Connecting Sydney Christadelphian Young People

The Kingdom

December 2006

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

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

Masthead design: Alisa Thompson

Layout: Jenny Galbraith

Cover artwork: Samee Lapham

Contributors: Phil Pooley, James Dennes, Simon James, John Thatcher, Lara Morgan, Stacey Tragenza, Sarah Nutter, Beth Nutter, Tom Caulifl ower

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

Opinions expressed in The Vine are the authors’ and not necessarily held by the Editorial Team.

thevinescyp@hotmail.com

1 The Vine

Sometimes it’s hard for us to really picture the Kingdom, hard for us to imagine that it will be reality one day. It can seem like a far off dream, like a legend, myth or folklore. Because the ideals and substance of the Kingdom is so far removed from our everyday life, doubt can seep

into our seemingly rock-hard faith in the coming reign of Jesus Christ.

As young people sometimes we have a guilty desire for the Kingdom to be put off for just a little bit longer, until something we want to experience here in this present age is over. Just after my round-the-world trip, just after my marriage, just after next week’s football game. We can be so caught up in this world it can cloud our judgment of the next. When we have these feelings, (and we all have them from time to time), maybe it is time to reassess our priorities. Are we really putting something or someone else above the Creator of the universe? God and His son Jesus Christ should come fi rst place in our lives, not a close second or a just scraped in third. Praise and thank God that He has given you these wonderful things to look forward to, but always remember Hs plan and promises go well beyond the joy we can fi nd in our lives right now.

The verse “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (I Cor 2:9) is often quoted, but never lose their power and meaning. The fact we can’t even attempt to imagine the feelings and experiences we will have in the Kingdom can send shivers down your spine. The greatest joys and love we have now will be nothing compared to when we are transformed into a Christ-like body.

So when the Kingdom feels afar off, what can we do? It helps to look at what the purpose of our lives are now. We are not just here to hang around and wait, checking our watches impatiently like we’re at a bus stop. We’re here to prepare ourselves for what we will be. We are developing Kingdom-like characteristics in our lives now, which will come to fulfi llment when Christ does return. The Kingdom of God is within us, as we are refl ecting its glory in a small way in how we live our lives now.

We should not journey to the Kingdom on our hands and knees, crawling reluctantly all the way, but with excitement and joy in our hearts at the amazing gift of grace God has given us.

With love in the Lord,

The Editorial Team

the reality of the kingdom

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3 Are you longing for the Kingdom?Do you want the Kingdom more than this life?

5 On fi re for God in FijiIt’s not all beaches and coconuts in the developing nation of Fiji.

6 Vox PopWhat are you looking forward to in the Kingdom?

7 Photo Spread!Photos of our efforts at the Orange preaching weekend!

9 We shall be changedAt the resurrection our bodies and minds will be radically transformed.

11 What’s the point of prophecy?Are we suppose to understand prophecy?

13 ReviewsTo watch or not to watch: The Passion of the Christ.

14 GrapevineFind out who’s been born, baptised, engaged and married lately.

JESUS

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CONTENTS

3 The Vine

Are you longing for the Kingdom?

The Kingdom can seem so distant, so unreal. It is something that we know we all want, yet

do we want it more than this life?

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Are you longing for the Kingdom?

Are our hearts full every day full of longing for the Return of Christ? Do we fall asleep fervently praying each night that

God establish His Kingdom? Is the Kingdom something that is real for us? Does it exist for us? Is it something that we’re clearly focused on? Or is it just a vague sense of knowing that something may possibly happen. We know these words so well: “Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” How often we hear prayers that mention the Kingdom. How often we ourselves will eloquently call unto God to hasten the return of Christ. Is this something that we do outside of our public prayers though? It would seem that praying for the Kingdom is typical within all prayers. If you consider all the public prayers you’ve heard you’ll probably find that you can’t think of a prayer where the Kingdom hasn’t been alluded to in some sense. No doubt most of us have had opportunity to pray with a group of people. Think about the Kingdom though. Is this something that we’re actually ardently praying for? Or is that we’re just following accepted convention? You may well say, “Of course not! I know the

Kingdoms coming! I know I want it more than anything!” If you can say these words, I really envy you. I pray that my focus was that clear, that the Kingdom was that close to my heart. I find that genuinely focusing on the Kingdom is an enormous struggle. I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way. So often our personal prayers will focus on the often selfish desires that we have for God to help us with particular activities in our lives. How often are our prayers actually focused on God’s desires? How often do we actually consider what He wants rather than ourselves? Without being derogatory, in some ways God’s desires are so incredibly simple! One of them is that there will be no more suffering – no famine, disease, disasters – no death. He desires to give the children that He loves the most glorious paradise for them to enjoy, with Him! God has already given the most precious thing He had to prove His intentions to us. We complain of our suffering yet the infinite creator of the Universe has suffered so greatly. And for what? That we now can’t even turn our minds to His eternal promise of hope and love? We’re distracted so easily by this world. Often we’ll talk about the Kingdom in relation to our current desires and priorities. The terrible thing is

that secretly perhaps we hope that the coming of the Kingdom may be prolonged given particular things we want to do or new opportunities that have arisen. As young people we are blessed with passion and energy. The world is a massive playground that we wish to explore and experience. I often think about the way we sometimes desire strange things like postponing the Kingdom. This is a terrible thing, but perhaps even worse is not considering it at all - losing the focus of the only real future hope we have entirely. I strongly feel that part of human existence is purpose. Just as it can be seen that we require love, it is evident that “purpose” or a sense of having an aim or goal is a fundamental part of us existing happily. All around us we can see those who are so passionate about particular things. So often we hear of people who have a cause that they give their life in service for. We also see those who’ve given and given to a particular purpose or goal. It may be their career. Suddenly something goes wrong. One small mistake, perhaps it’s not even their fault. They lose their job and thus their purpose. We see that

sometimes people who were so strong completely break down and even lose the will to live. What is it that drives us? Is it the things of this world or is it the things of God’s world? So often we’ll use the excuse that we know so little about the Kingdom. We say that the little firm knowledge we do have is just extracts gathered from here and there. So much of it is supposition. Consider the possibility that perhaps there is reason for this. Just as our human minds cannot comprehend the infinite dimension of timelessness that God exists in, perhaps similarly the eternal glory of the Kingdom will be so infinitely awesome that it is simply beyond our comprehension. Consider your priorities. Consider your purpose. Consider the reasons you get up in the morning. This life is futile in comparison to what has been offered to us. All we have to do is accept! The best way to live your life to the full is to live for God. Live every day with the Kingdom coming as your focus point. Passionately pray as often as you can that Christ will return to us! Give your life to the only purpose worth living for!

Phil Pooley

Just as our human minds cannot comprehend the infinite dimension of timelessness that God exists in, perhaps similarly the eternal glory of the Kingdom will be so infinitely awesome that it is simply beyond our comprehension.

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On fi re for God in

5 The Vine

FijiA warm and friendly Bula vinaka! is the greeting you’re

likely to receive from the Indigenous Fijians in the small developing nation of the Fiji Islands. From the Indo-

Fijians, it’s likely to be a cheery Namaste! The Christadelphian community in Fiji comprises an eclectic combination of both Indigenous and Indo-Fijians. The majority are located in the capital Suva but some Brothers and Sisters and their families are scattered elsewhere throughout this South Pacifi c archipelago. Representing the Christadelphian youth, there is a vibrant group of about 30 young people, in the age range of about 13 to 30. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity of spending a year with this very special group of people and have been warmly welcomed and encouraged to feel at home amongst the Suva Christadelphian community. The Suva Christadelphian Young People gather regularly to participate in a diverse range of activities, many of which are held at the Suva Christadelphian Hall. Suva CYC Class is typically held at the hall each Friday evening, which is complemented by the occasional bure (Fijian word for home or sanctuary) class about once a month. This is held in a

young person’s home and often includes a shared dinner. The Suva CYC also

occasionally splits into the School of the Prophets class for the young men and the Daughters of Zion class for the young

ladies, which are

usually led by more senior brothers and sisters respectively. An Art & Craft evening was recently held, which provided the young people with an opportunity to create a wall hanging to represent a Bible quotation of their choosing. This activity had a positive vibe and fostered creativity and collaboration amongst the group. Earlier in 2006, the young people held a fundraiser for an upcoming camp, which involved cooking a lovo (a meal cooked in an earth over with hot rocks) and selling lovo food packs to people in the community. Young people in Fiji don’t have the same opportunities that young people in the developed world can easily take for granted. One of the many examples of this is the lack of opportunity to learn music at school. Despite a cappella hymn singing being a signifi cant part of Fijian church culture; most young people don’t have the opportunity of learning musical instruments. So since I’ve been here, I’ve received a plethora of requests to teach people the guitar, which I’ve started doing and we’ve started using in our young people’s activities. The Fiji Christadelphian Young People love to meet young people from different parts of the world, but don’t have the opportunities to travel very much. So if you ever think you’d like a great spiritual and cultural experience in another country, you’ll certainly be very warmly welcomed in Fiji! Moce mada

(Goodbye).

It’s not all beaches and coconuts in the developing

nation of Fiji. James Dennes found fun and

fellowship with our brothers and sisters in the Pacifi c.

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What are you looking forward to in the Kingdom?

Not having to watch other people suffer - Stacey Tregenza

Having that glowy feeling in your stomach, like when you have laughed

really hard - Sarah Nutter

Having time for everything, and no more suffering - Beth Nutter

Meeting my best friend again - Tom Caulifl ower

Orange Preaching Weekend

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Orange Preaching Weekend

“...for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable,

and we will be changed...”

We shall be changed

I find it difficult to understand life without problems occurring. They seem to be what takes up all my time. The kingdom

that we long for will change so much that we have come to accept, from our bodies to our feelings, to our relationships with others. The truth is, none of us can ever know what our Lord and Father has prepared for us, but this shouldn’t stop us from having a personal vision of the kingdom. Of course, everyone’s vision will be slightly different, but scripture has given a few choice details to arouse our appetites to be ready and waiting for that time. We will be changed. Just those few words alone send my mind reeling when I think about what it really means. When I got up this morning, I had a stiff neck. One of my housemates recently dislocated his elbow. In the kingdom, we are told our bodies will be changed. God will make them beyond wear and tear, beyond pain. All the physical problems that we are used to, from the minor aches that we learn to ignore, to the illnesses that can cause so much suffering. These will disappear. But it is not just a change of body that I am excited about. I look forward to a change of mind. Paul talks about the way his mind and his body fight against each other in Romans 7. I long, as Paul did, to never again feel that fight within me and to feel totally assured that I am always doing the right thing for God. To be entirely in control of my mind – not having it wandering around – is a thing I truly yearn for!

We will all be changed. We will at last be able to show our ecclesial family true love. We all know our ecclesias today have problems. When a lot of people come together, human nature means there are bound to be some personality clashes or issues that we have to work through. In the kingdom, we will know and love our family in Christ. And not just those in our own ecclesias, but throughout the whole earth, all will be as one, including those who have been waiting our Lords return

in sleep. Kings and prophets we read about in scripture, or the brother or sister who may have passed away recently. We will know everyone intimately and love them, just as we will know God, and as he knows us now. The thing I look forward to most is that we will be able to live dedicated to God. We will never have that sense of having failed God

again, but we will know Him, love Him, and always give our true and honest hearts to Him. We shall see Him face to face. Remember your most enjoyable experience. A birthday. A wedding. A baptism. Remember how that experience felt? Remember that feeling and double it. Triple it. Multiply by a million. We can’t even compare these earthly joys to the joy we will experience, through Gods mercy, in his Kingdom. I look forward to standing, God willing, alongside my brethren and sisters, face to face with our God.

Simon James

In the kingdom, we are told our bodies will be

changed. God will make them beyond wear and tear, beyond pain. All the physical problems

that we are used to, from the minor aches that we

learn to ignore, to the illnesses that can cause so much suffering. These

will disappear.

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What’s the

point of

prophecy?

The story of salvation is simple.God offers us His grace and love and in return asks love and faith from us. We may put our relationship

with God in other terms, but essentially it can be reduced to the simple agreement (covenant) above. The problem is, that whereas God is very good (…no, perfect) at keeping His side of this agreement, we are very bad at it. God’s love and offer of grace are unwavering, solid, without condition and compromise, but we….well we blow hot and cold, our passion for Him rises and falls. There are times our faith is so strong, then other times when we may wonder why are Christians at all. We are bad at keeping promises. God knows that.He has not left us alone in trying to keep our side of the bargain. He doesn’t want us to lose our passion or faith, so He sets about helping us with our side of the bargain too. He gives us every chance to believe – every chance to restore our faith. The giving of prophecy in the Bible is an act of God’s love. For God so loves the world, that He gives us all ample

evidence to believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. You see, God himself tells us why He gives us prophecies. Why did God bother to tell us of the scattering, and the return of Israel?“Yet will I leave a remnant, …when you shall be scattered through the countries… And they shall know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 6: 8-10 )“And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries” (Ezekiel 12:15 ).That both they (Israel) and we may know the Lord God exists! Why did God prophecy the destruction of Ammon ? “ I will destroy you; and you shall know that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 25:7) That both they (Ammon) and we may know the Lord God exists!Why did God prophecy against Lebanon?“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “’I am against you,

Prophecy in the Bible can be so confusing, using strange

language to describe bizarre images and places that don’t

seem to relate to anything we can understand. Why did God put the

verses about prophecy in the Bible?

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What’s the

point of

prophecy?

O Sidon (Lebanon), and I will gain glory within you. They will know that I am the Lord, when I inflict punishment on her and show myself holy within her….I will send a plague upon her and make blood flow in her streets. The slain will fall within her, with the sword against her on every side. Then they will know that I am the Lord….No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors (Hezbollah) who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.” (Ezekiel 28:22-24).This was written so that we may know that God exists, and is in control of this world. We could go on and on with more and more prophecies – all are given to show that God is the Lord. Just consider the blessing that God has just poured out on us in the 2006 Israeli/Lebanon/Gaza war. The 2006 war began with the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier by Hamas in the Gaza strip, followed by the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hamas (and the PLO before them) in the Gaza strip have been fighting Israel for over 50 years. Hezbollah (and the PLO before them) in Southern Lebanon, have been fighting Israel for over 40 years. The Bible spells this conflict out for you! For your faith!“Now what have you against me, O Tyre and Sidon (Lebanon) and all you regions of Philistia (Gaza Strip)? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done.” (Joel 3:4) Tyre and Sidon were the major cities of ancient Lebanon, and so ancient Lebanon was then known as Tyre and Sidon. The Gaza Strip is the present day name for the ancient Philistines (Josh 13:3). At the instigation of the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, the Lebanese/Israeli ceasefire was predicated on the small UN observer team in Lebanon, being boosted to a multi-national peacekeeping force (15,000 to 20,000 troops) with “rules of engagement”. This force is “all nations”, including France, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Indonesia etc, now massed on Israel’s border. “I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat” (Joel 3:2).“I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.” (Zechariah 12:2).“I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it” (Zechariah 14:2). God loves us, and is giving us every chance to believe. God gives us a detailed prophetic history of the people of Lebanon. Ezekiel 28:1-10 gives a detailed account of the ancient history of Lebanon (Tyre and Sidon), and its destruction by first, Nebuchadnezzar, then Alexander. But then the prophecy seems to start again, as though telling a new story of the fall of Lebanon. This is the fall of modern Lebanon. “Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “’You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.” Modern Lebanon came into being about 1940. It soon developed (1950 –1970) to be a beautiful and rich country.

With its warm winter Mediterranean climate, it became the playground of the rich from Europe.“You were in Eden, the garden of God… You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones”. (Ezekiel 28:13) Lebanon had a rich history and association with God. Lebanon supplied the artists and raw materials for God’s temple, and helped Israel lay the holy stones on Mount Zion.“.. wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the

fiery stones”. (Ezekiel 28:15-16) The Lebanon of the 1960-1970’s grew to have a huge and stable banking system (second only to Switzerland). Oil had just been discovered in Arabia, and the new ‘oil money’ flowed through Lebanese banks. Their trade became filled with violence as the Lebanese banks (Arab oil money) funded the war by the PLO Arabs against Israel. “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries.” (Ezekiel 28:17-18) God destroyed Lebanon, because of the evil they did through their banks funding terror. “So I made a fire come out from the midst of you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.’” (Ezekiel 28:18-19) I know of no other prophecy stating “a fire will come out from the midst of you”. No attack from the outside, no invasions. Just a fire from within. In 1975 a civil war broke out, spreading from Beirut throughout all Lebanon. For the next 15 years it destroyed the nation. Al nations witnessed this, as it was one of the first wars to go “live’ to the world on satellite TV. “They will know that I am the Lord, when I inflict punishment on her and show myself holy within her.” (Ezekiel 28:22) This was all done, that we might know that He is Lord.

John Thatcher

“The giving of prophecy in the Bible is an act of God’s love. For God so loves the world, that He gives us all ample evidence to believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

Ecclesial Profile...Castle Hill

Loving greetings from the Castle Hillians. Castle Hill Ecclesia is situated in the Baulkham Hills Shire, in the upper hills of

Sydney. We have fantastic young people here that love being together and sharing good times. TXT Class is held every second Friday at the Pogson’s house, packed with great talks, discussion groups and skits. It’s so good that many other young people around Sydney come and join in the fun. We also had a TXT camp earlier in the

year, down the coast at Shoal Haven Heads. Castle Hill has millions of little kids. We’ve basically lost count, but there’s around 17 little ones under the age of three - hectic! We love our meetings because everyone wants to be involved and we work well together as a family of God. So come and visit us up here: visiting hours are 9.30am to 12.30pm every Sunday and 8pm to 9.30pm every Wednesday. It’s defi nitely worth the trek.

Lara Morgan

ReviewsMel Gibson’s The Passion of the

Christ was a very controversial fi lm. Many of us were probably

advised not to see it. Some of us may have found watching it a positive experience whilst others regret it. So what’s the right idea? Should we watch it or not? Well, I’m not going to give you a defi nitive answer. But I would like

to share my experience of watching The Passion of the Christ by answering common questions. Hopefully it will give you a better idea as to weather you should get out the Blockbuster card.

Is It Accurate? The movie depicts the last 12 hours of Christ’s life as a combination of all four Gospels. The main aspects of those last 12 hours are dealt with fairly accurately however, to tell you the truth if there are any minor discrepancies I was too emotional to even notice them. The only real area I feel where there may be cause for concern is the portrayal of the devil as a physical/supernatural being. The devil is presented in the form of male in a suit and a female in a fl owing red dress. This

is obviously quite bizarre, I actually didn’t understand it myself but as long as you have it clear in your mind what YOU believe about the devil, you can easily just pass that part off as weird! The Jewish characters speak in Aramaic while the Roman characters speak ‘street Latin’. Yes, this means subtitles! But honestly, if you know the story it’s really not that hard to follow. The languages used are the ones they actually spoke in Jesus time. This makes the fi lm feel incredibly real and along with the costuming, sets and lighting you are instantly transported there.Will I Cope? Essentially you’re committing yourself to watching over an hour of Jesus being tortured. So if you think you

can’t handle that don’t watch it. And I mean it. The visual experience is extremely confronting. It is more ‘real’ than whatever your imagination can conjure and you will walk away from it feeling as though you were standing at the foot of the cross while he hung there in agony, dying for your sins. This sounds really terrible, and I won’t lie, it is. But I feel that watching this particular account of my Saviour’s death really increased my appreciation of exactly what it was he went through for me. It was raw, it was real and it hurt. But it brought me closer to him.

Katie Shields

“It is more ‘real’ than whatever your imagination can conjure and you will walk away from it feeling as though you were standing at the foot of the cross...”

The Passion of the Christ

Heard it on the...

13 The Vine

...Castle Hill Heard it on the...Grapevine

Births

WeddingsEngagementsEmily Burgess and Steve Watson Jono Yearsley and Emma Wolstencroft

Chloe Hocking (Tim and Rachel)

BaptismsJosh Dawe

Jono Yearsley and Emma Wolstencroft

Ghana Zachery Morgan (Joh and Jake)Matilda Bradley (Jo and Matt)

Heather RendellJacob Pogson

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What did you think about the Vine in 2006?

What issues do you want covered in 2007?

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