Building for Eternity
Archive for October, 2009
Never lose sight of the big picture
Oct 23rd
A couple of weeks ago the Illawarra Mercury devoted its “Six in the City” column to questioning the effectiveness of the Jesus All About Life Media Campaign. One respondent said that he didn’t know what the Christians were trying to achieve. Little did the respondents and the Mercury realise that the whole point of the campaign was to get the community talking about Jesus. The message of Christ is powerful and active!
Our problem is not when the community disagrees or belittles the message, it is when the good news about Jesus is forgotten, ignored or totally neglected in the public arena.
Paul in Philippians 1 sets “proclaiming Christ ” at the centre of our purpose and priority. Our world spends billions of dollars distracting us from the main reason for our lives on earth. The big picture is that a day is coming when every person will stand before Jesus. Their opinion counts as nothing alongside the opinion of our Lord and Saviour.
In our weakness, there are times we feel like the gospel of Jesus is unsophisticated and embarrassing. Even when Paul was in prison and personally criticised by other Christians, he could see the gospel going forth. Paul never lost sight of the big picture; Jesus is the name above all names! Proclaiming Jesus’ name in this world is the best thing we can do.
Stephen Semenchuk
Senior Minister
Homosexuality Talk
Oct 21st
During the 2009 Ethics sermon series guest speaker Simon Riches from Liberty Christian Ministries explores both the ethics the pastoral response to homosexuality.
Liberty Christian Ministries can be contacted through their website http://www.libertychristianministries.org.au.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Oct 19th
A cold snap hit on Friday two weeks ago. One result was that a number of regulars at our nursing home ministry were left in their beds to stay warm!
Many of us face circumstances in our life that “freeze” our souls and cause us to want to stay in bed. The apostle Paul was languishing in a prison cell in Rome. He wrote his letter to the Philippians while in goal.
What kept Paul going? What fixed Paul’s soul? His answer was Christ.
It was partnership with the Philippians in the gospel and it was thankful, passionate prayer.
Paul lived and preached Christ whatever the circumstance! He was doing his bit to build God’s kingdom for eternity. We are called to follow in his footsteps.
Stephen Semenchuk
Senior Minister
Certainty in an uncertain world
Oct 9th
The last three weeks have seen wild and unpredictable weather. From the red dust storm, to the hail causing a winter wonderland, Horsley and Dapto have experienced the extremes!
Our neighbouring nations have had it even worse with earthquakes, tsunamis and cyclones. They go to remind us of the powerful uncertain world around us. Where do we find safety and security?
In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus disciples encountered a very uncertain situation. A storm came from nowhere and was swamping their boat. They woke Jesus up and He simply commanded the weather to subside. The disciples were amazed as the storm stopped immediately, they asked; “Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Today we know the answer! Jesus is the Son of God. He is the only one who brings certainty to our uncertain world.
Stephen Semenchuk
Senior Minister
You Can’t Always Trust the Market
Oct 2nd
In 1976 Twentieth Century Fox undertook market research for a movie idea of George Lucas. The advice was that you can’t use the word “war” in the title and that robots would turn off the mass majority of moviegoers. Lucas ignored the advice and released “Star Wars” one of the top grossing films of all time!
Our society attaches values to things according to what people are prepared to pay. What value do we attach to an answered prayer, or a place in heaven for eternity? Spending a precious day with a loved ones whose life is near the end is priceless and more valuable than anything you can buy.
What profits a person if they gain the whole world and yet forfeit their soul?
Stephen Semenchuk
Senior Minister
