Read Daniel 6:10-11; 1 Kings 8:46-49
Picture yourself in Jack’s shoes (we’ve changed his name and his shoe size to protect Jack from any possible recrimination). Jack reads his Bible in the office at work each lunch time and ends his reading time by praying for his colleagues. This morning Jack’s boss boldly and fearlessly declared, ‘Anyone who reads the Bible and prays in this office will be immediately dismissed! Am I 100% clear?’ What would you do if you were in Jack’s shoes?
Daniel found himself in a similar situation. He was a godly man in an ungodly world, just like you and I. The king of the land made a declaration, albeit under sinful coercion from Daniel's enemies, that anyone who prays to another god except to the king for the next 30 days shall be thrown into the den of lions. Now Daniel could have prayed secretly or he could have just denied himself prayer for 30 days. But Daniel is no coward! He goes home and prays towards Jerusalem, openly and boldly declaring His faith in Yahweh!
If you were in Jack’s shoes would you be the man or the mouse? Would you pray and read your Bible with the door wide open? Or would you cower and stop reading/praying all together?
And notice that he prayed towards Jerusalem? The temple was razed to the ground and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s army but Daniel identified with the temple and the blood sacrifice that washed away and covered his sins. Solomon shows that this identification with the sacrifice is what’s needed. The mere act is nothing in and of itself. The Israelites were saved because they identified with and trusted in God’s provision in the sacrificial offering.
As Christians, you and I need to identify with and trust in God’s sacrificial offering, but it’s not a lamb or a goat. And it’s no bull either! You and I are called to identify with and trust in Jesus - the one who offered Himself as the ultimate and eternal covering for sin.
If we are going to have our sins covered and dealt with once for all then we have to look to Jesus. But if you want to know more, come back tomorrow and make sure that you are present on Sonday.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Ask God to grant you peace of heart and mind. Tell God about the sins or past mistakes you are hanging onto and ask Him to free you once for all from these through the blood of Jesus so that you can praise and adore Him.
¥ Pray that you and everyone in your congregation would have opportunity to share the love of Christ in Word and deed this week. Pray that God would grow His kingdom through the witness of yourself and your brothers and sisters.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
Wednesday 31 October 2012
Tuesday 30 October 2012
Tuesday October 30, 2012
What are the things you are or have been making excuses for?
Confess them and stop using excuses.
Read Leviticus 23:28-32
We live in a world that never stops and never ever gives anyone a break. It’s a tough road for most. And sometimes we too tend to get on the treadmill and we think that we have to keep running, keep at it and keep going. More and more we are being indoctrinated that resting and having a break are equated with negatives. It’s even worse when we think about denying ourselves. The world is yelling at us that we must look after number 1, that we must protect ourselves and line our own pockets.
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, as we said earlier, is about the covering of our sins. In Christian thought it is the act by which God and man are brought together in personal relationship. The term is derived from Anglo-Saxon words meaning “making at one,” hence our English word - “at-one-ment.” Atonement makes us one with God. It presupposes a separation or alienation that needs to be overcome if human beings are to know God and have fellowship with Him. As a term expressing relationship, atonement is tied closely to such terms as reconciliation and forgiveness. God is seen as taking the initiative in man’s salvation; thus atonement is the work of God, who opens the possibility for sinful human beings to receive pardoning grace. For the sinner, who cannot know God, who cannot bridge the gap between himself and God, a “new and living way” is opened up by God.
As we read vs 28-32 we realise that atonement is closely related to rest and denial. In terms of rest, the entire day was set apart as a Sabbath to the Lord. Today’s generation knows nothing of rest. They can sit idly by and chill out but they don’t ‘rest’. Satan has so filled the heads and hearts of an entire generation that ‘rest’ in the Biblical sense is a no-go zone. They cannot sit and contemplate God. They don't’ seem to want to sit and contemplate God because their minds are so filled with music, video clip images, fears and so on.
Neither is denying oneself popular. Yet two times in these verses Israel is told to deny herself. It’s said in vs 27 as well, making a total of three times. The immediate context would suggest that denying oneself of work is what was, at least partly, intended. This prohibition of work is mentioned three times directly and once indirectly.
But why do we have such a correlation with atonement and self denial? Firstly, self denial allows us to focus on God, the only one that can provide a proper covering for our mistakes. Secondly, denial puts God in His rightful place. He really is more important than food and work and money and ….. Thirdly, self denial clears our mind so that we can focus on God and not be distracted by these other things. Denial is about focus - focus on God and the great work that He has done for us.
When’s the last time you really rested and denied yourself? Every Lord’s Day, every Sabbath is an opportunity to do just that. But when’s the last time you actually rested and denied yourself?
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Ask God to grant you peace of heart and mind. Tell God about the sins or past mistakes you are hanging onto and ask Him to free you once for all from these through the blood of Jesus so that you can praise and adore Him.
¥ Pray that you and everyone in your congregation would have opportunity to share the love of Christ in Word and deed this week. Pray that God would grow His kingdom through the witness of yourself and your brothers and sisters.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
Confess them and stop using excuses.
Read Leviticus 23:28-32
We live in a world that never stops and never ever gives anyone a break. It’s a tough road for most. And sometimes we too tend to get on the treadmill and we think that we have to keep running, keep at it and keep going. More and more we are being indoctrinated that resting and having a break are equated with negatives. It’s even worse when we think about denying ourselves. The world is yelling at us that we must look after number 1, that we must protect ourselves and line our own pockets.
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, as we said earlier, is about the covering of our sins. In Christian thought it is the act by which God and man are brought together in personal relationship. The term is derived from Anglo-Saxon words meaning “making at one,” hence our English word - “at-one-ment.” Atonement makes us one with God. It presupposes a separation or alienation that needs to be overcome if human beings are to know God and have fellowship with Him. As a term expressing relationship, atonement is tied closely to such terms as reconciliation and forgiveness. God is seen as taking the initiative in man’s salvation; thus atonement is the work of God, who opens the possibility for sinful human beings to receive pardoning grace. For the sinner, who cannot know God, who cannot bridge the gap between himself and God, a “new and living way” is opened up by God.
As we read vs 28-32 we realise that atonement is closely related to rest and denial. In terms of rest, the entire day was set apart as a Sabbath to the Lord. Today’s generation knows nothing of rest. They can sit idly by and chill out but they don’t ‘rest’. Satan has so filled the heads and hearts of an entire generation that ‘rest’ in the Biblical sense is a no-go zone. They cannot sit and contemplate God. They don't’ seem to want to sit and contemplate God because their minds are so filled with music, video clip images, fears and so on.
Neither is denying oneself popular. Yet two times in these verses Israel is told to deny herself. It’s said in vs 27 as well, making a total of three times. The immediate context would suggest that denying oneself of work is what was, at least partly, intended. This prohibition of work is mentioned three times directly and once indirectly.
But why do we have such a correlation with atonement and self denial? Firstly, self denial allows us to focus on God, the only one that can provide a proper covering for our mistakes. Secondly, denial puts God in His rightful place. He really is more important than food and work and money and ….. Thirdly, self denial clears our mind so that we can focus on God and not be distracted by these other things. Denial is about focus - focus on God and the great work that He has done for us.
When’s the last time you really rested and denied yourself? Every Lord’s Day, every Sabbath is an opportunity to do just that. But when’s the last time you actually rested and denied yourself?
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Ask God to grant you peace of heart and mind. Tell God about the sins or past mistakes you are hanging onto and ask Him to free you once for all from these through the blood of Jesus so that you can praise and adore Him.
¥ Pray that you and everyone in your congregation would have opportunity to share the love of Christ in Word and deed this week. Pray that God would grow His kingdom through the witness of yourself and your brothers and sisters.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
Monday 29 October 2012
Monday October 29, 2012
Weekly Challenge
Resolve this week, to stop covering up your mistakes and sins. Be honest and upfront and confess them immediately to those who are involved.
Read Leviticus 23:23-27
It astounds me that even young children, who we think don’t know right from wrong, still try to cover up their sins. I’ve personally witnessed my own children blaming others, lying about their misdemeanours and seeking to hide or cover up their sins. As adults we have become experts at covering up our sins.
Adam and Eve tried to cover their sin by lying and blaming each other. Since that time we have tried relentlessly to pass the buck, to blame others and to hide behind our shame behind that figurative fig leaf.
Yom Kippur literally means the Day of Covering. Yom is Hebrew for ‘day’ and obviously Kippur means covering. It’s not a type of fish as some would expect. But it’s not just a covering. It’s about covering up our sins, our mistakes, our bad choices in a positive and good way, not a bad and negative way!
Yom Kippur was a holy day. In fact, together with the feast of Trumpets it formed the two holiest days called the High Holy Days. This day was a day of repentance, of resting and fasting and standing before the Lord to have one’s sins covered.
Let me encourage you to think about all the mistakes you’ve made, all the dumb things you’ve done, all the sins you’ve tried to cover up. Wouldn’t you like to have God deal with them and cover them up once for all? Wouldn’t you just love to have peace in your heart and quietness in your mind? Wouldn’t you be thrilled to be able to stop beating yourself up and berating yourself? Wouldn’t you love to swap the self hatred for self love and acceptance?
Yom Kippur will show you the way forward. Turn to God and find covering in Him.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would bring a conviction upon all believers throughout the western world to believe the entire word of God from Genesis to Revelation. Pray that the spirit of apathy that doesn’t care about one’s beliefs beyond the gospels would be eradicated and replaced with belief in the entire word of God.
¥ Pray that God would grant repentance where needed to each person in your own congregation through His Holy Spirit.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
Resolve this week, to stop covering up your mistakes and sins. Be honest and upfront and confess them immediately to those who are involved.
Read Leviticus 23:23-27
It astounds me that even young children, who we think don’t know right from wrong, still try to cover up their sins. I’ve personally witnessed my own children blaming others, lying about their misdemeanours and seeking to hide or cover up their sins. As adults we have become experts at covering up our sins.
Adam and Eve tried to cover their sin by lying and blaming each other. Since that time we have tried relentlessly to pass the buck, to blame others and to hide behind our shame behind that figurative fig leaf.
Yom Kippur literally means the Day of Covering. Yom is Hebrew for ‘day’ and obviously Kippur means covering. It’s not a type of fish as some would expect. But it’s not just a covering. It’s about covering up our sins, our mistakes, our bad choices in a positive and good way, not a bad and negative way!
Yom Kippur was a holy day. In fact, together with the feast of Trumpets it formed the two holiest days called the High Holy Days. This day was a day of repentance, of resting and fasting and standing before the Lord to have one’s sins covered.
Let me encourage you to think about all the mistakes you’ve made, all the dumb things you’ve done, all the sins you’ve tried to cover up. Wouldn’t you like to have God deal with them and cover them up once for all? Wouldn’t you just love to have peace in your heart and quietness in your mind? Wouldn’t you be thrilled to be able to stop beating yourself up and berating yourself? Wouldn’t you love to swap the self hatred for self love and acceptance?
Yom Kippur will show you the way forward. Turn to God and find covering in Him.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would bring a conviction upon all believers throughout the western world to believe the entire word of God from Genesis to Revelation. Pray that the spirit of apathy that doesn’t care about one’s beliefs beyond the gospels would be eradicated and replaced with belief in the entire word of God.
¥ Pray that God would grant repentance where needed to each person in your own congregation through His Holy Spirit.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
Saturday 27 October 2012
Saturday October 27, 2012
What do you need to repent of? Write it down and confess it to a mature Christian today?
Read Amos 5:18-20; Zephaniah 1:14-16; Revelation 6:12-17
Darkness can be quite frightening. Anyone with children know just how scary it can be for many. But it pales into insignificance when we compare it to the dreadful Day of the Lord. Amos reminds us that this day is so terrible it’s like a man fleeing from a lion only to meet a bear! Zephaniah calls it a day of distress and trouble. Revelation shows us it’s a day where the sun and moon cease to shine - miserable darkness in which no one can stand. The Feast of Trumpets reminded the Israelites of the coming judgement because it began in darkness, when the moon was almost completely dark.
Ancient Jewish tradition tells us that the resurrection of the righteous and unrighteous (Daniel 12:1-2) will occur on the Day of the Blowing of Trumpets. The Messiah will return with a trumpet blast (Zechariah 9:14) and the “...Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
At that time all the nations will be judged and the righteous in Christ will enter eternal life in the new heaven/earth that the Lord has created. Unfortunately, the unrighteous will be sent away to eternal punishment. Those who have rejected God will be eternally rejected by God on that terrible day.
Rabbi Eliezer, an ancient Rabbi, understood well what the Feast of Trumpets meant. He would tell his disciples, ‘Repent one day before you die’. When the disciples replied to him, ‘But no man knows the day of his death’ he would reply, ‘All the more reason to repent today’.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for tomorrow’s service that God would prepare each person to be in His presence and that He would grant repentance and a growing knowledge of His forgiveness for those who need it. Pray that holiness would be at the top of each of our agendas.
¥ Pray that God would bring blessing and growth to our evening service both internally and externally. Pray that we would see more people coming along and that we’d see conversions as we take the message of life out into the streets and by ways.
Read Amos 5:18-20; Zephaniah 1:14-16; Revelation 6:12-17
Darkness can be quite frightening. Anyone with children know just how scary it can be for many. But it pales into insignificance when we compare it to the dreadful Day of the Lord. Amos reminds us that this day is so terrible it’s like a man fleeing from a lion only to meet a bear! Zephaniah calls it a day of distress and trouble. Revelation shows us it’s a day where the sun and moon cease to shine - miserable darkness in which no one can stand. The Feast of Trumpets reminded the Israelites of the coming judgement because it began in darkness, when the moon was almost completely dark.
Ancient Jewish tradition tells us that the resurrection of the righteous and unrighteous (Daniel 12:1-2) will occur on the Day of the Blowing of Trumpets. The Messiah will return with a trumpet blast (Zechariah 9:14) and the “...Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
At that time all the nations will be judged and the righteous in Christ will enter eternal life in the new heaven/earth that the Lord has created. Unfortunately, the unrighteous will be sent away to eternal punishment. Those who have rejected God will be eternally rejected by God on that terrible day.
Rabbi Eliezer, an ancient Rabbi, understood well what the Feast of Trumpets meant. He would tell his disciples, ‘Repent one day before you die’. When the disciples replied to him, ‘But no man knows the day of his death’ he would reply, ‘All the more reason to repent today’.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for tomorrow’s service that God would prepare each person to be in His presence and that He would grant repentance and a growing knowledge of His forgiveness for those who need it. Pray that holiness would be at the top of each of our agendas.
¥ Pray that God would bring blessing and growth to our evening service both internally and externally. Pray that we would see more people coming along and that we’d see conversions as we take the message of life out into the streets and by ways.
Friday 26 October 2012
Friday October 26, 2012
Think about your life. Is there something you need to repent of? Think of your heart (emotions) your head (the way you think) and your hands (the way you act and speak.
Read Micah 7:18-20; Psalm 118:5-9;
Psalm 33; Psalm 130 and Isaiah 11:9
So what do we actually know about the conduct of the Feast of Trumpets? Tradition tells us much! We know that the week from this feast to Yom Kippur (see next week) was known as the Day’s of Awe. It was believed that divine judgement was metered out during this time to determine if a person would live or die during the following year. It was seen as the last chance to repent before the judgement of God was handed down.
As such, the week before Rosh Hashanah was seen as a time of repentance. People would participate in a ceremony called Tashlikh (which means to cast off) in which one was purified and cast off one’s sins. The prayer recited is a composition of today’s passages and ends as the pray-er casts bread into the water or empties his pockets as symbolic cleansing and carrying away of his sins. It picks up on Micah 7:19 where God promises to cast their sins into the depths of the ocean.
God’s people today need a grim reminder that repentance is not optional. We need that initial repentance when we first come to Christ but then need constant repentance as God shows us things that are wrong or displeasing in our lives. I remember a time when I was awoken by the Lord early in the morning. In those wee hours of the morning God showed me 5 things that were displeasing to Himself. It was a mix of things in my heart, my head and hands. At first it was hard to take but soon, after repenting, I found an unmatchable joy. It was like being healed from cancer. God removed a burden from me that allowed joy into my life more than it had been for a long time.
Sin does just that. It robs us of joy. Satan lies to us that the particular sin will bring joy and pleasure and instant happiness. Perhaps it does bring a quick, cheap thrill but soon it wears off. Left unhindered, we find ourselves engrossed in larger, more intense and often more morbid sins. Repentance is the antidote that cures sin and brings back true, God given, eternal joy.
But you may be wondering where you can start. You may be so entrenched in sin that you can’t see any way out. You may have come to accept your sin as a normal and healthy part of your life. You need to cry out to God. God grants repentance (Acts 11:18 cf Ezekiel 36:26) and we must ask Him to provide. Secondly find a mature Christian that you can talk with, pray with and work with.
Rise up! Repent. Rediscover the joy of eternal life.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would be granting repentance to those in your congregation that need it. Pray that God’s grace and mercy would so overwhelm these people that they willingly, even joyously, seek God for repentance and start to live His way. Pray that each person in your congregation would be filled with a deep seated joy from the Lord.
¥ Pray that this Sonday’s celebration and gathering would be a great time of healing, wholeness and guidance from the Lord. Pray that God would be powerfully among you and your brothers and sisters.
Read Micah 7:18-20; Psalm 118:5-9;
Psalm 33; Psalm 130 and Isaiah 11:9
So what do we actually know about the conduct of the Feast of Trumpets? Tradition tells us much! We know that the week from this feast to Yom Kippur (see next week) was known as the Day’s of Awe. It was believed that divine judgement was metered out during this time to determine if a person would live or die during the following year. It was seen as the last chance to repent before the judgement of God was handed down.
As such, the week before Rosh Hashanah was seen as a time of repentance. People would participate in a ceremony called Tashlikh (which means to cast off) in which one was purified and cast off one’s sins. The prayer recited is a composition of today’s passages and ends as the pray-er casts bread into the water or empties his pockets as symbolic cleansing and carrying away of his sins. It picks up on Micah 7:19 where God promises to cast their sins into the depths of the ocean.
God’s people today need a grim reminder that repentance is not optional. We need that initial repentance when we first come to Christ but then need constant repentance as God shows us things that are wrong or displeasing in our lives. I remember a time when I was awoken by the Lord early in the morning. In those wee hours of the morning God showed me 5 things that were displeasing to Himself. It was a mix of things in my heart, my head and hands. At first it was hard to take but soon, after repenting, I found an unmatchable joy. It was like being healed from cancer. God removed a burden from me that allowed joy into my life more than it had been for a long time.
Sin does just that. It robs us of joy. Satan lies to us that the particular sin will bring joy and pleasure and instant happiness. Perhaps it does bring a quick, cheap thrill but soon it wears off. Left unhindered, we find ourselves engrossed in larger, more intense and often more morbid sins. Repentance is the antidote that cures sin and brings back true, God given, eternal joy.
But you may be wondering where you can start. You may be so entrenched in sin that you can’t see any way out. You may have come to accept your sin as a normal and healthy part of your life. You need to cry out to God. God grants repentance (Acts 11:18 cf Ezekiel 36:26) and we must ask Him to provide. Secondly find a mature Christian that you can talk with, pray with and work with.
Rise up! Repent. Rediscover the joy of eternal life.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would be granting repentance to those in your congregation that need it. Pray that God’s grace and mercy would so overwhelm these people that they willingly, even joyously, seek God for repentance and start to live His way. Pray that each person in your congregation would be filled with a deep seated joy from the Lord.
¥ Pray that this Sonday’s celebration and gathering would be a great time of healing, wholeness and guidance from the Lord. Pray that God would be powerfully among you and your brothers and sisters.
Thursday 25 October 2012
Thursday October 25, 2012
How can you be preparing to meet God in the gathered assembly this Sonday?
Read Psalm 81
Time travel would be awesome in so many respects. Imagine being able to go back in time to see the festivals being celebrated. Imagine being in the temple area as the Feast of Trumpets began.
Try to picture the 120 priests blowing their silver trumpets for the daily sacrifices and new moon sacrifices. Picture the deafening sound as the offerings were burnt to God in dedication and honour. Can you hear and see a lone priest standing among them blowing the shofar in long sustained blasts as the trumpets sounded short blasts over the sacrifices throughout the day? Can you hear the ringing in your ears after every sacrifice?
Can you hear the Levitical choir rise up in songs of adoration and praise as they sing Psalm 81. Can you hear their melodious chants with instruments softly in the background? Can you see and smell the festive drink offerings as they are poured upon the altar?
Can you feel the excitement and expectation and joy in the crowd? Can you feel the love as people gather joyously in the Lord’s temple to celebrate, to praise and to stand before God Almighty.
Imagine if you will, this approach to God, transported to our time and Christians gathering before God with joy, with excitement and with deep expectation as they stand before God Almighty. Imagine being prepared to meet with God each and every Sonday. Imagine the sacrifice of praise rising to God as we sing His praise and declare His wonders. Imagine the heavenly assembly joining into our praise and adoration of the one true living God.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would be powerfully at work through Straight Talk Australia. Pray that God would open doors for more schools to hear the message and that many many many students would willingly bow the knee at Christ’s Lordship. Pray that Jim and Faye would be upheld and strengthened by the Lord Himself and that they would be encouraged by seeing the fruit of their labours.
¥ Pray for the work of Shiloh Church Ministries as they continue to reach out to the poor and needy. Pray that God would provide for the orphans in Mulapeta, Samelkot and Orissa. Pray that the Pastors who have no support would receive support and be able to focus on ministering and serving rather than worrying about provisions. Pray that God would provide for the many widows that Shiloh supports.
Read Psalm 81
Time travel would be awesome in so many respects. Imagine being able to go back in time to see the festivals being celebrated. Imagine being in the temple area as the Feast of Trumpets began.
Try to picture the 120 priests blowing their silver trumpets for the daily sacrifices and new moon sacrifices. Picture the deafening sound as the offerings were burnt to God in dedication and honour. Can you hear and see a lone priest standing among them blowing the shofar in long sustained blasts as the trumpets sounded short blasts over the sacrifices throughout the day? Can you hear the ringing in your ears after every sacrifice?
Can you hear the Levitical choir rise up in songs of adoration and praise as they sing Psalm 81. Can you hear their melodious chants with instruments softly in the background? Can you see and smell the festive drink offerings as they are poured upon the altar?
Can you feel the excitement and expectation and joy in the crowd? Can you feel the love as people gather joyously in the Lord’s temple to celebrate, to praise and to stand before God Almighty.
Imagine if you will, this approach to God, transported to our time and Christians gathering before God with joy, with excitement and with deep expectation as they stand before God Almighty. Imagine being prepared to meet with God each and every Sonday. Imagine the sacrifice of praise rising to God as we sing His praise and declare His wonders. Imagine the heavenly assembly joining into our praise and adoration of the one true living God.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would be powerfully at work through Straight Talk Australia. Pray that God would open doors for more schools to hear the message and that many many many students would willingly bow the knee at Christ’s Lordship. Pray that Jim and Faye would be upheld and strengthened by the Lord Himself and that they would be encouraged by seeing the fruit of their labours.
¥ Pray for the work of Shiloh Church Ministries as they continue to reach out to the poor and needy. Pray that God would provide for the orphans in Mulapeta, Samelkot and Orissa. Pray that the Pastors who have no support would receive support and be able to focus on ministering and serving rather than worrying about provisions. Pray that God would provide for the many widows that Shiloh supports.
Wednesday 24 October 2012
Wednesday October 24, 2012
Can you think of any advantages of learning Greek and Hebrew.
Read Numbers 10:1-2; 2 Chronicles 5:12
Most English Bibles do not distinguish between the various types of trumpets as does the Hebrew language and Bible. Maybe we should all learn Hebrew!
The Hatzotzerah was a long straight metal trumpet flared out at the ends, much like the trumpets we picture welcoming in a Victorian king or queen, or those used to signal the start of a jousting match. Numbers 10: 1-2 shows that they are to be made of hammered silver and 10:10 shows they were sounded as a memorial to the Lord over the sacrifices offered. They were also blown to mark the start of every Sabbath.
The shofar or ram’s horn is more in line with what most people think of when they hear the word ‘trumpet’ in the Bible. It was a trumpet fashioned from a curved ram’s horn. The Israelites rejected a cow’s horn because the cow reminded them of the people’s idolatry at Sinai as Moses was receiving the Law. The ram was representative and a reminder of Isaacs deliverance when God provided a ram for Abraham in place of his son.
Even though Scripture does not designate which type of horn is to be used in the Feast of Trumpets tradition and Rabbinic practice all unite to declare that it was specifically the shofar that was used as opposed to the long straight metallic trumpet.
Again, Scripture is silent on the type of trumpet blast that was to be sounded during the festival. After the destruction of the temple, the Rabbis argued about what type of blast should be given. After much debate and discussion they decided that the following pattern be used—a long blast followed by three short blasts followed by nine staccato blasts followed by one long blast.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the work through Student Life in Australia and Uni Impact in NZ. Ask God to raise up the personnel and resources that these groups need to continue ministering and reaching out to the students in their respective countries. Pray that God would bring many conversions.
¥ Pray that we would see many conversions in our own congregation and that we would each be mission minded throughout our week. Pray that we would have opportunities to share the love of Christ in word and deed as we travel into next Sonday’s gathering.
Read Numbers 10:1-2; 2 Chronicles 5:12
Most English Bibles do not distinguish between the various types of trumpets as does the Hebrew language and Bible. Maybe we should all learn Hebrew!
The Hatzotzerah was a long straight metal trumpet flared out at the ends, much like the trumpets we picture welcoming in a Victorian king or queen, or those used to signal the start of a jousting match. Numbers 10: 1-2 shows that they are to be made of hammered silver and 10:10 shows they were sounded as a memorial to the Lord over the sacrifices offered. They were also blown to mark the start of every Sabbath.
The shofar or ram’s horn is more in line with what most people think of when they hear the word ‘trumpet’ in the Bible. It was a trumpet fashioned from a curved ram’s horn. The Israelites rejected a cow’s horn because the cow reminded them of the people’s idolatry at Sinai as Moses was receiving the Law. The ram was representative and a reminder of Isaacs deliverance when God provided a ram for Abraham in place of his son.
Even though Scripture does not designate which type of horn is to be used in the Feast of Trumpets tradition and Rabbinic practice all unite to declare that it was specifically the shofar that was used as opposed to the long straight metallic trumpet.
Again, Scripture is silent on the type of trumpet blast that was to be sounded during the festival. After the destruction of the temple, the Rabbis argued about what type of blast should be given. After much debate and discussion they decided that the following pattern be used—a long blast followed by three short blasts followed by nine staccato blasts followed by one long blast.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the work through Student Life in Australia and Uni Impact in NZ. Ask God to raise up the personnel and resources that these groups need to continue ministering and reaching out to the students in their respective countries. Pray that God would bring many conversions.
¥ Pray that we would see many conversions in our own congregation and that we would each be mission minded throughout our week. Pray that we would have opportunities to share the love of Christ in word and deed as we travel into next Sonday’s gathering.
Tuesday 23 October 2012
Tuesday October 23, 2012
Make a list of the traditions that you see in you life, your church etc and think about why they are there.
Read Leviticus 23:23-25
Many traditions we have or that you may have personally started with good and godly intentions have simply slid into habits. I wonder if you can think of 4 or 5 such traditions.
The Feast of Trumpets Biblically began as a one day celebration but soon became a two day celebration. For many it may have seemed like tradition, but there was a good reason behind it.
Since the festival occurred on the first day of the month, at the new moon, it proved very difficult to communicate to the people of Israel that the festival had actually begun. The small slither of the moon visible at a new moon made it hard to distinguish. Cloudy nights could easily hide such a small moon. There was also a need for two or more witnesses for the new moon and this could be hard to get so late in the evening. To avoid error and in a bid to please God an extra day was added to the holiday. There was a genuine desire to keep God’s law and to make sure that God was pleased and honoured by the service and celebration. Some Jews still celebrate the holiday for an extra day!
Many of our traditions started out with such God-honouring intentions, but have since grown into stalwart traditions that no one understands and cares about. Such traditions may or may not be helpful, but what is important is the heart with which we approach the Lord. Do we have that same desire to honour God? Do we seek to glorify God? Do we want to see God honoured and lifted up and exalted in all things? Can we say this about the way we celebrate holidays and special occasions?
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that each and every person in your congregation would be seeking to honour God in their daily lives and in the corporate gathering each Sonday. Ask God to bless those who prepare and are involved in next Sonday’s service. Pray that they would prepare in such a way that God is glorified, honoured and exalted by the service.
¥ Pray that our brothers and sisters in Nigeria would be able to honour God and exalt Him as they worship together. Pray that their worship times would shine the light of Christ so brightly that many others come to know Christ as Lord and Saviour as well.
Read Leviticus 23:23-25
Many traditions we have or that you may have personally started with good and godly intentions have simply slid into habits. I wonder if you can think of 4 or 5 such traditions.
The Feast of Trumpets Biblically began as a one day celebration but soon became a two day celebration. For many it may have seemed like tradition, but there was a good reason behind it.
Since the festival occurred on the first day of the month, at the new moon, it proved very difficult to communicate to the people of Israel that the festival had actually begun. The small slither of the moon visible at a new moon made it hard to distinguish. Cloudy nights could easily hide such a small moon. There was also a need for two or more witnesses for the new moon and this could be hard to get so late in the evening. To avoid error and in a bid to please God an extra day was added to the holiday. There was a genuine desire to keep God’s law and to make sure that God was pleased and honoured by the service and celebration. Some Jews still celebrate the holiday for an extra day!
Many of our traditions started out with such God-honouring intentions, but have since grown into stalwart traditions that no one understands and cares about. Such traditions may or may not be helpful, but what is important is the heart with which we approach the Lord. Do we have that same desire to honour God? Do we seek to glorify God? Do we want to see God honoured and lifted up and exalted in all things? Can we say this about the way we celebrate holidays and special occasions?
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that each and every person in your congregation would be seeking to honour God in their daily lives and in the corporate gathering each Sonday. Ask God to bless those who prepare and are involved in next Sonday’s service. Pray that they would prepare in such a way that God is glorified, honoured and exalted by the service.
¥ Pray that our brothers and sisters in Nigeria would be able to honour God and exalt Him as they worship together. Pray that their worship times would shine the light of Christ so brightly that many others come to know Christ as Lord and Saviour as well.
Monday 22 October 2012
Monday October 22, 2012
Ring up one other person today and ask them how you can be praying for them. Spend time praying for them.
Read Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1
Music and holidays seem to go together. On New Year’s Eve Aussies love to count down to midnight and trumpets are blown by wild revellers. Dancing has been a long favourite at these celebrations. At Christmas time and Easter people who rarely frequent the churches, look forward to singing about the birth of the Christ and His death and resurrection. But the holidays are rarely built around music as they were in the Feast of Trumpets.
Interestingly, the Feast is never called the Feast of Trumpets in Scripture. It is called the Memorial of Blowing (Trumpets) in Leviticus and the Day of Blowing (Trumpets) in Numbers 29:1. In the 2nd Century AD the feast was called Rosh Hashanah (Literally the Head of the Year). After the Temple was destroyed in 70AD the observance had to be radically changed - new traditions had to be enlisted to help the festival survive. The timing connected with the start of the civil new year so the two became inseparably connected—hence the name.
In the Bible it is a simple service where the day is commemorated with the blowing of trumpets and is kept as a Sabbath to the Lord. A special burnt offering was given to the Lord. It consisted of a young bull, a ram and 7 lambs. A kid goat was also sacrificed as a sin offering. All of these were in addition to the required daily sacrifices and those needed for the new moon.
The festival stands in importance because it is the only holiday on the first day of the month at the new moon. Within the Torah (the Law of Moses) the 7th Day and the 7th Month and the 7th Year were all holy. This feast marks the start of the Sabbath month in which all three autumn holidays occur. New moons were usually announced with a short trumpet blast but this day was celebrated with long blasts to commemorate its uniqueness and solemnity.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would allow each one of us to bear much fruit in our personal lives. Pray that the fruit of the Spirit would grow in your life and the lives of your brothers and sisters. Pray that we would also be growing the fruit of discipleship as we make converts and raise them in the Lord.
¥ Pray that God would be preparing the Burma mission team to teach 2 Corinthians in Burma at the end of November. Pray for the required funds to be made available and for all the resources to be ready.
Read Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1
Music and holidays seem to go together. On New Year’s Eve Aussies love to count down to midnight and trumpets are blown by wild revellers. Dancing has been a long favourite at these celebrations. At Christmas time and Easter people who rarely frequent the churches, look forward to singing about the birth of the Christ and His death and resurrection. But the holidays are rarely built around music as they were in the Feast of Trumpets.
Interestingly, the Feast is never called the Feast of Trumpets in Scripture. It is called the Memorial of Blowing (Trumpets) in Leviticus and the Day of Blowing (Trumpets) in Numbers 29:1. In the 2nd Century AD the feast was called Rosh Hashanah (Literally the Head of the Year). After the Temple was destroyed in 70AD the observance had to be radically changed - new traditions had to be enlisted to help the festival survive. The timing connected with the start of the civil new year so the two became inseparably connected—hence the name.
In the Bible it is a simple service where the day is commemorated with the blowing of trumpets and is kept as a Sabbath to the Lord. A special burnt offering was given to the Lord. It consisted of a young bull, a ram and 7 lambs. A kid goat was also sacrificed as a sin offering. All of these were in addition to the required daily sacrifices and those needed for the new moon.
The festival stands in importance because it is the only holiday on the first day of the month at the new moon. Within the Torah (the Law of Moses) the 7th Day and the 7th Month and the 7th Year were all holy. This feast marks the start of the Sabbath month in which all three autumn holidays occur. New moons were usually announced with a short trumpet blast but this day was celebrated with long blasts to commemorate its uniqueness and solemnity.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would allow each one of us to bear much fruit in our personal lives. Pray that the fruit of the Spirit would grow in your life and the lives of your brothers and sisters. Pray that we would also be growing the fruit of discipleship as we make converts and raise them in the Lord.
¥ Pray that God would be preparing the Burma mission team to teach 2 Corinthians in Burma at the end of November. Pray for the required funds to be made available and for all the resources to be ready.
Saturday 20 October 2012
Saturday October 20, 2012
Spend some extra time praying about Church in the Park tomorrow and about how you and your church can have “beautiful feet” as you share the good news.
Read Romans 10:14-15; Matthew 28:18-20
“You have beautiful feet.” That is one sentence I can guarantee has never been said to me. But did you notice it at the end of today’s passage from Romans? Paul isn’t talking about physical beauty though, Paul is writing about the beauty that comes from carrying and sharing a beautiful message.
Over the week we have looked together at how we are on mission to share our faith with those around us by our good deeds, our holy lives, the way that we suffer for Christ and by preaching the gospel when we have opportunity. By doing these things we should have “beautiful feet” as we carry the message of God’s great and gracious salvation.
Have another look at Matthew 28:18-20. This isn’t just a mission for “missionaries” or “evangelists”. This is a job for every single Christian. You have been given the mission of having “beautiful feet” as you live and preach the gospel to those around you in your community. How can you do that today?
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Spend some extra time today praying for church in the park tomorrow. Pray that the gospel would be shared and God would prepare the hearts of all who attend. Pray that many would come to relationship with Jesus.
Read Romans 10:14-15; Matthew 28:18-20
“You have beautiful feet.” That is one sentence I can guarantee has never been said to me. But did you notice it at the end of today’s passage from Romans? Paul isn’t talking about physical beauty though, Paul is writing about the beauty that comes from carrying and sharing a beautiful message.
Over the week we have looked together at how we are on mission to share our faith with those around us by our good deeds, our holy lives, the way that we suffer for Christ and by preaching the gospel when we have opportunity. By doing these things we should have “beautiful feet” as we carry the message of God’s great and gracious salvation.
Have another look at Matthew 28:18-20. This isn’t just a mission for “missionaries” or “evangelists”. This is a job for every single Christian. You have been given the mission of having “beautiful feet” as you live and preach the gospel to those around you in your community. How can you do that today?
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Spend some extra time today praying for church in the park tomorrow. Pray that the gospel would be shared and God would prepare the hearts of all who attend. Pray that many would come to relationship with Jesus.
Friday 19 October 2012
Friday October 19, 2012
How do you preach the gospel to someone who asks? Get together with another believer today and practice together.
Read Romans 10:5-17
“This just in: Justin's had enough of cure-alls,
gonna quiz the neighbour kid with the fish on his car
He says: I don't know why you care
I don't know what's out there
I don't know how it's done
Just take me to your leader, son”
Newsboys—Take me to your Leader
Imagine the situation. A non-believer (Justin in the Newsboys song) comes to you with questions about faith. He says, “I have seen the way you live differently and I was just wondering if you could explain to me what you believe.” What an opportunity! What a moment! Would you know what to say? Would you be able to respond in a way which honoured Christ?
We don’t need to be afraid of a situation like this, Jesus tells His disciples that when they are called upon to speak, God will give them the words (Matthew 10:19-20). But Peter also commands us to “always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). Just because we know we have the airbag of the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean we don’t prepare and put our seatbelts on.
Although this example situation is a rare opportunity and more likely to occur over a series of conversations, it provides a useful example to practice and to think about what answer you would give. We are called to more than just living our faith out in our holiness, in our good deeds and in the way that we suffer. We are also called to preach the Word. Have another look at today’s passage from Romans. Paul reminds us that no one can come to faith unless they believe, and they can’t believe unless they hear, and they can’t hear unless someone preaches. We have been commissioned to live our faith but also to preach our faith.
So, how would you share your faith with this person? What would you say to that question? How would you ‘preach’ the gospel?
Make a time to meet with another Christian today and to practice together. One of you take on the role of the non-believer and the other share the gospel message with them. It might seem silly at first but the more you can get into the activity together the more useful it will be for you, and the more prepared you will be to give an answer. Do it more than once if you need to.
If you have absolutely no idea where to start there are many useful tools to help you to share the Gospel. As an example try talking your friend through the following verses, often called the Romans Road:
Romans 3:23 -> Romans 6:23 -> Romans 5:8 -> Romans 10:13 -> Romans 10:9
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Continue to pray for church in the park this Sonday. Pray that the gospel would be clearly preached and that God would prepare the hearts of those who will attend. Begin to pray about how you might be able to help or engage with new people who come.
¥ Pray that the Holy Spirit would stir every member of the church with a passion to share the good news wherever they have opportunity. Pray that people would meet together and practice sharing the gospel with each other so that they might be prepared for any opportunity they are given.
Read Romans 10:5-17
“This just in: Justin's had enough of cure-alls,
gonna quiz the neighbour kid with the fish on his car
He says: I don't know why you care
I don't know what's out there
I don't know how it's done
Just take me to your leader, son”
Newsboys—Take me to your Leader
Imagine the situation. A non-believer (Justin in the Newsboys song) comes to you with questions about faith. He says, “I have seen the way you live differently and I was just wondering if you could explain to me what you believe.” What an opportunity! What a moment! Would you know what to say? Would you be able to respond in a way which honoured Christ?
We don’t need to be afraid of a situation like this, Jesus tells His disciples that when they are called upon to speak, God will give them the words (Matthew 10:19-20). But Peter also commands us to “always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). Just because we know we have the airbag of the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean we don’t prepare and put our seatbelts on.
Although this example situation is a rare opportunity and more likely to occur over a series of conversations, it provides a useful example to practice and to think about what answer you would give. We are called to more than just living our faith out in our holiness, in our good deeds and in the way that we suffer. We are also called to preach the Word. Have another look at today’s passage from Romans. Paul reminds us that no one can come to faith unless they believe, and they can’t believe unless they hear, and they can’t hear unless someone preaches. We have been commissioned to live our faith but also to preach our faith.
So, how would you share your faith with this person? What would you say to that question? How would you ‘preach’ the gospel?
Make a time to meet with another Christian today and to practice together. One of you take on the role of the non-believer and the other share the gospel message with them. It might seem silly at first but the more you can get into the activity together the more useful it will be for you, and the more prepared you will be to give an answer. Do it more than once if you need to.
If you have absolutely no idea where to start there are many useful tools to help you to share the Gospel. As an example try talking your friend through the following verses, often called the Romans Road:
Romans 3:23 -> Romans 6:23 -> Romans 5:8 -> Romans 10:13 -> Romans 10:9
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Continue to pray for church in the park this Sonday. Pray that the gospel would be clearly preached and that God would prepare the hearts of those who will attend. Begin to pray about how you might be able to help or engage with new people who come.
¥ Pray that the Holy Spirit would stir every member of the church with a passion to share the good news wherever they have opportunity. Pray that people would meet together and practice sharing the gospel with each other so that they might be prepared for any opportunity they are given.
Thursday 18 October 2012
Thursday October 18, 2012
Spend some time praying this morning for those Christians around the world who are suffering for their faith.
Read 1 Peter 3:13-17; Philippians 1:12-14
“I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the rock of ages.”
Charles Spurgeon
Pause for a moment and ponder that quote from Charles Spurgeon. Have you ever had waves in your life that have thrown you against the rock of ages? Have you encountered suffering in your life and have grown closer to God as a result? It is truly amazing and a blessing that God can use our suffering for good, to draw us closer to Him and to change us to be more like Jesus.
God can also use our suffering to be a great witness to those around us. Paul describes in Philippians the way that his imprisonment in chains served to advance the Gospel rather than hinder it. As a result of Paul’s suffering and persecution it had become known to all around him that he was imprisoned and suffering for Christ
See this also in 1 Peter 3:13-17. Peter tells the early church that even if they should suffer for righteousness sake that they should not fear, honour Christ as holy and be prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that they have in the midst of their suffering. Even in suffering and persecution God uses the way that we suffer, in this case with hope and honouring Christ, to show Christ to those around us and to advance the gospel.
When you suffer for your faith, when you are passed over for that promotion, when you are mocked and judged for your faith at work, when you are excluded from friendships because of your faith, how do you respond? Do you suffer with hope and in such a way as to honour Christ? Are you a witness in the way that you suffer?
Spend some time today thinking about how you can approach suffering differently so that you can bring Glory to God and be a witness for Him.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for all those around the world who are suffering under severe persecution for their faith. Pray that God would help them to suffer well by His Holy Spirit. Pray that the Gospel would be preached boldly and that people would come to know Jesus through the suffering of Christians.
¥ Pray for the youth group as they gather together tomorrow night. Pray that God would guide the leaders as they prepare and that God would prepare the hearts of the youth to hear His word and to grow in their relationship with Him.
Read 1 Peter 3:13-17; Philippians 1:12-14
“I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the rock of ages.”
Charles Spurgeon
Pause for a moment and ponder that quote from Charles Spurgeon. Have you ever had waves in your life that have thrown you against the rock of ages? Have you encountered suffering in your life and have grown closer to God as a result? It is truly amazing and a blessing that God can use our suffering for good, to draw us closer to Him and to change us to be more like Jesus.
God can also use our suffering to be a great witness to those around us. Paul describes in Philippians the way that his imprisonment in chains served to advance the Gospel rather than hinder it. As a result of Paul’s suffering and persecution it had become known to all around him that he was imprisoned and suffering for Christ
See this also in 1 Peter 3:13-17. Peter tells the early church that even if they should suffer for righteousness sake that they should not fear, honour Christ as holy and be prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that they have in the midst of their suffering. Even in suffering and persecution God uses the way that we suffer, in this case with hope and honouring Christ, to show Christ to those around us and to advance the gospel.
When you suffer for your faith, when you are passed over for that promotion, when you are mocked and judged for your faith at work, when you are excluded from friendships because of your faith, how do you respond? Do you suffer with hope and in such a way as to honour Christ? Are you a witness in the way that you suffer?
Spend some time today thinking about how you can approach suffering differently so that you can bring Glory to God and be a witness for Him.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for all those around the world who are suffering under severe persecution for their faith. Pray that God would help them to suffer well by His Holy Spirit. Pray that the Gospel would be preached boldly and that people would come to know Jesus through the suffering of Christians.
¥ Pray for the youth group as they gather together tomorrow night. Pray that God would guide the leaders as they prepare and that God would prepare the hearts of the youth to hear His word and to grow in their relationship with Him.
Wednesday 17 October 2012
Wednesday October 17, 2012
How does your life reflect the gospel? Get together with another believer today to spend time in confession and prayer.
Read 1 Peter 2:9-12; Galatians 5:16-26
Imagine that you and your family are building a house. You go to visit your potential builder at his office to discuss your plans, but you notice that the whole office building is run-down and falling apart. Paint is flaking off the walls, there is mould growing everywhere, there are holes in the walls and the ceiling is drooping. Do you think you would still contract this builder to build your brand new house? If he cannot even keep his own office building in order how can he build a house well?
Or consider that you go along to the hairdresser for a haircut. You are shocked to see your hairdresser is having the worst hair day ever! Their hair is super frizzy and sticking out left, right and centre. To top it off the cut is clearly lopsided and the colour doesn’t look quite right.
Are you going to be confident that this hairdresser can do a good job of your hair?
If we wouldn’t get that builder to build our house or that hairdresser to cut your hair how can we expect non-believers to believe a life changing message that doesn’t change our own lives? How often have you seen Christians portrayed as hypocrites in the media.
Have another look at 1 Peter 2:12. We are commanded to show Christ to those around us by our holy conduct. Paul talks about this conduct in Galatians 5. Notice the list of the fruit of the flesh compared with the fruits of the Spirit. This process of the Holy Spirit changing us to be more like Jesus is called Sanctification.
How are you living a life that reflects the good news of Jesus well? Spend some time with another believer today and confess your sins to each other. Spend some time praying for each other that God would continue to work in you to transform you to be more like Christ and to be a witness for Him in the world.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that those in your church would continue to grow closer in their relationship with Jesus and as a result reflect His character more and more. Pray that as they seek to live holy lives that others would be drawn to Christ and seek answers about Him.
¥ Pray for the various cell groups that are meeting this week. Pray that the cell groups would seek to love and encourage each other in holiness and help each other to share their faith well.
Read 1 Peter 2:9-12; Galatians 5:16-26
Imagine that you and your family are building a house. You go to visit your potential builder at his office to discuss your plans, but you notice that the whole office building is run-down and falling apart. Paint is flaking off the walls, there is mould growing everywhere, there are holes in the walls and the ceiling is drooping. Do you think you would still contract this builder to build your brand new house? If he cannot even keep his own office building in order how can he build a house well?
Or consider that you go along to the hairdresser for a haircut. You are shocked to see your hairdresser is having the worst hair day ever! Their hair is super frizzy and sticking out left, right and centre. To top it off the cut is clearly lopsided and the colour doesn’t look quite right.
Are you going to be confident that this hairdresser can do a good job of your hair?
If we wouldn’t get that builder to build our house or that hairdresser to cut your hair how can we expect non-believers to believe a life changing message that doesn’t change our own lives? How often have you seen Christians portrayed as hypocrites in the media.
Have another look at 1 Peter 2:12. We are commanded to show Christ to those around us by our holy conduct. Paul talks about this conduct in Galatians 5. Notice the list of the fruit of the flesh compared with the fruits of the Spirit. This process of the Holy Spirit changing us to be more like Jesus is called Sanctification.
How are you living a life that reflects the good news of Jesus well? Spend some time with another believer today and confess your sins to each other. Spend some time praying for each other that God would continue to work in you to transform you to be more like Christ and to be a witness for Him in the world.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that those in your church would continue to grow closer in their relationship with Jesus and as a result reflect His character more and more. Pray that as they seek to live holy lives that others would be drawn to Christ and seek answers about Him.
¥ Pray for the various cell groups that are meeting this week. Pray that the cell groups would seek to love and encourage each other in holiness and help each other to share their faith well.
Tuesday 16 October 2012
Tuesday October 16, 2012
What one thing can you do today to shine the light of Christ’s love to someone? Go do it!
Read Matthew 5:13-16; James 1:22-27
"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
Brennan Manning
For more than 2,000 years lighthouses have functioned to warn sailors of danger, guide ships safely to the shore and save lives. But imagine if, rather than shining a light, the light was turned off. The lighthouse could no longer play its vital role in the protection of others.
In the same way, we as Christian’s are to shine in a fallen world by our good deeds. We have been given a mission by God to light the way for people to come out of the darkness and safely into relationship with Him. We have been given the mission by God to attract people to Him and His glory as we shine like lights before them.
How are your good deeds shining the light of Christ into a dark world? Are you living your faith in a way which draws people into relationship with Jesus, or is your light hidden under a basket?
James shows us what this light-shining life should look like. We are called to live lives of pure speech and controlled tongues, of practical mercy and compassion shown to the poor and the oppressed and to live lives of personal holiness.
What good deeds can you do today to draw people to relationship with Christ and to demonstrate His work in your life? Write down one thing that you can do today to show Christ’s love to someone around you. Now go do it!
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Continue to pray for church in the park this Sonday. Pray that others in the church would be challenged to live lives of good deeds this week so that God may be glorified and people drawn to relationship with Him. Pray that people here in Toowoomba would see these deeds and be drawn to Christ.
¥ Pray for Shiloh Church Ministries in India as they seek to shine God’s light into a dark country with many competing gods. Pray that God would strengthen them and that people would see their deeds and be drawn to Christ.
Read Matthew 5:13-16; James 1:22-27
"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
Brennan Manning
For more than 2,000 years lighthouses have functioned to warn sailors of danger, guide ships safely to the shore and save lives. But imagine if, rather than shining a light, the light was turned off. The lighthouse could no longer play its vital role in the protection of others.
In the same way, we as Christian’s are to shine in a fallen world by our good deeds. We have been given a mission by God to light the way for people to come out of the darkness and safely into relationship with Him. We have been given the mission by God to attract people to Him and His glory as we shine like lights before them.
How are your good deeds shining the light of Christ into a dark world? Are you living your faith in a way which draws people into relationship with Jesus, or is your light hidden under a basket?
James shows us what this light-shining life should look like. We are called to live lives of pure speech and controlled tongues, of practical mercy and compassion shown to the poor and the oppressed and to live lives of personal holiness.
What good deeds can you do today to draw people to relationship with Christ and to demonstrate His work in your life? Write down one thing that you can do today to show Christ’s love to someone around you. Now go do it!
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Continue to pray for church in the park this Sonday. Pray that others in the church would be challenged to live lives of good deeds this week so that God may be glorified and people drawn to relationship with Him. Pray that people here in Toowoomba would see these deeds and be drawn to Christ.
¥ Pray for Shiloh Church Ministries in India as they seek to shine God’s light into a dark country with many competing gods. Pray that God would strengthen them and that people would see their deeds and be drawn to Christ.
Monday 15 October 2012
Monday October 15, 2012
Start thinking about who you can invite to church in the park on Sonday. Why not invite them today?
Read Matthew 28:18-20
We are all given a mission to share Christ with the world. How do you approach that mission? Are you a front-line soldier, a storm-the-beaches kind of evangelist? Do you Bible bash every person whose ear you can bend? Do the telemarketers, checkout chicks, postman, bank tellers, Doctor, Chiropractor and all your facebook friends get the full spiel?
Or are you like a spy? You sneak behind enemy lines and try to never get caught. Maybe you live a good life around non-Christians, but would never speak out and attract attention to yourself by sharing the gospel openly.
Are you like the turncoat? You act like a good Christian at church but fit right in with your worldly buddies at work.
Are you a deserter who would rather huddle up somewhere and hide with their own side than get out there where the battle rages.
All of us who are in relationship with Christ must answer this question. God’s mission isn’t optional. We don’t get to opt out. God doesn’t leave us in the dark though. God’s Word has a lot to say about how we go about this mission.
As we prepare for Church in the Park this week and as doors are being knocked on and people are being invited, let’s pause for the week and think about how we are all called to be on mission in the world through our deeds, our Holy lives, through our suffering, and through preaching the Gospel.
Spend some time today and pray about how God would have you on mission in your world. How can you be on mission in your workplace, neighbourhood, family and friendships?
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for church in the park this Sonday. Pray that God would work through the doorknocking and that people would be drawn to Christ and to come on Sonday to hear about His love. Pray that God would reveal to you who you can invite to come on Sonday.
¥ Pray that God would reveal to you opportunities in your situation to share the Gospel with those around you. Pray that God would give you the courage to take the opportunities with boldness and that God would give you the wisdom and grace to take them well.
Read Matthew 28:18-20
We are all given a mission to share Christ with the world. How do you approach that mission? Are you a front-line soldier, a storm-the-beaches kind of evangelist? Do you Bible bash every person whose ear you can bend? Do the telemarketers, checkout chicks, postman, bank tellers, Doctor, Chiropractor and all your facebook friends get the full spiel?
Or are you like a spy? You sneak behind enemy lines and try to never get caught. Maybe you live a good life around non-Christians, but would never speak out and attract attention to yourself by sharing the gospel openly.
Are you like the turncoat? You act like a good Christian at church but fit right in with your worldly buddies at work.
Are you a deserter who would rather huddle up somewhere and hide with their own side than get out there where the battle rages.
All of us who are in relationship with Christ must answer this question. God’s mission isn’t optional. We don’t get to opt out. God doesn’t leave us in the dark though. God’s Word has a lot to say about how we go about this mission.
As we prepare for Church in the Park this week and as doors are being knocked on and people are being invited, let’s pause for the week and think about how we are all called to be on mission in the world through our deeds, our Holy lives, through our suffering, and through preaching the Gospel.
Spend some time today and pray about how God would have you on mission in your world. How can you be on mission in your workplace, neighbourhood, family and friendships?
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for church in the park this Sonday. Pray that God would work through the doorknocking and that people would be drawn to Christ and to come on Sonday to hear about His love. Pray that God would reveal to you who you can invite to come on Sonday.
¥ Pray that God would reveal to you opportunities in your situation to share the Gospel with those around you. Pray that God would give you the courage to take the opportunities with boldness and that God would give you the wisdom and grace to take them well.
Saturday 13 October 2012
Saturday October 13, 2012
List 3 people that you would like to rescue from sin. Pray for each one by name and then ring and invite each to church tomorrow.
Read Luke 15
I have no doubt that Jesus would attend a church if He were with us bodily as He was 2,000 years ago. He visited the synagogues. I suspect He’d do the same here and visit the churches, where God’s people are located. But outside of church times, I wonder where He’d spend most of His time? Would He spend hours in the manse talking to the ‘important people’? Would He reside at church head office where the “really really really important” people hang out? Would He sit in the halls of power and speak to the politicians??
I suspect that Jesus would be out looking for the lost sheep or the prodigal son among the unclean. I suspect He’d be out searching among the homeless, the hobos, the drunkards, the prostitutes and the sinners for those who belong to His Kingdom. It’s sobering isn’t it?
If we are to be the people of God then we need to start doing what the people of God are called to be doing - helping rescue the lost sheep, finding the lost treasure and seeking out the prodigal sons and daughters of our world. We need the heart of God. We need the mind of God. We need the love of God within us to guide us and show us the right way.
Rather than thinking about church as a 5 star pleasure cruise, let’s start thinking about it as a rescue ship - a ship sent into the stormy night to help rescue others who are drowning in the sea of sin.
In the Feast of Weeks we see that God has paved the way for Jews and Gentiles to come into His kingdom. Let us make sure that we are showing people the way.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for Sonday’s services. Pray that God’s plan of fulfilment would continue as more people are brought into His kingdom through His grace and mercy. Pray that the Word of God would be powerfully spoken and that everyone would join into worship. Pray that God would bring conviction, correction, healing, guidance, revival, renewal, strengthening etc as needed.
¥ Pray that you would be a great light in your church community and that you would be able to serve and bless people tomorrow. Pray that other people have this mind set as well.
Read Luke 15
I have no doubt that Jesus would attend a church if He were with us bodily as He was 2,000 years ago. He visited the synagogues. I suspect He’d do the same here and visit the churches, where God’s people are located. But outside of church times, I wonder where He’d spend most of His time? Would He spend hours in the manse talking to the ‘important people’? Would He reside at church head office where the “really really really important” people hang out? Would He sit in the halls of power and speak to the politicians??
I suspect that Jesus would be out looking for the lost sheep or the prodigal son among the unclean. I suspect He’d be out searching among the homeless, the hobos, the drunkards, the prostitutes and the sinners for those who belong to His Kingdom. It’s sobering isn’t it?
If we are to be the people of God then we need to start doing what the people of God are called to be doing - helping rescue the lost sheep, finding the lost treasure and seeking out the prodigal sons and daughters of our world. We need the heart of God. We need the mind of God. We need the love of God within us to guide us and show us the right way.
Rather than thinking about church as a 5 star pleasure cruise, let’s start thinking about it as a rescue ship - a ship sent into the stormy night to help rescue others who are drowning in the sea of sin.
In the Feast of Weeks we see that God has paved the way for Jews and Gentiles to come into His kingdom. Let us make sure that we are showing people the way.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for Sonday’s services. Pray that God’s plan of fulfilment would continue as more people are brought into His kingdom through His grace and mercy. Pray that the Word of God would be powerfully spoken and that everyone would join into worship. Pray that God would bring conviction, correction, healing, guidance, revival, renewal, strengthening etc as needed.
¥ Pray that you would be a great light in your church community and that you would be able to serve and bless people tomorrow. Pray that other people have this mind set as well.
Friday 12 October 2012
Friday October 12, 2012
What do you dream about in terms of God’s Kingdom?
Read Acts 2:32-47
Every preacher and evangelist dreams of preaching a sermon to a large crowd and seeing thousands come to Christ in repentance and faith as Peter did that day in fulfilment of Pentecost. How amazing it would have been to hear Peter and the others speak in different tongues outside the Temple in that plaza. How awesome it would have been to hear the crowd quieten down to complete silence and to listen to Peter speak about King David and the other prophets that looked forward to the fulfilment that was now in full swing. How awesome to see the Spirit of God lead 3,000 people into the Lord’s Kingdom. Imagine 3,000 people jostling to the baptismal pools, being committed to the Lord and rejoicing in Him. How amazing to see lives transformed and communities formed by the indwelling of the living God.
But this was all prophesied in the Feast of Weeks. God had promised a New Covenant, a coming together of Jew and Gentile, a pouring out of His Holy Spirit, a joint witness to Messiah by both Jews and Gentiles. What happened that day was in fulfilment of the Feast of Weeks. Seven Sabbaths after the Passover would see a pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit and the formation of the New Testament church. The oft prophesied New Covenant was reality. God had entered into relationship with His people, the Church, and would use them in a powerful way to shine His light, His love and His mercy to a dark and lost world.
You and I are a part of this world wide church that spans geography, culture, education levels, health levels and age barriers. We together have been brought into one family to bring testimony to the Messiah, to declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for Sonday’s services. Pray that God’s plan of fulfilment would continue as more people are brought into His kingdom through His grace and mercy. Pray that the Word of God would be powerfully spoken and that everyone would join into worship. Pray that God would bring conviction, correction, healing, guidance, revival, renewal, strengthening etc as needed.
¥ Pray that we would see many people converted to Christ through our corporate and individual outreaches. Pray that every single believer in your congregation, you included, would make the most of every opportunity to speak the Word of Life into the lives of others. Pray that God would prepare those who hear to receive the Good News and to find life eternal in Christ.
Read Acts 2:32-47
Every preacher and evangelist dreams of preaching a sermon to a large crowd and seeing thousands come to Christ in repentance and faith as Peter did that day in fulfilment of Pentecost. How amazing it would have been to hear Peter and the others speak in different tongues outside the Temple in that plaza. How awesome it would have been to hear the crowd quieten down to complete silence and to listen to Peter speak about King David and the other prophets that looked forward to the fulfilment that was now in full swing. How awesome to see the Spirit of God lead 3,000 people into the Lord’s Kingdom. Imagine 3,000 people jostling to the baptismal pools, being committed to the Lord and rejoicing in Him. How amazing to see lives transformed and communities formed by the indwelling of the living God.
But this was all prophesied in the Feast of Weeks. God had promised a New Covenant, a coming together of Jew and Gentile, a pouring out of His Holy Spirit, a joint witness to Messiah by both Jews and Gentiles. What happened that day was in fulfilment of the Feast of Weeks. Seven Sabbaths after the Passover would see a pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit and the formation of the New Testament church. The oft prophesied New Covenant was reality. God had entered into relationship with His people, the Church, and would use them in a powerful way to shine His light, His love and His mercy to a dark and lost world.
You and I are a part of this world wide church that spans geography, culture, education levels, health levels and age barriers. We together have been brought into one family to bring testimony to the Messiah, to declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for Sonday’s services. Pray that God’s plan of fulfilment would continue as more people are brought into His kingdom through His grace and mercy. Pray that the Word of God would be powerfully spoken and that everyone would join into worship. Pray that God would bring conviction, correction, healing, guidance, revival, renewal, strengthening etc as needed.
¥ Pray that we would see many people converted to Christ through our corporate and individual outreaches. Pray that every single believer in your congregation, you included, would make the most of every opportunity to speak the Word of Life into the lives of others. Pray that God would prepare those who hear to receive the Good News and to find life eternal in Christ.
Thursday 11 October 2012
Thursday October 11, 2012
Write down 100 things for which you can praise God.
Read Acts 2:1-12; Luke 1:1
If you were to read the Greek New Testament you’d realise that verse 1 of Acts 2 is vitally important. Our English translations tend to gloss over the point. The word ‘came’ is not the best translation. In Greek the word means to come in fulfilment of something. A literal translation might read something like, ‘When the Day of Pentecost had fully come…’ or, ’When the Day of Pentecost was fulfilled…’ The text is clearly picking up on a fulfilment motif.
In fact, Luke, the author of Acts, tells us in Luke 1:1 that his goal in writing the two volumes (ie Luke and Acts) is to show us the things that have been fulfilled among us. This account on the day of Pentecost is another fulfilment along the way.
As we read through Acts 2 we see that there is a fulfilment. The Holy Spirit is given in fulfilment of an earlier promise. People from all over the world come into the Kingdom in fulfilment of God’s wider plan. Jews and Gentiles (proselytes to Judaism) gather together in fulfilment of the offering of the two loaves.
We think it’s pretty special that God called us into His heavenly kingdom. At least I hope we do! We praise God that He saved us through the mediatory work of Christ Jesus. How much greater is our joy when we realise that God has saved us in accord with His plan from eternity. We are not isolated incidents in God’s saving work but part of a wider plan to reach the entire universe with His love and grace and mercy. How magnificent that God included us in His world wide plan, rather than making us an after thought.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
Pray for the upcoming Kings Kidz production. Pray that God would bring many non Christians along and that He would use this production to grow His kingdom. Pray that the kids would know
¥ their parts and perform well. Pray that all things flow together and work together for His glory.
¥ Pray that this weekend’s service would bring great glory and honour to our God and Saviour. Pray that all people attending would be greatly blessed and that God would meet with each one at their greatest need - salvation, healing, encouragement, guidance and so on.
Read Acts 2:1-12; Luke 1:1
If you were to read the Greek New Testament you’d realise that verse 1 of Acts 2 is vitally important. Our English translations tend to gloss over the point. The word ‘came’ is not the best translation. In Greek the word means to come in fulfilment of something. A literal translation might read something like, ‘When the Day of Pentecost had fully come…’ or, ’When the Day of Pentecost was fulfilled…’ The text is clearly picking up on a fulfilment motif.
In fact, Luke, the author of Acts, tells us in Luke 1:1 that his goal in writing the two volumes (ie Luke and Acts) is to show us the things that have been fulfilled among us. This account on the day of Pentecost is another fulfilment along the way.
As we read through Acts 2 we see that there is a fulfilment. The Holy Spirit is given in fulfilment of an earlier promise. People from all over the world come into the Kingdom in fulfilment of God’s wider plan. Jews and Gentiles (proselytes to Judaism) gather together in fulfilment of the offering of the two loaves.
We think it’s pretty special that God called us into His heavenly kingdom. At least I hope we do! We praise God that He saved us through the mediatory work of Christ Jesus. How much greater is our joy when we realise that God has saved us in accord with His plan from eternity. We are not isolated incidents in God’s saving work but part of a wider plan to reach the entire universe with His love and grace and mercy. How magnificent that God included us in His world wide plan, rather than making us an after thought.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
Pray for the upcoming Kings Kidz production. Pray that God would bring many non Christians along and that He would use this production to grow His kingdom. Pray that the kids would know
¥ their parts and perform well. Pray that all things flow together and work together for His glory.
¥ Pray that this weekend’s service would bring great glory and honour to our God and Saviour. Pray that all people attending would be greatly blessed and that God would meet with each one at their greatest need - salvation, healing, encouragement, guidance and so on.
Wednesday October 10, 2012
Ring up one other person in your congregation and encourage them in some way, shape or form.
Read Leviticus 23:17-22; Ephesians 2:11-16
When my children were young we would sometimes play a game of imagination that might be called ‘what if…’. We’d make ‘what if’ statements that were unusual or weird. What if humming birds had crocodile heads? What if alligators had wings. What if cockroaches breathed fire? We’d then laugh at the implications.
Leviticus 23:17ff is every bit a weird. On this day and only on this day there were two loaves offered instead of just one. Weird huh? Throughout the Old and New Testament there has always been a requirement for two witnesses to make a case. In the New Testament, a charge against an elder can be brought only by two or more witnesses (1 Timothy 5:19). There will be two witnesses against the anti Christ (Revelation 11:3-11) and a marriage requires two people to make their promises before God.
It was weird in that this bread offered to the Lord was leavened. It was baked with yeast. The Lord had commanded that no offering was to contain leaven or
yeast. Why such a weird digression? The offering was also presented with sin offering. Leaven in the world would be dealt with by a superior offering. The Messiah would offer Himself to God as our peace offering and would allow all who had leaven to come into God’s presence to worship God Almighty.
Interestingly, it is through the offering of the Messiah that Jew and Gentile have been made one. These two form a united witness to the world about the Messiah’s true identity and about fellowship in and through Him. Together, Jews and Gentiles bear witness and testimony to the saving reality of Christ, and that all people from all nations, tribes and tongues are welcome in His eternal kingdom.
Amazingly, this service or feast pictures for us Gentiles how we are brought near to God and the role we have in the body of Christ. We have come to God through the peace offering of the Messiah. We have been brought in to bear testimony to Christ and to encourage and shine the light in a depraved and dark world. We have a vital role to play with our fellow believers who are of Jewish origin.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the light of Christ’s love would shine brightly through the people in your congregation as they live in the world. Pray that they would be in the world and not of the world. Choose 5 people or families from your church directory and pray specifically for them.
¥ Pray the above for yourself—that you would shine brightly the love of Christ in your world. Choose 5 different situations you’ll be in this week and commit them specifically to your Lord asking that you would bear great testimony to Christ in those situations.
Read Leviticus 23:17-22; Ephesians 2:11-16
When my children were young we would sometimes play a game of imagination that might be called ‘what if…’. We’d make ‘what if’ statements that were unusual or weird. What if humming birds had crocodile heads? What if alligators had wings. What if cockroaches breathed fire? We’d then laugh at the implications.
Leviticus 23:17ff is every bit a weird. On this day and only on this day there were two loaves offered instead of just one. Weird huh? Throughout the Old and New Testament there has always been a requirement for two witnesses to make a case. In the New Testament, a charge against an elder can be brought only by two or more witnesses (1 Timothy 5:19). There will be two witnesses against the anti Christ (Revelation 11:3-11) and a marriage requires two people to make their promises before God.
It was weird in that this bread offered to the Lord was leavened. It was baked with yeast. The Lord had commanded that no offering was to contain leaven or
yeast. Why such a weird digression? The offering was also presented with sin offering. Leaven in the world would be dealt with by a superior offering. The Messiah would offer Himself to God as our peace offering and would allow all who had leaven to come into God’s presence to worship God Almighty.
Interestingly, it is through the offering of the Messiah that Jew and Gentile have been made one. These two form a united witness to the world about the Messiah’s true identity and about fellowship in and through Him. Together, Jews and Gentiles bear witness and testimony to the saving reality of Christ, and that all people from all nations, tribes and tongues are welcome in His eternal kingdom.
Amazingly, this service or feast pictures for us Gentiles how we are brought near to God and the role we have in the body of Christ. We have come to God through the peace offering of the Messiah. We have been brought in to bear testimony to Christ and to encourage and shine the light in a depraved and dark world. We have a vital role to play with our fellow believers who are of Jewish origin.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the light of Christ’s love would shine brightly through the people in your congregation as they live in the world. Pray that they would be in the world and not of the world. Choose 5 people or families from your church directory and pray specifically for them.
¥ Pray the above for yourself—that you would shine brightly the love of Christ in your world. Choose 5 different situations you’ll be in this week and commit them specifically to your Lord asking that you would bear great testimony to Christ in those situations.
Wednesday 10 October 2012
Tuesday October 9, 2012
What can you be doing each day to remember that your Messiah died and rose again for you personally?
Read Leviticus 23:15-16
Imagine how crazy it would be if New Year’s Eve changed every year in Australia. Imagine if your birthday changed each year? Imagine if some of our beloved long weekends changed annually?
In Israel the feast of weeks was not set in the calendar as a particular date as our New Year or Birthdays are. It was counted off 50 days from the Feast of Firstfruits. It was the day after the 7th Sabbath from the Final Sabbath of Passover.
What does such a counting off of 50 days achieve? Think about the same concept for your birthday. Imagine if your birthday were 75 days after the celebrated birthday of Christ Jesus. Each year you would start counting from the day Jesus’ birth is celebrated and you’d count every single day, regardless of how busy you were. Everything about your impending birthday would be drawn to the birth of Jesus’. You’d be constantly remembering that particular day because it serves as your reference point. With the Feast of Weeks the reference point is Passover. Everything is drawn back to Passover because that is our reference point. The people were never allowed to forget that God had miraculously delivered them from slavery in Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land.
Israel was never to forget that she was redeemed by God and formed into a nation by God. She was blessed by God and every crop, every animal, every ounce of food was a blessing from God, begun at Passover. Likewise, may we never forget that the Messiah has redeemed us and formed us into His people. May we never forget that every meal, ever dollar, every friend, every sunny day is a blessing from our Lord, brought about by the death and resurrection of our Messiah on our behalf.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the work of God in India through Shiloh Church Ministries. Pray that we would see God providing for all their needs and granting the daily necessities to the orphans. Pray that the light of Jesus’ love would shine brightly to the world around them.
¥ Pray for the work of Mustard Seed orphanage. Pray that God would be meeting all their needs through Christ and bringing many people into His kingdom through their testimony.
Read Leviticus 23:15-16
Imagine how crazy it would be if New Year’s Eve changed every year in Australia. Imagine if your birthday changed each year? Imagine if some of our beloved long weekends changed annually?
In Israel the feast of weeks was not set in the calendar as a particular date as our New Year or Birthdays are. It was counted off 50 days from the Feast of Firstfruits. It was the day after the 7th Sabbath from the Final Sabbath of Passover.
What does such a counting off of 50 days achieve? Think about the same concept for your birthday. Imagine if your birthday were 75 days after the celebrated birthday of Christ Jesus. Each year you would start counting from the day Jesus’ birth is celebrated and you’d count every single day, regardless of how busy you were. Everything about your impending birthday would be drawn to the birth of Jesus’. You’d be constantly remembering that particular day because it serves as your reference point. With the Feast of Weeks the reference point is Passover. Everything is drawn back to Passover because that is our reference point. The people were never allowed to forget that God had miraculously delivered them from slavery in Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land.
Israel was never to forget that she was redeemed by God and formed into a nation by God. She was blessed by God and every crop, every animal, every ounce of food was a blessing from God, begun at Passover. Likewise, may we never forget that the Messiah has redeemed us and formed us into His people. May we never forget that every meal, ever dollar, every friend, every sunny day is a blessing from our Lord, brought about by the death and resurrection of our Messiah on our behalf.
Prayer:
Use today’s reading and notes to write down ideas for your prayers.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the work of God in India through Shiloh Church Ministries. Pray that we would see God providing for all their needs and granting the daily necessities to the orphans. Pray that the light of Jesus’ love would shine brightly to the world around them.
¥ Pray for the work of Mustard Seed orphanage. Pray that God would be meeting all their needs through Christ and bringing many people into His kingdom through their testimony.
Tuesday 9 October 2012
Monday October 8, 2012
Try to find out what your name means. Can you see why God allowed that name to be given to you?
Read Leviticus 23:9-16; Exodus 34:22
Names are vitally important in the Hebrew mindset. They reflect something significant about the thing that bears the name, be it something historical, or something about the character, or even an event associated with that particular person or thing bearing the name.
The Feast of Weeks was the most common name because it was 7 weeks after the first fruits were counted off until this feast was to be celebrated.
In Numbers 28:26 it is called the Day of First fruits since it was the day on which the first fruit offerings of the summer wheat crop were brought to the temple. It marked the beginning of the summer wheat crop, just as the earlier first fruits feast marked the beginning of the Spring barley harvest.
In Exodus 23:16 it’s called the Feast of Harvest because it was the official beginning of the summer harvest season. In other places and sources it’s often called the Conclusion, showing us that it was the conclusion of the PassOver season and of the 7 week spring harvest.
In Greek, it was called Pentecost (meaning 50) and draws us to Acts 2 which we’ll talk about later on.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
Pray for the Committee of Management, especially that they might be wise in the stewardship of funds, ensuring that every
¥ dollar spent is maximised in God’s economy and Kingdom. Pray that each member would be wise and discerning in their role on that Committee.
¥ Pray for our Session. Ask God to grant our leaders deep wisdom and insight into the Word. Pray that they would apply the Word to their own lives and then to us as the Body of Christ. Pray that we would be obedient to them.
Read Leviticus 23:9-16; Exodus 34:22
Names are vitally important in the Hebrew mindset. They reflect something significant about the thing that bears the name, be it something historical, or something about the character, or even an event associated with that particular person or thing bearing the name.
The Feast of Weeks was the most common name because it was 7 weeks after the first fruits were counted off until this feast was to be celebrated.
In Numbers 28:26 it is called the Day of First fruits since it was the day on which the first fruit offerings of the summer wheat crop were brought to the temple. It marked the beginning of the summer wheat crop, just as the earlier first fruits feast marked the beginning of the Spring barley harvest.
In Exodus 23:16 it’s called the Feast of Harvest because it was the official beginning of the summer harvest season. In other places and sources it’s often called the Conclusion, showing us that it was the conclusion of the PassOver season and of the 7 week spring harvest.
In Greek, it was called Pentecost (meaning 50) and draws us to Acts 2 which we’ll talk about later on.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
Pray for the Committee of Management, especially that they might be wise in the stewardship of funds, ensuring that every
¥ dollar spent is maximised in God’s economy and Kingdom. Pray that each member would be wise and discerning in their role on that Committee.
¥ Pray for our Session. Ask God to grant our leaders deep wisdom and insight into the Word. Pray that they would apply the Word to their own lives and then to us as the Body of Christ. Pray that we would be obedient to them.
Sunday 7 October 2012
Saturday October 6, 2012
Plan to do just one thing that blesses someone else tomorrow at church.
Read Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 10:1-4
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, was written as a parody of modern reality TV. It shows the ridiculous lengths society will go to, to be entertained. But in our modern reality TV shows, there really is no reality. Being locked up together and having the pressure to survive and to stay in the group creates anything but reality. It’s not those who live in the real world that survive. It’s those who deceive and lie the best, or those who are the raunchiest or rudest or the most back stabbing. It’s anything but reality. And yet we flock to it like seagulls to abandoned food at the beach!
I suspect that for Old Testament Israel, with all the sacrifices and ceremonies, it would have been easy for them to lose that sense of reality - much like we can lose a sense of reality in the way we do church and celebrate sacraments and so on. It would have been easy to just go through the motions and to believe that doing certain things causes one to be righteous in God’s eyes. Certainly a group of Pharisees ended up thinking along these lines. Just read Galatians and you’ll see what I mean.
But God assures us that the ceremonies and sacrifices and celebrations of the Old Testament always pointed forward to Christ. They were visible and physical ‘signs’ that would have drawn the believer closer to God and created a hope in the coming Messiah who fulfilled these sacrifices and ceremonies. I wonder if the devout believer looked forward and longed to see the Messiah, the Christ, in fulfilment of all that God had given Israel. Certainly Abraham did. Again,
read John 8:56 and you’ll see that Jesus specifically tells us as much.
As we gather for church tomorrow it’s possible that you and I might lose touch with the reality of Christ and simply go through the motions of church. We can sing and pray and listen to the Word and mix with people without engaging in the reality of Christ. It’s possible to sit through the Lord’s Supper and simply eat and drink without connecting to Christ. It’s possible to have some idle fellowship without Christ being invited into that fellowship.
The reality is found in Christ. No church can make you engage with Christ. No service, no worship leader, no stage accessory can make you connect with Christ. You have to prepare yourself for worship. You have to come ready to meet with the living God. You have to come with a mindset and a heart that welcomes Christ in and is attentive to the Spirit of God. That ‘mindset’ that befalls many in a congregation each and every Sonday must be deliberately taken off and Christ MUST be invited in. Will you invite Christ into your heart this Sonday? Will you listen to the Holy Spirit this Sonday? Will you walk in step with the Spirit? Will you serve and give rather than sit and take? Make a new start this week. Plan to do one thing at church, just one thing, that blesses someone else.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that your service tomorrow will be an awesome encounter with the living God. Pray that each and every single person would come ready to meet with God and willing to listen and obey the Spirit. Pray that a spirit of generosity would come upon each and every believer.
¥ In Nigeria recently churches were attacked on a particular Sonday morning and bombs were thrown into the congregation. Pray for the safety of these churches and pray that the light of Christ’s love and forgiveness would shine brightly out of these churches. Pray that many would come to Christ and seek His forgiveness.
Read Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 10:1-4
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, was written as a parody of modern reality TV. It shows the ridiculous lengths society will go to, to be entertained. But in our modern reality TV shows, there really is no reality. Being locked up together and having the pressure to survive and to stay in the group creates anything but reality. It’s not those who live in the real world that survive. It’s those who deceive and lie the best, or those who are the raunchiest or rudest or the most back stabbing. It’s anything but reality. And yet we flock to it like seagulls to abandoned food at the beach!
I suspect that for Old Testament Israel, with all the sacrifices and ceremonies, it would have been easy for them to lose that sense of reality - much like we can lose a sense of reality in the way we do church and celebrate sacraments and so on. It would have been easy to just go through the motions and to believe that doing certain things causes one to be righteous in God’s eyes. Certainly a group of Pharisees ended up thinking along these lines. Just read Galatians and you’ll see what I mean.
But God assures us that the ceremonies and sacrifices and celebrations of the Old Testament always pointed forward to Christ. They were visible and physical ‘signs’ that would have drawn the believer closer to God and created a hope in the coming Messiah who fulfilled these sacrifices and ceremonies. I wonder if the devout believer looked forward and longed to see the Messiah, the Christ, in fulfilment of all that God had given Israel. Certainly Abraham did. Again,
read John 8:56 and you’ll see that Jesus specifically tells us as much.
As we gather for church tomorrow it’s possible that you and I might lose touch with the reality of Christ and simply go through the motions of church. We can sing and pray and listen to the Word and mix with people without engaging in the reality of Christ. It’s possible to sit through the Lord’s Supper and simply eat and drink without connecting to Christ. It’s possible to have some idle fellowship without Christ being invited into that fellowship.
The reality is found in Christ. No church can make you engage with Christ. No service, no worship leader, no stage accessory can make you connect with Christ. You have to prepare yourself for worship. You have to come ready to meet with the living God. You have to come with a mindset and a heart that welcomes Christ in and is attentive to the Spirit of God. That ‘mindset’ that befalls many in a congregation each and every Sonday must be deliberately taken off and Christ MUST be invited in. Will you invite Christ into your heart this Sonday? Will you listen to the Holy Spirit this Sonday? Will you walk in step with the Spirit? Will you serve and give rather than sit and take? Make a new start this week. Plan to do one thing at church, just one thing, that blesses someone else.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that your service tomorrow will be an awesome encounter with the living God. Pray that each and every single person would come ready to meet with God and willing to listen and obey the Spirit. Pray that a spirit of generosity would come upon each and every believer.
¥ In Nigeria recently churches were attacked on a particular Sonday morning and bombs were thrown into the congregation. Pray for the safety of these churches and pray that the light of Christ’s love and forgiveness would shine brightly out of these churches. Pray that many would come to Christ and seek His forgiveness.
Saturday 6 October 2012
Tuesday November 6, 2012
Read Leviticus 23:42-44
Aussies love to go out bush. Every Christmas and Easter letterboxes are filled with catalogues from outdoor and camping shops catering for the thousands upon thousands who love to get out for the weekend and enjoy the Great Outdoors. It’s so popular that a show ‘The Great Outdoors’ has aired for many years now.
But the Israelite's weren’t too keen on going bush. They didn’t have a love of the outdoors and going into the wild as we do. They preferred much more civilised houses and homes. But even so, they were told, or more correctly commanded, to camp out in booths for the week in memory of the way that God led His people through the wilderness for 40 years and provided daily for their needs.
The Feast of Booths, or Ingathering lasted from the 15th day to the 21st day of Tishri which corresponds to our September-October. During this feast the people were to live in simple booths made from branches and cloth and they were to rejoice in the goodness of God and in His daily provision. They recalled and experienced to some degree what it meant for that initial generation to spend 40 years in the wilderness, marching towards the Promised Land.
On the first day of the feast each Israelite was to take fruit from the trees, palm fronds, leafy branches, and poplars (23:39–40a). Although not explicitly stated in the text, we should assume that the branches from these trees would be used for the making of their wooden booths. The booths were a simple, three sided shelter. Throughout the history of Israel we see that they also waved the branches of palm, myrtle, willow and citron towards the four corners of the earth acknowledging that God is the Sovereign Lord of all the earth. They would also recite the Hallel (as in Hallelujah) Psalms (Ps 113-118) as they spent the week in their booths.
How often do you and I rejoice in the Lord’s provision? How often do we take time to think about God and the way that He has blessed us and provided for us? How often do we take the time to rejoice in God? Let me encourage you to make time to praise and thank God for His provision each and every single day. Develop an attitude of gratitude for what God has given you. Learn to count your blessings each and every single day.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would provide for Straight Talk Australia and use them powerfully to bring the light of Christ to many students. Pray for open doors in various schools around the country. Pray that God would uphold and strengthen Jim and Faye in this vital ministry.
¥ Pray for the work of Shiloh Church Ministries in India. Pray that God would bless their work and provide for their daily needs.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
Aussies love to go out bush. Every Christmas and Easter letterboxes are filled with catalogues from outdoor and camping shops catering for the thousands upon thousands who love to get out for the weekend and enjoy the Great Outdoors. It’s so popular that a show ‘The Great Outdoors’ has aired for many years now.
But the Israelite's weren’t too keen on going bush. They didn’t have a love of the outdoors and going into the wild as we do. They preferred much more civilised houses and homes. But even so, they were told, or more correctly commanded, to camp out in booths for the week in memory of the way that God led His people through the wilderness for 40 years and provided daily for their needs.
The Feast of Booths, or Ingathering lasted from the 15th day to the 21st day of Tishri which corresponds to our September-October. During this feast the people were to live in simple booths made from branches and cloth and they were to rejoice in the goodness of God and in His daily provision. They recalled and experienced to some degree what it meant for that initial generation to spend 40 years in the wilderness, marching towards the Promised Land.
On the first day of the feast each Israelite was to take fruit from the trees, palm fronds, leafy branches, and poplars (23:39–40a). Although not explicitly stated in the text, we should assume that the branches from these trees would be used for the making of their wooden booths. The booths were a simple, three sided shelter. Throughout the history of Israel we see that they also waved the branches of palm, myrtle, willow and citron towards the four corners of the earth acknowledging that God is the Sovereign Lord of all the earth. They would also recite the Hallel (as in Hallelujah) Psalms (Ps 113-118) as they spent the week in their booths.
How often do you and I rejoice in the Lord’s provision? How often do we take time to think about God and the way that He has blessed us and provided for us? How often do we take the time to rejoice in God? Let me encourage you to make time to praise and thank God for His provision each and every single day. Develop an attitude of gratitude for what God has given you. Learn to count your blessings each and every single day.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would provide for Straight Talk Australia and use them powerfully to bring the light of Christ to many students. Pray for open doors in various schools around the country. Pray that God would uphold and strengthen Jim and Faye in this vital ministry.
¥ Pray for the work of Shiloh Church Ministries in India. Pray that God would bless their work and provide for their daily needs.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
Friday October 5, 2012
Do you believe the biblical account of creation? If ‘no’ write down why you don’t and spend time telling God that you don’t believe His word.
Read Matthew 28; Genesis 2-3
A non believing scientist, who is an avowed atheist, put forward a theory about the resurrection of Christ from the dead and suggests that he has proven this theory to be true by science. Would you believe him? Would you drop your belief in the resurrection and take up this belief in the atheist? Of course you wouldn’t! If you would, please ring me, make an appointment to see me in my office and get ready for a stern talking to!!!! As incredible as it sounds, this is exactly what many Christians have done in their understanding of Genesis 1-11. They read into the Bible the theories and beliefs of non believing atheists who have openly stated that their goal is to free science from the Bible. Even though there is absolutely no scientific evidence for these theories, many believers go to great pains to read these into the Bible.
But why am I bringing this up in a discussion about leaven and unleavened bread? Jesus, as the only unleavened person, the only person with out sin in His life, was not under the curse of death. Death came into the world for the first time through the fall of Adam and Eve. God promised Adam that the day he disobeyed God he would surely die. And of course, he and his wife disobeyed God and death entered the world. The rest is, as they say, history.
The resurrection of Christ makes sense only in the light of Genesis 1-3. If evolution were true and death and decay had been around for millions of years, then God’s command to Adam makes no sense and Jesus’ victory over death makes no sense. It becomes, at the very best, an allegory or fable to teach us some vague truth about God, mankind and possibly salvation. But if we take the creation account seriously (as literal history) then Jesus’ perfect life was the basis for His perfect sacrifice. This sacrifice was offered willingly by the One who never deserved to die because He had no sin, and being the perfect sacrifice the merits would extend to all believers and to all creation. Decay and corruption will cease when the One who conquered death returns to take His brothers and sisters home to the new creation.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would bring a conviction upon all believers throughout the western world to believe the entire Word of God from Genesis to Revelation. Pray that the spirit of apathy that doesn’t care about one’s beliefs beyond the gospels would be eradicated and replaced with belief in the entire Word of God.
¥ Pray for our brothers and sisters in North Korea who find it hard to get the Word of God. Pray that God would open doors for them to have access to the Word and that this Word would bear much fruit. Pray for their strength and encouragement.
Read Matthew 28; Genesis 2-3
A non believing scientist, who is an avowed atheist, put forward a theory about the resurrection of Christ from the dead and suggests that he has proven this theory to be true by science. Would you believe him? Would you drop your belief in the resurrection and take up this belief in the atheist? Of course you wouldn’t! If you would, please ring me, make an appointment to see me in my office and get ready for a stern talking to!!!! As incredible as it sounds, this is exactly what many Christians have done in their understanding of Genesis 1-11. They read into the Bible the theories and beliefs of non believing atheists who have openly stated that their goal is to free science from the Bible. Even though there is absolutely no scientific evidence for these theories, many believers go to great pains to read these into the Bible.
But why am I bringing this up in a discussion about leaven and unleavened bread? Jesus, as the only unleavened person, the only person with out sin in His life, was not under the curse of death. Death came into the world for the first time through the fall of Adam and Eve. God promised Adam that the day he disobeyed God he would surely die. And of course, he and his wife disobeyed God and death entered the world. The rest is, as they say, history.
The resurrection of Christ makes sense only in the light of Genesis 1-3. If evolution were true and death and decay had been around for millions of years, then God’s command to Adam makes no sense and Jesus’ victory over death makes no sense. It becomes, at the very best, an allegory or fable to teach us some vague truth about God, mankind and possibly salvation. But if we take the creation account seriously (as literal history) then Jesus’ perfect life was the basis for His perfect sacrifice. This sacrifice was offered willingly by the One who never deserved to die because He had no sin, and being the perfect sacrifice the merits would extend to all believers and to all creation. Decay and corruption will cease when the One who conquered death returns to take His brothers and sisters home to the new creation.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would bring a conviction upon all believers throughout the western world to believe the entire Word of God from Genesis to Revelation. Pray that the spirit of apathy that doesn’t care about one’s beliefs beyond the gospels would be eradicated and replaced with belief in the entire Word of God.
¥ Pray for our brothers and sisters in North Korea who find it hard to get the Word of God. Pray that God would open doors for them to have access to the Word and that this Word would bear much fruit. Pray for their strength and encouragement.
Friday 5 October 2012
Thursday October 4, 2012
Write down 5 things that you are striving for? Are these godly things or are they of the world?
Read John 6:22-59
They came for food. They came for a miracle. They came to see the show. They didn’t come to be challenged and be confronted by a talk on spiritual bread!
All the Israelites gathered around Jesus that day they knew about the manna but none of them had ever tasted it. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to eat manna in the desert - coriander-like manna that glistened like resin and tasted like something made with olive oil. It truly was an amazing thing. Each man gathered a set amount and had just enough. Exodus 16:18 tells us that he who gathered much did not have too much and he who gathered little did not have too little. It truly was a fascinating substance, but even so it pointed to something far greater.
As Jesus called the crowd to strive for food that endures to eternal life rather than for food that spoils, the crowd asked Him for a miracle, citing the manna in the desert as a miracle of the past. Jesus uses this to speak of Himself as the True Bread of Heaven, the bread that gives eternal life. Jesus claimed to be the fulfilment of that amazing substance that the ancient Israelites fed on in their desert wanderings. Jesus was the one who they should believe in and feed upon. His flesh was to be their food and they should feed upon that. Indeed it was the Father’s will that everyone who eats of the true bread will be raised up to eternal life. It was His will that none of those that come to Christ should be lost.
The crowd, of course, were confused and many of the disciples left Jesus that day. But others heard the Word that this was a spiritual lesson and they cottoned on that Jesus alone had the words of eternal life. These few continued on and pressed on with their striving for food that endures for eternal life.
What are you striving for? A better house? A faster car? A pay rise? A university degree? A good job? A wife or husband? None of these are sinful in and of themselves, but they can never bring eternal life. It’s ok to have these things but they should never become our ‘god’. Strive for the food that endures to eternal life and let God look after these other things.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Christians in the Western world are not persecuted physically but we are persecuted by wealth and lusts and covetousness. Our hearts are continually led astray by the desire for more things. Pray that God would be drawing the hearts of believers to Himself and that we would willingly use our physical ‘things’ for the sake of kingdom work and growth. Pray that a spirit of generosity takes over the churches of the western world.
¥ Pray that the believers in Vietnam would be protected from physical persecution. House meetings are banned and churches face heavy restrictions and much harassment. Pray that they would be strong through the storms and that the light of Christ would shine brightly.
¥ Pray the same for the believers in Nigeria.
¥ Pray the same for the believers in India.
Read John 6:22-59
They came for food. They came for a miracle. They came to see the show. They didn’t come to be challenged and be confronted by a talk on spiritual bread!
All the Israelites gathered around Jesus that day they knew about the manna but none of them had ever tasted it. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to eat manna in the desert - coriander-like manna that glistened like resin and tasted like something made with olive oil. It truly was an amazing thing. Each man gathered a set amount and had just enough. Exodus 16:18 tells us that he who gathered much did not have too much and he who gathered little did not have too little. It truly was a fascinating substance, but even so it pointed to something far greater.
As Jesus called the crowd to strive for food that endures to eternal life rather than for food that spoils, the crowd asked Him for a miracle, citing the manna in the desert as a miracle of the past. Jesus uses this to speak of Himself as the True Bread of Heaven, the bread that gives eternal life. Jesus claimed to be the fulfilment of that amazing substance that the ancient Israelites fed on in their desert wanderings. Jesus was the one who they should believe in and feed upon. His flesh was to be their food and they should feed upon that. Indeed it was the Father’s will that everyone who eats of the true bread will be raised up to eternal life. It was His will that none of those that come to Christ should be lost.
The crowd, of course, were confused and many of the disciples left Jesus that day. But others heard the Word that this was a spiritual lesson and they cottoned on that Jesus alone had the words of eternal life. These few continued on and pressed on with their striving for food that endures for eternal life.
What are you striving for? A better house? A faster car? A pay rise? A university degree? A good job? A wife or husband? None of these are sinful in and of themselves, but they can never bring eternal life. It’s ok to have these things but they should never become our ‘god’. Strive for the food that endures to eternal life and let God look after these other things.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Christians in the Western world are not persecuted physically but we are persecuted by wealth and lusts and covetousness. Our hearts are continually led astray by the desire for more things. Pray that God would be drawing the hearts of believers to Himself and that we would willingly use our physical ‘things’ for the sake of kingdom work and growth. Pray that a spirit of generosity takes over the churches of the western world.
¥ Pray that the believers in Vietnam would be protected from physical persecution. House meetings are banned and churches face heavy restrictions and much harassment. Pray that they would be strong through the storms and that the light of Christ would shine brightly.
¥ Pray the same for the believers in Nigeria.
¥ Pray the same for the believers in India.
Thursday 4 October 2012
Wednesday October 3, 2012
One of the best remedies for recurring sin is accountability. Find someone today to confess your sins to and let him/her keep you accountable regularly.
Read 1 Corinthians 5:6-8; 1 John 1:9
Imagine having a reminder in front of you regularly that showed you in no uncertain terms that sin should be removed from your life. You do have a reminder, one that’s there 24/7!
But for the Israelites, the offerings that were to have no yeast were a constant reminder to them to remove the sin from their lives and also that sin, like yeast, when allowed into our lives works through our life to work havoc and destruction.
Our reminder is far more personal and intimate. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling with us to remind us, to urge us and to empower us to remove sin from our lives. Sin like yeast in dough, really does work through our lives. It begins with temptation. Even though we know that the sin tempting us is wrong and shouldn’t be entertained, we allow it to stay on the edge of our lives. Even from there, it takes over and becomes the sole focus of our thoughts. After a while we justify our indulgence in that sin. Put bluntly, we make excuses for ourselves so that we don’t feel guilty. After we are happy with our excuse for indulgence, we dive into sin and swim around in it.
The Lord reveals something about our true nature in our 1 Corinthians 5 reading. He tells us that we are really without yeast, without sin. That is because we have been cleansed and washed by the sacrifice of Jesus. Our life’s goal should be to become all that we are in Christ. Striving for that will put the sin knocking at our heart’s door into its right perspective. And if we should happen to fall into sin, which should be the exception not the rule, then we have an advocate in the Lord’s presence who pleads forgiveness for us. God assures us that when we do happen to sin, He will forgive us and purify us from all sins.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that each and every person in your congregation would be striving to be all that they are in Christ and that they would willingly and joyously put aside any sin in their lives.
¥ Pray that a Spirit of holiness will descend upon all the churches in Toowoomba and in Australia. Our witness to the world will never be taken seriously while we indulge in sin. Pray that believers will truly seek to become all that they are in Christ and that this would shine brightly to the non Christian world.
Read 1 Corinthians 5:6-8; 1 John 1:9
Imagine having a reminder in front of you regularly that showed you in no uncertain terms that sin should be removed from your life. You do have a reminder, one that’s there 24/7!
But for the Israelites, the offerings that were to have no yeast were a constant reminder to them to remove the sin from their lives and also that sin, like yeast, when allowed into our lives works through our life to work havoc and destruction.
Our reminder is far more personal and intimate. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling with us to remind us, to urge us and to empower us to remove sin from our lives. Sin like yeast in dough, really does work through our lives. It begins with temptation. Even though we know that the sin tempting us is wrong and shouldn’t be entertained, we allow it to stay on the edge of our lives. Even from there, it takes over and becomes the sole focus of our thoughts. After a while we justify our indulgence in that sin. Put bluntly, we make excuses for ourselves so that we don’t feel guilty. After we are happy with our excuse for indulgence, we dive into sin and swim around in it.
The Lord reveals something about our true nature in our 1 Corinthians 5 reading. He tells us that we are really without yeast, without sin. That is because we have been cleansed and washed by the sacrifice of Jesus. Our life’s goal should be to become all that we are in Christ. Striving for that will put the sin knocking at our heart’s door into its right perspective. And if we should happen to fall into sin, which should be the exception not the rule, then we have an advocate in the Lord’s presence who pleads forgiveness for us. God assures us that when we do happen to sin, He will forgive us and purify us from all sins.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that each and every person in your congregation would be striving to be all that they are in Christ and that they would willingly and joyously put aside any sin in their lives.
¥ Pray that a Spirit of holiness will descend upon all the churches in Toowoomba and in Australia. Our witness to the world will never be taken seriously while we indulge in sin. Pray that believers will truly seek to become all that they are in Christ and that this would shine brightly to the non Christian world.
Wednesday 3 October 2012
Tuesday October 2, 2012
Do you know someone who is struggling with sin? Spend time interceding for them today.
Read Exodus 12:28-30; Luke 12:1
Have you ever wondered why the Israelites were told to eat unleavened bread during the Passover Feast? Have you ever wondered why they celebrate a yeast free feast to the Lord? Maybe only pastors without a life have time to contemplate such things!!
The first reason is historical. On the night of the original Passover the Israelites did not have time to allow their bread dough to rise. As the Lord passed over Egypt in judgement through the 10th and final plague, the Israelites had to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. They would be thrown out of Egypt. They had to take the unleavened bread with them. Later on they made the unleavened dough into unleavened bread. Each year the unleavened bread functioned as a powerful reminder of what God did on that awesome night.
Secondly, there is a spiritual reason. Luke mentions that the yeast of the Pharisees is hypocrisy. Generally speaking, yeast in the Bible represents sin and evil and wickedness. In particular, just like yeast works in bread to puff it up and make it bigger than it really is, so too pride and arrogance puff us up and make us seem better than we really are. Yeast, or more particularly, the absence of yeast at set times (note that it was banned from certain offerings) communicated powerfully to the people that they were to be continually removing the sin from their lives.
As Christians we know that all foods are clean in and of themselves and that all the food laws of the Old Testament have been removed by Christ. Yet the concept of unleavened bread is ever with us. We are to be striving to be all that God has called us to be. He chose us in love and predestined us to be conformed to the image of His only Son, to be pure and blameless in His sight. That means we can no longer just accept the sin in our lives. It means we have to work hard at removing the sin from our midst. That is a difficult thing to do alone. We need to find a Christian friend with whom we can share our struggles, our triumphs and our failures. We need someone to walk beside us and to love us, even when we fall. Hiding behind closed doors and pretending that we are ok really doesn’t cut it in the Christian world. God wants us to work together on holiness. God wants us to love and support each other. Is there yeast in your life? Is there leaven in your heart? Find a Christian friend and get together to talk about your struggles and to pray together.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for ten families from your church directory. Pray for the blessing of righteousness and holiness upon each family. Pray that they would be walking closely to God.
¥ Pray for a revival in your city, beginning with the churches.
Read Exodus 12:28-30; Luke 12:1
Have you ever wondered why the Israelites were told to eat unleavened bread during the Passover Feast? Have you ever wondered why they celebrate a yeast free feast to the Lord? Maybe only pastors without a life have time to contemplate such things!!
The first reason is historical. On the night of the original Passover the Israelites did not have time to allow their bread dough to rise. As the Lord passed over Egypt in judgement through the 10th and final plague, the Israelites had to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. They would be thrown out of Egypt. They had to take the unleavened bread with them. Later on they made the unleavened dough into unleavened bread. Each year the unleavened bread functioned as a powerful reminder of what God did on that awesome night.
Secondly, there is a spiritual reason. Luke mentions that the yeast of the Pharisees is hypocrisy. Generally speaking, yeast in the Bible represents sin and evil and wickedness. In particular, just like yeast works in bread to puff it up and make it bigger than it really is, so too pride and arrogance puff us up and make us seem better than we really are. Yeast, or more particularly, the absence of yeast at set times (note that it was banned from certain offerings) communicated powerfully to the people that they were to be continually removing the sin from their lives.
As Christians we know that all foods are clean in and of themselves and that all the food laws of the Old Testament have been removed by Christ. Yet the concept of unleavened bread is ever with us. We are to be striving to be all that God has called us to be. He chose us in love and predestined us to be conformed to the image of His only Son, to be pure and blameless in His sight. That means we can no longer just accept the sin in our lives. It means we have to work hard at removing the sin from our midst. That is a difficult thing to do alone. We need to find a Christian friend with whom we can share our struggles, our triumphs and our failures. We need someone to walk beside us and to love us, even when we fall. Hiding behind closed doors and pretending that we are ok really doesn’t cut it in the Christian world. God wants us to work together on holiness. God wants us to love and support each other. Is there yeast in your life? Is there leaven in your heart? Find a Christian friend and get together to talk about your struggles and to pray together.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for ten families from your church directory. Pray for the blessing of righteousness and holiness upon each family. Pray that they would be walking closely to God.
¥ Pray for a revival in your city, beginning with the churches.
Tuesday 2 October 2012
Monday October 1, 2012
How do you prepare for your Sonday meeting with God? Talk to your friends about this too and develop a plan of action
Read Leviticus 23:4-8
It’s not hard to postulate that though many believers, if not most believers, understand at least something of Passover, very few understand anything about the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This week we will delve into the fascinating world of Hag-Ha Matzot, the feast of Unleavened Bread as it’s called in Hebrew.
We know from our last week’s reading and sermon that Passover began on the 14th of the month of Nissan, which corresponds to our March or April, depending on the Lunar cycle. Hag-Ha Matzot begins on the 15th of Nisan and continues through for 7 days to the 21st of that month. For centuries now the Jews have joined Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits into the celebration of Passover. The word ‘Passover’ can be used to describe the 3 feasts together or just the Passover. Context is the only clue we have to know which one is being referred to.
The Feast is called The Feast of Unleavened Bread because it was celebrated with no yeast. All yeast had to be removed from the nation of Israel during this feast. In the Jewish household the wife would scrupulously clean the house. When a father came home he would inspect the house to make sure all the leaven was gone. He would traditionally use a goose feather and a wooden spoon to sweep up any left over leaven he found. Sometimes the wife would deliberately leave a little bit of leaven lying around the house so the father had something to sweep up. For the children, it became a great fun game with dad as they sought out the remaining leaven.
As the festival ran it’s course the Passover lamb was killed and roasted, the meal was prepared and eventually celebrated and the redemption of God was recounted and re-experienced in much detail. This was more than story telling. It was a re-living of the original Exodus so that all future generations would be absolutely sure of what God had done.
Interestingly, it was as much about the preparation as it was about the celebrating. Notice that in all the gospel accounts of the Lord’s Last Supper the preparations are mentioned. Have a glance at Matthew 26:17, Mark 14:12 and Luke 22:8, 12. Why such mention of preparations? In our fast paced world we can easily miss the detail. When the disciples prepared the Passover meal for Jesus, they too would have cleaned out the leaven, among other things, from the upstairs room. To meet with God we must make similar preparations. As we’ll see later on, we must remove the leaven (sin) from our heart by drawing into God’s presence and confessing our sins and making right any wrongs that are still outstanding.
Whether it’s a weekly church service, a Lord’s Supper or a festival to the Lord, making preparations is the best way to meet with God and to grow deeply in Him. Are you preparing to meet God this Sonday?
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that everyone in your congregation will be preparing to meet with God this coming Sonday. Pray that it will be an awe inspiring meeting with the living God.
¥ Pray that our brothers and sisters in Nigeria will meet with God each Lord’s Day and that these meetings will prepare people for the week ahead which could see persecution and attack.
Read Leviticus 23:4-8
It’s not hard to postulate that though many believers, if not most believers, understand at least something of Passover, very few understand anything about the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This week we will delve into the fascinating world of Hag-Ha Matzot, the feast of Unleavened Bread as it’s called in Hebrew.
We know from our last week’s reading and sermon that Passover began on the 14th of the month of Nissan, which corresponds to our March or April, depending on the Lunar cycle. Hag-Ha Matzot begins on the 15th of Nisan and continues through for 7 days to the 21st of that month. For centuries now the Jews have joined Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits into the celebration of Passover. The word ‘Passover’ can be used to describe the 3 feasts together or just the Passover. Context is the only clue we have to know which one is being referred to.
The Feast is called The Feast of Unleavened Bread because it was celebrated with no yeast. All yeast had to be removed from the nation of Israel during this feast. In the Jewish household the wife would scrupulously clean the house. When a father came home he would inspect the house to make sure all the leaven was gone. He would traditionally use a goose feather and a wooden spoon to sweep up any left over leaven he found. Sometimes the wife would deliberately leave a little bit of leaven lying around the house so the father had something to sweep up. For the children, it became a great fun game with dad as they sought out the remaining leaven.
As the festival ran it’s course the Passover lamb was killed and roasted, the meal was prepared and eventually celebrated and the redemption of God was recounted and re-experienced in much detail. This was more than story telling. It was a re-living of the original Exodus so that all future generations would be absolutely sure of what God had done.
Interestingly, it was as much about the preparation as it was about the celebrating. Notice that in all the gospel accounts of the Lord’s Last Supper the preparations are mentioned. Have a glance at Matthew 26:17, Mark 14:12 and Luke 22:8, 12. Why such mention of preparations? In our fast paced world we can easily miss the detail. When the disciples prepared the Passover meal for Jesus, they too would have cleaned out the leaven, among other things, from the upstairs room. To meet with God we must make similar preparations. As we’ll see later on, we must remove the leaven (sin) from our heart by drawing into God’s presence and confessing our sins and making right any wrongs that are still outstanding.
Whether it’s a weekly church service, a Lord’s Supper or a festival to the Lord, making preparations is the best way to meet with God and to grow deeply in Him. Are you preparing to meet God this Sonday?
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that everyone in your congregation will be preparing to meet with God this coming Sonday. Pray that it will be an awe inspiring meeting with the living God.
¥ Pray that our brothers and sisters in Nigeria will meet with God each Lord’s Day and that these meetings will prepare people for the week ahead which could see persecution and attack.
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