Mars Hill Blog | 08th March 2019 | General Topics

Life can often feel like a roller coaster with its ups and downs. Sometimes it can feel like it just one big uphill battle. But should it really be like this? Is there a way in which we can live where no matter what life throws we still have peace, and life is still being lived to the full? On Sunday we looked at a message that God gave Jeremiah as we encourage each other to put down deep roots into God, so that we are continuously living in his fullness and provision. ...

Mars Hill Elders | 24th March 2018 | General Topics

Why Mobile Mars? The church, in general, is in danger of loosing what set it apart in the first place; People overwhelmed by the love of God, totally devoted to Jesus, living in community together reaching out to a world with the love, power and presence of God. Many people think the church is outdated and not relevant to today - and most often what they mean by that is how churches conduct their Sunday services. Churches are trying to soften the musical worship times, reduce preaching slots, thinking people wont connect because its not relevant. They try and think of new ways of presenting Jesus, the church and services and call it things like fresh expressions. But are they really working? Do they bring the life changing, powerful, Holy Spirit encountering gospel that we see in Acts? Im not saying these things are wrong, but it is too easy to think that we need to package things up and make it palatable or accessible for people, or what we think accessibility looks like.  Yet Jesus didn't do that, he spoke in words that people could understand, he preached the kingdom and demonstrated it through signs and wonders.  His disciples, and then the early church, did the same.  I really feel we have bought into a lie that we need something different; that Sunday services are not relevant to today.  Yet when I watched Cold Play at Glastonbury the ‘congregation’ had arms lifted high in worship, and were singing along. The lead singer would then preach a message and they would carry on worshipping - it looked just like a modern day service.   We recently embarked on Mobile Mars - taking our Sunday services out into the open air, and before we did, we asked the question should we do something different because we are outside? Yet we felt no, we wanted everyone to see what we do as a church on a Sunday morning, and have the opportunity to see God at work through the power of preaching, musical worship, prophecy, prayer, healing - signs and wonders. So we decided to be obedient and did our Sunday service church gathering how we do it - led by the Holy Spirit and we saw God move powerfully. On the first service we had a guy in his 20’s walk through the park, stop, listen and he stayed for the whole message.  Then when the worship started he went to his car and sat listening to it with his window down.  Another lady came along and engaged with what was going on.  Someone spoke to her at the end and invited her along again.  Another guy walking through the park stopped and listened.  A number of local residence opened their windows and sat listening.  If we did something quiet, or in small groups, if we didn't sing worship to God, or preach an audible message, how would any of them have heard the gospel?  I don’t believe any of them would have stopped, listened and engaged.  Romans 1v16 - says we are not to be ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God unto Salvation. If people cannot see and hear, then they will never know. I strongly believe in the power of the Word through all different mechanisms whether its music, a message, talking to someone, but the gospel needs to be spoken and supernaturally seen.  The vision for Mobile Mars is to take the church service outside so the world can see what we do behind doors and hear and see the Kingdom in action.  God reminded me of George Whitfield who would stand in fields and preach for hours to thousands of people who would come and gather to see what was going on.  So many people came to faith during those times, and many people would manifest the Holy Spirit through shaking, falling down and all sorts.  God honoured the preaching of his word, because the word is Jesus.  It was simple, uncomplicated, and totally reliant on God turning up. Thats my vision for Mobile Mars and I hope that during this time the church is built up and brings others in.   How then will they call on h...

Mars Hill Blog | 23rd May 2017 | General Topics

Let’s Get Real. That’s the message God is giving us. That’s what Authentic Love means. Authentic Love isn't just a snappy title or a cool graphic that has put together: it’s something that is at the heart of God. It’s something that God is wanting us to grasp. It’s something that will change the church and impact our world like no other. The world was turned around by 11 ordinary guys, later passed on to a small church of around 120 who were devoted to Jesus, lived authentically, and cared about others more than themselves, so that the power of the Holy Spirit was at work among them. They knew what it was to get real…...

Mars Hill Blog | 01st January 2017 | General Topics

New Year is often full of new years resolution; some are kept but many are broken.  New diets, New exercise plans.  New ideas and new dreams.  In the midst of all this God is still in the business of making things new - us, and our world.  But how can we live more in the reality of this?   ...

Mars Hill Blog | 29th September 2020 | Religion & Spirituality

Being a Christian isn’t always easy… If we truly want to live for Christ - it costs, we need perseverance, we need to be willing to let go of our life, and as Jesus said - we need to loose our life, if we want to truly find his. I have been asking myself - What Kind of Christians is the church producing today? Are we anything like the picture God had in mind? We want to portray the true gospel, and see real authentic Christians being disciples and looking to make other disciples, who are willing to come and be a living sacrifice and whose delight is Jesus....

Mars Hill Blog | 15th September 2020 | Religion & Spirituality

Have you ever gone though life wondering where God is? It might not be that is was particularly a bad time of life, but you just couldn’t really see what God was doing? This can often be the case both in the good, bad, but also normal parts of life. Have you ever then looked back over that time and as you have looked Suddenly God reveals to you what he was doing, and where he was? All of a sudden you see how God was fully in it?...

Mars Hill Blog | 23rd June 2020 | Religion & Spirituality

What it is to be free. Over the centuries people have fought for freedom - freedom of speech, freedom to vote, freedom to be. I think of the great Christian William Wilberforce - who fought to ban slavery, so that men and woman could be free. But there is something greater at stake here, something bigger than the earthly struggles we face, and that is eternal salvation, eternal freedom - this is the reason Jesus came - to give us life, Jesus came to cut us off from the power of sin, so we could stand right before God forever free....

Mars Hill Blog | 17th June 2020 | Religion & Spirituality

Weakness is not often seen as a positive thing. If you call someone weak it would be seen as an insult, a slight on someones character, as not very nice. Yet the bible encourages us to be weak, because it is in our weakness that God can be strong (2 Cor 12v10)....