What turns you on?

Sorry to disappoint you but I’m not going to write about what you thought. I know one of those provocative titles again that suck you in then talk about something different. Not this one cause I do have an important question…..

‘what turns you on to God’

Not in any strange way but what actions, environments or mediums create that intense hunger and excitement for the things of God?

In Romans chapter 6 verse 11 it says “therefore reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin but alive to God through Christ Jesus our Lord” NKJV. The bible calls us to be dead to sin but alive to God however many times I see people that are the opposite, dead to God – alive to sin. Sometimes we know what turns us to sin better than we know what turns us to God.

For my own life I know what things make me alive to God. I love worship, I love new songs. I can be feeling down or discouraged but I know that when I listen to a song that declares the greatness of God or His love for us that it will pull me right out of that soulful living. I know that one sounds obvious but another thing that gets me dreaming big, thinking the way God wants me to think is the internet. Now I know that usually we just think of all the dodgy stuff that the web brings but it brings great things as well. I love reading blogs from great men of faith (I bit like this one actually ….. ha ha…. joking), listening to podcasts or just generally looking at what other churches and great ministries are doing. There is something about it that inspires me to do great things for the kingdom, to become all that God has called me to be.

However for you it could be totally different. Some love to be out in nature while praying, they are inspired by God’s creation. For me I get far too distracted, give me a closed room by myself any day. Others love listening to sermons and the word while sleeping. Once again I get too distracted or tangled up in the head phone cord. The deal is that there is no right or wrong way. No environment is better than another. It is what works for you.

So can you identify ‘what turns you on to God’. What environment; quiet and closed off, or open space filled with people? What time; early morning, late at night or on the way to work?

The question is not how you spend time with God. It is do you set aside time out of your busy schedule to meet with your saviour. The message bible says of this passage ‘sin speaks a dead language ... God speaks your mother tongue’. What is speaking to you right now?

Ps Marty I’Anson

Because.....

Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because...”

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

We are entering a season in our church when we focus on serving God. I find it always helps to ask the question, “What has God anointed me for?” You always need to know the ‘because’. You need to know the why. If you can answer that question, it will tell you what your most fruitful service will be.

Is it for the poor? There are some people who are incredibly gifted and anointed for the causes of social justice. There are those that are passionate about helping people who can’t help themselves. Or the broken hearted? This is an area that really requires an anointing. Across our Sydney circuit we have appointed people who are anointed for this and can run targeted programs and walk beside people who are on a journey from brokenness to wholeness in Christ. There are different courses that can be run to help people on their journey, such as; grief care, divorce care, parenting courses, drug-proof-your kids.

Proclaiming liberty to the captives. Now personally, I can get a little more excited about proclaiming liberty to the captives. I get excited about preaching freedom and deliverance to those who are bound. See the power of the gospel setting people free. I love to see those thousands in the valley of decision making a decision to follow Christ. Then there is recovery of sight to the blind... There is an anointing for miracles, to literally see blind eyes open, deaf ears unblocked and healings of sicknesses and disease. There is also breaking unbelief and seeing people open their eyes to the truth of the gospel.

Of course there are many service areas, and many are particularly anointed to facilitate, and we have a great need of these people as we transition into the Hills Centre.

So my challenge this season – seek God and find out what He has anointed you for.... What is your ‘because’? Find this and you will find your most fruitful area of ministry.

God Bless,

David McDonald

Enlarging Ourselves

While we are transitioning into a new phase and area of vision in our church life, and we are being challenged to grow, it is important for us not to be diminished in our own eyes.

There is a great excitement about what God is doing in our church, but opportunities for growth can expose the dysfunctions of our life. It’s not so much about whether we are doing things well or not, but it can show where we need to keep getting bigger. Let’s continually challenge our vision and ourselves to be bigger.

Isaiah 54:2 says, “Enlarge the borders of your tent.” The pegs of our own mind need to be pulled up and pushed out to new holes and new areas of impact.

In Numbers 13, twelve spies went out and brought back a report of the land. There was nothing wrong with the land. It flowed with milk and honey, which means it was lush and green for cows to pasture and it bloomed and blossomed for bees to make honey. The grapes were so huge, there is no doubt the land was fertile. The problem was not with the land. The problem was that ten of the twelve could only see the opposition. They couldn’t pull up the stakes in their own mind and push them out to enlarge their thinking. They were diminished in their own eyes.

Do we know our potential, or are we caught up in a mystical prophecy? What is our promised land and what stops us getting there? As an example, we could say, “I don’t really want to go and get a degree to grow bigger.” But the Bible says, study to show yourself approved. There are degrees in life as well as degrees on paper. We can’t shy away from increasing our capacity. Our potential grows every time we place another leader around us and give them responsibility. We need to partner with people.

The Pharisees killed the prophets and any adversary who challenged them to grow bigger in their thinking.

There are always adverse winds; even when skies are clear. The degree to which the wind is blowing against us, is the degree to which we must adjust to stay on course. Winds can be variable; even winds of happiness and familiarity could blow us off course. So we need to ask, “how can I be more accurate in assessing myself to hit the mark that God wants for me?” Where might we need to readjust, so we are not off course?

I’ve found two things to be true in life:
Negativity is always the first thing attacks your mind.
Secondly - You will always dramatise the negatives.
Leave the drama to the actors presenting the gospel on the stage. It should not be in the pew, not backstage, not in the worshippers, or anywhere. Don’t allow the negative any room to speak.

So let’s ask from a positive perspective – “how do I change myself?”

1. Write down the things that will help us to grow.
We need a plan. What do we do when the negatives come up? Passive resistance can be a curse. It’s not a sin to agree to disagree, but when a final decision is made, you may need to adjust your heart to support that decision.
What journey are we on? And what do we need to change? Do we have written down, what we expect of our prayer life? If not, we are probably not praying enough. Prayer doesn’t always change things, but it always changes us. If we don’t seek after God , it is easy for our minds to become negative. If we bring matters to God in prayer, then we can bring answers to people’s lives.

2. Check the growth patterns around our life. Not just in our personal life, but in our areas of influence or leadership. If we just celebrate the big days, we are not being realistic about the patterns of growth in our life or church.
We need to ask “how are we going to change?” Then we need to ask, “how are we going to implement the change to influence others?”

3. Speak declaration. The spirit of faith believes then speaks. Always be declaring. What do we speak out about where we are going?
I love how Daniel prayed for 21 days, and when the messenger finally came with an answer, he asked “where were you?” That is declaring. That is an attitude of ‘Your Kingdom come’.
Declaring is Creating. It is the creativity of God flowing through us. Declare a thing and it will be established.

How long will it take to change? Have we written it down? Keep enlarging. Write the journey. Have someone stand and agree with us.

By transitioning, it’s important to remember, we have not diminished our influence, we have increased it!

God Bless,

David McDonald

Allow God's love to flow

Have you ever been snorkelling? I love it. I haven’t done it much but the opportunity it presents to look at sea creatures and marine life that is normally hidden from view is absolutely amazing. At times I’ve got so wrapped up and engulfed in the underwater world that I’ve taken a deep breath, not realising that my snorkel was now under water with me, and needless to say, I don’t have gills.

But a snorkel has 2 functions; obviously it allows you to breathe air in but it also allows you to breathe air out, and it all happens through the same plastic tube.

In Matthew 6:14-15 (NKJV) it says:

¹⁴ “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Now this verse instantly has that kind of transaction feel..... If you do this, God will do this, if you don't, then God won’t. But perhaps it's less of a transaction and more of a statement about the reality of God.

Imagine for a moment that you were snorkelling but the tube was unable to perform its 2 functions, air in & air out.... what would happen?

In this scripture, instead of it being about a transaction, is Jesus saying that the love of God that flows to you is actually flowing through the same tube that the love of God flows through you to others. And if the snorkel becomes blocked, if you refuse to forgive others then you have shut off the tube and are unable to receive love from God.

So often I’ve tried to split them; God I love you so much, forgive my sin. Give me your love. But as for that person, they really offended me. Did you see what they did to me, I got shafted. There's no way I can give them love.

If that is our attitude than perhaps we’ve shut the tube and are inhibiting the flow of God’s love to us. It’s not us and them…… and us and God.

It's us and them and God.

Is there anyone you need to forgive? Wife, husband, parent, child, old friend, work colleague, neighbour.

Take a moment right now & allow forgiveness to flow, allow the love of God to flow out of you.

Sometimes it may appear too hard, ask the Holy Spirit to help you, I know He will.

Gary Evenden

Where does your identity come from?

Sometime last year a read of a horrific murder of a super model in the United States. In an attempt to conceal her identity the killer had cut all of his victim’s fingers off and knocked all of her teeth out. The only way that the police were able to indentify her was via the serial number on her breast implants.

Now my brain works in strange ways, but as I read this article I had this thought ‘how am I indentified?’ Is it by something fake or authentic? Something of substance or is it light-weight, easily forgotten.

I believe that God has called us to live real authentic lives. To live life not behind masks of insecurity or self-doubt but to show our real selves. For many of us that is a great challenge. It is very easy to go to work, school or university and put on a fake mask, not really let people into our world. However I have found that those around us are looking for authentic relationships. Here are some thoughts;

Where does your identity come from?

Who knows ‘the real you’?

Who do you look to for acceptance?

‘Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun’ 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

Marty I'Anson