Sermon on ‘What Makes A Person Clean?’ (Mark 6:53-7:23) by David Smith available to stream or download – http://bit.ly/1QNq35f
Category Archives: Speakers/Authors
A Leap Year of Affliction?
Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November;
All the rest have thirty-one
Save February, she alone
Hath eight days and a score
Till leap year gives her one day more.
The 29th February plays a pivotal role in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera The Pirates of Penzance. In the story the hero Frederic realizes his pirate apprenticeship binds him till his 21st birthday, but as his birthday falls on the 29th of February it only occurs every fourth year, meaning he would have to wait to his 84th year before he was released from his bonds.
Frederic is a pirate who wants redemption!
Here is a question to consider. What makes our burdens and afflictions so difficult?
Sermon: Troubled By Jesus
Sermon on ‘Troubled By Jesus’ (Mark 6:1-52) by David Smith available to stream or download – http://bit.ly/224pTxz
What is Peer Discipleship?
Peer Discipleship is when two or more Christians encourage one another toward Christlikeness with Bible in hand.
That is another way of saying – be intentional as a godly friend!
But let us retrace some steps and see how it is that we get to this definition!
Sermon: Life & Death (Mark 5:21-43)
Sermon on ‘Life & Death’ (Mark 5:21-43) by Ken Noakes available to stream or download – http://bit.ly/1Qi2Tnq
Sermon: Authority (Mark 4:35-5:20)
Sermon on ‘Authority’ (Mark 4:35-5:20) by Ken Noakes available to stream or download – http://bit.ly/1WuN9Bn
Movie Review: Risen
By Stephen George (Minister: Trinity North East)
Last week I saw the pre-release of the movie Risen, and as I walked out of the cinema I thought to myself, “I can’t believe we are about to let a massive evangelistic opportunity pass us by unnoticed”.
Let me give you the background story. I am a minister in the Trinity Network in Adelaide, Australia, and I had heard nothing of this movie until someone in my congregation sent me an email link to the trailer, along with an invitation to the pre-release. When I got that invite, I have to admit that my immediate thought was, “Oh great, another mediocre ‘Christian’ movie”. However, when I followed the link and saw the trailer I suddenly doubted everything I thought I knew about Christian movies. It was actually very good. So I went to the pre-release and, while I don’t think everyone is going to love everything about this movie, I think it provides a great opportunity for evangelism.
Why leave a ‘church’?
The question ‘Why leave a ‘church?’ may be a dangerous question to ask, especially on a church blog!
The reality is that all churches have people leave them – for both wise and unwise reasons. It is worth spending some time thinking about why one would take the step of leaving a ‘church’ and then further considering how to do that well. That said, I am hoping that no one reading this will in fact leave 5pm Church as a result!
In the previous two articles we have considered ‘What is ‘Church’?’ and then ‘What to expect of ‘Church’?‘ which as background should help establish that leaving a church should be thought about carefully – that is not a decision that should be made hastily or prayerlessly. If ‘church’ is about God’s people gathering as a family in Christ around his Word, it should give some pause for thought to a person when deciding to stay or to go. Leaving means leaving a family and a place where God’s word should be key to their fellowship.
Changing churches or leaving church altogether is no small thing.
Sermon: Kingdom of God (Mark 4:1-34)
‘The Kingdom of God’ (Mark 4:1-34; Isaiah 6) Sermon by Ken Noakes available to stream or download: http://bit.ly/23TH5I9
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.
churchcentralonline.com 