Messages – Today's Community Church

Ben uses the story in 2 Kings 5 of Naamen washing 7 times in the Jordan River to illustrate how trusting God means trusting His process of bringing about His promise to us.

This week, Rachel is asking the question, “Are you willing to be a coat hanger for God?”. God has loaned all of us a gift and he's asking us to surrender it back to him. The truest act of worship is when we use are gifts to build God's kingdom.

In his shorts, fresh from running a charity 10k race, Ben talks about running a race with Jesus and what an amazing improvement Jesus can make to our pace and progress.

Are our close friendships helping us to move closer to Jesus or causing us to move further away? We need friends who see what God wants us to be and help shape us into that. "Friends to our future". Rachel helps us to identify these types of friends.

How do we get real rest? Chevon kicks off a brand new series about the Unforced Rhythms of Grace. Listen in to discover how Jesus created a way for us to enjoy real rest, and how to enter into it.

Our view of our heavenly Father is often influenced by our view of our earthly father and his characteristics, good and bad. We need a strong fatherly example. So our guest speaker, Michal Apetauer from Brno in the Czech Republic, investigates the great relationship God the Father has with his Son Jesus.

Our senior leader talks about the importance of prayer in difficult situations.

Rachel Calland invites a few members of our community to talk about their prayer lives.

Rachel Calland continues the theme of pursuing prayer - living a life of prayer. Today she talks about how prayer changes things. And particularly how it actually changes us. Prayer powers forgiveness.

https://tcc-podcast.s3.amazonaws.com/Sequence.mp3

Chevon Taylor, Associate Leader of TCC, challenges us to face any disappointment that occurs when our prayers seem ineffective or seem to fall of deaf ears. Dealing with disappointment in our prayer lives is the key to living openly, freely & courageously. It's time to deal with the elephant in the room before it causes anymore damage.

God's presence isn't limited to geography, God's presence is all around us, but there are certain ways we experience it more, a place or time or experience when we feel God's presence meet our present. This is our thin space. This week Ben walks through some different ways some of us might experience our thin place and encourages us to pursue the presence of God through prayer.

Chevon kicks off a brand new series on prayer. Prayer can be as simple as making a cry to God. You don't have to be good at it. So what does prayer involve? And how can we pray effectively? Chevon shows us why prayer is much simpler than sometimes we imagine, and how to have a great prayer life.

We've all had at least one disappointment. Our guest speaker, Jesse Willis, looks at some of the disappointments we face. He looks at disappointments among the early church members and how God worked on their behalf. Then, using a brilliant bow and arrow illustration, he demonstrates how and why God can do the same for us when unexpected events and disappointments hit us, and how our reaction can also affect the outcome.

On Father's Day, Ben reminded us that the best example of a man is one who lifts people up instead of putting them down. There are three postures men often adopt: angry, argumentative, and open-handed. But only the holy-hands people, those with a posture of open hands, are open to receiving from God. What makes holy hands holy? And how do we change our posture from anger or argumentative to lifting holy hands? Listen in as Ben gives us some practical pointers.

What's a leader? Who are the good leaders? And who on earth is Jethro? Sometimes God will require any of us - including you - to step up to a leadership position. And sometimes God brings those people into our lives to help us. How? And what does that look like? Rachel takes a look at Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, and how his observation and wise advice helped shape Moses into the brilliant person he became. And then she challenges us to listen to the "Jethro" God has sent you, or even to become a "Jethro" for others.

In the Bible, Elisha's student lost his axe. He lost his edge. What happens when we lose our edge? We become blunt. We turn problems into dramas. We might "fly off the handle". We might become resentful. So how do we keep ourselves sharp? With personal stories, Ben shares how he stays sharp. Enjoy listening to these practical methods that will keep you sharp in life too.

Discipleship is about helping people become mature in Jesus. Spending time with them. Jesus spent time with many people. Many different types of people. And Family Acts is all about being with people. Listen in as Ben shares how to be really good at it.

Our story changes as we journey in life. But the core of the story remains the same. Steve talks about our stories and convictions, looking at Paul telling his own story of his life journey from terroriser to apostle, and his deepening convictions. People want to know about us. Why we have changed. What happened to us. Our story. But how do we tell our story well and with conviction? Steve explains in today's talk.

We see throughout book of Acts how God strengthens and empowers the disciples through the Holy Spirit. In her talk, Chevon Taylor takes a lesson from the art of swimming and how important it is not to hold our breath as we pursue the other side, but adopt a regular rhythm of rest so we can be strengthened and empowered as we go.

Join us as Chevon Taylor leads a panel conversation all about servanthood and recognising how we better understand our purpose as we start with what's right before us or in our hands. We hear from three of our community on the challenges, experiences and joy that have come from their journey of serving.

Our founding leader, Dave Belfield shared about how we respond when it feels like Jesus isn't showing up for us, or like He's late when we need Him the most. Looking at Luke 8 through the story of Jairus' daughter, Dave shows us that grief often comes before resurrection.

This Sunday, Rachel was joined by a special guest Daniel Eduardo from The Message Trust. Listen as Daniel talks about Festival Manchester, his faith, his mission and his love for spreading the hope found in Jesus.

On Easter Sunday morning, Ben takes a look at the Easter story. When Jesus enters a situation, he makes it very different. Ben shares his personal story of when he struggled with mental health, and the change in thinking that brought him back to health. But what helped change Ben's thinking? The incredible Word of God. Listen to how Ben discovered and applied God's promises that brought him freedom.  A personal, helpful and powerful story of hope and a positive future when Jesus enters your situation.

When Jesus enters our life, He changes everything. It's life transforming. But what happened with the early Christians in the book of Acts when people's lives were being transformed? When allegiance was transferred from Caesar to Jesus, much to the annoyance of the rulers of the day? They wanted to tell everyone about it because it meant something to them. But following Jesus was going against the culture of the day and often caused them problems. And what about us today? Rachel talks about presence and proclamation - how we can share the good news about Jesus in words and deeds whilst living a bold authentic life in Jesus and helping people find freedom.

How can we structure life well? And how can we experience God's presence at home? Ben looks at how the early Christians did that - doing life well with people they loved, with joy and generosity - and shares three things we can do that will result in a good life at home and at church. 

Celebrating Mother's Day, Rachel continues the Family Acts theme, investigating the "mothering spirit" and how we can use that to bless the world. What's the inheritance and legacy we are going to hand down through the generations that will continue to affect others? What things of worth will outlast us and live on? Listen in as Rachel shares some inspiring stories from her own experiences of motherhood.

Kicking off 2022 with the first talk in his new role as Senior Leader, Ben looks back at the firm foundation that Dave Belfield built on: the foundation which is Jesus. Looking at how Jesus reacted, and what people witnessed about Him, Ben encourages us that Jesus remains the same powerful person in our lives in the new year. It's that problem versus this Jesus. This is Jesus.

Rachel Calland looks at two characters in the Christmas story: Mary and her cousin Elizabeth. Old Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist; Young Mary was the mother of Jesus. Rachel looks at the difficulties around those individual family situations, the incredible God-arranged alignment of the families to help each other, how Jesus redefined what family is, and how all that points to how God can use us to help other people in the family of God. Who is God aligning you with? Who needs you to become their big brother or sister and help or encourage them? That's what Rachel helps us to find out in today's podcast.

Moses was adopted. That gave him an advantage. Queen Esther was also adopted. And God used both of these individuals to save His own people. We also are adopted. We're adopted into God's family. But what does that mean for us? And what are the benefits? With personal stories, looking at what happened at the first Christmas, and investigating Bible principles, Chevon shows us the incredible blessings that adoption brings, both in the natural and the spiritual.

What is a family? And what are the defining factors of a family? Ben looks at two families: Mary, Joseph and Jesus; and the church family. And then he looks at what can happen when we put God right at the centre of our family unit.

How do you celebrate and honour your leaders for 25 years of sterling service? As part of the celebration of Dave and Helen Belfield's 25 years as Senior Leaders of Today's Community Church, Ben and Hannah interviewed them and asked some great questions. You'll find out what Dave and Helen recollect have been "Standout Moments", why Dave used brownies and cola one week for communion, hear an excerpt from Dave's 1980s album, discover Helen's secrets of living a brilliant life, and find out one thing Dave will never say.

We are a multigenerational community with lots of diversity. Sometimes we need a shift, though... To become an intergenerational community. But what's the difference? And how do we achieve that shift? How can my experiences help others? And how can I empower other people? Listen in as Dave looks at how Jesus tackled this. And find out what you can do in your generation to be effective in today's church and society... to be an intergenerational community.

What do all our values have in common? It's a long game. Our TCC values are all long game values. They create a legacy. Being a disciple is a long game. Church is a long game. Leadership is a long game. Marriage is a long game. It's the long term players who leave a legacy. Deep lasting joy comes through the long game. Commitment to the long game makes the difference. But what is that difference? How do we do the long game? How do we create a legacy? Steve looks at the Biblical values and principles that help us do the long game and create our own legacy.

What is God's mission for me? Am I sufficiently equipped for mission? What is living on mission like? How much do I need to know before I can "do mission"? When is the right time to get involved in mission? How do we make Jesus relevant to our community? Or do we really need to? These are some of the questions Rachel answers as she addresses how you can live out mission every day.

What makes you a good leader? Good leadership always has transition in mind. Transition happens in the workplace and many other settings. But what is it that makes a good leader who we can follow? A good leader knows where they are going. They have a vision, drive, a commission - and a transition in mind for the next season. Just like Jesus did. Listen in as Steve talks about good leadership, how to be one, how to identify good leaders and follow them, and how to prepare well for leadership transition. First of all, though, here's an interview with Dave Belfield about his own leadership transition...

We thank God for leadership. Who or what are you following? And where is it taking you? What's the difference between traditional leaders and radical leaders? It's a big difference which can make a huge impact in your life. Wearing his heart on his sleeve, and with some personal stories, Dave explains the differences in leadership style and how they affect us and our future. But before that... listen carefully to a very special announcement.

What's the difference between excellent and perfect? Between excellence and perfectionism? Chevon shows us why, in order to carry a standard of excellence, we don't need to be perfect. In fact, we will not achieve excellence by demanding perfection. Let's aim for excellence. Here's how...

Why should we value leadership? Who do you call in your life's dark moments? Who do you speak to in life-changing events? We all need leaders in our life. Leaders who care. Dave shares an amazing story of leadership which resulted in the building of our church complex against all the odds - and shows us what a good leader is and does, and why good leaders are absolutely essential for life to function well.

When you honour other people, you honour God. But what does that mean? And how do you honour someone? Ben brings out three practical aspects for honouring people - from a Bible story in which an immoral woman wonderfully and publicly honours Jesus.

Honour is totally underrated. Honour shows how much you love someone. Ben shares two stories: one of when Jesus was honoured and one when he was dishonoured - and what happened as a direct result.

It's your values that make you who you are. And just like we have our own values, the Kingdom of God has values. But what are these values? They're practical values about family life, work, thought life, citizenship... Steve unpacks six Kingdom values, and reveals the one key to how we can live them out successfully.

The best unions are built on shared values. So Rachel shares one of our core values: Generosity. When we experience God's generosity, it changes us. And when we are generous, our lives become much bigger. Rachel shares stories of how individuals' generosity helped her personally, and she tells us how our generosity can positively affect others.  

Never underestimate the importance and power of core values in your life. Why? Because you are the sum total of your values. And you give time and money to whatever things you value - they're a big deal. David compares "the value of" versus "the values of" and encourages us to hold onto our values. Values will always keep you where trends leave you. It's all about staying strong to your core values.

Words change over time. So Chevon looks at the words "mission" and "family". It's all about extended family - with a purpose, with a charge, going with authority. Sharing some personal stories, Chevon looks at what "Family on Mission" means for her and her family - and what it means for the church today.  

Keeping things in life in a healthy balance is important but sometimes tricky. It's about carrying things well... in balance. When the balance is right, the burden is light. But what things do we carry? And how?  Steve identifies the things and the way to maintain a healthy balance for a good life. 

A question Rich often invites people to ask is, "Holy Spirit, what are you inviting me into today?" Usually, it's small and meaningful things rather than massive visions. So Rich encourages us to go for the new V. Forget about being part of Gen X, Gen Y or Gen Z. What's the new V? Listen to Rich's challenging and inspiring talk to find out.

In the final session of "I am a Disciple", Ben Tarbuck asks Ollie, Dan and Abi to share their personal stories of change and challenge throughout the series. 

Throughout this series of "I am a Disciple", we've looked at the steps: follow, change, do, repeat. Today, Ben Tarbuck asks us, "What is stopping you from repeating?" and explores the levels of difficulty and hurt we experience and avoid... and how Jesus helps us to push through. 

Chevon Taylor continues the "I am a disciple" theme with a new look at what it means to be a disciple.