Mars Hill - Seeing what God is already doing
/Preacher: Lincon Hardouin
Verses: Acts 17:16-33
Paul, the mightiest of all the apostles. Patient, courageous, forgiving, humble, passionate, loving, kind, gentle, uncompromising, faithful, strong, amongst other things… All of these characteristics were used by different scholars over centuries to describe the Apostle Paul, and for many of us here today, it is easy for us to see why. He is certainly one of the most influential Biblical characters in the New Testament, and he is certainly one of the most quintessential examples of what true Christian living looks like. Throughout the scriptures we are told, and we read, about his encouragement to the early church, his firm but fairness towards sinners, his faithfulness in the gospel, his passion for serving ALL people, his courage in serving Jesus. But this is only one side of Paul’s incredible story, and it is the one side that most people choose only to remember.
I want you to understand though, the other side of this story. The side that many people have probably heard, the side that many have probably forgotten, the side that many people have probably chosen to forget. But this morning, I want you to hear these words as quoted from Paul, I want you to understand what his dedication cost him.
UPCSA Month of Mission: All People Need God's Love
/Preacher: Alan Cameron
Verses: Acts 16:11-34
How does God guide his church to the right place and time for mission? The passage before us provides important principles for our consideration. There will be sanctified common sense and planning (Acts 15:36). There will be “closed” as well as “open doors” (Acts 16:7,8). There will be guidance by way of circumstances, sometimes extraordinary (Acts 16:9,10), given to individuals as well as the whole team. Discernment and receptivity are the keys. Specific guidance comes to these already on the road as it were, living out the Great Command and Great Commission. Being able to say God sent us with the wind of the Spirit at our backs and his indwelling presence empowering us is a great incentive to mission.
UPCSA Month of Mission: Seeing God’s Heart for the World
/Preacher: Alan Cameron
Verses:
The New Testament scholar Stephen Neill once quipped “If everything is mission, then nothing is mission”, to which the Old Testament scholar Christopher Wright responded “If everything is mission, then everything is mission”. Little wonder that the missiologist David Bosch retorted, “Ultimately mission remains undefinable”. Since the 1950’s there has been a remarkable broadening of the term. Caring for the environment is mission. Community renewal is mission. Blessing our neighbours is mission.
