Tuesday 31st of August 2010 | Posted by Dave Taylor
This Sunday We Open Our Doors!

If you're not already connected and committed to a local church, then we'd very much like to invite you to our public launch this Sunday, 10.30am, at Normanhurst Boys High School.

What a joy it has been to see God's faithfulness thus far, and with that in mind, what a celebration this morning will be! A special meeting including worship, teaching, and introductions. With copious amounts of tea, coffee, cordial and light snacks for all ages before and after the meeting.

Doors open from 10.00am onwards... Really hoping you can come!

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Friday 27th of August 2010 | Posted by Dave Taylor
Launching Songs For Sovereign Grace Church

One common question that I often get asked is "Will Sovereign Grace Church only be singing Sovereign Grace Ministries songs?" My reply is always the same, " NO - Why would we only sing those?"

Don't get me wrong, I love singing Sovereign Grace songs ,but there's plenty more excellent songs out there that add a different flavour to our time of sung worship. If you do plan on coming along to visit us then one things for sure, we'll be singing some of these: Enjoy!

Thank You   (Reuben Morgan - Hillsong)
Blessed Be Your Name   (Matt Redman)
I Come By The Blood   (Steve & Vikki Cook - Sovereign Grace)
Praise Is Rising   (Brenton Brown)
Take My Life And Let It Be   (Beth Manchester)
Rock Of Ages   (Ruth Buchanan)
Believe   (Hillsong)
Yesterday, Today & Forever   (Vikki Beeching)
Indescribable   (Chris Tomlin)
Everlasting God   (Brenton Brown)
Beautiful Saviour   (Stuart Townend)
Amazing Love   (Graham Kendrick)
Forever   (Chris Tomlin & Jesse Reeves)
God Over All  (Devon Kauflin - Sovereign Grace)
How Great Is Our God   (Chris Tomlin & Jesse Reeves)
How Marvellous   (Charles Gabriel & Chris Tomlin)
Jesus, Thank You   (Pat Sczebel - Sovereign Grace)
Mighty To Save   (Ben Fielding & Reuben Morgan - Hillsong)
Nothing But The Blood   (Matt Redman)
You Are My King   (Billy Foote)
How Deep The Fathers Love   (Stuart Townend)
What A Saviour   (Philip Bliss & Devon Kauflin - Sovereign Grace)
My Chains Are Gone   (John Newton & Chris Tomlin)
Greater Than We Can Imagine  (Mark Altrogge - Sovereign Grace)
How Good It Is  (Louise & Nathan Fellingham)
How Great Thou Art  (Paul Baloche)
Jesus Paid It All   (Elvina Hall & Kristian Stanfill)
None But Jesus   (Brooke Fraser - Hillsong)
You Chose The Cross   (Martyn Layzell)
You Alone Can Rescue   (Matt Redman)
Come Thou Fount   (Robert Robinson & John Wyeth)
Grace Unmeasured   (Bob Kauflin - Sovereign Grace)
My Hope Is Built   (Edward Mote & William Bradbury)
Oh The Deep, Deep, Love of Jesus  (Bob Kauflin - Sovereign Grace)
Thank You For The Cross  (Kathryn Scott)
The Gospel Song   (Drew Jones & Bob Kauflin - Sovereign Grace)
You Are The Way   (Pat Sczebel - Sovereign Grace)
Stronger   (Ben Fielding - Hillsong)
Glorious Day   (Michael Bleeker )
The Power Of The Cross   (Stuart Townend & Keith Getty)
My Soul Finds Rest in God Alone (Stuart Townend)
Everlasting  (Eric Hughes & Aaron Baird - Sovereign Grace)

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Monday 23rd of August 2010 | Posted by Dave Taylor
The One To Whom I Will Look
  
"But this is the one to whom I will look; he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word" Isaiah 66.2

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you." 1 Peter 5.6

These words from scripture as so profound, and when grappled with, life changing! Just last week we spent time in our men's fellowship group going through C.J.'s message on humility, entitled 'This Is The One To Whom I Look'. Everyone to a man had been deeply effected, and so I couldn't help but share the message here. It's hard to be proud as you stand around the Cross... May we all walk humbly before the Lord.

'This Is The One To Whom I Look' - C.J. Mahaney

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Monday 16th of August 2010 | Posted by Dave Taylor
18 Lessons From 18 Years

Read this today on the Mars Hill Blog. As Mark & Grace Driscoll celebrate 18 years of marriage they offer some 'lessons for the road'. I for one was challenged and provoked afresh, this is really good stuff and so I figured I'd re-post it here for you...

It was 18 years ago today that Grace and I married. At the time, we were 21 years old and heading into our senior year of college. We had been together for over four years at that time, I was a new Christian, and we were college broke. But, we were excited about living the rest of our lives together.

In light of our anniversary, Grace and I each compiled a list of 18 lessons we’ve each learned over 18 years of marriage (in no particular order) and thought it would be fun to share. Happy anniversary, Beauty!


Grace’s 18 Lessons

1. Make time with Jesus your first priority, husband second priority.
2. Be intimate often.
3. Be willing to have hard and honest conversations, and pray for Jesus to make them fruitful.
4. Pray for wisdom often.
5. The enemy is always ready to divide you during trials. Don’t let him; cling to Jesus and each other.
6. Forgive, forgive, forgive, forgive …
7. Don’t enable his sin, but pray for wisdom in timing and words, and be respectful when addressing it.
8. Be a woman of inner and outer beauty.
9. Make your home a place of retreat and rest.
10. Study your husband, appreciate, value and respect him, especially when you don’t “feel” like it.
11. HAVE FUN.
12. Pray against lies. Memorize the truth of scripture.
13. Spend regular, meaningful time together. Invest in the relationship.
14. Don’t let bitterness set in if you are hurt or frustrated; dig up the root and pray it through.
15. Be an attentive and available listener.
16. Be teachable and willing to submit.
17. Set your heart and body toward your husband and don’t let either wander.
18. Repent often and allow trustworthy people to speak into your lives.


Mark’s 18 Lessons

Spiritual
1. Stay in church community and under godly authority.
2. Stay in your Bible and always have at least a few good Christian books you are reading.
3. Be the spiritual leader by praying with your family, modeling followership of Jesus, repenting of sin, teaching your family, etc.
4. Serve your family and serve others as a family.

Family
5. Pick a good potential mom and grandma for a wife.
6. If she respects you, the kids will too. If she does not, your family will be a grief to you.
7. Work with her to make the home, holidays, vacations, and other times filled with fun, laughter, and memories.
8. Just get through the rough seasons (sickness, demanding newborns, tough work seasons, extended family troubles, e.g.) by God’s grace.

Financial
9. Find an honest way to make enough money to give to God, be generous with others, and take care of your family.
10. Spend some money to make her life easier (dependable car, babysitting help, decent home, e.g.)

Practical
11. Try to make her laugh a lot and touch her heart and soul before you touch her body.
12. She’s not a guy, does not want to be treated like a guy, spoken to like a guy, or do what guys do.
13. She will sanctify you. It’s not her fault that your sin is obvious in relationship with her as she’s not changing you, but rather exposing you.
14. Syncing schedules is key: meet every week to organize your life together and plan out your life as one so you don’t live parallel lives.
15. Date night is important so make it happen, ideally every week.
16. Her needs change, especially when she becomes a mother, so look for new ways to humbly serve her.
17. Encouragement is to a wife as water is to a plant.
18. Every year gets better by the grace of God. Keep pressing forward together using the gospel to repent, forgive, and become more like Jesus.

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Thursday 12th of August 2010 | Posted by Dave Taylor
Habits of Highly Evangelistic Christians
  
At Life Groups over the past few nights we've been spending time looking at what it is to be a 'friend of sinners' and 'all things to all men so that by all means we may win some'. We're eager and passionate as a church planting team that we be in the world to win the world. And with that mind I thought I'd encourage you all accordingly by reposting the following from Kevin DeYoung's blog. This is great stuff... enjoy:


Thom Rainer, President and CEO of Lifeway, argues that the secret to being an evangelistic church "is really no secret at all. Ultimately evangelistic churches see more persons become Christians through the passionate efforts of highly evangelistic Christians."

And what characterizes these highly evangelistic Christians? Here's what...

1. They are people of prayer.
They realize that only God can convict and convert, and they are totally dependent upon Him in prayer.

2. They have a theology that compels them to evangelise. They believe in the urgency of the gospel message. They believe that Christ is the only way of salvation. They believe that anyone without Christ is doomed for a literal hell.

3. They are people who spend time in the Word.
The more time they spend in the Bible, they more likely they are to see the lostness of humanity and the love of God in Christ to save those who are lost.

4. They are compassionate people.
Their heart breaks for those who don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They have learned to love the world by becoming more like Christ who has the greatest love for the world.

5. They love the communities where God has placed them.
They are immersed in the culture because they desire for the light of Christ to shine through them in their communities.

6. They are intentional about evangelism.
They pray for opportunities to share the gospel. They look for those opportunities. And they see many so-called casual encounters as appointments set by God.

7. They are accountable to someone for their evangelistic activities.
They know that many good activities can replace Great Commission activities if they are not careful. Good can replace the best. So they make certain that someone holds them accountable each week either formally or informally for their evangelistic efforts.


Helpful stuff isn't it! Sometimes we ask the question "What is my church doing to become more evangelistic?" But the better question I believe is "What am I doing to become more evangelistic?" By God's grace, would we all be true 'Soul Winners' for Christ as we all take ownership of the local mission field He has placed us in.

"Please help us to do this Lord..."

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Sunday 8th of August 2010 | Posted by Dave Taylor
Together For The Gospel

This coming week I have the pleasure of taking part in the Acts 29, Australasia Bootcamp. It's a slightly surreal moment for me in that just a few months ago I was a part of the Acts 29 Wales bootcamp... what a difference a few months can make! I'm so looking forward to it though. These conferences always provide a rich context for guys like me to sit and learn off others, and to meet local like minded Gospel men. As such I'm attending tomorrow with great anticipation and expectation.

That said, I thought I'd post this short blog with a view to enlisting your prayers. I'm eager not to just presume on God's grace for these types of events and so please, if you get a chance then I'd be so grateful if you could pray for this time...

1. Pray for all the Pastors that are attending. May these men come away refreshed and encouraged in the glorious Gospel, and provoked in planting churches that are truly Gospel-centered.

2. Pray for all the potential church planters that are attending. May God give these men and the Acts 29 mentors real wisdom as they consider the potential of future church plants.

3. Please pray for little old me. I have the privilege of addressing these men on Wednesday morning with a message called 'Preparing to Jump'. Please pray that God gives me much grace to share, and that through it all, Jesus Christ takes pride of place.

Thanks for reading this folks, and thanks for praying.

With much appreciation,

Dave

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Tuesday 3rd of August 2010 | Posted by Dave Taylor
Having A Passion For The Church
    
This past Sunday we looked at 'God's Passion For the Local Church' as a planting team, and what a rich time it was. For me, there's no topic other than the glorious Gospel of grace that I would rather preach on. To pull back the cover and see God's great plan for the church is to be overwhelmed, and to consider that we get to be a part of it should simply blow us away.

Charles Spurgeon, the great 19th Century Baptist Pastor, called the local church the dearest place on earth. I am convinced, from Scripture and experience, that he is right!

And that's why I thought I'd get on here early this week and share with you some quotes that I've come across in my studies on the local church. May they bless you and challenge you as they do me...


John Stott,
'What stands out in Paul's development of the theme is the sacrificial, steadfastness of the heavenly bridegrooms covenant love for his bride. He chose her from eternity past, set his affection upon her and then, after buying her back from sin and death, He gently and patiently sanctifies, cleanses and prepares her of Himself. His love for his bride is not flighty, not given to whim, it is zealous and it is unchanging.'


Festo Kevengere,
'The cutting of the stone is done and you have been fitted in. That is how He is taking us, stones of all races and backgrounds and fitting us together into a beautiful dwelling place for God.'


Chuck Colson,
'Of course every believer is part of the Universal Church but for any Christian who has a choice in the matter, failure to cleave to a local church is failure to obey Christ. For it is only through a confessing local body of believers that we carry out the work of the church in the world. It is within the local church that we commit ourselves to intimate relationships with fellow believers and submit ourselves to accountability, duties and responsibilities. In this community our Christian character is shaped and it is the context in which our spiritual gifts are developed and exercised.'


Reuben Welch,
'Of course we believe in the total adequacy of Jesus Christ to meet the total need of the total person BUT we must remember this also, he saves in the context of the community of faith - it isn't Jesus and me, it is Jesus and we.'


James Montgomery Boice,
'God is letting history unfold like a great drama upon a cosmic stage. The angels are the audience, and we are the actors. And this drama has been unfolding across the centuries as first Adam and Eve, then Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, and all the other men and women of Christian history, both the great and the minor, are brought onto the stage to play the part that God assigned them, and speak words that come from hearts that love him. And now, you and I are the players in this drama. Satan is on the attack, and the angels are straining forward to look on. Are they seeing the 'manifold wisdom' of God in you, as you go through your part and speak your lines? Oh, would they see it, for it can be seen in you alone. And it is on your stage - where you work, and play, and think, and speak - that you are called to deliver your lines.'


John Stott,
'If the church is central to God's purpose as seen in both history and the gospel it must surely also be central to our lives. How can we take lightly what God takes so seriously, how dare we push to the circumference what God has placed at the center.'

He continues...
'In decision making God wants to guide us. He is not any less concerned about where you're going to work, or where you're going to live or who you're going to marry, and he will guide you if you seek and follow him. But, don't make decisions outside of understanding that God's church is at the center of his passion and his plan. It is outside of this nucleus, that God will reveal to you where you are to fit in.'


One final Stott for good measure, just couldn't leave this one out,
'On earth (speaking of the church) she is often in rags and tatters, stained and ugly, despised and persecuted, but one day she will be seen for what she is, nothing less than the bride of Christ, free from spots, wrinkles or any other disfigurement, holy and without blemish, beautiful and glorious. It is to this constructive end that Christ has been working and is continuing to work. The bride does not make herself presentable, it is the bridegroom who labours to beautify her in order to present her to himself.'


Praise God that His ongoing labours will never be in vain. He is building His church, and so let's come ready to passionately play our part in the greatest game plan ever seen! Soli deo gloria!

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Friday 23rd of July 2010 | Posted by Dave Taylor
Location, Location, Location

One of the most common questions that I keep getting asked is, 'where exactly is Sovereign Grace Church going to meet?'

Well, I'm finally now in a position to answer that. With everything signed and sealed I can now confirm that from Sunday 5th September, 10.30am, we will be holding public meetings at Normanhurst Boys' High School.

So grateful to God for opening this door for us. What wonderful favour we have found here, to be honest it's simply scandalous grace. All the more excited now as I consider the path ahead!

Soli Deo Gloria.

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Tuesday 20th of July 2010 | Posted by Dave Taylor
Reflections On The Death Of Phil Harris

This past Monday I came across a blog article that really stuck with me. It was written by Mark Altrogge and featured over on 'The Blazing Centre' blog, one of my favourites. It really effected me, and so I figured I'd share it with you here...


Last Tuesday night The Discovery Channel’s reality show, Deadliest Catch, documented the passing of Phil Harris, captain of the Alaskan crab fishing boat, the Cornelia Marie.

He suffered a massive stroke while his crew was offloading his boat in January and died in early February at age 53 while still in the hospital.

With the consent of his family, the reality show kept their cameras rolling throughout his ordeal, right up till the end.  There were a couple touching scenes with his sons, especially when he told them he loved them.

The Discovery Channel did a tasteful job though it seemed crass to me at first.  But a couple days before the episode I read these verses:


'It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.' (Ecclesiastes 7:2-4)


Initially these verses caught me off guard.  Why is it better to mourn than feast?  Who likes funerals or intensive care units?  Why is sorrow better than laughter and how does sadness make the heart glad?

The answer is that we can grow wise by contemplating death – “the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning.”

In our culture, we’re shielded from death.  We shove it to the backs of our minds.  We’d rather party. But parties don’t make us wise.  Funerals are opportunities to see that death “is the end of all mankind” and we who are “living will take it to heart.”  Intensive care units can remind us of the life to come.

Seeing death should help us contemplate our own death, think about eternity and live wisely.

By “sadness of face the heart is made glad” when we put our hope in Jesus, not in this world.

I feel sad for Phil’s family.  But I’m glad they allowed the cameras to keep rolling.  I’m glad they showed the hospital scenes with all the tubes and machines and his final conversations with his sons.  I hope it helps me grow more wise.  It reminded me that my own life is a vapor, and someday I’ll be with the Lord.

I don’t want to miss opportunities to glorify Christ, and to tell my wife, children and grandchildren I love them.


Thanks for this faithful reminder Mark... May we all 'live wisely' as our inevitable final day approaches... I so want to.

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Thursday 15th of July 2010 | Posted by Dave Taylor
Reading With Your Ears

Following on from my last blog post, 'A plea for reading', I got tipped off as to a new website that I simply had to share with you.

If you can't read, you have plenty of commute time on your hands, ironing time, walking time, or you just love to listen, then maybe this is for you:

WWW.CHRISTIANAUDIO.COM (click to get on)

On this website you can download loads of great books. Books by men such as C.J.Mahaney, Jerry Bridges, C.H.Spurgeon, John Piper, Joshua Harris. All you have to do then is work out a good time and listen as you hear their books read aloud. Enjoy!

So grateful to God for resources like these.

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