Posts by Gosnells CRC (Page 3)
The Morality of Voting Yes or No
This week in Two Ways News, Tony Payne and Phillip Jensen discuss the upcoming constitutional referendum. The heart of their discussion is an attempt to answer two questions: “What place does morality have in deciding questions like this?” and “How should Christians engage with the debate as citizens?” Tony Payne: Is there a Christian response to this particular social, political question that we’re grappling with? How can Christians think through morality and the way we make decisions as Christian citizens? Phillip…
Book Review – The Manual
Al Stewart, The Manual: Getting Masculinity Right. Matthias Media, 2022. 249pp. With issues of gender front and centre of the cultural conversation, the need for clarity on what it means to be a man, and what real masculinity is all about, has never been greater. That there is confusion is without doubt. And the confusion is not confined to the secular world; many Christians and churches struggle to clearly and biblically define what it means to be a man. It is…
The Voice: A Christian Perspective
Here’s an article you might find helpful to think through the debate on the upcoming Voice referendum later this year. It is a Christian perspective, not the Christian perspective. But it’s helpful, because so much of what we read is coloured through the lens of partisan politics rather than Christian reflection. Read the article at The Gospel Coalition website.
Three Reasons to Greet Someone New (and Someone You Know) at Your Church
There have been many new people joining us as guests at our worship services in recent months. I’ve been encouraged to see many of you speaking with guests afterwards; that’s a really practical expression of love and kindness. It brought to my mind two articles I read recently: Three reasons to Greet Someone You Know at Your Church, and Three reasons to Greet Someone New at Your Church. Both are well worth reading and learning to put into practice. Three reasons to Greet Someone New at…
Why Read If You Forget Most Everything Anyway?
Maybe you’ve had this question in your mind before… why read a book, if you forget most of everything you read anyway? The same might be said of a sermon… why listen to a preacher proclaim God’s word, if there are very few things you’ll consciously be able to recall even a week later? If you don’t have a good answer to those questions, let me point you to an article by Trevin Wax from The Gospel Coalition. May it…
Names Nobody Remembers
“In the midst of our small, ordinary lives, our Father uses us as part of something greater. When we’re sweeping the floor and wiping off the dirty faces of our children, we’re being used in his plan of bringing order and goodness into a world marked by chaos. When we text a friend with a verse and prayer of encouragement, our small action becomes the fulfilment of another’s prayer for help. When the automatic payment to our church goes through,…
Community: A Struggle to Fit
“All believers should feel welcome and invited to be an active part of its fellowship. But in truth, we tend to herd together in groups based on similarities like being married or single, our children’s ages, our life stages, political preferences, or professional positions. We feel more comfortable around people like us. (What does your small group look like?) God wants us to fight against this tendency and build a community that embraces people who are different from us, including…
A Friend Just Lost an Unbelieving Loved One to Death: What Do I Say, Think, and Do?
“Most of us have likely faced this scenario. If we have not to this point, we will. Someone you are close to—a dear friend, a family member, someone in your church small group, a neighbour—just had a loved one die. To the best of your knowledge, the person who died was not a Christian, and your friend knows it.” Read more…
When Life Feels Disconnected from Faith
“Have you ever felt a disconnect between what you believe and what you experience? I was speaking to someone recently who was wrestling with that disconnect. She was in a season of suffering and said something along the lines of, “I am reading the Bible every day. It’s where I’m turning. But when I come across promises of his presence and his peace, it’s so frustrating. That’s not my experience at all—just the opposite. God seems silent. Why don’t his…
What Does it Mean to Examine Yourself Before Taking Communion?
“Last time I checked, communion is for sinners. It’s for Christians only. Take it seriously. Consume with reverence. Know how it points to Jesus, and don’t make the same tragic mistakes as those at Corinth. Pursue humility by confessing your sin to God, and rid yourself of all snobbery toward your brothers and sisters at church. But after you do, take the elements in faith, knowing God will use it to spiritually strengthen you.” Read more…
Community: A Struggle to Fit
“When it comes to community in the church, many people feel like onlookers. For many, deep fellowship seems far off. Some feel excluded because they “do not fit in,” and others are unsure how to engage. In the church of Jesus, this should not be. All believers should feel welcome and invited to be an active part of its fellowship. But in truth, we tend to herd together in groups based on similarities like being married or single, our children’s…
One Anothers” I Can’t Find in the New Testament
“The kind of God we really believe in is revealed in how we treat one another. The lovely gospel of Jesus positions us to treat one another like royalty, and every non-gospel positions us to treat one another like dirt. But we will follow through horizontally on whatever we really believe vertically.” Read more…