We had a short Christmas service today as we paused to remember the birth of Jesus, followed by morning tea with plenty of Christmas food to eat.

Have a blessed, peaceful and holy Christmas.

Julie today shared from Phil 2:6-13 around communion. We saw how Jesus surrendered His life and gave His will over to the Father and was obedient even to the point of death. One man who was completely, totally and utterly surrendered to God’s will for His life changed the world. Just like Jesus, we are called to surrender and commit ourselves totally to the will of the Father. It is only when we are totally surrendered that God gives us the have strength for the fight, the victory and helps us to win the battle. If we’re not surrendered we’re fighting in our own strength and end up in the wrong place.

Alan then shared from Gen 28:10-17 on what God wants for the church. God wants the church to be a place where the presence of God dwells. A place where the natural intersects with the supernatural. The church is the gate of heaven (Gen 28:17).
Isaiah 56:1-12 describes the church. In Isaiah 56:7, God gives us joy in the house of the Lord. Absence from the house of prayer robs you of the joy of the Lord. When we come into the house of prayer, we can bring 3 sacrifices that are acceptable to God:
1. Sacrifice of praise (Heb 13:15)
2. Our bodies (Rom 12:2)
3. Offerings (Phil 4:18), the material things we give to God.

The church should be a house of payer (Mat 21:12-15). The first thing that Satan attacks when he is trying to tear down the church is the prayer base.
If it is a house of prayer, it will become a house of power. If you want to see the power, then you have to get into prayer, reach out, touch heaven and see God’s power released and outworked. If God is moving powerfully by His spirit, people will be drawn like moths to a light.

Be a house of prayer. Let God’s power be released through you. Allow His spirit to enable you.

We then had a small presentation for Alan and Sue as part of their final Sunday with us. We pray for God’s blessings, strength, wisdom and discernment for them both as they move into the next season of their lives.

Alan today talked about grace and truth. In John 1:17, we see that grace and truth came through Jesus. In Eph 2:4-10, it is by grace, through faith, that we are saved. Grace is the unmerited favour of God. It is divine influence and enabling. All that we have is by the grace of God. It is not our ability, or anything we’ve done, but grace.
In John 8:21-32 Jesus says that the truth will set you free. But the truth will only set you free if you apply it. The bible is truth. Don’t just get the scriptures in your head, they need to be in your heart to set you free.
Seek the presence of God. Seek the revelation of the scriptures that the Holy Spirit gives you. Then apply that. If you are going to walk in the truth, then you need to walk in the Holy Spirit.
In John 5:39-40, Jesus says to love the scriptures because they bring you to Jesus.
2 Cor 3:6-18 If we allow ourselves to be bound up in the law, our hearts remain veiled to the gospel. Get a revelation from God that its ok to be who you are. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is no bondage from laws, there is freedom.
The truth of God’s word, the influence and direction of the Holy Spirit enables us to be who we are. Allow the Holy Spirit to influence, lead, guide and express the nature of God through our personality. A spirit filled church is a church that is walking in the Spirit, being free (true freedom) and bringing grace and truth.

Have a great week. Walk in the freedom that Christ won for us at Calvary.

Alan today preached from 2 Cor 1:20. We are to take God’s positive view of things. Faith looks at pain fro a positive perspective. God wants us to rise above it, and stand firm.
In 2 Cor 1:18 it tells us that God is faithful. Joshua 21:45 tells us that all of God’s promises to Israel were fulfilled.
If we pray in accordance with God’s will, the answer will always be yes and amen. Always.
When we pray in God’s will, we can believe that God will bless it. When we know that God has spoken to us, we can stand on that.
Conditions to walk in God’s will:
1.Don’t walk in sin. Jesus took away sin. We acknowledge that Jesus fulfills all the requirements for our blessing.
2. In Christ we have an authority over the realm that God has given to us. We need to understand the extent that God has given to us His authority.
Amen means that we agree with God.
Find out God’s point of view in the circumstances and situations you find yourself in.
See things from God’s perspective, then you can say amen to God’s word.
Sometimes we get sucked into circumstances and we don’t understand. But God may be sweeping you along so He can put you in a better place. It’s in this place where you need to surrender to God, and just allow Him to take you where He wants you to go.
Speak words that agree with God in the circumstances.

Faith confronts the doubts. Abraham confronted the fact that his body was past the age of childbearing. But he came to the point where he came into agreement with God and spoke out that agreement.

Surrendering to God is the only way we can come into agreement with God.
Deep within, the Spirit man rises up and chooses to believe God. Not the outer man, but the inner man.
Then God makes us, helps us, or causes us, to stand firm. Let the inner man rise up, come into agreement with God and say amen to what God wants.

Have a great week. Stand firm. Come into agreement with God. And surrender to Him. Allow Him to work in your life the way He wants to.