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MISSION SUNDAY: ADELINE REFLECTS ON THE SERMON BY REVD. David dell (Anglican missions)
The Reverend David Dell from the Anglican Mission Board spoke at the 9.30 am service on the 8 September 2018. He is also the Chaplain to the Police Force in NZ.
The Anglican Missions is committed to bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to places where the people do not yet know Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord and bringing in the harvest. Anglican Missions is a small agency and depends on the giving of local churches for its mission. St Peter’s Church has been giving to their Fiji project where the Anglican Mission Board supply tanks of water to Fijians. In addition, the church is also giving to the Tonga Project where aids were brought in after a disaster.
Sermon notes
In 2014, David was called upon to conduct a funeral for a 14 year old boy, William. Again in 2017, he received another call from the same family to conduct a funeral for the sister of William, Emily, only 1 year old. It was a very sad time for the family. What can one say to them? David
had prepared a music CD with words of comfort from God for the family but had hesitated to give it to the family, as they were not believers.
This year, three weeks ago, this same family had invited David to visit. David visited them, and they had a new addition to the family, baby Jack. During the visit, the baby was crying fitfully and inconsolably. David had wanted to pray for the baby but hesitated. Just before he was about to leave, he decided to heed the promoting of the Holy Spirit, and asked for permission to say a prayer for the crying baby. The amazing thing happened – immediately after the prayer; the baby stopped crying and was looking at David in a calm manner. Encouraged by this, David decided to present the family with the song in CD which he prepared for the family when Emily passed away the year before. Sharon, the mother and the family later expressed their thanks to David for they were ministered through the prayer and CD.
David also shared a few other accounts of how he was led to pray for a few others on other occasions – one of which was a man who was set free from an oppressing spirit when prayed over, and started taking Holy Communion again. That man had not taken Holy Communion for several years because he felt so unworthy to do so. When he was set free through prayer and the power of God; he started going up to take Holy Communion once again.
The accounts go to show that divine opportunities – to pray for someone, to speak to someone about Jesus or to pray for someone in need of healing – present itself. But when hesitated because of doubt, fear of what the person might think or feeling inadequate; these divine opportunities for God to do a work in the lives of others are missed. And too often those opportunities are missed because we hold back. The message is to step up and trust the Lord for the outcomes.
In John 14:12 Jesus said Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.
1 Thessalonians 5:19: Quench not the Spirit. Hebrew 13:5: I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
(Excerpts from a sermon by Revd. David Dell in St. Peters’ on Mission Sunday. Words by Adeline Hill)