In a book by John Eldredge called “Walking the dead” John says, “Good grief” like Charlie Brown in the peanut cartoon. “Life is brutal!” And he then asks the question, “What is really going on here?”

Now let us ask you this question. “Have you ever sensed that what is, is not what is meant to be?” I have  always said that I do not care too much for stories or movies that don’t have a good ending.

But why are we so enchanted by movies, novels or fairy tales that have a good ending? And most good ending involves a transformation.

Like the ugly duckling becomes a beautiful swan.

Cinderella, the ill treated poor step daughter becomes queen.

Pinocchio becomes a real boy.

The frog becomes a prince.

The best ending is where hope beyond hope, the principle characters are all transformed into the very thing they never thought they could be!

Why is life so hard? What’s really going on here? Why do we long to have good endings? We have the answers.

The kingdom of this world is not the kingdom of God. We have an enemy of God, Satan who is the prince of this world. He rules over it but with usurped authority. Therefore what the world is now is not what God had meant it to be.

The good news we have as Christians is that God in the person of Jesus, through his life, death and resurrection, launched a divine invasion to overthrow evil, and establish his loving and powerful rule.

There is this desperately longing for certain things in all of us and the reason for that is simply that we are desperately longing for what was lost!

Now let us tell you what was lost:

Man had a divine purpose and authoritative role. He was significant, made to rule over the other living creatures created by God. Genesis 1:28.

After God created Adam and Eve he blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply. Occupy the earth and conquer it, subdue it. Rule over the other living creatures.”

Secondly, all of man’s needs were provided for. He enjoyed safety and security. He was completely cared for in the garden; had plenty to eat. Genesis 1:29.

Thirdly, man had a sense of belonging; One-on-one communion with God. Genesis 2:18. God also gave Eve to Adam. And Adam and Eve were to start a community. (It is not good for anyone to be alone! Aloneness easily leads to loneliness.) Man enjoyed intimacy – meaningful, open, sharing relationships!

We were made for God’s purpose; given authority and significance.

We were made for trusting in and depending on God to provide all of our needs. There was another tree in the Garden of Eden, the tree of life. God’s desire for us from day one is to have life, a life that has purpose and significance, based upon our willingness to trust and depend fully on him.

Thirdly, we were made for relating with God and with one another; for a life of belonging and intimate relationships.

When we say, “made for” we mean like a fish is made to swim in water and an eagle is made to soar in the air. All of you will have seen a fish flopping about when it taken out of water. Imagine the eagle in water and the fish out of it, and you will begin to have sense of what’s really going on here!

Every day people get wounded over and over again.

Instead of divine purpose and significance – which is what they are made for – people simply run in the rat race. The only way that they know how to have purpose and significance – is to get good grades, get a good qualification, get a good job, be a good person. Finally have a nice funeral, with many people turning up to pay their last respects.

The only measure of purpose and significance they know are material things: Two or more if you can afford it, bigger and bigger cars and houses, more important titles.

Instead of authority all they know is weaknesses and helplessness. They have no idea how to beat the system. So they pour all their hopes and dreams and lives into getting ahead with the system. Become a scholar, or be rich and famous. The other alternatives are not so nice, which is to oppress those who are weaker, like your maids or junior staff or the car park attendant or waitress who was slow in serving you.

Instead of being secure and having abundant resources, people now find that provisions and security cannot be taken for granted. Nowadays nothing is certain and for sure: In business, as an employed staff. It is the same.

Finally, instead of belonging and intimate relationships there is strife, and a lack of trust. Rejection has replaced acceptance. One of the strongest pressures in our society is peer pressure. We all share a fear of rejection!

Christians have the good news of God’s move of restoration in Christ Jesus although sometimes we are mistaken as the bearers of bad news for merely pointing out the truth about the fallen state of the world. But we know what has been lost and what people are desperately longing for. And we believe that the church has a key role to play in God’s plan of restoration.

NLV enjoys a rich Vineyard legacy and heritage. We are a new wine skin for something that God will uniquely accomplish through us for the people that he has prepared in advance for us. We will spend ourselves to equip our people to understand their purpose and significance in Christ. Vineyard’s adoption of the kingdom of God view is deeply rooted. Therefore the exercising of kingdom authority – doing the stuff that Jesus did including the works that are called signs and wonders will be a part of our new life.

In NLV we are fully convinced that if we live a life of faith, trust in and dependence on the Spirit, we will experience both kingdom breakthrough and God’s grace and favor – the abundant and full life promised by Jesus. We stand firmly on God’s promise His grace abounds to us, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good works. Have you not experienced this already with us?

NLV believes that Christian fellowship is not just something the church ought to provide, it is something necessary the church must provide. Vineyard’s value of relationship will always influence the way we do church. We will build community, and one that flows out of intimacy with the Father.

Read Acts 2:42-47. This is the Vineyard model. Meeting our desperate longing for what is lost! What the world is now is not what God had meant it to be. But in Christ Jesus all that was lost has been fully restored. We have the authority and infinite resources in the Holy Spirit. And God’s power is at work in us to transform us into the likeness of Jesus. What a great ending to our story.