Sadducees

STILL GATHERING AT THE CROSS – OR MOVING ON?

(March 08, 2024) Dr Richard Winter reflects on Calvary’s cross…

At school we were required to understand the atlas, and remember continents, countries, capital cities, major rivers and  mountains. And we learned that before it was understood that the world is a globe, men who drew maps believed it was flat like a saucer and spun round a centre post. Interestingly, their central post was the cross of Calvary.

Now although such cartography belief was faulty, its central point belief was the pivot point of all Christian theology – the whole Christian world revolves round the cross of Christ!

In every nation, people of different races, colours, cultures, education, social and economic circumstances still believe Christ’s cross is the centre piece of their theology and eschatology.

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CHRISTOS VOSKRES – VOYISTENO VOSKRES ! CHRIST IS RISEN… VICTORIOUSLY RISEN! 

(April 09, 2023) Dr Robert McQuillan challenges…

War between Russia and Ukraine is still sad news! Great news today though that Ukrainian children in Russian occupied territory have been returned to their parents! So many declarations of joy this Resurrection Sunday among happy parents and kids!

I was reminded of other Ukrainian declarations decades ago in the first church we planted. A Ukrainian member brought communion one Resurrection Sunday and shared how years ago the communists would take great delight in trying to re-educate village Ukrainian peasants.

Hearing of an outbreak of Christianity in one particular village, the authorities moved in with two university educated scholars, calling a mandatory meeting to which all the villagers had to attend. The humble villagers were afraid of what might happen.

Those clever scholars started by telling those simple villagers of the Soviet regime’s latest conquests and then quoting so-called ‘hard evidence’ that put an end to that religious myth of a ‘raised dead God.’

1. The greatest declaration
After a couple of hours building their case, they threw the meeting open for villagers to come forward and debate with them. But people were afraid for they knew full well the consequences to anyone daring to oppose the communists. People would disappear in the middle of the night, ending up in Siberia!

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