Monthly Archives: July 2016

Baptist, News

NAIDOC Week – What’s your Church Doing or Learning?

NAIDOC Week – What’s your Church Doing or Learning?
At the very least this NAIDOC week, why not help your church better understand more about our indigenous brothers and sisters and the importance of a Name? 

Sacred Ground: Names and Places

(from Reconciliation Australia Newsletter)

A NAIDOC theme is ‘We all Stand on Sacred Ground.’ It highlights the connections Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have to country. Across the world, the names we give a place can represent history, culture and identity. 

To celebrate the NAIDOC theme, we’re reflecting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander place names that have been part of Australia for thousands of years, and asking ‘what’s in a name?’

Did you know? 

The name ‘Canberra’ came from a local Aboriginal name for the area. It was first recorded as 'Kamberra' or 'Kambery', and then named Canberra in 1913 when it became the capital. 

Tasmania has dual named a number of natural features like kanamaluka / River Tamar and truwana / Cape Barren Island. 

Since 1992 naming authorities have been encouraged by governments to use Aboriginal place names to acknowledge their importance. 

Bennelong Point, the site of Sydney Opera House was known as ‘Dubbagullee’ by local Aboriginal people. 

In the 1970s the Yolngu people responded to the arrival of English road signs by stating “This place already has a name”.

Take action

Learn some of the stories and traditional names of the sacred ground you live on. 

Find out the meaning of dual named places in your area and their significance. 

Contact your local council to see what their policy is on dual names. 

Find out if there are any dual naming movements happening in your area. 

Campaign for the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander names of significant landmarks in your community to be recognised. 

Participate in the annual NAIDOC week activities around the country. 

Reconciliation Australia would like to thank the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping for their assistance in developing this factsheet.

How can we as Baptist in habitants of the places we live, worship and work, be more aware of the historical, social and cultural significance of names?

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Could God Be Behind the Rise of Donald Trump?

When I broached the question: Could God behind the rise of Donald Trump,? I got an impassioned response from one of my readers – this could not be possible! The reader proceeded to list Mr. Trump’s outrageous words, actions, and that it was unthinkable that he could be God’s choice.
Our friend has a point. Mr. Trump, age 70, is a flamboyant businessman who has made money on casinos, married three times, and even bragged about his extra-marital affairs. How could God be behind the rise of a man with such a lifestyle?
These are fair questions. Yet, there is no question that Donald Trump’s rise thus far has stunned the world. In his quest for the US Republican Party nomination and the White House, Mr. Trump has knocked 17 other Republican contenders out of the race. More Republican voters have voted for Trump than any other candidate in any presidential primaries in history, including for the revered Ronald Reagan. He has received some impressive endorsements, including from 91 year old Phyllis Schlafly, a respected pro-life, pro-family, and pro-God conservative icon.
What’s even more interesting – or puzzling – is a prophecy given by American firefighter Mark Taylor in April 2011, while watching Donald Trump give a speech. In essence, Taylor claims the Holy Spirit told him ‘Donald Trump would become President. He would bring honour and respect back to America, the dollar will strengthen. Those who try to stop him and fail. He is God’s choice.’ (for more details log onto http://www.trunews.com/gods-man-firefighter-shares-2011-vision-of-president-trump/).
This is reminiscent of a prophecy given in 1970 given directly to then California Governor Ronald Reagan … that if he fulfilled certain conditions, he would live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC (the address of the White House). Ten years later, Mr. Reagan was ‘In.’
Leaving Trump aside for a moment, Bible-believing Christians have to acknowledge God is Sovereign and, as the Sovereign of the universe, He can do anything He wants. In Isaiah 55:9 God says: For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Psalm 75:6-7 is clear: God promotes and demotes whoever He wants. Yet, concurrently, He will never violate His holy character in the process of exercising His sovereignty – He is righteous in all His ways and holy in all his works (Psalm 145:17).
We concede that God choses the the most unlikely vessels to perform His will. This should not catch us off guard. We are told that God chooses the foolish, weak, base, and little things of the world to confound and destroy the wise, strong, exalted and great (I Corinthians 1:27-29). Here are a few examples:
1.    Romans 9:17 says that God raised up Pharaoh that He could show His power through him;
2.    Three times God called Nebuchadnezzar, a despotic heathen tyrant His ‘servant’ (Jeremiah 25:9; 27:6; 43:10);
3.    Cyrus the Great, king of Medo-Persia, who had no track record of Biblical righteousness, was called by God His ‘shepherd (Isaiah 44:28) and ‘anointed’ (Isaiah 45:1);
4.    Habakkuk wrestled with God because the LORD chose the bitter, hasty, violent, heathen Chaldeans to chasten a less wicked, backslidden Judah (Habakkuk 1:1-6);
5.    The first person on earth whom Jesus of Nazareth gave the revelation that He was the Messiah was not to the priests, the Jewish elites, or even a normal Israelite. His confession was given to a Samaritan (oh no!) woman who was living in a de facto relationship (John 4:26 & verse 18);
6.    A hard-headed, mean-spirited bully who did his best to destroy the young Christian church was called God’s ‘chosen vessel’ to proclaim the Name of Jesus to Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. His name? Saul of Tarsus, later called the Apostle Paul (Acts 9:15);
7.    Let’s not forget that God even used Balaam’s donkey to speak to the prophet (Numbers 22:28; II Peter 2:16).
If God waited for any of us to be perfectly upright before using us for kingdom purposes, none of us would be in the ministry today. Full stop. Let’s have the humility to admit we are all in God’s workshop as a work in progress.
Romans 13 gives some amazing insight about our attitude to those who are in power. We are, within reason, to be subject to the governing authorities, since existing authorities are appointed by God. To resist authority is to resist God’s ordinance and this will bring judgment (vs. 1-2). This is remarkable considering Paul wrote these words when Nero was the mad Caesar in Rome, cantankerous, unreasonable, despotic, perhaps a bit demonic. Yet the knowledge that all authority comes from God and that ultimately God will have His way helped to influence Paul’s thinking.
We are to obey authorities except when it contravenes our faith, knowing we may have to pay a price for standing firm in our integrity. Even Jesus Himself said we are to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar (implying taxes, respect, compliance) and to also give to God the things that belong to God (Matthew 22:21; Mark 12:17; Luke 20:25). We are told in I Timothy 2:2 to pray for kings and all in authority that we may live quiet and peaceable lives. Wise advice!
Back to our original question: Could God be behind the rise of Donald Trump?
Will the prophecy of Mark Taylor come to pass?
Will there be a populist revolt at the ballot box?
Will Donald Trump be to America what Brexit and the EU Referendum was to Britain?

We will find out on November 8th!
Articles, Bible, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Blessing & Curses: Why Study the Book of Deuteronomy?

                                                                           
Introduction
It was a sobering scene.
Location: The plain of Moab, near the Jordan River, at the back door of the ‘Promised Land,’ near the city of Jericho.
Main character: Moses, the aged and faithful servant of God, was about to give his valedictory speech.
The audience: A large group of Israelites: the younger generation, who were born in the wilderness (‘the wilderness generation’).
The challenge: Moses would need all the God-given communications skills he could muster to reach this younger group of people who knew no other leader but him. After all, if Ronald Reagan, John Paul II and Bernie Sanders, all in their 70s, could connect with younger people, why not God’s anointed prophet? He apparently succeeded.
The setting: It had been 40 years since he led the children of Israel out of Egypt by the power of God. The journey should have taken more or less 40 days. Yet, due to tempting God 10 times (Numbers 14:22, 24-34), the days turned to years. During these forty years the generation that left Egypt with Moses (‘the exodus generation’) had perished in the wilderness; the audience he now faced were their children.
The message; Forty years earlier, Moses received the Law (Ten Commandments) on Mount Sinai. He shared God’s standard with the ‘exodus generation. They disobeyed and perished. Now that they were gone, on the eve of entering the promised land, it was time to share the Law again with the younger ‘wilderness’ generation.
This sharing of the Moses’ law a second time is called Deuteronomy. In addition, the events of Exodus through Numbers are retold. The 10 Commandments are recited and Moses gives his final address to the nation. Moses reminds Israel of God’s love and faithfulness and strongly exhorts them to keep God’s law. If they do, manifold blessings will come and overtake them; if they refuse, then an avalanche of curses will tumble upon them.
As the book ends, Moses gets to view the promised land from Mount Nebo, and then dies and is buried by the LORD. Deuteronomy predicts the rebellion, dispersion, and ingathering of Israel and speaks of a future prophet like Moses, which, of course, is Christ.
During the days of Judean king Josiah, the ‘book of the law’ was discovered in the temple (II Kings 22:8-10; II Chronicles 34:15-19). This book was Deuteronomy, which spawned a nation-wide reformation. Centuries later, Jesus Christ successfully quoted from this book when overcoming the devil in the wilderness  (Matthew 4:1-11; Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:16; 6:13; 10:20). In all this, the goal is to receive the blessings, and avoid the curses, by obeying the Word of the Lord.
Details of Deuteronomy
Name: ‘Haddebharim“The words’ or 1:1 ‘These are the words” also known Mishneh Hattorah ‘or repeating’ of the law. We get our English name Deuteronomy from the Septuagint, where it was known as To Deuteronomian Touto.
Author: Moses is the universally recognised author, including by Christ, the apostles, and the New Testament. Some later scholars have questioned Mosaic authorship, especially Chapter 34; could Moses have written about his own death and burial? Yet throughout the Torah / Pentateuch, it has been estimated that the phrases ‘The Lord says’ or ‘God says’ is used over 500 times. This first part of Scripture has an unmistakable ring of divine authority.
Portrait of Christ: He is the prophet like unto Moses (18:5). He is also known as the Rock of Salvation (32:15). As mentioned earlier, Jesus resisted Satan in the wilderness by quoting from Deuteronomy three times.
 Theme: Blessing and Cursing (Deuternomy 28).
 Key verses:  Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (KJV)
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
Time Period: Two months. The first month is Moses and his three sermons. The second month was the 30 days of mourning for Moses.
Outline of Deuteronomy
Sermon One (History): Moses Looks Back  1:1-4:43
12 Spies & their evil report (1)
Edom, Moab, Ammon, and the wars against Amorites (2)
War Against Og; Reuben, Gad, and half-tribe Manasseh settles in Transjordan (3)
Commands of Obedience & Warning against Disobedience (4)
Sermon Two (Legal): Moses Gives the Law Again (4:44-26:19)
Ten Commandments (5)
Israel’s National Creed (6:4)
Call to Obedience & Faith (7-11)
Place of worship & Destruction of Idols (12-13)
Kosher and un-kosher animals & tithing (14)
Debts cancelled in jubilee year (15)
High holidays: Passover, Feast of Weeks, Feast of Tabernacles (16)
Call to Justice (17)
Priests and Levites (18)
Sundry laws on cities of refuge, warfare, murder, firstborn, sexual morality, divorce, levirate marriage, Amalekites, first-fruits (19-26)
Sermon Three (Prophesy): Moses Speaks of the Future
Law on Tablets of Stone – Gerizim is Mount of Blessing and Ebal Mount of Cursing (27)
Blessing and curses: Obedience brings 14 verses of blessing and disobedience 54 verses of curses (28)
Covenant renewed in Moab (29)
The choice: life and death, blessing and cursing (30)
Joshua succeeds Moses; Israel will rebel in the future (31)
The Song of Moses (32)
Moses Blesses Israel One More Time: The Tribes Mentioned (33)
Moses views the Promised Land and Dies (34)

Education, News, Presbyterian

Why is Good Friday called ‘good’?

‘G’day, do you know why today is called Good Friday?’

<

p style=”text-align: justify;”>For the last two years Youth inC (Warrnambool Presbyterian church’s youth group) has learnt the ‘2 ways to live’ gospel outline and then used bottle tops to help explain the gospel to people on Good Friday. Initially, it was more of a training exercise to help our teens learn the gospel and grow in confidence by explaining the gospel to strangers. However, God has been very gracious and this year a number of teens got to explain the gospel to people from which a few great conversations occurred.

Baptist, News

Learning and Sharing – BUV 2016 Study Tour USA West Coast

A team of BUV Pastors & Leaders is currently in the US learning how others engage in innovative mission to reach people who are not reached through our traditional model of church.

The series of Innovative Mission videos created by the team will be posted to Baptists on Mission and are available via our BUV facebook page.

BUV Study Tour 16: Ron Finley, The Guerilla Gardener from Simon Burnett on Vimeo.

Baptist, News

BUV Resolves to fight Family Violence

At our May 2016 Delegates Dinner our BUV family resolved together to take a stand against Family Violence. The resolution is posted here. Each BUV Church is charged with outworking how to enact these commitments in the local church setting:

1. Urge Baptist churches to
 

1.1 Shine a light on the issue of family violence and not allow it to be hidden.

  • Create communities where it is safe for both victims and perpetrators to disclose and to be supported
  • Work sensitively in engaging people and cultures who find it shameful to even speak about family violence, to appropriately address these issues 

1.2 Commit to training and education programs, drawing especially on

  • Anger management courses for the whole church (not just men)
  • Respectful relationship preaching, teaching and training
  • Up-to-date information and links from the BUV website
  • Gender inequality education and awareness raising resources 

1.3 Be equipped and informed to refer people to relevant specialist support and empowerment agencies like the Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria 

1.4 Promote White Ribbon Day on November 25, the YWCA "Week without Violence" campaign in the third week of October, and other public awareness campaigns to stop family violence 

 
2. Call on the State and Federal Governments to: 
 

2.1 Increase education on gender equality and respect in schools, and invest in more community awareness campaigns to reduce shame and educate the community on the different types of family violence.

2.2 Increase affordable housing options for women and children including private rental brokerage and Safe at Home programs.