The Sword of the Spirit
Paul uses
the picture of a Roman soldier's battle armor to describe how we can remain strong
in the Lord and stand against the devil's schemes. There’s the
belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of
peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation.
The last
piece of equipment: "Take... the sword of the Spirit, which is the
Word of God." (Eph
6:17) The
Roman sword for hand to hand combat was called a gladius. Sharpened on both
sides it could cut swinging both ways.
And the pointed end could be used to stab the enemy – or split an
enemy’s shield. In the hands of a
trained soldier, the gladius was an
amazing attacking weapon.
Paul says the gladius of the Spirit is the Word of God. The Word of God is our amazing attacking
weapon against the devil’s schemes to rob, kill and destroy us.
The Word of God:
- reveals God’s unfailing love and promises for humanity (Jn 3:16).
- makes us wise for salvation and equips us for right living (2 Tim 3:14-17).
- gives us moral, spiritual and relational truth that works when we put it into practice (Ps 1).
- exposes what is false and deceptive in our thinking, influences and culture (Eph 5:8-14).
- penetrates our inner person, revealing our insecurities and our need for God (Heb 4:12-13).
- is our offensive weapon against temptation. Jesus used this sword of the Spirit when tempted in the wilderness: “It is written…” (Matt 4:1-10)
The all-powerful sword of the living God is able
to cut through every lie, temptation, deception and accusation the devil throws
at us. Whenever we
read and reflect on God’s Word, believe it, live it, declare it, sing it, and
encourage one another in it, the forces of darkness go ducking for cover. By the authority of the One who stands behind
that Word, we can be strong in the Lord always!
Pr Rolly Stahl
Prayer Requests Not
included in this newsletter, but if you would like to view the
current requests, refer to the e-mail that alerted you to this
Newsletter. If you have a prayer request or wish to be covered by
prayer please email churchenquiries@paravista.org.au with your request
This week the message is “Power along the way” ‘“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord
will bring you today.” … Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out
to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your
hand over the sea and divide the water so that the Israelites can go through
the sea on dry ground.”’ (Exodus 14:13, 15)
Bible Readings: Luke 17:11-19; Philippians 4:13
Kingdom Kids at the 10:30am service for
ages 0-12.
Kingdom Kids is now officially on Holidays.
Our 3 week School Holiday Program continues this Sunday so come along and join
us! At 10:30am services only.
Play Group
Play group is now on holiday for several weeks
and will kick off again on the 18th July. We look forward to seeing you then
Rise UP Dance Fundraiser for the
CMF coming up soon!
Saturday Night 4th August @ 7:30pm
Golden Grove Arts Centre
Incredible night of talent from the best in SA
Tickets are now available from Laura Carson or
the church office for $20. Tickets are numbered and limited so get in quick!
Contact Laura for more info
Laura Carson – Children and Family Team Leader
lcarson@paravista.org.au
8263 5087
FROM THE PASTORAL PADDOCK
CAR PARKING -
WE’VE STILL GOT A GREAT
PROBLEM
Those
attending the 10:30am service AND particularly those operating on Lutheran time
(running a little late) will probably have noticed that getting a car park is a
hassle.
IT CAN BE SOLVED WITH YOUR GRACE
Can I PLEEEEASE respectfully ask you as members to use Mattiskes car
park to free up car parking for visitors and new attendees. Your action of
grace will be a gift of self-sacrificing, gallant and one of unselfish service
and a blessing to visitors and new attendees.
PROBLEM CAN BE
SOLVED!!
Barry Klaer
Pastoral Care &
Fellowship (Hospitality)
COURAGEOUS MEN!
Hosted by Men@PV on June 27th, about 80 ‘COURAGEOUS’ men
from varying congregations and denominations came together at Good Shepherd to
eat a magnificent meal of roast beef, roast spuds, gravy and vegetables. With
old acquaintances renewed and new friends being made, it was ‘music’ listening
to the clanking of the crockery and cutlery as the meal was being consumed
along with testosteronic drone as the
blokes were talking and laughing
together.
THE PREPARATION:
(left) Jurgen
Lehmann, Jim Molloy and Eric “The Hoff” Hofmanis prepare to ‘feed the men
meat’...lots of meat!!
(left) Chef Steph
and Jurgen prepare to feed the men meat…and spuds and veg.
“COME AND GET IT!!”
(below) AND THEY
DID…come and get it….
And then we watched the movie “Courageous”. It is one of those movies that convey a different
and significant inference at each viewing. It challenges our quality time with
family – being able to be unashamedly silly in trivial moments, our depth of
connection with friends, our acceptance and being non-judgemental of someone
who has gone astray. To me this movie addresses all this and more.
In
the ‘plot’ of the film, one of the
‘courageous’ men draw-up a ‘Resolution’ to “solemnly resolve before
God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife and my children”. With
eleven “I WILL” statements to be better men before God and man. In the movie plot, these points are tested.
While all of the men undertake this resolution, not every man passes the trial.
Moral and ethical behaviour come into question.
At the end of the movie you
could have heard a pin drop. Our prayer is that each man will declare, as did
Joshua; “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” (Joshua 24:15)
Our prayer for each man is that they can live out the ‘resolution’ in the power
of the Lord.
There are 2 copies of this movie in the church library. It
could become a great challenging small group discussion.
Yes, it certainly
takes COURAGE to be a gutsy spirited man of God who is prepared to challenge
and be challenged in all moral and ethical parts of our lives.
(Thank
you to all who assisted on the evening in setting up the tables and chairs,
food & hot drink preparation and serving, cleaning and washing up, the
prayer team, technical & sound desk assistance and cleaning the hall. You are
a blessing to those who attended)
On behalf of Men@PV
Barry Klaer
Pastoral Care & fellowship
NAME BADGES
With the number of new attendees now
coming to our church, it would be gracious, courteous and respectful to them
for each of us to wear our name badges.
Haven’t got a name badge? Or the other is lost?
You can order your name badge by writing ‘name badge’
on your welcome card.
(Don’t forget to indicate if you want a pin, clip or
magnet backing and your preferred first name – for example James likes to be
known as Jim or Elizabeth likes to be known as Beth)
Cost is $9:50 payable at front office
Barry
Klaer
Pastoral
Care & Fellowship (Integration)
Upcoming Events
IT’S ON AGAIN THIS YEAR
“Yummy Hot
Soup Sunday”
Invite your neighbours and friends to join you
in
A DELICIOUS SELECTION OF PIPING HOT SOUPS WITH
BREAD ROLLS & COCKTAIL FRANKURTS
WHERE? In the hall
WHEN? Sunday 22nd July 2012
TIME? After the 10:30am service
The Band of the South Australia Police
Lutheran
Community Care would like to invite members of your congregation to our Police
Band event, featuring the Band of the South Australia Police plus performances
from young local talent. The event is scheduled for Sunday, 14 October 2.00pm
at the Barossa Arts & Convention Centre in Tanunda.
Tickets are
for Adults: $25, Concession: $20 and Children under 14: FREE
Pre-book your tickets at: The Barossa Arts &
Convention Centre Faith Lutheran School via Tel: 08 8561 4299
Ordination of Women in Conference
St Stephen’s has organised a conference to discuss the Ordination
Women. This is to be held on July 13-14th.
Full details and registration forms are available in the pamphlet
holder between the notice boards in the foyer
Notice Board
Alpha Course at the Para Vista Lutheran Church
Is there
more to life than this?
Introductory Evening: Wednesday 11 July @ 7.30pm.
Come and
find out what’s it all about.
Course commences Wednesday 18 July @ 6.30 pm (including dinner)
And then Wednesday night from 25 July to 12 September @
7.30 pm
Please contact the church office
to enrol
CLEAR CONSCIENCE - courageous living retreat:
Dr Hal Senkbeil, an experienced, faithful
and sensitive United States Lutheran Pastor, lecturer, author and popular
presenter teams with Dr Bev Yahnke, a clinical psychologist, psychology
lecturer, decorated church worker and vibrant presenter to give us insights
from their complementary professions into cutting edge issues that surround us
all in these early years of the twenty first century.
Engaging, easy to understand, informed,
encouraging, spiritual and even life changing are all appropriate ways of
describing the retreat scheduled for St Martins Lutheran Church, Mannum,
South Australia on the weekend of Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th
of August, 2012.
Treat yourself to a recharging, uplifting
weekend away by the Murray River and also enjoy the hospitality and celebration
of fellow Lutheran Christians including a celebration banquet. Rediscover the
rich heritage that we have in our faith and how it can and does make a
difference. Costs have been kept to a minimum. For more information and
enrolment forms visit the Mannum parish website at http://www.mannumlp.org.au/ or phone the parish office on (08) 8569 2863
(leave a message with your contact details if unattended).
Parent education seminar
Paul Dillon is a leading Australian expert in drug and alcohol
education who is engaged by Lutheran secondary Colleges around Australia to
speak to students. For the last couple of years he has spoken to our senior
students about alcohol and drug education. Students appreciate the way he tells
the facts straight, dispelling myths and creating simple and positive
strategies of knowing what to do of how to keep themselves and their friends
safe.
For
the first time, he is holding a work shop for parents and care givers for our
school families. We would also like to open this opportunity to any parents and
caregivers. He will be speaking, amongst other topics about when is the right
time to start talking to children about drugs and how to go about it. It will
provide useful strategies that are respectful and reasonable which leaves the
door open for future discussions. It is on Monday 23 July, 6:30 – 7:30 pm in
the Endeavour Centre.
Family matters seminar registrations due
Registrations for
the Family
matters … seminar at St Paul Lutheran church, Blair Athol/Enfield on 28
July are due by 9 July. Presenters
include Dr David and Mrs Roslyn Phillips, Dr Margaret Hunt, Ms Lyn Benger, Mrs
Julie Hahn, Pastor Peter Bean, and Mrs Angela Uhrhane. The program
includes: Biblical ‘snapshots’ of
family; Different ‘shapes’ of family; Threats to family life today; Ministering
to blended families; Role reversal as
parents age; Supporting families with special needs.
Registration
brochures are available from your pastor or church office, or from Lynette
Wiebusch, LCA Parish Nursing Coordinator: (08)8336.3936;
lynette.wiebusch@lca.org.au
Disability Awareness Sunday August 5th 2012
Lutheran
Disability Services (LDS) encourage you to consider becoming involved in
running a Disability Awareness Sunday in your church. The aim of the day is to develop your
congregation’s capacity to welcome and include people with a disability in all
aspects of your church life together and to pray for this ministry
Friends of Lutheran Archives meeting. Topic: The joint prayer debate of the 1940s. Speaker: Matthew Bishop, student at Australian
Lutheran College. How did ELCA and UELCA agree to pray together? At Bethlehem
House, Sudholz Place Adelaide on Monday 23 July at 7.30 pm Supper. Gold coin
donation.
Wend/Sorb Society of SA. Topic: Finding Wends in the USA and worldwide. Speaker: Cathy Petersen, organiser of the Iowa
Wends in the USA. At St Andrew’s Lutheran Church Hall, 22 Avenue Rd, Glynde, on
Sunday 29 July at 2pm
Impact LAN
During the second week of the school holidays, Torrens Valley Christian Centre, in conjunction with Impact LAN, will be hosting a 24 hour computer gaming event. Gamers of all ages are welcome!
During the second week of the school holidays, Torrens Valley Christian Centre, in conjunction with Impact LAN, will be hosting a 24 hour computer gaming event. Gamers of all ages are welcome!
When: 12-13 July
Time: 12pm - 12pm
Price: $20
Contact: Hamish Heida on 0403 877 172 or
www.impactlan.org for more information.
Price: $20
Contact: Hamish Heida on 0403 877 172 or
www.impactlan.org for more information.
(see notice board for more details)
From the Office
Staff on leave or away
Rolly will
be on leave until 12 July.
Stephen
will be on leave until 16 July.
Education Centre Working Bee, We need you!
What is it? We are
going to clean out the attic and the cupboards in the Education Centre. We will
need to move some heavy items out of the store room and transfer some to tips
and sort the rest.
When is it? Saturday
28th July, 10am -12noon.
Who do we need? We need a
few people who can lift medium to heavy loads. If you are unsure whether you
are physically able to help, contact Emma.
How can you get involved? You can
ring the church office on 8263 5087 and let them know you want to be involved
in the Education Centre clean up.
Hall Floor
On
Tuesday 3rd July the hall floor was resealed.
Remember
when shifting items in the hall please lift rather than drag and our floor will
always remain in good condition.
Grounds Maintenance
Many
thanks to the gentlemen who look after our church grounds and keep them in
pristine condition. Kevin has trimmed
most of the bushes and hedges over the past week and bought a refreshed look to
the grounds. Rex has been busy chasing
weeds and kept the grounds looking clean in between the showers of rain. Over
the next few weeks a small team of volunteers will be servicing the watering
system to prolong the service life of the system and prepare it for the summer
months.
Office closure
The
church office has normally been closed for staff meetings from 9.00am till
10.00am on the last Thursday of each month.
Staff meetings have been changed to 11.30 till 12.30 on the first
Thursday of the month beginning from August.
Notice of closure will be made in the weekly news.
Missions outreach
Due
to the recent fundraising activities coordinated by our CEBU Mission
fundraising team a gift of $5000.00 has been transferred to the CEBU Mission
for use. Thank you to all who have
supported the fundraising activities and to the volunteers who make these
events possible.
Vacancies
Please check the church
notice board for details of all job vacancies
Church
Secretary – Casual Position
Applications
are sought for the casual position of Church Secretary 20 hours a week.
Applicants will need to meet the following criteria:
-
A knowledge of and commitment to the Mission of the
Lutheran Church
-
Ability to work at a high standard of competency and
proficiency in a team situation
-
Ability to multi-task and be responsive to the
changing needs in the Church environment
-
Ability to maintain confidentiality in dealing with
sensitive information
-
Demonstrated ability to be self-motivated
-
Proficient with Microsoft suite of products
-
Present as a welcoming person
Applications close: 16 July, 2012
Position
commences: to be negotiated
CV and application
letter to be directed to Mr. Peter Oster
St Paul
Lutheran Church
PO Box 346,
Prospect South Australia 5082
Phone:
0419036447, Fax: 08 83425080 or email psoster@bigpond.net.au
“To include people with a disability in
Christian Community”
Disability Support Workers required
Casual and
permanent part-time positions available
Are you
interested in working in a supportive Christian environment within a team of
dedicated staff to support adults with a disability to live independent and
fulfilled lives? Some relevant previous experience is desirable but not
necessary. Training will be provided. Driver’s License, First Aid and Police
Clearance essential.
To receive a
copy of the Position Description, or to make a confidential enquiry, please
phone or email. All applications must include a copy of your current CV and the
details of two Referees
136A Wright
Street, Adelaide 5000
8212 7766
admin@ldssa.org.au
Don't audit life. Show
up and make the most of it now
Church Web site: www.paravista.org.au
