You could say we are at a point of national crisis as confidence and trust evaporates in the key players we look to for leadership, information and investment. We could think that things are getting worse BUT we have a great opportunity to help inspire transformation and change. It’s not really surprising that ‘foundations’ our society is built on are wobbling and the things we have built are crashing down. The book of Hebrews in the bible tells us that ‘everything will be shaken and that which cannot be shaken will remain.’ (Hebrews 12:26-29).
It’s time for God’s church to step up and into His intended purposes. These include revealing His glory and great love in the nations and to disciple whole nations into Him. At Brookside God has been re-positioning us to be more mission minded and our newly formed Mission Communities offer a structure to support God’s loving purposes.
At the beginning of September we are starting a series based on the book of Ephesians. Ephesus was another territory in crisis when Paul arrived with his Missional Community. After 18 months or so the Holy Spirit moved in power through Paul and His friends and after a period of economic discomfort, a church was born. The themes Paul addresses in his letter to the church some time later remain as significant and relevant as the day they were written.
Ephesians can help us experience on-going renewal in God’s grace, love and power – as were learn to experience and apply to truths it contains. We are also clearly reminded that we are in a battle and we can win because Jesus Christ has already won it for us. This leaves us with present day skirmishes with an already defeated enemy. The heart cry of Paul in Ephesians is that God’s people will know who we are in Christ and to actually experience the unfathomable nature of God’s great love – a love that provided complete security because all punishment is removed.
We are placing the emphasis on learning together rather than on the teaching. As learners (another word for disciples) we can grapple with the principles provided in God’s word and then actually chose to devote ourselves to building our very lives on them. These are the unshakable foundations that can stand the winds and rains of pressure.
Ed Silvosoand Brian Burton (Harvest Evangelism & Transform your World) were recently back in Reading and said: “We are poised for a major move forward – transitioning from believing God will do it to believing it’s through us. Transformation starts in me . . . .then it touches the world.”
The leadership team at Brookside are together in vision and relationship to fully play our part in community and city transformation. We wish to stimulate, support, equip and enable God’s people to rise up in hunger for Jesus and to engage in His purpose of loving and transforming God’s world. We also deeply appreciate the need to work alongside other churches and organisations if we are to achieve the objectives before us.Let’s go transform our nation, person by person, community by community.
