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- Building Update #2
- 3 members of Church by the Bridge share their story
- Building Update #1
- A history of our church in 430 words
- Reaching those we know: “I went to church”
- Reaching those we know: Don’t lunch alone
- Reaching those we know: Cross-pollinate your social circles
- Reaching those we know: Throw out an invite to church
- Reaching those we know: Ask yourself the hard questions
- Reaching those we know: Honour God’s holy name
- 10 ways you can pray for SOUL
- Reaching those we know: Give them a DVD
- 10 practical ways we can love others at our weekly gatherings
- Reaching those we know: Be a Christian on Facebook
- Reaching those we know: Be reminded of the urgency
- Reaching those we know: Ask questions
- Seeing the crowds
- Reaching those we know: Introduce yourself
- The benefits of memorising Scripture (and a tool to help)
- May 2011 Offertory Information and YTD Expenses
- What do you thank God for?
- Are you converted?
- 3 ways you can serve the church family with Planning Center Online
- 8 reasons our church uses Planning Center Online
- The rupture of God
- What happens when you die?
- The launch of Sunday at 6pm (Lavender Bay)
- Core value 6: Maturity
- Core value 4: Church Family
- Core value 5: Mission
- Core value 2: Bible
- Core value 1: Christ-centered
- Introducing our Core Values
- This is our mission
- 2011: the year of reaching those we know
- Why join a Connect Group?
- Reading the Bible with regularity
- Christmas Message 2010
- 4 reasons for joy this Christmas
- Three updates for 2011
- Now is the time for the “Build”
- How to pray for the persecuted church
- An introduction to Hudson Taylor
- An introduction to Jonathan Edwards
- Seven resources to spur you on in thinking and living as a Christian
- Why do we read the Bible in church?
- Why do we sing?
- Why do we pray?
- Why do we meet together?
- Godly voting
- Bible Words: Holiness
- Introducing Stephen - our new Burmese mission partner
- 11 ways to pray for Kenny, Rose and Jenna Lloyd
- 5 ways to pray for the Chapman family
- Let our fellowship be like a family meal
- Introduction to Playtime by the Bridge
- God’s love shapes how we love
- Living an intentional life
- Mission Focus Weekend 2010
- 12 tips to sit regularly under the Word of God
- Who is Anglicare?
- Resources for responding to apologetics questions
- Spotlight on Vietnam
- Spotlight on Ecuador
- Mission at Church by the Bridge
- Opportunities to use technology in our Christian lives
- Preparing for Easter
- The dangers of using technology
- Preparing for the Annual Vestry Meeting
- Isaac Watts and emotions shaped by objective truth
- Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
- Money and mission
- Taking Jesus literally
- Two ways to act like the household of the living God
- Strong words from spiritual leaders on loving the church
- Explaining our core value
- The resolutions of Jonathan Edwards
- We believe in miracles!
- 5 ways to maximise Christmas
- Discerning the presence of spiritual pride
- Charles Spurgeon - a preacher passionate about Biblical truth
- Charles Simeon - a devout and zealous gospel preacher
- 10 tips for seeking to live as a follower of Jesus
- Jonathan Edwards - loving God with heart and soul
- Important words: adoption
- Important words: grace
- Luke - an orderly account of Jesus’ life
- Mark - the punchy gospel
- The delights and challenges of Matthew
- 10 books that changed my life
- Making the most of technology to serve God and each other
- How do we make good leaders and keep them going?
- Church membership involves attending church
- Church membership involves giving
- Church membership involves responsibility
- The implications of church membership
How to pray for the persecuted church
Last Sunday, millions of Christians around the world participated in an International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Around 200 million Christians worldwide live under persecution. We’ve read in the papers over the last week the case of Asia Bibi who has been given the death sentence by the Pakistani government for allegedly blaspheming Muhammed. I received an email from a member of our church regarding the persecution of Christians in Baghdad. And of course we support Voice of the Martyrs, in particular 16 Vietnamese women whose husbands have been imprisoned for their faith. For daily updates on Christian persecution, I would encourage you to check out - http://www.persecutionblog.com/.
But one thing we can all do is pray! Brother Andrew of Open Doors encourages us to pray daily for our persecuted brothers and sisters. But how should we pray? Here are some of his suggestions:
• For their physical protection and deliverance (Matt 26:39, Acts 12:5, Philippians 1:19, Rom 15:30-31, Acts 21:30-31 Philemon 22).
• That God would give them the right words and that they would fearlessly make Christ known (Ephesians 6:19-20, Colossians 4:2-4).
• That they will see God’s grace as sufficient and God’s power perfected in their weakness (2 Cor 12:9-10).
• That they will rejoice in sharing the sufferings of Jesus (Heb 10:34, Matt 5:12, 1 Peter 4:13).
• That they will endure (Heb 10:36).
• That they will choose ill treatment and the reproach of Christ, not pleasures of sin (Heb 11:24-26).
• That they will love Christ far more than life itself (Rev 12:10-11, Philippians 1:21, Acts 20:24).
• That they will love their enemies (Luke 6:27-31).
• That they will rejoice that they are considered worthy to suffer for HIS name (Acts 5:41).
• That they will remember they were made for such persecution (Philippians 1:29).
• That they will live the joy of the Lord before their persecutors (Acts 16:25, Philippians 1:28).
• That they will remember their unbelievable future glory (Romans 8:18).
• That they would learn to more completely trust in God (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).
• That they would rejoice that they bear in their bodies the “brand marks of Christ” (Galatians 6:17).
• That they would rejoice in filling up that which is lacking in Christ’s sufferings (Col 1:24).
Let me encourage you this week to sit down with your Bibles, read these verses, and PRAY!
With love in Christ,
Paul Dale (Senior Pastor)
