Want to know more about joining our church family?

Our Term 2 Starting Point course is coming up, please register to let us know you are coming so that we can have the materials ready for you. Register at www.sgparra.org.au/startingpoint

Starting Point is our pre-membership course the enables you to study our doctrine, practices, and distinctives so that you can prayerfully determine whether God is leading you to join us.

It will be a 7 week course on Sunday’s before church,

Starting Date: Sunday 2nd May

Time: 8:45am, there’ll be coffee!

Commitment: It is a 7 week course that works best if you attend each week. We will end our time together with a dinner, if possible. After that, there is no pressure to join our church

Recently we have added in a few new songs to help us sing old truths in a new way.

Last week we added a hymn which rejoices in God’s wide reaching saving plan, “Let the Nations Be Glad” by Matt Boswell (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy8ZD9BBu4s) . It is based off Psalm 67:4, and is a plea for God to use us to see His word go out to all peoples!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.

This week we are introducing another City Alight song,  “Christ is Mine Forevermore”, a beautiful song by City Alight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roQovDZeAWE) .

You can watch a video from the song writer to hear the song story here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7Kd2Gi4-jA) .

It’s a song designed to help us reflect on how hard it is to follow Jesus with our sins, sorrows, and persecution; and then to glory in the amazing truth that no matter what we have Jesus! Read the lyrics here as a poem, and let them sit with you and stir your soul.

Christ Is Mine Forevermore

Verse 1

Mine are days that God has numbered
I was made to walk with Him
Yet I look for worldly treasure
And forsake the King of kings

Chorus 1

But mine is hope in my Redeemer
Though I fall His love is sure
For Christ has paid for every failing
I am His forevermore

Verse 2

Mine are tears in times of sorrow
Darkness not yet understood
Through the valley I must travel
Where I see no earthly good

Chorus 2

But mine is peace that flows from heaven
And the strength in times of need
I know my pain will not be wasted
Christ completes His work in me

Verse 3

Mine are days here as a stranger
Pilgrim on a narrow way
One with Christ I will encounter
Harm and hatred for His name

Chorus 3

But mine is armour for this battle
Strong enough to last the war
And He has said He will deliver
Safely to the golden shore

Chorus 4

And mine are keys to Zion city
Where beside the King I walk
For there my heart has found its treasure
Christ is mine forevermore

Bridge

Come rejoice now O my soul
For His love is my reward
Fear is gone and hope is sure
Christ is mine forevermore

We look forward to welcoming in a number of new members this Sunday!

We can’t wait to gather again to know, apply, and proclaim the gospel in our smaller groups!

Is family/household worship a category for you? I recently came across this article on The Gospel Coalition website: Someone Will Catechize Your Kids in 2021. Don’t Outsource It, and thought that it would be helpful to share more broadly. It is particularly geared to families with kids but the ideas could be transferred to married couples, and even single households.

Note: Catechize means “to teach or instruct” and overtime has come to mean more formally , “to teach/instruct a student in the Christian faith through formalised statement/creed/confessions”. This has often been done through a rigorous memorisation question and answer format (e.g. Heidelberg Catechism, Westminster Catechism: Question 1: “What is the chief end of man? Answer: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.)

This may all be very new to you, as it is to me, but for all of church history there has been an emphasis on rigorous education of children and new believers in the faith, and perhaps we are missing a trick by not learning from our forebears. (For some resources: https://reformers.com.au/blogs/reformers-blog/reformers-recommends-a-guide-to-catechisms-for-family-worship)

It begins:

Catechesis is not just an option you can take or leave. Because someone will catechize your children. Maybe it will be your church. But how much time does your child spend there each week? Maybe it will be their school. You know public schools want to shape your children into a certain kind of person. No matter how hard you may try to shield your children, the world will attempt to catechize them. Children’s books teaching the values of expressive individualism will end up in your house, and you won’t even know how they got there. You won’t be able to block out every Disney movie and every top 40 song. Even if you could, you’d probably have an easier time keeping outside air out of your house than thinking your children won’t be catechized by the world.

Someone will catechize your children. So don’t outsource it in 2021.

When you realize your duty to catechize your children, you’ll soon learn the delight of this privilege. The joy doesn’t come in guaranteeing your children will walk in all the ways of the Lord. It comes in knowing you’ve helped to lay a foundation of biblical truth that will support your family’s faith no matter what may come.

Some questions to consider:

1) What type of Christian man or woman do I want my child(ren) to become?

2) Is our current teaching/lifestyle going to achieve that?

3) What might we need to change in our family worship?

“We deeply want a revival of domestic religion. . . . The Christian family was the bulwark of godliness in the days of the Puritans, but in these evil times hundreds of families of so-called Christians have no family worship . . . and no wholesome instruction or discipline. . . . How can we hope to see the kingdom of our Lord advance when his own disciples do not teach his gospel to their own sons and daughters?” —Charles Spurgeon

This Friday, I encourage you to consider fasting from food (if possible) to grow in your hunger for God!

Let’s be tugging on the Lord’s robe and giving Him no rest as we cry out for Revival in our hearts, our homes, our church, and our city!

Use Isaiah 64 as your guide and then come to Mission Prayer Night and break the fast together!

Worship and Prayer Night’s are back this Friday!

7pm @ Sharon and Bijoy's

Dinner = Sharon and Bijoy's Biryani (Let’s break our fast together!)

Address = won’t post it here online but just ask me for it!

On Sunday we had the joy of having Louis Baron preach for us on Isaiah 64

“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—” Isa 64:1

We saw that revival is when God comes down in order to manifest His power; to flex His almighty authority. And it has great effects firstly inside the church for christians (repentance, faith, joy, power) and then to unbelievers in the church (salvation) and then works out to other churches and the area in general!

We seek revival not to get bigger or have an epic experience, but so that God would be glorified and seen as the glorious one that He is! That His enemies would bow the knee, that His followers would truly follow, and that he would be enjoyed!

And so, as we seek revival, how should we pray? Louis gave us 5 exhortations from the passage!

1. Humble Prayer v.6

2. Headlock Prayer v.8-12

3. Hopeful Prayer v.3, 4, 5

4. Habitual Prayer v.7

5. Hungry Prayer v.1

It was a great morning! Let’s be crying out to God to revive us and move amongst us in a new and all the more powerful way! It will be messy and confronting…but good!

Every year we partner with ICM (International Care Ministries) to help support their work with the Ultra-Poor in the Philippines. One way we can stay up to date and connected with their ministry is to go to their annual dinner.

It promises to be a great night with a fun auction and heart warming stories. It is an opportunity to hear how ICM innovated, adapted, and continued to help those in ultra-poverty throughout the past year.

Arbie and Lavinia Magno will be going along and are organising a table with our sister church at Wahroonga! Please contact Arbie to book a table!

You can watch a video of their recent work here: https://vimeo.com/527176258

When: 4th of June

Time: 7:00 PM till late

Where: Aqua Luna Waterfront Dining 

Cost: $120 pp or $960 for a table of 8

Dress Code: Cocktail & Business attire

This Sunday, we will be welcoming in Louis Baron to serve us from the pulpit. Louis is a friend of mine, a passionate follower of Jesus, loves His people, and constantly stirs my affections for the Lord!