Camberwell South Anglican Church

The Apostle Paul urges the Galatian Christians not to turn to a different gospel, for the gospel Paul preaches is the one and only gospel.

As the physical manifestation of the universal and invisible heavenly gathering, the local church manifests the wisdom, power and love of God.

Jesus sacrificially lays down his life for the church to make her holy and blameless. As the bride of Christ, the church must be faithful to her bridegroom.

Jesus is the head of his body, which is the church. As different members of his body, every Christian serves interpedently with one another to build toward maturity in Christ.

Christian fellowship is the partnership we have in the gospel. This means we share in Christ (common possession) and the ministry of reconciliation (common purpose).

The church has a future because it is founded on Jesus who continues to build his church through the proclamation of the gospel.

What does the resurrection do? It puts Jesus on the throne and frees us from Satan, Sin & Death. 

Oh resurrection hope is not a negation of our creatureliness, rather it’s a new beginning.

In Daniel's vision, he learns that there isn’t just a physical battle, but a spiritual battle that rages on. This will ultimately converge with the resurrection, which proves God’s victory over all things spiritual and physical. It is therefore wise to put your hope in God who raised Jesus from the dead as the first fruit of the resurrection.

Daniel prays in light of God’s word through Jeremiah to bring the exile to an end. God’s answer is beyond Daniel’s expectations, which points to Jesus, the Anointed One, who brings an end to sin, atones for wickedness and brings in everlasting righteousness.

  Just   as   there needs to be a change of government (Dan 7), so there needs to be a change in worship, for the sanctuary of the Lord will once again be desecrated after the exile. Jesus is the new temple (John 2:19) and true worship is in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24).

The Ancient of Days (God) will judge the kingdoms ruled by beasts and appoint the one like a Son of Man to establish his kingdom that will endure forever. Jesus is the Son of Man who will rule as God’s forever “Man”.

The living God is faithful

Daniel 4-5

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego take a stand for God, and God stands with them.

God reveals the mystery of his sovereign rule over nations and times which culminates with his everlasting kingdom that is fulfilled in Christ (Eph 1:7-10 cf. 3:1-6).

What to do when Life Becomes Mission Impossible

God is in control even when everything suggests otherwise, of which the death of Jesus is the example  par excellence  (e.g. Acts 2:23).

The worship and prayer we learn to do in our daily lives in our frustrated lives,  is us coming to our true home.

Worship is a resource for our sanity and health that our world ignores, but worship is what we most seek in the good things of our lives.'

Acts ends with the tragedy, triumph and trajectory of Paul’s proclamation of the kingdom of God. Rejected by the Jews, embraced by the Gentiles and proclaimed to the ends of the earth (cf. Acts 1:8).

The fifth and last trial of Paul reminds us of the irony of the gospel and the will of God. First, Jesus chooses Paul, the persecutor, to be the apostle to the Gentiles. Second, Paul should have been set free since he had done nothing deserving of death or imprisonment, but remains in prison because of his own appeal to Caesar.

Despite the Jews continued attempts on Paul’s life, and the failure of the Romans to provide Paul with justice, God’s will prevails.

Paul’s obedience to Christ’s commission to the Gentiles causes him to be unjustly attacked and almost killed. This is because “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim 3:12).

Paul is unwilling to heed the warnings of prophecy, even if it means death, but is willing to obey James and the elders of the church for the sake of the gospel and the unity of the church.