Jan-Apr 2021 Update

Over the past few months, I have had the privilege of visiting many congregations in Australia, as international borders are still closed. It has been wonderful to meet many new members attending God’s Church as well as catching up with some “old-timers” too! We’ve been having wonderful responses through TV and Facebook with thousands of requests for literature since January.

We are now advertising in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. In two days, we added 138 new subscribers in Fiji alone. We will continue to add more countries in the coming months. Church attendance has increased by about 5% in the past year and we have been blessed with some wonderful offerings from our faithful co-workers and donors. I would like to add a special thank you to everyone who has been faithfully supporting God’s work.

Perhaps it is also a good time to officially mention that we will have some ministerial transfers later this year here in Australia. Mr and Mrs Martin Montgomery will be moving back to Adelaide to serve in an administrative role here in the office plus assist with various pastoring duties. Mr and Mrs Adam Jennings will move to Melbourne to become the new Pastor for both Melbourne and Melton congregations. Please keep them in your prayers as they make arrangements to move.

Recently, I watched an Australian movie, “Ride Like a Girl”. It is a true story about a girl, Michelle Payne, who was born in country Victoria. Her mother died in a car accident when she was six months old and was raised by her father and nine older siblings. What makes Michelle Payne’s story inspiring is that in 2015, despite many challenges (injury and being a girl), she became the first woman to win the famous Melbourne Cup horse race in its 155-year history.

One quote from the movie caught my attention, “a horse gallops with his lungs, perseveres with his heart and wins with his character”. This lesson given to Michelle by her trainer was to teach her that every breath is important, the heart must never give up and bad habits will lead to failure.

God’s people are also training to win the race (I Corinthians 9:24). Our goal is not winning the Melbourne Cup, but receiving a far greater and more valuable prize. What is more important than becoming full members of the God Family? Yet all three qualities must be achieved. We must make every breath count. Life is short so it is important to make sure that we use our time wisely. Ephesians 5:16 says, “Redeem the time because the days are evil.” Speaking of the heart, we know from Scripture, “The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). How easy it is to deceive ourselves and become so sure in our own mind about certain things. The way to combat that is by applying Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, these O God, You will not despise.” This person has a heart that is tender and responsive to God’s Word. Finally, character

Christian character – is defined as being the sum of a person’s thoughts, intentions, desires and actions. The character of Job is summed up like this, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil..” (Job 2:3). As we strive to do the work and finish our race, lets make each day count, consider the condition of our heart and develop holy, righteous character.

In Christ’s Service,

Robert Tyler
Australasian Regional Director