It is easy to become discouraged as a Christian. Especially when we face times of trial. The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica to encourage them as they faced times of trial and severe suffering for their faith in Christ. He comforted and reminded them of the sure hope of Christ’s coming again. […]
We’re looking at Paul’s call to prayerfully look for opportunities to share the message of Jesus. How can we do this? Where do we start? And why does it matter?
It’s hard to think about worship as a discipline, but with the amount of fuzzy thinking around what worship really is, it’s high time we did so.
How can we read the Bible and have it shape our lives more? What sort of attitude should we have as we read, and how can the Word’s light shine more on our way? How can God’s Word help us when our world seems bent on waking a broad path to destruction?
There are many challenges to our faith from the outside world, so what is the number one threat to Christianity? What does it mean to be people of faith in the face of that threat? Join us as we spend some time in Proverbs working through these questions with visiting minister Tony van Drimmelen.
How can we deepen our practice of prayer? How can we move from a formulaic prayer ‘rut’ into the language of the heart? We all want to have a better prayer life, but how can we achieve that? Lord, teach us to pray.
Views of the Sabbath range from a full on prohibition of work or business to pretty much anything goes. So what are we to make of the 4th Commandment? Is it the only command that doesn’t seem to apply anymore (when all the others clearly do!)? God has not changed, and life is not getting […]
Fasting? How does it connect with growing in Christ? What does a discipline of abstinence mean in a culture that, well, has everything, and in spades? How can the practice of fasting deepen our walk with Jesus and fan our spiritual passion into flame?
We all know life is busy, and probably more busy than we care to admit. So: what can we do? Scripture presents us with examples of solitude which draw us into its true purpose. This won’t be a matter of doing more, but it may involve doing some things differently…
Coming Sunday I will introduce a new series called “Come Thirsty”. This series will explore different ways we can go deeper with Jesus – and who doesn’t need that? My first message this Sunday will look at how our lives complicate our faith, and contrast that with what we find in God’s word.
On Sunday, Peter Abetz will be installed as an Elder here at Gateway. With that in mind I want to see what the Bible says about the heart and task of a leader. The images Paul uses are both warm and purposeful, showing why leadership – in any context – is something to be aspired […]
One of our strengths is helping people out. We’ll mow their lawn, bake a cake, look after their dog – with just about anything we are there. So, as we do that, how can we use those opportunities to share the good news of Jesus? Is it even right to want to do that? Or […]
Ever been in the middle of a conversation and realised ‘I really have to say something here, because if I don’t this person will get the wrong idea bout Jesus’ – and yet you also know if things don’t work out you may lose your friend. What will you do? How should you respond? This […]
This Sunday we continue our series on different ways to share the good news. This week we’re looking at how Paul does so on Mars Hill, and how his approach guides us as we seek to do the same. There will also be some resources to check out.
This Sunday we continue our series on different ways to share the good news. This week we’re looking at using our own story, and we’ll learn from Paul, and also hear from Michael Claes, who will chat with Dave about how to have hope even at the hardest times. All this impacts on how we […]
We hear so much about “self esteem” these days. But is the term self esteem a Christian concept? For Christians, the term “self image” is perhaps a better word. Our self image should be shaped by what God has to say about us. We will explore the tension between being lost sinners, yet redeemed in […]
This Sunday is Mother’s Day. We’ll be celebrating what the Lord has given us through our mothers, and drawing some comforting conclusions. Dave will interview two of our own, and we’ll explore how much we’re shaped and influenced by our mother. We’re thinking it will be pretty special – come, join us.
We all love a good BBQ or get together with people on the street. Some of us are particularly good at getting people together. We can use meetings like this as an opportunity to open up the good news. Levi did it. So did the Samaritan woman. And the gift of hospitality is spotlighted in […]
This Sunday I start a new preaching series looking at different styles of sharing the good news. We’re all called to do this, but often we’re not sure how, where to begin, or what to say. Truth is, we’ll all tend to share the good news differently. This coming Sunday I’ll look at what may […]
As we come to the end of this angry prophet’s story, we are confronted by a surreal situation – Jonah suddenly decides he’s going to build a hut, there’s a magical plant that grows and then dies, and it all seems to end on a question – nothing is resolved, and we are left wondering […]