Over the next few weeks there is a slight change in the preaching program.  Over the next 2 weeks we’re going to be taking a brief look at the book of Acts to see God’s surprising strategy to get the gospel to the nations. Stay tuned as we think about how God’s bloodstained efforts to take the gospel to the nations affects us as a church and individuals.

For many years now I been teaching Two Ways to Live to people and used as a resource for speaking to people about the gospel of Jesus.  It is a fantastic resource which I would recommend to all Christians.
Recently I have been exposed to Tim Keller’s three ways to live:

People tend to think there are two ways to relate to God - to follow him and do his will or to reject him and do your own thing - but there are also two ways to reject God as Saviour.  One is….by rejecting God’s law and living as you see fit.  The other, however, is by obeying God’s law, by being really righteous and really moral, so as to earn your salvation.  It is not enough to simply think there are two ways to relate to God.  There are three: religion, irreligion, and the gospel. (Gospel in Life: Grace Changes Everything, Tim Keller)

Tim Keller’s dissection of how we relate to God is helpful.  Most people don’t see themselves as sinners.  Even when you tell them they have been living out of step with God - rejecting God as their King - people find this hard to believe if they have lived a “good” life.  Tim Keller’s addition to the equation enables us to talk to people about how it is possible to be “moral” and still be out of step with God.  In fact, it is even possible that your moral deeds are the way in which you are rejecting God as saviour.

photo credit: shapeshift

Great news… the ATO has approved our application for the Hunter Bible Church Christian Education Centre Building Fund to be a tax-deductable fund! (check it out here)

Praise God for his amazing mercy and grace. News will come soon about when and how we’re thinking of raising money needed to buy a building.

However, at the same time that the ATO granted this approval, we also found out that one of the main properties we have been hoping to buy (60 Hudson St, Hamilton) has been leased and is now off the market. In once sense, that’s a bit sad, becasue it really did look good. But in another sense, its great because we know the God who’s in control of all things and he obviously has better plans for a HBC building than there

Please keep praying and asking God to generously give us a building from which to reach the lost in our community and our city!

What could be better at the start of the uni semester than soup… A lot of soup. About 100 Litres in fact!! Come to Unichurch and bring your friends for Souper Sunday!

Souper Sunday is happening before Unichurch on Sunday 1st August at 6pm.

Rob & Jen Alley are currently running an AIM Mission Awareness tour. The team flew to Darwin on Friday night and they’re on their way driving back over two weeks. They’ll visit various aboriginal communities and local gospel workers, to encourage them, and hear about the gospel opportunities in central Australia. Please be praying for Rob & Jen as they lead the team, which consists of a bunch of people from different churches and cities, including Kaleb from our PM congregation. These trips have had a significant impact on many people from our church in the past - for some it was a defining time in making decisions about full time vocational ministry, both in Australia and overseas. For others it was a defining time in serving regularly at church. Please pray that God would continue to use these trips for his glory.

I wanted to share a segment of an email I received from one of our church members tonight…

“Just thought I’d let you know that I have (finally) written a letter about the Scripture/ethics classes to send to the various people on your list - I have 4 envelopes stamped and sealed and ready to post! I kept feeling a certain reluctance to sit down and actually write the thing, which I’m not sure can be wholly attributed to laziness (though I’m sure it’s a factor!). But once I did, the letter came very easily. I’m sure the devil uses our laziness and apathy. Thanks for providing the guidelines for the letter so it was really very easy once I got around to it… and be encouraged!”

I was enormously encouraged by this and I thought it might encourage those of you who have really wanted to send a letter yet have not written the letters to act!

I pray that you won’t let laziness or apathy get the better of you… why not write your letter now?

As I was saying… there are a lot of pastoral care myths out there.  Here’s 2 more:

Myth 3: Pastoral Care is about ‘meeting people’s needs’.

This is a very popular myth, especially among people who have needs. The idea of having a pastor, who will provide pastoral care, which will meet my needs is very appealing.

This is particularly the case with perceived emotional needs. If I’m feeling hurt or lonely or angry and so on it’s an attractive idea that someone might come and talk with me and make me feel better.

This myth can also be popular among pastors or leaders who like to feel needed. Meeting people’s needs can be a gratifying emotional experience. You can feel special or needed and so on so this myth gains traction among pastors too.

Myth 4: Pastoral Care is different to Bible teaching.

This myth separates the two things. Bible teaching is something we do in the sermon or Bible study. Pastoral care is the talking and relating that happens elsewhere. During pastoral care the Bible goes back on the shelf and we focus on listening, sharing and talking.

This myth is reinforced when we give titles and job descriptions to pastors that make one out to be the teaching pastor and one out to be the pastoral care guy.

Next week, we’ll see what the Bible says about pastoral care and do a bit of mythbusting.

photo credit: Markusram

In my experience, my friends, family and neighbours are happy for me to be Christian… as long as I keep my faith in Jesus a private matter; that I never speak about Jesus to them, and never disagree with their lifestyle choices. I feel the pressure to implicitly endorse their morality and adopt their life dreams and agendas.

But the bible says our faith changes how we speak and relate to our world. Christians are ‘God’s elect, strangers in the world’ (1 Peter 1:1). We have been born again into a different living hope, with a different eternal inheritance, knowing God as our heavenly Father. As His children, we will seek to become more like our Father. We will be different to the world around us. We will always be the odd ones out.

In the face of our world’s pressure to be like them, we need to trust our good and sovereign God. He wants the best for us.

This means 1. Be convinced of the truth of what we believe. He tells us what he thinks is best for us. We will listen to our Father’s words to know his will better.

2. Be confident God will work things out for our good. Know the costs of your choices. But don’t let your fear of the consequences cause you to back down.

3. Its inevitable we will suffer in this life. Standing out from the crowd and following Jesus will cost. So don’t grumble.

4. Instead pray to our almighty God for the strength to obey him when it hurts

5. Live out your convictions. Act to please our Father not men.

6. Be prepared to make sacrifices to advance God’s purposes.

7. Be gracious.

8. Boldly speak up about Jesus. Don’t be intimidated into silence. We want people to know life with Jesus.

9. Point to Jesus as the reason for our actions. We want people to see we’re acting as His people and not just as good people. Then they can’t dismiss our choices as personal preference, but instead need to grapple with Jesus.

10. Show what is good about following Jesus. Jesus isn’t a killjoy. Being kind, honest, trustworthy, and compassionate are desirable characteristics.

What else can you see it means to trust God in an indifferent and often hostile world? Or perhaps you’d like to share with us your experience of how God has strengthened you in the face of suffering…

This year has been a massive year for John, Tagi, Rosa and Vils.  In January of this Rosa was diagnosed with Leukaemia and has been receiving treatment in and out of hospital ever since.  God willing Rosa won’t have to receive any more treatment.  Praise God!

It has been a wonderful thing to see the whole church support their brothers and sisters in Christ through this whole ordeal and a great witness of how God’s love for his people shapes their love for one another.  Here is the latest from the family…

I love the TV show Mythbusters.  Apart from the juvenile thrill of watching guys put aerosol cans in campfires etc, I love the whole premise of finding myths and testing them.  I reckon one area where myths abound is ‘pastoral care’.  Sure, I can’t produce any explosions but I am keen to identify some common pastoral care myths.  In following posts I hope to bust a few of them with what the Bible really teaches about pastoral care.

Myth 1: Pastoral care is only for people who are struggling.

This myth assumes that ‘pastoral care’ (whatever that might be) is only for those people at church who are struggling with sin, suffering or something else.  Those who are doing OK can probably get by without it.  They’re like healthy people who don’t need a doctor.

Myth 2: Pastoral care is about counseling.

I found this on Wikipedia:  ‘Pastoral care is the ministry of care and counseling provided by pastors, chaplains and other religious leaders to members of their church…’

This is a common myth, and it’s reinforced in our minds by the language of ‘pastoral counseling’ and ‘pastoral ministry’.  It makes out pastoral care to be about doing lots of sitting, listening, problem solving - possibly with some technique or method over a long period of time.

That’s it for now, two more myths next time.  But I ask you to think about what harm can a myth do if it’s not tested by Scripture?