Everyone wants a happy and successful life, but few know the secret. There is a tendency in our society to respond towards others rather than make the first contact... we wait for others to befriend us before we are prepared to befriend them. It may be surprising to some, that the Christian ethic is actually the opposite of our natural tendencies. God acts first, offers first, befriends first, despite our spiritual state or response... and we are encouraged to likewise develop the same attitude towards others. Why should we bother? A successful Christian develops through the successful applications of life's truths. God has wonderfully and surely set the correct pathway before us all... all we need to do is to fashion our life attitudes upon the bible example.

The world at present has a lot of people standing up, to voice their feelings one way or another. Recent examples are the greenhouse effect, global warming, the rain forests, the abortion issue, save the whales, aids, legalization of prostitution, etc, etc. As a result of the ongoing publicity, ordinary people are pushed to think about the issues and form opinions. What about the word of God: where are His voices? Where are the 'John the Baptists' of our age? Many have rejected or compromised the Word of God to serve their own ambitions. However, people don't need powerless religion, they need answers, testimonies of truth, examples of the personal miracle working power of God. They need to hear about the healing of the soul, mind and body.

Feature article in 'The Herald' newspaper about the Newcastle Fellowship."Speaking in tongues speaks volumes about a Glendale church group's commitment to their faith, observes Damon Cronshaw".

For those filled with the miracle working power of God, a knowledgeable and Spirit inspired lifestyle is essential. This requires an intimate understanding of God's purposes and values. We need to be aware that the scriptural principles we choose to prioritize, will determine whether we keep growing and prospering spiritually, or whether we fall short of the promised blessings that the Lord has offered us. First and foremost, the local church is part of the whole family of God... the body of Christ. Every church is a family structure in its own right with many of the apostles confirming this principle with the very personal content of their epistles. Family attitudes and priorities should be the driving influences behind every blessing and all overcoming. The following is a series of scriptures that reveal the extent of this great truth.

God has taken diverse people from every corner of society and filled them with the power of the Holy Spirit. We are all different, have different expectations, differing skills and abilities and differing priorities; however, we are all expected to build God’s family together. We have no natural ability or talent that bridges all these differences, thus we have to take our instruction from God's word. This focus on family life is more about keeping people in a place of safety from the judgment coming upon this world than it is about having a good time. There is a real urgency to get our lives into order; there are many other lives to save.

The following scriptures make a clear case for the church to promote the anointing of the Holy Spirit as its first and most urgent priority. Many today are being sidetracked by the need to have 'spiritual experiences', while the bible is more interested in getting people filled with Spirit of God. Jesus Christ died and was resurrected so that the human race could have access to the life giving powers of God. Jesus himself could not begin his ministry till he had the same experience that is the prime focus of the gospel... the infilling power of the Holy Spirit.

The book of Malachi was the last book of the bible written before Jesus Christ was born (approx 450bc). It also plays the same role as does the book of Revelation in the New Testament. Like Revelation, it contains layers of truths for the time of its writing, but also contains many prophetic revelations about the age of the church; our current age today. A simple study reveals that Malachi serves far more people in this age, than the one that preceded Christ. The following verses are perhaps of key relevance and interest to us as we face the near return of Christ.

Fellowship is much more than turning up at a meeting and communion is much more than drinking and eating food elements once a week. Paul makes some very sobering observations about the benefits of fellowship and the severe cost of misunderstanding these truths.

Our memory is a very unreliable keeper of the truth. Due to a variety of reasons we forget things... we forget the truth. When something is forgotten, then those memories are not able to shared with others and that particular truth can be lost forever. Mankind has consistently forgotten the things that God has done for him, hence many are unaware of his promises. Just as the passing of time assists us to forget historical facts (allowing it to be rewritten); so to has man's potential relationship with God been distorted. God keeps us in touch with the truth through the continuous working of the Holy Spirit; always prompting us to offer the truth of Eternal Life to others. God's memory doesn't dim or change with the passing of time.

The following topics lay the foundation for an acceptable Christian life, which is both pleasing to God’s people and God himself. The salvation message is simple, yet very effective. There is an acceptable level of faith, which should not be confused with our potential. Spiritual bullying. Inviting people to fellowship meetings…