Here are some of this week’s stories from ‘The Heaven On Planet Earth’ Project                                                                                                                

The HOPE Project is simply a vehicle for INTENTIONALLY and PRO-ACTIVELY representing the culture of Heaven OR the Kingdom of God ‘on Earth as it IS in heaven’.

The Holy Spirit Does the Work

During the week we started hearing stories from a few of you that you’d ‘out of the blue’ started remembering that you had prayed for or actually pursued something with the compassion and power of the Kingdom and you had been reminded of it. This is what will happen as we continue to engage with this process. In John chapter 14 we read;

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

When you are reminded of the little things that God has done and is doing, share them with someone so we can start recording the advance of God’s kingdom, right where each of us live, work and play.

Our Second Thanksgiving Offering

Thanks to our partnership with Tim Hall (we commissioned Tim & Sharon in April as Intern Ministers with us as part of Tim’s degree studies), we enjoyed and were just as blessed as the Wollongong Station Police Members whom we served a brekky BBQ to at the end of May. NEXT SUNDAY 24th SEPTEMBER we have the opportunity to serve the community again by waiting upon Fire Officers and Volunteers at a Thanksgiving and Dedication service proposed by us. Tim will speak at the service. We couldn’t avoid the powers within the Illawarra RFS scheduling the event to start at 11am on Sunday BUT we can provide servers who will help distribute lunch to those present from 12pm. Let’s PRIMARILY pray for this event, the RFS officers and volunteers as we enter a very dry fire season and particularly Tim as this opportunity could open up some important kingdom advancing doors. If you’d like to help serve, we need to leave Corrimal and be at the Airport Road Albion Park HQ by about 11.45am to help. Listen out for more info in today’s (17th) gathering.

What Heaven Looks Like

From Monday to Wednesday last week, Graeme served the Crosslink Christian Network International Gathering in Canberra. He is the Secretary of the Network and serves as a director on the leadership board. For some more context;  Heartland Ministries Inc. has been an affiliate of Crosslink since 2002 and is the ministry that Graeme and Gordon facilitate. Heartland partners with Port Kembla Baptist and our church in East Corrimal through Memoranda of Understanding that ensure they can remain recognized Ministers, accredited with the Attorney General of Australia and compliant with all other relevant legal and fiduciary requirements to the Government whilst being enabled to serve where they are.  During the afore mentioned gathering, Graeme reports that there was a moment that represented the heart of heaven to him as a delegate representing Crosslink networked churches in Korea, confessed and sought forgiveness from two Central Asia delegates for the mess that Korean missionaries were responsible for in that part of the world. Forgiveness was offered AND the CA guests (whom we can’t name or picture due to what could happen at home if they were seen on social media etc.) added their gratitude to God and to the Korean delegate for the heart of the Korean body of Christ who simply wanted to serve the people of their region. The government has expelled all foreign missionaries but a legacy remains as the indigenous church grows against all odds. There are no cultural or language barriers in heaven.

Here’s the Link to What’s Happening at the HUB this week

http://corrimalcommunitychurch.com.au/blog/9-uncategorised/7-click-here

What DID Jesus actually DO?                                                                                            

Here’s Graeme’s Mark Chapter THREE summary. Don’t forget to share YOUR discoveries with and pray together with someone for outcomes that represent something ‘ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN’.

Mark Chapter Three (What did Jesus actually DO?)

  1. Jesus repeatedly went to the existing religious instruction Hub in order to re-align those present from religion to relationship with the Father God. (vs 1)
  2. Jesus continues to demonstrate the Kingdom of Heaven; i.e. the difference between what the Father God requires on earth and what humans create to feel comfortable in themselves by ignoring the human rules of the Sabbath and healing a man’s withered hand out of the Kingdom priority of using power as an outworking of compassion. (vs 1-5)
  3. Jesus continued to faithfully represent the living word of God made flesh (i.e. to give it its rightful earthly context ) as His priority, even though it triggered resentment from those with human assumed authority. (vs 5-6)
  4. Jesus withdrew to a place where He could build the kingdom on earth. Not a place that became holy in itself but simply where He could address more needs or more hungry people coming to Him. The place is always about what Jesus looks like, who He hangs out with and what He is proclaiming. Whatever the place, it must look and sound like Jesus. (vs 7-8)
  5. Jesus discerned as a moment by moment discipline. He used wisdom to create enough space for God’s glory to be unleashed and not to let it become about himself. Co-dependency is a major challenge for ministry facilitation and Jesus was setting the tone. In so doing, He created space for the genuinely hungry to be fed. Jesus didn’t operate like a vending machine. (vs 7-11)
  6. Jesus persisted with staying on the revelatory task Father had given Him. Demonstrating the Kingdom of Heaven so that hearts would respond to that revelation and not some temporal thing. We think that ministry should just answer and provide solutions. What did Jesus actually DO? (vs 12)
  7. Jesus summoned those He wanted to be with Him. He appointed them. Not just to hang around and enjoy His company OR be gluttons, feeding on truth til they got fat. He appointed them to proclaim the kingdom and demonstrate its core values via compassionate power release. THOUGHT: If we are the body of Christ, then let’s DISCERN those God has anointed with gifts that can model and example and equip for the above job description and PRESS them into service. It’s not a democracy, it’s a THEOCRACY. NB: Peter AND Judas were on that list. (vs 13-19)
  8. Jesus kept proclaiming and representing the kingdom even when those who loved Him began planning His restraint for his ‘own good’. At home AND elsewhere – no matter! (vs 20-27)
  9. Jesus continued to describe the REAL battle for people’s souls clearly. The flesh takes everything so personally but we are not fighting flesh and blood. (vs 25-30)
  10. Jesus made it clear that only family can sustain and reproduce. Those who would DO the will of God (as Jesus was doing) were the family of God – as close as blood bonds, in fact closer. Jesus was God’s Son so this is a KEY truth for us to glean about the Kingdom of Heaven. When the Father says, ‘this is my own beloved Son in whom I am well pleased’; it is because He is DOING the will of the Father, He is BEING the will of the Father. That’s mutual in its accountability and is the only relationship which is sustainable AND reproducible – hence the imperative about the Holy Spirit in the previous verses. The Holy Spirit is the ESSENCE of all that IS the Kingdom of Heaven.  (vs 28-35) It is a massive heart connection.

6 He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” (Malachi 4)

More next week ….