GBC | Big Three

1. Can you elaborate on praying specifically rather than sin as a whole? Who are we to decide that, doesn’t God know more about what we need? 2. Does God only do something or answer prayers if we ask? What happens if we only praise or repent? 3. What did it mean that the Tax Collector went home justified? Can you unpack this idea a bit more?

Here are this week's three questions: Is it realistic to expect "good" answers? How do we reconcile answers that are "bad" or no answer at all? Do we really have to ask God not to lead us into temptation? Or to deliver us from evil? Christians obviously use many forms of prayer. Should we use the Lord's prayer more often?

Today's Big 3 Questions: If Jesus is both fully God and fully man why does he need to pray? And is he praying to himself then? If Jesus prays for us and we pray with him, when is it appropriate to pray to Jesus (rather than the Father)? If the disciples are hopeless at praying but still see Jesus’ glory why not just sleep and rely on Jesus’ prays for us?

Here are this week's questions: You said the miracle revealed something about Jesus. What was revealed? We follow Jesus wherever we are – how else can we see Jesus revealed in our vocation? How do you know when you should “leave the nets” and consider a call to vocational ministry?    

What other echoes or meanings from the Old Testament are found in Acts 2? If the Spirit's activity in our lives is super-normal, how do we know it's the Spirit? If we are all inclusive, does that mean we would be welcoming to the Queer community?

Marc answers 3 Big Questions from Sunday's service

The gate was opened for the predestination talk! If we have the choice to accept being headhunted, does that mean there is free will in predestination? David did the preparations when he was told not to build it. Was it God's or David's will for Solomon's temple to be built? Was God speaking of Jesus alone? So we speak about the amazing work of Lebanon Baptist churches with Syrian Refugees - how d...

1. How does 2 Samuel 24:1 (where he Lord told David to take the census) match up with 1 Chronicles 21:1 (attributing the motive to Satan) 2. So God killed 70000 men as the result of a fairly harmless sin? Why not tell David before hand? Or punish David? Does it seem proportional/ fair to you? 3. Rox said “God’s mercy meets people’s greatest need”. But it was God’s angel who was killing people. Do...

1. How do we do better at focusing on the forest when the stump is so prevalent for us? 2. Psalm 89 laments and attacks God for the wrath He has outpoured. How does God respond to this? Is it ok to talk to God like this? 3. So are 1 Chr 17:11 & Ps 89 referring to Jesus rather than David and Solomon?

Marc unpacks 3 Big Questions raised from Sunday's Sermon 1. If you did have time to tell us more about the ark of the covenant, what would you tell us? 2. Who actually wrote the psalms that the Chronicler included and when were they written? 3. If the promises of God aren’t dependent on us at all what is the role of confession?

1. Should we be worried about the differences in the four gospel accounts of the resurrection? 2. How valid are word associations when we read the Bible? 3. Is it enough to simply read the gospels to “remember” what Jesus has said? What actions go along with the mental assent?

Most of us would say like Mary we trust and have faith in God but what are some small was that we can actively respond in this way when our lives are flipped? Can you elaborate on the 'zoom out' idea? Looking at Easter by zooming out to see Christmas.  Is this important for our understanding of Easter and all Scripture? How can we participate in the reversals that accompany God's activity?

Marc answers 3 Big Questions raised from Sunday's Sermon. 1. How do maintain a present tense discipleship? 2. How does forgiveness in Jesus relate to God's immediate response to unfaithfulness? 3. Faithfulness is a different form, but related to obedience and God wants faithfulness more, but aren't there places in the Bible where strict obedience is demanded?

In a world with idols that feel essential to focus on (eg: money) how do we recognise, repent, refocus and ask for guidance for our values, priorities and behaviours? How are waiting and persevering related? Why are you so excited about the genealogies?

1 Are they’re particular actions or practices as followers of Jesus ( that aren’t secular “self help” ) we could be doing to improve ourselves in the work place? 2 Is there an area of work we should avoid? I struggle to reconcile military/armed service, or some shady big tech? 3 Work can be very long hours and can interrupt family time or our weekend? As this world pushes hustle culture, should we...

Mark discusses 3 Big Questions raised from Andrew Sloane's message on the effects of sin on our work. 1. Why does God allow darkness to reach into the Christian world? 2. Since our lives are "hebel/hevel" (breath or mist), how can we correctly value our time, skills, etc.? 3. How might we find meaning and purpose in work that is primarily drudgery, boredom, frustration, etc.?

Marc Rader answers 3 Big Questions from Sunday's Sermon by Kara Martin. 1. When we are on call, have the strength to endure as Jesus endured - how do we balance working too much? Saying yes to too much? 2. The question remains the same but the context changes as we pass through life. How is this different for school leavers vs retirees? 3. If we are are struggling, how do we differentiate between...

Marc sits down to answer 3 Big questions raised form Sunday's service. 1.What would be some helpful questions for people to reflect on to discover how their work fits into God’s purposes? 2.How can we find God’s purpose in our work in a capitalist society when a company’s goal is to make money that might not be spent in the most godly way? 3.How should our faith influence our choice of paid work?

Marc answers three big questions raised from a sermon at GBC on our yearly theme: Our [Extra]Ordinary Life Together

In the final Big 3 for our Jesus and the Sydney Morning Herald series, Marc addresses three big questions about the shifts in secularism that provide an opportunity for the church.

Marc answers 3 questions raised by the congregation of Gymea Baptist Church following a sermon on The Taylor Swift Effect - impact and influence.

Marc answers 3 big questions raised from Sunday's sermon on "Should the Church be woke?" as part of our topical Jesus and the Sydney Morning Herald series. Short answer: Yes with an if, no with a but - but listen to the pod for more!

In this Special Edition Big 3, Marc discusses 3 big questions raised from the sermon "Why is Israel so important to Christians?". The questions cover: reading the Bible literally verses literalistically; is there a special role for Israel today; and are there other perspectives around the end times.

Join us as Marc answers three questions about the Holy Spirit from the sermon series The Empowering Presence... with a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT at the end of our episode.

Join us as Marc answers three questions about the Holy Spirit from the sermon series The Empowering Presence