The book of Isaiah is a long Old Testament book that records the prophecies of Isaiah (and some argue those who followed him), and it has been described as the Bible in miniature. It is a book that is crammed full of correction and encouragement for the people of Israel, but above all it is […]

John’s gospel is one of the most beloved books of the Bible. It tells the story of Jesus in a very different way to the other gospels, being built around seven signs (miracles done by Jesus to show who he is), seven sayings (claims made by Jesus about himself that start with ‘I AM’, referencing […]

James is one of the earliest letters of the New Testament and is one of the most practical books in the Bible. It was written by James the half-brother of Jesus, and his purpose is to help Christians live our their faith. There is more to faith than just intellectual belief in God or accepting […]

The Sermon on the Mount is the largest block of teaching from the mouth of Jesus that is recorded in any of the gospels and it is quite probably the greatest sermon ever preached. The scene is set in Matthew 5:1-2 where Jesus is teaching his disciples on a hillside in earshot of a crowd. […]

When we look at the incredible church planted by the apostles in Jerusalem after Pentecost, we could wonder where they got the ideas from. How did they so quickly understand what do and how to build? In part, of course, this was due to the empowering of the Spirit poured out, but it was also […]

As the book of Acts charts the growth of the early church, it tells the story that we are part of today. Jesus commissioned his followers to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth, and he empowered them with his Spirit for the task. He have the same Spirit and the same mission, […]

Ecclesiastes has been described as an ‘inspired recored of uninspired wisdom.’ It shows a preacher (traditionally held to be Solomon) looking for some meaning to life ‘under the sun’. When things are considered on this purely earthly level, the picture is bleak: whatever the preacher throws himself into is found to be meaningless, be that […]

The letter to the Galatians is Paul’s fervent defence of the gospel against legalism. Some people were trying to persuade Gentile believers that they needed to keep the Jewish law if they were to be true Christians. The presenting issues may be different today, but the danger of trying to add to the gospel remains. […]

This series is loosely based on the ‘Practicing the Way’ series taught by John Mark Comer. We can often think of what it is to be a Christian in terms of an identity that we claim or a set of ideas that we believe, and there is some truth in both of these things. For […]

This preaching series is loosely based on the series ‘Making Change’ by Craig Groeschel (click here for the original series and accompanying resources). The time we live in is one where money stresses are affecting an increasing number of people. Mortgages are sky rocketing and energy bills are going through the roof. Thankfully, the Bible […]

This preaching series is based on the book ‘Good and Beautiful and Kind’ by Rich Villodas. The book is subtitled ‘Becoming Whole in A Fractured World’ and is themed on spiritual formation, in the light of a world where we frequently see just the opposite of goodness, beauty and kindness. The book (and series) are […]

When Jesus began his public ministry he had a radical new message: the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Throughout his teaching, Jesus constantly returned to the theme of the kingdom (usually referred to as ‘the kingdom of heaven’ in Matthew and ‘the kingdom of God’ in Mark and Luke). At its simplest, the kingdom […]

The story of Joseph shows the sovereign hand of God at work in the mess of ordinary life. The story includes fierce sibling rivalries, parental favouritism, lies, abuse of power, faithfulness in low positions, faithfulness in high positions, forgiveness and reconciliation. Joseph is sent down to the lowest place but in the process learns humility […]

Of the many instructions that Jesus gave to his disciples, the ones from which all the others flow are the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. The Great Commandment is found in Matthew 22:34-40 and is Jesus’ response when he was asked what is the most important command in the law. Jesus said that there […]

The Bible is one single story and all of it points to Jesus. Understanding the Old Testament helps us appreciate more clearly what we read in the New Testament, and often we need to see the fulfilment in the New Testament to make sense of the Old. There are lots of different ways the Old […]

When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment is, he answered that it is to love God with heart, mind, soul and strength. In this response Jesus conveyed that the Christian life is not about mere belief nor mere obedience, but rather it is about being fully devoted to God in every aspect of […]

In the New Testament there are certain truths about the gospel that are considered foundational to Christianity. To understand these things is to grasp what makes Christianity distinctive and is helpful for the new Christian and the established believer alike, as well as being a great way to introduce non-Christians to the faith. This series […]

There are not many occasions recorded in the gospels where the disciples of Jesus requested specific teaching from him. One time where this did happen is in Luke 11:1, where they asked him to teach them to pray. Clearly, those disciples saw something in the way Jesus approached his prayer life that they realised was […]

The promise of the gospel is more than individual salvation. Through the cross, God is bringing all things together in Christ, and this means that both our relationship with him is renewed and our relationships with one another are restored. This is the glorious truth that the letter to the Ephesians is written to explore. […]

As we read through the accounts of the lives of Elijah and his successor Elisha, we see amazing things happen. The sick are healed, people are provided for in amazing ways, the dead are raised and many other miracles are done. And yet, in the New Testament, the apostle James describes Elijah as a man […]