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

Blessings from hard things

Throughout life I’ve realised that it’s often when I’m doing the hardest things that it’s the time that I’m growing the most.

It might be carrying a 23kg pack on a five-day, 50km walk around the exposed wilderness of Wilsons Promentory.

Or, it might be learning to stand up on my mid-life-crisis longboard, without causing further damage to my middle-aged joints and muscles.

But one time in my life that was very hard but very rewarding was my four-year stint at Moore Theological College.

This is the place I was pushed harder than I could imagine to know as much about God, his world, and myself through the studying of the Bible and the writings of the great ones who have so-helpfully grappled with the queen of the sciences.

Yet, it wasn’t just the study that was hard. The four years of learning and living in community forged friendships through the trials we faced, together.

I praise God that the time in College was one where we were all supported by godly and caring faculty and staff, who always sought to help us grow in every way, in preparation for our future opportunities in word ministry.

It was tough, but it was good tough.

Moore College is one of the finest places on the planet to study theology in a community that cherishes God’s word as his true and reliable revelation, and we need to keep praying and supporting this important ministry.

Our church benefits from this every day as our trained ministers stand on the foundations learnt from the study at Moore, and as we seek to then teach others what we, ourselves, have learnt.

As we celebrate Moore College Sunday, let’s keep praying that Moore College keeps equipping men and women for mission and ministry.

Jodie.

Anglicans Aid Drought Victims

The Archbishop of Sydney’s Anglican Aid has launched an appeal to help communities hit by the crippling drought in Western New South Wales.

The public appeal will raise funds to provide resources to churches in North and Western New South Wales, which are already dealing with requests for practical support for families impacted by what, in many places, is the worst drought since 1900.

99 percent of the state is now officially in drought and although the New South Wales government has launched an assistance package for farmers, the Vicar-General of the Armidale Diocese, the Rev Brian Kirk says “the suddenness of this drought has caught many by surprise.”

Mr Kirk says any help will be much appreciated by rural families.

He particularly has asked Christians to pray for rain, for farming families and businesses in rural communities, for farmers to make wise decisions and that Christians will not lose their faith in God.

Mr Kirk says clergy and church members are proactively offering assistance to farming families by providing food and clothing vouchers and visiting to provide practical and pastoral support.

Among the practical assistance is free labour to assist with the feeding of stock, maintenance and everyday chores as well as providing free drought dinners.

Funds donated through the Anglican Aid appeal will be disbursed through the Anglican Dioceses of Armidale and Bathurst which cover much of the most heavily drought-affected areas.

For more information about how to give to this appeal, visit www.anglicanaid.org.auor phone 9284 1406.

Who rules really?

This weekend will see many Aussies head to the ballot box, with five by-elections to be held around Australia.

Depending on what happens, it will increase or decrease the stability of the federal government… and may influence the decision of when the next federal election is called by the Prime Minister.

Regardless, it is important to remember that God rules the world, and every political leader on the Earth would be well-advised to recognise this as they go about their acts of civic service.

For the Bible reminds us that “there is no authority except that which God has established”, and that “the authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1)

As a result, we should recognise the authority of our leaders and be subject to them, even if we don’t like them or their policies, remembering that “the one in authority is God’s servant for your good”, and that we should submit to them, “not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.” (Romans 13:4, 5).

For this reason, our Anglican Prayer Book invites us to pray for all who hold office in our land:

“Grant that all things may be so ordered and settled by their endeavours on the best and surest foundations, that peace and happiness, truth and justice, faithfulness and true religion, may be firmly established among us, and make us a blessing to other nations.” (AAPB, p.34)

As is our custom, we should continue to pray for our politicians and give thanks for the political stability of our land, as God rules through them for the good of our nation.

JODIE McNEILL

Have you passed on the baton?

Given that one of our family’s favourite childhood movies was Pixar’s ‘Cars’, I was looking forward to watching the third movie in this series.

Even though it’s targeted at younger kids, the Pixar special sauce produced some terrific entertainment for older kids like me.

As the movie progressed, it was clear that it was a story designed to resonate strongly with older parents and grandparents.

Without spoiling the plot, the underlying message is about passing on the baton from the oldies to the next generation.

Lightning McQueen is no longer able to compete against the rookies, with their new technology and bulletproof confidence.

So, as his midlife crisis unfolds, he is given an insight into the often-hidden pleasure of those who are forced to deal with the realities of losing the ‘competitive edge’.

This is the pleasure of investing in the next generation, and experiencing their ‘wins’ as our own.

McQueen sees this as he discovers the delight that he himself brought to his mentor, Doc Hudson, who vicariously experienced the triumphs of his younger subject.

This is a timely reminder about the importance and pleasure of intergenerational ministry.

Those who are older can delight in mentoring and discipling the younger people in our church.

Furthermore, our elders can be enriched as we identify, recruit, train and encourage the next generation of leaders within our ministries.

Passing on the baton may involve some initial grief, but it will transform to a lifetime of joyful partnership with the next generation of leaders.

And then we will be able to follow the example that the Apostle Paul gave to Timothy:

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2 Timothy 2:2)

JODIE McNEILL

Living in the light of life

The cave rescue of the Thai soccer team has had us glued to our screens.

It is no surprise that Hollywood film executives are already jockeying to bring this remarkable message of salvation to the big screen.

It was a great answer to the prayers of so many people that these trapped boys were brought to safety, despite almost insurmountable physical challenges, and enormous risks by the rescuers.

If you’ve ever been deep inside a cave, you will have experienced a sense of darkness that is hard to describe.

Even when your light has been turned off for minutes, it’s so dark that you still can’t even see your hand in front of your face.

Then, when you leave the cave, you are overwhelmed with the brightness of the daylight.

That’s why the cave survivors have been seen wearing sunglasses as they recover from their ordeal.

Light and darkness are often used in the Bible to contrast the differences between following Jesus and disobeying him… and there’s no middle ground.

And so, the Bible says of followers of Jesus that:

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:9-11)

As people who have been saved by God from the darkness of eternal death, let us love living in his light, enjoying the privilege of pleasing him by our good, right, and truthful living.

For to anyone who has been freed from the darkness of death, light represents life to the full.

And that’s why followers of Jesus have the privilege of living in a way that pleases the Lord.

It’s wonderful to leave the darkness and live in the light of Jesus.

JODIE McNEILL

Taking things for granted

As Mandy and I spent two weeks in the Middle East, we understood how easy it is to take things for granted.

For example, even though I loved the Israeli Breakfast, with hummus, olives, falafel, fish, cheese, and pita bread, it made me crave Vegemite and bacon!

But our time at the GAFCON (Global Anglican Futures CONference) Jerusalem 2018 showed how easily we can take Sydney Anglicans for granted.

Our bishops and church leaders share our same love for Jesus, as he is revealed in the Bible.

They love it when we preach Christ faithfully through the gospel, and they support us when we defend the truth and seek to correct and rebuke people to restore them to godliness.

Yet, in other parts of the world, the hierarchy actively seeks to persecute Anglicans who are simply doing what Anglicans have done and believed for centuries.

Furthermore, these church leaders have evicted godly congregations from their buildings, and continue to pursue legal action against their ministers.

This, then, is why GAFCON exists: to provide a church family for Anglicans who have been thrown out of their church by leaders who no longer follow the teachings of the Bible.

GAFCON also exists to reform and renew the worldwide Anglican Church, and to call upon ungodly leaders to repent of their sins.

By sending Mandy and me to GAFCON as part of the 216 Australian delegates, our local church has given genuine support to worldwide Anglicans who have been persecuted and abandoned by their church leaders.

In doing so, Mandy and I have been reminded afresh that we should never take for granted the blessings of our precious local church and the godly, biblical leadership in our diocese.

We are very blessed!

JODIE MCNEILL

Free to be me?

CREDIT: Diego Albero Román via Flickr.

The freedom to be yourself is one of the fundamental rights that modern society seeks to protect.

At first glance there are parts of this that the Christian can agree with. God has made us who we are and we don’t need to change ourselves just to please others. There is freedom to express who we are as unique parts of God’s creation.

As Christians the goal then is to glorify God with who we are. This means that our individual expressions are always tempered by serving God within the bounds he has created.

This will especially mean a willingness to forgo some of our individuality in order to love and serve others.

However once God is removed from the picture any boundaries of expressions are also removed.

Each person has the right to think and believe whatever they want about themselves. You are then free to express yourself however you choose. In fact, you must express yourself.

Forget about what everyone else thinks or the impact you have on them. Without God there is no limit to this, no morality that will constrain you. Life is about you and your fulfilment, finding out who you are then expressing the desires you have found.

So in the 70’s it was sexual freedom; material freedom (ie greed) in the 80’s; then came freedom of sexual orientation and now it is even freedom from gender.

It is a sad irony that this relentless push for freedom is actually an expression of the slavery that sin has brought into the world. (Romans 6). But all that sin offers us is death (6:23).

Freedom is found not in being who we want to be, but in whom God wants us to be.

In Jesus we are set free from sin (6:18). We now have the freedom to really live, for this is the gift that God gives (6:23).

SIMON CHAPLIN

Unity beyond the World Cup

The Soccer World Cup started last week and it has been amazing to see unity in Australia as we support our country in Russia.

There are people watching who love soccer, some who maybe only watch the World Cup and some who maybe only watch when Australia is playing. Either way, it is so much fun to see people in the shops, at work, or at church mutter away about how it has been going.

It is a truly beautiful unity. Yet as Christians this kind of unity should feel familiar. We are to be unified far beyond the feelings of unity Australia feels watching the Socceroos.

Jesus prays for “those who will believe in him…that they may be one as [He & the Father] are one…so that we may be brought to complete unity.” (John 17:20-23)

This unity shows the world that Jesus was sent by God and that God loves humanity. 

This is the unity that we should strive for.

We need to be committed to each other because as the Apostle Paul says we all “form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:5).

We belong to each other, so we need to act like it. Love your neighbour, pray for unity with those who you see at church, in your Bible Studies and throughout the week. And who knows, maybe you could even watch a Socceroos game together.

This radical unity will show the world that Jesus is God and that God loves us. 

And perhaps one day the world will recognise and feel Christian unity in the same way Aussies are currently feeling it in the World Cup.

RAYNE ORANGE

How are you growing?

Christian maturity is a high priority for our church, and with good reason – it was a priority for the apostle Paul too. He says:

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28).

Paul gives us a clue as to what that maturity would look like when he prays:

“that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (1:9-10)

Maturity is comprised of two things: our knowledge and our life. And they are connected in a cycle. As we increase in our knowledge of our Lord, this leads us to bear fruit – and part of bearing fruit is increasing our knowledge – and so on.

Knowledge is essential to maturity, but knowledge for Paul is no mere intellectual activity. It is at the heart of our relationship with our heavenly Father and so to that end Paul ‘toiled’ (1:29).

Growing in our knowledge is going to take a little effort. But the reward is certainly worth it – a closer walk with our God.

And there isn’t some bar you are being asked to jump over here. We are all at different stages in our journey together, but Paul says that what he longs to see is ‘progress’ in each believer.

There are many things we can do to help us grow – listening closely to the the Word at church, or reading the Bible ourselves or discussing christian things with a friend. For me one of the key ways has always been to be committed to a weekly small group ministry where we can stir each other on in this way.

What’s the one thing you could do this week to grow as a Christian?

SIMON CHAPLIN

Have you achieved true contentment?

How often have you heard someone say “I just want to be happy?”

Or, when you let someone know about a major decision in life, people respond by saying, “that sounds great, as long as you’re happy”.

Happiness seems to be the state of mind that we all crave, and yet there’s something that is even better: contentment.

Contentment is the feeling you have when you know that no possession or experience can increase your positive feelings.

However, contentment is something that usually comes as a byproduct.

Some people will spend great amounts of money seeking the possessions and wealth so that they might gain contentment.

Others will dedicate their life to getting more and more experiences, ticking off their bucket list until their time on earth comes to a close.

Yet, contentment is something that cannot come by the abundance of possessions, or a range of special experiences.

God tells us that contentment comes from an unusual source: godliness.

We read in 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 6 that “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”

The great gain of contentment comes with godliness, which comes from believing the truth about Jesus and trusting him as loving ruler.

Pursuing Jesus will lead us to true contentment.

In fact, a few verses later we’re told not to put our hope in wealth, but instead to put our hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17).

As we do so, we will then be generous and willing to share ( verse 18), which will mean that followers of Jesus “will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (verse 19)

This is the pathway to true contentment. Are you truly content?

JODIE MCNEILL