Men of Courage

Men of Courage

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In Joshua chapter 1 we discover some leadership principles which God used to establish Joshua as an effective leader for the nation of Israel as they moved into their promised land.  These principles are essential for anyone who wants to be a godly leader.  In this message, delivered on Father's Day 2013, we focus particularly on the application for men who seek to be godly leaders in their homes, who desire their families to experience all the blessings that God intends for them and whose families will be a great blessing to others also.

Keeping the Vision Alive

Keeping the Vision Alive

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If we are going to keep the vision alive of God's heart for the world and our role in bringing salvation to people, we will need 6 things:
   hearing ears
   seeing eyes
   a speaking tongue
   a generous heart
   bended knees
   going feet

Wanted: World Christians!

Wanted: World Christians!

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Allan Webb gives a powerful call from God's Word for us to be 'World Christians'.  What is a World Christian?
It's someone who commits to:
    see the world as God sees it
    seek for the world what God seeks for it
    support in prayer those who are seeking to reach the world with the gospel
    supply the needs of those who are seeking to reach the world with the gospel
    share all that I am and have so that the world might be reached.

Given First to God

 
Given First to God

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In 2 Corinthians 8 we here the Apostle Paul holding up a group of Christians as a fantastic example for others to follow.  As we look at how the Macedonian Christians are described in verses 1 to 5 we discover that they have done what every Christian must do in response to God when He reveals truth to us.  We reflect that the process of life transformation through revealed truth begins in the mind (understanding), which impacts the heart (emotion) leading to a decision of the will which must be followed through (behaviour).  That's exactly what happened for the Macedonians in how they responded to the material needs of their brothers and sisters in Christ who were in Judea.  They weren't guided or controlled by their circumstances but were so deeply impacted by what they had received in Christ that they passionately longed to give themselves wholly to Him and to doing His will.

As we begin to think about our commitment to resource the work of Global Mission, that's a great starting point for us!  May our giving exhibit the same spirit of generosity that the Macedonians saw in Jesus and reflected in their own lives.

Who Do You Think You Are?

Who Do You Think You Are?
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To make any sense of the book of Ephesians – in fact the entire Bible – it’s important to clearly understand your identity.  As Paul opens the letter, he clearly addresses the “saints”, and offers them grace & peace.  What’s the difference between a saint & a sinner?  And what does it mean to be “In Christ”?

The Heart Behind Our Calling

The Heart Behind Our Calling

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In Romans 1 Paul gives us a great example of what a partner in ministry does.  He loves to pray for the Christians at Rome and he longs to visit them so that they can be blessed by each other.  In this message we seek to understand how we can do something similar for each other.  We want to pray for each other and help each other in being effective ministers of the gospel.  We all want to fulfill the Great Commission.  We want to represent Christ well and help others come to follow Him and be sure that they have eternal live in Him.

Let's be honest though, we easily get distracted and discouraged and the task of making disciples tends to get left to someone else.  How can we develop the kind of passion that Paul had not only for his own ministry but in helping other Christians fulfill theirs?
There's 2 key things we discover about Paul that can be a great help for us.  Firstly, he was supremely confident that the gospel works.  Regardless of how many people respond, the gospel does have the power to change lives and Paul had seen that power at work over and over again.  He was prepared to take the knock-backs, the mockery, the rejection and even violent hostility for the sake of those who would respond in faith, because hearing and believing the gospel is the only way for them to be saved.

The second thing we discover about Paul is the depth of his anguish.  We don't like to think that our lives as Christians could be filled with anguish, but that was Paul's experience.  In chapter 9 he gives us a glimpse into his heart as he shares his constant sorrow that many of his own people - the Jews - had rejected the Messiah and so rejected salvation.  Paul knew how terrible God's judgement on sin will be.  He was familiar with Jesus' warnings of everlasting torment.  Paul's was not a fleeting concern that only appeared occasionally.  It was an ever-present anguish about the fate of his beloved nation that was so deep that he would even trade his salvation for theirs if that were possible.  Such love cannot be generated in the human heart, it is a reflection of God's own character.  It is what sent Jesus to do what Paul could not as He took the punishment for all who will believe.  Paul's task, like ours, is to keep the offer of salvation in front of people to give them the chance to accept it.  Not to give up after one attempt.  Not to hope someone else does it, but to love people enough that the thought of them spending eternity in hell fills our heart with anguish and drives us to present the gospel with passion and perseverance.

That's what we're going to pray for each other to do.  That's what we're going to help each other to do.  That's the mission of our church.

From Idolatry to Worship

From Idolatry to Worship 

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When a person receives the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus they go from being an idolater to a worshiper. Instead of living for the stuff of this world - whatever that may be - they now live for God. They go from being citizens of this world to being citizens of Heaven. Instead of satisfying 'the flesh' they begin to keep in step with the Spirit. The Bible uses lots of different language to describe that one basic idea.

In Acts 19 we read about what that looked like for new believers in Ephesus, which sets a fantastic example for us to follow. Is the gospel radiating widely from us as it did in Acts 19? The message Paul brought was taken from Ephesus and spread through the whole region as people took it with them. Does the gospel leave our church buildings and spread to our workplaces, homes, sports clubs, cafe's etc as we take it with us? Secondly, do we purify our lives from the contamination of evil as the Ephesian Christians did? Do we take inventory of the things we have taken into our homes and into our minds that may be giving the devil a foothold of influence? Like the Ephesians, we may need to be prepared to pay the price of getting rid of that stuff, no matter how much it appeals to our 'flesh' or helps us to fit with 'the world'. Finally, we see Paul making strategic plans for how he can advance the spread of the gospel. We briefly share some of the ways that our church is being called by God to spread the gospel by equipping the saints to do the work of ministry.

The Bible Guide to Investment

The Bible Guide to Investment

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There's a great story that Jesus told about a rich guy who thought he had made it, but discovered that by only preparing for this life he'd made the worst investment decision possible. He was not a success, he was a fool! The story is brilliant in how it exposes how foolish many of our own investment decisions are and gives us the necessary correction. It was also perfectly timed. Just when Jesus was challenging His followers to not allow their fears to prevent them from choosing to give up everything in order to follow Him, along comes a guy whose only concern was for the money he felt he was due. Money is something we often turn to for security instead of trusting in God. It's also something we turn to to provide for the things we want, rather than submitting our desires to God. We chase the things we think money will buy not realizing that they will never truly satisfy and they won't even last that long. However when we teach ourselves to value eternity and make the decision to invest ourselves most in the things in what will last longest, our hearts begin to be less controlled by fear and less enticed by earthly desires. We discover freedom and joy in the present and confidence in the future. Loving others becomes easier because we don't need to look out for ourselves any more.

Contend!

Contend!

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After celebrating the amazing gift of God's grace in his introduction, Jude's original plan was to write about it in more depth in the rest of his letter. But instead of doing that Jude writes to believers to urge them to contend for their faith. It was under attack, being distorted, diluted and demeaned by the conduct and teaching of people who promoted themselves as leaders in the Church but in fact did not even know God! Their basic message was that being big on grace means being soft on sin. Don't sweat it, God forgives! Jude gives some sobering reminders about how serious God is about sin - not to make us feel guilty and nervous, but to help us stay in the love of God. When Jude urges us to contend for the faith, he's asking us to do our absolute best to make sure that we don't throw away what God has so graciously made possible for us - a right relationship with Him through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Called, Loved, Kept

Called, Loved, Kept

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The book of Jude is saturated with the passion of a man who has been gripped by the grace of God that is ours in Jesus. When he discovers that people have infiltrated churches and are trying to steal away the precious gifts that God has given his people and tempt them into accepting less that God's best for them, Jude writes to remind Christians of just how amazing our salvation is and how important it is for us to stand firm in it.

In this first message of a 2-part series, we focus on the three words Jude uses to describe who we are: called, loved and kept. We look at the calling of Levi in Luke 5, the parables of the lost sheep, coin and son in Luke 15 and the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8. Each of these stories show us the heart of God toward us and the amazing action of God in calling us into His family, loving us completely and keeping us safe by His power not our own performance.

EOFYS - End Of Financial Year Stocktake!

EOFYS – End of Financial Year Stocktake 
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We all want to serve God to the best of our ability. But sometimes it seems that we don’t have many resources to do it with. At the end of the financial year, we take stock of the spiritual blessings God has already granted us, as outlined in Ephesians 1:1-14. It’s great to be reminded that God has already filled the tank with such rich spiritual blessings, in order to equip us for the good works He has planned for us (Eph.2:8-10).

Training

Training

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When faced with challenging situations, our instincts & trained reflexes kick in. What about sudden spiritual opportunities? In Acts 4, we see what happened when Peter & John are ordered to stop speaking about Jesus.

If we allow ourselves to be changed by our learning, relationships & lifestyle, we can react with Godly reflexes, allowing us to faithfully represent Jesus in moments of stress or spiritual challenge.

Does God Still Heal Miraculously Today?

Does God Still Heal Miraculously Today?

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As we read the story of Aeneas and Dorcas in Acts 9 there's a hunger awakened in us to experience God's healing power in our own weakness and grief. In attempting to answer the question of whether God miraculously heals today we need to take an honest look at some of what does go on in His name and to be reminded that our desperation for relief from suffering can make us susceptible to exploitation and also to self-deception. We take a look at some modern examples as we heed the Biblical warning to "test everything, hold on to the good". In this message we also remind ourselves of the goodness of God in the midst of suffering, not just in what we long for which is to end our suffering. We are reminded of the certainty of ultimate relief which is found when Christ makes all things new - a future event which includes judgement of evil for which we must all be prepared. We also look at the exhortation of James 5 for those are sick, discovering there a means of experiencing God's grace in those times when we are struggling - whether that's spiritually, morally, emotionally, mentally or physically. This is the first of a two-part series dealing with the question of whether God miraculously heals today.

Leaving the Old Life Behind: Simon the Sorcerer

Simon the Sorcerer

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In Acts 8 we read about Simon the Sorcerer, a man who was somebody great in the eyes of many people and liked it that way!  Then Phillip arrived, demonstrating greater power as he testified about Jesus Christ and the eternal life that He offers.  Phillip believed, impressed by the wonders Phillip performed as a sign that God really was at work.  He was even baptised to show that he'd left his old life behind and wanted to now live for God as His child.  However old habits die hard, and when he saw the power Peter and John exercised in giving the Holy Spirit he offered them money if they would just give him that ability.  He wanted to be someone great again, someone people followed as a power in his own right.  Peter made it very clear that this kind of attitude and desire does not fit with God's people, urging Simon to turn away from his sin. 
It's this willingness to leave our old life behind that demonstrates true conversion.  We cannot claim to follow Christ if we are also determined to keep going on our own path.  Sure, we'll mess up - a lot!  But each time we do God by His Spirit helps us to see the sin that is still part of who we are, confess it and leave it at the cross where it has been dealt with by Jesus.  The divine transaction is then completed when we accept from Christ a purity of heart that helps us to move forward as people who are like Him, living by His Spirit instead of controlled by our own sinful tendencies.  Then God will produce all kinds of great stuff in us and through us for His glory, our joy and the blessing of those we touch.

Taming the Inner Uproar: The Story of Martha & Mary

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The story of Mary & Martha in Luke 10 is a great help to anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed, flustered and even just a little bit resentful. It's a story about how one woman's strength - her awareness of others' practical needs and her willingness to serve them - almost grew into a weakness that threatened to steal her joy and damage her relationships. By diagnosing the issue and dealing with it Jesus doesn't do what most of us would and simply try pacify the agitated person. Instead, He gives Martha a chance to gain a right perspective and find freedom from her inner uproar.

Lives to Learn From: Phillip

 
Lives to Learn From: Phillip

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The spread of the Gospel crossed cultural boundaries which the early Jewish believers wouldn’t have expected. But the story of how Phillip spoke to Samaritans & to the Ethiopian on the road remind us of the all-inclusive nature of God’s grace to all people. We are all one in Christ – “One for all”.

Lives To Learn From: Stephen

Lives to Learn From: Stephen

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Stephen was a man whose life and death made a profound impact on all those who witnessed them.

Lives To Learn From: Gamaliel

Lives to Learn From: Gamaliel 
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There are many ways that we can lead or influence people – Seniority, title, friendship etc. But the true test to know if influence is from God is to test if it is in line with what we already know of God, and if it endures to fulfill His purposes. Gamaliel was a man who knew a “God thing” when he saw it.

Lives to Learn From pt 6 - Barnabas, Ananias & Sapphira

Lives to Learn From in the Book of Acts

Pt 6: Barnabas, Ananias & Sapphira
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What is the 'normal' level of sacrifice for a Christian to make in serving God? We sometimes read about people who leave everything to go serve in far away places, or who give everything away to support people in need, and we think 'I could never be like that'. That kind of devotion and self-sacrifice is surely beyond normal - it's freakish! The funny thing is that when you read Acts 4 and 5, that kind of devotion actually sounds pretty common. People really got the Romans 12:1 principle - it's only reasonable in the light of what God has done for us to give ourselves completely to Him. 

Barnabas was one of a bunch of people who sold their possessions in order to give to the poor. We read later in Acts about how he traveled and served God wherever God called him to. A great example! The weird, freakish thing was when a couple of people - Ananias and Sapphira - tried to look like people who were giving it all but were actually holding back for themselves. What got them in trouble wasn't that they held back some of the money they'd got for selling some land, it was that they lied about it. They wanted the credit for something that wasn't true. 

God did not want to see hypocrisy and deceit becoming the new normal in His Church, so He made it pretty clear that this kind of behaviour was not OK and not safe. It's still not safe today. Sure, God might not cause people to die so dramatically very often, but those kinds of attitudes still produce stunted disciples and turn others away from Jesus. God showed his love for the early church and for Ananias and Sapphira by disciplining them and stopping the poison before it spread. He still shows His love for us today by disciplining us when we need it so that we learn not to hold on so tightly to the stuff of this world - so our lives can be purified for His service. If God did nothing, Ananias and Sapphira's legacy could have been that they started a corrupting trend in the church. Because He did something, their legacy is that many people grew in respect and reverence for God and the church continued to grow.  If we assume that Ananias and Sapphira were genuine believers in Jesus who made a poor decision together, we can say that in eternity they will be glad that God intervened the way He did, even though they must be sad that their behaviour made it necessary for Him to do so.

Lives to Learn From pt 5: The Cripple at the Temple Gates

The Cripple at the Temple Gates 

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The story of the healing of the cripple at the temple gates is one of the most memorable in the book of Acts. We love to imagine the joy of being able to walk after 40 years and the life transformation that it would bring in that society. We love to witness the overflowing joy of a former cripple who is "walking and leaping and praising God" as a favourite song describes. 

 

However that's just the beginning of the miracle. The point of the healing was not a better quality of life for one individual for the remainder of his earthly existence - it was part of God's plan to bring Jesus into focus so that many people would have the opportunity to experience eternal life. The rest of Acts 3 and 4 describe the incredible way that the healing event provided an opportunity for Peter & John to boldly testify about the risen Jesus and to see many people place their faith in Him. 

 

Are we so excited about the miracle of new life that God has worked in us that our overflowing praise brings Jesus into the view of all around us so they may also be saved? We're reminded in Romans 12 that offering all our lives to God as living sacrifices is our reasonable response of worship to the One who gave it all for our salvation. What will that look like for you? Will you be one like the cripple whose transformed life captures peoples' attention? Will you be like the Apostles who testified about Jesus despite the threats and hostility of those who opposed them? Will you be like the believers who prayed for the Holy Spirit to empower their witness? All are needed in order to see salvation brought to the lost.

Resurrection Sunday 2013 - Where is God's Power?

Where is God's Power?
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Jesus did many impressive miracles throughout His earthly ministry, but the ultimate demonstration of who He is was in His resurrection from the dead. Similarly, when the Apostle Paul writes about his own life in Philippians chapter 3, he expresses a longing to experience God's power - not through signs and wonders in this life but in his own resurrection to be with Christ. In the meantime Paul's desire was to pour himself out as Christ did for the salvation of all who will believe. That's the most incredible demonstration of God's power: firstly that He would be able to raise us imperishable and undefiled to be with Himself forever; and secondly that in the meantime He can help us to be so transformed in character that we don't live for temporary things any more but only that which will last.

Lives to Learn from Pt 4: Judas

Lives to Learn From in the Book of Acts

Part 4: Judas

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The story of Judas Iscariot is one of the saddest and most confronting in the Bible. It raises all kinds of issues for people, from the simple historical accuracy of two accounts that at first glance don't add up (Matthew & Acts), to more complex issues like the question of whether Judas was merely a pawn in the battle between God and Satan - a victim of a much larger battle than he was aware of. Ultimately though, Judas stands as someone who in many ways represents the person we all can be and the fate we all can share, so it's important to learn from his story. In grappling with the hopelessness of his situation, we learn why there is always hope for us... unless we reject the Saviour King we all need.

Lives to Learn From pt 3: Matthias & Joseph

Lives to Learn from in the Book of Acts

Part 3: Matthias & Joseph

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The story of the two men who were candidates to replace Judas has some great challenges for us to apply to our own lives, such as: 
1) Why did Joseph have 3 names? If we needed to choose another name to identify you, what kind of name would that be? What kind of name should we be known by? 
2) What do we do when a choice needs to be made and there's no clear winner? Even after prayer, reflection upon Scripture and consultation with believers it was not obvious which way to go so a mechanism was found where God's sovereignty could prevail. How does that inform our own decision making? 
3) How would you have responded in Matthias' position or in Joseph's? Would you have become proud? Resentful? Our response to recognition or the lack of it can tell us a lot about the condition of our hearts and our true motivation for service.

Lives to Learn From pt 2: The Holy Spirit

 
Lives to Learn from in the Book of Acts

Part 2: The Holy Spirit

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What does it mean to receive power from the Holy Spirit? In the first chapter of Acts we see Jesus preparing His followers for the arrival of the Holy Spirit, then in chapter 2 He arrives with a bang! How similar should our experience of the Spirit be to what the first followers of Christ experienced on the day of Pentecost? We see through Acts 2 a pattern of the Spirit's work which is repeated throughout the book of Acts. To understand it, we need to remember what Jesus said in Acts 1:4 - that the Spirit would come just as Jesus taught. To understand the work of the Spirit we must remember all that Jesus said about Him.  A great place to start is to look at John 14 to 17 which records the instructions Jesus gives His disciples and His prayer to His Father - all of which give great guidance about the work of the Spirit.

We discover that this work can be summarised like this: The Spirit works to draw people closer to God in Christ and to all those who are in Christ.  He works through us to help others in that same direction also.

Sometimes we get too distracted on the means the Spirit uses rather than the purpose of His work.  We need to diligently apply 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 which urges us to not quench the Spirit but to test everything and hold on to the good.  We must not become overly prescriptive about what God does and does not do beyond what He clearly says in His Word.

Lives to Learn From pt 1: Jesus

Lives to Learn from Pt 1: Jesus
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Over the next few months we are going to be looking at some of the people who feature in the story of the early church as recorded in the book of Acts.  There are so many great lessons to learn from what God did in and through many of these people and many parallels with our own lives as we look at how different people responded to God.
The book of Acts begins by talking about Jesus, so it's natural to start our journey with Him.  In this message we look at the way Acts 1 describes Jesus as the One who sends His followers into the world to be His witnesses.  We do not go alone, however.  He gives us power through His Spirit within; and we know that God is always at work around us.  Where is God at work around you and how is His Spirit preparing and calling you to be involved in that work of bringing people to fullness of life in Jesus?

Finding God's Will

Finding God's Will
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As we move through the journey of life there are moments when followers of Jesus face key decisions. At these times we want to do what God wants for us, but what is that? In this message we explore the basic biblical framework for knowing and doing the will of God. We discover that very often it's the everyday decisions that make the biggest impact on how our lives turn out and the impact we will have on others for eternity. We look at the ways that God has chosen to reveal His will to us for big decisions and small ones; and we are reassured that while we are rightly concerned with our obedience to His will, we can also rely on His sovereignty to achieve His good purposes despite our failures.

How to Have a Contagious Faith

 
How to Have a Contagious Faith

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There are plenty of things churches could do to help people come to know Jesus and grow in Him. There are some things we must do. In 2 Timothy 2 we read a basic formula for how to have a contagious faith. It's simple: be strong in the grace that is in Jesus, and then look for people to sow that grace into so they can pass it on to others who will pass it on to others... However making a significant investment to build into someone else's life with the truth of God's Word means that we will have to be prepared to say 'no' to other things which consume our attention and resources. What will you invest yourself into - developing a contagious faith that impacts many lives, or chasing after things that perish?

Starting Well on the Path to Leadership

Starting Well on the Path to Leadership

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Having addressed the Elders who lead congregations, Peter turns to young men, urging them to submit to the kind of Christlike leadership that he has just been describing. Why does the topic of submission keep coming up when the New Testament speaks to relationships within church, community and family? We discover the importance of submission in character development and preparation for leadership. There is a better way than leaders "lording it over" those they lead and others struggling for control - to get their voice heard and their preferences satisfied. That way is godly leadership and godly submission - both demonstrated perfectly in Jesus Christ. One key to appointing & developing godly leaders is to look out for those who have already developed humility and a willingness to submit to others according to God's will.

Shepherds of God's Flock

Shepherds of God's Flock
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As Peter writes to believers to encourage them to stand firm in their faith despite persecution, he turns to give specific attention to the Elders of these congregations. He knows that people need shepherds, especially when they are suffering. This message examines the concise but powerful guidance Peter gives to Elders, advice which is helpful to anyone in spiritual leadership.

The Tackle

 
The Tackle

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1 Peter 4:12-19

The closer someone follows Jesus, the more at odds they are with the values of the rest of the world. Because the world is corrupted & imperfect, because most people follow their own desires, the clash of values between the world & the disciple can cause pain & suffering. It’s true that sometimes God allows pain for our own correction, but often a disciple will be attacked for living righteously. This proves that you’re doing the right thing, and that you’re being noticed for it.

In sport, they only tackle the guy with the ball.

Taking Hold of God's Best for Your Life
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We follow up from last week's message which showed us that instead of pursuing elusive personal goals that revolve around the stuff of this life, real contentment and real life is found in Jesus and pursuing closeness with Him. Godliness with contentment is great gain. This week we reaffirm that truth and talk about the role of the Church in helping people move toward godliness. We also discuss the secret to godliness, which is not to try become more like God in our own strength (an impossible task) but to draw close to the One who is able to transform us as we offer our lives to Him.