12 May Excuse me…I believe your hope is showing
12 May 2026
As I’ve been reading & re-reading Romans both devotionally and as our Ladies Fellowship Bible Study for the year, I’m continually amazed at how Paul sees the church of Jesus Christ…that’s us! Two critical pieces are repeated throughout the New Testament letters & Romans shows us both…so does Ephesians, but we’re seeing that on Sundays…
One of those repeated themes we see in the New Testament is what I mentioned last week, the church is not to be filled with only “people like me.” A church that is only one kind of people is missing out on part of the gospel’s call. I think we’ve missed the boat terribly in the last 30-50 years in the West by segregating ourselves into churches that are mostly all one kind of people…or by sending the kids out during worship where they never hear the songs or see people put money in the offering baskets or notice that some folks need a little help coming up for communion or getting a coffee and snack at morning tea. The New Testament grapples with how to put God’s human variety under one roof called the church who are claimed in a Oneness not their own. We share that call.
The second theme of the New Testament that is repeated over & over again is the insistence that faith leads to obedience. As Paul writes to the church in Rome, remember, he has never been there. He’s likely in Corinth at the moment working out a plan to return to Jerusalem then head to Rome. So he writes to introduce himself, to set the stage for a later visit so he can use Rome as a jumping off point to go to Spain, and to ensure that the Roman disciples of Jesus really do have a firm grasp of the gospel and its implications. It’s one thing to know something & another to have a real sense of how that “thing” is going to change your life. It’s one thing to know about Jesus or even believe in him, but as Paul writes in Romans 1:5 – Through Christ, God has given us the privilege & authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name. Other translations of that verse use the language, “to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith…”
The New Testament sees faith & obedience as interwoven & inseparable. To be a follower of Jesus, as the Bible sees it, is to live submitted to Jesus…shaping your life according to his way of living in the world. “Do what Jesus would have done with your opportunities,” is how we often talk about it. Or…as Paul writes in Ephesians, “lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.” In other words…If you say, “I believe in Jesus,” live like you mean it. So in Romans 15 Paul writes, “I pray that God, the source of hope will fill you completely with joy & peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Rom 15:13 There it is…
To be blessed at all in Christ is to be adorned with abundance: “fill you completely” Paul says. God is never stingy with his gifts. God’s blessings are never meagre. We are blessed in Christ to “overflow,” for the purpose of overflowing into the lives of others. If you’ve been blessed, it’s enough to share with someone else. The minute we hoard what’s “mine,” guard what’s “ours,” cling to what we have & refuse to “overflow” we step out of our call in Christ & slip into disobedience. There is imbedded in our being named as children of God an unavoidable call from Jesus to be super-spreaders of what he’s given to us. What a great opportunity every day to “overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” How little hope is there in our world these days & how much we have to share.
So…let’s keep learning how to do that…
- Sunday 17th May – Knowing the Why…our worship & teaching series continues through the book of Ephesians, Knowing Where you Stand – Have a look at Ephesians 6 in advance! I know I’ve mentioned that Ephesians 4, 5 & 6 are the “Take it Home” part of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Remember…Every week you should leave worship with a clear plan on how you’re going to take what you’ve experienced in worship & put it into practice somewhere during the next week. If that’s not happening…maybe we should have coffee to talk about some Spirit-led strategies. If you leave praying, “God show me what to do & make me obediently bold” and you’re serious about being obedient when God shows you something…that’s a start! We’ve been praying “Father prepare me for whatever you require today and lead me in faith wherever you call me to go. In Jesus’ Name…Amen” for the past few Sundays. I highly commend that too.
- Thursday May 14th – Ladies Fellowship 10:00 a.m. @ Sue & Trevor’s home in Settler’s Village (Romans 5! This is one of the most awesome chapters in the Bible…and that’s a BIG AWESOME)
- Saturday May 16th – LWF Prayer Morning 10:00 a.m. @ the Prenzler’s home. You know the coffee & fellowship are great, and the prayers move mountains.
- Saturday May 16th – LWF Bonfire from 2:00 p.m. until you’re ready to go home @ Jeff & Norma’s country home. We’ve got maps & directions…so please ask.
- Sunday May 24th – Pentecost Sunday! – two things…
- Wear Red
- New Worship/Teaching Series: What if God really could… Have you ever found yourself asking, “What if…?” What if I won the lottery? What if I had superpowers? What if life looked completely different? They’re fun questions to imagine. But what happens when we begin asking something deeper: What if God really could…? What if God really could make you brave when fear takes over? What if he really could make you strong when life feels overwhelming? What if he really could forgive your past, set you free, and use your life for something greater? These aren’t just hopeful ideas or hypothetical questions. They’re questions that sit at the very heart of the Christian faith. Join us as we explore what God can do in and through ordinary people—and discover that with God, “what if” can become reality.
- Tuesday May 26th – We’ve been asked to provide a meal for the Campus Christian Fellowship again. The sign-up sheet is ready for you! Thank you in advance!
- Saturday June 20th – We’re hosting a Regional Gathering for our gospel co-workers in the CrossLink Christian Network. From about 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. we’ll have about 20 people from around NSW gathered to pray, worship, learn & catch God’s vision for his church moving into the next years of life together as a Network. Some of our guests will be staying over & worshipping with us on Sunday the 21st…our 13th birthday! I still marvel at how God continues to bless us!
Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday!
John
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