Gospel | Gospel in the City

The Call of the Kingdom: for the many or the few?

12th September 2017

For our first autumn series of short Bible readings and talks we are looking at Luke’s Gospel, chapters 13-15, under the title: The Call of the Kingdom: for the many or the few?

At this busy time of year we’re praying that these talks will refocus our priorities for life in the workplace.

In the first passage in this section a man asks Jesus, “will those who are saved be many or few?” (Luke 13:23) It wasn’t an academic question! Is the kingdom of God basically for a few hardened believers, or is open to everyone? If everyone’s invited, why aren’t more people embracing it?

Join us on Wednesday lunchtimes as we discover how Jesus responds.

13 Sept – For the many or the few? Luke 13:22-35
20 Sept – Discipleship and the greasy pole Luke 14:1-24
27 Sept – Come to the party! Luke 14:1-24
4 Oct – You need a plan Luke 14:25-35
11 Oct – Lost and found Luke 15
18 Oct – The heart of God Luke 15

Each week we’ll also be including a short slot that aims to equip us very practically for living as a Christian in the workplace. This autumn we are focusing on 10 tips for everyday evangelism from New York pastor Tim Keller.

Everyone who is in the city centre is very welcome to join us on Wednesday lunchtimes at 1:10, upstairs in Caffe Nero on Fountain St.

A copy of a flyer for this series is available to view and download here. Feel free to share this with anyone you know who may be interested.

Kingdom Secrets

20th June 2017

During June at Gospel in the City we’re returning to Mark’s gospel for a 4 part series we’re calling “Kingdom Secrets”. Focusing on chapters 3 and 4, we’ll see how Jesus is rejected by people, including his own family, and how he begins to build a new family in God’s kingdom.

We will be thinking about our witness in the workplace by answering the question “if Jesus is God why don’t more people believe in him?” through four key passages:

7 June: “Far from the madding crowd” (Mark 3:6-21)
14 June: “The strong man bound” (Mark 3:20-35)
21 June: “The four soils” (Mark 4:1-20)
28 June: “The secret word” (Mark 4:21-34)

Lent Bible Readings: The Controversial Christ

6th March 2017

In the run-up to Easter, we are returning to Mark’s Gospel after a couple of months’ break. After the excitement and enthusiasm of the early days of Jesus’ public ministry, the mood has turned sour as Jesus is challenged again and again about his unique claims.

We’re going to be looking at five “conflict stories” in Mark 2-3. In each we’ll see how Jesus’ claims are at the same time wonderfully good news and strangely controversial. Ultimately, we’ll see that Jesus’ commitment to bringing life sets in motion the events that lead to his death.

08 Mar The Christ who blasphemes Mark 2:1-12
15 Mar The Christ who eats with sinners Mark 2:13-17
22 Mar The cutting-edge Christ Mark 2:18-22
29 Mar Christ the law-breaker Mark 2:23-28
05 Apr The Christ you want to kill Mark 3:1-6
12 Apr Dead Man Walking: the Case for the empty tomb

This series will be great for anyone exploring what Jesus’ life was all about, and there will lots for Christians to chew on as we consider together what it means to follow a controversial Christ.

Our speakers for this series are Moore Casement (Cornhill Belfast), Sam Bostock (Union College), Christoph Ebbinghaus (Kirkpatrick Memorial Presbyterian Church) and Jim Crooks (the Crescent Church). The series will finish in Easter week with a special talk from Stephen Shaw QC, “Dead Man Walking: the Case for the empty tomb” (12 April).

A copy of a flyer for this series is available to view and download here. Feel free to share this with anyone you know who may be interested.

Songs of Advent

28th November 2016

From “Away in a Manger” to Wham!, Christmas has always been a time for singing – and that’s especially true of the first Christmas. The early pages of St. Luke’s Gospel almost read like a musical as a teenage mum and a dying man sing for joy. The songs they sang are now beloved parts of the daily liturgy in both Catholic and Protestant churches. But what was it about the first Christmas that made these people so joyful? And could the joy of that first Christmas come to our workplaces this Christmas? Join us on Wednesday lunchtimes as we explore these Advent Songs:

30/11 What makes Mary special? (the Magnificat, part 1)
7/12 How to put the revolution back into Christmas (the Magnificat, part 2)
14/12 How to get everything you’ve ever wanted this Christmas (the Nunc Dimittis)

We will then finish off the advent season with a Gospel in the City Carol Service on Tuesday 20 December, 1:10-1:50pm in Urban Soul (May St Church). We’ll enjoy singing a few traditional carols and hear a short message from Christoph Ebbinghaus. Could you invite your office for a pre-Christmas trip out?

Speaking with Authority

2nd October 2016

speakingwithauthority

Some people, and some messages, seem to command a hearing. For most of the last two thousand years, in most of the world, Jesus and his message of the good news of God have created just such a response. The gospel writer Mark tells us that at the beginning of his public ministry Jesus went into Galilee saying “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

In the crowded religious marketplace of 1st century Palestine, Jesus was immediately recognised as a uniquely authoritative voice. Since then few people have felt able to ignore Jesus’ message. But perhaps in Belfast today we find it harder to understand exactly why the people who first heard Jesus asked themselves, “What is this? A new teaching with authority!” (Mark 1:22)

In this series of four lunchtime Bible readings in the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel, we’re aiming to go back to those heady early days of Jesus’ ministry and see for ourselves what it was that made Jesus and his gospel so compelling.

12th Oct The Voice of God (Mark 1:1-11)

19th Oct A top line summary of the entire Bible (Mark 1:12-15)

26th Oct Listen to the boss! (Mark 1:16-34)

2nd Nov Words of life (Mark 1:35-45)

Speakers:

Sam Bostock (Gospel in the City)

Moore Casement (Cornhill Training Course, Belfast)

Martyn Cowan (Union Theological College, Belfast)

Join us upstairs in Caffe Nero on Fountain St (1 min from City Hall), 1:10-1:40pm, for lunch, a reading from Mark’s Gospel and a short talk. Sandwiches are available (suggested donation £3).

What on earth are we doing?

31st August 2016

whatoneartharewedoingweb

What on earth are we doing? It’s a question any thinking person asks themselves from time to time. It’s a question that we can often find ourselves asking about our working lives. And it’s also a question we’re bound to be asking as the Gospel in the City network begins its life. What on earth are we doing?

Those are questions that the Bible can help us with. In our first talk series at Gospel in the City we’re going to be looking the answers Jesus Christ gives in John’s Gospel. In chapter 15 Jesus is spending his final evening with his closest followers before his arrest and execution. Facing life without their leader, Jesus’ friends are asking exactly this question: what on earth are we doing?

Jesus comforts his friends by giving them an image that would become famous: of a vine and its branches. As we seek to understand what Jesus meant, we’ll explore what it means to live fruitful lives and how all of that might apply to our working lives in Belfast.

Hope you can join us!

21st Sept – What on earth are we doing being Christians?
28th Sept – What on earth are we doing at work?

Wednesday lunchtimes, 1:10-1:40pm, upstairs in Caffè Nero, Fountain Street. Sandwiches available (suggested donation £3).

Image adapted from MarkDoliner on Flickr, by permission.