Castlebar Christian Fellowship

In Touching the Hem of His Garment, guest speaker Jean Watson shares a powerful message about grace, healing, and restoration through Jesus Christ. Drawing from Luke 8:43–48, she reflects on the story of the woman who had suffered for twelve years and found healing by reaching out in desperate faith to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. 

Jean explains that the cry of faith often comes not from strength but from weakness. When we reach the place where we recognise our need and call out to God, His grace meets us there. The New Testament word sozo describes the fullness of salvation — forgiveness, healing, restoration, and deliverance. 

Through personal testimony and Scripture, Jean reminds believers that freedom from condemnation is central to living in God’s grace. When we receive forgiveness and extend that same grace to others, God begins a deeper work of healing and restoration in our lives. Even in seasons of suffering or unanswered prayer, His grace remains sufficient and His power is made perfect in weakness.

In The Fisher of Men, Mark Horgan looks at Peter’s life-changing encounter with Jesus in Luke 5:1–11. When Jesus called Simon Peter to let down his nets once more, an extraordinary catch of fish revealed both the power and the grace of Christ.

Confronted with the holiness of Jesus, Peter recognised his own sinfulness — yet instead of rejection, Jesus called him into a new purpose: ‘From now on you will catch men.’

Peter’s story reminds us that God does not call perfect people. Through failure, restoration, and transformation, Peter became a leader in the early church and a powerful witness for Christ.

His life shows that when we respond to Jesus’ call, God can take ordinary people and use them for extraordinary purposes.

In No Condemnation, Sally Lenihan explores the powerful moment in John 8:2 - 11, where the religious leaders bring a woman caught in adultery before Jesus in an attempt to trap Him using the law of Moses. Publicly accused and facing judgment, the woman stands surrounded by condemnation.

Jesus responds with a challenge that exposes the hearts of the accusers: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.” One by one they leave, confronted by their own guilt. Left alone with the woman, Jesus speaks words that reveal the heart of the gospel: “Neither do I condemn you… go now and leave your life of sin.”

Sally highlights how this moment shows the difference between a faith built on rules and one centred on grace. While the law exposes sin, Jesus offers forgiveness and a new beginning. The message reminds us that the gospel replaces condemnation with grace and invites us into a restored relationship with God through Christ.

In Faith That Breaks Through the Roof, John Burke teaches from Mark 2:1 - 12, the remarkable story of a paralyzed man whose friends refused to let obstacles stop them from bringing him to Jesus.

With the house too crowded to enter, the men climb onto the roof, break through it, and lower their friend down before Christ. Their determined faith becomes a powerful picture of intercession — the kind of faith that carries others to Jesus when they cannot come themselves.

Before healing the man physically, Jesus speaks the deeper word of restoration: ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ The moment reveals Christ’s authority not only to heal bodies but to forgive sins and restore lives.

This message reminds us that faith often requires persistence, courage, and action — and challenges believers to bring others to Jesus, trusting that He still forgives, heals, and transforms lives today.

In One Night with the King, David Mulligan teaches from Luke 19:1 - 10, exploring the powerful story of Zacchaeus in Jericho — a wealthy, rejected tax collector whose life is radically transformed by an encounter with Jesus.

Zacchaeus, isolated socially and spiritually, climbs a sycamore tree in his longing to see Jesus. Yet the turning point of the story is not his effort, but Christ’s initiative. Jesus stops, looks up, and calls him by name — choosing to meet him in the very place marked by sin and compromise.

This message highlights the difference between self-effort and saving grace. Transformation does not come through religious performance, but through divine encounter. Zacchaeus’ radical generosity and restitution flow naturally from salvation, not from law-keeping.

The sermon reminds us that the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost — and that one genuine encounter with Jesus can change everything.