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    340 CHURCHES AND MORE THAN 25,000 PEOPLE NOW ON BOARD!

    The E100 Bible Reading Challenge launched across the New Zealand church on April 18. Join with thousands of others taking the Challenge as they read through the 50 essential readings in the Old Testament and 50 in the New Testament.

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E100 Comes to an End (for some!)

Posted on September 3, 2010 by Stephen Opie

Congratulations to all those who have finished E100.  If you’re still going, then take your time.  Remember, it’s not a race.  The aim of E100 is to deepen your relationship with God.

For those of you who may be wondering what’s next, we’re pleased to announce that the same team that brought you E100 are going to launch Essential Jesus in May of 2011!

Essential Jesus is a Bible reading campaign of the same style as E100.  It contains 100 readings through the life of Jesus, including 25 in the Old Testament and 75 in the New Testament.  We’re already planning the development of the resources which will include a companion book by the same author as E100, a personal planner and a small group resource.  Plans are underway to develop an awesome resource for kids too!

Essential Jesus is a great follow-on resource from E100.  We’ll have more details soon.

Thanks for taking part in E100.  You’re a part of a crowd of more than 25,000 taking the challenge.  Praise God for all he is doing with E100!

The E100 Team

Bible Society New Zealand, Scripture Union and Wycliffe Bible Translators New Zealand

Filed under: Essential Jesus | Leave a Comment »

E100 Challenge Day 100 – The Revelation

Posted on September 3, 2010 by Stephen Opie

The New Jerusalem

Welcome to day 100.  Today’s reading is Revelation 21:1 – 22:21

Read the Bible passage here or listen to the audio file below.

From Otago University New Testament Professor Paul Trebilco…

Revelation 21 and 22 give an amazing picture of the New Jerusalem – the future city of God where God will be with his people for eternity.

It’s hard – indeed impossible – for us to imagine heaven and eternity. But the passage is full of amazing images to help us to understand the new Jerusalem – images of God “making all things new” (21:5), of receiving “a gift from the spring of the water of life” (21:6), and of a huge city whose wall is of pure gold (21:18). We’re told that the glory of God is the light of the city, and the Lamb its lamp (21:23) and so there is no night. And the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations (22:2). Read more »

Filed under: Week 20 - Paul Trebilco | Leave a Comment »

E100 Challenge Day 99 – The Revelation

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Stephen Opie

Hallelujah!

Welcome to day 99.  Today’s reading is Revelation 19:1 – 20:15

Read the Bible passage here or listen to the audio file below.

From Otago University New Testament Professor Paul Trebilco…

When we look at the world all around us, it’s easy to despair. Things certainly aren’t right as they are. Will bad things always keep happening? Will evil triumph?

Revelation 19-20 speaks of God’s future judgment – that a day will come when God will judge the world. Those whose names are written in the book of life will be given eternal life. Those whose names are not written in that book will not be saved. And the powers that oppose God – Satan and Death itself – will be defeated, judged and condemned. In fact the decisive event has already happened in the cross – when Satan lost the decisive battle.

So the passage shows us that the future – and the eternal goal of all things – is in God’s hands. We can know that God will work his purposes out for our world. Read more »

Filed under: Week 20 - Paul Trebilco | Leave a Comment »

E100 Challenge Day 98 – The Revelation

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Stephen Opie

The Throne of Heaven

Welcome to day 98.  Today’s reading is Revelation 4:1 – 7:17

Read the Bible passage here or listen to the audio file below.

From Otago University New Testament Professor Paul Trebilco…

Revelation 4-7 starts with a vision of worship in heaven to God and to the Lamb. The passage then describes the havoc on earth that results from the opening of the seals, and ends with the worship of heaven again.

A crucial point in Revelation is in Chapter 5 verse 2. There an angel asks, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” The scroll is about God’s judgement.

No one is found who is worthy to open the scroll. But then one of the elders says, “Do not weep. See the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” This is Jesus; as the Lion of the tribe of Judah he is clearly the strong, conquering Messiah. Read more »

Filed under: Week 20 - Paul Trebilco | Leave a Comment »

E100 Challenge Day 97 – The Revelation

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Stephen Opie

Messages to the Churches

Welcome to day 97.  Today’s reading is Revelation 2:1 – 3:22

Read the Bible passage here or listen to the audio file below.

From Otago University New Testament Professor Paul Trebilco…

In Revelation 2-3, we have seven real letters that John wrote to particular churches in Western Asia Minor – modern day Turkey – at the end of the first century. These churches are in a whole range of situations – some have been faithful and are commended, but most of them have in some way fallen short of what God wants them to be. They are urged to repent.

These seven letters remind us that life in the church has never been easy. Some of these churches – like the church in Pergamum – were in very hostile environments and are commended for holding fast to the faith. Others have gone off the rails theologically – and are called back to be faithful. Or there is the infamous church at Laodicea that was well off materially, but had become spiritually impoverished and unfruitful. Read more »

Filed under: Week 20 - Paul Trebilco | Leave a Comment »

E100 Challenge Day 96 – The Revelation

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Stephen Opie

A Voice and a Vision

Welcome to day 96.  Today’s reading is Revelation 1:1 – 1:20.

Read the Bible passage here or listen to the audio file below.

From Otago University New Testament Professor Paul Trebilco…

The Book Revelation is of course a vision from God. But it opens in Revelation 1 as a letter – John is writing to seven churches in Asia Minor. As a letter it would have been of great relevance to these first readers.

It was a message of comfort, encouragement and hope to Christians who had been experiencing a very hard time and who were facing on-going persecution.

In this situation, the seven churches are called “seven lampstands” and they are told in Revelation 1:13 that Jesus stands in their midst – he is with them as they suffer! Read more »

Filed under: Week 20 - Paul Trebilco | Leave a Comment »

E100 Challenge Day 95 – The Apostles’ Teaching

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Stephen Opie

Love One Another

Welcome to day 95.  Today’s reading is 1 John 3:11 – 4:21

Read the Bible passage here or listen to the audio file below.

From musician, Kris Baines…

I love to read the letters that the Apostle John wrote, because they demonstrate so vividly, the change that took place in his life, through his relationship with Jesus.

The subject that John writes most about is love – love for God, and love for others – but ironically, this is the same John, who along with his brother James, were known as “The Son’s Of Thunder” – and I know they didn’t get that name because they were always bursting into tears when they had to do something difficult, or because their favourite hobby was bird watching. Read more »

Filed under: Week 19 - Kris Baines | Leave a Comment »

E100 Challenge Day 94 – The Apostles’ Teaching

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Stephen Opie

Faith and Works

Welcome to day 94.  Today’s reading is James 1:1 – 2:26

Read the Bible passage here or listen to the audio file below.

From musician, Kris Baines…

Probably one of the best quotes I have heard, on the issue of faith versus works, is this: “It is faith alone that saves, but the faith that saves is not alone”.

And that pretty much sums up my understanding of what James is trying to get across, when he talks about faith and works. You see it’s easy for a person to say they are a Christian, or a follower of Jesus, but it’s another thing altogether to show that they are.

On the other hand, it’s easy for a person to make others think they’re a Christian, because of what they do externally, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that a change has taken place in the heart. Read more »

Filed under: Week 19 - Kris Baines | Leave a Comment »

E100 Challenge Day 93 – The Apostles’ Teaching

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Stephen Opie

A Living Hope

Welcome to day 93.  Today’s reading is 1 Peter 1:1 – 2:12

Read the Bible passage here or listen to the audio file below.

From musician, Kris Baines…

If there is one thing that many people in our world so desperately need today, it is hope. Some would say they DO have hope, but the hope they speak of is more like wishful thinking, or faith in “something” that makes them feel better. That’s what it was like for me, before I found the true hope that is only found in Christ. I used to say that I was on good terms with God, and used to think that if I died I would go to the proverbial “better place” – but all that was my own imagination, and ignorance of the truth.

Thankfully, in Christ we have a hope that is based not on wishful thinking, but on changeless promises. Thankfully, in Christ we have a hope that is based not in something, but someone – who has personally invested Himself in our lives, by giving His life, that we might be restored into a relationship with Him.

That is the big difference between RELIGION and RELATIONSHIP and this is Peter’s focus as he writes this letter to the church – and what a dynamic, transparent and vibrant relationship, Peter had with his Lord. Read more »

Filed under: Week 19 - Kris Baines | Leave a Comment »

E100 Challenge Day 92 – The Apostles’ Teaching

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Stephen Opie

A New Creation in Christ

Welcome to day 92.  Today’s reading is 2 Corinthians 4:1 – 6:2

Read the Bible passage here or listen to the audio file below.

From musician, Kris Baines…

Something that took me a few years to get my head around, after becoming a Christian, was that God didn’t send Jesus to earth to die for my sins so that He could give me an improved life, but rather, it was so He could give me a new life – and what a difference there is between the two!

Before I got saved, I can’t tell you how many times I tried to “turn over a new leaf”, or “make a fresh start” – but it always ended in failure and despair.

But what an incredible thing it was, upon entering into a relationship with God, to discover that in Christ, I was a NEW creation – and ALL things had been made new – not just some of them. Read more »

Filed under: Week 19 - Kris Baines | Leave a Comment »

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