CS Lewis said "There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan." In the story of Mark 5:1-20, Jesus lands among foreign people in a foreign place under a foreign power, and takes ground FOR the Kingdom of God FROM the enemy. Yet as the Kingdom of God comes, Jesus is rejected from the area. Why? Because the people think Jesus is an even worse evil, not a much greater good. In this message, Benjamin Shanks unpacks the idea that there is no neutral ground in our lives, and we must yield every part of ourselves to the ..read more

"The Kingdom of God is manifest in hiddenness." In this message, Jonathan Shanks explores this idea from the parables of Jesus in Mark 4:21-34 ..read more

In the message, Jonathan Shanks unpacks the Parable of the Sower from Mark 4:1-20, highlighting the importance of HEARING in order to bear fruit ..read more

House rules. What were your house rules in the home you grew up in? What are your house rules now? In tonight's passage, Mark 3:20-35, Jonathan Shanks unpacks three levels of house rules: The house of the KINGDOM OF THIS WORLD; The house of the KINGDOM OF GOD; The house of MY HERITAGE ..read more

Mark 3:13-19 records the story of Jesus calling the Twelve. In this message, Jonathan Shanks explores the theme of discipleship and what it is to follow Jesus. As disciples of Jesus, we GO TO JESUS; KNOW JESUS; and SHOW JESUS ..read more

When Jesus hung on the cross, He said "it is finished." The Gospel is final and complete and yet, for followers of Jesus, there is a sense in which the story is GLORIOUSLY INCOMPLETE. In this Easter Sunday 2024 message, Jonathan Shanks explores the glorious incompleteness about the resurrection of Jesus, encouraging us to step up and play our part in the story ..read more

In this Easter 2024 message, Benjamin Shanks explores the brutal and gruesome nature of the cross. What is it that makes Good Friday good? In other words, what kind of day is Good Friday? A day of DERISION; A day of DARKNESS; A day of DEATH; Ultimately, the day of DECISION. What makes Good Friday good for us is that it was bad for Jesus ..read more

According to psychiatrist Murray Bowen, as anxiety increases in an emotional system, "triangulation" happens as three roles emerge: PERSECUTOR, VICTIM, and RESCUER. In the story of Jesus' trial before Pilate, recorded in Mark 15:1-20, we see triangulation at play, yet with a surprising twist ..read more

Peter was a guy who learnt a lot through failure. In this message, Jonathan Shanks traces 3 of Peter's failures and the lessons he learnt from them. 1. CHOOSE HUMILITY OVER PRIDE; 2. ABANDON OUTCOMES TO GOD; 3. STAY ALERT AND OF SOBER MIND ..read more

In tonight's passage, Jesus stands before the Jewish High Court — the Sanhedrin. Even though they find nothing against him, the text says in Mark 14:64, "they all condemned him as worthy of death." Jesus IS worthy of because he is: 1. The sinless Lamb of God; 2. The Son of God; 3. The Son of Man ..read more