An Appealing Message?

By Luke Midena, Canberra Labouring Community

Is this an appealing message?

This was a question asked by a young man in our discipleship training group over dinner recently.

In an era where people crave authenticity and evidence of God’s power, Simon*— who has been battling significant undiagnosed health issues such as constant pain, breathlessness, fatigue, and a 15kg weight loss in recent months — wasn’t questioning the message itself, but his role as the messenger. He voiced a common concern:

‘If anything, my life is evidence against the gospel! Who would want to be like me?’

This brought us to the core of the gospel. If it’s true that God is most clearly experienced and seen in our suffering, what is the good news that we’re sharing?

The gospel reorders what it means to prosper or succeed. It offers hope that goes way beyond physical wellbeing in the here and now. Simon’s suffering brought us to the heart of what it is to be blessed – an intimate, loving, and trusting relationship with God. Just as Jesus expressed, ‘…that where I am you may be also’ (John. 14:3).

We wondered: Do our friends desire a message like this? Is the gospel truly appealing?


Please Pray for Simon:

  • Gratitude: Thank God for Simon’s burning desire to make Jesus known.
  • Strength in Weakness: Pray that the power of the resurrected life of Jesus would be perfectly seen and experienced in his weakness.
  • Boldness: Ask that God would fill Simon with such a knowledge of Christ’s love that he would gladly boast about the gospel to his colleagues.
  • Healing: Pray for God’s healing in Simon’s life.
  • More broadly, as all the young men and women in our discipleship groups learn to share the gospel with their friends, pray that their security and rest in God amid their weaknesses would adorn the message.

Upcoming Events and Needs:

  • NavCon24: Our national student conference is on from June 24-27. Stowe Campbell from the NZ Navigators will train students to engage deeply with God through Scripture, focusing on the book of Exodus. We’ll be taking a group of Canberra students down to Melbourne for this. Sign up here.
  • Canberra-wide Labourers Evenings: The theme for our bi-monthly dinner meetings this year is ‘Immersing Our Minds in God’s Perspective’. Pray that we meditate on His word (Joshua 1:8) and that God grants us clarity through the truth of the gospel. Also, pray for wisdom in prioritising and developing our scriptural study skills.
  • Canberra Fundraising Afternoon Tea: Scheduled for 29 June. Pray that God would be honoured as we celebrate His generosity and that He continues to meet our financial needs. May everyone who attends delight in the responsibility Christ entrusted to us (Matthew 28:18-20). Interested in coming along? Sign up here.

Thank you so much for your prayers.

*Names are changed to protect privacy or identities of persons in sensitive situations.

The God Who Saves

By Luke Midena, Canberra Labouring Community 

I wonder, have you shared about Jesus with someone who seemed to recognise the good news for what it is, but never embraced the message?

I’ve often wondered where the process has broken down. Was it me – did I overlook a vital element of the gospel? Was it them – was their sincerity genuine? Was it God – couldn’t he have done a little more to get them across the line? (more…)

Who is God and what is He like?

Is God the centre of your life? Would you like to know Him better? Love Him deeper? Grow to be more like His son, Jesus? (more…)

Why is Good Friday good?

By Grant Dibden

I remember as a kid laughing at Christianity for calling the day that Jesus died Good Friday. Good – the day that Jesus died! I thought that was crazy. Good Friday, the day the supposed hero died? Surely, it should be Bad Friday! I really had no clue about Christianity. I had gone to Sunday school and knew about Jesus, but I just didn’t understand the gospel.

Good Friday is good because (more…)

The Gospel at Work

By Adrian Cassar, first published in Compass, Summer 2020

Gospel in Me

I didn’t grow up going to church but after uni, pondered the big question – why am I here? Over the next year, God put several people in my path that led me to the Bible and to giving my life to Christ in February of 1998. (more…)

God-talk, the Gospel and the Pub

By Luke Midena, first published in Compass Winter edition 2020

Friday afternoons at the ANU campus are a highlight of every week – I get to meet with a group of believing and unbelieving students at a pub, to  discuss life’s big questions around meaning, suffering, belief, freedom and morality. (more…)

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