The Word For Today

The Key to True Hope for Every Australian

Dear friends, The events of 2020 have us hungering for things we’ve previously taken for granted. Like interstate travel—remember when that was a thing? The COVID pandemic has shown how the things we take for granted can change in an instant, and stirring a deep yearning for truth, hope and connectedness in many. I suspect …Read More

God’s Word Gives Hope in Uncertain Times

Dear friends, Have you ever had a Scripture jump off the page like this? 9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the …Read More

Reflecting on Stories from Visionathon

Phil, Robbo and Becci reflect on some of the powerful stories that Vision family members shared during Visionathon.

Together, We Can Continue Reaching Our Nation with the Gospel!

Dear friends, I hope you and your family are well in this time of uncertainty and great change. All of us have been impacted, and some have found their world turned upside down, like Carol: ‘Even in recent times with COVID-19, having been stood down and isolated, Vision has been my family.’ What a privilege …Read More

Easter Video 2020

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Your family background doesn’t matter

‘Jesus is not ashamed to call [us] brothers and sisters.’ Hebrews 2:11 NIV

Every family has its secrets. A cousin with a prison record, or a dad who abandoned the family, or a grandparent who ran off with a co-worker. It may surprise you to know Jesus didn’t come from a perfect family either. The Bible records the details of Jesus’ ancestral lineage—and it includes some flawed characters! There’s Tamar, who tricked her father-in-law and seduced him, and there’s Jacob who pressured his brother and took advantage of his father-in-law in order to get rich. And how about King David? One day he was writing psalms, and the next he was taking the wife of one of his army officers to bed.

The list goes on, and Scripture records it to let you know two important truths:

(1) You are not unique. If your family tree has damaged fruit, Jesus wants you to know He’s been there! In the absence of any mention of Joseph’s involvement in Jesus’ adult life, some scholars believe Mary may have raised Him and his siblings alone. And Jesus wasn’t reluctant to call His ancestors ‘family’—which means He’s not ashamed of you either.

(2) Jesus doesn’t look at your past in order to decide your future. In His eyes, spiritual DNA trumps natural DNA! The Bible says: ‘If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.’ (2 Corinthians 5:17–18^NIV) So don’t be afraid to tell others that what Jesus did for you, He will do for them when they put their trust in Him.

SoulFood: Num 32:25–33:56, Mark 8:1–13, Ps 44:17–26, Pr 11:12–13