Ministers Desk 18th May 2014

As we enter the month of May we may stop, draw breath and ask the “where has the year gone.”  I certainly did this when someone made an appointment for me for 1 May.  Many things have happened during this first third of the year in our church life and in our own personal lives.  As the year moves forward it sometimes becomes hard to assess where we have been because of the need to look where we are going.

Our congregation’s purpose Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore, Embody, Engage places an emphasis on ongoing personal spiritual growth.  Our faith is a living part of us and as with any living organism it is either growing or dying.  To ensure that our faith is alive and leading us further into the life of Christ Paul encourages us in 2 Timothy 1:6 to “…..fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you ……”.  Our faith is the gift of God that he speaks of.

Three months ago many of us undertook a spiritual growth assessment.  In this we asked ourselves some questions about our life of faith and the areas in which we were strong and not so strong.  As the year goes on I encourage you to reflect again, how are you ensuring that you continue to grow in your discipleship?  To be growing in our discipleship means that we are loving God more fully and completely, faithfully following the call of Jesus in more parts of our lives and being more intentional in listening and then acting on the whispers of the Holy Spirit.

To help you in your reflection, consider the following questions:

1. Where have you experienced the wonder and glory of God in our worship services and in doing so experienced the transformation that the Holy Spirit brings? (Exalt)
2. As you’ve been part of an Explore Group how has the life you live being informed by the bible? (Explore)
3. How has the privilege of being used by God in service been a challenge and helped you rely more on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? (Embody)
4. What action have you taken in engaging with your Brian that has helped them come closer to a personal relationship with Jesus and encouraged you to see the Holy Spirit working through you? (Engage)

Each one of us is on a journey of discipleship; however we are all at different stages of that journey.  All that is asked of us is that we each take the next step in our journey and remain faithful to him who calls us. 

Grace and peace

David Fender