GBC | Big Three

This week's questions: 1 How does the parable's implication that we can lose our forgiveness if we don't forgive well, fit with the sufficiency of the cross? 2. If the perpetrator has no interest in being forgiven, does Christian teaching allow for forgiveness to be a silent, internal act rather than a spoken one? 3. Is the saying “Not forgiving is like drinking poison and expecting the other pers...

What does it mean to be biblically repentant regarding salvation? Is it the same use as in Isaiah? You referred to Revelation and blasphemy. Can you say mor Sabbath is practiced from a place of rest from the claims of our world, how does that shape what we do (or don’t do) on our Sabbath?

This week's questions: 1. Joseph's dreams, Samuel's call, and Belshazzar's writing on the wall. How do you decide if it's God speaking or just your own fears and desires? 2. We have the cannon of Scripture and it is authoritative and complete and through this God speaks. Why seek experiences outside of this? 3. What does the prophetic word of God look like now compared to prophets in the bible?

This week's questions: 1.What would you say to Christians who argue that baptism is essential to be saved? 2. Is there any situation where you can baptise yourself? If you were compelled to and no other Christians around 3. I except by faith that my “old self” has died and been buried. But the struggle against this “self” can still be strong. Please explain. Newness of life. How?

This week's questions: 1. Does prayer really work? If we didn’t pray would God’s work not get done? 2. What are the reasons not to pray for a parking space? (And other similar “small” prayers) 3 Prayer is one of the spiritual practices we picked as one to lean into as a church. What are we doing in that space?

This week's questions: 1. How do we weigh the risk of interpreting scripture to fit our wants or needs, by the way its preached, social influences, our upbringing. How do we know the truth? 2. "Hard Work" you spoke of skills and competencies. How do we develop those in ourselves, and within our community of faith? 3. What are the other letters of the alphabet that you didn't choose?

This week's questions:- 1. You said Paul uses other examples in his letter. Are there other biblical examples of this sort of service? 2. As a leader how does serving others fit with the task of leading? 3. How do share Jesus in our serving? Should we?

Marc answers 3 Big Questions raised from Sunday's sermon

This week's questions: 1. 1 John 3:16 says ‘lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters’. Is that brothers and sisters in Christ or all of humanity? 2. If Christian’s are unified, why are there so many denominations? Is there any value in them or are they more of a divide? 3. How do we support someone who is trying to seek Jesus’ love?

This week's questions: 1. Is there a list of Every Spiritual Blessing in Christ? 2. Can we accelerate or obstruct God's plan? 3. How to interpret predestined & chosen from Ephesians 1?

This week's questions: 1. How should we navigate the connections and contrasts between God's commitment to fulfil his explicit promises, and his ability to bring in surprises or twists? 2. Does God need or want us to be apart of his plan and where do we find this in the Bible? 3. What are your thoughts on any connection between the restorative justice of God and the Sabbath as per 2 Chronicles 36:...

This week's questions: 1. Manasseh was influenced by his father & grandfather. Should this encourage the way we worship in front of our children 2. Why doesn’t 2 Kings include Manasseh’s repentance? 3. How do we stay faithful when it feels like God is punishing us or allowing the punishments of the world

This week's questions: 1. How else can we fulfil our baptismal commitment to the church? 2. Why are there different views and practices of baptism? 3. Is church tradition a reliable source of information?

This Week's Questions: 1. How do we better hold in balance our differing theology of faith = rewards? 2. How do we get better at discerning Gods purposes for us, when faithfulness could mean blessing or adversity but we naturally move toward the former. 3. Can you talk about the differences between the accounts of Hezekiah in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles

This Week's Questions: 1. Chronicles 30:20 says the Lord healed the people. Apparently this Hebrew word means physical healing. Traditionally interpreted as meaning forgiven. What’s going on here? 2. How do we maintain the tension between the demand for perfect obedience and the priority of the heart? 3. What are some of your other favourite passages and why?

Why don’t the biblical authors tell us more about the politics of the day? Jehosaphat faced an existential threat. To what extent is today's secular state of Israel synonymous with God's chosen people and the covenants of the Bible? How could Isaiah’s prophecy of a virgin birth be a sign to Ahaz given he wouldn’t see it in his lifetime?  

Jehoshaphat recognised that the battle was against principalities and powers but it was also a real battle. How do we recognise one without ignoring/confusing the other? Stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. How do we stand firm in a crisis? I’ve heard people make a big deal about the singers leading the army – What do you think?

This week's questions: 1. One application was not to support Trump, like evil King Ahab. Harris too has flaws: immigration, inflation, family policies. Why polarisation over compromise? 2. None of the leaders of today follow the tenants of the bible. How do we, as Christians decide who we should be voting for as our leaders? 3. I’m certain we have diluted our duty to God and His church but where i...

This week's questions: 1. Ironically it was the blessing of God that led to Asa's demise. How do we deal with comfort to avoid becoming comfortable? 2. The prophet says that Asa's folly let Aram escape. What does that mean? 3. Asa only sought help from doctors not the Lord. What is the relationship between faith in God's healing and going to the doctor?

This week's questions: 2 Chronicles 15:13 is an account of the death of those who 'would not seek the Lord'. What are we meant to do about verses like this one? There seem to be a lot of ideals and high places to be removed in Israel.  Why? What does it really mean in practical terms to 'seek the Lord'?  

1. Do you think Sabbath has anything in particular to say about work? 2. When we think of what Sabbath is in today's context we seem to get into details that could easily become legalism. Are we over-complicating the Sabbath? 3. Looking at examples from the Bible, is Sabbath mainly observed independently or with others? If mainly with others, what does that look like for GBC as a church?

1. We explored the gods battling each other. There is the command to have no other gods. Is there evidence of other gods? 2. Does the Sunday “church service” (for some clergy & lay people) make it difficult for some to observe Sabbath? 3. We looked at why we should sabbath. Knowing it’s a practice we don’t often do & whether it be sabbath or something else, isn’t it enough that God commanded it?

In the Big 3, Marc Rader answers the Big 3 questions from Sunday's sermon (11th August, 2024) 1. What does observing a Sabbath year look like in our modern life? Should we dedicate an entire (metaphorical) year to trust God and giving out or is it different? 2. Practically speaking, if Israel had kept the Sabbath year, would they have prepared for it or blindly trusted God to provide? Wouldn’t pre...

1. The proscription to rest ie. not to work is clear enough. Are we also being implored to do holy things, “Keep it holy”? What does it mean to keep it (be?) holy? 2. In the OT sabbath was about physical rest at a prescribed time. What does the NT say about the “new” rest we now have available to us through the Holy Spirit. 3. Marc explores some potential future ways to "Sabbath" as a spiritual pr...

Marc answers 3 Big Questions raised from Sunday's Sermon on Sabbath: Learning to Rest with Jesus.