What flag will we choose?

I am interested to see what flag is chosen as this flag will represent what New Zealanders see as important.   

As a nation God has blessed us and continues to bless us.  We live in a beautiful country, the work of God’s creation, located in the Southern hemisphere, represented by imagery of the Southern Cross. We live in a nation, a colony of Britain, represented by the Union Jack and founded with a Treaty that attempted to establish principles for Maori and Pakeha to live together.  We live in a society with a justice system founded on the 10 commandments.  New Zealanders have benefited greatly from God’s work and following his guidance. 

God’s greatest work for the world occurred at the cross, where Jesus chose to die for our sin so that we could be forgiven, restored into relationship with our Heavenly Father and live forever.  “For God  loved the world so much he gave his only Son, so that anyone who  believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).” Just as the Southern Cross helped sailors navigate to New Zealand so the work on the cross guides us to our Heavenly father, to peace on earth now and to eternal life. 

The Bible records how nations prospered when they listened and obeyed God and were conquered or destroyed when they did not.  Our national anthem reflects our acknowledgement that we once wanted God’s help. But do you still talk and listen to Him? The answer to this question affects your life now and in the future. Regardless of what flag is chosen, the Southern Cross will shine bright in the sky and God’s work on the cross is complete “Jesus is the King of Kings and Prince of peace”. 

Nicola Hawkins

Mangapapa Church

Published in the Gisborne Herald 22 August 2015

There is no bigger question...

"Christians live on a different planet!"  A comment sometimes heard from those who think we are a bit silly in believing in faith in God, but there is a lot of truth in it!   

Physicist Stephen Hawking, in launching his great search for intelligent life in the universe recently said; "…there is no bigger question.  It’s time to commit to finding the answer, to search for life beyond Earth.  We must know.”   Well, as a Christian I would not discount the possibility of other God-created life  in an infinite universe, but I certainly would redefine what 'finding life' actually means, and what the 'no bigger question' is.  I will do so by sharing a very recent example.  

A member of our church has been to their sick and dying younger brother several times, encouraging him to turn to Jesus, to believe His love and forgiveness of sin and receive Jesus' very life that He brings into us.   The brother could or would not see it, until one night, he did decide to call out to Jesus, and he found indeed he was 'born again' spiritually into new life in Jesus Christ.  A fascinating thing has happened - this man, given no hope by wonderful specialists, is recovering physically as I write this.  It is a beautiful God-thing.  How long he will have on this planet, we don't know, but as he finally came into peace with God in his 'inner man', now his physical 'outer man' is responding too.  

How absolutely natural and wonderful is the spiritual life in Christ, that brings us to being one with God and with all God has created.  There is "no bigger question" - have you found the Way, the Truth and the Life?  Tune in your inner listening ear to Jesus Christ. 

Stewart Patrick 

Leader, Mangapapa Church, Gisborne 

Published in the Gisborne Herald Saturday 8 August 2015 

Stewart will be known by many for his earlier work with Youth for Christ, and has now been the leader at Mangapapa Church for the last few years.  He leads his church - God's church - with a strong commitment to the word of God as being the truth, and the importance of staying "in the vine".

Spacecraft

Recently in the news there has been the story of an unmanned spacecraft photographing Pluto on the way past.  Who knows how long the spaceship will carry on travelling? A little closer to home, satellite spacecraft also continuously circle the earth in a seemingly endless way.

Recent stories about space travel reminded me of some key verses in Psalm 103.  This psalm describes, some of the amazing things God does for us, and also describes the fragility He sees in us. 

In particular, verses 11 and 12 resonate with me, in relation to the topic of space.  “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us”.

The heavens are seemingly endless above the earth.  This image gives a glimpse of the extent to which God loves or cares about us – Wow!    “Those who fear him” describes anyone who has reverence for Him or recognises that He exists. 

Finally if we confess our sins (the bad things we do) to him, the final verse describes what He will do with our transgressions.  Transgressions  is another word for sin.  When you think back to the image of a satellite, if it is heading east around the earth it will never reach the west.  If we leave our sins with God, He will take them completely away from us.

Remember that God will never give up on you.  Why not  talk to someone whose life has been changed by God?

Don McLean

The Value of Tolerance

Recently in the media, we have seen how some people unhappy with their children receiving religious instruction in school have gone to the high court requesting restrictions around religious instruction in schools.  It seems to me that Christianity is often portrayed as intolerant where my experience is that this is not the truth.

As Christian parents my husband and I chose to send our children to secular schools, in doing so exposing them to this secular world where our beliefs in some instances are very different.  We want our children to be a part of this multicultural world we live in.  It is still important that they are raised and live with our Christian values and beliefs.  To love God and to love others, to accept and value all people even those who look different, have different beliefs and cultures.

As part of the school curriculum they learned about Maori Gods, myths and legends and the theory of evolution among other things, even though we believe in Creationism as taught in the bible.  We often discuss what they are learning as well as any social issues that come up, with them from our view point and know they will make their own decisions about these things.

When it comes to human nature we seem quick to be intolerant of those who do not agree or who are different.  The standpoint of ‘we are right and you are wrong’ is not a good one and only breeds this intolerance.  Instead Christianity declares that every individual is free to choose, to make up their own mind.  And in a society where the manifestations of intolerance are evident isn’t the Christian message that pronounces we must love and accept all people as they are an important message to be taught in our schools?

Angela Thomas

Wairoa Rock Church

The $26 million question.

What would you do with $26 million dollars to improve lives? Build more affordable homes?   Invest in job creating opportunities?  Would you use that money to help our neighbours in devastated Vanuatu or Nepal?

Or would you hold a referendum on changing New Zealand’s flag?   Maybe when you are a politician overseeing a multi-billion dollar budget, such a cost seems insignificant. But $26 million is significant to children and elderly who would benefit from warmer homes, or to the completely homeless in Vanuatu.

I am personally ambivalent to a change, as I imagine are many New Zealanders, but it seems to be an unnecessary cost and distraction when there are greater issues to address.

Proponents for change argue that a new flag would improve pride in our country and our visibility on the economic stage.  But what really can a piece of cloth do to help our national prosperity or happiness? 

If our identity is placed on external things, even in our private lives – cars, clothes, homes – we will never be truly fulfilled.   Trying to stir up a greater sense of identity and pride through a change of flag will never come close to what we need as a nation.  We need forgiveness, unity and peace.  We need love, joy, patience, faithfulness, self control all of which the bible says are the “fruit” of a relationship with God (Galatians 5:22), and which lead to better home and work environments and therefore to a healthier more prosperous country.   We could then be truly proud of our country and as Israel’s King David said “May we shout  for joy over [God’s] victory.  May we lift up our flags in the name of our God” Psalm 20:5.   

Larisa Hockey – Mangapapa Church.

Larisa is a homeschooling,wannabe farmer enjoying God's creation and gift of family on a rugged little bit of Gisborne hill country.  A proud New Zealander she believes that God has great plans for our country, if only we will turn back to Him as a nation.

ANZACs and the Bible

The Bible is the world’s bestselling book of all time. It contains many different genres of writing including historical narrative, poetry, prophetic books and letters of instruction. 

The first section of the Bible, known as the Old Testament, narrates the creation of the world, the fall of mankind and the selection of one very special man of faith, Abraham, through whom all nations of the earth would be blessed. Abraham was the father of the Israelite people.  

In the first books of the Old Testament we read how God promised Abraham’s descendants a land of their own where they could live in a theocracy which would demonstrate God’s character to the world. However they were warned that if they failed to follow God’s laws and stopped recognising and following Him as their God they would lose their land and be dispersed among ‘all the nations of the world’. 

Although this did in fact happen and in 70AD the last of the Israelites were scattered throughout the world, God sent prophets who foretold a time when God would gather His people back, restoring them both to their land and to Himself. 

Fast forward to the twentieth century and we find the ANZAC soldiers playing a pivotal role in the First World War where they captured Be’er Sheba, a crucial town which allowed the Allies a foothold in the ‘Promised Land’ and ultimately led to the restoration of part of the land of Israel to the Jewish people in 1948. This was in fulfilment of many Biblical prophecies. We still await the time when God will restore the hearts of the Israeli people to Himself. In the meantime those who are not descendants of Abraham now have an opportunity to get to know Jesus, the Jewish Messiah (Chosen One) as the Saviour of the world. 

What an encouragement to know that God is watching over His word to fulfil it, is watching over His people, and has allowed this tiny nation of New Zealand, through its ANZACs, to play a critical part in establishing the reliability of the prophecies in His Word.  

For historical detail see http://www.lighthorse.org.au/famous-battles/world-war-one/famous-battles-the-battle-at-beersheba  

Esther Henderson 

Grace Christian Fellowship 

Esther is the Co-ordinator of Bible in Schools in Gisborne and teaches children at Motu school, her local school, about God's word in the bible.

Published in the Gisborne Herald 25 April 2015