May 2024
With a third of 2024 behind us, the month of May brings with it an emphasis on mission.
For more than 100 years, Baptist churches in Australia have celebrated May Mission Month as a time to focus our thoughts on our role in taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.
We hear from those on the mission field in far away countries, we pray for them and we send them money. That is great and I encourage that to continue. To leave your comforts and familiar surroundings to follow God’s call on your life is a great show of obedience to Him.
But, as we all know, the role of sharing the gospel has been given to every follower of Jesus. We all have different circumstances, gifting and passions. God can use those for his glory if we choose to be obedient to Him.
Our sermons over the course of the month (and maybe even a week or two into June) will be considering different aspects of what it means and what it takes to be a part of God’s mission to the people next door to us as well as those in remote parts of the world.
I pray that you will use this time to let God’s Spirit speak to you and guide you into the plan that God has made for you in relation to His great commission.
The mission of telling people the Good News about Jesus is for all of us to be a part of. What does it look like for you?
Pastor Murray
April 2024
The 3rd of April 1848 was the last sighting of German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt as he and his party left a sheep and cattle station west of Roma, planning to reach the Swan River on the other side of the continent.
Leichhardt had been on a couple of expeditions previously to mixed results. His first trip took him from the Darling Downs (in what would later become South East Queensland) to Port Essington near Darwin. During this journey, he explored a large part of inland Queensland and there are numerous places that are still named after him today.
However, his second expedition, aiming at the Swan River, failed after only 800 km due to sickness, rain and famine. It was around this point that his men discovered that Leichhardt had failed to bring along any medical supplies. The party staggered back to the Darling Downs under the direction of their Aboriginal guide, Harry Brown.
It was on his third trek, again heading for the west, that he and his party perished with barely a trace. So, was Leichhardt a gifted explorer or a dangerously unprepared fool? There is evidence to suggest either case.
When people look at Jesus, they too can come up with different conclusions. Some see him as a good man who got caught up in political circumstances. Others say he was a madman with a God complex which eventually cost him his life. Some even say he never existed at all.
Fortunately for us, we have the evidence in front of us. There is no doubt that Jesus existed – historical references show that. And more importantly, we have the truth of his story in God’s word.
The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus is God, come to earth as one of us – he claims so himself many times. It tells us that he died on a cross as a sacrifice for our sins. And it tells us that he rose again to life, ascended into heaven and will return again.
Unlike Leichhardt, we know what happened to Jesus and we know that he is alive today. We also know that faith in him is the only way that we can be reconciled to God.
An explorer is always interested in what lies beyond the next hill. We should be concerned about what lies in the next life. Choosing Jesus as your leader and guide guarantees that you will arrive safely.
Pastor Murray