The September 2023 SOMA Australia Newsletter is out now!
You may either receive this email via email, or a PDF version is available who would prefer to receive a copy that may be printed.
Included here is the opening greeting by new National Director, Reverend Melinda.
She writes,
Greetings to all SOMA Missioners,
Please allow me to start by introducing myself, as many may not know who I am, or where I’m from. My name is Melinda McMahon and I am the Rector of the Anglican parish of Southlakes which is located in the Lake Macquarie district of New South Wales. So, I’m part of the Newcastle Diocese.
For the past four years I’ve been in parish ministry, after ministering as a chaplain and a Scripture teacher for many years, as well as ministering as family worker in Tea Gardens and Bulahdelah.
But, most of all, I am passionate about fulfilling God’s mission in the power of the Spirit. Shortly after returning home from participating in my first SOMA mission to Northern Ireland, I was delighted to be invited to be the new National Director.
I would like to start our newsletters with a devotional, keeping our focus on the great commission which our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ called us to fulfil.
In our parish, during the season of Pentecost, we have been following a devotional which journeys through the book of Acts, teaching us how to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit. I’d like to share the devotional of Day 14, entitled, “The Spirit of Pentecost is the Spirit of Mission”.
When Jesus promised His disciples the power they needed to accomplish the work He had given them. He said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). There are at least five ways the Spirit empowers us to fulfill God’s mission.
The Spirit Compels Us to Witness | With the baptism in the Holy Spirit comes an inner compulsion to tell others about Jesus and His salvation. When Peter and John were ordered to stop preaching and teaching in Jesus’ name, they replied, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). The Holy Spirit was in them compelling them to talk about their Lord. In the same way, the Spirit compels us to tell others about Jesus.
The Spirit Enables Us to Speak | Once the disciples were filled with the Spirit, they spoke with unexpected ability. The people were astonished that these ordinary men spoke with such authority. We can have that same “great grace” upon our lives if we will be empowered by the Holy Spirit as they were.
The Spirit Equips Us to Defeat Demons | Paul wrote, “The god of this age [Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:4). Jesus overcame demons in the Spirit’s power, and so must we. This is another reason we must be filled with―and remain full of―the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit Empowers Us to Work Miracles | In Acts, signs and wonders were a key element in advancing the gospel. Following the Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost, “awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles” (2:43). The same can be true today. If we will be filled with the Spirit and remain committed to God’s mission, the Spirit will work through us to perform miracles to the glory of God.
The Spirit Gives Us Boldness | The Spirit who empowers us for mission is who gives us courage to witness for Christ in the face of danger and threats. We know that Stephen was stoned, James was beheaded, Peter was imprisoned, and Paul was once stoned and left for dead. When we face hostility and threat today, we must be like those first Christians. We must be filled with the Spirit and continue to boldly proclaim the message of salvation.
You and I are called to fulfil Jesus’ mission. So let us ‘Go in love and serve the Lord, in the power of the Spirit’ wherever the Lord has placed us, wherever our missionfield is. Yours in the power of the Spirit, Rev Mel.
If you’d like to subscribe to receive the SOMAAustralia Newsletter, please contact us.