19th March 2025

19th March 2025

Is becoming like Jesus...

... the goal of your life??

That was the question that arrested my attention and deeply challenged me in my 20s (Travis). I vividly recall being challenged by a Francis Chan sermon podcast and by the verse being shared from 1 John 2:6 "Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did."

I knew with absolutely certainty that I trusted Jesus, I loved Jesus, I worshipped Jesus, I was committed to Jesus, I loved preaching Jesus. But was it the goal of my life to become like Jesus?

Sitting there I was sure that Jesus was my Lord and Saviour, but I had to honestly reflect if Jesus was also genuinely my role model. Or to put it as Francis Chan did: was it the desire of my heart to become like Jesus, becoming the servant of all, willing to lay down my life (and rights) in love for others? Needless to say, it still remains a challenging question today.

In the years since I have valued many prayers, poems, practices and songs that help me to posture my heart towards increasing becoming like Jesus. To encourage you in your walk, allow me to share this song from the band Housefires. It is a beautiful sung prayer to open our hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit in making us more like Jesus.

"Pull me in closer, close to Your heart

May I be a pure reflection of all You are

Love that is patient, love that is kind

And love that keeps no offences or wrongs in mind.

Make me like Jesus Make me like Jesus

My heart is an open space

For You to come and have Your way

I'm open, I'm open"

That's a wrap on BAMCAMP 2025!

Our energetic youth spent the weekend at Lake Mac competing in crazy tribe wars, eating some delicious food and hearing about the deep, lasting joy that comes from knowing Christ as they dug into Philippians! The weekend was not without hiccups with a few minor injuries, tears and multiple power outages! Nonetheless, no one had to leave early, camp continued and wow was there significant fruit!

A highlight was Saturday night. A completely dark room illuminated purely by the sharing of flame from candle to candle as everyone participated in a visual demonstration of sharing joy followed by an open space of actively sharing joy through prayer, words of encouragement, lending a listening ear, laughter, tears of joy and whatever else they felt led to by the spirit.

The leader's put in so much hard work and it was well worth it indeed. We are so grateful for God's provision and protection and are already (really!) planning and getting excited for next year!

Don't miss this Sunday

This Sunday we pause mid-Philippians series for a special one-off at both our AM and PM services.

In the AM we have special guest Steve Stewart speaking. Steve is the founder of Impact Nations who are currently celebrating their 20th year of ministry as an organisation. In their words "our driving passion is to rescue lives and to see communities transformed by the power of the all-encompassing gospel of the Kingdom of God. Because God's heart is with the poor, the widow, the orphan and the outcast, Impact Nations goes to the most vulnerable in the developing world."

Come hear Steve speak on the theme "Is your Gospel too small?" Steve has also written a number of books which will be available to purchase after the service.

In our PM service, instead of a sermon we will be hosting an interactive time of discussion around the life and future expression of our PM service. Together we will brainstorm, feedback and explore how we can 'Pursue' all that Jesus has for us together as a congregation. Oh, and did we mention that the amazing Nathan (a patisserie chef) is catering dessert for us to enjoy over our discussions? Yeah, you won't want to miss out on this one!

Sunday Safety

If you drive a car, chances are you have had this experience: trying to turn onto a road from a driveway or side street, but not being able to see the oncoming traffic because your sight lines are obscured by parked cars. Unfortunately, the same thing can happen trying to drive out of the church's carpark onto Narara Valley Drive. We have had reports of a few near misses on Sundays recently, so a quick public service announcement from us: please avoid parking too close to our driveway.

Let's demonstrate our love and care for one another in this simple practical way. Thank you.

This Sunday

Join us this Sunday for Steve Stewart in the AM and our dessert & discussion in the PM.

Connect Weekend

Our next Connect Weekend is coming up soon! If you'd like to host a group at your home, or at a park or cafe or activity, please sign up at the info desk, or send us an email!

Easter at NVBC

We are looking forward to celebrating Easter, which is only a month away! This year we will be celebrating with three special Easter services across the weekend:

Thursday night at 7:30pm
Good Friday morning at 9:30am
Easter Sunday morning at 9:30am

Start thinking and praying about who you can invite to one of our Easter services this year.