Author: Ben (Page 9 of 36)

The Queen has finally met her King.
The whole world seems captivated at the passing of this woman of dignity, grace and service.  Perhaps the primary reason is that she did not live for herself and did not prize her own reputation and fame as most of us do.  Amidst the pomp and ceremony of her station we met a woman of humility and deep faith in Jesus Christ.
The Queen herself prepared us for a time like this in her Easter Message during the first wave of COVID19 in 2020. Her Majesty said at that time:
“The discovery of the risen Christ on the first Easter Day gave his followers new hope and fresh purpose, and we can all take heart from this… As dark as death can be – particularly for those suffering with grief – light and life are greater.”
So, in light of her passing, I must ask you the question: are you ready to meet your King?  And I certainly don’t mean King Charles III, I mean the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, before whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess – our King Jesus Christ!
Yours in Him,
Ben

There is something different and unique about the 5th commandment. While each of the ten commandments offer wisdom for how to live as God’s people – Paul points out in Ephesians 6:2 that the fifth is the first commandment with a promise.

If you ‘honour your father and your mother’, it follows that ‘it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth’.

There is clearly something important and life-preserving about the roles of Father and Mother. And the research bares this out. Check out this extract from ‘The Fathering Project’ website (https://thefatheringproject.org/):

“Research from Australia and overseas demonstrates that children with disengaged fathers experience poorer educational outcomes and higher rates of mental illness, illicit drug use and incarceration. Conversely, children with engaged and effective fathers have improved cognitive and academic outcomes, higher levels of empathy, self control and self esteem and better social and emotional skills.”

So, let’s honour and celebrate Fathers this Father’s Day, and lets be encouraging and challenging Fathers to be engaged and involved in their children’s lives. Let’s encourage them to take responsibility for the spiritual discipleship of their children too! Of course, not everyone has a positive Father-figure in their life, so lets pray for healing and lets give thanks for our heavenly Father, who will never let us down!

Yours in Him,

Ben

This week your Church leaders have taken time out to pray and read and plan together about our Church and its future.  We’re incredibly thankful to Nick and Sharon for allowing us to use their place up on Razorback for our retreat.  Ben, Kate, Scott and Britt spent 3 days together there, and groups of leaders joined us for a day of Picton planning on Monday and of Wilton planning on Tuesday.
It’s so exciting to dream about how God might work among us and to pray for each one of you by name.  We consider it a privilege to serve among you and strive to lead the precious people of God!
There were many great discussions and a few key outcomes that I look forward to sharing with you soon.  One key outcome was to try to shift the culture of our Church to be reflecting more regularly on how we can improve.  Towards that end we hope to ask a few key questions regularly about all of our ministries:

• How are you going? (general care for every person)
• How are you growing? (deliberate reflection on spiritual direction)
• What went well? (give thanks to God and reinforcing the positives)
• What can we work on? (regularly identifying how we can improve)

Don’t be surprised if you hear me asking you these questions soon.  It’s not because you’ve done something wrong – but because we want to be always deliberately caring for each other and seeking to improve what we do for the glory of Christ!
Yours in Him,
Ben

We live in an age where nobody wants to take responsibility: ‘My devious tendencies are the result of my troubled childhood’; ‘I was under the influence of alcohol’; ‘My friends made me do it’; and; ‘I was simply following orders’. The Israelites had a similar problem from a different perspective – they took God’s acceptance of them for granted on account of their family of origin and Jewish heritage as God’s chosen people.

But in chapter 18 of Ezekiel (part of this Sunday’s focus at Church), God is clear – each person will be held to account for their own sins. On the one hand this is terrible news, because we can’t weasel our way out from what we’ve done – we will be held to account no more how great our family heritage or what other excuses we can come up with. But it’s also wonderful news – because it means we are never trapped by the circumstances in which we’ve found ourselves. Whether those circumstances be of our own making or not. In verse 21 we read beautiful words of hope, that ‘if a wicked person turns away from [their] sins … that person will surely live’.

Although each one of us falls into sin – God is longing for us to turn from our wicked ways and live! We are never too far gone. We can always turn to God in faith and be saved.

How is this so? How can we be saved? – Only by faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of our sins.

Listen to the wonderful final paragraph of Ezekiel 18:

“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offences; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offences you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit;. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!”

Yours in Christ,

Ben

Ezekiel is written to a people of shattered hopes who have been taken into exile to Babylon away from their beloved homeland. They are living as refugees, and yet they continue to take God for granted. Ezekiel brings a word of judgement from God against them.

In chapter 33 the book changes from judgement to hope and promise with the news of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.

Ezekiel brings the good news that they shouldn’t be trusting in ‘religion’ or the temple, but in God himself. The good news is that God himself will breath new life into dead Israel – he will give them a new heart and he will be with them as their God. God doesn’t dwell in the temple, God isn’t limited to a place and a ritual, God is everywhere and he is to be worshipped and glorified in all of life.

The promises of Ezekiel are fulfilled in Jesus Christ’s incarnation, life, death and resurrection. Jesus is the new temple and place to meet and to know God.

Yesterday the 2021 census data revealed that for the first time less than 50% of Australians identify as Christians. Christendom (a Christian society) is long dead – but there is no need to fear or lose hope. Christendom was never (or should never have been) the aim. The aim is Christ – the aim is to preach the word of the gospel so that people come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. God is with us!

Yours in Christ,

Ben

For a more thorough reflection on the declining number of Australians identifying as Christian on the census see: https://www.smh.com.au/national/not-my-tribe-australians-have-turned-their-back-on-religion-but-not-on-their-faith-20220629-p5axp2.html?fbclid=IwAR2ptKk0y6VVtZVj7CN23GgZ1vz68rEBez_b87YVs1ppRhZMAmoLeAseYeQ

Last week we finished off our four week series on Prayer. What have you learned? Have you benefitted from the ‘Growing in Prayer’ Devotionals? I’d love to hear from you. Please share a brief encouragement or the thing that has helped / stood out to you most as we’ve reflected and hopefully been encouraged and challenged in our prayer lives over the past month.

I’ve already heard from a few people that they’ve really appreciated the devotional booklets, someone else told me that the suggestion for ‘prayer trigger points’ in your day was really helpful last week. Others still were encouraged to be praying for each other to have a ‘well-informed’ love for God in Christ.

What has helped or encouraged you? What have you learned? What have you been able to put into practice in your own prayer life?

Here are two other great resources you might like to look at:

Prayermate is an app you can get on your phone to help you pray.

‘A Praying Life‘ by Paul Miller is a wonderful and very readable book for developing your prayer life.

And of course, keep up reading along the ‘Growing in Prayer‘ Devotional Booklet – or grab a copy from Church if you haven’t started yet!

This Sunday Scott will be back finishing off our 2 Timothy sermon series – I can’t wait to see you there!

Yours in Christ,

Ben

You should come to Church every week.
Church is not a movie theatre, where you attend a ‘session’ in order to be entertained.  Church is not even a classroom lecture, where you come to learn and grow yourself.  Church is the community of God’s people who gather to worship God, to encourage each other, to hear from God’s Word and bring to him our prayers and requests.  This means that you don’t just come to Church for your own benefit, but in order to encourage and bless others.  Your simple commitment to gather with your Church family every week is a huge encouragement to others in their faith in Christ. 
Thankyou so much to you who come every week!
When you stay home from Church, it has an impact on everybody.  We have recently spoken to Church newcomers who have been confused because each week there is a new group of people there.  ‘Who are the regulars?’ they ask. How can these new people get to know others and start to feel settled in their new Church if they never see the same person two weeks in a row?
There are good reasons to stay home, of course – but please weigh the impact.  The impact on your fellow Church members, and the impact on your own family.  When your children see that Church is an optional extra ‘if you can fit it in’, I can almost guarantee that they will not make Church or Christ a priority in their lives as they grow up.
Let’s make a commitment to each other to ‘show up’ – I need you and you need me.  We are sisters and brothers in Christ serving and building each other up as we each have been gifted!
Yours in Christ,
Ben

     Hebrews 10:24-15:
     Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.