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Devotional: Our Great Creator God

April 28, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

Early morning in Beruwela, Sri Lanka

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hand” (Psalms 19:1).

Thanks to the generosity of some friends, I just returned from a refreshing 2 day vacation with my family, in a lovely hotel on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. Early on the first morning of this stay, I walked on to the balcony of our room for my devotions and felt a great sense of wonder at the breathtaking scenery in front of me (See photo above). The beauty of the whole surrounding, gave me a feeling of closeness and intimacy with the God who had created such an amazing world! That experience, led me to write this post.

Devotional: Are You A Branded Person?

April 16, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

Devotional: Are You A Branded Person?

When they let me out of prison, I held my head up high
Determined I would rise above the shame
But no matter where I’m living, the black mark follows me
I’m branded with a number on my name

I’d like to hold my head up and be proud of who I am
But they won’t let my secret go untold
I paid the debt I owed them, but they’re still not satisfied,
Now, I’m a branded man, out in the cold

The above lyrics, the reflections of a former prisoner, were taken off a hit-song recorded by Country star Merle Haggard, titled ‘Branded Man’. Merle certainly knew what it was like to be a ‘Branded Man’, since he spent time in prison, including the dreaded San Quentin Prison.

Lessons From The Life Of Joseph – Part 5

April 2, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

This is a 10 minute edit of a sermon preached at the People’s Church, Sri Lanka on Sunday, 13th March 2016. The sermon was based around the time when Joseph was put in prison.

Lessons from the life of Joseph – Part 5This week we look at lessons Joseph learnt through his prison experience. We see that even in prison the Lord was with Joseph and he caused everything he did to succeed. The Prison factor is significant to us because that is one of the hardest experiences in our life. It is there that the Lord teaches us perseverance. If you are going through a prison experience caused by someone else, or even because of your own doing, take some time to see how you can get out of it. We want to encourage you to be a part of a small group (cell group) for and extended study over these 6 weeks. If you are not connected to a small group or want to know more about it, speak to one of the ushers or full time pastors regarding one. We will be glad to help you.

Posted by People’s Church on Thursday, 17 March 2016

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Lessons From The Life Of Joseph – Part 3

March 7, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

This is a 10 minute edit of a sermon preached at the People’s Church, Sri Lanka on Sunday, 28th February 2016. The sermon was based around the time when Joseph proved to be a good steward in Potiphar’s home. In return, God made Joseph to prosper in all his work.

Lessons from the life of Joseph – Part 3In the 3rd part of our series, “Lessons from the life of Joseph,” we talk about another area God was developing in this life. We focus on the season Joseph spent in the house of Potiphar. From a month ago of being the favorite son, we see Joseph’s world turned upside down being sold into slavery. But God was still building the dreamer to a leader that would become one of the most influential people in the world at that time. If you have missed any of the Episodes before do, get in touch with us to order a sermon DVD. We want to encourage you to be a part of a small group (cell group) for and extended study over these 6 weeks. If you are not connected to a small group or want to know more about it, speak to one of the ushers or full time pastors regarding one. We will be glad to help you.

Posted by People’s Church on Thursday, 3 March 2016

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Devotional: The Never Changing Christ

March 1, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A Short Devotional:

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”. (Hebrews 13:8)

This is one of the most powerful verses in the scriptures and one that almost every Christian knows by memory!

In a world where things change so fast, where life seems to move so fast and where we often feel left behind, it’s tremendously comforting to know that we have a Savior who never changes. We see change all around us, including in our own bodies. Talking about change, I am reminded of the old Beatles song, ‘The Night Before’. The lyrics say,

Lessons From The Life Of Joseph – Part 2

February 24, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 4 Comments

This is a 10 minute edit of a sermon that was preached at the People’s Church, Sri Lanka, on Sunday, 21st February 2016. It is based on the events surrounding Joseph being thrown into a pit by his brothers. It’s the second sermon in a series titled “Lessons From The Life Of Joseph”

Lessons from the life of Joseph – Part 2Often in life we find ourselves in a pit. It can be cased by the actions of another, or by our own doing. But even when Joseph was in the pit, God was still building a man who would find his destiny, through the trials he was going through. Even as you focus on getting from your dream to your destiny, to become the Man/Woman God wants you to be, Pastor Palitha Jayasooriya shares with us how we can get out of the ‘pit’ we are in. It might give us some insight on how we can avoid falling into a pit in the future as well.We want to encourage you to continue with a small group (cell group) for and extended study over these 6 weeks. If you are not connected to a small group or want to know more about it, speak to one of the ushers or full time pastors regarding one. We will be glad to help you.

Posted by People’s Church on Wednesday, 24 February 2016

Sermon: Torn Between Two Loves

February 11, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

LOVE FOR GOD

INTRODUCTION

Those who are part of the generation I grew up in would remember the 1977 pop hit ‘Torn Between Two Lovers” sung by Mary MacGregor. It spoke about a lady who was attracted to 2 men at the same time. In the lyrics she tells one of them,

‘It doesn’t mean I love you less’ but ‘there’s just this empty place inside of me that only he can fill’!!!

This raises a question. Can we love 2 things equally at the same time?

Jesus in the passage in 1 John 2:15-17 says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” It is therefore clear that Jesus is saying that we cannot love God and the world at the same time. In other words, He’s saying that our love for one will be greater than the other!!

Sermon: Breakfast on the Beach

February 2, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

(Fishing in Sri Lanka) Photo Credit – Vasantha Jayasooriya

Introduction – Sermon titled Breakfast on the Beach

Many men I know like to go fishing. Others like to eat fish, which is considered to be healthy for the heart (Omega 3 oils). Yet others are known for loving a sea-food diet. What that often means is that they love to eat all the food they see!!

Since Sri Lanka is an island Nation, fishing is done as a vocation by a lot of people in my country. If one were to travel along the coast in the early morning hours, you would see fisher folk coming back to shore by boat, or maybe spreading their night’s catch on the beach. Some do stilt fishing as well.