Podcast
Toowoomba Vineyard Church
Hosted by Toowoomba Vineyard Church · EN
We’re a new Vineyard church made up of people from all ages, stages, backgrounds, cultures, and political persuasions who are united by our desire to learn from and live like Jesus.
16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
328 / The lost years of Paul
1w ago00:38:12Tap to summarizeIf you were reading quickly through Acts, you'd be forgiven for missing the fact that between Paul's conversion experience and the beginning of his public ministry (well, after his daring escape from Damascus), fourteen years passed. What was he doing all that time?We don't know about Paul's 'lost years', but we know enough to realise it was the crucible in which the Paul we know and love was formed.
Transcribe →327 / The sixth most influential person in human history
2w ago00:40:54Tap to summarizeAs we continue our journey through the story of scripture this year, we depart from the Gospels and end up in Acts. For the next five weeks we'll be doing a character study on the sixth most influential person in history (according to one commentator in 1978)... (drumroll please)... the Apostle Paul!Paul's life and work is pivotal to the development of the early Church. Yet for all of this, many of us don't know about the man behind the theology. Far from being an academic writing from the back room of his summer house, Paul was a missionary, pastor, church planter, and revolutionary. He wrote from the trenches to real people trying to walk in the way of Jesus. This series is about learning to read his theology through the lens of his life (hint: it makes a big difference), as well as being inspired by his example.Chris kicks us off with a brief look at his backstory.
Transcribe →326 / We've read the Sermon on the Mount. What now?
3w ago00:31:51Tap to summarizeAfter a marathon series rolling verse by verse through the sermon on the mount, we find ourselves in the last few verses of the conclusion. It's almost as if Jesus turns back to his audience one last time and says 'what now?' Jesus presents us with a choice. We are welcome to nod our heads along, agree with his teaching and change nothing. He says that path will destroy us. The other, harder option is we can nod along, agree with his teaching, and change how we live. What will you choose?
Transcribe →325 / 'The narrow path' is not about where you go when you die
4w ago00:41:06Tap to summarizeWith only two weeks left in our series on the Sermon on the Mount, we open up a passage that has all too often been used to exclude and shame. 'The narrow path'—as well as the accompanying teaching on false prophets—is usually thought of as an 'us vs the world' scenario. Yet when we rightly read it as a part of the Sermon on the Mount, we realise it's less about what happens when you die, and more about how we live now...
Transcribe →324 / Don't treat God like a vending machine
Jul 1200:31:32Tap to summarizeThere's something intuitively wrong about treating God like a vending machine — insert prayer, out comes what you asked for. And yet in Matthew 7, Jesus famously says 'Ask and it will be given to you.' So how do we bring our needs before God with the right heart?
Transcribe →322 / No worries mate, she'll be right
Jun 1400:28:06Tap to summarizeIn the middle of a sermon full of heavy hitting teaching, Jesus drops in some of the most comforting words in all of scripture. The 'do not worry' passage has helped many not to be anxious, but if it's true, why do Christians still experience hardship? If God is going to provide, why do so many in the Kingdom go without?
Transcribe →321 / What do you truly treasure? And would your bank statement agree?
Jun 700:36:56Tap to summarizeAnother of Jesus' revered teaching is on treasure — 'do not store up for yourself treasures on earth'... It might be a familiar saying, but what does it really mean? If you made a table with one column being 'treasures on earth', and another saying 'treasures in heaven', what things would go in each column? The answer may surprise you.
Transcribe →320 / A word for the 'Instagram quiet time' generation
May 3100:40:15Tap to summarizeWe live in a world that's obsessed with authenticity. Brands live and die by it. A shred of insincerity can crush a celebrity's career. But ironically, thats in the midst of a culture that's never been more curated.Turns out this isn't a modern problem. As we get into chapter 6 of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turns to authenticity — in the practice of our faith.
Transcribe →319 / On loving our enemies
May 2400:31:52Tap to summarizeOne of the most challenging teachings in the New Testament, or maybe the whole bible, is Jesus' command for us to love our enemies. Not because it's hard to understand, but because it's so easy to theologise away, or just ignore. When we look at the state of the church, and the world today, it's easy to imagine how putting this teaching into practice would change everything.And yet we don't.Thankfully, in this week's message Mandy gives us a practical guide for what enemy love does — and doesn't look like.
Transcribe →318 / This one's for the Facebook 'maybes'
May 1800:26:04Tap to summarizeOK, so Facebook doesn't have a 'Maybe' button on events anymore (it has 'Interested' which is kind of the same, but not quite). But that little button has worked its way into our culture to the point that we almost have a crisis of commitment. Whether it's showing up to events, saying 'I'll pray for you' and actually following through, or how we show up on social media, being genuine in our communication is something we struggle with as a society. And incredibly, Jesus spoke to the heart of the issue 2,000 years ago.
Transcribe →