CHURCHES IN THE SUTHERLAND SHIRE WORKING TOGETHER

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Need Help? Hope Shire: Your Guide to Local Community Services

I live in the Sutherland Shire of Sydney, Australia and have done so since I married over 60 years ago. I had a short stint in Melbourne, Victoria when I worked for the pharmaceutical company E.R. Squibb & Sons but came back to the Shire when I joined Abbott Laboratories.

It has always been known to be a “Bible belt” with many vibrant churches. So it was encouraging for me to find out that many of the churches are now working together to serve their community.

On the website http://www.hopeshire.org you will find a list of all the church-run community services available across the Sutherland Shire. You can get in touch with any of these services by utilising the contact details.

Sean Nolan tells the story of how this came about. It started with just two then three churches and now it is a wonderful story of many churches working together to serve the Sutherlans Shire

WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF THE DECLINE IN AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY?

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Reports of American Christianity’s death are wildly exaggerated, according to a new Gallup poll. The problem however is that most American Christians (94%) no longer hold to a Biblical Worldview.

Despite years of coverage that Americans have lost their faith, three out of four Americans not only believe in God but belong to a specific religion, according to a Gallup poll released on Good Friday.

“By far the largest proportion, 68%, identify with a Christian religion, including 33% who are Protestant, 22% Catholic and 13% who identify with another Christian religion or simply as a ‘Christian,’” Gallup reported on March 29. Another seven percent “identify with a non-Christian religion, including 2% who are Jewish, 1% Muslim and 1% Buddhist, among others.” 22% said they did not identify with any religion.

Faith exercises a pivotal role in most Americans’ lives, with 71% saying that religion is “very important” (45%) or “fairly important” (26%) to them. The share of Americans who placed a high premium on their faith fell below a majority for the first time in U.S. history in 2019.

That does not mean that church membership has rebounded completely: 45% of Americans formally belong to a church, synagogue, or religious congregation. That number fell below a majority during 2020. “Slightly more than one-third of U.S. young adults have no religious affiliation. Further, many young adults who do identify with a religion do not belong to a church,” noted Gallup. “But even older adults who have a religious preference are less likely to belong to a church today than in the past.”

Yet even these numbers may overstate the number of unbelievers, as 69% of Nones (people who do not identify with any particular faith) believe in God, according to a Pew Research Center poll. Still, a separate poll from the left-leaning Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) released on March 27, found, “While the percentage of Americans who describe themselves as ‘nothing in particular’ is similar to a decade ago (16% in 2013 to 17% in 2023), the numbers of both atheists and agnostics have doubled since 2013 (from 2% to 4% and from 2% to 5%, respectively).”

The most liberal churches have experienced the steepest losses in membership, numerous reports found. Ryan Burge, research director at Faith Counts, tracked the membership of the major U.S. denominations between 1987 and 2021. “The mainline is just a bloodbath,” wrote Burge last June. “Five traditions are down by at least 30%. The ELCA is down 41%. The United Church of Christ is less than half the size it was in the late 1980s. The United Methodists are already down 31%, but with over 15% of their churches disaffiliating just this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if membership is down 40% or more by this time next year.”

Overall, the data paints a complicated picture. “The trends are clear that we are secularizing in some sense, particularly Gen Z. There is a decline in participation in organized religion and in belief in God, but those are not necessarily the same thing,” Joseph Backholm, senior fellow for Biblical Worldview and Strategic Engagement at Family Research Council, told The Washington Stand. “The one clear thing is that some belief in a higher power is persistent. People can’t shake the idea that the universe didn’t create itself.”

David Closson, director of the Center for Biblical Worldview at FRC, made these assertions. “What we’ve learned from FRC’s own research, as well as George Barna’s research with the Cultural Research Center, is that the percentage of those who hold a consistent biblical worldview is around 6%,” “Thus, it is probably more accurate to say that Gallup is helpfully illustrating the loss of cultural Christianity. But this is an important observation in itself; the percentage of Americans who identify as Christian is decreasing rapidly, which means that basic Christian beliefs will increasingly be seen not only as outdated or old-school but dangerous and subversive. We are still living on the fumes of a post-Christian culture, and this is reflected in the large percentages of Americans who still identify as Christian even though many of them don’t go to church or profess any specific theological viewpoints.”

All parties conceded that America’s religious atrophy and eroding biblical worldview will likely impact the policies enacted at a national and local level. “Compared with all Americans, the unaffiliated are notably more likely to identify as Democrats (35% vs. 29%) and independents (38% vs. 30%), and substantially less likely to identify as Republican (12% vs. 29%),” PRRI noted.

The declining share of Americans who hold a Biblical worldview “shouldn’t matter” when it comes to public policy, but it “ultimately will,” said Backholm. “The First Amendment requires that we treat small groups of religious individuals the same as big groups, but in reality cultural dominance, or the lack thereof, matters. That’s why we see pro-life activists being punished for public speech and business owners repeatedly sued for behavior that was uncontroversial 20 years ago.”

“Being a minority religion has always come with challenges, even in America,” Backholm told TWS. “The politically dominant religion in America is becoming a hybrid of secularism and progressive Christianity defined by the belief that people should be free to do whatever makes them happy.”

“Those who don’t embrace those creeds will have problems,” he warned.

The seven churches in Revelation reveal the church as it is in the last seven years before Jesus returns to Earth first to rapture the Saints to Heaven and then pour out His wrath upon an unrepentant world with the Trumpet (Revelation 8) and Bowl (Revelation 16) judgements.

The seventh church, the Church of Laodicea represents the church left behind to face God’s judgement. (Laodicea is a combination of two Greek words (LAO, meaning “God’s people”; and DIKE, meaning “justice or judgment”) Judgement of God’s people).

“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:15-20

It is obvious from this Scripture that those churches preaching the prosperity gospel are in for a great shock when they realise that they will face God’s judgement, but notice that they still have the opportunity to repent.

The church of Philadelphia represents the church that is raptured at the trumpet blast at the opening of the seventh seal. At the sixth seal, we see the celestial signs that precede Jesus’ return. We read “the great day of their (God’s) wrath has come“: “Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” Revelation 6:15-17 The trumpet and bowl judgements follow once the final, seventh seal is removed and the scroll is opened.

How different is the message to the church (Church of Philadelphia) that is raptured and protected from the wrath of God

Philadelphus the “love for a brother” What remains of the faithful Church will be bound in brotherly love by the persecution of earth-shaking proportions.

“He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens, and no one will shut, and who shuts, and no one opens, says this.”  Revelation 3:7

Jesus who is about to rapture His church reminds them that He is God, He is true, and they can trust Him to save them at the appointed time.

Jesus has nothing but compliments for these survivors of the Great Tribulation, his faithful remnant

“Jesus says, I have set before you an open door, no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of trial (Rapture) which shall come upon the whole earth (wrath of God).” (Revelation 3:7-13)

“hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown” (Rev. 3:11 NASB). There is yet time to fall away and lose their rewards.

The concepts of the Key of David, the pillars in the Temple, and being kept from the hour of trial found in the letter to the Church of Philadelphia are references to the Rapture, happening at the end of the Sixth Year of the 70th Week.

A WORLD GONE MAD

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Have you heard of Yuval Harari? This Psychopath already has enormous influence at the World Economic Forum. Listen to this video and you will be amazed at how quickly we are moving towards the Biblical prophesied one-world government and the Mark of the Beast. Next is Mystery Babylon followed by the Antichrist and re-engineered human life.

Make sure you are in a Christian community that understands the times we are in, and is in step with what God is doing in their area of influence.

SPIRITUAL WARFARE HOTTING UP AS SATAN KNOWS HIS TIME IS SHORT

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A dust storm of political madness is brewing in Phoenix, Arizona as Grand Canyon University faces the continued threats of Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. Christians have watched as the Biden administration attacks biblical views left and right, with a particularly vehement disregard for the sanctity of life and marriage. As such, it can’t be too surprising that Cardona, a part of this leftist administration, has “vowed” to shut down America’s largest Christian university.

In late October, GCU was hit with “a $37.7 million fine brought by the federal government over allegations that it lied to students about the cost of its programs,” AP News reported — an accusation GCU President Brian Mueller described as “ridiculous.

Supporters of GCU agree the fine seems unprecedented and motivated by ideological bias, including American Principles Project Policy Director Jon Schweppe, who said, “The federal government’s education agenda is punishing schools that do not conform to their progressive ideology. It’s time we stand against this egregious abuse of power.” Another conservative think tank, the Goldwater Institute (GI), sued the Department of Education for “refusing to turn over” public “documents that explain why” they’re fining GCU. The goal of their lawsuit is to unmask the reason behind the fine.

Around the same time, Liberty University, America’s second-largest Christian university, was fined $37 million “over alleged underreporting of crimes.” GCU appealed its fine in November even though a hearing is not expected until January 2025. But the question Mueller has is one of integrity. Is this genuine consideration for the well-being of students, or is this a targeted attack against religious institutions?

“It’s interesting, isn’t it, that the two largest Christian universities in the country, this one, and Liberty University, are both being fined almost the identical amount at almost the identical time?” the college president speculated in a speech. “Now is there a cause and effect there? I don’t know. But it’s a fact.”

Mueller emphasized that GCU has faced various issues over the years. But despite the government’s action, he wanted people to know that “interestingly enough, “it has had zero impact on anything that we’re doing.”

He continued, “The enrollments are just continuing to grow … [and] the morale is very high in terms of our faculty and staff. The campus is extremely vibrant. I mean, the students absolutely love this place. They’re extremely loyal to it, and so we just keep marching through it.” And while the fine they’re being dealt by the Department of Education is “a problem,” Mueller is just thankful that GCU remains optimistic. The Christian “mission, not politics, is our motivation and it is our hope,” he told TWS.

FINDINGS OF JAMES WEBB TELESCOPE CONFIRM SCRIPTURE

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The assumptions made by the video producers on the outer space findings of the James Webb Telescope are based on the evolutionary Big Bang Theory. It is interesting, therefore, to have creationist PhD scientists give their perspectives on the findings.

Confirmation by these creationist PhD scholars of the Biblical worldview is encouraging. It all confirms God’s Word. The predictions made by Biblical creationists of what the James Webb Telescope would find are justified. I was impressed by the observations made by all four men and of note, the Scriptures quoted from Job.

GOD IS RAISING UP HIS PEOPLE AT THIS CRITICAL TIME IN HUMAN HISTORY

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It is great to connect with the people God has raised up for His purposes at this time in human history. One of those people is Martyn Iles who became known in Australia as God’s spokesperson when he was CEO of Australian Christian Lobby.

Martyn Iles is an effective evangelist, having held successful rallies in several Australian capital cities and drawing thousands, under the ACL banner. In the past, ACL has kept to the task of representing conservative Christians in the public sphere on policy rather than seeing itself as an evangelistic group. It may be that this was a story of a simple mismatch, an enormously talented man who is a gifted communicator who has followed his heart. It may be that a desire to evangelise has moved Martyn Iles away from the priorities of the ACL board. Many Christians will see both sides of that question.

A possible concern has been that the ACL was emerging as an alternative to churches in some respects – for example distributing the Gospel of John to households in the name of ACL rather than through local churches.

Martyn responded to the ACL decision with the following communication to his supporters,

Dear All – I write with significant news that will provoke mixed reactions. After 5 incredible years as managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby, the Board has terminated my employment.

I hasten to add that there is no question of misconduct. Rather, the Board has reviewed ACL’s strategic direction and decided I am not the right person to lead the revised strategy, which focuses primarily on political tactics and less on the gospel. Having heard this articulated, I absolutely agree with them that I am not the right person for that vision. I have always been a preacher first, a politician second (or third……).

Please pray for the Board as ACL manages this process, that their decisions will advance God’s will.

Although I think the strategy isn’t the right one, I leave without bitterness. God’s providence works through all things, including our own disappointments.

Meanwhile, I expect God to open another door. Indeed, some things have already started to happen in that regard – more details on that in due course.

*** Great Blessings ***

We now know that God did open up an amazing door for Martyn Isles as he is now CEO of Answers in Genesis, worldwide based in Cinnciatti, Ohio. Martyn and Ken Ham’s recent visit to Australia for the Living in Babylon series was a sold-out event in Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, and Melbourne. Over 10,000 people were impacted by these events.

Make sure you follow Martyn at http://www.answersingenesis.org and get his latest book Who Am I? Solving the Identity Puzzle. I will give a review of it in my next post.

JESUS WILL BE KING OF ISRAEL AND THE NATIONS OF THIS WORLD

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“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.” Isaiah 9:6-7

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:31-33

“Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?” 2 Chronicles 13:5

David’s dominion is to last forever. David is the king who will rule over Israel after its restoration under the Messiah after His return to earth (Ezekiel 37:21-24). David’s rule, of course, can occur only after God resurrects David with all the other saints at the return of Christ.

This is what The prophet Nathan told David:

“When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.’” 1 Chronicles 17:11-14

And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more.” 1 Chronicles 17:9

The kingdom God established through David was a forerunner of a much more important Kingdom Jesus Christ will establish in the future with David as His 2IC.

God claimed David’s kingdom as “My kingdom”— a type, an example, or a forerunner, of the coming Kingdom of God. Comprehending the relationship between David’s temporal kingdom and the eternal Kingdom of God is crucial to understanding the gospel Christ and His apostles preached.

When Solomon, David’s son, became king, on whose throne did he sit? “Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father . . .” 1 Chronicles 29:23

“I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed” Daniel 7:13-14

Not only did God regard Israel as His temporal kingdom, He regarded the throne of Israel as His throne— the throne Jesus Christ will inherit (Luke 1:32).

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1: 30-33

Did Jesus acknowledge He was born to be a king?

“‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate. Jesus answered, ‘You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason, I was born, and for this, I came into the world . . .'” John 18:37

From the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry, He focused on the Kingdom of God. He was continuing the message proclaimed by Daniel and the other prophets. Throughout His ministry, He repeatedly used the words king and kingdom to explain the good news He preached. At Jesus second coming He will usher in His Millennial Kingdom. That is what is next for this Earth. It has had six thousand years with Satan as its leader, it will now have one thousand years with Jesus ruling the nations with a rod of iron and the resurrected Saints ruling with Him.

“From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Revelation 19:15-16

A SUPERNATURAL MOVE OF GOD AMONG THE YOUNG

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A new sign of the ongoing revival among America’s young people is being reported again out of Alabama. In the latest example of this supernatural move of God, hundreds of students at the University of Alabama gave their lives to Christ and were immediately baptized in a fountain. “It happened again!” Christian author and speaker Jennie Allen announced on Instagram after the amazing event unfolded. “Last night at the University of Alabama thousands of students gathered. Hundreds responded to the gospel and hundreds were baptized,” Allen shared

The spiritual awakening that first captured headlines at Asbury College more than a year ago is still spreading nationwide. This Alabama awakening is just the latest move of God that Jennie Allen has witnessed as she has travelled to minister on college campuses. In a post several weeks ago after a similar outpouring of revival at Florida State University, Allen said on Instagram, “Hundreds of students came forward to trust Jesus. We can’t explain what’s happening apart from the Spirit.”

It is great to report on these good news stories when so much evil is happening, and surveys reveal Gen Z is the lost generation largely due to our schools and universities teaching evolution and billions of years of Earth’s history. Fortunately, God has told us in advance that before Jesus returns to restore righteousness He told us apostasy, a great falling away from faith would occur. We need to know God is in control and He is purifying His church in preparation for the rapture. In Revelation, the church of Philadelphia is the church that is raptured, read what Jesus has to say to that church, and also to the church that is left behind, the church of Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22), to face the wrath of God, poured out with the Trumpet and Bowl judgments.

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.
“‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name... Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Revelation 3:7-13

Source: CBNNews

JESUS TAUGHT: NOT PEACE, BUT A SWORD

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The following is a tough Scripture we would all like to overlook but that is impossible. God requires total commitment.

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:34-39

“And Jesus said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag, knapsack, or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” He said to them, “But now let the one with a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. For, I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” Luke 22:35-37

Our greatest weapon is always the Gospel. But there may be a time to heed all of Jesus’ instructions, even to buy a sword.

“All authority… on earth has been given unto Me, therefore go and make disciple of all nations… and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus did not say disciple churches or disciple disciples but rather disciple “nations” – civil rule, civil governance. For this reason and mission, Jesus said – “I am with you!” Jesus made it possible for our Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to guide our every step.

For what excuse will we give King Jesus for not completing the great commission?

The Bible does not teach us to pray and hope things get better. “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (James 1:22). We must be “doers” – like the leaders of Issachar who understood the times and what God’s people should do (1 Chronicles 12:32).

Note God does not use those who think they are wise by worldly standards.

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

We must keep God’s commandments and get God’s vision for His King and Kingdom! “Where there is no vision, the people perish. But happy are those who keep God’s Law!” Proverbs 29:18

Also, if not you, who? If not now, when? We must unite and go forth – “For the cause of truth, humility, and righteousness! Psalms 45:4

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WORDS OF WISDOM FROM THE WINNER OF THE MASTER’S GOLF TOURNAMENT

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Scottie Scheffler dedicated his second Masters win in three years to God, declaring that “victory was secure on the cross” as he secured the victory at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday.

“I was sitting around with my buddies this morning, I was a bit overwhelmed,” the 27-year-old said Sunday after becoming the 10th golfer in history to win two green jackets in three years.

“I told them, ‘I wish I didn’t want to win as badly as did I or as badly as I do.’ I think it would make the mornings easier. I love winning. I hate losing. I really do. And when you’re here in the biggest moments, when I’m sitting there with the lead on Sunday, I really, really want to win badly.”

“My buddies told me this morning, my victory was secure on the cross,” he said. “And that’s a pretty special feeling; to know that I’m secure forever and it doesn’t matter if I win or lose this tournament. My identity is secure forever.”

“I believe that today’s plans were already laid out many years ago, and I could do nothing to mess up those plans,” Scheffler later added. “I have been given a gift of this talent, and I use it for God’s glory. That’s pretty much it. So when I’m out there, I try to compete to the best of my abilities … I feel like that’s how I was designed. … At the end of the day, my identity’s secure already.”

Scheffler, whose wife of four years, Meredith, is expecting their first child, said that while he’s going to “soak in” the victory and doesn’t plan on taking his eye off the ball anytime soon, his family remains his main priority, with golf “probably fourth” down the line.

“I feel like playing professional golf is an endlessly not-satisfying career,” the University of Texas alumnus said. “For instance, in my head, all I can think about right now is getting home. I’m not thinking about the tournament. I’m not thinking about the green jacket. I’m trying to answer your questions, and I’m trying to get home.

“I wish I could soak this in a little bit more. Maybe I will tonight when I get home. But at the end of the day, I think that’s what the human heart does. You always want more, and I think you have to fight those things and focus on what’s good.

“Because, like I said, winning this golf tournament does not change my identity. My identity is secure, and I cannot emphasize that enough.”