In this message, Paul Cameron concludes our Acts series with the theme Courage in a Storm (rough sailing, baggage overboard, travelling light, shipwrecked, doing the work of Jesus), based on Acts 28. 

 

You may like to read Acts 27 and Psalm 107: 23-30

And reflect on these quotes:

“The ocean can be seen as a symbol of stability, as it can exist largely unchanged for centuries.”

“The ocean is considered to be boundless, a place where one can easily be lost, and can therefore be seen to represent the boundless span of life, and the way one can get lost on the journey through life.” 

“When I Was A Kid…a long, long time ago, deep in the last millennium… we prided ourselves on stability and sameness and order; life was built on a rock: Menzies was PM, Bolte was Premier, we had our Queen. Church (in Churches of Christ at least!) was at 11am, a ‘4 hymn sandwich’…That was the story we found ourselves in. Today we live in times of great fluidity and mobility and change and flexibility and multiple options.This is the story that we now find ourselves in: ever-changing like the ocean, living in this world of rapid, discontinuous change where old (but good!) beliefs and values are challenged daily; where injustice is rampant, globally and locally, in relationships between nations and between people; and where Christianity is no longer central in our culture, but marginalized and we’re all discovering how to be followers of Jesus in post-modern, post-Christendom times.This is the story we find ourselves in, and often it is an uncomfortable place, disconcerting, scary even.

What has been your longest wait? Your most difficult wait? And, your most worthwhile wait? 

 

In this episode we begin a new series—Acts: Stories of ancient and present followers of Jesus, and we hear from Paul Cameron around the theme ‘Out of the Shadows/Into the World’ (Acts 1:8)

In this message, Paul invites us to engage the Gethsemane narrative.

· Read Matthew 26:36-56 (and Philippians 2:5-11)

· And reflect on these questions, and be ready to share your response—

What is the easiest decision you have made?

What is the biggest decision you have made?

What is the toughest decision you have made?

What future decision are you most apprehensive about?

In this message, Paul encourages us that we can be agents of change. While you can’t always choose what happens to you, you can usually choose your response. In a flesh-and-blood battle, it will be a response based on pay back and winning. In this spiritual battle we are in, it will be a response based on truth, justice (or righteousness), peace, faith, salvation, God’s Word and prayer.

Today’s podcast is about A Contrast Society (Living in the Light). This mostly one-sided conversation with you may seem to largely be a message for Christians, but it could also be one for not-yet-Christians or for working-out-what-it-means-to-be-Christians; to us all it is an invitation to be a Contrast Society and to live in the light.

Before you listen to this message, you may like to—

Read Ephesians 4:1-16

Consider the following quote:

“Every significant discussion of spiritual gifts in the New Testament is situated in the context of a complex system—we are one body with many parts designed to operate in interdependent harmony with one another. The problem is that the way we’re taught to understand and express our spiritual giftedness can often be a very individualised and siloed experience—we’re taught to understand our personal gifts, but we’re left to wonder how those gifts actually work together in the way God intended…

God gives us gifts to play a symphony, not a solo.”

Reflect on these questions—

What do you think about spiritual gifts?

What is the purpose of the ministry gifts in Ephesians 4?

Do you know what your gift is/gifts are?

Before you listen to this message, you may like to read Ephesians 2:11-22 and 3:14-21, consider the following quote:

· “Labelling theory focuses on the tendency of majorities to negatively label minorities or those seen to deviate from standard cultural norms”

And reflect on these questions:

What is the biggest bargain purchase you’ve ever had? 

Have you ever experienced being ‘labelled’ (positively or negatively)? 

Can you think of any instances of ‘labelling’ in the Bible? 

How would you describe your experiences of the Holy Spirit?

Grace, a preposterous act of generosity; more than a word, larger than an idea, it’s a liberating reality. Because of grace, our vocation is to do good works and to participate in God's mission.

Finding ourselves in the bigger story

Before you listen to this podcastast, you may like to read Ephesians 1, and consider these questions:

When you were a thirteen-year-old, what did you want to do (or be)? Why? 

 What advice could you now give your 13-year-old self? 

 For you, what feelings does this Tom Wright quote evoke:“There is a larger framework, a larger story, within which your own smaller stories become more interesting and important. Paul’s great prayer at the opening of this letter is a celebration of the larger story within which every single Christian story–every story of individual conversion, faith, spiritual life, obedience and hope–is set. Only by understanding and celebrating the larger story can we hope to understand everything that’s going on in our own smaller stories, and so observe God at work in and through our own lives.”

In this update, Kristi McKenzie provides a snapshot into the intentional transition partnership as we look ahead into 2022.