City Bible Church, Nz

Kia ora Agora, While God has a plan, He is not just some clock maker who created the earth and let it go. No, He is present, and He wants to have a relationship with us. So much so that this God, the one who created everything and holds it all together, was willing to become a man like us. Today we will explore this wonderful mystery and celebrate the knowledge that we have a high priest who understands our struggles. 

This week we are thinking about the truth that God has a plan for this wild planet. Things seem super chaotic at present, but God is over all the chaos. 

Last week Craig brought out how the creation calls us into worship. That God, in Jesus has not only given life to our world, he preserves our world – He holds all things together and He was still doing so  even when He was a little person in Mary’s womb or dying on the cross.   This week we were reminded about how throughout the Bible God repeats his promise to his people that he is with them through every situation they encounter. And that promise is true for us today! God made us for relationship with him and provides his presence to help, encourage and comfort us. How would your day look different today if you were to truly grasp this truth!?

Kia ora Agora, Today we are looking at God as creator and will think about the diversity and beauty of God's creation. A 'simple' question - why did God create so much that we cannot see or understand?

Kia ora Agora, We are starting our series leading up to Christmas. Woooooooo! We are working through the first eight posters in the windows of the auditorium. Today we're looking at the mind-bending reality of the Trinity. Do the members of the Trinity have independent thought or not, considering they are of one essence?

Kia ora Agora, Today we will finish off the 'Story of the Bible' series. We will look at the development of the church and some of the wild end-times truths we see in the Bible.

Kia ora Agora, The Bible can seem like a book of many stories. We can be like little children playing with jigsaw pieces and not realising they're designed to fit together into one big, over-arching story. Until we see the picture on the lid! Pastor Craig has been showing us the lid. Today we meet Jesus Christ in the unfolding story. Who is He? Why is He the glorious high point of biblical history and the crucial turning point of human history? Most importantly, who is He to you? Whatever your answer, could it ever be enough?

Kia ora Agora, Today we will be carrying on looking at the 'story of the Bible'. We are going to look at the conquest of Israel and Judah and see that there are many similarities to some of the struggles we have as Christians today. The second half of the Old Testament in 30 minutes - can it be done?????

Last Sunday we looked at an overview of the whole Bible in just over 30 minutes. We discussed key themes of imago dei and therefore God's desire to be with His people.  This Sunday we looked at - Baptisms and the Exodus of Israel. In my list of tricky subjects to combine this is way up there. But, when you look into the amazing story of plagues and frogs and darkness, the Passover, and the exodus of Israel from Egypt you will go 'Whoa! So many similarities' to baptism and the salvation Jesus offers. 

Kia ora Agora, Today we are beginning a new series looking at an overview of the Bible. First, we'll start with the easy task of summarising the entire Bible in 30 mins - ekk. An interesting exercise to do and find the core threads that weave their way through the Bible.

Kia Agora, Today, we look at the life of David and how he learned to trust the Lord both when life was out of control and when circumstances turned in his favour and he had the power to influence the outcome.

This Sunday we finished James 5 and looked at the power of prayer. Is there ever a time in our life when we shouldn't pray? What things that we deal with are just too big for God and prayer? 

Kia ora Agora, How well do our actions mirror the faith that we proclaim? This is a question we all struggle to answer well, and James doesn't mince words when he challenges believers to act in accordance with our faith.    In chapter 4 today, James continues to help us see the gaps in our lives and shows us how the Gospel is God's wisdom and provides the answer for us.

This Sunday is Father's day - wooooooo Most of us have fathers but some of us had pretty rough fathers. This Sunday we talk a bit about this, and also celebrate fathers and have a great service together.

Kia ora Agora, Today we are looking at chapter 2 of James - and I honestly think this is a 'hold on to your seats' chapter as James goes super hard on showing love to everyone and proving our faith is real through the lives we live. Whoa!   There is a video near the beginning (1:37) as an illustration, it is an old Toyota ad with Barry Crump. If you are interested in watching, the link is attached: Crumpy and Scotty 2nd Hilux Commercial - YouTube 

This Sunday we started looking at the book of James. Such an amazing book of blunt calls to us on how to live as followers of Jesus. How do you thrive in life when you are hit by troubles or temptation   Book of James Summary: A Complete Animated Overview - YouTube

Kia ora Agora Today we have two young lads being baptised! We will be talking about why baptism is so important and how it is not an extra option in our journeys as Christians. 

Last week we were reminded that our true identity is found in who God made us to be. The world tries to pull us away from our God given identity and lead us to make wrong choices. But God can redeem our mistakes and even our wrong choices if we anchor ourselves in who we are in Christ. This Sunday we considered how life can at times feel like we are constantly climbing a mountain range and it takes courage and strength to keep going. How do we look for, and find hope, in the crisis? 

This Sunday we considered how well-meaning people we meet constantly ask us questions like: "What do you do?". "Where are you from?" "What are your plans after that?"  Are there answers to these questions, or how we look or feel, is what define us?  We explored why it's so important to know and hold onto the identity God has given us and not let that go when other pressures surround us, and we saw through an often skipped-over story in the Old Testament, that our true identity is found in who God has made us to be.

This Sunday, we will continue with the How to Thrive in Life series, but it will be a little different as we look at the topic of suicide awareness. We have the team from Scripture Union coming in to lead us through an excellent interactive service discussing how we can be better equipted to help someone struggling with this horrible burden.