Family Life Church

Courageous Faith - Peter McHugh by Family Life Church

Phil Tong from Hilltop Church shared a wonderful message about getting ready for God and being obedient to putting God first.

Guest Speaker - Mike Skewes has an extensive background in pastoral ministry, as well as school and community counselling. He has also been the lead male counsellor at a number of regional and inner-city agencies. He is passionate about helping all people who come through his doors!

Ps Harley & Ruthie Byrne followed the call of God to move from Western Australia to Ballarat in 2011. They are passionate about building God’s kingdom, developing people and missions. Both are gifted musicians and Ruthie has a strong prophetic gifting on her life. Harley and Ruthie have two children Samantha and Noah.

I believe one of the most beautiful things about a FORMED life, is that eventually what Jesus does in us begins touching the people around us. That's MATRURITY

Maturity leads us to a life of SURRENDER....the hard part is that letting go of something real often costs something real. This is where FAITH and MATURITY unite.

Let's explore this Mother's Day, through the life of Loid and Eunice, how God forms us through both the beautiful and difficult moments of life.

Life has a way of catching us off guard. A moment…A conversation…A situation…and something comes out of us we didn’t expect. I think moments like that are actually really important because they show us what’s been forming in us...and here’s something important we need to understand - FORMATION doesn’t stay hidden forever. At some point, what's been GROWING in us begins to show up.

God is always doing something in us even when we're unaware...that's the beauty of our Father. The truth is - we're being FORMED right NOW!

We always carry something into the rooms we walk into....good or not so good. As believers we are called to walk in Maturity...and that also means being aware of what we carry in the places we go.

Jesus calls us forward...not through pressure - but through invitation. He calls us forward into MATURITY.

Easter Sunday... Then on the third at break of dawn The Son of heaven rose again O trampled death where is your sting The angels roar for Christ the King And so... For endless days we will sing Your praise Oh Lord oh Lord our God Jesus...He is Risen!!

Good Friday... It's a strange day because things just don't look as we thought they should...reality though...nor should they!!

Because here's the truth - We will never consistently live a life of Love, Generosity and Trust if we don't truly know what God is like toward us...this is where palm Sunday helps...because this is the week where everything comes into focus!! Please like, subscribe and share with family and friends. Thank you for your prayers and generous financial support.

GNEROSITY keeps bringing our hearts back to TRUST...and when we take those steps of trust something shifts in us... We begin to live a little more OPEN HANDED with God. Please like, subscribe and share with family and friends. Thank you for your prayers and generous financial support.

You see - FRUIT grows in our heart, but GENEROSITY shows up in our hands. If FRUIT is Presence Expressed, then Generosity is Formation expressed. All Birthed in the Love of God that shows up first!!

First - LOVE that shows up. Second - Peace and Patience create safe places. Third - A life people can trust. All Birthed in the Fruit of the Spirit. And finally - Fruit, the Fruit of the spirit - Exists for others!!

When LOVE, PEACE and PATIENCE take root, something begins to stabilise us. Our character becomes consistent. Paul tells us that when the Holy Spirit leads our lives Fruit begins to grow - Kindness, Goodness and Faithfulness...and these give people a reason to believe we're real!!

Last week we looked at love, a LOVE that shows us. LOVE is the foundation of everything the spirit grows in us. And when love begins to take root in a heart, something else begins to grow around it. PEACE grows as we stay close to the Prince of Peace. PATIENCE grows as we receive the patience of God.

The first sign that God is doing something in us is NOT gifting...it's LOVE!! LOVE is how the world recognises Jesus. So if LOVE is the first FRUIT that grows, then LOVE is the first fruit that the world sees.

Our Calling is birthed in connection, our relationship with Jesus. Then from that posture of heart, this place of peace, a called people live sent!!

Our calling is never held together by our perfection, our effort or our brilliance - it is always held by His Faithfulness!!

What happens after we've said YES to our call - but as we are walking - life gets messy?

We know that our Calling is strats in connection with our heavenly Father...birthed in Relationship. But what happens after we say YES, but before anything changes? This is the Walk!!

CALLING doesn't begin with clarity...it begins with CONNECTION

REST is not something we have to earn, or something we need to beg for. REST is part of our design!!

It sounds like an oxymoron, but PEACE is worth FIGHTING for. Hear from our panel as they share their journey in holding onto to peace!!

Christmas isn't about us being ready for God... Christmas is about God coming to us!!

When God makes His home in us, He begins to FORM us from the inside out. The soil, the atmosphere, the foundation for our formation - is LOVE!

Where God stays - He Forms. It begins with our identity as sons and daughters of the King. Then He gives to us one of the greatest gifts to live this life with Him - PEACE!!

When the Father makes His home in us, he begins to Form from the inside out. One of the things that is FORMED in His presence - is our IDENTITY. And IDENTITY that was spoken over us and given to us before we were even born!!

When God makes His home in our hearts...something begins to change. He begins to FORM us from the inside out. In Christianity we call this our Spiritual Formation

Do you dream? Well, there are in fact 3 types of dreams...and one of those our heavenly Father uses to speak to us!!

Our hunger leads us to posture at the Father's feet. Our posture leads to intimacy with the Him and a love then flows from within us to others. Now we need to LIVE in this space!!

If what we KNOW is finite and what God knows is INFINITE, then why do we at times think we know better... Or worse still, why do we trust our thoughts and not His?

When everything around us seems to be changing...we can still fly our faith flag, we can still stand firm and strong.

Our Hunger leads us to desperation... Our Desperation leads us to Him - to Intimacy. Our Intimacy - time in His presence - leads to others finding Jesus and being healed.

If HUNGER is the fuel that keeps our fire burning for God, then what does that HUNGER look like? What is the Posture of HUNGER?

What does it look like to be Hungry? What if HUNGER is what keeps our oil flowing and full? Simple question - Am I HUNGRY for more of Him?

Jon us as we host Elijah House National Director - Debbie Ferris.

Have you ever been caught unprepared? Jesus tells a story in Matthew 25 that is all about that moment - the moment about being READY! Question - Are we READY?

The greatest example we have of Jesus on how to live this life is this - He came to SERVE not to be served... So it begs the question - How do we live this life here on earth as Jesus?

If we are seated in heavenly places with Him - then the question is - where is our home? Do we live from heaven or to we commute there?

Fathers, mother's mentors, leaders, supervisors...our role is to help those around us to soar like eagles above the storms...to help them to stop fighting and start trusting. To allow the winds of the storm to lift them up!!

It's true that our heavenly Father knows us...but do we know what He knows? Have we invited Him to investigate us...to go to the deep places...the unknown places? Maybe it's time...

It's not up to our strength to cling onto Father God...it's His strength that keeps us SAFE. Safe in His hands where no one can snatch us.

There are times in our life that we elevate things to places of priority in our lives...both good things and not so good things. They become crowns we wear. Badges of honour. But what if we cast those crowns at the feet of Jesus?

Healing doesn't always come with fireworks. So often our deepest transformations happen in the waiting room with God. God does not microwave our transformation.

We are not only blessed to be healed, but to also carry healing. Praise the Lord that we are a Safe Place for ALL people where they can find a place where they belong, are seen, discover their value and worth and be healed in Jesus name.

Come and here what the Father deposited in the life of Melanie and Samuel Battistella during their ministry trip to Bethel Church.