Last week Nathan Gernetzky spoke about how God redeems us to bring us into community with Himself and others. Here, Nathan looks at how we as Christ-followers are called to grow in community and do everything we can to maintain it as a church.
21 May 2017 at Rosebank.
Last week Nathan Gernetzky spoke about how God redeems us to bring us into community with Himself and others. Here, Nathan looks at how we as Christ-followers are called to grow in community and do everything we can to maintain it as a church.
21 May 2017 at Rosebank.
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There is a popular quote that says, “For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing” (Simon Wiesenthal). The world today needs good people to stand up – in fact, to be more accurate, not just good people, but it needs the Church to stand up. In Acts 26:16 God says, “Stand up! I have chosen you to be my servant.” This was our memory verse this weekend as we encouraged our children to stand up and be led by God to be used for His Kingdom and cause.
Our Part
We looked at some common scenarios seen today where we need people to stand up – like standing up against gossiping, bullying, cheating. God tells us what is right and He gives us courage and confidence to stand up for what is right. We encouraged our children to stand up against what’s wrong and ask God to help us fight for what is right.
We looked at the story of Esther in the Bible. In the face of wickedness, and at the risk of losing her life, led by God she chose to stand up for what was right. She chose to speak to the king, to fight for what was right and good. God used her and gave her courage to save her people. We pray that God will use our children like he used Esther. We pray that they will be boys and girls of courage, faith and confidence in God to stand up for God’s Kingdom.
Your Part
Always be the example. Are you willing to stand up for what is right? There are so many causes in society today, and some are really good, but the central cause we ought to fight for and give our lives to is seeing God’s Kingdom advance.
Go over the story of Esther again with your children. Ask them what things happen at school that they know are not good and need to be challenged. Perhaps your child is part of a group that chooses to gossip or tease or bully. Help them see how that isn’t good and needs to be addressed. Explain how Esther did it, how God led her, and equally how God will lead us to stand for good.
We truly pray for a generation of courageous boys and girls to be found in our children. But it requires response. Will we listen to God? Will we seek His anointing? Will we stand?
– Children’s Church team
Marcus Herbert speaks about how the Gospel breaks down barriers, as part of our “River” series on Ezekiel 47.
21 May 2017 at Bedfordview AM.
Marcus Herbert speaks about how the Gospel breaks down barriers, as part of our “River” series on Ezekiel 47.
21 May 2017 at Bedfordview AM.
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Nathan Gernetzky speaks about the value, importance and privilege of community, in light of our series on Ezekiel 47 (“The River”).
21 May 2017 at Rosebank.
Nathan Gernetzky speaks about the value, importance and privilege of community, in light of our series on Ezekiel 47 (“The River”).
21 May 2017 at Rosebank.
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We continue our investigating and discovery of Jesus. Our key question this week was, “What can Jesus do for me when I mess up?” The amazing answer is that He grants us forgiveness. It is because of Jesus that we can come before God and find forgiveness for our sin. This was the incredible truth about Jesus that we explored.
Our Part
This Sunday we looked at the story of the prodigal son. It is such a beautiful story with so many lessons that we can learn. Using images and even modern day examples, we discussed the story and focused on God’s grace. We looked how God forgives us of our sin – He cleans up our mess even when we don’t deserve it. Just like the loving father in the story, our Father God welcomes us to Him, forgives us and reminds us that we are His children.
Your Part
We think that it is key that you spend some time reflecting on this story with your children. It is so important to focus on how God can forgive us and that He says He will if we confess our sins to Him. Our children need to know that they can come to God with their faults, their worst actions, their sin and know that He is willing to forgive and still love them. We as parents also need to learn to display grace. We need to try to show forgiveness to our children, and not hold their faults against them.
It is a wonderful privilege to share the Gospel with our children. Keep talking about Jesus, the forgiveness we receive in Him and the family we have through Him.
– The Children’s Church team
by Christopher Bompas
There are Sundays when you come to Church and you find yourself bursting with God’s love. Then Monday comes… suddenly without releasing it, you turn into a different person (i.e. Mr Hyde). Do we have to step out of the rat race to serve God? No.
Here’s why – we were created to work. The work that we do for the Church is of equal importance to what we do in the world. So how should we approach work as followers of Christ?
Work to cultivate. We have inherited Adam’s mission to subdue the earth (Genesis 1:28). In the urban setting, this doesn’t mean literally sticking our hands in the soil. God wants us to complete the work that He started and do things that glorify Him.
Work with love. While doing what you love isn’t always possible, we can still express Jesus’s command that we love one another in every task, no matter how big or small (John 13:34).
Work to serve. The modern world teaches us to arrange our priorities like this: (1) ourselves, (2) others and (3) God. In contrast, Christ sets the perfect example to follow in washing his disciple’s feet (John 13:1-17). See this video:
Work according to purpose. There are no cushy jobs in the Kingdom of God. Each job is equally important and we need to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal how He can best make use of our talents (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)
There is incredible joy and satisfaction in work. Please speak to our deacons and elders, if you need support and encouragement in finding the special purpose that He has for you. Trust us, it’s more beautiful than you can ever imagine!
What does the Bible actually say about Singleness? More than you might think.