Doing your best because you are
God’s best
Quality is
not something that is always easy to find. We buy a new car only to find that
things don’t work as they should. We move into a new house and find problems
that are caused by poor work. We go out for a meal and receive poor service and
average food. As paying customers we expect a level of quality.
When we
receive quality service it shows that the person cares about what they do and
about you the customer. We give quality gifts to show our love to people. If I
give dead flowers to my wife for Valentine’s Day, the lack of quality in the
dead flowers suggests that I don’t care too much for my wife or I am taking her
for granted. On the other hand when I give her a lovely bunch of fresh quality
flowers it shows that I love her and value her as a person. When we do quality
work, when we give a quality gift it shows that we have some pride in ourselves
and we value the person we are working for or giving the gift to.
The same
is true with our relationship with God. When we use our God given bodies and
abilities to do quality work we are saying to God, ‘I am grateful for who you
have made me to be and I want to serve you by doing my best with what you have
given me.’ We do our best for God because we are God’s best. The Bible says, ‘For
we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we
can do good things he planned for us long ago.’ (Ephesians 2:10) You
are God’s masterpiece. God has made you special through Jesus. We reflect who
God has made us to be when we do our best for God and this has been God’s plan
for us all along.
We do our
best because we are God’s best. Some people believe that we do our best to
please God. If God is pleased then he will love and accept us. Yet the Bible
tells us something quite different. Directly before the verse that says we are
God’s masterpiece we read this, ‘God saved you by his special favour when
you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
Salvation is not reward for the good things we have done.’ (Ephesians 2:8-9) We
are God’s best not because we do good things but because God gave us his best.
God did this through Jesus who came and died on the cross for all our
imperfections. When God looks at us, he sees us through the lens of Jesus and
that is why he sees us as a masterpiece.
We become
God’s masterpieces when we receive Jesus his son and all that he did for us on
the cross. As God’s best we can then do our best for him.
Pastor
Noel
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 is a new
series “Cultivating generosity”
The
message is “Reflecting God’s generosity”
Bible Reading: Psalm
145:13b-21 and Luke 6:31-38
Playgroup
All welcome. 9:30am-11:30am on Wednesdays in
the church hall. $2 a child or $3 per family. Please bring a piece of fruit to
share. This term we are celebrating the theme ‘God makes growing things’.
Child Safe Team Member Training
To help everyone meet
their Child Safe requirements, we will be hosting a Child Safe Team Member
training session here at Good Shepherd on the 10th August from
12-6pm. Tea, coffee and afternoon tea will be provided! It will be held in the
Education Centre (up the stairs at the back of the church hall).
Child supervision will be
provided by Beth and Laura for those who need to bring their children.
If you have completed
Mandatory Notification Training in the last 3 years then you will only need to
complete the first 3 hour session of the training (you will need to present
your original certificate on the day).
We need ALL volunteers in
Children, Family and Youth ministry to complete this training ASAP so that we
can continue to run safe programs for our kids.
Please contact the church
office on 8263 5087 to register. Payment will be covered.
Laura Carson – Children and Family Team Leader
Women’s
Fellowship
Next Meeting: Tuesday 6th August at
1.00pm in Para Vista Church Hall
Guess Speaker: Ken Semmler
Topic: Tsunami Disaster Recover ALWS Aid Program
We invite and warmly welcome any congregation
members who would like to join us to hear
Mr Ken Semmler share his experiences working on the ALWS Recovery Team giving aid after the Tsunami in Asia. Please join us on 6th August in Para Vista Church Hall
Mr Ken Semmler share his experiences working on the ALWS Recovery Team giving aid after the Tsunami in Asia. Please join us on 6th August in Para Vista Church Hall
Reminder: LWSA Northern Zone Convention Thursday 15th
August at Albert Park Church
Thank you for your generosity
Last
weekend we were blessed to have Aliki minster to our church on Friday night at
Women@PV and then on Sunday at our 10.30am service. As an expression of thanks
to Aliki for serving us Sunday morning we took up a retiring offering as gift
to her. We are pleased to report that a total of $815.00 was collected and
given to Aliki. Aliki shared that because of all the money she received over
the weekend from the Sunday gift, Women@PV, CD and books sales she would be
able to tour Western Australia later this year and minister to men’s and
women’s rehab centres. These centres are unable to cover her costs and our
generosity has now made that possible. Aliki said, “It is great when churches
that are well resourced like yours can support those who are not as blessed.”
Thank you to everyone who gave generously.
Your gifts will enable Aliki to
bless many others through her ministry.
The Bible's Big Story - Our Story
For many Christians, the Old
Testament (OT) remains a closed book. We
may know some stories: David and Goliath, Jonah and the whale, or Moses leading
the Israelites out of Egypt. But without
a framework to hang these stories on, we miss the unfolding drama of God's
action in history… as well as our place in God's story. The OT is the Scriptures that Jesus and his
apostles used. If we ignore the OT, we ignore the very source of the things
Jesus talks about. In this course, you'll get an overview that will help you
make sense of the OT - as well as Jesus.
Time: Six Wednesday evenings –14th August to 18th September,
7:30 – 9pm
Facilitator: Pr Rolly Stahl
Place: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 388 Montague
Rd, Para Vista 5093.
Format: Teaching with pictures. Readings from the Old Testament. Q&A
Cost: $20 for the course book and
timeline, $10 Concession To be paid on
the first night.
What to
bring? Enthusiasm, your Bible and a biro.
Good
Shepherd Lutheran Church, 388 Montague Road, Para Vista.
Sunday,
11th August at 10.30am.
Friends
of Lutheran Archives meeting. Topic: From feudal farmers to freeholders - Land
reforms in 19th century Prussia. Speaker: Janette Lange. Janette tells of her
discoveries in Polish and German archives about her ancestors. At Bethlehem
House, Sudholz Place, Adelaide, on Monday 19th August at 7.30pm. Supper. Gold
coin donation.
Vacancies
CHRISTIAN PASTORAL SUPPORT WORKER
(Previously
known as “School Chaplain”)
Brahma
Lodge Primary School - closes 28th August 4 pm
Madison
Park Primary School - closes 28th August 4 pm
Elizabeth
North Primary School - closes 2nd September 4 pm
Schools
Ministry Group along with Northern Schools and Youth Outreach (NSYO) are
seeking applications for these 14 to 15 hour per week positions, commencing
Term 4, 2013. These positions exist to offer support to students, staff and the
school community. Job and Person Specifications, including details on “How to
Apply”, are available from Schools Ministry Group on 8378 6800 or mail@smg.asn.au
For
details about the next Information Session go to: www.smg.asn.au
Gratitude of heart can often be seen
in a generous spirit
