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  • But I Trust

    But I Trust
    2026/10/18
    In But I Trust, guest speaker Peter Burrows explores Psalm 13, a deeply personal prayer in which David wrestles with doubt, despair and the feeling that God has forgotten him. Fleeing from King Saul and facing an uncertain future, David repeatedly cries out, ‘How long, Lord?’ His words reflect the struggles many of us experience when prayers seem unanswered, difficulties persist and God's presence feels distant.

    Peter traces three important stages in David's experience: doubt developing, the struggle surfacing and faith bursting forth. He reminds us that acknowledging our fears and bringing our struggles honestly before God is not a sign of failed faith. Just as David remembered God's faithfulness during his earlier victories, we too can look back and recognise His presence and grace throughout life's challenges.

    The turning point comes in the closing verses of Psalm 13, when David declares, ‘But I trust in your unfailing love.’Although his circumstances have not changed, his perspective has been transformed. Through prayer and renewed confidence in God's unchanging character, David moves from despair to trust, from sorrow to joy, and from questioning to praise. As Peter explains, everything changed before anything had changed.

    Drawing further encouragement from Psalm 18 and the example of Jesus in Gethsemane, Peter challenges us to maintain an eternal perspective, even when life is difficult. God's grace remains sufficient, His presence never leaves us, and His promises give us reason to persevere. The message concludes with an invitation to rediscover hope, renew our trust in God and allow Him to restore the sparkle to our eyes and the song to our hearts.
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  • Only the Blood of Jesus

    Only the Blood of Jesus
    2026/10/11
    In Only the Blood of Jesus, guest speaker PJ Sexton explores the familiar story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4, revealing a powerful message about sin, sacrifice and salvation. Although both brothers brought offerings to God, only Abel's was accepted. PJ uses their contrasting approaches to explore the difference between relying on our own efforts and approaching God through faith and sacrifice.
    Drawing connections between Adam and Eve's attempts to cover their shame, Abel's offering and the sacrifices of the Old Testament, PJ explains the importance of blood atonement. He challenges the belief that religious observance, personal goodness or good works can earn salvation, emphasising that forgiveness and redemption are found through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.
    The message also examines God's warning to Cain that sin was crouching at his door, highlighting the choices we face when confronted with anger, jealousy and temptation. PJ reminds us that sin seeks to gain control, but through Jesus Christ we can experience forgiveness, freedom and a new life.
    Finally, PJ connects Abel's death with the sacrifice of Jesus, drawing from Hebrews 12:24, which speaks of the blood of Jesus as greater than the blood of Abel. From Genesis to Revelation, he traces the contrast between human attempts to earn God's acceptance and the salvation offered through Christ. His closing message is clear: we are redeemed not through our own good works, but through the blood of the Lamb.
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  • In You I Trust

    In You I Trust
    2026/09/27
    In In You I Trust, Pastor Cathal Duffy shares from Psalm 25, a prayer of David that speaks into the realities of everyday life - our need for trust, guidance, forgiveness, hope and a close relationship with God. David faces uncertainty and trouble, yet begins with a declaration: ‘In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.’

    Cathal explores the difference between simply believing in God and actively trusting Him. Trust means choosing to rely on God's character and promises, even when circumstances seem to suggest otherwise. Like David, we can ask God to show us His ways, teach us His paths and guide us in His truth while we wait for Him with hope and expectation.

    Psalm 25 also points us towards the depth of God's mercy and forgiveness. David does not base his hope on his own goodness, but on the character and compassion of God. Cathal reminds us that however great our sin may be, God's forgiveness is greater, and through Jesus Christ we can know forgiveness rather than live under the accusation of our past.

    Ultimately, the Christian faith is not simply a religion but a relationship. God invites us into friendship and intimacy with Himself. Even when our troubles are not immediately resolved, we can continue to trust Him, knowing His love, mercy and faithfulness towards us.
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  • Tell Them

    Tell Them
    2026/09/20
    In Tell Them, guest speaker Stephen Mawhinney shares from Acts 16:1 - 5 and the story of Timothy, whose faith was shaped from childhood by his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois. Despite Timothy's father not sharing their faith, these women faithfully taught him the Scriptures and pointed him towards the Lord.

    Stephen's encouragement is simple: keep telling them about Jesus. Whether it is our children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews or other young people God has placed in our lives, we should never underestimate the power of planting God's Word in a young heart. Drawing from Isaiah 55:11 and his own testimony, Stephen reminds us that God's Word does not return empty. What is planted today may be brought back to someone's remembrance by the Holy Spirit many years later.

    The message also looks at Paul's relationship with Timothy and his willingness to adapt his approach in order to reach others. Paul became ‘all things to all people’ without compromising the truth of the gospel. The same challenge remains for the church today: encourage believers, evangelise those who do not yet know Christ, remain grounded in Scripture, and keep telling people about Jesus.
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  • The Bread of Life

    The Bread of Life
    2026/09/13
    In The Bread of Life, we were delighted to welcome Mark Horgan from Amazing Grace Church, Westport to Castlebar Christian Fellowship. Preaching from John 6, Mark explores one of Jesus’ great ‘I Am’ declarations: ‘I am the bread of life.’ After feeding the five thousand, Jesus points beyond the physical bread that satisfies temporarily to Himself - the true Bread from Heaven who gives eternal life.

    Throughout Scripture, bread represents provision and sustenance - from Joseph providing food during famine and the manna God provided in the wilderness, to the bread of the Presence and the unleavened bread of Passover. But Jesus makes clear that our greatest need is spiritual. Just as our bodies need daily food, our spiritual lives depend upon Christ.
    Mark challenges us not to neglect our daily spiritual nourishment.

    Reading and meditating on God's Word, prayer, obedience and drawing near to the Lord allow us to ‘dine’ with Him and hear His voice. Jesus is not only the Bread of Life we need for salvation - He remains the Bread we need every day as we follow Him. And for those who have never received Him, His invitation remains open: whoever believes in Him has eternal life.
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  • Seasons of Life

    Seasons of Life
    2026/09/06
    In Seasons of Life, we were delighted to welcome guest speaker Trevor Hill from River of Life, Athlone to Castlebar Christian Fellowship. Drawing on his own experience of transition after handing over the leadership of River of Life following 28 years, Trevor reminds us that life brings many different seasons - and different does not necessarily mean better or worse; sometimes it is simply different.

    Through the lives of Joseph and Peter, Trevor traces seasons of favour, disappointment, betrayal, failure, restoration and purpose. Joseph's circumstances changed dramatically, but one truth remained constant throughout his story: ‘God was with him.’ Peter likewise experienced remarkable highs and painful failures, yet Jesus restored him and the Holy Spirit transformed him into a powerful witness for Christ.

    Trevor finishes with three encouragements for embracing the season God has placed us in: there is a season for everything; in God's economy nothing is wasted; and we need to stay connected to the right people. Rather than simply asking God to get us out of difficult seasons, we can ask what He is doing through them. Galatians 6:9 reminds us not to grow weary, because at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
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  • The Mirror of Truth

    The Mirror of Truth
    2026/08/30
    Preaching from James 1:18–27, Pastor Cathal Duffy explores the transformative power of Scripture as "The Mirror of Truth". Rather than treating Bible study as merely an intellectual exercise or an outward checklist, James warns against the deception of glancing into the mirror, seeing our true condition, and immediately walking away without change.

    Pastor Cathal unpacks how human anger, unbridled speech, and pride block our spiritual hearing, comparing spiritual complacency to wax that dulls our ears to God’s voice. When we look intently into God’s Word – described as the perfect law that gives freedom – and allow the Holy Spirit to plant it deeply within us, it refines our character from the inside out. True, authentic faith is ultimately validated through practical obedience: taming the tongue, extending mercy to the most vulnerable, and living unpolluted by the world.
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  • Loving Your Enemies

    Loving Your Enemies
    2026/08/23
    Visiting from sister church Westport, Mark Horgan delivers a challenging message contrasting Old Testament cries for justice and imprecatory psalms with Christ’s revolutionary command to love our enemies. Focusing on Luke 6 and Romans 12, the sermon addresses the natural human impulse for retaliation and replaces it with the supernatural, counter-cultural call to bless, pray for, and actively do good to those who oppose us. Through biblical examples such as Jonah, the Older Brother, and Philemon, alongside modern testimonies like Elizabeth Elliot and Gordon Wilson's radical forgiveness after the 1987 Enniskillen bombing, Mark shows how extending mercy validates our identity as children of the Most High. Ultimately, the sermon points to Jesus as the supreme demonstration of agape love – dying for His enemies on the cross so they might be reconciled to God.
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