“Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:19
As with all of Jesus’ invitations and commands, he lets you make your own decisions. In this case, it’s between (A) obeying Jesus and teach others to do the same, or (B) to encourage yourself and others to “relax” Jesus’ teachings into your preferred form.
While the choice is ours, we don’t get to choose the consequences. Jesus makes it clear that while anyone who trusts in him is part of his "kingdom", there are rewards of some kind for those who are lovingly obedient!
This is why we are attempting to take Jesus’ teaching seriously. Not just learning and loving his teaching, but allowing his truth to draw us into a personal relationship with him that we learn to share with others!
Not only is this the heart of our church, to help people find and follow Jesus, but it is also a very clear leadership model for our church. According to Jesus, it would seem that a Christian leader must (a) personally follow him and (b) be willing to teach others to do the same. The first Christian leaders model this by inviting others to, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1).
In our attempt at making this process tangible, this firstly means leaders have experience (a) knowing Jesus, (b) inviting people into their lives, and (c) gathering and getting involved in local church gatherings. Secondly, leaders at Open Road model and champion this way of living to those around them.
Rather than simply looking for leaders who have stereotypical skills and personalities, we want to identify and grow leaders who have a truly thriving spiritual life and are willing to make the necessary sacrifices to bring others into the same!
If you’ve been walking this journey of following Jesus for some time and you can help others in the below three rhythms please hit REPLY and let me know!
- Knowing Jesus: teaching people how to study and obey the bible, pray, fast etc.
- Inviting people into your life: teach people to open up their week to others in informal (meals, leisure time) or formal (groups or courses) ways, modelling simple rhythms of faith that lead them to Christ.
- Gathering and getting involved: organising and leading weekly and monthly gatherings for God’s family to worship him and encourage each other.
I believe if we have leaders who model and champion these simple rhythms, we will not only further develop our faith, but bring others into life-transforming encounters with Jesus.
Cheers and God Bless,
Dan
Coming Up
February
Sun 25 Feb 4pm Moffat Gathering
March
Sun 03 Mar 4pm Worship Gathering: 209 Burgum Rd, North Maleny
Sun 10 Mar 4pm Moffat Gathering
Sun 17 Mar 4pm Moffat Gathering - Baptisms anyone?
Dan + Martine away for the weekend
Sun 24 Mar 4pm Moffat Gathering
Sun 31 Mar Easter Sun - 6am Shelly Beach Dawn Service
April
Note: we are yet to confirm a worship gathering for April due to public holidays and people's availability!
Sun 07 Apr 4pm Moffat Gathering
Sun 14 Apr 4pm Moffat Gathering - get baptised!
Sun 21 Apr 4pm Moffat Gathering
Sun 28 Apr 4pm Moffat Gathering
May
Sun 05 May 4pm Moffat Gathering (no worship event due to long weekend)
Sun 12 May 4pm Moffat Gathering
Sun 19 May 4pm Moffat Gathering - get baptised!
Sun 26 May 4pm Moffat Gathering
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
Our giving kitty target of $5,000 has been reached! 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: $12,192
Last month's expenses: $6,579
Balance: $31,586
Giving Kitty Oct-Jan: $5,000
Giving out Oct-Jan: $1,190
"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 with giving to Open Road to meet needs as a church or get in touch with any questions you may have.
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