So why would anyone become a Christian? Why would anyone follow Jesus when he wants to tell us what to do and what not to do? What could possibly be so valuable that it would be worth that? Surely, Jesus would just ruin life?

Today were were thinking about this crucial issue at the Covent Garden Talks as Rob Perkins from the London Bridge Network spoke to us about how free we really are (not as much as we like to think) and how actually, giving everything to Jesus is the only true freedom we can ever have.

Intruiged? Listen now to today’s Covent Garden Talk.

Without the reality of the resurrection Christianity is a myth and a total waste of time. This isn’t my take on the issue, it’s the Bible’s (read 1 Corinthians 15 if you don’t believe me).

So why am I still typing? Why are we planning the program for Covent Garden Talks for the coming months? Because there is every reason to believe that the resurrection is as much a fact of history as the Battle of Waterloo, the Queen’s Coronation or the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht (‘Obscure’ I hear you say, true, you’ll need to listen to the talk for more details).

This week at Covent Garden Talks we were listening to testimony, the accounts of a whole hosts of different sources, which all attest to the same truth. Jesus really was dead. And he really did rise to life again. And that really, really matters.

Listen now to this week’s Covent Garden Talk (including question time) by clicking here.

This week we kicked off by tackling the apparently exclusivity of Jesus – is he really the only way?

In a vibrant area like Covent Garden, in a cosmopolitan city like London, with so many different philosophies and beliefs, surely it’s just arrogant nonsense to claim that something, or someone, is the single, right answer when it comes to knowing how to get to God.

Yet, it’s not Christians who have decided this, as we saw today, it’s Jesus himself who makes that claim. And it’s a claim which, when we explore it further, is maybe not quite so absurd or offensive as we might think…

Kev Murdoch was speaking to us and you can listen to the talk, and the subsequent Q&A, by clicking here.

It’s a pretty difficult thing to accept, that it could the case that there is just one route to God, especially when there seem to be so many competing suggestions, alternative ways to travel to the almighty. Surely getting to God is like getting to Birmingham…only more exciting when you get there! (No offence Brummie friends!)

It’s not at all surprising that when Christians claim that Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the way, that people get upset. It sounds like an assertion of absolutely breathtaking arrogance.

So why do Christians say that? And could it possibly be right? And how does how we answer that question affect how we should think about Jesus?

Whoever you are, and whatever you believe, we’re really looking forward to thinking through the issue this week as Kev Murdoch speaks to us. We really hope you can join us.

We’re doing this, not out of some sort of idle, intellectual curiosity, but because we believe that Jesus is the single most important figure in all of history and therefore that there is no-one and nothing more crucial that we and our colleagues could think about!

We hope that the talks will provide a great opportunity for people to invite, discuss and think through with friends and colleagues who Jesus was, what he did and why it matters.

But the idea of doing that is often fraught with trepidation. What should we expect if we try and raise the subject of Jesus with people we know?

So to help us, Kev Murdoch this week at the lunchtime talk spoke on preparing for mission from Luke’s gospel as we get, from Jesus himself, a guide on what to do and what to expect. You can listen to the talk now by clicking here.

Hopefully we’ll be able to revisit the subject soon.

Whatever you think of him, his impact is absolutely undeniable.

But, given that, what should we think of him? Today, in 2013, in London, does he still matter? When I think about my own life and the people who should be the most important person in that, can the answer really be Jesus?

Is what I’ve heard about him – those famous old stories – really true? Does what popular opinion says of him now actually reflect the real Jesus?

Whoever we are, given who he was and how massive a influence he still is, we should know what we think about Jesus. So during the month of May we’re going to be asking some of the really big questions of Jesus – we hope you’ll join us as we look for answers.

You can view the flyers with all the details here.

Amidst all the words spoken about Thatcher it is, as is so often the case with these things, striking to hear from people who actually knew her and so who can give an insight into her as a person, not just as a political set of ideas.

Amidst all of the discussion, all of the frenzy of ideas and opinions about Jesus, who he was, what he stood for, whether we should care about him anymore – how are we to know what to think?

In John 7 we find ourselves at a festival, in amongst a fast paced melee of people, surrounded by the noise of public opinion, hearsay and intrigue. John wants us to show us that lots and lots and lots of people have always had lots and lots and lots to say about Jesus, but that much of it is not worth listening to. Actually, if we want to figure Jesus out, then the best way is probably to take some time out with the man himself…

You can listen to the talk now by clicking here.

You can also view the Truth at Work notes on these verses by clicking here.

And here are some questions you might like to chew over as you consider this passage.

Questions

1) What does Jesus mean when he speaks about ‘his time not yet having come’?
2) What are the major questions that people ask about Jesus in this chapter? How would you answer them?
3) How does Nicodemus’ input in v50-51 help us to know what John wants us to do as we witness the division over Jesus?

Jesus Christ has been provoking even stronger reactions for hundreds and hundreds of years – and the discussion shows no sign of abating.

Why is that? And why is it that John, Jesus’ best friend, has gone to the trouble of recording it for us in his gospel? Doesn’t exactly seem like the finest way to pay tribute!

But John wants us to see that Jesus demands a decision, his claims, his life and his death are simply too huge, too important to be simply shrugged off.

We are at the heart of the discussion as we see people’s responses to Jesus in John 6&7 and today at the lunchtime talk we though about the causes of this in John 6:60-71. You can listen to the talk now by clicking here.

You can also view the Truth at Work notes on these verses by clicking here.

And here are some questions you might like to chew over as you consider this passage.

Questions

1. Why do you think Jesus so divides opinion in these verses?
2. Why do you think Jesus still divides opinion so much now?
3. Where do you stand on Jesus? 

However, the best bit was not all that – all of which is fading even as I type – but the time we were able to spend together thinking about ‘feeding on Jesus’ as, in John 6, he talks about the first Easter before it even happens and tells us why, far from just being a nice break in the spring, it’s the most important thing that’s ever happened, in all of eternity.

And the good news is, you can hear a little bit about that by listening now to the short talk we had during the event. Just click here.

‘Easter Eats’ is slightly different from our normal Thursday as it’s more of a lunch with a short talk than a lunchtime talk (if that makes sense!) Lunch will be served around tables and, as well as the usual high class sarnies, will include a range of hot cross buns and some chocolatey Easter treats as well.

There’ll be plenty of time to chat, relax and enjoy the food and there will also be a shorter than normal talk – just 12mins or so – on why Easter is so important. We’ll be doing this from John 6, so carrying on in our series in John’s gospel, as Jesus talks to the crowd about the cross.

This will be a great week to invite any friends and colleagues along, we hope it’ll be every bit as relaxed and enjoyable as a carol service (though more food, no singing!) and a great introduction for anyone wanting to get to grips with why we celebrate Easter the way we do by hearing what Jesus himself has to say about it.

Lunch will be just £3 as normal but there’ll be plenty of it so don’t snack too much on Thursday morning!

See you there!

But it’s not just the small things that are gradually fading. It’s the big things; our work, our relationships, our health. This relentless decay is enough to make you ask, if that’s all I’ve got to live and work for, what’s the point?

In John 6 Jesus addresses that question as he speaks to the crowd, the crowd who want him to be the king of today, but aren’t willing to trust him for forever. Jesus gives them, and us, a stark choice, between two types of food, two meals, two lives;  click here to listen now to today’s talk. Or, for previous talks in the series, click here.

Christians in the City have produced some comprehensive notes on John’s Gospel. Each week we post the brief summary for the relavant passage however check the site out for more detailed notes available free of charge. For the Truth-At-Work summary notes on this week’ passage, please click here. 

Here are some questions you might want to use to think more about the passage or if you’re reading it along with someone else;

1)        How perishable or permanent do you think the things of this life are?  How does talk of ‘bread’ here show this?
2)        In what ways is Jesus like Moses in this chapter? In what ways is Jesus better than Moses?
3)        What does it mean to ‘work’ for food that endures?
4)        How do you respond to Jesus’ offer to do this work and receive the gift of perfect, true, filling life in return?

We see in John 6, as Jesus first miraculously feeds the crowds and then miraculously escapes from them as he walks on water, that Jesus isn’t aiming for any kind of earthly kingdom and he doesn’t want followers who simply seek him because of what they can get from him now, he wants people to come to him as God, to listen to him and believe in him for life in eternity.

So if what you want from Jesus is food, health and success in this life, then you’ve massively under-estimated how much he really wants to give you. The wrong response to a miraculous meal: Click here to listen now to today’s talk. Or, for previous talks in the series, click here.

Christians in the City have produced some comprehensive notes on John’s Gospel. Each week we post the brief summary for the relavant passage however check the site out for more detailed notes available free of charge. For the Truth-At-Work summary notes on this week’ passage, please click here. 

Two questions you might want to use to think more about the passage or if you’re reading it along with someone else;

1)        What does the feeding of the five thousand and the walking on the water show us about who Jesus is?
2)       What is right about the reaction of the people…and what have they not understood?

The charge: a) Claiming to be God, b) Claiming to offer eternal life, c) Claiming the right to judge all people

The jury: You

The verdict: True? / False?

The case for Jesus’ defence: Click here to listen now to today’s talk. Or, for previous talks in the series, click here.

Christians in the City have produced some comprehensive notes on John’s Gospel. Each week we post the brief summary for the relavant passage however check the site out for more detailed notes available free of charge. For the Truth-At-Work summary notes on this week’ passage, please click here. 

Three questions you might want to use to think more about the passage or if you’re reading it along with someone else;

1)        What sort of evidence do you think is needed to prove that Jesus really is the Son of God?
2)        Who are the different witnesses that Jesus calls on in these verses?
3)        How comprehensive is Jesus’ case here? How compelling do you find it?

And yet Jesus is far from universally loved and admired today…and he wasn’t when he was alive either. As we look at these chapters of John’s gospel we see people’s reactions to Jesus, most of which are not good. And here in John 5:1-29 we see a very negative response to him as the Jewish leaders are so disgusted / threatened by him that they want to put a permanent stop to him and his work.

And we also see why this is so important. Because our reaction to Jesus determines everything, forever; eternal life or eternal judgement. A stark, shocking but very clear conclusion from the mouth of Jesus Christ.

This is not necessarily a comfortable place for us to be, as John’s gospel gives us a thorough ‘belief diagnosis’ but, just like the trip to the doctor, we’ll be glad we made the effort if the consultation proves the difference between life and death.

Click here to listen now to today’s talk. Or, for previous talks in the series, click here.

For the Truth-At-Work notes on this passage, please click here. 

Three questions you might want to use to think more about the passage or if you’re reading it along with someone else;

1)      What does the healing at the pool show us about Jesus’ power and identity?
2)      Why are the Jews so opposed to Jesus? How can we be prone to respond like this?
3)      What do you like / dislike about Jesus in this passage?
4)      How should we respond to what Jesus is saying in v19-29? 

The answer might well surprise and challenge the way that we think about sex, but not necessarily in the ways you might expect.

To find out why God might think you should have more sex, or maybe no sex at all, why London isn’t as sex-crazed as you might think and to hear what hungry stomachs, Ant and Dec and Gin and Tonic have to do with it…listen now!

However I wonder if you’ve ever thought about taking up a new habit for lent? For example, how’s about a daily Bible reading time, to help you reflect and understand the Easter story and the cross more richly and deeply than ever before?

Why not start each day at work with 5  minutes in God’s word and praying, dedicating each day in the office to Him? This lent reading guide, ‘Journey to the Cross’ provides a great way to do just that.

You can still give up taking the tube to work and walk instead for the next month or so, but the biggest change could come through something you start doing on Ash Wednesday instead.

Suffering is not in doubt. As Christians we believe that God is not in doubt. But do we doubt the two can fit together?

Is God unfeeling toward a world in pain? Or is God agonised but impotent to do anything about it?

Listen now to today’s CGT as Kev Murdoch shows us the not always easy, but ultimately glorious answer, from John 11.

We spend more of our waking lives in our workplaces (and on the tubes, buses, bikes that get us there) than anywhere else in the world. But what should our attitude be to the daily grind? Should Christians be people who clock in and clock out, living for the weekend? Should we be people whose work is valuable because of the money we earn and therefore the support we can be to family, friends and gospel work? Is the measure of Christian success in the workplace the measure of the amount of evangelism that gets done?

These are big questions and so this year, on Saturday 27 April, we’re going to spend a day thinking about them together. (You’ll spend over 200 days at work, so maybe spending 1 day thinking about work isn’t so bad!)

We know that people who come to the talks are spread all over and around London so, to make transport as easy as possible we go ‘away’ to…the City! However the location, St Andrews Undershaft, is in a great spot at the heart of the gleaming towers of the Square Mile and has been recently extensively refurbished.

All the information for the day can be found through the Regulars page.

To sign up email: info(at)coventgardentalks.co.uk

Each evening will start at 7.15 and run until 8.45.

To pool resources we run our Christianity Explored courses in association with Euston Church and Euston Area Talks so there’ll be lots of friendly faces around!

Full details here.