Counterslip Church

Today we learned from the story of Hezekiah that there is a Babylon, an enemy, who wants to rob us of our treasure (our hope, peace and joy). But saw how that enemy works, and we discovered that there is a solution for us in Jesus if we would just run to Him.

This week we looked at Isaiah 53-66 and discovered that Jesus claimed that this prophecy was all about Him. Matt unpacked why Jesus came to be this guy that Isaiah talks about, and we saw that He came to be this guy because He loves us, and we need Him to be that guy, so that we can find life, hope, peace and joy again, which is His heart for us.

This week Matt shared from our weekly readings (Isaiah 45-52 and 2 Kings 19). We saw how when you read the prophesies of Isaiah in the context of the dates in which they were written you discover that God spoke of things hundreds of years before they happened, and then history reveals that what God said was right. When we read the bible chronologically we discover that there is even more weight an...

This week Matt Holman reflected on our "bible in two years" readings from Isaiah 34-44 and drew out that in the prophecies about Jesus we find a God who calls us to Himself and breaks down the barriers that stop us from experiencing Him and the life He longs to give us.

As we wrap up 2024 Matt gave us an overview of the Old Testament story that we have read so far this year. We saw that the story of the OT is much like our story, it's one of a people who struggled, messed up, felt pain and experienced darkness. But we also saw that it is the story of a God who never fails, never changes and never ceases to love us.

This week Dennis showed us the story of the enemy (Satan). We see in the bible that the enemy has been at work in our world through powers like Babylon and Tyre in Old Testament times, and still is today. But we also see that the God of the bible has something to say to powers who would seek to destroy his good creation and rob those He loves of peace, hope and joy. Ultimately that message is "you...

Today we looked at the message of the prophet Micah which was written to a people who were living in dark days. Matt shared how he felt that today we live in the days of Micah, which can be challenging, but the message of Micah to the people is that hope is coming and Micah gives us some clues for how we should live as a people of hope.

This week Matt shared with us from 2 Kings 13, from the story of Elisha telling Jehoash to fire arrows on the floor which leads to victory over his enemies. But Jehoash didn't fire every arrow in faithful response to Gods word, and so didn't receive the full victory God longed to give him. Matt asked us about the areas in our lives where we haven't yet seen full victory and asked if we have been f...

This month in our Bible Q&A we tackled your questions on the books of 1 & 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Amos & Jonah. You can jump through this episode by using the time makers below: (00:55) 1 kings 11:1-2 Why did Solomon take so many foreign wives? (05:28) 1 Kings 16:34 Why and how did it cost Hiel of Bethel his first and his youngest sons when rebuilding Jericho ? (10:19) 1 Kings 18:40 Why...

This morning Emmanuel encouraged us to seek the call of God on our lives and commit to living for Him, despite the cost and the opposition. When everything around us crumbles, we can stand firm on the truth of what Jesus, the Great High Priest, has done for us.

This week we got interrupted by a fire alarm and so Matt brought us a shorter talk, off the cuff, from a different passage to that which we had planned. But maybe this was simply God's heart for us this week, to tell us that He is the one who takes dead things and brings them to life if only we'd through it all on Him.

This week Glenys Lewis shared from 2 Chronicles where we find the people of Judah facing a hard and challenging situation, much like we all do at times in life. Glenys drew on the wisdom of King Jehoshaphat to help us consider how we should respond in such times.

This week as we stepped out into the call of God to leave our building we looked at how it is possible to stand in the promise of God but live in the past. We saw how Israel and their kings physically stood in God's promise but kept going back to live in the ways of the past, the ways of Egypt, the ways of slavery. And Matt challenged us not to go back, corporately but also in our personal lives,...

This month in our Bible Q&A we tackled your questions on the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. You can jump through this episode by using the time makers below: (00:26) Proverbs 1:7 Why should we fear a loving God? (06:46) Proverbs 5:15-17 We are called to be a generous people why do these verses seem to say not to share your water? (15:06) Proverbs 16:33 Does/did God speak through things li...

This week Matt shared with us from Ecclesiastes. We discovered that the author of Ecclesiastes makes references to the book of Genesis, and the garden of Eden in which man was created to live in peace with God. Ecclesiastes is the authors reflections on how the world he lives in is, like ours, not a hopeful or peaceful one, but one that is outside of Eden. Remembering Eden, however, reminds him th...

This week Andy Kidd shared with us from the story of Solomon, who started so well building a temple for the Lord but then seemed to get off track building other things that as we read the scriptures leaves us feeling like something isn't right. Andy asked us to consider what we are building with our lives and in our church.

This week we looked at a question that we, like Solomon, have all asked "Will God really dwell with me?" and we saw from the surrounding and linked passaged in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, about the creation of the temple, that God's answers is a resounding yes, that His heart was, has always been and still is to do everything to make a space in which people can know Him.

This week Matt shared from the wisdom of Proverbs about how we have a choice to align our hearts with God's will and word

This month in our Bible Q&A we tackled your questions on the books of Psalms, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings and Song of songs. You can jump through this episode by using the time makers below: 1. (00:47) Psalm 127:5 What does this verse mean by "quiver" and full of what? 2. (07:38) 2 Samuel 23:24-39 Why does it say there were 30 men but then that there were 37 in all? 3. (12:37) 1 Kings 2:10 What does it...

This morning, Emmanuel encouraged us to remember that God is love - the very essence of love. Despite the trials we face, that His banner over us is love and He is pursuing us endlessly! Also, drawing a parallel from the Parable of the Ten Virgins, we are to be ready for the long anticipated coming of the Bridegroom.

This week we learned from the wisdom of Solomon about how to deal with the attacks of the enemy in our lives so that we might walk more fully in the life that Jesus offers.