Hebrews 12, part 1

This Sunday we are covering another famous portion of Scripture, in the opening verses of Hebrews 12. It is really the culmination of Hebrews 11, and gives us the reason for paying attention to all the examples of faith listed in that chapter. There are so many who have gone before us and finished their lives with firm trust in the Lord Jesus; surely we can be encouraged by them to live our lives in the same way!

Also this Sunday, after service we are celebrating baptism and sharing fellowship in a meal afterwards. May the example of those being baptized be an encouragement, just as your presence will be an encouragement for them!

Hebrews 11, part 4

The second half of Hebrews 11 covers all of the Old Testament after the first five books, from Joshua to the end. As a Hebrew reader would be intimately familiar with these references, they are simply listed as references, only with a name, or even a general occurrence in the Scripture.

For the 21st century reader, a bit more time looking into some of these faith-filled individuals is necessary to gain better insight from their examples. What better way to close the year than with a multitude of encouraging testimonies from those that have gone before us!

Christmas Sunday

As this Sunday is Christmas Eve, it is the perfect time for us to celebrate the birth of our Saviour during service! We will have a special presentation by the children's church, as well as a special message. If you are unable to attend, you can find the message uploaded to the church website at the Special Messages section of the Media tab. Rejoice! The good news of the Saviour's birth on earth is to all people!!

Merry Christmas!

Hebrews 11, part 3

We will continue this week considering the many people reference in Hebrews 11, which is often called "The Hall of Faith". To the Jewish-Hebrew reader (because this book was written for them), these names are very familiar, and their histories well-known. This may not be so among Christians today. So we are mining the riches of God's Word in the Old Testament and gaining insight for our lives, as Paul said in Romans 15:4:

 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

Hebrews 11, part 2

This Sunday we are continuing our considerations of this landmark chapter of Scripture. Our lives are to be lived by faith, not by our own human reason or logic, and certainly not by our circumstances. We are spiritual beings, and the spiritual realm is unseen, so we must live in a different way--we must live by faith.  This chapter is all about active faith, not just mental agreement that God is, for even the demons believe and tremble, we are told. Our faith needs to act on the understanding of who God is and His position as ruler of the universe, and thankfully, we have many good examples of people who lived just this way to encourage and inspire us to do the same.

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!

Hebrews 9, part 2

Last week we considered the first section of chapter 9. This week, we will pick up where we left off. Jesus' sacrifice of Himself for us is the pivotal doctrine of salvation. No other religion teaches anything like it; contrariwise, man is always called upon to sacrifice himself or offer something else in order to please his god. That God Almighty, the Perfect and Holy One, would condescend to come and not only take away our sin, but bear the punishment in Himself; coming to dwell with us and live among us. Jesus is truly a faithful high priest!