The mission of the Kingdom (formation - confession & healing)

This is our Sunday teaching from Senior Pastor, Tom Thompson. Recorded live at our Sunday Service in Harris Academy Purley, Croydon on Sunday 30th November, 2025.

Below you can find the full talk audio, slides and a summary article.  

Want to lead a connect group session on this teaching?  The notes are here!

Talk slides are here.

Summary Article - Walking Into the Life God Made You For

Jesus’ first announcement was bold: “The Kingdom of God has come.” He taught it, lived it, invited us into it—and told us to pray for more of it. But what does life in the Kingdom actually feel like?

Scripture gives us several pictures. The Kingdom is like a banquet, a celebration overflowing with grace you didn’t earn. It’s like a team-building exercise, where each person brings unique gifts and learns to collaborate. At times it's like a family business, joining in with God’s work in the world.

But perhaps the most common and most helpful picture is this: the Kingdom is a walk.

Walking is steady, ordinary, achievable. It’s left-foot, right-foot, day after day. So much of spiritual formation—the slow process of becoming the person God imagined when He created you—happens not through dramatic moments but through long obedience in the same direction. You may not feel different from who you were a month ago, but look back three years and the grace becomes unmistakable.

Throughout Scripture we hear the same refrain: Walk in obedience. Walk in love. Walk in the Spirit. A walk has purpose—like Israel leaving slavery and moving toward promise. And in a culture that often feels directionless, God says: I have a future for you. Walk toward it.

So how do we walk well? The sermon offered three simple, powerful practices:

1. Journaling:

You cannot change what you're unaware of. Journaling helps you notice your inner life—your emotions, habits, fears, instincts, and inherited “family scripts.” Bringing these into the light of Jesus allows Him to transform them.

2. Huddling:

Don’t walk alone. Two or three trusted friends who know your real life—your struggles, patterns, money, relationships—can help you discern God’s voice and keep you on track. Friendship is one of God’s most underrated tools for growth.

3. Receiving Leadership:

In a culture obsessed with autonomy, Scripture reminds us that Jesus gives leaders as a gift. Wise, plural, humble leadership helps us understand the “instructions of Jesus” and walk with stability and safety.

The good news is that this journey isn’t glamorous, but it is effective. God has a vision of who you will be when His work in you is complete—whole, loving, free, unhurried, joyful. And as you walk, His Spirit walks with you.

Left foot. Right foot. One day at a time, growing into the person who makes God smile.