Upcoming Scheduling Requests

Respond to Requests

February at Stirling Family Church

A step of faith, and expecting the Lord on the basis of His promises and His Word...

Sunday Morning - our first Family Series - and how Miracles point to Jesus

 

On Sunday evening, we have guest ministry with Derek and Fiona Gladigau sharing and believing with us for miracles and the supernatural.

Come along for a night of encouragment and expecting God to move in our hearts, our lives and in our community.  If you have a need, or want to standing in the gap for someone, then we will have a time of prayer and seeking the Lord for healing, breakthrough, salvation and restoration.

 

On Thursday Evening, we are hosting a night on Worship and considering what is means to declare and fight with worship.  Robert Roy will be sharing and we will have a meal together at Chingari.

 

On Sunday 9th, Robert will be ministering and sharing the Gospel, encouraging our Faith.

 

On Sun 16th, Jim will be sharing, encouraging our Testimony of Gods Goodness, and on the 23rd, we are praying for the congregation to share and give Testimony.

 

Media Team Help Page

Hey Media Guys,

This is a page where we will post ideas, helps and tips for operating the Media Mac

Thanks so much for your support and help.  We really appreciate what you do for us.

First things first.... Renewed Vision make ProPresenter and here is a link to their significant library of tutorials

ProPresenter 7 Library - Help Vids

 

 

Discipleship Groups

A Discipleship Group is individuals, couples and families meeting together to grow for a specific purpose and a specific objective. Discipleship Groups tend to meet at 2 Avenue Road Stirling.  Going and Making disciples is not a once off moment, rather a lifestyle. Discipleship is intentionally equipping believers with the Word of God for ministry through accountable relationships, and through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, in order to replicate faithful followers of Christ.

So what do we mean by a Discipleship Group?

Firstly, the Bible never prescribes a particular model for discipleship.  We can observe from scripture that larger groups learned from the teachings and miracles of Jesus, His closest followers benefited from more personal and specific discipleship.

One key aspect of a Discipleship Group is to commit to maturing in Christ Jesus, and pursuing His Great Commission.  We might say then that a Discipleship Group is a group of individuals desiring to actively pursuing Christlikeness and being accountable to others for growing spiritually.

  • A Discipleship Group welcomes and intentionally protects the shared desire for transparency and accountability with one of the marks being committed participation and encouragement for those in the group.
  • A Discipleship Group reflects a commitment that every believer gives towards sharing responsibility to engage in ‘speaking the truth in love to one another’ (Eph4:15).
  • Discipleship is the considered practice of being committed to one another’s desire to grow in their relationship with the Lord for His purposes, and in sharing the joy of serving and being with the Lord and His body.
  • And a Discipleship Group is the shared understanding that discipleship is a lifestyle, not something we turn on and off each time we gather together.
  • A Discipleship Group is something we choose and commit ourselves to in the same vein of an ‘awl’ type moment expressed in Deuteronomy 15:17 – it is our choice of love and service, our commitment to not leave but to remain, and with our freedom, – we choose to stay.

What Discipleship Groups are running at the moment?

The below provides a precis of discipleship groups, there typical run time and frequency, and location and other details.  This information will be updated reguarly.

  • Memorising and Meditation on Scripture - a group meeting for 30 minutes before or after a worship gathering, twice per month for 8 months with the objective of memorising and meditation upon 30 scripture verses.  This group meets at the Church. If you are interested, you can RSVP here.

Revelution

Teach us to pray: a renewed audacious desire for Revelation

 

When you have revelation, even sorrows and sadness, failures and troubles, tragedies and horrors have boundaries.  In the great song book of lament, a declaration of faith is recorded:

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  (Lam 3:22-23)

I want to propose that revelation is a ‘good thing’ the Lord wants to lavish upon us…again and again like manna from heaven – daily bread!

Would God the Father withhold any good thing from us?  For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord bestows grace and favour and honour; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. (Ps 84:11)

Jesus teaches about revelation that seeking revelation is about persistence, something we seek and search for, and something that increases in expectancy and frequency with relationship.

We can capture this idea from Luke 11:1-13 and the Lord teaching us to pray – both describing the habit with instruction, but also describing it from a relationship perspective – Father…

Once Jesus was praying in a particular place. When he had finished, one of his disciples approached him.  “Teach us to pray, Master,” he said, “just like John taught his disciples.” 

“When you pray,” replied Jesus, “this is what to say: “Father, may your name be honoured; may your kingdom come; give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, since we too forgive all our debtors; and don’t put us to the test.

“Suppose one of you has a friend,” he said, “and you go to him in the middle of the night and say, ‘My dear friend, lend me three loaves of bread!  A friend of mine is on a journey and has arrived at my house, and I have nothing to put in front of him!’ He will answer from inside his house, ‘Don’t make life difficult for me! The door is already shut, and my children and I are all in bed! I can’t get up and give you anything.’

Let me tell you, even if he won’t get up and give you anything just because you’re his friend, because of your shameless persistence he will get up and give you whatever you need. 

“So this is my word to you: ask and it will be given you; search and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.  You see, everyone who asks receives! Everyone who searches finds! Everyone who knocks has the door opened for them!

If your son asks you for a fish, is there a father among you who will give him a snake?  Or if he asks for an egg, will you give him a scorpion?

So if you, evil as you are, know how to give good presents to your children, how much more will your heavenly father give the holy spirit to those who ask him!

Imagine then having the audacity to pray, shamelessly and earnestly persisting, knocking, searching and seeking revelation from the Lord!

Can we?

Maybe we can and ought to, as per Eph 1:17: “God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him

 

Feel free to pickup a Series Booklet from the Desk in the rear of the auditorium.

The Opportunity of a New year

This post is not about new years resolutions.  This post is about opportunity, and the below is taken from Sunday 29 December 2024.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The opportunity of a new year

  • What is one new thing you believe the Lord is calling you into for 2025?
  • And in order to make room, what is one thing that the Lord may be calling you to cease?

 

In discerning this, maybe some thoughts to consider from the passage

  1. Consider the blessings of the Lord over the past 24 months.  Consider how the Lord has led you from where you were in 2023, to where you are now?  What treasures has the Lord given you?  What words or encouragements or challenges have you encountered over the past 2 years?  Write them down.  Ponder them.  Wonder them.  Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you about how He has ordered your steps.  When you glimpse the grace and mercy and favour of the Lord over the years, the feeling is indescribable.  We are not alone.  The Lord is not far, rather near - content and bringing peace to the manger within, bringing joy to the inner person, stirring up hope deep in our bones and filling us with love.
  2. Consider how you are about the Father's business, about the Father's house.  Seek first the Kingdom Jesus said.  That is what it means to be about the Fathers business.  In your home, seek first the Kingdom.  How will my actions, my attitude, my feelings, my reactions, my work and delight and rest, how will these things bring more of the Kingdom into my home?  How can the Kingdom be made present in my workplace, school or club?  People will not always understand why we gather to worship; why we read the Bible and pray; why we confess that Jesus is Lord! People will expect us to be doing something else.  Even believers have various views about rest - Jesus had rest with his disciples, and Jesus had rest alone with the Father - that was it. Being about the Fathers business is to enjoy rest with the Lord, but not at the expense of rest and worship with one another.  If the Fathers House is a place of work, then stop - something must be resolved within in order for the Father's House to become a place of worship!  What are the three dominant Words for your experience (not theory or what ought to be) of Church?  How is the Kingdom first in our lives?  What does a Kingdom attitude look like, and does that imply the need for our reliance on the Holy Spirit?  If we have everything in hand, and within our own strength, where is the room for God and His hands and His strength?
    Therefore be found in the House, be found around the teachers, be found in prayer, be found in worship.  One thing we can take from COVID is that we are created for community, by definition, the Body of Christ is together.  If you are planted in a fellowship, then be found in the fellowship; such is not an optional extra, rather an expression of faith.  And even if the Lord leads you from home to another home, away from where you think you would like to be, there is a peace we have from eternity.  Jesus was willing to become a carpenter and grow in stature and in wisdom - notice the language of Proverbs which is all about listening to, learning from and being near the Father.   How are we in the House?  How can we navigate conflictions of priority and or comfort?  What questions have I been asking of the Lord this year?  What are three key moments of learning and growth I have received and wrestled with in 2024?
  3. Jesus had room for His Father, and for His father.  The Kingdom is not about division, rather priority, and people will not always understand priority either!  The Kingdom is does not require you to push your life aside, rather the Kingdom allows us to be His light within our earthen vessels.  Father is not a matter of convenience, nor comfort.  Father is a reality of relationship where in the New Testament, the dominant expression of God is as Father.(Mal 2:10)(Matt6:9)(John 20:17)(Eph4:6).  Father and father is about priority.  How is Jesus a priority in my life?  What have I delighted in about the presence of God this year?
  4. Jesus had confidence in Eternity, and in His calling.  Jesus left the Fathers house and went to His fathers house in humility.  Humility is the key.  Humility is placing myself into the hands of mercy and grace.  Humility is placing my plans into the steps of the Lord.  Humility is placing my needs into the provision of God.  Humility is drawing on the Lord in order to gather together and be a blessing simply because we are blessed.  Humility is to expect the favour of God, and anticipate His miracles and power.  Humility is surrendering our fear and unbelief into the majesty and awesomeness of God.  Humility is the posture of His presence, and being a people of His power.
  5. The Bible has many stories of how God has been working in the world and through people, but perhaps a dominant theme is found in humility which can be seen in Jesus, eternity born to a humble home, to a manger.  Notice Moses too, he was the most humble in all the earth.(Isaiah 66:2)(Num 12:3)(Ex 33:17)(Ps 75:6-7).  How can we grow in confidence in eternity?  How can I be more humble in practicing reliance upon the Lord for strength, for grace, for forgiveness, for peace?  What opportunity my eternity have for me here and now in 2025? 

 

What new thing is the Lord calling me into and how does confidence in eternity enable me to walk humbly before the Lord?

A living sacrifice is humble by attitude and posture, and confident in eternity.  Is there any other way for us except the way of Jesus?  Is there any other way to live except as a servant of the Lord? Is there any price we are unwilling to pay to follow Jesus?  May we have a humility before our creator, and in that walk of humility - may we have more confidence than ever before, expecting even greater things we decrease and He increases...

What is the new thing the Lord is calling us into this year - One thing?  And what thing is the Lord calling us to cease, stop, hand over, lay down, give up, let go...

2025 - the opportunity of a new year!

May you enjoy the blessing and favour of God as you grow in confidence in eternity...eternity born unto us - Jesus.

Christmas at Stirling

 

Sunday 22 December is our Celebrate Christmas evening

Please note there is no service in the morning.

Celebrate Christmas is a free event including carols, food and fun for kids (even adults)

Our celebration commences at 5.30p and we aim to finish at 8.30p. 

Inside, we will be serving food and refreshments from 6.00-7.00p. 

Along with activities for the children where we will have a small bouncy castle for young children, and a horizontal bungee run and a Christmas bucking bull for the rest.

At 7.30p, our plan is to gather outside the Church and sing carols together, fantastic warm evening weather permitting. So have your deck chair and outdoor-ware ready

We have a Plan B setup for an all indoors occassion too!

This is a great opportunity to invite your neighbour, family and friends and celebrate Christmas together in a family friendly environment.

 

Digital Downloads

You can download a PDF or PNG file here for the 22nd December to share/print/email.

 

Christmas Day Gathering

At 9.30a, we  make it a point to gather first to worship Jesus.

Our Christmas Day service is about reading the story of incarnation of Jesus, and singing and worshipping Jesus. 

Join us for a one hour service as we wrestle with the “indescribable” of Jesus and Christmas!

 

 

music and story about Hope - with Benny Prasad

A morning of hope through music and story

10a Sunday 27 October - 2 Avenue Road Stirling

Digital Resources to share can be downloaded here and here.

 

wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

Benny, originally from Bangalore, India, holds the Guinness Book of Records title for Fastest Time to visit 245 countries travelling to 194 Sovereign Countries, 50 Dependant Countries and Antarctica in 6 years, 6 months & 22 days from May 1, 2004 to Nov. 22, 2010.

His global journey, spreading the gospel through his music has brought him to Oceania. In 2005 he crossed through Fiji a few times as he visited Australia, Vanuatu, Tonga, Niue, Western Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Guam, Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Norfolk Island, East Timor, Maohi Nui, Pitcairn Island and New Zealand.

Benny achieved fame when he created the first Bongo Guitar, with 52 strings, called the Bentar. He has performed on this unique guitar to many Presidents, Parliaments, Universities and even during prestigious events such as the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and 2007 Military World Games in India.

Now when Benny travels, he shares the journey of “Hope to the Hopeless” all over the world, from the least in slums, old age homes, to prisons, war zones, Military Bases, Parliaments – wherever he can.  Benny has lived a simple life and spent less than $140,000 USD in order to complete his travels to 245 Countries (even though he has repeated many countries).

Even though in many Third World countries it's almost impossible to travel without paying bribes, he has been able to travel to every nation in the world including every African Country without ever paying a bribe, even once. Often he has been detained at borders & sometimes sent back, but he never paid extra.  He says: "I would rather give up my concert than my character. If everyone takes a stand like this, then we will see corruption slowly vanish."

Benny's story is like most...his birth was celebrated by his family with the highest of hopes for his future. Those hopes were dashed when he was diagnosed with severe asthma which required him to take cortisone steroids from which he developed rheumatoid arthritis, 60% lung damage and an immune system which regularly failed him, threatening his life even to this day.

The pressure to succeed academically and be a role model for his younger siblings, and failure to achieve these high expectations resulted in Benny suffering from severe depression and negative behaviour. His rebellious lifestyle brought his family shame and disappointment.

Finding no fulfillment in life, Benny reached out to what seemed the only way out for him and tried to attempt suicide at the age of 16. By this stage he was almost beyond caring about where he went or what he did, so it was not too difficult for his mother to "convince" him to attend a youth retreat as she had desired and there began his journey towards new life.

In reality, Benny had an encounter with God.

“I heard god speak to me, saying. ‘Benny, even though you have been useless all your life, I need you now and I can make you a new creation.’ Finally a fresh start! A new birth!”

That was all it took to bring about a complete transformation in this lost and hurting young man. For the first time, he heeded this positive call, leapt at it, and began life with what we would all long to have - a clean slate. God gave him new dreams, new goals, and a positive desire.

Benny now walks with dignity and with the joy of the lord. When we humble ourselves, living according to God’s plans and God’s will; and tune into the Divine Voice, often muffled or drowned out by the noise of the world, we find a way to live that is in harmony with both God and Creation.  Listening to God’s voice has led Benny around the world, with opportunities he never dreamed possible.