eNews - 25th November 2022

The saying is, 'A week is a long time in politics'... it is also seems to a long time in church life too!

This time last week I was excited to share the news that we were preparing to move Night Church to the Mount Cook School Hall this coming Sunday. It seemed to be an unexpected answer to years of prayer and planning since we first laid eyes on the Tory Street Hall.

The only thing that was left to do was collect the keys!

Then everything changed.

Four days before our first Night Church in the new hall an email from the school principal arrived. It said that their management team had decided that a church using the hall was 'not the right fit' for the school. I will let you work out what that means!

We were gutted.

It does feel like a very Daniel moment where wisdom and tact are require to find the right way forward. How fitting it is that we happen to be studying this part of the Bible at this time!

In Chapter 2 when Daniel is facing death because of the rage of the king it says he spoke with 'wisdom and tact'. In Chapter 6, when Daniel was confronted with the law against praying to his any other gods he responded with calm obedience to his God. He continued to pray just as he had always done. We should do the same.

So will you join with me in praying?

Praying for the school principal, the management team and the school community that they would come to know the love and grace of God in Christ.

Praying for ourselves that we will not be discouraged or bitter but use this moment to respond in a way that honours Jesus.

And continue to pray for a new venue for Night Church, that we would look back and see God's hand at work as he provides just the right place for us to continue to proclaim Christ and his kingdom to those who desperately need to hear.

As Paul writes in Philippians 4,

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Grace & peace,
Andrew

eNews - 18th November 2022

We've got some great news of answered prayer to share!

Since we first laid eyes on our Ministry Hub at 176 Tory Street we have been praying for a good relationship to develop with Mount Cook School which is immediately next door. It appears that God has been answering that prayer!

Recently we've been in discussions with the new school principal about using their excellent hall as a new home Night Church. For most of this year Night Church has been at max capacity and is long overdue a new venue if we are going to continue to welcome more people into our church whanau.

This week we reached an agreement with the school to use their hall for Night Church! Praise God!

This will double the capacity as well as having much nicer kitchen and bathroom facilities. It's proximity to the Ministry Hub also means we're not going to lose people in the move to next door.

We're planning the first Night Church to be in Mt Cook School Hall on Sunday 27th November at 6pm. In addition to this we have also penciled in Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services in the school hall with the kids programme on Christmas Day able to run in the Ministry Hub next door.

There is still plenty to work through (like convincing the school to get more than 30 chairs!) and final confirmation to be signed off but we're thankful and excited for this answer to prayer and chance welcome more people into Night Church to hear the great news about Jesus.

Grace & peace,
Andrew

eNews - 11th November 2022

Have you had a copernican revolution? Every follower of Jesus really should have one!

And no, it's not a new craft beer or cafe or dance move. It's not even the latest Christian fad like the 'Toronto Blessing' or new discipleship programme or 'silver bullet' evangelistic course that will turn the tide of mission.

The original copernican revolution began when Polish (shout out to Lily Bannister!) astronomer and mathematician, Nicolaus Copernicus, first proposed that it was the sun, not the earth, that was the centre of the solar system. Up until that point everyone (with the exception of Philolaus in the 5th century BC) had thought that the earth was the centre of everything.

This discovery turned the astronomic and scientific world on its head and marked the start of a broader Scientific Revolution that set the foundations of modern science.

So why should every Christian have a copernican revolution?

Now I am not assuming you believe the sun orbits the earth but every single one of us, by our nature, assume that we are the centre of the universe. That life is all about us, our success and comfort and happiness.

When we encounter the good news of Jesus it is possible for us to stop short of fulling grasping what it means for us.

Yes, Christ died in our place for our sins so that we can be forgiven and experience eternal life with God.
Yes, living in line with God's will as revealed in his Word is the best way for us to live in his world.
Yes, being gathered together with brothers in sisters in Christ is a great blessing, to belong to a new community of redeemed sinners to walk alongside through the journey of life.

It is possible to leave the gospel there and fail to fully grasp what it means, to no have the full copernican revolution.

See the gospel pushes further, it reveals to us that we are not the centre of the universe but that Jesus, God the Son is the focal point of all history.
The gospel reveals to us that God and other people are not here to meet my needs and provide for my happiness but that I am made to serve the creator God and his people above my own comforts and desires.

The gospel reveals, as the song says,

"This life I live is not my own
For my redeemer paid the price
He took it to be his alone
To be his treasure and his prize
The things of earth I leave behind
To live in worship of my King
His is the right to rule my life
Mine is the joy to live for him"

We see the revolution in Romans 12:1, "I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship."

Have you, through the gospel, come to grips with the reality that the universe doesn't revolve around you? Have you, through the gospel, come to realise that your life belongs to God and is to be lived in services of God and his kingdom?

So, have you had a copernican revolution? Every follower of Jesus really should have one!

Grace & peace,
Andrew

eNews - 4th November 2022

This is a time of year where we spend a lot of time celebrating. Christmas, New Years, graduations, end of exams, team achievements, my birthday 😉.

When it comes time to celebrate, we can do it in two very different ways. Each way says something about our heart.

We can celebrate what we have achieved and what we have done. We can celebrate who we are and what's great about us. But when we celebrate like this we've overlooking something very significant and we're going to being to sound a bit like King Nebuchadnezzar from Daniel chapter 4.

"He said, ‘Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?’" (Dan 4:30)

As we saw a few weeks back, this way of celebrating robs God. It steals the glory and honour that belongs to him. We have nothing and don't achieve anything but for the loving, gracious and sovereign provision of the creator God.

So when we celebrate, we ought to do it in a way that thanks, praises and honours God, the giver of every good gift. And this isn't just something we do with our lips but is an overflow of our heart. A heart that has been captivated by God and humbled by the gospel.

This Sunday we are celebrating our birthday as a church. It will be a great chance, not to pat one another on the back, but to give God thanks and honour and praise for what he has done as he has multiplied and matured wholehearted followers of Jesus! And we will pray that he continues to do this work through us so that there will be hundreds and thousands of people in Wellington who are moved from death to life through faith in Jesus.

As Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

Grace & peace,
Andrew