Weekly Talks

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Matthew 28: 16-20 Matthew 28: 16-20 (NIV) This is the final part of our short series based on Matthew’s Gospel.  Week one, we looked at Jesus calling his first disciples – ‘Follow me’.  Last week, we looked at how Jesus offers to lighten our burdens -‘Come to Me’.  And this week we looked at the ‘Great Commission” – when Jesus commanded his disciples to proclaim the Gospel t...

By Rev Bev Bell | Matthew 11: 28-30 Matthew 11: 28-30 (NIV) To be yoked with Jesus means that he shares our burdens of life, and walks with us and helps us carry our loads and worries. He is God with us – the human face of God – May we lean on him and learn from him and find Gods love, grace and forgiveness.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Matthew 4: 18-22 Matthew 4: 18-22 (NIV) Jesus invited the disciples to become ‘fishers of men’.  And he invites us to embark on the most exciting and amazing adventure, as we take part in his great rescue plan for the whole of creation.

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  1 John 5: 1-15  1 John 5: 1-15 (NIV) No matter what we experience in life, we can have total confidence in the Good News of Jesus. He died for our sins and rose to new and everlasting life. The wonderful news of the Gospel is that we share in His victory over death. Jesus is God’s testimony in person, and we can trust him completely.  To find out more information about Lee...

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  1 John 4: 7-21  1 John 4: 7-21 (NIV)  We are called to love and serve the Lord. But it is important to understand that 'we love because he first loved us'. God is love. God loves us. And God loves through us. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  1 John 3: 11-24  1 John 3: 11-24 (NIV) Jesus makes it very clear that if we belong to him we will love one another. In fact, our love for one another is one of the key pieces of evidence that shows that we are children of God. Our love for one another will transform the way we live, strengthen the church, and present a clear and positive witness to the world. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  John 3:1-5 and 1 John 2:28 – 3:10   John 3:1-5 and 1 John 2:28 – 3:10 (NIV) When we give our lives to Christ, two things happen: we are washed clean of our sin and filled with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to submit to Christ's authority and live a God-oriented life.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | 1 John 2: 18-27 1 John 2: 18-27 (NIV) We live in a world full of misinformation, deception, lies and half-truths, especially online. Often it is hard to distinguish truth from lies. Notwithstanding, the most important of all truths is that resurrection life is possible through Jesus. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  1 John 2: 12-17  1 John 2: 12-17 (NIV)  Today we compared what Jesus offers with what the world offers - and in so doing we saw the importance of clinging to that which lasts and letting go of that which is temporal… 

By Rev Mike Uptin |  Acts 28: 11-31  Acts 28: 11-31 (NIV) Today we saw how Paul was able to take the Gospel to the Gentiles – even when he was under house arrest in Rome. It seems that nothing could prevent the Gospel from going out. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  Acts 27: 13-32   Acts 27: 13-32 (NIV) Life is good, but it’s not easy – and all of us will face seriously difficult situations at various points in our lives. Sometimes we refer to these as life’s storms. Whilst none of us will have a ‘storm free’ life, it is certainly true that rejecting Jesus will take us into storms – and trusting Jesus will bring us through them. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey  |  John 20: 19-31  John 20: 19-31 (NIV) A lot of people are under the misapprehension that believing in Jesus requires a blind leap of faith, when in reality it’s more of an informed step of faith. Today we looked at some of the evidence from John’s Gospel that assures us of Jesus’ literal, bodily resurrection. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Matthew 28: 10 Matthew 28: 1-10 (NIV) Easter is the celebration of a seismic event.  An event that is profoundly important to every person who has ever lived.  Jesus' resurrection changes everything!

By Rev Bev Bell | Isaiah 53: 1-7,Matthew 26: 57-58 and 63b-68,Matthew 27: 11-31,Luke 23: 26-27 and 32-43,Matthew 27: 45-52a, 54, 57-60 Isaiah 53: 1-7,Matthew 26: 57-58 and 63b-68,Matthew 27: 11-31,Luke 23: 26-27 and 32-43,Matthew 27: 45-52a, 54, 57-60 (NIV) We call this day Good Friday. Why good? When it seems so awful. It has been said that it may have been called God’s Friday, and changed over t...

By Rev Trevor Adams | Matthew 26: 17-19,Mark 14: 17-25,John 13: 3-17,Mark 14: 32-42,Luke 22: 47b - 53 Matthew 26: 17-19,Mark 14: 17-25,John 13: 3-17,Mark 14: 32-42,Luke 22: 47b - 53 (NIV) Peter starts a short but sharp retort with Jesus. He doesn't accept Jesus' prediction of  Jesus's violent arrest and hanging! Then three days later rise again? Just as sharply, Jesus says to Peter...

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Matthew 21: 1-11 and Acts 26: 1-18 Matthew 21: 1-11 and Acts 26: 1-18 On the first Palm Sunday, the crowds welcomed Jesus as King.  In less than a week they were screaming for his crucifixion.  A total change of direction.  However, it can also go the other way.  The Apostle Paul began by hating Christians and ended up wanting everyone to become Christians.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Acts 22: 1-22  Acts 22: 1-22 (NIV) We live in a time and place where it’s safe to be a Christian. We can talk about Jesus and proclaim the Gospel without any serious risk of violence being done to us. Living the Christian life here in Australia doesn’t take as much physical courage as it might do in other parts of the world, but it takes a lot of moral courage. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  Acts 20: 7-12, 17-38 Acts 20: 7-12, 17-38 (NIV) The book of Acts tells the story of the growth of the early church. We read how Paul established multiple churches all over the known world. The fact that Paul was able to keep moving on shows that those churches were not reliant on Paul but on the guidance, inspiration and unity of the Holy Spirit. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Acts 19:1-20 Acts 19:1-20  (NIV) All human beings are broken and sinful, and we rebel against God in all kinds of ways. We need to change – and we need to go on changing over the course of our whole lives. God will not force change upon us, but if we put our trust in Jesus he promises to fill us with his Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us the power to change. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Acts 17: 16-31  Acts 17: 16-31  (NIV) If we are going to make the Gospel relevant to people today, we need to understand the culture we are living in. However, we must understand the culture without succumbing to it in ways that compromise our faith. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  Acts 15: 1-11  Acts 15: 1-11 (NIV) The simple message of the Gospel is this, 'everyone who puts their faith in Jesus will receive God’s forgiveness and everlasting life'. However, we love to complicate things, and some people may tell us that we need the Gospel, plus something else. But there is no Gospel plus. Our salvation is based on nothing more than God’s gra...

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  Acts 14: 1-20  Acts 14: 1-20  (NIV) The First Christians shared the Gospel with all kinds of people, in all kinds of contexts. In Lystra, when Paul prayed for a lame man who was subsequently healed, the crowds began to worship Paul and Barnabus as gods. The fact that those people would make two mere men the object of their worship shows just how lost they were. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  Acts 12: 1-24  Acts 12: 1-24 (NIV)  No evil person – no evil plan – no evil situation, can ever derail God’s plans. The good news remains good news, no matter what’s happening in the world or in our lives. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  Acts 11: 19-30  Acts 11: 19-30  (NIV) The good news of Jesus has the potential to spread quickly and the Church has the potential to grow quickly. The Jewish Christians in Antioch shared their faith with out and out pagans, with amazing results. There's no reason why the same thing shouldn't happen today. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  Acts 11: 1-18  Acts 11: 1-18 (NIV)  God gave Peter and a Roman centurion called Cornelius separate visions in order to bring them together and affirm non-Jewish inclusion in his kingdom. God demonstrated his acceptance of gentiles by pouring his Holy Spirit out on Cornelius’ household. Baptism with water and the Holy Spirit is the sign of God’s covenant with us.