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When God Doesn’t Answer Our Earnest Prayer
When God Doesn’t Answer Our Earnest Prayer I was having a heart-to-heart with a good friend recently. We were talking about a deep and raw struggle she was having with unanswered prayer. You might already be thinking what I began to think…that maybe God was saying ‘no’ or not answering yet because He had a different plan, a better plan. But this wasn’t one of those prayer requests where I could encourage her to ‘pray a different prayer’. Her prayer was for a loved one to find life in Jesus. She had gently and genuinely shared the gospel with him on many occasions. Yet he continued to reject it. Despite her faithful sharing of the gospel and earnest prayers… in the end, it seems he rejected Jesus when he
Jesus’ Method for Success
Jesus’ Method for Success Most of us are drawn to success. We want to have a successful career, a successful marriage, a successful life. Even if you’re less ‘driven’, you probably have some kind of definition of ‘success’ you’re pursuing. As a pastor, I’m often thinking about how we can be a successful church. But how we define ‘success’ and how we set out to achieve success are vital for us to consider as followers of Jesus. Both the path and the destination of Christian ‘success’ are radically different to the way most Australians pursue success today. Let me tell you a story to illustrate this. I heard a man tell a story recently about his father, a well-known pastor. He recalled how his dad spoke to him about an invitation to
Where Am I On Mission
Where Am I On Mission? Did you know that (according to the 2021 Census data) in the three closest suburbs to our church (Joyner, Bray Park, and Warner), there are over 26,000 people who call these suburbs home? Add Cashmere, Lawnton, Petrie, Strathpine, and Brendale, and that number more than doubles to around 60,000 people. Of that number, over 42% described themselves as being non-religious. That’s over 25,000 people, and that doesn’t include people “who reported Secular and Other Spiritual Beliefs such as Atheism, Agnosticism, and Own Spiritual Beliefs” (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021). Imagine if just 5% of that number put their trust in Jesus and became part of Oasis Church. Imagine how incredible it would be if 10% (or more) started following Jesus. I get excited just thinking about it!
Seven Lessons from the Seven Letters
Seven Lessons from the Seven Letters Have you ever finished something and immediately wanted to experience it again? It might be when you step off a ride at Dreamworld, finish a good book, listen to a great album, visit a new city, or eat a good steak. I felt this way when we finished our recent sermon series ‘Dear Church: The Seven Letters of Revelation 2-3’. I found our study of these chapters to be personally challenging, convicting, and encouraging. Rather than preach the sermons again (I wouldn’t want to subject you to that), I thought I’d offer a reflection on seven lessons I’ve learned from the seven letters in Revelation 2-3. Jesus loves the church The seven letters clearly reveal that Jesus is attentive to his church; he
Step Into My Shoes
Step Into My Shoes What does it mean to ‘step into someone else’s shoes’? We’ll be asking this very question at Kids Church during Term 3. We’ll be watching video clips of a family living in Uganda to see what life is like for them. And as Pastor Tom and his wife and 12 children show us where they live, how they collect and prepare their food and water, what their church is like, what they like to do for fun, our children in Australia will ‘step into their shoes’ just for a moment. Our kids will see many differences between life in Uganda and life in Australia. The children in Pastor Tom’s family walk to a well to collect water for the family. The water needs to be
Why I Raise My Hands in Worship
Why I Raise My Hands in Worship I remember clearly being in a Bible College class titled, “Christian Worship.” Each student was given access to a list of topics, and we each had to choose one to prepare a 20 minute presentation to give to the class. I remember looking at the list, and seeing “Body Language in Worship” as one of the topics. I was very interested in hearing a different student’s presentation on the topic, but was thankful that I’d arrived at the list early enough to have other choices! I didn’t think about it anymore, until the day when the unlucky student had to present his presentation on the topic. He had been one of the last students to get to the list, and
Created in God’s Image: What It Means and Why It Matters
Created in God’s Image: What It Means and Why It Matters As a child, one of the first Bible verses I memorised was Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” I recall learning it through a song by ‘The Donut Man’, and can still vividly remember the dorky artwork on the cassette tape that accompanied the melody! At a young age, I embraced the idea that God was the Creator of this beautiful world. Growing up, I was taught that I, too, was God’s wonderful creation. However, it wasn’t until recently that I delved deeper into what it truly means to be created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27). Have you ever thought about this incredible truth? What does it mean that you and I
The Winners Crown
I am so glad that I do not have to earn or compete my way to heaven! I am incredibly grateful that I don’t have to stand before a panel of my peers who have the power to vote me in or out. How wonderful it is that it is “by grace we have been saved, through faith – and this is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Since early May, I have been participating in a digital form of the game show Survivor. There were 16 participants who started, and there are now 12 left (which might be 11 by the time this is published). At the end of each week, someone gets
