Listening to parents and to God

A few sparrows came to feed on left over bread crumbs after we had our braai-lunch on Sunday. They are so very, very small in comparison to other birds that also came around – shrikes, Cape weavers and so on.
I could not help to remember that Jesus said that sparrows have almost no monetary value – after all, not even the poorest person can squeeze a meal out of one, even 2 of them.
Then the Lord reminded me of his words that his Father in heaven looks after these tiny little sparrows. It was a humbling thought that we were instrumental in God’s hand to feed these few he also looks after. We did not do much of God’s work lately. We did not feed a hungry person and I did not preach Christ’s gospel.
But we did God’s work in feeding a sparrow on his behalf.
It was a humbling, emotional thought. I
It is not for me to decide how big or small the job must be that I do for Jesus today. The mere fact that he calls me to do something, is an immense privilege. It also means that he remembers us. We are still in his employment.
It was a wow moment, because this lesson from our Lord ended with reminding me of the old song about God looking after the sparrow:
His eye is on the sparrow –
And I know, he watches me!

We all know the influence of parents on their children. We say things like:
-"It runs in the family."
-"Like father, like son."
-"He is a chip off the old block."
These sayings all express the truth that children are a lot like their parents.

And yet, parents are the first to admit that each child is unique and different. If there are 3 children in a family, all 3 are different and unique. These differences within a family are also to be found when it comes to Christianity. Within the typical Christian family, all the children receive the same upbringing: all are disciplined the same way, all are sent to Sunday School regularly, all sit through 18 or more years of family devotions. And yet, some grow up to be faithful, solid church members and others drift away soon after confirmation. Why do some of our sons and daughters follow Jesus and love him and others do not?

We are looking at this from a human perspective. We know that people are saved by God by grace, through faith. But let’s today limit ourselves to the question of what we see on the part of men and women that determine that some follow Jesus and others leave the ways of the Lord.

High priest Eli’s own sons Hophni and Phinehas and Samuel, Hannah’s son raised by the high priest, received the same upbringing. Yet Scripture tells us that Hophni and Phinehas treated the Lord's offering with contempt (1 Sam 2:17) when they, in their greed, took the meat that belonged to the Lord for themselves. In talking about these young men, Scripture has nothing good to say. We are told they were wicked (2:12), they sinned against the Lord (2:25), they made themselves contemptible (3:13). And, we are told it was the Lord's will to put them to death (2:25).

As it so often does, the Bible presents a contrast. In contrast to the wickedness of Hophni and Phinehas is the service and ministry of Samuel. Four times we are told that Samuel "ministered before the Lord" (2:11,18,35; 3:1). We are told that he slept in the tabernacle, beside the ark (3:3f). He wore a linen ephod and robe (2:18), in other words, he served as a personal servant of the Lord. Furthermore, we are told that Samuel "grew up in the presence of the Lord" (vs 21). We are also told: (1 Sam 2:26) And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favour with the LORD and with men. Both the Lord and the people were fond of Samuel!
These very same words many years later described the childhood of Jesus.
Why do some children follow God's ways and others do not? Why are some Christ like, and others are not?

Hophni and Phinehas did not fear the Lord. The Bible tells us "they had no regard for the Lord" (2:12), they did not know the Lord, even though they knew about him. Samuel, on the other hand feared the Lord, knew the Lord and served God with joyful obedience.

We have to carefully distinguish between knowing about a person and actually knowing that person. All in South Africa know about Madiba, yet few can call Nelson Mandela a personal friend. Hophni and Phinehas knew about the Lord, but the Lord was Samuel’s life long friend. That made the difference.

Samuel listened to Eli and to God. Hophni and Phinehas only listened to their sinful hearts. Samuel was saved and the other two died without reconciling with God. That made the difference. Not so much the upbringing, but the willingness to listen and to obey. And personal friendship with God.

Are your children truly friends of God? Do they love Jesus? Do both people and the Lord grow more fond of them every day? That will make the difference.

Do you follow Jesus? Do you worship sincerely, with joyful obedience and authentic prayer? Do you find the greatest joy in doing the work of God.
Do you listen to the voice of God? Do you know him as a friend.

May the voice of God both comfort and excite you!

Jesus keeps watch over us

There are some old favourite stories which are told only once in all four gospels,
such as the story of the Good Samaritan, told only once;
the story of the Prodigal Son, told only once;
the story of the Sheep and the Goats, told only once.
These are favourite, great stories but they are told only once in the Gospels.

But the story about the five loaves and two fishes is not told merely once, not twice, not three times, but four times.

Now, why is this story told over and over again?
I believe that this story is such a favourite, because it captures the truth, the essential truth about Jesus and the essential truth about God. It tells us that Jesus is more than a prophet. It tells us that Jesus is truly and surely the Messiah - our Saviour.

From this story about Jesus feeding the 5000 and Jesus walking on the water, we can therefore be assured that Jesus is in fact the Messiah.
We can also rest assured in the knowledge that,
first of all, Jesus is always there for us.
secondly, that Jesus is the one who provides for us, and
thirdly, that Jesus keeps watch over us.

Be blessed, safe in the care of Jesus!

Have you given your children to Jesus?

We learned last week that we must passionately pray for leaders, because our Christian leaders should be asked of God and called by God. This was the case with Samuel.

Samuel’s parents also had their part to play in preparing Samuel for the leadership of God's people. What did they do? Before Samuel was born, Hannah swore an oath to the Lord:
(1Sam 1:11) And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."

Hannah wished to dedicate her son as a Nazirite. Nazirite vows were very strict: to abstain from the use of wine and strong drink, refrain from shaving the head and beard, and avoid contact with corpses (Num 6). Hannah was offering her son as a Nazirite, in a lifelong special dedication to the Lord’s service.

In obedience to her vow, Hannah presented a 3 or 4 year old Samuel to Eli the high priest, to live in the tabernacle. "I give him to the Lord," she said.
How many of us, like Hannah, dedicate our children or grand children to God’s, faithfully praying for them and giving them the appropriate example, by ensuring that they are faithful in Sunday School and Teens Church and not keeping them out of Sunday School for unacceptable, shallow reasons?

How many of us give our children to the Lord? How many of our youth are even willing to consider to follow Christ and consider to serve Jesus full time?

Many Christian parents and grand parents no longer hold Christian ministry as an ambition for their children. Instead, they bring them up to have a piece of the secure, materialistic, prestigious world. But, what more secure future could we want for our children than to give them to God! Only Jesus can guide and keep them.

Families used to point with pride to sons and daughters who became ministers or missionaries. Now, parents rather are proud of sons and daughters who make lots of money. Yet, no career is as exciting, as important and as life-changing as Christian service and ministry. For in Christian service and ministry we deal with matters of eternal significance that effect people for eternity.

If we passionately pray for Christian leaders as we should do, we must put our money where our mouth is and dedicate our sons and daughters to God through prayer, example and upbringing.

"I give him to the Lord," says Hannah. "For his whole life he will be given to the Lord." How I wish every parent would say this. And, how I wish everyone of our youth would demand this.

God invested in you!

Knysna and the garden route are international tourist destinations. Big and small enterprises both depend mostly on local and international tourism for economic survival.

In this environment the global economic slowdown is a lot more visible than at home. During previous visits more people spoke other languages at tourist destinations than English, Afrikaans and Xhosa. German speakers favour this destination and businesses are focussed on providing for the German speaking market.
But, where have all the tourists gone? They stay home as a result of the economic slow down in Europe.
What is really sad, is that it is obvious that the small local enterprises find it harder to survive. Big conglomerates hang on, holding their breath, while waiting for the market to be revived. The small guy may not last that long. The result is that the small number of customers that do visit the Garden Route at the moment, are more often not serviced by local entrepreneurs, and utilise the offer of the corporate sector which is stronger in marketing and sales skills.

During this time of economic woes, one cannot help to remember the words of Jesus when he used financial investment as an example of our calling to make the most of what God invested in our lives. This is the parable about the 10 servants who each received one mina, a valuable coin, to invest for their master. Some earned 10 and 5 minas more. One man kept it laid away in a cloth. The master’s investment did not earn any interest in his case.
About this man, Jesus said: (Luke 19: 26) "'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away”.

In this parable a servant is punished, because he did nothing with the treasure he was given.
This servant represents the people who received the gospel message and God’s blessings and it has not changed them even one little bit!
And they have not shared God’s investment in their lives with others and did not use their blessings to expand the Kingdom of God. Their shareholding in God’s work remains vulnerable and without dividend and when the day of judgement comes, they will not hear the Master’s word of approval. For those who earned Christ no interest on his investment in their lives, the judgement day is a daunting prospect.

But to those who made the most of God’s investment in their lives, will also be given the share of the unfaithful servants – their share of eternal glory. Those who truly work with the Big Entrepreneur of the Kingdom of God, those who use their given salvation, spiritual gifts, church membership, Bible knowledge, access to God’s throne in prayer and ability to give to advance the Kingdom of Christ, will certainly hear the Master say: Well done good and faithful servant. They have been changed into godly entrepreneurs by God’s work of grace.

Christ has invested his life, his death, his blood, his power and his Spirit in you!
What interest has he received through your life, your service and your witness?

Be blessed when you are changed by God’s goodness and grace into someone who is making the most of every opportunity given to you in Christ’s cause on earth. When the last day comes, you will remain standing and you will be given Christ’s glory for all eternity!

Asked of God and called by God!

In 1 Sam 1 we read of the pain and agony of Hannah, an infertile woman desperate for a child. We are told about the mocking she received from her husband's other wife. We are told how she went into the tabernacle, and proceeded to pour out her bitterness and anger to the Lord and prayed passionately, even desperately, for a son.

The Lord wasted no time in answering Hannah's prayer. Within a year a boy was born. Hannah named him "Samuel," saying, "Because I asked the Lord for him." The name "Samuel" means "asked of God". This Samuel who was asked of God, was also called by God. In presenting the boy to Eli, the high priest, Hannah could say,
(1Sam 1:27) I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.

Why did the Lord answer Hannah's prayer and granted Hannah's request for a son? At first it appears that her prayer was selfish and self-centred. She wanted a son to take away her disgrace, to quiet her rival, and to ensure her place in the covenant community. But remember, she also was willing to give this son back to God’s service, let him stay in the tabernacle and allow him to learn to know the voice of the Lord.

Never forget the setting of a Bible story. The time of this story is the days of the Judges. It was a wicked and infamous time in Israel's history. The book of Judges ends with these daunting words:
(Judges 21:25) In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.
What was needed in the days of the Judges is the same thing needed today: God-fearing leaders through whom only God rules and leads his people.

God gave Hannah a son, because Samuel was going to be the Lord's anointed leader, filling the need for godly leadership amongst his people. It is through Samuel that the Lord would carry on his work amongst his chosen people. It is through Samuel that the Kingdom of God would be served and the rule of God would be established.

Samuel, the future leader of Israel, was asked of God and called by God. That same pattern should be found in the church of Christ today.

"What we need are good leaders," we often say and pray.
We need people who are all the time praying for good leaders, like Hannah prayed for a son. We need people praying with Hannah’s passion. We need people praying to God for leaders like Samuel – asked of God and called by God. We need to pray that the Lord will call leaders through whom only God rules and leads the church in his ways and paths.

A God-led church is a glorious treasure and comfort.
A God-led church is served by leaders begged of God and called according to his purpose.

Listen when God warns you!

If I tell you that a Knysna Lourie visits a big tree in front of our chalet more than once a day and that double collared sunbirds (suikerbekkies) enjoy the nectar of the flowers of the same tree all day long, you know that we are not in Jeffreys Bay anymore. We since Saturday stay in Knysna, the gateway to the big forest on the garden route, one of the most beautiful natural gardens in our country.

On Friday, the day before we left Jeffreys, our car gave us warnings of two problems that we should attend to. They could be easily and at very low cost be fixed, but if we ignored the warnings, we would have had a most inconvenient and costly problem to resolve. Listening well to what the car showed us, helped us to avoid catastrophe. I thank the Lord for these warnings he helped us to recognise, and for his provision in everything we do and wherever we go.

God warns us way ahead of time of the dangers in our spiritual life as well as of the challenges for his church. It always was the case. In the days of Amos the prophet, God said through his servant:
Amos 3: 6 and 7: When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it? Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

But we must listen when we hear and see that God reveals his plan, we must take the action God’s wisdom shows us and be prepared. Nothing is impossible to God, who will provide in our every need, even when dangers prowl.
We always must give our best and our all to God. When the day of the Lord comes, we will be prepared to heed his warning and triumph in his Name and by his grace and mercy. Our God gives wisdom as much as he gives warning.

May you be blessed when you serve God wholeheartedly, responding to his revelations and conquer through his omnipotent power! Be prepared to receive the Lord’s solution on the day of danger and attack, by giving him your best and giving him your all.

How great is your God?

We see God's glory in the wonders of creation.

When you visit the coast you see the most glorious sunsets. As the sun dips into the ocean, action on the beach seems to stop. Most people fall silent. Conversations become hushed. Children stop running. Balls are not thrown. All eyes turn to the sun until it dips below the horizon. Silence reigns. The silent splendour of God's sunset over the ocean works its magic in our hearts. The very colour of the sea seems to change minute by minute. After the sun slides behind the sea and everyone returns to his or her activity, you go on your way, with this verse on your lips: "O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Ps 8: 1 and 9)

God's glory shines above the heavens and below the heavens. Yesterday we were speechless when visiting the world heritage site, Baviaanskloof. The fine arrangement and beauty of mountain, river and unique ecology shown in the abundance of vegetation only found here, show the skill of the heavenly Artist. The immense grandeur of one of the gardens designed by the eternal Gardener himself, demonstrates the incomprehensible greatness of God. It enthuses gratitude. It inspires thanksgiving.

God's name is not simply crowned in our hearts; it is majestic in all the earth. Many small and seemingly unimportant things reveal the greatness of God. Each little flower that opens and each little bird that sings proclaims the glorious majesty of God. Every special relationship - a mother and her baby, a couple in love, a hand reaching out to a friend, reminds of the glory of the Lord.

David starts and ends Psalm 8 the same way, with words of praise to God:
(Ps 8:1 and 9) O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

God's name stands for God's person, God's being, and God's attributes; they are all majestic. "Majestic." In the Hebrew language, this word tells us that God is the incomparable, omnipotent God.

We believe in, and adore, one living and true God, who is Spirit, personal, infinite, and eternal, present in every place, the almighty Author and sovereign Lord of all; most blessed, most holy, and most free; perfect in wisdom, justice, truth and love; to us most merciful and gracious; unto whom only we must cleave, whom only we must worship and obey. To Him be glory for ever. (Art 1 of the 24 Articles of Faith).

We hear this message in all the pages of Scripture all the time:
(Ex 15:11) "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you--majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?

(1 Sam 2:2) "There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no rock like our God."

(Jer 10:6) No one is like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.

God is majestic. He is majestic in power, in splendour, in glory, in works, and in holiness. He is incomparable. There is no other god like the Lord God almighty.

For King David, the majesty of God is especially evident in his vast and wondrous creation. David looks at the sun, moon, and stars, David looks at the birds, fish, and animals and David looks at man. He sees all that God has made and he says,
O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Tell everyone!

Jeffrey’s Bay is known for many things. It is known for good weather, for great waves to surf – and for its abundance of see shells on the beach. The latter became a job creating resource. Some harvest the shells very early every morning. They sell it to people who clean them and then make beautiful ornaments to be sold to tourists. And then there are many, many, selling the final product. You meet them every day. They approach everyone. They do not skip a soul. They see a prospective customer in every car, and on every bench. They have tenacity and they are not shy. And I believe they have to be successful, for they never stop.
How great it would be if we Christians had the same persistence when offering Christ to the world. If we stopped thinking that we know who the people are who will respond to the good news, and who will not.

They make me think of the well known parable that Jesus told, and explained, about the sewer and the seed, in Matthew 13. This story is about the fact that we are all different kinds of soil in the receiving of the Word of God. It also teaches us something very important about the one who sows.

According to this parable Jesus knew that there are some people who are like the soil on a hard path. The Word hardly gets there, and it is gone. They don’t seem to have the ability to respond to the Word of God.

Some of the seed falls on shallow soil. The parable is talking here about shallow people. You know you’re shallow when you only have two items on the agenda: pleasant and unpleasant, what I like to do and what I don’t like to do. I avoid what I don’t like to do, and I do what I like to do. That is shallow. Shallow is someone who never reads anything spiritual, never contemplates anything or responds in any way to God’s Word. There is not going to be any fruit for God’s cause in their lives.

Sometimes the Word of God falls among the weeds. These are people who are too busy to fruitfully absorb the Word. There are too many plants in their lives. They have said yes to too many things. They had a sense of priorities once, but they lost the list, and now it is a matter of only doing something where the most pressure is felt. They never really take time to nourish their spirit, to pray, to read Scripture, to think about life and relationships, to pause and thank God for his blessings and to worship God with his people. There is some fruit in their lives, but it is deprived and undeveloped. It cannot nourish anyone.

Then there is the good soil. These are the genuine, truly humble, serving Christians. They live in the same world as others, have the same friends, work at the same places, yet there is something different about them. They love, they care, they go, they do, and they give. And if you were to list all the good things they do, they would be embarrassed.
What made them so different? It is in taking time to attend to their spiritual life and to God. They nourish their relationship with God. They feed it, talk to their souls about it, praying about being good soil. Attending to God’s Word nourishes, grows your relationship with Jesus and determines who you are. It makes the seed grow 30, 60 and 100 fold.

But this parable is about more than who we are. It is also about Jesus, the sewer who tells us in this parable that in his ministry he scattered the seed on every kind of soil. He did not only sow on good soil. He tells us that he gave each and everyone the chance to receive the seed and the chance to let it grow.

It would be a terrible mistake to give up on people, because we decided that they were too hard, too shallow or too busy to receive the Word! The fact is that we do not know whether there will be any growth. So let us not be selective. Indiscriminately scatter the Word of God and do not try to predict what the result will be, because we do not know.
It is Christ sowing the seed through you and me. And we do not know where the seed will grow. All we know is that we believe that people can change by the power of God’s Spirit.

You do not have to trust your own gift of sowing. Trust the seed, which is nothing less than Christ given to people by the Holy Spirit. He is given to you, your family, your husband, your wife, your parents, your children, your friend and your neighbour.

If you believe that, you will be blessed as you remain busy with God’s farming. Persistently sow Jesus everywhere. Approach everyone. Do not skip a soul. See a prospective Christian in every car, and on every bench. Have tenacity and don’t be shy. And God will carry on using his church to save the world.

Wait upon the Lord

When we arrived at Jeffreys Bay on Saturday, the town was exceptionally busy. In spite of the fact that the sea was as smooth as the Vaaldam on a windless day, there were surfers wherever you went. The guest house opposite the home where we stay, was as busy as a beehive. It’s a place where surfers hang out. Many were socialising, killing time in various ways. They did not look nervous or frustrated. They were waiting for the waves to return.
It was only on the news on Sunday night that I heard that an important international surfing event was taking place here, but that there was no progress, because there were no breakers! The who ’s who of South African surfing as well as the champion surfers of the world are in town. Waiting patiently.
On Monday morning the wind and the breakers returned. The event could continue. All of a sudden the guest house, the ice cream parlour, clubhouse and the shops were empty. The games began.
But on Monday afternoon it started raining. The bakkies with the surfer slogans and posters returned to the guest house. More unplanned parties were enjoyed. The waiting game started all over again.
Tuesday turned out to be a perfect day for the surfers.
We also, for the first time ever, went to watch an international surfing event, and I now have a better understanding of why they are able to wait so patiently. It is part of the game plan to make sure that you get the breaker that will give you the opportunity to win, to be a champion. If you just “jumped” onto the first wave that comes along – you could spoil your chances completely.
What they came to do was important enough for them to continue waiting for. Their focus, enthusiasm and ambition (and desire to win the enormous amount of prize money!!) enabled them to wait for the right time, weather and circumstance. In the water that same patience is rewarded with a better chance to be a winner.
These are people who will not allow their concentration to be disturbed by less than perfect conditions.
These are people who are determined to create their own opportunity by being patient.

Christians are infamous for their intolerance with God’s timing. They want to have perfect answers to instant prayers, immediately. They often blame God for having to wait. They time and again loose interest and focus when there is no wind driving their faith ships or when stormy weather interferes with their plans and desires.
We Christians can learn a lot from the surfing fraternity.

Jesus, on the other hand, spent a lot of time waiting on his Father. He often went into retreat to find answers, strength, and patience. In order to be able to do this, Jesus made certain that he had time to pray. There are four important words about this in Matthew 14:22: "Jesus dismissed the crowd."

This was not just any crowd. This was about 10,000 people who had heard Jesus teach, had seen him heal the sick and had watched him produce enough food miraculously to feed them all. This was a crowd ready to make him a king. But Jesus dismissed them! Why? We read in verse 23: "After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray."

Jesus said no to a buzzing, excited crowd, an excellent opportunity, in order to say yes to an even better one. It was a deliberate choice to honour his priorities. Jesus' first responsibility and main concern was not to satisfy his scores of excited fans, but to wait faithfully on his heavenly Father until “his hour has come”, as he often said.

On another occasion Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek." This word "meek." used in the Bible is the same word used to describe a wild stallion that has been trained for the saddle. It means power under control, strength with direction, ready to get going, yet being disciplined, focussed – and waiting. This saying really says “Blessed are the focused, those who know their priorities and honour them and wait upon God for the wind to turn and the breakers to come back.”

Jesus most of the time served the crowd diligently. But he did dismiss them when he had to do something of greater importance – like having fellowship time with his heavenly Father, waiting on his perfect timing.

When the perfect breakers come, we must be able and ready to surf them like champions.
Will we, in spite of waiting long, when God’s time comes still be focussed, calm and determined enough to accomplish his will?
Are we patiently disciplined when it comes to waiting upon the Lord?

Father, Thy will be done… Amen.

The battle belongs to the Lord

Israel and the Philistines were at war - again! They arranged their forces on opposite sides of a valley. This made it risky for either army to begin an attack. By descending one slope, crossing the valley floor and its stream, and climbing up the other side, the attackers would make themselves vulnerable. The result was a stalemate; neither army dared to leave its position.

It was Goliath who provided a solution. He boastfully challenged anyone in Israel to a one-on-one confrontation. This encounter would decide the battle and the war.

The most important detail that the Bible gives us about Goliath is not his size, his armour or his challenge to Gods people. The most important detail is given in the word "defy." This word means "to treat with contempt or ridicule." Goliath defied "the armies of the living God" (1 Sam 17:26). He treated God with contempt. He mocked the Almighty.

But God had chosen David to be his servant. Bound up in David is the power of God, the honour of God, and the glory of God. Advancing towards the giant is David, God's chosen instrument to overcome an enemy who defied him.

David answered Goliath's challenge, because the LORD was with him. Victory and defeat was in the hands of the LORD. Not in the hands of David or his ridiculous “weapon” – a sling and a stone. It was God who defeated Goliath - not David or his sling.

David’s victory made a statement to the Philistines, the Israelites and to us: that the name of the LORD is sufficient to strike the strongest enemy to the ground. The battle belongs to the Lord (1 Sam 17: 47), and the Lord will give his enemy into our hands, however insufficient our defence may be.

To save us from every enemy, God once more has a chosen instrument – it is Jesus Christ, his eternal Son. God still defeats the enemy without sword or spear. He still uses what seems completely inadequate to save us. Of all things, God uses a cross and a grave, a crucifixion and a resurrection.

He uses what seems to be weak, to put the strong to shame.
He uses his Son, dying on the cross and arising from the grave, to defeat the powers of darkness. As always, the battle belongs to the Lord.
As always it is not our weapons that make the difference – it is God.
Because the battle belongs to the LORD, and so does the victory.

Be blessed when the Lord, through his almighty Christ, conquers his enemies through you, today!

The Church - the holy Temple of God (2)

1 Corinthians 3: 16 and 17: Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

When Paul calls the church God's temple he reminds us of the exciting truth that his Church is where God lives amongst his people, that the church is indwelt by the Spirit of God and that God’s church is the body of Christ. This means that the congregation is holy, set apart, reserved for God and his use - sacred in God’s service. It isn't a building or a place that is holy. It is a people, a congregation of believers, that is holy. "You yourselves are God's temple and ... God's temple is sacred."

A warning follows from this truth.
Paul says, "If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him." Destroying or wounding the body of Christ is a serious offence in both the Old and New Testaments. God does not tolerate the destruction or wounding of his holy temple. In the Old Testament the penalty for defiling the sanctuary was either death (Lev 15:31) or excommunication (Numbers 19:20). God is no less jealous of his spiritual temple, than he was of the sanctuary built with wood and stone in the Old Testament.
Paul says, "If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him." This is a twofold promise: a promise to eventually punish those who damage the church and a glorious promise to safeguard his church.

The temple of God can be wounded and destroyed from without and within.
From without we think of persecution, of attacks against the people of God. Think of Pharaoh. It was his intention to wound or even destroy the people of God. He turned them into slaves. He killed their baby boys.
Think of the Pharisees and how bitterly they attacked the Christ and his church. After the Ascension the apostles and followers of Jesus were persecuted and killed and during the first 350 years of the existence of the church more members were martyred than those who were not.

We bear the torch that flaming
Fell from the hands of those,
Who gave their lives proclaiming
That Jesus died and rose.
Ours is the same commission,
The same glad message ours,
Fired by the same ambition,
To God we yield our power.

O Father who sustained them,
O Spirit who inspired,
Saviour, whose love constrained them,
To toil with zeal untired.
From cowardice defend us,
From apathy awake!
Forth on Your errands send us
To labour for Your sake.

But, the church is not only attacked from without, but also from within. This is where Paul wants us to focus our attention. There are so many ways that those within the church can wound and destroy the Body. All that we have to do is look at the church in Corinth. She was being destroyed and wounded from within by divisions, by fights, quarrels, spiritual pride, unfaithfulness, impurity, neglect of duty, being followers of men, rather than followers of Jesus, teaching what people want to hear, rather than the inspired Word, and many other evil ways.

Imagine that we had a wedding, with a bleeding, wounded bride. What a mess. The families were seated. The groom and his attendants were in their places. I was waiting at the front, Bible in hand. The bridesmaids and flower girl had come down the aisle. René began to play the wedding march on the organ, and everyone stood. We could not believe our eyes. The bride came limping down the aisle. Her gown was ripped and covered with mud. One eye was purple and swollen. Her hair was a mess. She had been fighting with her sisters and brothers again.
We all thought to ourselves, "Doesn't the groom deserve better than this?"

This didn't really happen, of course. It is but a parable of what happens when Christ's bride, the church, has quarrels and divisions. A church divided brings shame upon the Lord. A church divided, wounds and destroys the Body.

God always protects and preserves his church from those who attack her, whether from within or without. God does not tolerate her destruction.
Instead, by God's grace and power, we are to build her up. We can live at peace, instead of having fights and quarrels with fellow Christians. We can walk by the Spirit instead of falling from sin into heresy. We can study the Word. By God's grace and power, we may add to the glory of God’s church through missions, evangelism, and witnessing. By sticking together, believing and serving.

The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is His new creation by water and the Word;
From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride,
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life - He died.

Love one another...

If we do not have a personal relationship Jesus, we can do nothing good!

As we look around our congregation, we see people whose lives reveal Jesus' glory! Their witness strengthens our faith. We are strengthened by them and they by us, and together we reveal Jesus' glory and as we reveal his grandeur, we help others to believe in him.

In the "true vine" context, Jesus says, "Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch (of the vine) cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me, and I in them, bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5).

The fruit that Jesus speaks about is revealing his love through our love for each other as his children, thus sharing his joy with a sad, lost world.
In John 15: 10 – 11 Jesus says: “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Our personal relationship with Jesus results in the fruit of love for each other and complete joy in his service. In this way we reveal his glory to others and then they will believe that he is the answer, the Saviour, the true source of life and hope, of meaning and fruit.

If we really want to honour Jesus, this is how we do it: by loving one another. When we do, people will look at us and see Jesus and understand his message - and believe, take heart and give him glory! Only then our discipleship is complete.

The holy Temple of God on earth

1 Cor 3:16: Don't you (plural) know that you yourselves (plural) are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you (plural)?

Paul's message is: the church, the congregation of believers, can also be called the temple of God.

"You yourselves are God's temple." There are two words that Paul could have used for "temple." One which includes the entire temple area and structure on Mount Zion in Jerusalem and the other, the word that Paul uses here, that speaks of the sanctuary itself, consisting of the Holy place and the Holy of Holies. The sanctuary is where God lives: his Name, glory and his power are present here.

The church is God's temple. But what does this mean? This tells us three things about the church and therefore about us, his people.

Firstly, this tells us that the church is where God lives. She is his sanctuary. In her is present his Name, his glory and his power. From here comes God's disclosures of who he is - to us and to the world. The church is where God has his home on earth and where men and women enjoy his presence.

Secondly, this tells us that the church is indwelt by the Spirit of God. The Bible teaches us that where God's Spirit is, there is the temple. That's why Paul can say, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you" (1 Cor 3:16). A church indwelt by the Spirit is a church filled with gifts and fruit, that grows, increases and matures.

Thirdly, this tells us that she, God’s church, is the body of Christ. More than once Jesus identifies the temple with his body. That is why Paul can say elsewhere that with Christ she suffered, with him she died, and with him she was raised. And, someday, with him she, his church, will be glorified.

The church is God's temple. And God's temple, says Paul, "is sacred." God's temple is holy. God's temple is special, set apart, consecrated, not used for ordinary things. The congregation, the followers of Jesus, the Body of believers, is holy, set apart, reserved for God and his use.

But many don't believe this. They want to believe that if anything is holy, it is a place, or a structure or at the most, an organisation.

But it is a people, a congregation of believers, that is holy. "You yourselves are God's temple and ... God's temple is sacred." The church, the people living in the Body of Christ, belong to God. She is his dwelling place and she is indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

And God does not tolerate her destruction. Instead, by God's grace and power, we are to build her up.

How do we do that? We can encourage and contribute, instead of criticize and take away from her beauty with the words we use, the thoughts we have and the attitudes we display. We can walk and live by the Spirit instead of falling from one sin into another. We can keep faith with each other, instead of breaking our promises. We can listen to the Word instead of following error and heresy.

So tell me, are the way that you live in the Body of Christ break her down, or build her up? Do you destroy or do you build up the holy church of Jesus?

Prayer: Dear Lord – thank you for the privilege to live in the Body of Christ - here on earth and for all eternity. Make me, by your Spirit, a builder and a beautifier of your church - in Jesus Name. Amen.

Why does God wait so long?

Why do you think God often waits before answering our prayers, keeping us in the storms of life for a while, before he answers our prayers? . Why does he wait until there is humanly speaking no hope or solution for a crisis?
The Bible doesn't tell us. But we do know that God is a God of perfect timing. He waits until just the right time so that we can learn, grow , come closer to him and during this time be educated for our place and roll in his community.

We see this with the Israelites in Egypt. Why did God wait for 300 years before taking His people out of Egypt? He waited until they realized that God was their only hope. He waited until just the right moment.

Deut 8:2-3 and 5 explains this in detail, saying: Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. (3) He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (5) Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.

The direct route from Egypt to Palestine would take only eleven days by foot. But God took the Israelites a way which took over 40 years.

God waits until just the right moment, because God is teaching us humility and discipline. He is making us more and more into his image and likeness. He teaches us that man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord!

Were you yesterday in church to be fed on the words from the mouth of the Lord!
Will you make time for personal devotions today, and every day, to be fed on the words from the Lord?

May you be blessed when you learn the life changing and life supporting value of personal time with God and of time with God in fellowship with his Church!!

Tip#6 on Quiet Times: Keep it up, maintain it and put it into practice!

In this, our final devotion about meaningful personal devotions, or quiet times, lets encourage each other to maintain this valuable source of Spiritual motivation and growth. Lets always continue to do this, not forgetting what we heard from God, but while keeping it up, also put into practice what we learn from our God.

James puts it in these words:
James1:23-25: 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.

Its easy to deal with our fellowship with God in the same way as someone who looks into a mirror, only to immediately forget what he or she looks like, because we (hopefully) never had the intention to live our lives according to that mirror image. But when we look into God’s mirror during our personal devotions, we need to apply what we see during our daily “spiritual make over”, our quiet times.

1) What we have learned from God about whom we are, what we should be and where we should go, by looking intently into his perfect will for our lives, we must do and apply. This will be the source of our blessings and of accomplishing God’s purpose for us.

2) All relationships have an impact on us. It either makes us depressed and anxious or it motivates us, brings us joy and provides us with the emotional energy with which to continue our lives. As relationships grow and become more intimate and important to us, we depend more and more on them, learn from then and are motivated by them.

Our quiet times bring about a closer and more meaningful relationship with our God. As we worship, listen, pray and learn, we become more dependent on God to live purposeful and satisfying lives. We become dependent on our special, personal time with God. Eventually we will not be able to imagine taking on life’s challenges and our calling, without our exceptional times of fellowship with God.

3) But then we must understand the importance of concentration, discipline and perseverance. We must in a disciplined way, intently, look into the mirror of God’s will and plan every day, and not be sidetracked or tempted to neglect our relationship with our Saviour. Even under pressure of daily responsibilities, we have to persevere in seeking communion, yes communication, with our God!

Tip#6 on quiet times is then, prayerfully depend on the power of the Holy Spirit to maintain your quiet times and to put into practice what you learn during these personal devotions.

If you resolve to do this, and prayerfully expect God to help you to do so, you will enrich your life, grow in your love-relationship with God, find meaning and purpose, serve God better and with more fruit and live a life that brings glory to his Name. We will be blessed in whatever we do.

May God help us to seek his face, do his will and live in an intimate, personal relationship with him!

Our majestic God cares for us!

According to Psalm 8, for David the majesty of God is especially evident in his vast, marvellous creation. David looks at the sun, moon, and stars, at the birds, fish, and animals and at man. He sees all that God has made and he says:
(Ps 8:1,) O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

(Ps 8:4) What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? David asks. "Man" refers to the frail, vulnerable and sinful being made of dust and returns to dust. Compared to the awesome majesty of God, what really is man? Compared to God, man seems to be someone very small and insignificant.

What amazes David, is that our majestic God cares for this small weak creature called man and is mindful of him: remembers him and his needs. It seems inconceivable that the incomparable, invincible God, who has made the heavens and the earth, should be concerned with man. Yet our Lord is. Because God remembers us and what we need, he forgives us our sins by the blood of Christ. He has given us the gifts of salvation, new life, conversion, repentance and faith. He unites us with Christ, sanctifies us and forges us into a community of believers. And he gives us our daily bread.

But, then, what else can we expect of our God? Yes, he is the majestic One, but he is also our LORD and Saviour. To be any other way, would be to deny himself, his character, his person and his name.

What do we want God to believe: when we pray and worship and say thank-you, or when we complain and live ungrateful lives?

Be blessed when you praise, worship and give thanks to our majestic God, saying:
(Ps 8:1) O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Why? Because, (Ps 8:4) he remembers us and all our needs and cares for each one of us.

Quiet Times (6): Remember the power of prayer (B)

Powerful prayer means praying in the Spirit.

Tip#5 for our Quiet Times is: Make use of the power of prayer in the Name of Jesus. We discussed this last week. Today we share more guidelines on the practical implementation of Tip#5, namely that we will only experience powerful prayer in the Name of Jesus, if we pray “in the Spirit”.

Ephesians 6:18: ”And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
Jude 20: “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.”

When we pray in the Name of Jesus, his Holy Spirit inspires and leads us in prayer that God the Father answers.

1) True prayer is prayer in the Spirit, that is, the prayer the Spirit inspires and directs. When we come into God’s presence, we should recognise our ignorance of what we should pray for or how we should pray for it, and in accepting our inability to pray according to God’s will, we should look up to the Holy Spirit, depending on him to direct our prayers, to lead our desires, and to guide our words.

2) When we first come into God’s presence, we should be silent before him. We should look up to him to send his Holy Spirit to teach us how to pray. We must wait for the Holy Spirit and surrender ourselves to the Spirit, then we shall pray according to God’s will.
Christ, our Head, in who’s Name we pray, will teach us how to pray, as he taught the disciples. This happens through the work of the Spirit he sent to guide and inspire us.

3) When we feel least like praying, it is the time when we most need to pray. We should wait quietly before God and tell him how cold and without prayer our hearts are, and look up to him for help, trusting him and expecting him to send the Holy Spirit to warm our hearts, inspiring us to pray.

4) When we wait upon the Spirit to guide us, we will pray with faith, and praying with faith, will make us bold.
In Mark 11:24 Jesus said: “Therefore I tell you whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.” Prayer that believes that we received what we prayed, follows our consideration of the Scriptures. We believe that we received, because we ask what the Bible promises and proclaims.

5) Praying boldly in the Spirit requires first of all that we in faith acknowledge our union with Christ. Those who live in the Body of Christ are able to pray in the Spirit – the Spirit that unites us with Jesus and each other.
John 15:7: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you’”.

To remain in Christ, to live in the Body of Christ, is to:
· renounce every thought, every purpose, every desire, every affection of our own, looking day by day and hour by hour for Jesus Christ to shape his thoughts, purposes, affections and desires in us;
· listen to his Word to know and understand his thoughts, purposes, affections and desires;
· pray what we hear to be his thoughts, purposes, affections and desires.

Praying in the Name of Jesus enables us to pray in the Spirit. Our union with Christ, our living in his Body and our relationship with him, ensures that his Spirit that dwells in us, inspires and leads our understanding of his Word, and therefore teaches us to pray.

Now, let all the Tips on Quiet Times come together:

Tip#1: Always ask God to help you when you have your Quiet Time!
The Holy Spirit will help us to hear God’s voice.

Tip#2: Always reflect.
Quiet down and ensure that God’s message reaches the control centre of your being.

Tip#3: Engage your brain with your heart!
Make your personal devotions a time of fellowship based on both an understanding of what God says and a faith-and-love-relationship with him.

Tip#4: Read the Bible well: systematic and with insight.
Be educated and encouraged for your challenges and calling.

Tip#5: Make use of the power of prayer in the Name of Jesus!
When we pray in the Name of Jesus, his Holy Spirit inspires and leads us in prayer that God the Father answers.

Do not fall away!

Jesus said that in the end times there is a warning against the falling away of many from living in the Body of Christ, his Church. But there is also a promised harvest!

Matthew 24:13 – 14 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

While both a warning and a promise might seem contradictory, this is not really the case. For as the challenges to be faithful to the Lord increase, many who have but a shallow faith, or no real faith at all, will fall by the wayside. Yet many others, inspired by the true message of Jesus, will be attracted to Him. Opposition and it being tough to be faithful to Christ and his church, will either build or kill your faith.

Not everyone is willing to make the necessary commitment. Even Jesus had a failure in Judas! But Jesus never gave up, even when the disciples were way out of line. Then finally, all were sufficiently 'discipled' to give up their lives for him, first spiritually and finally committing everything to his service.

If you walked away from living in die Body of Christ since the beginning of the year, because it was too hard and asked for too many personal sacrifices, come back before you loose everything - especially your calling, your personalised service, your contribution of love to Christ's work and your own growth as his disciple.
There is not much time left during 2009 to correct our spiritual failures. And the coming of the Lord, is near!

May you be blessed if you return to live and serve wholeheartedly in the redeemed Body of Christ.

Quiet Times (5) - Remember the power of prayer

Ephesians 6:18: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying, for all the saints.”

A time of personal devotion without prayer, is unthinkable, because

1. Prayer is God’s appointed way to receive from God what we need. The main reason why we lack God’s complete provision, is the neglect of prayer.

2. The holy men and women in the Bible regarded prayer as the most important activity of their lives. Give a prominent place to prayer during your Quiet Times.

3. Prayer occupied a very prominent place and played a very important role in the earthly life of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Follow his example.

4. Praying is now the most important part of the ministry of our risen Lord in heaven. Ask Jesus to pray for you.

5. Prayer is the means that God has appointed for us to receive mercy, and obtaining grace to help us in time of need. Remember to ask for mercy – “In your mercy, Lord, hear my prayer.”

6. Prayer in the Name of Jesus Christ is the way he has appointed for his disciples to obtain fullness of joy.

7. Prayer is the means that God has appointed that we may receive freedom from anxiety and the peace of God, which passes all understanding. Just tell him what scares you, makes you anxious and is the challenge you face.

8. Prayer is the means that Christ has appointed whereby we will not be overcome by the cares of this life. Tell God about your worries and concerns.

9. Prayer promotes our spiritual growth. It is fellowship with God. Also share with God what makes you happy and excited – thanking him for it.

10. Prayer brings power into our work for him. Ask for the guidance and the power of the Holy Spirit.

11. Prayer benefits the needs of others. Name the needs of those who's troubles and challenges are on your heart.

12. Prayer brings blessings to the church. Pray for the congregation you attend, the current agenda points you are aware of, the minister, the elders, all the leaders, members who asked for prayer - by name, for the children and youth ministries and for the outreach where the church is involved.

Pray in the Name of Jesus:
Jesus said: “And I will do whatever you ask in my Name so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my Name and I will do it.”

But what do we mean when we say we pray in the Name of Jesus?

It is like going to the bank of heaven when I go to God in prayer. I have nothing deposited there; I have absolutely no credit there, and if I go in my own name, I will get absolutely nothing; but Jesus Christ has unlimited credit in heaven, and he has granted me the privilege of going to the bank in heaven with his Name on my cheques; and when I go, believing I may draw on his credit, not relying on my own goodness, my prayers will be honoured.

Remember Hebrew 10:19 “ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus….”

God is pleased with his Son, Jesus Christ. He always listens to him, and therefore listens to us, if we approach him in Name of his Son. Our prayers become the prayers of Jesus before the Father, when we pray in his Name.

Tips on praying:

· Speak to God respectfully, yet boldly, because you come to him not because you are just, but because Jesus is most holy and the Father loves his Son. Say to the Father: Father I come to you, because I am one with Jesus – please listen to me for his sake.

· Be sincere. Do not try to pray in the words of your spiritual hero’s – just tell God what is on YOUR mind, in the words YOU usually use to speak to your friends.

· Prepare your prayer: Make use of the prayer schedule provided by your church and other Christians. Speak to God about your needs, not forgetting the needs being brought to your attention by the church.

· Pray with the attitude of obedience. Ask from God what you understand to promote his honour, his will and the coming of his kingdom. Pray from your Bible reading journal, reminding God of the promises you came across in Scripture, asking protection as a result of the warnings you noted and answering God about the message you received through considering his Word.

Therefore Tip#5 for our Quiet Times is: Make use of the power of prayer in the Name of Jesus.

Jesus said: John 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you’.
(Next week we have more tips on prayer in the Name of Jesus.)

Have you implemented Tips# 1 – 4 for your Quiet Times yet?

Tip#1: Always ask God to help you when you have your Quiet Time!
Tip#2: Always reflect.
Tip#3: Engage your brain with your heart!
Tip#4: Read the Bible well: systematic and with insight.

Then now also practice Tip#5: Make use of the power of prayer in the Name of Jesus!

Do not quit doing good!

(Gal 6:9) Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Whenever we are tempted to do less than our best in God’s work, or we are perhaps tempted to quit worshipping and serving God completely, we ought to remember this verse and the truths that it contains.
Whenever we find ourselves getting tired of or losing enthusiasm for the Lord's work, we need to remember these words.

Don’t quit! Pray not to become weary!
Be blessed with tenacity in working for God!

In preparing yesterday’s sermon, I came across this, from an anonymous writer:

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centred.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest pride.
Think big anyway.
What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you've got anyway!

Quiet Times (4): Read the Bible well!

Romans 15:4: For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

We are reminded of the wealth of education that the Scriptures contain. Being well versed in what God decided should be revealed to us in his Book, enables us to endure in the race for God’s work. Like an athlete prepares for his challenge, Scripture prepares for the testing of our faith and it remains the only encouragement that ensures that we remain in the hope of God, even under the most severe pressure.

Reading the Bible well will be of great benefit to us.

Therefore Tip#4 for our Quiet Times is: Read the Bible well: systematic and with insight.

While it remains true that our Quiet Times are not for Bible Study, it remains central to our conversation with God, our fellowship with him and our Spiritual growth through meaningful communication with our God to read the Bible well.

It means that we do not just dip into Scripture at random.
Follow a plan. Read through a Gospel, even if it is only about a third of a chapter at a time. One could also read according to many Bible reading rosters that are available; some follow a theme and others are designed to help us to understand the complete message revealed in the whole Bible. This prevents us from reading only from our “favourite” Bible Books or the passages we consider to be “easy”, as this method results in us missing a part of God’s message that will have a great impact on our lives, intervening and guiding us on our way. The point is: be systematic.

It has three benefits:

1. It creates continuity between yesterday, today and tomorrow.
2. It helps you get a fuller picture. When we read at "random" we tend to go to what we know all the time and never expand our horizons.
3. It broadens our general knowledge of God’s Word.

Here follows one method – a simple yet valuable and helpful one:

Read through a gospel (Matt, Mark, Luke or John) at the rate of at least one third of a chapter at a time. Then over two or more weeks read 10 psalms, depending on how long the Psalms are. Then turn to some of Paul's letters, or to Acts, and then go back to one of the gospels.

Once you have covered all of these, start with other books, (remember the Old Testament forms the largest part of our Bible) - but regularly come back to the Gospels, learning from the ministry of Jesus as your central source.

Reading according to a systematic plan is beneficial and builds a good foundation.

Making notes helps to remember what we read, and it deepens the process of reflection and enables considering what God is saying to me.

In your journal, have specific topics under which you note the messages over a period of time. Your Quiet Time journal may have the following “chapters” where you make the various notes:

Statements worth noting.
Warnings.
Promises and prophecies.
Messages that have a profound impact on me and my decisions.
Commands, decrees and instructions.

You end up with a personalised journal that you can go back to, to often find a message, a solution or a promise you really need at the time. This is how we ensure that we are educated and encouraged through the Bible reading during our Quiet Time.

We now covered the following tips on Quiet Times:

Tip#1: Always ask God to help you when you have your Quiet Time!
The Holy Spirit will help us to hear God’s message!

Tip#2: Always reflect.
Talk to your soul! Quiet down and ensure that God’s message reaches the control centre of your being.

Tip#3: Engage your brain with your heart!
Make your personal devotions a time of fellowship based on good understanding of what God says.

Tip#4: Read the Bible well: systematic and with insight.
Be educated and encouraged for your challenges and calling.


(Thanks to Theo Groeneveld whose devotions on this topic gave very specific direction to the thoughts in this series on Quiet Times).

Pentecost 2009

Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday. We desired and prayed for a passionate, powerful Pentecost and the Lord heard our prayers! We, his Chruch, were blessed through our Lord’s presence in praise, worship, prayer, preaching and touched and changed lives. Bring thanks and glory to his Name.

Before Jesus left his disciples and returned to heaven, he promised that he would send them a helper, the Holy Spirit. The word helper means, "one called alongside." He stands beside us to help us. Because of the Spirit, we who are believers in Christ, fight no battles and face no issues alone. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit should and does make a difference in our lives everyday.

A Spirit-filled people proclaim the Good News of the Gospel to a world lost in sin. God makes his gracious, saving voice heard through them.

And a Spirit filled people have the power of God in order to be faithful to their calling:
(Acts 1:8) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes ...

This power helps us to lead a victorious Christian life and pursue a life of Christian character. Through the power of the Spirit we are blessed with spiritual fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

May the Lord bless us all with Pentecostal grace!

Quiet Times (3) - Engage your brain with your heart!

We have shared two tips on quiet times already:
Tip#1 was: Always ask God to help you when you have your Quiet Time!
The Holy Spirit will help us to hear God’s message!

Tip#2 was: Always reflect.
Talk to your soul! Quiet down and ensure that God’s message reaches the control centre of your being.

And now Tip#3: Engage your brain with your heart !

Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD. Psalms 107:43

The fact that our Quiet Times are about fellowship with God, sharing our innermost questions, desires and needs with him and listening to his comforting, loving and directing voice, does not mean that we should leave our brains, our thought-processes, our learning abilities and our insight outside! As much as we fully commit our hearts, emotions and passions, we should also commit our ability to concentrate and understand to this process through which we enhance our intimate relationship with the Lord!

The ancient Church leaders called on us to contemplate God. If "contemplate" is not part of your regular vocabulary, use consider!
Consider is a word that the Scriptures uses!

Psalm 107 is a psalm that recounts the history of God's dealings with Israel. The call to consider God's love comes at the end of the psalm.
In Psalm 8 the psalmist considers the wonders of the heavens and everything God has made, thinking about God’s greatness and the strange truth that mankind is more important to God than any of the natural wonders.
In Psalm 119 we are called many times to consider God's Laws.
In Isaiah 41:20 we are called to consider God's greatness compared to the futility of idols.
Jeremiah calls people to consider their ways in the light of God's awesomeness (2:19).
Jesus reminds us to consider the beauty of the lilies and thus learn about God's provision.
In Romans 11:22 we are urged to consider the kindness and austerity of God.
In Hebrews 12:3 we are urged to consider the example of Christ in the face of hardship.

We are to think about God! We are to think about his remarkable works of creation and his sustenance of everything, including ourselves! Most of all we need to think about what the coming of God to us in Jesus Christ means: God’s anger about our sins that Jesus carried, God’s grace by which we are forgiven in Christ, God’s power by which we are enabled to win through the resurrection power of our Lord, who owns all authority in heaven and on earth. We are to think about the meaning of being filled with the Holy Spirit and that the Spirit enables us to follow the example of God’s Son.

We are to think about God with our brains awake and sharpened. We are to consider his revelations in nature, in Scripture and most of all in Jesus Christ, and conclude that God is good and that we are saved and safe!

Remember now Tip#3 on Quiet Times: Engage your brain with your heart!
Soul seeking worship, engaged with our intellectual considerations, results in complete surrender of heart and mind to Christ. And Worship plus Consideration equals Contemplation!

(Thanks to Theo Groeneveld whose devotions on this topic gave very specific direction to the thoughts in this series on Quiet Times).

Good company brings true happiness!!

(Ps 1:1) Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

The message of this verse is that the company we choose to keep, can affect our happiness. The people we choose to hang around with, befriend, work with, or even marry can impact our happiness.

Be warned by God’s Word about the kind of company that you keep. Those that you choose to hang around with, even casually, can so easily start you down the wrong path. You see, it is a fact of life that the environment we find ourselves in always has an effect on our life. So, take a hard look at your friends.

Let's say your faith life and prayer life and church attendance are not what they should be. If you hang around with people who do not pray and do not go to church, people who make fun of God, or simply never think about Him, your faith life and prayer life and church attendance cannot improve; in fact, they can only get worse. Bad company will result in us disappointing God even more and we will be less joyful and meaningful.

Quoting a well-known proverb, the Apostle Paul tells us that "Bad company corrupts good character" (1 Cor 15:33). Bad friends result in anything other than blessing and happiness.

Blessed, yes happy, many, many times over, are the those who walk in the counsel of the holy, who stand in the way of the righteous, who sit in the seat of worshippers.

Let me also quote from Psalm 119: 63: I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts.

Today is Ascension Day!

Today is Ascension Day! May you be blessed and comforted by the faith knowledge that our Head and our King was enthroned in heaven and was given all authority in heaven and earth!

Here follow a few questions and answers, helping us to understand the significance of his glorious rule in heaven.

1. What does “He ascended into heaven” means?
That Christ, in the sight of his disciples, according to his human nature was taken up from the earth into heaven, and continues to be there in a position of divine authority and power until he shall come again to judge the living and the dead.

2. Is Christ then not with as he has promised?
Christ is true man and true God. According to his human nature he is now not on earth but in heaven, but as our God, Saviour and King he is never absent form us!

3. What benefits do we have because Jesus Christ ascended into heaven?
Firstly: He is our Advocate in the presence of his Father in heaven, always praying for us.
Secondly: because he is in heaven as a human being, we know that he as our Head will also take us there.
Thirdly: He sends his Spirit to us by whose power we seek those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God, and not the things on the earth. The glorious Christ, enthroned in heaven, pours heavenly gifts on us, defending us against all our enemies and protecting us from evil.

Praise the Lord, for He is glorious!
Never shall His promise fail.
Christ has made His saints victorious,
sin and death shall not prevail.
Praise the God of our salvation!
Hosts on high, His power proclaim;
Heaven and earth and all creation,
laud and magnify His Name.

Worship, honour, glory, blessing,
Lord, we offer to Your Name.
Young and old, Your praise expressing,
join their Saviour to proclaim.
As the saints in heaven adore You,
we would bow before Your throne,
As Your angels serve before You,
so on earth Your will be done.

Quiet Times (2) - Reflect!

Before I went on leave, I started a new series on practical tips for Quiet Times or personal devotions. While most of us know that we should have them, we often simply don't know how. We also know that we need them and that we need the impact it will have on our lives – yet we struggle to keep up the habit. We do not also see the fruit of personal devotions, because we rush through them and do not have any expectations around them.

Tip#1 was: Always ask God to help you as you have your Quiet Time!

And now Tip#2,today: After we've quieted our soul, praised God, and read His Word, we should always reflect.

Psalms 42:5: Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.

The psalmist, suffering from a “soul that is downcast” in other words “depressed”, has a “talk with his depressed, sad soul”.

My contemplation of what God has to say to me today, always should include a “talk with my soul”, reflection time, – even if I do not feel sad. Whatever the day or the week requires of me, God needs to speak to my soul through his Word in one way or another and I need to make sure that I don't restrain the message by storing it only in my mind, in other words, only dealing with it on an intellectual level. It needs to reach my innermost self – the control centre of my emotions, values, dreams, plans. I ( my thought processes) have to facilitate God speaking to my soul!

The danger is that it can become ego-centric: all about me and what I want and need.
This is why the Psalmist’s talking to "his soul" is helpful. It's a discussion that takes place about my-life-in-the-third-person, in the context of God's Greatness, his Word, his will, his plan and his feelings about me. I should talk to my soul in such a way that I ensure that the Lord is really talking to my soul, and therefore is truly talking to ME!!

Tip#1: Always ask God to help you as you have your Quiet Time!
Tip#2 : After we've quieted our souls, praised God, and read His Word, we should always reflect.

Set your mind on heavenly goals!

Col 3:1-2) ... set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. (2) Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Notice, the Bible tells us we have a choice: setting our hearts on things above or on earthly things. There's always an alternative. Every time you have the opportunity to rid yourself of sin, to receive God's forgiveness and to find strength and renewal in Christ, there is also an opportunity to remain in your sin and misery.

It’s a matter of focus, of priority and most of all, a matter of love – do I love God with all my heart and mind.

We can set our minds on earthly things or on heavenly things. We can pursue treasure on earth or treasure in heaven. We can first seek the things of this world - or the kingdom of God and its righteousness.

We have to make a choice between living for God and living to satisfy our sinful nature.
If I am saved, I now live for Jesus. Then we set our hearts and minds “on things above, not on earthly things."

Listen to God's Word in you personal quiet time...

Psalm 119:18: Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
From Luke 24:32-45: 32 They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

If you look at the passages above they have two things in common: The verb "open" and the fact that "God does it".

We need the help of the Holy Spirit when we come to personal devotions, or as many people call it: “Quiet Times”:

- The Spirit can open our eyes, because we're often too preoccupied to notice Truth.
- The Spirit can open our hearts, because they can be hard.
- The Spirit can open the Scriptures to us, because they are God-breathed and not just human literature.

So.... Tip#1: Always ask God to help you as you have your Quiet Time!

After much thought and many questions around this topic, I decided to share some practical hints around having a daily devotional time. Many people call them Quiet Times. While most of us know that you should have them, they simply don't know how.

WHAT IS QUIET TIME: A simple daily time where we draw near to God.

PURPOSE: To worship God and recalibrate our lives.

ACTIONS: Slow down, Quiet down, Reflect on Truth, Worship and Pray.

KEY VALUES: Simple, Regular, Sustainable and Honest

A typical Quiet Time lasts 10 – 20 minutes and involves:

1. Slow down, stop the racing mind, become aware of God's presence.
2. Pray for God's help to hear Him and His message.
3. Read Scripture (not a book about Scripture – no other book is God inspired, only the Bible. Books about the Bible should be used for Bible study and not for devotions. Just read the Bible, God’s own Word to you, listen what God says - and reflect on it)
4. Reflect on where you are right now, hear what God is saying to your soul. Allow God to open your heart and your eyes.
5. Worship and Pray.

Expect God to speak to you. His Word is God-breathed and his Holy Spirit prefers to speak life into our lives through God’s book! Therefore, remember Tip#1 – Always ask God to help you as you have your Quiet Time!


(Thanks to the Rev Theo Groeneveld whose devotions on this topic gave direction to the thoughts in this series on Quiet Times)

New life by the Spirit, through the Word!

It is God’s plan to bring new life into our lives by the Holy Spirit and through the Word of God. Something mysterious and beautiful happens when we place ourselves under the Word: the Spirit produces faith and makes us born again.

God's people must put themselves under the Word. They must come to God’s place of worship. They must involve themselves in Bible Study. They must set aside a regular time for personal devotions. Our God is almighty. He can do anything. By the Holy Spirit and through the Word he brings life to a sinner whose spirit is dead and dry. He is able to bring his life to the most fallen of saints!

2 Tim. 3: 16& 17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man (and woman) of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Dear Lord, bring me into the glorious life of the risen Christ by your God-breathed Word! Amen.

EASTER SUNDAY: the Lord has risen indeed!

A few women, dear friends of Jesus, were numb with grief and filled with bitter disappointment after his death. They went to the tomb on Sunday morning and found the stone rolled away. They entered the tomb and looked around for the body of Jesus and could not find it.
Scripture tells us "they were wondering about this." They were confused and perplexed and had no idea of what happened - of what was going on.

Two angels appeared to them and told them that Christ has risen. The angels reminded the women of Christ's predictions about the cross and the grave, the crucifixion and the resurrection. "Remember?" they asked. Then they remembered his words and understood what Jesus had said to them: that He must die and must be raised. Then they believed that Jesus truly is alive. (Luke 24:8)

On Easter Sunday the veil is lifted. Finally people can see and believe the message of Christ, the message that: (Lk 24:7) the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.

"Remember how he told you," said the angels. Then the women remembered and understood the full message of salvation. Only then did they believe and their sorrow was changed into joy.

The message of Easter always turns sorrow into joy, death into life, defeat into victory. For the disciples of Christ, Easter was a wonderful, beautiful, exciting surprise.
Surprise, death! Surprise, sin! Surprise, mourning disciples! Surprise, modern man! Surprise! He's alive! Christ is risen. He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

(Rom 4:25) He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Jesus buried

Today is Maundy Thursday. Maundy literally means “washing feet” and refers to the night when Jesus and the disciples were together for the last time, when he and they stood in the shadow of the cross, when he washed their feet and instituted the Holy Supper.
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On this Thursday night before Good Friday, we traditionally celebrate the “Tenebrae Service”. Tenebrae is the Latin word for darkness. We meet tonight at 19:00 (7pm) at the Centurion West Presbyterian Church for this beautiful and meaningful service with lots of symbolism.

Tonight we will be asked to meditate on the meaning of the suffering of Christ for our lives through an experience that relates to the gloom he faced and endured. The gradual extinguishing of the lights during this service is symbolic of the advancing darkness that came over Jesus: with the flight of the disciples, the bitter hate of his enemies, the looming shadow of the cross. The moments of total darkness during the service recalls the time when he was in the tomb. The relighting of the central candle is a prophecy of Easter so soon to dawn.

On Good Friday we meet again, at 09:30, to remember his crucifixion and death for our sake when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
Looking forward to share this spiritual pilgrimage over the next four days with you!


Devotion for Maundy Thursday.
Jesus is Placed in the Tomb

Luke 23:50-54: Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph… This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.

The burial of Jesus makes it absolutely clear that Jesus really died on the cross. It also explains the place from which Jesus was raised.

The Sabbath was beginning, Luke wrote. Jesus “rested” in the tomb, because all his work of suffering for us was done. It may seem that everything is lost, but he would rise again.
It was on the Friday that he died.
But Sunday is coming…

We died with Christ and our old sinful man is buried with him. A new man, the new day, is imminent.
The resurrection Sunday of our life in Jesus, is soon to dawn.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, we remember that you really died. You experienced the ultimate penalty for our sin, for my sin. Your real death opened up the door for me to experience real life. Faced with such a merciful mystery, I cry: "Amazing love! How can it be, that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?" Amen!

Jesus died on the cross

Luke 23:44-47: It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.”

Because Jesus was innocent, not just of crimes that deserved crucifixion, but of all wrongdoing, he was able to make many righteous by dying for our sins. He became the spotless, atoning sacrifice for all – yes for me.

We should learn of Jesus how to die! The Saviour committed his spirit into the hands of his Father in death, because he, the spotless Lamb of God had been in the Father's hands all through his life!

At death you also can commit your spirit into the hands of God, but only if you have already committed your spirit to God during life. Have you done this? Have you committed your spirit, the control centre of your life, into the hands of God? For only then, at the last hour, are you also able to say, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."

Calvary’s mournful mountain climb;
there, adoring at his feet,
mark the miracle of time,
God’s own sacrifice complete;
it is finished, hear Him cry;
learn of Jesus Christ to die.

Ps. Join us tomorrow night (19:00) when we will during the beautiful Tenebrae service, full of symbolism and an emotional experience of Jesus’ suffering and death, learn of Jesus to love God sacrificially and to die in peace.
Also attend the Communion Service on Good Friday (09:30), because the Master said: Do this, until I come again, in remembrance of me.
Then our hearts will be prepared for the joy of Eastertide, the pure bliss of the believer who can sincerely say on Easter Sunday: Jesus has risen indeed!

Jesus on the Cross, His Mother, and His Disciple

John 19:26-27 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

This cannot merely be a word to a distressed Mary. A deeper meaning is suggested by the verse that follows: "Later, knowing that all was now completed ..." (vs 28a). These words and actions of Jesus completed the work that the Father has given him to do. Making Mary the mother of the Beloved Disciple and making the Beloved Disciple the son of Mary somehow and in some way completed the work that the Father had sent Jesus to do.

Notice what happens. Jesus is on the cross. Below Him are two of those who still believe in Him. Beneath the cross of Jesus a new family is created. The blood of Christ forms a new home. Through his redemptive work upon the cross Jesus forges a new family of the redeemed. We know it as the Church!

Now you and I should do two things. First, we must praise God for the blessed family of believers formed beneath the cross of Jesus! Second, we must do whatever it takes to make the church into more of what Jesus wants her to be: a family of true believers who loves, cares for, and supports each and every one of us.

Jesus Promises His Kingdom to the crucified Thief

Luke 23:43: One of the criminals who were hanged said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The crosses were only a few feet apart. The Lord immediately heard the cry of the repentant man. Remember the promise of Christ, "whoever comes to me I will never drive away" (Jn 6:37).
We see here that this promise is the truth. The thief asked Jesus to remember him, but Jesus said, "you will be with me."

I urge you to turn to Jesus in repentance and in faith. We know the power of Christ the Saviour. Even then, even there dying in pain, he had the power to redeem from hell and open the gates of Paradise. Never doubt the ability of our Saviour to save you. If a dying Saviour could save so powerfully, how powerful is a Saviour who rose from death in triumph, never more to die!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your mercy. Thank you for hearing my cries and responding, remembering even me. Thank you for the promise I have of Paradise beyond this life. In your presence there will be fullness of joy. Amen.

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SERVICES AT THE CENTURION WEST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH:
Maundy Thursday 9 April – Tenebrae Service at 19:00
Good Friday 10 April – Communion Service, English at 09:30

EASTER SUNDAY SERVICE - 12 April, 09:30!You are challenged to complete the pilgrimage from Thursday night to Sunday Morning by attending all the services and see what the Lord will do to help you grow spiritually, being more intimate in your walk with Him, from day to day!!
All who desire to worship Christ, following Him on the way of the cross, are more than welcome to join us!!!

(186 Aletta Ave, Raslouw, Centurion, South Africa)