Amos in focus [5/2/2010] During the first term of 2010 we will be taking a look at the prophet Amos' message and thinking through how his message from the Lord applies to us today.  Amos lived in a time of affluence and prosperity when things were going well for the nation and yet his message is one of warnings of judgment.  Read the book in the bible, download the talks or come along and join us at chruch if you can. 

Christmas Time Again [21/12/2009] Christmas time it's a time of emotions some great some terrible.  Some love Christmas, other dread it.  For some it's family, fun and fantastic.  For others it's family, fights and frightful.  Either way Christmas is an enormous international annual event.  And the message of Christmas is a message from God via Angels of GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY for ALL PEOPLE. (The Bible in Luke 2:8-20)  Regardless of how Christmas affects you this year it can be a fantastic Christmas because of Jesus.  The lowly stable born baby is God's Son the King of Kings the boss of everything.  He's good news because he is a Saviour.  Jesus can rescue you from your sin that's killing you, he can provide you with eternal life you long for and he can forgive you for all the wrong things you’ve done and want to be forgiven of.  Huge claims I know but true and reliable.  If you trust Jesus he can and will save you too.  Find out more, find a bible teaching church and go along to ask questions about the real Jesus who is the true meaning behind Christmas time. 

The Seven Sins our current bible series [9/11/2009]

Greed, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, sloth and pride.  What an ugly list of actions we all display in greater and lesser amounts.  Want to find out more about what the bible has to say about them and how to overcome them in your life?  Feel free to download the bible talks or better still come along to our meetings on Sunday if you can.  We are not only to put off such vices but we are also to be putting on their corresponding virtues...  Generosity, purity, compassion, self-control,  peacemaking, humility and usefulness.  It’s a life long effort with the end goal being to look more and more like Jesus Christ the Lord and Saviour of the world.

The big question of Life. [24/8/2009]

Where did we come from?  How did life begin?  When it all boils down, the origins of life is a faith issue.  There is really only two ‘faith options’ put forward for us to believe. 

Option one.  Life just happened.  This faith declares, ‘life just happened as a one off freak accident multi billions of years ago.  All the complex, current life systems we know are the result of combinations and permutations over the ages’.   

Option two.  Life began because a Creator designed it. 

Which option is more easily believed?  Option two is far more logical (we know shaking a box of computer parts will never produce a laptop), but option one has a large group following.  The reason option one appeals is because, by believing life just happened, the uncomfortable problem of being accountable for our actions to our Creator is eased.  Or as the truth puts it, ‘this is the crisis we’re in:  God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness.  They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God.  (The Bible, John 3:19-20)  But the good news is, the truth sets people free.  Jesus came that we may have life in abundance.  He lived and died and rose again and all who believe in him will have eternal life.        

Is ignorance bliss? [15/6/2009]

“Ignorance is bliss…”  “What you don’t know won’t hurt you…”  I wonder, are these sayings as true as they are accepted as being?  Certainly in some cases they’re true enough.  What the weather is like in France really won’t have much impact on our lives in Australia!  But sometimes what you don’t know can hurt you indirectly; a person can steal your reputation simply by talking about you behind your back.  You might not know about it but the end result will be your reputation will be damaged.  And sometimes what you don’t know will be deadly.  An undiagnosed melanoma, a sleeping person in a burning house… in such cases ignorance is not bliss.  The bible talks a lot about Jesus being the Saviour of the world.  Knowing Jesus won’t hurt you, not knowing him will… take the time to look up and think about John 3:16-20 sometime soon…   

Cross Purposes [30/3/2009] With Easter just around the corner we are treated once again to tasty buns with crosses on them.  It's interesting to think about the uses of the cross.  A cross on a bun doesn't seem to have much significance at all, a cross as a piece of jewellery has some religious significance for the owner, a cross beside your answer on an exam paper marks it as wrong, a cross on a building tells us it is a church building and a cross on the side of the road marks the tragic death of a loved one.  At the heart of the Christian message is the cross of Calvary.  This cross crosses out our sin and guilt.  This cross reminds us not of food or tragedy, or church buildings or failure... this cross reminds us of victory... the good news of the victory of Jesus over sin and death.  When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2: 13-15.
Why not come along to church this Easter and find out more about the victory of Jesus and how his death can cross out your sin and guilt? 

Suffering and Security [23/2/2009]

The shock and horror of the fires in Victoria leave us feeling empty.  People hurting, properties burnt to the ground, loved ones gone.   Suffering is real and to a greater or lesser extent we have all experienced it.  The reasons given for why there is suffering are many and complex.  The greater the innocence of those who suffer the harder it is to accept.  Amazingly at the core of the Christian message is a suffering Saviour dying between two criminals.  Jesus the only real innocent one suffered unjustly on a cross.  Jesus did this to repair our broken relationship with God and restore this broken world we live in.  The sure hope of the Christian message is that one day soon Jesus will return and there will be a new heaven and earth and no longer will things go wrong.  This certain, future, eternal utopia is freely available to all who put their trust in Jesus.  We don’t deserve it, we can not earn it.  Suffering sometimes forces the issue for us.  In the pain of suffering do we curse God or cry out to him for help?  The promise of Jesus is, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28. 

 

A Time For Games [11/8/2008]

Every four years we all are able to enjoy watching the most able young men and women from around the world compete in the Olympics.  The exceptional abilities and strength of the athletes is an example of the wonder of God’s creation.  God really has made humans amazing.  Sports, parties and fun are an essential and positive part of life’s experiences.  It’s strange though, each Olympics the idea is presented that the Games demonstrate the unity, peace and glory of humans progressing towards utopia. But salvation does not come through human effort, athletic or otherwise.  Even at the Games there are the drug tests to prevent cheating, the conflicts and off-field scandals which demonstrate how divided we are rather than united.  God has provided a better way for humans to achieve perfection.  That way is the way of faith in his Son Jesus and it’s available to all who believe…

The Price of Petrol! [5/8/2008]

Filling up the car these days is becoming a greater and greater concern.  With prices hovering around the $1.50 per litre mark, even my little four cylinder is getting expensive to run.  In small talk with others I’ve noticed how often the topic of fuel prices is on the radar.  And no doubt the increased prices are putting real stress on households and families. But as I thought about it a little further I couldn’t help feeling thankful.  Thankful that in comparison with what other countries are facing our petrol price issue is relatively minor.  We live in a country where we have great freedoms, we enjoy peace and security others only dream of.  Oddly enough, the fact we need petrol is actually evidence of how well off we are in Australia. 

So next time the price of petrol makes the conversation table try making a positive comment such as, “Isn’t it great that fuel prices is as bad as it gets in Australia?”   My guess is you’ll have quite a lot of explaining to do.  Who knows where the conversation could lead…