In this message, Benjamin Shanks introduces our 4-week series in the Book of Ruth by highlighting the SETTING, CHARACTERS and PLOT of the story. This message will encourage you if you are in the middle of suffering not to separate yourself, or isolate yourself, but consecrate yourself to God and others in this season.
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). In this message, Benjamin Shanks explores the threads of clay & glory throughout the Bible, finding that the story of humanity is a story of clay & glory. This message will encourage you if you are going through a hard time that God's glory shines in jars of clay.
ACT I: Creation;
ACT II: Separation;
ACT III: Restoration;
ACT IV: Glorification.
The Teacher of Ecclesiastes has been to some deep, dark places. In Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, he returns from the brink to offer wisdom for everyday life: carpe diem! In other words: EAT GLADLY; DRINK JOYFULLY; ENJOY WORK; BE HAPPY; ACCEPT LIMITS; DO GOOD; and RISE AGAIN. This message will encourage you that in Christ and because of His resurrection, "Meaningless! Meaningless!" becomes "Glorious! Glorious!"
Pleasure, laughter, wine, folly, projects, buildings, vineyards, the delights of a man's heart—meaningless, utterly meaningless. That’s the outcome of the Teacher’s experiment in Ecclesiastes 2, and that’s a dead end. In this message, Benjamin Shanks teaches on the biblical idea of idolatry, the Cycle of Addiction, and how in the Gospel Jesus offers us a narrow road to life. This message will help you understand idolatry, identify the idols in your life, and replace them with the worship of the One, true God who satisfies every desire.
When someone becomes a Christian—saved by grace, born again, forgiven, made alive—it's big news. And when they graduate to glory in the future, it's big news too. But what are we supposed to do in the meantime? What is Jesus' purpose for the present tense? In other words: What is the meaning of life? That's the question this message from Benjamin Shanks aims to answer from Titus 2:1-15. This message will encourage you with a purpose for your life—that the riches of God's grace are available to teach you to do what is good.
OUR PAST IS GRACE;
OUR FUTURE IS GLORY;
OUR PRESENT IS GOOD.
Power. Titus 1:5-16 is about power in the church at Crete. In this message, Benjamin Shanks wades into the waters of power—what it is and what it's for. This message will challenge you to use the power to have to love God and others, the way Jesus did.
THE INTRODUCTION OF POWER;
THE DISTORTION OF POWER;
THE REDEMPTION OF POWER;
THE PERFECTION OF POWER.
The introduction to Paul’s letter to Titus… it’s a tricky passage in a tricky book. In this message, Benjamin Shanks kicks off our July sermon series by asking five simple questions of Titus 1:1-4 — WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? WHY? This message will encourage you to further the faith by growing in knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. KNOW TRUTH, GROW GODLY.
What is the old covenant and what's wrong with it? What is the new covenant and what's better about it? In this message, Benjamin Shanks explores the idea of the "better covenant" in Hebrews 8:6-13. After exploring the 4 covenants in the Old Testament and highlighting their essential promise, Ben shows how Jesus inaugurates the New Covenant with all its blessings through his death and resurrection.
THE NOAHIC COVENANT – Promise of Planet;
THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT — Promise of Place;
THE MOSAIC COVENANT — Promise of People;
THE DAVIDIC COVENANT — Promise of Person;
THE NEW COVENANT — Promise of Presence.
In this Easter Sunday night message, Benjamin Shanks explores the idea of the resurrection, showing that the Easter Story is the best story in the world because it has…
1) A BADDER ENEMY — DEATH;
2) A BRAVER HERO — JESUS;
3) A BETTER VICTORY — RESURRECTION.
In the Bible, priests minister in the overlap between heaven & earth. What does it mean for Jesus to be a better priest? This message will encourage you in your time of need that Jesus is present; he is able; and he is willing.
Jesus is a better priest because he's...
BETTER THAN ANGELS — HUMAN;
BETTER THAN AARON — DIVINE;
BETTER THAN MELCHIZEDEK — REAL.
In this message, Benjamin Shanks wraps up our 5-week sermon series in the Book of Proverbs with a simple question: why be wise? Why bother implementing and applying the wisdom of Proverbs? Three reasons:
1) BECAUSE IT'S COMMANDED;
2) BECAUSE IT'S GOOD FOR YOU;
3) BECAUSE IT'S WHO YOU ARE;
but ultimately,
4) BECAUSE WE WALK WITH GOD.
"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." (Proverbs 4:23). In this message, Benjamin Shanks explores the wisdom of Solomon in Proverbs 4:20-27 on how we get wisdom into the heart. This message will prompt you to consider THE FEED; THE HEART; and THE FLOW.
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us,” says A.W. Toser. This is fundamentally theology — the study of who God is revealed to us in the story of the Bible. In this message, Benjamin Shanks explores Psalm 103 and the three stories within which reveal the character of God:
1) THE STORY OF ME;
2) THE STORY OF ISRAEL;
3) THE STORY OF US;
4) THE STORY OF JESUS.
“What God gets out of our lives—and, indeed, what we get out of our lives—is simply the person we become.” (Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy) . In this message, Benjamin Shanks explores the question of what person we are becoming, and highlights from Colossians 3:1-17 a vision of personhood in the way of Jesus in which we:
1) SET THE HEART;
2) RENEW THE MIND;
3) TAKE OFF THE OLD AND PUT ON THE NEW;
4) DO LIFE TOGETHER.
In 1543, Nicholas Copernicus discovered that the Sun doesn't revolve around the Earth, but the other way round — The Copernican Revolution. In this message, Benjamin Shanks reflects on a Copernican Revolution that we need — a life orbiting around the Son of God in LIGHT, LIFE, and LOVE.
Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind; love your neighbour as yourself; love your enemies; love one another... but do not love the world.
What is the disciple of Jesus' relationship to the world? In this message, Benjamin Shanks unpacks 1 John 2:15-17, defining the key terms of what John means by 'world', 'love', and 'passing away/living forever'.
In this message, Benjamin Shanks gives a 30,000ft overview of the history of the kings of Israel and Judah before landing on the story of King Hezekiah, a good king who was faithful to God. This message will encourage you to make 3 commitments with Hezekiah. On my watch:
Followers of Jesus don't walk alone—we're meant to do life together as a community of faith. A crucial part of our life together is helping each other see what they can't see. Call it a rebuke, correction, or just speaking life.
In this message, Benjamin Shanks unpacks the story of Nathan confronting David about his sin in 2 Samuel 12. Using the framework of the Johari Window, this message will equip you to speak the truth in love.
1) GOD KNOWS; 2) YOU KNOW; 3) I KNOW; 4) WE KNOW.
"And lead us not into temptation / but deliver us from the evil one."
Scientists estimate we make 35,000 choices every day. Life is full of choices, and the choices we make dictate the course of our life.
In this message, Benjamin Shanks wraps up the Lord's Prayer series reflecting on the wisdom of Jesus in making good choices. Behind every choice is a voice, the key is to know the Father's voice.
Kingdom Prayer, the way Jesus taught us to pray is about stepping into the overlap between heaven & earth. In this message, Benjamin Shanks gives an overview of the theology of prayer, focusing on the Father's provision and forgiveness.