2008 June » Southern Cross Presbyterian Church

Hi all, this post is written by a special guest, Ros Cree…

Well I figured that if Lucy can be almost as brave as a lioness then I could probably muster the courage for my first blog. So, here I stand with a small dagger in my hand, rather than a mighty sword and shield. But I do love C.S.Lewis’s stories (and the films) as they help us engage with noble themes. I think the challenge with the fantasy genre is to not think too hard about every detail or analyse too much but just ‘jump right in’ to the story and the world it depicts and then let the themes engage you.

While some of the Narnia books have identifiable links to the Bible narrative, “Prince Caspian” tells a story where the children learn important truths and lessons as the adventure unfolds.

Here are some that sprang to my mind after seeing it…

When Lucy sees Aslan, and remarks that he looks bigger, he tells her “every year you grow older, I grow bigger”. Maturity as a Christian brings us to a bigger picture of who God is & a greater appreciation for his power and strength.

Lucy learns that she should have followed Aslan whether or not the others were prepared to believe her and come with her. A hard lesson for all of us is to follow God’s way when those around us don’t “see it”.

Aslan’s plan for all the children is that they learn the things they need to. Going to Narnia is all about teaching them how to live well and be their best selves in this world. God’s plan for us – his greatest concern for us – is always that we grow more Christlike & be our best selves in Him as we live in this world.

Peter and Caspian both learn important lessons about not trusting in their own strength. They learn that being led by pride instead of faith leads not only to defeat but also unnecessary casualties.

The temptation to win by using evil means is a powerful one, especially when we feel we’re losing on the battlefront. Peter saved Caspian from this temptation & then almost succumbed himself. Just when we think we’ve “got it sorted” we may need others to bring us to senses. (yay for Edmund!)

Perhaps the thing I loved most is the reminder that it’s all about our relationship with a fantastic God – living, personal and real, who we can delight in as the essence of all that’s good, pure, right, noble, strong & true, and who actually takes delight in us. He wants us to come before him as trusting children who know that he is bigger and better than us in all ways, and who will follow him even when we don’t really know that the path is heading anywhere other than a deep ravine….

Ros Cree

Every now and again, we change the words to a song before singing it as a church family. “Holding Nothing Back”, by Tim Hughes, is one of them.

Sometimes it’s downright heresy that needs to be cut out of a song. Sometimes it’s changing tenses – changing “I” to “we”, or “me” to “us” – to better reflect the fellowship aspect of singing together as a church family – as opposed to the unhealthy ‘me and God’ attitude that detracts from encouraging each other.

But most often, it’s changing something that’s pretty much true, but potentially misleading. Christian lyrics can be (and often are!) incredibly vague, leaving room for you to inject whatever meaning ‘feels right’.

Here’s the original Pre-Chorus to the song:

Nothing’s gonna hold me back,
Nothing’s gonna hold me back,
Nothing’s gonna hold me back…

In the context of the song, there’s nothing wrong with these words at all: Christ died for our sins once for all! In Him we’re forgiven and washed clean – nothing this world can throw at us will hold us back from the eternal salvation He’s won for us! Singing “Nothing’s gonna hold me back!” is biblical – just read over Hebrews 10:19-23, or Romans 8:28-39!

But what if you were singing it with something else in mind? What if all you could see on the screen were those three lines in a row – what might you be thinking? “Nothing’s gonna stop me getting my way – ’cause my way’s right…”? “Nothing’s gonna keep me from being happy all the time – I don’t have to suffer, I deserve better…”? “Nothing’s gonna hold me back from being the best I can… from reaching my potential… from achieving my goals… from getting ahead… I’ve earned it… I deserve it… Nothing’s gonna hold me back!” The possibilities are endless – and it leaves room for us to inject our ugly pride into the mix. That’s definitely not what this part of God’s word is about.

So, we changed the words:

In Christ you held nothing back,
Now nothing’s gonna change things back,
So nothing’s gonna hold me back…

See the difference? The word’s mightn’t ‘roll of your tongue’ quite as smoothly, but they leave no room for misinterpretation. They keep the focus squarely on what Christ has done as the reason “Nothing’s gonna hold me back” – and that’s worth singing about.

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In this bible talk from 1 Corinthians by Pete Thompson we continue to wrestle with the theme of judgment. In chapter 5 Paul had explained the importance of judging sin within the church and withholding judgment on outsiders. This week, in 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 Paul rebukes the church for their very Corinthian habit of taking each other before the pagan law courts to resolve disputes between believers.

Paul urges the Corinthian church to take a gospel-centered approach to their disputes in the simple but stunning reproach: “why not rather be wronged?” This is the attitude that Paul says is consistent with our identity as new creatures – washed, sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Key Verse

And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:11

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

Outline:

intro: family feud
1. inside out
2. rights & wrongs
3. the final verdict

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SCPC – Where it all began

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Jun 052008

I’ve decided that rather than letting a pile of videos get lost in the ether, I’ll keep posting them on here every now and then for your amusement and encouragement. This one was made for Celebration Sunday 2007, where our church celebrated its ten year anniversary. It’s amazing to think what God has done through this church in such a short time. You will notice some familiar faces, but with just a few differences. )

By now, you would have received a green flyer in the post with this title. If you didn’t get one, click on the link below to open the PDF version.

In the flyer, there are 40 suggestions on how to make God’s word central to your life…10 suggestions under each of the following headings: Sunday church; small group; one to one; and personal. So have you done anything about it yet?

There are so many suggestions in it, that you can’t go wrong! Everyone can have a go at the suggestions in there and make God’s word central to their life.

Why not leave a comment below and let us know how God’s word has become more central to your life recently?

DOWNLOAD: 40 ways to make God’s word central to your life…

There’s nothing like a good campfire to get men talking. Last Saturday, 5 guys from my small group made the short trip out to the Rock Valley campsite and set about some real men’s business: that’s not a log… THIS is a LOG! It’s all about the fire – keeps you warm (on one side at least), makes you smell like smoke, gives you a sense of achievement (note: “sense of”), and somehow achieves the almost miracle of getting guys sharing their lives: thoughts, fears, hopes, memories – it’s good stuff.

We were keen to get back for church (“why would you want to be anywhere else”) so left at sparrow’s whistle the next morning. All in all, we were only gone for 14 hours but it was a great investment in each other’s lives that has helped to grow us together in a way that sitting around the lounge room for a couple of hours just can’t quite achieve. So guys – I’d highly recommend a small group trip to Rock Valley. It’s free, it’s close, it’s oh so easy and you get to smell like a smoker without having a cigarette. What more could you want!? I s’pose girl groups could go too, but…

Can girls light fires?

In this bible talk from 1 Corinthians by Steve Cree we resume our journey through 1 Corinthians, having concluded our “Bible in 3 talks” overview. That overview took us to Christ’s death on the cross as the great centrepiece of the Bible story of redemption, reversing the curse on this fallen creation and making possible the hope of new creation by his blood washing away the sin of all who trust in him.

The chapters we now come to by no means leave that theme behind! In 1 Cor 5:7 Paul reminds the Corinthians that “Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed”. He will speak in 1 Cor 6:20 of us being “bought at a price”. So, our redemption in Christ means not only future hope but present change as we turn from the sin he paid for. The challenges here are great, not least in this chapter which busts many of the myths Christians tend to want to live by, treating too lightly the blood of Christ.