Arbour Day

Sunday was arbour day.

Although I was away at Emmaus, NR celebrated arbour day/week by committing to plant 10 trees out at Hlalanathi.

This has got me to thinking how is it that we struggle to make caring for the environment part of our lives as Christians?

- God created everything including us

- We are co workers with Him in creation

- Jesus died for the redemption of creation

So as Christ followers we need to work to bring about the salvation of the created order!Awesome!

My prayer is that you will do your part in this.

The Kingdom of God

On Sunday about the Kingdom of God (Luke 17:20-37.)

Jesus in this passage says a few things:

- The Kingdom of God is in You

It's personal and corporate

- The Kingdom requires Faithfulness

Beware of false teachings

- The Kingdom requires Sacrifice

God's work often requires sacrifice

My prayer is that you will receive and work in the Kingdom so that the world will be changed and transformed!

The Widow's Offering

On Sunday morning we spoke about the Widow's Offering (Luke 21: 1-44).


Her background:

- No insurance policies

- No financial independence



So is this light her giving shows:




- Her commitment to her relationship with God

- A deep faith

- A clear sense of God's vision for her life


So her gift speaks to us today: when we give, we give to God!

A House Of Prayer

On Sunday night we spoke about Jesus clearing the temple (Luke 19:41-48).


The issue for us at North Rand is this:



Can we present our church to Jesus as a house of prayer?

A house of prayer has three parts:

- To develop relationships - between us and God and each other

- To be a place of equipping for the Lord's service

- To help us to ask God that we might be part of the solution to the things we pray for

Awesome

I do believe that North Rand, whilst not perfect, is indeed a house of prayer!

An Amazing Question

Eugene Ionesco once said:

"It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question."

How true is that?

On Sunday we spoke about Jesus question to two blind men ( Matthew 9:27-34).

Think about this: He asks them if they believe that He can do three things:

- Heal them physically
- Save them spiritually
- Restore them mentally

We might to be asked by Jesus the same question:

DO YOU BELIEVE I CAN DO THIS FOR YOU?


My prayer is that your answer will be YES!

Helping The Needy

On Sunday we spoke about Jesus instructions for us to help the needy in Matthew 6:1-4.


A couple of things emerged:


- Giving is always a relationship thing - between the giver, the receiver and God

- When we give we enter a relationship thus it's a very personal and private

Awesome!

May the Lord truly bless you in all relationships.

Born Again

On Sunday we had one of our largest services in the history of North Rand.

We also looked at Jesus conversation with Nicodemus about being born spiritually in John 3:1-8.

Part of the journey for us to be reborn spiritually is to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior and then to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

When we are filled with Holy Spirit we are moved to love God and others:

"Jesus replied: "`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

(Matthew 22:37-40)


So, no longer do we just focus on God but we also need to focus on others.

Awesome!