John 5:31-47 continues the words of Jesus to the Jews defending his strong claims that he was the Son of God, by referring to the testimony of many witnesses. Among those he mentioned included the testimony of John the Baptist, the words of God the Father, the writings of Moses and his own miraculous signs. These all agree and testify to the truth he proclaimed about himself. It is not a lack of evidence that keeps people from believing, but a hardness of heart.
Author: Philip
‘True or false? Was Jesus a fraud?’ (John 5:16-30)
The text of John 5:16-30 records that after Jesus healed the paralysed man, he ran into immediate trouble with the Jews who had trouble with his claims and his actions. In this text, Jesus defended himself against accusations of fraud and claimed to be the Son of God with power to grant life and eternal life. As no-one else offers what Jesus offers, He is our only hope in the face of an uncertain world and our eventual death.
‘Better than many friends or much wealth’ (John 5:1-15)
In this text Jesus healed a paralyzed man at Bethesda. The miracle serves to remind us of the effect of sin upon all mankind, our inability to save ourselves and the grace and mercy of Jesus the Saviour who proved to be worth more than many friends or much money. Our faith is to be in Him and is wrongly placed if it is in ourselves or any other.
Save the date: Conrad Mbewe to preach in Bendigo
Update: Sermon available here.
We are pleased to let you know that Conrad Mbewe will be preaching at a public meeting in St John’s Bendigo on Thursday night May 16th at 7:30pm. There’s lots of information about Conrad on the internet (some links follow below), but just in brief, Conrad is the pastor of Kabwata Reformed Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia, and is also known as the ‘African Spurgeon’. All are welcome!! Supper to follow! There will also be an offering.
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/conrad-mbewe-the-african-spurgeon
Remembering the persecuted church
During these first few weeks of April, we have been and are participating in the Bible League’s ‘Bibles for the Persecuted’ program called ‘Passport with no boundaries’.
Our members are being asked to pray daily for believers in parts of the world where they are either persecuted or tortured or discriminated against or jailed because they belong to Christ, and also put aside $2 per day for the purchase of Bibles for them. It’s a refreshing challenge – particularly when we often think we’ve got it tough in this land!
You can check out the Bible League’s program here and we would encourage you to get your church involved if you haven’t already!
‘The harvest reaped…but much more work to do’ (John 4:27-42)
In the second part of John’s account of the meeting between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, the results of their conversation become evident. By returning to her people with news of her experience of Jesus, the woman became a witness to the truth that Jesus is the Messiah. By telling us this, John also reminds us that evangelism is a process, that fruit follows real faith and that harvests need reaping. Our witness can and will be used to bring others into the Kingdom of God.
Finishing touches completed on hall renovations!
April 10, 2013 was the date that some final touches on our hall renovations were completed – at last! These included the construction of a new concrete landing complete with hand rails and the installation of two new aluminium doors (with half windows and tinted glass), which have finally replaced our very aging and falling apart wooden doors! We are grateful for the work of local businesses, Robert Phillips Builders and Tucks Windows for a job well done!
‘A conversation well worth remembering’ (John 4:1-26)
John 4:1-26 highlights the life transforming conversation Jesus had with a Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus overcame social, religious and racial barriers to speak with this woman and confronted her with the truth about her own sinfulness and his own identity. By degrees, Jesus also led the woman to move her thinking away from quenching her physical thirst to seeking after the ‘living water’ that he could and does bring to those who seek and find him.
Bendigo Christian Union is moving along…
The ministry of the Bendigo Christian Union has got off to a busy start in 2013, led by AFES staff workers Steve Blyth and Aimee Grinter and the CU Servant Team. You can read of all their news, coming events and all the latest at the link below (down near the bottom of the page). Please pray with us for lasting fruit from the proclamation of the gospel among Bendigo’s university students and staff.
‘The moment Jesus knew that the time had come’ (John 12:20-36)
Just before the events of Good Friday, John records an event in the life of Jesus when Greek men came and sought him out. The arrival of these men has a trigger for Jesus that the ‘hour’ had come, that the cross was near, but what did the arrival of these men signify? What was John saying about what was before Jesus? And, was it ‘all over’ once that has taken place?