Category: This Week at The Centre

In the first chapter of Mark the reader has a clear picture of who Jesus is, what He has come to do, and how He is going to do it. Right from the outset we are told that Jesus is the Son of God, and then this is confirmed in and through His baptism (we looked at both of these this past Sunday). In the next section, Jesus demonstrates what He’s come to do: to proclaim the good news of God (the Gospel)! He teaches and instructs His disciples and others about God and His plan of redemption, but He doesn’t just stop at teaching people, He also demonstrates what this Kingdom looks like. Over the rest of the first chapter Jesus teaches the good news by being good news! He heals, He casts out demons, He calls others to walk with Him, and He does all of this by being connected with His Heavenly Father. He speaks only by and through the direction of the Spirit.

As followers of Christ we are called to do just that, follow Him! We are called to carry on the work that He began, and point people to Him since it is only through Him that people can be saved. But we need to see how He did things so that we can pattern our life after His. Jesus called others to join with Him in His mission, and we need to do the same. It is impossible to truly follow Jesus apart from the body of Christ, His church. We need others, and they need us, and we especially need God. Jesus demonstrated this through His prayer life, and His time alone with God. If Jesus needed to do this, I think it’s safe to say we do as well! Finally, Jesus was where the people were. If we are going to bring the good news to people, we need to go to people who don’t yet have the good news! While it is good to encourage, care for, and instruct fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, we can’t stop there. We need to go where there is a need, where people are lost, and bring them the hope and joy that we’ve found in Jesus. Please note, we will never be Jesus, and we’re not called to be! We will never save a single person through all of our efforts, but we can and should point people towards the One who can.

This Sunday we continue our look at the Gospel of Mark. I’d encourage you to read through the first chapter for this week, and sometime in the near future to read through the whole book in one sitting. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did!! Hope to see you Sunday at 6pm.

Pastor Mike

Peace – the fourth week of Advent.

Peace is something that has always eluded humanity. Ever since the Garden of Eden we’ve been at war: at war with ourselves, at war with each other, and at war with God. And the reason is simple why we act this way, why we cannot find or have lasting peace: sin. Sin is basically us trying to take the place of God, us saying that we know what’s best for our lives. When we do this, put ourselves before God, we can never know peace.

Jesus came as the Prince of Peace. Do you notice that title? A prince is someone who is in line for the throne, someone who is powerful and who has authority. In olden times, knights would lay their swords on the ground and kneel before a prince in an act of submission, demonstrating that their sword was his to command, that they were below the prince. The prince would also speak on behalf of the throne, so that what he said was law. If Jesus is the Prince of Peace, then we need to offer our lives and all our resources to Him. He needs to be the One who is command of our lives. When we do this we will be one step closer to peace.

The Prince of Peace also means that peace comes through Him. He is not only for peace, He is peace! Jesus came to reconcile us to God, to bridge the gap that sin had created, and allow us to come back into community with God. He is the way to peace, the only way to peace. We need to submit to Him as our Prince and also accept Him as our Saviour, the one who saves us from sin.

This Sunday evening, Christmas Eve, we will be celebrating the Prince of Peace, the Light who has come down to us to show us the way to God. Bethel will also be joining with us that evening so it will likely be a packed house! We will still gather at our regular time, 6pm, but you should try to be there earlier so you can get a seat! The Body of Christ joining together is just another example of the peace Jesus brings!

Pastor Mike

Joy to the World! The Lord has come! Let earth receive her King!

Recently I read that Christians should be the most joyful people and I tend to agree with that statement. No matter what happens in this life we know what the final outcome will be, and if we’re in Christ we’re on the winning side! Jesus promised that no one who knows Him and calls on Him will be forgotten (read through John 10 as a reminder)— we get to be with Him forever! How awesome is that?! This present life with all the pain and sin and turmoil and chaos will be no more, and in its place we’ll be with Him in perfection for eternity! It’s hard to grasp, but it’s the truth, and it’s His promise to us (Revelation 21 is another great promise!).

And so, in light of this knowledge that we have, we really should be the most joyful people around. Since we know how things will end our attitude and actions should reflect that. We should be known for our encouragement, not our criticizing or complaining that things are broken, because God will make all things new and the things that are broken now will be made right. People should be drawn to us because of our joy and happiness, not want to walk the other way because of our sour attitude. We have Jesus! That fact alone should be enough for us to stop and put things into a proper perspective.

Having a Christ-like attitude doesn’t come naturally — it takes practice — so don’t feel guilty when you fall back into your old fault-finding, complaining ways. Instead, reflect upon who Christ is, what He has accomplished, and your new life in Him. When you do this I know it will be much harder for you to find things to complain about.

To help prepare for this coming Sunday’s gathering, read through Luke 1. Hope to see you this Sunday!

Pastor Mike

One of the things that I tried to get across to my youth when I was a youth pastor was that no matter what story you look at in the Bible the hero is always God. Regardless of what part of Scripture you are looking at, from Abraham to Moses to Joshua to David and all through the New Testament, He is the one who is to receive all of the glory and praise and honour because He is at the centre of everything. And it’s no different in the parable of the Prodigal Son. The Father, who represents our Heavenly Father, is the hero in the story. He is the generous giver, He is the one full of grace and love, He is patient and kind, and full of joy. He also has the strength to not use His power to control His sons, but to allow them their freedom.

While we are not God, nor will we ever be, we are still called to play the role of the Father in how we act towards others. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, sums it up this way:

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:9-21.

And when we fall short of doing everything in this list, there is grace, forgiveness, and restoration — all we need to do is come home and receive it. Our gathering is at 6pm on Sunday, hope to see you there.

Pastor Mike

Men are notoriously bad at asking for directions when they’re lost — I can say that because I am one!  We make up excuses like we’re not really lost, just taking the scenic route!  Or, it’s not the destination that’s important, but how you get there!  Whatever way you spin it, not knowing where you are is the same as being lost.  And for someone who doesn’t even know that they’re lost, it’s that much harder to tell them that they’re going the wrong way.

In Luke 15, in the story of The Prodigal Son, most people focus on the lostness of the first son, how he turned his back on home and went off on his own. They rightly point out how he lost everything before he finally came to his senses and returned home. But there’s another son in the story who I believe is even more lost than the one who ran away, the older brother. He’s the one who stayed home when the younger brother took off; he’s the one who continued to work and do what was asked of him while the other left not caring what would happen; he’s the one who never abused his authority but always followed the rules. And yet if you pay close attention to the end of the parable, it’s clear to see that the older brother is on the outside of the celebration looking in, but certainly not wanting to go in. He is standing outside of fellowship with his father, and for that reason alone should be considered lost.

How do you give directions to someone who doesn’t believe that they’re lost? That’s a great question, and one that we’ll address this Sunday as we continue our look at the parable of The Prodigal Son(s). Our gathering starts at 6pm — hope to see you there.

Pastor Mike

I love going home to my “old stomping grounds”, as my parents like to say. It’s wonderful to go and see familiar, friendly places, and even to smell the difference in the air. But most importantly I love the reception that I get — it is always a warm, loving embrace and the words, “I’m so glad you’re home!” I know that this isn’t the norm for many people, and I do feel blessed having grown up in a loving home with two parents who were always there for me. It wasn’t perfect, but it was genuine and full of love.

In Luke 15, Jesus tells a parable about a son returning home and the reception he receives. It’s a familiar story, and one that many people know, even those who aren’t followers of Christ. Even though the son had basically run away turning his  back on his family, He was still welcomed home warmly by his father, much to the displeasure of the older brother who had stayed home. And because it is so familiar it is easy to quickly skim over it, but in doing so we miss out on so much of what God is trying to teach us. This parable is a wonderful picture of the Gospel, and so it is good for us to slow down, take it all in, and allow the message of forgiveness, grace, and love to fill our whole vision. For that reason we’re going to use the next three weeks to look at the story, each week focusing on a different character in the story — first the prodigal son, second the older brother, and finally the Father. To help you prepare for this series read over Luke 15 a few times. Read it slowly and thoughtfully, meditating on the message Jesus is sharing with us, and come prepared on Sunday to enter into the story. Our gathering begins at 6pm.

Pastor Mike

Over the last four weeks we’ve been looking at Basics for Believers: some basic building blocks for the Christian life. We’ve looked at our new identity in Christ, reading and studying the Bible, worship, and prayer. Each of these things are important in the life of a Christian, and in each area we need to be growing and maturing, and experiencing God’s grace in increasing measure. One additional area that is important for Christian growth and maturity is fellowship, which is basically living the Christian life in community. As a Christian you are called into the family of God (Galatians 3:23-4:7), you are called into the church which is the bride of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:15-18 ), and you are called to play a role there (Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12). The only way that we can grow and mature as Christians is by living out what we are called to be, to practice what we have been taught. And the best way for us to do this is in community, to learn from and encourage each other, to spur each other on to love and good deeds. This is why we need to continue meeting together on a regular basis, and not just on Sundays! We need to gather together to serve each other, and serve alongside each other, and to share what God is doing in our lives. We need to celebrate our new life in Christ. To that end, as a church body we’re getting together this week to meet in small groups, to gather together to eat, and to join with other brothers and sisters in Christ to celebrate what God is doing in our partner churches in the area. I hope you’ll be able to join with us.

Pastor Mike

On Sunday we will be continuing our series, Basics for Believers. One of the basics of life that each person needs to master, or at least be competent in, is communication. If a person is unable to communicate, that is being able to get their point across or hear and understand someone else’s point of view, getting through life will be difficult. I’ve known adults who are functionally illiterate and for them getting through life is a constant struggle. For Christians, communication with God is essential for our growth and understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ. If our prayer life is not good, it is hard for us to grow spiritually — we may be able to grow in Biblical knowledge, but understanding the heart of God really comes through communication with God, and this happens through prayer. The good news about prayer is that there are many different ways in which to pray — it is not a one size fits all. The main thing is that we do pray, and we continue to grow in our prayer life. I hope that you’re able to join us this Sunday as we look at the why and how of prayer, and hopefully learn how to be more effective in our prayer life. Our gathering starts at 6pm, and we do have prayer before the service from 4:30-5:30 and all are welcome.

Pastor Mike

Have you ever purchased something that needed some assembly once you got it home? I remember one Father’s Day getting a new BBQ that needed a lot of assembling! It seemed as if they tried to pack the BBQ in as many pieces as humanly possible! Thankfully, instructions were included in the packaging because if there weren’t any I would never be able to figure out how things went together. Following the instructions was still tricky, and I did have to backtrack once or twice, but after a few hours of struggling we were all set up and enjoying some wonderful homemade burgers.

For a new Christian it can seem like there is so much to learn and understand, and they’re right! There is always something new to learn, or an issue to work on in our lives as we try to faithfully follow Jesus. This is one of the reasons why God gave us the Bible. The Bible, God’s word to us, explains who we are (God’s workmanship, created by Him and for Him – see Ephesians 2:10, Colossians 1:10), why we are here (Matthew 28:18-20, Romans 12, 2 Corinthians 5:11-21), and where we are going (John 14:1-6, Revelation 21:1-8). It also gives instructions on how we are to live, and what to expect as followers of Jesus. This is why it is so important as Christians to read and know the Bible. If we don’t grow in our knowledge of God, how can we expect to mature as Christians?

Now I should be clear that the Bible is much more than just an instruction booklet on how to be a Christian. The Bible, in fact, isn’t about us at all — it’s about God. This is His story, He is the hero; we are just characters, bit players in this drama. The Bible is all about Him. But because He has invited us to play a role, we need to know where we fit in. It’s important for us to not think of ourselves more highly than we should, and remember that He is God and we are not.

Come out on Sunday with your questions. Invite someone else who may be wondering what following Jesus is all about. Our gathering starts at 6pm – hope to see you there.

Pastor Mike