John 16:13
Jack Nicholson, in one of his most famous roles as Colonel Nathan R. Jessup in the movie, A Few Good Men, screams at the top of his lungs at the young upstart lawyer played by
Tom Cruise, “You can’t handle the truth!”
Nicholson, in his role of defending the country in Cuba, makes the point that most people would like to be ignorant of the difficulties that go on around them. No matter how much they proclaim that they might like to be given brutal honesty, in practice, most people cannot, in fact, handle the truth. So, they accept the convenient lie.
Sometimes these lies are subtle and devious. Our culture speaks in serpent-like hisses, “If you try hard enough, you can do anything! You are the most important person in the universe; go and grab the world by the horns! If you just eat right, exercise right, live right, you will never die! If you have to believe in a god, make it the one that offers you the most freedom – graceful, self-absorbed living, from the confines of your spiritual armchairs. Just change the channel if the god (idol) you’ve chosen doesn’t give you what you want.”
But the Holy Spirit, the living Breath of God, is the Spirit of truth and speaks a vastly different message to the disciples of two thousand years ago, and the disciples of today. The truth of the matter is, every breath that you take is a gift of God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves.’ (Philippians 2:3) You will all experience death, and the odds are, you will not like it. And, the truth of the matter is, there is only one God, and we believe in his Son, Jesus Christ, who promises us that the cross is planted squarely in the middle of our personal Gardens of Eden.
As we look at the closing verses of the third article of the Apostle’s Creed this week, we’re going to look into the painful truth that the Holy Spirit brings to us in God’s word to the Apostle John. Please bring your Bibles this week, because we’ll be looking at passages from Romans and the book of John.
Come, ready for transformation in truth.
Pr Reid Matthias
Bible Reading: John 16:7-15
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Prayer Request
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Support for Family Hub
This Sunday at the combined service will be the monthly food collection in support of the Family Hub. This support is invaluable to allow the Family Hub to support families in need especially in the cold winter months. Thank for your generous support for the previous months’ collections
Good Shepherd Ladies Fellowship
ANNUAL FUNDRAISING LUNCHEON 2nd July at 12 noon. A celebration of 50 years of the fellowship. A delicious three course meal with glass of wine will be offered to guests. Special guest speaker Julie Krause from Lutheran World Service. Venue: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Hall Cost: $20ph Anyone is welcome but there are limited numbers . RSVP 15th June to Ragna ph 7325 8016 or Dorothy 0403 967 943.
From the Office
Replacement of Cafe Floor
Due to issues with the cafe flooring, which in future would be expensive for the congregation to rectify, the cafe flooring will be replaced at no cost to the congregation. This will occur between the 3rd and 12th of July. During this time access to the hall and worship centre via the cafe will not be possible. The kitchen can be utilised by access through the hall.
Noticeboard
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”
John 16:13
