Devotions during Lent...
Jesus died that I may be truly alive - part 1
Galatians 2: 19 21: For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 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. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
There is a song based on Gal 2: 20 that we love to sing:
It is no longer I that liveth
But Christ that liveth in me.
He lives, He lives,
Jesus is alive in me.
It is no longer I that liveth
But Christ that liveth in me.
The life that I live in the body,
I live by faith in the Son.
He loves, He loves,
Jesus gave Himself to me.
The life that I live in the body,
I live by faith in the Son.
All of us want to be alive. More than that, we want to know that we are really living and enjoying the complete joy of those who truly live.
We need to learn what real living is. We need to be taught what really brings joy, contentment and satisfaction. Many are convinced that to truly live, you need to be wealthy, so they give up time, energy, relationships and worship - and probably a lot more - to acquire wealth. Others think they will be truly alive when their lives are lived for the sake of pleasure, so they live to indulge themselves. Then we find people who believe their lives would be meaningful as a result of successful career, or if they improve their social standing, but this sadly often results in becoming slaves of their jobs, or of greed and arrogance.
One thing that all these philosophies lead to is a relentless, desperate and anxious pursuit of things. Sadly, all the effort, even when much of this is achieved, often leads to disappointment, depression, burn out, anger and the frustration of the unfulfilled.
Christians know what it means to be alive and fulfilled. Being Christians, we have answered the question about the meaning of life, at least intellectually. We know that the meaning of life centres around Jesus, our love for him and our commitment to him. Do we only know how to exist in Christ, or do we know the abundance when we really live as disciples of Jesus and as children of our heavenly Father?
In Galatians 2:20 we find the secret of how to really be alive. We find that only by dying, can we become alive. In order to be truly alive, we have to understand that, as people who belong to Jesus, we are truly dead. This Scripture says, "I have been crucified with Christ." This is one of the greatest paradoxes of Scripture and the mystery of God’s Kingdom: In order to truly live, the old person that we were, need to die.
The Bible says that the old me, with all my limitations and problems, and disastrous goals and desires, has been put to death. This Scripture says, "I have been crucified with Christ."
This is the key to understanding who we really are, now that we are in Christ. It is key to releasing us from the struggle of trying to live the Christian life by our own strength and power. To come to true life by ourselves, our old selves, is more than we can do, and it is more than God asked us to do. When the old “me” has been crucified with Christ, the new “me” will come alive in the risen Lord.
(In part 2 and 3 of this devotion, during the next 2 weeks, we will learn the “How to become alive by being crucified with Christ”).
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
During Lent, learn about love's abundance...
Mark 14:1-9
Those who love Jesus and are overflowing with gratitude to him, sometimes do some extraordinary things. At least outwardly they may appear eccentric.
Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, loved the Lord. Jesus had been a real friend to her. He had filled her life with hope and showed her the God of love.
He had been there during some of the most difficult times of her life. Certainly one was when her brother Lazarus died. But Jesus had come, and her brother Lazarus was miraculously raised from the dead and given back to her.
Mary had tasted of the love of Jesus. He was not like any other man she had ever known. He was a powerful man who had the authority to cause the storms to cease, demons to flee, and the dead to be raised.
Yet, he was gentle, and he had reached out to her. How could she ever thank him?
Now they were having one last meal together. She thought this might be her last chance to do something special for her Lord. So she seized the opportunity and took an alabaster jar of extremely costly perfumed oil, broke it, and anointed him with it. This was true extravagance.
Mary's love moved her. Nothing was too precious for her to give to Jesus. And what she gave was worth more than one year's wages. So, some complained that she was wasting money that could have been used “better”.
Reacting to the complainers, Jesus gives us the answer for the question: "What is a true good work?" He says in verse 6 that Mary, "has done a beautiful thing to me."
Christian service that is not done because of our love for Jesus is not truly Christian. But service offered, even imperfect service, because we love Jesus and want to truly do his will, will always be beautiful to the Lord and bring him joy.
Now notice what else Jesus said, in verse 8, "She has done what she could." Mary did what she could. She did the best she could, because of an abundance of love for Jesus.
Respond to Jesus today by offering yourself as a sacrifice to God. Then offer gifts of as much as you can do in his the service. As you do, you will find that he will not only accept your gifts, but that he will rejoice over them.
And into your life will come the joy that belongs to those who are in his service and in his will, because of love.
Those who love Jesus and are overflowing with gratitude to him, sometimes do some extraordinary things. At least outwardly they may appear eccentric.
Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, loved the Lord. Jesus had been a real friend to her. He had filled her life with hope and showed her the God of love.
He had been there during some of the most difficult times of her life. Certainly one was when her brother Lazarus died. But Jesus had come, and her brother Lazarus was miraculously raised from the dead and given back to her.
Mary had tasted of the love of Jesus. He was not like any other man she had ever known. He was a powerful man who had the authority to cause the storms to cease, demons to flee, and the dead to be raised.
Yet, he was gentle, and he had reached out to her. How could she ever thank him?
Now they were having one last meal together. She thought this might be her last chance to do something special for her Lord. So she seized the opportunity and took an alabaster jar of extremely costly perfumed oil, broke it, and anointed him with it. This was true extravagance.
Mary's love moved her. Nothing was too precious for her to give to Jesus. And what she gave was worth more than one year's wages. So, some complained that she was wasting money that could have been used “better”.
Reacting to the complainers, Jesus gives us the answer for the question: "What is a true good work?" He says in verse 6 that Mary, "has done a beautiful thing to me."
Christian service that is not done because of our love for Jesus is not truly Christian. But service offered, even imperfect service, because we love Jesus and want to truly do his will, will always be beautiful to the Lord and bring him joy.
Now notice what else Jesus said, in verse 8, "She has done what she could." Mary did what she could. She did the best she could, because of an abundance of love for Jesus.
Respond to Jesus today by offering yourself as a sacrifice to God. Then offer gifts of as much as you can do in his the service. As you do, you will find that he will not only accept your gifts, but that he will rejoice over them.
And into your life will come the joy that belongs to those who are in his service and in his will, because of love.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Should Reformed / Presbyterian Christians observe Lent and the rest of the Christian Calendar?
Should Reformed / Presbyterian Christians observe the Christian Calendar?
Although the Christian calendar is deeply rooted in many centuries of Church history, most reformed Christians, including Presbyterians, do not seem to be good enough at explaining and celebrating them. If we do, we often copy other traditions – and not critically enough, I’m afraid.
Looking for a Reformed approach
The purpose of the Christian calendar is to remember the main historic gospel events that the good news is based on. The birth, the ministry, the suffering, death and the resurrection of Christ, his ascension and the outpouring of the Spirit on the first Pentecost Sunday are recalled.
If we do this in remembrance of him, we find a point of reference and a principle on which we can base, explain and defend these celebrations.
Is the basic point of departure of any New Testament worship not the words “Do this in remembrance of me” of Jesus when he had instituted his holy Supper? Proclaiming the gospel “in and out of season” and breaking bread in remembrance of our Saviour certainly forms the foundation of Christian worship and it therefore is the place to start looking for a Reformed / Presbyterian approach when observing these days of commemoration.
I suggest that the benchmark for a Presbyterian celebration of the Christian calendar is: “Is this done in remembrance of Jesus and in fellowship with him?”
Remembering is rooted in Old Testament worship.
“Remembering” was not strange to Old Testament worship. To the contrary, it is clear that devotional life in the Old Testament was based on remembering the great deeds of salvation and liberation by the God of Israel. Each one of the feasts prescribed in the Law, remembered, celebrated and taught what God did in the history of his people, creating and strengthening the belief that he will continue to keep his grace covenant and be their God and the God of their children, encouraging them to seek obedience to the Lord as the people of God.
It was at such a feast of remembrance, the Passover, that Jesus instituted his Supper. It seems to me that in the mind of Jesus, faith would still be sown and grown through “remembering” as part of the New Covenant. We would seek and find Christ’s church, when we remember what Jesus has done to set us free and make us his own.
The Lord’s Supper is a unique celebration.
The Lord’s Supper is irreplaceable and unique. But it does refer us to the principle that remembering God’s gospel events has great value. Proclaiming the Scriptures, faithfully preaching what the Gospel during these Days of Remembrance can, to say the least, not be wrong. The calendar can be a disciplined and structured way of teaching and preaching the full Counsel of God, a task our reformed fathers showed us to do. If this is done according to our confessions of faith, and the means through which we accomplish this, is the preaching of the Word and celebration of the Supper, it does not have to be considered “unreformed”, “unpresbyterian” or “romish”.
The Days of Remembrance are rooted in Church History.
All the commemorative days on the Christian calendar go back far beyond the days of the Reformation, before the ages when the truth within the Western Church became corrupted to the extent that the Reformation was required. To ignore these Days of Remembrance that constitute the Christian calendar, could amount to an arrogance that ignores the wisdom of the ancient church. We should be open to learn about the original intentions and meanings of these days and why and how they came into the life of the church. With the Word of God and our Confessions of Faith as guidelines, it should not be too difficult to discern what would be God honouring and would build up the people of God.
“Remembrance”, the key to understanding reformed worship, should also be the key to unlocking a Presbyterian identity and order of celebration for these commemorative days and seasons.
The Days and Seasons of the Christian Calendar:
The following seasons and days of Remembrance emerged from church history:
Advent Season– four Sundays before Christmas – remembering that Jesus came, is coming and will return to our world.
Christmas - Christmas day and the following eleven days – remembering that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit – our only Mediator between man and God.
Season of Epiphany – remembering, amongst others, the teachings, parables and miracles of Christ.
Lent – the 40 weekdays before Resurrection Sunday, not counting the Sundays, remembering the suffering and death of our Lord.
Palm Sunday – remembering that the followers of Jesus wanted to make him an earthly king, but that according to prophecy, this event confirmed that he indeed is the promised Messiah, the King that sits on the throne of David forever.
Tenebrae / Maundy Thursday – remembering that the Lord, on the night of his arrest, instituted his Holy Supper and serves his disciples, even washing their feet.
Good Friday – remembering that Jesus was crucified, that he died and was buried, as the complete, final and only sacrifice for all our sins.
Still Saturday – that Jesus was laid in the tomb and truly died.
Resurrection Sunday – remembering that Jesus indeed rose from the dead and lives for evermore, conqueror of death, sin and hell.
Season of the Resurrection (or Easter Season) – remembering the power of the risen, conquering Christ in our lives and in the life of the Church.
Ascension Day – remembering that Jesus was enthroned in heaven, ruling at the right hand of the Father, where he intercedes for us and reigns as the conquering Head and King of the Church, from where he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Pentecost Sunday – remembering that we are not alone, but that Jesus sent his Holy Spirit to guide us in the understanding of the full Counsel of God and to empower us with his gifts so that we can proclaim it.
Trinity Sunday – remembering and celebrating the gracious blessing that we know the one and only true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Holy Days not rooted in gospel events.
I doubt that the many other holy days that are observed by some Christians can pass the test of assisting us in worshipping in the spirit of “remembrance of Jesus”, because they are not rooted in gospel events witnessed to by Scripture. A clear case will have to be made as to how these commemorative days can enhance our understanding of the gospel truth.
Historic Background of the Lenten and Resurrection Seasons.
Resurrection Sunday is the oldest commemorative day. The resurrection was remembered every week since the very beginning and Resurrection Sunday since the first century as a result of the influence of the Jewish Passover. It certainly must have been the result of the fact that Christians remembered the resurrection every week, by celebrating the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of him.
During the second century it became customary to baptise converts on Resurrection Sunday. They had to be prepared for the confession of their faith and for their challenging walk with the Lord during those ages of persecution and martyrdom. These preparations lasted 40 days – not counting Sundays. It most probably related to the fact that Jesus was prepared for 40 days in the desert before his ministry started, and even related to the 40 days that Jesus was “prepared” for his enthronement before the ascension.
Whatever the motivation was, the church fathers in the second century required these forty days of preparation for baptism. Apart from teaching the gospel truth, fasting and prayer played an important role during this time. Those who taught the candidates in preparation of baptism, shared in observing this time of spiritual discipline. After some time, other Church members felt the need to “do the course again”, although they would not be baptised on Resurrection Sunday. This season, always during the European Spring, very early on became the Lenten Season of the Church, originally meant as a preparation for celebrating Resurrection Sunday.
It is easy to see how the other gospel truths, such as the institution of the Supper, the suffering and death of Jesus, the Palm Sunday history, Ascension and Pentecost events followed and claimed their place in the Christian calendar.
The Resurrection of Jesus is the culmination, the peak, of the Christian Calendar.
The shortest version of the gospel truth is to say that Jesus has risen - that he has risen indeed. Our Reformed tradition emphasises that all worship, including the Supper, creates fellowship with the living Christ. A celebration of the Lord’s Supper that begins and ends on Golgotha reminds us more of a funeral than of our joyous and intimate fellowship with the risen Saviour, our host at his Table. Is it not Jesus who through the signs and seals of bread and wine ensures us of our salvation and inclusion into the covenant of grace? Is it not our living Lord who nourishes and feeds us with himself through the work of his Holy Spirit?
Christian Calendar, reformed and Presbyterian or romish?
Observing the Christian calendar can be considered reformed and Presbyterian, if we never fall short of continuously worshipping, praising and having fellowship with our risen Lord.
It can be considered Reformed and Presbyterian if we can steer clear of legalistic prescriptions and inflexible observances of culturally based customs, particularly those that encourage ritualistic worship that is neither sincere nor authentic.
It can be considered Reformed if we rely on the Word to reveal the gospel truth, if we preach only Christ, the crucified, risen Saviour and if we are careful to require nothing more from worshippers than to rely on and celebrate God’s sovereign grace revealed in Christ, when we observe these age old commemorative days and seasons.
It can be considered Reformed if it grows the faith of the believers and brings all who participate to a place where they through faith alone receive the gracious salvation through Jesus Christ.
Although rooted in Christian history much older than the reformation, observing the Christian calendar can therefore be considered Reformed and Presbyterian, once we ascertained that our festive days and seasons are celebrated only to the glory of God - the one and only God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and in remembrance of Jesus Christ, our Saviour.
Although the Christian calendar is deeply rooted in many centuries of Church history, most reformed Christians, including Presbyterians, do not seem to be good enough at explaining and celebrating them. If we do, we often copy other traditions – and not critically enough, I’m afraid.
Looking for a Reformed approach
The purpose of the Christian calendar is to remember the main historic gospel events that the good news is based on. The birth, the ministry, the suffering, death and the resurrection of Christ, his ascension and the outpouring of the Spirit on the first Pentecost Sunday are recalled.
If we do this in remembrance of him, we find a point of reference and a principle on which we can base, explain and defend these celebrations.
Is the basic point of departure of any New Testament worship not the words “Do this in remembrance of me” of Jesus when he had instituted his holy Supper? Proclaiming the gospel “in and out of season” and breaking bread in remembrance of our Saviour certainly forms the foundation of Christian worship and it therefore is the place to start looking for a Reformed / Presbyterian approach when observing these days of commemoration.
I suggest that the benchmark for a Presbyterian celebration of the Christian calendar is: “Is this done in remembrance of Jesus and in fellowship with him?”
Remembering is rooted in Old Testament worship.
“Remembering” was not strange to Old Testament worship. To the contrary, it is clear that devotional life in the Old Testament was based on remembering the great deeds of salvation and liberation by the God of Israel. Each one of the feasts prescribed in the Law, remembered, celebrated and taught what God did in the history of his people, creating and strengthening the belief that he will continue to keep his grace covenant and be their God and the God of their children, encouraging them to seek obedience to the Lord as the people of God.
It was at such a feast of remembrance, the Passover, that Jesus instituted his Supper. It seems to me that in the mind of Jesus, faith would still be sown and grown through “remembering” as part of the New Covenant. We would seek and find Christ’s church, when we remember what Jesus has done to set us free and make us his own.
The Lord’s Supper is a unique celebration.
The Lord’s Supper is irreplaceable and unique. But it does refer us to the principle that remembering God’s gospel events has great value. Proclaiming the Scriptures, faithfully preaching what the Gospel during these Days of Remembrance can, to say the least, not be wrong. The calendar can be a disciplined and structured way of teaching and preaching the full Counsel of God, a task our reformed fathers showed us to do. If this is done according to our confessions of faith, and the means through which we accomplish this, is the preaching of the Word and celebration of the Supper, it does not have to be considered “unreformed”, “unpresbyterian” or “romish”.
The Days of Remembrance are rooted in Church History.
All the commemorative days on the Christian calendar go back far beyond the days of the Reformation, before the ages when the truth within the Western Church became corrupted to the extent that the Reformation was required. To ignore these Days of Remembrance that constitute the Christian calendar, could amount to an arrogance that ignores the wisdom of the ancient church. We should be open to learn about the original intentions and meanings of these days and why and how they came into the life of the church. With the Word of God and our Confessions of Faith as guidelines, it should not be too difficult to discern what would be God honouring and would build up the people of God.
“Remembrance”, the key to understanding reformed worship, should also be the key to unlocking a Presbyterian identity and order of celebration for these commemorative days and seasons.
The Days and Seasons of the Christian Calendar:
The following seasons and days of Remembrance emerged from church history:
Advent Season– four Sundays before Christmas – remembering that Jesus came, is coming and will return to our world.
Christmas - Christmas day and the following eleven days – remembering that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit – our only Mediator between man and God.
Season of Epiphany – remembering, amongst others, the teachings, parables and miracles of Christ.
Lent – the 40 weekdays before Resurrection Sunday, not counting the Sundays, remembering the suffering and death of our Lord.
Palm Sunday – remembering that the followers of Jesus wanted to make him an earthly king, but that according to prophecy, this event confirmed that he indeed is the promised Messiah, the King that sits on the throne of David forever.
Tenebrae / Maundy Thursday – remembering that the Lord, on the night of his arrest, instituted his Holy Supper and serves his disciples, even washing their feet.
Good Friday – remembering that Jesus was crucified, that he died and was buried, as the complete, final and only sacrifice for all our sins.
Still Saturday – that Jesus was laid in the tomb and truly died.
Resurrection Sunday – remembering that Jesus indeed rose from the dead and lives for evermore, conqueror of death, sin and hell.
Season of the Resurrection (or Easter Season) – remembering the power of the risen, conquering Christ in our lives and in the life of the Church.
Ascension Day – remembering that Jesus was enthroned in heaven, ruling at the right hand of the Father, where he intercedes for us and reigns as the conquering Head and King of the Church, from where he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Pentecost Sunday – remembering that we are not alone, but that Jesus sent his Holy Spirit to guide us in the understanding of the full Counsel of God and to empower us with his gifts so that we can proclaim it.
Trinity Sunday – remembering and celebrating the gracious blessing that we know the one and only true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Holy Days not rooted in gospel events.
I doubt that the many other holy days that are observed by some Christians can pass the test of assisting us in worshipping in the spirit of “remembrance of Jesus”, because they are not rooted in gospel events witnessed to by Scripture. A clear case will have to be made as to how these commemorative days can enhance our understanding of the gospel truth.
Historic Background of the Lenten and Resurrection Seasons.
Resurrection Sunday is the oldest commemorative day. The resurrection was remembered every week since the very beginning and Resurrection Sunday since the first century as a result of the influence of the Jewish Passover. It certainly must have been the result of the fact that Christians remembered the resurrection every week, by celebrating the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of him.
During the second century it became customary to baptise converts on Resurrection Sunday. They had to be prepared for the confession of their faith and for their challenging walk with the Lord during those ages of persecution and martyrdom. These preparations lasted 40 days – not counting Sundays. It most probably related to the fact that Jesus was prepared for 40 days in the desert before his ministry started, and even related to the 40 days that Jesus was “prepared” for his enthronement before the ascension.
Whatever the motivation was, the church fathers in the second century required these forty days of preparation for baptism. Apart from teaching the gospel truth, fasting and prayer played an important role during this time. Those who taught the candidates in preparation of baptism, shared in observing this time of spiritual discipline. After some time, other Church members felt the need to “do the course again”, although they would not be baptised on Resurrection Sunday. This season, always during the European Spring, very early on became the Lenten Season of the Church, originally meant as a preparation for celebrating Resurrection Sunday.
It is easy to see how the other gospel truths, such as the institution of the Supper, the suffering and death of Jesus, the Palm Sunday history, Ascension and Pentecost events followed and claimed their place in the Christian calendar.
The Resurrection of Jesus is the culmination, the peak, of the Christian Calendar.
The shortest version of the gospel truth is to say that Jesus has risen - that he has risen indeed. Our Reformed tradition emphasises that all worship, including the Supper, creates fellowship with the living Christ. A celebration of the Lord’s Supper that begins and ends on Golgotha reminds us more of a funeral than of our joyous and intimate fellowship with the risen Saviour, our host at his Table. Is it not Jesus who through the signs and seals of bread and wine ensures us of our salvation and inclusion into the covenant of grace? Is it not our living Lord who nourishes and feeds us with himself through the work of his Holy Spirit?
Christian Calendar, reformed and Presbyterian or romish?
Observing the Christian calendar can be considered reformed and Presbyterian, if we never fall short of continuously worshipping, praising and having fellowship with our risen Lord.
It can be considered Reformed and Presbyterian if we can steer clear of legalistic prescriptions and inflexible observances of culturally based customs, particularly those that encourage ritualistic worship that is neither sincere nor authentic.
It can be considered Reformed if we rely on the Word to reveal the gospel truth, if we preach only Christ, the crucified, risen Saviour and if we are careful to require nothing more from worshippers than to rely on and celebrate God’s sovereign grace revealed in Christ, when we observe these age old commemorative days and seasons.
It can be considered Reformed if it grows the faith of the believers and brings all who participate to a place where they through faith alone receive the gracious salvation through Jesus Christ.
Although rooted in Christian history much older than the reformation, observing the Christian calendar can therefore be considered Reformed and Presbyterian, once we ascertained that our festive days and seasons are celebrated only to the glory of God - the one and only God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and in remembrance of Jesus Christ, our Saviour.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Today is Ash Wednesday. How is Ash Wednesday observed? - part 2
May the Lord bless you today, Ash Wednesday, with love and forgiveness and have mercy on you!
Mark 2: 17 "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Ash Wednesday is about entering a season of focussed spiritual growth and of a time of preparation that will lead to victory, which is essential to everyone who desires to grow in the Lord. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, and everything we do during Lent prepares us to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, and for the rest of our lives.
Ash Wednesday is the day when the journey towards Easter begins. Ash Wednesday is, in the words of Mark 2: 17, the realization that we “need a doctor” and coming to Jesus to be healed.
You do not seek healing, without admitting that you are sick. You do not repent humbly, without admitting that sin has a corrupting impact on your life and your relationship with God. And you will hardly understand the full depth of the joy about Jesus who rose and was victorious, without calculating the cost in terms of his suffering, death and burial.
Ash Wednesday is helpful in preparing for Easter, because it encourages mourning our weakness of the past, accepting the challenge of living for God today, and finding hope in Christ for tomorrow.
Mourning our weakness
To mark his sadness, Job covered himself in ashes. Jesus reminds us that true regret includes sackcloth and ashes. Psalm 51 reminds us that all our sins are committed against God! We need to get right with God, to live contently in a relationship with him. We need to come before God in sackcloth and ashes!
Accepting the challenge to live for God today.
When Jesus challenged his listeners to consider the truth that those who are healthy do not need a doctor, he was asking each one of them to examine themselves and stop denying that they suffer from the “sin-illness”. Only when we acknowledge our sin can we receive forgiveness. And only through forgiveness do we make our peace with the Lord.
Ash Wednesday is an opportunity to examine our need for Jesus anew and to start living as people who are always dependent on their Redeemer.
Finding hope for a new future
Ash Wednesday begins a journey called Lent and our destination is Easter Sunday. And Easter Sunday is all about hope for the future. The message of Easter is that Jesus is risen! And it means that we can live a new life after rising from the grave of sin. And it means that even when we die, we will live in Christ forever. I Corinthians 15: 20 says, "Christ has indeed risen from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." This is an assurance that we too will be resurrected. His eternal life promises ours and that we may live of the fruit of his life, even now. We find hope to overcome the burden, spiritual death, which is the result of sin.
Come and celebrate “forgiveness” with God’s people today! Stop denying that you have the “sin-illness” and come to the Doctor for help and healing!
Mark 2: 17 "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Ash Wednesday is about entering a season of focussed spiritual growth and of a time of preparation that will lead to victory, which is essential to everyone who desires to grow in the Lord. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, and everything we do during Lent prepares us to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, and for the rest of our lives.
Ash Wednesday is the day when the journey towards Easter begins. Ash Wednesday is, in the words of Mark 2: 17, the realization that we “need a doctor” and coming to Jesus to be healed.
You do not seek healing, without admitting that you are sick. You do not repent humbly, without admitting that sin has a corrupting impact on your life and your relationship with God. And you will hardly understand the full depth of the joy about Jesus who rose and was victorious, without calculating the cost in terms of his suffering, death and burial.
Ash Wednesday is helpful in preparing for Easter, because it encourages mourning our weakness of the past, accepting the challenge of living for God today, and finding hope in Christ for tomorrow.
Mourning our weakness
To mark his sadness, Job covered himself in ashes. Jesus reminds us that true regret includes sackcloth and ashes. Psalm 51 reminds us that all our sins are committed against God! We need to get right with God, to live contently in a relationship with him. We need to come before God in sackcloth and ashes!
Accepting the challenge to live for God today.
When Jesus challenged his listeners to consider the truth that those who are healthy do not need a doctor, he was asking each one of them to examine themselves and stop denying that they suffer from the “sin-illness”. Only when we acknowledge our sin can we receive forgiveness. And only through forgiveness do we make our peace with the Lord.
Ash Wednesday is an opportunity to examine our need for Jesus anew and to start living as people who are always dependent on their Redeemer.
Finding hope for a new future
Ash Wednesday begins a journey called Lent and our destination is Easter Sunday. And Easter Sunday is all about hope for the future. The message of Easter is that Jesus is risen! And it means that we can live a new life after rising from the grave of sin. And it means that even when we die, we will live in Christ forever. I Corinthians 15: 20 says, "Christ has indeed risen from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." This is an assurance that we too will be resurrected. His eternal life promises ours and that we may live of the fruit of his life, even now. We find hope to overcome the burden, spiritual death, which is the result of sin.
Come and celebrate “forgiveness” with God’s people today! Stop denying that you have the “sin-illness” and come to the Doctor for help and healing!
Friday, February 17, 2012
How is Ash Wednesday and Lent observed? This year on 22 February.
Ash Wednesday, Lent and Easter!
Celebrated in 2012 on Wednesday 22 February.
Ash Wednesday is a day of humbling penitence.
Biblical perspective on the practices around Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday is a day of humbling penitence and it is the first day of the Season of Lent. Ashes were used in ancient times, according to the Bible, to express mourning. Dusting oneself with ashes was the penitent's way of expressing sorrow for loss, sins and short comings. An ancient example of one expressing one's penitence in this way is found in Job 42: 6. Job says to God: "Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
The prophet Jeremiah, for example, calls for regret this way: "O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes" (Jer 6:26).The prophet Daniel also pleaded with God: "I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes." (Daniel 9:3
Other examples are found in Matt. 11: 21 and Luke 10:13, “…if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes”. Hebrews 9:13 and 14 reads: “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death so that we may serve the living God!”
Moses repented and fasted for 40 days after the Israelites made and worshipped the golden calf.
Ash Wednesday marks the start of a similar 40-day period (Sundays are not counted) which relates to Jesus praying and fasting in the dessert before starting his ministry.
How is Ash Wednesday and Lent observed?
Preaching, hymns and prayers in Church help us to remember how Jesus suffered, died and rose from the grave. Many Christians also use their private devotions during these seasons to reflect on what the gospel events teach them and what message the Lord personally has for them.
Some Christians, also in our Church, decide to “give up something for Lent”.
The original thinking behind this custom was the deepening of our faith and spirituality, not just making people uncomfortable for six weeks. The basis of observing Lent in this manner was and always should be that we through spiritual discipline grow in our faith and our relationship with God and other people.
While the giving up of coffee, sugar, chocolate, golf, TV, games and other conveniences became the principal focus to some people, physical disciplines are not an end in themselves. If it does not help us to focus on growing our relationship with God, it is a useless practice and can even be a superstitious tradition.
The challenge is this: "What, if anything, is going to move me closer to God as I prepare for Easter – remembering Christ’s resurrection, this year?"
Adding prayer and study time, time with my family and with my Church? Giving up conveniences to encourage spiritual discipline that will help me to focus on God and his calling on my life?
The “fast” or giving up something for Lent, is broken on Resurrection Sunday and adds joy to our remembering that Jesus rose from the dead, conquering our sin, our death and evil.
On what do protestant Christians focus during Lent?
There are two important aspects:
* Penitence: We realise our own brokenness and our need for Christ.
* Preparation: We strive to open our hearts wider for remembering Christ’s suffering and death and the celebration of his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
During this time people add to or subtract from their daily routines with the goal of drawing closer to God.
Keeping Perspective...
If you decide to observe these “fasts”, there must be no legalism about it. We are not trying to impress God. We're trying to prepare our hearts.
Observing Lent in these ways is no obligation! It is not a Biblical requirement! It is a good custom that helped many Christians over the centuries to, in fellowship with their fellow Christians, seek a closer walk with the Lord, that really should last all the time and during all seasons!
Lent is an opportunity to grow spiritually rather than being a burden and we pray that yours will be meaningful!
Celebrated in 2012 on Wednesday 22 February.
Ash Wednesday is a day of humbling penitence.
Biblical perspective on the practices around Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday is a day of humbling penitence and it is the first day of the Season of Lent. Ashes were used in ancient times, according to the Bible, to express mourning. Dusting oneself with ashes was the penitent's way of expressing sorrow for loss, sins and short comings. An ancient example of one expressing one's penitence in this way is found in Job 42: 6. Job says to God: "Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
The prophet Jeremiah, for example, calls for regret this way: "O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes" (Jer 6:26).The prophet Daniel also pleaded with God: "I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes." (Daniel 9:3
Other examples are found in Matt. 11: 21 and Luke 10:13, “…if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes”. Hebrews 9:13 and 14 reads: “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death so that we may serve the living God!”
Moses repented and fasted for 40 days after the Israelites made and worshipped the golden calf.
Ash Wednesday marks the start of a similar 40-day period (Sundays are not counted) which relates to Jesus praying and fasting in the dessert before starting his ministry.
How is Ash Wednesday and Lent observed?
Preaching, hymns and prayers in Church help us to remember how Jesus suffered, died and rose from the grave. Many Christians also use their private devotions during these seasons to reflect on what the gospel events teach them and what message the Lord personally has for them.
Some Christians, also in our Church, decide to “give up something for Lent”.
The original thinking behind this custom was the deepening of our faith and spirituality, not just making people uncomfortable for six weeks. The basis of observing Lent in this manner was and always should be that we through spiritual discipline grow in our faith and our relationship with God and other people.
While the giving up of coffee, sugar, chocolate, golf, TV, games and other conveniences became the principal focus to some people, physical disciplines are not an end in themselves. If it does not help us to focus on growing our relationship with God, it is a useless practice and can even be a superstitious tradition.
The challenge is this: "What, if anything, is going to move me closer to God as I prepare for Easter – remembering Christ’s resurrection, this year?"
Adding prayer and study time, time with my family and with my Church? Giving up conveniences to encourage spiritual discipline that will help me to focus on God and his calling on my life?
The “fast” or giving up something for Lent, is broken on Resurrection Sunday and adds joy to our remembering that Jesus rose from the dead, conquering our sin, our death and evil.
On what do protestant Christians focus during Lent?
There are two important aspects:
* Penitence: We realise our own brokenness and our need for Christ.
* Preparation: We strive to open our hearts wider for remembering Christ’s suffering and death and the celebration of his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
During this time people add to or subtract from their daily routines with the goal of drawing closer to God.
Keeping Perspective...
If you decide to observe these “fasts”, there must be no legalism about it. We are not trying to impress God. We're trying to prepare our hearts.
Observing Lent in these ways is no obligation! It is not a Biblical requirement! It is a good custom that helped many Christians over the centuries to, in fellowship with their fellow Christians, seek a closer walk with the Lord, that really should last all the time and during all seasons!
Lent is an opportunity to grow spiritually rather than being a burden and we pray that yours will be meaningful!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The Biblical Imperative to Praise & Worship - Part 3 (Final)
God moves amongst his people to restore both us and his church. God’s way to do this is amongst others through warm and sincere celebration of God through praise and worship. We need to worship God. And God deserves our worship, praise and thanksgiving. What does praise and worship do for us?
Firstly, God commanded it. God desires people who will praise and worship him. Praise and worship make us obedient followers of Christ.
Secondly, God is worthy of our worship. He deserves our praise and thanksgiving. Revelation 4:11 says, "Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for you created all things” and Revelation 5:11-12, "And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
Again in Revelation 7:11-12 we read, "And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, 'Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.'"
Thirdly, as we praise and worship God, our focus is not on ourselves, but on the Lord. As we are aware of his presence, we become conscious of his glory and greatness, his majesty and his power. Praise and worship bring us into the very presence of a holy God where we hear his message and receive the work we are to do for him.
Fourthly, praise and worship give insight into ourselves, our sin and short comings and our challenges. Looking at our lives in the light of the ability and the glory of God makes our issues solvable and bring us to a place where we know that our sins are forgiven and that nothing comes between God and us anymore. And that nothing is impossible with God.
Fifthly, worship and praise change us. It changes our attitudes and our mind. It takes away our cynical thoughts and gives us hope. It makes us people of faith. It makes us people who through faith celebrate the grace, the power and the love of God.
We are priests in the kingdom of Christ and we bring the sacrifice of praise to God. We are people of praise, because our God is worthy of our praise, and because we receive a new life and new hope and meaning through praise.
Let’s make it our priority.
Firstly, God commanded it. God desires people who will praise and worship him. Praise and worship make us obedient followers of Christ.
Secondly, God is worthy of our worship. He deserves our praise and thanksgiving. Revelation 4:11 says, "Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for you created all things” and Revelation 5:11-12, "And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
Again in Revelation 7:11-12 we read, "And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, 'Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.'"
Thirdly, as we praise and worship God, our focus is not on ourselves, but on the Lord. As we are aware of his presence, we become conscious of his glory and greatness, his majesty and his power. Praise and worship bring us into the very presence of a holy God where we hear his message and receive the work we are to do for him.
Fourthly, praise and worship give insight into ourselves, our sin and short comings and our challenges. Looking at our lives in the light of the ability and the glory of God makes our issues solvable and bring us to a place where we know that our sins are forgiven and that nothing comes between God and us anymore. And that nothing is impossible with God.
Fifthly, worship and praise change us. It changes our attitudes and our mind. It takes away our cynical thoughts and gives us hope. It makes us people of faith. It makes us people who through faith celebrate the grace, the power and the love of God.
We are priests in the kingdom of Christ and we bring the sacrifice of praise to God. We are people of praise, because our God is worthy of our praise, and because we receive a new life and new hope and meaning through praise.
Let’s make it our priority.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Jesus touched an untouchable man
Mark 1: 40 – 41 - A man with leprosy came to Jesus and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man.“I am willing,” he said.“Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
In the case of this leper, Jesus reached out and touched him. This was unheard of when Jesus was on earth. A leper was considered horribly unclean, both religiously and physically. They suffered from a terrible, contagious decease. And they were required to walk around and cry "Unclean! Unclean! In terms of that culture it would be more than irresponsible to touch a leper. You might get leprosy. And you would be ritually unclean as well.
Well, Jesus did. He made a point of touching the sick, lonely cast out man.
Jesus could have just spoken to him and healed him but he decided to touch him.
We need to touch the untouchable too. If we do touch those who are in need, we begin to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. And God will bless us if we do.
He will bless us with the joy to make a difference in his Name. He will bless us with meaningful and Spirit filled living. God will reveal his power through our loving touch and grant us the gifts to make a God inspired difference in the world.
Jesus used his power to help others. And we should use the gifts he gives us to help others in need, too.
In the case of this leper, Jesus reached out and touched him. This was unheard of when Jesus was on earth. A leper was considered horribly unclean, both religiously and physically. They suffered from a terrible, contagious decease. And they were required to walk around and cry "Unclean! Unclean! In terms of that culture it would be more than irresponsible to touch a leper. You might get leprosy. And you would be ritually unclean as well.
Well, Jesus did. He made a point of touching the sick, lonely cast out man.
Jesus could have just spoken to him and healed him but he decided to touch him.
We need to touch the untouchable too. If we do touch those who are in need, we begin to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. And God will bless us if we do.
He will bless us with the joy to make a difference in his Name. He will bless us with meaningful and Spirit filled living. God will reveal his power through our loving touch and grant us the gifts to make a God inspired difference in the world.
Jesus used his power to help others. And we should use the gifts he gives us to help others in need, too.
Friday, February 10, 2012
When Christ saves us he reconciles us with our Father in heaven
Jesus came to reconcile us with God.
There's an Irish story of a father and son who had become estranged. The son ran away, and the father set off to find him. He searched for months, yet could not find his beloved son. Eventually , in a last effort to find him, the father put an ad in a newspaper, which read: “Dear Patrick, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father.” On that Saturday 800 Patricks showed up, looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers.
Forgiveness is a critical part of reconciliation. It means that our sin is not allowed to come between God and us anymore.
Painful relationships amongst ourselves are also healed when we imitate God’s forgiveness, not allowing the wrongs people did against us, to come between us and those who are significant to us.
Reconciliation is about being redeemed. The ransom has been paid and we have been set free. There is no outstanding debt. Jesus paid the fine fully and completely. Thus we can be forgiven, and be reconciled with our Father in heaven.
Reconciliation can be described as acceptance. When Jesus saves, redeems and forgives, he makes us acceptable to God. We are reconciled with God, because God accepts us.
With divine love.
There's an Irish story of a father and son who had become estranged. The son ran away, and the father set off to find him. He searched for months, yet could not find his beloved son. Eventually , in a last effort to find him, the father put an ad in a newspaper, which read: “Dear Patrick, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father.” On that Saturday 800 Patricks showed up, looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers.
Forgiveness is a critical part of reconciliation. It means that our sin is not allowed to come between God and us anymore.
Painful relationships amongst ourselves are also healed when we imitate God’s forgiveness, not allowing the wrongs people did against us, to come between us and those who are significant to us.
Reconciliation is about being redeemed. The ransom has been paid and we have been set free. There is no outstanding debt. Jesus paid the fine fully and completely. Thus we can be forgiven, and be reconciled with our Father in heaven.
Reconciliation can be described as acceptance. When Jesus saves, redeems and forgives, he makes us acceptable to God. We are reconciled with God, because God accepts us.
With divine love.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The Biblical Imperative to Praise & Worship - part 2
John 4:23-24 says: "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be his worshipers. God is spirit; and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
God moves in a fresh way in his church and amongst his people and an important part of this restoration comes from warm and sincere celebration of God through praise and worship. We need to worship God. And God deserves our worship, praise and thanksgiving.
Praise and worship is essential for every Christian. It is important, because God created us to praise him. Wherever you find people, they worship something. It may look and be different from what we are used to, but even so, all peoples on earth worship a higher being. Human beings will have a god, even if it is not the true God. This is because God created us to worship.
But God desires for us to become true worshipers who worship the one and only true God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. John 4:23-24 says: "…the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be his worshipers. God is spirit; and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
God has called us, his sons and daughters, to be these worshipers. “God seeks worshippers”, the Bible says in this verse. To worship God in “spirit and truth” means to worship the true God whole heartedly, honestly, earnestly and truthfully. It teaches us that our worship should come from our heart, be devoted to our God and will be experienced under inspiration of God personally, through his Spirit.
In the Old Testament, priests offered sacrifices to God. According to the New Testament, Christians are all priests who offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and love to God. 1 Peter 2:4-5 says, "And coming to him as to a living stone… you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
What are these spiritual sacrifices? Hebrews 13:15 tells us: "Through him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to his Name." We offer sacrifices of praise, the fruit of our lips.
To praise and worship the one and only true God, is a high and inspiring calling. It is a privilege, and everyone saved by the grace of God through Jesus wants to do nothing else than bring the fruit of our lips, our songs and our prayers and our witness, as sacrifices to the holy God who deserves our love, our devotion and our passion!
Monday, February 6, 2012
The Fruit of Discipleship
John 15: 8 - This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Our relationship with Jesus bears fruit that reveals the Father’s glory. Through living as his disciple, a lost and seeking world can see God’s magnificence and find comfort and salvation.
A disciple of Jesus is someone who became a learner or apprentice of Christ, the teacher. Jesus shows us how to live for God’s glory by imitating Christ and submitting to his teaching.
The fruit of our relationship with Christ is Christ like living and the fruit of Christ like living is that we reveal God’s glory. The fruit of revealing the glory of God is that the light of God again shines in a dark world and the lost can find their way back to the Father.
May we bear much fruit as we show ourselves to be the disciples of Jesus this week.
Our relationship with Jesus bears fruit that reveals the Father’s glory. Through living as his disciple, a lost and seeking world can see God’s magnificence and find comfort and salvation.
A disciple of Jesus is someone who became a learner or apprentice of Christ, the teacher. Jesus shows us how to live for God’s glory by imitating Christ and submitting to his teaching.
The fruit of our relationship with Christ is Christ like living and the fruit of Christ like living is that we reveal God’s glory. The fruit of revealing the glory of God is that the light of God again shines in a dark world and the lost can find their way back to the Father.
May we bear much fruit as we show ourselves to be the disciples of Jesus this week.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The Biblical Imperative to Praise & Worship - part 1
John 4:24: God is spirit; and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
Many Christians today believe that God moves in a fresh way in his church and amongst his people and that an important part of this restoration comes from warm and sincere celebration of God through praise and worship.
We want to ask and answer some questions about this during the next three weeks. Is it a Biblical imperative (or commandment) to praise and worship? Is it really important for the believer? Should we emphasise this part of our Sunday Service?
I believe the answer to all the questions above, is a stern “YES!” And the most important reason for this, is that celebratory Sunday Worship where we heartily praise the Lord, is not the invention of man, or of the gospel music industry or any church renewal movement, but it is God’s idea. From the beginning, since the days of the Old Testament, it was God’s idea that his people should meet regularly and continuously, to worship him and to celebrate our relationship with him.
If we study the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments, we will find without any shadow of a doubt that God commanded us to thank, acclaim, praise and worship him with hearts, and minds and voices. Just listen to Psalm 150, and see how we are taught to "praise the Lord!"
Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary;
Praise him in his mighty expanse.
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
Praise him according to his excellent greatness.
Praise him with trumpet sound;
Praise him with harp and lyre.
Praise him with timbrel and dancing.
Praise him with stringed instruments and pipe.
Praise him with loud cymbals;
Praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!
God is still saying to his church, as he commanded so often during all the ages: "Praise Me!"
Why is this so important to the Lord? Does he need our praise? The answer to this question is “NO!” People need praise to feel better about themselves and to develop a good self image.
God has no such need.
The reason for the biblical imperative to worship and praise lies not with God, but with me. The reason is that WE need what praise and worship can do in our lives. God doesn't need our praise, but we have a deeply rooted need to celebrate him.
Praise and worship change and inspire us! The living of a purposeful and content life, begins with celebrating God.
Many Christians today believe that God moves in a fresh way in his church and amongst his people and that an important part of this restoration comes from warm and sincere celebration of God through praise and worship.
We want to ask and answer some questions about this during the next three weeks. Is it a Biblical imperative (or commandment) to praise and worship? Is it really important for the believer? Should we emphasise this part of our Sunday Service?
I believe the answer to all the questions above, is a stern “YES!” And the most important reason for this, is that celebratory Sunday Worship where we heartily praise the Lord, is not the invention of man, or of the gospel music industry or any church renewal movement, but it is God’s idea. From the beginning, since the days of the Old Testament, it was God’s idea that his people should meet regularly and continuously, to worship him and to celebrate our relationship with him.
If we study the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments, we will find without any shadow of a doubt that God commanded us to thank, acclaim, praise and worship him with hearts, and minds and voices. Just listen to Psalm 150, and see how we are taught to "praise the Lord!"
Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary;
Praise him in his mighty expanse.
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
Praise him according to his excellent greatness.
Praise him with trumpet sound;
Praise him with harp and lyre.
Praise him with timbrel and dancing.
Praise him with stringed instruments and pipe.
Praise him with loud cymbals;
Praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!
God is still saying to his church, as he commanded so often during all the ages: "Praise Me!"
Why is this so important to the Lord? Does he need our praise? The answer to this question is “NO!” People need praise to feel better about themselves and to develop a good self image.
God has no such need.
The reason for the biblical imperative to worship and praise lies not with God, but with me. The reason is that WE need what praise and worship can do in our lives. God doesn't need our praise, but we have a deeply rooted need to celebrate him.
Praise and worship change and inspire us! The living of a purposeful and content life, begins with celebrating God.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Urgency and passion.
Mark’s Gospel is written with urgency. The first verses tell that Jesus is the fulfillment of OT prophecy. Within the first four verses John the Baptist appears in the wilderness to announce the Messiah’s coming. Only seven verses later Jesus emerges from the river Jordan’s waters after his baptism. After that, the story of the life of Jesus’ is told with super fast pace. Before the end of chapter one Jesus has been tempted in the wilderness, the first disciples have been called and a man, a mother-in-law, and a leper have been healed.
Mark moves rapidly from scène to scène, creating a narrative that speaks of urgency and passion. It seems as if the author came across the story of Jesus and it was such a powerful and life changing experience that he cannot help to share the good news as quickly as he can. He cannot hide his excitement.
You have heard the story. You know how Jesus healed, cured and delivered. You encountered the Messiah’s ministry, death, resurrection and exultation in Scripture.
How did this life changing experience transform your faith and life? Did it kindle a passionate flame and inspired you to be on fire for Christ?
Mark moves rapidly from scène to scène, creating a narrative that speaks of urgency and passion. It seems as if the author came across the story of Jesus and it was such a powerful and life changing experience that he cannot help to share the good news as quickly as he can. He cannot hide his excitement.
You have heard the story. You know how Jesus healed, cured and delivered. You encountered the Messiah’s ministry, death, resurrection and exultation in Scripture.
How did this life changing experience transform your faith and life? Did it kindle a passionate flame and inspired you to be on fire for Christ?
Sunday, January 29, 2012
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand
My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
No merit of my own I claim,
but wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand –
all other ground, is sinking sand.
When weary in this earthly race,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every wild and stormy gale
my anchor holds and will not fail.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand –
all other ground, is sinking sand.
When the last trumpet’s voice shall sound,
O may I then in Him be found!
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before His throne.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand –
all other ground, is sinking sand.
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
No merit of my own I claim,
but wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand –
all other ground, is sinking sand.
When weary in this earthly race,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every wild and stormy gale
my anchor holds and will not fail.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand –
all other ground, is sinking sand.
When the last trumpet’s voice shall sound,
O may I then in Him be found!
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before His throne.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand –
all other ground, is sinking sand.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
What does the Bible say about the Church? Part 3. final
1 Timothy 3:15: . . . I write (to you) so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is.... the pillar and support of the truth.
Being part of the local church is not optional. It is the household of God and if I am one of God’s children I belong where the Lord’s family meets and is edified.
The church is also called the pillar and support of the truth. In the Church God’s truth is discovered, taught and learned.
There is something special about knowing the truth in the context of the community of Christ’s household. Firstly, learning in the community of faith safeguards the truth. Anyone can go off track. Anyone can misinterpret God’s Word and individuals are prone to over emphasising one teaching of the Bible to the detriment of others. Within the community of faith we find the help and support to uphold the full counsel of God. This is why the Church is the pillar and support of the truth.
Secondly, the church is a pillar and support of God’s truth, because of the biblical promise that God’s Spirit will be present within this community and will guide his people. Although we know that the Spirit dwells in every individual follower of Jesus, God’s promise to reveal and uphold the truth that has to be taught and learned, is given to the community of Christ, as a body.
In church we are not merely expressing our personal opinions or share our private experiences of God’s guidance and help, but we in faith expect God to address his people on the universal, Christian and apostolic truth as revealed in Christ and testified to in the Scriptures. God calls men and women to preach and teach in his Name by the authority given to them to do so by Christ, who guides his Church in calling his servants to do his work.
God confirms the Gospel truth to his people and applies it to our lives today! This how we become disciples and it simulates the journey that the disciples of Jesus had when he was on earth.
The church provides the context where we challenge one another to fully live for the Lord on the basis of the truth God has revealed to us in Christ and through the Scriptures. We do this as a family in the household of God, the community of the King, the church of the Living God.
Remember what we said three weeks ago. The church is composed of people redeemed by the Son of God, brought together by the will of God to live together as the family of God, in order to do the work of God.
This is possible when we share the truth of God, through the guidance of the Spirit of God, because we desire to know the full counsel of God, as the church of God.
Being part of the local church is not optional. It is the household of God and if I am one of God’s children I belong where the Lord’s family meets and is edified.
The church is also called the pillar and support of the truth. In the Church God’s truth is discovered, taught and learned.
There is something special about knowing the truth in the context of the community of Christ’s household. Firstly, learning in the community of faith safeguards the truth. Anyone can go off track. Anyone can misinterpret God’s Word and individuals are prone to over emphasising one teaching of the Bible to the detriment of others. Within the community of faith we find the help and support to uphold the full counsel of God. This is why the Church is the pillar and support of the truth.
Secondly, the church is a pillar and support of God’s truth, because of the biblical promise that God’s Spirit will be present within this community and will guide his people. Although we know that the Spirit dwells in every individual follower of Jesus, God’s promise to reveal and uphold the truth that has to be taught and learned, is given to the community of Christ, as a body.
In church we are not merely expressing our personal opinions or share our private experiences of God’s guidance and help, but we in faith expect God to address his people on the universal, Christian and apostolic truth as revealed in Christ and testified to in the Scriptures. God calls men and women to preach and teach in his Name by the authority given to them to do so by Christ, who guides his Church in calling his servants to do his work.
God confirms the Gospel truth to his people and applies it to our lives today! This how we become disciples and it simulates the journey that the disciples of Jesus had when he was on earth.
The church provides the context where we challenge one another to fully live for the Lord on the basis of the truth God has revealed to us in Christ and through the Scriptures. We do this as a family in the household of God, the community of the King, the church of the Living God.
Remember what we said three weeks ago. The church is composed of people redeemed by the Son of God, brought together by the will of God to live together as the family of God, in order to do the work of God.
This is possible when we share the truth of God, through the guidance of the Spirit of God, because we desire to know the full counsel of God, as the church of God.
Monday, January 23, 2012
The full armour of God: Each piece put on with prayer!
Ephesians 6: 11 "Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes".
But how do we do that? How does God's armour become our defence against evil and temptation? Paul tells us in verse 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. “
The answer to how we put on the full armour of God, is, through prayer. We are equipped for our spiritual challenges, through prayer. There is a hymn we often sing which speaks to this:
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Stand in his strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armour,
Each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.
The secret to endure in living for the Lord, to persevere in worshipping and conducting one well in God’s household , is in and through prayer. Then God's strength becomes our strength and his power our power.
Everyone knows that we should put on the full armour of God to take our stand against the schemes of evil. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of readiness to announce the Good News of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
And we put on each piece with prayer.
Our prayer would be:
Almighty God. Rule us. Keep your church strong. Destroy evil’s work and kingdom. Let us obey you Lord, rather than our own weak flesh. Uphold us and make us strong so that we may never be defeated by our weakness or by the temptations of the world!
But how do we do that? How does God's armour become our defence against evil and temptation? Paul tells us in verse 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. “
The answer to how we put on the full armour of God, is, through prayer. We are equipped for our spiritual challenges, through prayer. There is a hymn we often sing which speaks to this:
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Stand in his strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armour,
Each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.
The secret to endure in living for the Lord, to persevere in worshipping and conducting one well in God’s household , is in and through prayer. Then God's strength becomes our strength and his power our power.
Everyone knows that we should put on the full armour of God to take our stand against the schemes of evil. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of readiness to announce the Good News of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
And we put on each piece with prayer.
Our prayer would be:
Almighty God. Rule us. Keep your church strong. Destroy evil’s work and kingdom. Let us obey you Lord, rather than our own weak flesh. Uphold us and make us strong so that we may never be defeated by our weakness or by the temptations of the world!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
What does the Bible say about the Church? Part 2.
1 Timothy 3:15: . . . I write (to you) so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God...
The decline in participation in local churches is the result of a lack of Biblical teaching by the church and about the church. Last week we learned that being part of the Lord’s church is not optional. This is true, because being part of the local church is to experience being part of the household of God.
Many metaphors are used to describe the Church in the Bible: a temple, a body, a community and a family, amongst others. When the Church is referred to as a household or family, the emphasis is on the essential need for believers who wish to have a healthy relationship with the Lord, to be supported and encouraged through relationships with other Christians.
When we think about Christ’s community as a household, we emphasise that our union is created by sharing a relationship with God and with one another. We are interconnected to the extent that the Bible says that we are brothers and sisters, because God is our Father, because we have one Saviour and because one Holy Spirit lives in us.
Do you live as part of this family of God? Do you experience this connectedness with the people worshipping with you? Remember, if someone is God’s son or daughter, he or she is your brother and sister.
This has implications for how one “ought to conduct himself in the household of God.” It means that we are to care for each other, to share God’s love and to help those who need support or are hurting. We call this “ministry”. And when we pray and learn together to be equipped for Christian living, we call it “discipleship”. We are not so much prepared and equipped by programs for the challenge to consistently live as God’s family, but by fellow pilgrims on this journey – the household of God.
We all need encouragement and we all need to grow in faith and in the knowledge of Christ. We all need to grow in love for the Lord. This happens within the family of God. Being part of the family is therefore not optional. It is essential and the Bible says the local Church is where you will experience this.
What we do in and about the Church of our Lord really matters. Our behaviours and choices impact on our brothers and sisters who need us. Someone may say, I do not need these relationships – but God needs you to make a difference in the lives of his children, and your fellow Christians need you to encourage and build them up. When we are willing to be open to share in the family of God, we will find that we need their love, friendship and encouragement too. When this penny drops in the local church, the whole church is built up and functions according to God’s will.
Lets be very clear about this: If we do not see the church as the household of God and ourselves as brothers and sisters to every other believer, we do not listen to what the Bible says about the church. But if we do, we will begin to experience the abundance that Christian living is intended to be.
The decline in participation in local churches is the result of a lack of Biblical teaching by the church and about the church. Last week we learned that being part of the Lord’s church is not optional. This is true, because being part of the local church is to experience being part of the household of God.
Many metaphors are used to describe the Church in the Bible: a temple, a body, a community and a family, amongst others. When the Church is referred to as a household or family, the emphasis is on the essential need for believers who wish to have a healthy relationship with the Lord, to be supported and encouraged through relationships with other Christians.
When we think about Christ’s community as a household, we emphasise that our union is created by sharing a relationship with God and with one another. We are interconnected to the extent that the Bible says that we are brothers and sisters, because God is our Father, because we have one Saviour and because one Holy Spirit lives in us.
Do you live as part of this family of God? Do you experience this connectedness with the people worshipping with you? Remember, if someone is God’s son or daughter, he or she is your brother and sister.
This has implications for how one “ought to conduct himself in the household of God.” It means that we are to care for each other, to share God’s love and to help those who need support or are hurting. We call this “ministry”. And when we pray and learn together to be equipped for Christian living, we call it “discipleship”. We are not so much prepared and equipped by programs for the challenge to consistently live as God’s family, but by fellow pilgrims on this journey – the household of God.
We all need encouragement and we all need to grow in faith and in the knowledge of Christ. We all need to grow in love for the Lord. This happens within the family of God. Being part of the family is therefore not optional. It is essential and the Bible says the local Church is where you will experience this.
What we do in and about the Church of our Lord really matters. Our behaviours and choices impact on our brothers and sisters who need us. Someone may say, I do not need these relationships – but God needs you to make a difference in the lives of his children, and your fellow Christians need you to encourage and build them up. When we are willing to be open to share in the family of God, we will find that we need their love, friendship and encouragement too. When this penny drops in the local church, the whole church is built up and functions according to God’s will.
Lets be very clear about this: If we do not see the church as the household of God and ourselves as brothers and sisters to every other believer, we do not listen to what the Bible says about the church. But if we do, we will begin to experience the abundance that Christian living is intended to be.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Epiphany 2. "Come and see"
John 1: 43 – 46. The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” Philip then found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote.”
Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” Philip said.
To be a Christian starts with the invitation of Jesus who says “follow me”. The essence about being a follower of Jesus, is to hear his kind invitation - and accept it.
In this passage Jesus called Philip. What makes his story speak to me, is that Philip really was a very ordinary guy! He did not become a Bible writer or a well known preacher. But he listened to the Lord’s call and had the amazing privilege to spend the next 3 years in the Lord’s company and then became a founding member of the Church.
Responding to the Saviour’s call was a life changing day in his life! And he knew it. “We have found the promised Messiah” he told the first person he found, a man called Nathanael. And when it turned out that Nathanael was a sceptic, Philip invited him to meet Jesus too. “Come and see” he said.
Jesus calls ordinary people, and if they hear his voice and are saved, they can make a difference to God’s work by simply inviting those who cross their path to “come and see”.
Who are you going to invite to share your life changing experience with Jesus this week? Is there anyone you should invite to “come and see”?
May the Lord bless you and use you to reveal his glory today.
Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” Philip said.
To be a Christian starts with the invitation of Jesus who says “follow me”. The essence about being a follower of Jesus, is to hear his kind invitation - and accept it.
In this passage Jesus called Philip. What makes his story speak to me, is that Philip really was a very ordinary guy! He did not become a Bible writer or a well known preacher. But he listened to the Lord’s call and had the amazing privilege to spend the next 3 years in the Lord’s company and then became a founding member of the Church.
Responding to the Saviour’s call was a life changing day in his life! And he knew it. “We have found the promised Messiah” he told the first person he found, a man called Nathanael. And when it turned out that Nathanael was a sceptic, Philip invited him to meet Jesus too. “Come and see” he said.
Jesus calls ordinary people, and if they hear his voice and are saved, they can make a difference to God’s work by simply inviting those who cross their path to “come and see”.
Who are you going to invite to share your life changing experience with Jesus this week? Is there anyone you should invite to “come and see”?
May the Lord bless you and use you to reveal his glory today.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Jesus must become more
A music professor with a well-trained voice usually sang the major male solo parts in the choir of a large church. A young man named Bob who had no training sometimes took a few shorter solos. As the choir director prepared for the Christmas cantata, she felt that Bob’s voice and style made him a natural for the lead role. However, she didn’t know how she could give it to him without offending the older man.
Her anxiety was unnecessary. The professor had the same thoughts as she did, and he told her that Bob should take the part. He continued to sing faithfully in the chorus and was a source of much encouragement to Bob.
People who can humbly set aside selfish ambition and genuinely seek the good of others, have an attitude that pleases God. This is how John the Baptist reacted when the crowds left him and began following Jesus. John said, “Jesus must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:22 – 30NIV).
What did John the Baptist and the music professor have in common? They were happy to see others elevated above themselves where the purpose is to serve God in the best possible way.
Do we understand what this humility is that enables us to bow humble hearts before the Lord and enter his service unconditionally? To let him be everything and we simply being his servants! To truly live our confession of faith that says that Jesus is King and Head of his church, which means that he must become more, greater! He must increase, always! All we do is to serve him, obey him, be the church he wants us to be and be the Christians he wants us to be!
When we can forget about ourselves, we can do things others will remember.
Her anxiety was unnecessary. The professor had the same thoughts as she did, and he told her that Bob should take the part. He continued to sing faithfully in the chorus and was a source of much encouragement to Bob.
People who can humbly set aside selfish ambition and genuinely seek the good of others, have an attitude that pleases God. This is how John the Baptist reacted when the crowds left him and began following Jesus. John said, “Jesus must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:22 – 30NIV).
What did John the Baptist and the music professor have in common? They were happy to see others elevated above themselves where the purpose is to serve God in the best possible way.
Do we understand what this humility is that enables us to bow humble hearts before the Lord and enter his service unconditionally? To let him be everything and we simply being his servants! To truly live our confession of faith that says that Jesus is King and Head of his church, which means that he must become more, greater! He must increase, always! All we do is to serve him, obey him, be the church he wants us to be and be the Christians he wants us to be!
When we can forget about ourselves, we can do things others will remember.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
What does the Bible say about the Church? Part 1.
1 Timothy 3:15: . . . I write (to you) so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15)
Could it be true that we live during an age where people do not need the church anymore? This is what more and more people say.
The decline in participation in local churches is the result of a lack of Biblical teaching by the church and about the church. It seems that less people know what biblical teaching about the church is. Many think the church is optional for believers and even redundant in our generation. For the next few Wednesdays, let’s consider this.
The short verse quoted above already says a lot about the church, according to the Bible. Paul speaks about “the church of the living God”, about the “household of God” and about the church as the “pillar of truth”. We need to carefully examine what the Bible says to remain within God’s will when it comes to being part of and maintaining God’s work through his Church.
In our current society we live with a multitude of organizations. Political, civic, social, environmental, sport and business organisations have increased in numbers. Unfortunately, many started to see the church as only another one of these many organisations. As simply another option to choose from. So the thinking is that if you are interested in a good spiritual cause, you may choose to participate and maintain the church. If it doesn’t interest you, join something else, or just live selfishly, seeking self-gratification without “making a difference”.
Our text, however, indicates that the church is much more than simply another good cause. Paul, in writing to Timothy, is instructing him in how one should conduct oneself in relation to the church. As he gives this teaching, he calls the church “the household of God” and the “pillar of the truth”. In saying this, he already indicates that the church has a special importance in God’s plan for our lives and if we want to serve and worship God, we need instruction on how we are to relate to this plan of God.
The church is not optional. Yes, the church needs reformation. And the leaders and members of the church make mistakes. And the church sometimes communicates in a way that feels not relevant, and we need to repent of that and fix this with God’s help. But the church is not optional!
Jesus established the church. He did not merely establish individual Christian living, but he established a community, the church. Jesus announced that he would build a community on the confession that he is Lord, Saviour and the Son of God. This community the New Testament calls the Church of Christ.
The New Testament simply assumes that people who are believers are part of a local church where they live out their confession about Jesus. The church is not man’s invention, but God’s. Because Christ instituted the church, we should know what it is according to the Bible, and how we should function as a member of it. And the church should figure out how to teach, function and organise herself that her members understand God’s plan for the Church well.
The church is composed of people redeemed by the Son of God, brought together by the will of God to live together as the family of God, in order to do the work of God! (David J Hokes)
(Next week more about the Church as “the household of God”.)
Could it be true that we live during an age where people do not need the church anymore? This is what more and more people say.
The decline in participation in local churches is the result of a lack of Biblical teaching by the church and about the church. It seems that less people know what biblical teaching about the church is. Many think the church is optional for believers and even redundant in our generation. For the next few Wednesdays, let’s consider this.
The short verse quoted above already says a lot about the church, according to the Bible. Paul speaks about “the church of the living God”, about the “household of God” and about the church as the “pillar of truth”. We need to carefully examine what the Bible says to remain within God’s will when it comes to being part of and maintaining God’s work through his Church.
In our current society we live with a multitude of organizations. Political, civic, social, environmental, sport and business organisations have increased in numbers. Unfortunately, many started to see the church as only another one of these many organisations. As simply another option to choose from. So the thinking is that if you are interested in a good spiritual cause, you may choose to participate and maintain the church. If it doesn’t interest you, join something else, or just live selfishly, seeking self-gratification without “making a difference”.
Our text, however, indicates that the church is much more than simply another good cause. Paul, in writing to Timothy, is instructing him in how one should conduct oneself in relation to the church. As he gives this teaching, he calls the church “the household of God” and the “pillar of the truth”. In saying this, he already indicates that the church has a special importance in God’s plan for our lives and if we want to serve and worship God, we need instruction on how we are to relate to this plan of God.
The church is not optional. Yes, the church needs reformation. And the leaders and members of the church make mistakes. And the church sometimes communicates in a way that feels not relevant, and we need to repent of that and fix this with God’s help. But the church is not optional!
Jesus established the church. He did not merely establish individual Christian living, but he established a community, the church. Jesus announced that he would build a community on the confession that he is Lord, Saviour and the Son of God. This community the New Testament calls the Church of Christ.
The New Testament simply assumes that people who are believers are part of a local church where they live out their confession about Jesus. The church is not man’s invention, but God’s. Because Christ instituted the church, we should know what it is according to the Bible, and how we should function as a member of it. And the church should figure out how to teach, function and organise herself that her members understand God’s plan for the Church well.
The church is composed of people redeemed by the Son of God, brought together by the will of God to live together as the family of God, in order to do the work of God! (David J Hokes)
(Next week more about the Church as “the household of God”.)
Monday, January 9, 2012
If we love as Jesus loved, those who live, work and play with us will have an epiphany of the glory of Christ
John 13: 34, 35: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
The “old commandment” was to love your neighbour as yourself. (See Lev. 19) God expected his people to live as moral people that
do not steal, lie or deceive;
that do not profane his Name;
that do not defraud, or rob;
that do not oppress the vulnerable, do not pervert justice, do not slander, do not endanger another’s life, do not hate and do not bear a grudge!
God still expects Christians to live moral lives.
But Jesus gave us a new commandment. Jesus expects more than living moral lives. He expects sacrificial love and a life modeled on his own example. He gave his life for his friends.
If we love as Jesus loved, those who live, work and play with us will have an epiphany of the glory of Christ through our living testimony.
“Lord, through your Spirit, equip us to serve and love you and our neighbour as Jesus loved, Amen.”
The “old commandment” was to love your neighbour as yourself. (See Lev. 19) God expected his people to live as moral people that
do not steal, lie or deceive;
that do not profane his Name;
that do not defraud, or rob;
that do not oppress the vulnerable, do not pervert justice, do not slander, do not endanger another’s life, do not hate and do not bear a grudge!
God still expects Christians to live moral lives.
But Jesus gave us a new commandment. Jesus expects more than living moral lives. He expects sacrificial love and a life modeled on his own example. He gave his life for his friends.
If we love as Jesus loved, those who live, work and play with us will have an epiphany of the glory of Christ through our living testimony.
“Lord, through your Spirit, equip us to serve and love you and our neighbour as Jesus loved, Amen.”
Friday, January 6, 2012
Epiphany
Many millions of Christians call today, 6 January, the Feast of Epiphany.
In tradition, where the birth of Christ is celebrated on December 25, the arrival of the Magi is celebrated on January 6, called the Feast of Epiphany. This feast is in Eastern Christianity celebrated with more magnificent festivities and church services than Christmas. It was originally within Christianity the day of the giving of presents, following the example of the Magi. This tradition is specifically observed in Spanish speaking countries and in the Eastern Church. It is only in recent years that the Epiphany was again included in the celebrations of some branches of the Western Church, including some of the Protestant churches.
Epiphany considers that the Messiah was revealed to the Gentiles, while Christmas, the birthday, is celebrated as the day when Jewish believers, such as the shepherds, worshipped the new born King. This is why amongst Gentiles in the East, where the Magi came from, it became an important day of remembrance and celebration of an “epiphany” of the meaning of the light and love of Christ for the gentile nations. They also emphasize the revelation of Christ by the Father at Jesus’ baptism with the words: "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matt 3:17.) They remind each other also of the first miracle, when Jesus turned water into wine, and the Bible says, this was to reveal the “glory of Jesus”.
For many in the west it is the day when Christmas decorations are packed away and when we “leave” the contemplation of the meaning of the birthday of Christ, expecting an epiphany of the glory of the Son of God, as it was revealed to his followers through his miracles, parables and teachings! The real, complete and final epiphany of the glory of Christ can only be understood when we remember his suffering, and his glorious resurrection, contemplated during Lent and Easter.
It is a day when we may pray that Jesus will not leave us, but show us the fullness of his glory, through his kindness and his victory!
This song and prayer may guide our minds and hearts to desire a personal epiphany of Jesus – the light of the world!
Lord, the light of Your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness shining;
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us,
Set us free by the truth You now bring us,
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine Jesus shine,
Fill this land with the Father’s glory;
Blaze Spirit blaze, set our hearts on fire!
Flow river flow,
Flood the nations with grace and mercy;
Send forth Your Word, Lord –
And let there be light.
Lord, I come to Your awesome presence,
From the shadows into Your radiance;
By the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness.
Shine on me, shine on me!
As we gaze on Your kingly brightness,
So our faces display Your likeness,
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirrored here may our lives tell Your story.
Shine on me! Shine on me!
Shine Jesus shine,
Fill this land with the Father’s glory;
Blaze Spirit blaze, set our hearts on fire!
Flow river flow,
Flood the nations with grace and mercy;
Send forth Your Word, Lord –
And let there be light.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Complete Order for Sunday worship in Afrikaans, with Communion
A complete Order for Sunday worship in Afrikaans, with Communion, in the UPCSA, with rubrics in English. Based on an order of the UPCSA, but with many added Afrikaans resources incorporated to simplify and enrich leading an UPCSA worship service in Afrikaans.
To down load, click this link:
http://www.cpk.co.za/formuliere.htm
To down load, click this link:
http://www.cpk.co.za/formuliere.htm
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Advent 2011 - part 5: LOVE
Fourth (last) Advent Sunday – 18 December.
Theme: Love
Advent considered hope, peace and joy. On the last Advent Sunday, 18 December, it contemplates love. Christ coming to us reveals Gods love for his people and for all of his creation.
1 John 4:9-10 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
The most important idea in these verses is that God showed his love. The Biblical understanding of love is that it is shown in actions. It is not so much what we feel, as what we do that is important when we try to understand this word “love” so often used in the Scriptures.
We know God loves us, because we know what he did for us. He created us to have fellowship with him, and when we strayed, he saved us and when we lost the battle against evil, he conquered for our sake.
We know we love God when we worship, serve, praise and want to obey God and when we live in awe of our Lord, because we know that he loved us first. Our actions in reaction to his love, show that we love him too.
We love our fellow Christians when we act as brothers and sisters towards one another and we know we love our neighbour when we act towards them in the way that we expect others to treat us as well.
Jesus is the demonstration of the love God has for us. He lived and ministered to reveal who God truly is. Jesus lived and acted in a way that showed us how God loves us: Jesus touched the “unclean”, he respected the rejected, he delivered the captives, he saved the lost and he healed the sick. Jesus showed the mercy, grace, love, compassion, patience and kindness of God.
This is the love we, as his children and witnesses, should show the world.
We hear a lot about the Christmas spirit and that this is a season for giving. We are more patient and show more compassion than we usually do. This is a good thing and it makes the season of Advent and the celebration of Christmas a most special time for many who are in ominous need to be loved.
But, as we await the complete and final coming of the Kingdom of Christ – we should prepare the way for the King by making practical, Christian love much more than a seasonal thing. It is supposed to be the Christian lifestyle displayed always and it shows God’s love all the time.
God loved us in sending his Son for our redemption. Now we should show his love that others may know his salvation and care. True Christian love is when we show through every aspect of our lives that God loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. In sacrificial living, we do!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Advent Hymn
Comfort, comfort ye my people,
speak ye peace, thus saith our God.
comfort those who sit in darkness,
mourning neath their sorrow’s load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem
of the peace that waits for them;
tell het that her sins I cover,
and her warfare is now is over.
Hark, the voice of one that crieth
in the desert far and near.
calling us to new repentance
since the Kingdom now is here.
Oh, that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way;
let the valleys rise to meet him
and the hills bow down to greet him.
Make ye straight what long was crooked,
make the rougher places plain
let your hearts be true and humble,
as befits his holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord
now o’er earth is shed abroad;
and all flesh shall see the token
that his Word is never broken!
Music: Harvard University Hymn Book 94, (Genevan 42) Olearius 1671. for Advent
speak ye peace, thus saith our God.
comfort those who sit in darkness,
mourning neath their sorrow’s load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem
of the peace that waits for them;
tell het that her sins I cover,
and her warfare is now is over.
Hark, the voice of one that crieth
in the desert far and near.
calling us to new repentance
since the Kingdom now is here.
Oh, that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way;
let the valleys rise to meet him
and the hills bow down to greet him.
Make ye straight what long was crooked,
make the rougher places plain
let your hearts be true and humble,
as befits his holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord
now o’er earth is shed abroad;
and all flesh shall see the token
that his Word is never broken!
Music: Harvard University Hymn Book 94, (Genevan 42) Olearius 1671. for Advent
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Advent part 4: JOY
Third Advent Sunday: 11 December 2011.
The theme is Joy!
When we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we may expect to be happy during the festive season, all the time. But happiness is not joy. One can experience the joy of the Lord even when circumstances are not particularly “happy”.
We may rejoice in all situations. Even when we are under threat, we are concerned or we are dissatisfied. Because Joy comes from the knowledge that we are within the will of God and it comes from the certain faith knowledge that God cares about us and takes care of us.
During this season we remember that God gave his only Son – because he cares and that he will never leave or forsake us. We know that when Jesus returns, he will be with us for all eternity.
When Mary was told that she expected the Saviour, she feared. She was afraid of the holy angel that came to see her. And she was afraid of the message: To be pregnant and not married carried the death penalty for a girl in those days. She could at least lose her fiancé who knew he was not the dad of the Baby! She ran the risk of rejection by family and of the community.
This is not a particular happy picture.
And yet – there is all the indications that the young virgin Mary rejoiced and was filled with joy. She was to be within the will of God! She was to do the most important work one can do for God. She also believed that nothing is impossible with God!
This is why, in spite of everything risky and dangerous her calling to carry the Christ child entailed, she could break out in song and dance to express a deep felt joy!
According to Luke, this is what she sang as she rejoiced:
Luke 1: 46 - 55:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour
for he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation....
May God grant you this joy. Whatever your circumstances! May you find God’s will for your life and assurance of his protection and love.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Advent – part 3: PEACE
The theme for the Second Sunday of Advent is Peace. The first Advent Sunday focused on hope and that we bear the responsibility to live as agents of hope in a world plagued by despondency. As we consider peace this Sunday, 4 December, we see that we can bring hope into the world by being peacemakers.
We sing a lot about peace in our Christmas carols. It was after all the core message of the angel choir on the night that Jesus was born: “Peace on earth and goodwill towards men on whom God’s favour rests.”
Yet, how often do we do everything within our power to bring peace where it is direly needed.
Are we peacemakers within our own families?
Do we work to heal our marriages and family bonds or do we let our prejudices or anger bring discord?
Do we work towards unity within our congregation or are we the instigators of divisive gossip and lead deconstructive cliques, sowing conflict with no desire to bring about the peace amongst his people Christ lived and died for?
Do we refer to people that look and act differently than ourselves with disrespect, contempt and ridicule and stereotype them?
Peace on earth starts with us and our attitudes towards others. If we hold people, and especially other Christians and fellow church members and family members, dear to our heart, our words and actions will mirror this love and respect. There really is no point in speaking about peace on national and global levels as long as we in our personal sphere of influence are agents of war, hurt and conflict.
Let’s remember the definition Jesus gave to love: “Do unto others as you want them to do unto you.” Let’s stop singing about peace until we made peace and became peacemakers.
“Peace” is no true and sincere Christmas card decoration or Christmas carol when it does not come from a changed heart and compassionate soul.
The Season of Advent teaches us to be peace makers as it will restore the hope on Christ, the King. As we expect the coming of the Kingdom of the Prince of Peace born to be our Redeemer and as we make straight the road for the Second Coming, let’s live as true ambassadors of the Peace Kingdom the Messiah came to establish.
Yes, we must be the peacemakers. We who are followers of Christ and we who love Jesus! But we will not be until peace conquered our hearts. This always means that we make peace with ourselves first, with whom we are and what our calling in God’s work is. It then also means making peace with those closest to us. It means that we do earnestly mean it when we call our fellow Christians “brothers and sisters”.
God’s children can bring about peace on earth if we are filled with the Holy Spirit and if we received the peace of God through the Spirit in prayer and reflection of God’s Word.
A good place to start may be to pray the popular prayer of the 13th century St Francis of Assisi and mean every word that we say:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
The Advent Wreath
The symbolism of the Advent wreath (on the Table) is beautiful.
The wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous life.
It signifies victory over persecution and suffering. The prickly leaves remind us of the crown of thorns.
Any pine cones or seeds symbolize life and resurrection.
The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found in Christ.
All together, the wreath of evergreens depicts our immortality and the new, everlasting life promised to us through Christ, the eternal Word of the Father, who entered our world becoming true man and who was victorious over sin and death through His own passion, death, and resurrection.
The four candles represent the four Sundays of Advent. The progressive lighting of the candles every Advent Sunday symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the short time we have left to prepare for his second coming to judge the living and the dead.
The light of the candles signifies Christ, the Light of the world.
In family practice, the Advent wreath is most appropriately lit at dinner time on the four Sundays, after the blessing of the food.
The wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous life.
It signifies victory over persecution and suffering. The prickly leaves remind us of the crown of thorns.
Any pine cones or seeds symbolize life and resurrection.
The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found in Christ.
All together, the wreath of evergreens depicts our immortality and the new, everlasting life promised to us through Christ, the eternal Word of the Father, who entered our world becoming true man and who was victorious over sin and death through His own passion, death, and resurrection.
The four candles represent the four Sundays of Advent. The progressive lighting of the candles every Advent Sunday symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the short time we have left to prepare for his second coming to judge the living and the dead.
The light of the candles signifies Christ, the Light of the world.
In family practice, the Advent wreath is most appropriately lit at dinner time on the four Sundays, after the blessing of the food.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Advent 2011 - part 2: HOPE
Mark 13: 26 27 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens"..
We live in the in-between times, between the first and second coming of Jesus. We are waiting upon the Lord in hope of his great power and glory that will completely change our existence. Christ will and can establish his Kingdom. We are the agents of change to bring about faith in the truth that Jesus reigns and will come to effect, in the smallest detail, the wonders of his merciful and loving reign.
This hope should transform our lives!
1. We have the privilege of Christ’s presence through the Holy Spirit living and working in us. He is Emmanuel, that is, God with us. As we prepare to remember the first coming of Jesus at his birth, advent brings us hope. Through the work of the Spirit this hope should transform our lives, even though we are often confronted by hopelessness.
2. We can look at life in a new way: We need to see the real world with its pain and shocking sadness, and choose to be messengers of hope for those in need. We can help them to expect more of Jesus and his love.
3. We wait upon the Lord, serving him.. While we wait for Jesus to return, we serve him as we worship him in all we do, and we serve in his Name in serving those who need the good news of his glorious coming into our lives, our church and our society.
The Lord is coming and it is a message of hope!
We live in the in-between times, between the first and second coming of Jesus. We are waiting upon the Lord in hope of his great power and glory that will completely change our existence. Christ will and can establish his Kingdom. We are the agents of change to bring about faith in the truth that Jesus reigns and will come to effect, in the smallest detail, the wonders of his merciful and loving reign.
This hope should transform our lives!
1. We have the privilege of Christ’s presence through the Holy Spirit living and working in us. He is Emmanuel, that is, God with us. As we prepare to remember the first coming of Jesus at his birth, advent brings us hope. Through the work of the Spirit this hope should transform our lives, even though we are often confronted by hopelessness.
2. We can look at life in a new way: We need to see the real world with its pain and shocking sadness, and choose to be messengers of hope for those in need. We can help them to expect more of Jesus and his love.
3. We wait upon the Lord, serving him.. While we wait for Jesus to return, we serve him as we worship him in all we do, and we serve in his Name in serving those who need the good news of his glorious coming into our lives, our church and our society.
The Lord is coming and it is a message of hope!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Advent 2011 – Part 1
The Season of Advent – the four Sundays before Christmas, starts on 27 November 2011. The word “advent” basically means “coming”.
o It is a time to be filled with joy, because God became a man and was born as a baby to become our Redeemer and King!
o During this season we also remember that Jesus wants to enter our lives today, here and now, and through his Spirit’s work in us become part of our reaching out to a lost world in pain.
o We also remember that Jesus Christ promised to physically come again, to create a new heaven and earth in which we will live for all eternity!
The 4 Advent candles in church represent a “countdown” of the Sundays before Christmas - but it also reminds us that we have but a short time to prepare, before Jesus returns!
Advent reminds us that God gave his Son
During this Advent Season we will once again remember that Christ took on our weak, human nature and became one of us. We prepare for a “Merry Christmas”. To believers this has nothing to do with a politically correct “Happy Holiday”. Our cheer comes from the “mass”, or celebration, of Christ who came to save his people and will come again to make their salvation complete! He wants to change our lives into Christ’s mass: Christmas!!
The Apostle Paul explains it in 2 Cor 5: 21: God made him who had no sin, to be sin for us so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.
This is what Christ came to do when taking on our “weak human flesh”. He showed his compassion with our dilemma which is the result of our imperfections, mistakes, disobedience and sin. He came to live the life that God requires and we cannot accomplish, and to live it perfectly, holy and without sin, in our place! The Son of God became our brother and he never leaves nor forsakes us.
During this Season of Advent we want to celebrate that when God gave the gift of salvation, he did not send a handbook with complicated instructions to figure out how to be saved. He did not send us laws and procedures that are beyond us and which will lead to even more failure to please our holy God. Instead, he sent his Son to save us.
Jesus came to show us how salvation works. Jesus came to become our salvation, our joy and our security. Jesus came to give us everlasting life. Jesus came to live a life that pleases God in our place. He came to pay the penalty for what we cannot and did not do.
Even today Jesus wants to come into your life through the work of his Spirit, to through faith in him, ensure that we work out his salvation in our day to day lives and challenges and in our work for the Lord.
And one day he will come again on the clouds to make our salvation complete.
The Advent message always remains that (John 3:16) God so much loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Let’s trust in the directions of the Son. Let’s rejoice because he did everything we could not do, to save us! Lets pray that he will come again soon to dry all our tears.
May you experience a blessed and a merry Advent Season.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
There is no laity!
At the planning meeting of our congregation it was decided to develop our Sunday Worship services in order to more often include the participation of members, other than the minister or duty elder of the month.
The elements that the preaching minister of the day will sometimes ask members to do, will include:
o Call to worship
o Various prayers
o Receiving and blessing the offerings
o Readings
This decision was not taken lightly, but biblical principles were considered.
The purpose of this process is to ensure that Sunday Worship is not seen as “the minister’s territory only” but to adapt to the approach widely practiced, where both elders and other members lead some of the elements of the Order for Sunday Worship. It enforces the principle that in Sunday worship members are not mere bystanders and that not only the minister, but the congregation is filled with the Holy Spirit and may therefore lead the congregation in worship.
It reiterates the emancipation of members within the Reformed tradition as all belonging to the priesthood of the believers, instead of being spectators only. This is an age old principle within Protestant worship, that we lost when a popular view developed in the mid 20th century that Sunday Worship is the territory of the “professional prayers” and the members are “only laity” and therefore not worthy to take a leading role. This is not the view of most Protestants and it is particularly not a Reformed / Presbyterian view and we wish to correct it.
The resistance we see to implementing this principle, is the result of a misunderstanding that differentiates strictly between “ordained ministers” and “”laity”, a view which we do not find in the New Testament. In the Church in the New Testament believers are not only called priests, but even “royal priests” and “prophets”.
The Minister of Word and Sacrament is usually responsible for preaching and always for dispensing the sacraments, as this is what he has been set apart / ordained for.
But any other element could frequently be led by other members too.
Asking members to participate / lead liturgical elements is at the discretion of the preaching minister on the day, who probably will invite members on a week to week basis to do this most Sundays.
The elements that the preaching minister of the day will sometimes ask members to do, will include:
o Call to worship
o Various prayers
o Receiving and blessing the offerings
o Readings
This decision was not taken lightly, but biblical principles were considered.
The purpose of this process is to ensure that Sunday Worship is not seen as “the minister’s territory only” but to adapt to the approach widely practiced, where both elders and other members lead some of the elements of the Order for Sunday Worship. It enforces the principle that in Sunday worship members are not mere bystanders and that not only the minister, but the congregation is filled with the Holy Spirit and may therefore lead the congregation in worship.
It reiterates the emancipation of members within the Reformed tradition as all belonging to the priesthood of the believers, instead of being spectators only. This is an age old principle within Protestant worship, that we lost when a popular view developed in the mid 20th century that Sunday Worship is the territory of the “professional prayers” and the members are “only laity” and therefore not worthy to take a leading role. This is not the view of most Protestants and it is particularly not a Reformed / Presbyterian view and we wish to correct it.
The resistance we see to implementing this principle, is the result of a misunderstanding that differentiates strictly between “ordained ministers” and “”laity”, a view which we do not find in the New Testament. In the Church in the New Testament believers are not only called priests, but even “royal priests” and “prophets”.
The Minister of Word and Sacrament is usually responsible for preaching and always for dispensing the sacraments, as this is what he has been set apart / ordained for.
But any other element could frequently be led by other members too.
Asking members to participate / lead liturgical elements is at the discretion of the preaching minister on the day, who probably will invite members on a week to week basis to do this most Sundays.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Christ the King separates the sheep and the goats!
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Matt. 25:31 - 32
People ask, if Jesus is the King on the glorious throne of God, why are so many things wrong, impure and painful in this world? If the promised Messianic Kingdom of the Prince of Peace came when Jesus went to heaven to be crowned King of all, how must we understand that so much of our experience in life is still about injustice, sadness, sin and death?
The answer simply is: Until Jesus comes again there are both goats and sheep in the world. He reigns and cares for his sheep amidst the reality that the sheep and goats have not yet been separated. Jesus tends his sheep and leads them to his new heaven and earth and glorious dominion, in spite of the fact that his sheep follow him while goats are all around, often being influential and seemingly winning most the time.
The truth about sheep and goats is that one day judgment will be handed down on the basis of whether we are sheep or goats. The King will say, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink.” And on the other hand he will say, “I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,” It will be our living or not living according to the standard of love and mercy of the Kingdom of Christ the King that will be the standard for judgment.
Yet everyone knows that it is faith that saves by grace. Following Christ the King and accepting him as Lord of our lives, turns our lives around and the evidence about our lives is that we have been turned around form being goats to being sheep. And this miracle of our metamorphosis from goats to sheep, is a free gift! It is pure grace!
And this all happens because your Judge is also your Saviour!
This is how we glorify Christ the King! We live for him. We live out his heart within the needs around us. Jesus said, whatever you did for the least of his brothers and sisters, you did for him! We make his will visible, we show his heart and we allow the light of his dominion to become visible in this dark world. Then more people can believe that Christ the King, the Messiah, indeed reigns and that they too may believe in him and be saved through faith in him. People will begin to believe in Christ the King, when we act out our status as the sheep in the flock of Jesus
People ask, if Jesus is the King on the glorious throne of God, why are so many things wrong, impure and painful in this world? If the promised Messianic Kingdom of the Prince of Peace came when Jesus went to heaven to be crowned King of all, how must we understand that so much of our experience in life is still about injustice, sadness, sin and death?
The answer simply is: Until Jesus comes again there are both goats and sheep in the world. He reigns and cares for his sheep amidst the reality that the sheep and goats have not yet been separated. Jesus tends his sheep and leads them to his new heaven and earth and glorious dominion, in spite of the fact that his sheep follow him while goats are all around, often being influential and seemingly winning most the time.
The truth about sheep and goats is that one day judgment will be handed down on the basis of whether we are sheep or goats. The King will say, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink.” And on the other hand he will say, “I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,” It will be our living or not living according to the standard of love and mercy of the Kingdom of Christ the King that will be the standard for judgment.
Yet everyone knows that it is faith that saves by grace. Following Christ the King and accepting him as Lord of our lives, turns our lives around and the evidence about our lives is that we have been turned around form being goats to being sheep. And this miracle of our metamorphosis from goats to sheep, is a free gift! It is pure grace!
And this all happens because your Judge is also your Saviour!
This is how we glorify Christ the King! We live for him. We live out his heart within the needs around us. Jesus said, whatever you did for the least of his brothers and sisters, you did for him! We make his will visible, we show his heart and we allow the light of his dominion to become visible in this dark world. Then more people can believe that Christ the King, the Messiah, indeed reigns and that they too may believe in him and be saved through faith in him. People will begin to believe in Christ the King, when we act out our status as the sheep in the flock of Jesus
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Prayer on the Feast of Christ the King!
Almighty Christ, King of all!
Today, Lord, we celebrate your glorious victory. We gladly bring honour to you, Lord Jesus who has not only saved us from our sins by your cross and resurrection, but also ascended to the right hand of God. We rejoice that your Kingdom has come on earth, just as it is in heaven.
We bring honour to you, our Redeemer, whom we call Christ the King, who victoriously reigns now, and reigns forever. You, Lord, dealt with our every need, delivered us from every enemy, healed us from all sin, harm and injury and you are worshipped when heaven and earth bow down before you as Lord of all.
Yet, Lord everything promised has not happened on our earth yet! You are the King, and yet, your dominion is also still coming to us and to the world. We live in hope, and in faith that we truly heard the Word of God, that testifies that you will come again in glory to effect in the smallest detail, your glorious reign.
King Jesus, thank you that you not only bring salvation to us, but through your work through the ministry of your Church, also to the whole world, yes, to the ends of the earth. Your people accept the grace that you brings, and commit their lives to the power of the Holy Spirit who empowers your children and your Church to fulfil your commission to preach the gospel to everyone, now bring justice wherever we serve you and bring hope and light where darkness still hides your glorious reign and redemption.
Help us to live only for your honour, glory and reign. Help us to be obedient, by the power of your resurrection and of your Spirit. We know that nothing will separate us from the love of God that we received in Christ the King, our Lord and our Saviour!
We pray for all your servants, glorious Lord! For those who preach your word and for those who listen. Protect and guide all the missionaries sent to the ends of the earth to proclaim salvation in you. Guide them and bless their work for you. Call many more to do your work and make us obedient to your call.
In your mercy, heal the sick and comfort those who are weeping because they are sad. Set the captives free and grant relief to the poor. Sanctify those who are powerful and influential and humble those who are proud.
Bring to an end the kingdom of darkness and let your majesty shine as the light of the world. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us your peace.
And now, great King of kings and Lord of lords –
have mercy on us, and on all your people.
In your Name, Lord Jesus, we pray!
Amen.
Today, Lord, we celebrate your glorious victory. We gladly bring honour to you, Lord Jesus who has not only saved us from our sins by your cross and resurrection, but also ascended to the right hand of God. We rejoice that your Kingdom has come on earth, just as it is in heaven.
We bring honour to you, our Redeemer, whom we call Christ the King, who victoriously reigns now, and reigns forever. You, Lord, dealt with our every need, delivered us from every enemy, healed us from all sin, harm and injury and you are worshipped when heaven and earth bow down before you as Lord of all.
Yet, Lord everything promised has not happened on our earth yet! You are the King, and yet, your dominion is also still coming to us and to the world. We live in hope, and in faith that we truly heard the Word of God, that testifies that you will come again in glory to effect in the smallest detail, your glorious reign.
King Jesus, thank you that you not only bring salvation to us, but through your work through the ministry of your Church, also to the whole world, yes, to the ends of the earth. Your people accept the grace that you brings, and commit their lives to the power of the Holy Spirit who empowers your children and your Church to fulfil your commission to preach the gospel to everyone, now bring justice wherever we serve you and bring hope and light where darkness still hides your glorious reign and redemption.
Help us to live only for your honour, glory and reign. Help us to be obedient, by the power of your resurrection and of your Spirit. We know that nothing will separate us from the love of God that we received in Christ the King, our Lord and our Saviour!
We pray for all your servants, glorious Lord! For those who preach your word and for those who listen. Protect and guide all the missionaries sent to the ends of the earth to proclaim salvation in you. Guide them and bless their work for you. Call many more to do your work and make us obedient to your call.
In your mercy, heal the sick and comfort those who are weeping because they are sad. Set the captives free and grant relief to the poor. Sanctify those who are powerful and influential and humble those who are proud.
Bring to an end the kingdom of darkness and let your majesty shine as the light of the world. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us your peace.
And now, great King of kings and Lord of lords –
have mercy on us, and on all your people.
In your Name, Lord Jesus, we pray!
Amen.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Feast of Christ the King
Feast of Christ the King
On Sunday 20 November 2011 the universal Church once again celebrates the Feast of Christ the King. It is the last Sunday of the Christian calendar or Christian year, as Sunday, 27 November 2011, marks the first Sunday of the new Christian year, when we observe First Advent Sunday, when amongst other things, we start the countdown to Christmas, then only 4 weeks away.
The Christian year ends celebrating Christ the King, in victory. We gladly bring honour to Jesus who has not only saved us from our sins by his cross and resurrection, but also ascended to the right hand of God. Our celebration of the glorious work of Jesus culminates in the great finale of the Celebration of Christ the King. We rejoice that his Kingdom has come on earth, just as it is in heaven.
Yes, we know that everything promised about the Kingdom of the Messiah has not yet happened on our earth. Yes, his Kingdom has come and, yes, he is the King and Head of the Church and, yes, he reigns in glory.
And yet, his dominion is also still coming to us and to the world. We still live in hope, and in faith that we truly heard the Word of God that testifies that he will also come again in glory to effect in the smallest detail, his glorious reign. But until he comes again, we celebrate his heavenly rule, and the coming of his dominion over everything and everyone and everywhere with great expectation, in faith and in the certain knowledge that even now he is the King of our hearts, of his Church and of every aspect of our lives.
On Sunday, 20 November 2011, this coming Sunday, we celebrate that Jesus of Nazareth, the eternal Son of God, has taken his place as King of kings and Lord of lords in our lives, our faith and our certain knowledge that he will bring justice and righteousness to us, to his people and to the whole world.
Christ’s people accept the grace that he brings, and commit their lives to the power of the Holy Spirit who empowers his children, and his Church, to fulfil the commission of Christ the King to preach the gospel to everyone, bring justice wherever we serve him and bring hope and light where darkness still hides the glorious reign and redemption of our Lord.
On Sunday 20 November 2011 the universal Church once again celebrates the Feast of Christ the King. It is the last Sunday of the Christian calendar or Christian year, as Sunday, 27 November 2011, marks the first Sunday of the new Christian year, when we observe First Advent Sunday, when amongst other things, we start the countdown to Christmas, then only 4 weeks away.
The Christian year ends celebrating Christ the King, in victory. We gladly bring honour to Jesus who has not only saved us from our sins by his cross and resurrection, but also ascended to the right hand of God. Our celebration of the glorious work of Jesus culminates in the great finale of the Celebration of Christ the King. We rejoice that his Kingdom has come on earth, just as it is in heaven.
Yes, we know that everything promised about the Kingdom of the Messiah has not yet happened on our earth. Yes, his Kingdom has come and, yes, he is the King and Head of the Church and, yes, he reigns in glory.
And yet, his dominion is also still coming to us and to the world. We still live in hope, and in faith that we truly heard the Word of God that testifies that he will also come again in glory to effect in the smallest detail, his glorious reign. But until he comes again, we celebrate his heavenly rule, and the coming of his dominion over everything and everyone and everywhere with great expectation, in faith and in the certain knowledge that even now he is the King of our hearts, of his Church and of every aspect of our lives.
On Sunday, 20 November 2011, this coming Sunday, we celebrate that Jesus of Nazareth, the eternal Son of God, has taken his place as King of kings and Lord of lords in our lives, our faith and our certain knowledge that he will bring justice and righteousness to us, to his people and to the whole world.
Christ’s people accept the grace that he brings, and commit their lives to the power of the Holy Spirit who empowers his children, and his Church, to fulfil the commission of Christ the King to preach the gospel to everyone, bring justice wherever we serve him and bring hope and light where darkness still hides the glorious reign and redemption of our Lord.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Doxology Hymn
Doxology Hymn: Romans 11: 33 - 36
Oh depth of the riches - the wisdom of God;
How unsearchable is Gods judgments and paths.
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, Amen.
Oh who has known the mind of our glorious God?
Or who has been his counsellor, yes, who is that wise?
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, Amen.
Does God owe anyone that it should be repaid?
For from Him and through Him, and to Him all things!
To Him be the glory for ever! Amen.
Oh depth of the riches - the wisdom of God;
How unsearchable is Gods judgments and paths.
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, Amen.
Oh who has known the mind of our glorious God?
Or who has been his counsellor, yes, who is that wise?
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, Amen.
Does God owe anyone that it should be repaid?
For from Him and through Him, and to Him all things!
To Him be the glory for ever! Amen.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Celebrate Jesus – part 2 - final
We believe that the Lord Jesus, anointed as God’s Messiah, came to us to set up, proclaim and make us one with the Kingdom of God. He is the Son of God, born as a man and now exalted in heaven as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! Jesus is worth celebrating, simply because of who he is.
But we also celebrate Jesus for what he does for us and in our lives. What does he do?
1) Jesus loves us just as we are. “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his son, his one and only son. And this is why: So that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.” John 3:16(The Message) Jesus loved us even before we loved him. Paul writes in Rom 5: 8:“But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.” (CEV)
2) Jesus forgives the wickedness of our past.
We read about a woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ … When they kept on questioning him, he said to them, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ … Jesus asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.” While others condemned the guilty woman, Jesus restored her. What Jesus does is to restore condemned sinners and give them the right to be called children of God.
3) Jesus also makes our lives new.
We believe that Jesus Christ, being for our offences crucified, dead, and buried, his body never saw corruption, but he was raised again on the third day. In his risen life, we live anew, and receive the fruit of his resurrection. In heaven he continually intercedes for us as the Head of the Church, where he is honoured as Lord over all.
Paul writes: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) Jesus makes us new, even if we broke and destroyed ourselves.
It is time to celebrate Jesus for what he does for us! And the best way to celebrate him is to turn from our world conforming lives and embrace the new life he gives as a result of his cross and his victory.
Our transformation into his image celebrates Jesus for what he does and for who he is!
But we also celebrate Jesus for what he does for us and in our lives. What does he do?
1) Jesus loves us just as we are. “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his son, his one and only son. And this is why: So that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.” John 3:16(The Message) Jesus loved us even before we loved him. Paul writes in Rom 5: 8:“But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.” (CEV)
2) Jesus forgives the wickedness of our past.
We read about a woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ … When they kept on questioning him, he said to them, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ … Jesus asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.” While others condemned the guilty woman, Jesus restored her. What Jesus does is to restore condemned sinners and give them the right to be called children of God.
3) Jesus also makes our lives new.
We believe that Jesus Christ, being for our offences crucified, dead, and buried, his body never saw corruption, but he was raised again on the third day. In his risen life, we live anew, and receive the fruit of his resurrection. In heaven he continually intercedes for us as the Head of the Church, where he is honoured as Lord over all.
Paul writes: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) Jesus makes us new, even if we broke and destroyed ourselves.
It is time to celebrate Jesus for what he does for us! And the best way to celebrate him is to turn from our world conforming lives and embrace the new life he gives as a result of his cross and his victory.
Our transformation into his image celebrates Jesus for what he does and for who he is!
Monday, November 7, 2011
How can we honour one another?
Romans 12: 10: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.”
How to honour one another.
Firstly we must honour God. He is worthy of our highest praise and deserves all honour. Listen to what the angels of heaven say and sing:
(Rev 5:12) "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!"
When we honour God in the way we speak to him and about him, we will find it easier to honour one another, made in the image of God.
How can we honour one another? First of all by recognising and encouraging one another for efforts or achievements. This means we are to give personal compliments face-to-face. This means we are to go out of our way to thank and praise each other.
Secondly we also honour others by associating with them, by spending time with them. Paul writes:
(Rom 12:16) Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
It is important that the church stands in sharp contrast to the world's values that usually honour the rich, the successful, the famous, and the beautiful.
Jesus showed this kind of honour to those of low position, even outcasts. Whom did Jesus spend time with while on this earth? Yes, he did eat fancy dinners at the homes of the rich and the powerful. But he also associated with tax collectors and sinners. He wasn't ashamed to be seen talking with a Samaritan woman. He allowed a prostitute to anoint his feet with perfume and to dry them with her hair. He honoured these people with his presence and company.
At stake here is spiritual maturity. At stake here is the depth of our conformity to Christ. At stake here is whether or not we live as one of God's children.
How to honour one another.
Firstly we must honour God. He is worthy of our highest praise and deserves all honour. Listen to what the angels of heaven say and sing:
(Rev 5:12) "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!"
When we honour God in the way we speak to him and about him, we will find it easier to honour one another, made in the image of God.
How can we honour one another? First of all by recognising and encouraging one another for efforts or achievements. This means we are to give personal compliments face-to-face. This means we are to go out of our way to thank and praise each other.
Secondly we also honour others by associating with them, by spending time with them. Paul writes:
(Rom 12:16) Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
It is important that the church stands in sharp contrast to the world's values that usually honour the rich, the successful, the famous, and the beautiful.
Jesus showed this kind of honour to those of low position, even outcasts. Whom did Jesus spend time with while on this earth? Yes, he did eat fancy dinners at the homes of the rich and the powerful. But he also associated with tax collectors and sinners. He wasn't ashamed to be seen talking with a Samaritan woman. He allowed a prostitute to anoint his feet with perfume and to dry them with her hair. He honoured these people with his presence and company.
At stake here is spiritual maturity. At stake here is the depth of our conformity to Christ. At stake here is whether or not we live as one of God's children.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
What is true worship?
Worship in Truth and Spirit.
John 4:24: God is spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)
What is true worship? The many churches around us do many different things, and they all are calling it worship.
Some churches observe a great deal of formality and ritual. Things are always done exactly the same way without any deviation.
Other churches have no printed order, although everyone has unwritten orders or practices. When informal and unexpected things happen, they are not considered disruptions in “informal” churches.
There are many styles and customs. Are some right and others wrong? The truth is that any style or tradition or custom or order can be done rightly or wrongly, because the customs we observe are but outwardly practices that either help us to worship God, or distract our minds from God. To worship God in truth and Sprit has nothing to do with style, yet it has everything to do with the worshipper.
Because praise, worship and the communion of believers are all God’s idea and should not in the first place be about our preferences. We need to seek what the Lord says about worship and seek to understand what God expects.
When reading the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments, we see that God commands praise and worship, created us to worship him and that praise and worship are not two separate acts, but one act that brings praise to the Lord as grateful believers who worship because we received God’s grace and mercy. For example, in Psalm 150 we hear over and over the command to "praise the Lord!"
Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.
Praise the Lord!
As God did since the beginning of mankind, he still commands us to praise him. God is saying to us as his Church today: Honour and praise me, by worshipping me!
And Gods does not command this because of himself or any need he may have for our worship. He commands it, because we need to worship him. We cannot be changed, restored, equipped or empowered without worshipping our Maker, our Saviour, our Redeemer!
God commands us to worship, because our worship does something for us.
Without fellowship with God we are on our own – and we need God to have a life filled with meaning, purpose and joy.
Through worship we are healed and encouraged to live for the Lord.
Worship turns our hearts of stone into hearts filled with love and compassion for our neighbour.
Worship binds us with our Church family and turns a lonely journey into a life supported by love, empathy and recognition as someone who lives in God’s community.
Style, custom and tradition has very little to do with worshipping in truth and in Spirit. These may sometimes even distract us from focusing on God, if it becomes self-gratifying and people pleasing instead of focused on our God whom we worship. But if we come as needy people to be received by the King of all, and as we worship him, our broken relationships with the Lord, his community and our friends in Christ are reinstated. This glorifies God and testifies about our complete dependence on him. And it keeps us in the fold, and responds to our need for God and his church!
This we will get right when we remember that all the cultural, material actions we use to accomplish it, are mere aids to do the right thing. We will really only get it right when we worship in Spirit and truth, because God is Spirit! And we need God, who comes to us in Christ Jesus, to live and to die comforted and with true joy.
John 4:24: God is spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)
What is true worship? The many churches around us do many different things, and they all are calling it worship.
Some churches observe a great deal of formality and ritual. Things are always done exactly the same way without any deviation.
Other churches have no printed order, although everyone has unwritten orders or practices. When informal and unexpected things happen, they are not considered disruptions in “informal” churches.
There are many styles and customs. Are some right and others wrong? The truth is that any style or tradition or custom or order can be done rightly or wrongly, because the customs we observe are but outwardly practices that either help us to worship God, or distract our minds from God. To worship God in truth and Sprit has nothing to do with style, yet it has everything to do with the worshipper.
Because praise, worship and the communion of believers are all God’s idea and should not in the first place be about our preferences. We need to seek what the Lord says about worship and seek to understand what God expects.
When reading the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments, we see that God commands praise and worship, created us to worship him and that praise and worship are not two separate acts, but one act that brings praise to the Lord as grateful believers who worship because we received God’s grace and mercy. For example, in Psalm 150 we hear over and over the command to "praise the Lord!"
Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.
Praise the Lord!
As God did since the beginning of mankind, he still commands us to praise him. God is saying to us as his Church today: Honour and praise me, by worshipping me!
And Gods does not command this because of himself or any need he may have for our worship. He commands it, because we need to worship him. We cannot be changed, restored, equipped or empowered without worshipping our Maker, our Saviour, our Redeemer!
God commands us to worship, because our worship does something for us.
Without fellowship with God we are on our own – and we need God to have a life filled with meaning, purpose and joy.
Through worship we are healed and encouraged to live for the Lord.
Worship turns our hearts of stone into hearts filled with love and compassion for our neighbour.
Worship binds us with our Church family and turns a lonely journey into a life supported by love, empathy and recognition as someone who lives in God’s community.
Style, custom and tradition has very little to do with worshipping in truth and in Spirit. These may sometimes even distract us from focusing on God, if it becomes self-gratifying and people pleasing instead of focused on our God whom we worship. But if we come as needy people to be received by the King of all, and as we worship him, our broken relationships with the Lord, his community and our friends in Christ are reinstated. This glorifies God and testifies about our complete dependence on him. And it keeps us in the fold, and responds to our need for God and his church!
This we will get right when we remember that all the cultural, material actions we use to accomplish it, are mere aids to do the right thing. We will really only get it right when we worship in Spirit and truth, because God is Spirit! And we need God, who comes to us in Christ Jesus, to live and to die comforted and with true joy.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Celebrate Jesus – part 1
Celebrate Jesus simply for who he is.
During this short series of Midweek Devotions we will also learn to celebrate Jesus for what he does, for changing our lives, and for his exaltation at God’s right hand.
But, let’s start at the beginning. We first of all should celebrate Jesus just because of who he is. Do we really realise who Jesus is? And if we do, is it not enough reason to spend all of our days celebrating him? Jesus is God, and we should celebrate that.
1) He is an earthly picture of our heavenly Father.
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.”Colossians 1:15 (New Living Translation)
Jesus came to show us what God is like, to learn about the love, grace, mercy, kindness, holiness, justice and many other attributes of God. Jesus said “To see me is to see the Father.” John 14:9 (The Message). Jesus acted out, as a human being, who God truly is, that we may know, enjoy and glorify God always.
2)Jesus is the path to God.
Jesus is the only way for human beings to connect with God. “Jesus said, ‘I am the road, also the truth, also the life. No one gets to the Father apart from me.” John 14:6 (The Message) When we get lost, Jesus is the road to the Father, when we are confused, Jesus is the truth that shows us what really makes sense in life. He shows us how to get a life. The unbelieving world has a completely different way of understanding how to get a life.
Yet, when we come to Jesus we are set free from our wickedness and we can get a life, and one that never ends, not even after we died!
3) Jesus is the friend of those who follow him.
“Greater love has no one that this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves…… But I have called you friends.” John 15:13-15
We believe that the Lord, anointed as God’s Messiah because he is one with the Father and with the Holy Spirit, came to us to set up and proclaim the Kingdom of God amongst us. He did this by his perfect life, through words and deeds of grace, and ultimately by his death on the cross. He rose triumphantly in order to save us. He sacrificed himself, perfect and unblemished, to be our Saviour, Redeemer and Mediator!
Jesus is worth celebrating, simply because of who he is.
During this short series of Midweek Devotions we will also learn to celebrate Jesus for what he does, for changing our lives, and for his exaltation at God’s right hand.
But, let’s start at the beginning. We first of all should celebrate Jesus just because of who he is. Do we really realise who Jesus is? And if we do, is it not enough reason to spend all of our days celebrating him? Jesus is God, and we should celebrate that.
1) He is an earthly picture of our heavenly Father.
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.”Colossians 1:15 (New Living Translation)
Jesus came to show us what God is like, to learn about the love, grace, mercy, kindness, holiness, justice and many other attributes of God. Jesus said “To see me is to see the Father.” John 14:9 (The Message). Jesus acted out, as a human being, who God truly is, that we may know, enjoy and glorify God always.
2)Jesus is the path to God.
Jesus is the only way for human beings to connect with God. “Jesus said, ‘I am the road, also the truth, also the life. No one gets to the Father apart from me.” John 14:6 (The Message) When we get lost, Jesus is the road to the Father, when we are confused, Jesus is the truth that shows us what really makes sense in life. He shows us how to get a life. The unbelieving world has a completely different way of understanding how to get a life.
Yet, when we come to Jesus we are set free from our wickedness and we can get a life, and one that never ends, not even after we died!
3) Jesus is the friend of those who follow him.
“Greater love has no one that this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves…… But I have called you friends.” John 15:13-15
We believe that the Lord, anointed as God’s Messiah because he is one with the Father and with the Holy Spirit, came to us to set up and proclaim the Kingdom of God amongst us. He did this by his perfect life, through words and deeds of grace, and ultimately by his death on the cross. He rose triumphantly in order to save us. He sacrificed himself, perfect and unblemished, to be our Saviour, Redeemer and Mediator!
Jesus is worth celebrating, simply because of who he is.
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