Pastoral Messages (Page 72)

By Not Known Somebody once commented, “There’s no difference between a mega church gathering and a multimillion-dollar pop concert… it’s all about popularity draw…” Whether it is an ignorant opinion or an undeniable perception, this statement raises several crucial questions, one of which is – of what does a church consist? The…

By Not Known Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you – unless of course you fail the test. (2 Cor 13:5) Some in our congregation have the habit of a personal AGM to examine themselves before God. Here are some questions that can be used …. Do I trust the mercies of God in Christ…

By Not Known When it comes to God’s ‘big’ people there is none bigger than Jesus. And that is why the Bible is centred on him and why the western calendar measures time based on his life. Jesus is… … the son of Adam who alone displayed true humanity and thus was enabled to break the first Adam’s deathly hold and make those who believe…

By Not Known There are some people whose names keep getting mentioned in the press. They make the headlines and major events cannot be understood without them. They are key to their era or nation. The Old Testament figure of David is one of these. His rise from shepherd to king fascinates us. Likewise with the rise of his kingdom whose true dimensions are best seen in his…

By Not Known Every story line has a cast of characters. Many of them play important but smaller parts – they add ‘colour’ and detail and are a necessary part of the plot. There are also the larger characters whose actions ‘turn the hinge’. This is equally true in the story that we call the ‘history of redemption’. This is…

By Not Known Romans is Paul’s most weighty letter. It gives a systematic exposition of the Christian message and includes a tough section on the issue of Jews and Gentiles (Rom 9-11). This weighty letter has been pivotal at some great turning points such as the sixteenth century Reformation…

By Not Known Many people want to be the ‘number one’.  The ‘number ones’ are the key leaders who drive agendas, decide directions and set the pace.  They also tend to be more prominent. We need great number one leaders, even though misplaced ambition can lead some to seek this position from base motives (eg, Mrk 10:35-45). Barnabas…

By Not Known There are no little people and no little places. Thus spoke Francis Schaeffer, a twentieth century Christian philosopher and theologian. I first heard those words while driving to preach in a little place where the sheep in the surrounding paddocks outnumbered the little congregation.…

By Not Known The history of the world is but the biography of great men. Thus speaks Thomas Carlyle, a nineteenth-century Scottish philosopher. On his view, history is made by great people doing great things. Carlyle has a point. Where is broader history without the heroes who ‘turned the…

By Not Known Christianity is essentially an historic faith. Some world views have a mainly cyclical sense of time, but ours is linear. Thus we see a story line where the present is shaped by the past and lived in the hope of the future. This is true for us as a church. On our anniversary we have a sense of gratitude for the past and a consciousness of how the Lord has…