Melbourne Chinese Baptist Church

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Melbourne Chinese Baptist Church

• Church Anniversary Celebration
• ????????????

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• An anniversary is a bit like a birthday A time
  to celebrate the gift of the life of God among
  us.
• ??????????????
• On behalf of the 220 churches and faith
  communities of the Baptist Union of Victoria, we
  celebrate with you and congratulate you.

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• Through your life and witness across the years,
  just imagine all the people who have found faith
  and hope and inspiration and purpose and
  challenge and comfort and love and joy through
  the life of this church
• ???????,????????

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• As a church you have invested in and grown your
  English-speaking congregation, you have opened a
  new ministry among Mandarin speakers, you have
  restructured your pastoral leadership, you have
  practised hospitality to welcome new friends, you
  are open to new outreach initiatives and you
  continue to grow.
• I honour you and celebrate today the life of
  Jesus among you.
• ?????????
• ??,????????????????????????????

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• Some will embrace change eagerly. We love to be
  excited by new opportunities and we will adapt to
  change quickly and enthusiastically ?????????
• Others..
• Are troubled by change. We find security and
  strength in stability and familiarity the
  constant barrage of new ideas, new ways of
  thinking, new programs is unsettling.?????????

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• We need exceptional grace as we walk the journey
  together
• ????,?????????

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• Should we change?
• Is not the question.
• ????,??????

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• Here are some other questions
• What is on the heart of God for us???????
• What does it mean for us to be a church
• community that follows Jesus????????
• How do we see Gods Spirit at work in our wider
  community???????????
• To what is God calling us?????????

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• For the church, the questions only make sense
  when they centre us on Jesus.
• ?????????,?????????
• The church to which the apostle Paul wrote in
  Philippians was also struggling with a big
  question Just how Jewish did the church of Jesus
  need to be?

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• How much of this Jewish heritage needed to be
  preserved? ????????????
• Did Gentile people need to keep the Jewish Law?
  ?????????????
• Did they need to abide by Jewish
  customs????????????
• Did their men need to be circumcised????

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• With this debate going on, Paul offered his
  wisdom to the Philippians.
• ???????
• ????????????
• His wisdom is clear, passionate and echoes down
  through the ages to our own time.

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Proud of his Jewish observance

• An Israelite by birth???????
• Of the tribe of Benjamin?????
• A Pharisee??????
• Zealous??????
• I was without fault
• ???????

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• ??????????,? ???????????(v.7)
• ????,??????????,??????????????(v.8)
• ????????,????,???????????????,????????????,???????
  ?,??????????(v.8-9a)

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?????,???

• Because
• The greatest prize
• Is now
• Loving intimacy
• With Jesus!

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• ??????????,?????????,?????????????,????
• (Matthew 1344)

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• ???????????????????????,??????????,??????
  (Matthew 1345-46)

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What would a church that really knows Jesus look
like?

• ????????????
• 1. It would recognise that God is love!
• (1)???????

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What would a church that really knows Jesus look
like?

• ????????????
• It would recognise that God is love!
  (1)???????
• It would read the Gospels together often and fall
  in love with Jesus!
  (2)?????????,???????

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What would a church that really knows Jesus look
like?

• ????????????
• It would recognise that God is love!
• It would read the Gospels together often and fall
  in love with Jesus!
• It would celebrate Gods forgiveness
  often!(3)??????????

20
What would a church that really knows Jesus look
like?

• ????????????
• It would recognise that God is love!
• It would read the Gospels together often and fall
  in love with Jesus!
• It would celebrate Gods forgiveness often!
• It would want everyone to know the good news of
  Jesus!
  (4)???????????

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What would a church that really knows Jesus look
like?

1. It would recognise that God is love!
2. It would read the Gospels together often and fall
   in love with Jesus!
3. It would celebrate Gods forgiveness often!
4. It would want everyone to know the good news of
   Jesus!
5. It would be a sign of hope for the world!
   (5)??????????