Gracebooks NZ - Christian Resources

Today, the board of Gracebooks NZ met in Hastings to discuss the ministry of Gracebooks NZ. This is a Christian book, DVD, and CD distributing ministry that supplies sound biblical resources to New Zealand and Australia. Gracebooks has a bookstore in Hastings and a website on which all its resources are available to browse and purchase.

Periodically, Gracebooks makes selected titles available to its mailing list members at reduced prices. To get onto the mailing list, please e-mail Denys Tomaselli.

Gracebooks is a non-profit ministry which depends upon donations to ensure its continuance. If you'd like to support his vital ministry, again please contact the Director, Denys Tomaselli.

If you click on the icon above, you'll be taken to the Gracebooks NZ website. You'll find that Gracebooks sells its resources at affordable prices (often below normal retail prices), and if you are buying within New Zealand, SHIPPING IS FREE.

Here's a picture of today's meeting with board members and volunteer staff. . .


Please pray for the Gracebooks staff as they endeavour to serve the Christian community.

Sports Camp Ends

The Riverbend Bible Church 'Sports Camp' is all done and dusted for 2010. On Monday, the eight teams went home sunburned, tired from nonstop sport, sore with injuries, challenged about their walk with the Lord, invigorated by new friendships, and rejoicing in Christ. Mike Penberthy presented the gospel over the course of the weekend and spent a lot of time between sessions on the sports field talking with people about Christ. We are thanking the Lord for a very beneficial weekend.

Here are some photos of the various events. . .



Mike returned to the US yesterday and will be reunited with his family by now. Here is a photo of us with Sereena standing on a step :)

Sports Camp Begins

Former LA Laker, Mike Penberthy, kicked off our annual Sports Camp today with a stirring testimony of God's grace in his life. He reflected on what it meant to climb to the top of the basketball world, winning an NBA title alongside Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neil, only to discover that earthly achievement did not satisfy. Only Christ has brought meaning and significance to Mike's life. Only walking with the Lord has brought him true joy and peace.


Please pray for the remainder of the weekend. Sports Camp is designed to bring the gospel to young athletes who gather from all around the North Island of New Zealand. As I write, the teams are playing all manner of sports, outside my window, in the Hawkes Bay sun. Later, they gather again to hear more from God's Word concerning sin and salvation. We are asking the Lord to save many this weekend.

If you want to watch Mike's teaching sessions online, you can catch the video at: http://www.livestream.com/rbcnz

Oh, and here is a video clip of Mike Penberthy's LA Laker days. . .

Impact Bible Conference - June 2011

Plans are coming together for Impact 2011. The theme is "Stepping into Eternity". Two keynote speakers are planning to preach on the following topics/passages. What do you think? . . .

Bill Barrick's General Sessions:

• How Does Our Future State Impact Our Current Living? (2 Corinthians 5:6-10)
• What Is the Purpose of the Doctrine of Last Things? (2 Peter 3:10-18)
• How Does the Doctrine of Last Things Complete the Doctrine of First Things?
• Why Is Christ’s Coming the Focal Point of the Lord’s Table?
• How Does the Judgment Seat of Christ Relate to Our Glorification?

Jack Hughes' General Sessions:

• Present and Future Ministry of Angels to Believers and Unbelievers (Hebrews 1:14)
• A Trip to Hell – Exploring the Realities of Future Punishment (Luke 12:4-9)
• Investing in Eternity Now (Luke 12:33-34)
• What Will There Be for Us? – Heaven, an Unspeakable Reward (Luke 18:28-30)
• A Glimpse at the Resurrected Lord of Glory (Revelation 1:9-18)

We'll keep you updated with seminar options as they come together.

TSBC Preaching Labs

TSBC's preachers-in-training undertake their second round of preaching labs this Sunday afternoon (17 October) in New Testament Narrative passages. Here is the schedule:

• Mark 10:17-27 - Zohar Gonen @ 3:30 pm
• Luke 13: 1-9 - Reuben Pickering @ 4:20 pm
• Luke 14:25-35 - Josh Powell @ 5:10 pm
  

If you're local, please come join us at The Shepherd's Bible College in Hastings. You'll be ministered to, and you'll have an opportunity to offer constructive feedback to the students.

Sermon Series Finished

This past Sunday at Riverbend Bible Church, I finished preaching a four-week sermon series entitled "God's Gracious Hand Towards Sinners".

The four passages we covered were;

1. David's Sin (2 Samuel 11)
2. David's Rebuke (2 Samuel 12)
3. David's Confession (Psalm 51) - Seven signs of genuine confession
4. David's Lessons Learned (Psalm 32) - Six reasons to confess sin

If you interested in listening to the sermons you can get them here: RBC Sermon Audio

Also, if you want copies of the handouts and/or PowerPoint presentations that went with these messages, please contact me at my e-mail address, and I'll get those to you.

TSBC E-Quipper - October 2010 Issue

As the Rubber Meets the Road

By Russell Hohneck

My passion in ministry is that all theology works out in practice – it is the “rubber on the road” concept. Recently I experienced an incident where the rubber and the road were not working together. As I cruised along, the rubber didn’t stick and gravity brought us hard onto the road. The bike was totalled and I ended up a little worse for the experience.

The same result occurs when theology is gained for the purpose of learning and little attention given to how it is to be practiced. The Lord surely is the master at putting the two together. This is easily identified in the title by which the Lord is endearingly referred to throughout the Scriptures as “the Shepherd.” The greatest theologian then is known in terms of a very practical task. Shepherding the flock of God is the heartbeat of the Lord and biblical history and Scriptures are strongly marked with this analogy (e.g. Exodus 34; Psalm 23; John 10; Luke 15; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter; Hebrews 13:20). Even in heaven itself, Jesus will be known as the Shepherd:

“. . . for the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd, . . . .” Revelation 7:17.

No wonder at the end of three years of training His disciples in theology and personal mentoring, Jesus says to Peter while probing Peter’s love and devotion for Himself , “tend my lambs . . . shepherd my sheep . . . tend my sheep.” Shepherding the flock is the heart of the greatest Shepherd and every theology and ministry needs to reflect that very practical “rubber on the road” shepherding if it is to be centered on Christ.

I believe that TSBC has this focus as it trains and equips people within the church. Theology and shepherding go hand in hand and TSBC is striving to bring the rubber of theology to the road of faith.

For further reading:“The Minister as Shepherd” by Charles Jefferson.