On our main website PASSIONAustralia.org we have a number of free resources that are not on this blog. We have 40 sermons, articles and communion messages, five free e-booklets you can download, and more Bible reading plans.
If you are interested you can visit our main website by clicking here.
About 10 years ago I swapped my home computers to Linux. My first go was with Ubuntu which worked well. It was a big learning curve as I had only ever used Windows products.
After about a year I found Linux Mint. This is built on Ubuntu but has a much friendlier layout and it looks a bit more like Windows. It has a “start” button in the bottom left hand corner and everything flows from that.
So for the last 9 years I have been using Linux Mint on my laptop. I use this for all of my preaching preparation and for building and maintaining my websites. It has worked really well. So much so that I installed it on my new refurbished laptop I bought this week!
One of the things I was concerned about when I switched over to Linux was how would I replace my programmes I used. In a short time I realised Linux Mint comes with many products similar to what I already used.
For Microsoft Office programmes like Word, Excel and Powerpoint you have Libre Office already included. It opens all the Microsoft programmes and you can save them as .doc, .xls or .ppt after editing. They even have a built in PDF creator which is handy.
For surfing the web it comes with Mozilla Firefox included. For email it has Mozilla Thunderbird. Both of these are preinstalled and easy to use. For website building and maintenance you can install Mozilla SeaMonkey for free.
Another cool feature of Linux Mint is the “app store” called the software manager. This has over 30,000 of free apps for all your needs. I found I could replace all of my Windows based programmes from there and they cost me nothing. No more yearly fees for using products I already own!
Computer experts say that Linux is generally more secure than other operating systems. Mint has a built in firewall called UFW. UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) is a user-friendly interface for managing firewall rules in Linux. You can also install ClamAV for free from the app store which takes care of viruses and malware.
One of the best features of Linux (apart from being free!) is that it does not have a lot of bloatware that slows down your system. It often brings an old computer back to life as the system requirements are much lower than other operating systems.
If you are interested you can visit the Linux Mint website here. Or if you want to watch an introduction video, I found this just now on YouTube.
All of us have a purpose from God. We were born at this time in history to fulfil our God given purpose. God has made us and gifted us all to do His work.
The great news is we do not have to fulfil His purpose alone. He gives us His Holy Spirit to empower us and the Holy Spirit gifts us to complete our tasks.
In the Bible we see there are four main places that talk about gifts from God to individuals to serve and gifts to the church for equipping.
The first group of gifts is found in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. These are often called the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit decides who gets what gift.
[4] There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. [5] There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. [6] God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. [7] A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. [8] To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. [9] The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. [10] He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. [11] It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
The second group of gifts is found in Romans 12:6-8. Bible scholars sometimes call these the gifts of the Father. In this list it tells us the gift and the importance of using them well.
[6] In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. [7] If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. [8] If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
In the third list of gifts it talks about different roles within the church. These are sometimes called Christ’s gifts to the church. These gifts are found in Ephesians 4:11-12. The purpose is to equip the church for service.
[11] Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. [12] Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
In the final list of gifts it only lists two gifts, but it gives us information on how to use them – for the good of others and to use the strength and energy God provides. It also reminds that the reason for our service is to bring glory to God. This list is found in 1 Peter 4:10-11.
[10] God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. [11] Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
I really find these lists of gifts helpful in our service of God. God has a purpose and destiny for each of us. Just like God said to Jeremiah, He knit us together in our mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5). He made us and gifted us to serve Him in this time.
As Christians we have the Holy Spirit within us as and this is the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11). He gifts us to serve God, by serving others, and He empowers us to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8).
Today I would like to remind us all that not only were we made by God for this times in history, but He made us to serve Him by giving us gifts and power from heaven. Let us purpose in our hearts to use our gift well.
Am I saved and going to heaven? This is a very important question and probably one that most people ask at some time in their life. Christmas and Easter are one of those times of the year that this question is probably reflected on a little bit more than usual.
To be saved means to be rescued from the penalty of sin – which is eternal separation from God in hell – and to be assured that you are going to heaven when you die. In the present tense it also means that you are in relationship with God, He is with you wherever you go and He is able to guide you and help you in all situations.
Essentially God’s plan of salvation can be explained in four simple points. At PASSION Australia we pray you will take a few minutes to read the following information and God will reveal His personal plan for salvation today.
1. God loves you and He wants to be a part of your life.
We get a glimpse of God’s love for mankind and His desire to be a part of our lives by looking at the Garden of Eden. When God created the heavens and the earth (see Genesis 1:1), He created mankind (Adam and Eve) and placed them in a garden. He provided for all their needs and walked and talked with them daily.
We see in God’s original plan, His heartbeat is to be in relationship with each of us and walk and talk with us daily. His greatest desire way back then was, and still is, to get to know each of us personally.
Question – If God loves us all so much and wants to be a part of our lives, why do many people not have God in their life?
2. Man sinned and was separated from God
God gave mankind rule over all creation, but because God is a holy God He gave them some rules to follow. One of them was not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (see Genesis 2:15-17).
Unfortunately, Adam and Eve chose not to obey this command and because of this sin entered the world. Because of their disobedience they were caste out of the garden paradise God had created for them. Since this time all mankind has been separated from God (see Isaiah 59:2). The Bible tells us that not only did Adam and Eve sin, but all mankind have sinned and fallen short of God’s standards (see Romans 3:23).
We may feel that we live a good life and mostly we do. However, if we take a moment to look at God’s Ten Commandments (see below), we soon realise that at some time we have broken at least one of them. God says in James 2:10 that if we break one we are guilty of breaking them all.
Question – If all mankind have sinned and are separated from God, is there anything that can be done to remedy this?
3. Jesus Christ died on the cross
Many people know the Easter story – that Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday and He rose to life on Easter Sunday. This is celebrated every year in most parts of the world. But why did Jesus have to die? Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sin that separates us from God (see Romans 5:8).
Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, the reason for our separation (see Hebrews 10:10) has now been removed and we can now approach God and be in relationship with Him.
Question – If Jesus has died to remove our sin, is there anything we have to do?
4. Faith in Jesus Christ restores the relationship between God and man
Each of us must respond personally to God’s plan for our salvation. God played His part by giving His Son to pay the price for our sin. Our part to receive what Jesus has done for us (see Revelations 3:20). God requires us to do three things to find salvation. They can be described as the A, B, C of salvation –
A – Admit. We need to admit to God that we have sinned and fallen short of His standards and to ask for His forgiveness.
B – Believe. We need to believe in Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sin.
C – Commit. We need to commit our lives to Jesus Christ and ask Him to come into our lives and guide and lead us in all we do.
How can I do this?
Responding to God is as simple as praying a short prayer that expresses our thanks for what He has done, confessing your sin and asking Jesus into your life. You can pray this prayer right now.
Dear God,
I thank You that Jesus came and died on the cross for my sin. Right now I ask for Your forgiveness. Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God and I ask You to be a part of my life. Please come and be my Lord and Saviour. Please guide me and lead me in all I do and help me to live for You. Amen.
If you just prayed this prayer, please visit our Discipleship page to find some helpful tips on starting your new life with Christ.
Footnotes
Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,…”
Genesis 2:15-17 – The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
Isaiah 59:2 – “Rather, your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear”.
Romans 3:23 – “since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.
Romans 5:8 – “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us”.
Hebrews 10:10 – “And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all”.
Revelations 3:20 – “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me”.
1 John 5:13 – “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
The Ten Commandments (extracted from Exodus 20:1-17 – New Living Translation)
If you are a new Christian you have made a great decision to follow Jesus! To get you started I have provided some suggestions for you to help you grow on your new journey. Below you will find some things that really helped me nearly 35 years ago when I decided to follow Jesus.
Read the Bible
The Bible will help you to learn more about God and gives you practical advice about how we should live. A good place to start is the Gospel of Luke that is found in the New Testament. This book will give you information on the life of Jesus Christ and you will be able to read about His miracles and teachings to His followers. After this you can move on to the Book of Acts. This talks about the early church and how they got started. We also have a number of two week reading plans on our Bible Readings page. If you don’t have access to a Bible, you can find an online one here at www.biblegateway.com
Start to pray
Prayer is simply communicating with God. It is a part of building our relationship with Him. Just remember to keep it simple. The Bible tells us to give thanks to God for what He has done when pray and also to ask for the things we need for ourselves and others. Before long you will see the difference prayer makes in your life and in the lives of those around you. You can check out our prayer category on our blog for some tips.
Meet with other Christians
God wants us to meet with other Christians and be a part of a caring faith community. We see in the Bible that He wants us to have a support network and a place where we can learn more about Him. We don’t recommend any church in particular, but encourage you to try a local one near you in your community. If you are in Western Australia you might like to look for a local Church of Christ , Baptist Church or an Australian Christian Church.
Do a discipleship course
Doing a discipleship course will help you to set a solid foundation for your new life in Christ. We have a free booklet you can download on our discipleship page. The booklet has 10 short studies on the Bible, prayer, church, serving God, sharing your faith and being assured of your salvation. It includes a number of Scriptures on each topic, some reflection questions, a simple prayer and some Bible memory verses.
Tell others about your new faith
Sharing your faith can be fun and rewarding. You might like to start by telling people close to you that you have accepted Jesus into your life. Telling others about your faith and decision to follow Jesus can will allow them to follow Him too. If you need some tips to help you share your faith you can visit a sermon I preached on this topic.