Join us each week as we delve into God's word as a community together
Gratitude is a wonder to the soul. It is a lens the Christian is called to look through. Even amidst the chaos of the world we live in, we can be abundantly grateful for what we do have - not only from an eternal perspective (salvation and redemption), but also for what we have here and now. The world is prone to worry and anxiety, but that is not the spirit we carry. We hold a confidence in a God who has given us what we need, who is giving us what we need, and who will continue to provide what we need. And this is the stance we need to share with the world around us.
We all need two things in life: disciples and disciplers. There will be seasons when all we can see is the problem—doom, gloom, worry, and anxiety—and in those moments, we need people around us who will encourage us and stand with us. We need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see the Lord's hand, reminding us that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.There will also be seasons when we feel strong and immovable, grounded in a deep assurance of Christ within us. In those times, we are called to extend the hope and strength we have in Christ Jesus to those who feel overwhelmed or weighed down by the world.All of this must be expressed with humility. Discipleship means recognising both our need for others to stand with us in our weakness, and our responsibility to stand with others in theirs.
What does it truly mean to be a disciples of Jesus? The Gospel of Luke highlights the difference between merely admiring Christ and actively following Him. Jesus calls people into a lifelong apprenticeship where they walk closely with Him, learn from Him, and gradually become like Him. Discipleship is not about information alone, but transformation—allowing Christ to mend what is broken and shape a life that reflects His character. As followers of Jesus grow in this journey, their lives become a visible witness to the world, demonstrating love, humility, and faithfulness, so that others may see what it looks like to truly have been with Christ.
This message is part two, so if you have not yet heard the message Every Ingredient Matters, I recommend listening to that one first.The Bible never states that Christianity is a nice, safe, never-have-to-worry kind of life. In fact, the Bible reveals that Christianity will be hard at times, not only because there is an evil that wants to ruin your life, but also because our flesh and the world operates in a way that is countercultural to the way of Christ. But Christianity shines brightest in the face of hard things, because it is in these moments that God works powerfully in and through us, if Christ is our center.May this message encourage you to thrive, not merely survive, in the heat of life.
Discipleship is a process with many facets, and together they form the beauty we behold in and through community and connection. Discipleship can't be rushed; we must allow the slow work of relationship and vulnerability to play its part in shaping us as people - which, in turn, shapes the church as a whole. May this message be a fresh reminder of what the ingredients of discipleship look like in our lives.
How do we become more like Christ? Well, it starts from the inside-out. The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—isn't something we force through willpower. It grows in us as we live by the Spirit and learn to keep in step with His leading in everyday life.And part of that journey is surrender—acknowledging we don't have it all together, letting go of old desires, and allowing God to reshape us as we follow Jesus more closely.
The story of Elisha and the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4:8–37 is a powerful example of intentional relationship and discipleship - formed even between unlikely friends. In this sermon, we'll read the passage directly and draw out key moments to encourage us toward the same kind of intentionality in our own lives.
Today we kick off our Discipleship Series. We sense a clear invitation from the Holy Spirit to place a strong focus on discipleship throughout 2026.Life — and especially the Christian life — isn't meant to be lived in isolation. We are made to do life together, and it's in that togetherness that discipleship grows as we learn to follow Jesus in every area of life, alongside all kinds of people.So buckle up as we step into a powerful series centered on the call, commission, and invitation of Jesus.
This Sunday marks the beginning of our third year at 5 Pulham Road. After more than 35 years at the Community Centre, this great blessing has allowed us to see so much fruit and the advancement of God's Kingdom in our church family and wider community. This message is a celebration and a call to lift our expectations for 2026.
The Word is full of stories and examples of how a Christian is called to live — a life of servanthood, of active goodwill toward others, marked by kindness and the sacrificial love shown to us by Christ. Let this message be a reminder of who you are called to be in 2026.
How often do we look back on a year and wonder where it went? Life gets real, fast. As we stand at the beginning of a new year, it's vital that we live with intentionality and expectation—because sooner rather than later, we can find ourselves caught in the rut of the busyness life demands of us.Let's intentionally ask the Holy Spirit to show us which foundations of intentionality we are called to lay for the year ahead.
Welcome to our first service of 2026! Today, we kick off the year with an encouraging message about waiting on the Lord and hearing His heart for you in the year ahead. Have we truly taken the time to sit at the feet of Jesus? Busyness can threaten our relationship with God and can blind us to the opportunities He wants to lead us into. We pray that this message will help build a strong foundation for the year we are about to embark on.
Love is the very essence of who God is. It is the greatest hero of our story and the reason we celebrate Christmas Day. The redemption we needed was an impossible task for us—there was nothing we could do to correct our sinful nature. We needed hope. We needed a hero to save the day. And that is exactly what we were given in Jesus Christ this Christmas Day. Enjoy.
Happiness comes and goes; it rises and falls with our circumstances - and that's not a great way to live. What we need is the great joy found only in Christ and His Holy Spirit. It's no coincidence that joy is the second fruit of the Spirit. Love is rightly first, but joy being second is significant. Joy enables us to keep moving forward despite what we face. This joy is not produced by trying harder or gritting our teeth - it is a gift of the Holy Spirit.
Peace is available to every one of us. Jesus Christ is declared the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), and through Him we have access to peace anytime and anywhere, in every circumstance. The question is: are we truly leaning on Him, or are we still trying to do life in our own strength?Peace does not always mean quiet or the absence of challenge. Rather, it is the deep assurance that God is in control, and that His grace is sufficient for everything we may face. His peace is His gift to you.
Here we are - only a few weeks before Christmas, the celebration of the greatest gift ever given to humanity: Jesus Christ. His birth represents hope, salvation, and reconciliation with God. Life can often feel clouded by hopelessness, and the illusion of social media tells us that if we're not constantly happy, something must be wrong with us. Yet the kind of happiness the world offers is shallow and lacks true substance. But as followers of Christ, we carry a genuine and enduring hope - one that God invites us to receive fully and to share generously with a world longing for something real.
As we wrap up this series on mission and lean into the greatest mission of all—Advent—let this be our declaration: we are all on mission. Every moment of our lives carries an opportunity for mission. Whether in your home, your workplace, the grocery store, or right here at church, what we need are eyes to see and a willingness to step into the commission of God's Kingdom. God has chosen you as His mission-person. So let's be encouraged, stirred, and ready to take action in the mission before us.
Missions is for all times, anywhere, anyone - all of us are called to be part of mission. So what does this look like abroad, and what does this look like at home? Guest speakers Jono & Destiny MacLeod share their amazing 8.5 year journey of missions in South Sudan, and what missions looks like for them in Mahurangi today. May this message inspire you to take notice of the opportunities around you today.
Over the next four weeks, we'll be leaning into Missions — a perfect lead-in to Advent, which represents the ultimate mission for humanity: the gift of Christ Himself.We'll begin this series by exploring the Great Commission — the call (and command) for every believer to take part in the Kingdom mission of sharing the Good News of Jesus, our only means of salvation and our hope of glory.
How do we hold the tension of the promises of God and the hardships of life that come with being a broken people living in a broken world? What is our perspective when suffering comes our way? We need to take our eyes off the situation, and instead gaze upon the face of Christ. For by Him, we have both the promises of God and the sufficient grace to walk down the path ahead.
Life is full of hard things we have to face, and some of them can leave us feeling weak or defeated. Yet, while we are not called to live a defeated life, we can take comfort in knowing that weakness is actually a position of Kingdom strength. The paradox of “when I am weak, then I am strong” is not because we possess strength in ourselves, but because our strength is found in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit within us. The Holy Spirit is our advocate, and His fruit equips us with everything we need to face life's challenges.
This message is a call-back to child-like faith. Focusing on the words of Christ in Mark 10, where Jesus explicitly says that unless we become child-like in our faith, we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. This message dives deeper into what it means to embrace such a faith, and the fun we can have along the way.
It was great to gather at Central Vineyard for our Combined Service. Guest Speaker Adam Russell shares on the need for friendship in our discipleship journey and looks at the relationship between David and Jonathan as an archetype of covenant friendship.
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