Coach House Talks and Beacons

Therefore, we need to not be jealous of others, but we need to be faithful with what God has given us. This is hard in church. If you are struggling in a certain area, because we’re in a community there will almost certainly be someone who is not, but there will also almost certainly be someone who has struggled too.

We are not slaves. We are not on probation. We are not waiting to be accepted. We are children of the free woman. Born of promise. Fully loved. Completely held. Christ has set us free, so we stay free (Galatians 5:1). Stay free. Not because we earned it. Because he gave it.

So, as we approach this time, let us come not as slaves trying to earn approval, but as sons and daughters. Let us come with gratitude and confidence. Let us come remembering that at just the right time, Christ came for us. And because of Him, we can truly say: "Abba, Father."

Understanding Paul’s argument properly helps us remain safe, grounded, and faithful — not under condemnation, but under grace; not trusting in ourselves, but trusting in Christ alone.

Faith works because Jesus, the one we put our faith in, is fully sufficient to save us and to save anyone. If we put our trust in him, the curse is lifted. We are forgiven of sin, we are free from the law, and God gives us his Holy Spirit to begin changing us from the inside out - and one day we will be resurrected and perfected with him.

This passage is all about holding on to the truth of the gospel. It is such good news and we need to pass it on, faithfully and truthfully. Maybe have a think this week as to how you can share this with others in a loving way

The gospel isn’t of human origin. It’s divine rescue. It doesn’t begin with you pulling yourself together. It begins with God revealing His Son. It isn’t maintained by your performance. It’s sustained by grace.

The law has its place. But it was never meant to replace faith, wisdom, mercy, and truth. And in Christ, we are not called to live as rule-followers alone, but as people set free, walking in grace.

let us hold tightly to this truth: We are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And in that truth…we find real freedom.

It is Finished.....

Believe - Now is the time

Jesus never promises ease. He promises belonging.

Because when we see Jesus clearly— not through our expectations, but through God’s truth— everything changes.

The deepest act of peacemaking is internal,laying our anger at the foot of the cross, letting God disarm us, letting the Spirit soften what’s become hardened

“Bless you” once meant ‘may you escape death’. In Christ, we have something greater than escape. We have purification. Refining. Restoration.

Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. This is the one beatitude where we get what we give. Let’s pour out God’s mercy from our hearts to others. Let’s let it overflow from the springs of life we have been given inside us and let that show God’s heart to all around. Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy.

Have you ever been really hungry? It happens to most people at some point in their lives but, thankfully, most of us never experience being hungry for too long. But hunger was an ever-present fact of life in Jesus’ day

Jesus’ words apply to both the present and future in Matthew 5:5. We are blessed now as people who are meek, but one day we will “inherit the earth”.

Jesus turns our ideas of happiness upside down. Our culture says blessing is comfort, control, and success. Jesus says blessing is found in honesty, humility, and dependence on God. Mourning is not a failure of faith. It is often where faith becomes most real. The call to mourn is a call to hope — not shallow optimism, but deep trust in God’s presence now and God’s restoration in the future.

When we admit we don’t have the tools — we discover that God always has. And that heart — a heart that recognises its need of rescue — is blessed indeed.

This week we begin our journey through the Beatitudes. They form part of a much larger teaching moment where Jesus addresses his disciples, while large crowds gather close enough to listen in. Such was the authority and depth of his teaching that we’re told the crowds were amazed.

We often say that Jesus instigates an upside-down kingdom, but if He is correcting the errors of the cultures and worldviews of the day (and if that continues today), then they are not upside-down values at all …. they are the right way, and it is us, that have been upside down for so long we do not know which way is up anymore!

This week—and even today—let’s choose to be still. To stop fighting. To stop filling every space with noise. To create room for the whisper. You might be surprised at how quickly God meets you there. How clearly He speaks when we give Him space. How much peace comes when we know—not guess, know—that we’ve heard His voice. Because when God speaks, and we listen… faith grows, trust deepens, and our...

God made us a community on purpose. We are together for a reason. So if there is something you are praying for and you want to make a commitment to pray for it - tell someone. Ask someone to make you accountable to that. Don’t solely rely on them because they are likely to forget at some point too, but use them as a little reminder.

So when you bow your head this week, remember the God who still hears, who still acts, and who still delights to move through the prayers of His people. Because prayer changes things. Because prayer changes us.