John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” sets out an elaborate
account of a man on his way to the celestial city, with all its obstacles and sidetracks. While we
all want the easy ride or fair-weather sail, the truth is that the Christian life generally involves
more than its fair share of struggles. This side of heaven the effects of sin, especially in our old
fleshly human nature, create problems for us.

This is how 1 Peter 5:8-9 puts it: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith,
because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of
sufferings.”

In this new series of messages we will address some of the more common areas of struggle that Christians face. Generally they are not the subjects we like to talk about publicly. Sometimes we (wrongly) assume that we are the only ones among our circle of friends who have these battles. The time has come to name these things for what they are…sins of the mind and heart…and confront them honestly. And as we do so, let’s be praying that God might be refining us in holiness as we continue the journey He has set before us.

• The Kingdom of God… and Me!
• The Kingdom of God… and Us!
• The Kingdom of God… what will it take.

Simon serves as the Director of Pioneers, a growing mission movement with 200 Aussies serving on multi-cultural teams around the world. Pioneers goal is for precious men, women, boys and girls to hear and experience the message of God’s love, even in the hardest places on earth. Simon has has been married to Joy for 20 years and they have two teenage daughters, Sarah and Gabrielle. With a background in nursing, pharmaceuticals, the military, missionary work in Africa and Bible College, Simon and his family now live in Melbourne.

• Agricultural ministry and occupational therapy in Central Asia
• Medical ministry in China
• Ministering in Australian prisons
• Teaching English to international students
• Radio broadcasting
• IT and missions

Good Friday April 6 at 9:00AM
Easter Sunday April 8 at 9:00AM and 6:30PM

Did God really do these extraordinary things, just as they are written? How likely is that? Is he big enough? Reflections on our recent Genesis series.

Reading through Genesis has been great, but I tell you what – it’s tested my faith at times! Sometimes it just seems too incredible to accept!

The events in Genesis sound outlandish and extraordinary to me. Even mythological. Now, I’m a pretty rational sort of guy. (Programmers usually are.) So it’s tempting to try to rationalise Genesis, to say it’s simply poetic, or to pass it off as a myth.

Here’s where the test of faith begins. I don’t doubt whether God exists. He’s proven himself to me enough times already. But this God, whom I know in personal experience – did he really do these extraordinary things, just as they are written? How likely is that? Is it even possible?

Allow me to put you through the same test. For example:

- When it says God planted the Garden of Eden (2:8), a real garden – do you believe that?

- When it says God created Adam in his own image, and Eve from him (1:27, 2:22), do you believe that?

- When it says God created the world in six days (“and there was evening, and there was morning”, 1:5,8,13,19,23,31), do you believe that?

- When it says God flooded the whole earth at once (6:13), do you believe that?

These are incredible things! I’ve never seen God do anything like that! At best, it seems unlikely; at worst, impossible. However, as I’ve reflected on it, I’ve realised that many of these doubts can be answered in one single question: Is your God big enough?

Well, is he big enough to do these things? Are they a challenge for him? Is it difficult for a Creator to work with the very matter that he created in the first place?

I asked myself those same questions again in this new light…

- Is your God big enough to create a real garden? (Or can the Creator not plant trees on his own?)

- Is your God big enough to create a human from scratch? (Or does he need to begin with an ape?)

- Is your God big enough to create life in a few days? (Or does he need a billion years to work it out?)

- Is your God big enough to organise a global flood? (Or can he only flood one small region of earth at a time?)

My doubts now seemed ridiculous. The temptation had been to side with public opinion, hide behind my “rationality” and refuse to believe that my Creator could have done anything so easily. I mean, just how big can he be, anyway?!

It sounds like an obvious conclusion. But this sort of doubt seems to be a common temptation. In my line of work, “rationality” is all the rage. But you know, if we were truly rational, we would recognise that God is big. Seriously big. And when you’ve created all matter in the universe, manipulating that matter is a piece of cake.

Now, back to Genesis. I’m not suggesting you should believe Genesis blindly, nor should you be literalistic at all times. But often when we doubt the account in Genesis, it’s simply because we forget how big God is. Rather, we should ask what the Bible asks: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Gen 18:14)

Is anything too hard? This is the God who took Jesus Christ – a crucified, dead and buried corpse – raised him back to life and placed him “far above all rule and authority” for every age to come (Eph 1:19-21). Talk about power!

And, amazingly, he promises to use this power to do good to those who trust in Christ: “He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Rom 8:11) God is well able to do what he promised. We would do well to remember just how big he is.

So… doubts about Genesis? Questioning whether he actually did these things? Is your God big enough?

Mine is. :)

This guest post was written by City North Young Adult, Scott Taylor. ]]> http://www.citynorthbaptist.com/featured/a-look-back-at-the-beginning/feed 0 http://www.citynorthbaptist.com/featured/life-insurance-assurance http://www.citynorthbaptist.com/featured/life-insurance-assurance#comments Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:30:32 +0000 City North Baptist Church http://www.citynorthbaptist.com/?p=2044 Life is all about enjoying the things that matter most – family, friends, fun and freedom. Or so we’re told. The push to safeguard everyday life and the ones we love in the event of an accident, sickness or death is ever-growing. And in a society where uncertainty is sweeping the nation, clever marketing campaigns have us convinced that the security of our loved ones futures is dependent on financial indemnity.

The idea of Life Insurance is somewhat of a soothing balm on our tender perceptions of death. Particularly to a human race who like to think we’re in control.

I am the master of my destiny…

..I think. I hope.

But are we really in control? Do we truly exercise complete authority over our lives?

It’s an uncomfortable thought because things are going wrong. Sickness, loneliness, boredom and shame are increasingly present in our lives and it’s becoming harder to believe that we’re in charge. But the idea that someone else might be in control leaves us feeling even more uneasy. Because if we’re not running the show known as life, our search for future security has no dependence on anything we do.

We don’t get to choose when we die.

It’s a devastating realization that all the safety measures we’ve worked so hard to put in place might not have any lasting effects on ensuring we’ve lived lives worth the while. And even if we have, what happens next? How will life insurance payouts cure the sickness, loneliness, boredom, shame and our utter desperation for some kind of meaning to it all? The cries of human hearts for meaning and validation plague our entire lives and ultimately drive us to put hope and expectation in things which in reality have no lasting merit.

But you already know that.

What we want isn’t insurance on a life we know is only temporary. The desperate longing of our inner-most being isn’t to protect what we already have. What we’re really searching for is assurance of a life which will last. A life better than all we’ve ever known. Because what we know is fraught with brokenness and hurt and we’re helpless to fix it ourselves.

A long time ago, a member of the Jewish ruling court called Nicodemus approached a teacher by the name of Jesus who had performed miracles. He said to him ‘Rabbi (which means teacher), we know that you have come from God as a teacher; for no one could do these signs (miracles) that you do unless God is with him.” (John 3:2) Their conversation continued and the man called Jesus said to Nicodemus that, “God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. God did not send His son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:16)

This man Jesus is the Son of God. He is the giver of life that will last. He came to earth as a human, he suffered through human sufferings. He died a human death and was raised to life. And he did all this to give us certainty that there is a God who is stronger and in complete control of the life that we’re so desperate to save. He didn’t come to ‘insure’ that the lives we’re already living are good enough. But he came to assure us that life lived with Him is worth the while because it will result in perfect eternity with the God who loves us beyond measure and so dearly wants our lives to be saved from the hopelessness which comes from death.

Am I saying that life only begins after death?Am I saying that life on earth doesn’t matter? Absolutely not! What I mean is this: True life begins only after acceptance of the death of Jesus Christ and the acknowledgement that He is God. The Bible is so clear as to what our purpose in life should be. King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived according to the Bible, discovered the uselessness of life if it is lived only for what is temporary (the human world). In the conclusion of his book, Ecclesiastes, King Solomon says; “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments. This applies to every person.”

Is life really truly about enjoying friends, family, fun and so called freedom? After searching for answers in a world which offers uncertainty, unreliability and no promises for a future, I have found that my purpose on earth is to glorify my Father, my King, my saviour, my Lord and to enjoy all the good that He brings. Through repentance of my rejection of Him and a new life of obedience to Him, my eyes now rest in comfort on a future home heaven and on an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. And what a truly joyous and abundant new life I am living.

What are you living for?

This guest post was written by a City North Young Adult.

One of the most famous sections of scripture in the Bible and yet it is one of the least studied.  As we pour through this primeval history we hope that God will help us to see past the debates concerning religion and science, creation and evolution, to the message that God longed for His people to hear when these words were first written.

As we start a new year at City North join us in the evening services as we look at the first 12 beautiful chapters of the Bible.  We will see what God was doing through the famous stories of creation, the fall, Cain & Abel, the flood, Babel and the call of Abraham.  Our prayer is that they would be more than nice stories you remember from Sunday School, that rather you will be impacted by the reality of God: His power, creative genius, justice, mercy, love and grace!

Please come along with open minds and hearts from January 29th through to the end of March!

Register!

This year as we open the Bible we will explore God’s Shameless Love that He has so extravagantly revealed, and will be spurred on to unashamedly share it in a hostile world. Women of all ages who love being taught and challenged from God’s Word are invited to share with us in a day of Bible teaching, singing, delicious food and fellowship. Further information and registration with online payment is available at register.citynorthbaptist.com

Event Details:

• 17th March 2012; 8:30am; City North Baptist Church; 52 Yiada St, Kedron; QLD
• Early Bird (Adult/Student): $30/$25 (ends 26th Feb)
• Add $5 for late registrations (close on 12th March) *we apologise for a misprint in the recent promotional email.*
• Morning Tea & Lunch Included
• Bookshop with cash and credit card facilities
• Promotional Brochure

In that light the internship was the core element of my time at Bible College. Theological study is fantastic (and important for those wanting to be ministers) but the practical outworking of the internship is what gave that study tangible meaning for everyday ministry opportunities.

To have come out of the I.T industry and start college was a huge change for me, but I was immediately seeing the worth of the study as the internship had me teaching R.E at Wavell High School, running senior cafes, building relationships with high school students, as well as expanding my music ministry from simply drumming to worship leading and singing. Jesus was able to reveal a teaching gift to me through the opportunities to lead lounge groups, lead communion and preach. In this past year (2011) I found that planning and running youth events, mentoring leaders and students, preaching the Gospel to them and finding practical illustrations to constantly be an example of Jesus to our fantastic group of youthies is what drove me to complete my academic studies.

By far the part of the internship I enjoyed the most and gained the most wisdom from were the weekly mentoring sessions with Pastor Murray. Each week we would spend about 90 minutes in his office, usually Murray would share stories and examples from his vast experience in different ministry areas – or we would discuss methods and articles that he had found particularly helpful. These times, as well as the interaction with Pastor Joe or Pastor Dave, are where the internship at City North really assists in finding a base for how I might do ministry in the future.

The internship may not look the same for everyone, different people have different gifts, but I found that the congregation at City North were always so supportive of every new element I tried, that whoever is the next intern and whatever they do, I am sure that they will feel as greatly blessed as I do now.

Thank You

Dean

What: City North Christmas Morning Service

Where: City North Baptist Church, 52 Yiada St, Kedron

When: Sunday 25th December, 2011

Time: 8am-9am