Letters
Col 1:24-2:5
- Details
- Written by: Chris Appleby
Passionate Truth audio (4MB)
Do you see yourself as one of God’s ministers? Are you excited by the thought that God might have some ministry for you to exercise in his church, or would you rather just sit back and let others do the work? Perhaps the idea of being a minister frightens you? Is ministry the task of those more spiritually able, those of a more godly character? Well let me encourage you, as we look at how Paul describes his ministry, to put yourself in the picture, to see how what he says about himself might also be a statement about you.
Rejoice!
He begins on a note of rejoicing. Mind you it isn’t the thing you expect someone to rejoice in is it? He says “I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake.” Most of us avoid suffering if we can, don’t we? It’s pretty rare that anyone rejoices when they suffer. I guess we all know that sometimes serving God will lead to opposition and suffering persecution for Christ’s sake. But we normally think we’ll just put up with it, persevere despite it. But Paul says he rejoices in his sufferings. Then he adds this strange statement: “I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” Does he mean that Christ’s death on the cross was insufficient? That more was needed? No, of course not. He makes it quite clear elsewhere that Christ’s death was all that was needed for our salvation. No, I think what he’s saying is that in this fallen world, the suffering that Christ endured hasn’t finished. If the church is to be served with the gospel then there is more suffering to be endured by those who represent Christ. As parts of the body of Christ we will continue to experience the suffering that he endured on our behalf.
Colossians 1:15-23
- Details
- Written by: Heather Cetrangolo
Christ, the Fullness of God
Colossians 1:15-23 audio (4MB)
Today we’re looking at chapter 1.vs15-23 of Paul’s letter to the Colossians and – today it’s all about getting back to basics.
It’s important that we do this.
I think it’s the same reason we take holidays
- Holidays give us an opportunity to get back to basics.
- Get back to nature – go to the beach, up to the mountains?
- Get back to enjoying the simple things in life
- When we come back from holidays we’re usually a little more relaxed and focussed
- A little more functional in our relationships with our family
- And a little more aware of what really matters in life, and what doesn’t actually matter that much, and maybe even the things that we need to cut out of our lives.
Well, we might like to think of today’s passage in Colossians as a little bit like getting away from the many distractions we have in the life of the church – and getting back to the basics of who Jesus is and what he’s done. So we’re going to spend some time this morning thinking about our journey with the Lord – how it has developed, over the years, and where it is right now.
Col 1:1-14
- Details
- Written by: Chris Appleby
A Model of Christian Experience.
Colossians 1:1-14 audio (4MB)
Love is a great thing isn’t it? After all it is St Valentine’s Day. And even if it is the object of American cultural imperialism, even if it is taken over by advertising and media hype, love is what makes the world go ’round. What’s more, it’s at the core, the centre of Christian character.
Today I want us to think about how we might reflect the character of Christ in the way we live and I guess that means especially the way we love.
Simon was a leader of the Synagogue so when Jesus came to town he invited him to come and eat with him. After all Jesus had been making quite a name for himself as a religious teacher. It wouldn’t hurt to see what he’s on about. Maybe he also had a bit of the philosophy of “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer”. So Jesus went to Simon’s house to eat. But they weren’t far through the meal when there was something of a disturbance. A woman came in, a sinner we’re told. No doubt she’d been seen wandering the seedier parts of the city looking for men to pick up. But now she comes and stands behind Jesus in tears, weeping so much that her tears fall on his feet and so she begins to wash his feet with the tears and wipe them dry with her long flowing hair. She’s brought with her an expensive alabaster jar of ointment and having washed his feet she pours the ointment over them. You can imagine the perfume of the ointment filing the room. Well, Simon is appalled. What sort of holy man is Jesus if he lets a woman like this, massage his feet with oil? It just goes to prove what they’ve always feared about Jesus.
1 John 1:1-4
- Details
- Written by: Rachael Lie
Know What you Believe - by Rachael Lie audio (3MB)
Introduction: I came to Australia in 2001 and have been here for nearly 10 years. One thing I learnt from my Australian friends: they said: there are 3 questions that you should avoid asking: 1. How much do you earn in a year? 2. What political party do you support and 3. What religion do you believe in? Those three questions are sensitive questions to most Australians, especially the one about religion. Before I studied Theology, I was a graduate Bachelor of Commerce. When my neighbour asked me what I was doing and I would say "I'm an accountant." Then they'd respond by saying: “yeah, that's a good, bright and shiny occupation!” But now I've graduated as a theological student, and when my badminton teammates asked me what I was doing and I said "I'm a young adults' minister serving in the church" Their response was a stark contrast to my neighbour's response before; they simply nodded their head with a blank facial expression and quickly moved on to another topic.
God's Gift to Us
- Details
- Written by: Bill Stewart
Romans 5:12-17
audio (3MB)
In the movie The Matrix everything is an illusion. The promo tells us that although the humans think it is 1999, it is really two centuries later. The lives everyone believes they are living are really just dreams they are having inside virtual reality (the Matrix). Inside the Matrix, we meet computer programmer Thomas Anderson (played by Keanu Reeves), who goes by the hacker name "Neo." A group of people comes to Neo's door, and when Neo gives them a disk with the illegal software they want, the leader says (foreshadowing what is to come), "Hallelujah. You're my savior, man. My own personal Jesus Christ." Neo believes he's living a normal, but slightly troubled life in 1999. By day, he is a computer programmer for a large, generic software company; by night, a hacker, providing the fruits of his labors to other troubled souls. He lives alone, he doesn't sleep, and there's a profound emptiness in his life, but it's something he can't put his finger on - until he is contacted by Trinity. Morpheus has sent Trinity to contact Neo, believing he is The One of prophecy. Morpheus explains it to Neo in this way: "When the Matrix was first built there was a man born inside that had the ability to change what he wanted, to remake the Matrix as he saw fit. It was this man who freed the first of us and taught us the truth. When he died, the Oracle prophesied his return and envisioned that his coming would hail the destruction of the Matrix." Neo is the Chosen One, the savior, and the one who will lead his people to freedom. But in order to do that, he must sacrifice himself, and rise from the dead. Sounds familiar, doesn't it! I want us to keep this is mind as we take a brief look at today's reading from Romans chapter 5.
