It is difficult to appreciate how hard it must be to have served in the defence forces in Afghanistan, or to be in their family, only to see the tragic fall to the Taliban this week.

Our soldiers sought to protect and defend a nation from a group of people who claim inspiration from the Koran to drive them to abuse women and use violence to persecute people of a different faith.

It is a sad reminder that life on earth will never deliver true joy and peace whilst sin continues to impact every part of life.

We must set our eyes on things above, focusing ourselves on the life that is to come as we await the return of Jesus.

Yet, in the meantime, it is right for us to defend those who suffer abuse at evil hands, and to take comfort that justice and judgement is coming one day.

For the members of our allied forces, is may feel that the last twenty years have been in vain, and yet in the process of seeking justice and protecting the innocent, there has been a demonstration of God’s just character.

However, we must be reminded afresh that life on earth will never be like heaven, and so we should continue to love and serve as we point people to the hope that is found only in Christ in his kingdom.

Earthly kingdoms will rise and fall, but the kingdom of God will not pass away.

The victory of King Jesus on the cross, shown with his powerful resurrection from the dead, is both the means of and the evidence for the power of God and our confidence in the life that is to come.

Let us pray for Afghanistan, and let us pray for the speedy return of Jesus, who will come to judge the living and the dead.

JODIE McNEILL     

(Photo credit: Silvia Alessi via Flickr)

I don’t know about you, but I find it really easy to sit on my phone during lockdown.

Everything can just seem to be down and out. Social media, Netflix, and YouTube are easily entertaining comforts that take me away from the stress and worry we all feel.

However, my temptation is that these comforts will creep in and consume all my time! They not only entertain me, but can also mislead me. 

They can turn my focus away from God and the needs of others and twist it onto myself.

In Jude’s letter to the saints, he appeals for the believers to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered” to them. (Jude 3)

For at that time there were false teachers creeping in and perverting the marvellous grace of God. (Jude 4)

Our temptation in the grief and disconnection of lockdown can be that our comforts, like that of the false teachers, can creep in and mislead us.

They too can act as a concealed danger, a misleading guide, and a false hope.

Whilst these comforts can be amazing blessings, we need to be cautious, especially during the weariness of lockdown, when we let anything else other than the word of God permeate and resound as the consuming voice in our minds.

Jude’s antidote to the false teachers was that the believers would guard themselves in the love of God by building themselves up in the faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, and waiting for the mercy of Jesus which leads to eternal life. (Jude 20-21)

My prayer is that during this weary time we would all keep ourselves in the love of God, guarding ourselves by reading God’s word, praying in the Holy Spirit, and patiently waiting on our Lord. 

Our greatest comfort is knowing that it is ultimately God who loves us so dearly that he will “keep you from stumbling and present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Saviour,… be glory, dominion, and authority, now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25)

Praise be to our God who keeps us in his great love!

JACOB MIERENDORFF

On Monday night our church at Jamberoo was privileged to host a special online event for Gafcon Australia, at which the Chairman outlined the new way that Australian Anglican churches can be supported when they wish to keep to the faithful teaching of the Bible, even if their bishop wants otherwise.

This is not a problem that we face in our Sydney Diocese because we are blessed to have bishops and other leaders who love to listen to and obey what God says in his Bible about all matters of life.

The way that it will work is that Gafcon (Global Anglican Futures Conference) will provide what’s called an ‘Extra-provincial Diocese’, which is another way of saying that these churches and ministers will be able to be remain Anglican churches that will sit under the leadership and authority of a Bishop who is not formally part of the Anglican Church of Australia.

This is a significant, and most-likely costly step for any church to take, although it is one that would only be taken in extreme situations.

For, our prayer is that the dioceses of the Anglican Church of Australia would be united in following the clear teaching of the Bible about how God wants his people in his church to live for his honour and glory.

Please pray for the board of Gafcon Australia as they work to provide the necessary infrastructure to support any new churches that will take advantage of this rescue plan.

Pray also that we might have unity in the truth of the gospel, so that together we might be able to proclaim Christ faithfully to the nations!

JODIE McNEILL

This second lockdown has taken many of us by surprise, especially after the optimistic steps in the past few months towards a return to some sort of normal.

But now with as the press conferences from Gladys and Dr. Chant grow in intensity, it is clear that we’ll be needing to work out how to manage the pandemic for a whole lot longer.

Whilst there is no doubt that our reduced freedoms and changed plans are causing us frustration and heartache, we must never forget that our Lord God remains fully in control of every small and large thing in the universe.

God has known about Covid-19 since the creation of the world, and that is why we can be thankful to him for both the good bits and the bad bits of this global pandemic.

There will be some people who will look back on this year and recognise that the crisis has led them to Christ, and that the trials and traumas of this pandemic have been the very things that have shaken their outlook and drawn them to become reconciled with Jesus as their loving ruler.

This also makes prayer seem all the more powerful, knowing that the one we humbly bring our prayers to is the same person who rules the universe: he listens to us because he loves us.

For this reason, we must keep praying to our Lord, asking that his will would be done, and that his kingdom would come.

What are you praying to the Lord during this latest lockdown? What are you asking your sovereign and gracious Lord in this time of trial?

In these troubling times, let us never lose sight of our saviour, as we fix our eyes “not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

JODIE McNEILL

Even though we are blessed at our church with great gatherings around God’s word each Saturday night and Sunday morning, there are still many excellent reasons to be a part of a small ‘growth’ group.

Most obviously, a weekly or fortnightly group offers the ability to sit down with a few other people to carefully examine God’s word, looking deeply into the scriptures and sitting under his loving leadership by his Spirit.

But another, important reason to join a small, midweek group is that as our church grows in size, it becomes harder to know everyone really well.

And so being a part of a growth group means that you can get to know a small number of people a lot better… and be known and loved by them, too.

It’s a hub in which you can listen to others and pray for them, as you also show genuine care and community, and a group you can be a part of, even at the other times of the week when it’s not actually meeting.

It’s also a terrific ‘front door’ for people who are interested in finding out more about Jesus but perhaps don’t feel ready to come to a main service on the weekend.

The groups are also places where we can all show practical, genuine care for each other’s needs, as we hear from each other as we gather in Christ’s name.

These groups are great for growing personally in our knowledge and love of God, and growing together as a community around his word… and all this happens as our church and our small groups grow bigger in number.

These ‘growth groups’ are great connections for both believers and unbelievers alike to grow in their understanding of God and to prayerfully encourage each other in glorifying God through our humble service of him.

And as our church grows, may our growth groups help us grow in many small communities, as our larger community keeps growing together.

JODIE McNEILL