Newsletter #49

Dear Southcity

Privilege! A complete privilege! That's what it is to carry the name of our Father in this world. As most of you know, Paul's words to the Philippians are freshly challenging me, and I trust all of us, as he summarizes his philosophy of life on earth: to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21).

For any of us who have been around Christian community for a number of years, this almost becomes a saying, without much thought into it, while for those of you new to Christian community, a right understanding of this can set your foundation in Christ so it does not need to be dug up and reset later on, like so many of us 'older' Christians.

So what does 'to live is Christ' mean? Yes, yes, we all know the response is to give of ourselves entirely to Jesus while here on earth, and our lives are to be fully for him. But what does that look like? We love to soften things with words like, 'yes, but you mean that in a figurative sense,' or, 'we don't want to be seen as radical, so we will just go in the comfortable zone,' or, 'yes, but we need to bring a balance.'

What if it actually meant restructuring your budget so you could give more away? What if it meant giving away one for one: for every one shirt, give one away; for every pair of pants, give one away; for every one jersey, give one away? What if it meant fasting a meal, and giving it instead to someone who does not have food? What if it meant giving one Sunday in ten to serve in the community context in a way you have not done before? What if it meant... Would you be up for that?

I would like to ask you today to consider one question: have you become immune to the voice of God in areas involving your personal comforts?

Southcity, as we foresee the day we join the rest of the bride being caught up in the marriage ceremony with Jesus, may I urge us to keep maturing in God as a community, and keep being open to the big challenging questions of life in Christ.

Just a reminder to you all about our community central time on Tuesday (5th Feb) at 18:30. If this is new to you, these are great times for all who are a part of Southcity to come along for an evening together so the community of Southcity may deepen its roots together. I look forward to seeing you there.

Much love

Rich

Newsletter #48

Hello friends

Here we stand at the dawn of a new calendar year. Can you believe it! I really do trust that these past few weeks have been good for you, whether you have been able to rest or that it has been fruitful work.

As I have had the privilege of taking a break, God has refreshed and challenged me in a number of ways. One of the advantages of having a break is that we give our Father a bit more space and time with us and we are probably more inclined to hear Him simply because we should have less clutter around us if we rest properly.

Anyway, it is one of the questions He asked me that I believe is helpful and necessary for all of us to answer. In Philippians 1:21-24, Paul writes:

"For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account."

I find myself entering this year having had to really ascertain whether I truly believe that to die is gain, because that will effect the way I live, the way I steward my resources, my time etc. and then also to get to grips with life on earth truly being necessary for the sake of others, for the sake of you.

So as you perhaps spend some time meditating on these words of Paul's, I encourage you to face up to whether your life, as it would be observed by an outsider, would match up to your stated beliefs, and secondly, whether you believe that while you have breath it is to be spent for the sake of others.

Practically speaking, we have 3 young people who are giving their year to come and serve Southcity, with a particular focus on our youth. In giving their lives for the sake of others, they are leaving homes, family and friends to come from around the country to be with us. We are needing to host them for the year. What does it require? They will be with us during the four terms and away on training camps during the school holidays. So we need 2 young men and 1 young lady to be hosted, either for a whole year or for a term at a time. I ask you church to please open your homes and take these beautiful people in as they come to serve us. Please contact Daine ASAP for more information.

Looking forward to seeing you all again.

Much love

Rich