6 “When we were at Mount Sinai, the Lord our God said to us, ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough. 7 It is time to break camp and move on. Go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the neighbouring regions—the Jordan Valley, the hill country, the western foothills, the Negev, and the coastal plain. Go to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, and all the way to the great Euphrates River. 8 Look, I am giving all this land to you! Go in and occupy it, for it is the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all their descendants.’”

Deuteronomy 1:6-8

PRAYER POINTS

• Moses preached the Deuteronomy sermon to the Israelties on the edge of the Jordan river. Praise God for his word spoken to us at significant moments. 
• Give thanks for this moment when God is telling us that we have stayed long enough in the wilderness. Praise him for his faithfulness to us and for leading us to the edge of occupancy. Pause in this holy moment and worship. 
• It's time to break camp and advance. May the Lord fill us with strength and joy as we move forward. Pray that we will not lag behind, but embrace the future God has won for us. Pray that darkness would flee before the advancing light of Jesus through his church.
• God is saying go into the hill country. May we always be a sent church, going when God calls, to where he calls. Jesus, in the Great comission said go. May we live this year knowing the light is green, not red or orange. Pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to be his witnesses as a city on the hill.
• God is giving us this land and new building. While the building process has been lengthy, now is the time to recieve it and open the doors for all who come. Pray that we would claim all Jesus won for us. With thanks and with wholehearted surrender. Pray that many would receive Jesus' salvation, and his spiritual gifts and use them for his Kingdom's advance.
• Give thanks for the promises God gave to those before us. For our church heritage. Remember Bridgeman Baptist who planted us and the promises God gave them that are extending through The Grove. Pray that we would one day plant churches and pass on with generosity our support. 

I received an email that brought great joy to all the staff this week. The Portaloo is now off hire and will be picked up shortly, because the toilets and water in the building are now all fully operational. Praise God!! I never thought I could get so excited about working toilets! But that is only the beginning of the good news I have to write about today. 

There are two other bigger announcements that you will want to read about...

OPENING SERVICE

The first is about our opening service. We have a date! The 28th of February. Cornerstone, our builders, have informed me that there is ample time for the wrap up of the certification process. There is always a very small chance the bureacratic process halts us, but it is highly unlikley. So we are pressing on by faith to open the church in two weeks time. Praise our great and mighty God! 

To prepare for the opening service there are a number of important points. This Sunday is our final service at QB, as the 21st of February will be online only. That gives the tech and worship team a weekend to setup and prepare. The next two Sundays are important services for these reasons:

• 14 February: This Sunday is our final service after fourteen years renting venues. In some ways it's like the moment on the bank of the Jordan river before the waters parted to crossover into the promised land. Rev Ian Hussey is our special guest to bring us a word for the occassion. We will also share around the Lord's table.

• 21 February: We would like to invite Connect groups to host watch parties for this service. This will be a special opportunity to share together in homes and pray for our opening service. If you would like to join a connect group, there is no better time to begin than the 21st of Feb. We are planning some interactive elements following the service especially for Connect groups. 

STUDENT YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS PASTOR

Following a long search, the church council are bringing a recommendation of a person to join the pastoral team as a student youth and young adults pastor. This will be shared first for approval at a members meeting on the 28th of February. We praise God for the timing of his plans coming together with the opening of the church. Members will recieve a bio of the applicant in their inbox prior to the meeting. If successful, the young man will begin in mid March at 3 days per week.

God is bringing everything together in his perfect time. We can be so full of joy and gratitude church. Let's get ready over the next two weeks to enter into all Jesus has for us. 

He has given me a new song to sing,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
    They will put their trust in the Lord (Ps 40:3).

God bless,

Marty

Read Isaiah 61:1-7 in The Message translation.

Let's spend time praising and giving thanks to God:

• For Jesus, the fulfillment of Isaiah 61, and how he has transformed countless lives in ways described by the prophet.
• For how God has changed our lives, turned mourning into joy, and annointed us for service in Jesus' name.
• For The Grove and fourteen years of the Lord's favour over his church. Give thanks for his word that guided us, his love that held us together, and his Holy Spirit who empowered us to fulfill his calling.
• For the people of the suburbs around us and God's love and purpose for them all. Gives thanks for the transformations that will take place this year in people who are yet to believe.

Let's spend time praying for a year of great favour:

• That the Holy Spirit would annoint us for a new work to share the good news, heal the broken hearted and release many into new purpose for God.
• For a constant flow of new people into The Grove, responding to their hunger and thirst for God.
• For those mourning to be comforted and for sadness to turn to unspeakable joy in the Lord.
• For broken lives and families and marriages to be rebuilt and restored. For the Holy Spirit to teach us how to minister in ways that bring lasting changes.
• For a double portion of the Lord's blessing to redeem the troubles and suffering in God's name over our journey as a church.
• For many new leaders and people to serve the body of Christ with humility, hunger for God and wisdom in 2021

I am so looking forward to this weekend. Saturday is a Working Bee to plant and clean, and going by other working bees, I anticipate another day experiencing the joy of serving together on the property. Then on Sunday we celebrate our 14th birthday as a church with a special AM service and PM birthday parties. It's going to be a great day too! 

There is a difference between celebrating the birthday of a church and that of a person. An individual's birthday is about the sanctity and significance of one person's life. A church, however, is about the head who is Christ and giving him praise, and about the body which is a diversity of people brought together into God's family. So this Sunday we celebrate Jesus, and we celebrate everyone who calls The Grove home. Whether you joined us this year, a few years ago, or have been with us the whole time, you are a deeply valued part of Jesus' church. We have all been brought into God's story for The Grove in 2021, and that is one of many reasons to celebrate turning fourteen.    

Last Sunday afternoon was another wonderful expression of the body of Christ. So many people came out to pray and unwrap 420 chairs (as seen in the welcome home photo). Adults, teenagers and kids. I was privileged to pray with some of our teenagers, and one of them prayed for Leanne and I. It was so moving and powerful and I couldn't help thinking great things are coming for the next generation in 2021. Those chairs will be put out to restart our PM service this year!

I continue to believe that God has given us a new song to sing in 2021. A song of worship and praise to our great King who is worthy of it all. A song that comes from soft hearts available and expectant of all he will do among us and through us. The last two Sundays at our gathered service I was so encouraged by the expreince of God's presence among us, and how loud people are singing and entering into worship. May our new song continue all through this year, a year we pray would be an expression of Isaiah 61:1-4, the year of the Lord's favour. May these words fill our hearts with faith and expectation, as we celebrate 14 years and prepare to open the doors of the new building.

 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.

God bless,

Marty

ISAIAH 40:3-5

A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
    the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
    a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up,
    every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
    the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
    and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

PRAYER NOTES

• Praise God for opening a way for his work in your life and our church. 
• Pray that we would have soft hearts to hear the word of the Lord this year and resoond to it.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to help us make a way in our hearts, and remove an obstacles for a fresh movement of God among us in 2021
• Pray for all the practical work that needs to be done in February. Ask that many would respond to the call to prepare the property and building for opening up. Pray also for any potential obstacles to be removed. Pray for our final approvals to come in God speed.
• Pray that the glory of God would be revealed and all people would see it in our church and community. Pray again that people would be drawn to The Grove. 
• Pray for those serving our children and teenagers, that they would be so encouraged as Jesus comes and moves in a fresh way in the hearts and loves of young people. Pray that 2021 would be a year where the next generation rise up in faith and grow in number. Pray for the provision of leaders, and funds to fitout the lower floor.
• Pray for our 14th birthday next Sunday to be a day full of the glory of God and praise of his people. Pray that we would open our hearts for all the Lord wants to do among us. 
• Pray over our finances, that every provision gap would be closed, and in particular that we would be able to meet and surpass our budget.