open icon
baptist church
baptist church
Topic: Bible
At Open Icon Baptist Church, we value great preaching — preaching that engages deeply, humbly and honestly with Jesus, the Bible, and the pain and joy of living in the real world. And since going permanently online, we have been able to welcome great preachers from all over the world without having to wait for them to visit our shores. Click here to meet the inspirational preachers depicted in the gallery above, none of whom have preached for us!
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1 June, 2025
Christ’s story – the crucifixion of the truly good and its resurrection and coming victory – is the whole story of God’s work in the world and the whole story of the Bible.
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26 May, 2024
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Bible, Discernment, Evil, Jesus, Sacraments, Trinity, War
Scripture: Luke
The doctrine of the Trinity teaches us how to take sides when the Bible brings us conflicting voices, especially over persistent issues like ethno-nationalism, racism, war, and genocide.
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18 February, 2024
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Apocalypse, Bible, Conversion, Covenant, Discernment, Ethics, judgement, Lent, Repentance
Scripture: Genesis
Both contemporary and ancient understandings of the rainbow sign point to God’s expansive love overcoming our fears and hostilities.
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21 January, 2024
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Bible, Compassion, Conflict, Empire, Grace, Reconciliation, Violence
Scripture: Jonah
The story of Jonah challenges us whenever we start thinking that we have special rights as God’s people.
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12 November, 2023
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Apocalypse, Bible, Empire, Identity, Oppresion, peace, Politics, Power, Suffering, Terror, Violence, War
Scripture: Joshua
Many parts of the Bible can be and often are weaponised as tools of oppression, but when we read it critically, with and through the teachings and example of Jesus, it calls us to liberation and life.
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5 November, 2023
We we allow God’s word to work in us, it lifts the burden of oppressive teaching from us.
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11 December, 2022
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Abundance, Bible, Conversion, Faithfulness, Fullness of Life, Grace, Hope, Jesus, Liberation
Jesus asks us to assess the legitimacy of any ministry by its transforming and liberating outcomes for the world and its peoples.
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18 September, 2022
Jesus’s parables always shock us, and few things shock us more than the outrageous graciousness that God shows us and calls for from us.
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4 September, 2022
As dangerous climate change unfolds before our eyes, the best possible outcome is entirely dependent upon humanity coming to a full acknowledgement of its special power and its special responsibility, which must centrally involve mastering our power.
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31 July, 2022
When we read scripture through the eyes of Jesus, we find a way free of the violent abusive images of God in some of the ancient texts.
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22 May, 2022
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Scripture: Revelation
Much traditional morality is based on the idea of separation into binary categories, good and bad, but the Bible also points a path towards a liberating non-binary future in God.
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20 October, 2019
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Authority, Bible, Discernment, Faithfulness, Law, Love
Scripture: 1 & 2 Timothy, Jeremiah
Reading scripture with God’s people keeps us honest as we seek to interpret and live by God’s law written on our hearts.
