Belgrave South Baptist Church

Living and Sharing Jesus' Love

Pastors Thoughts

15 into 4

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At last Sunday’s members meeting, I announced that I would be finishing at BSBC in the middle of January to take up a position at the Baptist Union of Victoria in the Church Health team. I greatly enjoyed worked in exactly the same role earlier this year on a 10-week contract not dreaming that the position would become available permanently! It is perfect for my family giving them the stability and presence that they would love.

I must say however that I am saddened that what I expected to be for 15 months will only be for 4 months as I have really enjoyed working with you. A number of people said on Sunday that “we need to trust God in this” and they are correct. When Jesus builds his church, there are always many apprentices who serve for different seasons; some longer and some shorter. I firmly believe God has great things ahead for BSBC.

Blessings
Mark Wilkinson
Interim Pastor

As was his custom

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There is a little phrase in Luke 4:16 which is slipped in by Luke amidst the episode where Jesus is returning to Nazareth on the Sabbath. As a good Jewish man he was expected at the synagogue on a weekly basis for worship. Now we know that Jesus felt totally free to break the standard interpretation of the old covenant laws that he felt was onerous or against the greater good – think of the number of times he actually challenged the Sabbath law interpretations in his healing ministry!

However, Luke tells us that when it came to Sabbath attendance at the synagogue that it was customary for Jesus to participate. “…and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.”

Whilst we surely don’t need to be legalistic about it; what would it be like if we, too, made weekly attendance at worship a priority such that people would say of us, “They be at church today; as is their custom”?

Blessings
Mark Wilkinson
Interim Pastor

500 Years

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On Tuesday when many people we celebrating Halloween, God’s People were remembering the 500th anniversary of the recognised beginning of the Reformation. Martin Luther a German monk was reading his Bible and some things that the church of his day was saying didn’t make sense.

For instance, when he read the Greek text of Mark 1:15, he believed that the text meant, “Repent and believe the good news” when the standard translation of the day was “Do penance and believe the good news.” Since ‘do penance’ had become a major fund-raiser of the church, this was not popular and he was ex-communicated from the church. His desire was to ‘reform’ the church; the outcome was he was outcast but God used him to begin the Reformation.

About 100 years later some English Christians thought the Reformation didn’t go far enough when it came to the issue of baptism and our denomination was formed. We’ll have a look at Jesus’ baptism (and temptation) today.

Blessings
Mark Wilkinson
Interim Pastor

Your Kingdom Come… in Belgrave South?

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When Jesus taught the disciples to pray in what we call ‘The Lord’s Prayer’, he said to them – amongst other things – to pray for ‘Your kingdom to come’ with the phrase attached ‘…on earth as it is in heaven’. (The ‘on earth as it is in heaven’ should be attached to “Hallowed be Your Name’ & ‘Your kingdom come’ as well as ‘Your will be done’)

So, in effect, Jesus is calling us to ask his Father for his kingdom to come in Belgrave South as that is part of the earth! It is, of course, true for each suburb we might live in and our wider region.

So how would we know if God had answered that prayer? How would we recognise it if the kingdom had come? More Christians? More kindness? More justice? Less greed? Less corruption? Less violence? Keep praying!

Blessings
Mark Wilkinson
Interim Pastor

Getting to our destination

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I love Google Maps!

Just punch in the destination and it shows me the way. Not only that; it speaks to me to guide me on the correct route!

Sometimes I think I know better than Google and I go my own way. And Google just re-calibrates and makes the necessary changes to get me to the destination (and usually points out that my change of direction has now added extra minutes to my journey). And if perchance, I accidentally stumble off the correct pathway, I am reminded of what I need to do – sometimes that involves a complete U-turn to get me where I should be going.

Now, it’s not a perfect illustration, but I reckon the Holy Spirit can act like Google maps helping us to get to our Heavenly Destination, even allowing for detours, both accidental and intentional.

Blessings,
Mark Wilson
Interim Pastor

“You can’t choose your family”

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The old saying is, “you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family!” It’s a recognition that family life can be tough and somewhere in your family there will be someone who is hard to get on with – and perhaps by extension we’d rather not relate to! But them but we have to relate to them from time to time because they are family!

When God’s grace met us in Jesus, we got the privilege of calling God our Father. What a blessing that we come to our Father in prayer any time we like; what a blessing that we have a new destiny. Equally, in being adopted into family, we gain a whole new family.

How do we do family as the people of God? That’s what we get to explore today.

Blessings
Mark Wilkinson
Interim Pastor