In this uplifting message by guest speaker Ewen Robertson, we reflect on Psalm 84. As Christians, we are on "pilgrimage". As we travel, we (and those around us) will sometimes pass through difficult places, but we can make these a place of "springs" because of God's presence with us. Be encouraged as the Psalm draws out the blessing of living "in the house of God".

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It's time for some spiritual caffeine! Three times in Isaiah 51:9-52:2 the prophet exclaims, "Awake, awake!" God wants you to be fully awake and alert to what he is doing, and wants to do. Remember his deeds of earlier days, clothe yourself with the strength he provides, and determine to stay awake to his voice and his activity, to take your place in his purposes for this generation!

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In the third of the famous "Servant Songs" in Isaiah (chapter 50), the Suffering Servant looks to the God who vindicates. Following after him, whenever we encounter times when we are wrongly accused or misunderstood, we must look to God - knowing that our Vindicator is near, even if the vindication itself may take time.

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In this message, reflecting on the 1 year anniversary of New Creation Church starting to meet publicly in Loughborough, Paul speaks about the "Mission of God" to reveal God's glory to the ends of the earth, and how we as the church join him in that. Then, Paul reflects on the particular images and prophetic words that God has given us, to frame the specific part that NCC has to play in that wider mission. We are to be encouraged and to raise our expectation in line with God's great purpose for us!

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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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