he shares for us from our acts reading acts 4 verse 20 32 through the beginning of 5 but it’s it’s the holy God indeed who gathers us uh The God Who is good uh and holy to the highest that’s what the the three-fold repetition of a word in Hebrew meant the that this is the highest um expression of this very thing holy holy holy so let’s join in with the angels as they indeed sing this about our Lord God Almighty holy holy holy Lord God Almighty early in the morning Our Song shall Rise To Thee holy holy holy merciful and mighty God in three person Blessed Trinity holy holy holy all the saints adore for the casting down the golden crowns around the glassy see jerim and Sim falling down before thee God Everlasting through eternity oh holy holy holy though the darkness hide thee though the eye of sinful and thy Glory may not see only Thou Art holy there is none beside thee perfect in power power in love and Purity holy holy holy Lord God Almighty all thy Works shall praise thy name in Earth and Sky and seea holy holy holy [Music] merciful and mighty God in three person Blessed Trinity this is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it the Lord be with you and also let us pray almighty God to whom all hearts are open all desires known and from whom no secrets are hidden cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your holy spirit that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your Holy Name through Christ Our Lord amen let us give God a great Glory as we together share in the Gloria glory to God in the highest and peace to God’s people on Earth Lord God Heavenly King almighty God and Father we worship you we give you thanks we praise you for your glory Lord Jesus Christ only son of the father Lord God Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world have mercy on us you are seated at the right hand of the father receive our prayer for you alone are the Holy One you alone are the the Lord you alone are the most high Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father amen and together the prayer of the day oh God our Defender storms rage about us and cause us to be afraid rescue your people from despair deliver your sons and daughters from fear and preserve us from all unbelief through Jesus Christ Our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit one God now and forever amen uh you know please have a seat and uh just before we get to the reading I wanted to just a second laen um Richie why don’t you come up uh I just uh thought I’d get Richie up um Richie’s sharing uh from God’s word today uh with us which is a wonderful privilege and joy we’ve been um chatting about things over the last little while and but Richie um you haven’t been in town all that long when did you when did you join us here uh so last year my my wife and I we moved up from Sydney um in February last year and what brought you to town how did how did in one sense uh God work in such a way that you guys ended up coming here um yeah so my wife and I we were um attending a church in um West me and some of the some of the congregation members there had known of James and Surf and so they recommended us to check out GLA Anglican and yeah we just connected and yeah um started um settling down in this church and we’re very thankful to God for um this great Parish here and um and in fact your wife started a a uh GP rotation as well didn’t she that’s kind of part of also the connection of how God brought you to town yeah yeah and um it’s been wonderful to have you here not just for 6 months uh or 12 months but for for almost almost 18 months now which has um been awesome you’ve been part of youth group and a whole lot of different things um um but some things are things are changing in the next little phase um tell us um what the next couple of months might sort of look like for you guys yep um so Mel’s got a new contract and part of her um next G next part of the GP training um she’ll have to move to a different clinic and so um we’ve um she’s got a um contract over at annab Bay so we’ll be moving to Port Stevens quite soon so end of end of July end of July early August so we’ll have a bit of a bit of a farewell kind of for you guys around then but um it’s a privilege and a joy to have you sharing with us can I pray for you this morning Heavenly Father we do thank you for Richie and Mel and for the way that you have worked in them uh we thank you for bringing them here to Gloucester town and for the way that they’ve been so welcomed into the community uh thanks for Mel serving as a doctor at U the Medico and for for Richie um with as with casual teaching and father and and just for their blessing to our community our church Community as well we thank you for how you’ve worked in them and we pray that you would you would speak through Richie this morning as he brings uh your word to us U and uh to to bear on us as well and we pray all this in Jesus name amen amen thanks Richie uh Lorraine would you like to come and read for us thanks the first reading this morning is from 2 Corinthians chapter 9: 6 to 11 page 1761 generosity encouraged remember this whoever SE bearingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sews generously will also reap generously each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver and God is able to bless you abundantly so in all things at all times having all that you need you will abound in every good work as it is written they have thly scattered their gifts to the poor their righteousness endures forever now he who supplies seed to the S and bread for food will also Supply and increase your store of seed will enlarge the Harvest of your righteousness you you will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion and through us your generosity will result in Thanksgiving to God this is the word of the Lord second reading this morning from Acts chapter 432 to 511 page 1 62 the Believers shared their possessions all the Believers were one in heart and mind no one claimed that any of their possessions was their own but they shared everything they had with great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no greedy persons among them for from time to time those who owned land or house or so them brought the money from the Sals and put it at the apostles feet and it was distributed to anyone who had need Joseph A levite from Cyprus whom the apostles called Barnabas which which means son of encouragement sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles feet now a man named an anas together with his wife sopia also sold a piece of property with his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself but brought the rest and put it at the apostles feet then Peter said an anias how is that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit have kept for yourself some of the money you received from the land sorry didn’t I didn’t it belong to you before it was sold and after it was sold wasn’t the money at your disposal what made you think of doing such a thing you have not lied just to human beings but to God when annias heard this he fell down and died and great fear seized all who had heard what would H what had happened then some young men came forward wrapped up his body and carried him out and buried him about 3 hours later his wife came in not knowing what had happened Peter asked her tell me is this the price you and anas got for the land land yes she said that is the price Peter said to her how could you conspire to test the spirit of the Lord listen the feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door and they will carry you out also at that moment she fell down at his feet and died then the young men carried in came in and finding her dead carried her out and bured her beside her husband great thear seiz the whole church and all her heard about these events Richie I’ll hand over to you just uh just to say as a I didn’t put we didn’t uh I didn’t conspire to have Richie preached this passage in particular it just ended up being the date that worked out and as we came along the next part of act so um wonderful you and I’m just going to grab a good morning everyone it’s uh lovely to see you all this morning um I’m Richie and I normally attend the 10: a.m. service um I just wanted to say thanks to James for um yeah giving me this opportunity to preach I was yeah quite hesitant and still feeling a bit nervous but um yeah thanks James for um guiding me and trusting me throughout this process all right let me pray uh thank you Lord for today uh we thank you for the gift of your word and we ask that you’ll reveal yourself to us today Lord we we ask that you’ll speak to us by your Holy Spirit and help us to understand it and apply it in our lives in Jesus PR precious name we pray amen uh have you ever experienced someone’s generosity how did you respond to their kindness it might have been the time the Insight the money food clothing or maybe even some shelter or maybe you’ve been that amazing person who has been um generous of giving of your resources I know that since my family moved from Indonesia um God has blessed us and provided for us on many occasions for some being generous is a way of life where parents relatives mentors have always modeled putting the needs of others first but for the rest of us including me especially me learning to be generous can and still be a challenge and isn’t that easy the mindset that’s heavily me centered needed renewing and transforming last week we read about how Peter and John were arrested by the Jewish leaders they were released with threats not to preach the name of Jesus after they couldn’t decide on a punishment they were reunited with the Believers who prayed for boldness in response to the persecution and were all filled with the Holy Spirit as they courageously proclaimed the resurrection of the Lord Jesus today we’ll see that God’s grace Works powerfully in his people to live selflessly generously and honestly Luke the author of Acts gives us a summary of the early Church in chapter 4: 32-35 like at the end of Acts 2 the Believers were in verse 32 United in heart and mind shared their belongings and verse 34 even sold properties to provide Finance for those in need this is God answering their prayers as he fills his people with the Holy Spirit we see characteristics of a caring and giving Community where God provided for the needs of his people through the selfless motives and actions of the Believers we read of such selflessness and we ask why would anyone do that for what reason would someone just give up what they worked so hard for or maybe even inherited just to give it away and this distribution of possessions and finances went to people they might not have even known we w we wonder did these people lose their minds did the early church descend into a form of Communism no Peter addressed ananas in chapter 5:4 didn’t it belong to you before it was sold and after it was sold wasn’t the money at your disposal the apostles didn’t force him to give money away their personal possessions were their own to share with others however they liked and it wasn’t under State control but God has a great purpose his grace which is his undeserved kindness is overflowing in them so that through the Holy Spirit God provides for the needs of his people look at verses 33 God’s grace worked so powerfully in them all and what’s the power of God’s grace in verse 34 that there were no persons in need among them how good is that um through the power of the Holy Spirit God was at work for his people through his people the early church was living out the selflessness that Jesus taught in Matthew 10:8 Jesus taught his disciples as freely you have received freely give and later in Acts 20:35 the Apostle Paul expresses Jesus words to the Ephesian church that it is more blessed to give than to receive these selfless acts amongst God’s people is the work of God’s grace his unmar favor when we see another brother or sister in Christ or some or one of our neighbors in need God grows in us a desire to help it is God’s grace overflowing in us that changes us to live selfless lives how different is this kind of attitude towards possessions and money compared to what people are normally used to if you’re here visiting and just curious about who Jesus is can I commend to you or commend you for making the time today to hear from the Bible when we allow God to speak to us we realize just how much he loves us and just how good he’s been to us regardless of what we’ve done said or thought and that while we were still considered his enemies Jesus selflessly gave himself on the cross as the perfect sacrifice who would redeem us from the power of sin and death as we come to understand this all the more we see see God’s power at work in the selflessness and generosity of his people in Acts 4: 36 to 37 Joseph A levite from Cyprus whom the apostles called Barnabas which means son of encouragement sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles feet here we zoom into Barnabas act of selflessness and generosity we recognize God continued to work in his people as Barnabas sells his property to support the church and those in need I was wondering uh with James as well why did Barnabas have a special mention a bit of a spoiler alert if you haven’t read Acts chapter 9 yet Barnabas would be the one courageous enough to befriend Saul um Saul was the one who uh really badly wanted to end Christianity and went out killing and murdering persecuting the early Christian Church Barnabas also played a key role in the spirit of the gospel and was recognized as an apostle in Acts 14:14 uh imagine owning this Bountiful Countryside property and then imagine selling it and then imagine giving all the money away it’s very rare for someone to do this and what makes it so remarkable is that in the book of Acts it wasn’t just one person but a group of people doing this from time to time where properties were sold and the money given for the provision of those in the family of believers now you may be hearing this and think to yourself I’m not rich enough to give or I’ll just give when I have more but you don’t need to be generous um you don’t need to be rich to be generous um towards god um at growth group last week um Charles reminded me and Mel while we were talking about the passage at home that in the gospel of Mark 12: 41-44 Jesus tells us that the amount of your giving is not the emphasis Jesus considered the poor widow’s offering whose trust was in God more than the last lar amounts that others were giving the poor Widow was giving out of her poverty depending on God while the others were giving out of their wealth we understand that God’s grace was so powerfully at work in his people overflowing through them that generosity that through the generosity of their finances and possessions how amazing is it that we don’t hear or read about them complaining grumbling or regretting their actions they were just so glad at the opportunity to give this is the joy that Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 9:7 that you should each give what you have decided in your heart to give not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful Giver what a joy would have been for the Believers in need and what a joy for those who would give who gave so that God would meet the needs of his people is this a joy you might have to find an opportunity to share your talents your time and your Treasures with others since moving here Mel and I have been blessed by selfless friends at our church here one time last year um Chris Gilbert helped us with some pressure washing I didn’t have a pressure washer and I didn’t know how to use one but thankfully um it was yeah we we were only here for uh a couple of months but thankfully he was just willing to help us and gave us of his time his energy and equipment like we barely even knew each other but Chris was just there ready and willing to help and that’s just one of the many examples of selflessness and generosity that I know comes from the people here at our church in Acts God’s people shared in the joy of the Lord so that others too could also share in the same Joy found only in Jesus he is the one who lovingly and mercifully includes Us in his family now in chapter 5 we get quite strong contrast to Barnabas example of generosity ananas and Safara tested the Lord and lied to God and The Fellowship of the Believers by the holy spirit’s prompting Peter saw through their lie and called out their sin God can’t be deceived and as he is the so as because he is The Sovereign ruler of the world in Acts 5:3 then Peter said ananas how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land and in verse 9 Peter said to her saf How Could You conspire to test the spirit of the the Lord they both died as they were confronted by Peter and all the people who heard about it were afraid was God’s punishment too harsh it was significant immediate and public it was witnessed by the apostles and Believers and this kind of death doesn’t happen again in Acts and God doesn’t always act in the same way but why might God have done this due to the significance of the time while the church was in its early days God wasn’t going to let any external or internal threat oppose his kingdom in the book of Acts we notice constant threats coming up against the apostles and God’s people from last week James spoke about how the church faced an external threat from the Jewish leaders where Peter and and John were arrested now here ananas and safire become an internal threat to the unity and the fellowship of Believers through their deception they said one thing publicly but another thing privately last term James led us through a sermon a series about the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 6 Jesus talked about giving to the needy and tells us that we when we give we should Give in secret but here in Acts we read we read about public giving where donors laid the um yeah the the the donations at the apostles feet Now isn’t that a contradiction well Jesus points out that the problem is in our motives as Christians we want to do what’s right and live as Jesus did but sometimes we might be tempted to go down the dangerous path of doing things just for sure trying to look good in front of others uh trying to people please and seek others approval even though our actions might seem good to others God knows the motives of our hearts in 1 Samuel 16:7 it says that the Lord does not look at the things people look at people look at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart there is a difference between a prideful heart and a humble heart some people do good things just to be seen whereas God’s people we ought to be sincere and honest with God because he is the one that we are accountable to now what did we bring into this life what do we have apart from God and who do we have apart from God we believe that God is the one who has given us life our possessions and finances are all blessings from God which shouldn’t be held with a tight grip we live in a materialistic culture that shouts you need more things you need expensive things possibly even branded things I’m guilty of this as well being materialistic is all about my kingdom here on Earth and so people can become consumed with um pleasing these three important people me myself and I I’m not saying that having things is bad it’s good it’s really good to work hard and save up for things just don’t let them consume you Jesus teaches us to be good stewards of what he has entrusted to us we’re expected to be wise and generous with our resources and to be ready to share with others when they are in need uh one of my friends um in growth group Gavin U one of the parish um me Members par Parish counselors um he remind me reminded me of this passage in Matthew um 6: 19-21 it says do not store up for yourselves Treasures on Earth where moths and Vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal but store up for yourselves treasure in heaven where moths and Vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal for where your treasure is there your heart will be also so our treasure should be God himself because then our hearts would be in the right place it is God’s grace and the power of His holy spirit that changes people to live selflessly generously and honestly since God is selfless so we should also be selfless as he is generous so also we should be generous and as he is the God of all truth we should live honestly with God when we give from our Resources with honesty and humility we reflect God’s generosity God has freely given us his son Jesus to pay the ultimate price for us he freely he he freely gave his son Jesus to pay the ultimate price for us he took our place on the cross the penalty for our sin so that so that we could be forgiven and made right with God we are saved by his grace and not by our own works I hope that as a church family that we can continue to care for one another and for the people in our lives we are the hands and feet of Lord Jesus when we give to those in need share our belongings and do life with with one another I pray that we would be real with God each day and take relationship with Jesus seriously might just have a few thoughts to reflect on there some of the questions that Richie has um posed for us or on the outline what do we have apart from what God has given us um who is the god that we have been brought into relationship with a generous God who overflows in his generosity toward us who we not just those lovable little you know people that he’s gathered together but those who are against him take a moment just to reflect uh this morning on what you’ve heard look back over the passage and we’ll continue together in a moment for there might be something there that has struck you that you might want to share over morning tea or something one of the things that struck me was just how God calls us to live out lives as the generous people belonging to the generous God this God in whom we believe it’s not just a kind of side belief oh yep okay I say yes to him but continue uh to live out my life the way that I want no that belief that we have in God really captures up all our hearts uh for if we are to treasure him then we must know him let’s stand together and affirm the faith that we have the one in whom we trust together I believe in God the Father Almighty creator of Heaven and Earth I believe in Jesus Christ God’s only son our Lord who was conceived by the Holy Spirit born of the Virgin Mary suffered under pontious pilate crucified died and was buried he descended to the dead on the third day he rose from the dead he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the father from there he will come to judge the living and the dead I believe in the Holy Spirit the Holy Catholic Church the communion of saints the Forgiveness of sins the resurrection of the body and the life Everlasting amen we’re going to spend some time in prayer now uh you might like to sit or kneel um and Jan’s going to lead us in prayer thanks Jan let us pray everlasting God at the start of another week we offer our lives to you give us strength to carry out our work and duties Faithfully deepen our trust in you and help us to build your kingdom today and always holy God we pray for our church family and the churches in our local community help us as a church family to be outward looking and ask that there will be a growing desire that through our fellowship we may share our faith with those we live amongst we ask for fresh ideas and new ways of making your name known to the The Wider Community especially Our Youth and we give thanks for those who work so hard to share the gospel of your son Jesus Christ we especially pray for James and safie and their dedication in leading our church family support them in their faithfulness as they lead teach guide and help us we ask that you inspire us through them to build up your church that all may feel your your presence we pray for our missionary Partners the VES family and Naomi as they spread your word in prand and the Northern Territory and for all missionaries throughout the world keep them safe and guide them with your Holy Spirit almighty God be with us at the D and sin this Saturday please guide us and all members of sinid in voting on dis decisions remembering that we are there to follow your way to enact your teaching and to be your Witnesses we pray for Bishops Peter Sonia and Charlie that your holy spirit will give them the wisdom and words that focuses on the evangelism of your church and its people so that we can serve you praise you and worship you in glory and honor Creator God we pray for our troubled world give wisdom to all world leaders to seek some way out of the sufferings caused by War we pray for peace in the end of to the war in Ukraine and in many other parts of the world and the ongoing conflict and propaganda in the Middle East in the attempt to wipe out the Jewish nation and people may all sides strive to seek for deep and Lasting peace which reconciles all people so that they may live in harmony with each other guard our federal state and local governments in the decisions that are made for your people and the nation give those in leadership the ability to make wise choices for all under their care father God we thank you for the community in which we live the diversity of cultures and ethnicities that are making our town their home and ask you to guide us to be more aware of our neighbors needs and ways in which we might help we pray for our families and this our church family help us to serve each other as Christ has served us gracious God we pray for those who are ill at home or in hospital for those who are experien experiencing extreme pain and for those anxiously awaiting a diagnosis treatment procedure or any operation in a moment of silence we pray for those that we especially know in our own Hearts this morning almighty God receive these prayers and transform us through them that as we go from our worship today we may have eyes to see and hearts to understand not only what you do on our behalf but what you call us to do do on your behalf amen let us join together in the prayers of this Parish oh gracious God whose loving Providence has brought us into the fellowship of this Parish help us to worship you with such holy worship to serve you with such unselfish love and to give so generously for the extension of your kingdom that we may be worthy members of your Holy Catholic church and that our Parish May fulfill its mission to convey your life to all and to show forth Your Truth through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen almighty God accept our prayers through Jesus Christ Our Lord who taught us to pray Our Father in heaven Hallowed Be Your Name Your Kingdom Come your will be done on Earth as in heaven give us today our daily bread forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us save us from the time of trial and Deliver Us from Evil for the kingdom the power and the glory are yours now and forever amen compassion and forgiveness generosity and kindness Grace belong to the Lord Our God though we have rebelled and wandered far off so let us pray this prayer of approach we pres let us sorry let us pray we do not presume to come to your table merciful Lord trusting in our own righteousness but in your manifold and great mercies we are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs from under your table but you are the same Lord whose nature is always to have mercy grant us therefore gracious Lord so to eat the Flesh of your dear son Jesus Christ and to drink his blood that we may ever more dwell in him and he in US amen God is steadfast in love and overflows with Grace he welcomes Sinners and invites them to his table and so let us confess our sins in Repentance and Faith confident in God’s forgiveness together merciful god our maker and our judge we have sinned against you in thought word and deed and in what we have failed to do we have not loved you with our whole heart we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves we repent and are sorry for all our sins father forgive us strengthen us to love and Obey you in newness of life through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen and almighty God who has promised forgiveness to all who turn to him in faith may he pardon you and set you free from all your sins strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in eternal life through Jesus Jesus Christ Our Lord amen please stand for the greeting of the peace we do this at this point because as we confess our sins and as we’re United in that we we express the fact that we are the body of Christ his spirit is with us and the Peace of the Lord that comes to us in Christ May It Be always with you and also with you and so let us show that sign of Peace a peace that we have with God and so peace with one another peace be with you peace be with you and so as Richie reminded us that everything that we have comes from God everything is indeed a gift from the good father the father of the Heavenly lights who does not change like shifting Shadows let us continue to prayerfully consider our generosity uh this is our offer to him but as I as Richie mentioned too um if you’re visiting or um uh yeah if you’re visiting with us today please don’t feel obliged uh to contribute this is for our regular members uh to support the work of the Gospel here let’s sing [Music] per [Music] would I look and see him there who made an oh my S because the S my S soul is counted free for God the is satisfied to look on him andon me to look on him andon me Behold Him there the Risen lamb my perfect spotless right the great unchange am the king of glory and praise with himself [Music] I with Christ on high with Christ my savior and my with Christ and God blessed are you Lord God our Father through your goodness we have these gifts and those given electronically to share accept and use our offerings in For Your Glory and the service of your kingdom blessed be God forever amen lift up your hearts we lift them to the Lord let us give thanks to the Lord Our God it is right to give him thanks and praise all glory and honor be yours always and everywhere Mighty Creator everliving God we give you thanks and praise for Our Savior Jesus Christ who by the power of your spirit was born of Mary and lived as one of us by his death on the cross and rising to new life he offered the one true sacrifice for sin and obtained an eternal Deliverance for his people therefore With Angels and Archangels and with all the company of Heaven We Proclaim your great and glorious name forever praising you and saying holy holy holy Lord God of power and might Heaven and Earth are full of your glory hosana in the highest merciful God we thank you for these gifts of your creation this bread and this wine and we pray that we who that by your word and holy spirit we who eat and drink them may too share in Christ’s body and blood on the night that Jesus was betrayed he took bread and when he had given you thanks he broke it he gave it to his disciples saying take and eat this is my body which is given for you and for many for the Forgiveness of sins do this in remembrance of me and after supper he took the cup and again giving you thanks he gave it to his disciples saying drink from this all of you this is my blood of the New Covenant which is shed for you and for many for the Forgiveness of sins do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me Christ CHR has died Christ is risen Christ will come again and so as we gather and as we remember in this way we do as our savior has commanded we Proclaim his offering of himself we make it known that once for all a sacrifice upon the cross we make known his mighty Resurrection his glorious Ascension and we look for his coming again and so we celebrate with this bread and this cup that one perfect sufficient sacrifice for the sins of all the World Renew Us by your Holy Spirit father unite Us in the body of your son and bring us with all your people into the joy of your Eternal Kingdom through Jesus Christ Our Lord with whom and in whom in The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit we worship you father in songs of NeverEnding praise blessing and honor and glory and power are yours forever and ever amen we who are many are one body for we all share in the one bread and so let us come let us share in this holy sacrament a Sacrament is a is a sign something that points us and so it points us to the body and blood of Christ in remembrance that he died for us feeding on him in our hearts by faith with Thanksgiving drinking rumance blood shed you and be thankful let’s share in this uh symbolic meal this Sacrament that points us to Christ um lorine would you like us to you’re okay anyone like us to come to them today um otherwise we just line up across uh at the step uh down here thank you spe ch [Music] the [Music] h [Music] for for [Music] gracious God we thank you that in this Sacrament you assure us of your goodness and love accept our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving and help us to grow in love and obedience that we may serve you in the world and finally be brought to that table where all your Saints Feast with you forever father we offer ourselves to you as a living sacrifice through Jesus Christ Our Lord send us out in the power of your spirit to live and work to your praise and glory amen just a few things to share with you was striking at the start of our passage wasn’t it that all the Believers were one in heart and mind and that was part of the Overflow of God’s grace to them sharing our life in Christ together as Believers is really important and and and it’s a great encouragement um Annette one of our members of 10 10:00 church is going to be sharing a bit about God’s work in her um towards the beginning of the service uh at 10:00 you might like to um stick around and and join in to to hear that U just so that um you get an opportunity see last week when we did the fire drill out on the field here’s a bit of a picture of uh the 10:00 Church who was gathered um an exciting time um for God who is continuing to work in people uh to bring people along new people uh and and to help them to see indeed the generous God so do pray for them as we pray for you and and pray too for um the uh residents and staff at miruka um every second Friday I’m down there for a service uh and it’s great uh when members of our church Leon and Gwen and Jean and others uh Jan come and join in um uh they are going through a bit of a wave of Co at the moment though so do pray for them there’s about 13 or 14 of the residents I think who have Co so I pray for the center and the staff uh in the midst of that uh as uh Jan prayed Newcastle uh the dasis of Newcastle uh CID is coming up next Saturday uh so Jan and Newman and Sophie and I will be heading down they are our sinid reps that we elected um on a three-year cycle um it’s a bit like church parliament in one sense meeting of representatives from across uh the the churches of the Anglican dasis of Newcastle talking about uh Mission and governance and where we’re headed and some of those kinds of things so do pray as Chan prayed for Godly wisdom and for gracious words uh for all involved um we have uh coming up uh on Friday week uh an event for the women the soup d dessert uh and a message of hope hope for the weary um as they uh watch some of the um the um great teaching equip that happened this weekend and of course this Thursday is the Light Winter luncheon if you haven’t got an invitation there are some still up the back on the table there um to be able to invite people along and uh join in for this time of friendship time of uh connecting uh warm encouragement um and um yeah we pray that it might be an opportunity to invite maybe others who who don’t normally come to church um we do have a number of um Mission Partners a little while ago um I shared uh some news or some information about our ABM Mission partner the dasis of Northern Territory and Greg Anderson uh there are some more of these sheets that you can pick up up the back uh in order to uh inform your prayers um for uh our ABM partner Naomi is our BCA partner uh Bush Church Aid uh and she’s supported through BCA to be the children’s ministry officer uh in that broader area so um I printed out her um June July and August little prayer update from the BCA um prayer notes uh and the other thing that’s in this little sheet um is uh a prayer calendar for scripture Union scripture Union supports um uh a number of different things uh beach beach missions thank you so missions and camps that happen around the country a number of different camps kind of through but also scripture um in the schools and so they support that through training um they support um people who go into the schools to uh encourage the students with a lunchtime group as well so we were doing that um over at tonari um I sort of joined in with some other others who are running a group um at the primary school at lunchtime called super super club uh and at high school um iscf is kind of what the group is called um so uh in there there’s a little bit of a story or a few words from some girls at bwood high uh in year 12 as they lead the lunchtime group there at their school and someone from Su supports and encourages them um so I just commend that to you um to inform your prayers over the next little while a little bit of a a bold there take that home um and if you’ve got things that you’d love to share with us uh prayer points things that that U me and the Pastoral Care team and and the leaders can be praying for for you please use one of the connect cards uh or if you want to let us know about something else uh or just say hey I’d like to have a chat please use one of those put that in my hand and that way I won’t forget on a Sunday when there’s lots of things happening we’re going to have some morning tea together in just a moment an opportunity and Rich will be around to to have a bit of a chat with um but as he’s pointed us this morning as as God’s word in fact has pointed us uh this morning uh that it’s In Christ Alone that our hope ultimately is found not in things of this world and there’s a Colin song um I was trying to work out if we could sing it uh at church at 10:00 this morning um where it talks about how it’s all going to fade it’s all going to rust all the things in this world are going to start to fall apart it’s all going to turn to dust none of those things is going to get through only the things of the Lord will last and as God uh draws his people and those he is drawing to him we know that we have a solid and firm hope in Christ where indeed the time will come where every tear is wiped away and where God restores everything under his good rule what a wonderful joy we have to look forward to In Christ Alone please stand and let’s sing our final song [Music] In Christ Alone My Hope Is found he is my light my strength my song This Cornerstone this Solid Ground firm through the fiercest droughts and storm what hearts of love What depths of Peace when fears are still when striving Seas my comforter My All In All here in the love of Christ I Stand in Christ alone who took on flesh fullness of God in hell helpless babe this gift of love and righteousness scorned by the ones he came to save till on that cross as Jesus died the wrath of God was satisfied for every sin on him was l La here in the death of Christ I live there in the ground his body lay Light of the World by Darkness slain then bursting forth in Glorious Day up from the grave he rose again and as he stands in victory since curse has lost its grip on me for I am his and he is mine bought with the precious blood of Christ no guilt in life no fear in death this is the power of Christ in me from life’s first cry to final breath Jesus commands my Destin no power of hell no scheme of man can ever PL me from his hand till he returns or calls me home here in the power of Christ stand power h no scheme of man can ever plock me from his hand till he returns so calls me home here in the power of Christ Our [Music] stand the peace of God which passes all understanding keep our hearts and Minds in the knowledge and love of God and of his son Jesus Christ Our Lord and the blessing of God Almighty the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit be amongst us and remain with us always amen go in peace to love and serve the Lord in the Name of Christ amen amen Let’s uh continue together over morning tea you
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