"He said also to the man who had invited him, 'When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.'" - Jesus in Luke 14:12-14
Ahoy Church,
It was wonderful to enjoy one of the more amazing BYO dinners we've had! It was such a great time to connect as a church over a meal and hear from Marcello and Brad how God led them to start Open Road.
As we'll be hearing this Sunday from Jesus, eating together at an open table is a fundamental Christian practice. As Jesus makes clear, this isn't just an illustration of the open invitation of salvation to all people but also about literally following in the footsteps of Jesus himself - giving of ourselves in a no-strings-attached, day-to-day, sharing-a-meal kind of love.
Personally, Sunday was also a great encouragement to Martine and I to experience my ordination amongst people whom we deeply love. In particular, I loved the non-stop "Reverend Dan" jokes.
However, "No", you do not need to call me "Reverend Dan" 😄
In fact, for some people, titles in God's church can blur the clarity of Jesus' invitation to all people! 😄
While we do find words like "apostle", "pastor", "evangelist", "shepherd" and "teacher" etc in the Bible, they are all overshadowed by one word, "child". While we may find significance in a role or title within a church or community, nothing comes close to the significance of being identified as a son or daughter of God.
Not only are titles insignificant in light of being in God's family, but they're also not a requirement for a life of spiritual significance. In fact, it's possible that, like any family business, concerns about your position in the family (covetousness, as Noah preached about last week) can distract you from enjoying being in it!
The truth is, in Jesus we have all we'll ever need to enjoy life in God's family.
So, while you and I are welcome to receive titles, resources, reputations or relationships, they are not required to live a good, true and beautiful life before God.
This Thursday, May 14th, is Ascension Day. On this day, Christians celebrate Jesus' post-resurrection ascension to heaven. While there is so much to celebrate about his ascent to heaven, it's a great reminder that as Christ's brothers and sisters we do not need a role, title or reputation to receive what's most important in life.
- We have all received the same Holy Spirit.
- We have all received the same invitation to God's family.
- We have all received the same invitation to God's mission.
- We have all received the same invitation to God's eternal home.
It's not just that Jesus is in heaven interceding for us, and preparing for his return. Jesus also said that once he ascended to heaven, every single one of his followers would be given a gift - his Holy Spirit.
This is not a gift for the graduated, recognised and ordained, but for every follower of Jesus.
- His Holy Spirit identifies us as his family members.
- His Holy Spirit fills us with his power to accomplish his mission together.
- His Holy Spirit gives us a perspective that prioritises our heavenly home over our earthly one.
So, may you walk through the rest of your week with the title that matters most on your mind, "child of God".
It's the one title you didn't earn. It's one of the few titles you cannot lose. It's an eternal title.
It's a title that God longs to give to all those who'll put their faith in him and follow his son, Jesus, through life and into eternity.
So, if you're ready to adjust the prefix on your license to, "Child of God", put your faith in him for this life and the next. Join us as we find and follow Jesus together, pressing towards the Fully Alive existence he promises.
Much love, see you Sunday!
Dan
One-Offs
One Prayer - Tuesday, June 2nd
Qld Baptists are encouraging their churches to take Monday June 1st to Sunday June 7th as "Prayer Week". The goal is to focus our attention on deepening our commitment to prayer, especially for revival in our state and nation. Part of this is a combined prayer meeting at Bridgeman Downs Baptist on 7pm, Tuesday June 2nd. I'll be going, along with some of our Young Adults, and you're welcome to join us! It will likely be a very large gathering of worship, prayer and ministry.
Church Camp - June 19-21
Don't forget to register for camp if you haven't already. If you need financial assistance, hit REPLY and let me know.
Coming Up
This Week
- You're wondering, "How can I encourage someone this week?"
- Sally is hosting and praying over us.
- Renee is sharing a story of how she prays and why.
- Dan Harding is preaching for only the second time at Beach Church.
- A few of you will hear from God's Spirit something brief + encouraging to share! So good.
May - 9am [Home] + 3pm [Moffat]
Mondays - Young Adults - Marcello + Mariela 0428 986 423
Fridays - 6am Men's Prayer - Fred 0431 437 080
May 17 Home + Moffat Gatherings + Baptisms
May 24 Home + Moffat Gatherings
May 31 Home + Moffat Gatherings
June - 9am [Home] + 3pm [Moffat]
Mondays - Young Adults - Marcello + Mariela 0428 986 423
Fridays - 6am Men's Prayer - Fred 0431 437 080
Jun 01-07 Qld Baptist Prayer Week
Jun 02 ONE PRAYER: Bridgeman Baptist Prayer Night
Jun 19-21 Church Camp @ Cobb & Co
Jun 22 EHD: "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality" Ends
Church Camp!
We are planning a church camp at Cobb & Co around mid-year. Stay tuned.
Our Mission
To help people find and follow Jesus.
Our Vision
Fully Alive through faith in Jesus. To see 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 follows 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 give to personal/family needs within our church from our $5,000 Giving Kitty. Please alert us if you know someone with genuine needs that you're unable to meet out of your own resources.
Giving OUT
This term, we are encouraging our church to give to the family who visit us each year from the country where they share Jesus. We'll give to them as a church, and we encourage you to give to them too.
BSB: 923100
Account #: 37443010
REF: KyleG GIFT
Last month's giving: $10,856
Last month's expenses: $12,540
Balance: $70,270
Giving in : Oct 23-Apr 26: $5,000
Giving out : Oct 23-Apr 26: $20,293
"Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed." - Proverbs 19:17
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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