I'm back

Hi everyone,
After a long break since the list time I've blogged I've decided it's time to get back into it. So much has happened in the life of Life to the Nations in the last year. I'm not even going to try and cover everything. We are about to launch our new website so I wanted to get this going again. In the season we're in there's a quote from AW Tozer that I think is amazing. He writes;
“Low views of God destroy the gospel for all who hold them…Perverted notions about God soon rot the religion in which they appear…So necessary to the Church is a lofty concept of God that when that concept in any measure declines, the Church with her worship and her moral standards declines along with it. The first step down for any church is taken when it surrenders its high opinion of God. Before the Christian Church goes into eclipse anywhere there must first be a simple corrupting of her simple basic theology. She simply gets a wrong answer to the question, “What is God like?” and goes on from there. Though she may continue to cling to a sound nominal creed, her practical working creed has become false. The masses of her adherents come to believe that God is different from what He actually is; and that is heresy of the most insidious and deadly kind. The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian Church today is to purify and elevate her concept of God until it is once more worthy of Him – and of her.”
In all that we do both as sons and daughters of the King and in the context of the local church we have to constantly strive to elevate our concept of God!

The Presence of God - Part 2

So it's one thing to talk about the Holy Spirit manifesting His presence with signs and wonders and it's another thing to experience it. We've had an amazing weekend with Mark and Natasha Birch and the team from Northridge and have experienced God's presence like we've never experienced before. Not that the team was anything special in themselves, but they came with an expectation of the Holy Spirit moving and Life to the Nations was hungry! We saw flecks of gold on people as they stood in God's presence (before anyone laid hands on them or touched them) and on the floor. A few people had oil on their hands and as they prayed for others the presence of God was overwhelming. If you're sceptical this won't mean much to you, but for a people that are hungry for more of God and more of His presence it was a pretty amazing encouragement and confirmation that we're on the right track. Thanks to Mark and the team for facilitating us moving to a new level. Let's stay hungry for more, whatever that may look like and take it to those who need it most!

The Presence of God

I love the presence of God! Over the last few weeks we've been experiencing something of an increase of God's presence in our meetings. People are getting healed and God is doing amazing things. The challenge for me is not to limit what God wants to do because I haven't experienced it before in my own life. In Acts 10 Peter initially responded to God based on his past experience. But he eventually obeys God and opens the door for the gospel to spread to the Gentiles. As we experience the presence of God in our lives and in our times together we have a choice to respond out of our past experience or to be door openers to the presence of God impacting us and those around us, even if we haven't experienced it before or are uncomfortable with how it looks.

Together for His glory

We have had the privilege of being in Indonesia for the last two weeks with a team from church (and Nik from CBFC!) We had an amazing time building relationship and ministering in Semarang and some of the surrounding cities and being ministered to by the people there. Being in Indonesia brings perspective to how we live out Christianity in our western society. We often talk about seeing the kingdom extended but deep down inside we think someone else is going to do the hard work or that maybe God will just "make it happen". We would never articulate this, but our actions speak louder than words. Maybe it's because they are less encumbered by material possession, maybe it's because they are being persecuted, but what ever the reason the people we spent time with in Indonesia understand that if the kingdom is going to be extended (if people are going to get saved and discipled) the it comes down to each individual rolling up their sleeves and preaching Jesus at every opportunity (and they are doing it!) They are passionate for the things of God and live every moment of their lives for His glory. The cry of my heart is that passion for Jesus and the lost is not a result of culture or a lack of possession but because of the reality of relationship with Jesus and what He's done for us. I want to be a person who is passionately in love with Jesus and who works out that passion in my community, city, state, nation and the nations and I want Life to the Nations to be full of people with the same passion. Together for His glory!

What Did Jesus Do?

In John 14:12 Jesus says,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes (or has faith) in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to the Father."
As I read this verse I find myself being challenged again and again. Even as we take the next number of weeks at Life to the Nations and look at what Jesus did while he was here on earth, I'm challenged to believe that through Him I can see these things happen. I'm challenged to not only talk about these things but to expect them. To expect salvation, healing, refreshing and the unexpected. I passionately want to see God move and His kingdom extended.
I want to encourage you to also let God challenge you by this verse and to expect Him to move. It's through all of us, the "priesthood of all believers", that the kingdom is extended, not just through one or two. It's for His Glory!

Keep living the adventure,
Matt

Thank you!

The beginning of this year has been an extremely busy time for us at Life to the Nations. We've had an offering for a facility of our own, we've sent out the team planting City Edge Church in Burwood, we've transitioned the leadership of the team that leads Life to the Nations from Dad and Mum (Russ and Mary) to Elodie and I, and we've sent Dad and Mum to the USA in obedience to the leading they were feeling in God. At every step I have been amazed and blessed by the great team God has brought together at Life to the Nations. Almost everyone has risen up in one way or another. People who have not been involved before have helped in innumerable ways. As we boldly stride into a new season your support has been and is invaluable. God is doing great things with us as a church family! Thank you for being a part of it.
Love,
Matt (and Elodie)

Number One

Hi,
This is the first time I've ever used a blog. My hope is that through this blog I can communicate some of my thoughts, dreams and vision both personally and for Life to the Nations. We are four weeks from the hand over and I'm so excited to see what God will do in and through Elodie and I and in and through us as a church. In everything that is happening in our lives and in the life of our church I keep coming back to the importance of keeping Jesus as the focus of everything we do. In transition, change, sending, going, serving and living our eyes have to be continually fixed on Jesus. He's the number one and I look forward to the adventure He's taking us on!