Tuesday 29 November 2011
Tuesday November 29, 2011
Read Acts 20:18-24; Philippians 1:21 God has given your life meaning, value and purpose. From the moment you were saved, you were saved for a purpose. You were immediately inducted into a team that has an eternal purpose. While that purpose has many arms or out workings, they are all subsumed under the heading of reaching the world with the love of Christ. Let me encourage you to think seriously for a moment about where you fit into that team. Where are your talents, abilities and spiritual gifts being used in that team? How are contributing to the mission that God has given His body, the church? Interestingly, I was similarly challenged years ago to think about my role and place in the team. After much soul searching and prayer, God wrote Acts 20:24 on my heart as my own personal mission or life statement. Do you have such a statement? Can you sum up the purpose of your life in one sentence? Can you verbalise the reason for your existence? Since that life changing time, life has been (to say the least) a thrilling adventure! Knowing your purpose gives your life direction. It brings motivation and passion and helps to put everything in perspective. Decision making becomes easier, your prayer life is enhanced and church gatherings take on a new, exciting dimension. At some point in life we will all have to choose between real life and idleness. Spend time praying and asking God about your purpose statement for your life. Write down that statement and adopt it as your own – just as Paul did for his life. Prayer: Scott & Rachael Adamson – Student Life Student Life / Campus Crusade for Christ Australia’s National Day of Prayer was held recently. The theme, Romans 8:31, “if God is for us, who can be against us?” Continue to pray that all of our missionaries have received a fresh insight into who God is, and be encouraged to worship and serve Him further.
Monday November 28, 2011
Read Matthew 10:17-20; John 10:10
Perhaps the biggest cause of delinquency and trouble is a sense of purposelessness. When people are idle and have no reason to exist they naturally become pleasure seeking, excitement seeking missiles. Such seeking inevitably causes trouble and mayhem for the wider community. Youths without purpose roam the streets each weekend, fuelled with alcohol and drugs deluded into thinking that they‟ve had a great time. Hooligans break shop windows and spray paint public buildings because they are bored and aimless. Others sit idly in pubs and clubs drinking their lives away.
As a Christian, my dear brother and sister, do you know your purpose? Does your life have a defined and spelt out goal? Do you have a reason for waking up each day and living to the max (See John 10:10)?
As Jesus sent the disciples out like sheep among wolves to spread the good news, He gave them this charge:
But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
In the midst of an antagonistic and hostile world, the disciples were to be a mouthpiece for God the Father. God the Father would speak through them so that the gospel will be proclaimed to all nations.
Can you see a reflection of your own purpose here? More than ever the world needs Christians to be the mouthpiece (and the hands, feet, ears and eyes) of God. You are God‟s ambassador. You are God‟s messenger. You are a new creation with an eternal purpose. Live it each day!!
Commit to asking God each and every morning to show you what His purpose and plan for your life today is.
Prayer:
Give thanks for the faithful preaching of God‟s Word.
Ask God to continue to teach and reveal His truths to His people.
Perhaps the biggest cause of delinquency and trouble is a sense of purposelessness. When people are idle and have no reason to exist they naturally become pleasure seeking, excitement seeking missiles. Such seeking inevitably causes trouble and mayhem for the wider community. Youths without purpose roam the streets each weekend, fuelled with alcohol and drugs deluded into thinking that they‟ve had a great time. Hooligans break shop windows and spray paint public buildings because they are bored and aimless. Others sit idly in pubs and clubs drinking their lives away.
As a Christian, my dear brother and sister, do you know your purpose? Does your life have a defined and spelt out goal? Do you have a reason for waking up each day and living to the max (See John 10:10)?
As Jesus sent the disciples out like sheep among wolves to spread the good news, He gave them this charge:
But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
In the midst of an antagonistic and hostile world, the disciples were to be a mouthpiece for God the Father. God the Father would speak through them so that the gospel will be proclaimed to all nations.
Can you see a reflection of your own purpose here? More than ever the world needs Christians to be the mouthpiece (and the hands, feet, ears and eyes) of God. You are God‟s ambassador. You are God‟s messenger. You are a new creation with an eternal purpose. Live it each day!!
Commit to asking God each and every morning to show you what His purpose and plan for your life today is.
Prayer:
Give thanks for the faithful preaching of God‟s Word.
Ask God to continue to teach and reveal His truths to His people.
Saturday 26 November 2011
Saturday November 26, 2011
Read Matthew 10:16
Here’s a recipe for disaster. Take a pack of hungry ferocious wolves and let them loose in a sheep paddock. Sounds crazy doesn’t it? But that’s the very image that Jesus uses as he sends the disciples out on their first mission. They are sheep among wolves. And since Jesus uttered these words, nothing has changed.
We are still being sent out like sheep among wolves.
The world was hostile to Jesus and sought to nail Him to the cross. We should expect it to be hostile to us as we preach and represent Jesus to them. That is why Jesus warns us. ‘Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.’ When in enemy territory we need to be shrewd in the way we conduct ourselves. We need to be astute and on the ball in the way we present the GOOD news. While the message itself will never change, the packaging may. We need to be wise in how and when we travel and where we travel to. But we also need to be innocent as doves. Antagonistic unbelievers will use anything against us and our Lord. We must give them no ammunition. But rather as 1 Peter 3:16 says, we must be constantly “keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
Jesus sends us out knowingly into hostile territory. But it’s not bad news at all. It’s GOOD news! Jesus has a plan and has every contingent covered. Next week we’ll see more good news and more of God’s plan. But for now, be content that at the end of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) Jesus said that He would surely be with us until the very end of the age.
Read Matthew 10:16. Ask the Lord to show you how your current mode or method of evangelism may need refining or tweaking.
Prayer:-
à Uphold John Mackay and Creation Research in prayer.
à Ask God to continue to bless their ministry in all areas of current need.
à Uphold Jim Lyons as he goes into surgery on Monday in Brisbane.
à Ask God to guide the surgeon’s hands as he does a procedure on Jim’s heart.
Here’s a recipe for disaster. Take a pack of hungry ferocious wolves and let them loose in a sheep paddock. Sounds crazy doesn’t it? But that’s the very image that Jesus uses as he sends the disciples out on their first mission. They are sheep among wolves. And since Jesus uttered these words, nothing has changed.
We are still being sent out like sheep among wolves.
The world was hostile to Jesus and sought to nail Him to the cross. We should expect it to be hostile to us as we preach and represent Jesus to them. That is why Jesus warns us. ‘Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.’ When in enemy territory we need to be shrewd in the way we conduct ourselves. We need to be astute and on the ball in the way we present the GOOD news. While the message itself will never change, the packaging may. We need to be wise in how and when we travel and where we travel to. But we also need to be innocent as doves. Antagonistic unbelievers will use anything against us and our Lord. We must give them no ammunition. But rather as 1 Peter 3:16 says, we must be constantly “keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
Jesus sends us out knowingly into hostile territory. But it’s not bad news at all. It’s GOOD news! Jesus has a plan and has every contingent covered. Next week we’ll see more good news and more of God’s plan. But for now, be content that at the end of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) Jesus said that He would surely be with us until the very end of the age.
Read Matthew 10:16. Ask the Lord to show you how your current mode or method of evangelism may need refining or tweaking.
Prayer:-
à Uphold John Mackay and Creation Research in prayer.
à Ask God to continue to bless their ministry in all areas of current need.
à Uphold Jim Lyons as he goes into surgery on Monday in Brisbane.
à Ask God to guide the surgeon’s hands as he does a procedure on Jim’s heart.
Friday 25 November 2011
Friday November 25, 2011
Read Matthew 10: 5-15
One of the things that scares us away from mission work and sharing our faith is the reaction that people might have. We might be afraid that some may react negatively. We might be afraid of persecution. We may be afraid that some people will reject the message.
Jesus Himself understood our fears. He warned the disciples that some people would reject them and hence their message and hence Jesus Himself. But rather than waste time and energy worrying about these people, the disciples were told to wipe the dust off their feet as a testimony against them. They were to leave those people in God’s hands.
How people react to the GOOD news is really not our business. Our job, our task is to take the GOOD news to them. We are delivery men and women or messengers. We cannot and should never manipulate people to believe the good news. It’s our job to share it.
Jesus told a parable of four different types of soils. Only one of those soils bore fruit! Don’t let the fear of people, or their reaction, stop you from being a full time missionary. Take up the challenge and resolve to share the GOOD News at every opportunity. Make it your goal to step out in faith every time the door opens for a ‘spiritual’ conversation.
Spend time in prayer telling God of our resolve to go on a mission and to be a full time missionary in your current context.
Prayer:-
à Give thanks to God for all the faithful people who do many tasks unseen for His Kingdom.
à Thank God for Glenys Meyers who faithfully cleans our church building.
One of the things that scares us away from mission work and sharing our faith is the reaction that people might have. We might be afraid that some may react negatively. We might be afraid of persecution. We may be afraid that some people will reject the message.
Jesus Himself understood our fears. He warned the disciples that some people would reject them and hence their message and hence Jesus Himself. But rather than waste time and energy worrying about these people, the disciples were told to wipe the dust off their feet as a testimony against them. They were to leave those people in God’s hands.
How people react to the GOOD news is really not our business. Our job, our task is to take the GOOD news to them. We are delivery men and women or messengers. We cannot and should never manipulate people to believe the good news. It’s our job to share it.
Jesus told a parable of four different types of soils. Only one of those soils bore fruit! Don’t let the fear of people, or their reaction, stop you from being a full time missionary. Take up the challenge and resolve to share the GOOD News at every opportunity. Make it your goal to step out in faith every time the door opens for a ‘spiritual’ conversation.
Spend time in prayer telling God of our resolve to go on a mission and to be a full time missionary in your current context.
Prayer:-
à Give thanks to God for all the faithful people who do many tasks unseen for His Kingdom.
à Thank God for Glenys Meyers who faithfully cleans our church building.
Thursday 24 November 2011
Thursday November 24, 2011
Read Matthew 10:5-11
Have you ever been on a short, mid or long term mission? If “yes” I suspect that it was a thrilling and exhilarating time. Make a point of duplicating yourself this week. Ring another believer and have coffee with them encouraging them by your mission and urging them to go on a mission. If ‘no’ you are missing out on the thrill of sharing the GOOD news with people and watching and being involved in God’s eternal transformation of people’s lives.
On one mission I personally witnessed a young 15 year old male confess his sins and come to Christ as we stood at the door chatting. My co-door knocker leaned across with his eyes wide in amazement and joy and whispered, ‘It’s not supposed to happen like this.’ I should have replied, ‘Yes it is. The harvest is plentiful,’ but I was too awestruck to say anything.
There really is a thrill, a joy in being a part of a short, mid or long term mission team. Having led many missions I am amazed at how the work changes everyone involved. Obviously the people who hear about Christ are changed. But the mission team is changed as well. Prayer becomes a life line that everyone clings to and utilises. Lukewarm Christians are fired up and become passionate about the work. Joy filters down upon each member. Team work and team love grows exponentially. There’s an unexplainable buzz in everyone as the mission progresses.
Let me encourage you to join a mission team. Let me encourage you to go on a mission be it local, national or international. It’s more exhilarating than bungee jumping, more motivating than listening to Anthony Robbins and longer lasting than Rexona antiperspirant!
Find out what missions your church is running in the near future and ask God to show you which one He wants you to sign up for. Then sign up.
Prayer:-
à Praise God for elders who are faithful in their biblical roles within the churches they serve.
à Ask God to continually provide them with His wisdom and guidance.
Have you ever been on a short, mid or long term mission? If “yes” I suspect that it was a thrilling and exhilarating time. Make a point of duplicating yourself this week. Ring another believer and have coffee with them encouraging them by your mission and urging them to go on a mission. If ‘no’ you are missing out on the thrill of sharing the GOOD news with people and watching and being involved in God’s eternal transformation of people’s lives.
On one mission I personally witnessed a young 15 year old male confess his sins and come to Christ as we stood at the door chatting. My co-door knocker leaned across with his eyes wide in amazement and joy and whispered, ‘It’s not supposed to happen like this.’ I should have replied, ‘Yes it is. The harvest is plentiful,’ but I was too awestruck to say anything.
There really is a thrill, a joy in being a part of a short, mid or long term mission team. Having led many missions I am amazed at how the work changes everyone involved. Obviously the people who hear about Christ are changed. But the mission team is changed as well. Prayer becomes a life line that everyone clings to and utilises. Lukewarm Christians are fired up and become passionate about the work. Joy filters down upon each member. Team work and team love grows exponentially. There’s an unexplainable buzz in everyone as the mission progresses.
Let me encourage you to join a mission team. Let me encourage you to go on a mission be it local, national or international. It’s more exhilarating than bungee jumping, more motivating than listening to Anthony Robbins and longer lasting than Rexona antiperspirant!
Find out what missions your church is running in the near future and ask God to show you which one He wants you to sign up for. Then sign up.
Prayer:-
à Praise God for elders who are faithful in their biblical roles within the churches they serve.
à Ask God to continually provide them with His wisdom and guidance.
Wednesday 23 November 2011
Wednesday November 23, 2011
Read Matthew 10:1-4
Praying is a dangerous business. Someone once gave me helpful advice - If you don’t want it, don’t pray about it. I know a person who prayed that she would know who the really poor and destitute of her suburb really are. The next morning a homeless widow and her daughter knocked on the door and asked for assistance. If we are praying for God to send out workers into His harvest field we need to be ready for God to do amazing and unexpected things.
To help you understand the context of what’s happening read Matthew 9:35-10:4 again. Jesus has been preaching the kingdom of God and has been healing people as a sign or symbol of the good news of the Kingdom of God. He’s told the disciples that the harvest is plentiful and He has instructed them to pray that God would send labourers into the harvest field.
Now in Chapter 10 we see a list of Apostles. But when this scene actually happened, there was no chapter break. The disciples would have heard Jesus speak about praying for labourers and then He would have sent them out into the harvest field.
What just happened? The disciples were encouraged to pray and God answered the prayer by sending them into the harvest field.
When we pray for God to send out workers into the harvest field we need to be ready for God to do amazing and unexpected things - He may send us into the field! The prayer may quickly become the answer to the prayer.
But notice something very unusual in Matthew 9:38 When we pray, we are to ask God to send workers into His harvest field. It’s His field. God may send us or other workers where we least expect. His field may be somewhere other than where we thought it was. God may have plans that we could never have dreamt of.
As you pray, be prepared. God may be preparing you for His harvest field!
Prayer:-
à Praise God for the Kings Kids Presentation this Sonday morning and for the children who will be participating.
à Ask God to give all the leaders and helpers His patience as they lead the kids through this morning.
Praying is a dangerous business. Someone once gave me helpful advice - If you don’t want it, don’t pray about it. I know a person who prayed that she would know who the really poor and destitute of her suburb really are. The next morning a homeless widow and her daughter knocked on the door and asked for assistance. If we are praying for God to send out workers into His harvest field we need to be ready for God to do amazing and unexpected things.
To help you understand the context of what’s happening read Matthew 9:35-10:4 again. Jesus has been preaching the kingdom of God and has been healing people as a sign or symbol of the good news of the Kingdom of God. He’s told the disciples that the harvest is plentiful and He has instructed them to pray that God would send labourers into the harvest field.
Now in Chapter 10 we see a list of Apostles. But when this scene actually happened, there was no chapter break. The disciples would have heard Jesus speak about praying for labourers and then He would have sent them out into the harvest field.
What just happened? The disciples were encouraged to pray and God answered the prayer by sending them into the harvest field.
When we pray for God to send out workers into the harvest field we need to be ready for God to do amazing and unexpected things - He may send us into the field! The prayer may quickly become the answer to the prayer.
But notice something very unusual in Matthew 9:38 When we pray, we are to ask God to send workers into His harvest field. It’s His field. God may send us or other workers where we least expect. His field may be somewhere other than where we thought it was. God may have plans that we could never have dreamt of.
As you pray, be prepared. God may be preparing you for His harvest field!
Prayer:-
à Praise God for the Kings Kids Presentation this Sonday morning and for the children who will be participating.
à Ask God to give all the leaders and helpers His patience as they lead the kids through this morning.
Tuesday 22 November 2011
Tuesday November 22, 2011
Read Matthew 9:37-38
If you were to list all your prayer points for the last ten years, would there be a pattern or grouping of things prayed for? What items of prayer would head up the list and be most common? What is it that has dominated your prayer requests over the last decade?
Of course there are many noble and God-glorifying things to be praying about. Surely one of those top 5 would have to be prayer for the sending out of workers into the harvest field. Jesus said, ‘The harvest is plentiful...’ The harvest is plentiful. The harvest is plentiful. But is it? Our churches are not overflowing with a bountiful reaping of harvest. Our churches are not splitting at the seams because we can’t hold in the harvest. But Jesus said, ‘The harvest is plentiful...’ What has gone wrong? Why the deep division between what Jesus said and what we have experienced?
The full words of Jesus complete the picture.
Then He said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field."
Part of our evangelism strategy must include praying that God would send workers in the harvest field. We must, as individuals, as cell groups and as a congregation, be praying and pleading for God to send out more and more workers into his harvest field. We need to be petitioning God regularly about this. Let me encourage you to add this prayer to your prayer list and to pray for God’s sending every time you pray. And watch the great things that God will do through our prayers.
If you have a prayer journal or prayer points list, immediately add this point to your list. Start praying it immediately.
Prayer:-
à Ask God’s blessings to shine on the Combined Glenvale Carols Evening, happening here Sonday 11th December.
à Ask God to bring community along to hear the truth behind Christmas.
If you were to list all your prayer points for the last ten years, would there be a pattern or grouping of things prayed for? What items of prayer would head up the list and be most common? What is it that has dominated your prayer requests over the last decade?
Of course there are many noble and God-glorifying things to be praying about. Surely one of those top 5 would have to be prayer for the sending out of workers into the harvest field. Jesus said, ‘The harvest is plentiful...’ The harvest is plentiful. The harvest is plentiful. But is it? Our churches are not overflowing with a bountiful reaping of harvest. Our churches are not splitting at the seams because we can’t hold in the harvest. But Jesus said, ‘The harvest is plentiful...’ What has gone wrong? Why the deep division between what Jesus said and what we have experienced?
The full words of Jesus complete the picture.
Then He said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field."
Part of our evangelism strategy must include praying that God would send workers in the harvest field. We must, as individuals, as cell groups and as a congregation, be praying and pleading for God to send out more and more workers into his harvest field. We need to be petitioning God regularly about this. Let me encourage you to add this prayer to your prayer list and to pray for God’s sending every time you pray. And watch the great things that God will do through our prayers.
If you have a prayer journal or prayer points list, immediately add this point to your list. Start praying it immediately.
Prayer:-
à Ask God’s blessings to shine on the Combined Glenvale Carols Evening, happening here Sonday 11th December.
à Ask God to bring community along to hear the truth behind Christmas.
Monday 21 November 2011
Monday November 21, 2011
Read Matthew 9:35-36
Think back over the last year and count the number of people you have won over to the Lord. What about over the last 3 years? What about over the last 10 years, how many people have you seen come to the Lord for salvation? By asking these questions I leave myself exposed and feeling very uncomfortable.
But as we zero in on Jesus and His movements we see that He went from town to town and village to village preaching the good news of the kingdom of God and healing those in need. What we have to tell the world is indeed good news! It’s good news because sinners can find salvation. The friendless can find a friend. The unlovely can find someone who loves them. The destitute can find deliverance.
There are many things that stop us from sharing the good news in our own contact communities (those areas and people groups in which we make contact with non believers - busyness, fear, false or wrong priorities, previously bad experiences and so on. But we need to recapture the essence of that GOOD news. It is GOOD news and it needs to be shared with anyone and everyone. We need to recapture the joy, the thrill, the exhilaration of sharing the good news and being involved in someone else’s conversion. If you read or glance over Luke 15 you’ll see that heaven erupts into joyous praise and adoration when even one sinner repents and finds salvation in Christ.
If you’ve fallen into a rut and have problems sharing the GOOD news with others, here’s a few ideas to get you going:-
¨ Sign up to do R.I in high schools or primary schools.
¨ Start inviting people in your contact communities to particular church services.
¨ Start asking others ‘what do you mean?’ type questions and ‘why do you believe that?’ type questions as they make grandiose statements.
¨ Offer to pray for people when an opportunity presents itself. This often paves the way for sharing the GOOD news.
¨ Serve people in a selfless, Jesus like way and watch doors open for sharing the GOOD news.
When a non believer accepts and believes the Word about Christ you share with them, that person has been granted eternal life. Their name has effectively been rubbed out of the Hell register and has been written with indelible ink in the heaven register. That person has been filled with the Holy Spirit and will enter heaven’s glory with you. Is there any other better news you could share with that person???
Write down the names of 5 people that you would love to share the GOOD news with. Pray for each one and invite them to church this weekend. Pray that God would open doors for you to share.
Prayer: -
à Praise God for the faithful attendance of the Committee of Management people during 2011.
à Continue to pray for this Committee as they seek God’s wisdom for decisions to be made during the meeting tonight.
Think back over the last year and count the number of people you have won over to the Lord. What about over the last 3 years? What about over the last 10 years, how many people have you seen come to the Lord for salvation? By asking these questions I leave myself exposed and feeling very uncomfortable.
But as we zero in on Jesus and His movements we see that He went from town to town and village to village preaching the good news of the kingdom of God and healing those in need. What we have to tell the world is indeed good news! It’s good news because sinners can find salvation. The friendless can find a friend. The unlovely can find someone who loves them. The destitute can find deliverance.
There are many things that stop us from sharing the good news in our own contact communities (those areas and people groups in which we make contact with non believers - busyness, fear, false or wrong priorities, previously bad experiences and so on. But we need to recapture the essence of that GOOD news. It is GOOD news and it needs to be shared with anyone and everyone. We need to recapture the joy, the thrill, the exhilaration of sharing the good news and being involved in someone else’s conversion. If you read or glance over Luke 15 you’ll see that heaven erupts into joyous praise and adoration when even one sinner repents and finds salvation in Christ.
If you’ve fallen into a rut and have problems sharing the GOOD news with others, here’s a few ideas to get you going:-
¨ Sign up to do R.I in high schools or primary schools.
¨ Start inviting people in your contact communities to particular church services.
¨ Start asking others ‘what do you mean?’ type questions and ‘why do you believe that?’ type questions as they make grandiose statements.
¨ Offer to pray for people when an opportunity presents itself. This often paves the way for sharing the GOOD news.
¨ Serve people in a selfless, Jesus like way and watch doors open for sharing the GOOD news.
When a non believer accepts and believes the Word about Christ you share with them, that person has been granted eternal life. Their name has effectively been rubbed out of the Hell register and has been written with indelible ink in the heaven register. That person has been filled with the Holy Spirit and will enter heaven’s glory with you. Is there any other better news you could share with that person???
Write down the names of 5 people that you would love to share the GOOD news with. Pray for each one and invite them to church this weekend. Pray that God would open doors for you to share.
Prayer: -
à Praise God for the faithful attendance of the Committee of Management people during 2011.
à Continue to pray for this Committee as they seek God’s wisdom for decisions to be made during the meeting tonight.
Saturday 19 November 2011
Saturday November 19, 2011
Read Romans 8:28-30
Picture yourself standing before two magnificent and inspiring works of art, each created by a different artist. Even so, both wooden artworks are identical. They tower above you and sing glory to their respective creator/artist. A stranger passes by and asks you, ‘Which do you think is the greater artist?’ How can you answer? As you scratch your head, he reveals the hidden secret to you. The first artist found the highest grade timber in the world from the most reputable dealer and used the best machinery and tools available. The second artist went out in the local tips looking for dead, used and abandoned wood scraps. He found the most mangled and deformed and knotted wood scraps you could ever imagine. He then took them home and worked on them with his own hands.
Now you tell me, who’s the greater artist? The first or the second?
When God calls the sick and the unhealthy, the unlovable and the unlovely, He’s like that second artist. He seeks out the rubbish, the bits that society has thrown away and works lovingly on each one with his own hands.
God has a purpose in His choosing the weak, the sick, the unhealthy. He lovingly and carefully prepares us for heaven. In effect we are works of art that one day will be displayed in God’s art gallery for all to see. All creation will marvel at how God chose and worked with such ordinary material. All creation will see how God moulded us and shaped us to be more and more like His Son Jesus and how He lovingly perfected us by rubbing us with the sandpaper of circumstance. They’ll see how the polish of time and the lacquer of His Word has left a crystal clear, holy coating that shines.
As you gather for ‘church’ tomorrow, remember that you are standing side by side with all the other clumps of wood that our Great Artist is working on. We are all works in progress. We are all being honed and sanded and polished. As we stand together we are not meant to be looking at each other but at our Creator/Artist, singing His praises and glorying in His love. You can start today by praising God for your fellow works of art.
Prayer: -
à Uphold our QLD State Moderator, Rev Graeme Mackay as he travels around the churches in Qld. Bless his wife, Kerrie, as she supports Graeme in this ministerial role.
Picture yourself standing before two magnificent and inspiring works of art, each created by a different artist. Even so, both wooden artworks are identical. They tower above you and sing glory to their respective creator/artist. A stranger passes by and asks you, ‘Which do you think is the greater artist?’ How can you answer? As you scratch your head, he reveals the hidden secret to you. The first artist found the highest grade timber in the world from the most reputable dealer and used the best machinery and tools available. The second artist went out in the local tips looking for dead, used and abandoned wood scraps. He found the most mangled and deformed and knotted wood scraps you could ever imagine. He then took them home and worked on them with his own hands.
Now you tell me, who’s the greater artist? The first or the second?
When God calls the sick and the unhealthy, the unlovable and the unlovely, He’s like that second artist. He seeks out the rubbish, the bits that society has thrown away and works lovingly on each one with his own hands.
God has a purpose in His choosing the weak, the sick, the unhealthy. He lovingly and carefully prepares us for heaven. In effect we are works of art that one day will be displayed in God’s art gallery for all to see. All creation will marvel at how God chose and worked with such ordinary material. All creation will see how God moulded us and shaped us to be more and more like His Son Jesus and how He lovingly perfected us by rubbing us with the sandpaper of circumstance. They’ll see how the polish of time and the lacquer of His Word has left a crystal clear, holy coating that shines.
As you gather for ‘church’ tomorrow, remember that you are standing side by side with all the other clumps of wood that our Great Artist is working on. We are all works in progress. We are all being honed and sanded and polished. As we stand together we are not meant to be looking at each other but at our Creator/Artist, singing His praises and glorying in His love. You can start today by praising God for your fellow works of art.
Prayer: -
à Uphold our QLD State Moderator, Rev Graeme Mackay as he travels around the churches in Qld. Bless his wife, Kerrie, as she supports Graeme in this ministerial role.
Friday 18 November 2011
Friday November 18, 2011
Read Luke 19:1-10
You’re walking home one night after dinner in a fabulous restaurant and well priced too (for the Presbyterian in us!!). You see this graffiti tagged on a building wall: “What are you looking for?” I wonder how you interpret that question. Is it just graffiti? Is it a deep and insightful probe into the nature of humanity? Is it a comedic comment on the confusing layout of our city? How do you interpret that question?
If we take the second option as at least partially true, let me ask you that very question, ‘What are you looking for?” Most people are looking for something. Children are looking for fun. Teenagers are looking for acceptance. Young adults are looking for love. Older people are looking for validation and meaning. What are you looking for?
If we were to ask Jesus that question He’d answer, ‘Those who are lost?’ Huh? Jesus came to seek out, to search for, those who are lost. He came to deliberately find those people that have lost their way when it comes to knowing God. How I wish that each and every believer would answer as Jesus did when we are asked that question. I am looking for the lost. I am seeking those who don’t know their way back to God.
How are you searching for the lost? How is your cell group searching for the lost? How is your church seeking the lost? What can you be doing to find them? How can you identify them? How can you get to them before it’s too late?
This is God’s mission in a nutshell. It captures the theme of the entire Bible from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22. God has come to seek and to save the lost. He has come to rescue those who need rescuing. He has come for us.
Spend time praying that God would show you who the lost are in your community and how you can “find” them and bring salvation to them.
Prayer:
à Prayer for the Darling Downs Presbytery and for the men who willingly give up their time to serve in this role.
à Uphold Keith Dowding, Moderator of this Presbytery.
You’re walking home one night after dinner in a fabulous restaurant and well priced too (for the Presbyterian in us!!). You see this graffiti tagged on a building wall: “What are you looking for?” I wonder how you interpret that question. Is it just graffiti? Is it a deep and insightful probe into the nature of humanity? Is it a comedic comment on the confusing layout of our city? How do you interpret that question?
If we take the second option as at least partially true, let me ask you that very question, ‘What are you looking for?” Most people are looking for something. Children are looking for fun. Teenagers are looking for acceptance. Young adults are looking for love. Older people are looking for validation and meaning. What are you looking for?
If we were to ask Jesus that question He’d answer, ‘Those who are lost?’ Huh? Jesus came to seek out, to search for, those who are lost. He came to deliberately find those people that have lost their way when it comes to knowing God. How I wish that each and every believer would answer as Jesus did when we are asked that question. I am looking for the lost. I am seeking those who don’t know their way back to God.
How are you searching for the lost? How is your cell group searching for the lost? How is your church seeking the lost? What can you be doing to find them? How can you identify them? How can you get to them before it’s too late?
This is God’s mission in a nutshell. It captures the theme of the entire Bible from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22. God has come to seek and to save the lost. He has come to rescue those who need rescuing. He has come for us.
Spend time praying that God would show you who the lost are in your community and how you can “find” them and bring salvation to them.
Prayer:
à Prayer for the Darling Downs Presbytery and for the men who willingly give up their time to serve in this role.
à Uphold Keith Dowding, Moderator of this Presbytery.
Thursday 17 November 2011
Thursday November 17, 2011
Read Mark 10:35-45
If Jesus came to save the lost, if He came to call the un-callable, then how should that affect our churches? Jesus Himself answers that question in today’s passage.
The disciples are arguing and are somewhat indignant because the brothers James and John have asked Jesus for permission to sit at the most important seats when His kingdom is consummated. Jesus gently but firmly slaps all the disciples on the cheek when He tells them that being great in the Kingdom of God equates to being a servant. The rational for this teaching is not some deep psycho analytical mumbo jumbo. The reasoning is clearly spelt out in vs 45.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
Our Lord and Saviour did not come to be served as a King at a banquet, even though He is The King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He came to serve and even to give His life as the ransom price to set us free from the power and authority of the evil one. He died to set us free. He suffered and was punished for our salvation. As Jesus’ disciples we can expect to walk as He did and to tread in His footsteps.
The church is a house of service. We serve each other each and every Lord’s day (Sonday - the day we commit to the Son) and throughout the week. But we also serve the community around us individually, as a cell group and as a congregation and even as a denomination. This kind of service that imitates the Lord’s service will challenge the world. Some will be offended and will counter attack, ridicule and make life difficult. But others will see the love of Christ and will be drawn to Him for salvation. The church, the Kingdom of God will grow as we reach out in Jesus imitating service to each other and to the community around us.
Where and how are you serving? Where and how are you giving of yourself to the benefit of others?
Prayer:-
à Pray for the last Extreme for this year, happening this Saturday. For the non church kids who love to come.
à Pray for all the helpers who assist in running Extreme, that their lives and actions would be a clear “Bible” for the kids to read and see in action.
If Jesus came to save the lost, if He came to call the un-callable, then how should that affect our churches? Jesus Himself answers that question in today’s passage.
The disciples are arguing and are somewhat indignant because the brothers James and John have asked Jesus for permission to sit at the most important seats when His kingdom is consummated. Jesus gently but firmly slaps all the disciples on the cheek when He tells them that being great in the Kingdom of God equates to being a servant. The rational for this teaching is not some deep psycho analytical mumbo jumbo. The reasoning is clearly spelt out in vs 45.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
Our Lord and Saviour did not come to be served as a King at a banquet, even though He is The King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He came to serve and even to give His life as the ransom price to set us free from the power and authority of the evil one. He died to set us free. He suffered and was punished for our salvation. As Jesus’ disciples we can expect to walk as He did and to tread in His footsteps.
The church is a house of service. We serve each other each and every Lord’s day (Sonday - the day we commit to the Son) and throughout the week. But we also serve the community around us individually, as a cell group and as a congregation and even as a denomination. This kind of service that imitates the Lord’s service will challenge the world. Some will be offended and will counter attack, ridicule and make life difficult. But others will see the love of Christ and will be drawn to Him for salvation. The church, the Kingdom of God will grow as we reach out in Jesus imitating service to each other and to the community around us.
Where and how are you serving? Where and how are you giving of yourself to the benefit of others?
Prayer:-
à Pray for the last Extreme for this year, happening this Saturday. For the non church kids who love to come.
à Pray for all the helpers who assist in running Extreme, that their lives and actions would be a clear “Bible” for the kids to read and see in action.
Wednesday 16 November 2011
Wednesday November 16, 2011
Read Matthew 9:9-13
Not much has changed in 2,000 years since this episode with Matthew or Levi transpired. Tax collectors are still hated. Tax collectors are still frowned upon and disliked!! But in Jesus’ day tax collectors often collected more than they should and they lined their own pockets. Added to that, they gave the money to a foreign ruler. Imagine paying taxes (which we all reluctantly agree that are useful and helpful) and seeing that money go abroad to India or Africa or China or even America. It just adds fuel to the fire, doesn’t it.
Even so, as Jesus passes the tax booth He calls Levi to follow Himself. Levi arises and immediately follows Jesus. He immediately throws a party in honour of Jesus and invites his fellow tax collectors and sinner friends. The Pharisees watch what’s happening and comment. They even ask the disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’
Jesus then addresses their concerns. He says, ‘I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.’ God’s love is so great, so immense and so far reaching that it calls and renews sinners, the dirty and unclean, as they repent and believe in Jesus. God has no interest in saving the self righteous or those who think they deserve salvation. God reaches out to the no hopers, the broken and down trodden. God holds out His hand to those who are so deep in the pit that they know they are unworthy. God knows that the sick need a doctor not the healthy and He has sent His Son Jesus to save those who are sick.
Prayer:-
à Praise and thank God for the ladies who have faithfully come each month to Itchin’ 4 Stitching.
à All glory be given to God for the quilts completed for the Teen Challenge Girls facility.
à Give thanks that quilts are being made for the children at Fresh Hope.
Not much has changed in 2,000 years since this episode with Matthew or Levi transpired. Tax collectors are still hated. Tax collectors are still frowned upon and disliked!! But in Jesus’ day tax collectors often collected more than they should and they lined their own pockets. Added to that, they gave the money to a foreign ruler. Imagine paying taxes (which we all reluctantly agree that are useful and helpful) and seeing that money go abroad to India or Africa or China or even America. It just adds fuel to the fire, doesn’t it.
Even so, as Jesus passes the tax booth He calls Levi to follow Himself. Levi arises and immediately follows Jesus. He immediately throws a party in honour of Jesus and invites his fellow tax collectors and sinner friends. The Pharisees watch what’s happening and comment. They even ask the disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’
Jesus then addresses their concerns. He says, ‘I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.’ God’s love is so great, so immense and so far reaching that it calls and renews sinners, the dirty and unclean, as they repent and believe in Jesus. God has no interest in saving the self righteous or those who think they deserve salvation. God reaches out to the no hopers, the broken and down trodden. God holds out His hand to those who are so deep in the pit that they know they are unworthy. God knows that the sick need a doctor not the healthy and He has sent His Son Jesus to save those who are sick.
Prayer:-
à Praise and thank God for the ladies who have faithfully come each month to Itchin’ 4 Stitching.
à All glory be given to God for the quilts completed for the Teen Challenge Girls facility.
à Give thanks that quilts are being made for the children at Fresh Hope.
Tuesday 15 November 2011
Tuesday November 15, 2011
Read Isaiah 49:1-13
Time breeds pride.
What do I mean by that? It’s very easy to grow in pride over time as a Christian, because we can easily veer off onto that self sufficient, self praising, self righteous road that congratulates oneself for one’s own salvation. It’s easy when we’re on this self righteous road to start thinking things like, ‘I can see why God saved me but I can’t see anything in that other person that warrants salvation.’ or ‘Why would God save her/him?’ Over time our focus can slip from the cross to ourselves and our achievements and the end result is PRIDE.
But it helps to keep our eye firmly on our past and to never forget where we came from. While we are saints, not sinners, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we must never forget the depths of sin we were saved from. We must never forget the price that Jesus paid to save us - the price of death for our rebellion and sinfulness.
Traditionally this passage has been called another Suffering Servant Passage that speaks of the one who will come and do the special work that God has anointed Him to do. He will restore the elect of Israel to God and will take the Lord’s salvation out to the ends of the earth.
This will mean being abhorred by the nations and being a servant to the rulers so that those in darkness can be set free and those in captivity can be called out.
The servant of Yahweh will suffer immensely so that those who know they need a rescuer can find and enjoy the grace and mercy of God. The rescuer, Jesus, would suffer rejection and punishment from God so that the down hearted, the broken, the needy, the unlovable can find and experience the love, the joy, the radiating grace of God Almighty.
The Christian Church should not be filled with pride. There should not be even a skerrick of pride in the house of the Lord because each and every believer has been saved by the blood of the Lamb. Each and every believer has had his/her sins nailed to the cross with the rescuer. None of us deserved it. We are all recipients of God’s Amazing Grace.
What then should fill the House of the Lord?
Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.
Think of a praise song that deeply touches you. Listen to it a few times and spend the day singing that song of praise to your God.
Prayer:-
à As God for His guidance and blessings as Andrew & Samantha Bryan and family, as they work through all the necessities of relocating Student Life Head office to Brisbane.
à Uphold all the students and leaders involved in Student Life, as this year starts to wind down.
Time breeds pride.
What do I mean by that? It’s very easy to grow in pride over time as a Christian, because we can easily veer off onto that self sufficient, self praising, self righteous road that congratulates oneself for one’s own salvation. It’s easy when we’re on this self righteous road to start thinking things like, ‘I can see why God saved me but I can’t see anything in that other person that warrants salvation.’ or ‘Why would God save her/him?’ Over time our focus can slip from the cross to ourselves and our achievements and the end result is PRIDE.
But it helps to keep our eye firmly on our past and to never forget where we came from. While we are saints, not sinners, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we must never forget the depths of sin we were saved from. We must never forget the price that Jesus paid to save us - the price of death for our rebellion and sinfulness.
Traditionally this passage has been called another Suffering Servant Passage that speaks of the one who will come and do the special work that God has anointed Him to do. He will restore the elect of Israel to God and will take the Lord’s salvation out to the ends of the earth.
This will mean being abhorred by the nations and being a servant to the rulers so that those in darkness can be set free and those in captivity can be called out.
The servant of Yahweh will suffer immensely so that those who know they need a rescuer can find and enjoy the grace and mercy of God. The rescuer, Jesus, would suffer rejection and punishment from God so that the down hearted, the broken, the needy, the unlovable can find and experience the love, the joy, the radiating grace of God Almighty.
The Christian Church should not be filled with pride. There should not be even a skerrick of pride in the house of the Lord because each and every believer has been saved by the blood of the Lamb. Each and every believer has had his/her sins nailed to the cross with the rescuer. None of us deserved it. We are all recipients of God’s Amazing Grace.
What then should fill the House of the Lord?
Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.
Think of a praise song that deeply touches you. Listen to it a few times and spend the day singing that song of praise to your God.
Prayer:-
à As God for His guidance and blessings as Andrew & Samantha Bryan and family, as they work through all the necessities of relocating Student Life Head office to Brisbane.
à Uphold all the students and leaders involved in Student Life, as this year starts to wind down.
Monday 14 November 2011
Monday November 14, 2011
Read Isaiah 42:1-8
I wonder what kind of people we think should be in “church”? What kinds of people, or what groups of people should our church be reaching out to? Sometimes we may be tempted to think that it’s for nice people, good people or well-to-do people that either have or want to get their act together. At other times, conversely, we look at some people or people groups and automatically assume that they need not hear the gospel, or be invited to church. We think that they are beyond salvation for some reason - be it their lifestyle, their manners, their tattoos or even their smell.
But 8 centuries before Christ came on the scene, the prophet Isaiah looked forward to the time when the Suffering Servant of Yahweh would come to bring justice and hope for all the nations. This Servant of the Lord would rescue people. But He came to rescue, not well-to-do people or up and coming people, but rather the blind, the prisoners and those languishing in a dungeon because of their crimes. The Righteous Servant would make a covenant between God and these “no hopers” that the modern day church has all but forgotten.
It’s both a scary and a challenging thought. God doesn’t look at our social status, our income or our education levels. God doesn’t see the outside but the inside. He doesn’t necessarily save those we think are precious and worth saving. God reaches out to the down and out, the needy, the broken and the unlovable.
Think of a group of people that your church generally doesn’t reach and see if you can plan and instigate a short term ministry to bring them a blessing.
Prayer:-
à Uphold in prayer all the true and faithful ministers who choose to preach and live God’s truths, rather than feed on liberal teachings.
I wonder what kind of people we think should be in “church”? What kinds of people, or what groups of people should our church be reaching out to? Sometimes we may be tempted to think that it’s for nice people, good people or well-to-do people that either have or want to get their act together. At other times, conversely, we look at some people or people groups and automatically assume that they need not hear the gospel, or be invited to church. We think that they are beyond salvation for some reason - be it their lifestyle, their manners, their tattoos or even their smell.
But 8 centuries before Christ came on the scene, the prophet Isaiah looked forward to the time when the Suffering Servant of Yahweh would come to bring justice and hope for all the nations. This Servant of the Lord would rescue people. But He came to rescue, not well-to-do people or up and coming people, but rather the blind, the prisoners and those languishing in a dungeon because of their crimes. The Righteous Servant would make a covenant between God and these “no hopers” that the modern day church has all but forgotten.
It’s both a scary and a challenging thought. God doesn’t look at our social status, our income or our education levels. God doesn’t see the outside but the inside. He doesn’t necessarily save those we think are precious and worth saving. God reaches out to the down and out, the needy, the broken and the unlovable.
Think of a group of people that your church generally doesn’t reach and see if you can plan and instigate a short term ministry to bring them a blessing.
Prayer:-
à Uphold in prayer all the true and faithful ministers who choose to preach and live God’s truths, rather than feed on liberal teachings.
Saturday 12 November 2011
Saturday November 12, 2011
Read Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-11; Luke 5:17-26
Jesus is in Capernaum teaching, possibly in Simon Peter’s house. The power of God is present for Him to heal and the religious leaders have been hanging around, watching Him and seeking an opportunity to pounce on Him.
Four men, obviously filled with faith, bring their paralytic friend to see Jesus. Undoubtedly, they want him to be healed. But the house is crowded and there’s no way they could get to Jesus. So they climb to the roof and dig through the thatch. They lower their friend directly in front of Jesus.
Every one holds their breath waiting to see what Jesus would do or say. Will He heal the man? Will He chide the friends? What will He do? There’s a hush of expectation and anticipation in the air.
What transpired could not have been predicted by anyone. He turns to the paralysed man and says, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Shock and horror would have filled the room. The roof top friends would have been looking down in bewilderment, scratching their heads thinking, ’What?’
But Jesus has a point. He goes onto show that He alone has the authority and the power to forgive us for our sins. He poses a question to the religious leaders that are secretly accusing Him of blasphemy. The point of Jesus’ question is clear. If He can do the seemingly harder (and visible) miracle of healing then He can do the miracle of forgiveness (which can’t be seen). To prove that He has the authority to forgive, He simply tells the man to get up, to take up his mat and to go home. To the amazement of everyone, the paralysed man got up, picked up his mat and went home.
The episode leaves no doubt that Jesus is the one who can forgive us for our sins.
Spend time in prayer asking for forgiveness for your sins. Having done that, spend time praising God for His forgiveness.
Prayer:-
à Commit to God all the school students as they prepare for their final 2011 exams.
à Ask that His peace will reign in their lives.
Jesus is in Capernaum teaching, possibly in Simon Peter’s house. The power of God is present for Him to heal and the religious leaders have been hanging around, watching Him and seeking an opportunity to pounce on Him.
Four men, obviously filled with faith, bring their paralytic friend to see Jesus. Undoubtedly, they want him to be healed. But the house is crowded and there’s no way they could get to Jesus. So they climb to the roof and dig through the thatch. They lower their friend directly in front of Jesus.
Every one holds their breath waiting to see what Jesus would do or say. Will He heal the man? Will He chide the friends? What will He do? There’s a hush of expectation and anticipation in the air.
What transpired could not have been predicted by anyone. He turns to the paralysed man and says, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Shock and horror would have filled the room. The roof top friends would have been looking down in bewilderment, scratching their heads thinking, ’What?’
But Jesus has a point. He goes onto show that He alone has the authority and the power to forgive us for our sins. He poses a question to the religious leaders that are secretly accusing Him of blasphemy. The point of Jesus’ question is clear. If He can do the seemingly harder (and visible) miracle of healing then He can do the miracle of forgiveness (which can’t be seen). To prove that He has the authority to forgive, He simply tells the man to get up, to take up his mat and to go home. To the amazement of everyone, the paralysed man got up, picked up his mat and went home.
The episode leaves no doubt that Jesus is the one who can forgive us for our sins.
Spend time in prayer asking for forgiveness for your sins. Having done that, spend time praising God for His forgiveness.
Prayer:-
à Commit to God all the school students as they prepare for their final 2011 exams.
à Ask that His peace will reign in their lives.
Friday 11 November 2011
Friday November 11, 2011
Read 2 Samuel 12; Hebrews 12:1-11
Life can be messy. Life can be difficult and circumstances can come that are less than pleasant. Sometimes these situations are a direct result of the choices we have made to sin and rebel against God. Though God is gracious and compassionate and loving, the consequences of our actions are still ever present. God never promises to remove the consequences, though sometimes He graciously may. When He does and when He doesn’t is completely up to Him.
This can be easily illustrated by the following example. Imagine I jumped off the Sydney Harbour Bridge because I was angry at God! (Why I would do that is beyond me, or the length of today’s reading!!!) But as I am falling, I pray to God for forgiveness for the stupidity of this action. God promises to forgive me and will. But the consequences of my actions will still play out. More than likely
I will still hit the bottom! If, for example, in stealing something I can expect the consequences to play out. These consequences will be used by God to teach me, guide me and help me. If I drink too much and drive, I can expect to lose my license.
When we are in these tough times, we need to see God as disciplining us and training us so that we have a harvest of righteousness, rather than a harvest of sinfulness. God is growing us and maturing us in the faith. Often this hurts. Rather than rage against the situation we need to submit ourselves to the Lord and be confident that He knows best. We need to trust God and patiently endure. Even though we are in a time of discipline (we should see all hardship as discipline) we should not doubt God’s love for us. Rather, we should be encouraged all the more because God is treating us as sons and is producing a harvest of righteousness within us.
Prayer:-
à Praise God for the short term team from Australia going into 2 public schools in Poland.
à For Chris & Judy Ayer’s children, for safety and personal spiritual growth.
Life can be messy. Life can be difficult and circumstances can come that are less than pleasant. Sometimes these situations are a direct result of the choices we have made to sin and rebel against God. Though God is gracious and compassionate and loving, the consequences of our actions are still ever present. God never promises to remove the consequences, though sometimes He graciously may. When He does and when He doesn’t is completely up to Him.
This can be easily illustrated by the following example. Imagine I jumped off the Sydney Harbour Bridge because I was angry at God! (Why I would do that is beyond me, or the length of today’s reading!!!) But as I am falling, I pray to God for forgiveness for the stupidity of this action. God promises to forgive me and will. But the consequences of my actions will still play out. More than likely
I will still hit the bottom! If, for example, in stealing something I can expect the consequences to play out. These consequences will be used by God to teach me, guide me and help me. If I drink too much and drive, I can expect to lose my license.
When we are in these tough times, we need to see God as disciplining us and training us so that we have a harvest of righteousness, rather than a harvest of sinfulness. God is growing us and maturing us in the faith. Often this hurts. Rather than rage against the situation we need to submit ourselves to the Lord and be confident that He knows best. We need to trust God and patiently endure. Even though we are in a time of discipline (we should see all hardship as discipline) we should not doubt God’s love for us. Rather, we should be encouraged all the more because God is treating us as sons and is producing a harvest of righteousness within us.
Prayer:-
à Praise God for the short term team from Australia going into 2 public schools in Poland.
à For Chris & Judy Ayer’s children, for safety and personal spiritual growth.
Thursday 10 November 2011
Thursday November 10, 2011
Read Hosea 14:1-4; 1 Corinthians 1:30
Each one of us has probably had a negative experience in asking for forgiveness or apologising for something we’ve done or said. Each one of us has had that gut wrenching ache when we’ve had to admit our failures or faults and ask for forgiveness. As we said earlier, for some it’s been so painful that they’ve vowed never to tread there again!!
But when we turn to God and ask Him for forgiveness, we find that He promises to do three things for us. He promises to:-
¨ heal our desire and tendency to wander from Him. He does this by filling us with the Holy Spirit who empowers us and motivates us to say ‘No’ to sin.
¨ love us freely. God promises that He will love us as though we had never sinned. He promises to love us as though we were fully righteous, which we are because Jesus’ perfect record has been transferred onto our record.
¨ turn His anger away from us. As we saw on Monday, God is slow to anger and on Wednesday, He will not be angry for ever. This is possible because God’s anger has been poured out upon his Son Jesus at the cross. It has not been poured out on you and me.
When we sin God is holding out His hand beckoning us to come to Him for forgiveness, for reconciliation and for restoration. God is holding out His gracious and generous hand so that we can truly live and thrive!
Prayer: -
à Remember to pray for Chris & George Green. For George who lovingly cares for Chris during her down times.
à Pray for George that God will continue to meet all his needs.
Each one of us has probably had a negative experience in asking for forgiveness or apologising for something we’ve done or said. Each one of us has had that gut wrenching ache when we’ve had to admit our failures or faults and ask for forgiveness. As we said earlier, for some it’s been so painful that they’ve vowed never to tread there again!!
But when we turn to God and ask Him for forgiveness, we find that He promises to do three things for us. He promises to:-
¨ heal our desire and tendency to wander from Him. He does this by filling us with the Holy Spirit who empowers us and motivates us to say ‘No’ to sin.
¨ love us freely. God promises that He will love us as though we had never sinned. He promises to love us as though we were fully righteous, which we are because Jesus’ perfect record has been transferred onto our record.
¨ turn His anger away from us. As we saw on Monday, God is slow to anger and on Wednesday, He will not be angry for ever. This is possible because God’s anger has been poured out upon his Son Jesus at the cross. It has not been poured out on you and me.
When we sin God is holding out His hand beckoning us to come to Him for forgiveness, for reconciliation and for restoration. God is holding out His gracious and generous hand so that we can truly live and thrive!
Prayer: -
à Remember to pray for Chris & George Green. For George who lovingly cares for Chris during her down times.
à Pray for George that God will continue to meet all his needs.
Wednesday 9 November 2011
Wednesday November 9, 2011
Read Micah 7
Do you ever beat yourself up about things you’ve said and done in the past? Do you ever wake in the wee hours of the night, feeling unlovable and unforgivable because of that thing you did years ago? Maybe it was an abortion. Maybe it was an illicit affair. Maybe you scammed something at work and got someone else fired! Do you toss and turn all night because that closet door, that secret door has opened that little bit and painful memories have spilt out?
We all know the pain of feeling unlovable and unforgivable, don’t we? We’ve all cried into our pillow at the stupid and totally idiotic dumb things we’ve done, haven’t we. Sometimes I feel that I’m the only one that has “done all the dumb things.”
At those times it’s imperative that we do not continue to look in the mirror at ourselves. It’s imperative that we look at God. Can you see that transition within Micah 7? He turns to look at God from sin (vs 9) and he asks in amazement:-
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.
God delights in mercy! God does not stay angry forever. God pardons and God forgives! God wants nothing more than for you to confess that sin that is haunting you and then to leave it with God. We have no right to punish ourselves where God has pardoned us. He would rather than we swam and enjoyed the ocean of his forgiveness.
In the very next verse we read :-
You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
God is able to take our sins and tie them into a bundle and sink them into the depths of the sea. He can do this because Jesus has suffered the punishment and penalty for our sins.
But when God hurls our iniquities into the depths of the ocean we need to remember that he also puts up a “NO FISHING” sign. He does not want us to drag up those sins again from the bottom of the ocean! He does not want us to relive those sins again. He does not want us to beat ourselves up again for something that He dealt with by allowing His own Son to die for!!! He actually forbids it. That’s why it’s imperative that we look to the cross in our nights of self punishment and torture. That’s why we have to grab the gospels and cling to them (and hence to Him) when we hate and berate ourselves.
But how do I focus on Him when I’m so obsessed with me and my sinfulness? Start by confession that sin! Read the gospel passions narratives (ie the cross). Sing songs of praise. Ring a trusted Christian friend and get together to talk about Christ’s sacrifice or even to pray together! Read a devotion. Do anything that gets you refocussed correctly.
Prayer: -
à Praise God for the wonderful Youth Camp held recently, and for the way in which God has touched many lives.
à Pray for these teenagers that they will continue to grow in their Christian witness.
Do you ever beat yourself up about things you’ve said and done in the past? Do you ever wake in the wee hours of the night, feeling unlovable and unforgivable because of that thing you did years ago? Maybe it was an abortion. Maybe it was an illicit affair. Maybe you scammed something at work and got someone else fired! Do you toss and turn all night because that closet door, that secret door has opened that little bit and painful memories have spilt out?
We all know the pain of feeling unlovable and unforgivable, don’t we? We’ve all cried into our pillow at the stupid and totally idiotic dumb things we’ve done, haven’t we. Sometimes I feel that I’m the only one that has “done all the dumb things.”
At those times it’s imperative that we do not continue to look in the mirror at ourselves. It’s imperative that we look at God. Can you see that transition within Micah 7? He turns to look at God from sin (vs 9) and he asks in amazement:-
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.
God delights in mercy! God does not stay angry forever. God pardons and God forgives! God wants nothing more than for you to confess that sin that is haunting you and then to leave it with God. We have no right to punish ourselves where God has pardoned us. He would rather than we swam and enjoyed the ocean of his forgiveness.
In the very next verse we read :-
You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
God is able to take our sins and tie them into a bundle and sink them into the depths of the sea. He can do this because Jesus has suffered the punishment and penalty for our sins.
But when God hurls our iniquities into the depths of the ocean we need to remember that he also puts up a “NO FISHING” sign. He does not want us to drag up those sins again from the bottom of the ocean! He does not want us to relive those sins again. He does not want us to beat ourselves up again for something that He dealt with by allowing His own Son to die for!!! He actually forbids it. That’s why it’s imperative that we look to the cross in our nights of self punishment and torture. That’s why we have to grab the gospels and cling to them (and hence to Him) when we hate and berate ourselves.
But how do I focus on Him when I’m so obsessed with me and my sinfulness? Start by confession that sin! Read the gospel passions narratives (ie the cross). Sing songs of praise. Ring a trusted Christian friend and get together to talk about Christ’s sacrifice or even to pray together! Read a devotion. Do anything that gets you refocussed correctly.
Prayer: -
à Praise God for the wonderful Youth Camp held recently, and for the way in which God has touched many lives.
à Pray for these teenagers that they will continue to grow in their Christian witness.
Tuesday 8 November 2011
Tuesday November 8, 2011
Read Psalm 51; 1 John 1:9
When we sin our first reaction is somewhat akin to our ancestor Adam in the Garden of Eden. Haven’t you experienced this? He hid from God when he heard the sound of the Lord walking in the Garden. We tend to hide from God when we sin, don’t we? Our prayer time might just lapse or we might just happen to be too busy or too tired to pray. We’re avoiding God and hiding from Him. We might just happen to forget to pray! We’re running from God.
Running from God is not an advisable course of action. As humbling and difficult as it is, we need to stand before God (perhaps kneeling is better!!) and confess our sins to Him. David wept before the Lord and fasted because he committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband. Even though he tried initially to hide the sin, he was confronted by Nathan the prophet and he confessed his sin. He poured out his heart to God and sought the Lord’s forgiveness. God was true to His word and forgave David his sin and still entered into a covenant with him.
God assures us that when we confess our sins, He is faithful! He is just! He will forgive us our sins and He will purify us from all unrighteousness. God never says that He’ll think about forgiving us or that He’ll weigh up our sins. He never says that He’ll add it to the list and rethink our forgiveness. God promises to forgive us, completely.
Some “Christians” have made a determined decision to never ask for forgiveness, to avoid God at those times and to justify or explain away their sins. Maybe it’s too scary! Maybe it’s too humiliating! Maybe they’ve had a bad experience. But, here’s the scary bit - if you don’t confess your sins God doesn’t offer His forgiveness. If you have never asked God for forgiveness for your sins, you are not forgiven and you are not saved! Don’t delay. Humbly come into God’s presence and ask for His forgiveness. You won’t be disappointed as God lavishes you with His love!
Prayer:-
à Remember Jane Walker currently on holidays. Ask God to give her a relaxing and refreshing break.
When we sin our first reaction is somewhat akin to our ancestor Adam in the Garden of Eden. Haven’t you experienced this? He hid from God when he heard the sound of the Lord walking in the Garden. We tend to hide from God when we sin, don’t we? Our prayer time might just lapse or we might just happen to be too busy or too tired to pray. We’re avoiding God and hiding from Him. We might just happen to forget to pray! We’re running from God.
Running from God is not an advisable course of action. As humbling and difficult as it is, we need to stand before God (perhaps kneeling is better!!) and confess our sins to Him. David wept before the Lord and fasted because he committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband. Even though he tried initially to hide the sin, he was confronted by Nathan the prophet and he confessed his sin. He poured out his heart to God and sought the Lord’s forgiveness. God was true to His word and forgave David his sin and still entered into a covenant with him.
God assures us that when we confess our sins, He is faithful! He is just! He will forgive us our sins and He will purify us from all unrighteousness. God never says that He’ll think about forgiving us or that He’ll weigh up our sins. He never says that He’ll add it to the list and rethink our forgiveness. God promises to forgive us, completely.
Some “Christians” have made a determined decision to never ask for forgiveness, to avoid God at those times and to justify or explain away their sins. Maybe it’s too scary! Maybe it’s too humiliating! Maybe they’ve had a bad experience. But, here’s the scary bit - if you don’t confess your sins God doesn’t offer His forgiveness. If you have never asked God for forgiveness for your sins, you are not forgiven and you are not saved! Don’t delay. Humbly come into God’s presence and ask for His forgiveness. You won’t be disappointed as God lavishes you with His love!
Prayer:-
à Remember Jane Walker currently on holidays. Ask God to give her a relaxing and refreshing break.
Monday 7 November 2011
Monday November 7, 2011
Read Exodus 34:1-11; 2 Corinthians 7:10
Have you ever felt unforgiveable? Have you ever sat before God wondering if you’ve sinned just that once too often? Have you ever felt that the pit you’ve sunken into is just too deep to be rescued from?
The nation of Israel had fallen into a huge pit. Moses was on the mountain speaking with God and interceding for the nation. But because he was gone too long they started to craft a golden calf. They built an idol and danced around it. They sang to it and prayed to it and rejoiced that this mute, lame and blind golden calf had led them out of Egyptian slavery!
God was understandably angry at the nation. But after Moses’ intercession we read these words by God.
"The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."
Can you hear what God is saying about Himself? God calls Himself compassionate. Compassion is putting mercy into practical action. He is gracious. He gives us what we don’t deserve. He loves to lavish with grace! He is not quick tempered or easily angered but is patient, slow to anger. He overflows with love because God is love. He is faithful to His Word and always keeps His promises. He continues to love the thousands and continues to pour out His forgiveness upon the wicked, the rebellious and the sinful. God would rather forgive than punish.
Every father or mother knows exactly what it’s like to want to forgive and to bless rather than to punish their children!
God is essentially a forgiving God. When we truly and genuinely repent and feel contrition for our sins (2 Corinthians 7:10) and seek God’s forgiveness God wipes our slate completely clean. God chooses to forgive us and lavishes us with His grace, His love, His goodness. If you can picture a Father joyfully wrapping his arms around his son who has just apologised for being rude to his Dad, you’re starting to see what it means for God to lavish us with love!
The implication for our lives is clear isn’t it? If you have done something that God hates then immediately stop your life and spend time with bowed knee before the Lord. Confess your sin. Ask for His forgiveness. Seek His face and be lavished with His love.
How humbling it is to experience God’s forgiving love. How renewing and strengthening to know and experience a love so powerful that it cancels all my rebellions, all my sins and all my transgressions. How soul changing to experience a love that bears the pain and punishment of the cross, a pain and punishment that was reserved for me but taken by Him.
Spend the day thinking deeply about Exodus 34:6-7.
This coming Sonday we are looking at God’s forgiveness. Who do you know that needs to hear about God’s forgiveness? Start praying today and invite them along to church this coming Sonday. Don’t leave it too late or they’ll already have plans.
¨ When Moses heard the description of the Lord he worshipped God! Spend time in worship as you praise and adore God for His forgiveness.
Prayer: -
à Pray for Chris Ayers in his role as team leader.
à Pray for the Friday night Bible study on John, lead by Ewa.
Have you ever felt unforgiveable? Have you ever sat before God wondering if you’ve sinned just that once too often? Have you ever felt that the pit you’ve sunken into is just too deep to be rescued from?
The nation of Israel had fallen into a huge pit. Moses was on the mountain speaking with God and interceding for the nation. But because he was gone too long they started to craft a golden calf. They built an idol and danced around it. They sang to it and prayed to it and rejoiced that this mute, lame and blind golden calf had led them out of Egyptian slavery!
God was understandably angry at the nation. But after Moses’ intercession we read these words by God.
"The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."
Can you hear what God is saying about Himself? God calls Himself compassionate. Compassion is putting mercy into practical action. He is gracious. He gives us what we don’t deserve. He loves to lavish with grace! He is not quick tempered or easily angered but is patient, slow to anger. He overflows with love because God is love. He is faithful to His Word and always keeps His promises. He continues to love the thousands and continues to pour out His forgiveness upon the wicked, the rebellious and the sinful. God would rather forgive than punish.
Every father or mother knows exactly what it’s like to want to forgive and to bless rather than to punish their children!
God is essentially a forgiving God. When we truly and genuinely repent and feel contrition for our sins (2 Corinthians 7:10) and seek God’s forgiveness God wipes our slate completely clean. God chooses to forgive us and lavishes us with His grace, His love, His goodness. If you can picture a Father joyfully wrapping his arms around his son who has just apologised for being rude to his Dad, you’re starting to see what it means for God to lavish us with love!
The implication for our lives is clear isn’t it? If you have done something that God hates then immediately stop your life and spend time with bowed knee before the Lord. Confess your sin. Ask for His forgiveness. Seek His face and be lavished with His love.
How humbling it is to experience God’s forgiving love. How renewing and strengthening to know and experience a love so powerful that it cancels all my rebellions, all my sins and all my transgressions. How soul changing to experience a love that bears the pain and punishment of the cross, a pain and punishment that was reserved for me but taken by Him.
Spend the day thinking deeply about Exodus 34:6-7.
This coming Sonday we are looking at God’s forgiveness. Who do you know that needs to hear about God’s forgiveness? Start praying today and invite them along to church this coming Sonday. Don’t leave it too late or they’ll already have plans.
¨ When Moses heard the description of the Lord he worshipped God! Spend time in worship as you praise and adore God for His forgiveness.
Prayer: -
à Pray for Chris Ayers in his role as team leader.
à Pray for the Friday night Bible study on John, lead by Ewa.
Saturday 5 November 2011
Saturday November 5, 2011
Read Luke 12:4-12
Do you worry about conflict? Does the potential of conflict scare you or frighten you to the point of shutting up and being totally silent? Do you find yourself in situations where you know you need to speak up for Jesus but just can’t say anything because of fear? Have you tried to speak up in the past, only to mumble and jumble your response so much so that you’ve sworn never to say anything again?
I think we’ve all been there. Jesus knew that the disciples (and beyond them, us too) would have that same problem. The disciples would be engendered with a world wide mission and would face incredible hostility. They would be imprisoned. Some would be executed. Some would be stoned or driven out of towns and cities. Others would be chased from town to town by the lynching mob.
But Jesus still encourages us to fear not mankind, but God Himself. You see, mankind can only kill the body. After they’ve done that, they can do nothing. All they’ve succeeded in doing is send you to your heavenly Father’s presence!!! But God can kill the body and send the soul into eternal condemnation. God can affect your body after this life is finished! That’s a scary thought isn’t it?
I spoke recently about fearing God with one of my children. His understanding was as insightful as it was simple. In explaining what it means to fear God he said, ‘I don’t want to make God angry’. The converse is, ‘I want to enjoy God’s goodness and love’, not have Him angry with me. As I come across any situation that may cause fear or trepidation I need to consciously remember that my heavenly Father is in control and has this situation in the palm of His hand. I need to know for certain that God is sovereign and that His will shall come to pass in this situation. I need to be more concerned for my heavenly Father’s will than my own will or my own safety. This is not a call to be rash, stupid or tactless, it gives us great confidence and stops us fearing mankind and their threats against us.
Read Isaiah 43:1-2 and spend the day reflecting on how it applies to you and what it means for your life.
Prayer:-
à Pray for all the Grade 12 students as they commence their final school exams.
à Ask God to give them His wisdom and prudence as they move into 2012, whether it be into further studies or employment.
Do you worry about conflict? Does the potential of conflict scare you or frighten you to the point of shutting up and being totally silent? Do you find yourself in situations where you know you need to speak up for Jesus but just can’t say anything because of fear? Have you tried to speak up in the past, only to mumble and jumble your response so much so that you’ve sworn never to say anything again?
I think we’ve all been there. Jesus knew that the disciples (and beyond them, us too) would have that same problem. The disciples would be engendered with a world wide mission and would face incredible hostility. They would be imprisoned. Some would be executed. Some would be stoned or driven out of towns and cities. Others would be chased from town to town by the lynching mob.
But Jesus still encourages us to fear not mankind, but God Himself. You see, mankind can only kill the body. After they’ve done that, they can do nothing. All they’ve succeeded in doing is send you to your heavenly Father’s presence!!! But God can kill the body and send the soul into eternal condemnation. God can affect your body after this life is finished! That’s a scary thought isn’t it?
I spoke recently about fearing God with one of my children. His understanding was as insightful as it was simple. In explaining what it means to fear God he said, ‘I don’t want to make God angry’. The converse is, ‘I want to enjoy God’s goodness and love’, not have Him angry with me. As I come across any situation that may cause fear or trepidation I need to consciously remember that my heavenly Father is in control and has this situation in the palm of His hand. I need to know for certain that God is sovereign and that His will shall come to pass in this situation. I need to be more concerned for my heavenly Father’s will than my own will or my own safety. This is not a call to be rash, stupid or tactless, it gives us great confidence and stops us fearing mankind and their threats against us.
Read Isaiah 43:1-2 and spend the day reflecting on how it applies to you and what it means for your life.
Prayer:-
à Pray for all the Grade 12 students as they commence their final school exams.
à Ask God to give them His wisdom and prudence as they move into 2012, whether it be into further studies or employment.
Friday 4 November 2011
Friday November 4, 2011
Read Genesis 10; Luke 3:23-38
“National Treasure” is a movie where the main star (Nicholas Cage), a history buff from a long lineage of history buffs, discovers a secret map on the back of the Declaration of Independence which, like all good movies, leads him to the world’s largest treasure, allows him to get the girl and to avoid decades of imprisonment for stealing the Declaration of Independence. Part of the thrill of the movie arises from the fact that it belongs to a new genre of literature that blends historical fact and fiction. Truth is splashed liberally throughout the film but ultimately it’s a fiction based film. The end result is that viewers are left convinced that it all could be true because of liberal splashing of truth among the fiction.
Such a genre is a relatively new phenomenon. It was unknown in the days when Moses wrote the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). Contrary to many people’s beliefs and wishes, Moses did not write fiction splashed with fact. If God’s Word were as such (eg the myth of the flood, or the myth of Babylonian creation rewritten etc) then several questions must be asked:
¨ How do I know which parts are mythical and which parts are factual?
¨ What is the standard or bench mark to tell the difference? Is it modern science or our own intuition?
¨ How do I know when the mythical elements cease and truth takes over? Does the myth continue to the New Testament?
How can I possibly interpret the “true” meaning (if such a phrase is usable in such a context of fact plus fiction) or intention of the text/passage? Under such a guise, any interpretation is as feasible as any other. Many have seriously suggested that the burning bush which spoke to Moses in the desert was, in reality, the thrusters of an alien spaceship. If my reading of the Bible is fiction plus fact, this interpretation has to be taken as seriously as any other interpretation.
If we persist with the fiction plus fact mentality then we end up in all sorts of mess and convoluted argument to prove our point. For example, the myth believing Christian may argue along these lines: the genealogy of Chapter 10 is obviously fiction. But there must have been several generations omitted because science has “proven” that the world is billions of years old. (By ‘several’, he or she actually means several hundred thousand because the scientists tell us that mankind has been around for millions of years) And when Luke draws a genealogical line from Adam to Jesus he too is leaving out millions of years of generations. Can you hear the stupidity and absolute ridiculous line of argument being presented? Jesus ends up being the ancestor, not of Adam, but an ape if scientists were right about millions of years and evolution, Jesus is not the Son of God but the Son of Gorilla!
Do not be afraid to stand up for what the Bible says and teaches. Do not be concerned that the intelligentsia of today (universities and scientists and a host of so called professionals) reject the Bible and treat it as a joke. Much of their so called “intelligence” is based on hearsay, ignorance and unsubstantiated, unproven dogma! Pray continually that God would give you the courage to stand up for Christ and His Word. Pray that God would convince you completely of the truth of His Word. Pray that the Holy Spirit would be powerfully working within you to make you a great light that cannot be hidden or snuffed out.
Prayer:-
à Praise God for the opportunity to have Rev Tas Walker, Creation Ministries preaching here this coming Sonday.
à Ask God to bless and to open the minds of people who will come to hear him, that they will be willing to perceive God’s truths in the whole area of creation.
“National Treasure” is a movie where the main star (Nicholas Cage), a history buff from a long lineage of history buffs, discovers a secret map on the back of the Declaration of Independence which, like all good movies, leads him to the world’s largest treasure, allows him to get the girl and to avoid decades of imprisonment for stealing the Declaration of Independence. Part of the thrill of the movie arises from the fact that it belongs to a new genre of literature that blends historical fact and fiction. Truth is splashed liberally throughout the film but ultimately it’s a fiction based film. The end result is that viewers are left convinced that it all could be true because of liberal splashing of truth among the fiction.
Such a genre is a relatively new phenomenon. It was unknown in the days when Moses wrote the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). Contrary to many people’s beliefs and wishes, Moses did not write fiction splashed with fact. If God’s Word were as such (eg the myth of the flood, or the myth of Babylonian creation rewritten etc) then several questions must be asked:
¨ How do I know which parts are mythical and which parts are factual?
¨ What is the standard or bench mark to tell the difference? Is it modern science or our own intuition?
¨ How do I know when the mythical elements cease and truth takes over? Does the myth continue to the New Testament?
How can I possibly interpret the “true” meaning (if such a phrase is usable in such a context of fact plus fiction) or intention of the text/passage? Under such a guise, any interpretation is as feasible as any other. Many have seriously suggested that the burning bush which spoke to Moses in the desert was, in reality, the thrusters of an alien spaceship. If my reading of the Bible is fiction plus fact, this interpretation has to be taken as seriously as any other interpretation.
If we persist with the fiction plus fact mentality then we end up in all sorts of mess and convoluted argument to prove our point. For example, the myth believing Christian may argue along these lines: the genealogy of Chapter 10 is obviously fiction. But there must have been several generations omitted because science has “proven” that the world is billions of years old. (By ‘several’, he or she actually means several hundred thousand because the scientists tell us that mankind has been around for millions of years) And when Luke draws a genealogical line from Adam to Jesus he too is leaving out millions of years of generations. Can you hear the stupidity and absolute ridiculous line of argument being presented? Jesus ends up being the ancestor, not of Adam, but an ape if scientists were right about millions of years and evolution, Jesus is not the Son of God but the Son of Gorilla!
Do not be afraid to stand up for what the Bible says and teaches. Do not be concerned that the intelligentsia of today (universities and scientists and a host of so called professionals) reject the Bible and treat it as a joke. Much of their so called “intelligence” is based on hearsay, ignorance and unsubstantiated, unproven dogma! Pray continually that God would give you the courage to stand up for Christ and His Word. Pray that God would convince you completely of the truth of His Word. Pray that the Holy Spirit would be powerfully working within you to make you a great light that cannot be hidden or snuffed out.
Prayer:-
à Praise God for the opportunity to have Rev Tas Walker, Creation Ministries preaching here this coming Sonday.
à Ask God to bless and to open the minds of people who will come to hear him, that they will be willing to perceive God’s truths in the whole area of creation.
Thursday 3 November 2011
Thursday November 3, 2011
Read Genesis 6-9
The world wide deluge is another area that is greatly debated among Christians. Some believe it. Some don’t. Some have a middle of the road view, seeing it as a local deluge, not a world wide flood.
Scientifically there is much evidence to back up the flood. You can research that independently. Try Creation Ministries Web site creation.com or creation research com.au and research global flood. But it is thoroughly amazing that some Christians will believe in evolution where there is no scientific evidence and yet will not believe in the world wide deluge where there is a lot of good scientific backing.
When we do not believe the plain and most forward or most sensible reading of Scripture we must ask ourselves, ‘Why we don’t believe the Bible at that point?’ To answer such a question requires brutal honesty. Is it because I have more faith in science than in the Word of God? Is it because I am too scared or too embarrassed to stand on the Word of God? Is it because I’ve just always assumed that science is about truth and honesty and can be relied upon in such matters?
These questions are multiplied exponentially when our ‘interpretation’ of a particular part of Scripture is backed up by another part, especially a New Testament passage. When it comes to the flood, Read Matthew 24:37-39. Jesus assumes that the flood and Noah were real and total in their destruction. If the flood were a myth, Jesus is basing an extremely important truth (His return and the judgement) on a fairy tale. It would be like me using Little Red Riding Hood or Goldilocks to make a vital and important point - ridiculous!! If we interpret the Bible differently to what other passages interpret or explain that part of the Bible, we are in a tenuous and difficult position. We not only have to explain why we are interpreting the Bible away from its most plain and commonsense meaning but also why we are disagreeing with other bits of the Bible, notably Jesus and the New Testament. Rarely if ever, is such a position warranted or justifiable.
As you think through Genesis 1-12 which bits of the Bible do you find hard to believe? Write down each bit and also write down why you find them hard to believe. Spend time praying about each one and ask God to show you how true they are.
Prayer:-
à Continue to pray for our faithful warriors, Kevin & Barbara Mobbs that their witness of Christ will be a blessing to the people out at the Clifton Nursing Home.
The world wide deluge is another area that is greatly debated among Christians. Some believe it. Some don’t. Some have a middle of the road view, seeing it as a local deluge, not a world wide flood.
Scientifically there is much evidence to back up the flood. You can research that independently. Try Creation Ministries Web site creation.com or creation research com.au and research global flood. But it is thoroughly amazing that some Christians will believe in evolution where there is no scientific evidence and yet will not believe in the world wide deluge where there is a lot of good scientific backing.
When we do not believe the plain and most forward or most sensible reading of Scripture we must ask ourselves, ‘Why we don’t believe the Bible at that point?’ To answer such a question requires brutal honesty. Is it because I have more faith in science than in the Word of God? Is it because I am too scared or too embarrassed to stand on the Word of God? Is it because I’ve just always assumed that science is about truth and honesty and can be relied upon in such matters?
These questions are multiplied exponentially when our ‘interpretation’ of a particular part of Scripture is backed up by another part, especially a New Testament passage. When it comes to the flood, Read Matthew 24:37-39. Jesus assumes that the flood and Noah were real and total in their destruction. If the flood were a myth, Jesus is basing an extremely important truth (His return and the judgement) on a fairy tale. It would be like me using Little Red Riding Hood or Goldilocks to make a vital and important point - ridiculous!! If we interpret the Bible differently to what other passages interpret or explain that part of the Bible, we are in a tenuous and difficult position. We not only have to explain why we are interpreting the Bible away from its most plain and commonsense meaning but also why we are disagreeing with other bits of the Bible, notably Jesus and the New Testament. Rarely if ever, is such a position warranted or justifiable.
As you think through Genesis 1-12 which bits of the Bible do you find hard to believe? Write down each bit and also write down why you find them hard to believe. Spend time praying about each one and ask God to show you how true they are.
Prayer:-
à Continue to pray for our faithful warriors, Kevin & Barbara Mobbs that their witness of Christ will be a blessing to the people out at the Clifton Nursing Home.
Wednesday 2 November 2011
Wednesday November 2, 2011
Read Genesis 3
As a young Christian I would never have dreamt that one day I would sit and despair at the number of people within the Christian church that do not believe in a literal Adam and Eve. If Adam and Eve were not literal and if they never existed then several issues and problems arise. Let me list a few of these in no set order:-
Genesis speaks of creation being good and very good. If Adam and Eve were not literal and evolution were real, then death and dying and meat eating must have
¨ been present from Genesis 1:1. This indiscriminate killing could not have been called ‘good’ or ‘very good’ in any sense. God’s Word and hence God’s veracity is called into question.
¨ If I cannot trust God in the early chapters of the Bible, how can I trust God in the latter parts of it? How do I know that Jesus really did die on the cross? How do I know that His death and resurrection really was for me?
¨ Without a literal Adam and Eve we have no explanation for the presence of sin, evil and degradation within our world. Evolution cannot account for these as all things are amoral in an evolutionary framework. Nor could God simply declare some things sinful (like murder) if those things have been in existence and used as part of His creation since day 1.
¨ The Lord Jesus Himself and the other epistles (Romans 5:12ff takes the historicity of creation seriously. If Jesus and the Apostles believed in a literal Adam and Eve, what right have we not to?
¨ The Genealogy of Luke (Luke 3:23-38) goes back to a literal Adam. If this figure in Luke’s genealogy is not a literal person we are at liberty to place suspicion over everyone else in that genealogy. Jesus Himself was at the head of that genealogy but if Adam wasn’t real, was Jesus? Was God? Or were they both just the figment of the writer’s imagination? We simply cannot pick and choose which bits of the Bible we want to believe and which bits we don’t!
Prayer:-
à Jim & Faye Lyons, Straight Talk Australia. Praise God for the countless lives who have been touched by this ministry.
à Pray that these students will continue to uphold and be strong in their commitment in maintaining their purity.
Read Psalm 18:30 and consider its implications for your life today.
As a young Christian I would never have dreamt that one day I would sit and despair at the number of people within the Christian church that do not believe in a literal Adam and Eve. If Adam and Eve were not literal and if they never existed then several issues and problems arise. Let me list a few of these in no set order:-
Genesis speaks of creation being good and very good. If Adam and Eve were not literal and evolution were real, then death and dying and meat eating must have
¨ been present from Genesis 1:1. This indiscriminate killing could not have been called ‘good’ or ‘very good’ in any sense. God’s Word and hence God’s veracity is called into question.
¨ If I cannot trust God in the early chapters of the Bible, how can I trust God in the latter parts of it? How do I know that Jesus really did die on the cross? How do I know that His death and resurrection really was for me?
¨ Without a literal Adam and Eve we have no explanation for the presence of sin, evil and degradation within our world. Evolution cannot account for these as all things are amoral in an evolutionary framework. Nor could God simply declare some things sinful (like murder) if those things have been in existence and used as part of His creation since day 1.
¨ The Lord Jesus Himself and the other epistles (Romans 5:12ff takes the historicity of creation seriously. If Jesus and the Apostles believed in a literal Adam and Eve, what right have we not to?
¨ The Genealogy of Luke (Luke 3:23-38) goes back to a literal Adam. If this figure in Luke’s genealogy is not a literal person we are at liberty to place suspicion over everyone else in that genealogy. Jesus Himself was at the head of that genealogy but if Adam wasn’t real, was Jesus? Was God? Or were they both just the figment of the writer’s imagination? We simply cannot pick and choose which bits of the Bible we want to believe and which bits we don’t!
Prayer:-
à Jim & Faye Lyons, Straight Talk Australia. Praise God for the countless lives who have been touched by this ministry.
à Pray that these students will continue to uphold and be strong in their commitment in maintaining their purity.
Read Psalm 18:30 and consider its implications for your life today.
Tuesday 1 November 2011
Tuesday November 1, 2011
Read Genesis 2
I’m continually amazed at the lengths that Christians (and by definition Bible believers) go to, to make their case for NOT having to believe certain bits of the Bible. There’s no print error! Many believers go to great lengths not to believe the Bible, especially when it comes to the first 12 chapters.
Some have called Genesis 1 and 2 syncretistic myths that utilised the creation myths of Babylon et. al to communicate some truth. I always wonder how we could possibly work out what truth was meant to be communicated by the original writer if these chapters were not true but were a reconfiguration of another culture’s myth. If this scenario were true, my interpretation would be every bit as legitimate as your interpretation, even if I read Genesis as referring to alien invasions and human seed planting in apes!!!
Others have said with vehemence and passion that the beginning of all creation was so long ago (and the end may be so long away) that we could not possibly know what went on or what will happen. Such a view makes a mockery of God - not a really good thing for Christians to be doing!!! God was there at creation. He was an eyewitness. If God tells us how something happened, we really should give Him the benefit of the doubt.
Still others have argued that it’s not a salvation issue and therefore doesn’t matter what one believes. If we really take this option as viable and serious then we are open to believing virtually everything and anything outside of the immediate events of Calvary. Alien invasions aren’t that radical then, are they? I can believe in God as a woman or even as a mythical dragon but that doesn’t effect my salvation!
There’s a lot to be said about taking the Bible at face value and reading it as it was meant to be read. Taking the creation narratives as historical and accepting Genesis 3-12 as literal history opens one up to a world view that is more consistent and more believable than any other world view in existence today.
Prayer:-
à Chris & Judy Ayers, Poland. Pray for our personal holiness and reliance on the Lord.
à Prayer and praise with our ongoing language studies.
Look up the Creation Ministries/Research International websites and get into the habit of reading their articles.
I’m continually amazed at the lengths that Christians (and by definition Bible believers) go to, to make their case for NOT having to believe certain bits of the Bible. There’s no print error! Many believers go to great lengths not to believe the Bible, especially when it comes to the first 12 chapters.
Some have called Genesis 1 and 2 syncretistic myths that utilised the creation myths of Babylon et. al to communicate some truth. I always wonder how we could possibly work out what truth was meant to be communicated by the original writer if these chapters were not true but were a reconfiguration of another culture’s myth. If this scenario were true, my interpretation would be every bit as legitimate as your interpretation, even if I read Genesis as referring to alien invasions and human seed planting in apes!!!
Others have said with vehemence and passion that the beginning of all creation was so long ago (and the end may be so long away) that we could not possibly know what went on or what will happen. Such a view makes a mockery of God - not a really good thing for Christians to be doing!!! God was there at creation. He was an eyewitness. If God tells us how something happened, we really should give Him the benefit of the doubt.
Still others have argued that it’s not a salvation issue and therefore doesn’t matter what one believes. If we really take this option as viable and serious then we are open to believing virtually everything and anything outside of the immediate events of Calvary. Alien invasions aren’t that radical then, are they? I can believe in God as a woman or even as a mythical dragon but that doesn’t effect my salvation!
There’s a lot to be said about taking the Bible at face value and reading it as it was meant to be read. Taking the creation narratives as historical and accepting Genesis 3-12 as literal history opens one up to a world view that is more consistent and more believable than any other world view in existence today.
Prayer:-
à Chris & Judy Ayers, Poland. Pray for our personal holiness and reliance on the Lord.
à Prayer and praise with our ongoing language studies.
Look up the Creation Ministries/Research International websites and get into the habit of reading their articles.
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