The Bible is very comfortable with the idea that you can talk to God. Depending on the Bible version you look at ‘prayer’ is referenced over six hundred and fifty times!
Category Archives: 49 Ephesians
Sermon – Belonging To Church (Deuteronomy 4:1-14 & Ephesians 2:11-22)
Sermon ‘Belonging To Church’ (Deuteronomy 4:1-14 & Ephesians 2:11-22) by Bernie Leo is available now in audio and video: http://bit.ly/2sfNVJI
Read the Bible texts: http://bit.ly/2s18d9A
English Support Document: http://bit.ly/2s1afGB
Sermon – Everyone In Asia Heard The Word Of The Lord (Acts 18:18-19:41)
Sermon by Simon Marshman on Acts 18:18-19:41 about the word of the Lord spreading throughout Asia. Listen here
Read the Bible text: http://bit.ly/2nBDiQ3
English Support Document: http://bit.ly/2nBCOtk
Lessons Learned
Friends it has been a while since the last 5pm Update (a good indication that things have been a bit full on!) – in fact there has not been an update since I returned from Study Leave for Easter. Thanks for allowing me time to get away.
Study Leave meant that I could attend a series of Conferences, visit a series of Churches and check-out some theological colleges. Refreshing? – Yes! Challenging? – At times! Educational? – Mostly! Beneficial? – I hope so, but you will need to be the judge of that.
There were so many times that I just felt immensely thankful to God for Trinity City and for 5pm Church and for the leaders we have and for the ministry that we do – and thankful because I could see other examples in the States of similar ministries or conversely I could see examples of things that were not done half as well as how Trinity does it (under God of course).
Here are 5 reflections with 5 corresponding challenges which may be of benefit for us.
Imagine a World Without Purpose
Imagine a world without purpose? The book of Proverbs makes this observation:
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (19:21).
How do we know God’s purpose for our lives?
Imagine a World Without Hope
The good news about Jesus is often spoken of as the ‘hope’ of the gospel. It’s not a ‘hope-so’ or a ‘hope-ful’. Hope is the promise from God of eternal life gifted to all who place their faith in Jesus Christ.
The Bible speaks of the hope ‘that God has called you to’ (Ephesians 1:18), and the hope ‘laid up for you in heaven’ (Colossians 1:5). This is the ‘assurance of hope until the end’ (Hebrews 6:11).
Imagine a world without the hope of the gospel!
What to expect of ‘Church’?
The beginning of the year is often the time when people check out church (‘It is a new year, thought I would give it a go’), join church (‘I have moved and want to make this my church’) or leave church (‘I am making a life change’).
As such, it is reasonable that one consider ‘What should I expect of ‘Church’?’.
In the last update 
we considered ‘What is Church?’ and suggested that church was a place for believers (whilst still open to not-yet believers) and a place where God’s people gathered as a family in Christ. Expectations of church then are important because they help a person decide whether this church is doing what it should be or not.
There are a couple of ways to arrive at an answer.
Testimony
Caroline
What was the problem that Caroline faced?
I became a believer in Jesus because I realised that just being a good person wasn’t good enough. As a child, I knew a little about God—I believed that he was there, and he was powerful, and I would pray to him occasionally—but I didn’t have a relationship with him. When I was in primary school, my mother was diagnosed with cancer again, and over the next year or so of her illness, I particularly saw my parents living out their faith in Jesus. Mum died when I was 10, and I know that she is, and will be, living with Jesus forever. Continue reading
A Wrong Form of Devotion
Another horror week.
Suicide bombings in Beirut have killed 43 people and left 238 wounded. A suicide bombing at a funeral in Baghdad killed 19 people and left 31 wounded. And coordinated attacks in Paris have killed 129 people and left 352 wounded.
We are appalled, grieved and saddened.
There is something desperately wrong with an ideology which by direction or by implication can lead to the killing of one for the sake of another’s personal devotion.
Almost Party Time! Time to get ready.
Christmas is coming (‘Already – please, it comes around so fast’!)
Some of us will be more active than others when it comes to inviting family, friends and colleagues, but let me say that Christmas is one of the easiest times to invite people to church things – we are helped that the retail calendar has been arranged around gospel events (i.e. Christmas and Easter).
There are three intentional steps which will help in inviting someone.
churchcentralonline.com 