Amazed!!!

We concluded our Worship series on Sunday.

I am always amazed at the POWER of the Word!

We simply shared from the Word in between worshiping and allowed the Word to challenge us.

The altar call at the end was amazing as many folk came forward to receive Jesus' forgiveness.

GOD IS GOOD!!!

Worship

On Sunday we simply allowed Scripture to speak to us a we worshipped in song.

Folks came forward for prayer and we trust that many lives were changed and transformed as they received Jesus(Acts 3:1-10)

I trust that God will transform you as you:

- devote yourself to him
- show Him your devotion
- saturate Him with your all

In Spirit & Truth

On Sunday as part of our series on our core value - Worship, we shared from John 4:19-24.

The foundation of worship is to:
- Show our devotion to God
- Tell Jesus that we Adore Him
- Saturate God with our respect

Jesus encounters a women at the well and she highlights that Jews & Samaritans differ in their understand of where/how God should be worshipped.

He takes the opportunity to point out that:
- True worshippers do not need a 'place'
- Salvation is from the Jews - Himself

So what does this mean?

True worshipers:
- Worship in the assembly (congregation) - Proskuneo
- Are committed to service to others (Romans 12:1) - Latreia

I trust you will worship in Spirit and Truth in 2011!

Worship

At North Rand we have decided to spend some time this year on each of our core values.

On Sunday we shared around Worship.

Worship means:
- Adoring God
- Showing our Devotion to God
- Saturating God with our respect

The foundations for us doing this are:

- By Giving thanks & Calling on His name
- Singing His praises & Glorying Him
- Looking & Remembering His goodness and faithfulness

Awesome!!!!

'Chilling'

Sunday was a 'chilling' day for us as a church community.

We shared a nativity play with our Children's Church in the morning and our annual Carol's by Candlelight in the evening.

It was an awesome time and gave me the sense, as families came together, of:

A. The importance of family time

B. The extent of Jesus' grace - without gathering in His name, we wouldn't have had families together in this way.

God is good!

Christain Values

On Sunday we shared from Jesus' parable on good fruit in Matthew 7:15-20.

There are many things which determine our behaviour and thus the outcomes in our lives.

One of the most important is VALUES.

Values are gained from personal conviction, upbringing and life experience.

Values need to have positive outcomes for us and the people around us.

Scripture determines Christian values.

Bottom line:

1. If we allow Scripture to determine our values we will experience positive
outcomes for our lives.

2. When our lives are changed, the world changes around us.

THIS HAPPENS BECAUSE IN CHRIST WE BEAR GOOD FRUIT.

Falling Away

On Sunday we shared from Hebrews 5:11-14 & 6:1-12.

The writer warns us about falling away (apostasy) - once believing then denying the existence of God.

It's a scary thought because there is no salvation for those who fall away (6:4-6).

Let's be clear now: falling away is not the same as failing to attend church.

So, how can we ensure we do not fall away:

We need to:
- Grow toward Christan maturity - to learn to discern between good and evil (5:14).
- Be diligent in our lives and doctrine (1 Timothy 4:16).
- To imitate God in love (Ephesians 5:1-2)

My prayer is that we will continue to do so.