Building for Eternity
Archive for February, 2007
Our Neighbours
5 years ago
in News
Over the last 5 years our church family has grown by around 80%. The biggest area of growth has been in the families with school-age children.
More and more people in our community are turning to Dapto Anglican Church for help and spiritual direction. They are our neighbours!
We have much to be thankful to God for. We have much to praise God for. But as He blesses us, our responsibility and joy is to press ahead with our care and gospel proclamation in the community in which He has placed us.
Stephen Semenchuk
From Label To Lord
5 years ago
in News
We find ourselves in a society that is increasingly defining our identity and our relationships by the things we buy.
The philosopher Baudrillard explains, “consumption is a system of meaning”. We assign value to ourselves and others based on the goods we purchase. Our identity is defined by the clothes we wear, the cars we drive and the music we play. Shopping is becoming the number one leisure activity of Australians and the reason why they have built the enormous factory outlet malls on the Gold Coast.
The danger is that we approach Jesus as consumers. Instead of seeing our faith as a comprehensive way of life and Jesus as Lord, Christianity becomes just another ‘product’ we consume. We come along to get our fill of Christian experience and merchandise but fail to live different, purposefully Godly lives.
Jesus calls upon us to deny ourselves and follow Him. The call upon us is to take up His cross not the credit card. The Bible challenges us to contentment and self control not the pursuit of personal desire. Can you really pray “thy kingdom come and thy will be done”?
Stephen Semenchuk