Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:26-28). Many people unconsciously expect their church to serve them. The expectation shows with the checklist we bring to worship. We ask, "Did the pastor preach a sermon to my liking? Did the music suit my taste? Does the building have the right décor?" Of course, we are right to be concerned that our church does what is right. The Bible tells us to be vigilant about God's priorities. But sometimes God's priorities get confused with our preferences. Whether we are expressing greater concerns about the latter than the former may take serious heart examination. That examination, if it is Biblical, often begins with asking whether we really are willing to follow Jesus by denying ourselves (Matt. 16:24)? Are we more seeking to serve or to be served? Of course, we are all ready to testify that we are willing to be a servant - until someone treats us like one. Then, we must ask if Jesus only calls us to an occasional act of service, or to a life of selflessness for the sake of others knowing him. The charge to put God's priorities above our own often can reduce our checklist to one item: Does this church help me serve Jesus better? Bryan Chapell. ByFaith Magazine. Devotional. 18th November 2022

"Thus says the Lord of hosts: ...To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen; behold, the Word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it." Jeremiah 6:9-10 (ESV).

"The purpose of Jesus' startling deeds was not to evoke a belief in miracles today but rather to inspire a longing for the day when God's kingdom comes fully upon the world. That's the perspective of the Gospels. Throughout history, Christian faith has always involved a restless hope - a hope captured perfectly in the prayer 'Your kingdom come'! The previews of the kingdom glimpsed in Jesus' miracles have typically made Christ's followers dissatisfied with the way things are and desperate for the way things Christ said they would one day be. Christian hope is thus confident but restless: it praises God for the preview (in Jesus' life) and pleads him for the finale (in the "kingdom come"), when evil will be overthrown, humanity healed and creation itself renewed." John Dickson A Doubters Guide to Jesus - An introduction to the man from Nazareth for believers and skeptics. (Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan. 2018) page 80.

The Importance of Biblical Theology for the Church and for the Gospel From Pastor Ian Grant - Grace Presbyterian Church Taupo Many of us have grown up hearing classic Old Testament stories; Noah and the ark, Moses and the burning bush, Jonah and the "whale." Do these accounts relate to each other at all or are they simply a collection of isolated tales? Many of us have learned isolated, individual verses of scripture, never really knowing or understanding how they relate to the paragraph, chapter or book they are found in. So why do Christians have the tendency to read the bible stories in isolation from their literary or historical context and from one another. Or why do we read, or even memorise, a verse here and a verse there and give little attention to the context and the point the writer is making. We don't read any other form of literature that way. When we read an editorial or a magazine article, or a letter from a loved one, we don't read a sentence here or there, we read and consider what is being said, in its context, the context of the whole. Context is key, to a right understanding of any literature and especially the Bible. When you hear the statement; "The Bible is "The word of God" - what does that imply for you? Biblical Christianity says that God reveals the true story of God's creation, the rebellion of mankind and God's resolution of this "Problem." It is all recorded for us in the scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments. So when we confess the Scripture as "The Word of God," rather than, say, "The Words of God," it implies a consistent, coherent message within a unified whole, a single comprehensive message. Consequently there is a context into which any particular passage fits within the over-arching Biblical storyline. Dr Michael D. Williams put it this way, "The Bible tells a story. Like all stories, the biblical drama has a sequence that must be honoured in the retelling. For it to be the story that it is, we must tell about the way things were at the beginning, what went wrong, how it was resolved, and how it ended. Each episode sets the context for the next. It is critical to the story to set human rebellion and God's redemption in the context of the beginning of the story God's creation. If you don't you end up with a different story." 1 If we do not appreciate the Word of God, as a coherent message, we end up with a different story, a different Gospel. The church is called to proclaim God's message, his Gospel not our own. We can summarise the revealed Biblical storyline, in its simplest form, as follows: Creation / Rebellion [Fall] / Redemption / Consummation. That is CRRC. 1) The Context - Creation 2) The Conflict: the dramatic problem of the story - Rebellion & 'Fall' 3) The Resolution of the conflict - Redemption 4) The Conclusion - Consummation Biblical theology is the study of the Word of God which enables us to appreciate the scripture as it is revealed and the implications that this progressive, redemptive, historical revelation brings to our Christian faith and practice. The Bible records God's words and acts given in the course of history. This revelation was not given at one time, nor in the form of a theological dictionary. It was given progressively, for the process of revelation accompanies the process of redemption. Since redemption does not proceed uniformly but in specific periods of time determined by God's acts, manifested and marked in the scriptures. There are great divisions in the history of redemption (e.g., revelation through Abraham, Moses, David and Christ), however there is a living relationship between these successive eras, as developing manifestations of one gracious design.2 Biblical theology formulates the character and content of the progressive revelation in these periods, observing the expanding horizons from age to age. Biblical theology is the fruit of such contextual studies and an essential step in the formulation of summary statements concerning the teaching of the bible as a whole. 3 Biblical theology enables us to understand what it means when the New Testament [NT] declares the Old Testament [OT] to be incomplete without Christ. We come to understand the OT in the light of its goal, which is Christ. Jesus is indispensable to a true understanding of the OT as well as the NT. Consider the words of Jesus as he spoke with the men on the Emmaus road (Lk 24:13-35) and to the disciples (Lk 24:36-49). So what are the implications of Biblical Theology and of this revealed story, to how we read scripture ? 1) The scripture is primarily about God and his revelation through word and deed, his historical action in his world. 2) The scripture is not an A-historical account. All of the parts do fit into the overall story, God's Story. 3) We must read with 'the grain", with the very form of scripture as one comprehensive story, rather than a collection of isolated, unrelated stories, because "the grain" informs the message of how God addresses the problem of mankind's rebellion and sin. 4) The scripture is not simply a set of beliefs - it is God's revelation, his authoritative word given in historical contexts. However, we have typically separated truth from story, or doctrine from history, thus abstracting the truth, taking verses out of context. We need to be aware of this danger when we exalt our theological systems rather than first coming to the Bible as God gives it, as a comprehensive and united story. Let us then recognise that we are all part of a more comprehensive overarching story and in so doing we can read our Bibles well and become more convinced that we are called to directly participate in this grand story as Image Bearers of God, loving God and loving neighbour, wherever we are. Remember - Context is Key. _________________________ 1. Michael D. Williams, Far as the Curse is Found: The Covenant Story of Redemption, (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing Company, 2005), 2. Edmund P Clowney, Preaching and Biblical Theology. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing Company, 1961), 15 3. Clowney, 15-16.

3 Tips to a Richer Devotional Life From Pastor Ian Grant - Grace Presbyterian Church Taupo Most Christians are aware that having devotional times with the Lord is important and a necessary part of walking with the Lord. To help you grow in your devotional life I have three tips or suggestions, to a richer devotional life with the Lord. 1 Devotions or Devotional times are broadly described as a "religious observance or worship" as an indication of dedication to faith. Biblically however, we can refine this description more closely. Devotional times are a means to seek a closer relationship with God himself. The key focus is on building the relationship itself. We seek to engage with the Triune God by seeking to "hear" what He says through His Word and to respond in prayerful obedience and faith. Devotional times are an opportunity to grow in our love for God and in response, to grow in love for our neighbour Matt 22:36-40. 2 How can we "hear"well, what the Lord has to say through His Word (the scriptures) to us? One approach to any text is to use SOAR. That is, as we approach the scripture, we do so by considering in order: 1) Survey - what is this? what is the general point? genre/type, location in time/history, Who is the author, first recipients etc. Remembering that Context is key to a good understanding. 2) Observe - what did you see? Who, What, When, Where, How. What are the facts you observe? Cause/effects; repetitions; contrasts; conclusions? [don't skim this...needs some depth to develop the following steps] 3) Analyse - Interpretation. What does the text mean? What do we hear God saying about us and about himself? What can you affirm first and then challenge? 4) Respond - How can we communicate and live out Christian response in the that align with the Gospel? What does obedience and faith look like from this text? 3 How can we respond well in prayer? Again, we must keep the relationship with the Lord in mind. One approach to prayer is to work through the Lord's Prayer [Matt 6:9-13] on a regular basis. Another is to use ACTS: 1) Adoration - Of God himself, for who He is and what He has done. Seeking a right perception of God as He has revealed himself. 2) Confession - Of our own falling short of God's standards. Seeking a right perception of who we are before Him. 3) Thanksgiving - For all that we have; in Christ, in this life and in the life to come. 4) Supplication - For needs of others and our own needs. Numbers 6:24-26 [May] The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance[a] upon you and give you peace.