Has it ever struck you as odd that Christians often speak about doubting God and his word, but very rarely think about doubting the Devil?

I think this is even more evidence of the deception that the Devil seeks to lead us in, especially when we’re feeling weak.

After all, there has never, ever been a time when our Lord God has failed to deliver on a promise.

Yet the Devil has a proven track record of lying, deceiving, and generally leading God’s people away.

I noticed this again recently when I read the third chapter of the Bible, in Genesis 3.

The Lord God has given his people a glorious place to live, and they have experienced the blessings of living an obedient life under God’s rule.

As a sign of their acceptance of his loving rule, they were told not to eat the fruit of just one tree in the entire Garden of Eden.

Yet, Satan deceived the woman, asking her “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1).

Even with this first deception, Eve had to correct the error of the serpent, telling him that it was only one, special tree that they were to avoid.

Satan was already proven to be wrong, and yet he bowled another delivery to the woman, telling her that if they eat from that tree then they would not die.

We then read in verse six that the woman was convinced by the devil, so she ate some fruit and shared it with her husband, who went along with her sin.

The tragic results of that sin proved the utter evil and lies of the devil… and yet we are still tempted day after day to reject God’s good rule.

It should seem obvious, but remember that the devil can never be trusted.

We should faithfully doubt the devil… and faithfully obey the good and gracious word of our Lord.

JODIE McNEILL

(Credit: Aphrodite via Flickr)

It’s pretty common for people to say that this-and-that or so-and-so could never change. 

But when I hear people speak like that, I tell them that I’m in the change business!

I know that people and things do change, even though it often seems humanly impossible.

We see it most clearly when we witness a person’s conversion to Christ, when they go from being enemies with God to being friends with Jesus… and their life is turned upside down.

As they say, it doesn’t always happen overnight, but it will happen!

Some of the most dramatic life-changing experiences were seen when Jesus walked on earth, and when people came to him, they had their lives turned upside down.

One of the most famous stories was when Jesus met Zacchaeus, as recorded in Luke chapter 19.

He was the chief tax collector and had become rich through his corrupt work.

When Jesus saw him, he called him by name and said, “I must be a guest in your home today.” (Luke 19:5).

After Jesus called him by name, Zacchaeus, “took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy” (verse 6), and he told Jesus, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” (verse 8).

When Zacchaeus met Jesus, his life was changed completely.

Jesus explained what happened, saying, “Salvation has come to this home today” (verse 9).

When it comes to dramatic life changes, never say never!

As we start a new year, it’s time for us to pray that 2022 sees many people have a dramatic change in their life as they come to know Jesus and understand how good it is to be forgiven and to have hope.

May this change be seen in the lives of many in our village, valley and region!

JODIE McNEILL

It might be a bit strange to think that conflict could be good, but healthy relationships will include good conflict, whether it’s two people in a marriage, a team of people, or even an entire church or larger organisation.

The reason is that conflict is simply any disagreement between two people or parties, which, when handled well, is a normal part of life together.

This is something I learnt in a book called ‘Five Dysfunctions of a Team’ by Patrick Lencioni, in which Fear of Conflict’ is listed as a significant problem in teams that don’t work well.

As Christians, we rightfully “make every effort to keep [ourselves] united in the Spirit, binding [ourselves] together with peace.” (Ephesians 4:3)

And, at the same time, we know that it is right for us to “speak the truth in love, (Ephesians 4:15), knowing that truth will bring conflict amongst us.

Indeed, Jesus made it clear that his message will “set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother,” (Matthew 10:35) as the call to follow him will bring conflict amongst even the closest families.

Another form of conflict comes when we tell someone to stop sinning, as we read in this week’s chapter from Matthew 18.

It’s sometimes hard to pluck up the courage to lead someone to be convicted of their sins, but “wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy. (Proverbs 27:6).

For if they listen to our rebuke, then we will be serving them in love as we seek to help them see their error and to lovingly serve them as they move towards repentance and reconciliation, as needed.

This kind of conflict is often the hardest, but it is always the most important for us to pursue, out of deep love for each other and for the church of Christ.

JODIE McNEILL

On Wednesday I met ‘Marie’, a six-year old mannequin who had ‘jumped’ into the river near Jerrara Dam to escape a pretend bushfire.

It was part of an Illawarra Shoalhaven Health training exercise, which included NSW Ambulance staff as well as our local,

Jamberoo Rural Fire Brigade, of which I was a part.

As part of the afternoon scenario, I was first on scene, providing first aid care for this hyper-real dummy, made more real by the paediatric specialist hiding in the bushes, ‘speaking’ on behalf of the little girl… “where’s my daddy? I’m cold! I’m scared!”

It was a great relief when the paramedics arrived on scene to take over from my feeble attempts to administer first aid to the nearly-drowned girl, and it showed me afresh the skill and care that our medical experts provide for our community every

day.
Again, it showed that life is unpredictable and fragile.

Any day at any time we may face death, and so we must all be prepared for the time when we will stand face-to-face before Jesus.

I take great comfort in knowing that I have certainty for eternity, because I have trusted in Jesus and have sure forgiveness from him because he died for me.

It’s something that is on offer to anyone who wants it.

This week I also met with the family of a man who passed away aged 91, as I helped comfort them and prepare a funeral service with them to honour him.
He was old and had plenty of time to plan and consider eternity.

The six-year-old girl who nearly drowned in the RFS scenario could have died much younger, and with fewer opportunities to stop and reflect on eternity.

My prayer is that everyone, young and old, would stop and reflect upon the fragility of life, and make sure that we’ve followed Jesus before it’s too late.

JODIE McNEILL

Meals have always had an important place in the ministry of our church, because food has featured strongly in the life of God’s people throughout the ages.

God’s people remembered the amazing Exodus from Egypt with a special meal, the Passover, and then Jesus fulfilled and transformed that meal into the Lord’s Supper.

In fact, the Bible often records Jesus’ meals with people, many of which led to his reputation as someone who, “eats with sinners”.

Food slows us down and brings us together, as we share in a moment of both sustenance and reflection for people of all ages.

Our Saturday night dinners have played an important part in the life and growth of our church, as they have been a powerful way to welcome newcomers and visitors into the life of our intergenerational church.

Indeed, our after-church meals are probably the most strategic and effective way of attracting, welcoming and integrating new people into the life of our church.

Whilst we’ve done something similar for morning tea, we’re ready to take our Sunday mornings to the next level by running a weekly, sit-down Sunday brunch.

So, for every Sunday morning we’re going to invite a household to purchase, prepare and share a meal for everyone present, just like we’ve been doing on Saturday nights.

If each household is happy to cater once or twice a quarter, then that should be enough for us to have a weekly brunch for all ages, every Sunday morning of the year!

We expect that it is likely to take a little while to get the systems in place, so please be patient and generous as we upgrade our hospitality each Sunday morning.

Our prayer is that every week we enjoy this opportunity to sit and enjoy a meal with others, especially when we ‘chew on’ the word of God that has dwelt richly among us during the church service we’ve just experienced, together.

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: jeffreyw via Flickr.com)