mgpcpastor's blog

Rapidly hitting GAA burnout, but here’s a post on David Jones’ closing comments for the GAA.

Colossians 1:6
“All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.”

There is a difference between Church growth and Gospel growth.
Church growth may generally be characterised as an increase in numbers at your home church, sometimes obtained by drawing people from other churches.
Gospel growth may be characterised as the growth of faith, love and hope as people enter the kingdom of God.
This is what is described in the Acts of the Apostles.
Over the past few days we have heard Macedonian cries from within Australia and from other places in the nations.
In an echo of the great commission from Matthew we read in the Scriptures how the Gospel grew and spread around the world.
This is the story of the power of the Gospel in the church and its wider impact. Colossians refers to the gospel bearing fruit and growing in the church, in community, and in the world.
What are the implications?
This is what the Gospel produces in the world when the Gospel unfolds in people’s lives.
Faith, love and hope.
Faith in Jesus as Saviour and Lord, lived out in worship and life.
Love for the saints, lived out in community.
Hope of heaven, an expectation for that which awaits beyond this earth, an expectation which savours and imparts all current circumstances with meaning and purpose.

We concluded by singing the metrical version of Psalm 100

All people that on earth do dwell
sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;
serve Him with joy, His praises tell,
come now before Him and rejoice!

Know that the Lord is God indeed,
He formed us all without our aid;
we are the flock He loves to feed,
the sheep who by His hand are made.

O enter then His gates with praise,
and in His courts His love proclaim;
give thanks and bless Him all your days:
let every tongue confess His Name.

The Lord our mighty God is good,
His mercy is forever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
and shall from age to age endure.

Hymns from the Rejoice! Hymn Book, Presbyterian Church of Australia