A Word of Encouragement

This week’s reading:


Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways.
You will eat the fruit of your labour; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;
your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.
Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD.
May the LORD bless you from Zion all the days of your life; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem and may you live to see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel.

Psalm 128:1-6 - a word as encouragement for us.


Have a blessed week.

Correcting in Love

Hi Everyone

This weeks reading is from 2 Corinthians and has two parts:

Since we have these promises, dear friends,let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
(2 Corinthians 7:1)


This, I believe, is a great challenge for us – to practice holiness.
To challenge ourselves and each other to live a life worthy of Christ’s sacrifice.
A life according to God’s laws and decrees.

I believe there are many levels to this challenge:
- To open ourselves to God’s spirit
- To listen with discernment to our brothers and sisters who
correct us in love
- To correct ourselves and one another in love
- To practice what we believe


Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it.
Though I did regret it - I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while- yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.
For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.
( 2 Corinthians 7:8-11)

Paul was expressing his distress at having to correct the church at Corinth.But at the same time, he was glad because his correction caused them to come in line with God.

We too should rely on this joy to strengthen our resolve when talking about God’s will for ourselves and others.

May you be given all you need this week to live according to God’s will.

Blessings

Cleaning the Temple

On Sunday we shared from Matthew 21:12-17 - Jesus cleaning the temple.

Traditionally, this passage speaks about righteous anger, the need for religion at the time to transform and the temple to become a house of prayer.

In 1 Corinthians 6:19, Paul says that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are to hounour God with our bodies.

In the same way, we are to allow Jesus to cleanse our temples and become vessels of transfomation, healing and hope.

We can do this by daily allowing the Holy Spirit to convict us of the areas in our lives that need healing, change and transfomation.

My prayer is that we will become a house of prayer for the Lord.

The Work of the Spirit

On Sunday we shared from Jesus' teaching on the work of the Spirit.

A couple of things emerged:

- Jesus had to be glorified in order that we would recieve the Spirirt as Counsellor.

- We are shaped and transformed by the Spirit when we allow Him to convict us of changes in our lives.

This for many Christians is not a new understanding but what may be new is to make the concious effort to be transformed to a righteous life.

My prayer is that you will allow the Spirit to work in you this week.

Palm Sunday

On Sunday we shared from John 12:12-15 - Palm Sunday:

No doubt that this reading speaks to the Kingship of Jesus.

However, we, for the most part, see His kingship as peaceful,loving and individual.

A careful examination of this reading can change our first perception:

- Jesus did not focus on the external - He focused on the internal!

In other words, changing the world relies on the transformation of the individual.

On entering Jerusalem, Jesus chooses to turn left and His choice takes Him to the Cross.

The Cross is divisive:

- It divides believer from non-believer
- It divides life from death
- It divides the passive person from the active person

We also have a choice:

To accept Him or not.

If we accept Him, we become believers who have Life and commit to becoming active in changing the world.

The Vine

On Sunday we shared from John 15:1-4.

Jesus encourages His disciples to stay in Him (the vine).

Every Christian, at some point in their journey, will be confronted with the temptation to resist the church, praying or allowing the Holy Spirit to work in their lives.

Jesus recognises this weakness in us.

How can we avoid this temptation?

Three ways:

1. Attend church regularly. Make it part of our daily routine.

2. Read and pray every morning. Make it part of our routine.

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to prune us daily. Make it part of our daily routine.


Awesome!

John 17:20-26

On Sunday we shared around Jesus prayer for future believers (you and I):

It is interesting to note Jesus' expectation:

- We would need to be reminded to keep our unity - (because we can and do disagree)
- We would need protection -( satan wants us to fail and will tempt us)
- We would need to be sanctified -(made Holy in His image by the power of the Holy Spirit)

So heres the thing:

His prayer speaks to our lives two thousand years later.

Awesome!