“Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” // FRANCIS CHAN #OXYGEN14

Franic Chan

Oxygen Conference is coming up in August 2014. I’m looking forward to attending and also being part of the Oxygen Press Team. As well as blog posts, I’m hoping to do some interviews and behind the scenes coverage. In the lead up to the conference I will be sharing some of the promo content from the Oxygen team.

This week’s featured speaker is Francis Chan. I’ve admitted before of a mild case of preacher crush for Chan and am looking forward being challenged form the word through his preaching.

Check out some great quotes and videos from Chan.
Find out more about what Chan is preaching on.
Register here.

Here’s a short video clip of Francis Chan preaching:

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THE BEST THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE I’VE STUDIED AT IS… MOORE COLLEGE

moore-college-distance

The title of this blog post might be a little misleading, as Moore is the only Theological College where I’ve studied, but I do think it’s a fantastic place! It’s a college that is serious about understanding God’s word and taking the message of Jesus into all of the world.

I graduated from a full-time Moore College degree in 2010. Ten years before that I completed about 6 subjects of one of their external studies certificates. As a 19/20 year old I can honestly say that the correspondence course has been profound in shaping me to think deeply about Jesus and love him more.

Moore College have recently expanded and updated their distance education options to make the most of new technology. That means that wherever you are in the world, you can join in on the action! Check out the website for all the different options.

In this video Moore College’s Principal Dr Mark Thompson explains the strengths of Moore College and it’s educational philosophy and how these are being brought to bear on the distance education offerings in a totally new way:

I was interviewed in the following video shown at the most recent graduation ceremony:

If you’re not a follow of Jesus, you’re probably not interested in going to a Theological College. But if you’re interested in understanding why I bang on about him so much on this blog, here’s a good place to start: The Man; The Mission; The Movement.

 

THANKFULNESS // HELEN BERHANE

If you were to wake up tomorrow, with only the things you thanked God for today, what would you have? Helen Berhane was locked up in a shipping container for sharing the gospel, you can get her full story here.

My friend Mike Gore is a brilliant story teller. As well as the Thankfulness video above, you can see him in Risk-taking Christianity and Radical Faith – Hea Woo.

He works for Open Doors. They serve the persecuted church in the darkest places and stand alongside Christians who suffer for their faith and serve those suffering for the gospel.

Web // opendoorsyouth.org.au
Facebook // facebook.com/opendoorsyouthau

7 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE PREACHING // FRANCIS CHAN

7 QUESTIONS

Are you a preacher? Below are some really useful questions to ask before each sermon from Francis Chan. They’re also helpful questions to ask for listeners. I’ve been encouraged by his preaching and his character and look forward to hearing him in Australia later this year. Here are my previous Francis Chan posts and here is his official website.

  1. Am I worried about what people think of my message or what God thinks? (Teach with FEAR)
  2. Do I genuinely love these people? (Teach with LOVE)
  3. Am I accurately presenting this passage? (Teach with ACCURACY)
  4. Am I depending on the Holy Spirit’s power or my ow cleverness? (Teach with POWER)
  5. Have I applied this message to my own life? (Teach with INTEGRITY)
  6. Will this message draw attention to me or to God? (Teach with HUMILITY)
  7. Do the people really need this message? (Teach with URGENCY)

Any other questions worth asking?

EDIT: One of my current sponsorsOXYGEN – will be hosting Francis Chan in Sydney during August 2014. Check out all conference website.

JESUS’ VICTORY AT THE CROSS

IT IS FINISHED

The gospels record 7 sets of words that Jesus spoke from the cross. One of those is found in John 19:30 when Jesus says “It is finished”. What could Jesus mean by these words? Is it that he has had enough? Is it that he has been defeated? The following is my sermon from St Faith’s Narrabeen Good Friday 2014. In it I suggest that when Jesus says “It is finished” it’s not a cry of defeat but a cry of victory. Have a listen to find out more…

Here is the structure of the sermon:

Famous Last Words
Jesus’ Last Words: It is finished
How is Jesus victorious at the cross?
1) JESUS HAS VICTORY OVER SIN!
2) JESUS HAS VICTORY OVER SATAN!
3) JESUS HAS VICTORY OVER DEATH!
Your Last Words

Dave Miers preaching John 19:30 “IT IS FINISHED” (Right click download)

Image from here

EASTER IS GOOD NEWS FOR THE BROKEN

GOOD NEWS

The world is broken. It doesn’t take too much to notice that so many of the news stories on TV, Radio, in print and online are stories of brokenness. Planes that disappear in the ocean. Athletes that shoot their girlfriend. Genocide that kills close to 1 million people. Tsunamis. Bombings. Wars. Riots. All of these are evidence that the world is broken. Things are not as they should be.

But it’s not just “out there” that things are broken. Brokenness is always near by. In our suburbs. In our schools. In our homes. In our minds. You might be reading this and know all too well of the brokenness near to you. Issues with your parents. Issues with bullies. Addiction. Illness. Loss.

According to the Bible the root of all our brokenness is our rejection of God. Not only is the world broken, but our relationship with God is broken. We are cut off from Him. And even if you seem to have things in your life together, this brokenness is the worst of all and effects us all.

Easter is good news for the broken.

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