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The Life of Paul - the Hidden Years show art The Life of Paul - the Hidden Years

Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship

Malcolm continues the series on the life of Paul, focusing on “the hidden years” after Saul’s conversion and before his wider public ministry. The passage is Galatians 1:11–23, where Paul explains that the gospel he preached was not invented by people or passed on to him second-hand, but received by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. Malcolm begins by placing Paul’s story in context. Last week looked at Saul the persecutor being transformed by Jesus on the road to Damascus. This week looks at the quieter period that followed: Paul’s time in Arabia, then Damascus,...

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The life of Paul - Episode 1 show art The life of Paul - Episode 1

Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship

David begins a new series on the life of Paul, focusing first on Saul before he became Paul and the grace of God that transformed him. He opens with a searching question: what is the worst thing you have ever done, and do you believe there is a way back to God for you? He walks through several biblical examples — Abraham, Moses, Rahab, David, Jonah, Zacchaeus, the woman caught in adultery, Peter, Thomas and the thief on the cross — showing that God repeatedly restores sinners who turn back to him. David stresses that the gospel is a gospel of grace. While some sins may seem...

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Luke 22 show art Luke 22

Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship

Vijay preaches from Luke 22, focusing on Peter’s denial of Jesus and what it reveals about human weakness, self-confidence, prayer, repentance and the grace of Christ. He begins by reflecting on the fact that most of us carry around two versions of ourselves. There is the version we are happy for others to see — our strengths, achievements and best moments — and another hidden version containing our compromises, failures and weaknesses. Often, pressure reveals things in us that we did not realise were there. Vijay says the better question is not simply, “Who am I really?”...

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Jesus and the fallen woman show art Jesus and the fallen woman

Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship

Cheri preaches from Luke 7:36–50, the account of Jesus at the home of Simon the Pharisee, where a woman known for living a sinful life comes to Jesus with tears, perfume and extravagant devotion. She begins by linking this sermon with the previous week’s message on the woman caught in adultery, and with her reflections on Rahab and Hagar. Her focus is on how God responds to women who are shamed, rejected or treated as “fallen” by society. Cheri explains the setting of the story: Jesus is invited to a formal meal at a Pharisee’s house. A woman enters uninvited, weeping at Jesus’...

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The woman caught in adultery show art The woman caught in adultery

Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship

Cheri preaches from John 8:2–11, the story of the woman caught in adultery, where Jesus says, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” She explains that this passage has been on her mind because of her recent teaching on Rahab and because of pastoral conversations with young people, especially around questions of sexuality, gender, fear, shame and Christian discipleship. Cheri says the church often finds this subject hard to talk about because it is surrounded by fear. Some fear being misunderstood, accused of hatred or facing consequences...

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Logos Hope team - The power, authority and honour of the name of Jesus. 2nd Aug 2026 show art Logos Hope team - The power, authority and honour of the name of Jesus. 2nd Aug 2026

Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship

The Logos Hope team share a service centred on the power, authority and honour of the name of Jesus. The team begin by introducing themselves and the work of OM’s Logos Hope. Bauka, from Kazakhstan, explains that although the team come from different countries, the focus is not on flags or national identity, but on introducing people to Jesus. He also asks the church to pray for Kazakhstan, where evangelical Christians are a very small minority. Anne Marie then shares a short testimony using the illustration of fleas in a jar. When a lid is placed on the jar, the fleas learn to jump only so...

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Living in times of change, uncertainty and instability show art Living in times of change, uncertainty and instability

Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship

James preaches from Isaiah 6:1–8, where Isaiah sees the Lord in the year King Uzziah died. He begins by reflecting on Bob Dylan’s song “The Times They Are A-Changin’”, using it to introduce the theme of living in times of change, uncertainty and instability. His central message is: In a time of change and uncertainty, we need to fix our eyes on the one who is unchangeable and completely dependable. James explains that Isaiah’s vision happened at a real point in history, around the death of King Uzziah. Uzziah had reigned for 52 years, so his death marked a time of national...

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Love - 1 Corinthians 13 show art Love - 1 Corinthians 13

Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship

Florence preaches from 1 Corinthians 13:1–7, focusing on the “missing ingredient” in the Corinthian church: love. She begins with a humorous cooking illustration, adding the wrong amount of garlic and almost forgetting the chicken in a curry, to show that sometimes one essential ingredient can be missing. In Corinth, the church had spiritual gifts, activity and ability, but they lacked love. Florence explains that the love Paul describes is agape love: a self-giving love that keeps giving even when the other person does not deserve it. This is the love of God, shown most clearly in Jesus...

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Don't you care if we drown? show art Don't you care if we drown?

Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship

Jeremy preaches from Mark 4:35–41, the account of Jesus calming the storm. He begins by connecting the disciples’ fear in the boat with our own experiences of anxiety, uncertainty and hardship. Even when we know Jesus is with us, difficult circumstances can make us ask the same question the disciples asked: “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Jeremy shares honestly about his own anxiety, including the move from Singapore to Aberdeen, and uses the story of his young nephew on a rope playground to show how fear can overwhelm trust, even when help is close by. The sermon...

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Blind Spots show art Blind Spots

Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship

Part 1 – The Ten Commandments overview. Derek reads Exodus 20 and makes three points: the commandments were given after God's rescue of Israel (not as a condition of it), they're guidance for the saved rather than a means of earning salvation, and each one is a broad principle meant to be applied widely rather than treated as a tick-box exercise. He illustrates this with the 8th commandment ("you must not steal"), showing it covers tax evasion, underpaying workers, time-theft, and misusing power of attorney. Part 2 – The blind spot. Turning to the 9th commandment ("you must not bear false...

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Malcolm continues the series on the life of Paul, focusing on “the hidden years” after Saul’s conversion and before his wider public ministry. The passage is Galatians 1:11–23, where Paul explains that the gospel he preached was not invented by people or passed on to him second-hand, but received by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

Malcolm begins by placing Paul’s story in context. Last week looked at Saul the persecutor being transformed by Jesus on the road to Damascus. This week looks at the quieter period that followed: Paul’s time in Arabia, then Damascus, then eventually Jerusalem. These were years about which we know little, but they were not wasted years. God was preparing Paul.

A key issue in Galatians is that false teachers were challenging Paul’s message, mission and authority. They objected to his gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone, his mission to the Gentiles, and the fact that Paul himself had once persecuted the church. Paul’s answer is that God had chosen and called him by grace, even before he was born.

Malcolm highlights that Saul was not someone naturally looking for Christianity. He was zealous, convinced and committed to destroying the church. Only God could reach him — and God did. The persecutor became the preacher. This shows that God comes to unlikely people, in unlikely places, and changes them by grace.

The sermon then draws out three main lessons.

First, God’s presence matters more than God’s programme. Paul did not rush immediately into public ministry or to consult the apostles. He spent time away, probably in solitude, reflection and re-reading Scripture in light of Christ. Malcolm compares this to being stripped of busyness and control, reminding the church that activity matters, but simply being with God matters more.

Second, when a life is changed, the news gets around. The churches in Judea did not know Paul personally, but they knew his story: the man who once persecuted the faith was now preaching it. Their response was to praise God. Malcolm asks whether our changed lives cause others to glorify God too.

Third, God’s sovereignty will win out. Even Paul’s attempts to destroy the church were eventually turned by God into part of his purposes. Malcolm uses Aberdeen church history to reflect on outward religion, decline and renewal, stressing that Christianity is not merely about social morality, but about living relationship with God.

The sermon closes by challenging listeners to allow God time to prepare them. Hidden seasons, waiting, solitude and uncertainty may feel unproductive, but they can be places where God does his deepest work. The prayer is that, like Paul, our lives would lead others to say: “They praised God because of me.”

0:00 Welcome and Series Introduction 0:55 Continuing the Life of Paul 2:50 The Hidden Years After Conversion 5:28 Reading Galatians 1:11–23 8:18 The Trouble in Galatia 10:58 Paul’s Message, Mission and Calling 13:54 Only God Could Reach Saul 16:16 God’s Presence Matters More Than God’s Programme 20:34 The Hidden Years Were Not Wasted Years 25:02 When a Life Is Changed, the News Gets Around 28:42 God’s Sovereignty Will Win Out