Bethel Elim Church: Recent Episodes

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Key Text: Mark 6:30-34The proverb ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ – Welsh writer and historian James Howells 1659All work and no play makes jack:Heart attack material, makes jack prone to anxiety, makes Jack work harder and less productive. Makes Jack’s relationships prone to stress. Makes Jack a ticking time bomb. Makes Jack a pain in the neck to others. Makes Jack’s children dislike him. Makes Jack miserable.We live in a world increasingly driven by deadlines and moving with increased momentum to a 24/7 mentality.You may argue that it is more convenient - but is it natural? is it normal? is it necessary?God wants us to burn well but He does not want us to burn out.Burning well looks like a burning bush that is bright and attractive but does not consume the carrier. Exodus 3:2Burning well is ‘a light shining before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.’ Matthew 5:16If we are going to enjoy the journey, having discovered the meaning for life, then we must learn to play.Our meaning is truly only found in Christ and is a mixture of purpose (Why am I here?) and significance (I want my life to count).We become much better people when we discover the power of God’s rest in our lives.

Rest & Relaxation is Spiritual…Come Away with me

Jesus did not tell His disciples how to rest, He showed them, He takes them to a place rest. This is what he does Psalm 23:2 He leads me to waters of rest. When we walk with Jesus, rest should be part of our understanding, thinking and practice.Rest is a normal expression of spirituality but more than that it’s learning to rest with Him. If we only see rest as a physical thing, we will struggle to connect with the potential power of rest. Because rest does not start with our body, it starts in our spirit and works to every other area of our lives.From the beginning in Eden God established the principle of learning to live out of rest and work out of wholeness. The crowds can wait but rest can’t ‘Come away with me.’Rest & Relaxation is Relational… by yourselves

 There are moments when we need solitude, to be alone to rest and relax and there is nothing wrong with this.

 There is a dynamic of rest to be found in the context of relationships that cannot be found alone. Jesus shows us that it is possible to relax with others, not just including them but showing that our relationship with them is actually part of rest.There is power and healing in the company of good friends and family. Their presence, reassurance and commitment is part of the rejuvenating process of rest and relaxation.When God came down in the cool of the day. He came to walk with Adam and Eve. They would learn together  to walk with Him. Enjoy Him and live in the power of rest with each other.

Rest and Relaxation is Emotional…to a quiet place

Jesus was saying, Let’s go somewhere where your mind and emotions can unwind and have moments without demand. We all need this. In our modern world with improved communications there is the possibility of always being on call. text messages, social media, emails.Without discernment we buy into the idea that we cannot live without all these things…we can.If I’m busy it means I’m important, even if that were true (and it isn’t) we cannot be busy all the time. Holidays, rest days, times away from the demands allow our emotions to heal, rest and recover.Stepping away serves to remind us that our identity is not in what we do. Because the message of the gospel tells us that our identity is received not achieved.What can we do to continue to burn well and not burn out?

A change of Pace – Slow down a little.

A change of Place – Coffee out instead of at home encourages mental & physical enjoyment of rest.

A change of Practice – Be intentional in your rhythms of rest.

A change of Purpose – Save ourselves not the world. A healthy you, gives the world a better chance.

First and foremost Jesus says 'Come away with me...'

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The Bible exhorts us not to come before God with empty hands. God is sovereign, Lord over all things in heaven and earth, the almighty Holy one, awesome in splendour and so we should definitely be prepared bring gifts when we come before Him.This is the traditional way that you would honour someone, by bringing gifts. And it’s the background context of Exodus 34:20, when the Lord says, ‘No one shall appear before me empty-handed.’It was a covenant act, remembering how God had brought them out of slavery, redeemed the nation of Israel.Jesus had much to say about what and how we carry things Matthew 11:28-30 ‘Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

1.We Are Not Carrying Anything More Than We Need.

Anxiety, Fear, Guilt, Regret, Shame, Unforgiveness

Colossians 2:13-15. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.

Nailing it to the cross’ tells us that Jesus took away the charges and debts of sin against humanity by being crucified.It tells us about the cancellation of the legal demands put upon us by sin and tells us that there is true, final, once for all forgiveness of sins. – Hallelujah!Tells us we no longer have to carry the things we were carrying, before we met Jesus. 1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

 2.God Can Fill Them

‘God gives where He finds empty hands.’

In our walks of faith, at times instead of encountering Jesus, we encounter feelings of insecurity, loneliness, inadequacy. We nurse a spiritual longing for the reassurance of God’s presence, in the emptiness.In these moments, we find that God not only sees our struggles but is right there beside us, ready to fill those empty spaces with His unfailing love.Understanding that He is with us, helps us to confront our insecurities and inadequacies. Filling us instead with renewed faith, hope and strength to keep going.Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.

 3.Lift Up Holy Hands

Our hands are so expressive and when we bring our fingers into play well there’s not limits to what we can communicate.

Psalm 141:2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice

4.Posture NOT Position Ourselves to Receive.

Not about where we position ourselves geographically but where our hearts are postured toward Him. Posture because it speaks to the personal Not the peripheral. The internal not the external.

Psalm 143:8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

5.Posture Ourselves to Surrender

In every scenario of surrender, the victor always tells the one surrendering to ‘drop whatever is in their hands’

Concern is that whatever is in their hands may cause harm. God has a concern that if we continue to hold onto somethings when He calls us to surrender, we’re going to harm ourselves.Our empty hands signals our humility and dependence upon a sovereign God. The Bible teaches that surrender involves submitting to God's will and trusting Him completely. It encourages us to surrender our will to His, take up our cross and follow Christ.Jesus in Garden of Gethsemane postured Himself Luke 22:41And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed,Biblical surrender emphasises that true life is found in dying to self for His sake.Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me

6.Pick Up What We Need At the Right Time

(Not the same all the time sword, shield, incense of prayer, others, tools to reap the harvest, tools to prune, strengthen)

Different season, times, cycles of our lives means that we will put some things down in order that we might pick up something different and necessary for the season we are in.Prophecy, teaching, encouraging, giving, mercy, wisdom, faith, discernment, helps, administration, Intercession.

 Wilderness, Waiting Psalm 37:7, Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him… Busy, Tests & Trials, Warfare, HappyJames 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

7.Leads Us to Worship God

When we become aware of the poverty/ lack of our position before a Holy God. We see with renewed eyes the gift of Christ Jesus. Renewed revelation leads us into a place of worshipping Him.

Psalm 63:4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.Just as Moses lifted his hands in Exodus 17:11 during Israel’s battle with the Amalekites that resulted in victory when his hands were raised.So too today, we can lift our hands in expectation of divine help and encounter.

Conclusion

To be poor in spirit, to have empty hands is the first mark of a person who walks with God.

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In this message Mandla Dube shares about the God who delights in rewarding His people who are obedient to His voice, call and direction.

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Stillness, Sensitivity & The Spirit 040525The New Testament emphasises the importance of listening to Holy Spirit, as He is the Spirit of Truth. The seven churches in Revelation faced problems due to their neglect of the Holy Spirit’s guidance. By listening and obeying the Holy Spirit, Christians can overcome challenges and live in accordance with God’s will.In the N. T. Jesus is very clear on teaching us of the need to be listening to the voice of Holy Spirit, because He is the ‘Spirit of Truth’ John  14:15-17; John 16:12-1516 times the words ‘He that has an ear, let him hear’ is stated in the N.T. In the Revelation of Jesus the Christ it adds: ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’. For a statement to be repeated 16 times in Scripture means it’s extremely important.Our Christian life stands or falls on our ability to recognise how and when God is speaking to us. Easter reminds us that Jesus is alive and speaks to those who are listening.The Bible tells us that God’s true sons and daughters are those who are ‘led by the Spirit of God’ Romans 8:14Jesus gave clear teaching and instruction to His followers, emphasising the importance of being  empowered by Holy Spirit.When Jesus left this earth, He sent the promised Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit came powerfully on the Day of Pentecost, filling the waiting believers with a power they had never experienced before Luke 24:49 Behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-4 Christianity without Holy Spirit is a powerless faith . ‘He that has an ear, let him hear’ Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; Revelation 3:6, 13, 22Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Revelation 3:3The word ‘hear’ comes from the Greek word “akouo” and means: ‘to hear’, to have the faculty of hearing; to hear, perceive with the ears; to give ear, listen; to learn by hearing, be informed” And Jesus instructed His followers that they must be filled with the Holy Spirit of Truth. He has been sent to ‘guide us into all truth’ John 16:13 Every problem in those seven churches was the direct result of their not hearing ~ or not heeding ~ what the Holy Spirit was saying to them! Every one of those problems can be avoided in our lives and churches today if we will listen to, and obey, the voice of the Holy Spirit of Truth! He (Holy Spirit) does not lead us into sin and neglect.How important it is that we know the voice of the  Holy Spirit in each of our lives and churches today! Knowing the principles of the Scriptures is vitally important, because Holy Spirit does not contradict the Scriptures. It is also important that we develop a sensitive heart and ear to listening, by taking time to ‘be still and know that He is God’ Psalm 46:10 Jesus’ sheep hear and know His voice John 10When He speaks our responsibility is to obey; to step out and do what He has spoken to us. That is what faith is: obedience to the voice of the Lord Jesus through the Holy Spirit of Truth! Romans 10:17 ‘so faith comes from hearing and hearing  through the word of God.’Are you listening? Are you hearing?For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Ephesians 5:8-10

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Key Text: 1 Corinthians 12:12 - 31

The Bible teaches that being part of a church is more than just attending services; it’s about being a part of a community of believers. This community helps us grow in our faith, support one another and serve God together. People in society aren’t against the idea of membership. They absolutely love being members of the choirs, women’s institute, rugby clubs, or the gym.Maybe it’s because church membership isn’t always clearly defined. It’s like eating lava bread - when you don’t understand it, it might seem a bit strange, but give it a try and you might just like it! Life’s meant to be shared, not walked through alone. We’re called to be a supportive and loving group of believers and the Bible says so.Membership can be a bit confusing and it’s easy to get it wrong, apply it in the wrong way or not use it at all. We’ve often thought of membership like joining a special club, or like the old American Express commercial where they say ‘membership has its privileges.’ That however, is not the way the Bible refers to membership. In fact, in 1 Corinthians the apostle Paul doesn’t say the church is ‘like’a body. He says the church ‘is’ a body. The phrase he uses to describe the individual connectedness, is we are ‘members of the body.’The word ‘member’ in the Bible is more closely related to the medical word ‘member’ meaning a body part or organ because language can have a different meaning dependent on the context.As an example, some people have ‘lost a finger or toe in an accident.’ Were they careless or forgetful? No! we understand it means they were dismembered. Dismemberment literally means a part of your body/member was separated from the rest of the body. Yet today in Western culture, being separated from the body of believers is not tragic. but normal. It is almost a false understanding that Christians and churches should be separated and to be a ‘Lone Ranger’ Christian is normal.Paul’s understanding of holiness is primarily communal. God is not just making individuals holy which He undoubtedly does but He is making a people Holy. 1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.Why then do we have membership? Because regardless of how the culture sees it or Christians misunderstand it, membership is not simply an opportunity to say, ‘I’m a part of a club’, but rather it’s a Biblical expression of covenant connectedness to a body of believing people.

1.Membership Reflects What the Church Is.

Membership is a reflection of the organic community that exists in the body. Paul says we are a body. ‘Can one part say to the other, ‘I do not belong to the body’ 16 No, it is already a part. But too often we live as if we are separated.In the spiritual too many churches or Christian gatherings look like a massacres with piles of dismembered body parts, instead of a body knit together as God’s representative, His body, His kingdom at work in the world.To reject the value of membership is to deny the template God has already put in place as a model for Christian community

‘Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.’ – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

This scripture showcases the benefit of partnership within the church, highlighting how we support and uplift each other during difficult times.2.The Bible Teaches Covenant Community.We find in Paul’s letters to the church at Corinth, that they were putting people out of the body. So Scripture teaches that we can be a part of the body and consequently can be separated from the body.It is difficult to get around Scripture. when it clearly talks about being brought into the body and also being put out of it. 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 (whole chapter) 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of a brother…Yet for some assemblies, there’s no way to put someone out because they were not even in. While there seems to be flexibility between various streams/denominations. There is no such thing in the N.T. as a church without some recognition of belonging, of partnering in community together.

‘And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.’ – Hebrews 10:24-25

3.People Need Church Membership.

Lastly, we recognise Biblical membership matters because people/we need it. We need commitment to one another, whatever that looks like because we need to be connected to a Christian community.This is not just for the sake of the faith community (Building the body) Being part of a church community is instrumental in facilitating our spiritual growth.When we worship together, study together, and support one another, our faith deepens. The church provides a space for learning, teaching, and challenging one another in our belief. We are exposed to various teachings and insights, helping us to grow deeper in our understanding of God. Church membership allows us to engage in activities like small groups and Bible studies, that nurture our faith and strengthen our relationship with Christ and each other.Commitment for the sake of the body but also for the sake of the individual (serving one another)We are gifted with unique talents and abilities, and being part of a church helps us discover and use these gifts for God’s work. Serving alongside fellow believers fosters camaraderie and reinforces our bonds as we work towards a common mission. Whether it’s through outreach, teaching, or helping out at church events, we embrace the spirit of service that God calls us to. Together, we can significantly impact our local and global communities.Commitment is necessary above all for Jesus sake. John 13:35  ‘By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’Jesus commissions us to grow and make disciples. In our church, we are equipped and encouraged to fulfil this calling and share our faith with others.

‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’ Matthew 28:19-20

Individualist Christianity is a myth and a damaging pursuit. At the end of the day we’re redeemed. We’re placed in the body of Christ. ‘The body does not consist of one member but of many’ v.14 We are not brought out of something into nothing:From Orphan into family, Darkness into light, Wrath to peace, Mourning to joy, Lost to found, Guilty to righteous, Sinner to saint, Mystery to revelation, Lost to found, Separated to reconciled, Condemned to forgiven, Slave to free.The Bible specifically says God has redeemed us. He has transferred us, Colossians 1 says, from …the domain of darkness into the kingdom of the Son He loves.13 A kingdom exists because it has a king who exercises dominion (Kingdom) The king has subjects and His kingdom has a community where together we function as God’s people.Membership Matters because God makes us a part of His larger family when we are born again. But then we need to covenant in a local body and live in community with them, agreeing to live by certain established Godly principles and standards. Membership doesn’t save us. But it enables us to grow and become spiritually mature in Christ.

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Key Text: Luke 24:13-32

• The most important prayer in all of Judaism begins with just one word; ‘Hear’ known as the Shema. ‘Hear. O Israel the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’ Deuteronomy 6:4-5
• Hearing God is not a fringe activity, it’s essential to our Christian lives. Hearing God is essential to the very purpose for which you and I were created. Without it everything falls apart.
• Jesus said: ‘People shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ – Matthew 4:4

• Christianity is in its essence a resurrection religion The concept of resurrection lies at its heart. if you remove it, Christianity is destroyed. – John Stott. The gospel message is based on the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus 1 Corinthians 15:1-8

 

• The earthquake and the angel Matthew 28:2-4 opened the tomb, not to let Jesus out but to let us in, so that the early disciples and we can see what God has done. ‘Come and see, Go and tell’ is what the church is supposed to do.
• Witnessing is not something that we do for Jesus; it is something He does through us when we are filled with Holy Spirit who gives us the power and strength to share His message.
• …Faith comes by hearing the word and hearing through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17

• Maybe this explains why Jesus opened the word to the two men, as the three of them walked the seven miles to Emmaus.

• We see in 25, 32 & 38 that their real problem wasn’t in their heads but in their hearts.

• What they needed was a fresh revelation of the word of God and Jesus is the one who gave it to them. He opened the scriptures and then opened their eyes to realise that He was not only the living word, alive but right there with them. The covert Christ joins them on their journey and we are reminded that we need to actively, intentionally invite Him into our questions, our relationships, our homes and worlds.

• Because it’s in these places that our hearts catch fire and the scriptures come alive. In these places he walks and talks with us, patiently answering our questions, realigning our hearts and minds to His.

• The simple fact is that for every person who encounters Jesus dramatically on the Damascus road with blinding lights and booming voice. Hundreds more meet Him slowly, quietly on the Emmaus road through friendship, scripture and conversation.

• The problem was that they saw Messiah as a conquering redeemer but they failed to see Him as a suffering servant. (The Power of God in Unexpected places) As they read the O.T. they saw the glory but not the grief, the crown but not the cross, the success but not the suffering sacrifice. Isaiah 53

 

• Jesus did not just teach them doctrine and prophecy; He was teaching them things about Himself 27 The more we receive the word of God, the more we’ll want fellowship with the God of the word.

• Having just Bible knowledge can puff us up but receiving Bible truth and walking  with the saviour will lead to a burning heart. The best proof that we have understood the Bible, applied it to ourselves and met the living Jesus, is that we have something exciting to share with others.

• Jesus revealed Himself to them during a common meal and that is often how He works. We need to learn to see Him in the everyday unexpected places of life. The ultimate way God communicates in this account isn’t through the Bible, breaking bread or burning hearts within us. It’s through Jesus Himself. He’s the ultimate and final word of God.

• Jesus went to great lengths to appear to them personally, taking at least an hour to explain everything He said in the scriptures about Himself.

• One occasion in John 5:39-40 he made it crystal clear that it’s possible to ‘…search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.’ Elsewhere in Hebrews 1:1-2 the same point is made:

• ‘Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world.’

• So what does all this mean for us? Hearing God begins and ends with meeting Jesus.

• A burning heart doesn’t let us to settle for anything less than ongoing fresh revelations of Jesus as we walk with Him. Nothing can replace and nothing matters more, than a personal encounter with Jesus. It’s Jesus Himself not the Bible, who is the true word of God.

• Having said this, the Bible is the main way we learn about the purposes and the personality of its subject Jesus. – We meet and experience Jesus in the Bible. The Emmamus Road account, gives us a dynamic picture of the relationship between God’s word in the Bible and His final word in Jesus.

• God starts with Jesus and leads us right the Bible, which then points us back to Jesus. Any message claiming to be from God but not sounding like Jesus or guiding us deeper into our relationship with Him, isn’t the real deal. It doesn’t matter how supernatural it seems, how deep it sounds or how many Bible verses it wraps around. If it doesn’t smell, taste or look like Jesus it probably isn’t.

• The good news is that Jesus still appears and speaks to people today the way He did on the Emmaus road

• Jesus keeps it simple, relational and earthly. ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.’ John 10:2 Jesus tells us His friends will be known by just two things: their ability to recognise His voice and their willingness to follow.

• And here’s the promise from God ‘You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.’ Jeremiah 29:13 So let’s get out there and listen expecting to encounter Jesus in the unexpected places of our ongoing walk with Him.

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The Tragedy In The Triumph

Key Text: Luke 19:28-48

How often do we hear statements such as, ‘You’ve blown it,’ or, ‘How could you mess it up like that?’ At other times, when some special opportunity seems to be opening up for us, someone or something comes along to spoil the party! Likewise, many people turn what could be a life-changing moment into a possible negative situation because of bad choices.

Palm Sunday, signifies the triumphant entry of the Lord Jesus into Jerusalem. It was a day of celebration, the celebratory spirit was ringing in the air. In the midst of the joy and celebration however, we are going to look at three tragic situations that occurred.

1. It was Tragic That There Were Some People Unwilling to Praise Jesus Luke 19:39 …some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him ‘Teacher rebuke your disciples.’

• This was a day of much celebration and joy. As Jesus rode in, a very large crowd had gathered to give Him a rousing welcomeMatthew 21:8. They were praising Him by shouting, “Hosanna, to the son of David. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest 21:9.
• Luke 19:38 records, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” Matthew 21:10 adds, ‘the whole city was stirred up!’
• We see praise being  ifted to Jesus in the following ways:
• Luke 19:37 ‘The people joyfully praised God in loud voices for the miracles they had seen’
• Matthew 21:15-16 The children praised Him in the temple shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’
• Luke 19:40 Even the stones were waiting to praise Him.
• However, in the midst of all this praise, it is tragic to note there was a group of people (religious leaders) who were callously unwilling to praise the Lord Luke 19:39; Matthew 21:15. Not only were they unwilling to praise Jesus but they also tried to stop the children from doing it ‘Do you hear what they are saying?’ Matthew 21:16
• The Bible 61:3. speaks about receiving, ‘a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair/faint spirit’ So, why don’t you raise your voice and sing ‘Hosanna’ (=Save us/Save now) right now?

2. It was Tragic That the Temple Had to Be Cleansed Luke 19:45 ‘And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold.’

• The temple was the centre of Jewish worship. It would have had a majestic imposing appearance, visible from anywhere in the city. It should have been the most precious place for God’s people. But as Jesus walked in and looked around Mark 11:11, what He saw sickened Him. His heart would have broken at what He saw. According to Matthew 21:12 and Mark 11:15-16, the hallowed place of worship had been turned into a marketplace by unscrupulous salesmen and loan sharks
• He knew that He would have to resort to drastic measures to clean up what He called ‘My house of prayer’Matthew 21:13.
• In fact, if we take Mark 11:11 literally, Jesus did not cleanse the temple that day. Instead, He went to Bethany to spend the night there.
• When He did go into the temple the following day and cleared it out! He compared it to a ‘den of robbers’ Mark 11:17

• While we can use cleansing soaps and creams for our skin, and we can detoxify and cleanse our inner body systems, it’s only the blood of Jesus that can cleanse our sins! ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness’ 1 John 1:9

3. It was Tragic That the People Didn’t Recognise God’s TimeLuke 19:44

• Biblical prophecy was being fulfilled right before their eyes. We can make reference to Isaiah 62:11 which says, ‘Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your Saviour comes!’ and to Zechariah 9:9 which says, ‘See, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’
• Compare this with Luke 19:35, where it says Jesus rode on a colt. Psalm 118:26 also was shouted by the crowd of disciples as recorded in Luke 19:38. ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.’
• Other things about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem pointed to Him being the Messiah King. Some of them were:

1. He rode a donkey which symbolised royalty 1 Kings 1:33When David summoned Solomon to anoint him king, he sent a donkey to bring Solomon
2. Cloaks were spread out on the ground which was a means of paying homage to royalty 2 Kings 9:13
3. Palm branches were waved John 12:13 and then spread on the road Matthew 21:8
4. Revelation 7:9, where a great multitude in heaven is seen holding palm branches before the Lamb of God.
5. Jesus rode an unused animal Luke 19:30, 1 Samuel 6:7. (returning the ark to Israel)

• Sadly, with all the signs around them, the people missed it. Romans 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
• As a result, in Luke 19:41-44, Jesus wept over Jerusalem and referred prophetically to its future destruction. He also spoke the painful and prophetic words of Luke 19:42-44: ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes…because you did not recognise the time of God’s coming to you.”
• Are we recognising God’s timing in the world today? Are we preparing for His coming? Jeremiah 8:7 tells us: ‘Even the stork in the heavens knows her times and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming but my people know not the rules/decrees of the Lord.’

Conclusion:

Will we give praise to our Messiah King?Will we allow our temples to be cleansed?Will we know, understand and recognise God’s timing in our life today?

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Spirit Filled - Family

We have a human family at home & a Church family

Am I qualified. Who is? Anyone here lives in a family that is marked for being filled by the Holy Spirit?..........Actually, all joking apart, yes we are, all of us who have been born again in the Holy Spirit carry Him within us, and imperfect as we are, He makes us better than we would be without Him, He is always encouraging us, not only spotlighting when we sin, but encouraging to go again, to be better next time.

Derek Prince quotes: It's Quicker to repent,than to apologise.

Biblical families:

Adam and Eves boys, Cain and Abel, Lot and his daughters in Genesis? Jacob and Esau?

Maybe Jacobs’  boys and how they treated their brother Joseph?

Even when we look at what little we know about Jesus’ family life at home with His parents, just about the only thing we learn is how He went AWOL for a period of time, at the age of twelve, driving His human parents to distraction with worry!

Jesus however is very encouraging when He talks through the pages of scripture about for example the model of paternal love, in the parable of the Prodigal Son, showing us that we are the disobedient children who so easily get it badly wrong and things don’t go well but the Father is waiting for us to return to Him so He can again bless us with His love.

What then does a Holy Spirit filled family look like?

Give a few suggestions, then say that actually it looks like us, and reflects our relationship with the father. Disobedient children, loving parent. Firm for our own good.

 Hosea. Unfaithful, but He is.

Paul in Ephesians says this:

Eph 6:1-2  Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” 

Eph 5:21 – 6:5

Instructions for Christian Households

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing  her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Fathers,  do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Lighthouse analogy:

Church family, What unites us is greater than that which divides us.

When we jump between churches we are not fully committing to the relationship. We are not all in. When we leave one church for another, we are getting a divorce, we are giving up on that relationship when the Lord Holy Spirit would want to be working through us to restore the fractures and the cracks. We live in a World where we are given multiple choices, it is referred to as the free World, which is an interesting way to describe a situation where we are not actually very good at all at making the right choices, but the Lord Holy Spirit wants to help us with that.

God gives Hosea instructions to marry an unfaithful woman and he obeys. His unfaithful wife Gomer leaves him and finds another man. Hosea is faithful; he finds her, redeems her and brings her back home to him.

Hosea paid with everything he had to buy back his unfaithful wife, and Father God paid with everything He had to buy back the bride of Christ, the Church.

In my own life, I was the Prodigal Son. Even though I was saved by Jesus when He called me through the Holy Spirit when I was in my teens. I made all the bad choices, exercising my so called freedom to make bad choices. Father God is a good, good father, He doesn’t change His mind.

The Parable of the Lost Son

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!  I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

If today you are that person, if you have played the field, done your own thing for too long, and maybe all your results were bad results, then Father God is saying to you now “Come back”

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Spirit Filled - Community

Acts 5:1-16Over the last 2 weeks your Spirt-filled preaching series has focussed on:

• The characteristics of a spirit-filled life
• The characteristics of a spirit-filled church

Today we're looking at a spirit-filled community.What happens what God is doing in you & me > impacts what God is doing in us > impacts what God wants to out there.So to ensure we are all on the same pageWhat would a Spirt-filled Neath & Aberafan look like?Increases:

• Salvation
• Healing
• Kindness

Decreases:

• Loneliness
• Poverty
• Crime
• Divorce
• Abuse
• Homelessness
• Racism

That's the Goal, not to fill the church have nice services → God is transforming your communities of this land.Acts 5, show us 3 characteristics of a spirit-filled community.

1. An increased sense of the Holiness of God

v13 - No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nether less, more & more Men+ Women beloved in the Lord & were added to their number.Seems like a contradiction:Why were people scared to join the Christians: Death of Jesus, threat of authorities, fear of Jewish leadens, Ananias & Sapphura (fear of the L0rd)Yet people came.→ Spirit-filled Community is a community where there is an increased sense of the Holiness/Presence of G0d.Like in Acts 5 -  doesn't join, but can't help myself.A story of how revival came to Dowlais in 1904...A village near had a school teacher in Dowlais. A man called T.C heard Evan Roberts relevant preaching. Thomas went into Dowlais and caught fire → Caught the coal miners train home arriving at 9:45pM just as the pubs were closing .So filled with God he couldn't go home. He came out of the train station on a cobbled street, got down on his knees & began to sing praises to God. People came out of the pubs/billard halls. They came to see what was going on. On his knees singing / tears streaming singing of the blood of Jesus. People came around making a crowd. One man with a beer glass in his hand, got on his knees & joined T.C Thomas then another before dozens joined. Soon 100,00 people would be saved in Wales.Pubs closed, magistrates had no cases to hear, Pits didn't have to respond to miners who stopped swearing at them, families were transformed.An increased sense of the Holiness of God.Recently nice Sunny days like today, can create problems:It reveals things you wouldn't see:

• windows need cleaning
• shelves need dusting
• see shafts of light, pickingup dust particles

Spring cleaning, same in our lives.To have an increased Awareness of Holiness of God.John 3 - 19 - 21Everyone who does evil hates the light. But everyone who lives by the truth comes into the light.Behaviours that I have tolerated are  suddenly exposedActs 2: 37→ Spirit-filled Community→ Exteriorised by an increased Sense of the Holiness of G0đ.2. An Increased sense of the Hope of God.Romans 15:13What our world needs now - More than anything else is HOPE.What Neath needs now is HOPE in Jesus.When something Overflows it impacts it's surroundings.3. An increase in the activity of GodThere was healings, miracles, salvation seen.

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Key Text: 2 Timothy 2:1-13

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel. v.8

Paul mentions two specific ways to remember Jesus: Remember Him as risen from the dead. And remember Him as the offspring of David. Why these two things about Jesus?

Romans 5:7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—

Because if He is risen from the dead He is alive and triumphant over death — including our death! “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” Romans 8:11It means that no matter how serious the suffering becomes, the worst that it can do on this earth is kill us. but Jesus has taken the sting out of that enemy.He is alive. And we will be alive. “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” Matthew 10:28But more than that, the resurrection of Jesus was not a random resurrection. It was the resurrection of the son of David. “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David.” Why does Paul say that?Because every Jewish person hearing it would know that it meant Jesus is the Messiah (anointed one) John 7:42 They would know it meant that this resurrection was the resurrection of an everlasting King. Listen to the words of the angel to Mary, Jesus’ mother:

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:31–33

So, remember Jesus, the one we serve. He is not just alive from the dead but He is alive as a King who will reign forever and of His kingdom there will be no end.No matter what happens, we do not need to be afraid.

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• Jesus also appealed to His Father's testimony through scripture. The same Scriptures many looked to for eternal life John 5:39a Scriptures which themselves bore witness to Jesus John 5:39b

• From Luke 24:44, we can assume that Jesus had in mind the following scriptures, The Law of Moses, The Psalms and The Prophets Note Jesus' words in John 5:45-47
• In these scriptures were many prophecies concerning the Messiah. In John's gospel, he records how many of these prophecies bore witness to Jesus as the Messiah.

Prophecies of Moses

• The Seed of Woman - Genesis 3:15 pointing to a conflict that would exist between Satan and Jesus. This conflict is referred to by Jesus in John 12:31-33; 14:30
• Jesus' resurrection proved Him to be the fulfilment of this conflict Hebrews 2:14-15

Prophecies By The Prophets

• The Forerunner - Isaiah 40:3 A reference to one who would prepare people for the coming of the Lord
• John the Baptiser makes reference to this prophecy John 1:19-23 The work and testimony of John the Baptiser fulfilled this prophecy

The Spirit Coming Upon Him

• Several prophecies found in Isaiah 11:2; 42:1; 61:1 In which the Spirit was to come upon the Messiah. A fulfilment to which both John the Baptiser and Jesus refer John 1:32-33; 3:34
• Luke also records how Jesus fulfilled such prophecies Luke 4:16-21

The Rejected Teacher

• Prophecies related to this are Isaiah 53:1; 6:9,10
• In which many would not receive the Messiah because of dull hearts
• John made reference to these passages - John 12:37-41
• The Jews' rejection of Jesus and His teachings thus fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy

The King’s Entrance

• Recorded in Zechariah 9:9
• Israel's king would come to Jerusalem riding on a donkey
• John records Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem - John 12:12-16
• Later, His disciples would understand how this fulfilled what was written of the Messiah

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The Previous week’s message from Lloyd, we considered the human testimony recorded in John's gospel. By John the Baptist, the early disciples and others who believed. But also the testimony by the masses, including many who did not believe.Of course human testimony alone does not prove Jesus to be the Son of God. Jesus Himself did not depend upon human testimony alone as evidence John 5:33-37Whilst Jesus recognised human testimony, such as that offered by John the Baptist He none the less appealed to a ‘greater witness’, that of His Father's testimony.Jesus encouraged people to consider the Father's testimony as evidenced by the works which He did.The Purpose of SignsDefinition of the Gk word ‘Sign’ as used by John in his gospelWhat were these ‘signs’ to which the Father bore testimony concerning Jesus? John says there were many John 20:30, too many to record them all John 21:25. In his gospel, John records at least seven.

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In previous weeks we have considered claims made by Jesus...

In relation to God.

In relation to the Messianic hope.

Jesus made claims that were not only great but relate to basic personal needs common to all.

In this message consider aspects of our human need and what Jesus said in relation to them.

The Need To Have Fellowship With God

Jesus Claims to Fulfil This Need

Need For Salvation From SinJesus claims to provide the solution in HimselfNeed for Guidance in LifeJesus claims to provide the guidanceNeed for Spiritual SustenanceOffered through JesusNeed For ImmortalityJesus offers us eternal life Through Him

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The first thing we should note is that on at least two occasions Jesus claimed ‘He Came from God.’After feeding the five thousand He claimed to be ‘the bread of life’ sent from the Father. We read this in John 6:32-35 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

His claim is further stated more clearly later in John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.Then as now, people who hear this claim have problems with it.Because Jesus said that it is only those who accept and receive Him as ‘the bread of life’ will have eternal life with the Father in His heaven.Many found it hard to accept John 6:60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”A second occasion when Jesus made such a claim was in the temple at the feast of tabernacles (Booths/Sukkot)He again claims to have come from God John 7:28-29 So Jesus proclaimed, as He taught in the temple, “You know me and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and Him you do not know. I know Him, for I come from Him, and He sent me.”

1. He Alone Has Seen God John 6:46 It’s the same claim stated by John in John 1:18

2.He Knows God John 8:55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.

3.He Reveals God  Jesus offers a complete revelation of God the Father as John stated in his opening – John1:18

And Jesus Himself declared this fact on at least two separate occasions. To the Pharisees John 12:44-45 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.To His disciples John 14:7-10

4.He Is Equal To God This claim irritated the Jewish people for it they tried to kill Him. They viewed it as blasphemy Jesus even took upon Himself the special name of God

The Name revealed to Moses at the burning bush - cf. Exodus 3:13-14 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

Jesus called Himself the ‘I AM’ John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”This title tells us of our need to believe in Jesus ‘I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins.’ John 8:24Jesus said: He came from God, He alone has seen God, He knows God, He reveals God and He is equal to God.Certainly these are claims difficult to accept from someone who was simply ‘a lofty man’Neither was He just a liar or lunatic Lord of everything He claimed to be: He is the fullest revelation of God made known to man and He is as He says, the only way to God.

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The purpose of John writing his gospel is is clearly stated in John 20:30-31 … these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may (will) have life in His name.The two big intentions then are to create faith in Jesus and in doing so we will have life in His name.So how does John create faith in his telling of the good news? By Stating claims about Jesus in his opening John 1:1-18He looks at the life of Jesus, with emphasis on the claims made by Jesus Himself, then presents evidence to back up those claims.This series is designed with two things in mind, to strengthen our own faith and to create faith in others who have yet to believe.

1.The Relation of Jesus to God v.1-2

Jesus existed before creation ‘In the beginning was the Word’

That word ‘was’ speaks about Him being eternal. Jesus had a face to face relationship with God the Father ‘the Word was with God’The word ‘with’ implies a personal communion with GodJesus possessed the full deity of God, He possessed divine being, power and attributes; i.e., Jesus was divine fully God yet fully man.

2.The Relation of Jesus To The Physical World v.3

Jesus was the active agent in creation ‘all things were made through Him, without Him nothing was made that was made’Jesus made ALL things ‘by Him all things were created...’ - Colossians 1:16He (God) appointed the heir of all things, through whom (Jesus) also He created the world. Hebrews 1:2In relation to the physical world, John and other writers proclaim Jesus to be ‘the Creator’.

Jesus Is Victorious Over Darkness

‘the darkness has not overcome (comprehended) it v.5

By believing in Jesus, those in darkness are able to escape and come out John 12:46 Jesus is the ‘true Light’ who gives light to all - John 1:9So in relation to darkness, John makes the claim that Jesus is "the challenger and victor".

4.The Relation of Jesus To Humanity v.10-13

Jesus was the creator ‘the world was made through Him’. Here the ‘world’ refers to governmental order.Jesus was the benefactor who was ‘in the world...the world did not know Him’‘He came to His own’ - that is, to His own nation, people (Israel) ‘His own did not receive Him’ - rejected by His nation, even members of His own family were sceptical (until after the resurrection)

‘But as many as received Him’ i.e., ‘to those who believe in His name’ -To them He gave the right to become children of God’

In relation to our humanity Jesus changed our future hope and destiny

5.The Relation of Jesus to The Father vs.14,18

As the Word, Jesus "became flesh" He ‘dwelt’ among us and John and others ‘beheld His glory’ He is ‘the only son of God’

Only Jesus has seen the Father and therefore, only Jesus can reveal the Father by His Holy Spirit.

No one has seen God at any time - Exodus 33:20; Johnn 6:46; 1 John 4:12 But Jesus the Bible say has declared Him" John 14:9; Matthew 11:27In relation to the Father, Jesus is the ultimate the definitive ‘revelation’ anyone can have of God in this life. If we want to know the Father we must first know Jesus

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The title illustrates a simple yet important fact of life...we cannot wait until we are thirsty to begin digging a well. If we do, we will likely die of thirst before we get the water we need. We must prepare ahead of time, before the need arises.There are times of spiritual ‘thirst’ If we wait until such times to "dig our wells", we may be too late. We need to be ‘digging our wells’ noWe need to be digging wells because:A Day of judgment is coming. - It will be a day of salvation for some and condemnation for others. Some will hear good news Matthew 25:34 Others will hear terrible words - Matthew 25:41 It will be too late to begin ‘digging wells’ if we are spiritually thirsty on that day!We Have Times of Temptation - The Christian life is a mine field fraught with temptation because of our adversary, the devil 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Because of our own fleshly desires are at work in us Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”Temptations should not be taken lightly it is deceptive. We can become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin - Hebrews 3:12-13There Will Be Times of Tribulation - The apostle Paul warned the disciples in Antioch that it is through many tribulations that they would enter the kingdom of God - Acts 14:21-22The trials or tribulations we may face can be quite diverse. Some because we are Christians. Others because we share in the common frailties of fallen man, sickness, pain, death; economic recession, loss of jobs; terrorism, war, natural calamities.The wells of salvation provided by God offering the waters of life Isaiah 12:1-3 You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid for the Lord God is my strength and my song and he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.God offers the wells necessary to quench our thirst in times of spiritual drought. Our task, then, may be similar to that of Isaac's...The wells of his father Abraham had been stopped up by the Philistines Genesis 26:15He had to re-dig the wells for them to be of any use.

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Key Text: Matthew 25:1-13Dave Wuyts brings a message to encourage us to a greater intimacy with God through Holy Spirit. A reminder that we cannot rely on something or someone but must seek the refreshing, renewing and power of Holy Spirit personally.

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What can we do to cultivate those things in our lives that allow us to remain strong in the Lord, through the unexpected and uncertainties of life, even in the Valley moments of our lives.

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Key Text: John. 2:1-11Many think that the end of this account said, ‘But you saved the best for last.’ But that's not what God’s Word says. It says 10b ‘But you have kept the good wine until now.’No matter who He interacted with, no matter what He was doing, Jesus was always present in the moment. He was fully present, He lived with undivided attention in the moment. – An undivided heart. Let’s look at two accounts in Scripture that illustrate the heart of Jesus for the people right in front of Him, being fully engaged in the moment.Luke 18:35-43 Bartimaeus cries out 38 ‘Jesus, son of David. "Have mercy on me.’ And the disciples were offended.Jesus doesn't have time for this man, Jesus is going somewhere. Jesus is too important, Jesus is too busy, Jesus has an agenda. Jesus isn't going stop for some guy who's begging on the side of the road and the disciples rebuked the blind beggar and said go away. But then Jesus rebuked His disciples and instead engaged with a single hurting person, fully engaged in the moment and Jesus stopped, gave Him all of His attention and said, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ 41 Jesus stopped for a man that no one had time for. had been cancelled by society. Unseen and greater part unheard until this moment. Jesus fully engaged with the person in front of Him.The next account, the consecutive story. We see in Luke 19:1-10. It mentions Jericho again. But this time Luke tells us that Jesus was actually going somewhere. So He was moving through 1&2, He had somewhere to be. He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. Notice, Jesus had already been interrupted a poor, blind beggar. Now He's interrupted by a rich, corrupt tax collector. Jesus has time for the down and out and He's got time for the up and in’s. He's got time for anyone and a heart for anyone. It doesn't matter where we come from, how bad our baggage is, how dirty it is, how rich or we are, Jesus cares about and has time for us. And Jesus stops for this man named Zacchaeus. Jesus sees Him and He calls him by name.We have an enemy who knows our name but calls us by our sin. Praise God we have a saviour who knows our sin but calls us by name.Zacchaeus under the conviction of Holy Spirit has this moment of deep repentance in the presence of the Son of God and say: ‘Lord, I’ll give away half my income to the poor and if have cheated, I’ll pay four times the damages.’ v.8 What’s Jesus response v.9 ‘Today. Right here, right now ‘In this moment, , "salvation has come to this house.’Jesus with an undivided heart in the moment He stops and gives people one of the greatest gifts He can give, His attention, compassion and love. Jesus is always fully present in the moment and I want be like that but unfortunately, I know I’m not. Like Jesus we should want to be present where our feet are, present in all the moments. The top two games our minds play. First is the ‘When, Then Game…’When things are different then… And so many of us, we are literally going through life wishing away the current moment. Wishing away what you have right in front of us. Don't miss what you have now pursuing what you want later. Jesus was fully engaged in the moment.The second game our minds play is ‘What If Game..’. Projecting into the future. What if this happens? You might do that, what if I don't pass this test? hat if I don't get into a good college? Then what if I don't get a good job? What if I don’t have enough finance, what if they don’t like me. What if I mess up?...But Jesus said this in Matthew 6:34. Jesus said, ‘Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.’Jesus does not tell us to not to plan for the future but tells us don't worry about the future.The only way we can be present in the moment is to actually surrender the past you can't change and trust God with a future that you can't control.Hourglass Illustration -No one knows how much sand is on the top. You think you do but there's a lot of people who thought there was a lot more than there really is.The second thing is no matter what you do, you can't stop the sand from flowing. Time is passing, every day is a gift from God. Today is a gift from God and some of you are wishing it away.The third thing is once the sand is at the bottom, you can never get it back.The most important moment of our life. We could say is experiencing God right here, right now.This is what David said in Psalm 118:24. I, ‘This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it’ We have got today, this is the day. And because this is God's day, can be glad and rejoice in it.  You can't be happy where you're not. And you can't serve Jesus where you're not. And you can't love people the way Jesus did where you're not.This is the day the Lord has made. The most important moment is right here, right now, the most important person is the one right in front of you.This is the day the Lord has made and when we look at the way Jesus lived, not just the truth He taught but the way He lived.People weren't interruptions or inconveniences. They were moments and opportunities to engage and show the goodness and the love of Father God.Knowing that tomorrow is not a given, that Jesus is right here, right now that you can experience God. Your best moment, the best wine can be right now.

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Key Text: Philippians 3:1-10

Everything listed here was an identity marker for Paul. If you asked him, ‘Who are you?’ these would have been part of his answer. Yet, we see in v.7, he now counts this ‘identity’ as loss/rubbish. His identity is now found in Christ. This is what he says in Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

When we meet people who are little disconnected, sad, insecure or antagonistic, it probably comes down to answering one question: ‘Who am I?’ We all sometimes struggle with our identity. As well as asking ‘Who am I? - What makes me special or unique? What value do I bring? Do I have any influence? What was I made for? These are big questions that people will often try to answer in culture, through other people’s opinions of them and through the people they compare themselves with, which will sometimes leave them feeling unworthy or more unsure.Identity crisis is the disruption of our view of selfIn the quest to answer these big questions, people strive to become good at something or valuable to someone in their search for meaning. But finding worth in an activity or a person is dangerous. because any identity that is achieved rather than received will always be dependent on how you compare yourself against others. Our identity is not found in who we are but in whose we are.It’s an illusion to say that our identity comes from our inner feelings. People say it all the time ‘this is who I am.’ You decide who you are. When we make anything our identity, career, ability, our body, relationship, wealth, education, position. Those things very quickly stop being good and begin to crush us because we make the quality of that thing the measure of our worth.We cannot take ourselves, bless ourselves and name ourselves. We need recognition, we need someone from the outside to come in and speak to you. The kind of person we need is the love, approval and esteem from someone that we esteem, if we are going to have any self-esteem. This person can’t be anyone who is going to let you down, abandon or disillusion you. It also can’t be someone who is fickle, up and down with you depending on how you preform.To know that God loves us, the Lord of the universe loves us. Should surely give us the most powerful basis possible for a stable identity. Why? because it’s not based on our performance or our own flawed thinking.Ephesians 1:5 He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, citizens of God’s kingdom Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,New identity 1 Peter 2:9-10- But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. Once you were not a people but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy.We are united in Christ Romans 6:3-5 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? 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. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.But Jesus does not name us by just showing up and giving us a new name and saying that you’re mine but He dies for us. When we accept what Jesus has done for us, we are completely forgiven. From His perspective, we are without sin. It’s not that you won’t sin but when He looks at us, He calls us forgiven. That is something on which you can build your identity.The Bible emphasises believers' identity in Christ as a central theme. The N.T, in the writings of the apostles Paul and Peter, underscores that those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour are transformed and redefined by their relationship with Him.SWhen we begin a relationship with Jesus it’s then we can start to see ourselves the way God sees us as a child of God. Then we can start to realise that our identity is not found in who we are but in whose we are. Our relationship in Christ is the source of our strength, security and purpose. Christians are called to find their identity in Christ, recognising that our worth and significance come from our relationship with Him rather than worldly standards.That truth is critical for us to know. The power of Holy Spirit within us is actually stronger than the voices of others.Some of us have had negative labels placed on us by peers, friends, teachers, role models and maybe even inadvertently our parents. Whether through direct comments or the way you have been treated, ‘hear’ that you’re not good enough. Over time, these labels shape our personal identity and confidence in who we are. As adults, when we see our children feeling insecure, hurt, unsure of themselves, or disconnected, we want to step in and tell them how wonderful they are. We want to assure them that they are loved and valuable. We want to encourage them with authentic compliments and point out all the best and good things about them. And we should do that. We are the greatest influence in our kid’s lives. Our words matter.However, as hard as it sounds, how we view ourselves and our worth has to be bigger and greater than anything someone else might tell us.We are more than the world tells us. Ephesians 3:2 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.So what else can we do? when we are struggling with identity.Look to God as the Definitive Source of truth, You don’t have to take anyone’s word for it. Actually, God wants you to find out for yourself by reading His Word. It is so important that you go to the Bible to find out how He feels about us. Our identity should never be based on a hope or a guess. God gave us His Word the Bible, so we can know Him and know who He is making us to be in Him.

 Dwell. It is so important as believers that we surround ourselves with other Christ followers.Tell. Verbalising truth about ourselves and sharing own story helps us solidify our Christ-centred identity in their hearts. Using all of the gifts God has given us, in a way that honours Him “tells” the story of Jesus in our lives as well.

To be able to understand our identity as a disciple of Christ, we need to understand how He sees us. It’s tempting to build our identity on what we accomplish, this is not a stable foundation. Our true identity is ultimately not found in who we are but in whose we are and what He says about us.Loved, Chosen, Forgiven, Redeemed and Adopted.These are the pillars of our new identity in Christ Jesus.What could be when we learn to live in our Christ identity?

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Finding Jesus For YourselfIf you didn’t grow up around church or Christian stuff or speak ‘Christianese’ then you might laugh when people say, ‘I found Jesus’ You might then think ‘I didn’t know He was lost – So how did He get lost?’ Maybe you’re thinking, ‘So is Jesus hiding all over the place like Easter eggs?’ or, ‘Why is Jesus hiding in the first place?’ Finding Jesus for yourself will take your whole life and he will make your life whole.

Who Is Jesus?

Maybe we’ve heard someone say, ‘I found Jesus’ after they went through a life-changing twelve-step program to get free from addiction. That’s pretty common. Jesus seems to be into getting to know people who’ve hit rock bottom and are ready to find a whole new way to live. Maybe we’ve heard someone talk about coming back to Jesus after a period when they didn’t really practice their faith. Maybe we’ve never really heard people talk about finding Jesus at all, and you’re just looking into whether or not you want to try to find Him yourself.Because of a human (Jesus), who is also the eternal God, we are fully seen, fully known and fully loved by the God who made us and the world and we can experience immeasurable grace and truth as a result.John, talking about the ‘Word becoming flesh’ said it like this: For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:16-17

For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

What Are Some Ways to Find Jesus?

People think about Jesus in lots of different ways. Some people, like me believe He is the Son of God, who came to give us life—full life. There are people who believe He was a great human who taught great things but nothing more than that. There are people who believe He was someone who knew God well and even spoke for Him but was not God Himself. There’s a small group that questions whether or not He was a historical figure at all.1.Go The Places Jesus Goes.If we read the Gospels (the Biblical accounts of Jesus’ life) you will find that Jesus was always on the move and often in places you’d least expect to find someone whose life would influence the entire world.We’ll find Jesus crossing ethnic, cultural and gender barriers at the well talking with a woman. We’ll find Him sleeping on a boat in the middle of a storm with a bunch of working-class fishermen.When He delivers His most famous message (the Sermon on the Mount), He chooses a hillside instead of a temple.He meets some of His first followers on the beach. When He overcomes temptation, He’s alone in the desert.Jesus isn’t just in the unlikely places of life, He also always seems to be on His way somewhere. If we feel like we've lost Jesus, we probably haven’t. Jesus won’t leave us but He will lead you. He often leads us out of our comfort zone and into places where others need to be loved.2.Find The People Jesus Hangs Out With.Reading through the books in the Bible that tell the story of Jesus’ life (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) I see some patterns.Jesus often encourages people who are sick, left out, misunderstood, wrongfully labelled, oppressed, prisoners and low on resources.He doesn’t just live this way. He regularly and directly asks His followers to give to and learn from people in these situations.In Matthew 25, Jesus identifies very closely with people who are treated as less than. He goes so far as to say that when we do something for someone that can’t make it worth our while or gain any advantage - we’ve done it for Him.I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:36-40When we look past people who need compassion, we look past Jesus.3.Do the Things Jesus Does.Finding and following Jesus is mostly going where He goes, loving those He loves and doing what He does.Jesus often communicated in stories and questions, but in Matthew 16, He was really direct about what it means to find and follow Him.

... “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”  Matthew 16:24 ESV

Jesus rejected comfort, rejected making a name for Himself and loved without reservation.He went looking for His friends after they betrayed Him and then cooked them breakfast on the beach.He went against both religious and secular culture to not only respect women but elevate them. When people tried to wash His feet (it was a thing), He’d turn and wash theirs instead. (not a thing). When adults were hushing the kids, Jesus called them to Himself and told the adults they’d have to become like a child to really understand God and His kingdom. When religious leaders pushed rules, He pushed grace. He rested regularly. He went off to find solitude with God, He attended His local places of worship and He ate with cheating tax collectors, grumpy religious leaders and prostitutes. He hugged people no one would touch and He healed people of all kinds of pain and sickness.

How Do You Know if You’ve Found Jesus?

 When we look for Him, going where He goes, doing what He does, loving those He loves (everyone) and asking Him for His help, we find Him. We may not find Him where we thought He’d be, doing what we thought He’d be doing or with those we thought He’d be with, but we will find Him.Jesus was answering similar questions when He said this in Matthew 7:7-11

Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better? Matthew 7:7-11 MSG

Whoever finds Jesus, finds life. So, the question is Do You Want to Find Jesus for Yourself?

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What Could Be (Avoiding Spiritual Apathy)

Key Text: Ephesians 2:1-10

God wants us to live an inspired life. In other words, God wants us to be spiritually energised as we pursue the calling He has placed on our lives. And yet we all go through seasons of feeling the opposite. Apathy rarely appears overnight. It’s usually a slow process that leads to feeling distant from God and unconcerned with pursuing Him. Spiritual apathy can happen to anyone.  Good news is there are ways we can avoid it. So if you want to energise your faith and take steps to draw closer to God, this message is for youScripture makes it clear that we have a part to play in overcoming our apathy. For example, Paul exhorts, Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in (the) spirit, serve the Lord. Romans 12:11 The implication here is that zeal the opposite of apathy can be cultivated. So, how do we find healing from crippling indifference? Resolving our apathy begins when we acknowledge the causes of our indifference. While there may be many causes (and many permutations of causes) Here are three questions for the apathetic1.Am I living in Unconfessed Sin?One possible cause of spiritual indifference is the choice to walk in sinful disobedience to God in some area of life. If we are unremorseful or unrepentant about our sin, we will likely find ourselves feeling cold, distant, and disinterested. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Psalm 51:3 - 4 Our experience of apathy, may be God allowing our fellowship with Him to cool in order to snap us out of our sinful stupor and draw us to Him in repentance. Again David writes, Psalm 32:3 - 4

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer

David interprets the emotional, physical, and spiritual exhaustion he feels as the result of his silence regarding his sin. In a similar way, the source of our listlessness may not be as mysterious as we might think. Those who are cold toward God are allowed by Him to grow still colder. If we sow to satisfy our sinful desires, we should not be surprised to find ourselves feeling distant from God.Apostle Paul echoes this scriptural connection between sin and deadness when he cautions, ‘Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.’ Galatians 6:7–8 If we sow to satisfy our sinful desires, we should not be surprised to find ourselves feeling distant from God and less enthusiastic about what matters to Him.This is not to say that sin is always or even often punished with apathy. But we must remain open to the possibility that wilful, unconfessed sin may be blunting our passion.2.Have I Neglected God’s Means of Grace?Sometimes we make spiritual growth overly complicated. It seems we are regularly trying to find the secret key that unlocks closeness to God and power in our spiritual lives. Yet in our search for that key, we often neglect the basics. What are the basics? Here’s one: Read your Bible, pray every day and you will grow, grow grow.In other words, hear God’s promises and commands, and then respond to Him. Hear and do — this will make us more like Him. Dallas Willard writing about Christian formation wrote:We can become like Christ by doing one thing by following him in the overall style of life He chose for Himself. If we have faith in Christ, we must believe that He knew how to live. We can, through faith and grace, become like Christ by practicing the types of activities He engaged in, by arranging our whole lives around the activities He Himself practiced in order to remain constantly at home in the fellowship of his Father.

 What did Jesus do? He prayed, studied and meditated on God’s word, and regularly served others (among other activities). Those are the basic spiritual disciplines of the Christian life. They are some of God’s means of showering His life-transforming grace on us. If we neglect these, is it any wonder we are growing dull to God? Remember, it is those who meditate on God’s word day and night, those who make this a disciplined practice — that are like … a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.Psalm 1:2

The less time we spend with a beloved friend, the less likely we are to have Him on our minds and in our hearts.3.What Fills My Mind Daily?If God is not filling our thoughts and occupying our attention daily, then what is? The reality is that we are always being formed. We are being shaped by everything that holds our gaze, whether we realise it or not. The problem for us is that we are regularly beckoned to fix our eyes on things that really don’t matter much.We are in a culture where the peripheral and irrelevant are presented as meaningful and worthy of our attention. This is a problem for anyone wanting to maintain spiritual zeal. We have become a trivial culture where triviality numbs us to the meaningful. In a world where everything is seemingly significant, what are we really supposed to care about?Apostle Paul exhorts us Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”  In doing so, he calls the Colossians to continually carry with them the distinction between the trivial and the meaningful, and to set their minds on the latter.The problem with making everything important is that everything might become equally important. It becomes increasingly difficult to feel the grandeur of something that really is a big deal. If not guarded we can be amused into indifference.At a time when everything is posted, liked, commented on and retweeted, we are slowly being conditioned to treat worthy things unworthily or, worse, to stop caring about anything. - Does this describe you? It may also be the case that apathy is the symptom of a bigger issue. Even so, view these questions as a launching point for further reflection

 Overcoming Apathy

If the issue is unconfessed sin, own the sin before your Lord and before someone else. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9If the issue is a lack of spiritual disciplines, start small, but start somewhere. If Bible reading has become stale, shift gears and try listening to an audio version.If praying has become repetitive or you don’t know what to say, pray the Psalms or grab a hymnbook and pray those songs as if they are your own heart’s desire. Shake things up. But start somewhere, anywhere. These are just small ways to ‘Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.’ 1 Timothy 6:12If the issue is filling your mind with too much triviality, consider fasting from social-media platforms or even your phone (for a short season).Seek to cultivate a sense of meaning by only reading articles or books that require you to rest, reflect and respondWe are in a crisis of meaninglessness and we exacerbate it by being less reflective and more reactive. Give yourself the time and space to be ‘renewed in the spirit of your mind’ Ephesians 4:23As with most parts of the Christian life, the solutions may be straightforward but not easy. This is especially the case for the apathetic, for whom motivation is the main issue.So, let me repeat: start small and then ask Holy Spirit tol enable you to take more steps forward and sustain you in continuing those steps. …for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

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Key Text: Matthew 7:12-20

In his letter to the Philippians Paul prays, that they will be ‘…filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God’ Philippians 1:11 His reference to ‘bearing fruit’ is not incidental, His references to ‘bearing fruit’ in Philippians and elsewhere mines a deep seam of fruitfulness established by Jesus, that runs through the entire Bible from beginning to end. We find fruit on the first and last pages of Scripture in the garden of Eden and the new Jerusalem and almost everywhere in between. When we look deeper, it should be clear that God’s desire for fruitfulness is as extensive as the gospel message of our restoration to the Father through Christ.

Created for Fruitfulness

Fruitfulness like everything, starts with God Himself, who creates land with the capacity to produce plants and trees that bear fruit, It’s God who blesses animals to be fruitful and multiply and who calls on human beings created in His image to ‘be fruitful and increase in number’ Genesis 1:26-28. Fruitfulness is a mandate for those who are in Christ, not an option.

The original mandate (Instruction/command) has to do with building families, growing crops and breeding animals, – in other words cultivating creation. We are mandated to represent God’s rule over every activity, through relationship with others to reflect God’s own creative hand.As Genesis continues, so the promise of fruitfulness is restated and re-emphasised to Noah after the flood and to Abraham and his family, where numerical growth of the people is bound up with God’s covenant with them, fruitfulness for the purpose of blessing all nations. Then, after the covenant at Sinai, the promises are linked to the people’s obedience to God in the promised land, as God’s ‘vine’ planted there Psalm 80:8-11Through all this, as we see in Psalm 1 and elsewhere, bearing fruit becomes model image of Godly living.The righteous, those in covenant relationship with God, who constantly meditate on his law, are like …a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in due season and its leaf does not wither. In all he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:3. The tree is well located, well planted, and well-watered. Because of that, it thrives, bears fruit in season and does not wither.The repeated complaint of the prophets however, is that Israel as a vine or vineyard seems unable to bear fruit. ‘The song of the vineyard’ in Isaiah 5:1-7 records God’s deep sadness that His chosen people who had been planted to bear fruit, ultimately for the blessing of the nations had produced only sour/wild grapes. The consequence in the O.T. story is that they suffer judgment and dispersal in exile.But the theme of fruitfulness is picked up again in the promises of restoration back to the land, usually associated with the giving of God’s Spirit as in Isaiah 32:15-17…the Spirit is poured upon us from on high and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field and the fruitful field is deemed a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. And the effect of righteousness will be peace and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.

Fruitfulness in Christ

Given the rich O.T. background, it’s perhaps no surprise that Jesus uses images related to fruit and fruitfulness, sowing and harvesting, fig trees and vineyards. His statement ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser/gardener’ John 15:1. Jesus’ through this declaration now takes up the role God had assigned for Israel. Abiding with Jesus in the vine is to be a part of the restored end-time people of God, who are called to bear fruit to God’s glory John 15:8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples

Paul also picks up the language of fruit at various points in his letters, Gentile as well as Jew, people who bear the fruit of the Spirit as a sign of the new creation.A Fruitful Soul manifesting the fruit of Holy Spirit Galatians 5:22-23 …the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.Many ways a Christian can be fruitful but it begins in the heart with the fruit of the spirit. The inner fruit affecting our outward actions.A Fruitful Mind Philippians 4:8-9, Romans 8:5-8, …whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things and the God of peace will be with you. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.Ephesians 4:22 -24 - put of old self – and be renewed in the spirit of our mindsFruitfulness in Deeds Colossians 1:10, …walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 1 Peter 3:10 (Tongue)Fruitfulness in Gift 1 Peter 4:10, As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: Romans 12:4-6 …having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;

 Fruitfulness in Fellowship Hebrews 10:24-25, …let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Psalm 133

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!

For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

We have been called to a life of fruitfulness: Soul, Mind Deeds & Words, Stewarding of gifts of grace In fellowship & community with each other

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Key Text: Acts 16:1 -5

 Acts 1:8 …you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’

From v.8 the Bible tells us the account of how God’s fledgling church became His witnesses in all the Earth by the power and enabling of Holy Spirit. The gospel started moving along the ground, moving out from Jerusalem and into Judea, Samaria and even further into the heart of the greater Greco-Roman world at the time. The early believers in Jesus carried the story of Jesus with them wherever they went. The gospel was spread primarily by word of mouth and is still the same today. James 3:9 … the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. The kingdom of God started to invade the kingdom of this world.Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In defence of the Jews of the area, Paul had arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left because everyone knew that his father was a Greek. 1This is an interesting moment. Paul has just come away from the council of Jerusalem, where the decision had been clearly made that it was unnecessary for Christians to obey all the Jewish law. Acts 15:5…some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.’  Peter stands up in the council and reminds the religious leaders, that God had ordained that he would be the one to take the gospel message to the gentiles. He goes on to make the point that God had given even the gentiles Holy Spirit Acts 15:9 …and He (Holy Spirit) made no distinction between us and them having cleansed their hearts by faith.’ So why are they intent on putting a yoke/burden on them that God has not, by insisting that they be circumcised first?Paul and Barnabas off the back of Peter’s defence, begin to tell of all the signs and wonders they have seen Holy Spirit do through them amongst the Gentiles. Paul concludes the debate Acts 15:19 Therefore, my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, So Paul more than anyone, passionately believed that it was not necessary for men to be circumcised and in his letters he was scathing of those who insisted on it.So then why did he insist that his new companion, Timothy should go through a ceremony which he believed was entirely unnecessary? The answer is a simple one, he believed that their priority was to preach the gospel and that they must ensure that nothing got in the way of that.The greatest blessing we can bring to another person is to introduce them to Jesus. God has entrusted us with the most powerful words we can speak. The message of Jesus has the power to transform lives.- we are the evidence of that fact. The witness of our lives still remains potent and powerful.Paul knows full well the temptation we all feel to at times be ashamed. It can be so easy to allow our fears, doubts and worries about what other people think to stop us from speaking about Jesus. Understanding this Paul writes Romans 1:16 ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.’How can this be? How does a man who lived a relatively short life of around 33 years and spent most of His time within a 100 miles radius, change the entire world and the course of all human history?If Timothy was to work effectively among Jews then it would be much more helpful, if he was circumcised. Timothy’s mother was a Jew and so he already had much in common with Jews and his circumcision would make it much easier to relate to them.Paul set out his thinking on this subject in 1 Corinthians 9:19- 20he wrote: For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.

 (Msg) Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralised—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view.

 1 Corinthians 9:22…I have become all things to all people, that by all (not any) means I may save some.

The particular challenge that Paul was facing may feel very far removed from our own situation, but the principles are the same. There are many people for whom the good news of Jesus is a completely foreign language. The gospel message will often split hearers into two groups. We see this later in Rome as Paul preached Acts 28:4 … some were convinced by what he said but others believed.

 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.

That means that we need to go out of our way to make connections. We need to look at ourselves and see if there is anything that we can change in order to get closer to others outside of our usual circles. For Paul nothing in the world was more important than bringing other people to Jesus and that should be the same for us too.Question: What could we do to reach out more effectively to our families, neighbours or work colleagues with the good news of Jesus?We can learn a lot from Paul. When he went to a new place, it was his usual practice to make contact first of all with those attending the synagogue. The synagogue is a consecrated space used for prayer, study, assembling and reading of the Torah. Had to be 10no.Jewish males. Thessalonica, Berea Athens Here he found not only Jews but also people who were interested in the faith, who hadn’t made a full commitment. It was a good place to talk about his faith and he was ideally qualified to speak with understanding to both Jews and Gentiles.Acts 17:17-18 …he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.But he didn’t leave it at just synagogues, he also went regularly to the public Square. That was a more random activity and I love the way that Luke records him meeting those who happened to be there. v.17 And if that wasn’t enough, he also engaged in lively debate with the philosophers.The Stoics taught the development of self-control as a means of overcoming destructive emotions whilst the Epicureans believe that pleasure, enjoyed moderately was the greatest good in life. Paul was delighted to engage in debate with them.Paul approach shows us of the need for flexibility in spreading the good news. It is natural that we will want to speak about Jesus in church and celebrate our faith and that is right.The church of Jesus are mixed communities, embracing people with strong Christian convictions and others who are interested but uncommitted. But we shouldn’t for a moment imagine that speaking about Jesus inside our church buildings is enough.Jesus told his disciples to ‘Go’ 2000 years ago and he says the same to us today. We need to take the good news to coffee shops, to pubs, places of work, retirement homes, youth clubs, on social media and wherever people meet. Just like Paul, we need to grab every opportunity for speaking about Jesus.Question: Can you think of a new place where you could speak about Jesus?The word is on the move. The kingdom is on the move. As disciples of Jesus, we can’t help too but be on the move.

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Key Texts: John 1:43-51 and Matthew 6:5-6God says I see youThe Seeking Heart -Jesus first teaches us how NOT to pray.The word hypocrite is a theatrical term referencing trying to be something that you are not.Don’t try to be something that you are not before the Father.Found people, find peopleNathaniel had a fig tree, a place to go and seek God. A place no one else knew about.The Searching Eye -Nathaniel makes the declaration that Jesus is God, the messiah.What was Nathaniel praying about that morning.The power of being seen under the fog tree & being known was enough to convince Nathaniel.God sees meThe reward is that God reveals Himself to us.The Satisfied Soul -Genesis 28:16-17We are now the temples of the living God.Worshipping God is not about a singular place but about having a secret place in our hearts. So we can connect with God at anytime & in any place.The secrets place is where God sees us and will reveal Himself to us.Psalm 63:1-7

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Born Again

Key Text : John 3:1-14

What does the phrase ‘Born Again’ mean?Right from the start we need to be clear ‘Born again’ is not a phrase invented by the church or anti - Christian media. Jesus himself used the phrase as a description of what it really means to be a saved follower of His. Jesus said that only those who are born again will see the kingdom of heaven, enter into heaven and live eternally in heaven. So it’s important that all of us discover and understand what it means. In John chapter 3, Jesus meets a man named Nicodemus, who comes to him under the cover of darkness. Nicodemus was a prominent man in society, learned and deeply religious.So why did he come to Jesus at all? The answer is that his outward religiosity had failed to give him real satisfaction in life. He was hungry for truth, for meaning, for reality, for Joy. His heart was dissatisfied, his mind was seeking. When he saw Jesus, he saw someone who had the authority and the power of God running through Him. Jesus healed the sick, raise the dead and fed the hungry and He never asked to be paid for any of those deeds. More importantly, Jesus was a man who demonstrated heavenly authority. He claimed to forgive sins. He spoke about the kingdom of heaven. He never quoted any scribes or rabbis. He said ‘I say to you.’ He spoke from His own authority, as if He had authority from God Himself. Because He did.So Nicodemus came to Jesus because he was convinced that Jesus was not just another teacher, but someone with authority from heaven. But Nicodemus was not yet willing to admit that he needed to be saved from his sins. (maybe you’re the same?) He was still trying to protect his reputation as a morally superior and religious man. That’s why he came to see Jesus at night. He didn’t want anyone to see him and say oh look at Nicodemus, he’s becoming a Jesus freak.Nicodemus wanted to know the truth and the question that was burning in him and burns in many today is ‘If I die, will I go to heaven?’ One of the great spiritual tragedies of his time and of our time as well, is that people allow their fear of peer pressure to keep them out of the kingdom of heaven.

v.2  ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.’

Who was the ‘We’ that Nicodemus referred to? Nicodemus was not alone among the members of the Sanhedrin to recognise Jesus power and authority.But the members of the Sanhedrin were afraid of peer pressure. They were afraid of what other powerful men might think of them. They were afraid of being cancelled by the cancel culture of first century Israel. Because they didn’t want people to judge them or mock them for being a follower a disciple of Jesus, they denied Christ and condemned themselves to an eternity without Him. In other words they excluded themselves from God’s heaven.Jesus said ‘You must be born again’ but Nicodemus who was a very literal minded Pharisee asked Jesus ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born?’ 4For the second time v.5 Jesus begins His reply with the phrase ‘Truly, Truly.’- I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’ Do not marvel (surprised) that I said to you ‘you must be born again’

The repeat of the word ‘truly’ is a statement of literary emphasis. Jesus was trying to get Nicodemus to pay close attention. He was about to tell him the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Jesus told Nicodemus and He tells the same thing to us that in order to go to heaven, we must allow God to do something to us.

We must allow God to transform us and completely change us. We cannot make ourselves acceptable to God by keeping religious rituals or trying to live a good life. We cannot simply make cosmetic changes. We must be radically transformed. We must be born again. This second birth is a spiritual transformation that can only be effected by Holy Spirit.What does Jesus mean when he says, that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the spirit?Jesus is referring to God’s O.T. proclamation through the prophet Ezekiel 36:25-27 ‘I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.’Ezekiel spoke of a time to come when God would give His people a transformational new beginning. The symbols of that new beginning are water and the spirit. Water cleanses us of all sin, idolatry and impurity. Holy Spirit transforms our hearts, taking away our hearts of stone and giving us new, softened hearts of flesh so that we can walk in the spirit and follow God in obedience.To be born of water and the spirit is not an idea that Jesus invented through His conversation with Nicodemus. It’s a promise that God the Father made through the O. T. prophet Ezekiel six centuries before the coming of Jesus. A born again person is one who has been radically transformed by Jesus, whose life has been invaded by the power of Holy Spirit, who is living for Jesus in this life and who is going to heaven in the next.Who is going to heaven? All those who have experienced a new beginning in life by being born of water and the spirit, all those who have been cleansed by God and have been given a new heart and a new indwelling spirit. Self-improvement is not enough. We need a radical transformation, we need a complete rebirth that only Jesus through Holy Spirit can bring.We are all born with the sin of Adam encoded in our spiritual DNA. Every human being who has ever lived has been born with a built in sin problem. That same problem is what nailed Jesus to the cross until he died and satisfied the father justice. He was buried in a tomb but on the third day He rose in triumph over death and the grave, Hallelujah! When we commit our life to Jesus, when we are born again, we become new creatures, we become radically transformed.To be born again, we must first admit we have a problem that needs solving. We must admit that we are sinners. We deserve everlasting punishment. We are heading for hell and we are incapable of saving ourselves from our own sin. We must recognise our lost condition. Anyone who wants to spend eternity in the presence of God the Father must understand that heaven cannot be earned. We cannot do anything to deserve being saved. If we try to convince ourselves that we are good enough to satisfy a Holy God, that our good work can qualify us to get into heaven, we are fooling ourselves.“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Romans 3:10-12

There’s nobody living right, not even one, nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God. They’ve all taken the wrong turn; they’ve all wandered down blind alleys. No one’s living right; I can’t find a single one. (Msg Paraphrase)

That’s the undeniable truth that Jesus himself stated ‘truly, truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the spirit v.5

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Are You Willing To Give Everything?

• Matthew 7:12 So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you. (NIV)
• Matthew 13:46 Parable of the Pearl - When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (NIV)
• Matthew 18:26 Parable of the Unmerciful Servant – At this the servant fell on his knees and begged “Be patient with me and I will pay back everything.” (NIV)
• Matthew 19:27 – Peter answered Jesus “We have left everything to follow you.”

Maria Skobtsova (Russian heritage) began her early life as an atheist then a Roman Catholic after a fresh revelation of Jesus she wrote: ‘He also died. He sweated blood. They struck his face.’ After becoming a born again Christian she and her father helped many Jews escape German occupation of France.On Easter Saturday 1945 at the Ravensbruck concentration camp she took the place of a Jewish woman who was going to the gas chamber, a day before the Red Cross liberated the camp. She wrote these words as she went: Lord, I am your messenger. Throw me like a blazing torch into the night.Jesus has never asked, nor will he ask us to do something that He Himself has not done.  Luke13:31-33 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’Jesus gave everything

1.Performance Religion Will Never Lead to Everything

There were around 6,000 Pharisees: some full time, some professional students, others had jobs. They believed in the O.T. as well as explanation and application. What does it mean to obey the Sabbath rule of no work? A tailor couldn’t carry a needle in his tunic on the evening before the Sabbath in case it was still in his pocket when the Sabbath came. Healing the sick was work. The Pharisees were more interested in the performance of works to get to God than the relationship with God. This is legalism and there are never enough works. Performance will never lead to everything.

2.Leaving Early Is Not Everything

 Someone or something will always want you to back off, back down, Calm down, be moderate, do less or just leave. The Pharisees wanted Jesus in Judea and Jerusalem where they could watch him and trap him. But Jesus was on the road for everything. The temptation is so divine, it is so wise and it can appear like god. ‘Leave the road of difficulty. Leave the road of dedication. Think of yourself.’ God has said: ‘I will not leave you or forsake you.’ Hebrews 13:5 until I have given everything.

3.The Fear of Losing Opposes the Giving of Everything v.31 Herod wants to kill you; v.32 Go and tell that fox. Question: What is your worst fear right now?

The fear of not having enough, the fear of not experiencing it all, the fear of being hurt, fear of love not being reciprocated, the fear of being left alone? Fear is calling you NOT to give everything. Jesus is heading for His death. When a person is committed to giving everything then the suggestion that you could lose something, if not everything, is not a fear but an encouragement. Jesus sees Herod as a fox, a schemer, sly and crafty. Watch out not for the big foxes but the small ones.4.Prior (Before) to Everything is Persistence

v.33…I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following,

Keep going Question: Can you stand firm in green pastures? Can you stand firm in the valley of the shadow of death? I will reach my goal! Jesus never lost sight of His goal.What was it that caused Moses to give up and ask God to kill him Numbers 11?After experiencing a wonderful revival at Nineveh why did Jonah want to curl up and die? Jonah 4What made Elijah move from Mount Carmel to a cave and wallow in self-pity? 1 Kings 19

 Discouragement – everyone who ever achieved anything, every person who became all that they could become, battled at some point with discouragement.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9 We don’t want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it. We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. (Msg)It’s never too late to become determined again.

5.His Everything Was Everything

 v.33 He came to die

Jesus Himself has nowhere to lay his head. His calling was to serve God through the wandering life of a rabbi, walking from village to village, calling people; long days, dusty hills, dependent on hospitality. Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.One day we will meet people in heaven who have given everything. We will meet Jesus. We will meet the Elim Vumba missionaries who were killed. We will meet the present martyrs of the faith. They will say to us, ‘It was tough down there on earth wasn’t it? It was hard to give everything but we are so grateful we did. How was it for you?’What will be our response today?

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In this Father's Day message Mandla Dube one of our PAIS apprentices, shares how everyone who encountered Jesus had their life transformed because they had met with Him. That same life transforming power is still at work today and available to everyone without exception, that invites Jesus into their situation.

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Key Text: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18We used to have Cardiff City Temple, Swansea City Temple but both are now called ‘City Churches’. Because the word ‘Temple’ in this day and age has some negative connotations. The word may be negative to some but the idea of a temple is still very relevant to God.The building that was erected by King Solomon in Jerusalem. That was by far the most important building ever built in human history. And not primarily by design and decoration but by purpose. To understand the significance of the temple we need to know that the people had a relationship with God that was very different from ours today. Of course they believed in the same God ‘Yahweh’ but they did not have or live in the new covenant. Thank God that we live post Calvary.Praise God that we live in a day and a time where Jesus has shed His blood and we know every morning when we wake up, we can just go straight into the throne room of God because it is a new day. Even though we might go through some hard times, we live with hope knowing that every single day of our life will bring us one day closer to the day when see Him face to face.Nelson Mandela spoke about a prison guard who said to him, ‘Do you know that I have the power to have you killed?’ Mandela responded, ‘Do you not know that I have the power to go to my death freely?’Do you want to live a life of true hope and freedom? Jesus is the great liberator. If Jesus ‘liberates you then you are really and unquestionably free. Those who lived under the old covenant did not have that hope. Sin was an unsolved problem. Sin was a dark cloud hanging over the people of God, separating them from their God. It was impossible to penetrate.Of course there were times in the O.T. when God broke through. There was a burning bush over here. there was like a pillar of cloud over there and sometimes there was fire that came down from heaven. The problem was however, you never knew when God was going to show up and you never knew where God was going to show up, you couldn’t even be sure if He would turn up.You were fortunate  if you happen to be in the right place at the right time. But for the majority of the people of God they had to come to terms with the fact that they would never, ever encounter the presence of the God they believed in.But one day all that changed when God spoke to King David through the prophet Nathan 2 Samuel 7:5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in?And David raised the funds, handed the project over to his son Solomon who built the temple but without really knowing in detail why this building was erected in the first place. As this temple was built and dedicated, God spoke to Solomon and told him the true purpose of this building. 2 Chronicles 7:15-16 "Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive "to the prayers offered in this place. "For I have chosen and consecrated this temple "so that my name may be there forever. "My eyes and my heart will always be there." For the very first time God now attached His presence, to a physical place. For the first time, the people of God could come to a place and not only hope but know that they would encounter the Lord. Not only hope but know that His presence will be there. Not only hope but know that He will hear their prayers. The temple church was more than a beautiful physical, building. It was the first ever thin place point of connection between heaven and earth. For the first time in Jewish history, now everyone had a place they could go to and know that God would be there, Amen.You have no doubt in modern times, heard of the ‘Wailing wall’ in Jerusalem, Israel. Now you might say well this is interesting, this is nice but you know the temple is gone. You know, it was torn down, it was rebuilt and then torn down again. And we live like 2000 years after. So why are you telling us this? Well you see the temple building is gone but the temple principle remains.• There is a N.T temple, there is a new covenant temple that carries the same vision. There's a new place to which God is attaching His presence permanently. There's another place, that is the point of connection between heaven and earth. Read: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. It says, ‘For we are the temple of the living God.’...We are the temple of the living God.These are not poetic words but divine revelation that will change your life so that you can go out and change your world. That's what the word of God is all about and if God says we are the temple of the living God it means more than we're quite beautiful. It means that we are the new covenant point of connection between heaven and earth. It means we are the place, the people to which God attaches His presence permanently and we are called to reflect and reveal God to this world.We are called to be ministered to by His Spirit and to be ministers of His Spirit to the world. Of course ministers of His Spirit 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. That’s what this is all about and Hebrews 8 tells us that we live in a better covenant, based on better promises that makes the old covenant of law redundant. So God has not just recreated the temple principle but improved the temple principle. Three major improvements:• Then it was just one temple serving the needs of the entire world. Today there are millions of temples all over the world.• The temple was fixed to a certain place in a certain city, if you wanted to deal with God, you needed to move to that place but today the temple is now movable and rather than saying come to the temple if you want to encounter God, the temples can go out in all over the world and preach the Gospel to every living creature, praise God.• The temple only came in one design. Today the temple of God comes in all shapes, age, colours, sizes and designs.Some temples are even undercover temples, like guerrilla temples that the world may look upon and say there is nothing good in there, but the temple is not about the exterior, the temple is about the one who lives inside the temple. It’s not about our presentation but about His presence in us. Praise God, if we are the present day, the modern day temples, the 21st Century temples of the living God, then whatever was true about the temple back then should be true about us here and now, Amen.The Temple was Visible. The temple could be seen from anywhere in the city because it was elevated.When God spoke to David and Solomon and asked for a building to house His glory, He did not ask for a bunker. He did not ask for an underground building with a secret entrance that only the holy chosen few would know about.Matthew 5:14-16. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. The problem is we have a lack of visible temples my church. We need to get some Christian submarines up to the surface amen. Vessels that exist, you know they are there but they're not seen. Every Sunday the periscope comes up temporarily. Checking things out and then Monday. We need to be in the business of calling some Christian submarines up to the surface - Amen.The Temple Was a House of Prayer. Jesus reminds us in Luke 19:46, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer.’If the original temple was a house of prayer, then so too does the new covenant temple need to be. Why? because God's presence did not come upon the temple because of its exterior or its beauty. The temple was finished but still there was no glory. The glory came as they started to pray and worship.Same with us, God is not so impressed with us that He looks at our exterior and say oh man, I need to get down and hang out with that person. God does not respond to our performance, He responds to your prayers, can we say Amen? That's why we need praying temples that carry the presence, holiness and the glory of God Amen?Become a temple, a house of prayer. Somewhere that God can respond to with His glory people who will be a light in our world, communicators of the Gospel peace and a people of prayer. Just like the first temple, the presence comes through consecration.Christians have prayer meetings but Muslims have a prayer culture.

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Key Text: Acts 19:1-10The apostle Paul wrote Ephesians to the churches around Ephesus to display the scope of God’s eternal plan for all humanity for Jews and gentiles alike.The first three chapters focus on what Christians should believe:• The glorious riches of God’s grace in Christ.• Dead sinners are made alive in Christ.• We have eternal salvation by grace through faith.• Blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing• Chose us before the foundation of the world• Because of love Adopted us• Redeemed through the blood• Forgiveness of our sin• Christ will bring all things under His Lordship• Sealed with promised Holy Spirit – guarantee of our inheritance.How Do We Measure Spiritual Maturity & Growth• Not that we read Bibles more• Not that we attend more church meetings• Not that we give more.• Not that we do more Christian service• Not that we stop watching some things we were watching before.• Not that we pray moreThe true  measure of Spiritual Maturity & Growth is more evidence of His presence in our lives than last year. The consequence of increased presence, is that we will do all the aforementioned things. We’ll be at more church meetings. When we are open to His presence, He gives us open hands and a spirit of divine generosity in every area of our lives. We’ll want to do more Christian service for the building of His kingdom. We’ll find that we stop watching some things we were watching before, so as not to grieve His presence. We’ll find that we are not just praying more but that our prayers begin to change us as we expect God to hear God’s heart for a matter or situation.Holy Spirit is available to anyone who becomes a disciple of Jesus, empowering us to live out the calling God has placed upon us. And what has Jesus called all His followers to do? To love God, love others and make disciples.Jesus’ first disciples wanted Him to stay and restore the kingdom of Israel. But in Acts 1, Jesus hints that His Kingdom wasn’t what they were imagining. His Kingdom would continue throughout history by the power of the Holy Spirit and the continual testimony of His disciples.Holy Spirit is a gift from our heavenly Father who helps us live in a way that honours God and reflects His character. When we allow the Holy Spirit to shape us, He transforms the ways we think and act. It’s Holy Spirit who empowers us to make Jesus known wherever in the world we find ourselves. Holy Spirit is the one who helps us to joyfully and boldly make Jesus known to the people He places around us. He is the one who gives the insight, discernment and courage we need to work out the love of Jesus’ to others.Acts 19:2 ‘We have not even heard there is a Holy Spirit.’Baptism In The Holy SpiritJesus' disciples were born again believers long before this day of Pentecost, perhaps during Jesus’s life and ministry but certainly by the time that Jesus after His resurrection breathed on them and said to them ‘receive the Holy Spirit’ John 20:22 Jesus commanded His disciples not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father which they had heard from Him Acts 1:4 Then in Acts 1:5 …John baptised with water but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”Acts 1:8 ‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’The disciples then obeyed Jesus’ command and waited in Jerusalem for Holy Spirit to come upon them, so that they would receive new empowering for witness and ministry. When the disciples had waited for ten days, the day of Pentecost came tongues of fire rested above their heads. Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.Peter teaches the church in Jerusalem, when he gives an account of why he went to Joppa to uncircumcised men. Although the disciples were born again long before Pentecost, at this Pentecost they received a Baptism with/in the Holy Spirit, which was subsequent to conversion and resulted in empowering for ministry as well as speaking in tongues.Acts 11:15-17 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?”Every believer today, like the apostles should ask Jesus for a ‘baptism in the Holy Spirit’ and follow the pattern we see in the disciples lives. When we receive this baptism of the Holy Spirit, it results in much more power for ministry in our lives just as it did in the lives of the disciples.1 Corinthians 12 Gives us an idea of the gifts Holy Spirit brings when we are baptised or filled with Holy Spirit.Wisdom, knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, spiritual discernment tongues, interpretation of tongues. Whatever the gift it is for the common good.Acts 2:17 Peter quotes from Joel 2 ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams;’Take a few moments and thank Jesus for the gift of His Holy Spirit. Then, invite Holy Spirit to come and change the way you think and act.

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Simplicity - When Less Is BetterOne of the biggest lies—Tell ourselves - More is better!Reflects the 1st Lie—Serpent told Adam/Eve—Garden. 'Did God really say?’Message was clear …What you don’t have is what you need to make you Happy, Fulfilled andContent. That’s the marketing strategy of the age. More is always better!More money-toys-Shoes-bags-Watches-Muscles, house. More house- More travel - More likes-More followers -More hair. You need more, you need more, you need more because more is always betterQuestion: What if the stuff we have, is keeping us from the life we want?Read: Acts 27:33-38 Paul on ship from Caesarea trying to get to Italy. Beaten down by storm-Crew thought they were going to die. After 2 weeks w/o eating-Paul - Broke bread—Gave thanks.When they had eaten … Enough. v.38 Lightened ship—Threw out what they didn’t need.Why lighten ship?-Less is better-Ship moves faster/Outrun/Avoid rocks.When did they lighten ship?  When they… Had Enough.Question: What is enough? - When we have what we need.The Problem—Way that we live communicates a different message. Don’t believe you have enough …The Lord is my Shepherd, I have enough. The Lord is my shepherd and I have all that I need.If we want to have a healthy heart of simplicity, there are two prayers we can pray regularly:Lord, give me less of what doesn’t matter.Lord, give me more of what does matter.God, Give me Less of What Doesn’t Matter.“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also Matthew 6:19-21If you want to change your life—Change your habits. If you want to change your habits, let God change your heart.Jesus said … Don’t store up—Don’t accumulate—Don’t hoard. Check your attitude toward things because that will show you what the state of your heart is.But the reality is for most of us is almost a goal to accumulate.Accumulating-Bigger bank balance -Security in material wealth- Not God. And this is what Jesus says Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.Jesus spoke a lot about money 11 of the 39 parables talk about money. 1 out of every 7 verses of Jesus’ words talk about money. Those are both true. BUT those statistic doesn’t tell the story. Jesus often used money, something everyone understood, as an illustration to a larger point or as a symbol of something else. Did Jesus talk about money? Yes. Does He care how we use our money? Yes. Is it the most talked-about/taught issue? No. So what is Jesus talking about if not money of itself?...He is talking about our hearts.If We Want less of what doesn’t matter- What do we do?Chapter about people of faith Abel, Enoch, Noah Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, MosesTherefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1Strip off, throw off everything you don’t need—Slows down—Interferes.Throw out as if your life depends on it-Why? Does. Haven’t used in last year—Get rid of it-Throw/Give it away.Lord, give me more of what does matter.Ecclesiastes 4:6 Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.Jelly Beans—Why is one handful better? •If you have a free hand what can you do for those around you? You can hug someone, you can encourage someone, you can pray with someone, you can send a scripture, you can praise God, you can surrender if you have one handful. If you have two hands full, you end up toiling and labouring. Better is one handful without the debt that’s weighing you down. Better is one handful than pursuing things that don’t last. when your marriage is struggling. Better is one handful and time with your children, instead of pouring your life into things. Better is one handful is better than twoWhen we have less of what doesn’t matter, we have room for more of what does. One handful …To have more of what matters most—Need to know—What matters. We need to be clear/define in our thinking what matters most.The Things That Matter Most In Life Are Not Things.As a Dad—2 grown girls - Look back-Remember moments—Not things.Better is 1 handful with things that matter than 2 with things that don’t.Say : ‘I Have Enough’ Because I have Jesus, I have enoughSome say—I have Jesus—Still don’t have enough.I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:12-13(Well-fed - I have Jesus) (Hungry - I still have Jesus)(Plenty - I have Jesus) (In want - I still have Jesus)Because I have Jesus, I have enough. But some of you say, I have Jesus but I still want more.Why? - Jesus still in background figure in the stage of your life. Video games have NPC’s (Non Player Characters)(Background—Easy to miss—Ignore) (Front—Impossible to miss)Put Jesus in the forefront of your life—Not historical figure.Closest friend—Counselor—Confidant—Comforter.Something starts to change when we begin to understand what Paul said about contentment in all circumstances.Doesn’t matter what I have, I have Jesus, All I need.You want Jesus walking next to you in time of crisis.You end up in a hospital room, an operating theatre. You don't want more followers. You want more of Jesus.When you send your Children into the big wide world, you don't want just name brand shoes on their feet. You want Jesus in their hearts.But when your life does come to an end, you're not going care where you traveled last year. You're going care where you're going for eternity.And that's why Paul said, I've learned the secret of being content.I can do all things through Christ. He's everything. Because I have Jesus, I have enough.

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When you lie … Who do you think you lie to the most?

Boss? (Sick today)Children, Parents, Friends, Social Media Followers?

May surprise you to know that through conclusive research the person we lie to the most is ourselves.

Do it tomorrow, we won’t, Stop any time- we can’t, I’m fine -we're not, Don’t care -we do, Not a big deal - It is

The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

One of major reasons most New Year Resolutions fail. Focusing on Changing External Habits—External Behaviours.Get more organised—Stop procrastinating—Read Bible. Eat better—Start exercising—Stop yelling at spouse.The Problem is that we are focused on External Behaviours.Where are Behaviours Birthed? - Behaviours are Birthed in the Heart.If you want to change your life, change your habits. If you want to change your habits, let God change your heart.

Habits of a Healthy Heart:

The Habit of Self-Examination

 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24

Over time, David started understand that he had a propensity to lie to himself .He discovered it at one of the lowest moments of his life.

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him and all Israel... But David remained at Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 11:1

• Told himself—Fought enough—Deserves break—Stay safe.
• Drink roof—Woman—Send for her—Get know her—Wrong.
• Slept w/ her—Only one time—No one find out—Nothing bad will happen.
• Pregnant—Panic—Uriah home/Sleep—Front lines—Killed.
• David abused power—Violated Bathsheba—Committed adultery.
• Wrecked family—Murdered Uriah—Baby—Sick—Died.

David didn’t recognise his sin—We are masters of self-deception. Psychologists call this à ‘Cognitive Bias.’ Bible à calls it “flattering themselves/deceiving/deluded heart”

For he flatters himself in his own eye that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. Psalm 36:2

In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin.

Our Self-Deception Manifests in 5 Major ways:

Addiction to Distraction - Distract ourselves—Truth about ourselves. Porn/News/Work/Social Media /Alcohol—Facing ourselves.Manic Cheeriness - Life’s great—Everything is awesome.Judgementalism - Judge others—Vulnerable same issue. Our outrage at their sin blinds us—Own vulnerability—Same sin.Defensiveness - Offended—Any suggestion we have problem. Not our fault—Don’t have a problem—His fault—Their fault.Cynicism - Everything’s wrong—Everyone else is problem.

When David deceived himsel his life fell apart—2 Samuel 12 …

Question: What problem are you denying? Sin rationalising? Issue Are you hiding?

 Warning Signs

1.Watch for what Others Have Tried to Tell You.

 More than 2 people—Love you—Tell you—You have a problem.

 Working too much—Not present—On phone—Video games.

 Drink every night, closed hands instead of open heart, Dress immodest, Involved in unhealthy activity, Can’t say no—People please. Things you say & way you say hurt people over and over.

 When you ask God to search your heart—Watch out what others tell you.

 2.Watch for What You Rationalise.

 Shocking how good—Rationalising

 Not a big deal—Can handle this—Not hurting anyone.

Don’t have a problem! Know what I’m doing.

Wouldn’t do what I do … If you didn’t act the way you do.

3.Watch for Where You’re Most Defensive.

 Don’t have a problem—Leave me alone—Not your business!

The more convinced you are that you don’t have a problem, the more likely it is that you do.We cannot change what we won’t confront.

 Habit of Self-Examination—Moment of truth—Pray.

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me Psalm 139:23-24

 What is God saying To You? Showing you?

Afraid of God—He already knows—Shouldn’t be afraid of God.Instead we should be afraid—What sin/self-deception will cost you.Run to him—Not away from Him.Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right[a] spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:10-12

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Key Text: John 20:1-29Jewish custom dictated a responsibility to mourn at the tomb of the deceased for three days. This is why we are told in John 11:17 it was the fourth day when Jesus arrived at the tomb of His dead friend Lazarus. Mary was not exercising faith in the belief that Jesus would be raised from the dead, she was just doing what any self-respecting Jewish woman would do.Great thing is that God is gracious and even when at times we are not moving in and by faith, He still reveals something of His glory and goodness.The resurrection is the ultimate demonstration of this. None of the disciples really believed Jesus would be raised but His resurrection was not dependent on our understanding or comprehension but on the promise of a faithful God who purposed to set us free from the power of sin and death.Mary saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Out of a fear that the grave had been robbed, she ran to tell Peter. v.9 ‘..for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that He must rise from the dead.’Later having returned to the tomb sometime after Peter and John who had run to the tomb. (John of course outran Peter) Mary stood weeping outside. Had she gone in she would have beheld the wonder and truth of this resurrection.Jesus has made the way for us to no longer be on the outside but to enter into the wonderous miracle of resurrection life.Hebrews 10:17-21 ‘Therefore, brothers since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh…’It is possible for us to operate out of a ‘religious’ spirit, be in church, sing the songs, say the right things, do the good things and behave in a particular way – yet still be on the outside because we have not received the resurrection life that Christ Jesus won for us on the cross. Mary at this stage still did not believe that Jesus had been resurrected. Look at her response to the angels in the tomb 13‘They have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid Him.’ And when she saw Jesus 14, she still did not know it was Him. This was not His glorified body because He had not yet returned to the Father in heaven. v.17The veil of the temple was torn in two but the veils over many hearts today are still intact.When Jesus spoke her name there was an instant recognition. The spiritual veil was lifted and she beheld the risen Christ. A reminder that the good shepherd knows His sheep by name and His sheep know His voice. John 10:27In this moment, Mary became the first and only member of the N.T. church because she had seen the resurrected Jesus. There was a shift from just understanding and comprehension, from religious heart to a living hope and experience of the resurrected Jesus. She then went and announced to the disciples ‘I have seen the Lord.’ 18

v.16 tells us that she answered in Aramaic/Hebrew.

It’s a strange thing to record. If someone was telling a story of a conversation they had with me. They wouldn’t say I answered or spoke in English because there would be an assumption. The fact that John tells us this, means it has some significance in the story.John 19:20 sign ‘Jesus, the King of the Jews’ Was written in Hebrew (Religion) Greek (Philosophy/Understanding) Latin (Law) Those three things Religion, Philosophy and Law had conspired to consign Jesus to the cross and death.They are still at work in the world today, trying to silence the Christian voice and take any reference to God out of Culture and society.Religion – Rise of Islam and a turning away from faith.Understanding – Political correctness, LGBTQ+ agenda, Wokeness, Cancel Culture, My TruthLaw – Conversion therapy, Assisted dying, hate crimes.Mary on that resurrection morning came with all three a religious heart, her own natural understanding apart from revelation and still under law. But resurrection morning overcomes and nullifies the very things that took Jesus to the cross.Resurrection morning speaks freedom to those with a religious spirit. It reveals the love of the Father paying the ultimate price to reconcile us back to Himself.Resurrection morning speaks to those who are still bound and separated by their own understanding trying to work salvation out without revelation of the Spirit.Resurrection Morning speaks to those who are still dead in spirit living under law trying to do good things to earn the favour of God.Resurrection morning tells us of the new life possible in Christ Jesus, where we can know forgiveness of sin.Resurrection morning invites us into the empty tomb to behold the risen Jesus, to experience Him and find the grace and mercy of God.Resurrection morning invites us to believe what is written about Jesus in the scriptures, so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God and that by believing we may have life everlasting in His Name

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In The Courtroom with JesusJohn 18:25-40Jesus, the holy one dies as the condemned one. He who breathed as the guiltless dies as the guilty. Yet this very fact, as strange as that might seem, is fundamental to God’s purpose in the death of Jesus.Three times publicly and emphatically Peter had said it ‘I am not with Jesus, I do not know this man.’ How many of us live with a continual sense of failure, because of our inability or unwillingness to stand clearly for Christ in our public lives. Instead like Peter, we find ourselves drawn, step-by-step into an even deeper compromise until our lives are a continuous denial.Here we find a contrast Jesus stands up to His questioners and denies nothing whereas Peter cowers before his accusers and denies everything.Having got to this point that the high priest now stands in the presence of the Messiah whom God has finally sent. The one they have been looking for but instead of falling before Him in His presence in adoring acknowledgement and worship. They instead use every trick in the book to have Him condemned to death.v.31 Pilate says you take Him and judge Him yourselves but look at their response. ‘It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.’ They were prejudice, they had pre-judged Jesus. Have we prejudged Jesus? Do you think you know what His message is, do we think you know who He is? Do we think you know the implications of following Him? Are those prejudices or even misconceptions keeping us from coming to Him?In order to remain ritually clean, the Jewish leaders will not enter Pilate’s house to speak with him. To enter a gentile home would have meant defilement and would have excluded them from participating in the Passover celebrations. There is an irony as they seek cleansing before God, while plotting and scheming the destruction of God’s, beloved son. In the eagerness to eat the Passover lamb, they help to fulfil its significance by demanding the death of the Lamb of God and at the same time excluding themselves of the saving work of Jesus.The same thing happens, whenever people depend upon a fulfilment of rituals, observances, and religious routine to cleanse their consciences before God. No ritual Christian or otherwise can cleanse the heart. Jesus alone is the way to God.Empty, ritual whatever shape it takes, whether it’s receiving baptism (in whatever form), taking communion (in whatever church), attending worship (with whatever regularity), offering prayers (of whatever length), giving money (of whatever amount) these things in themselves do not have, will not and cannot save us from our sins and the evitable judgement of God. Religion cannot achieve redemption. Ceremonies cannot save.John 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”Often in the N.T. the word ‘world’ Gk Kosmos describes a world system alienated from and opposed to God within in the power of the evil one.Daniel 2:44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,Daniel 7:14 And to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,and His kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.v.36 Jesus, divorcing the origin of his kingdom from this world, should not be taken as implying that the kingdom of Christ has no political concerns or that its righteousness is not to be applied in the political arena.v.38 What is truth? This is truth 1 Peter 2:22-24 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.What is also true, is that the darkness just like Jesus in this moment may encompass us, dreams remain unfulfilled, sorrow or tragedy strike, prayers continue to seemingly be unanswered, weaknesses and sickness linger but the light of God’s truth, still shines in the darkness until the day breaks and the shadows fall away.There is a decision to be made ‘Who shall we make king? and they choose Barabbas because he represents an alternative to fulfilling worldly dreams and ambitions. The gratification of human lusts and desires. Jesus still stands before us, offering his way of truth, and knowledge of the father, which beginning in the valley of confession, and repentance leads forward along the pathway of daily surrender to him as Lord.On the surface, less attractive, however, that choice frees us who make it, to serve him in the world. He carries us at the last beyond the passing shadows of the earthly into the enduring order of the kingdom, which will have no end. Who is our king, Jesus, all Barabbas, the world still chooses and so must we al

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In The Garden With Jesus

Key Text: John 1:-14

A mob led by Judas arrests Jesus. Jesus allows Himself to be taken, first negotiating the release of His disciples 8-9 John tells us that Peter boldly strikes out to protect His master but succeeds only in cutting off the right ear of Malchus, a servant of the high priest. What follows next is the will of the Father.In the garden Jesus makes just two statements on two occasions v.5 & 6, Whom are you seeking? and I am HeJesus was saying ‘I’m the one you are looking for and having found me, let my disciples go free.’ Jesus was of course speaking to the natural circumstances but He in His omniscience (His knowledge of all things) 4 was speaking to future generations, to us. I’m the one you’re looking for and when you find me you will be set free. The truth will set you free ‘so if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed John 8:36In His omniscience v.4 Jesus is centre stage, Jesus is in control the soldiers are background figures to the scene.

 I am He simply on the surface identifies Jesus in terms of who He is, just as the seven other ‘I am’ sayings does in John. But when Jesus says it on this occasion 5 it reveals something new about who He is, it reveals Him As Adonai, The Lord and there is an unleashing of His inherent power as God. It’s the same revelation that was given to Moses in Exodus 3:14I am who I am

We know this because at the declaration of those words, the mob including the soldiers recoiled back and fell on the floor.In the revelation of Jesus chapter 4 there is a picture of the throne of God with Jesus present and the elders and four living creatures fall on their faces v.10 Elders represent the Church of God in all ages; they and we sit with Christ in heavenly places, even while we are toiling and sorrowing on earth;Ephesians 2:4-6 God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.At the revelation of Jesus ‘I am He’ The forces of evil, corrupt religion expressed in the temple police, political ruthlessness embodied in the Roman soldiers all fall back in the presence of Jesus who offers Himself up to their will. We need to know that whatever darkness is hanging over us, Jesus the light has overcome. However far you think you are away from God, His love goes further. However loud the voices of the age are, Jesus speaks louder.Jesus in the garden tells us of His dominion and mastery over all things, Jesus in the garden reminds us of the Easter victory.When Jesus in v.9 makes the statement ‘of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.’ It is a reminder for us of what He had previously declared in John 6:39 And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given me, but raise it up on the last day. And again in John 17:12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.These words remind us that that in Jesus is our security, they remind us that the good shepherd has committed Himself to His sheep.

 Whatever the wolf may represent in our lives today, guilt and shame from past failures, accusing voices of criticism, paralysing feelings of inadequacy, the hurt of rejection know that Jesus the good Shepherd is there to meet them and to speak His word of command ‘let my disciple go’. Offering Himself up to His captors so that His disciples might go free, is the picture of His whole work of atonement. Taking our place, absorbing our guilt and all its implications, so that we might go free. - Question

v.11 picks up the language of Jesus’ prayer in the garden ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’ Mark 14:36

 What is this cup that Jesus speaks about? It is the symbol of God’s judgement. It is the cup of God’s wrath against human sin. But because of the mercy of God the cup of His righteous wrath is given not into the hands of His enemies but of His beloved son.

And He will drink it down until it is empty, until the moment comes when ‘I thirst’ gives way to ‘It is finished’

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In this message from John 17:20-26 Mark highlights the importance of unity, glory and love in the kingdom of God. These three things are markers to the world that God is working through people.

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Dave Wuyts shares a message, challenging us to live lives that both shows and brings glory to God in a world of changing values and morality. Where nothing seems clear and the values of God can no longer be assumed to be the starting point of people's understanding inter search for truth and purpose.

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Key Text: John 13:1-20

The narrative of John 13:1-20, unveils the profound depths of Jesus’ heart and shows us the transformative power of Holy Spirit enabled humility. In these verses Jesus, fully aware of His impending betrayal by Judas and the weight of the cross, took a basin and began to wash the feet of His disciples.Jesus knew who He was, He knew the authority that was His and He knew where He was going. In fact we’re told twice in these first four verses 1 & 3 that He was going back to God the Father.This act of humble service was more than a mere demonstration of love; it was a profound lesson in the transformative power of selfless humility.Jesus removes His outer garments v.4 symbolic of stripping away every vestige of pretence, every suggestion of position, every barrier. he shows us that which was hidden is now revealed (Part of the Communion meal)Question: When we serve others do we come with everything stripped away or do we still wear the outer garment of who we want people to believe that we are?Garments of intellect, finance, position, self-confidence, ability, qualification, insecurity, recognitionIn a state of complete vulnerability and nakedness, Jesus goes to wash His disciple’s feet. This was not unusual because as was customary, there would already have been a bowl of water in the room for that very purpose. v.6 He comes to Simon Peter, the rock. The one who had made the profound declaration when Jesus had earlier asked ‘Who do people say I am’ then the personal question ‘Who do you say I am?’When everyone else was saying John the Baptist or Elijah. Peter paves the way for us to follow by declaring ‘You Are the Christ.’ Jesus comes to that Peter and he says ‘No, you will never wash my feet.’Jesus says to him ‘What I am doing you do not understand now but afterwards you will understand.’What was there to understand and what was the afterwards Jesus was referencing? Peter failed to recognise that in the same way it was the humiliation of Jesus that would wash him now. It would be the same humiliation of Jesus on a cross, that would eventually save him and everyone else. It would be the blood of Jesus poured out on the cross that would bring a once for all cleansing from sin. The blood of Jesus has the power to atone for an infinite number of sins committed by an infinite number of people throughout the ages, and all whose faith rests in the efficacy of the blood will be saved.The Pentecostal distinctive, recognises the reality of Holy Spirit working in our lives, transforming us from the inside out. Through the Pentecostal lens, we understand that the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is the Spirit that empowers us to live lives marked by selfless service and sacrificial love.This act of foot-washing symbolises the deeper spiritual cleansing of Holy Spirit working in us, cleansing us from the stains of sin and renewing our hearts and minds. Just as Jesus washed away the dirt from the disciples' feet, the Spirit cleanses our souls, making us vessels fit for the service of the Kingdom.Easter is not just an historical event but a living reality that continues to shape our spiritual walk. The humility of Jesus, washing the feet of His disciples, sets a course for us too, to walk in humility of heart.Servanthood in the Spirit: In the Pentecostal tradition, we believe in the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, we are called to serve one another with a humble heart, guided by the Spirit's leading. The Holy Spirit empowers us to love sacrificially, breaking down barriers and fostering unity within the body of Christ.Love that Transcends Betrayal: Jesus washed the feet of Judas Iscariot, the one who would betray Him. This powerful act of love transcends betrayal, teaching us to love even in the face of betrayal and disappointment. Holy Spirit enables us to love with a divine love that goes beyond human understanding, forgiving as we have been forgiven.This Easter, let us continue to reflect on the profound message of humility and love found in John 13:1-20.May the transformative power of Holy Spirit empower us to serve one another with humility, love unconditionally and experience the cleansing and renewing work of God in our lives.May the joy of the resurrection fill your hearts and homes this Easter season, as we continue to live out the call to love, serve, and be transformed by the Spirit.

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Key Text: Hebrews 10:19-25

One of the dominant themes throughout the Bible is that we are better together than apart. That’s because we are created in the image of God and because God exists in community, we are not better until we are in community with Him and with His people. We are infinitely better when we are reunited, reconciled, brought back into community with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Being a part of the body of Christ means that to be committed to God is to be committed to each other.A summary of this passage is that Jesus in flesh was both High Priest and sacrifice, so that by His physical death and the shedding of His blood He has opened up our access to God. For those of us who are in Christ because our hearts are washed clean by His blood, we can ‘…approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.’ Hebrews 4:16 We don’t have to cower in His presence. We can enter His presence boldly because we belong in His presence through Christ.The author of Hebrews shifts slightly to make another application of this gospel. Telling us the good news that it brings us into fellowship and community with God. Notice what it says: That as fellow believers, We are to be concerned about each other. ‘Consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.’v. 24For all of us it means getting involved in one of our ministry areas serving, encouraging, giving hope to those feeling overwhelmed by life; it means helping shepherd God’s people.We’re better when we’re together and committed to the well being of each other. For this reason Ephesians 4:11-12 So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built upThere are often misunderstood ideas of community. But is neither from the world of North Korean type communism or from the beige world of biscuits and tea. Community is from the world as God wants it to be. It is the gift of a rich and challenging life together, one that we need and can embrace with joy. At it’s simplest it is sharing a common life in Christ. It moves us beyond the self-interested isolation of private lives and beyond the superficial social contacts that pass for ‘Christian fellowship.’

A Way To See Christ In Others One of the most important ways the community helps us is by embodying Christ’s continuing presence on earth.

A Source Of Accountability and Guidance Community furthers our continuing conversion by being a place where we teach each other and hold ourselves accountable to each other.

A Place To Pray And Worship The community helps us grow, as it becomes a workshop for prayer and worship. By instruction and by example, the N.T. teaches us to pray and to pray for one another.

A Place To Serve The community is also where we learn to strip away our self-interest in order to serve others. It is here that we learn to share what God has given us, whether it is physical resource or spiritual gifts.

A Witness To The World The value of Christian community is bigger than just bringing the Body of Christ to strength and maturity. By our character and action, we bear witness to the power and presence of God in the world. We aspire be like Jesus and therefore, models of what God wants for all of humankind.

Ambassadors Of God's Love We not only demonstrate God’s love; we mediate it. We carry‘the ministry of reconciliation’ 2 Corinthians 5:18 to those around us, taking God’s compassion and healing power into a broken world. The Biblical ideal of community challenges us to commit ourselves to life together as the people of God.

The practice of Christian community, quite simply, makes the gospel a lived shared realityIt strengthens us to live the life to which we are called; it conveys God’s life and power to the world at large… And it is necessary.God, from the beginning, never intended that we should go through the world ‘alone’.We cannot experience fully the power and delight of life with God without also being drawn into life together with those in Christ. Without experiencing such life together, we will not discover how wonderful the news about Jesus really is

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[embed]https://youtu.be/GHMIfg4Y8kU?si=YxIAsBISfTt8lX3x[/embed][audio mp3="https://thechurchco-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/sites/379/2024/01/Work-It-Out-Sanctification.mp3"][/audio]Key Text: Philippians 2:1-13There are several acts of God that occur at the beginning of our Christian lives:The gospel call (which God addresses to us)Regeneration (by which God imparts new life to us), Justification (by which God gives us right legal standing before Him) andAdoption (by which God makes us members of His family).There is also conversion (in which we repent of our sins and trust in Christ Jesus for salvation) all of these events occur at the beginning of our Christian lives.But there is a part of our redemption that is progressive and continues throughout our earthly lives. It is also a work, in which we cooperate with God, each of us having distinct roles. Sanctification is the progressive work of God in us, that makes us more and more free from sin and more like Christ Jesus in our daily living.It is something we need to grasp, if we are to follow Paul’s instruction to work out our salvation. There are differences between Justification (having a right standing before God) and Sanctification (being transformed into the likeness of Jesus)The working out of our salvation to become more like Jesus is something that continues throughout the course of Christian life. Our continued growth in becoming more like Jesus, is something that the N.T encourages us to give effort and attention to.Our becoming more like Jesus has it’s start at our regeneration, at point of being made new …therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17Titus 3:4-5 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.Holy Spirit makes us new and once we have been born again, we cannot continue to sin as a habit or pattern of life. We cannot continue in iniquity because the power of new spiritual life within us keeps us from constantly submitting to a life of sin.The first step toward becoming more like Jesus involves a definite break from the ruling power and love of sin, and a move toward a love for Jesus so that as disciples we are no longer ruled or dominated by sin.Paul again says Romans 6:11 & 14 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus… For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.To be dead to the ruling power of sin means that we as disciples, by virtue of the power of Holy Spirit and the resurrection life of Jesus working in us, have power to overcome the temptations of sin. Sin is no longer our master as it once was before we came to Jesus.How does this play out in practical terms? It means we must affirm in our lives, two things to be true:Firstly, we will never be able to say ‘I am completely free from sin’ because our sanctification will never be completed. 1 John 1:8 tells us we deceive ourselves if we say that we are without sin.Secondly, the disciple of Christ should never say ‘This sin has defeated me’ I give up, I have had this bad temper for thirty seven years and will have one until the day I die and people are just going to have to put up with me (accept me) the way I am.’When we make statements like this, we are saying that sin has gained dominion. It is to allow sin to reign in our bodies. It is to admit defeat. It is to deny the truth of scripture which tells us ‘You also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.’ Romans 6:11It is to deny the truth of scripture that tells us that sin will have no dominion over you. Our task as disciples of Jesus is to grow more and more to be like Him. Just as we previously grew more and more in sin.Again Paul puts it like this… For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. Romans 6:19  Throughout our Christian life we are all being changed into His likeness 2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.Therefore Paul is able to say to the Philippians: I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14Paul was not perfect but is determined to achieve all of the purposes for which Christ Jesus had saved him.Likewise we too being prepared to work out our salvation, must be determined to come into all that Christ Jesus has secured for us through His life, death and resurrection.

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https://www.youtube.com/live/ETkoL-eFBe0?si=LKnmQBRVVr6LEqYi[audio mp3="https://thechurchco-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/sites/379/2024/01/Sharing-Faith-In-21st-Century-210124.mp3"][/audio]Gary Gibbs Elim's former national Director of REACH (Evangelism & Church Planting) shares his thoughts on the challenges of being effective in sharing our faith in today's world, he offers some encouraging and creative solutions.

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Matthew 14:22 - 33We can embrace the power of Pentecost with courage, even when we're doing it scared. Here's how:Acknowledge Our Fear: It's okay to admit when we're scared. The disciples didn't hide their fear; they brought it to God in prayer.Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.Trust in God's Promise: God has promised to fill us with His Spirit. Trust in that promise, even when you can't see the outcome.Step Out in Faith: Just as the disciples stepped out of the upper room, we must step out of our comfort zones. It's okay to be afraid, but it's not okay to let fear paralyse us.Lean on One Another: The early church was a community of believers who supported one another. Lean on our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ for encouragement and strength.Pray for Boldness: Ask God for the boldness to share the Gospel and to live a life that reflects His grace.John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.Remember, Pentecost is not just a historical event. It's a promise for today. Holy Spirit is here to empower, equip and enable, us in our present walk with Jesus.So, we may be scared and uncertain but let us embrace our walk with Holy Spirit with all the uncertainties, because with God, all things become possible. Let’s do it scared and watch as God works miracles in and through us.

Quick lessons from the storm

Peace is not found in the absence of the storm but in the presence of Jesus.

We think peace is found when the waves of life are calm. But Jesus never promised us smooth sailing. Instead he promised to always be with us. Peace is found in the presence of Jesus, even in the middle of a storm.

 Faith requires stepping out and into the unknown

We like comfort. We like safety. And that’s not all a bad thing. But we often over inflate our desire for these things. Sometimes Jesus is going to ask you to take a risk and trust him. Sometimes, you have to step out of the boat.

Without Jesus we will sink

Life is full of storms. Big storms. Storms that will destroy. Unless you keep your eyes on Jesus. With Jesus you cannot only endure, you can walk on water above the storm. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Worship is our response

Our response to Jesus Christ should be the same as the disciples. When we encounter him it should bring us to a place of worship. It should remind us of who we are and who He is.

When we follow Jesus He will do incredible things through usGod wants to tell an incredible story through our lives. He wants to do things in us and through us that we can’t even imagine.God has walk on water moments for us.Step into the unknown and do it scared

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We are great at praising God when things go our way and happen the way we think they should. But what happens when God says No?

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Key Text: Philippians 4:10-13 This passage reveals the apostle Paul’s powerful journey of faith and the ‘I’s’ that lead to his unshakable faith Contentment in Christ’s Strength v.10 Paul starts by saying, “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me.”  The first ‘I’ we see is […]

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In a world where impersonal interactions and shallow connections have become the norm, we are blessed to serve a God who desires an intimate and personal relationship with each one of us. Our faith isn’t just about following a set of rules or practicing rituals; it’s about encountering a living and loving God who knows […]

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Key Text: 2 Corinthians 3:1-18  In this portion of Scripture, the Apostle Paul highlights the contrast between the old and new covenants, revealing the transformative power of Holy Spirit and the Gospel in our lives. Through this passage, we are reminded of the glorious liberty we have in Christ and the work of Holy Spirit […]

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From Darkness to Light Key Text: Colossians 1:13-14 Paul wrote to the early church at Colassae (Southern Turkey) to strengthen the believers against false teachers with a religious spirit. His emphasis is the superiority of Christ over all natural wisdom and traditions. The Nature of Light: In the beginning Genesis 1:3 when God created the heavens […]

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Key Text: Matthew 4;23 -5:12 Jesus was is concerned about the people who become His disciples. He realised that the greatest asset is people not programmes, so He spent a lot of His time in their training. He wasn’t teaching them methods but shaping their character. He knew that the credibility of His message (Father […]

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Word of His Power Key Verse: Hebrews 1:1-4 The letter to the Hebrews begins by stating the greatest single fact of the Christian revelation: God has spoken to man through His word in the Bible and through His son, Jesus. A major theme of the book of Hebrews is the supremacy of Christ. Faced with […]

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An overview of what the kingdom of God looks like, smells like and tastes like and how that should influence how we live our lives as heirs to that kingdom.

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The Upside-Down Kingdom of Heaven Often, we view kingdoms as places of power, authority and hierarchy, where the mighty rule and the weak serve. However, the Kingdom of Heaven defies our expectations and turns our understanding of power and authority upside down. It is a realm where the last shall be first, where the humble […]

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Key Text: John 2:23-25 This passage captures a pivotal moment in the ministry of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, where we witness the power of belief and the profound knowledge that Jesus possesses concerning the human heart. Here we witness an incredible demonstration of the power of Jesus’ ministry. As He performed signs and […]

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Paul Wagstaff a Partnership Manager for Compassion U.K. brings a message from Mark 10:46-52 to launch Bethel's partnership sponsoring children to release them from poverty.

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There is only one thing the Father desires from us and that is to seek His face. he invites us to set aside all other things that might be a distraction and just seek Him for who He is and not for what He can do for us or give us.

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Carl Brettle the CEO of NPN shares with us simple ways to connect with people and share our faithThe vision of Neighbourhood Prayer Network is to see every one of the 260,000 streets in the UK covered in Christian Prayer.To take Spiritual Responsibility for the street that we live on.We want to Pray for Care for and where possible share Faith with our Neighbours.by Praying each day for our Neighbours(Being Intentional in our faith - Jeremiah 17:10)by Caring each week for our Neighbours(Opening the way for their Invitation - Acts 2:39)by Sharing each month with our Neighbours(Ensuring  Christ is central to the life of our communities - John 1:14)To respect every person we connect with.  To always Glorify God in everything that we do.

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As Pentecostals, we believe in the sovereignty of God and that He is the King of kings and Lord of Lords. But throughout history, God has also anointed and appointed earthly kings to carry out His will on earth. In the O.T. we see how God anointed David as king over Israel and how he was later succeeded by his son Solomon.These kings were not perfect but they were chosen by God to fulfil His purposes.One of the most incredible Biblical prophecies speaks about king Cyrus 150 years before He came to power (In the lively oracles of God) Isaiah 45:1 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:Jeremiah 1:5 reminds us “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…What’s important to understand however, is that the reason we know Cyrus’ name is so we would see how great our God is. Cyrus was not a follower of the God of the Bible, instead, he was a pagan king used by God to help His people.Just as God had used pagan kings from the Chaldeans, Assyrians and Babylonians to discipline and correct His people when they refused to repent of idolatry. He used a pagan king to help them return to their promised land and begin to rebuild Jerusalem.Ezra 1:1-4 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has charged me to build Him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3Whoever is among you of all His people, may his God be with him and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—He is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther are the historical books that record the lives of the Jews during this time of restoration, rebuilding, and returning to the worship of the One, True God.In the N.T. we see how Jesus was born as the King of the Jews and how He was later crowned with thorns and crucified for our sins. But after His resurrection, He was exalted to the right hand of the Father and given all authority in heaven and on earth.At Pentecost, we see how Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples and how they were empowered to go and preach the gospel to all nations. This was the coronation of the Church, the body of Christ, as the instrument through which God would carry out His plan of redemption.But what does all of this mean for us today? It means that we, as believers, are also called to be kings and priests in the kingdom of God.We have been anointed by Holy Spirit to carry out God's will on earth and to proclaim His goodness and mercy to all people.Just as earthly kings are crowned with a crown and sceptre, we too have been given symbols of our authority as believers.In Revelation 3:21, Jesus says, The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.So let us live as kings and queens, ruling and reigning with Christ in the heavenly places. Let us use our authority to bring healing, deliverance, and salvation to those around us.And let us always remember that our true coronation will be when we stand before the throne of God and hear Him say, Matthew 25:21 Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

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Key Text: Ephesians 6:10-20

Perhaps the most prominent N.T. passage on spiritual warfare is Ephesians 6:10-20 Paul calls on the Ephesians to ‘…pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.’ 18This call to prayer is set in the context of a spiritual battle For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powersover this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. v.12 In the light of this struggle, we are to equip ourselves with the armour of God.We are not called to be passive spectators but active participants in the fight against a very real enemy. The good news is that we are not alone in this battle.Jesus has given us the tools and the authority to overcome the enemy and walk in victory.We fight under the banner of our Lord Jesus who is; the Lord of hosts, the commander of heaven's army, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.When we pray, He fights for us; when we speak in tongues, he confounds and distresses our enemies and when we praise Him, He consumes and utterly annihilates the forces of darkness warring against us.The angels of God are standing by to do His bidding, we only need to do our part, pray and God will do His part… answer.Put on the Armour of God: Just as a soldier wears his armour to protect himself in battle, we must put on the spiritual armour that God has provided for us.The Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 6:13-18, teaches us about the full armour of God, which includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.Each piece of armour has a specific purpose and we must put them on daily through prayer, reading and meditating on God's Word and living a righteous and obedient life. This armour protects us from the attacks of the enemy and empowers us to stand firm in faith.Paul throughout exhorts us to ‘stand’ but Paul is not talking about standing in isolation but as a corporate act. The word ‘you’ throughout Ephesians is used in the plural sense. The image is that of a Roman legion, standing with their shields together, shoulder to shoulder to form an impenetrable wall of defence. While they remain disciplined and united they can resist the onslaught of the enemy.We are called to stand together.Walk in the Power of Holy Spirit: Jesus promised to send us the Holy Spirit, the Helper, who would empower us to be His witnesses Acts 1:8.Holy Spirit is not just a passive force, but someone who lives in us, guiding, empowering and equipping us for battle.In the same way we seek intimacy with the Father, we need to also cultivate a deep relationship with Holy Spirit through prayer, worship, and obedience.2 Chronicles 20:18, 21-22 Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord…And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,“Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.” And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.Declare the Word of God: The Word of God is a powerful weapon in our spiritual arsenal.Jesus Himself used the Word of God to resist the temptations of the devil during His wilderness experience Matthew 4:1-11.The Word of God is alive and active Hebrews 4:12 and is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path Psalm 119:105.We must declare the Word of God boldly, speaking it out loud and using it to combat the ungodly beliefs and deceptions of the enemy.Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23:29 It is through the power of the gospel that people are released from the grip of Satan. We are in the midst of a spiritual battle. But we do not need to fear, because God has given us the weapons we need to fight and to win. Let us put on the whole armour of God and stand firm in our faith. Let us use the Word of God, prayer, worship and fellowship to overcome the attacks of the enemy. And let us remember that the victory has already been won through Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

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Key Text: James 1:2-18

The recipients of James’ letter were facing trials of various kinds 2 (literally ‘multicoloured’) and so James writes to remind these early Christians how to live. James response to the hardship they are facing, is to call them and us to trust God and to keep trusting God.

He calls them to live what they to claim believe – Our faith is dead if it is not accompanied by works in keeping with that faith.This is how Jesus models this principle. His friend Lazarus was dead, he says to lazarus’ sister Martha ‘I am the resurrection and the life.[a] Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ -Then He goes and resurrects Lazarus from the dead.James also encourages us to believe we can live the radical lifestyle to which God has called us because God is trustworthy. We can have works that match our faith because our faith is in a good, reliable and generous

The God we trust is the God who gives every good gift and every perfect gift is from above coming down form the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 17

In 2-3 James says ‘Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.’ The problem is not our trials, temptations and tests but how we respond to them.James says to ‘reason it out’ ‘come to a conscious decision’ / be intentional in our thinking about the trials we face.’Be intentional changing our mindset and begin seeing our trials with a sense of joy – Why? because God is good, reliable and faithful and our trials have a purpose.God’s purpose through our trials is perseverance and perseverance is simply faith that keeps on going. It is faith that keeps on trusting. Faith that keeps on believing. Faith that keeps on knowing that Jesus, through His life, death and resurrection has overcome everything that this world or satan can throw at us.In the parable of the sower the seeds Luke 8, the seed sown on rocky ground springs up but withers away.The seed on the ‘rocks’ are those who receive the word with joy when they hear it but have no root. They believe for a while but when the time of testing comes they fall away, they give up.Jesus says: ‘As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with patience.’ Luke 8:15

 Our perseverance in times of testing is the sign of true faith. But perseverance itself, is not the end product. v.4 let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Perseverance completes itself in maturity and fruitfulness. Perseverance in faith doesn’t just mean keep ‘going’ but it also means keep ‘growing’Illustration: A joiner/carpenter when they join two pieces of wood together, puts on a clamp to apply pressure and hold them together. When the glue is set the clamp can be taken off because it is no longer needed, the two have become one piece set together.So it is with our distresses, depressions and disappointments their purpose is to push us into close contact with God the Father until our soul is set firmly in Him. This is why James is able to start his letter with ‘count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds.’Faith looks beyond what can be seen to the promises and character of God. And when we do we begin to see that our trials are working to produce a maturity and fruitfulness in us. Understanding this, changes the way we pray in faith.Trusting in God in the midst of our trials is hard, seeing our tests as a joy seems almost impossible. So James gives us some help, ask God to help us understand 5 ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously…’Biblical wisdom is about making connections, making connections between the trials we are going through and the purposes and character of God.We know that suffering leads to our Christian maturity but we need divine wisdom to realise this. Our need for wisdom requires faith 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting…We do not get everything worked out before we pray but we do have to get this one thing sorted out and resolved ‘Will we trust God’s character, in His goodness and faithfulness?’ If we don’t then every new challenge will change our view of God. When life is good we think well of Him but when life is hard we think ill of Him. We become like those who ‘driven and tossed by the wind…’People who hedge their bets trust God when things go their way but look elsewhere when things become difficult.To pray in faith we must be sure in our own thinking resolve in our hearts that God is absolutely trustworthy and in Him 17‘…is no variation or shadow due to change.’Whatever struggles we are going through ask God for the wisdom to see the connection between our struggle and His character, goodness and faithfulness.That we might know in our heart He is working to produce perseverance, character and fruitfulness in us.

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Key Text: Luke 22:39-46

The full moon of Passover rises over Jerusalem and the last night of Jesus’s earthly life begins. His ministry throughout, has been a running battle with the powers of darkness but this night finds the powers and principalities rallying everything they have against Him. They had not done this since their first confrontation with Jesus in the desert at the beginning of His ministry.

Dr Luke puts it like this, Luke 4:13 ‘And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.’Satan is now consolidating all his resources and efforts to bring Jesus to the cross believing it to be his final victory; yet it is this very cup that the Father has given Jesus to drink 42 ‘Father if you are willing , remove this cup from me, nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.’This was one evening where two plans were being revealed. Satan’s plan for the destruction of Jesus and the revealing of the Father’s plan to bring our salvation/rescue through Jesus. This was a significant night in the fight for our rescue from the effects of sin and death.Jesus is feeling the weight of the moment. He is feeling the significance and urgency of the hour and we through Dr Luke, get some insight into what Jesus is feeling. We see the humanity of Jesus who was fully God and fully man.Think about the fact that Jesus was not just fully God but fully man, He got tired, He got hungry, He felt pain and every human emotion. Acts10:38 Peter speaking about Jesus said ‘…God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with Power.’In the same way that we need the anointing of Holy Spirit for works of power, so too Jesus in the fullness of His humanity, needed the same anointing.

 ‘…as was His custom’ Jesus had a routine, a rhythm of prayer where He would regularly commune with His Father.

‘…the disciples followed Him.’ Jesus had many followers, He had the multitudes, He had many disciples not just the twelve, twelve He chose as apostles, within the twelve He had the three, In the three He had the one. Jesus had different layers of connectivity with people based on how far they were prepared to go with Him.With prayer you won’t be able to take everyone and not everyone is going to be able to go with you. Jesus understood this principle.Great to pray in community but have you got your three? Have you got your one? Those who understand you, have the same mindset, spiritual discernment, will walk with you in prayer?40 And when He came to the place… There was a specific place, it wasn’t just a place of happenstance. There was a specific place on the mount of Olives.Matthew 6:6 ‘…when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.’Mount of Olives - Place of fulfilled prophecy, place of prayer, place of hope, place of redemption, a place of victory. Do we have our specific places or spaces where we go to meet and commune with the Father? Jesus did. Specific places to encounter God, he was intentional about it. We need those places when the pressures of life seem to overwhelm us and we want to run. Away or curl up and die. We need a place that we can go to and know that we can meet with our father in prayer.When Jesus comes to His place of prayer, Look at what He tells them to pray 40 ‘Pray that you may not enter temptation.’ He does not say ‘Pray that you won’t be tempted.’ Temptation is part of our humanity, this was satan’s strategy in the desert with Jesus. The issue is not that we are from time to time tempted but that we don’t pursue and enter into it.41…and He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw and knelt down and prayed.’There was no casual approach to His praying, He adopted a posture that signalled to heaven, I want to engage.Then look at how He actually prayed ‘Father, (Intimacy) If you are willing,(Humility) remove this cup from me.(Transparency)Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.’ (Submission aligning His will with the Father) Look what happens when we pray in our weakness 43 ‘there appeared to Him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him.’

 Remember Luke is a doctor and takes the time to tell us that Jesus was under so much pressure and stress that His sweat became blood. Medics say that it is linked to the ‘fight or flight’ There was an internal battle between His humanity and His divinity. He was literally carrying the weight of the world in this moment.

So don’t say that this was an easy thing for Jesus because it wasn’t, resolving to submit Himself to the cross and the will of the Father was an agonisingly painful decision. To say otherwise is to minimise and devalue the cost of His sacrifice.46 Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter temptation.Jesus bookends this scene with the warning ‘Pray that you may not enter temptation.’ He enters the battle knowing that the satan’s Howitzer, his big gun is temptation. Jesus was unsure how He would come through, would He cave in? Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.But having triumphed, not giving in to the temptation, He emerges victorious and reminds them of the key to overcoming the enemy’s strategy.There are many things that will come our way, put in front of us to take us away from the target of our prayers or the issue of life.Jesus says it’s coming be alert, be aware but don’t enter in.

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Prayer is the conversation of friends. It is not a mere convenience for letting God know what we are thinking or what we want. Prayer is part of the reason for which we were made. It is at the heart of God’s plan for our rescue.To understand the tremendous privilege and importance of prayer, we need to see it in the context of God’s purpose and desire to have a relationship with His people. It should not be possible for us to say: ‘I will pray or I won’t not pray’, because it is not a question of pleasing ourselves, to be a Christian and to pray mean the same thing.It is not something that can be left to our own inconsistent impulses.A Christian is someone who knows God through Jesus the Christ and to know God is to communicate with Him.In the creation account in Genesis 1:26 - 27 we read: Then God said let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the Earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the Earth. so God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created Him male and female He created them.Instead of saying ‘I will’, God instead says ‘let us’. It suggests a conversation within God, revealing a God who is both plural and communal.God creates through His word and now that word is addressed to Himself. God is personal and He exists in community, God addresses Himself but He can only do this because He has a spirit who is both one with Him and distinct from Him at the same time. Here we see the first hint of a trinitarian revelation, the fact that God is three in one.Whereas the plants and animals are made according to their kinds in Genesis 1:11, the man and woman are made according to God’s likeness.One of the things that constitutes the image of God in man is this element of a communal nature. The God who is relational, makes us relational beings. He did not make a solitary but as male and female. We are made to exist in and we are made for community or communion with God with God.Prophetic Word: We have been created in the image of our Father. He does not have an independent heart but is in communion with the Son and Spirit. To reflect His image, is to be in communion with the body of Christ. The pattern I have set for your life is to learn to live in communion not dependency. Dependency is the spirit of the slave, communion is the spirit of sonship and freedom. God is not calling us to dependency on Him but to communion with Him.The trinitarian community, the three in one God graciously extends His communal life to us. He did not make us because of a lack within Himself. God exists, as He has always been for all eternity in the fulfilled, complete relationships of the Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit in perfect unity.God has no need of a relationship outside of Himself. Yet in an act of sheer grace, He created us to share the communal life.The mystery of creation is not is there a God who made this world? That is to get things the wrong way around. Instead our starting point should not be the reality of the world but the reality of God. When we do that, the question becomes ‘Why is there a world made by such a God? Why should God make us when He was rich in Himself?’The answer to the mystery is simple Grace. Creation is an act of grace in which God invites us to share the love of the trinitarian life. God graciously purposes to have relationship with people. The mystery of creation is that God should desire to enter into a relationship with His creatures outside of His Trinitarian being.This mystery is the foundation of prayer and not only of prayer but of human existence.We are created to be God’s counterpart and to answer His loving self-communication with responsive love.God is not some abstract, absolute force or sense of transcendence, He is personal, He hears, He sees, He smiles. He is the God who inclines His ear and opens His eyes, reveals His heart.And although this is language by which God assigns Himself human qualities to accommodate our limited understanding, none the less it speaks truth of God’s nature and enables us to experience prayer as both personal and relational through Jesus.

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God is inviting us by His Holy Spirit into a fresh journey of discovering intimacy with Him. he wants to walk. with us in close communion but we need to respond to His invitation.When we do choose to draw near to Him, the relationship will completely transform who we are.

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Why were only 300 people chosen?

When all of Gideon’s men were gathered and camped, there were originally 32,000 men. God said Gideon had too many men for Him to deliver Midian into their hands.

At that time, the Israelites were worshipping the gods of the Amorites and had forgotten about Him.God did not want Israel to believe they had defeated the Midianites because of their own strength but to know that it was through Him that they were victorious. And so, the process of choosing the 300 people began.God helped Gideon to choose his 300 menTo begin with the selection of the people who will be part of his army, God told Gideon to announce to the people that whoever trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead. With this command, 22,000 people left leaving 10,000 people in his army.The 22,000 were ‘fearful and afraid’ and therefore they were eliminated. 1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.Even with 22,000 choosing to leave, God still said there were too many men. So God He told Gideon to take the men to the water where God would sift them.With 10 00 men the ratio was 45:1God said, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.”The 300 men who lapped water with their hands to their mouths were the ones chosen as Gideon’s 300The 300 ratio was then 1:1350 The reality was this was not Gideon’s 300 but God’s.It was not about the type of men but the number.The impossibility of victory is the equivalent of what Jesus' Disciples saw on the impossibility of being saved: Matthew 19:25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”It is a fight between God and His enemies: between God's people and those who reject God, between good and evil, between truth and falsehood.

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Key Text: Romans 7:15-20

This passage of Scripture you could be forgiven for thinking that Paul has a split personality. I want to do good but don’t. I don’t want to do bad but I do. It is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde dilemma. A constant wrestling match within himself.

 Paul’s description of his issue is a perfect description of the ongoing reality and tension that most of us face.

In spite of our façade of healthy self-esteem and personal security when we get past all of that, most of us look at ourselves in the mirror from time to time and come to the conclusion, that we don’t like ourselves very much… We are despicable.Even the O.T. prophet Jeremiah exposed the real us, in his famous criticism about the state of man’s heart.The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9Dark hearted. Deceitful. Despicable. It is not a flattering sketch of the human condition. We try to ignore the truth. We talk about blessings, authority and the kingdom.The truth however, is that we have fooled ourselves into thinking that we can actually have those things while continuing to refuse to deal with our despicable side.Matthew 6:23 if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!Thankfully Paul gives us a glimpse into the solution for our mess! He comes to grips with his own condition in Romans 7:24 when he declares, Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?He realises his own inability to deal with the darkness of his heart. And then reveals the solution for despicable me 25. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.God is not scared by the darkness of our heart! He is certainly not surprised by it. What He is, is determined not to leave us in that condition. There is something offered to us for dealing with this internal struggle between good and evil, right and wrong. - Repentance

 There are basically two issues with the idea and practice of repentance.

The first is before we can repent, we must first come to grips with the fact that we need to repent. It is about accepting responsibility.Too many of us don’t repent because we fail to accept responsibility for our sinful nature. We won’t accept the responsibility for our need to repent! But we have to examine our own heart and come to the conclusion that Paul and Jeremiah came to . . . our hearts are messed up.The second issue with repentance is that once we have accepted Christ as our saviour, we think repentance is only for sinners!When we read Revelation 2 and 3? God is addressing church folk, Christians, believers, born again, blood bought people and three of those bodies of believers Ephesus, Pergamum and Thyatira, are commanded to repent!We of all people should be the quickest to acknowledge sinful behaviour and make it right. We of all people should know that repentance is the only door way to grace.

Repent Daily - recognise that repentance is not a onetime event but rather an ongoing lifestyle. Unconfessed sin will steal our strength! Repent daily.

Repent Thoroughly - Hide nothing. Uncover every thought, every motive; lay our hearts bare before God. Deal with sins of commission as well as omission.

The things that we did on purpose that we knew were wrong. And when we knew the right thing to do and didn’t do it.Sin is not just something we do but is sometimes the things we fail to action.

Authentic Repentance - Our actions reveal our sincerity more than tears do!

We need to find our way back to 2 Corinthians 7:10 where we discover that For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. Stare at the ugliness and disgrace of our sin until we are willing to turn from it and travel a different direction!The Parable of the Prodigal Son reveals the impact of personal repentance. The Bible says the young man came to himself. He went back to the father and said, “I have sinned against you.”He accepted personal responsibility and instantly forgiveness and revival invaded his life. New provision, new position, new fellowship established with the father brought about by sincere repentance.2 Chronicles 7 and Joel 2 reveals that repentance has the power to change a nation.When believers (individuals), those called by His name, humble themselves – repent – revival and healing comes to the land, to our homes.

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Resting in God should be the default place that we go to, when we face challenges. But I wonder how many of us end up in a cave. The more we know of God, of His grace, His faithfulness, His truth, His life, the way He shows up and the way that He nourishes us. The more we are able to be stable and hold our position in the midst of uncertain and challenging times.Resting not running should be our default place but sometimes, we end up in places in our thinking, and attitudes where we shouldn’t be and God asks us ‘What are you doing here Elijah?’ and we can substitute our names ‘What are you doing here…?’Look what Elijah says 14 ‘I have been jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant…I only, am left and they seek my life to take it away. The first thing that happens is we end up with a wrong perspective.Look at Elijah’s pronouns ‘I’ and ‘My ’ He had forgotten God and lost His focus because the situation instead of being about God revealing His glory in the difficult circumstances, it became about Elijah. I, I, I, Me, Me, MeHe has a wrong perspective and grasp of the situation because he says twice v.10 and 14 ‘I only, am left…’We know this is a wrong perspective because in v.18 we learn that there were 7 000 others just like him, who had not bowed the knee to Baal.The Lord will take care of those who do not bow down to this world. There are all sorts of things competing for our attention, to take us away from God.Things that say just give it a little kiss, just touch this relationship I know it’s not right but just be there for a while, stay there until something right comes along then you can get in place. And we end up giving little piece of our hearts away all the time.Stop touching the things in society that we’re not supposed to touch, stop playing with the things we’re not supposed to play with and stop kissing the things we’re not supposed to kiss. Amen!God has always preserved a remnant, He will always preserve a remnant and it’s us up us to decide whether we are going to be a part of that.God will always protect those who remain steadfast, faithful and with their eyes fixed on Jesus. If you’re in the wrong place God says today ‘What are you doing here?Second thing v.10 and 14 tells us is forgetting who God is, taking our eyes off Jesus causes us to indulge in self loath and we have a pity party. What are you doing here?No one understands, no one has ever had to deal with what I have, No one knows how much they hurt me, I’m the worst, I’ve had enough, I wish I could die, I’m as bad as the everyone else, why would God choose me?What are you doing here?

 Anyone else can be in a cave but not a Christian we have to be different, distinctive from the rest of the world.

God will ask the question in any situation because He is always surprised at one of His children being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, doing the wrong thing. God has the right to ask ‘What are you doing here? After all wasn’t Jesus in a place He shouldn’t have been when He was falsely accused, when He hung on a Roman cross.What are you doing here down and outcast? If you want a powerful, mighty God I can be in the wind, fire, earthquake. But God spoke in the still, quiet voice and fed him, sustained him and encouraged him.But look at what the Lord says in response to all this 15: ‘Go return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus Don’t you find it annoying when you choose to do your own thing, go your own way and walk down a particular path, then God says No! you’re going to have to take that walk of shame to get back to where you should have been in the first place.And how often do we forget, so God brings us back because there is something along the path that God wants us to pick up, something He wants to show us so that we don’t do it again and can move on. And we forget, go back and learn, forget, go back and learn and this is an almost endless cycle because we are so fickle and we quickly forget the goodness, sovereignty and faithfulness of God.So very often, this is what happens when we run our lives and run from God.

Things will get hard but don’t forget. Things may be complicated but don’t let those complications stop you. Things may be hard, shaky and uncertain but don’t allow those things to break you and cause you to fall apart at the shaking.

Elijah had forgotten all the things that God and allowed them to render him powerless, impotent, lame. This is not who we are, we are people of purpose and mission because God tells us to go, Jesus asks us to come.'Stand still, keep the posture of an upright man, ready for action, expecting further orders, cheerfully and patiently awaiting the directing voice; and it will not be long ere God shall say to you, as distinctly as Moses said it to the people of Israel, "Go forward." – Charles SpurgeonGod is still speaking , He is still stirring hearts we’ll stay when He says stay, we’ll go when He says go.

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Key Text: Romans 8:1-17

Surrender: To relinquish possession or control of something to another because of demand or compulsion

The Biblical picture of surrender is that once we were enemies of God and our lives were at odds with God. We did not submit to Him. We were not surrendered to Him. We were our own masters, doing our own thing, exercising our own will, robbing God of everything He has given to us. Then a miracle happens: We’re born again, and everything changes. John 3:3 …“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.We no longer want to withhold anything from God. We are eager to be totally at His disposal: to do anything He wants at any cost. We want to do it in the power that He supplies, so that in everything He gets the glory. That’s what it means to be saved from the old way. So, the reality of surrender is there, even if the language is not.The Bible talks about what we should all understand, to be in total or full surrender to Christ.Luke 14:33: …any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.Matthew 10:37: Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.Matthew 22:37: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.Philippians 3:7–8: But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.How can we know if we are fully surrendered, if we are fully loving God with all our heart, if we have renounced everything for Him?The apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give away all I have and if I deliver up my body to be burned but have not love, I gain nothing.If we can actually give our lives and yet not be really loving, not fully surrendered to love, then how easy it is to imagine the many things we do less than the ultimate sacrifice that will not give a sense of assurance.But the good news is that we can be fully assured of our surrenderSo, what do we do? The N.T. makes it clear that God does not want us to live in such fear and uncertainty. He doesn’t want us to lay down our head every night and say, ‘Well, I have no idea whether I was real today or not.’ So what can we do?Speak The truth of Full Surrender.Say to Jesus and mean it with as much truthfulness as you can, ‘I love you, Jesus. I love you more than I love anyone or anything.’ Say it. Speak it out: ‘I surrender all other loves as subordinate to you. I ask that if there is any self-deceit in my saying this, you would take it away. At any cost, take it away, and cause me to speak truly and authentically.’Ask our heavenly Father that He would work the miracle of Romans 8:16 in our life. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.We may be surprised how the verbal, out-loud declaration of your full surrender, full allegiance, and full trust intensifies the very thing you are affirming. John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.Live Out The Truth of Full Surrender.Act on the godly inclinations that Holy Spirit gives us, which might stretch our competency or confidence so that we have to throw ourself on His mercy and power to help us. Sometimes the miracle is in the stretchAs we live it out, the reality of the surrender becomes more authentic.Ask For The Gift of Assurance of Full Surrender.This is the ultimate bottom line: because the confidence that we are acting in full surrender, can always be doubted.We can’t that feeling go away. The more we focus on telling it to go away, the more we think about it. Nothing we do can make it go away. But He can take it away. ‘The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Romans 8:16

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Key Text: John 15:12-17

Close friends impact our lives far more than the thousands of other people we come into contact with. Psychologists have noted that there are many ways we mutually benefit from the relationships with our close friends. Having good friends who love and support us for what we are, leads to greater happiness and emotional well-being. Research shows that having at least one and preferably more than one confiding relationship is a key ingredient of mental health and resilience

Have we ever thought about what it means, that we have the opportunity to become friends with God, the Creator of the Universe?King David said: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 8:3-4As vital as human friendship are, there is an even more important relationship. Because it is possible for Jesus to consider us as His friends?Proverbs 18:24 A man of many companions may come to ruin but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.Not everyone is a friend of God Romans 5:9-10 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. We do not start out as friends with God and it would literally be a ‘grave’ mistake to assume that we are.James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts, you double-minded.Okay, so we may not be a friend of God but ‘I thought God was a friend of everyone?’Psalm 25:14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him and He makes known to them His covenant.Two things here, fear of God and His covenant.We talk about relationship with God but that could mean different things to different people friend, teacher, Father but the Bible talks about a particular kind of relationship that we see all through the Bible and it’s the idea of a partnership with God. The idea of working alongside someone to achieve a goal. Because of sin in the world and us wanting to do our own thing, the Bible talks about a broken partnershipThe New Covenant in Jesus is the promise that God makes with humankind that He will forgive sin and restore communion with those whose hearts believe in His Son, Jesus Christ.Hebrews 9:15 Therefore He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. Jesus defeated death by His resurrection and restored life for those who believe in Him.We can fear many things in life, fear causes us anxiety, depression, health problems and fear binds us.

 Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man is a snare but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

Psalm 25:14 The Friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him…Jesus friendship is reserved for a particular kind of people.In Exodus 20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin.”Moses did not use two different words for fear but did refer to two kinds of fear. (Being scared and revering) Moses told them don’t be scared.

 A wrong understanding of the fear of the Lord drives us away and causes us to hide. A right understanding of the fear of the Lord draws us to Him and causes us to abide. John 15

So the fear of the Lord begins with knowing who He is The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding Psalm 111:10 To fear the Lord is not to be scared of Him but to revere Him.Fear of the Lord is the key to knowing God and knowing what pleases Him.God hates all things that are evil Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. We must therefore, learn to hate the things that God hates, learn to not tolerate them in our lives. Have a deep regard (hold in high esteem) of what He approves and disapproves of.Psalm 19:9 the fear of the Lord is clean enduring forever… (In awe of His majesty)The fear of the Lord compels us to not sin against Him but those who do not fear God have no reason to refrain from doing wrong and evil. Instead our fear of the Lord should cause us to seek Him, confess our sins and live lives in obedience to Him

To fear God is not living a cautious lifestyle of not wanting to offend Him but adopting a lifestyle that is sensitive, considerate and mindful toward Him because love is hand in glove, linked with respect.

Fear of the Lord is practical part of our identity and it affects every aspect of our lives, speech, conduct, habits and behaviours, even our relationships with other people.Let’s come back to where we started friendship with God. Psalm 25:14 The Friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him…John 15:14-16 You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give it to you.

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Ephesians 3:14-21

 How Do We Get More of Holy Spirit?

Some believe we can get more of God’s Spirit over time. However, the Bible tells us that God has given every believer Holy Spirit in full. John 14:23. “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him.

What this means for us is there is no need for a second portion or second blessing from Holy Spirit. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus and we have everything we need for life and godliness 2 Peter 1:3-4 and Ephesians 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly placesRemember John 14:23 said ‘we’ That is to say the Father, Son and Holy Spirit indwells every believer John 17:23; Ephesians 1:14. Speaking about Jesus the Christ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.They have made their home within us. We have received every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. We have everything we need for life and godliness. So, to say we need more of God’s Spirit is to ignore all we already have in Him.Of course, there are times we may feel like we need more of God but our feelings can deceive us. Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?

When we do feel as though we want more of God, we can make the conscious decision to trust the reality of God’s indwelling presence within us. God’s presence is a fact, not a feeling. We learn to walk by the Spirit more and more over time but we do not obtain more of the Spirit. We have all we need.

What Then Does It Mean To Walk By The Spirit?

Walking by the Spirit Galatians 5:16 is simply trusting Jesus in us to produce the fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:22-23…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;Walking by the Spirit should not be confused with being ‘in’ the Spirit, which is a reference to our salvation.All Christians are always in the Spirit Romans 8:9, You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. We are always in the spirit but we don’t always walk by the Spirit.When a person believes in Jesus, we are planted in Holy Spirit. This is our new spiritual location. We cannot become more ‘in’ the Spirit over time just as we cannot receive more of God’s Spirit.When we believe, we are made new and bonded to the Holy Spirit 1 Corinthians 6:17 …he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.

 Titus 3:5 He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.

Does this union with Holy Spirit mean we simply stand around and do nothing? No it doesn’t. It releases us to make choices that align with the heart of Holy Spirit who lives within us. In other words, we can now walk by the Spirit. And Paul’s logic in Galatians 5:25 is: ‘If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit’We don’t have to be planted ‘in’ the Spirit again and again, or more and more. We believers are forever ‘in’ the Spirit. But instead we get to live daily from our union with Jesus and make decisions to express or evidence Him in our lives. When we do this, we are ‘walking by the Spirit.’

What Does It Mean to Be Filled With The Spirit?

Some believe that being ‘filled with the Spirit’ is about having a certain spiritual gift like tongues or prophecy. They imagine being ‘filled with the Spirit’ to mean getting more of God’s Spirit, a second blessing or an extra anointing.Ephesians however, is clear that being ‘filled with the Spirit’ is simply knowing the love of Christ and being inspired by His great love. Ephesians 3:19 …to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.Ephesians 5:18 …do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery but be filled with the Spirit is the only N.T. passage that explicitly commands Christians to be ‘filled with the Spirit.’ The original Gk literally means ‘be being filled’ In other words, Paul is saying we already have the Spirit but now we can allow the Spirit to continuously inspire us.How do we let the Spirit influence us?, in Ephesians 3:18-19 Here, Paul says believers can know the love of Christ and thereby be filled with all the ‘fullness of God.’ So, being ‘filled with the Spirit’ means to know the love of Christ after salvation.This is why Paul compares being filled with the Spirit with being drunk on wine. Why do people look to too much wine? To relax them, freedom and give them rest.What does the love of Christ do for us? It relaxes us, affirms our freedom in Him and gives us rest.This is why the book of Acts cites people who were “filled with the Spirit” (inspired by God’s love) and then shared the Gospel in human languages (Acts 2:4), addressed rulers with boldness Acts 4:8, spoke the Word of God with confidence Acts 4:31, served food at tables Acts 6:3, preached to those persecuting them Acts 7:55, encouraged people with the Gospel Acts 11:24, challenged a deceiver Acts 13:52 and experienced joy despite persecution Acts 13:52

How Can We better follow Jesus

We often hear ‘we need to follow Jesus’ but this is not the most accurate way to portray our relationship with Him. The term ‘follow’ implies an external following of Jesus rather than an internal leading of Holy Spirit. For the believer, relating to Jesus is about living from our spiritual union with Him 1 Corinthians 6:17 and being led internally by His Spirit Galatians 5:18.Jesus told His disciples to follow Him Mark 8:34. So, it might seem right to talk about following Jesus today, but relationship with Jesus is different for a new covenant believer. When Jesus expressed those words in Mark 8, He was literally standing in front of people and inviting them to follow Him during His earthly ministry. Today, we live on the other side of the cross under the new covenant of God’s grace not under law.Under this new covenant, that Jesus inaugurated through His death Luke 22:20 …new covenant in my blood, Jesus leads us internally, instead of externally Ezekiel 36:26-27 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.The Lord is one with us in spirit So, while it’s true that we do still ‘follow’ Jesus, we are led internally as we enjoy a vine-branches union with Him all the time. John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.So, how can we ‘follow’ Jesus better? We can recognise His presence within us and learn what to expect from His Spirit. We then choose to express Him in our attitudes and actions.This fruit-bearing is not going to occur by us thinking we must follow a religious teacher from 2,000 years ago. No, we ‘follow’ the risen Christ who indwells us, empowers, enables and leads us from within.So go live in the fullness of life that Christ has purchased and secured for every believer

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Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah is speaking in behalf of God when he says; ‘For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord… What an encouraging verse we hear it and we instantly feel reassured, what a relief to our souls knowing that God wants good things for us. Long before we were conceived by our parents, we were conceived in the mind of God.And it’s true God wants the absolute best for us but what’s best for us may not be what we had in mind. God’s plans for us often looks very different from the plans that we have.When God made this statement His people were in exile in a foreign country Babylon. Their lives were in danger and it seemed like all was lost. No doubt many of them must have thought ‘Really God, this is your plan to prosper us?’Just a few verses before God had given a command that seemed irrational and counter intuitive. It seemed to go against what human reasoning would otherwise suggest. He didn’t say go to war with your enemies and I will help you overcome them.Instead He said 5 build houses, plant gardens, eat the produce of your labours, get married, have children. Then v.7‘seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile… Pray for it because if it prospers you too will prosper.We can align ourselves with other saints in our towns and cities to pray for our towns and cities that they will prosper.But God is also telling us in this text, is that even when we don’t see it, can’t understand it , cannot discern it. even when things look bad, God is working His will, plans and purposes in and through our lives.That’s really what it means to ‘prosper’ His will being done in our lives on earth as it is in heaven. God has not forgotten us. He has not abandoned us.His plans for us might not be easy but they are good.The Bible does not teach that if we come to Jesus in trust and faith, we are going to have it easy or a trouble free life. But it does say that God’s plans for us are for our good. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.That difficulty we faced was not easy and God wept that it hurt you so much but it was allowed to shape our hearts. So that we would grow more into His likeness.What really is important? what is our purpose for being here on this earth? What is our principal purpose?The man without purpose, is like a ship without a rudder. A waif, a nothing a no man. – Thomas CarlyleNothing matters more than knowing God’s purpose for your life. Nothing can compensate for not knowing them. – Rick WarrenIt’s that sense of purpose that will shape our priorities in this next year and beyond. It’s our purpose that will inform us about what’s important and what isn’t. It’s our purpose that will decide how we spend our years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds between now and when we breathe our last.If our purpose is just to get stuff done here and now that we need to get done, make money, put food on the table and enjoy life, that’s a pretty, short-sighted view with no regard for eternity and it’s a recipe for a short-term life, a life that stops dead, when your heart stops.When Jesus was asked, which of the commandments (all 613 of them in the O.T.) was the most important, this is what He said. Mark 12:29-31

“The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 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.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Imagine if that were true, if that became our purpose for living, how would it change the things that we give priority to? How would it change what we spend our time on?What I have found in my life and probably true of yours is that nothing changes in what I say or do until something changes in my heart. Luke 6:45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.There are many people today whose life isn’t going in the right direction. Often we don’t know why, we just know it’s not right. There’s a lack of joy, there’s a lack of fulfilment. Or perhaps there’s the pain of regret. And often we don’t know what the right direction even looks like.…to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength and to love your neighbour as yourself. Because if that truly becomes our purpose in living, then God will set a new life before us. A life that, whilst hard some days, you’ll know is heading in the right direction.It’s a new year so it’s time for a fresh start. God is the God of new beginnings. God is the God who makes the past irrelevant, who forgives everything, who heals everything to give us a new life to walk in.He wants us to have a fresh start. That’s not some vague promise. That’s a promise from God that comes direct from His Word Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.Too many people start the New Year off wanting some change. They’ll grab onto anything that’s on offer, go with it for a while, realise there’s sacrifice involved and then head back to their old life. Know that God has a plan, He has the power and He has the will to bring His plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. into fruition no matter how daunting the opposition may appear.James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. If we believe in Jesus, if we have put all our trust in Jesus, that plan will unfold itself in our life, just as God’s amazing plans unfolded for Israel, after they were set free from slavery.He was with His people back then, in power and in might and He is with us today, in the same way, with the same power, with the same might and with the same tender-hearted love.Don’t let the devil plant his weeds around God’s seed trying to convince us to turn back

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Key Text: Matthew 2:1-2 Romans 8:18-25 There are times in life when we fall down and we don’t feel as though we have the strength to get back up. Fear and anxiety comes in, doubt enters into our lives. Maybe you are someone uncertain about the future and it scares you.Life can be difficult and harsh […]

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Let Your Light Shine Matthew 5:13-16 Isaiah 60:3 …and nations shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising. This is the effect of the earlier verse in Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. The fact that nations shall […]

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Luke 22:7-20 There are certain things to which we should look back at and remember. Christ’s Death, the death of a loved one. “The living owe it to those who no longer can speak to tell their story for them.” – Czeslaw Milosz (Polish American Poet) “Praising what is lost makes the remembrance dear.” – William […]

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Key Text: 2 Corinthians 10:1-18  15 years ago Guy Goma was an IT support technician who went for an interview at the BBC and was mistakenly interviewed live on BBC news because they wrongly thought he was a digital music tech expert that they had scheduled to interview about a legal dispute between Apple corporation […]

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Text: Matthew 6:24 – 34 v.24 reminds us that it is possible to put our focus and energies into the wrong things. When we do, we lose all perspective  Things are changing all the time and everything is being shaken. Jesus says do not worry or be anxious. It is sometimes too easy to say […]

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Key Text: John 2:13-25  But Jesus on His part did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people John 2:24  ‘What is the quality of our commitment to Christ?’ We may have been accepted into membership by the ‘church’, approved by your friends and entrusted with responsible office but what value are any of […]

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Key Text: Matthew 7:24-27 The question  is ‘Are our hearts built on Christ Jesus? Is our faith in Him? because He will not let us down or fail us. Jesus did not say that building on the rock was going to be easy, yet none the less that’s what he exhorts us to do. The Bible […]

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Key Text: Mark 3:13-21 When we think of Jesus followers we immediately think of the twelve disciples. Although they were central to Jesus’s mission, beyond them were many other followers and friends both men and women. Today we may call ourselves Christians, Followers, Students or Friends of Jesus. But a shift has come in God’s church, […]

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Key Text: Malachi 3:16 We spend so much time in tradition and routine. Doing things the way we have always done them. When we do things the same, the way we have always done them we already know the outcome because we’ve seen it before. What we need in this time is a Joshua 3 moment. The setting […]

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Key Text: Exodus 33:7 & 12-23 2 Corinthians 3:12-13 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. There is nothing like the child of […]

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This is the fourth and final part of our mini series through August in the Psalms. Clive Ball shares something from Psalm 91 Right at the heart of our Bible is a book of hymns called Psalms. These writings have been sung and prayed by Jesus Himself and all of his followers since the beginning, […]

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This is the third part of our mini series through August in the Psalms. David Lucas shares something from Psalm 63 Right at the heart of our Bible is a book of hymns called Psalms. These writings have been sung and prayed by Jesus Himself and all of his followers since the beginning, to express […]

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This is the second part of our mini series through August in the Psalms. James O’Brien shares something from Psalm 100. Right at the heart of our Bible is a book of hymns called Psalms. These writings have been sung and prayed by Jesus Himself and all of his followers since the beginning, to express […]

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Right at the heart of our Bible is a book of hymns called Psalms. These writings have been sung and prayed by Jesus Himself and all of his followers since the beginning, to express and encourage genuine faith. Yes, they instruct our thinking and actions but the Psalms are more than that — they help […]

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Key Text: Matthew 19:16-23  We have summer break coming up and that inevitably means for families, those long car drives with the children in the back asking that time old question 10 minutes into the journey ‘Are we nearly there yet?’. Other questions can be included like: ‘Can we stop for the toilet?’ ‘Can we have something […]

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Key Text: Nehemiah 1: – 2:5 There may be times when we already know the news, we are familiar with what is happening. But have moments when we are reminded our hearts are moved. There may be a time for us to return to fasting and weeping, setting aside the ‘stiff upper lip’ and weep […]

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Beyond Hopelessness Psalm 23:3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Think of a time when you were physically lost. What thoughts would we wrestle with, Fear. Anxiety? …These feelings spring out of a sense of hopelessness. Having no idea where to turn. No inclination what to do. […]

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Key Text: 2 Timothy 4:9-17 All of us at some point have experienced and known what it is to be lonely. Coming out of the pandemic has left some of us scarred, struggling to reconnect and for some if we’re honest have no desire to reconnect. Loneliness: A separation anxiety brought on by the feelings […]

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Key Verse: Psalm 27:11 -14 David ssks to ‘teach me your way & lead on a level path because of His enemies.’ So that even with his enemies, he might deal justly with. Not His way but God’s way.  There are Two Types of Enemy  The cunning and deceitful.More dangerous than open and violent enemies. […]

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Key Text: Psalm 27:7-10  Psalms 25-29 sets the foundation for the worshiper’s confidence in God. At this point in the psalm v.7 onwards, things seem to change a little. David was initially walking on the mountain tops of faith but now it seems that he is slipping into the valleys of fear. We must never forget that […]

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Key Text: Psalm 27:5-6 If we were to try and sum up this psalm in two words, they would be the words ‘Confident’ and ‘Seek’. v.5a He shall hide me in His Shelter (His tabernacle). in the day of trouble. We would make His temple our residence; We would dwell with God and be in continual […]

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Key Text: Psalm 27:3-4 Reading these two verses of the psalm, should leave us with a sense of encouragement. Because what life can be lived without ever encountering the threats and fears that are common to us all. These words of David can encourage us that to place our trust in God alone, is the sure and […]

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Key Text: Psalm 27:1-14  ‘Lord’ – Jehovah, ‘I am who I am’, the existing one, the aseity of God. God does not depend on any cause other than Himself for His existence or realisation and has within Himself His own reason of existence. God is absolutely independent and self-existent by nature. Why is this important to […]

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Our experience of God’s nearness or distance is not a description of His actual proximity (Closeness/immediacy) to us but of our experience of intimacy with Him. This is as true in our relationship with God as it is in our relationships with other human beings. We all know what it’s like to be sitting right next […]

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Key Text: Matthew 28:11-20  John 19:30 ‘it is finished’ Jesus was hanging on the cross and this was one of the seven recorded, last sayings of Jesus. And so Jesus did not need to stick around after the crucifixion in order to complete God’s plan of salvation. The plan of salvation was completed in that moment. […]

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For three years He had captured the hearts and attention of His Jewish brothers and sisters. So when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, the week before the annual Passover celebration of Israel’s freedom from slavery in Egypt. He was greeted by a large crowd of admirers who laid palm branches and cloaks on the road in front […]

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Using examples from Nehemiah’s lifestyle Catherine challenges us to a lifestyle of Justice as students of Jesus. The Bible tells us to do justice and the world calls us to do justice. Nehemiah gives us some pointers if we want to be effective people as representatives of God here on earth. Ask – If we […]

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Key Text: John 4:1-30 There is a hole in our lives so deep, a longing so great that can only be quenched by one thing. That is God Himself. A hole that seems to be easily masked in the longing for more of whatever earthly thing we believe will satisfy us. And we all have that thing, […]

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Key Text: Mark 5:21-34  Touching Jesus is all that really matters. Then your life will never be the same. There’s only one way to touch Him. Just believe when you call on His name.- words of an old song Quite often we hear people crying out to God for various needs in life, asking God […]

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Acts 17:22-34 Greek mythology spoke of gods and goddesses that in their own rivalries and ambitions acted more like humans than gods. Athens was a place where it was said it was easier to find a god than a man. The many gods of the Greeks were merely characters in stories unable to change men’s lives. […]

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The Bigger Picture   We read in  Genesis 37-50 the account of Joseph and his brothers. As the story goes his brothers were jealous of him and were plotting to kill him because he was telling them about dreams he had had-how they were bowing down to him.  But they didn’t kill him and instead sold […]

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Exodus 20:12 “Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

 Our parents/guardians matter. Whoever brought you up, however massive their failures may have been they need to be respected. Failure to respect our parents, whether they are believers or not, is an active disobedience that is a denial of our gospel faith. This is what the fifth commandment effectively teaches us.

The apostle Paul reflects this in his writing to Timothy when he says: 1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

As followers of Christ, we should respect all people, other Christians, God and governmental authorities.

The Myth – The more you have, the more respect you will have. Image is everything. This is not true it’s about how God sees us, about how we develop Godly character, how we live lives pleasing to God, how we develop our hearts

The word respect is a translation a Greek word meaning “honour or value.” It literally means ‘to place a great value or high price on something.’

Matthew 7:12  “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Interestingly, today we tend to place our values on our personal rights and the equality of humanity. However, biblical respect is far different.

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Honour or respect is the greatest characteristic of all because respect comes from the heart. Respect is the highest positive affirmation we can give to each other. Gods law and the gospel are given to teach and empower us to give respect where it’s due. It’s not easy but it is essential.

And it’s not just in the home where this fifth commandment must be heard and obeyed. The commandment has a reach far beyond the home for our discipleship to follow. Wherever there is God-given authority in the home, society and church, it’s there that God expects us to work out respect.

Read: Romans 13:1-7

Most of us have quickly learned that respect is slow to come by. We fret over what people think about us, about our lifestyle, about our values. We get down/discouraged over the smallest signs of disrespect (real or imagined) and obsess over whether people really like us. Our social media connected world, has done nothing to alleviate our already exagerated insecurities.

Instead of waiting to be respected (which is never taught in the Bible), we need to work out how to give honour to people as we should. Honour such people, that is the way we obey the fifth commandment. Be grateful to God for our spiritual parents, guides and ministry mentors. Learn from them, both from what they say and from how they say it.

Honour the Saints who are regularly in our lives too. The best and most Godly Saints seek out others who share their calling. There’s no competition or fighting for attention. Godly saints serve each other with support and advice, when requested.

The church exists in a secular environment of disrespect. Backbiting, disloyalty and worse or the everyday hazards of our workplaces. When we come to church, we must discover the freedom and peace of being in an utterly different culture. Respect and honour must be the tone of all relationships in the body of Christ.

How do we earn the respect of others?

The way to earn respect is not about being perfect, it’s about being open, real and humble. (Not a formula)

Serve with Intensity – Proverbs 27:21 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold and a man is tested by his praise. Jesus was a servant and we always need to be in that place that where ever God leads we will go.

Speak with Integrity Proverbs 17:7 Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is false speech to a prince. In our culture there are no absolutes, there is no right or wrong but there is with God, there are no grey areas with God. Jesus was truth personified John 14:6 I am the way the truth and the life.

Give Generously Psalm 112:9 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor.

Live humbly Proverbs 29:23 One's pride will bring him low but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honour.

Students of Jesus are to be a people of order and discipline, of righteousness and justice. We are to be dynamic examples of love and peace so that others may be won to Christ and be saved for eternity Matthew 5:14–16. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Part of living as examples of Christ before the watching world is showing respect to others.

As Saints in Christ we must work out how to honour others, whether they are believers or not. As we honour those in authority, we will find it easier to honour those with no authority. As we do this, our discovery will be that Jesus has done just the same before us. The one who always honoured his parents gave Himself for the prostitute and tax collector.

That is obedience to the fifth commandment. It will take us to the most costly places. It will honour God, though and many will be blessed and encouraged by our obedience.

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Key Text: Hebrews 4:1-13

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour, and do all your work but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.Exodus 20:6

 When did we all get so busy? Dreadfully, unhelpfully, exhaustingly, busy. If we say we are busy, it has less to do with the events of our day and more to do with our perception of those events. This isn’t to say that we don’t get busy some of the time, of course we do. But all of the time? No. Our troubles begin when we always feel rushed. When we always do a task with our mind on the next thing to do. When life becomes a relentless trudge through a ‘to do list’, that seems to have no end.

Rest is not a sin. Not resting is. God commands us to rest. God promises us the blessing of rest. If only we would take Him at his word. And if only we would fight our natural restlessness as people. In our highs and lows of life, we need to put aside our doing, our rushing and just rest. But do we know how to?

Continual busyness reveals an unhealthy relationship with our time. It’s an important relationship to get right and most of us are getting it wrong. To get it right means changing some of the things we do. A good starting place is to stop treating every day as if it’s indistinguishable from another; a twenty-four hour unit of time with no unique characteristics.

To do so is not human, it’s mechanical. Days are different from one another and when we standardise them we remove an important sense of rhythm from our experience of time. Is it any wonder then that life can sometimes feel more an endurance instead of an enjoyment?

A possible solution to this loss of rhythm involves a practice that is very old, doesn’t cost anything and almost always works a day of rest.

We are not talking about a specific day whether that is Sunday, Saturday whenever. Because when we rest is less important than making sure we actually do it. There’s no need to feel any sense of failure or condemnation if our Sabbath isn’t on a Sunday.

The Sabbath is supposed to be easy, refreshing and restorative but that’s not to say we are like the Pharisees who refused to even pick a head of wheat or pull an animal from a well. The late, great, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks described what makes the Sabbath unique.

‘We do not strive to do; we are content to be. We are not permitted to manipulate the world; instead, we celebrate it as God’s supreme work of art.’

There’s the point. On the Sabbath, let our strivings cease. This day isn’t about us, it’s about our relationship with God.

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from His. Hebrew 4:9-10

Driving ourselves can be marriage ending, ministry ending and health shattering. Burnout is not the will of the Lord, it is the strategy of Satan. Rest, stop. Even if it’s the hardest thing we do in our week, have a day off and do not work on it. The sabbath is God’s covenant gift and command to the church today.

Guard our time with spouse and family, if we’re not blessed with them. Maintain and develop good friendships. Take holidays. Take up whatever hobby or activity gets us out of the house and out of the pressures of life. Stay sane, live a normal life. As we rest, we recover from stress and pressure. Rest is a gift from God. Be a human being. God likes it when we act like a human being.

Our struggle is not just a mental or even a private one. It goes to our heart, to our life as a disciple and as a child of God. It’s a struggle that exposes whether we truly believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. How we feel about our soul tells us everything about how we feel about the gospel and how deeply we are believing it.

A Sabbath is necessary because it’s in that where we encounter the presence and power of Holy Spirit. When we rest, focus on God Holy Spirit always shows up.

There points of the justifying Gospel:

1.Jesus worked at the cross to give us the promised rest of sins forgiven and heaven opened up to believers. Jesus sweated and rise on the cross, fought for breath and blood out his life in order to save us. He did that for godless people as well as for God serving believers.

He achieved for us all that we could never achieve and never will. ‘It is finished’ John 19:30 is the declaration of perfection.

The cross speaks peace and brings rest in the forgiveness of all of our sins. ‘We who have believed enter into that rest.’ Hebrews 4:3

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. That means He is the Lord who commands us to find rest and only He has worked for the rest our soul needs.

2.Listen to the one who worked and died for us and respond to Him. The world can be crushing because those around us can be cynical and hard hearted at times. But so can we though we forget and sometimes refuse to believe the very gospel that saved us. Listen to the gospel. Listen again. ‘Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

The gospel is not something we give to others without first hearing, taking it to heart and staking our all on it first.

3.Our worst days are as much our salvation as our best ones. In other words, we need to believe that we are fully accepted by the Father’s love on our worst days as well as on our best.

We are a ‘justified’ individuals. The declaration ‘righteous’ comes from the mouth of God in the power of Holy Spirit and exclusively on the merits of Christ Jesus.

We shall rest from finding our justification in what we do and rest contented and safe in the finished work of the living word of God, Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Through His word the Bible, it tells us that we are to enjoy our Sunday’s, not as anxious performers but as Christ satisfied disciples.

We give ourselves to God in worship and to our church families in fellowship. And we refuse to try to justify ourselves by our outward actions and behaviour.

Instead, we yield to Jesus, surrender to His righteousness and rest in His love

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The Perfect Ten – Love’s Choice

Key Text: Exodus 20:1-21

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.” v.2-3

Choose your love and love your choice.

Mount Sinai is the memorial of the truth that God has chosen and gathered a people to Himself. We are the evidence of that. He has already shown them His love, redeeming His people from Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for His steadfast love endures forever; Psalm 136:12

At Mount Sinai, God is essentially declaring to His people and to us ‘I have chosen you, to love you and I will love you. And as I have chosen you, choose me and love me and you will know life as you love me.

The first commandment is a call to know God, not in some vague fuzzy way but know God as He is, the living God of pursuing, relentless, overwhelming love. This is the God who reveals Himself in and through Jesus the Christ of whom the Bible says John 1:18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, He (Jesus) has made Him known.

John 14:6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. This is the God who calls us to belong to Him through Christ Jesus and to discover the saving love He has for lost people.

‘You shall have no other gods before me’ may sound harsh, aggressive or even threatening to our modern ears. But this modern world is addicted to choice, a pluralistic society telling us there are many ways to God or indeed there is no God at all. Do what feels right to and for us. It pushes us toward self-help, rather than helping others, the ears of this age hears the command ‘You shall have no other gods before me’ and winces, shudders and feels very uncomfortable. Like pharaoh in Egypt, our society angrily says that it doesn’t know Him and certainly has no intention of doing what he says.

In contrast, to His redeemed people, this is a call of freedom to throw out the life stealing false values and loves of our hearts and to choose to know the God who has chosen us. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Exodus 20:2

 God declares His rescuing and covenant name YHWH. And as the rescuer and covenant maker, He is also owner of His people. As rescuer and owner, He has sovereign rights over us to call us to loving obedience. The commandment says ‘This is your God’ but only obedience says ‘This is my God.’

The commandment is a call to life, to live the whole of our lives as a response of worship to God, loving Him, Honouring Him in every single thing we do.

All of us though at times, feel the pull to want anything but God. Job satisfaction, influence, intellectual stimulation, personal gratification, a quiet life (or a noisy, hectic life) peer group approval or public praise - What’s on your wish list today? So often we are just not aware of the darkness in our hearts, the deceitfulness or we dress it up to make them sound very worthy and spiritual, even when we’re only trying to fool ourselves into thinking that all is well. We tell ourselves we are seeking this or that ‘blessing’ from God. The truth is, we are seeking a certain lifestyle or reward. And whether or not God is in it, is of little concern to us.

The first commandment exposes our religious gameplaying. ‘Choose me’, God demands of us.

And Yes, sovereign power has the right (and authority) to put a command on our affections and more so, when He is the God of perfect life bringing love.

Choose Jesus the Lord, when life is hard, when ministry is unproductive, when our dreams are frustrated, when all is uncertain, when sickness and death seem to be king, when all the scenery of life looks like a desert wilderness and when the promised land seems a very long way off - choose Jesus.

The Heidelberg Catechism (1563 - German reformed Church) treats the commandment in this way:

 Question: What does the Lord require in the first commandment?

Answer: That I, not wanting to endanger my very salvation avoid and shun all idolatry, magic, superstitious rights and prayer to Saints or to other creatures. But I sincerely acknowledge the only true God, trust Him alone, look to Him for every good thing humbly and patiently, love Him, fear Him and honour Him with all my heart. In short, that I give up anything rather than go against His will in any way.

 The first part warns us away from Roman Catholic mass and things that go bump in the night but the second part floods the heart with both challenging and exalting truth.

Will we really believe that our God can and will meet all our needs, so that we will bring Him all of the love and trust He is so very worthy of? God wants all of our heart, and unless He has that He is not satisfied by anything else that we do.

Conclusion

 God is not reserved, cold or aloof. He is not standoffish. Through His son Christ Jesus, God stands amongst us, comes to us, embraces us, reassures us and encourages us. He is the God who touched Mount Sinai and made it shake, He is also the God man who died on Calvary’s cross. He loves us and He wants us to know that He loves us. Even when we can’t feel His presence, the gospel teaches us that He is always with us and that His arms are always around us.

We have to know this because if we don’t, this command ‘You shall have no other gods before me.’ will always sound like a demand only and we will always feel indifferent about it. More than that it will stay on its stone tablet. If we are not convinced that God is kind and tender hearted and are not experiencing this love, its truth will meet our hearts of stone….unless, Unless we know who it is who is talking to us.

Unless we know that our God is our Redeemer, our husband, our good Shepherd, our friend, the one who has died for us and come back from the grave, who reigns on high, ruling in love and wisdom over our life and preparing a place for us so that we might dwell with Him forever.

If we know this, God loves us, delights in us, died to save us and sent His Spirit to empower us to love Him… the obedience becomes what it really is, a blood bought and spirit enabled privilege.

God does not give us commands just because He is Lord. He gives us knowledge and commands so that we will bring to Him the response of our heart and delight to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, so choose Him. Choose Jesus.

Choose your love and love your choice.

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God with Us – Our Hope

Key Text: Isaiah 35:1-10

There is a relationship between joy and hope, when you have hope there is a joy in us. Biblical definition of hope is the joyful anticipation of good, joy before you get what you are praying for. Biblical hope is measured in a joy that is expressed before there is anything to rejoice for.

This is not wishful thinking that is based on nothing but is based on the character and nature of God, who He is and the prevailing word of God over our lives. And because of His devotion to us and His unchanging nature, even when we are uncertain about what is happening we can still live with hope because we know that nothing we are facing caught Him off guard.

 What is the hope in your life?

For some, hope is the first candle to be lit when the power goes out in the storm. Hope is the first day you wake up and can breathe again after really bad cold. Hope is that percentage you do have of beating the cancer. Hope is the faint line on that stick, when you’ve been struggling to get pregnant. It’s the first ray of sunshine through your window after a tearful, difficult night. Hope is hearing the words, “They’re going to be OK.” Hope is the flicker of maybe, just maybe. Hope is the fuel of faith and dreams.

Advent is actually a season of hope. The word advent means ‘coming’ or ‘arrival,’ and the season is marked by expectation, waiting, anticipation, and longing. Advent is not just an extension of Christmas, it is a season that links the past, present and future.

Advent affords us the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah, to celebrate His birth and to be watchful for His second coming. Advent looks back in celebration at the hope fulfilled in Jesus Christ’s coming, while at the same time looking forward in hopeful and eager anticipation to the coming of Christ’s kingdom when He returns for His people. During Advent we wait for both it’s an active, assured, and hopeful

In a season often marked by frenzied busyness, Advent is an opportunity to set aside time to prepare our hearts and help us place our focus on a far greater story than our own ,the story of God’s redeeming love for our world. It’s not a season of pretending or covering over. It’s a season of digging deep into the reality of what it means that God sent His Son into the world to be Immanuel, God with Us.

It is a season of expectation and preparation, an opportunity to align ourselves with God’s presence more than just looking for presents.

Advent is not a celebration that God comes to fix things from broken computers, broken families or broken and hurting lives. Rather simply, Advent is a celebration that God comes. God comes to be with us. He is the God with Us. In the darkness, in the pain, in the chaos, He comes and He makes a way. That’s the way God has worked throughout history.

Since the fall of man and the entry of sin into our world, God has been working toward our restoration, healing and wholeness? This is the overall theme of the Bible, God’s word to us. Throughout it, we see God making a way and giving and reminding His people of hope that He is still at work.

We could say that Isaiah is the poster prophet for Advent, this season of longing, expectation and hoping for God to be with us. Through Isaiah, God gave Israel and us many prophecies and promises about the Messiah He would send. And it is in this way, Isaiah was a voice of hope.

Isaiah lived seven hundred years before Jesus, but he gave us words that ring with hope for the coming Messiah. Listen to some of these: Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel’Isaiah 7:14

But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali but in the latter time He has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. Isaiah 9:1–2

A little later in the same chapter, Isaiah wrote:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder and His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:6-7

Did Isaiah understand all of these messages and promises? probably not. He certainly didn’t know God’s time line for when it all would happen and when the Messiah would come.

Perhaps Isaiah thought it would be in his lifetime, or maybe he was wise enough to know that God’s work stretched for generations and generations. But Isaiah was filled with hope and God’s promises fuelled him and his people to continue to hope. His vision of God with Us still fuels hope inside of us millennia later.

No matter what kind of problems and struggles we are facing right now, no matter what kind of season of darkness and pain we are in, do not to abandon hope.

Hope based on God’s Word. Part of God with Us is the written word that He has left us. These are His promises to His people both long ago and today.

They are a piece of Him. They are beacons of hope. They are reminders that can penetrate our hearts and spirits and assure us that no matter what we are facing, no matter how bleak tomorrow looks, no matter how bad the pain, God will never leave us or forsake us. And nothing can separate us from Him.

Consider these words from Psalm 139: Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me.

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. Psalm 139:7–12

Can you feel the hope in those words? we are not alone. God with Us means that He always will be with us and nothing, nothing can take that away .

Hope is still alive, even in our deepest pain and most hopeless circumstances. Hope is alive because God is with us.

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Key Text: 2 Corinthians 10:1-11

How many of us know that we are in a war, in a spiritual war? The Bible teaches that there are spiritual powers working in our world, affecting organisations, cultures atmospheres as well as individuals. The Bible also teaches that, as citizens of heaven we must exercise discernment so that we can stand against these powers and schemes that come in different guises.

Because they come in varied guises there are various strategies that we can use prayer, word of God, love, fasting, healing, praise , adoration, declaration and the demonstrable power of Holy Spirit at work in our lives.

Questions To Ask Holy Spirit

• What is the enemy strategy against this person or place?
• What might God’s better plan be for this person or place?
• What can I now do both prayerfully and practically, to thwart Satan‘s plan and to welcome God’s better purposes into this person place or situation?

However the schemes and plans come to us, there is one dark thread running through them all ‘The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy…I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.’ John 10:10

Our strength in spiritual warfare, our effectiveness, is no greater than our ability to control our thoughts. 5b…take every thought captive to obey Christ. Imagine that you are in a battle and you capture the most zealous, fiercest opponent. Whilst in captivity, we then manage ‘turn them’ so that they now believe in our cause and fight for us. Their energy, ferocity and zealousness that was warring against us, is now fighting with and for us. That’s what it means to take every thought captive to obey Christ.

So when someone comes against us and we think badly of them, turn our thinking into a prayer of blessing for them. And so the thinking that would otherwise have worked against us, is now working for us. It is always best to go into battle for breakthrough with others.

God has strange ways of winning wars.

In Joshua chapter 6 we see Joshua sending the priests with trumpets up front in the battle of Jericho. That’s an unusual thing to do…unless you don’t like the worship team. But it wasn’t about the music it was always about the presence of God. Establishing His presence because where His presence is, kingdom has come.

There are still walls of resistance in the minds of people today and just like Jericho they need to be pulled down. What are these mental walls? Reasonings that are opposed to the truth of God’s word. Pride of intelligence that raises itself up. Paul was not attacking intelligence but intellectualism. the attitude that makes people think they know more than they really do.

Jesus taught us to pray to the Father, ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done,’ because it isn’t a foregone conclusion that kingdom will always be present.

We are told that Jesus lives to intercede for us Hebrews 7:25whilst Holy Spirit prays for us in wordless groans Romans 8:26 because there are things God longs for which have not yet happened. It is also the Father’s desire that everyone come to repentance 2 Peter 3:9 and yet people clearly do not. So there is a war going on.

Quote:‘Since there is no neutral ground in the universe, there can be no neutral people. Every one of us must pick a side. No one gets to be a conscientious objector. - C.S. Lewis

Even in our hearts we are at war with ourselves For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Galatians 5:17

Gods war plan is not like man’s war plan. It includes the leading of the Holy Spirit. An army in a natural battle would never advance without proper reconnaissance.(What lies ahead, resources will encounter, physical landscape et cetera) In the same way when we have the leading of Holy Spirit going into battle, we have the best possible advantage.

Holy Spirit is described in scripture as ‘The Commander of the Lord’s Army’ Joshua 6:14

Holy Spirit can reveal to us God’s perfect will, purpose and plan for any situation and can tell us how to advance. He imparts instructions to leaders of His church (which is the body of Christ) following the spiritual hierarchies. Holy Spirit has access to all information and operates in the spirit realm, in order to tell us the perfect plan of action and anything about our enemy.

To be effective in spiritual warfare, there are three things we need to know:

• Know our enemy
• Know our authority
• Know how to fight

2 Kings 6 Gives an example of Holy Spirit knowing everything about our enemy.

Because Holy Spirit knows the heart of God and the things God knows, He is known as the counsellor.

John 14:26 AMP: But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name (in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf), He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.

Holy Spirit encourages us and strengthens us for battle by affirming who we are in Christ, a child of God and an heir with Christ. This about knowing our authority.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God  and if children, then heirs heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. Romans 8:14-17

We don’t need to be reminded that we are children of God every day but we do need to be reminded of our inheritance every day. (Israeli Soldiers before the wailing wall are reminded what they are fighting for)  Perhaps the reason the we are separated and isolated is because we are not prepared to fight to stay together.

We have the advantage with the leading of Holy Spirit. Isaiah 59:19 So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west and His glory from the rising of the sun; for he (our enemy) will come like a rushing stream, which the wind (breath) of the Lord drives.

Banners were used in ancient military tactics for communication. The Holy Spirit raises up the war banner in our spirit for us to have strategic advantage in the fight.

The power of Holy Spirit is dynamic, fast moving, stronger and better than the enemy. If we align our hearts and minds with the word of God, then our enemy doesn’t even bother to show up.

God is sovereign over all things, our success in our spiritual battles is often up to us (free will), to hand over control to God as Holy Spirit strengthens us in the battle. We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the (true) knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:5 Amp

Daily we are moving to a day of Shalom when God yes and God snow will be unopposed and undefeated. Revelation 12:10-12 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered Him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short.

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Key Text: Galatians 5:16-26

Fairy Tales always end …happily ever after. We cannot say just because things are not going well that we are out of the will of God and we cannot assume just because things are going well that we are in the will of God.

It would be fair to say that at some point most people have asked or offered up what most would call a prayer. What has been the common experience of us all whether much faith or no faith is that those asks, those prayers do not always get answered in the way we want…if at all. And it’s because of our personal experience that we are where we are now.

Some have proven God to be faithful and true. Others, your experience has led you to conclude there is no God. Still others, your experience has caused you to turn your back on God because you see Him as a cruel, vindictive, God detached from human affairs.

Having said this, some prayers are not answered because they simply oppose the laws of nature. Others go unfulfilled because they are opposed by Satanic powers. (God’s war next week) Still others go unanswered because they are opposed not by nature or even by Satan but by God Himself. Remember, Jesus only promised to answer our prayers when they are aligned with His Father’s will and purpose… your will be done.

Since the creation of the world, God’s relationship with us has been defined by specific requirements and promises. God tells us how He wants us to behave and also makes promises about how He will respond toward us in various circumstances. If we want to delight God, please God, access the blessings that He promises to give. It makes sense that we learn what the heart of God is.

The work of Holy Spirit is to show the active presence of God to the world but especially in the church. To know His heart is to have relationship and Holy Spirit is the one who makes possible the intimacy and nearness of ‘Abba’ father.  Apart from Him (Outside of Holy Spirit) our souls are left stranded (disconnected from God) and desolate (empty & Unattractive).

Walking with God does not mean that we always sense His presence or know His will, our walk with Him is relational not sensational.

To truly abide in Him is an act of faith. Matthew 9:2 some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

The question is not how much Faith do we have? The question is what has He told us to do? Go, stay, stand, pray, ? And this comes back to how do we know what He is saying in order to obey Him?  the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26

When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. John 16:13

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

It is not saying you can know the thoughts and intentions of another person.It is telling us that we don’t even know our own hearts and therefore need help. Holy Spirit and the Bible don’t reveal to shame but to invite.cThe Bible contains all the words of God that He intended us to have at each stage of His rescue plan for humankind.

It also contains all the words of God we need for our personal salvation, for trusting Him perfectly and for obeying Him perfectly.

We will never perfectly obey all of what the Bible says in this life James 3:2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. But what about those who aren’t so certain and still searching for truth?

What the Bible does is it allows us to focus our search for God’s words to us on the Bible alone and saves us from the endless task of searching through all the writings of Christians throughout history or through all the teachings of the church or through all the subjective feelings and impressions that come to our minds from day today in order to find what God requires of us. It brings a starting point focus:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2 Peter 1:21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

In the Bible we can find all that God has said on particular topics and we can find answers to our questions.

James 1:21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness (Humility) the implanted word, which is able to save (Sozo) your souls. Health/healing, emotionally, Physically, Spiritually  The Bible is important because it is not just a word that is spoken but the Bible is a person (Heart of God)  Understanding this each time we read it we are entering a relationship. We do not read the Bible to study we read it because it studies us, it’s a relational thing that is brought about through the presence of Holy Spirit.

We often study the Bible to reaffirm what we already believe, instead of reading the word to be transformed. It’s a living word, it’s alive, it’s Jesus in print.

The entrance to the Bible the word of God, is through Holy Spirit. Understanding Holy Spirit’s role in revealing the truths of the Bible, moves it from just being transactional (trying to get something) to relational (knowing that God wants to impart something of His heart to us)

Holy Spirit does not give revelation just to make us smarter, He is not that interested in how intelligent we are, He’s concerned about our Christ likeness. When He speaks it is always to effect a change in us, draw us closer to Him, equip us and enable us to discern and live out the will of God. Our job is to read the Bible and to say Amen! If it offends us then we need to adjust because God is not going to change.

Under the guidance and leading of Holy Spirit and the word it will: 

Encourage us discover what God would have us think on an issue or do in a situation. This does not mean that the Bible answers all the questions that we might think up but it does mean that when we are facing a problem of genuine importance in our lives, we can approach scripture with the confidence that from it God will provide us with guidance for that problem.

It is the mercy of Holy Spirit to withhold insight and revelation to people who are not ready to obey. Because if He randomly just throws out revelation to everyone, He increases their accountability and responsibility and therefore increases their judgment. Holy Spirit therefore, with holds revelation not as punishment but out of His love for us in accordance with the condition of the heart.

Why? because the will of God is that 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfil His promise as some count slowness but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance.

The is what opens our capacity to hear the voice of God.

Holy Spirit ignites our capacity to know the voice of God and then to respond

Jesus ultimately invites us to trust in His wisdom, love and power beyond our own limited capacity to understand.

He invites us and enables us through Holy Spirit to pray with Him the hardest and most powerful prayer of all ‘not my will but your will be done.’

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Key Text: John 16:1-15

Social scientists those who follow the trends of society said a number of years ago, that for the most part, we adults are out of touch with what is happening in our world. We are out of touch with what is going on with the young people. They said we are living in a day and moving towards that time, when the young people will have no consciousness of evil. They will not even know what evil is and so, they will be able to commit the most horrible crimes and not feel any sense of remorse.

Many times no doubt, we have observed the remarks of the commentators after a serial killers are caught. When they are sitting there being tried or even when sentence is passed, so often the remark is, "And they showed absolutely no sign of remorse." They have consciences that seem to be cauterised.

Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. He speaks to the world of sin. But people can and do resist the work of Holy Spirit.

When Stephen was standing before the Jewish council, he accused them of resisting the Holy Spirit, even as their fathers did. Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.

When Jesus arrested Paul on the road to Damascus, Jesus said to Paul Acts 26:14 ‘Why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads." (against my will)

A goad is a long stick with a pointed end used for prodding animals to spur or to guide them.

It is hard for you to kick against the goads." This is interesting because Paul had testified that as far as the righteousness of the law was concerned, he was blameless; that he had always sought to live with a clean conscience before God. Many people today, like Paul believe they can stand before God, without being in relationship with Him with a clean conscience.

And yet there was something inside that was goading him, so that when Jesus arrested him, He said, "It has been hard for you to kick against the goads."

Acts 26:16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, Note at this time Paul was not a follower of Jesus and in fact had been one of Jesus’ most zealous opposers. Yet Jesus says ‘the things you have seen…’

Romans 1:20 For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they (people) are without excuse.

We have no excuse, friend you have no excuse. When we stand in the authentic presence of Holy Spirit, we have two choices either we pray, press in and go deeper or we numb our spirits and deny ourselves of his presence. Which one are you?

In Zechariah 7:12,They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. They hardened their hearts, made them as unyielding, impermeable stone, so that they would not hear Holy Spirit, hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets.

When a person hardens their heart and will not listen to Holy Spirit, then God has no alternative but judgment, our hardened hearts invite the judgment of God.

But God’s character is so explicitly marked by grace and mercy, that He always seeks to draw us into, rather than drive us out of his presence. Holy Spirit makes it possible to stand in the presence of a Holy God, to have relationship with Him without being consumed by His Holiness.

So we see a world today that has turned a deaf ear to the reproof of Holy Spirit. We hear people mocking against a righteous life, mocking Jesus and mocking the witness of Holy Spirit.

The witness of Holy Spirit to the world is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the only Saviour. Jesus said of Holy Spirit John 16:8-9 And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; Holy Spirit is necessary in our lives because without Him we would have no sense remorse about the sin in our lives.

The name ‘Jesus’ speaks of His mission. The angel said, You shall call His name Jesus (or Joshua), for He shall save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

His name, Jesus, comes from the Gk for the Hebrew name ‘Joshua’, which means ‘Jehovah is Salvation’. Jesus said He came to seek and to save those that were lost. That was His mission. And Holy Spirit testifies to the world, convicts the world of sin because they do not believe in Jesus.

It is my belief that the continual rejecting of the witness of Holy Spirit to our hearts constitutes the sin of the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 12:31-32 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

We see how important Holy Spirit is in our rescue from sin, our salvation? Say what  want against Jesus but not against Holy Spirit. It is the sin that will ultimately consign a person to hell. And when the final day of judgment comes and the books are opened, you will be judged by your works.

It is said of Jesus John 3:17 for God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Underline that in our minds and in our hearts. He that believes is not condemned. Those words should strike a chord of rejoicing in your soul.

This is the issue: our believing in God's provision for our sin, our believing that God sent His only begotten Son who bore our sin, who died in our place This is the witness of Holy Spirit to the world. People are suffering from conscience. They know that they are not doing what is right but they will not come to Jesus Christ to receive the cleansing and the forgiveness.

So this is the condemnation. That light has come into the world but they will not come to the light because people love the darkness rather than the light because their deeds are evil.

When Jesus sent His disciples into all the world to preach the gospel, He said, Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. The whole issue is believing in Jesus Christ. It is the difference between being forgiven and being condemned. That friends is the whole issue of sin.

There are two types of people the guilty and the guilty. The guilty who accept that they are sinners in need of a saviour and forgiveness and the guilty who fail to recognise they have a need.

John testified, Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3:36

And then John went on to say If you don’t believe, you make God a liar, because you do not believe the record that God gave of His Son. You do not believe the testimony of Holy Spirit concerning Jesus Christ

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Matthew 10:5-15 v.7-8

“And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.” Matthew 10:7-8

 Holy Spirit is living in every believer but He is not resting on every believer. He lives in us for our benefit to change us, empower, enable, conform and transform us into the likeness of Jesus. He rests on us for the benefit of others to change the environments and atmosphere where we find ourselves for the better and glory of God the Father,

Psalm 27:4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:(the thing I seek most)  that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

 What one thing would you ask for? Because that one thing tells us the state of our hearts.  It’s a sobering question that brings some focus.

Tells us the thing most important to David, who was in  Acts 13:22  described as a man after God’s own heart. , ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.

 ‘Dwell’ means to stay, rest, stand, abide in other words it is not something we can do as a quick fix, a quick hit there has to be an intentionality.

Jesus does not invite us to try Him, the invitation is to walk, to stay, to rest to abide. John 15:4 abide in me and I knew as the branch cannot bear fruit by self unless it’s a bite in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.

Jesus was fully God and fully man but He chose to do all that He did within the constraints of being human with two important requirements. (1)He was without sin (2)Empowered by Holy Spirit

If He did it as God we could just stand and look because it would be out of our reach and beyond our nature abilities but because He did it as a man submitted to God, it does not allow us to stay the same because we too are empowered by the Holy Spirit and can live our lives in humble submission to God.

You see most of us are not prepared to wait. We should not be too quick to hear Him speak or too quick to listen.

Judges 3:25 …they waited until the point of embarrassment…They waited a very long time until, they were embarrassed…Waited until it would have been shameful to wait any longer

We used to sing a song ‘I could sing of your love forever’ and some Christians would be happy to do that but it is not what God has called us to, even when we do dwell in His presence.

The transfiguration of Jesus Peter, James & John. Peter said Lord it is good for us to be here, in other words ‘could stay in their sweet spot forever’ …they no longer saw anyone else with them but Jesus only. They hadn’t realised they had already got the presence, more than that the one who is present, Jesus.

First thing that happened after they came down off the mountain is encounter a demon possessed boy. You don’t get bigger than that. This was the boy of which the people said ‘We brought him to your disciples and they could not heal him.’

 Mary and Martha - Luke 10:42

…But few things are needed or indeed only one

…There is only one thing worth being concerned about

…Only one thing is necessary

The first thing that Jesus did when He came was release His presence. My words to you are Spirit and they are life Jesus releases presence when He speaks The word of God is made flesh but whenever Jesus speaks the Father’s heart, it becomes spirit.

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