King's Church Hastings

Mercy is not a word commonly used in our society, but God revealed Himself to Moses as “a God merciful and gracious” and Jesus demonstrated the radical, outrageous mercy of God by the people He called to follow Him, such as Matthew the tax collector, and the ‘sinners’ He mixed with. We are called to be merciful too – we have an opportunity to show the incredible mercy of God to those society doesn’t care about.

Hope is vital to living, but so often we place our hope in things that are only temporary and could be lost at any moment. The only solid hope is rooted in the resurrection of Jesus. Matthew's account of the resurrection is designed to stress the solid historical basis of this hope and to challenge us to respond rightly to the fact of the resurrection in order to enjoy this eternal hope.

This is one the most moving, powerful and important passages we will ever read. Following Jesus’ sham trial and Roman flogging, we see Jesus mocked, crucified and die. For large parts of this passage it seems as though Jesus is passive, just helpless in each step of the process. But as we read on, we start to pick up clues and echoes of the past prophecies that show who Jesus is and that he isn’t helpless. He’s fulfilling the fathers plan of salvation. We find that Jesus is both the Son of God and King of Kings and that his death (and what followed) wasn’t just some horrific miscarriage of justice, but achieved complete forgiveness, free access and resurrection life for those who turn to him.

The church comprises imperfect redeemed sinners. As a result it doesn’t always get things right and we can be hurt by it. Through the preach, Steve showed us a higher view of the church as a place: Where God dwells That shows God to the world and Where disciples are built up. This is God’s work although we work with Him to bring it about. One day though, when Jesus returns again, we will see the church in all its glorious fullness. Our calling is to build the church here in 1066 country to show the manifold wisdom of God to the world.

As we read Hannah’s story we can learn many things. Her circumstances were extremely challenging, but the way she responded provides us with a helpful provocation for our own lives. But this is only part of what’s going on. We also learn about God from this account. We see a God who is in control, who cares for the broken-hearted and who weaves his purposes into our lives over the long term.

Guest speaker called James Woolley from IJM (International Justice Mission) spoke about how we as a Church can get rid of slavery, poverty and injustice.

Guest Speaker-Dave Holden, explored the hidden treasure in jars of clay.

Jesus said more on money than anything else. The bible makes it clear that money can be a big stumbling block to us giving God our all in our lives. In this passage Jesus explains how we cannot serve two masters (God and money) but also provides us with a solution to our problem. Often orphan-like thinking can prevent us from walking in the freedom of living generously; but when we have an understanding of our identity, God’s father heart and his endless supply – we can give in confidence knowing He shall provide what we need.

Guest speaker Angela Kemm brought a message of the Church's role in the nation, to bring help and hope.

Angela Kemm came to us and spoke on how we as a church can empower revival.

Angela Kemm came to us and spoke on how we as a church can empower revival.

Angela Kemm came to us and spoke on how we as a church can empower revival.

Angela Kemm brought a message in how we can grow in the prophetic.

Jesus states how important it is that when we pray and fast we ensure that we are doing so from pure heart motives. Jesus through the Lord’s prayer gives us a pattern for our own personal prayer times. Through the preach the speaker emphasized the need for us all to give time to personal prayer and sometimes fasting. He encouraged us each to go deeper with God in our personal times with Him in order that we may grow as disciples and become more like Jesus.

Jesus states how important it is that when we pray and fast we ensure that we are doing so from pure heart motives. Jesus through the Lord’s prayer gives us a pattern for our own personal prayer times. Through the preach the speaker emphasized the need for us all to give time to personal prayer and sometimes fasting. He encouraged us each to go deeper with God in our personal times with Him in order that we may grow as disciples and become more like Jesus.

Jesus didn’t come to abolish the Law. He actually raised the bar. What does this mean for us today?

“I’m just being 100% real!” “It’s just the way I am!” “I’m just being true to myself!” These are all slogans of our day. But Jesus came proclaiming: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The way into God’s kingdom isn’t ‘being true to myself’, but repentance. In Matthew 5:1-16 Jesus starts to describe what this new kingdom looks like and the blessings that come as we respond to God’s grace and work in our lives.

Matthew starts his account of Jesus’ public ministry with an introductory summary to give us a flavor of what’s coming. He shows us that Jesus came to reclaim God’s position as king over all and calls us to repent and come under the reign of God.

Jesus challenges a man who had been freed from an evil spirit to go back to his family and tell them what the Lord had done for him. He heeds Jesus' call and begins to tell his story. When we put our faith in the risen Lord and saviour Jesus Christ, we are changed, our lives are never the same. We stand forgiven and free. Our experience of how we got saved becomes our Jesus story and he calls us to let the world know of his love and mercy for all who would believe.

God with Us - Not just on Christmas Day but every day by King's Church Hastings