King's Church Hastings

Christmas is a story of finding love in a surprising place: we find the love of the God who made us being revealed in the birth of a baby in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. At the first Christmas, God went public with his love by sending his son to be born on earth that he might die to give us life.

The Christmas Story is all about Jesus. He came with a purpose to solve the problem of sin. Within this preach we look to understand the problems sin causes and how Jesus solves it through being Emmanuel God with us.

Materialism is rife in our culture. While we might like to think we're immune from it, there's a danger that the love of money and possessions has crept into our hearts too. As followers of Jesus, we need to ask ourselves if it has, and then be rich in gratitude and rich in generosity as two antidotes to materialism.

In Psalm 23, we see that God is the only place in which we can find restoration for our souls, guidance for our daily lives and a hope beyond the grave. However, we are only able to sing the truths of Psalm 23, because Jesus experienced the pain of Psalm 22. Jesus is the good, good shepherd.

We are busy. Busyness is affecting our work, our health and our relationships. But the problem is not just in our diaries; it’s in our hearts. We feel unhealthily busy when we try to do more than God expects us to do, and we try to do more than God expects us to do because we believe lies about God and ourselves. To begin to tackle the busyness in our diaries, we first have to tackle the busyness in our hearts.

Beginning of Life and Abortion by King's Church Hastings

Do we ever have the right to end a human life? Many people in the UK believe that in cases of extreme suffering or life-limiting illness or injury, individuals should be able to request and receive help to end their lives. How does this fit with what God says in the Bible? What should our response as Christians be to cases of extreme suffering and life-limiting conditions?

This Sunday was the first time Bexhill venue met for a Sunday meeting. It’s an exciting and challenging time for King’s and we need to remind ourselves of Gods promises. Isaiah 54:1-5 contains great promises for us to grab hold of as we consider joy, expansion and confidence. It reminds us of our reliance on God in all things and that we get to play a part as well. As William Carey said: “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”

Our connect group might look like a really random mix of diverse people, but in Jesus we can be united in our diversity and can embrace the diversity within our unity. As God’s people, we are united in our diversity through receiving the same gift of eternal life from Jesus and worshipping the same God in spirit and in truth. But our unity doesn’t erase our diversity. Within out unity is diversity which brings glory to God.

God's kingdom (His rule and reign) is like a mustard seed that is planted in the garden. Although it's the smallest of seeds, it becomes the largest plant. In a similar way as we keep in step with the Holy Spirit and respond to His direction, God's kingdom grows in our lives affecting everything from work and money to family and church. We find our attitudes changing: instead of fear, courage; grumbling replaced by joy; authenticity, honour and generosity where we wouldn't have expected to find them. These are the shared values that we'd love to see grow in Connect Groups.

What does true friendship look like? What is the most important ingredient if it’s going to work over the long-haul? In John 13, we see Jesus loving his disciples in a very practical and down to earth way. It’s not a love based on feelings or circumstances, but is strong, deliberate, gentle, kind, patient, enduring and sacrificial. Our love for others flows from God’s wonderful love for us, demonstrated in sending His Son to save us from our sin – not because we are worthy, but in spite of our unworthiness.

These verses show us the moment when Jesus called Matthew. Matthew was a Jewish tax collector working for the Romans, which didn’t make him a popular person. But Jesus invited Matthew to follow him and the response was Matthew immediately got up, and then they ate food together. Matthew went on to become one of the 12 disciples. Jesus accepted first, then connected (over food and in a group).

We see throughout the Bible that God has a big vision. God wants King's Church involved in His purposes and plans: He has a part for us to play corporately and individually. As a church we have a rich 40-year history and we're looking forward to taking the next steps with Him. This is done in numerous ways every day, but there are two key áreas Paul focused on here. Firstly, the move towards becoming one church with four venues, and specifically the Bexhill venue launch. Secondly, in launching Connect Groups across each of the venues. These two steps will help strengthen the health of King's and reach new communities as we move closer to them.

God uses weak people and difficult circumstances for His glory. These things don't disqualify you from being used by God. God asks us to use what we have.

God doesn't want us to live in the past, longing for former glories or dwelling on mistakes and failures. He's calling us to a new season. He says it's spring time, when things that look dead come to life again and blossom and flourish. God promises us streams in the wasteland.

Things change very rapidly. When the Berlin Wall came down, the relationship between East and West Germany changed overnight. When the banks crashed almost 10 years ago, things changed in a moment. Everything around us and in our lives is subject to change, but God is steadfast. He's the same yesterday, today and forever. When our faith is tested, we can remain confident in the unchanging One.

God calls us to a walk of faith. From beginning to end, He calls us to trust Him. Not some of the time, but all of the time. What does this look like? And how do we do it?

Just like the iconic Star Wars moment, the Bible has a shocking 'I am your father' revelation when Paul calls Abraham 'the father of us all' (Romans 4:16). But in what way is Abraham our father and why does it matter?

In our final Vision & Values session, Steve talks about the final part of our vision: Going on mission.

This is the start of our Abraham series which is happening over this summer.