Life Church Southampton

What is the the ultimate purpose of Man? The Westminster Shorter Catechism answers, 'Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.' If God himself is the purpose of our lives, how do we choose and prioritise what we say yes to?

Having looked at how far humans have fallen from their original status and purpose as the pinnacle of God’s creation, made to reflect his very image, Esther now looks at how that original status can possibly be restored - and it’s not by anything that can be accomplished by human means!

Although humanity was created as the pinnacle of God’s creation, made in His image, Genesis 3 reveals how corruption and evil entered the world—not through chance or fate, but through our own deliberate choices.

Human beings are distinct in all of creation. Only mankind is made in the image of God. What does this mean for our identity and the way we live life on purpose?

If we try to sort out our own sense of purpose, believing it to be a narrow tightrope we can easily miss, then we place an unhelpful weight of burden on every decision we face. In this series we look to what the Bible teaches about identity, eternity and purpose.

Eustace Tackie-Otoo joins us from Grace Community Church, Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana. Eustace helps us to see our wider mission as a church belonging to a family of churches like Commission. We see that God's purposes for His church extend way beyond our own immediate activities and area, and the part which we play in all of that.

Here Chris considers how care is outworked both in the broader church community as well as within smaller groups. Abigail also explains how the Life Groups work at Life Church, and the pastoral benefits of belonging to one.

Life is filled with trials of every kind. Only Jesus is the Rock who remains faithful and able to help each of us in times of trouble. We build our lives on Him, the Son of the Living God.

The Bible encourages us to care for one another. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we are called to welcome, encourage, build up and bear with others in love.

This message looks to the New Testament and the early church as our model for those who 'shepherd', care for and oversee the flock.

This year two interns have volunteered their time for Life Church whilst undertaking Commission's Theology for Life and Intern training. This week they each bring a message shaped by what God has been revealing more to them over the past year.

In Acts 8 we see the good news about Jesus being shared and salvation coming to the Ethiopian official who immediately believes and is baptised in the name of Jesus. The message of salvation in Jesus is a truly global message for all.

Since the early church began there has been persecution against those who proclaim the gospel, and persecution remains commonplace in much of the world today. But, God is building His church and the message continues to spread. What should our response be like?

Race, gender, class, and many other social categories intersect to shape our experiences of both privilege and oppression. As we consider this Intersectionality and it’s effect on us and those around us, we look to Jesus who has ultimate privilege and power, yet chose to serve and sacrifice.

Authentic church is a people who have witnessed Jesus, and who share that witness with others. We are not alone in this as the Spirit also witnesses. The witness of the church and the Spirit cannot be stopped.

The holiness and purity of God must be taken seriously. The church is a place of acceptance and grace, where dishonesty and hypocrisy have no place. Confession and forgiveness lead to authentic fellowship. In this message Chris helps us see how to avoid offending God and harming the church.

This Sunday we gave to our Life Church Gift Day. Reading from Acts 4, Si Munsie addressed the relationship we have both with God and with the 'stuff' around us. The early church had been so radically effected by the grace they had received in Christ that it had wonderfully changed their relationship with their belongings. By grace, the same can be true for us.

It is the presence of Jesus in our lives that leads us to live extraordinary lives with extraordinary moments of breakthrough through the power of the Holy Spirit and prayer.

In this message Jon helps us what an authentic church looks like when engaging with those in poverty, be it economic, relational, aspirational or spiritual poverty. In Christ, we are empowered by the Spirit to bring good news to the poor.

We celebrate the great diversity of the church, because we are united together in Christ! On this occasion we look at generosity, both within our own church and across churches and nations - giving generously for the sake of the gospel.