Peace Apostolic Ministries

Mark Twain said, in a well-known quote, “Clothes make the man……naked people have little or no influence on society”. In his message, Philip Alley draws a parallel between this statement and the matter of being clothed spiritually. The Bible has much to say about what we should be spiritually clothed with, and what is to be put off and got rid of. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, instructed the people to get rid of anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language, deception, evil desire and greed. Paul then goes on to say that we are to be clothed with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. James describes evil thoughts as showing favouritism and discriminating against others. Immature people, says Philip, react while mature persons respond. Philip then goes on to describe the spiritual armour that Paul speaks of in his letter to the Ephesians, giving detail of the attributes of each item and the purpose of each one. Philip closes with a quote from Paul. “When you have done ev

How does a congregation with a vibrant family life and many young people, go about handling some of the more sensitive areas of life. As young people grow up, they often have many questions about these areas. Listen to John Alley describe the position of Peace Christian Church and how it handles the areas of dating and alcohol in its congregational life, and with young people in particular.

John Alley commences his message with a reading from the book of Jeremiah which teaches that our lives are not our own – it is not for a man to direct his own steps. John then goes to the book of Luke, emphasizing the need for repentance. God is patient and merciful, says John, and while He gives another chance for His people to repent, there is a point where, if left too long, the person is unable to repent. John goes on to discuss the need to rebuild the Church Council. Weak leadership, says John, causes the flock to be scattered. John reads from Acts and Luke, teaching on what makes a real man. Real men, says John, are tender hearted, generous and hard working, ready to help others and full of the Holy Spirit. John concludes his message with discussion of the things with which we are meant to be clothed, never being separated from Christ our head.

When a nation loses its way spiritually, says John Alley, other things slide also. This statement was in response to a recent report that the standards of students’ results in learning have become drastically lower than previously. However, says John, by our prayers the Lord turns all things around to show His glory. John goes on to state that everything goo din this world can be traced back to the gospel – medal breakthroughs, care for the aged and underprivileged and great inventions all had their beginnings in Christianity. However, when an atheistic society gets hold of these good things and twists them to an extreme position, corruption occurs. John refers to Colossians 1:28, where reference is made to “every man perfect”, explaining that according to Scripture we all should strive to be perfect as God is perfect. John emphasizes the need for strong men in leadership in the Church. We must be very prayerful, says John, in these times when there is an agenda afoot to twist and distort that which God meant

The basics of spiritual warfare are being aware that we have an enemy, and knowing how to pray and resist. It is less scary than we think, and yet we must be aware of His schemes. As Eve was deceived with what seemed plausible, so spiritual warfare is waged against God's people in ways that fit in our understanding. Jesus Christ when tempted resisted Satan because He knew the scripture. This sermon takes us to the starting place of spiritual warfare, which is prayer, scripture, and not looking at people as the problem.

It is very important, says John Alley, to hear the word of God and to take it into our souls. Beginning with Luke 11:27-28, John unpacks Scripture to counteract the attempt of our enemy to destroy Christian culture in Western civilization, part of which is the attack on the traditional family unit. John takes the listeners on a “tour” of Bible teaching on the subject of God’s plan for a man, a woman and children. It was not man who invented marriage, and neither can he redefine it. says John – it was God’s idea and His creation. Man can make laws, but those laws cannot change the natural order of things in the world. The basic family unit exists in every culture – because that is the natural order that Jesus put into place. John completes his message with an insightful quote by G K Chesterton, along with a recommendation of a book pertaining to the subject at hand.

In Luke 15, says Philip Alley, there are three parables. All along a similar theme of something (or someone) being lost and then the great joy when found. God is very happy when that which was lost is found – he seeks the restoration of sinners constantly. Philip goes on to examine in more detail the parable of the lost, or prodigal, son. He draws the comparison between the characteristics of the lost son and of the older son, before going on to describe the orphan heart and the steps that lead to this condition. In closing, Philip states that “God does not change. We are the ones who choose whether we view God as a taskmaster whose approval we cannot win, or a God of peace, joy and love.

How we speak to God comes in varying flavours or moods. You could be aggressive, humble, uncertain, angry, confident or others. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray in Luke 11, what mood was Jesus praying in? Listen and find out.

Salvation and discipleship, says Tony Ponicke, are inseparable – they go together. Tony goes on to explore many Scripture verses to illustrate that while salvation is a free gift, it costs us everything as we surrender all to the Lord. The first cost of following Christ can be the loss of relationships – not all of our families and friends will like it when we become Christians. Then there is the cost of our material goods and finances as we surrender those to Christ. Not that it is a bad thing to have money and possessions, but we must hold everything very loosely and in submission to Jesus. Also, our worldly pleasures and leisure activities must be laid at the foot of t the cross. We need to humble our hearts and live totally surrendered to the will and purposes of God.

Solomon prayed for the people of God and God responded with a precious promise (2 Chronicles 6 and 7). Today, says Jonathan Maxwell, we are the temple and we are the priests. Jesus Himself is our intercessor and we have the promises in a more complete way. There are needs in the nation, in our own city and in our individual lives, says Jonathan, and no matter what is going on around us, the solution begins with us. Our prayers make a huge difference, whether or not we believe we are good pray-ers, because of the faith of Christ who prayed for us. In conclusion, Jonathan reminds the people “God has not changed. The things he did in the past, he can do today. But it starts with the individual believer – with me!”

If you were in a room full of money and were told we could have as much as we wanted, how much effort would we make in collecting it? Would we work for five minutes then stop satisfied we had "done our bit for the day." Or would we complain about the lack of air conditioning as we pick up money. Or would we complain that "it's boring picking up all this money." Prayer holds higher value to us that money does, and yet we seem to not be aware of the value of the currency of heaven. How much should we pray? The answer is, as much as possible.

Names are powerful as this sermon by Philip Alley points out. The Bible has a lot to say about the name of God, and in the early parts of the Bible, God was reluctant to give too much information. But as the story of God progresses in history we see Christ as being the revelation of God. Jesus tells us to pray "in His name" and that has a great meaning, far beyond simply being a 'magical' phrase. This sermon will prompt you to think and consider the God we have, and the power in His name.

John Alley takes up the thread with his strong belief that the grace of God is meant to fall on Central Queensland in its entirety, not just our city and surrounds. We really ought to be praying, says John, for the transformation of Central Queensland. The borders are porous too, so that the blessing can “leak out” to surrounding areas as we do the work of prayer. God is always ready to pour out grace, but our prayers must be strengthened in order to see the outcome we seek. John encourages all to be part of the morning prayer meetings, as well as Friday night prayer and the Youth meetings. John goes on to give six “conditions” for answered prayer including being in Christ, praying in the name of Jesus, the health of our relationships, having a clean heart, belief and praying according to the will of God before concluding the message with a reading from Deuteronomy 13:12-13.

Jonathan Maxwell brings a moving and thought provoking message, beginning with his own story of making the choice to be open and honest in all situations. Reading from the book of Hebrews, Jonathan reinforces that “as long as it is called ‘today’”, we are meant to encourage one another. God puts brokenness in our lives, says Jonathan, so that we remain dependent on Him. And there are times when our honesty in our brokenness can be of great encouragement to others. Jonathan then invites others to share their own hearts, and a great many of the people do so.

Steve Holmstrom, along with his wife Cara, are the founders of Zinger Oilfield Supplies Ltd, an oilfield rental company serving northern Alberta since 2005. They have five children, and make their home in Drayton Valley, Alberta, Canada. For over 20 years Steve has enjoyed ministering to believers in local churches and in conference settings throughout Canada and beyond. His greatest passion is to seek the Lord’s presence and bring His Kingdom to the backwoods of the beautiful Alberta oilpatch.

Instead of thinking of people you have led to the Lord as your disciples, think of the "pre-christians" in your life as your disciples. This message talks about how this view of things, will change your outlook on evangelism, and you'll find satisfaction in being someone who fulfils the great commission in your sphere of influence.

In the hunt to be modern and up with things, we could easily forget that the age old disciples of the faith are given for us by Christ. In this message John Alley talks about the word of God and the power it has to change your circumstances. Before you dismiss this as "just another message" about reading the Bible, take time to listen as this is NOT the same as what you may have heard before.