DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT: FELLOWSHIP WITH US

There isn’t much better in this life than finding a way to spend a few hours in conversation with people you respect and love. You have to carve this time out of your life because you aren’t really living without it. Real Live Preacher.
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I John 1:1-3 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

One definition of Fellowship is; “a group of people who share common interests, goals, ~experiences, or views.” John had this in mind when he wrote these verses; he wanted all of us to know that as Christians we have a common faith (Titus 1:4), a common grace of God in Christ Jesus (1 Cor 1:9), a common indwelling of the Spirit (Rom 8:9-11), common gifts of the Spirit (Rom 15:27), and a common enemy (1Pet 5:8).

It never ceases to amaze me that the Lord Jesus came as a common MAN, who spoke the common LANGUAGE to common PEOPLE, that they may understand the common MESSAGE… He was cruelly crucified on the cross that we might be saved! He rose again that we might have a new life!

All of this that we may have fellowship with the almighty God! We who have received Him are truly blessed!

Loving Father, I truly thank you thank you that I have fellowship with you and the Lord Jesus and His followers, through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ wonderful name! Amen.

THE NEED FOR ENCOURAGEMENT.

Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. --William Arthur Ward

All around us there are copious needs for encouragement and the Church should be the one place where encouragement should always be found. Many people who are in the background of the Church and who think they have very little to do, are an important part of the kingdom. They need to realise that they have been given the ministry of encouragement. There is far too many who seem to believe they have a ministry of discouragement. They always see the difficulties. For them, every silver lining has a cloud, but this is what should typify true encouragers…

1. Encouragers put the needs of others first.

A. They serve others...
Matt 20:25-28 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

B. They endeavour to meet others needs…

Phil 2:1-4 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Mamie Adams always went to a branch post office in her town because the postal employees there were friendly. She went there to buy stamps just before Christmas one year and the lines were particularly long. Someone pointed out that there was no need to wait in line because there was a stamp machine in the lobby. "I know," said Mamie, 'but the machine won't ask me about my arthritis."

2. Encouragers need to have a heart like Jesus’.

A. He had compassion on people…
Matt 9:36-38 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

B. He cared for those that no one else did…

Luke 5:29-32 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

When the wife of missionary Adoniram Judson told him that a newspaper article likened him to some of the apostles, Judson replied, "I do not want to be like a Paul...or any mere man. I want to be like Christ...I want to follow Him only, copy His teachings, drink in His Spirit, and place my feet in His footprints...Oh, to be more like Christ!"

The ministry of encouragement does not involve great personal gifts of speech, or musical talent, it can be done by anyone who will simply try to see those around them through the eyes of Jesus. There is a great need for people who will lift up rather than put down. It is a gift that we all must cultivate, or many who are oppressed will be ground into the dust.

God bless you and yours,
John

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENTS

I loved this so much I needed to post it...
From William MacDonald's devotional, One Day at a Time, offered by The Berean Call:

January 26: "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John:11

We must not think of love as an uncontrollable, unpredictable emotion. We are commanded to love, and this would be quite impossible if love were some elusive, sporadic sensation, coming as unaccountably as a common cold. Love does involve the emotions but it is more a matter of the will than of the emotions.We must also guard against the notion that love is confined to a world of dream castles with little relation to the nitty-gritty of everyday life.

For every hour of moonlight and roses, there are weeks of mops and dirty dishes. In other words, love is intensely practical. For instance, when a plate of bananas is passed at the table and one has black spots, love takes that one. Love cleans the washbasin and bathtub after using them. Love replaces papertowels when the supply is gone so that the next person will not be inconvenienced.

Love puts out the lights when they are not in use. It picks up the crumpled Kleenex instead of walking over it. It replaces the gas and oil after using a borrowed car. Love empties the garbage without being asked. It doesn't keep people waiting. It serves others before self. It takes a squalling baby out so as not to disturb the meeting. Love speaks loudly so that the deaf can hear. And love works in order to have the means to share with others...

"Love has a hem to its garment

That reaches right down to the dust

It can reach the stains of the streets and lanes,

And because it can, it must.

It dare not rest on the mountain;

It must go down to the vale;

For it cannot find its fullness of mind

Till it kindles the lives that fail."

God bless you and yours,

John

UPDATE ON BABY JORDAN

BABY JORDAN RECEIVES A HEART!
Statement from Jeff and Sadaf Trimarchi
We are so happy to announce that a donor heart became available for our baby Jordan on Wednesday, January 26, 2005. Jordan underwent cardiac transplant surgery yesterday evening, beginning at approximately 7:00 p.m. and lasting roughly four and a half hours. Dr. Quaegebeur, who performed the transplant, appeared at 11:30 p.m. and stated that "the [new] heart is working well." He also cautioned that "we are not out of the woods yet," because transplant surgery is very complicated, requiring extensive recovery and constant monitoring.
However, he assured us that we're off to a good start!

We cannot begin to thank the Doctors, Nurses and the rest of the wonderful people at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York Presbyterian. They do their miracle work with compassion and understanding in the best facility we have ever seen. We are so grateful that Jordan was, and continues to be, in their incredible care.Please take time to think about and pray for the precious baby who passed away and whose parents were so generous to donate his or her organs so that our baby could have a chance to live. We do not have any information whatsoever about the donor - but we would love to make contact with the parents so that we could communicate our infinite gratitude to them. We pray this baby rests in peace and that this gesture of life brings his or her parents some measure of solace, and comfort.

We passed a significant hurdle yesterday - we were told that finding a donor heart to match little Jordan was so unlikely. Getting that matching heart to Jordan was another enormous accomplishment, and a credit to the transplant team and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). It will not be an easy journey from here – Jordan still has a tremendous amount of recovery ahead of him - but we are willing to travel a road of broken glass on our hands and knees to give Jordan the best life possible. After all he’s been through, he deserves it.We would love to talk to all of you who gave us so much support and love during these difficult times. In time, we will contact all of you and communicate our gratitude. We hope you are all able to see our beautiful little boy grow up into an amazing man.Finally, we will not stop our mission of spreading the word about organ donation.

We urge you to continue to help us communicate this message so that other families may feel the joy of hearing that a donor organ is available … and cry tears of happiness, as their loved one gets a second chance at life.You will hear more from us soon. We thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers - we have no doubt they, along with the Doctors and staff at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, are responsible for the miracle we received today.Love, Jeff, Sadaf and Baby Jordan

AUSTRALIA DAY!

Yesterday was Australia Day and it was a public Holiday. On January 26, 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip celebrated the first Australia Day with his fellow officers when they "drank the King's health and success to the settlement". And we did it in different ways: at picnics, at concerts, at pubs, in restaurants, backyards and in the loungeroom in front of the TV watching the tennis or cricket.

As for me and my family, it was so good just to relax and have a barbeque, but at the same time I was thanking the Lord for bringing Jean and I to this country in 1970, when we were so young (I was 26, Jean 25, Meg 3 and Bonnie 2, and Jeannie and Janet were added on the way).

It was tough at first having to leave our family and friends in Scotland but we did it. We soon made new friends and a new life, but it wasn't until we got saved that our lives really became new and the Lord Jesus has brought so many good things into being... 2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

I give all the Glory to the Lord on behalf of my family and yesterday just reminded me of the importance of Christ in our lives.

God bless you and your's,
John

TIME TO EXPERIENCE OUR IMPROVEMENT

In his book… Folk Psalms of Faith, Ray Stedman tells a story of a woman who had been a school teacher for 25 years. When she heard about a job that would mean a promotion, she applied for the position. However, someone who had been teaching for only one year was hired instead. She went to the principal and asked why. The principal responded, "I'm sorry, but you haven't had 25 years of experience as you claim; you've had only one year's experience 25 times." During that whole time the teacher had not improved.

This is truly a tragic story and one that I am sure we as Christians do not want said about us.

How can we improve so that our experience is constantly improving? Here are some principles that I believe will help us…

1. Develop a lifestyle of PRAYER.

By looking to God in Dependence and acknowledging how much we need Him. Let us express our dependence to Him. Heb 4:16 So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.(TLB)

2. Develop a lifestyle of STUDY.

By looking in God's Word for Direction, finding counsel and guidance from the Holy Spirit. Ps 119:105 Your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead of me and keep me from stumbling. (TLB) Let us make it a priority of knowing God through the Word. 2 Tim 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (NIV)

3. Develop a lifestyle of FAITH.

By looking at our world with God's Perspective and believing God is at work in our lives. Responding to His truth through obedience. Heb 11:1 What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead. (TLB) Heb 11:6 You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.(TLB)

4. Develop a lifestyle of EVANGELISM.

By looking around for God-given Opportunities, sharing God's grace with those He brings into our lives and opportunities, by being examples in our walk of faith. 2 Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (NIV)
2 Pet 3:9 He isn't really being slow about his promised return, even though it sometimes seems that way. But he is waiting, for the good reason that he is not willing that any should perish, and he is giving more time for sinners to repent. (TLB)

This exhortation is to improve in our experience so let us strive to improve in these principles, knowing God gives us the grace and knowledge of Jesus to do so. Improve!

God Bless you and yours.

PRAY FOR BABY JORDAN

Help Save A Baby
http://www.jordanzane.com/Our baby Jordan was born at 4:48 p.m. on Tuesday, January 18, 2005. He was 7 pounds 12 ounces and 19 inches long. We spent 18 incredible hours with him - he was alert, Sadaf was breastfeeding him every two hours, and there was no indication that anything was wrong. Then a nurse at the hospital noticed his breathing pattern was distressed. He was taken in for examination by the hospital pediatrician.

Shortly thereafter our perfect world came crashing down.We found out that Jordan had a very large and very rare tumor inside his heart. The tumor measured 3.5cm in a heart the size of a walnut. He was immediately transfered to Columbia Presbyterian Children's Hospital in New York City, which is considered the best in the country. They performed open-heart surgery on Friday, January 21st. Unfortunately, they were not able to remove the entire tumor, and portions of it are interfereing with his heart's ability to pump blood effectively to sustain his tiny body.

At this point a transplant is the only option to help save him.* A donor heart can come from a baby up to 15 pounds and across all blood types.* There is a 4-7 hour window to get the heart from the donor to the recipient - so there is a limited geographical area in which to search.

We're asking people to get this message out - our hope is that we can convince someone to donate their baby's organs who normally wouldn't. There is already a very small chance of finding him a donor - we are just trying to increase his chance as much as possible.We can be contacted at jeff.trimarchi@verizon.net.

Please keep our baby boy in your thoughts and prayers!
Love, Jeff & Sadaf

WINNING THE LOST!

Here are some principles on winning the lost for Jesus that may be of interest to you.

Our Lord Jesus Christ made it clear that the Primary Purpose of His coming, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension was the Salvation of Mankind.

He left Heaven for the Purpose of Saving the Lost…
Ø Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
Ø 1 Tim 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-- of whom I am the worst.

To Be Lost is --- to be Destined For A Christless Eternity.

• Luke 13:24-28 "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' "Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’” But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!' "There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out.

Our Saviour's Greatest Passion is the winning of the lost --- the Greatest Need of every lost person is to be saved. …
Ø Winning the lost at any cost is to be the Supreme Business of every Christian.
Ø This is the Lord's Purpose, Plan, and Program for every Christian.
Ø Prov 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

But, How Are We To Win Souls?
1. Recognise That Winning The Lost To The Saviour Is Your Life’s Work.
Ø John 20:21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

2. Place Yourself At The Disposal of Our Lord.
Ø Mark 1:17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
Ø God is not interested in your ABILITY --- He is interested in your AVAILABILITY.

3. Trust The Lord To Use You In His Own Way And Time.
Ø Gen 24:27 saying,” Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives."

4. Ask Him To Show You What To Do…
1. We must PLAN to win souls:
2. Make a list of those whom you would win.
3. Pray regularly for them.
4. Seek contact with them.
5. Be interested in their interests.
6. Keep on keeping on until they are won.

5. Always Remember That You Are Only An Instrument In His Hands…
Ø 1 Cor 3:7-8 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labour.

Lord, lay some soul upon my heart

And love that soul through me.

Help me that I may do my part

To win that soul to Thee.

God Bless you and Your's,

John

WHY WORRY?

• That's the secret to life... replace one worry with another.... Charlie Brown in Peanuts
  
  I was watching to Edward De Bono on television today and he was talking about simplicity and how business and governments need to set up departments for making things simple.
  
  It started me thinking about my life as a Christian and the need to simplify, in order not to confuse people who enquire about Christianity. As an example, it absolutely amazes me that whenever I go into a bookshop, I see so many books concerning WORRY… rows upon rows of self-help on how to avoid worry and some of them are very pricey! (Especially to a Scotsman!) Even in Christian Bookshops I see the same thing; it astounds me that so many people are charging us a lot of money to teach us something that was taught about in the Bible thousands of years ago!
  
  Many years ago, I got rid of a lot of my reference books, and started concentrating on the teachings of Jesus, because it was confusing to say the least, that so many people complicate the Gospel, in fact it was distracting me from Him and no doubt I was distracting others.
  
  I find his teaching so easy to understand and yet so many people try to turn them into some kind of intellectual exercise. Jesus came as a common man, lived as common person, spoke the common language and turned religious thinking on its head...
  
  Matt 6:25-34
  Ø "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
  
  Ø Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
  
  Ø Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
  
  Ø "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin.
  
  Ø Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these.
  
  Ø If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
  
  Ø So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
  
  Ø For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
  
  Ø But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
  
  Ø Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (NIV)
  
  Let’s simplify our walk with Him and live the way He wants us to, by listening to what He says.
  
  God Bless you and yours,
  John

AN OPEN INVITATION!

"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamour of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people." --- Martin Luther King Jr

What a tremendous statement! This is so close to my heart... if only Christians would stand up and declare their love for Jesus and His creation, then we would not have the apalling situations that we have today... let's be "World Changers!"

The motto we have at our Church... North Gold Coast Christian Church, is “Come as you are… you’ll be loved!”

How to have a relationship with Jesus
No one has ever impacted the world like Jesus of Nazareth. He is without doubt unique in world history. Others have been famous, Alexander, Napoleon and Einstein but no other one person has changed history like Jesus. Even the date on your computer gives witness to the fact that Jesus lived on earth a little over 2000 years ago.

Here at the North Gold Coast Christian Church we believe that not only did He change history but He also can change your life. He’s not to be reserved for the history books because He lives today, not only unique and famous but exactly what He claimed to be… The Son of God.

Each member of our church enjoys a relationship with Jesus. We have experienced His forgiveness, love, peace, joy and power in our lives. We know His presence in worship, prayer, and bible study and through friendship with one another. Each day as we live in His presence we discover that Jesus is indeed... "The way the Truth and the Life" -John 14:6, and we invite you to do the same - live in His presence!

Our Church family is built upon four main truths about Jesus-

1. Jesus is our Saviour.
All of us are sinful, we have all done wrong and this separates us from our creator God. This sin deserves punishment, but when Jesus died upon the cross He took our punishment, He became sin for us, He became our rescuer, our Saviour. Jesus Christ God’s one and only Son died a cruel death so that you and I could be forgiven. Through Jesus alone can we know God and experience His love and power. As sinners (people who have sinned) we must respond to this truth by asking Jesus to forgive us of our sin and through simple faith, receive Him into our lives as Saviour and Lord.

2. Jesus is our Healer.
Jesus is interested in every area of our lives; He wants to meet us where our needs are and to be present in our circumstances. The Bible tells us many stories of Jesus healing people physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually and today is no different. So long as Jesus lives, Jesus heals. At the NGCCC we pray for the sick, recognising that it is Jesus alone who heals.

3. Jesus is our Baptiser.
When Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, He did not leave us alone. He gave His Holy Spirit to be our helper and companion in the Christian life. Jesus wants each of us to experience the power and fellowship of the Holy Spirit in our lives. By asking Jesus to baptise (empower) us with the Holy Spirit, we are asking Him to fill every area of our lives and make us a more useful member of His church.

4. Jesus is our Coming King.
Jesus won the victory on the cross once and for all, Satan is a defeated enemy and the final destruction of all evil will come when Jesus returns again. The first time Jesus came to earth was as a baby in a manger, but on His Second Coming He will return as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The New Testament tells us He will return in glory and gather His people into the Heavenly Kingdom He is preparing for them. As a Bible-believing Church, we believe Jesus is like a Bridegroom returning for His bride, the Church, and we must not only be ready but desire His return.

You too, can have a relationship with Jesus today. Below is a prayer that if prayed sincerely from your heart will help you discover Jesus for yourself, in agreement with His Word…

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. - Rom 10:9-10.

“Lord Jesus, I thank you for dying on the cross for my sins, forgive me for my sins, fill me with your Holy Spirit. I open the door of my heart and receive you as my Lord and personal Saviour. Help me to follow you all the days of my life, in your mighty name I pray. Amen"

If you have prayed this prayer from your heart, then according to God’s word, the Bible, you are a new creation, a Christian, a child of God. We would love to hear from you if you prayed this prayer, or if you would like to find out more about the Christian faith. All of us at the NGCCC would love to see you as part of God's family. johntbrown1@bigpond.com


Your’s in Christian love,

Pastors John & Jean Brown