Matthew 28:18-20

WHAT DOES EASTER MEAN TO YOU?

(April 15, 2025) Robert McQuillan reflects…

My mobile’s daily Bible link reminded me that today is Holy Tuesday of 2025 Holy Week, another day closer to Good Friday and Easter.

Easter Considered
Don’t know about you, but I’ve always considered what is called ‘Easter Weekend’— so-named ‘sorrowful darkness of Good Friday, ‘grey Saturday’ and the joyful brilliance of Easter Sunday’— to be the most important Christian celebration (even more so that glorious Christmas!).

Our website this month contains several precious Easter-centred articles based on what our Saviour achieved for us—

(more…)

THE FOCUSED CHRIST

(August 17, 2024) Wayne Swift again calls it as it is…

Focus—

Now that’s a word meaning ‘the main or central point of something, especially of interest or attention.’

Did you ever realise that your salvation depended on Jesus’ focused resolution to suffer the cross and all that that entailed? That before Christ even went to the cross He had to focus on His commitment to the task ahead.

Jesus’ Origins
It’s amazing really that Almighty God had made the incredible decision to come to this world in human form as Jesus Christ for our sakes!

(more…)

SEVEN ‘I AMs’ OF CHRIST

(May 28, 2024) Richard Winter shares…

When God told Moses that he was the one chosen to bring Israel out of their darkness in Egypt, the astounded and uncertain shepherd had said, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is His name?” Then what shall I tell them?’

God’s reply was ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM has sent me to you”’ (Exodus 3:9-10).

No doubt you can image Moses thinking ‘“I AM” has sent me? They’ll probably say, “And who’s this I AM?”’ But…  dear reader, do you know who the ‘I AM’ of scripture is?

(more…)

POWERFUL PRE-PENTECOST PRAYER

(May 15, 2024) Wayne Swift again calls it as it is, sharing some thoughts about those united first Christians who excelled in obeying a particular command of Jesus, and witnessed the birth of the church!

To excel in something, even a leisure pursuit – golfing, surfing, fishing – you have to follow a certain process.

Now when it comes to living as Christians – including whatever God wants us to be involved in – we are often quick to think that we can ‘produce the goods’ simply by wishing or hoping. And there are many times when we think all our dreams will come true without any effort or change on our part.

Our goal as Christians is pretty clear – to win people to Christ. But it takes prayer, time, involvement… and that’s the process before the event.

(more…)

IN TROUBLE? WE HAVE A SAVIOUR, A DELIVERER

(April 30, 2024) Jesy Veena Sam shares encouragement… and challenges!

‘Saviour’ is sótér meaning deliverer. The good news in these dark days is that our Saviour Jesus will listen to our cries, and help us, deliver us!

God has always heard people’s genuine prayers, listened to their supplications, brought them though dangers, and granted them saviours (Note… lower case ‘s’).

Let’s look at how God used some ‘ordinary’ biblical individuals to rescue – deliver – needy people who called on Him for help them in their troubles.

Moses
A reluctant Moses became a saviour to the people of Israel enslaved in Egypt, subjected to harsh treatment and great sorrow (Exodus 1:11-14).

(more…)

TEAM JESUS – CALLED BY JESUS TO SERVE HIM

(March 17, 2024) Richard Winter shares and encourages…

Shhhhhh… did you hear that sound?

Did you hear Jesus speaking even above the cacophony of noise we have in this modern world? Or even in the middle of a great Sunday church service?

For that matter, has Jesus ever spoken to you? And if He has, what did He say?

Actually,  we can hear a voice from our memory. I will never forget my mom standing outside and calling us inside for supper: ‘Time to come home.’ I can remember my dad calling out to me when I was playing football…  Do this, do that, come on! While I can’t remember the cadence of their voice, from my memory I can still hear what they had to say.

Many times you will hear preachers begin some point with ‘Jesus said…’ Well, Jesus spoke audibly to people 2000 years ago and while I wasn’t there I can still hear His voice! How, you ask? Simple –

(more…)

THAT PENTECOSTAL WILDFIRE!

(May 24, 2023) Robert and Maureen McQuillan comment on some Pentecost realities…

It was an amazing day for the early church!

Scripture records the incredible breakthrough those frightened, uncertain 120 believers experienced on the Day of Pentecost – ‘Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force – no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them’ (Acts 2:2-4 Message).

In reality, they were changed, charged, challenged, committed, commissioned!

More than just worship
This was something more than just worshipping God in new languages, glossolalia! It mightily changed those first disciples – they became daring men and women of faith who immediately witnessed the gospel and saw many converts genuinely repent of sin and turn to Jesus for salvation!

May 28 is Pentecost Sunday and many churches (not just Pentecostal) will be celebrating it as the…

(more…)

PENTECOST SUNDAY REFLECTIONS

(May 22, 2023) Dr Robert McQuillan recalls Pentecostal memories…

May 28 is Pentecost Sunday when it’s expected Pentecostal and charismatic churches will celebrate that Acts 2 occasion when the Holy Spirit fell powerfully on those first Christians.

Pentecost (pentēkostē – fifty) is the Jewish holiday festival of Shavu`ot.Originally firstfruits of the wheat harvest were presented to God 50 days after the Feast of Unleavened Bread (See Leviticus 23:16-17), celebrating the expectation of a great agricultural season ahead. Its theme became one of revelation – of God Himself, His power and His Torah (teaching, direction, guidance, law).

Reverberating
Traditionally where Jesus followers gathered in Jerusalem has been known as ‘the upper room.’ Acts 2:1 calls it a ‘place’, but interestingly this word is a reflexive pronoun linked with ‘a baffling wind.’ Little did those faithful believers image the roaring wind ahead!

That windstorm (NLT) blew through on that first Pentecost Sunday! Acts 2:2CJB records the ‘place’ as a home – ‘Suddenly there came a sound from the sky like the roar of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house…’ 

Act 2:3-4 records, ‘They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues…’ They were a changed, charged and challenged people!

(more…)

GET YOUR FEET WET (Meditations on Mark – 3)

(March 06, 2023) Richard Winter reflects some more on Mark’s gospel…

If we could ask Jesus just one question, what would you ask?

It may sound funny, odd, but what pops into my mind is a great line from a movie… ‘What’s it all about, Alfie?’ Only that it leads to the question I’d really love to ask my Lord – ‘So, Jesus, what’s it all about?’

And I’m sure the Lord would answer, ‘Richard, it’s all about Acts 1:8.’

1. Go!
‘Acts 1:8, Lord?’

This very  important scripture… ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’

This scripture links with Jesus’ Mark 6:7 direction of to His friends, the first disciples! His training program then had been three years of on-the-job training and now He tells His disciples to go into all the world: a case of ‘You’ve learned how, so now go and do it. Go get your feet wet!’

And they did! Jesus’ disciples boldly went out, getting their feet wet as it were, and with a new title… apostles!

The Greek word is apostolos – one who is sent into all the world and today we call them missionaries.

But note: In Mark 6:7NASB Jesus had sent His disciples out in pairs – a small team. Now we could think that this was good reasoning because lone rangers are an easy target for the devil… but behind this was the biblical understanding of…

(more…)

SPELUNKING!

(August 9, 2022) Richard Winter shares timely advice…

Let me share something from my childhood days.

I grew up just a few miles from the caves where a famous Australian Bushranger – bandit – hid while robbing gold carrying stagecoaches coming from the rich goldfields the state of Victoria. And my best friend and I often went splelunking together.

Splelunking? That’s going down holes in the ground, exploring caves that lead under the earth. Yes, it can be quite dangerous and it worried our mothers! But the nearby Captain Melville caves were just the start for us. Soon we heard about other places where we could go spelunking.

Then came Queen’s Scout days. That was a life of adventure and danger – isn’t that what all boys long for? Well, we did. There were no computers back then and life was best lived outside home – so off we went.

I loved those caves! In most cases you were exploring not only what’s under the earth but what was inside you! No mobiles in those days and one could be easily troubled by thoughts such as –

  • How will we get back?
  • Could we turn around the tight cavern corners?
  • If we need help, how can we get some way down here?
  • Do we have a plan for the worst-case scenario?

Entrapment caves
I’ve found that many people don’t like certain caves… but they’ve learned to dwell in them mostly by themselves or with a few family members or friends to help.

(more…)