Wamberal Christian Reformed Church

Wamberal Christian Reformed Church We are a Church that believes a person is saved by Grace alone, through Faith alone in Christ alone for life and faith being Scripture alone.

Welcome to our Christian Reformed Church of Wamberal on the Central Coast of NSW – a place to learn about Jesus, to serve him and each other and get connected with men and women in and around Central Coast who are committed to knowing Jesus Christ and making him known. You will see very ordinary people arriving as families and individuals. Our congregation is not a huge church so you won’t feel ov

erwhelmed. Our worship is very simple; you won’t see any unfamiliar religious practices or liturgy except that we sing and pray and listen. We are relaxed and get together like a family with parents and kids and so on. We have the same joys and hang ups as anyone else and yet we are special because we gather as God’s family, his children. As Martin Luther liked to say we are: “sinners yet saints”, strugglers and imperfect but God loves us anyway. The focus for our time together is on the teaching from the Bible. Not a dreary monologue but a listening to God in such a way we see the wonder of God, the magnificence of his love and grace, being enthused to a live a life of joy and thankfulness. The Bible teaching, like all our activities, is aimed at helping us live closer to God, getting to know him and his will for our lives, helping us as adults to mature as Christians, helping us raise our children to follow Jesus. We want very much to support one another in the hard times and share our joys in the good times. Our church motto is ‘Be still and know that I am God’. We want to reflect his compassion and love. So we want to reach out to others and have them, have you, bask in God’s love which comes through Jesus. So anyone and everyone is most welcome to our Church on a Sundays. You don’t have to be a Christian. Come along and check us out. We pray that our community is one where you can look for God in an honest and authentic way, where our love is genuine and a reflection of God’s love.

Reflection: SMALL GROUPS 6)Our Church Vision states: ‘We are a caring community that seeks oneanother’s good in every se...
10/06/2026

Reflection: SMALL GROUPS 6)
Our Church Vision states: ‘We are a caring community that seeks one
another’s good in every season of life. We walk alongside one another
spiritually, emotionally, and practically. We foster genuine relationships where
people are known, supported, and encouraged to grow in faith. We believe
that the best way for these relationships to fostered is through home groups.’
The Sydney CRC vision statement some years ago stated ‘… We recognize
the biblical teaching that the emphasis in life is not on the individual but on
the community, just as God, in Trinity, is a ‘communal God’ …’ That is the
key learning in this reflection. God is communal, so we as his image bearers
are as well.
In John 17 we have Jesus praying for his disciples that God will protect them
and assist them as Jesus sends them into the world with the gospel. Then in verses 20-25 Jesus
prays for us. Here, in a sense Jesus looks across time and history, and sees the likes of you and me,
and has us in mind. ‘My prayer is not for them alone (i.e. for the disciples). I pray also for those
who will believe in me through their message…’ What does Jesus pray for? ‘…that all of them may
be one…’ Now what is this oneness, this community based on? ‘…that all of them may be one,
Father, just as you are in me and I am in you...’ What Jesus says here is mind boggling- do you see
it? Jesus is inviting us into the relationship he has with the Father. Jesus is saying that the very
essence of what it is to be God, to be Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the triune God, the three in one,
is the basis for our unity and community.
When Jesus says ‘…you are in me and I am in you…’ he is
describing how the Trinity works. God, being three persons yet
one God is by his very nature a community. God is a relationship.
That is ultimate reality. God cannot be reduced any further. If we
reduce God to three individual persons, the three that form the
relationship, then we have three Gods. But God is one God, God is
the relationship. As John writes ‘God is love.’ For God to be love, it means he is a community- the
lover, the one loved and the love- all in one. So ultimate reality is not the individual person, but
the relationship is. Relationships are the most real things that are.
The thing that makes relationships is that each puts their focus on the
other. Love is other-person-centred, not self-centred. That is what we
see in God, in the relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit. Each one is not self-centred. Each is focused on the other, each
lives for the other. In John 3:35 we read that ‘The Father loves the Son
and has placed everything in his hands.’ In John 5:20 Jesus says, ‘The
Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.’ The Father is Son-
oriented. In response Jesus, the Son, always does what pleases the
Father. The Son is completely focused on the Father, obedient to do his will, serving him in
everything. This obedience is not forced but is an expression of the Son’s love for the Father. In
John 8:28 Jesus says that the Son does nothing of himself but as the Father has taught him. This
focusing on the other, this deep sense of serving, being other person focused is the essence of
God. We see it with the Holy Spirit as well. We see that the Spirit never draws attention to himself
but always focuses our attention on Jesus. The Spirit is self-effacing. He is incredibly modest. His
task is not to bring glory to himself, but to draw our hearts in belief to Jesus, to have us bring glory
to the Father.
What an amazing picture we see here. At the highest level of
power and might, at the highest level of being, God almighty,
we see a community of humble, deeply loving, serving
persons who focus all their attention on the other. In so
doing the three persons of God are each deeply loved, deeply
honoured and served, deeply appreciated. What an example
for us to be in community! When we, in our humility, ‘…are a
caring community that seeks one another’s good in every season of life,’ we are simply doing
what our humble serving God has always done in eternity. When we as his image bearers, saved
by grace, humbly serve each other we reveal the wonder and glory of God.

10/06/2026

9.30am
Sunday 14.6.2026
Rev Ian Reid
Lord’s Supper

10/06/2026

Sunday 7th June 2026
Rev Ian Reid
Ephesians 4:3-6
Practicing Church - Unity

03/06/2026

930 am
Sunday 7th June 2026
Rev Ian Reid
Ephesians 4:3-6
Practicing Church - Unity

Reflection: SMALL GROUPS (5)Our Church Vision states: ‘We are a caring community that seeks oneanother’s good in every s...
01/06/2026

Reflection: SMALL GROUPS (5)
Our Church Vision states: ‘We are a caring community that seeks one
another’s good in every season of life. We walk alongside one another
spiritually, emotionally, and practically. We foster genuine relationships where
people are known, supported, and encouraged to grow in faith. We believe
that the best way for these relationships to fostered is through home groups.’
Last week we had our first look at Hebrews 10:24 ‘And let us (1) consider how
we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us (2) not give
up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing but let us (3) encourage one another- and
all the more as to see the day approaching.’
Let’s look at that second ‘Let us…’ Notice two things.
First, don’t neglect to get together. Second, encourage’ one
another. The word suggests supporting, inspiring, consoling,
comforting, increasing hope, urging on. It is the word in Greek
used by Jesus to describe what the Holy Spirit does. So, it’s the
Spirit’s work. This verse has often been used as an argument for regular attendance at worship
services. It is part of the application of the text. One of the most important kinds of
encouragement we get is from the preaching of God’s word. It is so encouraging to be in worship
when we are all together in praise. It can be quite discouraging when there are few in church. The
irony is that if we only stress attending a church service, then we can, if we are not careful,
encourage individualism. For in a worship service there is usually only one person talking, and the
rest of us can take to heart as much or as little as we want. There is no direct accountability. But
this text is not actually about attendance at worship. In the context, the kind of coming together in
view is one where the members ‘encourage one another.’ There is something mutually going on.
If you ask what would correspond in our church it would be small groups, where we study
the Bible and pray together. The New Testament, repeatedly, calls us to a mutual ministry
that involves all the believers in encouraging others. The writer of Hebrews is concerned
that there are those who have formed the habit of not gathering for mutual support. ‘Not
giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing.’ Because of our busy lives,
and our acceptance of individualism many Christians have developed a habit, a lifestyle, of
not meeting together.
Our church Vision has a pastoral focus on home groups. It is acknowledged that it can be a
struggle to get members to come along on any sort of regular basis. But real spiritual
growth is not possible on our own. We are in real need of each other, to spur each other
on.
Warren says ‘We are to develop the habit of meeting together. A habit is something you do
with frequency, not occasionally. You have to spend time with people,
lots of time, to build deep relationships. This is why fellowship is so
shallow in many churches; we don’t spend enough time together, and
the time we do spend together is usually listening to one person
speak.’
Warren identifies four levels of fellowship in the typical church. (1)
Membership. This is the most basic level since it involves simply finding the church family
where God wants us to get connected. (2) Friendship. This happens when we deepen our
commitment by getting to know others and share our lives with them. It takes time and the
willingness to risk opening up to others that we don’t yet know very well. (3) Partnership.
This involves doing our part in church ministry. God gives each of us abilities that we are to
be used for the benefit of others. Each of us has a contribution to make that is vital to the
healthy functioning of this congregation. (4) Kinship. This is having a level of relationship
with other Christians that is so deep that you love them like your own family. Our
commitment to each other is right up there with our commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ.
As one commentator said of this level ‘…masks come off, conversations get deep, hearts
get vulnerable, lives are shared, accountability is invited, tenderness flows and people
really do become brothers and sisters.’ That is the deepest and most pure form of Christian
fellowship. That is the kind of fellowship that Jesus was talking about when he said,
‘Greater love has no one than this – that he is willing to lay down his life for his friends.’
(John 15:13). The deepest level is the commitment to love other Christian believers as
Jesus Christ has loved you. Which level are you? You see the importance of being involved
in home groups, don’t you

31/05/2026

Sunday 31.5.3026
Rev David Groenenboom
Luke 8:26-29
Jesus Kingdom Conquers Evil

28/05/2026

9.30 am
31.5.3026
Rev David Groenenboom
Luke 8:26-29
Jesus Kingdom Conquers Evil

Reflection: SMALL GROUPS (4)Our Church Vision states: ‘We are a caring community that seeks oneanother’s good in every s...
25/05/2026

Reflection: SMALL GROUPS (4)
Our Church Vision states: ‘We are a caring community that seeks one
another’s good in every season of life. We walk alongside one another
spiritually, emotionally, and practically. We foster genuine relationships where
people are known, supported, and encouraged to grow in faith. We believe
that the best way for these relationships to fostered is through home groups.’
When you get up in the morning and you face a day, what do you say to
yourself about your hopes for the day? What do you want to happen because
you have lived? The way you answer that question reveals a lot about what you see as important
in life, including your own faith life. If you think in terms of what you will personally achieve, how
you will progress in your personal goals etc you show an orientation towards individualism. That is
not at all unusual because it is the dominant world view in our culture: do your own thing, etc.
Individualism expresses itself in church circles too, where the stress is on one’s personal
relationship with Jesus, we do our own personal devotions, and we don’t share too much of our
joys and struggles with the broader church group. But Rick Warren, says ‘…Life is meant to be
shared. God intends for us to experience life together. The Bible calls this shared experience
fellowship…Real fellowship is much more than just showing up for [church] services. It is
experiencing life together. It includes unselfish loving, honest sharing, practical sharing,
sympathetic comforting and all the other ‘one another’ commands found in the New Testament.’
This is what the writer to the Hebrews is getting at in Hebrews 10:24. He has explained how Jesus’
one sacrifice on the cross is better than all the Old Testament sacrifices. Since Jesus has made the
way open, we can have a very close, very deep personal relationship with God. We can ‘draw
near’, we can get close and personal. All our sin is forgiven. Nothing stands in the way. Because
Jesus has risen from the dead, he guarantees that all God has promised will occur for us. Eternal
life with God, the hope of the new creation, it’s all ours. It will happen because God is faithful.
Now notice how the writer draws us to focus on community, three ‘let us’, practical points, (:24)
‘And let us (1) consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us (2)
not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing but let us (3) encourage one
another- and all the more as to see the day approaching.’
Look at the first ‘let us’, it is not what you might expect. It is not: consider how to love each
other and do good deeds. That would be Biblical and right. But it’s different: ‘Consider how
to spur one another (stimulate each other) to love and good deeds.’ The focus is on helping
others become loving people. The aim is at stirring up others to do good deeds. And of
course, the implication would also be that if others need help and stirring, we do too. So,
we would be aiming at what sorts of ways we can think and talk and act that will stir each
other up to love and to do good deeds. I want you to get this nuance so you can feel the
force of this as a daily focus for your life. Literally this is God’s call on us to consider one
another, that is, to look at one another, think about one another, focus on one another,
study one another, let your mind be occupied with one another. The goal of this focus on
others is to think of ways of stimulating them to love and good deeds.
Now, you know why that stress is there don’t you. This is what the quote from Rick Warren
was on about. We cannot make it in the Christian life on our own. Charles Wesley said,
‘The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.’ He instructed his followers, the Methodists
‘...to watch over one another in love.’ A commentator makes the remark ‘A person trying
to make it on their own as a Christian is an accident waiting to happen.’ If you think that
being a Christian, is something you can achieve on your own, you will come unstuck. How
will you obtain and maintain the courage and insight to be distinctively Christlike at work
or school in a culture that is no longer Christian. It is so easy to let your faith slip. We are
not even regular in our personal devotions, let alone standing up for Christ in business or
evangelising. We need each other to ‘spur’ us on. Like a horse rider digging in the spurs to
get his horse really going. The word implies summonsing, prodding, inviting, urging,
earnestly appealing, inspiring to act. Without this, without one another, we will easily lose
the plot- as too many do.
(It may be off interest to consider the sermon podcast by Tim Keller as he expounds on the need
of being a church that is a community spurring each other on. See link here: A Counter-Culture of
Grace – Gospel in Life

24/05/2026

Sunday 24.5.2026
Rev Ian Reid
Practicing Church
Ephesians 4:1-2
Living a life worthy

21/05/2026

9.30am
Sunday 24.5.2026
Rev Ian Reid
Practicing Church
Ephesians 4:1-2
Living a life worthy

Address

Dashwood Close (Cnr Tumbi Road & Dashwood Close)
Wamberal, NSW
2260

Telephone

+61243844204

Website

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