The early church were sent out to be Kingdom people, demonstrating the life of the Kingdom to the world around them. Jesus called the church to love one another (John 13:34-35) and by this everyone would know that they were His disciples. The New Testament writers gave wise counsel on what it looked like to live well together.

What can we learn from the early church and the letters written to them about what it looks like to love one another as we "live well together”?

*Our apologies for the audio quality on this episode - we have rescued it as best we can.

To kick off our new 'Living Well Together' sermon series, we look at why building authentic communities is essential to living well together. We'll see what the Bible says and explore an account that illustrates different examples of community (Mark 2:1-12).

In Luke 7:36-50 we read about Jesus being anointed by a sinful woman with an alabaster jar of perfume - come and explore this woman's encounter with Jesus.

Do you see yourself as God sees you? Do you realise how much you are loved? The more we realise what Jesus has done for us, the more we respond in love to him and to others.

Zia looks at the encounter Jesus had with the woman at the well. She was covered in shame and rejected by others but Jesus showed her compassion. She was enough for him and so are we. He is also more than enough for us.

Following this talk, we encourage you to listen to "The Well" by Casting Crowns

This Sunday Ian spoke about the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). He encouraged us that we don't have to try and change ourselves before coming to Him - Jesus tells us to come as we are, with all the mess that we have, and He will transform us.

"Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”- Luke 19:9-10 (NIV)

In part 4 of our 'Encounter Jesus' series, Cécile looks at when Jesus called Matthew Levi and ate with sinners.

What did it mean when you shared a meal with someone in the first century?

How can you be more like Matthew Levi, inviting Jesus into different areas of your life?

Mark 2:13-17

"...Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’"

In part 3 of our 'Encounter Jesus' series, we look at the moment where Jesus' washes the disciples feet, and explore the significance of this simple act.

John 13:1-17

As we open the gospels and look at the lives of those who encountered Jesus, Susy explores how an encounter with Jesus can transform how we look at money and possessions.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee who came to Jesus at night, and that encounter changed him completely! (John 3:1-9)

Paul explores the depth of that, talks about his own encounter with the Spirit, and how we should be open to the Spirit making changes in our lives too.

As we come to the end of our short series 'Practicing the Way' (inspired by John Mark Comer's book) we explore what it will look like for each of us to "do what Jesus did"? What was it exactly that Jesus did? And how can we possibly follow in His footsteps?

In this talk, Nick encourages us to have a plan for being an apprentice of Jesus and challenges us to take some practical next steps that will bring real transformation.