A brief tribute to Xavier and a glimpse of how God was at work in him.
Reading God's word - 4 important questions
Reading the Bible is amazing. You are hearing the living creator God speak to you by his Holy Spirit. But how do you get started. Read, answering these four questions. I think they are the four most important questions when it comes to reading any passage.
Photo by Meredith Spencer on Unsplash
Growing Disciples of Jesus - Saturate Questions
It isn’t enough for a Christian to know about Jesus. The call is to follow Jesus. It is a life of discipleship. Discipleship isn’t about knowing the right answers. Though we need to know the truth. Discipleship is about knowing the truth and obeying the truth.
Photo by Dane Deaner on Unsplash Edited.
Radical Ministry - 1 Thessalonians 2
In the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, his ministry pattern is laid bare. Paul and his team were there for only a few short weeks before conflict and persecution drove them away. But so deep and clear was Paul’s pattern of ministry that he can write back to them and point out what the Thessalonians experienced. In this he lays bare a ministry pattern that Christians can learn from and use to serve others.
Photo by NARINDER PAL on Unsplash
Track your Bible Reading by Chapters
Track your Bible reading by the chapters with this simple Excel file. Download it. Free.
Every book of the Bible, in order.
A box to tick or highlight for every chapter.
Forgive - why should I and how can I?
Forgiveness. An easy word to say. But what’s involved in forgiving others? Here it is in four parts. All of these required some deep heart work.
Original Photo by mark tulin on Unsplash. (edited)
How to read Colossians
Colossians is a great book of the Bible because it absolutely centred on Jesus. It is a letter to the church in the Ancient city of Colossea. They’d heard the gospel from someone who lived in their city. Paul writes to them to make sure the gospel is absolutely clear in their heads & hearts. He want them to know Jesus and serve him.
Ruins of the ancient city of Colossae. Photo by A.Savin, Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossae
How to Read Mark's Gospel
Mark’s Gospel is the action packed gospel. This guide will help you read Mark’s Gospel and see Jesus in all his power, love and authority.
Storm on the Sea of Galilee By Rembrandt - www.gardnermuseum.org :
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6812612
The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and the Unforgivable Sin
What is the unforgivable sin and the blaspheme of the Holy Spirit? The stakes are high for this seems to contradict the offer of forgiveness in other parts of Scripture. And, it seems there is a sin that crosses a line that can never be uncrossed. Does this unravel Jesus' work on the cross?
Photo by Norbert Braun on Unsplash
The leader we need was assassinated
Christians, keep boxing.
A shed in Yatala in SE Queensland seems like an unlikely place from which greatness can grow. And yet it has. 3 women Aussie boxers are now world title contenders. The shed in Yatala and the seed in the Kingdom of Heaven have a lot in common.
Photo by Michael Starkie on Unsplash
A theology of risk for serving Jesus
If you’re a Christian believer or a mission organisation, how do you evaluate risk? Or put another way, do you have a theology of risk?
With thanks to Sammie Chaffin on Unsplash (edited)
How should a Christian think about work?
Is work a gift or a curse? How should we think about work? Is there a Christian view of work?
In this short blog I outline a framework for thinking about work to answer these questions and get us started on thinking about faith and work or put another way, a theology of work.
A Short Guide to Reading Revelation Right
The book of Revelation is a wild ride. It’s an artistic blockbuster full of powerful images. For this reason there are a lot of crazy interpretations. But it is possible to read Revelation! Here’s five keys to reading Revelation so that you can understand history from God’s perspective.
Photo by Scarlet Ellis on Unsplash
Caring for the sorrowful
Grief and sadness will come by how can we face them and how can we can for those in the midst of grief and loss. This blog post shares how we might care for those grieving and experiencing loss and hardship in its many forms. This reflection sprang from the book of Proverbs and from facing my son’s battle with cancer and his death.
Photo by Claudia Wolff on Unsplash
What is the Armour of God?
It sounds so awesome, the armour of God: swords, helmets and chest plates. In amongst all those passages of the Bible that talk about mercy, compassion and turning the other cheek, here is red-blooded combat. And it is necessary combat. For the devil has his schemes and there are demonic spiritual forces at work, right here, right now in this present darkness.
But, perhaps, before we slip on our chest plates or breast plates we ought to ask, ‘What exactly is the Christian putting on?’
Original photo by Hugo L. Casanova on Unsplash Edited by G Hohnberg
Jesus keeps the 10 Commandments for us
Have you ever met one of those Christians who just seems so sure about their salvation? What’s with that? Are they so sure they’ve kept all God’s rules and laws? Is that it? No, not at all. A Christian’s confidence comes from the fact that the laws have been fulfilled for them by someone else.
Photo by Adrian Curiel on Unsplash
Hardship and the source of life
Every life has hard times and hard places. Sometimes those hard places feel like places of spiritual death. God has brought us out in the desert to die. But the Scriptures reveal that the opposite is the case. The hardest times can be the source of life.
Photo by Giorgio Parravicini on Unsplash
Getting more Gold from Luke's Gospel - Summary of Luke's Gospel
Luke’s Gospel is a beautiful piece of writing revealing to us the beautiful saviour Jesus Christ. May this short summary help you see the story line of Luke’s Gospel. You should also check out our Luke’s Gospel reading guide blog post.
Photo by Emerson Peters on Unsplash
I’m not good enough, but Jesus is
When I moved to Brisbane, everything changed. Finding a new church was exhausting but even more exhausting was wondering if I’m good enough. I started to doubt myself and this turned out to be a very good thing.
With thanks to Beth Rufener for the photo on Unsplash