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Glen Park Gospel Church >> Archive >> Editorial >> 2026
Each month the Glen Park Gospel Church produce a one page newsletter called the Green Leaf. It's available from the chapel each Sunday. Some months include a topical article or report. We thought you might appreciate reading those previously published.
| Editorial in Year 2026 |
|---|
| A New Thing |
| Mission Societies |
| What is Heaven Like? |
| Rabbits and Eggs |
| Iran in Three Prophecies |
| Four Things Called Love |
A New Thing
Announcement - Isaiah 43:19
"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."
Purpose - 2 Samuel 7:13
"He shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever."
Fulfilment: Luke 1:32-33
Birth - Isaiah 7:14
"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel [God with us]"
Fulfilment: Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:35
Commissioning - Isaiah 42:1,9
"Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations."
Fulfilment: Matthew 3:16-17
Death - Isaiah 53:12
"...He poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors."
Fulfilment: Crucified with criminals
Resurrection - Psalm 16:10
"For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your Holy One see corruption [decay]"
Fulfilment: Jesus' resurrection
Gift - Romans 6:4
"We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."
Appropriation, Judgement - John 3:16,18
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."
Ascension - Mark 16:19 (Acts 1:9)
"So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat at the right hand of God."
Intercession - 1 Timothy 2:5,6
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all,"
Return - Acts 1:11
"Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."
Rule - Revelation 19:16
"On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords."
Thought for the Month
God is doing a new thing — not us, not others, but God. Our response is to let Him do it! Let’s not stand in the way of God’s great work.
Stephanie Wilsey. (2024)
Mission Societies
A list of 28 missions that we support with their own words on who they are and what they do. The year listed to the right is generally when they began, sometimes part of a different mission. Almost all of the missionaries we pray for are sent by these missions. Please pray for one mission each day this month.
AFES (Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students) 1930
Students sharing their faith in Jesus with other students.
Named Inter Varsity Fellowship until 1973.
afes.org.au
AIM (Africa Inland Mission) 1895
Helping you and your church share the good news of Jesus with African peoples who have the least opportunity to hear.
900 of 3,700 people groups still unreached.
aimint.org/ap
Bible League 1938
We equip the under-resourced Church to make disciples, transforming lives through God’s Word.
Project Philip Bible studies, Bible based literacy, Church planter training
bl.org.au
Celebrate Messiah 1995
Bringing the Message to the Original Messengers.
In Australia, then in 2000 partnered internationally with Chosen People Ministries.
celebratemessiah.com.au
ECM (European Christian Mission) 1920
Planting churches and making disciples. Seeing the peoples of Europe transformed in the name of Jesus Christ.
First missionary from Australia in 1960.
ecmaustralia.org
Empart 1998
We equip local leaders, empower women, nurture children, restore health, improve livelihoods, and respond to emergencies.
Our name, Empart, has been derived from the words 'empowering' and 'partnering'.
empart.org/au
Enabled 2007
Helping many independent disability services in India.
Disability support, Individual and community education.
FEBC (Far East Broadcasting Company) 1965
Media can be used to bring the hope of Jesus to communities in need, effecting change in the process.
We broadcast the hope of Jesus Christ in more than 150 languages across 50 countries across Asia and East Africa.
febc.org.au
GMTA (Genesis Media Training Association, Reach Beyond) 2003
Education & Literacy, Health & Family Welfare, Vocational Training.
Formed out of Reach Beyond in Orissa, India.
Hope From Above 2013
To declare God’s glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
Identifying remote people groups, Producing sensing and delivery technology, and Raising awareness.
hfa.org.au
INF (International Nepal Fellowship) 1952
Responding in faith, reaching out in love for the people of Nepal.
Begun in India, then in Australia in 1961.
inf.org.au
Interserve 1852
Ministry to refugees, the local church, overcoming barriers, caring for the environment, working with women and sharing His love.
In 1952 Interserve decided to allow men to join.
interserve.org.au
Jewels of Hope 2004
Teaching children from child-headed homes, to create jewellery and sell their products.
This has grown to include food distribution, schooling, ministry, and making use of biblical principles and Kingdom values.
jewelsofhope.org
MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) 1945
Overcoming the barriers of isolation by using aviation to bring help, hope and healing to the world’s most isolated communities.
Partnering with over 1,500 aid, development and mission organisations, we are transforming lives, one flight at a time.
maf.org.au
NTM (New Tribes Mission) 1942 (now CrossView in Australia / Ethnos360 internationally)
We empower, equip, endorse, and encourage local churches and their members in the long journey of planting Gospel-centred churches in some of the neediest and hard to access contexts in the world.
crossview.com.au
OAC (Open Air Campaigners) 1892 (as NSW Prayer Band)
Reach out to the unchurched around us with the message of Jesus and Edify, Encourage, and Equip the church to do the same.
Sketch board painting method of evangelism.
oac.org.au
OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship) 1865 (as China Inland Mission)
We share the good news of Jesus Christ in all its fullness with East Asia’s peoples to the glory of God.
Humbly and prayerfully engage in church planting, then serve alongside to strengthen and extend it.
omf.org/au
Pioneers 1979 (South Sea Evangelical Mission in 1886, Action Partners in 1904 as Sudan United Mission, Asia Pacific Christian Mission in 1931 as Unevangelised Fields Mission)
Bringing the gospel where it’s never been. Serving the Church. Reaching the unreached.
Initiating church planting movements in partnership with local churches.
pioneers.org.au
Prison Network Ministries 1947
We journey with women in and beyond prison, providing the support and courage they need to navigate positive pathways and create change.
prisonnetwork.org.au
Reach Beyond 1931
Sharing Jesus, giving hope and transforming communities world wide.
Begun in Equador as HCJB, then in 1950s in Australia to reach into Asia Pacific. Shortwave broadcast from Australia began in 2003.
reachbeyond.org.au
Scripture Union 1868
Bring God’s love, hope and good news to children, young people and their families.
We go where they are, get alongside and do life together.
su.org.au
SILA (Summer Institute of Linguistics Australia) 1950 (as EQUIP Training)
SILA trains intercultural workers in the areas of language learning, linguistics, translation, literacy and other language related roles.
sila.org.au
SIM (Serving In Mission) 1902 (as Sudan Interior Mission, Andes Evangelical Mission in 1907 as Bolivian Indian Mission, Africa Evangelical Fellowship in 1889, Middle East Christian Outreach in 1860)
Make disciples of Jesus in communities where He is least known.
Work together with churches to fulfil God’s mission, facilitate the participation in cross-cultural ministry.
sim.org.au
Tear Fund 1971 (within Australian Evangelical Alliance)
Transform, Empower, Advocate, Restore
Working in Partnership to End Poverty. We Do Justice Together.
tearfund.org.au
The Leprosy Mission 1869 (formally as The Mission to Lepers in 1878)
Help people affected by leprosy.
Advocacy, Community projects, Healthcare, Research, Education, Livelihoods, Disability, Neglected Tropical Diseases.
leprosymission.org.au
The Pocket Testament League 1890 (by a few schoolgirls)
Provision of gospels of John.
Encouraging and equipping Christians to read the Word of God daily, carry the Word of God with them wherever they go, and then share the Word of God with others.
tptl.org.au
Uhakika 1983 (Anglican Diocese of Mt Kilimanjaro, 1990 within Africa Evangelical Fellowship, now SIM)
‘Uhakika’ is a Swahili word meaning ‘certainty’.
Justification by Faith alone. Even my future non-submission to the King has been covered.
graceclinics.weebly.com
Wycliffe Australia 1947 (under Interdenominational Missionary Fellowship)
Communities worldwide encountering God in languages that speak to their hearts.
Making disciples of people from every language group through Bible translation into vernacular languages.
wycliffe.org.au
Thought for the Month
Imagine if Iran becomes a Christian nation. For a hint from what the Bible says about Elam, possibly referring to today, see below. And find @TousiTV on YouTube. And read Jeremiah 49:35,36,38,39
"This is today. It's been happening for a while. A key part of that verse is how the Elamites have been thrown all over the world, Me included."
Pirooz Amir, Iranian Messianic Jew, 12th Jan, 2026
oneforisrael.org/jewish-iranian-points-out-the-fulfillment-of-bible-prophecy-about-elam-today
What is Heaven Like?
Heaven conjures various images for different people: Streets paved with gold, A cherub in a cloud with a harp, An endless Church service. The Bible also portrays Heaven with many images. See Isaiah 65:17-25. Heaven is also tied with what we ourselves will be like in that realm. And God understands that it is difficult for us to know:
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." Ecclesiastes 3:11. See also 1 John 3:2
Perhaps the most succinct definition is that Heaven is being with God, and conversely Hell is being without God. God is perfect, faultless, so Heaven must be the same. And so must we on arrival.
"But our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body..." Philippians 3:20,21. See also Corinthians 15:42-44
In Heaven we will recognise each other and even people we have never met. Jesus disciples saw Moses and Elijah on a mountain, even if Peter's response was a bit silly:
And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah" Matthew 17:2-23 (4)
Whether infant, old or infirm, we will be made complete in Jesus:
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." 2 Corinthians 4:17
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 19:14
See also 1 Corinthians 13:12, Ephesians 4:13, Revelation 21:4.
Heaven will be multi-cultural:
"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the Lamb..." Revelation 7:9
There will be work to do:
"And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever." Revelation 22:5
Reigning is not about us being in control, but we will have purpose, responsibility, and partnership with God just as was first given to Adam and Eve:
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion..." Genesis 1:26
Thought for the Month
"Aim at Heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth and you will get neither."
C.S. Lewis, from the book: Mere Christianity
Rabbits and Eggs
"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."
Isaiah 43:19
Osterhase is German for Easter Hare and is first described in 1678 by the physician Georg Franck von Franckenau in south-west Germany. At the time, the tradition was not known elsewhere in Germany. Only good children would receive dyed eggs from the Easter Bunny. During Lent, some Christians would abstain from eating meat and animal products, including eggs, until Easter Sunday. And so there would be celebration on breaking the fast.
A hare or rabbit is a symbol of fertility and eggs a symbol of new life. They represent the virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, and Jesus Christ's resurrection. While it is easy for us to see these Easter trappings as frivolous, they are in fact directly founded in Christian tradition and serve to teach children of God’s goodness in providing repair of our sinful nature.
There were of course no rabbits or eggs in the biblical Easter narrative. On this page over the past several months we have explored one or other aspect of the Gospel message; from our creation, through sin and God's standard, from due punishment to God's gift in Jesus Christ taking on that punishment in our stead. It can be a hard message to understand and even more difficult to welcome. There is little wonder that over the ages people have found ways to tell the message in other forms.
Next time I say 'Well, the real message of Easter is...', pull me up and remind me that the chocolate figures are a helpful part of it too.
Thought for the Month
"A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act."
Mahatma Gandhi
"God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, 'I love you.'"
Billy Graham
"Christ the Lord is risen today, sons of men and angels say. Raise your joys and triumphs high; Sing, ye heavens and earth reply."
Charles Wesley
"His crucifixion is the key; His resurrection is the door... it is only by his death that we have the mandate to enter into the gates of eternal life. His doors are open always."
Israelmore Ayivor
Iran in Three Prophecies
1 "[Thus says the LORD] of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose'; saying of Jerusalem, 'She shall be built', and of the temple, 'Your foundation shall be laid'." Isaiah 44:28. "Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed." Isaiah 45:1. This prophecy was given 150 years before its fulfilment to restore Israel which happened about 500 years before Christ. "'I have stirred him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways level; he shall build my city and set my exiles free, not for price or reward', says the LORD of hosts." Isaiah 45:13.
2 Gog of the land of Magog, possibly Russia, will march against Israel together with Persia (Iran), Cush (Sudan/Ethiopia), Put (Libya), Gomer (Turkiye), Beth-togarmah (Turkiye/Armenia) Ezekiel 38:1-9. This armada and battle plan per the prophecy is not like what we are seeing today given that Iran is leading, not Russia, and the attacks are by missiles (flaming arrows), not by soldiers with guns (swords) marching all over Israel. This prophecy is yet to be fulfilled.
3 From Jeremiah 49:34-39 there is a prophecy that fits well with the current war in Iran. However, keep in mind that other events, past and future, may also fit the prophecy. "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might'." (35) Elam is western Iran near to southern Iraq and is where their nuclear development was taking place. "And I will set my throne in Elam and destroy their kings and officials, declares the LORD." (38) "And in the latter days I will restore the fortunes of Elam, declares the LORD." (39) This last verse says that the people of Iran have hope and will not be held accountable for the evil of their officials.
Iran in the Bible: 3 Prophecies | The Christian Channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Qe57KBWwEo
Political Agenda
(read on with caution)
Traditional media has been run over by the internet which reduced the value of information to a fraction of what was needed to support editorial staff and quality research. As a result most news outlets have resorted to emotive opinions that encourage consumer interaction. They feed off each other without checking sources. Negativity creates the most ‘clicks’ and so that is what we get. Truth has become optional. What to do?
For news about Iran, I found Tousi.TV (or YouTube.com/@TousiTV) to be quite different, politically confronting for some. It is run by an Iranian in the UK and does have sources on the ground. At least in terms of Iran, you might like to tune in.
For general news I have been trying out Ground.News. This was started by an ex NASA engineer with the aim of summarising what the main news agencies are reporting for each event. Alongside this they identify where each news agency leans politically which makes it easy to see likely biases. Ground.News is American but does provide some Aussie flavour by following local publications and by swapping the red/blue colours that define American / Australian politics. You will have to take a look to see what I mean.
Four Things Called Love
The ancient Greek language was complete; deep and broad, much like English, French and Mandarin today. In the middle ages, after the Greek and Roman empires, the richness fell away much as has been happening to English over the past century with many subtle words lost and with poorer grammar, everything becoming simplified and shallow. People only use the words that they need in daily life. This is common to most people of the world who often speak what is known as a trade language, especially between different people groups. But of course every culture has something about it that is deeper and so there is more flavour of language around those things.
The Greek words for love still persist but are generally not used; the most common being Eros. This is politely called romantic love but is the most selfish form and has no place outside marriage. Even so the Bibles says "Do not deprive one another..." 1 Corinthians 7:5.
Storge (pronounced StorJay) is familial love and is a natural part of a family living closely together, sharing struggles and joy. "Love one another with brotherly affection..." Romans 12:10. The Bible has no command about Storge but acknowledges it is normal.
Philia is a chosen close friendship that is likened to the love of a family. The son of king Saul had such a friendship with David, despite the king's later anguish. "...the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David..." 1 Samuel 18:1.
Agape (AhGahPay) is the highest form of love, being selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional. When tested by Pharisees and Scribes on the greatest commandment, Jesus answered with quotes from Deuteronomy and Leviticus* "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbour as yourself." Mark 12:30-31. That is a lot and Jesus emphasised how much this love might cost. "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13. Many have loved this far in times of war and heroism. We should not hold lightly the sacrifices made by those who have fallen in such a way. We are also reminded that God gave the Son's life on the cross in love. God continually loves us. We cannot out-love God, but are encouraged to be as selfless even seemingly against our own benefit.
* Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18
Thought for the Month
"To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift."
Steve Prefontaine, an American athlete
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