Our Partners: Discovery Community Care Southern Cross Kids Camp G&J EFICOR “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21 ESV How do we live?  To live is self, to die is loss. “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money…” 2 Timothy 3:1-2 Live for something bigger than yourself, Paul defines his life as a partner of the Gospel.  If dying is seen as loss, it is because you live for self and not for Jesus. Without God, death is seen as the end of self. The post Living for Jesus appeared fi ..read more

Pentecost Sunday 2024 Acts 2 Pentecost Sunday — Shauvot — Feast of weeks – celebrated 7 weeks after Passover (Jewish) What for: To commemorate the giving of the law, The grain harvest, And entrance into the promised land What did they do: A feast that explicitly included leaven or yeast A covenant renewal ceremony A tithe of first-fruits from the harvest, leaving the edges for the alien A public reading of the book of Ruth All Jewish males required to travel to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices Pentecost – 50 days after Easter When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place ..read more

Psalm 42:1-5 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One[d] with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. What is the middle? Ty ..read more

Jesus’ Prayer for ALL Believers John 17 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved m ..read more

Praying with a biblically-informed imagination Amos 7:8 (NIV): “And the Lord asked me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ ‘A plumb line,’ I replied. Then the Lord said, ‘Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.’” Jeremiah 1:11-12 (NIV): “The word of the Lord came to me: ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ ‘I see the branch of an almond tree,’ I replied. The Lord said to me, ‘You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.’” Zechariah 4:2-3 (NIV): “He asked me, ‘What do you see?’ I answered, ‘I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the ..read more

Matthew 6:9-13 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done,     on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,     as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,     but deliver us from evil.   5 Keys to a Disciples Prayer To Recognise and to Know God’s Will > My Will Come Daily for Daily Bread Forgiveness Both Ways God Protects & Delivers The post A Disciples Prayer appeare ..read more

What is prayer to you? What is your earliest memory of prayer? How would you describe your own experiences of prayer?   Questions to reflect on: What is prayer to you? What are the things you tend to pray about when you pray? When do you pray? How often do you pray? Where do you pray? When you pray what do you experience? When you pray what don’t you experience? When you pray, what would you like to experience? Does God answer your prayers? If you don’t pray – why not? Does your prayer life bring you life and joy or has it become stale?   Do you think the average Australian prays ..read more

The evidence for, and implications of the resurrection For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also ..read more

Giving what we cannot keep to gain what we cannot lose Recap: what does it mean to live the good life? Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 1 We know what we really love by what what we are willing to suffer for —— Matthew 21:6-11 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the cro ..read more

Passage – Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God” εἰρηνοποιός, peace-making, peace-maker 2 immediate observations: a/ Jesus assumes there will be conflict b/ Jesus commands His followers to engage in conflict resolution 4 ways to handle conflict – think about the crowd gathered — who is there? like a Saducee (plan political gain) like a Pharisee (double down on ‘rightness’) like the Essenes (seek utopian separation) like a Zealot (fight, fight, fight) Like Jesus… a/ humble heart – assume your own ignorance b/ curious questions  – find out the ..read more