Newsletter 2018/3/18

Message: Matt. 26:31-75

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

³¹ Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ ³² But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” ³³ Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” ³⁴ Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” ³⁵ Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

³⁶ Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” ³⁹ And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” ⁴⁰ And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? ⁴¹ Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ⁴² Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” ⁴³ And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. ⁴⁵ Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

⁴⁷ While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” ⁴⁹ And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. ⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. ……

Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council

⁵⁷ Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. ⁵⁸ And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. … ⁶³ But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” ⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” ⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. ⁶⁶ What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” ……

Peter Denies Jesus

⁶⁹ Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” ⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” ⁷¹ And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁷² And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” ⁷³ After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” ⁷⁴ Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Questions for Group Discussion

1. Peter boasted that he would not fall away and even die with Jesus, however, he denied Jesus three times in the end. From this, what revelation and warning do you learn?
2. The Lord Jesus prayed three times in Gethsemane. What is content of His prayer? How does His prayer enlighten us and how can we apply it to our daily life?

Message Next Week:             Matt. 27

Bible Reading: Matt. 27, Lev. 26-30

Church Meetings/Time/Place

Home Meetings

Chinese Speaking Young People: 19/3 Mon. 7:00pm, Richard Cui’s  (w/ dinner)

@ Kingsgrove: 20/3 Tue. 10:30am, Shanwon Chow’s

@ Chatswood:  22/3 Thu. 8:00pm, Pan Ming’s

@ North Region: 24/3 Sat. 7:30pm, Bill & Christine’s

Pursuing of Uni Students:

20/3 Tue. 7:00pm, Yulin’s (w/ dinner)

Sisters Meeting: 21/3 Wed. 10:00am, Hannah Dong’s

Prayer Meeting: 21/3 Wed. 7:45pm,

Yvonne’s (Chatswood), Olsen’s (Warrawee)

High School Meeting: 23/3 Fri. 7:00 pm, Yulin’s

Pursuing for Ministering: 23/3 Fri. 8:00pm, David Tan’s

Gospel Group Meeting：24/3 Sat. 7:30pm, Olsen & Likun’s

Announcements:

1. We welcome all the new ones who are joining us today. May God bless you and lead you into this family of God.
2. The Collaroy conference will be held on April 13-15, from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. The speaker will be Brother Titus Chu. This conference is for every brother and sister and will include the young people activities. Please set aside this period of time so your whole family can join together. The cost for two days stay will be:

Cabin: Adults $160, Child $140, Toddler (3+) $50, infant (<3): Free.

Hotel: Adults $200, Child $160, Toddler: $50

Day Visit: $35/Day; Meal: $15 Each

Starting from today, you can register online if you are willing to attend. Please ask Sisters Jessie or Esther for details about registration. You can transfer the cost to the church bank account regarding the hotel/cabin cost. If you have financial difficulty, please fellowship with the responsible brothers. Do not lose the chance to receive the Lord’s blessings.

There will not be a meeting at the hall on April 15.

If you have any question about the conference, please fellowship with Brother Yulin Wang.

3. The date of US visiting for Cleveland training: 23-28/7 (1^st week), 30/7-3/8 (2^nd week). If you are willing to go, you can choose to go for first week or join for two weeks. Please fellowship with Brother Yulin Wang for details.

<Reminder>

1. For the brothers and sisters, please come on time and bring your own Bible and hymn book for the Lord’s Day meeting.
2. During the meeting, please turn off your mobile phone or put the volume on silence and not to walk around or to wonder/talk too loud in the kitchen.
3. Please keep the play field and rooms tidy and put all equipments in place after use.
4. 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.

Please refrain from bringing uncooked food for the love feast so we may lighten the work for the serving ones in the kitchen.

Intercession:

1. May the Lord bless the gospel meeting next week and may the Spirit touch people, leading them to know how precious the Lord is and become willing to believe in Him.
2. Pray for the coming Collaroy conference. May the Lord touch the hearts of the brothers and sisters to participate; bless the spirit, soul, and the body of the speaker, Brother Titus; and give us His rich presence and life supply.
3. Pray for the new believers (6 brothers: Vincent Tai, YuMing Liang, Zylen Liang, Stephen, William and Yuan Liu as well as 11 sisters: Vanessa Lu, Li Zhou, Lili Chen, Jenny Zhu, Yun-Yue Lin, Li-Qin Wu, Yun Zhu, Joies, Ariel Chen, Lu Gan and Lan-Xiu Zhang. May the Lord establish them in the church life and bless their growth in life.
4. Pray for the brothers and sisters or their relatives who are weak in body or spirit. May the Lord care for them and give them sufficient grace.

Serving This Week: (Mar. 18)

1. Message: Thomas Wu & Yulin Wang
2. Breaking the Bread: Shanwon Chow & Thomas Wu
3. Serving Bread and Cup: Olsen Yu, Patrick Li, Peter Zhang, Jason Wang
4. Cleaning: Richard & Flora Family, Lydia, Ben & Fony Family, Jane Wang, YuRong Liu, Olsen & Likun Family, Pauline Zhang
5. Kitchen: Lisa Wei & WeiQiong
6. Children: Supervisor – Vic

Singing – Chris & Jono

Teachers – Chris & Jono

Serving Next Week: (Mar. 25)

1. Message: Yulin Wang
2. Breaking the Bread: David Tan & Jason Wang
3. Serving Bread and Cup: Jason Wang, Olsen Yu, Patrick Li & Chuan Ma
4. Cleaning: TBA
5. Kitchen: Pauline & Lisa Tao
6. Children: Supervisor – Christine Han

Singing – Vasya & Angela

Teachers – Vasya & Angela