Category: From Nigel Fortescue

This week in our growth groups we will all have the opportunity to start work on filling in the blank for ourselves. The next key part of the “Jesus is…” mission is you having something personal and engaging to say when you are asked who Jesus is. We are looking at something no longer than 30, or at the outside 60, seconds (that is, 5-10 sentences) that will make people consider who Jesus is afresh.

It is crucial to understand that your choice of answer may be positive or negative, straightforward or quirky. However you pitch it, it must be personal, engaging and lead to an opportunity to share the truth. The idea is to engage people’s attention and get them into a conversation with us about Jesus. In particular, we want to invite them to share their opinion, but we also want to take the opportunity to advance the claims of Christ, and what he has done for us. So you can choose something entirely counterintuitive or strange but you must lead in your 5-10 sentences back to Jesus and the truth.

As Jesus once said when he walked the earth, “Who do people say that I am?” and “What about you? Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:28-29). It’s just about the most important conversation a person could have.

It’s important to see that Jesus can defend himself, and if we want a conversation, we don’t need to be overly defensive or censorious of others’ opinions.

Here are some suggestions for how to complete the “Jesus is _______” phrase… You can take one of these and make it your own or you can create your own.

• Not for everyone                                                • Still not healing the sick
• The reason I’m not afraid to die                     • A denial of reason
• Worth it                                                               • Confusing
• My Lord                                                               • Is a Capricorn
• The reason I smile                                             • Indescribable
• Just one religion among many                       • Not what you expect him to be
• Anti-Gay                                                              • Time lord
• The reason I’m alive                                          • As good as it gets
• A Narcissist                                                         • Not God
• Ashamed of the church’s behaviour               • Trending
• Our Saviour                                                         • Visible on my grilled cheese
• A loser                                                                   • A God delusion
• Anti-Religion                                                       • An imaginary friend
• Alive                                                                       • Absolute truth
• My rock when all else crumbles                       • Make believe
• Closer than my barista                                       • Gaining ground
• Cleaning up                                                           • Inviting
• Taking way too long                                            • Not great
• Just like Mohammad & Buddha                       • For losers
• Pro-Life                                                                  • Beyond fiction

Who do you say Jesus is?

In Christ
Nigel

Dear Friends,

The “Jesus is…” Mission we are involved in during March is going to provide you with many opportunities to share with others the reasons why you trust Jesus. And it is important that we are prepared. The Scriptures say: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
(1 Peter 3:15)

Through the remainder of this month in church and in our Growth Groups we are going to be encouraging and helping each other to be prepared. The opening gambit is where it all starts – When someone asks what “Jesus is…” is all about, you say, “We are interested in people’s opinions. Jesus is… what goes in the blank?” Then pause and let them talk. But then….

What comes next can be a mixture of their opinion or awkwardness. They are, however, likely to ask you “what goes in the blank” and you need to be ready. Here is the procedure for preparing your own response:

1. Pray for wisdom in preparation and courage in conversation.
2. Remember we are looking at something no longer than 30, or at the outside 60, seconds (5-10 sentences).
3. Select your favourite way of completing the sentence that is neither odd nor jargon (so by way of example, don’t choose… Jesus is beautiful, my lover, homoousion or perichoretically trinitarian).
4. Double-check your answer is a good one by discussing it with others for theological and apologetic pros and cons (e.g. any unintended pitfalls, does it lead to or from the gospel, etc?)
5. Find a verse to helpfully back up the point, if you can (not too obscure, and optional in terms of using it.)
6. Write a very brief script. Aim at 5-6 sentences.
7. Memorise the starting words and finishing sentence and just the key points, as 2-3 dot points, (and memorise the verse if you think it useful!)
8. Practice it with a friend or in your Growth Group.

So, give it a go! And if you would like some help, just ask a member of staff and we would be pleased to sit and help you decide on an answer and prepare well.

In Christ
Nigel

As our Summer Ministry Training Week draws to a close, we will be turning our eyes to our 2018 Mission.

As I hope you know by now, we are going to be engaged in three weeks of mission from 11th March until Easter. All the Anglican Churches in our region will be working together, complemented by students from Moore College, to start conversations with people about who Jesus is and what he has done for us. Some of the specific activities we will be involved with include:

– Leafleting at railway stations
– Multi-faith dialogue between a Christian and other leaders
– TED-talk style presentations on who Jesus is with the opportunity for interaction
– After school pop-up kids club
– Seniors Health and well-being talk
– ESL Evangelistic morning
– A men’s event and a women’s event…. and more

With all the churches involved we have a unique opportunity to really turn up the heat on the conversation and bring Jesus onto the agenda of the people in our region.

But the real core of the mission is all of us as individuals bringing Jesus into conversation. By wearing a t-shirt or badge, you give people the opportunity to ask you what it is all about.

You then answer with the memorised “opening line” to get into “Jesus Is ______.” conversations. Something like this…

“We’re interested in people’s opinions. Jesus is… (Gesture to the “Jesus Is ______.” logo). What goes in the blank?”

It might feel silly, but the idea is to get a plausible sounding introduction rolling off everyone’s tongue and sounding normal, so that people don’t feel so quite stuck or hesitant in having a go at raising the “Jesus Is ______.” topic of conversation. Of course, it will still take courage!

In the past, people who were not prepared for when a friend, colleague or passerby commented on the T-shirt/badge etc. tended to stumble around into vague conversational dead ends like this:

“What’s that T-shirt all about?”
“Oh, err, um, it’s something the churches are doing at the moment.”

Conversation quickly tails off, because neither person knows where to go then.

We are going to equip your Growth Group leaders with some material soon so you can work on it together. By learning the line exactly, you are ready to go with something confidently along those lines when a real life opportunity happily surprises you!

In Christ,
Nigel Fortescue

As we move towards our March Mission we are hoping you will engage people with the question of who Jesus is… We are praying you will come up with your own answer to the question and be ready to share it with others. Here is one answer written by a local Presbyterian Minister that sounds strange but is strangely engaging… Who would you say Jesus is? A loser?

Jesus from Nazareth died a criminal’s death on a rubbish tip in a place without importance on the eastern rim of the Roman Empire approximately 2,000 years ago. Most of his followers deserted him and left him for dead. If they were handing out prizes for the biggest loser in the 1st century, Jesus would have been one of the finalists. However, the Bible says that this was the whole point of what he was on about. 

In his portrayal of the last day of Jesus’ life in the 2004 movie “The Passion of the Christ” Mel Gibson starts with an epigraph from the Bible, the book of Isaiah chapter 53 which was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Part of that chapter reads: 

“…he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all”. 

In Isaiah 53 someone becomes a “loser” and takes a fall that others might benefit in some way. Christians believe that is talking about what Jesus was doing when he died – that through Jesus becoming a “loser” we can gain in some way and this was God’s intention all along. 

What has resulted from this one loser’s life is staggering and undeniable. Today 1/3 of the population of the world calls Jesus their Lord in some way. The book that contains information about his life has been translated into more languages than any other book in history. As far as we know, Jesus never painted a painting, wrote a book or a poem or a play or even a song. And yet no other person in history has motivated as many works of art. Even today people are fascinated by this loser who died in all obscurity to become the most important person in world history. 

Brett Richardson

Everyone has a thought about Jesus. Everyone. Yep, everyone. So what do they think?

In March we are going to take part in a region-wide mission that will have at its heart this question:
We’re interested in people’s opinions – “Jesus is _____.”  What goes in the blank?

Jesus himself once asked those around him, “Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29). His disciples had a variety of answers then and people in Australia have a variety of answers now. I suspect that there would be a variety of answers to that question among our church community but that each one of them would point back to Jesus being our unique Saviour.

During March, we want to be asking this question of people over and over and over again. Why? Because it’s the most important questions anyone could ever answer.

So, during March we’re going to encourage you to get into conversations about Jesus’ identity. There will be Mission events and church gatherings and a team from Moore College but the core of the mission will be you engaging with the people around you. It will be you having conversations with the people you know and love to introduce them to Jesus who you know and love.

Other churches have participated in a similar style of mission in the past and what we know is that people will say all sorts of things: positive, negative, or just plain quirky. That is all part of the way it works. You want to engage people in honest dialogue about Jesus. You want to hear what they think so you can respond with what you know. It’s scary. It takes courage. But it is super exciting. Sometimes people who have never shared about their faith in Jesus have the chance to share with a friend who they think Jesus is.

Preparing for this is simple: just stop for a moment and think – what do you want to share about Jesus?

Now consider what would your neighbour say? What would the person across from you at work say? What would your children or grandchildren say? Perhaps you can’t even guess! But you can pray.

When people become followers of Jesus a grand spiritual work has taken place and we need to pray that God will enact this work in the lives of people we know and love. So start praying now for March and more training and Information is coming!

In Christ,
Nigel

Dear Friends,

Back in September I encouraged you to consider coming to CMS Summer School for five reasons. As the week draws to a close, let me tell you what you missed…

1. Great passionate Bible teaching. Richard Chin, who works as the national director of AFES and on campus at UOW, has unpacked Colossians. It has been stunning to dwell on Christ and the call that we might be willing to live for him. Download the talks from the CMS website – you will be thankful you did.

2. Growing understanding of world mission and evangelism. CMS send missionaries around the world and each day we have heard their stories and learnt from their insights into world mission. I have attended seminars focused on evangelising Muslims and Roman Catholics and been helped to have new energy to bring Jesus easily into my conversations.

3. Catch up with missionaries. During the conference there are opportunities to speak to, meet and catch up with “real missionaries”. On a three year cycle, all of our church’s link missionaries attend and you are able to hear more of their work. Both Karen Darda and the Clarks are here this year and hearing the joy and sorrows of their work in the world has been a delight and a cause for prayer.

4. Great children’s program. More than 1300 kids attend summer school and they are all catered for in age specific programs (Babies to Year 12) that are awesome. I am involved in registration for the high school kids and each day hundreds have come to learn and grow and be shaped by Jesus. Our kids have loved CMSSS every year, including this year.

5. Rest. The program runs 9am-12.30pm and 7-9pm every day. While there are some activities on, we have used the afternoons to catch up with friends and enjoy time with the kids. What a great blessing.

Choosing to come to CMS Summer School will be one of the best decisions you make. In 2019, it starts on Saturday January 5. I’d love you to join us. You will not be disappointed!

In Christ
Nigel

Dear Friends,

At this time of year there are three words that send a shiver down my spine…Christmas Tree Lights. We have never been able to buy lights and keep them in any sort of order for the next year. They emerge from the storage box tangled and with missing bulbs. We sort out the mess only to discover that the power adapter is missing or broken and we are left with a sad and sorry string of lights that just don’t work. 

Recently, I had had enough. I went and bought some new lights from Bunnings. They are bright and sparkly. They work all the way down to the last bulb. Perfect…almost. We just can’t get them to stay on! They flash, they pulse, they fade, they seem to do all three, but as for just being on – no way! 

In some way my lights experience is like life. Nothing is ever perfect. Few things are always easy. We often don’t quite feel satisfied. Sometimes things end up in a real mess. We all have those moments where we reflect back and say “if only”! 

Christmas provides us with the ultimate and lasting antidote to life’s disappointments. Christmas provides us with hope. Christmas is an announcement to the world from God: things are bad, but they will be better! This announcement is made through the birth of Jesus and embodied in the birth of Jesus.

Just reflect on the actual birth of Jesus. How would Mary have felt to discover she had to give birth in a stable? The disappointment, the dirt, the abandonment to simplicity and humility. No one would wish it upon their worst enemy! 

And yet in the goodness of God, a child is born who will be more than a son and brother. He is a Saviour and King. He came to defeat our greatest enemy and offer us hope of something bigger, better, brighter and more permanent. From the smallest and humblest of beginnings, out of disappointment, came triumph and victory as Jesus rose from the dead and announced that the gates to a glorious life eternal had been thrown open for all who would trust in and follow him! 

The image of the world as a bauble smashing to pieces summarizes our feelings about life and our world from time to time. The historical event of Jesus in the manger summarizes God’s message to us in this crazy world.

Life often feels out of control, but those who trust in and follow Jesus find satisfaction and hope in the knowledge that life will be better. If you are yet to trust in and follow Jesus, please speak to one of our ministers – our church is on about connecting people with Jesus and we want to help you. 

Merry Christmas.

Do you want to come to see the new Star Wars movie with me?
Do you want to come to my house for dinner?
Do you want to come to the park with me and the kids?
Do you want to come to the dog park with me?
Do you want to come to the gym with me?

Every day we make personal invitations to others and as we do we invite them into our lives. Into things that matter to us. Into things that interest us. Into things that may interest them too.

Just this week a member of staff said to me, “Do you want to come and see the new Sushi place on Queen St with me?” I felt excited by the opportunity and off we trotted together to check it out and as it turned out, we bought lunch and it was good! We talked, we ate, we did a little bit of life together.

The personal invite mattered and it was powerful.

If he had sent me a text message saying, “Dear staff, I’m heading to the new sushi place. Wanna come?” I would have weighed up how busy I was, what I packed from home and then decided whether to go or not. But the personal made the invite powerful. Do you want to come with me?

If he had posted a message on FB, “Hey staff, heading to sushi. Want to come?” I probably would have missed the invite. But the personal made the invite powerful. Do you want to come with me?

If he had written a note, coloured it in, and left it on my desk for me to find, frankly I would think he had gone bananas. But the personal made the invite powerful. Do you want to come with me?

Christmas provides you with the easiest opportunity in the year to invite your friends to hear about Jesus. Everyone loves Christmas.

You could invite them by text, but it is so easy to say no via text.
You could share a FB event but they may miss it or ignore it.
You could just drop a coloured flyer in their letterbox but if they know you go to church they may think it weird you didn’t at least knock on the door.

Or, you could ring them and invite them.
Would you like to come to church with me on Christmas Eve/Day?

The personal invite is very powerful. It says, this matters to me and I want it to matter to you. it is also proven to be significantly more effective than any other invitational method.

So here is my Christmas week challenge. Make a personal invite. Choose a friend or neighbour, muster up the courage and then call or knock on their door and say:  Would you like to come to church with me on Christmas Eve/Day?

They might just come. They might just hear about Jesus. They might just get saved.

Dear friends,

Christmas is coming!

The busyness of this season is perhaps best exemplified by the queues of people trying to get out of Macarthur Square. The new number plate parking system creates metal snakes of frustrated shoppers with their eyes on the clock and hearts set on getting home to get things done. There are endless lists of jobs at home and work that have to happen at this time of year!

But the end is nigh and you will get some time off. One or two days at least. Unless you work at McDonalds or KFC and have a shift on Christmas Day. Then you won’t! But for the majority, things will wind down. Like the battery operated toy that has been overused on Christmas Day that starts to slooowwwww.

And yet things are also winding up!

As a staff, we have been planning and preparing for 2018 for about 2 months. Here is a little taste of what is in store!

• We will be starting the year off with Summer Ministry Training Week (Jan 29-Feb 2), providing an opportunity for all of us to refresh and renew our skills, learn something new and think deeply about various theological and ministry topics. Registration forms will come out after Christmas!

• We will be taking part in a region-wide Mission in March under the theme of Jesus is… This month long engagement with our community will give us the opportunity to preach the Gospel in various ways with help from Moore College students and in collaboration with all the local Anglican Churches. Training and preparation is well underway and through our Growth Groups in early 2018 you will hear more and learn how to get involved.

• Speaking of Growth Groups, our groups will launch on Wednesday January 31 with a combined celebration evening. Each year this is an exciting evening on which we can catch the vision for a year of reading the Bible and growing together.

• Throughout each year we aim to listen to God through different parts of the Bible. We prepare our teaching series well in advance and it never ceases to amaze me how God bring the right passages before us at just the right time. In 2018 we will be working through Luke 9-13, Habakkuk, 1 Corinthians and a renewal of our Mission and Strategy.

Things may be winding down but they are also winding up. Please pray as we finalise preparations for 2018.

Please also pray about your plans for spiritual growth in 2018. Will you join a Growth Group for the first time? Will you read the Bible daily in a WhatsApp group? Will you start in a new ministry? Will you learn how to share your faith with friends and family?

As things wind down, spend a moment contemplating how you will wind up in 2018!

In Christ
Nigel

Dear Friends,

For about a month now, my inbox has been filled with emails offering me the opportunity to buy gifts online. Of particular interest to me are the offers of discount Gift vouchers at Christmas – perhaps even my computer knows I can be a lazy last minute present buyer! But the concept is brilliant for two reasons – the gift receiver gets to choose their gift, and gift cards point us to what God has done for us in Jesus!

Redeeming is gaining or regaining possession of something via an exchange or payment.
And that is just God’s intention in the Birth of Jesus.
Jesus was born to be payment for you – that God may regain relationship with his treasured possession, his treasured creation – his image bearers – with you.

Too often we treat God like we treat Santa and expect of God what we expect of Santa. When it is absolutely necessary we pay him some attention but apart from that we don’t give him a thought and live life doing our own thing in our own way in our own time. We hope he won’t see how naughty we are and he’ll turn around at just the right time to give us every good thing we could possibly imagine. It doesn’t really matter if you’re naughty or nice, Santa will still deliver. Same with God right? Wrong.

You see, the Bible teaches us that nothing so small, so flimsy, so ordinary and so faulty as us, could possibly stand in the presence of God’s immensity, potency, extraordinariness and holiness.
God can’t ignore the way we have treated him.

And yet, here is the Christmas miracle…
You can’t win God’s favour back, but in Jesus, he is willing to give it to you. Read that again – he is willing to GIVE it to you.

There is a pretty popular belief out there that we actually need to earn God’s favour.
So, if we do enough good things to counter the bad things we’ve done, we will earn God’s favour and be able to enter heaven.
Maybe even if we are a bit religious from time to time we will earn God’s favour.

But the Bible, that God has written and given to us, appears to tell us a completely different story.
God’s plan is to redeem us. To take us back.

In the birth of Jesus God comes and offers… and offers… and offers… and offers us redemption, reconciliation and peace. Forgiveness and hope. God does this tenderly, gently, kindly. This is God’s graciousness. This is Christmas hope. May you know it or find it afresh this Christmas.

In Christ,
Nigel

Did the Queen have to tidy her room as she was growing up? I’d like to think yes, but I suspect the answer is no. Well, at least she would never have had to make her bed or vacuum the floor. There would have been people to serve her. To honour and assist her. Not because she couldn’t but because she’s important.

Being served is great isn’t it? In restaurants, at home, at work or at a friend’s house, the one served is being given honour and assistance by the servant.

With that in mind, I wonder if you have thought recently about the fact that Jesus served you?

In Mark 10 he spells out the purpose of his life:
The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many! 

There is something quite profound about that statement and thus Christianity. In most of world religions, the message is clear: serve long and hard and you might be accepted. In Christianity God says, Jesus has come to serve you, to show you honour and give you help.

John Hindley writes: Jesus comes into our lives to serve us. There is no catch, no small-print, no strings attached – there is just loving, humble, kind service by the Creator of the world for us. Jesus greatness is not that He can command the service of millions; it is that He serves millions.

Anyone who has received this service will tell you that life is never better than when it is lived in recognition that Jesus has served you. For it is then that you see the world the right way up and you know your future with certainty.

Equally, when you know Jesus’ loving service of you, your eyes are opened and your feet become ready to respond by loving and serving others! Knowing Jesus readies you to show kindness, thoughtfulness, generosity, open-heartedness, mercy and grace to others. Your life is shaped by Jesus’ service of you in every part!

So knowing Jesus’ service will change teenagers into respectful speakers; will change church members into warm welcomers of new people; will change the miserly into generous providers. Knowing Jesus’ service of me changes me completely from the inside out and motivates me to serve him in joy, freedom and hope.

Jesus service is life-changing. Our service of him toward others can be too!

In Christ
Nigel

Dear Friends,

It has been a week for change. Birth will change. Marriage will change. Death will change. Many of us will find all this terrifically difficult and unnerving. It reminds me of the great joke…

How many Anglicans does it take to change a lightbulb?
What! Change!! No thanks!!

Our society and culture undergoes constant change, sometimes more rapid, sometimes like the slow creep of a glacier. How do we respond? Yell? Scream? Ignore it? Weep? All of the above?

Here are a few observations made recently about our society and culture.

• Saturday afternoons and Sundays used to be family and community time, now they are almost indistinguishable from the rest of the week.
• Marriage used to be honoured by all but is now an optional extra.
• Children used to be cared for in the home but now much of their lives are out-sourced.
• The Bible used to be read on the ABC every night but now biblical thinking is censored in favour of hedonism and sensuality.
• People used to gather on the street in the afternoons to play and socialise, now we sit alone and watch TV and some even watch other people watching TV!
• The church used to be seen as a bastion for morality and social cohesion but now it’s an archaic immoral institution.
• Voluntary participation in community activities was strong but now sports clubs struggle to find helpers.
• Most disturbingly, there are a whole generation of children being raised who know of no connection between Easter, Christmas and Jesus.

You might say in summary that we Australians have become more consumerist and individualistic in our approach to life. And church. We have changed.

The right response to this is not to lament and have conversations that begin with the words “I remember the good old days!” The right response is to pray. To pray for ourselves and our friends who do not know Jesus that we would have the wisdom and courage to share Jesus with them.

What people need right now is to understand that there is more to life than what you see in this world and more to Jesus than you might have assumed.

Have you prayed this week for marriages?
Have you prayed this week for the terminally ill?
Have you prayed this week of our governments?
Have you prayed this week for church leaders?

The more things change, the more we must commit all things to our God in prayer.

For the more things change, the more things remain the same – Jesus is still on the throne and still rules really.

In Christ,
Nigel

Dear Friends,

I love how God always does things at the perfect time.

Over the past few years, we have planned our sermon series in November for the following year. We set the dates on which every passage will be preached on and who will preach; and (somewhat unsurprisingly) often we find that the Word we are studying speaks right into the moment we are living in. Right now, I feel like both our Reformation and 1 Peter series are preparing us week by week for the events of the week ahead.

We will return to 1 Peter next Sunday but this week, be reminded of these words:

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 1 Peter 3.15-16

Peter is concerned that the ordinary, normal Christian person might be able to humbly and respectfully defend their hope in Christ. It is this hope that sets us apart from unbelievers. It is this hope that our future rests upon. It is this hope that is focused on Jesus and speaks of Jesus.

My suspicion is that sometime after 10am on Wednesday you will have a chance to speak humbly and respectfully of Jesus love with all godliness, gentleness and respect.

We are not to withdraw. We are not to stay silent.

We are to live life openly as Christians in the midst of the unbelieving world and be prepared to explain why we think following and obeying Jesus matters. Our lives should be characterised by godliness and we should treat people we speak to with love and kindness even if it is not reciprocated.

Now I am no prophet and nor am I the son of a prophet. I don’t know what way the vote will go but when the decision is released the pressure to capitulate to the world standards and views no matter which way it falls, will be enormous.

So what are we going to do?

Well, we are not going to panic.

We are just going to get on being a Growing Christian community devoted to maturing in Jesus for the Glory of God.

We are going to get on with thriving as a Christian community.

We will meet for church next Sunday as per usual and we will do what we always do – praise God, encourage each other, listen to his Word and celebrate the opportunity to gather in God’s name for God’s glory. I’ll be there and I hope you will be too.

In Christ,
Nigel

Hi, I’m Nigel.

A few years ago, the Fortescue’s walked into a church in New York expecting an awesome morning. We had coffee in hand and we arrived early looking forward to meeting people and having a great experience of how church is done. The welcome we received was not great.  The first words someone said to us were: “You can’t bring coffee in here, drink it outside.”  So we did. Suitably caffeinated we went in and a few people said hi but that was all.  No one helped us understand what was happening. No one explained what happens with kids or anything. After the service only one person spoke with us and only as we were exiting. He was another minister from the Eastern suburbs of Sydney who was also visiting New York.  

Christians are called to welcome and love like our God. It didn’t happen.

Unfortunately, in the last week, I have heard some sad stories of the same thing happening at our church. Visitors being ignored. Even people who have been here 9 months being ignored.

Friends, if we are committed to being a growing Christian community, we need to all always have a mindset of welcoming and loving every time we gather. We need to come to church ready to welcome and love. As a church grows, the reality is you never really know who is new and who is not. So we need to have our minds engaged and be active in welcoming every time. This is not someone else’s job, this is your job.

God has placed you here to love others.
You belong here to love others.
You are loved here so love others. 

If you have a mouth, please use it and talk to someone. They don’t have to be new, just breathing. If they’re new and breathing, that’s doubly fantastic. Be friendly and inviting.
If you have hands, please use them to serve someone, do something for them just as God has done for you just what you need.
If you have eyes, please if you see something that needs doing, do it.
If you have feet, grab a friend and walk over to someone sitting or standing by themselves and welcome them and love them like our God loves us.
If you have a house, invite someone over, someone you know and someone you don’t know well and have tea or a cake or a dinner or a lunch. Be hospitable. Welcome those you don’t know.

We are called to welcome and love like our God.
If you are good at it, grab someone who is hiding in a corner and take them with you to show them in how to welcome and love. It’s not natural to all but it is necessary for all.

In partnership for the Gospel,
Nigel

Everyone has an opinion on Jesus. Everyone. Yep, everyone. So what is their opinion?

In March next year we are going to take part in a region-wide mission that will have at its heart this question:

We’re interested in people’s opinions – “Jesus is _____.”  What goes in the blank?

Jesus himself once asked those around him, “Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29). His disciples had a variety of answers then and people in Australia have a variety of answers now. I suspect that there would be a variety of answers to that question among our church community but that each one of them would point back to Jesus being our unique Saviour.

During March 2018, we want to be asking this question of people over and over and over again. Why? Because it’s one of the most important questions you could ever answer.

During the month local Christians, young and old, from many different backgrounds, will be asking our communities into a conversation regarding Jesus’ identity. There will be events and church gatherings but the core of the mission will be you engaging with the people around you. It will be you having conversations with the people you know and love to introduce them to Jesus who you know and love.

Other churches have participated in a similar style of mission in the past and what we know is that people will say all sorts of things: positive, negative, or just plain quirky. That is all part of the the way it works. You want to engage people in honest dialogue about Jesus. You want to hear what they think so you can respond with what you know. It is scary. It takes courage. But it is super exciting. Sometimes people who have never shared about their faith in Jesus have the chance to share with a friend who they think Jesus is.

So just stop for a moment and think about it – what would your neighbour say? What would the person across from you at work say? What would your children or grandchildren say? Perhaps you can’t even guess! But you can pray. When people become followers of Jesus a grand spiritual work has taken place and we need to pray that God will enact this work in the lives of people we know and love.

Soon we will get you to think about people you can be praying for. We want to pray with you!

But we don’t have to wait till March to pray or to get started. In fact Sunday at 6 will be engaged in a week of mission at the end of November. More information about that next week. Please pray that people would engage with Jesus in November and for courage for our Sunday at 6 crew.

Our vision is that we would be a Growing Christian community. May God make it so, using us to glorify him!

Dear Friends,

I am always excited about and look forward to our whole church gathering together for our annual MEGACHURCH SUNDAY. This year we will meet on Sunday October 29 at 9.30am in the St Peter’s Anglican Primary School Hall. Our annual MEGACHURCH SUNDAY gives us the opportunity to give expression to our unity in Christ, our unity in mission and our unity in caring for one another. It is a great opportunity to be reminded about what our most important work is.

Our world, hopes in lots of things, but such things are always hopeless hopes. Sure they might make you feel good for a time, even a long time! But none of them provide you with an everlasting hope. None of the world’s offerings provide you with a sure and certain hope in this life. None of the things people hope in can really, truly satisfy.

But God does. God satisfies us by forgiving our sin, empowering us by the Spirit, adopting us as his children and giving us to each other to share his vision for the world.

What God offers is hope that works. What we as a church do, is offer that hope to the world. We offer this hope because every person in the world starts this life without hope – and God’s desire for each one is that they may be able to approach him with confidence and freedom as their Father and friend. That each person may be gathered into God’s people and gather with members of God’s household and grow into holiness by the work of the Spirit.

MEGACHURCH this year will be focussed on the moment 500 years ago when a revolution began in the church because the Scriptures were opened and people found hope in Christ again. It will be a day to remind us with great clarity that we have a God who has spoken to us by his Word.

Join us for MEGACHURCH Sunday as we call on God to do a mighty work in Campbelltown.

In Christ,
Nigel

Dear Friends,

This week at Synod, we made an apology to those who have suffered domestic abuse in our churches and not received adequate care and support. I was privileged to be a part of the apology. The wording of the apology is: 

That this Synod grieves with victims and survivors of domestic abuse, and prays for their healing and recovery. We give thanks to God for those women and men, clergy and lay people, who have faithfully supported, cared for and protected such victims in our churches and communities. 

We grieve that God’s good gift of marriage can be distorted and dishonoured through the sin of perpetrators. We pray for their repentance and restoration to faithful living under Christ. 

We also deeply regret that domestic abuse has occurred among those who attend our churches, and even among some in leadership. We apologise for those times our teaching and pastoral care have failed adequately to support victims and call perpetrators to account.

I gave a speech during the consideration of the apology, some of which follows.

Moving to Campbelltown was an eye-opening experience for my family and me. For the things that were hidden on the north side behind closed doors, high walls, thick make up, and societal politeness are on display in our streets.

At least once a month I hear couples fighting in the park just outside my office window. Sometimes alcohol is a factor but often it’s just broken people in broken relationships trying to make sense of this broken world. Both of those people there, out the front of my church are someone’s children and I can guarantee neither they nor their parents ever thought they would end up like that.

Sadly – I admit, that sometimes I have been too busy or too preoccupied or too slow to go out into that park and speak words of hope into the hopelessness.

It is for this reason and more that I am so thankful to speak to this apology – not just because I feel personally that I need to make it, but because we Christians are the people who know from the Scriptures what family and community should look like and we have not always pursued what is best for others, protected the vulnerable and helped the oppressed.

Domestic abuse is in the homes of our church members. Members of our church are caring for people right now because their Christian spouses are aggressive and violent towards them and their family. It’s a Fact … It’s unacceptable. It’s ungodly. And I need to do better at helping people. I am still learning how and I encourage you to encourage our staff and your growth group leaders to learn with me.

One of the many things I have learned is the need for constant and caring but not overbearing follow up. In the busy-ness of parish life we clergy can forget to freshly enquire about how things are going for someone, we can forget to ask what we can do to help and we can forget to pray for and with the people involved. I have forgotten to do these things and I am deeply sorry to those who I have failed.

I hope this apology might go some way towards all of us lifting our eyes, increasing our care, taking responsibility for failure and signalling that we will pursue what is best for the people in our midst in the future for the Glory of God.

Nigel Fortescue

Children and Church
At Campbelltown Anglican Churches, we believe children are full members of our church who need to be taught and instructed in the Christian faith like all the adults. To this end, we welcome children at all of our church services and we seek to ensure that they are given opportunities to participate in our gatherings and to be taught in ways appropriate to their age.

We want to see children participating in all parts of church life and we would like to give the children in our church community the opportunity to share the Lord’s Supper.

The parents or carers of children are best placed to decide whether they are ready to share in the Lord’s supper; but as a guideline, where a child is keen and their parents or carers are content that they understand the Gospel and that they understand that the Lord’s Supper is a sign of Jesus death and resurrection, the child may share with the congregation in the Lord’s Supper.

The Lord’s Supper for Children at Church at Ten
At most of our congregations, children already share in the Lord’s Supper. At Church at Ten, due to the structure of the service, this is not possible. However, starting in October 2017, we are going to give an opportunity for children to share in the Lord’s Supper with the congregation. We will use our “family spot” to have a slightly longer time with all the children in church when we will share the Lord’s Supper together. Afterwards, the children will go out to their programs and the service will continue for the adults.

What should you do now?
I would suggest three things:

1. If you have children in your care, please consider whether the children you bring are ready to share the Lord’s Supper. Do they have an understanding of the Gospel? Do they know Jesus died for them? Are they showing trust in God? If you answer yes to these questions, then those children are ready to share the Lord’s Supper.
2. Have a conversation with the children you bring to church who are ready to share the Lord’s Supper about what it means and how we do it. We will share the Lord’s Supper as we usually do at Church at Ten. Focus on the Lord’s Supper being a sign or symbol of Jesus’ death that helps us remember it and encourage each other because of it. Taking the Lord’s Supper is not the way to be saved.
3. Come ready on October 22 to share the Lord’s Supper with all the children in your care who are ready!

If you have questions about this, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I would only be too pleased to talk through it all with you and to help you.

Nigel Fortescue
October 2017

This piece was written by Dr Peter Orr – a lecturer at Moore College.
We will be looking at Part two this week.

2. Human life is valuable because in its dominion it displays the glory of God (vv.3-8)

In the psalm, David actually hesitates as he considers the position of humanity. He looks at human beings in relation to the universe and in fact to God himself. He looks at the vastness of the universe and he can’t fathom why God should care for mankind when we seem so insignificant. And the universe is only the work of God’s “fingers” (verse 3). The image is that God spun this vast universe into existence off the end of his fingertips.

But it is this vast, powerful God who creates the universe so effortlessly that gives humanity its dignity: “You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas” (vv5-8).

In these verses, David is echoing Genesis 1 and he underlines the dignity of humanity over and above the animal world. Our dignity stems from the fact that God has crowned humanity and given us dominion over all of creation. Nothing in creation is excluded. Humanity was created to rule it all. Human life is valuable because in its dominion over the rest of creation it displays the glory of God

And so, because of this placement and positioning by God, human life is more valuable than animal life. The fundamental difference between a day old baby girl and a day old kitten is that the baby girl has been given this position above the rest of creation. Human life is valuable because in its dominion over the rest of creation it displays the glory of God.

Yet there is a problem with all of this. It just doesn’t seem to fit with our experience of the world. We don’t seem to be able to control the world like this psalm supposes. This psalm just doesn’t seem to fit what we know of our world, which is ravaged by sickness, disease and death. And so really this psalm awaits a greater fulfilment. Someone of whom these words could be truly said. Someone who is “humanity” personified.

Perhaps as David was writing this psalm he was not so much reflecting on everyone around him, but rather looking forward to someone who would fulfil all that human beings were meant to be. And that is precisely how the New Testament writers understood it.

3. Human life is valuable because of Jesus! (vv.1-9)

Hebrews 2:5-9 reflects on Psalm 8 in relation to Jesus. In 2:9 the writer names Jesus as the one who fulfils this psalm. He fulfils the psalm by becoming a man, undergoing the suffering of death and then, being raised from the dead, he is crowned with glory and honour. Jesus is the man supreme, the true son of man.

The writer also notes that even now we don’t see this world as it should be: “at present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him” (v.8). People still die; people still rebel against God. This is not the world of glorious, perfect dominion that the psalm promises us. But the writer has already alerted us to that in 2:5; he is applying the psalm to “the world to come”. We will not see Psalm 8 ultimately fulfilled until this world is restored by Jesus when he returns to consummate his rule.

And so Psalm 8 shows us that human life – even in its weakest form – gives glory to God. We were created with a dignity given by God but our dignity is marred. As such, when we look at humanity we can’t help but get a confused picture. And so there is a tension that runs through each human being… except one. Because there is one who fulfils this psalm perfectly. Jesus has been crowned with glory and honour. And although we do not see everything subject to him, when this world is renewed he will be seen as its rightful king and Lord.

So, crucially, this is the ultimate answer to our question. Why is human life valuable? Human life is valuable because God became a man in Jesus. Jesus remains a man and always will remain a man. God has crowned and glorified humanity in Jesus.

When we have no objective truth to appeal to all we can appeal to is economics: “It does not seem wise to add to the burden on limited resources by increasing the number of severely disabled children”.

It will increasingly fall to Christians to care for the weak because our society will no longer have any reason or desire to do so. And so it is crucial that we, as Christians, take the message of this psalm to heart and see that all humanity is valuable.

Because of Jesus we can love, cherish and value all men, women and children. May God help us.

This piece was written by Dr Peter Orr – a lecturer at Moore College. We will be looking at it in two parts.

Have you ever thought about one of the underlying assumptions behind almost every Hollywood thriller?

It is the value of human life.

Basically, because we value human life, the hero will bend over backwards to ensure that the nerve gas isn’t released into the city’s gas supply or stop the nuclear warhead from being detonated.

These movies would be pretty short if the hero simply did a cost-benefit analysis and concluded that it would be simply too expensive to save the city. No, the underlying assumption is that human life is precious.

But when we try and analyse why human life is valuable things get a bit more tricky. As Christians we know that human beings are created in the image of God and animals are not.  But when we are pressed we often find it hard to say more than that.

Increasingly, though, it will be important that we are clear on the value of humanity since, as Western society turns its back on its Christian heritage, voices are being raised that question the assumption that there is anything special about humanity. For example, the Australian philosopher Peter Singer argued some years ago in the journal Metaphilosophy that to favour human life over animal life is actually a form of “speciesism”.

The Bible gives us a different perspective, and perhaps the clearest example of its perspective is in Psalm 8. David asks the question in verse 4: “what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” And the psalm gives us three parts to the answer.

1. Human life is valuable because even in its weakness it brings glory to God (v.2)

The first point David makes is that God’s glory – his strength and his majesty – is shown in the weakest member of humanity: “Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger”.

Even young children praise God – their mouths can testify to God’s strength and that silences those who oppose him. That is how Jesus uses this psalm in Matthew 21:16 as he enters Jerusalem and people complain about the children heralding his entry.

The idea is also that God proves his strength in that he can sustain even the weakest member of the human race. If anything shows humanity in its frailty it is a baby. What chance of survival does a baby have if left on its own? But even more, what chance does a baby have when it is surrounded by the type of people described in this verse: foes, the enemy and the avenger? A baby wouldn’t stand a chance. But God declares his greatness in saying that he can and does sustain infants and nursing babies in this situation.

Children give God glory – whether by specifically praising him, or implicitly through the fact that he sustains them. Thus the value of the weakest, frailest human life is that it testifies to God.

This perspective is by no means universally held. Peter Singer has denied that all human life is equally valuable in a series of distressing statements: “Human babies are not born self-aware, or capable of grasping that they exist over time. They are not persons… Killing them, therefore, cannot be equated with killing normal human beings”. Further, he argues, “It does not seem wise to add to the burden on limited resources by increasing the number of severely disabled children”

The message of this psalm couldn’t be more different. Humanity, even in its weakest form, is purposeful and valuable because it gives God glory.

Part 2  next week.

Dear Friends,

I love talking about controversial ideas as much as the next guy but did you know that there is an art to good conversation?

Sadly, I’ve been the cause of many bad conversations and once you are in one it’s hard to back out. Too many times, while the other person is speaking, I am thinking about what I’m going to say next. What they’re saying is largely irrelevant to me. I’m just been reloading my rifle and waiting for them to take a breath so I can fire away again. Simply, I stop listening.

The key element in the art of good conversation is listening. Listening leads to understanding and understanding leads to deep, accurate and empathetic conversation. I’ve heard the witticism, “God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason” but good listening is not just about silence.

In Stephen Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit #5 is Seek first to understand, then be understood. He described five forms of listening:

1. Ignoring: not really listening at all.
2. Pretending: humming along while not really following.
3. Selective listening: hearing what you want to hear.
4. Attentive listening: paying attention to the words.
5. Empathic listening: intending to understand what the other is trying to communicate.

I know I engage in all five forms from time to time! Empathic listening is not about agreeing with the other (showing sympathy). It is about understanding what message the other is trying to convey. It is the only form of true listening.

So how do you listen like this and have a good conversation. I want to make six suggestions:

1. Turn your heart on. When the conversation starts, decide to love and value the person you are in conversation with despite their point of view. This will help you have the right attitude and be willing to listen.

2. Cultivate a curious mind. Ask questions of the person you are speaking to so you can dig deeper into their thinking. What, why, when, who, where, and how are the best friends of curious people and will help you understand what is being said so you can respond helpfully.

3. Watch the emotions. Emotions help us understand the depth of the views held but neither validate nor establish truth. If your listening is being impacted by your emotions, it may be best to put the conversation on pause until you can be calmer.

4. Say what you think. Telling the truth is crucial for good conversation but putting all your thoughts out for critique is also important. Consider the possibility that you could be wrong and ask more questions.

5. Stay on topic. Ad hominem arguments or the introduction of other topics into a conversation to try and win the argument will usually muddy the waters rather than provide clarity.

6. Finish well. Agree to disagree. Decide to carry on another time. Take some things away to ponder some more. But work hard not to walk away as bitter rivals in a heated debate. As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone! (Romans 12:18)

There are important things for us to converse about at the moment so let’s make sure we are having good conversations that help grow understanding rather than bad ones that undermine relationships.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. (James 1:19-20)

In Christ
Nigel

Dear Friends,

Increasingly, rites of passage are being seen as crucially important in the development of children and a society. They mark important moments of transition between stages and particularly that transition from childhood to adult. As one who is part of a family experiencing some of those transitions at the moment, it is not always easy – for those watching or coaching nor for those going through it – but it is exciting. In our culture, learning to drive, finishing school, getting your first real job are all part of the process.

From a spiritual perspective, so are baptism and confirmation!
This year again we are offering an opportunity for people to be confirmed.

Confirmation is an Anglican rite that those who were baptised as children can offer themselves for. (Generally, those not baptised as children are baptised as adults instead of being confirmed). People who ask to be “Confirmed” are seeking to confirm publicly that the promises made in their infant baptism have come to fruition. Confirmees stand before the church to say that they have taken on faith for themselves and to affirm that they themselves are believers in the Lord Jesus and intend to live a life serving and following Jesus.

Confirmation is therefore a big deal. It is a public confession that you are a Christian and are determined to follow Jesus. In the past it was also the point from which people were allowed to take the Lord’s Supper however unconfirmed children are able to participate now if their parents are convinced they are believers and they have discussed this with the minister!

I was confirmed in 1988 and there are still photos of me beaming from ear to ear holding my certificate while wearing white pants, a white shirt and a thin red leather tie! I treasure that moment – not because it made me a real Christian, but because I stood before my family and friends and declared, “I follow Jesus!”

So, who can be confirmed? Anyone aged 15 or over who has been baptised and is ready to stand before the church and affirm their faith and their determination to follow Jesus.

Please speak to me soon if you or your teenager is interested in being Confirmed. In order to prepare people for Confirmation I will be running a four week course in Term 4. The Confirmation service will be on Sunday 26th November.

In Christ
Nigel

Dear Friends,

I have a friend who writes to me several times a week to remind me of how ridiculous the Christian faith is. Recently he wrote about SRE (Scripture) classes:

The time is well overdue for SRE to be removed from Schools in every state… We should have a proper State approved curriculum course on the world’s religions taught by qualified teachers – qualified by the Dept. of Education, not the Churches – and Clerics should be disqualified for this purpose. Too many are predisposed to proselytise and not teach. Lay teachers trained by the Church only should not be permitted either. We have much evidence of the harm they can and do cause.

There is consistent pressure being applied to the government in NSW to change the SRE laws and remove the opportunity to teach children from the Bible during schools hours. This happened in Victoria this year and many think we are not far away.

One of the things that encouraged me when I came to Campbelltown in 2010 was the enormous number of Schools we had a connection with – not just St Peter’s Anglican Primary School and Broughton Anglican College, but Campbelltown Primary, Campbelltown East Primary, Campbelltown North Primary Campbelltown High, Bradbury Primary, Kentlyn Primary, Ruse Primary, Briar Road Primary, John Warby Primary and Airds High.

It’s an incredible list. While SRE or Chapel will take place in most of those schools this week (and I have had the privilege of doing some this year), our church does not currently provide teachers for all those schools. We are however partners with CAHSM (Campbelltown Area High School Ministry) and are therefore involved in another 5 high schools!

It is a great work. Making connections with children and young adults who are keen to learn and often don’t have the opportunity to attend a church Sunday by Sunday is an invaluable ministry.

To this end, I want to urge you to pray. As you read this, take a moment to pray:

• Pray for our two partner schools St Peter’s and Broughton, for our Headmasters, our Chapel teams and the teachers who have daily opportunities to share their faith;
• Pray for our local primary and high schools, that SRE would be preserved in these schools and that children and young adults would deepen in their faith; and
• Pray for God to raise up more teachers for all this work, that we may have a vast army of people ready and equipped to help the next generation found their life on the rock that satisfies, Jesus.

If you want to see some of this work, join us for Chapel in St Peter’s Church Tuesday to Friday mornings at 9am for half an hour. Seeing a couple of hundred kids sing praises to God and think hard on the truths of the Bible is profoundly encouraging for the soul.

Thanks for your prayers,
Nigel

Dear Friends,

The Same Sex Marriage Plebiscite has arrived – not as many had hoped through compulsory means conducted by Australian Electoral Commission but as a non-compulsory ‘poll’ through the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

This is not new news! My Facebook feed is almost solely devoted to the issue and every form of media is littered with polls, stories and opinions.

How as Christians do we dissect this whole thing? Here are my six thoughts:

1. As Christians, God urges us to be courteous and respectful of all views, to listen well and speak kindly. We must be those who exemplify love of others, thoughtfulness in speech, care for the vulnerable and respect for those with whom we disagree. James 1:19 comes to mind. If you cannot do that, please don’t enter debates online or in person. Pray for yourself.
2. Pray for our nation and for the grace and wisdom to accept whatever decision is made. Know that God’s mission will carry on no matter what happens: he will work through the gospel witness of Christ’s church, calling people out of darkness and into the light of his kingdom.
3. Read widely to understand what is at stake in this decision. The issues are so much bigger than Marriage and run to self-identity, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and Christian education. These are massive issues for me and strongly inform my decision on how to vote.
4. Grab a copy of the Diocese booklet “What God has put together” from the Welcome Table at your congregation. Consider following the Coalition for Marriage on Facebook. Our diocese is one of the four partners supporting this organisation.
5. Talk together at church and in your GG about this with eager ears and careful tongues. There will be a variety of opinions among church members.
6. We won’t be preaching on this in church over the next month but we may arrange for an evening on which the key issues are canvassed and discussed. We will hand out a variety of helpful articles over the next month for you to read, think over and pass on.

If you’d like to talk through the whole thing or think about how to answer questions people ask, make an arrangement to come and have a cuppa and a chat with one of the staff. We’d only be too pleased – as always – to help.

God bless.
Nigel

Dear Friends,

The results of the National Church Life Survey have arrived. You may remember that we participated in the survey with all the churches across Australia in late 2016 to assess our vitality and health. The survey results focus in on nine core qualities that have been shown to be central to the life of a vital church.

The Parish Council has had the opportunity to look at the results and as a staff we have begun to do some analysis but we need your help!

The nine core qualities seen in a thriving church are:

An alive and growing FAITH;
A vital and nurturing WORSHIP;
A strong and growing sense of BELONGING;
A clear and owned VISION;
Inspiring and empowering LEADERSHIP;
Openness to imaginative and flexible INNOVATION;
Practical and diverse SERVICE;
Willing and effective FAITH-SHARING; and
Intentional and welcoming INCLUSION

The results indicate that we have improved in some areas and dropped back in others.

In order to process all of this, we are inviting you to join us in some short focus-group discussions.

At St Andrew’s, Jason and the Wardens will arrange a meeting soon to give you the opportunity to comment on the results.

At St Peter’s we will be arranging five focus-group meetings centered on what the results say for each of our 5Ms – Magnification, Mission, Membership, Maturity and Ministry. This will help us continue to plan in accordance with our vision. You are invited to join us for some of the five or the lot!

The Ministry Meeting will be held on 10^th September, 2017 at 12.30pm
The Mission Meeting will be held on 24^th September, 2017 at 12.30pm
The Maturity Meeting will be held on 22^nd October, 2017 at 12.30pm
The Membership Meeting will be held on 5^th November, 2017 at 12.30pm
The Magnification Meeting will be held on 26^th November, 2017 at 12.30pm

If you would like a full copy of the results please email me (nigel@campbelltownanglican.org) or call me
(4625-1041) and we will get them out to you.

Between now and then, here are two observations from the survey.

1. The aspect of church that you value the most is “sermons, preaching or Bible teaching”. That a majority of church attenders indicated that listening to God speak to us is valued more than anything else is cause for great thankfulness. This has spurred us on to work harder at this!

2. Two of the aspects of church life that you would most like to see given greater attention in the next twelve months are “building a sense of community” and “spiritual growth”. This is really helpful for us to hear what you are thinking!

Please pray for staff as we analyse the results and prepare for our focus group meetings.

In Christ
Nigel

Dear Friends,

The Old Testament is freaky, weird, difficult to understand, from another world, complicated and troubling.

It is also all about Jesus.

More than half our Bible remains impenetrable for many people but our staff team are committed to changing that and turning the Old Testament into a series of books that delight, enthral and keep you coming back for more. It’s all part of being devoted to maturing in Jesus.

To this end, I want you to come and do God’s Big Picture+ on Sunday afternoons starting on the 27th of August. Here’s three reasons why.

First, you will learn how to get the most out of the Bible so you can keep maturing as a Christian. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the person of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work!” What is incredible of course is that when Paul wrote this, he was probably speaking about the Old Testament and the 4 gospels. Little of the New Testament would have been counted as “Scripture” by then but Paul knew how crucial the Old Testament was for faith and Christian growth. It’s still crucial for you!

Secondly, you will learn the storyline of the Bible and how it all points to Jesus. Over and again, Jesus says the Old Testament is all about him and even his disciples worked this out. In John 1 Phillip tells Nathanael that Jesus is the one Moses wrote about in the law and about whom the prophets also wrote. Later on, Jesus is said to begin with Moses and all the Prophets to explain what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

One of the great threats to good Bible reading is taking passages out of context and God’s Big Picture+ helps you put the whole story of the Bible together so you know the whole story in context (like viewing a forest from the ground) and are able to see the way it is all about Jesus (like viewing a forest from the air). If you open the OT and feel lost straight away, this is a great opportunity to fix that.

Third, you will have the chance to ask all those difficult questions. Who doesn’t have questions about warfare and massacres, the extraordinary ages of people, the purpose of Song of Songs and what happened after Malachi? Here is your chance to begin to get your head around all this and to improve your capacity to listen to God with joy and challenge as you read the Old Testament.

I hope I have convinced you to come!

As a young Christian, coming to understand the story of the Bible and how it all points to Jesus completely revolutionised my faith. The revolution awaits you. Register using a Next Steps Card, calling or emailing the office or by speaking with a member of staff. 

In Christ
Nigel

Dear Friends,

The rumours are true. We bought a dog.

I know that I mentioned in a sermon a few weeks back that I had little intention of ever getting a dog – and I didn’t – but there you go. Jethro is a cute black little furball with a white stripe from his chin to his tummy. You’ll notice that I said “cute” there and I will admit that he has brought real joy to our family.

But he has also brought destruction and mess.

You see, Jethro is a puppy. He knows nothing except eat and destroy. He has eaten through a soft toy that survived our 4 children. He has torn clothing. He has ripped up paper. He has eaten who knows what from the floor. And – it is hard to find a polite way to write about this – he also does his do-do about 50% of the time on his Puppy Pad and 50% of the time in places where Marth Gardner’s Wool Wash must be applied afterwards.

Just this morning I found myself growing in frustration and wishing he would learn to come, go, drop, sit, stay, stop and where to do do-do, more quickly!

This whole do thing is going to require endurance.

And then it occurred to me – we have a great opportunity with this puppy to be reminded of what it is like to be a Christian.

Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:11 – “But you, man of God, flee from all [these evil desires and griefs], and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”

As Christians, we are called (among other things) to learn to bear with difficult situations without giving up. We are called to endure.

We may have to endure suffering – either illness or the work of evil against us.

We may have to endure opposition – from those who have no interest in Jesus or even despise him and his followers.

We may also have to endure our own sinfulness and temptation, fighting against it day by day in the power of the Spirit.

In our world today, there is a lot of giving up – you might say there is a lack of resilience. It’s not just that people give up more easily but that they are not given the opportunity to struggle and fail and get up again and have another go. Children particularly are being taught that there is no need to endure difficulty as they are either rescued too quickly or overly protected from trial and struggle. This is not good news.

Learning too quickly to give up doesn’t bode well for Christian growth.

So yes, I am a little frustrated with Jethro but I am seeing this as an opportunity to grow in endurance that I might apply it to my relationship with God. Eventually the dog will be trained and will be a bundle of joy and it will all be worth it!

Jesus is coming soon too but between now and then, struggle on and don’t give up. Endure! It will be worth it!

In Christ
Nigel

Dear Friends,

Some Christians are aggressive and violent towards their family. Fact.

This week via the ABC there have been articles and news stories detailing the tragedy that Christian people, even ministers, abuse their families. It is primarily men who are the abusers and their wives live in fear that as night falls and their husband comes home that the violence might start again.

It’s unacceptable. It’s ungodly. It’s horrific. It’s got to stop.

What can we do?

First, knowing that such behaviour is contrary to the Gospel and knowing that it is abhorrent, we must call out those who hurt their family. Of course, you can only do that when you know each other well enough to know what is happening in our families; so, ask more pointed and personal questions of people in church. More than “How’s your marriage?” Dig deep with people. Ask the awkward questions about parenting, finances, sex and violence. If you have concerns, don’t ignore them. It is loving to ask. It is loving to rebuke.

Second, in our church we need to work hard to create a strong culture of grace and forgiveness in the face of failure. People are going to fail to meet the ideals for life proposed in the Gospel. When they do, will they feel they can talk to their friends or pastor, or will they feel condemned and rejected? Jesus managed to both condemn sin and eat with sinners. There is an ideal to aspire to, and aspire we must to patiently, carefully, lovingly correcting and rebuking. A friend once said, marriage is “one of the first things and most hurtful things gossiped about in churches. At the moment the last place I would go for marriage help is the church”. I’d love to hear our church members saying the exact opposite.

Third, while some pastors have taught and encouraged people to stay in abusive relationships, we need to affirm that the Bible does not justify, endorse, encourage or support any abuse of anyone by anyone. No one should ever be forced to stay and submit to abuse. Some men use the Bible to justify their treatment of their wives, pointing to Ephesians 5:21-33 but they’re wrong. The problem is not the Bible, the problem is their inability to read it and believe it!  Challenge each other if you hear that someone has their teaching on marriage warped.

Our response to domestic violence among church members and the erroneous teaching of some pastors cannot only be institutional, committee led, enquiry based and happening later. Our response must happen now. And it must happen from the ground up. In our church, from every pastor and every church member, let us talk to each other with Scriptures in hand, humbly, lovingly, carefully but urgently.

And if you need help, please, just ask.

In Christ,
Nigel

Dear Friends,

I grew up being a massive fan of Max Lucado, John Stott, Jim Packer and Don Carson. These authors were my Christian heroes. I devoured their books and believed everything they said. Six Hours One Friday was my go to book for Easter. The Cross of Christ was my go to book for understanding salvation. Fundamentalism and the Word of God was my go to book for understanding the Bible. A Call to Spiritual Reformation revived my prayer life!

Things were going along merrily until the day I heard that John Stott was toying with annihilationism and was suggesting that hell may not be what we thought it was. #mindblown

And now, Eugene Peterson…
In an article for an online newspaper, Peterson was asked,
If you were pastoring today and a gay couple in your church who were Christians of good faith asked you to perform their same-sex wedding ceremony, is that something you would do?

EP: Yes.

He also said,
I wouldn’t have said this 20 years ago, but now I know a lot of people who are gay and lesbian and they seem to have as good a spiritual life as I do. I think that kind of debate about lesbians and gays might be over. People who disapprove of it, they’ll probably just go to another church. So we’re in a transition and I think it’s a transition for the best, for the good. I don’t think it’s something that you can parade, but it’s not a right or wrong thing as far as I’m concerned. (http://religionnews.com/2017/07/12/eugene-peterson-on-changing-his-mind-about-same-sex-issues-and-marriage/) 

No doubt this will rock many people and make them question everything he has written and perhaps even everything they have believed. If he was on my list back in the early 90s it would have made me question everything.

But I learnt something back then that is super helpful and of utmost importance: our heroes should point us to Jesus and not themselves. We ought to be encouraged by our heroes to see more of Jesus and cling more tightly to the truth of God’s Word than their thoughts. So if you find yourself reading or listening to more of your hero’s words than God’s Words, then your hero has already fallen. If a book or a talk does not drive you to listen more to Jesus, it has failed.

Joe Burrows died this week. “Who” you may ask! Joe was a clergyman in the church I grew up in and was a friend to both Leanne and I. He taught me to preach to people older than me and modelled a firm faith given through trial. Everywhere he went he had a Bible in his hand and he never failed to open it and point people to Jesus. He never wrote a book and is not well known but he pointed away from himself to Jesus. The same Jesus he’s rejoicing with right now.

In Christ
Nigel

Please note that after this blog was published, Peterson appears to have retracted his comments. You can read about it here: http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/july/eugene-peterson-actually-does-not-support-gay-marriage.html
The end result of this is that there are now a million blogs all discussing this including some from pro-gay Christians disappointed that he has been forced into a retraction by his publishers.

My point still stands – our heroes should point us to Jesus and not themselves.