Posts from 2026

According to the book of Genesis, humanity rebelled against God in part because we wanted to be like Him in knowing right and wrong. We wanted, in other words, to be able to decide for ourselves whether something is good or bad. That sounds like a good thing – but consider how it has played out through history. The book of Judges speaks of a time when everyone did what was right in their own eyes. Unfortunately, what one person…

It had started out so well for Paul and Silas. Following what seemed to be a vision from God, they had left for the region of Macedonia to tell the people there the good news about Jesus. People were putting their trust in Jesus. But there was something that completely exasperated Paul: someone known as a fortune teller followed the missionaries wherever they went. She persistently shouted out that they were servants of the most High God, telling everyone that…

Can you imagine what it must have been like to be one of the ancient Israelites being led out of a life of slavery in Egypt? They had spent their whole lives in servitude, but were finally free. They were powerless to save themselves; Egypt seemed to have all the power. But God was anything but powerless. He rescued His people, displaying more and more of His strength to the Egyptians until Pharaoh finally let God’s people go. Perhaps some…

In Acts 3, Luke introduces us to a man who had been born lame. Can you imagine what that must have been like in those days? Lots of people in Israel back then assumed that that sort of thing was a judgement from God. Did people avoid the family, not wanting to be tainted by whatever secret sin they weren’t admitting to? Did that little boy struggle to make friends? While his peers were running around, was he propped up…

Can you imagine what it must have been like to be the priest Zechariah? He and his wife had dedicated their lives to following Yahweh. Their trust in God wasn’t an optional add-on to their lives; their faith was something they lived out on a daily basis. They were the real deal. And I don’t think they found that easy. Luke tells us that Elizabeth was unable to conceive. That’s hard for lots of couples today, and it was especially…

As far as ancient Egypt was concerned, they had an immigration problem. Many years previously, the Israelites had been allowed to settle in Egypt, during the time when Joseph was second in command to the Pharaoh. Over the years, these immigrants had thrived – and by the start of the book of Exodus, the Egyptians were getting worried. They had never really taken to the Israelites – and were worried that, should an enemy attack, the Israelites would ally themselves…

This year, our church is making our way through 12 steps of apprenticeship to Jesus, based on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. The first step, our focus in January, is realising that we are powerless to save ourselves. Between 2015 and 2018, the city of Cape Town in South African was brought to its knees by a 1-in-400 year drought. In the end, people were limited to 50 litres of water a day – with a very real threat…

How do you cope with feeling powerless to change your circumstances? When you’re stuck, what hope is there? This year, Golden Bay Baptist is working through 12 steps of apprenticeship to Jesus, based on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. The first step, our focus in January, is realising that we are powerless to save ourselves – something that the man in John 5 knew all about!

This year at Golden Bay Baptist, we are spending some time working through a 12 step program of following Jesus. Each month, we’ll consider one of the 12 steps made famous by Alcoholics Anonymous, and how it relates to following Jesus. This month, we’re looking at step 1: admitting that we are powerless. One of my favourite TV shows from when I was growing up is the British sitcom, Keeping up Appearances. The show is about a lady born into…