Why is it that, very often, there is a long delay between when we first sense the call of God on our lives and when we start to see God use us significantly within that call? There is a strong clue in the second of the "Servant Songs" of the prophet Isaiah, in chapter 49. God "hides us" in order to prepare us for what is ahead.

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Many people criticise or talk down "church" - including Christians, sometimes. But the church is destined to be the greatest and most significant entity the world has ever seen, apart from Jesus himself. Whatever the church's present limitations and stuttering progress, God's great plan has remained constant since the very beginning. And that plan is the church - the global phenomenon that is to carry the glory of God to every corner of the earth. It cannot be stopped, because God cannot be thwarted! And you are called to be part of it all!

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In a stunning move, predicted in Isaiah 45, God used a pagan emperor - Cyrus - to fulfil his purposes and bring his Old Testament people back from exile. The ability of God to bring change, even when he is not acknowledged, should greatly encourage us as we look at the world of politics today. It also reminds us how God can and does use imperfect people - like us - to achieve what he has planned. In this episode in our Isaiah series, Samantha encourages us to be ready for when God brings the change we seek.

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In Isaiah 44, the prophet mounts a sarcastic - and quite funny - attack on idols and those who make them. But what does making an "image" of God really mean, and why was it forbidden? The answers to these questions are as relevant to our day as they were to Isaiah's. The key question is: "What really determines our view of God?"

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We believe God is calling us to go "deeper" with him in 2024. To expect and reach for more, in our relationship with him, in what we see him do amongst and around us. In this message, Paul takes us through the prophetic vision described by the prophet Ezekiel, of a river flowing from the temple of God, which gets deeper as it extends outward. Be encouraged that God has more for you than you have experienced up to now!

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Through the prophet Isaiah, God promises to do something radically and wonderfully new. What does this mean? And how does it affect our own lives? Listen, as Paul encourages you to "forget what lies behind" and expect God to unfold his plan in your life, moving you from one degree of glory to another!

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As a church family, New Creation Church seeks to develop a "prophetic culture" - one which encourages everyone to hear God and prophesy in various ways. However, there are some important biblical guidelines for how to do this in a healthy and loving way. In this third and final message of the series, Samantha concludes her outline of the vital principles of love that must underlie our use of any "spiritual gift", especially prophecy.

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God's heart towards you is that of a shepherd. He is a capable and conscientious shepherd, who watches over you - even when you think nothing is happening. As you listen, let God reveal his shepherd heart to you in a new way!

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This message from Alan Scotland - founder of Lifelink Global and an internationally-recognised apostolic ministry - was given as the introduction to a special Sunday morning in the life of New Creation Church Loughborough. Alan was present to recognise and commission Paul Callan in his leadership of this church. In his preceding message, Alan spoke about the authority of Jesus Christ and the need to listen to his voice, which is always a message we need to hear!

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In God’s economy, adversity means advance, pressure brings progress, set-backs become steps forward. God's people should not be strangers to the idea that the Christian life involves suffering of some sort. But God has an amazing way of bringing good things out of us through pressure! We have his treasure in "jars of clay" - to make sure God gets the glory. And he is faithful to help us through it, restoring our joy as we realise what he has achieved in and through us by it.

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