Welcome to The Pastors’ Post, an update for life at Southern Cross.
Well, as our Christianity Explored course comes to a close in Term 2, we begin planning for Term 3. And why again, are we running Christianity Explored each term? Because we want to do all we can for our whole church family to get across the road and offer our neighbours and friends and family the opportunity for them to explore Jesus for themselves.
Christianity Explored provides that opportunity. It is a seven-week course that guides you through Mark’s gospel, allowing people to meet Jesus for themselves. Between week 6 and week 7, there is a weekend away to give people more time to ask their questions and also to experience the joy and the diversity and the mess of Christian community.
At the bottom of this post on the website, we’ll include the dates for Term 3 Christianity Explored at Lismore High on Thursdays from 5:30-7:30pm, which will include a kid’s program and dinner by gold coin donation. The weekend away will be the Father’s Day weekend, the first weekend in September: September 3rd, 4th and 5th, at Camp Koinonia in Evans Head.
Maybe your friend might be interested in just meeting up with you to read the Bible. Again, reading through Mark is a great introduction. Or if you’re interested in a little support, you can use The Word: One to One, that guides you and a friend through John’s gospel.
At the bottom of this post we’ll also include the story behind The Word: One to One and also a video version of the first episode to give you some clues on how it all works.
Christianity Explored and The Word: One to One are just tools we want to use to ensure the news of Jesus is made known. Now, you might be adamant that your friends will not be interested! But you can’t make that decision for them!! Entrust yourself to the Holy Spirit and allow him to do that work. You never know how you might be a link in the chain for your friend.
Take for example, the new archbishop in Sydney, Kanishka Raff-el. He was born in England to Sri Lankan parents and raised Buddhist. But have a listen to his exploration of Christianity, he says he was “a very surprised Christian. I didn’t have any interest in Christianity at all and suddenly I found that God had revealed his love in Jesus and that was life-altering for me … there was something about it that was obviously generous and gracious. Certainly, I would say now that God was speaking to me through Scripture, saying that the death of his Son was a death for my sin and that this was a really wonderful gift. This was an invitation to life.”
And the passage that worked deeply in him comes from John’s gospel, from John chapter 6 and verse 44.
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,
and I will raise them up at the last day.
Thanks for tuning into The Pastors’ Post.
