This week we continued our series 'Devoted'. We jumped ahead this week to look at the last part of our focus verse for this series, Acts 2:42, which focussed on how the early church devoted itself to prayer. (Next week for our Easter Sunday service we will consider how the early church grew by devoting themselves to the breaking of bread which in turn helped them to remember Christ!)

Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 

As a church we know that God is at the centre of our community and prayer is our way of communicating with Him. Key to this communication is that we know we have shared goals underpinned by loving relationship. 

Matthew 18:20 tells us that:
Where two or three people gather in my name, I am there with them.

As we pray we are speaking with God and the one whom we love and who loves us. As we keep this principle central to our prayers lives, it ensures that our prayers are expressions of love, appreciation and praise. Whilst we can certainly pray and ask God to act on our behalf in different ways - if our prayers are focussed on only wanting things from God and complaining to Him this is not the basis for a true relationship. Prayers of gratitude, thanks and praise should flow from the nature of our relationship with Him. 

As we ask God for help in times of need, we acknowledge that He is sovereign over all. We recognise that we don't have all the answers or power to deal with every situation but we know that He is the one who is able to make changes happen and is always ready to offer the forgiveness we so deeply need.

As we live our lives in a constant cycle of Prayer - Listen - Respond - Act/Obey by the power of the Holy Spirit we move beyond anxiety to peace and freedom in Christ.

Join us next Sunday at 10am for our Easter services as we finish our 'Devoted' Series. There will be an encouraging message, a kids program and a time to feel welcome and connect over a coffee and morning tea.

God Bless
​Pastor Greg

Last week we launched our theme for the year 'Grow' from Colossians 2:6-7.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
 
Over the next month we are exploring as a Church the things that we can be intentional about to see each of us grow in our Christian walk and grow as a church. Our focus passage for this series 'Devoted' is from Acts 2:42 which gives us insight into the growth of the early church

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

This passage tell us that the  the new believers devoted themselves to certain things. The word devoted in that verse is often translated as continued steadfast and can also mean - to join, to adhere to, to be ready, to give attention to, to be faithful, to be fully committed to, to continue to do something with intense effort, to keep on, to persist in. This devotion was something that affected and governed their whole life, it wasn’t a quick or casual act.
 
The first thing they did was that they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. They were eager to hear the things that Jesus had taught and which the Holy Spirit was now instructing the apostles to share with the people. They listened over and over, they memorised this teaching and they shared it with others around them.
 
We too will grow by devoting ourselves to the word of God. As we do this we will discover a clearer picture of who God is and how He has revealed Himself through scripture.
 
In this message we explore the importance of reading and meditating on the Bible and the need to be systematic in our studying of it. We are challenged too that ultimately, we need to do more than just study - we need to obey, and to put into practice all that God tells us through His word. And we need to share God’s word with others. In this way we will grow spiritually and God’s kingdom will grow as we lead others to Him. 


​God Bless
​Pastor Margo