Thanks for praying for Jeremy Bank’s sister Sophie who had surgery on a brain tumour earlier in the week. We received this update after surgery:
“Amazing news after 4 hour surgery. Most of tumour is removed!
Sophie is UP and TALKING and eating an ice block!!!!!
No need for any scans - it’s the most miraculous news!! Nurses are thrilled (as are we!)”
Please keep praying for her for healing, and for Jeremy and his family as they journey this together.
There’s a verse written in chalk on our fridge that’s been there for a few years. It’s from Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of Scripture - The Message - and I just love his take on it:
“The world of the generous grows larger and larger.” Proverbs 11:25
I’m thinking a lot about the rising cost of living and the impact it’s having on people’s lives. Last week I wrote about the risk that our expectation gets reduced to the depth of our pockets rather than the riches of God’s resources. This week, I’m thinking about another risk - that we stop being generous.
Crises have a way of causing us to turn in on ourselves. We become so focused on what we lack that we fail to notice other people. It gives us such a narrow view of the world and allows a discrete problem to appear pervasive. The solution in God’s economy is generosity. Look up and out and find ways to give.
The obvious focus here is on money but please don’t mistake this for a fundraiser! I thoroughly believe in giving the first of our income to God’s work because it’s the only way to make temporary money work for eternity! It began with Abel giving God his best (Gen 4:4) and extends today in shaping where our hearts go (Matt 6:21).
Notice how Jesus praises the widow who gave two small coins (Mark 12:41-44). The amount wasn’t important to Jesus, it was the attitude of the giver. And as she gave all she had as an offering to God, she invested in something way bigger than herself. Her world grew.
We partner with Christians Against Poverty and they include a small donation in a new client’s budget, even if it’s just $1. It’s like a token that says, ‘I can’t give much now but even in the little I have, I want to train my heart to be generous. I want to invest in something bigger.’
We can also be generous in a lot of other ways. We can be generous with our time and how we invest that in others. We can use our skills and abilities to bless others. We can lend possessions freely. We can be generous in our praise and encouragement. The list goes on.
So even if things are tight, with all that God has given you, what can you give to God and to others? God is the ultimate giver having sent His one and only Son to give us new life for free. As we grow in giving, we increase the extent to which we reflect God and the message of the Gospel. It doesn’t get any bigger than that!
Much love,
Simon
This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>
Over these next couple of weeks were are doing something a little different. This Sunday we’ll be hearing from Mike Burrows. He works for an organisation called Open Doors and will be speaking on the persecuted Church around the world. Then the following week we’ll be hearing from Caitlin Ormiston, Alison Patel and Mike Morrison as they each share some wisdom from Proverbs with us.
Markus Bain is currently having a little stay in hospital to get on top of an infection that set in after he had flu last week. Please let’s lift him up in prayer as he and Karyn potentially have another week in hospital. We’re also continuing to pray for his swallow to return. Please Lord heal Markus completely!
Jeremy Bank’s sister - Jeremy is one of the elders at The Street and his sister Sophie has very recently been diagnosed with a brain tumour. She will undergo major surgery this week. The following is from Jeremy:
“The last few days have been a blur. Feeling for Sophie, in herself she is doing well and full of faith. The brain surgery is booked in for Monday, large tumour in a very tricky spot deep in L side, affecting speech etc. Please be praying for healing, a successful surgery and no adverse impacts on her ability to walk and speak.”
We were really excited to have Mike Burrows from “Open Doors” as our guest speaker last Sunday, 10th July. Open Doors is an incredible organisation that supports persecuted Christians around the world. Towards the end of the online service Jerram and Mike had a bit of a chat about the work of Open Doors that you can check out here.
If you would like to make a donation to Open Doors you can do so at www.opendoors.org.nz/THESTREET
Have you noticed how your heart sinks every time you see a petrol station? How expensive is petrol?!! I’m assuming you’ve noticed your food bill going up too. And I’m particularly concerned for people who stretched to buy a house only for interest rates to increase your loan repayments too. These are not easy times for many people.
So how do we look at all of this as followers of Jesus? How should we approach money? I’ll probably write a bit more on this in the coming weeks but I want to start in the most important place. We start with faith.
In John’s account of the feeding of the 5,000, he notes that Jesus already knew what he was going to do but wanted to give the disciples a test (John 6:6). “Where shall we buy bread?” Phillip responds by assessing the finances and calculates it would need 6 months wages which clearly no one had. Andrew joins in and looks at the resources they have - 5 loaves and two fish - and they come to the same conclusion. It’s not enough.
I see the same reaction in us when faced with a challenge. Can I fix this with money? Do I have the stuff to sort this myself? I wonder what reaction comes out in you when ends don’t meet. Where do you turn?
Jesus purposefully put the disciples in this moment to test them. He let them try and work it out. Then he took the tiny portions they had and catered for a giant picnic (probably 20,000 people) with 12 basketfulls left over. They had more leftovers than they had to start with.
Jesus takes something very ordinary like food and proves that even in such a basic area of life, he cares and is capable of providing more than enough.
Nothing in what I am saying excuses us from doing our best to make good financial choices or seeking the right advice. Those things are good. But can I encourage us not to reduce our expectation to the depth of our pockets. We have to approach this in faith.
Jesus was teaching his disciples that everything they could ever need in life comes from him. He is our provider. He knows our every need before we do. He can provide in a moment in time and out of nothing. I have seen time and time again how God can provide just what we need at just the right time. In my experience, it seems God chooses a new way to provide every time. It’s like he’s letting me know that he is the one who provides. Sometimes very practically. Sometimes through a person. Sometimes an out and out miracle. But over the years I have learned that he is more than enough and I’m praying that in this season we would all learn that too.
Much love,
Simon
This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>
I wonder what word you would choose to describe how you’re going right now. For many people I talk to it seems that we’re all pretty tired. I know the reasons for this will be many and varied but I wonder if one reason is that the ways we used to refresh and replenish have changed. Maybe it’s holiday plans that were cancelled or postponed. Maybe working from home has changed your routine. Maybe close friends or family have moved away. Whatever the cause, it’s important to take proactive steps.
From the beginning, God set in place a rhythm of rest called Sabbath. Jesus said that this was a day made for people - for their good. And while I know it will be difficult for people to observe a whole day of rest each week, there are some principles that emerge that can be really helpful.
Rest (Exodus 20:11). The main purpose of Sabbath is to rest. A moment every week when regular work - whatever that is for you - ceases. In an age where so many of us can work online, it’s easy to never really leave the office. Are there times when we genuinely stop? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you making time to rest?
Remember (Deuteronomy 5:15). The rest that God first observed was not because he was tired. Rather there’s a sense of him celebrating and enjoying the complete and good creation. It’s easy for us to live lives with a perpetual to-do list and little sense of finishing. How can we find moments to reflect and remember? It could be as simple as sharing favourite things from your day around the dinner table or writing in a journal 3 things you’re deeply grateful for today. Are we taking time to remember?
Refreshment (Exodus 20:17) - Moses records that after the Sabbath, God was refreshed. It means we have to use Sabbath time intentionally and it may not simply be on the couch (although it could be). For me I have learned through trial and error what refreshes me. It’s things like exercising outdoors, reading, worship, time with friends or family. It means when I’m tired I can check whether I’ve been skipping some of these things that I know are helpful. Do you know what refreshes you? If not, think about moments you’ve been refreshed in the past and what contributed to it. Then try some and see how it goes. Once you know them, you can start building them into your routine. A little goes a long way.
Much love,
Simon
This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>
Who were (or are) your favourite school teachers? I am forever grateful to the likes of Mrs Lue and Mr Sullivan for the impact they had on my education. But the reason they stick out is not because we always got on (Mrs Lue once asked me why I was the classroom ruffian). The reason they stand out is because they sometimes gave me bad grades and were prepared to push me and help me to get better.
Feedback comes in all sorts of ways. Some work reviewed at home, the hard words of a friend, an honest conversation with a parent or a spouse. Over the years I’ve become better at receiving feedback (albeit with room to grow). While I don’t think it’ll ever be fun, I am learning to appreciate critique more than praise. The latter is encouraging but the former helps me grow.
I find it interesting as I read the gospels at how much Jesus challenges his disciples. He was no doubt a great encourager but in his commitment to develop 12 men who would establish the church, Jesus didn’t hold back on feedback. He asked questions that revealed their assumptions, he told them stories that revealed their hearts and even rebuked their unbelief.
I find something similar with Scripture which God has given to equip us for every good work. It reveals the way things are, where we’re lost, how we get back to the path and how we stay on the path. It consistently invites us to change.
So whether from one another or from the Word, let me share a couple of things that I’m learning that help:
Say thank you. It’s not easy plucking up the courage to challenge someone. I think it’s a great idea to acknowledge that and thank the person for sharing it with you (even if you may not agree). You can also thank God when you feel convicted by something you read in the Bible.
It’s for you, not about you. One of the big reasons for that stomach twisting feeling is that we take critique to heart and assume we’re somehow broken. As a follower of Jesus, remember that you belong in the family of God, you are loved like a favourite and God is well pleased with you… Full stop. Critique can never diminish that. It’s about something you’ve done or not done. It’s not about who you are.
Lean into the learning. Praise is encouraging but it gives little to learn. Critique can give clarity on how I can grow. It means I have the opportunity to never make the same mistake again. I realise that sometimes people will be overly critical and not constructive. However, even then, you can discern what’s true and look for ways to learn.
“Rebuke the wise and they will be wiser still.” - Proverbs 9:8b
Much love,
Simon
This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>
There is an Alpha course coming up at the end of July being hosted by Gateway Baptist in Miramar. Now is a great time to be prayerfully considering whether there is someone you know that could be interested. If you don’t know much about Alpha, check out this video. Feel free to share this link if someone you know could be keen.
(See the “Future events” section of the newsletter for more information about this course and how to register.)
I’ve spoken recently of my love for words. Their meaning, their history and their power to make such a big difference. Like most things put into the hands of humanity, they can be used for both good and evil; healing and harm.
I’ve noticed recently that I can easily be very self-centered and focused on the things I need to do. I appreciate hearing encouragement from others and yet I wonder how generous I am with my words of affirmation for others.
In Luke 6:27-28, Jesus challenges us to do something extraordinary with our words. He says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
Jesus focuses on the words we use towards those who hate us. I just wonder how well I fulfil his command even with the people I like!
“Bless” comes from the Greek word eulogéō which is where we get our word eulogy from. Think of the care, affection and diligence that goes into writing a eulogy that truly honours a person. It misses out all of their faults and just focuses on what can be celebrated. It reminds me of a Garrison Keillor quote, “They say such nice things about people at their funerals that it makes me sad to realise that I'm going to miss mine by just a few days.”
So what if rather than waiting for a funeral, we started today? What would happen if each of us sought to thoughtfully eulogise one another? Imagine the impact your words could have on those closest to you? Imagine the incredible blessing our church gatherings would be. Imagine the difference it would make in homes and schools, universities and workplaces. Imagine the sort of children that would grow up in our homes and churches were they to hear such words at a formative age.
I even wonder what impact it would have on our own thought patterns if we created a habit of looking for things to celebrate in others.
So let me invite you into my personal challenge for this week. I want to take some time every day to write 3 things I really appreciate about someone else and share it with them. I might send them a message, tell them face to face or write it in a card for them to keep. Will you join me and accept the 7 Day Eulogy Challenge?
Much love,
Simon
This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>
We are on the lookout for a new full time (40hrs) Associate Children's Pastor to join our City team! We're looking for someone passionate about discipling children to become total followers of Jesus, and also someone able to equip, inspire and lead others to do the same. If you are interested in finding out more, please email office@thestreet.org.nz. Applications close 26 June.
Thanks to everyone that took part in the Shared Lunch poll last week! The results were (almost) unanimously positive and so we will reinstate these in July. Kahurangi School in Strathmore Park has agreed we can use their school hall which I have booked for the first Sunday of each month for the rest of the year, so our next shared lunch will be Sunday 3rd July - get it in your calendar!
If you like organising things and would like to help make these happen we’d love to hear from you. It would involve; getting disposable plates, cups, cutlery etc, opening up the hall, making sure everything is cleaned up at the end, and locking up the hall at the end. Let us know if that sounds like something you could do.
I expect we’re all used to algorithms at work behind the scenes, suggesting content and products that might be relevant. My guess is that if our Bibles had algorithms, Psalm 34 would be at the top of many people’s suggested readings right now. It’s a go to psalm for anyone in distress and from what I see and hear, there’s plenty of that going around.
In Psalm 34, David proclaims, “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips” (Ps 34:1). He goes on to testify that “The LORD is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Ps 34:18).
The intriguing thing about Psalm 34 is its origin. It’s thought that David wrote it while fleeing for his life from Saul and hiding among the Philistines. Yes, you read that right. The Philistines. They were no doubt wary of David who had recently killed their hero Goliath and so he pretended to be insane. It’s hard to imagine the distress David felt, and yet in that place he pens Psalm 34.
David writes this Psalm not in spite of his distress but because of it. David could write about God being near to the broken-hearted precisely because he was broken-hearted and had found God there. It means that while distressing circumstances are never good, God can use them to reveal something about himself that you wouldn’t be able to see at another time.
It’s why David could extol the Lord at all times. He had learned to find reasons to praise while the storm was still raging. This is profound. We often think of testimonies being shared when God answers prayer. But here David shows that there is a testimony to be shared of the goodness of God even when our prayers seem to go unanswered.
It’s why I often encourage people going through trouble to keep a journal of what they're learning about God and what they’re seeing him do. It’s a way of helping us find reasons to praise at all times, not just when things are as we want them to be. But I’d also encourage you to not wait for deliverance before you’re willing to share what you’re praising God for. It will raise the faith of those around you and be a powerful testimony to the people in our world who do not know the Lord. May his praise always be on our lips.
Much love,
Simon
This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>
Registrations for this seminar close on Monday 6th June so if you’d like to come, make sure you register through “Sign ups” in the new church app. If you don’t have the app yet, search for “Church Center” in the App Store or Google Play Store. If you need any help registering, please just get in touch.
We used to have regular shared lunches after a Sunday service until we moved our services to Hobart Street. There is another church that uses the building straight after us which doesn't give us enough time to squeeze in a lunch!
We're thinking of looking for a venue that may let us use it for a shared lunch on a Sunday - which would involve us all relocating somewhere after the service to eat together. But we only want to do it if people are keen. So please let us know by clicking this link and selecting whether you would come or not!
The Street’s Annual Report for 2021 is now published. You can find it here.
I’m thinking about grace and truth because I think it’s important. It’s important if we’re to be people who encourage one another to live lives worthy of God without becoming religious or judgmental. It’s really important if we’re to be a safe space for people from all walks of life to discover Jesus and become lifelong followers of him. And it’s really important because I think we often get grace and truth wrong.
The problem is that it often gets defined too narrowly. Truth gets reduced to telling people that what they’re doing is wrong while grace becomes a synonym for leniency. This makes grace and truth mutually exclusive and impossible to be embodied in one person. A broader view is needed.
John loved the word truth and made it a theme of his gospel and letters. We discover that Jesus is the truth who reveals the reality about God, his work and his ways (John 14:6). To know the truth is not simply to realise the mistakes we’ve made but to be invited into a personal relationship with Jesus which leads to freedom and fullness of life (John 8:31-32).
Grace is the way God chooses (Rom 11:5), calls (Gal 1:15), forgives (Gal 1:7), saves (Acts 15:11), builds up (Acts 20:32) and gives eternal hope (Titus 3:7). It’s by grace that God enables us to believe (Acts 11:23), serve (Rom 12:6), be generous (2 Cor 8:7) and persevere (2 Cor 12:9). Where sin increases, grace increases more (Rom 5:21). And it’s also the way God calls us to a holy life (2 Tim 1:9). No wonder we often sing about amazing grace!
Can you see that grace and truth are not mutually exclusive. Truth reveals the grand story God is telling and grace enables us to join in with it. Grace and truth are therefore powerful partners for life change.
It’s something I think I got to see in my teens. I grew up in a Christian home but ran in the opposite direction. My parents either knew or assumed what I was up to but rarely confronted me. Instead, they consistently modelled a better way to live and allowed home to be a place where I knew I was unconditionally loved and accepted. I also think they prayed a whole lot behind the scenes! It seems to me that what they did was create an environment of grace that encouraged me towards the truth their lives revealed.
I’m not exactly sure what this looks like for us or where it ends up. But can I invite us on a journey as we reach out and encourage one another to grow. Let’s be a church that seeks to reveal truth with our whole lives and that creates an environment where God is welcome to work in the fullest expression of his grace.
Simon
This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>
2021 was a year of challenges, learning and exploring new ways to be the Church. Our Annual Report is now available - have a read of our highlights, stats and financials.
I love to walk early and pray, especially under a clear dark sky. This week, it made me think about my friend Floyd’s T-shirt of the Milky Way, complete with Google Maps-style location icon indicating, “You Are Here.” It marks our place in a galaxy that’s 100,000 light years across and just one of potentially 2 trillion other galaxies. Unimaginably vast spaces created seemingly for God’s own pleasure and glory. I suddenly felt very small.
I love JFK’s speech in 1962 where he declared that America would choose to go to the moon knowing that it would be a huge undertaking. I think now of how much effort is going into establishing a permanent home for humanity on Mars. Journeys that are so incredibly far for us but a mere speck of dust in the grand scheme of things. I imagine these amazing feats as our own generation’s version of Babel that give us a sense of achievement and self-sufficiency. Yet, like Babel, I imagine God descending to have a look from his 2 trillion galaxy perspective and maybe not finding it so impressive.
I write this not because I have a problem with space travel. I actually love that God has blessed us with a predictable environment for us to test, explore and harness. I simply want us to stand back and make sure that we are not the measure of all things.
As I stand and look at the stars it does two things for me. One is that faith begins to rise up. I think of the impossibilities that face us in reaching out to people and planting new locations. The stars remind me that there is nothing God cannot do. I think of the physical, mental and relational problems in our own church and in our city. The stars remind me that the one who spoke the universe into being just needs to speak a word.
The second thought takes me to Psalm 8 where David couldn’t quite believe that humanity could be remotely significant to God in light of the vast expanses of space. And yet he wrote:
“You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour” (Psalm 8:5).
The truth is that as small as we may be, we are the only living creatures across 2 trillion galaxies deliberately created as a reflection and representative of God. You are hugely significant not based on size but on who created you and why. I pray that like me, your identity would be strengthened and your faith would rise as you stare at the stars this week.
Simon
This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>
A friend and mentor asked me last week how I was going with reading the Bible. I responded that I’ve been disciplined with it my whole adult life to which he replied, “That’s nice that it’s a discipline but are you growing in your love for it?” Do you love the Bible? Now that’s a different question.
Psalm 119:97 says, “O how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.” You can see here that the writer had a daily rhythm of Scripture and a love for Scripture. The question is which came first? Was it the discipline or the desire?
I’m a big fan of disciplines. I read James Clear’s Atomic Habits over the summer and it’s been really helpful for me to make rhythms of the things that matter to make sure they happen. Jesus too was a man of discipline. Attending festivals and synagogue and withdrawing to lonely places to pray were habits that he had.
Habits, then, are valuable. For example, I would imagine most of us love cake but only because we’ve actually eaten cake. After all, you cannot love what you’ve never tasted. As I’ve read Scripture over and over, I’ve had moments of wonder as I see something new of God; moments of challenge as I see something new in me. I have found how much the Holy Spirit has been able to bring to mind just the right verse for just the right moment. I love it because I’ve tasted it.
It’s not about whether habits are good or bad but understanding that they’re a means to an end. Jenny and I have had a date night almost every week of our marriage. It’s been an important discipline but we don’t do it for the sake of the discipline. We do it because it helps us cultivate and maintain a love for one another. We celebrate the discipline only because it helps produce a desirable outcome.
Can I suggest it’s the same with Scripture. If you’re not sure if you love it, can I ask if you’ve got a habit of reading it? If not, today’s a great time to start. Start with little and often and go from there. Buddy up with someone else to keep accountable.
If there’s lots of discipline but no love, can I encourage you to change it up? Recently I started reading less every day but making time to journal and write out a prayer of response. It’s amazing how much this little change made the words really resonate in my life.
Let us be disciplined readers of the word so that we may learn to love the word.
Simon
This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>
