Lent is a Season of penitence and preparation.

There are two important aspects to Lent:

Penitence: We realise our own brokenness and our need for Christ.

Preparation: We strive to open our hearts wider for the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus at the Easter Communion.

During Lent Christians add more prayer, learning and meditating to their daily lives. Contemplating the costly price of the suffering and death of Jesus and the powerful victory of his resurrection, strengthen their walk with the Lord and through repentant hearts they find amongst other benefits:  peace, forgiveness, passion for the Lord and a new joy in serving Christ.

Some also subtract from their daily lives by “giving up something for Lent” as a constant reminder of the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus and to create good habits that will help them in their quest for a closer walk with the Lord.

Lent is a focused spiritual journey of individuals and congregations, from Ash Wednesday till Resurrection Sunday, which produces the joy of a lifelong celebration of the living Lord.

When Jesus becomes more...

A retired elderly music professor with a well-trained voice usually sang the major male solo parts in the choir of a large church. A young man named Bob, who had no formal voice training, sometimes took the shorter solos. As the choir director prepared for an important and high profile cantata in that congregation, she felt that Bob’s voice and style made him a natural choice for the lead role. However, she didn’t know how she could give it to him without offending the highly respected, older man.

Her anxiety was unnecessary. The old man had the same thoughts as she did, and he told her that Bob should take the part. The professor continued to sing faithfully in the choir and regularly encouraged Bob which gave him the confidence to become the new lead soloist in the choir.

People who can selflessly set aside personal ambition and genuinely seek the good of others and the best for God’s work, have an attitude that pleases God.

This is how John the Baptist reacted when the crowds left him and began following Jesus. John said, “Jesus must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:22 – 30NIV).

What did John the Baptist and the music professor have in common? They were happy to see others elevated above themselves with the purpose to serve God in the best possible way.

Humility enables us to bow humble hearts before the Lord and enter his service unselfishly and unconditionally.  It enables us to let Christ be everything while we are his servants! 

Jesus must increase, always! All we have to do is to serve him, obey him, be the church he prayed for and be the Christians he wants us to be!  When we can forget about ourselves, we can do things others will certainly remember.   

When we love ourselves less and Jesus more, we will accomplish things that God will remember for all eternity.

Filled with the Holy Spirit…

When we receive Christ as Saviour, 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.  All believers receive one or more gifts to honour and serve God and his Church. The list that follows is not complete. It has been put together by studying the following Bible passages, written to reveal to us the various gifts that believers receive: Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:8-10, 28-30; Eph. 4:11; 1 Pet. 4:10,11. 

1. Mission:  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.To Pastor: 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. Counselling: To draw close to someone in time of need, with prayer 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. Helpers: 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 with humble submission to the direction given by the Holy Spirit, is “filled by the Sprit” and exercises these gifts with amazing benefits to the body and cause of Christ. The Bible says:  Be filled with the Spirit. (Eph. 5:18) 

The critical importance of Christian parenting.

We bring our children to church because we as a family choose to serve God and because it has a decisive impact on the rest of their lives!

Joshua 24: 14 – 18:  "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness….  But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served… or the gods… in whose land you are living.

But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Then the people answered, "….. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God."

Children copy what takes place around them. This is how they learn to speak, to smile, to walk, to believe in God and they will display the behaviours and values that are characteristic of the family they have been born into.

If we, like Joshua, choose to serve the Lord, we practically make it possible for our children to learn to love God.

Parents choose, through their example, faith and participation in Church, to make it possible for their children to love Jesus, or to sideline Christ!

Humans are the most complicated of all creatures but have the most poorly developed reflexes at birth, and has very little instinctive behaviour. Human behaviour is learned behaviour. Just about everything we know, everything we do, and everything we believe is the result of the processes of learning.

The first learning behaviours that children exhibit are the results of imitation –Learning takes place on the basis of what the young children hear and especially what he or she sees and experiences at home.

Christian parenting is therefore of critical importance.   From an early age they imitate us.  Parents are in a child’s life the most important influence.

That is why God in his great wisdom ordained parenting in order for our children, whom he loves, to also love him back.

When we presented our children for baptism we vowed to work in partnership with the church that we and our children may effectively know how to choose life! And how to choose Christ!

The Baptism of Jesus.

The Baptism of Jesus.

In Mark 1 we are taught that the baptism of Jesus is the beginning of his ministry.  He was ordained into the calling to be the Messiah when God encountered him at his baptism.

“Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’”  (Mark1: 10 – 11)

Later on, toward the close of his ministry, Jesus himself makes clear that baptism leads to a new way of life. When the brothers James and John ask to be seated next to Jesus in the life to come, Jesus points out that “the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized” (Mark 10:39). To be baptized in Jesus is to follow him and to be his servant.  We too were ordained into our calling to serve the Lord in al we do when we were baptized.

We therefore also share with our Saviour  in a sacred promise from our God:

“You are my child whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

In 2015, find the real purpose to serve Jesus!

Our Lord Jesus Christ, Gods eternal Son, humbled himself by accepting a weak human nature. Christ did not give up any part of his divinity. He never stopped being God. He remained Lord and Ruler over all.

Yet, when he became a man, he accepted the nature of a human servant as well. He did not come as an earthly ruler or king, with the pomp and ceremony of royalty. He did not occupy a place of honour and prestige among humans. From the manger to the cross he walked the path of humiliation. From the manger to the cross his nature was that of a servant. From the manger to the cross he came to serve rather than to be served.

And as a servant he "became obedient to death." A servant or a slave at the time of Jesus had only one duty – to obey his master. Jesus "became obedient to death." (See Philip 2: 6-8). He was a true servant. "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work" (John 4:34). Christ Jesus came to humble himself. Christ came to die on the cross. Jesus saves us from death to give us life.

But Paul says, "your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus" (Phil 2: 5). To take up our own cross, is to give Christ that service that costs time, money, work, and tears. To take up the cross is to say "no" to selfish desire, spend time in prayer, witness faithfully, and work diligently for the cause of Christ.

How appropriate to start a new year with the true message of the gospel! To hold onto the message that Jesus came to us, to save us sinners! And to find inspiration from his humiliation for our sake, to humbly serve him with all our heart, soul and mind – from the beginning to the end of this new year given to us!

May you be blessed during 2015 when you find the real meaning and purpose to serve Jesus and his cause in the world!

May his salvation protect you and may his servant nature inspire you to serve sacrificially, with love!

Dress up in brand new festive clothes for 2015! - New Year's Eve

God paid the supreme, final price to bring us back to him. He gave his Son, to suffer the ultimate sacrifice of the cross, that we will be able to leave the foolish and destructive life within the kingdom of the world and start living in the Body of Christ – the Church and the Kingdom of God.  Jesus conquered the enemies who want to pull us back into darkness. The Lord wants to clothe us with festive Christ-like living that frees from the slavery of our weak human nature, our mistakes and our offences of the past.

This is Paul’s message in 2 Corinthians 5: 16 – 21:  "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Everything old has passed away. Everything has become new.”

It's never too late to make new beginnings. If anyone is in Christ, everything old has passed. Everything is new through the grace of God and by faith in Christ. The new beginning starts with believing that God has made us a new creation and it starts with the power of God through which we put into practice to be the new person that God calls us to be. It starts with a prayerful resolution to behave, to act, as God’s new creation.

Paul tells us about the new behaviours of anyone who is in Christ in Romans 13:13: "Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature."

Putting on our festive clothes means to put on the risen Christ and celebrate his fresh grace, mercy and holiness every day as we enter through the open doors the Lord gives us in 2015.   And the Bible says that this is the rule of thumb: “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime!”

We are called to trust God for new beginnings in 2015, based on his sacrifice, victory, faithfulness, holiness and his loving promises for our lives.

I wish you a prosperous new year in the Lord, celebrated in truly festive clothes that only can be the Lord Jesus Christ.

Seven paintings of Christmas!

If I were an artist I would have painted a Christmas that captures more than the physical images we are so used to.

The first painting depicts a dove, the symbol for the Holy Spirit, superimposed upon the image of a young woman. The caption at the bottom says:  “Nothing is impossible with God”.

The second portrays an angel talking to a serious looking young man distraught about a pregnant girl-friend. The caption reads, "Conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary."

The third painting would be one of a barn. Through the open door we see a man, a woman, an ox, a donkey, and a sheep or two. Then you would notice that all of these are not important at all, for painted in the middle of the picture is a Child in a manger and the caption reads, "Emmanuel – God with us!"

The fourth would be an illustration of an angel, in the heavens, reading an announcement from a scroll. The caption says, "Good news of great joy... for all the people."

The fifth painting would depict a cross and a grave. The cross is surrounded by darkness and stained with blood. The grave is surrounded by light and filled with glory. The caption says, "Today in the city of David, a Saviour has been born to you."

The sixth portrays Christ surrounded by a bright light, the blaze of many suns. The caption says, "Sun of righteousness." And, it says, "The Light of the world!"

The seventh and last painting would be of a throne, a crown, and a purple robe superimposed upon a Baby in a manger. The caption reads, "Christ the Lord."

Merry Christmas!

You can down load the Christmas Day Sermon on the Paintings of Christmas, in MP3 format on this page:  http://www.centurionwest.co.za/sermons.htm

Waiting for the Lord’s unfailing love...

Listen to the believers’ expectation that the Lord may come to them to be their consolation in Psalms 130:  5 – 8:  I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.   I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.  Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.  He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

Those followers of Christ who are waiting, watching and praying for the Messiah's coming will be ready and able to recognize him, rejoice in him, believe in him and love him when he comes to be with us this Advent Season and Christmastide, and all of our days, and for all eternity.

It is true that the Lord's Christ has already come to our world when he was born in Bethlehem. But do we hear that he is knocking on the door of the Church and is ready to feast with us if we recognise and embrace him as he comes to us to bring us consolation and guide our lives day by day?

Do we live with eager anticipation and great expectation of what the Lord does when he comes to be with us?

How I pray that when Jesus comes to his church we will be ready and prepared like a bride for her groom. And that we will receive from him, as we so desperately need, his life, his faith and hope, his joy and his love. Are we waiting and praying for the comfort the Lord Jesus gives and are we ready to share in the unfailing love and full redemption he gives when he comes to his people - and to each one of us individually?

May our whole being wait on the Lord as watchmen wait for the morning, always ready to hold on to the joy and love that Jesus wants to give us!

O come Lord Jesus, come to wipe the tears from our eyes!

Liturgical Prayers for the Third Advent Sunday: Joy!

Background to the Third Advent Sunday, also known as “Gaudete”:

The celebration of the season of Advent originated as early as the fifth century as a fast of forty days in preparation for Christmas.

In the ninth century, the duration of Advent was reduced to four weeks, but Advent preserved most of the characteristics of a penitential season,  expecting the return of our Lord.

Yet the Third Advent or “Gaudete”, that means to rejoice, provides a break about midway through a season which is otherwise filled with penance as a result of the nearness of the Lord's coming.

The spirit of the Liturgy all through Advent is one of expectation and preparation for the feast of Christmas as well as for the second coming of Christ, yet the penitential atmosphere is suspended on Third Advent to remind us of the joy and gladness we will receive in the complete liberation of Christ’s return, so soon to come.

The deep purple Advent candles are replaced by a pink candle of joy and celebration on the Third Sunday of Advent.

Call to Worship:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians  4:4–6;

Glory to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit – now and for forevermore. Amen.

Prayer of praise and the Confession of sins.

Merciful God, while we patiently wait for Christ’s coming again, may each of us rejoice in our salvation; and may that joy spread throughout all aspects of our lives and be freely shared with others. As we worship you today, grant us your joy.

O God, who through your Only Begotten Son have made us a new creation,

look kindly on us, we pray,

look with compassion and grace on us, your very own people,

and for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord, for the sake of his sacrifice and his victory,

cleanse us from every stain of the old way of life,

fill us with your Spirit and grant us the true joy of being forgiven and restored as children of God!

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

Prayers of Intercession:

God of mercy and power, whose Son rules over all, grant us so to live in obedience to your holy will, that at the appearing of Christ we may be raised to eternal life and perfect joy!

Lord Jesus Christ, who at your first coming sent your messenger, John the Baptizer, to prepare your way before you: now grant that the ministers and all stewards of your Word and Sacraments may likewise prepare and make ready your way,

by turning the hostile hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,

by turning the despondency of the unfaithful into the joy of truthful and authentic disciples of Jesus;

by turning the mourning, the disappointed, the suffering and the depressed into victorious servants of the almighty Christ who are filled with the eternal exultation, with gladness and excitement because our Lord lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Rescue today all who are robbed of the true joy of the Lord by bringing to a fall those who inflict our world with cruelty, violence, criminality, envy, gossip, pride, falsehood, adultery and every other demonic and deceitful attitude and behaviour.  Rescue us from the evil ways of the wicked and restore in us the bliss sourced from the wonder of your love, kindness, grace and mercy in Jesus Christ!

Grant in your mercy, o God,

comfort to all who are sad and crying,

healing to all inflicted with illness and pain,

hope to the downhearted,

courage and liberation to your oppressed and persecuted Church,

faith to those who are in doubt,

love to the lonely, the insecure and all who are afraid and weak,

and faith through grace to the repentant who put their trust in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prepare us for the true joy of Christmas and the everlasting love when you return to your people; prepare us for the measureless joy of the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Father God, teach us through your Holy Word, renew our hearts and minds by your Holy Spirit and secure us in the everlasting arms of our Saviour.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Central Message of the Season of Advent: God gave his Son!

During the four Advent Sundays before Christmas day, we will remember that Christ took on our weak, human nature and became one of us.   As the Apostle Paul puts it in 2 Cor 5: 21:  God made him who had no sin, to be sin for us so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.

This is what Christ did for us during that first Christmas day. In taking on ”weak human flesh”, he associated himself with our dilemma which is the result of our mistakes, disobedience and sin. He came to live the life that God requires and we cannot accomplish, and lived it perfectly, holy and without sin, in our place! The Son of God became our brother and will never leave nor forsake us.

During the Season of Advent, the four weeks before Christmas, we want to celebrate that when God gave the gift of salvation, he did not send new laws and rules through which to figure out how we can be saved. No, he sent his Son to save us.

The central Advent message always remains that (John 3:16) God so much loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Let’s trust in the Son. Let’s rejoice because he did everything we could not do, to save us! Let’s pray that he will come back soon to dry all our tears and grant us peace.  

Let’s wait with the same urgent love of the believers in the New Testament Church for the victorious and conquering return of Christ, our King.

A liturgical Prayer for the Feast of Christ the King on 23 November 2014

The Feast of Christ the King: celebrated on Sunday 23 November 2014.

The reign of Christ the King is celebrated on the last Sunday of the Christian Calendar, this year 23 November 2014.  !  Sunday 30 November 2014 is the first Sunday of Advent, the “New Year” of Christianity.

A liturgical Prayer for the Feast of Christ the King on 23 November 2014:

Gracious God and heavenly Father, we come into your presence in the name of our Lord Jesus, the Almighty Christ and King of all!

Today, Lord Jesus Christ, we celebrate your glorious victory. We gladly bring honour to you, our Redeemer, who has not only redeemed us when we were lost, and bought us for God your Father with your precious blood, by your death on the cross and your resurrection, but also ascended to the right hand of God as King and Lord of all.   We rejoice that your Kingdom has come on earth, just as it is in heaven.

We bring honour to you, our Saviour, whom we call Christ, the King, who victoriously reigns now, and reigns forever. You, dear Lord, dealt with our every need, delivered us from every enemy, healed us from all sin, harm and injury and you are worshipped when heaven and earth bow down before you as Lord of heaven and earth. One day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, that you, Lord Jesus, are the King of kings and the Lord of lords!

Majestic Lord, everything promised about your reign has not happened on our earth yet! You are the King, and yet, your dominion is in many ways not visible and is still coming to us and to our world.  We live in hope, and in faith, that we truly heard the Word of God, that testifies that you will come in glory to effect in the smallest detail of your glorious reign.

King Jesus, thank you that you not only bring salvation to us, but through your work that you do through the ministry of your Church, you bring redemption and salvation to the whole world, yes, to the ends of the earth.  Your people accept the grace that you bring, and commit their lives to the power of the Holy Spirit who empowers your children and your Church to fulfil your commission to preach the gospel to everyone. Now bring justice wherever we serve you and bring hope and light where darkness still hides your glorious reign and salvation.

Dear Lord of every aspect and facet of our lives help us to live only for your honour, glory and reign. Help us to be obedient, by the power of your resurrection and of your Spirit. We know that nothing will separate us from the love of God that we received in Christ our King and our Lord! 

We pray for all your servants, majestic Lord! For those who preach your word and for those who listen. Protect and guide all the missionaries sent to the ends of the earth to proclaim salvation in you. Guide and keep them and bless their work for you.   Call many more servants to do your work and make us obedient to your call.

In your mercy, heal the sick and comfort those who are weeping. Set the captives free and grant relief to the poor.   Sanctify those who are powerful and influential and humble and bring to fall those who are proud.   Bring to an end the kingdom of darkness and let your majesty shine as the light of the world.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us your peace.

And now, great King of kings and Lord of lords –

have mercy on us, and on all your people.

In your Name, Lord Jesus Christ, we pray!

Amen.

Scripture Lessons for the Feast of Christ the King this year.

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Psalm 100 or Psalm 95:1-7a
 Ephesians 1:15-23
 Matthew 25:31-46

Prayer makes the difference

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16c)

Everyone who had a life-changing experience with God truly believe in our hearts that God is real and that he answers prayer. And we all have the desire to be able to pray in such a way that something important may happen - or change.

Yet it is not the belief in prayer that will change our lives and help us to experience a faith that works.

It is not the intentions to pray that will bring God’s interventions to resolve our fears and problems!

IT IS TO PRAY that will make the difference!

It is going on our knees and listening to and speaking to God that will make us experience that prayer is powerful and that God answers our humble petitions.

We know that if we would spend more time before God in prayer, we would see more of his Kingdom manifesting in our lives and the lives of others. When we find ourselves at the stress points of life, prayer should be the first thing we do, not the last.

When you are bruised, you should pray. "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray." (James 5:13)

When you are broken, you should pray.  "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him...." (5: 14-15)

When you are backslidden, you should pray.  “Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." (5: 19-20)

The main teaching of James on prayer is that you should actually pray and not only talk about the power of prayer!  Faithful, humble prayer will change our lives, our families, our church and our world!

Why is the Church not perfect?

Christianity is not perfect. The Church is not perfect.

It is the Christians that cause the imperfections of Christianity.  It is the church members, including the leaders, who are the reason that the church often disappoint people.

Jesus said the Kingdom of God may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field, but while everyone was asleep, someone else sowed weeds among the wheat. When both began to grow, the workers asked the farmer where the weeds came from. He answered, "An enemy did this" (Mt 13:28). And when they asked him if they should destroy the weeds, he said, (Mt 13:29-30) "No ... because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. (30) Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn."

Wheat and weed grow together in the Church. Jesus told the parable to warn his people that they have evil living amongst them.  He offered a promise that God will decisively deal with wickedness and sin in the church.

This parable warns against accepting Jesus as Saviour without accepting him as Lord. Some believe that Jesus died on the cross to save them from judgement. Yet they would not accept him as their Master, Lord and King. They are the weeds in God’s Kingdom fields. At the end of the age they will be pulled out. They will not be part of the harvest. Because we cannot claim that Jesus saved us, yet act as if he doesn't own us.

The parable ends with the righteous that rejoice in Christ as their King and Head and in obedience to him bear much fruit for his Kingdom.   We are told that they eternally "will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." (Matt 13:43).

The Kingdom of our Lord has come and he shall reign forever and ever.

If Jesus came to establish the reign of God on earth, if he proclaimed this message through his teaching and his life and as this message led him to the cross of atonement, then how do we who believe in Jesus, work for the coming of his Kingdom today?

We should live in the reality of the kingdom of God. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15). When we accept God’s rule over our lives, we adopt values and priorities that are radically different than those of the world. We live our lives in a brand new direction, namely the reign of God in Jesus Christ.

We live in the world as salt and light. Like Jesus, our message and our lives should proclaim the Kingdom of God.

We testify about what God has done for us, in Christ.

We invite others to accept the Gospel and live under God’s reign.

We live God’s reign by loving our brothers and sisters,

praying for the sick and the frail,

turning away from evil,

caring for the poor,

forgiving and loving our enemies

and living worshipfully in the faith-community of Jesus.

The kingdoms of this world became the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,

and he shall reign forever and ever.

Hallelujah! Amen!

The final instructions of Jesus, our Head and King.

Matthew 28: 18 – 20.  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

There is a legend which tells of the return of Jesus to heaven after his time on earth. He bore the marks of his cruel cross and death. The angel Gabriel approached him and asked, "Master, do all the people know about how you loved them and what you did for them?"

"No," replied Jesus according to this legend, "not yet. Right now only a handful of people in Palestine know."

Gabriel was baffled. "Then what have you done to let everyone know about your love for them?"

Jesus said, "I've asked Peter, James, John, and a few others to tell people about me. Those who are told will tell others, and my story will be spread throughout the earth. Ultimately, all mankind will know about my love."

Gabriel frowned and looked rather sceptical. He said, "But what if Peter denies you again? What if they all run away again in the face of opposition? What if the people who come after them forget? What if way down in the twenty-first century people just don't tell others about you anymore? Do you have another plan if this one fails?"  

Jesus answered, "No. I have no other plan.  I'm counting on them."

It is now twenty centuries later and God still has no other plan. He is counting on people like you and me to tell others about his love for us in Christ. He wants you and me and everyone else to proclaim the Gospel. 

He is counting on us!

Jesus commissioned the church to go and make disciples of all nations.   He is speaking as the One who has all power and authority in heaven and on earth. He is speaking as the One who has the authority to give eternal life.

What Jesus chooses to do with his sovereign authority  and power is to count on his friends and his church to share the Good News of his love, redemption and victory with everyone and every nation. What Jesus wants is more reborn and passionate followers to, with a sense of urgency, tell of his love and resurrection that all may believe in him and become God’s children.   What incredible love and grace!

Christ chooses to be with us, guarding us, protecting us and sharing his power with us when we join the 2000 year old family of disciple making followers.  No matter where we go and no matter what we face, Christ is right there beside us saying:   "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."   (Mat 28:20)

The Next Generation: waiting to receive Jesus Christ!

Our challenge is to help the next generation find their true Christian identity and their spiritual dwelling.

Psalm 78: 4, 6, 7 - We will not hide the “things from of old” from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. So the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

The next generation is waiting to be touched by the gospel.

The challenge for those of us in leadership is to set an example to be fully, totally committed to God.  Our challenge is to touch their lives and allegiances by receiving the Lord Jesus personally and being filled with the Holy Spirit. 

Imagine the youth waiting for us, the church, their parents and their grandparents, to be touched by God, to be touched by Jesus.

What will happen if  I am not introducing my children to what matters here and now, and eternally?

What will happen if I do not touch their lives, pray with them and they have to enter adult life having no one to show them how to receive Jesus as Saviour and Lord? 

There is a generation yet unborn, waiting for someone to touch their destiny with the love of God.   There is a generation waiting for someone to befriend them, and reach them with the Gospel.  What if we are the only ones they have who are able to reach them for Christ and the Kingdom of God? 

The psalmist says in Psalm 78 –   “So the next generation would know the hidden treasures of old, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.”

Believing like my mom and my granny!

2 Timothy 1:5-6  -  “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.  For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”

The well known and respected Dr. Andrew Murray wrote the following profound truth about the importance of being a God-fearing family: 

“Oh, that the eyes of God’s people might be opened to the danger that threatens the church! It is not infidelity or superstition, it is the spirit of worldliness in the homes of Christian families, sacrificing the children to the ambitions of society, to the riches or the friendship of the world — that is the greatest danger of Christ’s church. If every home once won for Christ were a training school for His service, we would find in this a secret of spiritual strength no less than all that preaching can accomplish.”

Paul’s letter to Timothy emphasizes that this young Christian minister’s identity, that Paul commends, is rooted in the faith that his mother and grandmother had left him as a lasting legacy. They shared Christ with him and taught him as only mothers and grandmothers can!  Paul firmly placed the Christian faith and ministry within shared, family settings.

This makes Timothy anything but an independent operator advocating his own brand of Christianity!  No, his faith was rooted in the example and education of his Christian home. It enabled him to be a reliable preserver of the Truth of Christ and the preacher of a sound Gospel-message.

Our faith and calling, our authentic witness, is rooted in and grows from our Christian identity received from devoted, exemplary Christian parenting.

But if parents and grandparents sell out to “the spirit of worldliness and to sacrificing our children to the ambitions of society and the friendship of the world”,  as Dr. Murray puts it, false teachers and heresies and dangerous life styles will rob our children of the cherished gospel and the costly salvation it promises.

No, let the influence and example, the choices and the commitment of families to Jesus, lead our children to the place where they will fan into flame the gifts of God in their lives - and thrive when the church, in laying hands on them, send them into the world to both conserve and share the glorious legacy of our Christian faith – the lasting legacy of our precious Saviour, Jesus, our Lord.

Guiding seekers one-on-one and one-by-one to receive Christ!

Acts 8:  30 – 31:  Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the (Ethiopian) man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

“Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.  The Ethiopian official did not and he asked for help from this unknown preacher who appeared next to his chariot in the desert.

So Philip, beginning with the scripture the man was reading from Isaiah 53:7-8, shared with him the good news of Jesus.”

The prophecy about Jesus that he read was one of the most important passages for early Christians. It is part of Isaiah's fourth Servant Song, describing the mysterious figure who was slaughtered and humiliated and whose life was "taken away from the earth," as Luke gives the text to us in Acts 8.

So, to the official's question about whom this servant is, Philip can eagerly reply that it is no one else but the resurrected Jesus. And like Jesus before him on the road to Emmaus (Lk 24), Philip proceeds to speak, "and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus" (8:35).

In joyful response, the Ethiopian asked Philip to baptize him into this faith of Jesus. And in verse 38, "both of them, Philip and the official went down into the water, and he (Philip) baptized him."

Then we read that the official “went on his way rejoicing.” (Verse 39)

The good news of Jesus always calls for a response: one of gratitude, public profession of faith, receiving baptism and experiencing great joy. This is exactly what the Ethiopian did. He had been in Jerusalem to worship God - but without understanding the Gospel. Now he understood and believed in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as Lord and Saviour.

How much more should we who have heard the gospel our whole lives and were baptised as infants, confess our faith, proclaim the gospel, live new lives, and rejoice in the goodness of God? How much more should we carry the good news of Jesus back to our families, friends, neighbours, schools and workplaces, for all to know and to believe?

We too should ask the seekers that cross our path:

 “Do you understand what you are reading?”

And “do you believe the good news of Jesus?”

The right to be a child of God!

John 1: 10-14 - He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.   Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name,  he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth

The true Light of God, the eternal, one and only Son of God, came from his Father’s heavenly home to bring the message of the grace and truth of God to those who were God’s own.  Sadly Jesus was not recognised and he was not received by God’s own people, the leaders of Israel. They chose to rather reject his message and spread lies about his resurrection.

Those who continued to reject him and persecuted his followers would never find the Light, because their darkness remained undefeated.

But the Father sent his Spirit to us and we were, through the Spirit’s gracious work, transformed and made into new creations as we were born of God.  God’s Spirit changed us from enemies into those touched by grace and changed into God’s children.  And as children of the Father our eyes were opened to recognise Jesus, to believe in his Name and receive the right to walk in the eternal light.

We are given this right when we are adopted by the Father in Christ and are given the privilege to call the almighty Creator “Abba” which means “my Daddy”. We are given the power to claim our divine heritage to be children of God. 

And we claim this right after we recognise Jesus and are shown his glory. We share in the wonder of childship even as Jesus claimed to be God’s Son.  One by one the Spirit grants us the faith to know Jesus as the Truth and receive the Light!

Celebrate the right to be a child of God today.

Celebrate the gracious life of Jesus that brought you truth and light.

Celebrate the calling to be the instrument used by the Sprit to open the eyes of the blind and call those who are dead, to live.

Celebrate that you have been changed to become the visible and audible Word of God who shares this message with people who stumble in darkness:

You too have the right be a child of God.

You too can know Jesus and walk in the Light.

You too can see and share the glory of Jesus - now, and forevermore!