Cairns Road Weekly Podcast

 Few people these days live in villages where everyone knows each other. And not many people will know the whole you, either. This has implications for how we love each other. God is one, and He wants us to be integrated, whole people, too, who love Him and others in that way (Deuteronomy 6 vs 4-9) Jesus is talking here to religious leaders and a battle of wits is taking place, with high stakes. The greatest commandment ? Jesus giv...

 When the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, not only was the Gospel preached, many people saved, the powers of this world (seen and unseen) shaken, but another miracle happened. Heaven touched earth, and people were transformed: social barriers crumbled, and fellowship across all kinds of divides was joyful and enthusiastic. And this wasn’t only talk: people shared, gave, loved and opened their hands and arms to each other i...

Mark 10:17–27 tells the story of a rich man who sincerely asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. He is moral, religious, and outwardly obedient, but Jesus looks at him with love and exposes the one thing he is unwilling to surrender—his wealth. When told to sell what he has, give to the poor, and follow, the man walks away sad because his possessions hold his heart. Jesus then teaches His disciples that it is very hard...

We all worry, though to different degrees. This passage speaks to all of us. If you serve God, you serve the best possible Master. And you cannot serve God and money (v24). The Levites had no inheritance – they dedicated themselves to God, and God made provision for them (Deuteronomy 18 vs 1-2). Here, Jesus tells us not to worry about our lives – our food, drink, clothing: these are not luxuries – we need them, and God knows that. ...

 This year’s focus has been on becoming wholehearted disciples by engaging in ancient spiritual practices not as ends in themselves, but as doorways into God’s presence and power. Looking to the life of Jesus, these disciplines create space for transformation that cannot come through sheer willpower but by placing ourselves in the flow of God’s grace. The inward practices—such as Sabbath, solitude and silence, prayer, fasting, and ...

Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord o...

In John 14 v 26, Jesus has been telling His disciples that He is going to go away: but that they would not be left to muddle along, as He would send the Holy Spirit to them: to teach them “all things”, and remind them of what Jesus had said, and to lead them into all truth – both as a community and individually. That is still true !

Hebrew 4 v 12 describes God’s word as “living” (lit. energy) and active. It sees everything, cuts wit...

 Today is Pentecost: the birthday of the Church! A time to welcome the Holy Spirit, who is right here, today, and here for ever. We need the Holy Spirit to live for Jesus, and to give us eyes and ears to hear God’s voice in this library of 66 books. So every part of who we are can grow as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Tim 3 vs 16-17) The Old Testament is what Jesus knew as the Hebrew Bible: and Psalms was the hymn book of t...

 Hebrews 4:1–13 highlights how we respond to Christ, drawing from Psalm 95 to warn against the danger of hardening our hearts. The psalm, originally directed at the generation of Israelites who refused to enter the Promised Land, reminds us that the Holy Spirit is still speaking today—not just once in the past. Their failure, rooted in unbelief, serves as a warning for all believers. An unbelieving heart turns away from the living ...

 In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah is fleeing for his life after the confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, where he had called down fire from heaven to prove that the Lord is the true God. Consequently, Jezebel threatens to kill him, leading Elijah to run for his life, overwhelmed with fear and despair. He isolates himself, asks God to take his life, and falls asleep under a broom tree. However, God provides for ...

 Today's theme: God's version of what it means to be a king - which even the best of earthly kings can't deliver. We need Jesus as our king! The period from Saul to Rehoboam marks the rise and fall of Israel’s united monarchy. Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, was anointed as Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 10), but his disobedience led to his rejection by God (1 Samuel 15). David, a man after God's own heart, suc...

 “Solitude and silence are not self-indulgent exercises for times when an overcrowded soul needs a little time to itself. Rather, they are concrete ways of opening to the presence of God beyond human effort and beyond the human constructs that cannot fully contain the Divine.” (Ruth Barton) Following Easter, Mary Magdalene—though distressed and alone, was able to hear and respond to the voice of the Good Shepherd. Similarly, Jesus ...