Following the demise of Ra’ah….Alex Huggett needs a blogging outlet…
Here it is!
Message this Sunday The Kingdom extended through the church
Finishing off our series on ONE……dealing with the climax….the Church.
This verse from Ephesians 1…using the Message Translation pretty much nails it.
20-23All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.
That is so inspiring…..but do we really believe that our community believes that?
As I walk my dog down by the river at Bayswater..and I see the people walking by, happy…listening to their ipods…….
As I walk down beaufort st, and see the people happily buying $5 loaves of bread from Lawleys and $4 coffees from Dome….how is the church relevant to their lives….how many people, if I stopped them, would say….yes the church is relevant and important in my life.
I wonder how many of us would actually say the church is important in my life…and I wonder what the evidences of that would be….
I suspect that people are not looking for a great church… The age in which institutional religion holds appeal is passing away. And I suspect that is because people outside the church think church is for church people, not for them.”
As I walk my dog down by the river at Bayswater..and I see the people walking by, happy…listening to their ipods…….
As I walk down beaufort st, and see the people happily buying $5 loaves of bread from Lawleys and $4 coffees from Dome….how is the church relevant to their lives….how many people, if I stopped them, would say….yes the church is relevant and important in my life.
I wonder how many of us would actually say the church is important in my life…and I wonder what the evidences of that would be….
I suspect that people are not looking for a great church… The age in which institutional religion holds appeal is passing away. And I suspect that is because people outside the church think church is for church people, not for them.”
So we can build the perfect church, but we will run the risk of seriously missing the point….we can build the perfect church, but people will still not come….This is the world and the culture that we live in….
So what is the point of the church? Well the church was created to join with God on His mission to extend His kingdom in the world………
So what is the point of the church? Well the church was created to join with God on His mission to extend His kingdom in the world………
see you on Sunday for the rest!!
Rick Warren brings Obama and Mc Cain together
This is interesting.
Rick Warren has got the two candidates for the US to appear together on stage at a forum he is holding at Saddleback Church.
“Mr. Warren, the author of the best-selling book “The Purpose-Driven Life,” said he had called each man personally to invite him to his event, which will focus on how they make decisions and on some of Mr. Warren’s main areas of focus, like AIDS, poverty and the environment”
Personally I don’t have a problem with Warren doing this, but I would not have any political candidates appearing at a service. But hosting them both at a forum? Not so clear cut.
Any weekend….
that the Dockers win and Weegirls lose….is a great weekend.
The weagles seriously look disinterested at the moment. Leigh Matthews may be right when he stated that following a big high, the players just dont have the motivation anymore.
As for the Dockers, despite the mistruths the media come up with, they continue to unearth some good young talent. Brock O’Brien was great, Chris Mayne and Ibbotson continue to impress…and even Schammer suprised. Lets hope Warnock does stay, and we have the basis for a time of rebuilding.
Great Sunday
Third Sunday in….and it feels great.
Good crowd in….childrens ministry was smoother…and we had some visitors as well.
The sum of both churches merged is actually greater than what could have been expected. What I mean is that we have attracted a number of people who previously came to the church. This is something we did not expect…and means we have had to rethink seating and stage set up. But I think this week we did better.
As we look to the official launch in September, and the pre service marketing, we are going to have to be on the ball even more.
But this week just gone…I really am glad to sense that I felt, at least, that my preaching hit the spot as God revealed some deep truths….at least I hope it did. It certainly felt that way.
The Beach House
Took my kids off to The Beach House this morning before coming into the office. The centre is owned by a CCC Church. They do a great job of having a visible presence into the community. They provide an excellent service for parents and kids…the place was absolutely packed today. Also they use subtle marketing for their kids church, and family oriented programs. A great example of how to use what God has given us…..
Good coffee served at the cafe too, friendly staff and a safe fun environment for families. You know…something like this is unusual for kids…and of Christian value just in itself. What I mean is that often when you take your kids somewhere…you just know they are trying to rip you off and offer as little as they can. This place just feels good.
Burma Appeal
Hi all,
we are putting this event on…if anyone is able to help or donate, that would be great.
Just send me an email and I will give you the details….
We are basically working through the local Myanmar Baptist churches to distribute help through their community contacts….getting funds in is very hard, as Tim Costello has made clear.