• Religion // Cruciformity

    Reading Time: 8 minutes

    There is no standard scholarly agreement on what exactly is meant by the word religion, so defining religion (from the Latin religiō) can be a bit tricky. In fact, prior to the 16th and 17th centuries, the concept of religion, as a distinct set of beliefs or doctrines, didn’t really exist.
    Today, we would probably summarise religion as a unifying social-cultural system of beliefs and practices relating to sacred, supernatural, or spiritual elements. We may tend to…

  • Women + Church Ministry

    Reading Time: 21 minutes

    The early Christians faced many challenges in their new life of faith in Jesus. The gospel boldly sought to realign humanity according to the values of a true and impartial God. Differences based on race or social status found no place in this new religion.
    Jews who thought of themselves as God’s unique and chosen people were now to consider Gentiles as family, loved by the same God. Slave owners, rich in property and persons,…

  • The Story’s Not Over Yet…

    Reading Time: 7 minutes

    “Walking, stumbling, on these shadow feet; toward home, a land that I’ve never seen. I am changing: less and less asleep, made of different stuff than when I began and I have sensed it all along, fast approaching is the day.” | Brooke Fraser

    These lyrics are from a song by Brooke Fraser, which I think really speak to our hearts as Christians. When I listen to this song, I feel as if I catch a…

  • People Of The Kingdom

    Reading Time: 9 minutes

    Deciding to become a Christian has its origins in believing the things about Jesus, certainly, in an intellectual sense; who he is and what he came for – but there’s more to it than that. We are also choosing to surrender to his guidance and leadership in our life as a willing subject of God’s designated king.
    Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and earth, he becomes the first claimant on our affections, the…

  • Shod With The Gospel Of Peace

    Reading Time: 6 minutes

    “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will inherit the earth.” | Matthew 5:9 (ESV)

    The Spiritual Warrior
    In Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul gives a striking description of a person known as the spiritual warrior, a follower of Jesus who has been powerfully equipped for warfare by the armour of God Himself. The elements or pieces of armour which make up ‘the whole armour’ are of God – it is His strength which believers are armed with…

  • A Christian Response To The Global Crisis

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    How we, as Christians, respond in times of crisis is not just vitally important for our own faith and for our witness of the gospel, it’s important for the wellbeing of those around us, who may be struggling with doubts and fears in what is a very distressing and anxious time.

    A Measured And Faithful Response
    I want to speak plainly to a disturbing trend currently being observed amongst some, in response to the current pandemic facing…

  • Jesus: King Of The World

    Reading Time: 7 minutes

    The final pages of the Old Testament come to a close with the prophetic words of Malachi, written around 460-430 BC. We find the people of Israel have returned from nearly 130 years of exile and are back in the land of their ancestors. Yet the nation is vastly diminished. The temple has been restored under the leadership of Nehemiah but it is a much smaller building than the previous, gloriously constructed temple of King…

  • What Is A Disciple?

    Reading Time: 6 minutes

    The word disciple occurs frequently throughout the Bible and ‘discipleship’ is something that the Bible references often. But what does the word disciple actually mean? And what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus?

    What Is A Disciple?
    Our English language Bibles were translated from manuscripts written primarily in two languages; Hebrew (in the Old Testament) and Greek (in the New Testament). The translative history of the Bible is a fascinating journey, from an academic…