Bad Person Personal Matters Last Friday one of the brothers who ministers to young adults was deeply disturbed about the scarcity of spiritual fathers/mothers in the Church. This led us to a key passage in Paul; “I do not write … Continue reading
Promise Gen 22:1-19; Ps 105:1-11; Gal 3:15-18;John 8:39-59St Mark’s 22.5.16 https://vimeo.com/163252033 4 minute video precedes sermon (Questions below followed by…? allow the congregation to verbally respond.) Introduction Throughout our series on Galatians we have seen Paul engaging in one long argument against … Continue reading
Undying Love Personal Matters In prayer last Friday we were directed to this text; “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, … Continue reading
Despised Personal Matters Last Friday morning we were led to pray into a very unpleasant subject. The experience of being “despised” is one you are unlikely to hear expounded in Church today. But the Bible has a lot to say … Continue reading
Faith and Spirit Gen 12:1-3; 15:1-6; Ps 32; Gal 3:1-9 Luke 24:44-49St Marks 1.5.16 Introduction Galatians 3:1-9 is a passage where Paul gets fired up against those false teachers who are trying to persuade Gentile Christians that they need to … Continue reading
Perplexed About Nothing Personal Matters In our Friday prayer time last week the Lord started to speak with us from 2 Corinthians; “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but … Continue reading
Angels of Heaven Personal Matters In prayer last Friday we began to engage with an alien topic for mainstream Western Christianity. Though there are hundreds of references to angels in scripture in practical terms for most of us they may … Continue reading
Unrestrained Personal Matters Someone at Friday prayers was asking the Lord why in his young adults’ fellowship there was an unrestrained response to Christ one week and next time they met the usual measured spirituality. Certainly the cry of dereliction, … Continue reading
Club or Church ? Lev 11:1-12; Ps 26; Gal 2:11-14; Mark 7:1-23 St Mark’s9.4.16 “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the … Continue reading
Great Things Personal Matters At our Friday morning prayer last week a brother quoted Paul, “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in … Continue reading
The Law and the Glory 2 Cor 3:1-18 Yarloop Christian Fellowship 3.4.16 “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You yourselves are our … Continue reading
Unclean Spirits Personal Matters A man tries to kill himself by running straight in front of my friend’s car, a brother’s niece hospitalised and on suicide watch, children who are too anxious to go to school, a ministry forced to … Continue reading
Crucified Eyes 20.3.16 Introduction We are living through one of the most dramatic shifts in the history of Western Christianity, from being the most respected institution in the nation as a holy presence the Church is now tolerated by the powers … Continue reading
Living Repentance Personal Matters Two people attending a shared prayer time recently had been independently drawn to the same passage during the week; “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which … Continue reading
Jesus Plus…Tradition St Mark’s 6.3.16 Deut 6:4-7; Ps 78:1-8; Gal 1:11-14; Matt 15:1-9 “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any … Continue reading
Fathering Grief Personal Matters An important message sometimes needs multiple confirmations. This word began as I was listening to angry undertones from some Indigenous Christians on Sunday about the way their ancestors had been treated by whites. As I prayed … Continue reading
Find Your Voice Introduction I was in inner city Melbourne for a conference last week and experienced an ugly contrast between the world and the Church. Walking down Swanston St I came across a very conspicuous brothel with a neon … Continue reading
Signs of Satan Personal Matters Spiritual passivity rules much of the Body of Christ; my local Anglican congregation hardly reacts to my preaching and charismatic gifts lie dormant in corporate worship across the churches. Yet believers never seem to lack … Continue reading
On the Journey with Jesus 4: The Way St Mark’s 24.1.16 Introduction The popular approach to the theme of being On the Journey with Jesus emphasises Christ as a loving companion and guide to me on my life journey. Jesus … Continue reading
Fire: Safe or Good? Personal Matters “There is nothing left in Yarloop. Everyplace we have been working in and holding services in is gone…. You can make plans for another meeting on the 17th unfortunately.” (Dr. Bob Chapman). So reads … Continue reading
Reformation, Sunday Personal matters Recent encounters have challenged me to comment on the shape of Sunday church services i.e. liturgies[1]. First, some observations at a church we visited last week, then a meeting with a devout Christian disturbed by the … Continue reading
Celebrate Jesus Personal Matters I haven’t been in the most energised mood for the last couple of months, but I have learned that if I pray about how I feel a word will come to me which precisely describes my … Continue reading
Light for 2016 Personal matters 2015 has been a year when comfortable Westerners basking in their moral and cultural Enlightenment have been forcibly exposed to the face of evil. Global terrorism brings with it a power of darkness that is … Continue reading
Christmas Inside Out Introduction Personally speaking, I find Christmas Day the most uncomfortable day of the year on which to speak. This is because the popular cultural sentiments centred on the manger setting of the adorable infant in Matthew and … Continue reading
The Mystery of the Word made Flesh Zion Fellowship John 1:1-18 20.12.15 Introduction From time to time I sense the Lord leading me to pray about what the New Testament calls “the mystery”, this “mystery” is certainly related to Christmas but … Continue reading
The End is Joy St Mark’s 13.6.15 Zeph 3:14-20; Isa 12:2-6; Phil 4:4-7; Luke 21:25-28 Introduction Preparing this sermon has stirred up a level of perplexity that takes my mind back to some events decades ago; more … Continue reading
The Greatest Terror Introduction Fear has become a part of our everyday life. This time last year I was in a meeting with some older people in our area whose primary concern was street crime. One had recently been bashed … Continue reading
The Trinity and Equal Marriage Introduction Let me start with a few qualifications as to the scope of this talk. It is not a detailed exegesis of the biblical passages that deal directly with homosexuality[1]. Secondly, I do not profess … Continue reading
The Shame we Need Personal Matters Until the last few days I have never really considered the positive role shame might play in renewing the Church. Ministries devoted to releasing people from shame are numberless, but rare is that teaching … Continue reading
The Heart of Unity Personal Matters A number of circumstances lined up recently to bring the functionally divided state of the Church to my attention once again. Firstly I was listening to a local pastor bemoaning the seeming inability of … Continue reading