Cairns Road Weekly Podcast

 “The Word became flesh.” God has made Himself known by becoming human. John does not say the Word appeared human or visited for a while. He says the Word became flesh. When John says, “the Word”, he means God himself, His voice, His message, His heart. And then he says something extraordinary: the Word became flesh. Not a story. Not an idea. Not a dream. God became a real human being. He breathed...

 The Gospel of John opens by addressing the most important question of all: Who is Jesus? Rather than relying on speculation, tradition, or cultural expectation, John answers this question through the testimony of John the Baptist, the first faithful witness. John the Baptist stands as a hinge between the Old and New Testaments, preparing the way for the arrival of the Messiah while refusing to dr...

We can all remember a story someone has shared that has impacted us - bringing us comfort, challenging and inspiring us, guiding us forward in our walk with Jesus. Our church is a gold mine of stories; every person has a story to tell of how God has moved in their life. Big or small, these stories are powerful. The Do you have a story like that? podcast is a platform to share those stories for God...

 Few people these days live in villages where everyone knows each other. And not many people will know the whole you, either. This has implications for how we love each other. God is one, and He wants us to be integrated, whole people, too, who love Him and others in that way (Deuteronomy 6 vs 4-9) Jesus is talking here to religious leaders and a battle of wits is taking place, with high stakes. T...

Peter is writing to the dispersed Christians in churches across what is now Turkey. A key theme is the fact that persecution should be expected as a result of living for Christ rather than following earthly desires. In Chapter 4 Peter mentions our distinctiveness in terms of praying diligently, loving one another deeply and showing hospitality to one another before turning to the topic of serving...

 “When I look at the blood, all I see is love, love, love: When I stop at the cross, I can see the love of God. But I can't see competition, I can't see hierarchy, I can't see pride or prejudice, or the abuse of authority: I can't see lust for power, I can't see manipulation, I can't see rage or anger or selfish ambition……..” When I Look At the Blood (Godfrey Birtil) 

The courier carrying the book of Revelation from John on Patmos followed a circular route through the seven churches—starting in Ephesus, then Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and finally Laodicea. Laodicea, the last stop, was a wealthy Phrygian city renowned for its banking industry, fine black wool, and medical school, which produced a famous eye ointment. 

 When the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, not only was the Gospel preached, many people saved, the powers of this world (seen and unseen) shaken, but another miracle happened. Heaven touched earth, and people were transformed: social barriers crumbled, and fellowship across all kinds of divides was joyful and enthusiastic. And this wasn’t only talk: people shared, gave, loved and opened t...

Mark 10:17–27 tells the story of a rich man who sincerely asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. He is moral, religious, and outwardly obedient, but Jesus looks at him with love and exposes the one thing he is unwilling to surrender—his wealth. When told to sell what he has, give to the poor, and follow, the man walks away sad because his possessions hold his heart. Jesus then teaches...

We all worry, though to different degrees. This passage speaks to all of us. If you serve God, you serve the best possible Master. And you cannot serve God and money (v24). The Levites had no inheritance – they dedicated themselves to God, and God made provision for them (Deuteronomy 18 vs 1-2). Here, Jesus tells us not to worry about our lives – our food, drink, clothing: these are not luxuries –...

 This year’s focus has been on becoming wholehearted disciples by engaging in ancient spiritual practices not as ends in themselves, but as doorways into God’s presence and power. Looking to the life of Jesus, these disciplines create space for transformation that cannot come through sheer willpower but by placing ourselves in the flow of God’s grace. The inward practices—such as Sabbath, solitude...

God wants to be with His people. He has given us each other in His wisdom, to live together: the Bible has a lot to say on how we do that. It’s a spiritual practice: not a way to climb to God (who loves us unconditionally) but as a way to position ourselves so that God can more easily meet with us, both individually and together. 

Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered,...

Following the mass conversion at Pentecost, the newly formed community of believers in Jesus as Lord and Saviour begins to live out their faith together in daily life. Acts 2:42–47 describes how this early church grows in unity, devotion, and generosity, laying the foundation for the Christian community's way of life. 

In John 14 v 26, Jesus has been telling His disciples that He is going to go away: but that they would not be left to muddle along, as He would send the Holy Spirit to them: to teach them “all things”, and remind them of what Jesus had said, and to lead them into all truth – both as a community and individually. That is still true ! Hebrew 4 v 12 describes God’s word as “living” (lit. energy) and...

Maybe tea is a good analogy for how we take in Scripture. Do we give it give it a casual glance and expect it to change us? Or do we spend time with God’s word and take on its flavour? What type of tea do we want to be? Memorising scripture is one way we can meditate on it and become saturated by what it says.  At the end of this episode, Anna walks us through a guided scripture meditation on psal...

 Today is Pentecost: the birthday of the Church! A time to welcome the Holy Spirit, who is right here, today, and here for ever. We need the Holy Spirit to live for Jesus, and to give us eyes and ears to hear God’s voice in this library of 66 books. So every part of who we are can grow as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Tim 3 vs 16-17) The Old Testament is what Jesus knew as the Hebrew Bible...

 Hebrews 4:1–13 highlights how we respond to Christ, drawing from Psalm 95 to warn against the danger of hardening our hearts. The psalm, originally directed at the generation of Israelites who refused to enter the Promised Land, reminds us that the Holy Spirit is still speaking today—not just once in the past. Their failure, rooted in unbelief, serves as a warning for all believers. An unbelievin...

 In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah is fleeing for his life after the confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, where he had called down fire from heaven to prove that the Lord is the true God. Consequently, Jezebel threatens to kill him, leading Elijah to run for his life, overwhelmed with fear and despair. He isolates himself, asks God to take his life, and falls asleep under a bro...

 Today's theme: God's version of what it means to be a king - which even the best of earthly kings can't deliver. We need Jesus as our king! The period from Saul to Rehoboam marks the rise and fall of Israel’s united monarchy. Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, was anointed as Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 10), but his disobedience led to his rejection by God (1 Samuel 15). David, a...

 “Solitude and silence are not self-indulgent exercises for times when an overcrowded soul needs a little time to itself. Rather, they are concrete ways of opening to the presence of God beyond human effort and beyond the human constructs that cannot fully contain the Divine.” (Ruth Barton) Following Easter, Mary Magdalene—though distressed and alone, was able to hear and respond to the voice of t...

 Easter – the resurrection of Jesus - is at the heart of the Christian faith. We celebrate it every Sunday: the foundation of the Gospel and the turning point of history. A peak of light and hope. In 1924, a British climber called George Mallory disappeared on the slopes of Mount Everest. He was chasing a dream that had consumed him for years. His frozen body was found in 1999, face down: it isn’t...

The reality in this passage is better than in The Chosen! Coats on the donkey and on the road. Palm branches on the road and waved high. Shouts of praise ! Noise and dust ! Jesus comes into Jerusalem. What does it all mean ? Who is this Jesus ? What did He come to do ?