 Lisa
Thompson |
Lisa Thompson will be teaching us from 2 Peter 3.
"I thought my first visit to church would be my last, but after meeting a rather nice young man I thought it was worth going back the following week. The funny thing is, I haven't seen him since, but I did meet someone much better- Jesus! I don't think I really understood the gospel until my first Easter at church. We were watching the crucifixion scene from the Jesus movie. In the background, the song 'How Deep the Father's Love' was playing. I remember feeling a sense of disgust towards the people who were putting Jesus on the cross, and then I heard the words, 'Behold the man upon a cross, my sin upon his shoulders. Ashamed I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers.' It hit me like a lightening bolt! Jesus died for my sin. The best part of being a Christian is being able to trust Jesus rather than having to rely on myself. The most challenging part is battling my own selfishness and trusting that God's way is the best way." Lisa has a Bachelor of Divinity from Moore Theological College and is the Women’s Minister at St Johns Parramatta. She loves a good road trip and wishes that Argentina was a lot closer to Sydney so she could hang out with her nieces and nephews more often. Lisa trained and worked as a nurse before studying at Bible College. It was whilst working in a children's cancer ward that she really started thinking about heaven.
"I sometimes find it hard to imagine that Jesus might return in my lifetime. I know he will return but it just seems so far away. I'm sure I'm not alone in having questions about 'that day'. Why hasn't Jesus come back yet? What is He waiting for and what are Christians meant to be doing while we wait for Him? That's why I love 2 Peter 3. It's got all the answers."
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 Di
Warren |
Di Warren will take us from Genesis to Revelation to discover what the Bible says about heaven.
"I grew up in a Christian home. As a child, I always knew God loved me. I have very happy memories of Dad or Mum reading the Bible and praying with me before bed. It made the world feel safe. Things became confusing when two of my siblings died. With my parents' help I continued to believe in God, but during high school I was an 'invisible' Christian, blending in with the crowd. At uni, I started studying the Bible closely and my mind exploded. I realised that the Bible was all about Jesus and that the cross was the turning point in history. I still love finding passages in the Bible that at first don't seem to make sense. I lead a weekly Bible study where I'm one of the only ones with an English translation. I love their honest questions and they teach me so much. It's a privilege helping them read and understand God's word... humbling actually. For me, the best thing about being a Christian is being able to know God, and the most challenging thing is serving him better." Di has been speaking at EQUIP since it began in 1999 and is the chair of EQUIP ministries. Like all bookworms, next to her bed lives an ever-changing pile of unfinished books. She is a part-time university lecturer and a full-time wife and mum to James and their three children. They are part of an international church in Carlingford where they enjoy fellowshipping with Persian Christians. For Di, it's a taste of what heaven will be like when all the nations gather together around Jesus' throne.
"I often think about heaven and wonder what it's like. Sometimes it feels like a bit of a mystery. But the Bible is full of pictures of heaven. From its opening pages in Genesis with the Garden of Eden to the book of Revelation's vision of 'the new heavens and the new earth', heaven is on every page. And it's better than anything we could imagine."
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