Red Door Church

Reader: John Hudson Preacher: Jonathan Smith Before we can celebrate the birth of Christ, we must reckon with the holiness of God and the depth of our sin. Isaiahʼs vision reminds us that Advent begins with awe. Jesus who comes to us in the manger is the same Lord who sits enthroned in glory. Yet the coal that once touched Isaiahʼs lips has become the cross that purifies us forever. Like Isaiah, we who have been forgiven are now sent out with a message of hope. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make allbecau of life all about Jesus.

Reader: Jacob Elzo Preacher: Jonathan Smith Isaiah 4 is short but full of promise. The big idea is that after judgment, renewal comes through Godʼs appointed King. Out of the wasteland of human failure, God raises up new life. This is not a triumph of human effort, but divine grace blooming where before there was only desolation. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make allbecau of life all about Jesus.

Reader: John Hargrave Preacher: Jonathan Smith The Advent story begins here, not with shepherds and angels, but with the recognition that our world is broken, our worship tainted, and our hearts are in need of renewal. Godʼs holiness demands both judgment and mercy. He will not overlook sin, but neither will he abandon sinners. Only when we see our sin clearly can we grasp the wonder of salvation. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make all Of life all about Jesus.

Reader: Mario’s Kyriakou Preacher: Jonathan Smith This Sunday, we join with believers around the world for the Open Doors International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church. Jesus said, “You will be hated because of me” (Matthew 10), yet he also promises, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2). Together we’ll open Scripture, hear stories of courage, and pray for believers who suffer for Christ today. Come ready to stand with our global family and to be strengthened in faith and hope Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make all Of life all about Jesus.

Psalm 3 by Red Door Church

Reader: Danita O’Loughlin Preacher: Josh Hennessy This is week two of a two part mini-series titled “Dying To Live”. Last week Josh spoke of the worldy ideals we need to let die in order to live for Christ - worldly possessions, worldly dignity and worldly identity. Today Josh tells us what we should replace these ideals with. We should build treasures for heaven, become fools for Christ and live in our identity as children of God and heirs with Jesus in the kingdom. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make all Of life all about Jesus.

Reader: Jacob Elzo Preacher: Josh Hennessy Matt 13:44-46 In this two part mini-series, Josh speaks to us about Dying To Live. As christians, we should not have a fear of death because Jesus has conquered death and has promised us a better everlasting life after this one. However, we don't always live like this. We often cling onto this life out of fear of death, almost like we do not believe the truth promised by God. Josh challenges us on the things that we hold too tightly, which we need to let die in order to live this life (and the next) to the fullest. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make allbecau of life all about Jesus.

Reader: John Hudson Preacher: Jonathan Smith 1 Corinthians 3:5-11 The twenty year history of our church bears witness to many things: the foresight of the Anglican Diocese, the faithful labour of God’s people, perseverance through hardship and suffering, and much more. But above all, and through all, and in all is God’s grace, power, provision, and love. Reflecting on these years, Jonathan takes us to various passages of Scripture that speak to our own journey over the past twenty years of gospel ministry. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make allbecau of life all about Jesus.

Reader: Bek Hudson Preacher: John Hudson The book of Acts has challenged us to not be prejudiced, but we live in a politically polarised and prejudiced society. John gives us resources to better understand how we can navigate politics and cultural engagement, giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s and giving to God what is God’s in our modern western culture. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make all Of life all about Jesus.

Reader: Esther Hudson Preacher: Tibor Tumbas Today in Acts 10:34-48 we see Peter breaking through his prejudices because he realises that God's promises are for everyone - not just for the Jews. God shows no favouritism. We can be thankful for that. Tibor tells us of the conversion of Jeffrey Dahmer, a serial killer. If we are shocked to think that a person like Jeffrey Dahmer could become a Christian, then we under estimate the power of God. Conversely, if we wonder how could God accept and forgive such an evil person then we do not fully understand the grace of God. For the Jews of the first century, the acceptance of gentiles into the church is their equivalence of Jeffrey Dahmer, such was the disdain for the gentiles by the Jews. We need to consider how gracious is God because He has accepted us, and that is good news for us. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make allbecau of life all about Jesus.

Reader: Danita O'Loughlin Preacher: Jonathan Smith Today in Acts 10:1–33 we see God preparing Peter and a Roman big shot named Cornelius for a meeting that will change history. We hear how God breaks down walls and calls his church to welcome all kinds of people into his kingdom. However, there is a warning for us in this message. God had to show Peter that his prejudices needed to be overcome, and yet, later in his ministry, Peter fell back upon his old prejudices. We may think we do not hold any prejudices, but we do. Prejudice is not tolerated by God, so we must continue to fall upon the mercy of God and repent of our own hidden prejudices. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make all of life all about Jesus.

Reader: John Hargrave Preacher: Jonathan Smith Today we are looking at Acts, chapter 9, verses 31 to 43, where there is peace in the church following Paul's conversion. As a result of the peace, the church is able to do what it is meant to do - proclaim the name of Jesus by living like Jesus. Peter does exactly this. He witnessed Jesus healing a crippled man and bringing a person back to life. Peter is faced with the very same situtions. Imitating Jesus, Peter heals Aeneas and has him walking, and he raises Tabitha from the dead BUT it is not Peter who is doing this. Peter clearly states it is Jesus who is performing these miracles. Peter is just the conduit. Peter was an ordinary man living doing extraordinary things in the power of the Holy Spirit - and that is the lesson for us. We too are ordinary people and we too can do extraordinary things in the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring glory to God. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping peop

Reader: Bek Hudson Preacher: Jonathan Smith Today we witness one of the most dramatic transformations in the Bible - the conversion of Saul - which turns the church’s greatest threat into one of its greatest gifts. What we should also be aware of is that God does exactly the same with us. Because of his intimate love for us, he has called us to him through his sovereign power, just like he called Saul. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make all of life all about Jesus.

Reader: Bek Hudson Preacher: Jonathan Smith Today Pastor Jonathan is teaching on Philip's encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch and how he witnesses to this man and teaches him who Jesus is. Philip was just an ordinary person in the church - he wasn't an apostle or one of the leaders, but God used him to present the gospel to this Ehthiopian official. Was this coincidence that these two men met, or was it a divine appointment, orchestrated by God? Jonathan presents that it was a divine appointment. Anytime when we are challenged to present the gospel to someone, God has already started the process for the person to hear, so we need to adopt the attitude that something extraordinary will happen when we obey God and be both obedient and expectant. After all, the entire Book of Acts is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things by the power of the Holy Spirit, and these things did not stop in the first century. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people he

Reader: Danita O'Loughlin Preacher: Jonathan Smith Acts 8:4-25 After the persecution in Jerusalem scattered the early believers, they began preaching the gospel wherever they went. This Sunday we will meet Simon the Sorcerer, a man who had previously amazed the people with his magic and claimed to be someone great. We’ll see that the gospel brings transformation - not just belief, but a change of heart - and that the power of God cannot be bought, but only received by grace. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make all of life all about Jesus.

Reader: Marios Kyriakou Preacher: Jonathan Smith You might have heard people say, “As soon as I became a Christian, life got much harder.” This is often true, and never more so than for Stephen. He became a Christian at Pentecost, was put in charge of the mercy ministry (in last week’s passage), put up on trial for blasphemy, and (in next week’s passage) will be put to death for following Jesus. This Sunday’s passage focusses on the charges levelled at him and his brilliant defence of the truth of the gospel. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make all of life all about Jesus.

Reader: John Hargrave Preacher: Jonathan Smith The faithful ministry of Word and Spirit results in rapid growth for the early church. This is a beautiful display of God’s grace, but it also makes life more complicated and potentially divisive. In response to these growing pains, the Apostles appoint faithful servants to aid in the ministry of pastoral care. Churches today must do the same. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make all of life all about Jesus.

Reader: Bek Hudson Preacher: John Hudson We are in the final week of three where John is taking us on a journey that shows us the resources that we have in the Gsopel. Today he shows how the gospel fully satisfies. Placing our hope in people, careers, material possession, or for that matter, anything other than the gospel, we will eventually be unsatisfied because the circumstances around these other things change. God never changes. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make all of life all about Jesus.

Reader: Danita O'Loughlin Preacher: John Hudson In week two where John is taking us on a journey that shows us the resources that we have in the Gsopel, he shows talks of a hope that will never disappoint us, unlike anything else we may place our hope in. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make all of life all about Jesus.

Reader: Graeme Miller Preacher: John Hudson Over the next three weeks John is taking us on a journey where he shows us that all we need is within the Gospel. Today he shows that our meaning and the meaning of life is in Jesus and not in anything we create. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make all of life all about Jesus.