HOLINESS
Last Sunday, our church was given a strong word about stopping criticism that has been going on amongst us. A similar word about judgement and criticism was brought to us last year in the form of prophecy.

When God speaks to us we need to listen. God speaks to us because He cares about us as a people - He calls us “to be holy because I am holy”. This was also God’s call to the Israelites in the time of Moses. See Leviticus 11.44 and if you read the whole book (where the word HOLY appears more times there than in any other book of the Bible) you will see that this call to holiness is expressed through every detail of their lives. Holiness was linked very much with what they did or didn’t do.

The call of God on our lives today is no different. Peter exhorts us to “Be holy in all you do”. Not just who we are but what we DO. Yes we are a holy people, set apart for God but like the ancient Israelites, God’s call to holiness, is to be expressed in every detail of our lives.How is holiness expressed in your life?

Wendy Emsley, Ministry Leader Church Care & Small Groups

The Power House of the Church

Last Monday 25 people met to pray for an hr and a quarter at the church. It might sound scary, but actually the time goes fast. We begin by just sitting still and listening to Psalm 139 being sung, then sharing communion with someone else, as we get our hearts right with God. Next we split into 3 areas, where the focus is either prayer, holiness or unity, our themes for the year. You can pray by yourself quietly, or in a group out loud or wander around and pray. You can use some Scriptures to guide your prayer, use some of the prayer suggestions, or pray along new lines, as the Spirit guides. The fifteen minutes goes quickly and soon the signal is given to move to a new theme if you want. There is a regular hum of prayer throughout the auditorium as people sit, stand, or kneel in prayer. With 15 minutes to go, we are called back to close with some songs of worship and praise. It reminds us again that God is awesome and great, and can move mountains. By then it is nine o’clock, and we can chat and head home at a good hour for sleep. For 75 minutes it feels as if we have reached out to God and he has met us. Our prayers please him - our requests are not selfish but reflect his heart. The power of God has begun to be released in our midst.

• We asked for a hunger to pray and humility to be dependant on Him
• We asked for sin to be exposed so we might be convicted and cleansed (scary prayer)
• We asked for relationships to be healed and love for those who are “different” from ourselves

The powerhouse of the church is being renewed. Join us on the last Monday of the month (next Prayer Night - March 29). The effectiveness of our church is directly related to our prayer (effectiveness does not mean a church that suits my “needs”). We need more of God and less of us if we are to be a God honouring transforming community. Keith Harrington, Senior Leader

Holiness, Unity, Prayer
These are words for us to meditate on this year and yet over the last week, God has used messages from previous years to highlight the most important, the call to prayer.

In the weekend I browsed through an old Reality magazine from 1997 that I picked up as I tidied the house. I read that in 1991, following a prophecy, the people of Pensacola started to pray. They prayed consistently for 4 years before God suddenly released His Spirit and the prophecy was fulfilled.

Also last week I listened to the Mission's Sunday service from last year, which I had saved on my ipod. John Watson spoke of “patience in prayer”. Faced with seemingly impossible situations, he spoke of our fellow Christians in resource poor countries praying faithfully and persistently for change. Their prayers are answered.

This is the sort of prayer that the Lord is calling us to; patient, faithful prayer. This is not the prayer of immediate answers, but this is the prayer that opens the door for amazing answers.
Tomorrow night is an opportunity for such prayer. I will be out of town, but I will be praying that God will give us the persistence in prayer that He is hoping to see.
Belinda Coulter, On behalf of the Elders

In the last two weeks most families would have moved back into the routine of school drop offs and pick ups and normal work hours; including our own. While gearing up for the new term I was working through the adults study accompanying our new programme. They gave an example of this beginning of the year routine with a teenage son just back at school trying to explain to his Dad why he had no time to stand around talking as he rushed in and out the door, the immense pressure hit suddenly of all the school, work and peer expectations dumped in his lap. The father explained quietly to him how much their time together over the holidays had meant to him and his son agreed they were closer than they had ever been, they hugged and they both planned to put aside a Saturday morning a week to spend a few hours catching up. As the Dad walked back into the house feeling very proud of his new found relationship with his son, the Lord spoke quietly to him “What about me son? Where do I fit in your busy life?”

Our most important relationship is often the quickest one to be ignored when we get back to NORMAL life.

I found this such a good way of looking at how precious we should treat our relationships, especially our one with God. I hope this encourages you as much as it did me to prioritize our time with God and our families this year. Lisa Jackson, Children’s Ministry Leader