Central Speaks

Life Group Discussion Questions Text: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 1. What is your favourite passage in the Bible? 2. If you were asked by a non-churched friend where they should start reading the Bible, where would you tell? Why? 3. How worthwhile is it (in your opinion) placing Bible’s in every motel/hotel room and prison cell, etc? 4. In what ways do you feed your spiritual soul from the Bible? 5. 2 Timothy 3:16,17 talks about the ways the scriptures teach, rebuke, correct and train us in righteousness. What examples do you have of this in your life? 6. How has the word of God illuminated the “path” in your life? (Psalm 119:105) Share examples. 7. What are you going to do this week to make the Bible more a part of your life?

Lincoln Badger 2 Kings 4:42-44

Life Group Discussion Questions Text: Ephesians 4:12 Tell about your experience with strategic plans and goal setting. How has it been helpful in your life? If you had to describe God’s strategic plan for the church what would you say? Why do you think God gives spiritual gifts to his children? How do you go about finding your spiritual gift(s)? How do you respond to the idea that “works of service” is normative for all Christians? What are some examples of people coming up with a brand new idea to serve the Lord that has proven to be hugely successful? In what ways can the church “prepare” you better for “works of service”? What will you do differently this week for considering this passage of Scripture?

Life Group Discussion Questions Text: Romans 12:2 1. If you had one minute to explain what it means to be a Christian what would you say? 2. What were the steps (or links in a chain) that led you to become a follower of Jesus? 3. In what ways have you experienced “being put back together” since becoming a Christian? 4. If Jesus is our model or template for life, how much like him is it really possible to become? 5. What are some examples of character issues in your life where you need to be “transformed” to be more like Jesus? 6. What value do disciplines like “attending church services” or “belonging to a small group” or “learning from what the Bible teaches” bring to your Christian experience? 7. What could you do this week that will help “train” you in your spiritual growth?

Life Group Discussion Questions Text: Luke 15:25-32 Why do you think the religious leaders (mentioned at the beginning of Luke 15) were so concerned about Jesus spending time with “sinners”? How would you describe God’s attitude toward “lost” people in our day and age? Where does “older brother syndrome” occur in our day and age? How important is it to make the church as culturally relevant as possible to the people we want to reach? Is it possible to go too far in making the church culturally relevant? What could HCBC do to be more seeker-friendly to those looking for God? Where does/has “older brother syndrome” manifested you?

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!We are taking a break over Christmas. Please join us in person when we return on the 11th of January! Note: our livestream and podcast will continue on the 18th of January.

The Gift of Myrrh | Sunday December 14th 2025

Welcome to Hamilton Central Baptist Church! This is the seventh sermon in the Heading For The Promised Land teaching series.REFLECTION:Numbers 13Gaining an insight into the storyWhat is your impressions of this story?Why do you think this story is recorded in scripture?Why do you think God asked 12 to go and check out the land?Do the percentages of a 10/2 sound about right to you? – Why?Giants• What are the giants in your life that could defeat you from wholly following Jesus and the pathway to life?• What are the giants that we have faced as a church community over recent times?• What are giants that are still to be faced and how will we do this?Celebrating the Caleb’s and Joshua’s How might we better celebrate Caleb’s and Joshua’s in our church community? One thing is clear God never forgot this defining moment in the nation’s history and both these had significant stories to come. The others all died off in the desert.Defining MomentsShare or consider from your life story – some defining moments that you now see as having a significant ‘turning point’ moment in your spiritual journey. What happened? What did you think happened? What do you now perceive happened?Heart or Head – which comes first?What did you think about the heart of head thought from today’s message? Which comes first? I believe the heart needs to be set firstly and then the head (daily choices and thinking) trimmed and aligned to reach the direction and destination your heart desires. Thinking of scriptures that support this:Look at both Joshua and Caleb from a heart and head perspective – what stands out to you about these two? Are both heart and head present in their report? Where were the 10 others defeated – in their heart or head?What implications does heart and head have for us right now at HCBC?NOTE: This is not a bible study or I would have given you scriptures to look up and answers. These comments and questions are designed to provoke you to reflect on your life journey and the story of Numbers 13. This is where your life intersects with scripture and how you reflect on that for personal growth. Ideally done with other people.

Welcome to Hamilton Central Baptist Church! This is the sixth sermon in the Heading For The Promised Land teaching series.REFLECTION:Hebrews 13:17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say…..How does this work out in practice in a relational community of Gods people? How does mutual submission and accountability work together – ie does the Bible teach blind obedience to leaders or a journey together under the Holy Spirit with all being willing to submit to each other and so maintain unity. What do you think? What scriptures are there that indicate the need for both submission and accountability?Exit Ramp 3 “I want to be respected, heard and honored because I deserve it”What is wrong with this statement? What is the underlying sin that is lurking. In what ways does this evidence itself these days in churches? The Bible teaches that those who teach the Word have authority not in their title or office but in the degree to which they convey biblical truth accurately. Ie authority lies in the quality and accuracy of their teaching and leading not in their position, title of office. Agree? What implications are here for those who teach listen?Churches are relational communities, they are not buildings or locations. Leadership in these communities of faith is Gods way of moving them forwards. What does ‘mutual submission’ look like in this regard? How could it work with leaders leading, and people following but also participating in the process and not just being passive? Give some examples of what mutual submission might look like.Can you see how the Devil (our adversary) has pushed to extremes the issue of leadership and authority? It has become either ‘Don’t question the leader or you are questioning God’….touch not the Lords anointed etc!! Or the other extreme which is such a flatline of leadership that nobody dares to lead or take initiative. We are called to navigate between these extremes in relationship with each other. Not an easy path. Can you think of times when either extreme has prevailed and the outcome was bad. What helps us navigate a middle pathway in this matter?We have done a lot of work at hcbc defining our mission and our vision. Without clearly defined values to live out the mission and vision we easily revert to old pathways. Having a clear mission and vision requires clearly defined and agreed values. Where do these values come from? What might they look like? How and who will agree to them?MESSAGE OUTLINE - Exit Ramp 3 “I want to be respected, heard and honored because I deserve it – A lie of self aggrandizement.- Leaders authority comes from the truth they convey and live not their title or office- Leadership is Gods idea not ours- Mutual submission is the culture of the kingdom in relational community- We are all Leaders – lead your own life firstly. You don’t become a good leader until you have learned to be a good follower.

Welcome to Hamilton Central Baptist Church! This is the fifth sermon in the Heading For The Promised Land teaching series.REFLECTION:Numbers 11: 4-14; 18-23; 31-35NOTE: These questions are to assist you to reflect on the Sunday teaching and the Bible passage. They are purposely prepared to help you identify what is ‘underneath’ and encourage you to grow spiritually stronger. person your journey.Fire and Cloud1. What is the evidence of fire and cloud in your spiritual life? Give an example of how cloud or fire has guided or directed your life.2. What is your experience of the ‘fire of God’ in your ilfe. How has this sustained you or empowered you for Gods purposes.Entitlement3. What do you think of the statement “when identity becomes the only focus it leads to entitlement” – think of the story of the elder brother from the prodigal son story.4. Do you think servanthood helps balance the extremes of entitlement? Think of an example from your life where you experienced this.Unfulfilled Thirst5. “The greatest threat to the people entering the promised land was not their enemies, nor the terrain, but themselves” What does this mean? What does this look like today in our lives? How might a faith community (Church) learn from this truth. What does this kind of threat look like today? What do we need to do to identify these kinds of threats and deal with them?6. To identify unfulfilled threats ask the following two questions:‘For me, life is to be found in’….. (Finish the sentence)‘I feel alive when .….. (Finish the sentence)This is bearing your soul naked and don’t be surprised if you find this hard to answer. Your mind (flesh) will fight against doing this. This is the war inside each of us. It is this that needs bringing to Calvary’s cross and seeking freedom.7. Jesus said to the woman at the well. I am the ‘water of life’ – I can quench your deepest thirsts. You have been looking in the wrong place for where life is to be found. What is your response to this story given this teaching on unfulfilled thirst?8. When they got quail (meat) to eat, they gorged themselves. What they thought would bring fulfillment did not. What have you learned about this?9. This whole story weighed heavily on Moses so much that he wanted to give up. Have you considered how a church community acts might impact their leaders? How might this look today? Why do so few people want to be leaders?

NOTICE: We experienced technical difficulties during this livestream, resulting in the loss of audio from 10:54 to 14:22. We apologise for the inconvenience.Welcome to Hamilton Central Baptist Church! This is the fourth sermon in the Heading For The Promised Land teaching series.

Moses Called of God | Sunday November 9th 2025

1 John 2 | Cecelia Milne | Sunday November 2nd 2025

Heading For The Promised Land | Sunday October 26th 2025

Heading For The Promised Land | Sunday October 19th 2025

10 Messages From Afar (Pt. 2) | Sunday October 12th 2025

10 Messages From Afar (Pt. 1) | Sunday October 5th 2025

Guest Speaker: Iunisi Katoa | Sunday September 28th 2025

Guest Speaker: Olivia Hitchcock | Sunday September 21st 2025

Guest Speaker: Murray Cottle | Sunday September 14th 2025