The Bridge Community Church

Guest Speaker: Marg Hummelman
Scripture: John 2

Abiding Among us: “Come and See”
Jesus never encourages ‘blind faith’. His invitation to ‘come and see’ is an invitation to investigate and make your own decisions. Religious persuasion ought to be an assumption of a free society, in which we assume people are free to make their own decisions. So on the one hand, ‘come and see’ is about creating an atmosphere and and skill for good listening and persuasion; but on the other hand, ‘come and see’ is about being a community in which the grace and power of Christ is actually at work – something to see.

Speaker: Dan Roukema

When John the Baptist pointed to Jesus, he said “Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. We’re going to delve into what John meant by this. What it meant to the Jewish people, and what it means for the church and the world today. We will explore the benefits of naming and confessing sin, as well as resting in the knowledge of having this sin “taken away”. All of this will land on the importance of the church, therefore, on behalf of the world – to point to the one who takes away sin.

Speaker: Dan Roukema
The Church is a people called to point to Jesus. This was the role of John the Baptist. This is the role of the Holy Spirit – always pointing away from himself to Jesus – and when people are filled with the Spirit, they do the same. The Church is a sign that points to Jesus, and what God is doing in the world through Him.

Speaker: Dan Roukema
Scripture: 1 John 4: 9 -10

Speaker: Dan Roukema
Scripture: Luke 2

3rd week of Advent: How do we find peace in the context of conflict?

Speaker: Dan Roukema
Scripture: John 16:16-24, Philippians 4:10-13

Jesus said he came in order that we might have joy, and that after his resurrection, “our joy cannot be taken from us”. Paul said that he learned the “secret of being content in all circumstances”. We hope, this Sunday, to learn more about this joy that is birthed in us, and how – for Paul – this birth became the secret of an unflappable joy.

This Advent season, we wish to focus on the reality that the good news comes to us in bad circumstance. We wish for our Christmas cheer to be celebrated within the reality of pain and suffering. We wish to embrace our pain in a way that readies our hearts for the birth of Christ – to know that Christ is born in darkness.

Speaker: Dan Roukema

Speaker: Dan Roukema
Text: Revelation 2/3; John 1; John 17; Acts 5

Over the last three months Bridge members/attenders have been asked to share their prayers and thoughts that have arisen from asking: ‘what is Christ saying to the Bridge church? What would he affirm? What would he rebuke?’ Two weeks ago, the Board of the Bridge church processed these responses in conjunction with their own prayers and thoughts, and have fashioned from all of this, a short letter (akin to the style of letter we find in Revelation 2/3) addressed to the Bridge church. We are taking these words as from Christ – because we take seriously that the resurrected Christ is within us, and we are therefore able to communally discern his message for us. And although we have written this message down, hearing the voice of God is always open for further discernment. So come out this week and hear what we believe Christ is saying to the Bridge church.

Speaker: Dan Roukema
Scripture: Acts 4:32 – 5:11

In Acts 5 we find the story of Ananias and Sapphira, a couple who fell dead
as consequence of participating in deception while claiming to be ‘of one
heart and mind’ with the church. The early church experienced a powerful
presence of the Spirit and as such, people were healed of sickness, people
shared all their possessions with each other so that no one was in need, and
injustice failed to ‘get off the ground’ (which is why the Ananias and
Sapphira story is shared at this place in Scripture). All of this attests
to the power that can be…when the church is united in the Spirit – of one
heart and mind.