King's Church Hastings

We have been made for a purpose – to have intimacy with our Maker: to know the Father and be known by Him. God accepts you. He adores you. He welcomes you. He calls you His child. It’s only when we know who we are in Christ that we can understand the intimacy we’ve been beckoned into...

Being a Christian is all about knowing God. Jesus came to save us and bring us to the Father. He promised that He would not leave us as orphans...

Guest speaker Adrian Holloway - former BBC journalist, author and popular speaker - explores how a 'good' God could allow suffering...

It can be easy to hide behind busyness, fear or apathy, but Jesus has commissioned His disciples to see God’s Kingdom extended by going on mission. If people aren’t reading the Bible, going to church or hearing anything good about God in the media, how will they find out what a wonderful Saviour Jesus is? Our everyday lives paint a picture of what God is like. You and I could be the only way people find out about the God who loves them.

What does a disciple of Jesus look like? There are five particular characteristics of Jesus that we would like to give ourselves – individually and as a church collectively – to growing in. These are courage, joy, authenticity, honour and generosity. Those who are following Jesus grow in all of these – they’re not just for church meetings, but they should pour out from us to those around us, because we have received so much from God and He is with us.

Being a Christian isn't predominantly about attending church or being good or stopping bad habits or doing good works. The heart of it is about following Jesus Christ, and it costs everything. You don't have to be good, you don't have to be sinless, you don't have to be all sorted – but you do have to give Him your heart.

You were made in God’s image. He is the Author of life itself – He brought you into this world. You are not an accident; you were created by God. Not only that, but you are very precious to Him. You have great value. So much so that Jesus died for you! This should affect how you look at yourself and how you look at others, because every human life was made in His image and is valuable to Him, created for purpose and for intimacy with Him.

If you are a Christian, Christ is in you. Wherever you go, He goes with you. This means, firstly, you will be transformed internally – you are being transformed from one degree of glory to another. You have the mind of Christ. You can know peace, rest and joy, regardless of your circumstances. Secondly, we transform the world around us: we carry the Kingdom and are supposed to pour out love, grace, mercy – everything we’ve been given – to those around us.

The glory of God is His goodness and His sovereignty. He is both good and in control. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s glory, and Christians, as those who are “in Christ”, are now carriers of God’s glory wherever we go.

As we come to the end of our Acts of Courage series, we find that prayer is the foundation for our courage. It enables us to get a right vision of God and strengthens our faith.

Have you ever had a nickname? Some nicknames are just a fun play on our actual names; others have a meaning. Barnabas had a nickname with a meaning. His actual name was Joseph, but it was changed to ‘Barnabas, son of encouragement’. Would a nickname such as that fit you?

Sometimes when we read the Old Testament it can look like God is only interested in some people – a select few. But the truth is that God has always had a plan to provide a means for salvation for all who would come to Him. When Jesus came, the boundaries of God’s Kingdom and grace changed! The distinction between Jews and Gentiles has disappeared as all who accept Jesus become one in Him. You were cut off, but have now been brought near!

There should be no intimidation in the life of a Christian, yet so often we can be intimidated by the situations we face or the people around us. Jesus faced temptation to be intimidated by all kinds of things, but He overcame. So can we!

Our faith is based on One who is constant, who doesn’t fail, who never changes and is always faithful: Jesus. Faith stems from God’s faithfulness – it’s only because God is faithful that we can exercise courageous faith.

Simon the magician was amazed at the signs and wonders he saw the disciples perform, but he missed what the miracles were pointing to: Jesus. We, too, can be amazed at the wrong things rather than captivated by Jesus. Are you amazed at the right thing?

When we look at Philip in the book of Acts, there are nine godly character traits we can imitate: he was a man full of wisdom, full of the Holy Spirit, who handled disappointment well; he was courageous, took initiative, lived under authority; he was a man of the Bible, of good reputation and he was obedient. Which of the these qualities do you exhibit?

Being set free so you can set others free.

Suffering comes to us all but God is always working for our good and His glory.

Christmas is celebrated by many people, but its true meaning and signifiance can be missed. God with us — this is the reality of Christmas.

A look at the Christmas story, encouraging everyone to consider the amazing gift of peace that is available to us because Jesus came to earth.