Come with me on a journey of the Imagination to a place where the ideal is real and there are no constraints. Imagine in this place there is a Church - an unusual Church.
Imagine this Church is characterised by diversity, where the people who regularly gather, come from all walks of life, from every age and from a wide range of backgrounds. A Church whose passionate faith in Almighty God is their unifying strength, their purpose and the obsession of their lives. Imagine, with me, that these people know there are no rules when it comes to ‘doing Church’. See the creativity and the dreams of the people being used by the Holy Spirit to forge a powerful momentum, building the Kingdom of God in the City of Nowra, the State and the Nation of Australia.
Imagine this ‘no rules’ mentality translates into big thinking, high levels of faith and a personal engagement with the Word of God that causes that Word to infuse into people’s lives. An infusion that results in a radical life change and an infectious style of living that causes strangers to ask, ‘Who influences these people’s lives?’. See a people whose lifestyle is positive, moral, encouraging, and characterised by kindness. Imagine a people with an unusual, inexhaustible level of enthusiasm for their God, for life and for being an Australian.
Imagine a Church focused on building a community whose DNA is imprinted with ‘Others’ and where everyone is made to feel welcome, accepted and valued. A community enlarging, as people seek out authentic relationships free of judgement and prejudice. Imagine, if you will, an environment where sin is not condoned and people are not condemned. Imagine a people who live their lives reflecting the grace they themselves have experienced.
Imagine a Church where people love people and passionately want their City to experience the transforming power of God’s love. A Church who will willingly give of their time, finances, giftings and energy to ensure multitudes have the opportunity to meet Jesus Christ and experience the saving power of His work on the Cross. Imagine a community who live by the creed …‘So Others may Live’. A creed that causes this passion for people to extend beyond city limits, beyond State borders, even beyond this ‘land girt by sea’ to nations which have not heard about the Jesus these people serve so vigorously.
Imagine a Church that is an army of mighty men and women who are not ignorant of, nor intimidated by, the devil and his devices. A people who know the protection of the blood of Jesus, the authority of the work of the Cross and the might of the Word of God. A people who spiritually stand at the gates of the city as prayer warriors, fighting for the souls of its occupants and bringing an invasion of righteousness into the city.
Imagine this Church is a school of the Spirit where Disciples are equipped and released to fulfil the call of God on their lives. See, with me, a place where the Holy Spirit is honoured and revered in an attitude reflective of the extreme hunger and thirst for God of the Christ ‘ones’. Imagine a community where every disciple, disciples others. A place which is a training campus, prolifically producing mature Christians, Leaders and Pastors who plant or assist churches throughout Australia and the rest of the world.
Imagine a Church where everyday people give themselves to a noble cause – a Church where eternal significance is the common currency. Imagine a community of people whose priorities of life are measured in the light of the biblical commission declared by the very Saviour who gave His life for them. In your imagination, see a healthy Church where people flourish.
Come with me now, away from this place of the Imagination and back into our reality. Can you see with me that the Holy Spirit is at work bringing the church we have just imagined into being, in this Church we see before us? – this God infused community of people we call ‘Nowra City Church’.
Ps Peter Pilt
