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May 26, 2020May 26, 2020Topical Article, UncategorizedBy phil

Want to hear the latest on Conspiracy Theories?

The Internet is never short on new conspiracy theories about this, that or the other. We have had conspiracy theories seemingly as long as humans have been able to communicate.

Why is it that Christians seem to gravitate to conspiracy theories?

D.L. Mayfield suggests it is because,

“People believe conspiracy theories because it is psychologically easier to believe a singular and unlikely narrative rather than engage in a hard and complicated reality where your own long-term participation is needed.

There is a wonderful old adage from renowned US Supreme Court Judge, Oliver Wendell Holmes who said: “I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity; but I would give my life for the simplicity the other side of complexity.”

But it is so much easier to have a one idea fits all, solves all, and explains all approach. It is hard and time consuming brain-stretching work to sift through the full reality of even relatively simple issues and arguments in families, school and work places, let alone wider political, scientific and religious matters. There is also a matter of our ego, wanting to be right and to be respected. Many of us also like to be in control. Fear is often of things unknown, different or foreign. How “nice” and comforting it is when we sit back with an all knowing, full explanation of why things are the way they are in our world. Conspiracy theories feed the need. They are like “comfort food” for many. Worse, they often fuel division, prejudice and exclusion of others who think, behave or look different to us, or our “group”.

Jesus opposed those who separated, persecuted and excluded others over such grounds. But too often, religious people become fundamentalist and exclusivist, claiming to be the “true believers” but “fundamentally” going against who he was, and what he taught. Why is it that historically the main source of opposition and persecution of minority groups has come from conservative Christians? Yet Jesus deliberately went to, helped and associated with the “unclean” of his time, the immoral and excluded. This is so clear when we take the time to read through his story, found in the Gospels.

Here are a couple of articles that explore why so many of us, including Christians, tend to have an appetite for conspiracy theories.

April 30, 2020May 16, 2020Activity, UncategorizedBy phil

Prayer & Share Zoom Meetings

Prayer & Share

You are welcome to join us each Tuesday evening at 7pm for a Zoom meeting in which we share our lives and pray for each other as we live through this current upheaval to our lives and society. We also read and discuss a short passage of Scripture.

If you would like to join us or have any prayer requests, please phone Phil on 03 6243 1231.

March 28, 2020June 5, 2020Bible Study, UncategorizedBy phil

Stay Being Church while Staying at Home

Hello everyone,

At present we are only able to meet in small groups under 10, following government requirements for religious groups under the COVID-19 guidelines. We also hold ZOOM services. prayer and share meetings and Bible studies nationwide, as well as locally. Please let us know if you would like further information.

Recordings of these and other services are available here on our website Church Service Videos.

In the light of our turned upside down world and personal lives due to COVID-19 here are some links to keep being church while staying at home.

GCI Worship and Sermon links

Local sermons can be found in the Sermons section of this site.

An excellent place for GCI sermons is GCI Equipper.

https://equipper.gci.org/

Other Resources

Door of Hope, Oregon

https://www.doorofhopepdx.org/sermons/

They have a great series on Living in the Light of the Resurrection at; https://www.doorofhopepdx.org/sermons/new-day/

The Bible Project

If you haven’t seen any of the work by the Bible Project, take a look. They provide short animated presentations that are informative, inspiring and wonderfully produced. You have a choice of hundreds of short videos on books of the Bible, overall themes, theological concepts etc. Great for all ages. https://bibleproject.com/

This is a good time to be spending time on those things which are most important to us, particularly our prayer and studies. It is sad we are not able to meet, fellowship and worship, but the more we all self-isolate as much as possible, or at least restrict going out to an essential minimum, and then keep a 1.5-2 metre distance from non-family members, the sooner the pandemic will start to decline and hopefully be less of a risk.

We are blessed in Tassie that the COVID-19 situation has been dealt with in a proactive manner. We can do our part to help reduce the spread by following the guidance we are being given.

Blessings to all,

Phil

May 17, 2019May 17, 2019UncategorizedBy phil

50th Anniversary Celebration

Grace Communion International in Tasmania is planning a celebration for our fiftieth anniversary on June 9th, 2019.

Our first church service was held in Launceston on June 21st, 1969.

The first service in in Hobart was July 15th, 1972, and the first in Devonport was on March 2nd, 1974.

We invite anyone that has been associated with GCI, formerly Worldwide Church of God and before that Radio Church of God, to join with us at the Ross Hotel, in the Antler Room on Sunday June 9th at 11am. There will be a service celebrating the birth of the Christian church at Pentecost as well as our the beginning of our church in Tasmania. A special communion will be included in which we join with other Tasmanian churches in the annual Breaking Bread celebration.

Lunch can be ordered before the service from the hotel. The menu is available at https://www.rosshotel.com.au/menu/.

After lunch we will have a time to remember and celebrate our life together as a fellowship. There will be photos to look at and several members will share some of their memories of our past fifty years.

For more information please contact Phil Hopwood at phil.hopwood@gci.org.au or call 03 6243 1231.

December 11, 2017UncategorizedBy phil

Breaking Religious Patterns

Matthew 9:9-17

“On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners’” (Matthew 9:12-13).

The call of Matthew
illustration by Alexandre Bida

Jesus’ purpose and mission is centered on his redemptive work of bringing salvation to sinners. This upsets the status quo and often calls for a radical break from traditional religious norms.

The passage before us (Matthew 9:9-13) describes Jesus’ call to Matthew, a despised tax collector. Matthew worked in Capernaum, where Jesus lived (4:13; 9:1). He would have undoubtedly seen Jesus or at least heard of him before their encounter.

Matthew was probably a customs officer working on Capernaum’s trade route. He was hated and despised by his own people for being a collaborator with imperial Rome. Jewish tax collectors were not allowed in the synagogues. They were an unscrupulous class that had bought or bribed to get their appointments to become very wealthy. They burdened their own people with excess tax, while bribing the wealthy and declaring less tax for them.

It is easy to see why the Pharisees were furious with Jesus’ apparent lax attitude in sharing a meal with Matthew and his kind (sinners). After all, Scripture says that righteous people should not sit with deceitful people or with the wicked (e.g. Psalm 26:4-5). Jesus responds in the opposite of traditional norms. What the self-righteous Pharisees did not understand, and what many churched people today do not grasp, is that Jesus’ redemptive activity must be thrust into center stage. The Pharisees have no reason to accuse. It is like telling a doctor not to get close to the patient because he might get contaminated with the same condition as the patient or get blood on his hands!

The next passage is linked to the previous controversy, but this time it deals with the disciples of John the Baptist (Matthew 9:14-17). It seems that not all of John’s disciples were fully convinced that Jesus was the Christ. Yet they were sincere, and this is probably why Jesus takes time to explain to them new changes already on the horizon of his redemptive mission. The disciples of John and the disciples of Moses (Pharisees) fasted on a regular basis. The Pharisees fasted on Mondays and Thursdays, and the disciples of John apparently did, too. The Pharisees were religious fundamentalists who sought to separate themselves from everything they deemed “worldly.” John’s disciples were probably gloom and doom last-days prophets.

But Jesus’ disciples were radically different, because they were filled with the presence of their Master’s joy! Who can fast when sinners are being saved? Who can separate themselves from the world when salvation is laid at its front door? Who can preach gloom and doom when the message of salvation is good news? The old religious patterns of yesterday will not hold the new wine of today’s new covenant gospel of Jesus.

In both the above passages, Jesus is not concerned with maintaining past shadows for ritual’s sake alone as much as he is concerned with the reality of showing mercy by sharing the good news of God’s saving grace (9:35-38).

Questions to Ponder:

1. As committed followers of Christ, what can we learn from Jesus’ availability and approach in sharing the good news to Matthew and Zacchaeus?

2. What kind of negative response can we expect from some within our own church community? Can you give a discrete example?

3. How did Jesus follow up his call in each of the above cases? What can we learn from this in integrating new believers into the community?

4. Is Jesus’ message to sinners one of condemnation, or one of acceptance? Why can’t old traditions hold the new wine of the gospel? Give examples.

5. What is Jesus’ motive for seeking the lost, and what challenge does he lay at his disciples’ front door and to every generation? See Matthew 9:35-38.

Conclusion

Jesus’ purpose and mission is the salvation of the lost. His encounters with despised sinners and society’s outcasts are centered on sharing the joy of his presence. He wants to live with us; he does not want to exclude us. We are disciples of this good news!

Lorenzo Arroyo

January 29, 2015UncategorizedBy phil

New Sermons added

Sermons on Colossians, the role of religious observances in our Christian identity, baptism, and the kingdom of God, among others, have been added. Just go to the Sermons section to read them. We are planning to add audio and at some stage, video sermons as well.

We hope you find them helpful!

December 25, 2014May 17, 2019Dated, Joseph Tkach, UncategorizedBy phil

Jesus: Double Agent

Christmas, the traditional day for celebrating the birth of Jesus, provides the church its focal point for gratefully acknowledging the Incarnation of the Son of God. In response to this historic event, the angels joyfully praised God (Luke 2:13) as they watched God’s master plan unfold. I believe this is significant to notice. The angels rejoiced because they knew it was God’s desire to be reconciled to his children, and that in Jesus, the children would be reconciled to their Father. The Incarnation is not only for humanity and our reconciliation to God; it is also for the Father whose purpose has always been to be reconciled to his children.

Angels Announcing Christ’s Birth to the Shepherds by Govert Flinck

As fully God, Jesus acts in the role of the reconciler, and as fully human, he acts in the role of the one reconciled. Because he worked for both God and humanity, I fondly refer to Jesus as a “double agent.” But unlike other double agents, Jesus was loyal to both parties. One of my favourite secret agents, James Bond, temporarily saved the UK and the world from terror and ruin as he awaited his next assignment. But Jesus, through his one assignment, redeems and saves the whole world for eternity.

Whether or not the birth of Jesus occurred on December 25 is not important; what is important is that it did occur and is a real event to be celebrated. In Christmas celebrations, Christians honour the reality of the one plan of redemption throughout history—a plan brought about by Jesus Christ, who fulfils the promise to Abraham: “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:27-29 ESV). As the one true son of Israel, Jesus is the answer to and fulfilment of all of God’s promises. “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory” (2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV).

As you know, God made a covenant with Israel: “If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6). Unfortunately, Israel as a nation was not faithful to the covenant as the prophets repeatedly warned: “They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers” (Jeremiah 11:10 ESV).

It is only in Jesus’ total obedience as a human son of Israel that the covenant is fulfilled. He is the true Israel of God. He inherits the Abrahamic promises on behalf of of all Israel. And that’s good news for all people because the eternal Son of God, through his Incarnation, became the second Adam—the representative for all humanity. Therefore we rest on his perfect obedience. As our great High Priest Jesus acts in our place and on our behalf. In this way, all who “belong to him” are included in God’s “Yes.” “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed’” (Galatians 3:7-8 ESV).

In his book, Incarnation, T. F. Torrance makes the point that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies:

If it is the historical factuality of Jesus that is of controlling importance, then that Jesus must be presented as really embedded in history, embedded therefore in the hard stubborn history of Israel. That is precisely the case with Jesus (p. 16).

Jesus is God in the flesh. He is Israel in his humanity so that in him God and humanity are brought together in flesh and blood, in time and space, in person.

As I said before, Jesus is a true double agent—always for us, always on our side, the only one who has redeemed and saved all. And also like a double agent, not everything is transparent. Jesus’ mortal humanity concealed his divine identity. In commenting on Paul’s thoughts to the Philippians, Karl Barth says the following:

[Jesus] puts himself in a position where only he himself knows himself in the way that the Father knows him. In the unknowability into which he enters, it is now certainly the Father’s part to reveal him. But the step that brings him into that unrecognizable condition, into the incognito, is grounded entirely in himself alone… He exists in such a way that to any direct, immediate way of regarding him—e.g. to the historical and psychological approach—he does not present the picture of his proper, original, divine Being, but solely the picture of a human being (The Epistle to the Philippians, p. 63).

What becomes revealed in Jesus is that the Triune God cannot be known in a true and saving way by mere mortals. So God the Father in the person of Jesus, reveals the divinity of his Son by the Spirit. And that revelation can only come about by grace which, at the same time, reconciles and redeems us. Knowing God in Jesus the incarnate Son transforms us in every way. That is why Jesus said, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Matthew 11:27). The early church put it this way: “Only God knows God and only God reveals God.”

Here’s a related quote I much enjoy from N. K. Gupta:

Christ by becoming a mortal, accepted slavery to those cosmological forces that lord over humanity. But, like a true “double agent” of popular espionage, he never forsook his true allegiance to God or his status as Son of God… Christ is ingeniously able to nullify their own power through the ultimate act of eschatological reversal: his own death and resurrection that is capable of being shared by others” (Horizons in Biblical Theology, 32.1, pp. 1-16).

At Christmas we rejoice along with the angels in this great reversal. We celebrate Jesus’ perfect obedience, which fulfilled the covenant on our behalf. We celebrate that Jesus is the one true son of Israel, and because we are in him, by faith we share with him in the covenant promises. We celebrate that Jesus never forsook his allegiance to God nor his allegiance to humanity. We celebrate the redemption we have in Christ our Savior. We celebrate the Incarnation.

Merry Christmas!
Joseph Tkach

PS: For a parody of the rock anthem “Bohemian Rhapsody” that powerfully recounts the Nativity story, watch the video at http://youtu.be/pW1pbuyGlQ0.

November 7, 2013April 12, 2017UncategorizedBy phil

Soldiers or Children of God?

God’s Greatest Work

To me, one of the more frightening movie scenes occurs in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, where the Orc army is assembling. They are being readied to march out to accomplish the evil lord’s purposes. The image of all those mean, beady-eyed creatures heading out to kill their enemies in cold blood makes my own blood turn cold.

When I hear people talk about God using us to accomplish his purposes, for some reason my mind turns to those Orcs, who are simply tools in the hands of their maker. They are expendable, relentless and mindless, not participants in any way except to do the bidding of their master, which is to kill as many of the good guys as possible so he can take over the world without getting his own hands dirty.

Are Christians simply God’s army, marching as to war, as depicted in the song, “Onward, Christian Soldiers”? Are we here solely to help him accomplish his purpose on earth? And what is God’s purpose, after all?

The obvious answer is to save mankind from their sins, which he can and did do all by himself, thank you very much. And of course, he does want us to participate in helping others see his goodness and acknowledge his grace by sharing the good news of the gospel. But his purposes go a bit deeper than that. He saved us when Jesus the Son went to the cross. When we accept that as a fact in our lives, he begins the process of sanctification through the leading and teaching of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus invites us to share in the relationship he has had with the Father and the Spirit from eternity.

Sharing in that relationship means we are not simply tools in his hands. We are not an army raised up merely to do battle and then go on to our reward. We aren’t expendable or mindless, although some might seem to be sometimes. No, we ourselves are God’s great purpose. The transformation of a carnal, greedy, self-centred human being is his most amazing work and it happens as we participate in his risen and ascended life.

When we see ourselves as only tools in God’s hands, I think we forget this. A tool is made for a specific purpose, is expendable and valued only as long as it fulfils its purpose. I’m sure God doesn’t see us that way. He sees us as his beloved children, whom he is transforming into the likeness of his Son, who is the radiance of his glory. He delights in us when we are worn out or broken or even when we can’t lift a finger. He doesn’t throw us out when we can no longer function and he doesn’t value us only if and when we are useful to him.

I’m not sure if the Orcs had names, but we certainly do and God knows each of his unique, marvellous children by name. A craftsman doesn’t name his tools and he replaces them when they are old. God cares for us as a mother cares for her babies, never using us but loving us and calling us his own.

Tammy

September 5, 2013UncategorizedBy phil

The Favour of the King

The Favour of the King

Like many others, I enjoy keeping up with the British royals. The birth of the newest prince in July was exciting, not only because of the happiness of the young parents, but also because of all the history behind that little boy.

As I’ve read about kings and their courts and watched historical television shows and movies, I’ve noticed not only does the head that wears the crown lie uneasy (Henry IV, Shakespeare), but so did the heads of many in close proximity to the king. Anyone could be enjoying his favors one day and be on the chopping block the next. Even those closest to a king weren’t safe. In the days of Henry VIII, heads rolled with alarming frequency.

In times past, kings arbitrarily decided whether or not someone pleased them. They often used people to further their own agendas. The court and sometimes the whole country held their collective breath when a king died, as they didn’t know if they were better off with the tyrant they knew or the one to come.

It’s easy to see why legalism came about and why we confuse God’s nature with characteristics of leaders, fathers and others in authority. To those living under a monarchy, the king was almost on the same level as God. What he said was law and everyone was at his mercy, even if they thought they were too far away to be noticed.

When we misunderstand who God is, we might think he also makes arbitrary laws, that we are at the mercy of his wrath and if we stay far enough away, we can fly under the radar. After all, he’s probably too busy to worry about everyone. He’s way off in heaven somewhere. Or we think if we can just stay in his good graces, we’ll be safe. For many, it’s all about gaining his favor by being good enough.

But God isn’t like human kings. He rules the universe with love, mercy and grace. He’s not arbitrary in any way and doesn’t play games with our lives. He values and respects us as the children he created. He doesn’t decide who lives and who dies on a whim, but allows us to live out our lives and make our own choices for better or for worse.

None of us, no matter what choices we make, have to worry about whether or not we are in the good graces of our King Jesus. We live in God’s grace – constant, loving and complete. He doesn’t put limits on his grace. He doesn’t give it one day and take it away the next. We don’t have to earn it. Grace is always available, always abundant and unconditional, just like God’s love. Under the love and care of our King, our heads can rest easy on our pillows, for we always live in his good grace.

Tammy

August 15, 2013August 15, 2013Dated, UncategorizedBy phil

Retreat – Camp Clayton October 21-27, 2013 “The Psalms”

We are holding our annual retreat/festival at Camp Clayton, Claytons Rd, Bass Highway, just east of Ulverstone, starting at 3:30pm on Monday October 21st, and concluding Sunday October 27th at lunch time.

This year we have chosen the challenge of exploring the Psalms.

We plan to take an overview of their nature and how we can read and benefit from their profound and authentic approach to life, God, good and evil; life at its best and its worst. We will then explore some specific psalms and invited participants who would like to, to share their favourite psalm, and to have a go and writing a psalm themselves.

So why not join us for a week of rest, inspiration, fellowship, and time wandering through, wondering at, and learning from the Psalms. Come for a morning, a couple of days or better still, the whole week. This is a great opportunity for those on their own to find friends and encouragement, and for couples to have a time of retreat and rejuvenation.

Sessions are held each morning at 9:30am in Parkdown, except Thursday, when we have a 7:15pm session. Saturday has morning and afternoon sessions. Cost are very reasonable.

If you would like more information please email Phil Hopwood at phopwood@internode.on.net or phone 0407 566987.