Bulletin Announcements – 30 August 2015
- The Induction Service for Rev Dominic Ku will be held at the Chapel today at 1:30pm. Please come and join together to give thanks to God and to show our support to Rev Ku. Before the induction service we will have a welcoming lunch for Rev Ku and family at 12:30pm, everyone is welcome and please bring a dish.
- Public profession of faith: If you have you become a Christian through repentance of your sins and trusting faith in the Lord Jesus, there will be an opportunity for you to publicly declare that faith by baptism or confirmation on the 22 November. A preparation group will commence meeting very soon. Please indicate your interest to Rev Ariel Kurilowicz or Chee Yee Kwok by 30th of August.
- Salt & Pepper Fellowship is having a gathering on 19 Sept. A talk “Health Living Older” at 4:30pm and Dinner at 6pm. Tickets on sale now $20pp. Please contact Andrew Chiu or Derek Hong.
- Notice is hereby given to all members of the church for the Annual General Meeting, called by the Diaconate, on Sunday, October 4 at 12:30pm at the Chapel of WSCCC Strathfield. Annual reports and agenda will be distributed from September 13.
Ariel writes – a weekly Scriptural devotion:
“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” (Malachi 3:6 NIV)
The above verse states that God does not change. Yet, there are times in the Bible where it states that God does change; “Then the Lord relented (changed) and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.” (Exodus 32:14 NIV). Therefore, what does God’s unchangeableness mean? Well, it all depends if you’re speaking about his character, mind, or being? The Bible speaks of God’s character as unchangeable. He cannot lie. He cannot be more or less loving. He does not go back on a promise. Yet, the Bible does speak of God changing his mind. God said he would destroy Nineveh but changed his mind when they repented (Jonah 3:10). The key to understanding this is God’s intimate and personal relationship with his creatures. For example take Jeremiah 26:3; “Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways. Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning…”. God is being merciful here, he is interacting with his creation for its own good. That is why God changes his mind at times but he will not, and cannot, change his mind when he has made a promise. This would go against his character. But what about his being? Can it change? Well, did it not in Jesus? He who was once God did he not become a man for our sakes’ (Philippians 2:6-8)? That’s how loving God is! Willing even to change his being, his nature, into a man, then to suffer and die in our place so that we might be saved. Thank you Lord Jesus for changing for us because of your unchangeable loving character!
from Pastor Ariel