Ps Hugh begins by thanking Michael who stepped in at the last minute to take over someone else's duty. He then tells us that he, and his wife Jeanette, have just attended the INC State Conference (International Network of Churches). After a brief description, he asks Jeanette to come up to speak about something that moved her at the conference. It is surrender! What does that mean? How hard is it to do?

Ps Hugh then describes how a large part of the theme for the conference was Discipleship! He goes on to say how we all have a Calling from God. That is not talking about serving the church necessarily, but whatever he has created us to do in any aspect of our lives. Then he talks about the Confrontation - a time in his life when he was confronted with the possibility of giving up his calling!

2 years and 3 months ago Ps Hugh lost his wife, Chris, in a horrific road accident. As you might imagine, Ps Hugh was utterly devastated. As usual, and as we would all do, he was asking God, "Why?". How did he get through all this? How did he come to the point where he was able to continue with his Calling? Well, the simple and easy answer is that God moved upon him. However, there was a journey before arriving at that point. Ps Hugh describes this journey to us.

What horrific traumas and trials have you encountered? How will you manage them if some come up? Ps Hugh bears his soul and tells us honestly how it was and what happened. He parallels it with incidences from the story of Job who lost everything except his wife. There was a Limit that God had set so that Job's torments would stop. It's good to know that God sets such a limit for each of us.

This is surely a message that we could all take to heart. Following his personal testimony, Pa Hugh continues with the theme of our Calling in God, one of which we all have.

Ps Hugh starts with something quite different this week. He asks everyone to stand and worship God and allow the Holy Spirit to minister. We pray that you will also enjoy this part of the ministry (it went on for quite a while but this is an abbreviated version - relax, enjoy, and let the Holy Spirit minister to you).

Ps Hugh starts the message by discussing the commands that Jesus gave us. The most topical one, for now, is that we should go everywhere and make disciples. Jesus gave us 49 commands altogether. Surprisingly, Ps Hugh strongly points out that we should not attempt to obey any of these commands! Wow! He does clearly explain that to attempt to do that would be to return ourselves to be under the Law of the Old Testament. In the New Testament, we are in an era of grace. He reads from Matthew 22:36-40 so that we can see exactly what we need to do with respect to obeying Jesus' commands. Listen carefully and be set free.

The basic meaning of disciple is a follower. If we want to follow Jesus, our hearts and lives will be changed. Ps Hugh discusses the Word, our conscience, and their relationship with people. These things will be witness to the fact that we have become a disciple. He goes into detail with these aspects because, if we are going to disciple others, they will also need to become disciples themselves and live out these attributes in their lives.

It may sound too much and that we may not be capable of doing but how it works in practice is that Jesus Himself will walk this journey along with us. In order for us to grow, Ps Hugh makes some suggestions as to what we could do day by day. Are you a disciple yet? Have you discipled anyone yet? Whether or not one or both of those apply, if we are a born-again Christian we need to listen to this message.

Following an enthusiastic introduction from Ps Danny, Ps Hugh begins with Matthew 28:18-19 where Jesus commands us to make disciples. That discipleship commenced on the day of Pentecost. There were 120 men in the upper room. By the end of the day, they had 3000 people added to their number. A tremendous amount of discipleship was immediately required.

And what is a disciple? What are they supposed to do? Ps Hugh draws an excellent parallel to when his son was 17 years old. This illustration is useful for us all - otherwise, you might wonder what the purpose of discipling really is. Parents can and should disciple their children.

Even if we don't say a word we will all still be disciples. Wherever we are people are watching us to see how we behave in all kinds of situations. Ps Hugh elaborates on this so that we will have the confidence to grow and disciple others. He also reminds us that none of us is perfect and to not get into condemnation if our behaviour is not perfect when we are in front of all kinds of people.

He references Nehemiah 1:1-11. He points out that Nehemiah had a burden to fulfil a task. Do we have such a burden that will encourage us to disciple others? There are costs to being a disciple. For example, we need to make ourselves available. And what are the rewards of being a disciple? All Christians need to be disciples so it is important for all of us to know the content of today's message.

And what's the difference between building the church and building a brick wall? And what's that about a blank piece of paper?

Today is Pentecost Sunday. Ps Katrina has a passion for us to be warriors, not worriers. She enthusiastically points out to us that we need the power of the Holy Spirit within us so that we can fulfil what God wants us to do. She mentions that there is much miseducation on the Holy Spirit infilling. This blocks many from proceeding as it enduces shame and fear.

She goes quite deeply with much detail into the importance of the Passover, why it was necessary and how it occurred. The Hebrews had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years. They were finally set free but it required the angel of death to pass over Egypt killing the firstborns. It required the blood of a lamb in each Hebrew household so that they could be exempt from this death. There were certain times of the day that were important. There was a certain number of days that were also important following that first Passover.

There is a fascinating attachment between Pentecost and all the details of the first Passover. She excellently describes these details and assures are that Pentecost is a definite part of God's full plan. Of course, the Cross is included in this. Listen to this message and remove all doubts and fears about whether the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is real, necessary, and absolutely still for today for those who seek it.

Scriptures: Acts 19:2, Acts 2:1, Matthew 5: Acts 1:3-4, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:2-4, Acts 2:5-12, at 2:42-47, Acts 217-18, and Acts 2:43.

Following an introduction from Dean Vickers, Ps Ash gives honour to Trevor and Virginia Versace. They were among the founder members of the Citicoast church and have been in service with faithful commitment ever since that time.

She immediately then refers to Acts 1:6-8 where we are told that we are going to get strength and power from the Holy Spirit. She then delivers a personal testimony of a season where she lost her strength and power. She had been dedicated to regular weightlifting but, suddenly, she felt too weak to lift her weights. It was not anxiety and she realised she needed to be refreshed in the Holy Spirit to increase her power (1 Corinthians 4:20-21). She then gives an illustration about how weird it looks when a car is being pulled along on a trailer. The car has lost its strength and power. We do not want to be like that. The Holy Spirit will lead us to be where he wants us to go. That car had no choice. After a number of illustrations to happily ensure we know where we're going to today, Ash mentions 5 critical aspects of what can stop us from gaining and regaining our strength and power from the Holy Spirit:

1. Listening to others over the voice of God.

2. Seeking approval from the world over the approval of God.

3. Chasing an idea over a vision from God.

4. Spending time being entertained over being filled from God.

5. Making poor excuses to avoid the people of God.

Ps Ash elaborates on all those points, accompanied by Scriptures. And there's more! Have you been feeling weak and overcome in recent times? You need to regain your strength and power from the Holy Spirit. If you are unsure whether you ever had the power and strength of the Holy Spirit then you need today's message even more so. Be blessed by Ash's presentation.

The CA Team = The Creative Arts Team of which the Worship Team is a subset.

Why does Ps Hugh want no part in the Creative Arts Team? He teases us that he will tell us at the end of his message. He asks us if we can ever rise above our troubles, if we ever get tired, or if we ever 'lose our mojo'. Perhaps God has a word for us, a personal prophesy that will help us. But God speaks to us in many ways and Ps Hugh discusses some of those. Ps Hugh uses Timothy, Daniel, Mark Joshua, Luke, and real-life examples to show us this.

He reminds us that we are in spiritual warfare according to Ephesians 6:13. Part of that is to proclaim the word that has been given to us and to worship God. He gives the example of Paul and Silas when they were in jail and then follows that up with the story of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles.

There is no doubt that we do have a lot of problems keeping it all together and that we are fighting spiritual warfare all the time in one way or another. Listen to this great message as to how to be an overcomer. And also to find out why Hugh doesn't want to be part of the worship team!

Today was Family Sunday and also follows the first week back at school for kids in 2020. We had a ceremony to transfer children to a higher age group as they graduated out of their lower one. We then had Ps Hugh to introduce our Connect Groups for 2020. Ps Hugh has been passionate about Connect Groups for over 40 years. He opened with numerous Scriptures to point out to us how much the Bible advises us to be among various groups of Christians. He then goes on to point out that some individuals in the Connect Group may disagree with one another but that doesn't matter - a disagreement doesn't have to mean a lack of harmony. In fact, Connect Groups are safe places where people learn to trust one another and each person is free to open up about anything until it's bothering them. That includes the preaching every Sunday! Iron sharpens iron.

After describing numerous other positive aspects of being connected to other people, Ps Hugh described all the current Connect Groups that will be running in 2020 and then he invited up all the the leaders up on stage so that he could pray for them.

Following Ps Hugh, Ps Mark took the mic and described some groups where the leaders were not able to be present this morning.

You may not know it at this moment but you need to attend a Connect Group. It's Biblical, it's good fun, it's a place to learn, to meet people you would otherwise not meet, and there is always plenty of good food! After listening to this message, if you are interested, feel free to ring the Citicoast office on 07 4153 2577 for Connect Group contact information.

Ps Mark, very enthusiastic about this topic, quickly introduces Ps Danny who demonstrates that he is equally as enthusiastic about faith. He begins by defining faith as being to "relinquish trust in oneself and put that trust in another". Who can we trust? How do we know? Ps Danny strongly advises us to read the Bible - the Word is living and powerful. We should study at home. It speaks to us. In the Bible, the Greek word for 'faith' means 'trust, firm persuasion'. 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us that we live by faith and not by sight. Ps Danny encourages with a number of other Scriptures about faith and then gives the example of Noah from Genesis 6.

Noah heard the word of God to build the ark and he took 120 years to build it. What astonishing patience and perseverance! His faith was that strong. Realising that we have no practical concept of 120 years, Ps Danny cleverly summarises the last 120 years from 1901 until now. And all through those astonishing changes that we have read about and personally experienced, Noah was still slogging away at building the ark, in faith! Without flagging!

Ps Danny uses many other Scriptures and testimonies of faith to encourage us to grow our faith and have the patience, determination, and faith of Noah, Jesus, and others that Ps Danny mentions. What do you have faith in? Why? Let Ps Danny help you with that .....

Today we have completed a week of Prayer and Fasting. Ps Katrina does a quick review of the week and then introduces Ps Danny. Together they announce that today we say goodbye to Liam and Brendan, two multi-instrumental, highly talented members of the worship team who will certainly be greatly missed. And then onto today's message .....

Also speaking about the week of prayer and fasting, Ps Danny points out that to fast or not to fast is a Choice. He also reads to us a Scripture that mentions, "When you fast ....." which certainly tells us that fasting is expected of us - there is no 'if' there.

He then looks at several Scriptures where a choice is made, notably that, in spite of His unwillingness in the flesh, in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus chose to go ahead with God's will and the cross.

Next, Ps Danny shows us that if we truly have Freedom of Choice then that means we firstly need the Truth. If we don't firstly have Freedom of Choice then there is no Truth in our decision. We may choose an option because we are forced into it or because we fear some consequences if we don't. Ps Danny reads from numerous scriptures to show that choice is all through both testaments.

How to make the right choices and have peace about your decision? This message will give you much help with that .....

After saying hello to us Ps Hugh opens with the Scripture:

Psalm 61:1-2 "Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

He then elaborates on how this Scripture can bring us great encouragement in times of trial and trauma. He gives as a challenge:

- Find a quiet time, sit down, and review 2019.

- Record all the good events and bad events.

- And then ask yourself this question: Are you closer to God at the end of 2019 compared to the beginning?

Ps Hugh then opens up about a deeply personal time when he paced the floor for 30-40 minutes or so in a highly agitated state. God spoke to him quite clearly and he immediately calmed down. Ps Hugh tells us exactly what God said and how we can also follow that throughout 2020.

Then, using numerous Scriptures, as well as the testimonies of characters in both Biblical Testaments, Ps Hugh advises us on how we can negotiate whatever may come throughout 2020, including the marvellous promise that, no matter what happens, God will guarantee us victory although, at the start, we can never know the timing of the fulfilment of that.

Be encouraged by this message and enter 2020 in peace along with God's promises .....