​In the book of Acts we see how Barnabus and Saul were called and set apart for Ministry to the Gentiles. At the time of their calling, they were worshipping the Lord and fasting and the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them”. So, after the church had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off to do God’s work in the world, spreading the Gospel. This was a specific calling that was given to them even as they were serving in the local church. This reminds us that those who are faithful with the little things will be faithful with much (Luke 16:10).
It also reminds us that God calls people who are spirit filled and prayerful because they will follow His direction as He empowers their lives and ministry.  Any effective ministry must be led by people supernaturally enabled by the Holy Spirit!  Spiritual people lead lives of consistent Bible study, passionate prayer, holy living, bold witnessing, humble service, and unwavering commitment. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is evident in their lives and world needs to see more of that!
We don’t need to have it all together before we begin ministry. When Jesus called his first disciples, they didn’t have it all together, but he taught them about God and his ways and sent them out to be shining lights in the world, passing on the good news to others (This is what discipleship looks like). This is the calling on every Christians. We all need to fulfill our calling as a follower of Christ and at this time I encourage you to prayerfully reflect and seek God’s will for the way he might be calling you to specifically serve in this Parish and beyond.
If any among you are discerning a call into Ordained or Lay Ministry please come and speak with me. I would love to hear how God has been speaking to your heart and pray with you for this specific purpose. This Sunday (Vocation Sunday) we will give thanks for those called to Ordained Ministry and specific roles.
Peace,
Rev. Tanya

​Prayer is powerful.
Not because it’s magic.
Not because of the eloquent or simple words we use or say.
But because of WHO we talk to when we pray.
When we pray, we are before the Creator of the Universe, Almighty God, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and Omega, the One who holds all things in his hands and who judges all things.
When we pray, we pray through Jesus who intercedes for us.
In Acts 7:55-56, Stephen is about to be stoned to death when he looks up and sees heaven opened. In his vision, he sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
And he PRAYS.
He says, “Lord, do not hold this against them”.
Prayer is powerful because it is God who answers them - sometimes in the most surprising ways.
Who should stand over Stephen’s death in approval, but Saul, the one whom God changes so radically he becomes crucial in building up the early church instead of tearing it down.
The Lord answers Stephen’s prayer. He does not hold Saul’s sin against him. Jesus had already paid for it. Instead he uses that experience to show that God’s love covers a multitude of sins.
Prayer is powerful because of who we pray to.
And HIS power can do what seems impossible for the spread of His kingdom.
So don’t give up praying.
Keep praying for our church, for God to bring in younger generations so there is still a church here in 20 years' time.
Pray that people, young and old, come to faith.
Pray for our Mission Action Plan as a church, that God would show us the way forward.
And pray for our Vicar Tanya today as she takes time to spend with God in prayer about all these things.
Keep praying. And ask that God would open our eyes to the surprising ways he might answer them for the spread of his Kingdom.

Rev. Amy

​Acts Chapter 10 is a very interesting chapter! It tells the story of two people from different backgrounds, who shared a common love for the Lord. They were both prayerful, listened to God and were obedient to him, even when this meant going against the customs and religious traditions/beliefs at the time.

Peter was a devout Jew who would not have eaten anything that was considered unclean by Jewish law. But God showed him some food that was considered unclean and told him to eat, to which Peter responded: “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.” (Acts 10:14). God told him to not call unclean what God had made clean.

Later, Peter would realise this teaching was not about food but about Jews and Gentiles who were considered unclean by Jews, and how God loves both.

Peter was called to go out of his comfort zone and preach to the Gentiles in obedience to God’s will and purposes. Cornelius and his family believed the good news, received the Holy Spirit and then were baptised, showing that God does not show partiality.  “In every nation the person who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.” – Acts 10:34-35.

God does not care where we are from. He wants all people to seek him, listen to him, and obey his message. As we follow his leading into all he wants us to do, may God use us to share the gospel and bring salvation to many.

May he use us too for his purpose and glory.

God be with you,
Rev. Tanya

​Have you ever reflected on Jesus' prayer for you?

On the night before he died, Jesus prayed for all who would believe in him through the gospel message. He prayed that all believers would be one in him, and that he would be in us. He prayed that the love God has for Jesus would be in us. And he prayed we would be his witnesses in the world so others might believe. (See John 17:20-26)

How does that make you feel? I feel so grateful for his prayer. It shows Jesus' heart for us and his desire for unity in the body of believers. It shows his desire to live in each of us, filling us with God’s love. What a great prayer!

I’ve always appreciated the prayers of others. I remember my nana praying out loud for me as a child and I felt as if she really cared about me and wanted good things for me. As an adult now, when others pray over me and speak words of knowledge and prophecy over me I am encouraged and blessed. I also appreciate the prayers of you and others for me. Your prayers strengthen me, and I pray that mine strengthen you.

This week I’m praying for you in response to Jesus’ prayer for us.
I’m praying that God will draw you closer to him and unite you with one another here at MEAC and with all believers world-wide.
I pray our unity will show the world that Jesus is the promised Messiah.
I pray your spirit-filled life will testify to that.
I pray you will personally know more of God’s great big love for you and receive his love.
I pray that the spirit of Jesus will fill you afresh and teach you more and more of him, till you see Christ’s glory. Amen.

Yours in Christ,
Rev. Tanya

​Repeatedly in the book of Acts, we read that the believers prayed together and shared the gospel and the Lord continued to add to their numbers. The early church was growing, and it soon became evident some structure was needed to help the Church care for everyone, including all the widows who needed help.
When the apostles first heard that some widows weren’t getting their needs met, they respond with instruction to appoint some wise leaders who are full of the Holy Spirit and have a good reputation, for it was not desirable for them to neglect prayer and the word of God. The apostles knew they were called to devote themselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. This was their highest priority, and the result was, “the word of God kept on spreading” (6:7).
After the spirit filled men were appointed, the apostles prayed and then laid hands on them, publicly setting them apart for church ministry (6:6). The whole problem-solving process was oriented to God through prayer and God’s Word.
Here we are reminded that all Church leaders and the entire congregation need to walk in daily in relationship with the living God, in submission to His Word, and in dependence on Him in prayer.
This Sunday we will hear more about prayer and serving God in the ways we are all called to. We will pay special attention to Stephen, one of the men appointed to serve in the early church. He was the first person to be killed for his faith in Jesus. As he was dying, he prayed a special prayer of forgiveness for those who were stoning him. God would use even the horrible circumstances of Stephen’s death to continue to grow the Church. Nothing can stop the spread of the Gospel! Prayer and Gods words empower it. So, be encouraged to keep praying!
Perhaps pray about whom you can bring to Church on Sunday?
See you then,

Reverend Tanya Cummings

Are you devoted to prayer? For the month of July, Bishop Paul has called all the churches in Jumbunna Episcopate to focus on prayer and attend a prayer day on July 27th. I hope you will attend if able. Prayer is important for so many reasons and it ought to be a higher priority for us as a Church. As we begin looking at prayer in the early church, as depicted in the book of Acts, we see how the early believers were totally devoted to prayer. In Acts chapter 1 we read that Jesus, before ascending to heaven, had told the believers that they would be His witnesses all over the world. After this all the believers went to Jerusalem to gather in what we call the upper room and once there; devoted themselves to prayer. They didn’t begin planning a big missionary endeavour or devote themselves to whiteboarding an action plan. It says they devoted themselves to prayer! (Acts 1:14) This is the first of three different times in these initial chapters and Acts that we see this phrase “devoted to prayer”. See Acts 2:42 and Acts 6, where the leaders of the church say, “We need to devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word”. I want to encourage each of us to spend more time in prayer this month, and in fact be devoted to prayer. As you think about your life, your family, and all the responsibilities you carry, devote yourself to prayer. Make prayer an even higher priority above strategizing, planning, and preparing. I believe that when we put God first, he crowns our efforts with success. There’s no way the disciples would have succeeded in their mission to spread the gospel if they weren’t grounded in prayer, seeking God’s will and relying on the Holy Spirit to enable them to carry out God’s mission in the world. Prayer comes first! May we each choose to devote ourselves to prayer this month and beyond, trusting God will bring about his plans and purposes in our lives and in the church and world. Let us pray about all our missionary endeavors and action plans, learning to depend completely on God, so His work will be done in His way and His time. Prayerfully Yours, Rev. Tanya

​I am a big fan of fantasy series and one of the all-time greatest is no other than The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. The movie adaptations came out when I was in high school and I remember using the character development of Aragorn as a case study for our HSC theme: journeys. One of my all-time favourite scenes is the arousing speech Aragorn gives in the last film, the Return of the King when the black gates are opened, and the soldiers face the great army of Mordor. Aragorn gallops back and forth along the front lines, rallying the soldiers of Gondor and Rohan as he addresses their fear, saying:
 
        Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers. I see in your eyes the same fear
        that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men
        fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is
        not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men
        comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you
        hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!

(If you want to watch the movie clip, click on this link: Aragorn's Speech At The Black Gate | LOTR - The Return of the King (2003) (youtube.com))

This week we come to our final instalment of Ephesians (6:10-20) and Pauls sends it off with one final arousing speech like Aragorn's. Instead of the black gates of Mordor, Paul opens their imagination to the cosmic spiritual battle we all find ourselves soldiers in. As we stand on the front lines, the music building to a crescendo, Paul shouts, 

'Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of
           God, so that you can take your STAND against the devil's schemes.(v10)
'...put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you
           may be able to STAND your ground, (v.13)
and after you have done everything, to STAND. (v.13)
'STAND firm then...' (v.14)

Paul's arousing call is to STAND in the full power and might of God himself, to put on the armour of God he bestows upon us, so that we can bear with every assault the Devil throws at us and STAND victorious as children of the King. 

As we consider this cosmic truth, this spiritual battle, how do you prepare yourselves for battle? Are you ready to defend your faith? Are you ready to stand firm in trials? Are you equipped to combat the Devil's lies with the truths of the Gospel? Are you ready to resist evil? 

This Sunday we'll consider what it means to be ready and put on the armour of God each day so that we can STAND firm in our faith to the end. 

Amy

​Winter is setting in. I hope you are keeping warm.

I’ve really loved spending time in the book of Ephesians over the last month. This Sunday will be more challenging though! We have come to one of the most difficult, misinterpreted, and abused passages in all of the New Testament: Ephesians 5.21-6.9, which includes instructions for wives to submit to their husbands and for slaves to serve their masters.

To make matters even harder, Paul grounds these instructions within the metaphor of Christ-and-his-body, giving them a theological weight. Thus, it can be hard for us in the twenty-first century to look at these instructions. We know they can perpetuate violence and abuse. They have done over many years of misunderstanding and misuse.

So, we will need to take a fresh look and consider the culture and setting they were originally given in, before we can discern how best to interpret and apply them today.

As we look at these commands, we will see that Paul (the writer) is a spiritual revolutionary, not a political or social one. He grounds his household code here not in social norms (as he does in Titus and 1 Timothy), but in his understanding of the relationship between Christ and the Church.

So, let me here remind you of who you/we/the church are in relation to Christ, in accordance with God’s plan:

God has ‘blessed’, ‘chosen’, ‘adopted’, ‘redeemed,’ ‘forgiven,’ and ‘lavished grace upon’ us (1.3-8)
God has placed all spiritual powers that threaten the Church ‘under Christ’s feet’ (1.20-22)
Christ is the head of the Church, which is his body (1.22-23)
God has raised and glorified the faithful with Christ (2.4-6)
God calls everyone in the Church to grow up into the fullness of Christ (4.13-16)
Each person in the Church has a role to play in its health and wellbeing (4.16)
God renews the minds of the faithful, enabling them to see the world clearly (4.23)
The faithful are exhorted to imitate God’s love as manifested in Christ’s life and death (5.1-2), to live as ‘children of the light’ (5.8), and to be filled with the Spirit (2.18), which involves submitting to one another (5.21).

Adding to this list, the description of Christ and the Church in the Household Code says that:

The Church is the body of Christ, and his ‘flesh and bones’ (5.23, 30, cf. 1.22-23)
The Church is loved by Christ (5.24, cf. 5.29)
Christ gave himself for the Church, which is ‘sanctified’ and ‘cleansed’ through baptism into Christ, and is therefore ‘honoured,’ ‘holy’, and ‘spotless (5.25-27)
Christ’s whole goal and purpose is for us to grow into everything that he was and is, irrespective of our gender, age, ethnicity, class or citizenship status. We are all called to be ‘Christs’ to one another; we are all also called to ‘submit’ to one another, as the Church submits to Christ. We are all commanded to love one another (not just wives and husbands). This is the ideal to work towards in a broken fallen world.

May God help us all to live faithful lives toward Him and one another.

In Christ,

Reverend Tanya Cummings

​As a young person I didn’t know what love was. After my divorce, I wanted to know! I went on a quest to find out. I interviewed many pastors and asked them, “What is love?”. The response I liked most was: “Love is doing what is best for the other person”. It stuck with me.

Now, when I wake up each morning, before getting out of bed and into my day, I remind myself that the most important thing I can do today is love the people God places before me. Without love, everything else I do is just like a clanging (empty) symbol (See 1 Corinthians 13).  

Jesus emphasised that all the Laws given by God and the teachings of the prophets can be summarised into; Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbour as yourself. When we do these things, we naturally turn away from selfish living, greed, impurity, drunkenness, and foolishness, because these things aren’t what is best for God or others, or ourselves. These are the things that will be stripped away from believers lives as we walk in the way of love.

Our calling, as Ephesians chapter 5 reminds us, is to walk “in love,” be imitators of God and of Christ, who loved with a love beyond compare. Having Jesus Christ as both the ground and model of love (Eph 5:2), such self-sacrificial love is to be the mark of each of us; the “beloved” children of God (5:1).

Ephesians 5 reminds us that we are called to live holy, wise lives, full of the spirit, motivated by God’s love, as children of light (displaying goodness, righteousness and truth), while continually expressing gratefulness to God.

Is this the way you are living each day? Are you fulfilling your calling?
If not, please ask for the spirit’s enabling today, and speak to your pastors or the prayer team if you’d like extra prayer and support. We love you.

In Christ,

Reverend Tanya Cummings

​Are you enjoying the book of Ephesians? 

I'm delighted that each week, as we go through another chapter, we are being reminded of what Christ has done for us. This week in chapter 4 we are also reminded of how we ought to live in response to what Christ has done on our behalf. Paul urges us to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. He says we are to be completely humble, gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love, keeping the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. Together we are one body in Christ and yet we have all been given different gifts to help us all grow up together into maturity in Christ Jesus.

Some of us he has appointed to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. In my experience, I have received greater gifting in one of these areas for a period of time to accomplish certain ministries. It is the same spirit who enables all the giftings so that make sense. I wonder what your gifting is and how you are using it for God's kingdom purposes? I encourage you to take this questionnaire (link below) and discover which of the 5-fold ministry gifts you are most naturally suited to. There's a quick questionnaire and a more comprehensive one if you have time. I look forward to hearing what your gifts are and how you would like to use them to equip God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the son of God and become mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. This is God's plan and my desire for us all.

Please follow this link to the questionnaire:  https://fivefoldministry.com/

Take the Five Fold Ministry Test Now (Free)
Discover your kingdom strengths and see if your giftings are apostolic, pastoral, prophetic, evangelistic or teaching. It's fast, effective and free
fivefoldministry.com

Feel free to share your results on Sunday.

Peace be with you, 

Reverend Tanya Cummings