Communication is one of the most important things in the world: being able to listen to a message and relay it accurately is vitally important in almost every sphere of life. This is especially the case when it comes to God: God wants people who are prepared to listen to him. What does that mean for us?

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People sometimes say “family is everything”. But what does the Bible say about how we should see families? In this passage we see both the importance of families, but also how families shouldn’t come before God. We are warned not to take our salvation for granted but make sure that we are seeking to live by faith every day.

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Parenting is one of the hardest things that you can do in life — and it is also often a thankless task. It seems to be valued less and less by society. Yet, God values it hugely. In this passage we see the contrast between Elkanah and Hannah and Eli in the way they brought up their children, and what difference it made.

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In Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, the message people come away with is: ‘dreams can come true.’ It doesn’t mention God at all! Perhaps people might read this story of Hannah and Samuel and think that the message here is the same. But here, as with Joseph, the Bible’s message is something very different: God has to be central.

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One of the most common questions new Christians have is something like, “What is the difference between all the different kinds of churches?” Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, Anglican, United Reformed, Catholic… what’s the difference? Why do we need all these different denominations?

In this video we take a closer look at denominations. We take a brief look at the history of denominations in the church, then look more deeply at Methodism as an example. We finish by thinking about some ways in which we should and shouldn’t think about denominations.

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If you wanted to change the world, how would you go about it? Become an activist or a politician? Try to get rich? The world is full of people trying to do just that — but God’s ways are very different to our ways. In fact, they are almost the complete opposite. God chooses to use people who look nothing like what the world would expect.

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What would you say is the most revolutionary teaching in the Bible? In this sermon we explore one of the most revolutionary things that Jesus taught — so much so that many churches today still have yet to grasp it. What is the family of God, and what difference does it make to how we are together as the church?

Note: the sermon is a couple of days early this week due to holiday — I will be away for the next two weeks. The next sermon is due to be released on 15th August.

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Has anyone ever said to you they’d believe in God if God provides them with evidence that he exists? In this passage, the Pharisees asked Jesus to give them a sign — but Jesus’ reply showed their request up for what it was. We must avoid their attitude of hard-heartedness towards God and be aware of the root of unbelief.

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Is there any sin we can commit which is so bad it can’t be forgiven? Jesus says there is only one unforgivable sin — that is, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. But, as we discover, it is a different kind of sin to any other. What does it mean for us and how we live?

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Media appearances, self-promotion, meetings with important people… these are all the things we associate with our political leaders today. Jesus is completely different to this. Jesus doesn’t promote himself, he doesn’t separate himself from ordinary people — he came with a heart of compassion towards us. This passage shows us that Jesus will not break a “bruised reed” — but what does that mean?

Find Richard Sibbes’ book “The Bruised Reed” here.

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