Cairns Road Weekly Podcast

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 ...

 Easter – the resurrection of Jesus - is at the heart of the Christian faith. We celebrate it every Sunday: the foundation of the Gospel and the turning point of history. A peak of light and hope. In 1924, a British climber called George Mallory disappeared on the slopes of Mount Everest. He was chasing a dream that had consumed him for years. His frozen body was found in 1999, face down: it isn’t known if he reached the summit or ...

 The book of Judges is hard to read. God’s people obeyed Him until Joshua died. They were supposed to drive out the Canaanites from the land, not to assimilate with them or with their gods or lifestyle, but rather to be a holy witness to the world about God. They failed and failed: time and time again God rebuked them, judged them, then rescued them when they cried out to Him. It wasn’t so much that they forgot about God – there wa...

 Fasting as a spiritual discipline can be found throughout the Scriptures, ‘though more in the Old Testament. In this passage it is linked with prayer and almsgiving quite naturally. Jesus says “when” rather than “if”, and contrasts the Pharisees, who did everything for human approval (and consequently only received human respect) from what we should do. God sees in secret: including the secrets of our hearts. Looking up to Him for...

 Prayer filled Jesus’s life. The disciples noticed, and asked Jesus to teach them all how to pray. Jesus didn’t hesitate, telling them how to approach God as “Abba in the heavens” – their vital relationship. He gives them a model, a template for their prayers: and tells a parable to encourage them. All of us need to be taught to pray, and to give our relationship with our Father in the Heavens a central place in our lives. Although...