What makes a church stronger together? How can people with different backgrounds, gifts and struggles become a loving community that reflects Jesus?

In the opening talk of Cornerstone Church Bristol’s Weekend at Home, Pastor Alex George introduces the theme Stronger Together, exploring the biblical foundations of Christian unity and what it means to live as God’s family.

Tracing God’s purposes from Genesis through to the New Testament church, Alex explains how Jesus brings people into a new humanity, united through His grace. Along the way, he reminds us that God continues to work with imperfect people through their poor choices, flaws and failures.

At the heart of the message is a simple description of Christianity: “Grace poured out, gratitude lived out.” Receiving God’s grace changes how we live together, care for one another and welcome others.

The talk explores:

• The foundation of Christian unity: How our shared faith in Jesus and His saving work brings us together as God’s people.

• God’s purposes for community: The difference between building a name for ourselves and working together for God’s glory.

• One body, many members: Why every believer matters, including those whose gifts and service are less visible.

• What damages church unity: Recognising pride, envy, selfishness and divisions based on personal preferences.

• Encouraging one another: Drawing near to God, holding firmly to our hope and stirring one another towards love and good works.

• Restoring with gentleness: Helping those caught in sin, examining our own hearts and sharing one another’s burdens.

• A church that offers a taste of heaven: Becoming a welcoming community where people experience the mercy, forgiveness and love of Christ.

Drawing on the picture of the church as an embassy of God’s kingdom, Alex challenges us to consider what people encounter when they walk through our doors. Do they find a family that rejoices together, suffers together and helps one another follow Jesus?

An encouraging and practical message for anyone seeking to understand Christian community, grow in discipleship or contribute to a healthier church family.

Key Bible passages: Genesis 1–3 and 11–17; Galatians 3:16; Isaiah 9:6–7 and 53; 1 Corinthians 12; Hebrews 10:19–25; Galatians 6:1–2; John 17; Psalm 133.

Weekend at Home: Stronger Together — Opening Talk

Cornerstone Church Bristol — making Christ known and making disciples, serving Bristol, Britain and beyond.

Who does Jesus call to follow Him? What does it mean to receive His mercy, and how can our faith remain a living relationship rather than become an empty routine?

Continuing our Gospel of Matthew series, Pastor Alex George explores Matthew 9:9–17: the calling of Matthew the tax collector, Jesus sharing a meal with sinners, and His teaching about fasting, new cloth and new wineskins.

With the simple invitation “Follow me”, Jesus transforms Matthew’s life. Matthew responds by getting up, following Him and welcoming others to meet the Jesus who called him. Alex considers what this means for us today: responding to God’s call, receiving forgiveness and helping our friends encounter Christ.

The message explores:

• Jesus, the friend of sinners: Why Jesus ate with tax collectors and what His welcome reveals about God’s mercy.
• The call to discipleship: Following Jesus as a lifelong commitment that shapes our priorities, choices and relationships.
• “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”: How receiving God’s forgiveness should change the way we treat others.
• The meaning of Christian fasting: Longing for Jesus, enjoying His presence and looking forward to His return.
• New wine and new wineskins: Alex explains these illustrations in light of the new life and righteousness Jesus gives through faith.
• Faith and religious routine: How prayer, Bible reading and Christian practices become meaningful when rooted in a relationship with Christ.

Throughout the talk, Alex points to the freedom of knowing that Jesus has paid our debt in full. Forgiveness is a gift that leads us into a changed life of gratitude, mercy and obedience.

Whether you are exploring Christianity, returning to faith or seeking to grow as a disciple, this message invites you to hear Jesus’ call personally: “Follow me.”

Main Bible passage: Matthew 9:9–17.

Cornerstone Church Bristol — making Christ known and making disciples, serving Bristol, Britain and beyond.

What is Christian baptism, why does it matter, and how does it connect with following Jesus?

In this baptism service message from Cornerstone Church Bristol, Pastor Alex George explores the meaning of believers’ baptism and its place in the Christian life. Drawing on Jesus’ Great Commission in Matthew 28, Paul’s conversion in Acts 22 and the teaching of Romans 6, Alex explains how baptism expresses faith in Jesus, obedience to His command and identification with His death and resurrection.

The talk explores:

• The differences between John the Baptist’s baptism, Jesus’ baptism and Christian baptism.
• Repentance, forgiveness and what it means to be born again through the work of the Holy Spirit.
• Going public with your faith and acknowledging what God has already done in your life.
• Baptism’s picture of washing away sin, burying the old life and rising to new life in Christ.
• Why Alex describes baptism as more than a symbol: a meaningful act of commitment within an ongoing relationship with Jesus.
• How baptism connects with the church’s calling to make Christ known and make disciples.

Using the illustration of a wedding ceremony and the marriage that follows, Alex shows how a public declaration of faith leads into a continuing life of discipleship.

Whether you are exploring Christianity, considering baptism or reflecting on your own journey with Jesus, this message invites you to consider the question Ananias put to Paul: what are you waiting for?

Bible passages explored: Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 22:1–16; Romans 6; John 1; John 3.

Cornerstone Church Bristol — making Christ known and making disciples, serving Bristol, Britain and beyond.

When a paralysed man is brought to Jesus, His first words address something deeper than the man’s physical condition: “Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven.”

Continuing our Gospel of Matthew series, Pastor Alex George explores Matthew 9:1–8 and what this encounter reveals about Jesus’ identity, authority and purpose. The man’s friends come seeking healing, but Jesus also addresses the greatest human need: forgiveness of sin and a restored relationship with God.

Drawing on the wider Gospel accounts, Alex reflects on the determination of the friends who carried the man to Jesus and lowered him through a roof. Their actions offer a practical picture of faith and intercession: bringing someone who needs help to the One who has the power to help.

The message explores:

• Who Jesus is: How His teaching and miracles reveal Him as the promised Messiah and Son of God.

• Authority over sickness, storms and evil: How the preceding miracles in Matthew prepare us to understand Jesus’ authority to forgive sins.

• Faith that helps others: What the paralysed man’s friends teach us about prayer, perseverance and bringing people to Jesus.

• Our deepest need: Why forgiveness and peace with God matter beyond our immediate circumstances.

• The challenge of Jesus’ words: Why the scribes accused Him of blasphemy, and how the man’s healing demonstrated His authority.

• Responding to God’s grace: Turning from sin, trusting in Jesus’ death and resurrection, and receiving the hope of eternal life.

• Rediscovering awe in worship: How recognising who Jesus is moves us towards gratitude, surrender and a life lived for God’s glory.

Alex also challenges us to consider where we seek satisfaction and how we use our time, talents and resources. Knowing Jesus changes our priorities and gives us a purpose that reaches beyond the next achievement or possession.

Whether you are exploring Christianity, wrestling with guilt or seeking a deeper understanding of Jesus, this talk offers an invitation to receive His forgiveness and respond to His call today.

Main Bible passage: Matthew 9:1–8, with reference to the preceding miracles in Matthew 8 and the parallel Gospel accounts.

Cornerstone Church Bristol — making Christ known and making disciples, serving Bristol, Britain and beyond.

In this talk from Cornerstone Church Bristol, Larry continues our journey through Matthew’s Gospel. After Jesus calms the storm, he meets two men whose lives have been overwhelmed by evil. With a single word, Jesus sets them free. Yet when the nearby town hears what has happened, the people ask him to leave.

Larry explores what this encounter reveals about Jesus’ identity and authority, why knowing who Jesus is does not always lead to trusting him, and what it means to welcome his presence into our lives. For anyone facing fear, doubt or difficult circumstances, this passage offers an invitation to come to Jesus and consider the question: do we want life with him?

In this message from Matthew 8:23–27, Alex George continues our journey through Matthew’s Gospel and explores the dramatic moment when Jesus calms the storm on the Sea of Galilee.

The disciples, despite being experienced fishermen, are overwhelmed by fear and cry out to Jesus for help. Jesus rebukes the storm and challenges their lack of faith, leaving them asking: “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

Alex looks at how this miracle reveals the true identity of Jesus as the promised Messiah, the Son of God—fully God and fully man. He considers both the humanity and divinity of Christ, why this matters to the Christian faith, and how Jesus’ life, death and resurrection offer salvation and living hope.

The message also brings a practical encouragement for the storms we experience in life. Fear and panic may come, but knowing who Jesus is changes how we face them. With Christ with us, we can learn to trust Him even when circumstances feel overwhelming.

A message about Jesus calming the storm, faith in difficult times, the divinity of Christ, Christian discipleship and finding hope in Jesus.

In this sermon, Alex continues Cornerstone Church's series through Matthew's Gospel, exploring Matthew 8:16–22. Themessage centres on what it truly means to follow Jesus as a disciple.

Alex begins by showing how Jesus' miracles—healing the sick, casting out demons, and fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy of the suffering servant—attest to His identity as the promised Messiah and Son of God. With large crowds drawn to Jesus out of curiosity and a desire for healing, Jesus instead turns His attention to those He has called, demonstrating His deep desire to spend time with His disciples. Alex challenges the congregation to reflect: do we share that same desire to walk closely with Jesus, or are we distracted by the cares and preoccupations of life?

The talk then focuses on two encounters that reveal the cost of discipleship. First, a scribe volunteers to follow Jesus, but Jesus warns him that following Him means leaving behind comfort and social status—"Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Second, a would-be disciple asks to delay following Jesus until he can bury his father, prompting Jesus to stress that following Him is a matter of priority and urgency—not something to be postponed.

Alex closes with a powerful call to respond: if you hear God's voice calling you today, don't put it off. Following Jesus begins with acknowledging our sin and receiving His gift of righteousness, and it continues as a daily walk—making God our priority all the days of our lives.

1 Opening & Welcome – Introduction to Matthew's Gospel series 00:00

2 The Evening Miracles & Isaiah's Prophecy – Jesus fulfils Isaiah 53 00:05

3 The Crowds & Their Motivations – Years of popularity; seeking a short-term fix 00:09

4 Jesus' Desire for Disciples – Withdrawing to spend time with His followers 00:14

5 Who Is a Scribe? – Dedicated scripture experts; the value of time in God's Word 00:18

6 The Scribe's Encounter & Cost of Discipleship – "Foxes have holes…" 00:22–00:27

7 The Second Disciple – Priority & Urgency – "Let the dead bury their dead" 00:27–00:31

8 Closing Call to Respond – A daily walk, not a one-off decision 00:31+

In this teaching on Matthew chapters 8-14-17, Alex explores three interconnected healing miracles that demonstrate Jesus' divine authority and compassion. The session begins with a prayer setting the spiritual context, then moves into an analysis of three specific miracles: the cleansing of a leper, the healing of a centurion's servant, and the healing of Peter's mother-in-law.

A central theme throughout is how each miracle was initiated by appeal or petition to Jesus. Alex emphasises that prayer is essentially bringing your appeals before God, whether you're an insider like the leper seeking cleansing, an outsider like the centurion displaying humility, or interceding for others like those who appealed on behalf of Peter's mother-in-law.

The teaching connects these miracles to the broader gospel narrative, showing how Matthew presents Jesus as the promised Messiah through multiple attestations—legal, prophetic, spiritual, theological, and through powerful deeds.

The session concludes with a call to service: just as Peter's mother-in-law rose up to serve after being touched and healed by Jesus, believers are challenged to recognize God's touch in their lives and respond by serving Him wholeheartedly.

1. Opening Prayer & Setting the Scene —The privilege of God's Word and the series context

2. Matthew's Five Attestations — Legal,prophetic, spiritual, theological, and powerful (dunamis) proofs that Jesus is the Messiah

3. Structure of Chapters 8–9 — Three blocks of nine miracles interspersed with discipleship

4. Miracle 1: Cleansing of the Leper — An insider who was an outsider; the power of approaching Jesus with an appeal

5. Miracle 2: The Centurion's Servant — A Gentile outsider; humility, unworthiness, and Jesus marveling at faith

6. Miracle 3: Peter's Mother-in-Law — Healing in Capernaum; intercession by others; rising to serve

7. The Theology of Appeal & Prayer — Bringing appeals to God; interceding for others; Jesus' compassion as the GoodShepherd

8. Jesus' Sovereign Volition — He acts on His own initiative; His touch transforms and calls to service

9. Fulfillment of Isaiah 53 — "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases"; Sabbath evening healings

10. Closing: Day of Atonement Typology & Call to Readiness — Two birds, two goats; Jesus' death, resurrection, ascension, intercession, and return