God is Good! – a sermon on James 1:16-18 by Rev Colin Pretorius In the church-based TV show “Greenleaf” the characters greet each other with “God is good” and the response is “All the time”. Despite the fact that almost all of the people in this show are so “plastic”, so superficial, this customary greeting […]
The Foolishness of God’s Salvation – a sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:21 by Rev. Ralph Adams. Perhaps you have heard of the ‘Mensa’ organization? Mensa is a club for those with very high IQ’s. One needs to have an IQ of 148 or more to be a member. ‘Mensa’ is the Latin word for ‘table, […]
The Eye of the Storm – a sermon on Psalm 46 by Rev. Clinton Berends, read by Br. Fred Bruinsma. Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, The sea has often been portrayed as being synonymous with chaos. Biblically the stories of the flood, the drowning of the Egyptians in the Red Sea, the crossing of […]
Doing good to all – a sermon by Rev. Renier Noppers on Galatians 6, read by Br. Gary Vowles. One of the most hurtful charges that could ever be made against any church is that we have consideration only of ourselves, meeting our own needs without any thought or regard for anyone else. To live […]
Scatterlings live and serve in humility – a sermon on 1 Peter 5:1-11 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. The sermon today, as you may have guessed from the sermon title, has to do with humility. And as we look at what humility means and how it plays out in the life of believers, I’d like you […]
Help for the weary – a sermon on Isaiah 40:27-31 by Rev. Ralph Adams. This sermon is a second from Isaiah 40, this time from the end of the chapter – verses 27 to 31: 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my […]
Only those who submit to God will be lifted up – a sermon on James 4:7-10 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. The theme of our verses in James is submission to God, or humility before God. When you read through the book of James, you cannot help but to be struck by its intensely practical nature. […]
Scatterling-elders shepherd God’s flock with a servant heart – a sermon on 1 Peter 5:1-11 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. If it is your first time with us today or if you’ve missed the past dozen or so sermons, you might be wondering what this scatterling –thing is all about. What is this scatterling-elders that I’m […]
As for me and my house we will serve the Lord – a sermon on Joshua 24:1-15 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. What do you see as your main task as someone who belongs to God? What is each one of us called to do? Throughout God’s Word we are called to “fear” the Lord, aren’t […]
Seek ye first the kingdom of God – a sermon on James 4:1-3 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. This passage has different titles in our various English translations: submit yourself to God, drawing close to God, warning against worldliness, friendship with the world, or things to avoid.[1] The first 12 verses comprise all of those things […]
Give God the glory – a sermon on Ephesians 3:14-21 by Rev. Ralph Adams. Back in 1874, Gil Dodds ran the fastest mile ever, on an indoor track. At the end of [the] race, he picked up a microphone to acknowledge [the crowd] and said: “I thank the Lord for guiding me through the race, […]
Scatterlings entrust their souls to God while doing good – a sermon on 1 Peter 4:12-19 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. In the South-western part of Russia lies the town Saratov. It’s about 4 times the size of Ipswich, and prior to 1991 it was perhaps best known for being a city that was closed to […]
Christ came to set us free – a sermon on John 8:31-38 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. “I want to break free,” the group Queen famously sang. But what does “free” mean? It can of course refer to something that doesn’t cost you anything – perhaps like the gifts you may receive at Christmas. But it […]
Scatterlings are made for this. A sermon on 1 Peter 4:7-11 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. I know some of you like camping and doing all sorts of outdoorsy things, so you may appreciate the brief story I’d like to share with you.[1] Some years ago a young family went on a camping trip to a […]
Scatterlings live for the will of God – a sermon on 1 Peter 4 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. What do you live for? What’s your aim in life? What do you want to achieve? Is it to pass your final year in school so you can get out of the house into the big wide […]
Comfort for my people – a sermon on Isaiah 40:1-11 by Rev. Ralph Adams. Today, on the second Sunday of Advent, God’s eternal message is again couched in Isaiah’s words from this prophecy: ”Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” ’Comfort from your God’ is the gospel I’m to preach to you, today. I am […]
Christ the almond branch – a sermon on Numbers 17, written by the Rev J. Westendorp and read by Br. Brendan Strasser.
Living out our faith in the crucible of life – a sermon on James 1 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. So far 2020 has been a year of challenges, hasn’t it! Some said that this year we just had three months – January, February and Covid. And that third month has been one drawn out challenge […]
Be Still and know – a sermon on Psalm 46 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Martin Luther is perhaps best known today for his “rediscovery” of the doctrine of justification by faith alone, which of course was a cornerstone of the Reformation. But what is perhaps less well-known is that he loved the psalms and found […]
God’s Word at work in believers – a sermon by Rev. Ralph Adams on 1 Thessalonians 2:13. Dennis Prager, of Prager University, once asked atheist philosopher Jonathon Glover this pointed question: “Professor Glover, just say your car broke down at midnight, stranding you in a desolate back-city street. Then, as you step from your car […]
Genesis 15:1-4, Deuteronomy 3:23-26 Take it to the Lord in prayer – a sermon by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Before the Covid crisis, going on a cruise was a favourite way to take a holiday. For some reason people really seem to enjoy bobbing up and down in a big ship. But if you’re prone to […]
1 Peter 3:8-12 – Scatterlings live in the the light of the cross. A sermon by Rev. Colin Pretorius. I once read that life is like an elevator ride – it not only has a lot of ups and downs, but it’s also filled with people who push all the wrong buttons. And if we’re […]
1 Peter 2:13-25 – Scatterlings show their love for God by submitting to authority. A sermon by Rev. Colin Pretorius. If you’ve ever watched cage-fighting in what is called mixed martial arts, you’ll have seen how the fighters try to beat up their opponents. This often happens by knockout. Very seldom the fight is determined […]
1 Peter 2:9-12 – Scatterlings are God’s people, who live to glorify Him. A sermon by Rev. Colin Pretorius. About halfway into the first act of the stage production of the musical Les Miserables, the paroled convict Jean Valjean confesses his identity in the song “Who am I?”[1] If you’ve seen the show or perhaps […]
Philippians 2:1-18 – Practicing Christian Fellowship – a sermon by Rev. Ralph Adams. A Christian life has to be lived in harmony with the gospel message on which it is based. If you live in conflict with the gospel, then your claim to be a Christian is fake. This is Paul’s point in his letter […]
Psalm 150 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. A sermon by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Psalm 150 tells us to worship the God who has given us life, and to worship Him with our praises. The previous 4 psalms are praise psalms too but there’s something special about the last psalm – it […]
From Lament to praise – a sermon on Psalm 13 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Some say there’s a Chinese curse that goes something like “may you live in interesting times” … and the past couple of months have certainly been interesting, haven’t they! The country as a whole has been hit by the bombshell of […]
Jesus,the Living stone, is rejected by man but is chosen and precious in the sight of God. A sermon on 1 Peter 2:4 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Surfer’s Paradise: when we hear those two words, we tend to think of holidays, sandy beaches and schoolies, don’t we. But Surfers is also home to the tallest […]
1 Peter 2:1-3 – God’s chosen scatterlings desire His Word, by Rev. Colin Pretorius. How important is the Bible to you? As Christians we believe that it is the Word of God, don’t we, but how important is it really to us? How much time do we spend in it? How much time have you […]
Romans 12:1-2 – Be transformed by the renewal of your minds, by Rev. Ralph Adams. Once again, it is my pleasure to preach to you this morning. My sincere prayer is that the Lord will use my words to strengthen your faith and to further His kingdom. The text for this sermon is Romans 12:1-2 […]