Eltham Park Baptist Church

Dear Friends,

New Year is often a time of resolutions and visions for the future. Some people have asked me about my vision for Eltham Park Baptist Church, but most of those who really know me already know my vision for our church – it developed during my first year here, hasn’t changed and doesn’t look like changing for 2012! I believe God wants Eltham Park to be a place where “these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
(1 Corinthians 13v13).

Our FAITH takes a battering when bad things happen; when we fail an exam or lose our job; when our family or friends die of old age or illness; when the stock markets crash or thousands die in flooding. But we can strengthen our faith in God when we remember the things that God has done for us in the past; his timely answers to our prayers; how the light of his love shone in our darkest moments; how the hard times came to an end and resulted in blessing. These things build our faith, but only when we determine to remember the previous faithfulness of our heavenly Father to us; only when we make time to read our Bibles and remind ourselves of the stories of his faithfulness throughout the generations. Let’s resolve to have more faith this year.

Building HOPE involves looking to the future and being less distracted by the present; looking ahead at the promises of God for our future and seeing them as certain realities. We can look at the deteriorating state of our bodies racked by illness but hope sees the resurrection body promised to us by Christ. We can look at our present trials and sufferings but hope sees the matured and refined characters that result. We can look at the state of the world and despair at its apparent God-forsakenness but hope sees the hand of God in each and every situation. Hope takes us to our knees in prayer and believes that the future can be better. Let’s resolve to have more hope this year.

God knows we need more LOVE in the world today; people are still treated as if they are too young, too old or too smelly to be of any use or make any contribution to society, families or even churches. But let’s be different to the world around us; let’s continue what we began last year and really love each other as Christ has loved us. It might sound simple, but it isn’t simplistic! Imagine the difference we would make we really did love like this; loving each other as Christ loved us; loving without counting the cost or the reward; loving the unlovely and the unlovable. Now, I cannot make you love me, but I can love you. I cannot make myself feel loved by you, but I can make sure that you feel loved by me. Let’s resolve to have more love this year.

Only in this way will Eltham Park be a place where “these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
(1 Corinthians 13v13)

Rev. Paul, January 2012