Monthly Archives: October 2017

Baptist, News

Templestowe Orchards Residents Benefit from Live Streaming

Templestowe Orchards Residents Benefit from streaming of Live Church Service
Residents from Baptcare The Orchards Community can now participate in church services from the comfort of their own new home. With the Templestowe Baptist church located close to the new aged care facility, members of the church as well as our IT and Property teams collaborated together to live transmit the church service to the residents' TVs. This has been of great benefit to many of our residents, who can continue to participate in activities of importance to them, adding to their fullness of life. 

Check out the Templestowe Baptist planting story video and understand the long heritage of Baptists engaged with older people in this community

Baptist

Templestowe Orchards Residents Benefit from Live Streaming

Templestowe Orchards Residents Benefit from streaming of Live Church Service
Residents from Baptcare The Orchards Community can now participate in church services from the comfort of their own new home. With the Templestowe Baptist church located close to the new aged care facility, members of the church as well as our IT and Property teams collaborated together to live transmit the church service to the residents' TVs. This has been of great benefit to many of our residents, who can continue to participate in activities of importance to them, adding to their fullness of life. 

Check out the Templestowe Baptist planting story video and understand the long heritage of Baptists engaged with older people in this community

Source: BUV News

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

M’judarra (Lentil & Rice Casserole)

This is a vegetarian main meal delight. Popular in Egypt and the Middle East, m’judarra is a simple lentil and rice with spice dish. Topped with golden-fried onions and plain yoghurt, it is a taste sensation.
1 ½ cups brown lentils, washed and drained.
1 ½ t. salt
5 cups water
2 medium-sized onions, cut in half and finely sliced (or make more if you like golden brown onions)
150 ml light olive oil
1 cup or less (1/2 cup) long-grain rice, washed and drained.
Spices: Choose one. Cinnamon or curry powder or cumin to taste.
Place lentils in a saucepan with salt and 3 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Add a further cup of water and boil for approximately 15 minutes.
While lentils are cooking, fry onion in oil until dark brown or golden (be sure not to burn). Set aside a generous part of the onionsand add the reminder, together with its oil, to the boiling water. Add rice and stir. Add remaining water, add one of the three spices listed above to taste (don’t go overboard), cover and cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes, or until water has been absorbed.
Arrange on a platter and sprinkle reserved onion on top. Serve with plain yoghurt or Greek style plain yoghurt.

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

For Such A Time As This: Why Study the Book of Esther

The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour. 17And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them — Esther 8:16-17
It has all the ingredients of a block-buster movie, but this is no Hollywood creation. The Book of Esther tells the very real story in the 5th Century BC of an insidious plot to destroy the Jewish people. Ironically, this scheme was not hatched by the overbearing Egyptians, war-like Assyrians, or despotic Babylonians – it happened under the enlightened, cultured, tolerant Persian empire. Of all Israel’s occupiers, the Persians should have been the least likely empire to hatch such a plot – but, as the book tells us, not only was this plot of Jewish destruction conceived, but it almost succeeded. The reason it ultimately failed is because of the ‘God-factor.’ The Lord promised to preserve the Jewish people as long as there are stars, the sun, and moon (Jeremiah 31:35-37?). The Book of Esther is the gripping story of how He did precisely that.
HEBREW NAME
The Hebrew name of Esther is ‘Hadassah,’ which means ‘myrtle’ (2:7). Her Persian name is ‘Ester,’ meaning a star and ‘Esther’ is the Greek version.
AUTHOR
We do not know who the author of Esther is. While Mordechai, Nehemiah, and Ezra have been nominated, it seems unlikely that they wrote the book. The author was a Jew who had much knowledge about the royal history and customs of Persia. He tells us things like nature of the Persian banquet (1:6-8; 5:5); royal protocol (4:11; 8:11-18); details of the royal palace at Shushan (1:5; 2:11, 21; 7:8), and court intrigue (2:21-23; 7:9).
PORTRAIT OF CHRIST
Christ is represented in Esther in some profound ways. He is an advocate for the people, just as Esther did for her people. Both figures are royalty and both risked their lives for the sake of their people.
THEME OF ESTHER
The providence of God in the affairs of His people. God is not explicitly mentioned in this book, which some find problematic, though His name appears as an acrostic in the Hebrew text. During the great crisis, this book does not mention prayer, either, but it does speak of a total fast for 3 days and 3 nights, known also as the ‘Esther fast.’
Yet the fingerprints of God is found everywhere in this book. Through a series of ‘coincidences,’ it becomes obvious that God, and God alone, foils the satanic plot to destroy the Jewish people, abrogate the Abrahamic covenant, and destroy the Messianic lineage.
KEY VERSES IN ESTEHR
Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. 14For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? — Esther 4:13-14 (KJV)
CANONICITY OF ESTHER
While many of the books of the Bible are considered canonical, without question, the same does not apply to the Book of Esther. At first, it appears to be a fiction thriller yet it is loaded with factual details. Not only is God and devotional life not mentioned, but the name of a heathen king is frequently mentioned. There even appears to be a ‘spirit of revenge’ when Esther asks for a second day be given so that the Jews can destroy their enemies. Of all the Old Testament books, only Esther is not part of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Despite all this, the Book of Esther has a worthy place in the canon of Scripture. First, it tells us about a holiday called ‘Purim’ which the Jewish people celebrate to this day. Second, it highlights the problem of anti-Semitism, the world’s oldest and most irrational hatred. Ultimately, it shows how God providentially kept His promise to preserve the Jewish people (Jeremiah 31:35-37) despite numerous attempts to destroy them. Satan and Haman almost succeeded in their plan to annihilate the Jews, but God’s providence wins the day.
SUMMARY OF ESTHER
The scene of the Book of Esther is the winter palace at Susa or Shushan. Ahasuerus the king (also known as Xerxes) holds a banquet to display his royal glory, though it could have been a drunken orgy. Vashti the queen refuses to appear and so is deposed. A beauty contest is held to find a new queen. Esther, an orphaned Jewish girl, is chosen to be the Queen of Persia.
An assassination plot is uncovered and foiled by Mordechai and the king’s life is saved.
Meanwhile, Haman is the captain of the princes and desires honour; Mordechai refuses to bow to him. When Haman discovers that he is a Jew, he doesn’t just seek to destroy him – he wants to destroy all Jews. He casts lots (purim) to determine when that day will be and, through deception and bribery tricks Ahasuerus into signing a decree to the Jews destruction 11 months later. The decree is irreversible.
Urged by Mordechai, Queen Esther takes the risk to reveal her Jewishness and plead for the king to save her people. Approaching the king without an invitation can be fatal, but thanks to the ‘Esther fast,’ the Queen makes the approach anyone and the ‘golden sceptre’ is extended to her.
The Queen cleverly invites the king and Haman to 2 banquets. The latter is delighted to be invited, but becomes sullen when he sees Mordechai. So he cannot wait for 11 months and builds 20 meter high gallows to hand him on immediately.
At the same time, the king suffers from insomnia, asks to read the palace records, and discovers Mordechai had not been rewarded for thwarting the earlier assassination plot. He wants Mordechai honoured and gets Haman to fulfil his demand – the the latter’s chagrin.
At the 2nd banquet, Esther reveals Haman’s wicked plot and the king orders him to be hung on the very gallows reserved for Mordechai. The enemy of the Jews is dead.
But what about the irreversible decree to destroy the Jews? The king issues another decree saying that the Jews can defend themselves on the very day given for their destruction. On the appointed day, the Jews defeat their enemies throughout the Persian empire. The next day is a celebration, resulting in the annual Feast of Purim. Esther remains as Queen and Mordechai is promoted to a position second only to the king.
Esther and Mordechai were people of destiny. They came on the scene by divine design so that the Jewish people would be saved. This is the power of divine providence: for such a time as this.
OUTLINE OF ESTHER
Chapter 01: Vashti Deposed
Chapter 02: Esther Becomes Queen
Chapter 03: Haman’s Rise and Evil Decree to Destroy the Jews
Chapter 04: Mourning Over Haman’s Plot
Chapter 05: Esther Intercedes
Chapter 06: Mordechai Belatedly Honoured
Chapter 07: Banquet of Esther and Hanging of Haman
Chapter 08: Ahasuerus’ decree for Jewish self-defense; Vengeance
Chapter 09: Feast of Purim Instituted

Chapter 10: Mordechai Promoted; Epilogue

(Photo of Esther approaching the king, courtesy of blueletterbible.org)
Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Signs of the Times: How Should We Respond?

Bible prophecy is a wonderful, God-given blessing to the church and the world. Its benefits are incalculable, including bringing edification, comfort, enlargement to the church. Of course, it is a ‘heads up’ regarding the future.
Yet prophecy is in danger of falling into disrepute through foe and friend alike. Foes seek to ignore, marginalise, or discredit the prophetic word. Prophecy’s ‘friends’ are capable of doing some very unwise things, too. For example, they set the date for Christ’s return. I remember as a 21 year old sitting in church and hearing that a certain high-profile man ‘staked his reputation’ that Jesus would return the very next month! Another man wrote a book called about why Jesus would return that very year. Though the book was from America, it travelled very quickly to Australia (and, no doubt, other parts of the world). Normal ‘Aussie skepticism’ was thrown to the wind as people were stirred up that Jesus might, just might, return that year. One man seemed distressed at the prospect of the Lord’s soon return. ‘I can’t have Jesus return this year … I’m too busy!’
First things first. Friend, when you are ‘too busy’ for Jesus to return to this planet, then you are too busy. Besides, the Lord does not need our permission in order to return.
In recent years, there has been speculation about certain events, implying an apocalyptic outcome. Remember Y2K (1 January 2000)? This was when the calendars on computers would revert to ’00.’ The concern was that the computer would think it was ‘1900’ rather than ‘2000’ and it could potentially result in some catastrophic results, electronically and otherwise. Some prophecy buffs were predicting the worse. The date came and went and was much ado about nothing (of course, there is the possibility that governments and industry fixed the problem just in time and averted disaster).
Then there was the Mayan Calendar of 2012, the blood red moons of 2015, and a total eclipse in 2017. In everyone of these cases, people were saying that there were profound prophetic implications, even the second coming of Christ or the end of the world. These pronouncements caused a great stir and even anxiety among many.
Yet when the appointed time came, nothing happened. Was there a retraction? An apology? To my knowledge, the answer was ‘No.’
HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND?
In an age where deception and delusion are increasing in record levels, we desperately need the gift of discernment. It will help you separate wheat from the chaff and keep you from being led astray. Time, money, resource, and emotions are unwisely spent. Discernment is something you cultivate. It comes by cleaving to God’s truth, knowing His Word, and being filled by the Holy Spirit. Some other pointers to keep in mind.
1.    Be open-minded but not gullible: In Proverbs 14:15 it says The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going. While we should listen respectfully, discernment decrees that we prove all things and hold fast to what is good (I Thessalonians 5:21).
2.    Scriptural literacy: Know God’s word. Like good Berean Christians, search the Scriptures daily to see if these things are so (Acts 17:11). Take the whole context of Scripture. For example, blood red moons (often orange) are not a sign by themselves. They are a package deal, along with darkened sun (Joel 2:31; Acts 2:20; Revelation 6:12) and falling stars. Don’t settle for ala carte – take the whole menu.
3.    Pray: Nothing empowers a person more than prayer, particularly prayer in the Spirit (Jude 20). Prayer will also help give you direction and discernment when you need it most.
4.    Credible sources: Don’t just believe anything you see on the internet, secular or even from Christian sources. Not all information is created equal and it is important to weigh all the evidence. In my formal education, I learned to rely on primary sources first and then secondary. Likewise, consider the quality of the source of information before adopting a course of action. Remember, no one is infallible except God. Even experts can get it wrong on occasion. So be discerning.

5.    Don’t be manipulated: Often times, star-gazers and prognosticators want to manipulate people to be fearful or to buy something to make things better. Whenever a source tells you to take a course of action based on fear, gullibility, or incentive to buy – don’t fall for it. God does not give us a Spirit of fear but of power, love, and of a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7). Say ‘No’ to manipulation and ‘Yes’ to the control and infilling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).