Victoria Point Baptist Church

We pray because we hold to a number of beliefs that support our intentions to communicate with God. Obviously we believe that God exists and that He has within His heart a love for His creation. So we pray because we understand we need Him. We find hope and peace because we believe that God both hears and answers our prayers.

What elements make our prayer conversation with God ? Prayer is an important aspect of our worship. We bring our adoration and praise as we recognise the greatness of God. Our prayer life should also be dominated by thankfulness. King David demonstrated the importance of confession as a means of restoring our relationship with God. Intercession is also foundational to our prayer life as we seek Go...

How do we define prayer ? The Bible sets out a number of principles. In general terms it is how we address God. We ask God for His influence in our life. We seek answers to life's problems as we seek to live out the abundant life we have in Christ. So it is the means by which we pour out our hearts before Father God.

Resting in the blessing of Faith

"But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. "Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God's people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God's mercy." Dear friends, I warn you as "te...

Elijah is broken. He has had enough. In fact he feels that he cannot go on. God understands and offers him some great advice. Eat and rest for the journey is too much for you. But we don't drop out of the game altogether. God wants Elijah to get back to where he was, faithfully serving Him.

Rest in the God of Second Chances

"But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God's servant to proclaim it."Colossians 1:23 NLT We are saved and brought into the kingdom of God by grace alone.. this means that we cannot boast in our effort in...

Rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." "Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV Hebrews 4:9-10 When Jesus re-established The kingdom of God here on earth, everything that was true before the fall, is true now. In this passage above Jesus was speaking to the people of Israel who were burdened, overwhelmed and weighed down with their outward form of religion and the legal do's and don'ts of...

"But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God's servant to proclaim it."Colossians 1:23 NLT We are saved and brought into the kingdom of God by grace alone.. this means that we cannot boast in our effort in...

There in the quiet, everything is put into focus through God's greater, eternal perspective. My soul, my mind and my whole body all acknowledge that I am frail, flawed and finite - and still a precious child of my God and my King. There in the quiet, I am safe to come honestly and humbly, with all my limitations before my God who knows me and loves me with no limits at all.

"Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are the poor in spirit [those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever]."Matthew 5:3 AMP Mark 9:34-35 AMP The poor in spirit is a picture of a Blind street begger, on his knees, holding his money collection tin in both hands, crying out in desperati...

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." "Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV Hebrews 4:9-10 When Jesus re-established The kingdom of God here on earth, everything that was true before the fall, is true now. In this...

The NOW Kingdom of God calls people into God's service now, for them to be on mission and fulfilling God's purposes wherever they are. We by extension simply continue the mission Jesus started. The NOW kingdom thinking clearly portrays the kingdom as a reality that seeks to transform the world NOW, which takes effect as an individual undergoes a transformation within one's own life. The conduit of...

As we begin to realise the reality of the NOW kingdom, we are left with seeming paradox's in our faith. Impossibilities that we simply cannot reconcile with our finite minds. God is fully man and yet fully God. One of the important realities we need to accept is that it is ok to not understand the mind of God. We need to move beyond trying to understand our infinite God by our finite minds and sim...

One of the realities of God's kingdom is that God longs for it to take hold in all areas of our lives. We initially relate with God from either more an intellectual capacity or from an experiential approach. As we mature in our faith, we need to cross over and engage and allow God to speak to all areas of our life. We need to experience God actively in our lives as well as dwelling in our thought-...

The choice to get muddy. Application of God's kingdom now is for us to choose to enter into the brokenness of others. Jesus touched the leper - He could have just spoken healing but he valued the body, the wholeness of the person and chose to enter into this reality. Incarnate Vs Excarnate Word made flesh. John 1:1 - Word made Flesh - Jesus came into our lives, so we could enter into broken world....

One of the active functions of God's kingdom is that it draws people together. People are naturally called together to worship, serve, teach and guide one another. As we allow the Kingdom of God to take hold of our thinking, it leads us to understand the beauty of community that God births in our midst. But we must choose to actively participate in it. Those who grow the most are often the ones th...

Jesus sent out the disciples to preach the kingdom of God: To preach simply means to proclaim, to tell others in the sense of announcing news to them. The disciples were sent with the work of proclaiming that the kingdom of God was present, and what the character of that kingdom was like. If we embrace the Kingdom we must also embrace the need for proclamation in a similar way.

In view of the tremendous blessings that the Philippians have received in Christ, Paul urges them to be united in harmony. Paul calls for this unity in our minds to flow over into practical love for each other. For God's Kingdom to be established there must be unity and love. We are fooling ourselves to think that we can genuinely represent God without having this commitment. On the other hand, if...

We have been recommissioned to establish the kingdom of God on earth in the midst of this present evil age. In all reality this is a hugely difficult and daunting task. In fact, it is impossible in our own strength. Paul talks about the power of God demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus, being available to us. Again we see that this principle is foundational to embracing the Kingdom of God.

Authenticity is key when it comes to establishing God's Kingdom. Holiness is the practical outworking of God's rule in our heart. If we are to serve as His divine representation in this world, we need to be holy as He is holy. Paul exhorts us in light of the manifold mercy of God. Our obedience is the product of what God has done in our lives, not something we can manufacture on our own.

Last week we reflected upon our restored purpose. We have been recommissioned to establish the kingdom of God on earth. We are to extend God's rulership, will and nature from heaven to earth. In doing so, we considered the Lord's prayer, His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. But How does that actually flow over into our daily existence ? This week we again consider prayer and specifically...

Our true purpose and calling is now restored. Man was created to represent the kingdom government of God on earth. Mankind is intended to embody the nature of God on earth and serve as his divine representative in the physical world. We have been recommissioned to establish the kingdom of God on earth. We are to extend God's rulership, will and nature from heaven to earth. His Kingdom come on eart...

Kingdom lost meant that the kingdom needed to be restored. God responded to this need by promising a messiah. The second Adam would restore and redeem and set in place the process by which God would re-establish his kingdom on earth. Instead of allowing us to waste our time trying to reach up, He came down to take hold of us. His desire was to bring us back into relationship with him and to return...