Connecting Sydney Christadelphian Young People

How to be like Jesus

Jesus

Did Jesus exist?

What are you waiting for?

The struggles of a leader

Bound in love in Canada

Will you recognise Jesus?

June 2006

The Vine is published every two months by the Sydney Christadelphian Young People

Editorial Team: Jenny Galbraith, Julia Thompson, Jenni Sawell, Katie Shields, Leah Sawell

Masthead design: Alisa Thompson

Layout: Jenny Galbraith

Cover photography: Katie Shields

Contributors: Adam Byrnes, Tamar Goltz, Michael Hindmarsh, David Bowe, Karlie Pogson, Matt Bradley, Emma Dando, Rob Evans, Heather Rendell, Tim Archer, Naomi Dennes, Michaela Pogson, Leah MacKinnon

The Vine is published to the glory of our Heavenly Father, through whom all things are made possible

thevinescyp@hotmail.com

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Do you really know Jesus?As Christians Jesus Christ is central to our faith, but how many of us feel like we really know him personally? He can seem like an amazing historical fi gure whose life changed the course of history forever, but does his existence change our lives now? What is it to know Jesus?

It says in Hebrews 1:1, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son”. Jesus was born so God could reveal himself more fully to us and help us understand how he wants us to live our lives. With the knowledge that God is an almighty omnipotent being it may seem strange the way Jesus acted while he was on earth. The people he valued most highly were not the seemingly important and powerful public fi gures who had great infl uence over society, but those everyday people who struggled to put food on the table and who were outcasts. He had dinner with people most of society would not be caught dead associating with and broke taboos by talking to and touching women, lepers and so-called “sinners”.

Jesus showed God’s glory through the characteristics he displayed in his everyday life and actions. It says in Jeremiah 22:16 “he defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” This is exactly what Jesus epitomised in his life and this is what God wants from us. We can look at Jesus and see the Word of God acting so powerfully in his life, and strive to have that same spirit and thirst to live out a life that is acceptable to our Father. To know Jesus is to have the “spirit of Christ” in our hearts, to be loving, compassionate, patient, kind and forgiving, and doing good to all we come in contact with. The only way we will get to know God and understand Him is if we understand His Son.

This edition of The Vine tries to reveal Jesus in a way that is powerful and real for all us, and show Christ as a person who not only had an impact on those living 2000 years ago, but can impact our lives now. Jesus’ actions and words need to permeate our lives everyday. As it says in 1 John 2:3, “we know we have come to know him if we obey his commands”. Is Jesus a living and active part of your life, or is he still wandering around the dusty roads of Palestine?

With love in the Lord,

The Editorial Team

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CONTENTS

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6

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3 Will you recognise Jesus?What does it really mean to know Jesus? How can we have a relationship with the Son of God?

5 What are you waiting for?Why are many of us so scared of baptism? It’s time to demystify this ancient ritual.

6 Did Jesus exist?We spend a lot of time talking about Jesus, but have you ever paused to wonder if in fact he ever existed?

7 Bound in love in CanadaFind out about the love which binds the young people in Canada.

9 Photo Spread!Relive the fun and fellowship of Easter Camp 2006.

11 The struggles of a leaderSome of us feel the pressure of leadership. Jesus faced the same struggle!

13 How to: Be like JesusA few tips on the most amazing of Christ’s characteristics and how we can mirror him in our lives.

18 ReviewsHurstville ecclesia profi le and a review of “A Life of Jesus”.

feature

Will you recognise Jesus?

When it happens, when it finally comes true, what will you say? Will it be “It’s nice to finally meet

you” or “My Lord and my God” or “Finally, it’s been a long wait” or “I was just about to…..”

Will you recognise him when he comes?

How will you be feeling when Jesus comes back? Will you be happy to put a face to a friend? Will it be like when you

see a great friend walk out of the airport gates, excitement and butterflies at the same time? Will it be a mix of respect for who he is and joy to see him? Will it be awe? Or fear? What will you do? Maybe you will shake his hand. Or fall to your knees. Will you embrace and meet his eyes with yours? Will you wait for him to act first? Or will you boldly come before his throne of grace? What about if you didn’t know it was him. Would the way he said things make you realise it’s him? Would his words ring true with what you have heard him say before in the Bible? Or do you think you could recognise him by the way he did things, the way he spoke to people, the way he lived his life? Do you know him? Do you really know him? Do you relate to him? Do you have a relationship with him? So when Jesus does come back, which he will, are you going to know him? Or do you think you will be wishing that you had listened to him more when reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Revelation? Will you regret not spending time imagining him, thinking about his days, trying to understand his heart and mind, meditating on the Son of God, on the Son of Man, on your Lord, on the person who gave his life for you? Do you know that knowing him is important? Having a relationship with Jesus is important. Jesus says so. Jesus talks about this in Matthew 7. He says that many busy and active people who do good things in his name, even “wonderful works” or miracles, will be denied a reward because Jesus says to them “I never knew you”. Even though they are saying “Lord Lord”. Even though they have things to say to Jesus and so believe they are in a relationship with Jesus. And the next verse is telling. Jesus says “therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken them to a wise man”, and so he goes on to give the parable of building on rock and sand. Here is a key to you knowing him and him knowing you. Here is an insight into having the kind of relationship with Jesus that means you can be given a spot in the “Kingdom of

Heaven”. And it really is quite simple: “therefore hear my sayings and do them”. So Jesus says it is listening and acting. When we think about the concept of having a relationship with someone, we often think it is about talking, about speaking. But that can be the least important bit about a friend. Think

about your best relationships. Think about your best friend, the person you feel most close to, the kind of person you like to be with. The best relationships occur when you find someone who listens and acts. Not just talks. You feel most appreciated, most understood, most valued when a friend listens to you, and then when they act in response to you. You know you have a real friend when they stop and listen and then care to act. Isn’t that fascinating? Jesus indicates that the two characteristics that determine whether he knows you or I is not whether we are saying “Lord Lord”, it is whether we are listening to him and responding. You want to have a relationship with Jesus? You want to be recognised by him? You want to be given a place in the Kingdom? You want to be wise in your life? You want to have the best friend possible? Then listen to him. And do things because of him. This is the relationship he wants. So when the day does dawn, and he does come back, it is Jesus who will speak to you, Jesus who will be pleased to meet you, Jesus who will respond to you and Jesus who will recognise you first. The important thing will be whether he knows you. And he will know you if you, like any good friend, are listening to him and actively responding to him.

Adam Byrnes

Jesus indicates that the two characteristics that determine whether he knows you or I is not whether we are saying “Lord Lord”, it is whether we are listening to him and responding

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What happens after baptism?Baptism is dying to sin and living to God. We become a new person. Before we served sin, afterward we serve God. We begin a new life and become part of God’s family as an adopted child (Rom 8:12-1). Surrounded by brothers and sisters, wanting to serve Him who graciously offered us this opportunity. If you’re not baptised, reach out and take the hand being offered. If you are, regain your grip and hold on tight and together we will live forever singing praise and giving glory to our Almighty God.

What are you waiting for?

What is it all about anyway?This is a question that can often come into our minds as we grow up together. We’re always hearing the word ‘baptism’, and know it means something but never fully understand what. Inside we’re probably a little scared of it. Well it’s not as scary as we make it out to be. It is definitely the most important decision of our lives but once we believe and understand its meaning, then nothing can hold us back from doing it. The problem with us is that we are so sinful. We may not want to be this way but it’s the way we’re born. Because of this there is a separation between us and our God. God hates sin, but He doesn’t hate us. He did a very special thing for us. He sacrificed his only son so that we can be brought closer to Him (John 3:16). Jesus lived a perfect life but God allowed him to be killed so that the very thing that we do everyday, sin, would be destroyed. Our Lord did this in his death. This is where the symbol of baptism comes from, Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection (Rom 6:3-6). As we go down into the waters of baptism we die and are buried with Christ. As we come out of the water we are raised as Christ was. As Jesus devoted his life to God and destroyed sin in this action, so do we in symbol when we are baptised showing our devotion to our Creator and our need to be forgiven of our sins.

I’m not good enough to be baptised!Sometimes we can feel as though we just aren’t good enough. “I sin too much”, “I could never know as much as him or her”, “God wouldn’t want me in his kingdom”. Do you think this? If so, you’re halfway there! This is the exact point of baptism. It’s admitting that you aren’t good enough. We can never be good enough. What matters is that God, through his grace, is good enough to forgive all of our sins which can be taken away and forgotten about if we repent and are baptised. “Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved...” (Mark 16:16).

I’ll do it when I know it feels right!If you expect to one day wake up and have an amazing epiphany to get baptised, I’m sorry. It doesn’t work that way. If we wait for this moment, it will never happen. It’s not until you start thinking about baptism and what it means that you see the big picture and what God and His son has done for us. The least we can do is respond. This is what He wants. We know that He wants to “fill the earth with his glory” (Num 14:21) and remarkably, as sinful and as hopeless as we are, we can be used by him to do that. “…no man can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water…” (John 3:5).

What do I need to know to be baptised?Before baptism we don’t have to know all the quotes and understand everything. What we have to remember is that baptism is the beginning, not the end. We start a new life devoted to God and following our Lord. Our aim is to understand the Gospel, “the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the Lord Jesus Christ”, not to have perfect knowledge before you get baptised. First Principles are important, but don’t wait for perfect knowledge to get baptised, or you’ll never get there!

Is it all that important?There is only one simple answer to this. Yes. It shows our understanding and devotion that we give our God, because we confess our sins. We realise our need for Christ’s saving work (2 Cor 5:14-15). Take it personally, remember our Saviour Jesus, the pain he went through, the torment, the suffering. For us! Every day he lived his life knowing what he had to do so that we may be blameless before God “..that we might be made the righteous of God” (2 Cor 5:21). Imagine the anguish of his Father. But it was God himself who allowed this to happen so that eternal life could be given to each one of us to help fulfil His purpose.

Why are many of us so scared of baptism? It’s time to demystify baptism and understand why Jesus asked us to perform this ancient ritual.

David Bowe

And if he did exist have you ever wondered whether he was in fact the Son of God, or whether he is still buried somewhere in an ancient tomb in Jerusalem? I was asked to write an article on proofs of Jesus’ existence outside of Christian writings. When I received this brief I was a little worried about the quantity of my material because of the simple and perhaps shocking fact that there is no secular historical evidence of Jesus’ existence. Well I could have been dishonest and comforted everybody with the fact that the Jewish

historian Josephus makes reference to the existence of Jesus, and even testifies to him being the Son of God. However a careful historian will deduct that the comments of Josephus regarding Jesus are so out of character with the rest of his writings that they should be discounted as add-ons, probably inserted by Christians to further their claims of Jesus being the Messiah. Other people would quote excerpts from the famous ancient historians Tacitus, Suetonious and Pliny the Younger as irrefutable testimony of Jesus having lived. However once again an honest historian will take note of the fact that these writers, while they did mention Jesus, wrote between the years 80BC and 120BC and were not in fact eye witnesses, but rather were just repeating what they had heard. These historians only

tell us that there were people who lived in their time who held the belief that Jesus lived. Then what do we do? Do we stop believing in Jesus? Of course not! The lack of historical evidence does not prove that Jesus didn’t live, all that it tells us is that there was not much written by non-Christians regarding Jesus of Nazareth, in truth there was not much written about Judea at all in the first century. The good news is that there is quite detailed written evidence that testifies to

Jesus’ existence, this evidence is known to us as the four gospels. Let us not under estimate the importance of the gospels.

These accounts are treated very seriously by modern historians, in fact of the renowned historians of today it is rare to find a scholar who rejects the existence of Jesus. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have not only provided us with the proof that Jesus walked the earth, but they have also detailed how he walked. The gospels are eyewitness accounts of the life of the most amazing man in history. Did he exist? Well, yes, of course he did. Does he exist? Well, this is the more powerful of the two questions, and it is one for which history cannot give a confident answer. It is one that if you are going to answer “yes” to, you will need to possess something which most people are extremely sceptical of, faith.

Michael Hindmarsh

Did Jesus exist?

“It is rare to find a scholar who rejects the existence of Jesus”

We spend a lot of time talking about Jesus, in fact our whole faith and our entire lives as Christians are lived out on the premise that Jesus is the Son of God.

But have you ever paused to wonder if in fact he ever existed?

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Canada is one of those places that is loved by many people who have

come here from overseas. When I hear of Canada and its many wonders from those the world over, it makes me realise how blessed I am to live in this God-

given place of beauty amongst the mountains, plains, waterfalls, rivers, hills, valleys, and rock faces. Living here amongst the creatures that are unique to this place alone is taken so much for granted at times by those whose lives have been caught up in the rat race of the world. But take a step back, and see what I see… Of the 30 baptised members here in Vernon, there are eight in our CYC. Small? Yes, but close and strong. The truth is our life and the ecclesia is our world. We live for Christ and try to follow the commandments given to our Fathers of old. It’s been a long

time since the commandments were penned, but time has no meaning to our God. A day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day, and those words have just as much power to change us now as they did then. It’s easy to forget that sometimes. Year round, we try to spend as much time as we can with each other, for fellowship is a divine institution that was not meant for Sundays only! Paul prayed in thankfulness for the Philippians’ “fellowship in the gospel from the fi rst day until now”. So should we not do the same as fellow heirs of grace? Because we are few in number in the CYC, we spend a lot of our time with the ecclesia. In

summer, canoeing, swimming, hiking, camping, and of

course doing our readings in the late afternoon sun is something we all look forward to. Not to mention Bible Schools and study days throughout the season! Fall brings with it the refreshing days of work for the ecclesia and planning for the events during the upcoming winter. The leaves scatter across the ground and remind us of how fl eeting our time on this earth is. And yet, there is life to come after the snows. It brings to mind Ecclesiastes 3: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven”. Despite the blanketing

snows, winter keeps us busy in the work of the Truth and again spending time with one another around the word. Our Year End study is always amazing and brings all those blessed to come closer to each other, but more importantly, closer to God. Spring gives new life to everything around us. The trees, fl owers and grasses, having slept through the coldness of winter awaken with the new sun, brightly dawning on yet another year in this pilgrimage of life. What a joyful allusion to Zion’s glad morning that is soon to brighten the earth with its glory! “…Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.” We are truly a blessed people to be called the children of the most High God. More beautiful than the places we live in, is the Truth that binds us through trial, tribulation, joy and time. The faithful of old and the faithful of now will all be united in one voice in the day of glory which shall be revealed in us, that we might all be made perfect in one. I look forward so much to meeting those whose eyes I have never seen and whose voices I have never heard. But “beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is”. May we all meet together in Zion, the perfection of beauty from which our God and Father will shine.

Tamar Goltz

Bound in love in beautiful

Canada

More beautiful than the places we live in is the Truth that binds us through trial, tribulation, joy and time

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Hi Karlie, how are you today? I’m great thanks Leah, how are you?

Awesome, thanks! Now tell me about where you live and your ecclesia! Well, I live in Wahroonga, near Hornsby, and I belong to Castle Hill Ecclesia, although I visit many!

Who else is in your family? It’s rather extensive... My parents are Sam and Sharon, I have two elder siblings, Shanon and Jared, and three younger, Mikki, Danielle and Jacinta.

What do you study at uni? I’m enrolled in psychology but I’m not sure if I study anything.

What are your favourite hobbies and pastimes? I practice for my aspiration of cat-owning spinsterhood, through mediums of cooking and knitting. (Don’t ask “What about Phil?’ - I’m convinced he’s going to die of

stress at an early age and am preparing my contingency plan).

Are you okay with me printing all this? Ha ha, yeah I’ll bake him something!

What do you like best about SCYP? Hmmm. What drew me and initially kept me here was the awesome band, and

now I probably come for my friends.

What do you see yourself doing in the future? I want to go to Africa with P2P (Prepared To Preach) and hopefully stay on six months to a year, and then general jet-setting.

So you mentioned preaching... what are your thoughts on preaching and SCYP?

It’s really important to preach on people’s level, eg. providing young people with a mad place to hang out, an alternative to Saturday night parties, with a heaps better life goal.

So what do you like most about Jesus? Jesus was the perfect friend and brother. He somehow managed to make everyone feel loved but still strive to better themselves.

How would this help SCYP? If we are great friends and let them know we love them, but still encourage them to be like Jesus at the same time!

Well that’s pretty much it for today... do you have any other comments you’d like to add? www.scyp.net!

In the kitchen with

Karlie PogsonMore than “www.scyp.net”, Karlie took the time from a large uni essay to chat about her life, and Leah Sawell discovered more about the woman behind SCYP’s website, legendary cooking and Secretary Phil...

Easter Camp 2006

Easter Camp 2006

the struggles of a leader

Do as I say, don’t do as I do!”How often have you heard this said? We pretty quickly lose

respect for people, especially those who presume to be leaders, when we can see a big gap between the theories they profess and the substance of their lives. Followers of Jesus experience no such dissonance. He walked the walk he talked right up to the point of dying for what he believed in.

What’s even more amazing is that he did this with the same tools and under the same conditions that we operate in. “Behold the Man” said Pilate in John 19:5 when he introduced Jesus to the maddening crowd that was calling for his blood. As the only begotten Son of God, there’s no doubt that the Lord Jesus Christ is a unique and special individual who deserves our worship, admiration and respect. Yet according to Heb 2:14 it’s also true that; “…He, also, himself, likewise was made like one of us”. In other words, he was fl esh and blood in every sense of the word, just like you and I. This means that he was also susceptible to all of the things which can get us down. Tiredness, loneliness, laziness, temptation, hunger, thirst and peer pressure just to name a few. We don’t always handle such stresses as well as the Lord Jesus did,

the struggles of a leader

but sometimes just knowing that he endured them and overcame them can give us consolation and courage. You’re probably familiar with the temptations Jesus suffered immediately after His baptism during 40 days of testing in the wilderness. Often these passages are used to debate the existence of some supernatural force of evil. Sadly though, what is sometimes overlooked is the gut-wrenching struggle Jesus was immersed in. He had just received the power of the holy spirit without measure and could use it however he pleased. Consider how human his temptations were and how easily he could’ve satisfied those urges. He was starving hungry. All he had to do was click his fingers and he’d have more than enough to eat. If he wanted to be the leader of one world government and to be loved, respected and admired by all the people without enduring the agony and shame of the cross he had enough power at his disposal to achieve that immediately. Yet rather than grasp for something that wasn’t yet his, he chose to wait and allow God to confer more blessing on him than he would have deserved otherwise. In part, overcoming these temptations qualified Jesus to become a great leader. But just because he overcame then didn’t mean that he ceased to be tempted. Truth is, he continued to be assailed by a range of temptations that dogged him wherever he went for the rest of his ministry. Consider the depths of pain Jesus experienced

when he discovered that his friend and cousin John the Baptist had been murdered. Matthew says that when Jesus heard this terrible news he “…withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place” (14:13). He needed some space to process this shocking news. But the masses don’t always understand this. They were interested in what they could get out of this miraculous healer and preacher. So they pursued him. I hope that we never know such leadership pressures. When all he wanted to do was be alone with his grief in prayer and meditation he ended up having 5000 hungry hangers-on to feed. Rather than turn them away however, the scripture says that he took

“compassion” on them. What a leader! What a man! We all struggle with loneliness at times. It can be comforting to know that Jesus did too. Imagine how lonely he felt amongst those 5000 people. None of them probably had any idea of

how desperately sad he was at that moment. He carried that burden alone. I guess the Garden of Gethsemane was a similar instance. Consider how he felt having chosen three of his closest and most reliable friends to stand watch in his hour of need only to find that they understood so little of his desperation that they couldn’t manage to stay awake. Whenever you’re lonely, don’t forget that Jesus knows all about it and he’s willing to share that time with you (Heb.13:5). ‘Peer pressure’ has long been identified as one of the strongest influences on human behaviour and each of us is consistently at its mercy. It’s tempting to think that because Jesus didn’t seem to care for what others thought about him that peer pressure wasn’t an issue for him. But put yourself in his shoes for a moment on Palm Sunday. Surrounded by hordes of doting fans who waved fronds of adoration at his hero’s welcome into Jerusalem whilst chanting; ‘Save Now’! They wanted to make him their King right there and then. It was his most popular moment. Only days later, the same people were calling for his death. If he gave into their desires then, they would’ve loved him for the term of their natural lives. Yet once again our Lord overcame the pressure from his peers to snatch superficial short term solutions at the expense of real and long-lasting resolution. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that; “…we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin”. Our High Priest, mediator, big brother, example and friend has never asked us to endure anything that he wasn’t first prepared to go through himself. So as it says in Hebrews 4:16; “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”.

Matt Bradley

...sometimes just knowing that he endured them and overcame them can give us consolation and courage

Overcoming these temptations qualified Jesus to become a great leader

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Two months ago 110 of you were asked the question: ‘What do you think is the most important characteristic of Jesus?’. Well, your ‘how to’ girl Katie Shields has tabulated your thoughts and is here to give you the answer! It was really interesting to see what the majority of our SCYP regard as the stand out characteristics of our brother, Jesus. Hopefully by having a closer look at these ‘seven ways in seven days to be more like Jesus’ we can take away one thing for each day that we can really try to excel in.

How to: be like Jesus

LoveJesus loved all. He loved our Father. He

loved everyone around him no matter who they were or how they treated him. He

loved every one of us. Jesus commanded us to “Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great and you will be the

children of the Highest” (Luke 6:35).

loved everyone around him no matter who

loved every one of us. Jesus commanded us “Love your enemies, and do good, and

lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great and you will be the

loved everyone around him no matter who

loved every one of us. Jesus commanded us “Love your enemies, and do good, and

lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great and you will be the

Self-Sacrifi ceJesus sacrifi ced his entire life. He

sacrifi ced it to God and he sacrifi ced it for us. We can make this sacrifi ce also.

Not literally through death but through living in God’s ways, as Jesus has taught

us. “Present your bodies a living sacrifi ce, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).

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ForgivenessJesus forgave those who did wrong

against him. Not only those of his time, but us who sin against him and our

Father everyday. Through Jesus’ sacrifi ce, we can have forgiveness of our sins. Jesus asked us to forgive others just as he and our Father forgive us. “Bearing with one

another and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another:

even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do” (Col 3:13).

HumilityChrist humbled himself before God

and before others (Phil 2:8-9, John 13). We need to take his example; humble ourselves before God, Jesus and those around us. If we do, we will be lifted

up to receive glory and honour. “What does the Lord require of you? But to act justly and to love mercy and to

walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Self-Sacrifi ceJesus sacrifi ced his entire life. He

sacrifi ced it to God and he sacrifi ced it for us. We can make this sacrifi ce also.

Not literally through death but through living in God’s ways, as Jesus has taught

us. “Present your bodies a living sacrifi ce, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).

CompassionJesus continually showed compassion

upon people: upon the sick (Matt 14:14), weary (Matt 9:36), hungry

(Matt 15:32) and the distressed (Luke 7:13). Jesus used the idea of compassion in parables to teach us how we should

act, (Matt 18:21-35), (Luke 10:30-37 and 15:11-32). Peter exhorts us to be compassionate in 1 Pet 3:8 “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having

compassion for one another”.

PatienceJesus taught us patience through his example. He was constantly patient though his affl iction, because he had

hope of the Kingdom. John talks about the “tribulation, kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ” in Rev 1:9. We too have

this hope of the Kingdom and this brings with it patience. “For if we hope for what we do not see we eagerly wait with patience” (Rom 8:25). Patiently

waiting for the Kingdom can help us to have patience in suffering and affl iction, trials and temptations. Jesus taught us

patience not only by his example but also through parables: Mat 18:21-35 and

Luke 8:4-15.

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KindnessKindness is something we can display in small ways to others, but it can have a

huge effect on their lives. Although Jesus showed kindness to every person he met,

the only time he spoke about kindness was in reference to our Father. The kindness

and love of God is spoken about often in the Bible, and Jesus defi nitely imitated it in his life. “He is gracious and merciful, slow

to anger and of great kindness” (Joel 2:13). If we show kindness to others eventually it will bring us back to our number one

way to be more like Jesus: Love. “But also for this very reason... add to your faith

virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control patience, to

patience godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness love”

(2 Pet 1:5-7).

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“Thankyou for everything: your love, your patience but especially your example!”

- Michaela Pogson

“I’d say ‘thankyou’ and give him and big hug.”

- Leah MacKinnon

“I’m completely in awe of what you’ve achieved and truly thankful for what you’ve done for us.”

- Tim Archer

“My friend, I’ve been waiting for this moment for such a long time. You are amazing. I’m so glad to see you.”

- Naomi Dennes

What would you say to Jesus?

say to Jesus?

Like many of my friends, I am eagerly waiting for Jesus to return and become King of the earth. There are so many things that I am looking forward to, and I

will mention a few of these. Most importantly, I am looking forward to meeting Jesus, to see his awesome power and the love that

he demonstrated 2000 years ago. It will also be amazing to meet the angels who have acted as God’s

messengers and helpers throughout the ages, and who have cared for us throughout our lives.

In the Kingdom, I feel that people won’t need to own things, Jesus will provide. Perhaps everyone will be given a job of importance to help rule and teach the

mortal people about their new King I love spending time with my Christadelphian friends.

In the Kingdom age this pleasure will be multiplied by millions. I will be able to meet with believers from

all over the world, from all nations.There will also be people from Bible times, such as Rahab, Noah,

Joshua and Moses. I will be able to talk with them and ask them about their experiences and faith. I will also

meet believers from throughout the centuries, from the time of creation until the present day.

In the world today, there are so many problems like wars, violence, hatred and greed. However, all this

will change when Jesus returns. Eventually, the world will be at peace and those people who are sick and suffering will be healed. People who are dying from

lack of food and water will have the chance to eat from Jesus’ bread of life and drink his gift of living water.

I hope he comes back soon.Emma Dando

Capturing theKingdom

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17 The Vine

ReviewsDoes it ever seem a bit confusing when you read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Each of them seem to put Jesus’ life in a different order and often indicate that he did things for different reasons than what one of the others say! If you feel this way, you need to grab hold of the book “A Life Of Jesus.”

Read it and then re-read the bits you really liked, for me that

would be pretty much the whole book! The way I’d describe this book is more like a novel than a study. What I mean is that it fl ows well, like a really well written story. But this is a story straight out of history with a lot of proof, which makes it so compelling to read. There are no chapter and verse references but rather it rolls the four Gospels into one.

Melva Purkis uses other parts of the Bible to fi ll in the gaps for us, like Psalms and prophecy to help get across how Jesus may have felt, or why He may have done something in a particular way. One of my favourite parts of the book is Jesus’ baptism. The book shows Jesus humbly accepting what we need to do, that is, to wholly submit every facet of our life to God. The passage is followed by Jesus’ confl ict of emotions and feelings at the realisation of the power at His command – the “spirit without measure”, a confl ict that is not about a devil or evil, but is about Jesus and his personal struggle within. If you want to learn more, if you want to grow in your feelings and understanding of Jesus Christ, then reading this book will help make the man Jesus your Lord! “ ‘Mary’ Jesus said. It was the voice that had called her from the darkness of despair in the hills of Galilee. Was ever devotion more joyously surprised!”

Rob Evans

A life of Jesus: Melva Purkis

Hurstville meeting has around 115 members including around 15 young people who can normally be found sitting in the front right hand section of Hurstville hall of a Sunday morning. Our hall is a 1 Myall St Oatley. Yes its not technically in Hurstville but it is Hurstville council! We moved from Hurstville to Oatley in the 80s and kept the name ‘Hurstville District’ About a year ago our young peoples group combined with Sutherland young people, which has been great fun. We are still searching for a combined name for the class… “Suthernville” (this is no spelling error) is one that I’m voting on! Suthernville Class meets every 2nd Friday night 7.30 (this tends to stretch to 8pm) in “The House” @ Hurstville hall (the house adjoining the main hall). The class runs alternate to CYC class and Txt Class which some of our young people also enjoy going to (as well as SCYP of course!).

The class averages around 20 regular attendants. Our six month program includes studies on the book of Romans & current events and activities such as beach days, dinners, hikes, zoo trips & end of year camp at South Durras. But wait there’s more! Each class involves individual young people who attend regularly as hosts and speakers for the evening making it a very close knit and comfortable environment for discussion. Suthernville class over the past year has been one of the most enjoyable and uplifting programs for quite some time. A great way to strengthen long term friendships with those of like faith, especially when we are faced with so many worldly expectations today. We are always open to new attendants to join in on Friday nights if you would like to know more you can contact any young one at Hurstville or Sutherland.

Heather Rendell

Ecclesial Profi le: Hurstville

Heard it on the...

Heard it on the...Grapevine

Births

WeddingsEngagementsSara Cook and Josh Morgan

Baptisms

Angela Bowe and Luke CrawfordAja Levick and Michael Goddard

David Court and Naomi FrenchDavid Dangerfi eld and Pip Preswell

The Vine 18

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Scott MorganNo births this time!

Heather Rendell and Mark Stewart

“I am the true vine...”