Refinery Life Radio

Hey everyone and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The theme for the coming Sunday mornings is The Master’s Recipe for effective Praying.

Today we are talking about, Thy Kingdom Come.

The gospel of Matthew presents Jesus is the King of the Jews.

It is truly the Gospel of the kingdom.

Jesus’ whole Sermon on the Mount is to be seen in this relationship.

In the midst of this sermon, our Lord gave his disciples a model prayer, the second petition of which is “Thy kingdom come.”

“Thy” calls our attention to the nature of the kingdom, it is the kingdom that belongs to and comes from God.

It is to the heavenly father that we pray, “Thy kingdom come.”

The kingdom of God is the dynamic reign of God is king.

Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God existing in both the present and the future.

He affirmed to his disciples, the kingdom of God is within or among you.

Whether do you understand the preposition “within" to mean that the Kingdom is present in their hearts or present in the midst in the person of the King of heaven makes little difference.

Jesus surely taught that the kingdom of God come to earth in His ministry.

He pointed his critics to his miracles as a sign that the kingdom of God was near at hand.

But Jesus also spoke of the kingdom of God is something in the future, as the coming kingdom.

To which aspect of the kingdom then does this prayer relate?

Surely it must include both aspects.

Let us see how it might relate to our prayers.

Welcome to The Refinery.

The gospel of Matthew presents Jesus is the King of the Jews.

It is truly the Gospel of the kingdom.

Jesus’ whole Sermon on the Mount is to be seen in this relationship.

In the midst of this sermon, our Lord gave his disciples a model prayer, the second petition of which is “Thy kingdom come.”

“Thy” calls our attention to the nature of the kingdom, it is the kingdom that belongs to and comes from God.

It is to the heavenly father that we pray, “Thy kingdom come.”

The kingdom of God is the dynamic reign of God is king.

Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God existing in both the present and the future.

He affirmed to his disciples, the kingdom of God is within or among you.

Whether do you understand the preposition “within" to mean that the Kingdom is present in their hearts or present in the midst in the person of the King of heaven makes little difference.

Jesus surely taught that the kingdom of God come to earth in His ministry.

He pointed his critics to his miracles as a sign that the kingdom of God was near at hand.

But Jesus also spoke of the kingdom of God is something in the future, as the coming kingdom.

To which aspect of the kingdom then does this prayer relate?

Surely it must include both aspects.

Let us see how it might relate to our prayers.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

2024 IS A YEAR OF DECISIONS AND OPEN DOORS

Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The theme for the coming Sunday mornings is The Master’s Recipe for effective Praying.

Today we are talking about, Hallowed Be Thy Name.

The Lord's prayer is a useful guide for disciples to follow in their prayer life. 

It gives us some priorities by which to establish our prayer life. 

Most of us have quoted this presence childhood, but we may not have fully looked carefully at what it really says.

What should be the primary burden of your prayer when you approach the heavenly Father? 

In this prayer, Jesus set forth seven petitions. 

The first three are concerned with the things of God. 

The last four concerned with the things of man. 

This reflects God's priorities that should be observed in prayer.

The first petition is hallowed be thy name. 

The biblical use of name is a little strange to modern minds. 

In understanding the Bible, you cannot separate the name from the person.

Name is character so far is it revealed. 

To hallow something means to count it as Holy. 

Literally, it means “to make holy.” 

Since it is related to God in this text, we know that it carries the force here of regarding or acknowledging something that is holy.

There is no way that the name of God can be made holy, for He is the eternal Holy One.

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Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The theme for the coming Sunday mornings is The Master’s Recipe for effective Praying.

Today we are talking about Our Father.

If we are to come boldly to the throne of grace to receive help in our time of need, we must know who sits on the throne.

We must know who God is, and we must know what kind of person He is.

We can learn a lot by considering our Lord’s most basic instruction on prayer.

What we have commonly called the Lord’s Prayer contains some of the most profound thoughts on prayer found in all the Bible.

Every word of this model prayer is important.

The prayer was given again in Luke’s gospel in response to a specific request from the disciples concerning prayer. 

They felt their in adequacy in prayer and wanted Jesus’s aid.

He responded by giving this beautiful pattern to follow.

How are we to understand prayer? 

It was not given to just as a prayer to God, even though it is useful for this. 

All of us have experienced some beautiful moments with God as we are out of these words to him.

This prayer is meant to be an outline for prayer. 

It is to guide us in our prayers as an outline guides the speaker in his delivery. 

The prayer presents two major concerns that we must present to the Father. 

The first three petitions are concerned with the glory of God, His name, His kingdom, and His will.

Blast for our concerned with our needs. This should always be the order of our concern when we come to present ourselves to the Father in prayer.

First, we will gather from the light it gives about the God to him we pray. 

He is to be addressed, according to our Lord Jesus, as “Our Father which art in heaven.”

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Welcome to The Refinery.

The Inward Attitudes of a True Disciple is our theme for the next few Sunday mornings.

This series is based on the Beatitudes, found in the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.

The Beatitudes vividly set forth the inward spiritual characteristics of those who are ideal citizens of the kingdom of God. 

Only when we are right in our inward attitudes can we be right in our outward conduct.

Today we are discussing, The Forgotten Beatitude.

We have probably all heard a sermon on the Beatitudes, in fact I generally preach a series on the Beatitudes each year.

Did you know there is a Beatitude that Paul preserved for us for later?

Ask almost any Christian, even the most careful Bible student, to name the beatitudes of Jesus, and they will name those listed in Matthew 5. Not one in a hundred would name the one given in Acts 20.

Thus it is fair to call Acts 20:35 the forgotten Beatitude.

Acts 20:35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

There is no question as to the authenticity of this beatitude.

That this is a genuine saying of Jesus there is no doubt.

Beyond doubt, this was a current saying of Jesus with which the Ephesian elders were familiar.

Moreover, the writer, Luke, who heard Paul’s address to these pastors and preserved it. Also wrote the gospel that bears his name, and his gospel preserves, in slightly varied form, Jesus’ beatitudes.

There can be no doubt that Jesus demonstrated this beatitude in His life and ministry and death.

Just as surely as He demonstrated meekness, mercy, and purity of heart, so did Jesus demonstrate that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

There can be no fault found with the form in which this beatitude is given.

Paul faces his statement of the beatitude with a twofold caution, “Labouring,” he said, “you ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

His caution “to remember” is certainly in place for us, for this is the forgotten beatitude.

The Beatitudes describe the character traits of a happy Christian, and this one, so often forgotten, is the most joyous of them all.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.
Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

You’re important to God, and you’re important to us atThe Refinery.

When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you.

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The Inward Attitudes of a True Disciple is our theme for the next few Sunday mornings.

This series is based on the Beatitudes, found in the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.

The Beatitudes vividly set forth the inward spiritual characteristics of those who are ideal citizens of the kingdom of God. 

Only when we are right in our inward attitudes can we be right in our outward conduct.

Today we are discussing, The Children of God.

No work is more in imitation of God’s work than that of making peace, for is a “God of peace.”

No one is more clearly demonstrated to be a child of God than the peacemaker, the person who by his or her own character, example, and testimony is a reconciling influence in the world.

“Blessed are the peacemakers.”

How strange these words sound in our world today.

For two thousand years people have been honouring these words of Jesus with their lips while their hearts have been far from Him.

By our lives, our actions, and our words, we have said, “Blessed are the sowers of discord, the fomenters of strife.”

But, to paraphrase, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they are, they shall be called, they are acting like the children of God.”

All of those described in Jesus’ beatitudes are the children of God, for Jesus is describing seven facets of one character.

Yet nothing demonstrates more clearly the character of Christ and the nature of God than the effort to make peace.

Three observations will set forth the truth of this seventh beatitude.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The Inward Attitudes of a True Disciple is our theme for the next few Sunday mornings.

This series is based on the Beatitudes, found in the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.

The Beatitudes vividly set forth the inward spiritual characteristics of those who are ideal citizens of the kingdom of God. 

Only when we are right in our inward attitudes can we be right in our outward conduct.

Today we are discussing, The Hill of the Lord.

Psalm 24 is often given the title “The Hill of the Lord,” because the verses containing this expression form its heart.

The question “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?” Is equivalent to asking, “What is true religion?”

The psalmist answers, “He that has clean hands, and a pure heart.”

True religion is more than a matter of having clean hands, it is first of all a matter of a pure heart.

True religion is not a matter of deeds or observances or worship at all, except as these outward appearances, which are seen, are a sincere expression of a pure heart within.

If the heart is pure in the sense Jesus wants it to be pure, the rest will take care of itself.

Mixing our two Scripture passages, we might paraphrase our beatitude this way, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall ascend the hill of the Lord, and stand in His holy place, they shall receive the blessing fresh from the Lord Himself.”

How complimentary this beatitude is to humankind, “for they shall see God.”

Created as humans are, in the image of God, they have the faculty of spiritual sight.

They can see God.

How beautifully this beatitude expresses the deepest longing of the human heart, “for they shall see God.”

The desire to see God, to look upon His face, is a longing as old as man yet as contemporary as physical hunger,

Throughout the ages, humans have cried out with Job, Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat!

And the better a person comes to know God, the deeper this yearning becomes.

How truly this beatitude tells us our deepest need, “for they shall see God.”

The sixth beatitude brings us face to face with the nature and the demands of true religion, which is first of all a matter of the heart.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The Inward Attitudes of a True Disciple is our theme for the next few Sunday mornings.

This series is based on the Beatitudes, found in the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.

Today we are discussing, Rest Unto Your Souls.

As Australians, our heritage has hardly prepared us for this beatitude.

Our heritage is one that encourages contempt for what we understand as “the meek” and admiration of the self assertive.

One the one hand, we have inherited, through the times, the Roman ideal of greatness in which meekness has no place.

On the other hand, we are the heirs of Anglo Saxon self assertiveness and insistence on personal rights and privileges.

Under these influences, we have come to admire power, domination, and personal success.

Matthew 5:5 NKJV Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.

On hearing this the average Australian will say, “To tell you the truth, I just don’t admire that. 

Doesn’t that mean a weak and spineless creature, a namely pamby, flabby in character and lacking self respect?”

Labouring under this false impression of what meekness is, they ask, “Who wants to be meek? More than that, the statement “They shall inherit the earth” is ridiculous. Maybe some of them will go to heaven someday, but “inherit the earth?” Forget it! I don’t believe it!”

This beatitude meets with a poor reception by most people.

Perhaps none in the list is as unpopular as this.

To the popular mind this beatitude is undesirable and unbelievable.

But popularity is no reliable test of anything and certainly not of things that pertain to Christ and His kingdom.

The popular conception of Christian meekness is both erroneous and inadequate, and these ideas are therefore false.

This is not a popular beatitude, because in the world’s failure to understand what true meekness is, it neither admires nor desires it.

But there are some other more reliable tests to apply to this saying of Jesus.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Jesus was stating a simple fact, and that fact is demonstrated to be true by three important tests.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The Inward Attitudes of a True Disciple is our theme for the next few Sunday mornings.

This series is based on the Beatitudes, found in the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.

Today we are discussing, The Poverty That Possesses.

The person who is truly poor in spirit is blessed because such poverty enables that person to possess the supreme possession of all, “the kingdom of heaven.”

For our sakes, Jesus set the example in 2 Corinthians 8:9, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

Poverty of spirit is the first character trait Jesus wants in His followers, the subjects of His kingdom.

It is a trait that carries its own reward, “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Note the tenses here carefully, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” not “have been,” or “ shall be,” but “are.”

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The Inward Attitudes of a True Disciple is our theme for the next nine Sunday mornings.

This series is based on the Beatitudes, found in the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.

Today we are discussing, Questions about the Beatitudes.

Perhaps no sayings of Jesus are more familiar but less understood by the average Christian than the Beatitudes.

Most congregations could be classified as belonging to on for three groups on the basis of their attitudes toward the Beatitudes.

In one group there are those whose attitude is, Come to think of it, I don’t know what they mean. I’ve never tried to learn, and I don’t care.

Not many of this group come to church.

In a second group there are those whose attitude is, I have thought about the Beatitudes. I have wished I could have these qualities in my life, but this quest is not for me.

These ideals are too high. I cannot attain them.

A large percentage of the average congregation would fall into this group.

In a third group are those whose attitude is, The Beatitudes are idealistic. 

Only Jesus ever exhibited them perfectly. Being meek and merciful and pure in heart are qualities we’ll have in heaven, but they aren’t for now.

Not so!

The Beatitudes are for the here and now.

If Jesus had not wanted these qualities to be exhibited in our lives until we get to heaven, He would have waited until then to tell us.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The theme for the coming few Sunday mornings is “God’s Affirmative Action Program.”

Today we are talking about God's Affirmative Action Program: The Reality.

God’s affirmative action plan became reality when Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

At that time the eternal Word took on human flesh and came to dwell among us.

From this point on, John no longer calls Him the Word, but lets us in on the secret and gives us His name, Jesus Christ.

God took affirmative action toward us.

He came into our world through Jesus Christ.

What people had hoped for and looked toward had become a reality.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The theme for the coming few Sunday mornings is “God’s Affirmative Action Program.”

Today we are talking about God's Affirmative Action Program: The Reason.

Governments like to talk about affirmative action programs.

They can be programs that see that businesses make right some wrongs, balancing some imbalances, correcting some faults, ultimately, to bring reconciliation.

More often than not, these government programs are not so good for the wider population, and really are no more than taking from one group of people to give to another.

A redistribution of wealth wrapped up in a government program.

God also had an affirmative action program designed to bring reconciliation, proper, true reconciliation between God and man.

On these Sundays leading up to Christmas, we will examine God’s affirmative action program as expressed in the beginning of John’s gospel, John 1:1-18.

The first matter to consider is the reason for God’s affirmative action program.

Why did God need one?

Because humans had sinned against their Creator  and broken fellowship with Him, God had to make a way for them to come back into right relationship with Him.

He showed His love for humankind by initiating a plan to restore them to a position of right standing.

Just as we say, “I love you,” with words and action, that is how God communicated His love to us.

He sent His Son, the living Word, to earth.

John 1:1 NKJV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The theme for the coming few Sunday mornings is “God’s Affirmative Action Program.”

Today we are talking about What Is Your Life?

The book of James is probably the most practical writing of the New Testament.

The author, a half brother of Jesus, stressed conduct and behaviour as the true test of whether someone is a genuine Christian.

Some people have called this book “the Proverbs of the New Testament” while others have pointed out its similarity to the Sermon on the Mount.

Writing to Christians who were scattered throughout the Roman Empire, James emphasised the necessity for patience, especially as related to the tongue, warning that one of the worst sins Christians can commit is that of failing to carefully watch their words.

In this particular section of Scripture, James emphasised the uncertainty of the future, which was certainly a relevant fact in the lives of the Christians who lived in a world that was hostile to the members of the new faith.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The focus for the coming few Sunday mornings is the Holy Spirit, how we recognise Him, and how we should respond to Him. 

The theme is “Recognising and Responding to God’s Gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Today we are talking about The Holy Spirit Invites You.

Humankind’s greatest need is to know God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Because our deepest need is spiritual, God sent His Son to die on a cross to show His love for us and to conquer death that He might demonstrate to us the reality of eternal life.

Following this great redemptive activity accomplished by Jesus Christ, God sent His Holy Spirit into the church and into the world to invite all nonbelievers to come to Jesus Christ through faith that they might receive the gift of eternal life and become the children and servants of God.

If you are still a nonbeliever, you may be shocked to learn that the Holy Spirit  of God is in the world today inviting you to become a believer in Jesus Christ.

The words of our text declare the purpose of the church and of the Holy Spirit is to invite you to come to Jesus Christ, who is the fountain living waters.

He alone can quench the thirst of your soul.

Our Scripture reading urges us to listen attentively and responsively as the Holy Spirit of God speaker to our innermost being.

Jesus, in the closing days of His ministry, detailed some of the activities on the Holy Spirit who would come on the day of Pentecost.

One of the primary functions of the Holy Spirit was to bear testimony to people’s consciences regarding who Jesus Christ is and what He came to do.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The focus for the coming few Sunday mornings is the Holy Spirit, how we recognise Him, and how we should respond to Him. 

The theme is “Recognising and Responding to God’s Gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Today we are talking about Obeying the Command of the Holy Spirit.

Some people believe that they are obeying the Great Commission when they attend Sunday school and worship services.

Some believe they are obeying the Great Commission when they are singing in the worship team, or teaching at a life group.

Some believe they are obeying the Great Commission when they give a tithe of their income plus offerings or when they pray for missionaries.

All of these things are partial responses to the Great Commission of our Lord.

Philip provides us with a dramatic demonstration of how we are to bey the Great Commission on a one to one basis in our personal lives.

Visit us at

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The focus for the coming few Sunday mornings is the Holy Spirit, how we recognise Him, and how we should respond to Him. 

The theme is “Recognising and Responding to God’s Gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Today we are talking about Using The Gifts of The Holy Spirit.

God is the great giver.

He has given us His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour, Teacher, Friend, Lord, and Helper.

God has also given us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us to do God’s work.

The Holy Spirit was given the day of Pentecost to accomplish a number of significant purposes.

He came to identify Jesus Christ as the risen, living Lord and Messiah.

He was given to unite the followers of Christ into a living body in which Christ could dwell and continue His work of redemption in the world.

The Holy Spirit was given to identify the church to the Jewish people as the new Israel through whom God would carry forward His eternal redemptive purpose.

Let me make this clear we the church are not a replacement for Israel, but we are to make the Jews so jealous of our God that they convert to Christianity.

He was given to enable and to empower the church to succeed in preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth.

He was given to impart and to plant the confession, “Jesus Christ is Lord’ at the very centre of everyone’s being.

The Holy Spirit was given to produce within each believer the nature and character and personality of Jesus Christ.

While the Holy Spirit is the great gift of God to each believer, the Scriptures teach us that the Holy Spirit imparts spiritual gifts to every member of the church that each one might fulfil the function God has for Him.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The focus for the coming few Sunday mornings is the Holy Spirit, how we recognise Him, and how we should respond to Him. 

The theme is “Recognising and Responding to God’s Gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Today we are talking about The Holy Spirit, A Living Gift.

Many different options are available to someone who is eager to bestow a gift on someone they love.

 Some gifts are inanimate in nature and last a long time.

Others, like flowers, are perishable.

There are also living gifts like puppies, kittens, and plants.

God our Father has seen fit to bestow a living gift of a different nature within the mind and heart of each of His children at the moment of their conversion, the gift of the Holy Spirit, who is the living presence of God himself.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The focus for the coming few Sunday mornings is the Holy Spirit, how we recognise Him, and how we should respond to Him. 

The theme is “Recognising and Responding to God’s Gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Today we are talking about The Gift of the Holy Spirit.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The focus for the coming few Sunday mornings is evangelism, sharing the gospel with a sense of urgency, seeking to persuade the uncommitted and non believers to put their faith in Jesus Christ. 

The theme is “Today Is the Day of Salvation.”

Today we are talking about Salvation in the Present.

There are three days on everybody’s calendar, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Many people miss today because they are living in yesterday. 

Others miss the present because they are worried about tomorrow.

Let's look at salvation in the past and future and then concentrate on salvation in the present.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The focus for the coming few Sunday mornings is evangelism, sharing the gospel with a sense of urgency, seeking to persuade the uncommitted and non believers to put their faith in Jesus Christ. 

The theme is “Today Is the Day of Salvation.”

Today we are talking about The Joy of Knowing Jesus Christ as Saviour.

As Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, he was rejoicing over the blessings of God that had come upon them as a result of their faith in Jesus Christ as saviour.

Ephesians 2 points out some of the relationships that make indescribable joy possible in the heart of each one who receives Jesus Christ as Saviour, Lord, Teacher, and Friend.

There is a great joy for you in knowing Jesus Christ. 

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The focus for the coming few Sunday mornings is evangelism, sharing the gospel with a sense of urgency, seeking to persuade the uncommitted and non believers to put their faith in Jesus Christ. 

The theme is “Today Is the Day of Salvation.”

Today we are talking about Harvest time.

Even though we may not all be farmers, in fact some of us may have never planted anything in our lives, we will all harvest in the future. 

The apostle Paul painted a picture of our life as an opportunity to plant in one of two fields.

In the first field we all have an opportunity to do our planting in the realm of our fleshly nature. 

And in the second field we all have the opportunity to plant in the realm of our spiritual nature.

Paul pictured life as an opportunity to read the harvest. We will reaper harvest in the area of our fleshly nature if that has been the area in which we have done our planting. 

We will reaper harvest in the realm of the spirit if we have been sewing to the Spirit.

It is highly possible that many of us have not interpreted the words of our text as fully as we should have. 

The apostle Paul was not speaking primarily to non-believers in this text. 

He's warning believers against the peril of living only in the dimension of their fleshly nature. 

Many of us may be sowing only in the realm of the flesh and maybe totally neglecting the spirit.

The words of our text should speak loudly both to the unsaved person who sows only in the realm of the flesh and to the saved person who faces the peril of neglecting the Spirit while sowing to the fleshly nature.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

The focus for the coming few Sunday mornings is evangelism, sharing the gospel with a sense of urgency, seeking to persuade the uncommitted and non believers to put their faith in Jesus Christ. 

The theme is “Today Is the Day of Salvation.”

Today we are talking about The Lostness of the Lost Man.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

Our theme for the past few weeks has been “The Seven Deadly Sins.”

These seven sins are inward attitudes that affect character as well as conduct.

Through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be delivered from the seven deadly sins.

Today we are talking about The Deliverer from Sin.

Romans 7 pictures the tragic failure and disappointment of a believer who tries to find peace of heart through human effort to keep the holy law of God.

Paul would declare that he who seeks to overcome the seven deadly sins in willpower and human effort alone will experience the despair of one who finds a fatal flaw within that produces repeated failure.

There are two powers that would claim the right to rule in the heart of man.

Paul described these as “flesh” and “spirit.”

By the term flesh he was referring to our human nature, which is defiled by sin.

It is that portion of ourselves that remains unregenerate and does not experience the new birth.

It is part of our human nature that provides a bridgehead for sin.

It is the inward tendency that we all have to drift downward rather than to move upward.

When Paul spoke of the Spirit, he was speaking of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who comes to live within the believer at the moment of conversion and makes it possible for the child of God to grow in Christlikeness.

Romans 7 describes the pain and disappointment, the failure and despair of one who tries to live a Christian life without a conscious dependence on Christ and the filling of the Holy Spirit.

Yielding to the unregenerate nature described as “flesh” is the road to ruin.

Recognising and responding to “the Spirit” is the road to life and peace.

Romans 8 begins with “no condemnation” and closes with “no separation.”

The contents of Romans 8 declare that there need be no defeat in the Christian life.

However, it should be recognised that Christian victory over the seven deadly sins is not automatic and inevitable.

We must accept responsibility for our spiritual response to the indwelling Spirit.

Romans 8 contains twenty references to the person and work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.

It is through this living, present power of the Holy Spirit that we are to be delivered from the tyranny of sin.

From Romans 7 into Romans 8 we move from the prostration of defeat to the promise of victory.

We move from spiritual depression to spiritual delight.

We move from a sigh to a song.

The indwelling Holy Spirit makes possible spiritual victory and high ethical conduct that reflects the grace and the glory of God.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you.

So whatever you’re concerned about and need prayer for we want to be here for you!

2023 IS A YEAR OF DIVINE RESTORATION AND RECOVERY

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

Our theme for the next couple weeks is “The Seven Deadly Sins.”

These seven sins are inward attitudes that affect character as well as conduct.

Through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be delivered from the seven deadly sins.

Today we are talking about The Sixth Deadly Sin, Slothfulness.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

Our theme for the next few weeks is “The Seven Deadly Sins.”

These seven sins are inward attitudes that affect character as well as conduct.

Through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be delivered from the seven deadly sins.

Today we are talking about The Fifth Deadly Sin, Gluttony.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

Our theme for the next few weeks is “The Seven Deadly Sins.”

These seven sins are inward attitudes that affect character as well as conduct.

Through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be delivered from the seven deadly sins.

Today we are talking about The Fourth Deadly Sin, Impurity.

The fourth deadly sin was labelled “impurity” by the ancient fathers.

We know it better by the word lust.

It is the category of sin that deals with the immorality of sexual sins.

Lust, premarital and extramarital sex, prostitution, pornography, homosexuality, pedophilia, incest, and rape are all sins that may be classified as impurity.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

Our theme for the next eight weeks is “The Seven Deadly Sins.”

These seven sins are inward attitudes that affect character as well as conduct.

Through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be delivered from the seven deadly sins.

Today we are talking about The Third Deadly Sin, Envy.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

Our theme for the next eight weeks is “The Seven Deadly Sins.”

These seven sins are inward attitudes that affect character as well as conduct.

Through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be delivered from the seven deadly sins.

Today we are talking about The First Deadly Sin: Pride.

Now we know that sin is sin, but bear with me.

Pope Gregory the Great, between AD590 and Ad 604 divided all sins under seven headings.

He believed that every sin a person commits can be classified under these seven categories.

These seven words have come to be called “The seven deadly sins.”

They are pride, anger, envy, impurity, gluttony, slothfulness, and greed.

Although these sins are never found listed together in any single passage, they are continually condemned in Scripture.

Today and for the next six Sundays, we will look at each sin separately.

We begin with the sin of pride.

This sin was put at the top of the list because all of the others from from it.

Our Scripture reading for today each make a point about pride.

I have chosen three verses from the book of proverbs, and each verse will make a point today.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.

Today church we are at a crossroad, we have a choice to move forward with the Lord or stay where we are and go backwards.

There is a forerunner group of believers forming to walk in the age to come and my calling is to build them up and guide them.

We can be part of that or not, if the answer is to be fed and not do anything, that is OK, but you won’t receive the full blessing that the Lord has for you.

We need to cooperate with the Father God, who would prune out those branches, attitudes, ambitions, and actions that are counter productive, so that the church might bear much fruit.

Today we are talking about What Do You Believe.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Church.

This month we are working our way through a series titled “The Christian Family, Living for Christ in the Present.”

Marriage and the family are under great stress today.

The church has a vital stake in the husband / wife relationships and the parent / child relationships of those who call themselves believers.

Today we are talking about Enemies of the Family.

How do Christians walk?

We walk in love, as Christ taught us to walk.

This is a high ceiling, but it is nevertheless exactly what the Lord expects of His people.

When we fail, He is willing to work with us, He knows how to forgive.

But make no mistake about it, God wants us to grow continually in the fullness of life in Jesus Christ.

This may sound like an admonition for personal Christian living alone, but it also precedes a lengthy passage on family relationships.

Therefore we should apply these truths to the family as well as our personal lives.

We have already identified friends of the family, but we should be aware of enemies of the family as well.

While it is true that certain television shows and movies can be detrimental to the health of the family, these are not our primary enemies.

We cannot isolate ourselves from the world if we are to have any impact on it.

The real enemies of the family are those that arise out of our own disobedience to the Word of God.

We can name these enemies by looking carefully at our Scripture passage.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Church.

We are in a continual process of being changed into the image of Jesus Christ.

This month we are discussing Jacob’s son Joseph, I have titled this series “Lessons from Joseph.”

Today’s message is titled To Err Is Human, To Forgive Is Divine.

One more story remains in this series from the life of Joseph.

Events moved rapidly after the cupbearer finally told Pharaoh about the prisoner who had such wonderful ability because of his God.

Pharaoh called on Joseph to interpret his dream.

Soon the Hebrew boy was made prime minister of the land, second only to the king himself.

Later his brothers came to Egypt to but grain during the famine.

For a short time, Joseph played cat and mouse with them, but at last he revealed himself to them.

One of the noblest statements in God’s Word is Joseph’s address to his brothers.

Not only did he forgive them for what they had done, but he went so far as to say that God was actually using them in His plan when they sold him as a slave.

Of course, Joseph’s forgiveness did not lessen their guilt, but it may have diminished their fears of his possible revenge.

This evening, let’s look at some truths from this story.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Church.

“Beneath the Cross of Jesus" is the theme for this series that consists of eight biographical sermons about the people who were there when Jesus was dying on the cross.

Today’s message is titled The Face Of Faithfulness, John.

Christianity began with a group of men gathered by Jesus, but at the cross Christianity resembled a woman’s movement.

Of the twelve men Jesus made apostles, only one was faithful to the end.

Four faithful women stood with this one man until the end.

One of them was Mary, Jesus’ mother.

Her sister was there also.

Mary Magdalene was another of the four, and with her was the wife of Clopas.

But tonight we want to focus our attention on John.

His face beneath the cross is the face of faithfulness.

A study of John’s presence at the cross will help us in our pursuit of faithfulness.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Church.

We are in a continual process of being changed into the image of Jesus Christ.

This month we are discussing Jacob’s son Joseph, I have titled this series “Lessons from Joseph.”

Today’s message is titled Ingratitude Is a Hard Hearted Foe.

Even while he was in prison, Joseph’s impeccable character shone through.

The prison warden recognised Joseph’s integrity and put him in charge of all the prisoners.

Like Potiphar, the warden gave Joseph free rein, and God blessed him even in prison.

Some time later, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker were thrown in prison, and once again dreams entered Joseph’s life.

One night the cupbearer and the baker both had strange dreams, and the next morning Joseph interpreted their dreams correctly.

The cupbearer was restored to his position, but the baker was killed.

Joseph refused to take credit for his wisdom but gave it to God.

Also, he asked the cupbearer to remember him kindly and mention him to Pharaoh.

The cupbearer agreed, but after he was restored to favour, he failed to keep his promise.

Let’s look at this story more closely and find some truths.

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Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Church.

“Beneath the Cross of Jesus" is the theme for this series that consists of eight biographical sermons about the people who were there when Jesus was dying on the cross.

Today’s message is titled The Face Of Failure, Simon Peter.

Any of us could have done what Peter did.

Failure as a disciple does not require exceptional weakness or extreme character flaws.

This careful record of Peter’s failure is a good reminder of this fact.

Peter, a chief apostle, was present at the cross as a failure.

Let’s review the facts we know about Peter so that we can put his failure into proper perspective.

He joined the followers of Jesus very early after his brother, Andrew, brought him to Jesus.

He gave up a fishing business to become a fisher of men.

Jesus chose him to be one of the twelve apostles and later included him in the inner circle.

He ws present at the transfiguration of our Lord and was an eyewitness of most of his miracles.

He has received personal instruction from the Lord on a daily basis for over three years before his failure.

Peter had not always been a failure.

He was the one who gave the bold confession that so delighted Jesus’ heart.

Peter had never been without words before.

But now under the pressure of the circumstance, facing the scrutiny of the group in the courtyard of the high priest, he vehemently denied three times that he knew the Lord.

Though he had loved the Lord, he denied Him.

Most of us who have been disciples a while can identify with Peter.

We know the pain of failure.

We can learn from Peter’s experience.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Church.

This month we are working our way through a series titled “The Christian Family, Living for Christ in the Present.”

Marriage and the family are under great stress today.

The church has a vital stake in the husband / wife relationships and the parent / child relationships of those who call themselves believers.

Today we are talking about Friends of the Family.

We have all heard or experienced stories of floods or cyclones coming through and destroying houses.

The people who have lost their homes probably felt secure, because they may have seen flooding or cyclones previously.

We can imagine what they must have felt as all the work they had invested in those houses started to fall apart of become submerged.

They were forced to leave their homes in fear.

Many kinds of enemies, often unseen ones, eat away at the foundations not only of our houses but of our homes.

The financial investment we have in our houses is not all that is threatened, the very survival of our families is vulnerable.

To paraphrase a common Scripture verse Mark 8:36, For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

We could say “What good is it for some to gain the whole world but forfeit their family?”

But as sure as there are enemies of the family, there are also certain friends of the family.

Jesus not only taught us what to guard against but what to embrace.

He not only taught us what to do, but he helps us see how to do it.

In today’s Scripture reading, Jesus gave us the clues we need for building healthy families.

2023 IS A YEAR OF DIVINE RESTORATION AND RECOVERY

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Church.

We are in a continual process of being changed into the image of Jesus Christ.

This month we are discussing Jacob’s son Joseph, I have titled this series “Lessons from Joseph.”

Today’s message is titled Without Purity We Cannot Please God.

Whatever immaturities Joseph may have had as a young lad, his dedication and genuine of character more than made up for them.

When Joseph arrived in Egypt as a slave, Potiphar, one of the Pharaoh’s chief officials, brought him.

Joseph immediately advanced in position and was soon responsible with many large responsibilities.

His trouble, however, began when his master’s wife tried to entice him.

Joseph refused, but she wouldn’t give up.

Later the wicked woman accused Joseph of doing the very thing he had consistently refused to do.

This incident, Joseph’s refusal to compromise his moral integrity, is possibly the most remembered fact about his life in Egypt.

If Joseph had yielded to the woman’s advances, the history of his life would probably have been very different.

He stood firm on his convictions and was forced to go to jail, but emerged victorious a few years later.

One interesting side note to the story is that Potiphar probably didn’t really believe his wife’s story.

If he had, Joseph would have been executed immediately.

When Potiphar placed him in jail, he was actually showing mercy.

There are several interesting lessons speaking to us from this story.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Church.

“Beneath the Cross of Jesus" is the theme for this series that consists of eight biographical sermons about the people who were there when Jesus was dying on the cross.

Today’s message is titled The Face Of Favour, Simon of Cyrene.

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Simon of Cyrene was.

As we study the faces beneath the cross, we find the face of this favoured man.

He carried the cross to Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified.

We will use our imaginations this evening to fill in some of the details that are implied and see Simon’s story as it may have been.

Simon was born into a dedicated Jewish home in the North African city of Cyrene.

His parents expressed their faith at his birth by naming him Simon, the name of one of the famous sons of Jacob the patriarch.

As Simon grew into manhood, he probably dreamed of going to Jerusalem to observe Passover.

Such a pilgrimage was the aspiration of all the faithful Hebrew people scattered across the world.

Finally, Simon the Cyrene had the opportunity and was about to realise his dream.

We can imagine his heart beating with excitement as he entered the Holy City for the first time.

when he arrived in Jerusalem, he found the city in an uproar.

Everyone was talking about the teacher from Galilee.

they were sharp divided over Jesus’ identity.

Some were certain that He was the long awaited Messiah, but others considered Him a false prophet.

There were reports that the leaders of the people were plotting His death.

On the day of the great Passover, Simon stumbled on a strange spectacle as he entered the city.

He saw a noisy crowd gathered around a group of soldiers.

In the middle of the soldiers was an obviously weary man dragging a Roman cross.

Most of the crowd were heckling the condemned Man.

The soldiers were prodding Him to hurry Him up.

Anyone watching could see that He was about to fall under the weight of the cross.

when Simon saw what was happening, he decided to stay in the shadows.

Just then the soldiers decided they had had enough of the slow pace of the tired criminal.

They wanted to finish their assignment.

They looked around for someone to carry the cross, and their eyes fell on Simon.

One of them grabbed Simon.

“You!” He growled. 

“You take this cross out to the hill.”

Because he was a Jewish man, Simon was powerless to refuse.

Roman soldiers had the power to conscript any non Roman anytime they pleased.

Reluctant and embarrassed, Simon shouldered the cross and followed the soldiers to Golgotha.

Maybe was the outcry of the women that caused Simon to take a second look at the condemned Man.

Somewhere along the way, he became aware that he was carrying the cross of Jesus of Nazareth.

It is easy for us to see that the soldiers unknowingly granted Simon tremendous favour.

Any of us who know Jesus would have been glad to carry the cross.

Yet in a real sense the opportunity to bear His cross is always with us.

The cross symbolised all of the shame and disapproval that accompanied the life and death of Christ.

The ross was what it cost our Lord to do the will of His Father.

If we choose to walk in His ways, we, too, will bear His cross.

This event changed Simon’s life forever.

What a favoured man he was!

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

Refinery Life Church Australia

Welcome to Refinery Life Church. Happy Mothers Day Are you looking for a place of protection and rest? The entire script of the Bible, whether specifically or by implication, addresses the security of the one who trusts in the Lord. Psalm 91 is a focus on the message of security that is found in the Lord. In these days of trouble on the earth, wars, rumours of war, famine, earthquakes and breakdowns all around us there is a place to go for refuge, a place where there is shelter from the storm. Do not fear. For He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Until next time Stay in the Blessings I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word. When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer. Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body! You’re important to God, and you’re important to us at www.refinerylife.org  When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you. So whatever you’re concerned about and need prayer for we want to be here for you! Or even if you just want to say Hi, you can contact us 2023 IS A YEAR OF DIVINE RESTORATION AND RECOVERY

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Church.

We are in a continual process of being changed into the image of Jesus Christ.

This month we are discussing Jacob’s son Joseph, I have titled this series “Lessons from Joseph.”

Today’s message is titled Dream, but Don’t Make Dreams Your Master.

Joseph, like Jacob, stands out as one of the most interesting and exciting characters of the Old Testament.

All but one of Joseph’s brothers were born of different mothers, making for a diversity of interest and intensely competitive spirit among the brothers and ultimately leading to hostility.

The tension between Joseph and his brothers is reminiscent of the conflict between Jacob and Esau.

Even though Jacob and Esau had their differences, in the end they seemed to have become reconciled to the point that they did not seek to harm one another.

Joseph, on the other hand, remained a possible threat to his brothers, at least in their minds, until the very end.

Although he had forgiven them and given them positions of privilege in Egypt, they feared that after their father died Joseph would retaliate for the evil they had done to him.

Today’s Scripture reading concerns Joseph’s early years.

God had given him several meaningful dreams, and he boldly reported them to his family.

Even though we recognise that Joseph was chosen of God for a great mission, he was still a human being, and we are not irreverent to point out certain signs of his immaturity.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!