REASONS FOR RBC MEMBERSHIP
Commitment is a Biblical principle: When reading about the New Testament Church, especially Acts Chapter 2 verses 42-47, we see that the experience of the believers was one of deep commitment.

Committed relationships are God’s ideal for us. Whilst formal membership is never directly mentioned in the scriptures, the biblical message is consistent in its call to a deep level of commitment to God and to His people.

Kingdom growth in both depth and numbers is a consequence of being “joined and held together” as the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:16) Membership is a way of affirming your commitment to the body of Chirst.

Privileges and responsibilities: We see that membership is a privilege and has responsibilities with it. Members add to the church and make it more complete. Our Christian service isn’t restricted to the church’s premises, it’s to be part of our lifestyle at home, at work, at school, at play. Looking for the best in others, not engaging in gossip, accepting others in their uniqueness, and encouraging other believers is our responsibility.
Personal reading and studying the Bible is vital to our walk with Christ, as is personal and corporate prayer. We need to learn about the vision and ministries of the church, and where possible support and pray for the church mission and leaders. Worshiping with the church community regularly and being a part of a Life Group (small group) also help us to grow and experience God at work. The scriptures speak of tithing and giving of our monetary resources as well as our gifts and time to further Gods kingdom through the local church. Our possessions, skills, abilities and gifts are not just our own, we are to use them to bless others.
Above all, we are to keep growing in our relationship with Christ, living in a manner which is right and true - showing the love of Jesus through all our dealings with people and passing that truth onto others.

Decision – making: 

Members are able to vote on matters brought before a congregational meeting, such as the appointment of a pastor, the appointment of elders, the purchase of land or buildings, and other important decisions that the church may want to make. Non members are not able to vote (although they are welcome to attend congregational meetings).

Your ability to vote and make decisions with other believers form a sound foundation for the direction we take as a church.

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A last thought, You don't become a member just because you signed a document or a piece of paper. You are a member of the church because of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. An active Christian choose to be part of the church when they give their life to Christ, accepting to be part of His body the Church. To Share, care love and belong.

Our belonging somewhere establishes a base from which we can reliably care for others. There are two sides to church membership, and we can’t keep others accountable for their good to a covenant we ourselves haven’t taken.

True love is not only manifest in affection and action, but also allegiance. We do not fully love our brothers and sisters in Christ if we withhold pledging our allegiance to them by covenanting with them in local-church life. Love doesn’t say, “I love these people and don’t need to covenant with them.” Rather, it says, “I love these people enough to covenant with them.”

Living the Christian life in community is more than just loose associations, but committing to each other to be there for each other when life is hard, in sickness and in sorrow.

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TAKE THE NEXT STEP
If you wish to become a member, talk to one of our pastoral staff. It’s a very simple process!

Complete this easy form - CLICK HERE

or email us - pastors@rbc.net.nz

Remember this? - Thanks to Tini Lawry for sharing

Luke 10:17-19

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

What a promise we have in Christ - nothing in all the enemies arsenal is capable of harming us. Through the name of Jesus we have authority over everything Satan is capable of doing. Wow!

Jesus said to the seventy on their return "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven"; many believe Jesus is talking about a long ago event. However I think the plain reading fits best here. Satan the prince of the worldly system was in spiritual authority over the lives of the seventy (in the heavens). At that point as they obeyed Christ and stepped out in faith and power, Satan's authority over their lives was broken and he fell. Jesus witnessed this.

What about us, are we living in this reality? At times I think so, other times perhaps not. However the invitation remains and so does the reality of the spiritual world.

One of the most painful lives recorded in scripture was that of Job, if you remember the story God and Satan have a conversation which results in Job suffering. Poor Job and his friends spend chapters trying to understand his predicament and find the cause. There is a big lesson here:- what takes place in the spiritual world has a significant impact on our own. Sometimes no matter what we, do unless spiritual matters are resolved the natural ones cannot be.

This is exactly the place of prayer.
Read 2 Corinthians 10, Ephesians 3:10, 6:12, Colossians 2:15, 1 Peter 3:22 for a glimpse into our place in this fight 

Are we using the right prayer weapons for the job?

Obedience
The seventy were empowered through obedience to Jesus' word. James 4:7 Need I say more? In reality we foster a close walk and sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit

The Name of Jesus
Whenever a legal process is enacted it requires the signature of an authorized person. That is exactly what the name of Jesus is. When confronting spiritual forces directly or indirectly it is the name of Jesus which gives us authority over the power of the enemy
See Philippians 2:5-11. Notice the relationship between obedience and authority

Fasting
Fasting can expose the spiritual root of issues and lead to breakthrough. In Luke 4 Jesus is lead by the Spirit into the wilderness (obedience), fasted for forty days, confronted Satan and returned "in the power of the Spirit".
Mark 9:28-29 - Some spiritual powers can only be confronted through fasting.

I would encourage you this week to spend time with the Holy Spirit and ask Him to lead you, who knows what He has for us in the days ahead!
I do know that He is asking us to spend this time listening, attending to His presence and prepare ourselves to confront principalities and powers. The fight is in the air.

Blessings,

~Johno

As always it has been a busy month at RBC.  I hope you will agree that it has been great to have the opportunity to sit under Murray’s rich teaching about our mission in Christ. The Elders and Pastors are working together to determine God’s direction for us over the next 6 months and beyond, by continually seeking His leading and guiding for the church and the Ministry Leaders are planning how they will serve God and the RBC family through their Ministry areas.

Young Adults/Youth/Childrens Ministries

We have now appointed a new intern to work alongside Stephen McQuarrie in our Ministry to Youth.  Toni Green is working alongside our other interns Simon Brophy and Richard Cloughley.  Please make a point of making Toni feel welcome as part of our team.  We believe God has provided us with some outstanding servant hearted people, who will be looking to impact the community of young people we serve.  I have attached their profiles below, so that you can find out a little more about them.

Toni Green:

Toni is so excited to get to know and love the young people of Rangiora, but even more for them to get to know and love Jesus Christ. She’s been involved in a number of youth groups around Canterbury, the Bay of Plenty and Dublin, Ireland (where she’s getting married in a few months!) since her own teen years at Hope Presbyterian in Hornby. When she’s not hanging out with the youth crew, you’ll find her reading, writing, riding (a horse) or planning the next ‘adventure’ to coerce her friends into.

Simon Brophy:

Simon and his wife Rebecca recently celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary, and have three children; Abigail, who is eight, Jonathan, who will be turning seven next month, and Naomi who will be four in April.  Simon has two different jobs. Simon is employed as an intern at my RBC and does a great job at overseeing the Children's Ministry. He has also been

employed at a bakery for the past 12 years, which involves him getting up in the morning at half past one three days a week (I know you guys are envious). Simon is studying toward a Bachelor of Theology to compliment his hands-on work at RBC, and what he has learned so far has improved his knowledge of the Bible and helped him to see where he fits into the Big God Story

Richard Cloughley:

Richard is super excited to start his internship at the RBC this year. He left his job building last year to pursue God's calling on his life in ministry. He has a passion to see people grow in their gifts and talents, but most importantly their walk with Jesus. He is looking forward to being part of an amazing team with the desire to see the needs of the lost met, and to see God move in power through RBC and out into the world.

Prayer Week

Our prayer week begins this Sunday and the Pastors have been overseeing the setting up of a prayer room in the Hope building where the café used to be.  Please ask the Lord what is on His heart for our church and community over the prayer season, so that we can discern the Lord’s will “Together”.  Our theme is Unity, but I believe unity is about us all carrying in our hearts the desire for God’s will to be outworked through us at RBC, as we express our individual gifts and callings.  So please seek the Lord for how you can serve His church and our local community, while also taking the time to pull aside and “Abide” in His presence. The Elders and Pastors believe that prayer is the key to us strengthening our faith and hearing God’s will for us as we serve together.

Creative Ministries

Owen Witheford has stepped down as Creative Ministries Leader and we want to acknowledge the dedication, time and commitment that Owen has given to this role. Please uphold Creative Ministries in your prayers as we need more members to lighten the load and also a new Ministry Leader.  Please talk to a member of the team if you feel lead to join this vital ministry.

Services

Recreate has kicked off for the year and we will also be starting an intergenerational evening service focusing on Young Adults on Sunday the 26th of March. This service is for all those that are young of heart, so please come and support our Young Adults Team as they put their efforts into creating a great new avenue for worship at RBC.

Missions Giving Policy

The Elders have been working on the Missions Giving Policy as agreed at the AGM.  This is a complex Policy as there are many rules governing church giving at the taxation level, however we have now reached agreement on how this Policy will be administered at RBC.  This is being drafted and will be released to the Church soon.

Blessings

Deb Riach