To launch our Home Groups for the year, we’re getting together for our annual ‘Home Group Launch dinner’ on Thursday night in the Hall. The dinner is open to all from the church family, but especially those who would like to be involved in a Home Group during 2018. (If you can’t make the dinner but would like to be involved in a Home Group, please let us know!’)
After instructing His disciples on how to avoid being careless in making evaluations of one another and then how to be careful with His Word and so make wise judgments, in Matthew 7:7-11, he then spoke about prayer. While it may at first glance seem that there is no connection between what Jesus had been saying in the previous verses and these ones, the connection is there and it is a strong one. If we are ever going to come close to doing what Jesus taught in verses 1-6, we’re also going to have to do verses 7-11 very well!
After Jesus warned his disciples to be careful of passing judgment on one another (Matthew 7:1-5), Jesus went on in Matthew 7:6 to say some words that are a little bit harder to understand. What is it about pigs and dogs that we must take note of? And, what did he mean by warning us ‘to be careful with what we do with our ‘pearls’? HIs words are weighty and they require some thought and some application!
On this Australia Day, while much debate rages about many things in relation to our past, it’s good to be reminded how God’s Word was first planted on Australian soil…and one of the men He used to do the planting – Richard Johnson.
Richard Johnson was a man of the gospel and you can read his story here and after you have, join with us in praying that God would raise up many more like him to serve within this land ‘girt by sea’.
The words of the Lord Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 7:1-5 are heavy and soul-searching, but they also require a great deal of thought and consideration if they are to be put into practise. These words have been misunderstood over time and probably also badly applied, but this does not excuse us from tackling both their implications and their correct application – which again (like so much in the Sermon on the Mount) is a matter of the heart.
Back in 2011 a group of church leaders in Melbourne saw the need to organise a training event to equip young Christian leaders to teach the Bible better. So with help from our friends at NEXTgen the ENGAGE Conference was born.
The ENGAGE Conference is all about training leaders to teach the gospel to others, and to live whole-heartedly in the light of the gospel – whether you’re just starting out in Christian leadership, or have been involved for years.
Check it out here!
In this message, Ryan Smith explores the vital question of ‘What is the Gospel?’ from 1 Corinthians 15:1-8.
As we enter another year of time, we all face eternity. Where are we headed? Rev Len Pearce asks and answers those questions in this message based on Isaiah 57:11-24 and Matthew 25:31-46.
In this great doxology from the pen of the Apostle Paul in Romans 11:33-36, we find how Paul gave glory and praise to God because of certain aspects of His character, namely His wisdom and knowledge. As we come to the end of the year and with uncertainty ahead of us, it’s good to be reminded that God knows more than we do and is able to be trusted in all that He has promised.
As Matthew’s presentation of Jesus was originally written for the Jews of his day, it’s no surprise that he relied heavily on the fulfilment of the Old Testament as he reflected upon the birth of the Messiah. This fact is quite clear in Matthew 2:13-23 where many Old Testament allusions to and prophecies about the coming Messiah all come together. Set against the backdrop of King Herod’s rage and eventual murder of innocent children in Bethlehem, Matthew presents Jesus as the true hope of Israel.