Hi everyone.
Welcome to the Mary Valley Weso church page.
Here you’ll find a bit about us, what we believe and what we get up to in mission, both locally and overseas as we seek to follow Christ and know Him through His word.
If you’re passing through the Mary Valley in South East Qld, or have recently moved here, come and check out our Sunday service at 9:30am each week.
We are a growing church with people of all ages, many young families, seniors, and a ministry or home group to suit you.
Feel free to contact us via email or on my phone to have a chat. My usual days at the church are Thursdays and Fridays and of course Sunday mornings.
Look forward to meeting you.
Blessings,
Brendan
From the Pastor...
Choosing to Forego Freedom – Tim Long
The primary Christian principle:
“Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Eph 5:21).
Paul’s primary concern is that our behaviour does not malign our witness of the gospel.
The challenge to the early church was the sometimes delicate balance of freedom in Christ and the restriction of behaviors so as not to be a stumbling block to others receiving and growing in the faith
Worship leaders (Men and Women) do need to be mindful that what they wear does not detract from the worship of God; It is their intention to draw the congregation into God’s presence not toward themselves…
Lets go back to V1b; ‘as I follow the example of Christ”
“Wives submitting to their husbands means willingly placing their strength and support under their husband’s loving leadership, mirroring Christ’s relationship with the church. A wife’s willing submission is an active, courageous cooperation designed for mutual protection and success, not passivity or inequality. The Old Testament term ezer describes a wife as a powerful helper, like air support in battle complementing the ground forces led by her husband. The New Testament uses hupotasso, a military term meaning voluntary, strategic submission for the good of the unit, emphasizing sacrificial love from husbands and respectful trust from wives. Together, husband and wife function as a unified team under God’s command, working with strength, respect, and devotion to fulfill their shared mission.
When Paul calls wives to submit and husbands to love sacrificially, he is not describing a hierarchy of worth or passivity in action because of inferiority. Rather, he is describing a strategy of strength. In a battle, every warrior has a role—and that role is not about status but about coordinated action. Submission is not passive; it is active cooperation in God’s mission, requiring discernment, courage, and strength. This vision lifts up both husband and wife as co-laborers in God’s kingdom, functioning in alignment under His command. Without unity and clarity of structure, the mission falters—not because one person is weak, but because both are not pulling in the same direction.
In a similar way single men or women may submit themselves to an older man or woman to help them fight the battles they face as the Christian leader in their home
The issue of 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 is orderly worship – believers exercising freedom carefully, so as not to malign the gospel or to be a stumbling block to others.
“Let all things be done decently and in order ESV” 1 Corinthians 14:26 NIV what then brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
Paul is saying – work it out for yourselves, assess each and every situation, what is fitting for you as men and women of God. And, if anyone is being contentious, thinking they know better, know that other churches don’t act this way.
What about today? In all situations, let us be wise in our conduct so that we may be good witnesses of God’s love and the gospel of Christ Jesus. Let us conduct ourselves with godly wisdom in our public witness and in our dealings with one another. Christ has made us free, but just as Christ used his freedom not to assert but to serve, let us serve one another in love and be mindful not to be a stumbling block to the very gospel that freed us.
