As I gathered with thousands of believers at the recent Church Missionary Society (CMS) Summer School in Katoomba, I experience afresh the joy of looking beyond ourselves with a global, gospel focus. Missionaries from all over the world were sharing about the triumphs and the tragedies of bringing the message of Jesus to peoples from […]
As we launch a new year, it’s a perfect time to recommit to a deep dependence on our sovereign Lord, as individuals and as a church. Recently our staff have drafted a mission statement that seeks to help our church focus on three areas that we know will lead us towards our vision to see […]
What gives you a thrill? The thrill of hope follows _________ Simeon was _______ for the Messiah Their waiting made them _____ Simeon knew the Messiah would come in his ________ God sent Simeon to the ______ Mary, Joseph and _____ were in the Temple Simeon held his _______ in his arms Simeon’s ______ had […]
When most of us think of the star of Bethlehem, we think of the special astronomical event that happened at the time of the birth of Jesus, that alerted astrologers to the birth of a special king. For we read in Matthew’s Gospel: About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, […]
The joy of community We often talk about ourselves as a ______ Paul talks about us as being like the ______ God is now _______ in us by his Holy Spirit As his temple, we must be ____ We prefer to be ____ rather than holy Sexual __________ was in the Corinthian church They boast […]
I love the classic carol, ‘O come, all you faithful,’ but the sense of being ‘joyful and triumphant’ sometimes feels artificially upbeat. I know that the song taps into the excitement of coming to Bethlehem to behold the one who was born the king of angels—the Word of the Father now in flesh appearing. Yet, […]
Who do are your spiritual parents? Spiritual parents are a ________ from God The apostles looked ____________ Paul said hard things because he _____ them Their view of following Jesus was _____ When prosperity fails, _____ can be shattered We need to know how to ______ well Through the gospel they became ______ Paul wants […]
Christmas is a wonderful time for us to reflect on the coming of Jesus… and it’s also a great time for people to come to Jesus! Every Sunday service is already ideal for newcomers to attend our church, so if you’re thinking of popping in and visiting, or if you’re waiting for an excuse to […]
What makes a successful leader? They’ve been judging in a _______ way The Apostles are lower _____ The Apostles are __________ to Jesus God’s people need to keep the gospel ____ God is ________ to us It’s the only _______ that gets us to God Paul isn’t a people _______ The ultimate judge of leaders […]
This week our staff team headed off for a two-day retreat to prayerfully reflect on the ministry of our church and our mission for the future. We considered together a ‘Biblical Theology of Edification,’ that helped us think about how Jesus is building his church (Matthew 16:16) and the role that we are to take. […]