When the Israelites first came to the Promised Land, there were four perspectives on the situation. Three were right; one was wrong. God's people believed the wrong one! It's not uncommon for God's people to have a wrong perspective of a situation. Through our 40 days of hungering after God, we were freshly provoked to see God as He is, to see ourselves as He sees us, and to lift our heads to follow Him where He's leading us, shedding the grasshopper mentality.

God's plan to bring peace and hope and reconciliation to our friends and our town is actually you! In January we will be officially starting to go from one church with two meetings, to one church with four venues, when we (re)launch the first venue. What's it going to look like? What's our vision for it?

On baptism Sunday, exploring that those who follow Jesus are part of a called and commissioned community, a diverse group of people doing life together, glorifying God and spreading the gospel.

Jesus is the One who was and is and is to come. There is power in His name. He came not to condemn but to save. He was lifted up on a cross (see John 3:13-17), dying for our sin. Then he was lifted up into heaven (Acts 4:1-11), where He has all authority. He will be lifted up in glory, and every knee will bow (Revelation 1:7-8).

We were made to behold God, in the glory of His holiness, and to be held by Him. When we behold and are held by Him, it propels us into loving others.

Jesus proclaimed the gospel, healing the sick and showing compassion to the crowds, then told his disciples that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. We're the workers. We've been given the authority of Jesus to heal, to cleanse, to bring deliverance. This is our inheritance.

It is so easy for us to put on fear and unbelief, but God wants us to put on love and faith. So how do we do that?

When someone becomes a Christian, they may look the same on the outside, but they've been completely transformed on the inside. We can now live according to the Spirit, being conscious that the Spirit of God is within us, deciding to live a life (with the Spirit's help) that pleases God, and enjoying the knowledge that we are sons and daughters of the living God.

Disappointment with God is something that so many of us feel, but often we don't talk about it because we're not sure if it's ok as Christians to feel it. But if we admit you, there are a few antidotes to help us deal with it... These include dying, gazing, and thanking.

Can you give God 1%? by King's Church Hastings