How do we grow in God’s love, and what does it mean to remain? David Jennings looks at Jesus’ teaching that his followers are branches in him, a vine, made for fruitfulness under God’s gardening care. This fruit isn’t work we do, it’s the character of love, joy and peace that grows as we accept Jesus’ love and become defined by him and his character. Is it challenging to allow this to happen, sometimes needing to give up what we’d been aiming for ourselves? If so, can we find assurance in Jesus’ promise that, by remaining in him, we will be incredibly fruitful?
Read MoreWhat do we expect from people joining a journey of faith? Owen Lynch looks at the disputes which arose in the early church around following the Jewish law, why this was important to many people, and why the opening of God’s kingdom to all was a challenging, counter-intuitive idea to them.
Two key leaders, Peter and Paul, found themselves in dispute, but the story of Acts, and their letters which are also in the New Testament, show how God changed their understanding and revealed Christ as their foundation. How should this set our expectations and maybe change the way we treat others who are looking to follow Jesus?
Read MoreWhat does it mean to have faith in God? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at the apostle Paul's letter to the Galatians and how he guided them to depend on faith instead of religious law. Christians enjoy the freedom this brings, but sometimes worry about losing their status with God if they doubt or don't know the right thing to believe. There is good news, though, if we discover what Paul really meant by "faith" and how we can depend on God's faithfulness.
Read MoreIn this special Mothers Day talk, Steve Nicholson, senior pastor of the Vineyard church in Evanston near Chicago, Illinois, considers how followers of Jesus are part of God's family and what this means for us.
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