Sermons from July 2023
Revival at Cane Ridge and the Last Will and Testament (Laura Snook)
Two of the more bizarre stories from the early days of Churches of Christ are connected to one of the founders, Barton Stone. Stone was a young Presbyterian minister who left behind the divisions of denominations to help launch the Restoration Movement. A significant turning point was his role in the Cane Ridge Revival in Kentucky in 1801. Tens of thousands of people came from far and wide, cutting across socio-economic and racial boundaries to experience an outpouring of the…
No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible (Geoff Snook)
As Churches of Christ sought to restore the church to its New Testament origins they removed many manmade barriers to faith. They had a serious devotion to the Bible and did their best to remove any emphasis on other books or on manmade creeds. Sometimes their devotion to the Bible was unhelpful and idolatrous, but we can recapture their devotion to the authority of scripture. Sometimes their rejection of creeds was throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but we…
The importance of practical care and communion (Laura Snook)
As Churches of Christ sought to restore the church to its New Testament origins, they focused on practices of practical care and communion. They found these things were central to the early church and they wanted to make them central to their faith too. In the history books of Churches of Christ in Australia we often find a church plant referred to as ‘they met for The Lord’s Supper’. And particularly in the early days in Queensland, practical care for…
Christians only, but not the only Christians (Geoff Snook)
The Restoration Movement: how history shapes our faith today In this series we’ll dive deep into the rich history of the Restoration Movement. Our church was planted from this movement 50 years ago, and its roots go back over 200 years and across the ocean. The founders of what we now call Churches of Christ had a deep conviction about restoring the church to its New Testament origins. As we journey from the past to the present, we’ll discover how…
Courageous Faith (Laura Snook)
God is not asking us to build a giant wall, like he led Nehemiah to. But he asking us to be his hands and his feet in our own lives. We are surrounded by family, friends and neighbours who need hope and need Jesus. We have a church community here and together we can do amazing things for God. God is calling us to have courageous faith even when we face opposition, to live out our call to share who…