Dear Prime Minister Ardern, Minister Faafoi, and Members of Parliament, Thank you for giving your time to read and consider the following statement with regards to the recently proposed “Conversion Practices Prohibition Law Bill”. I have read the proposed piece of legislation and have grave concerns. Concerns for two fundamental principles of Liberal Democracy: 1. Freedom of Speech and 2.… Read more →
Joe Fleener
Lover of Christ & His Gospel, Husband to Mandy, Father to three wonderful children, & Servant to the Local Church. Joe earned a Master of Divinity degree from Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary in 2003, completed his Masters of Theology courses in 2005 and moved to New Zealand with his family in 2006. Joe has served as a Bible College lecturer and “lay preacher” (churches, camps, conferences, etc.) in the US and New Zealand. In addition, Joe has taught courses for Bible Colleges in South Africa, Romania, Ukraine, and Australia. From 2010 to 2014, Joe served as the Associate Pastor at Howick Baptist Church in Auckland. Since August 2014, he has been privileged to serve as Pastor of Rolleston Baptist Church. Joe also serves in the following ministry roles here in New Zealand: Steering Committee, Stand for the Gospel | Coordinator, TIM Training Course | Board Member, Gospel Training Trust | Adjunct Lecturer, Grace Theological College. Finally I serve as a trainer for BibleWorks. Infrequently, Joe blogs on his personal blog where you can learn a lot more about him and his family over the years.
Recent NZ Legislation: Conversion Therapy Ban & Hate Speech
In recent weeks here in New Zealand, we have seen our government propose new legislation along with changes to existing legislation which together present a shift virtually unprecedented in Western Liberal Democracy. Specifically, we are addressing suggested proposals to what is generally referred to as “Hate Speech Laws” (Proposals against the incitement of hatred/hostility) along with new legislation under the… Read more →
Join this Chariot: A Biblical, Exegetical, Theological, Historical Response
On 14 June 2021 InsideOut released a 72 page PDF document titled Join this Chariot: Christian Schools Supporting Rainbow Students’ Wellbeing. (A link to this PDF will not be provided here. It is found quite easily with a simple Google search!) This is a biblical, exegetical, theological, historical response. Let’s start with some definitions. Biblical: This response will aim to… Read more →
Our Third Location in Six and a Half Years – Lemonwood Grove – 09 May
Over the last couple of months we have been blessed with an increasing attendance on Sunday mornings to the point we are pretty close to fully running out of seating space. The Lord has kindly provided us with a new venue! We move to this location on Sunday, 09 May. The venue is very spacious and will allow for a… Read more →
28 Feb 2021 – Covid Alert Level 2 – Service Plans
Hopefully you have seen or heard the announcement made tonight that we are shifting to Covid Alert Level 2 at 6am tomorrow (Sunday, 28 Feb) morning. We are doing everything we can to ensure we keep to the Government Guidelines as specified on the Covid-19 website. Here is our plan for tomorrow… Effectively we plan to proceed as “normal” with the exception… Read more →
2021 Reading Plans as You Plan to Read
I hope your planning to read in 2021. Specifically, I hope you are planning to read your Bible and good theology in 2021. From my experience, most people won’t do either without a plan. Here are some helpful plans for you Bible reading: Bible Reading Plan for Shirkers and Slackers Professor Grant Horners Bible Reading System ESV Reading Plans ESV… Read more →
Euthanasia & Cannabis Info
Election/Euthanasia and Cannabis: This link will take you to a YouTube video of a recorded talk I completed on this subject. You can also download a PDF of the manuscript for there here. You can also download an MP3 which includes If you are not already familiar with this website and resource, I highly recommend it.It is not overtly Christian… Read more →
Covid-19 & Sunday, Gathered Worship
Sunday, 14 June New Zealand is now at Alert Level 1. Therefore all restrictions around on Physical, Gathered Worship Services are off. From Sunday, 14 June we plan to resume services as “normal” with no need for keeping attendance, with providing a creche and our Morning Tea. We aim to resume our 9:30 Children’s Sunday School and Adult Bible Class… Read more →
Pondering Job in a Pandemic – Chapter 42
Forty-two consecutive days through the book of Job, one chapter per day. I began these “ponderings” on the first day New Zealand entered Level 4 Lockdown in response to Covid-19. We are now in Level 3 and will be for, at least, another week. The Pandemic is far from over. The implications of the Pandemic will continue for a very… Read more →
Pondering Job in a Pandemic – Chapter 41
I enjoy watching nature documentaries. I especially enjoy watching nature documentaries which focus on the oceans and seas. Next to outer space, mankind has known less about what is in our oceans than what is on land – though we are still learning more about what is on land all the time. In chapter 41, God continues to speak to… Read more →