City On A Hill: Melbourne

Examination practices and rhythms such as “The Daily Examen”, prayer, fasting and journaling help us cultivate an awareness of God's all-encompassing love. Just as we ask God to search our own hearts through examination, so we ask God to show us other people’s hearts, so we can encourage them in their journey.

A trellis is crucial for supporting a vine's growth, just as Christians need structure to remain in Christ. A "rule of life" serves as a pattern of spiritual disciplines to encourage flourishing in your walk with Jesus, and is a means of God's grace to deepen love and joy in Christ.

Disciples of Jesus are called to abide in Him and bear his fruit - joy, peace, patience, kindness, self-control and love. As we walk with Christ, the aim is not that we go deeper into ourselves, but deeper into Jesus who has all we need to grow in His life and His love.

Passage: 'Revelation 5'. Preacher: Peter Adam. Visit www.cityonahill.com.au for more about our mission to know Jesus and make Jesus Known.

How do you prepare for big things? Paul's pastoral plea to the Corinthians is that they examine their faith and abide in the grace of Christ. Even when we struggle with sin or feel stagnant in our faith, we trust that our life is hidden in Christ and that the resurrection power which raised him from the dead is at work in raising us up too. May the love of God strengthen you in your weakness.

Weakness amplifies the grace of God and magnifies the power of Christ. It is when we are weak, that we are strong. The way of the world is to boast in our strength, but the way of Jesus is the way of weakness. Bad things will happen to us, but God can use evil for good. No matter what comes our way, God will never forsake us.

The church ought to be bold, empowered, and boastful not in ourselves but in the Lord. Boldness is about facing our problems head on. Turning the other cheek isn’t about being a doormat or tolerating evil. Strongholds aren't to be toyed with, but taken captive in submission to Christ. Jesus grabbed a whip and flipped tables to drive out sin. Paul was neither physically impressive nor especially eloquent. Wordly tactics and human strategy will not do, we need divine power through the mighty weapons of prayer and the ministry of the word. The bible is more than a text, it is the sword of the Spirit, to advance his kingdom and fight the darkness. Therefore, "let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

As Australians, we are living in one of (if not the) richest country in the world, in one of the most prosperous times in history. How can we be generous with the blessings God has bestowed on us? May we rejoice in the richness of God's grace to us, and seek to give generously. May we learn from the Macedonians how generosity springs from overflowing joy, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Reconciliation must be grounded in commitment and truth, resting in God's comfort, godly repentance, and gospel encouragement. You need in your life God-centered friends, God-centered counsellors, and God-centered words. When we get wounded by those close to us, even those within the church, we ought to run to the Father. Jesus knew betrayal and oppression, and he had the power to call down legions of angels to fight for him...yet he chose to pray to the Father, forgive his enemies, and become obedient even to death on a cross.

Special guest Matt Chandler brings us a message from Ephesians 5:13-14 on waking up from spiritual sleepiness."The house is on fire, get up!" — This is the urgency with which Paul urges the Ephesians to wake up from the debaucherous practices of Artemis worship and compromise with culture. May we put aside our spiritual sleepiness from the anaesthesia of deceit, through the serpent which causes us to doubt God, rootlessness from superficial love, and the choke of uncertainty and unsatisfaction. The call of our life is contentment in Christ's light shining on us. May we wake up to his life and light.

Idols and holiness do not mix. We become what we worship, and idols embody the demonic darkness from which we need deliverance. So, may we worship Christ with purity of heart and spirit, fully devoted to him. Idols don't have to be tiny shrines of gods we keep in our homes, but good things that have become distorted. What are you chasing after that is keeping you from full devotion to Christ? What false relationships are you holding onto? Lay them down at the cross.

The gospel transforms breaking bodies and ruptured relationships, so we make the goal of our lives around pleasing God and serving as his ambassadors on earth, making a difference in the lives of the people around us. Don't let sin corrupt you and lead to death, seek reconciliation with God and embrace the treasure of eternal life.

Paul describes to the church in Corinth that they are like jars of clay, to show that the glory comes not from their own strength, but from Christ's power in them. As with us, our fragility and brokenness are beautiful because God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Are you willing to take courage on your journey of faith and entrust that God will use you - in all your brokenness, doubt and shortcomings - for something beautiful?

The mirror of the law and the letter show us how we fall short of the glory of God. Yet, the gospel is good news because it gives us righteousness in the face of guilt, boldness in the face of fear, and transformation in the face of death. Unlike the law which disappoints, the gospel transforms. Our highest aim in live is to become like Jesus, which we do by faith as ministers of the new covenant. We are justified, but we are also being sanctified.

Is it going to be the crocs or the cross? Paul critiques the celebrity pastor culture of the Corinthians, urging them that not even he ought to be considered as anything, but rather that the focus be on the gospel.

Christianity is not about the easy and comfortable life. Affliction is at the heart of our faith, but amidst it he comforts us so we can comfort others in theirs. God is the God of all comfort, and while he can deliver us from affliction, his power is best displayed in our weakness. God can use suffering to strip away our pride. To be built up, we have to be torn down. Don't give in, and don't give up. God loves you. He's got you.

Seeing is not always believing, so Jesus invited the disciples to touch his wounds, to see the evidence of his claim. He then went through the scriptures, and showed how they point to him. There's life in your lungs for a reason, and you are no accident. Jesus rose physically and spiritually to redeem creation physically and spiritually. Jesus rose so you could repent of your sin and return home to God. Dutch artist, Rembrandt, felt the weight of this in his life, when he painted "The return of the prodigal son" after a tumultuous time of self-indulgence to intense grief.

No one's death has led to more music, literature, statues, art, and memorials than the death of Jesus Christ — on a day we call Good Friday. This day is good because Jesus' death means our forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life.

When we forget God, we are prone to forsake him. It is God's faithfulness in the past that fuels our courage for the future. Yet, we live in the tension of the now and the not yet, the promise given and the promise received. The road ahead will get difficult, but it is to be marked by obedience to God. Instead of dwelling in the land of fear and shame, we embrace God's grace and our identity as children of God. If we are to live as God's children, we must be courageous. We cannot stand with apathy and indifference when we witness evil in this world, but instead of fighting evil with evil, we fight with love, and we herald the good news of the death and resurrection of Jesus, trusting that if God can break down the walls of Jericho he can break down the walls of any human heart.

God gave Israel land, a command, and an inheritance. He had kept his promises to his people, and now it was time for the people to settle into the promise. If God was in control of the details then, he is in control of the details now. We obey God now because we are undeservedly loved and given an eternal inheritance far greater than anything in earth, the inheritance of Christ, and of heaven.