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

• Watch the Luke 2:41-3:38 - Lumo Video here

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.

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.

• A4 - Portrait - Image PNG
• A4 - Portrait - PDF
• A4 - Landscape - Image PNG
• A4 - Landscape - PDF

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!

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.

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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.

We are trusting that our June Series will impart a growing desire to ‘make a difference’ in our community and world, implying the growing desire of our need for the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Our desire is that we the Church live into the mission of ‘making a difference in the name of Jesus’.  We cannot do this in and of ourselves!  In order to make a difference in the name of Jesus, we need to be full of the Spirit, anticipating the work of the Spirit, expecting the gifts of the Spirit to be at work in and through us.

Let us pray that June will deliver key moments for us each to ‘take on’ the calling and challenge, opportunity, privilege and mandate of living in a way that is desiring and expectant of the Holy Spirit working through us wherever we are…home, work, school, park, gym, café, community.

And may we be desiring to be hungry with prophetic expectancy around living ‘Spirit Led’ and making a difference. 

We look forward to Pr Barry and Vanessa Chant attending and ministering with us across Sunday 23 and 30 June.

On Sunday 23 and 30 June, our Evening Workshops will be aimed and designed to discover, learn and hopefully practice the gifts of the Spirit in a practical way.  These nights will be informal, Q&A based and inspire us to seek the gifts (1 Cor 14:1).

It is our faithful and confident anticipation that our Church will fulfil its calling in God.  And this is because Jesus is at work in us!  Our motto describes this, our vision declares who we are, and our mission expresses what we do.

Christ-centered, Spirit led, People focused - is how we describe Stirling Family Church.

We see a church living in His Power and Presence - is who we are, expressed as vision.

We are a church who Make a Difference everyday in every generation in the name of Jesus - is what we do, expressed as mission.

The month of May is about power and presence, His power and His presence at work in us and through us, His people.

Over two weekends, we will be encouraged with ministry with Pr Neil Milne and Pr Barry Silverback, along with a Tarry Night of waiting upon the Lord on Pentecost evening.

And we have a 14 Day devotional that helps to give focus to the Power and Presence of the Holy Spirit at work in and through us.  Feel free to pickup a copy from the Info Table in the Foyer!

We are looking forward to what is ahead as we discover new revelation in the Lord together!