- By Stuart Brownscombe, Youth MInistry
 
At the end of Term 2 (before Sydney went into lockdown), the younger Bible Study group were exploring the big picture of God’s story. We had started in Genesis and were making our way through Exodus. The topic for that afternoon: The Ten Commandments.
 
I explained the setting to the students, that God had rescued his chosen people from Egypt and was now telling them how they were to live as His people. Miles was surprised by this. He asked how people were supposed to know how to live before God had given them the commandments. We turned to the book of Romans where Paul says that the law is written on our hearts and our consciences.
 
One of the commandments states that God is a jealous God, sparking more questions, “How can he be jealous? Isn't that a sin?” We discussed the idea that it would be wrong for a perfect God to let us seek after other gods. Steve noted his beliefs would need to shift if he were to follow the commandment to have no other gods before Yahweh. He thought he should try to please the gods of all religions.
 
The conversation shifted again to the story of the rich young ruler. He had kept every law, but still lacked one thing: Jesus. We all need the forgiveness and life He offers.
 
Miles brought up crime shows he’d watched where the people affected had been so quick to forgive. He said he could never do that. “How could someone forgive another person so quickly after doing something so atrocious?” We discussed what it must be like for God to create humankind, only for them to turn around and say, “I'm going to live my own way.” Yet He forgives us.
 
I finished that afternoon marvelling at how many questions we had delved into from reading the Ten Commandments. I couldn’t wait to have more just like them.
 
Thankfully, we were able to switch quickly to doing Bible Study online. We returned to the creation story and have dug even deeper into it. The questions these young people have just keep coming!
 
  • "Passing the Baton the Next Generation"

                               ~ Jonathon Kilchester, a missionary with the Campus Ministry                          Passing the baton to the next generation Let me reintroduce you to Harry. He is one of the students I have been discipling at Monash uni for the past 3 years or so. Last year he graduated and has since joined as a missionary with Power to Change! As I have taken on the Global Missions Director role with Power to Change Australia, I have had to step back a little further from my on-campus ministry (though I still plan to engage with the basics of evangelism and discipleship on campus). I have been on Monash uni now for 10 years. But what I'm thrilled about is that I can now pass the baton on to Harry,…

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  • Stories and Reflections

    ~ Jackie Kim, a missionary from the Campus Ministry   In October, I went to Melbourne with 7 other new campus missionaries for training. It was amazing!    Follow up... Last time I wrote, we were celebrating answered prayers of God bringing spiritually-open, non-Christian students who wanted to meet again. I actually got to follow-up with a couple of them which was pretty exciting! We continued reading the Bible with Miles and looked at Jesus’ crucifixion in Mark. I was so amazed when after the study Miles could explain the whole thing clearly in his own words (including reasoning for Jesus’ death). We’re still not sure he believes it for himself but he seems to like meeting up with us every week! We also met with Emily, who shared her life story with us for almost 2 hours! I was a bit disappointed at the lack of Jesus in our…

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  • Where will we stay? Mary asked...

    "Where will we stay?" Mary asked. "We'll find somewhere" Joseph replied.   He sounded more confident than he felt. The uncertainty of their accommodation was in contrast to the certainty of his reception from his relatives. They'd disowned him for the shame of marrying this pregnant girl. They hadn't listened to his dream. Still, in obedience to Caesar's decree, and to a greater calling that they were only beginning to understand, they wound their way along the well-worn path.

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  • Fruitful Church Planting!

    Imagine planting five house churches in four years. This is what Poh Choo and her husband Phil have done in Melbourne through the Basic Church network under the umbrella of Churches of Christ. Poh Choo is also a missionary with Power to Change serving with me in the Church Movements team. Poh Choo's motivation to get involved in planting house churches was her passion for disciplemaking. "In Basic Church, we keep programs really low and emphasis training our people to be a disciple of Jesus," Poh Choo explained. This focus is shaped around loving God, loving others, and making disciples. "We focus on developing a personal relationship with God, learning to hear from and obey Him. We seek to love, care, pray for one another, and then reach out to the lost. Disciplemaking is in our DNA. Part of our culture is that everyone who comes to Basic Church will…

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  • God's Story!

    - By Stuart Brownscombe, Youth MInistry   At the end of Term 2 (before Sydney went into lockdown), the younger Bible Study group were exploring the big picture of God’s story. We had started in Genesis and were making our way through Exodus. The topic for that afternoon: The Ten Commandments.   I explained the setting to the students, that God had rescued his chosen people from Egypt and was now telling them how they were to live as His people. Miles was surprised by this. He asked how people were supposed to know how to live before God had given them the commandments. We turned to the book of Romans where Paul says that the law is written on our hearts and our consciences.

    Read More

  • Our Amazing Finance Team

    - Geoff Folland: National Leader-Strategic Engagement       After 25 years on campus in Sydney, I moved to Melbourne last Easter to take up a national leadership role. I'd always enjoyed sitting across the table from a student, having a laugh, and engaging with God's Word together. It was a privilege to see God at work before my eyes.  But I was always aware of those quiet servants in our HQ who processed our finances, tracked down insurance policies to cover our events or processed new missionary applications. Our work on campus - or in schools, churches and the community, couldn't happen without them.  Almost all of them raise financial support to serve in mission this way. We praise God for these servant-hearted missionaries. We need three important roles (salaried, 1 supported).      These are the roles that are so important to us: 1. Experienced Finance Officer2. Major Partners Manager3. IT Manager If you know anyone who might be suitable…

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