“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
- Book of Matthew chapter 7, verses 13-14
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Ahoy Open Road!
Since Sunday's gathering, I've been reminded just how powerful Jesus' words are.
Noah gave us wonderful space to ask God to prompt us on how we might lovingly serve those around us. [Reminder: Jesus says he and his father have "made their home" inside everyone who follows him] This isn't just a great idea; it's one of the key reasons we gather together - teaching each other to obey all Jesus commanded us.
By Tuesday arvo, I'd heard three stories of not only how God spoke on Sunday, but how following his leading brought joy, freedom, relationship and glory to God.
However, I shouldn't be surprised. This is simply what Jesus said would happen if we lovingly obey him.
In our sanitised, intellectualised Western culture, we often think that religion is simply a matter of morals or virtue signalling. However, Jesus and the scriptures he believed were from God (the Bible) teach something far deeper. When we obey Jesus in faith, we are literally aligning ourselves with our unique, heavenly design for life. It's not just "good"; it's living out the life of love God originally intended for us.
If you want to see God at work in your life or the life of those around you, you can simply replicate the simple method Noah led us to:
- Read God's word to us in the Bible. If new, focus on a simple teaching of Jesus.
- Commit to finding a way to live it out.
- Pray, simply by asking God to guide you on how to obey him.
- Act accordingly. Otherwise known as obedience.
While some see obedience to God as impossible, onerous or, in the worst case, a punishment, Jesus saw it as the beginning of freedom.
This Sunday I'll be sharing on Jesus' invitation to enter his kingdom via the narrow gate and onto the narrow path. Again, this could sound a bit exclusive; however, it's about ensuring you and I receive everything God intends for us.
If we want God's freedom, we need to enter through His gate, not others'. If we want to experience the best life has to offer, we should walk on his path, not the most popular one.
If you've "lived a little", you're likely aware that the benefits of the wide path are quite narrow. Sin and a world without God never provides what it promises.
In contrast, the benefits of the narrow path are quite wide. God is generous and loves to give good gifts to his children. He always provides more than he promises.
If you are yet to put your faith in Jesus, we want to encourage you to go all-in for Jesus, holding nothing back, so that you receive all he has to offer.
Much love, and see you Sunday,
Dan
Learning to Follow Jesus
This Sunday we explore Jesus' teaching to Choose the Narrow Gate.
“13 Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:12-14
Coming Up
October - Home + Moffat
Mondays - Young Adults - Marcello + Mariela 0428 986 423
Fridays - 6am Men's Prayer - Fred 0431 437 080
Oct 25 Sunday Gatherings: Home + Beach
November - Home + Moffat
Mondays - Young Adults - Marcello + Mariela 0428 986 423
Tuesdays - 5am RPM (Run, Prayer, Men) - Ryan
Fridays - 6am Men's Prayer - Fred 0431 437 080
Oct 01 Sunday Gatherings: Home + Tent Worship + Communion
Oct 08 Sunday Gatherings: Home + Beach
Oct 15 Sunday Gatherings: Home + Beach Baptisms
Oct 22 Sunday Gatherings: Home + Beach
Oct 29 Sunday Gatherings: Home + Beach
Our Mission
To help people find and follow Jesus.
Our Vision
Fully Alive through faith in Jesus. To see this vision come to life, we developed FAM, our Fully Alive Model. Ideally, you can work through FAM with someone else.
Our Rhythms
Get to Know Jesus: how are you getting to know Jesus this week?
Invite people into your life: who can you intentionally open up your life to?
Gather and get involved: who can you connect, listen, share, or pray with this weekend?
Giving Up, In, and Out
Our church encourages people to set aside money each week/month to meet the needs of our church, community and beyond. We follow the same simple pattern of giving that we encourage each other individually: UP, IN, and OUT.
Giving UP
As a church, we give 2.5% to our denomination to support what's happening in churches like ours statewide and show appreciation for all the support they provide. We encourage each follower to consider giving "up" to support their local church - in this case, ours :)
Giving IN
We encourage you to be alert for personal/family needs within our church. If you know someone with genuine needs that you can't meet yourself, please REPLY now.
Giving OUT
We encourage people to be generous not just in/around our church family, but also to those serving beyond us.
"Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed." - Proverbs 19:17
Last month's giving: $10,061
Last month's expenses: $15,288
Balance: $65,923
If you would like to support what we are doing and our giving to those in need, you can get started giving to Open Road to meet the needs of our church or get in touch with any questions you may have.
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