The Moravians were the first Protestants to treat world missions as the responsibility of the whole church. Every member was to be on mission, whether at home or abroad. Jason Hubbard
Quote for the Day
Month: October 2022
Today’s Bike Ride
Windy and overcast this morning so I had to work harder.
Today’s Sermon
Quote for the Day
The source of the Moravians’ success was bound up in their allegiance to and love for Jesus Christ. Because of their love for the Savior, the Moravians experienced a deep sense of community. Jason Hubbard
Today’s Bike Ride
It was great to ride out along the Mount Kaputar Road this morning. The magpies have settled down a lot in the past couple of weeks, although there is one that is still agro.
Quote for the Day
Like the Moravians, we need to return to our first love, to the Lord Jesus, our Lamb of love. We need to ask Him to ring the bell of awakening in these days. Let us cry out for a Lamb’s awakening movement, where the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to reawaken the people of God to the Lamb of God for all that He is! Jason Hubbard
Reflection on 1 Samuel 1:1-28
Scripture
“O Lord of heaven’s armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”
Observation
A man named Elkanah has two wives, one of whom, Hannah, has no children. One time, when they are at Shiloh for the annual sacrifice, Hannah goes to the Tabernacle. She is so fervent in her prayer for a son that Eli the priest thinks she is drunk.
In due course, Hannah becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son, and she names him Samuel. When the boy is weaned, Hannah takes him to the tabernacle to serve the Lord.
Application
Hannah’s prayer may seem strange to some. She is desperate for a child, but she promises to give him back to the Lord if he answers her prayer. Really Hannah is recognising that she has no right to hold on to something that comes to her as a gift from the Lord.
The followers of Jesus are required to lay down their lives, take up their cross, and live only for the Lord. Everything has to be sacrificed to Him.
What God gives back then comes to us as a double grace. He is not bound to give us anything, but still He gives us more than we could ask for.
When we yield to God the desires of our heart, then He blesses us abundantly.
Prayer
Thank you Father for the paradox of grace. When I give you the things that I most desperately want, you return to me a much greater blessing. Amen.
Today’s Bike Ride
What a beautiful morning for being outside. A great ride on Jacks Creek and Gun Club Roads
Quote for the Day
The Moravian movement had provided leadership to the world for 200 years. But by the 1930s and 40s, sadly the town of Herrnhut had followed the rest of Germany in providing tacit—if not eager—support for Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party. The Soviet Army captured the town of Herrnhut on the final day of the Second World War, at which time the church building and the heart of the town were set ablaze. It was a scene that caused locals to wonder if this was the Lord’s judgement. Jason Hubbard
God Is Greater Than Halloween
I hate Halloween because it has become a celebration of evil. Of all the cultural imports that we have received from the USA – yes I know that it started in Europe but the event we celebrate in Australia is basically the US version brought in by movies and TV – this is the worst. We ignore their best traditions like Thanksgiving and run with Halloween instead.
Halloween (pronounced “Hallow” not “Hollow”) is the night before All Saints Day (sometimes called All Hallows Day in the past). All Saints is a celebration of the victory in Christ of the believers who have gone before. It started to be celebrated in the 300s and was fixed as November 1 by the 700s.
All Saints reminds us that Jesus has defeated satan through His death and resurrection. The Kingdom of God is advancing person by person around the world. The Gates of Hell (that is, the fortress of the devil) will not prevail.
The custom arose that at Halloween, the eve of All Saints Day, people would look for opportunities to mock the devil. One such custom was to dress children up in costumes that mock the world of the dead — ghosts, ghouls etc. Satan’s power is so destroyed by the victory of Christ that even children can laugh at him.
The key to understanding this is that satan’s first sin was pride, thinking that he could assume the throne of the Most High God. (See Isaiah 14:13-14). We can celebrate satan’s downfall by mocking his pride. It’s a bit like putting gargoyles on the roof of the church to collect the rain water – it is a statement that these ugly representations of demons are so ridiculous and now we use them to protect the structure of God’s building.
Some people find this business of mocking the devil a bit hard to understand. We need to remmber that in a society where Christianity has overcome paganism and everybody is assumed to be a christian, the social dynamics are very different to the present day where the church is in a minority position.
Where Halloween has gone wrong, I believe, is that the world tries to have the christian festival without Christ (like they do with Christmas and Easter). Rather than being a mockery of satan, it is now a celebration of the demonic, which is very different.
There are many anecdotal reports of increases in witchcraft, occultic activity and other demonically inspired events happening at this time of the year. Some christians react in fear, but we need to regain that sense that the devil is a defeated foe. In James 4:7, we read, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
At Halloween, and indeed every day, we need to remember that, as powerful as the devil seems, our God is greater. Put on the armour of God, and tell the devil to nick off, and he will.
New Life Narrabri 