"For God so loved the world that He gave His one & only Son," (John 3:16) As you celebrate Christmas this year, with family & friends, & as you exchange gifts with each other, don't lose sight of the greatest gift of all, God's only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Don't lose sight of the love God has shown us. Don't lose sight of what you're actually celebrating!

"Jesus is the gift that perfectly fits every heart and it is with His love that all celebration starts. We rejoice in Him as we remember His birth and thank God for sending His only Son to earth. His life led from a manger to a cross on a hill where He faithfully followed His Father’s perfect will. He freely laid down everything so that we could live, and there is no greater treasure anyone could give. Like a scarlet ribbon His love wrapped around the cross and He offered it to us all at the greatest cost. So each time that we give we remember what He’s done and honor the perfect Gift —God’s one and only Son." Holley Gerth

Wishing you a peaceful & joyous Christmas, & every blessing for the new year! "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" 2 Cor 9:15

Your words have power!

Never underestimate the power your words have.

Never underestimate how deep they can go into peoples lives.

Never underestimate the potential for your words to hurt or to heal!

Every time you open your mouth to speak, quickly think;

"Is what I'm about to say going to hurt or heal?"

Proverbs 12:18 "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."

Sadly, Christmas often seems to be a time when family get together's turn sour, & hurtful things are said in the heat of the moment.

So be aware of what you are saying & how you are saying it!

You have the potential to calm & heal, or to enrage & hurt!

May God grant each of us the wisdom we need as we speak.

Pastor Steve

Remember those who suffer!

As we prepare to celebrate this Christmas season in peace, & with freedom, we need to remember that many Christians around the world do not have that luxury.

Recently Franklin Graham wrote this as part of a regular article.

Remember Those Who Are Persecuted
The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is under attack. Around the world, in dozens of countries, believers are being relentlessly oppressed, beaten and even martyred for their Christian faith. The World Evangelical Alliance estimates that more than 200 million believers suffer some form of ongoing persecution. Of course, we know that followers of our Lord Jesus Christ should expect opposition. Jesus said: “‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20, NIV). Whether the source of persecution is false religions, godless societies or hostile cultures, the Church has long been the target of vilification and violence.
( Franklin Graham)

Can I encourage you to pray for our brothers & sisters around the world,
who are suffering for the name of Christ this Christmas.
Pray that God will strengthen them to stand strong,
& that He will grant them his peace that passes all human understanding!

"and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counsellor,

Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6b

Get your attitude right for Christmas!

What's your attitude going to be this Christmas?
An interesting question isn't it?
A fairly recent phenomenon is the 'self gift buying'
that seems to be growing each year in our culture.
What's that I hear you ask?
More & more people are buying Christmas presents, not to give others,
but to give themselves!
This selfish attitude is fed by all the adds, & brochures that we are bombarded with at this time of year.
All telling us that we need their stuff, we deserve their stuff,
we can't enjoy Christmas without their stuff!
All of this feeds into a selfish, greedy attitude, which is the exact opposite of the attitude we should have!
The Apostle Paul wrote these words in Philippians chapter 2 verses 4 & 5.
"Each of you should look not only to your own interests
but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:"
A Christ like attitude displays compassion, selflessness, humility & service.
After all, Christmas is all about Christ & His attitude should be displayed to the world
in abundance, especially at this time of year!
So, I ask you again, "What's your attitude going to be this Christmas?"

Tough times.

Are you, or anyone you know, going through a really tough time at the moment?

Do you feel that you are literally ‘wasting away’ under all the pressure?

If you do, take heart from these encouraging words written by the Apostle Paul.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

As Paul reminds us, our troubles are momentary, they will pass!

So fix your eyes on Jesus the Saviour, not on the troubles going on around you.

Trust in Christ to help you through this time in your life, & let Him renew you daily from the inside out!

Remember, He is Lord of all things!

Pastor Steve

How deep is your love?

September 13th was the beginning of marriage week in Australia,
a time to celebrate the God given gift of marriage.
We need to remember what marriage is, what it's not,
who set it in place, & how we are called to love & live together as wife & husband.
That word "LOVE" seems to mean so many different things to people doesn't it?
I mean, ask 10 different people & you'll probably get 10 different answers!
So we need to go back to God's Word to find a good, practical description of love.
What it is & just as importantly, what it isn't!
1 Corinthians chapter 13 gives us this description.
"Love is patient & kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable,
& it keeps no record of when it has been wronged.
It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, & endues every circumstance.
Love will last forever."
How committed are you to your marriage?
How faithful are you?
How forgiving are you?
How do you express love to your spouse?
Can I encourage you to spend some time reviewing your marriage
& recommitting yourselves to each other!
Listen along to "How deep is your love?"

Jesus is all about life!

Very soon we will see this logo right across NSW, on Churches, Christian schools, book shops, bus stops & billboards.
So what's it all about? Why "Jesus. All about life?"
Jesus said "I have come that they may have life,
and have it to the full." (John's gospel, chapter 10 verse 10)
Now that's a big claim isn't it?
Well over the next few weeks we'll investigate this claim to see if it stacks up to scrutiny.
So make sure you stay tuned!