News & Updates
30+ years film making.
990+ gospel videos.
One central narrative.
Timeless words of hope.
30+ years film making.
990+ gospel videos.
One central narrative.
Timeless words of hope.
7 October 2024 Our current web server, hosting domains such as www.message7.org, www.cog7.au as well as internationalfederation.cog7.au has been running non-stop for many years. In that time, we have effected various repairs and upgrades. Instead of going down the path of replacing further components, we're thinking that it is expedient and timely to begin the replacement process, well before any estimated MTBF (Mean Time Before Failure). A hard disk failure for enterprise equipment is rated at 2,000,000 hours or 228 years! In the real world, it's never been tested. But, we'd rather ensure our hardware is optimal - as there is nothing worse than having to rebuild an active server from scratch!
We're looking at a minimum of around $4500 to a maximum of $6200, based on various quotes to replace the current server with a Dell R740 series or equivalent server. We're wondering whether you might like to help. If you would like to make a donation or contribution towards this significant asset purchase, then every dollar is appreciated. https://www.message7.org/donate.html
We began media streaming the gospel some 27 years ago, and last week uploaded our 998th gospel sermon. As an IT technician, I could not imagine outsourcing our work; having an in-house server, of course, does pose its own security risks, as any online service does. But, we can be grateful for a providential up-time track record, thanking our heavenly Father for providing across this country the utilities and resources to further the gospel message.
31 May 2024 We've been experimenting with YouTube shorts over the past few months. In the current climate of byte sized-content and the continually evolving nature of social media, we've found that short, one minute videos are an effective way into a wider audience. You can say a lot in thirty or so seconds. And that's all the time some people have.
Let us know your thoughts. We're always looking for ways to improve. For more shorts, visit https://www.youtube.com/@messageweek/shorts
14 April 2024 The lyrics of the song purport that "video killed the radio star," inferring that new media displaces the old and therefore can even suggest that the written word is now somewhat antiquated. In the sense of how we generally receive information, perhaps it is fair to recognise that the written word has outrun all forms of media and communications! While it is true that public libraries may be less attended, the written word abides still! Thinking people still read. Kindle is still alive. Books abound, and despite the nature and amazing contributions of the YouTube universe, the skill of writing (without the use of AI) is essential in the prioritisation of thought, speech and an ordered and reasoned mind.
While in the past 27 years we've produced over 960 gospel videos, there are some things that are better said in writing, and while the written word may cater for a slightly different audience, the carefully constructed sentence, paragraph then article is no match for the millions of extemporaneous talking heads filling video bandwidth. Perhaps if those "talking heads" wrote more, their resultant speech would also be more concise, insightful and informed. So to that end, we too have kept a low-key blog for many years, as it is a formative outlet for nuanced conversation - that sometimes also finds its message echoed in a video production. Read on at https://www.message7.org/read
21 January 2024 Paul also asserts that God’s law is perfect, holy, and just. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” In mentoring those in Corinth, Paul appealed to them to be generous participants in the needs of his ministry. Notably he does not mention tithing. Yet, we can’t deny the spirit and intent of generosity even if tithing was historically mandated.
The universe is governed by law – gravity, for example. Law is central to civilised, sustained life. Even the “gentiles” recognised the need for law. Spiritually speaking, Paul illustrates the perfection of God’s law, and how it obedience is commanded and how it brings us to Christ, but equally notes the limitations of the law in that it can’t save us. What the law actually does is condemn us because by the law Paul learned what sin is. All have sinned! What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” (Romans 7:7)
Paul helps us to understand the veracity of what the law is, who the Lawgiver is, and what the law does.
The idea of the law’s integrity can also be rephrased by asking, “What is sin?” What or who defines sin, and by what means? Paul knew that coveting was sin, and he knew it by the law of God – specifically the Ten Commandments – as thundered from Sinai, and written on tablets of stone by the very finger of God, and commended to our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
The hardened and stubborn heart, of course, resists God, resists His Word and rebels against his laws. The Ten Commandments occupy a higher place than do all the other laws, statutes and judgments, as those ten were kept in the Ark of the Covenant; the other 613 laws existed outside of that.
It’s a good conversation to have as we wrestle with the prescriptive and descriptive facets of life under the old covenant, and what this new life in Christ looks like under the new covenant. Do we believe in tithing, as patterned in Scripture, and as expressed in Jesus’ words of “render unto Caesar what is his and render unto God what is His...”? But more than just the bare minimum, the intent of God’s law is spiritual, holy and perfect, and best manifest in a generous and obedient heart.
November 5, 2023 Amidst busyness, distraction and disaster, if we look carefully, we'll see and appreciate the miracle. See video below:
May 19, 2023 We’ve been sharing the gospel via video over the internet for some 26 years. That's some 915 sermons! We can be grateful for the resources we have to do this in this prosperous South Land of the Holy Spirit.
How do we know when the gospel reaches the ends of the world? Jesus said this good news would be preached in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the world before He would return. Perth in Western Australia is the world’s most isolated capital city, and I happen to live on its rural fringes.
So, again, how will we might know that the far reaches of the world have been reached with the good news of Jesus Christ? Perhaps when this good news echos back from the ends fo the world?
Over the years we’ve slowly made significant improvements not only in the research, content and delivery, but also with lighting, audio, cameras, and more recently, focussed work on colour calibration and grading. We use two BMD cinema cameras, and our studio work is such an important part of our filming. So grateful for all those who have supported us in prayers, donations, and shared feedback.
We want to produce the best Christ-centred Biblical teaching possible, using the best practices known in the film industry. I recall filming in Israel in 1985, using an old wobbly tripod, a National Panasonic VHS camera pack, and lots of heavy lead batteries. That’s all the technology we had back then. Today, even my mobile cell phone can film in 8k, hundreds of times better quality than what we had back then. In fact, if I reminisce ten years earlier in 1975, we were filming using Super 8 silent video! But, hey, it was in colour!
What does the future hold? I believe the best is yet to come, as God reveals His will, purpose and timing via the gift and voice of the Holy Spirit. And may this South Land’s echo be part of that final narrative.
April 7, 2023 We're pleasantly appreciative when we hear that some of our sermons have been shared in Sabbath house fellowship groups and local churches. Depending on local demographics, it is always good to have fall-back source or an alternative speaker.
We've recently added a few helpful tips to ensure your sermon playback is smooth and without distraction.
Because some internet connections have too much buffer, we recommend firstly downloading the video to your notebook or computer prior to playback, and then playing it. That's one of the reasons we have created a redundant HTML5 video alternative. We hope you find this information to be helpful.
March 15, 2023 It’s always encouraging to reflect on one’s personal and collective purpose. God who created everything, rested from his works, and in doing so reflected on all that He had made. In His own estimation, “It was very good.”
Likewise, as faithful stewards of God’s will and work, we too can find pause and take time to reflect on His good work among, in and through us. After all, we are the Lord’s fellow workers! Yesterday, we uploaded our 900th gospel video! There's no time, however, to dwell long on past exploits. There's work to do.
It is always encouraging to see growth, not only in our own lives, but also throughout our shared faith community. And to that end, our prayers are being answered in ways that are often surprising, for we long to see more people come to faith in Jesus Christ.
What gives us perhaps the greatest joy is when the seeds of the gospel gives way to growth. Often, it takes watering the Word with the sun's warmth and gentle rains, and in ways only known to God, that little seed of truth somehow germinates. For others, it takes a wild fire to scorch the seed that lies buried under a blanket of leaves. Then, when the landscape appears blackened and lifeless, the first seedlings to appear are often those hardy “Banksias” that no amount of water or sunshine could raise!
That’s the miracle and mystery of surprise. The fruits of our labour in witness, evangelism and edification will be borne, either in our time, or on the harvest of yet another generation.
Our goal is simply to share the good news in every way we can. Everything we say and do must be in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The greatest joy of our labour, of course, lies yet future, when it will be Jesus who will call those who sleep in their graves to rise and live forever “Where I AM”.
One of the anomalies that we can wrestle with is the tone and nature of our reasoned testimony. Twenty six years ago our on-camera message was in the genre of speaking “hope and encouragement”. I suppose it was a young preacher’s license to testify. In more recent times, when a gospel message or sermon has been stronger in tone, perhaps intentionally and recognisably poignant, greater and more positive has been the response! Perhaps this stems from a people tired of being lied to by society’s narrative; or, that believers actually see through an all too common “sugar-coated” message? Do we intuitively know the truth when we hear it? Speculation aside, for today, it is the power, presence and compelling persuasion of the Holy Spirit that convicts, clarifies, comforts and confronts the human heart more than anything or anyone else can! To that end we pray, trust and labour.
August 29, 2022 A dear pastor friend recounted the conflicting challenge he felt for some time of “serving God and mammon”. As a well-paid engineer with an emerging heart for the LORD, he became somewhat tortured by the challenge of spending most of his waking hours working as an engineer, when at the same time experiencing a persistent calling to serve in ministry. Thus, he resigned his well-paid job, and now pastors a vibrant church near the Mexican border. We can all be grateful for his testimony.
For the past 25 years, Messageweek Ministries has grown up on the back of a small IT Support business. With over 860 gospel videos sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom, most of our resources, time and energy has been devoted to this online ministry. Our goal has been to consistently produce high quality, Bible-based, Christ-centred and Father-glorifying content. Over time we’ve not only acquired professional audio and video equipment, but also more importantly, allowed the Holy Spirit to develop a clearer authenticity and compelling sense of gospel mission.
None of us, however, are an island. We need your help. Please pray for more willing labourers. Please pray for the opportunities and resources to travel on-location for further interviews and content. Please pray for the necessary finances to not only maintain, but continue growing this ministry. May the burden of prayer compel us into the vision and destiny the Lord Jesus Christ has for each one of us.
Where do you stand on the issue of abortion? What about deviant sexuality versus the Biblical model of marriage and family? Have you ever given voice on these important issues, and if not, why not? It's said that these are complex issues, and need to be treated with sensitivity. But not so for Isaiah, who was commissioned by God to: "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet and tell my people their sins!"
As we are Spirit-filled, Christ-centred and Kingdom-oriented, then we'll be able to speak into this generation, according to the gifts given us, in the spirit of grace and truth. While today it certainly won't be popularist, in a yet future generation it will be heralded as courageous and honourable. May we not be conspicuous by our silence.
May 3, 2022 Resurrection HOPE is always free to anyone who requests it. It's message stands as a refreshing testimony into ancient truths that tell of our destiny beyond our last breath. You will see your loved ones again! As such it is priceless, and our intention is to make this message available absolutely free. Those, however, who do request a hard copy of the book often want to also make a donation towards it. The printing, packaging and postage costs $25 AU, and for international book orders, such a donation enables us to print and post more copies.
Again, let us know what you think about "Resurrection HOPE". What do you find intriguing? Is there something that troubles you? Do you have any other life-and-death, mortal-versus-immortal questions?
May 1, 2022 By the time we'd arrived back home again after two months away, we'd travelled some 13,300km across this vast continent by motorcycle. It was just one way to visit our brothers and sisters in Christ - because of the punitive "health" restrictions (on those who made informed decisions not to get COVID vaccinated) preventing aircraft travel. But when God placed a burden in one's heart then the Lord always provides a way forward. And so the trip was an astounding success.
It's one thing to film a sermon using the improvisation of a mobile cell phone, but it's another all together to film back in the studio and using the 6k cinema camera, and as you may have noticed, a new Rode studio microphone. The difference in audio quality is remarkable! May we truly be appreciative of the resources and will that has been given to us in order to share and bear testimony to the good news of Jesus Christ.
In other news, we're making a change to our livestreaming schedule. We've been livestreaming weekly since late 2018, and we're considering cutting back to a monthly schedule. This will allow us instead to produce a new sermon each week, and upload that on a Friday afternoon in time for Sabbath around the world. The idea is that we can ensure a higher quality video sermon with each week's presentation whether viewed on a phone, smart television or computer screen. The other benefit is that it will also allow our local church the space it needs to grow without the conspicuous and imposing nature of camera and equipment. Let us know your thoughts - we always welcome viewer comments and feedback.
April 3, 2022 If you've been following the story of political coercion, control and exclusion happening here in Australia, you'll understand why I'm back in Sydney, having travelled some 9523 kilometres by motorcycle in the past six weeks. Perhaps the Lord has work in Sydney at this time! But, it's been a hard road here.
A brief summary perhaps is a letter of appeal written to Australia's Prime Minister:
Dear Honourable Scott Morrison, Prime Minister,
I am writing to you seeking assistance. I am a pastor working from Western Australia for the Church of God (Seventh Day) and I also pastor our congregation in Auburn, Sydney. Unable to fly to Sydney, because of lock-downs and personal health status, I chose to ride by motorcycle from Perth to Sydney, leaving Perth 20 February 2022.
After completing three weeks ministry work in Sydney, I returned by road to discover my inability to enter my home state of Western Australia, due to my personal vaccination status. I am fit, healthy, non-contagious, but still not permitted to enter WA at the Border Village checkpoint on the Eyre Highway.
For the sake of brevity, I have detailed the experience at the border in a blog article: https://www.message7.org/discuss/blocked-at-the-border/
I am writing to request redress to this untenable situation, believing that all Australians have the right and liberty to travel unhindered between our Australian states. I would like to return to my wife and local church in Western Australia as soon as possible. (I was mentored and given the opportunity to “break the law” by crossing the border, being arrested and fined – but decided against that option as a law-abiding citizen.)
With diminished funds, I have been forced to ride my motorcycle back to Sydney and await until the WA border opens fairly to all residents. Thus, I am seeking your federal assistance for myself and the many others who would like to return to Western Australia without being unfairly penalised.
Kind regards,
John
December 31, 2021 Another year is over, and we've enjoyed the challenge of further researching and developing gospel content that speaks into the issues of this generation. From the perspective of what has been accomplished in the past by Jesus and what remains yet to be seen as the scriptures indicate, we have significant work yet remaining. The gruesome death and literal bodily resurrection of Jesus sets the stage for all we aspire to. Based on this, our forward-looking approach is also inspired by the distinct promises and assurances that Jesus now gives. He assures us that he will never leave or forsake us. That he will dwell with and in us. That his words will come from our mouths, and as such our testimony remains. That in this world we'll experience hostility, adversity, suffering, trial and tribulation - realities for which we're encouraged to rejoice and face with all alacrity! Why and how? Because it ends well. There is hope. There is reason, purpose, morality and objective identity. And so whatever 2022 holds, we're unafraid of whatever the path ahead bodes because we're faith filled - eyes fixed not on the storm but on Jesus and on him alone.
We're planning another motorcycle ride from Perth to Sydney, filming along the way, sharing the gospel with fellow travellers and sojourners, as well as visiting those in Christ scattered across this great continent. Our goal is to have a freshly printed 6th edition of Resurrection HOPE which we'll again promote along the way. Seven years ago we gave away 48 copies of this Christ-centred book. This 6th edition features a new introductory chapter. May God grant us courage, grace, favour and opportunity in sharing the best good news message we could ever hear!
December 30, 2021 A spate of Western Australia' hot summery weather has taken its toll lately, with a widespread power outage for 6000 homes in Perth, WA, local bush fires, as well as a server meltdown for a local ISP. Thankfully, we've only had minor issues, pictured here repairing the server's air-conditioner.
October 24 2021 We've now completed the upgrade to an enterprise grade optic fibre uplink connection for our Messageweek server. This means, albeit at some significant expense, we're connected to a more robust infrastructure, which also means better speed and less latency. This certainly benefits those who prefer to watch the HTML5 versions of the gospel videos hosted here. We're certainly blessed to have various resources that we didn't have some 25 years ago. Those days our experiments with media streaming used dial-up modems and videos about the size of a postage stamp!
May God continue to guide, prosper and sow His kingdom "seeds" so that in due time a bounteous harvest will be realised.
August 7, 2021 Praise and honour and glory to God. Today we reached another milestone in ongoing ministry, in that tonight we've uploaded our 800th gospel video! The subject, coincidentally, is a controversial one for some. While the Trinity doctrine is accepted across most of Christianity, a close examination of the scriptures is not so absolute.
Do we fully understand the nature of the divine fellowship we have with Jesus, as He also shares with the Father? What about post-Biblical theological developments and humanly-devised constructs that speak about a closed, triune deity? Are we able to establish a clear Biblical narrative without adding or detracting from scripture?
February 6, 2021 While some may lament the marginalisation of Christianity within mainstream society, it really is a good thing. Those saints who stand in the name of Jesus, instead of becoming marginalised and invisible, will instead rock the very world that is trying to silence and suppress them. The saints have a testimony based on their undying faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Spoken by the Holy Spirit, their witness is indisputable and no one can objectively argue against their testimony. They speak the truth. They stand for morality, righteousness, the dignity of human life, monogamous marriage, the protection of the pre-born and the call for all sinners to repent, be they murderers, thieves, adulterers, sexually immoral including the LGBT, those involved in the occult, liars and all cowards.
The unique characteristic of these saints is that they're ahead of their time, knowing Who is in control of the future and how it turns out in the end. It is good news. Absolute victory and total redemption.
The questions for you and me are: what side of history are we on? Are we courageous enough to stand our ground in faith, and wisely choose our words? Or will we acquiesce into mediocrity, afraid of the wicked crowd?
December 7, 2020 Yesterday we uploaded our 750th gospel video. The glory goes to God, who in Jesus Christ equips and enables us as He enlarges His territory. In the past nine or so months, our media work has encouraged and blessed many, not just across Australia, but across the world in some of the most amazing and unlikely places.
We deeply appreciate the certainly and victory in Jesus' words that the "gates of hell" would not prevail against His will and purpose in us. Instead of COVID-19 induced isolation at home, alone, with closed churches, each home has become a sanctuary of praise and worship. Livestreaming prayer, praise and preaching reaches those homes and nurtures the hearts of the most needful.
And together we celebrate, and express profound gratitude.
Finding the middle-ground of grace and truth in Jesus Christ. It gets a bit messy through the lens of historic Christianity.
November 2020
October 22, 2020 Earlier this month we celebrated the non-denominational, Christ-centred Feast of Tabernacles. Many thanks to all who made it such a remarkable and memorable event. The ongoing and prevailing climate in the wake of COVID-19 meant that travel elsewhere was out of the question. It's the first time we've had to organise such an event, and our livestreamed services apparently was a great blessing to others in more isolated and restricted environments than we currently experience here in Western Australia.
A special thank you to Christian Educational Services Australia and partners Common Faith Network for their Christ-centred legacy and support.
One thing that is deeply concerning is the level of sincere Christian misunderstanding regarding our freedom to celebrate Christ as we do. Some have touted that the feasts were only given to ancient Israel and mean nothing more than their deliverance from Egypt and their recurring harvest seasons. We would like to suggest that these festivals are nothing less than Christ-centred in origin and purpose, and therefore highly recommended for all Christians. Thus we've written a short article on the subject and it is our hope you'll just find it worth further consideration. https://www.message7.org/discuss/new-covenant-celebration/
July 15, 2020 The past three or so months have been just as busy as every but in a very different way. We've certainly saved on airfares with no international or interstate travel! The downside of this, of course, are the current restrictions on fellowship gatherings. We now talk and share Bible Study on Zoom, and connect during Sabbath livestreaming, but how we also reminisce of the times we embraced and shared a cuppa, face to face. Nevertheless, our commitment to ministry work in the name of Jesus Christ has been on an upward trajectory, preparing quality and timeless gospel messages that will propagate through the internet to its intended fertile ground. We recognise the grace and providence given to us to be able to embrace the times in which we live, with digital resources and the freedom still to proclaim Jesus from "the ends of the earth". We don't for a moment take this for granted. The world is on the cusp of totalitarian brutality - if the current rumblings are a correct echo of what's to come.
We're in the process of setting up a portable livestreaming station, separate from the more complex studio setup we currently have. This will enable on-location livestreams. Please bear with us this coming Sabbath as we trial this new setup from our hired venue; while we've worked extensively in video for more than two decades, we're now dedicating resources to acheiving better audio. After all, audio is really 50% of the multimedia experience!
On a theological level, "faith comes by hearing the word", and not necessarily via the visual. As Jesus said, even if someone were to rise from the dead (as spectacular as that might be), it still would be insufficient to convict an unbelieving heart.
Our work is not only to share the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ throughout our local communities and thereby make and equip Jesus' disciples, but also strengthen, empower and encourage those already in Christ to embrace their God-given gifting in ministry work. Are you being equipped in the word of God? Are you willing to step out often in adversarial circumstances and share your testimony in the name of Jesus? Would you like to share, via video, a testimony, an item of special worship music, a children's Bible lesson, a scripture reading or short message? More than perhaps ever before, the LORD wants you to step out and up in faith, and join the workers building up the Body of Christ, the church.
June 21, 2020 You may have noticed in the past few months that we've been adding an audio feed to our most recent streamed videos. This enables those of us, for example, to just listen to the audio while commuting to work. The audio is in both mp3 and ogg formats, suitable for all current web browsers.
Our videos are hosted as dual embedded YouTube and HTML5 feeds. We're also livestreaming each Saturday morning. Of course, we welcome your suggestions or ideas as we continue to further improve our service to you.
June 3, 2020 After more than two months now “standing in the gap” with livestreaming Sabbath worship services, and with the greater awareness that the society around us is overtly becoming not “church friendly” in both legislation and practice, we can be comforted and compelled by Jesus’ prophetic words that the church He’s building is and will be in an environment where “the gates hell” are notoriously evident. Thus we stand leaning into the headwinds of the times we live in on the promise and the power of the Holy Spirit, discerning each moment and embracing each challenge with alacrity. We’ll continue livestreaming, in one form or another, and are patiently and faithfully working behind the scenes to advance His Kingdom and His righteousness. Media today plays a significant role in this.
When we started media streaming two decades ago, little did we realise the cacophony of dissonance emanating from tens of millions media sources. I recall someone twenty years ago saying, “One day, your video work will be swallowed up in ten thousand video channels.” It was hard to imagine back then. One way of navigating the journey ahead is to simply focus on the calling and then, in the words of Jordan B Peterson recently, “Shield yourself from bad news sources.”
May 9, 2020 What amazing youth God is raising up among us. During this time of COVID-19 uncertainty, we're seeing a resurgence of church growth and commitment, increased efforts to keep in touch, and a surprising willingness to contribute to online church life. Today we livestreamed Sabbath worship services facilitated by the youth for the youth - for the glory of God. It was a wonderful day of celebration and testimony, reading, song and prayer. Thank you to Hannah for her good work facilitating the service. Thank you Emma for your behind-the-scenes coordination. Thank you Joshua, Alissa, Louisa, Lillian, Jack, Robbie, Arabella, CzyWynBeth, Amali, Zipporah and Rebecca. If you missed today's service, you'll find it online here.
April 23, 2020 After more than a month's worth of quarantine, social distancing and ongoing political and international narrative over the COVID-19 virus, with churches closed, businesses struggling, a major airline collapse amidst a general air of uncertainty, we've seen the remarkable response of church communities coming together in the digital universe for livestreaming of weekly church services, Bible studies, devotionals and online fellowship.
When we began livestreaming Sabbath worship services in Mundaring, WA, some 15 months ago in order to cater for our family in Christ living in remote areas, little did we realise that livestreaming would soon become an essential service. Now with three cameras, lights, microphones and other streaming equipment, the back part of our home has been turned into a mini television studio. Take a look!
And so, every Sabbath at 11:00am we "go live", ministering in the lives of our faith community, not only throughout Australia, but overseas as well. Last week was our most successful and rivetting online service, benefitting from the contributions of many more people. This week via Zoom we started a Tuesday night Bible study. And this next Sabbath's behind-the-scenes work is again almost complete.
We're grateful to Hannah and Emma, who significantly contribute to our team's work. Hannah arrived here just before the coronavirus lock-down, and then being unable to return to Sydney, has been an invaluable help in our work here. Emma adeptly manages the livestreaming console. And Rebecca, as vocalist with keyboard as well as facilitating children's church completes the onsite team.
When Jesus said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it," I think he was also thinking about the difficult times we're now entering. For when the church is under pressure, it is then that she is at her best! Pandemic fear gives way to prolific faith.
February 27, 2020 We've been busily writing and preparing new content. When some sigh at the word "doctrine", other's attention perk up. We've been working on a doctrinal series, presented both as livestreamed sermons, as well as later edited in HD our studio. Explaining what we believe and why is important. Heartfelt testimony matters. Faith and hope matter. Rationale and insight matter. Good exegesis and apologetics are essential for those Spirit-led in those areas.
We also see the need for shorter, creatively produced video posts. The YouTube universe is growing, not only as a source of entertainment but also providing educational and thought-provoking content. While there is plenty of Christian content being uploaded daily, I believe we are positioned uniquely with decades of experience, close to 700 gospel films, and a heart for what Jesus is preparing throughout the world. What starts out with the pen, then streams via video, ends up in the heart.
January 31, 2020 When we say that over two decades we've produced some 678 gospel videos, the first curious question is where are they all hosted? Our old website unfortunately has hundreds of broken links, because in the years prior to YouTube, our WMV and RM files were often hosted on users' ISP server space. Many of those accounts have been closed, and very few people watch video content in Windows Media or Real Player formats.
There's another reason why we're not actively promoting them, and it's what we all recognise as the "cringe factor". The enthusiasm of those early years certainly shows, but as any disciple knows in their formative years, theirs was a work in progress. I recall eagerly submitting some video content to a television station in the early nineties, and their polite response was that it probably wouldn't translate well into television. I now understand why! While our old website is still partially functional (with lots of broken links), as time permits we're currently working to revive a selected few of our older videos. These videos are reprocessed into HTML5 format, and are now hosted on our archive page. In 2016 we rebuilt our website into the current responsive design to accommodate smartphone usage.
January 30, 2020 Some of the most interesting video content is found in the art of the interview. Everyone has a story, and sometimes story-telling reveal bombshells never expected. A grandmother contemplates cutting off her grandson's leg. A senior pastor weeps in joy. Twelve years as a Buddhist monk, to then amazingly find Christ. The tacit open up, often completely forgetting the camera.
During the year ahead, we're planning more interviews. Some will be studio filmed. Others, out on the streets with the gospel-pedalling buskers. You'll meet the shy and rescitent, as well as the loud and bombastic. Some will have one or more translators. But all have the same message. Jesus was, is and is coming! He's personally knowable. My life was never the same when I encountered Jesus!
There's nothing more enlivening than a pair of cinema cameras focused on two people engaged in conversation. It's testimony at its best!
January 29, 2020 Thank you to all who have given so generously in our time of need. When our main server went down a month or so ago, never would have we imagined the support and affirmation by so many and so quickly. Today, our gospel streaming server is more robust than it was before (you'll notice that our web pages load significantly faster.) Backup procedures more comprehensive. And, we thankful that most of our data was ultimately recovered.
Your generosity in the name of Jesus Christ has encouraged our ministry. We thank God for His provision and enablement. Because, we believe in the ministry of sharing the gospel near and far, and it seems that multimedia in today's age plays a significant role in this. Our message is Christ-centred. And our work ongoing.
One of our viewers called last week, and noting that our gospel videos were only watched by a relative few 50 or so people per video, he felt that the time would come when our online presence and work would go "viral" - in other words, many more would be confronted by Jesus Christ. Scripture foretells that oneday "every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is LORD!"
Thank you again for your support.
January 26, 2020 We're always pleasantly gladdened to hear the affirming responses from our viewers. The reason being is that the universal and timeless nature of the gospel resonates with those who have received and believed in Jesus Christ. This transformational experience results in a seeing and hearing that transcends our physical human limitations. The gospel is indeed good news. It's the best news we could ever hear. Indeed, it is LIFE. Whether someone lives on an isolated farm, or in a city apartment block, or whether they're just around the corner or somewhere far away on another continent speaking another language, the universal nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ has a powerful and reassuring meaning.
In this day and age, the multimedia connectivity we share via cable, satellite or wireless enables almost everyone to experience and benefit from our online work of sharing the gospel via video. I was in central Asia last month, where the availability of the smartphone was evident everywhere. The same is true for much of Africa, where more daily transactions are simply done with the convenience of a smartphone. This doesn't mean that connectivity is as good as it could be all the time, but it does generally mean greater collaboration and communication. Learning is possible in places it never was previously.
Our video content is in English, with just a few clips translated into Spanish. How we would love to now increase our reach with a team of translators. I recently wrote a pastoral letter in English which within a few days was manually translated into French, Spanish, Portuguese and Swahili. If only we could do the same with our film work.
Perhaps the next miracle, beyond the AI of translation algorithms, is the simultaneous translation of an audio track into the viewer's native language. This was the miracle on the Day of Pentecost some 2000 years ago. The gospel proclaimed in Aramaic was heard in Greek, Latin, Arabic, Parthian, Hebrew and perhaps a host of other languages. The linguistic limitations placed on humanity at Babel was reversed at Pentecost. And, as the Kingdom of God grows, the visual nature of our mission work will only increase in importance, linguistic diversity and scope.
Jan 6, 2020 Silver linings exist sometimes where we just don't anticipate. When our server went down last month, we spent a harrowing couple of weeks feverishly working to get all services back up and running. This included purchasing new licenses, SSL certificates and software upgrades, which collectively ended quite expensive and not something we had budgeted for.
Services now have returned to normal, and in the process we believe our current infrastructure is even more robust than it was previously. We are grateful for the foresight some time ago to have purchased the Dell R710 with 120Gb RAM, iDRAC and other features, that hopefully will serve our ministry purposes over the foreseeable future. As for the old server, we've ordered replacement parts that were "burned out" in order to extract some of the MySQL databases that weren't backed up. Those replacement parts should arrive from the USA in mid-February.
We're grateful for the prayers and generous donations that helped offset those expenses incurred. We're grateful for the expertise available to remediate where we were a few weeks ago. And now, with a new calendar year ahead, we anticipate and are planning on more new interviews, livestreaming of services, onsite filming locally and internationally, as well as other special features.
Dec 26, 2019 We have been media streaming the good news message for some 22 years, and by God’s grace and providence, uploaded our 668th gospel film last week. Videos are embedded in YouTube and HTML5 formats, and range from short messages to longer 30-minute clips.
We thank God for his provision over the past two decades, and it is our prayer that many have been encouraged and strengthened in Christ. In fact, other organisations have expressed enthusiasm and appreciated our support and mentorship in video production so they too have a more vibrant online media presence.
But, of course, our work is not without its difficulties and challenges. A few days ago our primary domains server suffered catastrophic failure. Investigations are continuing, trying to determine whether a failure at the BIOS level was caused by hardware or hackers.
The result has been that our primary domains including message7.org, imc.cog7.org, cog7aus.com and many others were severely impacted. (We’ve also hosted other philanthropic domains including earthrounders.com, ozwitness.net, and Share and Care Community Services respository.) We apologise to you our viewers and partners in ministry for this outage.
Thus, it has taken us several days of deploying a newer Dell server, and progressively most services are returning to normal again. We bought this newer Dell server a few years ago with the intent of migrating our services to it – its current retail price is at over $10,000. So, I’m grateful we had this to fall back on – up until now it was utilised solely for video streaming. We still have a MySQL database backend to rebuild – as well as other freely hosted services.
In the past few days we have spent almost $1800 AUD on purchasing new licences and encrytption certificates. Because we believe in this service ministry, our goal is to raise $12,000 AUD, in order to remediate the debt that Messageweek Media Ministries currently has.
Would you like to make a donation to assist us at this time? We have just re-implemented our “donate” feature with the secure PayPal portal.
Dec 15, 2019 After more than 22 years of media ministry work, we would inevitably reach our 666th gospel film! Now for those of us familiar with the Biblical narrative, as well as all the associated hearsay, this is perhaps one way of approaching for this kind of subject matter.
Nov 22, 2019 After spending three weeks in the USA where we filmed several interviews, we now have a good back-log of content that now needs editing. The core theme of our USA filming was "Christ-centredness in Celebration", while several of the interviews filmed in Dallas focused on the work of the International Ministerial Congress of the Church of God (Seventh Day).
We've also just returned from assignment in the Philippines and Myanmar, where we also filmed several interviews, as well as general broll footage of various projects for an upcoming short film. Keep an eye out for some rivetting interviews, as well as a few pathos-filled and insightful conversations.
Several interviews filmed in Myanmar featured local villagers sharing their testimonies. Check back soon, and be inspired by their stories of faith in Jesus Christ.
Sept 6, 2019 This week we took delivery of the first printing of "La Esperanza en la Resurreccion" - Hope of the Resurrection translated into Spanish. Many thanks to Oscar Cervantes and Marcos Gonzales to for their dedicated translation work. Many thanks to all who graced us with their support enabling this latest printing. Thank you!
July 29, 2019 We are improving the content and quality of our film work, both in live-streaming and for studio work. We're currently uploading another studio re-recording of a sermon message shared last Sabbath. The service was live-streamed, and as usual we filmed the sermon in ProRes 422 quality for later editing and uploading. This week, however, we took a different tack by filming it in studio in a proprietary RAW format with our two BMD cinema cameras, and while the results are far from perfect, the quality is certainly an improvement over our previous DSLR-quality media. We're also pushing the boundaries beyond the normally more politely nuanced messages by taking note of Isaiah's commission as the Lord gave him for a people not dissimilar to ours. (Isaiah 58:1)
July 15, 2019 Last week we took delivery of the fifth edition of "Resurrection HOPE" (previously titled Hope of the Resurrection). This latest printing marks a significant milestone in our work of sharing the gospel in Jesus Christ - and of the glory that awaits those willing to embrace it. Since the fourth edition printing, we've been working on both the Spanish edition as well as improving the original English version. Is the book now finally complete? Well, that's an interesting question. The first writing began back in 2007, with the first edition published in 2010. Since then, it's been a growing experience, gradually adding new chapters, commissioning a professional proof reader, and further developing the various resurrection themes as described in the Holy Bible.
If you'd like a free copy, you may either download a PDF copy, or request a hard copy to be sent to you. While the book is completely free, short print runs do cost more per book, so any donation is always appreciated. We hope you are blessed in embracing the best news we could ever hear in Christ Jesus.
July 4, 2019 We've been dealing with some severe latency at our media streaming infrastructure. On further investigation we discovered that the faceless, nameless, invisible cyber crime world was hard at work with code injection, DoS and backdoor attacks. We apologise for this intermittent degradation in our services. New security measures are now in place that may assist with this. Tracing the IP addresses have led us to Canada, USA and China as being among the culprits. We apologise if you have been inconvenienced. Your prevailing prayers for protection from the malevolent unseen world, physical or spiritual, are appreciated.
June 16, 2019 We've just spent a successful weekend in Sydney, taking the opportunity to film at three locations on the Sydney harbour foreshore. The weather provided perfect lighting, and we hope that the script is thought provoking. However, the one disconcerting element we had to contend with was the harbour background noise.
Aircraft, boats, traffic, trains and a general cacophony that will probably be difficult to edit out. On one of our shoots, a little boy in a spiderman suit gleefully ran unwittingly in front of the camera.
We also filmed the sermon message shared at the first Church of God (Seventh Day) Sabbath service in Sydney. The new BMD 4k cinema camera worked very well, with its only criticism being its default battery life for on-location film work.
Keep an eye out for more new, upcoming gospel videos, as well as regular live-streaming of Sabbath services.
We've also recently taken delivery of a BMD WebPresenter, enabling better quality video livestreaming. Over the past few months, we've been livestreaming Sabbath worship services from Mundaring in Western Australia, and even though we've been using a low quality Samsung tablet, we've had several hundred people login each Sabbath, with many more during the following week. General feedback has been quite positive.
So, with some experimentation and a desire to improve the quality of our services, we'll continue livestreaming via Facebook and YouTube, in faith, that just one more person is encouraged and strengthened in Christ.
User feedback from live streaminghas been helpful, whether it's regarding audio quality, comments about pre-service chitchat, or appreciative about the content itself.
So join us on a Saturday morning at 10:30am Western Australia time. (At the moment, please choose the Facebook Livestreaming option, as the Youtube option is still being developed).
May 2019 We are currently refurbishing our film studio in Western Australia, adding another cinema camera, as well as working on better lighting. By God's grace and providence, we've just uploaded our 631st gospel video.
The cameras we've been using in our more recent films has been the Canon EOS 80D, the BMD Cinema Camera 2.5k, and we now have a new BMD Pocket Cinema Camera 4K on order. This will allow us to film each clip from multiple angles. Over the past two decades, we've used a variety of cameras, including some old VHS cameras, various prosumer video cameras including Canon and Sony, as well as a range of DSLRs. But, whether originally written on parchment, printed in ink, or conveyed by digital film, it's the same timeless message that centres on Jesus Christ.
We're all aware of the role that media plays in our lives. With the continual roll-out of better and faster connectivity throughout the world, and noting the windows of opportunity that still exist in the "free world", whether written on parchment or conveyed in bytes and bits, the follower of Christ has a commission and mandate to share the good news everywhere - to the ends of the earth.
We invite you to partner with us in this labour. Please pray that the LORD of the harvest would call and commission many more disciples, who with fervent vision and Christ-centred identity, embrace with diligence the work of supporting this and other ministries. We need capable media producers, presenters, researchers and those skilled in apologetics who can speak into this generation's greatest need. We need those who are prepared to sacrifice in the name of Jesus so that one more person may hear the good news. More than that, Jesus wants you to step up into his vision.
Someone once asked me, "Why all this effort into sharing the gospel?" I suppose it's a fair question, given declining church attendances throughout the Christian community amidst the rise of secularism. How would you answer? Perhaps mine would be: "Taste and see that the LORD is good!"