Are you tired of doing the work of the Lord? Or did you tire of it some time ago?


God has a building project in our world: he is building his people until we reach completion. And each of us are to join in, by bringing people under the saving rule of Christ. But it’s costly, hard work, with many setbacks and seemingly little progress.
Zerubbabel knew about that. He was tasked with leading the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple, but it was hard going.

So how will God’s work be done in our world, even through us?
So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
 “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’” (Zechariah 4vv6-7)

Not by conventional ways of might or power. Not by political or military force. But by God’s Spirit, who in his own way is powerfully at work in our world, causing his plans to come good.
Can you think of anything on earth more fixed, more permanent, than a mountain? God’s Spirit is so powerful it can flatten mighty mountains. In the Bible, the word mountain is used as a metaphor for world powers arrayed against God’s people. God will overcome them.

The capstone was a crucial stone in the final stages of temple construction, so to see Zerubbabel bring it out meant that the temple was almost complete. And when he does the people will go ballistic in praise and prayer to God.

Obstacles to the work of the Lord are, to the Lord, like little road bumps, that he can flatten like Play-Doh. Within five years, the temple was indeed rebuilt…road bumps steamrollered by God’s Spirit.
God’s powerful Spirit has never stopped powerfully working in our world, fulfilling God’s promised purposes, right up to the present day.

There was Peter, a poor uneducated fisherman, yet on the Day of Pentecost, as he preached, by the power of the Spirit, 3000 people put their faith in Jesus Christ.

There was Voltaire, a French atheist at the time of the enlightenment. He famously boasted, “in 20 years Christianity will be no more, my single hand shall destroy the edifice it took 12 apostles to rear.” But 50 years later he was dead.  And the Spirit caused the very house from which he had made that boast, to become the home of the Geneva Bible Society!

There was China in the 1950s. All the Christian missionaries were expelled from the country by the Chinese Communist armies and yet the Spirit caused the church there to keep growing from 700,000 to over 44 million followers of Christ today.

Today, many people are opposed to Christ or apathetic about him. Yet do you not think that God is still building his church by his Spirit? And do you not think that God can help you and use you to build his church, as he has said he will? Yes, and yes.

Our response to this must be twofold at least. First, as we give ourselves to the work of the Lord (which we must – 1 Corinthians 15v57), remember that it is primarily through his word that the Spirit works in our world. Second, keep calling upon God to work through your word-filled work. He really will!
Dave

Please note that it is the monthly prayer meeting tonight, 7.30pm to 8.30pm please come in person to the church if you can. It can also be accessed via Zoom. (The link will be available on MyChurchSuite). Please make it a priority to be there.

​Dear friends,
Dry season is drawing to a close in the Northern Territory, and the famed ‘build-up’ is on its way. Will my British climate settings survive the long upcoming weeks of oppressive humidity? Before I go completely troppo, it was time to put together a little update of what life and Bible translation has looked like here over the last few months. Thanks for your interest and prayers. I hope this finds you well and cheerful in the Lord, with special thoughts for those of you persevering through lockdown in various parts of Australia at the moment. I would love to hear from you!
Together in Christ’s service,
Susanna

Sometimes things are way better than we think. 
 
Perhaps it’s been your birthday, and the present turned out to be much better than you expected. 
Perhaps someone has cooked you a meal, and it’s been even tastier than you thought. 
Perhaps a holiday, has surpassed all your expectations.  
 
Sometimes things are way better than we think. 
 
In Zechariah, God’s people have returned from exile in Babylon but everything feels a bit flat and discouraging.  They are a small nation.  They are still under the control of the Persian Empire.  Other nations are making life hard.  Most significantly, the crucial work of rebuilding the temple has stopped, leaving a ½ built construction site.  It all seems so pathetic. So weak.  So insignificant.  It is a day of small things (Zech 4:10).   
 
But in 1:16 God promised that he would begin a building project.  The city and it’s temple would be rebuilt, and things would be good again for God’s people.  But this promise was way better than they thought. 
 
Zechariah 2:1-5 
Then I looked up, and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 I asked, “Where are you going?” 
He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.”  
3 While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him 4 and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. 5 And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within.’ 
 
It’s not surprising that Zechariah sees a man ready to get on with the rebuilding. Having heard that God will get his own building project started, this man, tape measure in hand, is like a surveyor, checking out that everything is ready for the construction.  But the angel essentially says, ‘put down the tape measure- you’re not going to need that!”  This new city exceeds all of this mans wildest dreams. 
 
This new city will be wall BIG. It is without walls because it is unmeasurably full of life.  There are no borders or boundaries to this city.  In fact, even those from gentile nations will be there (see v11). 
 
This new city will be SAFE.  God himself will be a wall of fire around it, an often-used Old Testament symbol of the Almighty’s protection (e.g., the pillar of fire in Exodus).   
 
This new city will be where GOD LIVES.  His glory – his very presence – will be within this city so that he makes his home there.  God will live in this wonderful place (see v10-11). 
 
This new city will be incredible.  In fact, it will be way better than this man in the vision realises!  He’s thinking in terms that are far too small.  He’s thinking in terms of just the literal physical four walls.  God has something much more elaborate in mind! 
 
God’s building project is about a worldwide people, who will be safe forever and whom God will live with.  This side of the cross, we can see how this is being fulfilled.  The wall-less global church made up of people from all nations is what God is building right now and one day it will be gloriously finished in the New Creation, the New Jerusalem. 
 
We must remember this: what God is doing is way better than we often think.  It’s certainly way better than what it often feels like. 
Much like the people in Zechariah’s day, perhaps you feel like your Christian ministry, your Christian service, your Christian life is weak, pathetic, insignificant.  It can be discouraging when it feels like we are barely making a dent for Christ in our family, in our workplace, in our community.  It can be discouraging when others don’t seem to be as up for serving the Lord as you are.  It can be discouraging when it feels like you’ve been faithfully serving Christ for years and there’s not a lot to show for it. 
 
But be encouraged!  God is building something extraordinary, and he is using you in that work!  You have a secure and wonderful future with your God in the New Jerusalem and some of those you invest in will be there too! 
 
This is not a day of small things.  It’s a day of massively wonderful things.  Because God is building!   
 
Sometimes things are way better than we think! 

Please note that the monthly prayer meeting is on Wednesday 8th September, 7.30pm to 8.30pm in the Church Centre. Please come if you can. It can also be accessed via Zoom. (The link will be available on MyChurchSuite). Do put the date in your diary and make it a priority to be there.

​                                                 What’s Your One Thing?
 
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14

The phrase “one thing” is significant and important. It appears in other parts of the Bible, e.g.

• Jesus said to the rich young man, “One thing you lack” (Mark 10:21).
  
  
• Jesus explained to Martha, “There is only one thing worth being concerned about.” (Luke 10:42 NLT).
  
  
• The blind man testified, “One thing I do know.” (John 9:25).
  
  
• King David prayed, “The one thing I ask of the Lord – the thing I seek most” (Psalm 27:4 NLT).
  
  

As followers of Jesus Christ, are we too involved in “many things”? We may be doing many good, right, and God-honouring things; but are they deflecting us away from the “one thing” that God is wanting us to do?
 
In Philippians 3:13, the Apostle Paul says that one of the essentials of being a Christian is to concentrate on “one thing”. This is a statement of devotion to God. His Christianity was not a sideshow; it wasn’t just a part of his life – it was his life!
 
As Christians today, we need to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to running the Christian race. We need a fresh desire for a life that honours Jesus.
 
Let us pray as King David prayed,
“Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” (Psalm 86:11).
Simon

Please click on the link below for the latest news from Graham and Debbie:
https://mailchi.mp/7802f4e890ac/noticias-5083014?e=abc240d331

Saturday afternoon 4th September 4.30pm
A 'Super' quiz for all the family!  Fun questions for all ages.
Great opportunity to invite another family or some friends to join you and make a team. A good balanced team with some toddlers, teenagers and grown-ups will give you the best chance of winning!! (You could also join up with others to form a team when you arrive.)
Extra points may be awarded to anyone who comes dressed as a superhero!
Tea time snacks will be available.
Please book a place for your group. On Churchsuite or on the website
 
Covid safety: You are not required to wear a mask for the quiz but if you would like to that is absolutely fine. We will be keeping the groups fairly spaced out but if you are concerned about distancing, let us know on arrival and we can help you to find a place where you can feel comfortable. You won't be forced to make a team with others if you'd prefer not to!

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jer 32:27)

That’s a good question. Is anything too hard for God? Please answer that, honestly.
I think in practice we do think some things are too hard for the Lord. Here are some suggestions:

BH to have 100 new Christians by this time next year
Climate change to be reversed
My child to come back to the Lord
The conversion of the Taliban

Let’s focus on that last one. According to mission partners just recently evacuated from Afghanistan, most Christians there, “expect to meet Jesus face to face in the next two weeks.” There is so much we must be praying for that country; our little prayer meetings seem a little paltry, and we wonder just what God can do. But is anything, anything, too hard for the Lord?

Seems to me that God is very good at doing the ‘impossible’. Just take a look at yourself. He’s given you a new life, and He’s got you on the way to heaven, and if we take a good long and honest look at ourselves, it just seems impossible. Yet it isn’t. It’s happening.

So today, please join me in praying for Taliban fighters to be converted to Jesus. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Of course not.
Phil

Psalm 9:7-10
 
Sometimes a word or phrase sticks out at you when you read a portion of Scripture.
 
7 The Lord reigns forever;
    he has established his throne for judgment.
8 He rules the world in righteousness
    and judges the peoples with equity.
9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
 
The Lord is a refuge. Some of us might think of our house, our living room or our bedroom as a place of ‘refuge’, places where we can feel ‘safe’. But rather than a place of comfort think of a ‘fortress’, a place which is impregnable, where the most overwhelming army couldn’t possibly breach.
 
This is the Lord for us. We can have full confidence in Him that we will never be lost. Our salvation is guaranteed because of Him. Though life may throw it’s worst at us, He will never let us go. We can find peace in the midst of the storm because He Himself is our peace.
 
Matt

Hosea 1:3-9
At Rooted recently we asked the young people to come up with a name for Matt & Steph’s baby. There were some cracking names out there: Matt Jnr / Fern / Ruth / Isaiah – strong contenders (Matt, Steph, take note!!)

And then there were some more interesting names thrown out… Zin? Alex/Alexandra? (from Alex Forrest...!)
 
Baby names are super important. Biblical baby names are SUPER SUPER important!
So back in Hosea, look at the baby names we’re given:

So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
4 Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.
6 Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”), for I will no longer show love to Israel, that I should at all forgive them.
8 After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. 9 Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.
Remember; Hosea is a miniature of what God has done with His people and in chapter 1 of Hosea, the focus is squarely on the babies! Just like Hosea was called to be an object lesson to the people so to the children – and these are not nice and fun lessons.
 

• Baby 1: Jezreel [2 Kings 9 & 10] the place where an entire royal house of Israel had been slaughtered. Jezreel; that cute bundle of joy is a stark warning: this is what God will do to Israel.
• Baby 2: Lo-Ruhamah means not pitied; no compassion. And did you notice that this child isn’t Hosea’s? When Jezreel is born, we read Gomer conceived and bore him [Hosea] a son… that’s not said for Lo-Ruhamah. She is a product of adultery; with a name no compassion, she is a fitting sign to God’s people. They are people of spiritual adultery and there are consequences.
• Baby 3: Lo-Ammi means not my people. Another child born of Gomer’s infidelity. Just like Hosea would look at this child and every time think; that’s not my boy… so too God when He looks at His people; they have become children of the times around them.

 
Three babies of judgement depicting what would happen to God’s people for their spiritual infidelity.
 
These weren’t just words to Hosea. This was a painful message with feeling and the whole community would know. The whole community would see this family living out their story.
The pain Hosea felt is a bit like the pain God feels, sin cuts deep.
Often, we jump too quickly to the good news, but today, I want to let these three babies of judgement sit with us.
Sin is serious and has serious consequences. Again, a reminder for us to flee far from it, and to not entertain or flirt with sin for a second. It is deadly!
This judgement was going to become a reality for Israel.
Within that generation of people who would have heard Hosea’s message, judgement would come, Assyria would wipe them out.
 
See the babies here are warning shouts of what could happen, they are not sentences set in stone, let Hosea 1 be a warning shout for any of us who have not turned from sin, who have not turned towards the babe of Salvation, the Lord Jesus, there is a greater judgement than Assyria coming, please don’t delay, come back to Him, there is a way to escape judgement. 
Stephen

​BH World Mission Awareness Month
is coming up in October
 
We've got some great guest & home preachers lined up to teach us what God says about our Mission Statement at BH & to inspire us to consider what part God wants us to play.

We hope to have other mission focused events throughout the month
such as prayer meetings for our MPs & workshops over lunch with our guest speakers.
 
More details to follow in September but for now 'save the date' and get praying.

​During a speech in 2002, President George W Bush had the kind of moment he became infamous for. He attempted to recite an old saying…but he completely forgot the punchline! He stumbled through it, saying, “Fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me... You can’t get fooled again!” (The correct aphorism is “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me”.) My point is simply to highlight the importance of the punchline: without it, the whole communication is rendered useless.
Throughout the book of Acts, the apostles never forgot the punchline. Whenever they bore witness to Jesus, they never forgot to mention the resurrection of Jesus. Whether they were speaking from the Old Testament or more generally about God, they always made it their goal to preach the risen Jesus. To leave the reigning Jesus out of the picture was akin to leaving out the punchline.
Take Acts 17. As Paul visited Thessalonica and Berea, again and again, he preached the resurrection of Jesus. It wasn’t enough for him to simply state to his fellow Jews that “it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead”, but also that “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ” (Acts 17:3). It’s the same in Athens: Paul brought before the Areopagus “because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18). He did not hold back from preaching the resurrection, even though it resulted in mocking (see vv31-32). Indeed, he called on the Athenians to repent, for the risen Jesus is proof of the judgement to come (see vv30-31).
We need to tell people today that Jesus is alive today and that he is Lord today. It’s interesting the way people react when the name ‘Jesus’ is used, instead of simply ‘God’: it makes it specific. The resurrection helpfully sharpens things further, because it requires a response: either you believe that Jesus did rise from the dead and is Lord, or that the resurrection is false and Jesus isn’t Lord.
This is different to simply telling those around us that we believe in God, go to church or are Christian. As we meet people who fail to follow Jesus and, like Paul, our spirits are provoked within us (Acts 17:16), let us not forget the punchline that they need to hear. Call on people to repent in light of the coming judgement of the risen Christ (vv30-31).

Speak Lord, We are Listening
 
Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
Luke 24:44-45 (NLT)
 
We live in a world of information overload. Yet, with all this information, we can still feel ‘out of it’. It requires effort and constant updating to knowing the latest sports scores, or the most recent political development, or the latest fashion trend. Ironically, even within a day, this highly sought-after information will often be irrelevant.
 
Although timeless, the Bible competes with all these other attention-seekers for a moment of our time. Yet, when we finally get to the Bible, many parts can seem mysterious. We are often left with more questions than answers.
 
So, it is a great comfort to know that God wants us to understand Him. In the Upper Room with His disciples, Jesus “opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures”. Jesus revealed God’s eternal truths to ordinary people.
 
And it is the same for us today: God wants us to understand Him as we read the Bible. Of all the information that bombards our mind, what we need the most is a word from God that we can trust. The greatest ‘update’ that we can receive today is the Bible – God’s Word for our soul. 

What is God saying to you today through His Word in the Bible?
  
Almighty God, thank You that You do not remain silent or distant. Thank You that You have chosen to reveal Yourself through your Son, Jesus, and through Your inspired Word. Guard my mind from irrelevant and irreverent data and open my mind so that I can understand Your Word more fully. Amen
​