Posts (Page 46)
COLLEGE THANKSGIVING SUNDAY
“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2) Here we see the marks that are essential for godly and effective ministry, ministry that is trans-generational. 1. Study rightly – Timothy is reminded that during the many years of association with Paul he had…
What good does it do to pray?
Good question. And there’s a really good answer! Charles Spurgeon explains: ‘The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very salutary lesson for such proud human beings as we are. If God gave us favours without constraining us to pray for them, we should never know how poor we are, but a true prayer is an inventory of wants, a catalogue of necessities, a…
James (12) No Works? No Faith! (James 2:14-26)
Evening Service, 23 August 2009 Around ten years ago a University outreach event in Sydney was advertised as ‘Bad People Go To Heaven!’ This was met with great interest. Ever since then Christian groups have tried to use provocative titles as attention-getters. This is what James is doing here in…
Elijah (14) The Practice of Prayer (1 Kings 18:41-46)
Morning Service 23 August 2009 I doubt that there is one of us here who know the Lord who would say that prayer is unimportant. The very beginning of our Christian faith is marked by prayer as we turn to God for forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ. Prayer to us is not merely the means of…
James (10) The Church Mixing Bowl (James 2:1-7)
Evening Service 9 August 2009 What upsets sports fans more than anything else –a part form their team loosing I mean? Is it not inconsistent calls by the Umpire or Ref, decisions that always seem to favour the other side? We don’t like it in the classroom either do we, seeing someone who seems to…
Elijah (13) Reality Revealed (1 Kings 18:20-40)
Morning Service 9 August 2009 Ezekiel had confronted the people of Israel with the two basic alternatives that shape life, calling them to decision: God or Baal. Today it may not be Baal, it may be another out of the smorgasbord of deities promoted in the modern world, it may be something you have…
Elijah (12) Wholly the Lord’s! (1 Kings 18:20-21)
Morning Service 2nd August 2009 Elijah calls Ahab to organise not a religious convention but a religious confrontation – ‘the Battle of the Gods’, one writer calls it. It was a Promoter’s Dream: ‘The ultimate power struggle between Yahweh and Baal!’ But it would prove Ahab’s nightmare, and that of…
James (11) – Christians and God’s Law (James 2:8-13)
Evening Service, 16 August 2009 You’ve just been accused of sin – and in particular of a sin that strikes at the very heart of the precedent and practice of your Lord Jesus Christ. How do you react? Is not the immediate human reaction one of defending yourself? James is a student of human…
Prayer for Illumination
Startle us, O God, with your truth and open our hearts and our minds to your wondrous love. Speak your word to us;silence in us any voice but your ownand be with us now as we turn our attention,our minds and our hearts, to you, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. This is the weekly Prayer for Illumination by the Rev. John Buchanan at Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago. In…
Public Lecture Day on John Calvin
Public Lecture Day on John Calvin at Presbyterian Theological College Wednesday August 5th, 10am – 4.30pm, 7.30pm PTC Melbourne is hosting a day of lectures to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. There will be lectures morning and afternoon, and a public meeting in the evening. The lectures will be addressed by Dr Carl Trueman. Dr Carl…