Articles of Interest

Daily Trusting God

Lately I’ve been reading through the book of Exodus. And it has been great!

One passage that has really stood out to me over the past few months has been Exodus 16.

God had just delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, brought them across the Red Sea, and now they were in the desert.

And what do the Israelites do? They complain that they’re going to starve!

So what does God do? He supplies them with bread and meat [Manna and Quail].

I had read this story numerous times before. But this time, God’s commands to the people really stood out to me.

He commands the people to only “gather enough for that day”. Each day they were to only gather what they needed that day.

And why was that command given? “In this way I [Yahweh] will test them.”

The people had to TRUST each and every day that their God would supply their needs the NEXT day.

God could have provided enough for the week, or the month, or the year. But instead, He wanted them to learn to trust Him every single day!

As I thought about that, I thought about the current Quiz Worx situation. For most of this year we have been having to TRUST our God in a similar way.

After paying each staff member fortnightly, there has not been enough money in the Quiz Worx bank accounts to cover the next fortnights pay.

Or course, wages aren’t the only expense at Quiz Worx. WE have rent to pay. Bills to pay. Petrol and prop costs.

Then, to throw further spanners in the works, every three months there is Superannuation and Tax to be paid.

And to make matters worse, there’s often been no guaranteed income coming in over that fortnight to rely upon.

Yet, by the time the next fortnightly pay arrives, or the tax or other bills are due, there has always been enough to cover wages.

God has, through the generosity of His people, supplied our needs.

While it would be great to not have any financial needs and worries, this situation has made us continue to trust in the daily provision of our God.

What a great and trustworthy God we have.

Keeping the Door Open

Adam Jolliffe, SRE teacher and Quiz Worx board member, talks about the present threat to special Religious Education (SRE).

Listen to the full interview here:

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QW.    What’s your background in teaching SRE?
AJ.         I’ve taught for 12 years. Currently I do 13 classes in 5 schools over 3 days a week.

QW.     Why do you teach SRE?
AJ.       I’m from a non-Christian home. SRE was crucial in my coming to faith.  For me, SRE was church. Currently the SRE teachers in our area teach 1740 children, and most of these kids don’t go to church.

QW.     What are the highlights of teaching SRE?
AJ.         There have been many times when I’ve seen the penny finally drop, and kids understand that you don’t get to heaven by obeying the 10 commandments, but through trusting in Jesus.

QW.     For those unfamiliar with what’s happening at the moment in NSW, can you quickly fill us in on the Ethics trial, and how it relates to SRE?
AJ.         It is currently legislated that in NSW schools, approved religious bodies can teach Special Religious Education for up to an hour a week.  Until recently, those enrolled in “Non- SRE” were not given an alternative.  This was overturned recently.  The “ethics course” is a trial established in 10 NSW state schools as an option for students in years 5-6.
QW.     How do you feel about this?
AJ.         I’m opposed to the Ethics trial for a number of reasons:

• It could be the thin end of the wedge which drives SRE out of state schools.  If Ethics are allowed, then it’s hard to argue against other subjects being taught in this times lot too.

• It is targeting children enrolled in SRE, not just those in Non-SRE.

• The ethics are not Christian: white lies are seen to be OK if the end justifies the means.

QW.     What can our readers do about this?
AJ.         Please fight for SRE. Join your local P&C and support it. Write to your local members of parliament.  You can also visit www.sreontrial.com.au for loads of
ideas. This is worth 10 minutes of your time!
QW.     Any final comments?
AJ.         SRE is an enormous privilege.  It is worth fighting for.  10s of 1000s of
children are taught each week what it means to be a Christian.

Youthworks has launched a website in response to the  introduction of ethics classes in NSW schools.
Visit it today and have your say: www.sreontrial.com.au

Amazing Rescue

MONDAY the 19th April 2010 will always be remembered as the day an incredible rescue took place for five young girls.

For the past four years, Narellan Anglican Church have run two ‘Pupil Free Activity Days’ [PFADs] per year. Quiz Worx have had the privilege of sharing the good news of Jesus at many of these events.

“During the four years we have seen the same children return time and time again. But we have not seen many children make a commitment to having Jesus as their King” commented Estelle Stelzer, co-ordinator of the PFADs. In April, Quiz Worx  performed a series of three shows titled The Amazing Rescue.
They told of God’s plan to rescue people from the consequences of sin by sending Jesus to take their punishment.

God worked an amazing feat though these talks. “After the third talk from Quiz Worx” explained Estelle, “a group of five girls prayed in their small group that Jesus would be King of their lives.”

Upon hearing this news, Quiz Worx director Matt Gorton exclaimed, “That is fantastic! This is why we continue to do this ministry; to see kids come to Jesus. We are rejoicing with the angels in Heaven, and we pray that these girls will continue to grow into women who love and serve Him.”

Video: Judging Others (Matthew 7:1-5)

Quiz Worx’s, ‘Judging Others’ video is based on Jesus words, found in Matthew 7:1-5:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (NIV)

The scene is set in Puppet Court where we see Judge Scruff Dog passing judgement on Mendell the Monster for having a speck of sawdust in his eye. But something just isn’t right with Judge Scruff…

This video is perfect for use as a set-up piece/presentation in church or for use as a children’s talk.

Please note that the following is a sample. The version available for purchase is higher quality and does not have the Quiz Worx watermark. To purchase the video for instant download, click on the ‘Add to Cart’ button.

Length: 5 mins 43 secs
Format: Quicktime Movie (.mov) NTSC – SD.
Price: AU$10

More Sermon on the Mount videos can be viewed by heading to the Quiz Worx Store.