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Encounter - Wk 8 : Freedom From Sin

Andrew Toogood speaking.

When it comes to sin, we often talk about what we do.  But the sin condition is something we were born into - not the result of something we did.  In the same way, Jesus has freed us from sin - not through anything we've done, but by the gift of grace. So the primary issue when it comes to sin from God's perspective is that it's not about what we do, but who we are, and we are freed and perfected in Christ.

This talk will help you see that when grace meets law, grace wins.  Your relationship with Grace, with Jesus, is what brings about good choices for living.  You don't need external control because you've been freed from the power of sin.  Jesus is all you need.  Rules make it seem easy, but they actually strengthen the power of sin in your life by making you focus on what you do, rather than who you are.  Have your thinking and life transformed by this powerful teaching.

Encounter - Week 7 : Grace frees you from sin

Andrew Toogood speaking. Many of us live in fear of sin, believing we need to control it or battle against it.  However, we need a new view of sin to understand that we are the righteousness of Christ, and it is His job to free us with grace and mercy.  Sin is our nature, not our actions, and Christ came to give us a new nature, transforming us from the inside out. Grace frees us, not to live in sin, but to have our core self regenerated, to make good choices to live in holiness, no longer as slaves to that sin.

Encounter - Wk 6 : Grace is your confidence

Andrew Toogood speaking.

As we continue unpacking Paul's masterpiece of grace, the book of Romans, in this talk Andrew looks at the issue of confidence.  The only way to truly grow in confidence is to grow in grace and love.  It's never about what God expects of you, and always about learning to live in the finished work of the Cross.  So don't beat yourself up about whether you have it all together, because the fact is you won't - there'll always be something that's not quite perfect in your world - but as you walk with Christ, knowing your faith has made you totally acceptable to God, your confidence in His unending and unwavering goodness will grow.  So when you're suffering and feel like you've run out of options, you'll understand His peace has enables you to endure, be proved genuine and be confident in the expectation of good based on His commitment toward you.

Encounter : Wk 5 - Grace changes your name

Andrew Toogood speaking

Whenever you experience feelings of guilt, shame, condemnation etc, they are coming from a core belief that says whenever we behave in a way we know isn't right, our position with God has changed.  We label ourselves, or have labels placed upon us throughout our lives that go deeper than just the power of words.  They take root and we believe the label more than what God says about us.  But Grace changes your name, removes the labels and shows us to be holy and blameless before God.  Grace calls out of us things that we may not be able to see, but God does.  Be encouraged to believe what God says about you, and not what the world says.

Encounter : Wk 4 - The Face Of Grace

Penny Toogood speaking.

Grace is not just a concept for us to understand; Grace is a person, and His name is Jesus.  In this talk, Penny takes us through some of the key examples in the Bible of how Jesus lived out grace to those He met and how we take that modelling for how we are to live today.  As we go through life with Christ, we grow in our understanding of His character; we don't immediately have it all sorted at the point of salvation - this is a life-long journey - but if we remember through it all that we are made righteous with God through grace - through Jesus - there is no shame or condemnation in the process.  Let this encouraging talk release you to see all people, yourself included, as Christ sees them - perfected by grace.

Encounter - Week 3 : The Centurion

Andrew Toogood speaking. As we look at Romans and its message of transforming grace, this week we get into what has been described as the chief point and central place of the whole Bible by Luther, and the passage that if really understood means you understand the whole of the Bible (Doug Moo) - Romans 3:21-28. Andrew looks at true faith (v26), the faith of the Centurion in Luke 7 and shows that as the Holy Spirit does His work in you, He becomes bigger, our self-centredness becomes smaller, and we understand and can live reflecting our true state : that we are righteous, blameless, justified freely and gratuitously by Grace. What a gift!

Encounter - Week 2 : The Way Of Love

Andrew Toogood speaking

Nicodemus was wealthy, highly educated, reputable and a well respected Pharisee, and yet he knew there was something more to God than he had already encountered.  When Jesus met with him, we learn an approach to life and grace that enables transformation and change. Being presented with the wrath of God isn't going to change us, because we were built in love, made for love and designed for love.  Romans 2:4 makes it clear - it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.  So let your mind be renewed by the love of God, encounter Him in this teaching and receive a fresh understanding of how it is only in love that you can find peace, security and freedom.

Encounter - Wk 1 : The Power of the Gospel

Andrew Toogood speaking. We start on a new series this week, and it's all about grace as taught by Paul in his letter to the Romans.  Grace is at the core of our values at Exchange Church, and this series starts by reminding us that grace is not a concept - Grace is a person, and His name is Jesus.  Over the coming weeks you'll likely hear things that you've never heard, things that might get your back up and make you feel indignant.  That's ok - encountering radical grace might well bring about radical reactions before it brings radical change, but if you allow yourself to encounter Jesus just as He is - Grace personified - you're well positioned let grace change you and your world as you understand just what it means to be forever acceptable & pleasing to God.  That's the gift of grace received by faith.

The Power Of Encouragement

Penny Toogood speaking. Most of us are aware of the destructive power of negative words,  but we probably underestimate the power of positive words to speak into the lives of those around us.  We need to remember that just as God's power to speak the whole of creation into existence was through His spoken words, we have the same power to speak life and blessing. Just back from a trip to Bethel Church in Redding, California, with Andrew, Penny speaks of the natural way in which encouragement, prayer and prophecy are part of the environment there and how we can have the same here if we are courageous to speak life-giving words, not be afraid of getting it wrong (which we will!) and believe for God's grace to literally change people's destinies through our words.

Make your move - Wk 8 : Jericho, Part 2 : Overcoming Life's Battles

Jill Boyd speaking. When we come up against obstacles and struggles in life, whether we are an overcomer depends on what we believe about God and His promises for you when you're in the midst of the battle.  If you believe in your heart that what He says is true, you're well positioned to make it through. But remember that God's ways are not our ways, so don't try and do His job for Him. Don't think you know how He'll make it happen or that His plan will make sense compared to worldly wisdom.  The way God told Joshua He would take Jericho is undoubtedly one of the craziest battle plans you'll ever hear! So rest knowing that He's promised He has made a way - it's your job to believe it and live out that truth, even before you can see it.  This talk will encourage you and challenge you to ensure God is central in all areas of your life.

Make your move - Wk 7 : Jericho, Part 1 : Overcoming Life's Battles

Andrew Toogood speaking. The biggest battle many of us face when God shows you what He has for you and how He wants your life to be, is unbelief.  Just like the Israelites on their journey to take the promised land, obstacles stand in our way. The city of Jericho symbolised idolatry and unbelief, and shows us that if we don't overcome these we can't enter into the fullness of what God has promised us. Jericho wasn't large, but if they had chosen to ignore it, they would always have been looking over their shoulders, wondering when the armies of Jericho would catch up with them. So as impossible as it appeared to the human mind, being led by the supernatural power of God meant victory was theirs, without even lifting a spear, because God had already laid out the path for them to take should they choose to walk in it. This talk will encourage you as you leave behind your insecurities and fears and walk into the blessing God has laid out ahead of you because He's already done the work through the Cross.