“...it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.”
- Acts 15:28
In the book of Acts, chapter 15, we read an account of the Jerusalem Council, a gathering of the early Christian leaders.
To summarise how they arrived at their final decisions they say, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us." This curious and critical phrase teaches us so much about the insight God gives to Christians, both natural and supernatural, as they seek to live life faithfully and well.
We truly do have God's Spirit, his Holy Spirit, living in us by faith! There is no question that the Bible teaches, and early Christians experienced, a dynamic, living, actual presence of God in their lives. Becoming a Christian wasn't merely adopting a new set of beliefs or an intellectual release of guilty feelings. Rather, conversion saw an adoption into God's family signified by God coming to dwell in their very being.
Given this reality, Christians have always believed that God can guide us in very real ways. At the very least, Christians find strong agreement when a group of Christians all sense God lead them together. This is why they could so confidently say, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit". No matter their process for arriving at this confidence, they felt God's Holy Spirit had personally guided them forward.
However, they clearly didn't just pray and wait for voices from heaven. Rather, after "much discussion" (Acts 15:7) they also concluded that "It seemed good to...us"
Rather than being confused about whether Christians are to be guided by supernatural or natural wisdom, we can learn about how God has designed us to live. Firstly, he gave us our natural intellect, capacity for discussion and the need for those around us to act wisely. Secondly, he also has given us a supernatural insight and capacity to communicate and relate to God himself. We are also, in our natural state, in need of God's presence and wisdom in our lives.
I believe that our design for wisdom shows that God trusts us. He trusts us to think, express and decide. In fact, Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, says that part of his reasoning for writing the Gospel of Luke (a big deal!) was that, "it seemed good to me". In other words, I thought about how important it was to document what Jesus was doing amongst us to ensure that those who would follow him could be confident about the facts of Jesus!
1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. Luke 1:1-4
Knowing that God trusts us is beautiful. But anyone with an ounce of self-awareness knows that we can't always trust ourselves, much less those around us! Therefore, as Christians, it's important to realise that God invites us to trust him by expecting to hear from his Holy Spirit. Especially when we make decisions as fellow Christians, we find him guiding us as one. In some challenging circumstances, we also find him guiding us with a wisdom that we'd never come up with ourselves!
So, be encouraged that while God trusts you, most importantly, he invites us to trust him!
Cheers and God Bless,
Dan
Giving Update
One of my great convictions for the future of our church is that we discover more of God's heart for us to be generous individually and as a church family! One strategy for this is our Giving Kitty. Marcello has suggested we add the balance of our Giving Kitty (all giving above our monthly needs goes into the kitty) into the finance update at the end of each email (see below).
We will also aim to provide updates each time we are able to give to those in need around us. in the last couple of weeks we've been able to help
"Chip Church" / Walkervale Church - Chris + Emma Poulsen
Walkervale Church is a brand new church in a suburb of Bundaberg. Its heart (Jesus and people) and expression (park and simple church gatherings, Bible studies, generosity) are similar to ours and the neighbourhood they meet in has more social needs than most. We donated $500 to their free, community Christmas lunch which will be a big deal in their neighbourhood!
To read a thank you from their pastor, Chris, click below.
Medical Bills for a Local Mum
A family in our church has been loving and helping a local, long-term friend of theirs. We were able to pay a recent important medical bill that was well beyond her financial capacity.
Do you know someone in need?
Especially at Christmas, let's ask God to show us who around us or in our church family may need some help. You can meet the need yourself, suggest it for our Giving Kitty (hit REPLY and let us know) or, if finances are tight, but the amount is under $100, keep the receipt and we'll reimburse you.
As we read in Acts (above), there is a simple way to determine if, and how, to give. Whatever the need, just ask yourself, "Does this seem like a good idea?" If you're still unsure, ask Holy Spirit, "Is this something you are guiding me too?"
Christmas Lights @ LifePointe Church
A few of us are going to checkout the Chistmas Lights at LifePointe this year! Despite their building being burnt down they are putting on a show again.
Starts 530pm @ 186 Wises Road, Buderim.
Food available on site. Arrive early for parking or take a shuttle bus.
AGM Update
Thanks to Fred and Marcello for organising our minutes and other documents from our AGM. For the record, can download notes from our 2023 AGM from our website.
Coming Up - Christmas Gatherings
December
Sat 16 Dec. 530pm Christmas Lights trip @ LifePointe
Sun 17 Dec 4pm Moffat + Baptisms Anyone?
Tue 19 Dec Dan + Martine on holidays with family for about 2 wks!
Sun 24 Dec 9am Christmas in the Park - Simple Celebration at Moffs
Mon 25 Dec No gathering
Sun 31 Dec 9am Morning Gathering at Moffat
January
Sun 7 Jan 4pm Moffat Gathering
Sun 14 Jan 4pm BBQ + Communion @ Moffat Gathering
Sun 21 Jan 4pm Moffat Gathering
Sun 28 Jan 4pm Moffat Gathering
Feburary
Sun 4 Jan 4pm Church Meal, Worship, Communion
Our Mission
To help people find and follow Jesus
Our Rhythms
Know Jesus: how are you getting to know Jesus this week?
Invite people into your life: who can you bless this week?
Gather and get involved: How can you connect, listen, share or pray with others this week?
Our Giving
If there is someone in need around you we'd encourage you to team up with another Christian friend and ask God to show you how to meet their need directly. You can also get started with giving to Open Road to meet needs as a church or get in touch with any questions you may have.
Last month's giving: $7,366
Last month's expenses: $6,041
Balance: $21,923
Giving Kitty Oct-Nov: $1,990
Giving out Oct-Nov: $1,190
"Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed." - Proverbs 19:17
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