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baptist church
baptist church
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
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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Pastor
Nathan Nettleton
Nathan Nettleton has served as pastor of this congregation since 1994. He was ordained as a Baptist pastor that same year and completed an honours degree in theology at Whitley College in 1995, followed by a Master of Theology in Liturgical Studies from the University of Divinity in 2001. In our church, he carries particular responsibilities for the preaching, teaching, and ordering of worship and prayer, and for pastoral care. He also writes liturgical resources for a global audience through LaughingBird.net, and serves as a board member of Open Baptists. Nathan is married to Margie, and they have an adult daughter, Acacia, and two dogs.
Sermons by Nathan Nettleton
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3 January, 1999
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Discipleship, Faithfulness, Incarnation, Jesus
The Word has become flesh to redeem us. Now our redeemed response must become flesh.
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6 December, 1998
Preparing the way of the Lord is not just a temporary clean-up for the visitor, but an embracing of the new possibilities that are opening to us.
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29 November, 1998
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Ethics, Fullness of Life, Hope, Salvation
We are called to live the lifestyle of the era that has not quite dawned – values found in Jesus Christ that will bring life to the world.
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1 November, 1998
The values Christ calls us to live by can (for most people) only be lived in community with the saints, past and present.
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4 October, 1998
Christian discipleship is about fully living the faith you have, and it is a basic human duty, not a cause for special commendation.
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27 September, 1998
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Culture, Fullness of Life, Greed, Money, Relationships, Spirituality
Scripture: 1 & 2 Timothy
Real life is found in a trusting relationship with God, but the greatest obstacle to that is a culture of trusting money and we will only be able to avoid that if we fight it together.
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9 August, 1998
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Culture, Fullness of Life, Generosity, Greed, Jesus, Spiritual Disciplines, Stewardship
Scripture: Luke
The search for meaning and fullness of life without cost, risk or struggle is futile, but the Kingdom is still a free gift, given by God, to all who will accept it.
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26 July, 1998
The three most valuable helps for those who would learn to pray are, 1) an experienced mentor or spiritual director,  2) the use of well prepared set prayers, and 3) perseverance.
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19 July, 1998
Our experience of being reconciled to God through Christ provides the inspiration and the model for the work of reconciliation across the various divides within our world.
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11 July, 1998
Our perception of things can be distorted by the context in which we see them. Jesus constantly challenges our misperceptions by challenging us to look at things through a different frame. It is only by constant reference to Jesus and to the ways that he looked at things that we learn to see ourselves and our surrounds more realistically.
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28 June, 1998
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Scripture: Galatians
Our bodies are integral to who we are and are destined for resurrection and glorification, but the fracturing of the integrity of creation affects us too in ways that mean we often find our bodies at war with our spirits. The pathway to sanctification involves a reintegration of body and spirit, and sometimes that means denial and disciplining of physical desires.
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14 June, 1998
People judge one another by their conformity to certain expectations (which vary from group to group), but God is only interested in our willingness to come into the loving intimacy he offers to all.