Welcome to Newport Congregational Church

 

Thought from Rev Mark Evans 23.3.21

​

Some thoughts for today prayed into at our prayer time this morning Romans 8:1 Says - Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. BREAKING THE CYCLE OF DEFEAT IN OUR LIVES. People who believe that God is hard on them for their failures will inevitably be hard on the people around them and most of all, they will end up being really hard on themselves. They cannot forgive themselves for the mistakes they’ve made in the past and end up punishing themselves, whether they know it or not. It’s a vicious cycle of defeat. The more they can’t forgive themselves, the more they hurt themselves with all kinds of behaviors and the more they end up bound by various destructive addictions. This leads to even more guilt, which in turn drives them to punish themselves even more—and the cycle continues. I believe the root cause of many sinful habits, fears and addictions can be traced to condemnation. Go after condemnation as the root to be broken of you to help you receive God’s forgiveness in those areas so that you can break out of your cycle of defeat and step into a new cycle of victory. Are you living with some unresolved guilt and condemnation today? When you realize that God’s heart is not in condemnation but in forgiveness, your entire life can be turned around for His glory! I have personally witnessed so many lives transformed when they just take a small step of faith to believe in Gods grace and receive His forgiveness in their lives. Instead of punishing themselves for their mistakes and disqualifying themselves, these people began to correct their beliefs and receive God’s forgiveness by seeing Jesus taking on their punishment. They began to see their Savior qualifying them to receive every blessing from God for their marriages, families and careers. I want to encourage you to release the built-up of guilt and condemnation for whatever mistakes you’ve made over the years to the Lord. Can you pray this prayer with me? “Lord Jesus, I don’t want to live under guilt and condemnation anymore. Today, I release all my failings, sins, and mistakes into Your loving hands. And I receive Your forgiveness right now into my heart. Thank You for Your precious blood that washes me whiter than snow. Right now I stand in Your righteousness, favor, joy, and peace. Amen!” It’s a simple but powerful prayer. I encourage you to pray this prayer every time you fail and experience guilt and condemnation in your heart. Stop punishing yourself—your answer is found at the cross of Jesus. I promise you that when you turn to Jesus and remind yourself just how forgiven and righteous you are in Christ every time you fall short, you will start living like the forgiven and righteous person Jesus has made you.

 

​

​

 

Thought from Rev Mark Evans   22.01.21

 

    THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S 2 Chronicles 20:15 Says - Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. When faced with a problem or challenge, we tend to ask ourselves, “What am I going to do?” And well-meaning family members and friends will come along and ask, “What are you going to do?” Jehoshaphat faced a multitude of enemies. But instead of focusing on what he would do, he prayed, “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (2 Chronicles 20:12). When we turn our eyes to God, we will hear Him say, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 20:15, 17).

    But standing still is the last thing we want to do when the enemy is coming against us. It is also the most difficult thing to do because we feel that we cannot just stand around and do nothing—we must try to save the situation. But God wants us to stand still and see Jesus our salvation fight for us. So what do you do the next time you are faced with a battle and don’t know what to do? Jehoshaphat sent his singers to the front of the army to proclaim, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever” (2 Chronicles 20:21). Some people will wonder, “Does that mean that I just sing and don’t do anything else when I have a problem?” No, that is not what I am saying. Do what the situation requires, but don’t worry and don’t trust in what you do. Like Jehoshaphat, rest and trust in His mercy that endures forever. When you do that, God will turn your battlefield into the Valley of Berachah. Berachah means “blessings.” The children of Israel gave the battlefield this name because it took them three days to gather all the spoils of war! God turned their situation into a great blessing (see 2 Chronicles 20:25–26)!

    Do you have a battle to fight? Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!

​

​

​

Thought from Rev Mark Evans. 19.01.21

​

A REAL CHALLENGE TO ACCEPT HOPE IN A TIME OF NEED

    Heaven is a real place and I’m going there, not because of my works or good deeds, but because I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He was raised from the dead and because He is my Saviour, my Lord and my God.

    Hell is also a real place and I’m not going there because of the same reasons as above. Many ask If there is a God, what kind of a God will send people to hell? God does not send anyone to hell, He wants every human being to be saved from it by coming to the knowledge of the truth. However, God does respect everyone’s choice to either accept His free gift of eternal life or to reject it. No one enters heaven by chance, only by choice. Likewise, no one dies and ends up in hell by chance, only by choice. Today, I pray that you will choose to simply believe that Jesus Christ has the power to save you from your sins, as He saved and continues to save me from mine. So, please, while there is still time. I urge you to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. Because there is no other name nor is there any other way through which we will escape what is to come and at the same time enter into what has been promised eternal life (not death) through Christ Jesus.

    If you are not sure about where you will spend eternity when you die, I encourage you to pray the prayer below. Please do so if you believe that Jesus Christ can save you from your sins.

    “Lord Jesus Christ, I am sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. I ask your forgiveness and now turn from everything which I know is wrong. Thank you for dying on the cross for me to set me free from my sins. You are my Lord and my Saviour and from today I choose to follow You, from today I give You my life for the rest of my life. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen”

    If you’ve prayed this prayer please get in contact with us via email at: revmarkevans@yahoo.co.uk   Or via our Face Book page Newport Congregational Church (NCC) Also, I encourage you to do the following.

1/ Tell someone about what you have just done (What have you just done? You have given your life to Jesus)

2/ If you own a Bible, read the Gospels of Mark and John (pray and ask God to help you understand what you are reading) If you don’t own a Bible then I encourage you to get one. There are many free Bible apps. The one I recommend is YouVersion

3/ Take some time to pray (Just have a conversation with God)

4/ Find a good Bible believing church. If you don’t live in the Newport - IOW and you're not sure where to go, again get in contact with us and we will be glad to help you find a great church in your area. If you live in Newport, there are many great church’s in the area, so I encourage you to ask God to lead you to where He wants you to worship. If He leads you to Newport Congregational Church, you can access all of our details on our website. http://www.newportcongregationalchurch.com Or via email at: minister@newportcong.plus.com or revmarkevans@yahoo.co.uk We would love to see you & help you on your new journey of hope.

 

 

 

A BROKEN WORLD - Poem By Laura Davies

​

Rejection,separation Poverty, deprivation Abuse, Hatred and hunger

Pollution with no sanitation The world is broken, it’s in despair There is pain and suffering everywhere

Depression, anxiety, grips like a vice It takes your happiness and all that’s suffice. It takes your mind to a distant location And it tries to imprison your vocation. It drags you down in oppression And gives other people a bad impression.

It likes to trap people in their own minds They don't even know how to compromise. We all search for grace, peace and freedom In a world that appears so strictly belligerent. But who do we turn to when we are in need? Where do we search for the answers we seek?

There is one above all, that has all the answers. Who can save your life and give you refreshness. He can renew your mind and set you free. His name is Jesus, Almighty, Majesty.

He came as a man to save our sins. You just need to believe in him. Nailed to a cross and in so much pain. He did that so we could be born again.

So just, so true, so alive in you. If you would only know what’s right and true. Sweat and blood rolled down his face. So tired and weak he took our disgrace

                                                                       1.9.2020

 

Forgiveness - Poems by Louise Randall

​

Thank you Lord that you forgive me, That is why you went to Calvary

Thank you for dying for me, So that I can be free.

 

You knew who I would be, And where my journey would take me

Even before I was born My life was in the palm of your hands.

 

You knew who I would need to forgive,  And how at times I would find it so hard,

But Lord, your grace, patience and love is never ending

Thank you Lord.

​

Praise

 

My Lord, You are so amazing You will never stop loving

No matter what we do You will help us see it through

You love us in an everlasting way We just need to pray,

To spend time with you You, will cleanse us through and through.

 

 

In your love we can be set free, Because you went to Calvary

At Calvary all are sins are gone Because we are forgiven.                           23.8.2020

​