Journey through the Bible: 1 John

Although this letter is near the "back" of the Bible, and not great in length or size compared to a couple of its closer neighbours (Hebrews or Revelation), the book of first John is a gem for the Christian. It has such words of comfort and exhortation, masterfully blended together. We find it both challenging and reassuring at once, in reading it through.

The apostle John wrote his gospel to give the readers a knowledge of the God-nature of the man Jesus Christ, that they would believe and be saved. In his first letter, he writes to the follower of Christ to give them knowledge or reassurance that they are, in fact, in the faith and walking with God. It is a sort of self-examination for the professing Christian. You will no doubt be blessed by our journey through this book!

2 Peter 2

This Sunday we will be covering just a few verses, but the topic is anything but small! Peter gives strong warnings to his readers about the plague of false teachers. Like the false prophets of the Old Testament, seeking to please the people for their own gain and to the hearers' demise, false teachers are not out to please God. Most of the New Testament was penned to address false teachings themselves. Only through abiding in God's Word and learning to rightly divide it can we grow and mature as Christians, and avoid the dangers of bad doctrine.

Journey Through the Bible: 2 Peter

As we are rapidly approaching the end of the New Testament, we encounter 2 Peter. This little epistle almost reads like an ancient prophet, heavy with warnings about false prophets. However, it is also filled with encouragement. There is treasure in each passage, from the first verse to the last.

Journey Through the Bible: 1 Peter

As we journey through the New Testament we now come to the letters of Peter and John. We will travel first through 1 Peter. This letter is full of encouragement to persevere in the face of injustice and a practical treatise on how to live, as Jesus said, being in this world but not of it. We pray that all our hearts will be strengthened to walk the narrow way that Christ has laid out for us as we live our lives as witnesses of Him.

Journey through the Bible: James

We will be sharing in communion this Sunday as well as a meal & fellowship after service. This Sunday we are also starting a new book in our journey through the New Testament.

The letter of James may be short, at only five chapters, but what it lacks in length it makes up for in potency. James, the brother of our Lord Jesus, was not one to soft-pedal anything. His letter is very direct, and we would be wise to allow God's razor-sharp word of life to pierce our hearts and do its perfect work!

Hebrews 11, part 1

This Sunday we are starting in on the famous 11th chapter of Hebrews, sometimes called "the hall of faith". It marks many Old Testament individuals for the faith they displayed in well-known (and less familiar) recorded Bible histories. But we have to have the foundation first.

All of these examples of living by faith in the living God are coming on the heels of the monumental explanation of the work of Christ for us. It is because of His sacrifice that we are even in a position to hope to approach God, and once we have Christ in our lives by faith, He sends us right back to the beginning, and walks us through the many examples of those who came before us.

Without faith in Christ, we will not have a proper faith or understanding of the rest of God's Word, of which He is the centre, even as He said, "You search the Scriptures....they testify of Me".

This Sunday we will by no means complete the whole chapter, but we will get a good foundational start. Join us for fellowship and then a potluck after service to kick off the Christmas season!

Journey through the Bible: Hebrews

Having finished the book of Revelation, which exalts the person of Jesus Christ and His authority and His kingdom, we move into the book of Hebrews. This Sunday we will enter into the first chapter, where we will consider the nature of Jesus as God. The entire epistle of Hebrews is drawing our attention to the superiority of Jesus and our need to live with Him at the centre of our faith and focus. We are excited to be continuing our journey through the New Testament!

Journey through the Bible: Revelation

Since completing Paul's letters, we are fast forwarding straight to the end. We will be covering the 22 chapters of Revelation over the coming months, and as the saying goes, there's no time like the present. Things are escalating all around us, both politically and spiritually. Big changes in world and local culture are undeniable.

The book of Revelation is about "The End"; about Jesus, who declared Himself as both the Beginning and the End. This important, but often misunderstood book is precious, as it was given about Jesus and by Jesus Himself. No other book in the Bible has that distinction. What an exciting time to draw nearer to Him in His Word!

2 Timothy 3, part 1

It is a popular byword in our culture that the Bible is an ancient, irrelevant book for our modern times. Reading over such passages as the first part of 2 Timothy 3, this is clearly a statement made in ignorance. This section reads like a newspaper forecast; not a weather forecast, but a cultural, behavioural forecast.

However, even though we know God's Word and His commands to live according to His righteousness, we need to beware lest we sit back and think that these words are only referring to others. We are encouraged many times in Scripture, particularly in the New Testament, to examine our own hearts and lives. So we have both a warning of the signs of the times and also the exhortation to keep watch of our own lives.

2 Timothy 2, part 3

God has given us such clear instructions for how to live a blessed life. He alone is the source of wisdom. When we listen to His Word and do what it says, we always find it to be true. This section of 2 Timothy 2 is not an exception. What a practical God we serve!

2 Timothy 2, part 2

We have such an encouragement through the Word of God in 2 Timothy 2: no matter who we are or what we do, it cannot change who God is or what He has promised. This is a blessed relief for any weary soul. We are right to desire to live a godly life, but when we try to power through on our own, inevitably, we will fail. We can feel that despite our best efforts we will never grow or change. It is God's faithfulness to us that is the solid bedrock on which our security rests. 

Also...

Plan to stay after service this Sunday as we say farewell to the Vandenhaak family by sharing a meal and fellowship together. They have been in Canada to fulfill their residency requirement and will be returning to Mexico to continue the ministry they are doing there alongside CCBC Mexico. 

2 Timothy 2, part 1

For people who read the Bible, especially the New Testament, the grace of God can be such a difficult concept to grasp. How can God give and give to the undeserving? Won't they take advantage of His grace and misuse it? This is a misunderstanding that not a few people hold. However, the grace of God teaches us to live a godly life, and in 2 Timothy 2, there are some excellent illustrations of how this looks in the day to day situations and choices we face.

2 Timothy 1

When all is said and done and we stand at the end of our lives, few things will matter that seem to consume us in our day-to-day experiences. What matters most is that we have an assurance in our souls of the love of God, His call upon our lives and His faithfulness; that He has called us to serve Him and that He will keep us His servants up to the very end, and into eternity. This is the subject that occupied the mind of the apostle Paul as he penned the second half of 2 Timothy chapter 1. When we live with the end in mind, it changes how we go about the present. And no better "reset button" exists than the reality check of the living Word of God.

Journey Through the Bible: 2 Timothy

It is hard to believe that we are beginning 2 Timothy already! This is the final letter of the apostle Paul before his death; a letter filled with important last words--words of encouragement, warning, instruction and assessment. So much is here for us in just four chapters of this New Testament book. No doubt there will be great comfort and exhortation to our hearts as we consider the message of 2 Timothy in the coming weeks. We will jump right in to chapter 1, following the introduction this Sunday. See you there!

Journey Through the Bible: Philemon

This Sunday we will be covering Philemon. Both the introduction and the full book/letter will be our subject for the next two weeks. This brief letter from the apostle Paul to Philemon is not to be missed!

Titus 2

The second chapter of Titus is chock full of practicality and the glorifying of the grace of God. God's grace, made known to us through the sacrifice of Jesus, is the power and resource available to us for godly living. We simply cannot sustainably obey the commands of God without the power of God Himself. Jesus Himself depended upon the Father throughout His earthly ministry. We cannot expect less for ourselves.

In all of our relationships, as well as in our interfacing with this world, it is His grace that impacts, empowers and instructs us how to conduct ourselves. As someone well put it: "We are not human beings merely having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." And oh, how we need God's grace for it!

Journey Through the Bible: Titus

It is typical for us to move to the next book once we finish one, but since 2 Timothy is Paul's final letter, we are moving into Titus and Philemon before returning to wrap up with that book.

Paul left Titus on the island of Crete to establish churches. As with Timothy, Titus was a young pastor, and Paul exhorted him in his role. This letter is also filled with the challenge to live in grace and godliness. The introduction to the book was last week, and you can find the message in the Media section of the church website.

This Sunday we will also be sharing a meal together after the service. These times are always a blessing. If you are worried about not being able to bring something, just come anyway. There is always enough for everyone!

1 Timothy 6, part 2

The final verses of Paul's first letter to Timothy is filled with practical commands, revealing God's will for His church. As Jesus, the head of the church, gave His life and was known for going about doing good, so we His followers are to do the same. The cares of this life can be like weeds that choke out the good work that God's Word can do in our hearts and lives. We need to be relating to the things of the world with eternity in mind, storing up "for the time to come". Our great God and King is worthy of our total devotion in thought, word and deed!

1 Timothy 6, part 1

This Sunday we are coming to the final chapter of Paul's first letter to Timothy. The words of exhortation are sharp and clear; the encouragement, unto godliness. In this culture of compromise, cutting corners, consumption and lowered standards, we need the living Word of God to align us with His will. It always pays to have reality shape our perspective.

Note: If you've been away on holiday or any other reason during these summer weeks, you can find all messages from 1 Timothy on the church website.

Journey through the Bible: 1 Timothy

In our sojourn through the New Testament we have reached the end of the section known as the prison epistles (Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians). We are now on the verge of heading into a new section, known as the pastoral epistles, which Paul wrote to young pastors about church life. These letters, beginning with 1 Timothy, are packed with how-to wisdom, doctrine, warning and encouragement. Join us Sunday for the introduction to Paul's first letter to Timothy.