Talks

In the second part of the series “Healthy Church is a Worshipping Church”, Paul Bell looked at how we bring not just our singing as worship but we should “Offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” as the apostle Paul encouraged the church in Romans 12 verse 1.
The Apostle Paul’s call to offer ourselves as “living sacrifices” comes after the rich truths of the preceding chapters 1–11.  That God loved us first, saved us through Jesus, and brought us into His family. Worship, therefore, begins with God—not us—and is our response to His grace.

Because everything we have comes from God, our worship is like “regifting” back to Him what He has already given.
NT Wright says: “The word ‘body’ doesn’t denote a particular part of the human being; it denotes the whole human being as a material object within the present space-time continuum of the world, an object which is present to itself, to the world and to other people”
Our body is therefore both a physical entity that we bring in worship (see message last week on “How we worship”) as well as denoting the whole of our lives.  True worship (as Paul describes) is offering our entire lives—our everyday, ordinary activities—as holy to God. This includes work, play, routine activities, our relationships, and even mundane moments.
Ultimately, whole-life worship is both a response to God’s mercy and a pathway to transformation, where we see even the ordinary as holy and giving back to God what He has so kindly given to us.

Matt launched a brand-new series on Sunday morning, he explained that one of the qualities of a healthy church is: a WORSHIPPING Church.  His message was titled: “No other gods – A Biblical Foundation for Worship”
Every person worships something! It’s not a question about whether we worship but what or who we worship.  In Exodus God spoke to Moses and gave him guidelines for how to live.  He told Moses “You must not have any other gods but me”.  Not because God needs our worship or because he’s insecure or a sycophant! He gave Moses the instructions a guidelines for healthy living! Replacing God as the object of our worship either means we are in danger of wasting our lives, or worse we harming our lives and God wants neither of those, because He’s so passionate about us!
Matt talked about idols in the bible and idols today.  An idol is anything that we elevate ABOVE or substitute FOR God.  Matt gave us 3 questions (“Idol Checker”) to check whether we could have any idols in our lives.  (Watch again to see the list)
Finally, we looked at “HOW WE WORSHIP” specifically in our corporate gatherings.  Matt shared the 7 alternative Hebrew words for praise, all with a different facet of how we physically express our worship to God.  Maybe you’ve sometimes wondered why people sometimes dance, clap or shout – they are all rooted in our response to God for Who He is and All He has done. Here they are again:
Yadah – To extend or throw the hands upward in worship or thanksgiving
Towdah – A sacrifice of thanksgiving. Praise offered in advance even before the victory comes.
Barak – Means to bless God by kneeling or bowing down in reverence.
Halal – To praise enthusiastically, celebrate, or even look foolish in joy!  We should be the most joyful people in the planet! We know the Good News about Jesus and the hope He brings!
Zamar –  to praise God with musical instruments and singing To make music to God.
Shabach –  to address God with a loud voice or triumphant shout! Expresses confidence in God’s power and victory! 
Tehillah – Refers to spontaneous or heartfelt singing to God
Every time we gather to worship, we should ask ourselves the question: How can I bless God today? Maybe there’s a new or different way we should express our gratitude, reverence, honour, obedience and love for Jesus.

In our last talk in our series “Planted” Bob focussed on the importance of remaining spiritually rooted and committed in the Christian faith over time: Planted for the long haul. He used biblical imagery and passages to encourage perseverance, faithfulness, and stability in one’s relationship with God.
Believers should be “planted” in four key areas: God’s house, God’s presence, God’s people, and God’s purpose. Being planted means committing for the long term rather than drifting spiritually. Bob compared the Christian life to running a race, referencing Hebrews 12:1–3, which calls believers to throw off distractions and persevere while keeping their focus on Jesus. Just like a race requires endurance, support from others, and sustenance along the way, the Christian journey requires persistence and faith.
The image of a tree planted by water (Psalm 1:3). shows deep roots that allow a tree to survive storms and continue bearing fruit, symbolising how spiritual stability and faithfulness enable believers to endure challenges. Sometimes the difference between fruitfulness and failure is simply staying planted long enough and not giving up (Galatians 6:9).
Bob encouraged us to finish well, like Paul describes in 2 Timothy 4:7. The key to enduring faith is fixing one’s eyes on Jesus, who is constant and unchanging. Bob concluded by challenging us to reflect on whether we are truly planted or merely drifting.

Helen spoke to us on Sunday about being planted for God’s purpose — not just drifting through life, but intentionally rooted where He has placed us.
She started with a big reminder (inspired by The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren): our lives aren’t random, and they’re not ultimately about our own plans. We were created by God and for God. Worship and bringing Him joy is our primary purpose — but He also has a specific, personal calling for each of us. And that purpose isn’t something we invent; it’s something we uncover by seeking Him.
Like a seed, growth often begins underground. Nothing seems to happen at first — but transformation starts with the cracking of our ego, pride, and personal agendas. As we stay rooted through prayer, obedience, and community, God gradually reveals what we’re here for.
Community plays a key role. Others stretch and sharpen us (sometimes uncomfortably!) so we don’t stay stuck in habits or comfort zones. Commitment matters too — purpose grows through perseverance, not convenience. Even painful or confusing seasons can prepare us for what’s ahead.
Finally, purpose is active. We’re designed to serve. Just like a tree doesn’t eat its own fruit, our gifts aren’t just for us — they’re meant to bless others. So the invitation is simple: stay planted, stay open, and trust that God will grow His purpose in you, in His timing.

Bec Goody explored in her talk in our series “Planted” what it means to be planted in God’s people, drawing from Psalm 92:12–14, which describes the righteous flourishing when planted in God’s house. Being planted in community is essential to Christian life.

1) The Christian life is not solo - we are designed for relationship. Jesus’ words in Gospel of John 13 call believers to love one another, showing that faith is lived out through deep, committed relationships.

2) Community is a blessing. Acts of the Apostles 2 and Epistle to the Ephesians 4 highlight how believers grow, mature, and are equipped together as one body. Unity does not mean uniformity, but shared purpose in Christ.

3) Growth happens in “circles, not rows” - real transformation comes through smaller, intentional relationships (Romans 12).

4) The unplanted believer misses out. True spiritual growth requires vulnerability and commitment, not consumer Christianity. We become fruitful when we intentionally build spiritual friendships and root ourselves in community.

The message, Planted in God’s Presence, built on Matt’s previous talk about being planted in God’s House and took us deeper into what it really means to root our lives in God Himself. Drawing from Psalm 84, Claire reminded us that God’s presence is where our souls truly come alive — the place we were made to dwell. Every life is planted somewhere. The question is: are we rooted in God’s presence, or drifting in distraction, stress, and self-reliance? To be “planted” is a deliberate positioning of our hearts — not dabbling, not visiting occasionally, but building a life centred on Him.

When we’re planted in His presence, three things happen: we flourish, we become resilient, and we bear fruit. Storms and heat will come — but rooted lives stand firm. Fruit isn’t forced; it’s the natural overflow of proximity to Jesus. The invitation was simple but powerful: prioritise His presence, embrace depth over surface faith, and surrender control in the hidden places. Take one intentional step this week to deepen your roots — and pray, “Lord, plant me more firmly in Your presence.”

Matt picked up after VISION Sunday with a new series called PLANTED.
He referred back to the three passages in the Bible that inform our vision for the year. Jeremiah 17:7-8, Psalm 92:12-14 and Psalm 1:3. They each describe a healthy, flourishing tree. The tree is an analogy for people. People who are godly, prioritise God’s word, trust in God and put their hope and confidence in Him.
The outcome of living this way is that these people: (trees) Flourish, Grow strong, Withstand heat and drought, produce much fruit in every season and stay green and healthy.
But for this to happen, they need to be PLANTED!
God is the planter who plants people in church. (Matt talked more about this.)
Finally Matt gave us 10 reasons why Jesus Followers need to be planted in Church:
1. God designed growth to happen in community
2. Christians need spiritual covering and shepherding
3. The Church is Christ’s body - you can’t flourish detached
4. Discipleship requires rhythms of teaching and formation
5. Worship is a corporate calling, not only a personal one
6. We need accountability to stay spiritually healthy
7. God uses community to reveal and refine our character
8. Spiritual gifts are meant to operate in the body
9. Belonging to a Church community aligns us with God’s mission
10. God promises fruitfulness

After looking back on 2025 and praising God for all the good things we heard and experienced together in a year when “Simply Jesus” was our theme, Matt introduced us to our vision for 2026.
He explained that during November as the core team prayed together, they considered the health of our church. They came to the conclusion that Ashwood is a healthy church!  Praise God!  What could it look like to become even more healthy?  Matt shared 3 different passages from the bible – all of which described healthy trees! He asked us to close our eyes and imagine the scene….
“Like a tree that is planted near the riverbank that bears fruit all year long….” .What does it look like for us to be PLANTED in God’s house, ROOTED in Christ and FRUITFUL in every season?
Let’s come before God for ourselves and for our church and invite Jesus to come and help us become the Spiritually Healthy Growing Church for all ages that He wants us to be!

We love Baptism Sunday!
Bob spoke about how Jesus “cleans” us spiritually from our sin – the things that make us feel shame and unclean.
Through His death on the cross he made it possible for us to be transformed and made clean again.
Available to everyone. And Baptism points to this.
It was wonderful to hear the stories and testimonies of Melissa, Clare, Mark and Tanya as they explained why they had decided to be baptised.
All of them explained so honest and clear.

We were treated to a different format of service this Sunday: A Question and Answer panel with our Ashwood Church Core leaders. We learned how other people would describe their character, what they are passionate about, how they have seen God move lately, how they keep connected with God and many more things.