Finally, the upgrade of the buildings will be completed and our plans to be a church "in the city for the city" in new and fresh ways are about to be realised. Hobart Baptist has a long, a proud engagement with, and ministry into, the city of Hobart. We are about to step over a threshold into a new phase in the life of the church.
In the Gospels both the authority and identity of Jesus are revealed in a series of statements that begin with “I am” (Greek: ego eimi). We see this clearly in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus teaches “You have heard … but I say to you”. Here Jesus speaks as God would speak.
For Jews who knew their Bibles and heard Jesus, the meaning would have been clear. Jesus was saying, “hearing me you are hearing God speak”. In this series we will look at the “I am” statement where they appear most frequently; in John’s Gospel. There are seven in total.
Following the success of the recent Day of Prayer and Fasting, quite a few people have indicated a desire to pray regularly for HBC, and our redevelopment, into 2021. So, beginning Thursday, November 12, we will commit to a weekly day of prayer: Prayer United.
The day will end with an hour of prayer at the Tab from 6-7pm, hosted by Stephen and Jenny Baxter (most of the time), followed by a bite to eat in North Hobart. The more the merrier!
We'd love you to join us as we pray for the future of HBC into 2021.
In this series we will look at the experience of the early church as Luke describes it in the first half of Acts. Here we read the story of how these citizens of heaven take the message of Jesus across social, ethnic and religious boundaries in the face of stiff opposition.
The message that Jesus is Messiah contradicts and unsettles the world. Whether it is the world of Roman authority, the world of Jewish certainty, or the world of Greek sophistication, Jesus is dangerous. He refused to tone down his message to make it more palatable to the authorities. His followers do the same, and turn the world upside down.
What does it mean for us, citizens of Hobart and citizens of Heaven, to follow in their footsteps? What does that mean for us? How are we to live?
God sent Jesus on a mission and Jesus sends his followers on a mission. As disciples of Jesus, our call is to live like Jesus lived—full of “grace and truth,” full of care and compassion. He is our teacher, guide and model in the way we should live and act towards others.
In this series we look at some of the stories of Jesus and explore what it means for us to reach out in friendship, love, care and compassion to others.
