Belgrave Heights Presbyterian Church

15/09/2021

William Wilberforce, 1759-1833
Social Reformer
‘Surely the principles as well as the practice of Christianity are simple, and lead not to meditation but only to action’ (Eric Metaxas, Amazing Grace, 65f).

After his conversion to Christ Wilberforce wondered if, as a Christian, he should absolve himself from all public life. He sought the advice of his good friend, Pitt who wrote the above, and from the elderly John Newton, ex-slave trader and now pastor, whose advice was to stay in Parliament.

Wilberforce had been a very self-centred person; he had plenty of money and plenty of time, but now that he was a Christian, his ambition was to live for God. The Bible taught that ‘all that was his-his wealth, his talents, his time …. all belonged to God and had been given to him to use for God’s purposes’ (p.70).

The sickly church in Wilberforce’s time was generally oblivious to the social ills taking place, but looking through the lens of the gospel, Wilberforce could clearly see that these ills needed addressing.
The evil started at the top and permeated through all of society. It was no secret that the son of King George III was a rampant womaniser who, it is said, had dalliances with 7,000 women and kept a lock of each one’s hair as a souvenir. He also gambled the nation’s money away. Alcoholism was endemic in Parliament and it was not uncommon to see in the House of Commons drunk men debating.

Public hangings were common, but one of the perks of being a religious cleric is that they would not be subject to this public shame. Often the hanged person was burned or the body was publicly dissected by surgeons.

Prostitution was another area that needed addressing. It is said that about 25% of unmarried women were prostitutes, and many were so in order to pay for their gin drinking habit. Animal cruelty of a kind we have never experienced was common in this era and needed to be addressed.

And so Wilberforce was driven to live for his new found Lord, and used his position as a Parliamentarian to change the terrible social conditions of his country, including ‘epidemic alcoholism, child prostitution, child labour, frequent public executions for petty crimes, public dissections and burnings of executed criminals, and unspeakable public cruelty to animals’ (p77f).

Christ can impact the world through his people. We, like Wilberforce, are Christ’s ambassadors. Are we allowing Christ to use us to change the world in which we live?

Next time: the fight against slavery
-----------------------------------------------------
Amazing Grace William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery; Eric Metaxas

15/09/2021

William Wilberforce, Social Reformer (1759-1833)

‘Surely the principles as well as the practice of Christianity are simple, and lead not to meditation but only to action’ (Eric Metaxas, Amazing Grace, 65f).

After his conversion to Christ Wilberforce wondered if, as a Christian, he should absolve himself from all public life. He sought the advice of his good friend, Pitt who wrote the above, and from the elderly John Newton, ex-slave trader and now pastor, whose advice was to stay in Parliament.

Wilberforce had been a very self-centred person; he had plenty of money and plenty of time, but now that he was a Christian, his ambition was to live for God. The Bible taught that ‘all that was his-his wealth, his talents, his time …. all belonged to God and had been given to him to use for God’s purposes’ (p.70).

The sickly church in Wilberforce’s time was generally oblivious to the social ills taking place, but looking through the lens of the gospel, Wilberforce could clearly see that these ills needed addressing.
The evil started at the top and permeated through all of society. It was no secret that the son of King George III was a rampant womaniser who, it is said, had dalliances with 7,000 women and kept a lock of each one’s hair as a souvenir. He also gambled the nation’s money away. Alcoholism was endemic in Parliament and it was not uncommon to see in the House of Commons drunk men debating.

Public hangings were common, but one of the perks of being a religious cleric is that they would not be subject to this public shame. Often the hanged person was burned or the body was publicly dissected by surgeons.

Prostitution was another area that needed addressing. It is said that about 25% of unmarried women were prostitutes, and many were so in order to pay for their gin drinking habit. Animal cruelty of a kind we have never experienced was common in this era and needed to be addressed.

And so Wilberforce was driven to live for his new found Lord, and used his position as a Parliamentarian to change the terrible social conditions of his country, including ‘epidemic alcoholism, child prostitution, child labour, frequent public executions for petty crimes, public dissections and burnings of executed criminals, and unspeakable public cruelty to animals’ (p77f).

Christ can impact the world through his people. We, like Wilberforce, are Christ’s ambassadors. Are we allowing Christ to use us to change the world in which we live?

Next time: the fight against slavery
-----------------------------------------------------
Amazing Grace William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery; Eric Metaxas

22/07/2021

I have invited Ron to speak at our zoom church service this coming Sunday, 25th July, at 10.00 -10.45am. Ron and I studied together, and played football with and against each other.

Ron has hosted an hourly radio show for many years, and since retiring as a Baptist minister, he has been heavily involved in being a chaplain to the sports chaplains in Victoria.
I have asked Ron to talk about his involvement in both the radio and sports chaplaincy.

As we all know, many people are doing it tough because of the shutdowns due to COVID-19, and the trauma brought on by the recent storm damage. It has been wonderful to see how our local community banded together in the aftermath of the storm, but I am very worried about the long term effects of both the shutdowns and the storm.

Ron will talk about various ways in which the chaplains have helped at both the elite and grass roots levels of sport (he will follow the correct protocol and not reveal personal details). He will also share how we can care for ourselves and be a support to others in times of stress. You will find Ron to be very engaging, and he welcomes any comments/questions. Feel free to join with us on Sunday.

Feel free to pass this information to others who you think might like to attend.

If you are not already on zoom, you can easily join up, and when you do just follow the prompts and add the following at the appropriate places.

Sunday’s Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88649493951?pwd=c0JRb1ZpVWY4cW1BeG1IQmJVc1lsZz09
Meeting ID: 886 4949 3951 Passcode: 483516
Mark
0437 592 411

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18/05/2021

22/03/2021

As a child Arthur Stace stole milk and bread and got food from the rubbish bins. He became an alcoholic and spent most of his money on methylated spirits.
Destitute, he went to a church to get some food. In his own words, Stace went to the church ‘to get a cup of tea and a rock cake but I met the Rock of Ages.’
He was struck by words from the Bible in Isaiah 57:15
This is what the high and lofty One says, he who lives in eternity…“I live in a high and holy place, but also with the person who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

Although illiterate, he went about the streets of Sydney for 35 years writing the word ‘Eternity,’ in the hope it would make people reflect on their eternal destiny. It is said he wrote the word 500,000 times!

26/02/2021

God's love is powerful. Corrie ten Boom underwent terrible suffering and misery when imprisoned by the N***s during WWII. After the war she would often speak in churches about God's forgiveness and after one meeting an SS guard told Corrie he was now a Christian, and would she forgive him for all the atrocities he did.
“I forgive you, brother!” I cried. “With all my heart.”
For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God’s love so intensely as I did then. But even so, I realized it was not my love. I had tried and did not have the power. It was the power of the Holy Spirit’ (Metaxas p370).

21/01/2021

John Flynn wrote “if Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the Son of Almighty God…. what more honourable calling can a man follow than getting his fellows to realise this fact and act upon it?”
He showed the compassion of God to outback Australians by establishing bush hospitals and the world’s first air ambulance, the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

30/12/2020

David Unaipon designed the shearing hand piece, worked on the concept of a helicopter based on the boomerang, and was sought after as a public speaker. Many times he was refused accommodation due to his race. He said "...in Christ Jesus colour and racial distinctions disappear..."
His strong belief in a caring and loving God enabled him to deflect racism.