Launch T10 Meet the Speaker (Part 1)

Launch T10 Speaker (Part 1) from NACVID on Vimeo.

Food for Thought: 645 Article of the Week

Kingdom-Centered Prayer

People are used to thinking about prayer as a means to get their personal needs met. However we should understand prayer as a means to praise and adore God, to know Him, to come into his presence and be changed by Him. We need to better learn how to pray, repent and petition God as a people.

Biblically and historically, the one non-negotiable, universal ingredient in times of spiritual renewal is corporate, prevailing, intensive and kingdom-centered prayer. What is that?

1. It is focused on God's presence and kingdom.
Jack Miller talks about the difference between "maintenance prayer" and "frontline" prayer meetings. Maintenance prayer meetings are short, mechanical, and totally focused on physical needs inside the church. But frontline prayer has three basic traits:

a. a request for grace to confess sins and humble ourselves
b. a compassion and zeal for the flourishing of the church
c. a yearning to know God, to see his face, to see his glory.

It is most interesting to study Biblical prayer for revival, such as in Acts 4 or Exodus 33 or Nehemiah 1, where these three elements are easy to see. Notice in Acts 4, for example, that the disciples, whose lives had been threatened, did not ask for protection for themselves and their families, but only boldness to keep preaching!


2. It is bold and specific.
The characteristics of this kind of prayer include:
a. Pacesetters in prayer spend time in self-examination. Without a strong understanding of grace, this can be morbid and depressing. But in the context of the gospel, it is purifying and strengthening. They "take off their ornaments" (Exod. 33:1-6). They examine selves for idols and set them aside.

b. They then begin to make the big request–a sight of the glory of God. That includes asking: 1) for a personal experience of the glory/presence of God ("that I may know you" – Exod. 33:13); 2) for the people's experience of the glory of God (v. 15); and 3) that the world might see the glory of God through his people (v. 16). Moses asks that God's presence would be obvious to all: "What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" This is a prayer that the world be awed and amazed by a show of God's power and radiance in the church, that it would become truly the new humanity that is a sign of the future kingdom.


3. It is prevailing, corporate.
By this we mean simply that prayer should be constant, not sporadic and brief. Why? Are we to think that God wants to see us grovel? Why do we not simply put our request in and wait? But sporadic, brief prayer shows a lack of dependence, a self-sufficiency, and thus we have not built an altar that God can honor with his fire. We must pray without ceasing, pray long, pray hard, and we will find that the very process is bringing about that which we are asking for – to have our hard hearts melted, to tear down barriers, to have the glory of God break through.

Tim Keller (Redeemer Presbyterian NYC)
Sourced (http://www.redeemer.com/connect/prayer/kingdom_prayer.html)

RevWrites- Jan 31

A new year begins! Well, it began a month ago but…

Good stuff will be happening at NAC this year. One really significant thing will be our Leaders Weekend Away on the last weekend in February.

Starting on the Friday night and concluding with lunch on Sunday we plan for all leaders – small group leaders and congregational leaders – to benefit from this weekend.

We have invited three experienced minsters to join us and lead us through some thinking and planning together. On Friday night Bruce Hall, the senior minister at Carlingford, will help us explore leadership from the perspective of family. So much written about church leadership begins from a business point of view while the Bible talks about church as family. This should be a great time.

On Saturday morning, Barry Newman, one of the leading laymen for our diocese, will help us sharpen our skills at reading and understanding the Bible. He has written some provocative articles about sacraments and, while there will be differing opinions, this time will force us to sharpen our skills at listening to what the Bible really says. God has spoken!

On Sunday morning Zac Veron, who spoke at our last NAC Weekend Away, will lead our thinking. Our aim for this session is to help all leaders to think about the individuals in their groups and how we can help individuals become more Christ-like. He will help leaders to develop a plan for every individual in their group.

This weekend continues our Makeover. The focus is on discipleship with emphasis on clarity, intentionality and measurability in what we do as leaders to help our members become more Christ-like.

What can you do to help? First, pray for your group leaders. They have some pre-reading to do and it’s the busy beginning of the year.

Secondly, encourage your group leaders to attend. Some might need help with baby-sitting or even with the financial commitment. So talk with your group about how you might encourage them.

Thirdly, we need help with running a children’s programme on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Can you help?

Fourthly, pray for each other in your group. Pray that you will be keen to receive the ministry your leaders are keen to provide for you. After all, we all want to be more Christ-like in 2010.

Next week, more about the good stuff happening at NAC this year. I’ll give you a hint – it’s to do with global mission.

Neil

Attention Children's and Youth volunteers!

At NAC we are blessed to have 100’s of children to teach and disciple in their love of Jesus Christ. We also have YOU, many wonderful people who lead and serve our youth and children every week. As leaders we take the care of these children very seriously.

Safe Ministry Training one aspect of this care. Through it we seek to be trained in the appropriate care of children. This training is compulsory for all people working with children and youth at NAC and WHAC.

There are 2 aspects of this training

• ALL New Leaders = Must complete Part A and Part B of the ANGLICAN Safe Ministry Training
• ALL Ongoing Leaders = Must complete a refresher course every 3 years

In 2010, you will not be able to lead young people in any capacity if your training is not up to date by 13th March. If you are not sure of your training status please contact Tania or Sarah at the office as soon as possible. We have many opportunities to be trained in Term 1

Safe Ministry Course (for those who have never been trained)
1. Saturday Feb 20 – 8:30am-12:30pm @ Northmead Anglican Church
2. Saturday 6th March – 9am – 2:30pm @ Kellyville Anglican Church
3. Saturday 13th March – 9am – 2:30pm @ St Matthew's West Pennant Hills

Refresher Course (to be completed every 3 years)
1. Thursday 18th Feb – 7:30-9:30pm @ NAC
2. Thursday 11th March – 7pm-9:30pm @ Christ Church Blacktown
3. Saturday 6th March – 9–11:30am OR 12-2:30pm @ Kellyville Anglican
4. Saturday 13th March – 9–11:30am OR 12-2:30pm @ St Matt's West Penno

ACTION:
Please contact sarah@nac.asn.au when you know the course you will attend.
Please ensure you photocopy your certificates when you complete the training and get them to Tania or Sarah for our records.

645 News (27th Jan)

645 is back this SUNDAY
This Sunday we are back together as the 645 Community. Arrive early, catch up with old friends and new friends. We continue in the Story of Jesus recorded in Luke. Read Luke 16:19-31 in preparation. Pray for James and our community as we begin 2010.

Haiti Support
645 is supporting both prayerfully and financially the desperate situation in Haiti. Click here for our latest update. HERE for a Video on Haiti.

Launch 2010
Register at the standard rate until Feb 8.
Download Form HERE.
Two NEW Launch BLOGS (see previous posts)
Watch "Top 10 things you need to bring to Launch T10".

CONNECT+ NEXT TUESDAY Feb 2 + 9.
Connect+ is when all adult 645 members get together for food, prayer and chats. We will be meeting at NAC at 7pm sharp next week.

Blogs posted recently
Rosters (Feb 2010) - VERSION 2
Video update on Matt Chandler (Speaker at Engage 09)

645 EVENTS
All major events for 2010 will be posted on Facebook soon. No Facebook? Let us know and we will email you.

Launch T10 BLOG "Working hard to make a living"

Work. The 9 to 5, Monday to Friday – maybe our enthusiasm for the activity can be determined by how many times we hit the snooze button. Last count? 3.

Think to yourself, how often are we asked: “So … what do you do?” It’s the perfect icebreaker and many people define themselves on this one response. Some pride themselves on a decade of university tuition to say “I’m a doctor” and receive the excepted response that comes with such a position. Others seem all in for the – do as little work for the highest possible pay– mantra.

I consider myself in the position of many others my age – working as a means to an end. I work to get paid, period. I don’t hate my job, I don’t love it either. But even as just a student working twenty or so hours a week – this is a large portion of my life. Is it wise to have such a nonchalant attitude? But really – is there anything I can do about it?

Surveys emerged from the US early this year, ringing in the new decade with disappointing although not surprising results. More people than ever hate their job. It's not groundbreaking news but its no pleasant figure either. How has it become the social norm to hate your job? At 645 we all stand at various ranks on the employment step ladder. Some of us are struggling students toying with the idea of gaining employment while surviving off a government meal ticket. Others have been working for decades with a rather impressive resume to show for it. Regardless, I'm sure there are hefty percentage of us who see the jotting of 'WORK' in our diary and moan in something slightly more dramatic than disappointment.

Adding salt to the wounds, Gen Y - supposedly we are the most fickle pronoun yet! In similar figures, anyone stereotyped by birth as a 'Y' baby can be predicted to change career paths three of four times before the age of 55. This isn't just talking medium McChicken meal to the Colonels secret recipe chicken, it's a completely different ball game. Whilst the figure may be comforting to those nestled in an unhappy, unamusing degree or unsatisfying job, the smell of discontentment is wafting in the air - is it not?

On the threshold of my career deemed possibly as "the rest of my life", I want to know how I can avoid this discontentment. How - even if my workplace is a drag - can I be content with what I'm doing?

BRIT K

Launch T10 BLOG "The things we do for work"

We all have something in common about work - despite the fact we hold different jobs with different titles with different pay in different locations. When it comes to work, we live in a culture that loves to whinge. It doesn't matter whether it makes sense; whether it is justified or even whether anybody cares - we all need to have a good whinge at some point about some element of our job.

And when we stop and have a good look beyond the things we love about our jobs, we all have things that we don't enjoy about work. There is no job without something that we don't like - it just doesn't exist. It doesn't exist because the problem is not the job; it's the person working the job. The problem is not that our boss is irritating; it's that our boss irritates us. The problem is not the pay of the job; the problem is that we are not getting paid enough for what we do. The reason why we can never find a job that we like is because the things we don't like come back to ourselves.

And so despite liking our work, or really anything about it at times, we expend gross numbers of hours and escessive amounts of effort into our jobs. We work hundreds of hours at unpaid overtime and get up to the shrieking alarm clock at ridiculous ours of the morning - all in the name of work. We put up with customers who don't even know what planet they are on at times and increase our stress levels to a point that is beyond normality - all in the name of work. And I wonder why we do the things we do for jobs we say we don't even want to be doing?

I think the answer lies in the shift in our thinking. We used to get warned against unlimited leisure and against apathy and against indifference and against laziness. We got ourselves so worried about not doing anything with our lives that we suddenly decided to take on everything, until we reach the point that we are at now where we can't do anything more. But although our ever-expanding work hours may seem like indentured slavery, it's now the cool thing to do - being over-stretched and stressed. Busyness, and not leisure, is now the new badge of honour and we wear it with such pride.

So where should we stand with work? I think we need to be somewhere in the middle of the two. I agree with the notion that we need to fight apathy and indifference and that our lives contain more meaning and potential than setting another high score on Guitar Hero, but I also feel that our bodies cannot physically keep up with the nature of our modern work. We need to fight the label that we wear at times that says being busy is cool and that having no time for anything other than our jobs is the way to be. Instead, let us take our jobs and our families and our church and our relationships, and work at it with all our hearts, as if working for the Lord.

DAN T

Churches helping Churches - Haiti

If your not convinced how desperate the need is in Haiti then watch the video below. This is another program to get Aid to Haiti, especially to Churches who need support after the Earthquakes.

The Website is http://www.churcheshelpingchurches.com/

645 News (Jan 22)

Summer Church
This Sunday we finish a 20 year series on the Psalms. Prepare by reading Psalm 149-150. We welcome back an old Rector of NAC, David Gilmour to preach at 6pm. Pray for Him. Normal 645 resumes on January 31.

Haiti Support
645 is supporting both prayerfully and financially the desperate situation in Haiti. Click here for our latest update.


Australia Day Conference
Emotions are a powerful force in life. And emotions can be a confusing part of the Christian life. What is their place? How should we treat them. CLICK HERE to find out more about this conference on Australia day in the city

Launch 2010
Early Bird is CLOSED.
Register at the standard rate until Feb 8. Download Form HERE. Watch "Top 10 things you need to bring to Launch T10".

CONNECT+ TUESDAY Feb 2 + 9.
Connect+ is when all adult 645 members get together for food, prayer and chats. Read more HERE.

Blogs posted recently
Rosters (Feb 2010) - VERSION 2
Video update on Matt Chandler (Speaker at Engage 09)


645 EVENTS
All major events for 2010 will be posted on Facebook soon. No Facebook? Let us know and we will email you.

Haiti Update (Compassion)

Compassion is one of may organizations getting Aid to Haiti.

Please be informed so you can pray.
Compassion have uploaded new information on the situation in Haiti HERE. Their focus is on the work of Compassion staff and aid, but gives general information too.

Please give Money.
If you have not given money yet, then please pray and give generously. If you choose to give to compassion they PROMISE that 100% of all money given will get to Haiti. Click HERE to give money.

10 Things to bring to Launch T10

10 things to bring to Launch T10 from NACVID on Vimeo.

Update on Matt Chandler (Speaker at Engage 09)

645 Rosters (Feb 2010) VERSION 2

645 RESPONSE to Haiti Disaster

As you probably already know, disaster struck the country of Haiti with a 7.0 earthquake. As the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with over half of the population living in abject poverty, it is not known what impact this disaster will have on the country's already weak infrastructure.

Please pray this prayer:

Heavenly Father, we ask that You empower us to be people of action. We give you thanks, Lord, for the many blessings in our lives, but we also pray for those who are without ... especially those living in the devastation of the earthquake in Haiti. May they know that they are loved, may they know that are being prayed for, and may they know that help is coming.
Father, help us to always remember that no need is too great for You, no disaster too large to overcome Your authority. Though many are suffering, we know that you are Almighty God and forever will be in control. Amen.

Please give Money.
Compassion is one of may organizations getting Aid to Haiti. They PROMISE that 100% of all money given will get to Haiti.

CLICK HERE - GIVE QUICKLY

Excited for Launch T10

Australia Day Conference - Emotions in the Christian life

Emotions are a powerful force in life -

And emotions can be a confusing part of the Christian life.

• What is their place?
• How should we treat them?
• Why do they seem to have so much power over us?

We are warned and commanded by God to have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3). Yet, often we allow our feelings to master us, rather than bringing them under the sovereign control of God. How can we control and employ our emotions more fruitfully in God's service?

Find out on Tuesday 26th January 2010, 10am-5pm at St Andrew’s Cathedral. www.australiadayconvention.com

Sermon Dowload (10th Jan) Psalm 145

Missed the sermon last night
Download from HERE
Save to your PC and then listen to it on your iPod.

Connect+ STARTS in FEB

645 (year 13 up) is meeting together for Connect + on TUESDAY 2nd and 9th of Feb. We will be meeting the new year 13's, thinking and praying about the year and our community, reading the Bible and going out into our community together. It will be an invalubale time of fellowship and growth to start the year before LAUNCH10.

When: TUESDAY 2nd and 9th Feb
Meet at Church at 7pm (after Dinner)

Tell your friends.
Don't be shy!!

Prayer for Camp Jono

In two weeks time one of our 645ers, Kate Fearn, is leading on Camp Jono, a camp for mentally disabled kids. She has asked us to please pray for the camp.

Please pray that the Camp Jono would run smoothly

Please pray for the leaders

Please pray that God will provide the camp with enough leaders

Pray that the leaders will prepare well over the next few weeks.

Pray that God will give the leaders patience and endurance for the week

Please pray for the campers, that they would feel comfortable and enjoy themselves

Please commit to praying for our sister Kate and Camp Jono over the next few weeks.