on 16/07/2018
The Think Tank, which was initiated by a Special Church Family Meeting at the end of May after a process we have engaged in over the last few months, occurred just 2 weeks ago. This has been and remains Jesus’ strategic campaign and the time has come for us to trust His leadership and determine the path we will faithfully tread. This is a NEW season of strengthening and deepening relationship with the Father God and with each other, towards building a sustainable and reproducible leadership development process that cultivates the culture of heaven for the sake of intentionally seeking significant advancement of the kingdom rule of God in and through the hearts of people that Jesus has sent us to and given us favour enough to be responsible for; in our families, friendship circles, neighbourhoods, community involvements and beyond. I have studied the positive and practical feedback given at and around the ‘Think Tank’, discerned what we collectively believed the Holy Spirit was revealing to us and I’m just about to put the finishing touches on a succinct ‘Shaping the Future’ proposal for distribution and feedback by the end of July so we can MOVE ON and begin framing up the support necessary for this next season of our church family’s mission. I am so thankful to God for the way He is drawing us together, moulding us into an intentional mission ‘body’ or company and highlighting for each of us, ways we can ALL be covenanted to what He is already doing around us. Please keep PRAYING with me as we finalize this step as soon as is possible. Keep a look out for the proposal in your inboxes during the week and I will provide hard copies as an alternative that can be picked up on Sunday or during next week at the various happenings around the Hub. Thank everyone for your partnership in this. 1 WEEK & 4 DAYS TO GO – 24 HOURS OF DRUMMING UP SUPPORT Point Person Positioned Heather is the point person for all things being done in preparation for the event so if you’d like to be a TEAM player, PLEASE update Heather with anything you have had a go at OR provided OR completed OR have decided you WILL try and do, by emailing secretaryccc09@gmail.com . THANK YOU! Pre-Event Fund Raising Goal As at the end of last week we have raised $945 towards our first goal of raising $3000 BEFORE we start the event on the 27th. Facebook Posts – @24HrDrumMadness Thanks to all who have liked the page or ticked ‘Going’ in the event page. Thanks too for ‘SHARING’ important posts as we approach the event date. PLEASE DON’T DRIVE YOUR FRIENDS MAD BUT discern which posts might help you spread the news and just share one or two a week. WE hit over 500 VIEWS per post last week. Share with family, friends and neighbours It’s a quirky event that people will find interesting. There are flyers available from the office that can help you with sharing, give you something to poke into the neighbours’ letter boxes or specifically designed ones to give any shop owners or managers you know – particularly highlighting ways to give us auctionable items / vouchers for the silent auction etc. PLEASE let Heather now if you have taken some flyers to deliver as this helps our final promotion push planning. Media We have been approached by the Mercury and Pulse 94.1 FM this past week and of course we have support already from ABC 97.3 Illawarra. We have sent Press Releases to all local media AND we’ve sent relevant Press Releases to Beau’s family (Canberra) and Michael’s family (QLD) so they can engage any media they’d like to in their regions. Please follow up any commercial/government/community media friends you might have to ensure the event reaches community billboards everywhere at the very least. If you do have connections in the media, email Heather and she will send you a copy of the official ‘Press Release’ so that our promotional message is consistent. Makes sharing easier for you also. Corporate Sponsorship AND Silent Auction Stocks for our Silent Auction are starting to roll in but there’s plenty of room for more. ALL of us know people in local shops or businesses that we could inform about the drum-a-thon. IF you do OR would just like to wander around and visit a few for us, you can grab some sponsorship info specific flyers from the office OR just let them know what’s happening and give them the ways to respond that were listed in last week’s journal. THANK YOU in advance for any help, small or large, you can offer to help us reach our first goal and perhaps our final goal of over $5K raised. IF YOU HAVE A RESPONSE TO ANYTHING LISTED ABOVE (OR ANY OTHER IDEA) PLEASE CONTACT HEATHER SO WE CAN RECORD & SUPPORT WHAT WE ARE DOING AS A TEAM FINALLY … here are the bank details for anyone you encounter who might like to donate Westpac Account Named – Heartland Ministries BSB 032727 Account Number 203307 and we’d ask people to identify their deposit with their Name or Initials (or not if they’d like to be anonymous) and the word DRUM or if bank only accepts numbers; 4934. News from the Lord’s It was terrific having our Port Macquarie church family members, Chris and Mike Lord visiting with us last week and as is often the case, the added bonus of Mike being able to play drums during worship. We acknowledge and testify to the fact that God has miraculously enabled Mike to play when he is with us in a coordinated way, not often (if at all) experienced elsewhere. PLEASE continue in prayer for Chris’ improving heart health and for Mike. His treatment was a little uncoordinated last week at Westmead hospital, ending up being there 3 days with it being postponed for a couple of weeks. We praise God for His continued hand of healing as Mike’s neurologist believes he is experiencing a 50% improvement in many aspects of functionality. Mike and Chris pass on their love and express gratitude for our prayer partnership and family support. A Summary of last Sunday’s messages for Prayer, Reflection & Response. Signpost: See & Engage the Harvest Series: ‘The HOPE Project Trek from Base Camp to Camp One’ Theme: ‘Tools for the Climb: ‘Church Planting IS the proper Theology of Evangelism in the NT Part 3 – (studies in ‘the Church that Jesus builds’ by Brian Medway & Graeme Hush) Reference Scriptures = Matthew Chapters 1 to 9; Matthew 16-18, Luke 10; John 5 Church Planting is the proper theology of evangelism in the New Testament so …….. 2 weeks ago we reflected on Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 16 – 18 Where 2 or 3 come together in my name to use the keys to the kingdom, I will build my church and the gates of hell WILL NOT PREVAIL … Where 2 or 3 are gathered ….. is Jesus strategy so we looked at Luke 10 as one example of how Jesus apprenticed disciples in this strategy. Comment: Less daunting to share as 2 or 3 than 1. FOUR PRINCIPLES THAT JESUS REPRESENTED IN HIS SPHERES AND SENT HIS APPRENTICES TO REPRESENT IN THEIR SPHERES (Luke 10) Last week we started painting broad brush stroke pictures of some ‘Foundational Processes for being a Church Planting Church’ i.e. Some of the Strike Weapons & Strategies Jesus used: Here are some more strategies gleaned from Jesus’ earthly ministry. Pray & Survey All Aspects of your Sphere, asking God to Show You What HE is already doing there: This was a strongly attested to strategy point for Jesus and one which challenges cynical, analytical and questioning people like US because we’d rather seek more proof than have faith in the fact that Jesus was SENT by the FATHER to represent and demonstrate the kingdom of heaven on earth. Jesus says that the Father told him “what to say and how to say it.” Jesus said he did nothing on his own initiative. He did what he saw his Father doing. THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT STRATEGY I THOUGHT I’D PARK HERE AND MUSE ABOUT IT WITH YOU FOR A FEW MINUTES I read reflectively through John 5 with those present and highlighted some key things revealed to me about this strategy … things like Identify what NEEDS to be confronted: We often see what Jesus did in the light of the traditional practices of the religious leaders of his day. He got up their noses by healing on the Sabbath, (John 5) he didn’t do the ceremonial washings before meals at a Pharisee’s house (Mark 7) and he allowed his disciples to pick wheat and eat it on the Sabbath (Matthew 12). It becomes clear that this was done in order to OPENLY CHALLENGE what was falsely being offered as representative of God’s heart and purpose. HINT: TWO KINGDOMS IN SPIRITUAL REALM HAVE IMPLICATION FOR EARTH… All this attention given to the traditional religious practices and values of the day must speak of the level to which they represented the major enemy resistance to Jesus’ mission and ministry. Super-naturally meeting the felt needs of ordinary people: You could hardly go past the fact that the healing and deliverance that Jesus seemed to do almost every day was a major strategy. It had the effect of proclaiming the heart of God for people and adding testimony to Jesus identity and purpose (Mark 2 & 5). The way to reach the most important need (to be born again and to live under the loving authority of God) was opened to people through the means of BEING HUMAN AND DIVINE to meet their felt / perceived needs. Lesson from this strategy: DON’T impose your world view on your sphere; REPRESENT & DEMONSTRATE your world view IN love (act justly, love mercy, walk humbly) so that people choose the kingdom rule of God instead of the other (which most are unaware they’re allegiant to) Be willing to carry crosses, die to self & live the resurrection life : Jesus deliberately called people to a “cross” strategy and a “dying to self” modus operandi. At a strategic / pivotal time in Jesus’ ministry (after the Christ revelation & the transfiguration) he set his face to go to Jerusalem and determined to place himself in the most strategic place of all. He gave his enemies access to himself. Until then he had avoided arrest and death on a number of occasions. This time, His Father’s TIME, He would submit to the will of God by submitting to the evil purposes of the Jews and Romans (i.e. submit to temporal human authorities in order to establish eternal heavenly authority. ‘OTHERS’ BEFORE SELF is the strategy that changes EVERYTHING The task of building a sense of what is strategic for your sphere will be best served by making careful observation about what is and isn’t happening in that sphere. Think about how Jesus looked at his sphere and what he picked out to focus on & apply in your sphere. Some review questions you can use to equip or sharpen each other as you engage these tools in kingdom conversations in YOUR spheres of involvement OR patches; ON earth as in heaven. Here’s the Link to the home page for all that’s happening at the HUB https://www.corrimalcommunitychurch.com.au/blog
Shaping the Future – A Proposed Way Forward in the Aftermath of the Think Tank
