Village Community Church. Podcast (Ajax, Ontario. Canada)

Where we live, work or play is no accident. We leverage these as unique opportunities to show and share Jesus in contexts that others may not have access to. As a church, we carefully consider how the never-changing Gospel is brought to bear on an ever-changing culture. We endeavour to use timely methods to best engage with society around this timeless truth.

We are not merely church-goers, but want to be known as a going church. Some may go to the nations, but everyone can go to their neighbours. Therefore we are all missionaries, no longer of this world but sent into it as ambassadors for Christ.

The church is a unique community. Through the gospel, we are made into siblings who share God as our Father, and we are called to live out this reality in front of a watching world. In looking at the value of family this week, we learn how to protect this unity. Hint: download the "one another charter" under the sermon notes below (print it out double sided and fold in half).

We may think of hospitality as having a neat home or throwing a great dinner party. But when Jesus is questioned on exactly who is our "neighbour", he points not at an external list of people but a posture of the heart. In the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus paints a picture of the Greek word translated hospitality – philoxenia  – love of stranger.

Jesus is the ultimate example of serving. To follow Jesus, must certainly include serving like Jesus. Yet we can often make all sorts of excuses for why others should serve instead of ourselves. In this message we see that Jesus' life, death and resurrection gives us good and sufficient motivation to love and lay down our lives in service of others!

Mike takes us into part 2 of looking at the Holy Spirit as a core value, asking 3 big questions: Will you embrace and be thankful for your God-given Spiritual gifts? As you become aware of them, will you share? As you operate in your gifts, will you walk in sincere dependency on the Holy Spirit?

What does it mean to be a citygater? Who are we as a church? This series not only looks at our manifesto of helping people find and follow Jesus, but also takes a deep dive into the 8 core values which underpin it. This week is both an introduction as well as part 1 of looking at our first value: Holy Spirit.

Donnie Griggs from One Harbor Church visits City Gates with a message about living out our hope while being strangers and exiles in our context.

Donnie speaks to our men at "The Good Fight" from the book of Ecclesiastes and the conclusion Solomon came to after having tried everything under the sun!

Jonathan and Cara Holden serve with Navigators Canada in Angola. They join us on a Sunday where four individuals were baptized and two families dedicated their children to share more about the work of mentoring and discipling young people in the city of Lubango.