Advertise on podcast: The City Church Traralgon

Mother's Day 2026 Mother's can have an overwhelming feeling of responsibility when they bring new life into the world. A mother's desire is to raise good citizens. People often pray during a crisis. People often turn to 'something' because we have been created by HIm and our days are ordained by Him. There is much rejoicing in heaven over one lost sheep! We can turn to Him because we are loved and accepted, just as you are. The man on the cross had nothing to offer, and yet Jesus said, 'come.'

Jesus spent many hours with his disciples and they knew he was their master. They had seen miracles after miracles and yet we see in Luke 8:22-25 that they lacked faith when a fierce storm arose. We are often like those disciples and think that we can just do it on our own. But faith is a stubborn refusal to doubt WHO Jesus is and what he can do. Jesus is in our boat and we have no need to fear what the enemy is doing. God is much greater and has all the authority.

What will it take for you to be all in for Jesus? Jesus doesn't want just parts of us. What do you need to surrender to Him so that you can follow him with your whole heart?

How has the resurrection of Jesus changed your life? The disciples went from powerlessness to faith - to receiving power from the Holy Spirit to carry on the work of Jesus. We carry the authority of Jesus, to do more than He did, because when He went back to the father - He sent the Holy Spirit. Yes we will have trouble in this world. But we are overcomers because Jesus overcame the world and sent the Holy Spirit in power to help us.

The week after resurrection Sunday is perhaps the most important week of all. The disciples went from people who had lost their faith, to people who died for it. What happened to change their direction?

We live in a world obsessed with proof. We seek evidence before we believe. What would it take for you to believe that someone could rise from the dead? Historians believed Jesus existed. Athiests and secular scholars believe he was a real person. Critics agree that the tomb was empty. The message of Jesus exploded in the city where he was buried. All they had to do was produce a body and it would have been all over. But they could not........ Jesus appeared to over 500 people and many of those were so convinced that they saw him, that they died for it. No-one dies for a dead person! Jesus is no longer a person to study in history. He is a person to know.

This is the Year of the Build Vision Sunday

When Nehemiah began to work on the wall, it was not without immense opposition. From mockery to intimidation, everything was thrown at him to bring him down from the great purpose for which he had been called. When we begin to build what God asks us to build, opposition is guaranteed. In fact, 'the enemy does not waste his time fighting work that does not matter.' Nehemiah's response to opposition was first prayer, then he continued to build with a brick in one hand and a sword in the other. He combined faith and practical responsibility, by recognising that he was in a spiritual battle. Nehemiah made it very clear to those that opposed him, that 'I have a great work to do, and I will not come down.' But he did not do this alone. He knew God would protect him and he called families to stand together and build with a brick in one hand and a sword in the other. Together they remained focused on God's call, fought against distraction, disunity, gossip and division, trusting God until the work was completed. And we have been called to do the same.

Nehemiah's burden was so great that the king saw it. Showing emotion before the king had the penalty of death, but Nehemiah, even though he was afraid, did not let fear stop him. God moved through Nehemiah's prayers and he was granted his request to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls. He shared with the officials all that God had been doing who encouraged the people to build with him. We come together as the body of Christ to be a part of what God wants us to do. It's not one person's building project! Don't let fear stop you from building all that God has for you.

Nehemiah did not start with bricks - he started with brokenness. He started with a burden to have God use him. We need to do the same and start with a burden of intercession, believing that our prayers change the atmosphere. Nehemiah, a cup bearer to the king, heard that the walls of jeruslam were torn down and he wept to the Lord. His first actions was not planning or organising, it was prayer. "You don't build what you don't weep over." The burden isn't just to make us heavy, but to motivate us to pray and weep for what God has called us to do. Will you pick up the burden of prayer?

Ps Steve Mazey, our Acts Global National Leader, brings a powerful message about faith. Faith is simply believing what God says. Abraham did this and it was credited to him as righteousness. Mark 8:22-26 talks about a blind man in Bethsaida who was brought to Jesus, in what seemed to be an attempt to trap Him. This man was pulled from nowhere, whether he wanted to be healed or not. He never expressed faith; did he want to be prayed for? It's easy to fall into unbelief, especially when we experience hurt and rejection. Sometimes we are blind to what is going on around us, even though we still may love God. We need a community of people around us to help lift us out of unbelief. Jesus was working in the blind man's life; moving from unbelief, to expectation. So often we expect God to do something the way we want it done. But God doesn't do thing our way. Jesus spat in the blind man's eyes, something that was offensive and unexpected. Sometimes God needs to offend us so that He can work in our lives and reveal the things he needs to work on. The blind man may not have had faith, but in His grace and mercy, Jesus moved anyway.

'Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness, for they will be filled.' When we have been emptied, and the only place left is a deep longing and thirst for Him - Jesus says we will be filled. We live in a culture that has a casual desire for God. But when we fully hunger for Him, and He fills us, we have an 'overflow' that is not just for us. It's not a casual desire, but a hunger that consumes us and we realize that we cannot live without Him. When we come to the end of ourselves, there Jesus meets us and fills us. Not as a one off. But continual. What are we asked to be hungry for? Righteousness - a right relationship with God.

Even when we think it's the end, there is always a little bit more. We can let things slip through our hands and feel disappointed and discouraged, but Christ holds us in HIs hand - NO MATTER WHAT. Jesus tells us that in this world we will have trouble but not to worry, because He has overcome the world. We will all have storms in our lives, but regardless of the situation, Jesus offers us His 'peace.' 'The storm can rage - and we can fight against it. It will amount to nothing until we allow Jesus to say, "Peace."'

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Jesus relates to humanity. In this passage, Jesus doesn't say that those who are without challenges will be blessed. He says that when we face deep soul challenges - we are blessed!! Why? Because Jesus said that He will come 'close' to the brokenhearted. Jesus offers us a trade. Give me your brokenness, and I will give you my comfort. Jesus was not immune to pain and loss, He felt the depth of it all. And He didn't run from it - but gained victory over it. Jesus wants us to process grief and hurt - and He enters it with us - because He has the comfort - and the victory. Comfort is a person. On the other side of giving God our pain, is something only the Holy Spirit can give, that is, peace and joy. One day, tears will be wiped from our eyes. There will be no more death or saddness. Until then, comfort is available.

God has not called us to be set apart or segregated fromthe world, but we are set apart TO God inthe world. We live in the world, but not of the world. We have been called to be different, and stand out. The world demands conformity, and we feel the pressure of that. But God tells us not to conform, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. How do we do this and not conform to the ways ofthe world? How do we be a friend to a non-believer, without compromising the principlesand morals that God has set before us to protect us? We take a look at how Jesus became a 'friend' of sinners, not by becoming one of them, but by loving, understanding and revealing who He was to them.