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The Local Church Is The Hope Of The World
There’s nothing like the local church when the local church is working right—it’s the hope of the world.
When it’s going well it is amazing.
When people are coming to faith in Christ, and hurting people are finding deep healing, and young people are alive with excitement in following Jesus, and the beauty and power of true community is being expressed across the generations and the cultural diversities—it truly is a sight to behold.
May this continue to be our dream and aspiration at Castle Hill. Even though we're living lives away from church—where many are living in isolation—we can still be the most loving church. We can be the hope of the world.
Jesus Is With You
by Pastor Pablo Lillo
Jesus says, “I Am with you.”
These four letter words are like a safety net, protecting you from falling into despair, trouble, loneliness, sin and so much more.
Because you are human, you will always have ups and downs through life’s journey. The promise of Jesus limits how far down you can go. Sometimes, you may feel as if you are in free fall, when people or things you had counted on let you down.
Yet, as soon as you remember that Jesus—the great I AM is with you, your perspective changes radically.
Sometimes voices attack us in our minds: voices of fear, insecurity, condemnation, mean things people say, the world against us and all things Godly that are constantly propagated by the media. But the Lord is saying, “No, don’t listen to those voices! I’m going to put my arms around you as a mother would, and I will quiet you. I will calm your fears.”
Instead of majoring in your challenges, circumstances, look to Jesus for help, peace, support and love. Jesus is not only standing next to you—He’s holding your right hand.
I love what Zephaniah has to say. It’s so empowering. Uplifting. Castle Hill church family, these words are life changing. Memorise them.
Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
So when the enemy whispers, “You’re not what you should be. You’ll never get through this.” Answer him, saying, “I know! But, Satan, you’re defeated by Jesus—the Lord of Lords and King if Kings. The One who loves me!”
Just worship the Lord, and let His love embrace you and give you peace!
Can you think of anything more wonderful and more humbling? The Lord, Your God, who is Mighty to save—sings over you. No matter what’s happening in your life, no matter your trials and mountains to climb, God is with you every step of the way and He is rejoicing in you, with you and who He made you to be. He is so happy, He sings!
Yours—because of Jesus
Pastor Pablo Lillo
My Prayer for you today:
Thank you, Lord, that your love can quiet our hearts and minds and silence all those confusing voices and sounds of the world with its pressure, anxiety and fear. Baptise us in your peace today.
As long as we know that you love us, we’ll be safe and secure; because you’re the King of kings and Lord of lords. We love you, Lord, because you first loved us.
We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Giving Back to God @ Castle Hill
"Every Sunday each of you must put aside some money, in proportion to what you have earned" (1 Corinthians 16:2, TEV).
It may surprise you to learn that Jesus taught more about money and possessions than He did about heaven, salvation or other topics. The word "give" is used more than 1,500 times in the Bible more than the words faith, hope, love or pray.
Why?
Obviously, God doesn't need our money. He's not poor. But God does want us to become like Him and that will only happen if we learn to be generous. God is a giver—the most generous giver in the universe. Everything you have is a gift from God!
In many churches, the giving of offerings is the low point of the service. It's ignored, tolerated or openly resented by many. But the Bible teaches that God wants our giving to be a deeply meaningful expression of worship in two dimensions—past and present.
First, my giving expresses my gratitude to God for the past.
"Thanks" and "giving" go together. When we give back to God, we express our appreciation to Him for all the ways He has blessed us. We're saying, "God, we're grateful for all You've done in our lives, and we love You."
That's why you should never give under pressure. God wants your giving to be motivated by gratitude.
2 Corinthians 9:7 says, "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (NIV). A few verses later it says, "... your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God" (2 Corinthians 9:11).
Second, my giving expresses my priorities in the present.
Deuteronomy 14:23 says, "... The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives"
If you want to know what a person really values, just look at their calendar and expenses. The way people spend their time and money reveals what is really important to them. It's one thing to claim we love God, but the Bible says our giving "tests the sincerity of our love," (2 Corinthians 8:8, NIV).
When we give the first part of our income to God, it's evidence that God holds first place in our hearts. Jesus said, "For wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also," (Matthew 6:21, NIV).
Our offering on Sabbath is for the Castle Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church. Please give generously so we can continue helping the poor, needy, our broadcasts and our wider work in the community.
eGiving:
Is an easy, efficient way to transfer your tithe and offerings straight into the Castle Hill churches account.
Go to egiving.org.au/castlehill
Richard Hurrell is at Castle Hill Church every Monday from 2:00pm - 4:00pm to receive your tithes and offerings. He's also available to help with the use of eGiving, and hand out Sabbath School lessons.
May: Preaching Roster
09. Mothers Day Service with Pastor Pablo Lillo
16. Marvin Malcolm: "Things Jesus Never Said"
23. Dr Don Roy "The Fanny Crosby Story"
30. Pastor Nicholas Kross
May: Offering Schedule
09. Castle Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church
16. SPD Health Ministry
23. Adventist Education
30. Castle Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church
Our Church Vision:
The vision of Castle Hill Seventh-day Adventist church is to be the most loving church.
Our mission is for us to take the good of Jesus Christ to every place we can, in every way possible. Whatever the means, we want to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our School, friends, family, neighbours and the wider community.
We exist:
1. To honour God through worship.
2. To share the Gospel message of Jesus with others.
3. To connect with others in meaningful relationships.
4. To prepare disciples to fulfill their purpose.
5. To encourage leaders in their God-given destiny.
Senior Pastor – Pablo Lillo
E: pastor.pablo@icloud.com
M: 0412 588 827
Associate Pastor – Nic Kross
E: nicholaskross@adventist.edu.au
M: 0423 107 766
Youth Pastor – Jessica Laws
E: jessica@castlehillchurch.org.au
M: 0424 370 294
Senior Elder - Marvin Malcolm
E: marvin_malcolm@yahoo.co.uk
M: 0414 430 688
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