Building Bridges

We’ve all heard the saying; ‘Don’t build walls, build bridges’. Like most cliches, though it can be viewed as corny and redundant, it still carries a significant weight of truth. While it is imperative that we build boundaries in our lives and we maintain our doctrinal beliefs, yet it’s crucial that we eliminate any barriers that would keep unsaved people from being drawn to us and receiving our message. Instead, we must become adept at building bridges to those who are separated by the chasm of sin.

In the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19 Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.”

The teaching and baptising part is something that we understand well but perhaps the greatest challenge has been the part where we are ‘to make disciples’. It’s not as easy as going to a stranger on the street and simply saying, “Hey I want you to be my disciple.” It may work but I’ve rarely seen it done.

What we must do is learn to be a bridge builder to those who are unsaved, so that we can bring them to a place of salvation and personal experience with Jesus Christ. The bridge is called ‘Trust’ or ‘Leverage’. A person will not step foot on a bridge to cross to the other side unless they trust that the bridge will hold their weight. In the same way, many people will be reluctant to take a step of faith towards God unless there’s someone whom they trust that could show them the way. Jesus was a master bridge builder in the way He sought relationship before ministry. What a great example to follow.

Developing ‘trust’ must be done intentionally. It may be becoming a friend to someone, inviting them over for a meal and simply sharing life experiences. It takes time to build a bridge but once the trust has been created, at their pace and in their way, our unsaved neighbours, work mates, people we see on the way to work everyday, may begin to cross the gap to Faith. They will do so because they trust you. Be a Bridge Builder today.

1 Cor 9:22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

Discipleship

It’s hard to believe that we are already half way through 2017 and although it seems to have gone so quickly, yet God has done so many great things at the Pentecostals of Sydney. We have seen nearly forty souls baptised in the Name of Jesus and many lives have been transformed by the power of God. We've experienced some remarkable services with outstanding ministry from our guests such as last week. We rejoice in our great God for his faithfulness and blessings to us!

Mid-year always represents to me a great opportunity to stop and take inventory of how we are travelling as we look back from this vantage point over the last six months and then look ahead for the next. I have seen some great things transpire and accomplished but I’ve also been confronted with my own failures and areas requiring improvement; particularly in my ministry and whether or not I am effective in the Kingdom of God.

One of the best ways that I can take inventory is by revisiting God’s calling and purpose for me, as well as the church. Are we fulfilling what God has called us to do? Is my life structured in a way that is pleasing to the heart of God? These are self inventory questions that must be applied in an effort to track our progress. Another key indicator is whether we are following Christ’s model for building his church and the Great Commission, which is to make disciples of all nations.

This is God’s blueprint to save a lost humanity and I am convinced that regardless of the innovation of our programs and the sophistication of our facilities or the quality of our preaching and music, if they do not incorporate or at the very least, are not the foundation and end result of Discipleship, then they are futile and meaningless. Every child of God is called primarily to disciple others. That means to teach, lead, train, mentor and love into the image of Jesus Christ and ready them for heaven going.

There is no greater cause and this ought to be the heartbeat of every Believer - no excuses (because Jesus will take none). So the question remains; Who are you discipling? If you are not discipling someone, then why not? If you are not interested in discipling, then the heartbeat of God is not in your heart. Talk to us today about discipling souls and teaching Bible studies.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. | Matthew 28:19-20

Belong - Believe - Become

Culture is defined as the unwritten rules of behaviour within any social group. We use basic terms such as language, custom, food, dress, religion and festivals to best understand culture. It is the way we see things and naturally behave without giving it much thought, in common with others of our group.

Every community has culture whether or not the people in that community realise it, and what is of immense importance is that it can be good and life giving or the culture may be one that’s negative and toxic.

As part of the Church of the Lord Jesus, we also have a culture that’s borne from the Word of God and the influence of the Holy Spirit but is also not independent of the behaviours, attitudes and mannerisms of the people in the Church. To a large extent we determine the spiritual and social barometer of the Church as the Holy Spirit and the Word works within the lives of individual saints.

The early Church in the Book of Acts stands as an indelible model of Apostolic culture today that was both dynamic, bold, passionate and transformative. This is what we must strive to emulate in order to have an atmosphere of a revival and life giving culture. The very first characteristic is the unity of the Church. Acts 2:1 tells us that, “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” 

Unity is the keystone feature in any thriving culture and in the Church. It is brought about by the love of Christ in our hearts for one another; producing an environment of acceptance and non-judgemental attitudes towards those in our church and all who come in. Though culture is often natural and unwritten, we can however build and change our culture intentionally to where people are welcomed with love and celebration as part of our family. In the process, souls are added to the Kingdom of God. The old paradigm of ‘Believe, Become then Belong’ must give way to a culture of:

Belong – Believe – Become

Acts chapter 2 began with Unity and it ends with these words:

“So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:46-47 NKJV

Everything Matters

Upon first glance, and a surface read of the book of Ecclesiastes, we are immediately struck by a foreboding and pessimistic perspective of the author about the weary futility and utter meaninglessness of life on earth. The repetitive qualities of nature, history and our human existence itself underscores a depressing outlook that we can neither refute or honestly deny.

What this deep consideration does ultimately give rise to however, is that life without God is utterly meaningless. The good news is that we can live for God, and with God, in the richness of a real and dynamic relationship of faith with our heavenly Father.

As the Righteous Judge; morally perfect and upright in all his adjudication, He brings meaning to every aspect of our lives. The mundane, day to day activities, our behaviour, and the decisions that we make all have meaning. His presence and abundant life that He gifts to us fills us with true joy and purpose. The fact that our actions and words have eternal consequences, and thereby ultimate meaning, brings us the joy of the Lord that becomes our strength.

Ecc 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Obedience Today

Obedience is a word and a concept that today is considered old fashioned and misplaced in an “enlightened” and post-modern world. Especially with the prevailing worldview of relative truth and subjective reality in our society. The idea of obedience then is misconstrued by such perspectives, that it’s relevance becomes subject to convenience, social acceptance and immediate gratification.

As followers of Christ however, we are required to obey God’s Word unequivocally. That means that we are to do what God commands us to do, even at the expense of what is convenient for us personally or what may or may not be popular in the world. There is also the great temptation to delay obedience for another time for the sake of personal gratification now. As parents we teach our children about delayed gratification in order to instill resilience and discipline in them and in like manner, as Christians, it’s our personal desires that must take a back seat to immediate and radical obedience.

It’s of vital importance for us to understand that God gives us his laws and statutes to follow, not because He is some egotistical megalomaniac as suggested by modern atheists but because obeying his word is of great benefit to us spiritually and physically, as well as every other aspect of human life. On the contrary, a life that is without rule and boundaries is often destructive and unfulfilled.

Radical obedience to God’s word is not laborious or mundane but it is life and life more abundant because it is obedience borne out of a love relationship with our Creator and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We don’t instruct our toddlers not to walk on the railway track because we want to be controlling parents and make life miserable for them, we do it out of love, even if they don’t completely understand the why. Obedience is so powerful that without it, we can not go to heaven but to reiterate, it is an outflow of our passionate love for Christ and as such, it is not a chore or a burden, but a privilege.

John 14:21 Those who accept My commandments and obey them are the ones who love Me. And because they love Me, My Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal Myself to each of them.

John 15:6-7 Anyone who does not remain in Me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted

The Time Is NOW

Our theme for this year is ‘The Time is Now’ based out of Romans 13:11 - “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”

In this text the great Apostle is implying that the church could be in a sleep like state spiritually. In some ways, we can live our lives by being dictated to by our past, whether it’s in regret of our mistakes and failures or we are resting on our laurels by living only on yesterday’s victories. For some it may be that we are waiting for to-morrow; a better situation or the perfect op-portunity to come before we do anything significant today.

I want to urge the church this year, to make today count. That we must learn to live in the Now where we can live out God’s pur-poses and loving those close to us today, sharing our testimony to someone today, giving of our abundance today! Don’t let life pass you by with the attitude of just endur-ing work and ‘looking for a better tomorrow’ before you start really living today.

I like this profound quote:

We over exaggerate yesterday, we over estimate tomorrow but we underestimate today.
— John Maxwell

Today is the day of salvation, no more procrastination or delay. We can do something for the Kingdom of God regardless of our situation now!

New Year, New Habits

After an outstanding General Conference in Melbourne, many of us are primed and ready for the new year. At the outset of 2017, we have the opportunity to chart a new course knowing that we are older and hopefully wiser than in the previous year.

Let us make the most of our mistakes from the past by not repeating them but applying God’s wisdom and revelation to our lives. Last week, I mentioned the importance of keystone habits that can have a flow on effect on other habits for the better. So from here on, focus on some major habits and be diligent on ensuring that you follow through with them.

For the Christian of course, the keystone habits are the ones that Jesus exemplified and that is prayer and knowledge of God’s Word. Make it your keystone habit to pray and read God’s Word daily. If this can be part of your daily routine everyday for the next six to eight weeks, it will become a habit that will influence your character and ultimately bring you to your destiny.

Church attendance, giving, fasting and witnessing are some of the other habits that are sure to follow and will cause you to become a ‘Contagious’ and ‘Effective’ Christian for God’s glory.

Hebrews 10:25 - Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Pushpay Giving System

Recently we introduced a new way to give at the POS called Pushpay. We realise that people are using less and less cash, so we wanted to provide an easy, no-hassle, way to give.

With Pushpay you are able to give online by visiting our website and clicking on the Giving tab. This will direct you to our Giving page. From there, just click on the Pushpay link and give (click here for a step-by-step video on how to give online).

Giving Online is simple but what sets Pushpay apart is that they have introduced the world's first 10 second giving App. This allows you to give whenever and wherever you would like, all you need is your smart phone. The Pushpay App is free and is available in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Once you have downloaded the App, all you need to do is set-up your account, search ' The Pentecostals of Sydney' and give. It's that simple (click here for a step-by-step video that guides you through using the Pushpay App).

With Pushpay, you can
• Give easily, quickly and securely
• Store multiple cards
• Give recurring donations like Tithe or your ReBuild Pledge
• Login to www.Pushpay.com and see your giving history

Thank you for your continued support of the POS and the Kingdom of God! We hope that you find this new way to give useful.