit out on us? In the last days, the world will and is getting worse. These are the signs of the coming of the return...
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From rebellion to new life
This week we are celebrating Naomi’s baptism – turning from her old life and stepping into new life in Christ. Martin shares some reflections on the importance of baptism and the difference it makes in our lives. We’re naturally inclined to rebel – against authority and God – that’s what sin....
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The treasure is Jesus
A short reflection from this week’s all age service from Mike, on the treasure sought after with all our hearts. The treasure – the lost coins – was lost and now we can celebrate because it has been found again. This treasure is Jesus and our relationship with him – for those who have experienced...
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The apostles' support acts
This week Cliff helps us to explore some of the lesser known characters from the apostles. Barnabas and John Mark are almost sidekicks but they have a significant impact in the story of the early church. Barnabas was generous and consciously sacrificial. Open and welcoming. Barnabas was also...
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Who is the light of the world?
This week Nick explores Jesus’ claims about the light of the world – inset your own eclipse reference here – comparing two Gospel passages. In one, Jesus says we are the light of the world, illuminating the dark corners and bringing the light of Christ to our communities and beyond. The second...
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Freedom from being slaves to the law
With reference to our feelings to authority figures, Martin unpacks the challenge of the negative impact of the law. The law reminds us of what we have done wrong and where we have failed. It draws attention to the very thing that keeps us from God. The law was given to help God’s people live...
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Freedom to know security in Him
We all have stuff and we’re made to think we need even more. Does life get better or does it just get more cluttered? There is more to life than the things we own. But the thing that we treasure most will be the thing we chase after. What does it mean to be rich when chasing after God? Seeking…
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Run Jonah Run (Holiday Bible Club Sunday)
We’ve had a fantastic week at Holiday Bible Club with 200+ kids filling the church every morning, exploring the story of Jonah. The HBC team take us through the story, with complimentary memory verses and songs, and Martin unpacks each daily verse in 3 minutes or less! Strap in for something a…
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Freedom to live as God has created
Gareth unpacks the experiences of the Ephesian people as Paul taught them not to live as the Gentiles did. He challenged their thought processes, their knowledge and their understanding. The Ephesians had to relearn what they had been taught – it was a lie and not the truth. The believers there…
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Freedom to follow
This week we look at how people respond to discovering who Jesus is, through the lens of Simon Peter and the miraculous catch of fish. Jesus borrowed his boat to use it as a pulpit, then turned to a tired, expert fisherman and told him how to do his job. That Simon Peter obeyed is almost as...
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Freedom from fear
Beginning with a rather dramatic story about a wasps nest, this week’s talk from Cliff explores freedom from fear. We all experience fears – from the obvious to the unusual and even the fear of fear itself – and it can be crippling to our lives. It can be something positive but usually it merely...
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Freedom to love your neighbour as yourself
This week – while many of the church family are away together at Church Camp – Martin speaks on the latest of our “knowing the truth and the truth shall set you free” series. How do we love others, loving our neighbour as ourselves? To love others we need to actually love who we are first. It’s…
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Freedom to be a child of God
This Father’s Day, Ellen helps us to explore what it means to have freedom to be a child of God as well as having freedom because we are children of God too. We all have different experiences of our earthly fathers but God is the perfect father. What does it mean to be childlike – having…
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Move with compassion – becoming impactful light bearers
This week we are joined by Ully from Compassion UK to share about their work supporting children out of extreme poverty through child sponsorship. With reference to some of the stories of lives changed around the world, Ully unpacks some of the Sermon on the Mount – the radical manifesto of Jesus...
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Freedom to worship God in spirit and truth
We return to our series on Freedom this week, with a focus on Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman. Just by talking to her Jesus was breaking barriers – of race, gender and morality. Then he challenged the idea that worship should be restricted to one place. Worship is a relationship and not…
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An apple a day explains the Trinity away
A special extra episode from our recent All-age service. Ali explains, with the help of some fruit and some young friends, what the Holy Trinity is and how the Father, Son and Spirit interact with one another. Three distinct parts but all forming one whole – you’ll never look at an apple in the...
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Repent, baptise and receive
This week we explore the events of Pentecost – the coming of the Holy Spirit and the impact it had on the disciples and those they came into contact with. God poured out his Spirit so that his followers could tell others about His love for everyone who would listen. The disciples were transformed...
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Freedom to serve others
This week we focus on the role we all have to play and our responsibility to serve as Jesus did. Jesus sets us free to serve others - to not worry about status and importance, not to force own agenda. We recognise that we are part of the body of Christ – and we have a role and a part to play....
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Freedom to follow Him
This morning we celebrated another baptism – and another life reborn to follow Jesus. In this week’s talk, Martin reflects on what it means to be a follower of someone or something. The concept means something more detach and impersonal now but when Matthew followed Jesus, he literally got up and...
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The long road to forgiveness
This week we are joined by guest speaker Lisa Kerry from Central Baptist Association. Lisa reflects on forgiveness through the story of the Bible’s most dysfunctional family – Joseph and his brothers. Forgiveness is a long process – more of a long term project than an instant transformation....
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Freedom to love as He loved us
In the second of our new series on freedom, Martin explores how we are loved and how we are called to love God and others. We were created out of love to love and be loved. Jesus said as the Father has loved Him, so He loves us – now we are to remain in His love and love those around us too. An...
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Extraordinarily ordinary
The next part in our ‘Small wonder’ Advent series, explores the context around the prophecy about the birth of Jesus. The sign given could have been seen as insignificant and ordinary. A baby born in poverty might be overlooked as unremarkable. But seen in the context of the bigger picture, this...
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Freedom to be free
At the start of a new series exploring freedom in Christ and the implications for our lives, Martin draws inspiration from Paul’s letter to the Galatians and the life of Nelson Mandela. There was a contemporary debate about freedom being achieved by submitting to Jewish law – but Paul explains…
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Do you love me?
In the aftermath of the Easter story, the disciples have gone home and returned to the fishing they knew so well. Gareth unpacks their encounter with the risen Jesus. The chance to eat breakfast with their friend and Lord. After his miraculous fishing tips, Jesus challenges Peter and gives him…
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Resurrected. Reborn.
Happy Easter to you from all of us at Biggleswade Baptist Church! On Easter Sunday, as we also celebrate a baptism, Martin links the story of the risen Jesus to the importance of baptism. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. But not everyone acknowledges this and that’s…
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Shock tactics
Guest speaker Mary Moody (from Central Baptist Association) joins us this week to share her reflections on these challenging passages from Joel – an ordinary man with an extraordinary message. In the context of a positive season for God’s people, Joel speaks words of dread and warning – too much...
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Reasons to be joyful 1, 2, 3!
Martin shares his reflections on the joy that comes as a result of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The disciples suffered sorrow because of Jesus’ death on the cross – but after the sorrow comes the joy of resurrection. New life comes death – and it had to happen through pain and suffering.…
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The life breath of the exalted Jesus
This week’s sermon unpacks a well known yet rich passage of Scripture. Exploring the role of the Holy Spirit in the transformation we experience as believers. In order for the Spirit to come Jesus had to leave us and return to the Father. The Spirit is Jesus’ own breath that comes into us to give...
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The seed that dies
This week’s talk – the latest in our “Truly truly” series – looks at the idea of the grain of wheat that falls to the ground, dies and is buried. Jesus is the grain, proving that God’s love is greater than even the power of death itself. Even the very worst of people can experience forgiveness…
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The gate, the sheep, the shepherd and the thief
With a nod to the work of Charlie Mackesy, this week Cliff unpacks the concept of the Good Shepherd and themes of kindness, trust and vulnerability in relationships. The shepherd would be fully committed to his sheep, laying his life down for them and blocking the one gate to the sheepfold. As…
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Raising us into all truth
As we celebrate the new life of one of our youngest church members, we also reflect on the advocate – the Holy Spirit – being sent to us by the Father. When the Spirit comes, he will guide us into all truth. Raising us like a parent raises a child. He only shares what He hears – words of love,...
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Jesus Christ: Satisfaction guaranteed
This week’s sermon focuses on Jesus’ teaching just after one of the great feeding miracles. The people wanted to see him perform but they missed the point of why he was there. Who he was and why it mattered. This seemingly lowly carpenter’s son was claiming God’s approval and pointed the people...
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How does the Son work?
This week Nick unpacks the story of Jesus healing someone on the sabbath, helping us reflect on both who Jesus is and how he goes about his work. His claims and deeds seem to contradict the commandments, which really stirs up the local religious authorities. But his words are backed up by his...
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Born again to freedom
With a little help from Boney M, Martin explores the story of Jesus and Nicodemus and what it means to be spiritually transformed. If we want to see God’s Kingdom and be part of His family, we need a second spiritual birth. Being born again brings freedom, belonging, meaning and hope. It’s an...
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Greater things to come
The story of Philip and Nathanael is our subject for this week as the disciples come to follow Jesus and go on to tell others the great news too. Nathanael is seen by Jesus, even before they had even met. It prompts Nathanael to realise just who is Jesus is and what he came to do. It is a…
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The truth brings freedom
This week Martin unpacks John 8:32 – our verse for the year. In these days of subjective truth, Jesus calls us to not just know truth but the truth. Objective truth is not connected to our own narrative, agenda, feelings and desires and objective truth leads to suffering and hurt for others. The...
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Renewing your heart
As we begin a new year and start our week of prayer, we’re celebrating new life with our latest baptism service. New Year is a time for resolutions – although these pledges often only address the symptoms rather than the root cause. To truly change we need to make the change in our heart. Only…
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Life to the full
As we come towards the end of another year, Gareth explores the reasons why Jesus came to dwell among us – his purpose on Earth. Jesus came so that we might know the Father. To rescue us from sin. To bring abundant life to all those who would believe. There’s more to life than merely going…
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What makes Christmas
A short reflection from our Carols by Candlelight evening service, which uses the current crop of festive TV adverts to explore what really makes it Christmas. Hope in difficult situations. Light in a dark world. Peace for anxious and worried hearts and minds. Love to turn away hate. Joy for…
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Extraordinarily ordinary
The next part in our ‘Small wonder’ Advent series, explores the context around the prophecy about the birth of Jesus. The sign given could have been seen as insignificant and ordinary. A baby born in poverty might be overlooked as unremarkable. But seen in the context of the bigger picture, this...
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Something wonderful this way comes
Continuing our advent series inspired by The London Institute of Contemporary Christianity’s ‘Small wonder’ material. If you live in darkness, there is hope that something better is coming. Light into darkness is wonderful news. It brings hope, anticipation, joy – no matter how bad things are…
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The wonderful plan
In the build up to Christmas, our advent series explores the wonder wrapped in our preparations – inspired by The London Institute of Contemporary Christianity’s ‘Small wonder’ series. Advent is not just preparation for the coming of the Lord Jesus but also preparing for the fulfilment of God’s...
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Remaining in the true vine
As we continue our series on the bold statements Jesus made about himself, we arrive at ‘I AM the true vine’. Jesus shared with his closest friends about the most intimate of connections – the vine and the branches. If we remain in him, he will remain in us. It’s not a connection based on…
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Desperately seeking satisfaction
Jesus said ‘I AM the Bread of Life’ and today’s sermon explores this claim and what it means for us as believers and for all people everywhere. It’s amazing how we can decide we need something that we previously never knew existed – and when it comes to our genuine needs it's also amazing the...
About this show
Weekly sermons and updates from Biggleswade Baptist Church in Central Bedfordshire, UK
Hosted by
Biggleswade Baptist Church
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