King's Church Birmingham

This week we come to, arguably, the most famous chapter in the New Testament. Often taken out of context this is Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians to see love as their greatest aim, not the unbridled use of their spiritual gifts. In this chapter Paul paints a beautifully poetic picture of agape love. Not just emotion or feeling but action as well. It points to God’s love that is both patient and ki...

Following on from last week’s message, Paul wants the Corinthians to know they are the church he is talking about. They are Christ’s body and God has appointed a variety of individuals, supernatural gifts and acts of service that the body might be built up and cared for. When we know that all our gifts and service are God appointed it keeps us from discouragement. It helps us remember that all we...

The Corinthian church is deeply divided and these divisions are affecting their worship. Paul takes the opportunity in this passage to step aside from speaking about their worship to address the deeper issues under the surface.

Paul is addressing the church in Corinth, where they were in danger of prioritising one or two ‘special’ gifts like speaking in tongues over all the others and were making much of themselves in the process. But Paul wants them (and us) to know, that it’s God who gives gifts to His Church. That He has a great variety of gifts that he loves to bestow upon His people. And we need them all. It’s the H...

We start our new worship series in the book 1 Corinthians by coming back to the heart of worship. Our confession is that ‘Jesus is Lord’. And this is a work of the Holy Spirit. In church life it is easy to get distracted by many things, but the apostle Paul does not want us to be uninformed. True spirituality is built on the foundation of Christ Jesus being Lord of all!

We take a look at the type of church God is calling King’s Church to be. Reflecting on our journey so far and looking ahead to how we might play our part in reaching a city of over 1.3m people for Jesus. We are encouraged to look at the early church. A group of 120 disciples huddling in an upper room are transformed when the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon them. They are transformed, by the po...

Paul writes and shows us in these glorious verses who Jesus is. That He is the one who came from heaven to earth, who humbled himself, going all the way to die. As we look at Him and His humility, we are called to do likewise. To follow His example to deny ourselves and obey our Father in heaven!

Paul states that the death of Christ is 'of first importance' to Christians. At the start of his letter to the recently-founded church in Corinth he puts some flesh on this claim. That Christians should follow and worship a person who had been executed, in the most humiliating way, as a state criminal is absurd. Yet, he explains, incongruously this is the way God has chosen to rescue the world and...

Jesus is challenged on his disciples behaviour on the Sabbath and responds with some strong claims about who he is and how we should behave one day in seven. What does that mean for Christians today?

Jesus gets some simple questions about fasting and responses, in typical fashion, with parables that upend our understanding of the world. We explore together questions like, 'what time is it?', 'how should you store wine?' and 'how should you behave at a wedding?'

In these verses we meet two kinds of people. Firstly we see Jesus calling Levi, a tax collector who is a sinner and knows he is. Secondly, Jesus challenges the scribes of the pharisees who are sinful people but believe they are righteous. Jesus shows both these groups that He is the great physician, the one who came to die for sinners like Levi, the scribes and us to be made spiritually well by Hi...

Ben unpacks the famous passage where we're told nothing can separate us from God's love. We also explore what it means for us to be more than conquerors in Jesus.

Such a familiar passage - the healing of the paralytic. But when we rip the roof from the story and look at all there is to discover about Jesus, we find ourselves amazed by his authority and his tender love.

In these broad description of Jesus ministry and then Mark's zoomed in example of it, we encounter two very different ways to approach Jesus. The ones with all the access do it wrong, and the one who wasn't allowed to approach gets it right.

Jesus’ message is that by repentance and belief in him we can be a part of the kingdom of God. Jesus called Simon, Andrew, James and John to follow him. His call and gift to us is even greater - that he lives in us by his Holy Spirit. Such a call demands that we leave behind everything that stands in the way to live for him.

In a little fishing town called Capernaum, Jesus shows his authority. Many gathered are left astonished by His authority demonstrated by His teaching, His authority over demons and His over his authority to heal physically. Here we meet Jesus who has the same authority today to set people free, to heal the sick and ultimately He authority over our greatest problem of our sin. He is our saviour and...

The baptism of Jesus launches his public ministry. Known just as an ordinary man, he displays his humility and identification with sinful humanity by undergoing John's baptism which, like a ritual washing, signifying repentance. But his baptism is different because the heavens are ripped open and God descends. The Father's voice picks up on OT scriptures which affirm his sonship and his kingship....

Only with the Old and New Testaments together can we get a full picture of God's character and human nature and why we need Jesus. With the Old Testament alone we miss the 'rest of the story' and with the New Testament alone, we miss the 'back story' for why Jesus had to come.

This Sunday we celebrate all that God is doing in King’s Church. With a particular look at the diversity that He is weaving amongst us. We know that we’re only at the beginning of our journey in terms of seeing a full expression of the diversity in our city represented across King’s Church, but we are committed to making a start. We begin with a vision of heaven. Of a people from every tribe and l...

In the final chapter of Jonah, we come to find out what is in Jonah's heart and behind his behaviour. In short, anger, self-righteousness and judgement. He is angry at God's unjust mercy and failure to do justice. In response, God gently teaches Jonah with an object lesson about a plant. God reveals that He is a God who has dominion over all He has made; He is the only true and just judge; yet He...

The first of Martin Luther’s 95 theses said, ‘when our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said “Repent,” he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance.’ Repentance is key to catching and attracting God’s heart. And yet it is often surprisingly difficult to do. In this passage we look at the thorough and widespread repentance of the Ninevites that touches God’s heart, who acts in com...

At the end of chapter two of the book of Jonah we are left with a couple questions. How would God deal with a disobedient prophet Jonah and a sinful city called Nineveh? God displays His Grace to Jonah, His patience and mercy to the Ninevites and extends that same grace, patience and mercy to us today.

Jonah gets eaten by a big fish. So what? If we look at the story closely we'll see it reveals the shape and pattern of our own lives.

The pitching of the tent of the tabernacle is the final part of the story of the Exodus and through it we discover a God who is eager and excited to come and be with his people.

Jonah is fleeing from God and attempting to take a boat to Tarshish. Although Jonah has given up on God, God has not given up on Jonah. Through a series of events orchestrated by God, He begins to get Jonah’s attention. It’s encouraging to know that God is always faithful, even to those who run away. The sailors on Jonah’s boat are caught up in the mess too as the storm rages all around. But even...