Vision Church Podcast | Christian Church in Canberra
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445 episodes
Adam Ritchard | MATTHEW 21:1-17; 20:17-19; ZECHARIAH 9:9; JOHN 18:36 — As we celebrate Palm Sunday we remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem as the long awaited Messiah. But Jesus was not who the Jewish people expected Him to be. He came as a different kind of Saviour; to achieve a different kind of triumph; and to establish a different kind of reign.
Andrew Baker | HEBREWS 4:11-5:10; LEVITICUS 16; 2 CORINTHIANS 12:9; JOHN 16:33 — Under Old Testament Law, the High Priest acted as a mediator between man and God by making atoning sacrifices for the sins of Israel. But, as the writer to the Hebrews points out, this was only ever an imperfect and temporary construct, pointing us to the eternal and superior atonement made by Jesus: He alone knows the fulness of human weakness and yet did not sin. He alone mercifully provides the only cure for our sinful condition. And He alone overcame sin and death. Jesus is our Great High Priest.
Andrew Baker | HEBREWS 3:1, 4:1-11; ROMANS 8:14; 1 JOHN 5:3 — In order to enter God’s rest and walk in the fullness of His covenantal promises, we must recognise the priority of obedience. But if we think that God has chosen us just to do His work for Him, we have missed the point. We are called to obedience as our joy and our purpose; we obey not to earn approval but as His sons and daughters who willingly sacrifice all to bear His image and fulfil our heavenly calling.
Andrew Baker | HEBREWS 3:1-19; PSALM 78:13-22 — Knowledge is different from belief. For forty years in the wilderness the nation of Israel saw God’s incredible provision and protection, and yet they did not know and love Him - they did not know His ways. As we consider Christ our faithful apostle and high priest, let us encourage one another: do we know just His works, or do we know His ways?
Andrew Baker | HEBREWS 2:1-17 — Our human nature is to move from thing to thing, easily allowing our attention to wander. It is unsurprising then that the Hebrews are warned against ‘neglecting such a great salvation’. And great indeed it is: in the greatness of His mercy towards mankind, God himself came and suffered the greatest cost imaginable; all that the greatest victory would be His and the greatest salvation ours.
Andrew Baker | HEBREWS 1:1-2:1 — Jesus is the complete picture of God: the eternal divine heir, mighty in power, and superior above all. He is the unshakeable foundation. In the midst of the shifting tides of this world, the writer to the Hebrews exhorts his readers to therefore heed Jesus’ words and life; to be tethered to Him and so not drift away.
Rev. Dr. Tania Harris | 1 KINGS 19:12; JOHN 1:14, 14:23; ACTS 2:1-41; PHILIPPIANS 3:10 — God is mighty and powerful and yet He is incredibly personal. How do we know this? Because He has revealed Himself through speaking to us. Today, the Holy Spirit speaks to us as the continuing voice of Jesus, beckoning us to follow His leading. Hear from renowned author, theologian, and speaker, the Rev. Dr. Tania Harris - founder of God Conversations.
Adam Ritchard | MARK 4:35-41; HEBREWS 4:12; REVELATION 1:1,5 — Our every day is full of more information, content, and distraction than ever before; a swirl of noise in which fear easily takes hold. What can cut through this noise? Just as it was for the fearful disciples in that storm-rocked boat: it is the words, revelation, and witness of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Martyn Ritchard | EXODUS 33:13-18 — Just as Moses desired to see God’s glory, so too are we to desire and expect glimpses of God’s kingdom breaking through into our earthly lives. Hear from Martyn and Roslyn Ritchard as they share of the many ‘glimpses of glory’ from their recent mission trip to Cambodia.
Andrew Baker | HEBREWS 1:1-4; REVELATION 21:3; JOHN 13:35; ACTS 4:32; EPHESIANS 1:4-5 — Throughout Jesus’ life we see that the central heart of God’s purpose is to be with man. Not just to send a saving message from afar, but to come and live in our midst as the very message of love itself. Not just to redeem us through the Cross, but to gather in simplicity with His beloved children around the table.
Andrew Baker | HEBREWS 10:19-25; JOHN 13:35 — Upon the foundation of all that Christ has accomplished, the writer to the Hebrews instructs his readers to ‘stir up one another’ to love and good works. In a world desperately lacking real connection, we have a unique opportunity to live differently as we follow Jesus’ example: loving and serving the world around us as His united, connected family.
Adam Ritchard | JOHN 3:7,14,22-31A, 4:4; PSALM 139:23-24; PHILIPPIANS 2:3-11 — Where is Jesus in the picture of our lives - front and centre, or on the periphery? As Jesus’ following increased, John The Baptist was not threatened by Him as a rival teacher. Rather, knowing Jesus to be the Messiah, John knew his own role was a supporting act which must necessarily ‘decrease’ for Jesus’ prominence to ‘increase’. In the coming year, may we make it our highest goal and greatest necessity that Jesus would increase in every area of our lives.
Kathryn Hartley | DEUTERONOMY 8:1-6; EXODUS 13:11-22, 17 — On the eve of entering the Promised Land, Moses instructs the Israelites to look back; to see the evidence of God’s presence, plan, and desire for relationship through it all. As we reflect on the past year and the year to come, may we look to the example of Moses. May we look with right perspective, remembering that God has been (and will be) with us ‘the whole way’ through this journey of life.
Andrew Baker | LUKE 2:1-11; GALATIANS 4:4; MATTHEW 1:21; JOHN 3:16-17 — The popular themes of hope, joy, and peace are all wonderful, but they are ultimately peripheral to the central theme of Christmas: Christ the Saviour is born. Instead of the condemnation that we rightly deserved, Jesus’ coming embodied a real plan, with a real purpose and promise - to save us from our sin and bring us into everlasting relationship with the Father.
Adam Ritchard | MATTHEW 1:18-23, 28:20; JOHN 1:14; HEBREWS 1:1-3; COLOSSIANS 1:19; HEBREWS 13:5; PSALM 121; JUDE 24 — After 400 years of silence, and in the midst of Roman oppression, the Jews must have asked: God, where are you? In response, the eternal God - the God of relationship, reconciliation and reliability - lowered Himself into humanity. Immanuel: God With Us.
Andrew Baker | MATTHEW 5:43-48; ROMANS 5:10; EPHESIANS 4:32 — As humans, our natural response is to show love to those we like, and hate to those we don’t. But Jesus’ striking instruction and the testament of His life and death is precisely the opposite: “Love your enemies”. We, who were His enemies but now stand reconciled through His sacrificial love, are called to do the same.
Kathryn Hartley | LUKE 1:46-56 — Mary was an ordinary young woman who found herself in extraordinarily unexpected circumstances: virgin-mother of the promised Messiah. And yet, in spite of all the unknowns and implications, Mary responded with a deep, humble dependence on God. As we face the unexpected happenings of life, may we too humbly depend on Him; magnifying and anchoring into the enduring character of the One who is our faithful present and future hope.
Trevor Galpin | EPHESIANS 1:4-5; GENESIS 3:1-10; LUKE 1:26-45; MATTHEW 1:18-25 — Even before the creation of the universe, God was already ‘Father’. And it was out of the overflow of His Triune love that He created and redeemed us to be His own. We were, are, and always will be His precious sons and daughters, chosen before time and set apart for relationship with the One who has always been ‘Father’.
Andrew Baker | MATTHEW 5:1-9; EPHESIANS 6:10-18; LUKE 2:14; COLOSSIANS 1:20; JOHN 14:27; MARK 4:35-41 — At times it is easy to feel too small to make a difference in our world. But as we see conflict around us, we are reminded that Jesus’ peace was not defined by the absence of turmoil; it was the powerful assurance He declared into the very midst of the storm. As we anchor into and receive Jesus’ gift of peace, may we go forth as bringers and makers of it in the world around us.
Adam Ritchard | PSALM 95:1-11; EXODUS 17:1-7 — God is always speaking, but through life’s trials and disappointments it is so easy to harden our hearts toward Him. How do we guard against grumbling, discouragement, and unbelief, that we might hear and yield to His voice instead?
Alison Baker | COLOSSIANS 4:2 — When the Lord is moving we may not see the whole picture. But, our role is to take the next step; positioning ourselves to ride His wave when it comes. Hear from Alison Baker as she shares the Lord’s invitation for our church in this next season: to pray.
Andrew Baker | ROMANS 16:25-27 — As the Apostle Paul concludes his letter to the Romans, his final call is not to a theological concept or a set of principles, but to Jesus. He is the one that strengthens us. He is the truth that has been unveiled for our salvation. He is the one whose worth has been revealed. May all roads lead us to wonder at our King Jesus, and ever fix our gaze upon Him.
Adam Ritchard | GENESIS 32:22-21; LUKE 10:38-42; 2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10; ZECHARIAH 4:6 — After Jacob wrestled with God he was left with a limp; a weakening of his self-reliance and pride. Like Jacob, we as God’s children are called to surrender - to depend on His grace, not on our own ability to perform. In our need His power is made perfect, and in our weakness He is strong.
Andrew Baker | ROMANS 15:30-16:16; LUKE 1:1-4 — In an easily-missed portion of scripture, we are reminded of the vital truth that Paul’s ministry was not a lone wolf mission: the extraordinary riches of the Gospel were (and are) outworked through a community of ordinary people, doing ordinary things for the kingdom of God.
Andrew Baker | ROMANS 15:14-21 — Paul’s life spent preaching the Gospel throughout the world was motivated by two simple but profound realities: the un-matched beauty of Jesus’ grace and the incredible transformative power of His Spirit. May these same realities lead us to boast only in Christ; passionately pursuing Him with reawakened faith for all that He is willing and able to do.
Kathryn Hartley | ROMANS 15:8-13; JOHN 15:1-4; 2 CORINTHIANS 3:16-18 — As we are confronted with the implications of the Gospel on our lives (and how much work there is to do!), Paul reminds us that our God is faithful: For Jew and Gentile alike, He is the initiator and finisher of our redemption story. As we abide in and behold Him, may we put off self-effort and abound in hope at the transformation that only He will bring.
Adam Ritchard | ROMANS 15:1-7; 1 COR 10:24; PHIL 2:3-8; HEBREWS 10:24-25 — Having instructed the Roman Church to ‘put off’ division and seek unity under Christ, Paul now exhorts his readers to ‘put on’ Christ’s example: We are to bear with each others’ weaknesses and build each other up, in order that our lives would be suitable dwelling places for the Lord of all.
Andrew Baker | ROMANS 13:13-15:7; EPHESIANS 4:3 — From the 1st Century to the present day, the church has been characterised by differences of opinion and belief. In the midst of this diversity, Paul calls the church to unity; to welcome one another and live out these differences to the glory of God. Ultimately, we are united by that which is infinitely greater than any issue that could divide us: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Andrew Baker | ROMANS 13:8-14; JOHN 13:34-35; EPHESIANS 1:5 — Love is the basis of our creation, the foundation of the Gospel, and the most fundamental need of every human heart. It is little wonder then that Paul describes love as a ‘debt’; a gift from the Father which we continually owe to the world around us.
Andrew Baker | ROMANS 12:14,19-21; 13:1-7 — We live in a culture that loves to tear down those in authority. But Paul’s message to the Romans and to us is very clear: we are to be subject to the governing authorities - not at the cost of disobeying God, but that we might proclaim our citizenship to His Kingdom by showing honour in all that we do.
