This is the latest blurb that is published on the front of our weekly bulletin

Can Google help your Christian life?

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CREDIT: Travis Wise, via Flickr.

One of my great joys of each week is the opportunity you give me to answer your questions. Some of the questions are familiar, but others make me think a little harder.

This week I thought I might share with you some of the ways I go about trying to prepare answers to these questions.

For many of the answers, I draw down upon my previous training and theological reflection from over the years, sharing with you some of the insights that I received from older and wiser mentors and theologians.

Many of your questions based on the current sermon series allow me to inform you of some of the things I’d really wanted to include in the Bible talk, but didn’t have time to discuss.

But then there are the other questions that are really tricky.

My (not-very) secret tool is one that nearly all of you also share direct access to: Google.

When you ask me a tough question, then I’ll often put some key words into my search engine, and see what hits come up.

Then, depending on which websites seem to offer a solution, I’ll then click through and have a read of what has been suggested as the answer.

The risk in doing this is that the democratisation of the Internet enables people with all sorts of perspectives to come across with the perception of authority.

And even those whom I trust might still have a perspective on things that I don’t share.

But as I read their answers, I take the time to consider their arguments, and evaluate their conclusions.

As you look to find answers to your tricky questions, here are a bunch of handy websites that are usually pretty helpful, but as with everything, need to be carefully tested:

au.thegospelcoalition.org

gotherefor.com

christianity.net.au

fervr.net

publicchristianity.org

desiringgod.org

gotquestions.org

puritanboard.com

hermeneutics.stackexchange.com

bible.org

If in doubt, ask a trusted Christian what they think… and remember, you’ve always got the option to ask a question in church and hear my attempt to provide an answer… drawing down upon my research in all sorts of places!

JODIE McNEILL

A great hope

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One friend in ministry commented to me the other day that this fourteen year old girl she is working with doesn’t think that Jesus is real because “so many bad things have happened in her life”.

Often this is a topic that pops up in conversations I too have with Christians and non-Christians alike. The problem of evil seems so hard, and so big, that it makes people ask why God would let such horrendous things happen.

We see this continuously in our news, in troubles within our own families, and even in the places we turn for leisure like Netflix’s documentary series Making a Murder. Everyone’s right, the world does suck!

In those conversations we tend to think about sin and explain why the world is this way. While it is important to do that, and explain that the fall brought sin, death, and suffering into the world (Gen 3); it is also incredibly profound that nearly everyone notices that this is not the way it is supposed to be.

God created a world that was perfect and good (Gen 1). Though humans stuffed it up, it is important to encourage believers and non-believers to think about God’s promise of restoration(1 Peter 5:10; Acts 3:19-21). As Christians, we already have a taste of this restoration as we truly are new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). But a day will come where evil and suffering will pass, for God is just and he will put sin and Satan in their place for good and his people will dwell with him forever (Rev 21:1-5).

So take heart! Though some days the world is grim, there is great hope and comfort found in the person of Jesus who conquers all and promises to come again.

RAYNE ORANGE

The only way to pray

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CREDIT: Ninac26, via Flickr.

I am reading a wonderful book at the moment called “Teaching the Psalms” by Christopher Ash. His main idea is that before we apply the Psalms to us, we must hear them as the prayers of Jesus.

But as he began to explain this I came across a statement that may take many people by surprise. Because our prayers arise out of sinful hearts, “God cannot and must not hear them”.

Most people believe that God will always hear them no matter what. But in our natural state God cannot hear our prayers.

James describes our prayers as spiritual adultery (James 4:3). Our natural prayers to God are something along the lines of this: “God, is it OK if I commit idolatry?”

That’s because our natural prayers do not arise out of single-hearted love and devotion to God. Even our best prayers will have a mixture of pure and impure motives.

Our hearts are filled with sin, and it is a presumption to think that God would hear our prayers.

However there is one that God will always listen to.

When Jesus heals a man born blind, some of the pharisees are outraged at Jesus. The man defends Jesus, saying “We know that God does not listen to sinners, he listen to the godly person who does his will” John 9:31.

When Jesus heals Lazarus, he does so by praying to the Father: “Thank you that you always hear me”(John 11:41). Lazarus comes back to life, because Jesus is godly person whom the Father always hears.

There is only one that this is true of. It is only through Christ that prayer becomes a possibility.

The Spirit brings Christ to dwell with us so that our prayers are united with his: “For through Jesus we have access to the Father by one Spirit.” Eph 2:18

It’s humbling to remember our natural state before God. But when we do, we can appreciate the gift of prayer in Jesus through the Spirit all the more!

SIMON CHAPLIN

Not all Christians are H-A-P-P-Y!

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CREDIT: Photo donnierayjones, via Flickr.

There’s a Christian song that we love to sing to kids which goes like this:

I’m H-A-P-P-Y, I’m H-A-P-P-Y, I know I am, I’m sure I am, I’m H-A-P-P-Y.

I’m H-A-P-P-Y, I’m H-A-P-P-Y, because I know God loves me so, I’m H-A-P-P-Y.

It’s a great little song, especially for young kids who really understand only two emotions: sad and happy.

And so with this simple message is a simple truth: joy, satisfaction, happiness is found in the love of God.

Yet, we get much older, we realise that even as people who know Jesus and are loved by him, there will be times when we will experience great sadness.

I was reminded of this as I recently read Psalm 6 as part of my daily Bible reading. It says:

I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears. My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies. (Psalm 6:6-7).

It’s a lot different to the “H-A-P-P-Y” experience of the kids’ song, but it shows that sorrow is an authentic experience of the Christian.

Yet, Christian sadness is not without hope. The Psalm continues in this way:

Go away, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping. The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD will answer my prayer. (Psalm 6:8-9)

As we experience sadness, we can know that God hears us in our grief, and he answers our prayers.

And our hope is future-focused: we look forward to him answering our prayer for deliverance from our enemies and the rescue that we are promised because of Jesus.

Whether you’re H-A-P-P-Y or S-A-D, you can look forward to being restored and rescued by our saviour Jesus Christ, as we await his return or our going to be with him.

JODIE McNEILL

Care for Victims of Domestic Abuse

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CREDIT: Photo IsraGarcia18, via Flickr.

At this year’s Sydney Anglican Synod, we were again reminded about the tragic damage in the lives of people affected by domestic abuse.

Back in 2017 we approved a draft policy on responding to domestic abuse, but last night we were able to lock in some important, final details.

One of the important things to note was the reality that the people who commit domestic abuse will sometimes ‘groom’ people in our churches so that their sin is hidden and impact of the abuse is underplayed.

Another problem was the risk of us showing “cheap grace” in misreading the difference between remorse and repentance.

After all, it’s not enough for an abuser to show they feel unhappy about the way they have treated their spouse: they need to genuinely repent of the sin, and show their commitment to making concrete changes to stop the harm.

To help church leaders better care for victims of domestic abuse, the Synod members were reminded to make sure that victims were not only initially helped to be made safe, but that they would continue to stay safe into the future.

Furthermore, the Synod announced that a special fund has been established to help support spouses of ministers who are victims of domestic abuse whose marriages fail, providing assistance in housing and other areas of need.

Archdeacon for Women, Kara Hartley, fought to hold back her emotions as she shared the impact of domestic abuse in our church:

“As I have been preparing for tonight, I’ve been struggling to capture my own feelings at the evil that is done when God’s precious word is twisted and used to excuse violence. I feel sadness and then I get so angry. To act violently is evil in itself but to falsely claim divine sanction is so outrageous.”

JODIE McNEILL

Life in the Valley of Vision

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CREDIT: Photo Brian Kelly, via Flickr.

One of the great treasures of the Christian faith is the collection of prayers found in ‘The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions’.

It contains two hundred or so prayers written nearly five hundred years ago, and their timeless words capture some deep reflections on the Bible’s teaching.

I first became aware of these prayers when an album was released by Sovereign Grace called ‘The Valley of Vision’, where several of these prayers were put to song, including ‘Let Your Kingdom Come’ and ‘O Great God’.

Yet it is the first song of the album, which is based on the first prayer of the book, that has been a great blessing to me in my Christian walk.

Here are the first two stanzas:

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly,
Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.

Let us pray that we will find God’s glory in our valley.

JODIE McNEILL

Are you resolute?

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Being away at the LiT (‘Leaders in Training’ camp) this week, we were talking about being resolute.

Resolute isn’t a word we often use these days and I wonder if it is because people in the world today are not resolute in much?

Though failings are not always due to a lack of resolve, passion, or commitment, it is still the case that when things don’t work out, we often do not like to recognise our part.

If you get a poor grade in school, it’s because the teacher didn’t instruct well enough.

If your marriage is failing, it’s your spouse’s fault, or their job, or the kids.

If you get knocked over really badly in the surf, many will hang up their wetsuits before having the resolve to get back on the board.

We are simply used to giving up at what we are not gifted at rather than being purposeful, determined, and unwavering.

Yet, as Christians Jesus calls us to be resolute in following him towards eternal life just as he “resolutely set out for Jerusalem” in Luke 9:51.

Jesus’ setting out for Jerusalem was not just him going on a trip, but it was him being purposeful, determined, and unwavering in going towards suffering, humiliation, and hardship for the sake of saving us.

Michael Raiter, one of the speakers this week, told us that we all need to go through Jerusalem on our journey following Jesus to heaven.

We are welcoming suffering, and hardship, but for the sake of the gospel.

Though the journey will not be easy, we must be RESOLUTE just as Jesus was.

And along the way, hopefully we will find the strength to do our best in education, our families, surfing, and in all things for the glory of the kingdom.

RAYNE ORANGE

Telling the next generation

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Walk about Zion, go around her,
 count her towers…
that you may tell of them
 to the next generation. Psalm 48:13,14

Psalm 48 is an invitation to behold with eyes of faith Zion, the city of God, and for us to not to rejoice in the number of towers, but to rejoice that this is where God dwells.

He is secure forever, and so therefore are his people.

But the purpose of this knowledge is not just for you; it’s so you will tell the next generation.

Christians are those who now see not the walls of an earthly city, but with eyes of faith see the heavenly Jerusalem, where we are gathered around Mt Zion.

And the same command comes to us to tell the next generation, and the generation after that.

Each generation must take the mantle of sharing the news of the gospel that we see by faith.

We live in a society that by and large have rejected this vision, and so have left their children adrift. We as the Church have the opportunity to fill that spiritual void and hold out the good news of salvation.

We are privileged to have a terrific relationship with Jamberoo Public School, and we enjoy the privilege of teaching the school students every week about the Christian faith through Special Religious Education (SRE).

Over the next few weeks our Jamba Kids team plan to get together to see how we can further strengthen the connections between our Saturday night ministry and the Scripture classes at the school, as we plan to re-launch our weekend kids’ ministry.

And, as I (Jodie) begin to teach and coordinate our Primary School SRE from next year, we’re praying that we’ll have even stronger ties between our church and the school.

SIMON CHAPLIN (with JODIE McNEILL)

Pray for our police

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Each year, the 29th day of September holds special significance for police throughout Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and the Solomon Islands.

It is a day for police to pause and honour those whose lives have been lost while performing their duty as police officers.

This important day is also a time to remember other police officers who have lost their lives through illness or other circumstances.

And so, this week, let us pray this prayer, together:

Our heavenly Father, we thank you for your providential care of our world and the peace and security that we enjoy in our land. We especially thank you for the Police Force of New South Wales. Despite the corruption of the human heart and the prevalence of lawlessness and sin, we thank you for these guardians of justice in our society.

We pray for the members of our Police Force as they maintain law and order in our state. Give them the courage to expose unrighteousness, wherever it is found, to pursue justice for the common good, to deal with all without fear or favour, and to act with wisdom and compassion in all their work. Protect them from danger in their duties, shield them from temptation, and enable them to be role models for all whom they serve.

We also pray for police chaplains as they minister to the spiritual and emotional needs of our Police Force members. May they act with compassion, wisdom and love as they support police officers in their line of duty.

We offer our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, who alone brings order to the human heart, peace to a troubled world and the hope of eternal life for all who put their trust in him. Amen.

ARCHBISHOP GLENN DAVIES

Welcoming without affirming

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CREDIT: Photo UNED, via Flickr.

Last weekend Mandy and I attended the ‘Anglican Future Conference’ in Melbourne.

One of the keynote speakers, Wes Hill, encouraged us to think about the challenge of having our churches open to including people who experience unwanted, same-sex attraction.

He encouraged us to be ‘welcoming, not affirming.’

We are to be welcoming to people with all sorts of backgrounds and experiences, but do so in such a way that we do not affirm behaviour that is against God’s will.

As a basis for his encouragement, he led us through a Bible study on Romans 9 to 11, where he outlined the remarkable way in which God’s gospel makes believers go from spiritual death to life.

And when God acts to save his people, his salvation is unifying.

We who were excluded as non-Jews have been included into the nation of Israel, and it had nothing to do with how faithful we were to his law.

In fact, he included us in order that we might be dependent on God’s grace, not on our own merits.

The result is that “we must forsake our looking down on others.”

For this reason, our church welcomes LGBTQI+ people.

God’s saving message of his love and mercy is for everyone: we are all welcomed, but our sin is not affirmed.

For as we read in the Bible:

Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 9b-11)

JODIE McNEILL