Last week I encouraged people to take seriously the habit of reading the Bible.  This week I want to encourage people from all services to be reading the letter to the Hebrews over the next few weeks.  Both the morning and evening services will be studying this letter and it is one that needs to be read and re-read to try and understand some of the more difficult aspects that it contains.  The main point of the letter is to show how superior Jesus is to everything else in this world.  The writer shows how Jesus is superior to Angels, to Moses and is the Great High Priest of the New Covenant.  We read about the sacrifice of Jesus that is once and for all people.  There are warnings in the letter to listen carefully to the message and to consider Jesus and then to follow him without drifting into unbelief or falling away.  This book of the Bible is a very important one to understand and I encourage you to read it and to take seriously what it has to say to you.

Colin Watson

Putting ourselves out for others can sometimes be a difficult thing to do.  Some people find it easier than others while many struggle understanding the needs of others.  Paul in his letter to the Philippians says that as we put others first we are reflecting the life of Jesus.  He says, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.  Paul then goes on to speak about the attributes of Jesus.  Open up your Bibles and read this passage from Philippians Chapter 2 and try and be like Jesus next time you are tempted to be selfish and not put yourself out for someone else.

Colin

To meet the Apostle Paul would have been an exciting prospect.  It would also have been very intimidating.  In his letters he is very intense and writes with great purpose.  Paul’s great desire is to preach Christ and him crucified.  To have him in your Bible Study would also be interesting.  I would feel as though my prayer life was never going to get even close to the level of Paul’s.  As far as the content of his prayers, they also can be a little foreign to the way we normally pray.  This is what makes reading the New Testament so challenging.  As we live in 2010 we have many distractions that take our focus away from following Christ with the same intensity that we see from Paul.  I encourage you to read his letters and to be encouraged to make Jesus number one in all areas of your life.

Colin Watson

Prayer is possible because God has enabled a relationship with him through our faith in Jesus Christ.  We can often find prayer difficult because it can be hard work and something we need to devote time and energy to and that is something we seem to have less of these days.  Paul told us from Colossians that Epaphras wrestled in prayer for the Colossian Christians.  He saw the importance of prayer that took some effort and even discomfort.  Sometimes the lack of habit of praying stops us from this discipline.  There are many people who are in good habits of reading the Bible regularly and praying to their heavenly Father.  We admire them and can sometimes wonder why they find it easy and we don’t.  I think the secret of prayer is understanding who God is; who we are in his sight and continuing in prayer even when we don’t feel like it and it seems like hard work.  Let us encourage each other to pray and to be in constant communion with our heavenly Father.  It is a great privilege that we need to nurture in our lives.

Colin Watson

Doubt is a natural part of life. Some Christians worry about doubt because they see it as a weakness. Thomas was a disciple of Jesus and saw him do great miracles and was probably present at the raising of Lazarus. He is someone who wanted visual proof of the resurrection of Jesus. He naturally doubted that a dead Jesus could now be living. Jesus did not rebuke Thomas for his doubt, but he did say that there would be those who would not see him alive who would still believe and they would be blessed by God. John says that his Gospel was written so that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing we may have life in his name. Let us pray that we may stay faithful to the promises of God and read his word regularly so that our faith may increase day by day.

It was great to have the new Parish Council begin its work last week. With 4 services on a Sunday and many other activities during the week there is much to do. St. Stephen’s celebrates 90 years of faithful Christian ministry this year and it would be great to gather together and give thanks to God near St. Stephen’s day in August. A small committee has been set up to oversee the event and your support to them in organisation will be greatly appreciated. The committe so far from Parish Council is Verna (8am), Graeme (10am), Johanna (5pm), Simon & Fiona (7pm).  Please speak to your service representative with ideas and suggestions as we look forward to this event in August this year.

Last week we elected church members to look after much of the running of the church. It is important that we stop and thank God for our church and the faithful way God has sustained his people at St. Stephen’s for 90 years. From the beginning of this church men and women have served in ministries so that the message of Jesus Christ could go out to Normanhurst and the surrounding suburbs. It is now our turn to be part of this history and make sure we do all we can to sustain the ministry here and further the kingdom of God. We ask God to bless us and our endeavours but we ask that we might be used by him to fulfill his purposes for our church rather than him fitting in with us and our purposes. Our prayer should always be that God will direct all that we do and we ask him for wisdom and guidance as our newly elected team lead us into the future.

AGM elected member details and reports.

The New Year always brings an opportunity to make a fresh start. In our Christian lives we often go through times of needing to start again with our Bible Reading program or revitalising our prayer life. A new year is a good time to do that.
Next Sunday we begin a series covering a short overview of the Bible. It is from Creation to Easter and will take us up to Good Friday and Easter Day. There will be a Bible Study booklet and suggestions for readings to get an overview of God’s plan for the world. For many people they have done this in the past and for some this will be a new experience. I pray that as a church we may again marvel at the purposes of God and how he reveals himself to us through his word. I encourage you to read as much as you can and if you are not already in a Bible Study group then 2010 is the year to join one. My hope is that we all may grow in our relationship with God through understanding his word and his purposes for our lives.