Your kingdom come – when and how will this prayer be answered

To listen to Nick McQuaker leading the first session of our TalkBack series "Jesus is coming back" on Sunday evening 21st April 2013 use the link below. Click here to listen in your own player or save a copy

Colossians 3:1 to 11 - A Whole New You

In Christ we have a whole new way of thinking (1-4). As Christ died, so we die to our old way life: our affections are being transformed. In the present we know security because Jesus pleads our case and has all authority. In the future we know Jesus is coming back and we will be with him and like him. This gives us a whole new way of living (5-8). As Jesus died we need to get rid of old habits, instincts and desires that belong to the old way of life. We used to walk that way but our lives are being transformed. It starts with the heart's desires: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires; greed. Sexual sin is a barometer of how self-obsessed we can become. The second list more is focussed on actions in relation to others: anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language, lying In Christ we died to our old way of life and guilt but still we're still work in progress, putting things to death. And we have a whole new identity (9b-11). We are taking off the old self and putting on the new self and this is progressive. Because of my new identity the differences no longer define us – they used to matter to me but our judgments are being transformed. Religious, cultural, class distinctions no longer define how we view ourselves or other Christians. Christ is all and in all. So we need to put off any judgmental discrimination in the church and between churches and be contented with who we are because Christ is living in us and he is everything to us. 1. What’s the difference between living by rules and being transformed by our connection to Christ? 2. What does it mean to you to set your minds on things above? 3. How do you put to death the old way of life? What do you find especially difficult about this? 4. What does Paul mean when he says there is no Gentile or Jew etc. How does this affect us personally and in the church? To listen to Graham Nicholls preaching from Colossians 3:1 to 11 at Christ Church on Sunday morning 21st April 2013 use the link below. Click here to listen in your own player or save a copy

Ezekiel 33:1 to 20 - The Watchman

Ezekiel is to be a faithful watchman – that’s his responsibility. The people needed to respond to the warning. That was their responsibility. We need to repent or self-righteousness and self-loathing and become the watchmen for our friends and family and neighbours. To listen to John Fernandez preaching from Ezekiel chapter 33 at Christ Church on Sunday evening 14th April 2013 use the link below. Click here to listen in your own player or save a copy

Colossians 2:16 to 23 Reality not religion

Don't be judged by your religiousness (16,17) in their case, Jewish religious festivals which ignored or excluded the reality of Christ and his work on the Cross Don’t Let Anyone Count You Out (18,19): Paul says don't let anyone disqualify you because of your seemingly inferior religious experience. Christ is the source of real spiritual experience and real spiritual life and growth happens together in the body (the Church) Don’t Fall in the Trap of Just Keeping Rules (20-23): Our Way of life does matter but it's now how we get saved. Any rules must flow from Christ his word and must be motivated by love To listen to Graham Nicholls preaching from Colossians 2:16 to 23 at Christ Church on Sunday morning 14th April 2013 use the link below. Click here to listen in your own player or save a copy

Ezekiel 31:1 to 18 - A Prophecy to Egypt

Egypt was the British Empire of that time. A fading superpower. They needed to realise that like all empires, whether Egypt or Assyria or Babylon, they may be glorious trees at one point and even seem to rival the power of God, but their beauty will fade and they will judged by God for how they have served him. To listen to Mark Ventham preaching from Ezekiel chapter 31 at Christ Church on Sunday evening 7th April 2013 use the link below. Click here to listen in your own player or save a copy

Colossians 2:6 to 15 - Antidote to Error

Paul wants to protect the young Christians at Colossae from being taken captive by false teaching. The false teachers probably offered spiritual fullness and freedom. Paul teaches the Colossians that in Christ they already have all the spiritual fullness that it is possible to have in this life. He teaches that when we became Christians, we were given a new identity, purified and brought into God’s family, raised from the dead, set free from accusation and set free from the forces of evil. So we need to understand these realities and keep connected to Christ and walking in him. To listen to Nick McQuaker preaching from Colossians 2:6 to 15 at Christ Church on Sunday morning 7th April 2013 use the link below. Click here to listen in your own player or save a copy

Easter Sunday 2013 - Mark 16:1 to 8

To listen to Mark Ventham on Easter Sunday morning 31st March 2013 use the link below. Click here to listen in your own player or save a copy

TalkBack: What to do with your money

Whether you reckon you have got too much, too little or just enough, how do you use your money - for yourselves, for others and for the church? What should be your priorities, and how much really is enough? To listen to Graham Nicholls leading the TalkBack session on Sunday evening 24th March 2013 use the link below. Click here to listen in your own player or save a copy

Gospel Primer Week 4 - Crucified Daily

Don't waste your life! How do we do that: by living for myself. How do we live productive and ultimately successful lives where we find ourselves. By dying to self following the example of Christ. To listen to Mark Ventham preaching about the dying to myself each day on Sunday morning 24th March 2013 use the link below. Click here to listen in your own player or save a copy

Ezekiel 28:1 to 26 - You say "I am a god"

Pride of man, pride of nations, pride of the devil himself. All will see that the Lord is God and he is with his people. To listen to Mark Ventham preaching from Ezekiel chapter 28 at Christ Church on Sunday evening 17th March 2013 use the link below. Click here to listen in your own player or save a copy

Gospel Primer Week 3 - Shaped by the Cross

We are to live as Christians with open, humble hearts, knowing the gospel will keep me humble as I realise I am a sinner loved despite my failure not because of my success. Openness is a great way of expressing the gospel reality that our sins were laid bare at the Cross. We need an appropriate level of openness about our sin, struggles and needs. We are compelled by the love of Christ. It’s our motivation and model for evangelism. We love others most by telling them the gospel and living each day for Jesus. To listen to Graham Nicholls preaching about the sufficiency of the gospel at Christ Church on Sunday morning 17th March 2013 use the link below. Click here to listen in your own player or save a copy

Ezekiel 24:1 to 27 - The sign of death

Sometimes we need to be reminded that God's justice is something to be glad about. To listen to Mark Ventham preaching from Ezekiel chapter 24 at Christ Church on Sunday evening 10th March 2013 use the link below. Click here to listen in your own player or save a copy

Gospel Primer Week 2 - My Inheritance in the Saints

The grace of God gives me an inheritance with the saints. How much do I value my new home and how much do I value my new family? To listen to Graham Nicholls preaching about the inheritance in the saints at Christ Church on Sunday morning 10th March 2013 use the link below. Click here to listen in your own player or save a copy

Gospel Primer Week 1 - Sufficiency in the Gospel

The gospel is sufficient to deal with our past and prepare us for the future. But it is also powerful in the present. The gospel shapes how we live, how we respond to all that happens to us. The challenge is whether we believe the gospel really is sufficient for us right now. To listen to Mark Ventham preaching about the sufficiency of the gospel at Christ Church on Sunday morning 3rd March 2013 use the link below. Click here to listen in your own player or save a copy