At the other end of the entertainment spectrum, Uta and I’ll be going to the Beaudesert show that day….we have 3 seats left in our car if anyone wants to tag along (if you’ve never been to a country show)… I’m keen to see the wood chop

Jeff.

Download audio file (100606ISPENCE.mp3)

Download audio file (100530ISPENCE.mp3)

Download audio file (100523MBENNETT.mp3)

Download audio file (100516ISPENCE.mp3)

Download audio file (100509ISPENCE.mp3)

So, let’s talk about forgiveness…. When should we forgive someone who has hurt us in some way? Are there any provisos, any preconditions? I think of Jesus forgiving his accusers, even while they were hurling abuse at him, and Stephen forgiving his murders while they were still hurling rocks at him. It seems to me that preconditions have no place in the forgiveness that Jesus asks of us.

So what does this forgiveness entail? Well it seems to have something to do with letting go of the bitterness and resentment inside, making a conscious decision to hold no grudge, even offering up prayers to God for the good of that person.

There will be people in your life who hurt you in some way. Does the bitterness persist? Do you want to see them suffer for what they did? Does the mere thought of them cause you to feel agitated?

It may be time to do something concrete about your unforgiving heart. For example, decide that you will no longer relive in your mind the hurts of the past. Don’t wait for him/her to apologise… take the first step along the path to reconciliation. And recognise that your perspective on what transpired might be just a little biased in your favour.

But is something like this really achievable? Probably not in your own strength… but with Jesus to inspire us, and the Spirit to change us, the impossible does become possible.

If an idea sounds good, I might try to run with it, of course if you’d like to step forward to get things happening, then that is even better.

Download audio file (100425ISPENCE.mp3)

Download audio file (100425JLEW.mp3)

7-9PM Wednesday, 28th April 2010.
Raybould lecture theature, Hawken Building (50), University of Queensland.

This event will be REPLACING our regular southside life group this week (No lifegroup).

This event is presented by Queensland Theological College and Evangelical Students.

Dawkins is well known for claiming science and Christian faith are incompatible, yet there are many Christian academics at UQ.  Lennox is the author of “God’s Undertaker, Has Science Buried God?”.

Download audio file (100418KBIRCHLEY.mp3)

Download audio file (100418ISPENCE.mp3)

I imagine that soap makers do the same when they sniff their product, and artists as they step back from their paintings, to enjoy what their hands have made.

On occasions, it is good for us to step back and to appreciate what a splendid masterpiece we are… to look in the mirror and to say, “Dave, you are fearfully and wonderfully made.” “Kath, God did an amazing thing when he put you together!”

Yes, it is true, we sin and do damage to the masterpiece, but the glory of the workmanship and the image of the creator, who stands behind it, still shines through.

But more than that there is something positive in rejoicing in the little victories that the Holy Spirit makes possible as we go about our lives… the good impression made, the kind words spoken, the care shown. It is good for us to step back on occasions and to appreciate the progress that we have made in Christ.

Take time this week to appreciate the beauty, the lovliness, of God’s workmanship in you. (Eph 2:10)

Download audio file (rockofages.mp3)

Download audio file (100411ISPENCE.mp3)

From 7 February 2010, MetroWest Community Church has started two new services in the Centenary Suburbs (9:30am & 5pm). We are excited to see God working in the Western Suburbs of Brisbane. We have a God sized vision for reaching the people in the west with the gospel. We are meeting at the Mount Ommaney Special School at 9:30am and 5:00pm, but we plan to outgrow this venue! Come and join us on this exciting journey and be part of a community that seeks to experience and live the Jesus way.

If you are new to the area  - like we are (or have grown up in the area)-  join us as we seek to engage with the God of Scriptures through lively worship, expository preaching and authentic relationships.

Download audio file (100404ISPENCE.mp3)

The Tomb is empty. Jesus is RISEN!

Note: There will be no 5:00pm service. Only a single combined 9:30am service.

BYO Food, Drink, cutlery and crockery.

Download audio file (100321ISPENCE.mp3)

So why do we imagine that speaking about Jesus is going to be so difficult? When Andrew went and called his brother, Peter, with the words, “We have found the Messiah,” (John 1:41) I suspect it was an easy and extremely natural thing for him to do. I know that in my own case, God used my brother to share the Gospel with me, and I don’t remember abusing him in any way. Why do we automatically assume that it will be different for us… that it will cause such offence that our relationship with that friend or sister will be damaged beyond repair?
Think of the sheer exhilaration in seeing that look of understanding dawning on his face, or that growing smile as she begins to make sense of Jesus for the first time, and of being able to discuss the bible with them, of having a friend that you can pray with…. Pure magic, and all that is needed is for you to begin the conversation.

If you don’t have any one that you can speak to, can I encourage you to start fostering relationships with your neighbours… invite them around for a meal… see if there is something of a practical nature that you can do to help. Big things can happen from small beginnings!

Regards
Ian

Download audio file (100314ISPENCE.mp3)

Download audio file (100307GREILLY.mp3)

But beneath that, and yet serving that same purpose, our objective must be to grow God’s Kingdom. Let me explain: Jesus is the king, and his kingdom exists wherever he has subjects who are living under his rule. So, when thinking of God’s kingdom, don’t think in terms of earthly kingdoms with titular heads and physical boarders. Instead think of Jesus as the king, the King above all other kings, who is ruling over his kingdom, which grows and extends as more and more people accept Jesus as their king and submit to his rule.

So, if we are to be faithful in extending God’s kingdom, two things must happen: first of all, we must be introducing people to the king, in the hope that they will come to believe in his work on the cross and submit to his rule.

But we must not stop there. The second and equally important objective is to teach, train and disciple people to live as active citizens of God’s kingdom. This is about much more than merely possessing a membership card. It’s about learning to live out the values of the kingdom…, to be growing in our awareness of the greatness and goodness of God, to be learning to live with less and to be generous with more, to be implementing what we have learned and to love as we are loved.

So, from a leadership point of view, our core business must be to train the trainers, to equip the evangelists, to resource our members, so that everyone is adequately equipped and involved in growing the kingdom and promoting the gospel.

This raises two questions, which you may need to reflect on: “How can we help you to grow?” And, “What are you doing to grow God’s kingdom?”

Download audio file (100228BDICKSON.mp3)

I don’t believe the two are mutually exclusive however. Thinking back, the Lord certainly used my Christian upbringing and engagement from the church to cause me to seek out the KCF guys at college.

I like our church byline: Something more substantial. Here are a few points of thought (in no particular order):-

• Social Substance – Are there things that mega-churches are doing that provide a social relevance we should be aiming at? If people are moving there, there’s obviously something attractive. We aren’t a mega church nor can we adopt social practices that are opposed to the gospel and Christ. I suppose the question is, how do we engage the culture we live in: website, music, multi-media, atmosphere, children’s needs, parent’s needs, community events, overseas interest etc.?
• Scriptural Substance – One area that society is in disagreement with is the scripture and especially the gospel. We must always strive to maintain scriptural substance and hold unflinchingly to the truth of scripture. We must also aim to communicate effectively: evangelism (in & out of church), growing in broad biblical understanding, addressing specific issues in season, regular personal study etc.
• Spiritual Substance – The gospel must have an impact on our lives. As individuals we need to be growing in the Lord and seeing that He brings an impact throughout out week, not just Sundays. As a church we need to be looking for ways to encourage people in this and making obvious the spiritual impact of the gospel in all our life.
• Supportive Substance – The body of Christ is a family, and we need to have substance in our support and love for one another within the church. We also should consider the needy in our community, guests to the church etc.

This has turned out longer than I’d planned. My original point was to encourage us that it seems people in the area are interested in searching out something more substantial (if perhaps only in the social context). Let’s be encouraged though, and seek the Lord to help us be as substantial as possible in all areas to His glory.

Download audio file (100221ISPENCE.mp3)

As a rule, we would suggest that you give, whatever church you visit, at least 3 weeks to settle, because the first time will always feel a little strange, because you don’t know what to expect and the minister has this strange accent. The second time you will feel a little more settled and relaxed and the third time you will be right at home.

One of the questions that some new-comers are asking is, “Is this the sort of church where our gifts and talents can be used? Will there be opportunities for us to be involved?” We think that this is one of the attractions of MetroWest, that there are so many areas where an individual can make a significant contribution to growing God’s kingdom in this place.
Another concern is, “Will this church cater for our family’s needs?” Well we already have a number of families represented at MetroWest… you do need to watch where you step or you may tread on yet another toddler… but we would like to see this aspect to our church go from strength to strength, with more and more resources set aside for children’s and youth work, with family functions after church and regular meals and get-togethers.

Lastly, what does MetroWest believe? Well, we are no different to a number of other churches… we are committed to following Jesus, we see his death on the cross as decisive, faith as a response of the heart, we are charismatic without being crazy, and we are looking forward to joining Jesus one day in heaven. If any thing, what distinguishes us is our emphasis on understanding what the Bible is actually saying, first of all in its original context and then as God speaks through his Word to us. John Piper, Don Carson, Tim Keller, Jim Packer, John Stott, Mark Driscoll and C J Mahaney are some of the bible teachers that we admire.

We do hope that you will make MetroWest your spiritual home.

Chatting after the service

Problem solvers at work

The venue proved to be ideal with ample seating area and space for the kids to meet and play. The new speakers, screen and media player all worked well. We have submitted an offer to the school to have air-conditioning installed, as we see this as a high priority. Hopefully the banner for the fence along Dandenong Rd will be ready in the next day or two.

We have a further 2 500 leaflets to distribute, and some new home-owners in the area to visit, and so we will need help with this.

But we do praise God for a good beginning, and feel that he has been preparing the way before us….

It was a wonderful start to a new chapter in the history of MetroWest.

Yet for many who leave the church, they still see their faith as important and consider that what is most important is their own private relationship with God. Some people manage to foster their faith through books and recorded sermons, while others increasingly fill their lives with other activities such that they no longer have time for church. They still consider themselves Christians, but church is to them either irrelevant or unimportant.

If this is you, then you may like to consider the following.

Firstly, you were made to be part of God’s chosen people. From the very first pages of the Bible, we see God creating both man and woman to live in perfect harmony both with Himself and with the world. God commanded the man and woman to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it. God’s plan was not simply to create one person to live in right relation with Him, but to make a people who would know Him and love Him. From beginning to end, the Bible tells about how God is drawing a people to Himself from among all the peoples of the earth. As Peter says, “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9, NIV).

Secondly, you may not feel it, but the church actually needs you. In 1 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul speaks about the church being the body of Christ. The body is made up of many members and each part has a role to play in the body. God has given you special gifts and talents he wants you to use in the building up of others within the church. At times that may seem difficult, especially if you’ve been marginalised or made to feel inferior or unimportant. However, your contribution to the body, no matter how insignificant in your eyes, matters to God.

Thirdly, not only is your contribution necessary for the building up of those already in the church, it also forms a vital witness to those who don’t yet know Christ. On the night he was betrayed, our Lord prayed that His people might be united in love so that the world would believe in Him (John 17:20-24). There is no greater witness than when Christians truly love and care for one another. We can display the love of Christ by showing our love to unbelievers, however a lonely voice crying in the wind is often ineffective compared to a choir of voices singing in joyful harmony.

Furthermore, although people in the church may sometimes cause you pain, the church actually exists to help you grow and mature in your faith. The New Testament is full of exhortations to nurture, encourage and challenge one another in the faith. Therefore a healthy church is one where members regularly keep one another accountable in the faith, encouraging one another but also rebuking and disciplining each other if it is required.

When thinking about church we must remember that church is not for the perfect but for the broken. God is in the process of transforming us, but that means there is also going to be pain and frustration along the way. Although we are saints in God’s eyes, in reality we are also still sinners. If church was only for the perfect, there would be no one in it.

If you’re at the point of giving up on church, then for the above reasons I’d encourage you to stick with it. Sometimes it is best to persevere with the local church you are already familiar with. However at other times this may simply not be practical or beneficial.

So what should you look for in a church? Some people say that you need to go to a church where there is great teaching. Some recommend churches with vibrant worship. Others suggest that you just need to go to a church that accepts you for who you are. Yet if we look at what church was given for – the building of the body and all its members – then it becomes pretty obvious that you need to be part of a church where you’ll be built up in your faith and where you can use your gifts to build up others.

Whatever your beef is with church, I implore you to give it another chance. After all, Christ Himself thought it was worth dying for.

Some psychologists are now saying that people’s dispensation to do evil is more situational than it is personal. That is, it is not only psychopaths that commit unbelievable atrocities but given the right external pressures “good” people will also commit heinous crimes. Like many areas of human interaction there is debate over whether our condition is the result of nature or nurture. The Bible seems to affirm both. We are all born with a propensity to do evil (Ps 51:5) and that propensity is nurtured by our fallen society.

Yet the Scriptures also bear witness to another sense in which we are sinners. According to Romans 5:12-21, we are all sinners on account of our common forefather Adam. As our representative head he broke God’s commandment and as a result God accounts all of us as guilty. At first this seems unjust, especially to Westerners, yet we must bear the following in mind. Firstly, at one stage in life our parents act as our legal guardians and make decisions that we have to bear the consequences of. Secondly, if we reject the headship of Adam and his intercessory role then it is inconsistent to accept Christ and his intercessory death on the cross. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

So we are all sinners: by nature, by nurture and by association. To this we may ask the question “what is sin anyway”? Some say that sin is breaking God’s Law or standard. Yet how can we be guilty of breaking the Law if we don’t know what the Law is? It’s interesting that while Paul holds the Jews accountable to the Law he describes the sin of non-Jews in a different way. They are guilty of both forsaking the truth of God revealed throughout creation (Rom 1:18-32) and also breaking their conscience (Rom 2:14-15; Cf. Rom 14:23). We are sinners not just when we murder or lie or steal, we are sinners because we don’t worship, serve and give thanks to our Creator.

These are just some of the issues we will be thinking about this week as we launch into a new series of discussion groups on Thursday night. Leave your comments here, or if you can make it join us at 6pm on Thursday night at the school for a meal and further discussion.

Kids Klub ran every afternoon for a week, where we sang, danced, learnt memory verses, shared bible stories, acted out a drama, did craft, ate food and played games. This year’s theme was ‘Bible Explorers’ where we took the gospel message, from creation to Jesus’ death and resurrection, and crammed it into five days. The biggest turn out of the week was 76 kids, which was a huge blessing!

Meanwhile, the teens team ran a games afternoon in the parklands every day, and a night programme where they shared their testimonies and led a group of around 40 youths through a series of devotions – this years’ theme being ‘relationships’. Then they played games and injured themselves by blindly running into each other.

While you can do this kind of thing for years without seeing any real effects on these kids, the seeds that we plant can really begin to grow later on in their lives. This year one of the young boys gave his life to Christ after about 9 years of coming to the kids programme every Christmas holidays!

The programmes themselves aren’t the only aspect of mission that are part of the package. The ten days with around 50 other young leaders and families are filled with endless hours of mafia, food fights, races to the shower, pranks involving large amounts of flour and water, sunrises on the beach and deflating air mattresses.

 Team time was another amazing experience where the whole team – of many different denominations, from many different churches – came together to worship God in song, prayer and messages from local church pastors.

Spending ten days with the same people, sleeping on class room floors and trying to share one shower among 50 people can be an interesting challenge, and no doubt has its share of head-bashing moments. I don’t want to sound cliché and finish by saying something lame like ‘beach mission is a hugely rewarding challenge that everyone should experience to find true enrichment of life…blah blah blah’ but I will say that if you’ve ever thought of mission, either local or overseas, Beach Mission is a fantastic way to get a taste of what it’s like to stretch yourself and your relationship with God when you step out of your comfort zone.

Download audio file (100207ISPENCE.mp3)

Location

Located in the Centenary Suburbs of Brisbane, MetroWest Community Church is ideally located if you are living in Mount Ommaney, Jindalee, Jamboree Heights, Middle Park, Westlake, Riverhills, Sumner Park, Sinnamon Park, Seventeen Mile Rocks, or the Western Suburbs of Brisbane. We also have members from the Toowong, Taringa, St Lucia, Indooroopilly, Chapel Hill, Kenmore Area and the Northern Suburbs of Brisbane. If you are studying at the University of Queensland (UQ) or Queensland University of Technology (QUT), then MetroWest is only a short journey down the highway.

Location Keywords: Mount Ommaney, Jindalee, Jamboree Heights, Middle Park, Westlake, Riverhills, Sumner Park, Sinnamon Park, Seventeen Mile Rocks, Western Suburbs of Brisbane, Centenary Suburbs, Mt Ommaney

Close Suburbs / Easy Transport to Metro West Community Church include: Anstead, Ashgrove, Auchenflower, Bellbowrie, Brookfield, Chapel Hill, Chelmer, City, Dutton Park, Fig Tree Pocket, Forest Lake, Graceville, Highgate Hill, Hill End, Inala, Indooroopilly, Ironside, Jay Park, Jindalee, Jubilee, Jamboree Heights, Kenmore, Kenmore Hills, Milton, Ithaca, Mitchelton, Moggill, Moorooka, Mt Coot-tha, Pinjarra Hills, Rainworth, Seventeen Mile Rocks, Sherwood, St Lucia, Taringa, Toowong, Oxley,University of Queensland, UQ, QUT, Brisbane, Brisbane City

Other Suburbs: Albion, Alderley, Algester, Altandi, Sunnybank, Annerley, Archerfield, Ascot, Aspley, Bald Hills, Balmoral, Banks Ck, Banoon, Banyo, Bardon, Belmont, Berrinba, Bindha, Boondall, Bowen Bridge, Bowen Hills, Bracken Ridge, Breakfast Creek, Bridgeman Downs, Brighton, Bulimba, Buranda, Burbank, Calamvale, Camp Hill, Cannon Hill, Capalaba West, Carina, Carina Heights, Carindale, Carseldine, Chandler, Chardons Corner, Chermside, Chermside West, Chuwar, Clapham, Clarence Corner, Clayfield, Colmslie, Coopers Plains, Coorparoo, Corinda, Darra, Deagon, Doolandella, Doombden, Dorrington, Drewvale, Durack, Eagle Farm, East Brisbane, Eight Mile Plains, Ekibin, Ellen Grove, England Ck, Enoggera, Everton Hills, Everton Park, Fairfield, Ferny Grove, Fitzgibbon, Fortitude Valley, Fruitgrove, Galloways Hill, Gaythorne, Geebung, Gordon Park, Grange, Greenslopes, Grovely, Gumdale, Hamilton, Hawthorne, Heathwood, Hemmant, Hendra, Herston, Holland Park, Kalinga, Kangaroo Point, Karana Downs, Karawatha, Kedron, Kelvin Grove, Keperra, Kholo, Kuraby, Lake Manchester, Larapinta, Lindum, Lota, Lutwyche, Lytton, Macgregor, Mackenzie, Manly, Mansfield, Mayne, Mcdowall, Merthyr, Middle Park, Morningside, Mt Crosby, Mt Gravatt, Mt Gravatt East, Mt Ommaney, Murarrie, Myrtletown, Nathan, New Farm, Newmarket, Newstead, Norman Park, Northgate, Nudgee, Nudgee Beach, Nundah, Paddington, Pallara, Parkinson, Pinkenba, Priors Pocket, Pullenvale, Queensport, Ransome, Red Hill, Richlands, Riverhills, Robertson, Rochedale, Rocklea, Runcorn, Salisbury, Sandgate, Seven Hills, Shorncliffe, Sinnamon Park, South Brisbane, Spring Hill, St John’s Wood, , Stafford, Stafford Heights, Stretton, Sumner, Sunnybank, Sunnybank Hills, Taigum, Tarragindi, Teneriffe, Tennyson, The Gap, Thompson Estate, Tingalpa, Toombul, Toorwood, Upper Brookfield, Upper Kedron, Upper Mt Gravatt, Virginia, Wacol, Wakerley, Wavell Heights, Wellers Hill, West End, Westlake, Whites Hill, Willawong, Wilston, Windsor, Wishart, Woolloongabba, Wooloowin, Wynnum, Wynnum West, Yeerongpilly, Yeronga, Zillmere
 

Transport

The church is easily accessed from the Centenary Highway by car. Members travel from a wide variety of areas in the western suburbs and will be able to pick you up from your house if you require transport to the church.

If you would liked to be picked up from your house, please call John Hamilton (3371 2512) and he will arrange for one of our church members to pick you up.

Service Time

On Sunday morning, at 9:30am and Sunday Evening at 5:00pm.

New to Christianity

If you are new to Christianity, would like to learn about the bible, or what Christians believe then we would be happy to explain it to you. Perhaps a Christianity Explained or Bible Explained course would help; Just ask one of the people at church and they will be happy to point you in the right direction.

About the Church (Keywords)

Bible Teaching: Bible Based, Expository Teaching, Great biblical expository sermons , Expository preaching
Mission: Proclaiming Christ
Worship Style: Contemporary
Theological Position: Evangelical, Reformed
Church Government: Presbyterian
Doctrinal Standard: Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF)
Denominational Affiliation: Westminster Presbyterian Church in Australia

MetroWest joins the Churches in Mt Ommaney, the churches in the Centenary suburbs, and the churches in Brisbane’s West to promote the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Westminster Presbyterian Church looks only to the Bible for the truth about God, creation, and humankind. In general, we hold to these distinctives: 1 The centrality of God in all things, and the tremendous grace of God to sinners-this is the message of the Bible, the Word of God. 2 The Bible contains no errors and is absolutely reliable. 3 God is completely sovereign over all of his creation. 4 Humankind is sinful at heart, and deserves only the anger of God, who is holy and just. 5 God has given his Son Jesus Christ to the world to save us from our sins. 6 Salvation from sins has been accomplished by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

Other Key Ideas:
church in Mt Ommaney, church in Centenary suburbs, church in west of brisbane, church in south west brisbane, church in south east Queensland. morning church, evening church, churches in the morning.

Links

Westminster Presbyterian Church in Australia

Nepean Valley Church

Australian Christian Church Directory

At MetroWest we believe God is calling us out into unknown territory. It feels a whole lot safer to stay where we are, with the tried and tested. There are so many uncertainties about our move to Mt Ommaney…: “How will we cope with our limited resources… will people join us from the community… should we be attempting two services… why did you bring us into the desert to die… we would have been better off in Egypt?” I hope you can see the problem. And whilst not wanting to put our move on a par with Israel’s call out of Egypt, there are parallels: we need to be moving forward in trust and hope; it is not honouring to God to be murmuring and complaining and spreading alarm and despondency.  Your excitement and anticipation at what God is doing will have a positive effect on those who are watching from the sidelines.

God has blessed us wonderfully in the past… let’s trust him to bless us wonderfully in the future.

Regards
Ian

Download audio file (100131ISPENCE.mp3)

Paul Unger learns the Lengo language from Solomon Islanders, so he and his wife Cathy can help train them in Bible translation and language development.

Dear Prayers,

We have another two weeks of translator training workshops planned beginning tomorrow (Monday, 25 January). There have been heavy rains for the past week, so we’re not entirely sure that everyone (anyone?) will be able to make it… So that’s the first request. Second, I’m doing everything but cooking for the workshop (for which the participants should be eternally grateful! ). But the rest of it is a lot of work and I won’t be able to do it in my own strength. Finally, Cathy will be on her own on the home (and home school) front for those two weeks. We’re needing God’s sustaining power to get us through… And not just ‘us through’, but the participants strengthened, equipped, and encouraged for the huge task ahead of them. Thank you for remembering us to him,

Paul & Cathy

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tim Keller has written an interesting book “The Reason For God”.  Keller is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York. The church was planted the late 1980s and has since grown to over 5000 members and has been involved in the planting of over 100 other churches.

Keller argues that:

• Disbelief in God takes as much faith as belief in God.
• It takes MORE of a leap of faith to disbelieve in God than to believe in God.
• you can reason to a point of probability, it takes personal committment to come to certainty.

Keller addresses the main reasons listed for disbelief in God and shows that it can infact leads to greater faith in God:

• Why does God allow suffering in the world?
• How could a loving God send people to Hell?
• Why isn’t Christianity more inclusive?
• How can one religion be “right” and others “wrong”?
• Why have so many wars been fought in the name of God?

Download audio file (100124JNARAN_44.mp3)

The Church needs to be provocative, in that those who encounter it should be provoked. Graham Thomlin, in his book, The Provocative Church, argues that the mission with which Christians have been charged is to be a sign. ‘Christians are not just meant to try to do good, be nice and help the world work a little better. They are instead to act as signposts to another order, another way of life, another kingdom which can only be glimpsed in this world, but has not yet arrived completely’. He suggests that those of us who believe in God’s kingdom and his kingship will want our way of living to point to that kingdom, ‘to offer reminders, aromas, tastes of what it might mean to live in that kingdom’.

Tomlin suggests the church needs to be actively fostering a new relationship with God. Our culture’s obsession with constant communication, of which texting is symptomatic, and our fascination with sex are indicative of a desperate longing for intimacy… ‘people are starved for affection and terrified of abandonment. And this desire for intimacy is a vague echo of our need for intimacy with God’. And in its worship the church needs to be that signpost that says, “This way… this is how you can know God… this is where your deepest longings can be met.”

The church also needs to be an aroma of the kingdom in the way that its members live out their faith; this includes loving people and caring for creation and being faithful to the teachings of Jesus. But this must be done together: ‘the task of forming a new genuinely Christian way of life that acts as a sign of the kingdom to come can only be done in community’. We can not do this alone… we need the support, the encouragement of others who are also passionate about being the church which Jesus Christ is building.

Reviewed by Ian Spence

Ian Spence – 06 December, 2009 – 1 Cor 10: 23-11:1, Living Dangerously
(Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (091206ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence – 22 November, 2009 – Psalm 73; He is Enough!
(Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (091122ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence – 15 November, 2009 – 1 Cor 9:19-23 … to Win as Many as Possible
(Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (091115ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence – 8 November, 2009 – Heb 12:18-24; A Confident and Joyful Approach
(Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (091108ISPENCE.mp3)

Michael Bennett – 1 November, 2009 – 1 Cor 7:29-31; Who Comes First?
(Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (091101MBENNETT.mp3)

Ian Spence – 18 October, 2009 – 1 Corinthians 8: 1-13; Thinking of Others (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (091018ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence – 11 October, 2009 – 1 Cor 7:1-5 – Too Spiritual for Sex (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (091011ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence – 04 October, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (091004ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence- 27 September, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (090927ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence – 20 September, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (090920ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence – 13 September, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (090913ISPENCE.mp3)

David Brock – 06 September, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (090906DBROCK.mp3)

Ian Spence – 30 August, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (090830ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence – 23 August, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (090823ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence – 16 August, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (090816ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence – 09 August, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (090809ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence – 02 August, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (090802ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence – 26 July, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (090726ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence – 19 July, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (090719ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence – 12 July, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (090712ISPENCE.mp3)

Matthew Heaton – 28 June, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (090628MHEATON.mp3)

Ian Spence – 21 June, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (090621ISPENCE.mp3)

Ian Spence – 14 June, 2009 (Click here to manually download)
Download audio file (090614ISPENCE.mp3)

The children in our congregation are valued members of our community. We love the energy that children bring to our services and consider it important that they are taught about Jesus. For this reason our Kid’s Church (Sunday School) is specially designed to ensure that our children enjoy coming to church while ensuring that they develop their own spirituality by learning about Jesus and what he has done. A special children’s talk is incorporated into our services for the children before they go out to their own time while the adults message is being delivered.

The Marriage Course:
How to build healthy marriages that last a lifetime.

The Marriage Course is held over eight evenings and offers any married couple the tools to build a strong and healthy marriage that lasts a lifetime. During each evening couples talk about important issues that can get swept under the carpet in the rush of daily life. While the course is based on Christian principles, it is designed for couples with or without a church background.

When: we run courses at various times through the year; email us if you are interested in attending.

Does the God who created us also know how to speak to us? Is He able to communicate truth to us through words in a way that is meaningful and understandable? The answer assumed on every page of Scripture is “yes”. God spoke to the patriarchs, prophets and priests and when the words God spoke were written down, the people treated those words as the sacred oracles of God. When the people were taught the meaning in those inspired texts (and they obeyed), there was rejoicing (Neh 8:1-12). When no one instructed them from those words, the people suffered (2 Chron 15:3). At one point this written revelation was called the Law, then the Law and the Prophets; then the Gospels were added, and then the Epistles, until we finally have what we call the Bible.

At each of those stages what was written was considered by God’s people to be authoritative and demanding of our obedience, because the words written down came from the very mouth of God.

In our world of perpetual squishitude, why offer people more of what they already have – vague spirituality, uncertainty, and borderline interpretative relativism? Why not offer them something hard and old like [God's] Law in which we delight [& the Bible] and dare to say and believe “Thus saith the Lord”?

(Kevin DeYoung: Why we’re not emegent – by two guys who should be. p84/85)

Christianity Explained is a six week introductory course designed to cover the fundamental building-blocks of the Christian faith. It is not heavy or intense, but is designed to allow you to check out what Christians believe. You would be welcome to come, or you may know someone who would be interested. Courses are being run regularly all over Brisbane!

Let me assure you that you will not be required to answer questions, to pray or to read the Bible aloud. There will, however, be ample opportunity for discussion.

Contact us if you would like to take part on one of the courses.