Newlife Anglican Church, Oran Park

Johns Gospel: Hungry for food that lasts

Jesus feeding the five thousand is arguably one of the more memorable miracles found throughout the scriptures. Seeing the simple needs of the many in front of him, Jesus turns a boys small barley loaves and fish into more than enough food to feed the multitude - and of course not only in measure, but abundance.

Lead Pastor Stuart Starr continues the joy-giving, abundance showering, narrative of Jesus’ ministry on Earth that we find in Johns Gospel. John’s account continually reveals just how transformative Jesus was in the lives of anyone who was able to draw near to him. The Jews, (and many Gentiles), would have been intimately aware of the connection that Jesus was making with himself and the manna that God provided to their ancestors, and in doing so, opened their minds to the reality of who Jesus claimed he was.

The problem was of course, the Jews were awaiting a Messiah that would save them from the economic, political and physical oppression of Caesar. Jesus came to show them the reality of the Kingdom of God, and a much bigger understanding of who the Father is. He came to show them that life is not just about "living through subsistence", but that life in Jesus was "Joy in abundance". John’s account of the Feeding of the Five Thousand is another beautiful example of how Jesus broke down the spiritual powers that blinded the people of his day by unfolding what was real. So what do we crave? What is it we relish? Are we seeking military conquest and political power? Are we seeking abundance and affluence in our physical homes? Meditate on this as you listen to Stuart. Are we disappointed when Jesus doesn’t fix the immediate problems/trials in our lives? What are we really seeking from God?

Listen with us, and allow God to show you how we can discern between what is eternal, and what spoils. Peek beneath the surface to see the difference between the kingdom of men, and the Kingdom of God. Allow yourself to be open to God showing you lasting and eternal life, true hope, true comfort, true assurance, true food and true freedom in His son - simply by receiving him.

 

[bible passage="Exodus 16:1-36" heading="h3"]

 

[bible passage="John 6:25-58" heading="h3"]

Johns Gospel: Samaritans and Salvation

For the last few weeks, we’ve listed to John’s expansive and enlightening Gospel writings. We’ve listened as John expands the creation poem found in Genesis, by taking our own image of a physical creation and our own spiritual concepts of an invisible God, and revealing that the very nature of God was not just before all creation, but in all and through all. He then illustrates how Jesus’ involvement in a wedding broke apart common spiritual practices and rituals, to show us that life is a celebration and that it is all a gift - not something that we can ever earn by following a set of litigious rules and practices. John then spoke of the meeting held in the still of the night between Nicodemus and Jesus, which heralded an entirely new way people could come to God, by fracturing the way people understood the natural division between Jews and Gentiles.

There is a “oneness” throughout his teachings. A “oneness” of body and spirit. A “oneness” of Jew and Gentile. A “Oneness” of the Divine and man.

This teaching essentially challenged the very idea of who was in and who was out. Who was in God’s graces, and who wasn’t. And now we see the story of the encounter of the Samaritan woman meeting Jesus at Jacob’s well.

Senior Assistant Pastor Geoff Leader continues working through our “John’s Gospel” series, by opening up John 4 and Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. He connects the real human need of thirst with desire, and relationship with acceptance, showing us how Jesus repeatedly broke down man-made barriers of race, creed and religion. Geoff continues unravelling John’s Gospel by revealing to us how meeting with God is possible without the constraints of location, religion or identity, by showing us how God always meets us on our own level.

For his original listeners, John’s account would have been hard to hear. It was fundamentally a brand new way of living, that challenged the religious leaders and powers, that again redefined their religious and spiritual concepts of what it meant to be human. Could they trust such a subversively, radical new idea? "Could this be the Messiah?"

 

[bible passage="Genesis 33" heading="h3"]

 

[bible passage="John 4:1-42" heading="h3"]

Johns Gospel: Missing the Messiah

Reading through John's gospel, you can easily be forgiven for simply reading it as a series of unrelated stories and accounts. An introduction of who Jesus is, the introduction of his ministry on Earth, and now a celebration at a local wedding. But John's gospel account is anything but that. What you will begin to see while you meditate on it, is that just below the surface, within the subtext, there are more layers.

For years Christians have fiercely debated that the very nature of humanity isn't simply "survival of the fittest", and that our lives aren't only “eat, sleep and repeat”. But how do you emphasise the joyousness and the fullness of life in relationship with the Father, to those who haven't experienced it themselves?

John’s audience would be intimately familiar with the legalistic ceremonial cleaning rituals, as well as the significance of water being central to life and health. The ancient stories in their bones of their liberation from Egypt, where Yahweh turned the water in the Nile to blood would certainly not have been lost on them either. Remarkably, Jesus highlights the danger and futility within “ritual” itself by showing us that ritual is pointless unless it leads to “knowing”, and that central to our humanity is something more joyous than simply “existing”. How many of us are caught focusing on the ritual without seeing the truth?

Jesus turns water into wine to show us that life is a celebration - and that it is here for us to have now, and given in abundance. Find out, as Lead Pastor Stuart Starr brings us this new message from John 2, why humanity can’t thrive on bread and water alone, but by having abundance in Christ.

 

[bible passage="Mark 7:1-12" heading="h3"]

 

[bible passage="John 2:1-11" heading="h3"]

Johns Gospel: The Word and The Witness

What does the Divine look like? What form does the Everlasting take? How do you wrap your mind around an invisible and infinite God who is beyond our reach of understanding? How do you - without science and all the data and analysis and hypothesis that come with it - write about something that is beyond words that no one witnessed?

John begins with a poem.

This wonderfully, lyrically, meaningfully written poem, to its original readers, shattered their concept of a God who was somewhere else - and showed them a beautiful image of a God whose very heart was relational and unconditionally love. It revealed to them a God who was more interested in the affairs of people - even in their suffering - than they had known. And it showed them that the Light and the Hope of the world had been revealed, and was being revealed in their very midst.

At the time when Rome had conquered the known world and “gods” lived in kingdoms and palaces of exuberance and luxury and power, John revealed to his audience a different kingdom of hope and love and truth and a new way of understanding what it meant to be human. He revealed the intimacy of the One who created the whole universe.

Allow the scriptures to infiltrate your heart and open your mind to the power of the Word as Lead Pastor Stuart Starr brings us the first in the new series. John.

 

 

[bible passage="Genesis 1" heading="h3"]

 

[bible passage="John 1:1-18" heading="h3"]

Stirrings of the Soul: NewLife in Every Home

How we perceive our environment, and the world around us is fundamental to the Christian life. The stories in the Bible often tell of a transformative God - One who continually pulls humanity out of itself to see a bigger picture and a larger perspective of the world and humanity. So, how do we move from our own viewpoint and frame of reference, to a God-size view of the world when we are stuck folding laundry, dropping kids off at school and paying the water and electricity bills?

We don’t need a new a new perspective, we need a new heart. A new heart allows us to live life with more vitality. It fuels our passion to implore others to be reconciled to God. It leads us to Gods heart, through reconciliation.

Join with us as Lead Pastor Stuart Starr leads us on the transformational journey of the heart, through the last chapter in the sermon series, Stirrings of the Soul.

 

[bible passage="2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2" heading="h3"]

 

[bible passage="John 10:1-18" heading="h3"]

Stirrings of the Soul: Aligning our Hearts with His

How we meet with God, and when we meet with Him, plays an important role in our lives as disciples of Christ. In fact, meeting with God in our quietness, away from the busyness and distraction of the routine of life, helps us to be more aware and attuned to the greater world around us. It can quickly open our eyes to the suffering of the world and the pain in the lives of those near us. Meeting with God can quite often break our hearts.

Unlike the pain of a broken relationship, or a failed business venture, the pain of a broken heart due to meeting with God is somewhat different. His gentle whispers and the quiet stirrings breaks us in a way that actually lead to real change, not only in our lives, but in the lives of those around us.

For thousands of years, God has been using man's brokenness to move humanity forward and lead more people to Him. He revealed what he could of Himself to Moses in the cleft of a mountain. He reveled Himself in Jesus, who continually revealed himself to his disciples, changing their lives, and insomuch changed the whole world. He continues to reveal Himself to us, so He might be known to all.

Listen to Senior Assistant Pastor Geoff Leader, as he recounts how God has stirred him to work with meeting the needs of those who have a lot less throughout Africa, and be stirred to respond to how we can be beacons for Christ in our own neighbourhood.

 

[bible passage="Isaiah 40:1-11" heading="h3"]

 

[bible passage="Mark 6:30-45" heading="h3"]

Stirrings of the Soul: God reveals His Glory

The stories and accounts in prophetic writings like Revelation, often paint the ‘Glory of God’ with metaphor and images like fire and brilliance and intensity. They reveal a spiritual truth that is synonymous with power and justice. However, much of the New Testament writings are stark in comparison to these images.

How God reveals His Glory to us, and what it look like, is a question that that all Christians, like the Apostles sought. The Apostles had lived, ate and walked the same path as Jesus for a number of years, yet in one moment on a mountain top, alone with Him, their eyes were opened to the truth of who the Christ really is.

The account of the Transfiguration of Jesus was a vivid revelation that the Kingdom of God is at hand and just beyond our site.

Guest speaker Stuart Grant challenges us to seek God’s Glory in the quiet places, ‘on top of the mountain’. He asks us to stop and be still in God’s presence, to be impacted the same way that the Apostles were impacted by the Transfiguration. And he invites us to allow God to use the pain and suffering we all face to be used to reveal more of Himself.

 

[bible passage="Isaiah 40:1-11" heading="h3"]

 

[bible passage="Mark 6:30-45" heading="h3"]

Stirrings of the Soul: You are there

The idea of a God who is omnipresent - everywhere all the time - is hard to grasp for some people. A God who sees all and hears the tiniest whispers of your heart can be a little unnerving. Where can you go to hide from a God like this?

Psalm 139 is a beautifully written composition of David’s expression of the Infinite. Whereas some people choose to look back on their life through their own perspective, David reveals the beauty of reflecting through life through God’s lens - free from personal bias and pride.

Join us as Lead Pastor Stuart Starr as he unpacks this beautiful poem.

 

[bible passage=“Psalm 139" heading="h3"]

The Gift (John 3:16)

Our past can be forgiven. Our present can be managed and our Future can be guaranteed.

Christmas Message (Luke 2:1-21)