Your LG leaders will let you know all the details!
Once again we were challenged and encouraged by Jesus’ teaching. In this passage Jesus deals with the case for marriage, the ground for divorce, and the option of celibacy for the Kingdom, you can listen to the sermon here.
On Nov 28th we will be having a ‘Baby Dedication Sunday’.
These Sundays are very special to us as a church as we set aside time to thank God for the lives of our children and dedicate ourselves and our child(ren) to the things of the Lord.
So please mark your calendars and plan to join us. If you have a child you’d like to dedicate and Riley hasn’t contacted you, please send him an email at rs@sgparra.org.au
Psalm 127:3 - ‘Behold children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.’
This Sunday there’ll be the chance to grab some gospel centered presents/resources for kids. They’ll be on sale before and after the service.
Also, I’ve got a big box of new SG Parra shirts - so if yours needs replacing, or you don’t yet have one, come and grab a new one! (Stock is limited!)
Remember, if you are on KIDS or WELCOMING you need to wear your shirt please :)
What a great joy it was to regather on Sunday! It was so good to see each other and worship together for the first time in nearly 5 months!
Thank you for being flexible in our new venue, for all the help you put in to make it happen, and for your joy and enthusiasm in returning!
We took time on Sunday to know our history and story by looking at the Reformation. The catch-cry of the Reformation is just as relevant today and we ought never take it for granted! You can listen to the sermon here: www.sgparra.org.au/sermons
- Sola Sciptura –Bible Alone
- Sola Gratia – Grace Alone
- Sola Fide – Faith Alone
- Solus Christus – Christ Alone
- Soli Deo Gloria – To The Glory of God Alone
As the reformers would say: justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone to the glory of God alone!
As promised, here is the quote from Luther from when he realized what Romans 1:16-17 really meant, that I skipped in the sermon:
“My situation was that, although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner troubled in conscience, and I had no confidence that my merit would assuage him. Therefore I did not love a just and angry God, but rather hated and murmured against him. Yet I clung to the dear Paul and had a great yearning to know what he meant. Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that “the just shall live by his faith.” Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before the “justice of God” had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven. . .”
Martin Luther:
We are back with Life Groups this week! Your LG leaders will send you all the information you need for your Zoom meeting!
This Sunday during our prayer time we are going to break into small groups to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ. This day is coordinated by Open Doors, an incredible organisation founded by Brother Andrew as he went about delivering bibles across the iron curtain into Soviet Russia in 1955. You can watch their story here.
I cannot wait to pray with you on Sunday!
“If we understood the potential power of our prayers, we would be on our knees
a hundred times a day asking God for things that would turn the world upside down.”Brother Andrew, founder of Open Doors.
Prayer Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKX2pX8SBEw
The Australian Christian Lobby is currently running a campaign to distribute 500,000 copies of Luke’s Gospel across Australia and are looking for thousands of volunteers to help make this happen.
Personally, I have signed up and if it interests you then go to the ACL website and register as a volunteer.
The distribution will be sometime from Sat, 20 Nov – Tue, 7 Dec
You will join a field team and will receive all instructions from ACL. I joined the Western Sydney team and the Epping Team, because i didn’t know exactly which one would be best for us as a family.
Sign up here: https://www.acl.org.au/volunteer
Let me know if you are doing it so that we can touch base! I’d love to think that our little church can be involved in this free and easy way of taking the gospel to households across Sydney!
As everyone gets pumped for Halloween, I want to encourage you to get pumped for thinking about the Reformation!
A couple of Reformation resources to get you ready for Reformation Day on Sunday!
1) Luther Documentary
Ligonier Ministries, the ministry founded by the late R.C. Sproul is offering a free streaming of their documentary, “Luther” this month!
I encourage you to take some time to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VK0p-tuuao
2) Here We Stand - Podcasts:
Desiring God has put together 31 mini (6 minute) biographies of known and unknown heroes of the Reformation. I have found them deeply encouraging and very enjoyable: https://www.desiringgod.org/here-we-stand
3) Michael Reeves - The Unquenchable Flame
I had the privilege of sitting under Dr Reeves as he passionately lectured on the Reformation, it was life-changing. His book is just like his lectures, I highly recommend it!
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B01C9KZ058/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It is a great joy to announce that this Sunday we will be in-person at Northmead Anglican Church!
Here are all the details:
Time: 2.30pm (we need to fit in around there other 3 services!)
Venue: NAC is a large church venue, with ample room for our service, and heaps of rooms for SG Kids!
Address: 6 Thomas St, Northmead
Parking: You can park on Thomas st and Lombard st. Be mindful it is a residential street and so please leave room around driveways.
Coffee: Yes! we will be doing coffee and there will also be hospitality and snacks after the service, so prepare to stay and hang out!
SG Kids: We will be running a full SG kids program! Presently we are asking only fully vaccinated kids leaders to serve as we transition back into normal life.
COVID: Please check in to Northmead Anglican via the QR Codes, masks to be worn inside, no singing indoors or in SG Kids, please stay home if unwell.
Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns!
