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Welcome to our weekly podcast from City Bible Church, Hamilton, New Zealand.
277 Episodes
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We moved into the next verses in the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus tells his followers that they are the Salt and light of the world. Not salt and light in the world, but the source of the world’s saltiness and light. We unpacked these verses this Sunday and considered not only what it meant for us today but also look back at some of the surprising ways salty Christians have changed the world – changes we still benefit from.
we finish our dive into the Beatitudes with Jesus's words about peacemakers and persecution (Matthew 5:9-12).
Blessed for being persecuted? Can that be right? Surely this is a misprint or some metaphor for something far less unpleasant! Persecution is so far away from where we live as Christians in safe NZ (especially if we hide our light under a basket).
According to 2025/2026 World Watch List, 1 in 7 Christians worldwide, approximately 365–388 million of our brothers and sisters experience "high to extreme levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. Even unto death."
So join us on Sunday as we look into this and learn how it is that God's people can face and deal with persecution, while even saying they are blessed for doing so.
We continued going through the Sermon on the Mount and learn more about the kind of life that reflects the Kingdom of God. We looked at the characteristics of 'Mercy' and what it means to be 'Pure in Heart'. These two statements from Jesus reach straight into the core of who we are, how we treat others and how we see God.
This week, we’ll begin exploring Sacred Pathways, a framework developed by Gary Thomas that reminds us God has created each of us to connect with Him in different, meaningful ways. Just as branches grow uniquely while sharing the same vine, our spiritual lives are shaped by the way God designed us to love Him. Abiding isn’t about copying someone else’s spiritual habits—it’s about discovering how you most naturally stay connected to Christ.
link:
Sacred Pathways - Session 1: The Journey of the Soul - Sacred Pathways (Gary Thomas) - Study Gateway
we continue our journey through the Beatitudes by exploring Matthew 5:5–6, the third and fourth blessings Jesus shares.
Join us as we investigate the opening lines of the Sermon on the Mount. We’ll be tracing the concept of the "Blessed" from the Old Testament through to the mountainside in Galilee to see how Jesus’ message was both deeply rooted and shockingly new.
Whether you feel "poor in spirit" or find yourself in a season of mourning, come and discover why Jesus calls these very states the gateway to His comfort and kingdom
Graham will share a bit about what is in store for Agora in 2026 and introduce a new teaching series on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew Ch 5-7).
we look at the third gift of the Wisemen, Myrrh, and we also look at what some commentators call the fourth gift - a gift that is even more important than the Wisemen's treasures and so easy to overlook, as we get caught up in the busyness of the season.
Gifts of the Wisemen - frankincense
Jesus is our perfect high priest appointed forever, who is able to deal with whatever you facing - even oppression of the evil one
Why would you give a child a huge gift of Gold?
Seriously, when you think about it that is not every kids dream Christmas gift. So why do the Magi give the child Jesus this significant gift? You know God is saying something very profound in the three gifts. We will be thinking about the implications of the gift of gold from the Magi. Scary question to consider - if it is a gift to a king, then what does that mean? For me? Is Jesus truly my king? Hmmmmmm.
In our final message of Discipleship According to Paul, we’ll uncover Paul’s powerful last words from a Roman prison his urgent call for Timothy to stand strong in God’s grace and carry forward the mission that meant more to him than life itself. Together, we explored how a simple, intentional chain of discipleship one person investing in another can multiply into a movement of transformed lives. And we looked at Paul’s vivid images of the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer to understand what it truly means to follow Jesus with focus, faithfulness, and perseverance in a world full of distractions.
Key verse: 1 Corinthians 11:1
Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.
The idea of being, an example or a model is key to understanding the ministry of both Paul and Jesus.
On Sunday we will look at the key components of the ministry of Paul and of Jesus. As we have been tasked to make disciples we need to clearly identify exactly what that means. What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus.
If I am to be a disciple and to make disciples what is the expectation on me.
As disciples of Christ, Paul calls us in Rom 12, to not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of our minds so we might know what God’s will is. this Sunday, we considered how are our minds are renewed, and what we should fill them with? You might find that the answer is much broader than you thought.
Unity is elusive. It is uncommon in much of the world and, unfortunately, also among Christians. Why do we have so many denominations? Perhaps it is because we all think that we are right. Jesus' prayer for us (John 17:20-21) was: I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.
we explore from Philippians chapter two what it means to live with Christ's humility and mind-set.
This chapter has been described as the high mountain top of Paul's explanation of exactly what Christ has done for us and what that therefore means for us as 'Christ followers'. I doubt anybody could argue with that assertion, so please try and read through Philippians chapter two before Sunday if you can, and let's dig in together on Sunday and climb that mountain.
we're launching a brand new series: Discipleship According to Paul!
We'll start by taking a quick look back at our journey this year, then look at Jesus's discipleship method and how they were adapted by Paul for the early church.
This message will set the stage for the rest of the series as we explore what Paul's epistles teach us about following Jesus in our modern world.
Don't miss this essential start!
we had the final part of our two-part series titled 'Living as a Witness - What do we do with the Gospel'.
This series aims to clear up a good deal of misunderstanding about what being a 'witness' really means and offers insight into to why we can find it so difficult. It's important we deal with this because it's one of the major themes of the Bible and has been a major influence on the development of western civilisation throughout history. So, this Sunday we will look at what all this means to us as individual believers in our place and time.
This Sunday we start a two week mini-series entitled 'Living as a Witness - What do we do with the Gospel'.
There is a good deal of misunderstanding and apprehension about what 'witness' means, and it is very important we clear this up because it's one of the major themes of the Bible. Plus, it has always been super important to God. (And if it's important to God it must be important to us, right?)
In his concluding words, Paul underscores the significance of boasting solely in the cross of Christ, rather than in human achievements or through practicing the Law. He draws a distinction between his own experiences of suffering for the Gospel and the intentions of those false teachers who advocate for circumcision to avoid hardship. The core message serves as a reminder that genuine salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone, resulting in a new identity and a life that has been transformed.
This Sunday we are in Galatians 6:6-10 and we're nearing the end of our series. Here Paul writes about one of the great biblical themes of the Bible: How to be blessed by God, both in this life, and in the next. This was taught by Jesus, and Paul often reminds the people he writes to (including us) about this in case we have slipped a bit (as we tend to) and are in danger of losing our promised reward. He wants us to enjoy the full value of the eternal life Jesus has bought for us. More about this on Sunday.
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