'“Hotspots” – they are places of exceptional connection or reception or as we are discovering in Melbourne at this time, places of increased transmission. What if you could become a “hotspot” for the gospel? What would make your life exceptionally connected or receptive to God’s working in your world or increase your capacity to transmit the good news of Jesus to someone else? Discipleship is an intentional journey in grace where we seek to walk Jesus’ way and become more like him each day. The behaviours of faith: prayer, reading the Bible, relating to & serving others, and generosity are more than just rote rituals, but are shaped by the depth of love we have received & the breadth of trust we offer in return. The practice of these behaviours is how the Holy Spirit transforms you into a “hotspot” for the gospel. Faith formed prayer opens your life not to more “answers” from God but more intimacy with him and more obedience in return. As Jesus prayed and immediately turned his life to the Father’s will, you too become more aligned with God’s work in this world through you. We’ll explore and experience Faith Formed Prayer today.
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THEME VERSE:
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9b-10
REMEMBER THIS
Prayer brings us into the presence of a loving Father who aligns us with his will and involves us in his life-shaping purposes. There is nothing more important, dangerous, or strengthening than prayer. For it is both life forming and life transforming.
'There's a plan in everything, and I love it when a plan comes together.' So said Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith, a fictional television and movie character in the 'A Team'. Throughout the book of Ruth, a rescue mission has been underway, Lives were at risk. Names will be lost. But God was putting together a local rescue effort that would be crucial in his global rescue operation to save the world he loves. We'll explore that today as we conclude the story of Ruth and see God bring blessing from bitterness and fulfilment from emptiness; it's a story of loving kindness that is repeated in your life and then continues through you.
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THEME VERSE:
“Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. Ruth 4:14a
REMEMBER THIS
It takes a child to renew a life, to open the future and join past and future together to make sense of the present. That child is Jesus and he alone can transform bitterness to blessing and emptiness to fulfilment in your life. He invites you to be part of his Kingdom plan coming together for the world, to reclaim and bring blessing to every lost, bitter and empty life.
FAITH TALK
1. How might God be using you to rescue and bring his redeeming grace to others?
“Swipe right.” In the code language of dating apps, that means “I’m interested!” or “I approve”. It’s the preferred mode of putting yourself out there for many Australians wanting to look for a partner, a relationship, fulfilment in life. It requires vulnerability, an openness to the future and hopefulness rather than despair. There’s a whole lot of swiping right in Ruth 3 as we see the mood change, hopefulness return, and the willingness to be vulnerable in order to receive the greatest promise and blessing of all - Redemption; a new beginning and a new future. We’ll experience that same ‘Sweetness of Redemption” today!
#3 in series: The Sweetness of Redemption - From Bitterness to Blessing
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THEME VERSE
“But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it.” Ruth 3:13c
REMEMBER THIS WEEK
Jesus is willing to redeem, protect and clothe with righteousness all who are willing to lay their lives at his feet.
FAITH TALK
1. In your current circumstances, in what part of your life has God been teaching you to risk more?
Filthy Rich & Homeless – it’s a televised social experiment where some wealthy people give up their luxury cars, expensive clothes and big safe secure mansions to live for 10 days among the homeless. While it opens eyes/hearts/wallets on behalf of the homeless among us; for the well-heeled “reality” participants, it’s a short-term gig. They eventually go back to where they came from…high-paying work, expansive lifestyles, filthy rich & privileged. But for Ruth & Naomi, there was no such luxury. Every day was a new risk. Every day was a struggle to find food, shelter, and safety. Every day their future was a wager between life and death. But every day was also a new opportunity in God’s grace. That’s what we’ll discover today – an extravagant kindness shown to us in the most desperate times that brings fullness from our desolation and blessing from our bitterness
#2 in series: The Sweetness of Redemption
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THEME VERSE:
“Why have I found such favour in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?” Ruth 2:10
REMEMBER THIS WEEK
Grace is restorative. Every act of grace in community, brings people to an awareness and experience of the blessing of God.
Sometimes every hope is destroyed, every dream shattered and every plan is crushed. Sometimes life goes to ruin in an instant. Sometimes we walk away from the very blessings before us. But in those moments when you wonder if God has forgotten you or even intentionally stepped on your heart, God has not left you to crumble on your own. He is still holding you, leading you, working in you for his glory. In the very worst of times, we discover the mystery of God’s mercy at work to bring fullness from our desolation and blessing from our bitterness. We’ll explore that together and over the next 4 weeks as we experience the ‘Sweetness of Redemption’ from the book of Ruth as God leads us from Bitterness to Blessing.
Part 1 of series in the Book of Ruth: Sweetness of Redemption
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THEME VERSE:
Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Ruth 1:16
REMEMBER THIS WEEK
Even in the midst of dark, difficult, and chaotic times, God is with us; working behind the scenes in the lives of his people to bring redemption, blessing and joy.
Sleepless nights. Tossing and turning. Endless going over the playbook of what could be or not be or which direction to go or not go. Feeling raw, vulnerable. In tears. Begging for clarity…answers…peace. Sound familiar? All of these are signs that you’ve been in a wrestling match. It can be a struggle, uncomfortable and incredibly painful. But don’t give up. In the struggle, there is growth. In the wrestling, there is blessing. In weakness, there is real power.That’s what Jacob discovered and we pray, you will also discover today as we hold on and never let go.
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THEME VERSE:
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Genesis 32:26
REMEMBER THIS WEEK
There is blessing in the wrestling. Hold on to Jesus and don't ever let go, for you may just end the night with a renewed faith and as the sun rises, find yourself a transformed person!
Everything we set our hand to gets old. Working from home and home-schooling was a new adventure to begin with but now has become draining. The social isolation measures are no longer fun. The endless Zoom meetings have lost their appeal. The TikTok videos of people fooling around in lockdown or the watching of countless films has started to grow wearisome. Everything new becomes old. Fad after fad, challenge after challenge leaves us thirsty and wanting more, as the epidemic of boredom and routine sets in. To those caught in this cycle, who keep finding themselves back where they started with no meaning, no power, no life, Jesus offers an invitation to come to him and receive his life. It's a life that never gets old - renewing, restoring, revitalising and recreating day after day, satisfying your heart and empowering you to move together in the Spirit to bring his life-transforming grace to the world.
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#7 in series: Move Together
THEME VERSE:
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:37b-38
REMEMBER THIS WEEK
Jesus did not promise just a trickle or a stream, he promised a river. The Holy Spirit is like a mighty rushing river in us…that strengthens, gifts and sends us out into a dangerous world together to be a powerful force; bringing God’s life, God’s grace and forgiveness and God’s empowering Spirit to all who are thirsty.
It's the buzzword of 2020 - the "new normal". It's a phrase that is repeated countless times as people recognise that COVID-19 has changed life as we know it and a 'new normal' is needed to live by. But have things really changed that much? The same thing that has always paralysed people, discouraged people, robbed them of courage and hope, and caused worldviews to shrink is still present and controlling lives across the globe. It's called fear. But God has already called us to a new normal through the resurrection of his Son Jesus. It's a life of boldness that comes from trusting in the amazing work of his grace that has and will be accomplished in us and through us. Suffering will not stop his transforming work. Circumstances don't limit his ability to redeem and restore. His hand holds you, his love strengthens you, his mercy sustains you, his compassion cares for you and his power is in you enabling us to move together with boldness until we share in the fullness of his victory and eternal glory. We’ll celebrate that today.
#6 in series: Move Together
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THEME VERSE
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10
REMEMBER THIS WEEK
In times of suffering, you are never alone. God not only cares for your deepest anxieties but he has overcome them all so your ‘new normal’ can be living boldly in his name. Whatever you face, the Lord will restore, empower, strengthen and establish you. That’s his promise.
“It’s not fair!” Said every child to every parent ever. How many times has that been said over the last six weeks as freedoms have been curtailed? How many people have uttered those words as Centerlink informs them they are not eligible for Job seeker or Job keeper. How many business owners have responded this way as some business are allowed to remain open while their own doors are shut? And every parent everywhere has said in reply: Life’s not fair. We know it…We live in a world that is not fair; where some seem to always draw the short straw…get the worst of a deal…lose out…get tripped up…It’s not fair.
But instead of complaining about life’s unfairness, Peter point to the unfairness of grace. It wasn’t fair that Christ suffered and died. It wasn’t fair that it cost Christ everything. But he willingly drew the short straw so we would get the benefit and blessing from the unfairness dealt to him. In a world that is harsh at the best of times, among people who will often turn their worst against your best, Jesus calls us to MOVE TOGETHER IN GRACE to bring grace to all as he brought grace to us.
#5 in Series; Move Together
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THEME VERSE:
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18
REMEMBER THIS WEEK
Grace is never fair. God gives it to the undeserving. But it’s grace alone that saves. It’s grace alone that equips us to move together as his chosen people, returning kindness for insult, patience for rudeness, love for indifference. It’s grace alone that has the final word; that transforms us…and others.