Agora Church Agora Church

If you’re part of the Agora community then chances are at some stage you have asked “Who is God and what is he like?”  And if you know God, even a tiny bit, or want to, you’ve probably also wondered “So, what does God expect of ME??” These are two of life’s really big questions!! And every religion tries to answer them. But we have the Bible to give us the truth. The last two chapters of the book of Micah reveal the answer to these questions really clearly.  And what was true about God in Micah’s day is true today.  So today we will dive in to Micah chapters 6 and 7 and explore what this means together.

If you haven’t noticed lately, the world seems to be trying to destroy itself faster and faster. So much disfunction, anxiety, wars, sickness and so on and so on and so on. We’re looking at the book of Micah again, and we will see a clear prophecy that things will get much better ….. one day.  So, how are we meant to live in hope in the meantime. Yes, Jesus is coming back one day (hopefully very soon), but until then how do I thrive in Christ on this wild planet?

Have you ever read Micah? Perhaps you have a picture of a rugged, ragged individual with a long beard and a long flowing robe, leaning on a staff and shouting doom and gloom at Israel? Some of that might be right (the beard part anyway) but Micah and the other prophets are included in our Scriptures for at least one very important reason.We will cover the first two chapters

This weekend is Easter. So, we celebrate both the death and resurrection of Jesus, even though I think we only understand a tiny aspect of what truly happened. If you were God, literally the creator and sustainer of all, would you die for humans? And, on rising from the dead, would you be keen to indwell them knowing your indwelling would be marred by the sin and disobedience? Such a huge reality to wrestle with.

Kia ora Agora,
Today, we are looking at one of the most well-known parts of the Bible: The Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6. Is Jesus literally saying, "this is the only way to pray," or is He giving us a guide? If it is only a guide or template, then why does Jesus not introduce it as such but literally says, "Pray like this" (Matt 6:9)? This is a powerful, humbling prayer that millions of Christians pray daily, yet I wonder how many of us grasp the deep, powerful meaning threaded throughout the prayer.

The first three gospels all have Jesus’ call to his disciples. 12 were called; they lived with him for three years and over that time they were shaped by His words and by his actions. Following Jesus meant leaving their home and their work and, in Peter’s case, his wife. This raises a question. What do we mean when we say that we follow Jesus? If we follow Jesus’ example and seek to disciple other people, should we invite them to come and live with us – as Jesus did? Or…