Hope Church - Blue Mountains

21/12/2022

Follow us on twitter. . Censorship free ... apparently ... at least for now

21/01/2022

Can Jesus be found in the Hebrew bible (Old testament)? ...

Without giving too much away have a look at this short video... (3 min)

All Hebrew names are words with a meaning and when we examine the meanings of the names of Adam and his descendants in Genesis chapter 5, we find something very interesting.

19/07/2021

How MEAN is God thowing people into Hell... A place of eternal torment. Were people are burned in the lake of fire forever and ever......

Most people *don't* realise that is this is ancient Greek idea filtered though medievil ideoligies. It is *not* what the bible teaches....

Have a listen to Tim Machie. He explains it well

References: Luke 16In my journey of faith, the Bible Project's videos have been a game changer but discovering the teaching ministry of Tim Mackie and affili...

06/07/2021

Time to throw a cat amongst the pidgeons.... Did God actually create the universe in 6 days?

And the short answer is .... You'll have to wait until the end of the post! But, this post is an extremely condensed version of a much longer discussion.

A number of scholars such as Dr John Walton, Dr Michael Heiser, and others suggest Genesis 1 is an ancient myth. Not to be confused as an ancient eqivalent of an urban legend i.e. an anecdotal work of fiction.

Now, it's no hidden secret that from reading the creation story that day 1 relates to day 4, day 2 to day 5, day 3 to day 6. It reads more like poetry than a creation process ... So what on earth is going on? (pun intended).

According to some scholars, the creation story is simply an ancient allegory that uses the inaugration of a temple (a ceremony that took place over 7 days) to describe how the ancients viewed God Himself rather than the creation process. They had no concepts for cosmology, physics, chemistry, biology etc. And, it wasn't the point.

So what was the point? ... For now, 5 ideas to consider.

Firstly, God is the single most powerful, unique, incomparable Deity. Other neighbouring cultures had a pantheon of god's who had limited power, restricted to their defined realms - eg. god of the sea, sun god etc. Further, they fought amongst themselves and procreated to produce other offspring gods. And, they created mankind to be slaves.

Secondly, mankind was created to reign over the earth with God (in partnership). Deeply cherished - not mere slaves for self gratification.

Thirdly, God is the ultimate powerful King. By his decree's ("... God said...") that even the substance of the whole world would obey His commands. (Note, they had no concept of cosmology. So world, not universe.)

Fourthly, that He reigns as King. In the ancient context when a deity "rested" (day 7), they took up residency in the temple. The "god" didn't simply put up their feet and relax from all their hard work, but it meant they took up their authority and position in the temple and reigned.

Lastly, creation was "good" before mankind rebelled and wreaked havoc.

So, did God create the universe in 6 days? ... The short answer is ... decide for yourself. But, it has nothing to do with the Genesis account.

That being said, do I believe that God created the universe ex nihilo (from nothing) ... Well, no actually. I am far too convinced He did to call it "belief". To me, the evidence is far too overwhelming. But I'll leave that for a future post.

24/05/2021

For many Christians, the Jewish word "shalom" is understood to mean "peace". However, for the western world "peace" means lack of conflict .... . "peace noun [U] (NO VIOLENCE)" from the Cambridge dictionary.

But what did "shalom" mean to an ancient Jew?

Whilst still meaning peace, it carries the idea of "completeness" not freedom from conflict. In other words, peace is found in being complete. The realization I had was that as I become a more "complete" person, the less impact conflict would have. And, the more "state of tranquility or quiet" ( Peace - Merriam-Webster dictionary) I would have. Very helpful as we are arguably living in an increasingly inimical society.

But the question is "how do I/we come complete?". Many have tried and failed. In my experience, by making peace with our maker and entering into His Kingdom is the starting point.

Further, Philippians 4:7 can be read the following way .....

"And the shalom [completeness] of Eloah [God], that is greater than all knowledge, will guard your hearts and your minds in Yeshua [Jesus] the Messiah." from the Hebraic-Roots version. (words in square brackets are mine).

Here's an article if you want to read more:

What is that very elusive quality we call shalom? For it means different things to different people. The ancient Hebrew concept of peace, is rooted in the word "shalom," meant wholeness, completeness, soundness, health, safety and prosperity, carrying with it the implication of permanence.

18/01/2020

Been on a "journey" of examining the historicity of the bible, the effects history has had on the biblical content.

Also as a part of that I've been looking at the historical context of the bible. For example, what can we know of what the Hebrew Bible (old testament) meant to the Hebrews/Jews at the time. Instead of trying to interpret what was going on through modern eyes.

Found some very interesting stuff....

I'll post some links here. Some of it is long and some dry, and with some things, scholars disagree. But I think understanding the background is important.

For those who are interested... The first link below

Phill....

http://www.veritas.org/talks - Historian and author Paul Maier presents at Iowa State University. Full library available AD FREE at http://www.veritas.org/ta...

24/08/2019

Such a great place to play, gather and chat.
The kids love playing here and the adults can talk. Awesome!

18/08/2019

We're in the process of designing Hope Church Blue Mountains shirts and jumpers.
I'm excited ♡♡

01/08/2019

Would you like to help start a church? We are a family of 4. We're looking to start a Christian house church in Katoomba with https://www.hope-church.com.au/

Let us know if you're interested!

21/05/2019

Who we are!

Hope International Ministries (HIM) is a family of churches with many seemingly ordinary men and women who have caught the vision to do the extraordinary for God in extending the frontiers of His Kingdom. Each one bears the same heartbeat to reach people with Christ’s transforming love by planting...