The healing power of God the Holy Spirit!

On the Day of Pentecost the power of God turned despairing pessimists into dynamic disciples. They received the Holy Spirit to be equipped with healing power – the power of the risen Christ.

Did they receive power for their own sake and benefit only? No! They received the power of God the Spirit to strengthen them to be powerful witnesses of Jesus Christ in a society that is spiritually broken and to minister to people caught up in tragedy, sharing the transforming power of the risen Christ with them.

The power of the Holy Spirit is given to heal the world after we have been healed. It’s about caring for people in order to transform their lives and heal their hurt.

Things are not always what they seem. The down-and-out and the up-and-coming have two things in common:  They are both human and they both have experienced needs throughout their lives that still hurt deeply in some or other way.  In both our homes and our faith communities are people who hurt, because they have unmet needs. Many of us could share our own story of human tragedy, and every one of us needs a touch from God.

In Acts 3: 2 – 10 we clearly see the powerful Word of the healing power of the Holy Spirit:

Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.... Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.  When all the people saw him... they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

This passage is an inspiring example of the power of God given to heal through Christian ministry. This man was healed physically, and it turned his life’s tragedy into experiencing great joy. The message of this passage is clearly not limited to physical healing only. It deals with human healing on every level. This man was now walking and jumping and praising God!

I pray that this story will inspire us to touch hurting people with God’s power to heal!

And that it will touch you that you too may receive God’s perfect joy today!

For Trinity Sunday, a prayer of John Knox

For Trinity Sunday, a prayer of John Knox in contemporary English.

We give honour and praise to you, LORD God Almighty, most dear Father in heaven, for all your mercies and loving-kindness showed to us, in that it has pleased you in your gracious goodness to choose us to be saved before the beginning of the world.

We thank you LORD for creating us, for redeeming us with the precious blood of your Son, when we were lost; and making us holy through the work of your Holy Spirit as we grow in the knowledge of your Word. We thank you for helping and strengthening us in all our needs,  for saving us from all dangers of body and soul; for comforting us in all our tribulations and for sparing us so long, and granting us so much time of repentance.

And now we pray, for the sake of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to grant us always your Holy Spirit. May we through your Spirit continually grow in gratefulness towards you, be led into all truth, and be comforted in all our hardships.

Holy Trinity, today we pray for….

O LORD, strengthen our faith; that it will grow in passion and love towards you, our LORD, and our neighbours.  Let us not, heavenly Father,  receive your Word in vain; but grant us always the assistance of your grace and of the Holy Spirit, that in heart, word, and deed, we may bless your Name and worship you, the one and only true God.

Help us to increase and enhance your kingdom; that wherever you send, we may be content with your will. Let us not lack the ability— O Father! — without which we cannot serve you; but bless all the works of our hands, that we may be able to honour you and be helpful to others.

Let your mighty hand and outstretched arm, O LORD, be our defence; let your mercy and kindness in Jesus Christ, your Son, be our salvation. Let your grace and Holy Spirit be our comfort and consolation, unto the end and in the end.

O LORD, grow our faith, teach us your Word and grant us your peace.  

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The mystery of the Holy Trinity: God-in-relationship.

The mystery of the Holy Trinity: God-in-relationship.

Trinity Sunday is observed on 26 May 2013.

Our confession of the Holy Trinity is not about asking a mathematical question about how 3 can be one and one can be 3. Because it is a divine mystery.

No, the Holy Trinity has been revealed to show us the essence of the character of God!  Once we are aware of this mystery, it should bring us to worship, to being in awe of our God and to heartfelt reverence!

At the centre of God’s character is that he is a relational God. The essence of God is that he, from all eternity, exists as God in the relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God – the one and only true God.

The Holy Trinity, meaning in essence God-in-relationship, desires us to share in the Lord’s inner peace, harmony and fellowship.

The Father created us for this purpose

 and the Son came to recreate for us this harmony, by giving his life to take away the sin that stands between us and God.

The Holy Spirit was sent to live in us to grant us faith and power in order to have a relationship with the Father through our relationship with the Son.

Amazing love! We are invited into the holiest place, into the peace, harmony and love of God-in-relationship and as such share in the glory of his joy and gladness.

Does Pentecost 2013 matter?

What difference does it make today that the first Christians were baptized by the Holy Spirit with tongues  of fire, 2000 years ago, on the Jewish festival of Pentecost? Should we spend a Sunday celebrating the outpouring of the Spirit on the Church on 19 May 2013?

Pentecost matters, because a complete ministry of the Church was guaranteed by the indwelling Spirit, on Pentecost.

On that Jewish festival of Pentecost, 10 days after the Ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit empowered the first disciples and formed them into the Church of Christ, and God’s Church is still central to God’s work in the world. They proclaimed God’s Good News in many languages on Pentecost day to demonstrate that there would be no doubt in anybody’s mind that the Church, which is an instrument in God’s hand, in its purest form is culturally inclusive. The Church includes people from every language and people.  

Pentecost guarantees a complete ministry by all God’s children – by men and women alike.

On Pentecost Peter preached a sermon to also help the people understand that the Holy Spirit was given to all who turned from their sin and turned to God through Jesus (Acts 2:38). The “text” of his sermon was Joel 2: 28 – 29: ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream  dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants –men and women alike– and they will prophesy.”

The first Christian Pentecost Sunday was a turning point in God’s work on earth. God began to do what he had promised through many centuries and generations, that all God’s children will be equally involved in his complete, comprehensive ministry in this world.

I am therefore challenged with the question whether I am exercising the gifts of the Spirit in my life. Do I serve God wholeheartedly according to his purpose for my life and according to the gifts the Lord gave me through his Spirit? Is this Pentecost Sunday celebrations perhaps the time to renew my commitment to fulfilling my unique role in the ministry of God’s people in the world? 

Ascension Day 2013

Ascension Day 2013. 

People in authority must have thought that this Christian celebration is not important to Christians in South Africa and the result is that it is not a public holiday anymore! 

May this political decision not keep us from fellowship and worship on this glorious day!

Because without the Ascension of Christ, the Gospel is incomplete.

And we do not need the state’s permission to glorify our exalted Lord.

On Ascension Day, 9 May 2013, we remember the enthronement of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God and Christ our Saviour - enthroned in heaven as the King of kings and the Lord of lords  -  and that to him has been given all authority in heaven and earth.  He is worthy to open the scroll, the plan of salvation, and make it happen all over the world.  He is worthy of our love and praise.

So, it is a very important day to all Christians.  The future of God‘s work and his Church is at stake  -  for only by the power of Christ that rose from the dead, and rose to heaven, do we have a future, do we have hope and can we have faith.

The church meets on this day first of all for the sake of God - for his glory, his honour and the wellbeing of his work and Kingdom. That we may worship him who gave his Son the power to rule and reign for our benefit and salvation, to lead his Church amidst danger, temptation and challenge, to intercede for us and prepare for us an eternal home with his Father.

Yet we also meet for each other’s sake.

The least we can do is to encourage one another to serve the living Lord.  The least we can do for each other is to show our love by being one in worship, in obedience and in labouring for our Lord.

For there is no King without a people. There is no people without all that follow Christ worshiping, praising and exalting him in fellowship with each other, seeking to glorify his Name as we work for the coming of his Kingdom in the lives of people, of communities, of nations – to the ends of he earth.

Let’s pray that all God’s people will on Ascensions Day, and always, testify of the enthroned, almighty, exalted Christ that the world may know he is alive and he is Lord of all and that we found redemption and unity in him!

Lord Jesus, only you are worthy!

We celebrate you, because we love you.

The Bible

The Bible

The Bible is God’s Holy Spirit inspired message to us.

The Bible reveals to us who God is, what his character is, what he expects from us.

The Bible reveals to us who we are - sinners in dire need of redemption.

The Bible reveals to us God’s unique salvation plan in Christ, through his cross and resurrection.

The Bible reveals God’s will for our lives and our worship and the Holy Spirit speaks through the Bible to change us, to grant us faith and to inspire us to serve the Lord.

Without the Bible we would have had no knowledge of God and of his redemption offer in Christ.

Without the Bible we cannot preach the Gospel and cannot have a personal testimony of salvation.

Without the Bible there would be no preaching, teaching or pastoring in the Church of Christ in the world.

The Bible is God’s final, highest and complete authority on all matters of life and faith.

Let’s celebrate God’s Word in the Bible with joy and thanksgiving!

Let’s make sure that everyone owns a Bible and pray for the Spirit’s work through God’s Word in the Holy Scriptures.