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We have just launched Vision Month, 2024. We gathered to remind ourselves of the heartbeat of our church. And at our heart lies a simple yet profound mission: to Worship God with passion, Reach people with Jesus, and Build people in Jesus. It is a mission inspired by Jesus' great commandment in Matthew 22:37-39 and has served as our focusing expression of loving God and loving people for coming up to 30 years. However, we have recently recognized that this sense of mission is lacking an explicit emphasis – we cannot fulfill this unless we are living empowered by the Spirit of God. Implicitly recognized as core expression in our church since Carlingford and Wentworthville’s inceptions is our reliance upon the Holy Spirit. We are now adding to our mission this recognition – we Worship, Reach and Build empowered by the Spirit. Our call is to live with the Spirit clearly and ongoingly at work within us, shaping our lives to reflect God's character. We also asked and answered the question – what is our specific sense of next steps priority, as we wholeheartedly pursue the mission? Prayerfully envisioning next 3-5 years, the Senior Leadership Team of the church settled on this call from the Lord – to be a church where "more people, more like Jesus, together transform our communities." We are now set on pursuing this visionary priority through lives that Worship God with passion, Reach people with Jesus, and Build people in Jesus. Let me unpack that a little: Worship is more than Sundays - it is a lifestyle that honors God for who He is and what He has done. As Romans 11:36 states, everything comes from Him, and our lives should reflect His glory. In this journey of Worship, we lay the foundation for our vision – a place where more people, more like Jesus, together transform our communities. Reaching people with Jesus is an overflow of God's transformative love being uncontainable in our lives. In 2024 we want to see fresh waves of love washing over our communities, bringing faith, hope, and salvation to everyone we encounter. Inspired by 2 Corinthians 5:14, Christ's love fuels our passion for reaching the lost. This relentless pursuit aligns with our overarching vision – more people, more like Jesus, together transforming our communities. Building people in Jesus becomes the essential responsibility we must invest in if the more people we reach are going to become new believers. Just as Jesus builds His church, we contribute by building individuals into a local church through discipleship. In 2024, let us continue the journey of making disciples, following the wisdom of Romans 12:2 for a total reformation of our thoughts empowered by the Holy Spirit. As we build, we are sowing seeds for our collective vision – a place where more people, more like Jesus, together transform our communities. As we embark on Vision 2024, let our rallying cry be Worship, Reach, Build – Empowered by the Spirit! Our lives are a canvas for the Spirit's transformative work, a beacon of God's love, and a testament to His power. Together, let us embrace this call, confident that through the Spirit's empowerment, we will see extraordinary impacts and miracles unfold in our church and communities. May the year ahead be a testament to our commitment to Love God, Love People, and live Empowered by His Spirit! And in all this, let our resounding chorus be the fulfillment of our vision – more people, more like Jesus, together transform our communities. Next week, we will talk about the faith-filled ways we need to adopt or embed further into our lives to become those who powerfully fulfill what God has given us to become this year!

As we continue down the path on our prayer expedition, we are going to pause on exploring the postures of prayer covered last week. This is not the end of our prayer journey together, but rather a new beginning. We will take the opportunity to P.R.A.Y through our vision month upcoming together. As we conclude this first part of the expedition together—let’s take a moment at this threshold to consider some helpful suggestions for the journey ahead: Start Small: Incorporating the P.R.A.Y. rhythm into our daily lives isn't about rigid adherence but about cultivating an intimate conversation with God. Start small—perhaps dedicating a few minutes each day to pause, rejoice, ask, and yield. Let this rhythm shape your morning quiet time or punctuate moments throughout your day. Stay Flexible: While P.R.A.Y. offers structure, don't confine your prayers within its boundaries. Allow room for spontaneity and creativity. Let your prayers flow naturally, embracing the rhythm as a guide rather than a rulebook. P.R.A.Y with others: Explore incorporating the P.R.A.Y. rhythm into group settings. Whether it's a family prayer time, a Life Group gathering, or our Sunday services, invite others into this rhythmic journey. Share experiences, encourage one another, and witness the beauty of communal prayer. Give Yourself Grace: Establishing a prayer rhythm takes time. Be patient with yourself. There will be days when the rhythm flows effortlessly and others where it feels disjointed. Embrace both, knowing that consistency in seeking God is more crucial than perfection in practice. Go Beyond the Series: Our prayer journey doesn't conclude here. It's an ongoing odyssey—an invitation to deeper intimacy with God. Explore and share additional resources you find, seek mentors or prayer guides from within our community, and allow this journey to evolve and grow. Pause and Reflect: Take time to reflect on how this prayer series has impacted your life so far. What revelations have you experienced? How has your prayer life evolved? Commit to action steps—small changes or adjustments—that align with the insights gained. Remember, the Lord's Prayer isn't merely a set of words but a framed doorway into a conversation with God that evolves and deepens with every breath we take. The postures of prayer and the rhythm of P.R.A.Y. serve as guideposts on this magnificent journey, guiding us into deeper communion and understanding of our Lord. From next week, we’re going to P.R.A.Y through our Vision Month together. I pray that the lessons learned will further take root in our hearts, shaping our daily interactions with God more powerfully and lastingly. Let's continue this journey—continually asking, seeking, and knocking on the door of the Father’s ever-present reality - knowing that He eagerly awaits to respond to us. We’ll draw upon the rhythm of P.R.A.Y and the 9 postures drawn from the Lord’s prayer to pray into our Vision for 2024 together.

Welcome back to our expedition into the heart of prayer! Last week, we begun with a framework for our prayer lives – P.R.A.Y – a kind of trekking pole to keep us balanced and steady on the journey ahead. Today, we set our compass to navigate through the nine distinct postures encapsulated within the Lord’s timeless teaching on prayer, inviting us into a multifaceted conversation with the Divine. We will draw upon Matthew’s elaboration of Jesus’ profound respond, as recorded for us in Matthew 6:9-13: 1. Stillness: In the opening phrase of the Lord's Prayer, "Our Father in heaven," we encounter a call to stillness—a moment to stop, still and rest our hearts in God intimate identification with us – Our Father – and in the same moment of stillness remember – He is beyond all in heaven! 2. Adoration: "Hallowed be your name." Here, we lift our hearts in adoration, recognizing the holiness and magnificence of God, offering reverence before making any petitions. 3. Petition: "Your kingdom come, your will be done on Earth.” This posture calls us to seek the work of our King in the world. We are under His Kingship, and seek His will to be done across His domain. Whilst He is yet to be universally acknowledged as King, we know this is in truth His eternal identity, and History’s destiny. 4. Intercession: "Give us today our daily bread." speaks of our dependence on God, inviting us to present our needs and desires before Him, trusting in His provision. But not just our needs, but the needs of the world around us – from our families and friends through to the needs of the nations. 4. Confession: "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." This posture invites honest confession, acknowledging our shortcomings and seeking divine grace and cleansing. This posture also teaches us to pray not just for ourselves but for others, extending forgiveness and seeking reconciliation. 5. Perseverance: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Here, we acknowledge our vulnerability and the ongoing need for God's sustaining guidance and protection, showing perseverance in our faith – through unanswered prayer, temptation, and evil in the world. 6. Contemplation: “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever.” Here we are called to imagine the world as it rightly is – contemplating the fullness of God’s kingdom covering the earth, with all power and glory being rightfully set before Him, and flowing forth from Him. 7. Listening: Amidst our prayers, the Lord's Prayer reminds us of the importance of listening. Jesus, who spent hours in prayer and clearly received guidance through doing so (see Luke 6:12-16), clearly did not intend for these few words to be all we pray. Rather, these are postures Jesus adopted Himself that create various conversations - where we speak and are heard and then listen and hear back from God. 9. Spiritual Warfare: "Deliver us from evil." In this final plea, we acknowledge the spiritual battles and seek God's deliverance from the forces that seek to derail our journey. These postures are not just steps to follow mechanically; they inspire a rhythm of vibrant and multi-toned relating with God. They represent the varying stanzas of our conversations with the Father, revealing layers of intimacy, dependence, and trust. As we unpack each posture, let's invite these attitudes to permeate our prayer lives. May our prayers transcend routine and transform into conversations that reach into the very heart of God. The Lord's Prayer isn't a script to recite but an invitation to a divine dance—a conversation that enriches, sustains, and transforms us. Stay tuned for Week 4, where we'll take stock of what we’ve learnt so far and look ahead to vision month and how we can begin applying our learnings to the big picture of the year God has for us ahead!

Welcome back to our exploration of prayer! Last week, we committed ourselves to deepening our prayer lives together. Today, we'll introduce a rhythmic framework—P.R.A.Y.—to infuse our prayer lives with depth, vitality, and intimacy with God. P.R.A.Y. stands for: P - Pause: Amidst the chaos of our lives, the call to pause echoes throughout the Lord's Prayer. The Lord’s prayer is actually an invitation to stillness. The stillness that comes through working through a familiar rhythm together with Him. As we build the rhythm of the Lord’s prayer into our lives, we will experience a quieting of our hearts and minds, and a created space for communion with the Lord as a result. The rest and encounter that comes through holy rhythm. In this rhythm, we can more and more easily pause to align our spirits to listen to God's clear but often quiet whispers, cultivating a sacred silence where our souls can truly encounter Him. Rejoice: The posture of rejoicing woven within the Lord's Prayer reminds us of the importance of rejoicing in God's character, unrivalled and holy! To rejoice is to welcome, enjoy, and so be made glad. Welcome and enjoy His character, His goodness, and His faithfulness – as Jesus embeds the reality of who the Father is in His prayer teaching. Rejoicing in God gladdens our spirits, lifting our eye to behold His sovereign power and magnificent will – and thus buttresses all our petitions. Ask: Petition, intercession, and perseverance—these postures are encapsulated within the simple word, "Ask." Here, in the rhythm of P.R.A.Y., we bring our needs, desires, and concerns for us and our world before God. It's a humble recognition of our dependence on Him, laying our hearts bare and seeking His guidance, provision, and intervention – for us and the nations! Yield: Yielding encompasses contemplation, listening, confession, and spiritual warfare—the posture of surrendering to God's will and seeking it to be done on ours and others behalf. It's a posture of openness, where we surrender our desires in trust, allowing the Holy Spirit to align them with His kingdom purposes. It involves listening attentively, confessing our sins of omission and commission, and acknowledging our need for His divine intervention in spiritual battles. This rhythmic dance of P.R.A.Y. isn't a rigid formula but a flowing, adaptable framework that accommodates the ebb and flow of our lives. It's like a trekking pole that grounds us during the journey through sometimes uneven and tumultuous territory of life – grounding us in our ever-present God. P.R.A.Y offers us structure without stifling spontaneity, fostering a dynamic and authentic conversation with God and King. As we embrace the rhythm of P.R.A.Y., let's allow its flavor to steep deep into our hearts. Whether in solitary moments or gathered in community, P.R.A.Y. invites us to engage in a conversation with God that's vibrant, authentic, and transformative. It's an invitation to infuse our prayers with true intentionality, allowing each step of our praying, and thus our lives —each pause, each rejoicing, each asking, and each yielding—to deepen our communion with Him. Join us next week as we deepen our walk into the heart of prayer by exploring the Lord's Prayer and the profound postures it unveils for our communion with God. C3 Wenty leader Russell Carroll looks at the Ask element of todays blog.

By Pastor Rob Waugh Welcome to the beginning of an incredible expedition—a journey deep into the heart of prayer. In the Gospel of Luke, the disciples, struck by the intimate connection Jesus had with God the Father through prayer, asked Him a monumental question: "Lord, teach us to pray." This single inquiry led to a profound response—the Lord's Prayer, a timeless guide gifted to humanity for communing with the Father. As we initiate this series, our compass is set to discover not just the words of this prayer, but the depth of its meaning and the posture of the heart it invites us to adopt. More than a recitation, it's an invitation into a conversation—a divine dialogue with our Lord and King. Jesus not only provided the Lord's Prayer but paved the way for us to embrace nine distinct postures of prayer, each revealing a facet of our relationship with God. From the stillness that calms our souls to the spiritual warfare that equips us in battles, these postures paint a rich tapestry of our communion with the Divine. Our trekking pole in this exploration is the simple yet profound rhythm of P.R.A.Y.—Pause, Rejoice, Ask, Yield. It's not a rigid stick but a rhythm creator that adapts to the unique contours of our lives and personalities. P.R.A.Y. offers structure without suffocation, inviting us into an easy flow of conversation with Jesus. This journey isn't reserved for theological scholars or prayer gurus. It's for every seeker longing to deepen their relationship with God. Whether you've just begun to tread this path or have journeyed for years, there's something new and profound waiting to happen in a fresh encounter with the Lord of the Universe. So, lace up your spiritual boots; the Lord Himself walks with you. In moments of silence and in our spoken words, He listens and speaks. He unveils mysteries and listens to our simplest whispers. Sometimes His presence might seem elusive, but never distant. He'll guide, suggest, and even follow our lead, gently calling us on toward growth and understanding in order that we find ourselves increasingly at home, known and loved in Him. As we unravel the layers of this ancient yet ever-relevant prayer, expect surprises. Each word, each posture, contains depths waiting to be plumbed. It's an invitation to a transformative encounter, where familiarity yields fresh insights and routine transcends into Holy reverence. So, fellow traveler, are you ready? Let's get walking, together. Through the exploration of the Lord's Prayer and the diverse postures of prayer it unfolds, may our hearts be stirred, our spirits awakened, and our conversations with God become a sanctuary of revelation and communion that overflows into a life of grace, obedience, and power from Him. The journey is just ahead. "Lord, teach us to pray." Together, let's go forth into the profound depths hidden within these words. Join us next week as we explore a simple rhythm of P.R.A.Y. as our baseline prayer structure together on the journey ahead.

This week it's a once off - all about emboldening you to make that next decision you've gotta make! If you're anything like me, there are certain decisions that you just haven't gotten to making yet. Some of these decisions haven't been made because I haven't had time yet - I've got great financial clarity for us as a family, but need to put the final touches together on our budgeting tool and have the necessary conversations with Beth to be unified. But gaining windows of time with an 18 month old tearing around the house (wonderfully) in the midst of la nina makes time windows of opportunity precious and packed with things to do. Some of these decisions haven't been made because I'm not prepared yet - once the decision is made, there's a whole lot of work that will be set in motion that I've got to be up for (I've learnt the hard way that this is the case - too many decisions made that become half-baked real life efforts). I want to get exercising regularly again, but there's the effort of exercise, and then there's the complexity of when to fit this into family life fairly with Beth and Eva. And then there are simply some decisions that haven't been made yet because I'm not game enough to take the plunge - I really want to work hard in the apologetics space for a wider community than just our church, but it's a big step to take if I want to really make a good go of it. We're in the 3rd month of 2022 already. I know right - Whaaat! And as much as I'd like someone to make the decisions, and do the work, for me, I know as well as you do that this is fantasy. So I'm writing a once off blog to encourage us all to make our next daring decision. Daring decision making is what we're all about! I also know that our faith is all about decision making and the committing of our course that comes with that decision making. Paul is a classic example: "one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." [Philippians 3:13–14] This, my friends, is a decision made - simple, clear, and elegantly expressed. And it's daring isn't it!?!? All his eggs are in one basket - "one thing I do." He wants nothing less than to get the gold - "to win the prize." His ambition is nothing less than fulfilling His calling in Christ - "for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." If we are going to take a leaf out of Paul's book - which would make great sense considering his was and is through his writings an inspirational leader given to the Church - then we need to get about making our next daring decision. Your daring decisions matter I'm re-reading an inspiring book by a former Pastor, Philip Baker (who unfortunately contracted a serious illness from which he has only partially recovered), called "Decisions of Daring Achievers" (Yes, there are no guesses as to where the inspiration from this blog has come from). In the opening chapter, he makes a brilliant case for the significance of our decision making. He writes (I quote at length because it's powerful): "The idea that decisions are vital to our success (I would use "thriving" personally) is based on two presuppositions. First, that all is not decided; that what we do or don't do does make a difference; a belief that our future is flexible, and to decide and act is to actually change how things will be. Secondly, that the Universe is logical; that decisions mould reality because dominoes fall a certain way and, if I choose to push a particular one over, then the consequences are - by and large - predictable. If either of these concepts is false, the wisdom and the power of personal decision-making is pure mirage. If everything is predestined, then whatever we decide and do was going to happen anyway...on the other hand, if life is totally serendipitous, with no consistency, truth, rhythm or reliable pattern, then one can never say for sure that what we believe or do, how we act or react, has any influence on the journey we experience." [p.19] I can't agree more with this argument. And it comes with a single important conclusion - yours and my decisions matter. And they matter enough to be considered, bold, and faith-building. Just like the Apostle Paul articulated so well in Philippians 3 mentioned above. So, let's get practical So what is your next daring decision to be made: Do you need to make the time necessary to get it clear? Do you need to get prepared such that, to the best of your ability, you're ready to set in motion the work required to get moving once the decision is made? Do you simply need to push into the plunge? Whatever it is, I take this moment to encourage you - make your move to get decided. And here's my second and final encouragement - do it together with someone you trust, who believes in you, but who won't wrap you up in cotton wool if you back down from your decision made. If our decisions matter, which I believe they really do, then we can't afford to allow our decision making practice to be haphazard and double-minded. Which is where community comes in. So who will help strengthen you in your daring decision? Call them up, invite them into the decision made, and give them permission to keep you going when you want to back out. Leaning into the daring decision making with you this week! Written by Ps. Rob.

This week is a call to gathering with others in Church to pray regularly - why praying with others is essential to our full devotion to Jesus. Once I became a Christian, I learnt to pray in various ways. But two formational places continue to stand out as of particular note to me. These were: Regular prayer gatherings with other mature Christian believers, including our monthly prayer gathering of that time. Joining with an intercessory prayer group to pray over our congregations transition from being one of three locations, to becoming a church in our own right. What would become C3 Church Carlingford, our sending church. I learnt to pray through observing the prayers of others. Through catching the passion for God that others around me exuded. Through experiencing the real and tangible presence of the Holy Spirit who joined with our gatherings of prayer. I would say that gathering with other believers to pray regularly actually formed my confidence in experiencing the reality of God in my prayer life. I had crucial and multiple tangible experiences of the living presence of God, and learnt to discern the move of God's Spirit upon my own heart and mind in the place of prayer. Even more than simply experiencing the reality of God in my prayer life, I learnt what it sounded like, and looked like, to be led by God in prayer. And what it sounded like and looked like to engage with God in a variety of forms and styles. I can honestly say, and conclude, that there is nothing more confidence building, more enriching, and more important for our walk with God than practicing prayer with others in the presence of our Living God. But it's more than that. Our Christian faith is most fundamentally a gathered faith. Don't neglect meeting together In various ways and places, the bible calls us to be a people that gathers together. Jesus made a foundational declaration in the Gospel of Matthew in a personal interaction with the Apostle Peter. In affirming Peter's recognition of Jesus true identity as the Son of God, Jesus replies: "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." [Mt 16:17-18] The word He uses here, "church", was a term used in His day to mean: A body of citizens "gathered" to discuss the affairs of state. They were called out to gather on behalf of the state. The "gathering" of Israel summoned for any definite purpose. They were called out to gather for decision making or other purposes. Applied to what Jesus says in Matthews gospel, Jesus came to establish throughout the Earth a gathering of believers called together for His special purposes in and for the world. And this is exactly what you see happening in Acts, early on: "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." [Acts 2:42] "They" - the group of believers who gathered together because of their faith in Jesus - were together for special purpose. And notice that one of the key purposes Christians gathered for was for prayer. It becomes clear from other letters in the New Testament that this quickly became a challenge for Christian believers. Whether due to persecution, social pressures, or just lack of a deep Christian faith, the writer to the Hebrews calls believers to: "...let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." [Hebrews 10:24–25] It seems that what Jesus designed us to be - a gathering of believers for special purpose in His world - is hard to maintain. Why is that? A keyword Note a keyword in the Acts 2:42 description of Jesus' church. The early Christian believers devoted themselves to Christian teaching, to gathering together to build strong friendships, to share in communion ("breaking of bread") and to prayer. I want you to stop and ask yourself this challenging question (I'm challenged in the asking for myself): If I were to look at my life right now, what demonstrates my devotion to Jesus? Take the short Acts 2:42 description, and ask: What shows my devotion to the teachings of Jesus? What shows my devotion to building great relationships with other Christians at our church? What shows my devotion to practicing communion together with others at our church? What shows my devotion to gathering for prayer with others at our church? I am sure there will be areas we can all point to in order to demonstrate our commitments. And commitment is most certainly an ingredient that goes into devotion. But devotion is more than commitment. If it were not so, surely the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the writing of Acts would have used the word commitment. But the Holy Spirit chose the word "devoted." Committed or devoted? What is the difference between these two words? Is it not along these lines: Devotion is a passionate commitment, not merely a commitment. Devotion is a sacred commitment, kept because the focus of one's commitment is of immense value. Devotion is a deeply motivated, deeply felt, deeply sourced, commitment - it's more than mere obligation. Are we more than obligated to Jesus' teaching, to gathering with other Christians, to sharing in communion together, and to prayer together? Are we devoted? I would think that commitments can be maintained in many areas of our lives that are important, but may not be particularly personal to us. May not be so crucial that we could not imagine life without them. But I don't think that activities or relationships that we are devoted to can be in this same category. I would think that things and practices and people that I am devoted to, I find so crucial I could not imagine doing life without them. And so I passionately determine to do life with these things, practices and people. What gets between us and devoted? Sometimes, we are simply not that interested in God, if we're honest. Our lives are pretty comfortable and stable without God having much to do with anything. So devotion is not a necessary or interesting pursuit for us. Other times, we are under forms of oppression and attack from evil forces that are arrayed against us in order to push us out of being devoted. I can heartily recommend a book I have recently finished on this reality, this warfare, that genuine and devoted Christians will face in life. It is called "Live No Lies" by John Mark Comer, and it is written with care, biblical wisdom and insight, and much relevance to our times (more HERE). And sometimes, it is because of harm in our history. What do I mean? Harmful experiences in our lives lead us to developing fears and self-protections which result in us staying at safe or respectable levels of engagement with God and His people rather than pressing into the fullness of devotion. This is, in part, for the simple reason that full devotion to God is associated with too much risk to us. How do we get to devoted? If our lack of devotion is due to lack of care on our part - then I can only suggest we realise what this life is really about, and get serious about repenting of our lack of interest in God. As the writer of Hebrews says: "See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?...Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” [Hebrews 12:25; 28-29] If our devotion is under threat or pressure, and this is oppressive, then we need to engage in spiritual warfare. This may or may not be a familiar term to us. If is is, get engaged, and engage others with you in the fight. If it is not, again, I recommend the book "Live No Lies" by John Mark Comer already mentioned above. And If our devotion is due to harm in our history, then let us here the precious invitation of Jesus afresh and draw near to Him to be healed and restored. And part of this, most certainly, is drawing near to Jesus with safe people that are His followers with us. Jesus calls out to us: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” [Matthew 11:28–30] I feel it is important to especially note, in these words of Jesus, that the invitation is incredibly personal. Come to me. To the living Jesus, who desires to be with us, who is for us, and who wants to be some intimately at work in our lives as to take up residence within us (John 14:23; Romans 8:10). No matter where we are at in this spectrum, there is one action we can all take to get devoted. And that is to join together with God's people through the opportunities that are already available to us. As a Church, we have three running regularly in our community: Church Services - every Sunday, 10:30am, online and on-site at Toongabbie-East Public School. Life Groups - running in homes at various times of the week, weekly or fortnightly. Prayer Gatherings - of which our next is tomorrow night, 8pm. These are otherwise normally the first Tuesday night of the month throughout the year. So let's gather together and build each other up in a most holy devotion to Jesus - especially in prayer as we launch the vision for the year together as God's people. Leaning into full devotion together with you all this week ahead! Written by Ps. Rob

This week we discuss how to shape our prayers in a more powerful way through praying the Psalms. What is the shape of your prayers? Another way to ask what I am asking is, what form do your prayers take? I have a confession to make I have, for far too long in my Christian journey, prayed with myself in the centre of the shape and the form of my prayer life. What do I mean by this (I mean, it sounds kinda bad for me as a Pastor to say such a thing right!)? It's simply too true that I have really done allot of praying based largely in what I feel is most urgent, most important, most anxiety-evoking, or most valuable. And whilst God is extremely responsive to our needs, far more than we deserve (this is the goodness of God as our merciful and loving Heavenly Father), there are more richer and powerful ways for us to pray that don't involve us being the sole determinant of what is worth praying about. To be fair to me, the Pentecostal tradition I have been raised in does not have a rich sense of practice around praying the scriptures outside of spontaneous Spirit-inspired quotes and directives. And it is also real that the spirit of the age puts self at the centre of everything. But these are not good excuses to avoid or ignore the vast riches of what God has provided us with beyond this one form of praying. Enter the Psalms Have you engaged with the Psalms, one by one, as more than just another book of the bible to read and get some inspiration out of? There are traditions within the larger body of Christ that pray through the whole Psalter in a month, and some even in a day (more on that HERE). Why? Because the Psalms capture so much of the variance of human emotion and experience in this world and pour it all out in powerful ways. Ways that both honor the various experiences we have but more importantly honor God who is both with us and above us through it all. As a sampling, check out these three different types of Psalms: "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night." [Psalm 1:1–2] "LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high." [Psalm 3:1–3] "LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens." [Psalm 8:1] Notice here you have a more reflective piece in Psalm 1, and then there is a sharp cry for help made in Psalm 3, and then a soaring expression of worship to the Lord in the beginning of Psalm 8. And this is but a sampling of three portions of the Psalter that is 150 in total. Learning to pray the Psalms draws us deeper into expressing our range of human experiences and emotions, but it does better than this. It also contextualises them all before our Living God, and therefore brings us before Him - ready for Him to minister to us, guide us, direct us, speak to us, and lead us in fresh ministry to His world. So how? There are a few ways I have enjoyed praying scriptures generally, including the Psalms in particular: I read through the Psalm I am focussed on, line by line, and pray to the Lord / seek the Lord around words or phrases that inspire prayers, or cause me to wonder before Him, or challenge me to seek His command or direction on. Often in complement to the above prayer activity, I pray for people and situations that come to mind directly related to the words or phrases that capture my attention and link to these people and situations. As an alternative, the significant figure of Church history, Martin Luther, drew upon all scripture (including the Psalms) in a certain 4-fold movement. This is an alternative way to pray through the Psalms, drawing you into a place of prayerfulness as you make the following 4 moves: Move 1 - Using your current scripture as instruction. What does this particular portion of scripture require of me, in response? Move 2 - Using your current scripture next for thanksgiving. What can I thank God for as a result of what I am reading here? Move 3 - Using your current scripture to inspire confession. What sin am I convicted of and need to confess and repent of before the Lord through this Psalm? Move 4 - Using your current scripture to inspire further prayer. What insights, or things, or people, come to mind that cause me to seek the Lord with requests and intercessions? [these above notes on Luther draw upon information gathered in Timothy Keller's book, Prayer, which you can get HERE] For the week ahead You've got some fresh ways to approach your prayer life. I believe they will be deeply empowering. I find, if nothing else, that praying the scriptures, and the Psalms in particular, is by default more confidence evoking for me in my seeking of the Lord. For the simple reason that these texts have been given to me by the Lord, to help in knowing Him and how He wants me to relate to Him and the world around me. As such, I find myself inspired and drawn deeper into communion with God, and gaining greater wisdom and insights from His Spirit than I otherwise would if I only ever start from my very limited sense of experiences, of what is important to me, and of what I am most concerned about. In short, I get drawn off looking to God through myself first, and get drawn into looking to God for not only myself, but the world about me. The order is very much important in shaping a deeper prayer life, and a more mature approach to life in general. Seeking the Lord with you through the Psalms and the scriptures generally this week! Written by Ps. Rob.

This week we explore the ONE key distinctive that defines us as God's people, and how prayer is an essential response to this. As we launch our vision month for 2022, I want to get our hearts and lives freshly focussed on what is most important through some extended reflections and exercises on prayer. Why prayer? Let's ask and answer this great question! More specifically, how does prayer help us focus on what is most important? Well, let's try answering this through a different set of questions: Have you ever thought about what makes us, as a church, distinct from any other gathering of people? When I say gathering of people, I'm talking everything from sports clubs, to gatherings of your friends at home or at the pub, to family gatherings on the weekends. What makes us distinct from any such other form of group of people gathering together? It is simply this - we gather, first, to the living God. We gather, first, for the living God. To be present in our midst. Sports clubs gather to play sport and socialise around that. Friends gathering to enjoy food and drink and one anothers company. Family gathers because of the bond of blood and the keep that strong. We gather as a church because God, the living God of scripture and Spirit, has called us to Himself. Called to none other than the living God! It's the consistent call of the Spirit of God throughout the pages of scripture. Check out a short sampling below: From right after the fall in the third chapter of Genesis - "...the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”" [Genesis 3:9] When Solomon dedicated the temple in Jerusalem - "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." [2 Chronciles 7:14] When Israel was lost to exile in a foreign land due to their unfaithfulness - "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." [Jeremiah 29:13] From the mouth of Jesus, Son of God, himself - "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." [Mt 11:28] We gather to, and for, God! This is not only His invitation to us throughout scriptures, but further, it is our chief purpose in life. You have to realise something really important here - if this is not so, there is literally nothing that distinguishes us from any other form of human social activity. And here's a really challenging implication to that last thought - that there is no good reason to preference church gatherings over any other form of human social gathering or activity. However, if gathering for Church (in prayer gatherings, Life Group gatherings, Sunday service gatherings to name a few forms of Church life) means gathering before, gathering for, and gathering with the Living God...is there anything else like Church on the face of the Earth? Moses God it COMPLETELY The Exodus narrative in the early portions of the Old Testament records Moses - leader of ancient Israel - having a very distinctive moment of prayer with the Lord on behalf of the gathering that was the Israelite nation. Israel was a collection of tribes. A network of many families. Many different types of social groupings, relationships, and interactions. But because of unfaithfulness to God, they were in danger of losing the one reality that made them a most distinctive form of gathering. And Moses simply would not let this happen! I quote him now, because his words are worth considering in light of todays blog post: "Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” 14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” [Exodus 33:12–16] Moses is putting a stake in the ground at this moment in Israel's history. He was saying, quite clearly - the only reality that distinguishes us from any other gathering of people on the face of the planet is You, Lord God Almighty. Your real presence with us! And you know what? Nothing has changed in the thousands of years that have transpired since then. We Are God's People This is our distinctive, our one outstanding distinctive amongst all the different types of groups and gatherings that take place around the world. The people where God is! Have you thought about the implications of this one distinctive for how you approach gathering together with each other as a Church? Have you thought through the possibilities in this reality? Have you thought through how challenging this distinctive is in it's implications for what we are to expect of ourselves as we gather? Two great implications follow for us. Firstly, any gathering together by us with other members of God's church is no ordinary gathering - we're gathering for, and to, the living God! And secondly, we must avail ourselves of every opportunity to engage with God as the real and living being in our midst! So join us for our regular Wednesday night prayer gatherings, as a key gathering priority over the next few weeks. The fact that frequent prayer is a key part of our Vision Month activities leads me to the focus of our next series over the course of the remainder of this month - "Empowering Your Prayer Life." We'll get practical with exercises and reflections that will Empower your prayer life - applied personally and as we gather together! For the week ahead Join us, onsite or online, this Wednesday night, 8pm. The link is HERE. And further, think on the implications of being a people amongst who God has chosen to specifically dwell in His reality! Praying and thinking with you in the opportunities before us in the coming days! Written by Ps. Rob.

Today we shift to the power of prayer especially as it renews our sense of why! Such a striking image, the one above. I would suggest it is simply manipulated, but to the person who has eyesight issues, the power of helpful technology like glasses cannot be overstated. Such brilliant and simply things as a pair of spectacles brings what is otherwise completely out of focus into sharp relief. This is the power of prayer, make no mistake! We have over the last few weeks talking about drawing near to Jesus: Week 1 - was all about the simple and powerful practice of becoming more aware of God. Week 2 - was all about how reading the bible can become a powerful listening exercise for us before God. Week 3 - and last week was a "stream of consciousness" practice of listening to God through His word. Today, we shift focus to the powerful re-focusing impact of prayer. Look at Jesus To understand the re-focusing impact of prayer, we're going to look at how prayer impacted Jesus life. Jesus serves as a model of what true and good humanity is meant to look like, in worship service to God and the world. Hence why we are looking more closely at an episode of His life. Particularly, we're reading together about an episode early on in His ministry career: "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” 38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons." [Mark 1:35–39] Do you see what happens here? Jesus deliberately, and at cost to Himself, rises early to go to a specific place to draw near to God the Father. And in so doing, after praying for some time, is able to answer His disciples clearly and decisively. But this was no easy decision for him to make. He had much need around Him at the time, and therefore many competing demands upon Himself. And yet, we see a clearly decisive Jesus who knew what He had to do next. Notice particularly the key thought He expressed towards the end of this short dialogue with Simon and other companions present: "...That is why I have come..." Out of a mode of personally costly prayer comes a really clear sense of next steps for Jesus in the midst of pressing demands and needs that could have sent Him in numerous reactive directions. We all have pressing needs and demands that come from our own lives and our worlds of work and relationships. We need nothing less than a clear sense of "why we have come". Having the ability to strongly, consistently, and clearly answer ourselves and our world of demands and needs with "this is why I have come" is essential to living a decisive life in a complex world. So how do I get to why in prayer? Without question, these are ways I have consistently found I get to clarifying my "why" in prayer: Through carving out time for this kind of prayer - Jesus got up, at personal cost to himself, to seek the Lord. Before anyone else was up. When I carve out time, make time, for this kind of seeking prayer before our Lord, I find answers that I need to the bigger "why" questions! Through asking simple and clarifying questions of the Lord - "Why have I come, Lord?"; "What am I to focus on in this month/year ahead, Lord?"; "Where are you calling me to specifically grow, Lord?" Through listening for a particular passage of scripture the Lord directs me to think on, which contains answers to my "why" and "next steps" questions. The passage quoted above was one such passage given me by the Lord as I was preparing the sense of plan I needed from the Lord for our church in the coming year. Through being patient in these times of prayer - often, if you're like me, it can be very easy to dart to a fro in my mind and almost anxiously search my thoughts for God. "Was that me, or God" can quickly and frantically come up in my mind as I practice times of prayer. But I have learnt to allow such flighty thoughts to pass, and settle into a place of worshipful waiting, trusting that God is present with me, and will speak into my time of prayer with Him, without pressure from me. This Week Ahead Take a hold of your calendar. Plan in more than one time of dedicated time to seek the Lord. If you need to bring any sense of agenda to the Lord, bring one question. And then, with a worshipful and calm atmosphere, give yourself in trusting prayer, scripture meditation, and waiting for the Lord's guidance and clarifying voice in the Spirit. Seeking to keep a strong and renewed why before the Lord with you all this week ahead! Written by Ps Rob.

This week explore what happens when we hear that nothing can separate us from God's love! Last week I looked at some powerful insights from a wise man and mind I deeply respect, Eugene Peterson. Hearing the Real Jesus In his book, Working the Angles, Peterson makes the significant point that the early Christians heard Jesus speaking to them as they listened to His Apostles and early church leaders recount His life to them - for Jesus had literally been speaking to them, in the flesh, just prior in their own living memory. Peterson's point was that the early church were experiencing the living presence and voice of Jesus through the stories retold that became the pages of our New Testament scriptures. They were experiencing Jesus' living presence and voice in the sense that through an imaginative choice, they pined to hear His voice again, which had literally been coming to them through the airwaves only months, or years earlier. And with the living and active work of God's Holy Spirit, they heard His voice again, over and over and over. Guiding. Counselling. Encouraging. Strengthening. Loving. We in the 21st Century are the inheritors of this very same practice of hearing and listening by the Spirit. As I have quoted in the first two posts (here and here) in this "Drawing Near" series, the New Testament reminds us that: The bible is living and active as God's word (Hebrews 4:12) The bible is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16) - God's Spirit empowered the writers in their recollections and imagination to capture His recent historical reality to then be heard in a living way again and again and again down through the historical epochs to come. The word of God, the bible, is more than something we simply read. It is the way, one of the primary and ultimate ways, we listen to our living Lord. So what happens when we actively practice listening to the Scriptures, and not just reading them. Let's find out, together, through "listening" to Romans 8:35-39. Nothing Can Separate You "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Let me share with You what happens for me As I listen, over the act of merely reading these words on the page, I am listening for emphasis and tone, like I listen to anyone speaking to me in human conversation. What words are being emphasised towards me in being spoken to? What is the tone I am hearing these words being spoken to me in? For me, there is rich and increasingly strong emphasis in the list of potential separators from Christ's love - sword builds on danger which builds on nakedness which builds on famine and on and on. These are difficult, distressing, and overwhelming experiences to consider, little own face. And this strong and evocative emphasis is firmly affronted by verse 37, and a defiant and resounding "No": No, such a list of hardships will not separate me from the love of God. No, such a list of hardship cannot separate me from the love of God. BECAUSE in all these things, I am more than a conqueror. HOW? Through Jesus who loved me so totally in His all-conquering Cross shaped love. The tone I hear is strong, and firm, and sure, on my behalf. There is no doubt in these words, no weakness in these declarations. Fresh understanding begins to form in me, a fresh hearing (in the ancient Hebraic sense) is becoming in me as I allow these words to penetrate my souls depths. And I understand this: Nothing can separate me from Jesus' love because Jesus is with me in and through all the twists and turns of life. Even if my life becomes a compounding list of woes, the Cross has established a reality for all who believe in it's effects. Jesus is with those who have accepted His love. And of course, with Jesus, comes His love. So with me, right with me, in me as my own heart beats in my chest, is my Living Lord. The Lord of All Reality. He loves me. I cannot change this fact. Like I cannot change the history of His Cross. And so I cannot change being loved by Him. And so, this unchangeable reality is with me - Him, in love, for me. Hallelujah! What an anchoring reality for my soul to feast on. And this is what listening to the Scriptures does! What about you? Take time to do your own meditation on this passage. What do you hear, as you listen for the voice of Jesus speaking directly to you? I share my reflections As a stream of consciousness practice of the act of listening to the scriptures to hear God. I do not do this to show you how it is done, but how I am practicing doing it. May you be encouraged to hear God more clearly through His scriptures this week. And come to know for yourself that nothing can separate you from His love for you! Listening for God and hearing in my understanding with you all this week! Written by Ps. Rob

This weeks post considers what it means to do more than read the Scriptures in drawing near to the living God As we continue our drawing near series, bouncing out of our Encounter preaching series in church on Sundays, I want to dive deeper into what it is to draw near to God. Consider something with me... The Jesus that the early church was learning to follow was the Jesus that had literally just walked the earth before ascending to be with the Father, right before the eyes of the Apostles (Acts 1:9-11). When they shared the stories of Jesus orally - for the first century people were far more an oral culture than a written one (more on that here) - they were talking about the LIVING Jesus who had just walked amongst them and risen to be with the Father. In short, the early church were continuing to walk with and in response to their living Lord. Here's the kicker - so too are we, adding a few thousand years into the gap between us and the LIVING Lord Jesus walking our earth. It gets better! And even more profound. In a great book I am reading on Pastoral ministry by the late Eugene Peterson, Working the Angles, Peterson makes a significant point. Being so near to the living, breathing, walking and talking Jesus as the early Christians were in historical time, the recounts of His life they told were experienced very differently to how we moderns tend to read them now. Whatever particular event, or interaction, or teaching from Jesus' life they shared with one another, "They heard Jesus speaking off every page (or recount) of the Scriptures. When they preached and taught they did not expound texts; they preached "Jesus" - a living person with a living voice. They were not "reading in" Jesus to their Scriptures; they were listening as if for the first time and hearing that word that was in the beginning with God and through whom all things were made, and whom they had seen and touched, now hearing the word of God made alive for them in the resurrection. The dead body of Jesus was alive; so was the dead letter of Moses." [Working the Angles, p.103] We are the inheritors of this very same tradition of hearing and listening. The word of God, the bible, is more than something we simply read. It is the way, one of the primary and ultimate ways, we listen to our living Lord. Do you hear Jesus speaking off every page to you? Peterson says it far better than I, "Listening is an interpersonal act; it involves two or more people in fairly close proximity. Reading involves one person with a book written by someone who can be miles away or centuries dead, or both. The listener is required to be attentive to the speaker and is more or less at the speaker's mercy. For the reader it is quite different, since the book is at the reader's mercy...in listening the speaker is in charge; in reading the reader is in charge." [p.87-88] What's being said here? Essentially, the way we approach the written word of God really matters. Reading it to listen for the living God is one thing. Reading it for it to be read is quite another. Peterson notes that our modern expressions of culture and education make us far more readers than listeners in general. We are trained to be information gatherers. But this is not how the Bible was designed by God to primarily assist us. Like any good story told, "the primary reason for a book is to put a writer into relation with readers so that we can listen to his or her stories and find ourselves in them, listen to his or her songs and sing along with them, listen to his or her arguments and argue with them, listen to his or her answers and question them. The Scriptures are almost entirely this kind of book. If we read them impersonally with an information-gathering mind, we misread them." [p.95] Have you ever thought about the bible as God's stories written to put you into relation with Him? To find ourselves in them? To listen so as to sing along with Him? To listen so as to argue with Him? To listen so as to question Him? Could not this be what the writer of Hebrews meant when he notes, "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." [Hebrews 4:12] The living God wants to get our live attention through the living voice of His words, recorded in oral and then written form yes, to be recorded to continually be the living and active words of Jesus to us, every day of our lives. So how do I do more than read? Ok great, so how do do more than just read as I have been so well trained, and not inappropriately so, to do? Practicing attending to God through His word, like I wrote last week, is certainly a way to go beyond simply reading. But what else can I do? What I would suggest is a reimagining what we do when we come to the Bible in general. We would do well to consider the approach to understanding the ancient Hebrews had - those who carefully collated and continually retold the Old Testament narrative. Contrasting the ancient Greeks with the ancient Hebrew people, Peterson gives us this helpful insight: "The ancient Hebrews and ancient Greeks differed in their primary sensory orientation: the Hebrews tended to think of understanding as a kind of hearing, whereas the Greeks thought of it as a kind of seeing." [p. 113] What if you came to the text of Scripture to understand in a hearing way? What if you came to whatever text you are to come to and sought to hear it, and in your mind hear God as you put yourself in relation to Him, found yourself in the text, sung it, argued it with him, questioned him? This is nothing short of a reimagining our approach to the Scriptures. It is very different from our Western scientific approach to be sure. But could this not be how we freshly experience the breath of God through the pages of our ancient Scriptures: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God p may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." [2 Timothy 3:16–17] So this week Come to your times spent with the Bible, the Scriptures, to listen, more than simply read. And even more than this, come with the intent to hear in your understanding from God, not simply to read and be done reading. For the living Jesus who walked the Earth and was heard and seen doing so as recorded in the Gospels is the same living Jesus who has every gracious intent of being heard and seen by You and I as we hear Him through the pages of these Scriptures we read week in, week out. Listening for God and hearing in my understanding with you all this week! Written by Ps. Rob