Gone Fishin’ August 2024 Newsletter

Hi Everyone

Here’s this month’s Gone Fishin’ Newsletter.

Every month a team from our fellowship at Calvary Wellington heads out to our regular fishing holes – the Naenae Market and Hillary Court shops, or the Hutt Riverbank Fruit and Vege Market. There we share the Gospel to those in our immediate community.

Once a month I publish a simple newsletter that is distributed to the fellowship (or for anyone else who stumbles across this website), as a way of encouragement, and as a tool to equip us to be better evangelists.

You can read the last Field Report from 27/7/24 here.

Enjoy!

Gone Fishin’ Monthly Newsletter – August 2024

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

(Galatians 2:20).

Hi Everyone

Hoping this finds you all well, and are still actively finding ways to get the good news of the Gospel out!

You can read the Gone Fishin’ Field Report from 27/7/24 here.

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One of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith is re-birth.

Jesus Himself said “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’ “ (John 3:7).

It cannot be skipped or skirted around. And we shouldn’t marvel, because it shouldn’t come as a shock to us. We need regeneration because this life and this flesh is heinous to God.

Let’s dig a little deeper into today’s verse, and look at two aspects of the old life, and two of the new life.

Old Life: Obliterated and Crucified

“I have been crucified with Christ…”

The first step of conversion is the putting to death of the old self. This is necessary because it is reprehensible to God. We have no standing with God in our sin. We have no relationship with Him, and we fool ourselves if we think God will accept us as we are. Therefore, we must put it to death. And what better place to do that than alongside Christ? By faith, we offer ourselves down completely, at the foot of His blood-stained cross. When He dies, our old lives die as well. When He rises from the dead, we rise with Him!

Old Life: Overtaken and Consummated

“…it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…”

Our old life is destroyed and washed clean by Christ’s blood. We are a new creation:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor 5:17).

This creation is not an empty vacuum. If that was the case, we would eventually wander back to the pigsty of our sin. Rather, Christ invades all areas of our being. Now, all the old sin we once loved, we now despise. Isaac Watts stated it best when he said, ”All the vain things that charmed me most, I sacrifice them to His blood”. This is on the cross. The joy of knowing what Christ went through to purchase us prevents us from hauling up our old sins, and nailing Him back on the cross. We are fully consumed with the being of Christ. We have His Spirit to seal us, and point us to Him.

Sadly, this is where most Christians stop reading this verse. They commit to memory the first part only, dwelling on the positive aspect of being a new creature in Christ. One of my Dad’s favourite songs was an old 70’s one-verse hymn based on this verse, called ‘It’s No Longer I That Liveth’:

It’s no longer I that liveth,
But Christ that liveth in me.
It’s no longer I that liveth,
But Christ that liveth in me.
He lives, He lives,
Jesus is alive in me!
It’s no longer I that liveth,
But Christ that liveth in me.

There is nothing wrong with singing these words. However, there is more hope and truth to come in the next part of the verse. Stopping here would be like telling half a Gospel story; and anyone who comes to Christ on this alone may be in danger of being a false convert.

So let’s look at what this new life looks like!

New Life: Obsessed and Confident

“and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith”

With our old life dead, Christ indwelling every part of our being, we can live confidently. It’s not a self-confidence to be prideful about, rather a peaceful assurance. This is because we aren’t the ones in control anymore. And that takes a mountain of pressure off us! All the decisions we now make are in line with our Master’s will for us. We can confidently place our faith in Christ because He knows what is best for us. Our faith is never in vain, or empty bravado, as the world would have us believe.

New Life: Objective and Conciliated

“…in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

This is the directive of the new believer, and the heart of the Gospel message. All our change and transformation is meaningless unless it is worth living for. Change for changes’ sake without a right standing before God amounts to a wasted life. Rather, our assurance is steadfast – not due to anything we have done, but because of what Christ has done for us. Our faith has an object, and that object is Christ Himself. Our faith in Him for the forgiveness of our sins has appeased the Father’s anger towards us, clothing us with His righteousness. When He now looks upon us, He is pleased, and we can enter His presence without fear.

Rebirth is not an optional extra to enter heaven, it is a pre-requisite:

“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’ “ (John 3:7).

(Galatians 2:20).

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Don’t forget to register for evangelism training on 7 September. It’s free, but please register for catering purposes. Even if you attended training last year, come along for a refresher!

To register, see the q-link on the right, or visit https://tellmeconference.org.nz/training/

Glen Richards, a full-time evangelist from Operation513 will be back to lead us.

Joining him this year will be Andy Barlow – a part-time evangelist also with the ministry, and Roger Spicer – a retired Baptist Pastor, and evangelist.