Call on the name of the Lord and be saved

There is something within us, part of the fallen nature of Adam we inherited, which makes us want to earn our salvation. We do not admit that we were found by God, because we believe that we are able to find him ourselves! We feel that if we turn to God (in our own strength) that we will somehow be worthy enough to inherit God’s promise of eternal life with him. There is within us a kind of self-righteousness that makes us want to do it on our own. Then we could say that we got to heaven our way. And we can say to ourselves:  We are not that bad, after all!  

But if I completely owe my salvation to God, then I am obligated to give all of my life to him. Not only the eternal life, but also every day here and now!  I feel comfortable to try to earn my salvation, because then I will not have any real obligation to God and I do not owe God my very life and all that is part of it!

But the truth is that I cannot pay my own debt to the Lord.  The Lord Jesus Christ had to die for me, and I have to surrender to him as my Lord, in order to have eternal life. I have to give him my life and I cannot set my own terms for serving him.

One of the things that causes the Church to struggle to accomplish its mission, is Christians on membership rolls who are no more committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ than the average unbeliever out there.  

Let me therefore ask you, is Jesus King and Head of your life?  Be honest.  Is Jesus Christ in charge? Do you consult him about what he expects from your life? And if you do and when he gives you his direction (in his Word) do you follow him? Do you do what he expects you to do?

So, quit trying and start trusting: this is what faith is.  Quit trying to do it your way and start trusting in God’s way. Trust that he knows what is good for you. Be obedient whether you understand why he commands things, or not. Be obedient whether you like it or not. Simply be obedient, because Jesus is Lord and he bought you with his blood.

Are you willing to, in such “blind” faith, call on the name of the Lord, because he found you and only he saves you? You have an opportunity to respond to him now, by calling on his name in prayer and surrendering your life to him today. If you do so you will find assurance of salvation. That is the clear promise of God in his Word.

There is only one way to heaven. It is not the way of human effort. It is the way where I know that I have been found by God.  It is the way of responding in faith to God’s divine initiative.  It is the way of surrender. Surrender to Christ, today, and know that God saved you!

Where it all is headed... God's Awesome Trade – (8)

Where it all is headed...   God's Awesome Trade – (8)

series by the Rev Theo Groeneveld.

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.   

Colossians 4:2-6

Paul has been talking to everyone: Husbands, Wives, Children, Parents, Slaves and Masters. He has been urging them to wear the "new clothes" of compassion, gentleness, kindness, humility and patience that we talked about lat week.

But where is this all headed? What does this trade represent?

In these verses Paul makes it clear that it is all about reaching others:

He asks the Colossians to pray for him SO THAT a door for proclaiming the message might be opened and that he will proclaim clearly.

He urges them: Be wise, use every chance you get, let grace and gospel saltiness be in your words.

This is our trade: To move from being self-concerned and self-absorbed to reaching others. This is the bottom line of why we are here.

We trade the pursuit of our own pleasures, agendas and ideals for:

- Our spouses knowing and growing in Christ.

- Seeing our children accept Christ and following Him.

- Seeing our parents willing to accept Christ because of our example.

- Our workers, bosses and colleagues seeing Christ in us.

What opportunities do you have today?

Can you swallow the biting words you may be tempted to blurt out and let your speech be full of grace and saltiness?

Are you ready to answer: "Having God in my life is the best thing I have done."

That's the trade for today...

Is Faith without works enough?

Faith by itself, if it has no works , is dead.  James 2: 17

You can be committed to preserving the gospel of being saved by “faith alone” in a way that you separate the roles of Christ.  We do this when the Christ we confess only comes to sinners as Saviour and makes no claims of his Lordship.  Yet Christians believe in Jesus Christ as  Saviour AND Lord!

The problem with separating the roles of Christ is that it encourages people to claim Jesus as Saviour by simple intellectual affirmation:  by saying yes in our mind to a plan of salvation, and never surrender to the claims of Christ, the Lord, to transform our lives.   This leads to the false teaching that our behaviour has no relationship with our salvation.  If this was true, there would be nothing different in the behaviour of a Christian and a non-Christian. Their lifestyles would be the same.  And the Bible never says that.  Never!

Being a Christian is to receive Christ as Saviour, in faith:  a faith that is agreeing to Christ being our Lord! A faith that brings us to surrender to Christ as being in charge of our entire lives, including our morals and our ethics!

James is not asking whether works without faith can save us. But rather, whether a dead faith, one that produces no change and no transformation, can save us, and he answers no.

Christians faithfully submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ and become his disciples.

Our response to God’s saving grace is to be more than sound formulation of belief. It is to be a faith that calls us to action.

We are called Christians when our faith is alive:   when my faith is confirmed by my works for the Lord!

Is the gospel of grace enough?

It is so tempting to forget about God’s unearned grace during a time when Gods people need to be motivated to pull together to do Gods work efficiently. It does not feel wise to talk about a God who chooses to build his relationship with his people on his firm, unchanging promises whether they give or whether they don’t, whether they sacrifice or not and whether they have made a pledge to be completely committed or not. It feels dangerous to say that regardless of what you pledge in terms of your money or your time, regardless of whether you have been to church every week or once a year, God has chosen to love you, like a parent whose love cannot be swayed by the decisions of a child.

It feels as if the risk is simply too high to proclaim that God’s steadfast love for you does not depend on how many church projects you take part in.  No minister feels comfortable to say these things when a church needs to be built up and when you need all the people to give their time and money and commitment and pledges, to make it happen.

We feel tempted to stop talking about unearned grace and mercy when we think about the dreams that we have for our congregations.

I get uneasy thinking of what it will take to get us there. When I think about churches that are closing down or struggling, I get restless and nervous, considering what it will take to consistently provide a Bible-based shelter for those in need of the gospel of grace.

Because it takes everybody – every member of the church, to be involved in a successful ministry. When we think of what it will take for a congregation to reach the vision of a church that God has laid out for us to be, it is overwhelming.

Even so, we do not believe God wants a congregation built by watering down the good news of God’s radical grace in order to bully people into giving a few extra bucks or offer a few extra sets of hands.

God wants his church to be built on the good news that God’s steadfast love does not depend on our faithfulness and that God’s salvation does not depend on what we do, or on how hard we do it, but that it depends on God’s firm promise to build his church on the foundation of the redemptive work of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

God knows that the message of his steadfast love and divine grace and mercy is enough to build up a people for his work.

Once you look at all the giving that God has done for you and your church and for a world lost in sin, what else can you do but respond in the same way:  by giving yourself to God through the work of Christ’s body on earth? The message of the bloody cross and the glorious open grave, is Gods motivation for his people to do what is needed.

We know that if you saw God sacrificing his Son for this work of mercy, outreach and the salvation of many, it is the only message worth giving in times of enormous needs and challenges and that it is the only motivation the Holy Spirit uses to make it all happen through Gods people's love and gratitude.

Take my life, and let it be, consecrated, Lord, to Thee! Amen.

Trading our “old clothes” for “new ones”! God's Awesome Trade – (7)

God's Awesome Trade – (7) series by Theo Groeneveld.

Trading our “old clothes” for “new ones”!

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.   Colossians 3:12

Paul has been talking about taking off the "old clothes" or "old self" of lies, greed, malice, etc. He is talking about being a Trader.  The temptation that makes trading difficult is the temptation to focus too hard on what we are giving up.

When we look at what we are taking on it gets easier.

The worship song we sometimes sing puts it so well:

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus - Look full in His wonderful face:

And the things of the earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace."

Here Paul offers us a better wardrobe than the "emperor's clothes" of self-obsession and self-centredness. Let's look at the garments briefly:

Compassion: Literally "sympathetic organs" - allow yourselves to feel for others in the guts. We allow the heartache of the world to move us. We don't insulate or medicate compassion but allow it to move us to action.

Kindness: The Greek word here is elsewhere often used of God and implies "undeserved kindness." We are kind to those who have not earned or deserved it.

Humility: From the same root that Paul uses in Philippians 2 when he urges us to imitate Christ who gave up the glory of heaven and humbled Himself to humanity and the cross.

Gentleness: Is also translated meekness and even courtesy. It implies controlled strength. It is the diametric opposite of harshness.

Patience: Long-suffering, endurance, forbearance. It recognises that life is a marathon - that we must persevere and take a long-term view.

Imagine if more of us wore this five-piece outfit! As Christians, and Traders, let's trade the me-first Emperor's clothes for this five piece work outfit!

The world would be a much better place.

Resolve to treat everyone with love

James 2: 1, 8, 9 and 13:  My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.  If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.  Judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.  Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Be compassionate. That’s the first thing we need to do in dealing with other people. James speaks of God’s royal law in verse 8. It is the law to love your neighbour as yourself. James also tells us in verse 13 that mercy triumphs over judgment. What James is saying here is that love and mercy are the godly ways in which we ought to treat people. Our attitude ought to be one of compassion. It ought to be one of love. It ought to be one of mercy. Our hearts ought to be soft towards other people.

Consider two things:

The first is to search our hearts for attitudes that don’t belong there — attitudes of favouritism, prejudice, of superiority or of bullying. If we find these attitudes, repent of them. Ask God to take them out of your heart. Ask God to replace them with attitudes of love, compassion and empathy.

The second is to search our minds for people we have not treated right.  Let’s ask God to show us who those people are.  God will reveal it to us.  They may be people you work with, or people you live with. They may be your neighbours, or some of your friends, or some of your relatives or a family member, or even a spouse or a child.  We have to resolve to treat them with love, compassion, forgiveness and respect in future.

We may even need to ask someone to forgive us for treating them poorly, or cruelly, in the past. Resolve today to treat everyone with practical love, as you would want to be treated yourself.

If we get our own hearts right and begin to treat everyone else according to God’s royal law of neighbourly love, we will make others feel loved.  And everyone needs to feel loved!

May God help us to do just that.

Psalm 150: Praise the Lord! WHERE, WHY AND HOW?

Hallelu Yah! Praise the Lord!

"Hallelu Yah! Hallelu Yah!" Thirteen times this Hebrew word is mentioned in Psalm 150. Thirteen times the psalmist calls us to "Praise (Hallelu) the Lord (Yah)!"

"Hallelu Yah! Praise the Lord!" Our praise and our thanksgiving is to be brought only to the LORD; to the eternal Creator and Sustainer of everything that exists.   We praise the God of Israel, the one and only God,  Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

"Hallelu Yah! Praise the Lord!" This is the reason why we belong to the people of God and go to Church! This is the reason why we sing, why we pray, why we gather to worship the Lord: to praise him, to exalt his holy Name.

"Hallelu Yah! Praise the Lord!" This is your purpose while we are alive on earth. This is the purpose of everyone in heaven. All things, all persons, all creatures exist for one purpose and only one purpose – to "Praise the Lord".

WHERE is this to be done? Ps 150:1 tells us

“Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.”

We are told our praise is to be in the "sanctuary – God’s chosen meeting place with us." In the Old Testament this place was the temple. In the New Testament the focus is no longer on a building or a place,  it is on a people. God is to be praised, where his people meet and where Christ’s body constitutes! We are to praise him where his church gathers for worship.

WHY are we to "Praise the Lord"? Why say "Hallelu Yah!" to Him? Verse 2 answers this question:

(Ps 150:2) Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

The psalmist has a number of "his acts of power." in mind. He thinks of God's mighty acts of creation – out of nothing making heaven and earth. Secondly, when he thinks of God's "acts of power" he thinks of God's continuing care for all that he has made. As New Testament believers, the bloody cross and empty grave of Christ is why we praise the Lord. When we think of God's mighty acts of salvation, we cannot help but say "Hallelu Yah! Praise the Lord!"

Secondly we are told that we praise God for "his acts of power," and for His "surpassing greatness." We praise God not only for what he does but also for who he is. We offer praise to our almighty and gracious God.

HOW are we to "Praise the Lord!"? Verses 3-5 give us an answer:

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,   the harp and lyre, tambourine and dancing, with the strings and flute, with the clash of cymbals.

If the psalmist was living today, we know he would add:

Praise him with the organ and piano,

praise him with the guitar and synthesizer,

praise him with the drums and keyboard,

praise him with all instruments and voices!

Do you praise the Lord? Do you praise him when his people meet to glorify him and give him thanks?  Do you praise him with every single breath that you breathe?

Trading comfort for intimacy! God's Awesome Trade – (6)

God's Awesome Trade – (6) series by Theo Groeneveld.

Trading comfort for intimacy!

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.   Daniel 6:10-11

Daniel traded comfort for intimacy.

He had political enemies who couldn't find any "dirt" to discredit him. So they flattered the king into making a decree that outlawed prayer to anyone but the king. The consequence was the lion's den.

Daniel learns about the decree:

- There is considerable risk (the lion's den)

- There is a lot to lose - his position, status and influence

- There is the voice of "reasonable compromise" ("You can just pray in your heart with the windows closed - there is no point in losing your position of influence, surely God doesn't want you to squander the position He has put you in. Just be strategic about this - don't rock the boat unnecessarily")

BUT intimacy with God is worth more to Daniel than comfort and he is willing to take the risk...

And so, "having learned" about the decree, he still prays three times a day and he still opens the windows and he still gives thanks. (I wouldn't even be giving thanks; I'd be pleading for tooth-proof skin!!!)

We know how the story ends... Daniel vindicated, enemies eliminated, King Darius humbled, and God glorified.

And some of us would consider this a small issue - it's merely Daniel's daily devotions, but it is a big issue for him - one he was willing to face lions for.

What have we traded daily intimacy with God for???

Busy-ness? The newspaper? TV? Facebook?

Maybe it's time to take a stand!

This world is not our home!

Philippians 3:20

²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the preceding verses Paul talked about those who set their mind on earthly things. Some say that most people are more focused on earthly things than on eternal things.

Even in the church we do not always have an eternal perspective on life. Even though we believe that we go to heaven when we die, our view of life may be the same as a non-Christian.

If we adopt a perspective that focuses on this life, we will become cynical and discouraged.

This earthly life will always come up short.  We need more than this life and our earthly citizenships can offer.

We need to know that this world is not our home!

Our citizenship is in heaven. (Philippians 3:20a)

Citizenship is a privilege, as it implies certain rights and privileges.  It also implies responsibilities.

The important question is whether our view of life, our focus and our expectations are in the first place determined by our earthly, or our heavenly citizenship.  

If the focus is on this life, becoming successful and chasing comfort and satisfaction, we will be disappointed. This view of life cannot carry us through our challenges.

As Christians, the hope of heaven defines our lives and our view of life on earth. We are citizens of heaven and we will spend eternity there. This idea excites us.

And as citizens of heaven we have the right to be called children of God, alive in Christ and protected and provided for by the Saviour whom we eagerly await to come and take care of us - now - and when he returns in glory!

The Leader's Prayer

The leaders prayer - Nehemiah’s prayer.    Nehemiah 1.

1. Prayer is essential to leadership. If your vision is so big that only God can accomplish it, then you obviously must pray. If prayer isn’t absolutely necessary to accomplish your vision, your goal isn’t big enough.

a). It appears that Nehemiah prayed for four months before he did anything. Later, when the work of rebuilding the walls actually begins, it only takes 52 days to finish the job. But that 52-day project had a four-month foundation of prayer.

b). Nehemiah took his pain and stress to God in prayer - and seemingly, was able to leave it there. Prayer will relieve your stress. You may be trying to relieve stress through entertainment, but all that does is divert your attention. Entertainment doesn’t give any solutions to stress. Prayer will give you strength; when you wait on the Lord in prayer, He will renew your strength (Isaiah 40:31).

2.  Nehemiah comes to God in humility.

And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.”

a.) I pray, Lord God of heaven: Humility begins by simply understanding there is a God enthroned in the heavens, and I am not Him!

b.) Please let Your ear be attentive: Humility also understands my complete dependence on God.

God will allow you to be fruitless to expose your need for total dependence.

c.) Confess the sins . . . which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned: Humility will also confess sin openly. Nehemiah plainly and simply confessed sin, without any attempt at excusing the sin.

d.) Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You: Humility identifies with the needy. Obviously, Nehemiah was a godly man; but he openly and passionately put himself with his father’s house, and prayed by using “we” instead of “they.”

3.  Nehemiah comes to God looking to God’s promises.

“Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand.”

a.) Remember: This is a powerful way to come to God, asking Him to remember His promises.

b.) If you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them: Nehemiah quoted a conditional promise. The condition was returning to God, and keeping his commandments. He really couldn’t know if the nation was keeping the commandments, but he knew that he was keeping them, and because he had identified himself with the nation in their sin the nation could also identify itself with Nehemiah in his godly fulfillment of these conditions.

4.  Nehemiah prays with a heart ready to do something.

“O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” For I was the king’s cupbearer.

Nehemiah concluded by asking God to bless him when he would soon speak to the king of Persia about the matter. Nehemiah was going to do something about the sorry state of Jerusalem’s walls and people, and he knows without God’s intervention, he can do nothing.

God's Awesome Trade – (5) series by Theo Groeneveld. What Jesus traded!

God's Awesome Trade – (5) series by Theo Groeneveld.

 What Jesus traded!

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--  even death on a cross!   Philippians2:5-8

We are called to trade things that don't last for things that have eternal significance. But this call does not happen in a vacuum. It comes in the wake of an exchange that Jesus made.

Jesus exchanged the glory of heaven for the agony of the cross to save us. It was the most biased trade that could ever happen - the Creator giving everything for His creatures who could give nothing in return.

Scholars suspect that Paul is quoting from an early Christian Hymn, which is why this passage is often printed in poetry format in our Bibles...

But let's look more closely:

- He gave up equality with God (This was His "right" to say "No!" when God the Father asked Him to go to the cross.)

- Although in nature God, He became a tiny baby in Mary's womb, He sacrificed power, knowledge, status. He limited Himself. John makes it clear that God created the world through Jesus, the Word (Logos). Imagine going from being the agent of Creation to being a creature! 

- He took the nature of a servant. From Heaven He went to Mary's womb, to the humble stable in Bethlehem, to being a fugitive in Egypt, to the dusty streets of Nazareth, to the everyday-ness of an itinerant preacher, to being swamped by the masses for healing and hated by the establishment for being controversial. He deserved better. He deserved recognition and respect. He spent 30 years preparing for a three year ministry. He spent 33 years in weakness for us.

- He went to the cross. We cannot even begin to imagine what that was like!!

In the light of what He traded for us - how sad it is that we balk at the slightest interruptions or minor sacrifices that He asks us to make!

TRUE CHRISTIAN OR IMPOSTOR?

Some people really like diamonds.  I also think diamonds are beautiful, but while I appreciate their beauty, I also think they are really overpriced. After all, they are only very expensive decorations.  Personally I am willing to settle for any pretty stone or imitation of a diamond that looks as beautiful. 

But while I (and probably a lot of guys out there) may be content with a decoration that looks a lot like a diamond, most ladies are not.  And they know the difference and they want the real thing.

The same applies to being a real Christian, or someone that only looks a lot like one.

And God wants the real thing. God receives “the real thing” into his household.  He receives those with real faith as expressed by real gratitude and true surrender to Christ as Lord and Saviour.

Paul writes in Colossians 1: 23: …continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.

To remain faithful to Christ, is proof that your relationship with God is the real thing! The standard of a true and authentic relationship with God, is our faithfulness.  We must never be moved from the hope given us in the Gospel, not under any circumstances.

There are some who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ and yet they have no compassion for others, no urge to pray for the lost and those in dire straits, no desire to worship God or have fellowship with other Christians. It is weird when a Christian do not want to do these things. If this is the case one certainly wants to ask:  Are you really a Christian, or are you a fake – an imposter!

Well, the reason why many people who call themselves "Christians" show no evidence of owning the critical characteristics of Christianity, is that they are not really Christians at all.

And hypocrisy is not attractive.  Impostors are quickly recognised, also by those outside God’s household, and their deception brings the people of God into disrepute!

True Christianity requires a life-transforming encounter with and complete surrender to God.

True Christianity is about a relationship with the living God. If Christ is living in you, there will be proof of it in the way you live and the way you serve the Lord and seek to obey him.

We do not know other people’s hearts.  We cannot judge any heart. But we can discern what kind of fruit a tree bears. Jesus said that you could tell what kind of tree you are looking at, by the fruit it bears. So when you see apples hanging on a tree, you conclude that you are looking at an apple tree. When you see no trace of Christian fruit in the life of a person, you conclude that perhaps he/she is not a Christian after all.

True Christians follow Jesus and true Christians worship Christ, the Lord. True Christians show how remarkable it is to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. True Christians love Jesus and they love his Church. They love being with other Christians.

True Christians cannot help to speak about Jesus and share him with those who are lost.

True Christians adore Jesus Christ. They follow him faithfully!

Is our Church music still biblical and spiritual?

True Worship is biblical and spiritual... 

John 4: 23-24  "Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration." (The Message Translation)

When you visit churches, you realise that most churches, especially “big” ones, place a lot of emphasis on worship through singing and that a common practice seemed to have developed to lead people to worship.  It consists first of all of songs of thanksgiving, followed by praise and finally worship. It seems that the extent of the success of this process is believed to be largely determined by the way the worship team leads them.  Is there still an expectation of a gracious touch of Gods Spirit left, with so much emphasis on the technique of musicians and the skill to engage emotionally with people?

It looks as if the “quality of the performance” of musicians and the worship group became more important than anything else.  To me the most worshipful experience still is where you can only see the words to be sung on a screen, (the worship group and band, or organist or pianist, not central, perhaps even behind the congregation). I find it much easier to focus on God, than in those congregations where the musician or the “band and singers” is the central focus point of the service (taking up a central position liturgically speaking, outdoing the Lord’s Table, the pulpit and the baptismal font in the “competition” for attention and focus.)

Where the worship groups are less prominent, and liturgical symbolism remains in place, you are not distracted by what the members of the team are wearing, how they play the instruments and how they express their own worship through their body language. Where you see less of the performance of the worship leaders, it is easier to see more of Christ.

Our heart's desire must be to lead God’s people to truly worship the Lord with the expectation that as we do this, as we engage in the pursuit of authenticity in worship, we will also become more motivated to surrender our lives to the Lord.

To worship while you engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth (reinforcing biblical teaching through lyrics); to worship out of our very being, our true selves, in adoration (focussing on God, rather on an entertaining performance of the worship group), we should seek God’s presence, also when we sing, through the Word and the Spirit, rather than through the emphasis on style, fashionable music trends and performance.

Here are some guidelines:

Through the work of the Holy Spirit, express love for the Father in Jesus Christ;

Pray to be delivered from the worldly distraction of “how well we perform musically” as first priority;

Seek to be humble and sincere in desiring to come into the presence of God and express that humility through the choice of music and style;

Test each song in terms of its content with the question: “Is the teaching biblical and Christ centred; 

Do not be distracted from the main purpose to worship God by zeal for my own preference of style, beat, sound, instruments or hymn book;

Mainly try to understand how through practice, style and choice of hymns and songs, we can remain authentic and inspire adoration, and only as an afterthought ask how we can produce great music too. 

Will you all ask the Lord with me to be delivered from selfish reasons why we love singing in church – reasons of self satisfaction and the need to be entertained, - and pray to serve him because we acknowledge our need to be renewed by his sovereign grace, when we come to church!

And pray that God will bless those who lead with a desire for his anointing and with true adoration of God in Jesus Christ our Saviour.

God's Awesome Trade, (4) by Theo. "We don't belong here!"

God's Awesome Trade - series by the Rev Theo Groeneveld, Emmanuel Presbyterian Church.

A Trader is a new kind of Missionary

- not defined by Geography -

but willing to apply the parable of the Good Samaritan  and to go and do likewise.

A Trader is intentional with their

 time, talent and skills.

They trade-in their pursuits for His pursuits.

They trade in time, money and comfort for a world that needs Christ.

And  now more:

We don’t belong here!

"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it."   John20:13-16

Whenever John uses the word John uses the word "World" in his gospel and his letters, he is almost always talking about a SYSTEM and not a physical place or location.

In his thinking, the "kosmos" is dominated by darkness, evil and Satan and is opposition to God.

Maybe today we would describe "kosmos" as rampant materialism. The folk at the Right Now Campaign have described "kosmos" as the "New American Dream" where "more", "mine" and "supersize" are the keywords.

The "kosmos" is a system - a system that places me and my pleasure at the centre.

In our passage Jesus is praying for us. He is talking to God and He indicates that He has lived  in the system and the system will soon crucify Him because He has not played by its rules. The system doesn't have room for those who do what God wants instead of "more", "mine" and "supersize."

Jesus wants us to be "IN" but not "OF" the world.

We are to be traders:

trading "more", "mine" and "supersize"

for "love", "serve" and "sacrifice."

It is a tough challenge - but Jesus has prayed (and continues to pray) for our protection.

Will you be a trader?

Love divine, all loves excelling

Love divine.

(Inspired by a hymn by Charles Wesley  -  1707 - 1788)

Love divine, all loves excelling,

joy of heaven, to earth come down.

Jesus, make in us your dwelling,

all your faithful mercies crown!

Christ, divine, with love excelling,  

for God’s peace and rest renowned.

Breathe, O breathe your loving Spirit

into every troubled mind!

Let us all in Christ inherit,

rest in God, our Saviour find!  

Loving Spirit, friendly Spirit,

every trembling heart unwind!

Come, Almighty, to deliver,

let us all your life receive;

to our Lord return and never,

nevermore your temple leave.

grateful praise you, boldly thank you,

tribute, praise and honour give.

Finish in us your creation:

pure and holy, free and new.

Let us see your great salvation:

graciously restored in you;

lost in wonder, praise and worship,

found in love, divine and true!

One of Charles Wesley’s most loved and well known hymns reworked to be a bit more contemporary and to be sung on the melody of “Glory be to God, the Father”.)  

God's awesome trade (3) - by Theo "Loss"

(Traders is a series by the Rev Theo Groeneveld 

of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in the east of Pretoria, South Africa).

A Trader is a new kind of Missionary

 - not defined by Geography -

but willing to apply the parable of the Good Samaritan  and to go and do likewise.

A Trader is intentional with their

 time, talent and skills.

They trade-in their pursuits for His pursuits.

They trade in time, money and comfort for a world that needs Christ.

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If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all

things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ   Philippians3:4-8

Paul was a trader!

He traded all the earthly milestones and monuments (genealogy, education, achievement and position) for the awesome privilege of having, knowing and gaining Christ.

Many people have spoken and written about the Greek word for "rubbish" that Paul uses in v.8. According to my Greek Dictionary, the word means "dung", "smelly garbage", "excrement" and implies "contemptuous rejection."

But I am interested in the other word, the noun "loss" ('zemeian'), that Paul repeats twice in this passage. The same word also appears as a verb

("lost") in v.8. The noun form of this word also appears in Acts 27 in connection with the shipwreck that Paul is in on the way to Rome. In the account Paul assures the captain and the crew that the ship and cargo will suffer loss, but that all lives will be spared.

In Afrikaans we talk about "aardse goed" (earthly things) when we have a break-in or accident or some other disaster. We remind ourselves that our "stuff" is temporary and temporal. What matters is people and what matters is our character and our soul.

Paul trades in THAT WHICH HE CANNOT KEEP, for THAT WHICH HE CANNOT LOSE.

Paul would rather have Christ, know Christ and gain Christ.

Are we hanging onto stuff and hubris when we should consider them as "loss" and "rubbish" in the light of Christ???

God's Awesome Trade (2) - series by the Rev Theo Groeneveld.

God's Awesome Trade - series by the Rev Theo Groeneveld.

Firstly,

A Trader is a new kind of Missionary

 - not defined by Geography -

but willing to apply the parable of the Good Samaritan  and to go and do likewise.

A Trader is intentional with their

 time, talent and skills.

They trade-in their pursuits for His pursuits.

They trade in time, money and comfort for a world that needs Christ.

En now:

Know that life is a gift;  or trade the things you cannot keep, for the things you cannot lose!

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of

the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.    James1:17

Traders know that life is a gift.

They don't hold on to life too tightly.

They understand that ownership is over-rated and over-reaching.

I had a friend who said this about owning land: "How bizarre it is to think that we can own a piece of God's earth!" We think we buy things that we can possess with money we have earned from our work. But where did the talent, health, ability and oxygen that we breathed while we worked come from?

Traders understand that all we are is a gift from God, that all the opportunities that we have come from Him,  that all the good circumstances that we experience are from Him.

Even our ability to praise God comes from the music, poetry and revelation that He gives us!

Life is a gift.  We can't claim it as ours and it is bizarre to hang on too tightly.

When we go through life with an attitude of giftedness, when we develop an attitude of gratitude, it becomes easier to SHARE.

Someone (I can't remember who) told a story of taking some rice to a very poor family in a very poor area. He was taken aback when the mother of the home grabbed the rice and then ran out of the shack. As he was about to leave in disgust, she returned and thanked him for the gift. He asked her where she had rushed off to and she answered that two of her neighbours were also struggling to feed their families and so she had divided her rice into three and shared with them.

God's generosity in giving us life, breath, opportunity and then His Son and His Spirit should inspire us to trade the things we cannot keep, for things we cannot lose.

Be grateful under all circumstances!

This photo shows some of the food that our members yesterday brought to church for a feeding scheme of a less privileged congregation.  It was our Harvest Thanksgiving service.

Psalm 100 says, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; enter his gates with thanksgiving!” To worship the Lord with joyful thanksgiving is something we choose to do. And the reason we choose to do so, says the Psalm is, “The Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”

We are not merely grateful in general. We are grateful to someone: to our God.

But some of us are going through tough times, and then the reason for our thankfulness is not so obvious. Yet, even if we don’t have what someone else has, we still have enough for a joyful, thanksgiving life, because the truth that God has made us means that God values us and takes care of us.  This is the main reason for our gratefulness and gladness.

Whatever makes us suffer or is our problem, we are not trapped in it.  We are going through it, yet, we are not facing it on our own. God is with us. We do not lack anything!

When we respond to God’s gracious, caring love with thanksgiving and joy, a renewed relationship with him grows and prospers and we will hear the encouraging words from Jesus:  “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17: 11-19

Faith in Christ as revealed by a grateful heart will change our relationship with God.  Eternal salvation has an immediate component.  Salvation right-now means that, because we are gratefully open to God’s love and help in our lives, we will be able to handle whatever life sends our way.

And for God’s help, we are grateful.  God values us, provides for us and keeps us going. 

Even in depressing circumstances.  

SCOTTISH FAIR, Centurion, South Africa - 27 OCTOBER 2012

http://www.centurionwest.co.za/Scottishfair3.pdf

For exciting information about the Scottish Fair, please click on the link above.

27 October 2012, from 09:00 - 16:00.

Scottish bands and dancers!

Flea Market   various  stalls

Snacks / Food stalls

Braai Tent and Café

Kiddies activities and family fun

Raffle’s and BIG prizes!

Would you like to have your own stall?

Email: info@centurionwest.co.za 

God's Awesome Trade (1) - by Theo Groeneveld.

New Devotional series.

With his permission, I am going to use for our Wednesday Devotions a series written and published by the Rev Theo Groeneveld of the Emmanuel Presbyterian Church (http://emmanuel.org.za/). in the east of Pretoria.  The series touched my heart and I pray that it will touch yours as well.

God's Awesome Trade  - By Theo Groeneveld.

This series of devotions is a concept I was exposed to at the "Right Now Campaign" (www.rightnow.org) and involves being a TRADER.

Here's a working definition:

A Trader is a new kind of Missionary

 - not defined by Geography -

but willing to apply the parable of the Good Samaritan  and to go and do likewise.

A Trader is intentional with their

 time, talent and skills.

They trade-in their pursuits for His pursuits.

They trade in time, money and comfort for a world that needs Christ.

Hope you are stimulated by the series!

..........................................................................................

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again...

21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might

become the righteousness of God.   2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Why should I be a TRADER?

Why should I trade my time, talent and skills for His purpose rather than my own?

BECAUSE God did an even bigger trade!

- The Sinless One - the Son of God - took on our sin and gave us His righteousness.

- One Person - God's own Son - died (effectively again and again and again) for each of us.

- He died our death so that we could live for Him. He made a life that we did not have before, available for us!

Before this trade, we were only able to live for ourselves: Selfish, Materialistic, Temporary.

Now, because of the trade He made, we can TRADE the things that will not last for things that will last forever.

I want to be a TRADER!

Jesus is the only Way

(John 14:6) "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Jesus tells us here that there is only one path that leads to God. All paths do not lead to God and heaven. Only one path does. And that path is Jesus. 

All that we need is Jesus. 

What does Jesus have in mind when he says he is the only Way? The Way is not a following of traditions or the learning of teachings about Jesus. This is not what Jesus said. The Way is Jesus himself.

The Way is a Person. The Way is to follow Jesus day by day. To follow the Way, you need to love the Lord Jesus with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. The Way is to live for Jesus in everything we do. The Way is to obey the Great Commission: To go and share the Good News of Jesus Christ, the only Way, with the rest of the world. 

Jesus is the Way to the Father. He is the Way to the Father's house where he is preparing a room for us (John 14:2).

Because of his death and resurrection, Jesus is the Way of Salvation.

Through loving him, living for him and obeying him, we journey on the Way of salvation until we come home to his Father’s house.

Jesus is the Way, because he died for our sins and rose again to grant us everlasting life.

When we say “church” we talk about people

We need to understand that the Church of Christ is all about relationships. Everyone knows that the Church is not bricks and mortar, buildings and structures, laws and traditions.  When we say “church” we talk about people. 

The New Testament word for Church means "the called out ones."  The Church is made up of Christians. The Church is all of us who love the Lord and love his work. In the Church, we are related to one another based on our love for the Lord.

It is a relationship based on an understanding of who we are in relation to each other.

Rom 12: 3: For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

There always is a danger to think of ourselves more highly than we ought and there is also the danger of not thinking of ourselves as highly as we ought.  Our opinion of ourselves ought not to be too high or too low. It ought to be an opinion based on what God has done in our lives and on what God’s calling means in our lives.  We need to desire for our lives what God’s idea is for us and what place and role God has given us in his work.

We think too much of ourselves when we assume that we received a gifting that we do not have, or believe we should play a role that God has not given to us.   On the other hand if we think too little of ourselves and if we do not recognise the gift of God in us,  we do not serve according to Gods calling and equipping of us. 

All our spiritual gifts and talents are necessary and important for God’s work. And we are responsible to each other and we are accountable to each other to get the work done. We need each other to accomplish what the Lord intended for us personally and communally.  When we are lazy in the work God gave us, the serving of one another suffers. We have to exercise our gift that God has given us.  This is how God wants to make a congregation strong.

Let’s build each other up in faith, in love and in enthusiasm. Let’s serve the Lord joyfully in his Church community!

Arise and Shine

(Is 60:1) "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

This means at least three things.

Firstly, we should be people living outside the darkness of sin. We cannot live the same lives as the children of darkness.

Eph 5: 8 -12: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. “

So, secondly, it means that as we are in the light, we should live as children of light. Our lives should be full of the fruit of the light: goodness, righteousness, and truth.

Thirdly, the light of Jesus should be evident in our lives. People should be able to look at us and see the light of Christ in us. This is how Isaiah puts it:

(Is 60:3) “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

For those who do not know Jesus Christ our lives must show that we own something important that they do not have. They must see the glorious light of God’s presence in Christ in our lives, become curious and become willing “to come to our light”.   Even kings, leaders, yes, people with influence and authority will come to the “brightness of our dawn”. Because we carry in us the light that Jesus brought into the world.

This is the thing:  reflect the light of Christ and show others the way to God and to heaven, because you carry the Light of the world wherever you go! 

Arise and Shine!