The City Church

On our first International Sunday, we celebrated our church's diversity of nations and languages. Nii Noi opened up the Bible to show us that diversity has always been part of God's design right from creation, and how in Christ we are fellow citizens and members of one household.

In Ephesians 5, Paul tells the church to be 'filled with the Spirit'. What does this mean? What are the common misunderstandings about it? And what does it mean for the believer today?

Jesus is warning His disciples of persecution and His imminent departure - which will be to their advantage so that the Spirit of truth can come. Preaching from John 16, Sam Gardner shows us what it means that the Holy Spirit is the 'Spirit of truth' and how that's good news for us today.

It’s really important to have a vision for our work, why we do what we do and to have faith to see God in it. In this sermon, we see two common, incorrect visions of work and the right vision of work that Jesus wants us to have.

Jesus is in the temple, watching people give their money into the treasury. He observes two groups of people - the rich, who gave lots out of their abundance, and a widow who gave just two coins. Jesus celebrates the widow's offering, giving us a model for how to follow God with our money.

The call of Jesus on all Christians is to ‘follow me’. We are to follow Jesus in all ways, and in this mini series we are focussing in on 3 things. In our first of the series, Nii Noi looks at how we are to follow Jesus with our homes. Speaking from Luke 7, we see how our homes should be a place to encounter Christ, as well as a place to honour the Lord.

As we conclude our series in 1 Thessalonians, Mark shows us how trusting in the return of Christ is the source of hope for Christians that puts everything into perspective.

God is inviting us to step into the supernatural, it is our inheritance. A gift from God to all believers.

Paul sends Timothy to the church in Thessalonica to ensure they are walking well in the midst of affliction. Timothy’s report back is a huge source of joy and encouragement to Paul and we see in this passage two main themes: Genuine Love and Authentic Lives.

Andrew explored the topic of identity, defining identity as our ‘controlling self-understanding'. The big question everyone has to ask themselves is ‘Who am I?’, but Andrew argued that the more foundational question to ask is ‘How do I find who I am?’ Andrew outlined the three main ways in which people can find who they are, showing us how one of them is far better and more true than the other two...

Looking at Paul’s example, we want to be equipped to discern authentic and trustworthy ministry that glorifies God and cares for his people.

Thessalonica was a thriving seaport in northern Greece and Paul had come there after preaching in Philippi where he had been beaten and thrown into prison. After being in Thessalonica for only a few weeks, he met similar opposition and had to flee the city. How would this fledgling church survive? Paul sent Timothy to find out how they were doing and the positive report that Timothy brings back sh...

In the concluding chapter of Hosea, Olly speaks on two themes: Returning to God, and relationship with him. Despite the total unfaithfulness of Israel, they can return to their God. We see the need to acknowledge sin, to see that it is only God who can save, that we're loved freely and God wants us to grow.

God continues to speak to His people through Hosea’s prophetic words, and reading through the four chapters (7 – 10), He makes it clear to Israel how they had become so engulfed by sin that they ironically didn’t even realise it any longer (Ch 7:1-2). Through these chapters, God isn’t merely moaning, condemning or complaining about sinful conduct, but His tone remains one of a concerned parent, ea...

Through the story of Hosea and Gomer, God is making an analogy between their marriage and his relationship with his people - that just as Gomer is unfaithful to Hosea, so are God’s people unfaithful to Him. From Hosea chapter 4, the writing style changes from story to prophetic poetry, reinforcing this message. We see that there is no knowledge of God in the land resulting in sin, and the invitati...

Sam spoke about how chapters 2 & 3 are about two marriages: the marriage of Hosea and Gomer, which represented the marriage between God and Israel. Both are broken, yet both will be restored again.

Those who are born of God have overcome the world, what does this mean? And why is it good news for us today?

John warns the church to not love the world and to be aware of the false teaching that comes from the antichrists. What does John mean, and how does it apply to us today?

In this section of John's letter, we see his affectionate words to his friends, challenging wrongful thinking and encouraging them to look to Jesus’s example of loving others.