Church
Anyone for Easter Eggs?
A reader of this blog has raised the question: “Do independent churches make too little of Easter?” On my way to church last Sunday I passed several children carrying palm branches to church for the Palm Sunday service. The sight of them was the first time I even thought of this special day in the [...]
Too Right
Too right! It’s Aussie slang for “I agree with you.” However, many Christians I’ve met are so “right” that they can’t agree with anyone. Backing themselves into a corner by their insistence on being right, the sharp point of their rightness keeps others well away and prevents them from meaningful fellowship with others who do [...]
Things we could take for granted….
The March 26 election in New South Wales would emphatically suggest that voters are looking for a new direction in the state government. The Coalition has been elected with a significant majority and the Labor government has suffered the greatest loss of seats in Australian politics. As we look forward to a new government after [...]
Other Fields; Other Sheep
Brown-black eyes smiled warmly across the table from us. Newly arrived in town, the young pastor and his wife shared a little of their personal history. “People say to our pastor, ‘You’ve sent all your best people away to Bible school and seminary and now they’re not even coming back to help you!” Julie was answering a [...]
Giving In Australia
The Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies has highlighted some interesting statistics on Australians’ charitable giving. In 2007-08 (the most recent year for their research), the average tax-deductible donation made and claimed by Australian taxpayers was $523.10. This average amount has nearly trebled in the last decade. In 2007-08, 4.48 million taxpayers (or 35.47% [...]
More on Public Bible Reading
Have you been exercised in your spirit about why we as a church do not participate in more public Bible reading? After I posted my blog on this topic a couple of weeks ago, I received my e-copy of The Briefing, the evangelical magazine published by Matthias Media. The feature article, depicted in bold letters [...]
A Cure for Mental Enslavement
I’ve been going to church since I was eight years old. Almost every church I have attended has been a self-proclaimed Bible-centred church. But what I have observed in churches is a lot of Bible preaching, a lot of Bible studies, Bible stories and Bible songs, but very little actual Bible reading. By simple comparison [...]
Visitors in Church
We’ve been doing a study on encouragement by Mattias Media over the past few months in men’s Bible study. One study has a role-play between a regular church attender and a first time visitor. Here are some of things that were identified in the study: Don’t let “busyness” stop you from being genuine. I’m sure [...]
Two Ways To Live
When was the last time you had a Gospel conversation? Is the Gospel difficult for you to explain? If you are rusty with evangelism, you could really benefit from Two Ways To Live. What’s Good About It Theology The Two Ways To Live outline presents these theological points: 1. Creation 2. Sin 3. Death and [...]
Religion In Australia: Statistics
Here are some interesting religion statistics. According to the ABS 2006 census (the most recent): About 13 million or 64% of Australians called themselves “Christian.” However, only about 7.5% attend any church services weekly (NCLS Research 2004). The main denominations continue to decline slowly, while 19% of Australians claimed “no religion.” Another two million did [...]
“I Am The Grain Of God”
I’ve recently been teaching a class on the topic of martyrdom. Since we enjoy the blessing of religious freedom and tend to take our liberty for granted, it’s sobering to learn of persecution against Christians today and in church history. I’m struck by the resolution, even optimism, of the early church during the blood-stained Roman [...]
Remember my bonds
I scan literally tens of thousands of blog posts a year in my work here at InFocus. It is at least a weekly—if not daily—event to read of persecution of believers around the world. I chose long ago not to focus on reporting such things on InFocus. My primary reason being that others are already [...]
