Talks

Bec Goody encouraged us to see prayer as more than just asking God for things; she described it as learning to be with God so that we become more like Him and partner with Him in the world. (John Mark Comer)

Bec said Jesus prioritised prayer, often withdrawing to spend time with the Father, and reminded us that there is no “perfect” way to pray — the important thing is showing up consistently.
She spoke about four aspects of prayer:

Talking to God
Talking with God
Listening to God, and simply
Being with God.
Bec encouraged us to pray boldly, to bring our honest emotions and laments before God, and to trust that our prayers matter. She also explained that God speaks through the Bible, Circumstances, Desires, and the Prophetic. Finally, Bec challenged us to intentionally spend time with Jesus each day and practice being with God in everyday moments.

Matt started a new series in line with our theme for the year. Having talked about what it means to be PLANTED we’re now looking at how we should be ROOTED. Trees get their strength not from their height, their branches or even their fruit but from their roots.  Healthy Roots = Healthy (and resilient) Trees.
A key verse for this series: “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.  Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him.” (Colossians 2 verse 6)
What does it mean for us to have deep roots in Jesus? That’s the question we aim to answer in this series.
Jesus talked to His disciples using a metaphor of a farmer who grafts branches onto a vine.  He explained (John 15) that He is the Vine and His disciples (now us) are like branches.  The source of our strength and everything we need is Jesus, (The vine)  we need to become fully dependent on Him.  So, “How do we remain connected to the vine?” That’s the other part we aim to answer in this series…. Join us on Sunday for the next part.

Matt finished our Worshipping Church Series with a summary of all that has gone before…..
We are all created as worshippers—it’s not whether we worship, but who or what we worship. The Bible authors warn against idols, anything that replaces God, because otherwise we either waste our lives or harm ourselves.
True worship is more than just music alone; it is whole-life worship. As Paul teaches, our everyday lives can become acts of worship when offered to God.
Jesus explained to the woman at the well that the Father seeks worshippers who worship in Spirit and truth: sincere, humble, and possible through a personal relationship with Father God Himself.
Worship is also a weapon! We’re in a battle and our worship can become part of our response to the devil and his schemes.
Heaven’s worship is going on right now… and the book of Revelation unveils a glimpse of what we will one day experience…. Everyone and everything bowing before the throne of God!
Anointed for Worship
In the Old Testament – people were anointed with oil as a symbol of God’s favour and presence on their lives, often for a specific task. (King, Priests and Prophets)
Today, all Jesus Followers are anointed by the Holy Spirit!  Set apart and empowered—to worship God fully.
On Sunday we prayed for our Amazing Worship Team – we recognised the anointing already on them and asked for more! Set apart to lead us into God’s presence. 
Finally we prayed for ourselves, that we would have fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit with greater freedom and creative expression to worship Jesus everyday of our lives including the special times when we are together!

On Sunday we had a special guest speaker!  Alex Stibbard (Anchor Point Church and also Betel Nottingham) spoke in the fifth part of our “Worshipping Church” series, on the “Worship of heaven.” Referring to the imagery that is seen in Revelation chapter 5. Here the author (John) describes a picture of unceasing, awe-filled worship centred entirely on Jesus who is “the lamb” —where countless voices declare His holiness, worth, and glory.
Alex reminded us that God always had a plan, and still has a plan today.  Jesus (who has a number of different names – the Lion of Judah and the ancestor of King David) is still on the throne today, and the worship of heaven is not just forward looking but also today.  He reminded us of the superiority, power and worth of Jesus – the reason that all of heaven worships Jesus – at the centre at it all, who has conquered the death.
Alex shared some of his personal and vulnerable stories from his own experience, with encouragement and application for us too.

In the fourth part of “Worshipping Church” series, Jools Bingham talked about “Worship and Warfare” emphasising that the Christian life involves a real spiritual battle. The Bible authors make it clear that the devil is real and active, seeking to undermine and destroy, and that our struggle is not merely physical but spiritual.
In this context, worship becomes a powerful weapon. Rather than focusing on fear or opposition, we are called to fix our eyes on God, even in uncertainty. The phrase, “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you,” (2 Chronicle 20) captures this posture of our trust (and our worship) in Him.
Jools shared some personal stories where he could see the ongoing spiritual battles in his day-to-day life. He also told 2 stories from the Old Testament where King Jehoshaphat and Joshua both led the people of Israel into physical battles.  On both occasions, God told them to send the worshippers out at the front.  It wasn’t a prescriptive formula for every battle, but a reminder for us, that in our lives, our praise and worship can be a powerful weapon again the spiritual forces in our world and active around us.
Jools encouraged us to wholehearted devotion—living faithfully and doing what is right before God. Like positioning a ship in battle, our posture should be we stand firm, recognise that our worship is powerful, and engage effectively in spiritual warfare.

Matt’s Message on Easter Sunday was based on: “The 3 Greatest Days!”
DAY 1 : Good Friday (or Holy Friday) : Jesus, the Lamb of God, was betrayed, abandoned, unjustly tried, tortured and crucified. He fully entered into human suffering, carried our sin, and died in our place so we could be forgiven and restored to God.
DAY 2: Easter Sunday (or Resurrection Sunday) : Jesus truly rose from the dead! Look at the evidence: The empty tomb, Eyewitness accounts (+500) and transformed disciples confirm the resurrection was a real and historic even!  Death was defeated, hope restored, and new life made possible AND we can believe every other word that Jesus spoke was true!
DAY 3: The day we personally realise that the other 3 days were because of us! Good Friday and Easter aren’t just history — they’re personal. Jesus gave His life because He believed you were worth it.
If you responded for the first time to Jesus, or would like to find out more, please speak to someone! We would love to help you in your journey of faith and following Jesus.

This week Bob Goody explored Jesus’ powerful words in John 4, where He explains that worship is not something tied to a geographical place but as something deeply rooted in relationship. True worshipers, Jesus says, worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. It is not about performance or routine, but about a heart that is fully present and engaged with Father God. Whether in corporate worship or in everyday life, worship is a genuine response to who God is.
We also reflected on how we can worship God in every season, not just when life feels easy. Anchored in the truth that God is faithful, good, and unchanging, even when our circumstances are not good. Like Paul and Silas worshipping in prison, they made a choice to still praise God even despite their circumstances.  The challenge for us all is this: to become the “true worshippers”, as Jesus described. Understanding more about the truth of who God is, and bringing our full selves to Him when we gather together and in all the circumstances of our lives.

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.