Monday, 08 December 2008

Salvation Messages


At North Rand we were blessed to have the Florida Augmented Choir with us on Sunday.

They sang and led the congregation in Christmas Carols and Bible readings.

It was truly awesome!

It reminded me that around the time of the Reformation/Renaissance, painters like Caravaggio, were commissioned by the Church to paint Biblical Stories.
The idea here was to paint in such a way as to move people to salvation!

Amazing!

I believe that the Choir on Sunday moved the congregation to an awareness of salvation that came to the world through Jesus Christ. That is the true meaning of Christmas - a receive the greatest gift the world has ever seen - Jesus Christ.

Bless you all at this time as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and King.

Monday, 01 December 2008

Learning From Children


Here's the thing!

Adults sometimes feel they have nothing to learn from children.

Jesus on the other hand, reminds us that we can learn a lot from children. In fact, we ourselves need to become like children to understand the secrets of the Kingdom.

So, how do we do that? In other words, balance responsibility with freedom?

Three ways:

- To love unconditionally
- To forgive unreservedly
- To live unashamedly

Awesome!

Try it!

Live it!

Monday, 17 November 2008

Bread of Life



A few years ago there was an advert on TV about a guy who was looking to get advice on how to invest his money.
In the advert, he spoke to his dentist, his running partner and his friends at the club. All of whom had little or no formal experience to give him, but were more than willing to give their opinions none the less.
The upshot of the thing was to speak to those who know, not those who think they know.


It's amazing, when you think about it, that we often go through life trying to satisfy our hunger for knowledge, assurance or purpose, by watching TV, speaking to our friends(who often know as much as we do) or simply going along with the most popular trend of the time.

Jesus (John 6: 25-29)offers us a way to receive the answer to all our questions.
The food that endures is to know and believe that He is the bread of life. A food that does not spoil but endures to eternal life.

Are you feeding on the bread of life?

Jesus is inviting you right now.

Feed on Him and your hunger will be satisfied.

If you want to know Jesus and to receive Him, go the Tell Me About Jesus link and pray with us.

Monday, 10 November 2008

The Cult of Personality

One of the criticisms that the ANC breakaway party has of the ANC is that it has become involved in a 'cult of personality'. In other words they believe that Jacob Zuma has become more important, as a personality, than the principles of the ANC. The African philosophy of Ubuntu says that people should be committed first to the community and that individuals should not take centre stage.

Bill Hybels and Greg Hawkins, pastors at Willowcreek Community Church in the USA, have been promoting a process that they carried out in their church. They wondered whether people were growing in Christ in their church. They wondered whether Jesus was at the centre of their church members' lives. They found that many people were willing to say that they followed Jesus, but had not reached a point of being able to say that he was central to their lives.

We can follow many things - people - like politicians or evangelists, ideals, or interests. But we can only have one centre to our lives and we need to choose that carefully.

Look at this picture:

Where would you say you are in the picture? Where would you like to be?

Monday, 03 November 2008

Mature Christians


Here's a question:

What does a mature Christian look like?


Think about it for a moment!


Perhaps you are saying someone like:

- A person who serves the Lord diligently
- A person with a teachable spirit
- Myself, or so and so

Hebrews 5:14 teaches that mature Christians are "those who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish between good and evil."

In other words, those who understand that God is good and His creation is good but there are forces that seek to destroy that which is good.
Sometimes it is Satan who instigates evil within people and sometimes it is the evil in people which causes them to sin.

Mature Christians are those then that are able to distinguish the difference.

If you are unsure about your understanding of good and evil, talk to a mature Christan or e-mail me john@johnbailie.co.za

Monday, 27 October 2008

Touching Lives



As North Rand grows, I'm more and more aware that God created his church to touch lives.

So here's the thing, the more we grow, the greater variety of ministries we need to have, in order to touch people's lives.

Obvious isn't it?

Yep, so the question then is, where does God want you to serve?

I believe He wants to use us, our stories and our generosity to change the world.

If you are thinking: Where or how can I be part of God's plan for His people?

Then I encourage you to find out:

- Pray
- Read you Bible
- Speak to other Christan's
- Find courses that can help you (check out NR Discipleship School on our website.)

Bless you in your efforts to serve our Lord.

Monday, 20 October 2008

Two Things




1. Saturday: the FATHERS group arranged a fishing trip to a trout farm.

We ended up with one fish, one tree and a few tufts of grass. More importantly we shared fellowship and a wonderful morning in God's creation.

2. Sunday: we looked back at God's will and work at NR in 2008 and the plans He has for us in 2009.


Awesome!

Thank you Lord for the privilege of being part of your family and work in the world!

Monday, 13 October 2008

The Withered Fig Tree



Here's a thing! (Mark 11:12-26)

Jesus is tired and hungry.
He approaches a fig tree hoping to get some fruit.
Being out of season, the tree has no fruit.
Irritated, He curses the tree.

The next day, the tree is dead!

The lesson:

- In Jesus mind, there is no excuse for us not to bear fruit.

- His faith is such that He knows that even a fruit tree can bear fruit out of season.

- He believes in miracles

How about you?

- Do you believe in miracles?

- Are you like the tree, who resists a supernatural miracle in your life?

- Are you an excuse maker?

Well, Jesus wants to do supernatural things in your life.
He wants you to put aside excuses and open your self to the endless possibilities of Him using you to change the world!

All you have to do is have faith that this is true!

Awesome!

Monday, 06 October 2008

Dry

Our family spent a few days at the Kruger National Park last week. As you can see from the photo, the park was very, very dry as there has not been much rain yet this season. One wonders how much nutritional value there is in the grass that the zebra is eating!

However, when we looked across the plains of the park, we saw lines of green - where there were leafy trees growing next to the rivers. And in these areas we, naturally, saw more game.

In Ezekiel 47 the Bible talks about streams of living water flowing from God's temple, bringing life to a dry and salty land. Where the river flowed, the living creatures gathered, fish swam and fruit trees flourished.

Sometimes our lives may seem dry and lifeless - like the veld before the spring rains - or like the Dead Sea which is too salty to support life. God wants to pour his living water into our lives - so that we can be saturated with him, know his healing, and so that we can be a source of life for others.

Jesus said, "whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water, welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14).
He also says, "Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17).

Are you feeling dry and thirsty? Talk to Jesus - he is ready to listen. If you need help, you can email us.

Monday, 29 September 2008

Loving Yourself



I know!

Talking about loving yourself is awkward!

But Jesus is aware of our need to see ourselves in God's eyes - uniquely and wonderfully made:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

(Psalm 139:13)


Jesus says don't judge others because of your own inadequacies, jealousy, unresolved anger, unforgiveness or insecurities:

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

(Matthew 7: 1-6)


So, here's the thing:

- Love yourself because God made you
- Don't covert anything for about others - looks, cars, money, abilities
- Share your love with those who will appreciate you and your love

Right!

Tuesday, 23 September 2008

Confirmation

On Sunday evening we had five young people stand in front of the church and commit themselves to Jesus and the church in a Confirmation Service. One of the best parts of the service was when each young person spoke of their own personal journey with Jesus and what the Confirmation classes had meant to them. The number one thing that came through was the way that the group had bonded and the way they supported each other. Some of them mentioned what they found unique or special about the other members.

Isn't it great that in our journey with Jesus we never travel alone? When we come to Jesus, we come to his family too. However much we might feel that we are the black sheep of the family, if we have accepted Jesus, we are part of the family.
If you are feeling isolated or alone in your journey, why don't you get involved in a small group at church? Or maybe you feel that you would like to help others on their journey? Get involved in a small group and be willing to share your life with others.

Cassidy, David, Estelle, Meagan and Nadia - may God bless you as you worship and serve him at North Rand Methodist Church. We are glad to be part of your lives!

Monday, 15 September 2008

Anger


Anger: an emotion we all have!

The way I see, it anger has two sides:

Mary Garden says:

A wonderful emotion to get things moving when one is stuck is anger.
It was anger more than anything else that had set me off, roused me into
productivity and creativity.


AND

The more anger towards the past you carry in your heart, the less capable you are of loving in the present. (Barbara De Angelis)


The tricky part, is that we all experience anger and that unless we deal with it, it may become unresolved anger and affect our daily lives.

Jesus (Matthew 5:21-26) says:

Resolve Your Conflicts

AND

Do It Quickly

Before your anger becomes something which robs you of living the life God has chosen for you.


If you are challenged by this message, take a moment now and pray and ask Jesus to help you with your unresolved anger.

You may want to pray:

Lord Jesus, thank you for making me aware of the unresolved anger in my life which is preventing me from living a fulfilled life. By the power of your Holy Spirit, please help me to resolve my anger. Thank you for blessing me in this way. Amen.


Monday, 08 September 2008

Eyes Make a Difference


Théophile Gautier once said: "Eyes are so transparent, that through them one sees the soul."

Jesus said "Your eye is the lamp of your body." (Luke 11:34)

So there it is then: Your eyes are the window to your heart!

However, windows that are dirty or marked often do not allow light in or out.

So I guess we have to keep our windows clean!

How?

Through things like:

- Prayer
- Forgiveness
- Humility
- Transparency
- Honesty
- Hard work
- Relationships

The list goes on.

"See to it then that the light within you is not darkness." (Luke 11:35)

Monday, 01 September 2008

Is there time?



Most of us live pretty rushed lives. We read the story of Mary and Martha in church on Sunday. Of how Mary sat listening to Jesus, while Martha rushed around getting the home ready for Jesus and the disciples. When Martha complained to Jesus that Mary wasn't helping her, he told her that Mary had chosen the better thing.

Would it be true to say that most of us identify more easily with Martha - but that we wish we could be more like Mary?

What distracts us from Jesus? What seems so important now that time with Jesus can wait until later?

I read a sad incident - I can't remember where I read it. It happened that an old lady was found dead in her bed. She lived alone in a smallish flat. It turned out that she had had 'flu. But it wasn't actually the 'flu that killed her. She died of dehydration. The doctors think that when she felt thirsty she also felt too ill to get out of bed to get a glass of water - although she was actually physically capable of doing so. They think that she must have lain there, saying to herself, 'just now when I feel a bit better, I'll get up and get some water.' But she never got around to that glass of water and so she lost consciousness and then passed away.

That story reminds me that the time to do something important is now. Jesus has a plan for us - a plan that starts at the cross and takes us into the world. Are you listening to him? Or are you distracted with many things?

Monday, 25 August 2008

Building Your House



On Sunday evening, we spoke about Jesus questioning whether we build our HOUSE(our understanding of life) on a solid foundation or a shaky one?
(Luke 6: 46-49)

Jesus refers to himself as a ROCK i.e. solid and dependable

Now here's a thing:

- Jesus is the ROCK upon which we can build our understanding of life because:

- HE went to the Cross for our sins,
- He suffered but remained faithful to God's call upon His life,
- He longs for a relationship with us and will never abandon us.

Awesome!

Now the question we need to ask ourselves: Who is a our ROCK?

- Money?
- Friends
- Family?
- No one?

Well, Jesus suggests that you make Him the ROCK in your life.

If you want to do this, go to our web page and click the Tell Me About Jesus Link and pray with us.

Monday, 18 August 2008

Lip-synching life?

I guess that most of us find it pretty surprising that the singing for the opening of the Beijing Olympics was lip-synched. Apparently the little girl who actually sang the song was not cute enough and so another performer was told to stand in front of the world and lip-synch.


What makes us feel upset about this?


We believe that the singer should get the credit. We somehow value integrity over appearances. Most of us are shocked at the organiser's attempt to make the ceremony as aesthetically appealing as possible even to the detriment of a seven year old, talented singer.
I wonder if we, as Christians, don't often do the same? Do we try to project an image of perfection, when really we are struggling inside? Do we feel that we cannot let our weaknesses and inadequacies show for fear of being rejected? We sometimes think that we need to pretend in order to be part of the church.


At the end of the day, our integrity is of more value than our pretence! When we are real and true to ourselves we are able to start genuinely changing and becoming the people that God wants us to be. We also stop discouraging those who feel that they can never attain our perfection.


We can 'lip-synch' through life. Or we can acknowledge who we are, with all our short-comings, and ask Jesus to start transforming us through his saving power. Some people will be harsh - but both you and God will know that you are moving to a better place.

Monday, 11 August 2008

Salt and Light



Sunday we spoke about Jesus stating that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world ( Matthew 5: 13-16).

What a profound statement: You are...!!!


It’s profound because:

- We don’t always feel like the salt so shinning our light is not an option

- God takes and uses our weaknesses to change the world

- Jesus asks us to bring our impurities/dilutions (sin, fear, doubt, pain etc...), so they will not affect our flavouring the world


Listen again to Jesus words: Matthew 5: 13-16

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Monday, 04 August 2008

A Just and Merciful God


Here’s a tough question:

Is God just and merciful?

Easy answer: Yes he is!

So then:

What will happen to those who reject His Son Jesus Christ?


Scripture is clear: Romans 8:1-2

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

We can then take this to imply that for those who reject Jesus, there is condemnation.

Accepting this is tough because:

We might have loved ones and friends who we care about.
We may ourselves be unsure about Jesus.


For me, however I look at it, God is just and merciful after all He gave His Son to die for my sins.

More I cannot say but pray that God will have mercy on others and that they will come to accept Him..

Monday, 28 July 2008

North Rand Methodist Church


At North Rand, we are busy with our annual three week stewardship series.

Third week:
(see below for first two stones)

Stone 3: Righteousness - meaning faithfulness.
We are to live with a faithfulness which shaped by Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross

Stone 4: The Word of God – the sword of the Spirit
The Bible is a blue print for our living. We need to study the Word is order to know how to live as Christians

Stone 5: Generosity
The church needs the generosity of its members in order to fulfil its calling to be the chief steward of Christ


At North Rand, our people have given generously and therefore we have been able to reach out in mighty ways.


Thank you for your generosity!

Monday, 21 July 2008

The Church



At North Rand, we are busy with our annual three week stewardship series.

Second week:

God calls us, the church, to be part of his plan to change and transform the world.

Awesome!

But this can seem like a Goliath for most of us.

David used five stones to defeat Goliath.

So perhaps what we need is five stones:

Stone 1: Faith – believing that God exists ( Hebrews 11:3)

Stone 2: Salvation – understanding that we live as fallen people in a fallen world and need to be saved (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Three more stones to follow next week!

Monday, 14 July 2008

The Church


At North Rand, we are busy with our yearly stewardship series.

We find in Matthew 16:18-19, the Church, both as a local congregation and the church universal exists to be the steward of Christ!

Awesome!

What this means is:

- To teach its members how to love God
- To teach its members who our neighbours are and how to love them
- To be an agent of healing and transformation to broken and fallen world

That’s it.

Simple.

Profound.

Only possible when all the parts of the body are working and working together.

Monday, 23 June 2008

Persecuting Jesus

We heard about two remarkable characters on Sunday. The first was a religious fanatic who was determined to promote his religious beliefs by violence and with a 'whatever it takes' attitude. This guy was confronted by Jesus in an awesome experience that convinced him that in hurting other people he was hurting - even persecuting - Jesus himself.

The other character was quite the opposite. Rather than take to violence, he became convinced that God was calling him to go and pray for this religious fanatic. Even though he knew he was risking his life, he acted on that conviction and went to visit this man. The result was that the fanatic renounced violence and became a dedicated 'Christ-follower'.

Where do you find yourself? Are you perhaps persecuting Jesus somehow in your life? Do you know that every human being bears the image of God? Even that difficult woman in the office. Even the slow-moving clerk behind the counter. Do we persecute Jesus in our dealings with other people? Or do we persecute Jesus by relegating him to the bottom of our list of priorities?

Or perhaps you are the one who God is calling. Is God asking you to make a stand in a difficult situation? Are you challenged by your fear of what he is asking you to do?
The good news is that God wants to bring good out every circumstance. He can change you, strengthen you, encourage you - if you will just allow him.

Take that courageous step in your life today. "Lord Jesus, I don't want to persecute you. I want to stand for you and be your instrument in helping to transform the world."

(Acts 9:1-19)

Tuesday, 17 June 2008

Parenthood



Father’s day at North rand was a wonderful celebration and a huge challenge of parenthood.

As one of our values, Family is important to us.


As Desmond Tutu once said:


You don't choose your family.
They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.


Awesome !
My prayer is that you will be God’s gift to your family. If not then start today!

Bless you

Monday, 09 June 2008

Agents Of Change



As Christians I believe that we are called to be agents of change.

Awesome!

To tell the world of Christ’s healing and transforming power.

This takes strength and courage, sometimes more than we think we have.

From the moment we take that step, we place ourselves in a position to be criticised, ridiculed for our beliefs and the need to examine our own behaviour.
I mean, how can we tell others that Jesus can do for them, when we ourselves don’t believe it or that Jesus gives us new values when we don’t live them out?

So, here’s the challenge!

Think and pray about a person you believe needs Jesus.

Now think of a way to tell your story to them.

Bless you for being an agent of change!

Monday, 02 June 2008

Bringing Others To God


If you could give a significant other in your life an enduring gift, what would it be?

Perhaps something like:

Our children – confidence and prosperity

Loved ones – peace and joy

One of the greatest gifts we can give others is Jesus because then we give them all those things and of course, much more!

Andrew shared his testimony with us on Sunday and it always amazes me how God has our well being first on His agenda and how He goes out of His way to bring us to Himself.


It was also special to allow ourselves to express names of people we wanted to bring to Jesus. We know that God is going to do mighty things in their lives!

Do you have someone who you’re thinking about right now?
Someone who needs Jesus?

Take a moment right now – pray a short prayer that God will give them the opportunity to receive Jesus.

Bless you for giving them the greatest gift – Jesus.

Monday, 26 May 2008

Warmed by God's Presence



Due to the tremendous growth at North Rand, we have had to put up a marquee to help with the 9h30 service numbers.

We have tried to make it special with banners, sound and video links and the latest addition - heaters for winter!

I must confess, that for awhile, I had a thought that people would avoid the marquee because of the winter cold.

This Sunday, I was not involved in the worship services, so I had the opportunity to sit with the folk in the marquee. There I discovered that the church and the marquee were so filled with God’s presence that the heaters were actually of secondary issue.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could live constantly in God’s presence?
He asks us to do that by seeking first the Kingdom of God and promises that all will be added to us after we do that! (Matt: 6:33)

Awesome!

My prayer is that we will allow God’s presence to be part of our daily life by focusing on Him and that He would grant the desires of your heart.

Monday, 19 May 2008

Prayer of the Righteous


It’s interesting to note that after Pentecost, when Peter and John were released from interrogation by the Sanhedrin, they returned to their community of believers and the first thing they did was to pray (Acts:4:23-31).

They prayed this:
Lord you are the Creator and have a plan for your Creation
Lord no one can thwart your divine plan
Lord heal your people

And the place where they were meeting shook as the Holy Spirit moved!
I believe we need to pray the same for our lives, for our country and the world (the prayer of righteous is powerful).

Take some time right - Yes right where you are - And pray:

Lord you are everything and everything is in You
Lord, heal me
Lord, heal you people
Let your Divine purpose work out in me
Thank you Lord for answering my prayer
Amen!

Monday, 12 May 2008

The Bride of Christ



Scripture teaches that Christ's relationship with His church (you and me) is likened to a relationship between a bride and groom. Revelation 19:6-9

In this case, Christ is the groom and the church His bride.

Go back a bit in Revelation (2 & 3) and you’ll find, in the seven letters to the churches, warnings on what the church should avoid so as to be presentable to Him:

- Being luke-warm
- Watering down the Word
- Forgetting our first love (God and one another)

So... the challenge then for us (the bride of Christ), is make sure where we are, spiritually, mentally and physically so that we can present Christ His bride the best we can...

For me it starts:

- By giving ourselves fully to God
- By reading our Bibles regularly
- By DOING what God has called us to do – to love Him and one another with all that we have


If you’re challenged by this, then pray with me:

Lord, I’m sorry for forgetting my first love and for being luke-warm.

Please forgive me and help me read my bible and DO what you’ve called me to do.

Thank you Lord, I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.

Monday, 05 May 2008

HĒSED




On Sunday, we spoke about a Hebrew word – Hēsed.
A word difficult to transpose to English but means mostly mercy, loyalty and faithfulness.


Now here’s the thing: Hēsed is closer to a verb then a noun.

In other words, it’s something we do (action).

God shows mercy to us by His sin offering of Jesus.

Question: are we showing Hēsed to others?
- To those in need?
- To those we know don’t know Jesus?
- To those who have wronged us..?
- To those we have wronged..?


If not then now’s the time start:
Sit quietly for a moment
Allow the Holy Spirit to bring a name, situation to mind
Now act on it – don’t wait!

Tuesday, 29 April 2008

Jonah




Most of us remember Jonah for being swallowed by a great fish.


Like:
Is it possible for someone to live inside a fish?
If so, then what kind of fish?

But the real challenges from Jonah are:
- Do we go where and when God sends us?
- Are we, like Jonah, unwilling to allow the Word of God to change lives especially those whom we believe don’t deserve it?

Well the Good News is that we, like Jonah, are called by God to spread the Word.
It’s an awesome privilege and we too have a choice....

So when was the last time you spoke to someone about Jesus?

Monday, 21 April 2008

It's All About Jesus



For those who don’t know, Angus Buchanan organized a Mighty Men’s Conference on his farm near Greytown, which 60000 men attended.
Some of those men were from Northrand and it really was a blessed time.
The gist of the weekend was about building men of Christian character and I believe that all who attended were challenged in this way.

To be Christian men:
- In the family
- In the workplace
- In the church

Awesome!!!

Tyron Edwards once said:

Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go forth in action; actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny.


Ain’t that the truth!

So we are all, men and women, challenged to fix our destiny in Christ, who is the beginning and end, to allow Him to define our purpose for living and to change our habits which in turn change our actions…

If you aren’t sure where you stand right now, go to the Tell Me About Jesus link and pray with us, then let us know and we’ll be in contact with you.

Monday, 14 April 2008

The Power of Passion


Eve Sawyer says “Never underestimate the power of passion”

How true is that?

On Sunday we spoke about God’s passions:
- For us
- For His people
- For His creation

It’s never ceases to amaze me that God, ever present, all powerful and all knowing, is interested in us, limited human beings.
I mean He really does wants to know us, care for us and use us.
And I believe that when we discover God’s passion for ourselves, we have no choice but to develop His passion for humanity and His creation.

At Northrand, we are blessed to be able to grow towards Christian maturity by worshiping regularly and offering courses ranging from Parenting to Handling money Gods Way.

And we are at the same time, able to touch lives in our community as we reach out to Retirement Villages, playschools and soup kitchens.

However, we still need to be challenged to find ways to care for God’s creation.

So, the question remains, are you living your life with passion?
If not then….

Monday, 07 April 2008

Preaching and Living the Gospel



The Good News is that Jesus is coming again.

The sad news is that many won’t be ready for His return.
Partly because the church has not prepared people.
Partly because those that think they are prepared are in fact not.
And partly because people have been deceived into thinking that Christ will not return.

Now, we have choices:
Believe that He is returning.....or not…
If we believe, then we can wait around hoping it’ll be in our life time or we can live as if it may be possible in our life time….
As for me, I choose to preach and live the Gospel each day and when Christ returns, I will be as ready as I can be!

How about you???????

Should you want to know more about Jesus, click on our Tell Me About Jesus link.

Monday, 31 March 2008

AGAPE LOVE


One thing that strikes me about AGAPE LOVE, you know, the kind of self-sacrificial love that we see in Jesus dying for the sins of the world and the kind of love Jesus used in the first two commands when He reinstated Peter.

I guess he meant, love God and His people with all that you have.
Be prepared to suffer criticism, hatred and ridicule for Him.
Why? Because God loves you with AGAPE love!

But just the same, Jesus uses another kind of love i.e. PHILEO, the kind of love we need to have for people we don’t like or even know, in his third command to Peter.

In other words, love those who are different to you, who perhaps want to harm you and who you don’t like for various reaosns.
Why? Because hatred, unforgiveness and revenge are harmful emotions and when acted upon, don’t change world but rather push it further along its path to destruction.

So I guess we have a simple choice: be part of the solution or part of the problem!

What do you choose today?

Tuesday, 25 March 2008

Hanging On




Sunday was a good day, mainly because of Friday.
Normally at this time, we have a lot of visitors at North Rand, particularly on Sunday and it’s amazing to me that folks who seldom come to church do so at this time.


I believe it’s because the message (the Word) is so compelling that it challenges us at the very core of our existence.


Say, God is real, then what…?
Say, this Jesus guy is the Son of God, then what…?
Say, this Sovereign God loves me, so much that He sent His Son to show me, then what…?
Can I possibly love God back…?
If not, then what…?


Yep, Sunday was a good day….
How was yours?

Monday, 17 March 2008

Getting dressed





How much time do you take in your appearance each day?
And what does the clothing, etc. you choose say about you as a person?


I’m guessing that for most of us, we take at least ten to fifteen minutes each day and that our choice reflects the image we want the world to see us as……….and we do it because of our love for ourselves and others….

No! Think about it for a minute……

Okay, so Scripture invites us to put on Christian ‘clothes’…..
Compassion.
Kindness.
Humility.
Gentleness.

How much time do you take each day to put these ‘clothes’ on to look like, act like, and become the image God asks?

If you aren’t then…..start tomorrow as you wake, take time to put these clothes on and do it because you want to show God how much His love means to you….

Monday, 10 March 2008

Fellowship

Like many other words, the word fellowship has the potential to, and I believe in most cases does, conjure of concepts such as togetherness, companionship and accountability.

In terms of North Rand, that’s what we aim for in our small group ministry.
Well, our fellowship with the Holy Spirit is based on the similar concepts. God want us to be united, to encourage and uplift each other.

At the same time, He knows that, as we as individuals journey in close companionship with His Spirit, we will be challenged to make changes in our lives, to discover our purpose for being and be motivated to live as God would have us live.

So………

What is the Holy Spirit guiding you to do right now?


Give freely?
Make changes in your attitude and behaviour?
Talk to that person you don’t like or who has hurt you?
Forgive yourself…others?
Open your heart to God?

Monday, 03 March 2008

The Sphagetti Monster



How about this?


Did you know there are websites such The Great Spaghetti Monster and Matrix-something or other, which, so I’m told, get people to believe that being part of their community will help make sense of life.(I’m sure this is the idea although they may argue differently) .
Well, here’s the choice, trust in God or in other things!
Easy as that! Yes?

Let’s think about it for a moment.
We trust God but are still not really sure when pushed…
We listen to others telling about God’s work but wonder why He doesn't answer us….
We treat God like the spaghetti monster and then expect….

Take a moment now and think for a minute…
Do you really trust God (you can and should)?
If not then now’s the time to start…maybe you want to get down on your knees, right in front of your family or the people in the office and pray aloud something like..Lord I trust you only

See we can trust Him and we can show that we trust Him!

Amen!!!!

Monday, 25 February 2008

Our Father




I’m not sure about you, but sometimes I pray the Our Father without really thinking too much about it.

On Sunday at the 8h00 service, we had a closer look based on Luke 11:2-4 where Jesus teaches His disciples to pray:



Father: Jesus defines the relationship that God wants with us i.e. as a parent who loves, disciples and provides for us.

Hallowed be your name: Jesus now defines the boundaries within the parent/child relationship. God is our loving parent but it is based on God as Holy and Righteous, All knowing, All present and All powerful.

Your Kingdom come: God has a plan for His creation and that means you and me. The more we surrender to the will of God in our lives, the more we become aware of His plan and our part in it.

Give us this day our daily bread: We simply ask God to be our provider.

Forgive our sins for we also forgive those who sin against us: Quite a thing! Allowing ourselves to become more Christ like : humble and servant hearted and it all starts and ends with forgiveness.

And lead us not into temptation: In all this we need to aware of the potential of ourselves and Satan to lead us away from a fulfilling relationship with God.

Awesome, when you think about it!!!

Monday, 18 February 2008

Open Yourself


How open are you to new ideas?

I think for most of us, it remains a struggle. Change raises our fears, takes us out of our comfort zones and generally makes us edgy.

Yet we find in Scripture that change is unavoidable. Jesus asks us to give up our things that make us comfortable. He also challenges us to keep growing as Christians and to do so requires change.

So, then how can we overcome our fears, doubts and complacency?

One way is to trust God. I mean really trust Him.

Trust that He has a plan for your life, that when you let go He will catch you.

Easy – no!

But rewarding – yes, becoming the person that God knows you need to become.

Amen!

No matter where you find yourself, a long way down the road, just starting or just a little faded…

Start each day with these words: Lord into your hands I place my Spirit today…

Monday, 11 February 2008

Tattoos

I don’t know about you, but when I first heard of tattoos, I was intrigued mainly because my parents forbade any one in our family to have one.
Tattoos are permanent; they don’t just wash off, in fact to get them off takes more hassle than getting them on! They are also usually have to do with something important to the tattoo'ie (or so I’m told).

Vulyelwa spoke on Sunday night about a new covenant that God made with His people i.e. Christ was the sacrifice upon which the new covenant is based. More so, the new covenant would be written on our hearts. She used the analogy of the new covenant being like a tattoo!

Awesome!

We need to think of God’s new covenant as permanent and special to every person.

So do you have a tattoo? Do/have you received God’s covenant into your life?

If you would like to, then click on our Tell Me About Jesus link and pray with us.

Monday, 04 February 2008

Setting Ourslves Up

One of the most amazing things we do is to set ourselves up!

Either for failure or success.

But fear can prevent us from being successful: fear of failure or fear of success.

It may sound strange but fear of sucess can be a factor in our lives.

One of the most helpful things we can do is to ask ourselves which one is preventing us from living to our full potential.

If its fear of failure then we can deal with it by not taking ourselves too seriously and living for the moment but if it's fear of success, it's a little harder because it sounds weird (or at least it will make us sound weird to our friends and family.)

You see, Jesus knows our potential and allows us to live free the fear of failure and free from concerns about becoming the person God knows we need to become.

So take some time this week and reflect on whether you are living to your full potential.

If not, then ask Jesus to help you do so and if you are, then ask Him to continue to help you to live to your full potential.

Monday, 28 January 2008

Becoming a Branch

One of the most amazing things (and there are many) of being part of a community of faith such as North Rand, is that we get a chance to be a branch of each others lives.

No, don’t switch off!

Sure, we might rub each up the wrong way sometimes, but then there are other things like…

Allowing other folks children to become ‘our’ children. And we watch them grow up, develop into young people and then go off to study and finally get married have children and bring them to church where…

Also we get to share and witness intensely personal things with each other, like when God touches our lives and what that means for us. The truly awesome thing is that we do so because Jesus sets us free in love to be able to share and understand what we witness in each other and at the same time allow others to feel free not to share but just be a part of the body.

Awesome!!!!

If you are part of a body of faith, then I encourage you be really allow yourself to become a branch of the very life of that body. Use your gifts, talents and resources to build up the body and most important allow yourself to share and encourage one another.

If you are not part of a body then…

Monday, 21 January 2008

Load Sharing

Wow!

What a hot topic – load shedding.

It’s something that affects us all here in South Africa as power outages have become part of life for us, sometimes at the most inconvenient times.

The way I see, we have two choices:

1. Bury our heads in the sand and hope it goes away

Or

2. Deal with it constructively.

At church on Sunday, we took time to talk about it during the service and ended up with asking what Jesus would say about it.

Bottom line: I believe that Jesus would want it to be fair and with a sense of justice. Thus we all need to informed (even those who can’t read) when it will happen and the shedding needs to be consistent for everyone. Being informed and the shedding done with justice and consistency, I believe, will help us all to be more tolerant until the situation is improved.

And when shedding is done in this way, then we may refer to it as load sharing as we are in this together for each other.

Please share you feelings and suggestions by clicking on the Comments link.

Monday, 14 January 2008

Rights and Privileges


2008 has officially commenced in all it’s glory for most of us!

One of the most awesome things about starting anew, is that it brings with it hope of new beginnings, dreams and the belief that this year’s going to be different to the past.

However, we might find, a few months in, that things have not really changed – we still have that difficult relationship with work; we still can’t meet our monthly expenses; we still have trouble in our personal/family life etc.

It might be helpful to pause for a minute – right now at the start of the year and remind ourselves that in God’s world, we have few rights but many privileges.
For example, the opportunity to work and earn a living comes because God has blessed us in that way and with it comes a responsibility to make it count in every possible way.

Abraham Lincoln used the expression “there for the grace of God go I,” but we can take it a little further – Lord, help me to make the most of my opportunities (however they may seem to me) to the best that I can and to accept my responsibilities and remember that there are those, who by no fault of their own, who are less fortunate than myself. Thank you for the privilege.

Do you have a story related to being privileged; then please share it with us.

Monday, 07 January 2008

An Open Invitation


We won the cricket test against the West Indies over the weekend. But in the middle of the celebration we also feel sorry for Neil McKenzie who having received his call up to the test team, injured his leg and is out of cricket for a few weeks. Before the test, one of the selectors said that McKenzie was ‘busting a gut’ to play for South Africa.

Do you know what it feels like to be ‘busting a gut’ to do something, but to be excluded?

The odd thing about the coming of the Magi to worship baby Jesus is that they were not Jews. Could it be possible that Gentiles should worship the Jewish king? Right at the beginning of Jesus’ life the message is very clear – the invitation to follow him is for all people! No one is excluded – unless they choose to exclude themselves.

Those who are hurting and struggling are invited. Those who have bad thoughts and bad habits are invited. Those who feel marginalised and excluded are invited. Whoever you are, YOU are invited.

You might be ‘busting a gut’ for healing in some part of your life. God’s invitation is to you. Come and worship Jesus, accept him for who he is, and allow him to bring that healing.