Messages – Today's Community Church: Recent Episodes
Messages – Today's Community Church
Listen to the great talks weekly from Dave Belfield and the team at Today\’s Community Church in Wigan, United Kingdom
When two generations collided in the Bible story, strength and wisdom came together.
Ben looks at how the young king Joash and the old prophet Elisha worked together to create the arrow of victory.
When we say "yes" to Jesus, we say "yes" to being part of His family. And we effectively demonstrate that by what we wear. Our garments.
The style of cloth, the pattern, and the fabric all represents our family, our tribe, our company of people, the family of God.
And all the threads in our garments mean something. But what?
Listen in as Chevon explains through our shared history, shared hope, shared future, inheritance, and unity.
Often we think there must be an easier way. But we need to persevere. Problems help develop endurance and strength of character.
Chevon looks at Bible characters who persevered and trusted God, and reveals the incredible blessings this brings.
Often we think there must be an easier way. But we need to persevere. Problems help develop endurance and strength of character.
Chevon looks at Bible characters who persevered and trusted God, and reveals the incredible blessings this brings.
Ben uses the story in 2 Kings 5 of Naamen washing 7 times in the Jordan River to illustrate how trusting God means trusting His process of bringing about His promise to us.
This week, Rachel is asking the question, “Are you willing to be a coat hanger for God?”. God has loaned all of us a gift and he’s asking us to surrender it back to him. The truest act of worship is when we use are gifts to build God’s kingdom.
In his shorts, fresh from running a charity 10k race, Ben talks about running a race with Jesus and what an amazing improvement Jesus can make to our pace and progress.
Are our close friendships helping us to move closer to Jesus or causing us to move further away? We need friends who see what God wants us to be and help shape us into that. "Friends to our future". Rachel helps us to identify these types of friends.
How do we get real rest?
Chevon kicks off a brand new series about the Unforced Rhythms of Grace.
Listen in to discover how Jesus created a way for us to enjoy real rest, and how to enter into it.
Our view of our heavenly Father is often influenced by our view of our earthly father and his characteristics, good and bad. We need a strong fatherly example. So our guest speaker, Michal Apeteur from Brno in the Czech Republic, investigates the great relationship God the Father has with his Son Jesus.
Rachel Calland invites a few members of our community to talk about their prayer lives.
Rachel Calland continues the theme of pursuing prayer - living a life of prayer. Today she talks about how prayer changes things. And particularly how it actually changes us. Prayer powers forgiveness.
Chevon Taylor, Associate Leader of TCC, challenges us to face any disappointment that occurs when our prayers seem ineffective or seem to fall of deaf ears. Dealing with disappointment in our prayer lives is the key to living openly, freely & courageously. It’s time to deal with the elephant in the room before it causes anymore damage.
God’s presence isn’t limited to geography, God’s presence is all around us, but there are certain ways we experience it more, a place or time or experience when we feel God’s presence meet our present. This is our thin space. This week Ben walks through some different ways some of us might experience our thin place and encourages us to pursue the presence of God through prayer.
Chevon kicks off a brand new series on prayer.
Prayer can be as simple as making a cry to God.
You don't have to be good at it.
So what does prayer involve? And how can we pray effectively?
Chevon shows us why prayer is much simpler than sometimes we imagine, and how to have a great prayer life.
We've all had at least one disappointment.
Our guest speaker Jesse Willis looks at some of the disappointments among the early church members and how God worked on their behalf. Then, using a bow and arrow, he demonstrates how and why God can do the same for us when unexpected events and disappointments hit us, and how our reaction can also affect the outcome.
On Father's Day, Ben reminded us that the best example of a man is one who lifts people up instead of putting them down.
There are three postures we can adopt: angry, argumentative, open-handed.
But only the holy-hands people, those with a posture of open hands, are open to receiving from God.
What makes holy hands holy? And how do we change our posture from anger or argumentative to lifting holy hands?
Listen in as Ben gives us some practical pointers.
What's a leader? Who are the good leaders? And who on earth is Jethro?
Sometimes God will require any of us - including you - to step up to a leadership position. And sometimes God brings those people into our lives to help us.
How? And what does that look like?
Rachel takes a look at Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, and how his observation and wise advice helped shape Moses into the brilliant person he became.
And then she challenges us to listen to the "Jethro" God has sent you, or even to become a "Jethro" for others.
In the Bible, Elisha's student lost his axe. He lost his edge.
What happens when we lose our edge? We become blunt. We turn problems into dramas. We might "fly off the handle". We might become resentful.
So how do we keep ourselves sharp? With personal stories, Ben shares how he stays sharp. Enjoy listening to these practical methods that will keep you sharp in life too.
Discipleship is about helping people become mature in Jesus. Spending time with them. Jesus spent time with many people. Many different types of people. And Family Acts is all about being with people. Listen in as Ben shares how to be really good at it.
Our story changes as we journey in life. But the core of the story remains the same.
Steve talks about our stories and convictions, looking at Paul telling his own story of his life journey from terroriser to apostle, and his deepening convictions.
People want to know about us. Why we have changed. What happened to us. Our story.
But how do we tell our story well and with conviction? Steve explains in today's talk.
We see throughout book of Acts how God strengthens and empowers the disciples through the Holy Spirit. In her talk, Chevon Taylor takes a lesson from the art of swimming and how important it is not to hold our breath as we pursue the other side, but adopt a regular rhythm of rest so we can be strengthened and empowered as we go.
Join us as Chevon Taylor leads a panel conversation all about servanthood and recognising how we better understand our purpose as we start with what’s right before us or in our hands. We hear from three of our community on the challenges, experiences and joy that have come from their journey of serving.
Our founding leader, Dave Belfield shared about how we respond when it feels like Jesus isn’t showing up for us, or like He’s late when we need Him the most. Looking at Luke 8 through the story of Jairus’ daughter, Dave shows us that grief often comes before resurrection.
This Sunday, Rachel was joined by a special guest Daniel Eduardo from The Message Trust. Listen as Daniel talks about Festival Manchester, his faith, his mission and his love for spreading the hope found in Jesus.
On Easter Sunday morning, Ben takes a look at the Easter story.
When Jesus enters a situation, he makes it very different.
Ben shares his personal story of when he struggled with mental health, and the change in thinking that brought him back to health. But what helped change Ben's thinking? The incredible Word of God. Listen to how Ben discovered and applied God's promises that brought him freedom.
A personal, helpful and powerful story of hope and a positive future when Jesus enters your situation.
When Jesus enters our life, He changes everything. It's life transforming.
But what happened with the early Christians in the book of Acts when people's lives were being transformed? When allegiance was transferred from Caesar to Jesus, much to the annoyance of the rulers of the day?
They wanted to tell everyone about it because it meant something to them. But following Jesus was going against the culture of the day and often caused them problems.
And what about us today? Rachel talks about presence and proclamation - how we can share the good news about Jesus in words and deeds whilst living a bold authentic life in Jesus and helping people find freedom.
How can we structure life well? And how can we experience God's presence at home?
Ben looks at how the early Christians did that - doing life well with people they loved, with joy and generosity - and shares three things we can do that will result in a good life at home and at church.
Celebrating Mother's Day, Rachel continues the Family Acts theme, investigating the "mothering spirit" and how we can use that to bless the world.
What's the inheritance and legacy we are going to hand down through the generations that will continue to affect others? What things of worth will outlast us and live on?
Listen in as Rachel shares some inspiring stories from her own experiences of motherhood.
Before Jesus ascended to heaven, he gave them a particular direction:
"You will be my witnesses."
But what does that mean? How did it happen? And how does that instruction affect us?
Steve digs into what the disciples saw Jesus doing, how what they saw affected them, and why they said, "We just can't stop talking about what we've seen and heard."
Our purpose, our calling, has a mission. But how is this mission outworked?
Is it a "Mission Impossible" type of thing? Or maybe going on a "Missions Trip" for Jesus. Or is it everyday life with our friends and neighbours?
Chevon defines "mission" and shows us how we can engage with mission in our own community and beyond, working with and empowered by the Holy Spirit and His gifts.
Why do you matter to other people? Why does what you say matter? What's the difference between what you need and what you want?
Kicking off a new series, Ben talks about "family acts". And why he still carries his "mantle" every day. With some true stories about a carpet fitter showing practical kindness, a businessman finding God through his employee, and a couple celebrating 50 years of marriage, Ben tackles these questions in this new series, using some live on-stage chats with a guy in the gym and two friends enjoying a meal in a restaurant.
It's all about the practicalities of taking your mantle on a mission.
Listen in to this funny, moving and challenging talk in the first of the new series of Family Acts.
What’s wisdom? Chevon describes wisdom as the knowledge of God applied; something that needs to be experienced in order to access its blessing.
But how can we get and apply wisdom? And what would wisdom say to us in our own circumstances?
With personal stories and what the Bible says about it, Chevon investigates wisdom – and how we can get and apply it in real life.
And then Chevon shares the results of an experiment she conducted in a situation where she asked God for particular wisdom.
Rachel asks Hayley, Andy and Isaac to share their own stories of how “Marked by the Mantle” has affected them and helped them to live with even greater purpose.
In the penultimate part of series 1 of Marked by the Mantle, Ben talks about the incredible legacy of Elisha. One dead guy returns to life even after Elisha’s death.
But Elisha’s legacy was even more than that: starting a school, feeding the hungry and poor, and leaving everywhere stronger than he found it.
Ben asks us what our legacy will be, challenges us to make it good, and gives us some brilliant tips on how to make it great. And then he makes a declaration over your personal legacy.
Elijah, as he’s taken up in a whirlwind, drops his mantle. So now Elisha has it, and he asks the question, “Where is God?”
Why did he need to ask that question?
Because there’s a delay. And in a delay, often we allow doubt to develop.
So what do we need to do when that happens?
Well, these are the issues that Ben deals with in today’s exciting and encouraging talk about life in 2022.
If you ask God for a double portion… if God wants to give you a double portion… what’s your responsibility?
If we want to double up, we need to double down.
Ben tells us what it means to double down, so that we can be ready for a double portion from God.
After a few years, it became time for Elijah to pass the mantle to Elisha, officially.
Elisha was determined not to leave Elijah until it happened. And when the moment did happen, it was in an unexpected place, in an unexpected way.
With God, the nowhere can become a somewhere special for us too. God has promised He will never leave us.
How? Why? Listen in as Ben digs into why Elisha was determined not to leave Elijah… and what happened as a result.
Ben continues the “Marked By a Mantle” series, featuring Old Testament heroes Elijah and Elisha – about recapturing the purpose of God for our lives.
Last year, with all the changes and restrictions that Covid brought, was a year of reset. But what about this year? Ben tells us exactly what this year is. It’s exciting. And it’s to do with burning ploughs, making changes, and moving forward to our brilliant future.
Beginning a new series, Marked by a Mantle, Ben asks, “Who is Elijah?”
Elijah is a disrupter. But his time is coming to an end, so he finds Elisha to pass his mantle – his cloak – to.
Ben explains the significance of that mantle and how it relates to our lives in 2022. How our mantle makes a way when there is no way. How impossible things can happen when we respond to the call of God; when we partner with God.
Elisha is just a farmer. The Apostle Peter is just a fisherman. But there’s something incredible about what God gives ordinary people when he calls us. Listen in to find out about that “mantle” on your life.
Kicking off 2022 with the first talk in his new role as Senior Leader, Ben looks back at the firm foundation that Dave Belfield built on: the foundation which is Jesus.
Looking at how Jesus reacted, and what people witnessed about Him, Ben encourages us that Jesus remains the same powerful person in our lives in the new year. It’s that problem versus this Jesus.
This is Jesus.
Rachel Calland looks at two characters in the Christmas story: Mary and her cousin Elizabeth. Old Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist; Young Mary was the mother of Jesus.
Rachel looks at the difficulties around those individual family situations, the incredible God-arranged alignment of the families to help each other, how Jesus redefined what family is, and how all that points to how God can use us to help other people in the family of God.
Who is God aligning you with? Who needs you to become their big brother or sister and help or encourage them? That’s what Rachel helps us to find out in today’s podcast.
Moses was adopted. That gave him an advantage. Queen Esther was also adopted. And God used both of these individuals to save His own people.
We also are adopted. We’re adopted into God’s family. But what does that mean for us? And what are the benefits?
With personal stories, looking at what happened at the first Christmas, and investigating Bible principles, Chevon shows us the incredible blessings that adoption brings, both in the natural and the spiritual.
What is a family? And what are the defining factors of a family?
Ben looks at two families: Mary, Joseph and Jesus; and the church family.
And then he looks at what can happen when we put God right at the centre of our family unit.
How do you celebrate and honour your leaders for 25 years of sterling service?
As part of the celebration of Dave and Helen Belfield’s 25 years as Senior Leaders of Today’s Community Church, Ben and Hannah interviewed them and asked some great questions.
You’ll find out what Dave and Helen recollect have been “Standout Moments”, why Dave used brownies and cola one week for communion, hear an excerpt from Dave’s 1980s album, discover Helen’s secrets of living a brilliant life, and find out one thing Dave will never say.