eNews

Thanks Church!

We had a great time at the Car Wash today! God blessed us with fantastic weather, and the washers worked like a great team. If you weren't there - hey, you missed out, but we'd love to see you next time! All in all, around $550.00 was raised to support chaplaincy work at Ormiston State School. Isn't that a great reason to praise God?

To sign up for next time, make sure you see Damien Watson damienwatson@optusnet.com.au ph. 3821 5181

Granite Springs Church, near Sacramento, August 15

The last day of our stay in the US we drove from San Francisco out to a place called Granite Springs, just north east of Sacramento – about a 2 hour drive along the seemingly endless maze of four-lane-each-way concrete expressways. Our object was to meet with Dr Kevin Adams. We learned about Kevin through the pages of the small devotional booklet called “Today” (copies often available at the Information Booth). Kevin Adam pastors a congregation of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. Kevin and his wife Gerry started Granite Springs church as a ‘no nucleus’ church in 1991. They were commissioned to go to the area, be used by God to draw people to Christ, and form them into a new church. This, by God’s grace, they did. No doubt, Kevin is one encouraging guy to speak with!

We chatted in a genuine Tacqueria a little restaurant serving authentic Mexican food. The beef Chimichanga was good, but Todd tells me the chicken variety was still kicking, and least for a few hours after the event... Obviously, the chicken did not survive, but thankfully Todd did.

Our discussion with Kevin reminded us that growing churches are often unstable and face challenges: not the least being the development of a unified ethos. Today, Granite Springs is a moderately sized congregation (about 500-600) that seeks to act as a church planting ‘farm’. The idea is that the congregation resources other church plants in the area, and seeks to be a context to raise and train church planters. This really resonate with us, as this type of idea had been raised in our church breakfast in June. Of course, there are lots of social and cultural differences between Ormiston and Granite Springs: but the idea is inspirational. It would be great to consider whether this could become part of our future here in Redlands.

We also warmed to Kevin’s warm faith that God was still to do more work in their community. Their auditorium is about the same size as ours, and when we asked whether there were plans for future expansion, Kevin replied “let’s just say we’re basically worshipping in the youth hall…” The larger church community will afforded more resources for the ongoing work of church planting in the future. This presented an interesting contrast to the church planting approach of Redeemer. The latter insist that the large a church grows, the more internalised it becomes. Granite Springs’ intention is to increase the outward focus of their growing church by continuing to plant other congregations in their region. In 1991, when the Adams family started their ministry, there was only one other sister church in the area. Now there are seven. God is good!

We also were keen to ask what about the import factors God was using to draw people into Granite Springs (assuming the work of God through His Spirit). Kevin’s response:

·         Relationships. People are encouraged and urged to use their relationships as a context for witness to what the Lord has done in them. This is the philosophy they commenced with. The hairdresser, the car salesman, the people on the factor floor were all seen as people with whom relationships could be built where the good news could eventually be shared.

·         Small groups: they create relational pathways for people to find a way into new community, then to larger church meetings, with conversion and renewal somewhere there in the process

·         They are developing a Scripture memory program. The idea is that the whole church gets into the program and this will develop some cohesion across the increasingly varied community

·         Leader development within small groups assists in the formation of new groups and for small groups to improve on how they enfold new people. Every small group is encouraged to have and support someone who really works hard at bringing new people along

·         Testimonies: they are aiming at one per month. Stories of change are powerful instruments for God to work in people’s lives

Feedback: dave@redlandscrc.org.au

God can use your story…

So you’ve been putting some thoughts on paper, and arranged your words around those three basic points

·         What my life used to be like

·         What happened to change how I viewed Jesus

·         How following Jesus makes a difference

One thing we really need to remember is that God needs to be the focus of what you’re saying. Thinking of the three points above: the first point can focus on what Godless life was like for you. The second point on how God worked things and events to open your eyes to who Jesus really is. The third point will focus on how your life now is different because following Jesus is your focus.

The big deal is that you’re testifying to Jesus, to God’s work and grace, to how living for God has become your new life focus. Sure, you’ll have to talk about your life and experiences, but make sure that God is the ‘hero’ and Jesus the Saviour. Ensure they, and not you, receive the glory and praise.

Coming up: The importance of listening

Feedback: dave@redlandscrc.org.au  

A short word about Steve Irwin…

Steve Irwin’s death is a reminder to us all that life is not as predictable as we think. Many times we think we are in total control. Most of the time this is an illusion – at least to some extent. Just one small thing out of whack, and we are in a lot of trouble very quickly. Irwin’s death is a reminder to all of us that our lives are in the hands of God, and that whether old or young, we are called to live to God’s glory. Make of point of living today, and each day your given, to the praise of Jesus.

I have no idea about Steve Irwin’s spirituality: so I will make no assumptions (either way). But I will say this: we can admire Irwin’s passion and his infectious love for the world. He was a sensible conservationist, he was wide eyed and humble about the beauty of creation. He loved what he saw in the natural world, and at least to some extent, deepened our appreciation for the beauty of the earth and its creatures We could even say that in this respect Irwin’s passion reflected something of God’s own character, for our Lord is passionate about his creatures and the world He has made. Let Irwin’s life passion remind us that we are stewards of our world, and drive us to honour our Lord and Creator.

Finally: any death is tragic, and brings grief to those who are left behind. Remember Steve’s wife Terri and the children, Bindi and Bob. Prayer that somehow they may be drawn into the gracious heart of God through this tragedy.

DG

God can use your story…

When it comes to witnessing, or telling your story to another person, one of the hardest things is to know where to begin. Conversations just happen, don’t they? And not all of us are used to really thinking our conversations through in advance.

When planning your story there are three points that can give structure to what you intend to say. It’s even a good idea to write a paragraph or two under each of these points. I’m not suggesting that you keep it in your pocket to read out when required: it’s more that writing your story down is a good exercise to order your thoughts and to get the main points clear in your own mind.

The three points we talked about yesterday are:

·         What my life used to be like

·         What happened to get me thinking about Jesus, and how I came to know him

·         The difference following Jesus makes

Get as focused on these points as you can. They will form the basis of your story. Besides, the exercise will bring to mind the sorts of changes God graciously continues to make in your life. It may even spur you on to more growth and a deeper desire to honour Jesus.

Feel free to give it a go, and if you like, send it through to me: maybe we can clarify things together.

When talking with other people and telling your story, there are a few basic things to keep in mind, and over the next few days I’d like to write about them. It’s not an exhaustive list: just things that I find helpful.

1.    Learn how to say “I don’t know” You don’t have to know all the answers. This is one of the biggest fears people have about witnessing. We think we need to know the Bible better, have a basic theology at our fingertips, be able to explain the existence of evil in a world ruled by God, know how the trinity works, and be able to name the identify of Methuselah’s father in law, etc.

I don’t doubt for a minute that this is one of the most effective tools the evil one uses to paralyse Christ’s church. The more he gets us thinking we can’t do it, the less people hear about Jesus.

I will always say it’s helpful to know the best ways to deal with the common questions that arise. Most of these questions, however, have elements to them that are just hard to understand. Maybe some of the answers we will never know, they may stay beyond our human intellect even in the new heavens and the new earth.

That’s why I think is better to acknowledge the limitations of our mind and simply say “I don’t know”. Maybe we can counter with something like “hey, I don’t know how to explain that, but maybe I can check some resources and get back to you…” Your pastor, your local Christian bookshop, and the Internet are great resources. Do some homework, and if you still don’t know, you will at least be more informed about the issues involved.

Finally, when it comes to questions: don’t forget that the big issue is how people relate to Jesus. So talk about how following Jesus makes a difference for you, even though you may not know the specific answer to the question.

There are some great print resources that can help with difficult questions. Why not check a few of these resources (some are in the RCRC library)

·         The Case for Christ (Lee Strobel)

·         A Fresh Start (John Chapman)

·         If I were God I’d make myself clearer (John Dickson)

·         If I were God I’d end all the pain (John Dickson)

·         Spectators Guide to World Religions (John Dickson)

Coming up: Get the right focus

Feedback: dave@redlandscrc.org.au