Jesus Is Rest

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CREDIT: Photo anieto2k, via Flickr.

There are so many things that make us weary and burdened.

Maybe you’re weighed down by poor health, difficult relationships, or financial stress.

Maybe your biggest burden is spiritual?

Perhaps you’re worried that when God judges you after you die that you might not have done enough to please him.

The great news is that Jesus offers relief from that burden because Jesus is rest.

Before Jesus came, God promised his people rest from all their enemies so that they would live in safety.

Then, after Jesus came, God’s people realised that this ‘rest’ was actually talking about Heaven.

But many people thought it was only possible to gain this heavenly rest through hard work.

They were told that they needed to do all sorts of religious acts and good works in order to get into heaven and enjoy a hard-earned rest.

But Jesus turned that upside down when he told them that he is the only one who can give someone that rest.

He told them, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Then he told them how to take hold of that rest: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)

Jesus offers to swap his light and easy load for our heavy burden, and in turn, give us true rest.

It all is possible because when Jesus died, he swapped our sin for his perfection, and he became guilty so that we might become innocent in God’s sight.

Wouldn’t you love to have rest for your soul, now and in eternity?

Jodie McNeill.

Coming up this weekend 10th – 11th March 2018

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This weekend we continue our series ‘Jesus is___’ as Jodie preaches on the topic ‘Jesus is… believable’ from John chapter 20 verses 24 to 31, and 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 12 to 19.

We will share the Lord’s Supper at 5pm Saturday, so be sure to join us for this important reminder of the death of Jesus.

Also during our 5pm Saturday service, we’ll have our weekly question and answer time, and Jodie will be answering these questions:

  1. Is it enough to say “it’s OK” when someone says “sorry”, or should we say “I forgive you?”
  2. Why does the Bible sometimes say to pray in private, like in Matthew 6:6?
  3. Is it ever OK for Christians not to tell the truth, if in doing so, it brings others into danger?

Our 8am Sunday service will be a Holy Communion First Order AAPB service.

If you’re wanting to check out our church we’d really love you to visit us on Saturday at 5pm for a contemporary service with kids’ program and dinner afterwards. Our youth group ‘Alive’ runs straight after dinner on Saturday night. Or come along on Sunday at 8am for a Prayer Book service.

If you can’t make it in person, you’re welcome to jump online to watch the service (with the same sermon and many other items) at www.oakflats.tv.

Church news for the week beginning 3rd March 2018

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Today’s Bible talk

Today we continue our series ‘Jesus is___’ as Simon Chaplin preaches on the topic ‘Jesus is… reliable’ from Luke chapter 6 verses 43 to 39, and John chapter 18 verses 28 to 40.

Mission of the month

Anglicare is our mission of the month. Support this ministry through the ‘Mission Table’ in the Hall.

Elvanto training night

On Tuesday, 6th March, 7.30pm to 9pm, we are holding a special training night for our Church management system, Elvanto. This will be held at Oak Flats Anglican. Please RSVP via comment card or email office@jamberooanglican.com.

Monthly Midweek Service

Our next Monthly Midweek Service will be this Wednesday 7th March at 11am, followed by a light lunch.

Floral Display

We will be hosting a floral display at the church on 17th March, 9am to 3.30pm. $10 includes viewing of display and refreshments. For information call Helen 4236 0158.

‘Jesus is___’ prayer night

Special prayer night at the Shellharbour Civic Centre at 7pm on 13th March. Plan to join people from all the churches to pray for the mission events.

‘Jesus is___’ public meetings

Public meetings at the Shellharbour Civic Centre at both 11am and 7pm on 20th, 21st and 22nd of March 2018. Plan to attend, and plan to invite someone!

 

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 $5402.00, leaving a gap of $898.00.

Olimometer 2.52

Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $81,900. Compared to that total we received $71,624, leaving a gap of $10,276.

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 .

Jesus is our certainty

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This week there’s been more bad news in the world.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he has tested a new design of nuclear weapons that cannot be intercepted, and that have a practically unlimited range.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says the likelihood of another financial crash like the GFC is a certainty, with some economists saying that we are close to seeing another economic bubble burst.

On top of this, our Facebook feeds keep reminding us of cancer and funerals and grief and trials.

In many ways, this flow of bad news is really, very normal.

Every week we hear about threats of war, economic instability, and personal sickness and death.

And none of us know if more of our own, personal trials are just around the corner.

In the end, the only certainty we have is that life is full of uncertainty.

Except for one thing: we can be certain about eternity if we put our trust in Jesus.

Jesus make it clear that we can have certainty about life after death if we follow him as our loving ruler and rescuer.

He said that his followers are his sheep, and that he is our shepherd.

And he gave this assurance:

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. (John 10:27-29)

In a time of uncertainty, we can find certainty in Jesus.

No matter what happens in the world or in our household, we can have certainty if we choose to have Jesus as our shepherd.

Since Jesus is certainty, it seems crazy to put your hope in anyone or anything else.

Jodie McNeill 

Coming up this weekend 3rd – 4th March 2018

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This weekend we continue our series ‘Jesus is___’ as Simon Chaplin preaches on the topic ‘Jesus is… reliable’ from Luke chapter 6 verses 43 to 39, and John chapter 18 verses 28 to 40.

It’s the right time for us to recognise many of the needs of our missionaries, so at both our services, we will have a special update about Anglicare which is our Mission of the Month.

Also during our 5pm Saturday service, we’ll have our weekly question and answer time, and Jodie will be answering these questions:

  1. How is it possible to forgive someone who continues hurting someone you love?
  2. After you’ve forgiven someone who has hurt you, is it OK to then choose to avoid them?
  3. Since 1 John 3:6 says, “No one who continues to sin has either seen God or known him”, doesn’t that mean that we who keep sinning can’t know God?
  4. Why do we have a Bible reading that is different to the passage in the Bible talk?

Our 8am Sunday service will be a Morning Prayer AAPB service.

If you’re wanting to check out our church we’d really love you to visit us on Saturday at 5pm for a contemporary service with kids’ program and dinner afterwards. Our youth group ‘Alive’ runs straight after dinner on Saturday night. Or come along on Sunday at 8am for a Prayer Book service.

If you can’t make it in person, you’re welcome to jump online to watch the service (with the same sermon and many other items) at www.oakflats.tv.

See you at 5pm this Saturday or 8am this Sunday, God willing!

Church news for the week beginning 24th February 2018

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Today’s Bible talk

Today we we continue the series ‘Jesus is___’ as Jodie preaches on the topic ‘Jesus is… believable’ from John chapter 20 verses 24 to 31, and 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 12 to 19.

Mission of the month

Nungalinya College, Darwin is our mission of the month. Support this ministry through the ‘Mission Table’ in the Hall.

Parish Council

Our Parish Council meets this Monday, 26th February at 7pm at the church. Please remember them in your prayers.

Elvanto training night

On Tuesday, 6th March, 7.30pm to 9pm, we are holding a special training night for our Church management system, Elvanto. This will be held at Oak Flats Anglican. Please RSVP via comment card or email office@jamberooanglican.com.

Floral Display

We will be hosting a floral display at the church on 17th March, 9am to 3.30pm. $10 includes viewing of display and refreshments. For information call Helen 4236 0158.

New roster coming soon

If you’re unavailable to serve on a roster from 19th March through 1st July please let us know via comment card, email office@jamberooanglican.com or even better go to www.jamberooanglican.net

‘Jesus is___’ prayer night

Special prayer night at the Shellharbour Civic Centre at 7pm on 13th March. Plan to join people from all the churches to pray for the mission events.

‘Jesus is___’ public meetings

Public meetings at the Shellharbour Civic Centre at both 11am and 7pm on 20th, 21st and 22nd of March 2018. Plan to attend, and plan to invite someone!

 

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 $5402.00, leaving a gap of $898.00.

Olimometer 2.52

Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $81,900. Compared to that total we received $71,624, leaving a gap of $10,276.

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 .

Billy Graham

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We give thanks to God for the life of Billy Graham who died this Wednesday.

Many of you will know the impact of his ministry personally. It was through his preaching that God called you back. If not you personally, then you have seen his impact on your friends, on your spouse, indeed on a generation in Australia.

I am of a generation that came after his great crusades in Australia. And yet for us to understand the Australian Christian landscape we need to understand what God did through Billy Graham.

In any Christian gathering I have ever been in where the question is asked ‘who was converted at a Crusade?’, there has always been many hands that have gone up. And this legacy has had a multiplying effect on Christianity in Australia.

I’m sure each member of my generation has had at least one significant mentor or preacher who was converted through Billy Graham. For me it was one of my university leaders. He was the one who encouraged me into ministry through his passion for reaching the lost. And it was Billy Graham who spoke the Gospel to him. It wouldn’t take long for each one of us to find these connections with his ministry.

The clarity in which he preached was astounding – the way he could explain so clearly the tenets of the Gospel and call people to repentance. I was listening to the radio once where the presenter had one of his talks running in the background. He would fade him in and out at random.

The amazing thing is that each and every sentence of Billy Graham was a self contained piece of brilliance, it felt like the most compelling thing about Jesus you could hear.

While his preaching is what we remember him for, it was his personal integrity and godliness that has safeguarded his ministry.

He resisted the temptations of money and power that came with his position, and while the media made it a sport to uncover the scandals of American evangelists, there was never a hint of that in his ministry. His life and his words were all motivated by God’s love:

“For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Simon Chaplin.

Coming up this weekend 24th – 25th February 2018

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This weekend we continue the series titled ‘Jesus is___’ as Jodie preaches on the topic ‘Jesus is… believable’ from John chapter 20 verses 24 to 31, and 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 12 to 19.

During our 5pm Saturday service, Jodie will be sharing an update about the ‘Jesus Is__’ mission plus sharing a little more training to help us prepare for mission in March.

Also during our 5pm Saturday service, we’ll have our weekly question and answer time, and Jodie will be answering these questions:

  1. How is it possible to forgive someone who continues hurting someone you love?
  2. After you’ve forgiven someone who has hurt you, is it OK to then choose to avoid them?
  3. Why do we have a Bible reading that is different to the passage in the Bible talk?

Our 8am Sunday service will be a Holy Communion Second Order AAPB service.

If you’re wanting to check out our church we’d really love you to visit us on Saturday at 5pm for a contemporary service with kids’ program and dinner afterwards. Our youth group ‘Alive’ runs straight after dinner on Saturday night. Or come along on Sunday at 8am for a Prayer Book service.

If you can’t make it in person, you’re welcome to jump online to watch the service (with the same sermon and many other items) at www.oakflats.tv.

See you at 5pm this Saturday or 8am this Sunday, God willing!

Church news for the week beginning 17th February 2018

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Today’s Bible talk

Today we we continue the series ‘Jesus is___’ as Simon Chaplin preaches on the topic ‘Jesus is… compelling’ from Matthew chapter 11 verses 1 to 24.

Mission of the month

Nungalinya College, Darwin is our mission of the month. Support this ministry through the ‘Mission Table’ in the Hall.

‘Jesus is___’ prayer night

Special prayer night at the Shellharbour Civic Centre at 7pm on 13th March. Plan to join people from all the churches to pray for the mission events.

‘Jesus is___’ public meetings

Public meetings at the Shellharbour Civic Centre at both 11am and 7pm on 20th, 21st and 22nd of March 2018. Plan to attend, and plan to invite someone!

Countdown to Mission

It’s only four weeks until we welcome a team of theological students from Moore College to join with us for a week of mission to the communities of Jamberoo and the Shellharbour area from the 18th to the 25th March. Please be praying!

Ladies’ Dinner 

The first of our new-look quarterly Ladies’ Dinners will be held this Tuesday 20th February with guest speaker Cassie Sharp who will speak on the topic of ‘Purity’. 7pm at Oak Flats Anglican, cost $15. Please visit www.oakflatsanglican.com/ladiesdinner to register.

Ladies Guild AGM

The Ladies Guild are meeting on Wednesday 28th February in the church hall at 2pm for their Annual General Meeting.

Floral Display – save the date

We will be hosting a floral display at the church on 17th March, so make sure you keep this date free. More information to come soon!

AGM 10th April

Please note that our AGM (Annual General Meeting) will be held after the mission on Sunday 8th April at 1pm.

New roster coming soon

If you’re unavailable to serve on a roster from 19th March through 1st July please let us know via comment card, email office@jamberooanglican.com or even better go to www.jamberooanglican.net

 

 

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 $5402.00, leaving a gap of $898.00.

Olimometer 2.52

Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $81,900. Compared to that total we received $71,624, leaving a gap of $10,276.

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 .

What makes a disciple a disciple?

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(CREDIT: airpix via flickr.com)

Becoming a disciple of Christ is more than just being a follower or imitator of Jesus.

As my Serve Team has been looking at the ‘Jesus Is’ studies, we saw in John chapter one the calling of two disciples, one of whom is Andrew. Andrew immediately follows Jesus (John 1:37).

But it is what happens next that has enlarged my picture of discipleship.

What is the first thing Andrew does after finding Jesus? We read from verse 41:

“He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus.” (John 1:41-42)

A disciple is someone who makes other disciples.

This of course is abundantly clear in the Great Commission at the end of Matthew, where the disciples are told to go and make other disciples (Matthew 28:18)

But sometimes we might think of that as a special case, a certain extra task for these first disciples. After all, the instruction even gets its own name – the Great Commission.

But the Bible passage in John is right at the very start of the Gospel. It’s before any special instruction was given, and we find the exact same principal at work.

The instinctive response of someone who has found Jesus, and has become a disciple, should be that they will immediately find someone else to share Jesus with.

This is because of who Jesus is, the Messiah, the Son of God!

The rest of the book goes on to show how great this Son is, whom God sent to us that through him the world may be saved.

Once you meet him, this desire to make other disciples should be who we are as his disciples too.

Are you ready to share who Jesus Is with your friends, family, and others in your world?

Simon Chaplin.