John 14:1-7. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?… Read the rest
Life is Not Fair, But God is Good (Pt.6)
God will create a better future.
The future will be different than the past. Our ultimate hope lies in the future return of Christ and the promise that, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more mourning, crying and pain will be no more” (Revelation 21:4).… Read the rest
Life is Not Fair, But God is Good (Pt.5)
God can bring good out of our pain.
God can use it for a positive purpose. Adversity can bring out untapped depths of character and faith.
Beethoven was at his zenith, a well-known, respected, loved composer in Vienna. Then, tragedy of tragedies, his hearing began to go.… Read the rest
Life is Not Fair, But God is Good (Pt.4)
God is also just.
Belief in God’s sovereignty alone is not enough to get Job through his terrible suffering. Job also believes that God is just. God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked.
This is the belief of double retribution, which according to Harley, declares that “the righteous are always blessed and the wicked experience untold hardship, leading to premature death”.… Read the rest
Life is Not Fair, But God is Good (Pt.3)
God did not create the world “bad”.
God did not create the world the way it is today. When the world was created it was “good” (Gen.1-2). There was no pain or suffering. It was a paradise. But man rebelled against God’s commands and sin came into the world.… Read the rest
Life is Not Fair, But God is Good (Pt.2)
There are many examples of suffering and pain:
- Moral evil relates to choices that people make that end up hurting others. This includes things such as violence, abuse and war – all which cause much pain – and the slaughter of innocent people, such as occurred in the Holocaust.
Life is Not Fair, But God is Good (Pt.1)
The question of pain and suffering is one of the most difficult issues to address of any area of human life. At some point in our life journey, we ask, “If God is good, then why does he allow such terrible suffering and pain to exist?”… Read the rest
The Mystery of Healing
Let's reflect on the mystery of healing today.
There is a close connection between love, forgiveness, healing and peace.
God revives the humble and contrite … leading them to comfort.
Only five of Jesus' healing events in the Gospels involve people dying. The main stories are for the blind, deaf, dumb, paralysed and possessed. … Read the rest
Discerning Truth and Error
Most followers of Christ understand the need to pursue truth and avoid error. Some take it upon themselves to find error and point it out to others. Most churches I know have a statement of faith and their teaching teams speak from this foundation.… Read the rest
He’s Risen! (Easter Sunday Reflections)
Matthew tells us the story like this:
Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it.
Why Did Jesus Die? (Good Friday Reflections)
Christmas is barely over and now it’s time to talk about Easter. No wonder little children get confused. Did you hear about the little boy who said to his mother, “Jesus has just been born and now you’re telling me He’s died!"… Read the rest
Jesus is ALIVE! (Easter 2014)
Easter is here again and with it a holiday weekend, chocolate eggs and enough shopping sales to tempt any credit-card carrying buyer. What’s it really all about? All around the world, around two billion Christians will take time this weekend to reflect on and give thanks for the work that Jesus Christ accomplished through his death, burial and resurrection.… Read the rest
The Lord’s Supper
Yesterday was Remembrance Day here in Australia and we took time to remember those who have given their lives at war for our freedom. Ultimately, Jesus is the greatest hero as he gave his life willingly not only for our freedom but also for our salvation.… Read the rest
ORIGINS #2 – Creation
The Genesis Creation Story
Genesis 1 is a simple and majestic opening to the Bible. It introduces the two main subjects of Scripture, God the Creator and humans as his creatures, and sets the scene for their long relationship. Clearly the interests of the author are focused primarily on the patriarchs, given the amount of material allocated to their story (Genesis 12-50), but the background is that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is no mere localised or tribal deity, but is the sovereign Lord of the whole earth (Genesis 1-11).… Read the rest
Creation Models
The book of Genesis opens simply … "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." The author boldly presents God as Creator then as Redeemer of humanity. Life is not an accident. God has a purpose and he is working to fulfill it throughout history.… Read the rest