Randomly walked into the Edge Church on Australia Day (didn’t know this church existed until we drove past it and saw lots of people there, so we went in for the Sunday service). This church happened to be next to St Francis Winery Resort, where we stayed for our first night.
A New Identity (Edge Church Reynella 11am service Australia Day 2020 Ps Geoff Woodward)
Mission statement of Edge Church:
1) Know Christ
2) Be the Church: The church is the people, not the institution.
3) Serve our Community
Our identity is not confined by our geographical location.
The Spirit of God on us is the same no matter where or what culture we
are.
It's about what the Holy Spirit wants to do in the life of the church.
We have to make decisions about things we will release out of our life:
Respond now, not later.
Come and deploy. Come and be a part of the answer for another.
The church is a body of people celebrating for a divine purpose.
The speaker not here to flatter us, like we don't try to flatter our
family.
But the thing is, you incredibly matter! The speaker doesn’t think
about his retina or flatter it. He noticed it when it felt weird. Then it
became the only thing he thought about when it went wrong.
Sometimes we don't see you but when you're missing we miss you!
Scriptural reading: Joshua 2:1-11
Walking in to a new identity means it is no longer about what we used
to be, or how we are defined by others. Even though the Pharaoh called the
Israelites his “slaves”, they were no longer the slaves of Pharaoh. At this
point in the Scriptures, we see that the Israelites are:
1) The people of God.
You have not exhausted God's highlights for you in your life. Peter
walked on water. It doesn’t end here. Then he made the lame walk. Then he got
taken out of prison by the angel (Acts 12). It's not just about what had
happened to us before.
2) The people of leadership: a royal priesthood.
They are willing to represent, rather than just exposing carnal
leadership. Carnal leaders have died in the desert. They are not just to follow
Moses out but to lead others in. We are under an authority (Matthew 9): To be
lead and to lead.
3) A people of miracles.
Joshua 3:15-16. It wasn't Moses with a stick here. It is not about who
lays hands on me, but I got hands and the same power can flow through me.
4) The people of personal and public testimony.
Joshua 4:5-7. As we move along forwards, you and I aren't meant to
point at what used to happen, about a story that's hidden in the past. And it
is not just about a story of what someone else did. You have your story, so use
your story. It's not about whether it was my hands or someone else's hands that
made this sick person better, because if God really wants to do something, He
can do it through anyone He wants, and it's done by God. What matters is that
God is moving, moving the people of God along.
5) A people of fresh commitment.
Joshua 5:2-9. The people were made vulnerable when they were commanded to get circumcised. They obeyed. The only yes is not the yes
you made before, or the yes you say when you become better, but the yes you
made now. If we are willing to empty our hands, God will fill it with more than
we will ever hold. How up to date is your yes? Who will take the first
step? Not so that we can look good, but so that He can be lifted up.
As the people of God, we are to carry the message of faith, hope, and
love.
It is not about how great the program is, but about how great the
people are.
Henley Breach, Glenelg Beach.
McLaren Vale: D'arenberg (an iconic cubed architecture), Chapel Hill (a church that turned into a winery), Kay Brothers, Woodstock (a winery with an animal farm).
Mount Lofty Lighthouse.
Hahndof (German Town).
Barossa Valley: Penfolds Barossa Valley, Two Hands Wines (recommended by my cousin, who is currently studying wine business in Adelaide. Great tasting wines!), Peter Lehmann winery (the wine we used for our wedding), and Jacobs Creek visitor centre.
No comments:
Post a Comment