Newsletter 2015/9/20

Lord’s Day Message: James 5 (ESV)

¹ Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. ² Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. ⁴ Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. ⁵ You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

⁷ Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. ⁸ You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. ¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

¹² But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

¹⁹ My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, ²⁰ let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Message Outline:

• Regarding the rich person (1~6)

1. Knowing their ending
2. Knowing their means
3. Knowing their persecution
4. Knowing their indulgence

• Exhortation for the Christian living (7~12)

1. Be patient as the farmer waiting for the fruits
2. Do not grumble against one another
3. Do not swear

• The teaching for prayer (13~18)

1. Praying in all situations
2. In sickness, calling for the elders to pray as well as pray for each other

• Bring back those wandering from the truth (19~20)

Next Topics: Review ofJames

Church Meetings/Time/Place

Home Meeting: 21/9 Mon., 7:30pm, cancelled

Young Professions Meeting: 22/9 Tue. 7:30pm, Thomas & Lena’s

Sisters Meeting: 23/9 Wed. 10am, Hallstrom Park

Prayer Meeting: 23/9 Wed. 7:30pm, Meeting Hall

Pursuing of Words: 25/9 Fri., 8:00pm, Cancelled

Young People Meeting/Home meeting for Adults：26/9 Sat. 7:30pm, Bill & Christine’s

Announcements:

1. We welcome all the new ones who are joining us today and hope that you can leave your information for us to contact you in the future.
2. We are grateful for all the brothers and sisters who helped the spring cleaning last week. May the Lord remember what you have done and bless His church.
3. Today after lunch we will have a gospel talk. All the gospel friends are welcome to join.

At the same time Sister Ah Seng will teach how to make moon cakes. If you are interested, please stay and participate.

4. On September 26, Saturday morning the church plans to go to Chatswood to preach the gospel and distribute the tracts. All participating brothers and sisters please come to the hall at 10am to pray. Afterwards, we will go to Chatswood together.
5. September 28 to 30 there will be a study camp in the meeting hall for those in year 12 and 11. If anyone is interested, please contact Elsa and Sarah.
6. October 3 (Saturday) after the gospel meeting in the morning (1^st message in the conference) the church plan to have a baptism. If any gospel friend is willing to receive salvation and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, please contact Brother Yu-Lin Wang.
7. On October 3~5 (Saturday to Monday) there will be a church conference. We will invite Brother Rex Beck. He will share on “faith and science” for the gospel message and the parable of sowing in Matthew 13 for the growth of the Christians. We encourage all the brothers and sisters to join and to invite friends to come.

The invitation cards have been prepared. Please take some to invite your friends.

<Reminder>

1. Please take the Bible Reading Supplement for your daily Bible reading.
2. Please come on time for the meeting. During the meeting, please turn off your mobile phone or put the volume on silence.
3. When you prepare the love feast for Lord’s Day lunch, please do not prepare any food containing nuts as someone may have food allergy. After the love feast, please remember to bring back your plates.

 Intercession:

1. We have more than 30 gospel friends who are coming regularly to our gatherings recently. Pray that the Lord will bless them to receive His salvation earlier and they may become a member in God’s family. Also pray that the Lord will keep us fervent in spirit to have more learning in the work of the gospel.
2. Pray for the new believers that the Lord will lead them to grow and be built in the church life so they may become a blessing and testimony for the church.
3. Pray for those young people in year twelve. May the Lord give them wisdom and grace in their preparation for exams.
4. Pray for the brothers and sisters who are weak in body or spirit. May the Lord care for them and give them grace. Also pray for some relatives of our brothers and sisters (Jack, Susan, Brett) that the Lord may heal and care for them.
5. Pray for the October conference that the Lord can add more people to His church and give us His rich words to supply for the growth of the brothers and sisters.

Serving Today: (Sep. 20)

1. Sharing:  Yulin Wang
2. Breaking the Bread:  Richard Chen & Richard Cui
3. Serving Bread and Cup:  TBA
4. Pianist:  Hannah Cui
5. Cleaning:  Jason & Susan Family, Andy & Ann Family, Benchu Guo Family, Yulin & Jessica Family

Serving Next Week: (Sep. 27)

1. Sharing:  All brothers and sisters
2. Breaking the Bread:  Shanwon Chow & Jason Wang
3. Serving Bread and Cup:  Richard Cui & Jason Wang
4. Pianist:  Hannah Cui
5. Cleaning:  Brett & Linda Family, Sean Dong & Wei Qiong Family, Joseph & Lisa Family, Bill & Christine Family