The Hope for the Illawarra mission is now engaging churches- including us- in following up the adults, youth and children that gave their contact details at the conclusion of each evangelistic event.

That’s where we’re at now. So, where to from here? Two crucial matters come to mind.

Firstly, follow up the new believers, together with those who recommitted to Christ, and those wanting to find out more about what it means to be a Christian. This will involve: Growth Groups, individual church members (you), Sunday gatherings and staff.

Secondly, the dynamics of the HFTI continue. We keep intentionally building relationships with not-yet-believers, we continue praying for them, and we continue sharing with them the good news of the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ. This sharing may be 1:1, or by inviting them to your GG, or a 9am or 4pm Sunday congregation, or 4 sessions of Christianity Explained with Tony, or another evangelistic event- such as a dialogue coffee and dessert night. 

Oh, here’s an observation: all this is the normal dynamic of a healthy church!

Steve Bligh

This week I was struck by the raw, untameable power of the ocean. As the waves smashed against the coastline, and washed into parks in Kiama, all I could do is stand in awe and observe the might of the ocean.
It got me thinking about my favourite Psalm – Psalm 8. In this Psalm David is in awe of God’s creative power as demonstrated in his creation.
Psalm 8:3 says “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place; what is man that you are mindful of him?”
Sometimes, our limited minds think of God as a limited God. Yet the character of God is unfathomable. None of us can understand his strength – infinitely more powerful than even those giant waves wreaking havoc on the coastline.
What a world he has created – a world which points to him as the creator and sustainer of everything. His name is majestic in all the earth (v1).
Yet he cares deeply for us, numbering even the hairs on our head (Luke 12). Though we are small and powerless and broken individuals, he sees us, knows us and loves us more than we can imagine.

Why not have a read of Psalm 8 and with all of creation, praise God’s majestic
name!

Brad Vidilini

When a child is born, it cannot look after itself. The parents provide food, protection, care & nurture over the months and years.

The Bible speaks of new Christians in terms of being dependent children. Some examples to reflect on are:

You have taught children and infants
    to tell of your strength (Ps 8:2).

… it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish (Matt 18:14).

12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognise the difference between right and wrong (Heb 5:12-14).

So get rid of all evil behaviour. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness (1 Pet 2:1-3).

Here are my observations about following up new Christians. Firstly, follow up is the nurturing of a new believer- like a baby. Secondly, initial follow up is for at least 6 weeks, preferably 1:1. After this initial phase, follow up becomes “discipling”. This is a lifelong Biblical, faith-in-action process that every healthy Christian is committed to receiving- & even providing. That is the purpose of our Growth Groups and our Sunday congregations (2 Tim 3:16, Heb 10:24-25). 

Our church is actively part of the Hope for the Illawarra mission- involving children, youth & adults. We are praying for them, getting alongside them, even telling them the good news of the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ. This gospel is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes (Rom 1:16). Expect that our HFTI mission will result in children, youth & adults becoming new-born baby Christians. As individual members, & as the whole church membership- the body of Christ- may we welcome, provide for- and play our part in- following up these “little ones”.

Dealing with anger in a Christian manner involves a process of growth and surrendering your emotions to God. It requires continuous self-reflection, reliance on God’s grace, and a commitment to aligning your actions with the teachings of Christ.

Here are 7 ideas in handling your Anger

1. Be honest you are angry. Recognize that anger is a natural emotion, but it needs to be controlled and channelled appropriately.

2. Avoid sinful responses: Aggression, verbal abuse, or harbouring resentment will lead to greater anger.

3. Pray for self-control. Remember, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you.

4. Practice forgiveness: Anger can be fuelled by unforgiveness, bitterness and resentment.

5. Communicate with love and respect: When addressing the issue that triggered your anger, approach the person involved with love, kindness, and respect (Ephesians 4:29).

6. Seek to resolve conflicts in a peaceful and constructive manner, focusing on reconciliation rather than revenge. If need be, seek counsel.

7. Meditate on Scripture: Fill your mind with God’s Word. Bible Study and Church are spiritual disciplines we should always adhere to grow in our Faith.

Tony.

To forgive is to let go of the past. Seek forgiveness. Give forgiveness. Move ahead.

The more you forgive others, the more you will enjoy the forgiveness that the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ provides ( Luke 6:37; Matthew 6:14-15).

There is great danger in holding on to resentment, anger, hatred and bitterness. These things eat away at the souls of people, robbing them of joy and also robbing them of their effectiveness as Christ’s disciples. Holding on to these dangerous attitudes and behaviours can do great harm to people’s bodies, emotions, and relationships. Resentment, anger, hatred and bitterness also drain people’s energy, holding them back from fully enjoying God’s blessings.

I know a lot of athletic people. Some of them train hard and compete fearlessly. But they sabotage their full potential because they have “monkeys on their backs”- addictions, psychological flaws, bad company- to name a few. If you want to achieve your best, if you truly want to be healthy, moving freely in God’s love- wilfully choose to forgive (Philippians 3:13-14).

The more you hold onto unforgiveness towards a person who has hurt, rejected, betrayed, or caused you emotional pain or sorrow, the more you will suffer as you remain focussed on- and tied to- that person. Let go! That is the only way to let God deal with that person, to heal you, and to help you move forward. Let go of that bondage, moving forward with Christ-focussed love, courage, peace within your soul, and a renewed sense of purpose. 

Forgiveness is an act of your will. As God moves and motivates you (Philippians 2:13), ask Him to empower you to forgive- to forgive yourself and to forgive others (Psalm 51, Matthew 6:12). And a reminder- we will find it easier to forgive when we are in consistent, loving Christian fellowship.

As you reflect on forgiveness, mediate prayerfully on other passages of Scripture, including John 15:12-17; Ephesians 4:31-32; Philippians 3:12-14; Colossians 3:12-14. 

Together on this journey with you, Steve Bligh.

Wisdom & Work

Wise people are diligent in their work. Proverbs 6:6 “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! “(Prov. 10:4 ). “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son” .

Diligence and laziness are key topics in Proverbs. God is a worker & He expects his people to be workers also. Solomon makes it clear that God has nothing good to say about careless and lazy people.

Wise people are working people, people who make the most of their opportunities and who carry their share of the load. It’s our best work that God wants, not the dregs of our exhaustion. Whether it’s serving in music, cleaning, serving morning teas or leading, praying or Bible reading we ought to be preparing and doing our very best for Jesus in the Body of Christ – His Church!!

Are you involved in ministry (Christian Service)?  If not,why not? See Tony or one of the Wardens to see how you can be involved in God’s Church here at Jamberoo Anglican

Enjoy

In Australia, there’s a lot to enjoy about trusting and obeying the crucified and resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. Peace, purpose, friendships, encouragement, answers to life’s challenges, inspiring music, food. These are blessings- not only for new Christians, but for all of us, however mature in the faith we may be. Enjoy being a Christian.

Consistent Fellowship 

One of the blessings of being a Christian is not being alone. Genesis 2:18 – “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Romans 12: – “…we are many parts of one body.”

Fellowship means getting together with one of more other people. Life’s a team sport. We don’t have to face life alone. Life is better with good quality friends. Getting together with Christian friends- frequently- is good. Part of having good friendships is consistency- getting in touch often, regularly. That promotes consistent friendship.

With Other Christians

Another of the blessings about being a Christian who is mission minded- who wants to see other people in heaven- is that we have friends that aren’t Christian. It’s good- essential- for an evangelistically-minded Christian to have non-Christian friends. Yet there’s at least one danger. Sometimes these unbelievers can be misunderstood  as a replacement for Christians. The false reasoning goes like this: “I get more encouragement from my non-Christian friends than from the Christians in that church…” Maybe that church needs to lift it’s game in being a welcoming, loving group of Christians…But getting encouragement from friends who don’t love Jesus is not the encouragement that Christians need. Rather, fellowship with other followers of Christ. The Bible says: “… encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25).

As you consider enjoying consistent fellowship with other Christians, some additional Bible passages to meditate on include Romans 10:17; Hebrews 10:24-25; Colossians 3:5-17; 1 Peter 3:8-9; 1 Peter 4:9-10; John 13:33-35.

Steve Bligh.

Wisdom & Doing Good

Pr 3:27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.Wise Christians will be generous to their neighbours and live peaceably with them (vv. 27–30), doing their best to avoid unnecessary disagreements (Rom. 12:18). After all, if we truly love God, we will love our neighbour as we would want him to love us.

On the other hand, if our neighbour is a perverse person who scoffs at our faith (Prov. 3:31–35), the Lord will guide us in letting our light shine and His love show, so that we will be an influence on them . Sometimes it takes a great deal of patience, prayer, and wisdom to rightly relate to people who don’t want Christians in the neighbourhood, but perhaps that’s why God put us there.

It’s possible to have a godly home in the midst of an ungodly neighbourhood, for God “blesses the home of the righteous” (v. 33). We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and one dedicated Christian in a neighbourhood can make a great deal of difference and be a powerful witness for the Lord.

Be good!                                                                                                                                                             Tony G

Pray Often

Our church is committed to seeing men, women and children trust and obey the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ. We want them to share eternity in heaven with us. As we pray for the people God has connected us with, here are some further Biblical resources that will help. I’ve gathered these Scriptures without providing the actual Bible passages. That’s for you to do, with your Bibles open, praying what the passages say.

Thankfully: Psalm 100:4; Matthew 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

Humbly: Matthew 6:5-13.

Confessing: 1 John 1:9.

For Others: Colossians 1:9-12.

With Others: Matthew 18:19-20.

Expectantly: Psalm 5:3; John 16:23-24.

Persevering: James 5:16.

Peacefully: Philippians 4:6-7.

Last Sunday, when we gave you the “Come and See” prayer pamphlet (bookmark), I noticed that the “Prayers for God’s Promises” may not have been listed. Here they are again.

Prepare. Pray for God to prepare and soften their hearts.

Send. Pray for God to send believers around them.

Desire. Pray for God to give them a desire to seek Jesus.

Save. Pray that the Holy Spirit will transform and save them.

Protect. Pray that God will protect what He has sown in their hearts.

May our prayers be fruitful. Steve Bligh.

Who is wise? How do you become wise?

In Proverbs, the words wise and wisdom are used at least 125 times, because the aim of the book is to help us acquire and apply God’s wisdom to the decisions and activities of daily life. The book of Proverbs belongs to what scholars call the “wisdom literature” of the Old Testament, which also includes Psalms, Job and Ecclesiastes. The writers of these books wrestled with some of the most difficult questions of life as they sought to understand life’s problems from God’s point of view.

            Biblical wisdom begins with a right relationship with the Lord Jesus. People with wisdom have the skill to face life honestly and courageously, and to manage it successfully so that God’s purposes are fulfilled in their lives. I hope as we study Proverbs together as the family of God, we may be better prepared to face life’s challenges.

Tony.