Dear Friends,
Greetings and welcome to our Services today. It is great that you are here, especially if you have come for one of the Baptisms.
A very big welcome also to the Rev’d Dr Michael Spence with us today relieving for a couple of weeks while I am away. Thank you Michael, your ministry at Waverley is very much appreciated.
There are a number of significant teachings recorded in our Gospel reading today.
How do we experience the presence of Christ in our lives?
We, of course, cannot see Jesus and yet believers down through the ages have experienced His presence in their lives. The principle laid down by Jesus was: Love and obey. The connection of these two stimulates obedience. As love moves us to obey, obedience brings us closer to Jesus, which stimulates an even great love. However, a lack of love will lead to disobedience and a disconnection or unreality in our faith.
If Jesus somehow seems unreal….focus on loving and then on obeying.
How do we learn about the things of God?
God’s Holy Spirit will teach us and remind us of the things we have already learned. It is ourselves and God’s Holy Spirit working together for an outcome. If we have made no effort to study and understand what Jesus has said – there will nothing for us to be reminded of!
This is why it is important to be a part of a Bible Discussion Group.
How are we to understand “peace”?
Jesus said, “…my peace I give you” (John 14:27).
The world’s peace is an uneasy peace…because it depends on circumstances. There can be an earthquake, a war, the loss of a job, a sickness, or any number of things that can destroy “peace”.
In contrast, Christ’s peace is independent of circumstances. It is rooted in the knowledge that God is our Heavenly Father, Christ is the Saviour of the world, and heaven is our ultimate home.
Nothing that happens in this world can affect these realities.
Have a great day,
Peter.