Church Talk
Live conference broadcast links church members
Friday 15 October 2010 | Published in Church Talk
Local members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints were privileged to view and hear presentations from church leaders at the 180th Semi-Annual General Conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, on Saturday October 2 and Sunday October 3 via satellite. Local members and participants had to awaken early to view the […]
A family away from home
Friday 15 October 2010 | Published in Church Talk
Cook Islands church-goers were a “family away from home” for Auckland-based LIFE church founders and senior pastors Paul and Maree de Jong this week. The couple were in Rarotonga as guest speakers of the Cook Islands Assemblies of God conference held at Takuvaine. Paul said there was a strong connection between Christian communities in the […]
Protect, respect God's holy temple
Friday 15 October 2010 | Published in Church Talk
Introduction In the Bible, what attitude toward the human body do we find? Not how do we see it, with all our preconceptionsthe images of pencil-thin models, musclemen, voluptuous Playboy bunnies, or plump matrons hurtling from Weightwatchers to a “nothing but kumquats” dietbut as God sees these body-temples of ours. Have you ever walked into […]
AOG conference on
Saturday 9 October 2010 | Published in Church Talk
A chance to hear international pastors speaking about access to religion is set to attract hundreds of people to a conference in Rarotonga next week. The Cook Islands Assemblies of God (AOG) church is hosting its bi-annual conference at its Avarua church from Monday to Wednesday. Auckland-based pastors Paul and Maree De Jong and Scott […]
Why remember Lot's wife?
Friday 8 October 2010 | Published in Church Talk
This is one of the shortest verses in the Word of God. So what happened to Lot’s wife that we should want to remember it? What can we take from it and learn from? We can find the story of Lot and his family escaping from Sodom in Genesis 19. Two angels arrived with the […]
CICC attends Pacific meeting
Friday 8 October 2010 | Published in Church Talk
Mataio represented the CICC and Henry represented not just the Cooks contingent but youth all over the Pacific at a conference that drew thinkers and church leaders from across the region. The conference touched on some big socio-political issues, and suggested ways that churches and spiritual leaders can approach them. The primary focus of discussion […]
Anonymity – a coward's way of hiding behind hurtful words
Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Church Talk
Ko te uuna I tona Ingoa tikai – e tu moa ma’u tereira I te pipini ki muri I tetai au tuatua tamamae me kare akakino tangata Some say that anonymity is the last refuge for cowards. This woman after having read so much mail and comments submitted anonymously, seemed to agree. People hiding behind […]
Faith without works is dead
Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Church Talk
In reply to Nick Carter’s three questions of Friday September 24’s Churchtalk and based on Holy Scripture: 1. Do I try harder to be good? Yes! “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? Even so faith, if it hath not works, […]
The Holy Spirit empowers mission
Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Church Talk
In the Acts of the Apostles, we read St Luke’s unfolding story of the early Christian mission. The story tells of the spread of the Good News “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts1:8). When Luke ends his story with Paul in Rome, the centre of the […]
What must we do to be saved?
Friday 17 September 2010 | Published in Church Talk
Every church exist on earth because every member wants to be saved, otherwise why bother to pray, worship and stay in church? Every religion exist on earth because every convert wants to be saved, otherwise why bother to pray, meditate or practice whatever kinds of religious beliefs and rituals? Every human organisations, governments and institutions […]
Biblical spiritual warfare
Friday 10 September 2010 | Published in Church Talk
It seems a common practice among churches nowadays is to be involved in spiritual warfare. There are a lot of parts to this from binding and loosing demons, to screaming at the devil and his minions, praying against the elements, attributing every bad (and inconvenient) thing to the devil, and much more. Many churches carry […]
We will reap what we sow
Friday 10 September 2010 | Published in Church Talk
The following article was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on one of the CBS Sunday Morning Commentary. My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejewelled trees, Christmas […]
New building for New Life
Friday 3 September 2010 | Published in Church Talk
New Life Church in Aro’a is holding a ceremony for the opening of its new building tomorrow at 10.30am. The church celebrates its fourth anniversary on Sunday, but until now has been meeting at Rutaki Primary School. Now it’s got a building to call its own – on a back road in Arorangi, signs clearly […]
Finding the peace of Christ
Friday 3 September 2010 | Published in Church Talk
Many of us have grown up hearing that phrase as part of our church culture, but we never stop to ponder what it means. The words are found in Philippians 4:7: And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Even after we have professed our […]
Who does our story point to?
Friday 27 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
Paul, here, is describing when he went out into the churches of Judea following his time with Peter (refer to verses 18-22). Who do we glorify? Is it the living God or ourselves? Do we heap glory upon other men and reduce it from what should be heaped onto Jesus? The situation of Paul was […]
Just part of God's plan
Friday 27 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
Nancy Watkinson says brush with death just a part of His purpose Nancy Watkinson, who together with her husband Murray founded Celebration on the Rock, walks with a limp, a residual effect of a near-fatal accident at Avarua last year. Six surgeries after the crash, she’s got plates and pins holding her pelvis and femur […]
Avarua CICC plans future
Friday 20 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
The Avarua Cook Islands Christian Church Ekalesia is having a four-day conference from Monday August 23 to Thursday August 26. The main theme of the event is ‘Journey Through the Ark’ while the policies, guidelines and strategic plan for the Avarua CICC will also be discussed. A booklet’ Te Araka’ will be the central focus […]
The Armour of God
Friday 20 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
This is a particularly well known passage of scripture. A lot of Christians use this (and other passages) to take up arms and wage “war” on the enemy. There is no doubt we are called to go against the work of the devil but I do not believe it is in the manner that most […]
Know the value of belonging
Friday 20 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
We are all very familiar with attending funerals – of family, friends, work associates and acquaintances we respected. For some we attend out of a sense of respect and solidarity with the family. Each funeral has its power to move us to a greater or lesser degree, depending how close we were to the deceased. […]
Precision and exactness
Friday 13 August 2010 | Published in Church Talk
I am reminded of a karate expert who gave a demonstration of his skill in the use of a samurai sword. After breaking boards with his hands, cement blocks with his head, he asked for a volunteer from the audience. A macho teenage boy accepted the challenge and volunteered, lay down on his back, and […]