Coming up this Sunday 15th July 2018
This Sunday, Jodie continues the mini-series called ‘The gospel at GAFCON’, with the next talk titled ‘The gospel is under attack’ from Acts chapter 20 verses 17 to 35.
At our 10am Sunday morning service we will be celebrating the baptism of Carter Dobbie, and we would love you to join us for this special event.
And at our 5pm Sunday evening service, we will have a special report from the McNeills from their time catching up with a CMS link missionary during their visit to Israel.
During both our services, we’ll have our weekly question and answer time, and Jodie will be answering these questions:
- How did the locals in Jerusalem react to GAFCON, and in particular to all the delegates gathering on the steps of the temple?
- Why isn’t GAFCON interdenominational?
- Does it really matter if you belong to an Anglican church rather than another?
- Will you be attending GAFCON again in five year’s time?
- Why were all the Apostles male, since half the population is female?
- If people remarry after they have wrongly divorced, are they living in sin?
- Who resurrected Jesus?
- Why isn’t ‘he’ capitalised in John 1:8-9 when it refers to God?
Our youth group, Refuge, Kids’ Club and Andy’s Club will be taking a break during the school holidays, and will return from Sunday 29th July.
As always, come along and visit us at 10am or 5pm at 35 Fisher Street Oak Flats, or if you can’t make it in person, jump online at www.oakflats.tv to watch a livestream of our services.
See you at 10am or 5pm this Sunday, God willing!
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
Coming up this Sunday 8th July 2018
This Sunday we welcome back Jodie as he starts a new three week mini-series called ‘The gospel at GAFCON’, with the first talk titled ‘The gospel is God’s power’ from Acts chapter 4 verses 1 to 12.
During our services, we’ll have our weekly question and answer time, and Jodie will be answering these questions:
- How did people know they were sinning before God gave the Ten Commandments?
- Why did God make the Law if it brings wrath, judgement, and makes lawlessness?
- If a person remarries after divorce, then are they living in sin and unforgiven by God?
We will also share the Lord’s Supper this Sunday, so be sure to join us for this important reminder of the death of Jesus.
And we will have a special time to hear from Jodie about his time in Israel and about the GAFCON conference.
Our youth group, Refuge, Kids’ Club and Andy’s Club will be taking a break during the school holidays, and will return from Sunday 29th July.
As always, come along and visit us at 10am or 5pm at 35 Fisher Street Oak Flats, or if you can’t make it in person, jump online at www.oakflats.tv to watch a livestream of our services.
See you at 10am or 5pm this Sunday, God willing!
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
Coming up this Sunday 1st July 2018
This Sunday we continue our series ‘The Heart of Truth’ as Simon preaches on the topic ‘Free from slavery to the law’ from Romans chapter 7 verses 1 to 25.
This week we will have a special book review from one of our church members from a book that they have recently read.
During our services, we’ll have our weekly question and answer time, and Simon will be answering these questions:
- As there is only one God, why are there so many different religions?
- Why has no human ever seen God?
- In Exodus 10 when Moses asks for all the animals to go out to the festival, was he misleading Pharaoh? Or was it just a ruse to get everybody and everything out of Egypt for good?
Our youth group, Refuge, meets at 4pm in the Neighbourhood Centre, and then head over to join us for church. Kids’ Club and Andy’s Club meets at our 5pm evening service for their program, followed by a great dinner together for the whole family.
As always, come along and visit us at 10am or 5pm at 35 Fisher Street Oak Flats, or if you can’t make it in person, jump online at www.oakflats.tv to watch a livestream of our services.
See you at 10am or 5pm this Sunday, God willing!