Together Church Hobart

Swallowed Up in Victory & Freedom! A Holy Week reflection from the Easter theme "Swallowed up in Death". Scripture: Luke 24:1-12 | 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 | Galatians 5

Swallowed Up in Silence. A Holy Week reflection from the Easter theme "Swallowed up in Death". Scripture: Psalm 23

Swallowed Up in the Grave. A Holy Week reflection from the Easter theme "Swallowed up in Death". Scripture: Luke 23:44-54

Swallowing the Cup. A Holy Week reflection from the Easter theme "Swallowed up in Death". Scripture: Luke 22:39-46

Swallowed Up in Denial / Swallowed Up in Love. A Holy Week reflection from the Easter theme "Swallowed Up in Death". Scripture: John 13:31-38

Swallowing my Pride. A Holy Week reflection from the Easter theme "Swallowed up in Death". Scripture: Mark 14:1-9 If you'd like to listen to the song referenced in this audio, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPEGhS2jHDU

Swallowed up in Light. A Holy Week reflection from the Easter theme "Swallowed up in Death". Scripture: John 12:27-36 If you're interested in a visual of the gospel presentation shared in this audio, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W8ynRMr59k

Swallowed up in Confusion. A Holy Week reflection from the Easter theme "Swallowed up in Death". Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11

Week 2 of January 2025, from the theme "Gaze Upon the Beauty".

Week 1 of January 2025, from the theme "Gaze Upon the Beauty".

Week 5 of December 2024, from the theme "A God Who Invites Us".

Week 4 of December 2024, from the theme "A God Who Invites Us".

Week 3 of December 2024, from the theme "A God Who Invites Us".

Week 2 of December 2024, from the theme "A God Who Invites Us".

Week 1 of December 2024, from the theme "A God Who Invites Us".

Week 4 of November 2024, from the theme "A God Who Knows Us".

Week 3 of November 2024, from the theme "A God Who Knows Us".

Week 2 of November 2024, from the theme "A God Who Knows Us".

Week 1 of November 2024, from the theme "A God Who Knows Us".

Week 4 of October 2024, from the theme "A God Who Sees Us".

Week 3 of October 2024, from the theme "A God Who Sees Us".

The word "Christian" appears in the bible a handful of times, but the word "disciple" is scattered throughout the scriptures. So what is a disciple? How do we make disciples? And how can we be better together at making disciples in the context of community? This is our final talk in the Better Together series, by Daniel Sih.

Mission is an adventure and we are better together on mission. But in a hyper-individualised society, what does this look like in practice? How can we create patterns and rhythms to collectively connect with friends who don't yet know Jesus? In this talk, Daniel Sih explains the great mission strategy of Jesus (Mark 6: 6-13) sharing his own experiences of being called to serve as an overseas missionary to Hobart, Tasmania.

Most of us are interested in community, but struggle to break out of the isolation of our culture. But life is better together when we share our lives with others in the service of Jesus. In this new series "Better Together," Daniel Sih shares his experiences of living in a village in Vanuatu and paints a vision for what it might look like to live and act communally as God's people (Acts 2: 42-47).

We live in a world of dark and light, where things that are good and life-giving are mixed together with pain and brokenness. In this talk, Daniel Sih shares reflections from his time on Sabbatical, focusing on the parable of the wheat and weeds. 

In 2015, Caitlyn Jenner was named Woman of the Year, paving the way for the transgender movement to become mainstream. Since then, gender non-conformity has become one of the defining issues of our age. But what is transgender and how might we respond to this transgender moment as Christians, in love? In this talk, we unpack terms like gender dysphoria, transitioning, and gender nonconformity. We explain why we need to respond with love and kindness to transgender people. We also challenge trans affirming culture and its unexpected impact on children, explaining the need for tough love.

Men like cars and are good at reading maps. Women are domestic and enjoy cooking. Really? In our culture, there are competing visions for what it means to be a man and a woman. Some are helpful, but many are not. In this talk, Daniel Sih outlines the biblical vision for male and female. He challenges gender stereotypes, as well as gender fluid ideologies, offering a way forward to become whole-heartedness as men and women in a deeply confused culture. Note: this sermon was re-recorded because of technical errors when recording the original talk.

According to scripture, marriage is the lifelong covenant between a man and woman, voluntarily entered into for life, to the exclusion of all else. In this sermon, Michael Wood talks about the gold standard of marriage, what it means and how it connects with our faith. He also touches on singleness as a gift from God, representing another gold standard of oneness with God.

Human sexuality is wonderful, complex and personal, but what is the purpose of sex? Does God have an opinion about how we use our bodies? How is the physical act of having sex connected with our emotional and spiritual selves? What does the bible have to say about soul ties? And how might we resist sexual immorality? In this talk, Daniel Sih outlines two false beliefs that have impacted church and culture, providing a positive vision for how we might embrace a biblical view of sex.

Freedom is one of our most important values in Australia. But what is freedom and what does it look like to be truly free? In this talk, Daniel Sih explains the challenges of defining freedom through popular culture. He examines the biblical imagination of personal freedom and demonstrates how freedom requires logical limits in the areas of health, money and sexuality.

"Don’t throw your pearls to pigs. They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you." What is that all about? In this talk, Julia Verdouw continues our Longing for Love series by discussing what it means to love sacrificially with agape love. How does the way we view people shape our ability to love like Jesus? Who are the pigs? And what might we need to do about it? Download presenter slides here.

This two-part teaching was recorded for a Together Network Global Gathering in May. Hope Group leaders meet every 6-weeks to discuss questions about mission, discipleship and evangelism.  In this podcast, Daniel Sih talks about how to progress friendly conversations, to meaningful conversations, to spiritual conversation, to gospel conversations. He also discusses how to recognise a Person of Peace. 

This two-part teaching was recorded for a Together Network Global Gathering in May. Hope Group leaders meet every 6-weeks to discuss questions about mission, discipleship and evangelism.  In this podcast, Daniel Sih talks about how to build predictable patterns in our lives to connect with unchurched people.

The Beatles once suggested that "all you need is love." But what IS love? In this talk, Michael Wood explains the importance of defining love by something other than itself. He outlines four different Greek concepts for love, which are Storge (family affection), Philia (friendship), Eros (romantic) and Agape (divine love).

All of us need love. Love is one of our highest emotions. We search for love in many places, even if there is confusion about how to live out our most intimate relationships. This talk introduces a new series called ‘Longing for Love,’ exploring the bible’s perspectives on sex, sexuality and gender. We outline a framework for the series and explore the importance of beginning with the revelation; ‘God IS love.’

It can be hard to live in a culture that does not believe in God, particularly when we experience pressure to conform. In this talk, Daniel Sih shares two stories from the book of Daniel, to help us live faithfully as a remnant in exile. This talk also summarises the series as a whole.

Michael Wood continues our series on “Eyes That See” by exploring the pattern of worship and idolatry seen in the Older Testament. What made a good king? What made a bad king? And how do these biblical lessons shape our capacity to love a ‘jealous’ God in our day and age?

Monotheism is typically defined as “the belief and doctrine that there is only one God.” But there’s a problem. This is not how the writers of the Old and New Testaments understood the 'oneness' of God. In this talk, Daniel Sih explores the nature of the spiritual realm as it relates to biblical culture, and secular culture. What does it mean for YHWH to be King of kings, Lord of lords, and God of gods? How do we orientate our lives around one God in today's world.

To be human is to love -- to connect deeply with someone or something greater than ourselves. Love is important. Love motivates us to help others.  Love compels us to worship.In this talk (in a series, Eyes That See) Daniel Sih introduces the concept of worship and idolatry as expressions of love. What do I love so much that it defines me? What do I orientate my life around when no one is watching? What is the functional master of my heart? When we discover these things, we discover who or what we worship.

CS Lewis once wrote: "It's funny how day by day nothing ever changes, and yet when we look back, everything is different." In this talk, Jamie Bester explains that discipleship happens in the everyday normality of our lives. Unpacking Deuteronomy 6: 1-12, he shares how ordinary people, doing ordinary things, can transform lives through the extra-ordinary love of God. 

What does it look and feel like to experience life-on-life discipleship? Hosted by Michael Wood, we hear four stories about discipleship from within our own community, to encourage, challenge and inspire us in our faith.

In this talk, Daniel Sih shares a dream that he received from a member of Together Church, connected to a message about joy, dancing and the presence of God in our coming season.Download presenter slides HERE

Jesus took a few loaves and fish, and multiplied a feast. In the Kingdom of God, things don't grow... they multiply!In our final "A Life Well Lived" talk, Daniel Sih explores the importance of a multiplication as a mindset for disciple making. God can take our little and make it a lot. We celebrate the multiplication of Hope Groups globally, and remember our vision to multiply communities across the suburbs of Hobart.

Jesus was a most unconventional teacher. Rather than making disciples in a classroom setting, he taught his followers on the road, life-on-life. If we are to make disciples, we will need to do the same.In this talk, Daniel Sih discusses the importance of structured and organic discipleship, including the role that organic teaching plays in the formation of a disciple.You can download the presenter slides HERE.

How did Jesus equip and mobilise his disciples? How might we, as fathers, mothers, uncles, and aunties, follow Jesus example to raise healthy spiritual children?In this talk, Daniel Sih introduces our next discipleship principle called "Invitation and Challenge."You can download the presenter slides here.

Jesus had three great loves -- a love for the father, a love for extended family, and a love for a lost and broken-hearted world.Daniel Sih re-boots our series on "A Life Well Lived" by teaching us how to pattern our lives on the pattern of Jesus. As we learn to balance our life according to the principle of UP / IN / OUT, we mature in our faith, grow as disciples, and form cultures where people look and act more like Jesus. Thanks to Doug Paul of Summit church for the video resource.

This is our last Scattered Stones episode (at least for now) and will explore the idea of contending with God. When our self-image gets out of sync with God's reality, it is wise to contend! Thank you Julia for inspiring us during this time of COVID-19 with your spirit-filled reflections.

Here's another wonderful podcast episode by Julia Verdouw, providing her reflections on Black Lives Matter and reconciliation week. How might we respond and how might our faith guide us? 

In this short talk, Julia Verdouw takes a risk to share her personal story of hope -- a tale of faith, doubt, deconstruction, emptiness and renewal. It's a beautiful story that will inspire many, even those who are not religious. Don't miss this fabulous episode... it's a gift of the heart and a hope-filled benediction!

Sourdough and the three temptations of Jesus. Surely this is enough to entice you to listen to this week's message by Julia Verdouw! Enjoy this invitation to seek and follow what Jesus is doing in our day. 

We often struggle to connect our internal and external worlds, keeping our love for Jesus hidden from our professional networks and social media profile.In this fabulous episode, Julia Verdouw shares honestly about her personal struggles in sharing her beliefs on Facebook and Twitter... and the lessons we might learn as a result.