bristolchurch – MAKING DISCIPLES

Application for Bible Reading Program 2024

Join Brendon Naicker’s discipleship 2024 Bible reading program. This journey through the year will ensures your commitment to reading or listening to the Bible stays unwavering throughout the year. With his guidance, you’ll receive daily motivation, creative strategies, and a sense of accountability, making this journey not just a resolution but a fulfilling, consistent practice.

Heavenly Inbox

Welcome to a delightful series of letters that will take you on a one-of-a-kind and light- hearted journey through various aspects of the Christian faith. These letters are not intended to be bible-bashing or to overwhelm you with a lifetime's worth of theological discourse. Instead, they seek to gently guide you, sharing insights and truths while remaining sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading in your life. Christianity, you see, is more than just a set of rules or dogmas to be imposed on others. It is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and each person's relationship is unique. We believe in the Great Commission, the call to go and make disciples of all nations, but we also recognise that this is a deeply personal journey of faith. #brendonnaicker #heavenly #heavenlyinbox #theologyschool #dearfriend #letters #christianity #christian #discipleship #biblestudy Heavenly Inbox https://amzn.eu/d/24jzR43

The Reality of Religious Institutions …The Divine Divide

In this blog, we delve deep into issues facing religious institutions, unraveling the truth behind their waning influence. No matter your beliefs or background, join us as we explore the reasons why people from all walks of life are turning away from churches. From issues like nepotism, the pursuit of wealth, and shallow relationships to the formation of exclusive cliques and incompetent leadership, we shed light on the uncomfortable realities that have shaken the faith of countless individuals. Brace yourself for an honest and critical examination of the challenges facing religious communities today.

Unfriending Temptation: Pastors Breaking Free from Explicit Content on Social Media

Are you ready to dive into a captivating journey of redemption and freedom? In our latest blog, we delve into a topic rarely discussed but of utmost importance: pastors' battle against addiction to explicit content on social media. Discover the shocking progression, the consequences, and most importantly, the steps to finding deliverance and restoration in Christ.

Exposing the Unbiblical Church Partnership Scheme

In today's fast-paced world, ministries are facing new challenges as they strive to fulfill their mission and impact lives. One of the most significant shifts observed in recent years is the increasing dependence on financial donations, raising concerns about the potential dilution of faith and its implications for spiritual growth.

Debate: Contextualisation in the Church – For and Against

So, which side do you fall on? Join us for a lively debate on the merits and pitfalls of contextualisation in the church. Engage with both perspectives and come to your own conclusion about the role of culture in worship. Don't miss this opportunity to learn and grow in your faith.

Christian Perspective on Music in the Church

The goal of Christian worship should be to deepen our relationship with God and to express our faith in a way that is meaningful and authentic. By refocusing on this goal, we can overcome the ills of modern worship and create a more spiritually fulfilling experience for all believers.

Do you know of Constantine’s mother Helena?

The church is not trapped by the physical buildings that Helena started, but rather has continued to develop and adapt to new cultural and historical contexts. While these physical structures remain important symbols of the faith and an important part of Christian history and tradition, they are just one aspect of a vibrant and dynamic faith community that continues to grow and change over time.

Church has become a Building

Institutionalism is the process by which religious organisations become more focused on their own survival and maintenance rather than on the spiritual needs of their members.

Favouritism and Unfair Practices in Church Appointments: Exploring Causes and Solutions

Nepotism is the practice of showing favoritism towards family members or friends, especially in hiring, promotions, or appointments, rather than based on merit or qualifications. Nepotism is the lowest and least imaginative form of corruption.

Beyond Appearances: Prioritising Talent and Ability over Skin Colour in Church Settings

The church is supposed to be a place where all believers are welcome, regardless of race, ethnicity, or social status. However, the reality is that prejudice and discrimination still exist in many churches, often leading to the unfair treatment of certain individuals or groups. In particular, the issue of prejudice treatment can arise when a person's giftings or talents are overlooked in favour of their skin colour.

Revive Your Outreach: Dynamic Evangelism Training Course

The invitation of Jesus is a revolutionary call to fight for the heart of humanity. We are called to an unconventional war using only the weapons of faith, hope, and love. Nevertheless, this war is no less dangerous than any war ever fought. And for those of us who embrace the cause of Christ, the cost to participate in the mission of God is nothing less than everything we are and everything we have.

Origins of the Christmas Tree

Depending on family tradition, the tree brought into the house is now festively decorated and referred to as the "jultree," "light tree," "Christmas tree," or "Christ tree." How many people are aware that this practise was long reviled by the church? Numerous sources in folk literature mention the fact that the

FREE BOOK: Guide to Church Services by Brendon Naicker

This book contains easy to use orders of service which are guides for various services. They are valuable, but in no way should they replace the leading of the Holy Spirit.

How to be a rich and successful Pastor?

Now God says “do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. But the world says, “come lie with me and satisfy the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and fulfil the pride of life... you don’t even have to leave the church congregation.” Having intercourse right at the altar like Absalom did to David to shame him - they are now sleeping with other gospels of prosperity, social-economic and dominion spirits that lead the Father’s children astray.

The Lie of Loving Yourself!

The person who grovels in depression and says he hates himself for having wasted his life would actually be glad that he had wasted his life if he really hated himself. In fact, he is unhappy about having wasted his life because he loves himself. The apparently remorseful criminal, who says he hates himself because of the crimes he has committed, should then be glad to see himself suffer in prison. Yet he hopes to escape that fate, which proves he loves himself in spite of his protestations of self-loathing.

Jesus mentioned the word “tithe” twice…

Jesus did talk about tithing as shown in Matthew 23: 23 and Luke 11: 42, but these verses cannot be quoted in our day to encourage Christians to tithe because it was not His intentional message. Although Jesus did not condemn tithing here, we must understand Jesus was still under the Old Covenant as the New Covenant began with His death and resurrection.

Do Non-Christians Have Free Will?

This is exactly what has happened to humanity through sin. The human free will is biased toward evil. It really exists, and really can make decisions – just as the loaded scales still work. But instead of giving a balanced judgment, a serious bias exists toward evil. Therefore, human free will really exists in sinners, but that it is compromised by sin.

Sell-Out! Reaching the Masses Losing Your Soul!

This lack of personal development is just sheer laziness on the part of many, and as a result, the church is happy just paying someone else to look after their Christianity. We need to address the fundamental issues facing Christendom with Scripture and Scripture alone.

Christians whose lives don’t matter!

More than 245 million Christians worldwide are enduring high levels of persecution for their faith—from militant extremist groups like ISIS and Boko Haram (an Islamic extremist group terrorizing West Africa), to government law and the general culture that often sees converting to Christianity as betrayal.

The Good and Bad News on Good Friday

God’s whole counsel includes both the bad news about our natural state and the good news about God’s plan to redeem us.

Farting Preacher…🤦🏽‍♂️

True Christians need to strip the idols from what should be a Christ-centred Christianity. I believe that much incorrect understanding and thinking about God is due to poor teaching, this then leads to “pastors farting on their congregations”. We need to bring people back to the fundamental truths—out of the serious misrepresentation of Christianity—in order to introduce them to true Christianity and not showmanship.

The Grace of God

Liberal theology, with its belief in the inherent goodness of man and his ability to help himself is making a comeback. For the doctrine of salvation by grace has practically become an insult for it's portrayal that man is innately spiritually dead - unable to ever come to God. The word “grace” is also emptied of all spiritual meaning and vanished from religious discourses. It is retained only in the sense of “graciousness,” something that is quite external.

Blood of the Covenant

Christ came into the world as the second Adam. And Paul demonstrates here in Romans 5 that just like Adam, Christ is the covenant representative of all those who believe in Him. So, just as all humanity was condemned on the basis of Adam's disobedience, so too, all those who belong to the Saviour are justified on the basis of Jesus' obedience as their covenant representative.

No persons choose to become a Christian?

The faculties which men receive at birth have a carnal bias, an earthly trend, a distaste for the heavenly and divine, and are inclined only to selfish aims and groveling pursuits. In the most polished or religious society, equally with the vulgar and profane, "that which is born of the flesh is flesh" and can never be anything better. Prune and trim a corrupt tree as much as you will, it can never be made to yield good fruit. Every man must be born again before he can be acceptable to a holy God.

Must I keep asking God for forgiveness?

This remission of all sins is not limited to past sins only, but to all sins—past, present, and future. If it were not so, then justification would have to be repeated over and over again, and the imputation of the righteousness of Christ would be lowered to the level of the animal sacrifices of the old covenant. Therefore it has to be offered over and over again for the continued presence of sin.

No need for Christ – we need self-esteem they say…

Though Peter wrote, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time" (1 Peter 5:6), we are being urged to "visualise" ourselves into success.

Demonic Church Leadership Structure

So we have worldly leadership and church leadership, which are opposites. Worldly leadership works on a pyramid hierarchy system, which emanates from the demonic hierarchy used by Satan. As a worldly system it is evil, according to Jesus. However, church leadership is based on service and the leader being at the bottom supporting everyone else. In addition, Jesus demands that we do not call church leaders by any formal titles of respect (Matt 23:8), because everyone in the church is a brother.

Jesus says “apart from me you can do nothing.”

Grace from the Work of Christ is NOT to be understood as grace to be external enlightenment or instruction graciously provided for humanity by God. God does not just demand that human beings should be “perfect”, which is a vague term. Rather, God graciously provides specific guidance as to what form of perfection is required – such as keeping the Ten Commandments, and becoming like Christ. Grace thus informs humanity what its moral duties are (otherwise, it would not know what they were); it does not, however, assist humanity to perform them, because there is no need for such assistance.

Reading the Old Testament Incorrectly

Moralism is the default mode for preachers. It’s second nature. But it misinforms the congregation. Why do it then? Maybe it tells them what they really want to hear, which is that they can please God through moral improvement. But moralising cannot save. We must do better than this if we are to escape the rebuke of Christ: “If you believed Moses, you would believe me”

No Doctrine but Jesus… is a doctrine of lies!

Therefore, those who truly understand the Gospel will not downplay doctrines, to do so is to minimise how much they will know about the Gospel. Could it be that those who are arguing for the "Gospel" at the expense of "doctrines" are simply trying to find a way to justify their opposition to some of our distinctive beliefs or avoiding to disclose their ignorance.

Circus in the Church

We depart from Biblical teaching when we think that today's so-called gospel rock, gospel clowns, gospel magicians, and other forms of gospel entertainment can legitimately be employed to communicate spiritual truth. The Scriptures teach that the world is on its own, "without hope and without God" (Ephesians 2:12). Therefore, instead of borrowing worldly methods to reach the world, Christians are sent forth like the apostle Paul, "to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God"

Is your church a cult?

With the explosion of different sects that claim to honour and follow Jesus, how does one differentiate between true Biblical Christianity and an aberrant religious movement? Just what are “the marks of a cult?”

Pastors Bondservant of the Church Board!

During the darkest period of my life I had no one to say “Brother, how is your faith? Is Christ alive in your life? Are you lawless and doing your own thing? Brendon do you know that if you are carrying on in your sin and ignore God’s will - Jesus will say to you, ‘depart from me you lawless one - I don’t know you!”.

“The wicked who borrow money but then fail to repay it”

Jesus took these notions another radical step when he challenged his followers to examine their way of living: “And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back” (Luke 6:34–35).

Satan, you can take our church buildings!

The tabernacle was instituted by God as the place where he would dwell in the midst of the people of Israel. It was the forerunner of the temple; it was a tent that went before the children of Israel as they made their way to the promised land. Within the tabernacle was the most holy place, where God came to meet man. Just as God came to meet man in the tabernacle, he came to meet man in the person of Jesus.

Are other religions good?

Christians, by definition, believe Christ to be God- made-man, God-in-the-flesh. His claims cannot be amended, watered down, relativised, negotiated away or nuanced into acceptability. But this exclusivism is not an exclusivism of Christian culture, of Christian ethics or of Christians as the only candidates for heaven.

Should Christians Participate in Practices of Other Faiths?

Should a Christian use some Zen Buddhist meditation techniques? Should Chinese Christians use Confucius as their teacher of social ethics? Should Christian pacifists learn from Gandhi’s methods? Should Jewish Christians celebrate the Jewish holidays? Such questions should be addressed with great care, for religion is the active, actual service of God, gods, spirits or demons.

Christians and Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is the largest holiday of the year in China and if you are praying for China or joining some Chinese friends during the festival, there are two things that every Christian should know.

Is baptism essential for salvation?

Baptismal regeneration is not a biblical concept. Water baptism is the symbol of what has already occurred in the heart of one who has trusted Christ as Saviour (Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12). Baptism is an important step of obedience that every Christian should take, but it is not a requirement for salvation. To make it such is to question the sufficiency of Christ’s death and resurrection.