Matthew 19:1-12 There is a lot of talk around sexuality and gender in our time. While these might be challenges that we'd wish to avoid I don't believe that we can. God has us here for a reason. He has us here to shine as lights in the darkness. In Matthew 19:1-12 Jesus speaks to the issue of divorce, but He also speaks to much more as well. He speaks to God's foundational design. He speaks to image and identity. He speaks to what good sexual expression is. And He calls us to faithful what ever state God has us in. May God find us faithful in this time. May we be lights in the darkness. 2021-8-1 #forsuchatimeasthis #shininginthedarkness #whatatimetobealive #hereforareason #standfirm

How do we think God's plans are going today? This is an important question for us. It will effect our expectations and peace. Do we think God is in control of events? Do we think that God's will is being done? Do we think God is sovereign? King Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler who took Daniel and his friends into captivity, gives us a powerful lesson of this. God whispered into his dreams with the truth of what was happening and who was in control. King Nebuchadnezzar recognised Daniel's God, but he didn't trust Daniel's God. At least not yet. That would come later. We need to make sure we aren't making his mistake. We need to make sure we know which kingdom we are part of. A passing kingdom of man or the eternal kingdom of God? #Daniel #sovereignty #inexile #wilddreams #whoisincharge #kingdomcoming Recorded: 2021-7-25

Daniel 1 2021-7-18 The book of Daniel is a timely book for us. It teaches us that God is faithful and in charge, even when we struggle to see how. It teaches us that though the powers arise against us God is still for us! In chapter 1 of the book of Daniel we see three main lessons: 1) We are in Babylon 2) We are here for a reason 3) The greatest threat we face is spiritual assimilation Our God is amazingly faithful! Let us be faithful in response as we await our salvation!

2021-7-11 We all need encouragement in our faith. Encouragement to keep going when it gets hard. Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us that some of this encouragement can be found in the people who have run the race ahead of us. These are the Christians who have all ready finished their race. They are dead - and yet the speak to us. George Muller is one such cheer leader of the faith. He shows us that we can trust God! He calls us to find our joy in the God who does not change.

The Church is a people on the move. We are going somewhere. Like the Israelites of of old, we are an exodus people! A people who have been saved from slavery, but are not home yet. And this means we need to be careful. Careful not to get too comfortable. Careful not to block our ears and hearts to God's call to us now. The good news is that we are in a better position than the Israelites of old. Jesus' death for us means that we can approach God, walk with God and live for God in the power of the Holy Spirit! #onexodus #goinghome #savedforsomething #listeningandobeying

Matthew 25:31-46 2021-6-27 Are we prepared to meet Jesus? This must be one of the most important question of all, because while we don't know when Jesus will return we do know that He is going to return. Thankfully Jesus wants us prepared for His return and to do this He gave us three parables. The last of these parable involves the Church, because the Church is the litmus test for our love for Jesus. How we treat out brothers and sisters shows us how Jesus will treat us when He returns. It is not the only sign of our love for Jesus, but the church is the key sign that Jesus is looking for in us! Let's get ready to meet Jesus!

Aaron Ironside shares with us part of his story of evangelism and how one step of courage can lead to a chain of conversion. Who has God put in our sphere of influence? Who is God calling us to take one step of witnessing with?

Matthew 16:13-38 2021-6-6 How do we build the church? It is a good question, but it is also misplaced. A better question would be how does Jesus build His church? The answer to that question is through people with faith in Him. People who: a) Know Jesus as the Messiah of God. b) Know the gospel. What He has done on the cross for them and this world. c) And people who know what it is to follow Jesus in this world. These people are the church and the building which Jesus will build! These are people who Jesus is excited to commission. People like Peter the apostle and people like us.

Matthew 12:38-50 2021-5-30 Jesus doesn't use the word 'church' very often in the gospels. Just three times, but we'd be mistaken to think that this means that He doesn't talk about the church. He talks a lot about the kingdom of God and how to enter it. He talks a lot about the what a kingdom citizen is like. Some of the qualities of a kingdom citizen is that they: 1) Recognise who Jesus is. The One who is greater than Jonah. 2) They are filled with God's Spirit, instead of being empty. 3) And they long for God's will to be done and His kingdom to come. These people, these disciples are Jesus' family. These people are His church! #kingdomcitizens #thechurch #Jesusfamily #Thykingdomcome #OnegreaterthanJonah

Acts 4:23-31 23-5-2021 The church is called the temple of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 3, but do we take this seriously? Today we look at the example of the early church just after the day of Pentecost. They faced threats to be silent about Jesus and in that moment lifted their voices to God. We too face threats to our faith and faithfulness in Jesus, but what will we do? Will we battle by ourselves...or will we join together as we were designed and cry out to our God for His help?

As we start our series on the church we begin with one of it's persecutors who became one of it's greatest evangelists. This is Paul, the apostle. His discovery of Jesus and the church is instructive for us all, because the church is the eternal goal of God...but is it ours?

Proverbs 31 2021-5-9 We end our series in the book of Proverbs on Mother's Day with the call of a mother to wisdom. This is King Lemuel's mum and while we don't know her name, we know her role and we hear her call to us all. God has given us her words to teach us what a wise woman looks like and how we should treasure her whether we are a child or a husband. #mothersday #calltobewise #charactercounts #getoffyourfeet

Proverbs 27:17; 28:1: 29:25 2021-5-2 #together #Jesusflock # ironsharpensiron #knowourshepherdsvoice The book of Proverbs gives us many guidelines for how our relationship with God, with each other, and with the church are meant to work. Today, Heather Stevens leads us through some of these which will help us grow and know who we are listening to.

2021-4-25 Proverbs 26:11 - As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly. We all have a past, a history, but for every Christian that past includes a turning. A changing. It includes a moment when we were changed from enemies of God to children of God. This transformation in our lives is as dramatic as a dog changing into a lion. Our natures change. Our purpose changes. Our future changes. Simon Peter knows that this changes is pivotal to our faith and lives. Today we hear how he calls us to remember our forgiven past. To remember our promised future. And to remember our divine calling.

Proverbs 23:4-5 2021-4-18 How we handle money says something about our heart. How we relate to wealth says something about our relationship with God. Whether we desire riches, shows whether we desire God. Proverbs 23:4-5 calls us to handle wealth well. To deal with it faithfully. To use it, so that it doesn't use us.

Everyone would say that honesty is important, but God calls His people to be honest and true because that is what He is. Honesty is what we were created for. Honesty is what we were redeemed for. And honesty in all of our dealings and words, is wise!

Jesus' death and resurrection are the the greatest events in all of human history. They give us the greatest gift, the greatest news, and the greatest love...but not everyone sees them that way. This Easter we listen to four excerpts from Jesus' life and we hear what He understood about His death and resurrection, because God wants us to know Jesus. He wants us to receive His gift, to hear His news, and to know His love in the life of His Son! 1) John 2:19 2) Mark 8:33 3) Luke 22:15-16 4) Matthew 26:53-54

We would all like our words and actions to last and incredibly - so would God! But this only happens as we live in union with Him and reflect Him. It only happens as His words and actions become our words and actions. Today we look at seven important steps to doing this. These include: - What do you desire? - Where is God in your life? - God will work it all our, eventually - Who fills our hearts? - Bear good fruit - Righteousness is recognised by God! - How wealthy are we? These are steps to bringing us in line with our Maker. They are steps to life!

2021-3-21 Our words matter. Once they are out of our mouths we can never get them back. Today Andrew leads us through Proverbs 15:1-7 and God's call to be wise with our words. Our words matter to God. Our words matter for us.