Light in the Darkness

God’s people are called to be faithful to Him, even through the hardest times. The stories of Daniel and Esther, exiles in a foreign land, show us how God can help us do this and what it might look like in our lives today.

Preparation and Proving May 2, 2021 \| Matthew Clifton-Brown Christ-followers need to be light in the darkness in this world without losing our passion and devotion to Him. Here Matt picks out three “P”s from the story of Daniel being exiled to Babylon to help us see how we can interact with the culture we’re in without losing our integral relationship with Christ. Daniel 1 - Preparation and Proving - Small Group Notes 103.91 KB - Daniel-1-Preparation-and-Proving.pdf To download, right click here and use 'Save Link As...'
Gifts That Reveal God's Purpose May 9, 2021 \| Luke Davydaitis In Daniel 2:1-13, King Nebuchadnezzar makes a seemingly impossible demand; nobody but Daniel is able to fulfil it, and purely by the power of God. This week, Luke talks about how we can also use God’s gifts to have seemingly impossible encounters that glorify Him in our daily lives. To download, right click here and use 'Save Link As...'
Bringing God's Kingdom Through Our Work May 16, 2021 \| Raphael Mrode God has made us to be his lights in the world, and one vital way many of us can do this is in our place of work. Raphael uses the example of Daniel’s interpretation of dreams in Daniel 2:31-45, and also his own experiences of God in his field of work, to talk about how we can do this. To download, right click here and use 'Save Link As...'
A People of Principle May 23, 2021 \| King's Church In this message looking at Daniel 3, Nathanael shares how we can remain a people of principle in a culture that wants us to worship anything other than God. Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego recognised where their pressures were coming from, but they resisted quietly and relied on God, who delivered them from the fiery furnace. As Christians, we are similarly called to live differently and, in doing so, discover God’s strength in us through our trials. PJ Smyth’s sermon on healing, that he references, can be found here. Daniel 3: A People of Principle - Small Group Notes 95.68 KB - Daniel-3-A-People-of-Principle.pdf To download, right click here and use 'Save Link As...'
The Priority of Prayer May 30, 2021 \| Chris Rawson This week, Chris talks about one of the most well-known stories in the book of Daniel: Daniel in the lion’s den. This incident in Daniel’s life shows us the power of persistent prayer and why prayer should be a constant priority in our lives. The Priority of Prayer - Small Group Notes 247.95 KB - The-Priority-of-Prayer-Small-Group-Notes-Chris-Rawson.pdf To download, right click here and use 'Save Link As...'
Living the Nightmare June 13, 2021 \| Luke Davydaitis Daniel 7 records a terrifying vision that Daniel was given to show him the world he was living in and the hope of God’s ultimate triumph. Christians need to be aware of what is going on around us and behind the scenes, and confident in what Jesus has done and will do. (In response to Luke’s sermon, we played this excellent 90s version of Ancient of Days. Click the link, turn it up loud, sing & dance along!) Living the Nightmare - Small Group Notes 136.71 KB - Living-the-Nightmare.pdf To download, right click here and use 'Save Link As...'
Finding God in Your Story June 20, 2021 \| Luke Davydaitis The story of Esther describes a desperate situation which God powerfully changes and yet He never speaks, does no dramatic miracles, and in fact is never even named. It’s a great encouragement to us that He is always working and we can work with Him. Finding God in Your Story - Small Group Notes 127.56 KB - Finding-God-in-Your-Story.pdf To download, right click here and use 'Save Link As...'
The Evaluation That Matters June 27, 2021 \| Dan Hudson Dan takes us through the story of Daniel’s translation of the writing on the wall that appeared before King Belshazzar. The stark warning the king received reminds us to commit each day to God, and to do everything to make sure our faith is thriving – aligning our `what matters’ with what matters to God! The Evaluation That Matters - Small Group Notes 112.66 KB - The-Evaluation-That-Matters.pdf To download, right click here and use 'Save Link As...'