Talks by Tim Johnson (Page 6)
Children of God
Tim continues our Walk in the Light series. Advent is a time of remembering the first coming of Jesus, and looking forward to the second coming, still to come. You can tell a lot from a snapshot of a single point in time, like an old family photograph….
Holding to Truth
Continuing our Walk in the Light series, Tim looks at the three tests and measures John gives us to gauge how we’re going with walking in the light of Jesus. 1: Follow the commands of God, in the context of a relationship with him. We don’t follow God’s commands to earn his love; rather God loves us regardless, and to honour him, we strive to follow his commands. 2: How do we treat each other? With love, or with hate? Finally, 3: Do you continue to believe the truth about Jesus, that he his the son of God.
If you’re wrestling with these tests and questions, keep asking questions about them. They are of vital importance, and fundamental to the Christian faith.
Dealing With Sin
The beginning of a new series in our morning services, Tim Johnson looks at the start of a letter written by John, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples. John wrote this letter as someone who was there with Jesus, who had seen him, and heard what he had to say. The letter is not an intellectual exercise, and the truth of God shapes the way we live. Our challenge is to walk in the light of God, rather than to persist…
Ruth Chapter 4
The final chapter in our series on Ruth, our story concludes with the redemption of Ruth and Naomi through Boaz. The book concludes with a list of names, of the descendants of Ruth, all the way to King David, the greatest king of the Old Testament. The New Testament, and the story of Jesus begins with a similar list, from Abraham to David, and then to Jesus himself.
Ruth was part of God’s plan, and if you think you aren’t, you’re wrong. God brings all kinds of people, and brings them into a relationship with himself.
Ruth Chapter 2
In this episode, we meet Boaz, owner of a field where Ruth has been picking up the scraps dropped during the harvest. He demonstrates faithfulness to God’s law found in the Old Testament, and goes above and beyond to ensure that Ruth is cared for; following not just the letter of the law, but the heart of it. Tim asks the questions: what is God doing in this story, and what do we see God’s people doing?
Ruth Chapter 1
The book of Ruth zooms right in on a single family, in the times when Judges ruled Israel. These were hard times for most people, and in particular, Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi. This four-week series looks at Ruth’s story, and how she finds hope in hard times.
In this episode, Tim explores Naomi’s relationship with God, and the hard truth that God gives, and takes away. How do you treat God in hard times?
Go and be Reconciled
Continuing our Peacemakers series, on how to deal with conflict, when we get to the end result of the self-examination process, and after gently raising the issue with another person we must aim to seek reconciliation. Jesus commands us to prioritise s…
Get the Log Out of Your Eye
The starting point for dealing with conflict is to search our own hearts and lives and see what we have contributed to the problem. Jesus tell his disciples to remove the log from their own eye before they try to remove the speck from someone else’s eye. Conflict gives us an opportunity to come before God, and to ask whether there are idols in our life that are fuelling this conflict, before repenting of the areas where we are causing…
The Gospel and Conflict
The second episode in our Peacemakers series identifies that dealing with conflict is a gospel issue. This is not some sideline topical issue that we may or may not want to think about but is at the heart of our everyday lives. Broken humans are in conflict with God and considered his enemies. Fortunately for us, through the cross, God brings reconciliation and restores a conflict filled, broken relationship. When we’re forgiven by Jesus, we need to apply the truth…
The Reality of Conflict
This new series looks at the reality of conflict. The Church today is the most conflict prone organisation in the world, and the most conflict adverse. This, believe it or not, should be expected! The Church brings in people with different habits, different backgrounds, different life experiences. The only common thread is Jesus. There is no criteria for goodness in the church. The Bible passage for this talk is James 4:1-3.
Jesus, Mary & Martha
Continuing our White (space) July series, Tim takes a look at Luke 10:38-42. This is a well-known passage warning against too much work but it’s relevance only seems to be growing. It’s not that Martha is wrong to work hard, it’s that her priorities are all wrong compared to her sister who is sitting quietly at the feet of the Lord. Mary has effectively carved out some white space for herself, whilst Martha’s life is too crowded.
The Lord’s Supper
Jesus gave us two rituals to show outwardly the grace we receive inwardly, baptism, and communion. In this mini-series, Tim looks at these sacraments, and how they display Jesus working in our lives.
Baptism
Jesus gave us two rituals to show outwardly the grace we receive inwardly, baptism, and communion. In this mini-series, Tim looks at these sacraments, and how they display Jesus working in our lives.
The Gate
Continuing our I AM series, we go back to what is at the heart of the Christian faith, and examine Jesus, and his revelation of God. There are seven times in the Gospel of John where Jesus said ‘I am’, and gave a series of images that explained who he was. This week, we look at Jesus when he spoke of himself as ‘the gate’ in John 10:1-10. Tim Johnson looks at what this means, with Jesus claiming to be the exclusive way to a relationship with the God the Father.
The Bread of Life
When we go back to what is at the heart of the Christian faith, we find Jesus, and his revelation of God. There are seven times in the Gospel of John where Jesus said ‘I am’, and gave a series of images that explained who he was. The first we are looking at in this series comes from John 6:35-59, where Jesus spoke of himself as ‘the bread of life’. Tim Johnson looks at what this means, with Jesus as the one who nourishes and sustains those who believe in him.
Is it too late? Good Friday 2017
The Lost series has been building to this moment. The crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday marks the beginning of the most important point in all of time. But is it too late? Have you, or I strayed too far for Jesus to love and forgive? In Luke 23:32-43, a criminal, dying next to Jesus on another cross, asks Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes in His Kingdom. It wasn’t too late for that criminal, and it certainly isn’t too late for us.
To Seek and Save the Lost
In the lead up to Easter we are doing a short series reflecting on what it means for someone to be ‘lost’ when it comes to their spiritual life, and the concern that Jesus had for those who were lost. This week we look at Luke 19:1-10, where the story of Zaccheus shows Jesus’ mission to seek out those who seem to have no hope of coming to God.
Our Relationship with Creation
Our journey through the book of Leviticus brings us to the question of how God’s people should relate to the environment. Tim Johnson discusses Leviticus 17:1-14, how we are to relate to animals and the land in which we live. This speaks to many of our current concerns with the destruction of the natural environment, and our part as Christians in God’s plan to renew the whole world.
Our Relationship with Ourselves
Our series on ‘The Heart of Life’ and the book of Leviticus continues with a reflection on the meaning of the ‘purity laws’ of the Old Testament. Tim Johnson looks at Leviticus 20:22-26, God’s call for his people to be holy as he is holy, how this worked out in their lives, and what it looks like for Christians to make of ourselves a place where God can live.
2017 Combined Launch Service – Our Calling as Christians
We began the first Term of the year together with a combined service, reflecting on our calling as Christians. Tim Johnson gave an interactive retelling of the calling of the first disciples in Luke 5:1-11.
The Early Years of Jesus – Named & Circumcised
This month we think about the stories of the childhood of Jesus. We start with the story of the circumcision and naming of Jesus in Luke 2:15-21, and how it shows the destiny of Jesus as the Saviour of God’s people.
Christmas Eve 2017 – The Wait is Over
On Christmas Eve, Tim Johnson reminds us that while the world is still not all as it should be, because of the birth of Jesus we are no longer waiting for God to act to bring salvation and justice to us.
White (space) Christmas – Worship Fully
In our month leading up to Christmas, we are thinking about how we can celebrate this season in a way that honours the meaning of Jesus’s birth. Tim Johnson looks at why we need to create ‘white space’ in order to see what is important, and how to focus on worshipping Jesus in our whole lives.
Keep Calm & Carry On – Not Ashamed
Our new series is on 2 Timothy, and Paul’s encouragement to Timothy to persevere in living out and spreading the Gospel. Tim Johnson starts at 2 Timothy 1:1-18, looking at why Christians need not be ashamed of the good news of Jesus.
Rebuild – A City in Ruins
Our reflection this holidays on the story of Nehemiah begins with Nehemiah chapter 2, where as the cupbearer to the King, Nehemiah is faced with the challenge of how to be courageous enough to stand up for his people and their home city of Jerusalem.