The Lamb of God
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CHURCH NEWS - April 2017
The Lamb of God
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God.”
(Revelation 5:9-10a)
Easter is a central time in the life of the church- perhaps because at Easter we remember, the precise events that took place in human history for God to bring rebellious people back to himself. The book of revelation reminds us of, among other things, the meaning of Easter in its own wild way. In Revelation 4-5 John describing a vision of an open heaven, reveals that God the father is seated on a throne and is holding a scroll that is sealed in his right hand. “Who is worthy to open the scroll, he asks?” To which heaven and earth is silent for a moment. John weeps at the fact that no one can be found to open the scroll. But then John is consoled- there is one who is worthy. John expected someone mighty and powerful- but instead the one who appears is a wounded lamb. Those present fall and worship the lamb, they start to sing the words that appear above. This wounded lamb of course- is the messiah. This wounded lamb is alive and he has purchased people from every tribe and tongue- that they might be a kingdom of priests.
Grace and peace from Marcus
Welcome to Good Friday and Easter Sunday
Today we remember Christ died to sin on the cross, and we celebrate that he rose from the dead, and that we were with him (Romans 6:3-8). Christ liberated us from the power of dominating sin into a new eternal life of grace.
Petina’s Visit: 23rd April
Petina is our cross-cultural worker in Thailand with Global Interaction. She will be visiting us to tell us more about developing her new language skills with her “Communities of Faith”.
Riverstone Festival: 13th May from 9am
To make the most of our opportunity to be Christ’s presence in our community we need to devote ourselves to prayer (Colossians 4:2-6). Please prayerfully consider how you can be effective for him this year.
Soiree Mothers Day High Tea: 6th May at 2pm
Please bring your favourite tea cup and a $5 per person donation, RSVP Karen or via the Facebook Event
Church Camp: 27-29th October
You are invited to join us at our church camp at Lutanda Yarramundi, 35 minutes from Riverstone. Bible study and practical discussions on “Living in Christ”, awesome accommodation, great food, games room and outdoor activities (including canoeing, archery and a Flying Fox).
May Mission Month
This year we will be having fun raising money for three of our missionaries:
- Steve and Sandra Parsons work with the Church Missionary Society (CMS), sharing Christ with the lost people of Japan. Steven is the business manager of TEAM Japan and Sandra as the Christian Academy manager.
- Steve Frost who works with Horizons Community Legal Centre, a not-for-profit Christian legal service. He expresses God’s grace clearly and practically in our local community by helping disadvantaged people who can't access a lawyer.
- Juliet Galiwango, National Director (Uganda) of New Hope International. She travels around the country providing support and help to Christian schools. She shares their vision is to bring hope to developing countries through Christian education and community development.
May Mission Night: 27 May at 5:30pm
For fun, a sausage sizzling dinner and the famous Silent Auction
Prayer Meeting
Please join us before each Sunday morning service at 9:15 am near the kitchen to pray for our service and kid’s ministries, our home groups, Bridge Café, church growth and the Riverstone community.
Bible Study & Prayer Group
We welcome you to join us in a small group to build long-lasting friendships and to grow together in Christ.
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
1 John 3:16
Regular Ministries of our Church
Bible Study and Prayer Groups - If you are looking to join a group please contact Marcus
Children's Ministries - Play Date, The Ark, WAVES, JAM Time
Stone Fish Youth - Years 6-12, Friday nights, 7-9pm at the church
Sermon Recordings - missed a service? download them for free from our website.
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Stand Firm
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain. - 1 Corinthians 15:58
This verse begins with the word therefore, and whenever we see this word in scripture we must, according to Rick Warren ask- what is it there for? Well; Paul has just finished arguing for the resurrection. The resurrection of Christ is on the one hand, and then the hope of resurrection for those in Christ, on the other. Paul says; because of the resurrection of Jesus and our hope in him and indeed because of his victory over death itself everything is different and because everything is different Paul says; “stand firm”. Don’t get distracted. Don’t lose heart. Don’t let your faith give way- stand firm on the fact that Jesus is raised, making him King of all, and giving us an invisible hope in Him. Don’t let anything shake you Paul says. Instead give yourself fully to the work of the Lord.
This is a wonderful encouragement. If Jesus is raised from the dead, then any other task, any other god (lower case “g”), is not worthy of our time or energy what matters most is the “work of the Lord”. What is this work- anything we might do to the glory of God of course; but surely right at the guts of that work is the work of making disciples of the King. The death conquering King. We are to give ourselves fully to that work- why because such work is of eternal value- it is not in vain. Jesus was raised from the dead. So let’s be a people who give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord.
Grace and peace from Marcus
