The First Missionary Journey Acts 12:25-14:28 19-20 October 2019 Jodie McNeill

An idea that will change the world.

The gospel of Jesus is the greatest ____ ever.

Saul and Barnabas are sent on a _______.

They go first to the ____.

The message of Jesus is ___________!

Attempts to stop the gospel are _______.

Paul preaches the gospel to the ____.

The Jews need to ______ and be baptised.

The ____________ was planned and promised.

Forgiveness comes by ________ in Jesus.

The message of Jesus _______ the people.

After the Jews, Paul preached to the ________.

People thought Paul and Barnabas were ____.

Paul started his message with God’s ________.

There is evidence of God __________.

The Jews thought they’d stoned Paul to _____.

Paul has ____!

Don’t give up when you ______ for Jesus.

God will ultimately _______ his church.

Church News for the week beginning 19th October

OUR BIBLE TALK

This weekend Jodie leads us back into our series on Acts, ‘Launching the Church’, as he tells us the story of Paul’s first missionary journey from Acts 13 and 14. Next weekend we will hear about The Council of Jerusalem as Jodie continues preaching God’s word from Acts.

MISSION OF THE MONTH

Our Mission of the Month is Anglicare, and we can support this through the mission table, and by bringing toys and tucker to help people at Christmas.

LADIES GUILD

The next Ladies Guild meeting will be on November 9th at 3pm in the hall. All women in our church are invited to come, and find out how they can help serve over the Christmas festive season.

QUESTION AND ANSWERS

Our regular question and answer segment will resume this week. To ask a question, simply fill out a response slip or email Jodie.

NEW ROSTERS ONLINE

Updated rosters have been published on Elvanto. If you are unavailable to serve when you have been rostered on, please let us know via Elvanto, your response slips or by emailing Kiarnay.

GIVING UPDATE

Each week we need to receive $6300.00 in order to meet our commitments. In the last calendar month, our average weekly giving was $5513.00, leaving a gap of $787.00. Olimometer 2.52 Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $54,600. Compared to that total we received $48,216, leaving a gap of $6,384.Olimometer 2.52

Electronic giving is a great way to give! It helps us prayerfully plan our giving, and then the bank will help us keep that commitment, even when we may be unable to attend. To give by direct transfer then these are the details. Account name: Church of England Jamberoo. Account number: 10081274. BSB: 062562.

When Jesus Wept

The tears of Jesus give us hope for eternity (CREDIT: Martin Fisch, Flickr)

Given that Jesus is the most perfect, complete man who ever walked on the planet, it sometimes surprise us to think that he experienced genuine emotions.

When I asked my school Scripture class this week to suggest when they thought Jesus got all emotional, some thought it might have been when he was falsely accused or when he experienced the rejection of his own people whom he came to save.

However, one of the most famous times where he expressed his emotion was when he saw first hand the sadness of the sisters of Lazarus, the man who had recently died.

Jesus knew that the pain of the death of his friend would ultimately be used through the ages as a remarkable testimony to the power of Jesus over death, which would bring great glory to God the Father.

Yet even though this was the ultimate aim, it didn’t stop him personally feeling the pain of grief from death.

Jesus knows what it means to experience the loss of a loved one, and he knows how it hurts in ways that words cannot express.

It is for this reason that Jesus is able to truly comfort us when we turn to him in our grief, knowing that he has felt just the same kind of thing that we’ve felt.

But the great power of Jesus comes with the hope that death is ultimately dealt with by his own victory over death, so that the weeping that comes from death will one day cease as God, himself, wipes away our tears.

The power of Jesus over the grave gives us confidence that death is a part of life that will be put behind us as we ultimately pass from this life to the next, safe in the arms of Jesus.

JODIE McNEILL

Coming up this weekend 19-20 October

This weekend we jump back into our series on Acts, ‘Launching the Church’, as I guide us through the story of Paul’s first missionary journey from Acts 13 and 14. It’s such a remarkable thing to see the Apostle Paul gearing up for gospel action as the word of Jesus goes to the ends of the world!

Term 4 of school for 2019 starts back this week, as does our regular question and answer segment. If you had any questions that arose from the sermons during the holidays, or about the Christian faith, please email them to kiarnay.cignarella@jamberooanglican.com during the week so we can put them on the list.

Here are some of the questions from the past few weeks that we’ll look at this weekend:

1 If Peter baptised the Samaritan believers ‘in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit’ would they still have needed John to baptise in the Holy Spirit?
2 Was Peter afraid of the angel when he was released from prison?
3 Are people ‘in heaven’ whilst they await Judgement Day, and if not, why do people say “people are looking down on you from heaven”?
4 Is Jesus in Paradise now, and if so, will we see him straight away when we die?
5 Is Paradise before judgement, or will we be with the Father and the Son before judgement?
6 Is Greta Thunberg’s motivation to show more care for God’s creation or to rebuke us for not properly controlling the climate?
7 How do you tell the difference between persecution and abuse from idiots?

Please join us at our 5pm Saturday evening service with kids program, followed by a great time together over a hearty dinner, then youth group. Or come along to our 9am Sunday morning service where we share morning tea afterwards and chat over some espresso. We would love to see you!

Grace and peace, Jodie

Church News for the week beginning 13th October


OUR BIBLE TALK

This weekend Jodie will be sharing with us a special message of how Jesus sets us free from sin, as we enjoy together the fifth and final session of our Holiday Kids Club during our 5pm Saturday service. Our Sunday morning service will have the same theme, but will be a standard service. Next weekend, we jump back into our series on Acts, ‘Launching the Church’, as Jodie talks to us about ‘The First Missionary Journey’. We would love to see you there!

MISSION OF THE MONTH

Our Mission of the Month is Anglicare, and we can support this through the mission table, and by bringing toys and tucker to help people at Christmas.

SWITCH WOMEN’S CONFERENCE

Next Saturday 19th October, from 9am to 12:30pm at Bomaderry Anglican. Register https://southernwomen.org.au/ A great local conference for women with speaker Annabel Nixey. Not to be missed!

KBECET DINNER

The ‘Kiama Board for Employing Christian Education Teachers’ (KBECET) is having its annual dinner next Saturday 19th October 2019, 6:30 for 7pm at Kiama Anglican. Tickets $25. See Trevor Lucas for registration.

KATHY RUGGLE’S FUNERAL

The funeral of Graham Errington’s mother will be held in our church this Friday 18th October at 11am. You are most welcome to join us.

HOLIDAY KIDS CLUB

A big thanks to everyone involved in the Holiday Kids Club this week. It was a delight to have so many new people join us and to share the wonderful news of God’s love.

GIVING UPDATE

Each week we need to receive $6300.00 in order to meet our commitments. In the last calendar month, our average weekly giving was $5513.00, leaving a gap of $787.00. Olimometer 2.52 Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $54,600. Compared to that total we received $48,216, leaving a gap of $6,384.Olimometer 2.52

Electronic giving is a great way to give! It helps us prayerfully plan our giving, and then the bank will help us keep that commitment, even when we may be unable to attend. To give by direct transfer then these are the details. Account name: Church of England Jamberoo. Account number: 10081274. BSB: 062562.

Be Strong and Courageous

The Professor (Will Massey) and Miss Penelope (Jhettaya Warner) explore the buried treasures of Ancient Egypt, and discover the amazing story of Joseph.

During the last week at our Holiday Kids Club we’ve been looking at the story of Joseph and the rough treatment he suffered from the evil acts of his brothers and others.

In Genesis chapter 39, Joseph was falsely accused of harming a senior official’s wife, and as a result, he ended up in prison.

As we discussed this tragic moment in Joseph’s life, I asked the children in our programme to tell the group what they thought Joseph would have been feeling as he was alone in prison, falsely accused.

The kids suggested that Joseph would have felt confused, or sad, or angry, and even lonely.

The Bible doesn’t really tell us about Joseph’s feelings… but it does tell us that God never abandoned him during those difficult times.

We read that “the LORD was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love…” and that “The LORD was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.” (Genesis 39:21, 23).

As we reflected on how Joseph must have felt, we sang together the well-known song by Colin Buchanan, ‘Be strong and courageous’, which helped remind us all of the faithfulness that God has for his people.

And we were reminded that even in the most difficult times, we should remember that God will never leave us or forsake us, and that he works through all things for the good of those who love him.

And as we saw on the final, full day of the kids program, the evil that was done by Joseph’s brothers and others was something that God used to bring good:

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50:20)

What a great comfort and joy to know that our loving God is totally in control of everything!

JODIE McNEILL

Coming up this weekend 12-13 October

We are having a massive week of fun at our Holiday Kids Club and invite you to join us this weekend to continue our Egyptian journey as we look at how Jesus sets us free from sin. It will be a message that seeks to explain the essentials of the Christian faith to people of all ages and stages… ideal for first-timers!

We are taking a break from our question and answer segment for the school holidays, but feel free to continue asking questions as we will pick it back up when the new school term starts.

We would love to see you at our Saturday 5pm service, which will have a special Egypt theme as we celebrate all that we have learned together at the Holiday Kids Club, and will be followed with dinner for everyone. Or join us at our classic Sunday 9am service where we share morning tea afterwards over some tasty espresso.

Grace and peace, Jodie

What does the drought mean?

When our church regularly gathers, we pray that God would send lots of rain to bring relief to our land from the harsh effects of drought.

For even though meteorologists have got smarter and smarter at predicting and recording the weather, humans still are unable to make the heavens open and rain fall.

The Bible speaks about drought and famine on many occasions, and sometimes the lack of rain is a means by which God wakes people up so that whey will turn back to him, like when King Solomon prayed:

“If the skies are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and if they pray toward this Temple and acknowledge your name and turn from their sins because you have punished them, then hear from heaven and forgive the sins of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them to follow the right path, and send rain on your land that you have given to your people as their special possession.

King Solomon in 1 Kings 8:35-36

We also know that meteorological crises should not be seen as God’s normal, direct action upon rebellious people, for Jesus said that God “gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” (Matthew 5:45)

But whenever there is drought, we must remember that God is in control, and that it is a fresh reminder to acknowledge him as the loving ruler of the world, and to bring our prayers and requests to him.

Maybe God is sending this drought to Australia so that we will all turn to him in great number and enjoy the certainty of eternity that Jesus gives to all who humbly accept his gift of forgiveness?

And when it does rain, it’s a great opportunity to thank him for doing what the smartest meteorologists and scientists still cannot do: bring water from the sky to moisten the land and fill our dams.

JODIE McNEILL

Coming up this week 5-6 October 2019

It’s great to have a bit of a break over school holidays, but church continues at full steam ahead! Our speaker this weekend is Trevor Lucas, who will be helping us with the question, “Who Needs a High Priest?” Come along to find out from the book of Hebrews.

We’re having a short break from our normal ‘question and answer’ segment over the holidays, as we’re getting pumped up for our Holiday Kids Club which starts on Tuesday 8th through to Friday 11th October. If you still need to register, go to www.jamberooanglican.com/holidaykidsclub

So, we’re really looking forward to seeing you this Saturday at 5pm for an all-age service followed by dinner together. Or come along at 9am Sunday for a more classic-style Anglican service followed by espresso over morning tea.

Grace and peace, Jodie.

Is Greta Right?

This week the speech of a 16-year-old Swedish girl was a leading news story as Greta Thunberg addressed the UN Climate Action Summit.

In her powerful speech, she strongly criticised the leaders of the world, accusing them of prioritising wealth and economic growth over action to address climate change.

You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us I say we will never forgive you.

Greta Thunberg

Yet, have politicians been negligent in the face of a catastrophic global crisis, or are they acting reasonably in response to limited resources and competing priorities?

The Bible does not specifically address the issue of climate change, but God tells us that we should “tend and watch over” his creation he made for us.

However, we all naturally drift towards selfishness and greed as we reject the loving rule of God and our responsibility to rule under his leadership.

The only way we can escape God’s judgement is to acknowledge our failures and make a fresh start by trusting Jesus and accepting the forgiveness that comes his death.

And as we rightly acknowledge God’s good rule over the world, we will then seek to take care of his creation, by avoiding selfishness and greed, and instead caring for others by preserving our planet.

There is no doubt that Greta’s criticisms have some merit, as we have seen tragic acts of environmental abuse from human greed and selfishness.

Yet, we must never forget that the greatest human crisis is the coming judgement by God, and so we must not lose focus on the need to share the good news of Jesus far and wide, knowing that this world will ultimately fade away.

JODIE McNEILL