Tag Archive for 'grace'

RE:VIEW - Evidence of Grace

Published
by
Mark
on November 12, 2008
in Gospel Life
. 2 Comments

Pastor’s Journal Entry #4

It’s been awhile and I am struggling to keep this blog up to date and flowing regularly.  I will try harder…maybe.  Well a lot has been happening and God is left me amazed.  The more I stop and see the evidences of grace around me (thanks C.J. Mahaney for that skill), the more I am speechless and wondering why God is so good to us.  Even the other day He had me in tears as I was overwhelmed at His grace.  It consumed me and my heart almost exploded with gratitude and worship of my Lord.

So much has been going on.  A big evidence of grace for my family is that our block of land has settled and we are already finalising the details to have our new home built.  After one year of exercising patience (what a hard lesson to learn) and doubting if it would ever happen, today the land issue was settled and a big burden has been released.  God willing we plan to be in our new home by May/June 2009.  So, though the past year has been challenging I am so thankful to Jesus for allowing it and sustaining us through it.

Another evidence of grace is what Jesus is doing in CityWest Church.  After 7 long years of service and the highs and lows of a new church plant we are seeing remarkable breakthroughs.  The church has almost tripled this year and I am amazed at how Jesus is building His church.  It feels like only the beginning and we have an awesome journey ahead.  It is beautiful to see many lives being set free and finding their purpose.  I love watching Jesus work during our Sunday Service and it’s like I can visibly see the walls come down, hard-hearts soften and people brought into a humble relationship with Jesus.  God is adding amazing people to the church and a big answer to my prayer…God is adding men!  Nothing against women, it is great to see them being added too, but for so long we have had a major shortage of men and now this is changing.

I have never been more excited about church life and it feels like I have finally let go and now my plans, ambitions, intentions don’t drive me.  Jesus is the Senior Pastor and He knows best.  This was a difficult lesson for me to learn (as strange as that might sound), but I am released to see God in His Supremacy and thrilled to serve under Jesus.

My kids are doing great.  Baby Joel (16 months) is freaking us all out by speaking in sentences and shaping words well beyond his age.  What a genius!  My 5 year old boy Caeden (a.k.a. Bookie) is still a mad Tigers supporter (AFL Football) and misses the football season.  He is my little mate and I still like to call him Pastor Bookie.  Amy my 7 year old princess is waltzing around in a black dress with lip-stick on and is acting too old for her age for my liking!  What a great kid.  And then there’s my little Puerto Rican dancing queen Chanelle, 9 years old.  She is growing up so fast and I am already dreading the days when the boys will be pounding down my door.  I’m thinking of a weapon in preparation for that craziness…any ideas?  Then of course is my precious wife, what a woman!  I am still in love with her but even deeper than ever.  Last night we had dinner together - alone - and it was amazing.  A warm night, sitting outside enjoying Mexican food.  Does it get any better?  We spent hours talking about this very subject and could not comprehend at how amazing Jesus is to us.  I am overwhelmed.

So there, just a brief run down about the evidences of God’s grace around me.  I encourage you to stop and look around and see the evidence of grace that surrounds you.  Your situation might not be ideal but shift your focus and watch your heart change.  Let Jesus show you what really matters and not get bogged down by the insignificant issues.

God is always God no matter what we think!

Prayer: Jesus, why you are mindful of us and why you show us extravagent grace I will never be able to fully comprehend.  Who are we that you should show such love?  I marvel at the extent of your grace and how it reaches into every sphere of our existence.  Your greatness and supremacy are spectacular.  I love you.  Keep me aware and filled with awe at who you are.  May I never be solely dependant on what you do for me to cause me to praise you, I don’t want to only acknowledge you if you meet my desires.  But rather may my worship come from a deep love for you and understanding of your majesty.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for your grace, you really do humble me.  In your name and by your grace, Amen.

Identity in Jesus - Baptism Day

Published
by
Mark
on September 3, 2008
in Gospel Life
. 1 Comment

This past Sunday at CityWest Church I had the honour of baptising three amazing women.  It never ceases to capture me how Jesus works in a person’s life as each one of them had their own unique story to tell.  I looked at them and I could not help but praise Jesus for breathing new life into them and adopting them into God’s Family.

It was a day that started early and ended late but the tiredness and exhaustion I felt as I hit my pillow at about 11pm cannot be compared to anything else in this world.  The atmosphere was thick with excitement and anticipation that God was doing something beautiful.  For me it was a highly memorable moment as it felt like the visible evidence of us coming through a difficult and trying season.  As a church it reminded us once again as to why we are here and brought focus onto our all-important mission.  The mission/cause of Jesus Christ fuels us like nothing else and seeing Linda, Leah and Ruth get baptised highlighted the fruitfulness God longs to see in His churches around the world.  Sure we have not got it right many times and often it seemed like we were riding an out of control car without the capacity to steer, but through it all Jesus has remained faithful.

As I preached about Jesus and had a brag-fest about how magnificent He is, my heart was stirred about the identity we all must deal with.  For some their identity is found in what they do.  For example, “I am a factory worker”, or “I am a property investor”.  For others their identity is shaped by circumstances.  For example, “I am a divorcee”, or “I am disabled”, or “I am unemployed”.  These words might seem insignificant but when spoken from the heart reveal an identity that is challenging to reform.  But here’s the good news…with Jesus our identity is corrected and brought into alignment to reflect who HE is rather than who we think we are.  This is the idea I conveyed to the three women who were baptised and to the church as a whole.  We now have our identity founded and secured IN Jesus so that when God the Father looks at us He sees His Son.  WOW!!  What grace!

Another beautiful moment was having the children of the church (and there are heaps!) to also witness the evidence of new birth in Jesus.  At one point I was about to baptise Ruth when her little boy Jackson yelled out, “My mummy doesn’t like water”.  Well this of course sent the crowd into a laughing fit and it reflected the joy of the day.  Just on a side note, Ruth’s daughter Dayna went to school the next day and announced to her class, “Yesterday my mum had a bath on the stage at church with all her clothes on.”  Um, how do you explain that one?  I guess they have some explaining to do.

What an awesome day!  Celebrations like this just serve to remind me about my heart to see people’s identity crisis’ be transformed under the love, grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.  I get such overwhelming joy when I see someone once lost be found by Jesus that it ruins me.  I get wrecked, ruined and messed-up when I see a person fall at the feet of Jesus and rise up a brand new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).  It ruins me because every other thrill seems to fade into nothing and the work of Jesus consumes me.  May we all live for that cause and be obedient as The Sent Ones.  Reach them for Jesus!