Home Groups are such an integral part of our church life at Bendigo (St John’s) Presbyterian. For a couple of years now we’ve met together for dinner at the start of the ‘Home Group year’ to decide upon groups and venues and leaders, as well as meet together for a meal and pray together in our Home Groups. This year’s launch will be on Wednesday night Feb 12th at the Church Hall in Forest Street from 6:30pm. (Bring a mains and a sweet!)
It’s been 11 years since Australia Day fell on a Sunday, so this year we took the opportunity to refresh our thinking about our history and those who brought the gospel to this land and taught it throughout the colonies and the first schools.
You might like to refresh your memory about that too with the videos below…
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In 1 Samuel 2:1-36 the writer carefully contrasts the character and actions of Hannah, her son Samuel and Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas who were priests of Israel. While Hannah rejoiced in God because of His faithfulness, the two sons of Eli showed great contempt for God and His Word and so earned God’s displeasure. In was in this situation that Samuel was raised and started living according to the grace he had received from God. Believers should never be the same as the world and our witness for Christ should be evident, like a light shining in a dark place.
With the holiday season almost over and the end of January and the commencement of the school year now in sight, it won’t be long before regular ministries get underway once again. Keep watching this space! (No you don’t have to rush out and buy a telescope!)
In 1 Samuel 1 the text highlights the desperate circumstances of Hannah as well as her utter dependence upon God and also her costly love which led her to fulfill a vow to the Lord that her son Samuel should be given over to the Lord’s service for all his days. Without knowing the full extent of what this would mean, Hannah’s willing submission to the Lord’s will for her brought much blessing and provides a model for a response to the grace of God in keeping with our call to follow and serve Him.
Ryan Smith spoke from Romans 5:12-21 about Jesus, Adam and us. Adam’s ‘one small step’ in the garden had giant consequences for all mankind falling into sin. Jesus is a man like Adam, but where Adam fell, Jesus is righteous and his death pays for all mankind. So while all are sinners by Adam (and by choice), we are righteous by faith in Christ.
Rory Weightman spoke on Romans 6:1-14. After chapter 5 tells us that God’s grace is greater than our sin, chapter 6 starts with the question, “are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” The answer is no: we died to sin through Jesus’ death; we are freed from sin; we are alive in Christ and so we should not continue in sin! Rather than be mastered by sin, we trust in Jesus as our master.