There is a great science experiment in which a professor asks his students if they believe in the principle that once released the amplitude of a free pendulum – how far it’ll swing away from the vertical position – can never increase. It can only decrease. So if you hold it on your nose and let it go, in theory it cannot come back and hit you in the face. Most students will give theoretical assent to this but very few are willing to stand in front of a large pendulum and let it go in order to validate their beliefs. Many students who do try, at the last minute, pull their heads away, as self-preservation over-rides what they say they believe.
I wonder how often we do the exact same thing in our own lives? We say we believe something and may hotly defend our belief in an argument but when the moment of truth comes we flinch and do something else. For those of us who seek to follow Jesus it can be much easier to say what we believe than to live it out. Loving others, offering forgiveness and caring for those less fortunate than us, is much easier to give intellectual assent to than to do in reality. What might we need to do to make our beliefs match our actions?
This Sunday Mark will be looking at verse 6 of the Letter to Philemon. Philemon 6 is one of the most difficult verses to translate in the entire Bible. It is easily read over, yet it is the hinge-point of the entire Letter of Philemon. What does the verse mean? And, what do its difficulties reveal about whether we can trust our Bibles? As we unpack Philemon 6 we will come to understand the importance of Bible study and see what this pivotal verse reveals to us about what it means to truly understand our faith.
Mainly Music - Meets this Wednesday from 10.00am. This programme is a fun way for parents and their children to spend quality time together based around music and movement. It is a way for us as a church to connect with and offer something back to the community of which we are a part. It’s also a way for us to demonstrate care, concern and support for those with young children.
Small Groups are now up and running again. Contact the church office@pb.org.nz if you would like to join one
Oh and for those who are unable to join us we will still have an on-air service for you @10.30am and again @ 8pm on Thursday evening on Coast Access Radio 104.7FM or you can livestream at
http://coastaccessradio.org.nz/Listen/index.aspx The message and prayers will also be posted to the sermon page on this website.
If at this time you need someone to chat with then please call the church office 04 2987766 or email office@pb.org.nz and we’ll get back to you.
And we are also on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/paraparaumubaptist
Grace and peace