Authentic faith remains standing as the fruit of true love!

Faith is our response to God’s Word.  It is our trust that the Good News about Jesus is the Truth. The authenticity of this faith is proven by the way we love one another.

Colossians 1:4 says:  …we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints (fellow Christians) …

Love is indispensable for every true believer. Jesus said: 

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35)

John says: “If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20)

You certainly can’t read any of these passages of Scripture and come to any other conclusion that if we truly believe our lives will show true love.

God is love.

Those who confess faith in him, and follow him as his disciples will learn from the Lord to love.  Following God in faith and walking in love are one and the same thing. You can’t have one without the other.

Are you walking in love?

We stand in faith, walk in love, and rest in hope.

Look at Colossians 1:5. “…the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven…”

Hope in God is not a vague expectation.  It is a faithful anticipation that God will fulfil all his promises – even those that now seem unlikely and improbable.

This hope in God, this expectation that he will fulfil all he said and give us everything he promised in Christ, makes us willing to endure, even sacrifice, for the sake of our faith, true love and the future glory. Hope allows us to rest in God’s promises. The glorious eternal destination we look forward to inspires our faith in God and our love for our brothers and sisters!

Is your faith still standing?

Liturgical Prayers for Sunday 28 July 2013.

Liturgical Prayers for Sunday. (28 July 2013.)

Call to Worship:

Psalm 34:1- 3, 8

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

With all my heart I will praise the Lord;

Let all who are helpless, listen and be glad.

Honour the Lord with me!   Celebrate his great name.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the person who takes refuge in him!

Glory to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Prayer of Praise and for the forgiveness of our sins.

Gracious God our Father, creator of light and source of life, who made us in your image, and called us to new life in Jesus Christ our Lord, we worship you!

Lord Jesus Christ, who on the first day of the week overcame death and the grave, and by your glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life, we worship you!

Holy Spirit, our Lord and Guide, who by water and the Word made us a new people in Jesus Christ our Lord, we worship you!

Almighty God, source of all wisdom, who knows our needs and our concerns even before we ask and who knows our ignorance - even when we pray earnestly:   Have compassion, because we are weak and heavy laden. We know that we are unworthy and dare not demand anything from you, yet we beseech you to have compassion on our blindness and unwillingness to listen to your commandments, yes to your Word. Forgive us our trespasses for the sake of the imputed worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ.

[The house of my soul, yes my heart, is too small, now, enlarge it that you may enter in.

It is harmful, O repair it, dear Lord!

But who shall cleanse my heart and to whom shall I cry but to you? Cleanse me from my secret iniquities, O Lord, and spare your servant from strange and damaging sins, dear Lord I pray.  St Augustine]

Father, listen to our prayers, for the sake of  our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, Father, and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.    Amen.

Prayers of Intercession:

Adoration

O heavenly Father, who filled our world with beauty:  Open our eyes to be able to see your gracious hand in all your works; that, as we find great joy in all of your creation, we may learn to serve you, our Lord, with delight and thanksgiving, for the sake of him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

For humanity

Gracious Lord, look with compassion on the whole human family across the globe; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in holy love to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races and peoples may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne.

For Africa

Eternal God of all creation, of all the earth and every continent, and as such also the Lord of Africa!

We add our prayers to those of all your children who are concerned about the needs of this large continent with so much potential, which also suffers so much because of poverty, decease, war and all the consequences of centuries of the vices of those who lorded over us, who oppressed and abused us and our resources:

Hear our prayer that Africa may find rest – for your love, dear God, covers and heals our wounds and restores your joy in our lives!

Bring lasting and sustainable peace to Africa and its entire people, guide all her leaders and bless her children.  Let your Spirit fill us all who live in this, our Motherland, with the Saviour’s love and all the benefits of his gospel!

For my country

Almighty God, who has given us our beloved country as our heritage:   We humbly pray that we may always prove ourselves to be a people who seek your favour and humble ourselves before your Throne of mercy.

Bless our land with honourable industry and jobs, sound learning, and pure conduct, dear Lord, we pray.

Save us from violence, crime, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way.    In days of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in trouble, help us to trust in you, our Lord and King.

For the nations of the world

Eternal God, in whose perfect Kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, your Word of life, and no strength is known but the strength of love:  Now fill your people in every city and every country with your Holy Spirit, revive in us the pure life that comes from the faith we received by your grace and mercy, that all peoples may be united under the precious Name of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father.

For the Church

Gracious Father, we pray for your holy, universal church.  Fill her with the truth who is Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God, and fill her with peace and love. Where your Church do what is right, make it strong and courageous; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is persecuted, keep, spare, sustain and unite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son, our Saviour.

Dear Lord, in your mercy listen to our prayers, when we ask you to be with.....     and when we pray for...

Enlightenment

And now we pray and humbly ask, almighty Father, that the words which we will hear this Lord’s Day with our outward ears, may, by your grace and the work of your Spirit, be implanted inwardly in our hearts, that your Word may bear the fruit of good living and holiness, to the honour and praise of your Name;

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Growing together!

The common goal in the Body of Christ is the growth of the body. As each member does his individual part, it causes the growth of the body as a whole. The Body is responsible for the building up of itself in love as it ministers to each member.

Ephesians 4: 16: From Christ, the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

God has decided that our growth in the Lord occurs as a result of living in community. He makes us a spiritual body of believers where we learn to be more like him every day. He has given teachers, servants of the Head, to equip us for God’s work. He has called us to work together in community in order to be his Body.

Do you understand the implication of living and worshiping in the Body? We are a community of God's people who have been brought into a living union with God and with one another. We need one another in order to grow and to help the Body to grow.

Watchman Nee said, “Yet just what kind of a man is he who perceives the Body? He is a person who seeks for fellowship, who fears that he himself may be wrong, and who dare not work independently. Such is the person who has discerned the Body.”

We work and worship together in order to grow together, to show our love for Jesus and bear the fruit of the Spirit for every one’s benefit. That is what Body Life is all about. Have you started to live the Body Life yet?

Prayer: O Lord, through your grace and mercy I see not only the Body – but that I am part of this divine plan to do your work. Make me a diligent, loving, serving and giving member as I experience the Body Life, depending only on you. Amen.

The choice between convention and urgency in God’s work.

Luke 10: 38 – 42...

The brief Martha and Mary story in Luke 10 disturbs our understanding of propriety.   Our expectations for the upkeep of tradition, custom, culture and social convention are challenged here, in order that we may hear the Gospel of Christ.  

If these things slow us down in God’s work, we need to rethink our priorities.

Jesus and the twelve disciples come to their home for lunch.

Martha is concerned about all the details to prepare them a wonderful meal that would meet all the standards of hospitality. She expresses her love for Jesus by doing this hard work diligently. She goes out of her way to be the hostess that custom and culture require of her.  

But she misses the best part of the visit of the Guest – his gospel teaching about the Kingdom of God that is near. She misses the  "main course” of the most special day of their lives, for the sake of propriety.

Mary risks contempt by sitting at the feet of Jesus and by not “being in the kitchen” as convention requires,  to help her sister, in order not to miss one word of his divine teaching. She sensed the “kingdom urgency” that was part of the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem to redeem us. She expressed her love for Jesus by becoming the best learner she could be, a committed student of the great Teacher!

Jesus said Mary made a better choice.

Both Martha and Mary loved Jesus passionately. Both are his disciples and both do their absolute best to honour and please him.

But the two of them represent the choices many who love the Lord have to make to show their respect and their love:  We often have to choose between propriety and urgency.

And urgency always trumps propriety in the context of the Kingdom of God and expressing our love for the Lord!

The Apostle Paul says it in these words:

“Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.  He is the one we proclaim, giving a warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.  To this end I energetically run with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.”

(Col 1: 24 and 28)

Paul indeed ran the race for Christ’s Kingdom with appropriate urgency!

Pray for Africa - for rest and peace through God's love!

Christ calls us to come to rest in his divine love,

to rest from the things that are troubling us,

to learn what Christ can teach of life and life's challenges,

to commit to what we can offer others,

and to return to the world to serve his love for the sake of a lost world in pain!
Come, let us all find rest in God.

Shall we not unite in prayer for the world to find rest in God's love, in Christ Jesus?
Pray across the globe!
In every church that believes in the living Lord, begin to pray?
Shall we not unite in prayer in church and use this internet to share the prayers that the world need and pray them earnestly together?

Pray for Africa!
Pray for peace, for rest, for the love of God to cover and heal the wounds, and restore joy, because -
God is love!

That the Lord will guide her leaders and bless her children.
That his Spirit will fill us all with the Saviours love and with all the benefits of his gospel!
Tonight, and in church tomorrow, listen to this plea for Africa, and pray!

Pray for Africa!
God bless you all!

Liturgical Prayers for Sunday (21 July 2013)

Call to worship:    Psalm 113

Praise the Lord, you his servants;   praise the name of the Lord.

² Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore.

³ From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.

⁴ The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens.

Glory to the Father,

and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning

it is now

and will be forevermore!

Prayer of praise and for the forgiveness of sin!

Glorious Lord, God the Almighty, the Father of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!

We thank you that you kept and blessed us in all circumstances, in every hour,  and helped us, guarded us, accepted us as your own, spared us, supported us, and  led us until this hour. 

Therefore, we ask and beseech you to show your love to all your children and take away from us, and deliver us, from all envy, all temptation, all the works of evil, the counsel of wicked men, and the uprising of your enemies!  Set us and all your people free who gathered in this holy place that is yours.

Gracious Father, provide for us all things that are good and profitable, even eternally beneficial, for it is you, our Lord, who gave us the authority to conquer the power of the enemy and bring glory to your Name.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your great mercy; and according to the multitude of your compassions; blot out my wickedness. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I am conscious of my sin; and my wrongdoing is at all times before me, until you have granted me forgiveness and grace.

And Father, may we not be lead into temptation but deliver us from evil, by the grace, compassion and love of your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through whom glory, honour, all dominion, and adoration are due to you!

Bless us through him who gives us life, even the Holy Spirit, now and at all times, and till the end of time!  Amen.

Prayer of adoration and intercession:

Have mercy on us, O God, have mercy on us, who at all times and in every hour, in heaven and on earth, is worshipped and glorified!

Have mercy on us Christ Jesus, our eternal Saviour who is perfectly good, our patient Lord and God who loves the righteous and has mercy on sinners!  You, Redeemer, call all to salvation and today promise to us your blessings that are yet to come.

Lord, receive from us our prayers in this hour and in every hour of our lives:

Simplify our lives and guide us to fulfil your commandments.

Sanctify our spirits and cleanse our minds, our attitudes and the works of our hands.

Guard our thoughts.

Purify our intentions.

Heal our diseases.

Deliver us from every grief and distress of the heart.

Surround us by your love and mercy that we may be guarded and guided, that we may attain the unity of faith, and the knowledge of your invisible, yet infinite glory.

For you, our Lord and our God, are blessed forever.

Our Father in heaven, today, in Jesus Name, we pray for.....

Remember Lord every child in distress, every exploited mother and wife in pain, every father and husband who feels helpless and weak and every man and woman who calls upon you because they are afraid or depressed or under stress!  Restore our hope and through faith, restore our joy!

Lord Jesus who worked hard and honestly as a carpenter to provide for your mother and your siblings, now bless and guide every worker and grant them your strength and keep them healthy to provide for their families and loved ones. 

Kind Father in heaven who provides for all, bless every employer with wisdom, mercy and righteousness that we may both work and live in peace and harmony with those who have authority over us and those that we are responsible for!

Merciful Lord, provide work for everyone who seeks to labour for their daily needs and the needs of those dependent on them.

Holy Spirit, open your Word to our hearts and open our hearts to your Word that we may gain wisdom, even faith and peace, and let your mercy touch the core of our existence as we seek to follow your will and search for the gain of the Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

God have mercy!

Jesus have mercy!

Father have mercy!

Listen to our prayer and deliver us from our weakness, from evil influence and from this wicked world and its unfaithfulness and greed.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

God is present where his people worship him.

The Bible makes dramatic statements about the importance to worship God in fellowship with the Body of Christ. It never is about – I’ll go if I feel like it...   Or, I’ll go if I have nothing better to do...

The Word says in Hebrews 10:25:  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another (to attend)—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

This looks pretty much like a command from God to me, as well!

Seven hundred fifty years before Christ the prophet Isaiah went to the temple to worship and pray. The Lord opened his spiritual eyes and he became aware of God’s presence in that place of worship. He saw how the glory of God filled the temple. Above the glorious presence of the Lord, seraphim (angels) were hovering. With two wings they fly, and with the remaining wings they cover their faces and feet in humble admiration of our God of perfect holiness. Isaiah heard in stunned silence, that they chanted to one another, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory." (Isaiah 6:3)

Isaiah fell to his knees and in true humility cried out, "My eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." (Isaiah 6:5) Isaiah was shocked and petrified by the glorious presence of the holy God in the place where his people meet to worship him.

Our awesome God was there. This is the kind of place the temple was.   This is also what any place of true worship becomes when believers meet to worship our God!

Jesus said:  Where two or three are together in the name of Christ, our God is present – just as he was in the temple in the days of Isaiah.

God desires for his children to fellowship with him. He longs for us to be awe-struck by him, to love him, to honour and glorify him. “Doing church” is so much more than going through the motions of our tradition.   It is coming into a divine encounter with the living God, an encounter that changes our lives.

Is there more than just an appearance of Christianity about us? Or is there substance?   

Is your worship real? By God's grace it can be. It will be if you are part of the Body of Christ who worship God on Sunday!

May God reveal his holiness, love, grace and mercy to you through fellowship with Jesus Christ our Lord as you live and worship in the Body of our Lord.

The Lord's Supper: the most memorable meal you will ever eat!

What was the most memorable meal you ever ate?

Everybody has one, or a few, where everything just came together perfectly—the food, the setting and the company.  These meals created memories that we treasure for the rest of our lives!

What do you think the disciples of Jesus would say, looking back at the end of their lives, was their most memorable meal?

In the months and years of their lives that followed Christ’s ascension to heaven, they would think back in wonder at the meal on the night of his arrest!  That was a Passover meal, a special celebration, and probably on the menu that night they dined on lamb and bread and wine and herbs, maybe some cheese and fruit and nuts.

But it was the bread and wine that the disciples would remember. They would remember Jesus blessing the bread and breaking it and then walking to each friend in the room, saying gently, “Take and eat, this is my body, which will be broken for you.”

He knew the events that would follow; he could see that he truly would be broken for those he loved. And so he also passed the cup and said “drink of the blood of the new covenant,” assuring them of his covenantal love, whatever may happen in the future.

And the disciples would remember what Jesus added, “As often as you repeat this meal, do it in memory of me!”  As if they could ever forget.

Jesus needed to satisfy the hunger of the disciples to believe in him and be prepared for what followed during the dark days, and challenging years ahead, through giving them the assurance of their faith - in him.

Jesus feeds us what we need to be fed. He sees our needs, and compassionately meets them.

Jesus sees our needs. He knows that we are weak and spiritually malnourished.

And he feeds us with himself, the living almighty Lord and Saviour.

(1 Corinthians 11: 17 – 32.)

Liturgical Prayers for Sunday 14 July 2013.

Liturgical Prayers for Sunday (14 July 2013).

Call to worship:  Matthew 11:28-30

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take the yoke I give you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy to bear and my burden is light.”

Christ calls us to come and find rest in worship,

to find the wisdom that Christ Jesus can teach of life,

to become selfless and generous and

to return to the world and carry his burden, to serve!

Let us worship God.

Prayer of the Confession of sins

Lord God, almighty Creator of heaven and earth.

In your mercy and by your grace, listen to our prayers and grant us your peace!

Lord, we know that we are weaker and more flawed than we want to admit, but in Christ we know that we are more loved and accepted than we ever dared to hope.

Even as we have not loved you or our neighbor with all our heart, you have shown your love for us, in that while we were sinners, Christ, your Son, died for us and took upon himself the condemnation that we deserve.

Enable us to turn away from trusting in our own efforts to increase your love and find forgiveness, and to trust in the perfectly righteous work of our Lord, Jesus, on our behalf, that we may be accepted by you and enter into your beloved family.

As you, Father, raised Christ from the dead by the work of your Spirit, so we ask that you would give us a new life in Christ too, one that will eventually lead to heaven itself.

And as you, Lord, have called us to follow you in a life of committed discipleship in your church, grant that we may do whatever it takes to be one with your people, and to live in the wealth of your Spirit.

Amen.

Prayer of Intercession.

Almighty and ever-living God, who taught us in your Word to pray for, and to give thanks for all people: now we humbly ask that you would, in your mercy, receive our prayers.

Father, always inspire your universal Church with the courage to stand by the truth and inspire us of unity and friendship; and grant that everything we do will glorify your Name and may agree with your holy Word.  Give us through sharing in the faith that your Word is the truth, a life of unity with all your children, where we may share in the love you desire all of us to enjoy.

Righteous God, bring to a fall everyone that causes discord and disharmony in your church and in your mercy and by your grace, save them through repentance and through faith in your Son from your judgment, which you ordained for all who rip your Body apart through pride, selfishness and insubordination of your will and your Word.. 

Dear Lord, lead the nations of our world in the way of righteousness and peace and direct all governments that under them all people, and your holy Church, may be able to live holy and quiet lives.

Bless the president of the Republic and all in authority under him, that they may truly and impartially administer justice, sustain the weak and vulnerable, promote growth and prosperity and punish wickedness, for the sake of your people and for the sake of the peace and safety of our nation. 

Give grace, O heavenly Father, to all who serve your church as office bearers, as elders and stewards, as leaders and servants of the Word, that they may both by their life and their doctrine be an example of the truth of your Word and of the life of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

Guide and prosper all who spread your true gospel and enlighten with your Spirit every place of education and learning that our country may be filled with skilled people that can grow to become independent, contributing adults. Above all, grant us teachers that promote the knowledge of your truth that enables fruitful and happy lives.

Dear God and Lord of love, give to this, your Church and our faith community, humble hearts, true révérence and devout obedience when we receive your holy Word today that we may serve you in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives.

Gracious Father, keep and comfort all of your people who are in trouble, who are mourning, in need, who are sick or experience any other difficulties.

Grant this, O Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, who is our only mediator and redeemer, through the work of your Holy Spirit in us and in the world.

Amen.

The Sacraments!

Christ ordained two sacraments namely Baptism and Holy Communion. They respectively succeed the two sacraments in the Old Testament, namely Circumcision and the Passover feast.   

The same Word of God that addresses us verbally through reading the Bible and through preaching and the personal witness of our fellow believers, also comes to us visibly and perceptibly through the sacraments.

The sacraments are much more than just symbols of the Word and even less so, only visual aids to understand the Word better, but visible, material forms of the Word of God itself that in a most personal way apply, confirm and seal the promises of the gospel to the individual Christian. In both baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the Lord comes to speak to us by name to both comfort and challenge us personally to receive his Word and promises and he renews his covenant with us individually to save us and to sustain us as his children.

To all who are willing, no keen, to receive the holy Sacraments with open hearts and minds, Christ comes personally with saving grace in the power of his Spirit.

As the Holy Spirit awakens faith by means of preaching and personal witness to Christ, so by means of the Sacraments the same Spirit confirms our faith, binds us to Christ and through creating a faith relationship with our Lord, establishes the assurance of our faith and our experience that we are God’s children.

The sacraments convey and effect God’s promises to sinners which we accept in faith and through the experience of the grace of God.

Through remembrance the Lord every time “recreates” the moment that faith entered our lives!  As we at the Table stand next to the cross and see his love and come in awe to the open grave to be renewed by his resurrection, his light shines brightly in the reality of our daily lives and encourages us to fully live for our Lord in future.

Lord Jesus, I will remember you!

Like most psalms of lament, the “Hebrew Blues”, Psalm 42 also displays that curious combination of lamenting God's absence in a prayer that is nevertheless addressed to that same God. There is no doubt that this poet feels distant from God. But it's not as though he has concluded that there is no God. No matter how desperate the Bible's hymns of lament get, you never find a psalmist who arrives at some form of agnosticism, much less atheism.

In Psalm 42 the poet is panting in the same way that a deer pants for shade and water as it flees from the hunter on a hot summer day in the semi-deserts of Palestine. But like the deer in flight, so this psalmist cannot rest next to the cool stream of water he needs to save his life.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?     Psalms42:1-2

We have all been there: Prayers with no answers, the loss of enthusiasm in worship, the experience that the Bible seems to be as dry as wood and being offended by people who seem to find it easy to experience God’s closeness and mercy. 

But it is just here where the role of memory is given an unusually high profile. At the lowest point of the believer’s pain, he says something totally unexpected:  "Therefore, I will remember You."

Hope sneaks back into the hymn. There is some confidence that he will again in the future be able to sing to God. The memory of God's past actions of help in his life prompts the poet to declare that there can be no other resting place than God alone. Because of who God is, he will eventually again sing a fitting song of praise.

Remembrance enables him to see God. It brings hope for the present challenges too. A simple act of remembering the grace and mercy of God in his past changes a verse of despair into a statement of faith.  Perhaps the revival of our hope doesn't depend on making sense of the present.  Maybe in life's darkest hours it is our memories of who God is and what he did in our lives sometime ago that will give us a glimpse of his love, again.

Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, at the Passover, instituted a new feast with bread and wine, commanding his people to do this, in remembrance of him.  It is not just our individual memories, not just what God did for you somewhere in the past that will enlighten your faith-vision and in spite of dark depression, will open the eyes of the soul in order to see God again in faith. It is the corporate memory of the Church that reminds of God’s saving grace even in times of depression.

Christians had shared the body and blood of Jesus not only while organs played awe inspiring music, but also while frightening warnings of life threatening tragedies left them afraid, helpless and dying of hunger.

They recalled that cruel event, once and for all accomplished on the cross. And as they did so, they again and again discovered that Jesus is no mere memory of a dead hero.

They saw that he is here and that he is alive! He has mercy on us!

You too are called to remember and, through remembrance, to believe.

Because when we remember Jesus, we are reminded that we will praise him again when his light breaks through our darkness again as it so often did in the past. 

Hope in God restores our joy!

Without hope our lives turn into despair.  But knowing Christ Jesus gives us hope.

We start to hope again when we in faith know Jesus Christ and we receive his peace through the knowledge of his salvation.  When we trust God we become able to experience acceptance, even in the face of disappointment.

This is how we come to know who Christ Jesus really is. And in Jesus we get to know God’s nature and character. In Christ and his work we discover that God is faithful, even from generation to generation.

And in his faithfulness we discover that God loves us. By looking at the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, we begin to understand the depth of God's love for us. We also come to an understanding of the Lord’s purpose with our lives – to enjoy his love and to love him too. 

God’s purpose for our lives gives us hope. Knowing God in Christ brings hope to our hearts.  It brings a certainty that my future is secure in Christ. Whatever happens, nothing can change my God given redemption, restoration and destination.

This hope brings joy back into my life. This is why Paul could say in Rom 5:2b that we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Joy and celebration in God are simply part of believing in God through Jesus Christ the Saviour.  The Lord’s restoration of our joy is one of the ways in which we learn a little bit more about how glorious our God is.

We need peace and acceptance that restores our joy.

God's salvation brings peace. God's grace brings faith and acceptance. God's hope brings gladness.

Our God knows us intimately!

Our God knows us intimately!

We know for certain from the Scriptures that God is everywhere and knows everyone.

Ps 139:7-10 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? (8) If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. (9) If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, (10) even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

We never escape the presence of God!  He sees us everywhere and hears us wherever we are.  Whether we sit, stand, or lie down, God knows our actions, appearance, words and ways, our motives, our attitudes and our plans.

As a human, I can give full and perfect attention to only one person at a time. But the infinite mind of God is able to grasp the thoughts of millions, of billions, at once and yet at the same time focus on every one person as if there was no one else but that one person only. His attention given to us is personal and intimate!  God has a window into every person's heart through which he looks.

God knows what mistakes you might make before you decide to do what you plan.

And more importantly, he knows what you need, even before you discerned what it is. 

We can put our trust in God’s presence because we know of his love for us through Jesus our Saviour. We do not flee from the holy presence of God, as his ever present Spirit has been given to us to lead us on his everlasting way of redemption and care.

God’s omnipresence inspired a wise and helpful prayer that the poet of this psalm teaches us to pray every day:  (Psalm 139: 23 and 24)

Search me, o God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Hope in God that finds me, when life is hard.

Lamentations 3: 25   The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him..

This verse in Lamentations 3 is about faith in a God that finds me, when life is hard.  God will reach out to you in the midst of a hard time, because he is a God who seeks and finds. We believe in a finding God. There is no question that when we struggle, we look for God, a God who sometimes feels to be painfully absent.

But not only are we in the business of finding God when life is hard, but also, in the midst of life's pain, we meet a finding God; a God who seeks out and finds the one who is lost, or in need. He is the God  who gave his Son, because he cares. He is our God that triumphed over all our enemies, because he loves us.

God’s message is not so much about our efforts to deal with hardship and the depression that goes with it!  We need to amidst our depression and anxiety be open to be met by the finding, seeking God, revealed in Jesus Christ:

• the God who hears the cries of his people when they hurt;

• the God who is with us in our suffering;

• the God who knows our sorrows;

• the God who entered into this hard life, in Jesus of Nazareth;

• the God who took our suffering on himself and redeemed us from it;

• the God who ensures that we are never alone;

• the God of all comfort;

• the God who gives us strength;

• the God who sustains us when life is hard;

• the God who gives us hope, a hope that will not disappoint.

3: 25   The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

Life is hard. We know this from experience and we know it from Scripture. Yet in this hard life God seeks us and finds us, because he is a finding God.

In Jesus Christ, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning.

Great is your faithfulness, O Lord.

Great is your faithfulness!

Is our church music and singing still biblical and spiritual?

It looks as if the “quality of the performance” of musicians and the worship group in church became more important than anything else in many congregations. 

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 that exceeds the Lord’s Table, the pulpit and the baptismal font in importance.)

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 search for 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 trends and performance.

Here are some guidelines to consider:

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

Pray to be delivered from the 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 first of all express 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 passion for my own preferred music  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 the best possible music too.

Pray that God will bless our musicians and those who lead our worshipful singing with a desire for his anointing and to be inspired with true adoration of God in Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Creation groans - and so do us!

In Romans 8: 18 – 27 we learn about three different groans that are characteristic of the current age in which we live. We read that the creation groans to be delivered, that we, Christians, groan too as a result of living in this imperfect world with its pains and death. But then we also hear that the Holy Spirit groans for our sake, in compassion with us, before God.

Rom 8: 18 – 22 tell about the groaning creation.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

All three groans we read about in Romans 8 remind us that we are not home with God, yet!   While we wait for the glory of the new world to come, we are aware of the suffering of creation as a result of a greedy, selfish human race with too little love and respect for the works of the hand of our Creator.

It is as if Creation is sighing and crying before its Maker, to be delivered from man’s heavy hand and selfishness. Creation waits for God’s children to be revealed as caring, respectful and responsible representatives of the Creator, to speak for it and resist its destruction in word and deed.

While our world and all of creation groan and sigh, there is still great beauty left in this world. Call to mind the many wonders of plant and animal life and all the scenic views that take our breath away.

Now, try to imagine how glorious that same sight will be when the curse and consequence of sin is forever removed from our world! Jesus died on the cross for the redemption of sinners and he also redeemed this sin cursed world. On the Day of the Lord the shackles will fall off and all creation will rejoice! One day, we will not only inherit a new heaven, but also a new, delivered and perfect earth!

If we believe this we will, as God’s children, serve, protect and save as many wonders of God’s creation as we can. We will be passionate about God’s great work of art. And as we endeavor to leave the smallest possible footprint of our sinful existence - we will testify that what God will do on the Day of the Lord, will exceed our greatest expectations. We will then also be delivered from our groans as a result of sin, suffering, illness, sadness and death and live in wonderful harmony with everything God has made.

What a perfect and complete salvation we receive! What a glorious inheritance!

What a magnificent Saviour we serve!

The power of the Word of God

The prophet Elijah knew the power of the word that counted – the Word of God. 

Elijah appeared in Israel one day with a message from the Lord for king Ahab and the people of Israel:

(1 Kings 17) "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." 

The power of this Word was clear from the destruction it caused. The Word of the Lord spoken by Elijah in the presence of the king made the crops in the field to die, dried out the earth and caused the streams and springs of Israel to go dry. Poverty and hunger threatened the nation.   Even creation suffered under the drought caused by the Word.  

Israel experienced the power of God's Word, a Word spoken by a prophet of God.  That Word could not be removed from Israel's life. It was more powerful than the words of the king and certainly also more powerful than the prayers of the priests of the false god, Baal.

The dominion of the Word of the Lord had to be impressed upon the minds of God’s people.   God used the drought to show the power of the Word spoken through the servant of his Word, the prophet Elijah.

By announcing the judgment in advance, God showed both the power and the truth of his Word.  As long as the drought continued and the life giving dew did not fall on the land, it reminded the people of the power of the Word of God.

God's Word is powerful.  It shuts the heavens. And at God’s time, it grants life giving rain and dew, through its power, again.  

The drought came because Israel ignored God's Word.  The Word that has the power to redeem, forgive and give life back to the land again, also is the Word of God.

God's Word is a powerful Word. It cannot be resisted.   It must be listened to and it must be obeyed. 

We live in the age when the Word has become flesh, in Jesus Christ, our Lord.  He is the one Word that must be listened to by all who seek life – even eternal life.

If we reject this Word, the Son of God, who came to call us to repentance and to life, it leads to eternal condemnation.

If we listen, obey, love and follow this Word of God, Christ Jesus his Son, his Word has the power to save, to forgive and to bless.  

The Word continues to triumph in our lives and our nations.  The Word cannot be destroyed.  It calls all people to repentance, faith, and obedience.    Let us be guided, moulded, and directed by the Word of God – a Word that has power, a Word that triumphs, a Word that cannot be resisted, a Word that destroys those who reject Christ Jesus and gives life to all who listen and obey. 

You do not have to fall away! The grace of God will preserve you!

You do not have to fall away! 

God's grace of preserving the believers becomes visible in and through the perseverance (continued determination?) of the faithful.  The perseverance of the believers is also called the preservation of the believers.

What is a true Christian? They are those who were called by God, have fellowship / a relationship with Christ, are renewed by the Spirit, and are set free from the reign of sin.

But why does a Christian then needs preservation? Here is an insightful truth that you should not miss:

In this life the believers are not entirely set free from the burden of sin.   We are not perfect yet. We sometimes / often - still do sinful, stupid things!

It is about this struggle that Paul speaks in Romans 7. (Read the chapter!) Paul tells us from the heart about his own difficulties with sin - as a Christian. You have heard these words before:

(Rom 7:15,19) I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. (19) 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. Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

It was the custom of ancient conquerors to prevent the escape of their prisoners by tying a dead body to their backs. With such gruesome burdens, these poor captives could not run away. Imagine that: carrying around a dead body, a body of death. 

Paul compares his struggle with sin as a Christian with carrying around a body of death: "Who will rescue me from this body of death?" Paul knows the answer: "Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Rom 7:25).

Believers can be deeply divided persons. Genuine faith and genuine sinful weakness can live side-by-side in us.  It explains why even prominent church members sometimes embarrass themselves, the church and most of all, their Lord!

Christians need the preserving grace of God in their hearts and lives, because in their own strength they would fall away from salvation. The body of death we carry will certainly become too much for us to bear! But God preserves his children. They are not perfect yet. This is why God needs to preserve them in the faith and in salvation or all will be lost and none would be saved. But, by the grace of God we are preserved, therefore we can persevere, in spite of even shameful things that happened!

Can you not carry the body of death anymore?

You are a believer, right? Well, having faith is good. It helps. But it’s not enough.

You need God’s Word and God’s mercy and grace. Someone must help you! And there is help available, thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Rom 7:25).

Never neglect your relationship with God! Never put Christ on the back-burner!  Never think – I will pray again tomorrow or go to church next week...

You and I desperately need the preserving grace of God.

We need Jesus to help us.  And only Jesus can!

Are we conquering the world for Christ, or are we conquered by ungodly society?

Elijah means "My God is Yahweh" meaning “I serve the LORD, the God of Israel”

In chapters 16 and 17 of the Book of 1 Kings we see the universal scope of the struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, the kingdom of God and Christ and the dominion of wickedness. We see this already by looking at what the names of the main human characters in the story stand for throughout Scripture.   

In the Bible the name "Jezebel” is a symbol for what is evil, wicked, and opposed to God. The name "Jezebel" is reserved for those who try to destroy the church and the people of God through idolatry and godless living.

The name "Elijah," by contrast, is a symbol for those who wholeheartedly serve and worship the Lord.   The name "Elijah" means "My God is Yahweh."

Before the reign of King Ahab, Israel was already turning away from their LORD.  But Ahab and Jezebel made matters much worse.  Ahab's reign led Israel to worship Baal and abandon God, the LORD, the God of Israel, of Moses, of David, Solomon and all the other godly leaders of God’s people.

Israel's being radically different than the other nations who did not serve the LORD came to an end under Ahab.  His reign erased the boundaries which the Lord Himself established between his people and the pagan world.

God's election of Israel as heirs of his kingdom made Israel different. To prove this difference Israel was given the Old Testament sacrament of circumcision as the mark of God’s covenant with them. They were given the Ten Commandments as the law of this relationship with God. They were given the Sabbath to create a rhythm of work, rest and worship which no other nation knew or celebrated. These, and everything that was their way of life, clearly and visibly established Israel as being God's holy people: the people he loved, cared for, protected, defended and blessed.

King Ahab's sin of replacing the LORD with idols as Israel’s state religion finally broke down the wall of separation between Israel and the nations.  The walls were broken down because the world entered and conquered Israel with its wicked ways. As a consequence, Israel was no longer as a nation God's people that are radically different from the pagan world.

Like Israel, the church is called to be God's holy and different people. In baptism we have received the mark of God and in Christ and are called to be radically unlike unbelieving society.

But are we? Are the walls between the Church and non-Christian society broken down because we triumphantly enter the world with the message of the Gospel of Christ? Or, are they broken down because the world has entered the church and conquered us with its evil ways?

Are we conquering the world or is the world conquering us, when Christians make a habit of living in no different way than the unbelieving world? Are we conquering the world for Christ, or is the world conquering the Church?

As Christians we believe that Sunday is to be a day set aside, a day of worship. It is a sign of being part of the faith community rooted in the resurrection of Jesus our Lord. But these days any excuse is good enough to, like the world, claim the day of the Lord for our own plans, agenda’s and pleasure. 

Are we conquering the world or is the world conquering us?

Do our marriages, our families, the way we run our finances, the way we work and play and live still show clearly that we are of the Household of God, and of the people of the Lord, or do we look exactly the same as everyone else?

Are we of the Kingdom of Ahab, or of the Kingdom of the Messiah of the God of Israel, even Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

Are the walls between us and the world broken down because we triumphantly enter the world with the message of the Gospel of Christ? Or, are they broken down because the world has entered us, trying to conquer the Church with its evil, ungodly ways?