What a joy to celebrate Jesus together last Sunday!
Thanks to Ben and Caleb for the worship; Marcello, JC and the boys for helping to set us up; Aimee for sorting out the bookmarks and booklets; many of you bringing afternoon tea; and Brad, DHill and many others packing things away!
If you have any comments on the CCSA Hall please let us know.
Martine and I are heading north to camp with the family this week. Sunday was a perfect way to end our weekend and set up our hearts for gratitude to God for life, church family and the presence of Jesus in our world!
When you ask most church leaders why their church exists, they implicitly or explicitly reflect a desire to fulfil Jesus' "Great Commission" in Matthew 28
"18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Our church reflects this heart to "make disciples [followers of Jesus]" in our mission to, "Help people find and follow Jesus".
To this end, much effort has been expended on well-intentioned projects, programs, strategies and campaigns to "make" disciples. One of the challenges inherent in a church's desire to "make" disciples is that no one can guarantee or manufacture anyone else's spiritual life and vitality! Further, Jesus makes it clear that each individual person has a choice to respond to his invitation to, "Come, follow me".
Put simply I can't "disciple" you, you become a disciple of someone. In the context of following Jesus, disciple, is best thought of as your noun, not my verb :)
While our church is seeking to see people come to follow Jesus (find and follow), it's probably clearest to think of our church as a family of disciples who are inviting others to make the same choice to follow Jesus too!
In our culture, making disciples of Jesus is best understood through apprenticeship.
A tradie doesn't cruise around the coast looking to make apprentices out of everyone but invites individuals to make their own choice to become his/her apprentice. Once they say, "Yes!", to this master tradie, they say, "No", to every other trade/tradie they could learn from.
Likewise, I can't make (verb) you a disciple of Jesus. I can echo Jesus' invitation to, "Come follow me [him!]". Once you've taken personal responsibility to become a disciple (noun), our church family can help you along the way!
One of the simplest ways we help you on your apprenticeship to Jesus is by encouraging each other to Know Jesus, Invite people into your life (friendship, activities, drinks, coffee, meals etc) and Gather to encourage each other (Sunday!).
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”
Matthew 4:19
Jesus promises that he will show any individual or church community that seeks to follow him how to reach ("fish") other people with their own invitation to follow him. In my mind, this is the simplest plan for "making disciples":
Step #1 We follow Jesus wholeheartedly
Step #2 Jesus teaches us how to 'fish'
Step #3 Other people get 'caught up' in Jesus' invitation to true life
So, "Come follow Jesus".
Cheers, God Bless and if you haven't been baptised, why not join Caleb this Sunday as a declaration that you've come to put your faith in Jesus and follow him with your whole life!
Baptism this Sunday 11th August!
If you are considering being baptised, read/watch more about baptism on our website!
Coming Up
August
Sun 11 Aug 3pm Moffat Gathering - Jacob's baptism. Anyone else?!
Wed 14 Aug Prayer Night - 645pm
Sun 18 Aug 3pm Moffat Gathering
Sun 25 Aug 3pm Moffat Gathering
Upcoming
Sun 01 Sep Worship Night: Stories, Communion + Meal - Venue TBC
Sun 29 Sep Worship + Communion - Venue TBC
Sun 03 Nov Worship + Communion - Venue TBC
Wed 13 Nov Prayer Night - 646pm
Sun 01 Dec Worship Night: Stories, Communion + Christmas Pary
Our Mission
To help people find and follow Jesus.
Our Rhythms
Get to Know Jesus: how are you getting to know Jesus this week?
Invite people into your life: who can you intentionally open up your life to?
Gather and get involved: who can you connect, listen, share or pray with this weekend?
Our Giving
We are slowly being led to needs for our giving kitty! Please take time to ask God if there is someone in need around you whom God wants you/us to help!
Last month's giving: $19,803
Last month's expenses: $7,435
Balance: $65,405
Giving Kitty Oct-May: $5,000
Giving out Oct-May: $4,680
"Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed." - Proverbs 19:17
If you would like to support what we are doing and our giving to those in need, you can get started giving to Open Road to meet the needs of our church or get in touch with any questions you may have.
Your Prayers
Do you have a prayer request? Hit REPLY and we will pass it on to our prayer team.
Good or God
Got a "good story" or a "God story"? Bring it with you on Sunday and share it with others, even with the whole group, if it's brief and encouraging!
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