January - February 2015 IntraSyd

Youth Editionintrasyd

JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015People, Places & Events in Greater Sydney }

Growing in Discipleship

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2 January - February 2015 \ www.gscadventist.org.au Tweet @SydneyAdventist

Friday 20 February 7:42 pmSabbath 21 February 7:41 pm Friday 27 February 7:34 pmSabbath 28 February 7:33 pmFriday 6 March 7:25 pmSabbath 7 March 7:24 pmFriday 13 March 7:16 pm

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OFFERING SCHEDULE

Fellowship and community are such important aspects of Church life. Many of our churches across the Conference have weekly fellowship lunches where much relationship building takes place. My wife and I enjoy having people at our home for meals and try to do it as often as we can. While it is a blessing to share a meal with other Adventist Christians, a challenging question is:

when was the last time you had a non-Christian who wasn’t a family member over for a meal? Why not plan such an event in the near future.

Highlights from Church Ltd Board• The 2015 operating and capital budget has been approved.

In addition to the normal evangelism spend, the budget includes $70,000 for major evangelistic projects funded from

a bequest given for evangelism in Greater Sydney• A risk assessment has been carried out on the Conference

office building by our insurance company

Highlights from the Executive Committee• Mountain View Adventist College will be undertaking a

major refurbishment project this year, which will include the Design and Technology and Science areas

• The newly formed Liverpool Samoan group has been granted regular group status

• Approval has been given to plant a new church in UWS Nirimba Campus on Eastern Road Quakers Hill, under the leadership of Pr Lloyd Grolimund and his team

Happy New Year! I hope 2015 is a year which brings you closer to God and to your church and community. The star t of a new year usually brings new things, and this is cer tainly true for local churches. For those of you star ting a new role in the church, congratulations and thank you for your willingness to provide vital support to your church community.

The beginning of the year is also a good time to take a moment to consider if your church has in place the following important measures:• Safe Places: Do all your Sabbath School, Adventurer,

Pathfinder and Youth leaders, as well as support teams, have their Working with Children Checks done?

• Insurance: Do you have a copy of your Insurance Certificate of cover for your church building? If you are leasing your building to another group, do you have a copy of their public liability insurance cover?

• Work Health and Safety: Have you had a WHS audit done recently for your church? How is your church progressing towards addressing the issues raised at your

last audit?• Finances: Is your church up to date in their Tithes and

Offerings reporting to the Conference? Have bank reconciliations been completed?

• Record Keeping: Are minutes being recorded for church board and church business meetings? Are these records kept in an orderly manner and readily accessible?

These are a few of the many things that need to be done to keep a church in good order, and the Conference office can help. While it takes time and effor t to keep a church running well, the rewards are abundant, creating a place where we can enjoy fellowship with each other in a safe, happy environment. After all, the God we serve is a God of order, as read in 1 Cor 14:33 GNT “...because God does not want us to be in disorder but in harmony and peace. As in all the churches of God’s people.” For treasurers and treasury team members, especially those new to treasury, the Conference Finance team will be running a training session from 9:00 am to 12 noon on Sunday 22 February at the Conference Office at 4 Cambridge Street, Epping.

eva ing, chief f inancial of f icer

adr ian raethel , general secretary

www.gscadventist.org.au / January - February 2015 3 Like www.facebook.com/sydneyadventists

Unity? What does that mean? As Seventh-day Adventists we often talk about Unity in Diversity, but then we can sometimes struggle with the practice of it. Some people would like to see unity defined as uniformity, as long as we do everything according to the way they see it, all is well. What does the Bible say on the subject? Quite a bit actually. One of my favourite verses is John 13:34-35

which says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” This sense of loving one another is tenuous at best. Why do I say this? List on the average church business meeting agenda one of the following subjects: Air Conditioning, Paint Colour, New Carpet. Minor matters, in comparison with salvation and the soon coming of Jesus, but yet they can often threaten our sense of unity and togetherness. Sometimes our conduct can be such that people become discouraged and slip away from church. So, what about more substantive subjects? What impact can this have on the church? In 2015 this will be tested. At the General Conference Session in July this year, the world church, led by the Holy Spirit, will need to consider the matter of Women’s Ordination. This is not a new conversation; it has been going on for many years. As a result of the 2010 General Conference Session, the Theology of Ordination Study Committee (TOSC) was set up. TOSC has had many of our best and brightest Theologians, Scholars, Administrators and Laypersons. At the end of their time together, they were in unity, however, they were not in agreement. So what does this mean? It was important for the members of this committee that we stay united as a world church, but they were unable to reach unanimous agreement. If you read the reports, there was a strong sense of community and respect and a deep appreciation for each other, yet they arrived at three different conclusions. Both sides of the argument have

Greater Sydney ConferenceCommunication Department

Communication Director: Michael WorkerEditor: Rachel Lemons AitkenDesign: Rachel Lemons AitkenEditorial Consultant: Adrian Raethel

4 Cambridge StreetEpping 2121

PH: (02) 9868 6522 Fax: (02) 9868 6533

[email protected] e x t I n t r a s y d D e a d l i n e 0 8 M A R C H

ON THE COVER:Madeleine Noll, Camp Mom & Maxine Hoffman, Camp Coun-

sellor, ‘Set Apart’ Summer CampPhoto Credit: Abigail Yap

presented compelling papers supporting their point of view using both scripture and Spirit of Prophecy quotations. So, where does this leave us? Surely this would indicate that there are some grey areas in this conversation. If you want to read more, go to http://www.adventistarchives.org/ordination. The end result of this study process and recommendations resulted in asking the General Conference Session to pass a resolution that either allows or disallows each Division of the World Church to decide whether to allow the ordination of Women in their par t of the world. http://www.adventistreview.org/church-news/annual-council-sends-women’s-ordination-question-to-gc-session There is no doubt that there are two camps within the church. Those who support the ordination of women and those who do not. Both sides of the conversation support their point of view with conviction and passion. So, in July this year, one side will be rejoicing at the outcome of the session and the other will not. So, how do we live out John 13:34-35 in the wake of such a decision? How can we demonstrate to the world that we are His disciples by having love and respect for one another? My desire is for the unity of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Sydney. How do we continue to focus on the proclamation of the Three Angels Messages in light of this vote? How do we refrain from gloating in victory? How do we graciously accept defeat? How will our Christian maturity be revealed? At the end of the day, the Greater Sydney Conference has a focus on growing in discipleship. This is achieved through vibrant spirituality; it is achieved through loving community, and it is achieved through having a clear focus on sharing the gospel. In this we can be united. This is how we believe that the Adventist message should be proclaimed in the 21st Century, and it is how I believe that we can preserve the unity of our church. That is my prayer.

michael wor ker, president

Scan this QR C ode wit h a QR C ode reader app on your smart phone t o read the article l inked above about Women’s Ordination!


I guess being a Camp Counsellor is

a form of discipling, though not the

expected way. Most of my campers have

grown up in Christian homes. I’m trying

to teach them more about Jesus. Talk

to them more about what they believe.

Trying to understand where they’re at

and what kind of questions they have.

If you follow Jesus that’s

discipleship. We do worship

every night (at camp) for one

or two hours and Pastor Wazza

talks about Jesus. So you

definitely are able to have an

experience with Jesus here at

Summer Camp.

Being a disciple means to believe

in Him, follow Him, follow the 10

commandments, read the Bible

and go to church every Saturday.

Some challenges of being a

Christian are people can bully you.

A challenge of growing up Christian

is always having the character of Christ

in my actions – being that guy that goes

up to someone & introduces himself.

On the other hand, not kicking myself

after not doing that. The challenge is

not being angry at myself, letting it pass

and trying harder next time.

Being a disciple means to follow

God & be a Christian & believe in

Him. We don’t have to wait til we

get to heaven; we can do it now,

like reading the Bible & praying. A

challenge of being a Christian at

my age is the temptations Satan

brings to you: fight with your

brothers & sisters & not listen to

instructors or parents.

This is my first time at camp. I

heard about it at my school - Hills

Adventist College and my friend

Isaac invited me. My favourite thing

has been going to worship and

learning about Jesus and singing to

him. I also loved the game Wipeout.

I would come to camp again.

Camp’s theme - Set Apart –

from Jeremiah says God knows us

individually. He calls us and sets us

apar t, as a community. We go in

the world and make a difference.

It’s really cool. Embrace who you

are in Jesus. You are known and

set apar t for something.

#discipleship Executive co m m ittee m em b er

Growing up as a Christian I think it’s

hard to find that initial connection -- that

first time you see God. For a Christian

it’s always sor t of there... I first saw Jesus

for myself at summer camps. This is my

fifth one. It’s a sor t of environment

where it makes it very real. The night

meetings - everyone comes & sings

& prays together. Really emotional &

spiritual high.

Some of the challenges growing up

Christian is people criticise you, put

you down, they tangle your mind and

say how do you believe in this guy?

He doesn’t exist. The proof leads

away from Him. As Pastor Wazza said

earlier (during Summer Camp) there’s

more proof for Jesus than William

Shakespeare. Put that into your head.

Being a disciple means to follow

Jesus and tell people about Him.

Summer camp is fun. We do lots

of activities, worship God and we

are with God every day. We’re

with people who believe in God.

kyle d. past or wazza

al l ison l.

ben c.

josh h.

isaac o.

t om b.jessica l.

nathan s. andrew m.

W hat does it mean to be a disciple?

One last thing fr om Pr Wazza

Words fr om a C ounsel lorza


Executive co m m ittee m em b er

I was quite scared for many reasons

when I was first asked to serve in

this position. I was also apprehensive

because I understood the importance

of the role. On the other hand, I was

really excited to be able to take such

an opportunity, learn how the church

works and have a say in decisions that

affect young people. It is great to see

people who have a hear t for God. Not

every decision made in the meetings

works out the best for everyone, and

often we see the aftermath of these

later on, but I believe every person in

the room prays and tries to let God

lead their decisions. As a young person

I am valued and listened to but as with

everyone, as we are one voice out

of many; we don’t always get heard.

However, because I am young, I believe

I am in a perfect position to bring up

points and ask the questions others are

too afraid to ask. It has opened my eyes

to the challenges that the leadership of

the church faces everyday. I have also

been very encouraged to be par t of

a group of people who love Jesus and

are trying their best to promote Him

in the decisions they make. Remember,

people are people. Though we try our

best to represent God, we often fail.

This doesn’t change when people are

in leadership. It is important to not

get caught up in a role. Serve God

wherever you can - be friends with

the younger generation; take Sabbath

School or just spend some time on

your own relationship with God. Let

God lead your life, and He will take you

where He wants you to go.

Being ADRA Youth Ambassador

is an opportunity to do work for

ADRA and to be able to connect

to people my age to help them

understand the perspective of how

we can serve and have an impact on

the issues that are in Australia and

in the world. I became the ADRA Youth

Ambassador by writing a 200-word

essay. I sent it in and freaked out.

Then, I got a response that said

come to Parramatta on a cer tain

date for the ADRA Banquet, and

that’s where I found out I got the

position. It’s my job to help raise

funds for ADRA and talk to younger

people about ADRA and encourage

them to help out. I also go to

churches and tell them how they

can serve. One of my goals this

year is to get volunteers who are

willing to come on the Cambodian

Mission Trip I have set up for

December 2015. If you’re looking to get

involved with ADRA, you can

volunteer. Try looking on ADRA’s

website to see if there is anything

you can do in your local area. I

know the ADRA Blacktown Centre

is always welcoming volunteers.

There are Soup Kitchens run by

ADRA or you can organise concer ts

for fundraising. There are so many

ideas you can do.

I have been challenged this year by being involved

in both ASA (Adventist Student

Association) and ASOC (Adventist

Students on Campus). The highlight

of this challenge was co-speaking

at a two-month health program at

University of Technology Sydney as

par t of ASOC and Fountain in the

City Church. I met God through

those presentations and saw Jesus in

action through the humble service

of the “A New You” team. Taking up

this challenge to serve catapulted

my spiritual growth. Discipleship is

definitely about teaching, but it is

actually much more about learning,

and once we are learnt, going and

most importantly sharing.

Being a disciple on campus

is not about religious philosophising,

sermonising or baptising. There

is an important aspect of being

a follower of Christ that involves

fellowship, community and

“exhorting one another.” When

you get to the social aspect, it’s

a huge par t. I saw how the great

commission of Matthew 28:19-

20 to “make disciples of all the

(university) nations,” actually made

disciples, in that the desire to “make

disciples” actually formed leaders.

And friendships grew and slowly but

surely so did the ASOC club.

(Contact Tim Shelton at timshelton@

adventist.org.au for more information

about ASOC)

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Try Volunteering!za


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Anders Svensson, born in Sydney currently lives with his wife in Blacktown. After learning and experiencing the powerful message of the gospel, He was baptised by Pastor Alex Penman. He graduated from

Avondale College in theology/ministry in 2013. His joy in ministry is in outreach, discipleship, and small group ministry. He enjoys sharing the gospel with people and helping others to also share their faith. Some of his interests/hobbies are making and playing music, sport and outdoor recreation.

Nigel Ackland has been a pastor for 25 years, serving in 4 conferences, 15 churches and having lived in 36 homes. The joy of his life are his wife Sandy (a Primary School teacher), his son Toby (a personal trainer) and his beautiful daughter Tori (star ting Yr. 11). Nigel enjoys writing, preaching, seeing young people on fire for the Lord and recently completed his MA (Theo). When not on the clock Nigel enjoys good food, movies, ar t, photography and all things beautiful. He does not like brussel sprouts.

#ultimate decision

Courtney Jacobs

Isaac Kirwakis

Church in the Fields

Emilia Javar

Ryan Lapitan, Bodie Schultz, Josh

Verdeflor, Chloe Ross, Alyanna

Verdeflor

Maria Spagnolo

Matthew Parsons

Nicholas Chakovan

Rachel Ann Lobitana

Rui Carrie Guo

Viliami Hamaleti Valoa

Matthew Cao

Michael Benny

N e w Pa s t o r s

Mosese Pepa

Anthony Brown, Ayesha Anyona, Henry Anyona

Lisa Valoa James Bell

Aldrin Bitancor

Hainite Taufeulungaki

Lino Marques

Elizabeth Guzman, Evelyn Saffioti,

Pr. Mario Guzman, Daisy

Rivadulla, Ann Raad

Albert & Debra Esera, Kesa

& Jayne Latu, Cameo Geti,

Samantha Stuski

Brandon Goodwin

Wantok

James Bell, Lynne McColm, Gordon

McColm, Maria Spagnolo, Elizabeth

Harvey, Darryn Harvey,

Pr John O’Malley

Pr Seti Mataele, Viliami Valoa, Lisa Valoa, Talia

Fonokalfi, Silvia Vailea, Afa Vailea, Hainite Taufeulungaki

Warwick Sawyer, who everyone calls Wazza, comes from 4 years of ministry in NNSW as Chaplain at Macquarie College and church pastor

at Toronto church. He grew up in Sydney, completing years 7-12 at SAC. He says, “I see the benefits of Adventist education. I am so excited to be involved at Macar thur while also pastor of Church in the Fields. After 14 years of ministry, all over the world, I’m so excited to be home in Greater Sydney.”

We celebrate the decisions of our new brothers and sisters in Christ who have decided to get baptised

or make a profession of faith.


Contributed by Maryellen Fairfax

Stretched out with a pillow under my head, I

made sitting on the fence look good. Sure, from the outside I was about as ‘Adventist’ as they come: born and raised in the church, I experienced the joys of Wahroonga Adventist Primary School and the triumphs of Hills Adventist College. I weekly attended Sabbath School, even taking Bible Studies to concrete my relationship with Christ. But, on the inside, something just didn’t seem to ‘click’. Call it what you will, the introver ts curse, Hamlet’s attitude of inaction, a mild case of social anxiety, or even just laziness; I never felt on-fire for God. I never had that conversion experience that everyone speaks of; never felt as though I had a testimony to share. I was all alone in my walk with God, lukewarm, and lacking the courage to change. Revelation 3:16-18, “So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth...” hit me square between the eyes. God doesn’t call us to be comfor table in our faith

and selfishly hoard the good

news. No, we’re called to step out, baptise the nations, and take the gospel to the ends of the ear th! So what was stopping me? Being fairly shy, I believed that I wasn’t confident, bubbly or proficient enough at conversation to share the Gospel. But I also didn’t want to be spat out of God’s mouth. So, I summoned up every ounce of courage in my being, asked God to use me in my weakness, jumped off the fence, and ran. I needed to be challenged in my faith and find people who, just like me, were searching. Finding myself on the cusp of two churches, I beheld Wahroonga like a ‘New Jerusalem’, under an apprehensive delusion that it was filled with ‘perfect Christians’. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Wahroonga is filled with down-to-ear th, on-fire Christians and a Bible-based, passionate youth group that has transformed my relationship with God. It’s been over 12 months now, and ever since their welcoming smiles on my first Sabbath, I haven’t looked back. I encourage you, if you’re feeling lukewarm, to give your weaknesses to God and search for people who can

challenge you in your

Christian walk. Of course, I avidly recommend Wahroonga and I’d really love to meet you! But ultimately, all it takes, is that first step. I warmly invite you to come and join the same Friday night Bible Studies and Youth events that have changed my Christian walk! Check out our Facebook page for details facebook.com/WahroongaAdventistYouth. Each Sabbath we have a church lunch, and there is the oppor tunity to serve at ADRA Redfern once a month on Sabbath mornings. Through these oppor tunities, I have seen God actively working through my words and actions, despite my weaknesses. I’ve made some incredible friends, and delved deeper into Scripture than I ever thought possible. And sure, it was challenging at first. I felt uncomfor table for a little while, striving to fit in by saying the right things and remembering which name belonged to each face, trying to appear as if I had it all together. How incredibly naïve I was! Now that I’ve given my weaknesses to God, I’m proud to call myself wretched, pitiful, blind and naked… because I’m not alone, and He’s going to give me white clothes to wear in the Kingdom. So if you’re feeling lukewarm, all it takes is that first step!

Take t he First Step

What does it mean to follow Jesus?All: To be committed – it’s a commitmentWhat are challenges of growing up Christian?Madison: People can judge you since you believe in GodWhy would they judge you?Madison: Because they think you’re silly or that God’s not real.Isabelle: If they are a different religion, they may tease you because of what you believe in Sarah: If you’re doing sports and if there are competitions on Saturday – going to church on Saturday - it might be hard.

How do you deal with some of the challenges? Is it worth being Christian?Madison: Ignore it. Let it go through one ear and out the other. Know God is real. We’ve grown up knowing Him. We have evidence from the Bible.Taya: Just gotta trust that God will be with you the whole timeIsabelle: If you just trust in Him, you can also pray to Him and pray that everything will be okAriana: If you do miss out on stuff on Saturday, just think about if you are committed to God you’ll probably go to heaven. It will be a lot better to be with Jesus and better than going to something on Saturday.

gir l tal k

John and Alice Tompson have enjoyed pastoral work in the South New South Wales Conference for the past 8 years. Prior to that John had various roles within the Greater Sydney

Conference, which included leading Health Ministry and serving as ADRA Director. In addition he and Alice headed up Van Ministry in Sydney for many years. Alice is a Registered nurse who specialises in medical centre clinic nursing. John and Alice enjoy their ministry calling and have a passion for churches that reflect the character and calling of Jesus while they wait for His return

Wellington Caqui has worked as a chaplain at Sydney Adventist Hospital and at Kings Langley Aged Care facility. He

has also worked as an assistant minister at Woollahra Church. Wellington is from Peru and studied at the Peruvian Union University. His ministry interest is in the area of pastoral counselling. He says, “I enjoy assisting and supporting people in their spiritual journeys. I like reading, walking and playing soccer. I am keen to be a spiritual resource for the members of my church. I am also looking forward to encouraging and mobilising people to live and embrace the discipleship model.”

The Last Empire, run in 2013 and 2014, was the first city-wide evangelistic series to run in over 30 years in the Greater Sydney Conference. It provided both

outreach to the community and a great sense of

unity in mission within the Conference.

Pastor Jonathan Valls, Wetherill Park Spanish Church, shared, “this program has

been a blessing for church members,

friends and visitors. It has been a boost in the aim to

continue sharing the gospel in a professional way. God led us, and we are grateful for that.” The results were similar throughout the Conference. The Last Empire website had about 15,000 unique visitors. Facebook ads had over 460,000 impressions; Google Ad words reached in excess of 45,000 people. 510,000 invitation cards and leaflets were letterboxed, and 5,000 tickets were issued for opening night in 2013. Hurstville alone distributed over 110,000 brochures to the community and Hoxton Park used 50,000 leaflets. What a wonderful witness for Jesus.

Attendances at each venue were highly encouraging. On the first night in 2013 there were almost 4,000 people attending with an excess of 1,500 contacts. In 2014 Hurstville had 85 non-SDA people attend on the first night, Mona Vale 10, Wetherill Park 20 and Waitara 127. Even more people watched with live streaming from some of the venues like Wahroonga. At Wetherill Park there were 73 visitors in 2014, with 20 indicating a keen interest to learn more about Jesus and the Bible. As a result of the series, there has been an increase in baptisms in the Conference. Between April and June 2013, 94 people were baptised in Sydney, compared to 41 in the same period in 2012 and 34 in 2011. In October 2014, 7 people were baptised at Bidwill church as a direct result of the Last Empire. At Lakemba Tongan, they are praising the Lord for the 11 recent baptisms, 5 of whom came from the Last Empire. Hurstville has baptised 5 people, Mt Druitt Samoan 9 and Seven Hills 2 from their programs. These are just some churches’ baptism reports. We anticipate that many more decisions for baptism from the Last Empire will be made over the next 2 years, as there are close to 400 contacts being followed up. Our core role and function as a Church and as individual church members is to become disciples of Jesus in the context of the three angels’ messages. Together we need to continue to focus on living the command given by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Last Em pi r e Su ccessContributed by David Swain

N e w Pa s t o r sHorace Evans was born in Fiji, lived in Papua New Guinea, but calls Per th home. With a Bachelor of Business Degree, he worked for the church as an accountant in Papua New Guinea, Sydney and Brisbane. He

is married to Sandra, Pastor George Quinlin’s niece, and through her has been involved with the Aboriginal community for over 20 years. He has three daughters and one son. He came into ministry in 2007 when asked to star t a work amongst the Aboriginal community around Lismore. He says, “I have never enjoyed life more since doing what I believe God has called me to do. I am excited to be star ting the next big adventure for Christ here in Sydney and can’t wait to see God do amazing things for our Indigenous community in this big city.”

cloth esfo r th eso lo m o nislan ds

Looking back it’s hard to believe that

I’ve been to the Solomon Islands about

30 times since 1966. In that time the

Greater Sydney Conference has built strong

connections with the people, a quar ter of

whom are below the poverty line. About 10

per cent of the people in the Solomon Islands

are Adventist. In 2014, the Greater Sydney

Conference formally adopted the Solomon

Islands Mission (SIM) as our Mission par tner.

When asked about their needs, they listed

clothing as most important.

Recently while working with a friend

in the Solomons, he noticed his shorts had

developed a large hole in the crotch area. He

gave them to a local, on-site volunteer. The

next day, the man reappeared proudly wearing

the shorts he had been given – his wife

had skilfully mended the hole. Sometimes

we take something as simple as clothing for

granted, but in the Solomon Islands, clothing is

treasured. The Solomon Island Mission uses the

clothing in evangelistic outreach. By sharing

them with schools and needy families, they let

others know that there are people in Australia

who care.

ways yo u c a n h e l pDonate Your Gently Used Summer Clothing: Arrange for bags of clothing that are clean and neatly folded to be collected from your church and then sent to the warehouse in Wahroonga. Ask your pastor for more details.

Volunteer to Help Sort Clothing at the distribution centre at South Pacific Division Office, Fox Valley Road, Wahroonga. Volunteers meet every Wednesday from 9:30 am until 3:00 pm. Men are needed to pick up goods and help pack up to 25 containers a year. Phone Geoff Hansen on 0413 920 655 if you are interested in helping.

Donate money for containers and strategic projects that GSC and the Solomon Island Mission plan in the future. This year GSC is aiming to raise $100,000.

Go on a fly and build. Contact GSC or Dr Alex Currie 0414 777 180. We need tradespeople to be involved. Last year we had a water expert, electricians, a plumber, painter, concreter, builder etc. who all made an amazing difference in the high school on Guadalcanal.

Pray for the work of God in the Solomon Islands and for the work we do to support them. In the Conference Office, Wednesdays are set aside as special days of prayer for the Solomons. Please join the staff in prayer, especially on Wednesdays.

Contributed by Alex Currie

Last Em pi r e Su ccessContributed by David Swain

Donate some summer clothes to

our friends in the Solomon Islands


WATCH VIDEO: ABEL, ETHIOPIAN MISSIONARY (4 min)

#WATCH

http://vimeo.com/14199665

What is significant to you about Abel’s testimony?

What lessons can we learn about following God from Abel?

What are some reasons some people find it difficult to share their faith with others? DI

SCUS

SDE

FINE

What is Discipleship? Write down all the things that come to mind.

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

#R EADMATTHEW 28:16-20

What key action words does Jesus use to describe the life of a disciple?

The Discipleship Road

Discipleship can be defined as easily as a life long process towards becoming more like Jesus.

Imagine that Discipleship is a road. When you say yes to Jesus’ invitation (READ Matthew 16:24; REVELATION 3:20) you are at the start of the road. The road it long and winding, just as in life. As you spend time with Jesus more and more and His will and desires become your desires you grow into a disciple who will say what Paul says in PHILIPPIANS 1:21. You will come to a place where you are no longer afraid of anything, not even dying.

How could someone grow to love God so that they aren’t even afraid of dying for Him?

On a scale of 1-5 (one being easy and 5 extremely hard) where along the scale would you answer this question: How difficult is it to really be a disciple of Jesus?

#TH I N K• If Jesus tells us to GO, make disciples, baptise and teach, how do we do it?

• In the last five years, how many people have you introduced to Jesus?

Here is a practical model to think about how we can be better disciples for Jesus. It’s called the

S.O.W. Model for Discipleship

S = Serve

In Luke 6:27-36 Jesus outlines the keys to true servant discipleship. It’s where we find the golden rule. READ: Luke 4:31 It also refers to loving those who hate you. Praying for those that persecute you.

O = Opportunity

In John chapter 4 Jesus goes out of His way and creates an opportunity to witness His love, forgiveness and grace to a Samaritan woman. Not the kind of thing anyone did back then, even in today’s world Jews still would not do this. But He initiates the conversation. He is non-judgmental. He lovingly reveals the truth of God’s plan and love. (READ: JOHN 4:23-30). She runs back to her village and witnesses to them about Jesus. Her life was never the same.

How hard would it be to ‘turn the other cheek’ when someone’s hurt you?

What impact would someone who disliked or persecuted you have if you were to pray, serve and just simply love them back?

What would it mean to you to know that you’re following Jesus’ example?

DISC

USS

DISC

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DISC

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Scan this C ode for t he V ideo

Grab some friends and good food and chat about Jesus#study t ogether


W = Witness

In Mark 5 Jesus goes out to the region of Gerasenes and heals a demon-afflicted man. He has over 1000 demons inside him! He’s been close to death repeatedly, lost everything, including his mind. But Jesus went out of His way and found an opportunity to heal him. Then something interesting happens.

READ: Mark 5:18-20

In what ways could we, like Jesus, initiate opportunities to share God’s love?

What are important lessons Jesus teaches us about finding opportunities?

Why did Jesus refuse to allow the man to join Him?

What lesson does this teach us about witnessing?

In what ways is this man’s testimony as powerful as seeing an actual miracle of Jesus?

Have you taken the time to write/prepare your testimony about what God has done in your life?

#D OWhen the disciples wanted to understand how to be better disciples and imitate Jesus. He told them

(READ John 14:8-14)

• How does Jesus encourage His disciples?

• In what ways is what Jesus said good news for all?

• What could be holding people/the church back from truly doing even greater things than Jesus today?

In closing, consider every area of your life today. For example school/uni/TAFE, work, home, friends and relationships. In what ways can you S.O.W. and practise discipleship?

Think about these other areas of your life and make a commitment to do one thing for Christ this week. (TICK ONE)

Social media,

Close and extended family

Neighbourhood,

Prayer

Personal Bible Study

Church involvement

Sharing my testimony

Hand out or click on the lyrics to this song by Christian singer Matthew West called, “Going Through the Motions”

LYRICS http://bit.ly/1BmyQmo

YOUTUBE VIDEO (with lyrics) http://bit.ly/1EOADnU

• What stands out to you about this song?

• In what ways does this song inspire us to discipleship?

• How would you summarise this song?

• Who can you share this song with this week?

#PRAYPray together as a group.

DISC

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#co m m it

Will you answer Jesus’ call to reach up, out and across to others?

#watch & ListenDI

SCUS

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Written by Pr. JP Martinez

Scan this C ode for t he Lyrics

Scan this C ode for t he V ideo

Ask everyone to share their midd le name and what it means...

Share with the group - who inspires you and why...



#setapart#su m m ercam p201 5Photography by Abigail Yap


#cam po r ee201 5

Charmaine Patel

Benjamin Go

Wetherill Park Spanish

Seven Hills

Bankstown


Abigail Yap

Charmaine Patel

Charmaine Patel

Bankstown

Date post:	07-Apr-2016
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