July 3rd, 2009
God’s plan for his world - Take a look at the Bible’s big picture
“Introduction to the Bible” an overvies of the entire Bible in 10 weekly units plus helpful hints on how to understand its main themes
10 week course each Tuesday, commencing 1/9/09 at 6:30pm til 7:45pm in the Ministry Centre
Get together with other members of the DAC community to study and share the big themes of the Bible
Standard $80 (Students/unemployed $50)
Register by 17th August by sending an email to the church office daptoang@ozemail.com.au
Posted in Articles, General
July 3rd, 2009
It’s been intriguing to observe the hysteria of the 90 million dollar Oz Lotto jackpot this week. Half the adult population of Australia has bought a ticket, hoping to win, even though there was a 99.97% chance of not winning it.
I find it ironic that in our tough times, Australians can still find over 200 million dollars to spend on lotto, and are willing to take on such ridiculous odds.
People’s attitude to a 90 million dollar jackpot shows a clear difference between Christians and non-Christians. Christians know that they have a treasure that is priceless. Every Christian knows, they have, in a sense, already “won lotto”.
No amount of money can buy a ticket to heaven or pay the debt we owe to a holy God. Every Christian must know the odds of pleasing God without trusting in Jesus alone, is 0%. To be 100% saved and have priceless treasure in Heaven, the Bible says we must repent and believe.
Repent = Not just saying sorry to God, but doing a 180° turn in life
– away from ourself and sin, and toward God.
Believe = Believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved.
The only way to please God is through Jesus.
To know Jesus is to “hit the jackpot”.
What’s stopping you?
“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me”. John 14:6
Jim Mobbs,
Assistant Minister
Posted in Articles
July 3rd, 2009
Posted in Bulletin
June 29th, 2009
We find the important issue of vows, a theme in Judges 11 this week. Through life, we will make many vows,
* to friends
* to family and
* to God
When the penny drops for us, and we respond to Jesus for salvation, we ‘vow’ to trust in Jesus, and not in ourselves, to be saved. There is no more important vow for a human to make.
An article in a recent Daily Telegraph headed, ‘Couples Ditch; Death Do Us Part’. This article outlined that people are increasingly unwilling to vow a lifelong commitment to each other and including a ‘get out clause’ in their vows. Couples are now pledging, ‘as long as our love lasts’, to each other.
One reason for this influx is that secular marriage celebrants or non-christian ministers who allow this, are simply providing a service and care nothing for what God has ordained a marriage to be.
Another reason is humans are selfish, and wrongly see marriage as a tool to meet their ‘needs’.
Christian marriages must take seriously the vow, ‘for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part’, especially as we see the trivialisation of marriage vows becoming more apparent.
Jim Mobbs,
Assistant Minister
Posted in Articles
June 29th, 2009
Posted in Bulletin
June 29th, 2009
Posted in Prayer
June 19th, 2009
I was listening to Robert Forsyth, Bishop of South Sydney, talking on the ABC radio last Friday. His topic was the place of humour in sermons. His basic argument is not that it’s wrong, but often misused. As someone who has quite a dry, twisted sense of humour, who doesn’t take myself too seriously, I find the topic very interesting. You might be surprised to know I agree with him. A preacher must be himself in the pulpit. A person who is funny, and likes to laugh should naturally be that way when preaching. A person who is serious, and not naturally funny should not be different in the pulpit. I think a temptation for preachers is to 
be different to who they are in daily life.
The best definition I have heard to define preaching is “truth through personality” = God’s truth, through an individuals unique personality. At the end of the day, different personalities will appeal to different people.
Charles Spurgeon, “the Prince of Preachers” from the 1880’s was often criticised for using humour in his sermons. His reply was “if you thought that was funny, you should hear the things I left out!”
Jim Mobbs,
Assistant Minister
Posted in Articles
June 19th, 2009
Posted in Bulletin
June 12th, 2009
During this week the media have caught up with the Sydney Anglican Diocese’s poor share investment results. It is true that the Diocesan Endowment and the Archbishop’s Endowment have recorded at least a 50% loss over the last 12 months. It will affect the Diocese’s Regional Leadership, their major church organisation and the training colleges.
It does not affect the ministries of local churches and the building capital grants (as those funds had been withdrawn from the accounts that suffered the loss). Hence Dapto’s building grant is still available, if we commence building within the next 18 months.
The Diocesan is not responding by just cutting programs or jobs. The Archbishop is leading a process where a restructuring occurs that will enhance our mission and ministry effectiveness. It is a God given chance to change things that may never have changed, despite the need. Please pray for the Archbishop and his team as they negotiate these troubled waters and lead us to an even better place to connect with our community and proclaim Jesus.
Stephen Semenchuk,
Senior Minister
Posted in Articles
June 12th, 2009
Posted in Bulletin
