The word ‘Fellowship’ often found in the Bible and frequently used in church life is a translation of the New Testament word Koinwnia. It means a body of people who are intimately linked, and intertwined with each other for mutual support and shared ministry in the gospel. In fact the basic meaning of the word … Continue reading ‘Koinwnia’ And How To Break It
Easter – Disappearing With a Smile
I wonder how much it is being noticed that Easter is becoming more and more like Lewis Carol’s Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. You know the cat that slowly disappears, leaving only the cat’s smile. I remark on this after observing the media coverage of Easter this year. On many news bulletins the celebration … Continue reading Easter – Disappearing With a Smile
Growing Up Empty
Jeff Kennett the former Premier of Victoria commented in a recent article on a trip he made to the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea, saying how he: “was again impressed by the happiness and well-being of the Papuans we met along the way. They are village people, with no phones, televisions, cars and, importantly, … Continue reading Growing Up Empty
Spiritual Muscle and Facing Evil
I was listening this week to one of the radio talk back programs where the host was reflecting on a number of tragedies that he had become aware of recently. One of which was the serious injury experienced by a young professional rugby league player last weekend, the result of which seems to be that … Continue reading Spiritual Muscle and Facing Evil
Could It Be That Jesus Got It Wrong?
Occasionally the attitudes of some churchgoing people can seem to imply that maybe Jesus got a few things wrong. What you might say? Well, you know all the stuff we associate with ‘doing church’ properly. For example it is noted that Jesus didn’t start or belong to any ‘church’, or denomination, build a ‘proper’ church … Continue reading Could It Be That Jesus Got It Wrong?
Our Box Our Coffin
God will not be put in a box constructed by us and if we insist on doing so that box will become the coffin of the church. Jesus, showed a great flexibility as to where He went, and with whom He met. This often made Him very unpopular with the ‘religious’ people, maybe that is … Continue reading Our Box Our Coffin
“Cheap Grace and the Dumbing Down of Sin”
The term ‘Cheap Grace’ was coined by the German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer whom I mentioned in my talk last Sunday. Bonhoeffer sought to oppose the Nazis in World War 2 and paid for it with his life, being executed by them tragically only a few days before the war ended. Bonhoeffer defined cheap grace as: … Continue reading “Cheap Grace and the Dumbing Down of Sin”
Leadership with Over the Horizon Radar
Leaders with Over the Horizon Radar Leadership in the Australian church is strongly shaped by the Christendom paradigm which is primarily suited to maintenance not mission. This is not the Leadership desperately and urgently required for Unbounded Church which is missional leadership. Essential qualities for leaders of ‘Unbounded Church’ are that they will be ‘Entrepreneurial’, … Continue reading Leadership with Over the Horizon Radar
Bible People with Anorexia
“A church in an affluent society”, one much like ours. . a church that has lost its passion for Christ, . professing Christianity but “untouched by its fire”.
Christianity-Lite A Deadly Poison
Among the offerings in the ‘spiritual supermarket’ that is Australia today there can be found this very attractive and popular package called ‘Christianity-Lite’ (C.L.). A characteristic of this belief system or ‘faith’ is that it is an ‘easy’ faith, a ‘comfortable’ faith where the spiritual journey is smooth and not too stressful; one into which … Continue reading Christianity-Lite A Deadly Poison
