Northside Church - Sydney

Imagine a group of friends try to start a business. Instead of playing to their strengths they compare themselves to each other. Effective? Not so much. What if each member of our church community played the unique part God has given them, so that together we create a symphony so beautiful it resounds throughout our city?

Every minute you spend comparing yourself to someone else is a minute you waste fulfilling your God-given potential. Could it be that God has entrusted more to you than you realise, and that what you have is less important than what you do with what you have?

We all look to something or someone to find out who we are and whether we are enough. What or who is your mirror, and how is it shaping your life and contribution to the world?

"If you want to matter, you have to be better." Sound familiar? It's easy to find ourselves exhausted from judging our value on whether we are "higher" or "lower" than others on the various ladders we climb. What if we could be free of the comparison trap?

Many of us want to have lives of impact, but so often find ourselves held back despite having the best intentions. How can we step forward to put our intentions into action and make a lasting difference in the world around us?

Our words have an enormous impact on our lives and those around us, hugely powerful in shaping the "sound" of our lives. What do you want people to hear when they listen to your life? What do you want to be known for? Will your sound be one that points people to God?

William Paul Young, author of The Shack, speaks with raw honesty about the breathtaking depths of God's love and acceptance that brought him out of the debilitating grip of shame and into a life of love and wholeness.

It's vital to erect guard rails around our hearts because an unguarded heart can overpower our most guarded behaviour.

If there’s one area of life we can stray off course it’s with our money. If we don’t live carefully we can find ourselves in a place where we don’t just have money but money has us. That’s why it’s essential to establish guard rails with our finances. Speaker: Sam Haddon Reading: Matthew 6:22-30

Guard rails keep vehicles from straying into dangerous or off-limit areas. If there's one area in which personal guard rails are most needed but also most resisted, it's in our relationships. Speaker: Sam Haddon Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

Have you ever met someone that later you wish you had never met? Some of our biggest regrets in life involve people, because people have the power to take us off course. That’s why we need guardrails in our friendships. Reading: Proverbs 13:20 Speaker: Emily Hopkins

Guard rails. They’re everywhere but they don’t get much attention… until somebody hits one. Ever wonder what it would be like to have guard rails in certain areas of your life? Parenting. Friendships. Finances. They sound restrictive but what if the true freedom they bring makes life better?

Excitement was in the room as we heard from Kristyn Haddon on Mother’s Day 2018. Kristyn shared the significance of how women have always been among Jesus’ disciples and are part of His movement of making disciples. Speaker: Kristyn Haddon Reading: Luke 8:1-3; Matthew 28:18-20

They are constantly a point of confusion, even contention amongst Christians. They were back then. They are today. What are 'Spiritual Gifts' and how does the Holy Spirit use them for the purposes of blessing the church and world around us? Speaker: Sam Haddon Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Do you know what it’s like to be filled with joy? Do you experience genuine peace regardless of your life circumstances? Do you consistently respond with kindness no matter what you receive from others? Who Does? Yet, we sometimes get caught up in everything that God wants us to do, that we lose sight of who God wants us to be. Do you know the difference? Speaker: Sam Haddon Reading: Galatians 5:16-26

Did you ever have someone say "don't do that, you know better"? In this message we'll see that Christians have the freedom to do "whatever the heck we want"… and yet, should we? Speaker: Sam Haddon Reading: Romans 8:12-17

Christianity is not a set of rules or regulations, it's a power that changes you from the inside out. Speaker: Emily Hopkins Reading: Romans 8:1-11

What if what was missing in your spiritual life was not something, but someone? It's too easy to reduce Christianity to a set of rules or routines. It's more exciting than that! In this new series, we'll take a look at the guy behind the guy of Christianity - the Holy Spirit. Speaker: Sam Haddon Reading: John 14: 16-26

We get it. Easter is a time where many Christians will go on about some guy who was raised from the dead. Yet what if it was true? This year we want to invite you back. Not back to church. Not back to religion. Back to wonder again. Maybe even to believe again.

Speaker: Sam Haddon

Did you know that Jesus the King, arrived into Jerusalem on a donkey? Have you ever found yourself in the midst of an expectation gap? Hear more about it - as Emily Hopkins discusses John Chapter 12, and the mysterious way that Jesus explodes our exceptions. Reading: John 12: 12-19 Speaker: Emily Hopkins

Former Senior Pastor Graham Agnew joins us to share about the unique power available to us, in Jesus Christ. Speaker: Graham Agnew Reading: Acts1: 1-8

Life is full of surprises – some good, some not so good. But each unexpected event that comes our way is actually a divine opportunity. In this instalment of the DNA of Faith, we’ll discover the role that pivotal moments play in the development of our confidence in God. Speaker: Sam Haddon Reading: John 11.1-7, 21-26, 38-45, 48-50, 53

If you have ever volunteered to do something for which you felt totally unqualified, then you already know what an experience like that can do for your faith. One DNA building block of Faith is personal service. In this message we will explore the relationship between our faith and our service to others. Reading: Matthew 14:13-31 Speaker: Sam Haddon

Disciplines are those things we are supposed to do but don’t always want to. Any athlete, artist or musician will tell you that discipline is essential to all growth or development. No one get’s better in these areas with out persistent practice. The same is true with our faith – we don’t grow without persistent practice – we don’t grow without doing those things we know we are supposed to do but don’t always want to. Reading: Matthew 6:1-8 Speaker: Emily Hopkins

The defining moments of our lives often revolve around relationships. Good and bad. People you almost feel like God put in your life. People who have changed you forever. People you wish He had never let you meet. Either way... what if God uses people to impact your faith. So how do you leverage that? Because you should leverage it. Reading: Proverbs 13:20 Speaker: Sam Haddon

When your obedience/acts of faith intersect with God’s faithfulness, God shows up and your faith gets bigger. Stronger. It is one thing to believe in weightlifting and another thing to lift weights. Many think Christianity is simply what you believe. And if you believe, that is enough. When you talk to people with big faith, they are people who are living it out what they learn. In this new series we’ll look at 5 Core elements that grow into a big faith. Reading : Matthew 7:24-28 Speaker : sam Haddon

If you want to grow spiritually, commitment isn’t enough. You must be connected. That’s what groups are all about. That’s why circles are better than rows. Reading: Hebrews 3:12-14 Speaker: Sam Haddon

It’s up to you to figure out what you need to pack in your bag so that you’re prepared for the coming season. But how can you know what you’ll need when the coming season is a mystery? How can you know what you don’t know? Reading: Proverbs 27.12 Speaker: Emily Hopkins

It’s up to you to figure out what you need to pack in your bag so that you’re prepared for the coming season. But how can you know what you’ll need when the coming season is a mystery? How can you know what you don’t know? Reading: Proverbs 11.14, 13.20, 15:22, 26.12 Speaker: Sam Haddon

We’re all headed somewhere. Arriving at our new destinations requires change. For most of us, change creates stress. Just like when we travel on a boat, plane, or in a car, travelling through life can give us motion sickness. We’re knocked off balance. The ground beneath our feet doesn’t feel solid. So how do you prepare for what’s next when the anxiety of transition has you fighting motion sickness? Reading: Hebrews 6:16-19 Speaker: Sam Haddon

When one season ends and a new one begins, we all wonder what comes next. That question can be exciting and stressful. So, how do you best navigate life’s biggest transitions? Reading: James 1:22-25 Speaker: Sam Haddon

Maybe you have heard the old saying, “life is lived forwards, but understood backwards”. What does it look like when life doesn’t make sense even on reflection and what options do I have? New Years Eve is always a time when resolutions are made and for some reason a day is supposed to make all the difference. This week we explore how we can carry this same anticipation every day of our lives. Reading: Philippians 3.12-14 Speaker: Adrian Smith

Sam Haddon walked on stage kitted-out in his 2018 season ski-wear, to make an important point about how Christmas can be uncomfortable… Listen now, for a clear perspective on Christmas. Speaker: Sam Haddon

Who needs a holiday? Well, most of us at this time of year feel we do! But this holiday has the potential to give you the one type of rest you may need most. Speaker: Sam Haddon Reading: Matthew 1.18-22

Love speaks louder than words. Right? If you don’t show it, nobody knows it. That is the message that makes this holiday different. Reading: Galatians 4.4-7 Speaker: Emily Hopkins

Some may find the holiday built around the birth of Jesus a little unbelievable, maybe even a little irrelevant these days. But when you hear the backstory, you may well discover that it may be the one holiday the world needed. Speaker: Emily Hopkins Reading: Isaiah 49.6, Luke 1.26-33

In this one off message, Emily brings part 2 of her series focusing on Jesus’ powerful story about the religious and irreligious. Reading: Luke 15: 11-32 Speaker: Emily Hopkins

“The iPhone 6s is sooo yesterday! “It’s amazing in our culture today, how quickly new things become old things. How easily we become discontent in a society that has everything … Could finding the secret of contentment unlock a joy in spite of our circumstances? Reading: Philippians 4.10-13 Speaker: Sam Haddon

Linkedin is just another social networking platform right? What if it represented something so much more? What if one of the greatest thieves of our joy is not our circumstances but our relentless pursuit to build a “life resume”. Reading: Philippians 3.3-9 Speaker: Sam Haddon

Most of us don’t even stop to ask the question. “What is life about? How do I define life? What am I living for?” We usually don’t even ask that question until life hits us… What if the answer to that question is the difference between despair or joy? Readings : Philippians 1.12-26 Speaker : Sam Haddon

We reflect on the stories of how God has been working amongst us in 2017.

Comfort others with the comfort you have received. If you’ve been there, you’re uniquely qualified to comfort those who are still there. Reading: 2 Corinthains 1:3-7 Speaker: Emily Hopkins

Jesus told his followers that “meanwhile trials” aren’t aberrations; they are expectations. They can actually serve a beneficial purpose. What if you discovered there’s actually work in the waiting? Reading: James 1:2-8 Speaker: Sam Haddon

What do you do when there’s nothing you can do? What do you do when you have a problem that seems to have no solution? Life seems stuck. You’re far from ideal with no good options. What do you do? Throughout the Bible, God seemingly abandoned his favourite people to “meanwhile moments”. But that wasn’t the case. In fact, He was at work. Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:6-12 Speaker: Sam Haddon

Speaker: Sam Haddon

Sam Haddon talks with Thrive Madagascar Founder and President, Brendan Singhdeo, as Northside continues to support this ministry.

Speaker: Emily Hopkins Reading: Isaiah 58 5-9

As Northside farewells the Thomas Family, Sam Haddon reflects on the challenges and hope in all of life's transitions.

It will be great to welcome Steve Hodgson back to the Northside platform for our services on Father’s Day to speak on “The Image of the Father”.