HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE

As Christians, what does real love look like? What does it mean to truly love another person? Even people we don’t really like? Followers of Christ or not, we have all had definitions of love thrown at us since we were old enough to understand, and often ‘love’ becomes synonymous with romantic love. But the best description of love is found in perhaps the most famous biblical passage on love, 1 Corinthians 13. Mike Riddell relates the Apostle Paul’s exhortations to the Corinthian church on love to our church today: how can we become a community characterised by real love for one another?

HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE

Every person, who is a follower of Jesus, has a unique and

significant part to play in the community of God’s people, the Body of Christ

and in his mission in the world. None of us was under the table when the gifts

were given out. Spiritual gifts are an integral part of God's plan for his people, and we all need each other to function properly as the body of Christ. Jess Lockhart helps clarify the topic of spiritual gifts, and the importance of playing our individual part.

HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE

The Church consists of human beings all of whom experience brokenness. It is not unexpected then that life can sometimes become quite messy and dysfunctional. What should we do when we find ourselves caught up in these messy and dysfunctional times, due to our own behaviour or those around us? Listen as Chris Danes reflects Paul's teaching to the Corinthian church on how as followers of Jesus we should deal with dysfunction in our present times.

HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE

The Church, as the body of Christ, is to be a community of grace and

truth. When showing grace we are sometimes inclined to fudge the truth or cast

a blind eye to unhelpful influences in the life of the Church family. In 1 Corinthians, Paul

addresses a situation that has been swept under the mat and gives guidelines

about how we need to be alert to and respond to similar situations.

HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE

We are all created to live in relationships with others and to do life together. For many, that includes a marriage relationship but not for all. For many, it can be easy to consider their current position of singleness as a curse - something that may even bring shame. But reading 1 Corinthians, we start to see that our thinking should be shifted toward seeing singleness (and every other stage of life including marriage), as a gift. Kimberly Smith, author of the book ‘What we cannot be alone’, brings to life from her own experiences what Paul is meaning in 1 Corinthians that it is just as good (if not, better) to remain unmarried, and shares with us the benefits that may come through one’s singleness when embrace as a positive season of life. To continue the series, ‘How then shall we live’, Kim also provides some practical ways in which the Church can play its vital role in providing authentic community and a context where people can grow and thrive as they experience belonging and connection in Jesus’ family and mission.

HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE

We are guaranteed to face temptation in our lives, and it can seem like an unconquerable mountain at times. The church that 1 Corinthians is addressed to faced a myriad of temptations, many that we also face today. And just as we face many temptations, so did Jesus Christ - but he was still without sin. Using Paul's letter to the Corinthian church, listen as Mike Riddell shows us how temptation is a battle of the heart, but how the sacrifice of Jesus helps us overcome it!

HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE

It is deceptively easy for division to creep in to the life of a Church and be focussed around personalities rather than Jesus being the focus. Emily Andrews begins Syndal's new series 'How then shall we live?', a 7-week expedition clarifying conversations found in 1 Corinthians. Em talks about Paul's response to divisions in the Church; focussing on Christ creates unity, and is the solution to damaging divisions.

HOW NOT TO READ THE BIBLE

While a book is conventionally read by its reader, the Bible has an uncanny ability to 'read us' - the word of God is alive and active. Chris Danes takes from Hebrews 4 to wrap up the 'How not to read the Bible' series - this will definitely encourage you to be seeking God more eagerly!

HOW NOT TO READ THE BIBLE

The Bible can very easily be misunderstood if the context is not known. One such example of this is when Jesus is speaking with a Canaanite woman in Matthew 15 - without understanding what is truly being said, we can interpret it wrong. Written to other people in a very different context to ours here in the 21st century, Bill Brown uses this passage to highlight how we can make sense of the Bible for us today.

HOW NOT TO READ THE BIBLE

The Bible is a library packed with an amazing range of literature - love letters, stories, wisdom, poetry, guidelines for life ... the list goes on. As such, we need to understand what type of literature we are reading to know how to apply it. Senior Pastor Bill Brown opens with part 1 of Syndal's new series 'How not to read the Bible', highlighting some of the main types of literature, and pointing us down the right road to understanding how these types of literature all point to the same core message of the Bible: Jesus Christ.