Magazineinside life

DECEMBER 2012 / JANUARY 2013

www.thelifechurch.co.nz

PENROSE OTARASunday Service: 9:30AM

60 Rockfield RoadPenrose, Auckland

Sunday Service: 10:30AM201 Preston RoadOtara, Auckland

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PASTOR’S MESSAGEThe principle of the Firstborn

Matthew 1: 24 - 25 : Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had told him, and took unto him his wife: And did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

During the month of November in two of our Sunday Celebrations I enjoyed speaking about the ‘First Born’ and together we looked at how God spoke very clearly to the Children of Israel in the Old Testament that the ‘Firstborn’ belonged to Him.

Exodus 13: 2 “Consecrate to Me the First born, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast, it is mine.’

As we come to the close of another year and celebrate Christmas once again, remembering the birth of Jesus it is an important thought that He was a ‘Firstborn’. This meant that in terms of the requirements on God’s people at that time He had either to be redeemed or sacrificed. According to the law of God there was no third alternative.

Exodus 13: 12 - 13 “You shalt set apart to the LORD all that opens the womb, and every first born that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the LORD’S. And every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among your children you shall redeem”.

As part of the unfolding story of Jesus’ birth we know that His Dad and Mum took Him up to the temple in Jerusalem and ‘presented Him before the Lord’. This would have meant taking a lamb as a sacrifice and substitute it to redeem Him. For His earthly parents to do this was altogether correct and the accepted pattern however 30 years later there is a further part to be told in the story.

Jesus goes to the river Jordon to be baptised by John the Baptist and John speaking as a Prophet calls out saying, “Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (John 1: 29)” He is pointing to the fact that God the Father, Jesus actual Father is planning not to redeem Him. That it is going to be the Will of God for Jesus to become a spotless, sinless ‘lamb of God’ and be sacrificed to pay the price of redemption on behalf of others. After 3 glorious years of teaching crowds of people and doing the most astonishing of miracles at the annual Passover festival Jesus is crucified and the price is paid, the pattern is fulfilled and the way for all to be right with God made available.

That is so amazing, so profound in its symbolism and so wonderful for all who would realise that they can be redeemed from their sin and be made clean before God.

No wonder that at the judgment at the end of the age the book that records the names of all of those accepted by God is called ‘The Lambs Book of Life!’ It was the lamb, the Lord Jesus Himself, who made it possible for every name to be in that book. May He be praised for all of eternity!

At this Christmas season amidst all of the fun and business and celebration can I encourage you to remember the bigger context of the birth of Jesus. The whole of God’s instruction to Israel regarding the firstborn pointed forward to what Jesus would come to do and thus all that Jesus did fulfilled the ‘Principle of the Firstborn, amazing!!

May God richly bless you throughout this summer holiday season. May you know His safety in all that you do and His blessing in all that happens!! You are loved and appreciated!

Pastors Bruce & Maude McDonald

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feature event

Monday 24th December7:30pm

TLC Penrose Auditorium

We are glad you have joined us today. If you are visiting for the first time, we extend to you a warm welcome. You can find information about what we are up to here, or check out the information desk after the service. If you have children we provide fun, safe and engaging programmes for various ages. Turn through to page 5 to find out more about what is available for your children today.

To find your way around each of our two campuses, check out the map below, or feel free to ask one of our friendly impact team members for assistance with any needs you may have. If you enjoyed the message this morning, or missed it and would like to hear it, then connect with us online to find this, as well as a range of other information.

this monthThis issue is a bumper one with two months rolled in one, so make sure you read up on what we are doing over the summer break and the special things we have planned for Christmas. Come along to our Christmas Eve service that we host at our Penrose campus. We celebrate our Saviour’s birthday with some carols, laughs and great company so join us for a great evening. Also make sure you note the slight changes to the office hours as our hard working team take a well earned break. Have a safe and memorable time with family and friends this festive season. We look forward to seeing what God has in store for you next year as we journey together.

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OPPenrose Otara

Auditorium

Main Entrance

Toilets

Toilet

Auditorium

Nursing MothersRoom

Main Entrance

Cafe

Sparks

Sunbeams

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Toilet

AFTER CHURCHAfter the service please stay and have a drink with us. At Penrose you can purchase quality café style coffee and cakes from the team or help yourself to free tea and coffee available next to the café servery.

Christ-likeness Is Produced Through the Holy Spirit

“God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:13 NLT)

It is the Holy Spirit’s job to produce Christ-like character in you.

The Bible says, “As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT). This process of changing us to be more like Jesus is called sanctification.

You cannot reproduce the character of Jesus on your own strength. New Year’s resolutions, willpower, and best intentions are not enough. Only the Holy Spirit has the power to make the changes God wants to make in our lives. The Bible says, “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13).

Mention the “power of the Holy Spirit,” and many people think of miraculous demonstrations and intense emotions. But most of the time the Holy Spirit’s power is released in your life in quiet, unassuming ways that you aren’t even aware of or feel. He often nudges us with “a gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:12 NIV).

Christ-likeness is not produced by imitation, but by inhabitation. We allow Christ to live through us. “This is the secret: Christ lives in you” (Colossians 1:27 NLT).

How does this happen in real life? Through the choices we make. We choose to do the right thing in situations and then trust God’s Spirit to give us his power, love, faith, and wisdom to do it. Since God’s Spirit lives inside of us, these things are always available for the asking.

Rick Warren

© http://purposedriven.com/blogs

“Our presence

is an influence

for blessing wherever

we are.”

MY STORYMERV JONES

I want to give Glory to God who has shown himself more than faithful time and time again. My role is a divisional manager in a small/medium company. The last three years have been tough in my industry (Civil Engineering primarily around land development). I know many others too have had to deal with slow business activity. There were many days I had to use up leave or go without pay. The leave bank is now dry and fringe benefits were cut. Usual business practice suggests that with limited work, staff at lower rates are more profitable to use. However, my Director believed in the value of keeping the skill sets in our division and we were able to just keep noses above the waterline. In the last 2 years, we have had to release 2 managers (from 5). Other staff levels represent a similar drop. Some staff chose to move on knowing that there was little or no forward work. I continued to manage the little that came our way, look for more efficiency, connect with leads and above all believe that I was to stay there until God clearly showed me an alternative door. We are salt and light in our workplace, but of greater effect, if we do our best in all of life to honour God and obey His Word, our presence is an influence for blessing wherever we are. Bruce’s follow on word about firstfruits linked wonderfully with this story. We are now beginning to reap those results with more work coming in that will fill a timesheet with paid work. Praise the Lord!

God has a unique plan & purpose for our life, his heart’s desire is to reveal it, but he calls us to faith, trust, perseverance and integrity of heart as we meditate on his Word and align our heart with his. His original plan was always to have one on one relationship with us. As we sing in Kristian Stanfill’s song This last thing remains “your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me”, its a reminder his grace is sufficient for us.

God Bless,Merv

MERV JONES

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Christmas is approaching fast and there’s only 2 Youth nights left! We will be celebrating Christmas in our very own style with a Youth Christmas dinner on the 14th of this month.It has been an exciting year and we are looking forward to big things in 2013. We will be taking a team down to Parachute music festival in January and will kick off the year in Youth with a bang on the 1st of February.

We hope you and your families have a fantastic Christmas God bless

Sam & Krysta ArdernYouth Leaders

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Ages: 13-18 Sam & Krysta Ardern - Youth Leaders Penroseyouth@thelifechurch.co.nz (021) 077 6009 David & Carol de Thiery - Senior Youth Leaders Otaradavid.dethierry@thelifechurch.co.nz (027) 341 3213

CHILDRENAt The Life Church your children are important to us. We provide safe, fun and engaging programmes for children. Parents and caregivers are welcome to sit in on any of the lessons to see what we do.

OTARA CAMPUS

PProgrammes start at 10:00am, when a notice will display on the screens. Leaders will meet parents and children at the back of the auditorium and direct you from there.

SUPERNOVAS School Years 3 - 8

SPARKS 3 years - end of School Year 2

SUNBEAMS 0 - 2 years

O Programme starts at 9:00am and runs before the main church service.

KIDS-R-US 5 - 13 years

09 December Kids R Us end of year concert 16 December Final day for all Childrens programmes Penrose break up party

All of our children’s programmes will be concluding for this year on Sunday 16th December with a fun party to celebrate the year.

2013 Start dates

20 January Otara program start03 February Penrose programs start

We wish all our children and their families a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

PATHWAYS JOURNEYS TO MAXIMISED LIFE

In 2012 Pathways focused on courses that helped people build better marriages, families and lifestyles. We have had a blast watching people grow and take the next steps in their lives. Watching parents become re-energised in their parenting; watching people take control of their finances and couples deciding to invest and strengthen their marriages.

For those of you who have not been on a course we thought we would give you a glimpse of what has happened over the past year but not in our words but the words of those who experienced a course.

Debbie HillPathways Director

“The Parenting Course has helped me to understand my son better, in terms of his love language and filling his love tank and needs. I have learnt how to deal with different situations in a positive way which also has impacted our relationship positively. We have a stronger bond and will have a long-term effect on our family”.

“I have become a better father since going on the Parenting Course. My children have noticed the difference in how I relate with them. My patience has increased.”

“CAP Money has helped me plan my meals and now I shop only for the food I need, saving me money”

“CAP Money has taught me to just taking out the money I need each week. This has meant that my money now lasts until I am next paid as opposed to running out within a week of being paid.”

“CAP Money has helped me focus on my savings, now I have savings - it’s great!”

“Since doing CAP Money I have cut up my Farmers card, and increased my AP’s so that by February 2013 I will almost be debt free. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”

“I enjoyed the Divine Design course. I have always had some idea of what my gifting’s were and these were confirmed during the course. There were however some additional strengths, which I had not been so aware of, and this has given me a deeper understanding of myself and who I am in God. The course is a great way to discover who you are in God, and to give you confidence to step out in these areas.”

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Working Bee

This is the final working bee for 2012. Come along and help us prepare the site for the holidays.

CONTACT: Merv Jones (021) 711724

PWe’ve had a great year of connecting with other Men and building some great relationships. Make sure that you are a part of this next year!

Have a safe Christmas and New Year with your family and friends.

We meet every first and third Tuesday of the month. A great place to develop meaningful relationships

and enjoy spiritual input and discussions.

Contatct: Adair Smith (021) 770 522

WHATS ONDECEMBER02 Sunday Services05 Prayer Service 7:00pm Main Auditorium

07 Mainly Music 10:00am TLC Sports Centre

08 Working Bee 9:00am - 3:00pm Penrose

09 Sunday Services

16 Sunday Services Childrens Church Party20 Prayer Meeting 7:00pm TLC Boardroom Penrose

23 Sunday Services24 Christmas Eve Service 7:30pm TLC Auditorium Penrose

25 Christmas Day Service 10:30am TLC Otara Campus

Christmas Day Service 10:00am - 11:30am TLC Auditorium Penrose Hosted by El-Shaddai Worship Centre

30 Sunday Services31 New Years Eve Service 10:30pm - 12:30am TLC Auditorium Penrose Hosted by El-Shaddai Worship Centre

January06 Sunday Services

13 Sunday Services

20 Sunday Services Otara Children’s program begins

27 Sunday Services All church picnic Time and location TBC

30 Life groups launch All welcome Please contact a leader for details

February01 Youth program begins See youth leaders for details

03 Sunday Services Penrose Children’s program begins

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FRIDAY MORNINGS - 10:00am (Last day of 2012, December 7thStarts again on February 8th 2013)Penrose Sports CentrePrice: $4 per family

This year at mainly music we have had a blast! We had some awesome families join us and we can’t wait to see what God has in store for us in 2013. If you have Friday mornings free and would like to join us in this rewarding ministry, then please contact Suzy or Nat.

CONTACT: Suzy Just (021) 670 917 Natalie Jones (021) 386 628 mainlymusic@thelifechurch.co.nz

PHeal ing Rooms

The Living Room is a place where you can receive prayer. Our teams of experienced and compassionate prayer partners are ready to pray for healing and other needs as requested. Anyone is welcome to receive prayer. Our last healing rooms for the year is Saturday the 15th and will resume in the new year.

SATURDAYS – 10:00am - 12:00pmPenrose Campus - Opposite the AuditoriumOtara Campus - Above the Auditorium

CONTACT: Chris Starrenburg (021) 277 5091 or chris.starrenburg@thelifechurch.co.nz

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SATURDAY 8th –9:00am - 3:00pm

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The office will be closed on the 24th, 25th and 26th of December before opening for next two days, the 27th and 28th. Out team will then be taking a break over the New Year period and the office will reopen on Tuesday the 8th of January.

If you have an urgent need during this time then please make contact with your life group leader in the first instance, otherwise contact Pastor Bruce McDonald.

We would like to bless some families who may find this time of year difficult, by giving them some food hampers.

Please be generous and bring some non perishable items to church on Sunday 10th December, and place them in the basket located in the cafe. Help make a difference to others this Christmas!

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www.thelifechurch.co.nz

PostalPO Box 24377Royal OakAuckland 1345NZ

P: (09) 918 1699F: (09) 579 5150E: info@thelifechurch.co.nz

Penrose60 Rockfield RdPenroseAuckland 1061NZ

Otara201 Preston RoadOtaraAuckland 2023NZ

WHOSWHO

Pastors Bruce & Maude McDonaldSENIOR MINISTERS

Dan & Pam Ogle

Merv & Gay Jones

Murray & Raewyn Stewart

Debbie HillPATHWAYS DIRECTOR

Sam & KrystaYOUTH LEADERS

Adair SmithPASTORAL CARE DIRECTOR

Maude McDonaldCREATIVE DIRECTOR

John & Sharon EcclesMISSIONS DIRECTORS

Bruce & Dayna GrayOTARA LEADERS

David & Carol de ThieryOTARA LEADERS

Chris & Jeanette Starrenburg

ELDERS AND WIVES

Saiyad & ReubinaIrshad