Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Safe Ministry Week - Nov 1-9
Everyone involved in working with children must complete the "Safe Ministry Training". The week from November 1st-9th is going to be one big week of Safe Ministry training with courses running all over the Diocese. Details coming soon at the Youthworks website.
Friday, August 29, 2008
help needed painting the blokes toilet
The walls on the blokes toilet are drinking up paint like fish (do fish drink paint?). There is a bit more work to be done and it would be great to have a few people come and help finish the painting.
drinking, not smoking, our biggest problem
On Wedneday night Mark Driscoll really hammered the smokers in Sydney. He should have come twenty years ago! Our real problem in Sydney isn't smoking but drinking in order to get drunk. Our culture is addicted to alcohol as the most socially acceptable drug available. As the writer of proverbs observes:
“It is not for kings, O Lemuel — not for kings to drink wine,
not for rulers to crave beer,
lest they drink and forget what the law decrees,
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
Give beer to those who are perishing,
wine to those who are in anguish;
let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Proverbs 31:4-9
“It is not for kings, O Lemuel — not for kings to drink wine,
not for rulers to crave beer,
lest they drink and forget what the law decrees,
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
Give beer to those who are perishing,
wine to those who are in anguish;
let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Proverbs 31:4-9
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Men Meeting the Challenge Conference - Saturday Sep 6
Jim is organising for a group to go to this year's "Men Meeting the Challenge" conference. It looks like a great day of teaching and thinking about taking the message of Jesus to the men in our communities. This blurb is taking from the conference website:
"....for many, the church no longer figures as a source of community or meaning in this twilight world of work and exhaustion. How do churches reconnect with the concerns of the broken, hurt and disappointed in our suburbs?
Ironically, in the midst of the death of the Aussie suburban dream, we are witnessing the re-emergence of an aggressive atheism in the Western world. Richard Dawkins’ books are best sellers and his critique of the Christian understanding of God has persuaded many. Buddhism is the fastest growing religion in Australia. Australians are not indifferent to spiritual concerns and the ‘big issues’ of life.
But the church is no longer seen as the place that provides meaningful answers to these questions.
This conference seeks to respond positively to these issues and equip believing men and their churches to be evangelists to Aussie men who crave meaning for their lives and a solid hope for the future. It draws together excellent speakers who are well equipped to challenge us how to reach men for Christ."
The pdf brochure for the conference can be found here.
10,000 people burn their plastic Jesus'
Last night was fantastic night of thinking about the real Jesus, I was particularly struck by the reality that Jesus was put to death for claiming to be the Son of God, not because he was kind to the poor or cared for women or anything else. He was put to death for blasphemy because people couldn't see him for who he is. The best part of the night was seeing people commit their lives to Christ and the second must have been Nathan's speedy exit route out of the carpark.
NTE becomes SPRTE
Last year we had the wonderful privilege of having a mission team join with us from Sydney University. The students had been at the AFES National Training Event (NTE). This training event has gone international this year and so has been renamed the South Pacific Regional Training Event (SPRTE).
Once again we are going to have a team of students partnering with us from 3rd - 7th December. Michael Snowdon and Elliot Temple (with us from Moore College just before Easter) put this video together for it...love those legs Elliot!
Once again we are going to have a team of students partnering with us from 3rd - 7th December. Michael Snowdon and Elliot Temple (with us from Moore College just before Easter) put this video together for it...love those legs Elliot!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Anger - bad day at the office.
In the sermon on Sunday I mentioned a youtube video of people totally losing it at work and smashing up computers etc. Check it out below....
James 1:19-20 " My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."
James 1:19-20 " My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."
Friday, August 22, 2008
Community Working Bee
Despite the wet weather our Community Working Bee will still be on tomorrow morning. The idea is to go from 10-1pm with a BBQ lunch. If you want to get to the church earlier that's fine! One of the main projects is to paint the blokes toilets. Depending on the weather there might be more happening inside rather than outside. Anyone is welcome to come and help out.
Pure Sex Seminars - Finding Mr or Miss Right
Last week we started our discussion on contraception from the point of view of the West's attitude to children. This week we are going to start our seminar on finding Mr or Miss Right from an even more unlikely starting point! Come along this Sunday at 7pm in the hall.
Resources on Depression
Last Sunday's talk on Depression sparked some further questions. I've got a few resources that you might like to follow up:
1. A series of talks that Arch Hart gave at St Mark's Armidale last year, particularly the ones from the clergy conference. All the talks can be found at the St Mark's website and I have put the first talk in the player below.
2. The book "Victory over the darkness: Overcoming Depression". I had a a read of this and thought it would be a helpful resource. What I liked about it was that it was thoroughly Christian and kept holding out the gospel as the source of life.
3. The Beyond Blue website has a lot of helpful information and links to good resources.
It reminds me that more than every we need to know ourselves, know God and be able to care helpfully for one another. I hope our church life together around the gospel of Jesus Christ can be a place where people find healing.
1. A series of talks that Arch Hart gave at St Mark's Armidale last year, particularly the ones from the clergy conference. All the talks can be found at the St Mark's website and I have put the first talk in the player below.
2. The book "Victory over the darkness: Overcoming Depression". I had a a read of this and thought it would be a helpful resource. What I liked about it was that it was thoroughly Christian and kept holding out the gospel as the source of life.
3. The Beyond Blue website has a lot of helpful information and links to good resources.
It reminds me that more than every we need to know ourselves, know God and be able to care helpfully for one another. I hope our church life together around the gospel of Jesus Christ can be a place where people find healing.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Church or Cricket?
It's easy to think you have to fit into the structures around us, particularly when it comes to Sunday sport. My wife, Beth, was looking at cricket clubs and came across this information on the Summer Hill Cricket Club website for the U15 and U16:
"Due to a shortage of grounds in the Inner West a move to Sunday morning games was made last season, however due to player resistance in some clubs Saturday competition will be the more likely."
It is not clear what the 'player resistance' was, but they obviously did not want to fit into a structured Sunday commitment. Often you can feel as though your kids are missing out on other things by being part of a church. True. That's the choice we face. But how much better is knowing Christ and meeting with his people! We will teach our children what is important by what we do not just what we say. If only more people would play sport in a way that allowed room for church!
"Due to a shortage of grounds in the Inner West a move to Sunday morning games was made last season, however due to player resistance in some clubs Saturday competition will be the more likely."
It is not clear what the 'player resistance' was, but they obviously did not want to fit into a structured Sunday commitment. Often you can feel as though your kids are missing out on other things by being part of a church. True. That's the choice we face. But how much better is knowing Christ and meeting with his people! We will teach our children what is important by what we do not just what we say. If only more people would play sport in a way that allowed room for church!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Guess who is coming to lunch goes great
Thank you to all those who hosted people for lunches yesterday. I've heard back from a few people and it seems that everyone had a great time meeting others from church. I think the really good thing is that we don't need to have special days to extend hospitality and that it seems to be going on all the time.
Just remember to look out for new people and those who might not normally fit in. Our meals together are an expression of our Christian fellowship with one another. Well done, and remember a saying that Beth and I have, "there is always room for one more!"
Just remember to look out for new people and those who might not normally fit in. Our meals together are an expression of our Christian fellowship with one another. Well done, and remember a saying that Beth and I have, "there is always room for one more!"
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Forgiveness
Are we called on to forgive people who don't repent? After all, God does not forgive those who do not repent.
I think this is where the idea of forgiveness on our behalf is actually better understood as a willingness to forgive on our behalf. For the Christian the willingness to forgive is not dependent on repentance. When repentance does come, forgiveness is immediate because we are already willing to forgive.
On a personal level the difference between being willing to forgive and forgiving someone are so close because our willingness to forgive is not dependent on repentance.
Additional:
This does not mean that forgiveness will be easy. In fact the reverse. It can mean that being willing to forgive can be extremely difficult, particularly when the injustice done is great.
I think this is where the idea of forgiveness on our behalf is actually better understood as a willingness to forgive on our behalf. For the Christian the willingness to forgive is not dependent on repentance. When repentance does come, forgiveness is immediate because we are already willing to forgive.
On a personal level the difference between being willing to forgive and forgiving someone are so close because our willingness to forgive is not dependent on repentance.
Additional:
This does not mean that forgiveness will be easy. In fact the reverse. It can mean that being willing to forgive can be extremely difficult, particularly when the injustice done is great.
God opposes the proud...
It is all too easy to exist in a world filled with our own pride. Pride of our own success, pride of our own way of life, pride of the choices we make in comparison to others. But the Christian is to be characterised by humility. We need to learn the kind of humility that Jesus shows. As the apostle Peter says:
"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5.
It is a bit scary that God himself opposes the proud but gives the blessing of grace to the humble.
"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5.
It is a bit scary that God himself opposes the proud but gives the blessing of grace to the humble.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Total Church - chapter 3 - evangelism
Thanks to Jono for this summary:
This chapter on evangelism is the first chapter where we see the principals of church being gospel-centred and community-centred practically applied to a part of church life. The centrality of the gospel word in evangelism means that we proclaim the good news of Jesus. Evangelism cannot happen without proclamation and it isn’t the true gospel of Jesus if what we say is skewed towards ourselves and how Jesus meets our needs.
The centrality of the gospel community (which is nourished by the word) in evangelism means we are not only to proclaim, but also to embody the word. The embodiment of the word is to become communities of love who love in the same way and to the same extent that Jesus loved us. And we are to be seen as communities of love so that through our loving relationships the gospel is proclaimed to the watching world. Introducing people to church would then be introducing them to a network of relationships, rather than a meeting, where they experience the gospel community.
A simple model of a three-strand rope shows the different aspects of evangelism; building relationships, sharing the gospel and introducing people to the community. There is no sequence nor order in which to do these things and not all are necessary for God to be at work (although it is suggested the rope is stronger when all three are happening).
Three other points to do with evangelism are raised:
1. Evangelism Being A Community Project
Ideally evangelism shouldn’t be done in isolation, but rather as a community project. We all have been gifted differently and we all have a role in evangelizing. In making evangelism a community project we also make up for each other’s weaknesses with our collective community strength.
2. Gospel Ministry Involves Ordinary People Doing Ordinary Things With Gospel Intentionality
Gospel ministry is low-key, ordinary, day-to-day work, which is saturated with a commitment to living and proclaiming the gospel. The leaders need to create and reinforce this gospel culture in which the gospel is lived and talked in a shard life. This is different to our compartmentalized culture where ministry becomes another thing we do.
3. The Gospel Community Authenticating The Gospel Word
This takes the corporate dimension of evangelism seriously. We were made for gospel community and as we live it out non-Christians can come to see through the community the gospel that brings life.
What are your thoughts?
This chapter on evangelism is the first chapter where we see the principals of church being gospel-centred and community-centred practically applied to a part of church life. The centrality of the gospel word in evangelism means that we proclaim the good news of Jesus. Evangelism cannot happen without proclamation and it isn’t the true gospel of Jesus if what we say is skewed towards ourselves and how Jesus meets our needs.
The centrality of the gospel community (which is nourished by the word) in evangelism means we are not only to proclaim, but also to embody the word. The embodiment of the word is to become communities of love who love in the same way and to the same extent that Jesus loved us. And we are to be seen as communities of love so that through our loving relationships the gospel is proclaimed to the watching world. Introducing people to church would then be introducing them to a network of relationships, rather than a meeting, where they experience the gospel community.
A simple model of a three-strand rope shows the different aspects of evangelism; building relationships, sharing the gospel and introducing people to the community. There is no sequence nor order in which to do these things and not all are necessary for God to be at work (although it is suggested the rope is stronger when all three are happening).
Three other points to do with evangelism are raised:
1. Evangelism Being A Community Project
Ideally evangelism shouldn’t be done in isolation, but rather as a community project. We all have been gifted differently and we all have a role in evangelizing. In making evangelism a community project we also make up for each other’s weaknesses with our collective community strength.
2. Gospel Ministry Involves Ordinary People Doing Ordinary Things With Gospel Intentionality
Gospel ministry is low-key, ordinary, day-to-day work, which is saturated with a commitment to living and proclaiming the gospel. The leaders need to create and reinforce this gospel culture in which the gospel is lived and talked in a shard life. This is different to our compartmentalized culture where ministry becomes another thing we do.
3. The Gospel Community Authenticating The Gospel Word
This takes the corporate dimension of evangelism seriously. We were made for gospel community and as we live it out non-Christians can come to see through the community the gospel that brings life.
What are your thoughts?
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Guess who's coming to Lunch
On Sunday 17th we will be sharing lunch with each other in people's homes. Beth will be organsing who goes where so put your name down on the list at church. If you feel you don't know anyone then this is a great opportunity to meet people from church.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Bible Talk Series - Walking Every Step with Jesus
Our next series of Bible talks on Sunday mornings has the title 'Walking Every Step with Jesus. It is a series of 5 talks on:
• forgiveness
• depression
• anger
• addictions
• grief.
We will be looking at what Jesus has to say about following him in the midst of life's difficulties. My prayer is that they are really helpful in pointing us to God and what it means to follow his son Jesus.
Camp Howard Celebration
Youthworks is holding a celebration for their Camp Howard camping ministry on Saturday 6th September. Check out their website for more information.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Invite someone to something
As Christians we want to share our lives with others. I was thinking about some really simple ways of making that happen and just thought how we are all able to invite someone to something. It doesn't really matter what it is or who we invite, but doing things together is such an important part of building relationships. So invite someone to something! (and if you are invited to something try your very best to accept!)
Friday, August 1, 2008
Burn your Plastic Jesus
Mark B. is organising our trip to the Burn Your Plastic Jesus event at the Entertainment Centre on August 27th. Buy your tickets following the links from www.jesus.kcc.org.au and let Mark know that you are coming. We will be getting together beforehand for dinner and then getting seats in the unreserved section. Pastor Mark Discroll sends his invitation below:
Total Church - next chapter next week
Jono is writing the summary of the next chapter of Total Church and has been sick during the week so we're going to get the next chapter summary up next week.
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