We also begin our 'Romans' series so come along. We look forward to seeing you there.

Proverbs 29:18 says 'Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint'. At GBC we want to be restrained to the 'mission' that God has called us to. Come along and be part of Vision Sunday 2011 and see and hear what God has called us to as a church.

We would love to welcome you to one of our services so please drop in some time, say hi and 'explore' life with us.

God Bless

Pastor Matt.

As I have been preparing for this week's message and thinking about the nature of a covenant it has got me thinking about the different kinds of ‘covenants’ that we enter into all the time. It also got me thinking about the ‘value’ in a person's ‘agreement’ these days.

I have a sneaking suspicion that a person’s ‘word’ and ‘commitment’ is generally not as meaningful as it once was. There use to be a saying ‘my word is my bond’ - or in other words, ‘my word is my guarantee’.

I am not sure about you, but it is my experience that promises seem easily broken these days. I have been let down on numerous occasions by people who have agreed to do something, given me their word that it would be done, and then still not delivered on their commitment. I must admit, I have been guilty of doing this as well. I would suggest that none of us are innocent in this area.

It would seem that we too often make excuses to justify our reasons for breaking our commitments: “I got too busy”; “I was too tired”, “I thought I could deliver, but I just couldn’t” … whatever the excuse we often want to justify our behavior rather than taking responsibility for the times when we break our word … our ‘agreement’.

In Old Testament times, if people entered into a covenant, the consequence for breaking the covenant were very serious. It is my encouragement as we think about the ‘doctrine of covenant’ this week that we take the opportunity to think about our own integrity when we give someone our ‘word’, when we make a commitment. James 5:12 tells us not to ‘swear by anything’, rather, simply ‘let your yes be yes and your no be no’. Words matter. Your agreements and your commitments matter. I would recommend if you can’t commit to something say no. If you say yes … deliver!

JESUS IS ALIVE! After He was crucified, his death was verified by a Roman centurion. Jesus was taken down from the cross, wrapped in approximately 40kg of swaddling cloth, laid in a tomb which was sealed with a massive boulder … with Roman guards placed outside to make sure no body accessed the tomb.
Jesus was dead. If the beatings and the cross did not kill him, being suffocated by 40kg of swaddling, three days in an air tight tomb with no food or water would have killed him - Jesus died!
However, three days later, the tomb was empty! Jesus, over the next 40 days appeared to Mary, Peter and all of the other disciples, including up to 500 people at one time. He did miracles. Thomas, who doubted put his own hands in the holes where Jesus was crucified. JESUS ROSE AGAIN!

JESUS IS ALIVE! If Jesus is not alive, there is no hope. If Jesus is not alive there is no salvation from sin and death. If Jesus is not alive you are not a Christian and you have no chance at relationship with God.
JESUS IS ALIVE! It is true. It is real. The question you should be asking today is not “Is Jesus alive?” - He is. The question you should be asking is “Do I believe and accept that Jesus is Alive?” If so, the next question you need to ask is “Do I worship Him as God, as my Lord and my Saviour?”

“Jesus is alive,
He is alive indeed;
It is because He is alive,
that I have been set free.”

I love the scene, Jesus riding into town on a donkey, being welcomed and praised, and the religious people come and tell Jesus to stop the people from praising him. Jesus’ reply is awesome: “If they do not praise, the rocks themselves will cry out” - Jesus was a fan of Rock Music! (Ok, well probably not).
Amazingly, the very same people who welcomed Jesus with shouts of praise and adoration in one gathering, were the same people who five days later in a different gathering abandoned him, denied him and yelled “crucify him”.

It makes me think we are not much different. In the ‘gathering’ on Sundays we join the chorus of people praising our God. Our words come easily - maybe even cheaply. But what about Monday? What about Wednesday? Saturday?

When we are in our ‘non religious’ church gatherings during the week, when life is pressing, when work and family are testing us and we are surrounded by people who deny Him, do our actions meet up with our words? Do we worship Jesus with our lives, or do we deny Him, abandon Him, forget about Him… only to be remembered again on Sunday?

This is a real challenge for each of us. It is not intended to be a guilt trip, rather, a not so gentle reminder that none of us are immune to ‘Palm-Sunday-itis’.

It is important for us to worship God on Sundays with our words and with our ‘hearts’, but ultimately words are cheap and meaningless if our lives do not match our words during the week when we are not in ‘the gathering’. Praise the Lord he is gracious and merciful and as we trust in Him and wait on Him, by His Holy Spirit we are being changed from ‘glory to glory’- small victory, to small victory.

I think it was particularly helpful the way Mark articulated leadership as being influence - that is one person or organisations’ ability to influence another person or group of people. I also thought that a ‘gold nugget’ from Mark was that ‘spiritual leadership’ is about moving people from their own agenda to Gods’ agenda.
Mark Chapple was going to be here with us again today, but unfortunately he has had to remain at his church for various reasons. We will however continue thinking about leadership today and return to our Doctrine series next Sunday.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind you all that our AGM is this coming Wednesday night, 16 March at 7:30pm. I would like to encourage (influence) as many of you as possible to attend the meeting. We have a range of information we need to discuss, and we have one particularly exciting piece of information that we will be sharing at the meeting.

God is absolutely doing wonderful things in our midst here at GBC. There are also some challenges. It would be wonderful to see you at the meeting and for us to be able to partner and journey together as God’s people here in the Lower Blue Mountains and specifically the family of GBC.
Have a wonderful week, and remember keep your eyes firmly fixed on Jesus!

There are also a number of families in our church family and attached to our church family in one way or another who are hurting and processing the loss of loved ones. I know that personally I have officiated three funerals in the last three weeks and our men’s bible study have also grieved the loss of a dearly loved member.
Our GBC Annual General Meeting is coming up in less than two weeks where we will look back over the year of 2010 in more detail seeing how we went on budget, looking at reports of what God has been doing in our midst through the various ministries that run through GBC as well as looking to the future on decisions that need to be made and directions we need to head.

There is no doubt, we are in the thick of the battle right now. We are experiencing incredible victories and seeing wonderful growth. We are also experiencing our share of challenges.
I would urge us all to recognise that we are in a battle. The word tells us that if we want to follow Jesus we must take up our cross and follow Him in all circumstances. The word also tells us that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities.

We have much to celebrate, but there is also much work to be done for the sake of the gospel. I would like to encourage you and ask you all to commit to prayer at this time as we continue to seek to be faithful to the Lord’s leading here at GBC.

• For all those affected by the disasters in Japan and that the ongoing help might bring glory to God.
• For the continued work following the disasters in Queensland and Christchurch.
• For Pauline Golder’s safety while serving amidst the unrest in her region of Burkina Faso, West Africa and the difficulties of intermittent electricity in a hot unpleasant climate.
• That our Lord would use Revive 2011 to inspire a new generation of pastors and Christian leaders to mobilise and lead the gospel charge in and through our Baptist churches to impact our nation for Jesus.
• That Revive 2011 will bring refreshment and energy to our people and open our eyes to what is happening through our movement of churches. May we be a people united not by a common name but by a common commitment to the mission of Jesus.
• For Matt Neufeld who is giving a lecture on 19th April. Pray for grace with the audience and that the training will bear fruit of people wanting to pursue closer and healed relationships with their families. Pray for a hunger for healing and that they might find the Prince of Peace through the process of seeking peace. Pray against the spiritual warfare that is happening with Matt’s work for an orphanage.

Today in church we are looking at the second of a two part series on creation as part of our doctrine series. Specifically we will be looking at the fact that human beings have been made by God and additionally that human beings have been made in His image and likeness.

In a world where varying belief systems are plenty when it comes to spirituality, it is increasingly important that as Christians we seek to be informed and understand not only what we believe but also why we believe it and the implications of those beliefs for our lives and the lives of those around us.

It is my continuing prayer for all of us here at GBC that what we do on Sunday will not terminate on itself as an ‘event’ we simply attend, but rather that our time together on Sundays would be an integral part of preparing us and energizing us to live as effective and passionate ambassadors and worshippers of Jesus Christ through out the week in our day to day lives.

God Bless everyone, have a wonderful week.

I have enjoyed reading through Genesis, Luke and Acts. I have also enjoyed knowing that there are many people doing the same thing at the same time. Remember, the Bible Reading Program is not intended to be a chore. It is a privilege to be able to take time out in the word of God and allow Him through the Scriptures and by His Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to us. Remember, God is a God who reveals himself!

If you have not been doing the bible reading program, it’s not too late to start. The bookmarks for March and April are out in the foyer and ready for people to collect. My encouragement would be to start in March and don’t worry about the reading you have missed. You will end up back there eventually.

I would also like to inform you all that next weekend the Elders and I will be away on retreat. We feel it is important to start the year off in prayer and seeking God’s leading, as well as taking some time out for strategic planning.

That means that we will not be at church next week. I have organized a special guest preacher, but I can’t tell you who it is … it’s a surprise!
Have a great week everyone. Remember, stay connected to the Vine! Jesus Said: “I am the vine and you are the branches”.

It has been a very challenging week for many of us. And for many of us a tough week lies ahead. Facing three funerals this week, including facilitating the funeral of a 14 year old girl who passed away on Friday from Leukaemia, as well as the day to day challenges of ministry I am feeling pressed from every side, and if I am honest a little overwhelmed.

It’s in these moments, in these seasons of life that our Doctrine - what we believe to be true about the character and nature of God come to the fore and are put to the test.

“The name of the LORD is a fortified tower;the righteous run to it and are safe.(Proverbs18:10)
“Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16)

There are some wonderful promises regarding our awesome Lord found in just those verses alone. How much more the Lord reveals about Himself in all of Scripture. I cling to Doctrine as my lifeline. Who God claims to be, who He has revealed Himself to be is all we have as comfort in a broken world. Again I encourage you to allow the Word of God and the presence of God the Holy Spirit to be your strength, your comfort and your joy - whether the sun is shining down on you or the road is marked with suffering - BLESSED BE HIS NAME!

I believe that 2011 will be no different. The challenge for us is to keep our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus and not allow ourselves to become distracted or complacent. I am convinced that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is as potent today as it has ever been. God is still a missionary God. God is still a saving God. God is an unchanging, holy, merciful and just God. I believe that the harvest is still plentiful but that the workers are still few. Jesus’ command to His church remains the same: “Pray to the Lord of the harvest for workers” and “go … make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit”

I believe whole heartedly that Jesus’ command to His church remains the same. Additionally, I equally believe that His promise to His church remains the same - that promise being that as we obey him, as we ‘go’ Jesus promised that “surely I will be with you ”

We have an exciting year ahead. The Lord of the harvest is searching the earth looking for faithful servants who will be his ambassadors, bringing the message of hope, salvation and reconciliation with God through his son Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Are you one of those servants?

I would like to remind you at the start of the ministry year here at GBC … we exist to GLORIFY GOD; WORSHIP JESUS and MAKE DISCIPLES. As we go about aiming for that end, remember we desire that LOVE be the hallmark by which we are known: Love for GOD, for EACH OTHER and for our LOCAL COMMUNITY.