Hosting the Spirit

“The reason the church is in crisis today is because we have settled for the omnipresence rather than for the manifest presence of God.” Fred Hartley On Sunday, I started a new series at Oxford Community Church, by preaching on worship and the presence of God. We talked about the difference between God’s omnipresence and…

God With Us

On Sunday I spoke at Oxford Community Church’s Carol Service – a short talk exploring the message of light breaking into the darkness, and the wonder of knowing Immanuel: God with us. If you fancy catching up on the whole service, or the talk – or just getting a glimpse of my Christmas jumper –…

The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5)

On Sunday I spoke at Oxford Community Church, as part of our series on Galatians, and I talked about the Fruit of the Spirit. We looked at Paul’s instructions in Galatians 5, and I considered the questions: What is the fruit of the Spirit? How does it grow? How do we walk in the Spirit?…

Jesus the Healer (Matthew 8)

On Sunday I had the privilege of speaking at Christ Church Manchester’s CCM Day, where they gathered all their services together for a joint celebration. It was so much fun. We sang in English and Spanish, ate a lot of cake, and I got to speak on the subject of healing, and pray for people….

How to Interpret the Bible

On Saturday I had the privilege of kicking off the new year at Manchester School of Theology. I’ve taught here many times over the years, but this was by far the biggest cohort I’ve seen, and it was so much fun helping them dig into the Bible, wrestling with a few of their questions, and…

The Lord’s Supper (Luke 22.7–20)

What is your most vivid food memory? What is the taste or aroma that you experience and it’s like “ah, that takes me back…” Food has an amazing ability to transport us across lands and through time, evoking memories that take us back to a particular place; a holiday; specific meal; a moment in time….

Slow Mercy

What if what feels like the slowness of God is actually his mercy? What if what feels like the unnecessarily long route is actually him protecting us from battles we are not yet ready to fight? Here’s a short reflection on Exodus 13 If you’re not familiar with Jubilee + I’d highly recommend checking them…

The Sovereign God (Isaiah 13–23)

On Sunday I spoke at King’s Church Didcot, continuing their series on the book of Isaiah. I was asked to speak on 11 chapters (!!) which demonstrate the Sovereignty of God over the nations. Challenge accepted! 😊 So in this talk, I give an overview of the book of Isaiah, showing how God’s plan for…

The Walk of Faith (Matthew 14.22-33)

On Sunday I spoke at our old church, Christ Church London, at their Mile End Services. It was great fun to see old friends, make new ones, and preach on the subject of faith. We looked at the story of Jesus (and then Peter) walking on water, and drew out three principles for living a…

Fellowship with Focus (Acts 2.42–47)

Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking at Witney Community Church, continuing their series on the book of Acts. We looked at the picture of the early church in Acts 2.42-47 (a passage I think I’ve heard more sermons on than any other, but had never preached on until this week!) We considered some of…