Let’s get into the full Advent picture and preach up the Great Expectation of believers; The Return. The first creed perhaps the original of all creeds is just one word–Maranatha!, meaning ‘Come Lord Jesus!’
Before all the confessions of the church, the Apostles, the Nicene creeds, all the confessions evoked by heresies, schisms and squabbles of all sorts in the church in its history was one simple word. Maranatha! You can find it in the last verse of Corinthians, the second letter, and it’s in Aramaic, the original spoken language of Jesus and the disciples. Come Lord Jesus!
They longed for Him to come and get the whole job done, the great enterprise of the Fathers Restoration of all things. That ‘sin will not enslave us and love will reign once more!’ That the home of righteousness will come down!
This Advent season let us ask the Lord to stir again that ongoing steady lively hope of His Return and what it means. We will be joining the martyrs of today and yesterday and the citizens of heaven who too are eagerly waiting. The difference between them and us, is that we are privileged to hasten or speed His coming by faithful testimony and ready witness. (Rev 6.10, 7.10, Matt 24.11, 2Peter 3.9). Repent of the secular Marxism with its scoffing sprit that has seeped into our hearts with its pseudo new world of ever increasing earthly productivity and total rejection of the heavenly.
Preach it preachers! Stir the joy by the eternal Word declaring hope to a passing world. Souls are thirsty for more but can’t find the fount of living water.
Calvin over five hundred years ago was up to date on this:
“Where is the promise. It was a dangerous scoff when they insinuated a doubt as to the last resurrection; for when that is taken away, there is no gospel any longer, the power of Christ is brought to nothing, the whole of religion is gone. Then Satan aims directly at the throat of the Church, when he destroys faith in the coming of Christ. For why did Christ die and rise again, except that he may some time gather to himself the redeemed from death, and give them eternal life? All religion is wholly subverted, except faith in the resurrection remains firm and immovable. Hence, on this point Satan assails us most fiercely.”
Youth ministry when you have no youth group?
Port Augusta finds a way:
Wendy from PtA reports: “Our kids’ club and a youth group have closed down at present but we have funds from each group sitting in our bank account unused. Church Council decided to offer the money to two groups in the community that we thought could use the funds.
So the kids’ club money was directed to Quorn Uniting to go towards their children activities. The youth group money went to an ecumenical youth group currently run by the Newlife Church out of the Seaview Christian School.
We applied much of our Mission and Service contributions to our own needy community projects in Port Augusta.
Then a really interesting, different but exciting possibility came up. We sponsored a young 16 year old lad (see pic) to help him play football with the under 18 North Adelaide Football Club. His mother is a single mother of three and could not afford the petrol, accommodation and other costs each week to enable her son to stay at school during the week and then take him every weekend to Adelaide. The lad attends the Seaview Christian School where the principal and his family are part of our church.
We were able to go further; School costs at SCS are prohibitive for some so we have committed $4,000 for next year to keep a child in school for the 2020 year.”
(Stories from our churches – we love to have them, so send them in to ian@hopenetsa.org.au .)
Songs and videos
Jesus said ““if I . . . should come to Him” …
“Jesus, Strong and Kind” featuring Colin Buchanan.
This song comes along; no, it hasn’t the drumming beat of a contemporary worship shout, no it isn’t an old hymn rejigged but if this doesn’t move you to tearful worship … ! Maybe play it during communion or just watch it before you go to bed as an evening devotion. And here is another from CityAlight with words so you can sing along when you get the beautiful tune clear: ‘What love my God’.
The Gospel addressing society:
What is Freedom of Religion all about, really?
See my Chairman’s blog on the crucial role of prophetic pastors. For an overview of the current draft legislation check Australian Family Coalition newsletter by contacting office@austfamily.com.au and you can see the Government’s own explanations here.
Love Adelaide
Walk for life, lifting the churches voice for women in crisis and for saving unborn children a celebration of God’s gift of life and peace a great walk for life on February 8th. See Love Adelaide – Walk for Life.
ACL Conference
Not Ashamed, South Australia ACL Conference, Convention Centre, Saturday February 29. To help equip a generation of Christians to boldly stand together for Christ and for truth in modern Australia.
