Is it with a kiss that we are betraying Jesus?

Luke 22:47-48: While Jesus was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him; but Jesus said to him, "Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?"

From where we are in the history of the church, it's easy to condemn Judas. Few people in history have been loathed more, and certainly Christians in New Testament times - and now, have good reason for doing so. After all, using a sign of respect for your teacher to betray him, is the utmost deed of malicious treachery. It was the custom that a student would greet his teacher with a kiss in Biblical times – to show respect and to show submission. It would be similar to the kiss of a son given to a father today!

Yet, by heaping still more shame on Judas than the church did over centuries, may con us into overlooking the chance to confront the Judas that remains in us as well.
What about our own mixed messages to Jesus?

How many times do we Christian people, who respectfully confess Jesus as Saviour and Lord, betray him? No, not visibly and literally - but in our hearts and in the intentions of our actions?

How many times did we reverently confess Jesus as Lord, yet we are continuously reinforcing ourselves as the real lord of our lives?

How many times have we worshiped Jesus, saying and singing that we are in awe of his sacrifice - with our mouths - not with a kiss but with words, only to again abandon him in our souls and in our works?

Do we not also betray the Saviour with a kiss? Outwardly respectful, reverent, pious and in awe - yet in reality crucifying him with our selfishness and our deceit, because inwardly we are more often renegades rather than champions of his Kingdom.

Yes, I know we all want to be devoted to Jesus. But as we reflect on the kiss of Judas – do we not detect a prowling Judas in our hearts, tempting us to stab Jesus and his cause in the back when it serves our personal agendas?

A spirit of dissention, a word of doubt, a slackness when passion is required and a silly excuse when we should be broken up by remorse - yes – I have to admit, I too can betray my Saviour, my Lord – with a kiss!

“O Lord, as much as I hate to confess it, there is a bit of Judas in me. Forgive me for the times when I pledged allegiance to you, made promises to you, (even in church with the congregation as witnesses) only to discard you in the way that I live.
Help me to see where my message to you is a mixed one, where worship and praise and betrayal and deceit live in the very same heart. Deliver me oh Lord, for what I do, is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing!
What a wretched person I am! Rescue me from this body of death, through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen."

Jesus on the Mount of Olives!

"Father ... take this cup from me," prayed Jesus in Gethsemane.

We see Jesus struggling with the will of God, because Jesus feared the wrath of God as a result of the sin of mankind. He wished to avoid the path of suffering, to escape the cup of wrath. Scripture tells us about the anguish and pain of the struggle: "his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." It's only human to fear God’s anger and judgment. Who among us, if healthy, welcomes suffering? Don't forget, Jesus was (and is) human just like you and me. And, in every healthy person exists the urge to continue life and to avoid death. Jesus also wanted to live, he didn’t want to suffer, he feared the terror of an Almighty God’s wrath and punishment for our sins.

What did Jesus do as he struggled with the will of God? Jesus prayed alone and he prayed on his knees - with humility and obedience: (Lk 22:42) "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

Jesus prayed that God's will be changed and he prayed that God's will be done.
But after struggling with God in prayer, he was ready to enter upon the road to the cross and to follow it to the bitter end. After fighting fear and anguish in prayer, he actively accepted the will of God and decided to willingly drink the cup of God's wrath. Why? Why? Why would he have done this? Why would this have been God's will for him?

It's for us! Jesus willingly drank the cup of God’s wrath for us. He drank it in our place. It should have been us drinking from God's awful cup. Instead, it was Jesus who drained it to the dregs.

Oh what a blessing – never to fear the anger and judgement of a holy God again!

“Lord Jesus, we can face a new week knowing that on our knees, when we humbly seek your will, your strength will be our strength, because you drank the cup of judgement to make us righteous in your Father’s sight. Your loving, merciful will be done, your glorious kingdom come – also in my life!”

Song: Only Jesus can...

ONLY JESUS CAN!
I cannot save myself o God,
- no one can, my Lord!
There is no one, to take away
all my guilt, unrighteousness!
Just Jesus can,
can achieve God’s gospel plan.
Yes, Jesus can,
o holy God,
only Jesus can!

A Saviour pure, I need, o God,
- sinless man and God,
to carry all my punishment,
satisfy your will, your wrath!
Pure Jesus can,
sinless Christ, the Son of man.
Lord Jesus can,
the Son of God,
only Jesus can!


Lyrics by Andries - Copy Right, publication; Sung to the music of I WORSHIP YOU, ALMIGHTY GOD. Songs of Fellowship 282
Based on these Scriptures:
Ex 20: 5 and 23: 7 I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. 23: 7 I will not acquit the guilty.

Rom: 3 – 4 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

1 Cor 15: 21 – 22 and 25 – 26 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

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.

Today is Ash Wednesday!

Today is Ash Wednesday!
A Christian Holy Day, although not a traditional “holiday”.

For at least 1 300 years Christians gather on this otherwise unremarkable Wednesday, to remember that:

· They are mortal and therefore have to contemplate eternity.

· If we are Christians, we also remember that we have “died for sin”, meaning that we died with Christ in order to become new people that follow Jesus and seek God’s will.

· And when we ponder all of this, we know that we are guilty of allowing the old, disobedient person to surface much too often and therefore we wish to repent, longing for forgiveness.

It all started with a tradition that developed during the 2nd century to baptize new converts to Christianity on Easter Sunday.
Christians then, as we should still do, took Paul’s teaching very seriously, that a new “me” is “resurrected” when through baptism I am ordained into Christ’s priesthood, to become a praying, serving child of God, sacrificing my whole life to his service.

Converts were prepared for the new baptized life for 40 days (excluding Sunday’s). During this time spiritual discipline was, with teaching, an important ingredient of this preparation, that started on a Wednesday. This 40 days became known as “Lent”. And so our Christian fathers thought that if we on Easter Sunday will celebrate that we rose with Christ into a new life, we should also be reminded that the old sinful “me” has died with Christ. Remembering all of this culminates on Good Friday, when we remember that Jesus died – and even Still Saturday, that Jesus was dead, in the tomb. But it starts on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, the season to remember Christ’s suffering and death, contemplating our death, our sins, our need to repent and our expectation to be raised to a new Easter Life in Jesus our Saviour!

On Ash Wednesday baptized Christians remember that we died with Christ. We remember that the old, lost, impure and ungodly person has died. And in faith, through prayer, fasting, contemplation and learning, seek the new life in Christ more fervently and focused than before. This is why Ash Wednesday prepares us for a time of humble repentance for our own sins, and for that of our congregation, our leaders, our denomination, our country.... As such it becomes a time of reconciliation – with God, our neighbour, our family, friends, children... It is a time to make peace with God, man, ourselves and our environment. We receive this peace in Christ Jesus, who suffered and died to set us free.

It is a season to listen carefully to what God says to us about our lives and to look carefully to the needs of those to whom we should be a neighbour!

On Ash Wednesday we get into the frame of mind, into the right attitude, to desire the death of sinful life and the resurrection of God glorifying life! On Ash Wednesday, at the Table of our Lord, we see and taste that God is good in that One died for all, that we may live for Him! On Ash Wednesday many Christians will also wish to “give up something for Lent”, in order to encourage the discipline that will lead to a closer walk with Christ, repentance and to desire the fullness of Christ’s resurrected life!

Join us tonight at Centurion West Presbyterian Church at 19:00 (7pm) for our annual Ash Wednesday Communion Service. We put more emphasis on music this year – worshipful, repenting songs and hymns, than in the past. It is music to touch the soul, that encourages the desire to know with certainty that it is well, truly well, with my soul!!

2 Cor 7:10: Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Ash Wednesday starts the “fasting” of Lent on the right foot: we realise how badly we need God, yes, how hungry and thirsty we are for Jesus, our Saviour!

O SACRED HEAD... (Paul Gerhardt, 1607 – 1676.)
O sacred head, sore wounded, defiled and put to scorn;
O kingly head, surrounded, with mocking crown of thorn:
What sorrow ruins your grandeur? Can death thy bloom deflower?
O countenance whose splendour, the hosts of heaven adore!

In thy most bitter passion my heart to share does cry,
With thee for my salvation upon a cross to die.
Ah, keep my heart thus moved to stand thy cross beneath,
To mourn thee, well beloved, yet thank thee for thy death.

What language shall I borrow to thank thee, dearest friend,
For this thy dying sorrow, thy pity without end?
Oh, make me thine forever! And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never, outlive my love for thee!

Nothing is more important than my relationship with Jesus!

Nothing, absolutely nothing, is more important than knowing Jesus, listening to him and submitting to his will for my life.
There is only one important thing in life, and that is having a personal love relationship with Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.

Absolutely nothing else can even be compared to this. A productive career or booming business, a new car, an immaculate house, happy guests after a brilliant dinner party, a relaxing vacation, invigorating exercise, a winning cricket season, a handsome boyfriend or beautiful girlfriend, high marks – or even a fulfilling vocation in church life – all of these are not even comparable to and are much less important than Christ himself.

Remember what Jesus said? "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" (Mt 16:26). Only Jesus is the pure and sinless, both human and divine, Mediator between me and God. Only Jesus can save me!

Therefore, be blessed when you spend enough time getting to know Jesus better and to listen to his voice. If we do, we have chosen what is better. If we do, we have chosen the best!

At our Ash Wednesday Service, this week at 19:00 on Wednesday, we will listen to a song that says:
I cannot save myself o God,
- no one can, my Lord!
There is no one, to take away
all my guilt, unrighteousness!
Just Jesus can,
can achieve God’s gospel plan.
Yes, Jesus can,
o holy God,
only Jesus can!

O Glorious Father - a song!

O Glorious Father!

O glorious Father, O glorious Son,
you gave us your Spirit, and he made us one!
Creator and Ruler, who wants us to be
in Jesus one body, your own family!
Chorus:
Jesus reigns, we are one,
we are one in the Lord!
And redeemed, yes we’re saved,
and we trust in God’s Word!
We worship and praise the Almighty today,
who made us his people to serve and to pray.

O glorious Saviour, O glorious Lord,
break down ev’ry barrier, destroy ev’ry sword.
Make all of Gods children one body to be,
that all through our loving your mercy may see.
Chorus:
Jesus reigns, we are one,
we are one in the Lord!
And redeemed, yes we’re saved,
and we trust in God’s Word!
We worship and praise the Almighty today,
who made us his people to serve and to pray.

O glorious Ruler, o glorious God,
Lord, summon your justice, make valid your Word.
In Jesus we hear and obey what God said:
Preach freedom for all, as my Spirit has led!
Chorus:
Jesus reigns, we are one,
we are one in the Lord!
And redeemed, yes we’re saved,
and we trust in God’s Word!
We worship and praise the Almighty today,
who made us his people to serve and to pray.

Sung to the music of: To God be the glory, great things he has done… (SOF 559)

Jesus: Cosmic King and Head of the Church

From the very beginning of his ministry on earth, Jesus preached (Matt 4: 17) "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." After Jesus conquered death, sin, the grave, our weak nature and our fierce enemy, Jesus was given all authority in heaven and on earth, both as our cosmic King and as the Head of the Church. And he remains with us, always.

The command of King Jesus is that we should (Matt 6:33) “first seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness” and all the things that we worry about and need, will be given to us in his grace, under his authority and through his power.

Seeking, proclaiming - and submitting to - the Kingship of Jesus refer, amongst other things, to:

A change in one’s allegiance. If Christ is the King, he deserves our honour, loyalty, and obedience. We submit to his authority and power.

A change in one’s expectations. Jesus made extraordinary promises with regard to his kingdom. The kingdom may not yet be fulfilled completely, but it has been established and will last forever.

A change in one’s values. The values of Christ’s kingdom reflect what matters to the King.

A change in one’s priorities. Jesus challenged his followers to bring the values of his kingdom into their day-to-day lives. “Seeking first the kingdom” puts Christ’s perspective on all one’s works and its outcomes.

A change in one’s lifelong mission. Jesus affects the outlook of a person’s life. He gives us purpose and a mission, promoting kingdom values in every aspect of life, extending his message to the ends of the earth, providing to all the opportunity to give their allegiance to Jesus as their Saviour and King.

Be blessed when you, as the highest priority in your life, seek the Kingdom of God, submitting to King Jesus, and when everything you need is given to you by our gracious Sovereign, our eternal Saviour.

God's choices are the best for you

Do you ever wish you were somebody else? Have you ever wished to handle a ball like a Protea or a Springbok, or make a speech in the way a professional does, or play the organ and piano as well as René (our organist / pianist) does? (I know I would love to be able to play that well!) Do you feel as if you received the short end of the stick when it comes to gifts and talents? If so, take heart - God has good news for you.

The Corinthian church was made up of various peoples. In addition to that, God gave each of the Christians in this church a variety of special gifts – Spiritual gifts. The purpose of the gifts was to help others in the church develop to full maturity in Christ and to grow the congregation to its full potential. But instead of using the various gifts as God intended them to be used, the Corinthians argued about who’s Spiritual gift was the most important or gave the person who received the gift, the highest status in the congregation. This is why Paul wrote to them in 1 Corinthians 12:18: But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be.

God gave each church member in Corinth exactly what he wanted them to have, but some failed to use the gift given to them, while they were envious of the role someone else had in God's work.

It still happens in the church today. We seem to forget that if God called and equipped us to serve him in a certain way or capacity, that task is the most important that we can ever do. If we try to fulfil someone else’s role in the church and neglect our own, we are bound to fail twice – firstly in our own calling and secondly in the calling we are not called to do and therefore cannot expect the Lord’s blessing on that work or the gifts of the Spirit to do it.

Has God gifted you in a certain manner? The only way that you can have true joy in the Lord’s work, is to allow God to get from you, what he had placed in you. The Lord has tailor made a gift and role for you in his work. It is his choice for you, and God's choices are always the right choices. Do not fail twice by desiring someone else's gifts and role; take pleasure in your own, fulfil your commission and serve the Master in the way and for the purpose he called you. Your work for the Lord will be blessed and you will be fulfilled as you live and work according to his divine will.

Prayer: Help me, Father, to recognize the gifts and calling you gave me in order to serve other Christians and your church well. Do not allow me to desire what others are called to do for you, but instead make me diligent in serving your Kingdom faithfully according to your will for my life.

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord

Ps 103:2-3: Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases ...

I am afraid that we, Christians, can get so used to the treasures of forgiveness and healing that we forget to give thanks. We become so accustomed to redemption, salvation, renewal, forgiveness, healing and miracles, that it no longer stirs us, moves us, or excites us. We become able to express a firm belief that we have been forgiven, and healed, without being in awe of Gods grace.

God wants praise and thanksgiving from us who have been given salvation, the greatest of all possible gifts. In fact, to neglect the response of thanksgiving, is to steal from God of the glory due to him for his healing, deliverance and saving mercies.

It is true that God does not need our praise and thanksgiving - but he does want it.

May you be blessed when you in song, prayer and worship, and more importantly through a life committed to Gods service, only seek the glory of God. When you truthfully with the Psalmist say to the Lord :

Praise the LORD who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Ps 103: 4,5)

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Amen.

A Creed that rhymes

O Father, God, Creator!




O Father, God, Creator, Provider and our trust!
You gave your Son, Lord Jesus, your Christ who made us just.
He is our dear Redeemer, who gave his life, his blood:
Magnificently Conqueror, our Saviour from the flood!

O Jesus, Lord, who loves us, and teaches us each day,
who graciously redeemed us, and in who’s Name we pray.
Send us your Holy Spirit, and bless us with his power,
to unify - and help us - in ev’ry testing hour.

O Spirit, great and holy, conform us to God’s will,
Yes, sanctify and seal us, to feast with you until
our glorious LORD is honoured by every friend and foe,
and we, believing, worship: God’s ceaseless splendour know!

Lyrics by Andries
To the music of "The Church's one Foundation"

The Lord's Table for Sinners

Christians should regularly celebrate the Lord's Supper. We must always prepare ourselves for the Lord's Table. Before we go to the Lord's Table, we must come to the point where we say, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

In Luke 18, when Christ looked at some worshippers in the temple, he saw that some relied for their salvation on their own righteousness, on their own works and on their moral purity, rather than on the mercy of God. (Luke 18:9) To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable.

To destroy this wicked self-confidence, Jesus told them the story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. (Luke 18: 10 – 13): "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'”

They are part of a crowd of worshippers. But before they or any of the worshippers can pray, a lamb is first offered on the altar as an atoning sacrifice for sins and incense is sent up to heaven.

Jesus draws our attention to a Pharisee. The Pharisee not only acts like he is better than all other men, but he also says he is better than all other men. Here is a man who prides himself on his more than perfect life. He congratulates himself. He also condemns a nearby tax collector. This man is convinced he is a notch above all other men. He believes he has made himself right in God's eyes. This Pharisee has no awareness of sin; he sees no need for repentance; he doesn't think he needs grace. The Pharisee says and does all of this right after a lamb has been slaughtered, cut up, and sacrificed on the altar in order to atone for the sins of the people. He is saying, then, that the atoning sacrifice is not for him because he doesn't need it.

In Jesus' parable a tax collector also went into the temple to pray. Scripture tells us he stands "at a distance." He stands apart, because he does not think he is worthy to stand before God or with God's people.

The words of his prayer indicate his sorrow. The man prayed, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." A lamb had just been slaughtered, cut up, and sacrificed to make atonement for the sins of the people. Incense is burning and prayers are being offered up to God. "I am a sinner," says the tax collector, "and I need this lamb's atoning sacrifice."
He prays this not because he is a law-abiding man, but because a lamb has been sacrificed for his sins and he therefore begs forgiveness.

Jesus has a hard-hitting conclusion. "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God." The Pharisee was wasting his time and breath in the temple. This good man with nothing to confess returned home unjustified in God's sight. Ironic that his trip to the temple made him more in need of the atoning sacrifice than ever before.

The tax collector went home right with God and justified in God's sight. He approached God with a broken heart. He approached God as an unworthy sinner. He approached God not trusting in himself but in the grace of God, because he saw the atoning sacrifice of a lamb. And he went home justified.

When we receive the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper in church, we will see represented before us, in the bread and the wine, the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Will we go dressed up with our own righteousness, or will we be clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ? Will we go because we think we are good enough, or will we come because we need forgiveness?

If you come to the Lord's Table with even a hint of the Pharisee’s self earned goodness, you will leave the Table empty and will go home unjustified.

No, come to God realizing and confessing your sin. Come to God confessing your need for the Saviour. Come to God confessing your need for the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, and, by the grace of God and through the work of his Holy Spirit, you will leave loved, forgiven, cleansed – yes even justified before God.

Christian fellowship is important

During winter heavy snow falls hit groves of tall, young trees along a high way. The branches were bowed down with the heavy snow - so low that branches from one tree were often leaning against the trunk or branches of another.
Where trees stood alone, however, the effect of the snow was different. The branches had become heavier and heavier, and since there were no other trees to lean against, the branches snapped. They lay on the ground, dead and alone in the cold snow.

Remember Paul. He never travelled alone. He had problems with John Mark. He had an argument with Barnabas. He could have said, "Forget this community stuff. From now on I'm travelling alone. It is easier that way."
But no! He always took someone with him. He needed Christian community to be faithful to his calling. If anyone could have been working in isolation from other Christians, it was Paul. But he knew better.

And in every town and city in which Paul gained converts for the Lord, he established a community of believers.

In John 17: 20 - 23 Jesus prayed for all the believers of all ages. He prayed that we will always remain safe, and efficient in our calling, because we experience community with Jesus and his followers. Jesus said: “I pray for those who will believe in me through the message of my disciples, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

May you be blessed as you serve God in fellowship with Jesus and his friends. May the branches of your “minis-tree” lean against the branches of another’s, that they may never snap - and die alone…

Why must we be obedient to God?

We do not seek obedience to God in order to earn salvation, or to earn entry into heaven. Every believer in Jesus as Saviour is assured of salvation from hell and is eternally secure, since that salvation is based solely upon the once and for all, finished work of Jesus Christ.

We read in John 10: 28,29: "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

The Bible does not teach that we must seek, gain or keep eternal salvation by godly living. The Scriptures, however, do present several motivations for obedience in our walk with God and with his Son.

1. Gratitude:A powerful motivation for living the obedient Christian life, is gratitude to God for saving us by his grace. We read in 2 Cor. 5:14,15: Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 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.

2. God blesses obedience.
True Christians should also be motivated by the knowledge that their heavenly Father both blesses obedience and disciplines disobedience in his children

We read in Heb. 12 :3 - 6 and 11: Consider him (Jesus) who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

3. God holds us accountable for our choices – particularly when we are saved.

Every Christian must on the Day of the Lord stand before the judgment seat of Christ, not to determine his destiny in heaven or hell, but to assess the quality of his Christian life on earth and his grateful obedience to God.

We read in 2 Cor. 5:10: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Anticipating either reward or loss of reward at the judgment seat should also motivate believers to perseverance and to faithfulness to God's revealed will:
I Cor. 3:12-15 If any man builds on this foundation (Jesus and salvation in him), using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day (of Christ) will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

May our perseverance in faithfully seeking God’s will in everything we do, because we show grateful love as people saved only by grace through faith, produce righteous, fruitful lives that are filled with the peace of God.

True Christians

Look into your heart. What do you see there? Do you see a true Christian or someone who only “plays church”?

So what do we look for in the life of the true Christian? What do you look for in your heart? What it boils down to is that the true Christian hears Jesus and obeys him, whereas those who are not sincere and authentic in their faith relationship with our Lord, hears Jesus but does not obey him. Listen to what Jesus says:

(Lk 6:47) "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" Do you see where Jesus puts the emphasis? True believers are those who hear Jesus, who call him Lord, and who do what he says.

When you look into you heart, do you see a spirit of obedience? Do you see faith working itself out in love? Do you see the salvation that God has worked within you being worked out in your life? Do you see the fruit and gifts of the Spirit? Do you see an eagerness to obey God and love God and serve God?

Jesus is not teaching a sinless perfection. Nor is he teaching a justification by good works. Rather, he is teaching a faith that makes every effort to show itself in all of life, that claims all of life for the Lord and wants to turn everything in their existence over to the control of King Jesus.

May you be blessed when you look deeply, carefully at yourself and see someone who in faith builds his or her whole life on Jesus Christ...

Be filled with the Spirit!

When we are saved, the Holy Spirit gives to every believer one or more gifts. They are God-given abilities for service in his church and kingdom. He gives these gifts as he chooses. 1 Cor. 12:11: “All the gifts are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given for worship and for service. Any list of these gifts found in the New Testament demonstrates the diversity of capabilities distributed among believers by God through his Spirit. The purpose of the gifts of the Spirit is to better exalt the loving Giver, our Lord, and they emphasize service to the community of believers. The list that follows is not complete, yet summarises what we emphasise when we seek God’s purpose for our lives. It has been put together by studying the following Bible passages, written to reveal to us the various gifts that Christians receive: Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:8-10, 28-30; Eph. 4:11; 1 Pet. 4:10,11.

Do you know that you received one or more of the following gifts? If you do not realise it yet, we want to help you this year to understand and be excited about the gift/s that God has given you through his Spirit.

1. Apostolic gift: Those who are sent by God with the ability to proclaim the gospel and plant churches amongst unbelievers (Eph. 4:11).

2. Prophecy: To receive revelation from God and share it with others. Mostly it is the ability to interpret God’s revelation in the Bible and proclaim its vital and convincing truth. (Eph. 4:11; Rom 12:6).

3. Evangelism: To present the gospel with clarity to the unsaved so that they respond with saving faith (Eph. 4:11; 2 Tim. 4:5).

4. Pastoring: To provide spiritual leadership, nurture, healing and protection for God’s people in the church (Eph. 4:11).

5. Teaching: To explain and apply God’s truths. (Rom. 12:7; 1 Cor. 12:28,30).

6. Knowledge: To understand and arrange the message which God has revealed in his Word (1 Cor. 12:8).

7. Wisdom: To apply the insights of divine knowledge to specific situations (1 Cor. 12:8).

8. Exhortation: To draw close to someone in time of need, with prayer, counsel and encouragement, directing change in their lives (Rom. 12:8).

9. Serving: To perform with joy any task in such a way that it encourages and helps the believers. (Rom. 12:7).

10. Helps: To bring support and assistance to relieve a pressing burden in someone’s life. (1 Cor. 12:28).

11. Showing Mercy: To show practical love to relieve the suffering of the deprived, i.e. the sick and the aged. (Rom. 12:8).

12. Giving: To joyfully and generously share one’s material resources without selfish motives. (Rom. 12:8).

13. Leadership: To direct a work or church for the Lord (Rom. 12:8).

14. Organization: To give vision and direction toward the accomplishment of goals ( 1 Cor. 12:28).

15. Hospitality: To receive strangers and friends, making them welcome and edified. (Rom. 12:13; Titus 1:8; 1 Tim. 3:2).

16. Faith: To trust God for the supply of needs, even when it seems impossible. (1 Cor. 12:9).

17. Discerning of spirits: To distinguish between truth and error; between God’s Spirit and the works of evil. (1 Cor. 12:9).

The believer who glorifies God and follows Christ in an attitude of humble submission to the direction of the Spirit, is “filled by the Sprit” and exercises these gifts with amazing benefits to the body and cause of Christ. To lead such a Spirit-filled life is a command for all believers, Eph. 5:18: Be filled with the Spirit.

Prayer

"One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God" (Luke 6:12). A quick look through the Gospels tells us that Jesus spent a lot of time alone with God in prayer and meditation. Is there any space or time for that in your life?

Our quiet time with God is important, because it is when you pray when you hear him saying that he loves you, sustains you and calls you to work for his Kingdom.

There are many other voices speaking too – loud voices. They say: "Prove that God loves you. Prove you're worth something. Prove you have a contribution to make. Make a name for yourself, then people will love you; then people will say you're wonderful, you're great." The loud voices represent evil temptation.

As with Jesus, we have to pray and listen to the voice of God. When we do we can deal with evil – and we will understand God’s purpose for our lives. Jesus spent the night in prayer. We too need to pray. We too need to spend time alone with God. Take a passage, or even a verse of Scripture. Think about it for a while. Let it fill your being, your thoughts, your heart, until the words are written on all your inner places. Then listen prayerfully what God wants you to do for him. Time alone with God is where serving God’s Kingdom practically begins. It is where it began for Jesus and where it begins for us.

May you be blessed when your quiet time with God enables and empowers you for your challenges and confirms your calling to work for God. May God show you your gifts and your assignments in his Kingdom.

God's guarantees

We are guaranteed that God is with us.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22: Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

It is God who makes us stand firm in Christ. We are not able to stand firm in our own strength. We are not even able to choose to stand in Christ, to begin with. It is the work of God, and if I find myself standing firm, I can be assured that God has called me and that he has made me one with him in Jesus.

The cross of Jesus is the bridge that we go over from being a stranger to God, to becoming a child of God. Through the forgiveness we receive in Christ, we are able to stand firm in him and through his glorious victory we can remain standing. Only Jesus is the beginning of our relationship with God. What comes after we are called and are standing firm in Christ - our whole life for him and our eternal security in him - are summarised in three potent words describing the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives:
Seal, deposit and guarantee!!

Seal: Kings, governors and even Caesar would imprint the design on their rings using wax, to certify the authenticity of a document. A sealed document was truly from the man of authority who sealed it and could be believed and acted upon.
When we find the Holy Spirit working in our lives, God through the Spirit sealed us as being authentically his own children.

Deposit: A deposit is made as a firm pledge that someone will purchase an item and it serves as assurance that the rest of the payments will be made. When God “deposits” the Holy Spirit into our lives, we know in faith that everything that is promised to God’s children will follow – his presence, salvation, victory, gifts, fruit and even eternal life. Starting with the gift of faith, God will through his Spirit not leave us until we receive his perfect glory as one of the saints around his throne in the glorious light of his heaven. The wonders of the indwelling of the Spirit is the deposit of his gracious work in our lives and it makes us excited about everything that certainly is going to be given to us as we journey with God.

Guarantee: The seal and deposit message of the presence of God in us through his Spirit allows us to be certain that the Lord is our God and that nothing will tear us from him or derail our journey with him. The Holy Spirit being part of our lives, is the blessed assurance that all God’s promises to us are going to be fulfilled. Our God will never let go of us!!

In a cynical culture where most people think that no guarantees exist, God’s people may stand firm in Christ and know that they have been eternally sealed as authentic children of God! Our Lord made a significant deposit into our existence – the Holy Spirit himself - and thus we live with joyful expectations of all the wonders God guarantees for us!

Be courageous, be confident and be excited. God will certainly complete the journey that he started with you when he gave you Jesus as your Saviour and Redeemer. Live and work for him, worship him and love him, be obedient to him and serve him with joy – you are always safe in him!

True and false repentance

Two kinds of repentance are possible in human experience. One is a feeling induced by the fear of getting caught. This results in a superficial sorrow that may lead to a temporary reformation.
True repentance, on the other hand, results in an authentic turning to Christ for forgiveness.

2 Cor 7: 11 and 12 tells us about the blessings we receive through genuine sorrow about our sins: “And now, isn't it wonderful all the ways in which this distress (about our sins) has goaded you closer to God? You're more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible. Looked at from any angle, you've come out of this (distress about your sins) with purity of heart.” (The Message)

Be blessed by finding God’s way for you, when you pray with David today: (Ps 139:23-24) “Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong: then guide me on the road to eternal life.” (The Message)

The end result of true repentance is daily living on the road to heaven!

Its not all doom and gloom...

Do not be deceived into believing that everything is dark and gloomy!

We much too often live as if we are called to carry the weight of all the world’s troubles and challenges. Add to our times of real grief, loss and anxiety also the impact of the cynicism and negativity of a culture which does not expect any solutions or answers form God. Add to all of this the warnings of economists and politicians with terrible track records and media that thrive on sensation, believing that bad news is great business - and we may be tempted to be blind for the complete and absolute reality where God sits on the throne of the universe and Jesus is eternal King and Provider!

It sometimes feels as if there is one big conspiracy to make the weight we carry unbearable. If it does feel like that, now at the beginning of 2009, listen to these inspired words of James 1: 16 – 17:
“Don't be deceived my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows”.

We are warned: Don't be deceived by cynicism and negativity. Do not believe the world that evil is out of control and nobody can help you! Do not be caught up in the doom and gloom coming from those who are blind for the gifts of God!! Pray for opened spiritual eyes that appreciate “every good and perfect gift from above, coming down from the Father” . There are lots of good and beautiful experiences in life and it is neither by random nor by chance. It comes from an unchanging gracious, merciful and good God!

Excitement about 2009 comes from the Father who made the heavenly lights: sun, moon, and stars! These awe inspiring creations of God show us stability, beauty, light and life and our God is the Father, the Creator, of these comforting, warm and beautiful “lights”. Just as his created lights, God is also much more than a “shifting shadow” – in other words, nothing. He is Creator, Sustainer and unchanging Provider of every good gift!

Therefore – never be deceived! Never become a victim of the propaganda of evil that everything is spinning out of control. Look at the great works of God in the sky and remember how great is your God! He is in control, he rules and he reigns – and he gives us every good and perfect gift!

We are much too often deceived into carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders, in stead of venturing into a new year with the certain knowledge that the “Father of the heavenly lights” stands ready to provide us with every good, perfect, exciting gift we need in order to embrace our opportunities and with much joy and faith worship the Giver, the Provider, the Protector of us all!

The deception that all is bad and sad aims at stopping us to live with godly inspiration! The Gospel of Christ is aimed at mobilising each one of us to become living testimonies of God’s gifts of salvation, love, assurance, mercy and hope!!

Take heart - our God is in control, and you are in his hands this year!!!

Devotion for New Year's Eve

Blessed assurance – I am saved!

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." This statement from 1 Tim 1:15 sums up the entire ministry and life of Jesus: to save sinners. It explains why God became a man. This statement lies at the heart of what the Christmas message is: Jesus came to save sinners. It is the most glorious proof of God's love for us. It is the foundation of the Church's message and the key to understanding everything written in the Bible.

The good news of God, and therefore also the motivation behind celebrating Christmas, is expressed in this simple statement: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." This statement is equally clear to young and old, to experienced and not experienced Christians.

Whenever we find our faith wavering and we are confused about the true meaning of Christmas and therefore of the thrust of the Gospel message, we should spend some time reflecting on this teaching. It is of vital concern to everyone. Our acts of hate, our failure to love, our inability to live only for God show that we are sinners. We all are the sinners Christ came to save. We all are guilty before God and deserve condemnation by God.

Yet - "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." We know that Christ had to come, because if he didn't, none of us could be saved. We know that all of us need saving and that none of us can save ourselves.

We need to keep reminding ourselves of why Christ was born of the virgin and conceived by the Spirit: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."

But what does it mean to be saved?
It means forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, being granted the righteousness of Christ and redemption – being bought by the blood of Jesus. It means satisfaction of God's justice, acceptance by God for the sake of Christ Jesus and that the darkness of sin is replaced by the light of Christ's presence in our lives. To be saved also means to receive everlasting life. Because Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary and went the way of the cross and of the victory of resurrection, God’s children receive everlasting life.

As we contemplate the meaning of the Christmas Season, lets not be side tracked by all the good things done in the Christmas spirit of goodwill towards men! Lets remember that God’s goodwill towards us is based on the fundamental truth on which Christendom was founded - that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Only when we are saved will our compassion and the mercy we show those who are less privileged carry the true message of Christmas: Christ Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary in order to save us from our sins.

And because we are saved, we enter 2009 with confidence and hope. We are not alone. We are under no judgement or curse. We are saved from the perils that are the result of our imperfection and disobedience. We are saved from our sins, and therefore our faith gives us the courage to look forward to being the followers of Jesus during this year, in spite of uncertainties and concerns!

Take heart – Christ Jesus became one of us, to save us from our sins and the consequences of our foolishness. Be courageous and enter into a new year with joy and with peace in your heart! Even before we tread the first uncertain step into this new year – we are saved from ourselves.

God bless you during everyday of 2009!!