This Sunday was Pentecost Sunday, and Pentecost Sunday came in the feast of weeks where the Jews would celebrate the coming down of the Torah from mount Sinai

This is the coming of His word 

Although it wasn’t until Pentecost when the spirit came that they could actually fulfil and live the law out.

Pentecost was the giving of the word and the spirit

His Justice is the work of His spirit to bring things back into alignment.

This week we had the privilege of having Jennifer Gurry come to speak. Jenny formed Diamond Women 19 years ago to help and support women who are facing an unplanned pregnancy. Since then her organisation has seen 5000 babies be supported into life and countless women counselled post abortion.

John 8:1-11 The woman caught in adultery

Jenny unpacks this powerful story in a relational way, bringing the heart and experience of each character, to show Jesus the advocate and how He calls us to follow.  

Josiah Brings a word on the Righteousness and Justice of God

Righteousness is the moral standards of God that have never been erased

Justice is the work of the spirit to bring that which is out of line with His righteousness back into line

We were not righteous, although through His spirit He makes us righteous.

His Righteousness brings peace and restoration in relationships.

This week Josiah shared a powerful message of stewarding a life of sacrifice and preparation for His return.

 2 Peter 3:3-4 Jesus is going to come and He is preparing a people of righteousness that will be ready!

 Are we living lives of humility and sacrifice which welcome His move in and through us?

 Heb 11 - you will not find a mighty man or women of God without sacrifice 

 2 Chr 7:12 - the lords house is a house of sacrifices

For resurrection Sunday we started with some readings 

John 20:11-18 Mary Magdalene sees the risen Lord

Matthew 28:18-20 The great commission 

Josiah started by sharing the significance of Jesus’ resurrection to our faith. That without the resurrection of Christ, we have no faith. This simple yet profound truth is the foundation of our hope in Jesus

1 Cor 15:12-22

Psalm 18 God delights in you and He loves you

When we understand we are delighted in by the Lord we can’t help but rejoice. For His delight delivers us.

For God so loved that He sent His only son, let us not forget His love and delight over us and fall into thinking we need to perform for His acceptance.

May you feel His delight over you today

This week we had the pleasure of having Fernanda and Fred Barros come and speak from Iris ministries in Rio Brazil.

Fernanda gave a word on God's provision in the wilderness and desert seasons and our need to ask and lean on Him for help.

In every season we need Gods provision

And we have the freedom to go into Gods presence with vulnerability 

Also, His grace gives us a place to be vulnerable with each other 

Genius 21:8-20

Perhaps like Haggi you are in the desert 

But God sees you in the desert and He has provision for you

If the enemy can’t lead us to sin through temptation he will use distraction. This often latches onto us when we are weary, even when we get tired of doing good things.

Although, the Lord wants to draw us even closer in these times, into His perfect love and covenant. It is in these times that we need to know He is our banner. Run to Him in times of need, then also reach out to your brothers and sisters in Christ!

Sam Garfoot is a great father in the house and elder in our church. For this Sunday Sam brought a word to remind us of the power of the cross, that Jesus gave us His righteousness. 

1 John 2:28 - everyone that practises righteousness is of Him and has been born again

1 John 3:1-3 - this is how the Lord sees us as His children! 

This is a constant purifying of our heart as we behold and walk with Him.

This isn't something that we have to strive for, but just come to Him in humility and let Him move us.

I don't think we can tick a box and say 'we’ve done dependency, we don't move on from it'!

Jonah continues the running theme from conference of dependency on Jesus

For the Hebrews the name El Shaddai is was more than just the term God Almighty, it was a like a sentence: The God who is sufficient and the God who knows how to say 'that’s enough'.

He is enough and He is our Daily bread

The lord had to reteach the Israelites this when He brought them out of Egypt as they had lived in slavery for so long.

We need to keep coming to Him everyday to receive our daily bread 

Rory starts with a recap of the conference we had with UPPERROOM, where God came with a deeper message of 'I'm going to teach you guys to depend on me'.

The question is what will that look like in your life, what is God saying to you on how to depend on Him?

God had different calls to different churches, perhaps we are like the churches that had abundance and wealth, stay in dependence on me, stay abiding.

Where the western world tempts us into thinking we don't need God, we need to remind ourselves of our need for Him and come humble.