Update No. 428
Good Afternoon, Redeemer Family
Sermon Recordings
This week, Sean walked us through Hebrews 11:8–10 and Genesis 12:1–8, looking at the life of Abraham to show us what it means to step out in faithful obedience. He reminded us that the call of the gospel requires leaving behind our old ways and idols, stepping into the unknown with complete trust in God's promises.
Sean contrasted the temporary nature of our current lives, likened to Abraham living as a foreigner in tents, with the eternal, unshakable city built by God that we are journeying toward. We were challenged not to retreat into silence or the comfortable safety of our past, but to live boldly as faithful citizens of heaven, advancing God's kingdom by speaking the truth and proclaiming the gospel in a broken world.
If you weren’t able to make it on Sunday or if you’d like to listen to this sermon or any previous sermons, they’re all available here… or you can just listen below.
Can’t wait until Wednesday to listen to our latest sermon? Good news, you don’t have to! Our sermons are now (generally) uploaded by 8pm every Sunday.
ReMemer Church
Prayer & Fasting Weekend
As Sean mentioned on Sunday, our Prayer and Fasting Weekend is coming up on July 4th–5th. Everyone at Redeemer is encouraged to take part in fasting over the weekend in whatever way is appropriate for you and your family.
The idea is that, as a church, we seek the Lord’s direction, asking that He would shape us both as individual members of His body and as a church community. We are praying that we would grow a deeper appreciation and love for God, and that He would sanctify us so we can be useful for the good work He has for us. We want to grow in our Christlikeness, look beyond ourselves, and discern how we, as individuals and as a church, can make Him known throughout New Plymouth, New Zealand, and beyond.
The times set aside on Saturday are for us to come together for an hour of dedicated prayer. We don’t expect everyone to make it to every gathering, but if you could make it to at least one, I’m sure it will be a great encouragement and benefit to you and to everyone gathered.
At this stage, the morning session will be held at Cam and Shaina’s (and Fletcher’s!) house. We don’t yet have venues for the afternoon and evening sessions. If you would like to host one of these at your place, please let us know!
What is fasting?
If you aren't super familiar with the practice of Biblical fasting, hopefully the following excerpt helps. It comes from an article called 'The Biblical Rationale For Embodied Spiritual Practices' by Dr. Michael Emlet in The Journal of Biblical Soul Care. It’s definitely worth a read!
Is fasting Biblical?
Though not a sacrament, the practice of fasting appears throughout Scripture. God instituted fasting from food and drink as a spiritual practice long before anyone was talking about the health benefits of it! It was a regular part of individual and communal life for God’s people in the Old Testament, often associated with prayer or mourning over sin. For example, consider that, in 2 Samuel 12, David fasted for his son’s life; in 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast throughout Judah when faced with a great enemy army; and in Joel 2:12 the Lord called Judah to “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
The New Testament assumes the regular practice of fasting, and Jesus gives the only instructions related to it: “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your father who is in secret. And your father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16–18)
We see examples of the early church fasting before important decisions, such as the appointing of Paul and Barnabas for missionary work (Acts 13:2– 3) or the appointing of elders in the new churches (Acts 14:23). It’s important to note that both eating and refraining from eating throughout Scripture are to be done with God in mind (1 Corinthians 10:31).
How is the physical practice of fasting helpful spiritually?
First, the time you would have spent preparing and consuming food is spent in prayer or reading of Scripture.
Second, physical hunger serves as a reminder of our spiritual hunger (or lack thereof ). Do we have the attitude of David in Psalm 63:1: “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water”? Too often, when I fast, I am reminded that I don’t hunger and thirst after righteousness. An empty stomach reminds me of what I try to fill my life with apart from God. My physical experience makes me more attuned to my spiritual state.
Third, experiencing the absence of food points toward the generous provision of our heavenly Father. Much of the time in the affluent West, fasting is a chosen discipline, and not one forced upon us by food insecurity. Our temporary, freely chosen abstention especially prompts thankfulness for God’s care and bountiful provision and reminds us to pray for others who lack basic food and nutrition.
Fourth, put another way, fasting reminds us of our creatureliness. Psalm 104 is a song to God, the Creator and Sustainer of life. Addressing God, the psalmist says in verses 27–28, “These [that is, all your creatures] look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.”
Fifth, practising this form of physical self-denial and restraint helps set a pattern wherein bodily appetites (for food, entertainment, sex, etc.) are submitted to God.
These [bodily] aspects of life in Christ are important to recognize because they have been neglected at times. But nothing I have written here bypasses the soul, as if our bodies allow unmediated access to our Father in heaven or bodily practices automatically result in sanctification. New life in Christ comes through the renewal and cleansing of our hearts by the blood of Jesus Christ. We are new creatures because we have new hearts through the work of the Holy Spirit. We live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). And yet, engaging the bodily context in which we live is critical for our spiritual formation even as we trust that God the Holy Spirit is working in us “both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
What should we conclude from this biblical survey of embodied practices associated with worship? Both the Old and New Testaments provide biblical warrant and directives for the use of our bodies in relationship with God in everyday discipleship. Discipleship is sensual, linking the mind with eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and hands. Regular bodily practices tutor the hearts of God’s people toward Him and His kingdom. Through our bodies, we literally “taste and see” that He is good.
SGA NZ. Ukraine Update
Valentin is a faithful pastor who through SGA Ukraine Relief is reaching many with the Gospel.
Please, watch the video from Pastor Valentin, read the stories and continue to tell of both the growing needs in Ukraine and the powerful work that God is doing in dark times.
Monthly Men’s Breakfast
Our next Monthly Men’s Breakfast is this Saturday, from 8am, at 107 Alfred Road, Egmont Village. As always, all the men of the church are welcome and encouraged to come along!
Directions to 107 Alfred Road, Egmont Village:
1. Head out of town: Start heading south on Coronation Avenue, which will naturally turn into Junction Road (State Highway 3). Follow the signs towards Inglewood.
2. Watch for landmarks: Keep driving on State Highway 3 until you pass Lake Mangamahoe and the Mangapouri Cemetery.
3. Turn right: Take the very first RIGHT turn immediately after the cemetery onto Thomason Road (the turnoff is about 8km from New Plymouth).
Navigational Warning: If you reach Egmont Village, you have missed the turn and gone too far. Turn around!
4. Continue straight: Stay on Thomason Road. It will naturally lead onto Alfred Road.
5. Cross the bridge: Continue up Alfred Road for about 1km until you cross a river bridge.
6. Arrive at 107 Alfred Road: Take the very first LEFT immediately after crossing the bridge.
Destination & Parking Details:
The House: Look for a large black house with solar panels situated on a hill right beside it.
Parking: You have plenty of room to park, feel free to park by the black shed or directly in front of the house/garage.
Click the image below to see a zoomed-in view.
Or if you prefer Google Maps:
Wednesday In The Word
Wednesday in the Word is on Wednesday, June 17th, from 7:15pm at the Rogers (68 Fernleigh Street)! This is open to anyone and everyone (13+), and if you’ve got younger kids that need to come along, they’re welcome to hang out too!
Just a reminder that I have slightly tweaked the questions. They’re essentially the same, just worded slightly differently. Be sure to reflect on these questions as you read the passage so that you can come prepared to share!
What did you find interesting about this passage? Why?
What questions come to mind when reading this passage?
What do we learn about people from this passage?
What do we learn about God (or Jesus) from this passage?
In light of this passage and what we’ve discussed, how will you practically apply it this week?
Our discussions will be based around Luke 10:25–37, but feel free to engage with the rest of the context reading as well.
Context Reading: Luke 10
Focus Passage: Luke 10:25–37
Tea & Testimony
Our next gathering will be on Saturday, June 27th, from 7pm at the Flemings (146A South Road, Spotswood)!
What to expect? Good things. What to anticipate? God’s faithfulness. Are expectation and anticipation the same thing? No, no they’re not. Should good things and God’s faithfulness be both expected AND anticipated at Tea & Testimony? Yes, yes they should.
What Are Our Kids Learning?
On Sunday, the children explored the book of Leviticus and learned about a very important holiday called the Day of Atonement. We talked about how God is perfectly holy, but people are sinful, which creates a big gap between us. To bridge this gap, God provided a "sin substitute"; someone or something to take the penalty for sin. On this special day, the High Priest would use two goats. One goat (which we called "Forgive") was sacrificed to take the punishment for the people's sins. The second goat (which we called "Forget") was led far away into the wilderness, symbolizing that God was completely removing and forgetting their sins.
We learned that these two goats were actually beautiful signs pointing straight to Jesus! Animals could never truly pay for human sin, but they showed the people what the ultimate Rescuer would do. Jesus is our perfect sin substitute. Like the first goat, Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment we deserved. And like the second goat, because of Jesus’s sacrifice, God completely forgives and forgets our sin. What amazing news that through Jesus, the gap is closed and we can be close to our holy God!
Their memory verse is:
“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” - Hebrews 10:10
North Island Biblical Counselling Conference
We would love to encourage our church family to attend the upcoming North Island Biblical Counselling Conference! Hosted by the New Zealand Biblical Counselling Association (NZBCA), this event is a fantastic opportunity to be equipped to faithfully care for one another using the Word of God.
Conference Details
Speaker: Dr. Stuart Scott (Professor of Biblical Counselling at The Master’s University and Director of Member Care with ACBC)
Location: Covenant Presbyterian Church, 77 Rogers Road, Manuwera, Auckland
What to Expect
The weekend is split into two connected themes, focusing on how genuine heart-change naturally leads to better care for our church family.
Pre-Conference: A Christlike Mindset
Friday, 18th September 2026 The pre-conference addresses the central battleground of personal change: pride versus humility. Dr. Scott will expose how pride resists change and how cultivating a humble heart opens the way for genuine transformation.
Main Conference: Christlike Love
Saturday, 19th September 2026 Saturday shifts focus to the "one another" passages of the New Testament. You will learn what it looks like to rely on the sufficiency of Scripture to build up the body of Christ and how biblical counselling is simply a natural extension of normal Christian living.
Want a preview? If you want to get a feel for the teaching before signing up, the NZBCA has recently uploaded the video recordings and session notes from this year's South Island conference to their YouTube Channel.
You can also follow NBCA on Facebook and Instagram
Reflection
“Succinct as it was, God’s opening summons to Abraham to follow him was a declaration of the requirements of covenant life in all the breadth and depth of their demands. Covenantal discipleship under the authority of the Lord Jesus is a denial of self and a following after him on the way of the cross”
- Meredith G. Kline