Relational evangelism is communicating the gospel of the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ in the context of person-to-person relationships. 

All Christians are in relationships, with God and with other people, both believers, and those on the journey to faith.

The Bible identifies Christians to be Ambassadors of Christ, such as in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. All of us represent Christ to people we are in relationship with. 

Those people include your family, neighbours, people at school or work, your networks of friends, members of your sports team or community group. 

Right now, pause and prayerfully reflect on who are the people that you are connected with. Next, identify which people you consistently spend time with. It is possible that these people, or groups, are what we call your “flock,” meaning the people to whom you consistently represent Christ. 

How we represent Christ is faith-in-action (for example, James 2:18). Such faith expresses itself in loving others as we love ourselves.

Strategically, as Christ’s Ambassadors, that involves being physically present with the members of our flock, caring for them, embracing them in prayer, lovingly communicating the gospel, and doing so with the awareness that we represent Christ.

As of now, in the fellowship of Jamberoo Anglican Church, I have committed myself to equipping and supporting you to be Christ’s Ambassadors.

Let me know how you’re already putting this into action, and how I can help you grow in your  effectiveness.

STEVE BLIGH

(Photo credit: Esther Schultz via Flickr.com)

It’s 25 years since I became a father, and it’s 25 years since Colin released his ‘Remember The Lord’ album.

These two events intersected in so many ways, for this album became the soundtrack to the early years of my Christian parenting.

We loved Colin’s energy and fun, but we especially valued the way he could help every member of the family learn Bible memory verses, as well as remember the wonderful and important truths about God, Jesus and the Bible.

For his lyrics reminded us that, “nothing takes God by surprise,” and that we should “remember the Lord, remember that he’s in control, he’s watching his children, he cares!”

Colin knows that the sovereignty of God is a wonderful thing, and a doctrine of great comfort… and his songs have helped us sing about this for decades.

That’s why I’m so excited that Colin will be joining us at Jamberoo Anglican on 31st March at 6pm for a special, open-air concert on the lawn.

The advertising says it’s a ‘kids’ tour’ but I reckon the biggest fans will be those, like me, who bought the CD for our little ones to listen to in the car… although those kids who are now in their 20’s might be the ones rockin’ in the ‘mosh pit!’

I’m praying that this event will be a great night of celebrating the amazing love of God, and that for some people, it might even be a musical event that rekindles a faith in Jesus that may have grown dim over the years.

Above all, I’m praying that all who come to the concert will have a fresh experience of the wonder of Jesus, upon whom, “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all… SING Baa, Baa, Doo, Baa, Baa… Isaiah 53:6… UGH!”

Purchase tickets at this link… but get in quick!

JODIE McNEILL

This Tuesday night, the 21st February, our church at Jamberoo Anglican will be hosting a special, two-hour ‘Candidates Forum’ that will enable us to hear from the four people who want us to elect them as our representatives in the NSW Lower House.

It will be a packed, two-hour program from 7pm, where each candidate will be given a chance to deliver a short speech about the impact of faith on their policies and leadership.

As they prepare for the evening, I sent them four questions about issues we consider to be important.

Firstly, I asked them whether they support legislation that protects the freedom of religious bodies to operate in accordance with their values and to preference staff who align with them.

Secondly, I asked them to indicate their party’s response to the Crime Commission’s recommendation on poker machines, and what their party plans to do to address the epidemic of gambling harm in NSW.

Thirdly, I asked them whether they were willing to confirm their support for SRE and commit to seeing the reintroduction of the religious identity question to the school enrolment form.

Finally, I asked them that if there was a bill banning conversion therapy practices, whether they would commit to protecting consensual pastoral care such as prayer and other spiritual support for a person who wishes to live in accordance with their faith.

Our church prays for politicians every week because we know that our Lord God has placed people in positions of authority as his servants, and that they are sent for our good (Romans 13:1,4.)

That is why it’s great for us to hear from them on matters of faith, and provide a place where they, too, can hear from us about what we consider to be of greatest importance.

JODIE McNEILL