Opawa Baptist Church

Corinthians Part 4

An excerpt:
"So we are never to judge our leaders? Are we supposed to park our own wisdom and discernment and just be obedient little clones? If we are not to judge people then how are we to select our leaders in the first place?"

Corinthians Part 3 - Spiritual Maturity

An excerpt:
"Our leaders, our mentors contribute to our growth but they don’t determine it or make it happen.  God gives the growth.  When something that we read or hear leads us to change in a good way, it’s a still a work of God.  The Spirit may use someone else’s insight to grow you.  Ask any preacher – we all have stories of offhand or tangential comments that God has really used to heal or grow his people."

Corintians Part 2 - Christ, the Wisdom and Power of God

To be a faithful Christian is by definition to be a fool by the standards that rule out there.  If we can embrace that reality then God can do great things with us and through us. 

Corinthians Part 1

The key question in any sermon is so what, how does this affect our lived reality at this time in this place?

The 'take homes' from this passage are these:
· Even the worst church has enormous spiritual resources
· We need to strive to be united in mind and purpose
· God is the primary actor in our church, not us
· Giving our allegiance to faith heroes is fraught

The Significance of Pentecost

Jesus lived amongst us for 30 years. We have a high priest (Jesus) who has been tested as we are but yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the Throne of Grace with boldness so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The Tower of Babel

Our eldest son is sick, so obviously one of the gods is displeased.  But which one?  We go see the priest / shaman / witch doctor to find out which and what they want to be appeased.  Turns out it’s the local weather god who was unimpressed with last year’s harvest offering from our family, I knew that we should have given more.  This is bad.  So we take a duck to the temple to be sacrificed, I hope it works.  A fortnight later the boy is worse, so we take a goat along, now that hurts because we needed that goat – that will do it surely.  No change.  What do we do now?

Self Denial 3

¹ I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
    he heard my cry for mercy.
² Because he turned his ear to me,
    I will call on him as long as I live.
Psalm 116 v 1-2

Self Denial - Friendship

1 Samuel 18:1-4  After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. ² From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. ³ And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. ⁴ Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic,and even his sword, his bow and his belt.

Resurrection 2

Resurrection 1

When people find out that I am Christian they often ask so you believe in life after death, and I guess that many of us would say that we do believe in life after death.  But is this the same thing as resurrection?