Resilient disciples are marked by a posture of resolve; a resolve that sees us seek, reside and flourish in intimacy with Jesus. Mark explores this alongside Daniel 1 which details an individual who, in the face of cultural coercion, resolves to follow God’s way.
Opening our series, Faith for Exiles, Mark posits that we are at a threshold moment where the church, both locally and globally, must step into living as resilient disciples. In light of both the Barna group’s research into faith and culture and the story of David and Goliath, Mark reminds us of the hope we have in a God who bigger than the giants of our time.
Facing rejection and grief Jesus retreats from the busyness of his work to find a quiet place to be alone. When he gets there he's faced, not by silence, but by need.
What can we as modern disciples of Jesus learn from one strange story of how Jesus turns a little bit of food into a lot more?
Brittany explores James 1 & the idea that our circumstances are the meeting place of Jesus, where are lives are transformed from brokenness to beauty.
As the world’s energy resources are an increasing cause of riots and chaos across nations, so too are our hearts when our energy and security is found in anything other than the ultimate power source – God’s presence.
Psalm 77 opens with the Psalmist in lament and chaos but a turning point sees the psalmist turn to praise. Mark invites us to see that renewal of our often chaotic inner worlds requires us to stop, turn and allow God to fight our battles as we praise and remember Him for who He is and what he does.
This week we dwell in Isaiah 55 looking at it from both the context of exile and also today’s physical and spiritual drought that has hit Australia.
We are reminded of God’s heart and God’s sovereignty, his beckoning for people to return to Him and how He works wonders turning a super drought into a super bloom.
In order to become resilient disciples in this culture, Mark reminds us that we are called to be people who carry the word in our hearts, to encounter the revelation of Jesus daily through the living and active word and to dwell in its life and truth.
As we continue to delve into the theme of seeds and gardens, Sarah unpacks our current cultural situation and introduces us to the Desert Fathers and age old practices that have enabled seeds to germinate, harvests to be reaped and cultures to be transformed throughout history.
Seeds hold identity and promise of growth and multiplication. In a time where everything is immediate and life’s pace is frenetic, Mark invites us to consider the metaphor of the seed in how God transports His plans for renewal across space and time.
