Pastor’s Message

We are at the very end of our Galatians series. It has only taken us six months to get here!! Sometimes I think it’s easier to preach using themes and topics, which we have done before, instead of going through a book. However, reading scripture systematically gives us a chance to go deeper into parts of it that we otherwise would not contend with. Galatians has taught me that much. Here is a summary of Galatians.

Galatians is one of the first New Testament books to be written (by Paul in 49 A.D.).

The churches in Galatia were comprised of both Jewish and Gentile converts. The author is Paul, and his purpose in writing to these churches was to confirm them in the faith, especially concerning justification by faith alone, apart from the works of the law of Moses.

Galatians was written because the churches of that region were facing a crisis, theologically and practically. The essential truth of justification (being made right) by faith rather than human works was being denied by the Judaizers (legalistic Jews) who insisted that Christians must keep the Law of Moses. In particular, they insisted on circumcision as a requirement for Gentiles who wished to be saved. In other words, convert to Judaism first, and then you are eligible to become a Christian. When Paul learnt that this heresy was being taught to the Galatian churches, he wrote to them and emphasised our freedom in Christ and to counter the perversion of the gospel that the Judaizers promoted.

One key verse is Galatians 2:16. “Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.”

In the end, the issue is not whether a person is circumcised but whether he/she is a “new creation” (Galatians 6:15). Salvation is the work of the Spirit, and we must be born again. External religious rites such as circumcision are of no value in the realm of the Spirit.

Practical Application: One of the main themes of the book of Galatians is found in 3:11: “The righteous shall live by faith.” We must stand firm in this truth. Any compromise with legalism or the mixture of human effort and the grace of God for salvation leads to heresy. If we could be saved through the keeping of the Law, then Jesus did not need to die. Trying to save ourselves nullifies grace.
Not only are we saved by faith, but the life of the believer in Christ, day by day, moment by moment, is lived by and through that faith. Not that faith is something we conjure up on our own. It is the gift of God, not of works, but it is our responsibility and joy to exhibit our faith so that others will see the work of Christ in us and to grow in our faith by the application of spiritual disciplines (Bible study, prayer, obedience, etc.).

Coming up this week…

We conclude Galatians by reading the last part of the letter. Here, Paul offers his latest thoughts to the church and uses himself as an example. You could read it as someone’s last address before they either move jobs or change roles. You could also read it as someone’s life story and what they have decided to live for. Consider this section.

Get to know our elders: Liz Hodge

1). Tell us a little about where you grew up and what life was like as a child.

Grew up in a small town on the east coast of England (called Gorleston-on-Sea) with a loving mum, dad, brother and sister. My family didn’t go to church, but at age 13 a school friend invited me to go to the local Anglican church with her. I joined her in the small youth group and the church choir, and at around age 15, in an uncomfortable bunk bed at a church camp, I decided I needed to follow Jesus.

2). How did you become part of our church/community family?

Looking for a new church home in early 2024, it was because of the lovely welcome when our family first visited, and the teenagers appreciated the youth group very much.

3). What is one favourite memory or highlight from your life so far?

That one time, 15 years ago, I beat every single person at a camp at table football. Playing in the final must be how champion players feel at the World Cup! (I suppose also getting married, having children, etc).

4). What advice or wisdom would you love to pass on to younger generations?

Read the Bible every day. Even if it’s a teeny tiny bit of it, and you’re half asleep when you’re doing it, and you can hardly concentrate, and you’re not sure if you’ve understood anything at all, and it’s getting late, and you’ve only got a kids' Bible or an old-school King James version, just still read it.

5). What is something fun or surprising people may not know about you?

Three things I love: science fiction novels, crochet, and hot weather.

Three things I strongly dislike: sandwiches, being immersed in water, the word literally.

Community

A question that has come up consistently is why we do baptism in the middle of winter. This specific one is happening on the shortest day of the year. The simple answer is that we do not schedule baptisms; we do them as people make decisions to follow Christ and then wish to show this practically.

This specific baptism is special because we will be baptising Ariyah, who is seven and has decided to boldly proclaim her faith, even when it has caused friction within her own family (grandparents, aunties, and uncles) and within her friends as well. She has a beautiful way of inviting the sceptics to church, and, more importantly, to Jesus. She fully understands what it means to follow Christ. This is why instead of dedicating her, we chose to baptise her, and we invite anyone else who would like to be baptised to do so.

Later in the year, we may plan to do a baptism in a natural water point, and we will invite more people to get baptised, but on the 21st, we get to hear people’s testimonies and celebrate that God is still at work. If you would like to be baptised, there is a sign-up sheet at church. We will contact you with all the details.

Youth

Children’s church 

This last Sunday we announced Kathy McAuley as our children’s coordinator. While she has been “holding the fort" for a few months now, she feels that God has strongly laid it on her heart to devote more time and energy into this role.

Assisted by Kirstie, she will be in charge of all children's ministry-related programmes and activities, and she will also be working with all our amazing volunteers across the age groups as we seek to establish our children’s ministry. 

As mentioned before, she will not hold this role forever, and we are still working on a long-term children’s coordinator as we seek to establish our children’s ministry.

Youth ministry 

One more week of telling you what we are up to at youth ministry.

A big part of our youth ministry this term, and probably next term, is focused on helping our young people understand mental health through a biblical perspective. It is not enough to know about it. We would like them to know that there is a way out, and there is healing in the power of the Holy Spirit. I strongly believe that healing comes in two ways.

1. Instant healing through prayer and laying of hands (Mark 16:18, Mark 9:18)

2. Healing through prayer and the power of community around us.

Mental health is a darkness, a dark cloud that continues to hover over people, and the constant feeling that they are walking without seeing any light at the end of a very dark tunnel. What we do is pray that the Holy Spirit pieces that cloud and brings light into the lives of these young people for now and for the future. This is why we are spending so much time talking about it, and even more time praying about it. 

Community

Attached our the minutes from our 2026 AGM.

Giving

Halswell Community Church

Account Number: 06-0601-0867216-00

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