In Mark 5: 21-34 Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, comes to Jesus in faith that He can heal his sick daughter. However, on the way Jairus expereinces 4 barriers to faith, which we also struggle with ourselves today. Yet, we are encouraged to stand firm against these and keep our faith in Jesus as He is the one who can change our situations.

In John 13: 34-35 Jesus commands us to love one another as He has loved us. The Old Testament has 613 laws, but the New Testament teaches that loving your neighbour as yourself is the most important of them all. We can love best by following the example of God and all that He says love is.

In Ezekiel 37:1-10 we see God restore a great army - we look at the fight the Church is in today and how we stand together to fight. 

In Acts 2:41-47; 4:32-37 we see the beginning of the church and how it is instantly set apart from the rest of the world through their radical community based in being welcoming, together and caring for all. 

In Matthew 16:13-19 Jesus speaks the church into creation- the same voice that spoke the world into being. Just as Peter was called to the church, so are we- even in the messiness of humans we should root ourselves in the church for it is not created by man, but God. The global church is God's people living in hope for the eternal glory of Heaven and united we are able to show the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. 

Matthew 6:19-24. Jesus tells us that generosity with our money is something that shapes who we are. As we look to respond God's call on us to believe in his kingdom coming in Manchester, we're looking to respond in faith with our money. In the Sermon on the Mount, we see how he wants us to choose the right treasure to invest in - to detach ourselves from the things of the world and align ourselves with the reality of his kingdom.

Isaiah 54:1-3. We’ve been called by God to be a church that is in the city and for the city. Now God's set us on this path, on Vision Sunday I asked us the question, 'what if we really believed it?' We revisited familiar verses to see again God’s promise of a major work of salvation, and how he says to his people “do not hold back” (v2) in believing the scale of his plans for salvation. Duncan shares two next steps for us and invites us to have a posture of believing God for big things ahead of us.

In Daniel 6:12-28 King Darius is distressed as he tries to find a way to save Daniel, a faithful servant of God, from a decree he had signed but to no avail- Daniel must be sent to the lions' den. All night the King worries for Daniel, however Daniel survives the lions because he is blameless and he trusts God. Daniel is saved not through his own might, or the Kings, but because of the deliverance of God. The same applies to us- we are unable to deliver ourselves, rather we are justified through faith in Jesus. God is the only King and Judge and He delights in mercy and deliverance!

In Daniel 6: 1-14 we see God's commitment to establish Daniel in a kingdom of gentiles. Daniel has a purpose- to influence powers of authority to align with God's teaching and ways. Yet, this can only be achieved through an excellence of spirit. Matthew 5:16 tells us that believers have a light inside of them that should shine to nonbelievers and show the way of the Lord. Daniel has this, and so can we if we work to maintain a life with spiritual discipline. No one wakes up one day to a spirit of excellence, instead we must work with an effort of the will with plans, regularity, discipline and delight.

In Daniel 5 Babylon is at war and their king Belshazzar parties using the Jerusalem Temple cups, mocking the God of Israel. However, our God reigns; He is the most powerful and sovereign over all creation and He will not be mocked. Daniel is summoned to decipher the writing on the wall and it tells the end of Belshazzar's reign. We all sin and are forever in need of God's mercy and forgiveness and we ask ourselves 'what areas of our lives are we not committing to God's authority?'.