Ministers Desk 16th December 2012

The Church Council held its final meeting for the year on 19 November.  This meeting capped off a busy and productive year for the Council. 

 

Over recent months the Council has noted declining and erratic worship attendance figures.  We spent some time discussing possible reasons for these numbers and spent more time considering ways to address this.  Team Leaders presented reports on their activities for the previous three months.  These reports highlighted growth through our Explore Groups, that provide places for spiritual growth and pastoral care; developments in worship and personal daily bible readings; and the great time of community had at the church picnic. Team Leaders  are currently developing plans for 2013 that will bring further growth in our four focus areas Exalt (worship), Explore (small groups), Embody (service), Engage (Evangelism).

 

The Church Council discussed the sale of the old manse and purchase of a new manse.  The old manse at 253 South Pine Road sold on 23 November for $472 500 ($460 000 after commission and other expenses were deducted).  It is intended to buy a new manse for up to $520 000, with a budget of a possible further $30 000 to be spent on any needed renovations.  The congregation will need to enter into a loan for up to $90 000.  A manse search committee has been formed and are in discussion with real estate agents.  With the loss of the rental income from the manse, we are currently losing $200 per week.  Once a manse has been bought we should have an amount of $200 per week to service a loan.  This is the difference between the rent we’re currently paying for Harlee’s house and the amount of rent we were receiving for the property at 253 South Pine Road.

 

Arrangements are being discussed with an outside community group for that group to manage the bookings for the hall.  This arrangement will not affect the use of the hall by church groups.  However, it will affect the way that bookings are made.  It does not apply to other rooms in the church complex.  When the arrangements are completed it has the potential to increase the usage of the hall by outside groups, who will pay rental fees that will increase our income.  This is still being negotiated.

 

Over a number of months the Church Council has been working through procedures that relate to risk management and workplace health and safety.  As a Christian community of grace we have an obligation to ensure all people who participate in our activities are kept physically, emotionally, spiritually and sexually safe.  State Government legislation and Uniting Church policies place some very specific requirements on the congregation and certain individuals.  This means that we cannot avoid this area of life.  We have been looking at what this means and how we can comply with these requirements.  In 2013 we will be hold training and information sessions to let leaders and members of groups what their obligations are.

 

If you’d like more information about anything the Church Council has been discussing please contact myself or a member of Church Council.  Also remember that the minutes of the meetings are placed on the wall in the foyer nearest the kitchen.

 

Ministers Desk 9th December 2012

As the year winds down most of our groups and activities are coming to an end for this year.  We’ve had some great things happen this year.  Some of them have been big and have involved the whole congregation.  Others have been limited to a few people participating in a group.  Take a moment and think of some of the highlights for you this year.  For me it includes the Solomon Islands partnership and our trip, the Boys’ Brigade trip, the worship service and the abundant generosity to provide money for bibles.  I’ve also appreciated the way that the Church Council and Elders have developed as teams and the discussions and decisions we have made.  I also appreciate my Explore Group and the depth of intimacy and growth that we experience together.

 

As a congregation we have done and achieved much this year.  This couldn’t have happened without the active involvement of many people in our congregation.  Leaders and helpers, servers and workers all add up together to allow our activities to take place.  This is the way that the church should be.  Christ’s vision for the church was that we would all take an active part, each contributing our gifts and skills and serving each other. 

 

Thank you for what you have done this year.  In whatever way you have served in this congregation, please know that you have helped make this a place where disciples can be grown and the message of Jesus Christ can be shared. 

 

Although most of us don’t serve with a sense of what we get out of it, there is something about the way we are built that values the appreciation of others.  We like to be thanked and we are encouraged to do more when we know that others appreciate what we have done.  So as the year comes to an end, I encourage each of you to overflow with thanks.  Take the time in the coming week to thank people for what they have done this year.  If you’re a member of a group, of the parent of a child in a group, thank the leaders of those groups.  If you’re a leader, thank the other leaders and the members for their contributions.  Notice the contributions that people make around the church and thank people for their willingness to turn up regularly and do little and big things.  Some jobs take place regularly and in plain sight, without acknowledgment. 

 

Our thanks can be shown in a small and deliberate conversation or written in a letter or card.  Thank the person for who they are not just for what they do.  Be sincere.  Don’t put others down when you’re doing it (eg “I like the way you do this, better than [insert name]”). 

 

As we affirm each other we will build our community and encourage each other onto more acts of service.

Ministers Desk 2 December 2012

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and the beginning of the Church calendar. Typically the New Year is a time we reflect on the year past and share our hopes for the year to come. We make new years resolutions, boldly announcing that this year we will spend less time at work and more time with our family, this is the year we are finally going to start eating healthy or maybe this year we will finish that art class we have started so many times before.

There is nothing wrong with making plans and setting goals, but for the most part the kind of new years resolutions we make rise or fall on the back of our own effort, our own strength or determination. By beginning its calendar with the season of Advent, a time thick with anticipation of God’s fulfillment, the church reminds itself once again that our hope lies not in ourselves but in God.

Richard Rohr has written a book of daily meditations for the season of Advent titled Preparing for Christmas (I purchased it as an e-book from Amazon for less than $3). On the first page Rohr wonderfully captures what it means to live as an Advent people.

““Come, Lord Jesus,” the Advent mantra, means that all of Christian history has to live out a kind of deliberate emptiness, a kind of chosen non-fulfillment. Perfect fullness is always open to come, and we do not need to demand it now. This keeps the field of life wide open and especially open to grace and to a future created by God rather than ourselves. This is exactly what it means to be “awake,” as the Gospel urges us! We can also use other a words for Advent: aware, alive, attentive, alert, awake are all appropriate! Advent is, above all else, a call to full consciousness and a forewarning about the high price of consciousness.”

Richard Rohr – Preparing for Christmas: Daily meditations for Advent

This Advent may we practice living lives of ‘deliberate emptiness’ leaning into God’s great promises for us and our world.

 

Grace and Peace

Harlee.

Ministers Desk 25th November 2012

Many people believe that Winston Churchill said “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.”  Apparently he never spoke these words.  Whoever first spoke them should be applauded for encouraging us to see that a great life is lived when we live our lives for the sake of others.

 

10 October 1908 in Dundee, Scotland, Winston Churchill did say the following words:

“What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?  How else can we put ourselves in harmonious relation with the great verities and consolations of the infinite and the eternal?  And I avow my faith that we are marching towards better days.  Humanity will not be cast down.  We are going on swinging bravely forward along the grand high road and already behind the distant mountains is the promise of the sun.”

 

When we think of our Christian faith it is one that is founded in selfless giving for the sake of others.  The very fact of Jesus’ birth, life and death were all for the sake of the redemption of humanity.  Jesus did not need to put himself through any of that.  As our reading from Philippians today tells us, Jesus knew the glory of heaven and intimacy of relationship with God even before his birth in Bethlehem.  Yet, he humbled himself and offered his life for our sake so that we may know the glory of heaven and intimacy of relationship with God.  We are known as Christ’s disciples.  Disciples are people who learn from their teacher and replicate his life in theirs.

 

During November we want to celebrate the service that many members of our congregation give.  Some give their service within the life of the congregation, others give it in areas away from the congregation.  This is great, because it’s important to know that our discipleship to Christ takes place in all aspects of our life, not just when we are on the church property.

 

As the year draws to a conclusion you may want to think about the service that you can give next year.  Consider whether you are living a life lived for others and seeking to make this a better world for those people that you share it with.  To do this you may need to stretch yourself in faith to step up to service in 2013, to step into an unfamiliar area of service, or to step down from something.  As an act of discipleship and to grow you in your faith, please prayerfully give consideration to where God would have you serve in 2013 so that we can celebrate your life as it is lived for others.

Ministers Desk 18th November 2012

One of the defining characteristics of the Christian church is the love that members show for each other.  Jesus said “I give you a new commandment: Love each other.  Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other.  This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.”  As we read through the books of the New Testament we see practical ways in which the early church sought to live this out.  They came to the realisation that being known as followers of Jesus was more than acknowledging a set of beliefs; it was living a lifestyle that put their beliefs into action.  “So you see that a person is shown to be righteous through faithful actions and not through faith alone” (James 2:24).

 

One way that we seek to obey Christ’s command is through our practice of pastoral care for everyone, by everyone.  For many years we have pursued a model of care that places the onus on every member of the congregation to be aware of opportunities to express love for others through visiting, phoning, sharing words of encouragement, helping others with practical tasks and ensuring that no member of the congregation feels isolated or without a fellow Christ follower to support them.  Even though this has been our goal I know that it happens sporadically, some people receive excellent care, whilst others find it lacking.  I believe that this model more accurately reflects Christ’s desire for his church, where each person was called to be a servant to others.  In the early church they were devoted to one another (Acts 2:42) and recognised that they belonged to each other (Romans 12:5).

 

As part of the congregation the ministry team are available to offer pastoral care.  At any time, if you feel that you’d like to speak to one of us about an issue, I encourage you to contact the church office and make an appointment.  Just as you would initiate a visit to a doctor, a solicitor or other professional when you had a need to see them, please feel free to take the initiative to speak to one of us.  I have heard at various times people who have been disappointed that when they’ve wanted to speak to a minister that they have not been contacted.  Yet, that same person has done nothing to invite a contact.  We are not mind readers and many times will be unaware of what you are thinking.

 

There are two ways to request a visit.

 

1.      On the reverse side of the care cards you can tick a box that says you’d like a visit from the ministry team.  Care cards are also included with the notice sheet and extras are kept in the church foyer.  If you tick this box, you will be contacted and a time for a visit will be made.

2.      You can ring the church office (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9 am to 2 pm) and make an appointment. 

You can ask to speak to someone specific and none of us will be offended if you ask to speak to someone in particular.  We will be happy to come to your house, a coffee shop or meet at the church.

Ministers Desk 11 November 2012

Minister’s Desk

One of the defining characteristics of the Christian church is the love that members show for each other.  Jesus said “I give you a new commandment: Love each other.  Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other.  This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.”  As we read through the books of the New Testament we see practical ways in which the early church sought to live this out.  They came to the realisation that being known as followers of Jesus was more than acknowledging a set of beliefs; it was living a lifestyle that put their beliefs into action.  “So you see that a person is shown to be righteous through faithful actions and not through faith alone” (James 2:24).

 

One way that we seek to obey Christ’s command is through our practice of pastoral care for everyone, by everyone.  For many years we have pursued a model of care that places the onus on every member of the congregation to be aware of opportunities to express love for others through visiting, phoning, sharing words of encouragement, helping others with practical tasks and ensuring that no member of the congregation feels isolated or without a fellow Christ follower to support them.  Even though this has been our goal I know that it happens sporadically, some people receive excellent care, whilst others find it lacking.  I believe that this model more accurately reflects Christ’s desire for his church, where each person was called to be a servant to others.  In the early church they were devoted to one another (Acts 2:42) and recognised that they belonged to each other (Romans 12:5).

 

As part of the congregation the ministry team are available to offer pastoral care.  At any time, if you feel that you’d like to speak to one of us about an issue, I encourage you to contact the church office and make an appointment.  Just as you would initiate a visit to a doctor, a solicitor or other professional when you had a need to see them, please feel free to take the initiative to speak to one of us.  I have heard at various times people who have been disappointed that when they’ve wanted to speak to a minister that they have not been contacted.  Yet, that same person has done nothing to invite a contact.  We are not mind readers and many times will be unaware of what you are thinking.

 

There are two ways to request a visit.

 

On the reverse side of the care cards you can tick a box that says you’d like a visit from the ministry team.  Care cards are also included with the notice sheet and extras are kept in the church foyer.  If you tick this box, you will be contacted and a time for a visit will be made.

You can ring the church office (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9 am to 2 pm) and make an appointment.

 

You can ask to speak to someone specific and none of us will be offended if you ask to speak to someone in particular.  We will be happy to come to your house, a coffee shop or meet at the church.

 

Ministers Desk 4th November 2012

“Christ is just like the human body—a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many” (1 Corinthians 12:12).  This speaks to me of the beauty, complexity and interdependence of the church.  The church, which is Christ’s body on earth is composed of many people, each contributing to God’s work in the way that we are gifted and called.  No one person can do it all and each person is needed to complete our ministry as a church.  During November we are going to acknowledge and celebrate the ways we serve and the contributions each of us make toward the ministry of Christ.

 

The nature of the church applies also within parts of the church.  Within groups and ministries individuals with different skills fulfil different roles.  This applies equally to the ministry team at Emmanuel.  Wendy, Harlee and I work together as a team in offering ministry, service and leadership to the congregation.  Through team ministry the skills and tasks of each member are complemented and we are able to concentrate on the tasks we are called to and to exercise the gifts that we have been given by God.  Some people may be unaware of the roles that we play in the church. 

 

Harlee is responsible for pastoral care and youth.  In this he seeks to facilitate our network of pastoral care for everyone by everyone.  In instances of acute need, and when asked for, he makes pastoral visits.  With the youth he is developing innovative models of youth ministry that develops practices of discipleship within our young.

 

Wendy is responsible for children and young families.  This year she has been leading a task group that has identified ways that our congregation can resource and ensure that the home is the primary place in which faith is nurtured and grown in our children.  She is also involved in Kidzone, Playgroup, Girl’s Brigade, Tiny Town and Kid’s Hope at Enoggera State School. 

 

I provide overall leadership to the congregation through Church Council and Elders.  Along with Team Leaders from Church Council, and others, I seek to provide ways for us to grow in our discipleship and express our purpose as a disciple forming community.

 

Being a team also means that we seek not to duplicate what each other is doing.  Even though Harlee and I are both Ministers of the Word and called to preach, you only get one sermon on Sunday morning.  It also means that we all don’t visit the same people, we don’t all attend the same groups and we don’t all become involved in the same activities.  This is not that we are not interested or don’t care, it is the reality of God’s work in and through this congregation.

 

I feel blessed to be part of this team and pray that we are a blessing to this congregation.  If you’d like to talk to anyone of us about our ministry roles, please feel free to contact us.  Our contact details are always on the back page of the notice sheet.

Ministers Desk 28th October 2012

As October draws to an end, our Live Light in 25 words campaign also draws to an end.  I hope that during October you have been able to enjoy the blessing of participating in a daily habit of bible reading.  The Gospels make it very clear that Jesus was an active reader of the bible and that he used it to shape his character and mission.  For example, in the issue of the Sabbath he said, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and those with him were hungry?” (Matthew 12:3).  In the issue of divorce and remarriage he said, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female?” (Matthew 19:4).  In the issue of true worship and praise he said, "Haven’t you ever read, ‘From the mouths of babies and infants you’ve arranged praise for yourself’?” (Matthew 21:16).  In the issue of the resurrection he said, “Haven’t you ever read in the scriptures, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord has done this, and it’s amazing in our eyes’?” (Matthew 21:42).  And to the lawyer who queried him about eternal life he said, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?” (Luke 10:26).  Time after time Jesus used and quoted scripture to help his listeners understand the way of God’s kingdom and their involvement in the world. 

 

In the world that we live in there are many messages that seek to influence the lives that we live.  Most of these messages would seek to take us on a path that is away from that of God’s preferable plan and purpose for our living.  There is only one way that we can stand against the way of the world and stand for Christ.  That is through immersing ourselves in scripture.  Through scripture we are given a picture of who God is and what he has done, is doing and will do as he acts in creation, redemption and sanctification.  Most importantly we are given the picture of who we can become as we are aligned with God’s will in our lives. 

 

If you already have a pattern of daily bible readings I encourage you to continue to practice it.  If you don’t I encourage you to develop and maintain a pattern.  Don’t do this as a rod to beat your back with and weigh you down.  Do it as a means of grace that gives you a clearer insight into the power and presence of God. 

 

Included in the notice sheet this week is an out of date copy of a Scripture Union daily bible reading guide.  You may want to start using it, don’t worry about the dating.  You might find that the style of this guide does not appeal.  There are many other guides written in different styles.  Take a visit to Word Bookstore at 442 Enoggera Road, Alderley and check out there range of daily devotionals.  Another alternative is Journaling.  Through this you read a passage and then, using some standard questions, write your own reflection on what God is doing.  Check out our website for more information and a reading guide. www.emmanueluca.org.au/Journaling-pg23391.html

Ministers Desk 21 October

Five Useful Apps for your Smartphone or Tablet

 

There are now more mobile phones in Australia than people, and many are web-enabled or smart phones.  So why not put your new smart phone or tablet to good use?  Check out these apps to help with your daily Bible reading or Explore group time.  Most are also available on a PC:

 

YouVersion.  View and download dozens of different Bible translations,  use a Bible reading plan, make notes about the text, and share your thoughts via social media.  www.youversion.com

WordLive.  This is Scripture Union’s online daily Bible reading guide.  Three variants are available and provide a variety of stimuli,  including pictures, music and videos .  www.wordlive.org

 

Olive Tree.  Purchase and view a variety of Christian resources, including Bibles, commentaries, maps, study guides, etc.  www.olivetree.com

 

 

Logos.  Purchase and access a wide range of theological texts and commentaries.  www.logos.com

 

 

Read a book.  No, this is not the name of an app.  But there are heaps of great Christian e-books available via the online book providers to help you grow in your faith.

 

Check out the Church website, www.emmanueluca.org.au .  There is some information on daily Bible reading and journaling.  We are continually uploading new resources, and links to other web based resources.  You might also like to check out the Bible Society’s Live Light in 25 Words campaign site, which has a significant amount of material, including some great talks by prominent Christians.  25words.biblesociety.org.au

 

Nathan Robertson

 

 

Minsters Desk 14th October

Family Bible study

In Deuteronomy 6:5-7, parents are called to impress the hearts of their children with love for God. How can we possibly do this? God tells us to begin by talking as a family about God and His Word. Family bible study deepens and strengthens family relationships. Family bible study provides an opportunity for parents to take the lead in passing faith to their children and for the whole family together to grow as His disciples.

 

But where do you begin with family bible study? The hardest part of starting something is just that – starting! Here are some tips that might work for you:

* Discuss starting a bible study time with your family. Talk about the points below so everyone knows what is expected.

* Make this a priority in your family life and be consistent – stick with the same day and time, and start and finish at an agreed time.

* Agree together that this time is to be kept free of family complaints and arguments.

* Start small – don’t plan an hour long session with everything included! Go for a short time at first and build up according to the ages and stages of your children.

* Find a time and place that works best for your family – after dinner, first thing in the morning, or all snuggled up on the couch together.  Relax together and be natural!

* Share highs and lows with each other – ask each other “What was a high point of your day today?” then offer up a quick prayer, thanking God for all those things. Then say, “What about our lows? What were the hard parts of your day?” Again share with each other and then pray for God’s help with those difficult things.

* Read a small portion of the bible – maybe just a verse, a paragraph, a section. One person could read it out loud, or take it in turns – whatever works for your family.

* Ask questions such as, “What do you think that means?” “How does that apply to our life?”

* Offer a simple prayer thanking God for His word and then finish by thanking everyone for listening and taking part.

Sometimes our children will ask a tricky question and we don’t know what to say. That’s ok– you don’t need to know all the answers. You can say, “Great question! I don’t know the answer to that one! What do you think? Let’s see if we can find out more together…”

So give family bible study a go! This is your chance to share God’s love with your family, in a way that all members can take part, understand and enjoy. Have fun as you grow as God’s disciples!

 

Ministers Desk 7th October

This week has marked the first week of our Live Light in 25 words campaign.  Live Light is a campaign that encourages us all to develop or maintain a discipline of daily bible readings.  There are people in our congregation who have for many years read their bible daily.  In doing this they have been blessed by God with peace and certainty.  They have been given guidance in how to live and have allowed the reality of God’s kingdom to grow bigger and larger in their lives.

 

For all of us who have developed this daily habit it has not come easily.  Experts say that we have to deliberately work at do something regularly for 4 to 6 weeks before it becomes an ingrained part of our lives.  The reality is that for many of us we have the best of intentions of developing a pattern of bible reading but other pressures of life (expected, but more likely unexpected) crowd in and push out our best intentions.

 

Recently, when we went to the Solomon Islands I needed to take malaria tablets.  They had to be taken for 2 days before we left Australia, all the time we were there and then 4 weeks after returning.  I don’t have a regular habit of taking tablets, so this was not going to be easy to take them every day for 6 weeks.  Whilst we were there it was easy to remember them, I was very conscious about doing a lot of things differently.  But when we returned and I went back to routine, I knew that it wouldn’t be so easy.  However, I have a routine that I follow unrelentingly.  Every morning I have breakfast, and every morning I have weet-bix for breakfast.  So I built my new tablet taking habit into my already established breakfast eating habit and put the malaria tablet box into the weet-bix box.  Before I could take the weet-bix out for breakfast, I first had to take my malaria tablet.

 

Are you able to combine a new daily bible reading habit with an existing habit?  Like me, do you put your daily bible reading guide into your cereal box and do your readings whilst you eat your breakfast?  We can combine our readings with technology and have the Live Light campaign emailed to you every day, or you can like it on Facebook of there is an app that you can download to your smartphone or tablet.  Do you establish a time that you will read the bible every day, before you leave the house, in the train on the way to work, in the afternoon before you go for a walk.  The important thing is to ensure that it becomes a daily part of your routine and not something that fits in around the other activities that you have.

 

“I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word” (Ps 119:15, 16).

 

A revamped website has a page for daily bible reading and journaling.  It contains suggestions on how to develop a pattern of daily bible reading.  There is also information on journaling and bible reading guides.  Check it out for more ideas and encouragement.

 

 

Ministers Desk 23rd September 2012

Today is a great day! I have the privilege of regularly attending all three worship services here at Emmanuel. In doing this I can honestly say that I have come to appreciate the different ways all three services help me to come before the presence of God. We are a diverse congregation so it’s no surprise there is a variety in our preference of worship styles.

It’s ok to feel more comfortable worshiping in one service over another but it’s really important that from time to time we gather together, as a whole community to worship God in one time and place. When we do this we are reminded that ultimately worship is not so much about what we do but why we do it.

In our purpose we have identified worship (Exalt) as an important part of growing as disciples of Jesus Christ. William H. Willimon is someone who I have found to be very helpful in articulating the nature and purpose of worship. Here is some of what he has to say;

The Christian faith is a matter of God’s offer of love in Christ and our response to that love. We respond to God’s love with our loving acts of service toward those in need in the church and in the world. And yet we respond to God’s love, not only by loving deeds of service to others, but also by simply doing the things we do for God because God is God and we are God’s children. We are called not simply to obey God but also to glorify God. Above all, we are called to enjoy God. We are called to worship.

Love is not love if it is simply a matter of obeying rules, running errands, and performing duties. Some things we do just because we enjoy being in the presence of our loved one. So we sing songs, write poetry, dance, clap our hands, share food, or simply prop up our feet and do nothing but enjoy being with one another. In these purposeless moments of sheer enjoyment, we come very close to what love is all about.

If someone asked a Christian, “What’s the purpose of your worship? Why do you gather on Sunday and sing songs, dress up, kneel, march in processions, clap your hands, shed tears, speak, eat, and listen?” We could only say, “Because we are in love.” (http://willimon.blogspot.com.au/2007/02/whats-point-of-worship.html)

Today is a great day because we have gathered together as one body to declare our love for God, and in doing so we affirm our unity in Christ.

Grace and Peace

Harlee  Cooper

Ministers Desk 16th September 2012

This week I share with you the final insights of Gordon MacDonald on how to spot a transformed Christian.  The call to follow Christ is a journey to become ever more like him and less like the world that we live in.  “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18).  For this reason we need some signs or markers to help identify how we are continuing to grow.  Please prayerfully reflect on these insights as they apply in your life. 

“Appreciates that suffering is part of faithfulness to Jesus. ‘I will show him how much he will suffer for my sake,’ God says of Saul of Tarsus. ‘Count it all joy (if you suffer),’ writes James. ‘He has given you the privilege to suffer for him,’ writes Paul.”

“‘Everything I know that's important,’ a friend said to me recently, ‘I learned in suffering. Suffering comes from many sources—even our own stupid mistakes. But whatever its source, the transforming believer does not complain, does not seek pity, does not become embittered. Rather he listens; he trusts; he offers his experience for the benefit of others.”

“Is eager and ready to express the content of his faith. Allow me to differentiate between those who select times to ‘do evangelism’ and those who are more likely to express their faith in the serendipitous events and encounters of everyday life. Of course, both are valid.”

“The transformed Christ-follower seeks, even prays for, opportunities to arise in the most natural of ways to communicate one's devotion to Christ and his capacity to offer a new way of life.”

“Overflows with thankfulness. And that implies prone toward cheerfulness.  Some of us (me, for example) needed to learn the exercise of thankfulness. Our default pattern is to simply receive, to take, as if we are entitled and deserve the generosity of others.”

“But now and then comes along that unusual transforming person who literally walks through the day looking for things to be thankful for. With each expression of thanks, they press value on what someone (or God himself) has done. They believe that no human transaction is complete until it is covered with appreciation.”

“Has a passion for reconciliation. This might be the highest characteristic of maturing believers. They bring people together. They hate war, violence, contentiousness, division caused by race, economics, gender, and ideology. They believe that being peaceable and making peace trumps all other efforts in one's lifetime.”

“’Something there is that doesn't love a wall,’ Robert Frost wrote. He could have been describing the transforming Christian who is mightily stirred into action when he sees those dividing walls that separate people, each of whom was made uniquely and loved by God.”

“It is here that you see Jesus living in others. You see his eye on the one others have ignored. You see him lifting the fallen one, elevating the insignificant one. What an incredible example he is to exploitive and arrogant people who walk through every day dividing and diminishing people all about them. The transforming Christ-follower knows this natural human tendency and seeks God's power to replace it with another tendency: redeeming, healing love.”

Ministers Desk 9 September 2012

Over the past weeks I have been sharing with you some insights that Gordon MacDonald has written that help us identify the characteristics of a transformed Christian.  My intention in sharing these is to ask you to prayerfully reflect on your own life as a growing disciple and ask where you reflect the life of Christ and the areas in which you are not yet transformed.  Remembering always a Christ follower is always on a journey and in this life we never reach the destination.  Here are points seven and eight.  I encourage you to read all of the points.  If you do not have them please contact the church office, or access past copies of the notice sheet on the website.

“Is aware of personal ‘call’ and unique competencies. In other words, ‘It's not about me, but about what has been entrusted to me and what can be offered to others’. The transforming Christ-follower believes he has been given a mission. Usually, if you ask, he can put that mission into words.

“We are not speaking of pastors and missionaries only, but all of us. Part of spiritual transformation seems to include a growing sensitivity to a ‘call,’ something ‘out there’ that needs doing in the name of Jesus.

“And with the sensitivity comes a capability often called a spiritual gift. It is exhilarating to watch a young Christ-follower awaken to a power given him by the fullness of the Holy Spirit. At first there may be reluctance, even fear. There can be awkwardness, even some failure.

“And then, like a young rose exposed to sunlight, the transforming Christian begins to blossom. God's Spirit anoints with unexpected power and vision, and sometimes you hear one say, ‘I was made for this’."

 

“Is merciful and generous. The amazing Barnabas is our model. We first meet him as the church's best example of generosity.

“We see him taking risks when he welcomes Saul of Tarsus to the circle of believers in Jerusalem. It's Barnabas who observes a fledgling church (Antioch) trying out new styles of church life and refrains from squelching them. In fact he applauds.

“Barnabas mentors Saul on their first missionary campaign, yet relinquishes his leadership position when Paul is mature enough to find his own way.

“Our last sight of Barnabas? Standing up for John Mark who needs another chance to rebound from an earlier failure. How typical of this man.
I wish the larger world of our day saw in Christians a more Barnabas-like spirit of generosity, encouragement, and mercy.”

 

Ministers Desk 2 September 2012

What are some marks of a growing disciple of Jesus Christ?  The answer to this is essentially an inner attitude of surrender and transformation to the work of the Holy Spirit.  However, this inner reality can be indicated through some outward signs.  For the past two weeks I have been sharing with you twelve of these signs, as they have been expressed by author and pastor Gordon MacDonald.  If you have not read these, or would like a complete copy of the twelve, please contact the church office.  This week I offer a further two signs as written by Gordon MacDonald.

“Builds healthy, reciprocal human relationships. He is faithful to friends, and (if married) affectionate, attentive, and servant-like to a spouse, and (if a parent) patient and nurturing to his children.

“Such a one is swift to admit when he is wrong, to forgive when offended, to offer support when another is in need. Perhaps the bottom line is simply this: we are talking about a person in whom others delight because, wherever he goes, he brings "loads of Christ" with him.

 “Can I personalise this? Once, someone said to me, "Imagine standing before your Maker and hearing this question: 'Have you supported your wife's efforts to become the woman God meant her to be?' For the transformed Christian, this question is relevant to all key relationships. The fact is that most people grow a bit whenever they are in the company of a transformed Christ-follower.”

“Knows how to engage the larger world where faith is not necessarily understood. Some of his personal choices and convictions on living may not appeal to those outside the edges of his faith, but those who know him usually accept his "peculiarities" because this Christ-follower brings cheer, stability, and energy. Admittedly, there are times when a person of faith will be despised, but hopefully there are more times when he is valued as an asset (not a parasite) to his "world."

“It has not gone unnoticed that the temptation of modern church life is to draw its people into the church's programs and away from influential contact with the community.

“A transforming Christian is likely to resist this gravitational pull. He will pursue friendships with people who walk in other spiritual pathways. He will make contributions to the greater community, especially those that bring equity and relief to struggling people.

“In short he will not be absorbed into religious institutionalism.

“Could I also add here that the transformed Christian does not allow the beauty and the stimulus of the larger world. He is mindful of artistic and cultural experiences. He maintains an informed, even prayerful, view of local and national affairs.

“And he is aware of where history is going and what it takes to hand on a new and improved world to the generation that will replace him.”

Please forgive the non-inclusive writing, it’s his not mine.

Ministers Desk 26 August 2012

Last week I started to share with you twelve signs of a transformed Christian life.  These have been written by Gordon MacDonald, a Pastor and author from the United States.  I encourage you to read all twelve of these signs and use them to reflect on your life and the ways you are demonstrating the ongoing transforming work of the Spirit in you.  Growing Disciples seek to align their lives more with the kingdom of God and experience more of the work of the Spirit within them.

“Is intentional and disciplined in seeking God's direction in life. Eugene Peterson employs the term responsive obedience when he paraphrases Paul's challenge to the Philippians to push themselves toward increasing Christian maturity. Interestingly, he is writing to a church heavily populated by retired Roman military personnel. So Paul's letter is packed with military terms, "responsive obedience" being an example. As a soldier conditioned himself for battle, so the Christian, Paul said, was to "work out" his role in facing a morally dangerous world.

“No transforming Christ-follower would ever be comfortable with spiritual passivity. Rather, a transforming follower of Jesus expects a battle. There will be choices, opportunities, opposition. And he prepares for all of it diligently. This is sometimes referred to as self-discipline. It means living by intention and commitment, developing life-habits in alignment with Jesus and replacing those that are not.

“Worships, and has a spirit of continuous repentance. As in all other personal relationships, there is an appropriate rhythm in routines in order to refresh one's relationship to God. Worship is an appropriate description for this.

“The transforming believer recognises that these are the moments to elevate life to an eternal perspective, to experience interior cleansing, to rekindle a satisfying joy and hope in life. Like Isaiah, he gains a sense of his own true size and his need to acknowledge his unique forms of brokenness. In other words, he does not find it difficult to repent of his sins, to God or to others.

“In such worship, we are reminded of God's purposes and concerns. And, finally, we are likely to come away redirected, renewed in our efforts to live and serve the Everlasting One who has made us in his image.

“Our differing temperaments lead each of us to worship in different forms. Whether our worship is loud and extemporary or somewhat formal and carefully scripted is not the issue. The important thing for the transforming Christian is to exit the place of worship knowing that he is once more at peace with Jesus the redeemer. Not entertained, but energised.”

Ministers Desk 19th August 2012

Gordon MacDonald is a Pastor and writer in his seventies.  I’ve read his books and heard him speak and continue to be inspired by his passion for Jesus and his commitment to disicpling others.  In a recent journal article he wrote he identified twelve ways to spot a transformed Christian.  Over the coming weeks I’m going to include them here for you to read and reflect on.  As you read ask yourself how each point is reflected in your life and what you need to do to continue to grow in each aspect.

1.      Has an undiluted devotion to Jesus.

“Personally, I am drawn to the word devotion rather than love for Jesus. It is difficult to escape the sentimental flavouring in the word love.  And I do not find sentimental love in that follow-me relationship Jesus initiated with his disciples.”

“For me devotion suggests something more deliberate, even calculated. It’s not absent emotion but not defined by it either. Devotion infers determination that one will organise his/her life around Jesus: his quality of character, his summons to know God as Jesus knows him, his unique grace and forgiveness for sins.”

“I, for one, believe that a transforming disciple renews his intention to be faithful to Jesus’ influence on a regular basis, not because he is unsure but because he doesn’t want to lose that ‘edge’ of proactive commitment.”

“As the years of my own Christian life have passed I’ve become more diligent in doing this, just as I have become more intentional about remarrying (in spirit) my wife, Gail, again each day. I know she and I posses a piece of paper that says we were married a long time ago. But my heart says, Why not re-declare your desire to marry her again today? She’ll love you for it. I have come to feel the same way about my devotion to Jesus as my Saviour and rabbi leader as I retool my life around what I see and hear of him.”

2.      Pursues a biblically informed view of the world.

“This means aiming to know the Bible well: its content and its imperatives.”

“There seems to be a universal concern in the Christian movement concerning biblical illiteracy. Blame it on busyness, technology, too many translations, the demise of Sunday School, or something else. But one thing is sure: we seem to be losing a working knowledge of our sacred literature. We think it okay to outsource Bible knowledge to preachers, writers and instructors.”

“The transforming Christ-follower understands that he cannot simply live off the monologues of a favourite preacher. He must-to reflect the Psalmist-hide God’s Word in his own heart so that it becomes a lamp to his feet, a light to his path.”

Ministers Desk Aug 12 2012

The church in the twenty-first century needs to be firstly a disciple-forming community.  This means that our practices need to be orientated toward helping each person grow more into the relationship God wants with them.  This applies equally to those who are already members of God’s kingdom and those who are yet to come to faith.  Discipleship is something that needs to be lived and experienced.  Through our living discipleship we will understand more deeply what it means to be a Christ follower and we will be able to express that more often.  In worship we have been talking about the practice of evangelism.  This can be a practice that is about us as much as it is about the person we engage with.

Growing disciples are people who surrender their will to that of Jesus Christ, but we need to grow in our capacity to surrender.  For too long we have been taught by this world that to surrender our will and independence is a sign of weakness.  Yet in Christ it is a strength that leads to the fullness of the blessings that God can offer.   Through the practice of evangelism we learn to surrender our desire to control the people we spend time with, the things that we do with our time and the preferences we have in how we share our faith, or don’t share it.

Growing disciples are people who are have a growing obedience to Christ in all things, but our rebelliousness holds us back from being obedient.  Jesus commands us to make disciples of all nations.  This command is unambiguous and direct, yet too often we ignore that in the pursuit of other activities which have a less clear biblical command.  I tend to ignore the command to evangelism because I don’t like its implications.  However, my growing discipleship to Jesus means that I cannot live with integrity and not do anything about it.

Growing disciples are people who are living a life that is attractive to others, so that they too will want this type of life for themselves.  Growing in our capacity to show unconditional love to others, serve without counting the cost, to honour others above self, offer forgiveness without reservation and seek reconciliation are all signs of the movement of the Spirit in us.  As we receive more of the Spirit in us these characteristics will be more prevalent in our lives.

Growing disciples are people who are alert and responsive to the leading of the Spirit.  It is he who provides the opportunities for us to have faith sharing conversations and provides the words and inspiration for what we say.   As we practice being responsive to the Spirit, we will find that it comes more naturally and more often and we will experience his leading in our lives more often.

Our purpose as a church is to facilitate each one of us growing as disciples of Christ.  He has so much more in store for us, more than we can ever contemplate experiencing.  To be led to this life we need to give ourselves to practices that will continue to develop our heart for God, one of this is through engaging with another in the belief that God will draw them into a living relationship with him.